Perfect summer recipe… ROASTED CORN SALAD!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Roasted Corn Salad, recipe by Cooking Light

This has been a favorite in our house for many years now, it’s quick to make and takes full advantage of all mother nature has to offer… you can make it your own by tossing in anything else that sounds tasty. The recipe calls for white balsamic vinegar, I used regular and it was fine. This salad side dish goes well with anything, and is best served at room temperature or warm. Often times I’ll make it early in the day so the house stays cool, then just take it out of the fridge for a little while, that works! This is a recipe from Cooking Light magazine… tasty!

Here’s the link to where it’s easy to print, otherwise, below is the recipe… ENJOY! ROASTED CORN SALAD   (Cooking Light)  YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup chopped seeded tomato
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Combine corn and 1 teaspoon oil in a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
  • Combine 2 teaspoons oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl; add corn mixture, stirring well. Stir in tomato, bell pepper, and onions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooking Light
JULY 1998

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A fabulous fresh ROSEMARY dry rub… grill today!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Image: http://en.wikipedia.org

Ahhh Rosemary… a heavenly spice that we see planted around Charleston, SC as shrubs in some cases… it grows easily and is tasty in many ways. Today, I’m going to share a dry marinade (rub) that I got out of Williams-Sonoma GRILLING cookbook about ten years ago. It’s one we’ve made many times and it’s a keeper!

DRY MARINADE FOR LAMB, BEEF and CHICKEN:
Rub the meat lightly with oil before coating with the marinade. Made with fresh herbs these marinades keep (tightly covered) up to 3 days in the refigerator. If made with dried herbs, they’ll keep several weeks, in an airtight container in the cupboard.
2 tablespoons chopped FRESH rosemary OR 2 teaspoons  DRIED rosemary
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
finely grated zest of one lemon or lime
 
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl, after you lightly oil the meat pat on the dry rub. Grill to perfection. Your eyes will bug out of your head. It truly will be that good!
 
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Basil, my most used herb…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Image: HerbGardening.com

Basil is such an all purpose herb. I use it lots, not only in spaghetti sauce, but in salads and sandwiches. Basil is easy to find and just as easy to grow. I buy a small plant at the grocery store for a few bucks and it turns into a massive bush. Don’t let it flower, cut the leaves before that happens and USE IT! Make pesto, make a sandwich on a baguette with fresh mozarella, tomato and basil piled high, it’s so refreshing… another idea is a caprese salad… slice fresh tomatoes and some fresh mozarella. I put it in a plate alternating the mozarella and tomato with some basil tucked beside each, drizzle with a little olive oil, a light sprinkle of S&P and whoa! You have yourself the most delightful little salad!

ENJOY!
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… JULIA NICHOLS!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: JMNichol.com

On our first visit to Maine, many years ago, we met a wonderful artist. We were at the fall L.L. Bean Art Show in Freeport, ME. The show was huge, with many great artists, but one stood out… her name? JULIA NICHOLS. Check out her website (click HERE). Her paintings are so DIFFERENT, so fantastic… we loved one that was of a road on Monhegan Island with two walkers. It reminded us of, well… US! We called her the following year to see if we could stop by and see some of her work, and guess what? We did and that painting was still available! We bought it, had the best visit and still love to follow her work. Check out Julia’s website, and if you’re in Yarmouth, Maine, give her a call! She’s as nice as they come!

Catch you back here tomorrow!
 
Also… Http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Turmeric… a powerful spice against cancer?

On By Barbara StroudIn HEALTH, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: Blog.WholeFoodsMarket.com

Today’s cancer tip is from a great magazine article “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” by Prevention Magazine!

Turmeric

Found in curry powder, this spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory available today. It encourages cancer cell death, inhibits tumor growth, and even enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Some research shows that turmeric is most effective in humans when it’s mixed with black pepper and dissolved in oil (olive or canola, preferably). In store-bought curry mixes, turmeric represents only 20% of the total, so it’s better to obtain ground turmeric directly from a spice shop.

How to Use It: Mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with a teaspoon of olive oil and a generous pinch of ground black pepper and add to vegetables, soups, and salad dressings. Use a tablespoon if you already have cancer.

Whoa! Worth a shot wouldn’t you say? I know they make capsules that contain Turmeric, Black Pepper and Olive Oil… another thing worth trying if the actual taste isn’t quite your thing?

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Woohoo Mom… Keep on hanging in there! Love you!… me

[Recipe]: Blueberry Pie… FULL of antioxidants, right??

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, RecipeLeave a comment

Oh what a beautiful sight this is! Don’t you agree? I read an interesting article from the Blueberry Council (www. Blueberrycouncil.com) regarding all the good things that blueberries do for our bodies… after reading this and after walking through Whole Foods and seeing that blueberries were on sale I took it as a sign… A sign to make a nice “healthy” blueberry pie… ok, not sure about the healthy part, but I’m thinking it couldn’t have been too bad? First some blueberry facts, then a quick and easy blueberry pie recipe… Oh, I’m telling you that pie was so good… it’s almost time for another! I feel like my antioxidant level is low (hee hee)… unfortunately, I took a picture of the pie BEFORE I cut it, but never got around to snapping a photo afterwards… darnit! Live and learn… hmmm, a sign to make another pie?

First the facts:

Blueberries have only 80 calories/cup, and are virtually fat free.

They’re an excellent source of Vitamin C.

Blueberries are a great source of fiber.

Blueberries contain substances that have antioxidant properties… antioxidants help neutralize free radicals which are unstable molecules linked to the development of a number of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and other age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease. According the USDA database of antioxidant activity of selected foods, blueberries rang among the highest on a per serving basis. Substances in blueberries called polyphenols, specifically anthocyanins that give blueberries their blue hue, are the major contributor to the antioxidant activity of blueberries! Thank you Blueberry Council for your information!

Now… on to the recipe. I tried a simple recipe out of Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I used more blueberries than it called for which was why mine was a tad on the runny side. These were sweet blueberries, so I could have used even less sugar. I don’t care for cinnamon in my blueberry pie, it’s a deal breaker… so I used a tiny bit of lemon zest. I like it pure… just blueberries! I didn’t have time to make a pie crust, so I used a Pillsbury pie crust that you buy in the refrigerated section at the grocery store. It’s closest to homemade, I won’t use any other. HOWEVER, if you have a good crust recipe and the time… good crust always trumps store bought, even if it is close…

Because mine was a tad runny (and partially because I couldn’t wait for it to cool, hee hee) I went ahead and scooped out about ½ cup of juice, put it in a container and the next week we had a small scoop of vanilla ice cream with heated blueberry sauce on top… YUM!

Ok, ok… quit talking… now the recipe!

BLUEBERRY PIE

1 double crust pie crust (store bought or homemade)

5 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2/3 – 3/4 cup sugar (depending upon how sweet the blueberries are)

3 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons (I used maybe one if that) finely shredded lemon peel

Directions…

Prepare the pie crust. Line a 9” pie plate with half the pastry.

In a large bowl combine the sugar and flour. Stir in blueberries and lemon peel. Gently toss berries until coated. (If using frozen blueberries, let mixture stand for 45 minutes or until fruit is partially thawed but still icy.)

Transfer berry mixture to the pastry lined pie plate. Trim bottom pastry to edge of pie plate. Now place top crust on filling and seal. Crimp the edge together. Cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375˚oven for 25 minutes (or 50 minutes for frozen fruit). Remove foil. Bake another 25-30 minutes (watch it closely, mine doesn’t take this long), OR until filling is bubbly and pastry is golden brown. (Always a good idea to place it on a foil lined cookie sheet in case it bubbles over).

Cool on wire rack (good luck to ya!)

Hope you enjoy! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… KEN AUSTER!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: NewMastersGallery.com

This weeks artist to watch… KEN AUSTER. Extremely talented… He has a wonderful website, check it out, (click HERE). This painting is entitled “GOT WATER?” – I love the names of his paintings! This is so simple yet so elegant. SIMPLY amazing for sure. This painting is at the New Masters Gallery located in Carmel, CA. I know last time we were in San Francisco we stopped at the Thomas Reynolds Gallery hoping to see his work, but when we arrived they were closed for lunch, so it didn’t work out that year, maybe next time we visit! If you get a chance, check out Ken’s work. I think you will be equally impressed.

Catch you back here tomorrow!
 

PANERA update… (thank you Mollly!)

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD2 Comments
Image: PaneraBread.com

An update from a reader on the Panera Chicken Soup debacle… apparently, when you speak someone actually IS listening (woohoo to Panera for that!)… This was a comment on a previous post from Molly (thank you Molly!!):

Has everyone seen that they are making changes to the soup to make it more like the old one now! I hope “heartier with more noodles and carrots” basically just means bringing back the old one? Anyway, here is what is currently posted on the Panera Facebook page by Dan Kish, Panera’s head chef:

“I’m Dan Kish, Panera’s head chef. I want to update everyone on some new developments with our all-natural Chicken Noodle Soup. We are closely monitoring the conversations on this tab and all conversations on our Facebook page, as well as listening to what our guests are saying in our bakery-cafes. While we’re happy to know that many of you like the change in our soup, we do understand that some of you preferred our old recipe.

We believe that continuing to provide great soups to our guests means remaining flexible and open to suggestions. While we remain committed to our new low-fat all-natural recipe that many of you have commented on, we wanted to act on the suggestions from many of you to make the Chicken Noodle Soup heartier with less broth and more noodles and carrots.

These changes may take a month or so to begin to make their way into each bakery-cafe. We’ll be sure to let you know when it’s available throughout the country so you can stop by and ask for a sample. In the meantime, we respect how passionate our fans are and appreciate you telling us how you feel. We are listening. ”

Woooooo-hooooo!!!!

Wooooo-hooooo is right Molly… let’s hope! If nothing else, it’s a step in the right direction! THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR UPDATE!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Happy Father’s Day!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment
My dad… (Joe Fidler, and my mom, Sheila, peeking through on the left)

Happy Father’s Day dad! I love, love, love this picture of you! Great smile, great time we had on Monhegan Island, ME. I love you for all you’ve done for me. You’ve taught me many things, you have said wise things (that I didn’t think were so wise at the time, but I realize now, you WERE right, hey, it happens, ha ha…). A few things that come to mind… when I no longer wanted to take piano lessons, and I asked you WHY I needed to know how to play the piano. You told me so that I could play for myself, I didn’t like that answer, so you told me I could play at parties… hmmm, closer, but nah… I could live without that noteriety, ha… damn, I wish I never stopped taking lessons, way too hard when you’re older. I remember I didn’t want to go to bed one night and you told me, one day you’re going to WANT TO SLEEP… I thought you had lost your marbles. Who wants to go to bed early, I couldn’t wait to grow up so I could stay up… yep, that’s me, I stay up till 9:00, well most nights! Darn if you weren’t right again! I was very fortunate to grow up with such a cool dad that taught me so many things as I watched YOU do so many things (photography and developing, that was TOO COOL, painting…, rock polishing, wine making, canoe building, wooden ornament making and the list goes on and on and on… you are so interesting to be around because you are so interested in everything. I remember how I used to love to stand on your feet and dance, do you remember that? Cruising Georgian Bay on a sailboat… heaven, at least from a kids perspective! North Star Sail Club, WOW, now THOSE were fun times! Moving to Algonac and living on the river… ABSOLUTE HEAVEN! Thank you for all you have done. I love you with all my heart…

 
Fred’s dad, Carlisle, I call him DC…

And a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to you DC! We thank you for all you do for us, all you help us learn, for helping us to keep our house in working order and for showing us how to do oh so many things. We appreciate it more than you can ever know! You’re the best. Fred was also lucky to grow up with such a great dad (and mom!), who camped, fished, went to horse shows and did so much together. I join Fred in thinking you are a wonderful man and we love you!

 
I hope all you Father’s out there have a wonderful day, and to those of you who aren’t Father’s, be a mentor to someone… you don’t have to be an actual “father”… go celebrate yourself!
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Funny sign Saturday…

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
"The Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. Painted c.1503-6. Oil paint on wood. Size: 30x20" (77x53cm). This famous painting is now in the collection of the Louvre in Paris.

 Here are some fun facts from www.socialstudiesforkids.com regarding Mona Lisa:

The famous painting done by Leonardo Da Vinci that everyone calls the Mona Lisa is not really called that. Its real title is La Gioconda.

The woman in the painting was the wife of a man named Francesco del Gioconda, and so the painting was titled, by its creator La Gioconda. It was known for a time as the Madonna Lisa, which probably explains why it has its present name.

Leonardo created this painting over many years, beginning in 1503. When he finished it is debated by historians. During this time, he also was painting many other things, building sculptures, and making new inventions.

As for her famous smile, art historians still debate why she is smiling and what that smile represents. Everyone who sees the painting probably has his or her own ideas.

One last thing: Did you ever notice that the woman in this most of paintings has no eyebrows? It’s true. Look closely. Women at that time were considered more beautiful if they had their eyebrows shaved.

Catch you back here tomorrow!!

Artist to watch… Aleksander Titovits!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: EllaRichardson.com

Aleksander Titovits. A Russian artist with such talent. This is an artist that we’ve been following for quite some time now. His snow scenes intrigue me… maybe because I grew up in Michigan, with snow, and for the past 22 years have lived where you can literally count the snowflakes… his snow scenes make you feel as if YOU. ARE. THERE. I love the warmth in this one, that perfect golden light that makes everything look just right. Aptly named WARM EVENING, this painting is another example of the talent that exudes from Titovits. In Charleston his work is shown at the Ella Richardson Gallery. In Austin, Tx his work is shown at the Gallery Shoal Creek, they have a nice bio on Aleksander, very interesting (click HERE to read).

Something I learned while researching for this post… Did you know that Aleksander was commissioned to paint Laura Bush’s portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery? Click HERE to read a fabulous article about the unveiling…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

GINGER… todays cancer prevention tip…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com

Big, beautiful ginger. Ok, so ginger doesn’t win any beauty contests, but what it does to your body is all good stuff. This is straight from an article from Prevention Magazine, “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” . Here goes…

GINGER

Fresh ginger, or gingerroot, is a powerful anti-inflammatory that combats certain cancer cells and helps slow tumor growth. A ginger infusion can also alleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

How to Use It: Add grated fresh ginger to a vegetable stir-fry or fruit salad. Or, make an infusion by slicing a 1-inch piece of ginger and steeping it in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes; drink hot or cold.

Oh, there is nothing better than fresh ginger. It livens up a stirfry, oooh, the shrimp and broccoli stirfry… the steak, mushroom and bok choy stir fry… just to name a few (click on names for recipes). It’s FABULOUS in green tea… any time I’m under the weather I make green tea with sliced fresh ginger, let it steep for a while, then add honey and lemon. Mmmm, good!

These Thursday cancer tip posts are dedicated to my mom… going through chemo right now, bless her heart. Thoughts and prayers always appreciated! She’s a strong lady! I love you mom!

Catch you back here tomorrow…

For dinner tonight… chicken pita with tzatziki!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Chicken Pita with Tzatziki

This is such a quick and fabulous meal! Perfect for those hot days when you want to get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. You can also add whatever you like, add onions, olives, cheese, you could use steak instead of chicken, endless possibilities, so see what you have hanging out in your fridge and toss this together, sit down and enjoy!!

CHICKEN PITA WITH HOMEMADE TZATZIKI

2 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
1-2 T Lime Juice (more or less to taste)
2 Fresh good pitas
1 Tomato, chopped

Tzatziki: 1 cucumber, greek yogurt, some garlic, fresh or dried dill and a splash of lemon juice.

In a skillet with olive oil (or canola) sauté the chicken, when its close to being done cut it up (while it’s still in the pan) into bite size pieces (I use scissors, it’s much quicker), then continue to cook until just about done. Squeeze the lime juice over the chicken in the skillet, and cook until absorbed. This makes the chicken turn a beautiful golden brown color. You can also throw in some onions if so inclined..

Finely chop up a cucumber with seeds removed, add to plain greek yogurt with fresh or dried dill and a splash of lemon (squeeze a wedge). You can use a microplane to get a little (or a lot) of garlic added, stir it together and set aside while you assemble the pita.

I like the pita heated. It’s not necessary, just a personal preference. I heat the pita wrapped in wax paper and a tiny sprinkle of water and put in microwave just until warm. Take it out and place one pita on each plate, put chicken on top, cut up tomatoes, a spoonful of tzatziki, some black pepper and a sprinkle of dill. 
Oh la la….  ENJOY!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Guy Corriero!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments
Image: WiscassetBayGallery.com

Artist to watch… Guy Corriero! This painting, ROUGE WAVE, is out of this world! The colors of the water are spot on, the movement is fantastic, you can feel it, you can even smell the salt in the air. Ok, maybe I exaggerate a little, but I swear I can even HEAR these waves crashing. What caught my eye on this particular painting was how the light hit the waves and how part of the painting is in shadow. So interesting!  I ran across Guy Corriero’s paintings at Wiscasset Bay Gallery, one of my favorite galleries! Keith Oehmig has such a wonderful selection of art, surely everyone could walk out with something to treasure forever! If you get a chance check out Wiscasset Bay Gallery (www.wiscassetbaygallery.com) and check out Guy’s work!

Catch you back here tomorrow!
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Y’all, it’s HOT, this will help keep you cool!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: GarnetHill.com

It seems that we went from winter to summer all in the snap of a finger. Cool one day and *POOF* hotter than Haiti the next! Well, this is for the ladies… I cannot sleep if I’m hot. Even though the AC is running (bless its little heart) and the fan is blowing if you don’t have the right sleepwear you can work yourself up into a frenzy! I ran across this from Garnet Hill (I. LOVE. GARNET. HILL!). I read the reviews about this “Flutterby gown” and they were ahhhh-mazing! Most said that this was PERFECT for the Southern summer climate… woohoo… cool to sleep in, whaaaat? That’s it!! Like an infommercial junkie I was sold, and ordered it tuit de suite! It arrived a few days later and woohoo I am in heaven! So if you’re looking for a gift to give someone who’s hot (ha ha)… this is the ticket!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

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