Blessings, Darlings!
Since the Spawn hasn't been getting many hours at work (they aren't getting many customers for day shift, so they call and tell him not to come in), he's covering not one but TWO other folks' shifts at work today. So he's not home for dinner. Which means ... the Chubby Hubby and I can have food he doesn't like without a care in the world!
Don't get me wrong - the Spawn likes most foods. But like all of us, there are a few he just doesn't care for. Corned Beef, what we had tonight, is one of them. And I bought 3 corned beef briskets at REALLY good prices around St. Patrick's day. We had one of them last month, and I cooked the last two today.
And now that I've eaten dinner, I'm especially happy that I did. Damn, they're good.
Frondly, Fern
Showing posts with label foodie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foodie. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
End-Of-Storage Soup
Blessings Darlings!
Tonight there is a late spring snowstorm happening in the north east US. Trees, which have already pretty much leafed out, are losing branches and bringing down power lines. Nevertheless, I'm fully in Spring mode, and have started making batches of "let me clean out last years dried veggies' soup.
Today's soup is a pretty typical one: dried tomatoes, wild onions, jalapenos, celery, zucchini, along with wheat berries, chickpeas and the plantain leaves I posted about on Monday, in chicken stock. I'll make another pot in a few days, with eggplant in for the zucchini ... and maybe dock weed in place of the plantain. This weekend I'll make a pizza and turn the dried tomatoes into pizza sauce.
Very soon I'll be getting lots of veggies from the garden and fruits and veggies from local farms - I'm going to need every inch of shelf space and every available jar for canning. If I don't use the older yummy stuff, I won't have room for the NEW yummy stuff.
And I need to start experimenting with this recipe for coffee jelly I ran into on line. I'm thinking about kicking it up with cinnamon and/or hot pepper. And giving it out as Yule gifts.
It's NEVER too early to get started on Yule gift when you're a reconstructionist, since preparing gifts by hand takes longer than spending money on 'em.
Frondly, Fern
Tonight there is a late spring snowstorm happening in the north east US. Trees, which have already pretty much leafed out, are losing branches and bringing down power lines. Nevertheless, I'm fully in Spring mode, and have started making batches of "let me clean out last years dried veggies' soup.
Today's soup is a pretty typical one: dried tomatoes, wild onions, jalapenos, celery, zucchini, along with wheat berries, chickpeas and the plantain leaves I posted about on Monday, in chicken stock. I'll make another pot in a few days, with eggplant in for the zucchini ... and maybe dock weed in place of the plantain. This weekend I'll make a pizza and turn the dried tomatoes into pizza sauce.
Very soon I'll be getting lots of veggies from the garden and fruits and veggies from local farms - I'm going to need every inch of shelf space and every available jar for canning. If I don't use the older yummy stuff, I won't have room for the NEW yummy stuff.
And I need to start experimenting with this recipe for coffee jelly I ran into on line. I'm thinking about kicking it up with cinnamon and/or hot pepper. And giving it out as Yule gifts.
It's NEVER too early to get started on Yule gift when you're a reconstructionist, since preparing gifts by hand takes longer than spending money on 'em.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wildcrafting: Plantain
Blessings Darlings!
We are finally getting rain here in the northern Blue Ridge Mountains. We were at about half our normal rain for the year, with yesterday and today (today be Sunday) we might get up to 65% of normal. The grass and fields planted in winter wheat are loving it - they were both VERY unhappy about the lack of rain.
The wild greens are loving it, too. We've moved out of dandelion and chickweed seasons (well, I have one patch of chickweed on the north side of the house I will harvest tomorrow, but that's it) and moved into the dock and plantain seasons. Today, out in the cold rain, I harvested a scant quart of plantain. Here are some pictures of it. I have both the narrow and broad leaf varieties in the yard, but I harvest the broad leaf.
Most parts of the plantain plant can be used, either for food or healing. If you have a choice, the best parts for eating are young leaves. The leaves get tough later. And while the seeds are often listed as an item 'Indians ground and used for bread' ... that speaks more for how hungry folks got rather than the taste of the seeds, says a friend who tried doing that.
I'm going to use these as the greens in soup, with canned or dry tomatoes, whole wheat pasta or wheat berries, chickpeas, wild onion, and some asparagus.
What's fresh and tasty in your land base?
Frondly, Fern
We are finally getting rain here in the northern Blue Ridge Mountains. We were at about half our normal rain for the year, with yesterday and today (today be Sunday) we might get up to 65% of normal. The grass and fields planted in winter wheat are loving it - they were both VERY unhappy about the lack of rain.
The wild greens are loving it, too. We've moved out of dandelion and chickweed seasons (well, I have one patch of chickweed on the north side of the house I will harvest tomorrow, but that's it) and moved into the dock and plantain seasons. Today, out in the cold rain, I harvested a scant quart of plantain. Here are some pictures of it. I have both the narrow and broad leaf varieties in the yard, but I harvest the broad leaf.
Most parts of the plantain plant can be used, either for food or healing. If you have a choice, the best parts for eating are young leaves. The leaves get tough later. And while the seeds are often listed as an item 'Indians ground and used for bread' ... that speaks more for how hungry folks got rather than the taste of the seeds, says a friend who tried doing that.
I'm going to use these as the greens in soup, with canned or dry tomatoes, whole wheat pasta or wheat berries, chickpeas, wild onion, and some asparagus.
What's fresh and tasty in your land base?
Frondly, Fern
Monday, April 2, 2012
Cheap Eats - Refried Beans
Blessings Darlings!
I haven't focused on cheap eats recently, and given the economy I really should.
Tonight's dinner is going to be the Taco recipe I posted before, the half beef/half bean taco mix. A fact I forgot about last night before going to bed - I had planned to start soaking the beans then.
But I didn't. I DID remember them when I awoke at 1 am. And hauled my sorry butt to the kitchen to sort, wash, and start soaking two cups of dry black beans.
Have I mentioned that I tend to be my own worst enemy? Then again, in my experience, that is true of us all.
This morning I drained the soaking liquid then pressure cooked the beans. Since I only needed one pound of cooked beans, the two cups of dry beans resulted in FAR more beans than I needed. Which is great, it allowed me to make refried beans.
I'm sure all y'all already know that 'refried' beans aren't 'refried' at all. Refritos, in Spanish, means 'twice cooked'. First the cooking to make them soft and edible, then the cooking with seasoning and mashing them to make then tasty and give them a creamy texture.
This is a VERY laid-back recipe. I don't measure a damn thing, it's all mix/taste/adjust.
REFRIED BEANS
Several cups of cooked beans. Any type, really, except garbanzos, because then you'd be making hummus. I probably used around 3 cups this time, and the water left from cooking them.
A chopped onion. You pick the size. I used a large but not huge one.
Chili powder. I probably used about a tablespoon
Salt, I used at least a teaspoon
Minced Garlic, I used 3 cloves this time. Mince this first - it allows antioxidants to develop
Pepper, black, I dunno how much, I ground the pepper mill for a bit.
Ground coriander seed, maybe 1/3 tsp?
Ground cumin seed, maybe 1/2 tsp?
Oregano, a dash or so.
Some oil.
So, put 1 - 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a heavy pot. Let it get shimmery over medium heat. Add onions, cook 'till translucent. Add minced garlic and seasonings, let them 'bloom' in the hot pan for 30 seconds. Add beans. Heat. Mash. Adjust seasonings, add water if needed.
Serve with chips, or baked tortillas, or cut veggies.
Frondly, Fern
I haven't focused on cheap eats recently, and given the economy I really should.
Tonight's dinner is going to be the Taco recipe I posted before, the half beef/half bean taco mix. A fact I forgot about last night before going to bed - I had planned to start soaking the beans then.
But I didn't. I DID remember them when I awoke at 1 am. And hauled my sorry butt to the kitchen to sort, wash, and start soaking two cups of dry black beans.
Have I mentioned that I tend to be my own worst enemy? Then again, in my experience, that is true of us all.
This morning I drained the soaking liquid then pressure cooked the beans. Since I only needed one pound of cooked beans, the two cups of dry beans resulted in FAR more beans than I needed. Which is great, it allowed me to make refried beans.
I'm sure all y'all already know that 'refried' beans aren't 'refried' at all. Refritos, in Spanish, means 'twice cooked'. First the cooking to make them soft and edible, then the cooking with seasoning and mashing them to make then tasty and give them a creamy texture.
This is a VERY laid-back recipe. I don't measure a damn thing, it's all mix/taste/adjust.
REFRIED BEANS
Several cups of cooked beans. Any type, really, except garbanzos, because then you'd be making hummus. I probably used around 3 cups this time, and the water left from cooking them.
A chopped onion. You pick the size. I used a large but not huge one.
Chili powder. I probably used about a tablespoon
Salt, I used at least a teaspoon
Minced Garlic, I used 3 cloves this time. Mince this first - it allows antioxidants to develop
Pepper, black, I dunno how much, I ground the pepper mill for a bit.
Ground coriander seed, maybe 1/3 tsp?
Ground cumin seed, maybe 1/2 tsp?
Oregano, a dash or so.
Some oil.
So, put 1 - 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a heavy pot. Let it get shimmery over medium heat. Add onions, cook 'till translucent. Add minced garlic and seasonings, let them 'bloom' in the hot pan for 30 seconds. Add beans. Heat. Mash. Adjust seasonings, add water if needed.
Serve with chips, or baked tortillas, or cut veggies.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, March 19, 2012
Beef Recall
Blessings Darlings!
This beef recall probably won't affect any of the rest of you. My local Wegman's, which I shopped at yesterday, called to tell me that the ground beef I bought yesterday is being recalled. A part in their meat grinder broke SOMETIME yesterday and there may be metal shards in the ground beef.
Obviously I used my Wegman's membership card when I shopped, so they knew that I had bought ground beef. I don't even really know WHY I use the card there - I KNOW it let them monitor what I buy and isn't usually tied in to any discounts. It's a violation of OPSEC. But this time it paid off. I know to return the meat.
On a Pagan note ... once I got the meat home SOMETHING told me to NOT immediately form it into 1/4 pound patties and individually freeze them. I left the meat in a cooler (my fridge being pretty full) with ice packs instead. That was a good 'something'.
Why "Something" couldn't have told me in the STORE not to buy the stuff, thus saving me a trip back there, is not clear. I'll have to find out why what wonderful whatever I'll get from driving the 6 mile round trip later, I guess.
OH!
Nevermind, now I know. Just after I got home yesterday, FedEx dropped off a check from a client. I need to drive back to that city to deposit it. I refused the Chubby Hubby's request that I do that same afternoon. I said that I was SURE that one of us would be returning to the city in the next few days.
I guess tweaking me was seen by 'SOMETHING' as easier than getting FedEx to drop off the check earlier...
Whatever.
Frondly, Fern
This beef recall probably won't affect any of the rest of you. My local Wegman's, which I shopped at yesterday, called to tell me that the ground beef I bought yesterday is being recalled. A part in their meat grinder broke SOMETIME yesterday and there may be metal shards in the ground beef.
Obviously I used my Wegman's membership card when I shopped, so they knew that I had bought ground beef. I don't even really know WHY I use the card there - I KNOW it let them monitor what I buy and isn't usually tied in to any discounts. It's a violation of OPSEC. But this time it paid off. I know to return the meat.
On a Pagan note ... once I got the meat home SOMETHING told me to NOT immediately form it into 1/4 pound patties and individually freeze them. I left the meat in a cooler (my fridge being pretty full) with ice packs instead. That was a good 'something'.
Why "Something" couldn't have told me in the STORE not to buy the stuff, thus saving me a trip back there, is not clear. I'll have to find out why what wonderful whatever I'll get from driving the 6 mile round trip later, I guess.
OH!
Nevermind, now I know. Just after I got home yesterday, FedEx dropped off a check from a client. I need to drive back to that city to deposit it. I refused the Chubby Hubby's request that I do that same afternoon. I said that I was SURE that one of us would be returning to the city in the next few days.
I guess tweaking me was seen by 'SOMETHING' as easier than getting FedEx to drop off the check earlier...
Whatever.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, March 12, 2012
Hamanatashen Failure
Blessings Darlings!
Last week the festival of Purim started, Wednesday night at sundown. It's a Jewish festival that celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people as recorded in the book of Esther. It's a fun holiday, where folks dress up, drink heavily, etc.
I'd probably celebrate it even if my son wasn't Jewish for the party aspects.
But since 'Esther' and "Mordachai" there are probably revised versions of the Pagan Gods Isthar and Marduk, and nothing like the events in the book were actually recorded during the reign of the king mentioned in the book (Xerxes 1 or 2, I've forgotten which it was supposed to be), I figure it has it's roots in some pre-Judeo/Christian/Islamic Pagan spring festival anyway.
So I figured I'm make Hamantashen, one of the traditional foods eaten then. It's a 3 cornered cookie with a fruit or seed filling. But I had pie on my mind*** so figured I'd try making them with pie crust instead of with a cookie base.
It didn't work well. The pie crust was GREAT. I used the all-butter pie crust recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, known around our house as "Big Blue". However, the pie dough didn't hold the shape, so flopped over into a circle topped with the blueberry filling. NOT at all Hamantashen.
OTOH, they tasted GREAT, and were a lovely dessert. But I had to have the Spawn pick up REAL Hamantashen on the way home.
Failure still tasted good.
Frondly, Fern
*** This COMING Wednesday is Pi Day, March 14, as in the mathematical Pi, which is 3.14(etc). I was working on figuring out what Pies to have for dinner that day - Should the main course be Shepherds? 4-can? Pizza? Pasties? Pot Pie? And what sweet pie for dessert?
Last week the festival of Purim started, Wednesday night at sundown. It's a Jewish festival that celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people as recorded in the book of Esther. It's a fun holiday, where folks dress up, drink heavily, etc.
I'd probably celebrate it even if my son wasn't Jewish for the party aspects.
But since 'Esther' and "Mordachai" there are probably revised versions of the Pagan Gods Isthar and Marduk, and nothing like the events in the book were actually recorded during the reign of the king mentioned in the book (Xerxes 1 or 2, I've forgotten which it was supposed to be), I figure it has it's roots in some pre-Judeo/Christian/Islamic Pagan spring festival anyway.
So I figured I'm make Hamantashen, one of the traditional foods eaten then. It's a 3 cornered cookie with a fruit or seed filling. But I had pie on my mind*** so figured I'd try making them with pie crust instead of with a cookie base.
It didn't work well. The pie crust was GREAT. I used the all-butter pie crust recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, known around our house as "Big Blue". However, the pie dough didn't hold the shape, so flopped over into a circle topped with the blueberry filling. NOT at all Hamantashen.
OTOH, they tasted GREAT, and were a lovely dessert. But I had to have the Spawn pick up REAL Hamantashen on the way home.
Failure still tasted good.
Frondly, Fern
*** This COMING Wednesday is Pi Day, March 14, as in the mathematical Pi, which is 3.14(etc). I was working on figuring out what Pies to have for dinner that day - Should the main course be Shepherds? 4-can? Pizza? Pasties? Pot Pie? And what sweet pie for dessert?
Monday, March 5, 2012
Jerky!
Blessings Darlings!
I made my first batch of jerky! And it's GOOD!
You see, a big ol' whole rump or round roast was at a good price at Costco. So I grabbed it. I used some immediately for fried rice. I canned some, for stews later.
Then I sliced thin two pounds of it, added a marinade (I practically grabbed the marinade recipe at random from the internet), let it sit overnight, then slapped it into the dehydrator. Later in the day, it was done.
Easy peasy.
And remember, I don't have a great dehydrator. Mine doesn't have a variable heat setting, but DOES have a fan.
Everyone in the family likes it. No one has had food poisoning. My son gave some to one of his managers at work, and HE likes it (he doesn't have to lie to me, either).
Yay!
Since cheap tough meat is still on sale, I may well make more. Actually, I had BETTER make more .... this stuff's going FAST.
Actually, I'd love to make some salmon jerky, if I can do that with previously-frozen fillets. Has anyone tried that?
Frondly, Fern
I made my first batch of jerky! And it's GOOD!
You see, a big ol' whole rump or round roast was at a good price at Costco. So I grabbed it. I used some immediately for fried rice. I canned some, for stews later.
Then I sliced thin two pounds of it, added a marinade (I practically grabbed the marinade recipe at random from the internet), let it sit overnight, then slapped it into the dehydrator. Later in the day, it was done.
Easy peasy.
And remember, I don't have a great dehydrator. Mine doesn't have a variable heat setting, but DOES have a fan.
Everyone in the family likes it. No one has had food poisoning. My son gave some to one of his managers at work, and HE likes it (he doesn't have to lie to me, either).
Yay!
Since cheap tough meat is still on sale, I may well make more. Actually, I had BETTER make more .... this stuff's going FAST.
Actually, I'd love to make some salmon jerky, if I can do that with previously-frozen fillets. Has anyone tried that?
Frondly, Fern
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wine Not Whine
Blessings Darlings!
I'm not sure if this is a Foodie post or a Witch post. Please vote for which it is after you read it!
I'm being prayed for. A pastor on Twitter has asked his 50 followers to pray for my deliverance from the seducing spirits he feels I follow. Since his followers are undoubtedly FAR more obedient than my 1900+ followers are ... some of them might be praying.
No problem.
Being Pagan, I did a working for him last night. I offered sacrifice to my God/dess/es, an idea suggested by my High Priest [waves at her High Priest]. It was a sacrifice for his deliverance, too.
The pastor is Southern Baptist trained, so he might not drink wine. So my ritual included me drinking wine. And eating dinner. See? I told you there was some Monday Foodie stuff in here somewhere!
Fresh green salad. Warm custardy quiche, made by the Spawn. A glass of wine, probably a full 3.5 oz. All savored. All ingested with intention. All going back to the earth afterwards.
From the Gods, to the Earth, to us. From us, to the Earth, to the Gods. A gift for a gift.
Oh, the intention? So glad you asked! I prayed to those Seductive Spirits, those Bountiful Blessing Gods and Goddesses that I follow, that they help him removed the bile' from up his hiney so he can savor a glass of wine or two.
So mote it be, as we are wont to say.
Frondly, Fern
I'm not sure if this is a Foodie post or a Witch post. Please vote for which it is after you read it!
I'm being prayed for. A pastor on Twitter has asked his 50 followers to pray for my deliverance from the seducing spirits he feels I follow. Since his followers are undoubtedly FAR more obedient than my 1900+ followers are ... some of them might be praying.
No problem.
Being Pagan, I did a working for him last night. I offered sacrifice to my God/dess/es, an idea suggested by my High Priest [waves at her High Priest]. It was a sacrifice for his deliverance, too.
The pastor is Southern Baptist trained, so he might not drink wine. So my ritual included me drinking wine. And eating dinner. See? I told you there was some Monday Foodie stuff in here somewhere!
Fresh green salad. Warm custardy quiche, made by the Spawn. A glass of wine, probably a full 3.5 oz. All savored. All ingested with intention. All going back to the earth afterwards.
From the Gods, to the Earth, to us. From us, to the Earth, to the Gods. A gift for a gift.
Oh, the intention? So glad you asked! I prayed to those Seductive Spirits, those Bountiful Blessing Gods and Goddesses that I follow, that they help him removed the bile' from up his hiney so he can savor a glass of wine or two.
So mote it be, as we are wont to say.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, February 20, 2012
Leftovers
Blessings Darlings!
I adore leftovers. Not because I don't like to cook - for you KNOW I love to cook. But because they demand a bit of creativity and allow the cleaning out of the fridge.
So brunch today is half a large baked potato, kind of mashed flat, then topped with leftover broccoli, leftover grilled peppers and onions, and leftover shredded cheese. I threw it into the microwave until hot and cheese was melted.
Easy. Nutritious. FAST. Two servings of veggies without having to even think about it. Gluten free (not that I care about that, mind you).
And really, really yummy. I adore potatoes, in every form, of course.
Frondly, Fern
I adore leftovers. Not because I don't like to cook - for you KNOW I love to cook. But because they demand a bit of creativity and allow the cleaning out of the fridge.
So brunch today is half a large baked potato, kind of mashed flat, then topped with leftover broccoli, leftover grilled peppers and onions, and leftover shredded cheese. I threw it into the microwave until hot and cheese was melted.
Easy. Nutritious. FAST. Two servings of veggies without having to even think about it. Gluten free (not that I care about that, mind you).
And really, really yummy. I adore potatoes, in every form, of course.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, February 13, 2012
Pulled Pork
Blessings Darlings!
After I mentioned that my pulled pork rocked, Grey Raven mentioned that she'd love a good pulled pork recipe. Well, I can give you PART of one - the Chubby Hubby won't let me share his BBQ sauce recipe!
I usually start with a whole Boston butt/pork shoulder roast, bone-in. Because I can usually get that on sale cheap. They weight in at about 8 pounds.
The night before cooking I heavily apply Memphis rub, a Steve Reichlan recipe. You can see it here http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/aspen-2002-memphis-dry-rub-ribs. It's one of my favorite rubs, I used it the other day on the wings we had while ignoring the Super Bowl. Added tidbit - mixed half with brown sugar it's the rub I use on pork ribs, too.
For the smoking, I roll our trusty Char Broil BBQ/Smoker out of the garage. It has a separate smoker attachment, so you can smoke or grill with it. And it uses real charcoal or wood - none of this gas grill stuff for us!
I start before noon, soaking hickory chips (or cherry, I like both for this. CH only likes oak when smoking briskets). And, yes, I use chips, not chunks or logs of the smoking wood. I get more smoke and lower temperatures this way.
After they've soaked 45 minutes or so, I start the charcoal - in a chimney. I don't like the smell/etc of charcoal starter fluid. OTOH, I'm using Kingsford charcoal not natural charcoal, so it's not like I'm a total purist. Just a somewhat obsessed Foodie!
Coals well started, they go in the smoker attachment. Rubbed roast in the main body at the middle or far end from the smoker attachment so I can smoke it low and slow. Add a handful of soaked chips, close it all up (chimney open less than half way), and it's under way. Every 15 or 20 minutes I'm out there adding another handful of chips for two hours. At about 1 1/2 hours I add a bit more charcoal, too.
We've now reached the 2 hour mark. Instead of adding soaked hickory chips I add a hardwood log from our woodpile, and while that catches I plop the roast in a disposable aluminum pan and securely wrap the pan and roast in heavy duty aluminum foil. Back on to the grill, but now I let the temperature go hot and cook the roast thru - wood logs are the best for that. Wrapped, it stays juicier.
That goes on until the roast hits about 190 degrees. At this point my husband takes it in and pulls it. I know, Alton Brown lets HIS rest before pulling it, but the CH feels that resting makes it too hard to pull.
Once pulled, or at least once enough has been pulled for the family, we slap it on hard rolls, slather it with sauce, eat, and repeat.
Enjoy!
Frondly, Fern
After I mentioned that my pulled pork rocked, Grey Raven mentioned that she'd love a good pulled pork recipe. Well, I can give you PART of one - the Chubby Hubby won't let me share his BBQ sauce recipe!
I usually start with a whole Boston butt/pork shoulder roast, bone-in. Because I can usually get that on sale cheap. They weight in at about 8 pounds.
The night before cooking I heavily apply Memphis rub, a Steve Reichlan recipe. You can see it here http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/aspen-2002-memphis-dry-rub-ribs. It's one of my favorite rubs, I used it the other day on the wings we had while ignoring the Super Bowl. Added tidbit - mixed half with brown sugar it's the rub I use on pork ribs, too.
For the smoking, I roll our trusty Char Broil BBQ/Smoker out of the garage. It has a separate smoker attachment, so you can smoke or grill with it. And it uses real charcoal or wood - none of this gas grill stuff for us!
I start before noon, soaking hickory chips (or cherry, I like both for this. CH only likes oak when smoking briskets). And, yes, I use chips, not chunks or logs of the smoking wood. I get more smoke and lower temperatures this way.
After they've soaked 45 minutes or so, I start the charcoal - in a chimney. I don't like the smell/etc of charcoal starter fluid. OTOH, I'm using Kingsford charcoal not natural charcoal, so it's not like I'm a total purist. Just a somewhat obsessed Foodie!
Coals well started, they go in the smoker attachment. Rubbed roast in the main body at the middle or far end from the smoker attachment so I can smoke it low and slow. Add a handful of soaked chips, close it all up (chimney open less than half way), and it's under way. Every 15 or 20 minutes I'm out there adding another handful of chips for two hours. At about 1 1/2 hours I add a bit more charcoal, too.
We've now reached the 2 hour mark. Instead of adding soaked hickory chips I add a hardwood log from our woodpile, and while that catches I plop the roast in a disposable aluminum pan and securely wrap the pan and roast in heavy duty aluminum foil. Back on to the grill, but now I let the temperature go hot and cook the roast thru - wood logs are the best for that. Wrapped, it stays juicier.
That goes on until the roast hits about 190 degrees. At this point my husband takes it in and pulls it. I know, Alton Brown lets HIS rest before pulling it, but the CH feels that resting makes it too hard to pull.
Once pulled, or at least once enough has been pulled for the family, we slap it on hard rolls, slather it with sauce, eat, and repeat.
Enjoy!
Frondly, Fern
Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Bowls
Blessings Darlings!
I do not watch football. I do not care who wins the Superbowl. I am writing this Sunday at noon eastern time.
We DO, however, have a Family Tradition for Super Bowl Sunday. We eat.
Now, to be honest, we eat every day and we eat too much every day. But on Super Bowl Sunday we elevate this closer to an art.
So we have a a quart and a half of guacamole (we started with two quarts, but half of one container seems to have disappeared). We have store-bought corn chips, and I'll make some fresh corn chips. There will be ribs and rib-tips. There will be home-made pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. There will be celery sticks and blue cheese dressing (not that I eat that). There will be chicken wings with three dipping sauces. There are donuts and there are Rice Krispie Treats. There is beer and wine. There are antacids.
BTW, there are only 3 of us eating.
I don't know if I'll be out of the food coma by the time this gets posted. Oh, and I might watch the commericals, but I will certainly not watch the half time show.
Frondly, Fern
I do not watch football. I do not care who wins the Superbowl. I am writing this Sunday at noon eastern time.
We DO, however, have a Family Tradition for Super Bowl Sunday. We eat.
Now, to be honest, we eat every day and we eat too much every day. But on Super Bowl Sunday we elevate this closer to an art.
So we have a a quart and a half of guacamole (we started with two quarts, but half of one container seems to have disappeared). We have store-bought corn chips, and I'll make some fresh corn chips. There will be ribs and rib-tips. There will be home-made pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. There will be celery sticks and blue cheese dressing (not that I eat that). There will be chicken wings with three dipping sauces. There are donuts and there are Rice Krispie Treats. There is beer and wine. There are antacids.
BTW, there are only 3 of us eating.
I don't know if I'll be out of the food coma by the time this gets posted. Oh, and I might watch the commericals, but I will certainly not watch the half time show.
Frondly, Fern
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Git Your Biscuits In the Oven.....
Blessings, Darlings!
I have a history of making really really lousy biscuits. No matter what I did, they came out heavy and flat tasting. Not worth the calories.
Which is a shame, since unlike big ol' loaves of bread (which I now rock at), biscuits can be cooked on a balcony or patio or porch in a toaster oven. A great plan for summer baking without heating up the house.
This changed last week. Since I was still working on the half-bushel of peaches I had bought I figured I'd that) so I figured I'd do a peach cobbler. Because they are 'just quickly cobbled together', you know. Well, usually they are, but I went with the Test Kitchen recipe which has you par bake the cobbler and biscuit topping separately. So I had to make biscuits. Intimidating!
BUT these weren't the type of biscuits I had tried to make before. I had always tried making cut biscuits - THESE were drop biscuits. And they turned out AMAZING. I also added two pinches of freshly-ground cardamom to the peach mixture, which kicked it up too.
So, tonight, dinner is soup from leftovers. Fundamentally a beef barley soup. Great soup, but it needed a little something something to make it special. How about drop biscuits? Husband said - how about cheesy drop biscuits? Okay!
They SO rocked. I made a dozen and I don't know if there will be any left by the end of the evening. And there are only three of us.
Since I love you folks, I'm going to share the recipe.
CHEESY DROP BISCUITS
2 Cups all purpose flour 1 tsp dried wild green onions
1 tbs baking powder 1/4 cup shortening
1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, small dice
1/8 tsp garlic salt
Oven on, set to 450. Baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
All dry ingredients plus the cheese into bowl, stir.
Melt the shortening. Mix it into the buttermilk. The lumps are a GOOD thing. Add liquid to dry ingredients, stir 'till just mixed. I had to add a smidge more milk, you might not have to.
Use the 1/4 cup measure you used for the cheese to dole out dough on to baking sheet. Bake. In my oven it took 10 minutes - it could take up to 15 in yours.
Eat. Smile. Repeat.
I have a history of making really really lousy biscuits. No matter what I did, they came out heavy and flat tasting. Not worth the calories.
Which is a shame, since unlike big ol' loaves of bread (which I now rock at), biscuits can be cooked on a balcony or patio or porch in a toaster oven. A great plan for summer baking without heating up the house.
This changed last week. Since I was still working on the half-bushel of peaches I had bought I figured I'd that) so I figured I'd do a peach cobbler. Because they are 'just quickly cobbled together', you know. Well, usually they are, but I went with the Test Kitchen recipe which has you par bake the cobbler and biscuit topping separately. So I had to make biscuits. Intimidating!
BUT these weren't the type of biscuits I had tried to make before. I had always tried making cut biscuits - THESE were drop biscuits. And they turned out AMAZING. I also added two pinches of freshly-ground cardamom to the peach mixture, which kicked it up too.
So, tonight, dinner is soup from leftovers. Fundamentally a beef barley soup. Great soup, but it needed a little something something to make it special. How about drop biscuits? Husband said - how about cheesy drop biscuits? Okay!
They SO rocked. I made a dozen and I don't know if there will be any left by the end of the evening. And there are only three of us.
Since I love you folks, I'm going to share the recipe.
CHEESY DROP BISCUITS
2 Cups all purpose flour 1 tsp dried wild green onions
1 tbs baking powder 1/4 cup shortening
1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, small dice
1/8 tsp garlic salt
Oven on, set to 450. Baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
All dry ingredients plus the cheese into bowl, stir.
Melt the shortening. Mix it into the buttermilk. The lumps are a GOOD thing. Add liquid to dry ingredients, stir 'till just mixed. I had to add a smidge more milk, you might not have to.
Use the 1/4 cup measure you used for the cheese to dole out dough on to baking sheet. Bake. In my oven it took 10 minutes - it could take up to 15 in yours.
Eat. Smile. Repeat.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Holiday Eats
Blessings, Darlings!
I'm working on the food for the holiday weekend right now - menus and shopping lists.
Pulled pork meal: have roast, made rub, have slaw ingredients, have rolls, need to make sauce but have sauce ingredients.
Beer-can chicken: have beer, have can, have chicken, have rub. Have taters. Have green beans and have salad ingredients.
Brats meal: have brats, buns, more slaw ingredients, mustard, need chips.
Need one more dinner .... I guess eggs or spaghetti and sauce, since I've got all ingredients for those meals.
What's on your menu?
Frondly, Fern
I'm working on the food for the holiday weekend right now - menus and shopping lists.
Pulled pork meal: have roast, made rub, have slaw ingredients, have rolls, need to make sauce but have sauce ingredients.
Beer-can chicken: have beer, have can, have chicken, have rub. Have taters. Have green beans and have salad ingredients.
Brats meal: have brats, buns, more slaw ingredients, mustard, need chips.
Need one more dinner .... I guess eggs or spaghetti and sauce, since I've got all ingredients for those meals.
What's on your menu?
Frondly, Fern
Friday, April 22, 2011
Easter Weekend
Blessings, Darlings!
This is the hardest weekend for our mixed-religion family. Passover for the Jewish Spawn, you see, doesn't mesh well with the Chubby Hubby's Methodist Easter Feast. The Spawn loves his flakey layered rolls, but .... it's Passover. And Easter baskets were out when he was a kid, too.
So what can I serve that makes everyone happy?
Traditionally, we have a rib roast as the main meat. But the stores here in WV don't have them on sale for Easter - the stores in Maryland do. And with things being as they are, I couldn't afford one this year, at $35+.
What to do? What to do?
The answer - read the food ads, stupid.
Aldi's had a sale on frozen ducklings. We haven't had duck in AGES and AGES. We used to rub them in 5 spice powder, slit the skin, and roast 'em indoors. But the smoke filled the house - fatty little delicious buggers!
The duck is thawing, we're going to salt & pepper it and grill it out in the smoker. With a pan of taters under it, so the taters can roast AND get the fat dripping on them. We'll have salad (Spawn will have strawberries in with his greens), duck, taters, broccoli, and baked apples for dessert.
Everyone should be VERY happy.
Or else.
Frondly, Fern
This is the hardest weekend for our mixed-religion family. Passover for the Jewish Spawn, you see, doesn't mesh well with the Chubby Hubby's Methodist Easter Feast. The Spawn loves his flakey layered rolls, but .... it's Passover. And Easter baskets were out when he was a kid, too.
So what can I serve that makes everyone happy?
Traditionally, we have a rib roast as the main meat. But the stores here in WV don't have them on sale for Easter - the stores in Maryland do. And with things being as they are, I couldn't afford one this year, at $35+.
What to do? What to do?
The answer - read the food ads, stupid.
Aldi's had a sale on frozen ducklings. We haven't had duck in AGES and AGES. We used to rub them in 5 spice powder, slit the skin, and roast 'em indoors. But the smoke filled the house - fatty little delicious buggers!
The duck is thawing, we're going to salt & pepper it and grill it out in the smoker. With a pan of taters under it, so the taters can roast AND get the fat dripping on them. We'll have salad (Spawn will have strawberries in with his greens), duck, taters, broccoli, and baked apples for dessert.
Everyone should be VERY happy.
Or else.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Instant Rice
Blessings, Darlings!
I've discovered that I'm making instant rice today. That wasn't really my plan, just a happy coincidence.
Original plan: Pie crust
My plan was to create a nightshade and gluten free recipe1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes for baked pie crust. From there, I decided to go for a crispy crust and to go for a creamy filling. First thought - get a box of crispy rice breakfast cereal, mix it with beaten egg white, form the crust and bake it.
But the name brand product, and the generic spin offs, aren't actually gluten free. I could go to supermarket and see if the gluten-free shelves
have something appropriate, but I already have one day of car use scheduled this week.
Modification of Plan:
So, I figured I'd make Chinese Crispy Rice, such as is used in Crispy Rice (or Singing Rice) soup
. To do this, you make rice (kind of overcooking it - a full 30 minutes on the stove), then spread it no more than 1/4 inch thick on a baking pan. Leave it in a 300 degree oven until dry.
Once dry, you deep fry it. It puffs! If you put it in hot soup, right after it's been fried and is still hot, it 'sings' and crackles.
My plan was to fry it, crumble it, THEN glue it together with egg white and bake it. And I'm still doing that, but came to another realization....
Prepper Realization
So the first tray full of rice is drying in the oven. I'm waiting for it to finish. But, since I look at everything thru' Prepper eyes, it dawns on me....
If I take the dry cooked rice, I have instant rice. Just add water. Duh. It could be mixed with dry veggies and a bouillion cube. Add water, and it's a really nice side dish, not even the 15 minutes of white rice cooking involved, let alone the 45 minutes of brown rice cooking.
Double Duh.
Therefore....
Instead of just doing one tray of this, I'll be doing several. I'll still hold enough 'fresh cooked' rice around for tonight's stir fry dinner, but there won't be leftover rice in my fridge tomorrow. It will all be dried and in well-sealed jars.
Frondly, Fern
I've discovered that I'm making instant rice today. That wasn't really my plan, just a happy coincidence.
Original plan: Pie crust
My plan was to create a nightshade and gluten free recipe1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes for baked pie crust. From there, I decided to go for a crispy crust and to go for a creamy filling. First thought - get a box of crispy rice breakfast cereal, mix it with beaten egg white, form the crust and bake it.
But the name brand product, and the generic spin offs, aren't actually gluten free. I could go to supermarket and see if the gluten-free shelves
have something appropriate, but I already have one day of car use scheduled this week.Modification of Plan:
So, I figured I'd make Chinese Crispy Rice, such as is used in Crispy Rice (or Singing Rice) soup
. To do this, you make rice (kind of overcooking it - a full 30 minutes on the stove), then spread it no more than 1/4 inch thick on a baking pan. Leave it in a 300 degree oven until dry.Once dry, you deep fry it. It puffs! If you put it in hot soup, right after it's been fried and is still hot, it 'sings' and crackles.
My plan was to fry it, crumble it, THEN glue it together with egg white and bake it. And I'm still doing that, but came to another realization....
Prepper Realization
So the first tray full of rice is drying in the oven. I'm waiting for it to finish. But, since I look at everything thru' Prepper eyes, it dawns on me....
If I take the dry cooked rice, I have instant rice. Just add water. Duh. It could be mixed with dry veggies and a bouillion cube. Add water, and it's a really nice side dish, not even the 15 minutes of white rice cooking involved, let alone the 45 minutes of brown rice cooking.
Double Duh.
Therefore....
Instead of just doing one tray of this, I'll be doing several. I'll still hold enough 'fresh cooked' rice around for tonight's stir fry dinner, but there won't be leftover rice in my fridge tomorrow. It will all be dried and in well-sealed jars.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Minestrone
Blessings, Darlings!
As regular readers have already discovered - we eat a lot of home-made soup here. Partly because we DO like it, partly because it's easy to heat for lunch, partly because it's cheap when made from scratch.
Today I decided to make minestrone, for the first time.
Looking it up I discovered that 'minestrone' simply means 'first course'. Which makes sense, when you consider the 5-course meals at good Italian restaurants that we share as a family. Soup, salad, pasta, main course, dessert. Small servings of 5 courses (one meal, split 3 ways, maybe with an extra salad thrown in).
Lot of variety, but SMALL SERVINGS.
I digress.
Every area of Italy apparently has it's own style of minestrone soup. And to my husband's amazement, "Campbells" is NOT an area of Italy.
Not being in Italy, I looked at recipes and winged it, using what I had on hand. Meaning no zucchini, which I have ALWAYS seen in minestrone soup. And I have several bottle of 'tomato water' - the liquid left over after I canned jars of tomatoes.
So I took one quart of 'tomato water...
One quart home-canned tomatoes
One onion.
One 15 oz can of commercial canned carrots
one stalk celery
a little leftover spinach
three cups of chopped cabbage
a little leftover ham
a pint of home-canned green beans
a quart of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
two bouillion cubes
a little freshly-ground black pepper
Some salt.
Leftover whole-wheat rigatoni, chopped a bit
1 1/2 tsp oregano
a clove or two of finely chopped garlic
I quickly cooked the raw veggies, everything else in a big pot, added enough water that it was soupy. Simmered it a while.
Done.
And it was .... excellent! I really enjoy using the 'tomato water' as a major part of soup bases. It adds a great depth of flavor, and reduces the amount of salt recipes need (I can that without added salt).
All regular pantry stuff, and it equaled a gallon and a half of soup.
Happy family!
Frondly, Fern
As regular readers have already discovered - we eat a lot of home-made soup here. Partly because we DO like it, partly because it's easy to heat for lunch, partly because it's cheap when made from scratch.
Today I decided to make minestrone, for the first time.
Looking it up I discovered that 'minestrone' simply means 'first course'. Which makes sense, when you consider the 5-course meals at good Italian restaurants that we share as a family. Soup, salad, pasta, main course, dessert. Small servings of 5 courses (one meal, split 3 ways, maybe with an extra salad thrown in).
Lot of variety, but SMALL SERVINGS.
I digress.
Every area of Italy apparently has it's own style of minestrone soup. And to my husband's amazement, "Campbells" is NOT an area of Italy.
Not being in Italy, I looked at recipes and winged it, using what I had on hand. Meaning no zucchini, which I have ALWAYS seen in minestrone soup. And I have several bottle of 'tomato water' - the liquid left over after I canned jars of tomatoes.
So I took one quart of 'tomato water...
One quart home-canned tomatoes
One onion.
One 15 oz can of commercial canned carrots
one stalk celery
a little leftover spinach
three cups of chopped cabbage
a little leftover ham
a pint of home-canned green beans
a quart of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
two bouillion cubes
a little freshly-ground black pepper
Some salt.
Leftover whole-wheat rigatoni, chopped a bit
1 1/2 tsp oregano
a clove or two of finely chopped garlic
I quickly cooked the raw veggies, everything else in a big pot, added enough water that it was soupy. Simmered it a while.
Done.
And it was .... excellent! I really enjoy using the 'tomato water' as a major part of soup bases. It adds a great depth of flavor, and reduces the amount of salt recipes need (I can that without added salt).
All regular pantry stuff, and it equaled a gallon and a half of soup.
Happy family!
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Dry Soup
Blessings, Darlings!
The other day I did a soup experiment. Well, let me back up a little.....
Over the past few years I've dried a whole LOT of veggies. I have not USED most of those veggies. Now that the food storage and I share the same office, I've heard them calling my name, asking to be used.
So I did.
Dried veggies aren't always the easiest things to re-hydrate. Therefore I decided to make them into an experimental soup. A quart of water. Two bouillon cubes. A double handful of dried tomatoes - I chose the somewhat ... uh ... over-dried ones (some might call them burnt, the Chubby Hubby generously calls them 'smoke flavored'). A handful each of dried wild green onions, eggplant, carrots, potatoes. Cover. Simmer for a few hours. Add leftover cooked wheat berries and some just-cooked chickpeas.
It worked! The tomatoes even DID add a nice smoky flavor.
This food drying stuff might just be a good idea.
Frondly, Fern
Other vaguely connected links: Drying Pumpkins
Tomatoes
The other day I did a soup experiment. Well, let me back up a little.....
Over the past few years I've dried a whole LOT of veggies. I have not USED most of those veggies. Now that the food storage and I share the same office, I've heard them calling my name, asking to be used.
So I did.
Dried veggies aren't always the easiest things to re-hydrate. Therefore I decided to make them into an experimental soup. A quart of water. Two bouillon cubes. A double handful of dried tomatoes - I chose the somewhat ... uh ... over-dried ones (some might call them burnt, the Chubby Hubby generously calls them 'smoke flavored'). A handful each of dried wild green onions, eggplant, carrots, potatoes. Cover. Simmer for a few hours. Add leftover cooked wheat berries and some just-cooked chickpeas.
It worked! The tomatoes even DID add a nice smoky flavor.
This food drying stuff might just be a good idea.
Frondly, Fern
Other vaguely connected links: Drying Pumpkins
Tomatoes
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Chocolate
Blessings, Darlings!
I've been on a chocolate binge lately. Chocolate frosted yellow cupcakes, hot cocoa, chocolate pudding, moon pies, candy bars, sleazy Hershey's Kisses (TM), you name it - if it has any chocolate in it I've been eating it.
This has happened to innumerable people before, and will continue to happen in the future. No news there.
The only thing new was that I made chocolate pudding from scratch. This was ENTIRELY the fault of @jmfield on Twitter, who tweeted "Cheffirmation: I am never more than 15 minutes away from homemade chocolate pudding. :)". Well! I took that as a challenge.
In fact, it took me 18 minutes - mostly because my husband or son had put my whisk away in .... well .... a place I would NEVER had put it, and it took me FOREVER to find it.
One of the many joys of chocolate pudding is that the ingredients are mostly pantry-stable. I could have used powdered milk instead of fresh (and, while looking at recipes, I saw that the 'instant chocolate pudding' recipe by America's Test Kitchen uses powdered milk), I suppose I could have used baking chocolate instead of cocoa powder and butter (yes, the cocoa powder is shelf-stable, but the butter isn't), the flour and cornstarch and salt and vanilla the recipe called for last forever.
It was fast to make. It was easy. It tasted WONDERFUL.
Everyone to the kitchen, grab that 2 to 3 quart saucepan, set your timer (so you can see how fast this really is), and GO!
I've been on a chocolate binge lately. Chocolate frosted yellow cupcakes, hot cocoa, chocolate pudding, moon pies, candy bars, sleazy Hershey's Kisses (TM), you name it - if it has any chocolate in it I've been eating it.
This has happened to innumerable people before, and will continue to happen in the future. No news there.
The only thing new was that I made chocolate pudding from scratch. This was ENTIRELY the fault of @jmfield on Twitter, who tweeted "Cheffirmation: I am never more than 15 minutes away from homemade chocolate pudding. :)". Well! I took that as a challenge.
In fact, it took me 18 minutes - mostly because my husband or son had put my whisk away in .... well .... a place I would NEVER had put it, and it took me FOREVER to find it.
One of the many joys of chocolate pudding is that the ingredients are mostly pantry-stable. I could have used powdered milk instead of fresh (and, while looking at recipes, I saw that the 'instant chocolate pudding' recipe by America's Test Kitchen uses powdered milk), I suppose I could have used baking chocolate instead of cocoa powder and butter (yes, the cocoa powder is shelf-stable, but the butter isn't), the flour and cornstarch and salt and vanilla the recipe called for last forever.
It was fast to make. It was easy. It tasted WONDERFUL.
Everyone to the kitchen, grab that 2 to 3 quart saucepan, set your timer (so you can see how fast this really is), and GO!
CHOCOLATE PUDDING - served the 3 of us because we showed some restraint
1/2 cup white sugar 2 3/4 cups skim milk
3 tablespoons dutched cocoa 2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cornstarch 1 1/2 tablespoons amaretto
Into that saucepan you grabbed, add all the dry ingredients. Whisk them a bit to make them as smooth as possible, it helps reduce lumps later. Add the milk. Heat at medium (medium high on my stove, but your stove will vary!) until boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce to a simmer, keep stirring. Soon it will be thickened. Take off the burner, add but butter and amaretto (you may prefer the more traditional vanilla). Try to let it cool long enough that you don't burn your tongue. Can be served warm or cold.
We tasted it before the amaretto was added - it was nice, but 'flat'. Amaretto and butter kicked it up wonderfully.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Scotch Broth
Blessings, Darlings!
Today's foodie post is on Scotch Broth. Which, while I guess back in the day WAS a broth, I serve as a soup with all the ingredients chopped and in it, rather than separated out as, well, Wikipedia says it had been served. They also say folks peeled boiled potatoes before eating them, and that MUST be wrong. Peasants like me don't throw potato peels out, they eat them!
But I digress....
Scotch broth is, fundamentally, "vegetable barley soup with lamb or mutton". It's really flexible when it comes to amounts of all ingredients. Being cheap, obviously I tend to use more veggies and barley than meat! Actually, I guess my Scotch Broth is "pasties with lots of broth and no crust"!
Lamb is the meat I use - in part because I've never run into mutton where I've lived, and I have no idea if it's more or less expensive than lamb would be. The lamb I'm using in today's batch is leftover from the leg of lamb I served last week. I bought the leg of lamb (semi-boneless) just after Christmas, on its 'sell-by'date, so it was marked down in price. I have about 2 cups of diced left over lamb.
The bone from the lamb is simmering in a quart of water, giving the last of its flavor up. I'll add some chicken and beef bouillion cubes to the proto-broth to improve the flavor. Equal parts of beef and chicken broth taste kinda sorta like veal broth, so they say. I also use that mix as a lamb broth substitution. The soup will need more liquid, and more cubes, by the time it's done.
Also simmering in bouillion is a cup of pearled barley. Not my favorite kind of barley, but it's the most available barley.
Soon I'll be cutting veggies. Root veggies, mostly. Carrots, onions, turnips (if I had any in the house, I'm out), potatoes since I don't have turnips, celery, some leftover green beans and mushrooms from the fridge, etc. I'll add about 4 cups of them, since I'm using 2 cups of meat. If I had some butter beans/lima beans, I'd add some of them, too.
Bone will come out of the broth. Veggies will go in, and simmer until tender. Meat will be added. Barley will be added. More beef/chicken bouillion will be added .... both for making it a soup-not-stew today and because the barley WILL absorb an incredible amount of liquid even after it's totally cooked. That's because of all the soluble fiber in it, BTW.
I'll end up with about a gallon of soup. Which is roughly 12 adult meal-sized servings.
I'm ready for it NOW.
Frondly, Fern
Today's foodie post is on Scotch Broth. Which, while I guess back in the day WAS a broth, I serve as a soup with all the ingredients chopped and in it, rather than separated out as, well, Wikipedia says it had been served. They also say folks peeled boiled potatoes before eating them, and that MUST be wrong. Peasants like me don't throw potato peels out, they eat them!
But I digress....
Scotch broth is, fundamentally, "vegetable barley soup with lamb or mutton". It's really flexible when it comes to amounts of all ingredients. Being cheap, obviously I tend to use more veggies and barley than meat! Actually, I guess my Scotch Broth is "pasties with lots of broth and no crust"!
Lamb is the meat I use - in part because I've never run into mutton where I've lived, and I have no idea if it's more or less expensive than lamb would be. The lamb I'm using in today's batch is leftover from the leg of lamb I served last week. I bought the leg of lamb (semi-boneless) just after Christmas, on its 'sell-by'date, so it was marked down in price. I have about 2 cups of diced left over lamb.
The bone from the lamb is simmering in a quart of water, giving the last of its flavor up. I'll add some chicken and beef bouillion cubes to the proto-broth to improve the flavor. Equal parts of beef and chicken broth taste kinda sorta like veal broth, so they say. I also use that mix as a lamb broth substitution. The soup will need more liquid, and more cubes, by the time it's done.
Also simmering in bouillion is a cup of pearled barley. Not my favorite kind of barley, but it's the most available barley.
Soon I'll be cutting veggies. Root veggies, mostly. Carrots, onions, turnips (if I had any in the house, I'm out), potatoes since I don't have turnips, celery, some leftover green beans and mushrooms from the fridge, etc. I'll add about 4 cups of them, since I'm using 2 cups of meat. If I had some butter beans/lima beans, I'd add some of them, too.
Bone will come out of the broth. Veggies will go in, and simmer until tender. Meat will be added. Barley will be added. More beef/chicken bouillion will be added .... both for making it a soup-not-stew today and because the barley WILL absorb an incredible amount of liquid even after it's totally cooked. That's because of all the soluble fiber in it, BTW.
I'll end up with about a gallon of soup. Which is roughly 12 adult meal-sized servings.
I'm ready for it NOW.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, January 17, 2011
Chocolate Chip Cookie War
Chocolate chip cookies. So traditional. Except .... the provoke wars.
Blessings, Darlings!
Ah, the chocolate chip cookies I have had in my life!
For years, the woman in the house next to ours baked and maintained a constant supply of them. She used M&M's(TM) in the ones she baked. All the kids in the houses around her came by for our daily dose. And that was a fairly large number of kids - I was born close to the center of the Baby Boom. I was only allowed to shake her down for cookies once a day, no more. I don't know if the other parents had the same rule. Come to think of it, I don't know how my parents would have known if I violated the rule, but I was a Good Kid so actually never did.
That was so long ago I don't recall anything else about the cookies - can't say if they had much brown sugar, estimate relative amounts of butter vs shortening, or anything else. I was no foodie then!
Back in high school, quite some time ago, the school cafeteria had chocolate chip cookies that I felt rocked. Thin, hot from the oven, the grease tended to soak thru' the waxed paper bags they were sold in. These totally featured brown sugar (or the mix had cheap molasses added in quantity. The flatness, and texture, spoke margarine as the main fat. And that there was LOTS of fat.
Ah, the days of me and cookies both being thin! Such a long, long, LONG time ago.
Years passed. I didn't really do sweets for a long time, preferring salty snacks.
Then I married and had a child. Which led to adult vs child cookie wars. For, as every parent knows, there are events you have to bake for. Bake Sales. Parties. Pot lucks. I learned for the first time the intricate effects of different types of fats in baking, and different types of sugar.
I used only butter in MY cookies then. Imagine my flat cookies, and my astonishment at seeing cookies that were thick! OTOH, I was also astonished that those chocolate chip cookies were pallid things - only white sugar in them.
Then, out of no where, my husband and son went into war over sugar. Yes, as noted a couple of weeks back, the chubby hubby and I like cookies that aren't overwhelmingly sweet. So I usually used the full amount of brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies .... but reduced or eliminated the white sugar. Our Spawn, young as he was, rose up in protest!
They also fought over nuts. Husband wanted nuts, Spawn didn't. I was having to make a batch of cookie dough, split it into two parts, and add nuts to one part and more sugar to the other.
This had to stop.
How did the war end?
Obviously - I taught the Spawn to cook. And I put him fully in charge of making his own dang cookies.
Since then, he has happily made batch after batch of chocolate chip cookies, searching for the recipe HE likes back. He liked the online recipe for Alton Brown's Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies (from the "Three Cookies for Sister Marsha" episode), but we don't know where our printout of that got to. A few days ago he did the recipe from AB's "early Years" cookbook. But the recipe seems different - the cookies turned out much more cakey than chewy. The Spawn is sad, but still eating them. He still has a quart of the raw dough for them in the fridge - he bakes about 3 at a time to have the at their hot gooey best. He will survive, and test new recipes.
The battle rages on.
Frondly, Fern
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