Usually this time of year, I have a few planters out with some tomato plants in them. Nothing major, just a few beefsteaks hanging hanging around. This year we decided to start a vegetable garden in a spot in the lawn that gets sun about 95% of the day. This required a lot of work removing the turf, turning the soil and adding fertilizer.

Since we are just getting started, I made the garden small, 10 X 10. This was enough for quite a few tomato plants (plum and beefsteak) along with some peppers and a row of cauliflower. In a bid to not rip up the lawn completely, I made it this small and if I feel the need to grow more, I tear more sod off.

Now it has been years since I had anything to do with gardening. It is a skill that decays over time and you forget the amount of work it takes. Now that I am done, I am glad I did not go much bigger. Next year we will expand that garden to include more vege’s but for now, this is a good start.

Now I got looking at my tomato plants and many of them already have fruit on the vine. I can see I am in for a lot of harvesting this year. If you add up all of the tomato plants in the – (More…)

As I wrote earlier this year, I started my kitchen herb garden. I did not plant them in the ground, but in several planters I purchased at a local Agway. These particular planters are about 2 feet long by 1 foot wide. They have a groove along the bottom that fits the railing on my front porch perfectly. You can get different planters for different size railings.

Depending on the herbs, you can pack quite a few in there. You do have to keep in mind that some herbs are a little more aggressive than others. In one planter, I have a spearmint plant that short of putting the entire thing in the oven, nothing can stop it. I prune it weekly even if I don’t need the herb right away. Since this is the case, I only planted two other plants (basil) along with it.

As you can see in the above photo, the planter closest to the camera shows what I mean. The mint plant in the center was brutally pruned just last week and it is already back in full force.

Dill is another herb that just grows like crazy.

Yes that big monstrosity in the center is the dill plant. I am about ready to whack it down as it is taking over the box. A good – (More…)

For me, this is the summer of the grill. My poor neglected stove barely cooks a meal anymore. Lately I have been trying different recipes for side dishes. I finally decided to start playing with grilling potatoes.

It has been my experience when it comes to potatoes on the grill, that many people just wrap them in foil and throw them on long before they cook the meat so they will be done in time. Well, sorry, that just bores the heck out of me.

After tinkering a bit, I came up with a simple recipe that will cook just a little longer than a steak and is at least 3 times more delicious (by all accounts) than plain old potatoes.

4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed.
1 1/2 sprigs of rosemary, stem removed, lightly chopped.
About 8 – 10 sprigs of thyme, roughly chopped. (leave stems on).
1 tablespoon of salt.
About 15 turns of the pepper mill (fresh pepper).
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
1 small bag of baby red potatoes (about 20 potatoes).

In a large glass bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except for the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes in half, if there are some really large baby potatoes, cut them into thirds. Add them to the glass bowl and toss completely into the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour, stirring from time to time to make sure all the potatoes – (More…)

If you have ever been in upstate New York, around the Utica/Rome area for any period of time, chances are you have either heard of, or have eaten Chicken Riggies. How this dish came about is beyond me, but if I had to guess then I would say that this is the type of dish you get when you mix Irish, Italian, and German people together.

A conversation with your average cook from the area will usually yield a chicken riggies recipe. Personally, I have come across several different versions. There are many that are cream based, and there are many that are tomato based. In fact, there are a few that contain both. I myself prefer the tomato based versions. Really, this is like the difference between red or white clam chowder. 🙂  I also have a recipe for the white here.

Most of the recipes you will find though contain some common ingredients. These are chicken and rigatoni of course, and also some sort of jarred sweet peppers.

I have never really cooked it much before this week. You usually eat this at just about every get together, and if you have ever been to the North country, well, you know there are get togethers every week. Now that I live out of the region, I finally got my own recipe together. Of course, this will probably change over time, – (More…)