A Life, Lived

Cats and Boxes

Anyone who has ever owned a cat will understand this . . .

Meanwhile, Canadian Weather . . .

I know I've posted this before but it seems appropriate today since we went from a sweltering 34 degrees last week to chilly 6 degrees today!

Rosemary and Thyme Potatoes in Foil Packets

This is one of my favourite sides to make when I am grilling something for dinner. Last night I was grilling some sausages and made these to serve along side the sausages.

The best things about these is their simplicity. I mean you can grill potatoes directly on the grill but you usually end up searing your arm hair off in the process and half the potatoes fall through the grill grate. With a foil packet you just need to flip it over from time to time and then they are done. Who doesn't love things that easy?

Better yet, they taste really good as well.

Enjoy.

Rosemary and Thyme Potatoes in Foil Packets

1 pound of red potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil/canola oil
3-4 sprigs of fresh Thyme
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
sea salt and pepper to taste

Toss together all ingredients.

Lay two layers of tinfoil over each other.

Place the potatoes in the middle of the tin foil in a long mound.

Bring the tinfoil together and seal.

Cook for 20-20 minutes on the BBQ, shaking occasionally.

Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve and enjoy!

Travel Tuesday - Maine

We've been talking about the possibility of a trip to Maine once we're both vaccinated and the border reopens to travel.

We've been twice and we love it there.

Some time at the coast would be a nice post-COVID treat!

Veggie Garden Update

I've mentioned a few times that we rented a garden plot this year. We hoped to grow some vegetables on the plot - something we can't do at home because the back yard just isn't big enough.

I realized today that I haven't really provided any details.

The plot is located in a Provincial park about 5 minutes from our house. This park is dedicated to farming in an area that is rapidly becoming an urban jungle. It is fitting that they have set aside 70 of these plots.

This is our land for the year.

It doesn't look like much here. :-)

The soil is pretty good - having been used as garden plots for more than 30 years. Nonetheless, we dug in 12 bags of composted sheep manure to help stuff grow.

You'll note the fencing in other plots in the pic above.

This area has plenty of deer and deer LOVE a buffet of veggies. We watched lots of folks around our plot put up fences so we thought we had better get in on that as well.

Imagine - we did this without raised voices or harsh words. :-)

Our fence is only 4 feet and others seem to be 6 - 8 feet tall. Hopefully the deer are geriatric deer and not Olympic jumpers. :-)

We measured and staked out the rows. There is a two foot pathway down the centre and the rows branch out in either direction from that.

While it was still cooler the spinach, lettuce, and radishes were planted.

Later when the nights were a bit warmer we put in 24 heirloom, Italian, and a variety of small tomato plants. We also added in some jalapeno pepper plants.

The rest of the veggies we are growing from seed. We put in two rows of beets, peas, and beans. Three rows of carrots. 4 rows of white corn. 3 hills of yellow zucchini, green zucchini, and cucumbers. Finally, we put in a row of red onions.

I've been going over first thing in the morning and watering. Unfortunately our plot is almost the furthest you can get from the tap. LOL Fortunately it is good exercise and I'm meeting my step targets every day. :-)

Today we went over and knocked over the weeds with a hoe, watered, and Paul put in a row of sunflowers along the back fence. I noticed that everything seems to be coming up already (well, except for the peas - fingers crossed for them.) We gave everything a good douse of fertilizer with water soluble miracle grow.

Now we just watch, weed, trim, weed, and wait.

A Thought Provoking Perspective on COVID

Travel Tuesday - Rome

Many of the Italians I follow on Instagram are reporting that Italy is slowing opening up to tourists. This has me hankering for a trip to Rome . . .

These shots are from my last visit to the Eternal City.

Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Pasta

I confess that I almost didn't make this recipe - the food blogger entitled it 'Date Me' Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Pasta and told a tale of how she used this particular recipe to ensnare her future husband. Normally crap like that has me running for the hills. . . particularly the 'way to a man's heart is through his stomach' gendered nonsense.

With super human resolve (and a desire to use up some of the 30 packages of sausage I found when I did a freezer clean) I pulled it together and persevered. I am glad that I did because this is a great pasta (even with the 'Date Me' crap removed). This rich and creamy tomato cream and sausage sauce is tossed with rigatoni and topped with a flurry of freshly grated parmesan cheese. The result is delicious.

The sauce makes a LOT. In fact, we tossed the pasta in sauce and had enough left in the pot to freeze two containers for future use. Can't complain about that.

Enjoy!

Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Pasta

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 large Onion (diced)
4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 1/2 lbs. Italian Sausage (may use 1 lb. if you want less sausage)
(2) 28-ounce cans Whole or Crushed Tomatoes
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, chopped (or 1 Tablespoon dried basil)
1/4 cup Fresh Oregano, chopped (or 1 Tablespoon dried oregano)
1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes <
2 teaspoons Salt 1 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1 1/2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 lb. Rigatoni Pasta

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil. Add onions and cook for 7-8 minutes until softened. Add garlic cloves and sausage. Cook for 7-8 minutes more until sausage begins to brown.

Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt to the water to infuse the pasta with flavor. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions.

Add tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, blend in a blender until smooth. Add fresh basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Let it come to a boil and reduce.

Stir in heavy cream and 1 cup of parmesan cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. If you want it to be less "saucy" let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes longer.

Taste for seasonings. Serve with remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Got the Jab

I received my first COVID vaccine this morning. It turns out people are right - relief and happiness are the main side effects.

Travel Tuesdays - A Walk in the Woods

The Provincial park near us has a nice trail that meanders through the forest. It is particularly lovely at this time of year when the spring wildflowers are blooming.