Brandywine Time

In spite of generally cold and overcast conditions that have defined much of our spring so far, I have gone ahead and prepared a small planting of tomatoes. Here in southwest Missouri we have certainly been blessed with our fair share of rainfall lately. As of the 12^th of April 2008, we have 21.77 inches of rain so far this year. That’s against an average of about twelve inches and has been enough to flood the Bull Shoals River next to my house. It so bad that the small park next to the river is under about twenty feet of water at this time.

A good time to start some seeds, or so I thought. So how about getting some good old tomato seeds planted in a couple of starter pots! The seed I planted this date are a heirloom called Brandywine which I’m sure many folks out there are familiar with. They have won numerous awards over the years and arguably are one of the best tasting tomatoes of all time. You might say what they lack in appearance (it is an ugly looking tomato so don't let the stock picture fool you) are more than made up for in taste. Could there be a moral here somewhere?

My Vegetable Salad Analysis

Later in the growing season, say about July. There is nothing quite like harvesting a bit of lettuce along with whatever else is growing. Once these veggies are combined,  they form a leafy salad that is just chock full of nutrition. Right now, that's just a dream as there is nothing in the garden to harvest at this point in time.

The idea of a fresh salad, however, stuck in my mind and so off to the kitchen I went to throw one together from stuff bought at the local grocery. And, it was at that moment that I got the idea to make an effort to discover just what exactly I was going to eat from a nutritional standpoint. So, digital scale in one hand and veggies in the other I came up with the following. Please note that the Bacon Ranch Dressing I used is from some company called AWG that makes Best Choice products among other things. Click on the picture at right for a better look!

Latin Chicken Recipe

While I'm on a recipe kick, here is a really great dish that looks complicated but is not. I got the original idea from watching a Rachael Ray program on TV. I made a few minor changes of my own and viola a masterpiece is born.

I've made this a number of times for friends and have always gotten rave reviews. The two sauces, one sweet and one spicy really come together nicely. If you do decide to serve this, just be ready with plenty of extra. If someone out there does try this, please let me know what you think. I would also be interested in any variations that might be out there.

Only 500 Calories! Well...mostly!

Here is a recipe that I recently came up with as part of the diet I've been trying this spring. It's called the South Beach Diet and it does work. A doctor wrote the book and his ideas make a lot of sense. Just a while ago, I've gotten away from the diet. This may be to my eventual detriment but I digress. The recipe is simple goes together fast. Best of all, it's filling while still within bounds in the calorie department. Instead of chili, you can try any of a number of pasta combinations that suit you taste. I used a George Foreman Grill to quickly grill the chicken breast and since I had made the chili and pasta ahead of time I was able to throw this on the table in just minutes.

Hint: Click on the picture at right to enlarge it for viewing or printing.

Rain, rain, go away…

Yes, welcome to Water World, formerly known as Forsyth Missouri! It’s a Saturday and as I sit here, the rain is gently fall outside. Actually its been falling a lot lately. I can’t help but think that perhaps we may not have to worry about a nasty old drought this year after all! It’s only the end of March and this area has had over fourteen inches of rain with more forecast over the next few days. Average rainfall through March ( for Branson Mo. would be 8.2 inches so we are some 6 inches ahead (the actual figures for today, March 29 at 12 noon, are 14.30” – 8.2” = 6.1” ahead). As a result, the local rivers are often out of their banks and the dam system is struggling to get a handle on all the runoff. All this water does have some good effects not the least of which is the replenishment of the local water table.

On days like this when I'm couped up in the house and I have a choice between housework and goofing off. Well you know how that works. I went out into my garage and prepared a new 35 cell tray of starter cells for the reception of seeds that are to be announced. I also prepared a small 12 seed starter set and planted some Four Seasons lettuce in them. These red tinged lettuce plants will add some color to my spring salads when they are mature in about 45 days. The seed starters I use quite often are made by Park Seed and are called Park Starts. I order most of my garden supplies from either Burpee Seed or Park Seed and have never been let down.

A Nifty Storage Container

As I anticipate my vegetable harvests to come, I would like to share what a great storage container I’ve found little butter container to be. Last summer I was just about to throw one of these out (it was a Parkay margarine container) when it struck me that it might make a good container to freeze the many soups and sauces I like to make. I was looking, at that time, for a way to freeze up small portions of my vegetable beef soup and spaghetti sauce that traditionally went bad after a short time in the fridge. In the case of the Parkay container, I found each would hold about 7 ounces of soup or sauce. This turned out to be just about right for the diet I was on at the time. In the case of the soup, each serving had about 150 calories, was low in cholesterol and saturated fat and (because I did not use any) was reasonably low in sodium. As time went on, I began to collect these little guys rather than throwing them away. I made sure to clean them well (they survive the dishwasher) and then make up large batches of a sauce or soup that gets placed into the deep freeze while the contents are still hot. So far, I have never been sick as a result and feel like I’m doing a little to recycle.

Broadleaf Italian Parsley

Parsley is a must around my home. Above is a picture of broadleaf or Italian parsley that was recently transplanted into the garden and that is known for its flavor. I grow at least a couple of bunches each season to decorate dishes and to use in some of my recipes. Back in ancient Greece, it was used in funeral ceremonies long before it found its way to the table as a decoration. Later on in pre-history it was used in the Middle Ages as a herbal medicine principally for ailments of the liver and kidneys. In modern times, while not used in mainstream medicine, some doctors prescribe a parsley tea for young female patients with bladder problems. A good source of information concerning herbs can be found in 'Rodale's Illustrated Enclclopedia of Herbs'.