Summer in a Jar

I have my eyes on some classes... not knitting this time. I have yet to do any canning in a wet bath. I have all the tools. I have had them forever. I figured I would get around to it sometime. Well here is my chance...

We Can Pickle That

August 6th, 2013 5:30 PM   through   8:30 PM

Harmons City Creek
135 E 100 S
Cafe Level Cooking School
Salt Lake City, UT -UT

Relish Your Garden

August 27th, 2013 5:30 PM   through   8:30 PM

Harmons City Creek

135 E 100 S
Cafe Level Cooking School
Salt Lake City, UT -UT

Tomatoes Redux

September 24th, 2013 5:30 PM   through   8:30 PM

Harmons City Creek
135 E 100 S
Cafe Level Cooking School
Salt Lake City, UT -UT

Growth

Summer check-in. We have worked, planted, traveled, knit, baked, read, laughed, cried, and more. Doodle is saying so many words now I can't possibly list them all. His favorite word is blue.

I have 4 projects that are in my knitting bag. My main priority is a gift so no details. It is a big project and I have a fast approaching deadline. Second up is Insouciant. I still have a bit to do and the short sleeves. Then a shawl called Rushing Tide. It was a project from a class that had the best information about fixing mistakes in lace! And the fourth item is also a gift. It is sad how long it has taken me. Summer time is not a productive knitting time for me. I spend 99% of my time outside. This picture is from a bit ago, I am almost half way through the next lace section. Just trucking along slowly...

So that 99% outside has all been for good. The garden is not looking too shabby. Some of the raspberries, strawberries, snap peas, and lettuce that I have already harvested. Carrots, potatoes, collard, blueberries, aparagus, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pumpkins, and watermelons are all going strong. I cannot wait until we have everything ripe at the same time.

We have traveled north to my stomping grounds twice now. I love getting to visit with my gram and mom. Doodle does pretty good in the car even though it is a long drive. We have enjoyed pork chops, butterscotch malts, huckleberry smoothies, the best chai in the world at the Leaf & Bean, time for all of us at a really fun Children's Museum, and a much needed couple weekends of fun. And nothing beats the view of the Big Sky Mountains as you drive east on I-90 to Bozeman.

The 'hood is having a party this weekend. We decided that a ice cream social was in order. I am hoping to make maple ginger (the best recipe from Kate Zuckerman's The Sweet Life) and a double batch of milk chocolate (from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home) with mini marshmallows. We asked everyone to bring a pint and then we will have everything else. Candy, cookies, sprinkles, caramel, chocolate, everything! I am so excited!

Alan even made me these sweet acrylic cone stands for displaying treats. Totally DIY. $1.56 for a piece of acrylic and just drill holes to fit the cones. Then a heat gun to warm up and bend the edges. Sweet!

Not so secret garden...

This is the year. I am starting asparagus crowns that I will harvest in a year. I am starting raspberry canes and wisteria. I am growing lettuce, beans, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, and Alan is building me up some fancy boxes to do it. We finished one today when it was freezing out.

That and I finished my first pair of socks. Hear that? Two items that match, done.

Cross that of the to do before 33 list (ha, need to finish that list)! I gifted them to Alan so I could make myself some that are longer in the leg and now I just need to decide... Tosh Vintage in Cove or Water Lily? Pictures of the yarn yum are from google images and I am not sure who to credit...

I am in the middle of another fantastic class at the local shop, Insouciant. I went with a double strand of the Habu Tsumugi Silk in charcoal and light grey. I am slow to knit it up but it should be a good summer top.

I have another knitting project that is quite an undertaking. The recipient could be a silent lurker so no details will be revealed until gifted. I know, such a tease!

I have also fallen behind in my book challenge. 50 for this year. I need suggestions so shout some out. And I am not counting cookbooks in the count. :)

On top of life and knitting, I am hindering helping Shirley help a new neighbor. He needed some suggestions for his house (yep, from paint to lights, tile, etc.) so Pinterest to the rescue. I will have to post some before pics, mood boards, and after pics. Have I told you how much I love painting? I do!

Mardi Gras in March

So in an effort to meet people and make friends, we have tried to hold some neighborhood events. We have set up a couple for the whole street and then we tried a few dinners with specific people. We have had a sushi night, pizza night, soup night, and maybe this month we will have a crepe night.

It has ballooned into a dinner once a month with 14 (ish) people. Kind of crazy but definitely fun. We might try to have dinner with a smaller group sometimes just because it is hard to visit with such a large group. Anyway, we pick a theme and run. March was Mardi Gras, the PG version. We know Mardi Gras wasn't in March this year but that didn't matter to us. We got some beads, feather boas, and figured out the menu.

Muffulettas... oh how I love thee. So we first had one at Caputo's Downtown. I am not a sandwich eater. This sandwich changed that. I think about this sandwich... a lot. We have tried no less than 3 times at the Caputo's on 15 & 15 but it is way too spicy, inedible. Caputo's Downtown is perfect. Granato's makes one too but we tried it and would NOT eat it again. Ever. :(

When we make muffulettas at home we make the olive salad with the pimento stuffed green olives, giardiniera, two kinds of cheese (provolone and swiss is good), salami, and honey ham. We use a good bread that soaks up the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We eat it cold but that might be personal preference. Come on, sing with me...




Jambalaya... I have never made jambalaya. I cannot even say if I have ever eaten it. One of our neighbors explained that there are 3 main things, gumbo, jambalaya, and étouffée. Gumbo is the soup, which he made and brought to dinner. It was delicious and I would love a bowl on this crummy, rainy day. Jambalaya is the rice dish. Research shows that it is incredible varied and people have strong opinions on consistency of the rice. We made it with smoked sausage, andouille sausage, and shrimp. It turned out pretty good, I will definitely make it again. It is just a matter of frying up the sausage with peppers and onion, add cajun spices and seasoning, broth, rice, and cook! Yum. 

Last but not least, dessert. The tradition is King Cake. Some cake that has a plastic baby baked inside of it. Whoever gets the piece with the baby brings the next cake and they might get special treatment or something. I didn't want to bake plastic IN food so I made cupcakes, cored one, and added a gumball. Paul, the newest neighbor was the lucky recipient. The cupcakes themselves were a recipe from Mini's Cupcakes cookbook. They were alright but not THE chocolate cupcakes. The search for the perfect chocolate cake recipe is still on. 

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

Wow, where does the time go?! I keep thinking I will get to 'that' tomorrow and well, weeks go by...

I have been up to just about everything. Knitting, baking, cooking, parties, visiting, road trippin', and loads of eating!

I started a sock class on Tuesday. It is an easy sock pattern and I decided on Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in the William Morris colorway. As Morris is my last name it only seemed appropriate! This picture does not do the colorway justice, it is a lovely red-brown with notes of lavender and teal. I realized I have been knitting for 10 years and not once have I made socks. Yep, in 2003 I met a nice lady at my first job out of college and she sort of taught me to knit. Knit badly and she didn't know how to 'stop' or bind off as I later learned. I ended up righting myself with books, other classes, and many scarves later. :)

I also took a class on magic loop and it really is magic! I am working on these socks two at a time!!! When I finish one, I will finish the other!!! Sorry, the magics have overwhelmed me.

So the majority of my time as of late has been taken up by my wittle baby sissy coming to visit. She is not like me. She hunts with bow and arrow (not for sport but for actual food), she fishes, and has gun(s). I asked her what she wanted for her birthday one year and she said "a new pistol." I sent her flowers. She is the mother of my wonderful nephews and married to the coolest guy (EB).

They came to Salt Lake all the way from Ranchester, Wyoming and then we all went in one car to St. George. It was a hoot! Hikes, ribs, ice cream, and sun. Then we came back to SL for some more food and fun. Corned beef and cabbage, the zoo, and yogurt. The food was tasty and tiny guy had all his cousins in one place.

Picture bomb now and more on Mardi Gras in March later...

Zucchini Brownies

Ok, I think of myself as a baker. Not just a home baker, I went to school for it. I love to bake. Sweet and savory. Anything. I'll try anything.

There is always a but... right? ;)

I don't make brownies. I sometimes eat them but generally only when given to me. I don't know why but brownies are not my thing. I don't like making them. Maybe it is that I think of them as having a split personality... I'm a cake... No, I'm a cookie... No, I'm both. Whatever.

This summer, Shirley, (my dearest SIL, we both got lucky and married into the Morris clan) brought over a pan of zucchini brownies that she made from our CSA's recipe sheet that they hand out to us every week. I was grateful to have a dessert provided for one of our informal meals. But I approached it with my normal brownie reaction... oh a brownie. Eh. Ok, I'll eat it.

Oh my word was I happy that I did. So good! So good. Seriously. SOOOO GOOOOD!

Not kidding.

Good.

Ok, so I think maybe it was a fluke or something. Shirley told me the adjustments she made and I figured with the overload of zucchini I had better try making the brownies. Yeah, this was during season so of course I post this recipe when it is no longer season and SUPER helpful.

Don't worry, you be overwhelmed with zucchini next year and then think 'Misty mentioned a brownie recipe that was PHENOMENAL and I have to try it.'

I only made one addition to Shirley's, she had it spot on. Here is the recipe:

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

Serves: just me or it works out to 12 medium pieces ;)
Prep Time: less than 10 minutes 
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup all purpose flour 2 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup of butter 1½ cup of sugar

2 tablespoon of sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (my addition) 2½ cups shredded zucchini, I used a whole medium one 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Pre-heat an oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 13X9 pan.
2.	Mix the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3.	Cream the butter and the 1½ cups of sugar in a mixer.
4.	Add the eggs in (one at a time) and then add the vanilla.
5.	Add in the flour mixture just until blended. Then add the shredded zucchini.
6.	Pour into the prepared pan, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and chocolate chips.
7.	Bake 35-45 minutes or until set in the middle.
8.	Eat these. Seriously now. Yum. Good.

Comfort Food

There is nothing more comforting than tater tot casserole. Need a warm belly? Make this.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Serves 6

Ingredients:

A bag of Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns/Tots 1 can of cream of something soup 1 pound of ground beef Lawry's or some seasoning salt

1 soup can of liquid (sometimes I use water sometimes milk) 1 can of corn or 1/2 bag of frozen corn 2 cups shredded cheese Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Prepare the crispy crowns or tater tots by following the instructions on the bag. I usually sprinkle them with a bit of seasoning before I bake them. You could also use the Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs in this recipe if you are not a fan of Ore-Ida, I'd just use 2 bags because I think they are smaller. Once the crowns/tots/puffs are cooked, set them aside and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2.	In a large skillet, over medium heat lightly brown the meat and corn, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3.	In a 13"X9" pan, place 1/2 of the crispy crowns in the pan. Then add the meat and corn, spreading as even as possible. Then sprinkle with a cup of the shredded cheese. Then put the rest of the crispy crowns on top.
4.	Mix the can of soup and liquid of your choice. Pour over the layers in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place it in the oven
5.	Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbles appear at the sides from the liquid and the cheese on top is browning. Serve.

This is good with ketchup but I like it plain too. I like this for left overs the next day. In this recipe I have used ground turkey, ground up morning star meal starters, and different frozen vegetable mixes. My childhood memory is with beef and corn but I suggest you experiment and see what you like!

Warm you up inside...

I have had the good fortune of being able to bake a lot lately (thanks Ken and Paula). Alan's Grandmother Roma is turning 90 on Sunday so I get to make cakes, lots of cakes! Pictures after the party. ;)

With the temperature taking a slight dip (slight), I thought I'd finally post a good soup recipe. The soup is a really easy one, tastes good too. I always think it warms up my insides and seems comforting. Crusty bread is a nice companion to this soup.


KALE AND SAUSAGE SOUP

Serves 4 as a meal, 6 as a starter

Ingredients:

A couple bunches of kale, cleaned, torn into bits 10-12 small red potatoes, sliced thin 1 pound of Italian Sausage 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 cups of liquid (usually 4 cups chicken broth and some milk, cream, and/or half-and-half to make up the rest) Tablespoon (or two) fresh or dried oregano Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	In your soup pot, boil the sliced potatoes until just fork tender. Drain and set aside.
2.	In the same pot, cook the sausage. I haven't had much fat in my pan but if you do have fat, soak it up with a paper towel or drain it off.
3.	Add the red pepper flakes, oregano and the liquid. Simmer all this for about 20 minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
4.	Add the sliced potatoes and kale. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, then serve.

Sweet Swirls

Decided to try the Meringue Swirls from the May 2012 Martha Stewart magazine. They looked pretty but didn't taste so good. I tried the recipe TWICE and wasted all that vanilla bean.

:(

I will try again but with a different recipe.

The little man is keeping us on our toes. Not sleeping through the night anymore so now we look like the exhausted parents of a (almost) 10 month old. He is crawling all over, standing up and sitting down and standing again, and he did take one and a half steps. Not really 'walking' but dang close! He enjoys brushing his one tooth and at his last appointment the doctor told us to 'lay on the butter.' He gets ice cream after every meal now. YAY!

Macs

The following recipe was given out at the Sur La Table class that I took and I think she mentioned that it is tested for the altitude that we are currently at here in Salt Lake City. I do recommend the book by Chef Gordon. As she points out, there are many ways to make macarons and her method is only one way. Try it, it might work for you! I also hope folks will find a copy of her book so that you can try the fillings out that she puts together in her book. They are very tasty. I think my favorite one so far is the passion fruit white chocolate ganache!  

Macarons (recipe by Chef Kathryn Gordon)

Yield: Makes approximately 40 sandwiches, 1-inch (80 halves)

Ingredients:

1 packed cups (165 grams) almond flour Pinch of fine sea salt 1 packed cup (165 grams) confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup (115 grams) aged egg whites (from 4 eggs): divide into 2 equal parts

1/3 cup (38 grams) water 5/8 cup (125 grams) granulated sugar 1 tablespoon (5 grams) powdered egg white 4 drops (gel) or 6 drops (liquid) food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2.	Pulse almond flour, salt and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor 4 times for 4 seconds each time. Sift with powdered egg white.
3.	Stir in 1/4 cup (57 grams) of aged egg whites to form a paste.
4.	Put the remaining 1/4 cup (58 grams) egg whites in mixer with whisk. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.

5.	Heat the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar reaches beginning of soft ball stage (test by removing a drop on a heat-proof spatula).

6.	Put the remaining 1/4 cup (58 grams) egg whites in mixer with whisk. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.

7.	Pour the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl at medium speed. Continue whisking until the meringue forms medium peaks, about 5 minutes.

8.

Fold the meringue into the dry ingredient paste in thirds, to gradually lighten it and make a smooth batter (and add food coloring, if using it, when the dry ingredients appear to be just incorporated). It is important to fold the different components just enough, but not too much or the macarons will crack. To make sure that you have reached the right point, once the ingredients appear combined, lift some of the mixture about 1 inch above the bowl with the spatula. If it retains a three-dimensional shape, fold it again. When folded just enough, the mixture should fall right back into the bowl, with no stiffness, in a continuous drip.

9.	Pipe the macarons 1 1/2 inches apart on a silicon baking sheet lined sheetpan. Slam the baking sheet down to remove excess air (slam up to 6 times, from 6" above the table).

10.	Let dry at room temperature at least 1/2 hour, until a skin/crust forms.

11.

Bake on a sheetpan for 12-13 minutes, until the macarons just come off the baking sheet when you lift them (the centers will have risen, and will not have any dark indentations). If the macarons darken too quickly, put a wooden spoon in the door of the oven to prop it slightly open. Cool completely before removing and filling.

YAY!

 

Back to school

We'll, back to a class, not so much school. In an effort to meet people I decided to sign up for a macaron making class at Sur La Table. I've experience making them already, just wanted something easy and fun to do. I am glad I went. The ideas for fillings alone was worth it. Getting there was another story, traffic was a nightmare and I got confused in the parking lot so I went the wrong way to the store and was even later in my arrival.

:)

Anyway, here are some pictures from the class. I highly recommend the book, Les Petits Macarons, the recipes for the fillings are great! If you get a chance to take a class from Kathryn Gordon you should. It is worth it to see the process first hand. I'll post a recipe soon.

Mint soaking in the milk for mint ganache

Crusting

After baking

After baking

Our take home treats!
The green were almond flour with a mint ganache, the beige were pecan flour with cinnamon ganache, the orange were coconut flour with passion fruit ganache, the pink were almond flour and early grey tea ganache, and the purple were almond flour with blackberry ganache.

Tasty, quick meal

We are still enjoying our CSA share. Though the spring greens are gone, I found pictures of a quick meal that I think should be shared. I know curry is easy if you have the spices and stuff but this simmer sauce is a life saver if you just want to throw it on.


CURRY WITH CHICKEN AND MUSTARD GREENS

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb (or less) cut up chicken breast 1-2 lrg cubed potatoes/sweet potatoes 1 lrg torn up bunch of mustard greens 2 sliced carrots

2 tbsp of oil 1 pint of cream or 1 can of coconut milk 1 jar of Red Curry Simmer Sauce salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook almost completely.
2.	Add the jar of simmer sauce and your cream/coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
3.	Add potato, greens, and carrots. Simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
4.	Serve with rice.