Peaceful Moments (Sunday in Pictures)

Home made yogurt; home grown carrots

Daffodils 

St.Benedict Monastery 

Peaceful moment

A ball of chili on a chilly day

A peaceful walk (St. Scholastica Labyrinth in Fort Smith)

And fly to it...

Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

We Went Sushi!

Tulips

Saturday is my cleaning day if I don't go anywhere hiking, site seeing, etc. The weather today wasn't promising for any outdoor activities away from home, so I went nuts: reorganized my closet, outside storage, cleaned a pile of papers on my desk. 
Later in the afternoon, when my men were watching Klitschko-Chisora fight, I worked on my tiny little garden and in the greenhouse. 

Red Cardinal (in the center sitting on a branch)

My friend red cardinal bird came out to check on me, however keeping a safe distance. I took my camera and literally froze in a shooting pose for about 30 minute or so, but he wasn't approaching even a bit. Doesn't he know that I am not going to hurt him? Or it's a she? Oh, well...

Louisiana Rolls

And later tonight we went sushi!
The only place we know here in Fort Smith is the Fuji restaurant. On a scale from 1 to 5 I would give them a 4. Because they are trying. I've noticed though, that most people order stakes and other meat dishes from the menu. Waitress looked at us with expectation for another entree order after we ate 5 different sushi rolls. Her face expression showed a little disappointment when we told her we want only sushi.
We've been to this place before, tried most of the sushi from the menu, and my choice are Eel and Louisiana rolls.  

I've learned how to use chopsticks not that long ago... :)

What was your Saturday like? 

Are you after one of the King Cakes or you are making your own?

Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Potato Pancakes, and Award

First, in case you are curious about the vegetable from the yesterday post, here it is:

Ta-da! Mister Cabbage...

Cabbage core is often discarded, but it is tender and full of nutrients part of this vegetable. 
I know you wander what on Earth I am going to do with twelve heads of cabbage?! Sauerkraut... :)

***

Now, this recipe of potato pancakes is from my mom's recipe book. Grandma had done it the same way, and, probably, so did the great grandma too. 
This digital days my blog became a notebook for me to keep the recipes. The benefit of this recipe book: everyone can cook from it.

Ingredients

Potato Pancakes 

Ingredients:

• 2 lb potato
• 2 large eggs, or 3 medium
• 2 Tbsp with top flour
• 2 medium onions, or one large
• 1 tsp baking soda, mixed in a teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• Oil for cooking

Prepare all ingredients: peel and wash potatoes, onion, garlic. Use either cheese grater or food processor to shred potatoes, onion and garlic.

Combine in the mixing ball all the wet and dry ingredients, and mix well.
Set aside for about 10-15 minutes.

Shredded potatoes, onion, and garlic

Preheat oil of your choice in a cast iron skillet (or any other skillet). 
When oil is hot,  spoon the mixture into the skillet to form a small pancakes. 

Cook on both sides on a medium-high setting until golden brown. 
First pancake I usually make to taste to see if I need to adjust the salt and other seasonings. 

Potato pancakes with a sour cream

Serve with vegetables, sour cream, any dressing or sauce of your choice. 
We love it with Squash Caviar or sour cream. 
Add some sauerkraut on a side, mmm... 
My son said he had it with ketchup... 

Potato pancakes with a squash caviar

Smile!

***

Few days ago Eftychia from Dream of Cakes awarded me with another Liebster Blog Award. 
Please, visit her blog to see her sweet creations. 
Thank you Efty!




Now, I have to pass this award to 5 other bloggers:


1. Danutza from http://retetegg.blogspot.com/
2. http://rochesternutrition.blogspot.com/
3. Heather from http://wheres-the-beach.blogspot.com/
4. Sheila from http://sewcookandtravel.blogspot.com/
5. Suzi from http://www.cookingsgood.com/




These are some rules to follow if you accept the award:

• Copy and paste the award on your blog. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award.
• Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers who deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
• Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

Congratulations to all my blogger friends! 

Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Kitchen Mystery Resolved

I was working on the recipe and a next post but don't  feel that it's coming out the way I want. So, I decided to leave it until I am able to comprehend better all things around me. Today was the D-Day, the dentist day, and I had my wisdom tooth removed. My left brain hemisphere, along with face, mouth, etc., is numb and malfunctions.


However, I didn't want to leave my blog abandoned for today. I have a few pictures to share.
First, is an answer to the buzzing question "What happened to that knife?" from the Kitchen Mystery post. 

My favorite knife met a jar of Lingonberrie preserve, and couldn't handle it. 

***

Second picture is another  teasing question: 
Part of which common vegetable is this? 

Dill and ...

Let me give you a hint: often times this part is ignored and discarded.

So, what vegetable is it?

Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Valentine's day! 

We always have a mixed fillings about the V-Day. 
I am still confused why we even have to have it?! 
I prefer to love and be loved all 366 (this year) or 365 (normal year) days a year, so does my husband. But because it's celebrated everywhere, I decided to post some picture for everyone to enjoy and to let everyone know that we love them.

Welcome to my V-Day table!

Spinach muffins

Potato pancakes

Baked potatoes with cheese and garlic

Sliced cucumbers and radish

Panna Cotta

Enjoy your day! What was your favorite on the menu?


Please, come back for recipes. 

With love,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Snow Day, and a Smoked Green Beans

February snow

We are home bound  (snow bound) for today (?!) I dropped my son at school this morning just to get a call one hour later to come back and pick him up. Oh, well, weather, weather... 
Weather also changed my plans for today: I was planning on going to Fayetteville to  buy some food and an attachment for my Kitchen Aid. 
Oh, well, the weather is the boss...
So, I took my camera and here are some pictures of this snow day as we don't have it that often around here.

Kale. I heard it tastes better after the frost bite... 

Rosemary...

Parsley...

Rue...

and a nice warm lunch: buckwheat and a smoked green beans.

I made some desert too, please, come back soon!


Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Squash Caviar

I am so proud of this picture! Never mind that I had to take  a hundred shots for just this one... :)

Without any more delays here is a photo recipe for "Squash name the dish" from the Weekend in Photos. Some people call it spread, some - dip, and in our family it was always called Squash Caviar. 
We actually grew up on it. My mother would make a big cast iron Dutch oven a couple times a week. At age 7-8 my job was to wash the squash, peel the carrots. At the age of 10 my mother taught me how to use a  knife and I was promoted to a sous chef, while my brother was washing and peeling. 
But the real job I wanted to do was to stand by the stove and stir the pot with a big wooden spoon, almost a size of me then.  
I tried to sneak a big spoon a few times, but was always stopped by watchful mother before I even got close to that huge hot pot. 
Then my  brother and I would spread some of the warm squash caviar on a piece of a rye bread, previously rubbed with a fresh garlic (can you smell it?!), and would take off to play another wild game outside.
Years later, on one of my summer visits, mom was making the squash caviar, and I was helping her. This time I was allowed to stir the pot. When I took the wooden spoon, I smiled: it wasn't that big at all. Maybe a little longer than a regular wooden spoon in my kitchen.  Warm memories filled my heart that moment.

***

Summer Squash Caviar (Spread or Dip)

Ingredients:

• 5 summer squashes (zucchini would work too), cut in 2" pieces
• 2-3 carrots, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1,5 cup tomato sauce (crashed tomatoes, or even fresh tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• 2-3 clove garlic
• 1 tsp dry dill
• 1 tsp sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
• one Bay leave
• salt and pepper to taste

Wash, peel (if skin it tough), and cut the squash. Sprinkle a little salt, mix it with your hands, set aside.
Peel the carrots, shred it.
Chop the onions.
Heat the olive oil in a deep cast iron dutch oven (or stainless still) until oil just starts to bubble. Reduce heat to a medium-high and add the chopped onions. Season with a little salt to bring up all the flavors, and cook 2-3 min, stirring. 

Do not leave the kitchen, onions can burn very quickly!
Add carrots, and stir again. Cook it another 2-3 min.

By this time the squash has released  some juice. 

See that water in there? It's the squash juice.

Gently squeeze the squash to remove even more liquid from it, and add it to the pan. Stir.
Add crashed tomatoes and sugar, and thoroughly stir until all the ingredients are mixed well. 

Reduce heat to a medium, cover the pot with a lid, leaving a crack for a steam to exit.
Set the timer for 35 minutes, and stir 3-4 times during the cooking to prevent sticking, as you know.
Add a Bay leave, dry dill, mix well, taste. 
Adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper. 
Cook for another 3-4 minutes, and turn it off. 
Add minced garlic, mix, and serve with fresh herbs of your choice. 
Dill is always mine.

Can you smell this bouquet of garlic, dill, and vegetables?!

***

Squash Caviar is great warm as a main meal (in our family), or cold as a dip, or spread. 
It can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours (never happens in our family).
During a squash season in the summer this same recipe is used for preserving (I plan to post preserving steps later this year).
Squash Caviar freezes well, just cool it down in refrigerator, place in freezer safe containers, leaving some room (about one inch from the top).


So, what would you name it? 
Spread? Caviar? Dip? Or any other name?




Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian