Beet Salad Recipe !

Okay, okay I can hear all the moans and groans! Beets? Yes beets! My Mother doesn't really like to cook. As a youngster beets were boiled and put on the table naked. This is probably why I learned to cook lol! But she has other talents! She can bring dead plants back to life, embroider beautifully and in her day was quite the seamstress. So if you like beets, or are willing to give them a try, here's a healthy, delicious and pretty salad you can make in minutes! I don't measure, otherwise it would take forever and I'd never put this recipe up!

Beets cut in slices about 1/4" thick.*
Red or white onion sliced very thin.
Chopped fresh italian parsley.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Balsamic or raspberry vinegar.
Herb-Ox powdered (salted) chicken broth or regular salt and pepper to taste. (The Herb-Ox gives it a nice depth of flavor. Don't add water, just use it as a seasoning!)



Put the beets in a bowl with the onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well. Then sprinkle with your preferred vinegar and mix. Always do this last, as it is the olive oil that will help your ingredients to adhere to the beets. Serve in a bowl or place on a bed of greens. Quick & easy!

*Use canned (drained) or cooked fresh beets; preferably small ones. If they're small enough you can just quarter them and not cut them into slices. If you use large beets cut them in half before slicing.

SMILE You're on Candid Camera !

Vintage cameras are so collectible and some are becoming increasingly hard to find. Ditch your digital camera for the summer and experience the fun of taking pictures the old fashioned way. If you're not up to the task then put it on a shelf or your coffee table; they're great conversation pieces! The Fujita battery operated, movie camera above can be found in my shop on etsy MrFilthyRotten

The Polaroid and Kodak cameras below can also be found on etsy in SuzisCornerBoutique

Memorial Day 2009

An Arts & Crafts House No Longer a Home

This past week a house two doors up the street was demolished. An old Arts and Crafts house, very similar to the one in the link (click on the title of this post). No explosives for this sweet, little house...it was practically dismantled a room, if not a piece at a time. Trees cleared away (always bothersome to me) and basement gone.

At one point during the week all that remained was the rear of the house, exposing the kitchen where the ruffled curtains still hung, waving in the spring breeze. I felt a great sadness. The man who had lived there passed away and the property was sold. The final act was the parade of trucks, rumbling down the street carrying away the cinder blocks, cobblestones, etc. and a lifetime of memories of the family that once lived there.

I'm sure when I see the new house being built my sad feelings about the old house will fade away. A new house, a new family and new memories created in a new home. It is of course the circle of life. Hopefully, they'll even plant a few new trees : ) Smoochies!

Bok Choy Becomes Bok Ciao !

Last night I cooked bok choy for the first time. I don't cook Chinese food. I let my local Rice Shop do it for me. I cook Italian food so I Italianized bok choy and it was great! From here on in I will refer to it as bok ciao lol!

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add as much chopped garlic as you like (we like LOTS of it) and a medium sliced or chopped onion. Cook until limp or just starting to brown on the edges. Meanwhile chop up 3 small heads of bok ciao. Start at the white end and cup into 1/4" slices. Add this to the pan. After a couple of minutes add the green part of the bok ciao sliced into 1/2" ribbons.

Then mix in some Herb-Ox chicken broth, in POWDER form, to taste (do not add water). I use this in many of my recipes instead of salt. It gives vegetables a nice, rich flavor in addition to the salt it provides (it is also available in a low-salt form). Add some Italian Seasoning (or any Italian seasonings of your choice) and black pepper. Mix all together and cook on a low to medium heat until the bok ciao is limp. About 5 minutes.

Bok ciao reminds me of escarole and makes a great side dish. It is delicious and a nice accompaniment to chicken or pork. Serves 3 to 4. Enjoy! Smoochies!

Superstitious! Who me? Kaboom!!

I am not superstitious. I walk under ladders, open umbrellas inside and pick up coins tails up. That was until three days ago. Here I was relaxing online in the middle of the night when the lights started to flicker. Was it my imagination? I continue to relax and then KABOOM! My computer made a loud and I mean very loud noise. All the lights went out for about 15 seconds. Not enough time for me to get out from behind my desk and run in the dark, winding my way through furniture to the nearest window to see if I am alone in my plight.

The lights come on. I turn on the computer and see A BIG BLACK SCREEN with the words "IT IS FRIDAY THE 13th". Actually the words were (and I'm paraphrasing here because I really didn't want to stare at the words for too long) "Windows files have been damaged". The black screen alone told me that. I tried to be big about it. I didn't cry. I didn't throw a fit. I went in the living room and did a crossword puzzle and made believe my connection to the outside world had not been lost.

Brought it into the shop, paid a few extra bucks to get it back within the day. Went to pick it up at which time I was told my pc could visit with me for a few days, but it has to go back...my computer has "issues". I have issues. Some people around me have issues. My Mother's cat has issues. But my computer? So it must go back this week for a stint on the couch and then it will be A-OK!

Fortunately I didn't lose any data. The lesson learned however is don't rely on a surge protector. Get yourself a battery backup. The sooner the better! Oh and stay offline on Friday the 13th! Smoochies!