garden season - finally! (?)

Well now, this certainly has been kind of a weird spring in the Chicago/northern Illinois area! Mainly below-average temperatures with no lack of rain, followed by a brief spell of highs in the '90s. Hopefully we've "weathered" (groan) most of the unpredictability of spring and can now settle in and get a decent garden planted. If nothing else, there will be a bumper crop of mesclun on the Lonesome Road; check out the little volunteer lettuce plants (above) from last year's garden... can't wait until they're big enough to make a fresh and tasty backyard salad!

Look closely - this little dude (? - I'm not really interested in determining the sex of toads, LOL) was discovered during some rototilling. Thankfully he escaped in time...

I'm sure that everyone in the state of Georgia will hate me for saying this, but I really prefer Walla Walla onions, and they are planted in the Lonesome Road garden for the first time this year! We also planted California white garlic, there is nothing like fresh garlic instead of that puckered-up, dried-up grocery store junk. I also hope to make batches of buttery slow-baked garlic, delicious when used for garlic bread, added to soups or pasta sauces, mmmmm!

Ah, a dog's life! Jane the Dog enjoying a bit of fresh air and sunshine. She enjoys the garden too - Jane loves fresh carrots.

A Lonesome Road garden tradition - Roma-style tomatoes. I always hope for a bumper crop for making pizza/pasta sauce to freeze in the fall.

These are just a few of the things you'll find in the Lonesome Road garden. This year's plans also include popcorn, green and yellow string beans, snow peas (the husband's favorite), cucumbers, pumpkins and melons (please please please, no squash bugs this year!), carrots, and probably lots and lots of volunteer dill (like every year). Hot peppers? Definitely, as well as herbs like oregano, thyme, and basil.

[while we're on the subject of salads... try this yummy Tequila-Orange salad dressing. Perfect on mixed greens, spinach + a bit of julienned jicama and avocado!]

Whisk together: 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, 4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons tequila, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 4 teaspoons honey, 1 small garlic clove, very finely minced, sea salt to taste

in a pinch? try a pinch!

With a few basic ingredients you can create a homemade seasoned salt mixture that tastes wonderful on everything from grilled meats to steamed veggies; shake it on rice or pasta, scrambled eggs, French fries, almost anything. And, no MSG! Simply combine 3 tablespoons fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon good-quality sweet paprika (for something really interesting, try substituting smoked paprika), 1 tablespoon celery salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander.

Easily increase these measurements to make a larger amount to have on-hand for the upcoming grilling season, or anytime you want to add a dash of flavor.

The chicken (above) was sprinkled with this delicious seasoned salt mixture and grilled to perfection; later this summer during sweet corn season I plan to mix up a large batch of the salt, adding some to melted butter for drizzling all over those golden ears of summer sweetness, maybe with some grilled Texas toast on the side. Oh yeah.

what the heck is haluski?!

Can't take another cod fillet during

meatless Lent Fridays?
Try hearty Polish Haluski!

Before I worked for a newspaper that serves a city with a large central European population, I had never heard of haluski. Ever.

A little snooping around revealed to me that this traditional Polish-Slovakian cabbage dish was very similar to something my mother used to make and I decided to give it a try.

The dish makes a great vegetarian main dish (perfect for Lent) or you can sneak in a bit of bacon on your carnivorous days (as shown in the photo). Using homemade egg noodles makes all the difference in the world but if you're short on time, use good-quality store-bought noodles (like I did). And, if you want to add more protein to this dish, try what others do: stir in some cottage cheese.

ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cabbage, cored and either shredded or cut into strips
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (you may need more)
• 8 ounces cooked egg noodles, either homemade or store-bought
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating butter in a large saute pan or large deep skillet until lightly browned; this is one of the tasty tricks of cooking haluski. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent and slightly browned. Add shredded cabbage and saute for 5 more minutes, tossing thoroughly with the browned butter-onion mixture. Cover and cook another 5 to 10 minutes then add the cooked noodles. Combine everything thoroughly, add a bit more butter if the mixture seems "dry" and cook over low heat, stirring, until noodles are heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Another tasty addition to haluski is caraway seeds; add them just before covering and cooking the cabbage-onion mixture.

Some people substitute rinsed sauerkraut for the shredded cabbage; I have not tried this version but I think I could learn to love it.

Can't get enough cabbage? Check out:

Cabbage Hash

and Chet Atkins' Cole Slaw

lent-ils!

Meatless Fridays ~
A great time to try something new!
Although the Lonesome Road doesn't observe Lenten practices, the customs and rituals of others always inspires me to try (and share) new recipes. This is one that really has become a tried-and-true favorite. Simple, inexpensive, healthy and so delicious, the Middle Eastern dish Mujadara is easily made with lentils, rice and lots and lots of caramelized onion slices. This is truly a great choice for meatless Fridays during Lent but don't be surprised if you incorporate this dish into your rotation.

Start out by sauteeing in a large, deep skillet:
2 medium onions, sliced
in 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cook onions until they are deeply brown and caramelized, even a bit "crunchy." Remove the onions to a paper towel-lined plate.

Add 1 cup of long-grain rice (I love to use jasmine rice) and 1 cup of lentils to the skillet. Quickly saute the rice and lentils in the caramelized onion oil, adding
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper

Add 3 cups of water to the rice-lentil mixture and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet very tightly then cook over low heat for at least 25 to 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice and lentils are tender.

To serve, top with the crispy browned onions.
Serves 4.
(Although lentils typically do not require soaking in water, I've found that a 1 or 2 hour soaking before preparing this dish helps the lentils cook in exactly the same amount of time as the rice, without becoming mushy.)

Can't get enough bean recipes for meatless Lent Fridays?

Check out these Cuban Black Beans!