A Beary Good Day

It is a beautiful spring day here in Charleston.  The temperature is in the low 80's, the humidity is low and the sun is shining so Bear decided he and I needed an adventure!

Bear in the car (harnessed in since he cannot stay in one place) ready to go!  Where are we going? Only Mom knows, or in this case wasn't quite sure at the start.

 Our adventure started near the Coast Guard station at the Battery in downtown Charleston.  By the time we walked to the High Battery (I think it is called that because it is higher than the rest of the Battery) Bear needed a rest.

When we got back to Whitepoint Park (at the tip of Charleston and where people actually watched the bombardment of Fort Sumter from) he was one thirsty dog.  Not sure if it was the stroll or the number of people who petted him that made him so thirsty!

Fortunately there is an unending supply of fresh water!  A nice man from Germany (at least that's where I think he was from) tried to take Bears picture but for once he was not interested.

After we finished our stroll (planned to tire him out slightly before we headed to the beach) we went to Folly Beach for some play time and more walking.  The super nose missed nothing!

I think he is either watching a bird or some children near by.  As you can see he enjoyed the ocean which is remarkably warm already!

On the way home we stopped at Crosby's fish market on Folly Road to pick up some fresh Mussels for dinner tonight.  Michael has a busy day today and I think a special meal is in order!  Right now Bear is laying at my feet fast asleep. Probably dreaming about our next adventure, I'm thinking another walk on the Battery is in order tomorrow!

The Garden

I am not the most talented gardener, most plants don't even want to come home with me for fear they will be promptly dead.  This year we moved the vegetables into containers which for the time being are vacationing out in the front yard where there is the most sun. 

Perhaps you remember the plants we bought last month

You didn't see them after they were re-potted.  The pots were a bargain at Big Lots!

There are actually 4 tomatoes hiding there!  Why the pictures don't look the way they look when I take them is beyond me!

Another tomato plant, no fruit yet but I think there are some buds there!  This is one strong plant...

The Thyme and Oregano, I have clipped much off them already and cooked with it.  Fresh herbs taste so much better.

The basil is another story....I bought this little planter with the seeds at the Dollar Store and it doesn't look good so far.  Guess we will be buying a basil plant...

And then we have Bear asking to be let in the house so he can go right back outside!

To end, a big hello to the readers in Russia who are out reading the US readers!  I hope you are enjoying this blog and the recipes!  Please leave some comments but most importantly Welcome!

Michaels Breakfast And Help From Bear

Good Morning!  Trying to be a good wife, I am making Michael a sausage and egg on one of the hard rolls I baked the other day.  I have an assistant....Bear.  The hubby is in the shower and I snuck into the office to check to see well, how many people looked at my blog yesterday.  In the meantime, my trusty sidekick keeps leaving guietly.  I know exactly what he is doing, he is out in the kitchen trying to figure out how to get the roll and the cooked sausage off the counter.  I finally had to put him in a down...sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't.
Well, time to finish cooking.  You know I will be well supervised!

Bears New Temporary Friend

Please let me introduce you to Dooley.  He is a 5 year old Labradoodle that we are fostering for a wonderful rescue called Daisy's Place, a group that devotes itself to Retrievers and mixes 6 years old and up.  Older dogs can be hard to find permanent homes for since so many folks are under the misconception that they don't have much time to live and really don't do anything.  I am here to tell you otherwise.  Before I adopted Bear, there was not a golden (or mix) that joined our family that was under the age of 8.  They were busy and Angel whom we adopted at 8 lived to be 16 and certainly got into her share of mischief!  You can visit the website at http://daisysplace.org.
Dooley is one big hunk of love! Even though he has the poodle coat he has a Lab personality and certainly a Lab rudder tail! He likes playing with tennis balls, wrestling with Bear, chasing Bear, being chased by Bear, napping by Bear, following Michael around, following me around, following Bear around. No, we do not need to adopt him.  If you have ever considered fostering for a rescue or shelter, you should do it.  Yes, it can be difficult to let them go (sometime) but you have given a dog a chance at life!

A Rainy Day

Well, thankfully the most of Irene we are going to see are Tropical Storm strength winds and rain.  For us that also means the backyard will probably flood at high tide.  For Bear that means no back yard once it starts to flood.  There is a tidal marsh next to and behind our home, it is absolutely beautiful but, its part of the yard.



Bear waiting for his bath

  About 2 years ago we had a major rainstorm which hit at the same time lunar high came.  We had Bear and the foster dog who's name we refuse to speak (a whole story on its own).  I was cooking in the kitchen and the dynamic duo were romping around the back yard having a grand old doggy playtime.  I would glance out once in a while to make sure they were okay but apparently I didn't check often enough to notice the tide quickly creeping into the yard.  The two of them had pretty much killed almost all the grass so all that was left in many part was this kind of marshy dirt.  Well, they noticed the water, but more they noticed the mud.  When I found them they were extremely happy and extremely muddy.  They had pluff mud from the tip of their tails to their noses.   Golden fur can hold a lot of mud!  Truth be told, as unhappy as I was having to give the two of them baths, I couldn't stop laughing.  They were so ridiculously thrilled with being wet and covered with mud...life is good if you are a golden.

Comfort Food

Bear somewhat patiently waiting for a snack

Yesterday we craved comfort food or as Michael calls it Diner Food.  I had taken some chicken breasts out of the freezer before I went to work and defrosted them in the fridge.  After I got home in the afternoon I started cruising the internet looking for something different.  My cooking searches usually start with what I have for example yesterday I typed in chicken breast bacon ricotta.  Nothing looked even tempting, they were mostly tasty suggestions but not what I had in mind (or necessarily on hand) so I asked Michael what he felt like eating.  His only request was mashed potatoes and from there dinner progressed.  We enjoy cooking together and my husband makes fabulous mashed potatoes.  They are light, creamy and lump less.  I peeled and boiled, he mashed and whipped (with Bear guarding him carefully the entire time).  In the end we wound up with chicken breasts roasted with carrots, onions and garlic, succotash (which Michael had made Sunday evening while I was at work), the fantastic mashed potatoes and gravy.  I am addicted to gravy and would probably eat it every day given the chance.  I am of the opinion that there is an art to making gravy, it takes time and patience, gravy cannot nor should it be rushed!

Roast Chicken Breast

2          Chicken breasts
1/2       medium onion, roughly sliced
2          carrots, chopped in what ever style you like (not too large or they will not cook correctly)
1 Tbs  olive oil
1 tsp    kosher salt
1 tsp    freshly ground black pepper
1         garlic clove minced

Pre-heat oven to 350, place chicken in oven safe roasting pan, spread onions, carrots and garlic over and around chicken.  Sprinkle all with salt, pepper and olive oil, making sure to get them on the veggies also.  Roast in oven about 1 hour or until carrots and chicken are cooked.  Remove from pan.

Gravy

Roasting pan with drippings and veggies
1 Tbs  corn starch
water (I cannot give you a measurement on this one)

Place pan with drippings over medium heat and add the cornstarch.  Stir and cook for a few minutes.  When it gets thick start adding water.  Lower heat to high simmer, continue stirring and adding water.  I usually cook the gravy for at least 10 minutes, stirring and adding water until it reaches my desired consistency.  Now some folks like thick gravy, some like thin gravy and others prefer in the middle somewhere.  I am a middle of the road kind of gal but you decide for yourself what you like.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. 

I was thinking before we started to eat, we should take a picture but, we were both famished and couldn't wait long enough to take the picture.  I than thought, perhaps take a picture of our empty plates but we decided a picture of Bear would have to do today.  This meal definitely required a long walk afterwards for the 3 of us!

The Need To Knead

               Look into my eyes...you are feeling sleepy...the dog needs a snack..give the dog some bread

For those of you visiting here from J's blog, you know this face!  For those of you who are not from http://www.365dollaryear.blogspot.com, this is Bear our 4 year old rescued Golden.  Bear is obsessed with bread which is why his picture is on the blog today!  It doesn't matter if its in the very early stages of being made, raising or just sitting on the counter, I must be making it just for him.  We first noticed his interest in bread the second day he was with us when he jumped up and casually borrowed a slice of bread out of the toaster.  At first we thought it was just a dare to see if he could counter surf and get away with it.  Later, we discovered it was much more than that when he sneakily stole an entire loaf of freshly baked oatmeal bread off the back corner of the counter and proceeded to attempt to covertly consume the entire thing before even we had a slice from it.  He has a broad range of taste in bread and enjoys everything from grocery store white to oatmeal molasses raisin.  Just last week I found him in the kitchen sitting, staring at the top of the refrigerator where the  kaiser rolls had been carefully placed for safekeeping.

I sit here this morning attempting to resist the urge to bake bread but the kitchen and the siren calls of kneading and then later the wonderful aroma that fills the house keep tempting me.  I first tried baking my own bread last year.  Trust me it wasn't for health reasons, it was a challenge for me.  I was afraid to do it and I needed to get over it.  I started with a white bread recipe I had found on http://www.epicurious.com, it was an interesting try and turned out well.  For me the fear was having the bread dough stuck to the counter.  This was what had happened on my pie crust attempt (something I have yet to retry).  I had pie crust firmly attached to the counter and the rolling pin. It was a mess and scarred me.  I was terrified of making anything gooey that I had to either roll or knead.    I moved on from there to a wheat bread, then an oatmeal bread, a oatmeal molasses raisin bread and finally last weeks kaiser rolls.  I am still and always will be an amateur bread maker but, I am willing to try just about any recipe.

What about you?  Do you have a fear of bread or do you knead away happily?

Humble Beginnings

My frugal food adventure started from necessity.  I enjoy cooking, my husband enjoys eating and there is not a great deal of extra cash.  I was attempting to feed both of us healthier inexpensive meals without the boredom of eatting the same foods day in and day out.  How much chicken can you eat?  I needed a way to use less expensive healthy foods and have them taste different.  To exite our taste buds and to experience new and different cuisines without breaking the bank.  And so the journey started.

I must admit I was inspired by my daughter who blogged last year at 365dollaryear.blogspot.com. .  Granted, she is mostly a vegan and we do like our meat and fish but, if she could live such a simple food life what could I learn from her?

So here I am wanted to share my adventure with you and asking you to share with me.