Home Cooking

We are home again, and the first frost is coming. It is unseasonably cold here in Nashville, so I had to harvest the last bits of my herb garden this past weekend. I grew parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme; I also grew ginger, garlic chives and oregano. I have given up on the basil because I do not have enough sun.

I made sauteed green beans with red chili, garlic and olive oil.

I made a Giada dish with skinless organic chicken thighs, browned then braised in our own Napa Merlot, olives, tomato, garlic, onions and crushed red peppers. To finish, I added my own organic oregano, thyme and parsley. Yumm-O! I grew all my organic seedling herbs in potting soil and organic fertilizer from the Gardens of Babylon (Farmers Market, 8th Ave North, 615-244-8949), and not one herbicide or pesticide. The boys, Marc and Matt, young owners of the Gardens of Babylon, started many heirloom plants in an organic manner. I am a complete convert to these organic plants from my garden because they were extremely hardy this year, and I can feel good about eating these foods and herbs. This all reminds me that I need to buy my winter flowers now (or last week).

I cheated on the rice. I did not have time to cook wild rice, so I got the instant kind that cooks up in about 20 minutes. I mixed it in with some jasmine rice, which cooks up in just about 20 minutes (hey! neato), and both cooked up at the same time.

Here is one of our dinner plates. Pretty huh?

Here are three kinds of apples I got. I now forgot the varieties, but I think I liked the middle one the best. The other 2 were a bit sour.