Roses

The Antique Rose Emporium (ARE)  hosts  its annual Fall Festival of Roses in November  with three days of free garden-related seminars presented by nationally and internationally known speakers and gardening tours.  The ranch is located just a short drive down a beautiful country road from this amazing nursery & garden center.

Antique Rose Emporium, with its 8 acres of landscaped grounds, is located at 10000 FM 50 in Independence, Texas. For more information about the annual Fall Festival of Roses, call 979-836-5548.

Apple Pie

Nothing tastes better than a slice of homemade apple pie hot from the ovens at Murski Homestead B&B!  Add a little Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and you are really set…..this is one of the easiest recipes, so give it a try.

Super Easy Apple Pie
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
zest of
1 lemon
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. apricot brandy
pinch of salt

Apple Pie

5 baking apples, pared, cored, thinly sliced
2 oz. butter, melted
1 unbaked pie shell, 9-in. diameter
1/2 lb. apricot jam
1 oz. sugar

Combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, brandy and salt.  Neatly arrange apples in pie shell; pour sugar mixture over.  Brush with melted butter.  Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees F; bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden.  Combine jam and sugar in sauce pan; heat to boiling.  Push through fine strainer; heat to boiling.  Brush over baked pie.  (I used twists of pie crust on  the top of this pie for additional visual appeal and texture.)

Blueberry-Ginger Cream

(4 – 6 servings)

1″ x 2″ piece of fresh ginger
2 C whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 C sugar, divided
2 Tb. + 2 tsp. cornstarch
4 Tb. butter, cut into small pieces
slight pinch of salt, to taste

2 C fresh blueberries
2 t water
2 T sugar, to taste

Peel and cut the ginger into thin slices. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the ginger slices and 1/4 C sugar and bring to a low simmer, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, cover and steep for about a half hour, tasting for strength.  Strain the milk to remove the ginger slices and reheat to a low simmer.

Whisk together the yolks with the remaining 1/4 C sugar. Add the cornstarch and whisk thoroughly until the mixture is light yellow. Slowly add the hot milk, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Return to the heat and bring to a very slow boil, stirring slowly and constantly. Cook for about 2 minutes. Take off the heat and add the butter pieces, stirring until the cream smooths out. Add a slight pinch of salt, to taste.  Pour into a clean container and press a piece of plastic wrap into the surface. Set aside to cool.

Combine the fresh blueberries, water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over low heat for just a few minutes until the fruit gets saucy. Set aside to cool.

Layer the cream with the blueberries in a parfait glass or scoop into a bowl.

Tortilla Soup with Chicken, Avocado & White Mexican Cheese

Nothing says “Fall” better than a really good bowl of delicious soup!  Earthy, slightly spicy, sublime, down home good is how I describe really good homemade tortilla soup.  The soup is simple to make and is even better the day after it is made.  Serve it with chunks of hearth style bread for soaking up all the delicious juices while savoring every bite.  Fresh avocado and Mexican white cheese is a must!  Pair it with a spicy red wine, such as the  ”Saucy Red” from our local “Windy Winery” located just a few miles down  from the B&B.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Stock Instructions
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in bottom of large stock pot.   Add quartered onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 stalks of celery, and turkey breast.  Peel two carrots and add the peels to the stock pot along with 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks. Reserve two carrots and 2 celery stalks for later use.   Cut the stems off your Cilantro bunch. Reserve the leaves. Add stems to the stock pot.  Add water to your pot so that it is 3/4 full.  Cover and boil for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours. You should set a timer to check on your stock. Do not add salt before you have reduced your stock. The stock should not reduce to less than one quarter of your pot.  Remove turkey from bone. Reserve the meat. Discard the  bone.  Strain the soup by using a colander over another stock pot.  Discard the vegetables.  Set aside the stock you will use for the soup (1 to 2 cups per guest) and pour the rest into ice cubes for later use.

Soup
In blender add 1 8oz. can of organic stewed tomatoes and ¼ cup of olive oil, pinch of salt and puree with roasted pepper* and set aside for later use.   Add 2 carrots cubed to stock.   Add 2 celery stalks chopped to stock.  Cover and boil for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Add 1/4cup increments pureed pepper-tomato mixture to your broth.  Add 1/3 cup of turkey meat per cup of stock and allow simmering.  Taste for salt and finish with a pinch of  ground cumin.

Serving
Ladle soup into bowls and add extra turkey meat, top with strips of fried corn tortillas or good quality store bought tortilla chips. Top with fresh cilantro and cubes of avocado.

Foodie Weekends,  are for those who  like to cook, for  Foodies and for Spectators who love food in all forms!  Guests determine the depth of their involvement, with options ranging from a visit to an area farmer’s market, local winery, garden harvest, cooking with me or just enjoying the great food!  Whether you are a Foodie, avid cook, spectator or wannabe cook,  these events are all about creating memorable experiences in a relaxing atmosphere involving food, spontaneous cooking and creating ways to take the everyday recipe to the next level.

Every class and event  is chock full of new recipes that you can duplicate at home!   This is a great gift idea for that home cook you know.  Itinerary and dates…

• 1 Room for 2 Nights, Murski Homestead – Two (Double Occupancy)
• Full Breakfast both mornings
• Farmer’s Market Tour
• Downtown Driving Tour
• Hands-On Cooking Class
• Local Wine Tasting and Dinner

2011 DATES: March 4-6,    March  11-13,      April 29-May1,    May 6-8,    May 13-15,    Sept. 2-4,    Sept. 9-11,    Oct. 14-16,    Oct. 21-23,    Oct. 28-30,    Nov. 11-13,   Nov. 18-20,    Dec. 2-4

Reserve your spot now for food and fun at the ranch or buy a gift certificate to introduce friends and  family to the Murski  Homestead B&B Experience!

*23rd Annual Fall Festival of Roses -Independence Gardens* is scheduled for November 5th – 7th (Friday – Sunday)  This three day, FREE event features presentations from national gardening experts.  Tours of the growing field will be offered.  Just to walk through the grounds is a treat in and of itself!  Antique Rose Emporium is your  nursery source for Earth-Kind, Pioneer and old roses.

Check out “The History of The Antique Rose Emporium” by G. Michael Shoup, owner of The Antique Rose Emporium as it is entirely fascinating and will inspire you to try your hand at one of the incredible “antique roses”…  Our ranch B&B is located just a short drive down Hwy 50 from the Rose Emporium.  Come sit a spell on our porch and enjoy a relaxed ranch stay while enjoying  your days at the Fall Festival of Roses at Antique Rose Emporium!

.

The Culinary Queens were at it again with some fabulous Greek food and spirits….Garides Ala Plaka (succulent prawns), delicious earthy chewy breads to soak up all the incredible juices, Fava Skordalia (yellow split peas with garlic –  “hummus style”),  Horiatiki Salata (tomato, cucumber & feta  salad),  Dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), Keftaidakia ( lamb meatballs),  Tzatziki (herbed yogurt/cucumber sauce),  Syka Sto Fournou (baked fresh figs with brandy & herbs), Peponi Me Ouzo (ouzo spiked melon),  and Portokalia Se Marothaphne (Port laden Navel orange orbs).  If you have never tried Greek cooking  or food, you are missing out!  These foods are “of the earth” and based on seasonality, freshness and bold flavours.  Several good cookbooks to learn from are “Greek Cooking for the Gods”,  “The Foods of the Greek Islands”,  and “The Complete Book of Greek Cooking”.  Look out for some great Greek recipes to appear in our Foodie Adventures at the B&B!

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

With dill as the herb of the year, it is a good idea to start planting it in the garden soon.  Be sure to plant lots of its wonderful familial relatives such as parsley, fennel, lovage, cilantro, and chervil. Now is also a good time to start planting other cool season plants such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, chard,  spinach, lettuce, collards, mustard, turnips, beets, and such. Stick some of these into your flower beds for interest. ‘Redbor’ and ‘Winterbor’ kales with their dark purple or soft green leaves look great with pansies, snapdragons, calendulas, dianthus, chartreuse lettuces,  parsley and cilantro – the bonus is  you can eat them too!
Don’t forget that fall is also a great time to plant trees, shrubs, and bulbs. Roses are one of my favorite group  of herbs, and I’d recommend the following varieties: ‘Mutabilis,’ ‘Carefree Beauty,’ ‘Mrs. B.R. Cant,’ ‘Maggie,’ ‘Cecile Brunner,’ ‘Marie Pavie,’ ‘Cramoisi Superieur,’ ‘Madame Antoine Mari,’ ‘Belinda’s Dream,’ ‘Knockout,’ ‘Nacogdocehes,’ ‘Martha Gonzales,’ and, oh, the list could go on until your eyes started to glaze over.  Yes, you can have your roses and eat them too!

Thanksgiving is a good time to get your sweet pea seeds in the ground.  If your looking for a suggestion, my favorite  is an old variety named ‘Painted Lady.’ She has pink and white flowers, blooms early,  for a long time and is particularly fragrant.

Post me a comment and let me know some of your favorites!

Chinese Noodles & Vegetables

Chinese Noodles & Vegetables

Serves 6
Served at room temperature, these noodles can be eaten by themselves as a main dish; they also make a delicious accompaniment to an Oriental kebab.

Cook the noodles according to package directions until just tender; do not overcook. Drain and rinse with very hot water.  Steam the shredded carrots for a few minutes until just tender.  Make a sauce by combining the ginger root with the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and sesame oil.  Toss the noodles with the carrots, lettuce, scallions and sauce. Let the dish set at room temperature until you are ready to serve.