Handmade

OK, so I'm a cliche', to a degree. There's no question that there is an arts and crafts movement afoot, my sense is in response to the over-commercialization of our goods. People just want to feel more connected to what they own and buy, at times. Knitting is my main muse in this arena, but I also enjoy jewelry-making, general crafting, cooking from scratch, and am starting to do more sewing. I also intend to learn how to embroider. It really makes sense though - my mother made many of our clothes, and we did much cross-stitch together, as well as tended a nice size garden. Ok, my mother tended it, but we reaped the benefits. It was the 70's. But I'm finding a lot of the 70's ideals coming back around, like homesteading, growing your own food, canning, knitting and sewing your own clothes. Generally being more self-sufficient in these times of super-stores, global warming and receiving our food from 1500 miles away. John says I'm a 70's girl anyway, in look and thought, and I think he's right. So here are some pictures of my handmade X-mas and a few other projects that I'm working on.

My family exchanges stocking gifts - so most of mine were knitted. I'm pretty proud of myself, because it was my intention to knit most of my stocking gifts the past couple of years, and it just didn't happen. So I'm making progress. Here's a scarf that I made for my brother in law - a simple pattern of increases and decreases made in a beautiful Noro yarn - silk garden, I think. Not only did I like the results, but Drew loved it, which is great! I didn't get to witness him opening the gift though, and I think he was scared, based on the other gifts that he witnessed. See below for what else he saw.
These wrist warmers actually have a cable on the outside and are pretty cool, but definitely a bit intense. I need to make myself a pair of these in a bit calmer color, which I already have. For some reason, my knitting always ends up going to someone else! This pattern is from Rowan, a fall issue from several years ago. Awesome!

I also made a hat for my mother out of manos yarn, from a pattern from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts, one of my favorite knitting books. Creative and simple patterns. In addition, I made two scarves from the book, one for my Aunt and one for my grandma. In the link above, you can see an example of the pattern that I used.

And finally, evidence of sewing! My mom and I started curtains for my old home and didn't get them finished by the time I moved to NH, so I modified them and they are now hanging in our spare bedroom. Bucking broncos on one side and sweet yellow and cream gingham on the other. Grommets at the top and bottom, hanging on hooks so they can open like a flap and be turned around.

Here's evidence! I finally set up my sewing machine and got to it. This is actually a picture of me making long tubes of fabric sewn together to keep the draft out from the bottom of our doors, filled with inexpensive macaroni.

Here's a glimpse of a final products. The curtain is folded up once and secured on the hooks - the gingham is on the underneath side. Now it is time to move onto other projects, like painting the bathroom a pretty light turquoise color instead of hideous maroon! A terrible color in a small space with no windows. John got his motivation going and actually did all the primer painting, which is half of the battle. A vast improvement already!

A quiet thanksgiving, part 2 - Let's brew!

My brother and I, as stated in the previous post, were brewers over the thanksgiving holiday. I'm impressed with him, because he dissects recipes of beers that he likes and tries to clone them. He's worked on a stoudt several times, a few other recipes, and then the Gritty's Christmas ale. Gritty's is a Portland, Maine, pub, with a homey feel and a nice selection of microbrewed beers. The Christmas ale is an ESB (extra special bitter) and has a dark color and a good taste - spicy without that weirdo spice taste to it. Good stuff. So my bro looks online at the general ingredients (not specific at all) and uses something online called a recipator to start the 'scientific' process to figure out this beer. I think this may be his third try, and I was able to be there for practically the whole process - a great education, especially for someone (me) who loves beer. We have both mused about starting a brewery, like the East End Brewing Company. Scott, the owner/entrepreneur/beer-maker started out with home brewing for many years and made the leap out of the tech field to beer-making, something he really loves. In my opinion, he's changed the landscape of Pittsburgh brewing, by offering hearty tastes of each of his beers at his open-factory brewery, offering growler bottles and any beer for $10 a refill. He also supplies many of the bars, pubs and restaurants in the area with his variety of brews. And he's a good guy. I gave different kinds of East End beer to each of my male family members last X-mas as a stocking gift. I wish I would have found Scott sooner, because I love his concept and what he's done in terms of spreading the word, events and marketing great beer to the East End and Pittsburgh.

ANYWAY. Below is the most current iteration of the Gritty's X-mas clone, with hops amounts that Matt and I came up with in the recipator, based on tweaks after the last batch. What is great is that he still had a taste of the old batch, so we could taste and compare with the real thing, to make our calculated changes. Thank god he's an engineer!!

xmas ale clone

Brewer:	hemming		Email:	-
Beer:	xmas ale clone		Style:	English Strong (Extra Special) Bitter
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	5.5 gallons
Color:	21 HCU (~12 SRM)		Bitterness:	33 IBU
OG:	1.055		FG:	1.012
Alcohol:	5.5% v/v (4.3% w/w)
Grain:	8 oz. American crystal 40L 1.6 oz. Roasted barley
Boil:	minutes	SG 1.100	3 gallons
	3.3 lb. Light malt extract 3 lb. 12.8 oz. Light dry malt extract
Hops:	.5 oz. Cluster (7% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. Styrian Goldings (5.5% AA, 60 min.) 1.5 oz. Yakima Goldings (5% AA, 30 min.) 1.5 oz. Saaz (3.75% AA, 30 min.)

This web page generated by The Beer Recipator.

Here are several pictures of the process. We began with yeast starter, then moved on to the boil. We used four different types of hops, two at 30 minutes and two at 60 minutes, all in the recipator. It took 60 minutes of stirring, so it was great that there were two of us, and it made the sterilization process much easier, which is of the utmost importance.


You can see here that we gave the brew an ice bath to bring the temperature down quickly, and then transferred it to a five gallon jug. The beer then needed to be infused with O2 and the yeast starter added. Then onto the first fermentation. Matt took the beer downstairs, and being the smarty pants that he is, rigged up a fish tank thermometer to keep the temperature constant. He had to add a blowoff tube, because that thing was really blowing! The beer was active, which is a really good sign. The final picture is a shot of his beer fridge/tap - making room for new beer! The first fermentation takes a week, the second, two weeks, and hopefully in time for a taste at X-mas!

A quiet thanksgiving, Part 1

My bro and I celebrated Thanksgiving together, this year. He is in Portland, ME, and since I moved to Peterborough, NH in late June, this seemed like the best option. John went home since all of his grandparents would be there, but I didn't feel like making the 10 hour trek both ways for four short days, and plus, the idea of Matt and I cooking T-giving dinner and going to Portland (only 2 1/2 hours away) was very appealing. Here's a pic of Matt getting serious about the dinner that we prepared.

It was a quiet thanksgiving, to say the least. But not too quiet, with two dogs and a cat around. Here is Clancy on the left, Murphy on the right, and yes, Puss-puss in the middle. It was great having so many pets around, sans the hair.

Matt made the turkey, which came out quite well, the stuffing and mashed potatoes, while I made the pumpkin pie, baked cream corn and cranberry sauce. A meal fit for 10 kings, only for two!
Good, good stuff. John and I are still eating the leftovers. We also took several dog walks around the back bay, and hit a couple of spots in Portland, including Portland Pie, at their new location and Rira's Irish Pub, where I tried my first port wine. It was a good weekend. But the best is yet to come....

For anyone interested in wine, check this out

I was recently listening to Martha Stewart radio on Sirius, which is quickly becoming one of my new obsessions. Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer, Living Today with Kerry Nolan, etc. Check it out. But onto the point. I was listening to Living Today as I was driving to the bank last week and she had a dynamic guest on the show named Gary Vaynerchuk and they talked about all kinds of wine at different price points. I've started to become more interested in wine over the past few years, and especially now that I work at a fine dining restaurant. So I googled Gary's show and found winelibrarytv.com.

Gary is spirited, practical and full of humor. Every day of the work week, there is a new show posted for all of us in internet land to check out. Gary is very price conscious as well, which is great for anyone with just about two pennies to rub together. I don't know a lot about wine yet, but I'm willing to learn more and Gary makes it fun with his tastings, comments and shout outs. Anyone from the wine novice to the learned should check it out. Just click on the link in this post or to the side!

What have you cooked for me lately?

I have been cooking lately, but in spurts. Money has been tight, especially since my Cobra health care payment has gone up to a whopping $328 per month. Ah, the joys of working without benefits. A temporary situation. But I have been good, using a lot of what we have in our cupboards and picking up some inexpensive items, here and there. Thwarts a bit, my interest in buying local, but gotta do what you gotta do, when cash is tight. But I wanted to show some dishes that I've made recently.

The day before my birthday, I made this scallops dish. Pretty run of the mill saute' of scallops - 2 tbs butter for about a pound of scallops, on medium high or medium heat, brown one side of the scallops for about a minute and a half to two minutes, and then turn over - cook 3-4 minutes total. I also fried up pancetta, maybe five slices or so. I used green leaf lettuce and a lemon shallot dressing on top, from Food and Paper blog. Here are the ingredients for the dressing:

2 tablespoons shallot, finely diced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Throw in some strawberries, and whalla! An awesome, awesome dinner dish. BTW, congrats Sarah on being mentioned in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for Food and Paper!


These second and third dishes are compliments of Martha Stewart, from her daytime show. Anyone who doesn't use her site, get over there, and right quick! It is fabulous. If you customize the site, you can collect, rate and share recipes, crafts, etc.

The first is a Shepherd's pie recipe, which I knew was good, from my guy's 'mmmm, mmm, mmm' sounds he made while eating it. John is an efficient eater and eats for the sake of sustenance as much as flavor. So I knew that I hit on a good one with this. Below is the recipe.

Shepherd's Pie with Rutabaga Topping
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
* 1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
* 1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
* 1 sprig fresh thyme
* 2 dried bay leaves
* 1 clove garlic
* 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, plus more for rutabagas and potatoes
* 2 pounds boneless beef chuck or leg of lamb for stew, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 cups dry red wine
* 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium canned beef stock
* 4 carrots, cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 rutabagas (about 3 pounds), peeled and cut into large pieces
* 4 russet or Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into large pieces
* 1/2 cup hot milk, or more if needed

Directions
1. Tie celery, rosemary sprig, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni; set aside. Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until hot. Melt butter, and brown meat in two batches, taking care not to crowd the pieces or they will steam and not brown; transfer meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onions; cook until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Return meat to pan and sprinkle flour over the meat and onions, cook about 1 minute, stirring often.
2. Add wine, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits. Add the stock and bouquet garnish, bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid after 1 hour; add carrots, and cook, uncovered, for the last 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place rutabagas and potatoes in separate saucepans; cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes for the rutabagas and 25 minutes for the potatoes. Drain; return to the saucepans to dry out any moisture from the vegetables for a few minutes.
4. Put the rutabagas and potatoes through a food mill fitted with a fine disk, or ricer, or mash by hand. Add butter, as desired, and enough hot milk to make a creamy puree. Season with salt and pepper; stir in chopped rosemary.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove bouquet garni; transfer stew into a deep 2-quart baking dish. Top with puree; dot lightly with butter. Bake 1 hour, or until top is brown and crusty. Serve hot.

It was the first time I used cheese cloth to enclose aromatics - too fun!

Next, we have Chicken Cardamom Masala with Cashews. I was really taken by this segment on the Martha Stewart Show, I believe in November. The author of the book "Where Flavor was Born", Andreas Viestad tracked where spices originated from in his journeys and through his recipes. I've got to get this book! This is the first time I've bought a whole chicken and disassembled it. The one thing that I would do differently is to grind the spices more thoroughly with a mortar and pestle to bring out the flavors.



Chicken Cardamom Masala with Cashews
Serves 4

* 2 tablespoons garam masala
* 6 to 10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
* 1 piece (1 inch) cinnamon stick
* 2 teaspoons red chile flakes
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2/3 cup plain full-fat yogurt
* 1 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 4 chicken thighs, halved
* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
* Vegetable oil, for frying
* 4 onions, chopped
* 3 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
* 4 to 6 tablespoons cashews
* 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
* 3 medium carrots, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
* 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
* Chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Place garam masala, cardamom, cinnamon stick, chile flakes, ginger, and salt in a mortar and lightly crush with a pestle. Place chicken, yogurt, and spice mixture in a large bowl, turning chicken to coat. Let marinate, covered and refrigerated overnight.
2. Using a rubber spatula, wipe excess marinade from chicken; reserve marinade. Pat chicken with paper towels to dry; sprinkle with turmeric.
3. Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch-oven over high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until skin is nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Reduce heat and add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to pot, along with reserved marinade, cashews, and tomato paste. Cover and cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Add carrots and cauliflower, cover, and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more.
5. Stir in cream or yogurt, if using, and cook 2 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.


And finally, a tasty pea soup by Giada De Laurentis. My version has a bit less cream in it, but doesn't it look pretty?

Pea and Basil Soup
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds (about 4 1/2 cups) frozen peas
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cups chicken broth, divided
2 cups cream
4 to 6 very thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers (jarred is fine)

Directions
Place a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and basil, and heat until the peas are thawed.

Place the pea mixture in a blender. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and pulse until pureed, adding more broth, if necessary, to puree. Return the pureed mixture to the pot. Stir in the remaining chicken broth and cream. Return the pan to medium heat and cook until hot, but not boiling.

To serve, place the soup in bowls. Float a thin slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on top of each soup and sprinkle with the diced roasted red bell peppers. Serve immediately.

To die for

Mrs. Neale goes to the library

You might almost think Osama's minnions were expected to show up at the Marietta airport & parachute into TMI with contraband library DVD's, what with the new security measures at our local library. Yesterday, after checking out our books separately, my 11 yr old son innocently tells me we can't leave yet because he has to get his picture taken. I, ever on the alert for Big Brother (just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after me), walk over to see what is going on. The librarian, as she sets up the camera to photograph my minor son without my consent, says this is a new security measure & they are taking everyone's pictures. Well no one said anything to me about it or asked for my permission I say. "Can we opt out?" I ask. "No", the librarian replies. I said this seems a bit strange; surely I am not the only one to have refused to say 'cheese' on cue?! Apparently shee p are taking over town because, yes, I am the only one so far who is being difficult. I say next thing you know they will start tracking what we read. "Oh no, we aren't allowed to do that", cry the librarians. Right.

They ask nicely if I would like to talk to the director. Really I just want to leave & get on with my other errands but I say sure. The director, a nice lady, explains to me why this is a necessary step in the war on terror, I mean, underage game renting among other things. She implies it is a small concession to have access to such an awesome selection of free materials. It isn't really asking that much to be able to utilize this wonderful institution. 2% are ruining it for the rest of us. I nod & try to grasp her points while she assures me no one will get into the computer system & use this information for nefarious purposes. I mean, people might hack into the Pentagon but not Lancaster County Library!

Now, my boys love to go to the library. They check out alot of books but also DVD's, CD's and Xbox games. I don't really understand why libraries now loan games for Game Boys, the Xbox & the Wii. But that is another rant for another day. I do know that they would be very disappointed if they could not use the library anymore just because their mother refused to drink the kool aid & let them be photographed. But what about all those unsupervised kids in the library who are being photographed without their parents even knowing? I was led to believe these same parents don't know their kids are stealing their library cards, impersonating them & using the library computers for forbidden purposes. And renting 'T' rated video games. The horror! I thought the library stood up for Banned Books, celebrated them no less, yet they are now in the business of monitoring what someone else's children are trying to borrow. In a free country. When did that responsibility make it into the public library manifesto?

Meanwhile I am thinking this photographing of all library patrons seems like an extreme reaction to a few thefts & unsupervised children. But that's just me, thinking for myself. If you stop drinking the kool aid automatically, you start questioning everything. My kids have taught me this while unschooling me over the years. The most radical act today is to educate your children yourself and along the way, you begin to see the world anew. This is not good news for Big Brother or the Nanny State. But it is great for the Republic.

"Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither."