Lammas Loaves 1 August 2009

Today is the first of three Autumnal harvest festivals that we celebrate (often called Lughnasadh or Lammas – because we can actually pronounce it .

It’s so wonderful to be back here where I feel connected to the Medieval calendar because everything – the weather (which, happily has returned to normal – I’m layered in a long sleeve top & sweater), the flora, fauna and agricultural flow (watched hay harvesters today) – are in sync. It is starting to feel, smell and look like Autumn is coming!

Our first harvest of the day was in the veggie garden…collecting all the bolting lettuce to take to our furry friends at Black Rabbit Farm.

There was also some nibbling of said lettuce by a JumbleBunny…

We then set out to find berries for putting in gluten free muffins for Angeliki and Tiger. Our first (secret) spot along the side of a country road found our buckets empty – not ripe yet. Plan B – pick our own at the farm 1/4 mile down the road. JumbleSon was not interested as he had his sights set on harvesting from the Farmer’s Market (city boy!). But, Angeliki & Tiger got heaps of gorgeous boysenberries and fat blueberries. We then made our way to the market so JumbleKid could fill his bucket.

On our way home we stopped off at Black Rabbit Farm to share our lettuce harvest & pick up eggs for the muffins – try as I might, I can not successfully bake vegan, gluten free treats. They flop every time. Eggs are the secret, me thinks. So, when we got home I whipped these up using brown rice flour from the amazing Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill in nearby Bellingham. You can find the berry muffin recipe I used at I Am Gluten Free.

While we were out frolicking this afternoon, JumbleSpouse was hard at work.

Gnome-approved cinnamon raisin bread

He is the bread baker in the family and makes a killer loaf of whole wheat bread from scratch. But, it takes nearly an entire day to do so. Not practical for a family that goes through at least four loaves of bread a week!

Although I lean toward Luddite living and loathe gadgets of every kind, it became clear to me months ago that we should consider using a bread machine if we really wanted to cut our grocery bill by nearly $20/week.

However, I’d never had a loaf of bread machine bread that I liked…texture problems.

Enter Rose’s Panasonic Bread Maker.

JumbleSpouse is quite the scientist – even in the kitchen. So, he began experimenting and within 2 weeks, he’d devised the most amazing loaves of whole wheat seed bread. Behold…

If you’ve ever feared machine made bread, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Blessed Autumn days to you!

JUMBLEBERRY WHOLE WHEAT VEGAN SEED BREAD

This recipe is for baking at sea level

3 teaspoons bread machine yeast
3 cups whole wheat bread flour
1 1/4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons earth balance (vegan buttery stix)
1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Measure and add all ingredients into bread maker in the order listed.
Set it to “rapid whole wheat” mode (on the Panasonic SD-YD200 – not sure what it might be on other models).
Close lid & hit “start”
Takes about 3 hours to bake.
Recipe makes 2 loaves (if you cut it in half horizontally)

Pasta Queen 29 April 2009

You can just call me

Pasta Queen

The set up (all Italian-like) under the lemon tree

The mood music (French. Italian. Makes no difference when you’re setting the kitchen mood . It’s all good.)

The assembly station

The press (with furry assistant)

Ravioli!

I got 45 of these bad boys…enough for our dinner and Molly’s tonight. Plus, I was able to give a nice sampling to Lark who saved the day by taking JumbleSon for the morning. There are two meal’s worth left. I so wish I could give it to Angeliki, but she has celiac’s, so no wheat for her (next pasta challenge…gluten free). So, I have to decide what to do with – give to other dear neighbors, or save for our breakfast tomorrow

I saved a little dough so the JumbleyOne could have a go at making his own noodles for lunch. What a hit that was!

We’re converts and will be trolling Craigslist for our very own Pasta Queen.

I think it’s going to be a good night! May it be so for you!!

W.I.P. Wednesday – Food & Flora Children Giveaway 29 April 2009

Pressing on with my foodie Work in Progress, here’s

Anniversary Feast Update #2

So, the Mock Salmon Pate is most promising.  It’s been a very long time since I’ve tasted good salmon (aka, fresh Copper River King salmon) that I’m not sure how convincing this appetizer will be for JumbleSpouse (who’s a salmon connoisseur).  But, the texture is good and it has a “fishy” flair thanks to the Nori (although any salmon eater will tell you that the “real deal” does not taste “fishy”).  I’m crossing my fingers.

And, the vodka sauce smelled AMAZING as it simmered (I’m a freak-cook who doesn’t taste while cooking for fear I’ll jinx the dish).  So, no worries there.

But, be careful what you ask for…

I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have a pasta maker, and that it was making me feel a bit timid about completing the great Vegan Libre ravioli experiment via handmade pasta.

And, I shared the tale with Angeliki – you guessed it!  She just happened to have one tucked away in her cabinet.  I ask you – is there anything this woman does not have on hand, and is not willing to share or outright give to you??  She’s a Domestic MacGyver, I tell you!  So now I have no choice, but to press on…

Wish me luck.  I’m terrified.

Thankfully, I’m surrounded by cheerful, encouraging spirits today.

These little Flora Children have been popping up all over my place.  Above are the Hyacinth sisters, Violet and Forget Me Not.  Lily of the Valley, Daffodil, Rose, Iris and Poppy are just a few others who are getting ready to bloom.

They were inspired by Root Children (ok, they’re direct copies, but sssshhhh…) in Sibylle von Olfers’ book…

by my groovy, air-dry, invisibility pen (for tracing), the wooden flower sprites made by Syrendell, and Lisa & her Little Ladies’ gorgeous felted brooch work at 5 Orange Potatoes…

and a happy find at the Friends of the Library shop where we found a nearly-new copy of The Story of the Root Children for US$2!!

To thank the Craft Muse for providing all these lovely inspirations, to celebrate Flora and her beautiful gifts, and to share the love with all my blogging friends, I’d like to send this little red Tulip your way.

Just leave a comment here (no matter where in the world you live), and I’ll draw the winner on May 3rd – the final day of the Festival of Flora.

May your days be filled with inspiring W.I.P. and blessed by the sweet sights and smells of Spring!

Play-by-Play and Giveaway 28 April 2009

For those drooling over our anniversary meal, I thought I’d keep you up to date on my preparations…

Last night I made cashew cheese for the ravioli filling.  Any chef who makes a vegan cheese without nutritional yeast or tofu makes me a fan.

And WOW!  This is powerful, good stuff.

I cut the Vegan Libre recipe in half, but now I wish I hadn’t because the leftover would have been eaten in a flash!

Although the cheese recipe is raw, I sauteed the onions and garlic before adding them (’cause the Jumbles don’t care for raw garlic & onion so much).

Since the cheese turned out so well, I decided to press on and finish off the filling by sauteeing a little more onion and tossing in the spinach.

I did not add another tablespoon of Italian Seasoning.   The filling is very strongly flavored without it (thanks to the cheese).

The texture is positively dreamy…like a mousse.  I want to eat it with a spoon!  But will refrain.

This morning I hope to make the mock salmon pate, and then the vodka sauce this afternoon.

That leaves the pasta for tomorrow.  I must admit that I’m getting cold feet about making the ravioli from scratch.  If I had a pasta maker, no problem.  But, I don’t.  And rolling it to just the right thinness is intimidating right now.

May punt and make manicotti using dried pasta.

In other news, couldn’t find a commemorative Washington Merlot.  Just one more reason to move back to Seattle immediately!

Settled for a 2003 Cab from the Coonawarra region of Australia.  To remind us of our 6 month road trip in 2006.  At least it was on sale for $10 off their retail price.

Amidst a zillion other stresses and worries today, I am crafting like mad for the Festival of Flora which begins today, includes May Day/Beltane and ends May 3rd.

So, let’s have a giveaway!

Tomorrow at Work in Progress (W.I.P.) Wednesday, I’ll announce a crafty giveaway in celebration of Flora and her abundance. Here’s a teaser…

Breakfast Sweets 7 January 2009

Many moons ago, dear Hannah of My Sweet Vegan and Bittersweet fame gifted me a jar of her gorgeous raspberry lemon jam.  She’d just picked something like 20 quarts (that’s 80 cups, folks!) of fresh raspberries and needed a place to put them.  I was happy to help with the surplus!

Breakfast Treat Ingredients

It was so beautiful, I couldn’t bear to eat it right away.  Saving it for the holiday season seemed appropriate as it was the most brilliant red I’d ever seen in a jam.  The holidays came and went and I still hadn’t come up with the right recipe to do this treat justice. Trifle would have made the most sense, but I got sidetracked with a Dragon’s Layer variety.

So, a few days after Christmas, I decided to use the last precious sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry for breakfast treats.  I cut the sheet into 9 small squares.  In one corner, I used my tiny Pampered Chef cookie cutters to lightly mark stars, hearts and apples.

Filling Treats

The star center was filled with fruit-sweetened jam for Jumble-Cane-Sugar-Free-Son, the heart center with Hannah’s jam plus crushed almonds for JumbleSpouse, and the apple center with a mixture of Earth Balance, brown sugar and cinnamon for JumbleMe.

Each piece was folded over to make a triangle shape, then crimped together with a fork and baked according to Pastry box instructions (can’t recall the details, I’m afraid).

I then set about making a festive soy nog icing to drizzle over the tops of the AdultJumble puffs  – just some powdered sugar, Silk Nog and a drop of vanilla extract.

Though not all of the finished pastries (or my serving dishes) were photo-worthy, I did, very much, enjoy them with a cup of coffee in my new favorite mug (a gift from our dear neighbor, Molly).

Coffee and Pastry

I also had to try one of JumbleSpouse’s hearts, of course.  And Hannah, dear, your jam tastes as gorgeous as it looks (no surprise there).  Thank you!  Oh thank you!

So, what would you do with such special jam?  I still have about 3/4 of a jar left!!  Maybe Hannah will drop by and share some of her ideas with us, too!

Solstice Trifle 20 December 2008

There is a lovely recipe for Dragon’s Layer Cake in Yule:  A Celebration of Light and Warmth involving Ladyfingers, Liquor and Chocolate.  Right up my alley, and easily veganizable.

So, I started with Vegan Lunchbox’s Fluffy White Cupcakes, subbing orange extract for the 1/4 tsp of coconut extract.  The results were not great.

Sunken Cupcakes

I’ve had this happen once or twice before…blame it on the altitude (which I never think to plan for).

As advertised, however, they were, indeed, “fluffy”.  Perhaps a bit too fluffy as they did not come out of the tin whole.  Yes, I should have let them cool in the pan longer.  But the recipe said “cool 5 minutes”, so I did and we got Crumble City.

No worries, mate!  Trifle is in our future!  Which suited JumbleSpouse just fine as it’s his favorite dessert anyway.

Trifle Beginnings

I put half the crumble in to my “trifle bowl” and half into an 8 x 8″ Pyrex dish.  I poured juice from 2 oranges mixed with 1/4 cup of Cointreau over each batch of crumble and let it soak in for several hours (or overnight if you can wait that long).

Since trifle traditionally has a layer of custard, I made a small batch from this recipe.  The color was a bit disconcerting (sort of a gray-ish yellow), but I tossed it on top of the cupcake in my trifle bowl anyway.

Today I took 3/4 cup of plain soy milk and heated it on medium-high heat.  Just before it started to bubble, I took it off the stove and stirred in ~9 oz. of Chocolove 70% chocolate until it all melted.

I poured/spread with a spatula half over the custard & cupcake layer in the trifle bowl, then added the slightly soggy, alcohol-laden cupcakes from the Pyrex dish.

On top of this went another layer of chocolate.  Then it was time for the cream!  Twinkie cream, that is (and yes, you betch’your Ho-Hos I’ll be scouring eBay for those Twinkie pans in the coming weeks)

I used 3/4 tsp of vanilla plus 1/4 tsp of orange extract instead of 1 straight tsp of vanilla.  Whoa!  This was some serious sugar!  Sadly, it was a bit thick for spreading easily on top of the trifle, but I didn’t fuss about the marbled chocolate/cream effect. (P.S.  I can’t wait until Santa arrives with tips for my pastry bag!)

On top of all this went some grated, dried orange peel (in honor of the Sun).

Solstice Trifle

Filing this one under “orgasmic desserts” that are great for making if you have toddlers around that never let you cook for more than 15 minutes at a time.  Each layer can be done quickly, and the longer you wait to add a layer, the better it tastes.  So, even if it takes you three days to make the sucker, it’s all good!

Bon Appetite!

Food and Wine Weekend Review 6 December 2008

The fine art of cooking

“Never cook with wine that you won’t drink (while cooking).”  Just one of many sage rules from JumbleSpouse’s kitchen.  I have happily adopted this philosophy, and feel better for it.

Today’s new cooking/drinking wine was a 2006 Nuevomundo – a vegan, organic cabernet/malbec blend.  The liquor store (conveniently located behind my condo) has a limited selection of choice wines.   However, I have been impressed with the number of vegan, organic options available.

You can click on the link above for a flowery explanation of what this wine is supposed to taste like.  However, I  rarely share the Reviewer’s tastebuds, nor do I really care what theirs have to say anyway.  Here’s my simple criteria for what I consider to be “good red wine”*:

Does it taste like communion wine (aka, grape juice)?  If yes, then we will not be cooking with it, let along drinking it.

Is it dry?  If tumbleweeds don’t start rolling out of my mouth on impact, it’s too sweet.

Could I drink it for dinner?  That’s right, for dinner, as in – instead of – dinner, it’s that rich and “meaty” (for lack of a better word .

Does it pass the dark chocolate test?  If it tastes good with a mouth full of plain dark chocolate, we’re in business.

So, how did the the Nuevomundo fare in the test?

1. Initial taste – dangerously close to grape juice. I really want to like Malbec.  Really I do.  Chile and Argentina are underdog wine producers.  I always go for the underdogs (you heard me, California).  The longer it luxuriated in my glass, the rounder it got.  Moved from grape juice to something like a Chianti.  Much better.
2. No tumbleweeds, but really…nothing does that for me like a Washington Merlot or Australian Shiraz (tannens anyone?).  Still, drier than, say, a wine cooler.
3. Thankfully, I will have a rich Chestnut Bourguignon Pie for dinner tonight, so no loss there.
4. When all else fails, drink with chocolate.  Nuevomundo passed this test with flying colors.

Overall ranking – 1 1/2 out of 4 stars

Now, on to the pie!

The smells coming out of my kitchen as the wine, veggie broth, chestnuts and fresh rosemary and thyme simmered nearly knocked me over.   The Chestnut Bourguignon Pie was off to a good start.

When I poured the finished product in to the pie pan, I saw that I didn’t really have enough chestnuts to bulk it up properly.  I imagined putting a double layer of puff pastry (oh Pepperidge Farm, how I love thee) to make up for it.  However, I had only thawed one sheet and nap time was coming to a chose.  So, I threw the one on and baked it up.   It looks like a chocolate croissant pie and smells wicked good!  Let’s eat!!

Chestnut Bourguignon Pie

* We”ll talk about white wine another time – like maybe next summer or something – winter is for deep, rich reds.

Let the Gifting Begin! 5 December 2008

So, I delivered the first of our homemade Holiday gifts yesterday.  All the locals are getting this:

Homemade Holidays

Zucchini bread (sans chocolate chips and with pumpkin instead of bananas) made from the last of this summer’s harvest -  the most ginormous fruit I’d ever seen…got 10 cups of shredded zucchini and ten loaves of bread out of this bad boy.
Maple pumpkin butter made from leftover Thanksgiving sugar pie pumpkin.  I loved that the recipe yielded eight 4-oz. jars.  I used apple cider instead of apple juice – not recommended as it totally overpowered the pumpkin.  Still, I liked how it turned out – very spicy.
Sweet holiday cards that I purchased in a post-Christmas sale last year and miraculously remembered that I had them, and where I had stored them.

This was Round #1.  I hope to have another round with even sweeter, more decadent treats in the coming weeks provided I get my homemade Yule gift for JumbleSpouse done by the 21st.

“The best soup I’ve ever had!” 11 November 2008

I adore my new Brother in Law.  Not just because he’s made my little sister so happy, or even just because he loves to make JumbleSon laugh, but also because he proclaimed my Golden Potato Mushroom Soup to be “the best soup I’ve ever had!” and went back for multiple bowls.

As I was making it yesterday, I realized that I wasn’t really following the recipe I had for it at all.  So, it was time to write it up.  I can not take full credit for this dish as it is JumbleSpouse who’s the true Gourmet in the family.

He taught me how to use real onions instead of the powdered or frozen version I grew up with.  Fresh is always best!  Same goes with herbs.  He taught me that high quality olive oil and fresh garlic are The Key ingredients to just about every dish.  That a mixture of wild, or even tame (button and babybella) mushrooms, will enhance the flavor of the most bland meals.  If it wasn’t for him, I’d have followed the instructions on the original recipe to “combine carrots, onions, 1 cup water, tamari, and spices.  Saute until onions are translucent, and vegetables are soft,” instead of doing it properly with oil, onions, garlic and carrots first.

I will, however, take full credit for discovering the secret of truffle oil at L’Albergo Ristorante Bellavista in Impruneta, Tuscany (which, incidentally, is also home of tablecloths in the perfect – and I mean, Platonic Ideal – shade of yellow).

Bless the Italians.

And, of course, there’d be no nutty soy milk in our food if I hadn’t become a milk producer (whereupon my heart broke for Mama sheep, goats and especially dairy cows – perpetually kept pregnant, then separated from their newborn babies so that humans can have milk meant for their nurslings.  No female should be forced in to pregnancy, or have her baby taken from her.  And let’s not even talk about the link to the veal industry.  Shudder.)

Vegan feminist rant over.

On to the recipe…made you work for it, didn’t I? 

Golden Potato Mushroom Soup (~5 large servings)

Ingredients:

• 1T olive oil
• 6-8 potatoes (Yukon gold, red or white, peeling optional) – diced
• 1 large carrot, or 2 small ones – sliced
• 2 yellow onions – diced
• 3-5 cloves garlic – minced
• ½ lb. mixed variety of wild mushrooms (tame mushrooms work, too) – sliced
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup tamari soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (~1 T, fresh)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (~1 ½ tsp, fresh)
• 1c. water
• 4c. veggie broth
• 2c. plain soy milk
• tiny cap full of truffle oil (optional secret ingredient)
• pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large soup pot, heat oil and add onions. Saute for ~5mins.
• Add garlic and carrots. Saute for ~5 more mins.
• Add mushrooms, tamari, dill and rosemary. Saute for ~5 min. until the onions are translucent and carrots are soft. Add 1 c. of water if it starts to bubble too much that the veggies start to stick.
• Add diced potatoes to the pot, along with the veggie broth (and water if it not added already). Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are soft, approximately 15-20 minutes.
• Add soy milk and heat just to warm through. Add truffle oil and pepper. Serve and yum!