Baked Ziti with Spinach and Gorgonzola

 When I'm cut loose in a bookstore, I head straight for 

the cooking section.  This cookbook was calling my name, because

I wanted some meatless ideas and I love Italian!!  The first recipe

I tried was yummy.  

A few good ingredients go a long way.  Fresh spinach, gorgonzola

cheese and parmigiano reggiano.

The best parmesan cheese always has this stamped on the rind, and

you grate it yourself.  It's pricey, but you don't have to use very much

because of the intense flavor.  I buy several chunks when  it goes on sale

and keep it well wrapped in the cheese drawer. When I've grated

down to the rind, I save it to cook with a pot of minestrone.  

Nothing is wasted and it makes the soup extra good.

This dish begins with a Bechamel sauce - a fancy name for

a basic white sauce.  Butter, flour and hot milk with a little

fresh nutmeg grated in.

Plenty of stirring, so you have no lumps.  ( Have you ever

tried to whisk with one hand and take a picture with the

other hand? - Not so easy...)

You melt the gorgonzola in the hot bechamel.   Saute some

onions in butter and wilt the spinach.  Then everything is

stirred together with cooked ziti.  Mix it well and put in the

oven in a 9x13 pan to bake with parmesan grated all over the top.

I served it with a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

I really loved the dressing recipe that also came from the

cookbook. The author says that because balsamic vinegar is strong,

it is better when cut with a red wine vinegar.  So I made it his way

and it tasted exactly like a dressing I've had in a fine restaurant.

It will be my new "go to" recipe for a vinaigrette. 

It is the Italian tradition  to serve the salad after the main course,

instead of having it first which is an American custom.  This

is the way we ate it and it was a perfect ending to the rich

pasta meal.

Mark and I both liked this dish and I will add the recipe to my

recipe box. We are fans of blue cheese, but the flavor 

was very subtle.  Even if you don't like blue cheese, you might

like this.   It would be a good meal to serve a crowd, as it made

a large dish.  We had leftovers, but didn't mind eating it twice,

because it was that good.

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Gorgonzola

2 1/2 T. unsalted butter

1 recipe of Classic Bechamel (recipe follows)

4 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese ( about 2/3 cup)

1 clamshell container of fresh spinach

1 small onion, mince

1 pound box of ziti

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano - Reggiano cheese

Cook pasta until al dente.  Make the Bechamel sauce while

the pasta cooks.  Drain pasta.

Butter 9x13 baking dish with 1/2 T. butter.

Heat the remaining 2 T. butter in a deep saucepan.

Add the onion and saute about 5 min.  Add the spinach

and cook just until wilted.

Melt the gorgonzola in the hot bechamel sauce.  Then add

the spinach mixture and cooked pasta.  Stir well and pour

into baking dish.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Bake about 25 min. at 375, stirring twice to coat the pasta.

Bechamel Sauce

3 cups 2% or whole milk

6 T. unsalted butter

4 1/2 T. plain flour

1/2 t. salt

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Heat the milk in a small pan until hot, but not boiling.

While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a med. saucepan.

When it is foamy, whisk in the flour until smooth.  Do not 

let the flour brown.  Slowly add the hot milk, whisking 

continously to avoid lumps.  Add salt and nutmeg.

When thickened, remove from heat.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 t. red wine vinegar

1 1/2 t. balsamic vinegar

fresh ground pepper and salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Put vinegars and salt and pepper in small bowl.  Slowly 

whisk in olive oil.

* Goal #10 - Eat 3 meatless meals a week

   Goal # 23 - Try 50 new recipes

Big Glassy

Oh, what glorious spring like weather we've had the past few days.
When you have a day like this, you just have to drop everything
and get outdoors.  Today was a perfect day to hike Big Glassy at Carl
Sandburg's home.

I love this place.  It's beautiful and so incredibly peaceful.  Over the years,
I've spent many an afternoon here with my kids walking the grounds,  petting
the goats, picnicking and watching Rootabaga Stories.  But recently,
I've discovered the hike that takes you to the top of Big Glassy.  The
trail begins behind the house and winds around for a mile or so to the
top of the mountain.
After several weeks of cold and snowy weather, it seems lots of
people wanted to get outdoors and soak up the sunshine.  The trail
was crowded.

This hike is just challenging enough to get your heartbeat elevated and 

work up a little sweat....and then your at the top, sitting on a rock

bald enjoying the view.

We had to be careful of the icy spots.  No slipping allowed.

The peak in the middle is Mount Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Tara and her niece are soaking up some Vitamin D.

I love hiking with these girls.  We had a blast.

* Goal #1 - Take 50 hikes ( This is #2)

Good Food....Good Company

You might not want to read this if you are hungry.

I had the opportunity to eat in two really good restaurants this week  - both in Asheville.

On Wednesday, I had dinner with my sister at Early Girl Eatery
on Wall Street.  Don't you just love their logo with that little girl
holding a big, homegrown tomato in her lap?  I'm dreaming of a
garden tomato these days.  This is the second time I've been here
and both times it's been tasty.  It was wicked, cold and threatening
snow when we arrived.  I wanted comfort food and this is a great
place to get it.  Early Girl Eatery is a " Farm to Table " experience,
boasting their support of local, organic food.   I love the idea of
supporting local farmers.

I chose meatloaf with a tomato gravy, mashed potatoes and collard greens.
It came with a big, fluffy biscuit.  Yum!!!  It really hit the spot.

Cindy had fried chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and squash casserole.
Don't we look happy?
It's always fun to get together with my sister.  She's awesome and still loves
me, even though I broke her arm when she was little. Totally an accident,
but that's another story.

Friday, I had lunch with my very handsome son, Travis,  at Pineapple Jack's
in West Asheville.

Having lunch with Travis once a month at a restaurant of his choosing,
is one of the best goals I've set for my year of 50.  He works in a very
nice restaurant and knows good food and the best places to eat in Asheville.
So, he is joining me in a fun, culinary experiment.  The only guidelines
that he must follow is to choose places that I haven't been before.
How fun is that for a person who loves to eat?
So, for our first meal, we went to Pineapple Jack's.  What a cute, funky
little place.  I loved the decor -very tropical.  (They even had a swimsuit
hanging in the restroom.)  Perfect restaurant for the very springlike day
we had on Friday.  And the food was....... amazing!  It was hard to choose
from their menu of soups, salads and sandwiches.  Their menu has plenty
of options for meat eaters, but who would miss the meat when you can eat
like this?

I started with the Butternut squash and sweet potato bisque. 

Very delicious.  Then this was followed by

the Havarti Veggie Melt.  Ooey, gooey, melted Havarti cheese with  spinach,
tomato, onions, sun dried tomatoes and avocado - served with homemade hummus.
And check out this wrap that Travis had....

this is the Pineapple Garden and is a vegetarian dream.
It's delicious... I know, because he gave me the first bite...
right there on the end with all that cream cheese goodness.
Now isn't he a good son?

That polar bear sandwich on his t shirt is a little disturbing though.  :)
Love you, Travis!!!


* Goal #12 - Nurture relationships with extended family
   Goal # 40 - Try new restaurants with Travis in Asheville

Ellen

This is Ellen.  She is my neighbor and my friend.

Today is her birthday.  I don't know the number, because she doesn't 

believe ladies should discuss their age.  She is spunky and

she makes me laugh.  We've been friends for a number of years.

We met one day when we were both out walking on our road. 

She was carrying a plastic bag picking up garbage. As I got 

to know her, I was fascinated by her stories.  And she loves to

tell stories.  She wants to be a writer and is trying to have some

of her writing published.  She recounts the history of her

life and growing up on Davis Mountain.  Today she showed me where

her grandparent's homestead was located.  They settled this area

 and owned the entire mountain, including Laurel Park and 

Jump Off Rock! Her grandfather sold the land to developers who

 built the luxury hotel - Fleetwood in 1926.

This is what it looked like under construction.  The hotel was never

finished due to insufficient funds.  The construction got as far as the

twelfth floor with the delivery of furnaces and $10,000 worth 

of bathtubs.  It was torn down in 1928.  Builders claimed that

the view from the hotel extended 200 miles into SC and GA.

  Today there are condos located in that same

spot and beautiful homes all over this mountain.

This woman is a walking history book!  

So, today is her birthday.

She told me on the day she was born, the snow was so deep, the only

person who could come to help with the delivery was the closest neighbor.

The snow was up past her knees as she walked to the Davis home.

To celebrate Ellen's big day, we went out to lunch.

She wanted to go to Atlanta Bread, because she had received a coupon

 in the mail for a free smoothie.  She didn't even know what a smoothie

was, but she wanted to find out.

As we ate our soup, she told me the cutest thing that she had 

learned in school about the proper way to eat soup.

"As little ships go out to sea, I dip my soup away from me."

I gave her a new pair of gloves, a box of candy and a journal for her writing.

She really needed a new pair of gloves.

 Check out all the darning she had done on those fingers. 

Darning is a lost art.

She loved her new, blue gloves - but said they were too nice to wear.

I bet the next time I see her, she will be wearing those darned

white gloves and saving these for something special.

Ellen said she wasn't accustomed to having so much attention,

when other customers took our picture and we all sang 

Happy Birthday to her.  We made a big fuss!!!

And she liked the smoothie....

Happy Birthday Ellen.  So glad you are my friend.

* Goal #3 - Do something fun with a friend each month.

One Thousand Gifts

I'm so excited!!  My pre-ordered copy of Ann Voskamp's book

 "One Thousand Gifts" is finally here.

I can hardly wait to get started.  I know it is going to be amazing because

she is amazing!  I've  been following her blog for a few years now

 and it has changed the way I think about my

life.  She had taught me how to count my blessings 

 and write them down!  She's taught me how to see the

 beautiful in the "everyday" and find joy, no matter what. 

Check out her blog.    www.aholyexperience.com      - and be inspired.

* Goal #9 - Read 50 books
   Goal #35 - Keep a gratitude journal

Mentholatum is my friend

I am back among the land of the living.

A weekend spent soaking in the tub,

eating an entire pot of Tuscan Bean soup (which caused some additional problems : /, but man was it good going down.  Mark said he ate a little, but I think he's just saying that to make me feel better ),

watching movies (The Count of Monte Cristo and Julie and Julia - Love them both!! ) ,

and reruns of Gilmore Girls ( the really old ones, when Rorie was young are the best),

 reading ( I finished two books, more on that later)

 and sleeping

 have healed me.   Almost.

Sounds like a completely indulgent weekend and would have been wonderful, if I hadn't felt MISERABLE!!!!

Which brings me to Mentholatum.  I love this stuff!!!

 Can you even buy it anymore?  I've had this bottle for about 15 years - I'm sure of it.  It lasts forever and feels so amazing on a nose that's halfway through its second box of Kleenex.  It's also a scent that triggers a childhood memory of being at my Grandma's.  I'm singing it's praises!   If it doesn't have a place in your medicine cabinet, you need to go buy some today.  I don't mean to sound bossy, but I'm just saying....this stuff is the best.

Having said all of this, I DO NOT want to get sick again this winter.  So, other than eating healthy and exercising (which I already do) and using liberal amounts of Purell every time I go in a public place, what's a girl to do to stay well?!?   If you have any great ideas, let me know!

PIE Night

One of the ways that I serve in my church is by working with the Young Women (12 - 18 yr. olds) on Personal Progress.  This is an inspired program that teaches girls how to set goals, keep commitments and learn personal discipleship as they strengthen their faith in Christ.   As the Personal Progress Advisor, I meet with them once a month and we have an activity that assists them with their goals.  This month, they wanted to learn a new skill that will help them in caring for their own future families.  We decided to learn how to make pie.  I mean, do you know a family that doesn't like pie?!!

After an informal survey, it was determined that the favorite flavor among this group was chocolate.  Well, twist my arm if you must.
Chocolate Cream Pie....the stuff that dreams are made of.
Oddly enough, I have never made one before.
So I pulled some cookbooks off the shelf and found a recipe I liked in my trusty "Joy of Cooking".

I decided to do a trial run on Tuesday, just to make sure it turned out well.  My own family didn't mind being taste testers.  (How do Travis and Shara always know when to drop by? :)  The vote was unanimous - SUCCESS!

So- after packing up half my kitchen, I headed to church Wednesday night to make Pie.  It was so fun!!

A little lesson on knife skills before we started chopping the chocolate.

This one was making me a little nervous with the chef's knife.

Crowding around the stove to make the custard filling.

Check out that pie crust that we made from scratch.  

No  "Ingles" crust for this crowd!

Coating the bottom of the pie crust with melted chocolate so the

 pastry doesn't get soggy from the filling.  After coating, we put it in the

 freezer to harden for about ten minutes.

Whipping the cream

Shaving some chocolate for the top

Aren't these two the cutest?

Of course, the best part was the eating.  They loved it!

So, if you are in the mood for a Chocolate Cream Pie - try this recipe!  It's a definite thumbs up.

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 pie crust - prebaked for 10 - 15 min. 

(Prick the crust with a fork on bottom and sides.  Put foil in the bottom and pour dry beans in to weight

the crust down while baking.  The girls thought this was a cool trick.)

Filling

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 t. salt

5 large egg yolks

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 oz. unsweet chocolate

3 T. butter - cut in small pieces

1 1/2 t. vanilla

Add sugar, cornstarch and salt to medium saucepan and whisk together.  Slowly add milk, whisking to mix.  Bring to simmer over medium heat.  Stir often.  Whisk until smooth and beginning to thicken.

Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted.  Take a small amount of milk mixture and add to beaten eggs to temper the eggs.  Then add the eggs back to the pot and mix well.  Cook one minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.  Whisk well.  Pour into cooked pie shell (coated with melted and hardened chocolate).  Press plastic wrap against the top of the filling and refrigerate several hours.

Top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Whipped Cream

1 cup cream

4 T. confectioners sugar

Beat cream with cold beater in cold bowl until cream thickens.  Add sugar and continue to beat until firm.

*Thanks to my dear husband who woke up from a nap and came to take these pictures for me. Love you!

*Goal #23 - Try 50 new recipes

 Goal  #44 - Give 50 hours of service

Blessed is the Woman...

Today is my Nana's birthday.  I sure miss her.  She was one of
the most godly women I know and this morning I was thinking
about her as I was reading my scriptures.  I don't ever remember
going into her home and not seeing her Bible sitting on the back
of the couch or on a table near her seat.  It wasn't a nice, new
book, but well worn with pages marked and papers sticking
out of it.  It always looked like she was right in the middle of studying
something. When I was young, I didn't think much of it.  It was just
part of what I always saw there;  like the Grace Livingston Hill books
lining the bookshelves, the dozens of family pictures, the teapot collection,
the calendar by the phone with every square filled with someone's
birthday and the table groaning under the weight of good things to eat.
But now that I'm older, I realize, that well worn Bible speaks volumes
about why she was such a good person. Being a godly woman doesn't
just happen.  It takes effort on our part and tutoring from the Holy Spirit.
I have no idea how many times she read that Bible from cover to cover.
But I know she lived by its teachings.  She sat through many hours of
worship services in her Baptist church, supported the missionaries and
had a servant's heart like no one else I've ever known.  She was happiest
when she was doing something for someone else.

This morning I was reading Psalm 1.  I believe in "likening the scriptures"
to myself.  So my passage might sound a little different from yours.
But this is what I read.

 "Blessed is the woman that walketh not in the counsel
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But her delight is in the law of the Lord;
 and in his law doth she meditate day  and night.

And she shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
 that bringeth forth her fruit in her season;
 her leaf also shall not wither; and 

whatsoever she doeth shall prosper."

Psalm 1 1-3

I love the imagery of the tree, with deep roots,  strong from the
living waters.  Because that tree is strong, it brings forth good fruit
and it's leaves don't wither in the heat of the summer. This is the kind
of woman that I long to be.  I want to have strength that comes from the
living waters of Christ as I spend time in his word.  I want to meditate
on that word, day and night.  I want to have the strength to stand strong
and not wither when I am faced with adversity and I want my life to
bear good fruit.  

I want to be like my Nana.

*Goal #14 - Begin each day with scripture and prayer

My Word for the Year - "Grow"

                    I love my new necklace with my word for the year.

Isn't it cute?!

Some things I've been thinking about....

It's been cold.    I mean really cold.   I can't get my feet warm.  I've done little more than stick my nose out the door all week.  I bundle up in the mornings to head out to feed the chickens and open their coop.  They aren't too interested in coming out either.   Then in the evening, it's back to take care of the chickens and pick up the mail.  Other than that, I've been holed up in my house.  I've thought about going out to run errands, but quickly talked myself out of it.  "It's too cold to go out.  I think I'll just stay home."
Now, I have never been this way before.  I used to smirk to myself when I heard my "older" friends make comments like this. "Good grief.  Just put on a coat and go", I would think.

  Have you noticed how some older people don't really like to go out at night?  When I was working with the women in our church and planning activities, I can remember thinking that many of them would not attend because "they didn't really like to go out at night".  This week my evenings have been free of all commitments.  And I've thought, "I could get used to this.  Maybe I don't really like going out at night."

I seem to be going to bed earlier and earlier.  Of course, it does get dark at 6:00 - but I can  definitely see a pattern here.  Have dinner, watch a little tv, head to the bedroom to get ready for bed,  pick up a book and start to read and realize it is only 8:00!  I'm in bed at 8:00 !!  

So, what do you think all this means?
 I'm pondering it, and I think I am becoming my "older friends."

And I think I'm ok with it!!!

Snow...and lots of it!

We've been hit with our second snowstorm for the winter.  The first was
on Christmas Day!  Since I don't have to be out driving on dangerous roads,
I truly love snow days.  I woke up to a few inches of fresh snow and then
it snowed all day.  It was beautiful and so peaceful.  I like to think I'm
"snowed in", even though I could get out if I needed to. The male members
of the Wray family like a challenge and put those 4 wheel drive vehicles to
the test.  But I like to just stay home and nest.  The snow is soft and powdery
(very unusual for NC) and fun to walk in if you have nice tall boots!

I have a new camera (thanks to my honey) and I wanted to venture out and take some snow pictures.  So today I'm working on Goal #26 - Improve my photography skills.

Poor little pine tree.

Micah's angel

This is where I had my herb garden this summer .  After Thanksgiving,

I neglected to remove my pots so this is what they look like now....cupcakes.

*Goal #26 - Improve my photography skills

First Hike

We had some nice weather this week, so I didn't want to waste any time getting started on my goal to take 50 hikes this year.  I chose a trail close to home in Dupont Forest.

I can hardly believe that I live in such a beautiful place.
Western NC is amazing!!

This hike took me to three different waterfalls.  The first was Hooker Falls.

Next was Triple Falls

And after a nice uphill jaunt that had my heart pumping, I came upon this beauty.

This is High Falls.  At the top of the falls is a covered bridge that is
especially lovely.  That bridge was designed by my husband.  Do I
sound proud of him?  I am - he's amazingly talented.

Here's another shot of the bridge.

My first hike was great and I look forward to exploring more of
the trails around my home. When I'm hiking, I think of my two sons
who are avid hikers and wish they were here with me.  Thanks to my
phone, I can send them pictures and share my adventures with them.
I am truly blessed to have natural beauties like this in my own backyard.

Anyone interested in being my hiking buddy?

*Goal #1 - Take 50 hikes