Tag Archives: traditions

Covering All the Bases

Posted on January 1, 2013 by AnnieRie

New Year’s traditional food bases, that is. What do you eat for good luck? Prosperity? There are dozens of traditional foods, eaten for luck, or just because it’s something an ethnic group always does. Like our having pickled herring in our German dominant family. I don’t do pickled herring, so I threw out that tradition.

I did succumb to a few. The pork one, for instance. Pork is good luck because it is a fatty animal symbolizing wealth and prosperity. Plus, it roots forward, and that is a good thing. Don’t eat chicken on New Year’s. It scratches backwards to eat, and it is also a winged fowl, which means your good fortune could fly away.

I like researching the traditions, and following ones that fit our style of eating. Today I did make cabbage, greens, beans and pork in the crockpot.

The platter included smoked pork shank, butter beans, mustard greens, and I split a cabbage to steam on top of everything else. Added a bit of beef stock to give it a richness. Lightly seasoned. Garlic, salt, pepper and parsley. Six hours in the crockpot and it was warm, comforting and a good match for a local wine.

A very nice light cellar selection VA wine, from Breaux. It didn’t overwhelm anything, and was light and fruit forward.

We also started the day with a tradition. Bacon and eggs. Only I pared it down to one slice of bacon each, and I made Breezy Willow eggs. Check out the yolk on these eggs. I don’t know if eggs from a chicken are good luck, or bad, but the brunch was wonderful. Mostly local, too. Local bread and butter. Local eggs, and bacon from Boarman’s (source of the hog not known). It counts as my brunch dish for our winter eat local challenge.

Any traditions for the New Year at your place?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Wine, Winter Eat Local and tagged cooking, crock pot cooking, Food, foodie, holidays, local businesses, Locavore, real food, traditions, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Looking Forward to the New Year

Posted on December 31, 2012 by AnnieRie

I think my husband said it best coming home today from a visit to my mom. It is so nice not to have to go back to work Wednesday. The fact that we are retired has really finally sunk in. This is his second year of retirement. I will hit three years in April. Last year there was much upheaval, with my impending surgery, and uncertainty. We both are grateful I came through it, and slowly am mending, but mending nonetheless.

sunrise new year’s eve

The sunrise today was impressive. It inspires me to look forward to the coming year, a new beginning, and full of choices. I already came up with those sixty things I want to accomplish. They are my resolutions.

I will still plan projects for the year, just not calling them resolutions. Projects like decluttering. Home improvements.

And, I want to be more focused in my volunteering. Expanding what I do.

And, get back into walking and hiking again. Maybe do some county hikes. So many things. I just need to focus.

Here’s to 2013, the blank slate we write upon, the 33rd year of marriage, and the 38th year in Howard County. I think it’s time to watch a few bowl games. Even though they now have stupid names. Like the Autozone Bowl? Really??

A few more nights, then the decorations will come down. I leave our decorations up until the Epiphany. It still feels like the holidays until I have to put them away.

They survived the wind, rain and snow, even though I had to batten down the deer more than once. And, I just noticed one string of lights on the tall tree shaped stakes burnt out. I suppose we will be restringing those before they get stored away.

Random thoughts, these are. Random thoughts in our corner of the world. A corner where both the Ravens and Redskins made the playoffs. Water cooler conversations should be fun all around DC and Baltimore this week. Let’s also not forget that the Orioles and Nationals both exceeded our expectations last summer. Here’s to continued success for our local teams. May they meet in a Super Bowl or World Series sometime soon!

Hope all our friends and family stay safe tonight, and stay healthy for 2013. Happy New Year, Howard County!

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Commentary, Community, Family, Howard County, Retirement and tagged commentary, community, hoco loco, hocoblogging, holidays, Howard County, traditions. Bookmark the permalink.

Sixty @ Sixty

Posted on December 29, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yes, sixty years young, today. This is one of those significant birthdays. Worthy of doing something different to commemorate.

I recall one of my fellow volunteers talking about traveling to celebrate a milestone birthday. Something like 50 days for the 50th birthday. We traveled way too much when we worked. We are really enjoying our surroundings and doing things we never got to do while we were in the work force.

So, I decided. Sixty is, of course, six decades. Six times ten. Six things, ten times. Or, ten things six times. I settled on more experiences with less to accomplish in each. It looks simpler to do. We shall see. I have been doing research already to find things that interest me.

This year, no New Year’s Resolutions, just the pursuit of these stretch goals, for lack of a better descriptor. Some are fun, some may be difficult. If I enjoy this journey, I may make it into a page. A journal of sorts. Since I am an avowed locavore, locapour, and still a foodie, many involve cooking, eating, gardening, farming, the county and nearby places.

My list —

Visit six festivals and/or fairs that are new to me
Taste at six new wineries never visited before
Seek out six new farmstands or markets to expand my locavore network
Do something different or visit someplace new in six states other than MD
Eat at six small business restaurants and/or diners
Eat/drink or experience six childhood memories
Log six new birds not seen before
Cook and eat six new proteins, i.e., meat, seafood, beans or nuts
Grow and/or eat six exotic fruits, veggies or herbs
Tackle six rightsizing projects

Some are self explanatory but others will take some initiative. Rightsizing projects include things we inherited from our families and things we accumulated over our 60+ years. Things like pictures, CDs, books, tools, clothes, shoes, whatever lurks in closets and cabinets. Having the space here makes it one of those often avoided projects.

The childhood memories include things like — riding a ferris wheel again, or a merry go round, or eating cotton candy, or a root beer float. Things we did as kids.

For my first project, my husband bought a pomegranate at Wegmans yesterday. I have had pom juice, and pomegranate balsamic, but never tried getting the seeds out and using one in cooking. Tonight’s salad will have pom seeds on it. Maybe using my fennel we bought, and oranges. I am making my own birthday dinner, doing things I want to eat. Rockfish. Salad. Roasted cauliflower. None of it hard to make, and no worries about driving in the slush/snow/ice/whatever we have on the ground tonight.

It is still snowing out here. The red bellied woodpecker and one of the squirrels were out there chowing down this morning while I was prepping the fish in a marinade.

This is a new young red bellied woodpecker, who is more skittish than the older ones are. He bolts when he sees the reflection of my camera. As for the acrobatic squirrel, he is lucky today. I don’t have the two layer baffle system on the large suet holder, and he can defeat just one. Besting the squirrels is a major undertaking here. Or, at least keeping them under control.

Who knows what this year, 2013, will bring to us here. I do know I intend to make it somewhat memorable, and certainly don’t intend to be bored.

hocofood@@@

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Over the River and Through the Woods …

Posted on November 22, 2012 by AnnieRie

… one thing I don’t miss these days. The long trips over the holidays. On clogged highways. My husband’s family lived out of state. It always meant traveling in the winter on snow covered roads. We tried avoiding bad weather, following forecasts and working our schedules around the best travel days.

I-70 at noon Wednesday

One Easter we got trapped by a late ice storm and didn’t get home to get back to work. Having relatives in the highlands of northeastern PA meant treacherous trips on I-81 and I-83. I feel for those who have those same dilemmas and who face the clogged roads to make it home to visit. But, I would be happy to have his family still with us, and take those trips to see them. We miss our families most during the holidays. My mom is still active and we cherish the years we have by sharing holidays with her.

Today we get to leisurely drive about 30 miles to share Thanksgiving with my brother and his extended family. Since the 1990’s he has always sponsored midshipmen at his home, first in Catonsville and now south of Annapolis. It means quite a bit to the families of these young men that they have a safe place to come and share a day or two, or a meal or two, with someone who looks out for them. Many of them still keep in touch.

We go to his home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Fourth of July, usually. Plus, birthdays, weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day, and just sometimes to see old friends, having a base for get togethers is comforting and familiar. It does mean we have made our own personal traditions, that dovetail with the family visits.

I don’t know how many years we never had a Christmas tree. Lately, we do get one since we are home on Christmas day. The first few times we got one when we married more than 30 years ago, they would dry out and drop needles all over the place, since we went to PA for four or five days. I have yet to succumb and buy an artificial tree. We now buy ours locally at either TLV or Pine Valley

Around our current home, all the trees grouped by the driveway were former Christmas trees from the previous owner. Bought with the root ball, they were planted and some of them are 25 years old. If we were younger, we would do that, but at least we recycle our tree into mulch with the county. I do love the grouping of trees at our home, though. They make me think of the memories of the family whose children grew up here 20 years ago.

Today I will eat my brother’s turkey and fixings. He cooks most of the dinner, just as my dad loved to cook. We will come home tonight and brine our turkey and have our dinner tomorrow or Saturday. This is also a big radio contest weekend, and luckily, my husband now contests from home. It means we can have that dinner, and make our own memories in our home. Now, off to find the brining supplies for the turkey and put together the cooler to take to my brother’s.

Then, I need to figure out where I am putting the tree, and go up in the attic and get the Christmas lights out. And, do Christmas cookies and cards. Ah, the beginning of the busy season. Don’t forget about Small Business Saturday! Go out and buy something, presents, food, trees, whatever, from the small local businesses in Howard County.

Happy Thanksgiving!

hocoblogs@@@

Significant Birthdays

Posted on November 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

Sort of significant. Not the divisible by five ones, like 55 or 60. Those are the ones we celebrate by going out to dinner. Otherwise, I make a simple tasty meal with a killer wine for a fraction of the restaurant cost.

Today was sort of significant for my husband. Sixty two. Old enough to receive Social Security. That is a milestone. He was out all day with his radio buddies, fixing cable on the towers used for field day. They did bring him cupcakes to celebrate. I knew he would be out all day, so I just made one of those simple dinners with first class ingredients.

Anyone can make something this easy. The food cost me less than $25 total for the two of us. The wine, a splurge, RdV Rendezvous. Still dinner for under three figures. Find somewhere that serves petite filet this good, for $12 a person. Please let me know if you do.

The salad was microgreens, arugula, radishes and tomatoes, with a bleu cheese dressing. Steamed broccoli with the same dressing. Filets from Harris Teeter. They really looked good when I was there last week. These were fork tender steaks. Pan seared, then finished in the oven. Nothing but garlic powder, salt, pepper. and balsamic on them before cooking. Put in the hot pan from room temperature. Then, about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven to cook to medium rare.

The 2009 RdV Rendezvous was just this amazingly huge wine. Dark, deep, full of tannin and with a very long finish. Perfect with the beef.

Later on tonight, I will open a late harvest Petit Manseng with some aged Parmesan, for dessert. No more sweets today. The wine with the cheese is a great pairing, and a very good dessert for us. The wine is a 2005, from Linden. Here’s to sort of significant birthdays.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, Linden Vineyards, traditions, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Larriland Strawberries

Posted on May 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

My kitchen smells like strawberries. My truck smelled like strawberries. What is it about strawberries that just screams summer is coming.

OK, this is only nine pounds of strawberries. To do twenty and get the discount was way too much work. I did forget there was no school today as there were families all over Larriland on their opening morning.

Today you could pick strawberries, spinach and chard.

I obviously chose strawberries and spent about 45 minutes collecting my berries.

I then came home and started processing. These strawberries are destined for the freezer. Farmers market strawberries get eaten. I wanted three different preparations but first I wanted lunch.

Leaf lettuce from the CSA, Larriland strawberries, and Marcona almonds from Costco (not local obviously), drizzled with berry vinaigrette from Catoctin Mountain Orchards.

After lunch, the first phase. Freezing whole berries to keep them from clumping. They were dipped just on the tips in super fine sugar before freezing.

Once I came back from my other errands (will be in another post), I took them out and packaged them.

I then did the puree, in order to have cubes for vinaigrettes and for plopping into sangria.

Finally, sliced berries to put away for the winter. A little lemon juice, some super fine sugar, sliced berries, and come February I will be loving these.

Larriland’s website did say they might not have enough ripe berries to cover the weekend so call or go early. It was definitely busy today.

I did stop up at the barn to pick up a few supplies, and some chives to plant. Larriland is just a hoco tradition. For me, only ten miles from the house. Closer than all but one grocery store. How can you resist the lure of the farm?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, West HoCo and tagged community, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, traditions, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

I Am My Mother’s Daughter

Posted on May 13, 2012 by AnnieRie

Looking through old photos, I came across this one of my mom gardening at my grandparent’s home in Baltimore. Now, I know where I got the gardening bug.

Whenever I see pics of my mom when she was young, the resemblance to me at her age is uncanny. I know I inherited lots of her genetic traits, but seeing her in a place she loved, brings back memories.

My grandparents’ home was in the city, but it was a large property. Lots of room in the house and yard. Even a garage. I assume that the garden was a victory garden as my mom was a teenager during WW II, and it seems like everyone was gardening if they had any space to do so.

When I was a child and my grandfather passed away, we lived there a short time until my parents bought their home just a few miles down the road. I remember good times as a toddler and pre-schooler playing in that yard. A luxury in the city, and probably the reason why I always wanted to buy a place with enough land to garden.

On Mother’s Day, this connection to my mom is even more important for me. I remember all those carefree times as a family and cherish the time we have together and the phone conversations that go all over the place. The memories, the plans, the family, what is happening in her neighborhood. Little things that keep that connection alive.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, in my family and yours!

Spargel Season

Posted on May 3, 2012 by AnnieRie

OK, being German, I know spargel season is generally referring to white asparagus in Germany but it is the generic name for asparagus over there.

The first time we experienced the season was in 1989, when we went to visit neighbors who had relocated to a suburb of Munich. Everywhere you went, spargel was on the menu. Asparagus and springtime are a match to me. Tonight was a German night.

Asparagus, grilled. Weisswurst, grilled. Two of my favorite spring ingredients. Simply prepared. To me, wurst is one of those childhood memory foods. We had all kinds of wurst in the house. Leberwurst. Bratwurst. Knockwurst. Weisswurst. Bierwurst. Blutwurst. You name it. We had it on the dinner table, or on sandwiches for lunch.

I fired up the grill tonight and indulged in a trip down memory lane. Most of what was served came from farmer’s markets or local sources.

The spargel. From my local CSA. Along with spring onions from the Catonsville farmer’s market. Grilled dry and then finished with lemon olive oil, salt and pepper.

The wurst. Bought in Lancaster at the Central Market. These wurst are some of the best I have found.

The salad on the side. Tomatoes from Lancaster, served with goat cheese mozzarella, and lemon basil from my garden, bought at Sharp’s Farm. Ariston olive oil from Casual Gourmet drizzled over the top.

The mustard. Lowensenf, bought in Lancaster. First bought by me in Germany. The taste of German mustard. Something I remember from childhood.

The wine to accompany it. A sauvignon blanc from Glen Manor. That citrusy New Zealand style that will cut through the richness of the veal and the mustard, and compliment the meal.

Hmmm, other than the salt and pepper, to make this meal, we never set foot in a grocery store. Eating fresh real food, made from scratch. Evoking memories of my childhood. Can it get any better?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, GGSAC, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, grilling, hoco loco, Locavore, real food, traditions. Bookmark the permalink.

Brighton Dam Azalea Gardens

Posted on April 15, 2012 by AnnieRie

The perfect place to spend Sunday afternoon. The azaleas are peaking early this year. There may not be much left in May.

We headed out to grab some food at Boarman’s including a couple of pulled pork sandwiches and iced tea to have a picnic and walk the gardens. Took along the cooler to put the rest of the groceries in, so we were consolidating shopping, dining and exercising.

The gardens were established when I was a very little girl. My parents brought us out here countless times to walk the five acres of gardens.

They are located on the Montgomery County side of the reservoir, and besides the gardens there is a rec area with picnic tables. On the rec area side is the only place you can have food, drink and pets. Most were just strolling, enjoying, taking pics like me, and just taking in the beauty of a spring day.

We found a few of our pollinating friends enjoying it too.

There are some very lovely specimens in colors other than the normal ones you see in azaleas, like this one, almost an apricot.

A few side paths were squeezed by the sheer size of the bushes, some of which are more than 50 years old.

We wandered for about an hour before returning to the car, just as things were beginning to get crowded. Go early or go during the week to avoid crowds.

This is one of our area’s best spring traditions and a fun day you can spend without paying anything. Take a picnic, wear your sneakers, bring your camera, and enjoy the flowers.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Community, Day Trips, Food, Gardening, GGSAC, Howard County, Local Businesses, Nature, West HoCo and tagged azaleas, community, day trips, gardening, GGSAC, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, photography, spring flowers, traditions, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Family Favorites

Posted on April 4, 2012 by AnnieRie

Going to my brother’s house for Easter. It is a tradition for us to get together at holidays. Our family was large and always had major events, either dinners or picnics or reunions.

For us, at picnics and other events, we are always on the hook to bring wine, since we collect it. This year, I think I will be bringing the Breaux Viognier, which will complement the ham.

Lately though, some of my favorite recipes are asked for, time and again, as a contribution. My brother requested my herb roasted onions, something I first took there for my mom’s 80th birthday party picnic, in 2009. It is a simple Ina Garten recipe, that I have adapted to my taste. I change how I make the vinaigrette depending on what is in season and what I have in the fridge.

First, get lots of diffferent onions.

You will peel and cut these so the bottom stays together. You want whole wedges to roast. Make a simple vinaigrette like this one, using mustard, oil, balsamic, herbs, salt and pepper. The more herbs, the better.

For the vinaigrette, you need a good mustard. I will be using the last of my ramp mustard from Spring Valley.

Toss the onions in the vinaigrette, and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Keep some of the vinaigrette left over to pour over the finished product. The beauty of these onions is the fact that they can also be served at room temperature. I can make them Sunday at noon, and they will be fine at 3 pm, when we serve dinner.

A Food Network pic, since we aren’t at Easter yet. This is a simple basic recipe, easy to double or triple. Make as much or as little as you want. I make huge amounts of the vinaigrette and use it for salad dressing during the week. Make enough to coat the onions before roasting, and more. For me, that involves the ratio of 4:1:1 of oil, vinegar, and mustard. You can also make it with lemon juice instead of vinegar. Be creative.