Thursday, December 30, 2010

:-D

I just got a spam email with the subject line: Tea is the ties of Friendship.

I love spam email sometimes.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Comfort-Land



Well, since Mister is on a roadtrip (long story, but he'll be back in around 4 days), it's just me here at the apartment. Rather than end up in the pity-party of just-me cooking, I've decided to make tasty foods that Mister doesn't like. :-P

So, for tonight's meal, I'm having some tea, a cheese quesadilla (used up some dried up cheddar and the last of the salsa in the process), and tuna noodle casserole. Mister doesn't eat fish, and can't stand even the smell of tuna -- so with the promise that I will wash the can out and not leave any tuna around (our apartment is so small that a single smell will linger for days... it's been bacon lately), I get to eat some good comfort food!

Tuna noodle casserole is cheap, simplified American food at its finest: egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, canned tuna, and milk. Precook the egg noodles, then combine and bake! I also prefer to crumble potato chips on top (apparently this can be called "P'tuna Noodle Casserole"), but as I was out, I'm using fried onions from a can. :-P

I'm also intending on putting on a comfy movie and eating while watching a movie -- comfort to the max!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

I Believe In Father Christmas

They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winter's light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a silent night
And they told me a fairy story
'Til I believed in the Israelite
And I believed in Father Christmas
And I looked at the sky with excited eyes
'Til I awoke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave New Year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
Hallelujah Noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas you get you deserve


^ If you are unfamiliar with this piece from Greg Lake, please listen to it. It's my most favorite non-carol.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Holiday Preps

Just a few notes and pics of what Mister and I have been up to these past couple days (and so much of it tonight of course...)



Got around to pressing and starching that scarf -- what a difference it makes! Even though I KNOW it makes a difference, it always surprises me.



Free, on-the-side-of-the-road scarf has now been washed by hand and is drying on our window screens.



Just about half of a batch of dough waiting for pierogi filling (sadly, I ran out of flour, so these are 1/2 whole wheat flour...)



Lookit the cute lil' pierogi! Who's a nommy dumpling? You!



Me, with my ghetto sifter, making chocolate cake.



OM NOM NOM CHEX MIX. On a side note, it's really difficult to get them to crisp when you use too much butter...



Working on the first of five crocheted loofas. Luckily, I don't need this done until Monday or so.



Happy holidays folks, and may all of your preps be as tasty as mine.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Grr

So I am pissed -- in addition to all that she's done the damage our property, this apartment and my happiness, our cleaning lady has trashed one of our saucepans (the biggest one no less) to the point that Mister and I should no longer use it.

It's a non-stick 3-qt saucepan with a glass lid able to strain pasta. Now, we've not always been perfect about not using metal in it, however we never go out of our way to scratch and scrape it.

Last night, while drying this pot (after washing it), I noticed many small pricks in the bottom of the non-stick surface. Pricks, like something had repeatedly stabbed through it, and lifted little sections to stand straight up. Pricks reaching straight through to the metal underneath.

Knowing how dangerous an improperly cared for non-stick pan can be, I pointed it out to Mister, and stated that I felt we should no longer use it, and wondered how this damage happened.

"Oh it was [cleaning lady]," Mister stated confidently. "She throws all of the silverware into there when she's washing dishes. I've seen her do it."

Excuse me?! Going out of her way to trash the objects that I'd rather not have to spend money to replace? (It was a good, solid, heavy-duty pot, destined for many years of use.) I was furious. If it hadn't been 10:30 at night, several people would have gotten phone calls from me, so that I could vent and get it properly out of my system. Also, I'd like to know what exactly kind of cookware she uses at home, since she doesn't know how to care for both cast iron and non-stick.

So, I wrote up a cute little calendar deciding when and how many times the cleaning lady would be visiting before we leave. Three. That's it. She will not be allowed in our apartment beyond those three times, and if she tries to give Mister shit about "not enough notice" (four days requirement is excessive, Ms. Cleaning Lady), she can go suck a duck.

Update on Scarf

So, I started the scarf for Mister's sister in early December.

Look at how it's grown up!



And some close up detail:



It merely wants pressing to be done. The final pattern (as I've recreated it) is as follows (again I apologize for the terrible pattern writing):

[This scarf was created using a 1.4mm hook and size 10, 3-ply crochet thread.]

1 -- ch20. sc in last ch.

2 -- ch4. dc in 3rd ch from sc. *ch2, dc in 3rd ch from dc. Repeat from star until across the row.

Repeat grid pattern until you have a 6x6 square.

3 -- 3sc in 1st square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square. ch8, attach by slst to 3rd sc from the last one made. ch1, flip work so that when it's facing you, you have on the left of your hook the plain grid and a loop. 3sc in loop, ch4, 2sc, ch4, sc1, ch4, sc1, ch4 sc2, ch4, sc3 (one picot of ch-4, two sc, three picots of ch-4, two sc, one picot of ch-4 surrounded by 3sc). Continue sc-ing in the grid. 2sc in next square, 3sc in next square, ch1 and turn work 90 degrees clockwise.

Repeat row three 3x, until all around the square, and slst in the base of the first sc.

4 -- ch6, sc in 2nd picot on the loop. ch8, sc in 4th picot on the loop. ch6, sc in corner of the grid.

Repeat row four 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first ch.

5 -- 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop (three picots of ch-4 surrounded by 3sc)). 4sc over the ch-8, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 4sc (ch-8 loop (three picots of ch-4 surrounded by 4sc)). 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop (three picots of ch-4 surrounded by 3sc)).

Repeat row five 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first sc and break thread.

** In every motif except the first, on your final repeat of row five, please attach to another motif by crocheting: 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop). 4 sc over the ch-8, ch2, slst through ch-4 loop #1 on other motif, ch2, sc, ch2, slst through ch-4 loop #2 on other motif, ch2, sc, ch2, slst through ch-4 loop #3 on other motif, ch2, 4sc (ch-8 loop). 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop), slst into base of next sc and break thread.

After completing and attaching as many motifs as you need for length (for my scarf, I used 16 motifs), set foundation for final round.

Attach thread at one end of the scarf, in the center of the ch-4 picots.

1 -- ch10, sc in next center picot. Always sc-ing in the center picots of the last round, ch10 all around the motif, with ch12 between one motif and the next (paralleling the slst connection attaching picot to picot). Continue all the way around.

2 -- In ch-10 loop: 5sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 5sc (three picots of ch-4 with 5-sc on either side). In ch-12 loop: 5sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 5sc (five picots of ch-4 with 5-sc on either side). When all around scarf, slst in base of first sc and break thread.

3 -- Weave in ends.

Holiday Cookies

So one of the items on my list of things to do is crossed off.



These cookies have been made and bundled up for my coworkers at LUSH. The alterations that I made for this batch (which was delicious btw):

-- Valrhona cocoa in lieu of black cocoa
-- no instant coffee
-- since I couldn't grind the cloves in my mortar/pestle, I used mace instead
-- almonds instead of walnuts
-- a bit of agave nectar and maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup
-- an extra 1/3 c. of molasses instead of brown sugar
-- applesauce instead of apple butter

Also, here's a list of useful substitutions for syrups.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Plans for 2011

Since it's nearing the end of the year, I think it's time to take stock of what I've accomplished this year, and what I can attempt next year.

Tasks Completed in 2010:

-- canned pickles, not all recipes are created equal :-P
-- gathered many jars and 3-gallon buckets
-- found a great apartment with pantry space and gardening space (although shaded)
-- shopped at the Farmer's Market weekly to learn seasonal eating
-- learned many interesting recipes with cabbage and also zucchini
-- harvested lots of rose hips, and both dried and made syrup with them
-- made an effort to eat home more
-- made my first pair of socks
-- celebrated the holidays frugally and with minimal purchasing
-- scavenged local grapes
-- made liqueurs/cordials

Plans for 2011:

-- actually garden this year. I still have seeds that never got planted last year, so I will work on shade-loving plants outside, and using the large south-facing window in our new living room for such plants as tomatoes.
-- store 6 months of food for Mister and I
-- eat out of the pantry better
-- keep our budget down
-- put up more food beyond pickles, applesauce and grape cider
-- do UPick at least once a month while it's running (berries, apples, etc.)
-- involve more friends in the food process of pantry building (R, you're around next summer, right? Wanna help build up my pantry?)
-- learn to utilize spices better -- you do not want to know how bland my food is :-P
-- make more liqueurs/cordials and perhaps gift them!
-- aim to have all gifts be handmade
-- look into the possibilities of chickens
-- get a cat and try to train it as a mouser
-- learn more seasonal scavenging
-- make my own bread

Lunch!

So I'm a fan of not wasting food, and eating random things. As yesterday, Mister and I went to a nearby store and picked up day-old bread and some brie to eat it with, yet left a good 4" of the baguette for this morning... I had to do something about this!

Taking a cue from this recipe for Ribollita, which involves cooking soup, throwing stale bread in it, and having the bread break down -- I put about a cup of water with a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Beef in a pot, threw in the chopped bread and about 1/2 c. frozen corn. I let it cook down for quite a while (probably 40 mins. or so?) until the bread was falling apart.

Taking a cue from Shepherd's Pie at this point, I then turned my oven on to 350F, poured the thick soup into a casserole dish and topped it with mozzarella. I let this cook for about 20 mins, and broiled it for about 3 mins to get some color on the cheese. As this was still quite watery at this point, I let it sit in the oven (which is now off) for another 5-10 mins.

And look at how tasty it looks!



Although a little salty (thanks Better Than Bouillon...), it is quite delicious as well. Yay for random creations!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Shopping List for the Holidays

Misc.:

-- wineglasses for Dad

Grocery Store:

-- pecans
-- candied fruit
-- raisins?
-- rice chex
-- corn chex
-- wheat chex
-- cheerios
-- peanuts
-- pretzels
-- instant coffee

Christmas Present Planning



People to Gift to:

My Family
-- Mom - outfit, squash butter
-- Dad - wineglasses
-- Grandma - Montego Boy pickles, LUSH stuff
-- Grandpa - Sweet Spear pickles, fruit cake cookies
-- sister - outfit, LUSH stuff

My Extended Family
-- Mom's SO - Montego Boy pickles, fruit cake cookies
-- step-sister/family - Montego Boy pickles, soap
-- step-brother/family - Sweet Spear pickles, soap
-- ?

Mister's Family
-- Mom - mix CD, chex mix
-- sister #1 - scarf, chex mix
-- sister #2 - chex mix
-- sister #3 - scarf(?), chex mix
-- sister #3's SO - chex mix

Coworkers
-- Vegan Black Gingerbread bars
-- Chai Gingerbread bars

So those who I need to figure out what they're getting: sister #2 for Mister's family, sister #3's SO for Mister's family, and maybe something else for my grandparents or sister.

What I need to make before gifting: squash butter, fruit cake cookies, chex mix, finish sister #1's scarf, and two outfits for my mom and sister.

What I need to buy before gifting: wine glasses, possibly fabric for outfits, supplies for chex mix and cookies/bars.

I will also possibly wrap presents in scrap fabric/stash fabric. Yay furoshiki!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Spending Over the Past Few Days

@LUSH 12/11/10:

-- Aromaco deodorant @ $2.88 (saved $2.88)

Total (with tax): $3.06

@Shaw's with Mister 12/12/10:

-- Quaker Rolled Oats @ $4.77
-- Shaw's brand Cheerio's @ $1.99
-- two bottles of Worchestershire Sauce @ $2.79/each (saved $.72)
-- 3# pasta @ $.99/lb (saved $1.62)
-- dozen eggs @ $3.69
-- 2# butter (salted/unsalted) @ $2.50/lb (saved $1.58)

Total: $24.00

@Restaurant with Mister 12/12/10:

Total: ~$20

@Pizza delivery with Mister 12/13/10

Total: $16.93 (used coupon to save $3.99)

@TJ's 12/14/10:

-- two boxes water crackers @ $.99/box
-- 3# honey @ $8.69
-- two 30oz. containers of steel-cut oats @ $2.99/box
-- two packages dried cranberries @ $1.99/package
-- two cans of tuna @ $1.49/can
-- package of tofu @ $1.49
-- whole chicken @ $6.01
-- Valrhona chocolate bar for Mister @ $2.99

Total: $34.10

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Grocery Shopping @ TJ's

To keep with my budgeting, here is what I spent at TJ's yesterday.

-- Corn Tortillas @ $1.49
-- 2 cans of whole tomatoes @ $1.49/can
-- candied ginger @ $1.49
-- almond meal (cheaper than almonds!?) @ $3.99
-- 2 blocks of tofu @ $1.49/block

All total: $12.93

Friday, December 10, 2010

Crazy Squash Cookies

So I wanted to make cookies similar to these, but I don't have eggs (the grocery store has been out of my brand for weeks). Not to mention, I wanted to use some of the Carnival Squash puree that was sitting in my fridge. Not to mention, I had an epiphany last night of squash puree + confectioner's sugar = filling for sandwich cookies. So something needed to get made.

After searching the internets for egg-free cookies, and having a pretty good idea of what cookies should look like, I started throwing stuff together. I apologize if you are a specific measurement kind of baker, I am not when it comes to making it up -- so all of these measurements are estimates after the fact.

Ingredients
COOKIES
-- 3/4 c. oil of choice (butter, ghee, shortening, olive oil, etc.)
-- 3/4 c. squash puree
-- 1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar
-- 1/3 - 1/2 c. milk
-- 1 1/3 c. almond meal
-- 1 1/3 c. unbleached white flour
-- cinnamon
-- mace
-- ginger
-- nutmeg
-- allspice
-- chocolate chips

FILLING
-- 1/3 c. squash puree
-- 1/2 - 3/4 c. confectioner's sugar
-- scant 1/4 c. starch (potato, rice, tapioca, etc.)
-- same spices as in cookies

For the cookies, preheat your oven to 350F.

Mix the wet ingredients. Add the sugar. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet little by little, adding more moisture if necessary (either oil or milk). Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet 15-20 mins (it took mine exactly 18 mins). When done, take the tray out of the oven, take your spatula and smush the cookie a bit on the tray before placing on a cooling rack.

While waiting for them to cool/popping your next batch in the oven, start making the filling. Mix all of the ingredients together in an oven-proof bowl, and let sit in the oven for 30-40 mins. When taken out, it should be the consistency of apple butter.



I think I've invented Squash Butter...


After all components have cooled, assemble them! Makes 60 cookies, or 30 sandwiches.



Cute little cookies!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Entered Another Contest

This one is for $100. But, lookit what I have to discuss to enter! A Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Blondie Sundae? Sign me up! It looks so tasty, it made my already full fiance and myself hungry all over again, but for dessert this time. :-P

Saving Some Recipes



This is merely one of three in my freezer


Graham Cracker Chewy Bars
Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars
Thanksgiving Twofer Bars
Pumpkin-Pecan Pie Candy
Russian Teacake Cookies
Pumpkin-Pecan Spice Bread
Macaroons Speculoos
Roasted Delicata Squash with Panne Cotta
Butternut Squash Pudding
Praline Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Almond and Polenta Cake

Photo Contest

I have entered in this months Does My Blog Look Good In This? contest. Erica Lea is hosting it this month, and there will be winners in each of the three categories, as well as three overall winners.

General DMBLGiT Rules:
Only one food/drink photograph may be entered per person.
The photograph must have been taken by you.
The photograph must have been posted on your blog between the 1st and the 30th November, 2010.
The deadline to submit your entry is the 20th December, 2010 midnight, whenever that is in your part of the world.


Scoring:
A panel of five judges will choose six winners based on the following criteria:
Aesthetics: composition, food styling, lighting, focus, etc.
Edibility: Does the photo make us want to take a big bite out of our computer monitor while drooling on our keyboard?
Originality: a photo that makes you stop, look twice, and think “Wow! I never thought of photographing it like that before.”
Three overall winners will be selected and one in each of the above categories. As host I have the privilege of choosing one photo that I think stands out but wasn’t chosen as a winner.
My announcement post with the winners for this month should be published by the 1st January 2010.




There is my entry -- it had to be a food photo, taken between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, and I had to scale it to 500 pixels wide. :-(((

All of the entries will be posted here. I like the looks of my competition (it's food, how could it go wrong?), and I hope that I win!

An Old Thought on Homesteading

In August, Mister and I had an argument concerning my desire to be self-sufficient food-wise. It involved the statement: when you uncover the $10-20 million it takes to [farm], we'll discuss it.

Since I'm WELL AWARE that it doesn't require that much input to farm, I emailed my favorite farm guru, Sharon Astyk. In the email, I asked for a rough estimate of what a simple set up would be, not counting property.

-- a couple of pigs
-- a dozen chickens
-- a couple of goats
-- fencing for the animals
-- a hoophouse
-- a farm building or two

Her reply was both thoughtful and in-depth. She warned that this was an exceedingly rough estimate, as it's difficult to judge such things in the abstract. But, here's what it amounts to.

PIGS

Two pigs - I don't buy pigs, so I'm less sure of the range of farm prices for young shoats, but let's say you buy two pigs, a sow and a boar, for $40 apiece - it could be more in a more populated area, but I've known people to get them for that. That's $80. If you have a good source of scraps locally, you shouldn't need to feed them any purchased feed, just a mineral supplement which you can get for $5 every two months. But that requires a lot of regular scraps - so maybe figure $25 per month in feed for six months for the boar and year round for the sow.

Again, I'm less certain about the figures on the pigs because we don't raise them, but I am pretty sure that at 6 months, you can breed the boar and sow, and then butcher the boar. Hanging weights on most conventional pigs are maybe 80-100lbs of pork, although it could be more or less. With vaccinations and mineral, you spent a little over $200 on your boar, and may get your pork back for as little as $2lb - you could sell it for more, of course. If you didn't have scraps, the cost of production might be much higher, but still lower than buying the equivalent. You'd either want to build a smokehouse or buy a freezer to store your pork, and my guess is that either one will cost you 4-500 dollars.

Also in that equation, you'll get next year's pork largely for free if all goes well - average pig litter is 4-8, so figure 6 pigs for next year. with a monthly cost for maintenence of about $30 - but it could be more, again, especially in the winter.

Housing and fencing are a bigger deal for pigs than chickens - pigs are *strong* - it doesn't have to be big, but it does have to be sturdy. A small barn suitable for pigs and goats together would probably cost you $1000-2000 to build, maybe even more if you need a lot of permits, or can't do any work yourself. If you are pasturing your pigs, you'll probably want electric netting to keep them in - about $200 if you are moving the pigs around every day, more if you want to be able to go away - 600, say. If you want woven wire perimeter fencing that's more, but we'll assume you'll go cheap and electric.


Initial start-up: $2000 (animal, housing, fencing)
Yearly input: $180 (food)
Average yearly gain: 80-100 lbs. of pork per animal butchered, selling shoats, stud services perhaps


CHICKENS

A dozen chickens - bought from the feed store as chicks, probably $25 plus feed. Feed costs depend on whether you want organic or not, and how much pasture and scraps you can get. 12 chicks take a long time to go through a 50lb sack of chick grower - probably 2 months, and that will cost you $18 organic and $13 non. Then you might go through a bag a month, plus scraps and pasture for 12 hens at the same prices. Could be a bit cheaper, could be more if you don't have many scraps or pasture.

Remember in that calculation that 12 hens will give you 1/2 dozen eggs a day average year round - 3 1/2 dozen a week. Assume you keep 1 1/2 for yourselves, if you buy the organic and have a good source of scraps, you can charge $4 doz in most outer areas, more in the city. But let's call it that - so you could sell 8 dozen a month at $4 each - and make back cost of feed, plus get your own eggs free. But that depends on how good you are at that sort of thing.

You don't need any fencing for the chickens, just housing - they can range around. For housing, you could probably build a functional chicken coop out of shipping pallets and plywood for under $50, although you could go for greater aesthetic value and also greater longevity and spend several hundred. It would partly depend on your skills and also your neighborhood. If you have to pay someone to build it or buy a pre-made coop, think 700-800 for anything really nice.


Initial start-up: $2000 (animal, housing, fencing)
Yearly input: $120 (food) + any repairs
Average yearly gain: 890 dozen eggs, sale of chickens, sale of eggs

GOATS

For goats - if we're talking big goats, the fencing costs are much higher. If you want little ones like mine, you can get away with woven wire or stock panels, or electric netting easily enough. The big ones can jump over that too easily. So let's talk mini goats.

Two does in milk would cost you 600-800 dollars. You'll get the best price if you buy first fresheners, who have just kidded for the first time and aren't proven in the milk pail (ask about their genetics and their mother's milking) or if you buy an older doe with a few more years of kidding in her. If you can get one of each - a good older doe and a first freshener, you'll probably maximize youth and milk.

For two does, you could easily get away with one roll of electric netting and just move them every few days, so let's assume that. Again, that's about $200. You could let them roam too, like we do, but you won't want to do that if you go away, so having some fencing is essential.

You will also have to buy a winter's hay for them - two does would probably eat 50 bales over the course of a year (that's a high estimate, but let's bet high, since they waste some) - at $4 bale that's $200. They would go through a sack of grain a month - $20 organic, $15 non. They also need a bag of loose mineral every 2 months $5, and vaccinations once a year $25, vitamin E when they are knocked up $5 month for both, and you'd need to invest in milking equipment.

If you use jars and just by the filter like we did, and want a manual milker (useful for being able to go away) you'd probably need to spend $100 on milking start up equipment and you might need to pay as much as $300 to build a stanchion. You could probably build one yourself for $50 if you are handy, though. Kidding equipment would cost you $150 - most of which is amortized over a lifetime of use. Without a buck you'd also pay $20-50 per year for stud fees for each goat to get them bred.

Each year you'd get two kids worth $250-400 if you are registered, $100-200 if not. You'd also get an average of 3 quarts of milk a day for 10 months per year. In most states you won't be able to sell it, although you may be able to use it for barter, but you can do the math for milk and cheese and figure out what the equivalents are for you, whether you do organic or not.


Initial start-up: $1250 (animal, housing, milking, kidding equipment)
Yearly input: $475 (food, vaccinations, stud fees)
Average yearly gain: 225 gallons of milk, $200-400 in kids

HOOPHOUSE

A hoophouse can be made for as little as $100, but I doubt it will hold up long to a cold climate snow load - I'd estimate $500 for a small one - maybe $300 if you are handy and good and building. They could cost up to many thousands if you want a big one.


Initial start-up: $500
Yearly input: any repairs
Average yearly gain: season extension -- fresh veggies longer, earlier start to seeds and veggies

FARM BUILDINGS

Where are you willing to live is one of them - even barring the broader property question, that has implications for how much it will cost to acquire buildings. There are places where old farm buildings will be part of the property for no more than the land would cost - and places where it would be very expensive to find someone to build them.

How handy are you? How good are you at building things in general? If you can do the work yourself, it will obviously be a lot cheaper. If you are good at scavenging, you may be able to get a lot of your building materials for free by taking down old buildings or haunting building sites - but one of you has to be good at this sort of thing.


Initial start-up: $0-1000
Yearly input: repairs
Average yearly gain: storage, useful space, more space for animals perhaps

OVERALL

Initial start-up: $5750-6750
Yearly input: $775 + any repairs
Average yearly gain: 80-100 lbs. of pork per animal butchered, selling shoats, stud services perhaps; 890 dozen eggs, sale of chickens, sale of eggs; 225 gallons of milk, $200-400 in kids; season extension -- fresh veggies longer, earlier start to seeds and veggies; storage, useful space, more space for animals perhaps

So, it looks like I was right about THIS argument. :-P

Roast Chicken

For dinner Tuesday, I roasted a chicken with a little help from this recipe for a marinade and this site for cooking time and temps.



ZOMG Tasty!


My modifications:

For the marinade, I used 4 Tbs. butter (which wasn't warm enough -- I should have melted it), some orange juice, a delicious horseradish, hemp and honey mustard, fresh rosemary, onion powder, red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper and some salt. Inside the cavity of the chicken I put two quartered clementines, six cloves of garlic, two shallots, and a sprig of rosemary (which I added afterwards so it was kinda shoved in there. :-P



I trussed the bird using this method and stuck it in a roasting pan surrounded by carrots and parsnips.



I also made a side dish of potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.



The verdict? OMG the tastiest, most moist chicken I have ever had. And not bad for the second chicken I've ever roasted! I think I will ALWAYS put citrus inside the bird as it made such a difference. One thing I would change up -- although the marinade was certainly fragrant, it didn't have enough spices. Apparently you have to really up the spices in order to taste them, as most of them burn off. Also, melting the butter and perhaps infusing the spices in it? I think that would be delicious.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Random Stuff/Recipe

Roast Chicken that I want to make tonight
lots of info on roasting chickens
Brian Polcyn's trussing of a chicken
How to Open a Pomegranate <-- need to try this soon!

I also kinda want this cookie cutter for Christmas, so emailed my sis to ask from whom shall I request it? Because it's on Etsy, I couldn't ask my mum or grandma I think... :-P

Those lucky few who DO read this blog might note that I post in bursts -- that's because I only post when I'm home during the day and Mister's at work. If we're both home, I've usually got better things to do. :-P

Mac 'n' Cheese



My leftovers, reheated with more cheese and fried onions. :-P


Last night Mister and I had a delicious meal of baked mac 'n' cheese. This led to contention, as per usual, as Mister and I have differing ideas of what goes into said dish. But, we pulled together, and crafted this delicious dish.

Mac 'n' Cheese à la 12/6/10
Ingredients:
-- 1# pasta (we used small shells)
-- 8 oz. sharp cheddar (preferably Cabot! :-P)
-- 4 Tbs. butter
-- flour
-- milk
-- paprika
-- pepper
-- fried onions (TJ's brand)

Start by making a roux with the butter and flour. Add milk until it reaches a sauce-like consistency (you may need to keep adding milk throughout to keep said sauce-like consistency). Stir in cheese, cut into chunks, a little at a time until incorporated fully. Add spices, and let cook a little bit (make sure it's still thin enough).

Make pasta. Drain. While you're at it, oil your casserole dish and preheat your oven to 350F.

Mix pasta and sauce together, and pour into casserole dish, making sure to even it out. Pop in the oven for ~10 mins or however long you'd like, remove dish from oven, top with fried onions, and put back in the oven for another 5 mins.

Devour. Complain that your tummy is full. Package it up into leftovers for yourself and your dinner partner.

Spending

Since Mister and I are having to be frugal, I figured it'd be a good idea for me to keep track of what I'm actually spending. Also, taking a leaf out of Allie's book to write down the itemization.

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and bought:
-- 2 broccoli crowns @ $1.21 (saved $.40)
-- 5# box of clementines @ $4.99 (saved $3.00)
-- bag of frozen corn @ $1.79
-- 2# of pasta @ $1.98 (saved $.72)
-- 1# mozz. @ $5.49
-- 1/2 gallon of skim milk @ $2.39
-- 2 1/2# blocks of Cabot cheese @ $5.98
-- half gallon of Simply Orange oj @ $2.99 (saved $.90)
-- 1 donut @ $.69

So I saved $5.02 all total, and spent $27.51 all total (including $.05 tax). Hopefully that should last us for a while. I bought some stuff we don't normally buy (clementines, juice, broccoli) in an endeavor to get us to eat healthy stuff while we're living on the cheap.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Meal Planning for the Week

Since Mister and I have to be living on the cheap now (we signed a lease! yay! but we're still on the old one too...:-\), no eating out for us! So here's a meal plan for this week:

Monday: L@work-grilled cheese sandwich; D-Mac n Cheese
Tuesday: L@home-pasta; D-Roast chicken and veggies with potatoes of some kind
Wednesday: L@work-grilled cheese sandwich; D-more chicken n' stuff
Thursday: L@home-pasta/leftovers; D-Thai Kitchen stir fry noodles
Friday: L@home-pasta/leftovers; D-(Ted)
Saturday: L@work-leftovers; D-(roommate leaving party at M's)
Sunday: L@work-sandwich/leftovers; D-(Ted)

I'm hoping that I have enough leftovers to get me through the week in lunches. I also would like to be able to make a ribollita soon from either this recipe or this one. We've taken to buying the "day old bread" from the cafe down the street, and I like to do that. It's a fair amount of bread for pretty cheap. I also have squash that I can cook too. So there are options.

[Ooh just had an interesting idea for a baked, filled squash using baked cubes of polenta...]

Ingredients to buy:
-- milk
-- more cheese (mozz. and plain cheddar)
-- would like to have eggs, but not necessary
-- anything else on sale

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Chai



I haven't really made chai with the regularity of which I did back in the hellhole, but I do still remember!

After looking up recipes, and trying stuff out, a mix of 50/50 water and milk seems to work best.

Bring the water to a boil, then add: milk, black tea, and spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice, etc.). Simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the color that you'd like. Serve hot.

I like to make a big ol' pot of this, and just keep reheating it on the stove for each mug. It's so nice and comforting; and now that I have to be frugal, it keeps me from going to cafes as much. :-P

Friday, December 3, 2010

Crocheted Scarf

So remember this scarf? Lemme put a pic up just in case you've forgotten.



Ah yes, that one. The one where the creator was requiring $7 for directions, yet gave up close pictures to enable cheapskates to discern its pattern. Let me show you my start on it.



Yes, there are some discrepancies. An obvious one is that the previous pattern had a 5x5 square, and I have a 6x6. But here is my pattern thus far (I apologize for any terrible pattern writing).

1 -- ch20. sc in last ch.

2 -- ch4. dc in 3rd ch from sc. *ch2, dc in 3rd ch from dc. Repeat from star until across the row.

Repeat grid pattern until you have a 6x6 square.

3 -- 3sc in 1st square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square. ch8, attach by slst to 3rd sc from the last one made. ch1, flip work so that when it's facing you, you have on the left of your hook the plain grid and a loop. 3sc in loop, ch4, 2sc, ch4, sc1, ch4, sc1, ch4 sc2, ch4, sc3. Continue sc-ing in the grid. 2sc in next square, 3sc in next square, ch1 and turn work 90 degrees clockwise.

Repeat row three 3x, until all around the square, and slst in the base of the first sc.

4 -- ch6, sc in 2nd picot on the loop. ch8, sc in 4th picot on the loop. ch6, sc in corner of the grid.

Repeat row four 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first ch.

5 -- 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop). 4sc over the ch-8, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 4sc (ch-8 loop). 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop).

Repeat row five 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first sc and break thread.




Take that Ms. I'mma-charge-money-for-my-pattern!

Fruitcake cookies

I usually make a batch of fruitcake and give one loaf to my grandpa, and one to my mother's SO for christmas. It's labor-intensive, time-intensive (can you say "soak raisins in alcohol for 3 weeks?), and the ingredients are expensive (candied cherries are HOW MUCH NOW?). So, seeing this recipe from Pioneer Woman got me thinking. Maybe I don't have to make full-on fruitcake this year. Maybe I should just make these cookies...

Freezer and Fridge Plans

So R, since you asked, here's an idea of what I'd like to keep in the fridge/freezer. (Hmm... I had a list somewhere, but it has disappeared... aha I blogged about it!)

Drawing from this post, some ideas that I have for what should always be in my fridge/freezer, and in constant rotation. Also, we usually have booze in the freezer. It's not in the list, but currently we have two quart jars half-full with limoncello, and a nice bottle of vodka.

Meat(in freezer)
-- two rings of kielbasa at all times
-- 1-2 roasts
-- 1-2 chickens
-- two pork loans (one cut into chops)
-- ground beef
-- sausages of several varieties for soups
-- bacon?

I'm working on this one. Thus far, I have some cuts of beef and a chicken. Also, I need a good source for Kielbasa or some other form of sausage, because all of the commercial varieties have MSG. :-((((( Since I'm being sneaky about my food storage (since Mister and I have such differing goals/ideas about it), it lead to this highly amusing conversation:

Mister: Well, we could just use that chicken that's in the freezer.
Me: ... we don't have a chicken in the freezer.
Mister: Yeah we do, I saw it the other day. It's been there forever.
Me: ... WHAT?! I put it there last week! You just weren't supposed to find it 'cause it's a surprise!
Mister: Oh, well, I assumed that since I didn't remember it, it must be there for a long time.

Yeah. I love our interactions sometimes. :-P

Also pulled from that list, are three categories. I'll mark out where each item goes.
Pantry, Freezer, Fridge
Root Veggies
-- 2 dozen squash
-- potatoes
-- cabbage sadly, as much as I would like to keep these veggies out of the fridge, and use the fridge less, that's where they store best :-(
-- parsnips
-- rutabaga
-- carrots

Fridge/Freezer
-- corn
-- peas
-- eggs
-- milk
-- cheeses (esp. cheddar, mozz., ricotta)

Other
-- bread
-- coffee
-- tea
-- sugar
-- flours/starches (These could also have some in the freezer, but it's just as easy in the pantry.)
-- breadcrumbs

(You might also note that this is the first time that I've played with colors in HTML. Yay!)

This is just a rough draft of what I'd like. But as Mister and I MIGHT be paying for two apartments at once for a few months (grr... do not like my current LL), we'll need to NOT be eating out, being frugal, and having a nicely stocked food supply is useful, and dream/drool worthy. :-P

R, as a crazy side note, on my list of goals on the sidebar there? One of the items is "store 6 months of food". If I fill my 3-gallon buckets, I've completed that. Crazy!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Plans for New Apartment Pantry



Alright, just trying to think of what I want to have in storage in my next pantry. I probably have around 10 3 gallon buckets. All of these calculations involved either the package itself, or a measuring cup and a kitchen scale. :-P Also, if 25 gallons per person is a year's supply of food, this is a 6-month supply for the two of us.

-- black beans (18 lbs. worth)
-- oatmeal (3 1/4 cardboard cartons worth)
-- flour (WW pastry or unbleached) (~12-13 lbs. worth)
-- rice (18 lbs. worth)
-- lentils (21 lbs. worth)
-- sugar (20 lbs. worth)
-- great northern beans (18 lbs. worth)
-- kidney beans (18 lbs. worth)
-- roman beans (18 lbs. worth)
-- split peas (21 lbs. worth)

I would do most of this kind of shopping at the Indian grocers nearby. They are also the reason why I have PB jars of spices -- they're dirt cheap and that's the smallest size they sell. :-P



Also, probably around 20 lbs. of pasta, 3-4 jars of pasta sauce, dried fruit, nuts, and other random stuff.

Making Applesauce

So at the last time that -I- went to the Farmer's Market (now sadly closed), one of the things that I had gotten was a bag of apples. Flash forward to last Monday, and we noticed that there was a most decidedly smushed apple in that bag, polluting all of the others. Mister said "oh we should throw that out" and I said "nah, I was gonna make applesauce anyways".

I chopped the apples on Tuesday, but then got home too late to cook them. So Wednesday morning, I popped them in a saucepan, put some water in there, and covered it. And last night I finally did get a chance to put it on the stove.

I added cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cardamom and a little too much sugar (:-(). But my 3 lbs. of apples turned into a quart of applesauce.



Yay for applesauce!


Now we need to go buy pork, as I only eat applesauce with pork, and I have two jars of applesauce that my grandma made sitting on the shelf as well. :-P

Also, since I'm a cheat, I made sure that the jar was hot (by repeated filling with near boiling if not boiling water), the applesauce was hot (reached a boil), and upended the jar to try and make a seal. If it doesn't seal, it'll just go in the fridge. But I don't want to pull out a full water bath for one little jar of applesauce.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

Vegetables and Fruits that Grow In Shade


http://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/a/shadeveggies.htm
http://veggiepatchreimagined.blogspot.com/2008/12/vegetables-for-shade.html
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/VegFruit/vegshady.htm
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/gardening/vegetables-shade.shtml
http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/a-23-2006-03-07-voa2-83130862.html
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf16449960.tip.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/94344-vegetables-grow-shade.html
http://www.rickharrison.com/texts/info/shade_tolerant.html
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6911
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0403065516147.html
http://fruitforum.wordpress.com/2007/06/02/what-fruits-will-thrive-in-shade/
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/feeling-fruity/fruits-shade_24154.html
http://www.shade-growing.com/fruit-for-shade/fruit-in-shade
http://ezinearticles.com/?Trees-Provide-Shelter,-Shade-and-Fruits&id=4150306

Food Storage

So, after searching for a chart that I once had (it's of course missing), I know that my 3-gallon buckets will hold 48 cups of food, approximately 18 lbs. of any one item. It obviously varies. Also, apparently a year's supply of food for ONE person is 25 gallons of beans, rice, flour, etc. That is kinda crazy when you think about it. I can't imagine the storage for that much food! The question is: do I start hoarding now, and hiding it in my closet, or do I wait until we move and have proper storage?

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Chicken Pot Pie

So, R, here is my interpretation of chicken pot pie. I'll post it how I made it, with how I SHOULD'VE at the bottom.

Ingredients (as I used them):
-- chicken (either leftover roast, or chicken breasts)
-- 1# puff pastry
-- butter
-- olive oil
-- flour
-- onion
-- carrot
-- celery
-- potato
-- beet
-- parsnip
-- chicken stock
-- milk
-- spices (I used salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, oregano, and bay)

If your chicken is not leftover from a roast, chop your chicken breasts into chunks and fry them in olive oil, with some pepper and rosemary. After they cooked completely, I chopped them further (with the spatula) into 1 cm squares (approx.).

Before I went any further, after preheating to 375F, I draped one of the pieces of puff pastry in the bottom of my casserole dish (8"x12"), peppered the bottom with fork holes, and popped it in the oven to get lightly golden and puffy. After it came out, I deflated much of it with the same fork.



Pretty toasted puff pastry shell.


While the puff pastry shell was in the oven, I chopped all of my vegetables into a fine dice. All total, I used one beet, one potato, one parsnip, two celery stalks and two carrots. I considered adding some squash, but decided I was too lazy. I also chopped the onion at this time.



All my chopped veggies.


I melted 3-4 Tbs. of butter in the same pan that I fried my chicken in, and added a handful or two of flour.* Mixed together well, and let cook until a little until lightly golden. I then added the onion, and some more olive oil to let the onion cook down a touch.



Butter, flour and onions.


After cooking for a bit, I threw in the rest of the vegetables, the spices, a few cups of chicken stock, and a splash of milk (while the stock was still cold). I let this cook down a bit, until the carrots were just a little chewy. I also added some more flour as it wasn't thickening as much as I'd like ('cause I'd burned the roux in this method).



Oh beets, why must you turn things pink?


After everything cooked down as much as I wanted, I threw in the chicken, gave it a good mix, and then poured it into the puff pastry shell. Note, I also removed the bay leaf, as I didn't want a surprise when eating.



Tossing the chicken in.


I covered it with the remaining piece of puff pastry, trimming as necessary to get it to fit properly, and put it in the oven at 375F until it was done (approx. 20 mins.). Also, I added some vents in the crust with a knife.



In the oven (with a drip pan beneath it).


It then cooled on a rack to settle for about 10 minutes before eating.



All crispy and done!


Verdict? Delicious. Could use more spices, but that's how I cook in general.



Lookit how it begs me to eat it!


*= I should have cooked the onions in the butter first, then added the flour. And immediately after the flour was toasted, added in the stock THEN followed by the rest of the veggies. But it still tasted good.

Recipes to Save

Pot Pie #1
Pot Pie #2
Pot Pie #3
Pot Pie #4
Pumpkin Apple Bread Pudding
Banana Bread Pudding
Steak with Fondue
Bacon, Onion, Cheddar Biscuits
Make Ahead Muffin Melts
Black Ginger Blondies <--- I should make these for my coworkers at LUSH for Christmas! yay for vegan food blogs!
Irish Cream liqueur
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple sauce and Vanilla Creme Anglaise

Friday, November 26, 2010

Alright!

I have all of the ingredients for pot pie. It shall be made SOON. As in, no later than this weekend. :-P

Grr

Well R, I intending on making pot pie yesterday. However, I didn't really have any veggies to go into it. So after sleeping until 4pm (it's my only day off in a month), we get our shit together to go to the grocery store. Only to find it closed. And the next one. And the next one. Why isn't there a single goddamned grocery store that's OPEN on Thanksgiving? The high holy day of food?

So yeah, we went out for Indian.

Who knows when this damn thing is getting made.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Update on Tablecloth



Hey guys, check it out! The main part of the tablecloth is done!



Here's a close-up of the main detail.



And a close-up of the end. I still need to tuck ends of thread, wash, block and possibly starch the damn thing, but for the most part, this is done. It got completed Sunday while I was at work. I initially then thought 'oh no, now I have no project to work on!' but then I remembered the 30' of lace edging for the table cloth that I could work on. :-P

So, now I've chained 30', and am going back and double crocheting (to give me a good base to attach to the fabric). I've completed about 5-6' of that so far. And then on to the pattern.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Making More Toasted Seeds

Remember when I made pumpkin seeds using this method? Well, the time has come yet again. I had the seeds from this pumpkin and the seeds from this squash just hanging out in my fridge, and I don't want them there any longer! I want to be able to eat them!



Look at how many cute little seeds I have! They're just BEGGING to be used!

After boiling, and then popping them in the oven, I hopped in the shower. Upon getting out of the shower, I kept hearing this POP from the kitchen. Some of my seeds were hopping out of the pan! As they'd be roasting for 12 mins, I decided that was good enough, and took them out to cool (eating the 5 that had leaped to their deaths).





I cannot wait to devour them!

Recipes to keep track of

Since I have nothing better to do than drool over cooking blogs, here are some things that are cluttering up my browser.

Fried Plantains with Coconut Caramel Sauce
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Walnuts, which is remarkably similar to...
Bacon Sprouts
Taiwanese Pork (Lo Ba)
Roast Banana Pumpkin Breakfast Bread
Hachis Parmentier (similar to Shepherd's Pie)

And to top it all off, Tasty Kitchen and Pioneer Woman are having Pie Week! What's a girl who's not celebrating Thanksgiving to do?!

Pumpkin Curry



So, R, as promised, here is the post on Indian food!

We had had a pumpkin at work. I drew a cute face on him, and had a sign next to him that said "Ask me about pumpkin ice cream!" Well, a couple of days ago, I noticed that he was falling in on himself at the top. (I had previously noted that the stem was turning purple with mold :-\) So, at the recommendation of a coworker who clearly thinks faster than I, I chopped the pumpkin in half, and cubed the usable parts of him. This sat in my fridge for a few days.

Last night, I was to have a cards night, and I had every intention of cooking that pumpkin. But cards night got cancelled (Mister and I have had a few late nights in a row, and weren't up to hosting), and I made pumpkin curry for a comfy night in.

Ingredients:
pumpkin
onion
shallot
olive oil
coconut milk
chicken stock
carrots
parsnip
spices

The pumpkin was already cubed, so I just cut off the rind. While I had the knife out, I also chopped a red onion, and a shallot. Heating olive oil in a large frying pan, when it was hot, I threw in the onion and cooked until the onions were translucent. At that point, I threw in the pumpkin. I fried the pumpkin for probably close to 20 mins, turning regularly with a spatula. Some of the pieces got the most beautiful caramelizing on them.

When the pumpkin was fried to my liking, I poured in the contents of a can of light coconut milk, probably 3 c. of chicken stock, the shallots, chopped carrots and parsnips, and my spices. I used two bay leaves, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper. I let this reach a boil, then let simmer (with a lid) until the veggies were cooked through -- perhaps an hour and a half (I took a nap and let Mister handle it from there :-P).

When the veggies were the proper consistency, I made a pot of rice, and we served the curry over rice. It was very tasty.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Cooking for Tonight

Mister has invited a coworker back to our place for dinner and cards tonight. We have the Beekeeper's Cabbage that I made yesterday, some kielbasa that we picked up last night (FYI? we need a new source of kielbasa -- this will be the last that I buy from the grocery store... MSG...), and then what to have as another side? The beekeeper's cabbage would be enough for two, but probably not for three. So I poked around my fridge, and we also have green beans leftover from my stirfry, leeks from the farmer's market, potatoes, eggs, lots of options...

After checking in at Heidi Swanson's site, I think that I've decided upon Vibrant Green Beans as my second side. It uses the leeks, uses the beans, and I'll use a spice other than dill (as I apparently don't care for it).

Also, would love to try this recipe for delicata squash, as I have a couple of those around, and am interested in fun and exciting ways to cook them!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Hollandaise Sauce



The Hollandaise that was poured over Asparagus was thrown together by me, under N's tutelage.

We started with two eggs beaten really well. We used a small whisk, in the pan that we were to cook the sauce in. While whisking, some mayonnaise was added (although no recipes call for it, mayo already has an emulsifier, and the sauce will not curdle. Thanks N!). We also added some lime juice. We added a stick of melted butter, whisking all the while, a little at a time. We then left it for a bit, while tending to the rest of the meal.

5 mins before needing the sauce, we got a pot of water boiling, and put our little pot of sauce INSIDE the pot of water, and whisked. The sauce was beaten continuously until thickened. When thickened, it was taken off heat, and poured over the asparagus.

This was amazing. It was easier than I imagined it being, and I will definately be making this again.

Mushroom Gravy



The mushroom gravy that we poured over our steak on Saturday, Mister made under N (his uncle's SO)'s tutelage. It started with a dark roux.

Melt butter in a saucepan, and throw in some flour. Mix it together well, and turning the heat up, toast the flour. You'll want it fairly dark (almost coffee colored), and when the butter no longer melds with the flour, that's where you want it. Turn the heat down a bit, and add more flour and more butter if necessary. You'll need it to be a sauce again. Mixing it on the heat, add a little bit of water. You can now set it on the back burner to do what you need with the rest of your meal.

Note: this is the basic part -- we also thought that this gravy would make an amazing stroganoff -- we shall find out soon!

At this point, we also added sliced baby bellas and a generous amount of cabernet. Later on, when we wanted to actually eat this sauce, we added cream to the consistency that we wanted, and spices. Salt, pepper, and a "Moroccan Spice Blend" that clearly had turmeric, cumin, and paprika. It was at this point that we took it off the heat, and put it in a gravy boat.

Folks, this was the tastiest gravy I've ever had, and I don't eat mushrooms OR gravy. MAKE THIS GRAVY TODAY.

Lots of Cooking

So on Thursday (initially intended for Wednesday night) I made a stir-fry. It's been SO LONG since I've made one, that people who've only had my cooking within the past 6 months or so don't honestly know that a stir-fry used to be my standby (it's apparently now baked pasta :-P). Very tasty, in case you were wondering!

Friday night, Mister and I went out for Tex-Mex, as we had to go shopping, and neither of us had eaten much that day.

Saturday night, Mister and I went to his uncle's house for dinner. More specifically, his uncle's SO was to show us how to make sauces. We wound up making: Root Vegetable turnovers (beet, parsnip, puff pastry), Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce (see post), Diced Potatoes with Herbs, Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce (see post), and Individual Apple Crisps with Vanilla Sauce (didn't get recipe... :-\). It was an amazing meal, and all involved agreed that it needs to happen again soon.

And now, as I write, I have Beekeeper's Cabbage in the oven. The cabbage, the parsnips, and the apple NEEDED to get cooked a.s.a.p., and I kept meaning to get around to it... so while I while away the time before work, I figured I'd pop it in the oven. My modifications to the recipe are: set to 325F instead of 300F (I need to cook it faster :-P), it's half of a decent sized green onion, not red, it's 3-4 small parsnips, probably closer to 2 Tbs. of honey, and the vinegar that I have is apple cider vinegar, that had had shallots in it at one point. Also, phooey on the parchment paper and close-fitting lid -- I just buttered a cookie sheet, and laid it on top.

So all in all, it might turn out disastrous! But I'd rather cook and have it flop, than throw out food that I never touched.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Also a recipe!

I made this squash recipe the other day, only I used Carnival Squash. Absolutely fabulous. It is my new favorite squash. Also, they're small and cute, and cut in half is a perfect meal for Mister and me.

Grr

I was upset to find that, when nearing my farmer's market, most of the stalls were all packed up and gone! Apparently, due to Daylight Savings, the people running the market decided that they would close an hour earlier from now on. So instead of 12-6, it would be 12-5. For me, a person who worked 11-5 today, that is evil and horrible. They did not mention this in their email newsletter, and I am seriously bothered by the high-handedness of assuming that people would not be out at their normal times.

Luckily, my favorite stall was still selling some stuff, and one stall had a table of free veggies -- they were to be donated, and the pickup never showed. Yay! So I have a peck of apples, 4 squash, and for free: 4 leeks, bok choy, and a head of lettuce. I could have grabbed more, but I know that we don't eat that much of lettuce! Perhaps this is a good excuse to start...

Monday, November 8, 2010

Note to self...

Dried banana chips are NOT good in oatmeal. They lose all flavor and merely become mealy. Ick.

Bad Habits

I am an incredibly lazy person. However, this is what leads to the current Western lifestyle. Why dry your clothes on the line, when you can just pop it in the dryer? Why wash your clothes by hand when you can pop it in the washer? Why wash your dishes? Why cook your food? Why clean your house?

It is all of these questions and more that I strive to answer with an enthusiastic 'because I want to!' However, some of it is hard-coming. I'm also quick with the blame. Those dishes? Oh it's Mister's turn. Oh it's because our kitchen is so small. Oh it's because there's next to no storage.

It's this laziness that leads me to mix coffee (yesterday), hot chocolate (today) and oatmeal (today) with a knife -- because it was out to cut coffee cake! Now, Mister is a stickler for some forms of "proper" behavior -- he'd not have let me stir his coffee with a knife - which is why I didn't let him see it. The discrepancies between us are now so well-known that when I am prepping food, Mister will immediately ask if it's a clean knife. (Did I wash it? No... but it only cut a potato yesterday!) Luckily for the both of us, we don't use meat often, as one has to be much more careful with raw meat.

How am I finding ways to combat this prevalent laziness? By trying to care. Do I care about having a clean kitchen space to make food? Do I care about having a clean living room for guests? Where do I currently stop caring? And that's where I'll draw the line. Currently, it's laundry. It's everywhere. I can blame that on several things, or I can just say that I'm lazy. (Or that I'm becoming afraid of the dogs -- they've upped their percentage of attack from 0% to about 80% -- and I have to go in the backyard to get to the laundry.)

But, I work on finding ways to overcome laziness. Tonight, I tackle the kitchen!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Pumpkin Seeds


Making some pumpkin seeds a la this method. I'll post a pic of the finished product.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Tablecloth Update

Remember this? Check it out!





I have 14 out of 15 motifs completed! I will finish this last one, connect them all, wash it, and attach it to the fabric that I have yet to buy... (good thing I have a friend who works at a fabric store!) All that remains after THAT is to do the lace edging along the fabric's edge.

I am so close to done!