Now, I know someone is going to take a look at this and say, “That’s not  Feijoada!”. And of course, you would be absolutely right. And wrong.

At our house this is Feijoada. A long LONG time ago when we had very little money for groceries I wanted to make something different. I had black beans, ground beef, and rice. After much searching I found a recipe for Feijoada and even though I had few of the ingredients, I made it with what I had.

Now, argue with me if you want but that is the true spirit of Feijoada, isn’t it? Using what you have in such a way as to create gastronomic Olympus.  Rich and spicy, filled with the flavors of Central and South America this is my version of a Brazilian dish.  It is flavorful, frugal, foreign and filling and can you ask for much more than that out of a food? Really?

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Running late today…But I wanted to get blogsurfing Saturday in before Sunday!

You all know that I believe strongly in buying local, buying fresh, buying organic, buying fair trade whenever possible. I don’t see this as a new thing, it was the way I was raised.  Yep, way back in the 1960s my parents who lived through the Depression drilled into my head that the only way one could be truly free was to be as self-sustainable as possible. Rather than dependence on people you don’t know, my dad said, have relationship with neighbors and those that you will see each day.

Dad felt this was the strength of a country, neighbors taking care of neighbors not government babysitters.  My parents were middle aged when I came along and I was an only child.  They poured into me a love for the environment and a strong sense of responsibility for those around me. I have always felt very driven to protect, to do the right thing, to care for.

It is hard, these days to juggle ethics and need. Groceries are outrageous and I can’t always buy organics. But doing what I can is better than doing nothing at all.

Today’s Blogsurfing is a bit different than usual. I have come across several sites that make it easy to shop locally, shop organically and shop fairly.  Read more

After Christmas I bought four rosemary trees that had been shaped as Christmas trees and clearanced for 2.00 each. I was excited about it because there is so much that fresh rosemary is wonderful for.  I love smelling it when I am sitting out on the porch…I love using it in cooking and baking.  I love adding springs of it to my drawers or closets.

Another thing I love is chicken and noodles, or Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie.  I thought I had come up with every variation known to man but I was inspired the other day to add rosemary and Swiss cheese to a basic recipe.

The flavor went from comfort food to sophisticated comfort food.  I was in love.  This is my entry into this week’s Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Patsy of Family, Friends and Food.  I am getting to know her on Twitter and she is so very sweet!  Many thanks to Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast for keeping this going!

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I love it when I take the time to make egg noodles.  They just taste fresh and delicate and the texture is wonderful.  I love the color of them because everything I make with the eggs that our chickens lay has a beautiful golden color from the darkness of the yolks.  Seriously, I could probably exist on egg noodles…totally.

O.k. Egg noodles and chocolate….and pizza…and..

O.k.maybe I couldn’t exist on them.  I lied.  But they are awfully good.  The secret to thin, delicate egg noodles is to let the dough relax before rolling it out.  It is best if you can let it sit in the refrigerator, well wrapped, for a few hours.  This way the gluten will loosen up and you will be able to roll very thin.   I don’t worry to much about how uniform they are in size.  After all, I want them to look homemade!  You can cut them with a fluted pastry cutter for pretty edges.  Personally, I just run a knife down them.

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Happy weekend!

We had two simultaneous sleepovers last night.  BOY sleep overs.

Why do girls have the reputation of being giggleboxes? Seriously? A roomful of boys is just as bad, or worse.  Poor Shiloh braved the testosterone as long as she could and then retreated to her pink room with the antique Victorian bed.  Kyrie, being much younger and yet just as aware of the testosterone condensation appearing on the walls asked to sleep at our oldest daughter’s house with our grandkids.  Smart girl.

I retreated to my room, with the rose themed border and bedpread.  And here I am still, this morning, hiding with my computer.

There were two boxes of pizza left over and I told them to just eat that for breakfast.  Marc and Matthew were headed to a mens meeting at church, and as long as I have coffee I don’t care about food.

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I love spinach but several of my family members absolutely do not!

There is something about the combination of balsamic vinegar and bacon and spinach, though, that wakes up your taste buds and lets them know that you know what you are doing. Read more

I love pasta.  It is quick, cheap, easy, and filling..what more can you ask?

This is my entry for Presto Pasta. Read more

Summer is the time for cook-outs for sure. When you can make homemade, delicious (soft!) hot dog and hamburger buns in less than an hour why in the world would you buy them?

Did I say less than an hour? Yep!

These freeze well so you can make them ahead of time. If you have a regular baking day, or OAMC weekend make up a few batches of these for the month and freeze them for quick meals anytime.

Most of us do not consider Read more

I bet if you never heard of this you made a face when you read the title. Vinegar pie is an old recipe, created back in the days where you used everything possible to create edible and filling meals, remember Ma Ingalls’ green pumpkin apple pie? Well Ma Ingalls wasn’t the only one…My grandma was pretty handy with creating food as well, from what I have heard. She was gone long before I came on the scene but her cooking ability was a family treasure, so much so that family members spoke in quiet awe of foods that they hadn’t tasted in decades!

Vinegar pie was one of these. It tastes like a very delicate apple pie and is simple to make. Serve it with a wedge of cheddar cheese . Makes 6-8 servings.

I have tried for over an hour to find a suitable photo and could not..so here it is..without illustration.

1 baked pie crust

3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup butter
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1. In the top of a double boiler, beat the egg yolks well. Combine the flour, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, allspice, and mace and blend into the egg yolks. Add the 1/4 cup cider vinegar and mix, then add the warm water. Simmer over boiling water for 25 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened; the water should just reach the bottom of the top pan.
2. Stir in the butter and cool slightly, about 15-20 minutes, without stirring. Pour the warm filling into the baked shell; set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F . In a large mixer bowl, beat together the egg whites, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 6 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form; sprinkle in the cornstarch just before the beating is completed. The peaks should not topple over when the beater is raised.
4. Spread the meringue over the filling all the way to the edge of the pastry. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Cool the pie completely and then refrigerate.