Baby Bok Choy Rosette

I chopped the bottom off a baby bok choy, and ta da!

Bok choy is good stuff. It's the Chinese equivalent of cabbage, although I would describe it as more similar to kale. I happened across a ton of it at a good price at the Asian Supermarket in Albany. So I picked it up because I had been wanting to experiment. My mother-in-law and I had quite an adventure discovering the wonders of an authentic Asian market. (Separate post on that to come.)

Eventually I ended up braising it on the stove top with minced onion, garlic, chicken drippings, and a splash of red wine vinegar. It turned out tasty. Plus I saved the the bottoms I chopped off to throw in a batch of chicken stock.

I'm learning that there are uses for what a lot of people write off as trash. An example would be the water used to boil asparagus, which is in season now. I save that little bit of green water to put in the chicken stock as well. There's flavor and goodness in there!

Practical Wisdom

I find that my new neighbors are full of everyday wisdom.

Recently I marveled at the speed my husband went through a bar of Zest. Zoop! Gone in a week. I thought it was because the shower head keeps dripping onto the shower organizer that hangs below. So we rearranged, but even though trickle was dodged the soap still vanished in no time.

I was told by several folks that bar soap should be stored in the open air. This promotes drying and hardening which extends the shower life of your soap.

So unwrap those bars, and save the soap!

Springtime, the only pretty ring-time...

Happy Second Day of Spring!

We've had wonderful spring weather this past week, warm enough to hang clothes on the line, grill, and play in the garden.

I've been able to see the daylilys grow a little each day.

Basil, cilantro, and lemon balm seedlings are growing well under the lights indoors.

And Scott gave me a lesson in driving standard on our way home Cambridge this weekend. It won't be long until I'm driving stick like a pro.

A Pictoral Update

Needless to say, I have been exploring the joy of cooking now that I have my own kitchen. Scott steers pretty clear of my domain but enjoys the results.

Here's my first attempt at cinnamon raisin bread. It turned out to be yummy despite the big air bubble inside.

Jacob sleeping on the "baked potato" one Friday night. The SACK has been a great source of amusement since one can build up a good static electric charge by rubbing up against the micro-fiber cover. Zap!

Our wood pile started looking slim in February so we ordered a load. Our generous neighbors/landlords have dropped off a couple wagon loads of firewood throughout the winter so we won't need to burn any of it this year. But we can get a head start on spitting for next winter.

Scott has been grilling for us on the habachi when it isn't too cold. He shovels coals right out of the wood furnance into the little grill and we're good to go.

We did buy a gas grill this weekend in preparation for spring. Grilling is one of Scott's favorite-est activities.

We had a wet snow last month that broke a few limbs off the bushes around the house. It was nowhere near the accumulation Baltimore had. Mwhahaha!

Scott digging out the matching cars. :) We recently added a third to our Mazda family. We call him Clifford because he's a bigger version of "Red", Scott's car. Scott is so happy to have a pick-up and we've already found several uses for it.

Tanya, my sister-in-law, works at the florist in town. She brought us some leftovers from Valentine's day and I put this arrangement together.

I'm continuing my family's tradition of thrifting and auctioning. I bid and won this bed frame, and also two matching dressers, for $50! Turns out they are a very collectible brand of mid-century modern furniture, Haywood-Wakefield. It's good, sturdy stuff made of solid northern yellow birch. Now I have a refinishing project. I'm just waiting for the weather to get a little warmer so I can take this project out of doors.

It may be gross, but mold, fungus and bacteria make the world go round.

This is the mold layer that can out of my sauerkraut crock. It came off the top of the brine in one piece.

The kraut was still good, excellent in fact. The crock I have is supposed to prevent most mold growth since it creates an air-lock. But a few weeks ago before the kraut was finished I opened it up to check on the progress and added some more salt water brine. I forgot to use non-iodized salt. The iodine in regular salt inhibits the growth of the good bacteria allowing the mold to form. I'm just glad my mistake didn't ruin the whole batch.

Check back for spring updates soon!

Gardening is just around the corner.