Tormented Kitchen

Squash. Probably not the most exciting food out there, but it deserves attention.  You know, Native Americans grew corn, beans, and squash together. The beans climbed the corn stalks, and the squash plants covered the ground. The three together were called the Three Sisters. They were beneficial for the health of each plant and made a sustainable food source. I have grown all three plants before in our garden, but I did not do it that way. Our garden was arranged in rows. The corn didn't do so well. They were infested with earwigs. Half the bean plants just up and died. But the squash plants were great! That year, we discovered we grew awesome onions and tons and tons of potatoes and carrots. This summer, we built new garden boxes following the All New Square Foot Gardening  book my cousin sent me. We didn't get it done in time to grow squash, but we did get a few things in. Next year, I will grow lots of squash, especially acorn squash. They are sort of cute. As a kid,

Usually, I love rice. To be different, I made pilaf with barley. I think not too many people really eat barley. I like it. It's tasty, hearty. I love it in veggie beef soup. Every once in a while, I make some plain barley just to change things up. This was a good change up. Just be aware that barley takes a lot longer to cook than rice. You may end up boiling for a good hour before it's ready to eat.  Make sure to use a bit more liquid than rice. I went for 1 cup barley to 2.5 cups liquid.  Ingredients 1 Tablespoon butter 1 cup pearl barley 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced 1 carrot, peeled and diced 2 1/2 cups stock or broth (I used chicken stock) Method 1. In a 2 Qt. saucepan, saute onion and carrot in the butter until softened and starting to brown.  2.  Add the barley and continue sauteeing about 2 minutes. You want the barley to get a little glossy. 3. Stir in your stock.  Bring up to a boil.  Cover and keep at a low boil for about 45 minutes to an hour, o

First, I have to apologize to you all for this beautiful photo of Eggs Benedict.  I truly love runny poached eggs as part of Eggs Benedict. The yolk getting  mixed with the Hollandaise sauce and the salty Canadian bacon, fluffy egg white, crunchy toast...delish! I chose this photo because who wants to see plain old poached eggs on a plain plate? Not exciting, if you asked me. Oozing sauce, the variation of textures, nice! Sorry I didn't show the yolk oozing into the sauce. I was too busy snarfing to take another photo. Ingredients 2 eggs per person, really fresh 2 Qts. water 2 Tablespoons white vinegar Method 1.Combine water and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring up to a simmer. You want it to be gentle, just bubbling a tiny bit. A hard boil will ruin your eggs. 2. Break eggs into separate bowls. 3. Give the water a little stir and carefully slide your first egg into the middle. You want to be as close to the water's surface as possible so the egg doesn't break u