It's a Bittyful Friday

Sitting on a cooler packed with ice...........temperature hit triple digits,my eyes are glazed,where am I?

What happened to the grapefruit peel

So I left you with the grapefruit peel. I couldn't let it go to waste.


So I cut it into thin slivers and boiled it to get rid of some of the bitterness.

They suggest doing this about 3 times but, I did it once. I had peeled the grapefruit with a potato peeler and had little to no pith (the white stuff) so I wasn't too concerned about bitterness. I used THIS recipe but cut it in half.

Then in for a boiling of sugar water and..............

a roll in the confectioners sugar. I can't tell you how great this was I mean really, we almost ate the whole batch. Fortunately I was able to tuck some in the fridge to use in some desserts I was making.

First I made Whoopee pies and crumbled some into the filling.Chocolate and candied citrus,pretty tasty treat,and in the Whoopee pies? Talk about kicking it up a notch.

Then time was starting to be a problem,so, I pulled out the ever reliable puff pastry and using THIS recipe. I know! It says strawberry turnover,but, really the turnover will never know also replaced cinnamon with a few slivered mint leaves, and for the final touch crumbled candied citrus in the cream cheese filling.

Huge triangles of cream cheese, raspberry goodness, a hint of mint, and those taste exciting citrus peels sprinkled throughout the berries. That's what I love about summer it truly stirs all the senses of a foodie. Wait till you see what's up next............................said the hobbit

It's a Bittyful Friday

Bonding with the big guy watching the RED SOX .............have you seen the popcorn?

And now for the Raspberries

Summer madness is officially here. You know, that time of year when you are able to get fresh fruits and vegetables that are local and right off the vine. Why would you call this madness? Well, My head is spinning with new recipes and I don't want to waste any of that precious food that we have all worked so hard to harvest.

Last year I made raspberry vinegar I thought it might be fun,but, was amazed a how tasty and useful this was. A triple batch is in the making because by Christmas we had used ever last drop. Not going to happen this year. Of course starting with the best berries is essential to great results,but , if you're using fresh how can you go wrong? I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who owns just such a farm. Isn't that a great coincidence? So when she called and said the berries were ready I really got excited. I searched my cabinets and fridge to see what I could fix when I got back from berry picking.

In the drawer of the fridge I found 2 grapefruits. I carefully peeled them and then cleaned out the fruit "a la Martha"

There was nothing edible left when it was over.

A little bit of raw honey and then I let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning Jiggy proclaimed it heavenly. That man is great for my cooking ego. Of course that was just the beginning. You remember I have that great peel from the grapefruit. What do you think became of that?..........................said the hobbit

Here in New England

Summertime is just filled with things to see and do in New England. We try to squeeze everything into 10 short weeks of summer. This year is no exception,so much to see and do and so little time. Of course I can't start summer without a visit to the sheep and wool festival. Ours was in late May. I know this is July,but, I'm having a little trouble keeping up

Here are some of the sights I saw. This is a bunny!! Can you believe it? He just sits on his owners lap while she spins his hair. My husband thought this was a great idea. He actually said he wanted to have bunnies like this and learn how to spin. What could be better this winter than having a fuzzy bunny sitting in your lap to help keep you warm. As much as I'd love to take him up on his offer to be a spinner, it's not going to happen. I have visions of furry bunnies running around the house waiting to have their fur spun and my husband saying"I did it last week....isn't it your turn?"

Then we saw the llamas. They were dressed as tv character for a parade. I think this was suppose to be Lucille Ball. Not sure,but, Jiggy fell in love with them too.

How about this guy. Now that's some kind of sheep. I do believe he was in for a cut and trim.

Once we decided that one of the animals was not going to come home with us, I bought a skein of lace yarn and am working on a lightweight shawl that would be just enough for those chilly restaurants or maybe that wedding coming up in September. Did you know that a skein of lace yarn has 1000 yards? At least this one did. I wound it all by hand and thought it would never end.................said the hobbit

It's a Bittyful Friday

Summertime and a dripping faucet...........can life get any better?

what are we eating

Somehow I've drifted away from eating from the pantry. I think it's because my husband Jiggy has discovered Trader Joe's. When the weather doesn't allow him to golf, he becomes obsessed with finding new ingredients for me to try. Of course the sun has been shining here for about 2 weeks straight and I haven't seen as much of him in the kitchen:-) This has given me an opportunity to take stock of what I have and clean a few shelves in anticipation of the canning that is to come. In the freezer I have local ground beef that comes in handy when I need to stretch the menu to feed 6 instead of 2. One of my new loves is cooking in muffin tins and that's how I discovered MUFFIN TIN TACOS

Bonus #1 They gave a recipe to make my own taco seasoning!!With a pantry shelf full of herbs and spices ,why would I ever buy taco seasoning again. So, check your pantry and see if you have these ingredients:

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

pinch of salt

Of course I made a container full,who wants to measure out 1/4 teaspoon of any spice.

I browned my beef,removed it from the skillet. Very low fat content to my local beef so I didn't have to drain . Sauteed !/2 an onion and 1 diced jalapeno in the drippings. Then, I returned the beef sprinkled with about 1 Tablespoon of the seasoning mix,+ 3/4 cup water and stirred till thickened. I then added 2 tablespoons of salsa to the mixture, not in the recipe, but, I just couldn't help myself.

I heated my corn tortillas.......They used regular flour tortillas and cut out circles.I thought I would take a short-cut and use the smaller corn ,however they may be right. The corn tortilla was hard to maneuver into the tins. It did go a little better after heating them for a few minutes in the oven. Cheese on the bottom, 2 tablespoon meat mixture in the cup, and a little extra cheese on top Then bake 350 degrees 20 minutes.

When finished I topped them with chopped greens a little sour cream,diced tomato and a little more salsa.Aren't they cute?? They certainly can be made ahead frozen and cooked as needed. I think I'll be doing this a lot this summer.

It's a Bittyful Friday

What a hectic week!!!!! I need to refresh,so I'm just going to snuggle here for a little nappy.

It's a Bittyful Friday

Spa day over here.................I'm vegging

and cousin Hobbs is getting a full body massage..................life is good