Monday, January 31, 2011
What's Cookin?: Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary and Sage
What's Cookin?: Rosemary & Sage Pork Chops
2) In the left over olive oil, add butter and melt. Add and saute onions & garlic until the onions are translucent. Add mushrooms (if using) and saute until cooked. Add chopped rosemary to the pan.
4) After 35 minutes, remove pork to a plate. Turn heat to medium-high and add chopped sage. Reduce sauce to thicken. If it doesn't thicken to your liking, mix a small amount of cornstarch with either leftover beef broth or water and mix until lumps are gone. Pour cornstarch into boiling sauce and mix well to thicken.
Gardening: Harvest Monday 1/31/11
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 1:00 PM 6 comments
Labels: gardening, harvest, herbe, rosemary, vegetable garden
Whole Grains Council International Conference
This year's Whole Grains Council International Conference is being held here in Portland, Oregon. You can find the agenda and conference highlights here. The conference is from
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 12:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, January 30, 2011
PROJECT: Save the Bees (Looking for participants)
I was recently inspired when I was asked by a fellow gardener to share her friend's melon seeds with other gardeners around the country. It was fun to share seeds, in the hopes they would find a new happy home in a garden across the country.
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 6:00 PM 5 comments
Using the Summer Canning Bounty
A little healthier snack is some home canned peaches with Greek yogurt.
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 9:00 AM 6 comments
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Gardening: January Seedlings - Day 6
These were the seeds I planted last weekend. I've been pleased by the results.
This is my first season growing onions from seed. I love how they loop up out of the soil, then spring up with the seed attached to the end. Fascinating!
Still no sign of celery. I'm not too worried at this point because I've heard it can take a few weeks. I'm patient....for now.
I'm excited that the Mizuna managed to grow despite the fuzzy looking seeds a few days ago. Mizuna looks very much like other Asian greens as a seedling.
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 10:15 AM 7 comments
Labels: asian greens, celery, gardening, lettuce, onions, seeds, spinach, vegetable garden
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What's Juicing: Pineapple Powerhouse
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 9:00 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Instant Gratification
These are the mizuna (asian greens) that I seeded. They're looking a little fuzzy. Oh oh! I may need to reseed them. I hope they're not a total bust!
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 5:12 PM 4 comments
Labels: asian greens, gardening, lettuce, seeds, vegetable garden
Gardening: Growing Onions from Seed - Day 17
As you can see, they're all curled up and tangled. Be very gentle when you're untangling them. They're very fragile!
They're still a bit droopy but hopefully this will help and not hurt their growth. I read that cutting them back helps the seedlings concentrate building up a healthy and strong root system.
This is the leftover shavings. I guess they were due for a trim eh? I've heard suggestions on adding them to salads or soups. I wish you had smell-o-vision. They smell wonderful (and I don't even like onions)! I may try them on a baked potato (like chives). I'm not a raw onion fan but eat them cooked. We'll see what I come up with.
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 4:52 PM 5 comments
Labels: gardening, onions, seeds, vegetable garden
Monday, January 24, 2011
What's Cookin?: (Meatless Monday) Roasted Kabocha Squash and Kale Pesto Pasta
I've had this kabocha squash for a while. I've been contemplating what to do with it. I was going to make a roasted squash pasta but came across a recipe for Pasta with Kale Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash in the NY Times. I decided to use the kabocha for this. I didn't have the pine nuts so I left it out.
This turned out to be a wonderful vegetarian dish. It's perfect for another Meatless Monday!
3) While kabocha is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a bowl of iced water on hand. Drop kale into the boiling water and cook for about 45 seconds. Transfer kale to the iced bath when done cooking. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil (add more water if needed) and cook the pasta according to package directions.
5) In a food processor, pulse together kale, pine nuts, garlic, salt and lemon zest until the mixture is smooth and salt has dissolved. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 c. olive oil until it is fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add lemon juice and pulse a little while longer to mix well.
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 7:20 PM 3 comments
Labels: kabocha, kale, meatless mondays, recipes, vegetarian
Gardening: More Vegetable Seed in the Mail
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 8:00 AM 2 comments
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Gardening: Growing Onions from Seed - Day 14
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 12:41 PM 5 comments
Labels: gardening, onions, seeds, vegetable garden
Gardening: Sowing January Seeds
I soaked some Asian spinach seeds overnight in the refrigerator (per package instructions). I thought I'd give this variety another try. I had bad luck with this Red Trooper Spinach last year. None of my plants made it to harvest.
I also planted some Mizuna seeds. They're also tiny like poppy seeds.
Posted by ~TastyTravels~ at 12:27 PM 1 comments
Labels: celery, gardening, lettuce, mizuna, onions, seeds, spinach, vegetable garden