Staying Healthy and Strange Things at the Ranch

November is one of my favorite times here in Texas. Yes, spring is lovely with the wildflowers, but after a long, hot summer, the cooler temperatures are such a welcome reprieve that you just want to be outside. For those of you in the north who look forward to spring after a long winter, that's how fall is for us. But lately, I've been noticing some strange things.

Our Mexican Heather is still in full bloom, which isn't so strange, but seeing it covered in honey bees is. For the past month, it has been inundated. You go out on the patio and you hear the low hum of the bees. It's kind of cool and creepy at the same time. But as long as they leave me alone, they're welcome to hang around.

And then the other day I was sitting in my thinking chair in my office when I saw something white on the magnolia tree outside. As in a flower. But magnolias bloom in the spring. So I went to investigate.

Some new shoots had grown out of the trunk and, apparently, they didn't realize it's November.

I'm surprised the bees hadn't found that.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, we've been trying to keep things on the lighter side. Or at least low-carb. And since hubby is convinced that he loses a pound every time we have salmon for dinner, we've been eating it once or twice a week. And my favorite side for salmon is asparagus.

There are so many good things about this meal. Not only does it help our waistlines, but because it's all cooked on the grill, there's almost no cleanup. However, if you don't have a grill, you can roast them in a 400 degree oven.

The asparagus is so simple. Just rinse and trim your spears. Put them in a lidded container and drizzle with some olive oil.

Then add some lemon pepper, which is the same seasoning I use on my salmon so they pair perfectly.

Put the lid on and tossed everything. Then throw it on the grill either while the salmon is cooking or afterward. Depending on the thickness of the stalks, it takes 3-5 minutes per side. You want them tender, but not completely limp. And a little bit of color is nice, too.

This is a perfect pairing all the way around. And since our eating will soon lapse into the indulgent category for a brief time, healthy and waist-trimming is a very good thing.

What strange things are going on where you are?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Roasted Asparagus and Spring!

Roasted Asparagus is back! This simple and popular veggie side dish can be a meal for me! I love it! And it's simple....

Take a pound or two of asparagus spears, fresh from your local farmer or grocer...

Trim bottom ends.

Cover baking pan/sheet with foil.

Spread out asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with Bruschetta seasoning, whatever is your favorite "go to" seasoning...

 Broil on low for about fifteen minutes, more or less depending on spear "size". Thicker spears take longer to cook. Or if you forget that you put things in the oven (like I do!) then bake at 400 degrees for about fifteen minutes, Plus or Minus a few.... Ovens vary, so if you know your oven, dance to its tune.

Serve hot and delicious!!! A great way to increase the green veggies in your diet and make use of the local farmers!!!

Then we've got the twisty slide.... Now I'm not a fan of new slides. They're so safe that they're boring. They look cool... but you can't come down fast on most of them, and that's sad! But you don't fall to your death from up top, either, so that's a good thing!

#focusonpositives
#slowslidesareboring

 But as you can see, MacKenzie and Morgan figured out ways to make it less boring... by climbing up the outside of the slide and then doing various interesting ways of coming down "SLOWLY" while making faces... or laying on bellies... or pretending it was REALLY FAST when it was painfully slow, LOL! Slow-mo slides!!!!

And these are all Herne girls! My great-nieces and some of my grandbabies...  Aren't they beautiful little athletes? It was soccer night for Alicia and Mary Ruth.... The rest of us were there to cheer them on!

And from my last visit to NYC, a shot of one of the reflecting pools at the 9-1-1 Memorial. I try to get there whenever I drive down to the city. It's the perfect place to pray... to think... to remember that day... and then pray for peace.

And then to the huge new subterranean mall and train station next door beneath the "Oculus", wide-spanning white steel "arms" that make a winged above-ground entrance that is breathtaking from inside!

This is an Unsplash.com picture credited to Tim Queng because mine from last year seem to have disappeared!

Upscale stores line every level of the sides of the train station, going down four levels.... NJ Path, Fulton Street Station and soon more entrances to other Lower Manhattan places... It's an amazing place to visit, right next door to the 911 Memorial and the reflecting pools inscribed with the names of all victims of the terror attacks of September 11th.

It's lovely to be back home... it's green here! LEAVES ON MANY TREES! And you can chart the leaves by soil temperature because the trees react to soil temperature to begin the leafing process. By me, the Black Locust trees are one of the last to get their leaves and first to lose them. By late August, tiny golden leaves begin dotting the black locust trees, super tall trees with craggy trunks and branches.

But for now, we are in the business of welcoming leaves! Welcoming spring!!!!

And getting smelly cleaning out little water ponds to attract birds and frogs and toads! They love the bugs attracted to the water. Perfect! 

Lemon basil asparagus chicken

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and I have a delicious recipe for springtime meals! There are quite a few variations of this around on the internet so I read through a few of them and cobbled together my own version. I wondered if it might have too many flavors (I always overdo on the herbs) but it was perfect!

 So... fresh asparagus. Washed and cut into pieces. I love asparagus season! We live in a valley where it's a popular crop so we have no problem finding it for several months of early summer.

 One lemon. One red bell pepper. (I should have gotten two red bell peppers because I kept nibbling pieces. Fresh bell peppers is so good!)

 Oh, random roasted red new potatoes. We tossed them with melted butter, parmesan, salt and pepper. Not really necessary for the recipe. It just sounded good.

 First corn of the season!!!

So, toss the chicken (cut into 2 inch pieces), red bell pepper, asparagus, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 tsp salt with 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 TBS lemon juice. Roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the pan and salt/pepper to taste. Cut fresh basil into small pieces and add to the dish.

Easy peasy early summer meal!!

 Something about lemon and asparagus and butter.... YUM.

Behold, my ridiculous kitty. He makes me smile so much!!

OK, that's all for this weekend. I hope everyone is finding spring food popping up in your area. I'm SO glad winter is over and the farmer's markets are on their way!
Pop on by my author pages of Mary Jane Hathaway or Virginia Carmichael for all my book news!

Spring and asparagus lemon chicken!

Hey, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and spring has finally, truly sprung here. We've had a few 75F days and we're all loving the sunshine! The tulips and iris are out, which makes the yard look so much prettier than just a big patch of grass! 

We have lots of different tulips but I love these monster red variety. They're about five inches wide and frilled at the edges. My husband planted a hundred down one side of the property and a hundred down the other. With the hundreds of daffodils and hyacinth, it's like walking into a bouquet.

 A big patch of miniature iris. I think these are so cute! Only about 8 inches tall.

 We went on a hike recently and found this tiny nest. I think it's a goldfinch nest, but we never saw any occupants so we're not sure!

 Anyway, since spring has sprung, I'm SOOO excited to start finding fresh food around here. The first item on the menu is always leafy greens and asparagus. Some of the household don't like them steam so we just grill with a little olive oil and salt.

 Like so.

 For the rest of the dish, a teaspoon of minced garlic and 2 Tbs of butter.

 Add chopped chicken. This was actually frozen stuff from a bag and it was pretty tasty! I was wondering how much flavoring it would have added to it, but it seemed pretty normal. Just grilled chicken. Super easy for salad toppings and quick meals.

After the chicken is cooked, add one cup whole milk, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan and heat thoroughly to make a creamy white sauce. I added pepper and salt to taste. . 

Boil the bow tie pasta according the box directions and mix together. I added a little bit of chopped tomato for zing, and then squeezed a little lemon over the whole thing, including the asparagus. 

 Overall, a delicious summer meal that was fun to make before it gets too hot to run the oven and boil things on the stove! Soon, we'll all want chilled salads and cold dishes...

Until next time! Be sure to check out my author page at Mary Jane Hathaway, or my blog at The Things That Last! 

Salmon and Asparagus, Nuf Said

This is one of my favorite meals. Only five simple ingredients, and that includes the salmon and asparagus. I especially love it because everything is cooked on the grill, meaning I don't have to heat up my kitchen.

First thing you'll want to do is fire-up your grill. Salmon is best cooked with indirect heat, meaning you don't want the flames getting to the meat. If you don't have a grill with indirect heat, here are some tips. If you have multiple burners, turn on the burners on one side of the grill and then put your salmon on the other side. If you are using a charcoal grill, move your coals over to the side opposite of where you'll be putting the fish. Oh, and don't forget to oil your grates.

Let's start with those two ingredients that get top-billing.

Just plain salmon and asparagus. As if there's ever anything really plain about them.

Salmon first.

Brush both sides of the fillets with melted butter. You could use olive oil, but butter has so much more flavor.

Next up, another star of the show.

A little bit of salt, a little bit of citrus and good amount of black pepper really brings out the flavor of both of our headliners. 

Sprinkle both sides of your salmon fillets, though the skin side doesn't need quite as much. 

And that's it. It's ready for the grill.

Put the salmon on skin side down.

Close the lid and, depending on how hot your grill is (I recommend roughly 400 degrees), let it cook for approximately 7 minutes, depending on how thick your fillets are. If you're not sure, peak at it every couple of minutes to check the progress.

Asparagus time.

Drizzle your cut asparagus with a little bit of olive oil. Yes, I use olive oil for this one, because the asparagus was cold and we all know what happens when we put melted but on cold things. It turns into chunks and falls off.

Sprinkle on a little bit of the lemon pepper.

I like to do all of this in one of those reusable tubs that lunchmeat comes in, because the sides are just tall enough for me to do this without anything falling out.

Yep, I'm just tossing the asparagus around so that everything is coated with oil and lemon pepper.

Time to check on the salmon.

This is how it should look midway through. Now you're ready to flip it over and let it go for another 7-8 minutes.

Perfection.

Set the salmon aside and put your coated asparagus on the grill.

Spread them out so they're not overlapping. (Yeah, I missed one or two)

Close the lid and grill for 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus.

Flip them over.

They should have just a hint of char to them.

Let them got for another 2 minutes and voila.

Dinner is served.

Light, easy and oh so delicious.

Hey, I recently heard a doctor on the radio, giving tips on how to reduce stress. Of course, he mentioned exercise, reducing caffeine (like that's going to happen) and sugar, but he also said that salmon was a great stress reducer. I did not know that. However, considering this author has only one week left until her deadline, BRING ON THE SALMON. 

Grilled Asparagus, Cookie Alert and Porkers!

First, it can't be asparagus season without a post about this awesome veggie! We grow asparagus. We sell asparagus at our roadside stand.

Folks love fresh asparagus and I know why: It's delicious! But I always used to steam it, think of all those years wasted!!!  ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!

Now I grill it or bake it, similar to how I do Brussel sprouts and broccoli....

Take the tender asparagus, trim the ends if necessary, lay out on baking sheet...

drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning (I use this roasted garlic and herb, it's my fave for lots of things!) Sprinkle with salt and bake or grill!

Baking is easier because it doesn't fall through the grill! Bake at 350 degrees until it's actually starting to crisp.

Amazing!

And then there are these, the clever Zip-Loc containers I keep on hand for mailing cookies and freezing treats. Today's M&M/Chocolate chip cookies were baked fresh for granddaughter Emma's soccer game but days of rain have flooded the fields, so the game was cancelled. (Note the use of two "l"s in cancelled).

No worries! Fresh cookies tucked into the Zip-Loc containers and popped into the freezer! Around here it's never a bad idea to have stashes of cookies in the freezer:

I just looked and I can't believe I haven't given you this cookie recipe yet.

Is that even possible???? I'm taken aback! I'm amazed! I'm chagrined!!! Putting that on the list of recipes to share! Ghirardelli chocolate chips, farm fresh eggs, and M&M's!!! Oh, Mylanta, they're wonderful!

And here's a new friend!

Well, it was love at first bite. These are a great snack for high-protein or low-carb diets, you have the fun of chewing (I can never be a juicer!!!!) and these are just plain delicious! A new family favorite!

So tonight, once the kids were all picked up and Emma's  game was canceled. (notice I'm spelling it both ways because I'm airport savvy, it doesn't matter if they use one 'l' or two, I'm still not getting on a plane! Which happened two weeks ago in Midway....Do you know what happens when middle school cheerleaders start practicing their cheers at midnight in an airport with hundreds of stranded travelers? I don't either, I curled up and dozed off so I wouldn't be a WITNESS to their possible demise!!!)  :)

Anyway, I digress, we have a couple of English Walnut trees that have been infested with a nut borer... so we have to cut off all the infected branches and burn them to help curtail the spread of this tree-killing bug... And that means what can we throw on the grill for super quick supper while we're cutting and burning?

PORKERS!!!!

Also known as White Hots (white hot dogs) up here.

We use Zweigles Brand (gotta love German sausage makers!) and they're a crowd-pleasing favorite in upstate. If you order a white hot at a call-in hamburger stand, they yell "Porker!"

:)

Everyone here knows what a porker is!!!

Oh, there's the pretty plate again! Hello, plate! And no, I haven't unpacked any of his friends because I still haven't washed the cupboards. Soon, maybe? Although windows might take precedence!

So that's what's going on here.... baked or grilled asparagus, porkers, salted nuts and sick trees and I'm in the middle of a crazy fun marriage of convenience story, one of those things where you know the hand of God is there... right there.... if only the hero and heroine are smart enough to pause... breathe... and see what's right in front of their eyes! It's my second book for Franciscan Media and I'm so proud of them, jumping in with Christian fiction that includes Catholic characters!

I love writing ecumenically, but I also like being able to have a little "name that church" fun like Jan Karon did in her delightful "Mitford" series.

Keepin' it real makes me real happy!

Multi-published and best-selling author Ruthy Logan Herne loves cookies, Cookie Monster and Kermit the Frog. She understands it's not easy being green and she's all over the Rainbow Connection and this one with English singer Ed Sheeran is wonderful!

She loves God, her family, her country, dogs, kids, spring peepers, coffee and chocolate and isn't afraid to eat the occasional cookie!

Easter Monday - a reason to celebrate

Easter, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, means tradition. These are the days when we pull out the favorite family recipes - gussied up a little, maybe, or tweaked with new methods or ingredients - but still the favorites.

Easter Sunday when I was growing up was always a busy, busy, busy day. My Dad was a pastor, so not only did we have the usual round of Easter pictures, brunch at church, making sure Mom and I both had our matching pairs of white gloves, and praying that April showers would pass by this day, all the usual Sunday things had to happen, too. Dad polishing his sermon in the early morning hours, Mom making sure she had practiced the prelude, offertory and postlude (yes, she was our organist all the way through my growing up years), and my brother and I arguing...all the usual stuff!

But somehow, I remember having big Easter Sunday dinners after we got home from church. Once I was grown and married with my own children, I found myself wondering how Mom did it. I know she got a lot of help from Dad, and I'm sure my brother and I were drafted for table-setting duties, but how did she put Easter dinner on the table?

It's still a mystery.

I know we had ham for dinner most years, or maybe turkey, chicken, or a beef roast. Potatoes, of course. Bread, a green vegetable, pickles (sweet, dill, olives, sometimes pickled beets), and...wait for it...Asparagus Casserole!!!!

I haven't eaten this casserole in years. My dear husband (aka the asparagus hater) won't even let me talk about it.

I forgot to mention, it also had hard-boiled eggs in it, and those are on his list, too. Right up there with asparagus.

Since I haven't made it, and don't have the recipe, I have to guess what's in it. Now keep in mind, this list of ingredients has been plucked from my memory, and the recipe has to be at least sixty-five years old (I'm not that old - only the recipe)! I'm not even sure you can still buy some of these ingredients...

Asparagus Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cans cut asparagus
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup toasted bread cubes (croutons)
1 can cream of asparagus soup

Mix everything together, reserving a few hard-boiled egg slices and croutons, and put in a casserole dish (use the teal colored pyrex - the round one with the clear lid). Decorate the top with the reserved egg slices and croutons.

Bake uncovered in a medium oven (about 350°) for an hour or so. It should fit in the oven on the rack next to the ham.

Sorry, no pictures. I'm not allowed to make it, remember? If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

But Easter is about so much more than food.

A year ago yesterday, we celebrated my mom's life at her funeral.

If you remember, losing her was a decade-long goodbye as Alzheimer's disease stole her from us a little bit at a time. And the funeral was a bittersweet end to that farewell.

But Easter, Resurrection Sunday, is a reminder for all of us that death is not the end. It's another beginning. It isn't a time to look back - it's a time to look forward into the misty reaches of eternity.

So while I remembered my mom this Easter, and the miracle Easter dinners she somehow fixed for us, I know she is singing the song of the ages in the presence of her Savior.