Adventures in Canning #1

In my quest to be a Domestic Diva I've decided to dive into canning. As a youngster growing up in the country "putting up the garden" was a part of the summer. I don't have any strong memories of my mom canning, but I know she did because as the oldest child I was often sent down into the SCARY basement to get a can of beans or tomatoes. (we had one of those rustic cellars with creaky stairs, dirt floors, and spiders. I had nightmares, let me tell you.)

So now, not knowing much more than that you can preserve food with some Ball jars and a pot of water I set out on my quest. The set-up was a little more expensive than I thought...I being who I am of course wanted all kinds of different jars and equipment. Surprisingly between my local grocery and hardware stores I was able to find most of what I needed. (there was one small trip to Sur La Table which resulted in a purchase of $8.95 for a metal funnel. Oye.)

But how did I figure it out? I taugh myself...using a very good down to earth book. I have to highly recommend Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. The author breaks the process down, what you need, what you don't need, and how to keep the food safe. There are the basic recipes....and then there are the fun recipes, things you won't find in Grandma's canning book...like KIMCHI!!!!! I'm so excited.

However, the kimchi has to wait. Pickling cucumbers are season, so pickles are up first. I made a quicker version which involves an 8-hour brine...haha. Keep in mind that the long version takes weeks. Something I learned get all the spices, garlic, chili, etc. ready to go ahead of time. I put mine on little saucers so I could just dump them into the hot jars. I tried measuring out the spices in a hurry. Nope. Bad idea. The pickles were a little softer than preferred but, all said and done it was good eating. They were salty, spicy, and a little sweetness thanks to the apple cider vinegar.

What next to fill all those jars i bought? Wait and see! :)

 

C is for Spring?

It's late spring and it will be summer in a minute.  Here in SoCal the weather can't quite decide. One day it's hot, the next we have rain and something we call "June Gloom".

To brighten those semi-gloomy days, I made some cookies fashioned after some beautiful butterflies. I really only had the patience to make 8 of these things, and I hated to eat them because they took so darn long to decorate. My husband however had no problem.....ha!

Hello, meet my favorite Japanese forest troll. Totoro! 

If you haven't seen My Neighbor Totoro trust me, you'll enjoy it. 

He was a gift, and is now in the care of my friend Cindy.

Season's Eatings Pt. 2: Chocolate Bark

Tempering chocolate for the first time was a bit disastrous and I really need to do some research before I attempt it again. Sure, I followed the directions. But first, I didn't have a good thermometer. And second, chocolate is VERY CRABBY. Oh, and third? The awesome silicone molds that were suggested in December's issue of Martha Stewart evidently make real chocolate cloudy. I can only assume that they used the melting candy from Michael's Craft Store to get a glossy finish. Don't get my wrong, I'm not bitter. I love these molds and used them for my cookies.(More on that later.)

What kind of bark did I attempt to make and how? Well,  I laid down a layer of white chocolate on both projects, scraped the mold until there was only fine layer left. I let that harden, then made a "pan" around the mold with aluminum foil. After that I put the thicker layer of dark chocolate on top. Done correctly, the dark layer will show through the thin layer of white. Brilliant right? Thanks Martha.

The faux bois (wood grain) piece is peppermint bark. I crushed candy canes to add in and thought "There are never enough candy canes in peppermint bark, I'll add more." Unfortunately more is not better. The bark was far too crunchy and was too hard to cut into decent pieces. It just started to fall apart after awhile.

The basket weave is cranberry and almond bark. It was better and cut a little easier. Cranberries and chocolate. Yum.

Better luck next year. Hopefully I'll have learned to temper by then.

Season's Eatings Pt. 1: Pies

Oh my, it's pie. I've successfully made two pies in the last few months. To be more accurate I've successfully made two pie crusts in the last few months. Huzzah!

What is the secret? Well, I have to tell you it's vodka. Yep that's right, booze. According to Cook's Illustrated Magazine, the vodka adds moisture and flavor but then evaporates while baking and results in a flaky crust. I love it! I used a ginger vodka just for an extra punch. So far it has worked like a charm.

Another pie epiphany was tapioca powder. Its my new pie filling friend. No more soupy pie crust.  Here is a great recipe from my Food Network crush Alton Brown. (I heart him.)

Let's see, I got some fun leaf shaped pie crust cutters from Williams Sonoma as well. They are basically fancy cookie cutters with an embossing function for extra cuteness. I just can't ignore the siren's call of baking gear. Now I will longingly wait for early summer fruit season to come my way. Strawberry rhubarb pie anyone?

AND... my amazing friend Cindy got me some pie birds for Christmas. Yeeeee! I haven't gotten a chance to use them yet, but once I do i will be sure to post about it.

Tuck Neverending

 Living my blog is fan-tabulous, but keeps my free time at a minimum. The good news is that doing all this knitting has jump started the urge to get all my old projects done in the time I do have. First up was Tuck by Norah Gaughan. http://berroco.com/ng4/ng4_tuck_pv.html
I've named the project Tuck Neverending because I had to rip it out and re-do it soooo many times over a two year period.  Why? Well, human error mostly. There is a part of the pattern where you are doing decrease shaping on the arm and neck, plus making tucks all at the same time. Let me just say, YIKES.
I'm glad it is done. However, I'm somewhat unsatisfied because I came to the realization that I have not worn a vest since 1994. Therefore, I can't figure out what to wear it with it. Thoughts?

It's a Dumpling Day.

Every so often we have a "down week" at work.  It doesn't mean that we have any less work to do, but instead that we get to go out to lunch with out worrying about the students we train. Usually we decide weeks before hand where we are going to go....and usually it is the Din Tai Fung dumpling house in Arcadia, CA.

In the time spent waiting around for Dumpling Day to arrive we will sit and talk about how yummy everything is and what we are going to eat. This, despite the fact that we always get the same thing: Shrimp Fried Rice, Juicy Pork Dumpings, and Shrimp and Pork Shaomai.
The dumplings are steamed, don't think bao, don't think ravioli, don't think about anything you've ever had before. Don't think, just eat.

Here are some tips on how to eat dumplings:

After you order and are waiting for the dumplings to arrive, make the dipping sauce. You are given a little condiments tray of ginger, chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar. I usually mix it all together on my little dipping plate and mash the ginger with the ends of my chopsticks.

When the dumplings arrive clap very loudly.... Okay, I'm just kidding. It is however, very exciting when the little containers start to arrive.  Just an FYI, there is an art to eating dumplings, instructions are actually printed on the chopstick wrappers. You have to hold the dumpling with chopsticks and nibble off a little piece of the dumpling to let the very, VERY hot liquid pour out onto your spoon. I usually sip the liquid while the dumpling cools off a little. Then dip it in the sauce, and stuff it into your mouth. Usually one of us will get overly anxious and can't wait until it's cool enough thus resulting in a burnt tongue.

Oh and the Shrimp fried rice? AAAAMMMAAAZZZIIING! Again, whatever ideas have about shrimp fried rice, throw them out the window. This fried rice is tasty, fresh, and not greasy at all. Seriously, I may be addicted. I have to make sure that I don't eat it too often so I won't ever, ever get tired of it.

A few other pointers:
Eat, and eat a lot.
You are going to make a mess so get over it. (See third picture below)
Fight over who is going to eat the last dumpling. "I couldn't possibly, you take it." "No, you eat it." etc.
Spend the rest of the day in your cubicle fighting off the ensuing food-coma.

Before

During

After

Juicy Pork Dumplings

Shrimp and Pork Shaomai