Bovina - Things To Do - Fisk House Antiques

Just outside of Bovina on HWY 28 on the way to Delhi, Fisk House Antiques is a great place to stop and spend an hour or so shopping antiques, vintage collectibles and outdoor garden ornament. I have bought several things here for the house. Furniture and antique stores are few and far between in this area and this place will not disappoint. They also have a smaller shop in Delhi and regular auctions. The shop sits behind the main house which is a Bed and Breakfast which is also a great place to stay if you are visiting. The address is 116 Fisk Road. Phone (607) 832-4544. Website: http://fiskbarnantiques.com

Hours:

Friday 11:00-5:00

Saturday 11:00-5:00

Sunday 11:00-5:00

Bovina - Things To Do - Russells Store

Russells is a historic landmark building which is the only store in Bovina. The store has been here since 1823. Along with gas, food staples and knick-knacks - Bea, who operates the store, makes some mean breakfast and lunch deli sandwiches. Personally, I love to go there in the middle of the summer on a hot day and get ice cream. There are tables inside and out. Website: www.russellsstore.com

Hours:

Monday - Friday 8:00-5:00

Closed Tuesdays

Saturday and Sunday 9:00-4:00

Bovina - Things To Do - The Library

I love branch libraries. They remind me of being a kid. Instead of going to the pool for the summer, I would go the library. My dad hung a hammock under a shade tree in the backyard over a sandbox. I would spend the entire summer lying in that hammock reading C.S.Lewis, Harriet the Spy and The Hobbit. Despite how small the town of Bovina is, it does have a branch library. When we started coming upstate, I couldn't wait to get my Bovina library card. I don't mind that the town doesn't have restaurants or shops - as long as it has a library, I am totally content. The library is located at 33 Maple Ave. just off of the main road through Bovina - HWY 6. It is housed in what was once a schoolhouse. It does have internet access in case you can't stand being off the grid. Plus, it's worth chatting with the library director - Marjorie Miller. She's great! Website: www.bovinalibrary.org

Hours:

Tuesday 10:30-3:00

Wednesday 1:00-8:00

Thursday 10:30-3:00

Saturday 9:00-1:00

Summer Hours:

Tuesday 3:30-8:00

Wednesday 1:00-8:00

Thursday 10:30-3:00

Saturday 9:00-1:00

Wet Weekend - Grilled Steak and Onion Salad

Nasty, wet weekend. We couldn't work in the yard. Tim managed to get rhubarb planted before the hail started. Ridiculous weather. It's never going to be warm ever again. We started planting seeds in the basement. We made a "simple" supper Saturday night. It wasn't complicated but it was delicious.

Grilled Steak and Onion Salad

2 thick slices crusty bread, torn into bite size pieces ( 2 cups)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Coarse salt and pepper

1 pound skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces

1 red onion, cut crosswise into 1/2 thick rounds

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

5 ounces baby or wild arugula

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss bread with 2 teaspoons oil and Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, 7 minutes.

2. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Season steak with salt and pepper. Drizzle onions with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill steak and onions until steak is medium-rare and onions are tender. 5-7 minutes, flipping once. Let steak rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil. Add arugula and season with salt and pepper. Add onions, steak, and croutons and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Potatoes with Ranch Dressing

1 pound small potatoes

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, parsley, chives or basil

3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 garlic clove, minced

Coarse salt

Ground pepper

In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil over high in salted water and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in fresh herbs, thyme leaves, and garlic clove. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Drain potatoes and add to dressing. Toss to combine and serve immediately. Serves 4.

For Chris

There isn't a day I don't think about my brother, Chris, who died 6 years ago today. I miss him terribly. I cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a child and I cannot begin to know what my parents have gone through with his death. However, sometimes I think it's even more difficult for siblings. I try not to talk about him too much with my parents because I just don't want to inflict any more pain. I grieve alone most of the time. There are those awkward silences in our conversations when we all realize we are thinking the same thing but we don't say anything. It's too painful. Chris was always laughing, always being a clown. I miss the joy he brought to our family. It cannot be replaced.

Without being able to share my memories of him, I feel that he just disappeared. I just wanted to share him with someone today. I miss you Chris.

I Didn't Need To See That

This weekend was Tim's parent's church's rummage sale. Tim's parents are part of a great church in Briar Cliff Manor. It's this beautiful stone Lutheran church that was built in the 1890's with gorgeous Tiffany stain glass windows but what makes it truly beautiful are the amazing people that are part of the congregation, choir and their great minister. We have met the nicest people there. We had dinner with his parents friday night and got to bed early. We got up at the crack of dawn on Saturday to help set up for the sale and finish pricing. Tim and I were assigned to the jewelry department and bake sale. We had to monitor the amount of women shopping for jewelry and to push the baked goods. We fell in love with the Sisters of the Bake sale. They were these three charming women who were pushing some mean Peeps cupcakes and Magic cookie bars. However, there were some true Bronx zoo cobras shopping the jewelry. Hardcore! It was a lot of fun and we are definitely going to help out again next year. We bought a vintage rattan sofa, rattan coffee table, turntable, nearly-new Kitchen Aid blender, garden tools, books, end table, Fiestaware, crockpot and a pellet gun ( don't ask). We finished our shift and then drove upstate to drop off all the stuff at our house.

When we drove up in our driveway, we noticed this strange object in our pond. It looked like the head of a reptile and then it disappeared. We got out of the car and walked straight to the pond and were alarmed at what we saw. A cluster of 5 frogs were head-locked together rolling over and over. Apparently, we walked in on an intimate moment with a group of frenzied frogs. Tim and I couldn't believe what we were seeing. "OMG, what are they doing? Stop them, pull them apart! Can they drown doing that? I didn't need to see that." We walked around the pond and found a huge pile of tadpole eggs already nestled in the water plants. However, it was a first for us to see frogs mating. With all of the tadpoles we had last summer, we have no idea what to expect of frogs this year. I guess the frogs weren't expecting us this weekend and we caught them in action. Who knows what they do when we are away. Gross.

Cherry Upside Down Cake

Cherry Upside Down Cake

It must have been a theme for the evening but Upside down was how the vegetable tarte and the desert was served in the same evening. Our friends didn't mind - both looked delicious and tasted awesome. Great job Tim!

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 3/4 cups fresh pitted cherries

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8 inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan; arrange the cherries in a single layer on top.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. with the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

3. Spoon the batter over the cherries in the pan, and smooth the top. Place the pan on a baking sheet; bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for the 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake; invert onto a rimmed platter. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream on the side, if desired.