Monday, February 25, 2013

Corn and Potato Frittata



For those of you that raise chickens with extra eggs on hand, we can all appreciate recipes that use up our eggs in delicious ways. This frittata recipe is easy, quick and makes a tasty supper. It's also a great way to use up leftover corn or potatoes.



This recipe comes from The Fresh Egg Cookbook: From Chicken to Kitchen, Recipes for Using Eggs from Farmers' Markets, Local Farms, and Your Own Backyard by Jennifer Trainer Thompson.


Corn and Potato Frittata

Ingredients:


  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 scallions (green and white parts), chopped
  • 1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups corn kernels
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup coarsely shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley




the green onions came from the tops of the onions growing in my garden


Directions:

  • Position an oven rack 3 inches from the broiler and preheat.
  • Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic, scallions, potato, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. 


  • Cover and cook for 5 minutes, resisting the urge to stir. Remove the lid, flip the mixture so the other side can brown, and then cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the corn and cook for a few minutes longer, to heat through.



Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, then add the cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet, stirring just to mix with the potatoes. 


Cook without stirring (shaking occasionally to loosen it) until the bottom is golden but the top is still runny, 8 to 10 minutes. Finish the frittata by placing it under the broiler and cooking about 2 minutes until the top is golden and set. Slide onto a serving plate (or you can keep it in the skillet, like me!).






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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Day Trip of the Month: Historic Salisbury



Salisbury, North Carolina is a feast for the eyes in all things historic. One of the older established towns in the state, Salisbury enjoyed prominence and growth during the Colonial era as a center of trade and later on in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries continued its prominence in the areas of business and manufacturing. I would highly recommend visiting one of Salisbury's local museums or historic sites if you visit this town (http://www.historicsalisbury.org/landmarks.htm).

Downtown Salisbury contains a whopping thirteen National Register historic districts, and its neighborhoods full of antebellum estates, graceful Victorians, Colonial Revival's, charming bungalows, and vernacular cottages are delightful to walk through. The downtown offers great shopping and dining, and you can't beat the amazing variation of architecture.

Here are a few photos I snapped while there:





Innes Street


Holmes Place


Rowan County Courthouse


Kress Plaza- in process of rehabilitation

corner of Main and 11th Streets

Salisbury also has one of the best custom brick manufacturers in the country--making bricks the old-fashioned way--by throwing them into wooden molds before the firing process. The Old Carolina Brick Company, producers of fine handmade brick, has a variety of brick colors and patterns but can also custom match the brick that you need. This is especially nice for rehabilitation or reconstruction projects.


Have any of you ever visited Salisbury or taken any day trips lately to somewhere interesting?



Saturday, February 16, 2013

Starting Seeds Indoors & a DIY Grow Light Tutorial



It's time to start seeds indoors already! (At least here in NC it is). We started seeds for several varieties of vegetables a couple of weeks ago and they are coming up nicely. We have seeds planted for tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, cilantro, broccoli and kale. For those of you wanting to start your garden seeds indoors, do you know you can make your own grow light for a mere $20?



That's right--a cheap grow light made from PVC pipe, a fluorescent light, and metal hooks that can be taken apart or disassembled when not in use!


Here is what you will need:

- PVC pipe (three 1/2"x10')
- hand or chop saw
- 1/2" PVC corners (6)
- 1/2" PVC tees (2)
- 48" dual tube fluorescent light with included chains (runs about $12)
- appropriate fluorescent tubes (2)
- J hooks and nuts (2) for securing lamp into PVC piping
- drill and drill bits

For starting seeds:

- seed starting trays or pots
- soil
- pencil
- seeds
- towel
- water in spray bottle

Here is what you will need to do:

The stand can be assembled in two sections, the base and the hanger. The base is just a rectangle made with two 50" and four 12" lengths of 1/2" PVC pipe, assembled with four 1/2" corner connectors and two 1/2" tees. The long side of the rectangle must be slightly longer than the light fixture, so if you choose a different size light, scale this dimension appropriately.



The pipes should fit snugly into the connectors, so no glue is needed to hold the whole thing together.


The finished stand is shown below. The open hole of the tees should point up in order to receive the riser pipes.



The hanger is shown below. The risers (top and bottom of the picture) can be cut to whatever length needed to hang the light at the desired height. I chose 3 feet, but later cut some shorter risers so that the light can hang closer to the seedlings. One to two feet should be plenty for shallow seed trays. The cross bar (the part that supports the light fixture) should be the same length as the longer side of your base (50" in this case). Two corner connectors hold the whole hanger together.



You can hang the light on the cross bar however you prefer, but J hooks were cheap and keep the fixture securely in place. Simply measure the distance between where the chains connect to your light fixture and drill two vertical holes (slightly larger than the diameter of the bolt portion of the J hook) centered that distance apart in the cross bar. Throw a nut on each J hook and you're ready to assemble everything.


Push the ends of the riser into the open holes of the tees in the base, and then hang the light fixture by the included chains. That's it! Should take 30 minutes or less. The nice thing about this setup is that it can be easily customized to your particular needs. With two more tees added to the base, another hanger can be added to accommodate a second fixture. Since you didn't have to glue it together, the whole thing can be disassembled and stored under a bed or in a closet at the end of the growing season.



To start the seeds, use high quality potting soil or organic compost with soil and place in seed starting trays (we used the Jiffy trays with the plastic tops and recycle them each year).

I use a pencil eraser to push a little indention into each seed container, then drop a seed or two in each one. Make sure and keep a list or diagram handy to write down what seeds you have placed where. Cover seed holes back with soil and water well.



Place under grow light and monitor growth (we also kept a towel underneath our seed trays). Water every day so that soil doesn't dry out (or use a self-watering seed starting tray). We keep the grow light on the seedlings about 16 hours per day with the help of a three-prong light timer.

You may have to give it several days to germinate before you see growth, so be patient! Before too long we will have to transplant these to bigger pots, and then out to our cold frame, and then finally into the ground when it is warm enough.


Are any of your starting your seeds indoors this year?






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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Valentine's Dinner



We hosted a Valentine's dinner for some of the couples from our small group at church today. I love hosting get-togethers and I actually really enjoy putting together the details of a nice meal. We had so much fun that I'm not sure I will ever want to go out for Valentine's Day again--this might have to be an annual tradition :)



On the menu included:

-Cheese fondue with bread, vegetables, and fruit for dipping
-Stuffed chicken breasts
-Roasted asparagus
-cheesy scalloped potatoes
-Chocolate souffle with caramel sauce
-Chocolate covered strawberries




I tried something a little unusual and used a vintage pink chenille bedspread for a tablecloth.






Wanting to keep things simple, I limited the decorations to candles in pewter candlesticks and baby's breath in small glass bottles. To dress things up, I used my good white china and crystal glasses.



For a simple favor I decided to place a handwritten love quote at each seat. All the quotes are verses from the Bible referencing love, and I made everyone read theirs aloud before we began our meal. I know, I'm sentimental.


I meant to get photos of the food and friends enjoying our dinner, and I completely forgot! I guess we were having to much fun :)


Wising you a very Happy Valentine's Day from my roost to yours!

XOXO,




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