Ramps

Athens Georgia has introduced me to so many great eats. But Ramps have by far been the best find. "Allium tricoccum " ( commonly known as Ramps) is a spring vegetable, a perennial wild onion with a twist It has a strong garlic -like odor but with an onion taste.

These babies are only available for about a month and only in certain mountains. This happens to be the month when we have been traveling back and forth to Athens to visit our daughter and son-in-law. I love the food scene in Athens. Many restaurants always have ramps on the menu during this time. We love them.

I have never been able to find them but last weekend BINGO. What a great Mothers Day gift.



On our way home we found a stand that was selling these treasures. It was close to Crosby TN, close to where a Ramp Festival has been hosted on the first weekend in May since 1954. Our vendor told me that the ramps were near the end and that many chefs from Athens had been up last weekend to buy them and that the festival was great. So next year it is on my calendar.

We have enjoyed our ramps all week but a friend from WV told me that if we ate too many we would smell bad and lose our friends.

I think it is worth the threat.

BOGI

If you are an animal lover as I am and treat all my babies as part of your family losing a cat is a very hard thing. Yesterday I made the most difficult decision to put my beloved Bogi to sleep. Bogi was 20 years old. We bought him for Kalee when we moved to our house on Colony Drive. Someone told her the house was haunted so I convinced her that animals would not go into haunted rooms. Thus we bought Bogi to sleep with her.



Flash forward 20 some years.... Kalee's perspective husband. Comes to ask for her hand in marriage. My husband said YES but only if Bogi goes with them. That did not last long a they have two little dogs and Bogi missed Kentucky.

Bogi loved Fancy Feast. Every morning he would come to my room and howl until I fed him his can of Fancy Feast. So my advice is to to buy stock in Fancy feast as it will be dropping. (Bogi had 2 cans a day everyday)

Bogi had thyroid, kidney, and an ulcerated eye. I felt very strongly the quality of his life was gone. So now he is with Tasha, my Tibetan Mastiff, he loved her and would sleep on her back.

Rest in peace my baby. (Thanks so much to Tiffany and Kresin Vets for the love and understanding. They helped improve his life greatly over the last year)

Rainy Day Tasks

So today is a cold rainy Sunday. I have so much to do outside but with a ruptured eardrum, 50 degrees and raining, I need to refocus.  First task was to blog at my www.statebystategradening.com blog. Please go check it out, it is about Lily-of-the Valley Project. 

I am going to try and get out to the Herb House and take the winter stored plants outside. Sometimes this is sucessful, but this year I am worried. I have not paid any attention to these "housed plants" so what will be will be...stay tuned.

My Office is in bad need of some love. I have books and papers all over....but wow my motivation is lacking today. So I choose to go a different direction and share a great culinary find!! (well at least to me it is)

We are trying hard to slim down.  This seems to be such an on going project, but as my 60th looms near I am more determined. So I have been trying to cook  more lean meats.

I purchased some turkey wings and legs yesterday at the store. Wow did I hit payday. I found the easiest way to cook them, keeping them low cal and delicious. I love darker turkey meat but hate taking things off the bone. It really bothers me.

So here is the easiest turkey wings and legs recipe ever.  We had great meat last night and today I made the best Turkey Salad.

Slow Cooker Turkey Legs

6 Turkey Legs ( I actually had 3 legs and 3 wings)
3 tablespoons poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
6  12 x 6 squares of alumium foil

1. Wash the turkey and shake off any excess mositure. Sprinkle each turkey piece with about 1/2 the poutry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap the piece tightly in foil. Repeat with all the remaining turkey pieces.

2. Placed the wrapped turkey pieces into a slow cooker with no other liquids. Set the cooker to low and cook until the meat is tender, about 7 to 8 hours.

Wow oh wow ..this meat was so moist and tender and fell off the bone.  Wonderful

So today, I just cut up the remaining meat. Added 1 yellow pepper and 1 green pepper cut up into pieces. Four stalks of celery diced, and mayo. Salt and pepper and then some fresh basil. It was so tasty.

So now I must go out to the Herb House and work or to the Office......having been inside writing all day, I elect to put on a warm sweatshirt and go outside!!