First Asparagus Harvest of 2023

I cut enough asparagus for supper, right out the back door, and a few minutes later it had been rinsed and sauteed  and served with corn on the cob, broccoli, and baked salmon. Delicious.

Gleaning Facebook: Meatloaf, Beans, & Greens

Sheila fixed a good country lunch for us to take over to Mother’s today. Yum!

Meatloaf, turnip greens, giant limas, with chow-chow, fresh tomato, onion, celery and carrots. And a few dashes of Rome's own Louisiana Hot Sauce.

 

Gleaning Facebook: Pandemic Bake

John Paul Schulz
She should instead be working on my ginger snaps.

Terrell Shaw
Don't put ideas in her head, John. A helping, to me, when left to my own devices, is generally "all that are left"?

David Matheny
Developing a Muffin Top?

Sam Smith
Lol 

Bonny Askew
I understand her pain. Just put a lemon pound cake in the oven.

Marsha Yancey Atkins
Just made a carrot cake, can't stop baking...and eating!

Terrell Shaw
Well be in the red Toyota out front in ten minutes, Sheila will be in the red mask; mine is white. You have curb service now, right?

Marsha Yancey Atkins
Sure we do! Just honk and smile,we'll be right out.

Trude Sansbury
Ginger snaps, sounds good with a cup of tea absolutely lovely.

George Dean
Don't feel bad...At my house my wife has been watching videos on how to make bagels...anybody got cream cheese???...lol

Ann Gore
Sounds like the Gore household! That is what we have done since this thing started, cook and eat! Someone has to eat all of this food!

Debbie Reece Grigsby
I get it. We’ve been enjoying Ken Burns’ Jazz and Great British Baking...Mary Berry is so kind and her recipes work. Yes, we’re baking a lot; however, we pretty much limit ourselves to a bowl of cereal and a shared banana for supper.

Gleaning Facebook: Mother's, Eagles, and Cake Batter

I have great memories of carefully distributed spoons, bowls, and beaters. Thanks, Mama. You always turned them off first. Comment
Ann Gore
3 beautiful women, Terrell Shaw!

Joan Shaw Turrentine
Three AMAZING women, actually. The more you know them, the more you love and admire them.

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from Gena Culbertson Flanigen's Facebook: 
 

One of the babies hovering high above the nest today!!!! It hovered and then dropped back down to the top of the nest tree!!! Very fun and exciting to see and photograph!! 5/8/16

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I have great memories of carefully distributed spoons, bowls, and beaters. Thanks, Mama. You always turned them off first. ---------------------

 

Speakcheesy!

 My daughter Lillian is involved with some of her friends in launching a new business -- a food truck called Speakcheesy that will serve gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches! Here's their flyer for their "pop-up" events:

Gleaning Facebook: Pink Slime?

Some folks are calling for less governmental regulation. I want more. But I want to control my govt (with your help fellow citizens). The government belongs to us (We The People) not the corporations. With "Citizens United" corporations are now people and they are free to use their gazillions to try to buy our government so they can feed us pink slime among other atrocities.

All food products should be clearly labeled and ably monitored for truth in labeling. Politicians should be clearly labeled, as well, with exactly who is paying their bills.

(This was in response to an outdated controversy over the content of some fast food, including McDonald's burgers. The "pink slime" once used by McDonald's and others is no longer used.) 

Gleaning Facebook: A Month of Friday Dinners

Oh the joys of having my eldest home for a whole month and a few extra days. For Chrismas she is giving us a month of Friday dinners she prepares. They have been great so far. But I am home with her during the day, and she is one who can look through the pantry and fridge and come up with something. A few days ago for lunch we had this pesto pasta topped with kale chips (coated with EVOO and crisped in the oven), garbanzo beans, and shredded parmesan. Yum.

Mandy Wallace
What is EVOO?

Terrell Shaw
Extra Virgin Olive Oil -- just call me Rachel Ray

Mandy Wallace
Lol! I was looking for some secret ingredient or something!! 

Adaïr AIis
That looks amazing

David Marlin Rains
Isn't this Georgia? EVOO, pesto, garbonzos, parmesan?! Where's bacon drippins, chick peas and the Velveeta?

Julia Hilburn Dent
Chef Shaw!!!!

Terrell Shaw
David, my wonderful daughter has learned highfalutin' vegetarianism during years of exile in New York City (Get a rope!) And it's catching. She even has me eating hummus!

David Marlin Rains
I love hummus too but don't let this get out around Rome, GA - could have political implications, like arugula.

The Red Light's On

Now we could have followed the advice of MapQuest and taken the perimeter highway around to Decatur and the Friend’s School and our rendezvous with the 2013 Tellebration. It may have been faster. But as a fellow who wheeled around East Atlanta and Decatur a fair amount in my youth and early adulthood I preferred to drive through town. Knowing how traffic can clot unexpectedly we gave ourselves a huge cushion of time.

Despite a wreck at Mt. Paran that blocked three lanes we found ourselves at the North Avenue exit in no time. Across Peachtree, then over a block to Ponce and we were practically home free.

We had just turned on to Ponce de Leon when Sheila said (I’m approximating here) “Isn’t the Mother Ship nearby?”

“Matter of fact it is!” I shouted with glee. “Shall we dock for a few minutes and refuel?”

The words had barely escaped my lips when there it was.

 

Gleaming neon, and yes, the “Red Light Was On!”

We pulled the red Camry into the very first spot by the airlock. (It was meant-to-be.) Floated past the giant red neon proclaiming Heaven-On-Earth, and entered.
Ahhhhh.....

The olfactory senses were flooded with a delectable blend of hot coffee, sticky sweetness, and hot doughy deliciousness.

An angelic face behind the counter asked for particulars. Though John McCutcheon proclaims four too many, and two, one to few, we settled on three and a medium cup o'Joe to share.

We watched as the conveyor attendant carefully lifted them, with a chopstick through the hole fresh from the hot grease and glazing , -- one,--two, --three into a crisp box. 

We waited a couple of minutes for the fresh brew to make, then found our seat and, taking time to snap a selfie of anticipation, were transported to another sphere.

As you can see from the photos we were as glazed as the dough-nuts.

An Unscheduled Feast

Your reporter eating a samosa.

OK. It was scheduled. And had been for weeks.

But I had planned to be disciplined, or at least moderate. In the end I rationalized that I had had no February Feast. I was, until last evening, one feast short on my 12 Feasts a Year schedule!

When Nancy joined our faculty last year I enjoyed talking with her about her heritage. She's from New Jersey and she is a Sikh. Her husband is from India. I wanted to know about her traditionally arranged marriage. The results of that practice seems to add credence to my oft-cited principles of love. Certainly the obvious love of this young couple does.

Jagdeep, Avi, Nancy.

Why are there so many Sikhs named Singh? Does she know anyone who practices that strange (to non-Sikhs) tradition of wearing a dagger, for heaven's sake? One of our students, a Sikh, wears a turban of sorts. I wanted to know about that custom.

But, being me, I was most interested in the food!

I had discovered Punjabi food in 1968-69. My Asbury College (now Asbury University) roommate, Solomon Lasoi, was a Kenyan. Through him I became acquainted with a Sikh couple from Kenya who were studying at the University of Kentucky in nearby Lexington. And they invited Solomon and me to dinner with them at their home.

Terrell, Solomon, and Mr. Singh, May 1969.

I am always delighted to discover new culinary delights and was not disappointed. The curried chicken and rice and attendant dishes were delicious. I wish I had been keeping a journal at that time so that I could remember the meal in more detail. Ever since then I have been interesed in having another Indian meal.

So I found occasional opportunities to suggest that Nancy should bring a Punjabi dish to the next faculty pot luck. She replied that instead she and Jagdeep planned to have Sheila and me as their guests for a real Indian meal at their house.

The occasion of the first birthday of their son, Avi, served as the occasion for a big celebration for a host of their friends, relatives, and co-workers, including us, last night.

What a feast!

Samosas.

My absolute favorite, but an item that may have included my usual alloted Weight Watcher points for an entire day, were the appetizers. They are called samosas. It is a large triangular deep-fried stuffed pastry. The crunchy crust is fairly bursting with a spicy concoction of potatoes and spices and onions and who-knows-what. Yum!

Soaking up this audacious sauce are chunks of chicken breast.

The main dish was Butter Chicken -- small chunks of chicken breast swimming in a spicy reddish-orange sauce, served over basmati rice. This dish seemed very similar to what I had eaten in Lexington FORTY years ago.

I think the chicken should have been served over the rice. Since I am dieting I went light on the rice.

Side dishes included spicy creamed spinach dotted with small cubes of cheese...

I really liked the creamed spinach. (My mother will be proud.)

and, yes, spicy chickpeas.

Chickpea dish.

A thin tasty yogurt sauce was available to top any or all of these dishes, perhaps to moderate the bite of the hot spices. Quartered flatbread, itself spinkled with spices, provided a way to sop the soupy residue of deliciousness when the fork had done all it could.

Flatbread.

What a wonderful treat.

Avi enjoying his birthday cake. I couldn't resist posting this. How well I remember those days with my toddlers!

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Comments from my Facebook link to this post:

Janice Shaw Crouse
So proud of you for the lifestyle -- good for you!!

Rhonda Ingram Bramlette
I just read your blog and the pictures and descriptions have made me want to throw my calorie count for the day right out the window!! Looks wonderful! I have never had anything like those dishes but I would certainly like to try some. Thanks for sharing.

Christie Hufstedler Boyd
It reminds me of the foods we had in the Republic of Georgia in 1992 on the Georgia to Georgia exchange. Elaina and Valentine came and lived with us for 6 months. The food she cooked was heavenly! Makes me want to make Elaina's stuffed grape leaves. They are to die for and nothing like what is on the olive bar at Kroger! Cabbage leaves are just as good.

Warren Lathem
Terry, finally something we can agree on: FOOD! Thanks for sharing. I know we agree much more than we disagree and I believe in your constitutional (I am a constructionist) right to be wrong!

Joan Shaw Turrentine
That was a very interesting blogpost! And the photos were mouth-watering.

Gleaning Facebook: Supper Tonight

It's interesting that on a diet... I mean, with the new lifestyle, I eat better stuff. I have to plan ahead... no (or very little) fast food or prepackaged stuff. I am a bit amazed at how much 2000 calories of healthy food can be.

 

Gleaning Facebook: Google Stir Fry

The Google Stir Fry

Here's the recipe as modified by me to serve two and use the stuff I had. Just a standard stir-fry, really. It was good.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

1 sweet red pepper

1 sm. can sliced or chopped mushrooms

1 can sliced water chesnuts

1 zucchini 

2 green onions 

2 oz. chicken stock (or other liquid)

0.5 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tsp cornstarch 

1 tbsp EVOO 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 slice fresh gingerroot, chopped

Directions:

• Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks

• Cut red peppers into short strips

• Cut zucchini into thin oval slices. 

• Slice onions, including some green parts, on the diagonal. 

• Combine stock, soy sauce and cornstarch; set aside. 

• In wok, heat oil over high heat; stir-fry garlic, ginger and chicken for about 2 minutes or until chicken is opaque. 

• Add vegetables; stir-fry for 1 minute. 

• Pour in stock mixture; cook for 1 minute or until vegetables are glazed and tender crisp.

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Carol Burris
ok Terrell, bring left overs and share w/me tomorrow for lunch

Gleaning Facebook: Cooking By Google

 So this afternoon I looked in the fridge, then googled "zucchini, red pepper, chicken, green onion, recipe". A stir-fry recipe popped up. I cut it in half, added a few ingredients and left out a couple, and, voila!, deliciousness over brown rice!

Carla Byram
did the recipe say "cut - combine - cook with low sodium soy sauce - bring to your friend Carla" ?

Terrell Shaw
That's pretty close... unfortunately the leftovers are skimpy.

Carla Byram
ok - add l.s. soy sauce and garlic, cook and bring to carla...

Susan Cherones
I do that all the time!!! Google ingredients I have on hand!

Christie Hufstedler Boyd
That's a great idea!

Ruth Baird Shaw
WOW! You gonna make me sorry you ever left home to get married <smile> 

Well...Sheila, Brannon and Lillian are worth me having to cook for myself.

Peggy Fowler-Casillas
You can also do an ingredient search on several cooking sites like allrecipes.com...don't know how people cooked before the internet!!! 

Gleaning Facebook: Dieting

 When you diet, you must, by definition, become even more obsessed with food than you were in the bad ol' days of your binges. An alcoholic can work at avoiding alcohol and the former smoker tries to keep his mind off the smokes. The recovering fatty has to spend more time planning meals.

He has to consider the fat, salt, fiber, carbs, sugars in each dish. He must count the calories (or points). Some of the best eating I've ever done has been on diets. Tonight, at 62, I cooked my first mess of fresh turnip greens! With a pilaf of brown rice; a pile of sauted onions, peppers, and mushrooms, a nice big hunk of broiled Mahi-Mahi, a wedge of lemon, a dollop of low cal oleo, and a few splashes of hot sauce... yum! See pic below.

Christie Hufstedler Boyd
This looks delish! We haven't had dinner yet and I can almost smell it!

Rhonda Ingram Bramlette
Table for two , please...

Tammie N Jamie Taylor
That sounds yummy!!! I love food like that!

Terrell Shaw
It was good, if I do say so myself. I'm ashamed to say, I had to call my Mama to ask how to cook the greens!

Tammie N Jamie Taylor
I love good greens!

Lynne Crothers Williams
Better late than never, Terry!

Tersi Bendiburg
So true, Terrell. I have to watch my proteins, sodium, and fats/oils for a while. Even olive oil! Do you know what it means to ask a Cuban to go easy on the olive oil?

Terrell Shaw
There was some EVOO in our meal tonight. 

Tersi Bendiburg
Liquid Gold! What can I tell you!

Joan Shaw Turrentine
I love what Warren named his weight-loss blog - Walking the Tiger. He commented that dieters have to walk their "tiger" every day. They can't just leave it caged as do those who are trying to tame other tigers.

Time Machine: Cake in the Classroom

Haley Patterson's dear friend, and Armuchee's own Julia Childs Mary Louise, came to help us cook our annual Volume Measurement is Delicious Chocolate Cake lesson. (I do not know the exact date of this picture.)