Roswell Adventures

Hi, my name is Susan Moore, and I am clueless when it comes to starting seeds. OK, not totally clueless. I know you start them inside then transplant them outside later. I understand the theory - I've just never been able to pull it off. Last year I used small peat pots...but then I kinda forgot about them. So, I figured the seeds were not going to work and I would just reuse the pots for planting seeds directly into our straw bales. Well, it worked...in fact it worked so well that all of the seeds - including the ones I figured I'd offed in my pathetic attempt to start seeds inside. But, this is a new year and I am ready to try again...so I did :)   This is my tray of seed starters :) The ones at the top of the picture are disks of soil that you soak in warm water. They soak up the water and then you plant in them. The others are in toilet paper rolls. Since we started composing, I stopped throwing away my empty toilet paper rolls, because they go great in the com...

Thanks to Bountiful Baskets, we often have a surplus of delicious fruits and vegetables, and we enjoy finding new ways to enjoy them. Recently I came across a recipe for breaded asparagus. It looked interesting, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted, so this is what I came up with...shown with a nice glass of chardonnay. So...here is where we started...   I started with Glutino gluten-free crackers. This package comes with two inner packets, and I used one of these. I put them in a zipper-top bag and crushed them with a rolling pin until they were reduced to coarse crumbs. Grate the Parmesan and mix that in - along with your choice of seasoning.   Next up - the asparagus! I snapped off the woody bottoms by digging my thumbnail in then snapping off the part below that. If you can't dig your thumbnail in, then you need to move up higher on the stalk until you can.   The flour will go in it's own pan - one large enough to hold your asparagus makes ...

I love leeks! I've only prepared them a couple of ways, but I love them none-the-less. When last Saturday's Bountiful Basket landed us with two bunches of leeks and another two of asparagus, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I looked through dozens of recipes, but most required 1) going to the grocery store (which I was trying to avoid) and adding cream (which is probably a good thing for me to avoid, as well). So then I decided, "What the heck! Just make something up!" The results - Leek Asparagus Almondine!  It's a simple recipe! Start by toasting the sliced almonds in a skillet over medium heat. Watch them closely so they don't burn, and when they look toasty, pour them into a glass bowl so they won't continue to cook.   About that asparagus...rather than guessing where to cut to get rid of woody parts, try bending them.  Eventually they will snap, showing you the line between yummy and woody.   Toss your sliced leeks into a ...

When I learned I had to go gluten free, one of the hardest things to give up was pizza. After all, we live in the land of pizza and pasta, right? Well, it wasn't long before I started hunting for viable gluten-free pizza options. The first gluten-free pizzas I tried were just shy of pathetic. The crusts were either soggy beyond belief or reminiscent of what I would feed my pet gopher...if I had one. Fortunately, gluten-free offerings have improved immensely over the past 6 years. Recently I learned about making pizza crust out of cauliflower. Sure, it sounds strange, but I had a nice head of cauliflower from Bountiful Baskets and decided to give it a shot. The results? Not bad at all :) OK, so I usually like my cheese a little more brown, but the crust had been cooking a while and I was concerned about over-criping it. So, here's how it came together... Clean your cauliflower and cut into florets - I used about half a large head. Then use your food process...

As 2013 winds to a close, my thoughts go towards reflection on the year. I try not to dwell on things that happened outside of my control. Rather I like to focus on my actions...and in-actions.  As I travel through a year's worth of reflections, one things stands out. Areas in which I had well-formed, clear-cut goals are the ones I feel better about.  For those areas where I did not have goals set I discovered something interesting. Either I was disappointed in the outcome, because I somehow did not measure up to an unstated goal, or I patted myself on the back for an achievement, which in retrospect was not a very challenging one. One area that really stands out as a disappointment to me is that of setting last year's New Year's Resolution. It was a really good idea - write more cards and letters to those I care about, with a special focus on the women in my life. Oh, I sent lots of cards to my female friends over the course of the year. I especially love to find cards...

I love Brussels sprouts. Of course had you suggested such a concept to me even a dozen years ago, I would have called you crazy. But it is official...I love Brussels sprouts! We have enjoy them a variety of ways... Steamed with a good, aged balsamic vinegar Roasted with olive oil Pan-seared with cranberries and blue cheese Hash...with bacon One day last week I peered into the fridge and noted some bacon and Brussels sprouts.  Mmmmm...hash! But then I noticed I had half a bag of cranberries left. Why not combine the recipes?   I cut the bacon into small chunks and started that cooking while I rinsed, trimmed, and quartered the sprouts. I rinsed and picked through the cranberries and chopped the onion.   When the bacon was cooked, I pulled it out of the pan and sauteed the onion in the bacon fat.   When the onion was translucent, I tossed in the sprouts and cranberries. I sauteed them a few minutes while I boiled so...

So, back before Thanksgiving we looked around at nearly 3 dozen large, ripe tomatoes needing to be used soon. We were heading out of town and knew we could get rid of a dozen or so, but that left us with about two dozen with an unknown future. I remembered talking with my dad about freezing tomatoes and decided to give it a shot. I rinsed the tomatoes and literally just stacked them on the dish towel-covered freezer shelf and left them there. I have since learned that additional prep can be done, but we were literally getting ready to wait for the roads to open so we could leave, so I wasn't up for anything that took much time. I knew I was supposed to wait until they were frozen and then put them in freezer bags, and I had good intentions of following through. However, it was really easy to convince myself that wasn't necessary since they wouldn't be there that long. So I let them set...until today. We really needed the freezer space and decided it would be awesome to ...