Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today

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Saving Energy in the Kitchen

by Gavin from The Greening of Gavin

Last year, I received a pressure cooker for my birthday. The following day I cooked up a storm! The results were outstanding, and where just as I remember from my childhood. The meat was so tender, the tastes were amazing, and it only took 30 minutes (once the pressure built up) to cook the meal!

Before I cooked the first meal, I had to season the cooker by boiling 2 litres of milk and 3 litres of water. Apparently, because it is aluminium, this boiling of milk/water seals it and stops the stains from forming. The seasoning has worked, because a year down the track I have not yet had a meal stick to the bottom during cooking.

I started out simple and made a Beef Stew, with seasonal vegetables. Here is the recipe from memory, as I whipped it up on the fly when I cooked it.

Gavin’s Beef Stew
500gm Stewing Steak or any cheap cut of red meat, 2 cm cubes
3 large potatoes, diced 2 cm cubes
1 stick of celery, chopped coarsely
1 large onion, slices
3 large carrots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
100gm mushrooms, sliced
1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 litre beef stock, low sodium
3 tablespoons cornflour
3 tablespoons gravy powder
1 half cup water
2 tablespoons oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil, add onion, garlic, rosemary and celery to soften. Add beef and brown. Add remaining vegetables and stock, seal pressure cooker, and cook for 30 minutes from when the control valve starts to jiggle, reduce heat so valve just moves. After 30 minutes, turn off heat, reduce pressure as per cooker instructions and remove lid. Make a paste out of water, cornflour, gravy powder and thicken stew. Bring to boil with lid off, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with mashed potatoes and crusty bread. Serves 6 with sufficient seconds!

A fantastically simple meal, and it was very hearty on a cold Sunday evening after I had been working on the chook house all day. I could not believe how tender the meat was, especially after only cooking for 30 minutes. Kim was very impressed, because she is normally put off by beef because of its chewiness. Normally that type of steak would take between 90-120 minutes to get to that stage in the oven. The vegetables all kept their natural favour and were really distinct in on the palette, with the potato breaking down just enough to help thicken the stew.

This type of cooking is not only energy efficient (I cooked on the medium gas ring on the lowest setting), but you can utilise the cheapest cuts of meat, and they will be tender in no time. I reckon that even game, such as kangaroo and emu would become very tender in a short time. Every time I have attempted to cook roo it has been tough as old boots! I have since used it to cook some kangaroo, and it is absolutely delicious!

I also found heaps of recipes on the net at the Pressure Cooker Centre. The model I have is a SILAMPOS Classic aluminium 10 litre, which is made in Portugal. A long way to transport it, but I could not find a pressure cooker that was made in Australia so it was the only option.

It was simple to figure out how it worked and the instruction manual was easy to understand. I would recommend this cookware to anyone who wants to lock in nutrition, and to cook meals quicker without resorting to processed fast food. In the year since I got this piece of cookware, I have made soups, stews, pot roasts, cooked lentils, chickpeas, and rice. Nothing has stuck to the bottom, and all have cooked extremely quickly, and tasted fantastic.

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Posted by Gavin , Links to this post , 10 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen, In the Kitchen - Recipes, Living Well on Less

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“An Ounce of Prevention . . . “

by Sadge, at Firesign Farm
When I was about eight years old, and visiting my Granny on her farm in Texas, I stepped on a rusty nail while exploring around back of some old sheds. I limped back up to the house, the inside of my shoe squishy with blood. Mom washed my foot with soap and hot water, checking to make sure no debris was left inside the deep puncture wound. Then Granny sat me down in the kitchen, my foot soaking in a pan filled with hot water and a heaping handful of Epsom Salts, “to draw out the toxin,” she said.

“Lockjaw!” I heard from every adult relative that came in and saw me sitting there. I’d seen The Wizard of Oz. I imagined the rust from the nail creeping up through my body, freezing me up just like the Tin Woodman, until I couldn’t even utter the word, “oilcan” (good thing I didn’t know it would also mean painful muscle spasms throughout the entire body, plus elevated temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate, on-going for weeks). Mom assured me I’d be fine - I’d had my DT shots, before I started school just a couple of years earlier. I didn’t know what a Deety was, I was just glad I had it.

Ten years later, when I was ready to go away to college, I first had to submit my immunization records. The university told me I needed a DT booster vaccination (which I now knew stood for Diphtheria/Tetanus) - the immunity lapses after 10 years. I’ve made sure to keep my immunity updated every decade since.

So why am I writing about this in a sustainable living blog? I now know rust doesn’t cause Tetanus, but rusty cans and nails can often be found in areas harboring tetanus bacteria. The rough surface of a rusty object provides the perfect habitat for the tetanus bacteria to reside, and the sharp edges can make just the sort of break in your skin that provides the bacteria a route into your body. Tetanus bacteria spores are carried in the feces of animals, such as horses, cattle, chickens, dogs, cats, and guinea pigs. Anyone cleaning up after animals, making compost from manure, or using it in the garden, comes in contact with tetanus bacteria. Just getting your hands dirty while in your garden means you’re probably carrying the spores on your skin. Tetanus bacteria thrives in hot, damp climates where the soil is rich in organic matter - exactly the type of environment organic gardeners strive to create.

Tetanus occurs when an open wound becomes contaminated with the bacteria. I know there are plenty of opportunities to cut, scratch, and puncture myself while working in my garden - splinters, insect bites, working around the cut ends of chicken wire, pruning roses and my particularly vicious blackberry brambles, to name only a few. Mom knew, even if you have a current tetanus vaccination, it’s still necessary to immediately wash open wounds thoroughly with soap and water. I don’t know if Granny’s Epsom Salts treatment does anything, though. (Edit added later: upon confirmation by doctor’s orders, from Jen in the comments, soaking in salt water really does draw toxins out of a wound - certainly not a substitute for a doctor’s care in serious situations, but I thought it worth starting a “natural remedies” label on this blog).

Vaccines can prevent tetanus, but the immunity needs to be updated every 10 years. Since it can take up to two weeks for the antibodies to form, if you need a booster shot try to get it before your gardening season starts. Tetanus is fatal in 10 to 20% of reported cases (death occurs mainly in adults over 60, also the most likely to have let their immunity lapse), but even in less severe cases, with treatment, full recovery can take more than a year. Being sick and miserable, especially when it’s easily preventable, makes no sense to me. I’d rather be safe than sorry, and stay healthy out there in my garden.

Posted by Sadge , Links to this post , 17 comments
Labels: Emergency Preparedness, Natural Remedies, Organic Gardening, Poultry Livestock and Pets

Granny notes:
This reminds me of an Excellent Doctor, in San Diego, Dr. Bill Shepherd, I am sure he is retired now.

He was the best GYN in San Diego, 2 different doctors suggested him, when I needed surgery.

You went to his office, sat on the floor, if all the chairs were taken and you waited for your turn.

I asked “Why!!” and the lady I asked, said “We know that when we need him he will be there...” And it was true, he was.

Even way back then, folks told me things, never figured it out, but they did and do.

He could never remember my name, but knew where every stitch was that he had put in.

Once I found him late and upset, cussing upset, for he had been invited to watch a couple hot shot society doctors do surgery and they botched it.

Another Time, he was heart sick, for one of his lady clients, had lost her husband, to lockjaw.

While she recovered from Dr. Bill’s surgery, her husband offered to do the heavy work in the rose garden and he got a puncture wound..........

His hoity toity society doctor did not know about lockjaw and let him die.

And if anyone knows a nurse in San Diego, named Ruth Zukor, I am still thankful to her for all her help, thru a bad sickness, LOL, she was another of Dr. Bill’s patients and my nurse in the hospital.

Ruth was/is an Angel.
granny

LOL, this is a 2 wet towel day.

Hot and getting hotter.

Yesterday, during the worst of the heat, the shut off the electric for 3 hours.

No wind, no storms, LOL, just a gently flick of the switch and no electric.

granny

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20 Household Uses For Vinegar

Melinda Briana Epler, One Green Generation

I have stopped buying traditional cleaning products completely now, and have a cleaning cupboard that holds just a few things: vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, olive oil, lemon juice, Bon Ami, and locally-made biodegradable soap made from olive oil.

Vinegar is my most frequently-used item, so I thought I’d share how I use it first!

Worried About The Scent Of Vinegar?
With all of these uses below, there will be a faint scent of vinegar. Remember when I wrote about Redefining Normal? Think of this as the new normal! The vinegar scent will go away quickly, pretty much as soon as the vinegar dries. And it is a lot better than the smell of artificial chemicals and fragrances that just aren’t good for you to be breathing. If you truly hate the smell, try adding a few drops of lemon juice, a cinnamon stick, or a sprig of rosemary, oregano, or lavender to your vinegar solutions.

Also, I use organic white vinegar because I think the scent is easier to cover up and it dissipates more quickly, but many people prefer apple cider vinegar. Try both and see which works best for you!

Twenty Household Uses For Vinegar

1. Washing Windows and Mirrors. I have a small spray bottle, bought in a drug store, that I fill at about 1 part vinegar to three parts water. Just good old-fashioned white vinegar you can buy in any store, or make yourself. With that, I spray windows and mirrors with the vinegar solution, and wipe with a soft, clean towel. Others use newsprint and swear by it - that has just never worked for me, but give it a go if you have newspapers lying around.

2. Washing Kitchen and Bathroom Surfaces. When cleaning my bathroom or kitchen, I use Bon Ami and a rag to really wash the surfaces. Then I spray all surfaces with that same spray bottle of 1:3 (vinegar:water), and wipe with a rag. The vinegar gives a shine to the surfaces, gets rid of soap scum, and also kills most germs and molds.

According to a Heinz spokesperson in this article, repeated studies have shown that their vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. Quite frankly, we are as a society far too focused on antibacterial everything - we need a few of them around for our children’s immune systems to develop fully, for our immune systems to adapt, and to ensure that we’re not creating monster super-viruses.

If you cook with meat and want to be extra safe, you can always wash cutting board surfaces with hydrogen peroxide to kill the other 1% of bacteria (I do not clean with chlorine bleach as I think it is awful stuff).

3. Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Pour 1/2 cup straight vinegar into the bowl, let stand for 20 minutes, and scrub clean. You can do this with hydrogen peroxide as well.

4. Mopping Unwaxed Floors. Add 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon hot water. This makes them shine nicely, too. On some wood floors, the vinegar will actually strip the wax. Ours are so old and have so many layers of wax on them, that it works great.

5. Dusting. I don’t use this mixture on wood (I use a pure oil instead). But I do use it on other hard surfaces. The same way I use it in the kitchen: spray with the 1:3 solution, and wipe with a rag. Alternatively, spray on the rag and then wipe the surface clean.

6. Cleaning the coffee machine, coffee and tea pot, coffee filter, and tea strainer. If your coffee machine is not making as good of coffee as it used to, chances are that there is a buildup of minerals, coffee oils, and other residue. Fill your coffee pot or espresso reservoir up to the full level, with 1 part vinegar to two parts water, and run that through the machine. If you haven’t done this in a while, you may want to repeat the process. Then run just pure water through the machine to clear it out. And you can soak coffee and tea pots, coffee filters, and tea strainers in the same solution to remove residue and stains.

7. Cleaning the refrigerator. That same 1:3 solution works perfectly. I usually make a fresh batch with warm water, as that seems to work better inside the cold refrigerator.

8. Unclogging Drains. If water hasn’t yet backed up, pour 1 cup of baking soda down, followed by 3 cups boiling water. Repeat if the drain doesn’t clear. If the drain still doesn’t clear, follow with 1 cup of vinegar. This makes it bubble, fizz and usually that does the trick! If this does not work, we usually buy enzymes from the local health food store.

9. Cleaning the Iron. I have only done this once, because I so rarely use my iron (I spray clothing with a fine water mist to get wrinkles out), but this does work! When an iron needs to be cleaned, you’ll see white or murky residue inside the water reservoir. Fill the reservoir with 1 part vinegar to two parts water, and then run the iron on steam mode until it’s out of water (you can do this in the air or onto a rag). If the residue isn’t gone, you may need to repeat the process. Then run straight water through and do the same thing.

10. Fabric Softener. Add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse water. Note: Most natural fibers do not cling very much, so don’t worry about fabric softeners at all if your load is all cotton. And make sure you don’t over-dry. Or better yet, line dry your clothing and you don’t have to worry about it!

11. Alternative to color-safe bleach. Yes, you can have two-in-one power! Vinegar doubles as a color-safe bleach and fabric softener: add 1/2 cup vinegar to the wash water, add the soap, and let the washer fill up before putting clothing in. If you’re also looking for a fabric softener, you probably won’t have to add more vinegar during the rinse cycle (above), but try both ways and see what works.

12. Vinegar Hair Rinse. I have posted here and here about my hair treatment. I haven’t used shampoo nor conditioner in over 6 months, and I love it. Basically, I mix 1 part vinegar with 8 parts water, and add a cinnamon stick and a bit of vanilla for a nice fragrance. Did I mention I love it??!

13. Denture & Mouthguard Cleaner. Soak them overnight in pure vinegar, and rinse in the morning. (Note: I’m not to the denture age yet, but I do have a mouthguard because I grind my teeth at night!)

14. Kill Weeds. Yes, it’s true! My mom taught me this. Pour vinegar full strength onto weeds in sidewalk cracks, and along the edges of the yard, and presto - they die! She’s been doing it for years. Gardening aficionados, do you know what it’s doing? It’s neutralizing the nitrogen, so it’s essentially starving the weeds.

15. Ant Deterrent. It’s not perfect, but it will help. Clean the surfaces with a 1:3 vinegar solution. Then make your own - or purchase - a natural cleaning solution that contains orange oil and spray it on the ant paths. Leave for at least a few days, until the ants find another place to go. Then clean it up with the vinegar solution. This has worked for me all over the country: north, south, east, and west.

16. Increase soil acidity. If you’ve tested your soil and found it to be not quite acidic enough, you can add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water when watering acid-loving plants, or when preparing the soil to be planted. Wait a few days before planting seeds or fragile seedlings, but hardier plants will be fine.

17. Cat urine. Yes, this is where we really discovered the magic of vinegar. If a cat pees on something that you can throw in the washing machine: wash it in hot water with a cup of vinegar (if it’s really bad, it doesn’t hurt to put in more vinegar). If a cat pees on furniture (eg, sofa, bed, plush chair): first blot up as much pee as you can with a towel. Then you want to really douse the area with vinegar, full strength, making sure that it gets deep into the cushions as far as the cat urine had. After several minutes, dab the area with a towel (or two), to get up as much vinegar as you can. And then cover the area with a doubled-up towel, and top with a couple of heavy books to help get up the rest of the liquid. Leave that for several hours.

This works because the main ingredient in urine is ammonia (like the nitrogen discussed above, when killing weeds). Ammonia is a base, so vinegar, an acid, neutralizes it.

Note: We have used this method on a couple of furniture items that we really cared about, and it did not stain them. But do use with caution. At the same time, generally the cat pee has a greater chance of staining than the vinegar (so at that point, what do you have to loose).

18. Cleaning Gold Jewelry and Tarnished Brass. Ok, I haven’t done it (because when I wear jewelry it’s generally silver), but I know many people that swear by it. Submerge jewelry in apple cider vinegar for 15 minutes. Then remove the jewelry and dry with a towel. For tarnished brass, simply pour a bit of vinegar on a rag and rub off the tarnish. For super sticky tarnish you may need to soak it a bit in the vinegar.

19. Food-Related Uses: For Instance, Pickling, Canning, Curdling Milk or Soymilk to Simulate Buttermilk, Homemade Salad Dressing, A Nice Addition To Pasta, etc. This topic is for another post, but of course in addition to all of the above uses, vinegar is incredibly useful as food!

20. There Are Many More. If you have another use for vinegar, please share it with us in the comments!!

Save Money, Time, and Anguish!

Ok so, with this list, you can now stop buying a whole lot of other products that you don’t need and save a ton of money! Also, there is no need to worry about trying to find natural products in the grocery store, because now you can make them with vinegar and water (and sometimes one other ingredient).

If you want to save more money by making your own vinegar, check out Rhonda Jean’s great instructions (with more here) - it’s surprisingly easy.

And finally, if you have children and/or pets, please consider replacing your hazardous cleaning products with safe products such as vinegar. If you need incentive to do so, please read Kendra’s post here.

What Else?

For those of you who are using vinegar for household needs, what did I leave off this list?
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Posted by Melinda , Links to this post , 34 comments
Labels: Living Well on Less, Natural Remedies, Simple Living, Sustainability

[LOL, I don’t mind borrowing a good idea from a Greenie!!! and there are a lot of them here, I think it is a collection of bloggers, and this is the hub or middle point...granny]

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[photos]

Getting crafty, out and about!

Posted by Compostwoman, The Compostbin

Here are just a few ideas I use when working with children, or just playing in the woods with Compostgirl. Some are ideal for doing on a walk, some are an activity to do in your garden, all of them are fun. Some can be done without adult help.

Nature provides us with so many things. Some of these can be used to decorate our homes, or provide homes for creatures that help to pollinate plants and prey on garden pests. After you have made some natural craft item, using what nature provides to decorate your home, why not give something back, in the form of a bird feeder or minibeast home?

A few safety tips
Before you start, always get permission from the landowner if in any doubt!
Make sure children are well supervised and don’t collect anything poisonous.
Only collect loose, dead or fallen material from the ground.
Don’t pull bits from living plants or trees.
Only take items if there are plenty, and always leave some for the habitat or food source that they may provide.
Don’t touch bracken between July and September – the spores are hazardous.
Supervise children using sharp tools such as scissors, knives,needles, skewers etc.

Make a Mobile
Collect cones, leaves, seeds, nuts, feathers, sticks etc.
Find a stick you like.
Tie or thread the collected treasures on to long pieces of string (if you want to thread them get an adult to help make the holes).
Tie the top end of the string to the stick.
Continue making more strings of treasures (using different length strings can look good), and tie them along the stick until you are happy with the effect.
Then make a loop from string and tie this at the centre of the stick to hang it up with and you have made a natural mobile!

Make a Wild Crown or Bracelet
Take a piece of thinnish card (cereal box card is good) and cut it into strips about 5cm wide by 50cm long (for a crown) or shorter for a bracelet. You can adjust the size to fit and then fix the ends of the card together with glue or tape.
Put a long strip of double-sided sticky tape all the way around the outside of the card strip. Make sure it’s completely covered so that your treasures will stick well.
Now, go for a walk, gathering any nice natural materials that you find and sticking them on the tape as you go. Remember to press them firmly onto the sticky tape on the bracelet or crown so that they don’t fall off easily.
If you prefer, you can go collecting first and then this activity can be done back at home later with all the treasures you have gathered.

Colours from the Wild
Cut some stiff cardboard into squares or rectangles (approx. 10x10cm or 8x10cm) and cover one surface with double-sided sticky tape. Collect small pieces of natural materials to make a textured mosaic on the surface each one. The finished effect can look really beautiful, so why not make them into a collage, or frame them? Or use them to make birthday cards?

Corn (or Grass or Lavender) Dollies
Gather a bunch of grass, corn or lavender with good long stalks.
Tie the stems firmly together just under the heads and trim the bottom ends of the stalks with scissors so that they are all level.
About mid way down from the heads tie the bundle again. This is to make the body. Then below this divide the bundle in two – these will be the legs of the dolly. Secure them just a little back from the very ends with string, leaving a short piece that you can bend up for the feet. Now take a smaller bundle of stems and cut off any flower heads and fasten each end. This will be for the dolly’s arms. Using a pencil or a small stick, carefully ease the stalks apart just underneath the ‘head’ of the dolly so that you can push the arms through (you might want to get an adult to help you). Now tie across and around the body and arms of the dolly, to secure them. Your dolly is now finished! Decorate with flowers, leaves or whatever else you fancy. Similar dollies can also be made using thick string or raffia.

Corn (or Grass or Lavender) Plaits
Tie 3 stems of corn (or grass or lavender) just below the heads. Plait the stems until you are happy with the length of your plait. Tie the ends of the stems with string or ribbon and trim.
To make a hoop, bend the head end of the plait round so it is overlapping the stems and the top of the head is just below the ends of the stems. Then tie them together with string or ribbon and make a loop for hanging.

Bark Rubbing
Place a sheet of paper on an interesting tree and rub over the paper with a wax crayon. Find as many different textures as you can and use lots of different colours. Use them to make a picture or collage, then stand back and admire the result!

Feeding the Birds
Collect large open pine cones and/or washed and dried yoghurt cartons.
Tie a length of string around the cone so that you can hang it from a branch or bird table. Smear bird food mixture (see the ‘recipe’ below) into the cracks in the cones (warning – this gets messy!).
Make a hole in the bottom of the yoghurt carton. Tie a knot in a length of string and thread it through the hole with the knot inside, so the pot hangs upside down. Make sure the knot won’t pull through. Now fill up the yoghurt pot with the bird food mixture and leave to set (right way up) in a cool place.

Hang your feeders out in the garden and watch the birds enjoy their treat!

Bird Food Recipe Mix
Check no one is allergic to any ingredient before you start! Make sure you have put plenty of old
newspapers down, and wear old clothes or an apron (and don’t forget to roll up your sleeves!).
For your special birdseed recipe mix you will need:
Birdseed, raisins, grated cheese, and a selection of other suitable seeds if you like, such as pumpkin or sunflower which are both good.
Take 100g of softened vegetable fat or lard (put it somewhere warm for about an hour) and cut it into small pieces.
Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and squash together with your hands (messy!).
You can now shape it into balls around twigs, squish it into pine cones, or fill up yoghurt pots with it.
Leave everything in the fridge to set, and when they’re firm hang them outside for the birds to enjoy.
Don’t forget to wash your hands when you’ve finished!

Making Homes for Minibeasts
Help minibeasts survive in your garden by making them houses!

Ladybirds, beetles and minibeasts of all sorts: These little creatures like small places to roost. Tie bundles of twigs (hollow ones are even better!) tightly together with string. Wedge the bundle in a place on the ground, in the fork of a tree, beneath a hedge or anywhere out of the way in your garden where it won’t be disturbed. Minibeasts will hopefully find it an ideal home over the winter. Red mason bees will particularly like bamboo bundles done like this.

Bumblebees: Take a medium-sized plant pot with just one hole in the bottom and loosely pack it with dry shredded paper, straw or grass. Dig a hole big enough to bury it completely in the ground, ideally in a sunny place in some undisturbed corner with long grass. Bury the plant pot upside down in the earth so that the hole in the bottom is level with the surface of the ground. Carefully fill in around the edges with soil. You can re-cover the top with turf, just as long as the hole is still clear of dirt so that the bees can find it.

Slugs, snails and woodlice: Make a big pile of leaves in a shady and quiet corner of your garden, and watch all the little wigglers move in!

Beetles, centipedes and millipedes: Make a nice mixed pile of logs and twigs in a shady corner (you might want to ask an adult for help with carrying and positioning bigger pieces). You could put your pile of leaves next to it!

I hope this post has given you some ideas for things to do outside!

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Posted by Compostwoman , Links to this post , 2 comments
Labels: children, Eco Club, education, Fun things, Simple Living

[What fun for the 4th, a Hobo party, LOL, I suspect that they did not have knowledge of the hoboes.........granny]

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Austerity Parties

By Kate
Living The Frugal Life

Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

I left home two years before I graduated from high school. So I know what it’s like to have no money and to live on a shoestring budget without any safety net. Fortunately, I can look back and say that on the whole it was a positive experience. I took on a lot of responsibility for myself at an early age, and nothing disastrous came of it.

One of the things I remember fondly from those years was a recurring event that some of my friends would host. These friends were all older than me, but I was drawn to bohemian types, so they didn’t have much money either. About once a month they’d host what they called austerity parties. This was back in the late 80s, in a large liberal university town, so it was partly an ironic joke and partly dead serious.

These parties took place in cramped little apartments, or sometimes in parks. There were never enough chairs, so people sat wherever they could. The atmosphere of cheap fun was invariably festive, and of course it was always potluck. Some guests even dressed up in Hooverville attire, or brought their contributions in large tin cans. I remember bean dishes, collard greens, bread pudding, boiled potatoes with butter, and lots of vegetable dishes from various cultures. The friend of mine who often hosted it was vegetarian, but some dishes showed up with small amounts of meat in them. If there was wine, it was in a jug. The food was surprisingly good for the most part.

After everyone had eaten enough, someone usually broke out Monopoly, or some other board game. Someone else would bring out a guitar or put on some Italian opera. Others just carried on talking and socializing. Conversation was rich and lively. Some people who came obviously had no need to cut corners, but they had no pretenses and enjoyed the celebration of frugality anyway. Everyone had a blast, and always wanted to know where and when the next austerity party was going to be held. I remember once that it was someone’s birthday, and when a friend had asked what she wanted as a gift, she had answered. But the gift giver wasn’t sure whether she’d said she wanted some “Plato,” or some “Play-Doh.” She was intellectual enough to read Plato, but also creative enough that she might really have wanted Play-Doh. So she got to unwrap a slim used volume of Plato, and homemade batches of Play-Doh in several colors. Everyone roared with laughter, and to be honest, I can’t remember which gift was the one she had really wanted.

I’ve been thinking back over those austerity parties in recent times. I wonder if the magic of them was that most of us really were living on tiny budgets, but determined to enjoy life anyway. Instead of trying to hide the fact that we were poor, we decided to embrace it and have fun with other people in the same situation, or with those who were willing to meet us at the economic level we could afford. I’m really grateful that I fell in with such a crowd at that age. If I had socialized with people who prioritized appearances and the display of whatever wealth they had, I might have ended up with a good deal of debt early in life. I deeply admired these people and their ability to have fun doing something so outrageous as celebrating their own poverty. Of course, this was strictly financial poverty, not an intellectual or cultural impoverishment. It seemed terribly sophisticated and counter-cultural to me at the time. I found such a lifestyle and an attitude quite novel, but worth imitating.

I suppose I’ve been thinking back on those austerity parties lately because of the economic situation we are in at a national and even global level. Perhaps such a defiant celebration in the face of recession and growing poverty has something to offer us now. It is difficult to be optimistic when the news seems so unrelentingly bad. But communal festivity is good for the spirit. There is comfort in the company of others who are in the same situation, in seeing them unbowed and celebrating. If frugality is the new black, then perhaps the austerity party should be revived.

What dish would you bring to an austerity party potluck? Would you dress up as a hobo? What would make it a fun evening for you and your family? Read more...

Posted by Kate , Links to this post , 12 comments
Labels: Building Community, Living Well on Less, Simple Living

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An Economical Family Meal

brown rice patties

If you were to ask what my current ‘go to economical meal for my family’ is, it would have to be Brown Rice Patties. I’ve written the recipe on my personal blog, but I think it is a good idea to have it on file for all of you here as well.

We all know that cooking from scratch is more economical, but what exactly can we cook that is kid friendly, whole, nutritious, and not pasta! It’s too easy to grab that box of spaghetti. I love pasta, but grains are more important, and they need to be delivered in a way that my eleven year old will actually love. This fits the bill perfectly, I serve them with applesauce from the pantry and a green salad. Everyone is happy, especially the very particular eleven year old of mine. The first time I made these my husband thought they were potato pancakes. Now who doesn’t love a potato pancake?

Brown Rice Patties

3 cups leftover brown rice
1 cup grated carrot grated in food processor
1 medium onion, grated in food processor
2 cloves minced garlic, minced in food processor
1 t salt
½ t pepper
2 eggs
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
Vegetable oil of your liking for frying

If you do not have a food processor you can use a box grater instead. Just make sure any onion juice makes it into the bowl, lots of flavor there!

Combine all ingredients except the oil. If you have the time to make this in advance and let it sit for a bit the garlic and onion flavors will blend even more, but it’s not necessary, just nice. If the patties don’t hold together because they are too dry then add another egg. If they are too wet add a little flour.

Heat a frying pan or griddle on med - med/high heat until hot and add oil. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out the rice mixture and gently lay them on the frying pan. Use the back side of the measuring cup to flatten out each patty. Cook until golden brown on each side, you might want to keep the oven on 250 with a baking sheet in there to put the finished ones on as you cook the rest. Enjoy!

I hope you try it, recipes like this will seriously stretch your grocery dollars, and I think we can all use a little extra stretching right now.

Print this out and keep it handy, I bet you make it more than once!

Happy weekend everyone!
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Homemade wholemeal pasta

by Julie
Towards Sustainability

At home, making our own pasta from scratch not only saves us money, we can control what is in it (organic and/or local ingredients where possible), it tastes better than the bought stuff, and it’s ridiculously easy to make.

I like to use a 50:50 mix of white and wholemeal (wholewheat) flour because I’ve found that using straight wholemeal flour tends to be a bit gluggy for my family’s taste buds; half and half makes for a pasta which everyone will eat, although I use straight wholemeal if it just for myself and my husband. Traditionally, white pasta dough is made with just eggs and flour, but I feel that wholemeal pasta needs a little olive oil too.

The basic recipe we use is:

450g/ 1 pound wholemeal (wholewheat) plain flour (or a mixture of white and wholemeal)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

It’s traditional to make the pasta dough on the bench top - make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs and the olive oil to the well, then slowly mix the dough by hand, gradually incorporating the eggs and oil into the flour as you go.

My 3 year old daughter likes to help though, so for the sake of us retaining at least some of the flour while mixing, we use a bowl ;-)

Once incorporated, knead the dough for around five minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp towel or wrap in cling-film and leave to rest for around an hour. When you use wholemeal flour you don’t tend to get as smooth a dough as you would using all-white flour, but I quite like the “rustic” look.

Once rested, roll it out very thinly using a pasta machine or rolling pin. Folding the dough in half over itself several times as you roll it out will help the final texture of the pasta. If you are using a pasta machine, roll it through the largest setting several times, folding it over on itself in between rolling. Then roll it progressively through the smaller settings until you reach the desired thickness.

Once I’ve finished rolling, I cut it into strips for fettuccine using the cutter on the pasta machine, but using a knife or pizza cutter is just as quick. Leave it in whole sheets for use in lasagne.

I was lucky enough to acquire my almost-brand-new, never-been-used pasta machine at my local op-shop, and lightly used ones pop up fairly regularly if feel the need for one. Rolling out the dough is a family affair. Everyone loves to have a go at turning the handle!

We don’t bother drying the pasta before eating it, it just goes straight into boiling water for a few minutes, until al dente. If you like, you can air-dry the pasta for an hour or so before cooking, in which case it will need cooking for a few minutes longer (around 6-8 minutes).

Pasta dough also freezes really well for several months. Tip it straight into boiling water too cook - too easy! Make sure it is well floured when you freeze it though so that it doesn’t stick together in a big clump. If you have the room, freezing it on a tray initially and then tipping it into a container for long-term storage also prevents clumping.

We like eating it with simple, rustic sauces using whatever is in season, or using home-preserved tomatoes as a base. Yum!

There are plenty of great, more detailed instructions on the internet for making pasta from scratch if you want more details, including hundreds of videos like this one on YouTube.

Buon appetito!
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Labels: In the Kitchen, In the Kitchen - Recipes

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Harvest Time - Pumpkin

Posted by Bel
From Spiral Garden

Pumpkins are my most favourite vegetables. We have a lot of visitors from overseas (WWOOFers on our farm) and it’s amazing how few of them are familiar with this wonderful vegetable. I think they’re more commonly known as “squash” in the US, is that right?

Here in Australia it’s Autumn - harvest time. We’re harvesting lots of pumpkins, with still more to come through into early Winter.

So I thought I’d share some of my favourite recipes with those who are also harvesting. And for those who aren’t - here’s some inspiration to plant pumpkins soon!

Pumpkin Risotto
1 whole small Jap pumpkin, cubed in 2cm pieces
1 medium brown onion, diced
2L+ boiling water with 1.5 tblspn Massell Chicken-style stock powder
4 cups white rice
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs or 1 tbsn fresh

Dice onion and pumpkin, saute in a large, heavy-based pot in a little olive oil until golden and softening. Add the rice and stir for approximately 1 minute. Add about 1L of the water with stock powder added. Stir until absorbed.
Add remaining water and half-cover pot over medium heat so rice absorbs water, stirring often. Have extra water at hand to keep risotto moist and stop it sticking to the base of the pot.
When risotto is soft and creamy, add some freshly ground pepper. Serve with some steamed green vegies and grated cheese.

Pumpkin Soup
1 whole large Jap pumpkin
3 large potatoes, peeled
2 large brown onions, peeled & quartered
few large cloves garlic, peeled
Massel Vegetable Stock Powder
oil
pepper

Roast pumpkin, onion and garlic in a little olive oil until browned. Boil potatoes, diced, in about 3L of water with 2 tbspn stock powder. When potatoes are soft, pour in roasted vegetables and boil for a further 10 mintues. Blend with stick mixer. Add freshly ground black pepper. If soup is too thick (depends on the pumpkin), add a splash of milk if you wish. Serve with bread. Freezes well. Pumpkin and lentil soup, with added cooked red lentils and some extra spice is a wonderful variation on this recipe. You can also add sweetcorn, cannellini beans, croutons, cream and other ingredients to make the most of the abundant harvest.

Pumpkin Fruit Cake
250g butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed pumpkin
2 cups wholemeal flour + 1 tsp baking powder
250g mixed fruit of your choice, diced

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well one at a time. Add the pumpkin, flour with baking powder and fruit. Mix well and bake at 170 degrees C or until brown on top and inserted skewer comes out clean. *Tip* At harvest time, boil or steam pumpkin, mash and freeze in 1-cup portions in the freezer. Then you have pumpkin for this cake (and other recipes) for months to come.

Pumpkin & Spinach Frittata
900g pumpkin, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbspn olive oil
6 eggs
1/2 cup cream
40g spinach leaves
sprinkle of parmesan & grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Bake pumpkin, brushed with oil and garlic, till tender. Line baking dish with paper. Whisk eggs and cream and season. Layer ingredients in dish & bake for 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Lasagne
lasagne sheets
500g chopped pumpkin
olive oil
medium onion, chopped
clove garlic, crushed
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup mozarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup tasty cheese, grated

Cook & mash pumpkin. Add olive oil, onion and garlic. Place a layer of pumpkin, lasagne sheets, half the ricotta... Then lasagne sheets, tomato paste, etc, etc until ingredients are used up and dish is topped with cheese. Bake at 180 degrees C for around 35 minutes or until pasta sheets are cooked through. *Tip* Frozen pumpkin, as suggested for the fruit cake, is fine for this recipe too!

I also use pumpkin in curries, with mashed potato, in quiches, in any casseroles or stews, as roasted small cubes through a green salad or cold roast pumpkin pieces in a salad wrap... As I said, it’s my very favourite vegetable! Please feel free to paste or link to your favourite pumpkin recipes in the Comments section! Happy growing and cooking!

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Labels: In the Kitchen - Recipes, Organic Gardening - Vegetables

Australian damper bread baked over campfire coals

by Eilleen
Consumption Rebellion

I love bush camping. I love the quiet. For me, bush camping replenishes my soul. Bush camping was probably my very first introduction to a simple life (except I never thought of it that way of course). It was through bush camping that I learned how to cook over a campfire.

One of the best things about bush camping is making damper. Damper bread is very similar to soda bread and was traditionally made by stockmen (Aussie version of “cowboys”) who often trekked through very remote areas of Australia for months at a time with only very basic rations. Thus, the ingredients are also very basic (and very easy to make):

3 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
Pinch of salt
About 80g of butter
1 cup of cold water

Choose a spot where you can make a fairly wide fire pit. On one side of the pit, build up your campfire.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Rub butter in until you get a breadcrumb-like texture. Make a well and add 1 cup of cold water. Mix the whole thing with a knife until everything is wet. Take out of bowl and shape into a nice round loaf.

Now place the bread in a camp oven or wrap in alfoil. By this stage, your fire would’ve burned down. You may now want to transfer some of the fire on to the other side of the pit (so you can continue to cook other food or just to keep warm). Leave plenty of the coals from the “old fire”.

Dig a little shallow well from the old fire. Place camp oven or alfoil-covered bread on top of hot coals. Being a woodfire, time can vary but I would recommend checking it around the 15-20 min mark to see if it’s done.

You can also try damper using a normal oven. Bake at around 180 degrees Celsius (or around 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 20-30 mins.

Slather with lots of butter or even sprinkle some cheese.

Picture courtesy of taste.com.au

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Homemade Ginger Beer

by Julie
Towards Sustainability

We ditched commercial soft drinks at home couple of years ago now, in an effort to eat more healthily and reduce our waste. At that point I started making fruit cordials and ginger beer instead, and they are so simple, I don’t know why I wasn’t doing it before then.

Homemade ginger beer is something everyone’s Mum seemed to make when we were kids, but I hadn’t had any for years when I got around to making my first plant. What a shame though, it is delicious! So refreshing on a hot day or after a good gardening session :-) Be aware that because the yeasts in it ferment in order to produce the soda-type bubbles, it is very slightly alcoholic, so don’t offer it to non-alcohol drinkers, and watch how much the kids drink! I limit my kids to 1 glass of a sugary drink per day - including cordial, ginger beer and pure fruit juices - anyway as I feel that a lot of refined sugar in their diet is unhealthy.

Anyway, to start off you first need to make a ginger beer “plant”, to get the yeasts beginning to ferment:

Ginger Beer Plant

Pour 300 ml (1/2 pint) of tepid, chlorine-free water (filtered or rainwater) into a clean bottle or jar, and add:
* a large pinch of dried yeast OR 3-4 organic sultanas (there are wild yeasts living on their skins),
* 1 heaped dessertspoon of dried powdered ginger, and
* 1 heaped dessertspoon of sugar (I use raw sugar or honey for a richer flavour).

Stir to dissolve the sugar. Cover with something that will keep the critters out but allow natural yeasts present in the air access the “plant”, such as a doily, milk bottle cover, or a piece of muslin or tulle fastened with a rubber band.

Each day for seven days, add a teaspoon of ginger and a teaspoon of sugar and stir to dissolve. Your plant should froth very slightly on top after a few days, this is a sign that the yeasts are doing their work. After seven days, your plant should now be ready to use!

After you have strained the plant to make the ginger beer (see recipe below), divide the residue in half. Use half to make a new plant for yourself, and the rest to make a new plant to gift to your friends, family or neighbours. When they are all happily growing their own plants, you can discard the other half to your compost heap or worm farm.

To make a new plant, rinse out your container, add the halved reside to another 300ml (1/2 pint) of tepid water, with a heaped dessertspoon of sugar, and stir to dissolve. Treat this the same as a new plant: add another teaspoon of dried ginger and a teaspoon of sugar each day for seven days.

Now that your plant has grown for a week, you can make your ginger beer and bottle it:

Ginger Beer

Firstly, strain your ginger beer plant through some clean muslin or similar, into a jar, reserving both the liquid and the strained plant.

To 5 litres (5 quarts) of water in a large saucepan, add 3 cups of sugar (again, honey or molasses will give richer colour and flavour). Heat gently and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the juice of two lemons, and the finely grated zest of one of the lemons, plus the liquid from the strained ginger beer plant. Mix well.

Bottle into clean, plastic bottles, capping loosely*. Leave to sit on your kitchen bench or in your pantry for 5-7 days, to allow them to ferment a little. You will notice little bubbles rising to the top or clinging to the sides of the bottles after a few days. Refrigerate at that point, and enjoy :-)

*It is important that you cap the bottles loosely, because the ginger beer will ferment over the next week, producing the characteristic carbon dioxide bubbles which gives the ginger beer it’s lovely zing. If you cap the bottles tightly you run the risk of the carbon dioxide building up pressure in the bottles, and overflowing and fizzing all over your kitchen bench, or possibly even exploding! Not pretty ;-) I also prefer to reuse cleaned plastic soda bottles, just to be on the safe side, as they have more ‘give’ than glass bottles.

It’s easy, cheap and tastes great, so have go :-)
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There are about a lot of recipes for roast beef just out there, floating in the universe. Aside from a very few differences, they’re all just about the same. Just when we thought we were becoming conventional adults, it seems that N. and I have developed a more adventurous palate. Or at least more worldly.

We decided on Asado Negro from the Whole Foods recipe site. While new to us, Asado Negro is a time-honored Venezuelan roast beef that is just about perfect for our taste, such as it is this week.

If you’re having roast beef sometime in the future, throw everyone a curve ball and have serve this instead. Be forewarned: if you’re having this for dinner, start no later than early-morning the day you plan to serve it.

4 pounds beef chuck, tied for a roast
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3 stalks of celery, washed, peeled and thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and washed
2 white onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced thinly in half rounds
3 dried bay leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup cabernet sauvignon wine (an inexpensive Chilean one would do nicely)
2 cups of white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
2 large green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut in half inch cubes
8 medium white button mushrooms, sliced thinly
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
5 parsley sprigs, washed, leaves removed and roughly chopped (for garnish, optional)

Using a sharp paring knife, make incisions on all sides of the roast and insert the slices of garlic. Combine the celery, leek, onions, bay leaves, olive oil and Worchestershire sauce in a sealable plastic bag. Add the roast, pressing out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Place in refrigerator overnight for best flavor, or for at least for 3 hours.

In a deep pot over medium high heat, combine sugar and water, stir infrequently and cook for about 30 minutes or until a dark caramel color is reached. Carefully add the wine, vinegar and brown sugar (the hot caramel will splatter) and cook, stirring just until there are no sugar lumps in mixture, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Remove the beef from marinade (reserving the marinade) and season with salt and pepper all over. Heat an oven safe medium-sized pot with a lid (large enough for the roast and vegetables) over high heat. Add the butter and vegetable oil. Sear the meat over high heat until brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Pour off any excess fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the pan. Add the reserved marinade and cook over high heat until the onions turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Return beef to pan with cooked marinade and scatter the bell pepper and sliced mushroom pieces on top and around the beef. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the caramel-wine sauce over the beef, cover pot and place in oven for about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, baste the beef with the juices, reduce oven temperature to 275°F and cook for another 1 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Place roast on cutting board and slice into ½-inch thick pieces. Place all cooked vegetables (but not the sauce) in an ovenproof dish and arrange beef slices over them and set aside. Taste the sauce, which should be of an almost syrupy consistency. If not, place in a pan and reduce over low heat until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if needed. Remove bay leaves from sauce pour over beef slices.

Return to the oven for 30 minutes at 275°F. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.

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Posted by Bad Human? , Links to this post , 6 comments
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Butter...
[snipped]

How do you make butter? Well, you get up at 4:00a.m., grab your pail and stool, and milk your cow. OK, so you don’t have a cow. All you need is heavy cream, a Kitchenaid (or a bottle) and some salt. So, I (J.) am an admitted/ self-proclaimed skeptic. When N. and I started this life revision, I was of the opinion that all things homemade were, for lack of a better term, not as good, and perhaps not as good for you. I’m a fairly simple person, and try to formulate my decisions and opinions based off of what I know can prove.

Below is a list of ingredients in our last 1/4 pound of Land O’ Lakes Light Butter:Water*Food-starch-modified*Contains less than 2% of tapioca malto-dextrin*SaltVegetable mono and diglycerides*Lactic Acid*Potassium sorbate* (preservative)Sodium Benzoate* (preservative)Xanthan gum*Natural Flavor*Vitamin A palmitate*Beta Carotene* (Color)* Ingredients not found in regular butter. Now, I still don’t know what Xanthan gum is, and I’m not sure why our store-bought butter needs two forms of preservative, but that’s what they have.

Below are the ingredients in the butter that we’ve just made:Organic Grade A Cream (Milk) Carrageenan and Sodium citrate salt (these were the ingredients in the Horizon Organic Cream). I truly can’t tell you what carageenan and sodium citrate are, but I hope you can agree with me when I say that, in this case, less is more. In the case of raw milk you are literally using cream and salt, it doesn’t get much purer.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 cups of heavy cream
* 1/2 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fit your mixer with the whisk. Blend. The cream will go through the following stages: Sloshy, frothy, soft whipped cream, firm whipped cream, coarse whipped cream. Then, suddenly, the cream will seize, its smooth shape will collapse, and the whirring will change to sloshing. The butter is now fine grained bits of butter in buttermilk, and a few seconds later, a glob of yellowish butter will separate from milky buttermilk. It took us about 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain the buttermilk. Keep for other uses as it is perfectly good raw buttermilk. (We usually made pancakes or biscuits)
3. Add 1/2 cup of ice-cold water, and blend further. Discard wash water and repeat until the wash water is clear
4. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, to taste, if desired.
5. Squeeze out excess water. Take the butter out of the mixer and squeeze out any excess water.
6. And you’re done!

You could do all this in a jar using your own muscle power, but you need to shake vigorously for 10 plus minutes.

Does anyone else make their own butter?
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Posted by Bad Human? , Links to this post , 31 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen - Recipes

Fresh Ricotta for supper

by Throwback at Trapper Creek

Cooking from scratch with everyday fixings can be an empowering feeling. The less processed foodstuffs we purchase the better off we feel. Control over food ingredients and our pocketbook is a worthy goal.

Here is a simple recipe I have used continuously since I took my first cheese making class - homemade ricotta cheese with ingredients most of us have in our refrigerator and pantry. You could call this cheater ricotta, since some cheese books only give recipes for ricotta made with whey, but they are assuming you are already making cheese. This way you don’t have to have a cow in the back yard. I usually make it for lasagna, while I’m making the noodles. It literally can be made and ready for use in 10 minutes. The fresh ricotta will keep up to a week in the refrigerator or it freezes well, if you have a milk surplus. Most of the time though, I just make it and use immediately.

All you need is milk and acid. You can use skim to full fat milk, raw or pasteurized and you add acid - vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid.

Heat the milk in a non-reactive pan to 190F (88C) (Any temperature between 190F (88C) and 212F (100C) is fine.)

The milk will foam at this point.

Turn off heat, add acid and stir. I used lemon juice in this batch, and started with 2 Tablespoons. My milk was fresh, so I ended up adding 1 additional Tablespoon before the curd started to form. It happens fast.

This is the curds and whey. Set aside and let cool to a safe handling temperature.

When curds and whey have cooled, drain through a colander lined with wet cheesecloth*. Save the whey, it has many uses - bread, pancakes, nutritional drinks, and livestock feed are some of the ways to use your whey. You could also repeat this process with the whey and get more ricotta cheese. The yield will be smaller since only the water-soluble albumen protein remains in the whey. When milk is used both the casein and albumen proteins are separated from the liquid and the yield will be higher.

Pour off the first whey, and tie the cheesecloth into a bag and suspend over a bowl for further draining. At this point, you could use the cheese, if you are going to keep it several days, the more whey you drain off the better.

Yield: 3/4 pound of cheese and 1 quart + whey from 1/2 gallon of milk.

Tools needed:
Milk one gallon will yield approximately 1 1/2 pounds of milk.
Lemon Juice, vinegar, or citric acid - approximately 1/4 cup per gallon.
Non reactive pan
Non reactive colander
Non reactive mixing spoon
Cheesecloth
Large bowl

Thanks Della!

*To be on the safe side it is recommended that you boil your cheesecloth to sterilize it before draining your cheese.

An easy way to do this is in the microwave: Wet your cheesecloth and place in a microwave safe bowl, microwave for one minute. Be careful, the cloth will be extremely hot, after it cools you can use it to drain your cheese.

Posted by Throwback at Trapper Creek , Links to this post , 37 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen - Recipes, Living Well on Less, Simple Living

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[Check with Dela Where, on all canning instructions, for he knows what is safe and wise....LOL, I look for “Sounds Good”..........granny]

Home Made Curry & Accompaniments

written by Gavin, The Greening of Gavin

My family loves a good curry, and I like making them. Most weeks we have at least three vegetarian meals for dinner and this recipe is one of them. It is for Chickpea & Potato Curry. The recipe is my own creation and I apologise in advance for any vagueness in the instructions.

Gavin’s Chickpea and Potato Curry

Makes 6 generous serves.

800gm re-hydrated and cooked Chickpeas, or two 400gm tins of chickpeas.
500gm Potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
300gm Sweet Potato, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
1 Brown Onion, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
400ml Light Coconut Milk
750ml Vegetable Stock, (I use 3 veggie stock cubes)
1 tablespoon Curry powder
3-4 tablespoons Curry paste (your choice of flavour and according to taste)
2 tablespoons Ghee or vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

1. Heat the Ghee/oil in a large wok and add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent.

2. Add curry paste and curry powder and combine well and cook for a further minute.

3. Add both types of potatoes, mix and cook for a further 3 minutes until all the potatoes are coated with the curry mixture.

4. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk and vegetable stock, stir well and bring to the boil. Taste to see if anymore seasoning is required and add a little salt and pepper to taste.

5.. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring twice. You will know when it is done, when the sauce has thickened and the potatoes are soft and break apart.

I use a wok to cook my curry in, but a large pot will do just as well. It is one of the tastiest vegetarian meals I have ever made.

Now, what would a curry be without accompaniments. I usually serve my curry with Brinjal Pickles, Hot Chilli Chutney, and plain natural yoghurt. The yoghurt takes the bite out of all the hot and spicy food.

The recipe for the Hot Chilli Chutney is posted on my personal blog, which was actually the inspiration for this post! It is very easy to make, and I love whipping up a few jars for lovers of hot food. It is very fiery, so use only a teaspoon on the side of your plate! You were warned!!!!!

As for the Brinjal Pickle, here is the recipe. It is a fantastic way to use a glut of eggplants (aubergines). Pictured are Brinjal Pickle (back row), and Hot Chilli Chutney (small jars in front).

Brinjal pickles

Brinjal Pickle

Makes about 3 litres - This hot pickle is naturally excellent with curries or cold meats.

1 kg eggplant (aubergine)
2 tablespoons salt
5 large onions, sliced
2 cups oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons turmeric
100 g root ginger, grated
100 g green chillies, finely chopped
75 g garlic, crushed
100 g sultanas
750ml malt vinegar

1. Cut the eggplant into small cubes, leaving the skin on. Sprinkle with the salt and let stand for at least 6 hours, then drain well.

2. Gently fry the onions in the oil, without browning, until limp. Add the spices, ginger, chillies and garlic and gently fry, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the sultanas, vinegar and eggplant and continue cooking until the eggplant is tender.

3. Spoon into hot, sterilised jars and seal. Hot bath for 30 minutes.

I use homegrown eggplant, chillies, onions and garlic when making this recipe. It is not too hot, and I usually put a few teaspoons on the side of my plate next to the steamed rice and curry. I also cook up some papadams as they are also a family favourite.

Indian food is spicy, but oh so tasty, however it may not be for everyone. Slow food is easy, enjoyable to cook and if you can get local ingredients, then the taste is always much better than buying take away food. Enjoy the banquet!
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Labels: In the Kitchen - Preserving and Canning, In the Kitchen - Recipes

Make Your Own Grape Jelly

Heather
Beauty That Moves
As a busy mom, I have made my fair share of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over the years, I bet you have too. My daughter and her friends are pretty happy with various types of jelly and jam on their sandwiches, but there is something so classic, so perfect about grape jelly with peanut butter.

I started making and canning all of our jams and jellies this past year. The price of a jar from the store, made with organically grown fruit and not loaded with high fructose something or other makes it a ridiculous weekly purchase. Not to mention the number of jars and transport involved in all of that merchandise, over and over again throughout the year. Sure, the glass is recyclable, but if it doesn’t need to be brought into my life in the first place, all the better.

For the last two years I’ve been meaning to wild-harvest grapes in our area to make homemade grape jelly. I’ve somehow missed the window of time both years. We still have plenty of selections in our pantry; peach jam, blackberry jam, pear ginger jam, strawberry rhubarb jam, apple butter... all perfectly fine, but no grape. Kids of all ages around here wanted grape jelly.

I use Pomona’s pectin when making jam. It can be found at the health food store and is a citrus based calcium activated pectin. It does not require sugar to gel so very little or no sugar at all can be used. When looking over their recipe for grape jelly, I noticed it basically called for cooking down the grapes and straining until you have ‘grape juice’ which you then use to make your jelly. Hmmmm... if I missed grape picking season, and all I really need is the juice anyway, maybe I could use organic grape juice and start the process from there!

And that is just what I did. It worked out great! For less than the price of one jar, I now have several. My jars were already on hand and will be re-used for the next batch. I opted for the can of juice concentrate instead of a large jug or bottle for the reduced packaging.

Next time I would get two cans and make a triple batch. The recipe calls for 4 cups of grape juice and one can of concentrate makes 6 cups. I was left with 2 cups of grape juice which we used for drinking, but I would rather have it turned into jelly. So, two cans of concentrate would have resulted in a dozen 8 oz. jars of organic grape jelly, not bad at all. That is my plan for next time.

I did the math (for a triple batch using two full cans of juice) based on the prices of ingredients in my area. The final cost per 1/2 pint of organic grape jelly is .80!!! Less than a dollar! I could save even more money if I purchased my pectin in bulk (you can learn about that on their website), I plan to do this for next year.

My plan for autumn, like the previous two, is to wild harvest grapes locally... maybe this year it will happen. I’m sure the flavor of truly homemade grape jelly is beyond compare, but this method is satisfying also, for so many reasons.

If you are interested in making your own, here is a link to Pomona’s recipes.
And if you are in need of a great whole wheat sandwich bread recipe, you might like to try ours.

Have fun!! Read more...

Posted by heather , Links to this post , 23 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen, In the Kitchen - Preserving and Canning, In the Kitchen - Recipes, Sustainability

Making Chutney

Posted by Compostwoman at The Compost Bin

A very useful way to use a glut of fruit or vegetables ( home grown OR shop bought) is to make Chutney.

Wikipedia ( always useful) describes Chutney as

a term for a variety of sweet and spicy condiments, usually involving a fresh, chopped primary vegetable or fruit with added seasonings. Chutney, as a genre, is often similar to the Pakistani pickle and the salsa of Latin American cuisine, or European relish.

Chutney may be dry or wet; dry chutney is generally in the form of powder. In India, a chutney is often made to be eaten fresh, using whichever strongly-flavored ingredients are locally available at the time. It would not normally contain preserving agents, since it is intended to be consumed quickly after preparation. The Hindi translation of “to make chutney” is a common idiom meaning “to crush”. This is because the process of making chutney often involves the crushing the ingredients together.[citation needed]

The use of a stone mortar and pestle is often regarded as vital to create the ideal chutney. It consists of a small stone bowl (called a “kharal” or “khal” in Hindi, Tamil kal , or a flat piece of stone (called a “sil”) on which the ingredients are crushed together with a rounded stick of stone or wood (called a “batta”, pronounced with a hard ‘t’).

Chutney is more familiar in North America and Europe in a form that can be stored. To this end, vegetable oil, vinegar, or lemon juice are used to enhance the keeping properties.

Beginning in the 1600 chutneys were shipped to European countries like England and France as luxury goods. Western imitations were called “mangoed” fruits or vegetables. In the nineteenth century, brands of chutney like Major Grey’s or Bengal Club created for Western tastes were shipped to Europe.

Generally these chutneys are fruit, vinegar and sugar cooked down to a reduction.

The tradition of chutney making spread throughout the British empire, especially in the Caribbean and American South where chutney is still a popular condiment for ham, pork and fish.

So...a tradition of chutney making, hmmm? well the tradition is alive and well at Compost Mansions, that’s for sure! I love making Chutney, I usually make 4 or 5 different batches in the autumn and winter, from fresh. glut fruit and veg and then later from stored apples and frozen fruit and veg. I then have lots of jars stored, to give as gifts, to barter for other foods or services and, of course, to eat! I am talking, of course, about the sort which is preserved by having lots of vinegar and sugar in it, potted whilst hot, into warm jars so a vacuum forms when the contents cool and then kept in a sealed jar until ready to eat

I made Apple and Courgette chutney back in September, as I had a lot of Apples and Courgettes to hand

Recipe

1 Kg cored, peeled , diced Apples (Bramley)
1 Kg peeled, diced Courgette
0.5 Kg diced Onion
Some Garlic ( I used about 6 small cloves...and they WERE small!)
0.5 Kg skinned chopped Tomatoes
0.5 Kg chopped Raisins and Sultanas mixed
0.5 Kg Light brown Sugar
0.6 L Cider Vinegar( I actually used a mixture of Cider and Red Wine)
20g Salt
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
Black Pepper ( I just grind it into the pan...I used lots)

Prepare everything by finely chopping (if you use a machine be careful not to mince too fine or the chutney will be a little mushy), put it in a large Stainless Steel pan, bring to boil, reduce heat to low simmer, leave.

and go and grade apples for storing, clean out hens, drink tea, etc etc....

return now and then to give a stir with a wooden or stainless spoon. About 4 hours later (it may take less time , I find it depends on the size of the base of your pan!) keep a close eye on it to see if it is nearly ready to pot.

Take about 10 washed jars
(350g ish) and lids ( which MUST be vinegar proof! so use old pickles jars for preference!) and put in the oven on a rack ( I use the toaster tray which came with the oven as the jars don’t fall off it so easily.

I use recycled jars, as I am not selling my produce. If you want to sell it you need to use new lids (in the UK) and standard sized jars.

EDITED by Compostwoman later for clarity to add

I only tend to re-use the lids once and check the seal VERY carefully each time...and with the button lids it is obvious if the seal has failed......if in doubt get new lids!

glass jars are, of course, virtually endlessly reusable if not damaged...

Heat jars at 110C for about 10 mins then turn down oven to 80C until you are nearly ready to pot the chutney, then turn off the oven and allow the residual heat to keep the jars hot ( saves energy!) Try to time this phase so as to coincide with the end of doing the Sunday Roast or some baking....I try but usually fail a bit miserably here!....)

When you think the chutney is nearly done do the “channel” test...draw a spoon through the surface of the chutney, if a channel appears its done. If not, keep simmering for another few mins and test again.

When done, turn off the heat and let the residual heat in the ring ( if electric) finish the simmer (saves energy, but won’t work with Gas)

Fill hot jars to almost full, wipe clean, put on lids and screw on tight. Watch out as the jars WILL be hot! I have a stainless jam funnel and a stainless ladle...we got these to make life easier as we make a LOT of jam and chutney! Don’t worry if you don’t have these, use a Pyrex jug...make sure it is clean and sterilised...and watch out for the hot handle!!

Admire your handiwork, make sure the vacuum “buttons” have pulled down on the lids, if your lids had them, then when cool, LABEL(!) PUT AWAY in a cool dark place to mature for AT LEAST 2months...

Seriously, it WILL taste nicer if you leave it to mature!

I work from an all purpose recipe which I adapt and vary depending on the fruits, vegetables, spices etc. available, and on my mood!

My chutney recipes are basically 600 ml vinegar, 20 g salt, 500 g sugar, assorted spices usually around 2 teaspoons of them (I use ground spices quite happily!),500 g onions and then another 3 Kg of assorted fruit and veg. This makes around 10”chutney/relish” sized jars, the 350 g ones.

I find SOME fruit is needed, even if its only 500 g apples and 500g dried fruit, as apples especially help to thicken the chutney, they and the dried fruit is part of the 3 Kg of assorted stuff though! I also always use Cider vinegar or wine vinegar occasionally, I use Aspalls Organic cider vinegar ( for those in the UK) and find it makes for a smooth result without a harsh vinegary tang...it IS possible to eat my chutney immediately but I would recommend keeping it for at least 2 months, longer if you can!

So, that’s how I make chutney. I hope this post has been useful to you and if you don’t make chutney at the moment, it will inspire you to have a go. There is nothing to beat home made chutney to liven up a cheese sandwich, or a plate of salads or to add to a curry! And, of course you know what has gone into it and you have saved yourself some money and earned the satisfaction of doing something for yourself. Read more....

Posted by Compostwoman , Links to this post , 21 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen, In the Kitchen - Preserving and Canning, In the Kitchen - Recipes

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[Have you ever played a card game called “I doubt it”, it is fun and lying and cheating it the goal of the game, it was in my card playing book.

Too often, folks get too serious about poker, if it is played, LOL, in my house, you only play with my pennies and I get them all back when the game ends.

If you want to gamble for real money, go to a casino.
[my opinion]
granny]

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simple entertaining

Heather
Beauty That Moves
I moved out on my own at a pretty young age. At 19 years old I was packing up and moving into my first apartment. I remember standing in the kitchen of my family home, my mom rummaging through her cabinets as she handed me her old Tupperware, mixing bowls and measuring cups to help my own kitchen get started. She also handed me a piece of advice.

simple entertaining

“Remember, just because you are going to be paying your own bills and will be on a tight budget doesn’t mean you can’t entertain. When your father and I were newly married, no matter how poor we were, we always had friends over. Be sure to keep popcorn and teabags (to make iced tea with) in the house at all times, along with a deck of cards, and you will have all you need to entertain friends.”

And so I have always kept these items on hand, and they have proven useful on so many occasions when money was tight, by choice or otherwise. For the most part, the company that I am serving these things to these days are the many, many children in our neighborhood. When I became a mother, one of the things I had hoped for was to offer the friendly house that was fun to be at… you know the saying, be careful what you wish for. On a typical summer afternoon I can be found hosting 8 or so kids in the backyard. I can attest to the fact that one cup of popcorn kernels turns into enough popcorn to feed the entire group! And they think your house is an awesome place to hang out, which is so much better than your own child thinking someone else’s house is more awesome…
simple entertaining

A quick note about butter… I don’t add it. Of course you could, but it is an added expense and I make popcorn the old fashioned way, using oil and a heavy bottomed pan with a lid on the stove top, so that provides enough fat/grease for us. No air popped for this family... The second the popcorn is done I dump it into a large bowl and season it with sea salt. The first time I served it to the very hip (and friendly) 14 year old boy from up the street, he told me he had never tasted popcorn so good. He asked if it was buttered and I told him no - he couldn’t believe it! He just wouldn’t stop going on about this simple bowl of popcorn… it was pretty funny. When I asked what kind he normally had he said microwaved… “Oh, I understand. Here, have some more of the real thing.”

I’d love to hear some of your tried and true, simple/frugal entertaining tips that you love- please share with us in the comments, thank you! The ideas do not need to be specific to the holiday season, but with that quickly approaching we could all use some fresh inspiration!

::Updated:: Good morning everyone! I am editing this post to add some instructions as there were a couple of requests within the comments.

Iced Tea
Place 4-5 teabags (and a sprig of mint or lemon verbena if you like) into a 1/2 gallon sized heavy glass pitcher.
Bring about 2 cups or so water to a boil in a small saucepan.
As it comes to a boil add sweetener if you like, about 1/2 sugar or honey works for us. Stir to dissolve sweetener.
Pour immediately into glass pitcher. Let this steep for several minutes, it’s fine to just forget about it for a while.
After the tea bags are nicely steeped, fill the pitcher with cold water, remove tea bags and serve with ice!
Please be aware when adding boiling water to glass... I’ve never had a problem with glass cracking, but if the glass is cold it could happen.

Popcorn
There are many ways to do this... here is how it happens in our house.
Have a large bowl standing by.
I use a 6 quart, heavy bottomed stainless steel pot with a tight fitting lid. To this add 1/3 vegetable oil of choice, turn the heat up to medium/high, let the oil heat just a bit, then add 1 cup popcorn kernels. Cover with the lid and put on a pair of oven mitts if you have them, otherwise grab a couple potholders. You will hold on to the pot lid/and pot for most of the time shaking often. It’ll take a minute or two for the first kernels to pop, then it is a quick process taking only another couple of minutes. SHAKE OFTEN!! Once there is a 2-3 count pause between pops - you are done! Carefully pour it into your large bowl and season with sea salt right away, it sticks better when it’s hot. We use a finely ground, pinkish in color salt that is so yummy and full of minerals.

Hope this helps!
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Posted by heather , Links to this post , 36 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen - Recipes, Simple Living

a simple summer meal

Posted by Heather

Beauty That Moves
Here in the Northern Hemisphere we are about to head into winter, which means as I write about simple, home cooked food over the next several months, it will likely be of the warm and comforting variety. This post is pulled from my summer archives and I offer it to all of you below the equator as you are entering your warmer months.

If you are visiting here as a regular reader of my blog, thanks for hanging in there for a few re-run posts. There will be brand new content from me next week, which I’m really excited about! It has been too hot around here to cook much lately. A family can survive on dinner of cheese, crackers, fresh veggies and ice cream for only so long. After a few days the veggies run out, and the body revolts, demanding to be nourished in a way that only a home cooked meal can offer. I’ll graciously succumb and turn on the stove, but please don’t make me go to the market, deal with the car, the asphalt, the crowds, the heat. As desperately as we need to go shopping, I just don’t want to. I must have some ingredients of interest and quality around here.

The above is what I came up with. Inspired by the Spiced Peanut Sauce recipe from The Kripalu Cookbook, to which I tossed cooked (rinsed under cold water), udon noodles (or spaghetti), finely diced baby carrots (because we all have baby carrots kicking around no matter how low we are on groceries), and chopped fresh herbs from the garden. The herbs I used were parsley, chive, basil and lemon verbena which added a lovely, fresh Thai quality. Take the above list of ingredients for inspiration, change it to make it your own, and try the sauce recipe below, adapted from The Kripalu Cookbook.

Spiced Peanut Sauce/Dressing
3 Tbls. sesame oil
1 Tbls. ground cumin
1/2 Tbls. crushed mild chili peppers (optional)
1 tsp. ground coriander
tiny pinch cayenne pepper, or more for your taste
1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
3 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp, cracked black pepper
2 cups water
In a small skillet, heat the oil and saute the cumin, chili, coriander, and cayenne for 1-2 minutes.
In a blender, slowly blend together the spice/oil mixture, peanut butter, tamari, salt, pepper, adding water while blending to desired thickness. Toss with other ingredients, chill for a bit before serving, the salad and you.

There are a couple of things that I’d like to mention about this recipe. First, I know it seems to be a long list of ingredients for a “simple meal,” but what I discovered as I roamed around my seriously understocked pantry on that hot summer day, is that most of us have the assorted spices listed on hand. This is not a recipe that is intended to get you to head to the market. There will be many other recipes to come on this blog, please don’t add ingredients to your kitchen that you wouldn’t otherwise use just to make this meal.

The second thing is that since I wrote this recipe we have begun growing a modestly sized vegetable garden, so it is unlikely I would be caught with such a slim veggie selection in the summertime again which is so great! This little realization made me smile. Isn’t that why we are here? To deepen our understanding that the more we do for ourselves the better equipped we are to provide for our own needs? Yes, indeed. I enjoyed revisiting this post and sharing this recipe with you, but the fresh perspective for me was an added bonus, thank you.

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Posted by heather , Links to this post , 7 comments
Labels: In the Kitchen, In the Kitchen - Recipes

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my latest creative effort - mirror painted to achieve a stain glass look and old hallway table restored and painted for shabby chic look.<<<

Down a ways on the page is a photo of the mirror and table.

I am not in love with her mirror painting, but would sure enjoy having a try at it myself, it could lead to some beautiful paintings.

The process intrigues me, she does not say if she used acrylic paints.

granny

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Roast Chicken Dinner & Uses for Leftovers

Posted by: Kate
From: Living The Frugal Life

Like the other new writers here at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op, I was surprised and thrilled to be invited on board. I’ve been writing my Living The Frugal Life blog in earnest for a little under a year now. I’ve found that blogging and reading the blogs of others on their personal simple, green, and frugal journeys to be very encouraging, enlightening, and rewarding.

I thought about writing an introduction for myself here at Simple Green Frugal Co-op, but I’ve decided that just doing a meaty first post would be just as effective. I’m generally preoccupied with thinking about food. For me, budgeting, reading recipes, keeping laying hens, and vegetable gardening are first and foremost only means to the end of eating very, very well. Food preservation and supporting local food producers are just hedges for my belly in an uncertain world.

So I thought to start out today with a frugal meal walk through: Roast Chicken Dinner & Uses for Leftovers. I know this won’t please the vegetarians among you, but I can’t be all things to all people. Just about everyone else loves a roast chicken dinner. I think that preparing something like this intimidates people who don’t think they can cook, and that makes me sad. If you have an oven, you can cook a roast chicken. This post will tell you how to cook it and how to stretch the extras into several other meals.

If you judge the difficulty of this meal by the amount I have to say about it, you’ll likely be intimidated. Don’t be. I just tend to run on a bit much when I discuss food and cooking. The amount of effort to make this meal is really quite reasonable.

Your ingredient list for this meal:

1 whole fresh chicken, 3.5-4 pounds
a few stalks of celery
2 medium carrots
1 small onion
1 small apple or lemon
about 1 tablespoon of butter, softened at room temperature
salt & pepper

optional:
a few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, etc.
about 1 1/2 cup of white wine for sauce, or 1 tbsp. flour for gravy

You’ll also want to add some vegetables to accompany the chicken. I recommend something green (salad, steamed broccoli, green beans, or kale) and/or some roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, potatoes, turnips, beets, etc).

Method:

Start by adjusting an oven rack about one-third of the way up from the bottom of your oven. When it cooks, the chicken should sit in the middle of your oven. Preheat your oven to 425 F or 220 C.

Clean the celery and chop it roughly into 1” pieces. Peel the carrot and chop it into 1/2” thick rounds. Peel and roughly dice the onion. Collectively, these vegetables are called mire poix in the French culinary terminology. They will form a sort of savory cooking rack for your chicken, holding it off the bottom of the roasting pan so it doesn’t sit in its own juices, while adding plenty of extra flavor to those juices, which will form either a gravy or a simple au jus sauce, on which more below.

I highly recommend a cast iron skillet as the cooking pan for roast chicken. If you don’t have one of those, any roasting pan with sides 2”-4” high will do. Dark metal pans in general do better than Pyrex baking dishes. Choose a pan wide enough to easily accommodate the chicken. You want neither too little nor too much space around the roast. In your pan, mix the mire poix vegetables together and spread them in one even layer. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over them.

Now to prepare your chicken. First check the cavity for giblets. If you find any, remove them and add them to the pan with the vegetables. They will add extra flavor to whatever sauce you prepare from the pan juices. (If you want an especially rich sauce, ask your butcher for extra chicken organs such as hearts, gizzards, etc. These should be very cheap or even free if you’re making a large purchase.) Also look at the skin of the chicken just inside the cavity. You may see a lump of fat on either side of the opening. If so, pull them off with your fingers. This is valuable fat. Either add it to the mire poix, or reserve it to render down for schmaltz (see below). Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.

Many people still rinse a chicken before cooking it. I don’t. A rinse with water does nothing to clean the meat. All this does is spread any possible contamination around, including into your sink. Any bacteria present will be killed if the chicken is properly cooked. For whatever it’s worth, the FDA now recommends against rinsing meat.

Wash the apple or lemon, whichever you are using. Quarter the apple, or halve the lemon. If using the lemon, squeeze the juice of one of the halves into the cavity of the roast and put both halves inside. If using the apple, simply put as many of the quarters into the cavity as will easily fit. If you are using a fresh herb add a sprig or two to the cavity as well. Next, take the softened butter and smear it with your fingers to thinly coat the skin of the chicken all over.

If using a fresh herb, gently loosen the skin of the chicken with your fingers, by working it underneath the skin starting from the neck area. You want to create a pocket to place the remaining fresh herbs in, without tearing the skin. Work gently, but loosen the skin as far as possible. Then place the sprigs of herbs directly on the meat under the skin. This will impart the flavor of the herb to the fairly bland breast meat. Replace the skin as well as you can so that the top of the breast is well covered. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the chicken, and place it, breast side up, on the bed of mire poix in your roasting pan. It’s now ready for the oven.

If you want roasted vegetables with your chicken, prepare them now so that they can go in the oven at the same time. A good general method for roasted vegetables is to cut them into roughly equal pieces, add a couple of cloves of garlic, coat it all with oil, season however you like, and then cover them with aluminum foil for their initial cooking period. The foil can be removed during the last 15 minutes of cooking to crisp them up a bit.

Place the chicken in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 400 F, 205 C. The cooking time for your chicken will depend on the size of your chicken. I recommend checking a 3.5-pound chicken after 50 minutes of cooking. A 4-pound bird should go for just over an hour before the initial check.

The best way to determine doneness in a chicken (or any other roast for that matter) is with a meat thermometer. Place the thermometer lengthwise in the breast meat, making sure you have at least one inch of the thermometer inserted, and that it is not touching any bone. I cook my chicken to an internal temperature of 160 F, or 71 C. There are plenty of food safety authorities out there who will tell you that poultry must be cooked to 185 F. Realize that this recommendation is designed to protect food processors from lawsuits. A temperature of 185 F is some serious overkill and will turn your roast poultry into shoe leather. When you cook a roast to a given temperature and then cover it and let it rest, the temperature continues to rise anyway. Pulling your roast chicken from the oven when the temperature reads 160 F is completely safe. If you see a slightly pink tinge on the meat at that temperature, that doesn’t mean it’s still raw. You’re just seeing the hemoglobin being released in some of the juices.

If the chicken has not reached 160 F/71 C when you first check it, return it to the oven and give it 10-15 minutes for every additional 5 degrees F/3 degrees C it needs. When it has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the skillet and place it on a serving platter. Cover it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil, and cover the foil with a kitchen towel or two.

Au jus or Gravy

Now the fun begins in earnest. You get to make a sauce to gild the lily. Au jus methodology first: Use a metal spoon to scoop the vegetables (and giblets if you’ve included them) into a bowl, and add a cup of dry white wine. Stir the vegetables around in the liquid a bit and let them soak for a few minutes. Meanwhile scrape away at any lovely stuck-on brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Put the remaining 1/2 cup of wine in the pan and continue loosening and dissolving any solids. Now strain the wine the vegetables have been soaking in back into your roasting pan. Press on the vegetables a bit to get all the tasty goodness out. If you used a skillet to cook your bird, just put it over a burner on medium-high heat. If you cooked in something else, transfer the liquid to a small pot. Check the chicken under its covers. If there’s any liquid on the platter or in the cavity of the bird, add it now to the wine and pan drippings. Reduce the liquid for about 5 minutes, until about 1 cup of slightly thickened sauce remains. Put it in a gravy boat. Ta da! That’s your au jus! Simple, no?

Gravy is a little more complicated. Remove the vegetables and scrape the pan as you would for the au jus. Add 1/4 cup of the white wine or water and thoroughly scrape and loosen the brown bits. Drive most of this liquid off over low heat without scorching the juices. Sprinkle a tablespoon of flour over the pan drippings and raise the heat to medium-low. Stir the flour around to combine thoroughly with the fat in the pan. Cook the lumps that form for at least three minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan and thoroughly incorporate it with the flour mixture, smoothing out any lumps as best you can. Add 3/4 cup more water, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring and smoothing after every addition to avoid lumps. Add the accumulated juices on the platter or in the cavity of the chicken. If you like the giblets in your gravy, chop them up and add them to the gravy boat.

Now you get to eat your chicken and vegetables with the sauce of your choice. Dig in and enjoy!

Leftovers (and other options) from a roast chicken

Any leftover meat should be stripped from the carcass before refrigerating the bones. It’s easier to accomplish now than it will be after chilling. Save the bones, in the freezer if necessary, for making stock. The meat can be used in an enormous variety of ways. Sandwiches, soups, chicken salad, strata, pasta, pot pie. Really, you could go in almost any direction with leftover roast chicken.

Chicken salad is my usual warm weather use for leftover roast chicken. I like to add plenty of crunch to my chicken salad with vegetables like fennel, chard stalk, celery, grated celery root, or water chestnuts. And curry powder blended into mayonnaise makes a great curried chicken salad. You don’t really need a recipe for chicken salad. Just shred the meat, add whatever other chopped up vegetables you want in there, and blend with mayonnaise, a little at a time, until the mixture looks right to you.

In winter time, I usually also have leftover roast vegetables. If I were always sufficiently motivated, the chicken and veg would be the basis of a pretty good pot pie. But I’ve found an excellent “cheater” method for using up these delicious ingredients with a minimum of work. I just put some of the leftover meat and vegetables in a bowl, add a dollop of the leftover au jus, and cover the bowl tightly with aluminum foil. Then I pop it in the toaster oven for about 25 minutes. The roast vegetables are wonderfully refreshed by the gentle steaming action in this preparation. It makes the leftovers disappear fast. Here’s a picture of my lazy housewife “pot pie,” ready to go in the oven, and featuring our homegrown All Blue potatoes.

And speaking of that leftover au jus, another great use for this culinary elixir is as a dressing for green salads. I know this will sound weird to some. But give it a try sometime. Heat the au jus in a microwave briefly, and stir it up very well. (The fat will have risen to the top, and the cold will have given the sauce a gelatinous quality.) The flavor is very intense, so drizzle just a small spoonful over your greens.

Alternately, stash your extra au jus in the freezer until your next batch of roasted potatoes. The A good dollop of this concentrated chicken essence makes potatoes substantial enough to eat almost as a meal by themselves. Very tasty, and nothing goes to waste.

Then there’s the stock to be made from the bones. Be sure to discard the lemon or apple you put in the cavity before making stock, otherwise you’re in for some interesting stock. There are highly disciplined cooks who will go the full nine yards in making chicken stock. Nine times out of ten, I take a very simple approach to making stock from leftover chicken bones. I put the bones in a pot, with enough water just to cover. Then I raid my freezer for the parsley stems I save for this purpose, and throw a good handful of those into the water. Sometimes I’ll add a bay leaf; sometimes not. I bring the water to a gentle boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. After a couple of hours, I throw out the solids, and perhaps strain the stock. It can be frozen for a few months, or used immediately. Recently, I used some homemade chicken stock as the basis for that classic chicken dinner from the south of the US: Chicken and Dumplings. You might use the stock to make chicken soup with the leftover meat and a few other ingredients.

Finally, for advanced students of thrift, I’m going to talk about schmaltz. If you grew up in a Jewish household, you probably know all about this already. I learned about it only recently. Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat, and it’s used in many Jewish recipes. This is definitely a waste not, want not situation. Why let this ingredient go to waste when it can replace costly butter or cooking oil in many recipes? I’ve found that fat from any type of poultry is like culinary gold when used to cook potatoes, especially homegrown potatoes.

You can get a little fat from a chicken you’re going to roast without sacrificing a rich sauce made from the drippings. The skin of the chicken contains a lot of fat, so leaving most of the skin in place for the roasted bird will keep it moist as well as provide you with drippings. But some of the fat and skin can be reserved for making schmaltz as well. Those lumps of fat from just inside the cavity, for instance can be dedicated to schmaltz. If there’s an excess of skin from the neck area, that can be trimmed off. Also, even the skin from the back of the bird, which always remains on the underside when roasted, can be trimmed off and used for schmaltz. This skin never crisps up anyway when roasting, and the mire poix it rests on keeps this area moist even without the protection of the skin. Finally, the wing tips can be removed and included with the rest of the trimmings.

Place the trimmings in a small pot and heat it gently over medium low heat. When the fat begins to melt and the skin begins sizzling, reduce the heat to low and let it cook gently for about 30 minutes, turning the trimmings occasionally so that the fat renders evenly. Remove and discard the solids before the fat cools. (Or feed the crispy skin to pets or anyone who enjoys it.) This can be done while the chicken cooks, or within a few days at most if there’s too much going on in the kitchen. From the trimmings shown above, I got about 1/3 cup of schmaltz. In Jewish cooking, onions are often added to the trimmings to flavor the fat as it renders. I usually skip this step, just to keep a more neutral flavor. This fat should be kept only briefly in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar, as it will spoil rather quickly. It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator, and perhaps two months in the freezer. Use it to roast or panfry potatoes. I’ve used it for hashbrowns, to make a decadent version of bialys, and in pyttipanna too. If you want to save up a large amount of schmaltz for a specific purpose, it would probably be better to save the trimmings in the freezer and then render the fat just before you need it.

Well, I think that about covers the uses of a whole roast chicken. I’ve you’ve read along with me this far, I think you’ll see why making your own is a more frugal option that picking up one of those rotisserie chickens that seem like such a bargain. If you have other ways of making the most of a roast chicken dinner, I’d love to hear them in the comments. Read more...

Posted by Kate , Links to this post , 20 comments
Labels: Frugal meals, In the Kitchen

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My Mother in law introduced me to this recipe, cranberry scones. This is one of those recipes you keep in the regular rotation category. They’re quick and easy to make. Perfect for breakfast and keep the family coming back for more. Try it for yourself and tell me what you think.

Drop Cranberry Scones

In a large bowl mix in this order.

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tb Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt ( if dough is too dry I add a little extra yogurt or milk)
1/2 cup butter (cut into dough)
1-2 cups dried cranberries (just depends if you like a little or a lot)

Once all well mixed, drop 1/4 cup portions on a non greased baking sheet (space about 2” apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Yields approximately 24 scones.

*These scones do not have the same texture as traditional scones. They’re more moist and doughy.

Note, scones usually do not look this round in shape.

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Recipe: Drop Cranberry Scones

My Mother in law introduced me to this recipe, cranberry scones. This is one of those recipes you keep in the regular rotation category. They’re quick and easy to make. Perfect for breakfast and keep the family coming back for more. Try it for yourself and tell me what you think.

Drop Cranberry Scones

In a large bowl mix in this order.

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tb Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt ( if dough is too dry I add a little extra yogurt or milk)
1/2 cup butter (cut into dough)
1-2 cups dried cranberries (just depends if you like a little or a lot)

Once all well mixed, drop 1/4 cup portions on a non greased baking sheet (space about 2” apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Yields approximately 24 scones.

*These scones do not have the same texture as traditional scones. They’re more moist and doughy.

Note, scones usually do not look this round in shape.
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Posted by kawaii crafter at 12:57 PM 12 comments
Labels: recipes
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Basil Lemon Cake
I first sampled this basil lemon cake at a party. It had such a fresh flavor from the combination of lemon and basil. I knew it would be perfect for potlucks in the summer. So of course, I had to ask for the recipe. Wouldn’t you? Well, it turns out the recipe is from Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool. I did a little poking around the internet and found the recipe here. You will need to scroll down a little to see the recipe, it’s the second one. Enjoy.

As you can see, I had fun decorating the cake. I placed a doily over the top and sprinkled powdered sugar all over the cake. Then I added some toothpicks tied with ribbon to make it a little more festive.
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Posted by kawaii crafter at 6:34 PM 8 comments
Labels: recipes
Saturday, April 25, 2009
How to Make Powdered Sugar

My Aunt Susan (same Aunt that made the transformer cake) told me about this tip. Too many times I’ve ran out of powdered sugar and used granulated sugar in it’s place. If I had only known, all I had to do was blend the sugar for a couple of seconds. I could have avoided a lot of frosting disasters.

[Blend = in a blender]

Strawberry-Banana Popcorn Ball Recipe
I made popcorn balls for a birthday tea party. Since popcorn balls always leave your hands sticky, I decided to make some on sticks. It ended up working out quite well and made for a nice presentation. Then I just placed them is small cellophane bags and tied on ribbon.

The nice thing about the popcorn ball recipe is that you can make the balls any flavor. I think these would look great orange with some added black licorice for jack-o-lanterns. Maybe I’ll make some for Halloween if I get the chance.

recipe below

Supplies
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
20 cups of plain popped popcorn
3 oz box of strawberry-banana jello (or any other flavor)

medium size lollipop sticks

*yields about 24 popcorn balls

1. On the stove top, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil.

2. Remove from stove and add jello mix, mix well. If you would like the flavor to me more subtle, use only 2oz of jello.

3. Add mixture to popcorn and mix till well coated.

4. Form into balls. Use about one cup of the popcorn mixture per ball. You’ll want to work quickly. The mixture hardens up roughly the same way rice crispy treats do.

5. With one hand hold onto the popcorn ball when you place the lolipop stick down the center of it. You might need to form the ball again, if it begins to break. Let set up for about an hour.

Pumpkin Mochi Recipe
I’ve been on the hunt for a very specific pumpkin mochi recipe for sometime now. You could call it a borderline obsession. Ever since I purchased it at a Japanese Craft fair years ago I’ve been trying to figure out the recipe. I even tried to get the recipe from the vendor directly only to be denied. However, recently I came into possession of the recipe. It tastes just like the mochi at the fair. The only difference is I’m sharing the recipe with all of you. Hope you like it.

Ingredients
29 oz can Pumpkin puree
14 oz can Sweetened condensed milk
1 Cup of butter melted
4 Eggs, beaten
2 tsp Vanilla
1 lb box Mochiko-sweet rice flour
2 Cups Sugar
2 tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl mix mochiko flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.

2. In a large bowl mix all the other ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients.

3. Pour into a greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish.

4. Bake at 375 for one hour. Let cool. Done.

*The texture of this is a cross between pumpkin pie and mochi.

Banana Sorbet Recipe
We were given an ice cream maker many years ago. I never tested it out because my husband told me it was too hard to use. I believed him. Here’s why, my husband likes to cook and I’m not just talking about boiling water. He likes the gourmet recipes. You know ,the ones with over 20 ingredients and that take hours of preparation. So I considered him a reputable source regarding the ice cream maker, right? Wrong!

Well the other day I got it into my head that I was going to use the ice cream maker. I didn’t care if it would take days to make sorbet, I was going to use it. So I got the pamphlet out and read it only takes 20- 50 minutes to make ice cream. What? Did I read this right? So I followed the directions and made some banana sorbet. It took only 25 minutes to make the sorbet! It really couldn’t have been much easier. And all I could ask is, where has this marvelous machine been all my life? In the storage sadly. And even worse, summer was coming to an end. But I’ll tell you something, that’s not going to stop me. Oh no, I’m making up for lost time. I’m making sorbet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I have to. Maple syrup and pancake sorbet here I come!

Banana Sorbet Recipe below

*If you don’t have an ice cream maker there’s a wonderful tutorial on how to make ice cream without one here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Agave nectar or you can substitute it for 3/4 cup sugar

I like agave nectar because it’s a natural sweetener. It also is a Low Glycemic Index sweetener. You can find it at most health food stores.

4 ripe bananas
2 tsp lime juice
1 cup water

Directions:
Blend all ingredients together till smooth. Place in ice cream maker and run according to the manufacturers instructions. Done

*I also found a great recipe for coconut plum sorbet, here. I omitted the yogurt when I made it.

What fun...granny.......[Peeps, the small marshmellow chicks sold at Easter...

Where My Peeps At

Here’s a fun idea for the Easter breakfast table, peeps in hot chocolate. Peeps are basically marshmallows covered in yellow sugar. Make sure to put the peeps in just before serving, after a while they will begin to melt and tip on their sides.

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/coconut-plum-sorbet/

Coconut Plum Sorbet

Posted by: cinnybear on: July 30, 2008

* In: Desserts
* Comment!

I knew it was fate when a plum sorbet recipe appeared on Simplyrecipes.com and my grass was begining to stain purple from all the Santa Rosa plums. Of course there was this can of coconut milk that was also begging to be used…and voila!

This sorbet is tart from the plums (and skins) but I love how the coconut flavor pacified some of the tartness. I’ve experimented with yogurt as well but I haven’t found the perfect balance between tartness and tropical goodness – please let me know if you find the perfect balance!

Ingredients

2 cups of sliced plums (with skins on – remove some skins to reduce tartness)
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup coconut milk (optional – be sure to add the thin layer of coconut cream on top as well!)
1/2 cup yogurt (optional – be sure to adjust sugar to your liking before freezing!)
1 tbs grand marnier or vodka (to minimize the formation of ice crystals)

Directions

1. Add the plums, sugar, and lemon in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. On the lowest setting of the blender, add the coconut milk and yogurt. Taste and adjust sugar/milk/yogurt to desired sweetness.
3. Mix the Grand Marnier to the purée just before churning. Place the purée in an ice cream machine and churn according to instructions, for approximately 25 minutes. If you do not have an ice cream churn, place the puree in a large metal bowl. Freeze for 30-40 minutes until the sides of the ice cream have frozen and the center is slightly frozen. Scrape the mixture with a spoon until the slushy and smooth and refreeze. Repeat this process 2-3 more times (you will only have to wait 15-20 minutes every time).
4. Serve immediately or freeze covered in airtight container for later consumption!

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/zhajiang-mian-noodles-with-brownblack-sauce/

ZhaJiang Mian (Noodles with Brown/Black Sauce)

Posted by: cinnybear on: September 17, 2008

* In: Asian Cuisine
* Comment!

1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 pound raw shrimp – optional
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 medium onions – chopped
2 medium zucchini – chopped
3/4 cup oyster, shiitake, or straw mushrooms – chopped
1 cup cha jang (black bean paste, not sauce. Look for this at a Chinese or a Korean Market - no substitutes!
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon water
fresh chinese noodles – cooked
oil

1. Marinate ground pork in soy sauce, rice wine, and ginger, and garlic. Set aside. If using shrimp, shell, devein and salt lightly. Set aside.
2. In a wok, over high heat, stir fry the onion and zucchini. Depending on the size of the wok, you might have to do it in batches. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat the shortening or oil in the wok. The amount varies, depending upon the amount of the black bean paste, but don’t be too stingy with the oil (about 1-2 tbs). Dump the paste in the wok, stirring quickly to avoid burning. Stir for approximately 2 -3 minutes.
4. Add the pork and stir fry till it is cooked, approximately 1 – 2 minutes. Add the vegetables and mix.
5. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the shrimp, if using, and mix.
7. Mix the corn starch and water. Add it to the wok and stir until thickened and bubbly.
8. Serve immediately over cooked noodles and garnish with mung beans, shredded cucumber, or green onions if desired.
Tags: black bean sauce, brown sauce, Chinese noodles, zha jiang mian

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/09/10/chocolate-oatmeal-cookies/

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Posted by: cinnybear on: September 10, 2008

* In: Cookies| Desserts
* Comment!

Recipe and picture update

Hefty Things…

Sporting a 3 inch diameter and height of 1.5 inches, these cookies are a force to be reckoned with. They’ll beat you into a food coma after eating 2 or 3. Crispy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside – just how I like my men. Wait….that didn’t come out right.

I’ll admit, I like to reduce the sugar and butter amounts in desserts – but why? I’m eating a cookie not broccoli! Reducing the sugar might save a few calories but you’ll lose the crisp exterior of the cookie. I usually stick to the Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe but this one is a winner. You won’t miss the nuts and the pinch of nutmeg is a welcome addition.
From CooksIllustrated.com (because they go through iterations of tinkering with the same recipe so you don’t have to – I have yet to come across a crappy recipe).

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter (softened but firm)
1 cup brown sugar (light preferred)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats (old fashioned provide a chewier texture than quick oats but quick oats work well too).
1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg together, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Do not overmix the batter!

3. Form dough into sixteen to twenty 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. If you don’t use parchment, let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Tags: chocolate, Cookies, oatmeal

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/chinese-corn-soup/

Chinese Corn Soup

Posted by: cinnybear on: July 8, 2008

* In: Asian Cuisine| Soups & Salads
* Comment!

This is a fabulous and ridiculously easy soup to make. My mom would make this soup when my brother and I were younger but somehow it slipped off the radar! I’m about to send her an email reminding her of all the yummy foods that she hasn’t made in awhile….after I’m done posting :)

Ingredients

2 (15 ounce) cans cream-style corn
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth
3 eggs, beaten (I love whispy eggs in my Chinese soups – use two eggs if you don’t LOVE your eggs…)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 (10 ounce) can corn niblets, drained (optional)
2 tbs chopped cilantro
salt and black pepper

Directions

1. In a saucepan combine the creamed corn and broth; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. In a small bowl or cup whisk the cornstarch and water; add to the simmering corn soup and continue to cook for about 2 minutes or until thickened.

3. Gradually add the beaten eggs while stirring or whisking the soup constantly.

4. Add in the corn niblets (if using) and cilantro and heat though. Season with salt and pepper.
Tags: Chinese soup, eggs

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/attack-of-the-bees-ribs/

‘Attack of the Bees’ Ribs

Posted by: cinnybear on: October 11, 2008

* In: American Cuisine
* Comment!

The bee rating: 9

So while the original name of this recipe is called ‘Should be Illegal Oven BBQ ribs,’ I am debating whether to name this recipe ‘Attack of the Bees’ ribs or the ‘OMG ribs. I’ll leave it up to my readers :)

While waiting 3 hours for these ribs to cook is bad enough, I also realized I had an army of bees attempting to figure out how to make their way through my screen door. To my horror, I also realized that there were a few gaps between between my screen door and the door frame — so while the thought of making my neighbors jealous was delightfully evil — the door had to be shut. It was just me and the smell of sweet and tangy BBQ.

Then it came down to gorging time. In true California lingo, I said ‘oh my god’ 5 times while eating the ribs…because they were that good.

Ingredients

3 lbs pork ribs (I used baby back)
1 (8 ounce) jar honey
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped
12 ounces barbecue sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Cut ribs apart for easier serving and place all ingredients together
3. Mix together all ingredients (except ribs) a large roasting pan.
4. Place ribs in pan and coat ribs with the paste.
5. Spread ribs out evenly on bottom of pan and lightly cover with foil.
6. Bake for a total of 3 hours. For the first 2 hours and 45 minutes, baste the ribs every hour. For the remaining 15 minutes, remove the foil and place the ribs under the broiler.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

* Chicago-Style Barbecued Ribs
* Who Needs Fireworks?
* Oven BBQ Ribs
* Turmeric – A Spice for Life

Tags: ribs, baby back ribs, BBQ

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/thai-chile-butter-for-pan-seared-steaks/

Thai Chile Butter for Pan-Seared Steaks

Posted by: cinnybear on: June 20, 2008

* In: American Cuisine| Asian Cuisine
* Comment!

Yes, it’s yet another steak picture but with a twist!

I found the combination a bit odd but still enjoyed the flavor after a few bites. I suspect the butter would be a lovely pair on the fresh halibut steaks I bought yesterday…yum.

For a simple salt and pepper steak, rub the steak liberally with salt and pepper 30 minute prior to cooking. Follow the directions on how to cook the steaks located in the article: http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/cumin-and-pepper-crusted-steak/ (but please, do not flavor the steak with cumin if you plan to use the thai chile butter!)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1 small clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons thinly sliced scallion , green parts only (from 1 scallion)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons Asian chile garlic sauce (preferably Thai)
1/2 teaspoon red curry paste (preferably Thai)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Table salt

Directions

Beat butter vigorously with spoon until soft and fluffy. Add garlic, scallion, cilantro, chili-garlic sauce, and red curry paste; beat to incorporate. Add lime juice a little at a time, beating vigorously between each addition until fully incorporated. Add salt to taste. Serve a dollop over each steak, giving it time to melt.

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/green-onion-pancakes-congyo-bin/

Green Onion Pancakes (Congyo bing)

Posted by: cinnybear on: April 15, 2008

* In: Appetizers & Side Dishes| Asian Cuisine
* Comment!

Flaky layers of salty and buttery goodness.

The quest for freezer food continues onto green onion pancakes. I sheepishly admit that there is only 1 in my freezer…do I really need to elaborate further?

The goods? An outer layer pan-fried to a golden brown and an interior full of thin and chewy layers filled with green onions and the subtle taste of butter and salt.

Simple ingredients – worth the added effort – and absolutely delicious.

Adapted from nookandpantry.com

Ingredients
2.5 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 C boiling water
1/4 C ice-cold water
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbs butter, melted
1 tbs shortening, melted
About 4 Tbsp finely chopped green onion, 3-4 green onions
Oil for pan frying (about 1 tsp per pancake)

Directions

Melt butter and shortening together and set aside.

Add flour and salt to a bowl, pour in hot water and stir to combine. Let the dough cool down a bit and then add cold water. Knead the dough until smooth (if you find the dough seems a bit too sticky or wet, add a small palmful of flour). You can knead the dough in a standing mixer, food processor, or by hand.

Put the dough in an lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rest for an hour.

Roll the dough into a long cylinder and divide into 6 pieces. This will yield pancakes about 7 inches in diameter, about 1/4-in thick.

Take one piece of dough, leaving the rest covered, and roll it out into a large and thin circle, the thinner the circle the more layers the pancake will have. Using a pastry brush, spread a very thin layer of softened butter on the dough. Sprinkle or spread about 1-2 teaspoons of chopped green onions on top of the butter.

Roll up the dough into a tight tube. Then take the tube and form a coil and pinch the seam shut.

Do this to the remaining pieces of dough, so you have 6 rolls. Roll out each bun into a pancake, depending on the thickness you prefer. For a chewier pancake keep the pancake a little thicker; if you want a crispy thin pancake, roll it out thinner.

If you honestly think that you can not finish all 6 pancakes, stack the pancakes in between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper and freeze for later consumption!

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry each side for a few minutes until outer layer is crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels to blot away excess oil. Cut into wedges and serve with soy sauce, soy paste, sweet chile sauce, or plain if desired.

I’ll have to make a step-by-step guide for this one day but it’s similar to making cinnamon rolls!

http://cinnybear.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/bierocks/

Bierocks

Posted by: cinnybear on: April 14, 2008

* In: European Cuisine
* Comment!

Attempt at kneading dough doesn’t fail – amazing.

There’s this disease that I experience every other week called the empty fridge syndrome – if I’m lucky I may have some eggs left, but normally it’s just the ketchup bottle. This disease can be attributed to my consulting/traveling lifestyle. Maybe one day I’ll have a normal job…or maybe I’ll start making a bunch of freezable foods – most likely the latter will win.

First on my list? Bierocks.

Anything with sausage and sauerkraut is a winner so of course this recipe played cut-sies in the “must make” line of recipes. I can’t tell you how true it is to what bierocks are supposed to taste like, but I do know that a sausage filling tasted better than the 90% lean ground beef mixture, as usual…and that adding cheese would have made this recipe++

I’d imagine that part of the charm of a bierock is the thick layer of sweet dough (which I made too thin) surrounding the meat filling but now I know better!

These suckers freeze beautifully and have saved me from hunger (ok, the fear of hunger since I’m never actually hungry) plenty of times.

Recipe to be posted once I perfect the filling recipe!

Sounds like my kind of food for the freezer, here are the recipes....LOL, granny...........

http://www.google.com/search?q=Bierocks&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://gaiasrecipebox.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/oven-bbq-ribs/

Oven BBQ Ribs

3 lbs. pork back ribs
1 (8 ounce) jar honey
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped
12 ounces barbecue sauce
1/4 cup white sugar

1. Place all ingredients together in large roasting pan.
2. Cut ribs apart for easier serving.
3. Mix together making sure to coat all ribs with this semi-dry paste.
4. Spread ribs out evenly on bottom of pan and cover lightly with foil.
5. Bake at 375F for approximately 1 hour turning or stirring occasionally. You can use broiler for these ribs, just watch more closely, and adjust cooking time.

http://gaiasrecipebox.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/butterscotch-noodle-cookies/

Butterscotch Noodle Cookies

4 C. Chinese noodles
4 C. miniature marshmallows
1 C. butterscotch chips
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1 C. peanut butter
Mix noodles and marshmallows together. Melt chips in double boiler over hot water. Stir in peanut butter. Mix the chocolate mixture with the noodles. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Refrigerate until firm

http://gaiasrecipebox.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/chicken-crock-pie/

Chicken Crock Pie

Source: Decatur Daily Newspaper
From the book “How to Make Love and Dinner at the Same Time: 200 Slow Cooker
Recipes to Heat up the Bedroom Instead of the Kitchen: by Rebecca Field

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
3 potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. water
1 cup frozen peas
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed

Combine the chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion, broth, tarragon, lemon juice,
pepper and salt in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Mix together the cornstarch and water and stir it into the slow cooker. Add
the peas and cook for an additional 20 minutes on low. Preheat oven to
400 degrees. Transfer the chicken mixture to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate,
cover with puff pastry according to package directions and bake for 20
minutes or until golden.

Serves 4

Tip: If you only have a wide, shallow pie plate, thaw an extra puff pastry
sheet so you’ll have enough to cover. Remember to that puff pastry overnight
in the refrigerator or on the counter for a few hours.

http://gaiasrecipebox.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/crock-pot-spaghetti-n-pork-chops/

Crock Pot Spaghetti ‘n Pork Chops

3 cans (8 oz. ea.) tomato sauce
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
6 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick)
2 TB olive or vegetable oil
Hot cooked spaghetti

In a 5 quart crock pot/slow cooker, combine the tomato sauce, soup, onion,
bay leaf, celery seed and Italian seasoning.

In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Add to the crock pot/slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or until meat is tender.

Discard bay leaf. Serve chops and sauce over cooked spaghetti.
Yield: 6 servings.

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Recipes: ‘Simply Organic’

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* The 10 Best Cookbooks for Summer

NPR.org, May 28, 2008 · These recipes appear in Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool, Chronicle Books, 2008.

Asparagus and Scallops
Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 whole canned chipotle chile pepper, puréed or minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 pound sea scallops
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Lime wedges for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chile pepper, and cilantro. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Remove and discard the tough muscle from the scallops.

In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Toss the scallops in the cornmeal mixture and set aside.

Pour 1/2 cup water into a heavy skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Wipe the skillet and add the butter. Place over medium heat to melt the butter. Add the scallops and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned and opaque.

Divide the asparagus evenly among 4 plates. Top with the scallops. Drizzle with the chipotle dressing, and garnish with lime wedges.

Kitchen Tip
Often scallops are soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) to help keep them moist. To avoid these chemical-laden scallops, look for scallops labeled Day Boat, Diver, Dry Pack or Chemical-Free. These scallops are more readily available these days and of course, are a much healthier choice. They may not be perfectly white and uniform in size, but those qualities are not natural to scallops; they are man-induced. As always, opt for the most natural products available. And as always, ask questions. The fishmonger should know exactly where the fish is from and how it has been treated.

Basil-Lemon Cake
Serves 12

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup coconut flour (see Kitchen Tips)
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries and blackberries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until creamy. Add the eggs, basil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Beat until blended.

Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk and beating on low speed until smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and cool completely.

Place the cake on a serving plate and top with the berries.

Kitchen Tip
This cake actually tastes better the next day. Cover well, but do not refrigerate unless you need to store it for more than 1 or 2 days.

If you can’t find coconut flour, omit it, increase the all-purpose flour to 2½ cups, and reduce the buttermilk to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.

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Food
Slow-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

* 1 chicken (approx. 3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces
* 1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
* 2 unwaxed lemons, cut into chunky eighths
* small handful fresh thyme
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 10 tablespoons white wine
* black pepper

NPR.org, June 23, 2008 · Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Put the chicken pieces into a roasting pan and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and, using your hands, mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin-side up.

Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavor-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.

Remove the foil from the roasting pan, and turn up the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.

I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting pan: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.

Serves 4-6

Excerpted from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson. Copyright (c) 2003 Nigella Lawson. Published in the U.S. by Hyperion. All Rights Reserved. Available wherever books are sold.
Food
Strawberries and Meringue Cream Layer Cake

Ingredients

# 1 cup all-purpose flour
# 3 tablespoons cornstarch
# 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
# scant 1/2 cup very soft unsalted butter
# 1 cup granulated sugar
# 4 eggs
# 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
# 2 tablespoons milk
# scant 1/4 cup slivered almonds
# 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
# 1/2 pint strawberries

NPR.org, June 23, 2008 · Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line, butter and flour two 9-inch springform pans.

Combine the flour, cornstarch and baking powder into a bowl.

Cream the butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the butter and sugar, saving the whites to whisk later. Gently fold in the measured-out dry ingredients, add the vanilla, then sir in the milk to thin the batter. Divide the mixture between the two prepared springform pans.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add the remaining sugar. Spread a layer of meringue on top of the sponge batter in each pan and sprinkle the almonds evenly over.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, by which time the top of the almond-scattered meringues will be a dark gold. Let the cakes cool in their tins, then spring them open at the last minute when you are ready to assemble the cake.

Whip the cream, and hull and slice the strawberries; that’s to say, the bigger ones can be sliced lengthwise and the smaller ones halved. Invert one of the cakes on to a plate or cake stand so that the cake crumb is uppermost. Pile on the cream and stud with the strawberries, letting some of the berries subside into the whipped whiteness. Place the second cake on top, meringue upwards, and press down gently, just to secure it.

If you’ve got any more strawberries in the house, hull and halve them, and serve them in a dish to eat alongside; it gives the cake a more after-lunch, less afternoon-tea kind of a feel, but it’s hardly obligatory.

Serves 8.

Excerpted from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson. Photographs by Petrina Tinslay. Copyright (c) 2003 Nigella Lawson. Photographs Copyright (c) Petrina Tinslay. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.

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Melon Sorbetto
Makes 1 quart; serves 4

1/2 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup spring water
1/2 cup sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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Recipes: ‘Screen Doors and Sweet Tea’

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* The 10 Best Cookbooks for Summer

NPR.org, May 27, 2008 · These recipes appear in Screen Doors & Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose, Clarkson Potter, 2008.

Apricot Rice Salad
Serves 6

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 green cardamom pod, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed thoroughly
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal

In a 10-inch ovenproof pan with a tight-fitting lid, briefly heat the cumin, coriander, and cardamom over medium heat to toast, shaking the pan to prevent scorching. When the spices are fragrant, remove them from the pan and let cool. Grind the cumin and coriander finely with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan and heat over medium-high heat; add the onion, cooking and stirring occasionally for 4 to 6 minutes or until the onion is tender. Reduce the heat and add the rice, spices, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Cook and stir until the rice is light golden and each grain is coated with oil. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and mix in the dates, apricots, raisins, and cherries.

Add 1 cup of the orange juice, 11/2 cups water, and the salt, stirring briefly just to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid.

Using a large fork to fluff up the rice and fruit mixture, turn it into a serving dish, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon orange juice, and combine using the fork. Allow to cool, covered by a clean dish towel, then serve at room temperature or chilled, sprinkled with green onion across the top.

All for Okra and Okra for All
Serves 6

1 pound small, tender okra pods
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium ripe tomato, seeded and diced

Soak the okra in 1 quart water mixed with the vinegar for 1 hour. Drain and pat the okra dry. Using a v-slicer, mandoline, or sharp knife, cut the okra lengthwise into very thin slices.

In a large skillet, heat the ail aver high heat. Add the onion and red pepper flakes, and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or less; do not let it darken. Using a slotted spoon, scrape the onion mixture from the skillet onto a plate and set aside. Add the okra to the skillet and stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the tomato and cooked anion. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Recipe: Breakfast Bars

by Nigella Lawson

Breakfast bars
Enlarge

Lis Parsons, from Nigella Express

NPR.org, November 14, 2007 · I am addicted to these, and so is everyone I give them to. Although they’re quick to throw together, they do take nearly an hour to bake, so what I suggest is, make a batch on the weekend and then you will have the oaty, chewy bars ready and waiting for those days when you have to snatch breakfast on the run.

Mind you, they are just like milk and cereal in bar form, so there’s nothing to stop you nibbling one with your morning coffee at home every day. If you are not a morning person, believe me, they will make your life easier.

They also store well; indeed, they seem to get better and better. So just stash them in a tin and remove when you want.

1 14-fl-oz can condensed milk

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)

1 cup natural unsalted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9- x 13-inch baking pan or just use a disposable aluminum foil one.

2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.

4. Spread the mixture into the oiled or foil pan and press down with a spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing those disposable latex CSI gloves to stop you from sticking) to make the surface even.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Makes 16

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Nigella Lawson Cooks Up Summer Flavors
The BBC and Style Network Host on Eating Well, Simply

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Nigella Lawson. Photo: Petrina Tinslay.

Cover of Forever Summer

Garlic Chicken. Photo: Petrina Tinslay

Slow-roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken from Forever Summer

* Available Online

Talk of the Nation, May 5, 2004 · ‘Domestic goddess’ Nigella Lawson promotes a straightforward approach to cooking: “Achieve maximum pleasure through minimum effort.” She talks with NPR’s Neal Conan about quick recipes for summer — and for conjuring a summer mood anytime during the year. “Summer food,” she writes, “even when eaten in deepest winter, contains within it the idea of simple cooking.”

An excerpt from Forever Summer:

Slow-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken

This is one of those recipes you just can’t make once: That’s to say, after the first time, you’re hooked. It is gloriously easy: You just put everything in the roasting dish and leave it to cook in the oven, pervading the house, at any time of year, with the summer scent of lemon and thyme — and of course, mellow, almost honeyed garlic.

I got the idea of it from those long-cooked French chicken casseroles with whole garlic cloves and just wanted to spritz it up with lemon for summer. The wonderful thing about it is that you turn the lemon from being a flavoring to being a major player; left in chunks to cook slowly in the oven they seem almost to caramelize and you can eat them, skin, pith and all, their sour bitterness sweetened in the heat.

1 chicken (approx. 3 and a half to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces

1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves

2 unwaxed lemons, cut into chunky eighths

Small handful fresh thyme

3 tablespoons olive oil

10 tablespoons white wine

Black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Put the chicken pieces into a roasting pan and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.

Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavour-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.

Remove the foil from the roasting pan, and turn up the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.

I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting pan: So just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.

Serves 4-6

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Nigella Lawson: Valentine’s Chocolate Indulgence

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Nigella Lawson
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James Merrell

Nigella Lawson

Read the Recipes

* Chocolate Raspberry Heart
* Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

Morning Edition, February 14, 2008 · What’s Valentine’s Day without chocolate — or better yet, rich, moist chocolate cake? Nigella Lawson discusses with Steve Inskeep the keys to the perfect chocolate cake and the secrets to chocolate’s allure.

The food writer and television host says she has “managed to put away quite a few chocolate cakes and bars of chocolate in my time.” But Lawson says she’s not an “indiscriminate lover of all things chocolate.”

“I don’t think one should go to the giddy heights of chocolate snobbery,” she says. The most expensive chocolate isn’t necessary, but “you’ve got to use, I think, a good-enough bar.”

So Lawson suggests looking for brands containing a minimum of 70 percent cocoa solids.

The perfect chocolate cakes should be damp, rather than dry and should have “a hint of pudding about them,” she says.

So, what makes cooking with chocolate so special for Valentine’s Day?

“It is not a necessity — it’s an indulgence,” Lawson says.
Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cake

Nigella Lawson’s chocolate raspberry heart cake.
Enlarge

James Merrell

Nigella Lawson’s chocolate raspberry heart cake.

NPR.org, February 13, 2008 ·

FOR THE CAKE

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 cup superfine sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons best unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

FOR THE FILLING

1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

1 cup raspberries

FOR THE GANACHE ICING

2/3 cup heavy cream

5 1/2 oz. dark chocolate, minimum 70 percent cocoa solids

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 cup raspberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and line two shallowish 9-inch heart-shaped pans with cut-out hearts of parchment paper.

Pour the milk into a small pan with the butter and heat until warm and the butter has melted. Or you can just stick a glass measuring cup in the microwave. When hot, add the vanilla.

Whisk the eggs and sugar till thick, light and frothy, really frothy; I use the flat paddle of my KitchenAid mixer for this, but you could equally well use a hand-held electric whisk. Meanwhile, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Buy the best cocoa you can find, as this is what determines the rich and glorious taste of the cake.

Still beating the eggs and sugar, or going back to beat the eggs and sugar, pour in the hot buttery, vanilla’d milk and when incorporated, slowly fold in the flour-baking soda-cocoa mixture, wither with the flat paddle on slow or with a rubber spatula by hand. You will need a final scrape-down and fold with a rubber spatula in any event.

Divide this mixture between the two pans and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool in their pans for about 10 minutes before turning the cakes out, and then turning them over so that they are sitting on the wire rack, out of their pans, the right way up. (This is because they are such tender cakes that the wire racks will leave indentations.) Now, I know the cakes look very thin and flat at this point, but I promise you the finished cake has the requisite depth once it’s filled and iced.

Leave the cakes until cool before icing. You can make them a day in advance, but they are sticky so you must wrap them in parchment paper before wrapping in foil.

To fill the heart, whip the cream until thick but not stiff. Add the raspberries and crush with a fork, though not too finely. The cream should turn wonderfully pink, in a rose-and-white mottled fashion. Sandwich the hearts with this raspberry cream.

To ice, put the cream, the chocolate cut up in small pieces, and syrup in a pan over low to medium heat and when the chocolate seems to have all but melted into the warm cream, take off the heat and start whisking — just with a little hand whisk — until you have a smooth, glossy mixture. Pour, and then spread, preferably with a palette knife, over the top of the cake to the edges of the heart (not worrying too much about drips).

Take out your raspberries and, about 1/2 inch or slightly less from the edges of the heart, stud the chocolate topping with the raspberries (hole side down) or however, indeed, you like.

You can see from the picture that all is not lost, or not quite, if you are heavy-handed and sadly lacking in the decorative arts. I had thought of pretending that my children had iced the cake here as a cover for my clumsiness and ineptitude, but then decided it was better to come clean.

Excerpted from Feast by Nigella Lawson. Copyright (c) 2004 Nigella Lawson. Photographs by James Merrell. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold.
Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

NPR.org, February 13, 2008 ·

1 cup soft unsalted butter

1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces best bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

9- by 5-inch loaf pan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, put in a baking sheet in case of sticky drips later, and grease and line the loaf pan. The lining is important as this is a very damp cake: use parchment or one of those loaf-pan-shaped paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar, either with a wooden spoon or with an electric hand-held mixer, then add the eggs and vanilla, beating in well. Next, fold in the melted and now slightly cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to overbeat. You want the ingredients combined: You don’t want a light, airy mass. Then gently add the flour, to which you’ve added the baking soda, alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter. Pour into the lined loaf pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squidgy inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won’t come out completely clean.

Place the loaf pan on a rack, and leave to get completely cold before turning it out. (I often leave it for a day or so: like gingerbread, it improves.) Don’t worry if it sinks in the middle: indeed, it will do so because it’s such a dense and damp cake.

Makes 8 – 10 slices.

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Spring Holiday Recipes from Nigella Lawson

by Michele Norris

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‘Feast: Food to Celebrate Life’