Salad in a jar experiment

Why, hello there.  Yes, I am still alive and yes, the child is doing well – she just makes it hard for me to post.

I found this salad in a jar post on Pinterest and was intrigued.  I eat a lot of fruit, but I struggle to eat raw vegetables because I just don’t find salads that interesting most of the time.  Also, who wants to assemble a salad at 7:15 in the morning on a Tuesday?  Not I.

Anyway, I am forever buying “salad stuff” and then leaving it in the fridge to rot.  I thought this might be a good way to pre-make lunch salads and then I would be able to just grab them from the fridge daily during the week.  Winning at salad!  Yay!

On Sunday, May 20th I assembled five salad jars with the following (listed first into the jar to last):

• Homemade vinaigrette
• Sliced yellow bell pepper
• Sliced scallions
• Slice cremini mushrooms
• Green peas (from frozen)
• Crumbled blue cheese
• Spring mix
• Baby spinach

Salad in a jar, hanging out in my office.

Then I sealed up my jars, put them in the refrigerator, and went on my merry way.  Note that I do not have a vacuum sealer and when I say “sealed up” I mean “put the lids on and screwed shut.”

Monday:  Looking very good, some of the peas discolored from touching the dressing.  No decline in quality though.  Everything was tasty and the texture was good.

Tuesday:  Looks about the same as Monday.  Mushrooms are starting to get a little soggy which concerns me, but are still fine.

Wednesday:  Mushrooms looking quite weird and have shown a precipitos decline in quality.  Quite soggy and I didn’t eat most of them.  I am afraid for Friday.  The rest of the veg holding strong and the spinach/greens were not soggy at all.

Thursday:  Same as yesterday!  I am less afraid for tomorrow.  The decline in quality of mushrooms soaked in vinaigrette appears to progress in non-linear fashion.

I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence but I kind of love it.

Friday:   A few of the greens were kind of soggy, but I am inclined to believe they would have been soggy anyway because most of them were fine.  Mushrooms the same, everything else was great!

It works!  I didn’t think it was possible but it works!  I am definitely doing this again.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone.  Have fun!

Items of note

I’m pregnant.  We’re expecting a baby in March 2012 – I’ve been waiting for some kind of perfect moment to talk about it, but really, that moment may never arrive.  And also that’s a big part of why I haven’t been posting very much, and why I’ve missed several Daring Cook’s challenges in the past few months.

We are very excited, although I can’t say Nettie is very interested at all.

22 weeks.  This is the night of the yoga class when I realized I really should not be in a traditional yoga class any more.  So much bending…

***

Thanksgiving is coming!  I can’t wait.  This is our tentative menu – I think we have 12 people:

Turkey – cider brine

Giblet gravy

Cranberry-orange chutney

Butternut squash & parm bread pudding

Mashed root veg

Roasted brussels sprouts

Carrot soup with roast squash seeds & lemon oil

Also, my sister’s boyfriend Andy has been threatening to make a bacon pig.  I really hope this happens.

***

Until Thanksgiving, we’re eating:

Shrimp & sausage gumbo with brown rice

Oven “fried” fish sandwiches + baked sweet potato fries

Homemade pizza

Butternut squash & parmesan bread pudding

Baked potato soup

Ratatouille (freezer) + mashed potatoes

Butternut squash & greens (kale, mustard, chard) lasagna

Beef & Guinness stew

Green chile chicken enchiladas

Pasta with meatballs & red sauce

Chicken saag + rice and frozen naan

Thai red curry shrimp & veggies + jasmine rice

Soup & sandwiches/quesadillas

***

Happy almost Thanksgiving, everyone!

Fall into fall

I loooooove fall.  Curt does not – it makes him dread winter, which he despises.  But by the time fall comes around I am ready for sweaters again, ready to make soups and stews and squash and things with apples.

Two weekends ago, we canned 11 jars of apple pie filling from apples we got at the orchards in Nebraska City.  I haven’t tried any yet, but we used the same recipe as last year so I’m hoping it’s still a keeper.

Las weekend, Curt killed the garden – so we had parsnips and brussel sprouts to deal with.  I decided to start the day by making the butternut squash bread pudding from this article.  Curt made the carrot & parsnip soup earlier this week as well.

I made some changes to the recipe  - I had a bunch of weird bread that needed to be used (half a baguette, several burger buns, some sandwich bread) so I just chopped all of that up instead of buying or making French bread.

We also had that huge squash and tons of bread, so ended up doubling the recipe.  Other than the quantity, I pretty much followed the recipe as written (amazing!).

Savory Butternut Squash and Parmesan Bread Pudding, originally published in this book (Oxmoor House).

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups 1 percent low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano or other hard cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs + 2 large egg whites (I just used 4 whole eggs for each batch)
8 ounces day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 9 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

The bottom of the shirt says Tim Gunn, and it was designed by Daniel Vosovic (season 2).  I am done with Project Runway (for real this time!  I swear!  I can’t deal with it anymore) but I will forever love Tim Gunn.  Anyway!  Back to cooking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until tender (it took about 25 minutes, but I had a lot more than 3 cups of squash). Remove from oven; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

3. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, milk, 1/2 cup cheese, pepper, nutmeg, eggs and egg whites in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in squash and onion mixture. Add bread, and stir gently to combine. Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until pudding is set and lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings.

Yum.  We had this for dinner the night we made it, and it’s definitely on the “consider” list for Thanksgiving this year.  Very tasty.

***

We’re in Kansas City this weekend and I think will be in Minneapolis next weekend, so expect the sparse posting to continue.  Hopefully I’ll have some free time to post about our Thanksgiving menu – I can’t believe it’s so soon!

You jerk

I had originally planned to do a Fridge Friday post today, because it’s been way, way too long.  But because of some crazy storms in Omaha last night, we don’t have any power in the house – so the fridge is dark.  And I’m afraid to open it and let in any warm air, because who knows when the lights will go back on?

Anyway, so instead here is a post I’ve been working on for ages –  jerk chicken, rice & peas, and collard greens.

I love how well greens grow in our garden.  Traditionally, collards are boiled (usually with pork) for ages and ages.  I hate them this way – they’re really, really soft and mushy.

I like to sautee them briefly in olive oil and salt & pepper, then add some chicken stock and steam them for a bit.  They’re soft enough to eat but still have some bite to them.

For jerk chicken, I buy jerk marinade at this place (links to UrbanSpoon page for Caribbean Delights Restaurant, they seem not to have a webpage).  If you’re in Omaha, you must go – amazing, amazing stuff.  I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

Note:  Grill the chicken outside or cook it in the oven.  If you use a stovetop grill, the jerk paste will fill your kitchen with peppery smoke that is much like using pepper spray on yourself.  And your dogs.  Poor pups.

For the rice and peas, I used a recipe that’s similar to this one.  Rice & peas isn’t rice with green peas – it’s rice with beans, and they’re spicy and delicious.

I’m off to Des Moines this weekend, to visit the Iowa State Fair for the first time!  I am looking forward to red velvet funnel cake and lots of foods on a stick.  Don’t think I will be trying deep-fried butter though.

Hopefully I will return on Saturday evening and there will be power in my house.  It’s the little things that count, right?

Happy Friday, everyone!

Tis the season: Benson Farmer’s Market

A lovely reader of my blog reminded me last night that it has been far, far too long since I posted.  So Kristi, this one’s for you. 

The refrain to eat fresh vegetables and buy local seems to get louder every year.  We grow quite a few vegetables, as I’m sure my regular readers know.  We are also lucky enough that there is a farmer’s market just a couple blocks from our house, which I decided to visit a couple Saturdays ago.

I got six ears of sweet corn and three squash (two yellow squash and one zucchini) for $5 – a huge bargain, because they are ready NOW.  I love summer vegetables.

Squash!

I seasoned them with salt and pepper, olive oil, and a little balsamic vinegar and grilled them for a few minutes to get some nice smoky flavor and soften them up a bit.

Then I made ratatouille, based very loosely on the recipe posted here.  I only had two tiny eggplants, so it was definitely heavy on the squash and zucchini and light on eggplant.  Still delicious though.

For the corn, I Curt cleaned the silk out but left the husks intact.

I mixed butter, mayo (I know, but it works so well), parmesean cheese, paprika, and salt & pepper and spread it on the corn.  We then closed the husks around them and grilled – it made a delicious side dish.

It’s currently pre-10 AM on Saturday and if you live in Benson you still have plenty of time to get to the market!  The Benson Farmer’s Market runs from 8 am to 1 pm Saturdays from May to October, and is located at the intersection of Maple Streets and Military Avenue in downtown Benson.

NB:  I was asked to do this post, but was not compensated for writing it.  I paid for my own items at the market.

Daring Kitchen July 2011: Handmade noodles

Blog-checking lines: Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks’ July hostess.  Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine.  She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!

So.  Fresh pasta, no motors.  I cheated, I need to confess – I made the dough entirely by hand but I rolled them out and cut them with a machine.  I made a fresh egg fettuccine with peas from the garden, shrimp, olive oil, and herbs.

So.  How did I do it?  First, this book.  This book will be the death of me.

French Laundry Cookbook, why can’t I quit you?

Probably because the recipes, while an enormous a bit of a pain in the neck, work so beautifully when you take the time to follow them.  It’s a matter of good stuff meets good technique – it’s not fancy, it’s just carefully and thoughtfully done.  This is how you turn 4 ingredients into sublime pasta.

8 oz. flour

6 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1.5 tsp olive oil

1 TB milk

Not even kidding, that’s all that’s in it.  I’m not going to reproduce the recipe here because you really, really should buy the book if you don’t already own it, but I swear  that those are the only ingredients.

It’s a most improbable thing when you look at it.  How can ALL those eggs fit into that little bit of flour?

So you slowly stir it up, and the egg mixture pulls flour from the edges of your well until you have what’s almost a dough with flour around the edge.  This is where the book gets wacky.

“When the dough begins thickening and starts lifting itself from the board, begin incorporating the remaining flour with the pastry scraper by lifting the flour up and over the dough that’s beginning to form and cutting it into the dough.”

Um, ok.  So I did that, and it looked like this:

And I started to laugh because for the love of god, there is no way this mess is turning into pasta tonight.

“When the remaining flour from the sides of the well has been cut into the dough, the dough will still look shaggy.”

Possible understatement of century.  See photo above.

“Bring the dough together with the palms of your hands and form it into a ball.  It will look flaky but will hold together.”

At this point, I do not believe it.  There is NO WAY IN HELL this is going to work.  But I dutifully gathered the dough shards into a ball-esque thing and knead it for a minute or two.

And it worked.

It really worked.  So then you clean the board and knead the dough for another 10 to 15 minutes at least – apparently this dough cannot be overworked.  15 minutes was about enough for my hands.

Rest the dough for 30 minutes to an hour, and then you can roll and cut it.

I made fettuccine.

We ate the pasta with some shrimp and some garden peas (also some frozen peas, the garden giveth but not that many peas) that were sauteed in olive oil, along with some garlic and a bit of onion.

We also added some fresh oregano, thyme, and basil – I didn’t want anything that would be too heavy or strong and mask the flavor of the pasta.

And it was very, very good.  Fresh pasta has a texture that is just out of this world, and can barely be compared to the texture of most dried pasta.

Making this was another reminder to me that I need to believe in the possibility of things – that the floury mess on the cutting board can become dinner, that things which seem impossible are not.

Fridge Friday – Thai curry soup edition

This has  been a LONG week.  We had a big, fancy dinner on Monday night that I’ll blog about soon, and I went kayaking on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Oh, and running on Tuesday and Thursday.

Tired.  Very tired, and very much looking forward to a three-day weekend!

Want to see what’s in my fridge?

This picture brought to you by my phone as I was about to walk out the door.  You will notice much generic Costco Sport Drank again – working out in the summer makes you thirsty.

Chicken and noodles – we’re making this recipe for dinner tonight, but with greens from the garden.  Probably mostly chard and kale.  It’s an old favorite that I haven’t made in ages, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Happy Friday!

 

 

 

“Clafoutis” is Fraunch for custard and fruit tart

Actually, a clafoutis is made by topping fresh fruit with batter and can sometimes be cakelike, or sometimes be more custardy.  Cherries are traditional – I read an article once that said you’re supposed to leave the pits in to give it an almond flavor.

This one was more custardy, and made with apricots and pears.  I used Julia Child’s recipe, with some modifications.

3 C fruit

1.25 C milk

1 C sugar

3 eggs

1 TB vanilla extract

0.25 tsp salt

0.5 C flour

Equipment:  an electric blender; a 1.5 or 2 inch deep pie plate

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare pie plate with oil or cooking spray.  Slice fruit, removing seeds and pits.

Combine milk, 0.66 C of sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour in the blender.  Blend at top speed for 1 minute.

Pour about a third of the batter in the pie plate.  Add fruit and sprinkle remaining sugar on top.

Carefully add the remaining batter.

Bake for about an hour, until a knife inserted in the center is clean.

Serve warm, or room temperature – you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar, or leave as it comes out of the pan.

Either way, it’s tasty.

True confessions

I barely cooked at all last week.  I blame the aftermath of pork-a-palooza, and the days and days of cooking that went into the event.  So yes, we have had grilled cheese and tomato soup more than once in the past 7 days.  It happens, right?

Also the running.  I am very much looking forward to this event taking place, so that I can have a bit more of my weekends back.  The difference in how I feel later in the day when I run 5 miles vs. when I run 8+ is staggering.

Plus I am incredibly, incredibly slow so it takes a Damn Long Time (official timekeeper results) for me to run more than 8 miles.  Anyway.  One more month.

Dinners this week:

Salmon sliders with cilantro/lime mayo, roasted carrots & yellow squash (sandwiches carried over from last week)

Chicken & chorizo tamales, rice & black beans (made today – we have five more batches in the freezer!  I love tamale day.)

Jerk spiced tilapia, mashed sweet potatoes

Pasta with spinach and Italian sausage (spinach was supposed to be salad last week)

Shrimp & green bean soba

Chicken, leek, and chickpea soup

Not the most exciting week.  Hopefully you’ll forgive the lack of many substantive posts until the race is over.

Ohhh!  Something exciting though.  Spring really is coming:

Asparagus!  It is growing like crazy – these two were there this morning, and then this afternoon there was another one.

My first pot-roast

I know, I know.  I’m 31 years old (yegads!) and I cook all the freaking time and I’ve never made a pot-roast. I’ve made multiple versions of boeuf bourguignon and I’ve never made a pot-roast.

Be ashamed of me no more, for I hath made pot-roast!  And it was amazingly good.

Special thanks to Erika’s mother-in-law Marnee for sending me the recipe, and to Curt for growing some amazing horseradish.

New England Pot-Roast

0.5 C flour, divided
1 TB plus 2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
4 pound beef chuck pot-roast (arm, blade, inside roll, English or Boston cut or shoulder clod)

This is more like 5 lbs.  Also, what the heck is a shoulder clod?  Sounds painful.

2 TB oil or other fat  (I used 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB bacon fat)
1 5-oz. jar of horseradish, or about 1 C freshly grated horseradish (optional but SO GOOD)
1 cup water

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
8 medium carrots, cut into chunks
8 small onions (I used 1 enormous onion cut into chunks)
0.5 tsp salt

Stir together 0.25 C flour, salt and pepper; rub mixture on meat.  Melt fat in a very large skillet or Dutch oven with a lid; brown meat over medium heat, about 15 minutes.

Reduce heat, spread horseradish on both sides of meat.

Tons of horseradish!  Since I was using fresh I grated it up and then kind of just blobbed it on top.

Add water, cover tightly and cook 3 hours, or until meat is tender.  Add vegetables and remaining salt and cook another hour, tightly covered.  Place meat and vegetables on warm platter; keep warm while making gravy.

Gravy:

Pour entire contents of cooking vessel, less the meat and veg which should be resting comfortably on a platter, into a bowl, leaving brown particles in pan.  Let fat rise to top of drippings and skim off, reserving 0.25 cup of the fat.  Place reserved fat in cooking vessel with browned bits .  Blend in the remaining 0.25 C flour.  Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.  Remove from heat.

Measure meat juice; add water to measure 2 cups liquid and stir into flour mixture.  Return to medium heat and warm to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper.  Makes about 2 cups.

Serve gravy with meat and vegetables.

Totally crappy photo of leftovers!  But man, it was good and it makes a TON.

Also – if you’re using fresh horseradish like we did:  a small warning.  Wear gloves and goggles if you have them.  By the time I finished grating all that horseradish, I was crying like a baby.  But at least my sinuses were clear?