firefly68

about me

I just retired, moved from the west coast to the east coast, and bought a house on 1.25 acres. It's a very exciting new chapter in my life! I have a few chickens and plan to get more animals this spring and grow some vegies, mostly heirlooms. (Between the rabbits, chipmunks, fishercats, and coydogs, my success at these endeavors is questionable!) I want to try growing small amounts of many different fruits and veg and just discovered a website that sells tiny sample packets of seeds for 35c! http://www.artisticgardens.com/

I have a friend who raves over my chicken every time she has any, no matter how I make it. I kept wondering why, since I do nothing special; the first time she said this, I'd simply poured bottled BBQ sauce over it and baked it in the oven. I mean, what could be simpler than that, anyone can do it. It finally dawned on me that it is the cooking METHOD that she likes, and for that I give all credit to Adele Davis's indispensible book "Let's Cook It Right." This is not a recipe book (although there are some in there), but an explanation of the science of cooking. What heat does to food, how one method makes meat tough but another tenderizes it, how to cook a moist turkey, that sort of thing. It is fascinating, and if you read it you will become a much better cook with even the most basic recipes! I can't recommend it strongly enough. What it does NOT cover is seasonings. My next goal is learning about herbs and spices, and I'll be planting an herb garden for my experiments.

Favorite Foods:

Easier to list my least favorites: bell peppers and curries. I'm a foodie and like/love pretty much everything else. Since moving I miss Mexican food terribly. But I can finally get decent lobster, clams, Italian, and Jewish, and that makes me feel much better!

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