Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/?cat=15
More info on the first compost bin and a second one made from a plastic barrel , plus other good ideas, and what to do with extra milk/cream.
Nam Vet
Nam Vet
http://everythingandnothing.typepad.com/mississippi/
The last of the human freedoms...
“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
~Victor Frankl
April 27, 2009 in Great Quotes | Permalink | Comments (2) |
Corn Casserole
Corn
* 1 (14.75 oz.) can creamed corn
* 1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 eggs
* 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a round casserole dish.
In a medium bowl, combine first six ingredients. When well-combined, add cornbread mix and stir. Pour into dish. The batter should fill the pan, leaving 1/2 inch at the top, as the mixture will rise in the oven. Bake for approximately one hour, or until firm in the center. (If you prefer the casserole a little creamier, bake for about 50 minutes.) Casserole will deflate slightly while cooling.
Chocolate Cake Bars
Cake_1
* 1 stick margarine, melted
* 1 cup sugar
* 4 eggs
* 1 (16 oz.) can Hershey’s chocolate syrup
* 1 cup flour
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1/2 tsp. salt
For the frosting:
* 1/3 cup milk
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 stick butter
* 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease and flour a 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1’’ jelly-roll pan.
In a medium bowl, combine margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in chocolate syrup until well-combined. Add flour, vanilla, and salt and mix well.
Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake 15-20 minutes.
To make the frosting, heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for three to five minutes, being careful not to let it scorch. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Break butter into sections and add to mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add chocolate chips and continue to stir until completely melted. Pour over cake. Frosting will harden as it cools.
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. pecans, finely chopped
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugars and vanilla.
Blend well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Cover and chill for several hours. Serve with graham cracker sticks or mini vanilla wafers.
Tiny Quiche Bites
1 lb. bulk hot sausage
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup Colby Jack cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 14-oz. can chopped green chiles
10 eggs
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Brown sausage; drain. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer with cheeses, onion and chiles. Beat eggs with seasonings; pour over cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 18-22 min. or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly, cut into 1-inch squares. Insert toothpicks into squares. Serves 12 to 20.
Turn your old t-shirts into memories
6x5_185w
Campus Quilt Company takes your favorite old t-shirts and turns them into a quilt. A full quilt takes about a month and costs $275 - but there are other sizes available too.
$129-$419
Red Pepper Frittata Squares
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
10 large eggs
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 oz. soft goat cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 min. Add the bell peppers and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 min.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix in the parsley. Pour over the vegetables in the skillet, stir once, and crumble the cheese over the top.
Transfer to oven and bake until the center is set, 18 to 20 min. Slide out of the skillet and cut into squares before serving warm or at room temperature.
Frozen Tiramisu
2 pkgs soft ladyfingers (3 oz. each)
1/2 cup coffee liquer or strong brewed coffee
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 1.5 qt. container Breyers’s coffee ice cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup thawed frozen whipped topping or 1 cup fresh whipped cream
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
In a 9-inch springform pan, line bottom and sides with ladyfingers; brush with coffee liquer. Freeze at least 20 min.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine melted chocolate with sweetened condensed milk; chill 10 min. Into prepared pan, scoop 1/2 of the coffee ice cream, pressing to form an even layer. Evenly top with chocolate mixture. Scoop in remaining ice cream, pressing to form an even layer. Cover and freeze 5 hours or overnight.
To serve, remove ring from pan and arrange cake on a serving platter. In mixing bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; fold in whipped topping. Evenly spread over ice cream layer, then sprinkle with cocoa powder.
(If you don’t have a springform pan, use a 9-inch cake pan lined with plastic wrap instead.)
Organized Outdoors
689076310024
The Campsite Organizer wraps around a tree and provides a central place for all camping utensils. With hooks, storage pouches and smaller slots for personal items, there’s plenty of room for camping gear - and it will be right where you need it.
$21.99
[Make your own, out of old levi’s...granny]
>>>Delawhere, you’re not going to want to read this, but I have many unhappy memories concerning canning.<<<
Fortunately, my experiences were better... We always made a big deal out of canning, freezing, etc. My parents, Grandparents, Great Aunt and Uncle, my little sister and five cousins all organized and put up lots and lots. We would start Friday night, getting everything together, then Early Saturday we started, and went late into the evening. Then we all would gather after Church on Sunday and have a big family picnic back by the pond. Everything was divided up based on how many in the family.
It was always a happy, competitive time... We kids would brag about how many cans we sealed (metal cans - I still have the can sealer and all the tools and spare parts but can’t find a good source for cans.) Or how many ears we husked, or how many ears we had cut the corn off of. We always got peas and limas from the viners, so we didn’t have to shell them, but took lots of washing, cleaning and picking out pebbles and bad ones.
The only one I wasn’t too excited about was skinning the tomatoes, but we tried to make it fun. Oh, we always included some homemade ice cream for our breaks...
After many years of hearing about it, my two girls and their families are wanting to do it now too. So, my task is going to be to make it as much fun for everyone as it was for me.
http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/search/label/breakfast
Chocolate Filled Crepes with Cinnamon Crust
(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, issue 34, page 138)
* 85 grams caster sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 cup flour, sifted
* 1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 + 1/8 cup (3 oz) single/pouring cream
* 1 cup milk
* 65 grams grated dark chocolate
* 25 grams unsalted butter, melted
- Place the sugar and cinnamon on a plate and mix.
- Place the flour and the extra sugar in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Place the eggs, cream, and milk in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
- Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.
- Heat a lightly greased non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup of the batter and swirl to cover the base of the pan.
- Cook crepes for 1-2 minutes in each side until golden. Place on non-stick baking paper and repeat with the rest of the batter (or just make the amount you need and place the rest of the batter in the fridge like I did).
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chocolate over each crepe, fold in half, and then fold in half again. Brush both sides with melted butter and press into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Cooked the sugared crepes in a lightly greased non-stick pan (high heat) for about a minute on each side, or until the sugar is caramelized.
The combination of the dark chocolate and the subtle cinnamon flavour was perfect! But what really takes this over the edge into goodness oblivion is the caramel-ly exterior, all sweet stickiness and crunchy edges. I can see this being a fantastic dessert but, being a creature of breakfast, I had it in the morning with my coffee...bliss! I’m sure it’ll be great with a bit of vanilla ice cream too!
The recipe I have posted here is my halved version. I made two crepes for my breakfast and then used some of the batter to make smoked salmon rolls (with cream cheese, sour cream, dill, capers, and green onions) for a casual night of drinks at our flat. I know the batter is supposed to be for a sweet crepe, but the crepes themselves weren’t sweet at all so I thought it would be fine to use for a savory appetizer. Be that as it may, I was still left with a little batter that eventually had to be tossed :( So to any pancake/crepe experts out there I have three questions:
1) How long can you keep pancake/crepe batter safely in the fridge?
2) Any other variations you like? Savory and sweet suggestions are welcome!
3) Do you have a really low yield pancake/crepe recipe? :)
Breakfast # 24: Breakfast Burrito
title
Or what happens the morning after a Mexican dinner.
I’m sure no one is a stranger to having leftovers from the night before for the next day’s breakfast. Dinner recycling is quite common unless you are lucky enough to have someone make you breakfast a-fresh every morning (if you are that lucky perhaps you’d like to invite me over!). I try my best though...and you see the result of these efforts in the breakfast posts on this blog. The rest, sadly, do not often see the light here.
You see, it’s usually the pretty looking, delicious sounding, recipe-included dishes that make it to publication. If I included leftovers and those madcap creations I winged together last minute (although delicious as well) I would have a lot more posts. In reality, we don’t dine on a new dish, from a new recipe, every night. A lot of what graces our dining room table are meals put together quickly and with no specific recipe, or leftovers from a previous dinner. And I am not particularly excited about posting those (although some of those wing-it dishes are really good...they just have no recipe yet, so still undergoing more testing!).
Times are changing though. Food costs are going up. At the same time, more and more food is being wasted every day. Goodness knows I am guilty of that crime myself. So I’ve decided to post some of my leftover recycling :) This way, I challenge myself to find more means to use up my leftovers, reduce my food waste, and exchange ideas with all you brilliant people out there!
And the great thing about leftovers for breakfast? Everything is already prepared! You can throw this together in three minutes with your eyes still bleary from sleep!
We had a Mexican dinner the night before of chilli con carne, chicken fajitas, homemade salsa, and guacamole. C is a huge (HUGE) fan of Mexican food. Because of the sad lack of Mexican restaurants over here (a big mystery that), we try to have Mexican dinners at home every once in a while, and this was one of those nights. Reaching into the fridge for my yogurt the next morning I decided to gather the leftovers instead and stuff them into a tortilla wrapper with some egg for a yummy breakfast burrito!
Here’s what I did: Take one egg and lightly beat it. Pour into a hot, greased skillet and spread the egg out as thin as you can (like making a crepe). Flip when underside is done and lightly cook the other side. Lay egg on a tortilla wrapper. Pile on the goodies you had for your Mexican dinner last night. I used guacamole, chicken for the fajitas, salsa, grated cheese, and cilantro sprigs. Wrap it up. Enjoy!
Leftovers, just like the fashion from the 80’s and 90’s, are no longer garage sale fodder. They are hip little numbers sashaying their way across our closets and plates. Unlike 80’s fashion though, making leftovers new again helps our grocery bill and our environment! Need more inspiration? Just go over to that search box in my sidebar called Food Blog Search and type in “leftovers”...you will see what I mean :)
It also helps to fortify yourself with a breakfast that is extremely comforting and calming.
I had been wanting to try this since I saw the Sunshine Oatmeal on Nupur’s One Hot Stove many (many!) eons ago. It was based on a recipe for Chai Oatmeal from the book Sunlight Cafe, the recipe of which Nupur generously shared with me. But like a lot of recipes I file away on my hard drive, it slowly got buried under a massive data pile-up. Thanks to a sudden bout of laptop spring cleaning, its sunny face resurfaced...right in time to see me through some much needed mental re-org. I adapted it somewhat, changing the volumes and adding and subtracting spices until I got a mix that was to my taste.
Chai Spiced Oatmeal
(adapted from Sunlight Cafe by Mollie Katzen...thanks Nupur!)
* 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
* 1 1/2 cup milk
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 3 cardamom pods
* 2-3 whole peppercorns
* 3 cloves
* 3 whole coriander seeds
* A pinch of saffron
* 1 tablespoon honey
- Make a little sachet for your spices. You can use a coffee filter or cheesecloth (I use empty tea sachets you can get at the Coffee Bean). Place the spices in your sachet and tie closed with some butcher’s string. If I were you I would make several already and store in an airtight container for future use.
- Place sachet in a saucepan. You can tie one end of the string to the handle so you can easily pull it out later. Pour in the milk and set over medium heat.
- Just before it comes to a boil, lower the heat and gently simmer until the milk is infused to your liking (about 5 to 10 minutes). Stir in honey to dissolve.
- Stir in oats and cover. Leave over low heat until cooked and thickened to your liking, peeping in to stir once or twice to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Serve hot. I sprinkled dried figs and toasted almond slivers on top but feel free to experiment with toppings! Serves one.
I love oatmeal (don’t laugh...there are many of us out there) and I love chai. It’s no surprise then that I was absolutely smitten with this. It has the down-home, comfort factor of oatmeal coupled with the almost hypnotic fragrance of chai spices. It may be my overactive imagination but this felt totally therapeutic to me...like the aromatic spices where helping me center my thoughts while the familiar oatmeal was telling me that everything would be alright.
Does that sound slightly barmy? I don’t think so. Each of the spices here have a history of healing in some form or other, and have been used by early civilizations both medicinally and gastronomically. Aside from that, as I always like to imagine, once upon a time people set sail across vast oceans and into the unknown for these spices....the lure of their mystical fragrance pulling many an adventurer (and fortune-seeker!) to faraway lands.
Every time I have something redolent with these spices, I feel like I am a part, albeit a teeny-tiny one, of that fantastic adventure.
Never underestimate the power of a great breakfast (and a great imagination!). Therapy never tasted as good (or was this exciting!)...nor came as cheaply :)
A full English breakfast is a lollapalooza of breakfast proteins and starches (and fat), heaped together on a plate – substantial, zany, unapologetic, and in my book – awesome! Sure you can start with the backbone of bacon and eggs, but for me, the more over the top the better! Yes to the beans and the blood sausage! Yes to toast and hash browns! Fry it up and pile it on!
In that spirit of everything goes, I threw together this version. I had some leftover fabada (a Spanish bean stew) with I used for the beans element. Since my fabada had bacon slab, chorizo, and morcilla, I figured that covered the bacon, sausage, and black pudding. Instead of hash browns I used leftover roast potatoes (from a roast chicken dish) which I refried in olive oil with shallots, red pepper, and olives to stay within the Spanish theme. I then fried an egg in some chorizo oil**, smooshed everything onto a plate with a small baguette, and dove right in!
This type of breakfast is an excellent way to use leftovers, like I’ve done here with the beans and potatoes. It is also the type of breakfast that works great if you are in need of major fortification. Or cheering up. Or if it’s a Sunday and you want to be lazy and piggy :) And it does wonders for a hangover.
Thank you Christine for that long ago English breakfast (and the countless everything elses)! Here’s to sharing more food and adventure with you! :)
**What is chorizo oil? When I make fabada (or fry up chorizo) a lot of deep red, aromatic oil from the chorizo floats up. Normal people would skim this off and toss it. But I’m not normal people. I keep it in the fridge and fry eggs in it. Waste not, want not.
Blueberry Syrup
* 100 grams Baguio blueberries
* 75 grams sugar
* 1/4 cup water
- Place all ingredients in a pan over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens. Swish contents of pan around occasionally to avoid burning.
Yes, that’s all! The syrup was dark and glossy and delicious…and just begging to be poured onto something equally delicious – French toast! I used my basic French toast recipe (perfect for a solo breakfast), but substituted Swiss zopf, a challah-like bread that my mum-in-law gives me (which C doesn’t really eat, so I have loaves of it in the freezer, just waiting for meals like these!). I am not making French toast using any other bread ever! You can serve this with a dollop of cream or yogurt…but I prefer my French toast slathered in butter, before pouring on the blueberry syrup. Be generous!
The taste? Oh MY! Have you ever experienced a foot-pop? A foot-pop is what happens when you receive a kiss of such magnitude and dizzying bliss that one knee bends, and your foot “pops” upwards, toes pointing to the sky. You have seen it happen in countless of old movies, and explained by the endearing Mia of Princess Diaries. Well, my dears, it happened to me as I was standing by my kitchen counter eating this! Foot-POP!
If you have just one serving of French toast, as I did here, you will have some blueberry syrup leftover…and soon I’ll show you just what to do with it! :)
So this may look like a simple mixed fruit yogurt parfait, but really what you are looking at is fate in a glass: a brilliant surprise from the market, the season’s darling in fruit, a creamy yogurt long sought-after, and my favorite granola to make things interesting. Seek and you shall find they say…I certainly did :)
No recipe here. Just go to your farmers market. Find some fruit in season – one to make into jam or syrup, one that begs to be eaten fresh. Chat with the purveyors. Get the best yogurt you can find. If you live in Greece say a prayer of thanks to the yogurt deities. Make your own granola (it’s easy!). Pat yourself on the back. Showcase all this in the way they deserve – so that each brilliant layer can be admired (syrup/jam, then yogurt, then fresh fruit, then yogurt, then granola). Sit somewhere where you can see a little sunshine (I live in a little 3rd floor flat in a cramped city, no garden, no balcony, so no excuses…even the tiniest ray will do!). Dunk your spoon in all the way down. Enjoy. Really, I mean it. Stop thinking about what you are going to wear tomorrow or if you have time to gas up the car. Enjooooy.
Red Wine Poached Nectarines
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1 strip orange rind
* 2-3 nectarine, each cut into 8 wedges
- Place wine, water, and sugar in a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Add the cinnamon stick and orange rind and let infuse for a couple of minutes.
- Add the nectarines and poach gently for 5-10 minutes, until just tender.
- Top a bowl of yogurt with some of the slices and a drizzle of the poaching liquid. Sprinkle some pistachios on top for added flavor and texture.
- Store the rest of the poached nectarines with the poaching liquid in a jar in the fridge. Use as topping for yogurt, ice cream, a filling for crepes, perhaps in a tart…lots of possibilities!
Fruit and yogurt is a common breakfast any way you paint it. But I think poaching the fruit in red wine lends it something special. Aside from an enchantingly robust flavor (punctuated quite nicely by the spiciness of the cinnamon and the citrusy note of the orange rind), it gives me a festive sense of celebration…which really, is a whole other aspect of breakfast that many forget: A celebration of a new day, with food still on our table, and energy still in our veins.
So let me toast this new day with you, and let each breakfast remind us that, wherever we are, if we are at a table eating breakfast, we still have something to celebrate. Cheers and happy weekend! :)
This is one of the most blissful things (in my humble opinion) about growing up in the Philippines…decadent yet fortifying, indulgent yet necessary, over-the-top yet simple and basic (hold on to your garters my friends!) – rice for breakfast.
And not just any rice – fried rice! It goes by many names: sinangag, kalo-kalo, sangag. Whatever you call it, it is what has been driving us on for decades. Rice is the fuel for our collective, national “little-engine-that-could”. It is what got us to till the fields at the crack of dawn, cast our nets in the wee hours of morn, and gamely answer vast amounts of call center complaints still wearing a smile on our faces. Rice for breakfast – we salute you!
Nowadays, this archetypal “Pinoy breakfast” would consist of rice, a protein (check these Lasang Pinoy entries to get an idea), and egg. A delicious feast! What I decided to do here is just toss everything together to get a hearty one-bowl meal. For the protein I used skinless chorizo.
Chorizo Fried Rice with Egg
* 250 grams skinless chorizo
* 2-3 cups day old rice (depending on your preferred protein-to-rice ratio)
* 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
* 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
* 1 sili labuyo (bird’s eye chili), cut in half (I always cut sili in half so the heat escapes but you can still see it while you eat and thereby avoid scandalous surprise)
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* Your choice of oil
- Heat oil in a wok or kawali. Add onions, garlic, and sili all at once, and sauté until onion is soft.
- Add chorizo to the pan and sauté until it has released its glorious orange oil and is just cooked.
- Add rice to the pan and toss until rice is orange and soft. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
- In a non-stick skillet heat a little oil. Add egg and cook until set. Flip the egg like an omelet until the whole thing has set. No need for good form here as you will slice it up. Just make it as flat as you can.
- Slice egg into strips and toss with rice. You can reserve some egg strips to use as topping.
- Serves 2-3
The chorizo gives this dish a bit of a Spanish influence…with one important caveat: The Spanish-style chorizo I used is made right here! I bought it from a friend that makes his own and, yes (!), he sells it too (details below). It is really delicious and I am presently kicking myself for only buying the 250-gram pack. You can use any chorizo you have though or even longanisa. If you don’t have any skinless (or, as it is locally called “hubad”, which means naked…I love that!) you can use regular and just cut it up as you see fit.
If you happen to be in Manila: You can order the chorizo from Desnudos, just call 8230047. They also have choriburger patties (oh yes…I have a pack in the freezer!) and longanisa hubad (naked longanisa!). Desnudos also means naked. I should stop with the naked huh? Or at least wait until after lunch ;)
What a marvelous family you had. And great memories.
Can my canning mentors let me know which of these you think are important for me to get:
Jar Lid Wrench
Magnetic Lid Lifter
Canning Funnel
Jar Lifter
I figure the last 2 for sure, but I’m not sure about the first two.
Hey granny. How would I use ginger essential oil for motion sickness? (ie., how to apply it. With the capsules, I take 2 an hour and a half before the windy road and two more a half hour before and it works like a charm.)
I found some ginger essential oil online and thought I’d get it to try. I also thought I’d ask my vet how it would work on my cat (the vet is really into herbs and such - he’s the best vet I’ve ever found.) Corduroy gets motion sick going to the mountains, poor baby.
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/?cat=5
Comments (2)
Lemon Pudding Cake
Filed under: Recipes — Savvy Housekeeper at 10:01 am on Wednesday, March 4, 2009
savvyhousekeeping.com
Otherwise known as a Lemon Sponge Custard, this is the kind of luscious dessert that you can’t be bothered to dish into a bowl before consuming–you want to eat it right from the pan. The Joy of Cooking calls it “magical,” saying it “mysteriously divides into a quivery layer of lemon custard on the bottom and a light a spongy cake on top.” The trick with this dessert is to cook it in a water bath, which sounds difficult, but is actually quite easy. Here’s how I did it:
Lemon Pudding Cake
Ingredients:
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2/3 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
3 Tbs flour
1/4 C lemon juice
1 C whole milk
Directions:
Separate four eggs so that you have four egg whites in one bowl and three egg yolks in another. Hold back one egg yolk for other use.
Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they are stiff, about 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, cream the butter, salt and sugar until it is crumbly, like so:
savvyhousekeeping.com
Add the egg yolks. Mix together. Add the flour. Mix. Add the lemon juice. Mix. Add the milk. Mix.
Now you have a yellow, soupy mixture. Take your stiffened egg whites and pour on top. With a spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the batter so that there are no more lumps of white.
Now, make your water bath. You will need two pans, one that fits into the other. I used a square 8X8 baking pan and a lasagna pan.
Ladle the batter into the baking pan and put it into the larger pan. Add about 2 inches of water along the bottom so that the pudding floats in the large pan, like so:
savvyhousekeeping.com
(As you can seem, my lasagna pan is much loved…)
Now, put the whole thing in the oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes on 325 degrees. Do a knife test to see if it’s done–the knife should still have a few curds of custard on it. You don’t want to overcook this. Let stand for 10 minutes. You can serve this dish warm or cold.
It is delicious, and actually, extremely economical. Check it out:
Cost of Dish: Butter: $.20, Sugar: $.10, Eggs: $.75, Flour: $.05, Lemon: free from the garden, Milk: $.20.
Total Cost of Dish: $1.30 for the whole thing, $.33/serving.
Lemon Bars
Filed under: Recipes — Savvy Housekeeper at 9:53 am on Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The lemon orgy continues around here. I made these lemon bars on Sunday and they were gone by Monday. They had a shortbread-like crust and a rich lemon curd filling. Here’s how I made ‘em.
Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c powdered sugar
12 Tbs butter
6 eggs
2 1/2~ c sugar
1 c or so of lemon juice
1/2 c of flour
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Sift together 1 1/2 cup flour and the powdered sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces. With your fingers, start to work the butter into the flour until the entire mixture is the size of small peas.
Press the mixture into a 13X9-inch baking pan. Make sure to cover the bottom and along the side of the pan to avoid leakage, like so:
Back the crust for 20-30 minutes until it is starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and reduce to 300 degrees.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix together sugar and eggs until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice.
Now, taste the filling. What you are looking here is a balance between sweetness and the lemon. You neither want the filling to taste too sweet nor too lemony but a meeting between the two extremes. Adjust the lemon juice and sugar accordingly. When it tastes lush, custard-y and balanced, you have it right.
Next, sift 1/2 cup flour into the mixture and stir until smooth.
Pour the filling into your crust and bake 35 minutes until it is set. Cool and cut into rectangles. Enjoy!
Well, my daughter borrowed Dotty’s car today while hers was being worked on and as she drove into the yard tonight, I delightedly said, “here comes Aunt Dotty” What an awful feeling came over me as soon as I said it.<<<<
No, No, no awful feelings allowed, you should have just looked up and smiled, for if it is possible, she is there with you.
LOL, I hedge my bets on this life after death scene, guess I do believe it and don’t worry about it, for we cannot prove it until we die....
When I think of Mary and feel like she wants me to click once more, I smile and feel good, for if she was here, we would both be wild over the internet.
As we were with our books and patterns and wild ideas.
When you think of your sister, rejoice, for she loved you too.
You are welcome and I hope you will keep us up to date on what is going on, for I no longer attempt to cover all the angles, there are far too many.
I found some ginger essential oil online and thought I’d get it to try. I also thought I’d ask my vet how it would work on my cat (the vet is really into herbs and such - he’s the best vet I’ve ever found.) Corduroy gets motion sick going to the mountains, poor baby.<<<
Careful, as I recall from soapmaking / reading, Ginger is hot and will burn you.
They say - do not put essential oils on cats, for they lick it off and will get sick.
I have had cats that would sniff it from my bottle of Lavender and one that was high /strung, appeared to relax after smelling it.
I have never used the Ginger E.O. so do not know much about it.
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Ginger Essential Oil, 100% Pure, NOW Foods - 1 fl. oz.
Ginger Essential Oil is an ideal oil for those who lack confidence, personal drive and tend to procrastinate.
www.herbalremedies.com/ginesoil1dra.html - 216k - Cached - Similar pages
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Ginger Oil, Pure CO2 Essential Oil
Ginger Oil - Pure therapeutic grade Ginger essential oil, total extract. A wonderfully complex spice oil, great for digestive applications and many other ...
www.anandaapothecary.com/aromatherapy-essential-oils/ginger-essential-oil.html - 22k - Cached - Similar pages
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Ginger Essential Oil Profile- Aromatherapy
Essential Oil of Ginger. Status: Certified Organic Latin: Zingiber Officinale Family: Zingiberaceae Country: Madagascar Extraction: Steam Distillation ...
www.aromatherapy-essential-oils.org/essentialoil/profile/ginger/index.htm - 15k - Cached - Similar pages
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Ginger Essential Oil: The Use and Medicinal Properties of Ginger ...
Ginger is traditionally used as a spice for culinary purposes; however, the essential oil of Ginger has been used extensively for centuries for aromatic ...
aromatherapy.suite101.com/article.cfm/ginger_essential_oil - 38k - Cached - Similar pages
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Ginger Essential Oil - Ginger Essential Oil Use, Ginger Oil Health ...
Ginger essential oil is an effective antidepressant and a wonderful pain killer. Read about its properties, uses and health benefits.
beauty.indobase.com/essential-oils/ginger-essential-oil.html - 23k - Cached - Similar pages
[Only a few of the many links, looks interesting...]
“American Joe”, has come up with the perfect antidote to Barack Hussein Obama.
This is a perfect antidote to build American morale and one that won’t bring the heavies from Janet Napolitano to your doorstep.
Like most things that work, it is beautiful in its simplicity.
“One of the things that Barack Obama cannot change is our right to fly the American flag,” writes Joe. “Since Barack Obama and his followers are so much against Americans and patriotism, maybe we should all make a statement by flying our flags every day, leaving them outside through all kinds of weather, until Barack Obama is impeached.
“This would raise the spectre of our concern and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. It would be a sort of extension of the Tea Party, but something that is visible every day as a reminder. We need something that people can relate to and see as they drive around.
“We need something to do, but many don’t know what they can do. Putting up the flag and flying it through rain and shine can make a statement.”
“American Joe” is right. No world pandemic, no recession, no inclement weather and not even a president, no matter how powerful, can keep you from flying your every day flag.
/snip/
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/10840
- - - - - - - - - - -
I have started a campaign (by example and suggestion) to do the above. However, remember if you are to leave the flag flying all the time, it is supposed to be lighted. (Wally Mart has really nice solar LED spotlights at 2 for $20.
On our road, first there were two of us, and over a one month period, we now have 8 with more getting ready.
Old Glory will fly like over Ft. McHenry - till the battle is won and the oppressors are gone!
Crafts, ideas, links, clothing patterns that are simple.
It would take days to go through this site, crafts for kids and granny.
On our road, first there were two of us, and over a one month period, we now have 8 with more getting ready.
Old Glory will fly like over Ft. McHenry - till the battle is won and the oppressors are gone!<<<
Excellent idea, if it takes off like the Tea Parties did, it will make a wonderful statement of our intent.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Icing
1/2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound strawberries
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.
Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly like my bottom. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.
Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.
Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.
Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.
IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!
Magnetic Lid Lifter
Canning Funnel
Jar Lifter
Those are the three I would get -
I use a telescoping magnetic screw picker-upper from the hardware store - $1.98 from their grab bin.
Funnel - absolutely...
Jar Lifter - Oh yeah... Don’t try to get them out of a hot water bath without one... Unless maybe you have waterproof asbestos fingers...
http://www.craftypod.com/category/bath-body-crafts/
Archive for the ‘Bath & Body Crafts’ Category
Check out Soap Queen TV!
20090430 11:56
Okay, this is something cool for everybody! If you’ve ever wanted to dabble in soap-making, you’ll want to check out Soap Queen TV. It’s a 17-week series of free how-to videos by Anne-Marie Faiola. She’s the proprietress of Bramble Berry, which sells all kinds of soap and candle-making supplies.
The first episode just went live. It’s a little over five minutes, and packed with information on the difference between fragrance oils and essential oils, plus a basic melt-and-pour soap tutorial. It’s beautifully-produced and totally watchable.
(Up top there are two of the bars Anne-Marie will be making in future episodes.)
We’ll have a new episode each Thursday, and there are lots of interesting topics coming up - like, for example, Advanced Swirling Techniques (ooh!), Embedding Water Soluble Paper (ooh!), and Layered Soaps (ooooh!). Check out the full schedule over here.
You can see the videos at the Soap Queen blog, or this channel page on You Tube. Don’t miss ‘em!
[Interesting links and other info]
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