Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Who knew?!

It's no secret Husband and I are trying for another baby. It hasn't been working nearly as easily as it did with Girl. *sigh*. It's frustrating, tedious and I've grown to really hate the "two week wait". I can't complain THAT much, since I know many people have much more trouble than us, but anyone who waits month after month and keeps coming up empty, can tell you it's a pain.


So here I am, trying for months on Baby #2, and I'm flipping through an old parenting magazine. I stumble on an article about what not to do while you're pregnant, and figure "yeah, been there done that", but I read it anyway.

After skimming through the typical, "don't dye your hair" and "try to avoid toluene in nail polish" I stop short.

What?!

"Don't use creams with vitamin A or retinol, because they can cause massive birth defects".

I stop, look over at my nightstand with my night cream and it's gleaming label. "VITAMIN A, RETINOL RENEWAL NIGHT CREAM"


DOH!

I started using it after Girl was born.  (Ok, let's be honest, after I turned 30 and figured I should start preserving the looks) Who knew!?  Now I'm starting to think I'm glad I didn't get pregnant.  Massive birth defects?  Sheesh!  That cream was tossed into the cupboard of misfit creams and will hang out until we're done having kids.  Say hi to the cellulite cream that didn't work and the "avoid stretch mark" maternity creams!  That reminds me.  It's time to clean out the cupboards.

Pitas

I'm only two weeks in, and already I have found things that I will NEVER buy again!  One of them, is pita bread.  I typically have grand ideas when I see them at the grocery store and slip them into my cart, and every single time I am disappointed by the hard, awful bread.  It never opens properly, it rips and cracks and it really doesn't taste that good.

Enter homemade pita.  Soft, pliable, delicious.

1 tsp granulated sugar
2 cups warm water
1 pkg (1Tbsp) active dry yeast

Dissolve sugar and yeast in water and let stand on the counter until frothy looking (about 5-10 min)

I was about to do this in my mixer, but remembered early enough that simple doughs like this work out even better in the food processor...  so into there I put:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp salt
yeast mixture

run the food processor until well mixed, then add an additional 3 cups flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and start to clean the side of the bowl.  This will make a sticky mess.


Dump the whole lot onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes (pick your food processor blade out first).  The dough will become soft and smooth and elastic.  I find sometimes when kneading, leaving it for a minute (like I did by answering the phone) and then coming back makes your life easier. 


Once it's smooth and soft, put it in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel and leave for about an hour and a half.  While it's rising, find some tea towels, or a big clean bath towel (one that has been washed enough that it's not leaving fluffs everywhere) and make it damp.  In order to have soft pitas, you need to cool them between damp layers of fabric.  If you want crispy pitas, skip this step.

Once doubled in size, dump it onto the counter and cut it into 16 pieces.



Then roll them out into flat pitas.

Let them hang out there for a bit, and get used to their new shape, and let your oven preheat.  500ºF.  This is a HOT oven.  I have a wall oven and the first time I did this I had a container of gummy bears in the cupboard above and they died a slow molten death.  This is something to do if your kids are napping, especially if you have a standard range.  Put a cookie sheet in the oven while it preheats, because you need it to be hot too.


It'll take a bit to preheat, so go, have a glass of wine.  This is, of course, if having a glass of wine won't make you forget to do important things like use oven mitts. Then, skip the wine, because forgetting that will be a disaster.  I have lousy oven mitts (mainly because my nice ones are decorative and I don't want them to get dirty), so I used an oven mitt AND a potholder to handle the cookie sheet. 

Pull the pan from the oven and carefully put 3 or so flattened pitas on it and pop it back in.

Bake for about 4 minutes until they start to brown slightly and puff up.  I find that sometimes they don't puff up completely, but to be honest, these are so soft, I usually use them to wrap insead of opening the pockets. If you want to use them as pockets, experiment with different thicknesses.  Also, getting them as round as possible helps.

Once they're done, pop them between your damp towels and let them cool.


I used these for dinner last night (mmmm gyros!) and the I layered the leftovers with waxed paper and put them in a freezer bag and froze them.  They defrost quite well, and I often use them for pita pizzas when I'm in a rush.

Just as a hint...  if you start eating them warm, you may not stop.

For butter or worse

I miss margarine.  It's so easy, always soft from the fridge, spreads wonderfully even on the freshest bread.  Apparently it'll kill you though, (so "they" say) and I guess with the piles of random additives, I have to say goodbye for the year.  Luckily, I have an alternative...  the butter pot (or butter bell)


Because my main problem with butter is that it doesn't spread from the fridge, I borrowed my mom's butter pot.  Apparently butter CAN sit on the counter, (I have a friend who leaves his in the cupboard), but I find the oxidation to be a little...  shall we say...  gross.  The butter pot solves that.


You jam your butter into the cavity, fill the larger resevoir with just enough water to seal it off from the air...


...plunk it in, and you're done.  Leave it on the counter and you have soft, spreadable butter without the icky oxidation. Just remember to change the water now and then!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Maple Marshmallows.

Ever since I first had the idea, I've wanted to try maple marshmallows.  If you can make candy out of maple sugar, why can't you make marshmallows?  Think of how good they'd be roasted over a fire.  I'm drooling already.

In the same manner as I did the regular marshmallows, I mixed together in the bowl of my mixer:

1/2 cup water
3 packages plain gelatin

into a small pot went

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup

I deliberately left out the water when I saw how runny maple syrup was in comparison to honey or corn syrup.  That may have been the cause of the problem I encountered later.


I brought the mixture to a boil and once it passed 250ºF I pulled it off the heat intending to carefully and slowly stream it into the mixer that was now beating the gelatin and water.

Wrong.

It was lumpy, and clumpy and I used more of a slow dumping method.  I'm guessing putting the water in might have helped stabilize it a bit.

Once it was all in the mixer I ended up with this:


I had low hopes for my marshmallows turning out.  As they whipped I was slowly heartened and began to believe that marshmallows are hard to screw up.  They looked just like the marshmallows I made before!  Albeit, there was a LOT of sugar caked to the sides of the bowl that should have been in the mixture, but I could handle that on clean-up.  I got the mix into my greased-and-icing-sugared 9x9 pan (since I wanted them bigger for roasting), and it looked very much the same. 


Once I tried it, though, I did notice some hard sugary bits mixed through.  Whether they were from the sides of the bowl, or just didn't mix through completely I don't know for sure.  Either way, I could likely convince people they were intentional, right?  You'll keep my secret, right?


Of course, I couldn't resist sampling.  YUM!  It tasted so much like roasted marshmallows without being roasted.  I can't wait to get these babies onto sticks and over a fire!

I think cleanup can wait.  I'll get the matches!

Ginger Ale... Part 3

The never-ending saga for good ginger ale continues with attempt #2!

The first batch was good, but likely needed to sit a bit longer to carbonate more.  Plus, the floaty bits in it were a little annoying, so I figured I'd give it another go and try something different.  This time, I decided to try making a lemon/ginger simple-syrup and strain it before putting it into the bottle.


into the pot went:

1 cup sugar
the juice of one lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/2 cup water

I brought the whole mess to a simmer and once all the sugar had fully dissolved, I took it off the heat and let it cool for a while.  The idea of a simple syrup is that you're creating a "supersaturation"  (memories of chemistry class are flooding back again), using heat to dissolve more of the solid into a small amount of liquid.  When it cooled, the sugar didn't crystallize again, so we were good.


I strained the liquid, getting rid of all the lemon pulp and ginger and was left with about 1 1/4 cups of syrup.

That went into the bottle


and with it, the 1/4 tsp yeast.  Although, learn from my stupidity and don't try to pour the yeast through the same wet funnel you poured the syrup through.  Half the yeast stuck and I had to guess how much went into the bottle so I could add the rest.  I filled the bottle to about an inch from the top, put the cap on, and flipped it over a few times to disperse the yeast.


Now, it's onto the counter again.  This time I'll leave it for 36 hours (instead of the 24 I did last time), and then it'll go into the fridge to stop the carbonation.

Cross your fingers!

I Heart Texas Roadhouse.


I've always loved Texas Roadhouse.  Ever since the first time I sat, eating my food and realized I had seen a show on the food network about them.  This restaurant is a strange breed.  They are open only for dinner because the rest of the day they are cutting their own meat, making their own salad dressing, grating their cheese from real actual blocks of cheese (rather than bags of cheese pellets), and frying bacon that looks like bacon (rather than bacon crumbled dust). 

From the first homemade buns with cinnamon butter to the last bite of dinner (I have yet to have room for dessert), it's delicious!  Unfortunately, where we are, the nearest Texas Roadhouse is across the border, and 2 1/2 hours away.  Because I am such a dedicated blogger, I sacrificed myself for a weekend to sample the food (and catch some cross-border shopping!).  

I'm sure meat eaters would love Texas Roadhouse.  The portions are large, the value amazing (even if you compare with other chains who serve food from boxes and pre-portioned vacuum-packs), and the food has a real home-cooked feel to it.  Husband usually orders the Dallas Filet (in 8oz) because really, where else can you get beef tenderloin for under $15?  The beef is aged and cut in house, and cooked to order.

Apparently they won a national or international rib competition recently, unfortunately...  I didn't really read the poster very well.  They got number one though.  *shrug*.  I don't like ribs...  sorry. 

Because you can't just eat meat (well, maybe you can) Texas Roadhouse has great sides.  Baked Potato, Sweet Potato, Cup of Chili, House Salad, Caesar Salad, Apple Sauce, Fresh Vegetables, Mashed Potatoes, Seasoned Rice, Green Beans, Baked Beans, and Steak Fries.  My personal favourite will always be their house salad with italian dressing.  It's just a side salad, but has fresh grated cheese and hard-boiled eggs in the mix with your standard salad veggies.  All of the salad dressings I have tasted are really good and if they bottled it, I'd have brought a bunch home. 

As a side note, we tried the new deep-fried pickles.  YUM!  Girl was very pleased!

My only complaint this time was that I ordered the Chicken Critters, and asked for a side of buffalo sauce, and I wasn't thrilled with it.  It seems to be homemade, but I had to skim off a greasy oil-slick from the top, and being a hot sauce junkie, it wasn't that great.  It would likely be better tossed on wings (where you need the extra fat) but in a bowl it was disappointing. 

Overally, I think more restaurants should follow this model.  It has proven to be profitable for Texas Roadhouse, and what could possibly be bad about making your own food from real ingredients?  It sure does taste good!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Ginger Ale... Part 2

Time to open it!


It fizzed!  No kidding!?

I left it out of the fridge for 24 hours (the minimum time), though next time I will likely leave it a bit longer.  The carbonation was definitely there, but less than it should be to really be considered pop. 

As far as the taste went...  it was pretty good!  I'm not really a ginger ale aficionado, but it was pretty tasty.  It kind of reminded me of a fizzy, gingery lemonade.  Husband thought it was too sweet, but I think bumping up the carbonation level would have helped with that.  I worried it would have some lingering yeasty taste, but I didn't notice any. 

I'm going to try it again and see what I can do about making it better.  Another thought I had was to make a syrup with the sugar, lemon and ginger, and then strain it before it goes into the bottle.  While the chunks are easy to strain out, it would be a bit awkward while serving it to people if you have to plunk a strainer in their cup.  I don't really like to chew my drinks.

I was impressed.  Who knew you could make your own soda?  I think this year-long experiment is worth it just for that!  Gather round kids!  Mom is doing science!

Benjamin's Wood Fired Pizza


We went to Benjamin's Wood Fired Pizza today.  There is something about eating "outside" that just makes everything taste better.  Husband heard about this place in Selkirk, from a friend at work, and we've been twice now.  I love the airy-ness of the patio setting and the pizza is pretty good too!

According to their website, they use only fresh ingredients and cook everything from scratch, so that fits right in!  The pizza is more pricey, but if you want cheap and plentiful, go to Dominos.  These are gourmet pizzas cooked in front of you in a wood oven.


The only pizza on the menu that looked at all "standard" was pepperoni and mushroom, but with the other options available, why bother?  We tried four different pizzas, the Greek, the BBQ chicken, the Danny's Whole Hog pulled pork, and the Spicy Italian (today's special).  Overall we were impressed, the dough is well-flavoured, and the toppings are varied and interesting (eggplant on the Spicy Italian, who knew?).  I don't recommend the Mexican Pizza though, especially if you're expecting something with some kick...  it fell a little flat (pardon the pun).  I think some added spice or salsa to eat it with was in order.  Considering that typically I'm the pickiest pizza eater (pepperoni please), it means a lot to hear that I would eat them!

The pizzas run around the $20 mark, and each one will feed 2 not so hungry people, or two hungry people if you add some salads or something.  There is a decent sized bar, good drink selection and I will definitely go again.  It's the perfect thing to do on a summer night (though, be aware, they are only open Thursdays and Fridays from 5-9).  It's a good family-run establishment and though they sometimes seem a bit scattered, the food appears to be made with care and appreciation for the ingredients.

Giving the knives a workout.

Sometimes my knives feel neglected.  I use them a lot, but it feels good to let them stretch their legs and perform once in a while.  My project today...  homemade salsa.


I like salsa.  It's good stuff.  What I have discovered I do not like...  peeling and seeding tomatoes.  Yes, I know the method of boiling water and ice baths, but egad, it's a pain.  I had originally intended to do my own canned tomatoes, but after doing salsa, I realize I can't be bothered.  It won't save me any money, since even the organic canned tomatoes are cheap, and fresh tomatoes aren't that cheap to begin with.  Considering I cook them down substantially every time I use them, I seriously doubt there would be a noticable difference in flavour.  So, instead of the pruney fingers and tomato mess everywhere, I'll just use a can.

7lbs tomatoes (approx 30)
2 cups chopped celery
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped 
2 cups sweet onion
1 small red chili, seeded and chopped
2 large jalapenos, chopped (leave seeds in)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
2-3 drops tobasco
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp pickling salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley

This is a good "dump everything in the pot" recipe.  Get it all in there and simmer it until all the veggies are soft (about half an hour).  Ladle it, while still hot, into clean, sterile jars (ideally warm ones), filling to 1/2''-1/4'' from the top.  Making sure the top of the jar is clean, put on the lids and rings.  If the salsa is still hot, they will seal on their own with this method.

If you're worried, you can put them in a 250º oven for 10 minutes, or use a canner/hot water bath.

I haven't even tried the stuff and I'm already thinking of how to modify the recipe.  I think I'd like to try a smoked salsa...  use chipotle peppers, and smoked paprika, and maybe I'll smoke the tomatoes.  That would be fun.  I'm going to have a cupbard full of salsas soon.  Would that be such a bad thing?

Natural Meats

I tried a new meat market yesterday.  Frigs Natural Meats on Main Street (north of the perimeter) pretty much assaults the senses when you walk in the door.  The smell of smoked meat is intoxicating.  Right smack in front of you is a giant basket of smoked dog bones.  I'm not a dog, but I can honestly see how a dog might like it.  I've never been a fan of meat, but somehow, when you spice it and smoke it... *drool*

I talked to the lady running the cash and she said that they don't use any weird ingredients in their meats, no fillers, no junk, only a bit of potato starch when needed.  I explained my new eating plan to her and she said to keep in mind that all smoked meats have sodium nitrate in them. 

Sidebar about nitrates:
I wasn't sure, since there was SO much information out there saying nitrates are bad for you, but at the same time, I've always thought it was just another type of salt...  so, I googled.  (sorry, I swagbucked).  Here is what I found:

Sodium nitrate is a type of salt that happens to be a particularly effective food preservative. A naturally occurring mineral, sodium nitrate is present in all kinds of vegetables (root veggies like carrots as well as leafy greens like spinach) along with all sorts of fruits and grains. Basically, anything that grows from the ground draws sodium nitrate out of the soil.



If this seems strange, remember that the word nitrate refers to a compound made of nitrogen, which is the single biggest component of our atmosphere. Every time you take a breath, you're breathing 78 percent nitrogen. The soil itself is loaded with the stuff.

Nitrates and Nitrites

One of the things that happens when sodium nitrate is used as a curing agent is that the sodium nitrate is converted to sodium nitrite. It's sodium nitrite that actually possesses the antimicrobial properties that make it a good preservative. Interestingly, the sodium nitrate that we consume through fruits, vegetables and grains is also converted to sodium nitrite by our digestive process. In other words, when we eat fruits, vegetables or grains, our bodies produce sodium nitrite.


Nitrites and Cancer
Several decades ago, some researchers raised the possibility that nitrites could be linked to cancer in laboratory rats. This suggestion received a lot of media attention. What received less media attention, however, was when it turned out that they were wrong. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the National Research Council all agree that there's no cancer risk from consuming sodium nitrite.

Alright, so to sum up...  Sodium nitrate is a natually occurring substance (mined often in Peru and Chile) similar to salt, and not only is it used in curing but it also occurs naturally in carrots, spinach and all sorts of other veggies.

Ok, I'm alright with sodium nitrate. 

Back to the store:
They have a lot of organic products, so if you're looking for stuff other than meat, you can check here too.  I was happy to find pure seasoning salt.  They also have a large variety of grains, honey, jams, preserves, and soup mixes. They carry elk, bison, beef, pork, poultry, and possibly more that I don't remember.  (Girl tried to walk off with a vacuum-packed elk liver, silly child).  I tried the pepperoni on a pizza, it was tasty, a was the homemade bacon.  mmm.  I was however, disappointed in the pepperettes.  They were kind of soggy and mealy for my taste.  They smell great, so I was glad I just bought one instead of the big package for $9.99.  Maybe a jerky would have satisfied my palate more.

Overall I was pleased.  I still haven't found anywhere that can pull off a good really dry salami, but who knows.  The prices seem about par, and it was nice to find a meat market close to home. 

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I didn't cave.

Mom: 
You're going to have to compromise on this.  You need to use *MYSTERY INGREDIENT*.

Suzie:
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!  I need to keep my blogger integrity intact!  I can't do it!  People are either counting on me or waiting for me to fail!

Ok, so that's not exactly how the conversation went, but I didn't give in.  We spent the day making mystery food for Husband's upcoming birthday party. He knows there is a party, but doesn't know the theme, so I can't very well publish a list of food on the internet.  I thought about it, figured out the flavours in *MYSTERY INGREDIENT* and added them together one by one until it worked!  Hooray!  It would have been a lot easier to use the package, I'll admit that, but if I compromise for Husband's birthday, I may find myself compromising for Christmas, or Girl's birthday, and there is no room for half-hearted challenges.  If we're going to do this, we're doing it!

Ginger Ale... Part 1

I think I really should have liked Chemistry class more.  Or at least have done better in it.  I do like some good old-fashioned chemistry now, but I guess that's the problem.  We didn't make soda in chem class. 

As soon as I heard it was possible to make ginger ale at home (with minimal supplies and equipment) My eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning.  I don't even like ginger ale.  There were no Pepsi recipes though. and beggars can't be choosers.


What could be more fun?  The only thing I needed that I didn't have at home was a clean, empty 2L pop bottle.  I called around to see if I could find one, but alas, no one had any, so I was bad.  Not capable of the patience required to wait for someone I knew to buy and finish 2L of pop, I went to the grocery store and picked up the cheapest club soda I could find and used it to clean the drains.  (It does help with that you know).

As far as ingredients, you only need:

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry, active yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
the juice of one lemon
water

Easy enough.

First off...  get a bigger funnel than the one I have pictured.  While trying to put the sugar into the bottle mine did this:


mmm, sugar clog.  I tell you, I have no patience, and trying to find my larger one seemed to take too long.

So, get the sugar into the bottle, then dump in the yeast


Grate up your ginger.  You can use a rasp if you have one (I do, but considering my brain power today, I figured I'd cut my fingers off) or the smallest cutting holes on a cheese grater. 


I was very close to getting out the cheese grater turn-y thing (like they use for parmesan at Olive Garden), it seemed like it would be really easy to use, but I figured, I haven't used it yet, why start now?

Mix the grated ginger with the juice from one whole lemon.  The lemon is important to kill off and prevent bacteria.


Dump the whole lot into the bottle.  If you're like me, and too lazy to use a funnel, just pour very carefully so as not to make an enormous mess.

Shake the bottle around a bit to make sure everything is well mixed and no sugar is stuck in the bottom ridges of the bottle.


Fill with clean water (the website I was reading made sure to mention this, I sure am glad they did because it would have been a tragedy if I used scummy water when I was supposed to use clean stuff) leaving about an inch at the neck.  Flip over a few times until everything is well incorporated.  I don't think you should shake it at this point, because the yeast is starting to act to carbonate it.  I did, but I thought better of it after.


Now, you just need to let it sit on the counter for 24-48 hours.  This all depends (I think) on how quickly it carbonates.  If you leave it out too long, the pressure will build up too much and you'll have a ginger ale geyser when you try to open it.  Once the bottle is hard, and you can't dent it (think of a new bottle of pop) it's done and you should stick it in the fridge to stop the carbonation.

*fingers crossed*

Stay tuned...

Bread... likely the start of many.

I love bread.  I'm going to be making it a lot, and it's a good excuse to weed out the crummy (no pun intended) recipes (of which there are many!).  Until I started this, I had still not found the perfect bread recipe, and I'm still working on it.  I figured I'd toss this bread recipe up here.  It's a really nice bread, Husband quite enjoyed it, but it's not really my style.  I've never been a huge fan of the darker european ryes (a bit too mollasses-y for me), but if you like that sort of thing, this one comes out soft, well-flavoured and looking great.  It's not as dry as some of the dark ryes you get at the store.


2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Dissolve yeast in warm water (warm water from the tap is fine, a bitt cooler than a hot bath)

In a mixer, beat together:

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons melted butter
the yeast mixture
1 cup rye flour

continue mixing and adding additional flour gradually

2 1/4 cups rye flour (in addition to the first one)
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Turn out on a floured surface. Knead 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. If the dough sticks to your hands or the board add more flour.


Cover dough and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double.

Punch down dough and divide to form two loaves. Let loaves rise on a greased baking sheet, or a pan lined with a silpat until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes

Flush!

I never thought a day would come when I'd be excited (read: over the moon) to scrub the bathroom, but yet, there I was.  Counting the minutes, watching the clock, waiting for the all clear.  When it finally happened, it was so satisfying.

I haven't turned crazy (that I know of), I just haven't had properly running water (read: properly flushed toilets) in a few days.  Let me tell you, there is nothing mellow about yellow. 

We're up and running again, and part of me thinks it might be a good idea to just leave the massive hole in the backyard open forever, just in case.  It would save the two days of digging, the accidental sawing through a live wire, and the 2am pump testing.  No? Bad idea? Ok.

How about we just hire people next time?  Husband agrees.  We saved the money this time by doing it ourselves, but in his words "Next time I'll be able to fully appreciate the money it would cost."

Monday, August 23, 2010

Week One Rundown

It's been a long week.  I feel a lot more stable now knowing I have a pile of food in the freezer.  I went to an italian market and found dried pasta that fits the diet (contains only durum semolia and water), so other than experimenting with my aunt's electric pasta maker, my days of pasta making may be over.  (HOORAY!)

I haven't noticed a significant increase in grocery cost.  I spent a lot this week, but it wasn't different than any other major cooking week.   I have a feeling that in the long run it might actually work out cheaper, purely because I'm forced to plan my meals rather than wandering the grocery store waiting to be "inspired". 

I don't feel any healthier.  It's only been a week after all.  Unfortunately I got a weird hacking cough just as I started, so it's really hard to tell anyway. 

We've been doing really well, although, with our minimal water useage situation (I'm hoping it gets fixed today, finally!) we've been having to rely on using our family's houses for good parts of the day, including some mealtimes, so I can't honestly say we've been eating everything 100% from scratch.  Everything I've made and served has been, but we don't expect others to do the same when we visit. 

I do however find myself eating more things I wouldn't normally.  I tend to be a somewhat picky eater, but the idea of preparing two different meals from scratch is a bit daunting.  I also made a bread that husband really likes and I'm not too keen on (It's a dark european rye), but since I'd have to make another type of bread if I want it, I'll eat it for a few days.

The more I do this, the more I realize the value of the experiment.  I am definitely more conscious of what I'm eating.  It pushed me out of routine, out of a rut that said "this is what you eat now, just because that's what you usually eat".  It's causing me to experiment, try new things, and look more carefully at what I'm eating.  For example, just because there are potato chips that are made with only oil, salt and potatoes, it doesn't mean I have to eat them. 

I have zero proof that will tell you it's healthier to eat this way, but I do find a certain sense of pride in making things from bare, raw ingredients.  It really is nice to have bread rising on the counter in the morning. 

I do really want a Pepsi though.

Polly want a cracker?

I live with a parrot now.  She's a cute parrot, but wow... being a censor is a pain!

Girl has a vocabulary that astounds me.  She said "Poppycock" yesterday and I have no idea where that one came from.  I never really counted her words, but it seems that every day she's saying things she didn't before.  She's getting her short sentences, but yet always says "Potato" when pointing at a tomato, no matter how many times I correct her (which is funny since she loves potatoes and hates tomatoes, yet calls them both the same)

Most primetime TV is now out, which is frustrating, since she goes to bed at 9:30.  I need a PVR.  Maybe when the new fall lineup is on I'll use exercising as an excuse to watch my favourites.  It seems like a win win.  I get the remote and a tighter tush and Girl gets daddy time. 

My question is...  how exactly, of all the words they hear, do they know to parrot back the exact ones you don't want them to? 

Not only do I have to watch what I say now...  I also have to watch what I do.  I was cooking last week, and wanted to check the weather, so I turned on the TV and sat on the coffee table to wait for the forecast.  Girl brightened and made a beeline for the coffee table.  Climbing on tables is a no-no here, and I guess she figured it was now ok.  I had to give myself a time out.

I guess it's true when they say parenting gets harder mentally as kids get older.  Not only am I trying to raise a good girl, I have to be one too!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

When your yard is a marsh... make MARSHMALLOWS!

I've wanted to make marshmallows for a long time, and what better time?  I can't do dishes, I can't wash laundry and Girl was sleeping.  I checked the internet, and since most recipes call for corn syrup, I decided to experiment.  Here is my recipe!

3 packages gelatin (good thing I'm not a vegetarian)
1/2 cup cool water

Mix together in the bottom of your mixer bowl and let "bloom" for 5-10 minutes

Then in a small saucepan, mix:
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup water

bring to a boil and keep boiling until it passes 250º (somewhere between soft ball and hard ball stage)


Once it has boiled, turn on the mixer on a medium speed and s..l...o...w...l...y stream the sugar mixture into the gelatin mixture.  Once it is all in, crank that mixer to high speed and let it go for about 10 minutes until you have a big white sticky mess.


Grease a pan, (I used a 9x13, glass pan, but if you want fatter marshmallows for roasting or something, use a 9'' square) and lightly dust it with icing sugar.

Dump the mix in, and with wet fingers, smooth it out.


Once it has set, cut it up and you have marshmallows!


Husband couldn't quite understand why I made marshmallows to start off with...  you see, we don't exactly sit around eating them from a bag normally, but when I reminded him that rice krispie cake is made with marshmallows it all made sense. 

Unfortunately, now I want to try flavoured marshmallows.  Who wants a maple marshmallow roasted over the fire?

A bad day for the bank account.

If bad things come in threes, I guess I'm still waiting for the third, but in my opinion, two is enough.  Granted, in the realm of terrible things that could happen, our day yesterday was a breeze.  First, we're having septic tank problems.  I don't really get the whole system (luckily Husband is well-versed), but from what I glean, the hard, clay-like soil around the pipes that pump water from the tank to the field somehow broke a pipe, and we sprung a leak.  Water is on lockdown in the house right now while Husband is outside digging. 

I feel bad for him, it's not going to be a pleasant job, but I figure, I did childbirth, so we can call it even.  (Sorry Husband, if I could take it from you I would.) 

On a somewhat related note, it rained yesterday, so the ground is extra muddy, and with that rain, came hail.


Luckily only one of our cars was damaged (an insured one *PHEW!*) and as annoying as it is, it was a car that needed some paint anyway, so we can throw in a few extra bucks and get all the stuff we needed to do done at the same time.  It's just the hassle of dealing with insurance, since it's a old car, but it's rare and has collector value.

Oh well, it is what it is.  Unfortunately cooking is kind of minimized since I can't wash dishes.  It's kind of like a camping trip at home!  Just don't forget your TP when you come visit, and watch for the poison ivy!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Borscht-y Goodness.

I promised a friend I'd share my beet borscht recipe, since she was looking for a good one.  I, of course, think this one is the best, so here you go!


PORK STOCK:
1 chunk of pork, about 2 lbs
(since I don't like meat in my borscht, I use a roast of some variety, and when it's done make it into pulled pork sandwiches for Husband, My mom used neck bones.  The choice is yours)
salt and pepper
cover all ingredients with water and simmer.
Once the pork is cooked through, skim the frothy scum off the top and strain
(If you'd like to have meat in your soup, pull it apart and set it aside.)

COOKED BEETS:
With the beet peel still on, put about 6-8 in a pot, cover with water and boil until fork tender.
drain
(while still warm, the skin will come off easily)
peel and grate, set aside

BORSCHT
To the pork stock, add 2 regular onions (chopped) and 2 stalks celery (chopped), let simmer
then add 1/2 a small head of cabbage, sliced into thin strips.
continue simmering for about 15 minutes.
add 8 medium carrots, sliced or grated

add 1 large tomato, chopped
and 2 cans tomato soup
OR
1 large can diced tomatoes.

then add 3 "squirts" of ketchup
simmer to cook vegetables.

add cooked beets
and spices to taste (parsley, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes)

This soup freezes really well, and is spicy and hearty.  Perfect for a cool day!

Better than the aquatic variety.

I've been feeling a bit bad lately, since Girl, at a year-and-a-half, doesn't really get the whole new menu thing.  She doesn't care that much, and I do my best to find things that replace some of the other stuff she eats.  While wandering the grocery store however, I heard her ask for one thing in particular.  "Fishies".

I hit the internet and found some cracker recipes and modified them.  Here you are, Cheesy niblets for the wee ones!


1 200g package of cheddar cheese, grated
(I used old, since it'll give you the best cheesy bang for your effort)
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat, but white, spelt, etc will also work)
1/4 cup butter (cold)
1 tsp of salt
Spices to taste
(Girl is no stranger to flavour, so I added 2-3 tsp of smoked paprika, and a shake of garlic. They smell AMAZING!)

Dump this all into your food processor and pulse until it looks like fine crumbs.


Add water a tablespoon at a time until it comes together in a ball (about 3 Tbsp)

 

Once you have the dough, roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes.  It's easiest I'm sure to use a pizza cutter and make squares or something, but I often feel the need to justify my mini-cookie-cutter collection, and Girl is at the point where she likes naming shapes, so I did a variety of different ones.

Put them on a pan layered with parchment paper.  You can get them really close, they puff up but won't spread into each other.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400ºF.  Take out of the oven (stick another pan in) and let cool for about 10 minutes, flip the crackers over if you like.  Then pop them back in for another 5 minutes. 


MMM.  Cheesy and delicious with a nice smoky flavour.   They will keep for a bit, but if you're going to take longer than a week to eat them, (or you want to make a lot and store them) stick them in the freezer.

Now I'd better go upstairs before Husband eats them all.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Deep Breath.

It's only been three days... it's only been three days...

I had a moment today where I wanted to crack.  Not that it would have done any good, I don't have any food in the house that could result in me cheating.  I had a massive headache and for about an hour there, I just could not care less about anything.  I wanted to grab a frozen pizza and throw it in the oven.  The idea of making dinner made me cranky.   It has been three days, but three busy days.  There was a lot of cooking and for two of those three dinners, I had people over.  It's enough to cook meals for two and a half, but throw in a few extra people...  I'm used to cooking for crowds, but when it's just us, I can be lazy and make eggs and toast for dinner.

I made a meal plan at the beginning of the week and so far, haven't stuck to it.  I need to regroup, reorganize and refresh. 

Luckily my headache is gone now and I feel a little silly for even contemplating quitting so early, but in the heat of the moment, those 362 staring me in the face were tough to take.

Time to go upstairs, take a long, hot bath and then read and enjoy a piece of puffed wheat cake (made with honey instead of corn syrup) in the silent house while Girl sleeps. Such is the life.

A Burst of Briney Nostalgia.


There is something about pickle making that always makes me nostalgic.  I'm not sure why, since I've only been doing it for the last few years.  Perhaps its knowing that I'm walking where those I love have gone before.  I didn't make pickles with my Oma very often, but it's her recipe, and now, making them with my mom (and Girl poking at play doh in the corner), it makes me happy.  We laugh when we remember stories, like the one about the lady my Oma worked for, who hated washing cucumbers so much that she put them into the washing machine.  Every cucumber came out broken, but she didn't care.  We groan collectively when we have a blow-out in the canner.


But that's mostly because we have to throw those pickles out now.  *sigh*.  We lost two jars. 

It was a long day, especially since I also made a big batch of chili (enough for 6 family meals at $1.95/meal), a massive pot of beet borscht, and a small batch of relish, not to mention the roasted chicken for dinner, and chicken stock with the carcass.

I'm feeling a lot better about this whole thing now that I have a lot of food in the freezer.  It's my own little stash of convenience food.


OMA'S PICKLES

in the jars (clean and sterile ones):
as many cucumbers as you can jam in (they shrink, so cram them in good)
2-3 silverskin pearl onions
one good sized dill flower
1 tsp pickling spice (if there are hot peppers in the mix, take those out)

brine:
13 cups water
4 cups vinegar
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
heat on the stove until all the sugar and salt is fully dissolved, and pour into jars while still hot.

Close the jars and seal in a hot water bath.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The biggest waste of my time thus far.

Pasta making. 

Ok, that isn't all true, because making lasagne noodles was fine, I would do that again.  It was making spaghetti and fettucine that was awful.  It may be the limitations of my pasta maker, but being as this is only a year-long experiment, I wasn't about to go out and buy a fancy electric one. 

I decided, for the first few batches to do a somewhat traditional pasta, with eggs and flour.  So, I put a pile of flour on my counter... made a well and dropped in some eggs.


I took a fork, and started mixing it up, gradually bringing more flour into the egg mixture...


Once it was getting stiffer, I just mushed it in with my hands until I got a ball of dough.  This is a very imprecise method.  I did it twice and both balls of dough were completely different.


Foolishly, I thought the smooth one was better, but when it came to actually rolling it out, the lumpy one seemed to go through the machine better (after kneading it a bit more).  I ended up having to knead the smooth one with more flour, otherwise it was too sticky.  I suppose this method works well if you really understand pasta, and know exactly what it should look like, but for a novice, it was too much trial and error.  The subseqent batches I used a recipe:

2c flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c water

and dumped it all into my food processor and ran it until it formed a nice ball.  I found it still needed to have a bit more flour, but you have to knead it with flour anyway.

Rolling it through the machine was fun...  (if by "fun", you mean tedious and annoying).  You push it through the largest setting over and over, folding it up and doing it again,


...until you get a nice smooth noodle.



Then you do it many more times, decreasing the thickness by one step each time.  I got to the 6th of 7 settings and thought that was fine for lasagne.


I spread them out on a floured surface until I was ready to boil them and assemble the lasagnes. 

Where spaghetti and fettucine get annoying, is that you can't just run the dough through the cutters after you've made it thin enough.  It needs to dry out a bit first.  It can't be too soft, (it won't cut through) or too dry, and the edges can't be dryer than the middle, or it'll be a gigantic mess.  Needless to say I did a lot of muttering under my breath before I got enough noodles for 3 meals of spaghetti.  It also took me most of the afternoon and made a mess of my kitchen.

There, I did it once, and I'm not planning on doing it again.  Yes, it does make really cheap pasta (about $1.25 for a double batch which yields more than a box of lasagne noodles), but if you factor in the time and frustration, even fresh-made pasta at the local italian deli is a bargain.


The rest of my day.  3 lasagnes, and 8 meals of spaghetti sauce.  Grand total, under $30 for a minimum of 11 family meals. (it will likely give us some leftovers too).  Under $2.75/meal