Aug 6, 2010

storm damage

last sunday was the first day back to work after 4 months of medical leave. oh boy, new offices, same old routines...i'm going spare you of my thoughts of architecs and their ability to make user-friendly spaces.

on wednesday evening i was sitting in my livingroom and watching out as a storm started to develop. i'll admit i was hoping for a proper thunderstorm, with lightning and rain (actually, i think the weather person kinda promised a thundrstorm). it would have been fun to sit on my glassed balcony, sip something and enjoy nature's show...well, be careful what you wish for...

...meanwhile back at the shack the storm really picked up, hit the biggest apple tree and did some major damage







such a shame. this was the biggest tree and if there were apples in any of the trees, this was it







huge trunk, there is approx one fifth of our apple crop in there







such healthy looking apples, all going to rot







however, there are plenty in the other two trees







hmm, apple sauce or pie?







the apple tree that lost the trunk is very old, this tiny rowan has found a home on it (might have to get rid of it, though)







moss has grown on some of the branches







one of the apple trees (the one i was betting was not going to survive the bruning) is doing amazingly well, lots of new shoots







need to be more vigilant in the autumn and snip some these new shoots off







the mezereon suffered as well. it really is a shame, poor mezereon has been fighting to stay alive after the surrounding trees were cut, it prefers shade place to a sunny one. we'll see if it'll keep fighting







since we are dwelling in garden issues...my arch-enemy, the rose is back. i think this was when my wrist took a serious turn for the worst, obviously, certain someone needs to address this rose-problem, soon







the storm had thrown this hazelnut (common hazel, corylus avellana) to the deck







i had recently seen the british cooking show what to eat now with valentin warner. i think he did crawfish with hazelnuts. warner picked the hazelnuts from a tree in the show and as i had not, during all these years at the shack, ever tasted the hazelnuts, decided to do so today. cracked one open with my teeth (don't tell my dentist!), it tasted quite bland, maybe i need to taste one later in the autumn (unless the squirrels hide them all...)







after all that excitement i sat (well, lay) down on the deck and started browsing these. i only dot thru the orange binder (recipe-cut-outs from martha stewart living magazine) and michel roux's pastry (there is some serious baking to be done once the weather cools a bit). looking thru all those recipes got me hungry...in the binder there was a martha recipe for iceberg vedges with buttermilk dressing that caught my eye, but i'll tell you all about it tomorrow!



Aug 1, 2010

wally salad, teriyaki chicken & slaw

i spent the saturday afternoon in the kitchen and set up my camera PW-style, hence the fancier pictures...

wally salad is my version of the waldorf salad...here is what went in:

200 gr celeriac, grated
200 gr parsnip, grated (or 4 stalks of celery sliced thinly)
2 apples (i used granny smiths) peeled and diced to ½ cm cubes
handfull of walnuts, roughly chopped
200 gr crushed pineapple, well drained
2 tbsp mayo (i used becel)







dicing the apples







took out my bamix (too lazy to dig out the big girl food processor) for grating the celeriac and parsnips







used the finest grater, thought celeriac might benefit from grated as fine as possible, as would parsnip, and they did, very juicy







the walnuts (which i don't like but do in this salad...)







all mixed in, i guess you could use more mayo but i think 2 tbsp is enough to give some body to this otherwise light salad







ready for some chill-out time in the fridge. this could be eaten right away but benefits from sitting in the fridge for a couple of hours







here's what went into my slaw: half a cabbage, some leek, carrots, mayo and sour cream







bamix worked overtime on saturday, here grating the carrots







mincing the leek







slicing the cabbage, first very thinly







then crosswise to cut the long threads







sour cream, 2 tbsp mayo, lots of crushed black pepper and white vinegar (1 tbsp), first mixed together then into the other ingredients







i love this salad and would eat it all the time if the cabbage didn't cause some embarrassing "side effects"...







that's teriyaki marinated chicken cutlets under the splatter guard. the chicken was marinated in teriyaki sauce for about 4 hrs (overnight would be best) in the fridge







first browned the cutlets on both sides in batches on high heat







then put them all back in the pan, poured in 1 dl of water, put the lid on and turned the heat off, and let sit for 5 mins to cook thru







my portion, did have seconds of the wally salad







usually i don't make such a mess as i like to wash up as i go but with the camera there and the fact that i was getting hungry...and i did do some baking as well on saturday so time was running out







that's better!