Monday, September 30, 2013

Green tomato, Green beans, Green cabbage

Officially it's fall.... when leaves start to change from green to falling down.....don't you love all the lovely colors of the warm side of the color chart scattering along the sidewalks, the lawns, the bushes, the streets and the fields......

But right now......green is still the color......green vegetables are coming from the fall gardens....especially green tomatoes.....


Plaid, and leather, and suede and wool and fuzzy fur starts falling out of the closet and so begins your fall wardrobe choices.

this cute plaid vintage jacket and skirt is from Pineapplemint on etsy

I'm always a big fan of a cute jacket, a plaid or tweed skirt and a big fake flower or a large floppy scarf in the hanky pocket....
Here's some vintage clothes I sold a while back.....





very fun plaid pants from VintageTrends.... 





Here's some fresh funkomavintage..... Autumn vintage plaid, fall jackets, cozy sweaters, and fun skirts to get the wardrobe revved up for October.


vintage 50s Pendleton Reversible plaid skirt in pretty shades of blue.....



and a fun vintage Apple - Picking sweater!  by Susan Bristol


vintage confetti Cable sweater and long wool striped vintage skirt....


a fuzzy furry Leopard jacket is always needed for fall... it goes great with wools, and jeans...and perfect for party wear too!
Vintage Jordache fuzzy faux fur leopard jacket with a 40s vibe




a fun combo to try is a big floral print......and a stripe skirt....



Harris Tweed herringbone double-breasted 70s vintage jacket....  it looks cool with gray leopard



A 70s berry, moss and rusty plaid skirt with big pockets...perfect to carry apples and autumn leaves and acorns.



cozy  60s vintage Olive Green Leather Coat with a Fur Hood  by Dan Di Modes.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

October is rather Dead...

And by dead, we mean, ghostly spirits, zombies, apparitions and creepy traditions. We all love Halloween.... and to continue the fun, the human comedy and tragedy, Day of the Dead is held on November 1 & 2. It's celebrated in Mexico, and lots of other countries and cultures. 

People gather to remember their family and friends who have died. It happens right after Halloween, on November 1 and 2, and, of course, is observed by Catholics as All Souls/Saints Day.

Now is the time to think about a costume....not just for Halloween......but the Day of the Dead has parties, dinners, parades and get togethers with family and friends.......dead. and. alive.

handmade ghoulish Dead pin with a rusty key....

Relatives and friends go to the graveyards and  cemeteries and bring the dead's favorite food, favorite items like toys or pictures, things to eat and drink, and photos so the souls of the dead will come from the other world to visit with the living.
Symbols of the  Day of the Dead are bright orange marigolds, hot colors of paper flowers, sugar skulls, decorated skulls, skeletons doing things as if  they were live people.

and yes, this rose-wreathed skull for the Grateful Dead logo...is because of Day of the Dead....an homage to the Mexican heritage of Jerry Garcia.









Marigolds......beautiful and bright annual flowers that love hot days.









Here's a sample of black clothes and black boots and shoes..... from your friends at funkomavintage that will hook you up whether you are Dead or Alive!! 









Tall black over the knee vintage boots, 60s black high heels, 70s black suede ankle strap, 60s black rosette sling back heels, Vintage Jack Purcell Converse shoes, vintage black Springolator mules!








Friday, September 20, 2013

What does fall require?

well, it certainly requires some tomato recipes! Tomatoes, to. mate. o's. We wait for months....we deprive ourselves of supermarket red balls of mushy goo....that ain't no tomato.  Here's a mess o' pics of my tomatoes...... I only planted 2 varieties this year.... weird I know. the Heirloom Russian Krim, and the simple old-fashioned tried and true, Cherry tomato.








Just a sample of the first tomatoes this year.... splitting because we had a big rainstorm as the biggest toms were ripening, so they soaked up a lot of water very quickly. I have in the past, covered the whole tomato patch with a makeshift cover of a wood frame and plastic. This is unslightly but it does work!
I didn't do it this year because I was busy being on vacation and swimming, and generally enjoying summer.... a very short season.

I've been growing heirlooms all my life...my parents were gardeners, and the vets that lived at my dad's hotel also had big gardens. Most often, they were planted with seeds that had been saved from last season! Take that Monsanto!
If you can do nothing else.....I implore you to never ever buy a Monsanto seed. Here's a list of companies that are independent and believe food is too precious to make it a corporate property.  Garden of Eatin' blog is a wonderful and detailed resource for quality seeds.

I have bought a lot of heirloom seeds in the 80s and on, from these companies... Totally Tomato, Tomato Growers Supply, Seymour’s Selected Seeds, R.H. Shumway, Park Seed, Territorial Seed, Shepherd's Seeds, and lots of seeds from European companies.
My mom used Burpee seeds a lot. So, I'm naturally drawn to them, and they are very sentimental.


One of my favorite cookbooks is The World In Your Kitchen, by Troth Wells, pub. 1993. It's all vegetarian.  It's a delightful book with lots of pics of people from all over the world cooking the food they and their families and tribes have eaten for centuries.
That is kickin' it Old School! If you want good food, go back to basics and learn what the classics are....then venture out to Thomas Keller....et al.
;-)



from the Middle East, stuffed tomatoes, Mahasha. this is really great because you probably have all the ingredients right in your cupboards.

Cut your 4 big tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. Heat up oil in a frying pan and add 2 tbs of cilantro or coriander leaves, and crisp them. Add 1 tsp. of curry powder, 1/2 - 1 tsp of chili powder, 2 tsps of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 clove of crushed garlic to the cilantro and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat, and add salt.
Add 1/2 pound of mashed potatoes, or the same amount cooked bulghur, 1/3 cup of peas, to the reserved tomato pulp.
Stir it together, and fill the tomato halves and place in an ovenproof dish. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.



A simple relish from Africa.  A peanut and tomato relish.  We substitute walnuts, or cashews for the peanuts, because we are allergic! Again, simple ingredients you have on hand.



a favorite picture from the book......look at those tomatoes!!




and........when you just wanna eat some of those many many many green tomatoes....
I took this picture and the rising steam fogged my camera lens!

You can just slice and fry in oil, or coat them with flour..... and there are a lot of variations.... do a search on TEH InterWebs!