Same day...two seasons?

   You hear a lot about the crazy weather, as of late.  While it appears that the whole world has been having its share of weird weather related occurrences, it has really has not changed.  Weather has always happened.  What changed is that we are now bombarded with up-to-the-minute "news" about everything.  In other words, we have media overload.  Years back, weather happened everywhere on this old globe but there was not this instantaneous barrage of sensational news headlines to keep us "informed" or rather over informed.  I am not sure it is going to make my day any different if I hear of a rainstorm halfway around the world just as it will not be of importance to anyone on a different continent that the Bayou had an ice storm.  Media overload does nothing but create panic and raises the stress levels.  It is not needed.

  Still...closer to home...as matter of fact...IN my home, it appears that we have had two seasons in one day!  (Now isn't that of the utmost importance?)  I was in the kitchen baking up a batch of Bayou Cheesy Crackers when I noticed the view outside of the kitchen window.  Ahh, lovely!  It was nice to see the deep green leaves of the citrus trees as they are finally looking better after our winter.  Then there were the bright green leaves and red blooms of the Buckeye tree!  Those blooms looked fiery in the bright sunshine!  Springtime was definitely in full swing!  How lovely!  My eyes turned to the other window in the kitchen.  Uh, oh!  The view from that window appeared to be in the dead of winter!  How can that be?  The windows are only about two feet apart yet the views were in such contrast!  The left window showed a happy springtime view where the right one showed browns and grays of winter. 

  Actually, the left window overlooks a part of the yard that was quite dismal just a few weeks ago, the citrus trees had taken a beating but with a lot of trimming and hard work, they are now making a comeback.  The yard is alive again...well, some of it.  The right window overlooks the small Frog Pond backed by the canebrake.  The cane did not fare as well as the other plants and trees.  It is still brown and quite dead looking.  The 500+ canes will need to be cut back and ground for mulch.  Hopefully, new shoots will sprout from the rootstock.  The cutting is something that should have been done weeks ago but other things got in the way.  Now, I hate to do it.  Several birds have nested in the dead canes and small critters have dens among the roots.  All are raising their young and I do not have the heart to disturb that.  The canebrake will have to wait for a more opportune time to be thinned.  

  Still, I found the contrast interesting...on the left, the life only spring can bring and on the right, the death left behind by an unusual ice storm.  Perhaps, I am the only one to view things in this skewed way but, in all fairness, I was not feeling the best today so maybe it is just the brain that is skewed and not the view.  Oh, and yes, I do have hardware cloth on the window (and soon the others).  There are a few of the critters that live around here that stop at nothing to raid a kitchen.  Mere window screens are no match for them!

All It Takes Is One Okra

   Okra is one of those vegetables that people down here must have.  We use it a lot. If you want a good, ole Southern dish, you pretty much had better like the stuff.  I can take it or leave it...except in gumbo.  You gotta have okra in gumbo or it just ain't gumbo.  So, we put a lot of okra in the freezer for off-season cooking.  That is just what was happening in the kitchen a couple of days ago.  Mark graciously chopped about a half bushel of the pods and readied them for the freezer while I canned tomatoes.  The whole time all of this activity was taking place in my tiny kitchen, Bat (the resident cat) lounged on the floor.  I have gotten accustomed to doing the "cat step dance" as I work.  It takes fancy footwork to avoid stumbling over this huge fellow!

 At some point, Mark dropped an okra and Bat pounced.  Perhaps he thought it was a lizard or frog, I am not sure, but either way, he claimed it.  There was no going back.  It was his.  After he batted it around for a while it became obvious that I needed to do something about his attacks.  He was becoming oblivious to my needing the floor.  A simple fix was to thread the okra pod onto a piece of string and dangle it from a chair.  There, he could battle the menacing okra but still stay somewhat out from underfoot.  This made life a lot easier for me as I knew where he was at all times...attacking that rogue okra!

 Bat is two years old but is still a kitten at heart.  When he is outside, he can run off a lot of energy but, on rainy days, he has to be entertained.  To my way of thinking, if a vegetable can be a play toy that will keep a cat out of the way, I am willing to sacrifice one!  That single okra kept the cat amused for over an hour giving us time to finish our canning.  It is no wonder folks down here love okra so much!  

Taking The Easy Road Has Me Tired!

   As I age, the body does not seem to want to keep up with the brain.  In my mind, there are a billion things that need doing during the day but the body is tired and achy.  Today after a migraine yesterday, I decided to forgo the plan of cutting the last bit of marsh near the pier.  That is a hot, strenuous chore best not to be tackled while headachy.  So, I opted to spend the day in the kitchen canning pears.  Seemed to be the easiest route to take.  It turned out to be harder than I had anticipated.  Arthritis is not for the weak.

  The hands were not appreciative of the bushel of pears that needed peeling, coring and chopping.  Instead of dealing with the entire bushel, I took the easy way out and only did half.  Problem is...I still have a half bushel to do (and many, many more on the trees).  Baby steps!  I will do what I can and go from there. 

  Today, I merely canned a mixture of diced pears and pineapple.  This concoction has very little sugar and a good bit of lemon juice.  Later, when the weather cools, a jar of this will be used as filling for pastries.  We do not need any more jars of ANYTHING on the pantry shelves but it is such a shame to let it go to waste.  I was raised during a time when it was "Waste not, want not" and that has stuck.  I have tried sharing fruit from the trees with many folks but there have been no takers.  So...plums, peaches and pears have kept me busy even with my hurting hands!  It is all good...literally!  Yummy, in fact!

Broccoli/Cheese Rolls and Rainy Days!

   Since we are in the midst of a few rainy days, I figured there was nothing better to do than bake.  It relaxes me but, at the same time, makes me feel not so lazy on days like this.  In fact, I have been baking every day for the past week (lots of rain!).  Son sort of sighs when he comes into the kitchen and finds the table filled with baked goods.  At the moment, he is the only one here to eat it all!  Thankfully, it stopped raining enough for me to slip over to my brother's house and unload a huge plate full of goodies.  Brothers are the best!  They never complain about too many baked goods!

  One of Son's favorites is Broccoli/Cheese Rolls. This is a simple treat that I rarely follow a recipe to bake but decided that today, I really needed to write one.  Son helped by photographing my steps so bear with the flour-covered kitchen!  I will post this in Cooking on the Bayou shortly but, as requested, here is my simple recipe!

Broccoli/Cheese Rolls

Basic Yeast Dough Ingredients

2 cups milk

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon dry active yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 to 6 cups sifted all purpose flour

Filling Ingredients

4 cups shredded broccoli

4 cups grated cheese (blend of your favorites)

2 cups bacon crumbles

Cajun seasoning (or your favorite seasoning) for sprinkling on top

Directions

In a small saucepan, place the water, milk and butter.  Warm until butter is melted and mixture is at 110 degrees.  Add sugar, salt and yeast.  Gently stir and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.  After the wait time, pour mixture into large mixing bowl and add the flour a small bit at a time.  Mix until blended.  I use a wooden spoon to do this.  Combine until a smooth dough forms and then turn out on a floured board and knead for five minutes.  Place dough into a warm, greased bowl turning once to oil the top of the dough.  Cover with a handtowel, keep warm and let rise for about an hour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease mini-muffin pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cut the dough into four equal parts.  On a floured board or parchment paper, roll out dough shaping it into a 4 to 5 inch wide strip about 18 inches in length. Measurements are approximate so whatever you do is fine.  Generously sprinkle with broccoli (about 1 cup) making sure to leave about one inch of the dough free from filling.  Cover the broccoli with about a cup of cheese.  Add bacon crumbles evenly across the top.  (I omitted the bacon in the rolls pictured at the request of Son)  Roll up the dough starting at the long side. I fold in the side edges to keep the filling from spilling.  Once the "log" is rolled completely, use a dough cutter to slice it in one inch pieces.  Place each individual cut roll into the bake pans cut side up, lightly sprinkle Cajun seasoning on the top of each roll and let rise for about 15 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool.  

This makes about 72 mini rolls (bite-size).  

I hope you enjoy these!  They seem to be a big hit with Son and his friends.  The 72 rolls last just one afternoon when several young men are here at the Little Bayou House.  I have to sneak a few before they all disappear!

From This....To That

    It was a busy day for me.  In fact, it was far too busy.  The day started at 5am with me bounding out of bed and into the kitchen.  Mark had carried home a lot green beans that needed canning and I still had plums to jam.  First things first, however, and that meant coffee.  I needed lots of coffee to help me through this mess!  That done, I started snapping those beans.  This was a longer job than I anticipated.  Even with Mark's help, the beans seemed to be a never-ending pile.  He helped for an hour or so then had places to go and things to do.  I sat snapping beans.  After getting about two gallons snapped, I turned my attention to the jars and pressure canner.  A good cleaning was needed before I could begin processing the beans.  Jars washed, jars sterilized, canner washed, canner started heating, water put on to boil, lids soaking to soften and I was ready to go!

  By this time, Son had entered the picture and promptly started lending a hand.  This young man can preserve food with the best so was a big help.  He just steps in where needed and does a good job.  By the middle of the day, we had all of the beans snapped and half already canned.  Things were going smoothly.  

  By late afternoon, using the pressure canner had come to a halt and the jam making began.  Back home again, Mark helped me chop what amounted to 18 cups of diced plums.  The jam making would not take nearly as long as the green beans so I was a happy camper about this time.  The chore of home canning was nearly finished for the day and I was so ready.  It took nearly 12 hrs of kitchen time to do all I had to do from snapping the beans to getting everything cleaned up afterward.  Once the job was completed, however, it felt mighty fine to stand back and look at all of those pretty jars lined up on the table.  All three chest type freezers are filled and the pantry shelves have little space left.  We will eat good this winter!

  This whole scenario reminded me of a story that was told about Mom. When they married, Pop was a farm boy and Mom was a city girl. She had no idea what she was getting into!  The first week after they were married, Pop toted home bushels of beans from the fields.  He was so proud to give her a brand new pressure canner but Mom had no idea  how to use it.  She promptly sat down and wept.  This farm life was going to be hard!  Luckily, Dad's sister came to the rescue.  Marie came over and taught her how to use the canner and many other "tricks of the trade".  Mom told the story often of how (Aunt) Marie was so patient in teaching the city girl how to become a farm wife.

Through the Kitchen Window...

  I usually shake myself out of bed before sunrise just because of habit.  I have been doing this for as long as I can remember.  Back on the farm, Pop would roust us all out to do chores before school.  During the winter months, I recall how cold my feet would be when trying to gather turnips and collard greens for Pop's early morning route to local stores. Then in summer, that sweltering heat showed us no favors.  It was all good, though, and farm life taught us to be strong and to work hard. Now, however, my mornings start with watching the sunrise with a nice mug of coffee.  After a bit of contemplation, I start my day.  I am raring to go!  

  This morning, I skipped the sunrise and sat at the kitchen table with that coffee.  The scene just outside the open windows was far to nice to leave.  The rising sun filtered through the wisteria vines with just a trickle of light.  Beyond that, the citrus trees, Boysenberry vines and peach trees were all in bloom.  A slight north wind brought all of those delicious aromas into kitchen.  A sweet mockingbird was singing in the arbor and the crickets were still chirping in the shadows.  In the midst of all of this, the tiny pond reflected the blue skies.  Wow!  I do believe I could have sat there all morning.

  We all need to have our own peaceful place to spend a few moments before we face the day.  A bit of meditation can do wonders in preparing the mind for challenges to be faced.  While growing up on the farm, there was little time to meditate.  It was "up and at 'em".  I am glad that now I have the time even if it is at the crack of dawn.