Time for Okra

In the past, okra was a vegetable I would only look at and preferred to not eat or touch. Seemed way to slimy to me. I changed my mind the day I was served some fried okra.

And, so, last spring I seeded some okra and was absolutetly enthralled with its beauty.

Morning garden walks are always a delight to me, and seeing the flowering pods of the okra made it extra special. Indeed, okra is lovely to look at.

It's that time of year again, here, in the AZ desert to seed okra and so a few Monday's ago, several farm volunteers came by to specifically seed okra in starter pots. And just look what's coming up in those little seed pots - okra!

All because of fried okra, I have a new Twitter friend who is all about food and wine and she posted this yummy fried okra here.

Time for Okra

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2010/05/time-for-okra.html

The Benefits of Juicing

Years ago Michael bought me a Champion Juicer. Over the years it's been used about two dozen times - mainly because it doesn't do what I need or want it to do.

There are so many good juicers out there on the market but this one - the Breville Juicer seems to get all the gold stars when it comes to the Queen of All Juicers. When one of the reviews said that the Breville is the most powerful juicer on the market" it was enough for my husband to say, YES.

Here's what they said here:

Breville juicer is one of the most popular juicers on the market right now. All over the world, people are taking their health more seriously.

Many people who want to get healthier through the benefits of juicing are choosing Breville models over some of the other brands.

The Breville Juice Fountain boasts several features that other popular juice extractor brands (like Jack Lalanne’s Power Juicer) simply don’t have.

Perhaps the best part though, is that you can get this juicer for about $30 cheaper than the other popular models on the market.

A top feature that Breville juicers have is a powerful 3/4 horsepower motor. This motor is 600 watts and has a maximum speed of 14,500 rpm’s.

The fact that the Breville model has a motor that is much more powerful than other juicers ensures that it’ll never bog down no matter what kind of vegetable or fruit you’re juicing.

I can't wait - a new Blendtec Total Home Blender and this Breville! I think my kitchen is set and well equipped!

Juicing is invaluable to our health - here's even a juicing bible for you!

The Benefits of Juicing

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2010/03/benefits-of-juicing.html

Old Tools I Love in My Kitchen - And New Ones: A Blendtec

I love my kitchen and it's truly the center of my home. All activity flows in and out of this serving center and the last few weeks with thirteen of us hanging out and girls going wild (in my kitchen) - it was full of life and a busy place. I made several batches of my favorite buttermilk pancakes and waffles. Several times I served soft boiled eggs and of course steel cut oats smothered in butter, cinnamon and blueberries.

Good tools are essential for meal preparation and perhaps it's time that you see if your kitchen is a well equipped one.

I'd always wanted a pot rack and have to say that this tool is one of the smartest purchases I'd made. I found it on Craigs List for $60 and I LOVE it. Everything I use on a regular basis is right there.

This little copper colander is something I use daily - especially when straining blue berries or making soft boiled eggs. Not only is it handy, but I love the warm copper look. I found this at a vintage shop this past summer while in Portland. I think I paid $3 for it.

I LOVE - let me say it again - LOVE this egg beater. I have two and this one was my grandmothers. Whisks are great, but this little tool is better. My buttermilk waffle recipe requires that I separate the eggs and beat to "a firm" the whites. LOVE it.

I found this cute egg beater at that same vintage shop in Portland. Took it home for $8. Well worth the investment.

I'm adding two new tools to my kitchen repertoire. Thanks to my darling husband, he's been researching blenders and juicers and has decided to make this Blendtec Total Home Blender his first home front investment for me. Isn't that sweet. I did . . .gulp a bit over the price tag, but after I read the reviews and what other home makers had to say, I just got over it real quick.

So, why the Blendtec Total Home Blender? Just a few reasons:

It's easy to clean. With my busy life between family, gardening, serving and many people stopping by - I need - "easy to clean."

Makes incredible smoothies - something we do often and I can't wait to do more of.

Grinds grain. Now, I do have a Blendtec Kitchen Mill grain grinder, but why not gather around a few grandkiddos to grind grain at the same time?

It's a nice size for the counter - not too big.

I don't need a wet or dry container for the Blendtec Total Home Blender. The Vita Mix does. I like that idea of just one container.

I can make lots of home made sauces - easily. Since we planted about 45 or so Heirloom tomatoes, I'm thinking I'll be canning tons of sauce. This will be a huge time saver.

Lindsay of Passionate Home Making listed her 10 Reasons Why She Recommends a Blendtec - a worthy read.

I can throw tons of raw veggies from our garden into the Blendtec Total Home Blender and how good will that be?

If you're thinking of making this kind of $$$ investment, then watch this Blendtec Total Home Blender vs VitaMix comparison (thanks Lindsay) is good!

Old Tools I Love in My Kitchen - And New Ones: A Blendtec

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2010/03/old-tools-i-love-in-my-kitchen-and-new.html

Girls Gone Wild (in My Kitchen)

One of the things I love about my family is that no one is too terribly inhibited and everyone really enjoys having fun.

Last night, while Mark was doing dishes (he's such a servant) and the I-Pod was blaring, one of my daughters (to remain nameless) started showing off her cool moves which then led to all the girls (except me) joining in.

I loved seeing the wild action in the kitchen and couldn't grab my little Canon fast enough to capture the unforgettable fun. Wish you could have seen the whole scene. Priceless.

Girls Gone Wild (in My Kitchen)

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2010/03/girls-gone-wild-in-my-kitchen.html

Making Cheese

Years ago I had the privilege of having a small herd of dairy goats. Not only did I raise my girls (for a few years) on that goats milk, but as little ones (five and seven) they knew how to milk the goats. Not only did I sell left over raw milk, but I made my own yogurt and cheese. I can still remember the goat cheese feta that I used in my lasagna.

 

Since moving back to the house on Cactus Road, I'm excited about having a few milkers so that Candace and I can try our hand at making raw goats milk cheese again. This book, The Cheese Chronicles, is a fantastic resource for me right now.

Making Cheese

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2010/01/making-cheese.html

Healthy and Cheap

A year ago I started a food storage project setting up three pantries - an A pantry (for active) a B pantry (this was my back up) and a C pantry where I packaged up all sorts of things for long term storage - C meaning "crisis."

I'm pleased with the A, B, C system (which was my husband's idea) and it's working for our family.

The initial "investment" of food was costly and to reduce my cost I purchased bulk beans - by bulk I means pounds and pounds and pounds of beans like lentils, red beans, and pinto beans. I have pounds and pounds of other kinds of beans too - all stored in those white food storage buckets.

Since pinto beans tend to be the "cheapest" to buy and are often on sale, I have many of those "white food storage buckets" full of pinto beans and therefore, I'm always on the look out for some new ways to cook - uh, pinto beans. So, I'd love your favorite way recipes posted and linked back here.

Because of the activity here at the Cactus Road Farm with folks coming in and out, I've found it necessary to keep a pot of beans or a pot of soup going and available at all times. I'd break my food budget were I to serve something else and besides, how great is soup at this time of year?

Today, the Home Depot Guy is coming back to help my husband finish up the chicken coop and since I didn't want to serve yesterday's soup with the base of kidney beans, I thought something with pinto beans would change it up.

Cooks.com has this recipe for a Pinto Bean soup which is slowly cooking on the stove now.

1 lb pinto beans, smal jar of salsa, 1 large onion, 1 tb of vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp of salt.

Rinse and sort beans - cover them with water in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. simmer for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Let the beans stand for 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients and more water to cover. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours. Serve with warm cornbread and honey.

Healthy and Cheap

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/12/healthy-and-cheap.html

The Pioneer Woman Cooks . . .

. . . was recently in my town and I thought it'd be fun to go see her at the Changing Hands Bookstore on her book tour for her new cookbook - The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country GirlThe Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Little did I know, but three-hundred plus other bloggers thought it'd be fun too.

In spite of the crowd, it was fun to see women carrying around their copies of Ree's new book.

I'm not too sure they thought it was fun as I tried to sneak in pictures of them holding their new books.

Needless to say, I didn't get to see her - but I could hear her and she sounds just as adorable as she writes on her blog - The Pioneer Woman.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks . . .

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/11/pioneer-woman-cooks.html

Ola! Como estas?? What To Do With Your Chiles

My dear friend Maria has come to my rescue. I've grown a number of different chile peppers and to be honest didn't really know what to do with them. This email came from her today....perhaps you need to know what to do with your chiles from an expert?

ola!
Como estas??

Ok, so here's what you do with the chiles.

Jalapeños (smaller darker green chiles) - how I preserve and use later
Take them off plants
Do not use any that are completely wrinkled and not firm
take the stem off
boil them in water until they turn a lighter green
then I put in freezer baggies and freeze

I use these for my salsa. Fresh they are great for pico de gallo (use cilantro not parsley, ok )

Anaheim Chiles (larger / longer lighter green chiles)
Take them off plants
Do not use any that are completely wrinkled and not firm
The completely red ones can be left out to dry and used for red chile sauce (for enchiladas, chile con carne, etc). We can work on that later, if you want, now we will concentrate on the green ones.
Turn on oven to broil. (you can also do this on the grill outside, but i find this method easier)
I spread them onto cookie sheets (after rinsing thoroughly).
Spray them with a little bit of Pam
Put in oven between 10-12 minutes. check to make sure both sides are completely roasted.
If not, turn chiles, and put back in oven for a couple more minutes.
Let them cool a bit.
Then divide into freezer baggies and freeze.
I use these in salsas, chile con queso, green chile sauce for green chicken enchiladas, green chile con carne, casseroles, omelettes, scrambled eggs, quicke, all kinds of stuff.

Ola! Como estas?? What To Do With Your Chiles

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/11/ola-como-estas-what-to-do-with-your.html

Your Kitchen: The Center of Your Home

It wasn't till I left home and had my own family did I realize the importance and value of the family meal table. Even though my mother worked many years while I was at home, there wasn't a time that I remember that a home cooked meal carefully prepared wasn't on the table. Driving through McDonalds for a burger was a "once in a blue moon" treat - not the norm. Pizza or sub sandwiches were also a treat on rare occasions.

The other thing I realized, in looking back at my home life, was just how much my mom loved her kitchen. To this day she still does. Dishes were washed, dried and put away. "Stuff" on the counter was kept to a minimum displaying those kitchen tools that were needed for cooking and baking. The kitchen was the center of our home. Life flowed from that place of nurture.

How do you view your kitchen? As the hub or center of your home? Or a place that you just have to continually clean? Is it a place to create and provide nurture or a place where you don't give much thought to?

For me, life flows from my kitchen. Here's one of my favorite comfort foods.

Your Kitchen: The Center of Your Home

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/10/your-kitchen-center-of-your-home.html

Un dejeuner de soleil: Up and down plum cake caramélisé

Are you kidding me? I'm into tarts, tortes and all things wonderful and I'm gonna make this real soon!

From this wonderful French Blog ----Un dejeuner de soleil: Up and down plum cake caramélisé

Un dejeuner de soleil: Up and down plum cake caramélisé

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/08/un-dejeuner-de-soleil-up-and-down-plum.html

The Joy of . . .

Just this morning Michael and I were enjoying our morning breakfast alfresco style in our garden. So sweetly he listened to my heart's passion for women to discover and to re-discover the joy of the ministry that flows from the kitchen.

It's not just about cooking. It's not just about feeding the family. It's more . . . .

It's about creating and discovering all the food that God's given us to richly enjoy. It's about becoming thankful and giving thanks. It's about turning a heart toward home and family. It's about one woman having the potential to influence the world and turn the tide back toward things good and wholesome. It's about turning God-ward in a godless culture.

Your thoughts?

The Joy of . . .

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/08/joy-of.html

The Simple Home - Cooking is a Pleasure

A lovely interview with Julia child. Check out that kitchen and listen for some of her cute quotes . . . and post them as comments here.

The Simple Home - Cooking is a Pleasure

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/08/simple-home-cooking-is-pleasure.html

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

One of the things I love about preparing meals for my family is the joy I see on faces - especially the children (who love breakfast time). Periodically I'll ask the little ones what they'd miss about Nana (me) and the answer I mostly hear is - your pancakes. I take that as a serious complement that shows I'm (through pancakes) influencing their little lives through the power of . . . food.

I also love finding ways to prepare food that's growing fresh from my garden or from the farmer's market.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

After watching Julie & Julia this past Friday afternoon, I felt so confirmed by Julia and her love of preparing food - especially for her husband. I think Julia - in her day - was - like I am - in my day - trying to reclaim something of the value and importance for women to re-establish a love relationship (of sorts) in preparing real food - not something that comes from a box.


One thing I loved about the movie was the heart shown in practicality and functionality of the French kitchen.

Carolyn Clifton Mogg explains it well in her book French Country Living - The essence of a kitchen is its equipment. The French country kitchen frequently contains much that has been handed down, and these treasured objects are arranged and displayed with a view to their aesthetic possibilities as well as to their accessibility.

This is not to say that there is nothing modern in the French country kitchen - cooks everywhere love a shiny new saucepan - but in addition to the new pieces there will be the pestle and mortar that belonged to a grandmother, or the well-used cutting boards and worn knives that have been handed down through the family.

Utensils and dishes are often stored in the ubiquitous armoire - the large wooden cupboard, originally used for storing linen, which seems to be present in nearly every French country house in one guise or another....

French Country Kitchens

I remember watching Julia Child, as the French Chef. Check out these clips:





I also remember having a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking in my selection of cookbooks. What happened to it - I don't know but after seeing Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep, I'm thinking I just might re-invest in a copy.

What's your relationship with your kitchen? How about your husband and/or children? What's your favorite recipe? Do you think there's a new "movement" of sorts where younger women are wanting to learn to cook and in a sense let love flow from their kitchens?

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/08/mastering-art-of-french-cooking.html

Neighborly Etiquette

Something just had to be created with all these ripe figs . . .

. . . before these two men in the house ate them. So, I made this awesome (if I say so myself) French Fig Cherry Torte. And, being the kind who wants to share and give, I asked these two men to walk some over to the widow across the street.

The phone rang around 7:50 am and it was the widow across the street. She wanted to know if I'd noticed the plate she returned on the table in our front patio.

She awoke at 4:30 am to bake these blueberry muffins so as to not return the plate empty.

Neighborly etiquette says . . . when you are blessed in receiving a plate or bowl or dish of something special . . .

. . . you return the plate or bowl or dish back with something special.

Neighborly Etiquette

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/07/neighborly-etiquette.html

Making Cactus Jelly

Memories with mom are sweet and one of the sweetest was in the kitchen making all sorts of fun food. Cactus jelly is one of those fun foods.

Last week, one little grandson and I adventured down the street to pick up our cactus fruit to make jelly. This is the recipe I'll use. Thanks to one of the members of the Phoenix Permaculture Guild!

Steps
Collecting the pears (called “tunas” by the Natives)

Use tongs to pull off the fruits when there is no green left at the base. From experience, cut one open first to check. I didn’t and ended up wasting a bunch of harvested pears. It should look juicy with very little fibers.

Next, FREEZE em’ (I put em in gallon freezer bags)

Once they’re frozen for a couple of days (I think ours was about 4 days), then you can just set them in a strainer on top of cheesecloth. The spines somehow are messed up and caught up in the cloth. The pears will actually deflate and the juice will filter through the cloth. All the work is done for you!

Now, use the juice in the recipe below

(From Homegrownevolution.com)

2 1/2 cups prickly pear cactus juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

5 cups sugar (I used 4 ½ cups myself)

1 box of powdered pectin (18 teaspoons-note that not all pectin brands contain the same amount in a box, so measure it out to make sure)

Hard boil cactus fruit juice, pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes. Hard boil means the point at which the brew still bubbles even when you stir it. Add sugar and bring back to a hard boil for 2 minutes or until the jell point is reached. Now can it!

Put in 8 once canning jars, seal and heat process for 10 minutes.

Go here for the beginning of this adventure! Have you visited La Maison et le Jardin yet?

Making Cactus Jelly

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/07/making-cactus-jelly.html

Simple Home Adventure: Making Cactus Jelly

My dear mother used to make prickly pear this time of year and I can still remember how wonderful that was to slather on top of an English Muffin.

Yesterday one of my grandkiddos joined me on an adventure down our street to gather the ripening fruit from some cacti

The boy seeing the game.

Onward ho.

Picking. Plucking. Picking. Whatever.

A few more please.

The boy distracted - in a good way - or a God way. (He is taking some of these pictures.)

His turn. The last time he spent a few moments in or around cactus ended up not being a pretty site. He'd tripped and landed in one of these. Needless to say, he was moving carefully.

Unfortunately, our photo opp ceased at this point. The boy saw a rabbit, got excited and then guess what? It happened. Again. Stink. I just might have lost my cactus fruit grabber helper.

Our prize.

Here's the HOW To make Cactus Jelly. Have you visited La Maison et le Jardin yet?

Simple Home Adventure: Making Cactus Jelly

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/07/simple-home-adventure-making-cactus.html

What To Do With Arugula

Arugula in my garden that has gone to seed.

Arugula has just about got to be one of God's greatest delights in a garden. I think it has a buttery taste with a kick and the only way I've ever used it is in salad with pears, walnuts and goat cheese with drizzled evo and balsamic.

I enjoy finding and introducing new blog spots and today, I discovered a new blog that I'll add to my "got to visit blogs" - La Table de Nana (note the new widget on my left column with all the great pictures).

One of the reasons I'm jazzed is not only because of the way she surrounds herself with beauty and seems to have this ease in creating sanctuary but also because of the new recipes she shares for arugula!


These pictures look so amazing I just had to share them with you. This one is what she calls Lindsays Arugula and Red Pepper Penne Dish. Oh my goodness!

And this "soul food" is her " arugula mashed potatoes and garnished with a parsley coin." Does this NOT make you want to go whip up some? She found this recipe here.

So, go pay this lovely blog spot a visit, will you!

What To Do With Arugula

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post.html