Purslane

Today I found out that a weed in my garden is the best plant source of Omega-3 and antioxidants! Super. I was blackberry picking with my book club (feel free to read last years post of this tradition - I learned my lesson though, I avoided stickers and poison ivy!) Anyway, one of the wise women of the group shared the knowledge of purslane. So we all braved a taste. I commented that this was one of the pervasive weeds in my garden. So after a long evening of commitments, I arrived home and immediately (okay, so that is a lie, after a 30 minute crash on the couch) I decided to use my favorite tool - Google- to learn more. I was a bit worried that this would be a plant that had a poisonous copycat plant. Turns out, I am a smart cookie - purslane has an evil twin, spurge. Isn't that a great evil twin name - Spurge. I mean come on say it out loud - SPURGE - it just sounds like a super villain, albeit an amazing lame and trite super villain, but a super villain nonetheless. So back to the actual story. I learn the easiest marker between the two is the evil spurge has a milky white sap if you break the stem. Well, of course I must know immediately - am I blessed with wonder plant, Purslane or the scourge of Spurge (come on, that is some funny stuff). Keep in mind at this point it is 10:20pm and very dark outside. So do I wait for morning? Bah - of course not, I grab my flashlight and head out to the garden (of course, may neighbor happens to walk out with her dog, but she already thinks I am nuts, so...) to search for the "weed" to identify. After much scientific deliberation....(yeah, yeah, I know, get on with it) I am pleased to announce I am the proud cultivator of purslane! Whoop it up, lots of healthy stuff finding its way to a dinner plate near me.

Baked Oatmeal

My favorite breakfast food.

1 cup oil
1 1/2 cup Sugar
4 eggs
Mix until glossy

6 cup quick oats
1 TB & 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Cups milk
Add & beat until Blended
1 9x13 pan (or a bunch of little Pyrex or corning ware containers)
400 degrees 30-40 minutes

Options: add 2 peeled, cored apples and 1 tsp cinnamon or 1 cup raisins & 1 tsp cinnamon
I prefer to add this after, I don't like mushy raisins.

It doesn't raise a whole lot so fill the Pyrex about 3/4 full.

Breakfast to go.

Some mornings are hard to get out of bed, especially in the winter when the bed is so nice and toasty. As a result, sometimes breakfast is sacrificed. Well, maybe not sacrificed - more like postponed. Often I stop at the little coffeehouse on my way to work and purchase baked oatmeal or buy the "breakfast" option the school has for the students (or the really unhealthy muffins they have.) The problem with these is packaging (and transport but that maybe taking things to far.) I have been actively trying to avoid any and all Styrofoam use and individual packaged items. The aforementioned breakfast items violate both of these. So I decided to try to make my own baked oatmeal and freeze it. So I dug out the little Pyrex and corning ware containers and my large muffin muffin pan and got to experimenting. SUCCESS! Today I had a rushed morning, so I grabbed a baked oatmeal muffin out of the freezer, microwaved it at school and ate it while taking care of morning emails. Yeah! (and this will be cheaper in the long run for the frugalistas out there.) I will post the baked oatmeal recipe soon.

Cooking again.

Sorry for the poor quality photo. However, this was an exciting cooking foray for me. My friend, Mary, gave me a lovely (and easy) recipe. It is green beans, a fried egg, cheese, and a yummy sauce to coat the entire thing. It was yummy. I will check with Mary and if she agrees I will post this wonderful quick dinner.

Blackberry Cobbler

Success! I found a recipe online and used some of my freshly picked blackberries, to make this incredible cobbler.....I know, humility is a gift of mine...anyway, the only downside is I have no vanilla ice cream in the house, sad, but true. Tomorrow I will rectify this situation by walking down to the homemade ice cream guy and buy a quart, reheat some cobbler and...ah, perfection! Try some seasonal baking, it is fun. Tomorrow I am going to get up early and make some blackberry muffins for my breakfast meeting.

Cooking Diva

Oh, yes, I am becoming a domestic goddess. Bow down to my culinary prowess.....okay, going a bit overboard here, I know. However, I am determined to learn how to cook. I have been using the Simply in Season cookbook I mentioned a few post back. The soup is the Zucchini Garden soup found on page 93. It is scrumptious! The other is a vegetable pancake thing. I was supposed to use a 9 in pie plate, but alas, I am without one. My mamacita has graciously offered me one of her spares for future endeavors. In the general cooking area, I am trying to use local and in season items (I have been bumming veggies from already fruitful gardens, mine is slow growing.) in my cooking. Check the cookbook out from the library and try the soup it is yummy and easy.

Seasonal Cooking

This is a great cookbook that encourages seasonal cooking all year. It is separated into the four seasons allowing you to see what is available at the market. If you don't have a garden, you can find local foods at your farmers' market. Also, you can help by buying foods that are season at your local store. Seasonal food requires less transport to arrive to your table. You can find this cookbook at Amazon.com or at http://store.mpn.net/showproducts.cfm?FullCat=9 Give it a try it is a wonderful cookbook.

Making Yogurt.

My new hobby. So I decided I really wanted to limit the amount of non recyclable plastics I use. Also, a good friend of mine who lives out of state had me try her homemade yogurt while I was visiting her and it was yummy. I read up on ways to make yogurt and while there are non electric ways to do it, I had to be honest with myself and realize they were more labor intensive than my natural laziness could handle. So I decide to purchase and electric one. I love it! It is super easy and healthy. I boil my non homogenized silk milk (180 F) then let it cool to 110. Stir in the yogurt culture, pour into the containers, and plug in for twelve hours. After that throw it in the fridge for three more hours and your done. So easy. I am experimenting with flavors now. (which is why the one jar is brownish - chocolate)