Quiche Me, Dahling!

Like Chinese food, I like the IDEA of eating quiche, but I don’t like to make it. I don’t know why that is, but I think it has something to do with the eggs. It just sounds so high-maintenance, like soufflés or custards. Eggy things that need tempering and beating and folding. And then I’m disappointed and always think, this is just an egg dish. I spent all that time and high expectation on an egg dish! Bah!

BUT, (there’s always a but!) sometimes I think all that extra effort is worth it. Like homemade ice-cream or this dish. My Jedi Masters promised it to be good, and deliver they did!

SALMON QUICHE WITH WALNUT CRUMB CRUST
Recipe source: The Cooking Forum (Thanks Annie!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Pastry:
Easy - doesn't require rolling, just press down with fingers and back of a spoon into a 24 cm (9.5 inch) pyrex flan dish or pie plate.

1 - 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped – I used a food processor

Mix these ingredients in a bowl, cutting in butter with two knives until crumbly then press into a pie dish, including up the sides. Bake in pre-heated oven for five minutes. Then remove from oven. Meanwhile mix the following ingredients in a bowl:

Filling:
3 eggs beat till frothy
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can salmon (7 3/4 ounces) – Or use some fresh, baked salmon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Pour the filling ingredients into the pie crust - bake in oven approximately 45 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean.

**Note: The crust for this was AMAZING; however, I felt the quiche "needed something" like maybe some dill or a sour cream dill sauce.

In Memory of Olive

Read here about Olive, the world's oldest blogger.

So sad, but incredibly inspiring. I am amazed at the stories of other people's lives, especially our elders who have witnessed so much in their time. I think everyone over 80 should have a blog. We need to hear their stories!

Yellow Prism

We finally bottled the Banana Grigio a few weeks ago. I woke up the next morning to see the morning light coming in through the windows. Isn't it pretty?

Holy Guacamole!

I have fruit envy. I get especially jealous around this time of year, and well into the fall, of other people’s fruit trees. I can only imagine what it must be like to have an over abundance of cherries, plums, apples, or even avocadoes. Can you only imagine what it would be like to have too many Haas avocadoes?!! I can hardly process that thought. How can one have TOO many avocadoes? Boggling.

But, you know the grass is always greener. I’m sure there are people in other places who dream of growing citrus, Meyor lemons, papaya, and mango in their back yards. Florida has avocadoes too, but they’re not the same as Haas…not as rich and buttery. I wish I could swap; I don’t even like mangos. Sigh.

Last night hubs and I made fajitas on the grill. I my opinion, no fajita is complete without guacamole. It’s so easy to make, yet it’s a personal thing. Some people like it lumpy, some smooth. Some want it with jalapenos, some not. Some say tomatoes are a no-no, others wouldn’t call it guacamole without it. In all cases, you need slightly soft, fresh avocadoes; they should have a little give when you squeeze them.

Fresh Guacamole

3 ripe Hass avocadoes
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup minced red onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ to 1 fresh lime, squeezed
1 small jalapeno, minced (rib and deseed if you don’t want the heat!)
Salt
Pepper

Cut avocadoes in half, stem to core, and remove the pits. Scoop flesh out with a spoon and mash till lumpy in a bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice (to taste), jalapeno, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a spoon; keep refrigerated.

Dig in with some chips!

Gilroy Wuz Here!

Any of you who may be on “low cholesterol” or “low fat” diets turn away right now. I beg you. I will not be held responsible for your health, nor your downfall.

The following recipe combines the holy trinity of artery clogging, heart disease inducing, cardiologist cringing ingredients: butter, cheese, and mayonnaise.

See that? That’s my garage with two sets of toilets, two granite vanity sink toppers, two sets of faucets, some tiling, and one Lowes stock item bathroom vanity cabinet (the other is on back order). Do you know what that means? It’s a REMODEL boys and girls!

Wanna’ know how to wrap the Lowes Specialty Bath and Plumbing guy right around your finger? You bring him a pan of homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and homemade chocolate, chocolate cookies.

He’ll do ANYTHING for you!

Gilroy Garlic Bread
This is another dandy from the Cooking Forum
Supposedly, this won the Gilroy Garlic Festival cooking contest (wherever that is)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temp
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon (generous) dried oregano, crumbled
1 1-pound loaf French bread, halved lengthwise

Thoroughly combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Refrigerate. Bring to room temp before continuing.)

Preheat oven to 375*. Spread garlic butter on cut side of bread, wrap each half in foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate.) Place bread on baking sheet cut side up. Bake 20 minutes. (I baked about 10 minutes, then followed with a few minutes under the broiler) Remove foil from bread.

*Note: the butter spread made quite a bit and I had a lot left over. Save the rest in the refrigerator for future use.

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Cooking in Cleveland! As with all tags, there are rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

A few random things about me:

1. I'm a certified rescue diver.
2. When I was 12, I was attacked by a feral cat that jumped up on my face (think of the egg-hatcher things in the movie Alien) and bit me. I had to get 12 stitches.
3. I have a bad habit of chewing my lips when I'm anxious. I do it almost all the time.
4. I'd rather have cheese than chocolate.
5. I have a birthmark, about the size of a silver dollar, behind my right knee.
6. I'm terrified of clowns.

O.k., I am tagging:

Gina at Lindsay's Luscious
SJ at I Asshole
Sol at Memories in the Baking
That cute guy, FC, at Pure Florida
Dances, at Dances in Garden
Jojo at Goings on at Jojo's

Monday Mumblings

I am so sore this morning! We did about 2 hours of yardwork on Saturday and my hamstrings are really bitching today. At this time of year, it’s all I can do to keep up with the weeds; everything grows so fast! But I must admit it’s worth it. I get so much joy from the garden and all the butterflies. We planted several caterpillar host plants just for them. Sometimes there are so many butterflies flitting around, you have to control yourself from swatting at them.

I started another batch of wine this weekend; a red this time. It’s an oaked cherry wine that is supposedly ready for drinking in 6-8 weeks. We’ll see about that! So far, all I’ve made is fruit wines (my Banana Grigio is w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l), so I’m a little nervous about working on my first red. I’m crossing my fingers cuz that “organic” cherry juice cost me an arm and a leg even with the coupons!

Made more Hippy Muffins, got my hair cut, shopped a little, made dinner yesterday and I’m whipped! I feel like I need another day or two off; good thing Friday’s a holiday!

You Know You're a Floridian If...

Here's a few good ones, courtesy of Vitiamin Sea:

1. Socks are only for bowling.

2. You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

3. A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

4. Your winter coat is made of denim.

5. You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

6. Anything under 70 degrees is chilly.

7. You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

8. You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

9. Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2006.

10. You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

11. You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as Andrew, Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne, Wilma too.

12. You dread love bug season.

13. You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

14. You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

15. 'Down South' means Key West .

16. Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before.

17. You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

18. You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls. (arrrgh!)

19. A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

20. You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer. (What about Christmas?)

21. You've hosted a hurricane party.

22. You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Withlacoochee and Micanopy. (Don't forget Econlockhatchee)

23. You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

24. You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

25. You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Years.

26. You recognize Miami-Dade as ' Northern Cuba.

And I'll add some of my own...

27. You don't actually PAY to go see a live alligator (same goes for seashell souvenirs).

28. You don't make u-turns on any Florida interstate grass median. They may LOOK solid, but you know better.

29. "Full sun" on any plant growing description really means "Florida shade/partial shade"

Hippy Muffins

Doesn’t that sound like the name of some retro punk band? Or maybe the title for another cool foodie blog? But still, it also conjures up images of a middle-aged, pudgy woman who wears mom jeans, Keds, a size too small sweatshirt, and a bad perm. Go figure.

Anyway, I’m always looking for healthier, convenient options for breakfast and these are PERFECT. Grab and go. Best of all, they actually TASTE good! They have wheat germ, low fat yogurt, nuts, veggies, and only 170 calories per muffin. Eat up you hippies!

Hippy Muffins
Recipe source: Martha Stewart Living (originally titled "Carrot-Zucchini Yogurt Muffins")

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1/3 cup packed, dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 large zucchini, peeled and grated
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat standard 12-cup muffin tin with the cooking spray. Whisk together flours, pecans, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, stir together carrots, zucchini, yogurt, egg yolks, molasses and orange zest. Fold flour mixture into carrot mixture, just until combined. With a whisk or a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until shiny, stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into carrot mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling to the brims. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

**I have frozen mine in a gallon sized ziplock bag and grab one for breakfast during the week!

Acting As If

I can really be a strange duck at times. For example, you’ve heard of the concept of projection when it comes to picturing something you want, right? Like, if you want, let’s say to fit into a certain outfit for a special occasion, you should picture yourself wearing that outfit, how it feels, and what you would do in it while you’re working your way towards your goal. I’ve also heard it being called “acting as if”.

When the summer temps start to creep towards triple digits, I “act as if” its fall. I start making fall crafty type things, usually for Halloween, thumb through my Martha Stewart October and November issues (I’ve kept every October and November issue for the past 10 years), and I bake and cook fallish type food. Maybe in some way, I think that by doing this, it’ll get here sooner.

Can I get a quack? Thank you very much!

Now I know most people don’t even want to think about heating up the kitchen in the summer, but it makes me happy. I can dream can’t I?

Harvest Pork Roast

4-5 lb. bone-in pork roast
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup apple cider
2 T honey
2 T cider vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried rosemary (or use 1 T fresh, minced)
½ cup dried raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2” chunks

Preheat oven to 325. In an oven-proof dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season pork roast with salt and pepper. Place pork roast in a large bowl and evenly coat with the flour. Place pork roast in dutch oven and brown on all sides. When browned, take dutch oven off stove. In a measuring cup, mix apple cider, honey, and cider vinegar with a spoon. Pour apple cider mixture into dutch oven, add onions, bay leaf, rosemary, raisins, and cranberries. Place lid on dutch oven and put in the oven to cook for approximately 3 hours (or until done). 1 hour before the roast is finished cooking, add the sweet potatoes to the dutch oven. Cove and cook for the last hour.

Random Thoughts, Or Why Keeping Chocolate On Your Desk Is a Bad Idea

Lisa turned to me and asked, “Can I use your husband?” Sure, no problem. Go right ahead!

On Saturday, dear hubby got to climb on top of 12 different women. He made the painful mistake of returning early to pick me up from a women’s self-defense class I was taking and was used “for practice”. He naively found himself in a room filled with riled, empowered women, ready to stomp, elbow or flip something. Anything.

Poor dear. He never knew what hit him.

I’ve decided that keeping a jar of chocolate on my desk at work, supposedly for my coworkers delight, is a bad idea. It does no good to eat salads for lunch and get up with the chickens in the mornings to walk when I end up snarfing down 8 chocolates throughout the day.

I could have eaten a whole candy bar.

Take Two

I feel kinda bad. I offered to submit a tasty strawberry recipe to Cooking In Cleveland's food blogging event and all I did was give a pictorial for something out of many reader's reach. It was a nice gesture, but kinda over-the-top, soooooo I wanted to make it up.

I'm submitting another recipe for a very simple and bright Strawberry Salad. There's really not much to the salad, per se, but its charm and zing is in the dressing. I think the dressing would be perfect for just about any salad!

Strawberry Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette
Recipe source: Southern Living

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (I forgot to add these)
1 avacado, sliced
1 head of lettuce, your choice (I used iceberg, but romaine would be good too)
Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with half of Cinnamon Vinaigrette, tossing to coat (I omitted and preferred to let guests put their own dressing on). Serve with remaining vinaigrette.

Cinnamon Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rasberry vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Combine olive oil and remaining ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Chill at least 2 hours; shake well before serving.

Kisses Like Strawberry Wine

In honor of Cooking in Cleveland's food blogging event, I'm entering my Strawberry Wine as a submission. Enjoy!

A few people have been asking me about making wine. To catch you up, I taught myself how to make homemade wine a few months ago and it’s been so far “so good”. The thing about making homemade wine is the fact that you won’t know if you’re really any good at it for some time, so this isn’t a hobby for the impatient. That’s perfect for me because I’m impatient as hell!

It doesn’t really take elaborate equipment, but it does take time to make something decent. If you can read and follow a recipe, then you can make wine. I knew before I started that I wanted to make Strawberry Wine. GOOD wine though, not “Grandpa Jaja’s Elderberry Hooch”! I wanted to make wine that would be decent to serve at the dinner table or give as a gift, so I started researching and reading and asking questions.

Most of the ingredients are right at hand, but unfortunately you won’t be able to simply reach into your pantry and whip up a batch of wine without a considerable amount of research and preparation. Once you get the hang of it, it’s no more troublesome than canning or preserving, but with a longer shelf-life. And once you get started, the possibilities are endless!

So, I’m not going to bore you with details regarding the recipe, as most homemade wine ingredients like tannin powder, potassium metabisulfite, and pectic enzyme have to be purchased from a wine hobbyist vendor. But I will give you a pictorial of what it was like and what the end result looks like!

If you’d like to take this further and possibly give Strawberry Wine a try, go to Jack Keller’s website and search for his Strawberry Wine recipe. I used his recipe when I made mine and he’s a very reliable source.

Ok, first, you get a big ol’ cheesecloth bag full of strawberries and you add it to your primary fermentor (a food-grade plastic bucket). You then pour some simmered water with your required amount of sugar over the strawberries, add the rest of the water, other ingredients and wait 24 hours.

Then you use what’s called a hydrometer to test your potential alcohol level. Yeast turns sugar into alcohol, so therefore; the more sugar you add, the higher the alcohol level will be in your wine. Typical table wine is around 12% total alcohol, so you can use your hydrometer to adjust your sugar levels appropriately.

Then you “pitch the yeast”. See the dry yeast on the surface? It’s no different than a packet of bread yeast, but it is NOT bread yeast. You’ll end up with hillbilly hooch if you use bread yeast. Use wine yeast, it’s important!

Then you wait. Primary fermentation can take anywhere from 2 days to 6 months, depending on a whole bunch of factors. Mine took about 4-5 days.

Then you check your potential alcohol level (called a specific gravity) again, and when it’s at the right spot, you pour your wine “must” into a secondary fermentor, which is usually a glass jug. Add an “air lock” to prevent air from oxidizing your young wine and wait again.

Notice how cloudy it is? It takes some time for all the sediment to settle to the bottom or “clear”. Once this is done (anywhere from 2 months to 2 years!), you siphon your wine off the sediment into another glass jug, stabilize it so it won’t referment (more additives), sweeten if need to, and bottle.

See? Isn't it purdy?

Now, the truth is, that glass next to my bottle isn't my Strawberry Wine. For the most part, young wine really doesn't taste what it supposed to and it needs time to age. My lovely Strawberry Wine should be tasty come around Thanksgiving, but from the tiny tastes I made before bottling, it should be a huge hit!

Summertime!

I always tell hubby that nature abhors a vacuum. For example, whenever we lug a large box or something to our storage unit (no basements here), then something else magically appears to take its place. Or like this weekend, I had to dish out $600 for two tires (alignment, labor too, etc.) this weekend for my car, but won $100 on a scratch-off lottery ticket. So I say to Ma’ Nature…where’s my other $500 dollars!!

Update: the ticket didn’t win after all, so I’ll keep waiting.

Anywho, summertime is grill time and we love to grill out on the patio. From steaks to fish, to fruit and veggies, even bacon gets the grill treatment, and I love it! And of course, no grilling event would be the same without cold beverages, preferably the alcoholic kind. I found this nifty and VERY tasty Margarita recipe last year at of all places, the comments section of Stephanie Klein’s website. I can’t remember the name of the lady who posted this recipe, so I just called them Austin Margaritas.

Thank you, whoever you are!

They’re sooooooo easy and you can truly lighten up the calories on this drink by using diet drink products; it tastes exactly the same either way:

Austin Margaritas

1 12 oz. can of frozen Limeade (or use diet Limeade)
1-2 12 oz. bottles of Corona, to taste (or use Corona Lite) **I like 2 bottles
1 12 oz can/bottle of Sprite (or use Sprite Zero)
1 12 oz can of tequila, your choice (just fill up Limeade can for measure)

Mix all ingredients in a pitcher with ice. Salt rims of chilled glasses and enjoy!

Food for Thought

I’m all for locally grown, farm raised produce or organic food; however, one of the lacking aspects of being able to support local farming operations in Florida is availability and location. For example, a local u-pick blueberry place is at least an hour away and charges $4.50 per lb of berries, which you pick. Our local grocery sells locally grown blueberries at $5.00 for 2 pints (which equals approximately 1 ½ lbs.). As much as we would want to support our local farmers, it would cost us more in time and gas to go out of our way. That sucks.

When people think of Florida, they think of a lush, tropical paradise where anything grows. The truth is, not much out of citrus or very exotic tropical fruit grown near Miami is available. Sure, we have “two growing seasons” but even that is limited, especially with the weather getting warmer every season. It’s just too damn hot! Besides that, Florida is just not hip on farmer’s markets or CSAs. Forget apples, pears, plums, peaches (unless you’re near Georgia), asparagus, really any kind of berries, most root veggies as it is ether too hot or too wet for them, cold-loving veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lettuce mixes. We do get strawberries, sweet corn, cucumbers, and tomatoes, however. And don’t even get me started on “other” aspects of a true farmer’s market, like artisanal cheeses, or breads, or preserves.

I guess my beef is other places make it look so effortless. When we went up to Virginia, we stopped at a local farmer’s market in Charlottesville. We found artisanal cheeses, spring lettuce mixes by the pound, grass-fed beef, free range eggs, more homemade breads and pastries than we could count, and even a man GIVING away unpasteurized, organic goat cheese because the government would not let him sell it! These sort of things are unheard of in Florida, and it makes me sad. Florida needs to get with the program of what a farmer’s market is all about, and I’m not talking about those fancy-schmancy, quasi craft-fair markets either. I’m talking about places like this. I won’t even mention what the farmer’s markets are like in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll start crying.

Just sayin’…

Anticlimatic

Well, the results are in and the Fluer de Sel Caramel wasn't the ice-cream orgasm I thought it would be (I finally found a secluded grocery where the public isn't up to speed), BUT, there's something else that took the trophy. Oh sure, it was caramel-y and chocolate-y and creamy-y in all the right places, but I'm a cinnamon girl at heart.

All you ice-cream divas, listen up! The new Haagen Dazs "Cinnamon Dulce de Leche" is the next Top Model as far as ice-cream is concerned. This stuff is literally crammed with creamy pockets of cinnamon caramel! I actually think the texture was CREAMIER than the Fluer de Sel and I could definitely see this loverliness being pals with a slice of apple pie over the winter holidays. Sigh.

Be still my heart.

To All My Pickle Peeps

O.k., I know pickle season is just over the horizon for all my northern friends, so I wanted to give you heads up on a fan-friggin-tastic pickle recipe. Think of me as your "pickle research department" each season, as we start our canning & preserving months ahead from the rest of the country.

I tried a new recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and it is OMG, delicious! In fact, I loved it so much that I sent hubby back to the cuke people to get more cukes JUST for this recipe! I knew 8 jars weren't going to last us for the rest of the year.

They're lemony and sweet, without being over-cloyingly brine-y. YUM! You must try this recipe this season, plus, they are fabulously beautiful to look at in their jars!

Lemon Cucumber Pickles
Recipe Source: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Makes 6-8 pint jars

14 cups sliced pickling cukes (chip size 1/2 inch thick)
4 red bell peppers, seeded & thinly sliced (I used 3)
2 tsp pickling salt
7-9 bay leaves, divided
1 T whole, black peppercorns
1 tsp allspice
1 1/3 cups white vinegar
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 lemon sliced
6-8 cloves garlic

Prepare jars and lids for canning. Tie one bay leaf, pepper corns, and allspice in a square of cheesecloth, or place inside a metal tea ball like I did. In a large, stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and spice bag. Bring to a boil over med-high and boil gently for 7 minutes or until spices have infused in the liquid.

Place 1 lemon slice, 1 clove of garlic, and one bay leaf in each jar. Pack jars with cuke slices and pepper. Ladle hot brine over vegetables, giving 1/2 inch headspace. Process in a BWB for 10 minutes. Let pickles marinate for two weeks before eating. Try not to eat a whole jar in one sitting!

**Note: I always make double the amount of brine required, as it seems I always need more than the recipe calls for.

**Note: You can add Pickle Crisp to make the pickles crisper - 3/4 tsp per jar or 1 1/2 tsp per quart.

Curse That Lindsey!

I have nothing new to say today except curse that **Lindsey over at Lindsey's Luscious! Ever since she mentioned the new Haagen-Dazs Reserve "Fleur De Sel Caramel" ice-cream, I've been obsessed with wanting it! And I can't find it!

I've been to no less than 4 groceries looking for the stuff, and I'm greeted everytime with an empty ice-cream slot. I know the stores carry them; I see the label where it is SUPPOSED to be, but...le sigh. I guess everyone else has discovered it too!

No rest for the wicked or weary!

**Lindsey is really a lovely, talented, person with a good sense of humor. I would never wish anything negative on her!

The Martha Monday Challenge

While surfing around on some of my favorite foodie sites, I happened to come across the food blogging events page at Is My Blog Burning. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with a food blogging event, it is basically a group of people who agree to research a recipe, topic, or category of food, and then write about it by a specific deadline. This usually entails cooking something you’ve chosen (or chosen by someone else), and of course, eating!

This is fairly new to me; however, I guess I’ve been doing this informally on this blog since day one. But I couldn’t possibly turn down Mimi on the Move and her request (challenge?) to whip up something from Martha Stewart herself. So I am totally, like, bring it!

You’re So Farro Away

I’ve been around food…well all my life. My mother used to say that I was born at 11:48 a.m., just in time for lunch. So, when something new crosses my plate, it’s an exciting time for me.

The current issue of Martha Stewart Living is chock-a-block with the usual crafty, homekeeping fare, except something new caught me by surprise. Upon turning to the What’s for Dinner section, I spotted a recipe for Farro and Porcini Risotto. Now, I thought I was pretty hip with new food trends, but farro was something I’ve never heard of. I made a mental note to Google it as soon as possible.

From what I’ve learned, farro has a pretty glorious history as a “grain of the legions”. It was “the original grain from which all others derive” and was once as common as spaghetti is today. But, through the times, it has whittled its popularity down to primarily Italian dishes and the occasional French haute cuisine. The organic food movement has brought renewed interest in farro, and I was extremely curious to try it.
Of course, my regular grocery didn’t carry farro, in fact, no one knew what it was, so off we went to Whole Foods grocery. Even in this organic and raw food mecca, there were only 3 lonely 16 oz. bags of farro to be found. And we looked hard for those 3 bags! Martha’a recipe called for 2 cups of farro, so we purchased two 16 oz. bags…just in case. Next, were the dried porcini mushrooms, which ended costing a small mortgage, but again, we’re talking about Whole Foods grocery. The mushrooms weren’t easy to find either. So far, Martha’s recipe was scoring negative points for convenience and availability.

Once home, I easily made the pesto sauce called for in the recipe. I substituted pecans for walnuts because, well, I don’t like walnuts and we had pecans. I used fresh basil from my garden and parsley purchased from the store. I set the pesto aside and started on the main dish. So farro, so good!

I mixed the farro with some white wine, chicken broth, and the dried porcinis, brought it to a boil and waited. Now, I did notice one important thing missing in this recipe. The Standard Rule of Engagement for any risotto making process is to add warm/hot stock to the risotto while it’s cooking. The pasta needs to absorb the liquid slowly, and adding a cold stock results in hard, undercooked risotto. I figured the farro probably would react in the same way so, I heated up my chicken broth and added half a cup at a time. It worked like a charm. Once the farro had absorbed all the liquid, it was done. I added the pesto and then finished with a few gusty peels of Romano (not parmesan…my preference) cheese.

The farro tasted earthy and nutty, with a splash of green from the basil and parsley. It was chewy and creamy in all the right places. The porcinis added a smokey, woody flavor and the grated cheese gave it a salty depth. This dish is not meant for the light-hearted though; it’s hearty and rustic and would do best with any red meat, game, or harvest vegetables. It’s definitely not springtime fare.

Overall, we enjoyed this dish very much and I probably will make it again if I’m in the mood for something a little exotic. Its biggest fault is the availability and price for the ingredients. Not everyone can go to or even afford specialty markets, but then again, only the best for Martha!

Casa de Pickle

May is a very special time for us here at Just the Right Size. The month of May brings us fresher-than-fresh Kirby cucumbers and the sweetest Florida corn you’ve ever eaten. And every May, hubby and I make our annual trek out to the boonies in order to stock up on both: first for making pickles and the latter for freezing or making corn relish, soups, corn bread, corn pudding…well, you get the picture.

The farm we buy from is only open for the month of May; the rest of the year it is closed. It grows a large proportion of the early cukes for Big Pickle (i.e. Claussen) and they are just as gorgeous as can be. But every May, hubby and I always overestimate the amount of cukes we need and end up to our elbows in cukes or pickles. Usually both.


Last year, I tried to make a highly coveted pickle recipe from one of the Cooking Forum ladies, which called for fermenting the cukes for several days via pouring fresh boiling water over them every day, then proceeding with a brine soaking, then canning. In all, it takes about ten days total (at least it seemed).

Did I mention that May in Florida also brings temperatures in the 90s too? It seems that fermenting pickles in temperatures over 70 degrees is a bad idea. By the third day, I was greeted with a smell that can only be described as rotting cukes and road kill. And since I didn’t feel like turning up the AC to make my house a meat locker (and paying the subsequent electric bill), fermented pickles and sauerkraut will have to wait.

Ahem.

So, this year, we continued our tradition of getting way too many cukes and trying our hand at refrigerator pickles. Only this year, I am trying to copycat Boar’s Head Zesty Bread and Butter Chips. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pickles! I could easily eat a whole jar in one day! The special ingredient that takes these pickles over the edge is the huge amount of horseradish. So far, we have a dozen quarts and a dozen pints made, but are running out of room (again).

Anyone want some fresh cukes?

Two Words: Shrimp Rangoon

If Asian cooking had a junk food category, I’m pretty sure Rangoon would be right up there with the goold ol' American Krispy Kreme doughnut. What else is there to say about handy, little deep fried pastry pockets filled with cream cheese (and a little meat with seasoning), then dipped into some sort of sweet sauce? Well, anything, really, that’s cooked with cream cheese gets extra points with me, but that’s another topic.

I always eye these when we go out for Chinese food, or really any Asian restaurant that carries them, but I know better. I could eat about a hundred of them, and that’s not a good thing. Either for me or my aerobics instructor.

But Cuisine At Home just HAPPENED to have a nifty little recipe for shrimp Rangoon right on the back cover of issue #69. How convenient. And naughty!

Instead of the traditional crab meat, they subbed for shrimp, which is a plus for the cost factor. Of course they’re fried, but what the heck…2 more hours on the stair master is nothing, right? Right?!

Shrimp Rangoon
Makes 30
Recipe Source: Cuisine at Home, #69

2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T scallions, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 tsp fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
¾ lb cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and diced
30 wonton wrappers (you can find these in the freezer section, near the pie pastry)
Peanut oil

Pulse cilantro, scallions, ginger and sugar in a food processor until minced. Add cream cheese, lime juice, and salt; pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in shrimp.

Arrange a few wonton wrappers on a work surface. Place 2 tsp of shrimp mixture in the center of each wrapper, moisten edges of wonton with a finger dipped in water, and fold to form a half circle or triangle. Press edges to seal. Set aside, and repeat with remaining wrappers.

Heat 1 inch of the peanut oil in a dutch oven over med-high heat. Fry Rangoon in batches until golden on each side, about 1 minute total. Drain on paper towels. Serve with your choice of Asian dipping sauce (usually a sweet & sour sauce).

Wine a Bit; You'll Feel Better!

Going on vacation is a lot like having a fiery, passionate, love affair. In the beginning, you can’t get enough of each other. Everything is so much more interesting, better, and exciting than what you have back at home. The food is better; the air is cleaner; the birds are singing. Everything is perfect and new. You even have your very own special coffee place and favorite Thai restaurant. But after a while, you start to lose your patience and things don’t look so shiny anymore. You long for the familiar. Your own bed; your routines; things you can count on. When it all boils down, there’s no place like home and family.

Hubs and I just got back from a wonderful, 5 day get away to northern Virginia. Specifically the Virginia wine trail. We’ve wanted to do this for a while, but our schedules, money, work, and the weather all got in the way. In the past 5 days, we’ve had more wine, smelled more flowers, explored more civil war sites, took more pictures, and passed by more southern Baptist churches than you could shake a stick at (or a snake). It was perfect.

We also discovered the Monticello Wine and Food Festival was going on the same time we were up there, so we checked that out too. It wasn’t what we expected though. It was almost as if the prestigious Monticello wine community had to comply with northern Virginia county fair committee venue guidelines. This left us wine snobs paired with "Sho-nuff Barbeque", a 4 person band playing “Le Freak”, and wine glasses sponsored by the Battleship Automotive Group. We had fun though. A vacation makes people more lighthearted. So does a couple of glasses of wine!

The best wine we found, by far, was the Cru from Kluge Estate Vineyards, which was wayyy at the base of the mountains and in the boonies. The Cru is an aperitif (dessert) wine that is first fortified with brandy, and then aged in seasoned whiskey barrels. It sounds harsh, but it is as smooth as butter and simply divine. We loved it so much that we bought 4 bottles of it (albeit small ones) and plan to order more for gifts.

Kluge also had a very lovely dining café that serves yummy things like gourmet cheese plates with truffled olives and crusty bread. We had our lunch on the front patio, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the sound of migrating Canadian geese. Most of the roads up there were the narrow, snaking-two-lane-white-knuckle types, with no shoulders and a scary, yet beautiful scenery below. It was worth the climb. And if you go to Kluge, further down the road is a winery name Wintergreen Vineyards. You have to go there just for the Raspberry Dessert wine alone.

Plastic Tubes and Pots and Pans

No, I'm not dead. I've been painfully busy (again) lately, but like I mentioned earlier, I have been making wonderful things!

I've been learning how to make wine!

Every few years I recreate myself and dive head first into a new learning venture. Sometimes it pays off (like canning and preserving or making cakes) and sometimes it doesn't (like getting an advanced degree in something I'm not even sure I like...'nuther story!). But any way it goes, I am always amazed at what I am capable of learning and doing for myself, and this time it's a doozy!

A few weeks ago, I started a lovely Strawberry Wine recipe from an amazing home winemaker by the name of Jack Keller. Jack lives in Texas. Everything is big in Texas. Therefore, Jack is big in Texas, and everywhere else home winemakers reach out to learn and gather information. He has quite a reputation in the winemaking industry and is fiercly passionate about wine. I often wonder how Jack can go to work at a "regular" job each week and manage to keep so much under his hat.

But, as hobbies go, sometimes it's better if they stay just that...hobbies. The potential slippery slope to making a living from a hobby is that one day you realize it's WORK. And then it's not so fun.

Anyway, check out his site at the link above. Read his blog too; you'll never know what you'll learn.

Here is my wine when I first made it. It looks like strawberry milk doesn't it?

Here's what it looks like after about a month of fermenting, clearing, and racking. Pretty isn't it?

I'll put it in some pretty bottles in a few weeks with some snappy labels. Snap! After that I started a 3 gallon batch of Banana Wine. Yes, Banana Wine!

It has a slight banana nose (scent), but tastes like a full bodied Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. It's yummy! Stay tuned and we'll see how these turn out. They will need some time to age (anywhere from 3-12 months), so I won't even know if I'm good at this for some time! Patience grasshoppah! Some of you (and you know who you are) might even receive a bottle or two as gifts, but don't hate me if it tastes like rocket fuel!

Cheers!

I Loves Me Some Lima Beans!

There it sat. That lonely bag of dried lima beans; taunting me from the pantry. “Do right by me” they said. Well, I DID have all that leftover ham in the freezer, and I did have a pressure cooker after all, so I gave those purty little beans a welcome fit for a king.

I don’t know why I don’t cook dried lima beans more often. Oh yes I do; they’re a pain to cook when dried. All that soaking and simmering. Sometimes a girl has just gotta have it now! And when they’re perfect, they’re like plump little potatoes. Each bite is tender-soft, yet firm and full of flavor. Lima beans have personality.

The trick with any dried bean is to not overcook them or add too much salt and/or acidity. One technique causes the beans to split and turn into a mushy mess, and the other causes them to toughen (in my opinion). Some say it’s fine to add salt in the beginning, some say after the beans are done. I prefer to add afterwards, as it gives me more control over the entire saltiness factor. I was always taught to salt any dish after it’s done, never in the beginning or during the cooking process, as liquids condense and that can increase the salt levels. There’s nothing worse than an overly salty pot of beans. Adding any kind of acidic ingredient, such as tomatoes, should also be added at the end of cooking, as the acidity causes the beans to stop cooking. And then you’re stuck with an overly salty, tough pot of beans!

For my little darlings, I chopped up about 2 cups of precooked ham, 1 onion, 2 stalks of celery, 3 cloves of garlic. I sautéed the ham a little in my pressure cooker, added the vegetables and sautéed till soft. I added 4 cups of chicken broth, 4 cups of water, about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (This is important! Dried beans cooked without oil will cause a lot of foaming, which is a BAD thing for pressure cookers), and finally some general seasoning. Bring up to pressure, and cook for about 30 minutes, then depressurize naturally.

At the end, a few sprinkles of kosher or sea salt, and smack my booty. DAYYUM!

Food Blogger Feast

The Easter weekend, I made a wonderful meal comprising a little bit of this-and-that from some of my favorite foodie friends. Since we skipped the whole Corned Beef-n-Cabbage thing for St. Patty’s Day, we decided that it would be wonderful for Easter. Besides, we still have about 3 lbs. of ham in the freezer leftover from Christmas and believe it or not…I’ve never made Corned Beef-n-Cabbage. I know!

We had:

New England Boiled Dinner, courtesy of Simply Recipes
Cheesy Beer Bread, from the very talented Lindsey’s Luscious
Butterscotch Ice Cream, again from Lindsey’s Luscious (she had a good thing going!)
And a simple Dump Cake, which hubby even made, from the ever reliant Cooking Forum

The corned beef dinner was the bomb, as well as everything else. The bread was a little on the salty side for my tastes, plus there’s something about wheat flour that I don’t like when baking bread. It gives everything as sort of cardboardy, flat flavor. I did use fresh dill, and that was very yummy and it made a big difference with the herb taste. I think I’ll play around with the recipe and maybe substitute the wheat flour with more AP flour or even a baking mix. I’ll cut back on the salt, but Lindey’s Luscious was right; the bread would make awesome toast!

Mean Mrs. Mustard Part Deux

On that note, the corned beef cried for mustard. So, I pulled one of my little, neglected jars of Ginger Garlic mustard out of the refrigerator. What the heck, I was feeling adventurous! What a difference time makes! A few months ago, this stuff could dissolve paint, but now it’s nice and mellow, with a good flavor. I’ll have to revisit this again and this time I’ll let the mustard seeds soak a good 24 hours before I process them in the food processor.

To be continued…

A Letter from Big Wine

Dear Hyatt Vineyards Winery,

We recently discovered that you no longer ship your product to out-of-state customers. During these uncertain times, and in light of pending legislative action, we understand how difficult it must be to go that extra mile.

Thank you for making our job easier.

Sincerely,

Big Wine

The BEST Beef Enchiladas

Last night, I planned to make an enchilada recipe I found in a Cooks Illstrated "Best Of" issue. I made these, and let me tell you, these were the BEST enchiladas I've ever had! Hubby and I about licked our plates!

I cooked the meat for this in my pressure cooker, but I could easily see cooking the meat in a crockpot while you're at work or doing other things. It was a very easy recipe overall. You have to try these!

BTW, these reheat wonderfully!

The BEST Beef Enchiladas
Recipe source: Cooks Illustrated

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 chuck roast, trimmed of fat & cut into large cubes (your choice of size & how much meat you want. Mine was about 2-3 lbs)
Olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup of water
½ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeno, minced
2 cups Mexican blend cheese
6-12 flour tortillas, your choice in size

The original recipe called for simmering the meat in a pot till shreddable; however, I made mine in my pressure cooker! This was done in 20 minutes! Of course, you could also do this on the stove or in your crockpot.

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt; set aside. Over med-high heat, brown the roast cubes in batches in the olive oil till lightly browned. Remove meat from pot and place on a plate. Add onions to pot and sauté till lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder mixture to onions and cook till fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, waterm and return meat with plate juices to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook till shreddable (about 1 ½ hours on stove, or you can do this in your crockpot). For my pressure cooker, I cooked this for 20 minutes.

When finished, remove meat from sauce with a slotted spoon. Reserve sauce. Shred meat and set aside in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cilantro, jalapeno, and 1 cup of the cheese with the meat.

In a casserole dish (your choice of size depending on how many enchiladas you want), spoon enough of the reserved tomato sauce over the bottom to cover well (about ¼ inch). Place a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mixture in one of the flour tortillas, and roll into enchiladas (be sure to fold up the sides while you’re rolling so the filling doesn’t fall out!). Place enchiladas on top of the sauce in casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat for as many you want (this made 6 large enchiladas for us).

Spoon 1 cup of the reserved tomato sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese. Cover with tin foil and bake about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until browned. Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, fresh avocado & extra tomato sauce. Your choice!

In Need of Inspiration

I’ve been slacking again, haven’t I? It’s not that I haven’t been busy, or haven’t made anything. I think I just haven’t been motivated to write or share anything exciting. Oh, I’ve been busy all right, and I’ve made w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l things, both in and out of the kitchen; I’ve just been in an inspirational slump.

So, this past weekend, I decided to make something to perk things up. Cuisine at Home had a wonderful looking tart recipe in their August 2006 issue that was just pining for some fresh Florida strawberries. And being that hubby has an incestuous attraction to tarts (no…not THOSE kind of tarts!), I decided to give it a try.

It’s a lovely custardy thing, with eggs and lemon curd, and milk, and honey. I especially liked the crust, which was more of a shortbread than a pie crust. The only thing I would change would be the jelly glaze used; I would have rather liked a citrus marmalade or jelly. I think the apple jelly didn’t do the lemon undertones justice. There’s always next time!

This is a wonderful tart to make in the dead of winter, or whenever you just need a little sunshine and inspiration!

Summer Fruit Tart with Honey-Lemon Cream and Fresh Berries
Recipe Source: Cuisine at Home, August 2006

Crust:
1 ¼ cups of all purp flour
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
zest of 1 lemon
1 stick of butter, cold & cubed (1/2 cup)
1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white)

Filling:
Reserved egg white from crust
½ cup lemon curd (you can buy this at any grocery…or make your own!)
3 eggs
¼ cup all purp flour
3 T of cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups of whole milk
1/3 cup of honey
2 T butter
Juice of ½ lemon

Glaze:
¼ cup of jelly (apple, orange marmalade, apricot)
Juice of ½ lemon
Fresh assorted berries, about 2 cups

Crust:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9” tart pan with removable bottom with a nonstick spray. Process flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a food processor until combined (a few pulses). Add butter and pulse till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Dump mixture into a large bowl and blend in egg yolk with your hands (it’s easier this way). Mixture will still be very coarse/crumbly and will not clump together. Dump mixture into your tart pan and press into pan and up sides. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown. When you remove the crust from oven, take a spoon and press down on the crust as it will puff up a little. Place tart crust on cooling rack.

Filling:
Whisk reserved egg white and lemon curd together; add eggs. Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt together in separate bowl, then gradually add to lemon curd mixture. In a saucepan, bring milk and honey to a simmer over medium heat. Temper milk mixture with lemon curd mixture, then add all of lemon curd mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stir continuously. Be sure to allow the filling to boil/bubble for 1 full minute, as it will cook off the starchy flavor from the flour and cornstarch.

Take filling off heat and add butter and lemon juice. Mix well, then pour custard into cooled crust. Cover with plastic wrap (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill until set; about 4 hours or overnight.

Glaze:
Melt jelly and lemon juice over medium heat in a saucepan or a few seconds a microwave. Use a basting brush to brush glaze over the top of the tart. Add berries on top and brush with glaze. Enjoy!

Was It Worth It?

After all the effort of making Chicken Stock with chicken feet, I wanted to see if it was really worth all the effort. I decided a simple chicken stock focused soup would really be the litmus test, plus Cooks Illustrated printed a "Soups and Stews" issue that just happened to have a recipe to fit that order. Egg Drop Soup.
I’ve never made egg drop soup and they made it look very easy; soup in 20 minutes. So, away we goooooo…

I started with:

2 quarts chicken stock (I used 1 quart of "gelled" concentrated, chicken feet stock and added 1 quart of water)
1 inch of peeled and smashed fresh ginger
2 scallions, smashed lightly


Place the stock, ginger, and smashed scallions over med/high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. The ginger and scallions really help build layers of flavor for the broth. This smelled wonderful.

Next, fish out the scallions and ginger.


Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water, and salt to taste. Bring back to a simmer and thicken slightly. Then add 3 more minced scallions.


The cornstarch helps thicken the soup so the egg does not sink to the bottom. At first, I didn’t think I would need a thickener, but as the stock heated and thinned from its "gel" stage, it did need something extra.

Last, you will need 4 beaten eggs. Whisk the broth so that it is moving in a strong circle. Add the eggs in one slow, steady stream so that ribbons of coagulated egg form. Let eggs stand in broth WITHOUT mixing until they are set, about 1 minute, then break up with a fork.

If you add the eggs all at one time, you will end up with one big, eggy blob.


And here is the final result with an egg roll and noodles. This was lunch today. YUMMMY!!



Was it all worth it? For a soup like this, abso-friggin-lutely!

DH said the soup was very rich and smooth, and it did have a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor. He commented that he liked that it wasn't greasy like some egg drop soup orders you get in restaurants.

If I just needed a basic chicken stock for something that would really mask its flavor, like adding to a stuffing recipe or making a cream-based soup, I wouldn't use this chicken feet stock at all; I would use the basic stuff that I regularly make with chicken bones or carcasses.

Sigh.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

So you wouldn’t wack off its feet and make chicken stock!

This past week, I was surfing through a few of my favorite foodie bloggers and stumbled upon Elise’s site at Simply Recipes. Elise decided to make a big-ol’-batch of chicken stock using chicken feet. What?!! I must know more!

Apparently, back in the day, our grandmothers and maybe even some of our current family swear by chicken stock made with chicken feet. One of my friends over at the Cooking Forum mentioned that her grandma used “everything on the chicken except the cluck,” and from what I’ve read, chicken feet make the richest, most flavorful thing you’ve ever had in the way of chicken stock. So, of course I HAD to give this experiment a try.

After explaining to hubby just WHY I had to find some chicken feet, we were on a mission. Where do you buy chicken feet, you might ask? Well, we are lucky to have a diverse ethnic population here in the city beautiful known as Orlando. Most self-respecting Asian or Latin grocery will carry chicken feet. Apparently, they’ve known all about the wonders of feet for some time. I also love going to Asian groceries, as I can find the neatest things there. I got a bargain on some black rice vinegar and dark sesame oil, which will be used for something tasty in the future; I’m sure.

According to Elise, 2 pounds of feet was called for in her recipe, so 2 pounds we bought. First, though, you must have some fun with your food:

Little Birdy’s Dirty Feet

If in the proximity of a chicken foot, feel free to chase your spouse, children, pets, neighbors, etc. around the house while screaming “Yarrrr! Yarrr!” (clucking just doesn’t have the same effect).

Hey, did you know if you pull the little tendon thingie at the place were the foot was whacked, you can make the chicken foot “wave”? Fun times!



Down To Business

Next, you rinse the little pink things off and place them in a pot of water for an intial boil. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming any foam/scum off the top. Drain water and rinse feet under cold water till cool enough to handle.



Una Manicura

After their initial boil, the claws need to be chopped off. This allows the collagen in the feet/bones to seep into your stock, making it wonderfully rich and flavorful.



Hey, did you know chickens get callouses? These need to be sliced off too. I wonder if there are little chicken podiatrists out there?



After that, it all goes back into a pot of clean, cold water. Add enough water to cover about 2-3 inches. Add 2 quartered onions, 2 cut-up carrots, 2 cut-up celery stalks, 2 bay leaves, a tablespoon of peppercorns, and a tablespoon of dried thyme. Bring to a boil, then leave at a gentle simmer. Place a lid on the pot (leave a small gap for evaporation) and simmer for 4 hours.



Liquid Gold!

After 4 hours of simmering, remove lid and simmer for another hour to concentrate the stock. Strain stock, and refridgerate. This made 2 quarts, but it is very concentrated and luxuriously rich. I took a taste of it when it was still warm and it was like chicken flavored liquid butter (but without the fat).



After chilling, I have "chicken jello". This will be made into an awesome Egg Drop Soup later this week.

How to Use a Pressure Cooker: Sweet and Sour Chicken

I’ve really dug my pressure cooker lately, although it has been extremely finicky. It seems I have to twist and adjust the lid an annoying amount of times to get it to seal and come to pressure. I’ve also noticed it’s a lot easier to find that “sweet spot” once the lid/sealing ring has had a chance to heat up a bit. Sigh, nothing is as easy as it seems. It’s a Fagor Rapida and a pain in the behind.

On the other hand, once I do get it to come to pressure, I’ve loved the results. Last week, I made an awesome Sweet and Sour Chicken in 8 minutes! I found the recipe on the Presto website, and their pressure cookers are looking better and better everyday. I already have one of their pressure canners and have found it to be very easy to use. Hmmmm…

Anywho, this is a great tasting dish, and I’m sure it could be easily adapted for conventional cooking. It was great over white rice and reheats fabulously. The other thing I really liked about this recipe was the idea that I could add so many other vegetables besides the peppers and celery. Next time, I’ll try some baby corn and some water chestnuts. Yum!

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken
Recipe source: Presto website

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut up (I used about 4-5 frozen chicken breasts cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 green or red pepper, cut into chunks (I used 2)
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved
1 cup reserved pineapple juice (add water if necessary)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon catsup
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Heat oil in a 4- or 6-quart pressure cooker. Brown chicken a few pieces at a time; set aside. Return all chicken to pressure cooker (or regular sauté/saucepan); add celery and green pepper. Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, and ginger; pour over chicken. Close pressure cooker cover securely. Bring pressure cooker up to pressure. When at pressure, lower heat to low and cook for 8 minutes. If you are not using a pressure cooker and are making this in a sauté/saucepan, bring to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes.

At the end of 8 minutes, remove pressure cooker from heating element and perform a quick pressure release. Remove chicken and vegetables to a warm platter (I didn’t bother to do this). Mix cornstarch with cold water and blend into hot liquid/sauce in the pressure cooker. Cook and stir over med-high heat until mixture boils and thickens. Add pineapple chunks and heat. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings