Rain, Rain...Go Away and a bowl meal: Pasta with simple veggies

First off, welcome and thank you to Amy from U Try.it for becoming a follower of my site!

It has rained here for at least 3 weeks. Straight. Going slightly mad with so much water, sloshing around in sneakers after walking the dogs, a field which is over-saturated...there is currently a mushroom growing fungus right in front of the house. That's bad.

We had two trees fall; one fell after being shoved, on purpose, and the other was just full of water after one of the latest downpours. We were watching a movie and heard a muffled thud. At least it didn't hit the house but it's going to be a bugger to move. I have the desire to help, the motivation to make things look nicer but the strength of a dachshund. Perhaps we will get inventive with rope and make a pulley to shift the weight of the rotten pine trees so they may be easily rolled.

This is not the tree....it's an example of the predicament we have. Big heavy tree, one man, one short woman, no other assistance :-) It could be worse. It could have hit the house.



So what else have we been doing besides sitting in and reading, watching a few movies, cooking? We have been to the range a few times. Made some plans to redo some of the rooms, change out bathroom fixtures, fix up a guest bedroom....we talk about these plans over a good meal and glass of wine. One can get carried away.

Here is that bowl meal I promised. A simple saute of garlic, green bell pepper, onions, Tuttorusso tomatoes and a good olive oil. On the table in under 15 minutes, promise.



If you don't want a vegetarian meal just add some shredded chicken or shrimp. Liberally douse with Parmesan cheese and pour a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. It's a comfort food....hope you enjoy it.

Oh my, I think the sun just peaked out! I better hurry if I want to enjoy it.

See you soon with some Italian recipes and our latest jaunt into Southern Georgia for ammo and a local meat processing market. Beef and pork from local farms. It was a successful trip to Jones Country Meats.

15 Bean Soup

Have you ever planned for an emergency which involves feeding yourself for a few days without benefit of electricity? In Florida we are encouraged to keep a supply of food, water, medicines and essentials in the event a natural disaster.

For Floridians, the emergency situation is usually a hurricane. They roar into our lives as an unwanted guest and have caused us to be without electricity, and even water, for several days. Of course this depends on the severity of the storm and your locale. We are in a rural area so, not a huge priority when larger metropolitan areas surrounding us lose utilities.



In the event you are the unfortunate recipient of a visiting hurricane, tornado, , zombie attack, military takeover, etc. it sure would be handy to have a shelf with bottled water, cans of food you can heat using Sterno, a gas camp stove or grill, dried foods, and the means to sustain yourself.



Here is a very good list from FEMA which will get you started. Please consider your pets when planning for these emergencies – they need food and comfort items too!

Let me share a terrific soup for hard times which you can prepare and cook using a camping stove.

This 15 bean soup contains these varieties: Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Blackeye, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split, Kidney, Cranberry, Small White, Pink, Small Red, Yellow Split, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, Black Bean.



Hopefully you have water on hand - you can soak the beans overnight without worrying about refrigeration. Fortunately I had a slow cooker (and obviously electricity) but this is certainly something I could cook over Sterno or a camping stove. It has lots of protein as you may imagine with all those beans!



Next time I make this I will divide the package since there is only the two of us. This package makes 16 servings. Oh, another nice thing about dried beans as a source for emergency food with protein is that is has a fantastically long shelf life. You can purchase dried beans at a low cost and it just sits on the shelf, waiting for you to be in the mood for it.

Ingredients

1- Package Hurst's® 15 Bean Soup
1 lb. ham, ham hocks, or smoked sausage (I used smoked sausage)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. chili powder
Juice from 1 lemon
1-2 cloves minced garlic


Cooking Directions
Traditional Method:
Soaking- Place beans in a large pot, cover with 2 quarts of water. Allow beans to soak overnight, or at least 8 hours.
After soaking, drain excess water, and add 2 quarts of fresh water and meat.
Bring to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 2.5 hours.
After simmering, add onion, tomatoes, chili powder, lemon and garlic. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.



Don't forget to start your preparation list and have a plan of action for emergencies!!

Godzilla vs. Shelob plus an outing at the park,

The Live Oak trees look like something from The Hobbit, don't you think? Can you imagine when northern Florida was covered with these giants? Spectacular.





I don't know if this is a wolf spider or nursery web spider.



Then this skink comes along - next photo shows the skink going after the spider!



This is blurry because everyone was on the move. We were very surprised that the skink went after the spider. Even more surprised that the spider ran away!



Now a shot of the spider in the evening. The eyes glow with the camera flash. Clearly, the skink didn't have him as a meal. It must join us in the evening when we are sitting on the patio, enjoying sitting and listening to cicadas chirp. If it ever gets on me you'll hear me screaming as far away as the moon. Seriously. :-)



Lots of Live Oak trees...........very hobbit worthy. The hanging moss looks like old beards drifting in the breeze.



Potluck is coming up soon at I Heart Cooking Club plus a few book reviews and Italian meals.

Ciao!

Beignets de Courgette

That's correct....these are zucchini fritters. Anytime I pull the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of French Cooking off the overburdened shelf, we have a side or main dish that compliments the table, compliments the wine and is usually scheduled for the meal rotation menus.



What got me going on this one (it's a repeat side dish here) was reading Harriet Welty-Rochefort's book French Toast (my review may be found HERE. There is a bit of food mentioned...I am a sucker for Ex-Pat literature...and love the French cookbooks and experimenting with the recipes. So...viola!

One day, we hope to join friends in Carlucet France for a good visit and then we can experience the wonderful foods, wine, cheeses and a very good time soaking up the local culture in Mid Pyrenees. Can't travel now but...perhaps one day....

Beignets de Courgette


1 pound zucchini
1 small onion, minced
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

Shred the zucchini and onion using a food processor. Toss all this into a bowl to mix it up gently. Now stir in the eggs, garlic, flour and salt and pepper and mix until blended. I used a wooden spoon and gently turned the mixture over and over.



Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons full into hot oil; cook until browned.



My stove runs hot so it took about four minutes per side. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain using paper towels. Keep the cooked fritters warm in the oven, use a low temperature.

These were so good. The sort of good that surprises your mouth when you gingerly take a small bite of the hot fritter.



They browned just that perfect almost too crunchy crust but kept the moistness of the vegetables. Would I make them again...oh yeah. Would I read more of Harriet's books? Sure. It's the easy way to travel and I can indulge in the food right here in my kitchen.

If you prepare these please drop me line and let me know if you like them. Bon Appetit!

Posey's Oysters and Seafood in Panacea Florida

Posey's was the place to go for good food, excellent oysters and laid back entertainment. The original building and business opened in 1929, formerly located in St Marks. It had survived storms and a kitchen fire...until 2005.
In 2005, Hurricane Dennis blew through causing irreparable damage. The old place sat by the waterside, a clear danger to anyone venturing inside the dilapidated building.

Click HERE to read about the original Posey's restaurant and the demolition. This photo below is the new location.




The new place is in Panacea, roughly 45 minutes from where we live...totally worth the trip for some delicious seafood.



Fried, blackened or grilled, you will be sure to have a great meal if you stop in here.



It's an interesting mix of clientele; there are fishermen, society ladies in Donna Karan, bikers, businessmen all being served by friendly waitresses sporting short white galoshes. Prices are very reasonable and the seafood is fresh. They even have a menu selection for those who like beef, pork and chicken.



But I just couldn't pass up that seafood. Next time I will order the grouper plate with extra hush puppies.

Next up will be Beignets de Courgette (Zucchini Fritters) linked to a book review.

For my American friends and family, have a safe and happy fourth of July celebration. Cheers to all!

What we shot during vacation. Plus, I have a new rifle!

I am sooo slow getting photos up of our vacation. It's been a hard week back at work after getting up late and lingering over second breakfast. I suppose, (I hope) this is what retirement will be like. In the meantime, here are a few shots of one of the days we went to the Otter Creek range in Wakulla county.

I am proud of my new rifle. ☺ In October we will be participating in Project Appleseed and I am looking forward to that very much. It's another fun thing Doug and i can do to enhance marksmanship skills, further our education as well as enjoy a good time together.




For the photo below, I stood on a bench to get this snap - you can see the plates way down range. You just pull the rope to set the plates up again after you shoot them down.



♫ ♫ Home, Home on the Range!! ♫ ♫



My only experience with a shotgun (when I was 12) consisted of me being overwhelmed by the noise and recoil...never have gotten over that :-) Doug is enjoying his time with a tactical shotgun though. I will just watch.



The shotgun makes these big ol' holes and lots of tiny scatter shot.



Afterwards, we are ravenous and head for the closest BBQ....... Hamaknockers.



The brisket is amazingly tender and it's difficult for me to try anything else. Yum!!

Next up is a visit to Posey's seafood joint. See ya there!!