Menu Planning with Fresh Produce by Margaret Ullrich

Got another e mail.

Recipes don't call for just one ingredient.

Nobody sits down to a plate of just one vegetable.

It would be helpful to see what's available during the same time.



I agree.

So, here's a second list, grouping the produce by when they are in season.



Some items - Kohlrabi, Mushrooms and Raspberries - are available all the time. 

Some are treats to be savored during the

Preparing Dried Beans l Sausage and Beans Cassoulet by Margaret Ullrich

We've got snow.

And it's staying.

Forget the light salads.

Time to make a casserole.





Lately the stores have been having sales on sausages.

They freeze well, so stock up.

Get a nice variety.



While you're in the store pick up a few bags of dried beans.

Yes, I know they also come in cans, ready to cook.

But dried is cheaper.

And you can control the salt content.





Dried beans

Buying Fresh Produce in Season by Margaret Ullrich

Got an e mail asking, "When is the best time to buy fresh produce?"



One of the first rules for getting fresh vegetables at their best quality 

- and cheapest price - is to buy them in season.



Okay... like everything else, that's easier said than done.



What's in season locally depends on what you mean by locally.

The fresh produce season is longer in warmer climates.

Makes sense,

Three Year Anniversary! by Margaret Ullrich

Happy Third Birthday to I'm Turning 60!!

And THANK YOU for visiting, whether you're a daily, weekly or occasional guest.

The past three years have been a time of change for me.

A lot of changes, but change can be good.





I used to send Ma recipes, especially at this time of year when there are 

brochures and leaflets in the baking section of the supermarket. 

One of the things I enjoy

Carmela Soprano's Eggplant Parmigiana

In Canada we recently celebrated Thanksgiving.

Here in Winnipeg we just had a few snow flurries.

Christmas is on its way.

It's time to get ready for winter and family dinners.





Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook has something from almost everybody.

Including his missus, Charmaine.

Along with a page on party tips and a menu, she gave a few recipes

in her chapter Cooking for the Whole

Pop, Ma and Halifax by Margaret Ullrich, part 12, Weeding

We didn't just take Pop and Ma to Folklorama.

A dozen years ago we took them to Halifax, Nova Scotia.



I really miss the pre 9/11 days.

No passports.

As Obama saw in the Byward Market, Canada and the U. S. are good neighbors.

The 9/11 terrorists were in the States, with all their papers in order.

All the new border security measures wouldn't have made any difference.

Oh, well...





Paul

Carmela Soprano's Linguine with White Clam Sauce - Linguine alle Vongole

The turkey left overs are either all gone or in the freezer.

I mean, enough is enough already.

The budget is still hurting from the holiday dinner.

Time to serve up some more pasta.





Natalie Del Greco's chapter in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook is interesting.

I had always thought Sicily was the source for Italian food in America.

Well, I had Sicilian relatives.

So maybe that

Carmela Soprano's Linguine with Homemade Pesto Sauce - Linguine al Pesto

Okay... I hear you.

You still have some turkey left over.

The gang liked the Linguine Aglio Olio.

But, enough with the leftovers.

They'll put up with the turkey, again.

But they'd like a different starch.



No problem.



Here's another linguine recipe.

But, as with the Linguine Aglio Olio recipe, another pasta can be used.

If your supermarket is like mine, pasta is regularly on sale.

Carmela Soprano's Linguine with Garlic and Oil - Linguine Aglio Olio

Okay... time to get back to recipes.

There's probably some turkey left in the fridge.

But the potatoes and yams are all gone.

What to do for a starch...



No problem.






Dr. Jennifer Melfi not only can tell you what's wrong with you.

She can also feed you.

In Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook there's a chapter by Dr. M.

Rage, Guilt, Loneliness and Food.

There are a few pages about "

Thanksgiving in Canada by Margaret Ullrich, part 11, Weeding

Happy Thanksgiving!!

What is it about holidays that makes us remember the past.

Is it the heavy meal?

Is it the booze?

Is it the work that's involved?

Is it all of the above?



Whatever.



Two weeks ago I wrote about our first house in British Columbia.

I say house because our trailer was our first home.

We did a lot of living in that 8 by 11 foot box.

It got us across the country,

Taking the E Train, a tale about the New York subway system - Margaret Ullrich

     I got my first camera after I received my First Communion in 1957.  The camera was a Kodak brownie.  No flash.  The lens stayed in one spot.  You aimed and shot.



     My Aunt Helen had thought the gift pack - a camera and one roll of film - would make a nice present.  My folks didn't care.  Well, Pop said, "What the hell is that?" and Ma thought I needed more clothes but, well, a gift's