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five senses friday
- seeing - the herbs in my potted garden thriving. And yes, I know that I probably shouldn’t allow the garlic chives to flower, but I just couldn’t resist those beautiful little white blossoms. The bees have been quite fond of them, as well.
- tasting - the club ciabatta sandwich at The Creperie. Why do sandwiches always taste better when someone else makes them? Because they use crispy fried prosciutto, that’s why.
- hearing - cheers for my niece’s volleyball team. Very proud Uncle, here.
- smelling – the unpleasant scent of tomato plant on my hands after picking.
- feeling – hot and muggy. I need a fall-like-sweater-vest-wearing-day soon.
How would you sum up your last week in 5 senses or less? Please share in the comments section. Hope you have a swell weekend. We have an extra long weekend full of several visits with dear friends and a visit from the cable installation guy.
can, clip, cluck!
I am very lucky to get to work where I work. Lucky, because I have instant access to information from very smart people. People much smarter than myself.
Our Science and Technology Division is hosting a great series of programs in September, Tools for the Self-Sufficient Life. If you live in the Akron area, I hope that you’ll consider joining us for one, or all, of these informative sessions. I’m particularly looking forward to the canning class. I’d love to raise chickens, but I’m afraid that our condo board might have a problem with that. Guess I’ll have to wait for Greg to buy us that country estate…
sweet cherry granita – everyday food challenge
Hot days. So hot. Several of which, we enjoyed with a broken air conditioner at home. PS&BTW, I’m a rather big wimp when it comes to summer and the blazing hot temps. Greg and I like to keep the abode at a nice chilly temperature. Guests normally wrap in blankets and sweaters while we sport shorts and t-shirts. I think you could hang sides of beef to cure in our living room.
While going back through recipes that I’ve made over the last couple of months, I came across this recipe for Sweet Cherry Granita from Everyday Food magazine. It doesn’t get any easier than four ingredients. One of which is optional. If you aren’t serving it to kids, I wouldn’t pass on the splash of Amaretto just before serving. There’s just something about the perfect combination of cherry and almond flavors. Also, to save time, I used frozen cherries. They’re already pitted and it gets the final product done just a tad faster.
If you’re suffering through the 90 degree heat, chill out with one of these tasty frozen treats.
Sweet Cherry Granita – Everyday Food, June 2011
- 2 pounds cherries, stemmed and pitted, or 3 bags (12 ounces each) frozen cherries, thawed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup Amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur), optional
In a blender, puree cherries, sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish. Freeze 6 hours, scraping with a fork every hour (mixture should be icy and fluffy).
To serve, pour 1 tablespoon of Amaretto into a small bowl or glass. top with a 1/2 cup of granita. Serve immediately.
cranberry velvet fluff
First, let’s start with what this isn’t. It’s not fancy or elegant. In fact, it’s way more Sandra Lee than Martha or Ina. And you know what? That’s ok once in a while. What this is is Cranberry Velvet Fluff. After reading local food writer, Jane Snow’s new cookbook, I found that this dish is quintessential Akron Thanksgiving fare. It’s a cinch to make. It would have taken only 3 minutes to make if I wasn’t photographing each step.
As a child, every Thanksgiving at our house included the jellied cranberry sauce. There’s just something about the gentle ridges and the plop from the can. Being the classy folks we were it was sliced and served elegantly from a cut crystal bowl. You know I think that was the only use for that bowl. Now I have a new tradition, cranberry velvet fluff. It’s sweet, it’s tangy, it’s gooey and it’s a breeze to make. So, why not upgrade your canned jellied cranberry sauce this year.
How are you celebrating the cranberry this Thursday?
break time
I’m taking a short break from blogging this week. Please check back next week for all-new posts. And coming up in two weeks, 5 days! 5 desserts! It’s worth the wait.
tomatoes make me smile
A happy assortment of some of the first heirloom tomatoes of the season from my garden. From top to bottom, we have Nayagous, Speckled Roman and Sun Gold. We’ve tasted them all, on salads, except for the speckled. I’m probably going to slice that one for a sandwich. The Sun Golds are amazing. They are kind of like nature’s skittles. So sweet and wonderful. I purchased that handsome summery napkin while we were on vacation at Ginny Gordon’s, a charming kitchen store in Morehead City, North Carolina. It was a suggested stop from my Aunt Sally. They’ve got a great unique selection of kitchen gadgets, linens, pots and pans and tons of other items. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.
five senses friday #9
It was a short work week for me, but still a very full week none the less. Here are the highlights in just five senses.
- seeing: red, white and blue everywhere. i bought these little flags yesterday. and yes, i’m the kind of guy that irons out the creases before putting them out.
- tasting: freshly made pesto. as i was watering this morning, i saw my first beetle gnawing at a tender basil leaf. an action plan was created and now there are two jars of amazing basil & walnut pesto in the fridge.
- hearing: a trio of poppy & delightful new summer tunes from some fabulous ladies. Summer Day by Sheryl Crow, King of Anything by Sara Bareilles, and Cry When You Get Older by Robyn.
- smelling: fresh air. we’ve had some wonderfully moderate temps lately. i’ve enjoyed opening up the house and breathing in deeply.
- feeling: introspective. what else would i be doing with my life, if i knew i could not fail? and should i be afraid of failing, anyways?
I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Here’s the flower that didn’t get posted yesterday. My own little natural fireworks in the back garden.
