Holiday Zenitude

I’m feeling very Zen about the holidays this year. I decided early in the year that I would not stress myself out over gifts or become over committed; the most rewarding gifts are family and friends – so why get all wound up (and go in debt) over a gift list? Setting realistic budgets and focusing instead of spending time with those I love has made this one of the most relaxing holidays seasons I can remember.

This morning I sealed up two boxes destined for distant relatives. Combined with the box sent yesterday to the distant son, this completes my gifts-that-need-to-be-shipped list and allows me to focus on the gifts-to-give-local-family list.

I also wrapped most of my gifts last night!  (this didn’t take very long since I don’t give a lot of gifts but HEY! I have a little stack of wrapped gifts on the table!) No ribbons or bows this year due to the The Kitten, which kept the wrapping quick and easy.

There are three family members on my list for which I would like to find a gift; it would help immensely if I could figure out what kind of gift I want to give each of them, but so far I have not had any epiphanies. I’m keeping my eyes open for inspiration and am mulling over some ideas to see what sounds right. I’m sure something will fall into place.

Knitting: I am down to one knitted gift to complete and it’s more than halfway done so I know I’ll get it done before the weekend. And that’s it, all other knitting is for myself or next year’s gift list.

Baking: In the holiday baking arena, there is very little to report. I decided not to make much this year – a bit of fudge was made on Sunday and I’m considering some bread or marshmallows this week but haven’t committed yet. I’ve been working with my soap wholesale account on some changes for next year and it’s hard to focus on food when you are surrounded by soap…

Sewing: Hm, just remembered I have a couple of sewing gifts to finish… I’m feeling pretty optimistic about those, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t get them done by Christmas, could always just be a late gift.

Parade of sweets

December means goodies. Cookies, candies, fudge, and a myriad of special treats that folks don’t bother to make any other time of year. Today, I’m making cookies – cranberry oatmeal with cocoa nibs and an orange glaze. This isn’t my recipe, it is one from my trusty BH&G Cookies Cookies Cookies book (though I did sub the nibs for nuts). Tomorrow I am participating in a cookie exchange, which means we will have oodles of cookies to nibble on all week. I can’t wait!

Homemade applesauce

The easiest thing to can is applesauce – no measuring needed, no ‘recipe’ to follow. I made some today and took pictures along the way.  (This is not a thorough canning tutorial – I’m presuming you know the basic equipment needed and steps to take – if not, THIS is a great website.)

First off, you need apples. Just about any kind, but the sweeter ones don’t require added sugar; I had a mix of red and yellow, about four different varieties. Wash them well. You also need canning jars and lids, plus a large deep pot for the water bath processing. Wash those, too.  I made sure to have plenty of jars ready, since I didn’t know how much applesauce I would get.

Slice the apples and remove the cores, but leave the skins on for added flavor. I used one of those handy corer/slicer things to do it in one step. Cut out any bruised or yucky parts. Put 1″ of water into a large pot (no more, or you’ll have apple soup), and add the sliced apples. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Continue to simmer and stir until the apples are soft and the skins come off. Make sure the jars and lids are ready, with jars simmering in the processing pot.

At this point, you need to remove the skins and mush the apples. I used the peeler/seeder attachment on my KitchenAid, but you can do this with a hand-operated food mill as well. (If you have none of these, you may want to peel the apples at the beginning and them mash them with a potato masher after cooking. Or I suppose you can pick the skins out by hand…)

The skins and any seeds come out the front, while the fruit slush comes out the back and into the bowl. Toss the skin paste into the compost or worm bin.

And dump the applesauce back into the large pot. Keep warm, but no need to boil it. Add cinnamon to taste, if desired.

Fill hot jars to within 1/4″ of top, wipe rims, set lids and screw on bands. Water process for 15 minutes, then allow to sit and cool undisturbed. Since I used both red and yellow apples, my applesauce has a pink tinge. I ate the last couple of spoonfuls that wouldn’t fit in a jar, and it is delicious! Perfectly, naturally sweet with no sugar needed.

(finished applesauce, cooling. I got 7 jars total from the apples pictured at the top. Small jar in front is a typical jelly jar, and the smallest one I used.)

Mmmmm, butter

This morning I made some butter.

Yes, butter.

It’s super easy and tastes fresh and light. All you need is a stand mixer (like a Kitchenaid) and whipping cream. It took me about a half hour start to finish, but I was fiddling with the mixer and taking pictures and stuff – it should take closer to 15-20 minutes total.

My full photo tutorial is here on Flicker, but the basic steps are thus:

Start with a stand mixer and a quart of whipping cream. I want to point out that I would rather have had organic cream, but the store was out so I settled for Darigold.

Beat on low and then medium as it thickens up, until you get whipped cream – then switch to a paddle and keep mixing on medium.

Like magic, the butterfat will cling together and form BUTTER. The extra water will separate out. Keep this and use it in any recipe that calls for milk – I’m going to make pancakes.

 After straining and a bit of rinsing / pressing out the extra water, you have perfectly good butter ready to spread on toast or whatever. I didn’t salt mine this time, though I usually do – but I wanted this batch plain because I have plans to serve it with a drizzle of olive oil and flakes of sea salt, to put on some crusty bread with our jambalaya tonight. MMMMMMM!

I formed mine into sticks and wrapped them in parchment paper.

And voila – twelve ounces of fresh, pure butter.

Sneaky ways to make your kids eat better

I have had many years of practice in getting more healthy foods into my kids than they know about. They may turn up their noses at green beans, but I have a few tricks up my sleeves to ensure they eat them, and many other things they don’t know about.

Tip #1: ground flaxseed, high in omega 3, manganese, and dietary fiber, is easily added to a variety of baked goods. Try adding a couple tablespoons to banana bread, spice cake, muffins, biscuits, and even brownies. If your kids eat hot cereal, you can sprinkle a little in there as well.  Even trickier: add to baked macaroni and cheese, casseroles, bread pudding, and rice dishes.

Tip #2: a blender is your friend in the ninja-vegetable war.  Cooked veggies, when blended with a little milk or broth, are easily hidden in a variety of foods – you can add some to rice for a tasty, creamy side dish. They also make an awesome soup or stew base. Cook and puree a variety and then add chicken and noodles to make a healthy soup. If your kids like squash soup or mashed sweet potatoes, you can sneak in extra red and orange veggies like red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, red onions, and tomatoes. Mashed potatoes are white, so think white veggies – cauliflower, parsnips, and onions. Go green with pureed peas, broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers, and green beans – then stir in cooked ground beef and call it Monster Mash.

Tip #3: use your food processor. Zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and broccoli are easy to hide. Shredded raw veggies are an awesome addition to meatloaf, quiche, chili, and a variety of casseroles and pot pies. Try baked chicken and rice with a cup of shredded veggies mixed in.

Shepard’s Pie

Actually, it’s Cottage Pie since it uses ground beef (Shepard’s Pie uses lamb). I got one of these for Christmas:

Isn’t it gorgeous?!? I was so excited to give it a try, and the first thing I made in it was pot roast. Mmmmmm, delicious. Last week I was again hankering for something hearty and warm and flung all together in a big ol’ roaster, so I made a Cottage Pie as follows:

Pre-heat the oven to 375*F.

Brown 2 lbs of ground beef in a darned big skillet, then drain. Add 1 chopped onion to the pan, , several minced cloves of garlic, a couple teaspoons of oregano, some sage, and freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the onions start to soften.

Add a cup or two of chopped carrots and a few stalks of celery (chopped). Amounts are completely to taste, so use a lot if you like, or a little if you don’t. I added a couple parsnips.

Add a can of  “cream of _________ soup” plus a can of water to the skillet , or you can use a cup or so of brown gravy. You don’t want it too soupy, though – the veggies will release water as they cook. Simmer until the veggies are cooked but still firm.

To the lovely deep dish roaster (should be at least 4″ deep), add a couple handfuls of frozen peas and corn or your preferred veggie mix. Try some broccoli. Stir in all the warm, bubbly yumminess from the skillet, and adjust seasonings if needed. At this point, your roaster should be about half full – if it’s more than that, transfer some filling to another pan.

Using cheater taters (aka instant mashed potatoes) mix up enough to get a double batch, using chicken or veggie broth instead of water. To the taters, add 2 Tbsp butter, 2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp dried chives or parsley. If you want, stir in 1-2 cups of grated cheese. (you can, of course, make real mashed potatoes – just start earlier)

Spread the taters over the meat filling, but don’t smooth the top too much – you want some peaks and texture to brown up nicely. There should be about an inch of room in the pan – don’t fill it to the very top unless you want to be cleaning your oven real soon.

Put the roaster in the oven (no lid) and bake until the taters are lightly brown on top and the whole thing is bubbling hot – this took about 45 minutes for us. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. We ate it too fast to take a picture of the finished dish…

Scones rock

A few years ago I came across a superb scone recipe, and haven’t varied from it since. Since today, that is. I received a new cookbook for Christmas – The Craft of Baking – and in it is a scone recipe that is very similiar to what I’m accustomed to, so I decided to give it a go. The chocolate chip scones are a smashing success, and go marvelously with my morning coffee.

I yam not a yam

Myth-busting today: we don’t have yams here in North America, we have sweet potatoes. Ignore the signs at your supermarket that separate the potatoes into two sections, you probably won’t see a true yam in a regular American supermarket – though you may find some in an ethnic grocery alongside taro corms and other tropical tubers.

Sweet potatoes are the large, edible storage roots of  the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), which grows primarily in South America. Each plant produces 4-10 potatoes that have smooth, thin skins and flesh that varies from orange to pale yellow (though there is a purple variety as well). Sweet potatoes are high in beta caratene, and the flesh is moist and sweet (go figure) rather than starchy. The potatoes are typically short and blunt, tapered at the ends. There are hundreds of varieties of sweet potatoes, but they all have eyes.

A few of the many sweet potato varieties

Yams, on the other hand, are tubers of a tropical perennial Dioscoreaceae vine and are common in places like Nigeria, Brazil, and Ghana. The tubers are high in vitamin B6 and potassium, starchy, dry, and covered with thick, rough, hairy skin that is difficult to peel. They can grow up to 8 feet long (!) and weigh over 150 pounds. The flesh of true yams varies from white or yellow to pink or purple (but not orange), and they don’t have eyes.

Look at the size of those yams!

Something from nothing

I am convinced that as long as there are tortillas and salsa in the house, something can be made and called dinner. Tonight: leftover medley.
in a large cast iron skillet: 1/2 a chopped onion, 1/2 pound of chopped bacon. Cook for 15-20 minutes or so. Add in 1 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup cooked chicken, 1 clove minced garlic, and one can rinsed black beans. Shake in some chipotle Tabasco. Heat through. season to taste with pepper and chili powder. Serve on tortillas, with shredded cheese and salsa, and corn chips if you have them. Ring the dinner bell!

What’s up?

Yikes – an entire week has passed without a blog post! It’s a sign of the times, holiday times that is. Our calendar filled right up for December; I’ve had something going on almost every evening and that does tend to cut into blogging time.

So, here’s a run down of what has been occupying my time:

plenty of Christmas knitting (hats, gloves, and socks!).

baking (shortbread that has not been cooperating and is stressing me out. Might have to change my recipe a bit because the past few batches have insisted on growing like the blog and running all over my oven. Burning butter does not smell good, and last night as smoke filled the house Jordan asked if I was trying to kill everyone… Also baking chocolate chip cookies for a cookie swap. Also baked up eight loaves of fruit & nut bread. I hesitate to call it “fruit cake” because so many people have bad associations with it; mine is chock-full of good stuff – no neon chewy fruit globs – and is happily aging in rum-soaked cheesecloth.)

cooking (got a new cookbook, and with the cold weather there’s been a resurgence of soups, stews, chili, roasts, and other hearty meals in our house.)

shopping (finished off my list; small stuff this year, as indicated by a small budget. Need to box up my long-distance gifting and get those mailed off soon.)

cleaning (HA! yeah, right… we’re trying to make room for our tree, but we seem to be losing the clutter battle.)

girl scout activities (plentiful, and believe it or not they will start taking cookie orders next month!)

random motherly duties (mainly taxi service, some shopping help, laundry support, general nagging and reminding.)

spinning (my new/old spinning wheel finally arrived from Australia. It took two evenings to clean and de-gunk it, but it now spins like a dream and I’m having a great time getting to know Wendy. I’m working on some blue faced Leicester wool with no real goal for it other than consistent twist.)

Coming up: company holiday party, middle school band and drama performances, dinner out with girlfriends, caroling with the girl scouts, more holiday and general baking, perhaps some sewing if I find time, and I’m sure that I’ll be knitting right up until Christmas.

On a personal note, I’ve been fighting off sadness as the holidays draw near. I’ve worked hard to establish new family traditions with my kids, and the pain of losing my mom has softened; but this year I’m dealing with the loss of my dad and several times I have caught myself wondering what to put in his Christmas box. I’ll be sending stuff to my step-mom, but it isn’t the same. I keep telling myself to focus on the family I have, and I am eternally thankful for being reconnected to my other siblings, but a piece of my heart is missing and there is no denying that it hurts.