whatchabuildin

winter grub

This is that time of year where I long for the fresh veggies from my summer garden, and all I'm seeing around here are these potatoes (sweet and white) cabbage, kale, carrots... all good stuff, but wouldn't it be great to make a batch of fresh-from-the-garden Bruschetta? Well, unfortunately that will have to wait. Darn.

I have been experimenting though, using what I have around here, and came up with this recipe, and I have to say, it's pretty good!

 

Cauliflower Spinach Dijon

1 head of Cauliflower

1 bunch of fresh spinach, washed

3 TBS Olive Oil + 1 TBS for pan

2 TBS Country Style Dijon Mustard

1 clove of garlic, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

Cut cauliflower into small florets, cook until done. Place in a large pan, add 1 TBS olive oil and crushed garlic. Saute for about one minute, stirring and chopping the cauliflower into smaller pieces.

In separate bowl whisk together the 3 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS country style dijon.   *Don't use the regular dijon, only the country style!

Pour over the cauliflower in the pan and stir in. Add the spinach on top and cover. Let simmer until the spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes.

Serve with a salad and rolls for a main dish, or as a side dish. Yum! Bring on the winter veggies!
 

attachments

Where does the time go? Please, if anyone knows I'd appreciate you telling me! I was so determined to post every few days, but it has been over a week!

I have bags of apples everywhere here, and I am putting them up as fast as I can! To help me do this I use my, oh so faithful, Kitchen-Aid mixer and attachments! I'm sure many of you have the mixer, they are ubiquitous now, but when I received this as a high school graduation gift in....(drumroll please) 1983! I felt like one of the few who was so lucky to have such a wonderful device. I have really used it so much over the years, I don't know what I'd do without it, especially the attachments.

This is the "Fruit and Vegetable Strainer" attachment. It makes the smoothest applesauce. I've also used it when putting away squash for the winter. I cook the squash, then cut it up in smaller pieces, and put it though the vegetable strainer. It comes out very smooth and no "stringy fings" (things) says that four year old boy of mine! 

 

After I use the "apple corer, peeler and slicer" sometimes some of the core pieces, skin or seeds get into the sauce, and is a real pain to get out unless you use a hand crank food mill or sieve. Using this saves time, and a sore arm from turning a crank for hours!

Anyways, after I run the apples through the corer, peeler and slicer, I cook the apples for about 10 minutes until they are a little soft. Then I put them through the food strainer. After this I put the pot back on the stove and add cinnamon, and gently cook it for about 30 minutes, until it is thicker. Pour into jars, lids on top, then in to the freezer. If I have time I will can it, but this year it was about speed. You know what I mean?

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Unrelated News:

1) my first shop update in a very long time will be tomorrow, noon. Stay tuned for a few Christmas gift goodies.

2) I think I really need this "Joy" necklace

3) This little boy here is my real attachment... *sigh*

 

spooky treats

Today we spent the day preparing for Halloween. As usual, my little helper spearheaded each project we did.

:: Ginger cats, bats and owls. I used a regular gingerbread cookie recipe, and we cut them into scary Halloween shapes.

...Oh yeah, made a loaf of Banana Bread too! That recipe later.

:: Silly pumpkin head. This was a free download over at Angry Chicken, so much fun!

:: Yummy "gourmet" pumpkin seeds. At least I think they're gourmet, nobody else in the house likes them. But I'm OK with that, more for me! 

-wash seeds and place in bowl. Drizzle olive oil over them, about 2 TBS. 

-spread onto a baking sheet.

-sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

-Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then change temp. to 300 degrees for another 15 minutes or until golden, and crunchy. So very addictive!

:: And finally at the end of the day, the pumpkin!

If you look close, you can see that Colin signs our "names" to the pumpkin. You'll notice my name is "Mom", he said that's my "other" name. Cracks me up! 

Hope your having a spooky start to your week! 

lately...

Yesterday morning we started the day by making these incredibly yummy muffins. I got the recipe over at Angry Chicken. We have been making these for quite some time now - and I believe my little guy and I have decided this is our favorite muffin recipe. There is something about the pumpkin and chocolate together that makes me want to, literally, eat the whole batch-seriously! Oh, such goodness!  But, there is one more person in this household, and they decided that the recipe is better without the chocolate, go figure! So, because it was still early, and I am still trying to stay off coffee, which means I'm a little groggier than usual, I took the picture of the non-chocolate ones instead of the incredible chocolate ones - duh.

Anyway, don't take my word for it, try these yourself! I changed it slightly by using 3 eggs instead of 2 eggs and 2 egg whites, and they turn out just fine.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cups apple sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can (15oz) pumpkin
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flours, spices, and all the other dry stuff together. In a different bowl mix the eggs, oil, applesauce and pumpkin. Add the dry stuff- to the wet,then stir in the chocolate chips. Bake 20 min. 

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On the crafting front, we are loving Amanda's new book! Over the weekend we made these paper mache bowls. We still have to paint and decorate them, but what a fun project! 

 

These bowls are the beginnings of a Christmas project we are working on for family and friends. I'll post later showing how we are finishing up these cute gifts!

Lastly, there is a really great giveaway over at GardenMama's blog! You can win five beautiful handcrafted toys from Down In the Meadow  and a beautiful autumn garland. Oh, I just love the mushroom, and the sweet Hedgie... and the adorable owl...Oh, I just love them all! Hop over there and check them out! 

for the weekend

Autumn is definitely here around these parts. This is that time of year I love to make soups, stews and chili. I think this is going on the stovetop this weekend. It's a really easy recipe even though there are a lot of ingredients in it. It's well worth the time it takes to make it. It makes a huge amount (thus the name) so par for the course, I freeze leftovers for another day. 

 

This comes from the "Silver Palate Cook Book". A book that has been in this household for a long, long time, and the recipes are well loved by all.

So, shall we start? The weekend is here and we all need some "soul food"!

FIrst, you need a little helper...

 

Oh, "hi" little helper!Is that a yummy and nutritious snack you are eating? Of course it is, your mommy only gives you healthy snacks. Nothing like chocolate, or...chocolate, or cake with buttercream frosting, or...nevermind. No, nothing like that, right little helper? Yeah, I though so.

 

Anyway. Here's the recipe the way I do it (with a little help!) It is different than the book, but that's the way I do things around here!I follow recipes, sorta.

Here we go.

Chili for a Crowd

1/2 c. best-quality olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. onions, coarsely chopped

2 lbs. ground pork

4 lbs. ground chuck

2 cans, 12 ounces each, tomato paste

3 TBS minced fresh garlic 

2 tsp. cumin seeds, or powder

3-4 TBS Chili powder

1/2 c. dijon-style mustard

4 TBS salt

4 TBS dried basil

4 TBS dried oregano

6 lbs canned Italian Plum tomatoes,drained

1/2 c. Burgundy, or any other red wine works

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

3 can, or 6 cups black beans ( I actually use 1/2 black beans, and 1/2 pinto beans)

4 cans, 5 1/2 oz. each pitted olives, drained and chopped.

1) Heat olive oil in a very large soup kettle. Add onions and cook over low heat, covered until tender, about ten minutes.

2) Put meats into the kettle an cook over medium-high heat, stirring often until meats are well browned. Spoon out as much fat as possible.

3) Over low heat stir in tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, salt, basil and oregano.

4) Add drained tomatoes, wine,lemon juice, dill, parsley, and drained beans. Stir well and simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes.

5) Taste to adjust seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. Add the olives. Serves 35 to 40 people.

-I also add cheddar cheese and sour cream, and that my friends is totally yum!

a good morning

Ah, the weekend. It was been so busy around here lately. It's the end of summer season rush to eek out the last beautiful days of summer before the autumn season begins. Last weekend we went to the woods for camping. Oh, so much fun, relaxing and gorgeous weather made it an epic weekend!

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Now. This weekend is here, and we are back to our regular routine. On the weekends, I like to make pancakes or french toast then relax over the meal, talking about our busy week we had. This pancake recipe I've been using for a while now and is very well received around here. This morning we cut up some fresh picked peaches and put them on the pancakes, then of course poured that wonderful Vermont maple syrup on top. Heaven. That's all I can say about that. Oh, and...yum.

Four-Grain Flapjacks

Prepare and preheat your griddle

Whisk together into large bowl:

1 c. whole-wheat flour

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cornmeal, preferably stone ground

1/4 c. old-fashioned oats (or quick-cooking rolled oats is fine)

2 TBS. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whisk together into another bowl:

1 3/4 c. milk

4 TBS. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/4 c. honey

3 large eggs

:: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. Spoon 1/4 c. batter onto the griddle for each.

This makes a huge batch of pancakes. They freeze very well, and I do that a lot. Place wax paper between the pancakes and store in an air tight freezer container. It is so nice on a busy morning to be able to take some pancakes out of the freezer, heat them up and have a great breakfast before I start the day. These are great for snacking too. They are quite tasty alone or I also top with applesauce, or yogurt. Enjoy!

Unrelated: 

I will be posting later today, showing some more dolls that I have been making lately - they are so cute!

Happy Saturday! 

left overs

Sometimes during the week, when things get hectic, we do leftovers for dinner. Actually, sometimes it is more than "sometimes", it's every night, sometimes! But that's another story! (I think that's too many "sometimes" in one paragraph... need coffee!)

Anyhoo! A few nights ago I made a frittata out of left over angel hair pasta, fresh spinach, onion, cheddar cheese and eggs. We had a simple salad with it, and there you go, dinner. 

Oh, the "leftover" part was the angel hair pasta. Do you ever look at a box of pasta and say to yourself, "I think I need to add a little more, it doesn't look like enough for all of us." By all of us I mean, two adults and a 4 year old picky eater. So I put a little bunch more in the boiling water, and suddenly I see the need to feed all creation! Then of course I don't want to waste it, so I put it in the frig and it sits there in one clump waiting, and waiting for me to do something with it. I like the frittata idea because I can usually use up all the left over pasta, but I have used it is soups, and also added it to veggies that have been grilled or just fried in a pan with some garlic and olive oil. Yum.

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I am still going through projects that I have been working on in the past several months. Here is another fun thing I did for my little guys fourth birthday. These are gift bags that I made for his friends at the birthday party. They were quite a hit, mostly with the moms!

Have a lovely weekend!

more making

For Mother's Day my little boy (with those yummy toes :)) and me made these bookmarks for each mom. We got the great idea from Amanda, and can't wait until her new book comes out to try more ideas!

This is a great thing if you are short on time. I make my batch of cookie dough, and instead of baking them all at once, I shape the raw cookie dough on the cookie sheets and place them in the freezer. Press the dough down a little so they are flat discs. Place them really close to save space on the sheet. When they are completely frozen, I slide them into a freezer container. This way I can take just a few out for us to eat, or when we have company I can have fresh baked cookies for them. I bake them at 350 for 15 minutes and they come out just perfect! This also saves me from "knowing" that they are in the cookie jar, and going to get one...oh say, every five minutes! Just watching out for the waist line!

 

 

tomato junk

Wow! The days are flying by here. Where did the summer go? Labor Day is just around the corner and harvest season is starting. I love this time of year. The abundance of everything. Vegetables, fruit, smells, sounds, sights. Farmers Markets are chock full of the best of the best. County Fairs, bike rides, camping, swimming, running, playing...pack it all in before the crisp autumn days start. Here in Vermont, we are already experiencing the cool, very cool, August mornings. Thick dew on the cars and grass, foggy and damp. The days still sing "summer", busy and always fun. 

Within all this last minute, pack it all in before summer goes craziness, I am making Tomato Junk. Yes, you read that correctly, Tomato Junk. It is another one of my fast and easy recipes that you are rewarded months from now, deep under winter's blanket, while making Chili for a crowd. The recipe comes from the book,"Stocking Up". It is one of my favorite "putting food up" books. It has a lot of recipes for canning and freezing, and great recipes to make food gifts, now, for the holidays. My copy is well worn with notes and splatters from my kitchen creations. Here's the recipe.

Tomato Junk (to freeze)

8 quarts tomatoes, quartered. I use a mix of plum and regular tomatoes

3 large onions, chopped

3 large green peppers, chopped

12 cloves of garlic

4 hot chili peppers (optional)

3 stalks of celery, chopped

Blend all in the food processor. Pour into a large stainless steel pot and cook for 45 minutes. Let cool, then freeze.

This recipe easily doubles or triples. And, true to my character, I don't follow this recipe exactly all the time. Sometimes I add some yellow and orange sweet peppers, basil, oregano. I experiment. When I thaw the Tomato Junk in the winter, I usually add some tomato paste to thicken it for sauce. It works great for chilis, soups and stews.

Have fun!

right now

Wow. Where have I been? It seems since I came back from my mini vacation, I have been on the go! Do this, do that ... catch up with laundry, gardening, baking, playing with the little guy, more laundry...and more laundry! It's always like this isn't it? Life. I remind myself daily to slow down, Watch. Listen. Breath. Lay in the grass and feel the warmth of summer around me.

Take a walk. Notice colors, textures, sounds. Just be.

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This week, midst this craziness, I am making a small batch of Current Jelly. I have two beautiful bushes that produce plump, juicy currents. I use current jelly on my toast and English muffins and rolled into crepes. It is also great on chicken or pork. Take a few tablespoons and spread it on top the meat before baking and you will have an easy, elegant dish to serve with a fresh salad and maybe some corn-on-the-cob. Yum.

Have a great rest of the week and remember to breath.