New Years Thoughts

Well here we are in a new year again. Some thoughts as to what I want to have happen in my life:

-- get back to sourdough bread regularly. I managed I think 3 weeks as the max for making bread regularly. I just need to DO IT. And having bread on hand will ensure that I eat the products I make (like jams) and always have food around, so we stop eating out quite so much.

-- in addition to always having and using the ketchup that I made, I'd like to try making mustard regularly. here's a few more recipes to try. The ketchup really is quite good (I want to try this ketchup too) and I was making excuses to use it! I was using it in place of tomato paste in soups and sauces, etc. I love love LOVE mustard, and my fave has left my local co-op. So, why not attempt my own? It should be fun.

-- yet again, I would like to do UPick this year and can my bounty. Maybe this'll be the year that comes true!

-- I will buy in bulk grains, beans and dried fruits. I will also USE them at least once a week.

-- Maybe this'll be the year that Mister and I get into eating yogurt regularly. Or perhaps make cheese. Let's strive to make one milk-related project this year. Or I could pull a Tigress move and make a year's worth of butter.

-- I will figure out what to do with that back yard. Mister and I need to kill that trumpet vine for good and re-lay the brick. So 2012 will be the year we set up the backyard.

-- I won't kill myself over the wedding planning. So help me gods, if there is anything uncompleted a week before the party, it's going unfinished.

-- Get back into foraging. So far I've managed one per year. Two years ago it was grapes, last year it was chives. Let's aim for TWO items!

And to round it all off, let's look at last year's goals.

-- sort through jewelry box: nope

-- make my own bread: sorta, see above goal

-- more seasonal scavenging: not really, see above goal

-- get a cat: not yet, but Mister has finally come around :-P

-- look into chickens: Mister is still anti-chicken

-- have all gifts be handmade: eh, not too shabby

-- make more liqueurs/cordials: I started making one, and still haven't finished. Whoops!

-- learn to use spices: surprisingly, yes!

-- involve friends in the food process: I meant "can with friends" so not really

-- do UPick often: failure

-- put up more food: yes!

-- keep the budget down: eh... nope

-- eat out of the pantry: yes and no

-- store 6 months of food: nope

-- garden this year: yes, but it was not a success overall

Stored/Made Food Overall:

-- several #s of frozen rhubarb
-- 1 small bag of frozen blueberries
-- 1 jar chive blossom vinegar
-- 2 jars of spiced fig vinegar
-- 2 8-oz jars of blueberry peach jam
-- 10 8-oz jars of applesauce, 1 qt-jar of applesauce
-- 3 8-oz jars of ketchup
-- 1 jar apple cider syrup
-- 1 half-pint jar of berries in syrup
-- 1 jar candied ginger vinegar
-- venison from my dad

Lots of Food!

Although I haven't been posting of late, I've been taking lots of pics. It's to the point that when I set a dish on the table, and go running for the camera, Mister goes "No! I want to eat this, and I want to eat this now! Are you going to delay my eating this?!"

So first up, is the Zucchini/Ricotta Cheesecake, or, as Mister has dubbed it: "Zu-quiche-y" (feel free to add your own spelling... as that looks retarded).



Isn't that beautiful? I am in love with the way that looks. I also added a WW crust to make it more quiche-like. However, if I was to make it again, I would play around with different flavors. This particular one has dill and lemon zest -- was not a fan of that combo. Perhaps some warmer spices now that we're heading to fall -- coriander and bay? But bay works best when infused... perhaps bay-infused olive oil? I'll have to play.



So, all in all, tasty, but redesigning is due.

Next up for food is the Bacon/Cheese Scones.



A couple of notes on this recipe as it turned out. Firstly, there were three substitutions. We only had WW flour in the house, so in it went. As I was using a ghetto kitchen and a) didn't feel up to cutting in butter and b) added the eggs before the butter 'cause I'm an idiot, I melted the butter before adding it. Also, I am not a fan of swiss, so I used Extra Sharp Cheddar. (This one was not a surprise to Mister, as I left the recipe up. So while I'm mixing away in the kitchen, he goes "Are you going to use the Marigaux?" "What?" "It calls for Swiss. Are you using the Marigaux?" "Oh no. I'm using cheddar!" "Oh, ok.")

This was a very tasty recipe, but if I were to do it again, I would probably add more STUFF. More bacon (I used half a pound and could barely taste it), more cheese, and probably more butter. The WW flour added a nice touch, and I have no complaints on that front (although it may be the cause of my need for more dairy).

And here's where my week of food fell awry. Thursday, after having the most productive day of my life on Wednesday (don't ask how much laundry I did. Really, don't), and getting up early to make scones and then go to a doctor's appt., I then goofed off the rest of the day with a friend M. So when Mister came home from work and was like OMGSTARVING I had nothing even close to ready to be cooked. And I was a little over the joy of cooking, so I suggested that we eat out. This lead to an hour of nothing. Of me going "HUNGER" and him going "THINKING" and nothing actually happening. This lead to us going out to a place down the street which wasn't what he wanted, but it was there, and the both of us being in kind of bad moods.

I have never had such a clear delineation of why a meal plan is such a good idea. Wednesday was beautiful and wonderful, and Thursday was hell on wheels. So back to the grindstone it was!



While kicking around the house Friday, I dried in a low oven some rose hips that I had gathered.

Friday I was working in the evening, but I had planned Lasagne Tart. So I prepped and got it all set for Mister to pop in the oven when he got home (and he was going to bring me some at work). I even took WIP pics!



Having sliced the zucchini (on the cheese slicer part of my box grater -- never again slicing with a knife!), and tossed it with salt, it is draining.



Had some leftover crust from the ZuQuiche-y, so rolled it out for the tart. Note to self, WW flour sucks in a crust. It was hell. Literally. And the fact that I was using an empty Brandy bottle for a rolling pin... (Mister was like, "Most people go out and get a rolling pin!" I was like "well, most people learned how to make do when you're in the middle of doing something!")



The layering went off without a hitch, and here it is, ready to go into the oven.



Here it is after being cooked and nommed. Thoughts on this recipe: omit the crust. Unnecessary, and wound up not being overly tasty. ... I think that's it. It was very tasty overall.

This weekend we went out a fair amount (mostly because I love going out for Breakfast and such), and we've made a goal to not eat out this week. It is also Mister's turn to cook this week. He offered, and I accepted. We'll see how that goes.