Farmers Market Mecca

The first of this month I went on a trip with my youngest daughter, Aubree, to Seattle, WA and visited Pikes Place Market. I was very excited as this was on my bucket list as the ultimate farmers market to visit.  Aubree called it farmers market mecca and it was that and then some.  It's Seattle's epicenter of fresh produce, specialty foods and independent businesses. Established in 1907 to connect citizens and farmers.  There's a year-round farmers market, crafts market, bakeries, fish markets, butcher shops, produce stands, specialty groceries, take out food counters and fine dining establishments.  We spent 3 hours there, made many purchases, ate a yummy lunch and had a blast.  There was so much to look at, we didn't go into all the shops but pretty much covered the main floor with the open markets.  We saw them throw fish at the famous fish market several times.  I was never fast enough with my phone to get a picture but it was fun watching them.  There were tulips and fresh flowers in abundance at the many flower vendors, so beautiful and smelled great.  My favorite part was the produce vendors, we went to several who gave samples of fruit and were so helpful.  Aubree and I bought a variety of fruits and vegetables to take to her home in Oregon for our meals while I was visiting.  I was very excited about the 2 different varieties of artichokes that I can't really get in Oklahoma, they were so yummy. There was a sign for big sexy tomatoes so I had to buy one of them.  We ate lunch at Uli's Famous Sausage. They are the Pacific Northwest's finest handcrafted artisan sausage. We got a sausage platter with 3 different bratwursts, bacon, apple and lamb plus sauerkraut and red cabbage.  Everything was delicious but the bacon bratwurst was to die for.  They also had a meat counter where they sold the sausages so we bought 2 pounds of the bacon ones, 1 to share with the family we were staying with and the other to take back with us. We enjoyed bacon brats for several days. We went into a spice and tea shop that was really fun.  We bought several kinds of loose tea. Aubree was amused that I shared my secret of adding shredded eggplant to dishes, especially ground meat with several of the young women that were waiting with us to have teas measured out and were talking about how they couldn't get their families to eat eggplant.  I love sharing with people different ways to add and cook vegetables to their meals. I found an awesome canvas tote bag that said

"Produce to the People" that Aubree said I had to buy because it was perfect for me. There were various artists selling all kinds of stuff.  We found one selling prints and I bought one of a lady standing behind a vegetable stand, which I love, and Aubree got one of the Seattle skyline.  We also bought soap products, jam, hand dyed yarn, and a tea towel amongst our fruits and vegetables.  We had such a fantastic time.   It was a wonderful mother/daughter experience together that I'll always cherish. What a fantastic Mother's Day gift.

Enjoy,

Bamah 

Every Day with Jesus in the Garden

My grandma loved to sing and she had a beautiful voice.  She sang in the church choir for years.  She especially loved singing hymns and had several favorites that she sang or hummed around the house as she was cooking or cleaning.  Recently, I was at a church luncheon and we sang In the Garden.  It reminded me of Grandma and my youngest daughter, Aubree, as it was one of their favorites.  I talked to Aubree a few days later about the song and we reminisced about Grandma singing her go to hymns around the house. Aubree has vivid memories of Grandma singing, In The Garden, especially the chorus.  She said it was one of her "kitchen songs". Grandma would either sing or hum it when she was cooking in the kitchen.  My girls often spent Friday night with my mom and grandma and Aubree was always in the kitchen helping Grandma.  Every time Aubree hears, In The Garden, she hears it in Grandma's voice which is why it's so special to her.  I don't remember Grandma singing that one when I was growing up. I'm sure she did, but I don't have a memory of it.  We also talked about, Every Day with Jesus, which was another "go to" Grandma song.  She was always singing it around the house and Aubree and I both have vivid memories of her singing this one because she liked to sing it loudly to wake us up in the morning, my brother and I when we were growing up and my girls when they spent the night. It's still one of my favorites and every time I hear it memories overflow of growing up with Grandma.  It's such a happy song and I remember the joy with which Grandma sang it. Some other of Grandma's favorite hymns were Blessed Assurance, What a Friend We Have in Jesus and He Keeps Me Singing to name a few. It's amazing how memories are triggered and how they keep the person we love with us always. I'm sharing the words for Every Day With Jesus and In the Garden.

Every Day With Jesus

Every day with Jesus

Is sweeter than the day before.

Every day with Jesus

I love Him more and more.

Jesus save and keeps me,

And He's the one I'm waiting for.

Every day with Jesus

Is sweeter than the day before.

In The Garden

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

Chorus

And He walks with me, and He talks with me.

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him,

Though the night around me be falling

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

To happy memories, Enjoy

Bamah

Lawton Farmers Market Spring opening

I love, love, love farmer's markets and the Lawton Farmers Market has a special place in my heart. This year's opening weekend was Saturday, April 6th.  I was very happy that it was my Saturday off and even though it rained, John, Clapton, and I  braved the weather and visited with friends, purchased local products plus got breakfast from Anna's Breakfast Bus, the food truck vendor for this year.  They have yummy breakfast burritos. I've made so many friends at the farmers market, discovered wonderful local products like soap from Turkey Creek Lavender, and lotion from, Taliaferro SoapWorks,  that I now use exclusively. I've bought wonderful fresh veggies from local venders plus local plants from, Coles Greenhouse,  that thrive in our climate.  My love, passion, obsession or whatever it's called has gotten contagious and now my husband, John, and dog, Clapton, love to go to the farmers market as well. They even go by themselves on the Saturdays that I'm working.  It's one of Clapton's favorite place and he always knows when it's Saturday and farmers market day.  He loves people and goes to greet most of the local venders for pets, especially the ladies from Legako Farms because they make homemade dog treats which are his favorites and they always give him samples.  He loves children and is a kid magnet. He's the unofficial farmers market dog and he loves it.  John has made friends as well and visits with venders whether I'm with him or not.  There's so many vendors and more will come as the season progresses.  There's several vendors with baked goods, Rannila Kitchen and Bakery, yummy cookies and cinnamon rolls, Ally's German Bakery, Hunt's cookies, decadent iced cookies. and Broken R Ranch have yummy parker house rolls plus eggs and beef.  Entwined Vines also has baked goods as well as wine, salsa and all kinds of jams and jellies. There are several vendors that sell locally raised meat, Red Truck Farm sells beef and eggs, Seven Farms sells pork and sometimes eggs and Limerick Farms sells lamb.  We love the lamb meat and I cook with it more than beef since John has liver issues.  It's still early for vegetables but Mary from Molsbee Farms has veggies from the Dallas Farmers Market, plus what she grows on her farm, Jason has greens and herbs and a new vendor this year, Ethan, has microgreens.  I bought some microgreens and ate them in my scrambled eggs and salad, very yummy. Another new vendor this year, Flower Market Farms from Wichita Falls brought beautiful cut flowers.  I bought a couple of bunches and made arrangements for my home.  I love having fresh flowers in my house, especially my bedroom.  I also bought plants from Cole's Greenhouse.  I try to buy mostly local plants for my garden/yard since they seem to do better in our Oklahoma weather plus I just like supporting local whenever possible.  The Lawton Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 to 12 and located in the parking lot of the Great Plains Coliseum at 920 SW Sheridan Rd. There are more vendors at the farmers market, I've just highlighted some of them and there will be more including craft vendors as the season progresses, especially during peak season in the summer.  Come and check it out and you might see John, Clapton and I there.

Enjoy,

Bamah

Pasta Salad with lots of veggies

Spring is the beginning of salad time for me and pasta salad is one of my favorites.  It's so easy and versatile by using different pastas, adding whatever vegetables that are in season, adding meat or not, olives or peppers. The possibilities are endless. The key to a good pasta salad is the pasta and the dressing. I like using rigatoni because it's a larger noodle.  A homemade dressing is good or use a really good Italian dressing. I use Reed's Italian Salad Dressing from Borger, TX.  They come to our Oklahoma State Fair every year and I've been buying their dressing for several years. It's my favorite, ever.  It doesn't have to be refrigerated after opening, has a really good shelf life so I get enough bottles to last me a year until the next state fair. They also sell online. I add the dressing to the drained, cooked pasta so it doesn't stick then add chopped veggies such as broccoli, carrots, celery, tomatoes and some kind of green leafy vegetable like kale, spinach or bok choy. I also add black or Kalamata olives, Parmesan cheese and sometimes banana peppers, pepperoni or summer sausage. Chopped onions or green onions can also be added but I don't like the taste of raw onions so I add either 1 teaspoon of sofrito (pureed onions, peppers and garlic, recipe on previous post) or I made a fermented onion and pepper relish that's really good added to salads. Here's the recipe:

Pasta Salad with Veggies

1 pkg. rigatoni pasta

1/4 to 1/2 c Italian dressing

1 to 2 chopped broccoli, carrots and/or celery

1 c chopped kale, spinach or bok choy

1/2 c chopped tomatoes

1/2 c black or Kalamata olives or banana peppers

1 t each seasoned salt, pepper and parsley

1 to 2 c shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 c chopped pepperoni or summer sausage, optional

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain.  Put in large bowl adding dressing and stir to prevent pasta from sticking.  Add rest of ingredients and stir until everything is incorporated.  Add additional dressing if needed. Refrigerate, will keep for about a week.

Enjoy,

Bamah

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Homemade macaroni and cheese is such a versatile comfort food.  There are so many variations of cheese, noodles, meat and veggies, the possibilities are endless. They all start with a basic white sauce also called a béchamel, which is just butter, flour and milk, seasoned with salt and pepper.  When cheese is added, it becomes a wonderful cheese sauce and perfect for mac and cheese. The first step is to make a roux, which is melted butter and flour in equal measurements to thicken the sauce.  I usually use 2 to 4 tablespoons depending on how much sauce I need.  White and cheese sauces are really easy to make and used for so many dishes besides mac and cheese, such as scalloped potatoes, Alfredo pasta, cream soups and so much more. I love finding ways to add vegetables to all my cooking and by adding a cup of cooked, mashed butternut squash to my roux before adding the milk it makes the sauce creamier and the squash really doesn't affect the taste much. Butternut squash is really easy to cook, just cut off ends, slice in half, scoop out the seeds and either roast in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or microwave for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.  When cooled, scoop out flesh and mash. I microwaved the squash, used half of it for my mac and cheese and froze the rest for later.

 Another great ingredient to add to a white or cheese sauce is 1 t. of spicy mustard.  It just adds a little kick that breaks up the richness of the milk and butter. This past week, I made mac and cheese with orecchiette pasta (small bowl shaped), finely chopped broccoli and lamb sausage. I topped it with additional cheese and crushed cheese crackers for some crunch.  It was very yummy. Here's the recipe:

Macaroni and cheese

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 t spicy mustard

1 c mashed butternut squash

2 c milk

2 to 3 cups shredded cheese, I used a combination of white cheddar and smoked Gouda

1 t each, seasoned salt, pepper and parsley

1 package macaroni or any type of pasta, cooked, reserve pasta water to add to sauce

1 c broccoli, finely chopped or veggie of choice

1 c smoked sausage, chopped, (I used lamb sausage) bacon is another option

1 c cheese crackers, crushed

Prepare butternut squash, cut off ends, slice in half, scoop out seeds and either roast in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or microwave for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.  When cooled, scoop out flesh and mash, need 1 cup.

Cook pasta according to package instructions, reserve 1/2 pasta water.  In saucepan, melt butter, add flour to make roux.  Cook about 1 minute on low until roux is a light brown, add spicy mustard and mashed squash, cook until blended.  Gradually add milk and seasonings, cooked on low heat until thickened then add cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.  In casserole dish, add cooked pasta, chopped broccoli, sausage and pour over cheese sauce, adding a little pasta water.  Top with additional shredded cheese and crushed crackers.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour until browned and bubbly. 

Enjoy,

Bamah

Refuge therapy

I love going out to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. It's close to where I live, an easy 20 minute drive and so beautiful.  Scenic landscapes, lakes, wildlife, hiking trails and peaceful spots to just sit and be still. There's a worship song we sing at church called, Come and Find the Quiet Center by Shirley Erene Murray.  I love the words so much that I copied them down in a small notebook I keep in my purse to reflect upon when I need a little peace in my life. 

Here's the words:

"Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed. Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see, all the things that really matter, be at peace and simply be."

Find a place and be at peace, the wildlife refuge is my place to find peace, it's so therapeutic.

This past Sunday was a beautiful day so my dog, Clapton, and I spent several hours enjoying the refuge.  Clapton loves the refuge as much as I do.  He gets so excited when he sees where we're going and is bursting with exuberance to get out of the car and start exploring.  I've found several secluded spots where we can walk and he doesn't have to be on the leash which are his favorites since I can be too slow for him. We went to 3 different areas, hiked a couple of trails and just sat and enjoyed the surroundings. I stopped at one picnic area and found a secluded table where I could sit for awhile and he could explore around me without being on the leash. He indulged me for awhile but then got bored and we had to move on, he likes to keep moving and thinks that I should keep moving as well. We saw buffalo, several herds of longhorns and at one of the lakes I saw a great blue heron just standing quietly by the shore, it was so peaceful to just sit and watch it. We had a wonderful day, got some exercise, enjoyed nature and went home very happy.  "Be at peace and simply be."

Enjoy,

Bamah

Grandmas Snickerdoodle cookies

I love cookies and snickerdoodles are one of my favorites and I'm pretty sure they were my grandma's favorites as well. This past December, I found her well used recipe and made a double batch for us and to share at work. They were so good.  Growing up, Grandma always made our favorite cookies and even when we were grown and married she'd make them for holidays.  Later she made them for the children in her church for years, well into her 70's. Her church had a bus ministry and a big children's church program and she'd make several dozen homemade cookies every week for them.  Every Saturday she would be in her kitchen making cookies.  I asked her one time why she continued to bake so much every week instead of just buying cookies to donate. She felt that the kids coming to church off the bus deserved homemade cookies and that was her way of showing God's love. That was how my grandma was. She always had a mission, actually she always had several missions going.  She felt that everyone should have a mission for the Lord and if they didn't she would help them plug into one of hers or something else that used their gifts. I have followed her example and have several missions that I work on, mostly donating my handmade crocheted and knitted items to various places. I think of her a lot and all that she taught me. I especially felt her presence as I made, shared and ate these snickerdoodle cookies.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 t. cream of tarter

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/4 cup sugar with 1 T. cinnamon (cinnamon sugar)

In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, shortening and eggs with electric mixer until blended. Stir in flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt.  Chill dough for 30 minutes. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy,

Bamah