Perfect for the cooking gardener

With all the kitchen gizmos out there, and there are a lot of them, every now and again I discover something perfectly simple and brilliant. This is one of those that I first saw last Christmas as a gift.

They're a set of herb scissors that are perfect for cutting chives or parsley for your food.

I know that I love fresh parsley and chives garnishing my soups and pastas, but using a knife and cutting board isn't my all-time favorite way of chopping them. I also know you can use a set of regular scissors and a glass to chop herbs, but again I don't find it all that efficient. These on the other hand? With five sets of blades perfectly spaced apart, each snip provides bits of herb that are just the right size. They're not that difficult to clean either. Most of the time I find running water washes away any clogging bits. The rare times it doesn't - or if I'm not done using the scissors to chop, a knife blade works well - just as I would use one to clear a pastry-cutter.

I will admit that these herb scissors aren't ideal for all types of herbs - thyme or rosemary are still better chopped against a cutting board. Still, since I got myself a set I've been finding that I duck out to the garden to get some parsley or chives a bit more often than I did last year. The convenience factor of these is great.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading - November 21, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is one of the longest lasting book-memes I know of. I've been a participant since the days it was hosted over at J Kaye's Book Blog, and then on Book Journey. Now It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted at Book Date.

The idea of It's Monday! What Are You Reading is to share the books you read last week and also what you are currently reading. I've discovered the hard way that it's a dangerous meme for your TBR piles as frequently I end up adding books to my wishlist thanks to the intriguing descriptions and reviews that others share.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon.

The amazon.com product description:

It began in Scotland, at an ancient stone circle.  There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past--or the grave.  Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once buy twice.  Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became legend--a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child.  Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in frontier America.  But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century.  Their daughter Brianna...

Now, Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the stone circle and a terrifying leap into the unknown.  In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history...and to save their lives.  But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past...or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong...

This week is going to be much the same as last week. I'm still working away at Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. When I'm actually reading the book, I'm loving it and don't want to put it down. It's just that I'm making it to the stage of picking the book up a lot less than I keep thinking I will. Still, I'm almost 800 pages in as of last night.

Instead, as I noted yesterday in Netflix and Crafting, I find myself watching Netflix instead (usually Star Trek with my husband), although I've found myself firmly hooked on The Crown, and working on a crochet shawl or spinning. Or, cooking. Yesterday led to a load of orange slices in the dehydrator - we'll have to see how they turn out. I've never tried drying orange rings. Pineapple - yes! Oh Yes! Pineapple is my favorite fruit to dry. It's so much less expensive to do it yourself. Pears! Delicious! Apple - the mainstay of my fruit drying. I've even managed to dry some of my herbs. But that wasn't the only cooking I did yesterday. For the first time in about five years I dug out the muffin tins to make an old family favorite: Orange Date Muffins. Delicious!

Progress on the shawl is coming along quite satisfactorily as well. Since I picked it up again, I've been averaging about two rows a day - and the rows are getting pretty long!

I've also finally made it past the half-way point on the Eternal Lace Project (I think it's about two and a half years and counting). I've only got another 90 grams or so to go. Maybe another two years worth at my current pace. I can't wait to see how it plies up though, with a plan to chain-ply the whole thing so I can preserve the color changes.

Anyway, to go back to reading (as that is the theme of this meme), should I get Drums of Autumn finished this week, I'm planning to pick up The Fiery Cross. Other than that, I'm contemplating picking up a shorter book to read as a change of pace if I get the time. A big "if" there, I have to admit. I'd really like to have a book review to post some time this week. Whether or not that will actually happen, I don't know.

Margaret Gwynne's Fruit Cobbler

I'm posting this recipe in honor of my great aunt whose life we just celebrated. She lived a good, long life to the age of 95 years.

Margaret Gwynne's Fruit Pudding/Cake

This was a very frequent star at the dinner table when I grew up. It's very simple to make, and flexible, based on the fruit you have around, although I've never tried making it with berries. In my family it was always apples, plums or apricots, though I've started making it with peaches and that works out wonderfully too.

This was always cooked in a smaller oven-proof dish. If my memory serves, it was usually about a 6x8 inch rectangle or similar dimensions oval oven-proof pan.

Ingredients (topping):

2 tbsp butter or margarine

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

¾ cup flour

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat well, then pour into the oven-proof dish over a layer of plums, apples, peaches or apricots or any combination of the four fruits.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve on it's own, with a bit of milk or ice cream.