ruby crowned kinglette

and one more...

i am also thankful for flour, yeast, salt and water - and high oven temperatures and le cruset and a dremel...

enjoy your family
enjoy your friends
enjoy your food
enjoy your day.

happy thanksgiving.

canning sunshine

see? i have been doing something other than icing my feets.  i've been sharing a csa box from a local farm with a girlfriend and even halved it seems like it is too much, so we have been blanching and freezing and even canning some of the bounty. while in oregon in july i read this article in the oregonian that inspired me to start canning again and to get some of the other produce into the freezer.... amy wrote about it too, over here. i think if i ate more vegetables on a daily basis then i wouldn't have so much in the freezer, but it will be nice this fall and winter to have some things to go to for a reminder of the warmer days of summer.

this is the bounty so far... and it includes interlopers as well.  the golden beets were purchased separate from the csa produce because they were too pretty to pass up, and then the bread and butter pickles were bought too, because well, we had to in order to actually make bread and butter pickles. but, the beans and the red beets are from the box.  i am now crazy to can anything else that crosses my path.  i haven't done it in a long time and i don't know why, because i can not stop exclaiming how freaking beautiful this all is.  next will be some rhubarb chutney using some rhubarb that i froze in the spring. then... well, i don't know, but there will be something.

oh yes, and the crafting? i am actually looking into getting some done, if you can believe it! i pulled out some books for inspiration and received the fall issue of marie claire idees, always good for stirring the imagination.  thanks so much for sticking with me, visting and sending along comments too.  i will resume with my regular programming soon, very very soon.

i am now one of them

ok, i will admit that i was skeptical, really skeptical, when i heard about this no-knead bread.  i am pretty sure i was reading megan's thoughts on it over at not martha when i first read of the phenomenon.  this is what i thought...

self? isn't the best thing about making bread kneading it? how in the world can a bread be good if you don't knead it? it's too gimmicky, it won't be good, i will stick to what i know {it has been pointed out to me that i think i know everything, and not it a good way}.... 

i thought that for several months. then, within the same week {or it seemed like the same week}, both alex and amy posted about their experiences making it... then, this is what i thought.

self? well shoot, these are looking mighty good, maybe you should check into this and try it out. you, know, get off your ass and don't just dismiss this out of hand. don't only stick to what you know because how will you learn new things?...

i went to the new york times' site and read the initial article, and watched the accompanying video - which i found very helpful because it is always nice to see something being done.  then to chow.com to see what some of those {very opinionated} folks thought, and a few more places that i have now forgotten.

today {ok, yesterday} i finally got around to making it and took it out of the oven about half an hour ago.  it is simply beautiful and smells delightful - even chet thinks so as he was nosing around the table while i was taking pictures - that dog loves his bread.  i am going to a friend's home for dinner and will find if it tastes as scrumptious as it looks.

this is the link to the recipe itself.  i modified it to include 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt and used 1/3 teaspoon of active dry yeast rather than the 1/4 teaspoon of rapid rise {instant yeast} called for in the recipe; this based on one article i found. it took a while to begin to rise, a result of minimal yeast {which is a good thing} and my cool house {which is not so good, according to some}. the change in salt was due to reviews that said the original recipe needed it, and then some subsequent variations having too much; i ended deciding on somewhere in between. i also used all-purpose flour rather than bread flour because that is all i had.  generally i try not to modify recipes the first time out... sometimes it seems i can't help myself.

isn't she pretty?

the chickens underneath are on a dish towel my mom gave me for valentine's day, i haven't actually used it yet because it is too cute, i did wash it and then iron it though...

will be back with the results of the taste test.

later that night

ok, this was good. g. o. o. d. good. 

a couple of things. i baked in the covered pot for the 30 minutes per the recipe, then uncovered for an additional 23 minutes.  the recipe suggested between 15 and 30 minutes or until it was a dark golden brown.  i got a tiny bit nervous and decided to take it out at 23 minutes.  the bread was crusty and lovely inside, but still a bit soft and heavy, not that hollow empty sound you should have with a loaf of holey crusty bread, so i would go with the full 30 minutes uncovered next time - all things being equal.  i also dusted the towels it was risen on with flour only and would do this again in a heart beat.  i loved the deep toasty almost earthy taste of the flour on the crust, and i can not tell you how much i love the look of that cracked flour on the surface. we only ate half, and i left half of what remained with jim. i've read that it goes stale in a day so it won't be long before i learn if that is true.  i will be wrapping it in the chicken towel to preserve the crust so i shall see in the morning how it holds up. make it, it is worth it, and really quite easy.

   

what does it say about me...

that my favorite dinner is a big, fat, cold, tasty gin and tonic?

well, i think it says that i am a damn fine connoisseur of dinners, that's what i think.

today, the high temperature was 81 degrees!!!! do you hear that, you people in maine? you people with 4 feet of new snow? ok, really, meg, that's for you.

so then. what is better than a very warm and wonderful spring day? well, it's a big, giant gin and tonic, that's what. my dinner plans nearly came to a screeching halt when my go-to lime was a bit shrunken and moldy, thankfully there was a back-up in the fridge.  i'm of the mind that tanqueray is the best gin for the drink of the gods.... i like that it is herby and not entirely smooth.  you can see in the picture above that i have used a previously gin filled bottle for my dish soap dispenser.  i kind of feel it is one of my best kitchen accessories.  another goodie is a painted pottery piece i brought back from florence - it looks like jay leno.  i will post about it some time with my other italian pottery - man, i gotta get back there and bring back more of that good stuff.

wouldn't this be a great world if i was this size and that glass was my swimming pool? oh yeah, that would be nice.

happy easter everyone; especially you fine folks toiling away in the distilleries of london.

 

snickerduddles?

this is not what i have come to believe snickerdoodles look like, or taste like, or should be like.  i am almost, one hundred percent, sure i followed the recipe, almost.  the dough seemed too wet, but one of my eggs was not large, but super duper large, although only one yolk, so i just rolled with it.  i probably shouldn't have because these cookies? these cookies are 1/16" thick thin...!

it reminds me of the time my youngest sister and her best friend were making cookies when they were about 9 or 10.  toll house chocolate chip, and while we were all home she demanded that we didn't help them.  when the first batch came out of the oven and it was one giant cookie in the shape of the cookie sheet - well, she was mad.  obviously she hadn't used enough flour and she was adamant that she had. had used EXACTLY the amount called for - two, quarter cups of flour.  when my mom told her no, they mean two and one quarter cups of flour she was really mad, because.... THAT ISN'T WHAT IT SAID!

i kind of feel the same today...

so onto the second batch...

i added another half cup of flour, and chilled the dough. the cookies hardly spread at all so they are better, but i don't think they taste right.  i am going to toss them because this is just silly, and i don't need them anyhow... i really was just looking for a way to kill time because i have work to do and didn't want to do it.  sound familiar?

this recipe came from, the previously considered really, really great, 'america's test kitchen' baking illustrated.... i bet i won't try this particular recipe again.

today, breakfast is the reward

i made two pots of soup and some bread yesterday... i should cook more often because it is so relaxing, for me.  i know some people don't feel that way, but to be in my kitchen, alone, making food, i just don't think about all the things i should be doing, or that i have let slip, or wished i didn't do.  i don't realize when i am in the throes of measuring and grabbing ingredients that i am not worried about life, it is when i am done that i am conscious i have had a reprieve.  i discovered this when i was in design school, when things would get tedious, or frustrating or just plain hard, i would push my chair back and go into the kitchen and make cookies.  the next day everyone in class would get them. at least then there were others to benefit from my distraction but it also meant that i didn't eat every cookie. that isn't exactly the case any longer; i mean, i still bake, but i also end up eating the results, all of the results.  that is why weight watchers and i are on a first name basis.... kinda.

so anyway... this is the bread i made.  i love making bread. love it.  the hands on, pushing back and pulling forward of the sticky dough, flouring just a bit every time it begins to get tacky, being careful not to add too much but always wondering...  this particular dough was so pretty even right out of the bowl. it was glorious by the time i was done; smooth, soft and squishy - in the way only bread dough can be.  makes me damn near tear up just thinking about it...

the recipe is from 'america's test kitchen's' baking illustrated. it has milk, sugar and eggs in the dough, so it is somewhat sweeter and richer than a plain white bread, but not too much.  and, there is not a lot of sugar-cinnamon in the swirl; although i love, love, love a sticky sweet cinnamon roll, this isn't like that and is quite perfect for this bread.

 

and yes, it was delicious too, is delicious - i haven't eaten it all..... yet.

fresh out of the oven

these little numbers are tasty.  they were on the cover of bon appetit last march and i made them then... they came out as pretty as the picture that first time, this time the dough was really really wet so i couldn't roll them out.  i added a bit more flour and then just dropped them onto the cookie sheet. worked like a charm.  i didn't have any chipotles so i left those out this time.  however, if you are in the same boat, add a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or so to the dry ingredients to give them a little kick. you can download the recipe from epicurious.com right here....  remember, mixing too much will be the certain death of a good biscuit.

 

CORNMEAL BISCUITS WITH CHEDDAR AND CHIPOTLE

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup (packed) chopped green onions

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated yellow extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg
3/4 cup (about) buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo*

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon whipping cream (for glaze)

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes to soften slightly. Remove from heat.

Blend flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in processor. Add 1/2 cup chilled butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese; cut in using on/off turns. Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Whisk 1 egg in glass measuring cup. Add enough buttermilk to egg to measure 1 cup; stir in green-onion mixture and chipotles. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Pour buttermilk mixture into well; mix just until evenly moistened.

Turn dough out onto generously floured surface. Knead gently just until dough holds together, about 10 turns. Pat out on generously floured surface to 3/4-inch-thick round. Using 3-inch round cutter, cut out biscuits. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps; pat out to 3/4-inch thickness and cut out additional biscuits. Brush biscuits with egg glaze.

Bake biscuits until golden, tester inserted into center comes out clean, and biscuits feel firm, about 18 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Serve warm.

*Available at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and Latin markets.

Makes about 10
Bon Appétit
March 2006
Kristine Kidd
 

oh yeah, drawing class tonight.  we are instructed to bring a daffodil (or several).  and, today i made a tote bag for my drawing pads... it's official now, i am an artist.....

oh funny, funny girl.

 

there is a tea party in equador today

and i am planning on arriving as the first cup is poured.

risa is hosting a tea party, everyone is bringing something and it promises to be very well attended.

 

tea is wonderful at any time of the day and it is especially nice when there is a light layer of snow, the sky is wide and the air is chilly.  i try not to have too many treats with my tea because i usually drink at least three pots a day.  if i had a nice selection of tea sandwiches with one pot, some savory biscuits with another and some cookies with the third i would be in even bigger pants than i am now. but today?  today is special.

egg salad tea sandwiches

2 hard boiled eggs - sliced in an egg slicer in two different directions
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard - make it maille - originale if you can
a pinch of kosher salt
2 or 3 grinds of fresh black pepper
3 dashes of sweet paprika

bread - milton's multi-grain if you can

place all these ingredients in a bowl, and mix lightly until everything comes together and the egg yolks begin to break apart.  spread on lightly toasted multi-grained bread that has been cut into pleasing shapes with a biscuit cutter (on fancy days, on other days don't bother with that step). top with sprigs of fresh watercress, a tarragon leaf, some nice parsley, a dash of paprika, or, if you can, black caviar (this step is also for fancy days, other days i usually just top with another piece of lightly toasted bread).

a behind the scenes preparation post will follow tomorrow, because.... it should.

aunt myrl's ribbon cookies

these are not my aunt myrl's cookies, they are mary and allison's aunt myrl's cookies...  i love it that i too had an aunt myrl. i would like to think that if my aunt myrl knew of the existence of these cookies she would have made them and called them her own.   in 40 years when i am making these - and i will be making these in 40 years - i will be thanking all the aunt myrls in the world. you will too. i promise.

Ribbon Cookies 
from Myrl Thomas, Grandma Reak’s sister
Yields about 6 dozen cookies

Cream together:
2     cups unsalted butter
2     cups white sugar

Add and mix well:
2     large eggs
1     teaspoon vanilla

Add and mix well:
4     cups all-purpose flour
2     baking powder
1     teaspoon salt

Divide dough into thirds and add, one to a layer:
1    cup dried cherries, rum-soaked and coarsely chopped
2    ounces good quality bitter-sweet chocolate, melted, with 1 cup nuts, chopped
3    tablespoon poppy seeds

Chill dough.  Roll or pat each chilled layer flat on waxed paper.  Line bottom and sides of 8x8 or 9x9 pan with waxed paper and stack layers in pan, removing waxed paper from each layer and pressing layers firmly together.  Chill again thoroughly.

Invert pan to unmold dough.  Use a sharp knife to cut dough into 2-in. strips, then, slice strips crosswise into thin (1/4-in.) cookies.  Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Allison’s notes:
The original recipe called for candied cherries, but the rum-soaked dried cherries are much better.  Soak the cherries for several hours.

Use a high-quality baking chocolate, like Scharffenberger.

Cookies spread about 30% as they bake, so leave room on the cookie sheet.

Walnuts, pecans, or hazel nuts are all equally good.

Recipe is easily doubled, but a double batch is hard to mix and divide.  Use a 9 x 13 pan if doubled.

a couple of things i should note about the way i do it... i don't much like scharffenberger chocolate (too bitter) so i use callebaut.  i use pecans because i just think they taste better in a cookie, and i pack all of the dough into a 6x6 pan. it is almost too small but i like that it has straight sides so i use it.  it makes thicker layers that way, and, all other things being equal, it means i end up with about 4 dozen* cookies rather than 6 dozen.

also, i learned that it is important to add the flour, baking powder and salt.  i forgot to do that in the batch i made last weekend.  how i remembered before i cooked them i will never know... but, should you do that too, you can incorporate it into the dough even after you have added the fancy stuff.  but, i don't recommend doing it that way.

enjoy! i am sure you will!!!

*maybe three and a half dozen today... i put one sheet back in for a few more seconds. then promptly forgot. they are too brown to be pretty and probably too brown to be good... arrrrgh.   well, they are not all that bad so i will freeze them to chop up later and sprinkle on vanilla ice cream.

pie anyone?

it isn't bright or sunny outside, and it's bit chilly and breezy too.

a perfect day for apple pie.

this might be the most beautiful apple pie i have ever made, and i am certain the crust is better than the last pie i made.  for one; i didn't overwork the dough. for two; the amount of butter in this crust recipe might be twice what i have ever used before - and i am not complaining either...  in my estimation you can never have enough toilet paper or butter. ever.

i am going to dinner at friends tonight and am bringing dessert.  i will have one piece and leave the rest there so i won't screw up my diet... entirely.  this particular pie i made has a cup of fresh cranberries in it too. that was not my idea, but theirs, and it sounded good and festive. i found this recipe in america's test kitchen's 'baking illustrated'.   i have yet to run across a recipe i've not liked in that book or their 'the new best recipe'...

mav at port2port is beginning to post her favorite recipes for the holiday season, and i like that idea so i think i will join her in the effort.   this is kind of my first submission (the next ones will be tried and true, and include actual recipes...)  stay tuned for the results of the taste test... i mean, it looks like it will be damn fine, but we shall see.

the results are in.... a resounding success!! this is a pie to make and eat. yummm me.