~Flowers~

Beginning last weekend our weather has been ideal!  Spending time outside is just the best!  Any time I am driving/walking back home or just walking around our yard the brightly colored Zinnias that are surrounded by other flowers...are blossoming!  The Zinnias were started from seed, again this spring - three different sizes.  However, this year new seeds were purchased. 

 

An added plus to their presence is that the Monarch Butterflies are attracted to these gorgeous flowers on any side of our yard.

Close up!

Again this year (as in the past) during the fall season, I'll save the Zinnia seeds, dry and store them to plant next spring.

 

That is one great tradition that I always...

 

Enjoy!

UPDATE:  8/28/12 

The Butterflies that enjoy our Zinnias are Painted Lady Butterflies, not Monarch Butterflies.  See Post "The Painted Lady" on August 28, 2012.

~JG     

Shredded Pork Rolls – Yum!

After having a yearn for and then making Cole Slaw, it brought back memories. A few years ago my family stopped in The Village Smokehouse in Brookline, MA (near Boston). My sons had Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Cole Slaw. Pulled Pork was new to me and it looked so good served on a bun. The aroma was great!

After returning home I located a recipe on-line that Sara Moulton had presented on her cooking show. Now, Sara Moulton has introduced me to some good recipes! After making her Shredded Pork I knew that I would surprise my sons!

The next time my younger son was home for a mini vacation, I made Sara’s recipe. On the afternoon he headed back to the city, we had Shredded Pork topped with a dollop of Sour Cream on a Water Roll. It was easy and it tasted so good before we got in our car and headed south for the train station. This became a tradition - the best!

Below is Sara Moulton’s recipe that my family has enjoyed now for many years. I use Garlic Powder and Dehydrated Onions, so I combine Step #1 and Step #2 and omit the Olive Oil.

Shredded Pork – Sara Moulton

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons ketchup-style chili sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (12-ounce) pork tenderloin, halved crosswise – ( I also cut in large chunks.)

Directions
1. Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 3 to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except pork, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.
3. Add pork and simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes.
4. Transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board.
5. When pork is cool enough to handle, shred lengthwise with your fingers or 2 forks and add to sauce. Simmer, stirring, just until pork is heated through.
6. Serve on a Water Roll topped with Sour Cream.

Have you ever tried it? When everything is in the pot simmering, your kitchen will smell so good! An extra napkin or two is needed, but it is worth it! We will be enjoying this before the Super Bowl! I already made the Cole Slaw!

Enjoy!

Yummy!

Plan B to the Rescue!

Last Sunday afternoon I was determined to try a new muffin recipe. The Applesauce Oatmeal Raisin Muffin batter was placed in the muffin liners. My timer buzzed, so I KNEW that my oven was pre-heated and the muffin tray could go in.

My oven takes 20 minutes to pre-heat, so that is my time frame to work fast and get the food ready for the baking phase. However, on Sunday afternoon I was not attentive to the fact that my stove was not getting hotter.

Somehow, a Plan B usually steps in. No, it was not buying a dozen muffins from the local donut store. Gazing up at my trustworthy Spacemaker Microwave (of 20 years) I remembered a section in my Microwave Cookbook on “baking” muffins in the microwave.

Time to take out that cookbook!

Following the directions and using a small Pyrex pie plate, four muffins cooked at once in triple paper liners. The result – moisty, yummy and quite unusual shaped muffins … but they do taste great!

On Monday we called John, our local, reliable appliance repairman. He arrived in the afternoon and replaced the oven’s electronic igniter. Thank you, John! That afternoon we ordered the fresh turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner from our local grocery store.

The timing for my oven to need some attention was perfect! Thanksgiving would not feel the same if I was not able to use my mom’s Butternut Squash Custard Pie recipe (click here) and bake the pie two days before our dinner! The tradition of my family savoring a slice of the pie with a dollop of whipped cream lives on!

Yummy!

We will enjoy this pie, again!