More Asparagus

The asparagus season will be done by the end of this week, but luckily we pickled asparagus (recipe here) that we'll be able to enjoy this winter.  This week we tried a few new delicious asparagus recipes including asparagus hummus and asparagus egg frittata.

 

 

 

Hummus and Veggies on my Grandma's platter

I just read a book that I found enlightening and frightening called Sugar, Salt and Fat.  In the book you learn quickly that every food that is not whole or home-made basically contains crap ingredients (with a few exceptions) - even HUMMUS.  Now, I am a hummus freak and was shocked that the brand of hummus I've been eating for years contains GMO's (genetically modified organisms) so I'm determined to start making my own with in-season ingredients and you can find this recipe here.

Asparagus Frittata on my Grandma's dishes

This picture does not do this frittata justice, but it was quite delicious and the leftovers were even better.  Both times I covered this delicious egg bake with my home-made salsa (yum, yum).

ASPARAGUS FRITTATA

Garlic
Onion
Salt and Pepper
3 eggs
1/2 pound asparagus
3 large eggs
1/3 cup cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Saute onion and garlic until onion is clear.   Add asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes and add eggs.  Cook until the eggs are almost done, add salt and pepper, cheese and cook in the oven until the cheese is melted.  Delicious.

 

 

 

Greta's Room after a major purge session


We're still on track with  2013 Project Organization and this month we re-organized Greta's room.  I had a before pic (OMG) but it magically disappeared.  The other great thing is that I was almost out of items to sell on Ebay and by going through her room I discovered many items to sell and to donate. 


What's your favorite asparagus recipe?  If I get a chance, I hope to try another asparagus soup but I'm losing out on my window of opportunity.  I planted 13 asparagus plants though this Spring and they are thriving - I'm so happy.

Happy Sunday,

Kristin

 

Rhubarb Recipes

Now is the time to pick your rhubarb - wait a few more weeks and you will find your rhubarb to be too bitter.   The proper way to pick rhubarb is to reach down to the root and twist and the stalk easily releases.  When you cut rhubarb with a knife or scissors, you can harm the remaining stalks.

Not only is rhubarb delicious, it also has amazing health benefits that includes:

• Builds strong bones and teeth
• lowers cholesterol
• good source of fiber
• maintains a regular digestive system
• builds a healthy immune system
• prevents diabetes (high in vitamin K)

In years past I've made all sorts of different rhubarb recipes including rhubarb salsa, rhubarb salad and rhubarb salad dressing found here.    But this year, I've remained faithful to 2 different delicious recipes including rhubarb smoothies and rhubarb pie.

RHUBARB SMOOTHIE:

1 cup of rhubarb
1 cup of strawberries
1 cup of old fashioned oats or cooked quinoa
2 cups of milk / or soy milk
1 tablespoon of flaxseed
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar

Throw in a blender and combine.  You can also add spinach.

Rhubarb Smoothies in my Grandma's dishes

My Great Aunt Helen (founder of the Norske Nook)  has another winning recipe that we ALL love - rhubarb pie. 

Aunt Helen's Rhubarb Pie

4 - 5 cups fresh rhubarb
2 cups of sugar (or 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup stevia)
1/3 cup flour
3 eggs
1 double crust
4 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place the rhubarb in a large bowl.  Poor the sugar over, add the flour and nutmeg, and mix it together.

Using your hands, in the center of this mixture, make a well for the eggs.  Crack the eggs into the well and beat them with a fork.

When the eggs are mixed, gradually blend them into the rhubarb and flour mixture until the rhubarb is partially covered.

Add the filling into the pie crust and dot with thinly sliced butter. 

Cover with the top crust and slit.  Sprinkle with a little sugar.  Bake for around 1 hour.

Place a pan underneath because it might bubble over.

Rhubarb Pie on my Grandma's China - LOVE lilacs!!!!

I'm in the market for rhubarb - I'd like to make some rhubarb sauce and can for a later date but I've used up all my plants so let me know if you know where I can get some.  Yes, I checked the farmers market but didn't have any luck.

What are you making with rhubarb these days??

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

The 2013 Summer Bucket List

Wooohoo!  Summer has made it to Northern Wisconsin.  Just this week I stowed away the winter jackets, hats and mitts.  Hopefully we won't need them for a few months.

With summer vacation comes our annual bucket list.  Without a summer bucket list, it is pretty easy be consumed by the busyness of day to day life (laundry, vacuuming, etc.) but with the bucket list in hand we have a plan to experience as much as possible.  Life is short, so we are going to live it up. 

• Como Zoo
• Mini Golfing
• Go Carting
• Valleyfair Amusement Park
• Concert at Big Top Chautaqua
• Copper Falls
• Pioneer Village in Cameron
• Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells
• Picnic in the rose gardens in Duluth
• Beach day on Madeline Island
• Berry picking in Bayfield
• Beach day at Friendly Valley Beach
• Chicago Museums

I asked the kids what they want to do for their bigger summer vacation this year:  either Mt. Rushmore or Chicago and they chose Chicago!

And our garden is finally done - 37 tomato plants, 20 pepper plants, etc. - since we have a new spot I'm really hoping and praying it does well!  I'll be sure to keep you posted.

The finished garden and new addition to our back yard - still a work in progress

What do you have for summer plans?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

DIY Kombucha

THE BENEFITS OF KOMBUCHA

Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea also known as a delicious ancient healthy probiotic elixer. As I've discovered, do-it-yourself kombucha is simple.   Here's the potential health benefits which includes:

• lowers blood pressure 
• reduces risk of cancer
• reduces anxiety
• balances pH levels
• detoxifies the liver
• rebuilds connective tissue
•  helps reduce symptoms of arthritis
•  reduces symptoms of asthma
• alleviates constipation
• relieves headaches and migraines
• improves eyesight
• heals eczema
• heals ulcers
• lowers glucose levels. 

Isn't that amazing?  Even though kombucha has been around since the beginning of time, scientific research has never backed these claims up.  But here's my personal experience:  I've been drinking kombucha for 2 straight years and I feel better in many ways.  Because of the probiotic qualities I rarely get sick, I have more energy, my anxiety levels are down while at the same time making me feel cleansed daily.   If I go just a day without kombucha, I'm off.

DO-IT-YOURSELF KOMBUCHA

As part of my new financial plan, I knew I needed to start making my own kombucha.  At $4.00 or over per bottle, kombucha can really make a dent in the pocketbook. 

To get started, I ordered a kombucha culture (the bacteria) from Kombucha America for $14, but if you are a kombucha crackhead like me and you'd like some - I have plenty to share.  Just leave me a comment and I'll find a way to get it to you.  With each batch of kombucha, your bacteria mother creates a bacteria baby, so I'm finding that I'm constantly producing babies and they are up for adoption. 

My Kombucha factory - up above my fridge

Here's my stand-by proven recipe (I've made 15 batches and counting):

KOMBUCHA

3 quarts of black tea (you can not use green tea)
1 cup of sugar (no substitutes, the bacteria needs to eat the sugar to ferment)
1 teaspoon of sugar
4 black tea bags (MUST be black tea, I use decaf)
1/2 cup kombucha from your previous batch
1 kombucha bacteria
1 gallon glass container

Store in a dark place where the temperature is around 75-79 degrees. 

Bring water to a boil.  Add sugar and salt until completely dissolved.  Turn off burner and add 4 black tea bags until completely cool.  If the kombucha is not cooled down before you poor it into your glass container it will kill the bacteria. 
Once cooled, add the tea to a 1 gallon glass jar.  Add 1/2 cup of kombucha and the bacteria.  Cover the top of the glass jar.  I add a dish cloth and wrap duct tape around the container, but some people use coffee filters with rubber bands.  You can not brew kombucha in anything other than glass.  I was nervous and had a lot of questions when I started - but I just went for it and it was PERFECT so I've been going to town.  If you decide to make your own, I will be your support person because I LOVE everything about this wonder drink.

THIS AND THAT

And guess what?  The garden is only 50% done.  Ugh.  Hopefully by the weekend.  We took out a 1/2 acre of forest to add the garden and more lawn.  Hopefully I'll have the finished garden to show you soon.

Garden In Progress

Thanks for reading!

Cooking - ha!  Picture by Meg Jung and make-up/hair by Jen Titus

Kristin

Asparagus - In Season

Asparagus is finally in season - last year we were eating asparagus in early May but this year because of the late Spring our fun has just begun!

Last year - I made lots of asparagus soup, and asparagus egg bakes (asparagus recipes) but this year I'm trying to keep everything simple.  Everybody LOVES grilled asparagus so every night I've been grilling it up (place on a grilling pan, drizzle with olive oil and salt and grill until tender).  Delicious!

Asparagus On the Grill

Today I also pickled asparagus for the first time.  In years past, I've tried freezing asparagus but it was never edible (mushy).  This is a delicious way to preserve your asparagus!  Our first jar of pickled asparagus is already gone.

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

4 pint canning jars
3 pounds of asparagus
2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon pickling salt
1 tablespoon pickling spice

4 cloves of garlic
4 sprigs of dill
12 jalepeno's
dash cayenne pepper

Blanch asparagus (boiling water for 2 minutes then a cold water bath to stop the cooking). 

Add one clove of garlic, 1 sprig of dill, 3 jalepeno's and a dash of cayenne pepper to each jar.
Add asparagus to each jar tips to the top.

Boil vinegar, water pickling salt, and pickling spice.  Add this brine to the top of the jars.  If you do not have enough brine, add water to the top.

Use a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.  Delicious!!!

Pickled Asparagus

I haven't been blogging much because my new garden project is just about killing me.  We started with a $500 budget with a goal of being done by Memorial Day.  Here it is June 1st, we've already spent $750 but we are closer to our goal.  Here's a picture of the work in progress:

Putting in the posts for the fence

We planted our seeds about a month ago and they are anxious to get in the ground!

Planting Seeds

But the good news is that I did get my new asparagus roots in the ground early.  In the meantime I stock up from Bashaw Valley in Shell Lake every time I drive past! 

What do you like to make with your asparagus?  And aren't the lilacs GLORIOUS this year!!  I am obsessed with the sight and smell of lilacs.

Spring has finally sprung!

Kristin