turkey feathers

No April Foolin'

This purple cauliflower is no joke.  It actually grows this way!  We got it from our local organic market, and also bought seeds to try and grow some this spring just for the fun of it.  I was imagining this tossed together with orange carrots, Chinese peas, red cherry tomatoes, and yellow corn to make a lovely colorful spring salad.  My kids actually love cauliflower, especially covered with a creamy cheese sauce.   But this was good, gently steamed and served plain.  It's milder and a little sweet to my taste.  I had to show it with a few points of reference in the background for you to really appreciate just how truly purple this is.  The color is caused by the same substance found in red wine and cabbage and is rich in antioxidants.   We tried orange cauliflower last week.  It was really good too and contains 25 times more Vitamin A than the white varieties so if your kids don't like their veggies, there's a lot of goodness (and fun!) in just a few bites of these rainbow varieties.

Bread of Friendship

Well, the party's over and I need to put away a "few" decorations.  (You learn to pick your battles.) I really meant to jump back in here sooner.  My new spring regime consists of going to bed early and sleeping late, and although I'm feeling more rested and relaxed, its throwing off my routine.  The day goes by so fast now and before I know it, I'm climbing back into bed again.  Spring may be officially here, but I'm still in hibernation mode.  It's also snowing at the moment, so that just proves my point.  Our Easter Brunch was great btw!  Grace baked yummy carrot-cake cupcakes; I made cinnamon rolls from the Amish Friendship Bread starter we happily received a couple weeks ago.  That stuff is so gross, and smells to high heaven, but it makes some pretty tasty bread.  It arrived in a large zip-loc plastic bag with instructions to "mush the bag" and relieve the gas once a day.  Which we did.  Religiously.  Just in case it exploded or something.  Seriously.  That would not be good.  On the 6th day we added more flour, sugar, and milk.  (The milk sours and accounts for the smell.)  It was ready on day ten.  I scooped out a cupful and added flour, oil, baking powder, and salt to make some pizza dough.  I didn't measure precisely here, just kept adding flour (about 3 cups or so) until the dough was the right consistency.  Then I crossed my fingers and rolled it out.  Happy to report it was really really good.  Both pizzas baked up beautifully.  Did the same thing with the cinnamon rolls, adding a little sugar into the mix this time, and also had pretty good results.  If you ever have the opportunity to try it or want to make some to share with friends, I highly recommend it.  (Visit the above link if you want to find out more about it.) 

Food for Thought

Here's another excuse why I have such a hard time staying on task lately.  The aromas that emanate from the kitchen on a regular basis and find me at the other end of the house, where I work, are hard to ignore.  Not that I'm really complaining, I mean, what's not to like here?  Grace has been working out recipes using spelt flour substitutions and these cupcakes were the successful result of her experimentation yesterday.  Earlier in the week there were chocolate chip cookies.  Which were gone after only two days.  Then brownies, muffins, and pancakes weeks before, and then this pizza (one of two) for dinner last night.  Which was amazing as you can see.  Yes, that IS fresh pineapple.  I'm keeping this girl on my payroll!   Anyway, it's my understanding that spelt flour has less gluten so adjustments need to be made to compensate for that.  Spelt isn't anything new though, on the contrary it's as old as the hills.  Ancient actually.  And possibly better for human consumption in general.  Whole-wheat flour has a tendency to aggrivate our allergies so we've become spelt converts around here now. If you're curious you can read more about it here.  There are many sources and products on the web if you don't have access to it locally.  And recipes too, like this chocolate espresso cake I think we will try next.  I say "we", as in; she bakes, I taste.  Perfect.

Posy Slippers

Somehow I just knew there was a little pair of baby slippers patiently waiting to tippy-toe out from my thrifted wool blanket.  And here they be.  Making this the 27th project so far.  Whoa.  I wasn't really counting, but now that I just did, I'm somewhat surprised.  And from the size of the scrap I still have left, I'd say there will be several more things to come before I get to the *grand finale*.   No idea [yet] what it will be.  I'm also wondering what happens after that and whether or not I should put the projects and a few patterns (just the ones I've designed) into a little book.  I'm curious to know if there's any interest out there and would love for you guys to share your thoughts with me about it either in comments or email.   

And...after that last post, here's proof that lazy food can also be both delicious and healthy.  For a late lunch yesterday, the Mister and I had this roasted walnut-encrusted fish fillet with honey-mustard & lemon-dill dressing, and as you can see, I was just about to stick my fork in when I suddenly decided to blog it.  (ha!)  I used fresh Snapper, but you can use any type of fish.  Here's the skinny:  Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels.  Cover a baking sheet with foil, and drizzle 3 T. olive oil on it.  Coat both sides of the fish with the oil on the pan.  Chop about 1/2 cup walnuts; and toss together with 1 T. flour. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the nut mixture on the baking sheet and place the fish on top of it;  then add the remaining nuts on the top of the fish pressing them down lightly so they stay put.  Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until fish is cooked through.  (Don't broil or you'll burn the walnuts.)  Dressing/Sauce:  With a wire whisk blend together 1 T. mustard, 1 tsp. honey, 1/4 cup mayo, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tsp. dry dill weed, (or 1 T. fresh chopped).  Makes two servings.  I served it up on the side, with a bed of mixed greens, red bell pepper, and a few kalamata olives. 

My only lament right now is, I wish I'd paid closer attention in French Class so I could decipher the recipe for this amazing looking cake tower thingy.  Hey, and that apron is pretty cute too, oui?  Time to get out my embroidery hoop I think.  (More Marie Claire Idees wonderfulness here.)

Bake at your own risk...

I've been perusing a few blogs and relating to lazy food exploits.  Here's my latest one.  After dinner yesterday, I tossed random ingredients (whatever I found in the cupboard) haphazardly onto a baking sheet and 20 minutes later declared...dessert!  It wasn't half-bad either.  Here's the recipe: 1 package cinnamon graham crackers (8?) crushed fine in food processor with a hunk of butter (3T?) Pour out onto a small non-stick cookie sheet (13 x 9 x 1), spread evenly to cover the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle over the top; 2 handfuls each of chocolate chips, sliced almonds, and rice krispies.  Pour a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the whole thing, and bake 15 minutes at 350 until lightly browned.  Cut into bars.  Hint:  There's less guilt involved if everything is organic.

In the Nick of Time

Between storm surges, and before the snow started falling, we made it to Portland for our son's birthday dinner on Saturday.  Our holidays start and end with birthdays, so this is the last of the hoopla for awhile.  Time to put the Christmas decorations away and pack it up.  Looking forward to a little quiet time with some new books and then I'll be ready to get back into homecraft again.  The twig alphabet I'm designing is coming along nicely.  I've already got a few projects in mind that I hope to share.  But all in good time. 

And speaking of alphabets, and before any more time slips by, I'd better tell you about my latest A-Z Quiche update for N.  The ingredients aren't really anything new, as far as quiche goes, but the presentation is a little different.  I made these for our New Year's Day brunch, so that's how I'm tagging them:  New Year's [Quiche] "Brunch Cups".  A mouthful, in more ways than one!    Not only do these make *cute* party food, they are quite yummy too.  I used a flower-shaped cookie cutter about 4-inches in diameter for the pastry shells to create the petal effect.   I was happy to discover these fit a standard cupcake/muffin pan perfectly.  Pastry scraps were also rolled out, cut into shapes, brushed with some of the egg mixture, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and baked flat on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes.  Something kid-helpers can easily do.  These make sweet little pastry treats for the wee ones in the house in particular.  If any of this appeals to you, follow me over here for the recipe. 

*Twinkles*

These last few days have sure been busy ones, I tell ya.  I'm enjoying a little respite here on this calm and quiet morning before we start preparing our Christmas Eve dinner later today.  We drove up to Portland yesterday (a wild ride up and back as we weathered the first of several storms to hit here this week), for an afternoon of  fun and frolic with our families there.  We had dinner and did a gift exchange afterwards.  The kids really look forward to seeing their cousins and little niece.  Even Jack  (rabbit) was excited to see everyone again.  This fuzzy little fellow is totally house-broken, even uses a litter box, and is very people friendly.  A real heart-breaker. 

Grace and I made candy Truffles to bring, using both dark chocolate and white chocolate, rolled in a variety of things to spice up the party.   In case you aren't familiar with these, Truffles are bite-sized chocolate confections usually made from ganache, a mixture of chocolate and cream.  They can also be dipped in chocolate for a more polished presentation.  There are literally hundreds of recipes or variations for making them, many available on the net.  Here are a few that I like, though I haven't made all of these.  Yet.  (tee hee) I especially like this mocha one though I don't use a microwave. 

Oh, and here's proof that there was more than gnoshing happening around here.  I finished my pillows!  Actually, they were done awhile ago, I just kept forgetting to take a picture.  They are the perfect addition to the hall bench.  I've added a few more pictures here if you want a closer look. 

Well, that's it for now.  Time to run along.  I just wanted to wish everyone Best Wishes for a Peaceful and Merry Holiday Season wherever you are! 

xo xo xo

Short & Sweet

We've been making Christmas sweeties all week.  What merry memories this always stirs up from my own youth.  Yesterday Ginger's friend joined the fun.  We turned up the holiday music and everyone went straight to work. I'd made a basic Sugar Cookie dough ahead of time.  It was chilled and ready to go when they were. Soon my counter tops were covered with dancing shapes and the whole house smelled delicious. While these pretties cooled, I mixed up the icing.  Powder sugar + milk + egg white for a hard shiny glaze.  (Meringue Powder can be used as a substitute for raw egg whites if you don't know your chicken.) We made *peppermint sprinkles* from crushed candy canes.  (To do this, break them into pieces, place in a plastic freezer bag and use a rolling pin.)  I like to use old baby spoons for sprinkling small bits.  Toss any leftovers in your hot cocoa.  Yum! Grace jumped in and decided to make Gingerbread cookies.  (She's going to pipe the icing later today, still determined to master the pastry bag.)  So, while everyone else was busy doing their own thing, I was making "Almond Butter Cups" for the Mister.  He has a sweet tooth, but absolutely refuses to eat anything that contains an artificial ingredient.  Necessity is the Mother of Invention, so here's my take on the traditional peanut butter cup, using all organic ingredients.  I start by s-l-o-w-l-y melting 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 2 T. vegetable shortening over a double-boiler.  While chocolate is melting, combine in a small bowl:  1/3 cup almond butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Set aside. I like to use the foil paper-lined candy cups.  Mini muffin tins work great for this too and help these keep their shape while setting-up in the fridge.  To assemble, use the tip of a regular teaspoon, and put about a half a teaspoon or so of melted chocolate in each of the candy cups, filling about 1/3.  Add a tiny dollop of the sweetened almond butter, filling to 2/3.  Top off with more chocolate, and a nut.  (I use sprouted almonds.)  Makes about 2 dozen.  These little candy morsels are best when devoured at room temperature the next day after the flavors mingle.  The hardest part of all this, of course, is the waiting.

Merry Christmas Quiche

The weekend sure went by in a blur, but the last of the shopping is done, most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree, others are packed up and on their way, holiday cards are in their envelopes and ready to mail, I've promised the girls we will start our Christmas baking today, (there was some wishful talk about making gingerbread houses but I'm pushing for fudge) AND..oh yeah, the carpet installer will be here bright and early Wednesday morning, so we need to clear out two bedrooms before he arrives.  No big deal right?  (What was I thinking?!)  So--- in the middle of all this, and probably because of it, the quiche I thought up for M became less extravagant, not more.   Turns out though, it's just perfect and an easy fix for Christmas morning.  In fact, goes perfectly with the apple turnovers and hot cocoa we usually have.  Maybe this will resonate with some of you too. (And yes, that IS a storebought crust. We do what we have to sometimes.) Recipe's in the sidebar under A-Z Quiche.  Enjoy!

Cream Pie & Hot, Hot Chocolate

Our Christmas tree is finally all decorated, and last night I brought out a few presents that I had squirreled away (in secret hiding places) to put under it.  Excitement is running high around here.  We had a chance to slip out and see a movie this week.  I wouldn't mention that, except it was in HD-3D and if you haven't had an opportunity to visit an I-MAX theater, you're missing quite an experience.  We drove for an hour to the nearest one and saw The Polar Express, which I know everyone has already seen, and in fact we went and watched it as soon as it came out and then purchased the DVD to add to our Christmas movie library, so we've seen it quite a few times already.  But, I have to tell you, seeing it come alive dimensionally was truly magical.  The movie is a marvel of technical ingenuity already, but this goes way beyond anything I could ever imagine.  The elves were particularly cute, I just wanted to scoop them up into my pockets and bring them home.  It was just so much fun and we all had a great time. 

So I was serving a little dessert last night, and had just cut the first piece of pie when Ginger piped up and said, "Mom, wait!  You need to take a picture of this beautiful pie for your blog."  I totally cracked up.  But she ran and got the camera, while we sat there drooling.  I don't know how "beautiful" this is, especially in really bad light, but this pie is really good and very easy to make.  Plus it doesn't call for butter or eggs like most chocolate cream pies do.  I did a search for this recipe online and couldn't find it anywhere.  Mine came from dear old mom's recipe box.  She'd clipped it from a box of Pillsbury pie crust years ago.  I use organic ingredients and make my own pie crust, but you can use a pre-made frozen shell or a graham-cracker crust  to save a step if time is an issue.  So basically, you combine the filling in a saucepan, let it cool, and then fold in whipped cream.   You need to allow a few hours for this to set up in the fridge so it's not a last minute type dessert, but you can serve it like chocolate mousse in dessert cups if you want to skip the crust altogether.*Creamy Chocolate Silk PieOne 9" pie-crust shell, pre-baked and cooled.Into a medium saucepan combine:  1/4 cup sugar, 3 T. cornstarch, 1-1/2 cups milk.  Whisk ingredients together until well blended.  Heat just until it starts to thicken, remove from heat and add 1 cup chocolate chips + 1 teas. vanilla.  Allow them to melt into the milk mixture a minute or so before stirring.   Let cool about 10 minutes, cover with a lid and place in the fridge to cool for at least another 30 minutes.   Whip 2 cups of heavy cream + 2 t. powdered sugar until soft peaks form.  Combine half with the cooled chocolate mixture, folding together gently to keep it light.  Fill the pie crust.   Use the remaining whipped cream for the topping, either piped from a bag (if you want to get fancy) or just spread over the top like icing on a cake.  Sprinkle with shaved chocolate or mini-chocolate chips.  Refridgerate 2-3 hours before serving.  Store cold.*When I come back, I'll share the next quiche recipe. . .until then,

. . . have a great weekend!