You'd be Surprised What You Can Buy Locally

Rural living provides an easy opportunity to "go green." Living sustainably is eco-friendly and fiscally responsible. I'm not even mentioning the convenience. If you don't live in town, sometimes it's very time consuming to travel to all the stores you need to complete your shopping list.

When I'm not growing or making it myself, I really like to support the local farmers and craftsmen that live in my rural area.

On a recent Saturday afternoon full of errands (I group them for less driving), I purchased from three neighbor vendors who had exactly what I needed at exactly the right price.

Homegrown tomatoes from the farm stand. I didn't plant a second round, so my supply was long gone.

Chicken feed pellets produced locally from another community right down the road. It was sold by a family-owned feed-and-seed supplier 5 minutes from my house. (I love going there for good conversation and a Coke).

A flat of pansies hauled home in the back of my SUV from a grower 10 minutes from home. You can't beat 24 plants for $10 (and I didn't have to exhibit any patience growing my own flowers from seeds).

Buy local! Support your neighbors and create a better life for your family. Knowing who made what you consume each day is one important step we all can take to be environmentally and safety conscious.

Happy day!
TCB

My Dog's Life

I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I did I would want to come back as one of our retriever-dogs.

7 am - What we gonna do today?

8 am - Homeschool again? I need to rest.

9 am - That 30-second game of fetch EXHAUSTED me.

10 am - Is that a crumb under your seat? I love it when you snack!

The rest of the afternoon (besides the 3-minute burst of energy after supper).....

And the evening.....

Well, I won't bore you with more photos of a sleeping dog. You might get the wrong idea.

Have a happy day!
TCB

Related pet posts:
Pet Photos
What I've Learned from my Pets

Best Broccoli Casserole

It's countdown time for me. The days are ticking by on the way to my favorite holiday. No, not Halloween. I know it's October, but when fall weather begins, I start thinking about Thanksgiving. It's the perfect holiday - full of family and food, but no pressures of gift-giving. Just cook, eat, and spend time together.

I'm thinking about what I'd like to cook for Thanksgiving dinner. We have some of the same dishes every year, but occasionally I like to throw a new dish into the mix and see how it takes. Does it disappear? Are the leftovers requested to fill family members' Tupperware* containers?

One of the common dishes I make - broccoli casserole - is something I cook throughout the year for supper. I try not to make it more than every couple of months. My Thanksgiving dishes are not known to be skinny.

Why don't you try out the recipe before Thanksgiving and see if it's something you'd like to add to this year's menu?

Country Broccoli Casserole

Bag of frozen broccoli florets (or a fresh head of broccoli, trimmed of stems with florets remaining)
can of cream of mushroom soup
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. chopped onion

1 stick butter
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put broccoli and 1-2 Tbsp. of water in a covered glass dish in the microwave and cook on high/full power for 5 minutes. Remove and drain water. Mix in the next 5 ingredients.

Melt butter in a separate dish and stir in the bread crumbs. Add as a topping to the broccoli casserole.

Put the uncovered dish in the preheated oven and cook until the topping is browned, about 30 minutes.

Yum!

Want more Thanksgiving meal ideas? See these related posts:

Carrot Souffle

Southern Cornbread

Sweet Green Tea

Love,
TCB

* We call every plastic container around here Tupperware, even if it isn't.

A Greek Cookbook for your Bookshelf

I have the entire right side of my dining room buffet filled with cookbooks. I'll admit there are a few I rarely pull out, some are for the holidays, and some are well-worn and a little greasy with food splashes from everyday use. From time to time (OK - pretty often), I add to them with a new title from the bookstore. I wanted to tell you about one of my latest acquisitions and suggest you get a copy for yourself (and no, no one has paid me to say this).

Patricia Moore-Pastides, an accomplished public health professional and wife of the current president of the University of South Carolina, released her cookbook, "Greek Revival: Cooking for Life," about 18 months ago. In it, she narrates stories about her time living in Greece and shares the healthy recipes she learned from taking cooking lessons while there.

Leaning on vegetables and healthy cuts of meat (occasionally), the book provides Greek recipes that are healthy and still flavorful. I have made a few of them and can assure you that you won't miss the fat in these dishes.

We may think of baklava as a primary Greek dessert, but Patricia leans heavily on fruits, like those traditionally used in Greece, for an everyday taste of sweetness. Doesn't a yogurt parfait with blueberries and lemon curd sound good?

My favorite recipe from the book (so far) is Broccoli and Blue Cheese Pita (p. 22 in the hardback copy).

I bought the book during a lecture, tasting and book signing event at a women's conference. In her presentation, Patricia was very knowledgeable not only about nutrition via food, but also about the healthy compounds like resveratrol that make up certain foods. A delightful lady and a delightful (and delicious) book.

Happy reading (and cooking)!
TCB

What Happened to my Baby?

2002

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Where did my baby go? I want another! (Mr. Country Belle is sweating right now).

I'll leave you with a current photo......

....of me in denial.

Have a happy day.

TCB

Baked Venison Cubed Steak with Gravy

I just typed the title of this post, and it made me hungry all over again.

Now that the summer heat is waning into the crisp nights of fall (even in the South), it's time for some warmer fare at mealtimes. I told you earlier how I stock up my freezer every fall with venison (courtesy of a hunter-friend). My family loves fried venison cubed steak, but sometimes I need to cook something slightly different to change things up a bit. Here's my solution. Please note: You can substitute beef cubed steak for venison. We just like venison because it's naturally organic and it's super tender (You don't even need a knife).

Baked Venison Cubed Steak with Gravy

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 lbs. of venison cubed steak (or beef cubed steak)
milk
salt and pepper
flour
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water
packet of dried onion soup mix
can of French-style green beans (optional)
small can of sliced mushrooms (optional)

First, soak the steak in milk for about 20 minutes. Next, preheat the oven to 200 degrees, and heat oil (I use canola) in a frying pan until it reaches about 350 degrees.

Salt and pepper the steak on both sides, and roll both sides in flour. Put the battered steak in the frying pan when the oil is hot and brown both sides. It only takes a couple of minutes. The goal is not to cook the meat through but to sear/brown it on both sides quickly.

Remove steak to a glass casserole dish, arranging pieces in an even layer. Turn the heat down a little on the oil and add enough flour to thicken up what's left, constantly stirring to even out lumps and prevent burning. Add enough milk to to make a pan of gravy, constantly stirring as it slightly thickens. (I don't have an exact amount of milk; it all depends on how much oil/flour you have previously added).

After the gravy thickens slightly (just a couple of minutes max), add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the mushroom soup and can of water. Remove from heat and stir in packet of onion soup mix and the vegetables (green beans and mushrooms), if using.

Pour the mixture over the cubed steak and cover with aluminum foil.

Place the casserole dish in the preheated 200 degree oven for 2.5 hours. If you need to hurry it along, you can cook it at 250 degrees for 2 hours. The low heat is necessary to tenderize the meat further, especially if you're using beef.

What I really love is that you can prepare this in the afternoon, pop it in the oven, and not think about dinner again until 6:00 or so.

I made rosemary rolls to accompany this dish, and since the vegetables were included, that's all I served. My perfect rolls are not mine at all, but purchased frozen yeast rolls (I work and homeschool - what can I say? Not enough time to make everything homemade). I "doctored" the rolls up with butter and fresh rosemary from my garden before putting them in the oven to bake.

Happy suppertime! It's Fall!

Love,
TCB

What I'm Reading in September

If you've been a reader of my blog, you know I adore reading (and writing). I have been on a non-fiction reading kick for the last year or so, so both of the books I'm reading this month are non-fiction. No surprises there!

Here they are:

1. One Year to an Organized Work Life by Regina Leeds. The title is self-explanatory. The best tips I took away from this book? Learn to say "no" once each day. Also, Regina summed it up best about messy piles in your office: If you have piles of work folders on your office floor (I do), then you probably have not made a commitment, for whatever reason, to the projects they represent. If you're serious about the projects, clear out the clutter to clear out some "brain space" for them and put them in the file cabinet so they will gain prominence and importance.

If you need it, this author also has organization books on finances and life in general.

It's a quick read and organized enough like a reference book to skim through and pull out the tidbits you need for office (and mental) organization.

2. Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. I'm still reading this Christian book, so I don't have a full report for you now. I always find it refreshing the way Lysa explains Christian concepts and so selflessly uses failures and examples from her own life.

What comes out of your mouth when you're angry? Are you a stuffer or an exploder? The book is focused on how to respond when you have negative, raw emotions to express to those around you. What is the proper way to respond, and why, according to the Bible, should we respond in this manner? It's something I struggle with when people irritate me. I'll be the first to admit this book is for me.

Happy reading!
TCB
PS. Let me know what you're reading. I always need new books for my ever-expanding reading list.