January Baker's Rack

 

Have you ever looked into how to style a baker's rack? I have been working on this for at least 6 months, and nothing I put on here looked right. I finally decided it made a huge difference when I added the trays and the cutting boards. 

The homemade French bread was what I baked today. I've never made it before, but it wasn't bad for my first try. 

My son gifted me some fresh farm eggs from his in-laws when he visited. I love the colors, pale green and brown. 

A tea tray always at the ready seems to be a perfect addition to my baker's rack. Do you have a baker's rack? If you do, how do you use it?

In Victory,

Sherry

Black-Eyed Pea Grinder Salad

 

This is an original grinder salad that I modified based on what I had on hand today. I made it with black-eyed peas for a New Year's twist, since in the South where I grew up you always ate black-eyed peas. An original grinder salad would be Italian and made with beans, but my beans are in the pasta because it is made with chickpea pasta. 

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced

1 box chickpea pasta, 8 oz.

1 can black-eyed peas, 15.5 oz. can

1/4 cup pepperoncini peppers, chopped up

1/2 cup salami or pepperoni, whatever you have chopped in half or quarters

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 tsp. oregano

2 tablespoons of lemon juice or juice of one lemon

Instructions:

Cook the box of chickpea pasta according to the directions. Usually after it comes to a boil, you simmer for 8 minutes, then it is done. Drain and chill for 30 minutes to an hour in refrigerator.

Dice the red onion, thinly slice the red pepper, and mince the parsley. Chop your pepperoncini peppers and cut up your salami, or I used pepperoni (whatever Italian meat you have on hand). Rinse and drain your black-eyed peas. Add your peas, onion, peppers, pepperoncini, meat, and parsley to the bowl of cooled pasta. Add the vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and lemon juice and stir until well combined. You could add many things to this. I used the last of the marinated olives from the mezze platter we had this week to it. You could add cherry tomatoes or mozzarella balls or anything you wanted to finish up from another small meal. You can serve right away or chill in the refrigerator. The longer it sets, the better it tastes. 

Enjoy! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Garden Year End Review 2024

 
May you be blessed in 2025! May your gardens be fruitful and your days be happy.

In Victory, Sherry

The Mezze Platter

At the end of this year, I went all Mediterranean with our food, so the obvious choice for a party platter was the mezze platter. Mezze is a series of small dishes served as appetizers, all originating from the Mediterranean. 

I don't know a lot about this type of food, but, I love to try new things. So, don't consider me very experienced at Mediterranean cuisine, but I have a lot of fun cooking it. The thing I noticed right away is there is more assembling rather than long, complicated recipes and techniques for cooking. I liked that. It is also fresh food and one of the most healthy diets you can eat. 

Here is what we had on our platter, and I will give you the link to the recipes. My sons loved it! I did add an American smoked cheddar cheeseball, which used to be a staple for our holidays, and no one touched it! It was funny; everyone embraced the Mediterranean-style appetizers with eagerness. Here is the link I used to create my own mezze platter. In this picture are marinated olives, crostini, and regular salted mixed nuts.

In this picture is whipped feta spread, but I subbed ricotta instead, and it came out beautifully.

This is regular hummus from the local grocery store topped with marinated chickpeas.

In this picture we have cherry tomato caprese salad. I don't know if you would find this on a true mezze platter, but it was so pretty I couldn't resist.

This is the rest of the marinated chickpeas. 

Homemade pita chips are on this also, but they are not pictured. Here are also sliced raw carrots for dipping, orange slices, and a cluster of grapes. Now I was going to round out the year with my last post in a series I was posting about using the herbs from my garden. I got this idea from the book The Herbal Yearbook. I have posted ideas from this book for the whole year, but the book is from 1994, and I thought doing something more modern would be a great way to end my herb series for this year.

So how did I use my herbs in this new style of cooking? 

The question might be better stated, how didn't I use them? The Mediterraneans are freely using lots of herbs. So, I found all sorts of uses for the herbs I had saved from the garden this year!

I used dried oregano and basil crushed into a powder.

I made bouquet garni and I had them in the freezer. So I used the frozen thyme in place of fresh.

I used some rosemary I had started in an herb propagating post and stripped some leaves of it for this mezze platter. This rosemary has doubled in size too! Just growing in a south window over the winter.

I also chopped down all of my parsley right before our first freeze. I took it off of the stem and used herb scissors, then froze it all. I had a lot of it. I used this to garnish the marinated chickpeas. 

So for 2024 I really found a lot of uses for my herbs. It was a great year of projects and learning. 

I wish everyone a wonderful 2025 and many blessings!!

In Victory,

Sherry

Teddy Bear Dreams

Teddy bear is dreaming about...what is in the presents? The new year? What do you think he is dreaming about? 

I think he is dreaming about forgiving seventy times seven, understanding that when you walk a mile in someone's shoes, it isn't as easy as you would imagine. To me, Teddy looks terribly worn out, and he looks like I feel. I have had a really rough year dealing with an elderly parent, and it isn't over yet, but maybe we have a stability point. I am praying that is the case. 

Meanwhile, while I still have a life to live, I have been upkeeping the house and touching up the paint. I have doors and window sills that have been unpainted from a remodel for 17 years, and I am finally getting to paint them. 

All this month I have been cooking the Mediterranean diet, and I am surprised that for the most part it is well received. I might be sharing some of those recipes soon. I know that I am not the only person who has endured a rough, 2024; may all who suffer be blessed with the faith to endure till the end.

Blessed are those who suffer for doing what is right.
    The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Matthew 5:10

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

In Victory,

Sherry

Winter Garden 18th Century Style

We have had our first snow here, and I took advantage of it by taking a turn around the garden 18th century style in my Kinsale cloak.

 

I have had this cloak since I was a teen. My mother made it for me from a historical pattern. I think this December I will do fun posts. Maybe just pretty pictures!

In Victory,

Sherry