Brussels Sprouts...

 Brussels Sprouts....tiny little cabbages...so cute and so tiny....these are great this time of year and a great addition for the holidays....use them in soups and in stews....a lot of people think they don't like them...but really it is just little cabbages....they taste so good!!!

They grow on a stalk, right out of the sides.....(.I didn't really know that)

you cut off the great big leaves and you are left with a stalk and little cabbages....

there is a million of them on each stalk...plenty for dinner and to put in the freezer...cut them off the stalk and....

put in the top of a double boiler....you want to bring the pot to a boil and boil for 5 minutes...just par cook....

cook until just bright green....then run under cold water to stop the cooking....

cut in half and cook in a fry pan over medium heat in a couple tablespoons of butter until browned and fragrant.....Next is a recipe for browned crackers....I learned to do this many years ago by an elderly German lady....

....melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a pan....medium heat...

add broken up saltines....and brown...they will soak up the butter and ...

brown very nicely....make plenty..you will be surprised at how good they are, and you want to have enough for yourself your guests! you will love them!

salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!!!!!

So good!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Eggs...

Eggs, eggs, I have got eggs!!!! My chickens crack me up! Mama has been laying since I first got the chickens, the others are just now starting to lay....they are so much fun!

this is Mama and she is the one who has been laying...she lays small off white colored eggs....

this is Buttercup and I think she layed an egg....

this is a twin and I think she or the other twin may have layed one...here I will show you....

here are the different eggs....the large green one I think has been layed by Buttercup....although she won't admit to it....the little tiny and I mean tiny one is I think by one of the twins,.. and it is dark brown and the off white ones are for sure Mama's....

I found this one in the chicken house...it is a shell free egg...it has a really thin membrane on it..it feels like a jello jiggler.....and so small...don't know who was responsible......they all looked away when I asked...

tonight when I came home from work my grandaughter had already let them out for their evening bugfest and as I came around the corner this is what I saw....they were all playing in the soft dirt in the sun....there was dust flying everywhere.....

they truly were rolling...they were upside down with their feet up.....oh they bring me such fun!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Creamy Chanterelle Pancetta Pasta....

 Here in the Pacific Northwest the Chanterelles are just now coming out...you can find them in fruit stands and farmers markets...(or the woods)....we have been taught here not to eat the mushrooms in the woods unless you have been carefully taught how to recognize them....we have heard to many horror stories about people dieing that have eaten wild mushrooms....but it sure is tempting when you see them....

Creamy Chanterelle Pancetta Pasta.....
4 tablespoons (1/4stick) butter
1 slice 1/2 inch pancetta diced
1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
1/2 pound pasta spaghetti cooked
1/4 pound fresh chanterelles, roughly chopped if large and whole if small
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup of shredded parmasan

Salt and ground pepper to taste

  In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the diced pancetta. Do not drain the fat. As bacon begins to crisp, add shallots and garlic and cook until tender. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat, and add pasta.

Add chanterelles  to the skillet and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have released their water. Season with salt and pepper...then add the wine bring to a boil and then add the half and half...when this come back to a boil,continue to cook for 5 minutes and the drained pasta and then add shredded cheese...stir and serve..

the butter will brown a little....cook this over a medium to medium low heat....and please use your favorite pan....this one is my favorite....but I guess you have already figured that out....

the shallots and garlic are added....

then add the mushrooms....mmmmmm...

add the wine and cook....

add the cream.....

add the pasta.....

the cheese and stir.....this is a great main course but would be great with a piece of wild salmon or chicken...

serve with additional cheese and parsley.....so hearty and flavorful and mushroomy!!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Powell's Books...

Powells Book Store.....this is the best reason to go to Portland Oregon....there is nothing better than a great bookstore.....This bookstore has new and used books...millions of them...you can also order the books online....the store covers a whole city block...each subject is in different rooms....

not sure if you can see this....you find your subject and look at the color room it is in...and then get a map, and go on a hunt! It is quite possible to pick out a bag of books and not even move 100 feet from the door...you can spend literally days in this store....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

these are all cookbooks...I first downloaded 174 pictures onto this blog space and then decided it might be a little much.....this is the cookbook section...it is in the orange room..there are rows and rows of cookbooks in sections clearly labeled and broken down..making it easy to find books, that you can hardly leave on the shelf...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know can you believe it? me either...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

then I came to this..I couldn't believe my eyes...two cookbooks that have been out of print....I used have them, and loaned them out, never to be seen again....I grabbed them off the shelf, as if I was going to have to fight someone for them....

Don't they look fun!

go and check Powell's Books out....it is one of the happiest things to do!

http://www.powells.com/citytour.html

Cheers to Happy  !!