Posts by Liz

Who rescued who and scratch cooking from Jennifer Perillo

I follow just a few food blogs.

One is In Jennie’s Kitchen.

I have Jennie’s cookbook: Homemade with Love

I make Jennie’s Chocolate Snaps, her rif on Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce and her lentil ricotta meatballs regularly. Other recipes are on my “to make” list and I’ve learned much about techniques from reading her posts. My scrambled eggs are 100% better after reading her method! Just in the last weeks, I was inspired by a description of her napa cabbage-apple-sesame salad with honey-mustard vinaigrette to make my own salad.

But it is not just her recipes.

Her writing and her approach to cooking is what drew me to her blog and cookbook.

A little over three years ago her husband died suddenly, leaving her a single mother of two young girls.

BUT, that is NOT the story here. The story is…as the story always is…not so much what happened as what she did with what happened.

She got the book deal and did the cookbook – even in the early days of grief and single parenthood.

In the past year, Jennie, who lived in apartments in Brooklyn her entire life, bought a house in rural New York. As a person who LOVES a simple and quiet rural life, I cheered and hoped that she and her daughters would love rural life also. This summer, they left Brooklyn and made their country house their permanent home. And in the last weeks, they added to their family: a tuxedo cat named Ms. Paula Poundstone and a sweet terrier mix named Miche.

Oh, yes!

Miche!

Ms. Paula Poundstone!

Jennie explains Ms. Paula Poundstone’s name in this post: All in the family

Yesterday, Jennie announced a new project: a quarterly magazine called Simply Scratch Cooking: a homecook’s journal for making easy, everyday meals.

Jennie’s eloquently written post about how all came about: A leap of faith

I am a fan and follower of Jennie’s, not because she is a woman, not because she is a widow with young children and not even because she moved to the country and got a dog and a cat. What draws me is her passion. Passion for something is in fact what draws me to the people for whom I have the most respect and admiration. What I see in Jennie’s work is her passion for creating beautiful and delicious food, simply, from scratch and sharing all of that with the people around her.

I haven’t subscribed to any magazines for years, but I could not resist ordering Jennie’s. Her cabbage salad recipe is in it! Also the peanut butter swirl brownies she showed on her Instagram that had me drooling. The link to order is in her post: A leap of faith. I’m so excited to receive my copy. I look forward to a weekend of browsing, enjoying and cooking or baking from it when it arrives in 2 weeks.

I emailed Jennie to ask if I could use the photos of Miche and Ms. Paula Poundstone in this post. She warmly replied in the affirmative and also said: “Most people think I rescued them, but it’s totally the other way around. These little creatures have made my life so full, they have rescued my heart in a way I can never fully understand myself.”

I know a little bit about how that has worked in my life and I was so happy to hear that it is working in her life.

Cheers, Bon appetite and I hope all who read this visit A leap of faith and get a taste of Jennifer Perillo’s Simply Scratch Cooking.

The local vegetables…and the weather

Vegetables and the weather…not things you’d think go together.

They don’t. Well, except what bad weather does to things in gardens…

So, Veg: tomatoes, beets and cabbage figure prominently in last and this week’s menus.

As noted 2 weeks ago when I bought the last of the Farmer’s market tomatoes…I ate what I could and processed the rest into sauce. I used some of the sauce and then decided I needed to freeze what was left.

I’d seen a blurb on using paper cups – vs ice cube trays (too small) or flat zips (good!) and decided to give the cups a try. I found paper cups with no wax or other “stuff”. Hopefully, I can peel off the cups, dump the 3 oz of tomato sauce in a pan, slowly heat and “Bob’s your Uncle” – the perfect bit of tomato sauce for 1!!

The freezing part went fine. The peeling and thawing and use…to be cont’d at a later date.

Next up is the beets.

When I bought the beets, I also bought some spicy sprouts. I LOVE a sandwich of beets, goat cheese and sprouts on my own rustic seed bread.

But, browsing beet salad recipes…so as to also use the greens…

Anyway, I ended up mashing several recipes to make a roast beet galette: beets, caramelized onions, capers, HORSERADISH! and goat cheese and my own Brioche dough for the “crust”.

Kind of pretty.

Kind of beautiful and VERY delicious. I had 2/3 for supper and the other 1/3 for a breakfast.

Yum.

On to the cabbage.

Still enjoying cabbage salads, but an experiment is ongoing this week.

Sauerkraut in the making…details after fermentation is complete.

So much for the vegetables…now for the weather!

After a September that couldn’t decide whether to be summer, fall or one occasion winter…October starts decidedly and beautifully Fall!

A year with Auggie

Today is the one year anniversary of the Auggie-boy’s adoption into the family Summers!

What a year!

Losing the Bob-a-lu cat was horrendous. All of my pet losses have been heartbreaking. I’ve not had human losses that have affected me as much as losing beloved pets.

But.

As long as I am physically and financially able to care for a dog and a cat, I WILL have a dog and cat in my life! Every single dog and cat I’ve had has added so very much to my life. I cannot imagine life without them.

Auggie did not replace Bob as Bear did not replace Karl as Karl did not replace Zack and as neither Bob nor Auggie replaced Gus. They are all their unique and much loved selves.

Today, though, I very much celebrate the day that dear Auggie came into the lives of Bear and me. Auggie helped mitigate the sadness of the loss of Mr. Bob and Auggie’s youth and exuberance have enhanced Bear and my days.

Happy Day, Auggie-Boy!! Bear and I are so happy that you came into our lives!

…Below…Redux of Auggie’s first day with us:

Hey guys, I’m Auggie!!!

What a day…I think I need a nap.

Yep…naptime.

Bear, if it is any consolation, Bob felt the same way when we brought you home…

KittyMom’s Rescue, the organization to which I donated some of Bob’s elder cat items, had an adoption day today.

Bear and I went.

We came home with Auggie.

Auggie is 3 1/2 months old by his first vet’s reckoning. He and his brother wandered to a home east of East Glacier, MT. The kindly folks who fostered them for several weeks were at the event this morning. So kind and wonderful and they were able to tell me that the 2 brother kittens were standing outside their fence while their dogs were barking. Somehow these kittens knew safe haven. Having met the couple, I completely understand – they exude compassion and love.

They were also able to tell me a bit about their personalities and at one point the Mr. said …and they travel well. WOW.

One brother was all orange and one was orange with white markings.

I hated the thought of separating the brothers.

I arrived at the event about 30 seconds before it was to start and the parking lot was full. The adoption area was packed! But most were around the 8 week old kittens.

I decided I would take both brothers vs leaving one by himself. I really wanted the one with white markings as the couple had told me he was the most confident.

BUT.

In walked a couple who knew the people who brought the 2 and lived near them. WHAT are the odds – these folks are from about 100 miles away!

This couple wanted 1 of these kittens – they thought they were related to a cat they had that just died.

They wanted the solid colored kitten.

Is the hair on the back of your neck standing up?

The 2 couples and I all chatted as we waited for all paperwork, etc. I was so pleased. I loved these 4 people and how they loved animals.

I never heard how the 4 happened to be in Kalispell, MT.

Augustus after my first ever cat: Gus
Robert for Mr. Bob

Augustus Robert – to be known as Auggie.

Thursday and Friday

Weather-wise, Thursday was not as hot as advertised and overnight the wind blew, some rain fell and Friday dawned gray and cool.

But by midday, it was sunny, clear and a perfect Fall-like 65F!

Back to Thursday…

Neighbor, Mike…kind of sort of visible beyond the glare…came over with chainsaw and dispatched the little tree that Auggie was using to get to the garage roof.

I had a talk with the tree beforehand. I was so sorry to cut its life short.

Mike also brought his splitter and split the remainder of the dry wood which I did NOT procrastinate about stacking…

…mainly because Wild Thing’s part came in and she was ready to come home and it was a much easier thing to get the split wood onto the stack BEFORE parking WT in her spot.

I am SO happy she is home. I think she is happy also. We had a hug and I had a bit of wine with her also…it is “our thing”.

As neighbor Mike left, he wondered if Auggie would be upset about the tree…and Auggie KNOWS where Mike lives!!!

Not to fear, Mike. Auggie is LOVING his new “jungle gym”.

Hide and play…it is new and fun.

A brief wonderment about the garage roof…

Thursday and Friday.

Friday!!!