This is the Jam that friends of QD may recognize in their Christmas packages, unless it's already been eaten by our husbands!
The recipe is slightly adapted from The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving. I grabbed all of the preserving books at my local branch of the library, and I particularly liked this one for it's approachability. The recipes have proved tasty, too.
The jam takes at least 32 hours, so plan ahead. The long resting times allow the pectin in the strawberries to develop without excessive cooking so the beautiful red color of the fruit is maintained.
4 cups halved or quartered (depending on size) firm strawberries
2 cups finely chopped red rhubarb
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
1. Mix berries, rhubarb and sugar in a non-reactive (stainless steel or enamel) pot and let stand for 8 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring fruit and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Add lemon juice and return to a boil without adjusting heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 24 hours.
3. Bring fruit mixture to a rapid boil over high heat and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and test for gel formation. Continue boiling at 3-5 minute intervals until mixture forms a gel. **
4. Once the mixture forms a gel, process in sterilized jars in hot water.
Makes 2 to 3 pints.
** To test for gel formation, have a plate chilling in the freezer while you cook the jam. Remove the plate and place a spoonful of hot jam onto it. Return it to the freezer for 2 minutes. If the jam moves slowly across the plate when you tilt the plate to one side and/or wrinkles when you press your finger into the edge of the spoonful of jam, then the mixture has cooked enough.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bully Barley
We're trying to introduce ourselves to more of the whole grains in this world. Last night we ate pearled barley. Later this week: spelt. So while Danidoodle and Jesse use these all the time, they are new over here at the house of meat and potatoes. The barley was a huge hit. Patrick even took the leftovers for lunch and asked me to write down what I did. So here it is. For the record. So that I can make it again. Yums.
Saute about 5-10 min:
1 med onion
2 sm heads of garlic (about 5-8 cloves)
2 Tbs butter
Add and stir:
2 Tbs curry
Cook about 5 min.
Add:
2 chopped apples
2-3 sausages (hot and Italian)
1 1/2 c pearled barley
3 c. chicken stock
Stir frequently and cook until liquid is absorbed.
Serves 4 with a little bit of leftovers.
Saute about 5-10 min:
1 med onion
2 sm heads of garlic (about 5-8 cloves)
2 Tbs butter
Add and stir:
2 Tbs curry
Cook about 5 min.
Add:
2 chopped apples
2-3 sausages (hot and Italian)
1 1/2 c pearled barley
3 c. chicken stock
Stir frequently and cook until liquid is absorbed.
Serves 4 with a little bit of leftovers.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Carrot Orzo
This carrot orzo from Epicurious.com is fantastic. Even Patrick liked it! And it can easily be gluten free.
yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
* 6 ounces peeled baby carrots (about 1 1/4 cups; from 16-ounce package)
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
* 1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta; about 8 ounces)
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Preparation
Place carrots in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop carrots. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo and carrots; sauté until orzo is golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, broth, and garlic; cook uncovered over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, green onions, and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
* 6 ounces peeled baby carrots (about 1 1/4 cups; from 16-ounce package)
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
* 1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta; about 8 ounces)
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Preparation
Place carrots in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop carrots. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo and carrots; sauté until orzo is golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, broth, and garlic; cook uncovered over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, green onions, and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Grandma's Home Brew Eggshell Fertilizer
Earlier one of our number shared a few ideas for solving quotidian problems. Laundry stains, if I remember right. I just thought of something my Grandma used to do. To make a 'fertilizer' for all her flowers (outdoors) she used to take all our egg shells and throw them in a gallon jug with the top cut off. Cover with water. Let them sit. Until they stink. A couple weeks?
This egg shell juice makes a great natural free fertilizer for all your flowers! (And I'm sure it'd be great for tomato plants, as well, as they tend to get blossom end rot when lacking certain nutrients.) I can't speak as to the 'why' it works, but can testify that it does.
This egg shell juice makes a great natural free fertilizer for all your flowers! (And I'm sure it'd be great for tomato plants, as well, as they tend to get blossom end rot when lacking certain nutrients.) I can't speak as to the 'why' it works, but can testify that it does.
Winter Soup Swap - Pumpkin Soup - GFDF
Pumpkin Soup - GFDF (Gluten Free Dairy Free)
3 large, yellow onions, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter or your favorite substitute
4 large Yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks
6 carrots cut into chunks
2 teaspoons salt (salt to taste)
2 Tablespoons Herbs de Province
4 minced cloves of garlic
1 (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes in juice - I used 5 medium tomatoes, chopped so as to fly under the PVR (Patrick's Vegetable Radar)
2 (26 oz) cartons chicken broth
1 cup half and half or cream (unless you're making the dairy free version)
¼ cup sherry
2 (15 oz) cans of pumpkin - (I used about 36 oz of pureed triamble pumpkin*)
Melt butter in soup pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots and sauté 10 minutes more. Add chicken stock, salt, herbs de province, & tomatoes and simmer until the vegetables are tender, approximately 30 minutes. Add the pumpkin and simmer until you're ready to eat!
Made: just over 5 quarts
Options from here:
Serve as is.
Stir in 1 cup of half and half to make a cream soup. The half and half shouldn’t be very cold when you add it. (This obviously makes the soup NON-dairy free.)
Serve soup as is and cream on the side.
If you would like you can puree the soup and add the cream and sherry at the end.
___
Brian got this recipe from a friend at work - and came home after trying it saying, "IT was really good - and I could eat it!" Poor multi-allergic hubby.
I think this will be my contribution to the soup swap this month - I'm feeling uninspired by my original carrot & ginger idea. *Plus, I have one beautiful triamble pumpkin from the garden that I would like to humbly share - in the hopes that the God of gardens and soup swaps would see fit to give me a more prolific garden next year.
My One and Only Triamble Pumpkin - 12 lb.
Alternatively entitled,
"The Ugliest (but supposedly yummiest) Little Pumpkin"
3 large, yellow onions, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter or your favorite substitute
4 large Yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks
6 carrots cut into chunks
2 teaspoons salt (salt to taste)
2 Tablespoons Herbs de Province
4 minced cloves of garlic
1 (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes in juice - I used 5 medium tomatoes, chopped so as to fly under the PVR (Patrick's Vegetable Radar)
2 (26 oz) cartons chicken broth
1 cup half and half or cream (unless you're making the dairy free version)
¼ cup sherry
2 (15 oz) cans of pumpkin - (I used about 36 oz of pureed triamble pumpkin*)
Melt butter in soup pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots and sauté 10 minutes more. Add chicken stock, salt, herbs de province, & tomatoes and simmer until the vegetables are tender, approximately 30 minutes. Add the pumpkin and simmer until you're ready to eat!
Made: just over 5 quarts
Options from here:
Serve as is.
Stir in 1 cup of half and half to make a cream soup. The half and half shouldn’t be very cold when you add it. (This obviously makes the soup NON-dairy free.)
Serve soup as is and cream on the side.
If you would like you can puree the soup and add the cream and sherry at the end.
___
Brian got this recipe from a friend at work - and came home after trying it saying, "IT was really good - and I could eat it!" Poor multi-allergic hubby.
I think this will be my contribution to the soup swap this month - I'm feeling uninspired by my original carrot & ginger idea. *Plus, I have one beautiful triamble pumpkin from the garden that I would like to humbly share - in the hopes that the God of gardens and soup swaps would see fit to give me a more prolific garden next year.
Alternatively entitled,
"The Ugliest (but supposedly yummiest) Little Pumpkin"
Winter Soup Swap - Apple and Pumpkin Soup
Some of us here at Quotidian Dignities have decided to try a winter soup swap. I don't know about you but I can't make one meals worth of soup to save my life. I'm always half way into the recipe only to realize my 8 qt pot is not big enough. So I transfer and start praying that the soup turns out good enough to either give away or eat for weeks.
Instead of fighting this mass feeding instinct, I decided to ask some friends to join me and then share what they make too much of. This way we each get different soups to eat all month rather than being forced to think of new ways to use the soup I made way too much of.
The recipe for my first soup swap is below. The recipe said it made enough for 4 servings but I thought it looked like a lot more than that. Since I needed 12 servings I decided to only double the recipe. I got 12 quarts. So unless you eat 6 c of soup as one serving, you can safely assume that one recipe makes way more than four servings! Count on being able to feed 12 with bread and salad or even more if you pour the soup over rice. I put mine in 1 qt canning jars and put the jars in the freezer to pull out if someone has a baby or if I have a house full of dinner guests. Or if I just don't feel like cooking.
APPLE AND PUMPKIN SOUP
Roast:
2 lg butternut squash, pumpkin or winter squash
Saute:
3 or 4 medium onions, coarsely diced
2 Tbs curry powder
4 Tbs olive oil (or 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil)
Add:
6 peeled, cored, and slice apples
1 qt chicken stock
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
peeled and cubed squash
Simmer till all is soft.
Puree in batches.
Add:
2 c fresh apple cider
1-2 qt chicken stock
Soup should be a little sweet and thick so add stock accordingly. Salt and pepper to taste. Its really yummy and not at all spicy. You could add a chipotle sauce when you serve it or diced jalapenos, etc. The recipe suggests serving with sour cream, diced apple, and toasted pecans. Which sounds great if I'm serving it to someone who cares about presentation.
This recipe makes about 6 quarts.
Instead of fighting this mass feeding instinct, I decided to ask some friends to join me and then share what they make too much of. This way we each get different soups to eat all month rather than being forced to think of new ways to use the soup I made way too much of.
The recipe for my first soup swap is below. The recipe said it made enough for 4 servings but I thought it looked like a lot more than that. Since I needed 12 servings I decided to only double the recipe. I got 12 quarts. So unless you eat 6 c of soup as one serving, you can safely assume that one recipe makes way more than four servings! Count on being able to feed 12 with bread and salad or even more if you pour the soup over rice. I put mine in 1 qt canning jars and put the jars in the freezer to pull out if someone has a baby or if I have a house full of dinner guests. Or if I just don't feel like cooking.
APPLE AND PUMPKIN SOUP
Roast:
2 lg butternut squash, pumpkin or winter squash
Saute:
3 or 4 medium onions, coarsely diced
2 Tbs curry powder
4 Tbs olive oil (or 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil)
Add:
6 peeled, cored, and slice apples
1 qt chicken stock
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
peeled and cubed squash
Simmer till all is soft.
Puree in batches.
Add:
2 c fresh apple cider
1-2 qt chicken stock
Soup should be a little sweet and thick so add stock accordingly. Salt and pepper to taste. Its really yummy and not at all spicy. You could add a chipotle sauce when you serve it or diced jalapenos, etc. The recipe suggests serving with sour cream, diced apple, and toasted pecans. Which sounds great if I'm serving it to someone who cares about presentation.
This recipe makes about 6 quarts.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Home Remedies
I've learned some things in the last week. Practical, ordinary, daily things such as don't let the toddler eat blueberries in his best khakis and don't do anything with Sandia Green Chilies without wearing gloves.
Here's the thing though: we all have great hindsight. And it does no good to beat yourself up once the harm is done. What's called for in these situations is a little wisdom from grandma.
Here's what I learned:
1. pour boiling water through the back side of the fabric to remove fruit/berry stains. You may have to repeat a dozen times but the stain will, absolutely, come out. Just watch out for steam burns.
2. forget milk, butter, vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, aloe, calendula, mechanical grease cutter, rubbing alcohol, bleach. None of it works. Wait it out with a bowl of ice water. My burn went away in about 12 hours.
So grandma's remedy didn't come through for me on the last one but the boiling water trick is sure fire. Does anyone else has some practical ways that grandma would have taken care of a quotidian problem? Please share your wisdom.
Here's the thing though: we all have great hindsight. And it does no good to beat yourself up once the harm is done. What's called for in these situations is a little wisdom from grandma.
Here's what I learned:
1. pour boiling water through the back side of the fabric to remove fruit/berry stains. You may have to repeat a dozen times but the stain will, absolutely, come out. Just watch out for steam burns.
2. forget milk, butter, vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, aloe, calendula, mechanical grease cutter, rubbing alcohol, bleach. None of it works. Wait it out with a bowl of ice water. My burn went away in about 12 hours.
So grandma's remedy didn't come through for me on the last one but the boiling water trick is sure fire. Does anyone else has some practical ways that grandma would have taken care of a quotidian problem? Please share your wisdom.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A Month of Cheap Eats
My husband challenged me to live on the food stamp budget for groceries. That meant taking my usual grocery budget of about $600 down to $250. And for the month of July, I came in at a grand total of $308. We still got a weekly organic CSA box, ate all organic fruits and veggies, as much local/organic everything else as possible, and paid $10 a gallon for local, raw, organic milk.
I cheated in tons of ways, though. That figure doesn't include any eating out or any of the stuff I already had on hand or got from my garden. Plus we were out of town until 4 July. So that's like four free days. We didn't have to skimp anywhere near what we would have if we were really living on food stamps. We're still shooting for a low grocery bill in August, so I'll let you know how it goes.
A few notes on how I cut my grocery bill in half:
We eat vegetarian most nights, and when we do have meat it almost never takes center stage.
I make bread, granola and yogurt at home, and we didn't buy snacky food like crackers, chips or granola bars.
Beans and rice.
My Google Calendar has all of the meals we ate (and some other random life events).
I cheated in tons of ways, though. That figure doesn't include any eating out or any of the stuff I already had on hand or got from my garden. Plus we were out of town until 4 July. So that's like four free days. We didn't have to skimp anywhere near what we would have if we were really living on food stamps. We're still shooting for a low grocery bill in August, so I'll let you know how it goes.
A few notes on how I cut my grocery bill in half:
We eat vegetarian most nights, and when we do have meat it almost never takes center stage.
I make bread, granola and yogurt at home, and we didn't buy snacky food like crackers, chips or granola bars.
Beans and rice.
My Google Calendar has all of the meals we ate (and some other random life events).
Friday, July 31, 2009
Meal Planning
Whilst serving stir-fry vegetables, tempe, and quinoa for dinner the other night, I learned the benefit of meal planning. My boys were much more inclined to quietly eat the meal set before them when they could see, posted on the fridge, that tomorrow would bring more 'manly' food to the dinner table.
As a side note, my brother-in-law, who is living with us this summer, has enlightened me to the fact that there are girly dinners and manly dinners. I knew this sort of. I mean, if I try to serve a salad, cheese, and crackers for dinner, I expect my husband to start foraging for something else to eat within the hour. I just didn't realize that the list of girly dinners extends to quiche, soufle, pesto pasta, vegetable stir-fry, roasted vegetables, pot pie, and most other meat stretcher meals. Hmm.
Since we are trying to eat only ethical meat and still stick to a reasonalbe food budget, I've taken to cooking meat a couple times a week and then scattering a litle pepperoni on one of Friday night's pizzas. Need less to say, that didn't quite cut it for the SEAL training brother in law. After many conversations about animal ethics, non-meat protien sources, the desired caloric intake, and the need for high-protien meals, we struck a shaky compromise that includes some tempe and some manly slabs of meat, some non-vegetable lasagna and some vegetable quiche.
Beyond providing encouragement to my boys during the less 'manly' dinners, posting my meal plans has also helped me streamline my grocery shopping and find dinner solutions at the end of an exhausting day. I frequently change the order of meals according to unexpected evening plans. I'm also open to changing up the meats and veggies according to sales at the store. But I have the week's meals planned and budgeted. Meat dishes are balanced with the vegetarians nights and leftovers are planned for the nights when we don't have much time to eat. And at the end of every week, no matter how weird the rest of the meals have been, we can always look forward to pizza.
I've also found sparkrecipes which allows me to input my recipes and it saves them in my cookbook and calculates nutrition info. Ever wonder how many calories or how much cholesterol your homemade meal contains? Well, wonder no more. I know I'm not the only one who goes through seasons of counting calories only to realize that the 4000+ daily caloric intake is probably a more likely cause of the tight jeans than the dryer! Anyway, I love this tool for those seasons.
I'm going to post my meal plans (when they look impressive and occassionally when they inlcude spaghetti and hot dogs night after night) because I'm always wondering what my friends eat for dinner so that I can stimulate the frequently lagging creative juices. What are your favorite meals? Would you consider putting the recipes in sparkrecipes and posting a link? I'll do the same for some of my favorite meals! These two weeks include a lot of meat. Part of the SEAL training compromise!
Monday - World's Best Lasagna and Salad
Tuesday - Leftover Pizza (from last Saturday)
Wednesday - Applegate Italian Suasages (only purchased on sale!) and Kim Chi
Thursday - Lasagna Leftovers
Friday - Curried Pork, Raisens, and Rice and Salad
Saturday - Homemade Pizza
Monday - Thai Mango Chicken and Quinoa and Salad
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Pasta and Pork Chirizzo Sauce (homemade in a massive batch and frozen in 2-4 person quanities)
Thursday - Quiche and Salad
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Leftover Free-For-All
And for fun, here's a fermented pancake recipe thats great for a weekend breakfast. Its from sally Fallon's cookbook Nourishing Traditions. Sort of. The yogurt instead of milk idea is from her and I pretty much used family recipes for the rest.
As a side note, my brother-in-law, who is living with us this summer, has enlightened me to the fact that there are girly dinners and manly dinners. I knew this sort of. I mean, if I try to serve a salad, cheese, and crackers for dinner, I expect my husband to start foraging for something else to eat within the hour. I just didn't realize that the list of girly dinners extends to quiche, soufle, pesto pasta, vegetable stir-fry, roasted vegetables, pot pie, and most other meat stretcher meals. Hmm.
Since we are trying to eat only ethical meat and still stick to a reasonalbe food budget, I've taken to cooking meat a couple times a week and then scattering a litle pepperoni on one of Friday night's pizzas. Need less to say, that didn't quite cut it for the SEAL training brother in law. After many conversations about animal ethics, non-meat protien sources, the desired caloric intake, and the need for high-protien meals, we struck a shaky compromise that includes some tempe and some manly slabs of meat, some non-vegetable lasagna and some vegetable quiche.
Beyond providing encouragement to my boys during the less 'manly' dinners, posting my meal plans has also helped me streamline my grocery shopping and find dinner solutions at the end of an exhausting day. I frequently change the order of meals according to unexpected evening plans. I'm also open to changing up the meats and veggies according to sales at the store. But I have the week's meals planned and budgeted. Meat dishes are balanced with the vegetarians nights and leftovers are planned for the nights when we don't have much time to eat. And at the end of every week, no matter how weird the rest of the meals have been, we can always look forward to pizza.
I've also found sparkrecipes which allows me to input my recipes and it saves them in my cookbook and calculates nutrition info. Ever wonder how many calories or how much cholesterol your homemade meal contains? Well, wonder no more. I know I'm not the only one who goes through seasons of counting calories only to realize that the 4000+ daily caloric intake is probably a more likely cause of the tight jeans than the dryer! Anyway, I love this tool for those seasons.
I'm going to post my meal plans (when they look impressive and occassionally when they inlcude spaghetti and hot dogs night after night) because I'm always wondering what my friends eat for dinner so that I can stimulate the frequently lagging creative juices. What are your favorite meals? Would you consider putting the recipes in sparkrecipes and posting a link? I'll do the same for some of my favorite meals! These two weeks include a lot of meat. Part of the SEAL training compromise!
Monday - World's Best Lasagna and Salad
Tuesday - Leftover Pizza (from last Saturday)
Wednesday - Applegate Italian Suasages (only purchased on sale!) and Kim Chi
Thursday - Lasagna Leftovers
Friday - Curried Pork, Raisens, and Rice and Salad
Saturday - Homemade Pizza
Monday - Thai Mango Chicken and Quinoa and Salad
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Pasta and Pork Chirizzo Sauce (homemade in a massive batch and frozen in 2-4 person quanities)
Thursday - Quiche and Salad
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Leftover Free-For-All
And for fun, here's a fermented pancake recipe thats great for a weekend breakfast. Its from sally Fallon's cookbook Nourishing Traditions. Sort of. The yogurt instead of milk idea is from her and I pretty much used family recipes for the rest.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Daily Sun Tea & Eggs
Sun Tea
My new kick is making two canning jars of sun tea every afternoon. I love using the sun (rather than the stove) to make the tea. And I love the repetition of measuring out the herbs and water on a daily basis. My oldest loves to go 'check if the tea is ready' and bring it inside when he thinks it's done.
I use 1 Tbsp of dried mint and 1 Tbsp of dried lemon balm per 32 oz. jar. It's so refreshing on a hot afternoon with a dash of agave. Both of these herbs are very calming on your mood, as well as your digestive system.
Eggs
We're getting eggs on an almost daily basis now! It's crazy and I feel like a little kid whenever I go outside and realize that we haven't checked for eggs in awhile (like half an hour). It makes me almost giddy to walk over to the coop, squat down, lift the door, and peak inside. It's kind of like Christmas everyday. Although not quite as spiritually significant.
My new kick is making two canning jars of sun tea every afternoon. I love using the sun (rather than the stove) to make the tea. And I love the repetition of measuring out the herbs and water on a daily basis. My oldest loves to go 'check if the tea is ready' and bring it inside when he thinks it's done.
I use 1 Tbsp of dried mint and 1 Tbsp of dried lemon balm per 32 oz. jar. It's so refreshing on a hot afternoon with a dash of agave. Both of these herbs are very calming on your mood, as well as your digestive system.
Eggs
We're getting eggs on an almost daily basis now! It's crazy and I feel like a little kid whenever I go outside and realize that we haven't checked for eggs in awhile (like half an hour). It makes me almost giddy to walk over to the coop, squat down, lift the door, and peak inside. It's kind of like Christmas everyday. Although not quite as spiritually significant.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Easy Quiche Crust from Scratch
This recipe is copied from My French Cuisine. I copied it because it really was easy and wonderful and because I want to be able to find it again. :-)
This dough is called "pâte brisée" in French (pronounce "pat breezay"). It is the base for all quiche and pie recipes. If you take the time to make your own crust, your quiche will taste a million times better (at least!) than if you buy it ready-to-use.
This dough is called "pâte brisée" in French (pronounce "pat breezay"). It is the base for all quiche and pie recipes. If you take the time to make your own crust, your quiche will taste a million times better (at least!) than if you buy it ready-to-use.
The ingredients below are enough to make 2 thin crusts. Use one half of the dough right away and freeze the other half for your next recipe!
- 250 grams of flour (1 and 3/4 cups or a little over 1/2 pound, unbleached, all-purpose)
- 125 grams of unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 egg
- 1 tea spoon of crème fraîche (or sour cream if you can't find it)
- 1/2 tea spoon of salt.
The base ingredients are the flour, salt and butter. The egg and crème fraîche are here to help them stick together (plus the egg will give the crust a nice golden color).
- First sift the flour over a large bowl and add the salt.
- Cut the butter in tiny cubes. Incorporate the butter to the flour with your finger tips (you can't really use a spoon here... You could use a pastry blender but you'd loose all the fun of making your own "pâte brisée"). The dough will feel like coarse sand grains between your fingers.
- Push the flour and butter mix on the sides of the bowl, digging a hole in the center.
- Break the egg and pour it in the hole in middle of the bowl. Beat it a little with a fork then use a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour little by little. Add the crème fraîche or sour cream and mix again until the dough is homogeneous. Use your hands to knead the dough and form two balls of the same weight.
- Place the balls of dough in plastic wraps and let them rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using or freezing.
- Let the dough warm up a little before rolling it out.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Weeklidian Dignities
I'm planning on doing this on a weekly basis this summer. Anyone want to join me? It'll usually be Thursday mornings.
Monday, June 1, 2009
CANNED
And Oh Boy, Did We Can!
Jesse and I hit the project from 8am - 5:30pm with help from Danidoodle and Christie in the middle. Even with many hands, it was not light work.
A portion of a day's worth of canning. We made Ginger Rhubarb and Strawberry Rhubarb Jams and a plain Rhubarb for adding to other culinary creations.
Jesse and I hit the project from 8am - 5:30pm with help from Danidoodle and Christie in the middle. Even with many hands, it was not light work.
A portion of a day's worth of canning. We made Ginger Rhubarb and Strawberry Rhubarb Jams and a plain Rhubarb for adding to other culinary creations.
We think Ezekiel was confused about what was getting canned. He climbed in and stirred himself with a wooden spoon for a while and then he and Og moved on to using the pot for music making efforts (ie: banging spoons and toys against the pot in order to create maximum noise).Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Double Fisting It Veggie Style
I know this isn't a blog for posting kid pics but as the quotidian things in my life go, it doesn't get much better than Ezekiel pushing away his favorite go-gur (yogurt) and pitching a fit for stalks of steaming hot broccoli! Everytime he finishes one, he asks for another so as to always have two stalks going at a time. As I type he's just thanked me for handing him the sixth stalk! It makes my veggie lovin' heart so happy.
Putting up the Corn
My birthday shindig was planned with grilling burgers, chicken, corn in mind. Seeing as how I caught the swine flu's cousin a few days prior to the party, we now have a freezer full of meat and sacks full of corn. Even though I'm still a little under the weather, I am clearly doing better than I was the last four or five days. Evidence of improvement?
-7 loads of dirty laundry piled at the top of the stairs
-bathrooms that are filthy
-food is rotting in the fridge
-we ran out of bread and eggs
-fruit flies are circling the sacks of corn
-my seedlings which were ready for outdoor soil are wilting in their starter pots
-I have no idea when my flower beds were last watered
and most importantly, I NOTICED all of the above.
Well, 4 loads of laundry are finished. Diapers are washed, folded, and stowed. One bathroom is clean. The least dirty one. Food is still rotting int he fridge but most of it is in sealed containers. And I'm 12 ears of corn into taking care of the fruit fly problem.
As a kid, my grandmother's freezer was a magical place, full of prepared home made, home grown food. Well, almost home grown since she got a lot of it from the local Mininites. I remember huge bowls of strings and snapped bean ends, piles of corn recently shorn of their kernels, greens wilting in the big stove pots, and mountains of pork being pulled into BBQ. Hands down, my favorite was fresh tomatoes, creamed corn, and BBQ. And every time I came to visit Grandma, that meal was an option (excepting perhaps the frsh tomatoes) because she always made enough to put some up. During college, I lived about 45 mintures from her house. I went to visit many weekends and always got sent back with a cooler full of goods. Those are days I won't soon forget!
So here's the way my Grandma always 'put up the corn'.
1. Husk. Pretty self explainatory. Take off the husks.
2. Silk. Make sure you get the silks of really well or they'll mess up the corn.
3. Shuck. Using a comfortable knife, cut off the kernels into a bowl.
4. Scrape. Scrape the blade of the knife firmly over the kernel beds several times. This pulls out the cream of the corn and is vital for the taste of homemade cream corn!
5. Cook the kernels and scraped off 'cream' in just a little water until blanched.
6. Let is cool and put the corn into freezer storage containers.
When you pull the corn out, all you have to do is thaw it in a pot and add the chicken bullion, sugar, salt, and milk. I've never had left overs.
-7 loads of dirty laundry piled at the top of the stairs
-bathrooms that are filthy
-food is rotting in the fridge
-we ran out of bread and eggs
-fruit flies are circling the sacks of corn
-my seedlings which were ready for outdoor soil are wilting in their starter pots
-I have no idea when my flower beds were last watered
and most importantly, I NOTICED all of the above.
Well, 4 loads of laundry are finished. Diapers are washed, folded, and stowed. One bathroom is clean. The least dirty one. Food is still rotting int he fridge but most of it is in sealed containers. And I'm 12 ears of corn into taking care of the fruit fly problem.
As a kid, my grandmother's freezer was a magical place, full of prepared home made, home grown food. Well, almost home grown since she got a lot of it from the local Mininites. I remember huge bowls of strings and snapped bean ends, piles of corn recently shorn of their kernels, greens wilting in the big stove pots, and mountains of pork being pulled into BBQ. Hands down, my favorite was fresh tomatoes, creamed corn, and BBQ. And every time I came to visit Grandma, that meal was an option (excepting perhaps the frsh tomatoes) because she always made enough to put some up. During college, I lived about 45 mintures from her house. I went to visit many weekends and always got sent back with a cooler full of goods. Those are days I won't soon forget!
So here's the way my Grandma always 'put up the corn'.
1. Husk. Pretty self explainatory. Take off the husks.
2. Silk. Make sure you get the silks of really well or they'll mess up the corn.
3. Shuck. Using a comfortable knife, cut off the kernels into a bowl.
4. Scrape. Scrape the blade of the knife firmly over the kernel beds several times. This pulls out the cream of the corn and is vital for the taste of homemade cream corn!
5. Cook the kernels and scraped off 'cream' in just a little water until blanched.
6. Let is cool and put the corn into freezer storage containers.
When you pull the corn out, all you have to do is thaw it in a pot and add the chicken bullion, sugar, salt, and milk. I've never had left overs.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Spinach Blooms and Other
My spinach is blooming! Actually, just one of the plants is blooming... so it seems that it's getting a bit too hot for spinach in the desert. Therefore, the arugula and spinach are all getting harvested this weekend.
More. Pesto. Baby.
However, what I'm wondering is how to gather seeds? I have blooming spinach, arugula, and broccoli. And I want to save seeds. Obviously the seeds should be around the dried up flowers...but I can't find them!
More. Pesto. Baby.
However, what I'm wondering is how to gather seeds? I have blooming spinach, arugula, and broccoli. And I want to save seeds. Obviously the seeds should be around the dried up flowers...but I can't find them!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Arugula out the Ears
What do you do when you have Arugula growing like crazy in your garden? (I must have some freaky microclimate, perfect for this member of the Brassicaceae family, in my backyard).
You. Make. Pesto.
The first photo was taken after I was DONE! Which just goes to show that I had harvested oh so much. So I gave some away, ate some in a salad, and then started sauteeing the rest with garlic and olive oil. Yum.
Arugula Pesto (Nut and dairy free)
A BUNCH of Arugula*
A BUNCH of Spinach
A bunch of cloves of garlic
Some salt
Some olive oil (enough to get it to all blend together)
A little water (for the same reason as above)
Blend.
(At first, I hadn't added any spinach. Man oh man was that ever spicy! The spinach tones it down nicely, and stretches it, too.)
I warmed the pesto on the stove on low to get it all nice and um, nice. Then froze it in '1 family meal' portions. The spice of the Arugula makes me forget all about the Pine Nuts and Parmesan!
I've tried this recipe with Cilantro, too. The kids loved both kinds!
*You can even eat the flowers! They're slightly sweet, slightly spicy.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Really Cool Gardening Imagery
Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.
You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies—sun, moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!
This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we're raised, we're raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!
I Corinthians 15: 35-44 from The Message
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Seriously?
New 'food safety' legislation. I've been snoping it out since yesterday and haven't found any good news yet. I'm so mad I could spit. And not to get political here but Obama's latest video address also made me mad along these same lines. I quote:
"We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative. But there are certain things that we can't do on our own. There are certain things that only a government can do. And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and don't cause us harm."
I'm pretty confident that I can ensure that the food I eat is safe with much more efficacy and vested interest than the government. And it seems to me that the right to grow my own food in my back yard is a right as natural as the right to breathe. I feel that way about owning chickens and drinking raw milk too but I understand the need to keep livestock out of the cities: the animals could get sick.
I don't see how the legislation is enforceable. For example, I buy my eggs from a lady who meets me in a Target parking lot at a different time each week. I get my milk from someone who could easily be selling it to me as 'pet food'. I grow herbs and vegetables for medicinal and culinary use but it can't be proven that the tomatoes aren't just decorative. And how do you keep a person from eating the cucumbers handed over the neighborly fence? I for one will continue to grow and buy my food as locally as possible, regardless of the laws, simply because I believe its the right thing to do.
"We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative. But there are certain things that we can't do on our own. There are certain things that only a government can do. And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and don't cause us harm."
I'm pretty confident that I can ensure that the food I eat is safe with much more efficacy and vested interest than the government. And it seems to me that the right to grow my own food in my back yard is a right as natural as the right to breathe. I feel that way about owning chickens and drinking raw milk too but I understand the need to keep livestock out of the cities: the animals could get sick.
I don't see how the legislation is enforceable. For example, I buy my eggs from a lady who meets me in a Target parking lot at a different time each week. I get my milk from someone who could easily be selling it to me as 'pet food'. I grow herbs and vegetables for medicinal and culinary use but it can't be proven that the tomatoes aren't just decorative. And how do you keep a person from eating the cucumbers handed over the neighborly fence? I for one will continue to grow and buy my food as locally as possible, regardless of the laws, simply because I believe its the right thing to do.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Life After Aphids
I finally figured out why my spinach and broccoli have shriveled and turned yellow. You guessed it: copious aphid populations. Grrr! I've sprayed with a dish soap/tobasco solution. Is there hope for my plants or should I just cut them back, dig them up, and pray that my beets recover? They've covered the undersides of my spinach and put out their gooky goonk. My broccoli is pretty covered too and is definitely not bearing. The beets seem less affected though the aphids are definitely expanding their territory in that direction. I really want my beets to survive! I mean, I really want my spinach and broccoli too but at least I've had them for dinner. Any suggestions? How often should I spray?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Daily Bread: Low Sugar Granola
For my lenten fast from sweets, I decided to develop a granola recipe with much less sugar than what I usually use. I think it turned out quite well, but my husband misses the sugar. If you try it, let me know what you think.
4 cups regular rolled oats (not quick)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or a blend of other sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
1/2 - 1 cup nuts and seeds
2 cups boiling water
scant 1/4 cup sugar (white, turbinado, demerara, brown, honey, syrup, whatever)
1/4 cup oil (or melt 1/4 cup butter in the boiling water)
1 cup dried fruit
Oven: 350 degres farenheit
1. Combine the first set of dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Dissolve sugar (and melt butter if using) in boiling water. Pour the sugar water over oat mixture and stir until everything is wet. Let that sit for 10 minutes.
3. Drizzle oil (unless you used butter) over the oat mixture. Do not stir. Crumble the sticky oat mixture evenly over a greased, large, rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle any remaining oil in the bowl over the oats on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the edges of the granola are lightly browned.
5. Stir and turn over the granola with a spatula, bringing the outside pieces in to the center and the inside pieces out. Break up any large chunks into bite sized pieces.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 275 and continue baking until dry, stirring every 20 minutes if necessary to prevent the edges from burning.
7. Sprinkle dried fruit over granola and allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
4 cups regular rolled oats (not quick)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or a blend of other sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
1/2 - 1 cup nuts and seeds
2 cups boiling water
scant 1/4 cup sugar (white, turbinado, demerara, brown, honey, syrup, whatever)
1/4 cup oil (or melt 1/4 cup butter in the boiling water)
1 cup dried fruit
Oven: 350 degres farenheit
1. Combine the first set of dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Dissolve sugar (and melt butter if using) in boiling water. Pour the sugar water over oat mixture and stir until everything is wet. Let that sit for 10 minutes.
3. Drizzle oil (unless you used butter) over the oat mixture. Do not stir. Crumble the sticky oat mixture evenly over a greased, large, rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle any remaining oil in the bowl over the oats on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the edges of the granola are lightly browned.
5. Stir and turn over the granola with a spatula, bringing the outside pieces in to the center and the inside pieces out. Break up any large chunks into bite sized pieces.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 275 and continue baking until dry, stirring every 20 minutes if necessary to prevent the edges from burning.
7. Sprinkle dried fruit over granola and allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
from Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner
When they brought Jesus to the place where his dead friend lay, Jesus wept. It is very easy to sentimentalize the scene and very tempting because to sentimentalize something is to look only at the emotion in it and at the emotion it stirs in us rather than at the reality of it, which we are always tempted not to look at because reality, truth, silence are all what we are not much good at and avoid when we can. To sentimentalize something is to savor rather than to suffer the sadness of it, is to sigh over the prettiness of it rather than tremble at the beauty of it, which may make fearsome demands of us or pose fearsome threats. Not just as preachers but as Christians in general we are particularly given to sentimentalizing our faith as much of Christian art and Christian preaching bear witness - the sermon as tearjerker, the Gospel an urn of long-stemmed roses and baby's breath to brighten up the front of the church, Jesus as Gregory Peck.
But here standing beside the dead body of his dead friend he is not Gregory Peck. He has no form or comeliness about him that we should desire him, and as one from whom men hide their faces we turn from him. To see a man weep is not a comely sight, especially this man whom we want to be stronger and braver than a man, and the impulse is to turn from him as we turn from anybody who weeps because the sight of real tears, painful and disfiguring, forces us to look to their real source where we do no choose to look because where his tears come from, our tears also come from.
But here standing beside the dead body of his dead friend he is not Gregory Peck. He has no form or comeliness about him that we should desire him, and as one from whom men hide their faces we turn from him. To see a man weep is not a comely sight, especially this man whom we want to be stronger and braver than a man, and the impulse is to turn from him as we turn from anybody who weeps because the sight of real tears, painful and disfiguring, forces us to look to their real source where we do no choose to look because where his tears come from, our tears also come from.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Koine
I've been considering the idea of the koine Greek in light of today's sermon which was on Acts 2:42-47. The text says that these early believers held everything in common. I have always thought of this in terms of pooling their paychecks and living from one checking account so to speak - as though they sold their homes and bought a single building on a city block and converted it into apartment housing with common kitchens, gardens, and living space. This holds certain appeal to me but I'm not sure this is actually what Luke is suggesting.
Koine Greek was the lingua franca, or, the commonly spoken Greek. I remember back in seminary when I had to do a unit study on linguistics in the midst of mastering Greek II level verbs. We learned that the common meaning of the word was the way to go in interpretation even if it conflicted with the etymologically correct meaning. Language that is living always defers to the common or ordinarily understood meaning. Language that was dead when it was used can be interpreted according to etymological meanings. But do you think of penultimate as meaning 'second to last' or in terms of something that surpasses the five senses. The latter would coincide with etymological meaning while the former is more consistent with the common use of the word.
In Acts 2, Luke talks about the believers living day by day together and having all things in koina, or, in common. Suddenly it occurred to me that these believers probably did ordinary life together. Holding all things in common, they perhaps shared the quotidian things and then ate dinner together before heading home for the night.
This week a friend came over for dinner because her husband was out of town. We laughed as my husband unsuccessfully snaked the kitchen sink in search of the clog. He found other means to apprehend the offending food stuffs and beautifully fixed the problem. My point is that the work of the 'honey do plumber' became funny when we realized that I had not a clue how a siphon worked. We held our breath as my husband 'sucked' Draino until it flowed into the bucket and the sink was cleared of liquid. We made jokes about babies on the floor in the morning if I didn't make a speedy effort to mop before heading to bed. And then she spent the night and was delightfully with me for breakfast. Later that day we made cheese together and shared a pizza dinner. This was holding all things in common. This was a quotidian koine experience.
I get worn out trying to do extra activities that don't relate to my ordinary day. By ordinary I'm referring to the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and errands routine of my stay at home momma lifestyle. Its in the midst of these tasks that my day grows weary. Sometimes I try to stay busy with Bible studies, mom groups, luncheons, etc but these things are not the koina or lingua franca of my day. When Luke wrote about the church holding all things in common in a day by day way, I feel prety confident that he was referring to the ordinary things of life that they did together like a family and not to the bazillion extra things that could be added to a day to keep one super busy.
I'm rethinking ways to take my Rio Rancho suburban life out of the fragmented and private and to incorporate it into a koine sort of experience. I want to invite people into my messy home, to let them see the clogs I create in my sink and my heart and to stand by with me as it all gets siphoned out by one means or another. If I wait till all my sheets are clean to have a friend spend the night or until dinner is planned or until my kid can behave then I will never have anyone sharing the ordinary things of life with me. I long for a community that can break down these barriers and come alongside me to participate in the common things of my day with me. Perhaps then I will not be so lonely and perhaps then I will experience the blessing rather than the burden of the church in my day to day life.
Koine Greek was the lingua franca, or, the commonly spoken Greek. I remember back in seminary when I had to do a unit study on linguistics in the midst of mastering Greek II level verbs. We learned that the common meaning of the word was the way to go in interpretation even if it conflicted with the etymologically correct meaning. Language that is living always defers to the common or ordinarily understood meaning. Language that was dead when it was used can be interpreted according to etymological meanings. But do you think of penultimate as meaning 'second to last' or in terms of something that surpasses the five senses. The latter would coincide with etymological meaning while the former is more consistent with the common use of the word.
In Acts 2, Luke talks about the believers living day by day together and having all things in koina, or, in common. Suddenly it occurred to me that these believers probably did ordinary life together. Holding all things in common, they perhaps shared the quotidian things and then ate dinner together before heading home for the night.
This week a friend came over for dinner because her husband was out of town. We laughed as my husband unsuccessfully snaked the kitchen sink in search of the clog. He found other means to apprehend the offending food stuffs and beautifully fixed the problem. My point is that the work of the 'honey do plumber' became funny when we realized that I had not a clue how a siphon worked. We held our breath as my husband 'sucked' Draino until it flowed into the bucket and the sink was cleared of liquid. We made jokes about babies on the floor in the morning if I didn't make a speedy effort to mop before heading to bed. And then she spent the night and was delightfully with me for breakfast. Later that day we made cheese together and shared a pizza dinner. This was holding all things in common. This was a quotidian koine experience.
I get worn out trying to do extra activities that don't relate to my ordinary day. By ordinary I'm referring to the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and errands routine of my stay at home momma lifestyle. Its in the midst of these tasks that my day grows weary. Sometimes I try to stay busy with Bible studies, mom groups, luncheons, etc but these things are not the koina or lingua franca of my day. When Luke wrote about the church holding all things in common in a day by day way, I feel prety confident that he was referring to the ordinary things of life that they did together like a family and not to the bazillion extra things that could be added to a day to keep one super busy.
I'm rethinking ways to take my Rio Rancho suburban life out of the fragmented and private and to incorporate it into a koine sort of experience. I want to invite people into my messy home, to let them see the clogs I create in my sink and my heart and to stand by with me as it all gets siphoned out by one means or another. If I wait till all my sheets are clean to have a friend spend the night or until dinner is planned or until my kid can behave then I will never have anyone sharing the ordinary things of life with me. I long for a community that can break down these barriers and come alongside me to participate in the common things of my day with me. Perhaps then I will not be so lonely and perhaps then I will experience the blessing rather than the burden of the church in my day to day life.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
I love Freecycle.
It's a New Year and Hubby has been cleaning out the garage. We 'were' going to take a bunch of stuff to Goodwill, but I thought - maybe someone could really use this stuff...and would like to receive it for FREE!
So, I posted a bunch of stuff this afternoon on Freecycle and already had requests for:
2 bowls and miscellaneous cutlery
A toddler piano toy
A leap pad
A boppy and baby robe
2 plastic bibs
Daisy shaped shower curtain rod hooks
A bunch of size 3 boys t-shirts and shorts
Miscellaneous men's clothing
WOW! I'm just excited because it feels really good to be giving it away. I haven't traditionally been what you would call a 'generous' person - so it's nice to see that God's been helping me to grow in that area.
So, I posted a bunch of stuff this afternoon on Freecycle and already had requests for:
2 bowls and miscellaneous cutlery
A toddler piano toy
A leap pad
A boppy and baby robe
2 plastic bibs
Daisy shaped shower curtain rod hooks
A bunch of size 3 boys t-shirts and shorts
Miscellaneous men's clothing
WOW! I'm just excited because it feels really good to be giving it away. I haven't traditionally been what you would call a 'generous' person - so it's nice to see that God's been helping me to grow in that area.
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