Monday, December 21, 2009

No Harvest Monday

Braised Short Rib with Ziti
Braised Beef Short Rib with Portabello Mushrooms, Homegrown Carrots and Rosemary Red Wine Sauce over Ziti

Today will be the first day in a long time that I have not participated in Daphne's Harvest Monday. The fact is, I get home too late during the weekdays to harvest veggies and the temperature inside my mini hoop houses barely got to above freezing this past weekend for me to be able to do so. Hence, I'll have to wait until later on this week (maybe Christmas Eve), when temperatures are expected to warm up a bit (and by that, I mean get above 32 degrees F), to harvest some kale, chard, lettuce and carrots for Christmas dinner.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Traditional Pineapple Upside Down Cake

So what did I do this weekend?...well you're looking at it. There's nothing better on a cold snowy day then a nice roaring fire and some comfort food, even if your waistline pays for it. My sister is currently visiting from Southern California and I've been feeling the need to feed her hardy winter meals. We also had some homemade pork and shrimp pot stickers and chicken noodle soup. Maybe one of these days I will get around to posting some actual recipes (I admit, it's hard to when I generally cook with a bit of this and a dash of that).

14 comments:

  1. I would be very interested to try some of your recipes, I hope you have a wonderful visit with your sis!

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  2. Hello I love your Blog. I had an idea that might help with your hoop houses. Here in Fl one of the tricks we use for cold snaps and orange trees is Christmas lights. They generate just enough heat to help the orange trees stay warm in a cold snap. They might help keep your hoop houses stay warm without getting over warm when it is extra cold that way you won't loose what you have planted.

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  3. Oh I'd kill for potsticker recipes. My daughter loves them. I've been making soups. The last one was wonton soup. I'll have to make something else this week.

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  4. looks yummy! and the short ribs especially, I love those!

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  5. Anonymous. Thanks for the idea! I would definitely consider that if my garden were a bit closer to the house. I've heard of other folks using christmas lights with great success. It was unfortunate that our skys were cloudy for the entire weekend. If we had sun, I would definitely have been able to do some harvesting.

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  6. The braised beef short ribs and pineapple upside down cake - both look delicious. I made chicken vegetable & pasta soup using parsnips and carrots from the garden combined with peas (frozen), onion (storage), and garlic (storage) with some orzo pasta. My husband has been battling the flu and I made this for him on Saturday evening. He broke his fever and was feeling much better on Sunday. Probably not the soup that did it - but one can never tell?!

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  7. Thomas, the braised beef dish looks absolutely delicious! I can taste it. And a 'bit of this and a dash of that' we understand, so we will await patiently. ;)

    Remember that tomorrow our days begin becoming longer... your garden will love it.

    I trust you and your family are having a wonderful time with your sister. And from our family to yours, Merry Christmas Thomas.

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  8. That pasta dish looks SO GOOD. Comfort food indeed!

    I know what you mean about sharing recipes..I cook the same way as you. There's a sweet young girl that I work with at the bookstore and she was asking me for recipes. I got her a little recipe box and some recipe cards for CHristmas...my thought was to fill all the cards with easy, everyday food. But...like you...I don't write anything down!!

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  9. I want the recipe for that pasta dish!

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  10. The short ribs look oh so tasty! And the cake, yum. I cook the same way, but learned to start taking some notes as I cook when my husband started asking me to make dishes again. After you've been measuring things and taking notes you eventually get to the point where you can measure amounts pretty much by look.

    I hope your garden is surviving the cold so that we can enjoy another harvest post from you next week!

    Happy winter solstice :)

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  11. Oooooo, I want some braised short ribs, they look so delish.

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  12. Oh drool! I need those recipes, Thomas.

    Hey, I also read where a few small votive candles can keep the veggies safe in hoop houses. It might be worth a try.

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  13. oh those pictures have my mouth watering!! I am so glad I found your blog! Merry Christmas :)

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