All Day Baking

And it begins, holiday baking 2009. Today I made two insanely large fruitcakes for my in-laws. They are neatly wrapped in brandy soaked cheesecloth and set to soak until Christmas (the fruitcakes, not the in-laws). Tomorrow, the steamed puddings.

This is where the English/Austrian heritage clashes with the Ukrainian. My English side loves baking these holiday cakes and puddings and the Ukrainian side is thinking:
"You're wasting perfectly good alcohol on cake?"

Man, I wish I had a nice brandy-soaked blanket to snuggle up with for the next month or so.

Problem Solved

The first sentence I taught Danny to write was:

"Nice boys stay home with their mamas."

At one point, I even had it neatly printed out, and hanging on the living room wall. For years, he's been hearing this teasing without really thinking about it-until today.

Danny: I figured out how I can move away from home someday.
Me: No, you can't. Nice boys stay home with their mothers, bad boys run off with floozies."
Danny: But I know how it can work.
Me: Do tell.
Danny: I can bring you with when I move, and you can still cook and do laundry and all the other chores I need you to do.
Me: Awesome.
Danny: I hope I can find a yellow haired floozie, they're the best sort of floozies.


I'll be ironing my apron if anyone needs me.

Glaced Fruit and Candied Peel For Baking

Why? Because for twenty dollars, and the cost of my time I made over a hundred dollar's worth of glaced fruit to use in my holiday baking. I have to think they taste better than the peels and cherries in the plastic tubs at the grocer. Less preservative anyway. As a bonus, I know what century they are from.

I made:

Crystalised ginger
Candied orange peel
Candied pineapple (I tinted half the batch green so it would look festive. That's some damn festive pineapple there)
Glaced apricots
Glaced cherries


The pineapple and apricots were dried fruit that I re-hydrated by steaming and then proceeded with putting through the sugar syrup. The biggest time suck was waiting for them to dry and then re-dip them in syrup. I did the process about five times with the apricots and pineapple, about eight with the cherries. I may give them another dip tomorrow, but they really don't need it.

So let me tell you about the cherries.

My grocer had 10 oz. jars of maraschino cherries for .99 cents. They are store brand, more fruit than liquid and every bit as nice as the ones that cost twice as much. You do the math. I'll wait.

OK, so you see my point. Fresh cherries never came down in price last summer, or I would have made a few batches using a similar process-no big deal. Honestly, they are going in fruitcake. By the time you are done with them, they won't taste anything like maraschino cherries, not that there's anything wrong with them-I'm sort of partial to them myself, and frequently bake with them.

If you were super-thrifty, the liquid they are packed in could be boiled down into a usable syrup. I did not do that. I used sugar and water in small batches (you really can't crowd the fruit in the syrup). I used cane sugar because I do not like the smell of beet sugar (everyone thinks I'm quite mad, but to me, beet sugar smells like dirty hair that hasn't been washed in a very long time. I know, it probably really is just me, nonetheless, who wants to think of dirty hair every time they pour a cup of sugar in a bowl? Right.

It is slow, and tedious to make these, and it gives you a better understanding of why glaced fruit is so mind-bogglingly expensive-but for my purposes, totally worth it. I'm tempted to skip baking this year and just give away glaced fruit as gifts. It isn't like you can pop over to the grocer and pick up glaced apricots-at least not where I live.

Thrift Finds

The first Saturday of the month is the bag sale at the thrift store in the Senior Centre in Wahoo, Nebraska. The scarves would have been a deal at .25 cents full price, but into the $2.00 bag they went. Silk, from Italy. Fancy, huh?
This glass set was originally three dollars, but today I took it home for $1.50. Not a scratch or chip on it. There was a large matching trifle dish I should have bought as well for $4.00. If it is still there Monday I might go get it anyway-still quite the bargain.


This jacket is a velvety/suede type of material and is a much deeper blue than the overexposed photo makes it look. I fell in love with the collar, so into the bag it went. I also bought Danny a brand new pair of sneakers. We were paying when the resident grandma insisted I go find something else to shove in the bag because the vintage jacket, two silk scarves and Keds weren't getting my full two dollars worth. I know better than to argue with grandma...so I found a red corduroy jacket (also much deeper coloured than the photo looks). She was so happy I found something else. We found a couple motorcycle magazines for Danny in the Free pile by the door on the way out.
Not my favourite look, but Granny insisted I take it.
Also purchased but not pictured:

Vintage greeting cards, still in box from 1940's(.25 cents)
Books
A Richard Simmons Video Tape (Mr. Eat The Blog thought it would amuse Danny...or so he claims) .50 cents
A paper lantern shaped like a fish still in the original sealed packaging (.25 cents)

I still can't believe how lucky I was-I never find nice glassware. Then, because clearly the cheapskate gods were smiling on me, I went grocery shopping and bought a two pound block of extra sharp cheddar for $3.99

Not a bad day overall.

Kale Filled Ravioli With Creamy Squash Sauce

Oh stop scrunching-up your face-it'll stay like that!

I know that it looks rather uninteresting from the photograph, but trust me when I tell you it was worth the hours I devoted to making it. I did manage to freeze another dozen ravioli for future use from the same batch, so think of it as getting two meals for the effort of one-albeit, quite a bit of effort.

You could adapt this recipe to use pumpkin rather than squash, or spinach rather than kale, or ricotta rather than cottage cheese...and so on. Just keep to the basic proportions and you should be fine.

For the Kale/Cheese Filling:

2 cups full-fat cottage cheese, well drained and forced through a sieve
1/2 cup hard cheese, finely grated (I used Parmesan and Pepato)
1 large bunch kale, stems removed and finely chopped-cooked until soft in boiling water and then drained and squeezed dry of excess water in a dishtowel

Combine well and keep chilled until needed.

For The Pasta:

3 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg (reserve whites for assembling ravioli later)
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
1-2 cups All Purpose flour plus much more for rolling and dusting

Beat eggs until light. Beat in water and salt. Add the semolina and beat well. Slowly knead-in by hand as much AP flour as it will take and still be pliable. Wrap tightly in cling film and let rest 30 minutes before rolling out.

Divide dough into 6 parts and lightly dust with flour. Roll out as thin as possible without it tearing (or use a pasta machine) and make a long strip. Brush outer edges with beaten egg whites and place a mound of filling (about 1/2 teaspoon) on the pasta leaving about 2 inches on either side. Brush in-between mounds with egg whites. Fold top over carefully and then gently press out the air around each mound of dough. Cut into squares. Dust lightly again with flour to prevent sticking and transfer to a rack to dry a bit as you make the others. When completed, you should have about 25 ravioli. If you choose to freeze some, place them on a plate in the freezer and let them solidify before transferring to a freezer bag. A piece of waxed paper between layers helps them stay flat in the bag as well. Take remaining ravioli and transfer to a waxed paper lined baking sheet dusted with flour and let sit in fridge, lightly covered until you are ready to cook. Mine sat several hours and were just fine.

Cook in boiling, salted water for about fifteen minutes at a gentle boil (you don't want them to burst). Carefully remove from water with a slotted spoon (don't just dump them out roughly into a strainer or they will be damaged). Top with squash sauce and serve hot.

For The Squash Sauce:

2 cups of cooked, mashed squash of any variety you prefer (I used an acorn and a dumpling squash)
2 tablespoons clarified butter
2 teaspoons crumbled sage
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
Thin shavings of hard cheese for garnish

I cooked my squash by halving them, scooping out the seeds and placing cut-side down in about an inch of water in a pan. 400 degrees F. for about an hour did the trick.

Make sure your squash is well-drained if you boiled or steamed it before beginning. Mash squash and then force through a sieve to remove any stringy parts. Place squash in a heavy saucepan with about half of the vegetable stock, the spices and butter. Cook over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk to incorporate. At this point, you may need to add the rest of the stock, depending on how thick your puree was-this is really a matter of taste. You can always use the stock to thin it down later if need be. Cook about ten minutes until sauce thickens, whisking now and then. Before serving, stir in the sour cream and heat through. Pour over cooked ravioli and top with cheese. Serve immediately.

Coconut Pound Cake, Gourmet October 1973

*updated*-this cake is destined to become a family favourite. It is a cake that is too dangerous to leave sitting at the table because it slowly disappears thin slice by "one more tiny slice."
When I woke this morning I had no idea what I would be baking for Friday Cakeblogging. As I drank my coffee, I mindlessly flipped through an old issue of Gourmet (from the ancient collection) looking for inspiration. I wanted something plain, after all the frosted cakes of late. This pound cake sounded perfect, and as it baked and the wonderful fragrance filled my kitchen, I knew I'd chosen well. Not bad decision making on half a cup of instant (store brand) coffee.

You Will Need:

3 cups sifted AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
4 large eggs, beaten well
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I omitted this)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup grated coconut

Butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar. Add the eggs and extracts and beat until well blended. Alternating with the milk, add the flour (the recipe didn't specify, but I did it in three additions ending with flour). Pour into prepared pan, place on a baking sheet to prevent any leaks if using a 2 piece pan, and bake 35 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake another 35-45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan on a rack ten minutes, then remove and cool completely on rack. Makes a very substantial pound cake.

November Salad From The Garden

I swear, I have the garden that just keeps giving (though I'm still waiting on the beets and turnips). The rocket and pea shoots provided the substance of this salad-cheese ends and stale bread turned fancy provided the rest. Oh, and a couple grapes-you have to have grapes on a salad (in this house anyway). I made a lovely honey-mustard with the end of a bottle of Djion mustard, honey, corn oil and some white wine vinegar. Just pour it all in the bottle and shake, to get the bitter last of the mustard. I know, getting that last 1/4 teaspoon of mustard from the squeeze bottle makes you feel better-that's OK, mama understands. We're all friends here.

Impressive Potatoes With Little Bother

These are a Sunday morning favourite that are easy to manage as I put together the rest of breakfast. If you're thinking ahead, you can even pre-bake the potatoes the day before.

You Will Need:

Baking potatoes, baked until able to easily slice, but still firm enough to hold together without crumbling
Clarified butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Slice the baked potatoes and over medium heat, brown them in a cast iron pan with some clarified butter and a bit of olive oil. If it starts to smoke, reduce the heat. When browned, turn and repeat on other side. There, done. I like these as they require less attention than chips and are probably (marginally, anyway) healthier. I served them last evening with a bowl of vegetarian chili and a salad.

If You Think I'm Making Sausages, You've Lost Your Mind

...or building a bonfire for that matter.

I tried explaining the holiday to Danny and once he realised you don't get any gifts he sort of shrugged and went back to playing. He isn't interested in sausages.

I did see something in the news suggesting that the bonfires are actually bad for hedgehogs, and people are showing films of bonfires for environmental safety. Times change.

Pumpkin Raisin Bread

Why yes, they ARE terrible photos. Nice bread though. I swear, the light has been dreadful in here lately.

This is a yeast bread, sweet, but not too sweet and still prefect for toast or a cheese sandwich. Or cheese on toast or...well you get the idea.

I made a number of changes from the original recipe by using fresh pumpkin rather than tinned, and crystalised ginger instead of ground, but the main change I made was with flour. The original called for all AP flour which I thought would make a very light bread without a substantial crust. That is fine, mind you, but for my use here, the bread flour made more sense-I also think it tends to keep the loaf fresh longer (not that I have any scientific proof of this other than casual observation). Tinned pumpkin would have given the overall loaf a better colour, but it is hardly unattractive. It was the perfect use for that one last tiny sugar pumpkin sitting on my kitchen counter.

Adapted (quite a bit) from the Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Book

You Will Need:

1 1/2 cups AP flour
3-4 cups Bread (strong) flour
4 1/2 teaspoons granulated (not instant) yeast
1 tablespoon crystalised ginger, chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cooked, mashed and well-drained fresh pumpkin
1 cup raisins

Optional Glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

In a large bowl, mix the Ap flour, yeast, and spices together. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar, butter and salt just until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Beat with mixer on low until moistened-about 1 minute. Then, beat three minutes on high speed. With a wooden spoon, add the pumpkin and raisins and mix well. By hand, mix in bread flour a cup at a time until you have a fairly stiff but workable dough. Knead well until smooth-about ten minutes. Place in a buttered bowl, turn once to coat and cover with cling film. Let rise until doubled-roughly an hour and a half. Punch down, let rest ten minutes. Butter a large bread pan generously and shape dough to fit. Cover, and let rise another 35-45 minutes or until nearly doubled. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

brush with glaze if desired and bake 35-45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when rapped with knuckles or registers between 195-200 degrees F. on an instant read thermometer. Cool on rack before slicing Makes 1 large loaf.

Homemade Twix-Like Candy

Danny was so excited to get a full-sized Twix bar at Halloween, but that quickly turned to disappointment when we read the warning that it was manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts. Let me tell you, a disappointed four year old is sad to begin with, but being told you can no longer eat one of your previously favourite candies on the odd chance you may hit a nut is frankly, heartbreaking. I mean, I was heartbroken-Danny actually handled it pretty well.

Well no child of mine is going Twix-less, and until they start making them on dedicated nut-free equipment, mama worked out one hell of a good approximation. Honestly, they are better-but you knew they would be, didn't you? Of course you did.

So here's a disclaimer of my own:

If you are even remotely concerned with diet, nutrition, or the state of your tooth enamel-move along and find another post to read. I cannot be held accountable for your weight gain once you learn these can be made at home. I'm not positive, but I think you might be able to gain a couple pounds just reading the recipe. If you do bake them, you should immediately give half the batch away as a precaution. I keep thinking they could be chopped up small and used as a mix-in to vanilla ice cream which would probably be less dangerous overall, provided you didn't eat an entire pint. Oh God these are so unbelievably fattening and delicious.

For The Shortbread Base:

1 cup soft unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups AP flour

Cream together the sugar and butter. By hand, squeeze in the flour until well blended. Wrap and chill until firm.

You know how cookbooks always tell you to whack cold cookie dough with a heavy rolling pin until malleable to roll out? I have a really lovely French rolling pin that is ever-so-heavy. I went ahead and whacked, but I missed the dough and got my ring finger instead. But don't worry, I know how to make a splint and Danny learned some new vocabulary words. Have you ever experienced pain that was so intense you thought you might pass out? It was like that. HArd to believe a rolling pin could do that, but at just the right angle, it was about the most painful thing I'd ever done to myself. Much, much worse than breaking my arm.

Anyway, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into rectangles, or sticks, or whatever shape you prefer (no need to be traditionalists here, as they aren't actually Twix bars). The cookies won't brown on top and they don't spread, so you should be able to get them all on a large baking sheet. Bake about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

For The Caramel:

Use the recipe HERE, but don't coat in chocolate-yet.

For the Chocolate:

I used dollar-a-bag store brand semi-sweet chips that were amazingly made from real chocolate. I know! Hy-Vee rocks. And no, I don't work for them, I just shop there. You can use better chocolate, temper it, get all fancy, but I didn't.

When the caramel has cooled, but is still pliable, dump it out on a cutting board. Cut into small pieces and stretch it over the cookies. Let it sit for a few minutes. If you like your caramel salty, give it a light dusting at this point.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl (I did this in batches) in the microwave at half power. I dipped the cookies in the chocolate and let the excess drain back into the bowl. You could, again do this in a more meticulous manner, if you didn't bash your ever-so-useful right ring finger with a heavy French rolling pin an hour earlier. Do as you see fit.

Let cool on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. When cool, wrap the individual pieces in waxed paper...and try to not devour them all! I'm serious about giving them away-you'll thank me.

Craftastrophe

THIS is even better than Regretsy.

Conspiracy!

I couldn't resist linking to THIS insane comment thread for your amusement.

*edited to add:

OK, she convinced me. I blame the Illuminati.

Happy Halloween

Oh no, the CFTBL! I was so happy we were able to get Danny the costume he really wanted. It looks like such a crappy get-up to us, but when you're four it is just the greatest thing in the world. Who knew a couple yards of polyester and a plastic mask could bring so much joy to a child?...and his evil friend Cthulhu.
I was leaning slightly in this photo, but Danny really is that tall...or I'm that short-take your pick.



There were even less people doing Halloween this year in our tiny town. At first I thought it might be fear of flu, or the recession, but then I realised it is just the population getting to be teenagers. Families moved in here during the boom, and now those growing families are all grown. The people who did give out stuff did themselves and our tiny town proud-full sized Twix bars and glowing necklaces. You rock Twix bar lady, and glowing necklace lady. Mrs. Trail Mix tubes...I don't know-she was kind of elderly and probably meant well.

Best story from the night:

Another "old timer" who puts out an elaborate display each year because Halloween is his birthday (he must have been about 80) was telling me how for years he made sure no one "messed with the jack-o-lanterns" by wiring them with electrical fencing. Have I mentioned this is a very small, rural town? Yeah, don't try that one in Lincoln. When he was younger, he used to dress up like a mannequin and lie on the front porch and then scare the wits out of kids who came up to see if he was in fact real.

Danny had a blast, I'm exhausted, and now we can all look forward to hitting Shop-Ko bright and early for half price Halloween candy tomorrow.

Monsters vs. Prime Ministers

Starring: Prime Minister Harper...and Monsters!




Mr. Harper Officially welcomes Gort the Robot to Ottawa: "Oh, well yes that's fine that you went to Calgary first."


But the Hydra wants a hat(s) too:
"Well really now, you keep losing them-you can't expect the city to keep handing out honorary hats if you keep losing them when you grow your head back. That's fiscally irresponsible. Really, you need to take that up with them, but for all the oil money in Alberta, they still can't be handing out hats to every monster that stops by to say hello and skeletalise a cow. Er...cattle. They're called "cattle." I think. Cattle? That's the proper term then? Right. Cattle. They might give you one hat, but I do think three are out of the question.


The Japanese ambassador wants to discuss mad cow disease in Canadian beef exports:

"Canadian beef is absolutely safe to eat, though we do recommend cooking it to a safe internal temperature. With your fire breathing capabilities that shouldn't be much of an issue. So...how's Mothra these days? Do send our regards.


The Liberal leader drops by:
"Look Iggy, I don't have time for your nonsense, I'm lousy with monsters at the moment...perhaps you failed to notice."



Mr. Harper addresses ecological issues:
"Well who told you to go near the sands in the first place? I mean, really now-you're a creature, a monster at that, you should know better. It is all fine and well to be looking out for the stupid migratory birds, but honestly, I thought you monsters could look out for yourselves. Oh yes, so tough when it comes to dragging swimmers out of the water, but put them near some oil sands and they're all "Oh...ewwww... I got dirty! Go get your NDP friends to scrub you off."



Mr. Harper on the nuclear threat:




Look Mr. Gort...that's your name? Gort? Is that Spaceman for "I have horrendous manners?" I thought so. As I was saying, Canada does not have nuclear ambitions. You really do need to stop pounding my head now-that really isn't polite and Canadians value polite behaviour above...pretty please, stop pounding my head? That really isn't terribly polite. You leave me no choice but to summon the RCMP...and they're bringing stun guns..



Mr. Harper on Tourism:
Why yes, we have tall buildings, why do you ask? Our women? Just lovely, lovely, lovely women. Well I don't know what you mean by "good screamers" but if it something American women do, then I'm sure our Canadian women can scream every bit as convincingly as their American counterparts. You're not actually a king are you? You're a monkey!




Happy Halloween!

Potato Pancakes -a New Recipe

Bad photo, good potatoes.

I think (as does the rest of the family) these are the best potato pancakes I've made. The recipe originally called for a grated apple as well, but I omitted that, as I didn't have one. It certainly didn't hurt the end result-these were fantastic. Danny, who isn't really a fan of potatoes in any form ate two.

Adapted From: A Taste of Tradition by, Ruth Sirkis

2 lbs. potatoes
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour or matzo meal
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 small onion
1 small apple (I omitted this)
Oil for frying

Peel and grate the potatoes, onion, and apple. Beat eggs lightly and add to grated vegetables. Add flour, baking powder and salt. mix well.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan and fry, a couple at a time (don't crowd the pan) then drain on a rack. Serve hot with applesauce or sour cream.

Halloween Carrot Spice Cake With Caramel Filling and Buttercream Top

Cute, eh?
I for one, welcome our new evil overlord...
If you have extra buttercream, roll it into balls, chill and then dip in melted chocolate. They set pretty well and look adorable.


This layer cake has everything in it-pineapple, carrots, coconut, raisins...the only thing it lacks is nuts. It is moist, dense, gooey and so filled with sweetness it makes your teeth hurt just reading the ingredients. Probably not a good cake for diabetics. I used a fresh pineapple that I crushed, but tinned would work fine (probably easier to drain-mine gave off quite a bit of juice) and you could exchange any dried fruit (currants, sultanas) or even walnuts for the raisins. For this particular recipe, I think Parchment lining the bottom of the pans would have been nice, but I greased and floured them. I did have a bit of cake stick to the bottom, but as you are frosting and covering the cake so heavily, it hardly mattered in the end. You can also bake this as a sheet cake in a 9x13 pan and just leave it in to frost.

We had fun decorating it with the mouldable buttercream from yesterday's post. It took tinting well, and rolled out perfectly.

You Will Need:

For the cake:

3 large eggs
2 cups AP flour
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch dried ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup crushed and drained pineapple
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 9 inch pans (or use parchment on the bottom and then grease again). Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar, flour, oil, baking soda, spices and vanilla. Mix well until combined. Stir in the carrots, pineapple, coconut and raisins by hand. Mix well. Pour into pans and bake until they test done (Mine took 50 minutes). Let cool in pans twenty minutes on rack. Then, unmould. It is not a catastrophe if the cakes stick a bit-just loosen it with a spatula and plop it back onto the cake. You'll fix it with frosting later.

For the filling/frosting:

In a small pan, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Add 1 cup brown sugar and stir over low heat two minutes. Add 1/4 cup whole milk and whisk until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and cool completely. Then, beat in 1-2 cups of confectioner's sugar until you have a spreadable frosting. Use the frosting to fill and frost sides of cake. Top with rolled buttercream.

The British Are Coming

I've been reading Paul Revere's Ride to Danny again. The last time we read it regularly he was too young to really grasp the American history, but enjoyed it as a poem. Now, he's older.

We covered much of what the poem left out (like the fact that Revere never did quite complete the ride being captured just outside of Concord) and why the British were coming in the first place. We talked about Minutemen, and the Boston Tea Party, and King George, etc. Danny took it all in, but finally interrupted with a question:

"So what would have happened if we'd stayed a British colony?"

Sometimes...sometimes I think perhaps I shouldn't be a parent. At the very least, I probably shouldn't be homeschooling...and yet.

"You'd have bad teeth, be perpetually drunk, and have in-bred stupid children because you married your cousin."

Sometimes...sometimes when I think I've completely failed as a parent, as a teacher, that child does something so magnificent that any doubts I had disappear...

"So mama? Is Kansas still a British colony?"

I love being that child's mother.

Homemade Sugar Paste-Sort Of

I couldn't fathom spending all that money on meringue powder and sugar paste, etc. just to make a few monsters and pumpkin decorations. What I did do was make use of the store-brand unsalted butter I bought for $1.00 a pound on sale and stuck in the freezer for just this sort of project.

You will Need:

1 lb. butter, softened
(About) 1 bag confectioner's (icing) sugar

Beat the butter until soft. With your hands, work in the powdered sugar until you have a very stiff, pliable clay-like mixture. Chill briefly. Tint as desired (gels colourings work best). Chill again. Start playing.

Now, if you're feeling particularly crafty, roll the tinted buttercream into balls and chill. Then, dip into melted chocolate and let harden in the fridge. I made some bright orange ones coated in dark chocolate-very Halloween-ish.

The buttercream is really adaptable-you can roll it out, and use it almost like fondant to "wrap" a cake. I think that would be cute on very flat-topped cupcakes.

Anyway, another simple and inexpensive hack I thought worth sharing.

And in other news, it looks like Mr. Eat The Blog will have to deal with stuff at work this weekend, so I get Trick or Treat duty. That means I get first pick of the peanut treats-I hope the cheap bastards in this town are sports this year, and give out full sized Butterfingers. You know, "fun sized" really isn't. What?! Do you think it is? Gosh, I sure hope someone hands out pennies, or individually wrapped cough drops. I love those. Smith Brothers licorice kick ass, but only because they stopped making Pine Brothers. The Pine Brothers had it all over the Smith Brothers, though the Smith boys get extra points for the beat beards.

What's the worst thing you ever got Trick or Treating? I'll vote for Jordan Almonds.

Cabbage, Celery and White Bean Casserole

This recipe doubles easily, and while it is best eaten the night it is made, it is still quite good second day. Both celery and cabbage were on sale last week which helped keep this in the "pennies per serving" range.

You Will Need:

3 cups finely shredded cabbage
Boiling water to cover cabbage
3 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups fresh, soft breadcrumbs
3 cups cooked white beans, drained
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
Generous amounts of salt and pepper
1/2=3/4 cup shredded hard cheese (I used a mixture of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large casserole dish and set aside. Place the cabbage in a large pot and pour the boiling water over. Let stand ten minutes. Drain very well. Mix with celery and beans. Place a layer of celery and beans in the bottom of the casserole. Salt and pepper the layer. Top with 1/3 of the breadcrumbs. Do the next layer of celery/beans/cabbage and another layer of salt/pepper. Do another layer of crumbs. Repeat with remaining beans, salt and pepper-but hold off on the last of the crumbs. Beat together the egg, milk and cream. Pour over the casserole and then top with the last of the crumbs. Dot with butter and finally sprinkle on the cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

Quince Tart With Cheese

Sometimes I do really well guessing. I couldn't find a recipe for what I wanted, but I knew strong cheese goes well with quince paste-so why not baked quince? Why not indeed.

I used a hard goat cheese and a very aged, granular sheep's milk cheese mixed with some Swiss to give it a bit of softness. The Swiss is very mild- I wouldn't use a strong one that would compete with the hard cheeses.



I'll post what I did, but obviously, don't run out and try to find the same cheeses, or even use the same spice combinations. I used a vanilla bean because I had one that was drying out-but I could have as easily used star anise, or cinnamon, or cardamom-you get the idea. I also like juniper berries (did I ever mention I was named for the Donovan song, "Jennifer Juniper?" Well, I was. People did things like that in the 60's, and my mother liked the song. You don't want to know what her name was) which probably explains my deep affection for gin. I don't have much affection for Donovan, and I'm getting somewhat sick of seeing his kids turning up everywhere, but it does put me in a league of children whose stupid beatnik mothers named their children after popular songs. Actually, it never was that popular of a song. I guess I should be thankful she didn't name me "Sunshine Superman." I don't know who or what my sister was named for. She doesn't like gin. Or Donovan. Juniper berries are handy to keep around because they are wonderful for seasoning duck or goose. Or duck, duck, goose. Or drinking too much gin and goosing someone. Or ducking.

Yes, yes, get on with the tart then, will you?


You Will Need:

For the Quince:

2 large quince, ripened to the yellow stage, peeled, cored and quartered
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup ruby port
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries
1 vanilla bean, cut and scraped (but toss the pod into the pot as well)

For The Tart/Cheese

1/2 cup hard cheese of your choice, finely grated
12 sheets phyllo dough thawed
1/2 cup clarified butter, melted (You probably won't need it all, but better to have it)
The poached quince
1 cup finely grated white bread crumbs

To poach the quince:

Place wine and water in a small pan and add sugar. Whisk until dissolved. Add everything else, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover halfway and cook until quince are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove quince with a slotted spoon. Remove the juniper berries and vanilla bean. Return to burner and reduce over high heat until syrup begins to thicken and almost reaches the gelling point. Remove, scrape from pan with a spatula and mix over quince. Chill until needed. The sauce will thicken to a jelly-like consistency-that's good. You don't want it too runny.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a baking sheet with melted clarified butter. Working quickly and keeping a damp towel over the sheets of phyllo, layer three sheets and brush each with butter. After three, sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs, then repeat until all sheets are used, ending with a butter (not breadcrumb layer). You need not be meticulous about this. You could even do a light coating of breadcrumbs between each layer. Roll the edges up to form a wall of sorts around the tart (I totally stink at this sort of thing and made liberal use of clarified butter to er...mend the dry edges that shattered.). Sprinkle with the cheese and lay quince slices over. You will have more quince than you need (and probably enough phyllo for a second tart) but it is also good for breakfast with some thick yoghurt. Take spoonfuls of the jelly from the chilled quince and spoon it over the exposed fruit slices. Just enough to give it a glaze as it melts in the oven-you don't want a mess.

Bake until tart is dark and golden-mine took about 25 minutes, but keep an eye on it.

Cool on rack before serving.

Two Breads...

...waiting for some good cheese.

Early Holiday Shopping

Well, I'm done. I had a gift certificate at Amazon that was getting old so I bought Danny a VHS boxed set of My Favorite Martian, and four of the best episodes of Lost in Space. I also bought him a new, portable chess set (he's turned into a chess-obsessed freak). I have a recorder I bought last year and never gave to him (just barely a step up from a "flute-o-phone", but still a musical instrument...sort of) so he can get that for his Birthday. If I can get my hands on a few inexpensive train toys, we'll be good. It is difficult having a birthday so close to Christmas, so I really try to have a "wow" gift in the lot. I think he's going to love Lost in Space.

Mr. Eat The Blog requested a film for his birthday as well, but I wouldn't want any of the tracking software at Amazon keeping a record of my having bought a copy of Vulgar. There are very few movies I wish I could un-watch-but that is one of them. Actually, I wanted to douse my eyeballs with hand sanitiser. Your mileage may vary.

I must say, it is so much nicer to do your holiday shopping with someone else's money-I tend to be more generous. I guess it would only be the bad sort of re-gifting if I bought something for the person who gave me the gift certificate. Not to worry, I'm crocheting her a hat and scarf.

Wow, I feel like I accomplished so much in ten minutes. I should go have a drink or something.

Flu Shot, Halloween, Etc.

Danny's doctor's office still hasn't gotten hold of the piggy-wig flu vaccine, but the regular one was in. I went ahead and splurged for the nasal vaccine over the injection because I'm a nice mother (mostly) and I was kind of tired.

We have a tradition of going out for ice cream after vaccinations, but since Danny developed the peanut/nut allergy, I've been hesitant to take him in an ice cream parlor (all those chopped nuts sitting around for sundaes). Instead, I took him to Runza which offers vanilla or chocolate soft serve (or a swirl) and that's it. Perfect-no fear of peanut contamination. It also gives the kiddo an opportunity to amuse the teenagers behind the counter by asking them if they "Get the runs from Runzas?" Yeah, good times all around.

I do kind of feel bad about not being able to take him to the local place anymore, but I would feel like a dipshit asking them to take special precautions to accommodate one kid. I can't stand when people do stuff like that. Don't even ask what Halloween will be like. I've been teaching Danny that he has to take whatever is given him, say "thank you", and when we get home, I'll check it over for nuts and trade him for nut-safe candy (why yes, I did think to set in a stash-that's why I'm the mama...). The world doesn't revolve around you and your nut allergy (or my nut allergy), but that's still hard for a child that has been waiting all year for his favourite holiday.

We totally caved, and ordered Danny a vintage Creature From the Black Lagoon costume off eBay. Under twenty bucks-not bad, even if it does smell of mildew. It has a mask, which is really all kids care about.

Quince

It kills me to actually pay for fruit we used to have growing in our front yard, yet I did just that-to the tune of two dollars each. I bought two-because that was how much change I had in my coin purse. Do you do that? Excuse a purchase as only pin-money because you didn't need to break a bill? Absurd, I know (particularly if you've loaded your little beaded coin-purse to bulging with twenty dollars worth of quarters) but I now have two perfect quince.

There isn't much you can do with two quince, so I peeled and cored them and as I type they are poaching away in wine, simple syrup, juniper berries and a mostly-scraped vanilla bean. Part of me wanted to toss in some black peppercorns, but I resisted.

I have some hard sheep's milk cheese in the fridge and some Phyllo dough defrosting. We all know I have clarified butter. I'll bake it tomorrow, though I still have only the vaguest idea what I'm aiming for.

You have no idea how delicious my kitchen smells right now, which is great because I'm microwaving leftovers for dinner. Maybe no one will notice in a fog of quince intoxication.