Finishing Up Projects and New Links

Rainy cold weekend here in the south not much to do except finish up some things that have been laying around.  We actually had snow here this winter. First was socks, of course!

Very colorful, this pair is for me. 😄 

I know they all look the same just different colors, I use a basic pattern and really just need them to be functional.

There has been a two ingredient bagel recipe floating around the Internet so I figured I would give it a shot.

I used the recipe from Mess for Less.  I just used self rising flour and they are not over done, the color is from using an egg yolk wash instead of an egg white wash.  They are a little tangy from the yogurt and are less calories so win/win!  I baked for half an hour because I made them higher rather than wider, easier to cut.

For one of my more geekier hobbies, I spray painted an old cardboard display for an ink stand.   My boss owns a few businesses, one of which is a boutique store, with trendy clothing and items.  So on the rare occasion I have to work in the boutique, to keep my skin from crawling I try to see if there is something I can apply to my life.  It helps the time pass.  I took this from the discard pile.

Ink stand!  Not as it is,  just a few coats of spray paint.

With ink:

Not too bad. 

Also, I wanted to share a couple of links to where I have been hanging out.  You should check out

A Woodsman's Remedies, and Go Apocalypse great content, hope to see you there!

Slow Cooking

I bought a new slow cooker by Bella for $20.   I have a 7 quart Hamilton Beach which I love, but sometimes it runs hot and I don't want things overcooked.  I don't think I have it filled enough even though I am feeding a large family.  I have one that is 3 1/2 quarts, not big enough for daily meals.  

It is manual,  I like to keep my slow cookers simple.
I do not have a picture of the finished product but I tried Crock-Pot Sticky Chicken from Flavour & Savour.  It was a winner and just a small portion for leftovers.

Since I have the never ending supply of ground venison I am looking up more recipes calling for ground beef. 

The Bread Also Rises

A long, cold winter is good for baking.  I did a lot of that.  Once upon a time I tried to turn into an artisan bread snob.   Which turned out worse than my even thinking about being a foodie.  I went from not being able to make a simple loaf of white bread to trying to grow mold...on raisins...under the full moon, etc.   Then there is feeding different starters.  It is a little like having a newborn in the house, the feedings are spaced out a little longer.  Baking bread, once enjoyable, became a chore.  Mold, which is easy to come by in the South, did not want to grow on raisins in my kitchen, and my starters were hit and miss and my bread was nothing to brag about for all the trouble.  I was on message boards with too many rules, the main one being no commercial yeast, and I needed chemistry lessons.  Not a bad thing, but I wanted to enjoy bread again.  It was with a homicidal heart that I ended the life of all but one of my starters.   It is all a matter of what works best, if I don't have yeast on hand, I use potato.  Most breads I make do not require starter.   I love to bake bread.

I joined a bread group and this book was all the rage:

After seeing pictures of breads made from the recipes of this Better Homes and Gardens 1973 edition book, I bought one (did you think anyone had to twist my arm on this?).   I shelled out $1 on Amazon used, plus shipping.   I love this book.

This is Pilgrims' Bread (pg. 61), made with white, wheat, rye, and cornmeal.  This double loaf recipe lasts quite a while.  

Best-Ever Muffins (pg. 87), were a hit as well and were made with the blueberries picked and frozen from last year. 

Hoagie rolls were not from the book, were from a shared recipe:

Amie's Sub/Hoagie Rolls

1 1/2 tsp. (about 1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 tsp. honey

2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups bread flour

2 cups all-purpose flour



Directions

In a small bowl, add honey to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Add yeast and let sit for 5 minutes, or until frothy/foamy. Add oil and stir to combine.

Combine salt and flours in a medium mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer, or by hand, add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Beat until smooth on medium speed. If dough is too wet, add a little more flour to make the dough soft.

On a lightly floured surface (or in the mixer bowl with bread hook), knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.

Lightly grease a large bowl with a bit of oil and place dough into bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with dish towel and let rise for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set oven to 400 degrees.

Punch down dough and, on a lightly floured surface, divide into 8 balls. Shape each ball into a long oval, roughly the size of the hoagie roll you wish to make. Arrange long ovals on parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Cover again and let rise an additional 25 minutes. Brush on an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.


Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

Very good but because of the sodium content will not make very often.  

This was baked on the same day so since I had the oven going in went a lasagna:

I guess I should have made some Italian bread!

All About The Slow Cooker

Lately the slow cooker has been getting quite the workout.  I like using the slow cooker because earlier in the day dinner is decided.

Slow Cooker Revolution from America's Test Kitchen has been great for me.  Usually when I tell the gang dinner is in the slow cooker it is not met with any sort of appreciation.  DH's eyes glaze over and you can feel the sense of dread radiating in waves from him.  One word goes through his brain...mush.  I asked him for a new slow cooker last year I was surprised he bought one for me.  So here is the slow cooker I use:

It is a Hamilton Beach 7qt slow cooker (with lid rest).  I needed a larger slow cooker to cook a variety of meals.  I do have to reduce cooking time in using the recipes out of the cookbook, my slow cooker runs hotter.  It all works out because I can keep it on the Keep Warm function if it finishes before we are ready to eat.
If you noticed, I emphasized how Slow Cooker Revolution works for me.  In the reviews a lot of people complained about prep/cook times.  This book works best if you have more time in the morning or the night before to prepare the meal.  Some meats need to brown first in a pan and some vegetables and seasonings need to sweat in a pan also.  Some recipes only have a 4 hour cook time and need a timer used.  I have more time in the morning to devote to prep and less time in the afternoon so this works out perfectly.  This is not your dump and go cookbook.  They do have a Slow Cooker Revolution 2, yes I have it, where prep times are shortened.  I have not tried anything out of the second one yet, but it is also receiving good reviews.  I should have taken pictures as I made things out of the book but I wasn't anticipating it to work as well as it does.  So what have I made?

Braised Brisket and Onions
Cassoulet
Smothered Pork Chops with Onions and Bacon
Maple-Glazed Pork Loin
Beginner's Pulled Pork
Sticky Wings
Chicken Divan
Old-Fashioned Tamale Pie
Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I few of these I have made more than once and as you can see I have few marked off in the book that are on deck.  Last night I made the Smothered Pork Chops with Onions and Bacon.  When DH called to see what was for dinner and I told him pork chops were in the crock pot you would have thought I shot the cat.  I told him it was a new recipe from "the book" and he calmed down a little.  Now this recipe doesn't call for browning first, so the pork chops didn't look very attractive cooking.  They all loved it.  I have not made chili, stews, soups, sauces, sides, or deserts yet so I have a lot more to try and am looking forward to it.

Just to assure everyone that no domesticated animals were harmed here is a picture of the rotten cat doing what she does best.

 

News Fast

Yes, I've taken a little bit of a news fast this week.  I turned it on this morning to hear yet another rant about Snowden.  Yeah, we spy on them they spy on us.  I turned it off.  Right now Obamacare is what is bothering me the most, that and the big F (furlough) that starts in a week.  It seems that my insurance company and it's underwriters or whatever, are in renegotiation with a lot of it's doctors, I am only assuming it for the upcoming changes in January.  So, my dermatologist, is one of those doctors, and I am due for my cancer screening.  She is a great doctor (remember when Obama said you can keep your doctor?), well either I go as out of provider and try to recoup some of the cost or I wait six months to see if maybe they worked it all out.  Why don't I try another doctor?  Most of the ones in my area are in renegotiation, I have already had skin cancer, and did I mention previously my doctor is great?   As long as the children's doctor is o.k. that is all that matters right now. 

I have been busy crocheting, my youngest likes bears:

I made the one on the right first and so much fun with it I made the one on the left.  Now they hang out together.  The pattern is from http://www.lalylala.com/.  I bought it a while ago and finally sat down to make them.  Small hooks are starting to get to my hands and I might have to buy the ergonomic hooks.   

Previously I did a rant on writing more letters.   I read an article not too long ago about a 22 year old man having to have his grandmother's diaries translated.  Not because they were in a foreign language, but because they were written in cursive.  Did I not hear a blurb about a witness in the Treyvon Martin case signing a statement and couldn't read it because it was in cursive?   I have a pen pal in Australia, a lovely woman in her 70's that I write to.  She sent me this chalk picture that I have to have framed:

I love it.  It is winter there so I am working on a shawl for her:

This pattern if from Ravelry and it's called Anna's Shawl.  It is a free pattern and easy to do.  I am 95% finished with it but unfortunately I did not pick up enough yarn, it takes 4 skeins and I had to go up two hook sizes because I crochet too tight, I am hoping the dye lot won't be too far off when I pick up another skein.  I hope she likes it, you can't see it too clearly in my picture but if you click on the link you will see how nice it really is.  I also plan on doing more crochet for charity, which I will share in a future post.

Also, my pen pal is looking for other pen pals in their 60's and 70's to write to.  She asks that they are born again.  Now her handwriting is a little rough but she really is a lovely woman.  If interested let me know. 

On to food,  I am mixed up mutt of nationalities which makes me an American, that means if I wanted to experiment with foods from all of those nationalities, I would never run out of new things to try.  Italian food makes my heart sing.  My husband jokes that if I don't have sauce (and it is sauce not gravy), I go through withdrawal.  Growing up on Italian food and cooking it, I rarely look at Italian recipes.  One morning I saw this young Italian guy cooking on T.V. and thought I'm buying that book.  So here he is:

I have tried a couple of recipes and I like them and hope to make more.  Fabio Viviani is proof that the American Dream is still alive.  He is young, cocky and works hard.

My oldest is here from New York, we actually got him here without having to drive to another state to pick him up unlike last year.  That is the main reason why I haven't been posting lately.  Week one of his visit is over and we are starting on week two.  So far so good, he hasn't been bored enough to run screaming.  

Hope all is well with everyone, try to stay cool!