Tag Archives: Salsa

We Made It to New Orleans . . .

My head is still spinning – over the last two months we packed up our home in Prescott, drove ourselves and the three cats 1650 miles across company and have more or less moved into to our new home. What an incredible amount of experience crammed into a few weeks!

raw kitchenThe kitchen in our house was gutted . Once escrow closed  Meggan installed a utility sink in the kitchen. She says it is hard to clean and paint without water!

We got here and walked into an exquisitely painted but very bare kitchen – the only item in it was the lonely little utility sink.

We think that the kitchen is the most important room in the house so we started there; literally started from the ground up. We were told that there was a lovely long-leaf pine floor under the tile debris. Which is why David spent the first day we were here sanding of the glue and junk off the floor. When he was done we saw that there was indeed beautiful wood. Beautiful wood badly in need of repair and loving care.  Decided to delay immediate work and instead lay down cheap vinyl to protect the from any further damage. We will tackle this in the fall when it gets a little cooler!

Once we had a decision on the floor we moved in a fridge, a toaster oven, microwave and electric frying pan. Went out and got a gas grill and on the way home stopped at Farmer’s Market. While there we scored some corn, tomatoes, onions and greens.  Later that afternoon we had our first home cooked meal in a couple of weeks:  roasted corn on the cob along with grilled onions and tomatoes. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a meal more!

camp kitchenWe were in business. Although I have to say that cooking with no counter space is a trick. David set up a rolling island, a couple of folding tables and put together a rolling storage rack. We gleefully refer to the process as camping in our own house. Very comfortable camping all things considered!

While we camped for the next couple of days, we feasted on a big salad made from fresh greens, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers. Grilled and enjoyed eggplant, squash, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. Even if we were camping it still felt downright luxurious to eat simple, home prepared fresh veggies.

At the end of the first week we had the most exciting day of all — the day we got a real gas stove and range!! I immediately made pasta sauce, started soaking black beans and dug out some rice.

The other exciting thing was the gift of a triple bowl 44 inch sink. Now all we need is something to put it on. That is next weeks project: find kitchen cabinets and the counter top to get installed asap.  Did I mention that in the meantime we are just happy to be eating real food again?

farmersOne of the wonderful things about New Orleans at this time of year are all the Farmer’s Markets. You can find ones on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. We are taking full advantage!  Today we got 10 lbs of “seconds” tomatoes and a bunch of peppers and onions so tomorrow we make salsa!

Life should be calming down a bit in the next couple of weeks. I will finally get to start posting on a regular basis. I have missed writing more than I thought possible. So watch for new posts. Lots of nutrition news, garden updates, cooking tips and our other NOLA adventures.

And there, my friends, you have it – the NOLA adventure update! Stayed tuned!

Posted in Farmers Market, fresh veggies, garden, New Orleans, salsa, tomatoes, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Feeling Good and The Pantry is Filling Up

We have been working like kitchen slaves for the last couple of weeks.  Here is a shot of a small portion of our pantry. There are very few things in this world that make me happier than looking at this. Lots of work, but we have food for winter and beyond.

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Those shelves are 3 jars deep and we have 6 cases of 12 bottles each still in the garage. There are two kinds of salsa (medium and hot), 2 kinds of broth (from the salsa (medium and hot), pepper relish and applesauce. (more…)

Posted in Cote Home Grown Fare, garden, kitchen basics, salsa, vegan, vegetarian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Canning Apples

APPLES-SINK

My proof-reader is out building the winter greenhouse so please excuse any errors. . .

We did our “final” trip for the season to Farmer’s Market on Saturday to pick up more tomatoes for salsa and more apples for applesauce. We came home and started canning.

These apples are what are known as “culls.” Which just means that they are either deformed or damaged is some way. They don’t always look so good, but the taste is full and sweet.  We got a good mix of green, yellow and red apples which makes for a subtly tasted sauce.  Of course they all must be carefully washed and cleaned. So David did the hard work and cut out the bad spots and then cored them. He is my hero!! (more…)

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EASY Killer Chili

We very often have chili is our fridge. It heats quickly, is satisfying and full of protein. We eat it as traditional chili in a bowl topped with extra onions (and cheese), over rice or with cornbread.  We use it in our breakfast “omelets,” or as a mid-afternoon snack.  For me, there is nothing more comforting on a cold rainy night than a big bowl of piping hot, spicy chili.

Best of all it is a quick and easy dish to make.  From the time I walk into the kitchen until I have cleaned up and am ready to leave is about 20 minutes.  Admittedly, the cooking takes hours, but not prep. And finally, the smell of the cooking chili is it’s own special treat! (more…)

Posted in Beans, Mexican, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Making Salsa

Took a field trip to the local health food store; in hot pursuit of a clean sugar-free, additive-free commercial salsa.  I stood in front of the shelves of brightly labeled salsa and begin to read the labels.  A half hour and many labels later my eyes gave out. Seriously, I read lots of small print and while it did strain my eyes, I could still drive home.

Posted in additive-free food, fresh veggies, kitchen basics, plant based diet, salsa | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment