Each morning, I try to rise before my girls so I can enjoy some quality quiet time before the craziness of the day begins. It is during these darkened, wee hours of the morning that I try to make an effort to take in the surroundings of my home: The little left overs from the day before and the projects set up for the moments to come.
I hope each of you has a few spare seconds to take in your surroundings…before the craziness begins 🙂
My great-grandfather, Hans Jacob Untersee, arrived in The United States from Bern, Switzerland on June 8, 1922. Upon his arrival, he made his way to northern Illinois to find work so that he could send for his wife and children, who still remained in Switzerland. It was in northern Illinois that he established himself as a successful cheese maker, and was able to save enough money so that his family could join him in America.
Ever since my youth, I have been drawn to all aspects of my heritage. I love connecting to my ancestors, whether it is admiring old photographs, thinking of my grandfather while in my garden, or cooking family heirloom recipes.
About three years ago I stumbled upon Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and I must admit that that read greatly impacted my life. Her discussion of food as a connection to our ancestry drew me in like I never thought possible. It was while reading this book that I began to think of my Great Grandpa Untersee. He was a cheese maker by trade, why couldn’t I become a hobby cheese maker?
I used Barbra Kingsolver’s references in the back of her piece, and found Ricki Carroll’s website. I never looked back.
Yesterday we decided it had been far too long since we had made cheese, so we ventured to our local, natural grocer where we are able to purchase milk from a local source. We then busted out our New English Cheesemaking Supply Company cheese kit and got to work.
Here we are making a batch of ricotta cheese:
And here we are making mozzarella:
Hopefully Great Grandpa Untersee was looking down on us yesterday and smiling.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a bit of a crush on Jamie Oliver. In fact, this year our Thanksgiving meal featured all dishes we gathered from various Jamie Oliver cookbooks. I am just in love with his fresh approach to food, and that is why I find myself constantly reaching for one of his recipes time and time again when it comes to feeding my family.
My all time favorite cookbook of his is Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life. The cookbook is broken down by season, and also explains how he grows the many vegetables highlighted in the recipes.
Yesterday, when I looked out my kitchen window and saw all of those asparagus sprouts reaching out from beneath the soil, I knew it was time for my favorite spring soup. The recipe below is an adaptation of a recipe from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver.
1 1/2 lbs. asparagus (chopped)
2 white or yellow onions (chopped)
2 leeks (chopped)
2 celery stalks (chopped)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb fresh spinach
3 quarts stock (You can use any stock of your choice here, depending on your preference. The soup I made last night featured pork stock.)
salt and pepper to taste
Put the olive oil in a large stock pot and heat over medium to high heat. Then add your onions, leeks, and celery. Cook until the veggies are tender, but not browning. Add the chopped asparagus and spinach. Stir a bit more until the asparagus is warmed and the spinach begins to wilt. Then add your stock, cover the pot and turn down the heat. Let the mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Take the lid off and run an immersion blender through the soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
I normally then poach some fresh eggs and add those to the soup once it has been dished up.
Enjoy!
Yesterday I decided to have an impromptu rummage sale, so by the time the sale ended and the left over items were boxed up, it was dinner time and I had nothing in my arsenal ready to go. It was actually my oldest daughter who said, “I know Mom, we should have breakfast for dinner! It is fast, and my favorite!”
Well by golly that was a fabulous idea! So breakfast it was: pancakes, scrambled eggs and fruit salad. I have come to adore my pancake recipe, and I wanted to share it with you today. It takes under ten minutes from start to finish, so it is a perfect homemade dish to prepare when you are crunched for time.
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 T oil (I use an organic canola)
1 egg
1 cup milk
Enjoy!
Yesterday we enjoyed a fabulous day of gardening! We mapped out our 2012 garden beds, read a little bit about companion planting, and got our hands dirty. All the makings of a great day!
Here are some of our go-to books for gardening:
And if you are wondering about the girls’ sun dresses…I made them last summer from a pattern from Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule.
I hope all of you have a wonderful week!
This week I will remember…
~eating fresh asparagus from our garden…in March!
~listening to local farmers speak so passionately about being stewards of the land.
~tiny hands cutting fruits and vegetables.
~sweating, while in a sleeveless shirt, pulling weeds in my garden…again, in March!
~bird song drifting through my windows.
~raspberry green sun tea.
~eating outdoors for the majority of our meals this week.
~sharing a meal with my family at an amazing restaurant that serves delicious local food. Yum!
~searching for a great new read.
~my girls, sitting in their own petite rocking chairs, reading books for over an hour.
~exciting new changes coming about for our family.
I hope all of you had a great week! Enjoy your weekend!
As the rhubarb in my garden continues to flourish (despite the fact that it is only mid-March), I was reminded that I still have a bit of rhubarb frozen in my freezer from last spring. Last night I decided to make my all-time favorite rhubarb dish with some of last spring’s left overs.
This is an old recipe of my mom’s. I believe it is adapted from a recipe taken from a church cookbook of some kind, and it is just the most yummy dish imaginable!
Rhubarb Squares
2 cups flour
1 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
Blend well and press into an ungreased 9 X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
While that is baking, mix
2 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 salt
3-4 cups chopped rhubarb (depending on your love of rhubarb)
Once the crust is done baking, spoon this mixture on to the crust. Bake for another 35 -40 minutes.
I hope you enjoy this delicious early spring treat!
Yesterday my oldest daughter came to me and said, “This entire weekend has been a lamb weekend!” Although this winter has been extremely mild, and March came in much like a tame lion instead of a ferocious one, I would definitely agree with my daughter that this weekend marked the beginning of the “lamb time” of March!
We ventured outdoors and spend the large majority of our weekend there. We played, we organized, we made plans for summer. It was truly a wonderful weekend where we were able to feel the warmth of the sun our skin, and hope that this beautiful weather is here to stay.
I hope you all enjoy this Monday morning! Have a wonderful week!
Making of a Home 