Home Invasion

Tim and I are relaxing on our front porch with cocktails enjoying a non-working Sunday. We survived Judgement Day - so we thought cocktails were in order. I am looking at our perennial garden, our new vegetable beds, pleased with all the work that we had completed on Saturday. I suddenly see this movement in the garden. There is this large 2 foot by 2 foot rodent running around our raised beds, sampling at the plants. I hiss at Tim - "Tim, what the Hell is that"? "Is that a woodchuck"? Tim says, "I don't know - eat the rhubarb leaves, eat the rhubarb leaves"! - as if the woodchuck can hear him? I turn towards him and ask, "why do you want it to eat the rhubarb"? "The leaves are poisonous". My eyes roll back into my head. "When were you going to tell me that they were poisonous? What if I had eaten them when you weren't here and died"? "Drama, drama, drama", he responds. We watch the woodchuck running around, chewing, climbing, being very annoying. We watch as he sniffs at the rhubarb, turns his nose up at it and wanders into the meadow. I tell Tim - "so much for the rhubarb".

The afternoon passes and as we are getting ready to leave, I see the woodchuck running through the garden again. "Cheez-it"! I storm towards the garden, get down on my knees and look under the garden shed and see his/her/it's silhouette hiding under the building. I start throwing rocks at it, yelling at it, kicking the shed, stomping on the floor of the shed - it disappears. All I need is some rabies-ridden woodchuck to attack me. I suddenly notice that there are these big holes in the ground next to the shed. "Tim"! Tim comes running - "Tim - look! It's living under the shed"! I start kicking and yelling at the shed as if it were under there. We plug the holes with big rocks and I go make a phone call to Mrs. M. "There is this woodchuck living under the garden shed - how do we get rid of it"? Pragmatic Mrs. M tells me about her own experience having to borrow a neighbor's Labrador. Knowing dogs as I do, I tell her - "I think we need a rat terrier"! Mrs. M doesn't know if there is a neighborhood rat terrier available. I grind my teeth. Arrgh! We will have to deal with this next weekend. This is War! Maybe Sookie will have to come up next weekend!

Somewhere There's a Pot O'Gold

I actually love rain and this time of year, we have plenty of it. I love it when it stops raining and there is that moment when everything is quiet and the sun comes out and everything feels so lush. Saturday was a mix of rain and sun and we worked out in the garden all day. We just went indoors to bake and cook when it started raining and as soon as it stopped, we would go outside and pick up where we stopped. At some point, we were looking out the front door and a rainbow appeared over the hill directly across from our property. We have barn swallows nesting in birdhouses in our garden and this male swallow started swooping and circling the garden when the rain stopped and it was just this perfect moment during the day. The crabapple trees are blooming and they looked perfect with rain drops all over them and the color of the flowers are amazing.

Cauliflower Gratin and Oven Roasted Shallots with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tim also made a couple side dishes with the Chicken Fricassee - the combination of flavors with the creamy, cheesy cauliflower and the rich flavor of the shallots with the chicken - incredible! My stomach was very happy.

Cauliflower Gratin

1 Whole cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into florets.

6 Tablespoons ricotta cheese.

1/2 Cup light cream.

Freshly grated nutmeg.

Fine sea salt.

1/2 Cup ( 2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

1. Preheat the broiler.

2. Bring about 3 cups of water to a simmer in the bottom of a vegetable steamer. Place the florets of cauliflower on the steaming rack. Place the rack over the simmering water, cover, and steam until the cauliflower is soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

3. Transfer the cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Puree. Add the fresh cheese and the cream, and puree until very smooth. Season to taste with nutmeg and salt.

4. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, smoothing it out with the back of a spatula. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Place the baking dish about 5 inches from the broiler. Broil until golden, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Oven Roasted Shallots with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 Large sprigs fresh rosemary.

1 pound shallots (about 30), peeled.

1 Teaspoon coarse sea salt.

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. In the casserole, layer the rosemary and shallots. Sprinkle with the salt. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Place in the center of the oven and roast until tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, and serve warm as a vegetable accompaniment.

Chicken Fricassee with White Wine, Capers and Olives

Tim hasn't cooked for a couple weekends, and my stomach has suffered. He made an incredible meal Saturday night - delicious!

Chicken Fricassee with White Wine, Capers and Olives

1 Chicken (3 to 4 pounds) cut into 8 serving pieces, at room temperature.

Sea Salt

Freshly ground white pepper to taste.

3 Tablespoons extra-vigin olive oil

2 onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced.

2 Cups white wine.

2 Pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and chopped.

1 Cup Picholine green olives, pitted ( for substitute pimiento-stuffed olives).

1/4 Cup capers in vinegar, drained.

1. Liberally season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.

2. In the skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken pieces and brown until the poultry turns an even golden color, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and brown them on the other side, 5 minutes more. Carefully regulate the heat to avoid scorching the skin. This may have to be done in batches. When all the pieces are browned, use tongs - to avoid piercing the meat - to transfer them to a platter.

3. Reduce the heat to low and add the onions and sweat - cook, covered, over low heat until soft but not browned - for about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the wine, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Taste for seasoning. Serve with rice or fresh pasta.

A Lovely Dinner Party

After a gorgeous but exhausting day in the yard on Saturday, Tim and I had to scrub off the manure, potting soil and sweat and try to make ourselves presentable. Our friends, M & M, decided to throw a dinner party for a few neighbors. New-ish neighbors, J & C, had everyone over to their home first on our "block" for cocktails and appetizers. They have a lovely 1800's home that Tim and I have admired for some time. I could live in their kitchen which occupies one entire side of the house with a large dining table and fireplace centered in the room. The kitchen is bigger then my old West Village apartment. I love kitchens that have fireplaces and before J & C bought the house, Tim and I had peeked in the windows of the home many times drooling over this space. We are really happy that the house is now owned and loved by these two very nice people. In addition to our group on Coulter Brook Rd., M had invited our friends - S and J from Delhi. The kitchen of this house is great for entertaining with everyone standing around or sitting at the large dining table in front of the fire.

We all got into our cars and then drove to M & M's home which sits on top of a hill and has the most amazing views of our valley. It was a beautiful evening and we walked through their garden and got to play with Chloe, their adorable full-figured cat. Great food, great conversation with great neighbors. The highlights of our evening were not only the Basque inspired meal but C and I discovered we had a mutual obsession with an old TV show - "Dark Shadows" which Tim and I love to watch on weekends. J and I discussed Peter Greenaway films, another obsession of mine, and S, Tim and I talked about dessert recipes well into the evening. It was a very nice party, thank you M & M for having us. This is why I love living here.

Sorrel Soup

Our neighbor, M., gave us Sorrel for our garden three years ago and it is incredibly hardy, already blooming and ready to be picked. It grows all summer long so there will be more during the season but I am ready to start cooking. M. makes this great sorrel soup recipe and I decided to post it.

Sorrel Soup

1&1/2 cups chopped leeks ( white sections only)

1&1/2 cups russet potatoes ( peeled and cubed)

1 pound sorrel

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 stick butter

1. Add butter to dutch oven and add leeks and saute over low heat for 7 minutes.

2. Clean the sorrel and eliminate the larger ribbed areas of leaves and stems. Cut into 1" pieces.

3. After the leeks are soft, add sorrel and cook down on low heat for 7 minutes.

4. Add potatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or when potatoes are done.

5. Cool and puree in a food processor.

6. Put all contents from food processor into a bowl and then add cream to taste. Varies from 1/2 cup to 2 cups based on taste.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It can be served cold but you might want to re-puree before serving.

Lucky Dog Cafe in Hamden - Things To Do

Hamden is a little further afield then we would typically go but my neighbor Mrs. M told me it was worth it. West of Delhi on the way to Walton - you can blink and miss the town. We went to have lunch last Wednesday at an adorable grocery/cafe store called The Lucky Dog. Lots of charm, lots of cool, hipness, and really great food. I had potato soup, an open-faced goat cheese and walnut sandwich, and root beer. Delicious. The interior was interesting and fun. Lots to look at and shop. Organic grocery store, great cafe food, and a bohemian hippy feel that I love. Definitely worth the drive. Check it out www.luckydogorganic.com

Charlie Brown Spring - Seriously?

We ordered a ton of plants for Spring and we got one of the shipments this week. One catalog had great value for small trees and shrubs for naturalizing around the property. When I went to the post office to pick up the delivery, our cute mail person, Janet, hands me this small bag through the teller window. With how large the order was, I expected her to have me meet her at the back door or tell me to bring help. I drove back to the house and opened the bag filled with these tiny little twigs with some scraggly roots. I was really disappointed. I know the price was good but seriously, they are barely twigs. The evergreens were the most substantial and at best, I was having a Charlie Brown moment. I will be dead before these ever become saplings. However, I took my time and spent the entire day planting 40 forsythia bushes, 6 evergreens, 12 birch trees, 1 butterfly bush, 6 peonies, 6 lupines, 2 hydrangea, 6 potatoes, and 4 fruit trees. I had a fabulous day.

Fiddlehead Frenzy

After the planting whipping session we took last summer with Tim's parents, I was really anxious about all the plants coming back this Spring. The fiddle heads started appearing a couple days ago and they are beautiful. Maidenhair, Ghost, and Ostrich - all coming up. So excited. They look so beautiful. I love ferns. I can't wait to make our first fiddlehead salad for Tim's parents when we have enough plants.

DIY PROJECT: Paneled Screen

Paneled Screen Redo: So, we have this awkward room with too many doors in the room and we needed to mask a door so that we could put a guest bed against a wall. We bought inexpensive closet doors and hinged them together and then wallpapered them with a Schumacher wallpaper called Twigs and this was the result. Great linen daybed cover and euros and cut felt decorative pillows. It worked.