My Haul from the Trip to the Country

 I love buying local produce on our road trips.  We scored big time this past weekend.  We found  cherries, black raspberries and blueberries.  The guy that sold them to us had purple fingers.  You can't get them much fresher than that! Some goat milk fudge for my husband.

 Cucumbers.

 Local honey and beeswax.

 And look at the way they were selling dill!

 Broccoli, carrots, garlic and green onions.

 Cabbage, tomatoes and zucchini.  My garden is less than stellar this year so I am very happy to be able to buy all of this locally.

 Corn on the cob.  I am going to freeze a bunch of corn this year to use at Thanksgiving.

 I get so excited to transform all of this into delicious meals.

 The best thing about heading north is stopping at the wonderful smoke shops that are everywhere. I stocked up on sausages, Amish butter and smoked cheese.  And I bought smoked beef sticks and jerky for my kids.

Smoked Provolone and Longhorn is so good in salads and for snacking.  I'll show you what I made with all of this over the next few days.

My State of Mind

A Trip to the Country

 The Blog Tech's wife is out of town this weekend for work so yesterday he and I headed out on one of our road trips.  We wanted to find lots of local food so we headed towards Lake Erie on back roads.  We saw wonderful flower beds in all of the small towns.

 We came upon a small market place in one little village.

 I like the concept of this place.  Locals bring in their art work, baking, knitting, canned goods, honey and produce and fruit they grow and make themselves.  They don't have to be there to sell it themselves. There are only a couple people who work there to help you.  It's very self sufficient.

 We stopped at endless roadside markets and bought lots of stuff.

 As I was driving through one town I spotted a giant bronze acorn.

 I love acorns.

 How I would love to have one of these in my garden!

 The historical house was wonderful too.

 We stopped by the lake to eat some perch and whiting for lunch.

 Then we drove along the lake for a while.

 You know you are in Trump country when even the gas stations have Jesus signs.

 It's corn country too.  It's hard to imagine what is done with all of the corn.  We drove for hours and corn was beside us the entire time.

 Suddenly we spotted this.

 A bit bizarre to see in the middle of nowhere.

 But not bizarre enough for The Blog Tech.

Every since he was a little boy, he has loved shaved ice.  He chose black raspberry.

And now he looks like Teddy.

A Gift for Someone You Don't Know

 The parents of my daughter's boyfriend were passing through town for a quick visit with him and to meet my daughter for the first time.  There wasn't time for my husband and I to meet them but I wanted to at least send them a greeting until we meet them sometime in the future.  What do you give someone when you don't know them?

 Whatever you give them, I think it should be wrapped nicely.  I could do a whole post on my ideas about gift giving and maybe I will do that in the future.  However, I believe a gift is not a gift unless a lot of thought goes into it. No matter what is being given, I think it should always be wrapped as nicely as possible.  That alone shows that you care enough to take the time to make something look special.  So, what can you give a total stranger that puts a big smile on their face and a food memory in their mind?

 A dozen killer chocolate chip cookies is a good start.

My daughter said that The Chef's parents were totally thrilled.

You can find the recipe here:  http://octoberfarm.blogspot.com/2011/02/chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Garlic Butter Roasted Cod on Mashed Cauliflower

If you are eating low carb and you want a delicious meal, make this recipe.  Even if you aren't eating low carb you should give this a try. It takes very little prep time too.  Cut up a head of cauliflower and place it in salted water and cook it until it is tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain well and mix with 2 T. cream cheese, 2 T. butter a bit of milk and salt and pepper.  Mash this adding additional milk until you get a mashed potato consistency.

Cut cod into individual portions, dry them and place them on a cookie sheet.  Brush them with garlic butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper and paprika.  Bake them for about 20 minutes depending on how thick the pieces are.  Remove them from the oven and turn on the broiler.  Finish them by gently browning them.  Serve over the mashed cauliflower and spoon some of the butter left on the cookie sheet over the top.  Sprinkle with some diced parsley or basil.

A Wreath and a Lesson Learned

I hardly ever buy decorations but rather choose to make them myself.  Just before the 4TH of July, I decided I wanted a green wreath as a backdrop to the red geraniums I placed on my front porch.  I'd never made one before and decided to look online to see what was available.  I was really busy and had no supplies at home to make one so I took the easy, though expensive, way out and ordered this one. I was less than thrilled when it showed up.  It's okay, but for almost 150.00, I expected a lot more.  When my daughter saw it, she decided she wanted one for her door.  No way was I ordering another.  I decided to amortize my investment in the first wreath by chalking it up as a wreath making lesson that will save me lots of money in the future.  I went to craft stores yesterday and bought 70% off greenery, stopped at a thrift store and bought an old funky wreath for 1.00, ripped off the old flowers and plugged in my glue gun.

 For about 10.00, I made her this one.

 It's hard to tell from these pics but the one I made is bigger, heavier and so much better made.  Lesson learned.  I should always try to make it first on my own. I am going back to the thrift and craft stores today to buy more sale stuff and then I will make wreathes for all of my friends.  Amortization is a good thing.

 I bought this t-shirt for The Blog Tech.

 Because it's so true!

 I made this salmon for my family yesterday and they thought it was some of the best salmon they've ever eaten.

 The ingredients:

• 3 pounds of salmon boned and skinned 
Marinade
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour it into  a ziplock baggie along with the salmon.  Let it marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat your oven to 450 degrees.  Lay the salmon on a cookie sheet and pour the marinade over it.  Bake for about 25 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish.

Turn the oven to broil and move the cookie sheet to about 3 inches below the heat source.  Broil until the salmon starts to brown and the marinade thickens.  Place a piece of salmon on a plate and  spoon some marinade over the top.