Peanut Butter Fudge

Wow - this is actually amazingly good.  I had a sweet tooth and was craving something peanut butter but I didn't want to take the time to make cookies.  This was fast, easy and is super sweet...

Peanut Butter Fudge by allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter (I used almond butter because that's what I have)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar


Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar and milk.  Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  Stir in peanut butter and vanilla.  Pour over powdered sugar in a large bowl.  Beat until smooth; pour into 8x8 inch dish.  Chill until firm and cut into squares. 

Quince Marmalade

You might recall that Jewel and I scored from free quince during canning season...  here's the recipe that we used:

Quince Marmalade

3 1/2 pounds quince
5 cups water
5 lemons, cut in half
6 cups of sugar

Wipe fur from outside skin of quinces with a damp cloth.  Quarter, core and dice quince and put into pan with water.  Thinly slice lemons and add to pan.  Simmer until quince is quite tender, about 45 to 60 minutes.  

Warm sugar by placing in a steel bowl in a 250 degree over for 5 minutes and stir warmed sugar into quince.  Boil rapidly until setting point is reached by which time quince should be a beautiful rich pink color.  Test a little of the marmalade on a saucer chilled in the refrigerator.  Place small amount of sauce on saucer - if a skin forms on top quickly and it runs off saucer in a lumpy formation, it is ready to set.

Pour into sterilized jars and lid.  Invert the lidded jars for two minutes to sterilize the lids (use a cloth to protect your hands).  When cold, wipe jars and label.  Store in a cool place - will keep for at least 12 months.  Yields about 6 half-pints. 

Twice Baked Potatoes

Any fans of Sunny in Philadelphia out there??  We recently had some friends over for a Sunny marathon - they don't have cable and we had about 8 episodes saved up on our DVR.  I wanted to do a bar food type of menu so Ty whipped up chicken wings (someday maybe I'll get him to post that recipe) and I made twice baked potatoes for a heartier spin on the classic bar potato skins.  

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 to 6 slices of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1/3 cup sour cream
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/2 cup (or more!!) shredded sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the potatoes directly on the rack in the center of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Pierce each potato in a couple spots with a fork and continue to bake until tender, about 30 minutes more.  Remove potatoes from oven and turn the heat down to 375 degrees.

Hold the potatoes with an oven mitt or towel and trim off the top to make a canoe-like shape.  Carefully scoop out most of the potato into a bowl taking care to leave enough int eh skin so the shells stay together.  Mash the potato lightly with a fork along with the butter and sour cream.  Stir in the scallion, some of the cheese and bacon and season with salt and pepper.  Refill the shells with the potato mixture, mounding it slightly.  Sprikle remaining cheese on top of the potato filling.

Set the potatoes on a baking sheet or in a baking dish and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.  Serve!  

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm still sick...  and there's not much on TV so I'll be spending today finishing up with posting recipes from our recent entertaining.  I've made this carrot cake several times now - once even as cupcakes!  I found the recipe on Pinch My Salt which is one of my favorite sources of recipes...

Carrot Cake 
2 1/3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot (about 4 medium carrots)
1 1/2 cups canola oil
3/4 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together first six ingredients.  Stir in oil then stir in eggs, one at a time.  Add carrots and stir until well blended then add nuts.  Divide batter between the pans and bake in preheated oven, 30 to 35 minutes for the 8-inch pans or 35 - 45 minutes for the 9-inch pans.  Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean.  Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for ten minutes, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely before frosting.  

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted


With an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and blend until well combined.  Blend in vanilla extract.  Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.  If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting is at room temp, beat with mixer until smooth). 

Comfort Food

I'm sick so Ty made me my favorite sick meal - hot tea, soup and grilled cheese!  

And here's a picture of my view:

My teddy bear tree!

Gift Giving

Gift giving is always a dilemma for me.  Overall, I'd say that I'm a generous person.  But, I'm also always trying to be more aware of my environment - both the physical and political.  Obviously, consumption harms the physical environment in ways to numerous to count but what message does it send out there in other ways?  If we all quit buying just for the sake of buying, would the world be a better place?  I'm not sure but I decided a couple of years ago to step off the holiday gift giving merry-go-round and I have to tell you that I feel like a much better person for doing so. 

At the holidays, instead of giving a gift, we make a charitable donation in the names of our closest loved ones and that's it.  We really don't do more than that - even when we want to and even when someone has given us a gift.  Sometimes it is hard but we are sure to send them a sincere thank you card and hope that's enough for them.  Eventually, we've found, they'll stop buying us things and, sometimes, even reciprocate in kind by making a donation to the Oregon Humane Society or the Oregon Food Bank in our names.  Really, that's the best gift we could receive anyway.

Like everyone else we know, we have more than enough things and we have the resources to acquire any things that we truly want or need.  I tend to be a perfectionist so gift shopping was always about finding just the right thing for each person.  I would spend a lot of time thinking and searching.  Often, that also meant spending more money then I maybe should have.  Inevitably, I'd present them with the perfect gift only to be given an indifferent shrug and no note of thanks.  All that effort, time and money would feel wasted and I'd exit the holiday season feeling more deflated than fulfilled.  With my new philosophy, I have more time to spend with Onya and Ty doing the fun things that we enjoy - really, isn't that what the holidays, and the whole year really, should be about?? 

Dill Mayonnaise

Ty just decided that a turkey sandwich with a big slice of tomato and dill mayonnaise would be good tomorrow.  So, with an egg from our chicks, he made his own mayonnaise:

 

Popovers

A couple of months ago, Ty and I were watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network when they profiled the popovers by a place called BLT Steak.  If I remember, it is a restaurant in New York.  When you eat there, they bring you a basket of their popovers instead of bread and they include the recipe so you can make them at home too.  The next day, I swung by Sur La Table and bought a popover pan...  and then waited for an occasion to use it!!  

Here's the recipe I found online:

4 cups mile
8 eggs
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In it put two popover pans (enough for 12 popovers).

In a saucepan, warm the milk over gentle heat.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy.  Slowly whisk int he milk (so as not to cook the eggs).  Measure the flour and salt into a sieve and sift onto the egg mixture.  Combine until mostly smooth.  

Remove the popover pan from the oven.  While the batter is still slightly warm or at room temperature, fill each popover cup three quarters full.  Top each popover with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the grated cheese.  Return the pan to the oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes, rotating the pan half a turn after 15 minutes of baking.  


Remove the pan from the oven, remove the popovers from the pan and serve immediately.  


Since I only have the one popover pan and we were only hosting dinner for six people, I halved the recipe - it seemed to work and I thought they were delish!! 

Crab Dip

We made this for Isaac's birthday party and for Thanksgiving.  Both times, we served it with artichokes and, let me tell you, the combo is fantabulous!!

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cooked crab meat
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper


Combined everything in a bowl and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Cranberry Sauce

I made this cranberry sauce on Wednesday night and served it with our Thanksgiving dinner.  It got rave reviews...

1 pound fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 whole orange, unpeeled, seeds removed and chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Sprinkle of ground cinnamon


Wash cranberries and set aside.  Bring sugar and water to a boil.  Add cranberries, oranges and cloves (I thought I had cloves but then it turned out that I didn't so I omitted this ingredient and it was fine).  Simmer over a high flame, stirring frequently, until berries pop open.  Add crushed pineapple, walnuts and cinnamon and blend.  Cool and serve.


This only took me about 15 minutes total to make.  The flavor a billion times better than anything you could ever buy in a can so it is totally worth making it from scratch.  It was bright and tart with just a subtle amount of sweetness.  I hope you enjoy! 
 

Udon Soup

Wow - Ty just whipped up this udon soup with lots of veggies and shrimp.  Apparently, he looked at a couple of recipes online but we didn't have all the right broth ingredients so he just made something up.  It was delish!  His culinary skills never cease to amaze me... 

Stuffed Mushrooms

Here's the recipe that I used for the stuffed mushrooms for Isaac's party.  I really liked that they are light - some recipes that I've used end up feeling really heavy and greasy.  

Stuffed Mushrooms by Giada De Laurentiis

1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup EVOO
28 large white mushrooms, stemmed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a medium bowl to blend.

Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about one tablespoon of EVOO, to coat.  Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up.  Drizzle remaining EVOO over the filling in each mushroom.  Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top,about 25 minutes.  Serve.


When I made this, I didn't measure very carefully and ended up having enough filling left over to fill a bell pepper which I baked off the following day for lunch.  Also, I had a sous chef, Hailey, to do the actual stuffing for me - this was super handy...  she'll have to come and help out at our next party!! 

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend Molly LOVES coconut.  And, she's full term preggo - hopefully delivering any day now!  So, I figured that she might want a cookie or two after alla that hard work...  

I can't remember where I found this recipe but it is delish:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined.  Stir in oats, coconut and chocolate chips.  

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto Silpats and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.  Cool for a minute on baking sheet than remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

As I type this, Molly's dozen sits in my freezer...  just waiting for Baby Girl to get around to making her grand entrance!!!  

Uwajimaya

There's an Uwajamaya on the way home from the bootcamp that we are taking.  Neither of us had been to one before today so we had a really nice time browsing the aisles.  I was starving from the workout so I munched on two BBQ pork hum bao while we were shopping:).  The original plan was to make lumpia (or Ty's version of lumpia) for lunch and udon soup for dinner.  But, we were both so full after the lumpia, we decided that the udon can wait until tomorrow.  Check these bad boys out:

 

Pesto Palmiers

Pesto Palmiers by Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa)

I am posting this recipe first because it was both one of my favorite things from Isaac's party and the biggest surprise in that they turned out so well.  

1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1/4 cup pesto*
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese**
1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts


Lightly flour a board and carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry.  Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until it's 9 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches.  Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto, the sprinkle with half the goat cheese, half the sundried tomatoes and half the pine nuts.  


Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center.  Then fold each side again towards the center until the folded edges almost touch.  Fold one side over the other and press lightly.  Place on a Silpat.  Repeat the for the second sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes**.  


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  


Cut the prepared rolls in 1/4 inch thick slices and place them face up 2 inches apart on Silpats.  Bake for 14 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm.  


* We grow lots of basil in our kitchen garden and also get a lot from our CSA.  All summer, we make big batches of pesto and then freeze it in ice cube trays.  Once frozen, the cubes can be popped out and put into a freezer bag to be used the rest of the year in recipes like this and in pastas.  You'll have to wait until next summer to get my recipe:).  


** I used feta this time but I think I'll try chevre next time just to lighten it up a bit.


*** I apparently did not read this part of the recipe until sitting down to type it out.  Mine seemed to turn out just fine but I'll do this next time and let you know if there's a discernible difference. 

Isaac's BIrthday Party

There's never a dull moment in the Casa D'Engvall.  On Saturday night, we hosted a birthday party for our dear friend Isaac.  After my long run, I met Jewel at New Seasons to get all the party supplies.  We bought plenty of food and booze to enjoy with Isaac's out of town family who trekked down from the Seattle area and lots of local friends.  

After many canning days, it is obvious that Jewel and I work well in the kitchen and Saturday was no exception.  Per usual, we were fairly ambitious and super lucky for the out of towners who showed up early and ended up rolling up their sleeves to help with the last minute details.  Isaac's niece, Little Miss Hailey, was my personal sous chef and she rocked out an amazing looking cake!!  

Here's a pic of our finished work.  This week, I'll be posting recipes for the individual items that made up the buffet.  From left to right, they are fennel parm shortbreads, baked brie with tomato cashew chutney, sweet relish over cream cheese, a variety of crackers, waldorf wontons, stuffed mushrooms, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, deviled eggs, pesto palmiers and sliced bell peppers with crab dip.  

On the bar, we also had a wine station with smoked salmon dip, steamed artichokes with more crab dip and nibblers of dried bing cherries, dark chocolate chips, cashews and chocolate covered almonds. 

Apples!!

Yesterday, Jewel, Ang and I spent the day canning.  About 10 hours of the day anyway!!  Needless to say, after an 8 mile long run, canning all day was super exhausting.  That said, it was also well worth it.  I'm going to have to carve out yet another shelf in the pantry - YAY!!!  When all was said and done, we ended up with 27 quarts of apple pie filling (2 quarts make a pie, 1 makes an apple crumble for 4), 27 half pints of apple butter and 31 pints of apple sauce.  

As you saw earlier, I picked up 120 pounds of apples on Thursday.  Friday, Jewel arrived at my house around 7 and we proceeded to peel, core and slice enough apples to fill three crockpots.  We let the apple butter crock overnight on low.  In the morning, we pureed them all with the stick blender and then cranked them up to high for a couple of hours while we met our Saturday Run Group for a run (for me) and a brisk walk (for Jewel).  This turned out to be a great time saver and the perfect method for a delicious apple butter.  

For the applesauce, we simply cored the apples before boiling them with some water until they were nice and softened.  From there, we ran them through a food mill and cooked them for 5 more minutes before canning and processing them.  

There is something to be said for having the right tools for the job.  For this batch of canning, I was thankful to Ty for setting up our outside processing pot again which managed to double our processing space and which was in use as heavily as the indoor pot for about half of the day.  I'm SUPER thankful to the Millers for both the apple peeler/corer/slicer machine and the food mill.  The day would have been a lot longer and more labor intensive without those ingenious tools!  

Apples!!!

In case you were wondering what it looks like to pile 120 pounds of apples into a Smart car...

After doing some research online regarding local farms stands and pricing, I called out to Justy's Produce because I couldn't find their pricing online.  I now know why - because Justy likes to help his customers and give each one the appropriate pricing.  Since most of my apples were for butter or sauce, sort outs and #2s would work perfectly giving me the best possible price and allowing him to clear out some of his lesser stock without taking a total loss on it.  Win/win any way you look at it!! 

So, after discussing canning and tossing him a few compliments, I inquired as to what he does with the stuff that he can't sell by the end of the weekend but won't last much longer.  His face lit up and I knew I was in business:).  They are closed on Sunday and all Friday and Saturday, he goes through his bins to keep the best product on the floor.  By the end of Saturday, he's ready to wheel and deal on this produce and, if I'm canning it, I don't much care that it might not be the prettiest stuff.  He gave me a magnetic business card and said to call at 5 any Saturday that I'd like to come by.  They close at 7 so he can tell me by then what he'll have and if it'll be enough to be worth my bother. 

After loading up my car, he quipped 'now you've got an uncle in the produce business'!  Yes, I think Justy and I are going to get along really well...  

Freezer!

On Wednesday, Ty and Kona are going to pick up a used upright freezer that we are buying from a friend.  This means that we can really stock up!!  Our first planned purchases are splitting a pig and a quarter cow with the Millers.  Not only is this a more economical way of buying meat but we can also buy from small ranchers who raise their animals without antibiotics or growth hormones and on an organic diet.  It just feels like the right way to live. 

Bad Chickens!

Our chickens started eating their own eggs.  We think it started when we had a bunch of dogs over a couple of days in a row.  The dogs would go crazy racing around the coop and the chickens would hide up in their loft but still be wound up and flapping around.  In the process, eggs got broken.  They discovered that they liked eating raw eggs (ew, ew, ew) and that they could easily peck them open.  As a consequence, we haven't had many fresh eggs for the last month or more.

I did some research and, on Friday, I instituted some potential remedies.  First, I quit lining their roosting boxes with pine shavings and instead am using straw.  So far, it stays in place better providing the eggs with more cushion when they are being laid.  Second, I put a golf ball in the roosting box.  Apparently, they don't have to peck on that too many times before they realize that it hurts!!  Third, and lastly, I broke an egg into a glass, mixed it with Tabasco and red chili flakes and poured the concoction on the floor of their loft.  

The final verdict?  Yesterday, we got three intact eggs:).  I'd say it's working and those girls are saved from Ty's roasting pan...   

Ew...

Will you judge me to know that I put off the deep cleaning until I'm hosting an important event?  Molly's baby shower is tomorrow so I spent this evening cleaning and reorganizing the linen closet, pantry, fridge and under the kitchen sink.  There are so many areas of this house that I've never managed to get on top of in the three and a half years that we've lived here and, until now, the pantry was one of those areas.  It has always been a complete cluster of appliances, mixing bowls, serving pieces, food stuffs, entertaining supplies and other random crap.  Getting the chaos behind that door whipped into shape felt super duper amazing.

Once that was done, I moved on to the fridge.  That was actually pretty scary.  Over 80% of the condiments were expired!!  How does that happen?  I am feeling like a pretty lousy person about that...  but I am hoping to stay on top of it going forward.  Again, please don't judge me...  it is bad enough to know what my mother, grandmothers and aunts would say with total disappointment in their voices!!  Moving on, while I was wiping all the shelves down with vinegar, I discovered that they are all the pull out kind!!  Who knew they even made those for the fridge?  Not me!  Dumping all the contents and sorting the bottles and jars for recycling took a decent amount of time but it was well worth it. 


Lastly, I emptied out the cupboard under the kitchen sink and gave the doors and inside of the cupboard a good vinegary scrub down.  That is an area that gets rather grungy pretty quickly.  


All of these chores are things that really should be done at least twice a year but I somehow only manage to get around to them annually at best.  I'm sure there's lot of other things that I should be doing too that I just don't get to that would probably horrify the above mentioned mother/grandmothers/aunts.  I hope that those of you coming to tomorrow's shower don't think twice after reading this!! 

Onion Goggles

No relation to beer goggles!!  Here's what happens when you have 12 large onions to peel and dice and/or you're near the cutting station when 12 large onions are being peeled and diced:).  

Fall Dinner

While I do eat soup year-round, there is something special about enjoying a good, hearty, home-made soup that evokes the feeling of Fall.  On Tuesday night, Ty whipped up a rich and delicous tomato soup.  He'd grabbed a bag full of brussel sprouts when we were at the store with no real plan - just because we love them, they are currently in season and they looked yummo!  So, these were a side dish to the soup.  And, just to round the meal out, he also added a garlic romano sharp cheddar grilled cheese to the plate.  Let the mouth watering begin:

More canning

 



Ketchup, quince and sauce prep



Jewel and I embarked on another canning extravaganza on Sunday.  The plan for this go round was to stick to tomatoes and just two recipes.  You know what they say about the best laid plans... and, in our case, they were set aside when our friend Susan gave us seven pounds of quince and 4 pounds of Asian pears.  We revised and decided to go for four recipes - quince marmalade, pear butter, ketchup and tomato sauce. 

We had done quite a bit of the produce procurement ahead of time.  We got 50 pounds of tomatoes from a local farm, 20 pounds in free discards from New Seasons courtesy of Isaac, 20 pounds from our CSA and another ten or so from Michelle's garden.  Jewel arrived at my house around 6 am on Sunday and we spent a few minutes double checking recipes and doing some preliminary organizing.  Then, we headed to the Lakeridge High School track with Onya to get in our 'formal' workouts for the day.  We make a quick trip to St. Honore for some pain au chocolate and Chai tea lattes so that we'd be properly fueled for the long day ahead.  From there, we swung by New Seasons to get the remaining ingredients, snacks and a couple of cases of beer.  It turns out that cold beers are a necessity when spending an entire day canning...



Once home, we set Ty to work quartering, coring and seeding those 100 pounds of tomatoes.  Oh, but first, he had to dice 12 onions and 5 heads of garlic for us.  Turns out that swim goggles come in quite handy when processing that quantity of onions (photo to follow)!!  Ty was such a trooper and the day went much, much smoother thanks to his hours of hard work. 





Quince, two batches of ketchup and Ty seeding



Our first recipe to hit the stove top was the quince marmalade.  While that was going, we also started the first batches of ketchup.  The quince came out well although it didn't attain the pink color noted in the recipe.  The first batch of anything is a learning experience so that's not all that surprising.  The ketchup takes a couple of hours and we were able to also make a batch of pear butter while we were working on the FOUR batches of ketchup. 



Three batches of sauce and one of quince marmalade



Around the end of the ketchup, we had Ty set up the propane tank and burner outside for all the processing and we managed to get all four burners on the stove going with various stages of tomato recipes!  It was a beautiful sight indeed.  Once the ketchup was done, we started in with what ended up being six batches of tomato sauce.  We finished the night with a second batch of quince marmalade since we had to wait for Isaac to arrive with more sugar (oops - my bad!).  The second batch cooked much longer because we were backed up from the sauce having to process for 35 minutes - but this time we got to the promised pink color! 





MONSTER bin of compost!



I haven't yet counted how many jars of each recipe we ended up with...  but I will soon and I'll post that too.  I know that I'm going to have to clear out another shelf in my pantry to store our bounty.  Jewel and I are a pretty fierce canning team - working well together and happy to jump in to help each other at any step along the way.  I'm really looking forward to apple canning day in a couple of weeks! 





This is the final haul - sauce in pints and quince, pear and ketchup in half-pints



Crackers

My friend Krista sent me the link to the second issue of a very cool online magazine called Sweet Paul.  On page 50, you'll find a recipe for Fennel and Parmesan Shortbread.  I love cheeses and crackers so I found the idea of a home-made cracker super interesting.  I made them last night and they were AWESOME!!  A couple of tips for next time are to roll the log tighter and to use a thinner knife to cut them.  I also think I'll cut them a bit thinner and cook them just a bit longer.  Also, mine are darker than in the mag pic because I used whole wheat flour.  Overall, though, super delish and a fun alternative to store-bought crackers.  I'll definitely be making these again maybe even for Molly's baby shower!

The crackers before they went into the oven

The finished product served with cheese

 

Tomatoes and Egyptian Onions

About a month ago, I was one of the lucky winners of some Egyptian onion bulbs from Anna of the Walden Effect.  As soon as they arrived in the mail, I put them in a newly cleared area of my raised bed where the snap peas had been.  Anna predicted that I'd see growth within two weeks and, lo and behold, she was right:

Egyptian onions

 And, while I was admiring the onions this morning, I noticed that some of our cherry tomatoes are finally starting to ripen!!

Cherry tomatoes

However, the heirloom tomatoes have some more time before they will be ripe - yet another reason that I really hope that this warmer weather can hang on: 



Lastly, the couple of cherry tomatoes that were ready to pick ended in my gorgeous Ruby Receptionists lunch bag.  The few that were overripe and split went to the chicks!

Greek yogurt with raspberries, banana, Honeycrisp apple and two cherry tomatoes

Carnitas

I don't cook often.  If I had to venture a guess, I would guess that Ty cooks 99% of the meals in our house in any given year.  However, when I came across a carnitas recipe in a magazine over the weekend, I decided to give it a try.  Even though it was a crock pot recipe...  which I generally avoid. Let me just say, this turned out both incredibly flavorful and incredibly tender.  I think it'll definitely be going into the regular rotation! 

Here's the before:

 And here's the after:
 

The basic recipe is:

• 2 pounds beef stew meat
• 1 cup fresh salsa
• 3 or 4 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped
• 1 cup of low sodium beef stock
• tortillas
• shredded cheese
• diced red onion
• avocado

Put the beef, salsa, peppers and stock in a crock pot on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Once done, serve with tortillas, cheese, onion and avocado.  Simple!  

Veggie Pickup: 9/23/10

Let's cook it up!

Veggies!!!

We belong to the Luscher Farm CSA and we get to pick up fresh, local, organic veggies every Thursday during the 6 month summer session.  If you don't belong to a CSA, why not??!!  It is an amazing way to support your local farmer and local economy.  Not to mention the health benefits of eating local and organic - improved nutrient levels, reduced carbon, reduced long term health costs associated with chemical ingestion, just to name a few!  If you live in or near Lake Oswego, there are 14 whole shares and 24 half share remaining for the upcoming winter session - just follow the link above to purchase your share.  The pick up schedule is every other Thursday during the winter session.

We'll be heading to the farm tonight...  hopefully Ty will take and post a picture of our haul as his first contribution to this blog:). 

Processed Foods

Anna over at the Walden Effect says it better than I could:  http://waldeneffect.org/blog/Processed_foods_and_a_grain-based_diet/.

Ty and I have really taken to heart the importance of moving away from processed foods and focusing our diets more on whole foods, fruits and veggies.  It isn't always easy and we do slip up from time to time but we both can see and feel the difference in how we feel everyday.  It is well worth the effort and it feels amazing to support local growers and farmers. 

Canning

First off, I have to thank Susan for generously giving me 3.5 pounds of tomatillos and 4 pounds of Asian pears from her garden.  Tonight, I tackled salsa verde and pear butter.  Let me start by saying that neither recipe yielded as much as indicated and I have this problem frequently so maybe it's just me?

Anyway, first, I made the salsa verde recipe from my all-time favorite cookbook - Canning for a New Generation.  I didn't take in process pics like I should have but here's what the finished product looked like:

Salsa Verde - recipe said 4 pints but I only got 3

Next, I tackled this pear butter recipe:  http://hedonia.seantimberlake.com/hedonia/2006/10/pear_butter.html.  The flavor is AMAZING and the recipe was simpler than some of the pear/apple butter recipes I've seen.  My only complaint is that the website indicates that it will make 12 1/2 pints and I got just barely 1 and 1/2 pints.  I used Asian pears and the recipe called for Bartletts - could that make a five pint difference?!?!  

Jess using NEW food mill - thank you, Millers!!

Pear butter simmering away with four orange slices, a lemon slice, a vanilla bean, 4 whole cloves and a cinnamon stick

Cows and pigs

My grandfather was a cattle rancher and, growing up, we always had a chest freezer full of yummy beef from his ranch in our garage.  As an adult, knowing where my food comes from and how it was grown has become increasingly important to me.  We have a year-round half-share at our local CSA where organic and sustainable gardening methods are employed.  We have two raised beds in our backyard where I try my hand growing a variety of veggies (not always successfully but I'm always learning!).  We have three chickens in a backyard coop who keep us (and our friends) stocked in eggs*.  

So, it should come as no surprise that I'd be interested in buying a quarter of beef and a half or whole pig.  The first obstacle is that we don't have a chest freezer.  But, after some surfing on craigslist, I'm confident that we can find one for a reasonable price.  I'm leaning towards an upright just to minimize the garage space that will be taken up since we both park our cars in the garage.  The next step is researching local farms.  I've found a couple near Corvallis, Oregon that look promising.  We really want to buy from a ranch that uses sustainable practices and raises their animals without antibiotics or growth hormones.  We even have good friends who are willing to go in with us on the purchase - making it even more cost effective and helping to make sure that the meat is gone through fast enough to keep it as fresh as possible.  I guess that the next step will be to email the growers with any questions that we may have and then to make an order!!  


* - I'll be doing a post on this soon but our chicks have been eating their own eggs for about a month now.  I've done some research and will be implemented steps to correct this.  I'll post more once I've started the experiment! 

Breakfast

Oven roasted fingerling potatoes and zucchini topped with heirloom tomato, garlic, cheddar, mozzarella and smoked salmon. 

Pitxi

We don't often treat ourselves to dinner out but, when we do, we like to go to places that offer local, sustainable and organic fare.  Our favorite restaurant is Scratch in Lake Oswego.  So, when we saw a Groupon to Pitxi, we thought it would be our style and that we should check it out.  

We had 6 o'clock dinner reservations and we were the first table seated in the dining room...  I guess they must get more of a later crowd on a Friday.  Once seated, Ty order a nice Pinot from McMinnville (where our alma mater is located) and I had the Laurelwood IPA.  While they did have a nice wine menu, there were only three beers on the menu - which, IMO, ought to be illegal.  We were a little disappointed to see that the menu that we'd looked at online was not the same as the menu that we were given.  We then decided to start with the cheese plate mostly because it had received several positive mentions on Yelp.  It came with four cheeses and each one was paired with a little yummy tidbit like pistachios or chocolate.  Each bite was thoughtfully prepared and very delicious but I should mention that the portions were on the very skimpy side.  

For entrees, Ty ordered a seafood stew of sorts (sorry, I can't remember the exact name) and I ordered the duck.  Each type of seafood in Ty's dish was perfectly cooked to be its most flavorful and tender.  I've never had duck before so I wasn't sure what to expect and I was very surprised that it was so rich, moist and tender.  It was served with a baked apple, grapes and a delicate crepe filled with an apple stuffing.  The entire combination was perfect, especially if you like entrees that lean toward the sweet side, and left a comforting taste of fall in my mouth.

Service the entire evening was outstanding.  The timing of the courses was just right and they were quick to put another slice of bread on our bread plate every time it was empty.  The portion sizes on the entrees were spot on.  Overall, we'd highly recommend Pitxi and, if it weren't all the way in St. John's (which we didn't realize when we bought the Groupon), we'd probably be semi-regulars! 

Canning

A few weeks ago, Jewel and I spent 13 hours canning on a Sunday.  We ended up with all-purpose tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, ketchup, sweet pepper relish, classic cucumber relish and tomato cashew chutney.  It was a long day, to say the least, but well worth the effort.  Ty and I also had already canned some spicy carrots, dilly beans and hot peppers.  An entire shelf in our pantry is filled with jars and it is a very satisfying sight!! 

I've officially been bitten with the canning bug and we are now planning to more canning days in October - one for more tomatoes and one for apples.  Both days will be shorter now that we have a better idea of how long it can take.  We have also invited a few friends to each day - if they come, it'll make for more hands to do the prep work.  More beer will also be included in these upcoming canning days!! 

In the meantime, a friend has ripe tomatillos that she's willing to trade me and I am planning to make a batch or two of salsa verde. 

I'll leave you with two pics from our epic canning day:

Jess and Jewel canning away!



This is about half of what we ended up with at the end of the day.



Welcome!

Crab haul from 2009 AI trip

Welcome to Eat My Sauce - a blog about food in Casa D'Engvall.  We envision this being a place to put not only recipes and pictures of our creations but also a place to talk about our food philosophy, organic gardening and backyard chicken raising.  You might find links to articles that interest us here too.  Who knows what you might find...  but hopefully you like it and want to keep coming back to visit us!