Onward and Downward

I am not sure about the dandelion greens. I will look them up and post the results. I am pretty sure that they are a Springtime treat only, as ramps are. This time of year they are a bit long in the tooth
You may be on to something regarding the pot roast. I have been using white wine and a mixture of beef broth and chicken broth. I may be browning the meat too much. The beef I have been using is probably too lean. With the new eating habits people are developing, it is harder and harder to find chuck in the market. I have a nice rump roast in the freezer which has a fine lot of marbling in it and is in the on-deck circle for pot roast. I may also use too many different vegetables and herbs. This problem might have much to do with the fact that the pot roast takes so long to cook and there is a rather large bottle of opened wine on the table. I have forgotten about K.I.S.S. when I cook.
Yesterday was a glorious day. I went for a walk. I made chicken parmesan, well not really parmesan more like chicken mozzarella with asiago cheese. I fry the chicken thighs in the big cast iron pan, dusting each side with garlic powder and chili powder and then putting on the cheese and blackening it under the broiler.

Dandelion Greens

Wilted Serves Four
Saute five slices of bacon. Remove bacon from pan. Drain on paper towels and crumble.
Heat two tablespoons of melted butter or bacon drippings or oil.
Add 1/4 cup of mild vinegar and 1 teaspoon of chopped herbs.
Add then bacon and 1 teaspoon of grated onion and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Pour the dressing over:
1 head of lettuce separated; shredded cabbage;dandelion, young spinach,or other greens.

Serve at once in a warm bowl onto warm plates, garnish with sliced hard cooked eggs.

You can also serve dandelion greens mixed with other greens in a fresh salad. There is a caution about wild greens. Do not let them represent to great a proportion of the other greens as many of them contain oxylates and other substances that may be harmful if consumed in quantity. Do not use dandelion greens from the neighbor's lawn unless you have developed a taste for Scott's Weed Killer.
Speaking of oxylates, I know that spinach is very high in oxylates and that Popeye must have set the Guiness World Record for kidney stones.

Once the flowers have bloomed, dandelion greens become very bitter. That probably makes them very eligible for my pot roast.

Pot Roast.2

I am trying pot roast again. I started it yesterday and will finish it today. I would have finished yesterday but the cooking time is very lengthy and I was tired so I put it in the refrigerator and will finish the cooking today. I am not using the super duper recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I have reverted to The Joy of Cooking. The Joy of Cooking is probably the most extensive cookbook ever written. The Ladie's recipes run from dandelion greens to roasting a whole moose. She also gives the warning about making garlic oil. Garlic plus olive oil plus too many hours equals botulism! Lidia gives the same warning.
The weather here has been incredible. It is as if Spring has returned. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures.

Uneasy Rests the Crown

It's not easy being King of the Heat. The tribulations of frost on the inside of the windows and sleeping with a ski hat on are never fully recognized. As an old Swamp Yankee, I am used to the onslaught of Winter. I revel in its purity and severity. The days of soups and stews and pies are upon us and have been much awaited.
As November first approached, I was concerned about being labeled a sissy for turning the heat on. Then redemption arrived. I beat out the Angel of Arlington by several hours. So I am King for one more year.
The place where I live is now nice and toasty. The fruit flies in the kitchen are flitting about, while visions of squishy plums dance in their heads.
It is finally here. The season of rest and contemplation and reading and hot chocolate and warm fuzzy slippers. To sit inside with a hot cup of coffee and watch a blizzard pile up its soft fluffy gift outside, has long been awaited. Apple pie and roasted, stuffed, poultry and sitting in the kitchen while the gentle heat from the stove and the fragrances of the roasting fill the room is a pleasure that people of the tropics cannot share.
The time of simplicity is upon me. No daily checking to make sure that the plants outside have enough water and picking caterpillars off them. No worrying about melanoma of the pate. Out comes the goose down and the gloves and off I trudge through the squeaky soft snow. I must find a hat that will accomodate my King of the Heat crown. Maybe the Angel of Arlington has one that I can use. She definitely won't be using it this year.

The Heat is On

I didn't make it to November first. When I got up this morning the temperature inside here was more than cool, it was downright frosty. I turned on the heat and went out into the kitchen to make coffee. I also turned on the oven to warm up the kitchen while I was waiting for the heat to warm up this place. As I did that I had to surpress a chuckle.
Many years ago, when I lived with her, Lucy would have the heat at a very low level. We had a self-cleaning electric stove. Those stoves get up to six hundred degrees when they are cleaning themselves. To help with the daily chores, I would clean the stove regularly. Sometimes I would clean it more than once a day. I would sit in the kitchen and wait patiently for the stove to unlock itself. Sitting, sipping coffee, with the Sun streaming in through the patio door, those are pleasant memories. Time spent with the Madonna of Middletown, that is an even more pleasant memory.
It has warmed up now. It will be a pleasant day for baking. Corn bread would go well with the soup. I will walk first to put an edge on my appetite.

Soup is On

The soup that I made Wednesday came out pretty good. This is noteworthy because the soups that I make are usually a disaster. The soup is lentil, with a bunch of other things.
Lentils, carrots, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, lima beans, peas, beef broth, a splash of white wine, and leftover pork chops with bones combined to make something that is nice with bread and shredded cheese. It is a good time for soup as the weather has turned just a little bit chilly. It reminds me of an old French saying, "Soup is enough if there is enough soup.".
Another French saying comes to mind. My dear, sweet, French friend used to say "Kissing a man without a moustache is like soup without salt.". Life without her is like soup without a spoon. I can remember what the flavor was but I cannot partake of it. Life goes on but the warmth is gone.

Roasted

Yesterday I finished making the pot roast. It is O.K. but not as luscious as I anticipated. The failing was probably because I was unable to get chuck eye of the round and used another cut of beef that was less marbled. The gravy was not as intense as I expected. I have a dismal history with pot roast. I have another piece of beef that I will try. It is a rump roast and very well marbled. I hate to waste such a nice piece of beef on pot roast. It would be tastier as a roast beef but it is too big for me to use it as a roast and pot roast will last a long time refrigerated.
The green tomatoes have all been picked and the peppers have all been picked. The herbs are inside in pots and the lemon tree is also. They are resting on the air conditioners which are now on the floor just below the sunniest window. The fragrance of the basil and thyme and sage are pleasing and if the lemon tree manages to blossom, its fragrance will be welcomed. The coriander never produced any seeds and I do not like the flavor of it as an herb. It is too soapy.
Today I will pick the other basil leaves and the flat parsley. They dry nicely, although their flavor never approaches that of fresh. E's cherry peppers came in nicely and I may try to stuff them. I anticipate having ripe tomatoes for Christmas. The beef stock was O.K. but nothing to rave about. I have a surfeit of apples and should make a pie today. I will make one more attempt at pie crust but I know that I can never reach the stage of perfection that my eldest daughter does.

Not Roast

I didn't make the pot roast yesterday. I headed out for the market to purchase the meat but the clouds looked so ominous that I returned to the place that I live. Instead I cooked up a small piece of beef with beef broth and Marsala and cream and onions and peppers and tomatoes. It was rather tasty eaten over rice.
Several days ago I watched an interview with the Dalai Lama. One thing that he said has been rattling through my mind like a marble in a boxcar. He said "The Buddha said "You are your own master."". Wow, if that doesn't make one feel like a complete failure in life. I will see if it can be effectively applied to the future. No more blaming cicumstances or other people for things that happen. If things go wrong, it is your own fault Boyo! Serendipity is not responsible for the good things, you can take some credit for them. The whole concept seems to negate the idea of Fate. The whole idea is somehow comforting.
It might be nice to have the Dalai Lama elected president of the whole world, with a collection of Buddhist monks as an administration. Of course, something would have to be done about the incessant giggling. Maybe not, giggling is preferable to sabre rattling.