The past three weekends we had heavy snowfalls, thanks to three Colorado Lows.
The snow finally melted during the past week.
Our rhubarbs and chives appeared within minutes after the last snowflake melted. On Monday it was -3º C.
Today we reached 23º C.
Yesterday and today we were raking thatch from our lawn.
Nobody in Manitoba wastes a minute to be out and about when warm weather finally arrives.
Spring-like weather or not, Mother’s Day is on Sunday.
Thanks to Covid-19 most of us are out of practice when it comes to hosting gatherings and cooking elaborate dishes.
Don’t stress about tomorrow.
A nice simple frittata served with a few loaves of crusty bread will be just fine for breakfast, brunch or lunch.
It doesn’t need a crust, so it’s easier to make than a quiche is.
After the past two years simple can be all anyone can face.
If anyone gives you any funny looks I’m sure you know a few sayings that will serve nicely to put an end to any discussion of the menu.
It’s the thought that counts.
Less is more.
Most of these sayings were taught to you by dear, old Mom, who also had to put up with troublesome guests.
Gotta love tradition!
Hints:
Frittata is a very forgiving recipe.
Use any vegetables, leafy greens and cheese you have on hand.
You know what your family likes, and what is in season and on on sale.
If you’re feeding kiddies who like familiar food this would be a good way to introduce them to frittata. Just tell them it’s like macaroni and cheese.
Grease a 9-inch pie plate or an 8x8-inch baking dish
Dice
1 large tomato
Place in a bowl
1 1/2 Cups grated cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon flour
Toss to coat cheese and place in prepared plate or dish.
Sprinkle the diced tomato over the cheese.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a bowl
6 eggs
1/2 Cup milk or half-and-half
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)
Beat until combined.
Pour beaten eggs evenly over the cheese.
Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Frittata
Grease a 9-inch pie plate or an 8 x 8-inch baking dish
Place in a bowl
9 eggs
1/4 Cup milk
Beat until combined.
Set aside.
Dice
1/2 medium onion
Chop
1/2 to 3/4 Cups vegetables
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a skillet
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Warm over medium heat.
Add
diced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
Add the vegetables and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place the cooked vegetables in the prepared plate or dish.
Sprinkle on top
1 - 1 1/2 Cups grated, shredded, or crumbled cheese
Pour beaten eggs evenly over all.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Eggs should be set and firm, but not too dry.
Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with crusty bread.
~~~
This is a story I wrote years ago for my CKUW show ‘2000 & Counting’. I'm hoping it will remind you of a few nice memories and that it gives you a chuckle now.
Stay safe and well, everyone!
Isn't it great. Mother Nature has finally realized it's Spring!
Parents in the wild weren't confused by the crazy weather we've been having. We live in a cul de sac near farmers' fields in the north end of Winnipeg. Geese and ducks have been making nests and babies in our local ponds. We've been watching bush bunnies chase each other like race horses at the track. Our kitchen has a picture window facing our garage, where we have a grapevine growing up a trellis, then continuing over wires to the window to give us some shade.
On top of the trellis, under the garage's eaves, two robins recently set up housekeeping. Rain or shine, they knew it was time to have babies. And, they did. While we ate, we watched them take turns keeping the eggs warm. A few weeks ago we saw the babies' wide open mouths over the edge of the nest. When I went out to hang laundry, I heard the birds chirping overhead.
When you live in the 'burbs, it's almost the law to have a garden. You know it. Your neighbours know it. And every store in town knows it. So, marketing folks, ever eager to make a buck on anything - especially guilt - have hooked Mother's Day to Gardening. In a way, it's a natural.
Everyone can remember proudly giving Mom a bouquet of freshly picked weeds. Okay. It's the thought that counts. And, as a gift, the weeds weren't bad. Mom could smile, plunk them into anything from a vase to an empty coffee tin, set them anywhere and everybody was happy. Mom could ignore them until they flopped over. Nobody cared when Mom tossed them out. Hey, they were free weeds.
The problem is, kids grow up. They learn how to read. They read the flyers. They get some cash. They get suckered.
One large chain, whose buyers have some serious size issues, recently came out with a lawn and garden flyer. They proudly announced, We make gardening REALLY EASY! Uh, huh. By this they meant they'd packed to overflowing huge planters with annuals, about which they said, and I quote, It's like adding another room to your house.
Yippee! Picture it. Lugging around a kitchen chair, then climbing it to hang 'another room' from a hook you can barely see because the darn heavy thing has to be hung high enough so no one will walk into it and knock himself out cold. Having to unhook 'the room' which is hanging a few feet above your head so you can water it. Regularly. Every couple of days. Hey, what did you expect? They're honking big flowers. They're thirstier than sailors on shore leave. It was your lousy gift, so there you are, hoisting something that weighs as much as a toddler over your head. Oh, and you had just watered it. Dirty water is running down your arm. Happy Mother's Day.
Okay. The kids meant well. You can't return them - the kids or the flowers. Let's grab a cold one, sit down and think this through.
They're just flowers in a pot. You buy annuals in a box. What do you do with the annuals? Just separate them and plant them where you please. Hose them down every so often. No climbing or weight lifting required.
Alrighty then. Upend that oversized pot and do likewise to those overpacked petunias. They'll be grateful for the breathing room. Hey, would you like to spend a scorching Manitoba summer crammed six to a bed? Neither do flowers.
But, that leaves you with an empty pot. And even though the kids barely look you in the eye, there's still a chance they'd notice that the pot - their gift - is now empty. No problem. Can you say Dollar Store? Just waltz in and buy any flowers you like. Think you have to get the same flowers? Get real. How much do you notice the uniqueness of each potato in a twenty pound sack? The kids bought those flowers by the basket, 25 bucks each, two for 40. They shopped with friends and had a few bucks left for snacks. All they noticed was that the baskets were heavy.
Get whatever you like. Um... on second thought, try to stay with the season. I have a friend who loves Christmas. She packed her pot with flaming red poinsettias. Even her kids thought there was something odd about their Mom's pot. She just smiled, hugged them and gave them a cookie. A store bought cookie. It worked.
While you're at it, get some fake flowers for the yard, especially for those dark, hard to grow areas and window boxes. I got a lovely assortment of blue, white and orange flowers for our yard. Mama Robin ignored me as I placed some flowers in a large pot under our chokecherry. She chirped as I inserted some into my kitchen window's flower box.
Then I tried to hook a few onto the trellis under her nest. Mama Robin flew onto our neighbour's roof, to watch me beautifying her neighbourhood. Then she started screeching like a banshee. I glanced up just in time to see her act like a kamikazi pilot, talons aimed straight at me. I ducked and ran. The grapevine can stay flowerless until her kids have flown the nest.
Ah, the circle of life! Ah, Nature! Ah, crap!
