As the weather heats up, this recipe is fantastic either eaten hot as a light dinner or eaten chilled as a pasta salad.  Either way, it's great to eat out on the porch in the sunshine.

This is a spinoff of my recipe for Pasta Shrimp and Peas that I shared last year around this time.  Both of these recipes have proven to be kid pleasers. 

I hope everyone's been locating and trying out as many winter squash as we have this season.  Remember that crazy hubbard squash I brought home and roasted?
I ended up getting about 6 extra cups of puree out of it which I put in the freezer in the garage.

Then I saw the apples on the table that my kids helped me pick out and made the connection that it was time for some creamy, delicious squash apple soup.  This one is perfect for a rainy fall day.

I was gifted with another LARGE cucumber from Mom's garden the other day, so I decided to try something a little different.  This is another Ur Oma recipe and can best be described as a fresh, not overly sweet relish, OR a shredded cucumber salad.  We love it as a side by itself, on salads, or on sandwiches with coldcuts or with a nice slab of fresh tomato and black pepper.

Ur Oma informed me that when she was growing up, all salads were made in this fashion because there wasn't such a thing as store bought salad dressing... honestly, I'd choose this over store-bought any day.  This is also one of those recipes that isn't exact and is 100% to taste made according to what you have on hand.  I had this HUGE cucumber, and a large sweet onion so I went from there.  I'll include the approximate measurements for how I prefer it this salad to  my own taste preferences.

The topics of nutrition, food allergies, healthcare, herbs, psychology, stones, farming, cooking, homesteading, brewing, yoga, meditation,family dynamics, consumerism, anxiety and panic, and spirituality have been swirling in my head for years.  I start down a path and I find absolutes and fanaticism everywhere I go.  Alchemists and  Anti-vaccination advocates live in the Herbal Healing feed.   The latest diet fad comes into my email inbox toting the benefits of grapefruit seeds or pasture-raised quail eggs or raw milk straight from the udder. 1 in 3 kids has food allergies and we should be angrily advocating the living hell out of it. If you ask the organics gurus, we're poisoning ourselves with every non-organic item we consume or use in our environment.  We should all be taking krill pills as the best form of Omega Fatty Acids even though humans were never evolved to eat krill... or  bluegreen algae in their "green" breakfast shakes.  Gluten obviously rots not just the guts of people with Celiacs, but EVERYBODY's guts... and their brains too.  Homegrown is the way to go, even if your soil is polluted by the runoff from the ever encroaching neighbor's nitrogen and pesticide laced greener than green lawns.  You should medicate your pets to keep the nasties away from your kids, but it causes seizures and shortened lifespan.  Place a rose quartz in your drinking water and leave it by the light of the moon... put a flower representing your desired state of mind in with it for good measure to make an extra powerful life-changing homeopathic mineral and flower water...   and it cured my friend's cancer, too.

Colors can influence the way you feel and what you think.  The power of prayer.  The power of positive thought... and the law of attraction regarding negativity.  Manifestation happens not by accident. 

People are afraid.  Mortally terrified... and they'll eat pasture-raised nitrate free bacon until all the evil gluten sludge leaves their lives.  "Banishing The Sludge Of Our Lives".    ... how's that for a book title?


I was standing in line at Wegmans the other day, Mark had the kids.  I put up all our groceries and the lady behind me was just staring.  Then she looked me square in the eye and said "I wish I could eat like that".   I kinda just smiled and nodded and said "Yeah, my kids really like fruit".   But she continued "I WISH I could eat like that, but I can't" and she began pointing to various items.  I kind of looked at her, curiously and nodded and said "Well, I have food allergies, and my husband is diabetic, so we really don't have much of a choice in the matter...".   She just nodded.  Was quiet for a moment and then repeated "I really wish I could eat like that".

Now, my initial reaction (that, of course I didn't say out loud) was "YOU CAN!  What the HELL are you talking about?"   And then I started noticing, we had non-organic fruit, factory made crackers, a sack of white flour and one of sugar...  I was actually feeling guilty about that week's purchases...   and I missed a crucial point:   She. Can't. Eat. Like. That.    Not due to lack of money and not due to lack of intellect or to what she believes to be healthy.

She couldn't do it for a more insidious reason.  Fear.  Of change.  Of life.  Of being alone or unaccepted in her decision to change how she fuels herself.  Maybe she has anxiety, or panic, or OCD.  Maybe she has some sort of borderline personality something, or lives in an environment hostile to change (either inside of her head, or from other people around her).  

THIS is the basis of what I'm seeing everywhere.  The pattern that runs through all of my interests.  Fear.  Some people counter it with fanaticism in one direction or another.  Other people run like hell from anything new or improved.  Most people are trying to self-preserve and are angry.

And why haven't I gone forward with getting a degree in nutrition (I'm looking at certifications still btw)?  B/c I perceive a bigger problem that isn't being addressed.  Why haven't I become a certified Herbalist or Tarot Card reader or Reiki practitioner...  b/c there's a MUCH bigger picture once you look at the cast of characters involved in the community.  Characters who fear and condone.  Fear doesn't help. Controlling all aspects of life is impossible. 

And there are people at the forefront combating this.  Actually helping at the root of the issue.  And a select few of them are using nutrition, and homeopathy, and meditation, and color therapy/stones, and herbs... and the established medical community as well.   And this, is where I'm headed. Resetting sites:  psychology and social work. 

Starting at around the 4th of July, our wild black raspberries were ripening.  The bushes have been yielding a bit more than a quart every-other-day and we've been gorging on them, and filling the freezer with the rest.  I plan on making wine, and jam as I have in the past, and they're also fantastic with
(soy)icecream or used instead/alongside strawberries over shortcake. 


I'll include the wine and jam recipes as I get around to them.

Another garden staple around here has been zucchini!  If you've ever grown this vegetable, or know anyone who does, you know that once they start producing, LOOK OUT because they'll take over your entire kitchen!  There's never a shortage around here despite the fact that I haven't actually grown any for the last few years.  I got a bagful at the farmer's market for .75 each and have been playing happily ever since.

So far I have made zucchini soup, zucchini bread, sliced zucchini on the grill, zucchini in kabobs, and sausage/zucchini pizza on the grill.  The recipes for soup and bread are designed specifically to use up zucchini.  Like, those HUGE ones you can't figure out what else to do with!

                                                   Seasalt to taste

Well, strawberry season is winding down, and I thought it best to have it go out with a BANG this year.  I made the last of the strawberry harvest into preserves with some leftover rhubarb that I had frozen a couple of weeks back.  And, I'd also like to take this opportunity to share my favorite cake recipe, ever.  This cake doesn't screw around or make excuses.  It's a full-blown from scratch birthday cake-style treat that includes Dairy-free buttercream frosting.

We'll start off with the preserves.  If you aren't making your own preserves ( jam and jelly) yet, you really should.  It's incredibly easy and doesn't take as much time as you might think.  I made 5 jars of Strawberry- Rhubarb Jam that I'm keeping in the refridgerator.  The first jar disappeared after about 3 days, and another jar could easily be used as an AMAZING strawberry cake layer filling/ fruit topper.

Honestly, I just follow the recipe on the Certo pectin box, but I'll write it down here just you can all see how easy it is:

• 24 oz very ripe strawberries, hulled (or no-sugar-added frozen strawberries)
• 1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
•  
• For the cake:
• 1/3 cup Soymilk, at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp Earthbalance brand Margarine (1 1/2 sticks), at room temp

1. Hull, slice and toss fresh strawberries with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature until juicy.
2. Puree strawberry mixture  in a blender 
3. Reserve 3/4 cup puree for the cake.
4. Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. OR use some of the Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from the above recipe!
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8- or 9-inch pans: oil and flour the pans well
6. In a small bowl, combine puree, soymilk, eggs, and vanilla and mix with a fork until well blended. In  the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.
7. Add wet ingredients and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until  evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds.
8. Divide the batter evenly among the pans
9. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary). Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely before frosting!

• 1 cup Earth Balance Margarine (or Palm-oil based Shortening *contains no transfat)
• 4 cups corn-free confectioners’ sugar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2 T. plain unsweetened almond milk or soymilk

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the margarine until fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar gradually, beating at a low speed until combined. Turn up the speed to high, add the remaining ingredients, and beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Chill slightly before using.



Assemble your cake!  Put the Jam layer in between the two cake layers, and then frost with buttercream!

I hope you all enjoyed strawberry season as much as I did this year!   

We made our annual obligatory strawberry shortcake and it's super-easy, super tastey, and loved by everyone in our household.

We have pancake day about once a week around here and tried out this variation with our freshly-picked strawberries.  They're amazing!

Measure out 1/2 cup sized cakes and cook in/on a skillet (the one pictured happens to be electric, and we LOVE it). 

Flip, serve, and enjoy!   These are delicious with just a little butter on them, but my kids loaded them up with syrup as well :-)

This has become a fast favorite in my family and it is modified from a recipe for apple cake that we got from a multi-generational farm family who live upstate.

A perfect dessert on a warm Spring evening.

When my Grandma immigrated  from Germany to the USA she didn't bring much with her, but she did bring a chunk of rootstock from her father's Strawberry Rhubarb.  Strawberry rhubarb differs from regular rhubarb in that it generally has a smaller stalk that is a pretty pinkish red color.  My grandma, my mom, and I all have offspring from great grandpa's rhubarb plant growing in our yards... mine's a little small and sad, but mom's was big this year and she's been harvesting. 

Simply put:  These are the best. Ever.  They're more like  breadsticks, hot out of the oven and crisp on the outside with a soft center... with TONS of colorful seasoning.
They're perfect for a snack, or for entertaining... liiike with wine out on the deck.  And that is exactly what we did with this batch when our neighbors invited us over for an impromptu glass (or 2 or 3) of wine on their deck.  They timed it perfectly for when the crackers came out of the oven, and everyone (including the kids) loved them.

My husband got the idea from the book The Bread Bakers Apprentice recipe for "Lavash Crackers" and we modified it according to our own preferences.

Baking has taken a hiatus in our house ever since my husband was diagnosed with Diabetes.  He is the baker, and he's really good at it but it took us a little while to figure out what a good balance was to keep his bloodsugar levels in check.  Turns out that moderation works just fine for him, and so he's back to baking and consuming all those delicious carbs in moderation (usually no more than 2 "carbs" per snack/meal). 

So, we needed some snack ideas and were sick of buying everything premade at the grocery store.  We found a recipe for Whole Wheat Soft Pretzles and modified it to fit our needs and the type of flour we had on hand.  They were really, REALLY good hot from the oven.

Here are the things I know about Garlic Mustard.  1)  It's prolific (ok fine, invasive to the point of being an environmental problem) 2) It's delicious and garlic-y in the spring and becomes more pungent (think horseradish) as the season goes on 3) the entire plant is edible and the roots can be used as a substitute for horseradish 4) it's one of the first plants to green up in the springtime around here and it has pretty (edible) flowers later on in the season.


We went for a walk the other day.  Things are still pretty dormant, but the Onion Grass  (wild chives) and Garlic Mustard are growing like mad.  I brought my eldest daughter to help me harvest.  I pulled the Garlic Mustard (root and all) and she picked me a bunch of Onion Grass. 

There was quite a bit... so I made a recipe that used quite a bit.

First I washed and seperated everything.  Then I cut the roots off of the Garlic Mustard, leaving the rosettes intact.


I pickled the roots later in the week.

The leaves, I turned into pesto along with some of the Onion Grass and a few other ingredients that I had on hand... and it turned out lovely!

• 3 cups garlic mustard greens, chopped and packed.
• 6 ounces sunflower seeds (or pinenuts or walnuts)
• 4 tablespoons fresh Onion Grass (or chives), chopped
• 6 ounces virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• add water to desired consistency

If you enjoy the pungent flavor of fresh garlic, simply toss all of the ingredients into a blender and thoroughly blend until you reach your desired consistency.  For a less pungent flavor (for kids, and people like myself) , first saute your garlic mustard greens and onion grass in 2 additional tbsp of olive oil.  Salt to taste, and then add to blender with the rest of the ingredients.








Enjoy!  Over pasta, on potatoes, on veggies, mixed into salad dressing, on eggs...  and freezes well too!