Tag: food

A Few Chores

Dear Liza,

We have had so many fun, busy days lately, there has to be some days to just do the stuff that needs doing.

I made an appointment for my annual “Wellness” check-up. That’s when the doctor makes sure my old brain and old heart are still up to snuff. It’s going to be a busy summer, so it’s good to get a tune up.

We are also predicted to have a solid week of sunny, over 70 degree days, so I spent some time in the garden, pulling out the invasive mint that climbs through the fence and (TAA DAA!!) putting zucchini seeds in the ground! Their packet says they should “emerge” in 5 to 8 days. I will hold them to it!

After I had washed up, I pulled your Daddy David’s oldest stufftie out of the cupboard. VIP TLC, as your daddy called him way back in 1981, was one of the Shirt Tales cartoon characters. I sewed this one from a printed fabric panel back in the days when money was tight. He was very cuddly!

It’s been 40 years or so since VIP TLC has been washed, and I want to bring him with us this summer. So he got unstuffed and put into the wash. While he was getting clean, I fluffed up the old stuffing. When he was dry, I put them back together. Now he is ready for a flight to Denmark!

My last ‘chore’ of the day was to bring my garden journal up to date. The last time I made a picture for it, the day was grey and wet.

But bright, sunny days inspire bright, sunny colors!

A New Kind of Journal Cover Part 1

Dear Liza,

My friend Ruthie Inman is always teaching me new things! This week, we are making a new journal cover.

For our Zoom Art group this week, she asked us to pull together some muslin fabric, tissue papers or napkins, and some watered down glue.

So friends in Scotland, Illinois and Portland did just that. And the project, at least this part, was just as easy as it could be. We slathered the thin glue mixture onto the fabric, tore the tissue paper into pieces, and stuck them down.

I started with bright colors from napkins, and then softened them with the white layers.

We kept gluing until we had about four layers, pausing to let it dry a bit in between layers so the whole gooey thing didn’t disintegrate under our brush.

I finished my piece with some old wrapping tissue flowers and a butterfly from a napkin, and left it to dry.

And to make sure it didn’t stick to the mat and dried completely by tomorrow, I carefully peeled the fabric and paper layers off the mat and laid them on a cooling rack.

We’ll see what happens when we all Zoom Art together on Thursday!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Easter Day

Dear Liza,

We had fun on Easter, but not much of it shows in pictures. I’ll show what I have and tell the rest.

Easter Day was sunny and warm (almost too warm, for some), and we got everything packed into the wagon and headed for Laurelhurst Park.

We found a table in the sun just above Firwood Lake. Someone had recently drawn a cute cartoon of a bunny jumping over an egg, with the words “In the name of the moon”. Very nice.

We enjoyed the sunshine and people watching until everyone else showed up.

Then the food came out, and we all had good bread Katie brought from Grand Central Bakery, turkey, cheeses, fruits, veggies and cookies.

We met some nice folks who name the ducks at the park, just like we name the trees! We may all get together and make a map of the park with all our silly information….wouldn’t that be fun?

As we were walking home, Jasper and Kestrel taught all the adults about a new kind of music, called “Vocaloid”. It is made with synthetically generated voices and sounds, mostly, like a video game. But I am always happy to learn something new, so we listened and chatted while I worked on the CrazyQuilt.

Having clever grandkids is like having clever kids! Always keeping me on my toes.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Garlicky Lemon Chicken

Dear Liza,

You know I’m feeling better when I start looking at new recipes. Our Portland weather is cold and is set to get colder, and cooking new things feels very homey and comforting.

An article on the Eating Well website promised Mediterranean One Pot meals, which had an element of poetic justice to it. The reason I cook in cast iron is that I inherited two wonderful pans from your Great-grandpa Lowell, and the reason I cook Mediterranean is that I inherited his faulty cardio-vascular system. So, thanks Dad.

Every recipe in the article called for the use of cast iron, of which I own two; a deep skillet and an even deeper Dutch oven. Cast iron holds heat well and can go in the oven as well as on the stove top.

For the recipe I needed chicken thighs, a lemon, a bunch of kale (I used baby spinach), chopped garlic, chicken broth, and baby red potatoes. It also called for tarragon, but I used oregano. The whole thing would take 45 minutes.

I did all the chopping and slicing, and had all the ingredients laid out in little bowls before I turned on the burner.. This “mise en place”method makes me feel more confident and less likely to be surprised as I go along. No one wants to be caught desperately chopping something as their chicken over-cooks.

I browned the chicken thighs and put them on a plate to wait. Then I browned the potatoes in all that yummy chicken-y olive oil. I then added the chicken broth, lemon, and garlic and the chicken to the pan and hefted then whole thing into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes in the oven, I hefted the pan out and stirred in 6 cups of kale, enjoying the wonderful garlic lemon steam wafting up at me. Four more minutes in the oven, and it was done!

The chicken, broth, and olive oil had become a wonderful sauce that coated everything. The lemon had blended with the kale to make a sunny-tasting greenery side dish right in the pan. The kale was a bit too wilty (maybe two minutes would be better), but all in all, a victory for Eating Well and ME.

With rain all this week and snow predicted for the weekend, it will be nice to feel fortified with some tasty dinners.

Love,

Grandma Judy