Proof for the Disbelievers
Ever since Mr Chiots and I mentioned that we were building a teardrop camper people keep asking for photos. We were joking the other day that no one really believes that we’re doing it, much less that we’ll have it finished next month. Here’s some proof for all you who keep wanting to know how it’s going and keep asking for photos.
Mr Chiots has been spending a few hours almost every evening out in the garage cutting, sanding, wiring, measuring, nailing and putting together the little camper. The garage is filled with formaldyhyde free plywood, aluminum for skinning and various shapes and sizes of lights and other things needed for the build.
It’s been a fun project so far. I have plans to do a blog dedicated to this build with products used, the build process, and our adventures with our tiny teardrop. I’ll let you know when that’s up and running, I’ve been a bit too busy to get it going.
Any travel plans for the summer/fall for you family?
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Quote of the Day: Tasha Tudor
The gloom of the world is but a shadow.
Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. Take Joy!
I was thinking about this quote when I noticed this peony hiding behind the fence last week. What joy gardening can bring to our lives. I would much rather spend time in the garden cultivating plants than watching the news.
If you’ve never read Tasha Tudor’s Garden
The longer I garden the less I see tasks like weeding as chores. I find that through these “mindless” activities I find peace, joy and solace. There’s something about this type of work that allows your mind to wander the way it can’t when doing other kinds of work.
What kinds of things bring joy to your life?
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Ginger Beef Stir Fry
Actually it was Ginger Venison Stir Fry. Our beef recipes become venison recipes since Mr Chiots is a hunter and we are lucky enough to have 3 deer in the freezer. During the winter we enjoy rich hearty venison stews and warming bowls of venison chili. In the summer I’m much happier eating a venison burger or stir fry. The great thing about stir fry is that you can use whatever vegetables you have in the garden. In the spring we’ll use sugar snap peas and garlic scapes, later in the summer it’ll be zucchini, carrots and onions. It’s quick and easy to whip up a stir fry.
Currently we’re harvesting those golden peas, green onions, kale and garlic scapes, so that’s what I’ve been using as vegetables in my stir fry. I was also lucky enough to find some lovely oyster mushrooms at the farmer’s market and I’m always happy to add those to just about anything.
GINGER BEEF STIR FRY
(adapted from Simply Recipes)
Sauce:
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or coconut water vinegar
5 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce (naturally fermented is best)
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you’re of delicate palate)
1 tsp freshly ground cumin (feel free to omit or substitute other spice)
(if you want a thicker sauce add a Tablespoon of corn starch as well)
Stir-fry:
3 Tbsp coconut oil or lard
1 – 1 1/2 lb steak cut into strips
2-3 cups mixed chopped vegetables of your choice: green onions, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, garlic scapes, sugar snap peas, carrots, zucchini, etc.
chopped fresh cilantro if desired
cooked rice or noodles for serving
Mix ingredients for sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron works best) over high heat. Working in batches, sauté beef until just brown outside but rare inside, about 1 minute, transfer to plate.
When all of the beef is cooked, add more oil to pan if necessary and stir fry the vegetables for a minute or two – until vegetables reach your preferred level of doneness. I usually add longer cooking vegetables first, and throw in green onions for the last 30 seconds or so. Return beef to pan. Add sauce and mix everything together. Cook for 1 minute. Mix in cilantro if desired.
Serve over freshly cooked rice or noodles. Should serve four people unless you’re super hungry. (rice is especially good if made with some virgin coconut oil so it has a slight coconut taste)
Nothing beats a quick stir fry with freshly harvested vegetables for a summer evening meal. The great thing about this dish is that you can substitute in other spices if you’d like. Things like coconut milk, ground coriander seeds, orange zest, various chiles and other spices would pair well with different kinds of vegetables and make the dish taste differently each time.
Do you have a go-to quick recipe for using fresh summer vegetables?
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Quote of the Day: Christy Bartlett
“You can’t be lazy. It’s up to you to see and see something new, to sustain your interest in the world around you. It’s not up to the world to entertain you. It requires effort to be interested.”
Christy Bartlett – found in The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty
Sometimes all it takes is looking under a leaf to find something new and exciting. I find gardening to be endlessly interesting. The more I learn about nature the less I realize that I know or understand about it. I’ve looked at wild daisies hundreds of times and earlier this week I picked some for the kitchen table and found these lovely beauties on the underside of one of the leaves.
Things like this always amaze me. These tiny little bronze/gold pearlescent eggs are perfectly formed. I think they’re leaf footed insect eggs, but I’m not positive. I’ll definitely spend some time looking these up. (here’s the post with the images of what hatched out of these lovely eggs)
What has piqued your interest lately?
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Friday Favorite: Strawberry Shortcake
We picked our first strawberry last week and have been enjoying strawberry shortcake for dinner ever since. Strawberry shortcake at Chiot’s Run is a little different than most. The first time I made it for Mr Chiots he said, “What is this?” No little round spongy cakes or loads of sugar here.
When you grow you own strawberries they’re so much better than what you get at the store, you don’t want to overpower them with too much sugar. I make homemade shortcake with real butter, whole grain flour, crystallized ginger and just a small amount of sugar. This lets the sweetness and flavor of homegrown sun ripened strawberries be the star of the meal. The shortcakes are cooked until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When cooled we crumble them in a bowl, top with strawberries macerated with maple syrup and a dash of vanilla. Then we top it all off with some raw milk.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
1 1/2 quarts of strawberries
2 Tablespoons of maple syrup
a dash of vanilla and salt
Slice strawberries and mix with maple syrup, and a dash of vanilla and salt. Put in fridge to macerate.
2 cups of flour
(I use 10 oz of freshly ground soft white wheat flour)
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
(I use 2 t of cream of tartar and 1 t aluminum free baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger*
1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy cream or buttermilk
1 Tablespoon of sugar
*If you don’t like ginger, you can add lemon zest and some lemon juice, or perhaps cinnamon and vanilla.
Preheat oven to 425, butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper (you can also use a cast iron skillet if you’d like).
Sift flour into a large bowl and mix in baking powder and salt (if you want sweeter shortcake add 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar). Cut butter into pieces and work into the flour mixture with pastry blender, knives or fingers until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir crystallized ginger into flour mixture.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in half a cup of cream or buttermilk. Stir lightly, if mixture is too dry, add the rest of the buttermilk or cream. You want the mixture to be like biscuit or scone dough, not too wet and not too dry. Spread or drop onto cookie sheet and sprinkle lightly with sugar. I make mine in one big piece but you could easily make individual ones if you’d like. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
When shortcakes are cool, crumble into a bowl, top with macerated strawberries, pour cold milk on top. Enjoy. (makes about 6 servings unless you’re really hungry)
When made this way, it’s the perfect light dinner on a hot summer day. With all that whole grain, fresh fruit, pastured butter and raw milk I don’t feel a bit guilty about eating it every night for dinner during short strawberry season!
What kind of strawberry shortcake do you enjoy in your household?
