Planting Dates by State

So, I’ve mentioned that I live in New England, right?

Last Sunday was the first day of spring!  Yay!

And then the next day we got slammed with a Nor’Easter……… well, we narrowly escaped the predicted 10-12 inches with a mere 5-6 inches of snow.

But that doesn’t keep me from chomping at the bit!

Before that snowstorm, my crocuses were blooming on my front lawn, my rhubarb was sending out its annual bulbous sprouts and my chives were looking green and spindly.  These are the types of signs we Northerners are seeking.

40 degrees and sunny out?  I saw a 20 year old running down my road with shorts and his long-sleeve shirt off and wrapped around his neck like a scarf.  You heard me right…bare-chested!

The rest of us 30-somethings are just as excited (maybe we don’t express it the same way), and out raking our brown garden beds, looking for the buried clumps of green.

So all of my raised garden beds are raked clean of dead leaves and pine needles and have been rototilled.  I’m ready.  Can I plant some peas and kale and lettuce and other heartier plant seeds?

Can I?  Can I?

Gardeners, like so many other hobbyists, each have a different opinion about the same subject.  Ask 5 gardeners a question and get 6 different answers!

My Dad, who lives in the same the same state, planted his pea seeds 3 weeks ago!

But, according to the planting dates by state shown all over the internet, they shouldn’t have been planted for another 3 weeks!  Go figure!

So, I have attached a copy of the planting dates by state website above for you to determine what is recommended and then take it from there.

Maybe you can look at the weather forecast and determine that the next 2 weeks are supposed to be beautiful in your region and so it would be safe to plant in advance.  Perhaps you are a risk-taker like my Dad and just want to go for it.  Or you like to follow the rules and will just wait till the proposed time arrives.

No wrong answer, really.

Whenever you start sowing your seeds you will be filled with excitement, anticipation and the thrill of knowing that spring is here!

Oh no!  I didn’t read the recipe ahead of time (1st mistake) and am just about to make my ____________(insert here:  cake, cookies, brownies,etc) and see that I’m supposed to have butter at room temperature!

I didn’t take my stick of butter out of the fridge (2nd mistake) and now I’m up against a deadline and I need to make these __________!

Oh well, I’ll just stick it in a bowl in the microwave for a minute or two, that’ll soften it right up.

Or, I can just put it on top of the preheating oven and that should work…

NO, NO, NO!!!

If you “soften” your butter this way, you will completely change the outcome of whatever you are attempting to bake.  In other words, you will ruin your dish!  The consistency and temperature of the butter are essential to the chemical reactions that are needed with whatever you are baking…

therefore…

the best way to handle this situation is to grab your stick of butter (or whatever amount you needed at room temp) and cut it up into small pieces.

Then leave it out on the counter for 20 minutes and you are good to go…

Great little tip that will save you the aggravation of redoing your entire dessert!

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared – by Jonas Jonasson

Do you know how excited you get when you go to the theater and you see a movie with cinematography and acting and directing that’s over-the-top and reminds you why you go to the movies to begin with?  To be entertained.  To fantasize.  To escape.

Well, this book is one of those works of fiction that depicts great storytelling.  That reminds you why you love to read.  It’s absurd and over-the-top and smart and laugh-out-loud funny.  It’s a Swedish Forrest Gump!

Fantastic.  It tells the story of a 100 year old man in Sweden who decides not to attend his 100th birthday party at the old folks’ home and instead to get the heck out of dodge.  The author alternates between the story of what happens to the 100 year old man on his journey to his next destination in life and the story of his life up until he climbed out the window.

The span of history in the book is obviously, 100 years, starting in 1905.  And the author uses the 100 year old man’s life experiences to briefly give you a lesson in world history.  A great substitute for your high school textbook!

The chapters are short and the entire book keeps your attention with its ridiculous characters and its ridiculous stories about its historical characters!

And you’ll want to keep reading more about the character that played a key role in some of the most important events in the 20th century!

Whenever I read a work of such bizarre fictional genius, it makes me want to sit down to lunch with the author and just ask them, “How do you come up with this stuff?!”

Just read the first 2 chapters, 9 pages in total, and you’ll be hooked!

 

There’s nothing better than a creamy sauce over pasta with cheese, is there?  This dish is so traditional there have to be a million variations on it.  But, nothing compares to the original.  And I believe that this is the tastiest original.

Let the savory adventure begin!

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large saucepan over low heat.

Add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, stir with a wooden spatula and season with

1/2 teaspoon salt,

and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.

Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth, slowly, stirring constantly, and

1 cup of heavy cream.

Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, as sauce thickens and coats the back of the spatula.

Boil and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of dry sherry,

about 10 ounces of mushrooms, sliced and cooked,

1/2 pound of cooked spaghetti, broken in half,

and 1 pound of cubed cooked chicken.

Spoon into greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees, for 30 minutes.

Serves 6.  Though the 5 other people eating with you will be begging for seconds, so safer to just serve to 4!

Bon Appétit, Ma Chérie!

 

Ok.  Here’s a little secret…

I do not have a creative bone in my body.  I mean, I can look at a craft and figure out how to do it, but I have never come up with an original idea in my life (except recipes, but that’s not creative, that’s just a wizened palate!).

So don’t get all excited and think that I am showing you an original Easter craft dessert, because I cannot take the credit.

My other secret?

It’s this website…

So awesome for toddlers and holidays and crafts and treats!  Everyone loves rice krispie treats and kids love crafts and they especially love them if they’re sweet and stick all over their fingers, which are inevitably licked clean!

It’s all the same recipe, and the variations usually just include a little food coloring or frosting gel.  So many neat ideas, so easy and so much fun!

Happy Easter prep, Happy Easter decorating, Happy Easter!

 

 

 

is through his belly.

And though you may cook a mean Indian chicken tikka, there are just some dishes that, in general, most men crave over others.  You know the kind of dishes I’m talking about…the ones that make your man go, “Ohhhhh yeah!  We’re having ______  tonight!”

So you need to have the man-town friendly recipes down.  It’s kind of like learning the mother sauces when you’re in cooking school.  From these mother sauces, all other delicious foods are created.  Well, learning to make your man the best lasagna, meatloaf, roasted chicken, grilled T-bone, bacon cheeseburgers, apple pie, pancakes, etc will win his heart.  And from there, you will be able to sometimes sneak in a sundried tomato cream sauce over his piece of chicken, or a kalamata olive into his salad.

As I post my “manly” dishes, I’ll link posts to my previous ones, so that you’ll always be able to find meals to make your man’s heart beat triple-time for you.

Here’s one of the classics – a breakfast go-to:

PANCAKES!

These are perfection.  Finally.  It has taken years and years of trying recipes and variations of recipes for me to find the fluffiest, tastiest, fool-proof pancakes.

Start with 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour in a large bowl and

add 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour,

2 tablespoons white sugar,

1 teaspoon baking powder,

1/2 teaspoon baking soda and

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Whisk together to combine.  Set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups buttermilk,

2 large eggs,

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together gently with a rubber spatula until just combined, about 10 seconds.

Some lumps, as seen above, are exactly what you’re looking for!

Set this batter aside for about 10-15 minutes before you cook it.  This gives it time to “rise” and will work out some of the lumps on their own (the lumps are really little balls of flour that will eventually “burst” and mix in, dissolve, with the rest of the batter.)

Heat your non-stick griddle to medium heat, mine is perfect at 375 degrees.  Moisten a paper towel with some vegetable oil and wipe the griddle with it, till the entire top of the griddle is shiny, but not wet.

Pour out 1/2 cup-fulls of batter onto the griddle.  Do not disturb!  Let the magic happen on its own.  You’ll see it start to look fluffy and bubbles come to the surface.

You do not want to flip the pancake until the bubbles in the center of the pancakes burst.

Then, you end up with the tastiest, fluffiest pancakes that your man will love you for!

If you make them all at once, keep them warm on a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven.

Bon Appétit, Ma Chérie!

 

A friend of mine has a daughter who is suicidal.   She goes to counseling.  She is depressed.  She does talk with her Mom and Dad about her feelings.  But mainly tries to tell them what they want to hear. Then they have a false sense of security for a while and when they least expect it, she scares them.

A friend of mine has a Mother with Alzheimer’s.  She’s in a home.  Being taken care of, physically.  Mentally, her Mom is 8 years old again and feels like she’s lost her way home.  She cries for her sister and Mother & Father who have all been dead for quite some time.  She does not recognize her husband.  Or her daughter, my friend.

I don’t want to go on and on with sad stories to bring you down.  I just want to give some advice that an older woman kindly once gave to me…

If or when someone decides to unburden themselves on you with a great sadness or pain in their life, it can be very difficult to relate to and you may have a hard time finding the right words of comfort to offer.

The key is to not say anything at all.  Just sit and listen.  Listen.  Maybe ask a question or two to prompt them to share more if you feel they want to.  But listen.  And feel.  It will be impossible to relate to, because it is not your situation.

But make it yours.  What if it was you…

Put yourself in your friend’s shoes.  What if it was your daughter/son?  What if it was your Mom/Dad?  How would you be feeling?  What would you want your friend to do or say when you told them?  What would you need?  What would you want to hear?

Maybe you don’t say anything at all.  Maybe you just give your friend a huge, long hug and tell them that you are here for them and could you call them every couple of days to let them talk to you?

Maybe you just tell them that you love them and will be there for them in whatever capacity they need.

What would you want someone to do or say if you were going through something like that?

I worked as a waitress during my college years and it was an invaluable experience.  Invaluable first and foremost because that’s where I met my soulmate!  And because of all the friends I made, the appreciation for food & how to cook it and all that I learned about the service industry.

It’s hard work!  I had no clue going into it.  I always saw it as a semi-glamorous job, where you chatted up the customers, made some extravagant tips, and got plucked out of the crowd to be the lead actress in a blockbuster Hollywood film or to run a large corporation, etc.

No, no, no.

Long hours, odd hours, no weekends, no holidays (or at least you have to fight for them off) and some tough people to deal with.  Tough coworkers, tough bosses, tough customers.

But I think that the harshest reality for me were the wages.  $2.35 per hour is a joke!  It was 20 years ago and is even more so now.  And yet, that is exactly what waitstaff are paid.  They are expected to make their money in tips.

That’s where we come in!

And yet restaurant staff, waiters and bartenders are not the only ones in the service industry that merit tips.  There are also…

• Wine Stewards
• Taxi Drivers
• House Movers
• Pizza Delivery
• Cruise Stewards
• Room Service Waiters
• Golf Caddies
• Car Wash workers
• Busboys
• Facials Person
• Manicure/Pedicure
• Barber
• Newspaper Boy
• Washroom Attendant
• Tour Guide
• Casino Dealer
• Masseuse/Masseur
• Hotel Chambermaid
• Gas Station Attendant
• Diving Instructors
• Ski Instructors
• Hotel Bellhop
• Valet Attendant
• and probably many more that I’ve forgotten (forgive me! And tell me!)

Not everyone makes as low a wage as a waitress per hour, and yet, all of these people are waiting on you and making your life more pleasant and comfortable and exciting and convenient.

They deserve to be treated with respect and given compensation for a job well done!

If you’re confused as to how much to leave as a tip there’s a handy chart at the bottom of this post.

But as a rule of thumb, this is the best way to proceed when determining how much to tip:

– 20% of the total amount you’ve paid is what you should always expect to pay out in a tip.  The only reason you do not pay this amount is because you’ve been treated badly.

– 15% if the service was mezza mezza.

– 10% if you got your food and IT was great but your server barely paid you mind

– 5% if your server sucked

– 0% if your server insulted you…but, then you should probably go talk to the manager, so it doesn’t happen again!

Tip-Chart

 

 

 

Don’t underestimate your toddler, let me tell you!  Here’s the story…

Quick question:

What ingredients go into making maple syrup?

Just sap right?

No brainer…

OK, so my 4 year old asks how maple syrup is made, and I’m thinking, “This one’s easy; I’ve got it in the bag” and I started rambling on and on about the sugar maple and tapping the tree and the sap and the buckets and the boiling…

and then I’m interrupted by someone who looks like they know the answer to the question they’re about to ask and know that you probably don’t and that they might catch you not knowing.

“So then you add the butter?” she asks.

“What? No.  No, of course not.  There’s no butter in maple syrup.  Just sap.  Boiling down.  To make the syrup.”

“But when it’s boiling and you need to add the butter, Mama?”

“No, Angel.  No butter in making syrup.”

“Yes, Mama!”  (Getting visibly frustrated and being extremely obstinate and appearing very self-assured.)

Hmmm.  Best to humor her and tell her that we’ll look it up.

So, I google “do you use butter when boiling maple syrup” and…

sure enough,

it mentions using butter to edge the side of the pan in which you’re boiling the syrup to ensure that the syrup doesn’t overflow!

She said, very sweetly (only because she’s not a teenager who’d yell “I told you so”), “I was right?”

“Yes, you were.”

“I know, because I saw it on Curious George.”

Don’t be dismissive with them if they are trying to argue with you and tell you that a fact that you swear up and down is true, isn’t.

You’ll only end up eating humble pie.

Curious George is a clever little monkey.  And so is my little Beach Rose.  And make no mistake about it, they all are!

I want to start by saying that, for the record, I am pro roasted red peppers in a jar, from the grocery store.

They are a perfect shortcut, taste great and should be a staple in your pantry.

That being said…

There’s nothing better than the real thing!  Whether you grow the pepper in your own backyard garden or purchase from the farmer’s market or produce section and then roast it yourself, the flavor is top notch and yes, better than the jarred version.

It doesn’t take too much time and yet it used to intimidate the heck out of me and once I saw how easy I felt I should pass it along to keep someone else from running scared every time they saw freshly roasted red pepper in a recipe!

Start with however much pepper you want for what you are making.  For instance here I am only roasting 1/2 of a red pepper.

Cut it in half, core it, take out the seeds and lay it out skin side up on an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan.

Put your oven on a high broil.

Keep your oven rack in the middle of your oven.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven and check on your pepper after 5 minutes.

The goal is for the pepper to look like this.  You want black charring on the skin on all sides, or as many surfaces of the skin as possible.

Rotate the pepper with tongs after 5 minutes if you’ve only got charring on one side.

The whole pepper should be done roasting by at most 20 minutes.

Right out of the oven, take the pepper and put it inside a plastic bag and shut it.

Let it cool till you can handle it!  Could be up to 20 minutes.

You’ll see that the skin of the red pepper peels away so simply!  Peel all the skin off.

And therein lies your beautiful, scrumptious roasted red pepper.  Enjoy!

Bon Appétit, Ma Chérie!