The gift of giving

As it is with fine food, presentation is a critical component of gift giving.  It excites the senses and, frankly, gives you a bit of a reprieve when it comes to the actual contents within.

My girlfriends gushed over these little boxes I gave them last night.  They’re adorable!  Inside was about $15 worth of lip balm and a hand-painted magnet, both from Anthropologie.  It’s my favorite place to find trinkets and treasures, especially if you’re a frequent visitor and can take advantage of their deep discounts. http://www.anthropologie.com

Another great and practical gift is this awesome reusable grocery bag by Ityse (it comes in a compact carrying case with several other bags).

Not only are they stylish, practical, washable and strong,  they’re also made in the USA…in fact Ityse contracts its production with Oregon Corrections Enterprises (OCE). OCE provides inmates with skills to enhance their opportunities to secure employment upon release.

A large percentage of wages earned by the prisoners are returned to the community in the form of payments to victim’s restitution and child support. OCE is NOT funded by tax dollars.  Cool, huh?!   http://www.ityse.com

And, for the gift that keeps on giving, I have to give a shout out to my favorite farm friend, MaryJane Butters.  Her magazine is gorgeous and professional, yet as homegrown as it gets.  MaryJane takes the majority of the beautiful photographs on her organic farm in Moscow, Idaho and works with her small, smart, resourceful staff to create a conscientious, clever and creative magazine low on advertisements and high on content.

http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/magazine.html

And, I’d be remiss in not mentioning Ree!

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks; Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl” is delightful new cookbook.

Ree Drummond has parlayed her incredibly popular blog into an incredibly lucrative publishing career.

“I’m the wife of a rugged cowboy. I’m the mother of four spirited children. I have horse poop on my porch. I’m Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. You can read more about my adventures, my cooking, and my photography on my crazy website.”

Her self-deprecating humor makes her lovable, her talents make her marketable, and her country cookbook makes a great gift!

ThePioneerWoman.com

Simple pleasures

I have the day off today. 

My modus operandi is to plan for every vacation day I use.

Typically that means taking big chunks of time and traveling (which I plan to do the last two weeks of the year).  But, today, I went way out on a limb and decided to simply slow down!

I got up early (not a big sleeper-inner), made a to-do list and set about executing the perfect day off.  The first stop; my local Co-op…the first purchase; coffee and croissant (from my favorite French restaurant Cafe de Paris http://www.lecafedeparis.com/).

This, alone, set the tone for my day.  A productive, slightly indulgent, very intentional day off!

Just in time!

I lamented earlier about my resistance to raking leaves.  Well, it seemed I’d put it off as long as nature would allow.

The air was feeling less like fall and more like winter.

So, I enlisted a little help from my Faux Farmboy and his trusty dog, Sage.  Under the guise of “blog documentation” I managed to escape the vast majority of work by hiding behind my camera.

Turns out my internal clock was correct. 

I awoke the next morning to 3″ of fresh fluffy snow on the ground…which has now remained on the ground all week in our freezing cold temperatures.  The leaves would have been a lost cause!

Here’s to the transition of seasons and to my perfectly timed procrastination!

Rise and shine

I don’t have roosters, nor snuffling pigs, nor mooing cows, nor neighing horses.

But, even from my urban abode I can enjoy my room with a view

and rise & shine on Mother Nature’s cue.

Morning view from from my bedroom window.

Faux Shizzle!

City Slicker sh*t kickers!

I just bought these super shiny shoes at a consignment store in Eagle, Idaho.

If this isn’t a righteous reason to embrace recycling…then I give up.

http://www.againclothing.com/

Thanks…again.

Day #2 in the at-home infirmary.  I thought about going to the doctor, but decided to make some soup, instead.

As you will come to learn…I am the Great Saver of Food!  I hate seeing food go to waste!  I’m the Queen of leftovers and not shy about stealing my friend’s doggie bags if they’re not taking them to a suitable, food-loving home.

Since I wasn’t presentable to the outside world, I knew I’d have to make due with what I had.

And…this is what I had.

Thanks to Thanksgiving, I had leftover turkey, beans and stuffing.  In the cupboard I had wild rice…in the fridge some herbs and cream…and, in the freezer about 2 cups of homemade chicken consomme.

The recipe below was my inspiration for the soup, but it is such a forgiving recipe that I only used 2 of the 13 ingredients it calls for…so it’s a very loose interpretation.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Turkey-Chowder-with-Wild-Rice-Crimini-and-Pancetta-240373

I did not use: pancetta, mushrooms, butter, carrots, cellery, shallots, flour, turkey stock, rosemary or corn.  Instead, I thawed my consomme, added my turkey, green beans, stuffing and about a cup of leftover squash bisque that a friend brought me (that also allowed me to cut down on the cream).  I then added just enough water to cover everything.

In a separate pan I cooked the rice.  Once it was done, I put the rice in the soup pot and added a little cream.  It was as delicious as it was resourceful.  Plus, I did a masterful job cleaning out the fridge!!

Soothing a sore throat

Dang it!  Home sick with a sore throat.

I’m already a big tea drinker, but when I get a cold or sore throat I practically drown myself in cups of hot tea.

Admittedly, I’m a bit of a snob.  I buy the expensive, organic, loose blends at my local Co-op, but I think there are healing powers in even the most crushed up commercial tea bags.

The added ingredient for my home remedy is honey.  I bought this jar from Harvard Honey Bees in at a Farmer’s Market in Moscow, Idaho.  I don’t normally add sweeteners to my tea, but, in this case, I think it helps deliver a one-two punch…especially if you lick the spoon!



Frugal Gourmet

A thoughtful and tasteful homemade gift can take a lot of the pressure off your wallet and make those on the receiving end feel a little less pressure about how much they may or may not have spent on you this year.  I have several friends and family members struggling to find work.  The last thing they need is a lavish gift to make them feel inadequate and unable to return the favor.

One of my favorites is flavored olive oil.

First, start with a nice, high quality extra virgin olive oil.

My favorite oil infuser herbs are garlic, dried chili peppers, rosemary & thyme.  Use one, use some or use all.

Crush the garlic, but don’t chop it.  I find the chopped garlic gets bitter.

Stick the herbs in an appropriate jar…mine are recycled from previous olive oils I purchased.

Add oil.

Tah dah!

Merry Christmas!

Corny Thanksgiving

I’m stuffed.  Seriously…I feel totally sick.  Why do we do this?  What is it about Thanksgiving that leaves so many of us aching from over indulgence?  It’s not like turkey or potatoes or corn are rare delicacies…we can get them any time of year at any kind of store.

Well, I don’t have an answer to my question…I’m just throwing it out there.

I can tell you this…one of the main food offenders at my family Thanksgiving dinner is Scalloped Corn with Oysters.  Go ahead…scoff.  Several of my own family members won’t touch it with a ten foot pole.  In fact, we always make a dish without the oysters for the finicky folks.  But, I, for one, love it!!  I think I had three helpings.

I must also make a small admission that this recipe is inconsistent with my previous post which snubbed creamed corn.  I’m making an exception since the canned creamed corn is merely an “ingredient” in this long standing family recipe.  I know…hypocritical.

Anyway…it’s delicious.  But don’t look for verification from any of my nephews…they fall into the “ten foot pole” category.

Benny…chose lunch meat over turkey

Parker…ate entire turkey leg

Eli…ate more than most adults

My family

Scalloped Corn with Oysters

8 servings

2 cans creamed corn

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

salt & pepper

raw oysters & juice

1 cup cracker crumbs

1 tsp melted butter

Paprika to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine corn through oysters.  Pour into 1 quart baking dish.  Crush crackers & mix with butter. Sprinkle on top and add paprika.  Bake 35 minutes.

Fair weather farm girl!

After months of hanging my scivvies from tree branches, lawn chairs and other creative outcroppings…I finally constructed a clothes line in my backyard!  My motivation was pure: reduce my carbon foot print, cut my power bill, get that “sunshine” smell on all my clothes and linens.

Well, that was then…this is now.  It’s fall.  It’s cold!!  I don’t want to hang my clothes out to dry.  I’m suddenly loving that dryer sheet smell and the bundle of warm, pliable clothes the machine produces (in 30 minutes flat!!).

What happened to my resolve?  Where is my will to save the planet one load at a time?  I’m so disappointed in myself.

Promise: next sunny weekend day…I’m hanging my clothes out on the line.

Retraction: look…I’m a “faux” farmgirl for a reason.  I’ll try to hang the clothes outside, but I’m not promising.

Confession: the clothesline isn’t even still up.  I’d have to re-string it…and then hang my clothes out.

Conclusion: this is really bumming me out.  I’ll tell you what…I’ll lower my thermostat by 1-degree and make sure I turn off the lights when I leave a room.  Carbon footprint reduced, guilty conscience soothed, cold weather clothes-hanging avoided.