C is for Christmas Cookie...

Ah yes...Cookie time!

It's tough being a cookie lady. Everyone asks if you are bringing them a sweet treat - and could you just do one special kind - just for them, of course. "Please - just one little batch - and if you have any of those wonderful pumpkin rocks - ooooooooh those too...and maybe...."

Well guess what? The cookie ladies aren't working this year. No cookies for you..or you..or you! So don't ask! No! I won't make chocolate chip cookies for the last time!!!

It is not as though we lacked Christmas spirit - Gail had her Santa hat on all week, and Debbie and I were heard humming Christmas tunes the last few days. It's a money thing folks - pure and simple. We have no dough - literally and figuratively!

So in contrast with years past - we only baked a few of our favorites to share with our families - plus a few select outsiders.

Sunday the 16th was the big payoff for the cookie conclave - I had to do the lion's share my baking at Gail's since my oven was down until the Thursday before Christmas.

As with every Cookie Conclave, the morning started off with mimosas - to properly lubricate the cookie makers. You can't get in the cookie making spirit without a little bit of social lubricant! Then, as we baked up some of the dough Debbie brought, we sat down and started going through all the new cookbooks we had purchased over the last year.

It was relaxing. We talked, we laughed and we ate a leisurely lunch of chicken and dumplings that we made from scratch. We had so much food that we ended up sharing it with some of the older ladies who live in Gail's complex.

After lunch, Debbie and I started a recipe for candy. They were called Kentucky Creams. It sounded good. Like creamy pulled caramels. So we boiled and boiled -then we pulled and pulled. Here is a pic of me and Deb pulling ourselves some new muscles. And guess what? Having never pulled candy in our lives- we over-pulled it. I had no idea you could. Here is what happens to candy when you over-pull it. It literally went from being sticky and stretchy to crumbling off my hands in a matter of seconds. Well so much for the great candy experiment!!

After that I went back to something I knew - pecan diamonds. I keep trying new recipes every so often because I lost my favorite one years ago. So far none of them have lived up to the memory of my beloved diamonds. Aren't they pretty though? Almost like candy on a crust. They are a bitch to cut though if you don't have a long sharp knife. Gail went to look for her son's pizza blade and came back with - um- something different instead.

We also made some of Debbie's crack corn, "Pay Day" cookies, brown sugar shortbread, Gail's pecan sandies, peanut brittle, spritz, and toffee. I made these awesome chocolate short bread cookies with a nice huge chunk of candy coated dark chocolate. The thing that made these really great? Gail knows a lady who is a product developer for Godiva. (Am I connected or what?!) This lady was kind enough to give us the better part of a 5 pound bag of Godiva coco powder. It is much higher in coco fat than most powders and has to be kept in the freezer to prevent rancidness. It makes a simple cookie like these really shine. The simpler the recipe, the more important the ingredients.

So where was Gail all this time? Was she slacking? Was she just sitting on her behind swilling mimosas and ordering us around? Oh no - Gail had a special responsibility this year. She was the stroopwafle specialist. While Debbie and I were ruining candy, Gail was risking life and limb filling these fantastic cookies with homemade caramel.

Wait? You don't know what a stroopwafle is?! Well we better take care of that situation right away. It is not a command given in the German army. "Drop and give me 20 stroopwafle!" Nor is a the castle where the vampire resides - "Good evening. I am Baron Stroopwafle.". Or in the original Stroopwaflian tongue it would sound like this - ""Guten Abend. Ich bein baron Stroopwafle" In reality, a stroopwafle is a Dutch cookie. It takes two crisp cinnamon scented wafer cookies and sandwiches that around a rich buttery caramel. They are meant to be eaten with coffee. According to "a source" (meaning I can't remember where I read it!), they are supposed to be placed over top of the coffee cup where the heat of the coffee softens the caramel. I got hooked on these from Trader Joe's. They have blue bags of these little tiny ittie bittie stroopwafles. Man - are they good! But driving to Trader Joe's isn't always an option, so I found a recipe in a magazine about three years ago. After playing with it some, we gals felt that it has become our own. The cookies themselves have become a permanent part of our repertoire and waistlines.

There are some special requirements for making these treats. The first is a pizzelle iron. That's how the cookies are made. I will be truthful here - I was never really crazy about pizzelles. They were an "ok" cookie. So I never purchased an iron. Gail and Debbie both have irons - thereby doubling our production. The second is a candy thermometer. Yes - these do require you to actually make caramel. We tried cheating with caramel sauces and melting ready made caramels. It just doesn't give you the proper results. If the thought of handling hot gooey syrupy luscious caramel frightens you - make friends who are fearless - like Gail!

I hope everyone had a great holiday - with or without cookies...

So without further blathering - here is the star of this year's conclave - Stroopwafles!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Stir together flour, baking pow­der, and cinnamon; set aside. Beat eggs on high speed about 4 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed. Beat in butter and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture on low speed.

2. Heat up your pizzelle iron according to the directions that come with it. You can either make large cookies or smaller ones based on the type of iron that you have. Place a tablespoon or more of the batter in center of each grid. You will have to experiment to see how much will work with your iron. Close lid. Bake accord­ing to manufacturer's directions. Use a spatula to transfer warm cookie to paper towel; cool. Repeat with remain­ing batter. How many finished cookies you will get depend on the size of your iron and how many you can resist eating fresh off the griddle.

3. Prepare Caramel Filling. Imme­diately spoon about a tablespoon or so filling onto a cookie then quickly cover filling with a “blank” cookie.

CARAMEL FILLING:

1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light-colored corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

This recipe makes a lot – no way around it. You can do what we do and double the batch of cookies or you can make candy.

To prep for making candy line 8x8x2-inch baking pan with foil. Butter foil; set aside.

To prep for filling cookies, you are going to need to find a way to keep the caramel liquid while you are filling cookies. Gail uses a glass bowl and a hot water bath, replacing the water every so often to keep everything hot. And speaking of hot – this stuff will burn you if you are not careful! I bought Gail a large spatula to hold the bottom cookie while she was drizzling the caramel over it. Saved a lot of wear and tear in her fingers.

In a heavy, 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in packed brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip candy thermometer to side of pan. Reduce heat to medium; continue to boil at moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently, until thermometer regis­ters 248°F, firm-ball stage (about 15 minutes). Adjust heat as necessary to maintain a steady boil. Remove pan from heat; remove thermometer. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Transfer mixture into heatproof cup to use to fill cookies.

If you are making candy, immediately spread remaining mixture evenly in prepared pan. When firm, use foil to lift it out of the pan. Using a buttered knife, cut caramel into 1-inch squares. Wrap each caramel square in plastic wrap. Makes 64 pieces.

TO STORE: Layer sandwich cookies between waxed paper in airtight con­tainer; cover. Store at room temper­ature up to 3 days. (I’ve kept them up to a week and they really didn’t seem to suffer) Or freeze unfilled cookies up to 3 months; thaw and fill.

Wow! I am getting my 15 minutes of fame from the Columbus Dispatch today!

The photo shoot was a lot of fun and it was great hanging out with all my fellow bloggers. My daughter told me that the rolling pin was the prefect prop.

For those of you who haven't had a chance to take a gander - Check it out!

I just wanted to let you know that I am still working up my report on the 2007 Cookie Confab plus I am going to share a new restaurant with you a little later this week. I am just glad the holidays are done!!

For anyone who would like to have something tasty and hang out with some fellow foodies - check out the Meetup group that Becke started. Our next get-together is January 6th. See our Meetup page for more details!

I feel a rant coming on!!!

Just so that you have been warned: This is a rant. I just wanted all of you to be aware of that before you went any further. Don't worry though - we will be taking frequent pitstops to give you a chance to wee (mentally speaking) as we travel along.

I went to the library recently and checked out The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements by Sandor Ellix Katz. It was an interesting read. It got me to thinking - which is the purpose Katz had in mind.

Every person who gives a tinker's damn about what they eat and how it is produced is caught up in the same conundrum - how can I do the right thing? And an even bigger question is - What is the right thing?

Yes- what is the right thing? Is it eating healthy? Is it eating local? Is it minimizing our impact on the environment? Is it eating organic? Is it eating to fit your budget? Can we do all these things at once or do you have to pick and choose? Should we be concerned about what other people do? Can we force people to stop doing things that are "bad" (whatever that means)?

It's all pretty freakin' confusing if you ask me. I'm a pretty average Joe. I really think about me and mine first. (And if you know someone who says they don't - they are a liar. Everyone puts self-interest first.) I worry about money. I worry about nutrition. I worry about getting the best products for my family. I worry about the long run - sustainable agriculture, global warming, agricultural run-off, the global food network among many other nagging, and sometimes disturbing, issues.

However, it comes down to where I have to make some choices. I have to decide what is most important and what criteria I am going to use to justify those choices. Is cost my biggest concern? Is good taste? Is eating local? Do I have to pick one over the other? Can there be compromises that will allow me to feel good about my choices or will they just leave me feeling like I wimped out?

BREAK!




So I sat down and asked myself - what really drives what I buy?

First - cost. I set a budget. It has to be. With all prices on the rise, it's a juggling act. Can I mend these pants? Can this car go for another year? And because it is something we really deal with every day - how can I make my food budget stretch? How can I get the most for the least?

Second- nutrition. With a teenager grazing through the pantry and fridge, I need to keep an eye on the types of foods I have in my house - based on nutritional needs as well as cost. Is buying red peppers out of season a bad thing? Can I justify the cost based on nutritional need? Are there other things I can buy or make that would be cheaper and just as nutritious?

Third - quality. If it is cheap and it sucks - no one will wear/use/eat it. Then it's just wasted - it fills up the landfill and drains the pocketbook. If I buy an off-brand of cereal (cost) that is has vitamins added (nutrition) and it still taste like the box it is packaged in - then I obviously didn't make the right choice.

Fourth - local and sustainable. Yeah - all the way down here. These two consideration make the top three much more likely to be met - in season. I buy from the farmer's markets. I am considering adopting a chicken and maybe even having a hog raised. I plant my own garden and can/freeze what I have room for. But here is the rub - we live in Ohio folks. I wish I lived in California - fresh produce all year round, but I don't. That means being a locavore is much harder than if I lived in a warmer clime. It's true I could devote myself to preserving a large amount of locally produced veggies for the winter table - but I work. A lot. I know the amount of effort it takes to "put by" enough food to get a family of four through the winter. I also know that some of the local farmers can and freeze their items, so that we don't have to do the work ourselves. But the cost! It would blow my food budget - and a couple other budgets as well - to buy enough to get me through the winter. So yeah - I am willing to do as much as I can to "Support My Local Farmer" and to eat local, but not to the extent that I am willing to sacrifice the first three items in the hierarchy.

BREAK!!




Fifth - organic. This is pretty much at the bottom of my list for a number of reasons. "Organic" - What does it mean? A lot of different things to a lot of different people. The way the USDA defines it is written in government-ese. Some other folks define it a little more simply. The way I define it - expensive and in some cases - a smoke screen. I've heard reports of unscrupulous vendors slapping an "organic" sticker on items to jack up to price. Maybe that is true-and maybe it's not. I know it's human nature to "cheat" when you think you are not going to get caught - so I am inclined to believe that it does happen on a fairly regular basis. Let's take a look at the red peppers mentioned above. If I have a food budget of $60 a week and regular "grow with every chemical know" peppers are on sale for $1.99/lb and the organic peppers are available for $3.99/lb - is it worth it? If my budget is $40 a week? If my budget is $20/week? (And yes, I have been that poor in my life.) Is eating organic a chance for "those who have" to differentiate themselves from "those that don't"? How about the farmer's market - a chance to level to playing field. Regular peppers were 25 cents each. Organic were much higher - at one point 75 cents each.

I think as the the food production system re-aligns itself with consumer demand, the prices will drop somewhat. However, growing organic is a risk for many farmers. The consumer has come to expect flawless produce. Sometimes at the farmer's market, you will see people avoiding things like greens that have obvious bug damage to them. Without chemicals, produce will go back to looking like it did in our grandparents day (or maybe great-grandparents for you young 'uns). This means damaged goods will not make it to the grocery stores - and it means the items that do will be more expensive to cover the waste.

So, as for organic produce, I will buy it when I can but it is not something I go out of my way for.

BREAK!!!




There ya are. Love me, hate me - that is the way things stand today. A year from now, five years from now - things may change. It's the nature of the beast. So thanks for staying with me to the end.

For those of you who liked my wayside stops, check out one of my favorite comics, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. I think it pretty darn funny.

Just a quick note: my cookie production is at a stand still. My ancient oven is acting up and have to get my landlord in to see if it can be repaired. And who knows how long that will take. Hey Gail! I think I'll be over this weekend to use your nice new oven!!!

Chicken!

Just a couple of quick notes this week - I am trying to get the holiday baking excitement off to a start this week!

First - I finally got to meet Denise of 2Silos at the first Worthington Winter Farmer's Market. I love her! Its so great meeting people who have passion for what they do. We spent a few minutes chatting between egg sales and I am thinking about adopting a chicken. I would love to get some great eggs on a regular basis and the thought of a fat stewing hen at the end of the whole thing excites me. With a little luck, I hope to drive up to the farm sometime in the near future to see the chickens do their thing. If we do adopt, I already have a name for my chicken. It will be Henrietta - named after the famous 266 pound chicken from "The Hoboken Chicken Emergency" by Daniel Pinkwater. If you never read this book as a kid - get it now. Even if you don't have kids.

The Winter Farmer's market was OK. There was not a lot of fresh produce available - which I kinda expected. Pies, cakes and other baked goods, canned goods, wool goods, and Christmas decorations really dominated. There was a group selling hydroponic lettuce, Wishwell Farms had some greenhouse tomatoes and the folks (sorry can't remember their names off hand) selling fresh mushrooms were there as well. I ended up buying some eggs from 2silos, a small bag of the lettuce to see how it tasted (it was acceptable), a small pecan pie from Meade Farms ('cuz I love them so much!!) and a $4 box of mixed mushrooms. I ended up making omelets with the mushrooms and eggs along with a small salad for dinner that night.

I really like the idea of the Winter Market, but without more things like root veggies and other long storage veggies on site - I may just be going for the eggs! Denise said she will not be back at the Winter Market until after the first of the year - so stay tuned.

Also, just a note to let you know that some of the local foodies here in town will be eating at MiMi's next Saturday the 8th around 2pm. If you are interested in stopping by for a bowl of pho and some food talk - stop on in!

That's about it for the moment - I'll be back with more sweet talk later!

Where's my dough?!

Daring Blogger November Challenge - Potato Freakin' Bread!

A big shout out to Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups for picking a potato bread recipe for this month's challenge.

I went through a phase about 8 years ago where I made homemade bread every weekend. No shit. I loved beating the hell out of the bread dough - it was a great stress reliever. Actually - I just went through a yeast raised whatever phase - rolls, cinnamon buns, bread, coffee cakes - you name it, we were eating it. My family was in heaven. Then I stopped. I don't know why - most likely a combination of ennui and a crushing work schedule. My family was very sad - my hubby even tried to bribe me into making sticky rolls. So now - after that great hiatus - I decided that yes, I would make potato bread. There was much rejoicing from the peanut gallery!

The first thing I would like to say is - I found the way the recipe was written was confusing. I had to read it about 4 times before I got everything squared away. I even read the whole thing out loud to the hubby (a technical ghost writer by trade) who made me re-read parts so that he could make sure he understood everything. I will try to point out several items that I thought needed clarification from the get-go as we talk about the process.

If you haven't made bread before, I would say there are better recipes to explore first. Why, you ask?

First, it is an atypical recipe. It uses some unusual ingredients compared to most bread recipes - All Purpose flour and potatoes. The recipe calls for 6.5 to 8.5 cups of flour - but the initial dough only accounts for 4 cups of that flour. The rest of it gets processed into the dough as you knead it for 10 minutes. (BTW, that was one of the things the recipe was not specific about. I would have liked to have seen a specific breakdown of how the flour was to be used at the beginning rather than have to extrapolate the information by deduction.)

Second, the dough is unusually wet and sticky. It reminds me more of a cookie or cake batter than a bread dough at "the mix everything together" stage. (I would have taken pictures of this step, but my hands were coated in goo!!) This is also not typical of most bread doughs. Combined with the need to knead in the additional flour, it really makes it hard to tell when the dough has come together. With traditional bread, you can almost feel the dough get glossy and smooth under your hands as the gluten develops. Not so in this case. It was still sticky even after I had added an additional 4.5 cups of flour. This also effected the shaping of the loaves and rolls as well. I was not about to stick this stuff onto my peel and try to slide it off into the oven. True, I could have used parchment paper - but better safe than sorry. (It was scary!!) I opted to bake the loaf in a glass pan. (I also thought the recipe was vague on the handling of the finished dough. It also talks about using a pan - then it talks about putting your loaves on a baking stone- but these were never individually addressed.)

Another thing that kinda bothered me was that I could not bake the rolls and the loaf at the same time. My oven is pretty darn small. So I placed the dough in the fridge to retard its rise while the rolls went full speed ahead. I got the loaf pan from the fridge about 20 minutes before I wanted to bake it and it ended up being perfect. I might try doing a slow overnight rise at some point just to see if it can be done. As a beginner, I would have had no idea what to do in this case.

Two other bitchy points and then I'll shut - I mean - sum up:

The recipe also said to mash the potatoes well - but the description said it should have 'lil chunks of potato. That seemed a contradiction to me. Using russets, I ran the well cooked potatoes through a ricer so that the potatoes had a almost fluffy texture, then dissolved into the water when it was added. So no 'lil chunks of tater for me.

I also thought that 1 cup of wheat flour wasn't enough to really give any flavor to the dough. I would trade out more wheat for white if I were to make this recipe again.

So over all - how did this bread rate?

Well, the bread came out of the oven very bland. We started eating the rolls as soon as they were cool enough and were not impressed. My hubby was very sad. However, upon letting everything set overnight, the flavor of the bread really came out. We ended up toasting the rolls in the toaster and then eating them with cream cheese and jam. The bread is still moist and fresh tasting two days after it came out of the oven.

The texture was soft and it had lots of nice nooks and crannies for holding melted butter. Even made nice sandwiches as it held up to lots of turkey and mayo without sagging.


It really wasn't a hard bread to make once I had puzzled out the instructions. It was a little bit fussy compared to my everyday loaf and much softer than I was used to. I kinda doubt I will make it again unless specifically asked to - and even then I will be looking for shortcuts to make it more "schedule friendly".

So to give folks a little clarification on the base recipe:

If you plan on making this bread, four cups of white AP flour and one cup of whole wheat go into the dough during the initial stage- you then knead in the other 2.5 to 5.5 cups of white AP flour. The dough will still be soft and a little sticky after the remaining flour is worked in.

If you are covering your rising bowl with plastic wrap, I would suggest hitting it with a little oil first. The risen dough will stick like glue to the wrap if you don't.

Baking time for the 9 x 5 loaf pan: I started at 450 degrees for the first 10 minutes and finished the loaf at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. I baked it until the loaf sounded hollow when tapped on the bottom. I could not say if the same times and temps would hold true if you were to throw this same amount of dough onto a baking stone. If using a baking stone - definitely use parchment.

So that's it! The November Challenge is OVER! Bring on December!!

Tender Potato Bread
(from Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour & Tradition Around the World by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid; who also wrote Hot Sour Salty Sweet)
Daring Bakers Challenge #13: November 2007

Host: Tanna (My Kitchen in Half Cups)
Post Date: Monday, November 26

Makes 1 large tender-crumbed pan loaf AND something more; one 10X15 inch crusty yet tender foccacia, 12 soft dinner rolls, or a small pan loaf

Suggested Toppings:

For Loaves and Rolls: melted butter (optional)

For Foccacia: olive oil, coarse salt, and rosemary leaves (optional; also see variation)

For Anchovy-Onion Focaccia: Instead of oil, salt, and rosemary, top with onions slow-cooked in olive oil or bacon fat, a scattering of chopped anchovy fillets, and flat-leafed parsley leaves.

Alternate fillings, seasons, shapes are up to you.

Conversion Chart for yeast:
1 oz/ 1 Tablespoon of fresh yeast = 0.4 oz/ 1.25 teaspoon active or instant dry yeast = 0.33 oz / 1 teaspoon instant or rapid rise (bread machine) yeast. Reference: Crust & Crumb by Peter Reinhart

Ingredients:

4 medium to large floury (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
Tanna Note: For the beginner bread baker I suggest no more than 8 ounces of potato; for the more advanced no more than 16 ounces. The variety of potatoes you might want to use would include Idaho, Russet & Yukon gold, there are others.

4 cups(950 ml) water, reserve cooking water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 ½ cups to 8 ½ cups (1 kg to 1350g) unbleached all-purpose
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (130g) whole wheat flour

Making the Dough (Directions will be for making by hand):

Put the potatoes and 4 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cook, half covered, until the potatoes are very tender.

Drain the potatoes, SAVE THE POTATO WATER, and mash the potatoes well. Tanna Note: I have a food mill I will run my potatoes through to mash them.

Measure out 3 cups(750ml) of the reserved potato water. Add extra water if needed to make 3 cups. Place the water and mashed potatoes in the bowl you plan to mix the bread dough in. Let cool to lukewarm (70-80°F/21 - 29°C) – stir well before testing the temperature – it should feel barely warm to your hand. You should be able to submerge you hand in the mix and not be uncomfortable.

Add yeast to 2 cups all-purpose flour and whisk. Add yeast and flour to the cooled mashed potatoes & water and mix well. Allow to rest/sit 5 minutes.

Note about Adding Yeast: If using Active Dry Yeast or Fresh yeast, mix & stir yeast into cooled water and mashed potatoes & water and let stand 5 minutes. Then add 2 cups of flour to the yeast mix and allow to rest several minutes. If using Instant Dry Yeast, add yeast to 2 cups all-purpose flour and whisk. Add yeast and flour to the cooled mashed potatoes & water and mix well. Allow to rest/sit 5 minutes.

Sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the softened butter; mix well. Add the 1 cup whole wheat flour, stir briefly.

Add 2 cups of the unbleached all-purpose flour and stir until all the flour has been incorporated.
Tanna Note: At this point you have used 4 cups of the possible 8 ½ cups suggested by the recipe.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, incorporating flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will be very sticky to begin with, but as it takes up more flour from the kneading surface, it will become easier to handle; use a dough scraper to keep your surface clean. The kneaded dough will still be very soft. Place the dough in a large clean bowl or your rising container of choice, cover with plastic wrap or lid, and let rise about 2 hours or until doubled in volume.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently several minutes. It will be moist and a little sticky.

Forming the Bread:
Tanna Note: It is at this point you are requested to Unleash the Daring Baker within. The following is as the recipe is written. You are now free to follow as written or push it to a new level.

Divide the dough into 2 unequal pieces in a proportion of one-third and two-thirds (one will be twice as large as the other). Place the smaller piece to one side and cover loosely.

To shape the large loaf:
Butter a 9 x 5 x 2.5 inch loaf/bread pan. Flatten the larger piece of dough on the floured surface to an approximate 12 x 8 inch oval, then roll it up from a narrow end to form a loaf. Pinch the seam closed and gently place seam side down in the buttered pan. The dough should come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 35 to 45 minutes, until puffy and almost doubled in volume.

To make a small loaf with the remainder:
Butter an 8x4X2 inch bread pan. Shape and proof the loaf the same way as the large loaf.

To make rolls:
Butter a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake pan or a shallow cake pan. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball under the palm of your floured hand and place on the baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between the balls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 35 minutes, until puffy and almost doubled.

To make focaccia:
Flatten out the dough to a rectangle about 10 x 15 inches with your palms and fingertips. Tear off a piece of parchment paper or wax paper a little longer than the dough and dust it generously with flour. Transfer the focaccia to the paper. Brush the top of the dough generously with olive oil, sprinkle on a little coarse sea salt, as well as some rosemary leaves, if you wish and then finally dimple all over with your fingertips. Cover with plastic and let rise for 20 minutes.

Baking the bread(s):

Note about baking order: bake the flat-bread before you bake the loaf; bake the rolls at the same time as the loaf.

Note about Baking Temps: I believe that 450°F(230°C) is going to prove to be too hot for the either the large or small loaf of bread for the entire 40/50 minutes. I am going to put the loaves in at 450°(230°C) for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 375°F (190 °C) for the remaining time.

Note about cooling times: Let all the breads cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Rolls can be served warm or at room temperature.

For loaves and rolls:
Dust risen loaves and rolls with a little all-purpose flour or lightly brush the tops with a little melted butter or olive oil (the butter will give a golden/browned crust). Slash loaves crosswise two or three times with a razor blade or very sharp knife and immediately place on the stone, tiles or baking sheet in the oven. Place the rolls next to the loaf in the oven.

Bake rolls until golden, about 30 minutes. Bake the small loaf for about 40 minutes. Bake the large loaf for about 50 minutes.

Transfer the rolls to a rack when done to cool. When the loaf or loaves have baked for the specified time, remove from the pans and place back on the stone, tiles or baking sheet for another 5 to 10 minutes. The corners should be firm when pinched and the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

For foccaia:
Place a baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, if not use a no edged baking/sheet (you want to be able to slide the shaped dough on the parchment paper onto the stone or baking sheet and an edge complicates things). Place the stone or cookie sheet on a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F/230°C.

If making foccacia, just before baking, dimple the bread all over again with your fingertips. Leaving it on the paper, transfer to the hot baking stone, tiles or baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack (remove paper) and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Gobble Gobble!

Well I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day! We lost power at our house from 10am until about 4pm - I just ended up putting the poor turkey in the oven at 5pm then making mashed potatoes and green beans for the sides. We ate about 9pm. Fortunately I had finished the pumpkin pies the night before. So while it was a small dinner - I suppose I should be thankful that it wasn't nearly as fattening as it could have been. I feel healthier already!!

This is not the first time Thanksgiving was called on account of technical difficulties. About 15 years ago, my mother lived out in the boonies North of New Albany. We woke up and started getting our prep work done for the big day - I got Mr. Turkey out of his package and took him over to the sink to get his bath. I turned on the faucet. No water. Mom came over - assuming I was pulling her leg. Still no water. Went into the basement to check the softener system. Nope. No water there either. A hurried called to a well specialist confirmed that the pump had picked the worst possible time die. (Oh - I didn't mention we had a well? - sorry about that - I mean, it was the boonies!) So we called all the family and said "No turkey for you!!". We ended up eating at Ryan's Buffet. Ryan's was the only place serving at the time. It was - bar none - the worst Thanksgiving dinner we ever had. (Sorry Ryan's - you suck!)


So not having electricity was not a huge disaster. It was just a minor setback. I actually got to go see a movie. We saw Beowulf. I loved the book - now I had to see the motion picture. (Yes, I am that kinda geek. I also loved reading the Iliad and Odyssey as well.) A quick review - I love Neil Gaiman. I think he is a good writer and I was eager to see what he had done to one of my old favorites. Here is a review in a nutshell: The animation was kinda spotty. Some parts were great - like the battle scenes - and others were so-so. The so-so scenes reminded me of cut scenes from video games. The story was well written and engaging, but the unevenness of the animation would distract you from the story. If you are going to see it - spring for the Imax 3-D experience. At least you will reap the rewards of the axes flying out of the screen at you.

Now for something completely different!

Last Sunday, the 2007 Cookie Confab was held at the Hong Kong Buffet at Reed and Henderson. After much discussion, it was decided that we would be cutting back on the amount of cookies made this year. Part of it was a time consideration - the other part a cost consideration. Baking for the masses is costly and with the price of gas and other commodities eating into our budgets, we cut back on the number and types of cookies. The one cookie we all agreed on was Stroopwaffles. The damn things are so addictive. Crispy cinnamon scented cookies with caramel sandwiched between them - who could resist? Also making the list were Pecan Diamonds, Sandies, Decorated Cutouts and Gingersnaps.

The other thing we decided was to expand into candy this year. Specifically toffee, sea foam and something called Kentucky Creams that Debbie found a recipe for in the Columbus Dispatch. The creams intrigued me - they are a pulled candy. This means you take the sugar, butter and cream mixture and boil it to the softball stage, then pour it out onto a marble slab. (Yes - Gail has a marble slab. She has a thing for heavy stone objects. Here are some of the other items in her collection - statues of family members, outbuildings and birdbaths.) Once it is cool enough to handle, then you pull it like taffy until it looks "creamy". If you pull it properly, it will soften and get creamy. If you pull it improperly - well one lady suggested passing it off as fudge!! So yet another challenge for the Cookin' Trio!

I will try to take pictures of our candy making adventures. No promises though - I might be too busy pulling out the candy! It all depends on who draws the short straw.

Next up - Another Daring Adventure!!

Old Mrs. Hubbard went to the cupboard...

Let's talk about the other factor in this recipe - the pantry.

I am not going to give you a list. While it would be amusing, I doubt if it would be of much use unless you cook the exact same things as I do. Which I am betting you don't - at least not every single item. I have basics - oil, flour, sugar, salt, pepper -things like that. I have the exotic - like lime pickles and sesame oil. And I do have a few items that I bought on impulse - like Lyle's Golden Syrup. (Strictly for my pecan tassie recipe -yum yum!) But your pantry will come to reflect what recipes you make on a regular basis.

One such item for me is canned tomatoes. I have several types in the cabinet at any one time. I keep an eye out for types that I use on sale. My favorite brand right now is Dei Fratelli. Why? They are raised and canned here in Ohio. A chance to "eat local" out of my cupboard all year long. Plus I like the quality. If they sucked - I don't care how local they are, I would not use them.

What can you do with canned tomatoes? Cream of tomato soup, chili, pasta dishes, "salsa", veggie soup, stewed tomatoes - hell that is just off the top of my head. I am sure you can think of at least a half dozen more.

Something I don't have in my cupboard? Canned green beans. Can't stand mushy bland beans. I use frozen instead.

As you develop your recipe repertoire, your pantry will adjust accordingly. The pantry I had in college - IE peanut butter, grape jelly, Wonder bread and ramen noodles is a far cry from what I have today. I still have ramen for the quick dinner - but I've dumped the pb&j and added capers, curry powder and whole wheat bread. Maybe in five years, you won't see a caper in sight.

Everything I used in the recipe below was either a pantry staple or something I had purchased as a loss leader. I do not normally buy roasting chickens - but they were on sale at an earlier time and I bought a couple for the freezer. We had roast chicken with rice pilaf and green beans Sunday night. Now I was stuck with half a chicken. Hmmm - what to do?

I always make stock with the carcass. Period. It's a free bonus. Don't have time to keep an eye on a simmering pot? Get out a 6 qt crock. It works great.

That leaves the leftover meat - It could mean a casserole, a soup, chicken salad - it's a blank palate ready to go.

So why did I make Chicken and Dumplings?

Here is the answer you were waiting on with baited breath - I splurged when I did the Bostini cakes. I bought cake flour. I never have cake flour in the house. I rarely ever bake cakes - from a mix or scratch. And I just couldn't stand the thought of the rest of the Swan's Down going to waste. So I pulled out the dumplings. (True - you can use All Purpose, but the dumplings just aren't as tender or light. And screw Bisquick. Nasty.)

All pantry baby!

The thing is, the base recipe is really similar to a couple other soups I do:

Potato soup - leave out the chicken and dumplings.Keep the herbs to a minimum. Add about 3 pounds of potatoes cut in 1 to 1.5 inch cubes. Cook until all veggies are tender. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream at the end of cooking and "smash" the potatoes a little bit to release their starch.

Chicken and Noodle Soup - just throw in noodles (preferably homemade) cook until noodles are tender. Put the precooked chicken in the bottom of the bowls and pour soup over it.

Having a pantry and a standing repertoire of dishes means you are ready to go no matter what the occasion. It's that lil black dress you always wanted and were afraid you would get too fat to fit into...so what are you waiting for!? Get cracking!

Now don't be chicken....

Last week, as I was driving to work, it snowed.

Not much but still - brrrrrrrrr.

So it is now officially "that time of year" and I can start pulling out the stick to your ribs recipes.

While driving home, I was thinking about what to make for dinner. I had the remnants of a roast chicken - IE: broth I had made the night before plus some of the meat I had salvaged from the carcass prior to immersion in simmering water. I always have veggies like carrots, celery and onions in the veggie drawer. I had some once-fresh herbs I had stuck in the freezer (Thanks Lorence!!). Hmmmmmmm...

The it hit me - Chicken and Dumplings!

I had not made them in years. There is something about the light texture of dumplings that makes them fantastic comfort food.

Now here is a questions I am sure a lot of you are asking - If the dumplings are so damn good - why haven't you made them in years?

Good question!

The answer is - well -we'll cover that later.

However - before we proceed - let's talk a little bit about your recipe repertoire.

I can't remember where I read it - but someone somewhere mentioned that every cook should know how to make at least 40 different recipes. I am going to suppose that the person didn't mean that all those recipes had to come from memory - I would be S.O.L. in that department. That being said - I do have basic ways of making certain things that I can use as a base recipe. That recipe, with the addition of various items or others, allow me to come up with a variety of dishes from memory.

This is one of those recipes.

This also means - there are no written recipe for a big chunk of it.

To be truthful - it is also one of the reasons I have so much trouble blogging sometimes. I make the same recipes fairly frequently. No, I am not the "meatloaf every Tuesday" kinda gal - but my family will request my standards on a regular basis. Pot roast, fried chicken, Spaghetti Carbonara, Pasta Puntanesca (Or however it is spelled), stovetop mac and cheese, sauteed green beans, sauteed spinach, meatloaf, salmon patties plus quite a few other recipes. They live up in my head and at anytime, I will just pull out one of my "old faithfuls" and whipped together dinner from a combination of what I have in my pantry plus whatever is on sale that week.

I know some bloggers seem to spend a lot of time chronicling their food adventures - about how they try new recipes all the time, about how they got a new cookbook then ran out and bought a whole bunch of ingredients and tried new recipes out over the weekend. I tried that. I got tired of it real quick. The whole process is a waste of money and my time - both of which I have just too little of these days.

It doesn't mean that I don't try new things. I read cookbooks constantly. But my rules for trying a new recipe are more strict than a casting director weeding out the herd from a cattle call. I ask myself things like:

• Do I already own most of the ingredients?
• If I have to buy special ingredients, will they bust my household budget for the month? I allow some wiggle room in my food budget just in case, but is this recipe worth blowing my slush fund on?
• If I am buying new food products, will my family be likely to eat them? Wasted food is wasted time and money.

Take my chicken and dumplings - a fine example.

Here is the base recipe:

12 cups homemade chicken broth

1/4 stick of butter or 3-4 T of veggie oil

3 large carrots halved then cut into 1/4 slices

3 - 4 stalks of celery sliced about the same size as the carrots

2 medium onions diced

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt, Pepper and various herbs (dried, frozen or fresh)

3-4 cups of pre-cooked diced chicken

Dumplings:

1 cup cake flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 egg

milk

Base instructions

Heat butter or oil in heavy dutch oven. Saute onions and garlic until transparent. Add celery and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth and herbs. In this case I like to use thyme, sage, dill, black pepper, seasoned salt a dash of red pepper and a couple of bay leaves. I wanted a very herb-y flavorful broth to offset the blandness of the dumplings. Cook until the veggies are all soft but not mushy.

That's it! Easy Peasy!

Dumplings:

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Break egg into measuring cup and beat. Add enough milk to the egg to make a 1/2 cup of liquid. Add to flour mixture. You want the batter to be stiff. If the flour is not totally incorporated, add tiny bits of milk until you have the proper consistency.

Have your soup base at an even simmer and drop the dumpling batter into the pot. I use a big serving spoon - I like big dumplings. You can do them small as well. As soon as all of the batter is in the pot, put the lid on. Do no peek for about 8 minutes. You are steaming them done. To test for doneness, use a toothpick or skewer. The wooden item of choice should come out clean.

To serve:

Divide the cooked chicken evenly amount 4 bowls. Dish out the dumplings and stew over top of the chicken. (Please remember to remove all the bay leaves.) Give 'em lots of broth. The dumplings will soak it all up when you cut them open.

This is what the whole thing looks like when ready to serve.

It was tasty.
And the change of pace made the family happy.

So that's it for now - I have the 2007 Cookie Confab to head out to!! Gail, Debbie and I are making our big plans for the holidays - and a lot later than usual because of my frequent business trips this fall. Tune in later in the week for more about pantries, recipes and of course - cookies!

A word to the wise...

So let's play a little word game...

What does "Grand" mean?

According to the dictionary it can mean:

1. Large and impressive in size, scope, or extent; magnificent

2. Rich and sumptuous

3. Wonderful or very pleasing

How about "Oriental"?
1. Of or relating to the countries of the Orient or their peoples or cultures; eastern.

And "Buffet"?
1. A meal at which guests serve themselves from various dishes displayed on a table or sideboard.

2. a. A counter or table from which meals or refreshments are served.

b. A restaurant having such a counter.

So to sum up - a grand oriental buffet should be a thing of great beauty - a chance to eat a variety of tasty exotic treats with your family and friends in a casual serve yourself kinda setting.

Oh but you are so, so, so wrong!

I learned that putting those three words together mean none of the above! I lay the evidence before you so that you may judge for yourself.

Getting off of work late, I instructed the mate and female offspring that we were going out to eat. On the way home I had noticed the grand opening of a new Chinese buffet. Great! Perfect! Everyone will be happy! No bickering! No stress!

We head over to the Grand Oriental Buffet at 900 East Dublin-Granville Road.

We pull up at about 6pm - prime dinner time. Hmmmmm- don't seem to be too crowded. Well, it is a Wednesday. We'll try it anyway.

The first thing to greet us as we go in the door is the brand spankin' new green card from the Columbus Health Department. It was dated for the day before - a good sign.

We go in...it's kinda creepy. The place is huge. It has the prerequisite fountain in one corner. It has artwork done in a vaguely Asian style. All these trappings had been added over top of the decor from the previous tenant - a failed Italian joint.

We are lead through the maze of empty dining areas to where our fellow diners are chowing down on what looks like standard buffet fair. Tony and I order iced tea, Annie a soft drink. We then head over to the rows of steam tables.

This is when we start getting bad feelings.

There was scum on the egg drop soup.

The desserts looked dried out.

Many dishes hadn't been disturbed in so long that they had started to form a hard crust.

So we picked out some things that might be ok. None of us had eaten since noon - we were desperate!

Upon sitting down, I took a drink of my iced tea - and spit it out. The ice tea had gone over.

As I was getting ready to warn Tony that the tea was bad - he spit out a bite of shrimp. "It's rotten!" he said as he gulped down some iced tea. "Blegh!!!" he said as he realized the tea was bad as well.

We sat stunned for a moment.

Annie looked at us as we sat gaping.

Then I said "Put on your coat. We are leaving."

The hostess came over and asked if anything was wrong. Boy was her timing off. I let her have it in the middle of the dining room. I told her I had never eaten rotten food in a restaurant before, that they would eventually get shut down for giving people food poisoning and that there was no way we were paying for a damn thing. The other diners sat staring at us as though we were insane. And then kept on eating as we left.

We drove over to Mimi for pho. It's where we should have gone in the first place I suppose.

I will say - without question - that that was the worst experience I have ever had in a restaurant. Ever. Bar none.

So don't eat at the Grand Oriental Buffet. Tell all your friends and family not to eat there. Unless it's the uncle you never liked - you can tell him. I won't rat you out.

Some people climb up Mount Everest - I just bake cakes.

Whoo hoo!! I am becoming a Daring Baker!!

You heard me! I have once again gotten in over my head - but at least this time it is in cream, butter and eggs.

The Daring Bakers made Bostini Cream Pie this month. I want to say thanks to Mary of Alpineberry for being the hostess this month!

My family actually took off for a trip to the store to stay out of my way. When I am trying something new, I like to concentrate with everything I've got. Fielding questions about boys and homework assignments from the daughter plus having the hubby yell, "Honey! Come look at this play!" just isn't conducive to keeping mom happy while she is stressing over the detail of her latest creation.

The recipe consists of three components: A pastry cream, a chiffon cake and a chocolate sauce.

I had made pastry cream before so I wasn't too worried about the custard, but I was concerned about the chiffon cake. I rarely make cakes from scratch. My family is more of a cookie and pie kinda group - so this was a nice change of pace.

I sweated over this cake. I squeezed the oranges myself - no prepackaged juice here! I separated eggs 'til I was tired of looking at their little yolks. I got to use the whisk attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer. It was a good workout of the old culinary skills...

Here is evidence that even I - cake challenged as I am - can make a chiffon cake.



The custard on the other hand - I wish I had cooked it just a tad longer. It was a little too runny, but I hurried. A couple more minutes would have made the difference.

And by the way- WTF is a 1/3 of a teaspoon? That is not a real measurement. If it doesn't come on a regular set of measuring spoons then it don't exist!! So say I!

Would I take the time to make this again? Most likely not. I am not a big fan of Boston cream pie. My family gave it only an "It's OK" rating. And considering the time and expense - I can think of lots of other recipes that would better suit the taste buds in my household.

So here is the final picture of my creation.

I look forward to next month's challenge. Sometimes you just need to get a good workout to get the old creative juices flowing!

Bostini Cream Pie
(from Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala's Bistro)
(makes 8 generous servings)

INGREDIENTS:

Custard (Pastry Cream)
3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten
3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

Chiffon Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Chocolate Glaze
8 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

To prepare the custard (pastry cream):
Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil. When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.

To prepare the chiffon cakes:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not overbeat.

Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter.

Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.

To prepare the glaze:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm.

To assemble:
Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.

The Wretched Leaf

Howdy All!
True I haven't been by for a while but I am still here. Finding a few minutes to sit down has been a challenge, but rest assured - I am still cooking my lil heart out.

Here is a little secret - I had never had arugula until about a month ago. Lisa at Restaurant Widow shared a week of her CSA with me back in September. One of the items was a big bag of strange looking leaves. Tony sniffed them and said," I think we are ok - they appear to be legal." After making a huge salad - I was hooked. Maybe Tony was wrong. Maybe we weren't ok - because for every day of the following week I had a craving for the mysterious leaf. I suspected it was Arugula - a weed from Italy that had already addicted hundred of thousands in Europe and the US. Dammit - here I thought I was safe but nooooooooooo - I craved it like all the others....

So I did the rehab program - you know the one - the program where they try to "Americanize" your taste buds. The first thing the clinic tried was a iceberg lettuce salad drenched with Kraft Italian. The waitress (read "Nurse Wretched") watched while I choked it down... she kept asking if I was sure I didn't need any more dressing.It was horrible - I still have nightmares. When I read the menu for the second day, I knew I had to escape. More of the same salad but with "croutons", Banquet pot pies and instant mashed taters. I used the remains of the dressing to corrode the bars to my "suite" and made off into the night....

In an attempt to get my next fix, I came early to the last installment of the Worthington Farmers' Market. Yes! Yes!! It was there!!! I bought my new favorite in two forms - the first was small tender leaves for eating raw and the second was in a mix of larger greens which were labeled as "braising" greens. Oh fraptious day!

Now - what to eat with my green leafy fix? Hmmmmmm.... Taking a cue from one of my heroes, Fergus Henderson, I decided that I would pair a simple salad of arugula dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil and kosher salt with chicken livers dredged in seasoned flour and pan fried in bacon fat. The richness of the livers would be cut by the peppery vinegar bite of the salad - just like the richness of marrow bones is cut by his signature parsley salad.

See - even an old dog can learn something once in a while....

I used to never eat chicken livers either. I learned to love the dark slick morsels when I was waiting tables. One of the cooks, Henrietta, told me she was going to make me a special breakfast the next day because the boss had been busting my chops all week. The next morning she whipped up corn bread, greens cooked with bacon and chicken livers. It was the best. I learned how to cook the greens and livers from her the next morning. So worth getting my ass chewed out.

This is basically her recipe: Clean the livers - take off any stringy stuff (veins or what have you). Dip them in seasoned flour (I use seasoned salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and a little onion powder in mine.) Melt some bacon fat in the pan over medium high heat, Throw in your livers, making sure not to crowd them.

A note about chicken livers. Please do not over cook them. There is nothing worse than dried out liver. Cook until just a little too pink on the inside and take them off the heat. The carry over will finished them to a perfect pale pink on the inside. The stuff that dreams are made of....

Here is a picture of my lunch from Saturday. I served it with crusty bread and sweet tea.


So thank you Lisa for sharing you goodies with me - I have a new favorite dish!

Now that you all know how daring I am - tune in tomorrow to see just how daring I am going to get!!

I relish the thought....

As I mentioned before, I have been busy converting garden surplus and farmer market goodies into tasty treats for the home team. Yeah it's a pain in the keister. I think it's worth it though. There is something really satisfying about making all this stuff to put by. It makes me happy to be working on something so basic as food preservation. No, I don't think it for everyone. I think most people would not find the sweet spot in peeling 25 pounds of tomatoes. It's there - it right there above cleaning grout with a toothbrush. And there are those of you reading this who know exactly what I am talking about...

So this past week, I have done the following:

Slow-roasted Roma tomatoes for the freezer

Lightly cooked and froze tomatoes for sauces

Canned Tomato Preserves

Canned Apple Butter (Check out the one by Annie halfway down the page.)

Froze Apple Sauce

Froze Homemade noodles

Froze Thai Red Curry Paste

And lastly -

Canned Chow-chow

Yes - I decided that I could not live without this relish. It is very close to the one my mom made when I was little. Not quite the same though. I do not have my mother's recipe. It was not in her collection. I have a feeling it was up in her head like so many other things she made regularly. (I still get cravings for her liver and onions - the gravy was to die for. No recipe for that either. Dammit, Mom!!)

I have kinda put off making chow chow though - I just remember my mom grinding away at the various ingredients. Food processor? Oh hell no... She had one of the old hand crank models. I used to tell her I would "help" her. Every parent here knows how much "help" I was - 5 or 10 cranks later...I was no where to be found. But I was more than ready to help tuck into a newly opened jar of the relish.

I am not a stickler for that type of authenticity however. I borrowed Gail's grinder attachment for our Kitchenaid mixers. I may be nostalgic - but I ain't stupid. Take a look at the recipe I came up with:

10 pounds green tomatoes

12 medium green bell peppers

12 medium red bell peppers

6 yellow onions

2 small heads cabbage

2 large or 3 medium cucumbers

4 jalapeno peppers

1 medium head garlic

That's a lot of grinding folks. Even with the miracle of modern technology - it still took me about an hour to get everything through the grinder. The smaller you can cut materials before you put it through the grinder the better. I used a pretty course grind - here is the veggies as they come through the shoot. Doesn't look too good does it?

After you get everything ground and put into a non-reactive container (like a crock or stainless steel stockpot), you are ready to start the actual process of cooking the relish.

Here is the recipe in its entirety:

10 pounds green tomatoes

12 medium green bell peppers

12 medium red bell peppers

6 yellow onions

2 small heads cabbage

2 large or 3 medium cucumbers

4 jalapeno peppers

1 medium head garlic

8 cups sugar

8 cups cider vinegar

1/2 cup canning salt

3 tablespoons pickling spice

1. Rinse the vegetables, peel onions, carrots and garlic. Remove the seeds from the peppers and scrape the inside to remove the ribs. Cucumbers can be peeled and seeded if you like. Grind all the vegetables and place in a large container. Add salt, cover with water and allow to stand for 1 hour.
2. While the vegetables are soaking, in a large pot, add the sugar, vinegar and pickling spice tied in a cheesecloth bag. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
3. Drain and rinse and drain the vegetables again, making sure as much moisture as possible is out of the vegetables. (I actually put them in several layers of cheesecloth and squeezed them dry.) Add to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes.
4. Relish can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple weeks or canned for longer preservation.
5. Makes about 12 pints of relish

To can the relish, I recommend going to The National Center for Home Food Preservation. Run by the USDA,they always have the latest and greatest info on home canning. This is one of the good things that gets done with your tax dollars (a rare event!) so take full advantage of it...

Ok - that's it for now. I drank way to much caffeine this morning and need to start scrubbing down the house or I'll explode...Where the hell is my toothbrush?

Bitchin in the Kitchen: Tabloid Edition

A long time in ago in a month far far away (July to be exact) Lisa of Restaurant Widow tagged me to tell 8 random things about myself. Well, life being the roller coaster ride that it is - I am just now getting around to to my contribution.

So here it goes - 8 random facts about my overcrowded life

1) I used to collect comic books. I am still a big comic book fan. I particularly love some of the more intense graphic novels like Watchmen, V for Vendetta and The Dark Knight. I also love old school comics like The Spirit. My only regret is that the Spirit reprints are $50 a pop and there are 20 volumes. My current favorite: Fables written by Bill Willingham. I suppose that makes me a geek.

2) In relation to the first secret - I squealed like a little girl when I saw the Iron Man trailer. When he broke the sound barrier at the end - I actually stood up and did a little happy dance. And I guess that makes me an even bigger geek...don't care. I will be in the theater on opening night. I just hope it doesn't suck like the Fantastic Four.

3) I love going to Studio 35. I have been a semi-regular there for about 22 years. I have been through four sets of owners and a lot of beer. We are going tonight to see Stand By Me and enter the pie eating contest. I hope the pie is cherry.

4) One of my goals is to drive Route 66 with Tony and Annie before she goes off to college. I want to stop at the Big Texan and watch someone eat their huge steak challenge - I sure as hell ain't gonna try it.

5) I like eating mango chutney on bread as a snack.

6) I like old piano jazz. One of my favorite performers is James Booker. Yeah, he was a coked-up drunk, but damn...what music.

7) I am tired of working so much. Well that's not really a secret. I have been dreaming about owning goats and making aged goat cheese. My friend Gail says I am insane - goats stink.

8) I hate the North Market when it's crowded. Hell I hate any place that is too crowded. People are too freaking self centered and never apologize when they run you over in the aisles.

So there you go! Eight things you probably could have lived without knowing. I am tagging Lorence of Lorence's Kitchen, Butta Buns and ummmmm anyone else who needs to post something on their blog. (I assume that means everyone.)

Next time - I have been busy canning and putting things by before fall does it thing and the bounty ends. I hope to have everything posted soon.