Last Post From the Farm!

Tomorrow we'll get on the little bus that will take us to Arcata, and hopefully, the Arcata Hotel located on the Plaza. A little sushi, a walkabout, a good night's sleep and Wednesday I'll head to Portland. So, because by next Friday, normally  sometimes the food channel here on Island Woman's Culebra, I'm doing the food thing now. Since my daughter is a rabid cook and has apparently been stashing goodies for my visit for weeks now, I might not cook again until I get home. I can live with that!

There are about a half dozen apple trees behind the kitchen building and they are loaded with apples, which is pretty amazing considering there are deer who believe with all their deery hearts that those trees are a buffet zone created just for them. So here are all of these apples and I have been wanting to do something with them. I also had some leftover chicken. And a bunch of other this's and that's in the fridge. Time to tidy up and play with food.

Hi-Oak Ranch Chicken

1 or 2 tablespoons of butter (or olive oil, I just though butter would be better for this)
2 apples, diced
1 onion or so (I had half of a red onion and half of a white one, so I used both)
5 or 6 cloves of garlic, minced
The end of a pint box of blackberries, maybe a dozen
The bottom of the bag of cherries from camping, maybe a half dozen
A chicken breast or any leftover chicken (or use fresh; I had leftovers from a whole chicken)
Some oj and wine while it's all cooking
Salt & pepper to taste

Rice (2 cups water to 1 cup rice)

Saute the onions and garlic a few minutes, toss in the fruits and stir to coat everything. You'll know when it's coated, everything turns pinkish red. Add the chicken (if using fresh chicken, throw it in with the fruit). Add a little oj and a little red wine as needed for moisture. Cook it until apples are soft, and then you can keep cooking it if you like, just don't let it dry out.

We only use the finest of wine glasses here at the farm

By the time I was finished making this, I wasn't hungry, as most people who cook much will understand. I wasn't hungry until I woke ravenous about 2 in the morning, when I heated some up and it was wonderful. But I wasn't thinking about photos, so oopsy me! It's been tasted by a few other people and gets an A+. So as weird as it sounds, try it anyway. It's good and you won't have to feel guilty about tossing those too ripe to eat but too good to toss berries that no one is going to eat out of hand.

Last year, this cat was super skitty, but this year, he's become much more domesticated. Betsy, who is the domesticator, named him Jolly because she said she was tired of calling him The Cat. The name Jolly is weird to me because I experience nothing Jolly about this cat.
The name Serious Suspicious Prowler doesn't really roll off the tongue though.
But he is a beauty and does know what the rattle of the kitty food jar means now. He was hanging outside the kitchen while I was cooking and had quite a bit to say on the subject.
Whatever subject that was.

Julia went to the Fiber Fair this weekend with Janet, who is into all things wool and teaching about wool...from making yarn (she's a spinning champion; really) to felts to weaving to, well, whatever is possible to do with yarn, she can do it. Julia made this very cool shrug thing on a loom and I wanted to take a photo of it to remember how it was done. I don't know if my phone camera even has a flash, but if it does, I couldn't find it. In the end though, I liked this photo anyway.
Or maybe it's just because I like Julia and her creation.

It's been so good to be here; wild critters, wild ocean, good friends, good food, deer all over the place and most of all, my son Elijah. But as always with the best of travels, it's good to go too. On to the next adventure, the next horizon. Until next time.

Have a more than you mentioned Monday! Do something that makes the most of your moments.