Eat The Blog

How To Write About the New Food Trends

2012-01-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

Reading an article about the latest food trend (really, I'm not going to dignify it with a link) I've come to realise you can convince people to eat anything provided they think it is trendy, and you use the correct language to describe it:

This year's trendy new menu item for the foodie community is none other than the simple, unadorned, shit sandwich. The shit in a shit sandwich varies from a silky texture to a more rustic, chunky texture redolent with earthy flavours of the intestinal tract. The bold flavour and mouth feel of a shit sandwich when paired with the sharpness of an artisinal sourdough will keep foodies knocking down (back) doors for more. Imbued, laced, kissed and lovingly drizzled with subtle accents of whatever the small-batch, locavre had twenty four hours before crafting the raw, unpasturised shit sandwich, no two shit sandwich experiences are quite the same.

Whatever you do, purchase your shit sandwiches from a reputable purveyor-you may wish to skip the popular food truck on this one, unless you can verify the source of the shit. You can taste the difference between locally sourced shit sandwiches, and those shipped in from another city. If I'm paying for an Omaha shit sandwich, I don't want it tasting like Lincoln shit. I know what Lincoln shit tastes like, and no self-respecting "cacovore" is going to shell out good money for that. Don't even get me started on the shit butties from Beatrice. They don't even offer you a napkin.

If you plan to attempt a home kitchen version of the shit sandwich, you'll need to plan ahead and make sure you use entirely, locally sourced fibre. The ingredients are easier to spread when fresh and warm, but if you must delay the preparation of your shit sandwich for say, a soirée later in the evening, chill it ever so carefully beneath a dampened towel of 100% Egyptian cotton, preferably with a thread count of at least 350. Remove it from the fridge and let it re-warm to room temperature and then quickly blitz it in a liquidiser until you have a soft, delicate consistency. If you over-do it, don't despair! Everyone likes diorrhea vichyssoises. You'll need to add some potatoes to round it out-look for heirloom variety baby spuds to add that look of "Loo to table without middlemen" foodies love.

Chefs recommend you pair your shit sandwiches with the bold, muscular flavour of root beer. A small batch, craft root beer will have notes of tree bark, which will recall nicely the olfactory experience of taking a crap on a log when you went camping the summer you turned ten. Hints of wintergreen will produce a heady topnote not unlike those gigantic pink lozenges your Gran kept loose in the bottom of her handbag that inexplicably read, "Canada." Any true foodie knows that Canada tastes like weak beer and Tim Bits.

As for presentation, chefs across Nebraska who declined to be quoted directly for this article have confided on background that the addition of a frilly toothpick and a cocktail olive really sell these sandwiches. Said one well-respected soon-to-be Nebraska's first Michelin starred shit artist, "Look, you don't want to be left with a ton of this the next day. I can't move day-old S-Tartines. Our patrons have more money than taste, and I'm telling you, the frilly toothpick thing sells sophistication. Sure, molecular gastronomy has a place, but if you source it correctly, you get all the foam and viscosity you need without cannisters of chemicals and dicking about with burners and flasks. Sometimes you have to ask yourself, am I a biologist, or a chemist? Me? My cooking is all biology."

Sourdough Apricot Buckwheat Loaf

2012-01-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

A complete experiment, with striking results. I haven't cut the loaf yet, so I can't assess the flavour, but I wanted to get the recipe down before I forget what I did.

Sponge:
1 cup fed starter
2 cups water
2 cups strong flour

Let stand at room temp 15 hours.

Final dough:

All of starter
1 cup water
2 cups (or more) buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons malted barley syrup
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup chopped, dried apricots

Autolyze 30 minutes.

Folds 4 times over three hours.

Final rise: 2 hours.

Preheat Dutch oven 1 hour before baking in 450 degree F oven.

Bake: 25 minutes covered
20 minutes uncovered to 200 degrees f internal temp.

Mackerel Mousse

2012-01-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

Last Boxing Day, I found myself at a discount grocery chain that had large tins of mackerel on sale for a dollar. I bought several. I wasn't expecting much, but figured I could use it as a substitute for tinned salmon in a pinch. To my surprise, I opened a tin today and found lovely pieces of fish carefully packed and ready to be used as the intended ingredient rather than a replacement. I wish I'd bought them all.

The original recipe called for smoked mackerel. This worked just as nicely, though obviously it is a different sort of thing. Adapted from, Jane Pettigrew's Tea Time, 1986

You Will Need:

8 ounces mackerel
2 ounces butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 chopped scallions
Salt and pepper

Whip the butter and cream cheese together until light. Beat in the rest. Chill several hours before serving.

Savoury Prune Pate

2012-01-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, there isn't any possible way of photographing this that keeps it from looking like a turd garnished with stem ginger. See, this is what I mean about the obligation bloggers feel to photograph everything. I think we could all be better off having not seen this.

Right. So ask me about the .25 cent book I snagged at the sale a few months ago called, Pate, The New Main Course for The 80's"by, Carol Cutler.

What Ms. Cutler lacked in an ability to predict food trends, she makes up for in interesting recipes. In fact, most of the side dishes are more interesting than the pates. While prune timbales may never have become the "quiche of the 80's", they make a very nice accompaniment to a meal. In fact, I think they would be delicious with roast venison.

You Will Need:

4 ounces pitted prunes
1/2 cup chicken stock (I used veggie)
1/4 cup port or maderia (I used brandy)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 inch strip of lemon rind
1 ginger slice, crushed (I had stem ginger which I used=-wasn't sure what a slice of ginger meant in 1980)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon gelatin
1/2 cup yoghurt

Put prunes in a small bowl and pour on enough boiling water to cover. let stand 30 minutes. Strain. Place prunes, stock, port, orange juice, lemon rind, and ginger in a saucepan. Stir in nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. Remove from heat and with a slotted spoon remove prunes, ginger, and rind. Discard ginger and rind. Sprinkle gelatin on top of warm liquid in pan and let stand a few minutes. Gently heat just to boiling, whisking until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and pour over prunes in a heat-proof bowl. Beat until smooth (or use a blender). Add yoghurt, and beat again until smooth. Strain through a sieve (not in the instructions, but I did it anyway based on experience).

Lightly oil ramekins, baba moulds, or what have you. Pour mixture into moulds and chill until set. Run a knife around them and dip in hot water to unmould. Will make 4-8 depending on size. I garnished mine with crystalised ginger so it would look less turd-like.

Weekend in (a few) Words and Photos

2012-01-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

The book nook grows! We've made the first turn. These are back-to-back cases that will be hooked together (once we know where they're all going)so whatever you see is doubled with the side you don't.

We went to the yearly, Retired Teachers Book Sale in Lincoln today. It ran all weekend, but even in the final hours, we found more stuff than we probably should have come home with. From 2-4 they had a bag sale where for $7.50 you could fill a gigantic bag. We filled two. Unlike the library sale, these items are all donated which had me purchasing beautifully illustrated sheet music from the 1860's through the 1940's. Many, many scores from films, with movie-star photos on the cover. We used to sell these for a couple dollars each in the antique store, and these were of much better quality. They hardly took up any room in the $7.50 bag. That left room for cookery pamphlets and books. I never knew I needed the United Nations Cookbook from 1951-that is, until I saw it. Likewise, I never really though I needed a coffee-table book of the Canadian Parliament. At least I have plenty of bookshelf space (for the moment). You should see what I have planned for upstairs!

The car show was in town this weekend as well. This year, I just so happen to be looking for a car, and it was nice being able to check them out without pushy salespeople. Here's Danny in the old...er....new Dodge that looks a whole hell of a lot like the '74 Dart my sister drove (except that was green). This isn't a Dart, though I heard they are bringing that model back as well. I sure hope they come with a good, solid hairbrush as that's what my sister frequently had to employ under the bonnet to get the damned thing to turn over. I don't drive Chrysler products anymore-fool me once...OK several times....no Chryslers.

What I am planning to purchase is a Volkwagen which believe it or not, I am (seriously) too short for. Yeah, let that sink in. I went to sit in the bug and after cranking the seat as high as it would go, realised I could barely stretch to see over the dash. Go ahead and laugh. They made them roomier. Mr. ETB could even fit in the back seat if he had to. I don't actually want a bug, I want a Jetta. Das Krautmobile!

Of course, an Audi convertible is a krautmobile as well, but this one yodels like a Swiss hillbilly. Or that could just be the diesel engine.

And yes, the kid nicked my sweater. He's tall.

Don't Let Them Raze the Purple Hotel!

2012-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

I'm not the sort of person that sends readers off to sign petitions, but this time I'm making an exception. Go HERE, and let's try to keep the city from tearing down a unique landmark.

Meet The Presidents Game

2012-01-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

More facts than you can spin a wheel at. I don't think you could sell a game with this much reading today.
I like how Mexico is represented on the map by a sombrero and a cactus, and Canada is just a couple pine trees.

I spent the day teaching the Electoral college, and my brain is toast. A couple weeks ago, nostalgia compelled me to purchase this game for Danny on Ebay. We gave it to him tonight, because after a day of trying to understand how you can win the popular vote, and still lose an election, I thought he deserved some fun.

I had this game as a child, and I think a few of the coins are still floating about in forgotten boxes, drawers, etc. I became possessed of the idea of purchasing it for Danny, and thanks to Ebay, all the crap you had as a six year old is available for a few bucks and shipping. The other thing I'm looking for are the Marx figurines of the presidents that were given away at either the gas station, or the supermarket (I can't remember). Most of mine disappeared, and I'd love to get my hands on a set for Danny. Anyone have a set they'd consider parting with?

Really, you try explaining the US electoral system in a way that makes sense. I dare you to try.

Things You Learn in a Department Store

2012-01-18T17:27:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to ordering Danny a full-sized mattress and box spring today (yeah, I did buy it from the place down the street, I mean, I sort of had to, ya know?) so we went into town (well, West Omaha) to Dillards looking for good sheets. I'm not going to throw money away on inexpensive sheets that fall apart in a year (if that) and pop off the mattress. No, I have sheets in my possession that my in-laws purchased in 1960-and they are still like new. I still have pillowcases I had as a child (yes, I still have my Peter Max printed sheets). I know we live in a disposable society now, but I only intend to purchase two sets, one of which will be flannel-I want them to be of decent quality.

Well, forget getting that at a department store. Plenty of duvet covers, shams and the like, but apparently people only care about how a bed appears when made, and buy the sheets at a discounter. Man, I had to drive into a mall. I hate going to the mall. To make it worth the effort we strolled through them men's department where I found Danny the hat in the previous post. Stetson. 100% wool. I really hope it lasts. Anyway, whilst making our way through the men's furnishings we spied the most fantastic (in both senses of the word) thing-Spanx for men. OK, I can wait as you sit and absorb that for a moment.

Sadly, they don't call them Manx, but then what the hell have the Manx done to deserve being confused with a men's girdle...er...foundation? They sell an undershirt to keep the man-boobs in place as well. Danny was suitably horrified, though he seemed equally horrified that men would want to wear ultra fine gauge sweaters that would necessitate a slimming undershirt to begin with. Anyone with a bit of sense would just wear a vest and a sportcoat-you don't need a corset for that.

We also discovered you can purchase denims that are not only pre-faded (they've had that for years) but artfully detailed to look like they have faded just-so, in bend lines at and behind the knee. I mean, they didn't overlook any detail right down to the fraying hemlines. Oh, they cost $150.00 U.S. Hey, don't fucking look at me, I don't wear them. My denim comes from the children's department at Shop-Ko, and cost around ten bucks. I save my money for good bedding-if only I can find some.

Ditch the corset, buy a sportcoat!

Someone Got a New Hat

2012-01-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

Caution-Cute Overload
(scroll down if you dare)

I did warn you. Awwwwwww, cute. Er...handsome.

Plan Ahead

2012-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

I made 250 gnocchi today. They are wrapped in freezer paper in packets of 25. Tomorrow, I make and freeze sauce. This is how I avoid cooking at the weekend. The gnocchi took about 1 hour. Not a bad yield for a hour's time.

If Danny learns nothing else from me, he'll have mastered time management. I was never this organised in my youth, and I regret it. Hopefully, I can spare him the nightmare of a cupboard I lived with for ten years in Boston.

Harvest Apple-Cranberry Pie-Farm Journal Pie Cookbook

2012-01-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

As far as I'm concerned, this was a nice pie, but Danny insists it is the best pie he's ever tasted. Ever. That's saying something as he's been served a number of pies over the years. A favourite pie merits posting, I suppose.

I added the raisins as I thought the tart apples and cranberries needed it. This turned out to be a good decision as the liquid was also a bit on the wet side. Not terrible, but more liquid than many people would like. The raisins helped absorb some of the excess.

I've never used corn syrup in a pie filling. I thought of trying Golden Syrup, or even Steens Cane Syrup, but ultimately I did not want this to turn into an obscenely expensive pie. At close to $6.00 US for a cup of Golden Syrup, I did the maths, and went with the corn syrup. I'm not corn-phobic, but I also don't buy soda, or much in the way of prepared food. I tend to think of these things as an allowance. Obviously, were I sucking down a 2 litre of Coke each day followed by a Hershey bar, I might reconsider. The old man used to do that-chocolate bar and a soda thing. It used to make my head tingle just watching. I think the lorry drivers have better things to get all hepped up on these days. Dad was partial to sugar. So yeah, the corn syrup is your call.

The one thing I might add to this recipe would be dried cranberries. Then again, it might be overkill. Sultanas probably would have looked nicer than raisins, but as you can see by the photograph, I'm not the sort of person that fiddles with their food. I have the diner mentality of slap it on a plate and cover it in cling film if it needs to sit a while. There, I arranged your slice of pie. In fact, you can see part of the crust broke when I cut the slice for the photo. I could have cut another slice, or affixed the broken piece back on-but that would take 20 seconds I could be spending telling you about my dad's dietary habits. I know you don't come to the blog for pretty pictures (at least, I hope you don't or you'll be kind of disappointed after while).

From the Farm Journal Complete Pie Cookbook, 1965:

Pastry for a 2 crust pie (I used an all-butter variety)
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups raw cranberries (frozen is OK)
2 teaspoons orange peel, grated
1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled apples (Mine were tart varieties)
1 cup raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Add corn syrup gradually. Add water. Stirring constantly bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until mixture thickens slightly.

Add cranberries, and cook until skins break. Add orange peel. Add apples. Remove from pan and cool completely before filling pie crust.

Turn mixture into a lined, 9 inch pan. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust, cut vents, and flute edges. I brushed mine with half and half, and sprinkled it generously with granulated sugar for a crunchy topping.

Bake in a hot 425 degree F. oven 40-50 minutes.

Oatmeal Drop and Baking Powder Biscuits

2012-01-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal Drop Biscuits are on the left, Baking Powder on the right.

Or scones, or rolls, or whatever they are called where you live. Both were simple enough to make, and delicious as well. The traditional biscuits re-heated better than the oatmeal dropped ones, if that matters to you. They were still perfectly edible, just a bit crumbly.

Both recipes come from Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Book, 1973. I've had great success with the (many) recipes I've made from this small, paperbound book. The recipes aren't terribly exotic (perhaps they were by the early 70's standards) but they are tested, and deliver provided you follow the directions. if you see it lurking at a charity shop, or book sale, it is worth purchasing particularly if you're a novice at breadbaking.

Biscuits Supreme:

2 cups plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk

Stir thoroughly the first five ingredients. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the centre, add milk all at once, and stir just until dough clings together. Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut, place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Oatmeal Drop Biscuits:

1 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 beaten egg (I had large)
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs(god, that's such a cliche but there isn't a better way to describe it). Stir in oats. Combine egg, milk, and honey. Add to flour mixture all at once. Mix just to combine. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Vareniki With Sauerkraut

2012-01-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

A few library book sales ago, I came home with The Dumpling Cookbook by, Maria Polushkin. I bought the volume for this recipe, but in the chaos of the holidays did not find time to try making vareniki until today.

Vareniki are not pirogi. I shouldn't need to point that out, but I will anyway. Some are filled with sweet mixtures of fruit and cheese, these are savoury filled with sauerkraut and onions. I cannot eat this sort of thing, but it was very well received by Mr. ETB and Danny. The beauty of a recipe like this is the quantity it produces. I have at least four more dinner's worth frozen now. Dumplings are such a hassle to make that being able to just do a large batch, and get it over with makes it a more attractive effort.

I had a jar of good sauerkraut to work with. I don't doubt that this will be good with standard supermarket kraut from a tin, but it may require a bit more rinsing to get rid of the extreme saltiness of the brine. I can't vouch for the fresh kind packed in bags as I don't buy it. It has taken me years to bring myself to be in the same room with the cooked stuff-I don't think I could handle the smell of the raw kraut *shudder*. I still don't bring cucumbers into the house. Ever. I wonder if I'd have the same aversions if the old man had sold caviar off his truck for a living?
"Beluga?! Oh god, not beluga!"

So the dumplings, back to the vareniki. These are Ukrainian, though I can't say that my Gran ever made them. She was more of a kreplach maker, and actually, I think she bought them. I think the most ethnic thing she ever prepared for me was some sort of stewed fruit compote that got served with wheat germ and sour cream for breakfast. Prunes and apricots, I think. Fantastic. I've been thinking about her a bit this week as the high-rise building she lived in went up in flames. I rarely read the Chicago papers, but for some reason I was looking at the Sun Times, and there on the front page was the apartment my Gran moved to in the late 70's. Her previous place was like something out of The Blues Brothers as it shook when the train went by on the elevated. Anyway, I'm sorry I wasn't more interested in Ukrainian cookery when she was still alive, as I'm sure she would have had an opinion about vareniki. Ukrainians have an opinion about, everything. Which brings me to my next point-I have no idea if these are traditional or not. I'm certain you couldn't find two people to agree on what is traditional. I do not wish to engage in debate over dumplings, nor do I aspire to insult the Ukrainian national dumpling with an inferior recipe. I followed the recipe in the book, and the boys liked them. That's traditional enough for me. I just want to head this off from the start as I've read enough heated comments about borsch that typically end with insults about Russian borsch being better known to the world because Stalin killed off all the Ukrainian borsch makers. Or something like that. So no angry letters about the vaeniki, OK?

You Will Need:

Dough:

2 cups plain flour
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites for sealing

Filling:

4 tablespoons butter (I had unsalted)
1 lb. sauerkraut rinsed under cold water, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1/2 cup dry, white wine
2 tablespoons sour cream

To serve: 4 tablespoons butter and 2 medium onions fried until crisp and browned

Make the filling ahead so it can cool.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy pan with a lid. Add the kraut and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until it is dry and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove to a bowl. Melt remaining butter and add onions, salt, and sugar. Cook until golden. Return kraut to pan and add wine. Turn heat as low as possible and cover. Cook 45 minutes, checking frequently to ensure it has not cooked dry. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and let cool. Do not fill dumplings with hot mixture or it will melt the dough. Chilled is best.

Make the dough:

In a bowl mix together the flour, whole egg, milk and salt to make a stiff, but workable dough. You may need to add a few drops of water. Knead until smooth, wrap in cling film and let rest at least 30 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Keep remaining portion covered. Roll dough out to a thickness of 1/8 inch (you may need to stretch as you roll). Using a biscuit cutter (about 3 inch) cut out rounds. Brush very lightly with beaten egg whites. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre, then fold over to form crescents. Pinch closed (I used a fork). Set on a baking sheet covered with wax paper and continue until all dough and filling is used (I got close to 70 dumplings, most of which I froze at that point).

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook vareniki about 10 at a time, and simmer until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon to a dish that you keep warm in the oven. Meanwhile, fry the onions and butter.

At this point, I removed the cooked onions from the pan and lightly browned the vareniki until a slight crust began to form. This is absolutely not traditional, but I thought the boys would turn their noses up at dumplings that were only boiled. As I was not the one eating them, I gave them the dumplings they wanted rather than the dumplings I thought they should have. Besides, the frying pan was already dirty.

I served these with herring fillets in paprika sauce, and a salad we call, "Farmer's Chop Suey" (I know, I know). It is radishes and scallion in cottage cheese and sour cream (half plain yoghurt at our house). Seasoned with salt, pepper, and dill it is a favourite. It typically has cucumber in it but we don't use cucumbers in this house because they are disgusting and smell like my family. I really do wonder about my caviar theory.

Plum Ring Mould

2012-01-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

A jellied salad makes everything look like 1970.

I had preserved fruit purees from last summer, but you can make it fresh as well. You'll need to cut up fruit, place it in a large pot with a bit of water just to keep it from sticking, and then simmer covered until the fruit is soft. At that point you run it through a food mill (not a food processor) and then proceed with the recipe. Any left over puree will freeze well.

You Will Need:

2 tablespoons unflavoured gelatin
3/4 cup grapefruit juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups prune plum puree (or cherry if you prefer)
1 cup water
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 cup finely chopped apple
2 cups blueberries (I had frozen from last summer)

Sprinkle the gelatin over the grapefruit juice and let soften. In a large pot, heat the sugar, salt, puree, water, and spices taking care not to let it boil. Let simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Remove spices. Stir in the gelatin and bring just to a boil, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Mix in fruit, and pour into a rinsed ring mould. Chill several hours before unmoulding.

For real-super-classy 60's look, unmould on a bed of lettuce (iceberg of course, that's all anyone had back then-before the boycott anyway, then we didn't see lettuce for years) and garnish with tinned peach halves and maraschino cherries. Yes, you must use tinned peaches. I served mine with blueberry yoghurt and a French dressing, but strangely I think Roquefort could work. Probably not Green Goddess.

You know, I was just thinking some beaded curtains would be lovely in the dining room.

Pineapple Marmalade

2012-01-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

This marmalade is a bit of work as you must chop the pineapple, and orange finely-by hand. Worth it? I suppose so, though I'd add a bit of lemon juice next time to compensate for the mildness of modern pineapples. I'd also add more ginger. Still, it has a lovely texture, a good level of pineapple flavour, and it will probably make a wonderful filling for a coconut cake at some point. The recipe makes a rather small batch-I got four half pints.

Again, from the now well-used, Sunset Home Canning

1 large orange
4 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple (cut by hand, not in a food processor)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I'd double that, but that's me)
3 cups granulated sugar

Scrub the unpeeled orange and chop as finely as possible, discarding pips. I cheated, and zested half the orange peel. In a large, heavy pot combine everything and bring to a boil over high heat stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring until you reach the gelling point. I also used a thermometer, but it began to set at around 200 degrees F. rather than 220, so keeps spoons handy to test the old fashioned way. Preserving is like that-you may want to chill a saucer as well. Mine took about 30 minutes to reach the gelling point, but again, keep an eye on it. You may need to reduce the temperature if it begins to spit near the end. A long spoon is nice.

Ladle the hot marmalade into sterilised 1/2 pint jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles with a small spatula, wipe threads clean with a damp towel, and seal with a heated lid. Fasten screw-bands and place in a boiling water canner. Process 10 minutes adjusting for altitude, then remove lid, kill the heat and let sit 5 minutes longer to cool down. Remove to a heat-proof surface and let stand 12-24 hours before testing seals. Makes about 4 half pints.

TDD Birthday Cake

2012-01-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

-Try ordering one of these at your local grocery chain bakery.

What? Doesn't everyone make a Test Driven Development cake for their SQL geek's birthday? Well, why not?

Happy Birthday, Mr. ETB!

Vegetarian Madfouna

2012-01-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

I improvised a filling made from butter beans, parsley, onions, garlic, mint, and spices. It was spicier than Danny's typical dinner, but he ate it happily enough, asking for seconds and (gasp) thirds. He never does that.

The original recipe is HERE. As the post is so detailed, I won't bother to reprint the ingredients and technique for the dough, but will instead give you an idea of what I did for the filling. I will note that the dough handled beautifully. This dish will be in regular rotation at our house. If you haven't been reading Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine, you should probably set aside some time to do so as you won't be able to stop clicking through the archives marveling at the incredible dishes. The breads! Oh, the breads! Really, go have a look and bookmark the URL because you know you'll want to make practically everything there.

For the filling I used:

(about) 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped coriander
2 tablespoons chopped, preserved lemon
4 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt/pepper
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 small tin butter beans, drained
4 dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup raisins

In a large pan, heat the oil. Add everything except the parsley, butter beans, and coriander. When onions have softened, add remaining ingredients. Mix well and cook a few minutes until the herbs wilt. Remove from heat and cool before using to fill dough.

Lime Mint Jelly (Jam)

2012-01-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

From Sunset Home Canning.

Don't say I didn't warn you that this is addictive. You'll wonder what to put it on, but let me assure you, this stuff will never make it anywhere near toast-you'll be eating it by the spoonful as a sweet.

About the colour-yes, it looks like Green River Soda, and no, it wasn't deliberate (or natural). I added what I thought was a single drop of green food colouring to help along the grey-ish colour of the mint. I might have overdone it a tad. Danny is really freaked out by the glowing green jelly and refuses to try it, but that's fine-more for me.

I used pint jars, yielding two and a half. Bad call. I would use half pint jars were I to make this again (which I'm sure I will because it is delicious).

You Will Need:

8-10 limes
Grated zest of 5 limes
4 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups water
Green food colouring (if desired)
3 ounce pouch of liquid pectin
3 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Wash and grate the zest of 5 limes. Set aside. Juice enough of the limes to total 3/4 cup juice. Pour lime juice, sugar, and water into a large, heavy stockpot and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add food colouring at this point if you like.

When mixture comes to a full rolling boil, stir in the entire packet of pectin all at once. Add zest and mint. Return to a full rolling boil and cook hard 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim any foam, and pack into sterilised half pint jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe threads clean, seal and process in a water bath canner 10 minutes (adjusting for altitude). Remove lid, kill the heat and let cool down 5 minutes before removing to a surface to cool. Let stand 12-24 hours. The jelly will look watery at first, but it sets beautifully by the following day.

Grapefruit/Rosemary/Juniper Cordial

2012-01-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

We'll see how this goes. I dried the grapefruit peels for several weeks before using them, as I do with orange peels in wine. The juniper berries were an afterthought, but something about the citrus and rosemary suggested gin to me, so there it is.

I'll update when it gets strained and sugared.

First Saturday Book Sale at Swanson Library, Omaha

2012-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

I did rather well at today's sale. Among the great finds were the Larousse Gastronomy from 1961, an oversized Life magazine cookery collection (featuring stories that ran in Life) from 1958, and a book on Philip the Fair that begins, "Philip the Fair is a hard man to know" which made me laugh, seeing how he's been dead since the 13th Century. Sorry, nerd humour. Anyway, we also came home with various field guides to identify insects, some sort of, "How-to" book of witchcraft (Mr. ETB insists it is technically a reference book), and a US army publication from the 1950's explaining the Soviet threat to newly deployed officers in Europe.

I'm now the proud owner of a book on making mead-several varieties of mead. I have no idea if I will like mead, but I do like an interesting challenge. I found a 1972 copy of the Ball Blue Book which has some interesting recipes that seem to have disappeared in subsequent re-printings. Also discovered were a copy of Maryland's way, a collection of historical recipes, and a copy of The Colony Cookbook, from the long-defunct (but still kinda famous) Colony restaurant in New York. More stories than recipes in that one, but still fun.

I think the way the book sales have been re-arranged in an improvement. Rather than a three day quarterly sale, they do every Thursday, and the first Saturday of each month. It is easier on the volunteers, and it keeps a nice flow of new materials through the place. I certainly didn't have any difficulty finding things to purchase, and I was just there Thursday. People were in good spirits, the weather was lovely, and I finally own a copy of the Larousse. Not a bad afternoon.

67 Degrees F. in January Ain't Normal...

2012-01-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

...for Nebraska.

I drove home with the car windows down today. I made lemonade. I served salad. I'm afraid the bulbs outside may get tricked into sending up green shoots. The Chicagoan in me is thinking, "Sure, but 80 inches of snow are around the corner", but the forecast looks good for an extended period. I'm saving a fortune on propane, but it still feels strange to be taking down holiday decorations in this weather.

It was nearly a festival atmosphere at the library today. Danny found himself in an interesting conversation with a pensioner about the advantages of wearing a sport coat. Danny prefers them to sweaters as he has room for pens, calculator, handkerchief, etc. The elderly gentleman agreed, and within moments the two of them were bringing forth all manner of oddball items from their pockets.

OAP: Oh, a pocket protector, that's good Danny, it will keep your jacket clean.

Danny: Yes, I got this calculator for Christmas and it came with a pocket protector which made me really happy because I'm a nerd.

OAP : Nothing wrong with that.

Danny: I know, right? I'm a bookish kind of nerd.

OAP: That's the best kind to be.

That exchange had the somewhat humourless German guy we see at every sale trying his damnedest not to laugh. Jah.

My point is, when humourless Germans start laughing you know something is wrong with the balance of the universe, and we're all going to be seeing the horsemen of Armageddon or at the very least, shoveling a shitload of unanticipated snow. Snow can catch you off guard in a mild winter-you know, Mike Balandic.

So yeah, I should be baking a Twelfth Night cake for tomorrow, but I feel like I ought to be making watermelon granita.

Handmade Ryan Gosling

2012-01-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

I never heard of this guy until all the memes started, but THIS one appealed to my crafting side.

But What Do Vegetarians Eat?

2012-01-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Harissa potatoes

Lentils, brown rice and beet green casserole, roasted vegetables, harissa baked potatoes, and oatcakes with the most perfectly ripened pear I've ever tasted. I'm showing you this to try and get across the idea that vegetarian meals need not be dull.

I know this is a popular time of year for people to experiment with vegetarianism, and quickly feel defeated after their third or fourth tofu burger or other meat substitute. Anyway, I thought it would be a good time to post some attractive meatless meals, just to show it can be done.

Scottish Oatcakes-Nick Narin

2012-01-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

I've owned Island Harvest for years, but these were the first thing I made from the book. The oatcakes were a great hit, though I did need more oats than the recipe indicated-I'll chalk that up to the difference in American oats. If I made them again I would use half Old fashioned and half Quick Cooking oats.

1 1/2 cups oatmeal plus extra for dusting
1/4 teaspoon bicarb.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bacon fat (no) lard(no) or butter (yes)
2/3 cup water

Melt the butter in the water. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the water and mix. The oats expand and will form a soft dough (I needed much more oats).

Roll into a round 1/4 inch thick on an oat dusted board. Cut into 8ths. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, turning them every five to prevent them getting soggy. Cool on racks.

Preserved Citrus

2012-01-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

Preserved lemons and blood oranges. They soak in salt and lemon juice for a week at room temp, then get topped up with olive oil and stored in the fridge. In a few weeks, you have preserved citrus peel ready to flavour fish, vegetables, and grains.

Healthier Brownies

2012-01-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

I accidentally made something healthy. Don't tell anyone. I was inspired by the great deal on tinned pumpkin and the understanding that my family does not like tinned pumpkin. I did what any sane person would do-I shoved it into brownies. I didn't try to fool anyone (I don't think sneaking things into people's food is a decent thing to do) and when Danny was told it had pumpkin he made a face, but tried it anyway (I mean, come on-it is still a brownie). He really liked them. I mean, really liked them which is great because they are very easy to make, and I bought a lot of pumpkin. There, I used tinned pumpkin in something that isn't disgusting. Where's my award?

I will note that a very dark cocoa makes this seem more indulgent than it is. I buy the inexpensive Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder (They aren't paying me to do so) as I think it is a good quality product for the price. I can't randomly purchase cocoa and other baking products due to Danny's allergies and cross-contamination concerns, but feel free to use any sort you like. I'm not about to tell you what cocoa to like. I used to really like Droste before it was ten dollars a box.

You Will Need:

4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened tinned pumpkin
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used corn, but any will do)
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder sifted with 1 cup plain flour

Grease a 9x13 pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until light in colour, and thick. Beat in the vanilla, pumpkin, and oil. Sift the combined flour and cocoa over the mixture lightly and very gently fold in until combined.

Pour into pan and bake 25 minutes or until it tests done. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into squares.

Any Idiot Can Roast Veg

2012-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

-Still, some idiots insist on boiling them to death. I know, I grew up with a "boiler" for a mother (and Gran). Olive oil was something we bought in a tiny bottle at the pharmacy to clean out your nose on a Q-tip in the winter. No one I knew actually used it to cook.

Cut your vegetables. If you're doing things together that cook quicker, you may need to remove them sooner-I try to accommodate this by cutting quicker cooking items larger, but it really isn't anything to get overly concerned about. Place the vegetables in a bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (or whatever oil you like) and herbs (I use a lot of thyme and rosemary). Toss, and pour onto a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper if you like. Place in a hot oven (425 degrees F.). Bake 15 minutes. Stir. Return to oven another 15 minutes or until done.

There, isn't that better than boiled carrots?

Lime Vinegar

2012-01-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

The lime vinegar is finished, and I'm rather pleased with it. I can't wait to use it on a fruit salad.

From, The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by, Carol W. Costenbader
(Buy the book! No one is paying me to say so-it is just a wonderful source for all sorts of things you never knew you wanted to make).

1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
Zest of 1 lime
1 quart white wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients except vinegar in a large widemouthed jar. Heat vinegar to 110 degrees F.

Pour vinegar into jar and let cool. Tightly cover and store in a cool, dark place. Check flavours after 1 week. Strain through a coffee filter and decant into a sterilised jar. Seal, label and store in a cool dark place.

When You Think You've Seen Everything

2012-01-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

-you find THIS.

Complaint

2012-01-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

The No Frills Supermarket in Ashland, Nebraska has undergone some renovations of late. While it looks cleaner, I still dislike the place and don't shop there save for a few emergency items. Today we stopped by, and Danny noticed the building facade was gone. Previously, it had an old, largely broken latticework fashioned from cinder-block type materials. Ugly, to be sure, but within the blocks, birds would nest. Danny loved standing by the door as a small child watching the birds poke their heads out, and hop from block to block. Now, all of the latticework has been replaced by grey, corrugated tin that makes the building look tidier (in the way that our shed appears tidy) but without a place for the hundreds of birds to build their nests. I suspect that was part of the plan, as they did cause a bit of mess that even the greatest bird lover would admit looked unappealing at the entrance to a grocer. Danny, seeing the birds were without nesting grounds was outraged enough to grab a comment card and fill it out.

It reads:

"Drill holes in the outside of the building. The birds don't have a place to nest now. You screwed your nature."

You screwed your nature. How could you go and screw your nature like that, No Frills? Why do supermarkets hate birds? Huh? Huh?

Hoppin' John-Vegetarian

2012-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Among the handful of foods I refuse to eat are black eyed peas. I hate them. I hate the way they look, the way they smell, and the way they taste. Unfortunately, Danny and Mr. ETB adore them. Once a year I indulge them by making Hoppin' John. Then, I leave the table.

I'm going to post the recipe so years from now Danny will know how to make it, but I'm sure you can find more traditional versions than my meatless variety.

You Will Need:

2 cups cooked black eyed peas (I used the fresh ones this year which only need 10 minutes of cooking)
Cooked white rice for serving
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 scallion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt/Pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon imitation bacon bits (or crumbled fakin' bacon strips)

In a large frying pan heat the oil over medium heat and cook the celery, pepper, onion, scallion, spices and fakin' bacon until softened-about 10 minutes. Drain black eyed peas well and mix into vegetables. Cook another few minutes for flavours to combine. Serve hot over rice.

I Shop Better Than You

2012-01-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

I dragged my behind out to do a few chores today (I needed those plastic covers for the ear thermometer so I could keep shoving the beeping thing in my ear and exclaiming, "Oh my god, I have a fever!" Like it was some shocking observation) and I came home with some fantastic deals.

Walgreens had 1,000 tablets of Ibuprofen on a "buy one, get one free" deal. I go through 800 mg. every six hours, so it isn't like they will be left unused. I was pretty pleased with deal until I rounded the corner and saw boxes of Domino icing sugar on sale for .50 cents a box (1 lb.). I bought about ten pounds. The same shelf had Clabber Girl cornstarch for .25 cents a canister-I bought four. Cornstarch is something I never used much of until I became a mother and started making pudding from scratch-no child of mine is eating pudding from a packet. It comes in handy for glazing breads, baking pies, Chinese food, and home remedies.

When I thought my trip to Walgreens couldn't get more exciting (and it is actually kind of a long trip to a Walgreens from where I live) I found the .50 cent tins of pumpkin puree. Then, (I nearly peed myself from the excitement...or maybe it was my fever) I found Danny a beautiful glass/musical snowglobe with his favourite song-Beautiful Dreamer. It was $3.00

So..ask me what I got at Big Lots. Go on, ask!

When I used to travel home to Illinois (which thankfully I don't need to do anymore as nearly everyone is dead) I would stop at the Pharmacy in Deerfield (Lindeman's) to buy vanilla extract they used at the soda fountain. They would bottle it up in a medicine bottle, and stick a prescription label on it telling you how to use your fancy vanilla extract. Oh, it was wonderful stuff. It was years later, after the place had closed that I found out the vanilla came from another local company, Nielsen-Massey. I bought it a few times, but it is an expensive specialty item around here, and eventually I forgot about it. Until today. Today, I found 4 oz. bottles of the stuff at Big Lots for $4.00 ea. I bought them all. I had to. Sure, you can soak your own beans in vodka, you can buy cheaper extracts, there are a million reasons I could have walked past that vanilla except, none of those smell like my High School years. First thing tomorrow morning I'm putting on a pair of Gaucho pants with a matching shirtwaist, robin's egg blue mascara, flavoured lip gloss...and then I'm making a batch of vanilla ice cream. I'll probably sulk and roll my eyes whenever someone tries talking to me, but damnit, I am going to make my rural Nebraska kitchen smell like Lindeman's pharmacy circa 1980.

Also scored at Big Lots-1/2 price cookie tins (I use them all year for sewing materials, storing crackers, etc.) the last of the limited edition grapefruit Tic-Tacs (I bought something like 20 boxes...because I really love grapefruit. In fact, yesterday I happened upon white grapefruit which is rare as hen's teeth these days, and I might have gone a wee bit overboard. I can't help myself-I love bitter citrus. Love it. I would forgo all other food for grapefruit and blood oranges. I ate so damn many grapefruits when I was pregnant with Danny I should have named him, "Texas Sweet".) and blackcurrant tea for Danny (he likes flavoured tea).

I swear I'm not a hoarder, but I do live miles from decent shopping, and sooner or later this 50 degree F. weather is going to turn into winter and I won't be able to get down the access road from the farm. I like to think of it like a squirrel foraging and storing nuts...except this squirrel likes good vanilla and grapefruit Tic Tacs. And herring, of which I purchased several tins as well.

Anyone get any terrific post-holiday sale items?

Winners

2012-01-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

Since Raymond and Janice were the only participants, you both win (what is the matter with the rest of you?). My favourites were:

"Eat your butter!"
and
"If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague." (Which reminds me of that Burroughs bit about, "As one judge said to the other-if you can't be just, be arbitrary."

I know I have Raymond's address, and I'm pretty sure I have Janice's as well (I'll let you know if I don't).

I'm a bit under the weather today, but hopefully I'll get some preserves into the post this week, or next.

I'm putting Danny in charge of painting the family motto sign so he'll have things to complain to his friends about when he's a teenager.

Thanks for all the laughs. I'm off to get my daily butter ration!

Orange Jam

2011-12-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

The recipe I followed called this, "Marmalade." I would call it jam. Rather than peeling and chopping the rind, the oranges and lemons are sliced whole, and go through several steps to soften them. We all really enjoyed the taste and texture, but the appearance is less attractive than a clear marmalade. Oh, it is pretty, but opaque-like jam.

I added two tablespoons of Campari at the end, which at least helped the colour. It certainly solved the issues I've had with American oranges being too sweet. After all the experiments over the years with orange blossom water, Angustora, and the like, a couple tablespoons of bitter orange booze accomplished what I'd been trying to capture. So good, that's sorted.

The other oddity in the recipe is adding the lemon juice at the end, before bottling. I've been preserving quite some time, but have never run across that instruction. It didn't seem to impact the pectin/gelling as it was being bottled, but perhaps there is some long-term reason for it. I should think with five oranges and two lemons it was acid enough already.

I used a jam thermometer this year, but even at 220 degrees F. I thought it needed a bit more time based on the spoon test. Perhaps it is best not to rely on a singular method of testing gelling. This did come up with just about the perfect texture, which is a nice departure from my typical marmalade soup. Or I cook it to death. Grapefruit seems more susceptible overcooking.

Overall? I loved the soft, big pieces of fruit and rind that weren't challenging to eat-the rinds practically dissolve on toast. The bitter/sweet ratio was perfect, and if someone presented this to me as jam I'd be delighted with it, but as marmalade I'm not convinced. I'm not however worried about any going to waste.

From, Sunset Home Canning:

5 medium sized oranges
2 small lemons
3 cups water
6 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons Camapri (my addition)

Rinse unpeeled lemons and oranges (my note-scrub the hell out of 'em). Halve lengthwise, thinly slice crosswise, discarding seeds (I left a few that I fished out later as they help with gelling). Place slices in a large 8-10 quart pot, add water and press down fruit to make an even layer. Cover and let stand at room temperature 8-24 hours (I did 14).

Bring fruit to a boil, uncovered over high heat, stirring. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 4 hours.

Stir in sugar, bring to a boil over high heat, and keep stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil uncovered until mixture thickens and reaches 220 degrees F. (but do a manual gel test, either a spoon or saucer). As it begins to boil down, turn down the heat as it will stick and sputter.

Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and Campari if using.

Ladle marmalade into hot, sterilized jars, remove air bubbles and wipe rims clean. Process ten minutes in a boiling water canner (adjust times to your altitude), with a five minute cool down still in the canner after heat is off. Cool 12-24 hours before testing seals. Makes 5 pints or about 8 half pints.

Raisin Refrigerator Relish

2011-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

The recipe for these raisins comes from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by, Carol W. Costenbader. So far I've been pleased with the recipe format as well as the results. I have a lime vinegar sitting, but when it is ready, I'll post the results.

I know you think pickled raisins sound strange, and they do but you'll be cheating yourself out of a really excellent pickle if you let that keep you from making this. It reminds me of chutney without the onion and sugary glop. Even the kiddo liked them (you thought I was going to say, "relished" them, didn't you?). I can see these with a roast, though I served them with a salad tonight, and will probably toss them on some flatbreads with curry tomorrow. My only regret is not making more, as I expect these to go fast.

You Will Need:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I substituted a teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes)
1 cup raisins
1 cup sultanas(I used all raisins)

Heat vinegar and sugar. Add garlic, salt, and remaining spices. Pour warm vinegar over raisins in a 1 pt. sterile canning jar. Cap, seal, and refrigerate. Keeps 3-5 days* in the fridge.

*That seems kind of short for a pickle, even unprocessed. Still, it is a small batch and will probably get used quickly. Any food science experts have thoughts on this?

A Traitor to my Ethnicity

2011-12-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

-I'm having extensive dentistry done so that my teeth no longer look like David Bowie's. So far, the front four on top look awesome. I needed some fillings done, and since I was going to be sitting in the chair quite a bit over the next few months, I thought it would be a good time to make my teeth look less like that of a horse-or David Bowie. I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner, though in the past I think the technology was a bit more crude (like caps).

Now I can smile when I tell you to fuck off.

Contest!

2011-12-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

I really like THIS project at Make and Takes for a, "Family Motto" board. I can't however come up with anything better than Mr. ETB's suggestion of, "You Can't Kill Us All. OK Fine, You Can." Better to put it to the readers.

You have until 1 January 2012 to enter your suggestions in the comments. The best one will be selected by myself. The winner will get a jar of homemade marmalade, jam or whatnot.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably know that we're not the, "Daily Affirmation" kind of people unless it begins with, "Everyone I ever hurt...deserved it." You earn points if it makes me laugh.

Let's see what you guys can come up with.

Christmas Place Settings

2011-12-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

When I bought two snowflake plates at the grocer in November, Danny immediately fell in love. Suspecting they would be clearenced after Christmas, I went back this morning and bought four, three piece place settings to pack away for when he leaves home. They were .74 cents each. The next place I visited had snowmen plates and bowls for .50. I bought those as well.

My plan is to pack them away with some local newspapers from our county, as print papers probably won't exist by then. Hopefully, he'll enjoy looking back and remembering the winter of 2011.

Grannymar's Christmas Pudding

2011-12-25T19:34:00.001-08:00

That blob atop the pudding is a brandy soaked sugar cube that failed to ignite, but it was brandy soaked sugar so it isn't like anyone was complaining. Wouldn't that be a wonderful little pick-me-up to have a brandy soaked sugar cube in tea? OK, skip the tea. I was gifted a bottle of Campari for Christmas which I promptly began mixing with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. I wonder what sugar soaked in Campari would be like? Probably would work with this pudding as it is loaded with candied slices of oranges and grapefruit. It is about as Campari-ish as a Christmas pudding can get.

This is the third year Grannymar's pudding has made an appearance at our Christmas dinner. I had fruit I candied myself last summer when cherries, apricots, and plums were in season-now I'm afraid this will become tradition. I cannot imagine a Christmas pudding with anything less. I still have a couple stashed for St. Patrick's Day. I like a suet pudding, but this butter based pudding is unquestionably the best I've tasted-and this year's was over-the-top from the fruit. And moist-I don't know how that happened as I have a reputation for over-drying puddings in the oven, or not using enough booze to keep it hydrated. I dunno, it was like some magical alignment of the universe and pudding gods got together and decided 2011 was going to be the year we all remember as the best pudding, ever. Best. Pudding. Ever.

Thanks, Grannymar for your help with another perfect Christmas pudding.

Scenes From Christmas

2011-12-25T17:20:00.001-08:00

Perfect toast for Christmas morning (sourdough limpa with spiced orange jelly)
Homemade Christmas crackers with the dumbest jokes ever.
Hope your holiday was as wonderful as ours.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T18:55:00.001-08:00

Coconut Kisses

2011-12-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

Imagine the best part of a coconut macaroon, and the best part of a meringue-that's what these are, only better. Addictive. And sweet. So sweet your head goes all woo woo, and your teeth hurt, but you keep eating them anyway. Yeah, that's what they're like.

Adapted from, Amish and Mennonite Kitchens, Pellman and Good (I love that cookbook)

You Will Need:

3 large egg whites at room temperature
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (caster sugar works best if you have it)
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flaked coconut

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. When about half the sugar is added, beat in the vinegar. You need to keep beating until they are very fluffy-a good 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla and fold in coconut.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drop by teaspoons, or pipe through a bag. Top with something festive, or leave plain and drizzle with melted chocolate laster. I made mine large, but the recipe says you can get five dozen. I got about 18.

Bake 30-45 minutes until dry. Cool on rack.

Trifle

2011-12-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Because I do everything Felicity Cloake tells me to (well, except Coronation chicken).

We used blueberries frozen from last summer, cake from Danny's birthday, and blackberry jam from Thanksgiving. I enjoy using up odds and ends. We skipped the gelatine layer, though honestly, I feel like that's sacrilege. Danny can't tolerate the stuff, but I sort of have a weak spot for it.

Sourdough Limpa Bread

2011-12-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

The technique for this bread can be applied to other sandwich loaves with excellent results.

You Will Need:

Sponge:

1 cup fed sourdough starter
2 cups water
2 cups dark rye flour

Mix together and let stand 8-12 hours.

Final dough:

All of sponge
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
Grated zest of 1 large orange
Enough strong flour to make a dough that is tacky, but not soaking wet.

Cover with cling film and let rest 1 hour.

Over the next four hours, give the dough about 2 folds each hour. More or less-see how the dough is responding.

Transfer dough to a well-buttered loaf pan (I have a large Pullman pan, but 2 regular loaf pans are OK as well). Cover lightly with cling fil and set in fridge until doubled. This can take 8-24 hours, again, it just depends on the strength of your starter, temperature of the fridge, etc.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees f.

Remove bread from fridge while the oven preheats. Bake 20 minutes, then rotate pan. Bake another 20 minutes. At this point, you'll need to watch the bread and check the internal temperature. I like my loaf breads around 200 degrees F. but if it seems too light, or too dark, trust your judgment and adjust the timing/temperature. A thermometer is helpful, but careful attention is important as well. After you've baked for a while, you learn to trust your eye.

Cool completely before slicing.

Charred Carrot Soup

2011-12-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

This soup comes from the 1987 edition of The Best of Food and Wine. It was quite a bit of work, but certainly a different sort of soup than I typically make. I used a food mill rather than a food processor and I put the soup through a fine sieve after. I suppose that might have made it seem like more work (and grating carrots on a box grater) but I am unwilling to give up counter space to a food processor i will use only occasionally. I rarely used mine, and when it broke, I was happy enough to live without it. My point is, the recipe is "doable" without modern appliances.

You Will Need:

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
5-6 medium carrots (about 3 cups) peeled and shredded
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 small Idaho potato (a floury-type potato) peeled and chopped
3 1/2 cups rich vegetable (or chicken) stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt (adjust according to the saltiness of your stock)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat a 12 inch cast iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil, then the carrots. Stir to coat. Cook the carrots, stirring frequently until they are partially charred-about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots are softened-about 2 minutes. Add the potato and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until carrots and potato are very soft-about 15 minutes.

In a food processor (or a food mill) puree until smooth, then force through a fine mesh sieve (yes, that will be time consuming, so plan accordingly). Return soup to a saucepan and add the cream. Add the red wine vinegar, extra salt, and pepper as desired. Stir in the butter, and serve the soup hot, garnished with parsley.

Sourdough Pizza with Onions and Anchovies

2011-12-22T17:24:00.000-08:00

I use the term, "Pizza" rather loosely. There's a bit of cheese, but only about half a cup-hardly any at all by my household's standards. There's a whole hell of a lot of bread though. And onions. The egg was just being silly, though it turned out OK. I don't eat this sort of thing, but as everyone tucked-in and I didn't hear complaints, I'll assume it was good. I hope they liked it as they'll be eating it again tomorrow.

For the Onions:

2 large, sweet onions (about 1 1/2 lbs.) minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
Pinch of ground cloves

Cook all over very low heat until very soft-about 1 hour. remove bay leaf, and chill until needed.

For the crust:

Sponge:

1 cup fed sourdough starter
2 cups water
2 cups strong flour
Mix well. Let stand four to five hours.

Final dough:

To the sponge add:

1 teaspoon instant yeast (you can skip this, but it will take longer)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Enough plain flour to make a dough that is tacky but not soaking wet. Mix all together and cover with cling film in same bowl. Let stand 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, knead dough adding flour if needed to keep it from sticking-only add what you absolutely need. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Stretch out dough and place in a very well oiled pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. If you are doing a heavy topping, it helps to pre-bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove crust from oven and add toppings. Return to a much hotter oven-around 475-500. Bake until topping is nicely browned. If doing an egg, add it in the last even or eight minutes.

Kreplach-Meatless

2011-12-21T17:43:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be Hanukkah around here without a bowl of vegetarian kreplach soup. This year, I made the filling from a combination of chickpeas and butter beans-I also made them larger. Honestly, they are a pain to make, which is why I've set kreplach aside as a holiday treat. I suspect they enjoy them more for the scarcity as well.

The basic recipe is HERE.

Basic Birthday Cake Tutorial

2011-12-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

People who bake frequently often have their foolproof recipes they count on to produce predictable results. Sure, I enjoy trying new things (geez, get your minds out of the gutter) but when it comes to something as important as a birthday cake, experience has taught me to stick with the familiar. My familiar is a rich, gold cake that goes out at night and does my bidding. It is often observed in the company of a butter/shortening decorator's icing.

I can see you making faces at the mention of shortening (you shouldn't do that as your face will stay that way you know). The shortening helps keep the icing spreadable, and it also keeps the finished cake from melting at room temperature. There are fancier butter creams that do not rely on shortening for this effect, and certainly many will taste better. Again, I opt for reliability, not butter cream that will curdle, and cause me worry trying to remedy it. Besides, it has an entire cup of butter in addition to the shortening, so it isn't like you're going to die of some sort of butter deficiency disease. Wait until you hear what goes into the cake.

When making cakes such as the one I made for Danny's Birthday that require cutting into shapes, it is important to have something solid that will cut cleanly. My son does not like pound cake (fool, I know) which would be my first choice for a cake construction material. My second is this rich cake that has butter, an ungodly number of egg yolks, and milk. It has a delicious, rich crumb, yet it is somewhat dense making it easy to cut in sharp lines. I always make the cake a day ahead of decorating so it can firm up, tightly wrapped in the fridge as cold cake cuts much better. Contrary to what every cookery book I own tells me, I find a serrated bread knife does an excellent job trimming and slicing this cake, provided you don't use too much of a sawing motion.

Something I've learned over the years is that extra cake eliminates the, "What if I screw-up?" anxiety. Bake more than you think you will need (but do it as separate batches as the recipe does not double well) and freeze any extra tightly wrapped in wax paper and cling film. It makes a wonderful trifle, emergency cake (what, you're too classy to have a cake emergency?") or gift in a hurry (defrost and decorate). Too much cake is rarely a problem (really, when was the last time you heard someone complain of too much home baked cake? If you spend time with people that complain about an abundance of cake, you obviously need new friends) but too little when you've already started decorating is a pain. Bake ahead, and screw-up all you like secure in the knowledge that you have, emergency cake.

Filling: I don't bother. If you feel compelled to fill an already rich, decorated cake, stick with something like jam. If you're making layers, then I suppose there's an obligation, but for a sheet cake cut into designs, I consider it madness to split the cake and fill it. For a layer cake don't go for a heavy custard filling as it may squish out the sides making decorating difficult. I really like jam-it stays where you put it. A layer of melted chocolate that will harden again is also interesting. Whatever you do, keep the filling thin. You're not going to listen, are you? No, I know you too well, and can see the weeping lemon curd. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The recipes:

For the icing:

1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons flavouring
3 cups sifted icing sugar (possibly more or less)
Tint

Cream the butter and shortening until light. Beat in flavouring. Add the sugar a half cup at a time until you have an icing that is a spreadable consistency. If you use liquid food colour rather than gel, you may find it thins the icing a bit, so you'll need to experiment. If you should make the icing too thick, thin it with a small bit of cream added a tablespoon at a time. The icing will begin to dry out as the air hits it, so if you are affixing something like jimmies or pearl sugar, do so before the frosting sets to ensure it adheres well. It will not turn hard like royal icing, though it can easily be piped on for a decorative effect. I would use extra icing sugar to make it stiffer.

Technique:
Make a crumb coat of thin icing on the top and sides of the cake (I start with the sides, but that's me). Return the cake to the fridge for at least 20 minutes for the icing to set. This is a step well worth doing as the finished decorating looks smooth, and neat. I like tidy cake. I also like slide rules, advanced maths, Linnaeus, and things that order the universe in a way that seems pleasant without turning into my mother and colour coding the linen cupboard, or ironing the dusting rags. Obviously my world is not organised around punctuation. It is a cake for heaven's sake, not some bloody curry you threw together from vegetables rotting in the bins, and a tin of coconut milk. It really ought to look like you made some sort of effort. So crumb coat, OK?

For the Cake:

This will make a 9x13 or two 9 inch layers

1/2 cup butter
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 large egg yolks (yes, that is quite a bit. Freeze the whites for later use) well beaten
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (use the cake flour for this, not plain flour)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used 2 % because I had it, but anything will do)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract ( or any flavouring you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. with rack in centre position. Butter and flour cake pan(s). Cream together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Sift the dry ingredients together and add alternating with the milk and extracts. Don't over beat, but you do want to make sure it is mixed thoroughly. Bake 25-30 minutes for layers, 35-40 for 9x13. Cake should test done when it passes toothpick test and begins to pull away from sides of the pan. Coll 10 minutes in pan on a rack, then remove from pan carefully and cool completely on rack.

Put it together:

I like to make room in the fridge for two large baking sheets. Do this ahead. Cover the sheets with wax paper to catch any drips of icing, crumbs, etc. As you will be working in stages (you are going to do a crumb coat, correct?) it is easier to know exactly where the cake is going between steps. Baking sheet in hand is no time to discover you have a dozen jars of chutney and relishes that must be moved before the cake can chill. You probably don't need that jar of Branston pickle from 2006, so use this as an opportunity to bin it. Sure, your spouse/partner will insist it is still good, but you need the room for cake. Branston is the devil anyway.

After the frosting has set, lightly drape a piece of wax paper over the cake (or a cake cover if doing layers that will fit) and let it firm up at least half a day before serving. It cuts best for serving cold, though it does tend to taste better when closer to room temperature-with the exception of summer heat. Shortening may be designed to withstand the flames of hell (or a summer in the American South) but butter gets unpleasant after an hour or so in high heat.

Remember, even if the cake gets a bit stale, you can cut off the icing and make a perfectly acceptable trifle from it. Toasted slices of cake drizzled with Golden Syrup make a rather nice breakfast as well. Do not waste cake (god, I think I shuddered even typing "waste" and "Cake" in the same sentence).

Happy Baking.

Danny's Birthday

2011-12-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

First presents (very, very early)
oooh, a super powerful magnet for science and a Jacob's ladder toy.
Yeah, I made the Periodic table from iced butter cookies. Someone had to.
A thermometer.
Detail of cookies. I'm glad I went with edible marker rather than trying to pipe all the stuff in royal icing. Good call, that.
Danny requested a cake shaped like a battery. I thought it should have a lightbulb as well. What the photo does not show are the candy crystals that made the lightbulb appear glass-like. The battery has silever and gold crystals as well.
Yeas. I bought him $60.00 worth of plastic soldiers so he could recreate the Charge of the Light Brigade. No, we didn't get all of "The 600." Damn close though. These models are really well made-the horses stand and the soldiers stay put atop them. You get what you pay for, in replicas anyway.
The quilt is difficult to photograph due to the shimmer of the organza top. What I did was make a fish tank scene with apliques, rick rack, sequins, etc. I covered it with the sheer organza and sewed it to the top of the quilt. Danny loves it, as do I. It wasn't terribly difficult to make, though it did require some planning.
Can you see the fish?

We finished the day at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs. Actually, that's not true as we stopped at the Hy-Vee in the Mall of the Bluffs for cheese (They have an outstanding selection of cheese ends from exotic cheeses). As it is Danny's birthday, he got to select the cheese-Leicester, and Emmanthaler. Both excellent choices. I bought a small Canadian cheddar that I wish I'd purchased more of. That stuff was so good it makes me wonder why we bothered invading Iraq when we could have invaded Canada. I mean, they have oil and cheese. I don't know why the Pentagon never rings and asks for my opinion.

Anyway, a wonderful time was had by all, and my baby is now a very grown-up seven years of age.

So What Do You Do With Cake Scraps?

2011-12-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

"Vaguely French" snowmen.

I mixed cake scraps with leftover frosting and formed balls. After chilling them for an hour, I melted white chocolate and then rolled each ball in sugar crystals and/or nonpareils. The noses are tiny pieces of orange flavoured licorice twists, and the hats are Junior mints.

I thought about posing the snowmen gazing down at the baby Jesus from Danny's Nativity set, but Mr. ETB thought that would be tasteless. *shrug*

Beetroot-a Few New (to me) Uses

2011-12-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

I roasted a batch of thinly sliced beetroot tossed with olive oil and coarse salt. I pulled half the slices out whilst still pliable, but left the remainder to bake until crisp. The soft beetroot went into a fritata, and the chips went atop a salad. Both were well received. This makes a reasonably quick, uncomplicated dinner with somewhat more nutritional value than the typical holiday season meal.

Turnip Greens

2011-12-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

I made a few changes to THIS recipe (veggie broth, different peppers) but the result was a batch of turnip greens that is easily in the top 10 things to come out of my kitchen-ever. Turnip greens don't usually get the sort of reaction from my family that these did. Finally, a recipe for greens that doesn't require a bunch of ham or bacon fat.

Christmas Music

2011-12-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to win any "Mummy of the Year" awards, but Danny really got a kick out of THIS.

I baked about a million cookies this week (well, nearly) including the now completed Periodic Table. I'll post it when I assemble it for the Birthday party on Tuesday. I have about three nights of sewing left to complete the quilt, but it is giving me a great excuse to watch movies. I can't very well read as I stitch, so I've used this time as an opportunity to watch, and re-watch things I wouldn't otherwise have time for. So far this week, I've watched:

Life of Brian
A Christmas Story
A Child's Christmas in Wales
Lawrence of Arabia (the 4 hours director's cut)
Medium Cool
Failsafe

No idea what I'm watching tonight, but I have a large stack of videos I bought when the local rental place closed, so there's quite a selection. Black Robe was a cheerful movie, maybe I'll re-watch that one.

OK, gotta go finish the kid's birthday present.

Easy Meal Ideas for Busy Holiday Evenings

2011-12-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight-mini cheese souffles. I served these with herbed rice, and spinach. The whole dinner was ready in about 45 minutes. Only about 15 minutes being active prep time. I have better things to do than cook for my family...wait...oh hell, you know what I mean.

Use 4 large, or 6 regular sized ramekins. I've had this recipe copied down in a notebook for years. I no longer recall where I found it, but it has been in regular rotation at our house for some time now. This is one you'll want to copy down and keep as well. At least I think you will.

You Will Need:

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain flour
2 large egg yolks, room temp.
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan plus extra for ramekins
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch pepper
4 large egg whites, room temp
Pinch cream of tartar
3/4 cup lightly packed grated cheese (I used Swiss and cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the ramekins well. Coat lightly with parsemasan, then place on a baking sheet and chill until needed.

Heat the milk and thyme until steaming. In another pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat until it begins to foam. Whisk in the warm milk and continue cooking until it thickens-about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly before beating in egg yolks, remaining Parmesan, nutmeg and salt/pepper.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff. Fold 1/4 of it into the souffle base. Fold in remaining egg whites, then toss cheese on top and fold it all together. Pour into ramekins and bake 30 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Persimmon Pudding

2011-12-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

You need the regular, old persimmons for this rather than the Fuyu. The persimmon should be so ripe that it is really nearly liquid being held together by the thinest remainder of skin. Sometimes they crack-that's OK it means the fruit is ready. Of course, if you're lazy, persimmon pulp in a dish dotted with butter and brown sugar can go under the broiler for a minute resulting in a pretty impressive dessert for minimal effort. This pudding is pretty simple as well. The recipe may be halved, but as it reheats beautifully in the microwave, you'll probably want some around for a quick dessert.

You Will Need:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups sieved persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon bicarb
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups plain flour
Handful of raisins (optional-but why in the world wouldn't you want raisins...unless you're one of those freaks that don't like raisins).

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Cream the butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in persimmon, vanilla and cinnamon. Add the baking soda to the buttermilk and add alternating with the flour. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake 45 minutes or until set. I served mine with mincemeat ice cream and those incredible truffles I make each year.

Pannetollen

2011-12-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

(updated) here it is. I'll get the recipe up tomorrow.

-When you can't decide between pannetone and stollen. Danny named it, I have it rising on the kitchen counter. Film at eleven.

Basically, what I did was make a rich, buttery, eggy dough studded with fruits and fennel. As it is so dense with raisins, cherries, and peels I shaped it like a stollen (flatten into an oblong, coat with soft butter, sprinkle with vanilla sugar and fold over) which ought to help prevent any sinking issues. I clarified some butter to brush it with when it comes from the oven, and I will dust it with icing sugar. You know, a Pannetollen.

I'll be icing the transition metals of the periodic table of cookies tonight as well. Let's hear it for Tungsten!

Sort of related-if you are a local reader and would like some mincemeat, drop me an email. Every year I swear it will be a small batch and well...so yeah, get in touch if you'd like some.

Truffles-N-Stuff

2011-12-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

I call these my, "mincemeat pirogies" as I find it easier to shape them like dumplings than fuss with tart pans. You also get a better ratio of filling to pastry. Not the prettiest pastry I've made, but still delicious. This year's mincemeat has pears rather than apple. I think I prefer it. I skipped the suet as well. Along with the pastry, I made a batch of mincemeat ice cream. That was very well received. In short, it was a rich vanilla custard ice cream with mincemeat stirred into it at the last. I think it would work well with pumpkin ice cream too.

The truffles are 13 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons corn syrup and 1 teaspoon instant coffee. Place the chocolate and coffee in a bowl. Heat the cream and corn syrup until steaming. Pour over chocolate and coffee. Let stand 5 minutes, then whisk smooth. Pour into a pan and chill 4 hours. Roll into balls and decorate as desired. Store in the fridge.

Tri Focals

2011-12-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

Consider me officially old-I picked up my new spectacles today-tri focals. I would have spent the afternoon wallowing in self pity, but then I broke a tooth and reminded myself that I still have my own teeth to break.

I can't decide if I'm nauseated from the new lenses, or the pain medication for my tooth. This did not stop me from rolling out, and baking the cookies that when decorated, will become the Periodic Table for Danny's Birthday. I have just under two weeks to pull this all together, which I cannot do sitting in the dentist's chair. Maybe I just shouldn't eat until after Christmas.

The quilt is about 80% completed. This will be the 7th Birthday quilt I've made him. He said I can quit when he's 18. That was kind, don't you think?

I cannot believe I broke a tooth on a Tic-Tac. And I wear tri focals.

Get off of my lawn you damned beatniks.

Cinnamon Twists-Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook 1950

2011-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm back to the Betty Crocker cookbook again-what can I say? This is my, "Holiday" cookbook.

These are so easy to make...well, they just are. Perhaps not as simple as smacking a tube of prepared dough against a counter and squeezing out the icing packet, but certainly doable, and much less expensive.

These rolls are a one-rise, which is nice as you don't have to screw around trying to figure out if the bulk of dough has doubled or not. The recipe is old, and calls for compressed yeast. That simply isn't available where I live, so i adapted the recipe for use with regular granulated dry yeast.

You Will Need:

1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons granulated dry yeast
(Mix together and let proof)
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons soft shortening (I used margarine)
3 cups plain flour

Filling: 2 tablespoons soft butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting:

1 cup icing sugar
A few drops of water
Beat until smooth

In a large saucepan, heat the sour cream until lukewarm. Remove from heat and stir in the soda, salt, and yeast dissolved in water. With a spoon, beat in the egg, shortening, and flour. Beat until smooth.

Turn onto a floured board and give it several folds until firm. Roll out into a 24x6 oblong. Spread the dough with the soft butter. Sprinkle half the dough with the filling, then fold over. Cut into 24 strips 1 inch wide. Taking each end in your hands, twist in opposite directions. Lay on greased pans and let rise until light-about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden. Remove to a rack over a baking sheet and glaze while still hot.

Homemade Grape-Nut-ish Taboulleh (sort of)

2011-12-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

These aren't actual Grape Nuts, and this sure as hell isn't authentic taboulleh. That said, it makes a lovely salad that everyone will marvel at once you tell them what it contains. It shouldn't work, but it does. As I had made so much of the homemade cereal, I thought I'd give this a try. I'd seen it mentioned before, but it always sounded so terribly wrong, in so many ways that I never considered it. Well, that was before I had a couple pounds of cereal sitting in my kitchen.

I can't vouch for this recipe made with the store bought cereal, but everyone went (grape) nuts for this version (sorry, I had to, but as compulsions go, bad jokes are a pretty mild form of the affliction).

2 large tomatoes, skinned seeded, and chopped
1 1/2 cups Grape Nuts-ish cereal
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (I had the flat kind, but I'm not a parsley snob, use what you like)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried mint
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper

Mix it all together and chill. It should get stirred a few times before serving, and should be permitted to marinate at least 4 hours.

Cheese Filled Baked Crepes with Pumpkin Sauce

2011-12-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

The only real trick to making crepes that I have to share is permitting the batter a proper rest before using-two hours at the very least. This is a rather plain crepe batter, not the sort one would use for dessert crepes.

Honestly, you can make this dish as filled pasta, or even a lasagne if you find crepe making daunting. I do not have a crepe pan, but have always had good results using my well-seasoned 20 year old cast iron pan. I use the tiniest bit of oil or butter at the start, and then never need to add more as I make the crepes. That is a common mistake-using too much fat in the pan.

You will need to make sure your pan is hot enough first. A drop of water should, "skip" across the pan when it is sufficiently heated. Cast iron tends to distribute heat well and retain it-medium is usually hot enough for crepes. You'll have to learn to judge your pan, but that's why the first crepe often fails-after a while you'll get the hang of it and there will no longer be, "test crepes."

The crepes may be prepared well ahead and any extras may be frozen for future use.

For the crepes:

1 cup cold water
1 cup cold milk
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain flour
4 tablespoons butter melted and cooled

Whisk together the water, milk, eggs, and salt. Whisk in 1 cup of the flour, then the butter, then the remaining flour. You will need to keep whisking until it is smooth and free of lumps. You may use a blender, or hand mixer for this, but really a whisk works fine and why wash a blender jar if you don't need to?

Chill the batter and let it rest at least two hours before preparing crepes. This recipe makes about 10 medium sized crepes.

For the cheese filling:

1 cup drained, 4% milkfat cottage cheese
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 large eggs
Salt/pepper

Mix all together well and keep chilled until ready to use.

For the Sauce:

1 15 ounce tin of pumpkin puree (unflavoured)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt/Pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

Combine pumpkin, broth, butter and spices in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter melts and sauce is warm but not boiling. Remove from heat. Whisk in sour cream.

Topping:

3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan

Put it together:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 9x13 pan, place a bit of the sauce in the bottom to thinly coat. Take a prepared crepe and fill it with a couple tablespoons of cheese filling. Roll and fold it into a square, and place in the pan. Continue until you run out of space, or ingredients. Any extra crepes can be frozen. Cover with remaining sauce and top with shredded cheese. Cover tightly with foil, and place on a baking sheet. BAke 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake 20-25 minutes longer until cheese is browned and bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Fig Bars

2011-12-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

The snow has been falling since early morning, and as evening arrives we still can't see the road from the frontroom windows. This is my favourite sort of day. True, we did have plans for today that ended up scrapped, but instead we baked, listened to Christmas music, and conducted a few science experiments with magnets and electricity. I poked about in the attic today and located the belt to a dress that has been missing for at least ten years-thankfully, I still own the dress. I suppose it can take a major snowstorm to act as a reminder of all the things to be done at home.

Those figs my husband purchased for me finally found their way into baked goods. Oh, I've eaten my share of them straight from the packet (I adore figs) but I couldn't very well let them all disappear without making fig bars first.

This is a vintage recipe from the 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook. I noticed the Nut Free Mom is resorting to the same volume today for nut-free gingerbread houses. Really, for seasonal treats that adapt easily to omissions or whatever you happen to have on hand, that cookbook cannot be beat. The recipes are simple enough for a novice, and many of them feature recipes for both larger and smaller batches. It might not be the flashiest cookbook I own, but it is one of the most reliable.

I know you will see shortening in the recipe and wonder if butter would work better. Ordinarily, I like to err on the side of butter, if you will. In this case, as with tortillas, and other things that need to remain soft, go for the shortening. The bars will avoid becoming crisp, will last longer, and it will save you some money as well. Thanks to my friendly butcher ("hi friendly Hy-Vee at 90th and Center butcher!") who placed the oddball order for me, I have about ten pounds of beef suet in my freezer-and I was tempted, but as Danny is vegetarian and does not make exceptions for a suet pudding (fool) I went ahead and used vegetable shortening. I also have a freezer stocked with venison again ("hi friendly husband's boss who goes hunting") so yes, there's some sausage in our future.

I made the filling a day ahead, and it would have been wonderful just as a spread for toast. I substituted orange juice for the lemon and part of the water but I'll note that in the recipe. I really love figs with orange. Because I had Greek string-style figs (they are no longer on an actual string, but are packaged to appear as though they are. *shrug*) the skins tend to be somewhat tough. I cut the figs and scooped out the pulp, which is a bit of work. I do feel it was worth it, but I suppose I could have simply run the finished filling though a food mill. You could leave the skins of course, but these really are on the thick and tough side compared to Mission figs.

Make the dough up to a day ahead and be warned-it is infuriatingly soft and difficult to work with. Worth it? Of course, but be prepared to do a bit of patching. I rolled mine out larger than the recipe called for making slender long bars shaped like biscotti. I'll post the original directions which make a more Newton-like" sized biscuit. Store them in an airtight tin, or crockery jar. They last beautifully.

You Will Need:

For The Dough:

1/2 cup soft shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons thick cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon bicarb
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar together until light. Beat in eggs. Stir in cream and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and mix in. Chill dough, tightly wrapped in cling film several hours before using.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

1 1/2 cups cut-up figs (scraped out pulp if using tough skinned variety)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water (I used 1/4 cup each water and orange juice)
2 tablespoons additional orange juice (or lemon)
Cook slowly stirring constantly until thickened-about 5 minutes. Cool. Makes about 1 pint.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two large baing sheets. Roll out 1/2 the dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4 large strips 3 1/2x12 inches. Spread 1/3-1/2 cup filling on each strip lengthwise covering only half the strip except for a 1/4 inch edge. Lift this edge up and stick it to the filling. Quickly flop the uncovered half strip over the filling, folding it under at the edge. Seal the two edges securely. With a sharp knife, cut into bars 2 inches long. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

I did not shape them this way, and I don't see any reason you couldn't make them round with a biscuit cutter and top with another circle that you crimp. You could also do large circles and fold them over into crescents. Use your imagination, but be warned that getting that dough 1/8 inch thick takes some skill (and a stocking net on the rolling pin).

Cool on racks, then store in tins.

Nut-Free Lebkuchen

2011-12-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

I've made these before, but I found a few changes in this year's attempt have been a great improvement in the overall results. The original recipe came from my 1950 edition of The Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. Over the years I've found other ways to replace the nuts and this year I made use of ground porridge oats, crystalised ginger, and raisins. While they may not be strictly traditional, they are still wonderful. As the lebkuchen are so attractive, be sure to make a hole in the top of a few before baking as you'll want to hang them on the Christmas tree.

I don't own an oblong cookie cutter (I mean, really-does anyone?) so I fashioned a template from a stiff piece of cardboard, and cut around it with a sharp knife. As I do most of my oddball decorated cookies this way, I'm pretty skilled with the technique. If you really feel it is beyond manageability. use a rectangular cutter instead-you don't lose points or anuthing if your Lebkuchen don't have rounded corners. You can go ahead and insert a German joke there if you're feeling inclined.

You Will Need:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses (or dark treacle)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystalised ginger
2 3/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cut-up candied citron
1/3 cup quick cooking porridge oats (or regular ones pulsed for a few seconds in a coffee grinder)

Raisins to decorate

Glaze as follows at end of recipe

Mix together the honey and molasses in a saucepan. Bring to a boil (watch it, it foams) and remove from heat. Cool thoroughly.

Mix into the molasses/honey the brown sugar, egg, lemon juice and rind. Stir in ginger. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. At the last, stir in the citron and oats. Mix well and roll dough in cling film tightly. Chill overnight. This is important as it is a very soft dough and will be frustrating bordering on impossible if not well chilled.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two or three large baking sheets. Flour a work surface generously (trust me, you need plenty of flour for this). Roll out a small amount at a time keeping the remainder chilling. The cookies should be about 1/4 inch thick. Place the Lebkuchen about 2 inches apart on the sheets, place a raisin in the centre, and one in each corner. Press slightly to secure them. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until a finger indentation does not remain when pressed. Upon removing from the oven brush immediately with glaze and carefully remove to a rack to cool. Store in an airtight crock or tin with a slice of apple to mellow the cookies. They should be ready to eat in a week or so (the hard cookies transform into an almost cake-like texture). Be sure to change the apple slice every day so it does not mould.

Glaze:

Boil together 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water until it strands (230 degrees F. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in 1/4 cup confectioner's (icing) sugar. If icing gets sugary as it cools, re-heat slightly and add a bit of water .

Makes about 3 dozen lebkuchen.

Gingered Pear With Chocolate Turnovers

2011-12-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

This has been a fantastic year for Bartlett pears. I haven't had a bad one yet, and I'm determined to preserve some before the season ends. This dessert was met with amazement, but trust me, it is really no effort to prepare. I have a theory that coarse sugar atop most baked goods convinces people that the pastry is somehow more impressive than it is. I won't tell if you don't.

On a trip to Big Lots a few weeks ago, I was able to buy Baker's chocolate semi-sweet chunks (the exact same item as the stuff in the box, already chopped) for $1.18 per 12 oz. bag. With the eight ounce box now averaging over three dollars, I felt rather pleased with my find. I can make hot chocolate in under a minute now that I no longer need to get out a knife and chop. That may prove a bad thing-ask me how much weight I've gained at the end of winter. As I now have a seemingly endless supply (well, it seems that way) of chocolate, I've been using it a bit more generously that I typically would-in a pear turnover, for example.

I'll leave the pastry recipe to your tastes. I used an all-butter pie crust recipe that does not have eggs or vinegar. It is durable yet not so heavy that it looses the flakiness one likes in a turnover. I could see using purchased (or homemade) puff paste, or even (gasp) the crap that comes in a tube at the supermarket. Heresy, I know. I can put a pastry crust together in minutes, but I also recognise that not everyone is blessed with poor circulation and freezing cold hands. Arthritic old people make the best pastry-that is a fact. No it is, shut up.

The filling is what you need me to disclose. This is essentially the filling I use for apple turnovers substituting chocolate for the raisins. You could of course add raisins, which would be delicious with the chocolate, but I'd reduce the sugar a bit. As it is, the turnovers aren't overly sweet, but pears can quickly get overwhelmed by sugar. I also used a squirt of lime juice rather than lemon to keep the pears light. Sure, lemon would have been the obvious choice, but I had half a lime sitting in the fridge for a week and I wanted to get my .20 cents worth out of it. The taste was non-existent in the finished product-but the pears retained a lovely colour.

Finally, there is the matter of the pan. The turnovers will leak-they always do as it is simply the nature of this sort of pastry. I butter my sheets, but parchment would make for easier clean up if you care about that. As the filling is sugar and cornstarch, it comes off pretty easily with a soak in hot water, but I thought I should warn you about the alarming amount of ooze on the pan. I let mine cool on a rack, over another pan to catch any additional drips.

You Will Need:

Pastry for a 2 crust pie
3 large, ripe pears, pared (ha ha, they're already pears-sheesh) cored, and sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate (bittersweet would do as well)
Juice of half a lime (or lemon)2 tablespoons butter, cut into tiny pieces
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour outside of the US)

Butter a large cookie sheet. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll each out into a square about 1/4 inch thick (more or less).

Prepare filling by combining pears, chocolate, lime juice and butter. Toss together sugar and cornstarch and mix well into pears.

Mound filling in centre of each square and fold over. Seal by crimping with a fork (they'll leak anyway). Make a slit in the top to vent. Place on buttered sheet and chill 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Before baking, brush turnovers generously with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar (or regular granulated if that's what you have).

Bake about 30 minutes or until golden. Cool on racks, or serve slightly warm. Makes 4 very large turnovers (one can easily feed three people, or two greedy ones. OK, one extremely greedy individual can probably polish off an entire turnover...but I would never do that.)

Ready, Set...Oh Hell I Don't Have Time for This...GO!

2011-11-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

I'm halfway through Danny's yearly Birthday Quilt, I have a batch of Lebkuchen dough chilling in the fridge, the Christmas cards are written, the presents are (mostly) finished, and all that's left is baking the Birthday cake and making the Periodic table out of individual decorated sugar cookies. Yes, I am starting to freak out, thanks for noticing. Add to this plans for nearly every day from now until New Year's day. I'm getting my teeth cleaned Thursday morning at 7:30 AM as that was the only time I could fit in-but I'm really looking forward to it as I will have about 40 minutes where I'm unable to do anything except shut my eyes and listen to the soothing sound of plaque being chiseled off enamel. If that ain't relaxation, I don't know what is.

What was I thinking, having a baby five days before Christmas? I mean, he was two weeks early but that turned out to be an unnecessary c-section. Have I told this story before? I went for an ultrasound and everyone began freaking out that I was having some sort of gigantic baby and that I needed to have a section ASAP or he'd get stuck, etc. They measured him at over ten pounds.

Yeah, ultrasounds are only as good as the people reading the scan. Danny was a whopping 6 lbs. 11 oz. at birth. That's pretty well outside the typical margin of error for reading scans. Anyway, if I'd known what a pain in the arse a birthday right before Christmas would be, I might have risked giving birth to Shamu the Killer Whale. I still imagine the technician staring at the scree, and groaning about the difficulty of maths.

Sorta-related:

Someone searched for, "Gingerbread St. Basils" and for a moment I got all excited, and wanted to try it. St. Paul's Cathedral was an accomplishment, but St. Basils? Complete with colourfully decorated onion domes-all from gingerbread? Oh my god, I was so tempted. I don't think I will-I'm pretty sure I won't...probably. Nah, I really shouldn't.

Something to Consider...

2011-11-26T02:51:00.000-08:00

...as you draw your Christmas cards and decorations.

Sometimes, I get a glimpse through others of what Danny will be like in forty years. I have no difficulty imagining him outraged over some similar issue.

I'm going to print off copies of this, and take it to the observatory tonight. Live in Eastern Nebraska and having nothing to do on a Saturday night? If you show up a bit later after the small children go home to bed, there's less of a crush for viewing. The observatory and the library are the only places I go that I don't feel like a complete freak, and no one expects me to talk about football.

Holiday Review-so far

2011-11-25T19:45:00.001-08:00

Streetcar at museum
Lighting of the Christmas tree
French toast on Sally Lunn filled with apples and cheddar cheese. People have been canonised for lesser miracles.
The Thanksgiving fish pie
Danny's wild rice and mushroom casserole
Sally Lunn
Homemade cranberry juice
A very serious looking Danny wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Cordial Update

2011-11-21T17:43:00.000-08:00

Today, I strained the pumpkin, cinnamon stick and cloves and added a cup of simple syrup to the batch. It tastes exactly like pumpkin pie-a really boozy pumpkin pie. I'm still kind of in shock it worked.

I can't wait to see how the licorice turned out.

A Nut-Free Thanksgiving-Pt. II Breads

2011-11-20T16:15:00.000-08:00

More in my series of nut-free items you can make/bring for Thanksgiving. Most breads don't contain nuts to begin with, but if you purchase it at a bakery, odds are it has been exposed to/manufactured with the same equipment. These are all fairly straightforward recipes that don't require a great deal of skill to prepare (save for the pineapple Danish which are really worth the effort).

Wheat Bread with Potato Water

Pumpkin Bagels

Chewy Breadsticks

Tri Colour Braid

Pumpkin Raisin Bread

Tapenade Rolls

Sweet Potato Rolls

Dill Bread

Perfect White Bread

Pilgrim's Bread

Squash Bread

Georgia Molasses Cornbread

Crusty Water Rolls

Grape and Apricot Foccacia

Potato Starch Muffins

Sourdough Struan Bread

Chili Casserole Cornbread

Yeasted Cornmeal Loaves

Oatmeal Bread

Corn Pone

Sally Lunn

Wild Rice Pancakes

Pineapple Danish

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream and Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

Last week, I purchased four tins of evaporated milk figuring it would be a good thing to have on hand through the winter if we were snowed in. It was on sale, so it seemed a good idea. Today, I realised it was expired. Only by a few days, but still. This annoys me. The store obviously knew they were getting rid of expired merchandise, and frankly, I would expect that to be noted. I don't automatically associate an item going on sale with it being unsaleable. This is not the first time this has happened at Peony Park Hy-Vee. Cod on sale? Mushy, frozen, thawed, and re-frozen. Chocolate on sale? Chocolate inside was so decomposed it had literally collapsed. Expensive apples piled on the same table with the sale ones. After a while, it seemed like less a coincidence and more a deliberate deception. I'm not shopping there anymore. I've shopped there for years, but in the last six months or so, the store has gone seriously downhill. I live too far away to be schlepping back to return items.

I needed to use up a quantity of evaporated milk quickly, and ice cream sounded like the obvious solution. I had quite a bit of pumpkin on hand, so that was what I did. Unfortunately, after a couple batches of ice cream, I was left with six egg whites. Not enough for an angel food cake, but too many for meringues, I threw together a quick bread that also made use of some leftover pumpkin puree. In the end, I was able to put everything to use without waste, but I would have appreciated being able to plan for it. I had better things to do today than bake and make ice cream. OK, baking, and making ice cream are perfectly fine things to do any day of the year, but I had more pressing chores.

I also made a batch of grape nuts ice cream with the homemade grape nuts. Because. Look, I don't need an excuse to binge on homemade grape nuts. What are you, my mother?

For the ice cream:

1 cup pumpkin puree
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
Coarsely chopped butter cookies (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg yolks, and brown sugar until smooth. In a saucepan, scald the evaporated milk, cream, and spices. Whisk it slowly into the egg/sugar mixture in a thin stream (or temper it if you aren't skilled with this sort of thing) and then return it to the saucepan. Cook to 175 degrees F. Strain into a heatproof bowl and cool in an ice bath. Place in a metal tray and freeze, stirring with a fork every 30 minutes until firm. When it is almost too hard to mix, fold in the chopped butter cookies. Transfer to a freezer container to firm up.

For the pumpkin bread:

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon mixed spice (more or less to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup soft shortening (I used half butter, half margarine
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 egg whites
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan (I use a large pullman loaf as it keeps the top from doing up too large and cracking deeply. It makes a long, flat-ish loaf) and flour it lightly. Set aside. Sift together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together the shortening, milk, and pumpkin. Beat in the dry ingredients well (about 1 minute). Beat in the egg whites well (another minute or so). Fold in the raisins. Pour into pan and bake about 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack, then cool completely on rack. This cake will be better if stored before serving for 24 hours. I wrap it tightly in wax paper and then in cling film. It also toasts well once it begins to go stale. I've made this loaf in every flavour from cherry, to orange to chocolate with fantastic results. The evaporated milk was a first as I had it, but it is hardly noticeable. If I had to call something my "go-to recipe" for using up egg whites, this would be it.

Homemade Grape Nuts Style Cereal

2011-11-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

Made with hand grinder
Made with electric coffee grinder.

*UPDATED:

This stuff is incredible. Mr. ETB had his with yoghurt, Danny tried it with warm milk. Both thought it was superb. We all agreed that the flake-like texture from the hand grinder made for a more interesting cereal, but no one refused the finely ground ones either. I think a jar of this would make a lovely gift, perhaps with some homemade candied fruit.

Recipe, HERE.

For one batch I used the coarse blade of the meat grinder. That gave them an almost flake-like quality. For the other, I ground them by pulsing a handful at a time in a coffee grinder. I don't own a food processor. Both worked.

Tasting a nibble of each straight from the oven, the flakes have a more interesting texture, but that can change upon cooling and the addition of milk. I'll update this tomorrow after breakfast with more observations, and the recipe.

Meanwhile,

Holy crap, I made my own cereal!

Dried Figs are Better Than No Figs

2011-11-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Fresh figs are impossible to get here. This is the case with most seasonable, highly perishable produce (can't get Seville oranges either). We do get dried figs from California, but they are always a bit disappointing, and often old. The better stores stock the dried figs on a string from Greece, but they are typically around $9.00 USD.

I love figs, to the point of obsessiveness. Most foods I can take-or leave, but figs are without argument, my very favourite food of all.

Last weekend, Mr. ETB spotted the packages of Greek figs. They were pliable through the package which is always a good sign. He insisted on buying me a packet-then he bought another. For the sake of politeness, I refused them a couple times just so it would be clear I had a decent upbringing, and know the proper etiquette. After a suitable amount of, "Oh no, really I couldn't" I clutched the packets of figs in my hands and made for the check-out.

Fortunately, neither of the boys like figs, so I'm less tempted to use them for anything other than shoving into my fat face. Being dried fruit, I know better than to overindulge (apricots are worse) so I'm rationing them two per day to be enjoyed after dinner. I am really enjoying them.

I have an appointment for teeth cleaning in a couple weeks. Am I a bad person for thinking I should eat as many as I can the morning of the appointment just so I can get my money's worth from the cleaning?* Those tiny seeds are difficult to dislodge you know...

A while back I saw a jam with figs and cocoa at the grocer. It was interesting looking, but absurdly expensive. I never thought of using figs with cocoa before-I wonder if I could concoct a similar chocolate/fig spread from the dried fruit? Who am I kidding? The fruit will never last long enough to cook with.

* Oh come on, you know I wouldn't actually do that.

Nut-Free Thanksgiving Favourites -Pies and Puddings

2011-11-16T05:32:00.000-08:00

If you're nut-allergic, or hosting someone that is for Thanksgiving, have a look through some of these favourite recipes from years past.

Pies:

Sweet Potato

Savoury Carrot Pie

Cider Pie

Caramel Apple Pie

Mock Pecan Pie (nut free)

Long Island Pumpkin Pie

Maple Sugar Pie

Mock Mincemeat and Cranberry Apple Pie

Puddings:

Plum Duff

Steamed Carrot Pudding

Nesselrode Pudding

Steamed Cranberry Pudding

Johnny Cake and an Apricot/Apple Cake

2011-11-15T12:58:00.001-08:00

Both recipes are from my 1959 edition of Farm Journal's Country Cookbook. I paid .25 cents for it. At the same book sale I also scored the Farm Journal Pie Cookbook. The Farm Journal Freezing and Preserving cookbook is also worth grabbing if you find a copy.

If you happen to be looking for a lardy cake recipe, this book boasts several. There's a fair number of cooked minces moulded in aspic with olives as well. I adore aspics, but cold mince would give me pause, cooked or not. From the same era, I remember seeing a cookbook that featured a ring mould with hot dogs shimmering away in in aspic. I'm somewhat amazed my mother never tried that one.

The Johnnycake comes from the section of, "Old Fashioned" recipes. It was very simple, and for a baking powder bread, rather heavy. I'm serving it with chili, which will be a terrific match, but I don't think I'd care for it warm with butter at breakfast.

The Apple cake called for cinnamon and nuts both of which I made substitutions for. I will note these in the recipe. When a small amount of nuts are called for in a batter (in this case 1/3 cup) I often substitute quick cooking porridge oats. It provides the lightness of nuts. A few drops of oil can also be added to compensate for the fat, if you like. I skipped the cinnamon as we tend to like ginger with our apples, and I added a dash of nutmeg. I suppose most apple cakes are adaptable in that way.

For the Johnnycake:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pan (I used round). Sift dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs and milk together. Stir milk and eggs into dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into pan and bake about 30 minutes or until it tests done. Makes 8 servings or two if your husband and son are on the greedy side.

For the Apple Cake:

2/3 cup boiling water
1 cup chopped dried apricots
2 cups sifted plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1/2 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)
Milk
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup finely diced, unpeeled apple
1/3 cup chopped pecans (I used porridge oats)

Pour boiling water over apricots and let sit. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch ring mould (I used a bundt cake pan). Combine dry ingredients. Set aside. Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg. Drain apricots reserving liquid. Add milk to total 2/3 cup liquid. Add dry ingredients alternating with water/ milk. Fold in apples, apricots and pecans.

Pour evenly into ring mould and bake 30-35 minutes or until it tests done. You may also bake the cake in a 9x5x3 loaf pan for 50-55 minutes. Cool ten minutes in pan on rack, then loosen and let cool completely on rack. I glazed mine with a mixture of icing sugar and water. A dusting of sugar would be nice as well. If you have apple cider, it makes a lovely glaze with icing sugar and a dash of spice.

I Guess This Means I Can Call Them My, "Famous" Caramels

2011-11-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

My caramels are in the Omaha World Herald today.

It is satisfying to see that a professional photographer couldn't make them look any better in a photo than I can. Food photography is a difficult genre for all but the real devotees. I don't look any better than the caramels, but that's just my big, fat face. I should really do something about my eyebrows though. *Shrug*. They actually spelled my name correctly.

Danny was lucky enough to get a tour of the newsroom (thank you notes are en-route) though he's kind of bummed that reporters can't smoke and drink in the office anymore. The police scanners were a source of fascination as well.

OK, my caramels had their 15 minutes. I've got laundry to do, and toilets to scrub.

Sweet Potato, Smoked Mackerel and Beetroot Salad

2011-11-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Click the photo to see how pretty the beetroot tints the mackerel.

The recipe comes from Angela Hartnett, and may be found at The Guardian website, HERE.

I made a few changes and it was still brilliant. I made use of some tinned smoked mackerel I had, as well as tinned beets. What I did not have on hand was horseradish sauce, so I made my own. The recipe will follow at the end of the post.

When I mentioned that dinner would be smoked mackerel with beets, and sweet potatoes, I did get a bit of wincing from Mr. ETB. I'm pleased to report that the boys both cleared their plates, and would have had a second serving were it available. You may wish to take this into consideration and double the recipe. I also served mine on a bed of lettuce as my family have very middle class ideas with respect to what constitutes, "salad." I harbour no such ideas of course as "salad" in my mother's home was a plastic tub of macaroni in sauce purchased at the supermarket. It was the 70's.

For the horseradish cream:
(This will make quite a bit of cooked mayonnaise. I turned half of it into horseradish cream, and left the rest to be adapted into salad spreads/dressing as needed. It will thicken quite a bit on standing, but is easily thinned with either cream or sour cream. Some paprika stirred in makes a wonderful French dressing).

You Will Need:

1/2 cup sifted plain flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 cup water
3/4 cup cider vinegar or lemon juice
4 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs (I used 2 whole eggs this time)
1 tablespoon butter

In a saucepan combine the flour, sugar, salt and mustard. Slowly whisk in the water and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and with a hand mixer, beat in the butter and eggs until smooth. Remove to a bowl, cover with cling film on the surface to prevent a skin forming and cool. When cool, add well-drained horseradish to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon) and enough heavy cream to thin. Drizzle over the salad. The remaining mayo and horseradish cream will keep in the fridge about 5 days.

Tofu Kiev

2011-11-11T17:38:00.000-08:00

Well, someone had to do it. I didn't think these would stand up to butter, so I filled them with brown rice, onions and herbs. That worked really beautifully. I mean, look at them! Look at my achievement! Why? Well, if you have to ask...

I'll get the full recipe up tomorrow, but it is basically tofu marinated in a fake chicken soup base and oil, then baked until firm. I filled the slices with rice, mashed them together, coated them in egg, then dry breadcrumbs and chilled them for an hour. Then, a deep fry. It sounds like a pain in the behind, but really, it wasn't.

Cranberry Orange Challah Loaf

2011-11-11T17:34:00.001-08:00

I can't braid well, so today I gave up and baked my Friday challah in a large Pullman pan. As you can see, it turned out nicely.

This is just my standard challah with a handful of chopped cranberries, some raisins, and the zest of an orange kneaded in at the end. Nothing fancy at all, yet it really looked impressive at dinner. Anyway, something to try if you're feeling unable to fiddle about trying to braid a bread at 4 AM. Yes, I'm still waking at 3AM. This is just payback for all the years I didn't suffer jet-lag, when everyone else was stumbling around like a zombie.

Moulded Vegetable Mousse

2011-11-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

This is adapted from The Herald Tribune Home Institute Cook Book, 1947 ed.

The original called for Roquefort, but I didn't have any. I didn't think it was worth wasting good Stilton on, so I er...repurposed some dull goat cheese Mr. ETB picked up at Aldi. He can't help himself. He never buys anything there he likes, yet he keeps trying. This was the kind of salad you'd use goat cheese from Aldi for.

I went ahead and added shredded carrots because I thought olives, celery, and a bell pepper sounded a bit thin on the five a day front.

The boys liked it.

Mr. ETB: This reminds me of something.

Me: Oh, I know...1974.

As it isn't actually 1974 I went ahead and skipped filling the centre with chopped apples in French dressing. The 70's were the 30 year cycle for wartime ration card food fads. I don't know if it was brought on by hours spent waiting to buy gas, inflation (bonus points if you remember what, WIN stood for), FM radio...but money saving recipes using every last bit of grass clippings in the veggie bin were everywhere. I seem to remember leftover boiled chicken showing up in meals long after anything good was cooked out of it for soup. I don't think that was how coronation chicken was supposed to be made. Actually, I don't think that was how anything was supposed to be made. Younger self? Why didn't you ever volunteer to take over kitchen duties? We could have all made it through the 60's and 70's with considerably less food stewed beyond recognition in V-8 juice.

Right, so the mousse. This is really simple (I swear, it is).

You Will Need:

1 tablespoon unflavoured gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound goat cheese (or Roquefort if you have it)
1 green pepper, finely minced
2 carrots, shredded finely, and squeezed dry
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
2 stalks celery with leaves, finely minced
1/4 cup sliced green olives with pimentos
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Soften the gelatin in the cold water. In a large bowl, dissolve it in the boiling water. Add salt, whisk until dissolved and chill until gelatin begins to set. Meanwhile, mash the cheese and mix with the vegetables. Fold in the whipped cream, then fold all into the gelatin mixture. Pour into a rinsed ring mould and let chill several hours. That's it.

Whoopie Pies

2011-11-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

These come from Cooking From Quilt Country by, Marcia Adams. The recipe sounds difficult, but once you start it goes rather quickly. I like how the recipe is organised indicating things you can do in the next step as you wait for the cake to bake, etc. All cookbooks should be that precise.

The cookies freeze well but let's be honest (we're all friends here) freezing won't keep you from standing over the sink eating them at 3 AM. I suggest making them, and immediately giving most of them away lest you be tempted. These cookies are that good.

I used a rather dark cocoa powder for these. Adams doesn't indicate what to use beyond calling for powdered cocoa, but if you have it, this is as good a use for dark cocoa as any. I also used 1% milk which didn't seem to matter in the end with all the butter.

You Will Need:

4 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup lard (I used shortening) softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs (I used large)
1 1/2 cups soured milk (add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar to milk half an hour before using)

Filling:

1/3 plus 3 tablespoons AP flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with foil.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, and cocoa. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, lard, sugar, and vanilla together until light. beat in eggs one at a time. Adams warns that the mixture may curdle but that it is OK. Mine did not curdle. Add the flour alternating with the soured milk starting and ending with the flour. Blend well, but don't overmix.

Use a 1/4 cup measure for each cookie. Place one in each corner of the sheet and one in the centre. This sounds crazy, but really, these cookies will spread. Try to make them as round as possible. Bake 6 minutes on the centre rack. Rotate pan, then bake an additional 10 minutes or until when pressed lightly on top the indentation springs back. Pull foil off baking sheet and let cool 2 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack lined with wax paper. As the cookies bake and cool, make the filling.

Place the flour in a medium saucepan and slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking until it thickens and boils. Reduce heat to low, cook 2 more minutes until thick. Remove from heat and let cool.

place the butter in a large bowl and beat until slightly softened. Add salt, vanilla, and sugar gradually and beet for 2 minutes. Add the cooked mixture a large spoonful at a time and beat well. When all is added, beat on hight speed for 1 minute. It should be smooth, light and fluffy. If it is too loose, put it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up (mine stayed perfect).

Arrange the cookies in pairs and place a generous 1/4 cup filling on one. Top with second side and press until filling reaches the edge. Chill on plates. When firm, wrap in plastic and store in the fridge or freezer. Let stand at room temperature for a few minutes before eating. Makes 15 very large whoopie pies.

Slide Rules at the Ready!

2011-11-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

I scored a book at the Swanson Branch weekly library sale that covers every imaginable thing you could ever wish to calculate with a slide rule. That cost me .25 a bargain compared to the 1950's arithmetic text I paid a dear .50 for. My younger self probably never imagined herself a maths teacher. Is it some sort of character flaw that I get excited by slide rule manuals? I need to get out more.

The time change is kicking my arse. I can't recall ever being disrupted by the switch, but this year-this year has been hell. I wake at 3 AM and that's it-I can't get back to sleep. After a couple nights of this, I started going to bed at 9 PM, and when I find myself wide-awake at 3, I get up and bake. And bake. And bake. Dear god, I've baked. It has grown so out of control, this insomnia-induced cookery, that I brought a large box of biscuits to the volunteers at the library sale today. I've made mandel brot, homemade Hob-Nobs, spice and currant muffins, sour cream bread, butter cookies, coconut washboards, an apple/cranberry pie, flatbreads, more candy than I care to think about, chutney, mustard, pumpkin curry...I really ought to be tired. I've written lesson plans for the next few months.

I don't suppose buying a large stack of cookery books at the sale is going to help any.

Coconut Washboards

2011-11-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

These are from Maida Heatter's cookie book. They were simple to put together, despite the complicated sounding instructions. As the recipe is already posted all over the net I'll send you HERE for the details, and HERE for another baker's experience making them. I used a bag of sweetened coconut that was on the dried-out side. That seemed to be a good fit. Mine came out very crisp.

Pumpkin and Licorice Cordials

2011-11-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

We'll see how these turn out. At this stage, I'm just infusing in vodka. I will sweeten them after a couple weeks. I have some ginger syrup that would be lovely in the pumpkin.

That's real licorice root in the small jar. I plan to use that as an extract rather than a drink.

Updates in a few weeks.

Apricot/Hard Cider Mustard

2011-11-08T17:33:00.000-08:00

I knew I'd find a use for the hard cider. I wasn't in love with it as a drink, but the cider really works for mustard. As with the chutney, I did not bother with a water bath canning as it only made about 1 1/2 pints. It will store well in the fridge for a few months.

You Will Need:

1 pint hard cider
1 1/2 cups dried apricots, finely diced
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup brown mustard seeds

Combine all above in a bowl, cover and let soak at least 6 hours or overnight. My kitchen is around 62 degrees F. so I didn't bother with the fridge, but in a warmer clime you may wish to chill it as it soaks overnight.

Drain the soaked mixture reserving the liquid. Puree the fruit and seeds adding reserved liquid as needed. Eventually work it all in. To the pureed mixture add:

1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Water if needed

Mix all except water. If it is too thick, use some water to thin it down keeping in mind the mustard wil thicken again after cooking and cooling. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium heat. It will splatter, so use a long spoon and stand clear. Cook until thickened-about ten minutes. Cool, store covered in jars in fridge.

Beard on Bread Sour Cream Loaf

2011-11-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

*UPDATED:

This was the loveliest, softest bread I've ever baked. I still cannot believe how feather light it is, while still being firm enough to cut into slices. I made Mr. ETB a couple sandwiches to take for lunch of this bread, the apricot mustard, Swiss cheese, and tomato. It took every bit of will power to resist eating both sandwiches before placing them in the paper sack. I did think about leaving a note in the empty bag that read, "sorry." with some crumbs glued on-but that would have been cruel. Danny had a similar version with cheddar and chutney.

I suspect this would make incredible French toast.

I made this one with creme fresh. I'll post an up[date when we cut into the loaf, but it looks and smells great.

Cranberry/Pear Chutney

2011-11-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

This makes a small batch-about 1 1/2 pints. I did not bother running it through the canner as it will last several weeks in the fridge.

You Will Need:

1 cup cranberries
2 large pears, peeled and diced
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup cider vinegar
water if needed

Place all in a stock pot and cook rapidly, stirring until sugars are dissolved. Give it a stir as it reduces to prevent sticking. The entire thing should take no more than 15 minutes. If the cranberries haven't popped in the cooking, give the whole thing a good mash with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. Store in the fridge.

Veggie Calzones

2011-11-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

A bit of everything went into these. All the fillings can be made well ahead and then assembled at the last.

For The Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons dry regular yeast (not instant)
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 cups bread flour (strong flour)
Egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water for wash

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. When foamy, add salt, oil, and two cups of the flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon. Add additional flour a cup at a time until you have a dough that is no longer sticky and can be kneaded until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down, divide in fourths. Let stand 10 minutes before rolling each out into a thin rectangle. Proceed to assemble with filling below.

Fillings:

I used a number of fillings layered in for a nice effect. Any or all of these would work.

For the cheese layer:

2 cups cottage cheese drained and sieved.
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
Black pepper
Mix all together, and chill until ready to use.

For the Carrots:

6 carrots, peeled and finely sliced on the diagonal
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
Salt/pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the carrots and cook until softened. In last two minutes of cooking, add the garlic. Adjust salt/pepper. Chill until ready to use.

For the Mushrooms:

heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a pan with 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Add 1/2 lb. mushrooms thinly sliced. Cook over high heat until browned. Remove and chill until needed.

For the spinach:

cook 1 block frozen spinach, then drain and squeeze dry in a dishcloth. Chill until needed.

Put It All Together:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.

Roll out sections of dough one at a time. It should be no more than 1/4 inch thick. In the centre, begin layering the fillings ending with carrots at the top. This will become the bottom and the carrots are the sturdiest of the fillings. Fold and pinch closed. Invert onto baking sheet. Pierce top with a sharp knife to vent. Brush with egg wash. Bake about 30 minutes or until deeply golden. They may run some liquid out as they bake-this is OK. When done, remove them to a rack to cool slightly, but place another baking sheet beneath to catch any drips. leftovers can be stored in foil and re-heated in a hot oven for ten minutes. They do not take well to microwaving.

Mock Mincemeat and Cranberry Apple Pie

2011-11-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

This might be the best pie I've ever baked. Oh, I know I said that when I made the blueberry rhubarb-but I'm fickle and now I love this one instead.

I tried to get the best parts of an apple pie, and mincemeat without going to the trouble of making mincemeat. The texture is much lighter than mincemeat, but the flavour is there. I used only a tablespoon of brandy to the pie, but it was enough to give the overall filling some depth against the brightness of the tart apples and cranberries. I didn't plan to make this pie, rather I used up odds and ends in the pantry and what I pulled from the oven was the best pie I've ever baked. Even the crust was unusually flaky.

You Will Need:

Crust:

2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
4-5 tablespoons ice water

Sift together flour and salt. Cut in butter. Toss in water a tablespoon at a time until you can gather dough together lightly. Roll out. Unlike many pie crusts, this does not require pre-chilling, but I often do set the bottom in the fridge as I make the filling. It certainly won't hurt it any to do so.

For The Filling:

(about) six firm apples for baking (I used Golden Delicious and Granny Smith with the odd Cameo tossed in)
1 cup raisins (half sultanas if you have them)
1 heaping cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped candied peel (I had grapefruit, lemon and orange)
2 tablespoons chopped crystalised ginger
1/4 cup dried currants
1 tablespoon brandy (or rum if you prefer)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour (I used Wondra, but any finely sifted flour will do)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons butter cut in tiny pieces

Glaze:
Heavy cream
granulated sugar
coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 9 inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Make the filling by tossing together the apples, dried fruit, cranberries and brandy. In another bowl, combine the sugar, flour and spices. Mix well. Toss with the fruit. Pour into pie crust and dot with the pieces of butter. Seal with the top crust and then brush it generously with the cream. Sprinkle it with a mixture of fine and coarse sugar for a sparkling, crunchy topping. Pierce the top to vent in several places, or make a hole in the centre. Bake about 40 minutes, or until it looks done. It will bubble over, so remember to place the dish atop a baking sheet-unless you enjoy cleaning the oven in which case, you should come over and clean mine.

This pie is good at room temperature, or slightly warmed, but hell, I'd devour it ice cold from the fridge it is so good. Mmmm, pie.

Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell

2011-11-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

I'm posting a link to THIS as I know you'll want to set that photograph as your desktop wallpaper.

You're welcome.

I Drove to Hobby Lobby...

2011-11-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

...alone. It is far from home, and in an unfamiliar part of Omaha, but I made it there and back without getting lost which means I can go there any time I please. That can become dangerous. I went for black food colouring, and came home with fabric, ribbon, candy making supplies, and a set of historically accurate Civil war toy soldiers for Danny. The fabric was $2.00 a yard for black watch plaid. I'm a sucker for blue and green. I know what I'm backing Danny's yearly Birthday quilt with.

I adore Hobby Lobby, and they are not paying me to say so. They sell sanding sugar and candy flavourings that are made on a nut-free production line, as well as an incredible assortment of educational toys and science kits for children. Sure, I'm not fond of dried flowers, crappy faux-luxe artwork, statuary, and the like-but they have a bit of something for everyone. The prices are good, the stock unique, and really you can't do much better than two dollars a yard for decent weight cotton fabric. I leave there happy, which isn't something I can say after most retail experiences. The help seem to like working there.

The next few weeks (well, maybe the next eight weeks) are so over-scheduled I don't know how I'm going to live through them. I'll go ahead and apologise in advance as I know posting here will be somewhat sporadic. I'll try to stop myself when next I feel compelled to volunteer a couple pounds of caramels, or to make a Periodic Table of the Elements from decorated sugar cookies (insane, I know) while still homeschooling seven hours a day, but I likely won't succeed. I still haven't replaced the button on my winter coat, or planted the garlic-but I have a good supply of gel food colouring and pastry bags! Priorities.

Tomorrow-four more bookcases for the next section of the reading cube.

My Son, The Little Old Man

2011-11-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Danny: (radio is on) Mama? What is that song?

Me: That's, "Living After Midnight."

Danny: Why? What were they doing after midnight that they couldn't do before?

Me: I dunno...rocking 'till the dawn?

Danny: Well I don't know why they can't rock earlier. By the way, you need to set the clocks back tonight. (muttering) After midnight. That's just so stupid when they could be sleeping.

I swear, it is like living with an eighty year old sometimes.

Getting Ready For Bonfire Night Saturday

2011-11-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'll be roasting potatoes on an open barbecue grill in place of an actual bonfire. I've made the masks, gathered the materials for a good effigy, and baked some cookies. Obviously, you can't get cookie cutters in the shape of powderkegs, or Guy Fawkes masks, so I had to improvise. The small round glittery ones are meant to be fireworks. The leaves I make every year just because I have the cutter and it is Autumn.

The Bookcase Cube

2011-11-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

The cases are joined together inside and across the top. They can also be bolted to the ground for extra security. These are simply put back-to-back to double the shelf space. Messy pile of maps atop shelves, optional.

Here's a better look at the short bookcases that will form a u-shape within the room of larger bookcases. The photo does not really show how large the room is, but it leaves plenty of room between the large cases and small for a generous pathway between the shelves. As the small cases are back-to-back, we get the benefit of space both inside, and outside the centre path.

Every couple weeks we're set to buy four more bookcases to complete a section. This way, we aren't tripping over boxes of unassembled shelving, and we don't feel that we're quite breaking our budget either.

If They Want One

2011-11-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

New guidelines have been issued in Britain regarding whether or not a woman should give birth via caesarean section. The conclusion is that even when not medically necessary, women should have one, if they want one.

Hear, hear. About time common sense prevailed over the impulse to micro-manage every aspect of the damned thing from the moment a woman falls pregnant. I'm told women now tear into each other over whether they had an epidural. Could you possibly act more self-important? Oh yeah, you probably could. There are the superiority stances of breastfeeding, home birth, vaginal delivery, organic babyfood, co-sleeping, baby-wearing, teaching ancient Greek in-utero*, swimming with dolphins, thinking correct thoughts, and swaddling baby in nothing but hand-spun and loomed flax that was locally grown in a former parking lot-turned urban agriculture cooperative around the corner from the off license.

Where I live, you can no longer have an optional C-section, and now we have something else to bully women over.

*Not that they do any better with it when they are six and a half, but at least you can send them to their room with flash cards and insist they call you, Olbios Tyrannos.

The Sourdough Starter is One

2011-11-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is poorly decorated-thanks for noticing! I kind of thought that would go well with the whole, "Birthday cake for a jar of starter" thing. I didn't want anyone to think I put an effort into this because...well because that would be even stranger. I mean, come on-it is a jar of sourdough starter. I feed it twice a day, but it isn't a human baby.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the first loaves baked with our starter. I named him Petrarch, but Danny nicknamed him, Chuffy. Months later, Danny became aware of a frequent commenter at The Guardian named, Chuffy. For a while, I had Danny convinced the starter was sneaking out of the fridge at night to post comments on cookery articles. I mean, who knows-stranger things have happened.

Stranger things...like convincing me to bake a cake, and make party hats for a sourdough starter. The last starter met a terrible death in the tornado of 2008, so I guess we should be happy Chuffy is alive and well (and we haven't been hit by another tornado (fingers crossed)).

Unlike a human child, you can just shove a starter in the icebox, and ignore it when you're too busy to feed it.

"Hey Danny...? About dinner...?"

A Birthday Party...

2011-11-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

...for the sourdough starter. Really, the child is serious-he noted the date on the calendar last year. By tomorrow, I need to make party hats, a small decorated cake, and gather the family round to sing "Happy Birthday" to a jar of starter.

Add to this, Guy Fawkes Day, A dental appointment (I'm dreading that), the optometrist, Corduroy Day (for real-11/11/11), and eventually Thanksgiving. Then I can begin getting ready for the December holidays, Birthdays, etc.

Really, I'm having a Birthday party for a jar of sourdough starter. Gah.

Some Halloween Fun

2011-10-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Science building at Creighton University
Please. Please don't throw away lab pants.
At the Haunted Physics Lab. They let 6 year olds do laser shows.
The lights were timed to music. Very cool. They also had a disembodied, Department Head, you could ask questions of. He seemed annoyed when Danny wasn't frightened and wanted to know how the illusion worked. He did show him before abruptly sending kiddo on his way.
At the Ak-Sar-Ben (that's Nebraska backward) Aquarium. Where else can you take your kid for .50 cents admission?
These are the mounted, prize winning catches from Nebraska waters. Note the paddlenose.
-Also at the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, where they have a room filled with stuffed and mounted birds and animals.
-and some live ones like snakes and frogs.
It seemed the obvious place to take Danny in his Halloween costume for a trial run. He's a Rainbow Trout.
I wonder if the fish were freaked out by the large trout?
Anatomy lessons for little trout.
Relax kid, you're not an invasive species.

"Look! I caught a human! I'd like to have him weighed and certified, I think he's a record breaker."

The people at the aquarium were good sports about letting us parade about taking photos and engaging in general silliness. We also made a trip to Unity of Omaha for the "Trunk or Treat" where people hand out candy from their cars. That was fun, and right away, someone recognised Danny was a rainbow trout-that made him feel better about his homemade costume.

I'll be ready to drop by this time tomorrow night, but Halloween is so much fun it will be worth it. I still can't believe that costume worked. It is little more than foam board, aluminum foil, construction paper, mylar film, and a sharpie. I guess all those years doing technical theatre have finally paid off.

Festive Fruitcakes/Holiday baking

2011-10-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going to gear-up the Festive Fruitcakes blog again this year to post holiday recipes from my (too) large collection of vintage/historical cookery books. Last year, I limited it to the Christmas cakes, but this year I'd like to include puddings, biscuits and candies.

I'll remind people from time to time, but I would love to have your additions to it. Send the recipe to me, or make it, post it, and I'll get up a link. We'll figure out a way to make it work.

While some people find holiday baking stressful, I consider it therapeutic. Feel free to direct your holiday baking questions to me as well, and I'll do my best to give you a helpful answer (or admit I don't know).

I know it seems early, but Christmas cakes and puddings really do require time to properly mature (like the ones I have preserved from last year!) and by the start of November, that window begins rapidly closing. It is also time to begin food gifts (preserves, candies, etc.) and making the cards. Can you tell I really enjoy this sort of thing?

Yeah, and a "Happy Harvest" to You Too.

2011-10-29T12:27:00.001-07:00

I took Danny to the pre-Halloween trick-or-treating at Hy-Vee today. I knew the candy wouldn't be OK for an allergic kid, but I wanted an opportunity to try out the complicated costume before Monday. He didn't care about the candy, but had a great time showing off his costume. Nearly everyone told him he looked adorable, except for the mean church lady.

Mean church lady had husband and two children in tow. When the children looked at Danny, she loudly said:

"Stop looking at him. I'm so sick of these people with their costumes."

Uh, right. Have a nice day too, OK? It took every ounce of tolerance I possess not to lean in close to her face and scream, "BOO!"

*I'll have pictures in costume posted eventually. We're still doing finishing touches.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

2011-10-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

This can be served warm or at room temperature over rice, or as I did tonight, cous cous.

You Will Need:

4 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups chickpeas
2 stalks celery, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon peel, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch cinnamon
Chopped green olives to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

In a frying pan over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil, the celery, garlic, lemon, parsley, thyme, sage, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook just until the celery begins to soften. It should still have some crunch. Add the chickpeas, salt and pepper, and mix well. Stir in the tomatoes and olives. Cook until just heated through.