Celebration continues.......here a chick, there a chick, everywhere a chick chick

That's the chicken salad I made for my evening with the Bookclub/Champagne Ladies yesterday. We figured it was still Pearl's birthday week and Martha (really Carey) wasn't able to make the party because she was away, so let's celebrate again. Unfortunately, Soy Goddess (aka Kath) wasn't able to make it this time.......ah the hectic life of a restaurant owner.  But the show must go on.

It's was Martha's birthday too this week. Here's Pearl and Martha ready to 'blow out the proverbial candles'. Yes, they're citronella candles. Got a problem with that?

As usual, we enjoyed the evening immensely, but that's a given when we're together.

I'll state it right here. Although we started as a bookclub, we haven't read a damn book for 'bookclub' for years. Hence the second part of the club name now.  It really should be Good Food & Champagne Club.  All four of us are great cooks (please note, I do not say I'm 'great' at anything too often, but I can cook. Bake? ehhhh, sometimes. Cook? hell yes.).

Our menu consisted of:

goat cheese stuffed fresh figs wrapped in prosciutto

by Martha

take fig, cut in half, smear goat cheese on top, wrap with prosciutto

mmmmmm

cornbread and bacon stuffed baked garden tomatoes

by Pearl

Not that everything else wasn't yummy, these were the hit of the night.  I'll post recipe when I get it.

mediterranean summer chicken salad w/ greens and croissant

by Me

(aka Marge. It has nothing to do with my mother being Marge, though it's kind of weird to be called your Mom's name, but I'm used to it now. When we all first met, I reminded Pearl of an old friend Marge and the name has stuck. Yup. We've all got bookclub champagne ladies nicknames.)

I've done this chicken salad twice now in the last week and it's delicious.  And both times I took the easy way out..........rotisserie chicken (which is not in picture because there isn't any left after making the salad last night and I just took these pics today.)

Chop up breast and thigh meat from rotisserie chicken, no skin

Dice a 3/4 of medium cucumber

Dice half of a red onion

Chop handful of walnuts

Chop herbs (Whatever herbs you'd like, this time I used chive and lemon balm, which I am especially loving in chicken salad.)

In bowl, mix above ingredients with:

Hellman's mayonnaise

palm full of crumbled feta cheese

2 tbs of apple cider vinegar

couple of dashes of old bay seasoning

Chill and serve on bed of greens or a croissant, with some greens, and enjoy. Go ahead, try it.

The Roma's Are Ripe!

This makes me a happy girl.

Purty, ain't they?

This means it will soon be roma roasting time. Ah, filling the freezer with garden tomatoes to enjoy all winter. Did I just winter? Sorry.

I'll share that process when I get there, but right now, they're just ripening becuase we were late planting this year.

Wet Laundry

Skies looked threatening most of the day but it hadn't done anything. Nothing. Nada.

I knew, if I put a laundry out on the line, as soon as I did it would:

I was right. It's lashing out. So my laundry is now getting a second rinse cycle.

Enjoy the rest of Thursday in your corner of the world. Have I said thanks for being here? Thanks for being here.

Pam



Farmer in The Dell, or was it Jersey City?- NYC Part 3

Fresh Picked Goodness Right Outside Our Door

I thought the Farmer's Market Gar found while we were in Jersey City deserved some more attention. After his report that there was a farmer's market, but he had nothing to show for it, I went back downstairs with him. You could see the farmer's market from the stoop..............how's that for happiness? A mere block away. 

This farmer's market was small, but packed with good stuff.  Vegetables galore, fruit, home baked pies, breads, jams and even meat and homemade sausage. I could have gone nuts there.

Had I not been travelling, these eggplants would have come home with me. Yes, vegetables can most definitely be beautiful.

Ah, garlic. One of the best ingredients on earth.

Green cabbage looking lovely. Isn't this variety pretty with it's green leaf and purple veining?

This okra was just looking for someone who was ready to make gumbo. Yup, and more eggplant too.

Here comes the sun.

Big, beautiful, happy sunflowers.

Once we'd bought our lot of fresh goods (peach butter, tomatoes,pepper and bread), we walked along the water.



I love the tip of Manhattan. Love the view from Jersey City too.

Along the walkway, we found a nice harbor where we eventually picked up the water ferry/taxi to Manhattan.

All in all, we really enjoyed Exchange Place, the Jersey City neighborhood we stayed in, much to our surprise. Lovely brownstone apartments, waterfront, nice neighborhood cafes (if you go, stop into the Lighthorse Tavern, nice place), easy access to Manhattan....we'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

More Tomatoes Please

When we got home from the weekend, our first tomato was finally ready. We planted a little late this year, so we've been waiting and waiting.

I didn't want to mess with it too much. Had some iceberg in fridge (Yes, I like iceberg. I don't discriminate against any lettuce. Iceberg has great crunch!).  Just sliced that tomato up with a couple of cherries Gar had picked too.

We declared that first tomato delicious! I do hope you're starting to enjoy the crops from your gardens if you have them. Nothing like it.

Sunset Meadows

Last night's sunset was a lovely end to an otherwise gray, ugly, damp day.

Happy Wednesday. Enjoy the middle of the week!