Farm Share #1

Every other Monday from June through October, I pick up my CSA at a local organic farm. 

Most of the time, I will try the recipe that we are given.

This week the recipe was  Swiss Chard in Light Peanut Butter Sauce served over pasta.

I would say it was a hit although very different. My female co-workers were curious when I microwaved it for lunch and they commented how good it made the office smell :-) I work with eight females and five males.  I don't think Joe would enjoy this recipe. 

The recipe came from a blog that I don't think is around any longer chocolatenspice.blogspot.com.  

The recipe consisted of ginger, garlic, swiss chard, peanut butter, cumin, cayenne pepper, balsamic vinegar and a splash of reduced sodium soy sauce.

Thanks for stopping by! By October you will tire of seeing my veggie posts.

xoxo

Debbie

Strawberry Pie and Flag Day

Help yourself to a slice of pie. When I spotted Strawberry Whipped Sensation Pie from Kitty's Kozy Kitchen I could not resist especially since it has an oreo cookie crust.  You'll love it and since it is frozen, it will be great for hot summer days.

I pulled some red, white and blue photos from my blog to honor the American Flag. In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on June 14, 1777.

My Pottery Barn knockoff pillow which was inspired by the American Flag print pillow cover (photo below) seen in the PB catalog few years ago. 

I used fabric that I got at Walmart about five years ago, and used my existing outdoor pillows. I  measured, cut and pinned the fabric closed on the backside. No sewing required. I "wrapped" each pillow with the fabric like you would wrap a birthday gift, and secured it with safety pins on the middle fold and the two end folds. 

Photo from Martha Stewart

My nephew's wife, her sister and their friends get together for their annual Patriotic Party every year. 

I played with the Waterlogue App in my garden one evening. 

I tucked in a few flags here and there.

 

I donated these white wicker chairs to my wonderful friend Paula for her front porch.

Thanks for stopping by! Summer is almost here! 

Debbie

My Sister's Famous Cheesecake

 My sister is the one that brings cheesecake to every family holiday get together. No other cheesecake will do and my husband is not ashamed to hide an extra piece in the fridge as soon as the cheesecake is cut. 

You would love my sister. I told her I was going to a Belmont Stakes dinner party and was asked to bring dessert. I knew the cheesecake would be a winner so I texted her for the recipe and I thought she would email it to me. Instead I received it as a text message, and she must have been speaking into the microphone. This recipe is not edited and is very easy to follow. 

OK it's two packs of graham crackers crushed, melt one stick of butter and then add two tablespoons of sugar and a little bit of cinnamon. Mix it all together and that's the crust in the bottom of the spring form pan.

For the filling you do three packages of the large cream cheese four eggs 1 teaspoon of vanilla and one cup of sugar.

So what I do is I mix one cream cheese first with the beaters then add an egg another pack of cream cheese then another egg another cream cheese and then the other egg and then the last egg. .you add 1 cup of sugar gradually .. I do a quarter cup mix it quarter cup mix it , quarter cup mix it quarter cup mix it and then put in the teaspoon of the Vanilla and then you bake it for one hour at 350°.

After it bakes for one hour , in the meantime mix a pint of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and just mix that all up and after the cheesecake is done take it out of the oven and pour the sour cream on the top slowly. It caves if you pour to much and then bake it again at 375 for 10 more minutes.

For the strawberries I use frozen strawberries and cut them in half, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and I cook them on low heat until they get a little mushy and then take out some juice and I use a tablespoon of cornstarch, shake it all up and pour it in there and mix it around again and then once it starts to get hot (don't burn them) add it slowly and it starts to bubble and caramelizes.

Put on after cheesecake cools. I usually do strawberries the next day. Should make cheesecake day before.

There you have it folks, my sister's famous cheesecake recipe right from the source. It's very easy for me to follow, but then again I am related to her. 

 We have been part of a dinner group for many years and the hostess had a Belmont Stakes party. The white carnation is the official flower of the Belmont Stakes and the winner of the race is given this. As for the traditional theme song of the Belmont Stakes, the song "Sidewalks of New York" has always been used. "New York New York" has been integrated into the theme song mix for the race. 

 I forgot to take a picture of the the top tradition at the Belmont Stakes which is the Belmont Breeze drink. This is a popular cocktail to have at the annual race, and requires three ingredients:

1.5 oz of bourbon

2 oz of lemonade

1 oz of pomegranate juice

How cute these horseshoe appetizers are! It was a cream cheese spread with cucumber Yummy!

 This was our view from the room where we ate our dinner. We started our evening on the back deck with cocktails and appetizers, and then moved into their "Adirondack" room where we were surrounded by the art work that our friend RB painted. We always look forward to having dinner in the "Adirondack" room. Our menu consisted of sausage and antipasto roll, shrimp cocktail, cheese straws, ribs, collard greens, mac and cheese, baked beans, cornbread and cheesecake.

One of my favorite items in our friends' home is this framed story that is on the bathroom wall right by the toilet paper holder so you can't miss it :-)  I read it every time we have dinner there, and this time I just had to take a picture. 

Tapwrit won the Belmont by 2 lengths and overtook Irish War Cry in the stretch. It was an exciting race.

Thanks for stopping by!

Debbie

Peonies in Every Color

June in the Mohawk Valley means strawberries, Farmers’ Markets and at Hamilton College – scores of blooming, lush and colorful peonies. From the brilliantly crimson Alexander Woollcott to the aptly named Daffodil, the lush flowers are flourishing in Hamilton’s Grant Garden. The 19 herbaceous and 49 Saunders’ tree peonies are in bloom in Hamilton’s Grant Garden.

Many are peaking right now, and I enjoyed them on my weekly walk. Professor of Chemistry A.P. Saunders hybridized the peonies from 1920 to 1940 on College Hill. His work with tree peonies — which resulted in 73 named varieties — was a notable achievement. With the help of the American Peony Society, Hamilton College has collected and displayed as many of the remaining Saunders’ tree peonies as can be recovered.

This is a real treasure in my area, and I'm happy to share it with you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Debbie

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

The day is almost over and I just got home from work and my walk at the college. I didn't even realize it was National Chocolate Ice Cream Day until I was already at work and had no time to  indulge in chocolate ice cream.  The college has French Lilacs that are so fragrant, and it was a gorgeous evening. 

Instead, I pulled these Lavender Cookie Bars from the archives. I served these at my ice cream social several years ago. If you like lavender, these are fabulous. 

Debbie's Lavender Cookie Bars

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups soft butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup white chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons chopped lavender

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, with electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in chips. Spread evenly in an ungreased 15 x 10-inch shallow-rimmed pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool in pan. Cut into bars.

I topped my bars with black cherry ice cream. I opened the box of ice cream, and quickly cut it into slices. I placed the ice cream slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and put in the freezer until solid. Then I wrapped the slices individually with wax paper, and put in zip loc bags.

National Best Friends is June 8. Do something even more special for a friend. 

I am joining Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday. 

Debbie