A great gift idea

Most of my fondest memories revolve around food or more precisely, sharing food with others.  Food does much more than nourish our bodies.  Gathering together to share food allows us to commune with family, friends, and love ones, providing us with emotional nourishment.  The act of preparing food can also provide a mental release after a long day.

Need a gift for a recent graduate/newlyweds/new home/new parents?  When these opportunities arrive, I generally turn to food.  Who wouldn't?

One of my favorite items to gift is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

This book offers tons of great recipes presented in simple terms and will accessible ingredients.  Additionally, there isn't a need for lots of high end kitchen equipment.  Bittman has prepared a vast repertoire recipes which cross many regions and ethnicities.

Cooking for ourselves with fresh ingredients also provides our body with healthy, nutrient dense foods.

There are many available format options available.  If you would rather, the book is available in Kindle; Nook; and iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad formats.

Fiber goodness

I haven't been spinning much.  (Yarn.  I spin yarn.  Not an exercise class.)

In fact, the last time I spun was late January.  Life (and work - lots of work) got in the way.  Now that we are into the summer routine (and on a bit of a work travel break) I busted out Victoria.  Luckily, she wasn't mad at me and we had a wonderful experience spending time together in the evening this past week.

Kaleidoscope (BFL and Tussah silk; 4 oz) from Spinning Awesome Good.

One of the singles before plying.

Approximately 500 yds (fingering weight), two ply.

Now, the great decision of what to make.  We all know I am rather partial to socks, so that is always an option.  Of course, this could become a lace shawl/stole.  Scarves are always an option also.  Feel free to voice your opinion.

The garden is zooming along.  We had a fabulous "mess" of snow peas this week.  In short order, we are going to have various tomatoes out our ears.  (We are looking forward to it.)  Several batches of fresh pesto have also been consumed.

The potted perennial herbs are also very happy.  Cooking this time of year is a thrill.

Bonus shot:

Photo shoot supervisor.  She takes her job VERY seriously.

How do you know it has been a great weekend?

Happy Father's Day to all the men who make a positive impact on children young and old!  I have been blessed with a father who taught me to be self-confident, a problem solver, head strong and stubborn.  The greatest impact my father had was providing me a shining example of how fulfilled a person with a strong faith can be, no matter their circumstances.  I have acquired a fabulous father-in-law.  Of course, my spouse is a GREAT father to our offspring.  I can't imagine our lives without the offspring and the joy (and trials) of watching him grow into a young man.  Love you honey!

So, back to the question at hand.  How do you know it has been a great weekend?  At our house, a solid sign is running a full dishwasher three times in two days!  It has been a wonderful weekend of family time and food.  (These two generally go hand-in-hand at our house.)

I baked a loaf of Italian Hearth Bread in my covered baker.  We grilled some of the bread with our dinner last night (grilled chicken tenderloins, grilled corn, grilled squash, grilled bread).  Leftover bread was used for grilled provolone sandwiches for lunch (with fresh peaches and raspberries).

Today's dinner included roasted pork loin (seasoned with Northwoods Fire), roasted tri-colored potatoes, capress, and banana cupcakes.  The potatoes were thrown together and wonderful!  I cut the potatoes in half (or quarters for the slightly larger ones) and placed them in a gallon ziplock bag with a generous slug of extra virgin olive oil.  I combined (approximate proportions) 1 T white wheat flour, 1 T cajun seasoning, 2 t dried mustard, 2 t kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.  I tossed the seasoning mix in with the potatoes then dumped them in a shallow baking pan.  I roasted them at 350F in a convection oven for approximately 50 minutes.

The banana cupcakes were very good.  I thought the buttercream frosting was a bit much, but the day's honoree wanted a lot of frosting.  His thoughts: "They taste like fluffy banana bread."  I think a sprinkle of chopped walnuts would be a nice touch on the frosting next time.

News from the needles:

I finished a pair of Hedera in Jojoland Melody (colorway MS29).  I quite like them.  There is another pair of socks on the needles for a "walking around project" in my purse.

In the meantime, I am in the mist of some spinning.  I'll update more when it is finished.  It is nice to finally have the time to pull out my Louet Victoria.  I have missed spending time with her.

Kitchen workhorse - example A

Well over 15 years ago, my in-laws gave me a Cuisinart 11 cup food processor.  I was in grad school at the time and we definitely did not have the cash laying around to make such a purchase.  I was asked to dream big for my Christmas list.  I did.  I felt a rush of emotions when I opened my present.  Simultaneously, I was excited to have such a great piece of kitchen equipment and guilty about them spending money on me.  (I'm one of those folks who loves to buy/make other people presents, but would be happier if they didn't give me a present in return.)

After all these years, the Cuisinart 11 cup is still hanging in there!  I use it at least once a week.  (I also have a Cuisinart mini-prep that is 17 years old and still ticking.  I did replace the blade assembly about 10 years ago due to a crack forming in the collar of the assembly.)  I L.O.V.E. this machine.  I have made a lot of yeast bread dough over the years.  "Kneading" is a snap in a good food processor.  Four, 10 second burst and you are done!  The food processor works best for single loaf baking.  When I plan to make 2-3 loaves at once, I switch to the standing mixer.  Yeasted sweet doughs (such as cinnamon rolls) are a tad heavy for even a strong food processor.  (Back to the stand mixer.)

I have yet to meet someone who hasn't loved their Cuisinart food processor.  I'm not sure that the 7 cup model would be adequate for a family.  While I often covet the 14 cup model, the 11 cup model has performed superbly for our family.  (I have really given it a workout too.)

As the summer progresses, quarts of pesto, pounds of yeast bread/pizza/bread stick/focaccia dough, plenty of cheesecakes (I'll share this later), homemade panko, etc will run through "the little engine that could".

If you are ranking your kitchen "wish list", a Cuisinart food processor is a very good investment.  If mine dies, I will immediately replace it.

Update from the needles:

I have been very busy knitting.  A pair of Skew Socks in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select (colorway: Silver Streak) have gone out the door to a good home.  (At least it better be a good home.  They know I will take the socks back.)

I have also knocked out two scarves in Flounce.  True confession:  I don't like the stuff.  I'm not a "give me a ruffly scarf and I'll be happy" kind of chick.  One is for a friend (she loves it) and the other has gone into the scarf present stash.

I bought the Flounce when I stopped at Knitted Together.  As always, they were an absolutely wonderful local yarn store I stumbled upon during work travel.  They also helped me out of a work-related shipping pinch to boot.  When everything seemed to be unraveling as I was heading to the airport (unraveling in the shipping department, that is), I just knew the local yarn store would be able to help me out!  Thanks folks!  It is wonderful to be a part of the eclectic, kind, helpful, accepting fiber arts community!

Side note: a certain UPS store in that area will soon be on the receiving end of one VERY nasty letter.

Easy comfort - with a twist

We love soft pretzels.  Years ago, I was surprised to learn exactly how easy they are to make.  A fabulous recipe for Hot Buttered Pretzels can be found in King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.  (Fabulous, all-around baking cookbook.)

The ingredients are simple:  all purpose flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and water.  Ingredients are all placed in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix thoroughly, then let the machine knead the dough for five minutes.

Place the dough in a ziplock bag spritzed with baking spray.

Allow to rise 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces.  Allow the dough to rest.

Time to make snakes!  Roll each piece into a long rope and form the pretzel shape.  Dip each pretzel into the sugar water solution, place on the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle with pretzel salt.  Allow to rest.

Bake at 500F according to instructions.  Brush baked pretzels with melted butter.

In less than one hour, you are enjoying fresh baked pretzels!

Summertime....and the living's easy

We had plans to visit family over the holiday weekend.  My coming down with a nasty sinus infection foiled all those plans.  I ended up running a few errands this morning and laying low the rest of the day.  I really hope to be back in my groove tomorrow.  The offspring is in the mist of a massive Lego build.  (Hopefully we can reclaim our den tomorrow also.)

Just because I am feeling a bit under the weather doesn't mean we can't eat well.  It is summer (perhaps not officially on the calendar, but Mother Nature is telling us otherwise), that means cooking is fresh and easy.

I thawed a few boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins.  While they were thawing, I mixed up a quick marinade with fresh thyme, onion, white wine, garlic, salt, pepper, dried hot mustard, sugar, and vegetable oil.  The tenders marinaded in the frig for a few hours.

Vine ripe tomatoes were on sale today and the basil needed a haircut, so capress was added to the night's menu.  It is always a big hit at our house.  Tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella, fresh ground pepper, and balsamic vinegar is such a tasty, fresh combination.

Large white shrimp were also on sale, so I peeled the shrimp and seasoned them with cajun seasoning and a tad of vegetable oil.  I also sliced a fresh lemon in half.

When it was time to cook, the grill was lit.  We used lump charcoal after a friend presented such a convincing argument for us to give it a try.  Honestly, where we both grew up, everyone used charcoal briquets.  We enjoyed the outcomes and are switching to lump charcoal.

I placed one of my cast iron skillets on the back of the grill while the chicken and corn were cooking.  Just before everything was done, I pour a dab of vegetable oil in the hot skillet and used a silicon brush to coat the entire inside of the skillet.  The grill lid was closed to allow the oil to heat.  After a few minutes, I dumped the seasoned shrimp in the skillet and juiced the lemon into the skillet.  I stirred the shrimp, then closed the grill lid.  After stirring the shrimp a few times, they were done.

Dinner was great.

I hope you are enjoying quick, fresh summer meals also!

How does your garden grow?

Spring is here!  That means it is time to plant the garden!

This year, a dear friend asked to join us, so we are expanding our usual family garden.  Nothing major, but we have a nice crop of fresh tomatoes, hot peppers, herbs, okra, peas, squash, and whatever else was sewn.

My husband plans and executes the garden.  He has a wonderful, yet elaborate, plan which involves tilling compost, laying drip irrigation, installing landscape fabric, and "rabbit proofing" the peas. (I love my composter.  It was my Christmas present several years ago.)

I grew up gardening.  My family grew and stored vegetables and fruit each summer to use for the entire year.  We didn't waste anything.  If you have never canned or frozen your own food, contact your local cooperative extension department and they will be more than happy to help you get rolling.  It isn't hard.  I was a certified Master Food Preserver by the time I was 13 years old.  You can find some great resources here.

Perennial herbs

I love returning to this process (albeit on a much smaller scale) and introducing the offspring to it.  Food does not "come from the grocery store" and all children should have the opportunity to learn how food is grown and prepared.

One of my other favorite things about gardening is cooking with fresh herbs.  I plant seasonal herbs in the garden.  We go through tons of fresh basil.  I also prepare pesto base all summer and freeze it in ice cube trays for use throughout the fall and winter.  Last spring, I started several pots of perennial herbs.  The results have been bountiful.  The investment:production ratio has been great!  I moved the allspice tree and bay bush inside for the winter with fabulous results.

The thymes and oreganos came back like game busters, so I gave them huge haircuts and dried the results.  I have almost 1 1/2 cups of dried oregano from this picture.  I also dried approximately 1 cup of thyme.  (If you live in the area, let me know if you need any fresh or dried oregano and thyme.)  The drying process was incredibly easy.  I spread the cut limbs on cooling racks (keeping varietals separate).  It took approximately a week, living on top of the dryer in the laundry room.

As for composting, it just makes sense.  Period.  Why waste the fabulous fruit, vegetable, and grain scraps from the kitchen when you can recycle them into your garden?  After a couple of cycles, I have determined that grass clipping from the yard, kitchen scraps, and once a week watering and turning produce GREAT compost.  Over the winter, I throw a container of fishing worms in for additional breakdown during the cold months.  A key point for this particular composter is to place it in the sun so it can absorb heat.  I use a spading fork to turn my compost.  Give composting a whirl at your house.  You don't have to buy a big, fancy composter to get results.

Happy gardening!  I'll keep you updated as the summer progresses.  (Now, if only I could convince my husband we need an asparagus bed.....)