Redoing The Bulb Bed--October 18, 2013

      Since we were gone for three months, and it rained like crazy all summer long, when we arrived home the back yard was over run with 2-3' tall weeds and grasses.  Once we were unpacked and settled in, that was our first priority.  Now that it is accomplished, time for work in the front.
      The front "bulb bed" which goes across the front of the porch, is mainly planted with iris. There are a few hyacinths which the pigs (javelina) haven't eaten, but darn few. So I have decided to not only weed the bed and dig it up to aerate the soil, but because my sweet niece Mindy Kamholz gave me a ton of iris bulbs, to replant them, some tulips, and some daffodils in order to fill the bed with spring happiness. 
     Because it is a rather large bed, and the soil is not easily worked (thus the amendments of compost and mulch and maybe some manure), I've decided to do it in portions instead of doing the entire bed at one time. I'm not as young as I used to be, and there are other projects which need to be completed for which I'd have no energy left if I did  the entire bed (like making meals for my husband and feeding the dog!). 
     So here are the beginning project photos. As I continue to improve it, I'll post more. 

the entire bed...first quarter completed area in the front

left end of bed--a mess

right side of bed--new bulbs with compost

                                             

                                            center area of bed--iris' trimmed                                                 down only

Fall Is Here!!! October 14, 2013

                                  

     Fall is here and it’s glorious!  The trees are turning, nights are chilly, days are magnificently perfect. We all need to enjoy and appreciate them while they’re here. I’ve been watching "Alaska: The Last Frontier" on Discovery Channel, and believe me, those people know how to take advantage of any and all good days to get things accomplished, enjoy the
day, and be outside before the eight months of winter shuts them in and cabin fever isn’t an “if” but a “when”.  We took Guayo for a walk

The great Lizard Hunt

around our neighborhood and took some photos of the glorious colors coming out just blocks from us. I would love to take a little road trip (certainly not 3 months again!!!) for a couple days up to the White Mountains, Flagstaff, and Oak Creek Canyon areas and check out the fall foliage. It’s not as spectacular as the Northeast part of the U.S., but it’s still glorious and the drive is so beautiful and relaxing. We’ll have to see if we can make it next week.

Dining Room Decked Out for Fall

While in Silverton, BC Canada this summer during our road trip, I met neighbors of my friends Bill and Priscilla.  They were all wonderful, fun, great people. One neighbor had a reportedly amazing recipe for a Gluten Free Chocolate Cake…the name she gave me was Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, and while that is true, the title is much too simple. It should be Gluten Free Moist Decadent Delicious Amazing Chocolate Cake! 

I have, of course, messed with the recipe a little, and have given

substitutions to make it not only gluten free, but dairy free, sugar free, espresso flavored, and blood orange flavored.  All have been tried by family, neighbors, and friends, and they find it difficult to make a decision as to which one is tastier.

So for all those watching your gluten and/or dairy intake, here’s a winner you can serve any time to anyone and no one will be the wiser, and it will command oohs and ahhhs from everyone who tries it. Enjoy, and do go enjoy these short days of perfect autumness!

MOIST GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Substitutions/changes are in parenthesis () for Espresso Mocha and Blood Orange variations.

2/3 c. golden or white quinoa

1 1/3 c. water  (add 2 T espresso powder to water for Espresso Mocha Torte)

1/3 c. milk (for dairy free use 1/3 c. vanilla almond milk)

4 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract (for Blood Orange variation substitute 1 t. orange extract)

¾ c. butter, melted and cooled (for Blood Orange variation, substitute ¾ c. blood orange olive

oil—for dairy free variation substitute ¾ c. olive oil)

(For Blood Orange variation, add ½ of a peeled whole orange)

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/3  c. sugar (for sugar free substitute equal amounts of TruVia or Stevie in the Raw…others

have a bitter taste)

1 c. unsweetened coco powder (I use organic cocoa powder, and when I can find it, dark organic

cocoa powder)

(Add 2 T. espresso powder for Espresso Mocha Torte)

1 ½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Cover reducing heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave on burner for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.  (For multiple batches, make a large batch of quinoa and then use the 2 c. cooked quinoa for each batch…leftovers are great with some onion/garlic/veges sauted in olive oil with herbs and stirred into the quinoa).  Cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease 2 8” round or square pans (or one 13x9 pan) Line with parchment paper (VERY IMPORTANT so bottom does not stick—I use baking spray on the pan, put in the parchment or waxed paper circle, then spray that also). 

Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, melted butter and 2 cups of the cooked quinoa in a blender. Blend until smooth. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add blender contents to dry ingredients and mix well with whisk (if a little too stiff, add a little more milk/almond milk) . 

Pour into greased/lined pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is firm and sides are pulling away from pan.  Remove from oven and cool completely. 

Can be served as is, with a dusting of powdered sugar, with ganache frosting, or with an orange glaze for the Blood Orange Torte.  

3D Movies, Friends to Dinner, and a Polo Tournament...What a Great Weekend So Far!

     It's been such a great weekend so far, and we still have Sunday to go!!!
     Today and yesterday were absolutely gorgeous--in the low 70's with a slight breeze, clear blue skies, and everything you could want for a warm autumn day...including a day at the polo matches!!!

     This is the 2nd year we have been invited by our friend Dezie Lerner to be her guests for the Skull Valley Polo Club Players Cup Tournament and Texas Barbecue. The venue is the beautiful Van Dickson Ranch in Skull Valley, and hosted by Paul and Carolyn Harris.  It is such great fun to sit beside the gorgeous green polo field, watch the magnificent polo ponies and their riders maneuver around the field while assaulting the chukkar (that's the ball) and trying to take it from the other team or get it through the posts for a goal. The Arizona Polo Team won, with Skull Valley coming in second...a round robin was played with the three teams.     

Coming right at us...

     Then after all of the excitement of watching these three teams (Skull Valley vs Texas vs The Arizona Polo Club, all sanctioned and part of the U.S. Polo Association) play, visiting with the wonderful attendees and sharing the food brought by everyone for their lunch by the field, you then get to enjoy a traditional Texas style brisket bbq with bbq sauce, salsa, rolls, potato salad, coleslaw, corn salad, green salad, and a myriad of desserts.  And sit at tables set up in the park-like grounds under the trees, with green grass, flowers, and even two friendly loving dogs adding to the joy of this feast. This is our 2nd year going to the tournament, and we decided that this is a new tradition for us the first Saturday of each October.   We met new people, found friends made last year, and could not have enjoyed ourselves more.   
     Plus I brought home a gallon zip bag of marigold seeds that Carolyn had dried and had many bags sitting in a box for anyone to take free of charge.  They'll look great among the iris in the front, and will be used around the vegetable gardens come spring as a natural insect deterrent. Plus, the javelinas don't eat them!!

     Last night friends Jeff & Darla Holtke came over for dinner, prior to our going to the movies to see "Gravity" in 3D, and everyone enjoyed my new creation. My local CSA box this week included a multitude of     green bell peppers. After using as many as possible in salads, as  scoops for dips, in rice pilaf, etc. I came up with this recipe for a Stuffed Bell Pepper SW Style.  Hope you enjoy.  Sorry there's no photo of the entire pan filled with this deliciousness but my camera battery was dead and my company was not willing to hold up the eating of this meal until I could get a money shot!!!  So, had to take one of the leftovers today!

     SOUTHWESTERN STYLE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

  (Substitute cooked quinoa in equal parts for the rice to amp up the protein level and give a nutty flavor)

6 medium bell peppers (red or green)

1 ½ lbs ground beef

2 c. cooked rice (brown or white)

1 c. diced onion

¼ c. diced bell pepper

¼ c. diced celery

2T.olive oil

1 t. cumin

2 t. menudo mix spices

1 ½  cup corn (frozen or drained from a can or fresh from the cob)

1 T. Cholula sauce

2 cups shredded jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

2 c. red or green chili salsa

1 c. grated jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese.

     Put 1 T olive oil in a large Dutch Oven and heat over medium high heat. Brown ground beef until no longer pink. Add onions, diced bell pepper, diced celery and cook until softened. Add rice, cumin, menudo mix, corn, Cholula sauce and heat through.  Add 2 c. cheese , turn off the burner, and stir mixture together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

     Split 6 bell peppers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds, stem and ribs. Use 1 T. olive oil to grease 13x9 inch pan. Lay halved bell peppers in pan, cut side up. Using a spoon, scoop ground beef mixture into each shell, filling as much as possible. Spoon a large spoonful of salsa over the top of each filled pepper, and sprinkle cheese over each one. 

     Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove foil, broil top to brown if desired. Serve with a nice salad and some garlic Parmesan bread for a complete and delicious meal. 

Using The Abundance...SW Stuffed Bell Peppers October 3, 2013

         My local CSA box this week included a multitude of green bell peppers. After using as many as possible in salads, as scoops for dips, in rice pilaf, etc., I came up with a fabulous recipe for a Stuffed Bell Pepper SW Style.  It’s always satisfying to make a recipe using what you have in abundance. And as always, feel free to “mess” with it and make changes which use alternate choices for things you have, use, or your family particularly enjoys. To amp up the protein, use cooked quinoa instead of rice...gives it a special nutty flavor plus more protein!

Stuffed Bell Pepper SW Style

6 medium bell peppers (red or green)

1 ½ lbs ground beef

2 c. cooked rice (brown or white)

1 c. diced onion

¼ c. diced bell pepper

¼ c. diced celery

2T.olive oil

1 t. cumin

2 t. menudo mix spices

1 ½  cup corn (frozen or drained from a can or fresh from the cob)

1 T. Cholula sauce

2 cups shredded jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

2 c. red or green chili salsa

1 c. grated jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese.

Put 1 T olive oil in a large Dutch Oven and heat over medium high heat. Brown ground beef until no longer pink. Add onions, diced bell pepper, diced celery and cook until softened. Add rice, cumin, menudo mix (or use oregano, onion flakes, garlic, pepper flakes mixture), corn, Cholula sauce and heat through.  Add 2 c. cheese , turn off the burner, and stir mixture together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Split 6 bell peppers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds, stem and ribs. Use 1 T. olive oil to grease 13x9 inch pan. Lay halved bell peppers in pan, cut side up. Using a spoon, scoop ground beef mixture into each shell, filling as much as possible. Spoon a large spoonful of salsa over the top of each filled pepper, and sprinkle cheese over each one. 

Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove foil, broil top to brown if desired. Serve with a nice salad and some garlic parmesan bread for a complete and delicious meal.

Road Trip Is Over and We're Home!--October 1, 2013

           We’re home!   After our fabulous road trip of three months, through California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, we are back at our casa and glad to be home. As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home”.  

           Prescott had a terrific amount of rain this summer, so we came back to weeds.  The back patio/yard is covered—in between all of the flagstones and along all of the places that are not cemented over, as are any garden beds that were not covered.  It’s hard work as the biggest invader is Bermuda grass, a nasty invasive grass well known in the SW United States. If there is water, it will come!  So digging that out is proving to take time and energy.

           But alas, when you get out the weeds in the garden beds, I am finding beautiful dark, crumbly soil, filled with worms, and a real pleasure to the eye and nose. Plus, as pulling the weeds, I am getting needed exercise, some wonderful autumn warmth from the not so hot sun, and I am listening to quail peeping in the vacant lot behind our backyard, the buzzing of bees, the sound of yard work going on in other sectors of the neighborhood, and feel a real peace with the world.

           So stay tuned as I get back into the swing of things, and get into the routine of retirement, as I have gleaned some fabulous recipes in my trips, many of which are gluten free (self serving with my gluten intolerance), such as the Decadent GF Chocolate Mocha Cake, revised from a recipe from Rochelle in Silverton BC Canada.  Hope your mouths are watering just reading about it.