Tuesday, February 3, 2009

spicy hot brownies, dazed spring, the hope of spinach salad, and a failure

Rule 1: if we cook, it has to come has to have food from the garden. So this week I diced up some of these Joe's round hot peppers and added them to our brownies. Every year before the dreaded killing frost, we harvest a bunch of hot peppers and throw them in the freezer. I never did find a recipe, but I figured that if chocolate and chiles go so well in my favorite Mexican dish (mole' sauce)... then why can't I add them into the brownies. I took out too many of the seeds next time extra heat.



Well, if I drove over to the school right now, this bit of green I saw just outside my classroom would be covered with the snow that has intensified since I got home. On my classroom wall are these words of absolute truth: "... Lifeless in appearance, sluggish dazed spring approaches..." from the poem, Spring and All (link is to the entire oh so cool poem), by William Carlos Williams. A friend thought I was praying because I was on my knees getting the photo earlier today.

over half of our spinach seeds have sprouted....


Update: The rice project failed...
theory... too cold in my classroom...
Reality... it just began to smell real bad.

will try again in spring.



9 comments:

walk2write said...

And I bet you did say a prayer while you were kneeling, taking a picture. It can't hurt and just might help the plants' progress. Love the idea of the spicy brownies. Of course, anything chocolate gets consumed in a hurry around here.

Anonymous said...

I've come to realize, if I see the word brownie mentioned anywhere in your post, it is going to mean the inclusion of ingredients way more exotic than simple chocolate or nuts.

Bummer about the rice.

tina said...

Too bad on the rice. Don't even want to think of the smell. On a good note-no lavender brownies this time?:) I plan to try some the next time I cook brownies. Any special way to prepare the lavender? No peppers here!

Anonymous said...

hmmm. Well, I'd probably eat almost anything surrounded by brownie but I'm still going to shoot for lavender. Had chocolate tapioca last night. I feel we're getting closer... And so is spring - great capture (as they say on flickr) of that bulb emerging.

Wayne Stratz said...

walk2write--- chocolate is not to be rationed... please send me an e-mail some time (it's in my profile).

Susan--- was a bummer. now I feel pressure to get more exotic. the only other ones I make at the school are mint, with fresh leaves. My wife makes a great one in which she uses Mexican chocolate.

Tina--- don't think of the smell (oops) I use 1 tbsp of dried lavender for a 13x9 pan. all we do is crumble it up by hand then get it into the melting butter and chocolate.

Kris--- hmmm, that tapioca got me thinking that I wish I had been invited over for dinner ;')

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

The spicy brownies sound really good. I bet they were tasty! I have never tried that but I will have to do that next summer when we have fresh peppers!! I can't wait till that happens(-: Have a great weekend!!

Wayne Stratz said...

cindee ... I seem to be inspiring more folk with my baking/cooking. It may be an indicator of the real reason I garden. Hope your weekend goes well also.

Kylee Baumle said...

I'm going to try some spinach this week. I've got the lights and the seed-starting medium and the seeds. I figure, why not? Wish me luck!

Wayne Stratz said...

Kylee--- I am hoping all of us who want fresh spinach, have much joy for our efforts.