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Too many radishes !

    I have grown up eating radishes. I have eaten them plain mostly but like to slice them and put on buttered bread for a sandwich. (Something I learned from my Dad).  I have added them to green leafy and potato salads as well. I really thought that I had them every way possible. Now our twin granddaughters like them sliced by the hand full.     We have included them in most of the gardens that we have planted over the years. Usually we plant early and then once harvested we plant tomatoes or some other later crop. We no longer have a large garden. Mostly we are planting in containers. This year we decided to grow a few vegetables so the twins can learn to appreciate where their food comes from.     Like every year we seem to plant so all of the radishes are ready at the same time. So I decided to find a different way to use them and found a recipe for Sweet and Spicy Pickled Radishes . The addition of Cilantro and Jalapeno peppers added the spic...
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Our Daily Bread

       Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread . We of course recognize this line from the Lord's Prayer but who knew that it would have so much meaning in our time. The Pandemic News and Self Isolation started panic buying and hoarding on many items at our stores. Sadly this means some folks do not have their "daily bread". The pandemic has caused many to go hungry by the loss of jobs, shortage of foods or any myriad of problems it has caused. This story is not about the pandemic. I'll let the news media and politicians argue about that. This story is just about bread.      I believe that "daily bread" in the Lord's Prayer is a metaphor for any food needed to sustain us. Be it rice, wheat, corn or the fatted calf. But I do like to bake bread and I am quite thankful that I have the ability to make it for our family. This last week or so I have made a variety of breads and some are new to my kitchen. I also set up my "new" baking center. The cabinet ...

It was just a platter !

    There was a platter in some of my grandmothers things that my father had brought home years ago. There is a picture of a turkey on the face of the platter. It is still in fair condition considering that I am sure grandma used it a lot. We celebrated every holiday and lots of Sundays eating at her house. And since she didn't have a lot of "stuff" stored around in her small house, I'm sure I have seen it setting on the table with hams, turkeys or meat loafs to be served.      It wasn't until I turned it over that the true value of this platter was revealed to me! No it wasn't a makers mark from a fine china company in Japan or Germany. Nothing to convince me that this was valuable fine china. It was a piece of adhesive tape right in the middle of the back. Written in grandma's hand writing was a note. It read, From Mary Kathryn and Robert Lee, 1953. It was a gift to her from my parents in the year that I was born. Priceless!     The first thing I d...

Venison Osso Bucco

     The first time I had Osso Bucco was at a restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan. My son Ty and his wife Samantha suggested we go there. The restaurant was right on and above the Bay and we sat on the patio watching the boats going by. I ordered Rainbow Trout, Ty ordered Osso Bucco. I had never heard of the dish, so he let me try his and I have been hooked since.     I have learned that traditionally Osso Bucco is made with cross cut veal shanks braised with vegetables in Wine and broth and usually served over rice or polenta. It was a way to use up a cut of meat that otherwise may have been discarded or ground up. I understand it used to be a very low cost item. I haven't found this to be true now. When I am able to find the shanks, because it is so good, I will make it.      This time I purchased some Venison shanks and thought I would try them. I also served over mashed potatoes instead of rice or polenta. I definitely prefer it over rice....

Home School: Home Ec (Guest Blogger, Lilyanna)

     Dang it! Every restaurant is closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and I really wanted some Mexican style chips and salsa. I told papa about this conundrum and his solution was to go online and find a recipe to make our own.      We found a recipe on YouTube from Laura Vitale, called Restaurant Style Salsa . We added Jalapeno and Serrano peppers instead of just Jalapeno peppers. I was worried that the extra peppers would be too spicy, especially for my mom. We also used lemon instead of lime. I was nervous that the lemon would change the flavor for the worse but that changed quickly after I tried the salsa.      After I served the salsa to the whole family, my papa, Rex, told me that I was going to write a guest blog! I was thrilled as I had asked before if I could do one but never actually made anything. Me being a seventh grader I was worried that nobody would want to read it or it wouldn't be good enough for the blog.   ...

I'll Stick To Cooking

     While visiting my son in Laramie Wyoming I met an interesting young man,Marc. He is a friend of Ty's and really interested in shooting sports. Both archery and guns. Marc furnished the meat for tonight's meal. Now I'm not sure if it was harvested with a bow or rifle but I understand he is capable of some pretty good shooting with both.     Four of us went to a private shooting club one day. It has ranges up to 1200 yards. I know he is really good up to 800 yards, as that was the furthest we shot that day. He asked me if I wanted to try my hand at long range shooting. Being the competitive guy I am, I said sure. I took my place at the shooting bench. He help me load a shell into the gun. I believe the shell itself was longer than most of the shots I was used to taking.  The target he said was by the scrub tree out there. I looked through the sights, slowly squeezed the trigger. A near miss. The spotter yelled "only 50 yards high!".  I couldn't e...

Cooking at 7200

     I recently I drove to Laramie Wyoming to visit my son and daughter in law. As usual, when we get together we cook. We try new techniques  and recipes that we think will compete or beat restaurant meals. I believe that we were successful with our attempts this time. Although it took me awhile to adjust to cooking at a high altitude. It takes a longer time or hotter temp to complete your dish. First up, Ty.     Ty was anxious to show me a new technique. He used a Sous Vide to cook a Prime Rib Roast. A Sous Vide device brings your dish to a perfect temperature in a vacuum sealed bag in water and holds it there until you are ready. In this case it was a rib roast. After reaching the assigned temp he then seasoned the roast and seared all sides to finish. For a beef eater this was outstanding. I can see a Sous Vide device in my kitchen soon.     I had a Cooks Country magazine from Feb/Mar 2020 with me to try some new recipes. I made their It...