Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, when we think about how we are treating our planet and try to do things to help the earth.

What better day to go to the recycling center?

The place was full when I first pulled in.

You have to admit that it was nice of them to all leave so I could take these pictures of our local recycling center.

As a bonus, one of the employees informed me that they were giving away trees today. I chose a Shumard Oak sapling to plant in our back yard.

Another way I try to help the earth is by using reusable bags when I shop. These are sturdy and hold quite a bit.

It feels good to do my part. How are you celebrating Earth Day?

Out and About, at Last

I was finally able to get to the recycling center - when they were actually open. Too bad it was only 10 degrees and the wind was coming from the north.

Mission accomplished. I've done my part to help save the planet today. Now, onward and upward... (echo, echo, echo...)

Ah, what a lovely morning. Again with the icky cold, though. What do you mean it's -4 degrees outside? And why am I outside taking pictures?

If you click on this picture and the next, you will see that the deer (and a 4-wheel vehicle) were busy in our yard.

Have I mentioned that it was cold?

Well, I've had enough of the cold. I'm heading back into the kitchen.

I have had the idea for this dish for some time now. I found a recipe from Williams-Sonoma's web site for Pasta Rustica with Chicken Sausage and Three Cheeses. Obviously, I will be substituting turkey sausage for the chicken. I also opted to make a half recipe as I only needed enough food for three people.

My mise en place includes dried oregano, red pepper flakes, dried basil, salt, canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste (since I couldn't find canned tomatoes in puree), penne pasta, Ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Fontina cheese, onion, garlic and turkey sausage.

The recipe says to remove the casing from the sausages. Ooookay, that was fun.

Since I don't need all of the sausages for the recipe, the rest went into a labeled zipper-top bag and that went into the freezer.

The penne pasta has been cooked to al dente. Now it's time to work on the sauce. (And bonus points to those of you who noticed that I disregarded the recipe instructions on this point.)

First the onion sautes in some olive oil.

Then the minced garlic is added....

before the sausage is brought into play.

Work to break up the sausage as it cooks.

Then we add the herbs and red pepper flakes. The heat releases the essential oils and perfumes into the air.

Now the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste are added to the pan.

Yep, this is red.

Stir in the pasta...

And then the Ricotta and Fontina cheeses.

But wait; we're not done yet.

Sprinkle the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over top. Then this bakes for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I smell food.

Some toast with butter and garlic salt complete this simple meal. Alas, my plans for a nice salad were foiled by the lack of lettuce in my refrigerator. Blast that snow!

The Italian Rosso that I bought the other day was opened for this meal.

The good news is that we all liked this dish - a lot. I can't tell you what an accomplishment that was!

To Recycle or Not to Recycle

Ah, that is the question, isn't it? Monday dawned bright and clear, so I decided that I should head out to the grocery store, with a stop first at our local recycling center. As the recycling bins at home have been overflowing, this seemed like a very good idea.

Okay, the back of the car is loaded. Sadly, this is only a portion of recyclables that need to go out.

Well, what do you know? The recycling center is now closed on Mondays. I tell ya, there's nothing like getting the word out. Oh wait, this was nothing like that. So now I have to drive around with a full cargo area. Rats. And here I thought I was avoiding all of the obscure holidays that the center seems to observe. National Pet-A-Wet-Chipmunk Day?*

*Okay, not really, but you get the idea.

Oh well, but since I am in the area, I think I'll make a stop for a photo op.

The bridge for the Clear Creek Trail is beautiful against the brilliant white snow and the azure sky.

One of the nice things about Bloomington is that people from all over the world come here because of the university. As I have documented from time to time, our community has many ethnic restaurants. That diversity carries over to ethnic grocery stores. One of the larger ethnic markets, Sahara Mart, recently opened a second store near where I shop. I thought I'd stop in while I was out this time.

It was very interesting to just wander around, reading the labels of the different products. This store has everything; from olive oils from Turkey to an entire aisle devoted to bins of coffee beans. They even carry horny goat weed powder and dragon blood chunks. The first is rather self-explanatory, while the second can either be used to cleanse the blood or in voodoo love spells.

As the television ads promised, the entire back half of the store was reserved for wines. Again, I had fun just reading the labels.

And it looks like I brought home some interesting things from the store.

Here I have a bottle of Tvishy wine from Racha, Georgia and a Rosso Barbera D'Asti from Canelli, Italy. I also found a Vanilla Balsamic Cream from Italy and I picked up a package of tabbouleh and a mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich.



This is a big sandwich. Fresh mozzarella pairs beautifully with the sliced tomato and the aromatic basil.

And the tabbouleh was bright and refreshing.

I'm glad I decided to stop in. I know I'll be going back.

What a Day!

I was a busy girl on Saturday. I needed to get an onion so I could make some turkey stock and some corn on the cob for dinner on the grill (grilled turkey legs, too), so I decided to load up the trunk of my car with some of our recyclables and I packed my camera.

First, I headed east to see how high the lake would be at 12.6 feet over pool level. I couldn't even get to the lake as one of the streams had flooded the road (I do NOT drive through flooded areas). So I carefully turned around and headed to my local nursery, where I bought some herbs, some onion, shallots and garlic, a very striking pelargonium and a tomato plant. I then headed south and found my way to the tailwater (the dam and the stream below the dam). I got out and took some pictures and then drove up to the overlook and took more pics.

Then it was on to the grocery store and the recycling center. I had to wait in line at the recycling center, but finally got to park and unload. And then I drove home, started my turkey stock, got some lunch, planted some of my pots, and then caught up with my internet addiction. Whew! Hoping y'all had a very happy Saturday.

Rats. My way is blocked this way.

The southern end of Lake Monroe, as viewed from the overlook.

The dam.

And now we are below the dam.

Looking down at the outflow from the dam.

We seem to have lost some of the steps.

Some fishermen are taking advantage of the tailwater.

I formed a recipe for grilled turkey legs. I had earlier brined (water, salt, sugar, black pepper corns and dried red pepper flakes) the legs as I was unsure as to what method I was going to use to cook the legs and I wanted to ensure that they remained moist and tender.

I later decided to first boil the legs until they reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees and then grill to crisp the skin. I added sugar, lemon juice, sliced onion, black pepper corns, dried red pepper flakes and hot sauce to the water.

I inserted a probe thermometer into the thick end of one of the legs and set it to beep at 165 degrees. This took about 20-30 minutes.

While the turkey legs were boiling, I made a grilling glaze. One tablespoon of steak sauce and two tablespoons of honey are mixed together and will be brushed on the legs later.

The legs and corn on the cob go on the grill.

After about 15 minutes on the grill, we are ready to eat. I want to try this with turkey wings someday.

The Attic Retreat, part II

As I reported recently, I am determined to finish the attic retreat soon. Since the weather is decent today, I decided it would be a good time to clean up a bit in the garage and take a car load to the recycling center.

Now I can get up the stairs to the room.

This is the front of the room. The window looks out over the driveway.

And this is the rear wall with the drywall installed.