Author Archives: cathyboettner

Pippa is now 12 weeks old and growing fast. Here are some of my favorite photos.

I couldn’t find poblano pepper plants this summer so I had to start them from seed, and I didn’t get them in the ground until late. We are getting some really cold weather this week, so I went ahead and picked the peppers. This is how I prepped them for the freezer: First I putContinue reading “Poblano Peppers”

My brother and nephew are in the states for a couple of weeks on a road trip and they stopped by for lunch on their southern swing. It’s the last of the cutting garden–pink cosmos and coriander flowers. Looks pretty spring-like for the middle of October, but that’s what was blooming. Who knew that corianderContinue reading “Visitors from Germany”

Our fall garden has been particularly productive. I picked some kale last week–only the largest outer leaves. This is what it looked like when I brought it in to clean it: I have a 36″ sink in the laundry room and you can see how full it was. To get it ready to use, IContinue reading “Kale for DAYS!”

We lost our two old lady dogs last year–Charlotte and Delilah. We have ALWAYS had pets throughout our entire marriage. We took a break for about 6 months and didn’t have any serious discussions about a dog until about May of this year. Mike insisted that we get a purebred puppy that we could raiseContinue reading “My Newest Project–Meet Pippa”

We’re going to see our boys this weekend so I am making a huge batch of chicken piccata, which is one of their favorites. 5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced to 3/4″ 1 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2-12 oz jars artichoke hearts 2/3 cup capers, drained 1 1/4Continue reading “Chicken Piccata for a Crowd”

I make big batches of these onions and store them in the freezer. They are great add ins for pizza, omelets, hot sandwiches, soups, etc. I portion them out into small bags and store them in the freezer. Here’s how to make them: Peel about 5 lbs. of onions and cut them in half fromContinue reading “Great Grilled Onions”

This recipe is from the Southern Living 2002 Annual Recipes Cookbook. You can find it here: https://www.food.com/recipe/caramel-glazed-pear-cake-187648 There are a few tips that I want to share: The batter will be extremely thick until you add the pears. Then the moisture from the pears will loosen the batter so that it’s pourable. Your pears mustContinue reading “Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze”

I am making shrimp and grits and bought raw, unpeeled shrimp for it. Since I have shrimp shells, I am going to make shrimp stock for the shrimp and grits. It gives it a some extra flavor. Here are the shells: Heat a pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon or two of cookingContinue reading “Homemade Shrimp Stock”

I pulled up the last of my tomato plants about 10 days ago. I saved all the tomatoes that looked like they would ripen. Here’s how you know which ones will ripen. Tomatoes that will eventually ripen have a white star on the bottom. This one’s star has turned into stripes up the sides ofContinue reading “End of the Season Tomato Tips”