Loomis Living

Harriet's Mixed Bean Soup

2012-01-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

This is an easy soup that is perfect for a blustery winter day.

Ingredients (shown above)

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 sweet onion, diced

5 sweet peppers, diced

1 head garlic, diced

mushrooms, sliced

2 cups mixed dry beans

3 tablespoons of your favorite no salt seasoning

3 tablespoons dry parsley or basil (can use fresh if available)

black pepper to taste

1 can no-salt added tomatoes*

2-4 cups greens (spinach, chard, bok choy, kale, etc)

oil (olive or canola)

Directions

Soak the beans per the package directions, either overnight or using the quick soak method.
Saute the celery, onion, peppers, and garlic in canola or olive oil. Canola does not burn as readily but is not as tasty.
Boil the beans for 1 hour then add the sauteed vegetables, mushrooms, and spices.
When the beans are soft, add the tomatoes and the greens and simmer for and additional 5-10 minutes.

We eat this soup with brown rice and bananas.
*Of course you can always use fresh tomatoes when in season.

Hello again...

2012-01-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

So it's been over a year since I last posted and a lot has changed. Little did I know when I was doing a quick recap of 2010, that I would only have one short month until our little girl would make an early appearance.

Our beautiful daughter was born 6 weeks early and had an 8 day stay in the NICU before we brought her home. It was a stressful time and it took a while before we found our rhythm. Now, she is almost a year old and I am amazed at the blessing we have each and every day.

I can honestly say in the last year my focus has had a great shift and as I (hopefully) get back to some regular posting, I will be able to share some new interests and revive some old ones. Stay tuned.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

2011-01-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

As I am saying goodbye to 2010, I think back on my year in review from 2009. I originally thought I would create a post like that each year to capture a summary of the year's highlights. However, 2010 turned out to be a much different year.

The first 3 months were pretty much business as usual here on Loomis Living. I did a lot of cooking: Lentil Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Black Eye Pea Soup, Macaroni and Cheese, Waffles, Flat bread, Scalloped Potatoes, Guacamole, and Mujadara to name a few. We also brought home some baby chicks and built our second chicken residence.

April, May, and most of June were pretty much a blur. I was extremely busy at work and found much less time to do projects, let alone blog about them. There were still some chicken posts and the vegetable garden was planted a little late. The major project was building a new and improved chicken coop where all the chickens could live.

July brought the usual assortment of posts. It also brought some joyful news to Loomis, we were going to have a baby! Pretty soon those lazy summer days I posted about in August became every day.

Since my energy level was very low, I decided to pull out a lower intensity project that I had set aside a few years back. After 3.5 months of work, I finally finished my first sampler quilt at the end of October. The chickens also went through a molt during this time, so they were a little less than photogenic.

By November and December our focus had shifted to our upcoming arrival and unfinished projects around the house. My dear husband went into full bathroom remodeling mode, stripping out the old bathroom to the bare studs and starting from scratch. On the other hand, I started focusing on the room that would be the nursery. I haven't been doing very well with capturing the progress, but am hopeful that I will post some before and after shots at some point in the future.

As I say hello to 2011, I am excited about all that is in store for the upcoming year. First and foremost, we will meet our baby girl in March, we will have a 2nd functioning bathroom in our house, and we will discover how to be a family of three + ten chickens.

Frozen

2010-11-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

I was surprised to hear the forecast of a freeze this week. It is even earlier than last year's unusual snowfall in early December. I hope this isn't an indicator of the Winter yet to come.

We did take precautions to protect the citrus and avocado trees. It's a stretch the say that we put our Christmas lights up early, but it does add a festive air to the yard.
The view out the window this morning was filled with frost. The zinnias were edged with sparkly crystals. The thyme and sage also made an impressive showing. Even the little succulents had a light coating.

Today's goal: stay warm

2010 Mandarin Crop

2010-11-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

This is our complete harvest for this year (minus 3 that we already ate). It is a decent improvement over the 13 we had last year. We were hoping to leave them on the trees to fully ripen, but we are having a freeze over the next couple of days, so I picked them all yesterday afternoon. This morning, here is what I saw when I woke up:

Apparently, even the green ones were tasty.

My First Sampler Quilt

2010-11-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

First, I need to start out with a little history. My husband gave me a sewing machine for Christmas in 2006. I had never used one before, so I started out slowly with a simple patchwork rag quilt. Over the course of that first year I made a total of 5 quilts:

In 2008, I made another baby quilt and a few other small projects. We moved to Loomis this year, so sewing took a backseat to other activities.

In 2009, I did not make any quilts. Being the first full year in our new home, I spent a lot of time on other projects.

At some point over the course of this 3 year period, I came across this sampler quilt. It was for Debbie Mumm's 20th Anniversary. I had bought and cut all the fabric, but had only managed to assemble three of the blocks. This summer, I decided to pull it out and finish it. Here is the finished product:

Each block is 12.5 inches with the log cabin style strips bordering two sides of each block. Here are close-ups of a couple of blocks. I tried some freehand machine quilting as you can see on the left borders.

Overall, I am very pleased with this quilt. It is the most challenging I have completed thus far and I was able to learn some new techniques. I am already planning my next one!

More trees

2010-11-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

My dear husband has officially become a tree-aholic. Over the last month he has purchased the following trees (granted some were to replace ones that didn't make it through last winter):

5 Olive
2 Asian pear
2 Peach
2 Cherry
1 Fig
1 Pomegranate

These combined with the original orchard and Mandarin grove, brings our total tree count to nearly 50 since we moved here in August 2008. I am glad we like fruit.

Oven Baked Potatoes

2010-10-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is finally cooling off, my thoughts are turning to more Autumn and Winter-like foods. Baked potatoes are not something we commonly have, but the potatoes looked tasty when I was shopping last week, so I picked some up. I searched around for a recipe and found one that was simple enough. However, the final ingredient was salt which would require a substitute. I decided to use onion powder and granulated garlic.

Ingredients

medium baking potatoes

olive oil

onion powder

granulated garlic

Directions

Wash the potatoes well with a vegetable brush and let dry (keep the skin on).
Stab the potatoes 4-5 times with the tines of a fork to crate holes for the steam to escape.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the dry potato and use your hand to coat the entire outside.
Sprinkle the onion powder and garlic around the outside of the potato and set aside
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the potatoes are coated and seasoned.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 1-1.5 hours or until the potatoes are soft.

We at the potatoes with Kefir Labne Cheese instead of sour cream. My husband, who isn't a fan of potatoes, said they were the best baked potatoes he had ever had. This recipe is definitely a keeper after that comment.

Very Berry Cake

2010-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

I made this cake last weekend after my husband requested a cake with fruit. It is a simple yellow cake recipe with frozen berries added to the batter.

Ingredients
1 yellow cake mix for a large cake (used only 1 cup of sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1-2 cups frozen berries (I used a mixture of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients except berries in a bowl. An electric mixer was useful for this step.
2. Once the batter is smooth, gently stir in the berries until evenly distributed.
3. Pour batter into a cake pan prepared with butter and flour.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes for a bundt pan. Other shaped pans would likely take less time. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Turn cake onto a plate and let cool.

Mujadara with Cilantro

2010-09-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I posted a recipe for an onion, lentil, and rice pilaf. I had stored some in the freezer and pulled it out a couple of weeks ago. Wow! It was still super tasty even after being frozen for several months. I decided to make a fresh batch.

The recipe is slightly altered from the last go around. Specifically, I cut out some of the hands on cooking time and added fresh cilantro to the end product.

Ingredients
6 medium onions, caramelized
1/2 medium onion, fresh
2 cups lentils
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
7 cups water
2 cups brown rice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
1. Caramelize the onions using the slow cooker. This can be done in advance and the onions can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Slice the fresh onion half into half-moon shapes.

3. Sauté the onion in some olive oil until it softens and turns brown.

4. Add the lentils, pepper, and water to the pot and bring it to a boil.

5. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Add the rice and cumin. Simmer for an additional 45 minutes (brown rice takes longer to cook. White rice would be done in 20 minutes).

7. After the rice is cooked, stir in the caramelized onions and chopped cilantro.

The cilantro adds a freshness to the dish and really complements the cumin flavor.

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

2010-09-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have come across several recipes that call for caramelized onions. After thinking to myself that there must be a easier way than standing over a saute pan for an hour, I did a quick search. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are many websites that highlight caramelizing onions using a slow cooker. I instantly knew I had to try it out.

The process I used is simple:

1. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Add onions (can be sliced, quartered, halved, or whole).
3. Drizzle with olive oil on top.
4. Cook on low for 12-15 hours (overnight works well).
You may want to stir once or twice to make sure the onions don't stick.

The result is a pot full of beautiful onions ready to be used in your favorite dish.

Low Sodium Chex Mix

2010-08-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is a nice alternative to the original snack mix for folks trying to watch their salt intake.

Ingredients

3 cups Corn Chex (330 cal, 840 mg)
3 cups Wheat Chex (640 cal, 1360 mg)
3 cups Rice Chex (300 cal, 720 mg)
1 cup Mixed Nuts (340 cal, 200 mg)
1/4 stick unsalted butter (200 cal, 0 mg)

1/4 cup olive oil (480 cal, 0 mg)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (0 cal, 360 mg)
6 dashes (to 12 Dashes) Tabasco Sauce (0 cal, 0 mg)
1 teaspoon No-Salt Seasoning Mix (0 cal, 0 mg)
¼ teaspoons Onion Powder (0 cal, 0 mg)

4 cloves mashed garlic (0 cal, 0 mg)

Directions

1. Add butter, Worcestershire, Tabasco, seasoning mix, onion powder, and garlic to a bowl and microwave until the butter is melted.

2. Mix in olive oil.

3. Add remaining ingredients to a bowl and mix.

4. Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to mix.

5. Evenly spread the mix on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little more olive oil.

6. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour 15 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes.

7. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Info

Servings: 24

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Calories per serving: 100

Sodium per serving: 145

Ginger Spiced Pancakes

2010-08-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Even though I have been pretty lazy lately, I did find the energy to try out a new pancake recipe. I found inspiration a few places around the web to come up with this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup baking mix
1 cup non-fat milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or pitcher.
2. Pour into a lightly greased skillet and cook until bubbles appear
3. Flip and cook for another minute or two. I usually peek and see if it has turned brown.
4. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 pancakes.

I served these pancakes with a little Smart Balance and some maple syrup. They were a little different from you typical pancake, but had a nice spice flavor that wasn't too overpowering.

Lazy Summer Days

2010-08-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it. I have been a little lazy with posting lately. It has been too hot to do much cooking or much of anything else for that matter. Even the chickens are being lazy. I have been working on an indoor project that I hope to post about shortly. In the meantime, try to stay cool.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July 2010

2010-07-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to July 2010! Similar to last year, our vegetable garden is where most the bloom action is taking place.

The Sugar Pie Pumpkins are just starting to flower. I planted them six weeks later this year so I don't harvest another bumper crop in August.

The Burpless Cucumber has been blooming continuously for the last couple of weeks. I even harvested two cucumbers the other day.

These Autumn Beauty sunflowers are the crowning glory of the garden. The first ones just opened up last week and there are several more almost open.

Lastly, we have these lovely Chrysanthemums blooming out back. They are nestled in a patch of mint and seem to be doing well.

Crock Pot Baked Beans

2010-07-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we had a barbecue and I made some vegetarian baked beans. I wanted to avoid the oven since it was 100+ degrees that day. I found this recipe, which I used an inspiration for these beans.

Ingredients

1 head garlic, roughly chopped
1 red onion, diced
1 pound white beans, pre-soaked
1 wax pepper, diced
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Using a larger size crock pot (~ 5 quarts), add all the above ingredients and mix well.
Add enough water to cover the beans plus about 1 inch
Set the crock pot on LOW and cook for 6-8 hours or until tender.
Check to make sure there is enough water, if they look dry, add some more.

These beans were a nice side dish for our 4th of July meal and made a tasty lunch for me the rest of the week.

Clothespin Apron

2010-07-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

We don't use a dryer for our clothes. We hang them on an umbrella clothesline (2 in fact!). One of the challenges I have faced when hanging the laundry is trying to line up the clothes with the pins that are already on the line. Of course, I am trying to maximize the clothesline utilization so this is a critical activity. After nearly 2 years of this method, I decided to make a clothespin apron.

Using the leg from an old pair of jeans and some leftover curtain fabric, I created this apron. It is similar to the half-apron design I made a couple of years ago. My apron is based on the one featured here. I have been using it for about 2 weeks and so far it has worked out well. It should also make the clothespins last longer since they are not exposed to the elements 100% of the time.

Homemade Automatic Chicken Waterer

2010-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have improved on our original design to create an automated chicken waterer. It could also be used for dogs and cats too! We were able to purchase all the necessary parts at our local hardware store (Home Depot in this case).

Parts needed

Toilet fill valve
Universal toilet connector kit (has several size adaptors including 1/2")
1/2" FIP (female pipe) to 3/4" FH (female hose) swivel hose adaptor
1/2" brass pipe nipple
Plastic pot or bucket at desired height for drinking
Teflon plumbing tape

Directions

Drill a hole in the bottom of the plastic pot using a 1" Speedbor drill bit.
Insert the toilet fill valve through the hole. Attach the plastic nut that comes with the valve on the outside of the pot.
Attach the Universal connector kit to the valve using the 1/2" adaptor. (see Figure 1)
Apply Teflon tape to both ends of the brass nipple (male to male).
At the other end of the connector kit, insert the taped nipple (to prevent leaking)
Lastly, attach the 1/2" to 3/4" female pipe to hose thread adaptor. (see Figure 2)

Figure 1

Figure 2

Since the hose is coming out the bottom of the pot, we dug a small hole in the ground to allow space for the hose to lay flat. We also used some bricks to help level the pot. Screw your garden hose onto the end of the waterer and turn it on. It should fill to the height set on the valve. As the water level lowers, the valve will automatically engage and refill the pot.

Our First Squash

2010-07-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

This little beauty has been ready to pick for several days. I finally remembered to grab a knife from the kitchen on my way out to the garden. It is recommended that squash be cut at the stems instead of just pulling it off the vine. This is my first time growing this type of scalloped squash called "Peter Pan." I am not sure what I am going to do with it, so for now it will be sitting on our counter looking cute.

Cinnamon French Toast

2010-07-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I made French Toast for breakfast. I has been ages since I have made it, but it turned out just as easy and tasty as I remembered.

Ingredients
sliced bread (whole wheat store bought)
eggs
milk
cinnamon

Directions
1. Beat the eggs with a splash of milk in a bowl. I used 3 eggs and about 1/2 cup milk.
2. Add a generous amount of cinnamon. I put so much in that I had to stir a lot to mix it in.
3. Place a slice of bread in the egg/milk/cinnamon mixture until it is moistened. Flip over and repeat on the other side.
4. Set the coated slice of bread in a heated frying pan. I used a mist of olive oil spray on mine to keep it from sticking.
5. After cooking one side for a minute or two, flip the bread and cook the other.
6. Repeat the process until the egg/milk/cinnamon mixture is used up.

This recipe yielded 6 slices of French Toast using these quantities of eggs and milk. I spread some Smart Balance, sprinkled with powdered sugar, drizzled with maple syrup, and served. Yum!!

Green Eggs and White Eggs

2010-07-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today, both of the California White chickens laid their first eggs at only 18 weeks and 4 days old. Compared to the larger greenish eggs that Brown Chicken lays, they are the cutest little white eggs. We are hoping that they will get bigger once the chickens start laying regularly. They also still need some training on where to lay, but overall we are quite pleased.

"No Salt" Seasoning Mix

2010-06-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I made a recipe that called for Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Since anything with salt in the name is pretty much taboo around here, I took a stab at creating my own. There are several variations of the original, but all were high in sodium. This is a low (no) sodium version of the original.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and store in an empty spice container. These quantities make about 3 tablespoons or 1 ounce of seasoning mix.

Spring Greens Frittata

2010-06-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Even though we are officially into Summer now, I wanted to make sure I captured this dish I made late last month. I purchased a box of organic mixed veggies and wasn't quite sure what to make. We happened to have a decent stockpile of fresh eggs, so I decided I would combine the two.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large green onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups spring greens (this was a combination of kale, chard, broccoli, turnip greens, and some other stuff)
1 diced wax pepper (I used a frozen one from last summer's garden)
ground pepper
5 eggs
fresh thyme or other herbs

Directions
1. Slice the onion (including the whites) and saute it with the garlic in the olive oil. I used a 10 inch frying pan.
2. Roughly chop the spring greens and add to the onion and garlic. Saute until soft
3. Beat the 5 eggs in a separate bowl then pour over the vegetables. I added pepper at this point for some spice.
4. Flatten the greens and make sure the eggs are covering them.
5. Sprinkle the fresh thyme and some more pepper on top.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes or until set.

This was a quick and easy dinner on a weeknight. It could also be served for breakfast or a brunch as a great vegetarian side.

Mmmm....Blueberries

2010-06-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

That was a sound heard repeatedly this morning as we enjoyed our first harvest of blueberries. We planted the bushes last year and the few berries we yielded were snatched by my husband before they were ripe. What a great way to start the week, freshly picked blueberries. Yum!!

Our New and Improved Coop

2010-06-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was another moving day for our flock. We have been building this new coop in our limited spare time for the last couple of months. It is not completely finished, but is secure enough to house the chickens. We proceeded to snatch the chickens at dusk and place them in the coop. Here is how we found them yesterday morning:

Later in the day, I checked and saw that they were making use of the roosts I installed.
They are still "cooped up" today. We are trying to have them learn where home is so they come back to sleep here in the future.