My kingdom for a Cookie

I cannot express without sounding a tad ridiculous how very difficult it is for me to “diet”. With the exception of the trauma and recovery of one of my children from a horrific accident years ago, this is the most difficult thing I have ever tried to do. To sound even more ridiculous… it bothers me so much, that if I could wave a magic wand and lose the 25 lbs I need to lose and that weight would stay off for the rest of my life and be able to eat whatever I want regardless… or.. have my hearing restored, I would chose the weight loss. Not even blink an eye, the decision would be easy. Oh yes I know it, that’s undeniably, certifiably….. nuts. But it would absolutely be my choice, given the option.

I started Noom at the beginning of January, and I can tell you it’s a great program for calorie counters, for those who love setting a goal and get excited about meeting that goal each day. It’s similar to WW if you’ve done that too. Been there, done that ! There’s also a great online presence of fellow users of Noom on facebook. Except there are a lot of whiners on that forum, (yep I know I’m currently whining, shush. )

What ultimately happens and in fairly short order for me is… I become resentful of the restriction and then I cheat just a little. And just a little more. And then I don’t log every single thing I eat because it’s just one hershey kiss and it’s just an apple and it’s just a handful of nuts and it’s just a scoop of chocolate ice cream – blah blah blah blah blah. All that adds up, of course, and then the cheating feels awful, and the app become ineffective because I’m not really following the rules and off we go to the races.

I’ve tried the talking to myself approach – Every time I pick up something to east I say to myself… Is this FIGHTING disease or AIDING it? Is this HELPING me lose weight or HELPING ME FAIL ? I’ve looked in the mirror before helping myself to a snack. I’ve gone dairy free for a while, I’ve gone sugar free for a while, I’ve gone processed food free for a while, and reduced meat consumption by a lot. It all helps a little, but ultimately I cave somewhat. Menopause makes it all that much harder.

It’s not about what I’m doing exercise wise – I’m pretty active. As my General practitioner has said to me often, it’s what I’m putting in my mouth. And Jezus H. Christmas, it is soooo hard for me to reduce significantly what I’m putting in my mouth. Such a simple thing, really… and yet.

Food is comfort for me, I love to cook it, bake it, I love to serve it to my family etc., I love growing it, I even love shopping for it. Oh, I am fully aware one can do all those things in moderation and be successful at weight loss…. I just haven’t figured out the combination to that lock yet. I keep spinning the dial hoping to get the numbers to line up just right.

******SIGH…..

Just keeping it real here. And if you are like minded but found what works, please… any tips appreciated.

Here’s a Healthy recipe that looks delish – I’m going to give it a try this weekend.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

By EATINGWELL TEST KITCHEN

Directions

Step 1

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 2

Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Karen

Let there be Light

The Mr. wasn’t particularly fond of the pendant lights we had over the kitchen island, so we started looking at other options. There are SO MANY!!.. just browse Pottery Barn (my favorite for lighting) or Bellacor or Seagull lighting websites and you’ll be amazed and confused. After a significant search and a little bickering, we did settle on globes we found on Lamps Plus….

Out with the old..

In with the new…

I like them! I have found the glass globes are a bit of a pain in the ass because Smudges*smears*streaks*dust, but I do like the overall look.

The blank spot on the wall over the sink used to display three of my small paintings. I found a fairly local craft person on Etsy who makes rustic old wooden signs for a very reasonable price. She’s doing a farm sign for me and it will go right there where the paintings used to live. I’m a big fan of changing things up around the house now and then, and it doesn’t have to be much at all. A change of throw pillows on the couch to reflect the season, moving a painting to a different room, adding a plant or two, etc. And the best decorating tip of all – get rid of clutter noise. I tend to be a knicknack collector, and sometimes it becomes too knicknacky so I pick through and simplify. Cleaning up a disastrous closet or counter, folding that mountain of laundry that’s been building in the (fill in the blank) can give you a feeling of renewal. All those shoes that accumulate in the bottom of the coat closet.. some that haven’t been worn in three years? Out.

My guy is very type A – he is not fond of clutter and on the island we go back and forth with his love for -nothing at all – on it, and my love of decorating to create *cozy*. Sometimes I do a big decluttering around the house and he is in love all over again…. only to come home a few days later with the now familiar words… “Uh-oh.. I see clutter forming again”… tumbling out of his mouth. I’m just redecorating, that’s all.

The big glass hurricane candle holder thing we had on the island didn’t look right with the new pendants, so I went up the road to a local shop that sells wonderful things, so many wonderful things you can get in trouble quickly if you have to answer to a husband who balances the household budget in the aftermath.

This was yesterday’s score…Simple.. and I can leave it there all winter, change out the greens, etc. for other seasons.

Have I told you lately about our new granddog, Gizmo? We are all in love with him, hard to imagine someone dumped him on the side of the road, where he was found matted and afraid and wondering what the hell happened. He’s house trained and so loving, just wants to be up in your lap kissing you. He’s good to his brother by another mother, although he tries to herd Rex when they’re outside. I think he’s got border collie in him, Shih tzu border collie, that’s my guess.

Are you hosting any of the holiday meals on the horizon? We will have both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals here with the extended family and I’ve begun planning the menus – below are some awesome cheeseboard ideas, I plan to use these photos to create something similar here at This Old House.

I hope all is well in your world – Till soon, friends.. OOh.. and if you don’t already follow Susan Branch’s blog.. she just published a lovely Thanksgiving post.. worth the click over to HERE… where you’ll find lots of lovely things, including her uplifting spirit.. and this recipe below, which is also her artwork.

A Palate cleanser

After the last post I feel I need to sprinkle some happy up here in this space. Let us not allow the *crazy* to infect every corner of our world, because truly there’s so much to appreciate and good works we can do and fun and adventure to be had, regardless. I find a lot of solace in the every day, in the routines, the natural beauty outside these old doors, my animals up on the hill, the family that gathers round the table and the dogs curled up under my desk.

Here on the farm the leaves are turning and beginning to blanket the stone walls and pathways. My gardens are depleted, but there is still much color and many blooms and berries…

Zinnia still reaching for the sky…

The Dahlias – easy to grow and just so stunning…. I do need to pull the bulbs out of the ground once the frost hits if I want to use them again next year. And I might not, because sometimes I’m lazy that way.

My New Dawn roses have made a second appearance, just a few on a very lengthy vine along the dog yard fence.

I forget the name of these hydrangea trees, their blooms are prolific this year! My mom has been here several times collecting bunches for friends, they are great for drying.

Beautyberry – a more vivid purple berry you have never seen.

More Dahlia….

And although the daisies were done over a month ago, because of the warm weather, a few have shot up again.

Inside the house I’ve brought in fall – one of my favorite seasons to decorate. Pumpkins everywhere! and.. I bring bittersweet vine in from the fields and drape them along the fireplace mantels. There are pumpkins on the front door steps and over the door itself on the “shelf”, too.

I’ve been holding on to a painting by my late great grandfather in 1949 for some time now. His writing is on the back, so it was easy to discover what this painting was of – The covered bridge in Arlington, Vermont just in front of Normal Rockwell’s beloved home on the green. Above as it appears in our dining room, Below is a picture of the area now, and his painting up close. I recently had it matted, framed and glass covered for protection as it was in rough shape – it’s hard to get a photo of it without glare. The white house in the very background was his home.

Current….

And as my great grandfather saw it in 1949…

I hope to get up there in the near future to stand at this spot myself, with a nod to my deceased ancestor who did the very same. He and I have a similar painting style – not too detailed but the end result is pleasing to the eye, if not very professional or precise. Right now I’m reading Normal Rockwell’s autobiography and I look forward to the inevitable mention of his beloved home in Arlington.

11/28/1939-ORIGINAL CAPTION READS: Norman Rockwell, artist. Photo shows Rockwell painting with smoking pipe in his mouth.

Hopefully Getty Images folks own’t mind that I used their image.

I’ll leave you with a link to some scrumptious fall recipes from a favorite blogger of mine, Jane of Blondie’s Journal. Visit her post HERE. I’ve got the beef stew on my stove as I type this, and the other recipes will get a chance here at this old house as well. The stew is delish! Perfect for a cool fall evening.

Till soon, friends –

The Lights are on and Everyone’s HOME

When we bought this run down old farm, our goal was to restore it and create a family gathering place for many years to come. With our kids now grown and making their way in the world, tonight I see the bonfire up on the hill with the boy and his cousin and long time friends gathered round the fire once again as they have since their high school days, all college graduates and professionals living near and far. Next door, I see the lights on for the first time, my daughter and her boyfriend’s first night in their new home. I have a husband with vision and tenacity who saw this all through, and I’m grateful for every second of it. ♥

A little tour of the new home…

Wishing my daughter and her partner in life many happy years here!

While the new home owners were unpacking, the Mr. and I went down to Stella by the Sea to sit on her now vacant deck once again and enjoy the early fall breezes. (more like… he enjoyed the breezes and took a nap while I did laundry, picked tomatoes, dusted, vacuumed and packed away bedding for the coming winter months.)

I did manage to stick my feet in the water and absorb a little more Vitamin Sea.

The last of the seaside garden tomatoes… those four plants yielding more fruit than my 10 or so here on the farm – go figure.

I’m too exhausted by all the noise coming out of Washington to dive into it much here… – Bonfire of the Vanities – sums it up, new meaning of course.

Apple Slab Pie with Maple Icing – link HERE.

Till soon –

Fresh Salt

My gardens this year have been a bit of a mystery.

For one thing, the combination of some really intense rainstorms and some really humid days throughout the summer have produced an abundance of flowers and growth on all the perennials. I’ve also noticed the wild flowers/blooming weeds all along the roadsides seem to have multiplied tremendously, Queen Ann’s Lace and what I call black eyed susans in particular.

As for the vegetable gardens… well, despite my fortification attempts in the two large raised beds here on the farm…. all my tender care and raising from seedlings the tomato, eggplant, yellow squash, onion and yellow beans….they were a miserable lot. Having produced only a pathetic yield, I cannot tell you why. The only plants that were marginally happy in my farm garden this year were parsley and basil, zinnia and new-to-me Dahlia.

The SEASIDE cottage garden, however…. Stella’s little 1′ x 5 ‘ raised garden bed crammed up against the side of the house? The one we did almost NOTHING to coax? … has triple the yield, go figure. I’m thinking it must be the fresh salt air, the moisture off the water, and the fact that for hundreds of years, before the “island” became a 140 summer cottage retreat, it was a New England seaside cow farm. Lots and lots of old fertilizer makes really rich soil.

Despite that wicked heat and thunder storms, we’ve had some beautiful weather this summer. The family has been enjoying our little Stella by the Sea in between work and volunteer and farm obligations, and that brings me great joy.

As does a really good pound cake -Like this one found on the internet I’ll share below. I hope you’re having a good summer! I’m trying to look away from the ugly and look for more of the good. It is out there, we need to underline it, highlight it… celebrate what is beautiful, choose kindness and spread that shit like fairy dust wherever we can.

Old School Butter Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c cake flour

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

3 stick butter, unsalted (softened at room temp)

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp salt

6 large eggs

Directions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until mixture comes together.

2. Add sugar and extracts; beat until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, alternating with flours 1/2 cup at a time until all eggs and flours are used.

4. Transfer to a buttered, oiled and floured, 10-cup shaped pan such as bundt pan.

5. Place in cold oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until an inserted tester comes out clean about 1 1/2 hours.

6. Remove cake from pan. Let cool on wire rack.

Newport

We had two glorious weekend days, perfect weather for doing anything outside. We decided to hop in the truck with two of our four kiddos and head over to Newport, Rhode Island. What comes to mind for most people when they hear that destination are the famous mansions on Bellevue Avenue, also know as Mansion Row. Over the years we’ve taken a tour of many of them, including the Breakers, Rosecliff, Marble House and the estate of the eccentric Doris Duke. They are something to behold if you’re ever in the area.

On this trip, we went for the food, the shopping, and in search of a possible mantle for the kids future home. We didn’t find one that was reasonably priced or in great condition, but we had plenty of fun on the hunt. See the alligator statue in the pool?

The kids loved this table – it’s bigger than it looks in this photo. Each of those teak chairs were $450., so… you can imagine what the table goes for.

These benches were so comfortable and unique, I’d love to have one on the farm perhaps in the back yard near the garden, or down at Stella by the sea. The price tag put a squash on that idea – around $3,500.

We pulled out of that parking lot with a truck bed devoid of new furnishings, and headed downtown for a delicious meal and drinks at The Red Parrot.

It’s a beautiful thing when your kids bring into the fold another person who becomes a loved family member. The chocolate monkey drink is another beautiful thing on a warm summer day.

After a savory lunch of Sexy Steak Salad (that’s what they call it!) we walked out into the crowds and browsed the shops. Those fun buggies can be rented to cruise the area, but the traffic is so heavy I’d be nervous in such a small craft.

After the little bit of shopping ( we came away with a few bars of soap, how’s that for constraint) we appeased the menfolk with a tour of the car museum located near the Tennis Hall of Fame.

They don’t make them like they used to, the detail on these early autos is just stunning.

We stopped by the water just briefly so I could stick my feet in the water and soak up a little Vitamin Sea, and then we drove home in the expected summer traffic down I-95. It was a very good day indeed 🍹⚓🌞

A quick easy fun recipe to share with you, from a friends fb page… I made them yesterday, delish! Perfect summer dessert. I used a red Cabernet and red seedless grapes.

I hope all is well in your world, thank you for stopping by –

Gentle Ben

You know those really fun pictures that are shared sometimes … the little boy with the puppy.. accompanied by the next photo of the grown young man with the very same now-ancient dog?

Well let me tall ya, It ain’t so fun when it’s not just the dog who’s gotten OLD. BOY, what a difference 10 years makes. *sigh.

About dear Ben, our 11 year old Dane – according to the Vet, he’s ancient for a dog of his size. He used to be 190-ish on a chubby day, now around 150 with atrophy and a more careful diet. His heart is crapping out, but five pills a day are keeping it ticking for now. The hind end, though.. is what is betraying him mightily. We’ve built a ramp for him to use to get up into the house from the side porch steps and he spends more time sleeping than anything else. The vet assures us he’s not in pain, just extremely weak in the hind end due to some sort of failing nerve and muscle situation that is common in the large breed dogs in older age. He explained it well, but my half-assed hearing didn’t catch most of it and I didn’t want him to have to repeat himself.

PS… You can’t go into a bathroom up here in this old house without expecting you’ll have an audience when you come out, wondering what you were doing in there and why weren’t they invited?! This was the scene in front of the master bath after my shower this morning.

On occasion Ben looks like he’s ready to hang it up, and we all gather round with heavy hearts and tear streaked faces pondering what we should do next. And then he perks up again and we say… Not Today.

We take each day as it comes, and the vet says we’ll just know when it’s his time to leave us. So hard to watch them deteriorate, and then to lose these members of our family, well…most of you know the woe. The love and companionship they provide is immeasurable, and the heartache equally so. I can’t imagine my life without my animals in it, though, so it’s a price I’ll continue to pay for the bonds we share.

We’ve got a horse show in Massachusetts for the next four days – thankfully the weather won’t be GodAwful hot or freezing rain. In closing, here’s a drink recipe that looks particularly scrumptious that I plan to make on a cottage day this summer.

Coconut Cream and Lime Margarita

Ingredients

Kosher salt, grated lime zest and sugar for rimming glass
2 lime wedges
2 oz. (60 ml) coconut cream or cream of coconut
1 1/2 oz (45 ml) blanco tequila
1 oz. (30 ml) fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. (15 ml) Cointreau
1/4 oz. (7 ml) simple syrup

Directions

1. On a small plate, combine equal parts salt, lime zest and sugar and spread in an even layer. Gently rub 1 of the lime wedges around the rim of a rocks glass. Holding the base of the glass, dip the rim into the salt mixture. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Just before serving, fill the glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the coconut cream, tequila, lime juice, Cointreau and simple syrup. Cover, shake vigorously and strain into the ice-filled glass. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge. Serves 1.

What’s cookin

Do you have plans for Easter weekend? We’ve been so busy we haven’t given it much thought. Because I’m more of a spiritual soul, this weekend isn’t typically about a religious celebration here at this old house. For me it’s a time to celebrate the renewal that comes with Spring, and spoil my now-adult kids with a basket full of “stuff” – They will still find the big chocolate bunny and a few fluffy marshmallow peeps – and some summer clothing items and a kitchen gadget or two for their apartments, and something fun to remind them they were once my littles.

Speaking of my littles – my littlest – just celebrated his 23rd birthday – how.. did that happen? How time flies…

Me and my guys….

My favorite “peeps” in all the world right here….

For this weekend’s family gathering I’ll cook a meal for whomever in the family doesn’t have other places they need to be. On the menu for sure are a spiral ham, my very popular Martha’s Vineyard Scalloped Potatoes, given that name because we discovered the magnificently rich smokey flavor while at The Atlantic restaurant in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. I asked the chef to please tell me the secret to these most divine scalloped potatoes – and the answer was quick – a little chicken broth, smoked gouda and gruyere cheese, heavy cream. Slice the potatoes super thin. I incorporated all those tips into a basic recipe and it’s been a staple on our Easter dinner table ever since. The rest of my meal for this weekend has yet to be sorted out.

Two recipes I’ve tried in recent weeks were a big hit, so I’ll share them here with you. Now that I’m on a no sugar no dairy diet, not eating some of what I cook for this weekend is going to be a real challenge. I’m not big in the Willpower department, tis just my truth.

French Onion Chicken Meatballs – these sound weird, but trust me…. they are THE BOMB. Give them a go – fun to make, not complicated, and so freak’n delicious. The recipe has been shared on many sites, I’m not sure who the original is to be acknowledged.

**I double the recipe, they’re good enough that you’ll wish you did too. This is also my photo – I served them as a dinner with no extras, they’re hearty enough. Greens of your choice on the side would be perfect. You can of course serve wtih bread, pasta, or tuck them in a roll for a delicious meatball sandwich.

Ingredients

For the Carmelized Onions

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 white onions (about 2 pounds), sliced 1/4″ thick
1/4 dry white wine

For the Meatballs

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Caramelize the Onions

Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions (the pan will be very full). Cook the onions, stirring them occasionally, for about an hour or until they have turned a light golden-blonde colored. At this point, turn the heat to medium-low and keep cooking them, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and a deep golden brown in color, approximately 30 to 40 minutes longer.
Turn the heat back to medium and pour the wine into the pan with the onions. As it simmers, scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has cooked away transfer the onions to a clean plate.

Make the Meatballs

In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, pepper, and egg. Add the ground chicken and, using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix it with the breadcrumb and egg mixture just until combined.
Scoop approximately one ounce of the mixture to form the meatballs. You should be able to make 16 meatballs.
Once the onions are ready and you’ve removed them from the pan, add the olive oil to that same pan. Heat it over medium heat. Place the meatballs in a single layer and cook them until they are browned on all sides. Transfer them to a clean plate.

Make the Sauce

In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk it with the butter until combined. Add about a 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and, whisking continuously, combine it with the butter and flour. As you whisk you should be scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Whisking continuously, add the rest of the chicken stock. Bring the pan to a boil and cook the sauce for about five minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Add the caramelized onions and stir to combine. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Add the meatballs to the sauce and continue cooking the sauce until it’s glossy and thickened about five to ten minutes.
At this point, you can sprinkle the cheese over the meatballs and either cover the pan to melt the cheese or stick the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Garnish the meatballs with parsley, if using.

These lemon brownies are so lemony good – a perfect dessert selection for any Easter table. *this is not my photo – again internet grab.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE LEMON BROWNIES:

1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

FOR THE GLAZE:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with foil, and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the lemon juice. Add the flour and baking powder, and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Let lemon brownies cool for 10-15 minutes.
To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, then pour over the brownies, spreading evenly to coat. Let lemon blondies cool completely before slicing and serving.

I hope you have an enjoyable Easter weekend celebrating in the way that has most meaning for you – I’m off to market once I’ve settled on the menu for the coming weekend.

Till soon –