They say if you want to get something done, ask a busy person.
Don't ask me.
One of the nicest things about not working is that I can put things off until tomorrow. I do get the pears picked up and the dehydrator filled each day, because the pears have gotten way ahead of us. I have enough to fill the bathtub, and I've already given bags of them away. Last year, I made a lot of jams, but the truth is, we don't eat that much jam. I don't really like sugar for breakfast. But I have come up with some interesting things to do with them, and I'll share a few of these tomorrow, or maybe the next day. The world will still be here then.
At first, I was still hyper, and began every day with a to-do list. Cooking. Errands. Things like cleaning the closet. We had just been tossing things in there, then shutting the door. Doing what we needed to make our lives liveable, then putting everything off until later, when we had time for it. The time had finally come.
I used to do cooking on my days off that would make the work week go more easily. I have always liked continental breakfasts, and there is always some kind of homemade bread to be eaten, along with cheese, fruit and coffee. These were often quick, something I could whip out, then warm up at 5:30 am. Lunch, too, was something I could throw together quickly, wrap and drop into my purse before hitting the road.
Pesto made lunch prep easier. Spread on a tortilla with a slice of cheese and a sliced tomato, then folded into a wrap, it provided a quick and tasty break food for my work day. I don't know if people pair pesto and tomatoes because they are in season together or because they go well. I suspect a bit of both.
If you grow basil, by cutting it back regularly, you encourage it to bush out and produce more leaves. So I made pesto throughout the summer. It freezes well. This is a basic pesto recipe, but you can vary it however you want. A recipe is only a starting point.
I put all the ingredients in a food processor and grind. That's it.
Pesto
2 cups
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
3 T pine nuts or walnuts
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
And now, muffins. They are incredibly easy too. There is a basic technique for most muffin recipes.
Put all your dry goods, including spices, in a large bowl and toss together. If you are using fresh fruit, it goes in with the dry goods. If you have frozen berries or delicate fruits, wait.
Whisk all your wet goods together in a smaller bowl.
Make a well in the center of the dry goods. Pour in the wet goods and gently fold everything together with your hands, just until it is barely mixed. Do not beat or knead the batter. Gentle mixing yields a light muffin.
If you are using frozen fruit, drop it in when you are almost done mixing. This will keep it from falling apart and discoloring the batter.
Scoop into lined muffin tins and bake. I use a 2 oz scoop for a standard muffin.
A recipe is a starting point. This is a blueberry corn muffin recipe, but I had no blueberries. What I had were tomatoes. So I used diced tomatoes instead, and added little chopped fresh basil and a touch of garlic powder to the dry goods. They came out surprisingly tasty.
Blueberry Corn Muffins
400˚ 20 minutes, 1 dozen
1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c buttermilk or yogurt
1 egg
1/4 c melted butter
1 1/2 c blueberries
They say if you want to get something done, ask a busy person.
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