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Making memories around our table

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It is the Sun shining on the Rain…and the Rain falling on the Sunshine

April 28, 2015 By Sarah 3 Comments

This is the last of my collection of wintery photo scenes for awhile.  The ski boots are stacked together in the barn promising of winter fun to come again.  I’ve swept out the mud room over and over again from the constant debris left from trailing in snow and ice from outside. We swung open the big wooden barn doors and pushed the ancient sliding doors wide open so that softer winds can sweep out the corners from the long months of winter chill.

One of the reasons we wanted to move back to the New England area is because we missed the distinct four seasons.   We are certainly not being disappointed.  Winter is hanging up his checkered wool hat and kicking off heavy muddy boots as Spring slips into a flowing floral dress and swishes and swoons up and down the hillsides creating pretty scenes of feminine beauty.  Days here unfold with such dramatic flourishes of scene changes as our calendar slips gloriously through a quarter turn from December to March to May…

These photos are from a few weeks back.  So much about the New Hampshire landscape has changed dramatically since then.  Each day started to get just a few degrees warmer than the previous day.  The water dripping from the huge wrap around porch sounded like someone tap tap tapping a xylophone to create a sweet tinging chorus as if we had chimes hanging outside. 

 The mist would hang low and soft over the Mink Hills behind the barn creating a scene of such contrast between barn red and ethereal milky whites.  Winter was amazingly quiet and so very still in the woods.  Lately, birds are beginning to chirp from high in the woods, squirrels are scrambling under my bird feeders to catch fallen bits of seed, and we finally spotted the otter we heard about slipping up and down in the water down at the now unfrozen river.

Cajun Gumbo with Seafood, Chicken, and Okra

I am knee deep in discovering and unearthing my own secret garden here at the farmhouse. This historic home hasn’t been lived in for about 4 years until we arrived on the back porch doorstep 2 days before Christmas.

For 4 months now, the ground has been covered in snow and ice.  We had little idea what the lot looked like without snow.  There are summertime photos from several years ago of the house in our seller’s packet. As we moved through the winter months, we would stare at the photos to get an idea of what trees and plants are on the property and how the front lawn looked cloaked in green instead of blanketed in white.

The river down below the hill behind the house is flowing faster and more powerfully.  When we sit with our morning coffee on the back porch, the sound of water tumbling over the huge boulders is mesmerizing and calming.  

Just as we were burning the last of our wood pile in the wood burning fireplaces, the weather warmed just enough to pack away the long down coats and double thick mittens that had become our daily uniform.  I’ll miss the snow.  I love winter.  But the absolute burst of drama unfolding before us as a new seasonal act has begun is nothing short of captivating.  It is difficult for us to stay indoors at this point and my hands are daily deep in the cool earth weeding and planting.  Well, weeding would be the more accurate word at this point…planting is coming soon!

Our last winter meal was around our long kitchen table with new friends.  We had a gumbo weekend several weeks ago and since one of our neighbors from up the road is also from Louisiana, the cajun quota way up here in New Hampshire was doubled for the afternoon.

What a wonderful day we had enjoying the last days of winter, anticipating the impending change of season, and basking in the companionship of  like-minded friends.

Gumbo is always welcome and anticipated at our house during the frigid days of winter.  Everyone in my family likes gumbo and I always throw a medley of seafood, chicken, and sausage in my huge pot along with handfuls of chopped okra.  I’m not a gumbo purist and it is fare game what lands in the pot…mostly because I like all the flavors that meld together and don’t want to leave anything out.

When I was laying out the bowls on the table, a memory from years ago came to mind. Growing up in Louisiana, seafood and chicken gumbo was always served on Christmas Eve before we would walk from my grandparent’s house up the road to midnight mass. 

The huge gumbo pot would be simmering away on the stovetop in my grandmother’s kitchen.  It was her maid, Rose, who would be tending the roux and carefully stirring it until just the right golden brown color.  

I was a child that liked to eat everything.  I would try anything…and Rose knew it.  Often, if she was bringing in a steak from the grill, she would call me over by her side.   Even if  I were flying through the kitchen from one room to the next, I was always half aware of sniffing the air to estimate what Rose had cooking on the stove or on the grill.  

One time it was steak.  The smell of the cooked meat was intoxicating.  But I knew what particular treat she had in store for me as I whizzed through the kitchen stopping right by her side.  With a twinkle in her eye and a quick wink she would slice off a fatty piece of the tip of the steak she was grilling and offer this juicy tidbit to me.  I would take a taste…she would take a taste…we would smile conspiratorially at each other and  chorus “…Mmmm” before I would race off again on whatever adventure I had assembled in my mind.

But I digressed.  Back to gumbo memories.  The first gumbo of the winter season (not that Louisiana really has winters, but we thought we did…) was always served on Christmas Eve.  As a child, when I spotted the gumbo pot simmering on the stovetop in the kitchen, it was a signal to race to the dining room to check the place settings on the Christmas Eve table.

My eyes would dart around the table taking in which way the gumbo bowls were placed at each setting.  If the bowls were turned upside down, that meant we were in for a yearly surprise. The bowls would stay turned upside down as my grandparents would comment that “upside down bowls at the dinner table are perfectly normal.  Doesn’t everyone set their tables with bowls placed upside down?”

For dessert, Patrick’s delicious warm cranberry walnut stollen

Every year, feigning ignorance we would act as if we had no idea what was underneath those bowls.  As I sat around, what seemed to my younger self as a larger than life dining room table in my grandmother’s very fancy dining room, I fingered my huge gumbo spoon in anticipation of the yearly surprise.  We all maintained the guise that upside down bowls were perfectly normal and that there certainly couldn’t be anything underneath those bowls.

Somehow a signal was given and everyone was given permission to turn over his bowl all at the same time.  One crisp new green bill was laying underneath each person’s bowl.  Some years it was a $50 brand new bill and other years it was a whopping $100 perfectly flat new bill.  The thrill of this sight was always just as shocking and delightful as the previous year. I would smell the bill, feel its dusty smooth surface with my fingers, examine all of the drawings printed on it and feel entirely rich at that moment.  The sky was the limit as to what goodies could be bought with that bounty in hand.  No wonder gumbo triggers such pleasant memories.  It was a meal steeped in mystery, aromas, tastes, and finally…treasure!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cajun gumbo, gumbo, gumbo filé, Louisiana recipes, New Hampshire, seafood and chicken gumbo, soups, southern recipes for gumbo, Spring, winter soups

Strawberry Crepes…and an Early Morning at the Strawberry Patch

April 23, 2012 By Sarah 42 Comments

A Saturday.  An Early Morning.  And a quest to get to the strawberry patch.

Perhaps because we now know the kind of heat in store for us in a few months, we have learned that Houstonians flock to any Spring season tradition.  

M. and I decided to take off early, enjoy a cool morning drive, and arrive at the strawberry patch, hopefully, before the parade of strawberry pickers canvas the fields filled with tiny orbs of crimson spring deliciousness.  
Must come back with a full bucket of strawberries.  
Crepes filled with thinly sliced, fresh, juicy strawberries were at stake.  

I enjoy this particular drive out into the countryside beyond Houston.  Once we pass the sweeping rows of shops, restaurants, and more shops, the fields begin to widen, green spaces become more expansive, and scenery takes on a more rural quality.  

Wildflowers in the most cheery shade of pink line the narrow country roads leading the strawberry patch.  The cows have plenty of baby calves awkwardly stumbling about, probably getting used to the onslaught of cars making their yearly pilgrimage to Froberg’s Strawberry Farm.

Groups of cyclists were out in packs.  Fifteen or twenty bicyclists, all clustered together like a swarm of colorful fish, glided noiselessly by on the miles of country roads that are scenic but more importantly…flat!

We crunched up the gravel road to the farm.  There was the old craggy oak tree with its heavy scarred limbs resting themselves on the ground.

Strawberries, that tumbled out inbetween the petite white flowers were ripe, ruby red, and ready for our picking!

This delightful little child was just entering the patch with her family.  She had this adorable green checkered shirt on, beautiful sun kissed red hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a floppy sunflower yellow hat.  
She and her family looked so thrilled and happy to be out in the cool morning air, little wooden buckets in hand, ready to go strawberry picking.

The huge perk to Froberg’s Stawberry Farm is it’s a place for all local farmers to bring their crops for sale.  From the creaky screened door, partially open air pavilion, and country setting, shopping here is a sensory experience of delight.

The fruits and vegetables are always plentiful.  But in addition, fruit hand pies are usually coming right out of the oven and drifting their tempting warm, spiced scent over the shoppers.  We always come home with strawberry, apricot, or blueberry hand pies and  several jars of fig jam.  

We are also never known to leave Froberg’s without a bag of their tart, fruity, chewy, thick strawberry licorice.  Don’t even come home unless we have the strawberry licorice.

As if the hot homemade pies coming out of the ovens were not enough, Froberg’s has a Smokehouse right next door to the market.  Ribs, sausages, jerky, and roasts are all being smoked and sold to the market shoppers.

Families spend hours at the farm, picking strawberries in the back fields, shopping in the market, and then picnicking outside while enjoying pulled pork or beef sandwiches.

But, crepes were on order for our Sunday breakfast the next day.  After watching the train sweep by, always a delight to the children at the farm, we headed home with our goodies loaded in baskets.

Crepes and strawberries go hand in hand.  We washed them well and thought about the next day’s Sunday breakfast.  

P. whipped up a batch of whipped cream.  Not only does the combination taste delicious but it’s such a pretty breakfast treat.

The next morning, a few sausages grilled, fresh strong coffee brewed, and our Sunday morning breakfast was just as we like it…slow, relaxing, and delicious.  

It’s probably the only morning out of 7 days that we stretch out our time at the table, have a second cup of coffee, stay in our jammies until noon, and try to keep life simple.

With a full bucket of strawberries to tempt me, however, and a dinner of smoked meats ready for the early evening, I was tingling to use up the rest of that ruby red fruit.

I had been eyeing this one recipe and thought I would give it a try since we had so many strawberries on hand.  While everyone else went about their day’s plans, I had fun in the kitchen creating another use for my strawberries.

I look forward to sharing it here on “Thyme” real soon!

Enjoy every bit of spring…for if you are anywhere in the south…we all know what comes next!

Crepes with Strawberries and Homemade Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot. [Makes 10-12 crepes]


Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, crepes, farmer's markets in Houston Texas, Froberg Farms, Spring, strawberries, strawberry patch

Baby Blue Bird Nest Cupcakes

March 31, 2011 By Sarah 13 Comments

S.Kenney – 2011

I just love Martha Stewart’s magazines.  For about 7 years now, I have been keeping her Easter editions. I put them all in a basket in my guest bedroom.  When I am looking for cute placecards, or holiday ideas, I often end up with something out one of her magazines.  This link can take you to the online page of where I found these fun Easter treats.

My son’s “Odyssey of the Mind” group lucked out again.  They were the recipients of these cupcakes!

The little nest on top of these coconuts is made from toasted coconut flakes.  I have never toasted coconut before.  Honestly, though, anyone who likes coconut should just toast some in the oven even if they don’t want to make cupcakes.  The smell is wonderfully potent…nutty, sweet, tropical.  I’m afraid I burned the first batch of coconut flakes and that was not so terrific a smell but the second batch improved.

S.Kenney 2011

While I am confessing my mistakes on the World Wide Web, I’ll also spill the news that I’ve never made cupcakes from scratch.  Yep, its always been from a box. Now, there is no going back.  I followed the recipe very carefully and the result was delicious.  These cupcakes had a richer, deeper flavor and texture than any out of the box mix.

S.Kenney 2011

Cupcakes… They are so pretty; they are like an empty canvas waiting for creativity.  The buttercream frosting was especially tasty.  It was very light but with a very deep rich flavor. 

The original recipe for these sweet nest cupcakes made the little baby bluebirds out of piped, colored frosting.  I decided to use Hershey’s milk chocolate Easter eggs instead.  I thought that was much easier and tastier than a mouthful of frosting.  
Cute cupcake-making interruption!!
While writing this article, my daughter begged me to see the movie “Burlesque” with her.  This is the movie featuring Cher and Christina Aguilera.  
Woah!!  
From describing my sweet little baby blue bird cupcakes to this steamy, sultry, va-va-voom Burlesque story was QUITE a distraction and required a mental shift.  I’m not sure I agree with the PG-13 rating on this movie.  And, I hope every wanna-be dancer out there doesn’t run off to L.A. thinking that a burlesque lifestyle is that innocent.  
However, I must give a strong thumbs up for those who can appreciate the music, choreography, and cinematography of this movie.  It was visually stunning, musically captivating, and choreographically superb.  The acting was weak, the plot was predictable and cheesy moments were the basis of the movie but being a former dancer myself (of the classical ballet variety however!!) the dancers were incredible.  
I have to return to these cupcakes, a little frazzled, but admitting I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  (Still can’t figure out the why Jack wore that black eyeliner…)
Interruption over…back to the innocent little baby bird cupcakes.  Whew!  If I can divert myself back, that is.
S.Kenney 2011
The beaks were the most difficult details in making these cupcakes.  I didn’t pipe frosting like the recipe entailed.  I used little chewy candies that were colored yellow.  That didn’t quite work so well.  They were sticky and hard to handle.  Perhaps something drier would work better that could be secured with frosting to the tops.  Perhaps crushed lemon drops…
Baby Blue Birds’ Nest Cupcakes:
Frosting:
Yield
Makes 2 1/2 cups
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Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Directions
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place over a pot of simmering water; whisk until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand, and beat on high speed until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes.
Replace whisk with paddle attachment, and set mixer on medium-high speed; add butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Beat in chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate buttercream in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature, and rebeat or stir vigorously before using.
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.
Lightly frost cupcakes with 1 cup chocolate buttercream; set aside. Tint 2 tablespoons reserved buttercream pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 Ateco leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining buttercream light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes. Form each nest with 2 tablespoons toasted coconut.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: baby birds nest, cupcakes, desserts, easter, Martha Stewart, Spring

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