eG Foodblog: snowangel - Freedom!

[Behemoth]

So, I have started floor shopping.  I am leaning toward commercial vinyl tile.  Ceramic is out (Heidi falls a lot and drops a lot of things), and I don't want wood (hardwood will be revealed when we tear up the living room carpet next spring and I want some definition to this space.

Have you considered cork?

I'm enjoying your blog very much, and absolutely coveting that keffir lime tree.

[snowangel]

Have you considered cork?

I'm enjoying your blog very much, and absolutely coveting that keffir lime tree.

←

Yes, I have considered cork. I really need more info on flooring. One of the things is that with kids, stuff gets dragged all over the floor. Heidi drools constantly, thus, it can't be shiny. Best of all worlds is a floor that looks like dirt and needs little maintenance, other than a coat of wax periodically, plus some mopping.

I'm ashamed to say that I hate this floor so much (plus it has a boatload of intentional crap collectors -- excuse me, I mean "dimples") that I have quit doing almost anything other than sweeping and wiping the really offending gunk.

This floor bugs me more and more every day. Like all regular house vinyl sheet goods, it feels sticky all the time. Gack.

I know I shouldn't expect "Rome in a day." But, having re-done a kitchen not 18 months before selling the house, I am determined to do this one soon. So I can enjoy it for many, many years.

I'm just sorry I didn't replace the cupboards and cabinets before putting the counters in. But, budget in mind, and knowing that we also need a new furnace and a bunch of new wiring (DIY), I was prudent. New knobs are a given.

Where one cooks can be as important as what one cooks. Call it inspiration.

[winesonoma]

You should look at food and laboratory seamless flooring. It's really tough cushioned stuff and in the sizes it comes in you have no seams. See what the local shops have in the back room. When you do large jobs often the cutoff area is a bargain.

[snowangel]

Good morning. It is absolutely beautiful day today, and the days continue to be warm. I think it's supposed to be over 80 today!

For breakfast this morning, I broke from my regular tradition and had a bowl of granola (I did put milk on it) and several cups of coffee on the deck. Since the deck does not get direct early morning sun, the picture is darker and does not show the brilliant sky.

I was going to head to the farmer's market, but a friend from out of town is in town this morning and going to stop by. She did say that she is bringing me fresh tomatoes and green beans, so I'll just have Paul stop by the 101 Market in Otsego (a corn stand/gardening center) and get sweet corn. They have had the most reliably great corn of just about any place I've tried.

For many years, there was a guy who'd show up with a pick up truck full of corn and park on a corner a few blocks from my house. Turns out that it was on railroad property (but empty) and they booted him. If I were the manager of that land, I'd have struck a deal for free sweet corn in exchange for a place for the truck.

My friend also wants to go to the Asian market with me, so I do think I'll be having bahn mi for lunch.

[snowangel]

Sadly, we were too early at the Asian Market to get bahn mi.

So, after we did our shopping, we came back to my house, grabbed the last hunk of venison sausage, some Organic Valley extra sharp white cheddar, bread (we also stopped at Panera for bread) and water and got on our bikes and rode to the Coon Rapids Reginal Dam. It was wonderful. Sadly, I forgot my camera.

We live just 2 blocks from this park, so we are very close to the Mississippi River. Often on weekend days and week nights, we can hear boats on the river.

Tomorrow, I will return to the Asian market as my cousin has asked me to pick up some things for him and give him curry lessons. My sister and I will go late enough (noon or 1:00 pm) so I can get a bahn mi and she can get some summer rolls or something. I think she and I should picnic there together while the kids are at a birthday party. I'll remember my camera next time!

[torakris]

I am so jealous you can get a banh mi whenever you want to!

I spent a good 2 hours yesterday online trying to find a place in Tokyo to get banh mi and to no avail, I got hooked on my trip to Boston this summer and am currently suffering serious withdraw symptoms....

[snowangel]

My sister is here! It is exciting. She is a vegetarian (will eat eggs and cheese) and has been suffering in a Hyatt in Milwaukee from vegetable withdrawl. So, once I picked DIana up from volleyball practice, we chopped up some stuff:

to make some salsa

I like these chips.

Sister has requested sweet corn and tomatoes. So, we will oblige. The meat eaters amongst us will eat venison burgers (still working on getting the freezer emptied out).

I still have a boatload of venison sausage. Perhaps I should come up with some silly contest and give EG Twin Cities dim sum goers venison sausages as "door" prizes.

Photos of dinner to follow.

We are drinking vodka tonics with tons of lime. It is a beautiful evening. Sunny, warm, bug free.

[snowangel]

Sometimes the occasion takes more of the center stage. And, then sometimes, one of the ingredients takes the center stage.

I have not seen my sister in over a year, so this meal was less about food than about the company.

Never the less, the meal was outstanding. We ended up carrying it all out to the deck, but by that time, the allure of the corn was too enticing to take a photo.

We had venison burgers, sliced tomatoes (from my friend who picked them from her yard in New Ulm, MN, sliced onions, and corn from the 101 market. And, peaches.

The corn was hands down the best of the season. It reminded me of the corn I used to pick with my grandmother on the farm just outside of Milford, Nebraska. The corn that was picked after the water was boiling.

Sweet does not begin to describe it. Small kerneled, there was not a hint of starch. The picture below only shows half of what we cooked. I only had 1/2 a burger, but 8 ears of this manna.

This merely capped off a stunning September day. It is warm. It has been sunny. It is still warm. Life could not be grander.

Come fall and winter, I will cook more complicated, but right now, it's all about that sweetest of sweet corn, sitting on the deck, waiting for the grill to go. All too soon, we will be indoors, shivering.

Edited to add a lame photo:

of dinner

Edited September 11, 2004 by snowangel (log)

[snowangel]

The sweet corn was so good that my sister and I just had a heart to heart over the last 1/2 dozen ears.

Better send Paul back to the 101 Market tomorrow.

\

I will fortify him with serious bacon before the 10 mile trip.

My diet this past week may have seemed very simple, and probably unimpressivly presented, but this is the way a stay-at-home mom does things at the height of the summer season. It does not get any better than this. The tomatoes from New Ulm were, well, I'll dream of them tonight. Unadored, except with a fresh crack of pepper. The corn. The corn. It makes me weak at the knees. The peaches from Colorado drip down ones arms.

This is indeed a most sensual of seasons.

[Dian]

Hi snowangel, great blog you have here! I have a question, do you still use raw pork to make larb?

[johnnyd]

My diet this past week may have seemed very simple, and probably unimpressivly presented, but this is the way a stay-at-home mom does things at the height of the summer season. It does not get any better than this. The tomatoes from New Ulm were, well, I'll dream of them tonight. Unadored, except with a fresh crack of pepper. The corn. The corn. It makes me weak at the knees. The peaches from Colorado drip down ones arms.

This is indeed a most sensual of seasons.

Amen...

We have been inundated with harvest this week here in the Northeast. Corn and tomatoes, more corn... more tomatoes. I can't eat them fast enough because in a short while we as well will be shivering inside and dreaming of corn... and tomatoes.

Fabulous blog. Not "unimpressive" at all! Every blog is special because all of us are different. That granite rocks. I'm setting out on my bike to steal your Keffir Tree... should be there by Christmas...

larb!

[Carrot Top]

snowangel, when even such a fancy guy as Curnonsky writes 'Cuisine is when things taste like themselves', and 'In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection'....well...you've just gotta realize that what you have offered up to us in your blog is right up there on top of the totem pole in terms of what would be considered fine food.

Or in other words, if something isn't broken, why fix it?

Your descriptions of your life and family are charming and appreciated...

[snowangel]

My sister and I were up late, catching up, so it was a later than normal arising time this morning.

As I always do at this time of year, the first thing I do is grab a cup of coffee and go and check out my garden. I was so pleased to see that I have a ripe tomato!

I'm not sure what kind it is. Someone gave me 5 heirloom plants, but they had thrown away the identifying sticks. They did tell me that one plant was a brandywine, one a black krim and one a green zebra. Two of the plants produced no tomatoes. The summer has been cool, and everyone here has had bad luck with tomatoes.

For breakfast this morning, I fried up a mess of bacon. This is from Hack's. It is very good. We also sliced some peaches and had yogurt. I usually get plain, but bought vanilla by mistake. Old Home is a local brand, and it is pretty good.

This was served with waffles

I love this waffle maker. Recovery time is great, there is no power cord to misplace, doesn't take up a lot of space, and it's really reliable. I don't think it would work very well on an electric stove. We have one at the cabin, and as soon as I got my gas stove, knew I wanted one for home. Even at the Nordicware outlet they are about $50.00, but one day when I dropped a load of stuff at ARC (sort of like Goodwill), I browsed around and found this one for $1.69. They had two of them, so I snapped them both up. Took the extra one to the cabin as I frequently cook for 10 or more.

[snowangel]

Hi snowangel, great blog you have here! I have a question, do you still use raw pork to make larb?

←

So, I don't. The idea of raw pork grosses Diana out. I just might have to make some for myself for lunch one of the days.

[Dejah]

Snowangel: "I love this waffle maker. Recovery time is great, there is no power cord to misplace, doesn't take up a lot of space, and it's really reliable. I don't think it would work very well on an electric stove."

Snowangel, Thanks for a great blog! Will be interesting top see how you'll divy up your next load of venison.

I have a waffle iron exactly like yours. During my blog, I used mine at my s-i-l's on her gas stove. I found it was easier to control on my electric range. Imagine it is whatever we are used to. We dueled with her electric iron, and my waffles won hands down. The electric one made thin crispy waffles, but mine had deep indentations (all the better to hold that syrup), crispy on the outside, but pillow soft on the insides. Great with bacon and fresh peaches!

We get our peaches from British Columbia. The freestones have been wonderful. As you said: Juice running down your arm"!

Your marble counter top. . . It must be great for making pastry.

[hillvalley]

That tomato is georgeous. It looks like a Cherokee Purple that we have down here, but I couldn't promise anything.

You're waffles were just what I needed this morning. They look fantastic.

Edited September 12, 2004 by hillvalley (log)

[johnnyd]

Your tomato is probably a black krim. I have three of them right now waiting for basil and fresh mozza tonight. The brandywine is a tough one to grow - comes out almost pink when it does, but there is also the Brandywine Black that has a brick color with that green top too. Cherokees get quite large and mis-shapen, and the color of chocolate. All have the most amazing flavor... and too short a season.

[snowangel]

We were invited to a birthday party for a 6 year old today. It was held at a local skating rink -- loud, noisy and full of gimicks. For lunch, the menu was pizza (frozen) that had been sitting around for a while. I took one bite and decided that I could remain hungry. The birthday cake was of the supermarket variety sort with way too much of that greasy frosting. These kinds of parties are very popular (another hot place is Chuck E Cheese).

Fortunately, my kids prefer to have parties at home with real food. Homemade pizza, tortillas with carnitas. And, they always want a homemade cake with homemade frosting!

None of my kids cared for the food and neither did my sister, so we were mighty hungry when we got home. So, we had

Scrambled eggs, raw veggies, hummus, and a bunch of different kinds of salsa. We all prefered the Costa's homegrown salsa -- made in Minnesota. Plenty of heat, which made me very happy.

I think that tomato just might be a black krim. I think I may have another tomato from another plant that's ripe. If so, it will be on the dinner table.

[snowangel]

I did indeed have a second ripe tomato:

Off a different plant, so I have no idea what it is. Some sort of heritage or heirloom. Not sure of the PC term.

So, for dinner, we had

That is an exhausted Peter that you see sans shirt.

OK, I'll admit it, with shame. We had chicken breasts, marinated and grilled. The gig is that I had a houseguest for about 4 months, and one of the things he left in the freezer was 2 lbs. of boned, skinned breasts. Nothing that I would ever buy. We are dark meat people. But, in the spirit of emptying the deep freeze in the hopes of another deer this fall, I figured it was time to get rid of it. So, I did sort of a Thai satay marinade, remembering those many years ago. Some coconut milk, and some spices (curry powder, cumin, turmeric, lots o garlic, some Tiparos, a bit of curry paste), sliced into strips pre marinate. Then skewered and grilled. They were good, and the breasts are gone. Coconut milk can do good things to chicken breasts. Sort of juices them up. What this photo does not show is the peanut sauce and that wonderful Thai cucumber/vinegar/sugar/lots of hot pepper condiment that I also served).

We also had more To Die For Sweet Corn. We ate through this, and more. The corn was so good that we fattened up on that and there is some leftover chicken, which is a good thing, because only Diana and Heidi will be home tomorrow night alone, and there will be good leftovers for them for dinner. This corn was beyond belief. Small, sweet, tender kernels. Requiring not even butter, which I adore. I ate 6 ears.

The beans were also lovely. One of the things about a cool summer is nice, small, sweet green beans the whole season.

I think that if I could live on only two foods, they would be sweet corn and green beans. And, both are so versatile as leftovers.

The tomatoes (I should add that two of the tomatoes are homegrown-on-the-estate, the rest are farmer's market). As they have been all summer, disappointing. The texture and flavor are not what they are during a hot summer. I know now that I did not pick the right spot in the yard for the plants I grew. But, having watched the light all summer, I have now selected the Spot For Tomatoes.

But, back to dinner. Although the Family Table (the one I grew up eating at in Thailand, nursed Diana at, had many many early 20's birthdays at) is important and good to have at this house. the evening screamed Eat On The Deck, so we loaded our plates and headed out.

Following this bounty, we halved a bunch of these most luscious peaches

And stood over the deck rails and ate and let the juice run down our arms, dripping onto the yard. Peaches are a very sensual fruit, and we enjoyed every juicy bit.

This is all that is left of a lug of peaches, purchased just yesterday

There were originally two layers of peaches nestled into this crate. There is less than one now. (As my dad said after dinner, "with all of this corn, tomatoes and peaches, we will be regular!" Peter than asked what regular was. We eschewed the possibly ensuing discussion as we were still eating dinner.)

Heidi especially loves them. On Monday, I would love to send her to school with a peach. Catch is that is has to be pre-cut. As in cut by me early that morning. What do I do to it to keep it from getting dried, colored, whatever?

I've also thought about salsa-ing some of these peaches, but the flavor is so pure, the juice so succulent, I hesitate to F with Mother Nature.

It was a wonderful evening filled with three generations. Eating and drinking together. The drink of the evening was Stoly (my sister's favorite) over ice with lime. Dad was the designated driver.

Coffee pot is set for the morning. Full of water. Beans in the grinder, just waiting for Paul. That's his job. Grind the beans in the morning to make sure I wake to that smell. Not the Maxwell smell, but the smell of really good, really strong java.

Edited September 12, 2004 by snowangel (log)

[Squeat Mungry]

snowangel I am so jealous of your peaches because I can't believe I forgot to buy them at the farmer's market today! I was even staring at them, and now I'm craving them and don't have any.

Anyway, I've been absolutely adoring your blog, and the peaches aren't the only reason I'm green with envy: those tomatoes look awesome!

Cheers,

Squeat

[snowangel]

I should add that as we ate dinner, we had a discussion about eating habits.

She hails from Berkeley, just a few blocks from Monterrey Market and Acme. Just a couple more blocks, and one can get to the Cheese Board.

To one from Minnesota, who visits in the later winter/early spring, this is heaven.

But, in full summer, this is the place to be. She fully admitted that although she can get those baby artichokes, she cannot get sweet corn as fresh and "unstarchy" as we can. She cannot grow tomatoes.

Although during the the fall and winter I do miss the access to the fresh and new she can get, we do have two distinct cooking seasons.

Although these days lately have been warm -- warmer than normal (it's about time!) -- the angle of the sun is changing dramatically, every morning there are more leaves that have fallen on the lawn, and the days are shortening noticably -- the body is starting to call for braising, roasting, hot soups.

But, that late summer call of the veg that is still fresh and great, requires only slicing and light steaming is still strong.

So, although I am am aching to do the Mock Porchetta from the Zuni Cafe cookbook (the leftovers, in hash are diving) or to braise some short ribs, I know that all too soon, there will be no more sweet corn. No more local, fresh, tender and slender green beans. No more fresh tomatoes.

One of the things my sister said was that "you see much more distinct and different cooking seaons than we do."

And, yes, we do. So, while our diet has seemed "lopsided" this past week, it is what our bodies have called for, and what is here and what is good.

Why does each summer seem to go faster than the last?

At some point this winter, I will look at Paul and say "so, just why didn't I eat that extra piece of sweet corn? Why didn't I have that extra swim at the cabin?"

[SobaAddict70]

Yay for skinless boneless chicken breasts!!!!

Soba

[snowangel]

For breakfast this morning, I made a family favorite. I start with some patty-style breakfast sausage.

We get this from the Miltona meat market, and it is really tasty. Spiced just right, not too heavy on the salt, with a bit of zip, but not too much for Heidi and Peter. The Miltona meat market usually wins several ribbons at the Minnesota State Fair for their smoked and processed meat products.

It was most pleasant standing at the stove this morning with a warm breeze blowing through the window and all of that brilliant sun.

Then, I made some toast (bread for everyone but me; I had an English muffin). Then fried some eggs.

Put it all together for a wonderful version of a McMuffin.

We were running a bit late for church, so I didn't take a photo of it.

Later this afternoon, we are going to a birthday party (60th), and the invitation says "light supper at 5:00 pm." I wonder if it acceptable to take pictures of food at someone's house?

[RSincere]

We had venison burgers, sliced tomatoes (from my friend who picked them from her yard in New Ulm, MN, sliced onions, and corn from the 101 market. And, peaches.

Small world! I grew up in New Ulm, lived there from 1978 to 1991. We lived on the college campus because my dad was a professor there. I haven't been back to visit since 1992, for the high school graduation of my former classmates.

[WHS]

We were in northern Thailand. The people we were with took us to a restaurant and we ordered larb. This restaurant sat on a corner, with two sides totally exposed. I'm sure there was a chicken or two, a dog, and some babies crawling or walking around.

Snowangel, back in 1964 my dad took us to an open-air restaurant next to Rajadamnern Stadium that was famous for its fried chicken. (Do you remember it?) The chicken was delicious but the thing that remains most vivid were all the mangy cats wandering under the tables hoping for a scrap. Most were missing an eyeball or had a torn ear, and they scared the shit out of me and my brother.

Great blog-thanks for sharing.