Live & Kern

Moving really is not fun. Moving when you don’t have a place lined up to move in to is less fun. So while I look for that place to move into, 98 percent of everything I own is in storage and I’m camped out at a hotel. (On the plus side: Maid service! Cable! Free wi-fi!)

Complicating this move: I had a freezer full of fruit, veggies and meat. After giving away some of it and borrowing freezer space from a friend in St. Louis, I still ended up with three coolers of fruit, veggies and meat for my trip to Norfolk, Va. All of that (thankfully) fit in the freezer of a standard refrigerator. On the plus side, this cuts down on the grocery and restaurant bills. On the down side, there are only so many days one wants to thaw and eat peaches or green beans. The hotel room has a cooktop; let the experiments begin.

Up first: Let’s use up some of those peaches, and other things I brought with me.

No-Bake Peach Crisp

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons whiskey
Peaches
3/4 cup oatmeal

Note: If using fresh peaches, peel and slice three or four of them. I had previously sliced and froze peaches in quart bags; I used almost two of those bags. (I’d eaten a few peaches the night before from one of them.) Also: Every recipe is better with a bit of booze. Leave it out if you must.

Melt the butter in a saucepan or skillet over low heat. (A skillet will help give this more of a “crisp” finish. I only had a saucepan handy.) Add the sugar and spices. Add the peaches and whiskey, stirring frequently until the peaches are soft (not a problem if they’ve been frozen) and coated. (If using frozen peaches, let the peaches simmer for a bit and and the syrup will thicken.) Remove from heat and add the oatmeal. Serve with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

I have too many tomatoes, so I came up with a tomato salad recipe tonight.

Tomato Salad

3 tomatoes, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup croutons
6 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled
1/4 cup Italian dressing, or 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar with 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Slice, chop, crumble and mix it up.

Now I need to figure out what to do with too many zucchini squashes.

I came home with lots of fresh-from-the-garden produce last weekend. Here’s what (part of it) turned into. (Bonus: What salad isn’t better with bacon?)

7-layer salad

6 cups lettuce (or lettuce and spinach)
1/3 cup onion
1/3 cup sliced radishes
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup peas
1 to 1-1/2 cups salad dressing
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, layer lettuce, onion, radishes, crumbled bacon and peas. Top with salad dressing (I used Caesar dressing, but do whatever you like), spreading it to cover the peas and touch the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle cheese to the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the salad for at least two hours. Toss before serving, if desired.

Linens ‘N Things is going out  of business. This is very sad because I figured when my current gig ended I’d be able to get a job at LNT. Plus, despite their poor punctuation, it’s my favorite of the big-box home stores.

Last weekend I stopped by a local Linens ‘N Things and bought an 8×8 pan (mine had gone missing) and a vegetable peeler.

That vegetable peeler — a Zyliss swivel peeler — is fantastic! I never thought I’d want to wax poetic about a kitchen utensil until now. The swivel blade makes peeling fruit and veggies easy. The ergonomic handle is comfortable and won’t slip out of your hand. And it has a metal tip to pop out the eyes on potatoes.

I got very excited about that vegetable peeler. Originally I was just going to make an apple crisp. But it was so much fun that I dived into the potatoes and made potato soup, too.

Apple Goodie

• 3 cups sliced or diced apples
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 rounded tablespoon flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix well and pour into a greased 9×9 (or 8×8) pan.

• 3/4 cup oatmeal (quick oats preferably)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons of melted butter

Mix well and pour over apples. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Very good “plain,” or top with ice cream.

Golden potato soup

• 3 cups diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed

Add water to potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, parsley flakes, seasoning and bouillon cube. Cover and cook until tender. Blend flour with a small amount of milk. Stir into vegetable mixture. Add remaining milk and cook until thickened. Add cheese; stir until melted.

I don’t keep bouillon on hand, so I leave that out. And I usually cook the vegetables in the microwave (that’s what the “potato” setting is for), so I leave the water out too. Really, you can’t go wrong with potatoes and carrots and celery and cheese.

And a great vegetable peeler.