New location

For the few of you who haven’t give up on me… I’m back… Only with a new home.  I’m going back to what I know and love… a Mac.  I am relocating my blog to With love, Rosie and am actually going to try to keep up with it.  Hope you enjoy!

With love,

Rosie

Feta and olive bruschetta

The idea for this recipe came to me while at the olive bar in Whole Foods.  If you don’t know me and haven’t read up on my blog you may not understand my love of Whole Foods.  I LOVE WHOLE FOODS… sometimes I go to Whole Foods for no reason other than to roam and take in all the good food… Anyways…  The olive bar has all kinds of delicious looking foods drenched in olive oil (feta, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers…)  I remember thinking that I wanted to eat all these good things in one bite, yum!  Well that is essentially what this recipe is, the olive bar in one bite, and it tastes even better than it looks.

Feta and olive bruschetta

1/2 C feta broken into pieces

1/4 C chopped olives (I used mostly kalamata and a few green olives)

1/4 C sun-dried tomato

1 T capers

1 clove garlic chopped

1 fresh tomato chopped

Drizzle of olive oil and balsalmic vinegar

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Several pieces of crusty bread, brushed with olive oil and toasted

Preheat oven to 350 and toast bread for about 15 minutes, if bread is still not toasted at this point broil for a few minutes.

Mix all other ingredients together.  Next step:  scoop mounds of the bruscheta onto the warm toast and INDULGE.

This is so simple and so delectable.  We ate the whole batch in one evening, practically ignoring our main course of ravioli… and quite honestly I have it mind for dinner tonight!

With love,

Rosie

UNCLE!!

So, I promise the snow blogging will end soon, but we are in the middle of “snowpocalypse”!  I must say, I enjoyed it for a while… Leisurely walks with the dogs…

Looking up at the snow-covered trees

Watching the “kids” (when I say kids, I mean grown men) running around with their snow boards and sleds…

But I must say I’m done now… did hear that mother nature… “UNCLE”… you win!  I said I wanted snow and I got it, but really?  The storm of the century?  I’m currently bundled inside my cozy home for round 2, hoping and praying that my power stays on this time!  Wish me luck

With love,

Rosie

Wife of a climber

There are certain situations that bring out the differences between my husband and myself.  Our recent snowstorm is a perfect example.  My reaction is to stay inside and eat tons of calories in some sort of intuitive effort to keep warm.  My husband’s reaction is obvious to any climber:  Get out there while the ice is good!

Do I love him just the same despite this difference?  Yes…

Do I think he’s crazy?  Absolutely…

Do I worry about him?  Of course… But I know he’s safe.  He’s a great climber and very technically skilled.  When he goes on these excursions, one of my major concerns is his caloric intake.  My husband has a tendency to forget to eat!  I have never had that problem in my life, I don’t understand it and never will.  In an effort to ensure that he takes in adequate calories I have worked on a recipe for a high calorie energy bar to keep him going.  Any wife of a climber will be happy to hear that they taste good and can keep those “crazy” boys going all day.  They don’t look super appetizing, but they are and really easy to make.  The basic idea comes from a favorite of mine, no bake cookies.  The preparation is similar, only without chocolate and with honey replacing the sugar.

Peanut butter & honey energy bar

1 C honey

1 C peanut butter (I used natural, creamy)

2 3/4 C uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal

1/2 C peanuts

1 t vanilla extract

1 t cinnamon

Optional:  Any of the following would make a great addition to these bars:  chocolate chips, protein powder, coconut, other types of nuts, dried fruit…

The recipe is also good with almond butter replacing the peanut butter.

Combine peanut butter and honey in a pot over low heat until they become runny.  Add oatmeal, peanuts, vanilla and cinnamon and mix.  Pour finished mixture into cookie pan lined with parchment paper.  Allow to cool, then cut into bars.  I wrap them individually in Reynolds wrap so they are easy to grab and go.

This morning as my husband left for his climbing trip, I slipped a few in his pockets… Reminding him to stay warm and EAT!

With love,

Rosie

A list I can carry out…

I am by nature a list maker… I’m a planner.  I have gone so far as to have a list of to-do lists… recipes I would like to make, chores for the house, crafts I want to complete, items I need to buy at the hardware store…

I do have good intentions, but to be honest I doubt I will complete them any time soon.  

So today I will make a list of things I can… and want to complete 

1. Linger in bed, snuggle your husband and dogs to your heart’s content.

2. Upon waking make yourself a big cup of tea and enjoy the moment… stare out the window at the snow, think useless thoughts, accomplish nothing.

3. Proceed to take out a book… not a “real” book that will result in the gaining of knowledge, but an easy read.

4.  When your eyes start to feel heavy, let them fall.  Take that nap!

5. Don’t feel guilty… sometimes you need a day in which you achieve absolutely nothing, that is an achievement all on its own!

With love,

Rosie

Snowed in… with butter and sugar for company

So… I know I have been writing about snow a lot lately, but today how can I not?  I am looking out my window at 2 feet of snow, and there is no sign of it stopping.  It’s so cold in fact that even Quinn, my Siberian Husky, doesn’t want to be outside…

“Please can I go out, Mom?”

“Smells cold out!”

“Too cold!”

“Okay, I changed my mind…”

“Let me in, please!”

Now, I have been thoroughly enjoying the snow from my warm, toasty house (with the exception of a 2 hour power outage).  So what is a girl to do… stranded indoors… with lots of butter and sugar available… why cook and bake of course!  I need to work on my lipid layers in case the power goes out again.

Would you like to join me?

Macaroni and Cheese, perhaps? (If you were wondering those are the hydroponically, locally grown tomatoes I referred to.  They taste much better covered in cheese, but really, what doesn’t?)

Some cauliflower maybe?… yes this meal was healthy, it included vegetables… geez!

Chocolate chip cookies? or maybe….

…Snickerdoodles?

The possibilities are endless, I think I will eat yet another snickerdoodle while I decide whether to make brownies or apple bread next… the choices!

With love,

Rosie

Update:

The snow is no longer fun… I haven’t had power since noontime today and don’t expect it back until tomorrow evening.  Thank goodness for wonderful friends.  Krystal, you’re the best, what would I do without you?!

Shepard’s pie… csa style

With no farmer’s markets in recent weeks I have been eating lots of root veggies from my CSA… Enter the Shepard’s Pie… Mmmm.  I made this Shepard’s pie because I was craving pot pie and wanted to be a bit healthier.  I never thought that it would take the place of pot pie in my heart… but alas it has.  I LOVE it!  Don’t ask me how I’ve made it this far in life without ever making a Shepard’s pie, but somehow I had.  Now that I’ve had one, I’m hooked.  It will definitely be added to my weekly repertoire.

So with that, here’s the recipe.  The recipe is very organic, so flow with it… No sweet potatoes? No biggie, add some beets… play with it, and I promise, you too will be hooked.

Shepard’s pie

About 10 small potatoes

2 carrots

1 turnip

2 sweet potatoes

1 onion

2 C frozen green beans, thawed

4 cloves garlic, chopped

a handful of mushrooms

2 C vegetable broth

4 T butter

T olive oil

2-4 T flour

1/4 milk

onion powder, garlic powder, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper to taste.

Boil potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and carrots until they can be pierced easily with a fork.

While veggies are  boiling make a roux out of butter and flour.  Melt about 3 T butter in pan, add flour and whisk until flour no longer looks white.  Add vegetable broth and whisk often.  It will thicken up and form a gravy.  If it is not thickening add a bit more flour.  Be sure to whisk so it doesn’t clump.  If gravy seems bland spice it up with a bit of sage, thyme, salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a different pan, add mushrooms and onions.  Sautee for a few minutes, then add garlic.  Continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

When vegetables are done boiling separate potatoes out.  Proceed to make mashed potatoes to your liking. I added about 1/4 C milk, T butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Combine all other ingredients (gravy, mushrooms, onions, beans, turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots) in large pan and mix.  Be sure to taste and see whether more seasoning is necessary.  I added salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, onion powder and garlic powder at this point.  To be honest I don’t know how much… I just shake spices and taste often.

Put this mixture into oven safe dish and cover with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle top with chopped thyme and put into broiler for about 4 minutes or until top is a bit firm and beginning to turn golden brown.

Then…. Enjoy!  I know you will!

With love,

Rosie

One small change

Well, it appears that I have picked the wrong month to start eating locally.  With the amount of snow we’ve had, and with what’s predicted there will be no farmer’s markets again this week.  So it looks like I’ll be heading the Whole Foods seeking out local goods.  After doing this last week I have found my first complaint about Whole Foods… I still love Whole Foods and I will still make my ritual pilgrimages… but their local produce is hydroponically grown.  At first I was excited about this… Local tomatoes year-round!  After eating one of these tomatoes my excitement faded.  Apparently tomatoes grown without dirt taste like… well… nothing.  

So with no farmers market, and my newfound dislike of hydroponically grown vegetables I will be finishing off the root vegetables from my CSA and hoping for clear weather so I can hit the farmer’s market next week!

Fingerless mitts and a snow day

Last night I finished these fingerless mitts from a pattern in Weekend Knitting.  They knit up really easily in a couple of hours and they are so warm.

I was just on time in finishing them as this was my view in waking.  Yes, I will definitely be needing all the warm winter wear I can find.

As a teacher, when you wake up and see a site like this you immediately run to the computer to check for cancellations…. and YES… SNOW DAY!  Teaching is the best job ever.  I can hear all my neighbors digging out their cars and trying in vain to make their way up our steep, snow-covered hill.    All the while I am sitting in bed with no plans for the day…

When I finally found my way from bed I had formulated a plan for the day…make waffles.  And so I did… with little else to show for the day I am content.  If only everyday were this relaxing.

With love,

Rosie

The joy of repurposing

I know it’s a bit odd… but I take great pleasure in repurposing objects.  It’s so much fun to come upon some random object in a thrift store and find the perfect use for it in your home… 

Case and point:

Lampshades and clothespins=great spot to hang meaningful notes

Antique yarn spool=paper weight

Mason jar=pencil container

48 star flag=throw

Oars=art

Large hat box=side table

Vintage egg basket=yarn/craft catch-all

Dog=ottoman

Now wasn’t that fun?!

With love,

Rosie