tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71961914717052837282024-03-05T14:33:30.632-07:00Half a Mindthings in jars, sticks and strings, maybe some little bakey things Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-87695989361263071682016-04-18T13:40:00.000-06:002016-04-18T13:45:45.839-06:00Chococado Pudding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM5RbWq-0HKm1UPjyM4U5ik6s_unzlC6ZQq9tf86O1Wkim2d_cWrB1TilfThNaszeklP6pNNtn-bNaHlo4QoJM_8O110UGMRv26AvntaPfyKr6Z7HhWKPWTWQoEkR1Egg9n2XDnRmS_Y/s1600/chococado+pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM5RbWq-0HKm1UPjyM4U5ik6s_unzlC6ZQq9tf86O1Wkim2d_cWrB1TilfThNaszeklP6pNNtn-bNaHlo4QoJM_8O110UGMRv26AvntaPfyKr6Z7HhWKPWTWQoEkR1Egg9n2XDnRmS_Y/s320/chococado+pudding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There's more to avocados than guacamole. This delightful dessert, dubbed Chococado Pudding, makes a creamy chocolate vegan bit of heaven!<br />
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(Adapted from penniesonaplatter.com)<br />
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2 ripe avocados<br />
1/3 cup of almond milk (or cashew milk, or soy milk, or dairy milk...rice milk, not so much)<br />
1/4 cup liquid sweetener (think honey or agave - I mixed both)<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (dark or regular - I used dark)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract.<br />
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Blend in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. Add a splash more almond milk of it seems too thick.<br />
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Makes about 1 1/2 cupsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-86955973727378627212015-10-24T12:09:00.001-06:002015-10-24T12:09:28.373-06:00CSA Sunburst Squash Chocolate Cake or Anything Tastes Great With Chocolate!Love California with it's year-round CSA boxes! As you know, CSA boxes often mean you are on the receiving end of some fruits and veg that your grandma would have been familiar with, but you? Not so much. And the less you know about these foreign edibles, the more they seem to show up in your box!
For the last few weeks, our unusual veg has been the Sunburst Squash, aka Pattypan Squash (in yellow). I do recall these from...my grandmother's garden. They are great stuffed and roasted like an acorn squash but sometimes, that is just not what you are in the mood to eat. I give you, Chocolate Cake.<br />
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2 cup grated pattypan squash<br />
1 cup melted coconut oil<br />
3 eggs<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />¾ cup white sugar<br />½ cup brown sugar<br />1 cup all-purpose flour<br />½ cup whole wheat flour<br />½ cup cocoa<br />¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream<br />2 tbsp. baking powder<br />1 cup chocolate chips</span>
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Instructions</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</div>
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Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.</div>
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Grate the pattypan until you have about 2 cups of grated squash. If you shred with a food processor, you will have thicker shreds that might not melt into the batter but will still be tender and not distract from the chocolate cake.</div>
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Add the squash to a large bowl, and mix in oil, eggs, and both sugars until well incorporated.</div>
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Blend in flour, cocoa powder, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and baking powder.</div>
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Stir in chocolate chips.</div>
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Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't even bother with a mixer</td></tr>
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You can substitute many of the ingredients. If you are going way out in left field on your substitution, look it up to make sure you are keeping proportions correct with your new item rather than doing a straight one-to-one swap. For example, just using straight whole wheat flour will result in a denser, and not necessarily moister, cake. If you want to go all whole grain, try using whole wheat pastry flour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shreds visible. It adds character </td></tr>
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I don't know about you, but I could just eat it with a spoon at this point!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3rDuzr_ECMzQUlP-WQig-ifjw0NS8LH3IidwRN81J51CLzG5ZlVIxrmG1q9U8Lw4_G_FIn1sjLknC1zNacWlp8D3vZUfI7B31h9S7G7EnBZSGDVoA7cUBkCc-0H7_jZPGwfgMP1kG9I/s1600/11760056_983102035073965_511328626217626304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3rDuzr_ECMzQUlP-WQig-ifjw0NS8LH3IidwRN81J51CLzG5ZlVIxrmG1q9U8Lw4_G_FIn1sjLknC1zNacWlp8D3vZUfI7B31h9S7G7EnBZSGDVoA7cUBkCc-0H7_jZPGwfgMP1kG9I/s320/11760056_983102035073965_511328626217626304_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most shreds gone, remaining are tender. No frosting needed!</td></tr>
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Did you make it? Let me know your variations in comments!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-38558905541621717452014-10-25T12:49:00.003-06:002014-10-25T12:50:08.820-06:00Hot Chile Jelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been wanting to make this jelly for years...since the first time I saw a photo of it in Lianna Krissoff's <i>Canning For A New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors For The Modern Pantry. </i>It just looked so pretty. The fact that I enjoy sweet and hot tastes combined was just a bonus, but really, for me, this is a "bling" jelly.<br />
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My CSA has been sending a ridiculous number of hot peppers, which, oddly, I don't typically use in everyday cooking. I reach for the end product of hot peppers when making breakfast, lunch, and dinner - the dried peppers and chiles, hot sauces, hot oils, etc. I will apparently have the ability to make a lot of my own "end products" as each of the recipes I have investigated uses only a few ounces of chiles.<br />
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The reason I had not tackled this particular recipe, as enticing as it is, before now was strictly due to intimidation. It calls for making apple pectin and seemed like loads of additional work. Surprise! Not really so much!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsUA836VvI85DyxBVt43WI1rWEI9d47-sbaqxbL7MVq3pVJDbie00_iWL9Zh6cimjAS70I2RbgZojjJmx_vmsIfY1Z_YEr_woOOhio8O8imfVSdIo8rrrmDVIS2LDtTiji64v-M-eT2I/s1600/IMG_9009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsUA836VvI85DyxBVt43WI1rWEI9d47-sbaqxbL7MVq3pVJDbie00_iWL9Zh6cimjAS70I2RbgZojjJmx_vmsIfY1Z_YEr_woOOhio8O8imfVSdIo8rrrmDVIS2LDtTiji64v-M-eT2I/s1600/IMG_9009.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4 lbs of Granny Smith apples cut into eighths, 4 ounces of chiles and one bell pepper roughly chopped, 3 cups of water, 3 cups of white vinegar, a sliced lemon, and some of the papery skin of a few red onions.</span></span></td></tr>
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When prepping the apples, you leave the seeds and core but remove the stem. While the seeds and core add to the pectin levels, the stem contributes nothing but a little yuck factor. Bring the whole mess to a boil, occasionally giving it a stir, until you see the apple wedges come apart from their skin. This should take 20 to 30 minutes. You house should smell divine by now! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPLW1G3-B5k2YUP8Z3Oc7u0NUcCEVxUqZHW_zeej3D5fALFEnyk7U7__uxnPyZnRXDMX_sn-Seli2OzQL35oxLX6SMIKnQdiajHAF7E0hGQ1Qu74pwIgYhTJGyRCJSstdQDuXDIZJYVg/s1600/IMG_9010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPLW1G3-B5k2YUP8Z3Oc7u0NUcCEVxUqZHW_zeej3D5fALFEnyk7U7__uxnPyZnRXDMX_sn-Seli2OzQL35oxLX6SMIKnQdiajHAF7E0hGQ1Qu74pwIgYhTJGyRCJSstdQDuXDIZJYVg/s1600/IMG_9010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The onion skins are for color. You can also use a cup of plums or cranberries for the same purpose without substantially changing the flavor of the resulting jelly</td></tr>
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Drain the mixture into a fine mesh strainer (or a jelly bag), a big one unless you want a mess, set into a large bowl, and let it drip. You can stir it now and then just to get things moving but if you have made jelly, you know not to mess with it too much or you will make your jelly cloudy. If you didn't know that already, now you do! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIb8Fd7yY4Q1M9Cq2OY-_HVDRylFc1XiQnstsJw6sXQVpEB2baEEyUHJFqn2Tdv0gt_SvNGn6Irh8Uj_83VhtvJ1NVnuIwpS3IsscqCSr3fQnn3AdGlN39YuEDMe4vybqSddU7YurScU/s1600/IMG_9011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIb8Fd7yY4Q1M9Cq2OY-_HVDRylFc1XiQnstsJw6sXQVpEB2baEEyUHJFqn2Tdv0gt_SvNGn6Irh8Uj_83VhtvJ1NVnuIwpS3IsscqCSr3fQnn3AdGlN39YuEDMe4vybqSddU7YurScU/s1600/IMG_9011.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This fits nicely, with enough of a lip to grab later without burning or pinching my fingers, and plenty of room in the bowl for the liquid to drain out. It defeats the purpose if you have it sit in the liquid</td></tr>
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At the end of 30 minutes, you should have about 4 cups of liquid. If you are short, add some water to the strainer mixture and give it a gentle, non-cloud-inducing stir to make up the difference.<br />
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During the wait, you can set up your jelly/water-bath canning process: sterilized hot jars, small plate in the freezer with spoons, and lids being warmed for later sealing. Also, wash out that big pot! You are about to use it again and don't want bits and pieces in it (clouds, always the clouds).<br />
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Pour the juice back into the pan along with 3/4 cup of sugar per cup of liquid (telling you this for future reference in case you make a small batch of something using apple pectin), in this case, about 3 cups of sugar. Bring it to a boil and stir to keep from burning until either a candy thermometer reads about 220F or you do the jelly test with your freezer plate and spoon. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.<br />
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The jelly test -<br />
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Version 1: you put small amount amount of jelly on the cold plate. Let it rest for 30 seconds and tilt or nudge. If it runs down the plate, keep boiling. <br />
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Version 2: you dip your cold spoon into the boiling jelly and raise it up about 12 inches, turning it sideways. If the syrup flows down to form 2 drops that become a sheet and hang off the side of the spoon, it is done.<br />
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Once your jelly is done, spoon it into the hot jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Clean the edges with a damp paper towel or cotton cloth, place a flat lid on each jar, and finger-tighten each ring. Process the jars in the canner for 5 minutes, timing after the water begins to boil fully, then remove to the counter. As much as you want to play with them, don't disturb for 12 hours. Make sure you hear that beautiful <i>ping</i> as each jar seals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuKDPCTJGdCTS1R58hPU98Tr3tP7UhjV5m_xJwnsUFF-Eacy5116L3CRr5df-vKWMiFYv404N4FPZUY1eSH60_If-2W2DfkokGtwYVR3A25Ub3k5idk-_e8uzTgdy8ohVPciMCJ6esIs/s1600/IMG_9012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuKDPCTJGdCTS1R58hPU98Tr3tP7UhjV5m_xJwnsUFF-Eacy5116L3CRr5df-vKWMiFYv404N4FPZUY1eSH60_If-2W2DfkokGtwYVR3A25Ub3k5idk-_e8uzTgdy8ohVPciMCJ6esIs/s1600/IMG_9012.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As always, the recipe says you get 4 half-pints. I get 3 and a 1/2 half-pints, tiny jar not pictures as it was being eaten. ::ahem::<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibO721eeMlhDtlSzURCspUNrLrtE-PPipZjvd-tMjwHMb1rWBNMrLs7dMt96ULD2571NRTFeBXs99RVrnuXpKAS3BrdXmJry_BoK52FVn-ldt2yP7ZZhCTT_yVLKSrlUDM07t7L6WRtDw/s1600/IMG_9013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibO721eeMlhDtlSzURCspUNrLrtE-PPipZjvd-tMjwHMb1rWBNMrLs7dMt96ULD2571NRTFeBXs99RVrnuXpKAS3BrdXmJry_BoK52FVn-ldt2yP7ZZhCTT_yVLKSrlUDM07t7L6WRtDw/s1600/IMG_9013.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krissoff is quiet on what to do wtih all that boiled apple, chile, and pepper mess. This was my thought</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2n9RDgCJGARYYHi1STjMntfqUV1pl_Ei-csdUgTihVpvgHpluYgyUtBACw-sP9H4fo6G2YDL1zPtrTrNPhZ03euzdghhQAl1CLcRDj_70wqA3bVa_9xEXvU9w-Y-ZQMA1Obhwb5Gn_s/s1600/IMG_9015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2n9RDgCJGARYYHi1STjMntfqUV1pl_Ei-csdUgTihVpvgHpluYgyUtBACw-sP9H4fo6G2YDL1zPtrTrNPhZ03euzdghhQAl1CLcRDj_70wqA3bVa_9xEXvU9w-Y-ZQMA1Obhwb5Gn_s/s1600/IMG_9015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ended up with about double this - a tangy, spicy, apple-y puree now in the freezer while I ponder its use. I have ideas!</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-89457326188230976882014-10-18T18:30:00.000-06:002014-10-18T18:30:28.729-06:00bread-n-butterThank you, Marisa McClellan, for your obsession with things in jars. Small batch canning is really the way to go for would be canners on the go. This recipe is from her Food In Jars, a book I highly recommend to anyone wanting to dabble in putting up.<br />
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My local farmer's market had a "last chance" batch of pickling cucumbers, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to make up some pickles or relish or whatever struck me once I got home. I missed the sweet tang of a bread and butter pickle so I sliced and salted and stuck a bowl (with lid, not pictured) in the refrigerator to wait.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3nSdo6f3afQsO75kyi8fFST390HNoJflNh0mFOKWnKQ7TyC53dOQxRrjYhRzTfhECXy7MQwCumpmuzND5wUcADuTcbDBnPiVvQwwgNusVVEydj754gBb-KC_6zlDbzY3akKO0PIT4pQ/s1600/IMG_9001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3nSdo6f3afQsO75kyi8fFST390HNoJflNh0mFOKWnKQ7TyC53dOQxRrjYhRzTfhECXy7MQwCumpmuzND5wUcADuTcbDBnPiVvQwwgNusVVEydj754gBb-KC_6zlDbzY3akKO0PIT4pQ/s1600/IMG_9001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 cups of pickling cucumbers, 2 cups sliced red peppers, 2 cups sliced onions, 1/4 cup pickling salt</td></tr>
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The following afternoon, I rinsed and drained my vegetables and let them sit while I boiled up 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. When the sugar was dissolved, I added my seasonings: 2 tbsp of mustard seed, 2 tsp of celery seed, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp of ground cloves. Once the mixture boiled, I dumped in the vegetables, using the 5 minute cook time to set up my sterilized jars and other canning equipment. Stir occasionally, then remove from heat to fill your jars.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_l80dUgdgljzTnRbn7HXK3QugoupOqGSH3nZITMJdTnrYMAbXWRovIBAoZ0wLXV9aUsnAqKBLkAE0-nYwg7A1jqs5vZAz_ilNgaeM32ILq1Raa5fIOFyexdzYoHFdrx7HIBdL5RMYTw/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_l80dUgdgljzTnRbn7HXK3QugoupOqGSH3nZITMJdTnrYMAbXWRovIBAoZ0wLXV9aUsnAqKBLkAE0-nYwg7A1jqs5vZAz_ilNgaeM32ILq1Raa5fIOFyexdzYoHFdrx7HIBdL5RMYTw/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how far above the brine this is. Give it a minute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcihX8JhP1qttxjGu2mGrzt1heV97-e59JQ82ng1EIG_48tu1iTUK1neDLkojN_64f5xKVP4XJT0wAkVELqoA-_hr5sdaNMBWTYvp9FWpuA6mcUh9nOOEOG66JbZ68D11ZttXRV9l3jc8/s1600/IMG_9003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcihX8JhP1qttxjGu2mGrzt1heV97-e59JQ82ng1EIG_48tu1iTUK1neDLkojN_64f5xKVP4XJT0wAkVELqoA-_hr5sdaNMBWTYvp9FWpuA6mcUh9nOOEOG66JbZ68D11ZttXRV9l3jc8/s1600/IMG_9003.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is 5 minutes later.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At this point, you use your tongs to fill your clean, hot jars with the cucumber mixture. Carefully fill the jars with the brine, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynBiYxK-nv0oz_yJR_O7kVJDLYax_ZH15x5ctweEZx810_t71TMF4pEZA7907ZEU9hjwii1qTPOrdYZQcvJLVOSlHsmkLHkGVl18zG1YGGywwFg06_tDfHgdryVRMaIvjEMnieUne494/s1600/IMG_9004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynBiYxK-nv0oz_yJR_O7kVJDLYax_ZH15x5ctweEZx810_t71TMF4pEZA7907ZEU9hjwii1qTPOrdYZQcvJLVOSlHsmkLHkGVl18zG1YGGywwFg06_tDfHgdryVRMaIvjEMnieUne494/s1600/IMG_9004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marisa's recipe says 5 pints but I don't end up with more than 3 and a snack bowl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tap your jars on a towel covered counter (you do NOT want hot, sticky pickle juice and broken glass all over!) or use a de-bubbling tool to remove all the air pockets. Check that headspace and adjust the brine levels accordingly. Wipe your rims, place your lids and rings on to finger tight, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uA7IOUlPNcqzctk2j7tVmk0XHm2jRI7Hu97kgUA11iLlpfN6Bi7wi8n23n9r4AVzgohKWIuRgYJ1Ay-CpnW9mqzJoPCqnCttW_GUVst7ne5K29dd3S8hRsyu2yXFiUKBwZ0rxR-_n-M/s1600/IMG_9005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uA7IOUlPNcqzctk2j7tVmk0XHm2jRI7Hu97kgUA11iLlpfN6Bi7wi8n23n9r4AVzgohKWIuRgYJ1Ay-CpnW9mqzJoPCqnCttW_GUVst7ne5K29dd3S8hRsyu2yXFiUKBwZ0rxR-_n-M/s1600/IMG_9005.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I remove the lid and let it sit, burner off, for 5 minutes just as a matter of habit after a bad, bad experience with canning tomatoes. Take your jars out of the canner and let them cool on the counter. <br />
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Try really hard to not get into them for 48 hours. I know, it's difficult, but it will be worth the wait!<br />
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For a more detailed, official write up, I refer you to Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marisa McClellanUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-10651220065993706002014-03-16T13:19:00.002-06:002014-03-16T13:22:25.609-06:00Gingerbread! Tastes just like Christmas!Living in Florida has really messed up my sense of season, so a recent cool snap made me think longingly of Christmas and baking and that awesome rediscovered Gingerbread recipe from KAF's Whole Grain Baking. I made it a few years ago and then promptly forgot where I got the recipe. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrepd2EYIXnntbo0agjw0Uv21WOVluH8nI3AXvMyJhcD9b7Pbtf9YVjETK8X4G6pok1KOFp4coCnOkEU2dDtAiZPHXEqGJ_q2EukDtmQa9FAHyqYlUU6FlX3Ne0KHRQWEebojRkHxzXk/s1600/IMG_8497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrepd2EYIXnntbo0agjw0Uv21WOVluH8nI3AXvMyJhcD9b7Pbtf9YVjETK8X4G6pok1KOFp4coCnOkEU2dDtAiZPHXEqGJ_q2EukDtmQa9FAHyqYlUU6FlX3Ne0KHRQWEebojRkHxzXk/s1600/IMG_8497.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an assembly of likely suspects</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is a very simple, no-mixer-required recipe so I gathered up the ingredients, greased and floured my 8x8 pan (calls for 9x9, but hey, you go with what you have), and heated the oven to 350F.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbc4eFv4s-vrJpVSTkvUpZ0UO5drBbw6FRnda6RIcZJ19y94kMa-T75N6svW8V6_KdQMdgCNjeo_l6fG-nmeY-V2NJXYsCx7S1elQk7R9kflwO5G2CNsz8AX7r8oGk7WLIQrhXO39Iss/s1600/IMG_8498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbc4eFv4s-vrJpVSTkvUpZ0UO5drBbw6FRnda6RIcZJ19y94kMa-T75N6svW8V6_KdQMdgCNjeo_l6fG-nmeY-V2NJXYsCx7S1elQk7R9kflwO5G2CNsz8AX7r8oGk7WLIQrhXO39Iss/s1600/IMG_8498.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">whisk this - I use pastry flour as it gives a nice moist crumb</td></tr>
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Whisk dry ingredients:<br />
2 1/2 cups traditional whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWozBCD28HawOdBpARs6SbYHPSVmCH1wAL-y1jPrXpPuq2H6aFO1FpjRga1JiybLMGsxLWWKdRl5l3f1aA8cS1ub7hTYXegCfuJOtc7o7IPWvqxCv65VVGe3jYrM8EjAne_WnedVqzII/s1600/IMG_8499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWozBCD28HawOdBpARs6SbYHPSVmCH1wAL-y1jPrXpPuq2H6aFO1FpjRga1JiybLMGsxLWWKdRl5l3f1aA8cS1ub7hTYXegCfuJOtc7o7IPWvqxCv65VVGe3jYrM8EjAne_WnedVqzII/s1600/IMG_8499.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mix this - in place of brown sugar corn syrup, I used brown rice syrup. Oh, and I almost never have unsalted butter but as my salt is kosher salt, I've never had saltiness issues with my baked goods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Wet ingredients:<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted<br />
1/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
2 tbsp brown sugar corn syrup<br />
1 lg egg<br />
3/4 cup molasses<br />
1 cup buttermilk<br />
<br />
Pour wet into dry and gently stir until incorporated. Ok, wait, that's what I do. The recipe actually says "Stir in teh flour mixture until the batter is evenly moistened." If anyone can tell me why adding dry to wet vs wet to dry matters, by all means, comment!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATS9GZQBVO105QNSaZMkezz7Pwhshyphenhyphenri9sIbRgYo5Pcgbiu_pjsg1d1UOdoENgijB943Mao-I0MFyMYAYbaPbc3gfxn13aOdvKOQAgpL3UJV7FHnZtvgpZCvxWozkqzWdkahthz00qgk/s1600/IMG_8500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATS9GZQBVO105QNSaZMkezz7Pwhshyphenhyphenri9sIbRgYo5Pcgbiu_pjsg1d1UOdoENgijB943Mao-I0MFyMYAYbaPbc3gfxn13aOdvKOQAgpL3UJV7FHnZtvgpZCvxWozkqzWdkahthz00qgk/s1600/IMG_8500.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stir in extras</td></tr>
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extras:<br />
1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger<br />
1 cup diced dried apricots<br />
<br />
The crystallized ginger, purchased at Whole Foods markets in a resealable bag, is not optional. The apricots can be omitted. I have made the recipe both ways and love it either way, so personal preference abounds here.<br />
<br />
Pour into the pan, bake until center is set for 45 to 50 minutes. In my case, because of the deeper batter in the pan with less real estate, I go for the longer time. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before you <strike>dive in with a fork and spoon</strike> serve warm. Leftovers go great with breakfast coffee!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOznoLTYJqEkN5fHqpCP-gwGPcuVuU5PHjqjxjcUlk6VxHn8Pak0Nqmxs5mgMuDMYeuqJrXmvUtVqcHp25uDm7cBic-oEZ6cYSRJq4oNxQc-H6sODBzWB6ibbXsKEsutxm6GQhhrEClsA/s1600/IMG_8507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOznoLTYJqEkN5fHqpCP-gwGPcuVuU5PHjqjxjcUlk6VxHn8Pak0Nqmxs5mgMuDMYeuqJrXmvUtVqcHp25uDm7cBic-oEZ6cYSRJq4oNxQc-H6sODBzWB6ibbXsKEsutxm6GQhhrEClsA/s1600/IMG_8507.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">best served with whipped cream...alas, I had none</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-1829429452050312992014-03-12T17:33:00.002-06:002014-03-12T17:33:35.605-06:00Asian-inspired Kitchen Sink Cold Noodle SaladWhat to make for dinner when you don't home until 530pm? This! If I was really on the ball, I'd have made it earlier in the day. Because you can!<br />
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All you really need for this "anything goes" recipe is whole wheat thin spaghetti and a sauce you like. I go with what I can get at BJ's Warehouse because that's what there is where I live right now. The sauce is an amazing Chili Teriyaki Sauce made by <a href="http://www.schlotterbeck-foss.com/our-products/">S & F</a> from my old stomping grounds in Portland Maine. Outstanding products, although this one might be made only for BJs as I do not see it on <a href="http://www.schlotterbeck-foss.com/our-products/">their website</a>. I suspect, and will have to find out in a few months when we move and I no longer have a BJs in the state, that you can get a similar taste using a sweet chili sauce and a teriyaki sauce (more chili than teriyaki, based on the color).<br />
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At any rate, pasta and sauce are the base and from there, the sky's the limit. For tonight's dinner, I dug around in the refrigerator and came up with this: carrots, red pepper, frozen peas, sliced almonds, green onions, and roasted chicken<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2X_jsWjof1thWnNwGbEYLxR_fpqHkuXAvb86b3Ff385uKknVdlEaxPTyfOdYV4nNYQD6VzAhheSg57mSi2ik1Fn0RKXwd3Ob0wpnEuM9Ql4eLhyphenhyphenQ6cxF5oyJvHVW5JfPa-BNgme7xqJQ/s1600/IMG_8488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2X_jsWjof1thWnNwGbEYLxR_fpqHkuXAvb86b3Ff385uKknVdlEaxPTyfOdYV4nNYQD6VzAhheSg57mSi2ik1Fn0RKXwd3Ob0wpnEuM9Ql4eLhyphenhyphenQ6cxF5oyJvHVW5JfPa-BNgme7xqJQ/s1600/IMG_8488.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not pictured, sliced almonds. I need a crunch and that adds exactly the right amount without overwhelming the flavor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In other incarnations, I have added most of a bag of preshredded cole slaw mix and green pea pods. Don't like one of the vegetables? Leave it out. Have some zucchini cluttering up your counter top? Shred it and toss it in! Going vegetarian only tonight? Skip the chicken and add more vegetables...or grill up some tofu. Or...whatever.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag5wod2-6lFHSq8lmISuUR7bYvsv7qBk7a24_6by32OBfj7OmhyDNSWdryYsi7tTgJQGTyr_gUMuNd7k2BlTe0XdFIDoVDLO3GaZ2NLoE8L7BldouhtZaBy3zglwXupIW5qoa-9e0j3s/s1600/IMG_8489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag5wod2-6lFHSq8lmISuUR7bYvsv7qBk7a24_6by32OBfj7OmhyDNSWdryYsi7tTgJQGTyr_gUMuNd7k2BlTe0XdFIDoVDLO3GaZ2NLoE8L7BldouhtZaBy3zglwXupIW5qoa-9e0j3s/s1600/IMG_8489.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 2: enlist the services of a reluctant pasta-eating teenager.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWKCpPX8lGLujMADrWE-iUZ6srTOWtjg1oZkxRFlU3yAhYdtTYcrwMrW5cSgLKbmHl5JimKXyIY6zrLNln4ywmCTq0RL6a_WQCg5v0qjQaZK5PUoA7p32tEzWuTxng1gL_0N1A_-EW6c/s1600/IMG_8490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWKCpPX8lGLujMADrWE-iUZ6srTOWtjg1oZkxRFlU3yAhYdtTYcrwMrW5cSgLKbmHl5JimKXyIY6zrLNln4ywmCTq0RL6a_WQCg5v0qjQaZK5PUoA7p32tEzWuTxng1gL_0N1A_-EW6c/s1600/IMG_8490.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is, all chopped. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Don't worry about the amounts. Eyeball it. If you are seeing too much pasta when you stir it together, add more of whatever you feel is missing. For reference, I use about a third of a bottle of sauce. Don't drown the noodles, just give them a reason to not stick together.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaei4JNorPcHTfjCJ7fmP_o6PFuvl8SqH0axT412PToaMjl3PEIJgtCu9IS1WCwLJ7Myq7BqAn5-mOTlxwXk2gXA7lTIEZKSBNhji6FwW_F0-ckpZtJ6Cv_4C5JRX1H91QNohJ5MukUI0/s1600/IMG_8491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaei4JNorPcHTfjCJ7fmP_o6PFuvl8SqH0axT412PToaMjl3PEIJgtCu9IS1WCwLJ7Myq7BqAn5-mOTlxwXk2gXA7lTIEZKSBNhji6FwW_F0-ckpZtJ6Cv_4C5JRX1H91QNohJ5MukUI0/s1600/IMG_8491.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be sure to rinse the pasta in cold water and shake all the water out before dumping it into a very very large bowl...for stirring purposes, you know</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuGNZ5sIi3juCXZgX9g3gtbzfmzaaaHZF-Z_X31RnPLxw8KLvgULG7CqXIJBDWcQPIV-tuW94J8vrwmegsPMuWDj5zPRw3X9YO3Uz57wjq8TuFMOpk5JVEQwNIg3txvaHAhZBAgGDDEM/s1600/IMG_8492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuGNZ5sIi3juCXZgX9g3gtbzfmzaaaHZF-Z_X31RnPLxw8KLvgULG7CqXIJBDWcQPIV-tuW94J8vrwmegsPMuWDj5zPRw3X9YO3Uz57wjq8TuFMOpk5JVEQwNIg3txvaHAhZBAgGDDEM/s1600/IMG_8492.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stir it all together and serve!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-78541553477110879342013-10-24T14:46:00.000-06:002013-10-24T14:50:17.608-06:00where bread illustrates mathematical errorWhen I last left you, I had two loaves worth of brioche dough left in the refrigerator. What is a girl to do? Clearly the only option was to make up two more loaves!<br />
<br />
Naturally, I had to pull out a single loaf of brioche. A test, if you will. The baseline. So I know what it tastes like without any fancy adornments. So two pounds of dough was removed, shaped, and dropped into a prepared pan for the rise.<br />
<br />
This left me with a pound and a half of dough. Quite the nice deal, this recipe. It makes up enough for two fancy loaves of a pound and a half each and a two pound loaf of plain. I had already made up the pumpkin loaf and wanted something a little more interesting. Quickly flipping through the original Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day turned up Chocolate Prune Bread. Fantabulous!<br />
<br />
So again, I dusted and pulled out my remaining pound and a half of dough and rolled it out to a half inch thick rectangle. This is thicker than the <a href="http://1halfamind.blogspot.com/2013/10/let-them-eat-brioche.html">Pumpkin Swirl Bread</a> but there will be a lot more solid goods to be held by this rectangle!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzpOqk1XjYcf1Bf2ukfktLtbuymi8Y7hxI_AIK1HqrPgb5viFQkHsCknBLSm3XZFMoudA6HA6dLssYdKsQa608n_WmDrZ7p_D22W1VyEfFI9uJtwRrZ2VrW6pcEwxlX9XJRuj4dBrC18/s1600/IMG_8333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzpOqk1XjYcf1Bf2ukfktLtbuymi8Y7hxI_AIK1HqrPgb5viFQkHsCknBLSm3XZFMoudA6HA6dLssYdKsQa608n_WmDrZ7p_D22W1VyEfFI9uJtwRrZ2VrW6pcEwxlX9XJRuj4dBrC18/s320/IMG_8333.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/2 inch thick brioche dough piled with 6 oz of bittersweet chocolate and 3/4 cup of chopped prunes</td></tr>
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The directions were pretty clear at this point. I was to roll the dough...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQs_Nwb0lUPtq-a3wowFFCSJWnuJIfDpCzTg_DuzCK9ziwaAPp2tj392CxMEtLlZJ3bC2_SWvvc6pRazrJJV0Ess_3q-AJdqRHqhkaQEBeh5Vrlx1hTKrVVpUgSSue2AUe5cEGGGN5Is/s1600/IMG_8334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQs_Nwb0lUPtq-a3wowFFCSJWnuJIfDpCzTg_DuzCK9ziwaAPp2tj392CxMEtLlZJ3bC2_SWvvc6pRazrJJV0Ess_3q-AJdqRHqhkaQEBeh5Vrlx1hTKrVVpUgSSue2AUe5cEGGGN5Is/s320/IMG_8334.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all rolled up and seam sealed</td></tr>
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and then begin folding it up, turning between folds, and using the heel of my hand to press down. Bits and pieces were to come out potentially and this was not to worry me. It was all in the name of filling distribution. Here, dear reader, is where geometry failed me. I folded a few times.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFQ6idWN9mcpoU3yF6RhiMRSr2pAv-tTOwBF-kSJ3gEbVFCbOh6vU4G_CJxumibK8zAK-9ALUrp7YyqBFSInjDOJvUUP3YxnX2kkrLldYYezzyYC2KlvCOe_uRYpEFJkHa_Y1kSH6fmU/s1600/IMG_8335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFQ6idWN9mcpoU3yF6RhiMRSr2pAv-tTOwBF-kSJ3gEbVFCbOh6vU4G_CJxumibK8zAK-9ALUrp7YyqBFSInjDOJvUUP3YxnX2kkrLldYYezzyYC2KlvCOe_uRYpEFJkHa_Y1kSH6fmU/s320/IMG_8335.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see? folded. And I even turned to get to this point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvUY8DRdlH1dWwmq3eMaLDckVOkdMA661lXGB_pLMdpGaHe5NC218IE5qZnYaUzureNuWqmoQSe8b9D6j92DziDeUg9IcB7XmuBaxd6vAn4nMIveuCM_yFxGzjOnH39eNrzi5AECN9eg/s1600/IMG_8336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvUY8DRdlH1dWwmq3eMaLDckVOkdMA661lXGB_pLMdpGaHe5NC218IE5qZnYaUzureNuWqmoQSe8b9D6j92DziDeUg9IcB7XmuBaxd6vAn4nMIveuCM_yFxGzjOnH39eNrzi5AECN9eg/s320/IMG_8336.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I pressed a bit as well. With my hand. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SVY0i7UfYfSh53abzbj0jGvJgzJOYruDWM6dJ4jf-ML7ORcyjr5g27iisuGxb7szghIznTUYdHxnoyiZBmmu_swapRfDl03osi1c903Y1a7_VFxi7rSliu__dsfxAAR9pHx8IGcCAAc/s1600/IMG_8337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SVY0i7UfYfSh53abzbj0jGvJgzJOYruDWM6dJ4jf-ML7ORcyjr5g27iisuGxb7szghIznTUYdHxnoyiZBmmu_swapRfDl03osi1c903Y1a7_VFxi7rSliu__dsfxAAR9pHx8IGcCAAc/s320/IMG_8337.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and you can see where bits have made an appearance as it sits there in its greased and sugared pan, rising for 90 minutes under a loosely placed (and sprayed with canola oil) sheet of plastic wrap</td></tr>
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Alas, there was not nearly enough turning. And I can, in retrospect, see exactly how I created this tube of un-chunk-filled brioche running down the center of the loaf!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXpbU0z2kfFkwAS_EMRBt9V19CzimRPHp5s_61v_VD6oil9atSXIZXn2IAIxlu4RqfPLqKwPp6ISxv2xiJjZd6oSih-JRqSKqUIXne2cTXhgEgt_AAyzNLROhxn7Tl8KwiXoRd9D3G-c/s1600/IMG_8340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXpbU0z2kfFkwAS_EMRBt9V19CzimRPHp5s_61v_VD6oil9atSXIZXn2IAIxlu4RqfPLqKwPp6ISxv2xiJjZd6oSih-JRqSKqUIXne2cTXhgEgt_AAyzNLROhxn7Tl8KwiXoRd9D3G-c/s320/IMG_8340.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture the tube without the prune anomaly there in the middle. All the goods were evenly distributed directly under the crust. </td></tr>
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But as you can see, I did not care! It is one of the most delicious loaves I have ever had, much less created myself! I will definitely be making this again, with ::ahem:: more folding and heel of hand pressing. Anyway, 350F oven, for 40-50 minutes, remove from pan, allow to cool before cutting. Bon appetit!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-15948221582197728422013-10-20T18:08:00.002-06:002013-10-20T18:26:11.596-06:00let them eat brioche!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's what Marie Antoinette actually said. Brioche, that egg-n-butter enriched bread that apparently mistranslates to cake somewhere crossing the Channel. <br />
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A post by those awesome bread bakers over at <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/">Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day</a> hit my feed with a recipe I could not resist. <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2013/10/17/pumpkin-swirl-bread-and-a-giveaway-of-the-new-artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day">Pumpkin Swirl Bread.</a> So, friends, here goes. What you are about to see is not pretty. But it was darn near polished off by 4 people in 24 hours. There is a bare heel left for me for tomorrow with my tea!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiHRO5zQUeXA8VK7UmA3mpIPvrhOruQc59oKbYJJY6y4XCYi-FUvNbUt0lAYBOodKFPjVDNI_VWgNJzDNbdU91luFhT9LJMoXp8PQQUbCBZxAoq5Fo33uvhHkgy5nISb7sbSug_BOXyU/s1600/IMG_8322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiHRO5zQUeXA8VK7UmA3mpIPvrhOruQc59oKbYJJY6y4XCYi-FUvNbUt0lAYBOodKFPjVDNI_VWgNJzDNbdU91luFhT9LJMoXp8PQQUbCBZxAoq5Fo33uvhHkgy5nISb7sbSug_BOXyU/s320/IMG_8322.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started off with the Whole Wheat Brioche from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day. This required some forethought on my account because the enriched dough needs to be refrigerated for 2 hours minimum. I went with overnight. And while we are talking about my deviations, I also used two egg beater servings (1/4 cup each) in place of two of the eggs and canola oil instead of butter. The dough seems none the worse for it. At any rate, whatever brioche you use, you will need 1 1/2 lbs of it.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNdVoDnpBAd-UQEaPE4uDnfWE0kWCy66Z310QdyLyi2143ySNLbv7neYKVffRiyww0Ssus2XACe8YLqqLV8aayI-cmmWU8DGKHZH_AzrtOj4EAwbqyvQQorlL6nRLONsIZhJ3DOmnKEs/s1600/IMG_8323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNdVoDnpBAd-UQEaPE4uDnfWE0kWCy66Z310QdyLyi2143ySNLbv7neYKVffRiyww0Ssus2XACe8YLqqLV8aayI-cmmWU8DGKHZH_AzrtOj4EAwbqyvQQorlL6nRLONsIZhJ3DOmnKEs/s320/IMG_8323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling! 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUeZZXixwfvx63CktTN1bOrPJykzEl4F2WfaiR6FrrpamMWqXhQKR9fHXZt10ZPnim3Ci9BBrf_ptiAd7ZeWia8an6cVsgohHuzgHvH1w7zUNU55jgGc5Kg9s6-g2cvba5CC6iHksdSI/s1600/IMG_8324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUeZZXixwfvx63CktTN1bOrPJykzEl4F2WfaiR6FrrpamMWqXhQKR9fHXZt10ZPnim3Ci9BBrf_ptiAd7ZeWia8an6cVsgohHuzgHvH1w7zUNU55jgGc5Kg9s6-g2cvba5CC6iHksdSI/s320/IMG_8324.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take your pound and a half and roll it out to a rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Yes, I got a ruler. Yes, that's as rectangular as I'm gonna get rolling out bread dough!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EdODb1RinGAGb6naMLHhYtk1bcP9mrvVRr9OryDZSOrIWcEdXB-bX0tYRBAge0UBp5m5ndknWzN2htu27RKtdRYsO2EM0elvePkm7hXgqYhBDXRICstmKhnL6V3ofzlO9OSaFZa0Zfs/s1600/IMG_8325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EdODb1RinGAGb6naMLHhYtk1bcP9mrvVRr9OryDZSOrIWcEdXB-bX0tYRBAge0UBp5m5ndknWzN2htu27RKtdRYsO2EM0elvePkm7hXgqYhBDXRICstmKhnL6V3ofzlO9OSaFZa0Zfs/s320/IMG_8325.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread filling and roll it up tight and pinch the seam to seal it up. This is messy, folks. You will be licking spiced and sugared pumpkin puree off your fingers when you are done (she says this like it's a bad thing!)</td></tr>
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So far so good, right? Here's where it all really starts to fall apart!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuiH-1W554OvNPLpRXDngQ-Ou_bPeBc90BiX2YTlGkILeA2D96wdKdUKL_1TacKXnk_vgf1clUQ6tqvyExiRQx_lpbYZH2f9icpWLxkP2BCEOrCYHvA6M-AtBgSk999rrQ9qj9Xfzk89Y/s1600/IMG_8326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuiH-1W554OvNPLpRXDngQ-Ou_bPeBc90BiX2YTlGkILeA2D96wdKdUKL_1TacKXnk_vgf1clUQ6tqvyExiRQx_lpbYZH2f9icpWLxkP2BCEOrCYHvA6M-AtBgSk999rrQ9qj9Xfzk89Y/s320/IMG_8326.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know those cute photos of easy-to-make, pretty things on Pinterest? Yeah. Cut your jelly roll of brioche dough and pumpkin mess into ten equal pieces. Somehow, this looks a lot less like <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/pumpkin-swirl-bread-05.jpg">their photo</a> and a lot more like <a href="http://slidersweb.net/blinker/hall/tid/trek/blob1.jpg">something that flew through the air and stuck to a Spock in Star Trek episode 29, Operation: Annihilate!</a> ::ahem::</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM5KM4XFtnrNJwrC2q9XDgJNb1DJd8-0rTw0A8tq9FyTne5eFhfHi00aVrETmuty4CCmj2Zvv0c6oxVizKDWkvcent-Q9HeRx_8hv2cwdY-dm6OSBdsZa2FVW_mDBgWKLYDNA2pH5_YQ/s1600/IMG_8327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM5KM4XFtnrNJwrC2q9XDgJNb1DJd8-0rTw0A8tq9FyTne5eFhfHi00aVrETmuty4CCmj2Zvv0c6oxVizKDWkvcent-Q9HeRx_8hv2cwdY-dm6OSBdsZa2FVW_mDBgWKLYDNA2pH5_YQ/s320/IMG_8327.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nonetheless, I trudged on, placing six pieces facing outwards along the sides of the pan and the remaining four on top. The hope was that they would rise to the challenge and glue themselves together.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNc_yUcllRnuUGwn_AeRBhvRq2lNyZ4h1maMaZz0V7buKhKh569BR4gRVvxYtSp3eoSWFpTFw04aq11b7qz1dVby1SL-2VxnWDZntGI_sSyB32c0tQQwwAARJi9kBpAXaNwCQ7XDYz18/s1600/IMG_8328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNc_yUcllRnuUGwn_AeRBhvRq2lNyZ4h1maMaZz0V7buKhKh569BR4gRVvxYtSp3eoSWFpTFw04aq11b7qz1dVby1SL-2VxnWDZntGI_sSyB32c0tQQwwAARJi9kBpAXaNwCQ7XDYz18/s320/IMG_8328.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After ninety minutes...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu01PQ-wBHZ3Qlc_3afzI_LC1QIQzg4OW7-sIwrflgtlxZl89Z9r0rUq9C4P_9BtRLnCdKnfnuN1vW85QataVAYUdPs_zNGSdq_dIbsrUCJCBDdp4VQ4Ea9G0h1_DO0OdOY64TDFqcHmg/s1600/IMG_8329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu01PQ-wBHZ3Qlc_3afzI_LC1QIQzg4OW7-sIwrflgtlxZl89Z9r0rUq9C4P_9BtRLnCdKnfnuN1vW85QataVAYUdPs_zNGSdq_dIbsrUCJCBDdp4VQ4Ea9G0h1_DO0OdOY64TDFqcHmg/s320/IMG_8329.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And after 50 minutes in a 350F oven!</td></tr>
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So, while nowhere near as pretty as the nice people who make a living doing it, the Pumpkin Swirl Brioche was every bit as tasty as I hoped! And its adorable, cinnamon roll meets bread pan look gives me ideas for other things! And as for looks, I have this sneaking suspicion that somewhere between rolling the dough up and cutting it into ten parts, there was some refrigeration time to firm the whole thing back up. I may try that on my own next time.<br />
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If you make this, please include photos in your comments!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-44962639813960256352013-05-06T12:56:00.001-06:002013-05-06T12:56:43.852-06:00ham it up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Deviled Ham might be the witch's cauldron of pasty meats, but as it is my first foray into the genre, I may find they are all like this! Faced with a significant chunk of leftover spiral ham and a sudden desire for this odd spread most people only eat on a dare, I scoured the internet for recipes. After the first half dozen, I realized it comes down to this:</div>
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about 2 cups of diced ham</div>
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a scant quarter cup of mayo</div>
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a healthy squeeze of mustard</div>
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a few spoonfuls of something pickled</div>
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a quarter of an onion, coursely chopped</div>
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1/2 tsp paprika</div>
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a few dashes of hot sauce</div>
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a pinch of cayenne</div>
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salt, pepper to taste</div>
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Optional items range from maple syrup to horseradish and include Worcestershire Sauce, white vinegar, chopped bell pepper, caraway seeds, coriander seed, mustard powder in addition to prepared mustard, smoked paprika, unsalted butter in lieu of mayonnaise...as you can see, an eye of newt would not be out of the question in this recipe!</div>
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I opted to use real mayonnaise over Miracle Whip, dijon mustard (you can see how varying the mustards would significantly change the taste), capers for my pickle (other options were dill, bread and butter, and sweet relish, so sky's the limit here) and red onion (shallots? white onion? vidalias? leaks???). I also added some smoked hot paprika.</div>
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Experiment and share!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Us8MhnySoW0aIRB4wRDIzHpVFSGpcnOUTtqiDNzGyPPMOo2MaKNoRnTtyWqtISVSElrJyHnK7-yhhwMTHS0pYC1C3mQHwx8cFXVgD6ZocBr5jEiNQTSx7Y6vtRA-e4aVd3TIFrp4OyA/s1600/IMG_8187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Us8MhnySoW0aIRB4wRDIzHpVFSGpcnOUTtqiDNzGyPPMOo2MaKNoRnTtyWqtISVSElrJyHnK7-yhhwMTHS0pYC1C3mQHwx8cFXVgD6ZocBr5jEiNQTSx7Y6vtRA-e4aVd3TIFrp4OyA/s320/IMG_8187.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For days, I couldn't walk by the refrigerator without grabbing a bit on a cracker!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-4897554067549431582013-05-06T12:28:00.000-06:002013-05-06T20:06:11.173-06:00sweet surprise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
When Marissa McClellan of <a href="http://www.foodinjars.com/">Food in Jars</a> fame says something is good, I tend to believe her. I do have to admit that I looked at her <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/06/recipe_detail.html?id=8320">Canteloupe Jam with Vanilla</a> with a raised eyebrow so that, and the fact that I had a melon in the refrigerator that was harder than anyone in my family wanted to eat, meant it had to be tried. A quick glance in the Narnia I call my pantry turned up a vanilla bean and I was off!</div>
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I am hotlinking the recipe to an online newspaper article about her fabulous book, which I really suggest you either buy. At least check it out of the library for a test run! I know hot linking is typically frowned upon but in this case, the newspaper has permission from Ms McClellan to publish her recipe and I do not, so in the interests of getting you to the recipe legally, there it is. And it is not widely available in multiple forms over the internet so...</div>
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Seeded and chopped, I dumped the melon into my biggest stock pot - it never pays to have hot sugar glomming up the top of your stove and spraying onto your arms - with sugar, vanilla bean scrapings, and the pod itself and cooked it as directed for 8 to 10 minutes. </div>
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All went swimmingly well and when it says "until the bubbles look thick"...well, they really did, so that is a valuable marker. I used exactly 2 1/2 cups of melon and somehow ended up with two 8oz jars instead of three, but they taste like a really sophisticated childhood sweet. Definitely one to make again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnof284g8rLJiZ2w8MyyFYZEdw3sRVaXToKB6-J1E4OLbxRADGYLabKWv1l3Fq2s5NNNV4o0xvPlkmDIQBScudHhc_-B-1aFSLDtNrk2zGL4j2EQI9JZq_Pwjg_PXFVJ42dhfC4ADlaQ/s1600/IMG_8246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnof284g8rLJiZ2w8MyyFYZEdw3sRVaXToKB6-J1E4OLbxRADGYLabKWv1l3Fq2s5NNNV4o0xvPlkmDIQBScudHhc_-B-1aFSLDtNrk2zGL4j2EQI9JZq_Pwjg_PXFVJ42dhfC4ADlaQ/s320/IMG_8246.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all the usual suspects in the pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyisvMrLEOGYbVRyBPNS7fblHcsAZuyMmcGiVw5BGq5miI1ZQdjLOX1YmCBaFJerXH788b8xMAMfNeI3Ddt0vKk5btvL1xzboYU0U_r-9vVoFwONYv_Z07i8YaNe-tgbI0JptgG5q3h7g/s400/IMG_20130430_074849_878.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the delightful outcome</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyisvMrLEOGYbVRyBPNS7fblHcsAZuyMmcGiVw5BGq5miI1ZQdjLOX1YmCBaFJerXH788b8xMAMfNeI3Ddt0vKk5btvL1xzboYU0U_r-9vVoFwONYv_Z07i8YaNe-tgbI0JptgG5q3h7g/s1600/IMG_20130430_074849_878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-72089698624312352512013-02-26T10:23:00.001-07:002013-02-26T10:23:24.206-07:00One, Two, Three!<a href="http://1halfamind.blogspot.com/2012/01/not-your-mommas-lemonade.html">Limoncello</a>...it's as easy as<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjR_5LOCjScpiviBlCU7Aiv7KdgYH7OCwciFkDm9c2eldnpq53Q0NCbi4z95H482ceYW0FhQEubeDr_F0wzDmRp9lzjTaX74FhSmfeQ0F3NwUCA_5fp3oTLe4geB44B1CGbj9rOQvMlY/s1600/IMG_8221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjR_5LOCjScpiviBlCU7Aiv7KdgYH7OCwciFkDm9c2eldnpq53Q0NCbi4z95H482ceYW0FhQEubeDr_F0wzDmRp9lzjTaX74FhSmfeQ0F3NwUCA_5fp3oTLe4geB44B1CGbj9rOQvMlY/s320/IMG_8221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 Meyer Lemons plus one orange</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mihcJcmxCGH-WyNk3gY57KdeUYhbPD4eMM1I8IoPoJomHSgPcZSPYK0r6tGPOEU-xQipkiLQGdsxgqM5kyG9fYC7mNJrBikNbjQrHGJO7yNESvWu2-H86i9izAVfUYRJKQvf8jYZr6w/s1600/IMG_8222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mihcJcmxCGH-WyNk3gY57KdeUYhbPD4eMM1I8IoPoJomHSgPcZSPYK0r6tGPOEU-xQipkiLQGdsxgqM5kyG9fYC7mNJrBikNbjQrHGJO7yNESvWu2-H86i9izAVfUYRJKQvf8jYZr6w/s320/IMG_8222.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rind peeled & pithed off, citrus juiced, 3/4 cup simple syrup</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU9xqCulbEyR0EkodKdEHPBO2ulTAxnEdFA5J2GuuuShLFVuDRq_NGkvcdniC5VV2DiAZzogSNxZ6vlO3VdcetJ4mJJR6G5R4EiyFJ60e6JCoZVhQ9eYNfZakpICnf4o8qjNWCo7SDn8/s1600/IMG_8226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU9xqCulbEyR0EkodKdEHPBO2ulTAxnEdFA5J2GuuuShLFVuDRq_NGkvcdniC5VV2DiAZzogSNxZ6vlO3VdcetJ4mJJR6G5R4EiyFJ60e6JCoZVhQ9eYNfZakpICnf4o8qjNWCo7SDn8/s320/IMG_8226.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plus 3 cups of vodka<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">and voila! Limoncello! Wait several weeks, add more simple syrup to taste, enjoy!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-42187727548181667372013-02-07T07:24:00.001-07:002013-02-07T19:52:32.362-07:00Pucker Up, Sunshine!It's kumquat season! You know, that tiny little fruit you pop in your mouth for a burst of sweet and sour and seed spitting? Yum!<br />
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I picked up a couple of pints at the store this week and after trying them out on my unsuspecting sons (they loved them), trawled the internetz for ways to preserve these little beauties. Apparently, you can pickle anything!<br />
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I borrowed this recipe from <a href="http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2009/01/pickled-kumquats.html">vanillagarlic</a>, making my own modifications because really? Who has cardamom pods in their pantry without prior planning. I promise, I have a ridiculous spice cabinet. Especially for someone who moves as often as we do. But I will have to add the pods. Apparently, 10 pods equals about a teaspoon of ground cardomom, so we're good. If you need pods, or even cardomom, I highly recommend the wonderful folks at <a href="http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/">Savory Spice Shop</a>, based in Colorado with franchises popping up all over the place. But I digress.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqe_9hQmXfaLRcGLbvm5bcnZ-CYw6DzroJ2vqOnSygw0EcTFdUa9GGeNHQG3AMgu46UrMLldeRjg8-Wan57i2AW-LwpIkQdUOxo79Y7gEbMxtoOlHWG-WzYbNUxXnXOo-12rDr1xWZuY/s1600/IMG_8197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqe_9hQmXfaLRcGLbvm5bcnZ-CYw6DzroJ2vqOnSygw0EcTFdUa9GGeNHQG3AMgu46UrMLldeRjg8-Wan57i2AW-LwpIkQdUOxo79Y7gEbMxtoOlHWG-WzYbNUxXnXOo-12rDr1xWZuY/s320/IMG_8197.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finished product</td></tr>
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Pickled Kumquats<br />
(2 pint jars of pickle)<br />
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2 pints of kumquats, (about 4 cups), halved with seeds popped out as you can reach them. <br />
1 tsp kosher salt<br />
3 cups white vinegar<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
4 cardamom pods (or about 1/4 tsp ground cardamom)<br />
5 whole cloves<br />
6 black peppercorns<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half<br />
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Sterilize two pint size canning jars in a small-batch canning pot full of boiling water, place your lids in another small pot with a few ladles of the boiling canning water to soften the seals, arrange your canning equipment for easy access (funnel, towel, little magnetic stick thingie to pick up the lids from the hot water, rings, jar grabber, damp paper towel to wipe the jar before placing the lid, timer, ladle).<br />
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After prepping your kumquats, a surprisingly easy task, place them in a 4 quart saucepan, cover with water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes while you get your spices together. Drain and set aside.<br />
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Add the vinegar, sugar, and spices to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the kumquats back to the pan and simmer for one minute.<br />
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Ladle the kumquats into sterilized jars. Be sure the fruit is fully immersed in the liquid, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Lid, ring, and process for 10 minutes in the canner. Remove the canner from the heat and take off the lid of the pot for about 5 minutes, then remove the jars from the canner.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDpapSvGq9q4j7HYVMMRxhIJ7LrJWBUc0Lvs-7OwHW3IhziXVmWJSoqlWD-9lYePVJt2TOV4KYQ0bdYOOEKohb3iaaHCuonoAlJ3quk9-CFtV_G-d1vOcsVuscWpnfjPmWB1-x70iPhE/s1600/IMG_8195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDpapSvGq9q4j7HYVMMRxhIJ7LrJWBUc0Lvs-7OwHW3IhziXVmWJSoqlWD-9lYePVJt2TOV4KYQ0bdYOOEKohb3iaaHCuonoAlJ3quk9-CFtV_G-d1vOcsVuscWpnfjPmWB1-x70iPhE/s320/IMG_8195.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Any extras that did not fit in your two pint jars should be cool enough to eat now! Warning: Don't breath in with the pickling liquid in your mouth. You will cough!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-48198731091507959602012-11-15T06:53:00.002-07:002012-11-15T06:55:59.806-07:00no muppets were involved in this jam session<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIvuinPgecUjd0NUw6QlP2U0N4IdJNnFMqqkPKdfcigrHUChHdQb9KFfa4rktTAoIwZGEdGmlUkYdRisjbYA3sCLprlUeS8pIFvaJI8wpX1ZrQvJiKhP_oFsQxVpmOKE6wPuxCKuXwyY/s1600/IMG_8102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIvuinPgecUjd0NUw6QlP2U0N4IdJNnFMqqkPKdfcigrHUChHdQb9KFfa4rktTAoIwZGEdGmlUkYdRisjbYA3sCLprlUeS8pIFvaJI8wpX1ZrQvJiKhP_oFsQxVpmOKE6wPuxCKuXwyY/s320/IMG_8102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiwi Jam</td></tr>
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Sometimes plain and simple can yield the most amazing results. Take this kiwi jam, for example. My youngest, a lover of kiwi and all things sweet, had been asking me for a preserve made of this favored fruit. Our local warehouse store was conveniently selling big plastic breathable boxes of kiwis so after putting them in school lunches for a week, I peeled and chopped the remaining just as they were reaching that too-soft stage. Then I opened up my trusty Ball Blue Book of Preserving.<br />
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Set up a giant stockpot or water bath canner pot of water. I use my Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit, which is perfectly sized for small batch canning and fits into an 8 or 12 quart stockpot. Bring the water to a boil and know where the rest of your equipment is located in your kitchen.<br />
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<b><u>Kiwi Jam</u></b><br />
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3 cups of chopped and peeled kiwi fruit<br />
1 package powdered pectin<br />
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice<br />
4 cups of sugar<br />
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Mix the kiwi, powdered pectin, and pineapple juice in a large saucepan. Don't skimp on the size of the saucepan unless you enjoy burnt sugared fruit laminated to your stove top! Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. (Pause for laughter)<br />
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Um, ok. So really, at this point, keep an eye on that mess in the pot while you drop your 4 plus an extra half-pint jars into the boiling water. Scoop out a few ladles of hot water into a sauce pan, set it to the lowest temperature on your stove, and drop in your lids to soften.<br />
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Once you have a boil going in your fruit mixture, add the sugar all at once and stir until it is dissolved. There will be a quiet moment before boiling picks up again and when it does, you do actually need to be there with your long-handled rubber spatula. Bring it to a rolling boil. Rolling boil means a boil you cannot stir down, the kind that is making the mixture creep up the sides despite your frantic stirring, threatening to spill over the pan. It will randomly blurp hot sugared fruit mixture at your unprotected hands. Big pot and long-handled spatula? You will thank me later!<br />
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Boil hard for one minute, more if you are at altitude. Take it off the heat and skim any foam that may have accumulated. Those jars you had boiling? Take a moment to fish those out onto a towel set up next to the pan of kiwi jam. Ladle the jam into the jars, using the canning funnel and leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe down the edges with a clean towel or moistened paper towel to ensure there is nothing between jar and lid to interfere with the sealing process. Adjust the two piece cap, which means this: place that softened lid onto the cleaned jar and secure the ring to finger-tight. Do not crank down on that ring, it's just not necessary.<br />
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Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner with at least an inch or more of water above the jars, two inches is better. Keep some water boiling on the stove to add, if necessary. Start your timer when the canner water begins to boil, not when you place the jars in the canner. Put the lid on the canner to keep the water boiling.<br />
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When the timer goes off, remove the lid from the canner, take the canner from the stove, and set a 5 minute timer. Remove the jars to a towel on the counter and try to leave them alone at least until they cool! Eat the now cooled jam that you ladled into the spare jar, you know, the one that didn't fill enough to put in the canner. Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-29537988040570403942012-11-01T08:27:00.000-06:002012-11-01T08:31:54.069-06:00the never-ending gift or With Friends Like These...Amish Friendship Bread. It all sounds so nice as your friend slips you a bag of goo and an over-copied sheet of instructions. "Make sure you get some instant pudding when you shop this week," she says urgently. You begin to notice the shifty wild eyes as she looks around for her next victim. She has three more Ziploc bags in her purse.<br />
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So here's the truth about AFB, the little secret no one tells you. It's a sweet sourdough starter. And...no Amish were involved. You can actually make your own. After all, someone has to start the cycle!<br />
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<b><u>Original Starter for Amish Friendship Bread (aka Sweet Sourdough Starter)</u></b><br />
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1 cup flour<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 cup milk (seeing a trend here?)<br />
1 pkg of active dry yeast<br />
1/4 cup 100F water<br />
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Bloom the yeast in the water for 10 minutes in a non-reactive bowl (Glass and ceramic are preferred, stainless steel is verboten), stir in other ingredients, cover and rest in a cool corner of the kitchen. Glance at it when you remember and give it a stir if you see a watery substance on top. <br />
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On day 7 add:<br />
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1 cup milk<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
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Stir, cover, rest.<br />
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On day 14 add:<br />
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1 cup milk<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
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What I have done in a bowl can be done in a well-sealed Ziploc plastic bag. This is especially fun for small children and should be left in an area of the kitchen they will see and remember to "squish it every day." Also, the 7 days between adding additional ingredients is not firm. So long as there are 5 days between, you are fine. Wing it! Also, you can reduce the whole white flour extravaganza by using whole wheat or white whole wheat for some of those 1 cup flour add-ins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8o_6MyXb93FgO1N_q_SNqMxTaznt_7KcU97Q4rrjmrITIj8i090qvqbh7lD2VFBaFLlLahtrq791DxYUukR6DgFuGt9ix2mZYKazPBHIIJNvwrLhgp5w4bz143YG50Ry0Fih683qBjkY/s1600/IMG_8096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8o_6MyXb93FgO1N_q_SNqMxTaznt_7KcU97Q4rrjmrITIj8i090qvqbh7lD2VFBaFLlLahtrq791DxYUukR6DgFuGt9ix2mZYKazPBHIIJNvwrLhgp5w4bz143YG50Ry0Fih683qBjkY/s320/IMG_8096.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After you have run through the initial process, whatever is left of your starter can be kept alive by adding smaller amounts of the feeder ingredients - ie 1/4 cup each milk, sugar, flour - to create the quantity of starter you intend to use. You can also hold the starter in stasis in the refrigerator. Just be sure to refresh it on the day of use by adding the feeder ingredients. You can also revisit this starter by freezing a portion of it and feeding it (building it up) after it has been defrosted.</td></tr>
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So, now what do you do? Well, that depends on your friends LOL. You can put a hefty cup of starter into Ziploc bags and send it on its merry way with a sheet of instructions you can find anywhere on the internet by Googling "Amish Friendship Bread," or you can simply fish out the starter as needed and cook it up yourself. The online recipes will include that aforementioned box of pudding. Feel free to find and use that yourself as it is easily located. I prefer to use the starter to make quick breads, waffles, pancakes and cakes like the following!<br />
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<b><u>Pumpkin Bread</u></b><br />
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1 cup starter<br />
1/3 cup flavorless oil like canola<br />
3 eggs<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 tsp pumpkin spice<br />
1 cup brown sugar<br />
1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 cup white whole wheat flour<br />
1 1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) or cooked and mashed fresh pumpkin<br />
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)<br />
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)<br />
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Grease and sugar (not flour) your baking pan(s). Fill 2/3 full of batter. Bake in 325F oven 45 to 90 minutes depending on the size pan you are using. Mini-loaf pans - check after 30 minutes (four loaves), full size pans could be as long as an hour and a half (1 loaf). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjAetuG3N-dmkFtg8O19XTpUjMiYSbYqb4SJaKxj0dhvs_hHIop6UPmbBs83zdLajG4UPWAV1xnfVv6Zp7Wj4p43Ds_g6M_QYkzkLj24ebJZE2ULgP3jR0AvWDwB5Fk7SEVLE8SmZnCM/s1600/IMG_8095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjAetuG3N-dmkFtg8O19XTpUjMiYSbYqb4SJaKxj0dhvs_hHIop6UPmbBs83zdLajG4UPWAV1xnfVv6Zp7Wj4p43Ds_g6M_QYkzkLj24ebJZE2ULgP3jR0AvWDwB5Fk7SEVLE8SmZnCM/s320/IMG_8095.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mmmmm, pumpkin bread!</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-90244499577214756762012-10-27T08:25:00.002-06:002012-10-27T08:25:17.091-06:00loafing off<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I make most of my bread using the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day series. I can't recommend this enough, especially for novice bread makers. And for the newbies, while this method uses bread science, it is not like you make most bread!</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Flipping through the Healthy Bread book one afternoon, I noticed the Quinoa Bread that I'd been meaning to try and realized I had a lovely, warehouse-sized bag of quinoa in my pantry. I have aspirations to healthy eating! So I break out my big bowl and mix it up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><b><u>Quinoa Bread (<i>Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day - Hertzberg/Francois</i>)</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">3 cups white whole wheat flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">3 ½ cups all purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">1 cup quinoa, rinsed an uncooked</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">2 packages yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">1/4 cup vital wheat gluten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">3 ¾ cup lukewarm water</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp Kosher salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In this method, you combine the ingredients, sometimes blooming the yeast, sometimes not, and leave it on the counter for 2-ish hours to rise. You absolutely do not knead this over-saturated dough. For more information on the method, there are links at the bottom of the page. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me being me, I forgot it and left it overnight and half the next day under a cookbook and my glasses before I was unearthing my counters from the previous days' shopping and realized it was there. I make up 4 loaves at a time because my current refrigerator lacks the room for my big bowl so I have not been able to follow the "daily bread" thing this recipe does so well. The rising loaves rested tucked under a kitchen towel for 45 minutes, as per the non-refrigerated dough rest time (well, it wasn't!) on parchment paper because I never seem to have enough cornmeal around to let it rest on that, and then dusted them heavily with white flour to help hold the shape. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Side note here - this is an unfortunate tendency that my loaves made using this method tend to be flatter than I want them to be. I had hoped that was an artifact of high altitude baking, but alas, I've had it happen at the very very sea level Florida house as well. Fortunately, the bread still tastes great and toasts perfectly and is not, in fact, a "flat" bread so occasionally I take a stab at one of the many trouble shooting tips for this problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The oven was pre-heated to 450F until I remembered it was on (the kitchen started to get hot) at which point, I brushed loaves with water (chewy crust technique part one), and made expansion hash marks so the bread wouldn't develop into any post-nuclear mushroom cloud formations. Then I placed the bread into the oven and dumped about a cup of warm water in the general direction of the overheated small broiler pan bottom I keep in the oven for this reason. Most of the water hit the bottom of the oven anyway, but the requisite steam (chewy crust technique part two) was created. It cooked for 30 glorious bread-scented minutes and, after it cooled, sliced up nice and moist, holding together beautifully as a slice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This bread stands up to my "burnt toast" treatment, as my family calls it. I like my toast actually toasted, you know, like it's seen the inside of a toaster and learned it's lesson well. None of that limp bread that disintegrates under butter, please! <i>::ahem::</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The quinoa does not seem to contribute in any appreciable way to the taste of the bread, just to the moisture. Oh, and it might be good for you! You can check out their blog, check out their books from the library, or just go out and buy them. If you like bread at all, you won't be disappointed!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIQBziB2zlFTRxPnKtdQ80k4RGuiY_7HutGttKC6C67SEZhX02UXM1FTAh8zxMWv0gjeY_lAFbjOJQUpERkfh0e-VpVAxlMHt0ArCLfLDUQ6Gc47yZtU0-8RDLGyX2eMTJBXgpNo2GaM/s1600/IMG_8097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIQBziB2zlFTRxPnKtdQ80k4RGuiY_7HutGttKC6C67SEZhX02UXM1FTAh8zxMWv0gjeY_lAFbjOJQUpERkfh0e-VpVAxlMHt0ArCLfLDUQ6Gc47yZtU0-8RDLGyX2eMTJBXgpNo2GaM/s320/IMG_8097.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Half my loaves, already gone! Also, for size comparison, that is a big knife with a 9" blade!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Links:</b> <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/">Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day blog</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcG4PpG1LcQ">master loaf recipe video instruction by authors</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-34396123831135934942012-10-26T16:25:00.000-06:002012-10-26T16:25:10.727-06:00on the tableTime to catch up with all those odd things I have been doing and forgetting to post about! <div>
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So what to do when you have some lovely portobello mushrooms and don't want the vegetarian mock burgers you can make with them? Create a healthy version of that faithful side: fries.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbME6pG7Y5QdDZwbyfIQbINZ65zkyvx1yu59OCwTvXTm5YNSpdclhFSolcH7HKxyBYiACIscJWGjrChWWwB1nVCUqsvBkNAMXgOUgvwsjkv5-KOR6ycgzpxHAaMiTw3Tk-qU9l_QMvlM/s1600/IMG_8062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbME6pG7Y5QdDZwbyfIQbINZ65zkyvx1yu59OCwTvXTm5YNSpdclhFSolcH7HKxyBYiACIscJWGjrChWWwB1nVCUqsvBkNAMXgOUgvwsjkv5-KOR6ycgzpxHAaMiTw3Tk-qU9l_QMvlM/s320/IMG_8062.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The assembly line: be sure to use the left hand for the egg wash and the right to toss the mushrooms in the cornmeal mixture or you will end up with ugly globs of egg wash/cornmeal on the ends of your fingers!</td></tr>
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Wipe down your mushrooms and give the stems to the spotted wagging dog who shadows your kitchen adventures. Slice them into french fry-like size, drop them in an egg wash (in this case, pour out some Egg Beaters), and then lift them over to a cornmeal/salt/pepper/sweet paprika coating before dropping them on a stone. 20 minutes or so in a 400F oven and check the mushrooms for doneness. You may like them moist or you may find you want them a little drier. Don't forget to salt them again while they are hot! I eyeball the seasonings, knowing what I tend to use when cooking. A little experimenting, and you will realize you know this as well!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuV7i2N7h0oE-93FNeqTt3wSfcg-gtYhGVNXbSluFXM_CqmR6zgJhGJF3gteLsbWmBL1FoyAd8VXPur9oH3gEc21C3PrdQ_rkMXfWoS5m54vZ4NNvL44E4vlNjwtpOrBC2IVGZu5Lmjk/s1600/IMG_8063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuV7i2N7h0oE-93FNeqTt3wSfcg-gtYhGVNXbSluFXM_CqmR6zgJhGJF3gteLsbWmBL1FoyAd8VXPur9oH3gEc21C3PrdQ_rkMXfWoS5m54vZ4NNvL44E4vlNjwtpOrBC2IVGZu5Lmjk/s320/IMG_8063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before they went into the oven...sorry, they didn't last long enough to get a photo after cooking!</td></tr>
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A couple going-going-not-quite-gone apples and some dried diced plums (yes, prunes! It's all about the marketing!) resulted in a spontaneous dessert. I cored and sliced but did not peel apples until the baker was full (smaller, 6 cup capacity covered stone baker - perfect for family of 4 to 6 dessert portions). Then I mixed together: 1/4 cup of brown sugar, a splash of maple syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. This mixture went over the apples. On top, the standard crumble topping of 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, some cinnamon and optional nuts to your preference. Cut 4 tbsp butter into the dry ingredients. Bake for 45 minutes or so in a 350F oven. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakzKoDzQVCLsQOoH9q44Bk_tasF1vzazyVVexoSVr2EGZrj8_WuNfDLn02qX-dwoGLwPd01LXyOreR3S9ZdJq0xMw0uZnJCPt8-ZOE6VFTpP8LEhx9hY4hS2Tw7fKeo1U2jugl8vRT6M/s1600/IMG_8064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakzKoDzQVCLsQOoH9q44Bk_tasF1vzazyVVexoSVr2EGZrj8_WuNfDLn02qX-dwoGLwPd01LXyOreR3S9ZdJq0xMw0uZnJCPt8-ZOE6VFTpP8LEhx9hY4hS2Tw7fKeo1U2jugl8vRT6M/s320/IMG_8064.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">before oven</td></tr>
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I promise I will get better at taking the "after" photos!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-10394380419599445472012-10-11T07:14:00.000-06:002012-10-12T06:45:09.792-06:00smart cookieEarly in our marriage and shortly after the birth of our first child, my husband came home after a very long day and raved about another woman's cookies. Let me say that again, because it bears repeating...<i>he raved about another woman's cookies</i>. It seems that Sara, the wife of one of the guys in his pilot training class, had made a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for them to snack on during their study group. And apparently they were...rave-worthy.<br />
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Now I knew a thing or two about cooking. And cookies. I had a perfectly good chocolate chip cookie recipe of my own (don't we all?) that involved peanut butter. They melted in your mouth. And my husband had tried them. The next day, he was still talking about Sara's cookies.<br />
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There was nothing I could do but reluctantly get the recipe. I'd make the two cookies side by side. I'd show him. I picked up the phone and called Sara.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEnCb4vA8-TSaqfhTMhGdr0IjVXELfYjEa6DAdbzTmnJWlSTZO41dhNiT3v5o9O-2c8bofRVrIL27KyEmdoBEm91s5OQW-nauja5GFj1EwWy0QX4vBiP6ddX2TLVqnNBy7itfLwccOsI/s1600/cookie+recipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEnCb4vA8-TSaqfhTMhGdr0IjVXELfYjEa6DAdbzTmnJWlSTZO41dhNiT3v5o9O-2c8bofRVrIL27KyEmdoBEm91s5OQW-nauja5GFj1EwWy0QX4vBiP6ddX2TLVqnNBy7itfLwccOsI/s320/cookie+recipe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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I made those cookies. I let them cool on the rack until I could pick one up without it falling apart. I took a bite.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdGAhRprU826B7NJya17teIavVsptd8sKMGp0U4QJLR6whEcAdb3d4McPLlBAWoxaxdARw4DkVLF2sYfBvLcNfY4BfPoyQXljOMbJRe_n8BV7kxXRHVDST_o1UKaZn8Lc-Em8yeiyc_0/s1600/IMG_8073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdGAhRprU826B7NJya17teIavVsptd8sKMGp0U4QJLR6whEcAdb3d4McPLlBAWoxaxdARw4DkVLF2sYfBvLcNfY4BfPoyQXljOMbJRe_n8BV7kxXRHVDST_o1UKaZn8Lc-Em8yeiyc_0/s320/IMG_8073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I realized- smart cookies don't crumble, they just pour a glass of milk!<br />
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Thanks Sara, where ever you are, for a fabulous cookie recipe I have been making for almost a dozen years.<br />
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2 cups flour, 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup margarine, 1 cup sugar, 1
cup brown sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz
bag), 2 cups oats, 1 cup chopped walnuts Bake @ 350F for 8-10 min <br />
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<b>Modifications I have made over the years: </b> cream butter <i>(I can't bring myself to use margarine for anything, sorry my southern-raised friends!)</i> and sugars together until light and fluffy, add eggs and vanilla. Whisk flour, soda, and salt together and add to mixer 1/2 cup at a time. Mix chocolate chips <i>(Ghirardelli Bittersweet)</i>, nuts <i>(optional)</i> and oatmeal in by hand. Cooking time varies by cookie sheet, stoneware yields a better cookie.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-73440786708475423732012-08-29T18:51:00.001-06:002012-08-29T18:51:50.378-06:00Lift!And finally! I am moved in enough to make some <a href="http://1halfamind.blogspot.com/2011/08/small-batches.html">pickled turnips</a>! Yes, I know. Not what you hear every day, right? Anyway, it is a tasty sandwich treat no refrigerator should be without! And here's how to make it as excerpted from Liana Krissoff's Canning for a New Generation.<br />
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You boil a quart jar in a large pot of water to sterilize. It just doesn't do to have some extra critters running amok in there with your pickle, eh? Then you peel and slice a pound of small turnips, chop up 1/4 cup of celery leaves, set aside a few slices of pickled beets from a jar and slice up a clove of garlic. You'll also need a tablespoon of kosher salt and a cup of white vinegar.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the usual suspects</td></tr>
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When you remove the jar from the large pot, drop in your sliced turnips for a minute to blanch them, then drain and set aside. Boil a cup of water, the vinegar and the salt. While you're waiting for that to heat up, layer your turnip, celery leaves, pickled beets and garlic in the hot jar. By the time you are finished cramming it in, and wondering why you didn't slip on some latex gloves to keep the beets from staining your fingers, your vinegar/salt/water mixture will be boiling so go ahead and pour that over. I like pink pickle, so I add a bit of the beet juice just for fun. Use a chopstick to work out the air bubbles and let it cool on the counter before putting it into the refrigerator.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">it gets so much pinker!</td></tr>
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In three days time, voila! Pickle! Put some in a veggie sandwich, slide a slice next to your tuna salad, or my personal favorite - keep a fork beside the fridge to fish some out every time you go through the kitchen!<br />
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Enjoy :)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-57836929588114710382012-03-20T21:13:00.001-06:002012-03-21T09:00:23.199-06:00creative hiatusCreativity withers and dies in the shadow of my impending move across the country. I keep hoping to pick up sticks or make something fun in the kitchen, but sadly, I just continue packing up boxes for Goodwill.<br />
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I do want to update that the limoncello is FABULOUS. I have only managed to drink it straight up <i>*oh the shame*</i> but it tastes divine. I look forward to making more 'cellos and sampling some concoctions created with this delicious liqueur.<br />
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I leave you with my latest offerings. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9OuJSm-xV05uR5hu-r1hyOHUlrUNGPpMho-uDzRvui9YHnkwj4EierEtFd-zu8Jam4Zfo62dp47V8iyzHTcOXb1gDxVpkEywH6Fo-ywIsgq31QMJq8HYew2X_nbi4ZyYXgLDDSIdskM/s1600/IMG_7964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9OuJSm-xV05uR5hu-r1hyOHUlrUNGPpMho-uDzRvui9YHnkwj4EierEtFd-zu8Jam4Zfo62dp47V8iyzHTcOXb1gDxVpkEywH6Fo-ywIsgq31QMJq8HYew2X_nbi4ZyYXgLDDSIdskM/s320/IMG_7964.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">socks, completed about 2 weeks ago</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-r_QUicw0z9g0OaoGLUgfQ1BR1HDoVCpRQhl2vW9aQm9NG6QZp5Gnpbc9p2x1aq6KNBzIvJizryRmpGz2GVSbh1cgLydYWBJZ2yWL4Llg_IlZbX80NBB0IpR_QGWs2MoGbJmgIf8tirI/s1600/IMG_7967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-r_QUicw0z9g0OaoGLUgfQ1BR1HDoVCpRQhl2vW9aQm9NG6QZp5Gnpbc9p2x1aq6KNBzIvJizryRmpGz2GVSbh1cgLydYWBJZ2yWL4Llg_IlZbX80NBB0IpR_QGWs2MoGbJmgIf8tirI/s320/IMG_7967.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In different light</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFGLAOruLHSoqR7vWRtrqsJ4yyPeubuHu5WlnW-VEfEXc-3yGOEUpR5O690k7D2jI04zdSJML1nA7lrGsOXR0lJdimlxioKiFrxcYiHowKGHYt0E9K1MQQkuy8roCaLpKpnFoWtUU3zs/s1600/IMG_7987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFGLAOruLHSoqR7vWRtrqsJ4yyPeubuHu5WlnW-VEfEXc-3yGOEUpR5O690k7D2jI04zdSJML1nA7lrGsOXR0lJdimlxioKiFrxcYiHowKGHYt0E9K1MQQkuy8roCaLpKpnFoWtUU3zs/s320/IMG_7987.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pie for Pi Day! A blueberry cupcake creation that would have benefited from a tablespoon of cornstarch to soak up the inevitable juice of frozen blueberries. It was, nonetheless, yummy!</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-46089734808703940982012-01-20T14:53:00.002-07:002012-01-21T19:18:23.574-07:00Berry Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The blackberries I picked up at the grocery store this week were pretty well picked over by last night and I knew one more night out would leave them looking a little rough, so jam it all! I measured them out and threw sugar over them in 3:2 ratio of berries to sugar. That is a mathematical PITA when you have just over 2 cups of berries, so I in reality, eyeballed it and put them in the refrigerator overnight to deal with today.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc9EssEhRLNgn93Awe2KvK56gsgp9BQC36OsgO0dn730axuEc7mNjyUD55RHcnhondp9NIHjzQfELurOyZgBtR4iUkXyfkx4zeEBBa9QZtIJOa4kpfevWVP0AEqaza5HJERf2wMkhTWM/s1600/IMG_7849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc9EssEhRLNgn93Awe2KvK56gsgp9BQC36OsgO0dn730axuEc7mNjyUD55RHcnhondp9NIHjzQfELurOyZgBtR4iUkXyfkx4zeEBBa9QZtIJOa4kpfevWVP0AEqaza5HJERf2wMkhTWM/s320/IMG_7849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes, that looks like a lot of sugar, but the berries are winning, honest!</td></tr>
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Fast jamming of small batches seems to work quite nicely in my skillets and this being an especially small batch, I took a chance on the 10" skillet having enough room without boil over. I did some fast stirring but lucked out and it did not foam over. What an amazing mess on a glass top stove <i>that</i> would have been had I been wrong! I smushed about 2/3 of the berries with a potato masher to give some body to the jam while still leaving a few whole berries as a nice surprise here and there.<br />
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I had 3 sadly whizzled up Meyer lemons in the refrigerator so I juiced those for a little acid insurance (and a zippy taste to my jam). Once it started to look "jammy" - and really, you will know - I pulled it off the stove to a hot pad and filled my sterilized jars. To can, they spend 10 minutes in the water bath canner, plus 15 for my special high-altitude location. I am now wise to the idea of removing the canner from the heat and let it sit, lid off, for 5 minutes before removing my jars to cool unmolested on the counter. <br />
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That's it. As easy as that and I saved fruit from a white fuzzy death or consumption by the dog, who loves berries and aren't I excited about that for the someday in my future when I get berry bushes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA3ts6B9i3mFdbAZtmiFFJdV4L0nW7_qG1HhFmI1OiIa7XRpGfJdLqnCoAI18ZXrGmFC67T61p_cKdmnFyYIDYwSYJp-v17Lkh85sM5V-wlxJoWoWWEH4HE5ADpTUMsE4QtubHQLMrZE/s1600/IMG_7852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA3ts6B9i3mFdbAZtmiFFJdV4L0nW7_qG1HhFmI1OiIa7XRpGfJdLqnCoAI18ZXrGmFC67T61p_cKdmnFyYIDYwSYJp-v17Lkh85sM5V-wlxJoWoWWEH4HE5ADpTUMsE4QtubHQLMrZE/s320/IMG_7852.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberry jam</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-22670374088219539242012-01-15T18:16:00.001-07:002012-01-21T19:20:34.561-07:00not your momma's lemonadeMy squeals of joy made the produce guy at King Soopers laugh when I found Meyer lemons were back in the bins, neatly hidden by bags of just-not-the-same Eurekas and Lisbons. I snagged 4 bags and made tracks for home to mix up some limoncello!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmy8Mw9YfAR4-jPYkwjGSUhQUVMBXkL4kXAGyOaRmlwBOLEzgs6WQSa1UQ6Sc3TEo-cgkvG7LD71DEeJkVg_hmJL0ycr-JZJtcBqhhZHbBeZPqI7UvUotE7oFTJwq9Q7t0AbwAiZ-L4E/s1600/IMG_7836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmy8Mw9YfAR4-jPYkwjGSUhQUVMBXkL4kXAGyOaRmlwBOLEzgs6WQSa1UQ6Sc3TEo-cgkvG7LD71DEeJkVg_hmJL0ycr-JZJtcBqhhZHbBeZPqI7UvUotE7oFTJwq9Q7t0AbwAiZ-L4E/s320/IMG_7836.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peel 5 lemons, carefully avoiding the pith, which is bitter</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Peel an orange as well and add all pith-less peelings to a half-gallon sized mason jar. Yes, such an animal can be found, typically in Ace Hardware or some other place where you are not anticipating mason jars. Any giant Costco-sized pickle or olive jar from that binge you'd rather not talk about will do, so long as it is well-scrubbed. Add 3/4 cup of simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, heated on the stove until dissolved) or more to your sweetness preference. Juice all of your citrus and add that to the jar. Top it with 3 cups of 80 proof vodka and give it a gentle shake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTymGYGeanJm92g2yuSh_GgUqGHYxdah_yXqhBuUuay8e_PT-ZE0S7Jjj4Nx7JOZgfdUHGxZer6-8ShzR6dcaoq3nDzpy8xM36QeiSoDMnukVtkQUZwJtRyFg_DwJdyjOVeA1Q5rs7e3Q/s1600/IMG_7838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTymGYGeanJm92g2yuSh_GgUqGHYxdah_yXqhBuUuay8e_PT-ZE0S7Jjj4Nx7JOZgfdUHGxZer6-8ShzR6dcaoq3nDzpy8xM36QeiSoDMnukVtkQUZwJtRyFg_DwJdyjOVeA1Q5rs7e3Q/s320/IMG_7838.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went with a micro-distillery vodka that is <i>*gasp*</i> gluten-free but you can really use inexpensive vodkas. The lemon will shine through regardless</td></tr>
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Stow your mason jar of fancy moonshine in a cool, dark place. Swirl it every few days and taste it once a week until it tastes good to you, strain and hide it from your friends! Once they taste it, <i>everyone</i> will want some!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-88881261290349797662012-01-08T15:27:00.002-07:002012-01-10T16:44:44.251-07:00I've been making things!My mind has just stubbornly refused to let me commit them to blog! So...before Christmas, I stumbled across some Meyer lemons for sale at our local King Soopers. I'd heard so much about them in my canning cookbook perusal - they are the end all and be all of lemons - so into the cart they went. I pulled out 2 jars, sterilized the bejeebers out of them as this was a "sit on the shelf in a cool, dark place" project, and set to work with gloves on to protect my Colorado-dry winter cuticles from the salt.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4ik8_fX9P49RgBYUAmndxY83JfcQZUw21nQvQQANt76QEwSxPYqR7nEz_LaapifZIlZTLpE3_JzJTj7HRcwhYZ0lysKPbKlyGelO_rhKZiyNSRW2ck9l0iPPbWsZ45vKZIBjWGVztFc/s1600/IMG_7794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4ik8_fX9P49RgBYUAmndxY83JfcQZUw21nQvQQANt76QEwSxPYqR7nEz_LaapifZIlZTLpE3_JzJTj7HRcwhYZ0lysKPbKlyGelO_rhKZiyNSRW2ck9l0iPPbWsZ45vKZIBjWGVztFc/s320/IMG_7794.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oh so pretty!</td></tr>
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My recipes, I looked over several, directed me to slice off the ends, quarter the lemons (but not all the way through), pack salt (kosher or sea) in between the wedges and stuff in the jars. I also added bay leaves - I really need to hit Savory Spice soon and pick up some fresher bay leaves - black pepper corns, and cinnamon sticks. Cover with more lemon juice and off to the shelf it went!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2ekiPdZAI2ltOjaJ9_BqhnvFyHzJt2qO57ZgsoVPIm8Q2UDyV5EqRZLGTHnNEIEHvmf46EZAkDiHNiDn6VtceWZ5nrhhCQQD13oOlBQG0rdqEvHLqVmBkjiazsi5cC1znE7opM5JwvE/s1600/IMG_7815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2ekiPdZAI2ltOjaJ9_BqhnvFyHzJt2qO57ZgsoVPIm8Q2UDyV5EqRZLGTHnNEIEHvmf46EZAkDiHNiDn6VtceWZ5nrhhCQQD13oOlBQG0rdqEvHLqVmBkjiazsi5cC1znE7opM5JwvE/s320/IMG_7815.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After several weeks on the "cool, dark shelf" of my basement pantry</td></tr>
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Two nights ago, I made dinner with my preserved lemons! <a href="http://theabbotsfordkitchen.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/chicken-artichoke-and-preserved-lemon-with-basmati-rice/">Chicken, Artichoke Heart and Preserved Lemons with Rice</a>. It was delicious although in the future, I have a better idea of how much preserved lemon to use. I pulled a quarter out using a clean fork and butter knife (to separate it from the rest of the lemon) and diced it very fine before adding it to the mixture in the pan. The lemon rind was softened and the whole jar had a clean, salty-sweet smell. Risotto may well be up next, but I am certainly on the hunt for new recipes involving preserved lemons.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-_6AV8oVPloxenW-65EZ7FdfWHCfGEt8fp4Gf47Tiqk9bcOF_d0m1l8gbyz12o_sj_xCtUKE5VAoMstUMW5rWH2PgdFSk-Tuki_1cLjlwiIxF1cB_oDGjzDh1VrEFlpQk2KFE3gRd2w/s1600/IMG_7831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-_6AV8oVPloxenW-65EZ7FdfWHCfGEt8fp4Gf47Tiqk9bcOF_d0m1l8gbyz12o_sj_xCtUKE5VAoMstUMW5rWH2PgdFSk-Tuki_1cLjlwiIxF1cB_oDGjzDh1VrEFlpQk2KFE3gRd2w/s320/IMG_7831.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the lemon peel had softened and the overall smell was divine</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-5284520594473729722011-11-21T21:12:00.001-07:002012-01-08T15:29:25.771-07:00Givin' Ya'll the Bird<br />
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Yes, friends and neighbors, it is the <b>Oven-Door-Blowing
Turkey Recipe, </b>or as we say in our house ...Thanksgiving Dinner!
Various members of my family, and even a vegetarian friend, have made this
recipe for the last 20-odd years and no one's died yet. <br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7196191471705283728" name="cutid1"></a><b>Buy A Big Bird</b> <i>(seriously here, the biggest
bird you can find)</i> and a <i>huge</i> bottle of red wine.<br />
<b>Stuff It</b> <i>(the bird, people, the bird!)</i><br />
<b>Rub It Down</b> - <i>(again, I am referring to the bird, but what
you do in your own household is your own dang business)</i> It's gonna be
eaten, for the love of God. Let it go out in style!<br />
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<b>The Rub</b><br />
melted butter<br />
shots of A1<br />
garlic<br />
thyme<br />
marjoram<br />
a little red wine<br />
salt/pepper<br />
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<b>Roast It</b><br />
525F uncovered 30 minutes<br />
<i>sip a glass or 3 of the remaining red wine.</i><br />
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<b>Haul that turkey out of the oven and douse it well with red wine.</b> Soak
a linen towel with red wine and lay it over the bird. Douse it with more
red wine...<i>this bird feels no pain!</i> Cover it with most of a normal
sized roll of tin foil. <i>Think "air-tight," sealed
for the apocalypse, metallic fortress.</i><br />
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<b>Shove Big Bird back into a 450F oven for 90 minutes.</b> Offer whoever
is sitting with you some wine and wait for the oven door to blow open and
flames to shoot out. Look smug as your guest spills wine all over her
shirt. After 90 minutes, turn off the oven. Do not open the
door. Not even for a peek. Kick the bottle, making threats of bodily
injury to anyone who may open either the oven or bedroom door while you sleep.<br />
<br />
The next morning, drink a large glass of ice water. Look suspiciously at
the dog to ensure she has not developed opposable thumbs and opened the oven
door in the night. Choke down aspirin and don sunglasses. <b>Take
Big Bird out of the oven and pry off the darkened tin foil. </b> Strip
off the towel. Baste the birdie and re-cover with the tin foil. He
goes<b> back into a 400F oven for 1 hr.</b><br />
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Eat, drink and be merry!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-17506922143726402342011-10-27T10:06:00.000-06:002012-01-21T19:32:39.400-07:00Snow Day for Moms!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp9umssC8jEIwsT8gZUDuKfekVxUzZVAao7TH7ygBNsy2iJFf6OVG-plR5KvitVPR2i0Zut_VKjg_F9bKW8LIFBrY9pfoLY0sujPeLnGQX74cgwyP_4nWpql-njhLpPcPm89oIbXuSao/s1600/IMG_7699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp9umssC8jEIwsT8gZUDuKfekVxUzZVAao7TH7ygBNsy2iJFf6OVG-plR5KvitVPR2i0Zut_VKjg_F9bKW8LIFBrY9pfoLY0sujPeLnGQX74cgwyP_4nWpql-njhLpPcPm89oIbXuSao/s320/IMG_7699.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rumor has it you can make jellies from peach peelings and pits, so I had to try it out.</td></tr>
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Happiness is a day of picturesque snowfall that covers the grass but leaves the roads clear so the kids go to school! I did some deep cleaning in the kitchen and finally got to those peeled peaches, peels, and pits that had been residing in my refrigerator since Sunday. Thank goodness for Fruit Fresh and lemon juice!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37AJ8ZuOzo874l5etEUfL04WzAst8gRBcmBuyP-dAMfmRcCi2jjwqZ-ANXq23ibxfjnorMwLetqf8-flcGdG82Qss52mKsmUrWb-7NlDfX7PXzml-VFf1NvWD1xM8FOvcOawYIYYi7NA/s1600/IMG_7703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37AJ8ZuOzo874l5etEUfL04WzAst8gRBcmBuyP-dAMfmRcCi2jjwqZ-ANXq23ibxfjnorMwLetqf8-flcGdG82Qss52mKsmUrWb-7NlDfX7PXzml-VFf1NvWD1xM8FOvcOawYIYYi7NA/s320/IMG_7703.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After boiling for 30-45 minutes until the skins are somewhat translucent, I strained the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and several layers of cheesecloth.</td></tr>
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I boiled and strained on Tuesday night while making dinner, putting the whole mess in the refrigerator overnight so it could continue dripping. What you see here is about one cup of juice. There was not enough peach on the peels to rate any kind of food mill action so they were tossed out.<br />
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Wednesday, I looked at several jelly recipes and decided that one cup of juice plus 2 tablespoons of pectin and one scant cup of sugar would work. I hate cleaning candied fruit juice off my glass top stove (hate my glass top stove, too, but that's another story!), so I used a pot far larger than would first come to mind. Thank goodness for that, because memory served me right and it did boil up pretty spectacularly. I brought the juice and pectin to a boil, then added the sugar and brought it back to a boil for one minute before pulling it off the stove to a hot pad on the counter. Last time I left jam sitting on the burner, it burned - have I mentioned I hate glass top stoves?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu24vKTdTbKbIGOXGmeJUgHPrW79ZYa9dGBB-RmNEHitpJVGIu8uo6yjE9yfUaxvMWyke10AApGNmrPp9ucK3Zwan9P9Z5vT_gryOJg0KbXpxRSLcUnZM9uT8W8-oQ1CES0jfFBtGvrQM/s1600/IMG_7714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu24vKTdTbKbIGOXGmeJUgHPrW79ZYa9dGBB-RmNEHitpJVGIu8uo6yjE9yfUaxvMWyke10AApGNmrPp9ucK3Zwan9P9Z5vT_gryOJg0KbXpxRSLcUnZM9uT8W8-oQ1CES0jfFBtGvrQM/s320/IMG_7714.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the blur, I just had to show the color!</td></tr>
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The end result was three 4 oz jars of a mild-tasting peach pit jelly, exactly half the amount of peach jam created from the same batch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJ0MLqtCNVna0momI-5K_KGk0o8FZi2IFah2zn08ml0LnJLNNeuTTprInrnfPHRtr-b2pzar48YQSG9Qm9D7h5lwKgqgoMfrs2kz-nK40xB8BiGFCuki5CiA1Y1GBuYvi-g3PsyYntUc/s1600/IMG_7707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJ0MLqtCNVna0momI-5K_KGk0o8FZi2IFah2zn08ml0LnJLNNeuTTprInrnfPHRtr-b2pzar48YQSG9Qm9D7h5lwKgqgoMfrs2kz-nK40xB8BiGFCuki5CiA1Y1GBuYvi-g3PsyYntUc/s320/IMG_7707.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 cups of chopped peaches, scant 3 cups of sugar, two tablespoons of lemon juice, boil 'til it looks right</td></tr>
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I've made the <a href="http://1halfamind.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-does-september-always-kick-my-butt.html">pectin-less peach jam</a> before, in a more peach preserves form than jam. Same skillet technique, only this time, knowing I was not going to try to reach an impossible gel point! I could just eat it with a spoon right out of the jar!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR7VMOed17PWv40LbxaWs1V0pcoXn2ZU5Jhsj6G2OT_-mqKcsSb9b-DzFWloRq1ly7UQqxSlyoSq05PaQFWx6oMhiiCcd84wz3pxFf7ugT5QsWlvhV0AyFHbFvb0Aij8LSDNftXoNN1k/s1600/IMG_7708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR7VMOed17PWv40LbxaWs1V0pcoXn2ZU5Jhsj6G2OT_-mqKcsSb9b-DzFWloRq1ly7UQqxSlyoSq05PaQFWx6oMhiiCcd84wz3pxFf7ugT5QsWlvhV0AyFHbFvb0Aij8LSDNftXoNN1k/s320/IMG_7708.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One peach pit jelly already in sample mode</td></tr>
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After a successful jam session, I shared my thrifty preservation with a friend who asked innocently, "Aren't peach pits poisonous?" This sent me racing to both my garbage can and Google where I found that, Yes, Virginia, peach pits do indeed contain a form of cyanide. <i>Sigh.</i> Fortunately, a careful investigation revealed no cracks or loose pits were involved in this canning experiment. For the record, I would have automatically tossed them had they been cracked or broken, but it never hurts to be sure!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196191471705283728.post-83349013814277482872011-10-23T10:53:00.000-06:002011-10-23T13:54:55.564-06:00Sticks on a Plane!I enjoy knitting, the act of taking sticks and string and turning them into something beautiful. There are so many beautiful yarns and needles that look like pieces of art. So many patterns. So many combinations of yarn, needles, and patterns...so much of my knit time looks like this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqQGbStqCPW0ileO4Ng4zcatrupUp5NyPJdUY7X5s6g0VNJBUnILe6OlbEWHbsUOs_jYT5FHpxLIXqnzYlMP36NtfJvGzAH0Wpj0MpN6jtAHf9dqDgrdxyH8pTPu7pt6rf1yBksYYKGQ/s1600/IMG_7688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqQGbStqCPW0ileO4Ng4zcatrupUp5NyPJdUY7X5s6g0VNJBUnILe6OlbEWHbsUOs_jYT5FHpxLIXqnzYlMP36NtfJvGzAH0Wpj0MpN6jtAHf9dqDgrdxyH8pTPu7pt6rf1yBksYYKGQ/s320/IMG_7688.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piles of yarns and patterns, rummaged through randomly until I settle on something</td></tr>
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I scroll through <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/">Ravelry</a>, I sift over mountains of magazines and pattern books from my home and the library, I...procrastinate. Until finally, I pick up sticks and work on something!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVEoejWN7lUzeIjAejiPEmHOn8oOfGwe7VW7_R2Aj4h57c9Ufd6bO7F-QWsHehCzJZr-oBCWpiaH0zLIpbRNI2C9PDhTuh0v_gmcu6Q4AdjOCoIqHU_2d7c1V4JafF0iH1RPtc6ejLTs/s1600/IMG_7689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVEoejWN7lUzeIjAejiPEmHOn8oOfGwe7VW7_R2Aj4h57c9Ufd6bO7F-QWsHehCzJZr-oBCWpiaH0zLIpbRNI2C9PDhTuh0v_gmcu6Q4AdjOCoIqHU_2d7c1V4JafF0iH1RPtc6ejLTs/s320/IMG_7689.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have given up finding a new pattern and instead gone for the instant gratification - such that it is with sock knitting - of using a known pattern that will yield wearable socks!</td></tr>
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I am fascinated by the mechanics of making a sock and have successfully completed 2 pairs. Of course, the first pair had to be given away to a friend with slightly larger feet because I cannot measure properly. And the second were resumed after a 6 mos break, which meant that I managed to make one sock a different size than the other, but they both still fit! This time, I am fool proof. I am making a different version of the second sock pattern - Ann Budd's His and Her socks - in the size that fits me best - child's size for my tiny feet. I plan on wearing them before Thanksgiving! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujl4I1vxjxY3tOfiFAGhoDxo6ZsQ5uRAjti1inQaCP_R-OpMC12yzCCbxFCcVRxI-GJaoPNgIE4g2uOZZCUicYF9KtE1Ca9JeHb-H8cpUoXedCKzU2P9LvsmssdGTUYidjC17wLeUhvs/s1600/1016111620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujl4I1vxjxY3tOfiFAGhoDxo6ZsQ5uRAjti1inQaCP_R-OpMC12yzCCbxFCcVRxI-GJaoPNgIE4g2uOZZCUicYF9KtE1Ca9JeHb-H8cpUoXedCKzU2P9LvsmssdGTUYidjC17wLeUhvs/s320/1016111620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sticks on a plane!</td></tr>
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Thank goodness TSA does not view knitting needles as deadly weapons! Despite space limitations flying coach, I did manage to knit up a respectable length of sock while airborne. The flight attendant behind me was also knitting during her spare time on one leg of the flight. I was even afforded some extra minutes of non-flying knit time while we were trapped in the plane on the tarmac for 15 or 20 minutes. They were looking for an FAA-approved nut for the left wing. We were in DC...it shouldn't have taken that long to find!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0