Granola - Sticks and Twigs

Most people know that apple jelly is good spread on toast or as a kitchen gift, also very nice alongside Brie. But generally it ranks more as a kitchen staple to be used as an ingredient in making something else - not held in the same high regard as it's gourmet fruit cousins in the berry or tropical fruit category.

One thing I have found though is that it's become an absolutely necessary ingredient in the granola recipe I make and love.

I've gotten serious about granola this year.  I've always liked it and thought all those sticks and twigs were good for something - gave you the ruffage your body needed to keep you in balance as well as a whole host of other essential nutrients.  Buying it already prepared in the box is expensive and if you read the ingredient list on the box you soon realize that there's a lot more in there than just sticks and twigs - sugar being in the top of the list. Now I'm not against sugar, but I am trying to eat less of it in proportion to the other ingredients.  And there's a lot of it in most prepared food products.

That's one reason for making your own - you know what's in there and in what proportions. The other reason is that it's the best tasting stuff around.

My favorite recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks, named, Honey Toasted Fruit Muesli.   It is very good, but one day when I was short on honey, I substituted apple jelly and it turned out great! I prefer to make it using half honey and half apple jelly, but it can be adjusted either way or not at all.  I also discovered that when making the recipe you can make adjustments to the other ingredients to suit your taste, so I have altered the original recipe somewhat, either because of my personal preference or because I didn't have a particular ingredient on hand at the time.  The dried cherries and plums I made this Summer have gone into my recent batches and of course I also add a teaspoon (at least) of cinnamon.

My all time favorite way to eat it is with some plain homemade yogurt (or prepared fruit yogurt), a little sweet 2% milk, and fresh fruit on top.  Yummy and very healthy - you might say I've turned into a real granola.

So if you have an abundance of apples this Fall and have decided to make some apple jelly, you can add this recipe to you apple jelly repertoire and be very pleased with the outcome. Bon appetite!

Live is good - bye for now! Evelyn

REMEMBER:  Buy Local When You Can!

Apples - It's Been A Very Good Year!

ABUNDANCE --- It is Fall in Oregon and I'm getting wary of friends that have an apple tree in their backyard.  The apple surplus seems bigger than usual this year, so as with zucchini, I feel like I need to lock my car for fear an over supplied neighbor will sneak in a bag or two.

I have one friend that has a whole orchard. Since the apples have ripened, every visit includes a walk down to the orchard with a couple of gigantic bags in tow, which are so quickly filled and so heavy you can hardly lug them back up the hill.  And you keep saying to your friend, "oh thank you, I think I have enough now" and they keep piling the apples in with a pleading, desperate look in their eyes, "here - just a few more, we haven't even begun to touch the tree".  So you take them home.

And then what?  I've now spent the entire week trying to figure out what to do with all these apples. What applelicious treat can I concoct?  I have to confess, I've not been successful in coming up with any truly blog-worthy recipes for all my kitchen testing.

In fact my apple jelly failed to jell (because I didn't follow the instructions carefully), and the caramel apple jam was a little short of true fabulousness (too sweet for my taste).

I made an apple cake, that I thought was going to knock the socks off of my guests, but it turned out to be pretty ordinary (boring).  I tried apple slaw - eatable, but no pizzaze.   And to my disappointment I've put on 5 pounds just testing (althought I can't entirely blame the apples for that).

Now, as we all know apples are wonderful, there are as many fabulous apple delicacies to be found, and made, and eaten, and fondly remembered, as there are apples.  With this in mind, I settled down, took a look at my most dependable blog sites, and found some true apple winners that I'm now going to focus on this week.

Here are my top winners!

• Apple Jelly - David Lebovitz, Living the Sweet Life in Paris - What was I thinking when I attempted my own version of AJ? This is the way it should be done.
• Membrillo - Simply Recipes - Made this last year with quince (ancient relative to the apple).  Follow the instructions and you've got success. This is a classic Spanish treat served along side Manchego cheese.
• Apple Tarte Tatin - Smitten Kitchen  If you in the mood for a challenge these are the best instructions for this complicated French classic.  I confess that I have always wanted to, but never attempted this intimadating dessert. Maybe I'll give it a try this week.
• French Apple Tarte -  Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network - This one has become a favorite in the family.  Actually it's my daughter's easy go to recipe that she knows like the back of her hand.  Check out the video on the page too!
• Classic American Apple Pie - Food Wishes - This is a video blog by Chef John at Food Wishes. The recipe is almost all filler, but you will notice a recipe for a traditional pie crust at the bottom of the blog. He actually has several apple pie recipes on his blog including a caramel apple pie which is his favorite.  I can do this one, it pretty basic and it is always a hit.  Enjoy the video!

As they say we're just looking at the tip of the ice berg here. You can make juice, cider, crisp, cake, turnover, you can dry or you can stew (oh my!) and on and on.

But there was one recipe I almost passed up - my granddaughter's all time favorite - German Apple Pancakes - truly blog-worthy! 

Life is good!  Bye for now.  Evelyn  

REMEMBER - Bye Local When you Can!

This was shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop, and It's a Blog Party

Boule

Painting by Margaret Loxton from the book Provence by Peter Mayle,  McMillan Publishing Co.

I'll bet a lot of you have never heard of a yard game named boule.  The game of boule, aka "petanque", is just another contribution to my life from my dear friend - the one who has the family ties in Southern France and taught us about French Salad. 

Extremely simple, the game is similar to bocce ball or horseshoes.  There's a target, and you have to get as close to it as possible.  Simple to play yet highly competitive - very inclusive (anyone can play) yet, as with all things, it can get intense.

The object of the game is to throw your balls (literally balls of steel) so that they land closer to a much smaller ball called a cochonnet (that's French for "little pig"), than those of your opponents.  Or to strike and drive the cochonnet toward your other balls and away from your opponent's.

It's clearly a  French game, played in every Provencal village, usually on a dusty patch of ground, but you'll also see it played in the grand public gardens in Paris.  Especially popular among, I would say, older men in France (I have rarely seen a women play), they play in the gardens in the quiet summer afternoon during the week and appear to take it more to heart then we do with our summer game in the back yard.

The game has been on my mind lately because now that it's the start of October, there'll only be a few more times to play outside in the evening.

In the Spring, as soon as the weather gets good, out come the rakes and brooms sweeping away to get the boule court in shape and ready for the "boule season" which starts when the evenings and the rains lighten up.  

My friends have gone to the trouble to actually construct a boule court in their backyard just for the simple pleasure of passing summer evenings playing a boules match along with a glass of wine or pastis (another Provencal contribution and another story).  

At first we thought we had the First Official International Boule Court of North America but after doing my research I've actually found that we don't have an exclusive on the game here in Oregon (or North America).  In fact there are several boule clubs in the WV that are happy to help you learn the game and play with them.  This is a really good thing because the game is delightfully entertaining  and a great way to pass time with friends and your entire family on a warm summer day.  Meanwhile, I guess I'll have to wait until the sun comes out in the Spring for another game with friends in the backyard.

RESIDENT BOULE DOG

Here is a list with web links of the boule clubs in the WV.  Check them out - they'd love to hear from you.

Painting by Margaret Loxton from the book Provence by Peter Mayle

Eugene Petanque International Club -

Lake Oswego Petanque -

Portland Petanque Club - 

Portland Boulegans - 

Life is good - Bye for now!  Evelyn

September - Favorite Things

Here it is the end of September and time for some favorites of the month.   Included are links, when available, for additional information about the items. I hope you find some things in the list that you too enjoyed in September.  Let me know what you think.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Bon Appetite Magazine ~

Years and years and years ago this magazine first inspired me to appreciate really good food.  Always interesting with imaginative recipes, now the September issue has announced that Luce Italian Restaurant in Portland (pronounced LOO-chay), is one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in the country for their brilliant Italian cooking. Congrats to Luce and Portland.

Pink Martini’s A Retrospective is the first compilation album by the American group, released in 2011 the album contains twenty-one tracks from six studio albums. What can I say, I love Pink Martini and their funky international style. They are just another example of Portland's really cool, but ever so slightly off-beat vibe.

Albacore Tuna Roast– grilled on a bed of Rosemary branches. The fleet is in, buy albacore tuna fresh from the Oregon Coast now.  It's the best September has to offer.  

Dahlias - Real dazzlers in September!

Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Goat Feta Cheese Salad - Some kind of wonderful!

Left Coast Cellars 2006 Heritage Pinot Noir. An exceptional wine fermented by native yeast in French oak and aged for 34 months, this wine has every component to age for a future generation. Elegant and structured; decant to serve now or age upwards of 15 years.
(only 30 cases remain).  My favorite for very special occasions and the very best company (dear old friends and family).

~ Portland Race for the Cure ~ 

The Race which took place September 16th raises significant funds and awareness for the breast cancer movement. It was a time to celebrate survivors and their families while working toward the promise of ending breast cancer forever.

~ Finding Portland ~  

You really should take a look at this time lapse video which is beautifully composed. It captures  the City of Roses in a most creative style.   If you like Portland, you’ll love this video - created by Uncage the Soul Productions.

Pumpkin Vase - Flowers, shrubs, and fruits can be arranged in a hollowed out pumpkin vase.  Perfect for October or November (you can use other members of the squash family also, depending on space and color scheme).  This and other stylish centerpiece ideas (and great pumpkin recipes) come from Holiday Pumpkins by Georgeanne Brennan, Jennifer Barry Design.



Here we come October !  Evelyn

Remember:  Buy local when you can!

Pennsylvania Pictorial

This month it was time for a long overdue trip to visit friends who had moved from the West Coast to Pennsylvania. This was my first trip to the Quaker State. The first thing I noticed was  how much Downtown Pittsburg looks like Portland, and then (just like Portland) in no time your out in a countryside which is strikingly similar Oregon.

 

It was one of those trips spent visiting the smaller cities and towns around the Amish country, the battlefields of Gettysburg, historic Johnstown, and the somber, yet serene Flight 93 Memorial. We were on a pretty tight schedule taking in all the history that has formed the framework of what our country is today.  

With all this sightseeing we were fortunate enough to find a wonderfully secluded rural bed and breakfast appropriately named the Swiss Woods Inn located in the town of Lititz the heart of Lancaster County (Amish territory).  It truly was idyllic, where you could reconnect with nature, discover history, and experience Pennsylvania Dutch culture, lulling you back to a slower, gentler time.  Plus if you were not careful you could put on a bit of weight devouring their sumptuous breakfasts.  First morning there we woke up to enjoy their featured recipe of the month, Pumpkin Pancakes with Lemon Apples.

The owner of this charming inn has teamed up with several other bed and breakfast owners around the country and started a blog about their recipes, kitchen wisdom, and anything that is foodie related.  It is appropriately named, "Eight Broads in the Kitchen."  

I warn you the recipes are not for the weight watcher crowd, but they involve good, fresh ingredients avoiding the fast food approach to cooking or eating.  That’s what I call “kitchen wisdom”.

Battlefields of Gettysburg

 

 

 

Pennsylvania Countryside

 

It was a wonderful trip, but as Dorothy put it, "there's no place like home".

Bye for now - Evelyn

REMEMBER:  Buy Local When you Can!