Tag Archives: weather

Way Too Much To Do …

Posted on December 15, 2013 by AnnieRie

… and not enough time to do it. Or, the weather doesn’t cooperate.

I was in cookie baking mode today, and also trying to decorate around the snow.

I can’t get the deer into the ground, until the snow melts a little. I did get the greens up around the door.

One very important stop yesterday on my rounds of Christmas shopping was the Sysco outlet.

The outlet is north of Rte. 175 on US 1. Near the flea market. It is where I get my basic baking supplies, and my cookie sheets. I was there yesterday to get a few new utensils, and some spices, and while there, I considered a couple more baking sheets. These sheets work very well. They are a light color, heavy and easy to clean.

I did more molasses cookies, like these, and I got my Viennese almond crescents done. I still need to do the sugar cookies. And the chocolate chip.

We don’t need any more snow, thank you very much! We have more than enough out there and I really did want to decorate the evergreens, if they ever lose their snow covering.

Tomorrow, the tree goes up in the living room, and more cookies get baked. We are running out of days to get it all done. I still need a few more presents.

Do I sound stressed? I should go relax, watch the football game and have a pastis.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Howard County, Weather, West HoCo and tagged cooking, Food, Howard County, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

It’s Been A Soup Sort of Week

Posted on December 10, 2013 by AnnieRie

Seems to be the norm this week to have soup for lunch or dinner. What with a second snowfall today.

At least we got the snow thrower some hours. I think it hasn’t been used in two years. My husband had everything done in about an hour this afternoon. All told, between the two storms we had about seven inches of snow on the ground.

It even brought the red bellied woodpecker up close to the house, something she rarely does.

While we were out there, the crockpot was on, with my latest version of cauliflower leek soup bubbling away.

The secret to my soup? Garam masala. It makes it much more complex in flavor.

The recipe:
1 small head cauliflower, broken into pieces
4 medium leeks, sliced, white part only
2 scallions, sliced
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, parboiled first
1 pint stock (I used turkey)
1 pint almond milk
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Everything in the crockpot except for the almond milk, for six hours on high, or eight hours on low. One hour before serving, I pureed most of the mixture, leaving about 1/4 of it in its chunkier form. After pureeing it, add the almond milk for the last hour to give it the creamy texture.

Tonight we dressed it up a bit.

I had a package of Copper Penny Farm mini chorizo in the oven on slow cook (250 degrees) for that last hour. Placed a few of them, with some of their juice, over the soup.

A mostly local meal tonight. Just the spices and the almond milk, not local. Warm, satisfying. It’s interesting how soup is one thing we love to have when the “weather outside is frightful”.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Birds, Farms, Food, Locavore, Nature, Weather, West HoCo, Winter Eat Local and tagged birds, cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, farms, Food, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Icy Weather

Posted on December 9, 2013 by AnnieRie

Yep, it snowed yesterday and iced up overnight. Not a pretty sight out by the evergreens.

We lost a few limbs. Most of them, though, just were heavily laden with ice. We try to keep the trees healthy. And, we cross our fingers most of the time when the ice comes our way.

Everywhere in the yard, I was taking stock. Making sure the best trees looked OK and weren’t about to break off limbs.

Today was also a soup day. Nothing beats a good hearty soup, to warm you up after time spent shoveling snow.

This was turkey noodle soup. I keep a container full of pasta and noodles, to use for soups and stews.

Pasta shapes. Whole wheat noodles. Pot pie noodles.

Today, I combined leftover Maple Lawn turkey with CSA chicken stock. Added one carrot, one stalk of celery with leaves and the green part of half a dozen scallions. Some salt and pepper. Simmered it while we shoveled snow.

Lunch was wonderful. While our clothes dried out.

Now, we have to get ready for round two tomorrow. I am so ready for winter to end, and it just began.

hocofood@@@

One Snowy Sunday

Posted on December 8, 2013 by AnnieRie

And it still isn’t over. There are at least five inches of snow on the ground, and we are crossing our fingers that there won’t be much ice tonight.

Around noon, things were somewhat under control but with more snow and now freezing rain, getting up the hills could be interesting. I am so glad as a retired old person that I can sleep in tomorrow and avoid that rush hour mess around DC.

We always got a bit more snow and ice here in the western edge of Howard County. Our elevation of 600-800 feet across these parts is high enough to be a few degrees colder, and we see it in our snow fall totals.

This is the beginning of the heavier snow and ice on some of our ornamental grass. I hope tonight that the evergreens are spared the ice load. A few years back, we lost quite a few limbs on our pines and fir trees.

Watching football with a glass of Old Westminster Chardonnay, and some Bowling Green cheddar. Nice to be inside and warm. Wish us luck, to keep us from losing power!

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Community, Howard County, Retirement, Weather, West HoCo, Wine and tagged community, Howard County, MD Wine, nature, retirement, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Root’s

Posted on December 3, 2013 by AnnieRie

In Manheim. Pennsylvania.

Checking off items on my “resolution” when I turned 60. A new city in a surrounding state. A new market. Lunch at some locally owned family type place.

I found this market on an app on my iPad. Food Network on the Road. Every Tuesday a huge food market, auction, flea market, antique dealings, collectors, and who knows what else.

Including lots of locally produced items.

I was on a mission. See if anyone sold salsify. They didn’t. Find a reasonably priced butter for baking. Found one. Maple syrup. Yes. Ground coriander. Check.

Oh, and this. Which I did not buy!

As for my favorite item, it was this one.

Can’t wait to try out the yellow bell pepper pappardelle. I went on the web site when I got home and found out it is available locally. At Casual Gourmet in Glenwood, and at Secolari, the new shop in Columbia Mall.

I need to bookmark those locations, as these pastas may become my new standard. I plopped a little of the soup mix in my turkey soup. At $2 a package, it was a great bargain. Mix and match, it seems.

Oh, and of course, in Amish country, I couldn’t resist one of these.

What a lovely day we had today. Temps in the 50s. Nice lunch at Hahn’s in the market. Cookies in the car on the way home. And, the promise of some very good pasta this weekend.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Adventures, Day Trips, Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Sixty@Sixty, Travel, Weather and tagged cooking, day trips, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, travel, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Thanksgiving Eve Eve

Posted on November 26, 2013 by AnnieRie

The calm before (and during) the storm. The ice and snow and rain and sleet and whatever storm.

Pretty dismal today, and the same for tomorrow. But, tomorrow, I have lots to do.

Pick up the turkey at Boarman’s. The Maple Lawn turkey, along with sausage for dressing, and oysters for stew.

My menu for our meal (Friday night) is oyster stew, salad, turkey, dressing, green beans and a whipped potato/turnip dish.

After getting the turkey, it is off to pick up the CSA box.

We got an anticipatory email, telling us what we might get, but with all the weird weather, we may have lots of substitutions.

Tonight we enjoyed a hearty crockpot soup.

This is my take on the vegetable soup (With smoked shank) that inspires crab soup.

How did I make it?

1 smoked shank from Boarman’s
1 package frozen green beans from last summer
1 pint stock from the freezer
1 jalapeno
1 baby bok choy shredded
3 large scallions
1 pint frozen tomatoes
1 can Navy beans
salt, pepper to taste
1 pint water

20 hours on low in the crockpot. This was one intensely flavored soup. Served tonight with the last of the rye bread from the CSA.

Soup, on a cold rainy evening, before the frantic Thanksgiving cooking.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Weather and tagged cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, Food, foodie, holidays, local businesses, Locavore, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Another Tidbit Tuesday

Posted on November 19, 2013 by AnnieRie

So many little things happening today and this week. Much of it locally driven, but some of it really interesting.

So, what is happening?

I am waiting to see if they launch the Minotaur rocket from NASA. The new time of launch is 2015 EST. We saw the last one from the back deck. Skies look clear enough to see this one, too.

I am checking with the NASA Facebook page for Wallops to get updates.

Today is my better half’s 63rd birthday.

When he gets home from his regular radio club dinner meeting, we will share the dark chocolate sea salt bar with the rest of the lovely red I got with my dinner at Bistro Blanc. It is half price wine night there.

I went up there for a few reasons. A quick perfectly cooked medium rare lamb burger, and a delivery to Chef Marc of a dozen long stems of my rosemary, and a huge bouquet of three kinds of sage. Cleaning up the herb garden.

While there, I sampled something new. Two words I never thought would go together. Chocolate. Grappa. Hey, don’t knock it! It isn’t bad.

Since my husband went off with his fellow radio friends, I postponed his birthday dinner until tomorrow night. Currently, I am marinating a strip steak from Clark’s farm.

It will be pan seared and finished in the oven tomorrow, to be served with roasted romanescu. And, I think I will open a really nice Virginia wine.

Speaking of wine, Big Cork announced on their Facebook page that their production facility will be open for tasting this Friday and Saturday. We hope to get there to see what they are offering. Their facility is in Frederick, just off I-70. Tasting time is 12-6.

Last but not least I have been working on scheduling the farmers who will be offering goodies at the Conservancy Natural Holiday Crafts fair on Dec. 7th. We hope to make your holidays special with goodies from local farms, as well as all those local crafters who will be there.

Soup’s On!

Posted on November 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

It is soup weather.

The maple is screaming fall!

I have been making soup left and right. Today a revisit to one from a while back. Apple, turnip, Jerusalem artichoke.

A completely vegan creamy soup. Made with CSA veggies and Larriland apples.

Recipe here.

I did modify it a bit. I used my roasted garlic. And, I added an extra apple. And, some spice. Nutmeg, cinnamon, garam masala. A generous pinch of each.

I had some for lunch today and saved the rest to have for dinner tomorrow. Drizzled with a little lemon infused olive oil.

Soups are one of the best things you can make to use up leftover CSA veggies. And, so are stir fry recipes. I made one of those tonight, and yes, I know it isn’t soup. But, it was really very good.

Shrimp stir fry to use up the Napa cabbage from the CSA.

The ingredients.

Toss it all in a wok or a stir fry pan. Scallions first, and thicker parts of the Napa cabbage. In oil. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts. Add sesame oil and soy sauce. Ginger and garlic powder.

Bean thread that was softened in boiling water goes in last.

Some hot peppers.

I can’t believe how my cooking has changed. All those CSA veggies are influencing me. Soups and stir fry. Warm, comforting foods to chase the chill.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Real Food, Weather and tagged cooking, CSA, fall foliage, Food, foodie, real food, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Free??? Energy Audit

Posted on November 11, 2013 by AnnieRie

Remember GreenFest in Howard County? Where you could put in your name and “win” a free energy audit? Free, being a relative term.

Because if you won, and they came out and showed you all the bad things in your house, you could either ignore them or address them.

Those pictures showing energy loss through doors, windows, ducts and telling you how bad your old appliances are.

Slowly we have been addressing what was identified as deficient in our almost 30 year old home. I can honestly say that today I really feel the difference from replacing doors and windows on the first floor of the house. It has taken us two years to get this far.

Just a bit at a time. This time, though, it was dramatic.

The view from the dining room was enhanced with no window. Let’s not talk about the dozen or so flies I keep having to kill in the kitchen. So far, they did finish the outside of living room, dining room, and garage. And, there is a new door from garage to mud room. Our garage faces northwest. The front of the house faces west. Drapes would move when the cold fronts moved in. Now, there is a huge improvement. Although they aren’t done yet.

Caulking was done. Trim work remains. And, the kitchen window will be replaced. Hallelujah! I will have windows that open! Current kitchen windows are on their last legs, so to speak.

Of course, Thursday it is supposed to be quite cold. No cooking that day, and who knows where I will be able to take my CSA pictures.

I have to admit, I truly appreciate the changes once they are done. It’s just that the mess associated with renovations, and the frustrations with how long they take, taxes my patience.

But, a word to the wise. If you ever “win” that free energy audit, you may want to decline. Unless you want to spend what would have been vacation money to fix everything they find.

I know it ‘s the right thing to do here. But, it still drives me up a wall to deal with all the upheaval.

I just keep thinking about the good parts, like the view.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Commentary, Howard County, Local Businesses, Renovations, Weather, West HoCo and tagged commentary, Howard County, local businesses, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Wazzup in West County

Posted on November 8, 2013 by AnnieRie

Friday with lots of options of things to do coming up, as well as just the best time of year to live out here.

My day started out leading a field trip at the Howard County Conservancy. Teaching second graders about soil (as compared to dirt). I will be back there tomorrow for the Hike to the River at 10 am. Volunteers will lead groups on a long hike down to the Patapsco River using trails at the conservancy and through Patapsco State Park. You have to admit. This is peak fall foliage week in #hocomd.

Add to that. Thanksgiving and then Christmas will be creeping up on us. What better way to get ready for Thanksgiving than to order your turkey, your sausage and your oysters at Boarman’s. I stopped there today to put in my Thanksgiving order. A Maple Lawn turkey. Boarman’s bulk sausage for stuffing. Oysters to make an oyster stew. We like standing in the line the day before Thanksgiving and talking with all the neighbors.

Oh, and out at TLV.