Cookbook challenge #3

It's been a bit hectic around these parts lately so I haven't been doing much "new" cooking lately. With limited cooking time, I've been reverting back to the tried and true meals.  With that said, however, last weekend I invited dear friends of mine over for supper and tried out a recipe from the cookbook collection on them - Chili con Carne. It was a safe choice, admittedly.



Recipe #3:
Chili con Carne
from Trader Vic's Book of Mexican Cooking, p. 186-187.

2 tbsp oil or bacon fat
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp of diced green pepper **
1.5 lbs lean ground beef (I used lean ground turkey)
1/2 c boiling water
1 (1 lb) can of tomatoes (I used a 28 oz can, because I didn't want to leave 1/2 a can unused).
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder mixed to a paste with 1 tsp of flour and 2 tbsp of water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp crushed cumin seed
2 cans (No.300) kidney beans, undrained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I think I forgot this last, but very important step when I served up my chili)

Heat the oil in a large heavy kettle and saute onions, garlic and green pepper until tender. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with fork, until meat is browned. Add remaining ingredients except kidney beans and cheese. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add beans and simmer, uncovered, for another 30 mins. If mixture is too thick, add small amount of beef stock or hot water. Just before serving, top with grated cheese. Makes 8 servings.

** 2 tbsp of green peppers? I chopped up 2 whole green peppers and threw in. I was wondering if maybe Trader Vic might mean jalapeno peppers, not the sweet variety.

Verdict: good, but needed a bit more salt. I don't usually complain if a recipe isn't salty enough - it's easy to add, afterall! Also, doubling the tomatoes and green peppers might have accounted for the need for extra salt.

Hook, Line and Sinker

So I've been meaning to tell you, I learned how to fish awhile ago. September 9th-11th was my second Becoming an Outdoors Woman weekend and I had a fantastic time. It was a busy weekend full of lots fun things, kayaking and geocaching, campfires, good food + fun people, but the highlight of the weekend was fishing. I tried both fly-fishing and trout-fishing for the first time; I learned how to tie a "Micky Finn", assemble a rod, tie a clinch knot, bait a hook (eww!), cast a line, ethically euthanise a fish and clean it (double eww!). 

Trout fishing was my favourite, but that was probably because the trout were biting. Sadly we were fly-fishing on a warm afternoon and the fish didn't seem interested at all. Not one of us caught a fish, though we could see them all lurking around our flies, teasing us. The ponds we fished at were stocked, but I'm guessing that fishing is still something you can't just pick-up in a couple of hours. You need time and patience, the right conditions and the right knack for casting and or baiting your hook.


The thrill of fishing comes when you feel a nibble on the end of your line, and then watch the bobber dip under the surface of the water, at which point (I've learned) you jerk your rod up to set the hook and start to reel in, hoping the fish stays on the line. I caught 3 speckled trout that morning and was more than pleased with myself.

PLUS! I won my own fishing-rod - a girlie fishing rod that's pink with pink line and flashy lights that flicker when you reel in (oh yes, my friends, it's girlie!). Please also take note of the fishing hat I successfully won in the silent auction + all the information and swag we got from our Learn to Fish instructor.  That's one of the best parts about BOW - the instructors! They incredibly enthusiastic and love to pass on their knowledge and skills to anyone interested in learning.

I think next year's cottage vacation will also involve a fishing license.

Cookbook challenge #2

Lately I've been taking advantage of the harvest season and stocking my fridge with ridiculous amounts of produce. I find it hard to pass up a good deal, so when carrots were on sale at Farmer Clem's for $1.59 for 5 lbs, I bought some (even though I still have half a 2lb bag left from earlier in the summer). I don't eat a lot of carrots, typically.

Then on the weekend, I picked up some kale at the Wolfville Market - a big bundle of kale. Later that day I arrived on my mom's doorstep and she proceeded to laden me with produce from her garden, including more kale, a lot of kale (she pulled a whole plant up by it's roots - I could barely circle my arms around it).

And then I went apple-picking on the weekend, and picked 20 lbs of apples and pears. Not 10 lbs (which would've been more sensible - but when 10 lbs is $6, 20 lbs for $9 seems like a much better deal, right??) Yeah, yeah, I know now that 20 lbs as a bit ambitious. I have a big pot of applesauce + 10 lbs of apples in the fridge to prove it.

So my fridge is stuffed with carrots, kale and apples.

I've already made a batch of carrot muffins, and have been chopping up carrots to eat raw, etc. But I needed to make something that used up more than just a few at a time. Soup!

I scoured my cookbook collection to find a recipe that looked appealing. But here's what surprised me -- there weren't many inspiring recipes for carrots (exception: the Moosewood cookbook had a number of recipes that tempted me, but I wanted to try a different cookbook this time around). In fact there were very few carrot recipes at all! And even fewer recipes for kale, just so you know!

I was tempted to dip into my own cookbooks where I know there are several carrot soup recipes I'd like to try....but then that's not the point of this little cooking adventure, is it?

Recipe #2:
Carrot and Caraway Soup
from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Supercook, p.84

Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp olive oil -- I used grapeseed, because I grabbed the wrong bottle
• 1 onion, chopped -- I used an onion fresh from my step-father's garden - thanks G!
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cut into cubes -- I used a couple new potatoes.
• 500g (1 lb) of scraped carrots, sliced  -- That's a 5th of my carrot stash. YES!
• 2-3 strips of lemon rind -- I used the zest from about half a lemon.
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1.2 L of water or light vegetable stock -- I used Knorr vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste -- Vegetable stock already has salt, so I didn't add any.

Garnish wish natural yogurt, coarse ground pepper and parsley.

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, cover and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally - don't let it brown.
• Add the potato, cover and cook for 3 minutes, then add the carrots, lemon rind, and caraway seeds. Stir well, athe add the water or vegetable stock. Bring to boil, cover and leave to cook gently for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are very tender. 
• Puree the soup in a food processor (I'm wishing I had a had blender for this part; it's just too messy to do it in my upright blender). 
• Ladle soup into bowls and swirl a teaspoon of yogurt on top of each. Garnish with pepper and parsley and serve. 

Makes about 4 servings. 
I'm quite impressed with this recipe. I must admit, I was a little concerned it was going to be too bland, but it's not. It would taste delicious with fresh garlic bread....perhaps tomorrow night.

5 years today!

It's my 5-year blogger anniversary today. 

And I think it's about time for an update.

I really like this image -- it goes nicely with the Louisa May Alcott quotation; it's a self-portrait (I like the silhouette); and it's one of my favourite and inspiring places to be. With that said, I think it's time for a change.

I've been considering trying come up with a "brand" for a little while now. I would love to have "InspiredByHope" cards for geocaching, as I've noticed some geocachers do. And thought perhaps I could come up with something here....If only I had Photoshop at home!

A Cookbook/Cooking Challenge

Sarah over at Simply Cooked made a brilliant suggestion: why not try a recipe a week from my new collection of cookbooks?  I can't think of a better way to start exploring what delicious recipes the books have to offer.

I'd like to present the first of a series of posts (hopefully weekly) where I will share what I'm cooking from Friedel's cookbook collection (now my cookbook collection). I'll try to mix it up and use as many of the cookbooks as possible, though I can't promise I won't repeat cookbooks. It'll depend a bit on what I have in my fridge to work with.

Today I had a head of cauliflower that needed to be cooked. And I've got to make something that will appeal to the 11 year old I hang out with once a week. I'm not going to have time to prepare anything tomorrow, so something cooked ahead of time would be a huge help.

Recipe #1:
Baked Pasta with Cauliflower and Cheese 
from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, p.158-159

Bechamel Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 cups milk, heated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• pinch of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Other ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil for sauteing
• 4 cups chopped onions (I used 2 large onions)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head cauliflower, cut in florets
•  6 ripe tomatoes or 3 cups canned tomatoes (I used probably half of this, but they were tomatoes from my mom's garden which are twice as flavourful as any other tomatoes around)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp. dried basil)
• 3 Tbs. lemon juice (completely forgot to add this!)
• 1 pound pasta shells (I used 1 box of whole wheat macaroni)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (I used cheddar)
• seasoned bread crumbs

Prepare the Bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a heavy sauce pan on medium heat. Sprinke in the flour, whisking constantly until smooth. Add heated milk slowly, a cup at a time, continuing to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper and let the sauce thicken further on low heat. Remove from heat and cover.
Saute the onions, garlic and basil in oil. When the onions are translucent, add the cauliflower and saute for 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the cauliflower is tender.

Cook pasta al dente and then drain.

In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, the sauteed vegetables and lemon juice (oops! forgot that one). Mix in the Bechamel sauce. Put half the pasta mixture in an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle half of each of the cheeses over top. Add the rest of the past mixture, and the rest of the cheese. Top with seasoned bread crumbs.

Bake covered at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, and then uncovered for about 15 minutes or until bubbling and golden on top.

Serves 6-8

PS. The recipe suggests you serve this with Italian greens, but I'm going to serve it with roasted kale, because the kid loves roasted kale, and the green + garlic will go so well with cheesy pasta. :)

2011 To Do List, Item #7: Organizing files

One of my big commitments for 2011 was to get my personal records in order (#7). As an archivist, I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that my record-keeping practices at home are severely lacking!  I let papers build up in various corners around the apartment. Every once and awhile I sort through them, but usually just sort through and make neater piles around the apartment. Ho hum. I've been itching for a file cabinet for awhile just to keep these papers all in one place, or at least keep them out of sight.

Step #1: Cull!

This involved going through file by file purging paper that builds up over the years. Do I really need power bills from 2006? Or phone bills from 2004? Income tax files from 1996? Oh my! I didn't quite realise I had them back that long. Purge purge purge! I have quite a stack building for the shredder or for recycling.

Step #2: Organize! 
As I'm working my way through the files, I'm realising that I don't need a filing cabinet afterall. I already have all that I need - an accordian file folder, a desk file holder, and a plastic file box on wheels. I can condense all these stacks of paper, plus a bankers box, down to fit into these. And also I'll have better control over what I have. No more sifting through stacks of paper. Hooray!

My day-to-day files - bills, tax receipts, etc.- go in my desk file holder, so that I can easily file after I pay the bills and prevent build-up. The other personal records - banking information, medical records, vet records, etc., go in the accordian file folder. Practically speaking, if ever there's an emergency this makes the most cruicial records easy to grab-and-go. And the file box will hold all the extras - the papers I've accumulated about various subjects, or instruction manuals/receipts for appliances/electronics that I'm not ready to part with.

It's very satisfying to have all my papers in their right place.

I would still like to have a filing cabinet at some point, but I'm leaning more towards converting a storage bench for hanging file storage. The bench could be painted to match my Ikea Alve Secretary desk (an off-white), padded with a pretty fabric, and used for both seating and file storage.
Inspiration for this idea is here:

Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

I still have a couple organization projects I need to tackle in the coming months:


1. A household inventory. Home (or Tenant's) Insurance usually asks that you inventory your belongings for insurance purposes. But how many of us actually do that?  I'm going to guess, not many. I'd like to do a photo inventory + basic list of electronics, model numbers, etc., and scan the receipts to hold on file in case there's an emergency. Always good to be prepared, right?

2. Photographs (digital and prints). This has been on my To Do List for ages, and never gets done....mostly because it's a bit daunting. I have never been in the habit of printing photographs, or backing them up on CDs (they're backed up on my external hard drive which is now 5-6 years old). Time to do something about this before it's too late and they're lost.