Green Pocket Protector

Easy chocolate cake with a secret ingredient

Libby — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:38:52 +0000

The batter for this chocolate cake can be mixed in one bowl. The secret ingredient (tomato juice) adds extra nutrients, and cannot be tasted. Dave and I had this for dinner last night, and it was delicious. We didn’t make icing, and just sprinkled the cake with powdered sugar.

Easy one-bowl chocolate cake

6 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate (6 squares)

3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)

1-1/2 cup white sugar

1-1/2 cups tomato juice (11.5-ounce can)

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350-degrees fahrenheit. Microwave the chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Remove from the microwave, and stir until the chocolate is compeltely melted. Stir in the sugar. Whisk in the tomoato juice and then the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Pour into a greased 9-inch by 14-inch pan. Place in the preheated oven, and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Clover for the honey bees

Libby — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:45:12 +0000

Dave enjoys working in the fields, and hardly a weekend goes by where he isn’t out on the tractor. This past weekend, he mowed the grass in the pastures and around the house. He took care to leave the many clover patches untouched. The clover provides sustenance for the bees, will also eventually be composted into our fields to provide nitrogen to our soil.

Otis of the crookedy teeth

Libby — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:13:18 +0000

Libby: I think Otis needs a bridge or something. One of his bottom teeth is broken in half, and the rest of his teeth are crooked.

Dave: He’s a DOG.

Libby: Sure. But I worry about his bite. Plus, self esteem. Do you think he KNOWS he has Austin Powers teeth?

Dave: He’s a DOG.

Libby: I know, but still, I worry.

Dave: Look: he goes to the dentist more than we do. He’s a dog. He eats cat poop. His system is optimized for sloppy living. He doesn’t need dental work or false teeth, or whatever else ridiculous self-esteemy thing you think he might want. He’s a dog. He licks his own parts. He really doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks.

Chief: Cat of mystery and intrigue

Libby — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:29:36 +0000

Last night I was walking past the front door, when I noticed a mysterious lump in the rug. Closer inspection revealed a fuzzy little face peering out.

I’m fairly sure Chief had the idea to hide under the rug, and then pounce on me or one of the dogs as we walked past. But when he became aware that I had discovered him, he lost his nerve and immediately ran into bedroom closet (probably to poop in my shoes or something).

Beautiful duckpond scene

Libby — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:56:11 +0000

I’ve been travelling recently, and have also taken on some new work assignments. With my increased workload, I’ve found that I’ve lapsed into a bad habit of focusing on the future, as opposed to living in the moment. Today, I rushed home after two morning meetings with intentions to quickly change clothes and head to my next scheduled event. I pulled into the driveway, and then juggled books and my computer bag to find my house key. As I stood at the mudroom door, thinking about my day’s to-do list, I happened to glance over at the duckpond. A few white heron stood around in the yard, enjoying the windy day. A little rain came down, and instead of running for cover, I made myself stop and enjoy the moment.

So many times, we get so caught up in the mundane tasks of everyday life, and we forget about how to enjoy that which is right in front of our eyes. I’ve been so busy that until this afternoon, I failed to notice the many wildflowers that Dave has so carefully encouraged to grow around the house. I also neglected to take the time to listen to the many frogs in the pond, and enjoy the hawks, osprey, and heron on our property. I think that in the weeks to come I’ll force myself to take some time for myself, and enjoy some of the many things that we have come to appreciate here at our little farmhouse.

Giant gaping hole in our kitchen

Libby — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:34:14 +0000

You’re probably wondering what the heck happened to us…

Lots of stuff has happened. A new school term started, and I am signed up to teach THREE college classes. What was I thinking? The college actually asked me to teach five classes, but logic prevailed, and I ended up with just three. This is on top of my regular day job, which is thankfully very flexible.

Also, last week was spring break, which was actually kind of nice. Dave and I had our wedding anniversary last week also. We didn’t do much (which was exactly how we planned it). But meanwhile, Dave spontaneously decided that our farmhouse refrigerator is too small (I agree with him on this), and so he woke up early on Sunday (Easter morning) and moved our refrigerator into the kitchen and then started removing walls.

Several hours later (me sleeping late because I work until midnight these days), I woke up, and discovered a tremendous hole which was the former home of our refrigerator. For the rest of the day, I alternated between working on a proposal for work, and helping Dave with his refrigerator project. I helped Dave to rip out the old drywall, and then expand the refrigerator opening in our kitchen to accommodate a much larger refrigerator. Dave also built an EXTREMELY FANCY (i.e. NASA-engineered-design) platform for the new refrigerator, which (since we are both taller than average) will make refrigerator access a little easier.

During this exciting project, Dave also managed to completely dump the contents of our current refrigerator onto the floor of the kitchen. He said he was trying to move a refrigerator by himself because he wanted me to be able to work on other stuff, but in the end, the refrigerator tipped and there was a mess of condiments and leftovers that we both had to scrape and clean off the floor.

I’m sort of a pro at this, after being married to Dave for 11+ years now. He’s very handy, but also spontaneous. This means lots of midnight projects, and plenty of unplanned expeditions to hardware stores. Guaranteed, if it’s a holiday, Dave is at the hardware store, trying to buy screws or some other necessary item, and he can’t figure out why the place isn’t open.

Springtime flowers

Libby — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:56 +0000

My friend Cheryl recently repurposed some beautiful shot glasses into flower vases.

They make much better vases than shot glasses, and are perfect for holding Cheryl’s spring blooms. Cheryl has a beautiful garden, and there’s always something in bloom.

She lives in a condominium at the water’s edge, and in front of her home, there’s a plot of land about 15 feet by 10 feet. It’s always bursting with blooms, and whenever Dave and I go there to visit her, we marvel at her gardening skills.

Dave: Suddenly the guy who knows everything about compost

Libby — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:24:56 +0000

Recently one of Dave’s coworkers came by the farmhouse. He was walking out the back door, when he noticed the compost bin (now conveniently located next to the garage, after it blew all over the back pasture, and I had to go retrieve it in my pajamas).

Dave’s Friend: What is THAT?

Dave: Compost bin.

Dave’s Friend: That’s a COMPOST bin? It looks like a spaceship.

Dave: Yep.

Dave’s Friend: What’s in there, anyway?

What followed was a tutorial, whereby Dave removed the lid, and showed his friend our discarded kitchen trash and our resident worm farm, and then Dave ACTED LIKE IT HAD BEEN HIS IDEA ALL ALONG to install a compost bin at the farmhouse. The last I heard was:

Dave: Oh yes, a compost bin is so practical. It’s SUCH a good idea.

Dave’s Friend: But does it work?

Dave: Absolutely. We compost all sorts of stuff…junk mail, broccoli stems, potato peelings. We even composted one of my old shirts in there once. I have to watch Libby, because she’ll compost anything.

Note from me…I’ve actually composted his old shirts in there more than once, and old pleated pants from the 1990′s also compost pretty well (just be sure to cut off the plastic button and the metal zipper first).

Ballpark potato salad

Libby — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:19:43 +0000

Dave and I went to see a ball game several years ago, and were pleasantly surprised to see that they served “real” food. Sure, they had the usual hotdogs, cotton candy, peanuts, and beer. But they also served barbecued ribs, steaks, fettucine alfredo, fine wine, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. One of the things we especially loved was their potato salad. Loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions, it tasted even better than a baked potato. I asked for the recipe, which the chef rightly refused to give me. After several attempts I finally came up with a version that (I think) tastes even better than the potato salad we were served at the ball park.

This recipe is very easy and comes together quickly. Feel free to use homemade ranch salad dressing if you’d like, but I assure you that the bottled ranch salad dressing you can buy in the refrigerated area in the produce section of the grocery store is perfect for this recipe.

Since I crafted this recipe a few years ago, I’ve seen several similar versions on the web. Some call it baked potato salad, or loaded potato salad…whatever it is called, it’s delicious. With the addition of bacon and cheese, it can hardly be called healthy, so I suggest that you enjoy this in moderation!

Ballpark potato salad

7 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes (about 8 cups, cubed)

8 green onions, chopped

2 cups (8-ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

7 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and then crumbled

1 15-ounce jar ranch salad dressing (we used Marzetti’s, but Marie’s is also good)

salt and pepper, to taste

Place the potato cubes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium; cook until fork tender. Cool under cool water. Place the potato pieces in a large bowl, and fold in the green onions, cheddar cheese, bacon, and salad dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 8.

Week in review 3/15/2013

Libby — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:19:56 +0000

It was a stressful week and a busy week. After taking last week off, I jumped back into work, and made sure that I spent the entire week in meetings with clients, preparing proposals, and working on my dissertation. I appreciated the activity, because it took my mind off the passing of my uncle. He died last week, and his loss was particularly difficult. He was much more than an uncle. He and my aunt have been parents for me, and have mentored and guided me through so many decisions. I don’t think that I have ever experienced such sadness and devastation. My uncle has been a role model for me. Whatever pain I feel, I know my aunt’s pain is even more pronounced, and I feel her sadness and loss.

While trying to take our minds off my uncle’s passing, David and I worked many hours at our offices, I intentionally scheduled a lot of meetings, looking for something to distract me. With our unusual busy-ness, we ate dinner out a couple of nights, which is highly unusual for us, since neither of us is particularly fond of restaurant fare.

With the stress of the week, I decided to make something comforting…homemade brownies from my childhood. My siblings and I have been making these brownies since I was 10 years old, which is too many years to count. The original recipe started out as something from a cookbook from a local fair. In subsequent years, I modified it significantly, substituting butter for lard, reducing the sugar, and increasing the nuts. It’s a quick and easy recipe, and something I frequently pull together when Dave and I are wanting something sweet.

Easy brownies

½ cup butter

7 tablespoons cocoa powder

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350-degrees fahrenheit. In the microwave or a double-boiler, melt together the butter and cocoa. Set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture, and the flour mixture. Bake in a greased 8-inch square pan 30-35 minutes.