Not doing well with French Fridays. As my eldest daughter lives with me and isn't fond of mushrooms, I'm not making the soup until I have a guest that actually like them.

The mail was delivered yesterday with my copy of the new book by Dorie Greenspan. I have a cold and don't feel like going anywhere which means the larder doesn't have what I need.

I'm looking forward to getting started on cooking again.

Where have I been? I went to Italy for two weeks on a guided tour. I love Italy, especially Sorrento and I could easily go live there.
Our tour had half the meals included some were good and some were better but none were bad. There were also special events that were optional. I think I participated in all the ones that included dinner.
The wine was delicious except for one time when it was a rather rough and harsh tasting.
Almost everything was fresh tasting except for a few pastries on the morning breakfast buffets. Most of it was very good though and I especially enjoyed a small orange scented croissant with a preserved apricot in the center.
Italian butter is heavenly. Even my grandmother's home made butter didn't taste like that. I could have eaten it without bread.

Pasta was always al dente and served in much smaller portions as a first course. I liked it like that and the sauces were never heavy nor heavily seasoned. The very first one we had was sauced with what tasted like pure essence of fresh tomato.
I tried to duplicate it but couldn't get the good fresh taste with the Romano tomatoes from the stores. I think I need to plant San Marzanos again.

Another rainy day

I'm really getting tired of rain. I know we need it but does it all have to come at once?

I didn't cook for the last two days as my back was giving me pure hell. Pain pills spoil my appetite.

Today I was better and got through my dental X-rays. Will go back next week for the exam and see if anything needs to be done.

Tonight I made Yakisoba for dinner. Tasted really good for a change. It would have been better if I had had Chuka Soba but I didn't so I used spaghetti which was OK. Texture was just a bit off.

Brownie Project

Yesterday Joy said she would like some Brownies so I made a pan of them. I made them with Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate using the recipe on the package.
They were OK but seemed to lack depth of flavor. The recipe doesn't call for any salt and they could have used some. My project is to make Brownies now and then, maybe once a month, until I find my preferred recipe. Doesn't mean it would suit everybody but I want one that suits my taste. Everybody has their own idea of the perfect brownie.

Tonight I'm going to make pork chops and have some roasted root vegetables. We'll see if the root vegetables are better than the ones I made a few days ago.
I'm using carrot, turnip, parsnip, fennel, potato, onion, and garlic. Might add some red pepper, too, if I have any left.
The last batch I made was way too much and took up a whole oven rack. I think that's what made it scorch on the bottom.

A drizzly day. What Mom called Oregon mist. Missed Oragon and hit California.

She who remembers

While I was making something to eat, (can't call it dinner) my mind started to wandering about things in my childhood thus the title for the day.

I remember living on the ranch when I was about three. Mom had disappeared into the outhouse up on the hill. She was gone for a long time and I started wondering why she didn't come back. When I went out the door the rooster attacked me. I still remember the peck marks on my chest. Is it any wonder that I have no compunction about killing chickens?
I remember the holes in the ground after the big fire that came through and burned out the stumps. Our milk cow got trapped in a hole and they couldn't get her out so Dad felt he had to shoot her. I think the buried her in the hole. All I really remember is that they wouldn't let me watch and I felt very scared.

I don't remember moving to the Ranger Station but those are my next memories. Dad said I pushed my little sister down the stairs but I don't remember doing that although I do remember playing with my dollies and pretending that one of them was her and I was trying to poison her by feeding the dolly things that weren't good for one to eat all at the same time.
She almost managed to poison herself by putting gasoline in our toy cups and drinking it.

More later.

MY daughter had to work tonight so my dinner was a loaded baked potato and the leftover rum form Christmas mixed with Juicy Juice. Don't ask.

Dreary Sunday

It's another dreary day here but the rain has stopped for now. We had a wild thunderstorm for a while yesterday afternoon. Poor, little Lily had a hard time of it as it was right overhead and she was terrified. I had to sit and hold and rock her although it didn't help much. As soon as the thunder stopped she settled right down. I think she was yapped out.

I made a pork loin roast for our dinner last night. Laid it on a mire poix, bay leaf and rosemary. Sprinkled it with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I made baked Oriental sweet potatoes and buttered green beans for vegetable and wine poached pears with ice cream for dessert. Sunday dinner on Saturday.
Garlic powder only because we had used up all the fresh garlic in the house. 5 heads in two weeks is a lot of garlic even for us.

This is the first time that I have had Oriental sweet potatoes. They have red skin and pale yellow green flesh. Not as sweet as the yams that I ususally get but very tasty. They taste a bit like chestnuts to me. I hope I can continue to get them. I bought them to cook with rice in the Japanese manner but didn't get to do that so I just baked 'em.