Joe Pye Weed

 

Tall Joe Pye Weed is in bloom along roadsides and at pasture's edge. 

The name, according to legend, comes from a Native American healer who used medicines made from the plant to treat various ailments in early colonists.

 

The Eternal Question

"So, what do you want for dinner?" I asked.

"Whatever, " he replied,

"We had that yesterday," I said. "Really, what sounds good to you?"

"How about that chicken you used to make -- the one with mustard and crumbs on it?"  

I pulled Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking  off the shelf and it opened at the  very page- Poulet Grille a la Diable. I first made this delectable entree over forty years ago for friends with whom I had an enjoyable cookery competition and the stains on the page attest to how many times I've made it since. I always serve it, as Julia suggests, with young green beans and a broiled tomato. But I believe this is the first time that not only the beans and tomato are home grown but the chicken is as well.

A perfect accompaniment is this salad I first saw over at Sam's MY CAROLINA KITCHEN. Cut up cherries over greens, topped with pistachios, blue cheese (Sam uses goat cheese which I prefer but didn't have on hand) and a delicate vinaigrette. (The original recipe is 

HERE.

 

Poulet Grille a la Diable

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut in quarters
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp oliveoil
• 6 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp minced shallots or green onions
• 1/2 tsp thyme, basil, oregano, or tarragon
• large pinch of pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 4 cups fresh bread crumbs

Preparation

1. Dry chicken pieces and brush with combined oil and butter.


2. Place skin side down in broiling pan, about 6 inches from element. Broil 10 minutes on each side, basting often.


3. Lightly salt chicken. Blend mustard, shallots, herbs and spices together. Beat in 1/2 of the basting fat, one drop at a time, to make a mayonnaise-like cream. Brush chicken pieces with this mixture.


4. Roll chicken into bread crumbs, patting them to adhere.


5. Place rack into broiling pan. Put chicken onto rack, skin side down. Dribble basting fat over pieces. Brown slowly under moderate broiler for about 10 minutes. Turn chicken over and baste. Brown 10 minutes more. (If it's browning too fast or you're not sure the chicken is done, put into a 350 oven till done.)

I wish I'd taken the time to straighten the knife and fork and make a better photo but, as I've said before, it's a sin to let a hot meal get cold ...

 

Overheard in the Garden

 

 

 

Putting Up 'Maters

Try though we may, fresh tomato sandwiches, salads, and salsas, don't make much of a dent in the tomato harvest. 

Some I cook into sauce with herbs, onions, peppers, and garlic and freeze. Others, I can.

Since my tomatoes haven't been sprayed (and because I'm lazy,) I don't mess with peeling them. I just cut them up and shove them in a jar with a little salt.

Then I process them in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes and that's it -- tomatoes waiting to become soup or pizza topping or part of a stew in the coming winter. 

Silent Sunday Sunflowers

 

 

 

 

Taking Exception

The term American Exceptionalism is being waved about like a weapon in the current political unpleasantness. Originally, the term referred to the belief  that the USA's special mission was to spread democracy by serving as an example, by being a 'shining city on the hill' that other countries would choose to emulate.

  

That seems innocent enough -- if one overlooks the fact that said shining city was founded on land stolen from the original owners and built, in great part, by the labor of enslaved Africans. And that this vaunted democracy only included the white males -- in some cases only the property holders. Not all that great a model but it was, for the 18th Century, better than most others.

Unfortunately, over time the idea of American Exceptionalism has morphed  into something far more insidious --  the belief that the USA has a God-given superiority and an equally God-given right to interfere in the affairs of other countries. (This article on the subject is well worth reading.)

In the current political climate, where candidates are judged on whether or not they wear American flag pins and a gold-medal winning gymnast is criticized on Fox News for wearing pink instead of red, white, and blue and the same commentator goes on to lament that we've lost, not that loving feeling, but that 'jingoistic' feeling  (jingoistic is defined as 'extreme nationalism marked by an aggressive foreign policy')-- well, sometimes I just have to take exception to this foolishness.

And hope that there are still enough reasonable folks in my country that we will eventually fulfill the dream of the shining city on the hill. Because we sure as hell aren't there yet.

 

Miss Susie Hutchins' Thoughts on Gardening

 

 

 

 

Hardy Begonias

 

 

Miss Susie Hutchins approved this message.

 

Hen Party

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Down the Road

This is a heads up for any of you in the vicinity of Pickens, South Carolina.  On Sunday I'll be taking part in a Book Fair at Table Rock State Park. There's an article HERE with more information on the various authors who'll be there . . .

Meanwhile I'm having more fun with Picasa --  with effects that really remind me of Japanese block prints.  I'm going to have to try printing some of these on nice paper.