Neo Indoor Picnic

Well, my goodness, it is just pouring BUCKETS in Boston! Pouring, pouring, pouring rain ever since yesterday. That did not keep me from having a full and busy day though!

This morning the Neo ladies and I visited the artistic directors of another local dance company to audition to be the opening act for their upcoming performance. This company is larger than ours, and their shows are well attended, since they have an established audience here in Boston. My dancers performed their piece well, and now we must wait! We will probably know by the middle of the week whether or not we will be in the performance. Keep your fingers crossed - it would be a great opportunity for my company!

Since we had to meet at a dance studio in the city at noon, this put a wrench in our normal rehearsal schedule. I offered the girls a stop-over lunch at my house on the way to rehearsal in the North Shore. It was such fun!



I absolutely love entertaining, and nothing makes me happier than seeing my dining room table filled with dancers! We had a tasty lunch of Carrot-Ginger Soup, recipe here. This is one of my new favorite go-to recipes. I recommend doubling the batch, otherwise it will be gone in an instant!

I hope that you are staying warm, toasty and DRY wherever you are!

What's for dinner?

Swiss Chard/Carrots
Brown Rice
Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops

NOM.

P.S. I tried a new to me beer tonight, Harpoon Munich Dark. I give it two thumbs up! Very tasty!

No Knead Bread

A few days ago, I was catching up on my blog reading, when I came across a no-knead bread recipe on one of my new favorite blogs to visit, Hannah's blog, Honey and Jam. In the past I had seen many variations of this recipe circulating around the blogosphere...but I was too scared to try any of them. Even after working in a professional bakery, and learning quite a bit about the subject, bread-baking at home elusively remained on my to-do "someday" list.

Not any more my friends.



I HAVE MADE BREAD!

(Shouted a la Tom Hanks screaming "I have made fire!" in Castaway)

Not only have a made bread, but it's edible. More than edible, it's delicious! Just as Hannah's brother said, it tastes just like Panera bread.

NOTES: I halved the recipe, to save opening a new package of yeast, and honestly I probably did not have enough yeast. My two loaves were more like mini-boules. I raised the temperature from 450F to 475F, because my oven runs notoriously under temperature. However, since my loaves were so small, I ended up baking them for only 20 minutes, instead of the recommended 30-40. I would love to experiment with making larger loaves...I'm also wondering if these would bake up properly in a loaf pan. Hmm.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be tinkering with bread recipes for a long time to come!

Okay Nigella

I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Tonight I made my first ever batch of brownies from scratch. I used a recipe from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess, and boy do I feel like one! These little fat-bombs are so rich and delicious!

If you knew the quantity of butter and eggs in this, you would fall over.

Hell, I might fall over, I think my arteries are seizing.

I couldn't think of a happier way to go!

And I'm spent!

Last night I decided it would be a good idea to start baking cookies at 9:00PM.



I improvised some rosemary sea salted shortbreads. Not too shabby. Next time I would take more care to chop the rosemary so that it doesn't look like I've wedged a giant pot leaf in the cookie! Presentation-smation...I was in a hurry alright!?

Today I completely ran out of steam. There will be no 9:00PM cookie baking sessions today, I assure you. Instead, I'm cozied up in my yellow chair, dreaming of spring-time gardening. I think that a tower of herbs is in my near future:



And I convinced my husband to build something like this for me:



Fun, no? We have to come up with a few extra dollars to buy the materials, so we'll see if it actually happens. I'm feeling optimistic.

My mom is coming over on Saturday and we're planning on pouring over seed catalogues together. I haven't quite solidified my wishlist. I'll let you know what we come up with!

Phew...I'm way to sleepy to be witty today! Tell me, dear readers, are you planning your gardens yet? What is on your wishlist? Veggies? Flowers? Tell me all about it.

Storm brewin' outdoors...comfort cookin' indoors!

Whew! Heavy wet snow is coming down with a vengeance here today! My commute home took an hour and fifteen minutes instead of the usual thirty-five. I was one happy cookie when I got to my apartment!

I thought I would share a few of my latest kitchen endeavors with you. Last night for dinner I made root-veggie chocolate chili with honey cornbread on the side.



The chili recipe is from the February/March 2010 issue of BUST Magazine. They started a new cooking column a few months ago called Nickeled and Dimed touting the virtues of cheap and tasty meals. By their calculations, this chili recipe serves six people at $1.87 a serving AND it's vegetarian. I dig it.

The verdict from Mr. G+N?

It got the dreaded "It's okay."

What about the cornbread (which has a zillion fivestar ratings on All Recipes and melts in your mouth!)?

"It's a little...umm, bland."

Cue frowning Sarah. Someone needs to clue my husband in that sometimes honesty is not the best policy!!! I thought it was scrumptious. Oh well, I guess it's chili for lunch for me!

Tonight's dinner fared much better with the Mr.



Those ain't no Hot Pockets!

SIDEBAR: Are you all familiar with Jim Gaffigan's riff on Hot Pockets?



These are spinach feta pocket pies from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry, one of my new favorite cookbooks. This was a surprise hit with Matt, since he claims to not like feta. It only called for 1/4 cup of feta to fill ten pocket pies...so I prayed that he didn't notice, and he didn't! These little babies were time consuming, but delicious!



The great thing is that I have leftovers for another day!

Resolving to COOK

One of my resolutions this year is to cook more often, take out less. Finding a balance between work and home has been a bit of a challenge since I found myself in a nine to five job for the first time in, oh, six years, a few months ago. Home-cooking has slipped away in favor of convenience these past months, but that is not a habit that my health, conscience or wallet can sustain!



Matt gave me a 52 week meal planner by The Small Object for Christmas. (It does not appear to be in stock on the website). I am so excited to use it because a) I think it will hold me accountable to cook the food that I buy, creating less waste and b) I will be able to take a comprehensive look at what we ate during the year. I'm very excited about this last point, because I have been thinking how great it would be to keep track of what we ate for a year, then to use that record as a guide to what we should grow, preserve or buy in bulk for the following year. Also, it's a great way to keep track of recipes that were a success, and recipes that were one hit wonders.

I've already been cooking up many dishes this week. Here is what my first entry looks like:

Monday:

Dinner: Wheat pizza topped with olive oil, arugula, prosciutto and Monte Vernon cheese.

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Baked Farmgirl Fare's Cranberry Christmas Scones. I froze half for breakfast next week!

Dinner: Burgers with Baked Fries. If you try the baked fries, follow the comments and only set your oven to 400 F. Last night I coated mine in celery seeds, turmeric and garlic salt.

Wednesday:

Lunch: Turkey sandwich

Dinner: Ordered pizza - but for a good cause. My supervisor at worked got locked out of her office containing her keys, her phone, her husband's keys and their money. Their two children were at the studio, so I ordered pizza to provide dinner for every one. Luckily the locksmith arrived and saved the day, just as everyone's bellies were full.

Currently making Maple Butternut Squash Soup and Cheddar and Rosemary Scones, tweaked from the recipe here.

Thursday

Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup and Scones!

Dinner: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Arugula and Pistachios via Martha

Friday:

Dinner: Same pizza as Monday

Saturday:

Dinner: Swiss Chard Risotto with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

That's all I have so far, and I am excited! I think that this weeks menu is the perfect balance of old favorite and new goodies to try!

What about you, dear readers? Do you have any tried and true dinner stand-bys? Any new recipes you've been eyeing lately? Tell me all about it in the comments. Cheers!

Lil' Addiction

I hope that all of you are enjoying the random posts as of late. I've decided that in addition to blogging about crafting, cooking and dancing, that I want to try and capture more of the "little moments" here. I've been really inspired by my sister's blog snippets these days. So yes, that is how I am feeling these days. So here is a random factoid about me.

Factoid.

I have a little major addiction to eating sweetened condensed milk straight from the can. Maybe this isn't shocking coming from the girl who likes to do shots of maple syrup.



Thank goodness this is not an ingredient that is regularly stocked in my pantry. I bought a can to make filling for Christmas cookies, that never ended up being baked due to my insane bout of sickness. Nope, this jar's destiny is a trip to my tummy, one spoonful at a time.

When I was younger, my mom usually had a can in the fridge for recipes. She would poke two holes in the top to pour the syrupy goodness out. Little did she know that I would pour it out spoonful by spoonful when she wasn't home. Sorry, mom.

In other news, Style School starts in a few days and I have a) not done my homework and b) not purchased any supplies (lack of funds) Boy, am I a stellar student already! HA! Perhaps I shall dig into my homework tonight...

HOLY AWESOME

Walked out the door, on my way to work, this morning to find this on my door step:



:::Minus the tomatoes and carrots of course :::

HOLY AWESOME! It's a 23-quart Presto Pressure Canner. You can put 20 pint jars in this baby...it is HUGE! A small turkey could fit inside this thing easily. WOW. Such an awesome way to start my morning. This will allow me to dive deeper into the land of canning this year. So pumped!

Thanks, (I think), goes to my in-laws. Excellent second parents indeed.

Matt Approved Leftover Gnocchi with Sage Cream Sauce

This post is an entry to win Lucinda Scala-Quinn's new book Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys.

I am interrupting my regularly scheduled Advent postings to bring you a man-approved recipe that we enjoyed for dinner tonight. There are no pictures, because we ate it all too fast. It was that good. Plus as a bonus, my hubby Matt uttered the magical words...

You have to make this again. I love it!

You see, dear readers, cooking for my husband can be...well...a teensy bit frustrating. Growing up with a mom who cooks professionally, working at a cheese counter the summer after my senior year in high school and immersing myself in the local slow food movement, my appetite is pretty much open to anything. Matt is open to anything involving cheese and bacon.

Here are a few of Matt's "Food Rules"

1. Pasta is to be served with butter and salt. Red sauce is gross, unless it is on pizza.

2. Anything that is prepared hot, but served cold is disgusting. This excludes all potato and pasta salads from Matt's diet.

3. Salad is not a meal. Unless it has meat on it. Then it might suffice as a snack.

4. Fresh tomatoes are gross. Any variety. (Believe me I've tried!)

5. Soup is not a meal. Period.

6. Autumnal savory dishes that have hints of sweetness (my FAVORITE) are unacceptable, i.e. dishes involving squashes, pumpkins and apples.

7. Pie is messy - cake is preferable.

Finally, Matt's ultimate foodie sin, in my eyes

8. Log Cabin is better than real maple syrup. (Insert the sound of me screaming right...here.)

I could go on...see what I have to deal with? I truly write all of this out of love, and only to illustrate the importance of hearing the illusive phrase, "Make that again!"

I'll quit my bitchin' and get on to the recipe!

Matt Approved Leftover Gnocchi with Sage Cream Sauce

Inspired by this episode of Working Class Foodies

For the Gnocchi

2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
1/2 cup of leftover squash
2 eggs
Flour
Nutmeg

If your vegetables have been refrigerated, heat them up a bit, it will make your pasta dough a little more pliable.

1. Mash up your leftovers into a bowl. Crack open two eggs and mush them in.
2. Add a generous pinch of nutmeg.
3. Add flour until your dough is moist, but firm enough that you can handle it.
4. Divide dough into three lumps. On a floured surface, roll each lump into a long, skinny log. Cut into 3/4-1" pieces.
5. Plop your gnocchis into a pot of well salted boiling water. Gently stir a few times so that they do not stick. When they float to the top of the water, they are done.

For the Sage Cream Sauce

1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar
1/2-1 teaspoon of sage
Pepper

1. Over a low flame heat cream and cheese, until cheese melts. Stir to incorporate.
2. Season with sage and pepper to desired taste.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and enjoy! Makes two very generous servings.

Kale and Potato Soup with Chili

Well, hey Mom! What are we cooking today? I'm here to help.



Cassie decided that tonight was the perfect night for soup. In an effort to add a little more green vegetables to our diet, I bought The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with a gift certificate that I received on my birthday. The following is my favorite recipe thus far, tweaked to my liking.

Kale and Potato Soup with Red Chili based on Deborah Madison's recipe from The Greens Cookbook

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small dried red chili, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
4 red potatoes scrubbed and diced
7 cups water
crème fraîche

Rip the ruffled kale leaves off of their stems, into small pieces, roughly 2 inches square. Wash the leaves well and set them aside.



Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the onion, garlic, chili, bay leaf, salt and cook over medium low heat stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, plus a cup of the water. Stir together, cover and cook slowly for five minutes.



Add the kale, cover, and steam until it is wilted, stirring occasionally. Pour in the rest of the water, bring to a boil, then simmer slowly, covered, until the potatoes are quite soft, 40 minutes.

After simmering, purée a cup or two of the soup in a blender and return it to the pot.

I finished with a garnish of crème fraîche.



The results were so good. Creamy, healthful, with a slight aftertaste/feeling of warmth from the chili. A perfect soup for winter!
,

I'm Good Lookin' and I've Been Cookin'

I will be the first to admit, this whole 9-5 thing puts a bit of a damper on my normal domestic diva activities, especially cooking. And, dear friends, when I neglect to plan and cook, I fall prey to the the easy convenience of...

TAKE-OUT

DUN - DUN - DUUUUUUUN!



When I eat take out, my bank account sounds like this...



My favorite poison of choice is Panera Bread. I can not resist the tasty soups and salads and lemonade, and there is one right around the corner from where I work. It is evil!!!

I knew that I could do better, so it was back to the stove with me.

Yesterday I made a yellow dal, that was a bit lacking. It was my first attempt at Indian food, and I omitted some of the chilies to be kind to Matt's poor sore throat. This was a major mistake, yielding bland split peas over rice. My fault!

My lunch for the week was much more successful. I made maple roasted butternut squash soup.



This was wayyy tastier than anything Panera could've whipped up. The recipe Is from the Shelburne Farms Cookbook, and was a snap to put together.

Tonight I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and now my kitchen smells dreamy!

During lunch today, I poured over recipes while chatting with my co-worker E. Lately I've been inspired by an idea that I came across at the Progressive Pioneer's blog. Amy does a dinner co-op. Once a week she makes a meal large enough to feed all of the people in her co-op. They, in turn, do the same, and they all swap meals, to lighten their cooking load. I told E. about it, and she was game, so we are going to start a little dinner co-op of our own. We're just going to start with the two of us, and see how it goes. I'm excited!

Have you been making anything tasty in your kitchen lately? What are your favorite recipes?

You say it's your birthday...

BA-NA-NA-NA-DA-DA
It's my birthday too, yeah!
BA-NA-NA-NA-DA-DA
You say it's your birthday!
BA-NA-NA-NA-DA-DA
Happy birthday to you!
Yes we're gonna have a party-party
Well we had one three weeks ago...and I got a little busy, and moved and got a fancy job...
Yes we're gonna have a party-party
and I couldn't tell you about my party, so now I'm telling you about it even though it's three weeks later...

My birthday celebrations this year were all about three things: Thrifting, which I reported on a post or two ago, food, and my awesome friends and family.

Let's start with food shall we? My morning started like this:



Doesn't that look like a healthy, nutritious way to start your day? Mmm-mmm. Stonehouse Baking Company doughnuts are the freaking best.

After those tasties were scarfed down, my mum and I worked on a veritable birthday feast for my guests! Mom made guacomole and CRAB CAKE SLIDERS (I know - breathe fellow foodies - it's gonna be okay) on homemade slider biscuit buns. For the main event, I made steamers with clam chowder sauce from a recipe I found in a 2001/2 Martha Stewart Living.

Here are my steamers taking a bath:



There were vanilla cupcakes and honeydew melon mint pistachio popsicles for dessert, but strangely I have no pictures of those...

There were games,



and music,



and babies galore!









Friends,





and family.



the original geek+nerd





All in all, the party was awesome.

HURRAY!



Now I'm busy making year 27 great. Please bear with me as I dust the cobwebs of of my blog :)

Roasted Pepper and Spinach Pizza

Firstly, let me apologize in advance for the following post which will be devoid of pictures.

Secondly, let me tell you that the following post is devoid of pictures, because the recipe that I am about to share with you is SO DAMN GOOD we inhaled it before I could take any photographic evidence.

First off I made pizza dough following the Best Pizza Dough Ever Recipe at 101 Cookbooks, with one major exception. I substituted two cups of wheat flour in the dry ingredients. This will make your dough take considerably longer to rise, since the wheat flour is a little heavy. Just take your dough, plop it into a bowl, cover it with a cloth and leave it on the counter for a couple of hours. It will be fine.

Once you've rolled out your dough, this is what you'll need.

Ingredients

Olive Oil
A bit of marinara sauce
Baby Spinach
Roasted Bell Peppers (I used one yellow and one red)
About 6 ounces of Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Roll out your dough. Wait...we already did that part.

2. Spread a thin layer of olive oil onto your pizza. Add as much marinara as you want. I eye-balled it, since I was using leftovers.

3. Layer your toppings like so, baby spinach, roasted peppers (I roasted my own, 450 degrees with a little salt and pepper for 15ish minutes), grated cheddar and parmesan cheese.

4. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

5. Revel in the deliciousness that you have created.

The end!

Eating Out of the Pantry :: Breakfast Porridge

Gratuitously cute picture of Hobbes...



My mum started this thing in the beginning of January called "eating out of the pantry." (My dad accidently refers to it as "eating out of the cabinet" or even better "eating out of the closet" which we think is pretty hysterical). She decided that she was going to use up all of the stuff that was in her cabinets and try to keep her food budget down to $1 a day. She's managed to eat on $1.89 a day, which I think is fairly impressive

It's no secret on this blog that Mr. G+N and I have hit upon a pretty thorny financial patch these last few weeks. I've been trying very hard to follow my mum's lead. I tallied up my grocery receipts today and we've been eating for $2.61 a day. Not as thrifty as mum, yet, but I'm trying.

This morning, I thought if I ate another pan-fried egg that I was going to scream. I needed something different, something more luxurious. I desperately wanted an eclair from one of my favorite bakeries, Sweet Dreams. Alas, at $3.75 a pop, that was not in the cards, but I did find everything in my kitchen that I needed to make breakfast porridge.



This recipe was given to me by Lucy Tuttle, of Tuttle's Red Barn, and originally appeared in Cooking Light in the October 2007 issue. I've amended it here to be slightly less light by substituting whole milk for fat-free milk. Because, seriously now, what the hell is fat-free milk? Blech!

Multigrain Breakfast Porridge

4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries (hard winter wheat), rinsed
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup regular oats
3 tablespoons uncooked quick cooking grits
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1) Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

2) Stir in oats; simmer, uncovered, 12 minutes, stirring often. Stir in grits; simmer 5 minutes, stirring often.

3) Stir in milk and syrup; simmer 1 minute or until porridge thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve with walnuts.

My notes: This is not a quick breakfast recipe (see the simmering times above). However, it reheats beautifully. Make a batch on a day that you're free and enjoy it throughout the week. I'm planning on doing just that!

***

I'm glad that many of you approve of the vlog post. It was fun to do something different, and it's nice for when I'm too tired to deal with writing. To answer Sonya's question, you're correct. I just took the video with the camera in my Mac. Nothing fancy. I'll definitely do it again sometime!

I'm going to teach a dance class tonight at my old place of work. Insert ominous DUN DUN DAHHHHH! here. Some of you who have been reading for some time now (Flossy, Gemma, Diane, Nat, S'mee etc.) might be gasping at this development considering all of the heart ache and ridiculousness surrounding me leaving that job last June. Calling them up was not an easy phone call to make, but, I am absolutely desperate for money. I said, "I will teach ANYTHING you've got," so they are trying to help me out. It feels so weird, to be sure. However, I'm thanking my stars that I didn't burn that bridge when I left.

After that, I'm going to head over to the parentals' house for a little dinner, and maybe some knitting time with mummy. Oh! That reminds me!

HOLIDAY HANDMADE CRUSADERS :: Your deadline to posts ornaments on Flickr, Craftster or leave a comment here linking back to your finished item is MIDNIGHT TONIGHT! I mean TOMORROW, the 31st! If you have no idea what I'm talking about please refer to this post.

***

I'm going to bring back the "thankful" sign outs. Things have been pretty crappy lately, so I have to remind myself that even amidst the poop that there are good things in my life.

Today, I am thankful for Mr. G+N. As long as we've got each other we'll make it through. We always do. What are you thankful for today?

Local - It's just oh so good!

Thursday was such a lovely day off, and meandered along in the best of ways! My mum came over for our weekly crafting visit, and she surprised me with little samplings of cheese. She was on vacation last week, and drove up to Durham, Maine, with her boss, to check out Spring Day Creamery's offerings. My mom's boss, Lucy, is the owner's cousin. Food runs deep in that family!

Mum brought back a mini-spread that melted my cheese-snob heart!



From left to right we have a small wheel of brie, tomme and one of the best blues I've ever had in my life (and I am picky about my blue cheese)! She also brought back a cow's milk feta marinated in oil and herbs, not pictured here.

For you local foodies out there Spring Day Creamery does not currently have a website, but the owner, Sarah, may be contacted here:

Spring Day Creamery
Sarah Spring, Owner
42 Day Road, Durham, ME 04222
207-353-8289
springdaycreamery@me.com

After my mum left, I went on a little adventure to visit Jenness Farm to pick up a log of seaweed soap that I had ordered. It was a bit of a drive, but the trees were a beautiful sight to see as I drove along. Before I reached my destination I was lured into Emery Farm and picked up some cider and cider doughnuts there.

I got a little lost trying to get to Jenness Farm, but when I did get there it was a pleasant visit indeed! The owners have a beautiful farm house, and their cute goats make for a great welcoming committee. If you are local - you must make a visit to their store. It's open Wednesday through Sunday 10-6, and 10-6 everyday from Thanksgiving to Christmas. There shop is well stocked with soaps, shampoos, bath fizzes and beauty products of all sorts. They even carry goat's milk and fresh eggs! I couldn't stop at my soap order so I picked up a heavenly smelling French Vanilla soy candle. (As a side note for a quick peek at the benefits of soy candles vs. paraffin candles check out Soy vs. Paraffin). Also on a local note, the farm does a week-long open house festival the week after Thanksgiving. I'll post the details as the date approaches!

If you are not local Jenness Farm does ship their comprehensive offering of products via their website, it is definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

After that I called up my dad to see what he was up to, and headed over to my parents' house for dinner. My brother Mike and his girlfriend showed up and it was a regular little party!

Well - I must be off. I have many things to squeeze in today. Hopefully some cheesemaking (finally). Definitely some dressing up like a certain zombified celebrity...pictures to follow on that one I'm sure!

Today I'm thankful for downtime. We all need that don't we? What are you thankful for today?

Cheesemaking Class

Last night I took a cheesemaking class through Kittery Adult Education. (Check out the awesome variety of classes that they offer via the link if you're local)



We made mozzarella and ricotta, and we discussed how to make chevre, yogurt and the different uses for your leftover whey. For example, did you know that whey can make great pizza crust and English muffin bread? Or that it can be used as a soup base in place of stock?



My favorite part was kneading the mozzarella. When the curds are separated it feels a bit like you're trying to press bits of tofu together, and then magically it just comes together. Shiny and smooth and ready to be eaten!



We sampled the cheese that we made along with some chevre that one of the instructors brought in. It was all delicious - I definitely think I've caught the cheesemaking bug.

If you're interested in cheesemaking, I urge you to check the following links out. It's a very simple process, and a $25 investment in supplies, plus the cost of your milk, can make up to 30lbs of fresh mozzarella and ricotta. I'll be ordering from Ricki Carroll, of New England Cheesemaking, who was the "cheese queen" featured in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Many thanks (and hellos, if the two of you are reading this) go out to Debra and Lenore from Seacoast Eat Local for putting together a fun, informative class!

Online Resources

New England Cheesemaking

Leeners

Dairy Connection

Glengarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply

Lehman's

If you try out cheesemaking - let me know!

Today I'm thankful for having opportunity to learn a new skill. Everyday provides a new opportunity to learn, and that is such a gift! What are you thankful for today?

TRIUMPHANT CANNING!

Quick post today...

Triumphant canning!



This photo should be accompanied by brass horns and a ticker tape parade...I feel like canning is going to be a slippery slope towards addiction for me. Oh well, there are much worse things to be addicted to, right?!

I'm off to bake my bum off in a bit, and after work I'm going to try and catch Enormous Tiny Art Show 4 at Nahcotta with Abby.

See you tomorrow!

My First Canning Adventure

Well, you might have noticed from one of my previous posts that I had an overwhelming amount of produce gifted to me for my birthday party. Wasting food is a huge pet peeve of mine. I've frozen tons of food in the past, but I've been wanting to try other preservation methods for quite awhile. I figured that now was a better time than any to foray into the world of canning.

You'd better believe that I called in back up support for this one! My awesome mom came over (after a long day's work - she's a gem), helped out, and lent her canning expertise.

Stirring away



All of the recipes that I used can be found at Pick Your Own. The site has an overwhelming amount of information on food preservation and is also home to a comprehensive data base of PYO farms all over the world. It's a wonderful resource.

And now for a little foodie pr0n (scrambled so icky traffic doesn't come my way)

Naked Tomatoes



Naked Peaches



Don't those peaches look so shiny and delicious without their skins? I got three pint jars out of that bunch, packed in syrup. The tomatoes became four pints of home made spaghetti sauce. The whole experience was way easier than I expected it to be! I can't wait to do more! Next up I think that I'll be trying some refrigerator pickles and corn relish.

I'll leave you today with a few links to things that are rockin' my universe:

More graygoosie love...have you seen her Making Groceries and Home Canning Set? She's a domestic G.O.D.D.E.S.S! I was so inspired by her that I started my own Flickr set today, named after hers. Go graygoosie!

Amy put up the latest Tie On One Apron Gallery today. This month's theme was "gingham." I'm crushing hardcore on this apron. Those pleats are unreal! Go check it out.

Today I'm grateful for a delightful day off, both productive and restful. I'm grateful for blueberries doused in leftover peach syrup, YUM. I'm grateful for my mum, who teaches me so much. What are you grateful for today?

Sarahpalooza 2008

Well my friends and family certainly took the "local" theme to great heights! Check out all of this gorgeous gifted produce!



Beans, potatoes, peaches, apples, blueberries, tomatoes...



Tomatoes, tomatoes and corn, corn and more corn! I think that some food preservation is in my near future! Note to self: I need a larger freezer.

The party was just awesome. It ambled along for eight hours! Just as I thought that it was all over and every one was about to depart, another wave of friends and family would arrive and the festivities would last a little longer. Just wonderful.

Simple gifts of food, homemade and handmade goodness kept a smile on my face.

Just look at the beautiful gazpacho that Miss Abby brought. Don't you just want to dive into that jar? She also make molasses sponge candy for me. Molasses sponge candy?! On top of being a domestic goddess Abby is the in the midst of preparing for a cross Atlantic move. I'm convinced that she never sleeps!



We had so much fun that I took very few pictures. These are a just few of the wonderful people in attendance.





This gift was a concoction of three of my smallest little buddies there. C., A., and M. who are 3,5 and 7 respectively. It's a multifunctional accessory piece. A ring, or in this case a hat. (They hand pumped the balloons themselves with a bicycle pump - so sweet)!



The look on my face pretty much sums up the day.

Joy.

Today I'm thankful for every one that stopped by my house yesterday, ate some food and shared their time with me. I'm grateful for the yummy muffins that I got to bring home from work. I'm grateful for a very full refrigerator! What are you grateful for today?