The Pomegranate Chronicles

My kitchen has been quiet this weekend with the only output being a quick loaf of whole wheat bread.

A sunny Saturday found us outside gathering flowers for our first bouquet of the season.

The neighbor let Griff pick flowers from his spring gardens. We also searched for the frog in their koi pond from last year. We were delighted to find him bathing himself on a warm rock.

We have been enjoying many celebrations this week. One of which being our anniversary. Saturday night, we found ourselves childless and at a fabulous local Italian Restaurant. There is no better way to celebrate than with a nice glass of red wine (or two!)

This morning, we have been able to enjoy a quiet and lazy one. The weather has changed and we are bracing ourselves for a large Nor’Easter heading this way. We are expecting 4-6 inches of rain overnight. I hope my azaleas make it through and I will still be able to enjoy their blooms when the sun comes back.

It’s time for another cup of coffee, and maybe a spot of knitting. How was your weekend?

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Knitting: I was surprised this week with an amazing package filled with all kinds of crafting goodies from my dear friend Peacefully Knitting. One of the wonderful surprises in the package was this beautiful Alpaca with a Twist in my favorite color. As soon as I felt how beautiful it was, I had to cast on the pattern that accompanied it: A Better Bucket. I am still working on Griff’s sweater, but with the weather getting warmer outside, my big project knits may be put on pause until Fall.

Reading: Spring always brings house projects! We have decided to re-insulate the second floor of our cape. It’s a house that was built in the 50′s and the insulation is just not as energy efficient as it is these days. We will be removing all the sheet rock and starting over. We plan on doing as much as we can on our own so we have been doing lots of research. We have found Insulate and Weatherize by Bruce Harley a good place to start. Over the next few months, I hope to bring you updates on our progress.

I am loving my new menus with low carb options, but there are a few things I miss. Crunchy breaded dinners are one. On a whim I decided to make Chicken Cordon Blue. I’ve mentioned many times how much I love the cookbook “Paleo Comfort Foods”. One of my “go to” recipes is the “Fried Chicken” recipe. We bake the chicken, because it’s not the frying that makes this recipe special. It is the most tasty “breading” that covers the chicken.  It is also the perfect outer crust for my Chicken Cordon Blue.   Here’s how I did it…

What you need:
Chicken Breast
Boar’s Head Dark Forrest Ham
Boar’s Head Swiss Cheese
Eggs
Fried Chicken batter from the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook
Tooth picks

1. Prepare dry mixture for “Fried Chicken” as described on page 244 in the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Tenderize chicken breast with a mallet until desired thickness.

3. Layer chicken, ham and cheese. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.

4.  Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Dip chicken rolls into eggs, then roll in batter.

5. Place chicken rolls on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

They are moist and delicious!

What are you making these days?

My weekend started with a 5k Saturday morning. It was a charity run for a local teacher who is battling stomach cancer. The weather was perfect and they had an amazing turn out. It was a good run.

It was a fortunate coincidence that the local farmers market was also being held at the high school school and started just around the time the race finished. After a quick  bottle of water and half a banana, it was time to cross the local things off my list. Raw honey, baby kale, sweet sausage…and then I saw the herbs. Girls, I couldn’t help myself, before I knew it, they were in my bag.

I picked up a rosemary tree, basil, and this beautiful variegated oregano. I know it’s too early to plant them in my garden here in the north east, but I quickly potted them and added them to my front window.

Today was a relaxing one. We took it easy and enjoyed the sunshine. We took a step back and watched the bees do the hard work.

The above average temperatures brought us to one of our favorite lunch spots on the river.

Then back to our town for an ice cream dessert. Here’s a picture of my boys enjoying their sugary treat under a blooming tree.

I snapped a few more shots of my favorite little town on a beautiful day.

How was your weekend?

Knitting: I am still working on Griffin’s sweater. I have to admit, my knitting has been put aside a bit the last few weeks to make room for spring projects. I did have a chance to work on it while in the car heading up north this weekend. That gave me a few hours of uninterrupted (and much loved) time.

Reading: This has been another item on the back burner this week. I do have to highlight one book I’ve been reading with Griff that always makes me smile. “The Tales of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. This year this book is celebrating 110 years (if you can believe it!) The website has all kinds of amazing resources, including a pre-school curriculum called “Cooking up Mischief with Peter Rabbit”, a downloadable module full of fun and exploration of the world around us. Griff’s been making us read the original story every night. I think he can relate to the curious bunny who gets himself in trouble because he didn’t listen to his mommy. At the end of the book last night, he even said, I wish I were a bunny that could run and eat veggies in the garden!” Awe…too cute.

Easter was awesome. I am trying very hard to get all the chocolate out of my house, unfortunately, most of it is ending up in my mouth! It’s been a week of leftovers. My Mother prepared our family traditional Pineapple Glazed Ham. I was amazed to see she was about to throw away the bone (she NEVER throws away the bone!) Luckily, I was paying enough attention to ask for it. And you know what that means…Split Pea Soup! There was no super secret recipe here, I used the recipe off the back of the C&F Foods Inc. green split pea bag.

Green Split Pea Soup with Ham

2 cups of dried C&F green split peas
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. thyme
2 qts water
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 ham bone
salt and pepper

Wash and sort peas; add water. Bring to boiling: simmer 2 mins. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour. Add ham bone, veggies, bay leaf and thyme; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until peas are soft. Remove bone; cut off meat and dice. If desired, put veggie mixture through food mill, blender or sieve. Return meat to soup; season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 2 quarts.

Super easy and OH SO YUMMY!

The perfect bread to accompany is Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day an adaptation from Former Chef of the Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It really only takes five minutes to make and can make 4 loafs. It can also keep in the fridge for up to 14 days to make when  you need it. The rising time is a bit more (90 mins), but gosh, worth every extra minute!

What’s going on in your kitchen?

Happy Easter everyone! Yesterday,  I posted links to some projects I really wanted to try but didn’t get to this year. Well, I had a pleasant surprise yesterday when I was able to carve out some time from the day to stop at the thrift store and pick up some old ties to try Ellie Moon’s Tie Dye Eggs.

I was able to find these great patterns for $1 each. I cut them up as the directions say. I found that one tie cuts about 3 good size squares. I also grabbed some cotton fabric at the thrift store as well to wrap the egg and silk in.

I wrapped all the eggs with the “right” side of the tie facing the egg. I tightly twisted up the edges to fold in and lay flat on one side of the egg. Securing them in place with the cotton fabric and some yarn tied in a bow (for easy removal after they were finished).

I added them to a pot of water, then added the vinegar and let them go for 25 mins as Ellie’s directions state.

This has definitely become a new tradition for us. There is no mess, no dye all over the kitchen (and fingers!) and it’s such a nice surprise to open each little package to see what’s underneath. Each egg comes out so different and beautiful. Next year I’ll be better about getting out the air pockets – but gosh, are they pretty or what?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter weekend to you! Don’t you just love this time of year? The sun is out, the gardens are starting to sprout and the Easter Bunny is coming to visit!

I thought I’d share a few last min. decorating and project ideas. Here are a few projects I have enjoyed for Easter:

Sweet Centerpieces – Decorating vases with Peeps, jelly beans and bright colored flowers.
Blown Eggs – A tradition I learned as a young one in 4-H.
Basket Full of Bunnies – A quick and easy project to fill a basket full of Easter Cheer!

Of course, we will be coloring eggs today. I have to admit, I have run out of time this year and we will probably be using the store-bought dye (gasp! LOL!) But if I had the time, I’d so love to try these projects:

Easter Egg Tie Dye – by EllieMoon – Gosh how beautiful are these?
Peeps Smore’s Kit – I really wanted to do this for the kids in the neighborhood. Next year this must be on the top of the list!
Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs – Yes, this will be next year’s project.
Last Minute Easter Flair – by Small + Friendly – How cute is this bow tie?

I wish you all a very Happy Easter filled with love, family and chocolaty treats!

I remember making this pen holder tin as a Father’s Day gift for my Dad when I was in the first grade. I’ve been waiting for Griff to get big enough to replicate it for my Dear Husband.

Here’s what you will need:

1 tin can
masking tape
brown shoe polish

Cover the tin with the masking tape. The more layers and texture the better.

Make sure every shiny space is covered.

Next, you buff the masking tape with brown shoe polish. It’s funny how your memory leaves out certain things or maybe it’s just how times have changed. I really don’t remember the shoe polish being so stinky.  Warning – I am not sure how good the fumes are to breath, but this is for the sake of the project (I do recommend gloves).

Once the masking tape is all covered, let it dry. It takes about 24 hours. The finished project does not stink and is really cute. Griff was very proud to give this project to his Dad.

Dad loved it.