Well we made it! We never lost power either, although lots of other people did. However, I do have some storm damage.
I lost most of my garden! The only thing still green is the garlic (although not by much)! I am not sure it will live. Parsley, onions, rosemary and carrots all died! Oh well, no seeds this year! Not sure about some of the blueberry bushes either since they aren't rated for the 5 degree temperatures we had a few weeks ago. Time will tell on those. You know, gardening knowledge will only take you so far, the rest is up to Mother Nature.
The good news is next week is supposed to get to 70 degrees! Yay! It comes just in time to start this year's garden. Normally, cool season crops can be planted here after Valentine's Day. It is also perfect time to start the summer seeds too!
Boy, am I glad the bad weather is over! On to spring!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Oh No! Snow AGAIN!!
Well, it isn't quite snow anymore. Yesterday it was snow, today it is freezing rain. This winter storm is supposed to give us 35 straight hours of freezing rain lasting all day today and into tomorrow.
All the experts are telling us to expect to lose power - for days! Everyone is very nervous about losing power (if you believe the local news.) Well, if you have been reading this blog for a while, you know this won't bother me at all! My response to losing power is "Ho hum, so what!" Our only plan for power loss is to cut off the water so the pipes in the house don't freeze and burst. Also, my tropical orchids will need to be moved so they are closer to the fireplace for the heat.
Here is a picture of the snow from yesterday. The flakes were huge, even for this former New Yorker! I pointed the camera up to the sky and took this picture.
Today, it just looks like rain. However, it is freezing rain. When there is some additional accumulation, I will take a picture. The local news said it may be ice today and then tonight turn back to snow. Or it could be up to 1 inch of ice! Perfect for widespread power outages!
I will document what we do if we lose power and post about it when the power comes back on. In the meantime, I will clean the house today and maybe work on my winter coat!
I bet I get lots of reading done in the next few days!
All the experts are telling us to expect to lose power - for days! Everyone is very nervous about losing power (if you believe the local news.) Well, if you have been reading this blog for a while, you know this won't bother me at all! My response to losing power is "Ho hum, so what!" Our only plan for power loss is to cut off the water so the pipes in the house don't freeze and burst. Also, my tropical orchids will need to be moved so they are closer to the fireplace for the heat.
Here is a picture of the snow from yesterday. The flakes were huge, even for this former New Yorker! I pointed the camera up to the sky and took this picture.
Today, it just looks like rain. However, it is freezing rain. When there is some additional accumulation, I will take a picture. The local news said it may be ice today and then tonight turn back to snow. Or it could be up to 1 inch of ice! Perfect for widespread power outages!
I will document what we do if we lose power and post about it when the power comes back on. In the meantime, I will clean the house today and maybe work on my winter coat!
I bet I get lots of reading done in the next few days!
Friday, February 7, 2014
Making Garlic and Herb Butter
My husband brought home some garlic and herb butter from the store a few weeks ago. We tend to eat plain things so neither of us had ever tasted it before. Wow! Was it good! Wow! Was it expensive! Best to save things like that for special occasions. Then I thought, " I bet I could make it cheaper!" I had to try!
I happen to have a quart of heavy cream in the refrigerator. I bought it to make whipped cream for a New Year's Day cake. The whipped cream never happened! Anyway, the 'best by' date on the carton was the middle of February and I knew I had to use it soon. I thought it would be a great idea to use it to make my own garlic and herb butter!
The first step is to make the butter. It is super easy. Start by setting the cream on the counter for a few hours. Fresh cream should be room temperature to make butter. (It really doesn't have to be room temperature, but the cream will turn to butter a lot faster if it is room temperature!) Pour the cream into a jar. I used a quart canning jar. Fill the jar halfway. A half gallon jar will work too, I just don't have one. Here is a picture of mine.
To make butter, shake the jar. It is just that simple. However, if you would like a detailed explanation of what will happen to the cream as it goes through the 'stages' to get to butter, you can read all about it here. I wrote this post a while back but the information is relevant today as well. Go ahead and click on the link, I will wait for you!
OK, now that you understand what you are going to get when you shake the jar, we can move to the final result, butter and buttermilk! Please don't throw out the buttermilk, it adds a wonderful flavor to homemade bread! I poured mine into another jar to save it. The butter must now be washed. This step is critical! If you omit it, you won't be able to eat the butter! Trust me on this! Wash the butter in cool water. I washed mine about five times. The number of times isn't as important as the results. You must wash it until the water runs clear.
There are lots of different ways to wash the butter. I usually 'knead' it against the side of a bowl with a slotted spoon. As the water turns milky, I pour it out and add fresh.
Once the butter is washed, it is ready to mix with the herbs and garlic. The first thing I did was add some olive oil so the butter would be 'spreadable' when chilled. (I decided that I wasn't going to store this in my butter jar on the counter since the cream was so close to its 'best by' date.)
Mix it well. I mixed mine by hand with a spoon/spatula. However, I must tell you, I almost gave up and went to get the beaters! If you run out of patience when mixing by hand, by all means, grab the beaters! It will be much faster. When the oil is incorporated, it is time to add the garlic and herbs.
Reading the label on the container of butter my husband bought, the herbs used were rosemary, basil and thyme. I had all three in my pantry! After I added the herbs, I added the garlic.
Mix well and put into a container.
Here is the recipe I used to make this. My quart of heavy cream made about 2 cups butter. (I am guessing here, I didn't measure it.) To that I added:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS of garlic powder (I grew my own garlic and made my own powder. Ditto for all the herbs.)
1/2 TBS Thyme
1/2 TBS Rosemary
1/2 TBS Basil
1/2 tsp salt
While I liked it a lot, I think I used a touch too much rosemary. Next time I will only add a teaspoon of rosemary to start. Then after tasting it, I will add another teaspoon, if needed.
The best thing about making your own herbed butter is you can make it anyway you want! In this instance, the butter is like a blank canvas. Nothing wrong with using your favorite spices & herbs with store bought unsalted butter either!
If the herbs in my recipe above don't motivate you, try one of these:
Herb Butter from bonappetit.com
Italian Herb Butter from food.com
Herb Butter from thekitchn.com
I have been using mine on vegetables, and homemade dinner rolls. Before it is all gone, I am going to try it on seafood!
What a great idea to add a touch of elegance to your dinner menu!
I happen to have a quart of heavy cream in the refrigerator. I bought it to make whipped cream for a New Year's Day cake. The whipped cream never happened! Anyway, the 'best by' date on the carton was the middle of February and I knew I had to use it soon. I thought it would be a great idea to use it to make my own garlic and herb butter!
The first step is to make the butter. It is super easy. Start by setting the cream on the counter for a few hours. Fresh cream should be room temperature to make butter. (It really doesn't have to be room temperature, but the cream will turn to butter a lot faster if it is room temperature!) Pour the cream into a jar. I used a quart canning jar. Fill the jar halfway. A half gallon jar will work too, I just don't have one. Here is a picture of mine.
To make butter, shake the jar. It is just that simple. However, if you would like a detailed explanation of what will happen to the cream as it goes through the 'stages' to get to butter, you can read all about it here. I wrote this post a while back but the information is relevant today as well. Go ahead and click on the link, I will wait for you!
OK, now that you understand what you are going to get when you shake the jar, we can move to the final result, butter and buttermilk! Please don't throw out the buttermilk, it adds a wonderful flavor to homemade bread! I poured mine into another jar to save it. The butter must now be washed. This step is critical! If you omit it, you won't be able to eat the butter! Trust me on this! Wash the butter in cool water. I washed mine about five times. The number of times isn't as important as the results. You must wash it until the water runs clear.
There are lots of different ways to wash the butter. I usually 'knead' it against the side of a bowl with a slotted spoon. As the water turns milky, I pour it out and add fresh.
Once the butter is washed, it is ready to mix with the herbs and garlic. The first thing I did was add some olive oil so the butter would be 'spreadable' when chilled. (I decided that I wasn't going to store this in my butter jar on the counter since the cream was so close to its 'best by' date.)
Mix it well. I mixed mine by hand with a spoon/spatula. However, I must tell you, I almost gave up and went to get the beaters! If you run out of patience when mixing by hand, by all means, grab the beaters! It will be much faster. When the oil is incorporated, it is time to add the garlic and herbs.
Reading the label on the container of butter my husband bought, the herbs used were rosemary, basil and thyme. I had all three in my pantry! After I added the herbs, I added the garlic.
Mix well and put into a container.
Here is the recipe I used to make this. My quart of heavy cream made about 2 cups butter. (I am guessing here, I didn't measure it.) To that I added:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS of garlic powder (I grew my own garlic and made my own powder. Ditto for all the herbs.)
1/2 TBS Thyme
1/2 TBS Rosemary
1/2 TBS Basil
1/2 tsp salt
While I liked it a lot, I think I used a touch too much rosemary. Next time I will only add a teaspoon of rosemary to start. Then after tasting it, I will add another teaspoon, if needed.
The best thing about making your own herbed butter is you can make it anyway you want! In this instance, the butter is like a blank canvas. Nothing wrong with using your favorite spices & herbs with store bought unsalted butter either!
If the herbs in my recipe above don't motivate you, try one of these:
Herb Butter from bonappetit.com
Italian Herb Butter from food.com
Herb Butter from thekitchn.com
I have been using mine on vegetables, and homemade dinner rolls. Before it is all gone, I am going to try it on seafood!
What a great idea to add a touch of elegance to your dinner menu!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Cooking with Food Storage: KAF 2014 Recipe of the Year
I got an email the other day from The King Arthur Flour Company. It was announcing their recipe of the year. Now, I have to tell you that I love this company. (I am not affiliated with them in any way, just a satisfied customer.) I get their newsletter and catalog (it has lots of wonderful recipes in it), read their blog and buy many of the products in their catalog. I also have a few of their cookbooks. While I believe that their products can be a bit pricey, you will definitely get what you paid for! I love everything I have purchased from them over the years, some of which I have featured here in previous posts.
So with that in mind, I knew I had to try it: Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread. I love to bake bread and since all I ever use is whole grains, I knew this was right up my alley! It was super easy to make. I didn't have any problems at all! Best of all, it didn't take any extra gluten, vitamin C or dough enhancer! It only used basic ingredients! No wonder it was the recipe of the year!
As usual, I listed the recipe with my comments. If you want to see the original recipe, you can do that here.
Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread
1 - 1/8 cup lukewarm water ( I used 1 cup, mine was a bit warmer than lukewarm.)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil.)
1/4 cup honey, molasses or maple syrup (I used molasses.)
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used hard white wheat flour that I made myself from hard white wheat berries.)
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast or 1 packet active dry yeast (I used 3 tsp instant yeast.)
1/4 cup powdered milk (I used powdered whole milk. The brand name is Nido, I got it at the big box store.)
1 1/4 tsp salt (I used slightly over 1 tsp salt.)
I started by proofing the yeast. It is instant yeast, so it doesn't need proofing but I did it anyway. I measured the 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of molasses. Then, I poured some of the water and molasses into another measuring cup, stirred a bit, and added the yeast.
I set that aside and added all the other ingredients into a large bowl. While I started stirring with a spoon, I quickly realized the spoon wasn't needed and started kneading in the bowl with my hands. When the yeast was ready, I added it and kneaded a bit more. At this point, it was quite sticky. The instructions say to let it sit for 30 minutes so the flour can absorb the water. I turned it out on to a piece of freezer paper and set the timer for 30 minutes.
The 30 minute wait made all the difference in the world! It was no longer sticky! The instructions said to grease your hands before you start kneading, so I did. However, I am not sure it was needed. The dough didn't stick to my hands, the freezer paper or anything else for that matter. As per the instructions, I kneaded for 8 minutes. Then I cleaned the same bowl I mixed it in and lighted greased it. I placed the dough in the bowl for the first rise.
I covered mine with a dish towel and place it in the oven to rise (just to get it out of the way). The instructions stated it should take between 1 to 2 hours to rise, mine took 1 hour and 10 minutes. My apologies here, I forgot to take a picture after the first rise! Even though the instructions said it may not double in size, mine did. Roll the dough into an 8 inch log. (I measured mine to be sure it was 8 inches.) Grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pan (I used olive oil PAM) and place the dough in the pan.
Lightly cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been greased. (I used olive oil PAM here too.) The second rise was supposed to take 1 to 2 hours as well, but mine only took 45 minutes.
After I carefully removed the plastic wrap, I baked it in the kitchen oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. The instructions said to tent it with aluminum foil after 20 minutes, and I did. No chance to use the Sun Oven, I made this bread during the big snowstorm on Tuesday. This is what mine looked like when it was done.
I turned it out onto a cooling rack and brushed it with butter. (Butter keeps the crust soft.) Sometimes I like a crunchy crust so I won't always brush with butter, but this loaf was for sandwiches so I really wanted the crust to stay soft.
When it cooled, we tasted it. I am not normally a fan of 100% whole wheat bread. Usually, I add oat flour to all the bread I bake. It adds a really wonderful flavor and takes just a bit of the bite off the whole wheat. Well, this bread didn't need oat flour!. Wow! Was it really good!
Overall, you could not ask for an easier recipe, or better flavored bread! The only regret I have is I didn't make two loaves!
So with that in mind, I knew I had to try it: Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread. I love to bake bread and since all I ever use is whole grains, I knew this was right up my alley! It was super easy to make. I didn't have any problems at all! Best of all, it didn't take any extra gluten, vitamin C or dough enhancer! It only used basic ingredients! No wonder it was the recipe of the year!
As usual, I listed the recipe with my comments. If you want to see the original recipe, you can do that here.
Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread
1 - 1/8 cup lukewarm water ( I used 1 cup, mine was a bit warmer than lukewarm.)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil.)
1/4 cup honey, molasses or maple syrup (I used molasses.)
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used hard white wheat flour that I made myself from hard white wheat berries.)
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast or 1 packet active dry yeast (I used 3 tsp instant yeast.)
1/4 cup powdered milk (I used powdered whole milk. The brand name is Nido, I got it at the big box store.)
1 1/4 tsp salt (I used slightly over 1 tsp salt.)
I started by proofing the yeast. It is instant yeast, so it doesn't need proofing but I did it anyway. I measured the 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of molasses. Then, I poured some of the water and molasses into another measuring cup, stirred a bit, and added the yeast.
I set that aside and added all the other ingredients into a large bowl. While I started stirring with a spoon, I quickly realized the spoon wasn't needed and started kneading in the bowl with my hands. When the yeast was ready, I added it and kneaded a bit more. At this point, it was quite sticky. The instructions say to let it sit for 30 minutes so the flour can absorb the water. I turned it out on to a piece of freezer paper and set the timer for 30 minutes.
The 30 minute wait made all the difference in the world! It was no longer sticky! The instructions said to grease your hands before you start kneading, so I did. However, I am not sure it was needed. The dough didn't stick to my hands, the freezer paper or anything else for that matter. As per the instructions, I kneaded for 8 minutes. Then I cleaned the same bowl I mixed it in and lighted greased it. I placed the dough in the bowl for the first rise.
I covered mine with a dish towel and place it in the oven to rise (just to get it out of the way). The instructions stated it should take between 1 to 2 hours to rise, mine took 1 hour and 10 minutes. My apologies here, I forgot to take a picture after the first rise! Even though the instructions said it may not double in size, mine did. Roll the dough into an 8 inch log. (I measured mine to be sure it was 8 inches.) Grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pan (I used olive oil PAM) and place the dough in the pan.
Lightly cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been greased. (I used olive oil PAM here too.) The second rise was supposed to take 1 to 2 hours as well, but mine only took 45 minutes.
After I carefully removed the plastic wrap, I baked it in the kitchen oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. The instructions said to tent it with aluminum foil after 20 minutes, and I did. No chance to use the Sun Oven, I made this bread during the big snowstorm on Tuesday. This is what mine looked like when it was done.
I turned it out onto a cooling rack and brushed it with butter. (Butter keeps the crust soft.) Sometimes I like a crunchy crust so I won't always brush with butter, but this loaf was for sandwiches so I really wanted the crust to stay soft.
Overall, you could not ask for an easier recipe, or better flavored bread! The only regret I have is I didn't make two loaves!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Meyhem in Dixie! It Snowed!
I grew up in New York. I hated the cold then and I am not a fan of it now. I recall shoveling snow from Halloween to Easter when I was a child. When I moved to the south, I really didn't expect to ever see snow again!
Well, for the third time in 13 years, I have been disappointed.
Here is another picture a few hours later.
The problem with snow in the south is we don't have any snow plows. The snow must melt on its own. And, until it does - nothing happens. Schools are closed, stores are closed, all activities are canceled and everyone stays home! Since it has been so cold the past few weeks, I am not sure if this visit will be over quickly!
In my household, I am not the only one who despises the snow!
This picture was taken when it first started snowing. Actually, I am amazed that I got her to step in it! She only stayed there a few seconds and then she made a mad dash back to the front door. Now, the grass is completely covered! If we didn't shovel her a pathway to the grass, she would bust her kidneys! Certainly a princess can't be expected to 'go' in the snow! This one won't!
It snowed all day! At times, it was coming down really hard! It didn't stop until after 8:00 p.m.
Personally, if I never see snow again it will be too soon.
Well, for the third time in 13 years, I have been disappointed.
Here is another picture a few hours later.
The problem with snow in the south is we don't have any snow plows. The snow must melt on its own. And, until it does - nothing happens. Schools are closed, stores are closed, all activities are canceled and everyone stays home! Since it has been so cold the past few weeks, I am not sure if this visit will be over quickly!
In my household, I am not the only one who despises the snow!
This picture was taken when it first started snowing. Actually, I am amazed that I got her to step in it! She only stayed there a few seconds and then she made a mad dash back to the front door. Now, the grass is completely covered! If we didn't shovel her a pathway to the grass, she would bust her kidneys! Certainly a princess can't be expected to 'go' in the snow! This one won't!
It snowed all day! At times, it was coming down really hard! It didn't stop until after 8:00 p.m.
Personally, if I never see snow again it will be too soon.
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