Cheap & Cheerful Suppers the First Full Week of August

Friday

Friday
sausage, mushroom and basil pizza, frozen peas, rhubarb jello 

Funny thing, when my husband first saw the plate, he asked if the pink rectangle was Spam. I laughed. He took a bite, then realized it was a fruit jello. It does look a bit like Spam though, doesn't it? I made the jello around noon and wanted it to set quickly, so I poured it into a shallow baking dish -- spreading it out to firm up faster. We ran out of pepperoni, so I had to improvise. This turned out to be a very delicious pizza, and I plan on replicating it again soon.

Saturday

Saturday
bean and beef burritos, steamed kale, fresh blackberries, graham cracker-peanut butter frosting sandwich cookies

I was starting to feel not quite well this evening. My husband made the burritos and steamed the kale. I normally try and find more in the garden to go with meals, but as I said, I just wasn't feeling great. The burritos were delicious. I picked a handful of cilantro for my husband to add to the beef and bean filling. The cilantro really made these amazing, even without any cheese in the burritos. My two daughters went out blackberry picking for us in the afternoon and brought several more quarts of fresh, free blackberries. My pillow-size bag is filling up!

Sunday
kale and sausage frittata, rice, steamed garden green beans

This was the worst night for me. I've had terrible allergies for 2 weeks, and I subsequently developed a sinus infection. I took extra good care of myself all day and evening, taking my zinc, quercetin, vitamin C, vitamin D, sipping orange juice alternating with chicken broth and tea, and rested. Again my husband made dinner which I ate in bed before turning in early for the night. I woke up the next morning about 90% better. Anyway, the dinner was absolutely delicious.

Monday -- hotdog cookout
hot dogs in homemade buns, garden kale, garden green beans, garden raspberries, s'mores

The day was a beautiful summer one, and the day before a new storm system was to roll in, bringing mostly clouds and a bit of drizzle. Since it was so nice, I planned a cookout for dinner. I made a batch of hotdog buns early in the day and melted chocolate chips to form patties to use for s'mores after the dinner. I also harvested produce from the garden to put the rest of dinner together. We all enjoyed sitting around the fire ring for an hour while cooking our dogs and eating. One daughter thanked me for making a nice summer evening for the family. I was grateful to have knocked the sinus infection down so quickly and feel much better.

Tuesday

Tuesday
chicken-kale-pasta skillet dish, apple wedges, cream of sorrel and squash blossom soup

Why does macaroni shaped pasta scream "budget"? Macaroni and spaghetti are always the least expensive shapes for me to buy. I wished I'd had a more upscale pasta shape for this dinner, like a penne. But macaroni is what I had, so I went with it. I used garden kale, herbs and garlic, plus canned tomatoes, a chicken breast, and the pasta. I was going to stir in the Parmesan cheese, but then I recalled how the cheese always sticks to the pan, which means some never gets eaten. So instead, I topped each serving with the Parmesan. My sorrel is still doing really well, which is remarkable for August. I'm trying to use it regularly, but have limited ways to use it. I make soup and use the leaves in salad. It's a perennial that does well in my garden, so I keep it. Tonight's soup also incorporated some squash blossoms. I added those for a "yellow" vegetable. I don't feel we've had enough yellow vegetables in recent weeks. Yep, those things stick in my mind. Our early apples are abundant but small. I try to use them daily.

Wednesday

Wednesday
meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, sautéed zucchini, kale salad, apple wedges, rhubarb pie

I'm very proud of how both daughters' cooking skills have grown. One daughter made this dinner. She's been asking me to teach her some of my recipes. She keeps a bullet journal and logged the recipe for meatloaf a while ago. She was proud that she could do this all herself without having to ask me anything. She made all of the dinner, except the pie. Pie is mostly "my thing" in this household. Oh and I harvest the vegetables, as I'm the one who knows what's ready and where to look.

Thursday

Thursday
hummus, crackers, lentil sprout slaw, garden green beans, garden apples, leftover rhubarb pie

Thursday's dinner was another daughter's work. She and I had planned a menu that would be quick and easy to make after a long day away from the house. Today was the day both daughters gave me my birthday gift, belated. I'd asked for a day with the two of them in the small town near the beach in our area. We walked along the beach, admired pretty shells that had washed ashore (it was very low tide), watched a heron as he caught and ate a fish, walked up to the town and went into a couple of shops, bought pastries at the family-owned bakery, came home and had lunch on the grass in our backyard, then finished the afternoon with a walk in the next neighborhood over, checking out all of the summer flowers. It was beautiful and sunny -- a perfect day. In the shops -- they bought a bar of lavender soap from the lavender store and a couple of rubber stamps from the art store for me. They also bought the pastries and lunch supplies. A lovely day, with my two lovely daughters, and all at no expense to me. One of my daughters is currently illustrating a children's book with an ocean setting. She mentioned that she needs to go back to the beach for reference drawings again soon. Guess who will be tagging along?

One day over the weekend, I made brunch on the deck for my husband and daughters, as we were all here and available. I made blueberry pancakes (blueberries from our garden), bacon, mixed fruit juice, lentil sprout and carrot top slaw. The fruit juice was a combo of the last of the orange juice, some heavy syrup from canned peaches, and the liquid from thawed and drained frozen blueberries, saved when making muffins a few weeks ago. We don't have any plans for a vacation away from home this summer. Instead, I'm trying to make special occasions and meals for our family.

I haven't been grocery shopping inside a store in a month. I'll need to go out for milk, eggs, and bananas tomorrow. While not shopping in-person, I have been ordering some pantry staples to be shipped, restocking my emergency pantry. In those orders, I bought coffee, peanut butter, peanuts, more cocoa powder, and all-purpose flour. We seem to plow through the coffee, cocoa powder, and peanut butter. I guess being home so much means that all of our coffee is made at home, I need to bake treats on the reg., and we have peanut butter sandwiches a whole lot.

So, that was my week and the meals we enjoyed. What was on your menu this past week?

Growing Mâche for Fall and Winter Salads

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was planning my fall garden. One of the plants I mentioned is called mâche, also known as corn salad, also known as lamb's lettuce. Since mâche is not one of the common vegetables in the US, I thought I'd tell you a bit more about it.

Mâche is better known in Europe, often found in markets in the spring. Some say the name lamb's lettuce is due to the fact that it is available during the spring lambing season. Others say that the name lamb's lettuce comes from the fact that it was commonly found wild in pasture land where sheep grazed. In addition to growing wild, mâche is cultivated for sale in most of Europe. Mâche grows in compact rosette form and is used both raw in salads and cooked in soups and stews. It prefers the cooler months, often planted in very early spring or in the fall after the hot weather has abated for the year.

Many gardeners in Europe and Scandinavia grow mâche in a poly tunnel-style greenhouse in the winter months. While it may not put on much growth during the shortest days, it will hold in a bed under a clear cover such as what a poly tunnel can provide. If planted outdoors in the elements, it is cold hardy to about 5 degrees F (although it needs temps of between 50 and 70 for seed germination). Mâche is considered one of the most cold hardy vegetables. In my area, where overnight lows rarely reach the teens, mâche will hold in my garden, even under snow. In late winter to early spring, it should begin to put on new growth, which can be eaten, before bolting.

I started my seeds a little over a week ago indoors inside a damp paper towel. Earlier this week I noticed the seeds were sprouting, so I very carefully transferred the seeds into soil and am keeping the tiny plants under lights. Our very hot weather appears to be over for the summer, according to the weather forecasters. We may have a week of high 70s to low 80s later this month. I will be keeping the mâche under lights indoors until the last week of August, then I will transplant the small plants into a garden bed. I'll also be starting a second batch of these seeds in another 2 weeks and then again a third batch about 1 month from now, and a final batch sometime in late September, to prolong my harvest and have some of the leafy greens holding in the garden through winter under a row cover. I expect to be able to begin harvesting the leaves in about a month, adding to our September salads. Mâche can either be harvested one leaf at a time, in a cut and come again fashion, or by cutting the plant off at the base. Since I want to maximize my harvest, I'll pluck a few leaves at a time, leaving time for more to develop. It's flavor is nutty and its texture is like butterhead lettuce.

Mâche is said to make an excellent green manure, tilling in the remains of the plants after harvest. So, I'll try that as well, instead of digging up the plants and throwing on the compost heap.

So that's mâche. Have you ever tried this leafy green?