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

Planning Russian Tea Party

Based upon this website, I am building my Russian tea party. In order to save the information, I will also put it here.

Over the course of the last two hundred years, the tea ceremony has become one of the strongest and most pervasive cultural traditions in Central Russia. Since its introduction from China early in the seventeenth century, tea has become the Russians' favorite drink. The tea ceremony has become not only a cultural tradition but also has developed into a strong communicational bond for the society.


In Russia tea is served after meals and during mid-afternoon breaks, a kind of English "five-o'clock-tea" with difference that this Russian "five-o'clock-tea" may occur in any part of day and in any place - in office, in a car, in a park. When friends visit somebody hosts invite them to have a cup of tea. This "cup of tea" is not just a tea but a lots of cookies, sandwiches, other meal. Each feast ends with tea-drinking with candies and cakes. Till present time when bagged tea got popular in the world Russians still prefer tea prepared in old classical way when loose tea is brewed in a hot teapot or samovar - the central symbol of the Russian Tea Ceremony.

Here are 9 rules for Russian tea ceremony:


1) Russian tea drinking is called chaepitie, tea is chai
2) Russian tea means - black tea. There are some rules to prepare good tea. That water should be boiled till "sparkling boiling" when first air bubbles appeared. Water should be soft, hard water with much salts is not good for tea. A tea-pot is heated a little bit with some hot water. Then tea is put into the tea-pot - 1 tea-spoon for each person plus 1 for tea-pot - classical recipe. After 3-4 minutes tea is ready.
3) Loose tea is brewed in a teapot, producing strong tea called zavarka. Zavarka is served in teacups or stakan s podstakannikom (glass with metal holder) diluted with hot water to fit personal taste.
4) Sugar and a lemon are a must, everyone adds them in tea to taste.
5) Tea is drunk from cups with saucers. Drinking tea from saucers is allowed, but not recommended. Children often allowed to do it in order to cool their tea.
6) If children are the part of the ceremony they are usially seated at the separate little table, with much less strict rules of behaviour.
7) Russian tea drinking is accompanied by plentiful snack.
- snack nourishing (pies with meat or fish, with cottage cheese, with cabbage, with rice, pancakes with nourishing stuffings).
- sandwiches, cut bread and butter.
- pastries and sweets (any sweet cookies, cakes, chocolate, jam, honey, nuts, pancakes with sweet stuffings). Jam and honey are not put into cup or glass with tea but are served in a kind of bowl or special vase and then each participant of tea party put portion into personal little plate or bowl and then eats by a tea spoon. Often white bread or roll is offered, in this case loaves of bread are spread with jam or honey. Of course fresh butter is served - just in case to spread onto bread.

8) Most of all, remember that tea, in Russia, is not just for tea time. I like to think that the warmth, comfort and hospitality that tea symbolizes, in Russian culture, is why it is offered at every meal and anytime during the day, especially when family and friends are gathered.
9) The main tea drinking in Russian is a conversation. Therefore simply do not invite to tea visitors who you do not want to have a deep conversation with.
Pleasant chaepitie!

Russian Samovars

The samovar came to Russia from Persia and the Middle East in the 18th century. The samovar is a a metal urn in which water is kept boiling for tea. Charcoal or wood is burned in a vertical pipe through the center of the samovar and this heats the water. On top of the samovar is a holder for a small teapot. In this pot, a strong tea concentrate is brewed. This tea essence is then diluted with hot water from the samovar.

In old Russia, in the days before mass production, tea drinking was a way of life. The samovar was a staple in homes, restaurants and offices. Samovars would be located on street corners to sell tea to passersby. Even trains were equipped with samovars for their passengers.
The first samovars in Russia were imported and were very utilitarian in form. As is typical for the Russian people, they began to decorate and develop the samovar into a beautiful work of art, as welcome in the Winter Palace as in a peasant's izba (hut). The first samovar was made in Tula in 1820. After a while, Tula became known as the center of Russian samovar production (in addition to the production of munitions and other metalwork). By 1900, there were 40 samovar factories in Tula with an annual production of around 630,000. The Batashev Metalworks, which became one of the most famous factories, produced 110,000 samovars alone each year.

Samovars came in various shapes and sizes depending on their use. Most were small, around 18 inches high, and were used in homes and offices. Larger samovars could be several feet in hight and diameter. Traveling samovars were equipped with handles and removable legs. Others had compartments for preparing food. The metalworkers of the Russian samovar factories provided exquisite detail in silver, bronze, and iron.

Modern day Russians still use the samovar quite often. However modern technology has provided for electric samovars which don't require the use of charcoal. As in old, these samovars are found in kitchens, offices, and even on Russian Trains. And the use of the samovar has spread from Russia to much of eastern Europe.

I intend to make pierogi, and probably fry them up as well served with sour cream, and I will probably make a sweet of some sort. But will that be enough? Should I maybe do a meat pie or a cabbage pie or a potato pie (all of which sound AMAZING), should I do open-faced Russian sandwiches, or should I at least include bread and butter and jam? I want to make a lot of delicious food, but it ALL sounds good!

... I have half of a cabbage in my fridge, and perhaps I should make cabbage pie tonight!

And since I'm super nervous about losing these recipes and the website, I will list off their recipes as well.

Cabbage Pirog

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 lb. sweet butter, divided
3/4 cup cold water
2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tbsp. rum or vodka
2 lbs cabbage
1 tsp. sugar
3 hardboiled eggs, peeled and chopped
Milk
1 egg yolk
Preparation:
To make the dough combine 3 cups flour with 1/2 lb. cold sweet butter (2 sticks), cutting it until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together the 3/4 cup water, 1 tsp. salt, and the rum or vodka. Add this to the flour mixture and gently mix. Turn out onto a floured board and roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold into thirds, seal in a plastic bag and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Bring one stick butter (1/4-lb.) to room temperature. Roll out dough again to a thickness of 1/2-inch and spread butter on it. Fold into thirds and roll again. Fold the dough again, place in airtight plastic in refrigerator.
Finely shred the cabbage as if you were making cole slaw. (Or you can use 3 bags of the already shredded cabbage that you can purchase at some supermarkets, but be sure the cabbage is very white and fresh.) Put cabbage in a pan with enough milk to cover 1/2 the depth of the cabbage. Add 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp. salt. Mix gently and cook, uncovered, until soft. Drain cabbage well. Into the pan that you used to cook the cabbage, put the remaining 1 stick of butter and heat to melt. Add the cabbage and the chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Preheat oven to 550-degrees F. Butter a 9 x 12 x-inch pan. Take 3/4 of the dough, roll it into a rectangle slightly larger than the pan, bringing the dough up the sides and cutting off the excess. Spread cabbage mixture over top. Roll out remaining dough and place over top. Pinch edges to seal. Brush with an egg wash that you have made by combining one egg yolk and 1-tsp. water. Make holes in the top of the pie to let steam escape during cooking.
Place pan on lowest rack of preheated oven. Bake for 15-minutes. Move up to middle rack and lower heat to 500-degrees. Bake another 30 to 35 minutes, watching to see that it does not burn. Note: Doubled, to serve a large group, this recipe will fill a standard 12 x 18-inch baking sheet.


Meat Pirog

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
250 g butter
15 g yeast
0.5 c milk
Filling:
500 g meat
2-3 onions
2-3 potatoes
parsley
dill
salt
pepper
2 eggs
0.5 c meat stock
Preparation:
Make dough from the butter, flour, 1 egg, yeast, and put it in the cold. Roll out the dough in a layer 1 cm thick. Place a half of it in a dripping pan and cover with the meat filling, onions and herbs. Salt the filling, add some pepper, 1 bay leaf, and finely chopped raw potatoes. Cover with the second layer of dough, and spread an egg over it. Make small holes in the pie, and pour some broth through it while baking. Bake in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes.


Kulebiaka

Ingredients:
4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 pound of chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits
6 tablespoons of chilled vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon of salt
10 to 12 tablespoons of ice water
Filling:
2 cups of dry white wine
1 cup of coarsely chopped onions
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped celery
1 cup of scraped, coarsely chopped carrots
10 whole black peppercorns
4 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 1/2 pounds of fresh salmon, in one piece
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1/4 pound stick)
1/2 pound of fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of fresh, strained lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of finely chopped onions
1/2 cup of unconverted, long-grain white rice
1 cup of chicken stock, fresh or canned
1/3 cup of finely cut fresh dill leaves
3 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
Preparation:
In a large, chilled bowl, combine the flour, butter, shortening and salt. Working quickly, use your fingers to rub the flour and fat together until they blend and resemble flakes of a coarse meal. Pour 10 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather into a ball. If the dough seems crumbly, add up to 2 tablespoons more of ice water by drops. Divide the dough in half, dust each half with flour, and wrap them separately in wax paper. Refrigerate 3 hours, or until firm.
Combine 3 quarts of water, wine, coarsely chopped onions, celery, carrots, peppercorns, and 3 teaspoons of salt in a 4- to 6-quart enameled or stainless steel casserole. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the salmon into the liquid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is firm to the touch. With a slotted spatula, transfer the fish to a large bowl and separate it into small flakes with your fingers or a fork.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet set over high heat. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to moderate, and, stirring occasionally, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a small bowl and toss them with lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of black pepper.
Melt 4 more tablespoons of butter in the skillet over high heat and drop in all but 1 tablespoon of the finely chopped onions. Reduce the heat to moderate and, stirring occasionally, cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft but not brown. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and with a rubber spatula, scrape into the mushrooms.
Now melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over high heat. Drop in the remaining tablespoon of onion, reduce the heat to moderate and stirring frequently, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Stir in the rice and cook 2 or 3 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until each grain is coated with butter. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and over the pan tightly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy. Off the heat, stir in the dill with a fork. Add the cooked mushrooms and onions, rice and chopped, hard-cooked eggs to the bowl of salmon and toss together lightly but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning.


Blini

Ingredients:
4.5 glasses (7 cups) flour
4 glasses (4 1/2 cups) milk
25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) yeast
25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) butter
100 g (1/2 cup) cream
2 eggs
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp salt
Preparation:
Dissolve half the flour, the yeast and butter in milk and let it rise. Beat up the dough, add the rest of the flour, salt and egg yolks ground with sugar. Beat again, add the beaten egg whites and cream, let the dough rest and then begin to bake.


Blinchiki with Tvorog

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs
salt
oil to fry
Filling:
200 g tvorog (Russian style cottage cheese)
1/2 cup milk
100 g poppy seeds
1 c raisins
sugar to taste
Preparation:
Put ground poppy seeds and raisins in hot milk and heat until dense, add sugar and cool down. Combine the mixture with tvorog and 2 yolks. Sift flour in a bowl, add milk and salt. Stir in 1 whole egg and 2 whites and knead dough. Bake thin pancakes, but fry only on one side. Put a pancake fried side on a plate, spread the filling and roll into a log. Put all the rolls on a baking sheet, brush with butter and bake in the oven. Serve with milk or juice.


Syrniki

Ingredients:
250 g tvorog (Russian style cottage cheese)
75 g oil to fry
2 tb semolina flour
2 tb wheat flour
3 tb sugar
2 eggs
Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients, except flour, and knead stiff dough. Shape small balls and roll in flour. Fry in oil for 3-4 minutes every side until bright golden.


Piroshki

Ingredients:
4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
16 tablespoons (two and a quarter pound sticks) unslated butter, cut into 1/4-inch bits and chilled
8 tablespoons of chilled lard, cut into 1/4-inch bits
8 to 12 tablespoons of ice water
Filling: meat
4 tablespoons of butter
3 cups of finely choppped onions
11/2 pounds of lean ground beef
3 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
6 tablespoons of finely cut fresh dill leaves
2 teaspoons of salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Filling: cabbage
3 pound head of white cabbage, quartered, cored, then coarsely shredded
4 tablespoons of butter
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
4 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
1/4 cup of finely cut fresh dill leaves
2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Combine the flour, salt, butter and lard in a deep bowl. With your fingers, rub the flour and fat together until they look like flakes of coarse meal. Pour in 8 tablespoons of ice water all at once and gather the dough into a ball. If it curmbles, add up to 4 tablespoons more of ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until the particles adhere. Wrap the ball of dough in wax paper, and chill for about 1 hour. On a lightlly floured surface, shape the pastry into a rough rectangle 1 inch thick and roll it into a strip about 21 inches long and 6 inches wide. Turn the pastry around and again roll it out lengthwise int a 21-by-6-inch strip. Fold into thirds and roll out the packet as before. Repeat this entire process twice more, ending with the folded packet. Wrap it is wax paper and refrigerate for an additional hour.

Meat Filling:
Over high heat, melt the butter in a heavy 10-to 12-inch skillet. Add onions and, stirring occasionally, cook over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Stir in the beef and, mashing the meat with a fork to break up any lumps, cook briskly until no traces of pink remain. Grind the meat-and-onion mixture through the finest blade of a meat grinder (or, the mixture finely with a knife). Combine the meat in a large bowl with eggs, dill, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly and taste for seasoning.

Cabbage Filling:
Over high heat, bring 4 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in a 8- to 10-quart pot and drop in the cabbage. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Then drain the cabbage in a colander and set it aside.
Melt the butter over high heat in a deep skillet or 3- to 4-quart casserole. Add the chopped onions, reduce the heat to moderate, and cook 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are soft and lightly colored. Drop in the cabbage and cover the pan. (The pan may be filled to the brim, but the cabbage will shrink as it cooks.) Simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender, then uncover the pan, raise the heat to high and boil briskly until almost all of the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Drain the cabbage in a colander and combine it with the chopped eggs, dill and parsley. Stir in the salt, sugar and a few grindings of pepper and taste for seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. With a 3- to 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Gather the scraps into a ball and roll out again, cutting additional circles. Drop 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each round and flatten the filling slightly. Fold one long side of the dough up over the filling, almost covering it. Fold in the two ends of the dough about 1/2 inch, and lastly, fold over the remaining long side of the dough. Place the pirozhki side by side, with the seam sides down on a buttered baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes , or until golden brown.


Knydli

Ingredients:

600 g potatoes.
200 g flour.
1 ea egg.
200 g small plums boneless.
salt.
sugar.
butter.
Preparation:
Grate potatoes very finely and pour off the juice. Add flour, egg, sugar and salt. Knead stiff dough (use more flour if needed). Shape small balls and put a boneless plum inside of every ball. Cook in boiling lightly salted water. Knydli are served with melted butter.


Vatrushki

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1/2 cup of sour cream
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Filling:
1 pound of tvorog (Russian style cottage cheese)
1 tablespoon of sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Preparation:
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a deep well in the center of the flour and drop in the egg, sour cream and butter. With your fingers, slowly mix the flour into the liquid ingredients, then beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth, moderately firm dough is formed. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it loosely in wax paper, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Drain the tvorog by placing it is a colander, covering it with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and weighting it with a heavy dish on top. Let it drain undisturbed for 2 or 3 hours, then with the back of a large spoon, rub the cheese through a fine sieve set over a large bowl. Beat into it the sour cream, eggs, sugar and salt. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
On ligtly floured surface, roll te dough into a circle of about 1/8 inch thick. With a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible. Gather the remaining scraps into a ball, roll it out again, and cut out additional circles (there should be 14 to 16 circles in all). Make a border around each circle by turning over about 1/4 inch of the dough all around its circumference and pinching this raised rim into small decorative pleats. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling into the center and flatten it slightly. Using a pastry brush, coat the filling and borders with the egg yolk-and-water mixture and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, or until pale gold in color.


Smetannik

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1/4-pound stick), cut into 1/3-inch bits
3 tablespoons of chilled vegetable oil shortening
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
5 to7 tablespoons of ice water
Filling:
2 cups of finely ground almonds, lightly toasted
4 teaspoons of milk
6 tablespoons of raspberry jam
6 tablespoons of cherry jam
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup of sour cream
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, softened
Preparation:
Soak the almonds in milk for 5 to 10 minutes. With the back of a large spoon, rub the raspberry and cherry jams through a fine sieve set over a large bowl. Then beat in the egg yolks, sour cream, cinnamon, nuts and soaking milk.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. With a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch false-bottomed tart pan with the tablespoon of softened butter. Drape the pastry over the rolling pin, lift it up and unfold it slackly over the pan. Gently press the pastry into the bottom and around the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch it. Roll the pin over the rim of the pan, pressing down hard to trim off the excess pastry.
Preheat the oven to 425 Degree F. Pour the filling into the pastry shell and roll out the other half of dough into a 12-inch circle. Drape it over the rolling pin, lift it up and unfold it over the filling. Press the edges of the pastry layers together. Then crimp them with your fingers or press them firmly around the rim with the prongs of a fork. With a sharp knife, cut three 1-inch slits about 1 inch apart in the top of the pastry. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Then set the pan on a large jar or coffee can and carefully slip off the outside rim. Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.


Medovik

Ingredients:
8 lg eggs; separated
6 tb butter
14 oz honey; clover or wild
2 c sugar
6 c flour
2 ts baking powder
2 ts baking powder
2 ts cinnamon
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 c strong coffee
1 c sour cream
1 c walnuts, chopped
Preparation:
Heat the honey to boiling and allow to cool. Separate the eggs, reserving the whites. Beat the room temperature yolks with the butter until fluffy. Add the cooled honey and beat until well blended. Add the sugar and blend well. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together, then sift again. add to the honey mixture. Add the orange zest, juice, coffee and sour cream stirring until no dry flour shows. Whip the egg whites until stiff, then fold in a little of the whites, mixing well, then add the rest of the whites. Stir in the chopped nuts, if using them. Pour into buttered and floured loaf pans, rapping them to even the batter. Bake in a preheated 325 Degree F. oven for about an hour. DO NOT open the oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking. When done, cool on wire racks for 10 minutes and then turn out to finish cooling. Wrap well in heavy duty aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator.


Mazurka

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, softened
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup of superfine sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon of fresh strained lemon juice
1 /2 pound of toasted hazelnuts, shelled and pulverized in a mortar and pestle a grinder
5 egg whites
Topping:
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of rum
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (confectioners�)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 Degree F. With a pastry brush, butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch -wide, 3-inch-deep springform cake pan with the tablespoons of softened butter. With a whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg yolks for about minute, then slowly pour in the sugar. Continue beating until the mixture falls back upon itself in a ribbon when the beater is lifted out of the bowl. Beat in the grated lemon rind and lemon juice. With a rubber spatula, fold in the hazelnuts.
In another bowl, and with a clean beater, beat the egg whites until they form firm, unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted out of the bowl. Gently but thoroughly fold the whites into the egg-yolk mixture until no streaks of white show. Pour the batter into the buttered pan and spread evenly to the sides with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until it has puffed and has begun to come slightly away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and let the cake rest in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the side of the pan and turn the cake out on a cake rack. Cool to room temperature.
To make the topping, beat the cream with a whisk or rotary or electric beater until it forms soft peaks. The gradually beat in the rum and sugar and continue to beat until stiff. With a spatula, spread over the top of the cake and serve at once.


Napoleon

Ingredients:
1500 g flour
250 g margarine
1 ea egg
1 tb vinegar Icing:
1 sugar
0,5 l milk
2 ea eggs
2 tb flour
200 g butter
vanilla.
Preparation:
Cut margarine into small pieces and toss with flour until smooth. Mix egg, vinegar in 1 cup of water and add it to flour. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth. Divide the dough into 8 parts and put in the fridge for 40-60 minutes. Roll out every part very thin, put in a baking form, cut out remains, pierce with a fork and bake in a preheated oven until light golden. Bake the remains of dough until golden colour.
Icing: Mix sugar, eggs, flour and then pour over milk. Cook on low heat, stirring regularly, until dense. When icing cools down a little, add butter and vanilla.
Spread the icing on every shortcake and on the top. Crumb the dough remains and sprinkle all the cake with them. Puy in a fridge at least for a couple of hours.


Kartoshka

Ingredients:
cocoa powder (unsweeted)
1 2/3 cups ground toasted walnuts, sifted
1 2/3 cups dry sponge cake crumbs, sifted
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 cup unsweetened evaporated milk or heavy cream
3 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon rum
Preparation:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the 1/4 cup of ground walnuts and mix thoroughly until well blended. Scoop up about 1/4 cup of the mixture and shape into a ball. Spread the 1/4 cup of ground walnuts or cocoa on wax paper, roll the rum ball in them.


Kulich

Ingredients:
2 pkg. rapid rise yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
4 cups evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 tbs ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
2 tbs salt
1 tbs vanilla
1 tbs grated orange peel
1 tbs grated lemon peel
9 eggs
12 cups flour
3 cups raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation:
Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water. Set aside. Scald and cool to lukewarm the 4 cups milk. Add yeast and the 1 cup sugar, 4 cups of the flour and the cardamom to the lukewarm milk. Mix into a smooth sponge and set in a warm place for approximately 2 hours. When sponge is done resting, melt and warm the butter. Stir the sugar, salt, vanilla and zest into the butter and add to the sponge. Gradually work in the flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead for 5 minutes. Add nuts and raisins and knead another 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and oil or butte dough to prevent crust from forming. Let rise until double in bulk. Roll into various sized balls and place in greased various sized metal cans you have saved. Oil the top of dough. Bake in a 350-degree oven. Baking time will vary depending on size of cans. When dough is done remove from pan and butter the crust. Place on baking rack to cool.


Paskha

Ingredients:
2 kg tvorog (Russian style cottage cheese)
300 g butter
400 g sour cream
4 ea eggs
salt to taste
Preparation:
Paskha is a traditional dish for Easter table. Butter must be soft and supple.Put tvorog under weight for 2 hours, drain through the sieve twice (never use a mincer). Drained tvorog is souffle and light. Bring to boil butter, sour cream and 3 eggs in a separate pan, stirring constantly. Pour in hot mass in drained tvorog, add 1 egg and salt. Blend until homogenous. Fill in the Easter form (with a traditional drawing and ornaments). The bottom is covered with wet gauze. Cover with a plate and put a weight. Keep in the fridge for 12 hours.


Pishki

Ingredients:
1 pc active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
1/3 c butter
3/2 c sugar
1 ea egg
3 ea egg yolks
1 ts vanilla extract
1 ts grated lemon peel
3/4 ts salt
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
confectioners' sugar
oil to fry
Preparation:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, then egg yolks, one at a time. Add vanilla extract, lemon peel, dissolved yeast, and salt. Beat up until well mixed. Stir in flour gradually, adding enough to make a stiff dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes. Place in a floured bowl. Cover. Let rise until doubled. Shape little flat rounds. Fry in hot fat 2 to 3 minutes; turn to brown all sides. Drain doughnuts on paper towels and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.


Pryaniki

Ingredients:

1 lb sugar, 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c honey
1/2 lb almonds
500 g flour
12 g potash
cardamom
cloves
Icing:
1 1/2 lb sugar
1/2 lb chocolate powder.
Preparation:
Dissolve sugar in the water, mix with honey and boil this syrupin a big pan. Add potash, cardamom, cloves to taste and choppedalmonds. Take off from the heat and add flour. Stir thoroughlyand make the dough on the table. Cut out different figurines,put on the sheet and bake in the oven until ready.

Wedding Planning

On Amazon.com, they have a lovely set of tools to help those that are planning a wedding. Lots of etiquette tips, check lists, planning schedules, and of course a registry at Amazon.com! As some things have changed in the planning yet there isn't an option to ADD items to the checklist (although thankfully I can delete them!), I'm going to have a running list here, based upon Amazon's.

12 Months Ahead
- announce engagement
- select sites for ceremony and reception: Mister's uncle's house for the reception, court house for the ceremony
- start working on guest list for approximate headcount: ~60 people
- introduce both sets of parents
- talk to families about budget, place, size, etc.
- open a joint bank account for wedding savings (not sure if we're going to do this one)
- set a budget for wedding rings

10 Months Ahead
- start thinking about invitations and shopping for a stationer: me, I just need to pick a font and practice it over and over again
- start scouting for vendors (all ? indicate unconfirmed status)

     - caterer: Redbones?
     - bakery: family and friends?
     - musicians: Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band?
     - photographer: Mister's coworker?
     - videographer: n/a
     - florist: Trader Joe's
     - calligrapher: me

- start sketching dress designs
- help decide landscape choices at Mister's uncle's house

8 Months Ahead
- register for gifts: just a couple things to hammer out...
- discuss wedding ring style with partner: and got an appointment set up with the jeweler in January :-D
- book your caterer (Redbones)
- book your musicians (ENSMB)
- research honeymoon
- finalize guest list and start collecting addresses
- order stationary: I have the invitations, I just need a business card-sized card with the registry address, Thank You cards and a postcard for RSVPs
- decide what cakes to make: due to brilliant brainstorming, we'll be making 10 pound cakes (of 5 recipes), so we need to pick tasty ones
- decide on a dress design
- pick out fabric and notions
- make decisions about disposable vs. real dishes/glasses/flatware etc.
- start thinking about table settings

6 Months Ahead
- scout accommodations for out-of-town guests: Mister's uncle offered three bedrooms, and we MAYBE have one, but that's it
- plan menu with caterer
- plan playlist with musicians: we'll probably just say "have fun"
- shop for wedding bands: will already be done, if my January schedule works out
- book honeymoon
- mail invitations 6 months before
- work on dress?
- finalize table settings

4 Months Ahead
- research requirements for marriage license
- make honeymoon reservations
- meet with party-rental company to discuss tables and chairs
- work on dress?

2 Months Ahead
- review insurance (car, life, medical, home) documents with fiance, anticipating change in marital status
- finalize menu with caterer
- finalize beverage choices: having friends brew two kegs for us? and a handful of wines and cider?
- have dress finished by now

4 Weeks Ahead
- plan day-after brunch/party: not sure if we'll do this
- plan seating for reception
- confirm details with all vendors
- confirm honeymoon arrangements (e.g., pet sitters, housesitters, suspension of mail delivery)
- have a favor-making get-together, if you're making your own

2 Weeks Ahead
- get marriage license
- submit final playlist to musican: not sure necessary
- write out table and placecards for reception: not sure necessary
- break in your shoes
- keep up with thank-you notes (for bridal shower gifts or help with making favors, for example)
- confirm honeymoon reservations and give copy of itinerary to friend

1 Week Ahead
- pack for honeymoon
- give caterer final head count
- place fees, including tips, for all the vendors in marked envelopes, to be distributed on the day
- bake cakes/confirm who's baking cakes: ideally I'll have help with this, but I can bake cakes

One Day Ahead
- try to get a good night's sleep
- get outfit set out and ready
- pack car

Wedding Day
- if sending wedding announcements, make sure they're in the mail: I'm not sure if we'll do this, but there will be people that we won't be able to invite that this might be the right gesture for
- eat a good breakfast

Lots of Ideas!

Thanks to Francesca, I have a new blog to read! It's called Craft Leftovers and she's a greenie, rides bikes, crafts, has chickens, all sorts of awesome things! Add in the fact that she's planning her wedding, and I am there.

While browsing her archives (I went back a few years at least) I came across many, many things that are super inspiring.


Picnic Bowl Cover


Crocheted Plastic Grocery Bag (which I've already marked as awesome)


Garterlac Dishcloth on the creators blog and ravelry. This is basically "babies first entrelac pattern".


How to Sew a Duvet Cover -- I have wanted to do this for some time as my duvet cover is light, faded green, and Mister's is white. Ick.


Wedding Cake Stacked Cookies is a different take on the "cookie cake" theme that I'd like to do :-P


Recycled Magazine Coasters -- we need coasters, and I've considered felted crocheted coasters as well as a couple other cute, crafty ones that Mister has vetoed. :-P


One of the things that this delightful crafter is having for her wedding is strings of paper cranes as decorations. I will need to run this kind of thing by Mister (oh shit... I gave him decorations...) but this would be cute.

Here also are a couple of crocheted, bike skirt guards that are SUPER CUTE!


From here


From here


From here

Thoughts on a skirt guard


Unexpected Crochet for the Home by Leisure Arts has some awesome looking projects including a sturdy rug that is crocheted over rope.

Schedule

Mister and I had a bit of brainstorming Saturday, and this is what we came up with.

Monday: clean out fridge, take out trash, buy groceries

Tuesday: wash floors

Wednesday: (no chores)

Thursday: clean bathroom, new towels

Friday: (no chores)

Saturday: (no chores)

Sunday: sweep floors, dust baseboards and surfaces, wash laundry, put laundry away

As we often have guests on the weeked, or go out ourselves, we wrote in a break. Wednesdays are also no chores because we get home late that day.

We also put together a basic rotating meal plan.

Monday: vegetarian

Tuesday: pasta and salad

Wednesday: breakfast for dinner (Mister's in charge)

Thursday: crock pot (I'm in charge)

Friday: roast chicken or casserole (I'm in charge)

Saturday: no plan

Sunday: soup or stew

We'll do a roast chicken twice a month or so because it's some of the best bang-per-buck options. Tuesdays are pasta because we have band practice, and it needs to be fast. Lunches will be leftovers, PBJ, fruit, trailmix, etc.

Prepping for Fall

As I went to put new laces in my laceup, every day shoes, I realized that it was a perfect opportunity to waterproof them. So I pulled out the spray can of leather proofing (no green methods here!) and went to town. I did those lace ups, two pairs of boots, my leather jacket, Misters leather jacket and a pair od Mister's lace ups. It's a beautiful suny day, and all of these items are hanging out in the sunshine on the front porch, waiting for the hour of "curing". I should also get polish and massage in some conditioning (LUSH's ultrabalm is excellent for this).

But before I get to that, I need to finish up the furniture rearranging that Mister and I started yesterday.

As an aside, the iPad hates posting, as it likes to ignore characters or spaces.

Photographers

"The Packages:
Four hours $2,580
Six hours $3,450
Your Full Day $5,670"

That, according to A Practical Wedding is affordable. What is considered non-affordable?

Text for Invitation?

I want to clear up some of my tabs, so lets close the one on invitation etiquette.

Here are my thoughts on the phrasing:

[Dea-chan]
and
[Mister]
request the honor of your presence
to celebrate their marriage
at
[address]
on
[September something, 2012]
at
1 pm

RSVP: [our address]

Thoughts? It's just going to be the reception, and I'm not quite sure how to phrase that exactly. I'm also not sure if the "honor of your presence" is quite appropriate considering how godsdamned informal it's going to be. K, thoughts?

I figured in the invitation envelope would be a business card sized paper with the info for the registry, and a postcard with RSVP info (yes/no and chicken/beef/veg, etc).

Horror of All Horrors, Wedding Stuff!

Mister and I are taking the super slow route of figuring stuff out (a.k.a. he's being a bum and claiming he needs to 'think it over' for everything :-P). Now our reactions are completely par for the course as I want shit DONE and he wants it RIGHT.

What has been more or less decided:

Food: Redbones BBQ, a local (and amazing) BBQ place with catering starting from around $10/head

Ceremony: City Hall, Justice of the Peace, no witnesses (not required for JoP :-D). It requires $50 cash for license, and $12 per copy of certificate

Reception Location: Mister's uncle's house 40 mins away (which I am super proud of finding on google maps) They also have a couple of acres not visible from the road (Mister would like to add that we really have no idea where it's going to be held, but that it is an option that has been offered but we haven't actually spoken to them.)



Headcount: 60

Time of day: 1pm-4/5pm

Time of year: late September, 2012

Music: not sure if there will be any, but if we do have music, it will be Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band

Photographer: not sure if there will be one, but if we do have a photographer, it will probably be Mister's coworker, Todd

Rings: Jade Moran, same as my engagement. I will probably get palladium with a design similar to the vines on my engagement ring, although hopefully I can reuse someone's custom design for cheaper (Jade draws all of her vines very similarly :-P).

Invitations: will be done by me

Decorations: I've handed off to Mister. He said that he wanted a say in it, so I said "awesome. Your job now!" When he tried to protest, I informed him that I like surprises (unlike him) and I don't want to hear a thing about it.

Hair: I'm doing

Makeup: I'm doing

Dress: I will be making
Stats
Color: white
length: just below the knee
size: full skirt
crinoline: no, but probably petticoats (I like the weight)
sleeves: no, wide straps plus a shawl
details: some lace trim (maybe), red sash
aesthetic: fairly casual

Some Things We Are NOT Having At the Wedding*:

-- alcohol
-- first dance/Mother-Son dance/Father-Daughter dance/retardedness
-- cake. We'll probably have cookies
-- a wedding party (i.e., bridesmaids, groomsmen, etc.)
-- videographer
-- stage manager
-- bachelor/bachelorette parties
-- wedding insurance (seriously guys? that's a thing?)
-- florist. any flowers will either be picked or bought at the grocery store
-- limos or other specialty vehicles
-- tuxedos
-- ring inscriptions
-- spa treatments
-- name change arrangements. Not happening for either of us.
-- toasts
-- "Throw bridesmaids' lunch or party, at which you'll distribute gifts/jewelry." <-- what is that shit? People have too much money to burn...


I dunno what else to even talk about. The registry is at Amazon, but still needs a final going over by Mister ("we have time, I'll get to it..."), I haven't picked out pretty shoes yet, I am only 12% done on my shawl, I'm not sure if there will be favors or what they would be (Mister was like "Etsy!" and I was like "$10-15/person?!" to which he went "oh yeah..." and I reminded him that my uncle's wedding had after dinner mints in a bundle of tulle.). I thought about perhaps doing the Indian Wedding Henna Party type thing, but as I'm not Indian, I can't really pull that one off. I thought about having a nuclear family brunch pre-reception, but Mister says that requiring people to have to stay two nights in an expensive area isn't very nice.

I did put my foot down and say that I'm getting prepped with the ladies, which he grumbled about. Our budget is around $2000, but we're not quite sure what ENSMB's and Todd's prices would be. If it's too much, or would double our budget ($3200 starting rates for wedding photography my ass) it shall be cut. If the music gets cut, then there won't be dancing as I find both DJs (expensive and retarded) and iPods (cheap and retarded) unworthy of attention. It'll just be food and hanging out.

Mister is super upset and worried about the dates for when we'll have the party, as his sister's getting married early September, and he's claiming late September could be too cold ("it could be snowing!"). I told him that if it's snowing I'll just add grey knitted tights to my grey crocheted shawl and call it a day.

_________

*I'm maybe acting a bit angry about some of this stuff, but I've been wading through a sea of BS ever since I started looking into a wedding. I have found exactly ONE website that I respect: A Practical Wedding as it's the only one that doesn't try to sell you stuff, have you make hand-painted tchotchkes, or care what you do so long as it's YOU. They don't care what your budget is, or what you have so long as you know why you're including what you are. Whether you're doing it because "everyone is and you hadn't thought of it/don't care enough to change it" or "it's a tradition that I find meaningful joining" or even "it's what feels right to me and my partner". The other thing I super respect is their respect towards LGBTQ weddings. Wanna hear something scary? The uber wedding site "The Knot" has this lovely little notice on the bottom:

Once you're a member of The Knot, you can easily log in to our sister sites The Nest and The Bump.

Is that not the scariest thing you've ever heard? Because once you've wasted your life planning your wedding, you're clearly not going to be doing anything other than redecorating your husbands home and popping babies. (*shudder)

P.S. Awesome pick of Mister, taken by Todd, while at Redbones

Seed Planting Again

So in addition to the seeds the I already planted (Baby Pam Pumpkins, Arava Cantaloupe, Dwarf Grey Sugar Snow Peas, Lincoln Shell Peas, Midnight Black Turtle Dry Beans, Vermont Cranberry Shell/Dry Beans), I planted a few more today.

Along the right-hand side of the garden, next to the garage, I planted a row of Tiger Eye Dry Beans, and next to some strange trellis-y thing I planted a few Raven Zucchini seeds.

Seeds Planted:
-- Baby Pam Pumpkins (20 seeds, 2 per pot)
-- Arava cantaloupe (20 seeds, 2 per pot)
-- Dwarf Grey Sugar Snow Peas (20 seeds, 1 per pot)
-- Lincoln Shell Peas (20 seeds, 1 per pot)
-- Midnight Black Turtle Dry Beans (20 seeds, 1 per pot)
-- Vermont Cranberry Shell/Dry Beans (20 seeds, 1 per pot)
-- Tiger Eye Dry Beans (20 seeds, 1 per space)
-- Raven Zucchini (8 seeds, 2 per space)

Birthday Dinner Party

Since the boys totally went all out on the dinner they made us M and I decided that Something Must Be Done.

(Apparently also, M's boyfriend keeps making that stew and going "you'll never top this.")

So, here is the fabulous Italian inspired dinner to whup the boys' French inspired dinner:

Course One: Antipasti platter
Course Two: Pasta with garlic and oil (we'll probably get a really awesome looking pasta)
Course Three: Sliced strawberries and kiwi in a fun design
Course Four: Braised beef with a wine and mushroom sauce, topped with fried onions
Course Five: Steamed fresh sugar snap peas with lemon juice
Course Six: Biscotti, espresso, sambucca

We'll also have little Petit Four holding the place cards at the table (since M does love her little desserts).

We're going to WIN. :-D

Bread Making

I was reading Tips for Better Bread from Farm Girl Fare, and realized that I wanted to jot down a few of the more pertinent points I think.

1 -- make the same type of bread over and over again until you understand it.
2 -- keep a bread journal, and write down details every single time you bake bread -- even if it's for the 456th time.
3 -- use good ingredients, including filtered water
4 -- add salt after autolyse.

Things that I intend to do:
1 -- make double and treble batches of dough. I already know how well bread freezes, and I only want to have one baking day a week.
2 -- consider getting a bread box. The only person I know with one is my grandmother, but she certainly doesn't use it properly. She keeps her bread in the fridge year round.

I cannot wait to be settled in the new place, and start putting all of my plans together!

Plans for new apartment thus far:

Gardening Thoughts
Ideas for the New Apartment
Plans for 2011
Fridge and Freezer Plans
Pantry Plans
Plants that Grow in Shade
Food Storage Tubs

New Task

So I've added a new item to my list of things to do this year: clean out my jewelry box. I have so much crap in there, I can never find a thing. And I don't even keep my nice jewelry in there, and perhaps I should. I've just always had a ton of jewelry, and I've lost so much of it... I'm sure that I've lost more earrings than some people have ever owned. I've lost rings, necklaces, the whole she-bang. So, a great organizing is due. Perhaps I'll take pictures when it happens. :-P

Bread

Why does it seem like everyone is posting yummy quick breads right now?

Granted, not all of those are bread per se, but the point still stands. Why must people make these delicious soda breads when I do not have a good kitchen?! Yes, yes, I am aware that one can make anything with limited space -- just willpower. But in my head, bread is a complicated, demanding beast that requires all of my attention and counterspace. And cleaning up mid-project is not my forte. :-P

I keep pushing back my thoughts on baking bread -- "I'll bake in the new apartment", "I'll have a starter in the new apartment", "I'll bake weekly bread in the new apartment" -- I'm hanging an awful lot on the new apartment!

With that being said, I still have no intention of baking in this apartment. It's too cramped and confining to feel comfortable doing so. I need lots of space in order to feel free to experiment and/or feel free to actually get flour everywhere... Also, we aren't fully in a cooking routine. We keep starting ones, but then not falling through. Having a full kitchen and full equipment will make that easier, and would then be nice to have a baking day. (It's so easy to PLAN things...)

Gardening Thoughts

So I have placed an order for seeds from FedCo.

2555 - Giant Winter Spinach ( A=1/4oz) 1 x $1.20 = $1.20
2986 - Summer Lettuce Mix ( A=1g) 1 x $1.10 = $1.10
3034 - Perpetual Spinach or Leaf Beet ( B=1/8oz) 1 x $1.60 = $1.60
3040 - Ruby Red Rhubarb Chard ( B=1/8oz) 1 x $1.10 = $1.10
3459 - White Russian Kale OG ( A=2g) 1 x $1.50 = $1.50

It should ship out within two weeks.

So there are a couple of things to keep in mind with my new garden. One, is that I still have most of the seeds from last year. Two, is that it's a mostly shade garden. However, there is space in front for potted sun-loving plants.

Feedback from Sharon: Greens are the most shade tolerant vegetables. Rhubarb is somewhat shade tolerant (vegetable/fruit borderline), and there are a few minor perennials that are also shade tolerant (check out Eric Toenesmeier’s _Perennial Vegetables_ for suggestions), but you might also want to go with fruit. Currants, blackberries and raspberries are quite shade tolerant.

I am in hardiness zone: 6-7, expected last frost date 3/30-4/30.

onions == full sun
shallots == full sun
potatoes == full sun
garlic == full sun
carrots == full sun

It looks like most root storage veggies are full sun.

Order garlic in mid-June for fall planting from FedCo bulbs.

The Herbs from Last Year
- Cilantro (1 gram) -- likes sun [lightly crush seed pods, soak in water 24-48 hours, let dry before planting]
- German Chamomile (1 gram) -- prefers full sun, can tolerate some shade
- Sweet Basil (4 grams) -- 3-4 hours in warm climates, 6-8 in cool
- Bouquet Dill (4 grams) -- full sun

The Vegetables from Last Year
- Melissa Savoy Cabbage (1/2 gram) -- start inside 8-10 weeks before last frost date -- needs sun
- Arugula (1/16 oz.)
- Salad Bowl Lettuce (2 grams)
- Tiger Eye Dry Bean (2 oz.)
- Vermont Cranberry Shell/Dry Bean (2 oz.)
- Indy Gold Bush Wax Bean (2 oz.)
- Midnight Black Turtle Dry Bean (2 oz.)
- Lincoln Shell Pea (2 oz.)
- Dwarf Grey Sugar Snow Pea (2 oz.)

The Sun-Loving Plants from Last Year
- Heirloom Tomato Mix (1/5 gram)
- "Be My Baby Gene Pool" Cherry Tomato (1/5 gram)
- Rutgers Tomato (1/5 gram)
- Long Red Narrow Cayenne Pepper (1/2 gram)
- Sugar Baby Watermelon (1/16 oz.)
- Arava Cantaloupe (1 gram)
- Raven Zucchini (1/8 oz.)
- Sugar Snax 54 Carrot (1 gram)
- Saffron Summer Squash (1/8 oz.)
- Baby Pam Pumpkin (1/4 oz.)
- Small Ornamental Gourds Mix (1/8 oz.)


I will plant the tomatoes and peppers, but most of the curcurbits I don't think I'll have the room for. :-( I'll have to see what I can do.

Plans for new apartment thus far:

Ideas for the New Apartment
Plans for 2011
Fridge and Freezer Plans
Pantry Plans
Plants that Grow in Shade
Food Storage Tubs

Ideas for the New Apartment

So Laura over at Pug in the Kitchen has some really great ideas that I'd like to use in the new apartment.

Item one is this pancake mix. It's the healthiest pancake mix I've ever seen, and I've asked her how it converts to waffles (since they're one of my true loves), and will report the result.

Pancake Mix:
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
3 1/2 cups ground whole oats
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. Sift if you'd like. Store in an airtight container in the freezer indefinitely or on the counter/in your cabinet for up to 3 weeks. When you are ready to prepare the pancakes, all you have to do is take 1 cup of the mix, 1 cup of water/milk/buttermilk and 1 whole egg. Beat them together and cook them on an ungreased griddle until golden brown on both sides.

Options: exchange the egg for mashed banana, and add spices for tasty banana pancakes!



Item two: in her post on menu planning, she mentions that she keeps a menu board in her kitchen by using an old picture frame with a plain background inside. She then writes on the glass in white-board marker what the menu for the week is. It looks so cute in her kitchen, and would be a good idea to help Mister and I keep on board with menus and budgets.

It seems like I'm putting so much on hold until we move, but honestly, I don't want to get into any big-time planning because we'll no sooner be in the swing of things, than we'll have to pack up and get out of the swing. :-P


Plans for new apartment thus far:

Plans for 2011
Fridge and Freezer Plans
Pantry Plans
Plants that Grow in Shade
Food Storage Tubs

Plans and Minutiae

First order of business: shake this bad cold that I picked up last week. Did it happen before my two days off so that I could recover? Nope! Happened in the evening of my last day off, so that I could be nice and sick (and incomprehensible due to laryngitis) while at either of my two sales jobs. "(*cough hack) (*in a croak) Would you like to (*cough hack) try some lotion?"

Yeah. Loads of fun.

Items to get accomplished: clean the house. It was beautiful until we had a week of houseguests. And the LL gets really fidgity when thinking about the desolation our apartment MUST be in, and would like to know when it will be clean for the R.E. agent to show it. If the LL had actually TALKED to us about this, instead of slipping a note, I would have given the standard answer for showing a lived-in apartment: 24 hours notice before ALL showings. Period. No exceptions. It will always be clean, it will always be ready, and we will always be out of the way.

EDIT: Left a note for LL stating exactly that. Only without the "if you'd actually talked to us" bit. :-P And slightly less bitchy.

I really don't think I have any other specific plans to get accomplished other than what will fall under the umbrella of "cleaning the house". Kitchen, living room, and put laundry away.

Although, as an aside, it WAS really nice to see that my family had the same reaction to my LL's ridiculous rules and regulations: they wanted to flout them. And since they were normally noise restrictions, flout them LOUDLY. :-P

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.

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.

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