This is the May That Was

This May was one of the most enjoyable months of my life. Relaxing but action packed. I retired May 1, so much of this goes without saying. My retirement gift to Pete was to take the month and do as he pleases, so he spent the first two weeks visiting John, Mary and Anna. I enjoyed the quiet transition at home with just Davyd and I. We rode bikes to school, went bird watching, started a butterfly garden, transplanted ferns, went to the library weekly, baked pies in an unhurried pace that I adore.

I moved Ali home from Madison mid-May. Being away at college does wonders for making one appreciate the pleasures of home. Nic graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago two weeks ago. The ceremony was on a beautiful sunny day in Millennium Park, the speakers and honorary degrees were interesting, we stayed at my favorite Chicago Hotel (Hotel Monaco), had brunch at a delightful restaurant (Bin) and of course this mother was proud.

Most days this month you would have found Pete and I outdoors. We honor our homes prior owners John and Ed daily for the extraordinary landscaping they left behind. The yard/gardens have their ying and yang though. May is the month to battle the garlic mustard, buckthorn and honeysuckle that plague most all of Bayside. We have been chasing ours for six years and it finally seems that we might be winning. I scurry to transplant natives from the Fox Point Garden Club sale each May along with boosting the May apples, ostrich ferns, wild ginger and wild strawberries along from our own yard. Our green house is abust with seedlings that I received as a gift from Midewin Tallgrass Prairie. The Wisconsin Herb Society sale at Concordia the third week of May is always a plus – I seem to be hooked on lavender, thyme and nasturtiums.

I have visited neighbors, gone to more social events, walked the beach of Lake Michigan, baked more pies and had more time with my family in the last month then the last year it seems. Life is good!

Best Salad Dressings

Now I am partial to vinaigrette's, so my bias is showing. Any of these also make a good marinade for grilling. Let me know if you can top them:

Garlic Oil and Vinegar - Thanks John Berlin-Burns

3 crushed cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Hard to believe that this basic recipe is our family favorite. Crush the garlic in the salt and mix well with the oil and vinegar. Best with red leaf lettuce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Add a little lemon juice and oregano if you are making a Greek salad.

Dijon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 balsamic vinegar

Wisk the mustard with the oil and then add vinegar. This is good on greens but my favorite is mixed on chopped fresh vegetables sprinkled with feta.

Gorgonzola Dressing (Thanks to Harbor View)

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

The first time I tasted this simple dressing I was sure it had something complicated in it to taste so good. I said "this tastes as good as chocolate cake!" Crumble the Gorgonzola finely in the oil with a fork. Wisk in the vinegar. Delightful on greens with or without garlic croûtons.

Baby Blueberry Hat

Another retirement perk - I have time to knit! And I still remember how! These unseasonably cool May mornings have made sitting under the sun through the skylights the perfect way to start the day. I honor my Grandma B for teaching me to knit and Mary Shedd for perfecting the joy of drinking tea, knitting and chat at Kawishiwi Lab in Ely years ago.

Some of our friends had triplets last month so Ali and I are knitting three blueberry hats. I made the same for Davyd eight years ago after finding the patten in Sweden. Here it is in case you have little berries to celebrate:

Baby Berry Hat

Cast on 80 stitches DK weight cotton yarn on #5 - 16 inch circular needles. (I used a 50gram ball of Rowan cotton glace @ 5 stitches per inch, but prefer a softer Swedish cotton I made the first hats I made years ago.)

Knit until hat measures 5 inches long, unrolled.

Begin decreasing, changing to double pointed needles when necessary:

Row 1: Knit 8 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 2: Knit entire row

Row 3: Knit 7 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 4: Knit entire row

Row 5: Knit 6 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 6: Knit entire row

Row 7: Knit 5 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 8: Knit entire row

Row 9: Knit 4 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 10: Knit entire row

Row 11: Knit 3 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 12: Knit entire row

Row 13: Knit 2 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 14: Knit entire row

Row 15: Knit 1 stitches then knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

Row 16: Knit entire row

Row 17: Knit 2 stitches together until end of row.

For stem, change to green yarn and continue to decrease to about 9 stitches and knit to about 1 inch long. Draw end of yarn through last loops and knot on inside.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Peppers and Onions with Feta

This is so good and I am proud to say I designed the recipe myself. I like it as a side dish with grilled chicken or on brown rice though it's also good cold on greens.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Peppers and Onions with Feta

1 Sweet Potato
1/2 Butternut Squash
2 Red Peppers
1/2 Bermuda Onion
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Feta Cheese

Chop the sweet potato and squash in 3/4 inch cubes. Cut the pepper and onion in 1 inch pieces. Toss the roots in 1-2 tbsp olive oil and place in a bowl. Toss the pepper and onion with mixture of about 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and marinade about an hour. Warm your grill (or I imagine you could roast in the broiler or oven...) and roast the roots till soft (about 10-15 minutes) and remove from grill. Grill the peppers and onions (about 5 minutes). Both will have slightly blackened edges and taste so sweeeeeeet!

Blend the grilled items in a serving bowl and sprinkle with feta.

Rhubarb Custard Pie.

For me, baking a Rhubarb Pie is a rite of Spring. And it always tastes best if I grow my own rhubarb! This recipe was past on to me by my mom Betty Berlin and to her from her mom Agnes Thommes. A fitting post for Mothers Day 2008.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Rhubarb Pie made by my daughter Ali

Crust:
1 cup butter flavored shortening
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp ice water

Filling:
4 cups thin sliced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Place the cut rhubarb in rolled bottom pie crust. Mix all other ingredients in bowl and then pour over rhubarb. Place top crust and flute edges, decorate the top with extra dough or cuttings if you like. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden.


Use a pastry mixer or two knives and mix the shortening and dry ingredients until pea sized - do not mix any more then that! Add the ice water and gently mix with your hands until just blended - again not any more then that - do not over handle to keep the crust light. Divide the dough in half and roll out in two sections of wax paper for top and bottom crust.

Of Things Vernal

Now this was a day made in heaven.

At his urging after my suggestion over oatmeal, Davyd and I went bird watching at Schlitz before school this morning. Redstarts, Parula and Black and White Warblers were among the crowd serenading us. Their costumes were brilliant spring plumage - even the Black and White Warbler looked stunning through my Nikon's. The joy of watching an eight-year-old gazing through binocs was almost more then I could bear. The backdrop for this magnificent performance included blooming trout lilies, hepaticas and emerging trilliums with brilliant green leaflets in the trees above us.

He asked me if we could do this again tomorrow. What do you think I said?

What a Feeling

May 2, 2008 - I'm retired! My first day of "freedom" felt different then a holiday or weekend. I kissed Davyd goodbye on his way to school knowing there was so much more in our future. I read the paper knowing I could actually go to the events listed. Pete and I talked about what was on our minds in an unhurried pace. I subscribed to the New Yorker as now I will have time to read it. I ordered a mission oak file cabinet and can't wait to get my home life in order. Pete and I went out to breakfast at Alterra on the Lake and then walked through Lake Park among the Trout Lilies blooming in the ravines. We came across the restored North Point Lighthouse - exciting to know there are still new things to discover so close to home. Daffodils, Mayapples and Mertensias are in bloom in celebration of spring and I imagine for my new beginnings.