Soooooooooo.......THE NEW YEAR! I know it's an arbitrary marker of time, but I think it can be a powerful one. I'm not too big on resolutions, because when you have a whole year to get something done it's very easy to, well, not do it, but I do like the idea of shifting directions, changing lifestyles, even just a bit, for the better. And let's face it, the kitchen is a delicious place to tackle this!
I think we've finally hit spring here in Texas....I know it's much earlier than most parts of the country, but let me tell you: the cold puts me in a terribly bad mood! How I survived--and was happy!--in the Northwest for so long is kind of incredible....
This is little Charlotte, who's been sick these last couple weeks. I've learned that getting medicine into a chicken's mouth is possibly the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Even with two people the shortest time it took us was just shy of half an hour. The longest, which included a seriously epic breakdown on Mama's part, was an hour and a half. Ohhhh m'gosh. Saving grace became her sudden desire to crawl onto my lap as soon as it was over. It's pretty much the sweetest thing ever.
RECIPES!
There have been a couple new endeavors here at Castle Wallace, one of which being that we've discovered that roasting things is a really, really good idea (and that balsamic vinegar is INCREDIBLE! How did I not know this??).
Aside from burning the bejesus out of our glass baking pan one evening, roasting has been a huge success, and soooooooooo easy. Really, any-thing goes. This is yams, onions cauliflower and broccoli, with some olive oil, vinegar and fresh herbs.
It's a great way to make a dish when you only have limited veggies to work with. Even if it's just broccoli, it turns it into something special.
A sprinkling of cracked salt is always good, as is parmesan.
Fermented Foods!
The other thing we've gotten into lately (as in, just this week ;) is making our own fermented foods. So far so good: our first batch of sauerkraut is totally edible, as in straight out of the jar! We followed somewhat of a recipe from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Elix Katz:
http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/
but it's mostly a guideline, and encouragement that it's really very, very easy. Cabbage, salt, a little TLC and time. Fermented foods are supposed to be amazingly good for you, and it gives me something to do with all the green cabbage that keeps showing up in our farmshare boxes! :)
Approximate price: $3
We also started our first batch of pickles yesterday, so we're not quite sure how those have turned out yet, but again, super easy! Stuff in a jar with a brine concoction made from distilled vinegar, white wine vinegar, and spices (recipes all over the internet) and 24 hours of patience. That's my kind of home made! There's an initial investment for spices and vinegar, but after that it's mostly just the cukes.
Approximate price: $5
Stuffed Pumpkin!
Apparently pumpkins last forever, or close to it. I did want to use them before they suddenly were rotten all over the counter, which is probably what would happen. I figured that they're just a squash (right?) so I could treat them as such. On their own the flavor isn't all that pleasing, but filled with good stuff they do all right--and serve dual purpose as an edible bowl.
I cut one in half, rubbing the flesh with olive oil and putting the halves face down on a baking pan. I usually heat the oven to 400 for baking squash, and left them in until tender. After 30-45 minutes, I flipped them and cracked some salt on top, putting them back in for another few minutes. This one is filled with red quinoa and sauteed veggies, and sprinkled with parmesan. Looks pretty, doesn't it? :)
Fresh greens are always a good side. Kale, chard, salad.....whatever you got!
Approximate price: $5
Current Favorite Ingredient: Balsamic Vinegar!
Maybe I just hadn't had the right kind yet, or had some kind of misunderstanding, but balsamic that is a little sweet, a little thick.....oh my gosh, the best thing. I've started trading out some of the soy sauce for it in Mama's Miracle Dressing, using it for dipping fresh veggies, and it's great for roasting. Yes, please.
Creative Household-y Stuff
I love my new bag system! I
found this antique at a garage sale,
and I'm not sure what the original
use would have been, but I loved the
fabric, and figured I could certainly
find a use for it. The bags are all
separated out:
plastic grocery bags
coffee bags
small ziplocks
small non-ziplocks
large ziplocks
large non-ziplocks
Holy cow :)
I wish thee all a fair coming of spring, and happy eating!!
