Something new in the kitchen

Doesn't the new year just scream.......TRY SOMETHING NEW FOR A CHANGE!! Well , no problem here. Just ask my family and they will tell you, I am forever trying something new. At least in the kitchen and in my craft room .Everything always sounds so tasty .....so fresh, so OMG I have to try this.

So, while reading my Yankee Magazine,I was drawn to this recipe for Concord Brown-Bread Muffins. The memories of my memere's brown bread that accompanied our weekend serving of bean's came flooding back and I felt this might be a nice treat.Although meals on the farm were never boring,we had a certain amount of repetition that added comfort to our routine.Saturday 's bean supper was one of those things.Most shopping was done Saturday morning and when we got home a hot pot of beans was slowly coming to Canadian bliss in the oven.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Butter muffin tins.They claimed this would make 12 muffins and I did follow their directions BUT, with such dense flours being used I think dividing the batter into 6 tins will be my choice next time.First CHOP 1/3 CUP CANDIED GINGER AND SET ASIDE

  In a bowl combine: 2/3 CUP OF CORNMEAL
                                              1/2 CUP WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
                                               1/2 CUP RYE FLOUR
                                                3/4 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
                                                1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
                                                 1/2 TEASPOON TABLE SALT
                                 
In a smaller bowl whisk together:1CUP BUTTERMILK
                                                   1/4 CUP VEGETABLE OIL
                                                    1/3 CUP DARK MOLASSES
                                                     1 LARGE EGG
Add liquid to flour and mix till just blended.Didn't dirty my mixer for this one.A spatula was enough.Stir candied ginger into batter reserving a little for the tops. Divide batter into buttered muffin tins. No paper needed Bake 10 minutes NOW SPRINKLE REMAINING GINGER ON TOP OF BREAD/MUFFINS and continue to bake 10-12 minutes.

I'm eyeing my memere's bean pot. These might just be the thing to bring back an old tradition.
                                                              "said the hobbit."

POUTINE TWICE BAKED POTATO.......YUM!

While looking for something a little different to tantalize the taste buds I came upon this recipe in the February edition of Food and Wine.OMG....... I think I just found a family favorite.I can't really call them super easy but, I was able to make a batch and stick them in the freezer before the last bake.

Bake 6 potatoes till tender .......when cool enough to handle, empty out the shells and rice the potato. I didn't have a ricer so I just gave them a good mashing.
MIX TOGETHER:
          6 TBLS OF BUTTER
          1 CUP OF WARM MILK
           1/2 CUP OF SOUR CREAM
           3 OZ GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
           1 TBLS OF DIJON MUSTARD
           1/2 CUP THINLY SLICED CHIVES
And add to mashed potato. Fill your potato shells and make a deep indentation in the potato.Fill this with gravy.

You can use your favorite gravy recipe or use the following
2 TBLS BUTTER
melt butter and add
2 TBLS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
cook till golden brown,add
2 CUPS CHICKEN STOCK
1 TBLS VEAL DEMIGLACE
1/2 TEAS EACH CHOPPED SAGE AND THYME
cook till thickened........about 15 min
 This can be made up to 3 days ahead...Stir in
1 TBLS LEMON JUICE
1 TBLS HEAVY CREAM
 Right about now, it's looking pretty good,but, don't stop there.

 Top the gravy with diced cooked bacon..................

 top that with grated Mozzarella.then bake at 350 degrees for about 30 min.

When ready to serve add a dollop of sour cream and fried potato skins that you have saved when you cut the top of the baked potato to empty.Serve with a salad and I assure you it will satisfy any hungry man.
While the potato was baking I cut the skins in bite size pieces and fried them up in a little oil using a heavy skillet........sprinkling them with a little sea salt gave them just the right seasoning. I just stuck them all over the top of the potato and my husband was in awe of homemade potato chips.We put 3 in the freezer to have later...............Is it later  yet?...................said the Hobbit

How do you start the day?

Finally February is over and out. This is the time of year that I get really motivated. The most dreary part is over,and my mind can start planning and dreaming of what comes next. Gardening, fun in the sun, discovering new local people and places, spring cleaning. Well, maybe not so much with the cleaning but, I do manage to tweek at least one area in my home that will help me improve my gardening skills and crafts.It's also when I seem to pay the closest attention to breakfast. With all these plans running around in my head I don't want to run out of gas.

So, this is what gives me the best start for my day. Today I started with several tablespoons of my Apple Spice Butter. I absolutely feel in love with fruit butters this year and since they contain very little sugar they must be healthy.....right. Then I top the butter with Greek Yogurt

Cover it all with a generous handful of my homemade granola.This batch used up the last of my dehydrated apples. Then, I drizzle it all with local honey. Definitely a great way to start the day. What gives you the best start to the day?.............said the hobbit

More attempts at candy

So happy I didn't attempt this before the holidays........I found this recipe HERE

I thought ............how hard can it be to make jelly drops? I got my ingredients together. 

4 SHEETS OR ENVELOPES OF GELATIN

2 CUPS SUGAR

1/2 CUP WATER

JUICE OF A LEMON

 ZEST OF AN ORANGE

2 DROPS YELLOW FOOD COLORING

Sheets of gelatin weren't available at my grocers so I got the envelopes. These had to be bloomed in 1/2 cup water Now this could have be my FIRST mistake. Was this an additional 1/2 cup water? Or was I to use the 1/2 cup in the recipe? After deciding to play it by ear and see if more liquid was needed as I went along I bloomed the gelatin and found it to look like a white hockey puck............pretty solid .

While that was going on I choose a bright orange to zest. This was for color so I found the prettiest one at the market.

Zested away ..............

Stopped for a healthy snack



brought my sugar and additional 1/2 cup water to a boil...added my gelatin and continued to cook an additional 15 minutes ....stirring constantly as suggested.When thickened I added the zest  and lemon juice,poured it into the parchment lined pan and waited for it to cool.Hers was a beautiful shade of yellow.........looking more like gold then the deep dark amber color I got...............where did I go wrong?

She mentioned several times her need for perfection in making these for giving and although I too feel that need...............

A good coating of 10x sugar and a pat on the back for going where I had never gone before quickly erased any self thrashing I might have attempted. So......not very pretty but, 

darn tasty and that's why I like being in the kitchen by myself ...........said the hobbit

Still looking in the pantry

Well it's still January so I'm poking around looking for new ways to be frugal and the pantry is my favorite place to make it happen.We will not talk about the yarn and fabric,tucked away in bins. January will be dedicated to "THE PANTRY"
I have a cookie recipe that calls for brittle and strange as it may seem, I can't always find SKOR brittle bars at my grocers.While lamenting my tale of woe to my daughter Sarah, she decided to find a recipe for me and within a very short time I received THIS recipe. I have no problem attempting most recipes but, candy??? This is out of my comfort zone.

The ingredients were simple enough
  2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
5 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon vanilla
chocolate 
nuts                               I think the secret here is to make this in an iron skillet. She simple says to melt the butter sugar and water till the bubbles start coming up caramel color. So I did ......stirring constantly. Once it started to bubble I watched closely, trying to get just the right color of golden caramel. This took about 10 minutes. I wasn't sure that the chips were going to melt as she said, so, I put a little sample on parchment paper to see if it was for real.......touch of the doubting Thomas,

All looked fine so I proceeded to put my toffee on the parchment ........sprinkle with chopped pecans.I used about a cup. Seemed a bit heavy,,,,,,more like nut frosting than nut sprinkling.Then a
quick covering  with the chocolate chips, gently swirling in order to melt my chocolate in an even layer.

Of course this created a lovely tasting sampler on my spoon that I nibbled at while waiting for my masterpiece to harden. But, you know how it is......a watched pot never boils. It took about 1 hour to firm completely .......fortunately I have a marble slab that helped in the chilling process.

It was pretty easy to break into bit size pieces and I have to admit, this is a winner.

I think I'll be doing this again,but,for now I kind of like just looking at it on the shelf........said the hobbit.

quiet cooking

Now that the holidays are over ............my brain is starting to function at a more normal level. Time to do the little things that make our household slow and mellow.

Something we like to have on hand in the pantry are homemade croutons. I KNOW doesn't sound very exciting but,  SO better than store bought and easy peezy to make. These 2 little breads were just the right size to make a batch.I just slice and dice them .Although most recipes will tell you to remove the crust.......it seems like such a waste and my family has yet to complain.

In a large bowl I mix Extra Virgin Olive oil about 1/2 cup 2 teaspoons of a favorite herb. This time it was an Italian mix, a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss the breadcrumbs in this till somewhat covered trying to get all the oil worked in.After it looks like the bowl has no dressing left....

I place the breadcrumbs on a parchment covered cookie sheet and sprinkle with a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I'm sure you could  use cheddar or some other hard cheese of your choice.

Now preheat your oven to 395 degrees and bake for about 15 min . Toss them up a bit and back in the oven for about 10 min.If your bread is very dry to begin with you might need to watch the last few minutes a little closer to avoid getting too dark.

When cooled you will have a tasty crouton great for soup or salad or just to nibble on.They keep forever in a storage bag on the pantry shelf.An added benefit is your house will smell like you have been making some really intense cooking but, ..............we all know this will only take a few minutes from start to finish. Now get back to the couch and do a little  reading...........or take a nap.............said the hobbit

YES, I can,can.And YOU?

HAVE YOU EVER PRESERVED PINEAPPLES?  I know, it's not local to New England, but, when I saw the overflow of pineapples in my market this spring I couldn't resist.

From the pantry ..........Cinnamon Raisin and Applesauce Bread.

I keep trying to get back to this blog but, 2013 is busy, full of changes, and crazy weather patterns that are turning my world like a top.Could I possibly have too much I my plate? That is something I will NEVER admit to. So having all this spare time on my hands I decided to try a few new breads. I got this one from a blog call NEVER HOMEMAKER Always on the lookout for something a little more healthy and natural this bread seemed to have it all.

One reason for giving this bread a try was the ingredient flax seed. When I worked at "the barn" we had quite a few customers that were extremely knowledgeable in nutrients  and flax seed was touted as the best protection to guard against several cancers.Click HERE if you would like a little more info.Most important when using flax is to crush with a mortar and pestle and soak for at least 15 min before using in any recipe.It seems the shell is so tough that it will pass through your system before you could get any benefits so do the best you can to break as many of those shells as possible.



Kosher salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil  also known as EVOO in this house is a good thing so being in this bread was a plus. White and wheat flour ? I'm hearing crunchy granola in my head. Can I take all this good stuff.

Raisins and cinnamon and homemade applesauce with NO extra sugar added..........how healthy is that? I have to say .......I take my hat off to all you homemakers out there who are able to keep up with bread making as a regular chore in their daily lives. The bread was tasty ,looked great, and was enjoyed by all. 

However I just can't seem to find the time to do bread on a regular basis. Fortunately this recipe made 2 loaves so.......hiding one in the freezer will give the impression that I made it again. SHHHH. This will be our secret ..............said the hobbit

RECIPE FOR CINNAMON RAISIN AND APPLESAUCE BREAD

 2 1/4 TEASPOON ACTIVE DRY YEAST
1/2 CUP WARM WATER
1 1/2 CUPS APPLESAUCE
3 CUPS WHITE FLOUR
3 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
1/2 CUP OLIVE OIL
2 TBLS FLAX GROUND AND SOAKED IN 1/2 CUP HOT WATER
2 TEASPOONS COARSE SALT
1 CUP OF RAISINS
 2 TEASPOONS CINNAMON.

Soak the flax..........then make the applesauce using 4 apples peeled and cored and simmered in an inch of water. Should take about 10 to 20 minutes.
In bowl of your mixer combine the yeast and warm water.allow to get frothy.
Mix cooled applesauce into yeast all to sit 4 to 5 min.
Add the sifted flours, salt, flax with water,EVOO, mix till combined and pulls away from the side of the bowl
Turn onto a flour board and shape into a rectangle. MAKE  2 RECTANGLES if you want 2 loaves.Sprinkle   with the cinnamon and raisins and keep folding till combined. Place in loaves cover and allow to rise 2 hours.
Bake at 410 degrees 30 to 35 minutes or till golden brown.Cool before slicing.

Marching on with my RESOLUTION !!

So many recipes marked for "must try" What was I thinking !!So this year I have resolved to go through the list and make or eliminate. Here we have a recipe that should go in the make if you plan on feeding an  army recipe...........Appears to be just the right size for a family of four however when I finished baking I could have passed it door to door and, still have leftovers.

I dutifully buttered my 9x9 pan............seems like a small cake. Then I was told to line the pan with parchment paper leaving a 2 inch overhang on all size. Seemed like a waste of butter but, when making a recipe for the first time I think it should be followed as close to the letter as possible.

Then I sifted  2 3/4 CUPS OF FLOUR      
                     2 3/4 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
                     1 1/2 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON
                     1 TEASPOON FINE SALT
IN A BOWL BEAT
1 1/2  OF BUTTER
1 1/2 CUPS BROWN SUGAR
till fluffy add
3 EGGS 1 AT A TIME AND
1 1/2 TEASPOONS OF VANILLA

I actually beat my eggs and added them all at once.

Once the mix looked fluffy enough I added
THE FLOUR MIX
1 1/4 CUPS OF UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE
Beginning and ended with the flour.

Then I put it all in my 9x9 pan and placed
2 CORED PEELED AND THINLY SLICED GRANNY SMITH APPLES ON THE TOP
Into the oven it went at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or till a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it. I found those instructions a bit over the edge but......it's a Martha recipe and she tends to be extremely precise with her details. I think she is an amazing women but, I won't be walking in her shoes anytime soon.As Popeye would say "I am who I am"
But wait it's not over yet.........

While cake is cooking boil down
1 1/4 CUP APPLE CIDER
1/4 CUP BROWN SUGAR
Till about 50% evaporated.
Leave cake in pan to cool and after about 20 minutes brush this glaze on the cake allowing it to seep into the cake I have to confess it may have been 45 min before I got back to the cake. It looked marvelous when completed......all shiny and screaming "IT'S FALL........LET'S CELEBRATE"  They say this has 9 servings but, really we probably had 3 slices to there 1. It was extremely dense and several of those servings were accompanied with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  MMMMM

ALAS,no matter witch way you look at it, this recipe will not be repeated for everyday eating. Since everyone seems to be watching there diets so closely around here I thought that 525 CALORIES,17 g OF FAT,6 g OF PROTEIN 88 g OF CARBS AND 2 LONELY g OF FIBER  PER SERVING was something we could probably do without. That and the fact that it took most of the day to make however, in it's defense sharing with my community 

made a lot of people very happy.........................said the hobbit

It's Sunday....What's Happening

First a big breakfast of local and homemade. Sun is shining so, who wants to stay in today.

 Can't work in the garden...............It snowed again.

Daughter Sarah is doing a final performance of CHORUS LINE and we will be in attendance.

Should be a great day!!

Resolutions!!

 Did you make any resolutions this year? Well I made a few ........nothing earthshattering but, little things about me  that need improvement.It's been almost 3 months and I think Im starting to get a handle on some of my commitments.The computer has created a monster list of things I want to bake/make/knit/sew you get my drift?If I would live to be 1000 years old and did something new every week........I still can't imagine that I would finish this to do list.So I decided to try and actually make one new item per week,if possible and delete one that I will probably never get to in a million years.

 So far I feel pretty good about this. I can't even remember some of the recipes I have deleted and I don't feel guilty at all.These however will remain a favorite and frequent treat in the cookie jar.

My family is pretty fond of lemon and the minute I saw these I knew I had to try them at least once.This is one of MARTHA'S  recipes and you can find it HERE I followed the recipe most of the way. She has store bought  lemon curd as a filling  and I just couldn't bring myself to buy that. Come on ,making it is far better than anything you can buy,If you have a double boiler here is your chance to use it. I don't so, I did the bowl in a pan thing. In the bowl place 3 EGGS ,1 CUP OF SUGAR,1/3 CUP LEMON JUICE.  I used meyer lemons . That's one of the reasons I chose to make these. Really who can pass up Meyer's this time of year??OK ,back to the recipe.  With your water boiling wisk the ingredients in your bowl till they start to thicken. This took about 7 minutes for me.Remove from the heat and stir in 3 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER and 2 TEASPOONS LEMON ZEST(OPTIONAL) into your curd.It's best if you cut the butter into smaller pieces.Cool and refridgerate for up to 3 weeks. Let me know if yours last that long.

Seems things disappear when you're not looking. Does that happen in your house?........asked the hobbit

IT'S SUNDAY...........WHAT'S HAPPENING

Well after all that hard work of making bread last week, we decided today would be a day of rest, so we are sitting back and enjoying our hard work..........peach marmalade from the pantry and homemade multigrain bread from the freezer.

A few weeks ago we had a family brunch .............such fun! So we are in the process of planning another for Easter Sunday.Obviously the little ones had a great time.

Let's see if we can tucker them out again. Thinking of having an egg hunt.
That should keep them busy..................said the hobbit

EATING FROM THE PANTRY

Lots of my cooking results from checking out the pantry and deciding that something needs to be made use of before it goes to waste. This weekend bread was on the list.I had been making my own bread for quite some time and then fell into the habit of picking up a loaf from a local baker, but, lately it just hasn't been as tasty as it should. So I looked in my pantry.........found some rye flour and used that as my starting point. I have a huge collections of Martha Stewart Living magazines that I'm not quite ready to part with,because ,after all, I just might need some of her valuable information. Well sure enough January edition 2008 had the perfect recipe for an ARTISINAL MULTIGRAIN BOULE

This recipe is very hands on and instructions are detailed as to how to handle the dough right down to how to flip the dough end over end...........sorry Martha, not willing to use a peel to take the sticky dough off my hands.I used my trusty bucket.You have to do what's right for you.The starter had to be made the night before............

Then the joy of mix and rise and fold like a business envelope and tuck and roll and cuddle and spin !!!! Really , by the time I finished reading the instructions I was already saying......."if I can get this done, it will be the last time I make this bread"

Well as usual Martha knew best. When it was finished I had the most beautiful Boule .......and tasty? Oh my God ...why did I stop making bread.The instructions were for 1 large bread but,after the first rise I split the dough in half and made 2 smaller ones Cooking time was reduced by 20 minutes and now I have extra in my freezer. Believe me, we will be eating every morsel of this bread.

I confess, this recipe was not for the birds .............said the hobbit