QT's Random Ramblings

Recipe: Leftover Beef Pot Pie

2012-01-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

Okay... The pie was officially "Delicious!"

Glad I made two b/c the first one only lasted 15 minutes!!!

* * * * *

So, Hubs has been on the road a lot lately. And I've been more-or-less trapped in the house (Not entirely: I did manage to *start* pruning one of my plum trees *and* I did do a bisque-firing! But that's a separate post!) (Maybe?!).

Anyway, I figured - /sarcasm/ after having to endure all that *dreadful* restaurant food (on his *dreadful* expense account!) /end sarcasm/, he might appreciate a Home-Cooked Meal.

What I wanted was asparagus with hollandaise sauce and some kinda BEEF.

What I ended up with was broccoli crowns with (Knorr-mix) hollandaise sauce, (heavily marinated) london broil with bearnaise sauce [bearnaise sauce = hollandaise + dried tarragon, btw], and "Cheaters" mashed potatoes (pre-made/nukable from the 'frigerator section of the store).

Normally I'd throw the london broil on the gas grill - but the weather wasn't cooperating - so I dragged out my "George Forman Wannabee" Contact Grill.

Now, I don't care WHAT the advertisements say, or how pretty the pictures on said advertisements look, a Contact Grill does NOT give the same results as a BBQ or Gas Grill! Not even close!!!

Low-Fat? You bet'cha! It squishes ALL the grease (="juiciness") out of the steak and, well, let's just say that the results are less-than-satisfying...

But at least the super-buttery goodness of the bearnaise sauce made it *almost* edible! We managed to gnaw our way through about half of the steak. The rest got bagged and tossed in the fridge. I tried to nosh on it for lunch the following day but - let's be honest - it just wasn't that good!

But I hated to waste it... I thought about making another soup (Gee, really?!), but then I settled on Beef Pot Pie!

As it turned out, I still had about a pound of stew meat left in the freezer + (I'm guessing) about a pound of chewy london broil. So that was the foundation of today's creation (which, incidentally, I started yesterday - but I think the whole thing could be done in one day).

Okay, enough yammering! Onto the Recipe:

QT's Leftover Beef Pot Pie

Yields two 9" deep-dish pies

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 lb leftover london broil, cut to bite-sized
1 lb stew meat cut down into bite-sized chunks
(Or you could just use 2 lbs of stew meat)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 shallots, chopped (optional - I happened to have 'em on-hand)
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
6-8 baby carrots, cut into thirds
A few shakes of whatever all-purpose seasoning (I used Lawry's steak seasoning)
1 Tbs white sugar
16 oz broth (I happened to have leftover chicken broth in the fridge. I suspect beef broth would be even better!)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 can (~14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1-2 cups dry red wine
Frozen veggies (I used appx 1/2 cup ea of peas+carrots and white corn)
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs tarragon (or, to taste)
Salt & Pepper - if you think it still needs it
Crusts for 2 x 9" Deep-dish pies (I'm not domestic enough to make my own!)

Instructions:

Chop your meats into bite-sized chunks (I found the stew meat to be a little too large).
Heat up a large, heavy pan (I used 3-1/2 qt dutch oven) with 1-2 Tbs olive oil.
If you're dealing with raw stew meat, toss it into the pot and brown it in the oil, on high heat. Sprinkle a few shakes of seasoning salt on the meat, as it's browning (If you've got pre-cooked meat - add that toward the end of the browning-stage of the raw meat).
Turn heat down to medium and add the onions, shallots, celery and carrots. Saute 'til the onions are limp.
Once they're translucent, turn the heat off and sprinkle sugar on top. Let 'em rest and "sweat" for appx 5-10 mins.
Turn heat back on to medium-low and toss in the mushrooms. Saute 'til brown.
Dump in appx 1/2 of the dry red wine to deglaze the pan.
Then dump in the broth and bouillon cubes - mix thoroughly and increase heat to medium.
Then add canned tomatoes (including liquid), mushroom soup and bay leaf.
Bring to a light boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour. Taste-test it. Add tarragon and the rest of the wine. Taste-test it again and adjust accordingly (I went a little crazy with the tarragon!).
Continue to simmer for another hour or so (until the meat is tender). I think I let mine simmer for 2-3 hours, to be honest.
At this point, I stopped and put the pot in the fridge overnight (Hubs was still out of town!), but I did "taste-test" a whooooole lot of "stew" - enough that I considered it Dinner! ;-)
The next day, heat up the stew on medium-low heat. Add whatever frozen veggies your heart desires. Just get it heated up, at this point. You really don't need to do any more "cooking!" (and you want your frozen veggies to remain recognizable!).
If necessary, make a roux with 2 Tbs flour and enough water to make a paste. Dribble the flour paste into the stew, stirring constantly, until the mixture achieves a nice, thick "stewy" consistency.
Get yourself two deep-dish pie crusts (I cheated and went with frozen) and "Tops" for the pie crusts (pre-made rolled-up crusts, from the 'fridgerated rolls section of the store!). Defrost 'em - a bit - if necessary (You want 'em to be pliable).
Fill the pie-crust bottom to "just below the rim" with the beef mixture (don't forget to remove the bay leaf!).
Moisten the edges of the lower crusts with water, then place the top crust on top. Crimp the two crusts together and cut-off any excess.
Cut vent holes in the top
Bake in a pre-heated 350* oven for appx 35 minutes, or until golden brown (Mine ended up taking 50 mins in my cheesy nuker/convection oven @ 325* So much for it taking *less* time!).

Here are the pies - before baking:

If I manage to snap any "After" shots, I'll prob'ly just post 'em at the top (b/c inserting photos into blogger is a pain!)

Not a Damn Thing...

2012-01-21T20:58:00.001-08:00

Okay, here's another "Blah-Blah-Blah" Nothing Post!

So, if that's not your cup-o-tea, then just "Delete" and move-on, k???

Rain. Cold. Blaaaahhhhhhh!!! And I am feeling utterly and completely un-motivated this weekend.

:::sigh::: I never even made it out to the Tiki Shack / Studio, as planned.

I *did* accomplish some stuff last week, though. Hubs has been b*tching about the cluttered mess in the garage (Which is... Well, maybe *slightly* more than half-my-fault! But he's got sh*t out there, too!!). So I called Joysey-Friend-K (who has a Sickness: She *loves* cleaning! Like, for PLEASURE - How sick is that?!). She kept me company as I proceeded to "De-Hoard" one of the larger shelving units in the garage.

That was actually kind of comical. See? Sometimes I shop at Smart & Final (which is a "Restaurant-Supply" kinda store), and I have a tendency to pick-up things like paper-plates and disposable drinking cups, in bulk. Sometimes I sort-of purchase said items when I'm not 100% sure I need 'em! (Ooops!)

I think you know where I'm going with this...

Holy sh*t! I could feed an army with my stash of paper plates, cups, lids, plastic-cutlery and NAPKINS. Good GAWD did I have napkins! (I had so many, I actually had to throw a couple of packages out - it really was *that* ridiculous!). I also "stuck-to-my-guns" with my De-Hoarding mindset and (with K's help!), managed to convince myself "I am NEVER going to use this" for a rather large number of items!

Now, the tool-bench is piled high with stuff for the Goodwill. Yay!!! Of course, Hubs *hates* it when I take-over his tool-bench - but let's hope that the Much-Neater-Shelves will offset this (temporary) annoyance!

Ironically, I have since "replaced" practically the Exact Same Quantity of 'Goodwill Stuff' with 'NEW Stuff!!!'

Yesterday, I hooked up with BFF-S and dropped a boatload of money @ IKEA. And that was kinda fun. Now bear in mind that I absolutely HATE shopping (you couldn't drag me to a shopping ~~maul~~ mall unless you pointed a gun at my head!) (And even at that, I might actually prefer to be shot!!!). Somehow or other we ended up burning FOUR HOURS at IKEA. I swear, they must pump-in some kinda trance-inducing gas, or pipe subliminal "Buy-me-Buy-me-Buy-me" messages through the store!

When we started out, I was thinking "Oh, I just need to buy a new duvet cover (@ $39.00)..." Well, $300 later... Like I say... I pretty much just substituted my big pile of Old Stuff with New Stuff! (But it's GOOD stuff!)

I did get my duvet-cover (couple of 'em, actually). And I bought a new lighter-weight, "Down Alternative" (=Machine-washable!) comforter. And quite a few tchotchkes for the bathroom (including a trio of GORGEOUS aqua-colored glass vases).

New Bathroom Tchotchkes!

Purrrrty!

...And I bought some kitchen-organization krep. To be fair, I did pick-up a couple-three cool-lookin' clamp-on-cork kinda bottles that I plan to use whenever I get around to finishing my Limoncello (Oh, Jeez - I gotta do something with that!).

Cool, huh?

I'd saved the original vodka bottles, but I think this'll look much better. Kinda has that "Homespun" look, right? Anyway, I just went back to the original Limoncello recipe and it's definitely time for me to add some sweetener. I'll post more about that - once I tackle it.

(Trying to keep my Ramblings separate from "Content" after all!)

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet on the home-front. I've mainly been cuddling the dogs in front of a fire, most evenings (Did I mention that it's cold and wet outside?! And that I freaking HATE winter?!).

Nah, this is a time for "Indoor Sports." Today's Big Excitement: Firing up the old laptop and purging all personal-stuff off of it. Whenever Friend-P house-sits for me, she likes to have access to a computer so she can keep-up with FarmTown/FarmVille/Yada-Yada. While I totally trust her, I just don't think it's a good idea to have all my personal financial data accessible, so I generally lock-up my laptops (I *have* to lock-up the work laptop - per company policy - but I always stick my personal laptop in the same cabinet). Anyway, now the old Toshiba can safely be left-out...

Boring-Boring-Boring, I know! Maybe things will liven-up a bit in the coming week... We'll see. But sometimes it's nice to have a complete "Nothing" weekend!

Recipes: Leftover Corned Beef Soup & Creamy Asian Turnip Bok-Choy Spinach Soup!

2012-01-19T17:46:00.001-08:00

I *did* mention that Friend-P mentioned that it's National Soup Month, right? Suuuuuure I did!

I am, like, TOTALLY celebrating it! And - what with this frickin' Arctic Cold Weather we're having - it seems most appropo, if you ask me!

Did you know that you can basically clean-out your fridge by dumping the contents into a sauce-pan filled with broth and call it dinner???

I understand that some people already knew that. I - OTOH - did not (What can I say? I was raised by wolves!)! (Srsly! I thought the ONLY soup in the world came from a can labeled "Campbells!")

So please join me in Celebrating this Exciting New Discovery, k???

So the other night, I whipped out my trusty old Crock Pot and we celebrated St Patty's (Paddy's lesser-known cousin, Patricia) Day, early. We had Corned Beef and Cabbage and it was "Pretty Okay."

The thing about corned beef is: it's basically a crap-shoot in terms of the quality of the meat you're gonna get. I *think* it's basically the same "cut" of meat, and it's basically "cured" the same way, and I always "cook" it the same way (low and slow, in liquid)... But sometimes it comes out super-tender; sometimes it's kinda tough; and other times (like Tuesday) it's "somewhere in between." (Let's just call it "chewy!") Might have something to do with the fact that I gravitate toward the "less-expensive" package - but whatEVAH. It tasted good - it just had to be sliced thinly!

Well, Hubs is generally good for "leftovers" for one day - and that's IT. He's not real imaginative with making sandwiches, or assembling multiple ingredients (in fact - come to think of it - I think he skipped leftover CB&C altogether, this time - Hmph!). And - since I honestly don't know *how* to cook in quantities suitable for TWO - well, leftovers tend to overwhelm us most-of-the-time..!

There have been occasions where I've managed to recycle, say, a chicken into Chicken Salad and Chicken & Dumplings. Then - when the dumplings are gone - I've made Chicken Pot Pie from the remainder... Chicken's easy that way! There are LOTS of things you can make with a leftover chicken.

Corned beef? Well, not so much! You can make sandwiches, obviously (and I did!). You can reheat last night's CB&C and have the same dinner, again. Or - you can run it through a meat-grinder with potatoes and make fresh Corned Beef Hash (my dad used to make that - Mmmm!).

Well, I was totally embracing the whole "National Soup Month" thing and figured that add'l cooking-in-liquid couldn't possibly hurt, right? So I figured I'd try to make soup.

QT's Leftover Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup

Yield: Appx 4-5 generous servings (depending upon how much you had leftover, obv!)

Ingredients:

Leftover Corned Beef, cut into spoon-sized chunks
Leftover cooked cabbage, chopped to spoon-size
Leftover baby carrots, cut into thirds
Leftover turnips (yes, I cooked the CB&C with a large cut-up turnip - instead of potatoes - and it was good!)
1/2 "newly" chopped, fresh onion (b/c the leftover onion was just gnarly)
1/4 of a head of fresh cabbage, chopped into 1/2-3/4" chunks
1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1/4 of a bag of frozen peas + carrots (or whatever frozen veggies you happen to have on-hand)
1 quart Beef broth
1-2 Tbs butter
Smidge of Olive oil
1/4-1/2 C Dry red wine
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

Heat the butter - with enough Olive Oil to prevent burning - in a large, heavy-bottomed pan (I used my 3-1/2 qt dutch oven). Saute your "fresh" stuff (onion and cabbage) over medium-high heat 'til it starts to limpify and get translucent. Add half of the red-wine (to de-grease the pan).
Chop your leftover corned beef, cabbage, carrots, turnips into spoon-sized chunks. Once the onions/cabbage in the pot are limp and translucent, add the leftover corned beef, veggies, and canned/diced tomatoes to the pot. Continue sauteing, stirring constantly, 'til they're hot.
Dump-in the Beef Broth. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally). Taste-test it. Add salt/pepper/whatever suits you.
Toward the end of cooking: Add frozen peas + carrots (or whatever) (better to add the frozen stuff @ the end of cooking, so it retains it's color/flavor). Add the rest of the red wine...
Continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot.

It really was surprisingly delicious (and I've frozen a couple of servings for later)!

* * * * *

Okay, let's go back to the Farm-Share "Game" now, shall we?

I have, yet, ANOTHER New Love in the Vegetable Realm (Yes, I think this will be a recurring theme: "QT's Most Favorite Vegetable of the Week!"): Baby Turnips!

Again, turnips are "one of those things" that I never *ever* would have purchased of my own volition. And, in fact, Baby Turnips are something you will almost-never find in your local grocery store! But they really are delightfully tasty!

A couple of weeks ago, the Farm-Share sent-along a small bunch of Baby Turnips and - Surprise (NOTTT!!!), more Baby Bok-Choy (which will - most likely - never be named as my "New Favorite Vegetable" - but whatEVAH!).

I've already determined that I actually *do* like Baby Turnips. Although - it looks like I never posted about 'em before (:::gasp!:::). Normally, I'd quarter the baby turnips *and* chop-up the turnip-greens, and saute them in olive oil with a bit of fresh garlic and sea salt - yummmm!!!

Well, this time around, I let the turnips sit in the Crisper (aka "Rotter") too long and the greens were no longer usable.

And - what with this being "National Soup Month" and all - I figured I'd consult Google and see what (if anything) could find in terms of "Turnip Soup."

As luck would have it, I found this: A recipe for Cream of Roasted Turnip Soup with Baby Bok Choy and Five-Spices!

http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/cream-of-roasted-turnip-soup-with-baby-bok-choy-and-five-spices

Coolio!

Well (if you hadn't figured it out by now), I *suck* at following other people's recipes. But I used this as a "starting point" and here is what I ended up with:

QT's Creamy Asian Turnip Bok-Choy Spinach Soup

Yield: 3 generous servings

Ingredients:

5 baby turnips, diced
2 small heads baby bok choy, stems chopped, leaves reserved
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh spinach, de-stemmed (combine with bok choy leaves)
1/2 cup sliced fresh white mushrooms
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 can (14 oz) chicken or vegetable broth
Chinese 5-spice (to taste)
Soy sauce (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
2+ Tbs Hoisin Sauce (from the Asian Food aisle of the grocery-store)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs Sour Cream

Instructions:

Dice the turnips into small (1/2") chunks. Chop the bok choy (white) stems into 1/4" strips. Reserve the green leaves and combine with the spinach leaves.
Over medium-high heat: Saute turnips and bok choy stems in olive oil (although I think peanut oil might be a better choice), til things begin to soften.
Add onions, garlic and ginger. Continue to saute 'til translucent/limp.
Add the mushrooms, saute 'til lightly brown.
Add the spinach/bok choy leaves and stir 'til reduced.
Add the broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 'til everything is soft. Season with Chinese 5-spice, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce and black pepper (to taste).
Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes 'til everything is very soft.
Remove from heat. Hit it with an immersion blender 'til mostly smooth. At this point, it is going to be a *very* unappetizing shade of dark greenish-brown. Add 2 Tbs of sour cream and 1/2 cup of heavy cream to make it appear more palatable.
Reheat and serve hot.

Goes nicely with a "Dark & Stormy!" Spiced rum and Ginger beer! (Ginger BEER - *not* Ginger Ale!)

To be honest, the final product looks a lot like my Creamy Leeky Spinach Mushroom Soup (I forgot to take a picture of today's recipe - but it really does look the same!). But it definitely has a more "Asian" flair to it. And - truly - it is *quite* tasty! One of my better recipes, IMHO :-D

You *do* have to "Let Go of Preconceptions" though.

See? For me, anyway, if I'm eating a "green" soup - my brain is expecting "Split Pea!" but my taste-buds are defying that! (Hubs experienced a bit of that phenomenon with the Leeky/Spinach soup!). But if you set that aside, you'll find that these are both VERY tasty soups!!!

Yep. Me = Happy! Hope you try it and like it, too!

-QT

Winter has arrived sigh - but it's still National Soup Month!

2012-01-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that Winter has finally arrived, here in (not-so) Sunny Northern California. It seems that the Alaskan Storm Front that has Seattle all socked-in with snow:

(HeeHee!)

Well, it's sending Seattle's cold and dampness down to *us* (dammit!). Although, to be fair, we really DO need the rain (it's been a very dry winter, thus far). But I could do without the arctic chill, thankyouverymuch!

(Nighttime temps in the 20*s-30*s - Jeesh! What-up wit' dat?!!)

(And yes, I *am* a Winter-Weather-Wimp!)

And I guess this is a roundabout way of saying that I'm not gonna be pruning my fruit trees anytime soon :::sigh:::

I did spend a little time in the Tiki Shack o' Perpetual Summer, last night. I've got a few items in greenware stage: Couple-three Doodad Trays; a Very-Belated Christmas Ornament (hand-print of my neighbor's baby); a bunch of clay-beads that BFF-S made; and I've started making little "jewelry" thingies: Ceramic earrings and pendants. Not sure if my attention-span will allow me to make many of those, but it seemed like a fairly simple thing to crank-out...

It's gonna be the "crimping on" of the make-it-into-jewelry part that's gonna drive me batsh*t crazy (Plus, I need to find/order the split-rings and earring wires, and findings and whatnot).

I want to start a few more smallish items so that I can justify a bisque-firing. Heh! But I don't want to venture outside - after dark - cuz it's COOOLLLLLLDDDD out there!

Works out better when I head out in the late-afternoon and get the heater cranked-on ahead of time. Then, I think it's kind nice to lose track of time and get lost in whatever I'm working on!

Maybe tomorrow........... (Ooh - and I'll even remember to take/post some pics - What a concept!).

Okay, well, that's enough Rambling Blah-Blahs... I did make a couple new soups, so I think I'll start a New Post (Heyyyyyy!!!!!)

Recipe: Cranapple Jam (Yummmm!!!)

2012-01-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

So, lately, I've been spending my evenings torturing myself by either flipping through seed catalogs (aka "Garden Porn"), or reading my Ball Blue-Book of Canning.

Neither activity is particularly "Seasonally Appropriate!" But I did stumble across a very tasty-sounding couple-of recipes that involved Cranberries and Apples. Yummmm!!!

Now I am an absolute FIEND when it comes to "Sweet 'n Sour" flavor combos. ESPECIALLY Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam (which, clearly, ain't happ'nin' anytime soon!). So Cranberry+Apple sounded *most* intriguing!

And, happily, our grocery stores *do* still have fresh cranberries. On "Manager's Special" even @ $0.99/bag. So I bought four bags! (only needed a bag-and-a-half for this recipe and, honestly, probably could've gotten away with using just one!)

But, alas, I think I'm finding that these "Fruity" kinds of jams *can't* be canned in my pressure-canner. But, I suppose that's okay 'cuz I've still got my [questionably] Trusty Old Steam Canner...

I did opt to surf the 'net to find a suitable recipe. And I found one on SimpleGoodAndTasty.com, here: http://simplegoodandtasty.com/2011/11/21/cranberry-apple-jam-and-the-last-of-canning-season

I pretty-much stuck with her recipe, with only a few minor tweaks, which I will capture here:

Simple Good & Tasty's Cranberry Apple Jam (with QT's low-sugar mods)

Adapted from Food in Jars

Yields 7 half-pints + 1 12 oz. jar

Ingredients:

8 C Apples, chopped into 3/4" chunks (I'd go with 1/2", next time) (and - BTW - appx 12 medium Granny Smiths = 8 cups, chopped. In case you were wondering!)
4 C. fresh cranberries (rinsed and remove any squishy gnarly ones)
1/2 C dried, sweetened cranberries (Craisins) (My addition!)
2 C packed golden brown sugar
1-1/2 C Splenda (orig recipe just called for 4 C sugar)
1 C. water
2 sticks of cinnamon (orig recipe called for 1 tsp).
½ C. lemon juice

Directions:

Start heating a small qty of water in the bottom of your canner and toss the lids in there to warm up. Your jars, of course, should already be sterilized (I used the "Sterilize/Heated Dry" Cycle on my dishwasher)
Peel, core and chop your apples into 1/2" chunks (I used my Handy-Dandy Apple-Peeler Thingamabobbie and my new Oxo Apple Corer).
Toss 'em in a pot-full of cold water with a generous squeeze of lemon juice (so they won't turn brown while you're still peeling and chopping!).
Cranberries: Rinse and remove any stems and/or squishy cranberries
When your apples and cranberries are Good-To-Go, toss 'em in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add sugar, water and lemon juice to the pot.
I ran out of ground cinnamon, so I mostly-crushed 2 sticks of cinnamon, wrapped 'em in cheesecloth and tossed that into the pot (Heh! Don't forget to remove it!).
Over medium-high heat, mix everything well and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to medium and continue to cook appx 5-10 mins.
Turn heat to low, toss in your Craisins, and let it simmer 'til the apples start to shrink a bit, the mixture reaches a deep crimson color and achieves a "jammy" thick texture. This actually took awhile (like ~ 45 mins, I think!). You're relying on the natural pectin in the apples and cranberries to provide the jammy-ness - so I'm guessing the time will vary from batch-to-batch.
I opted to check for "set" by scooping up a spoonful, placing it on a plate in the fridge and letting it chill for appx 5 mins. When I could hold the spoon vertically with no jam glorping off, it was "done." (and, like I said, it took quite awhile! In fact, I found myself squishing some of the apple chunks to kind of expedite the process!)
Transfer the hot jam to your hot jars. Clean the rims, add the lids and rings.
Move your canner over to the hot burner, add the appropriate quantity of hot water and canning rack, transfer your hot jars to the canner and process, according to your canner's directions, for 10 minutes...

Pictures!!!

New Addition to my "Weapons of Apple Destruction" arsenal!

Oxo Apple Corer (does a damned fine job!)

I used my apple peeler/corer as *just* a peeler this time.

4 cups of fresh cranberries

8 cups of chopped apples (too coarse, IMHO)

Consolidated Fruit

Starting to cook down...

Cooking down, ever further.
It actually got even darker than this!

Into the canner................

Lids popping most gleefully

This actually filled my pre-selected quantity of jars PERFECTLY! (and that NEVER happens!). 1 pint jar, 1 12-oz jar and 5 half-pints.

Can't WAIT for it to cool. Hell, I might even bake up a fresh loaf of bread for this!

Winter Gardening / Yard Chores

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't "blah-blah'd" about the garden in awhile. But then again, it *is* winter, so it's not like there's a whole helluva lot going on, right???

("Welllllll.........")

Back in September, I did start some Cool Season Veggie Seeds in the bathroom window. And, in November, Friend-P brought me some Broccoli and Cauliflower Seedlings. P's seedlings did make it to the Straw-Bale Beds (and they're still alive - although not "productive" yet). I think, back in December, I managed to plant *my* seedlings into my raised beds (and a couple-three ended up in the straw-bales), but my seedlings were still very tiny and tender - and it appears that *something* has munched-on the majority of them :::sigh:::

I do have lousy luck with starting sh*t from seed (yet somehow, I keep trying!!!).

LOL - I also sowed a bunch of "greens" seeds in the tops of my raised, upside-down, planters - out on the patio. Mesclun Mix, Lettuces, Spinach. But then, the "anticipated rains" never came so.... Well, nothing's happening there! (maybe later???)

I also direct-sowed a bunch of other seeds in my raised beds: Peas (nothing happened there!), and some beets, carrots, radishes, and maybe some turnips. I have seem some "action" from the radishes and carrots (although those might have been "leftovers" from my summer planting!). But everything else is pretty much, well, "Nada!" (for lack of a better term!)

Thankfully, I never have "high hopes" for the Winter Garden! And I never even bothered setting-up the greenhouse this winter (since all of my "marginals" have outgrown the size of the doorway! They all live under a bedsheet, clipped to wooden stakes, behind the Tiki Bar).

Nevertheless... Even though the Winter Garden isn't, necessarily, "Productive" - there are still chores to attend to...

Dormant Spraying: We have several fruit trees. Three peach trees (one early-bearing white peach, one late-bearer yellow/"normal," and one "I'm not sure what it is" b/c I had stuck a stick in the ground, after pruning the peach trees, and it kinda took root on it's own!); Two plum trees (Satsuma and Santa Rosa); One Dwarf Bing-Cherry Tree; One Dwarf Blenheim Apricot (that I think might be dead); One Apple tree (which is a grafted 6-variety tree); And one Dwarf Meyers Lime Tree.

Two of the peach trees *definitely* have Leaf Curl. I believe this is a fungal thing and cannot be cured. It *can* be "kinda" kept at bay with repeated dormant sprayings (but it will, eventually, kill the trees). The plums also get something "similar" to leaf-curl - but it is caused by aphids in early spring. Again, this can be curtailed with spraying. Everything else seems fine...

Nevertheless, Dormant Spraying is a Very Important Winter Task. I mix the goop (Lilly Miller Microcop + Sta-Stuck + Dormant/Horticultural Oil). According to "Mr Ed." at Wegmans Nursery - Spray Schedule (and Mr. Ed was my Horticulture Teacher in High School!), Fruit Trees should be sprayed three times, every winter - but BEFORE the buds begin to swell (which, technically, means late November, December and January. Usually, by the time February rolls around, the buds are beginning to swell and it's too late!).

Wellllll... We missed November (as we usually do). We also missed December (being sick for the last two weeks didn't help!). So that brings us to January! I did convince Hubs that we needed to spray TODAY - before the rains kick-in (starting mid-week, next week, from the sounds of it). So we did manage to get at least ONE spraying in. But I'm gonna push for another one at the end of this month, if we can manage it, before the buds start to awaken! (Our last frost date is, typically, sometime in mid- to late-February)

Plus, there's PRUNING to do! *Lots* of pruning! TONS of pruning!!!

Usually, by now, Tree-Pruning chores are complete (which makes sense, actually. Not much point in spraying tree-branches that are gonna get hacked-off, right?), and I can generally concentrate on other Yard Clean-up Chores while Hubs sprays. Things like: giving a serious haircut to the New Zealand Flax, planted outside the back-door (which is obliterating our view of the pool!), Digging/dividing the Birds of Paradise (which I will pawn-off on my neighbors!); cutting-back and digging up (and giving away or selling) the Cannas and their ever-multiplying rhizomes; and hacking-back the Morning Glories which are threatening to completely engulf the yard!!!

Well, today, while hubs sprayed the fruit-trees, I concentrated on hacking back the Morning Glory Vines. I *barely* put a dent in it, yet still managed to completely fill the Green Bin. :::sigh:::

And we've got rains (and SUPER-cold weather) predicted for all of this week, so I kinda doubt I'll be pruning the fruit trees anytime soon (Oooops!).

Hopefully, we'll get another Not-So-Cold spell in the weeks to come - then I can deal with 'em!

Yep. There's still TONS to do (with very little "Immediate Gratification") in the garden! But, in the meantime, the winter seed catalogs have arrived, so I can entertain myself with "Garden Porn" and I will, undoubtedly, end up ordering a boatload of seeds which I will *attempt* to start in the house - only to feed the snails, come early spring...!

Sometimes it sucks being an Optimist!!!

So anyway, that's the Latest 'n Greatest from My Garden (Such as it is!). More to come, I'm sure...!

Random Ramblings: New Computer and Yard Chores

2012-01-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

Old Toshiba on the left
(I used it so much, I wore-off the silver paint!)

It was a Workhorse - and I have no complaints, but "It's Time..."

Brandy-New Dell on the right (Niiiiice!!!)

So I mentioned, the other day, that I was having some laptop issues... My machine (A Toshiba Satellite Pro something-or-other) (Gift from Santa Hubs, several years ago) was starting to overheat and shut down randomly.

The machine was over 4 years old and it really never gave me any problems. And I abused the hell out of it. Couple of Hubbie's favorite phrases (Hubs is a "Desktop Guy") are: "You are very hard on your computers" and "You have bad luck with laptops!" And the latter used to be true (Due, primarily, to the former!). Until he bought me the Toshiba. That machine really was a workhorse and was a lot like Timex in that "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" (and if you remember that phrase: "Thank you for being old like me!").

Hubs seemed rather distraught when I first told him I was having issues ("I paid Good Money for that!"). But then he calmed down, a bit, when I pointed out that "Google sez the Life Expectancy of a laptop is appx 3 years. We beat that, okay?!!"

Honestly, I thought it was rather "polite" of my Toshiba to give me 'warning' before it completely took a sh*t (unlike my previous HP laptop - which completely fried itself with NO warning. I couldn't even get to the hard-drive to back-up my stuff!).

Anyway, as soon as I knew there was trouble-brewing, I did run a full back-up. And then I consulted my good friends at Yelp, to find a good computer repair shop. Thankfully, there is one - right around the corner - that got rave reviews. So I took it over there the MINUTE the shop opened, the next morning.

So, what is it with these "Hardware Geeks" and their utter and complete lack of a sense of humor? I mean, yeah, when I showed up I did look a bit bedraggled in my leggings and Harley shirt (it was 8:00am ferchrissake!), but it's not like I was a full-on candidate for People of Walmart or anything (I mean, hell, I brushed my hair and teeth - at least)!

So I sashayed into the place with my laptop in-hand and explained the problem: "It's been starting to overheat, a lot, lately - and when it does, it just shuts itself off without warning. The fan is working, and I sprayed it out with air, but I suspect there's lots of dust and crud on it. I hope all it needs is a good blow-job." :::smile:::

He gave me the *strangest* look and remarked that that was the first time he'd ever heard it referred-to in that way.

(internal :::eye roll:::)

Well, he got one of his geeks working on it, "We'll call you back in a few hours..."

They determined that the fan did need to be replaced (and, yes, it was encrusted with sludge and dust-bunnies!). The hard-drive appeared to be fine (got lucky there!). But - due to the overheating issues - there was some damage to many of the internal components, and the motherboard was about to go. Cost would be appx $200.00 to repair - but the remaining life-expectancy (even with repairs) was only gonna be about 6 months...

So yeah, realistically, it really didn't make sense to throw any money at that computer when I could buy a new, bottom-of-the-line laptop (that would be at least equal to what I had) for like $100.00 more. (And, of COURSE, they do sell computers at their shop. But - based on the Yelp Reviews - I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and not *assume* that they're just trying to "push" a new computer on me)...

So, PC Repair-Guy asks me "What do you want us to do?"

"Well, I'm only into it the $39.00 Diagnostic charge, right?" ("Right") "What say you just duct-tape it back together so I can use it this weekend. I wanna do a bit of research to see what I can find since I get discounted pricing on laptops through my work. I'll definitely want to talk to you - because you 'see' the repairs all the time. So, like, if I think I wanna get ABC brand, and you know that ABC brand is sh*t 'cuz they're in your shop all the time..." blah-blah and he seemed agreeable to that. He also suggested that I provide him with info on the PC's I *do* find and he'd see if they can price-match, yada-yada...

Of *course* I wasn't gonna end up with the bottom-of-the-line. But I did set $450.00 "cap" (knowing it was gonna end up closer to $500.00!). I did go back, that night, to retrieve my laptop. I also did some preliminary web-surfing (including looking at my Employee Discount sites), and I'd printed-up a spreadsheet comparing about half-a-dozen different models/prices of laptops. I also made notes for what I considered to be my "Bare Minimums." (2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows7, Non-Glare screen, Bigger HD, ~$500 or less)

I think, upon my re-appearance in the shop, armed with my spreadsheet... And my mention of the fact that I work in software design... I guess maybe he decided I wasn't "People-Of-Walmart" person, after all (Well, that and the fact that I was prepared to spend $450-500 on a new computer). Or maybe it was just the fact that it was no longer "First thing in the morning!" - but he seemed a lot more personable at that point!

Oh, and then I had mentioned (after b*tching about the expense of a new laptop) "I still need up upgrade my SmartPhone" and he got ALLLL excited about that. "Who's your Carrier?" "Verizon" and - oh gee what a coincidence - they are affiliated with authorized Verizon yada-yadas... So we got to talking about different phone models (right now I am vacillating between the Motorola Droid RAZR and the Galaxy Nexus). He was an iPhone Guy - but his Top Geek, an Android Dude, had a Galaxy (and he was most eager to show his phone to me). Annnnnd... Whenever I'm ready to buy - please let them know and they'll see what kinda deal they can get for me...

I'm okay with that. But first I wanna do the Touchy-Feely thing @ the Verizon Store...

Annnnnnyyyywaaaaaayyyyy... Long Story Short (HA!). They ended up customizing one of their in-stock Dell laptops (added more RAM, gratis), and meeting my price-point. No, it's not top-of-the-line, but it's "pretty decent." Runs Windows7, AMD 1.8-2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB HD... And it was $449.99 (woulda been under $500.00 if we hadn't added the wireless external back-up drive!)

And, incidentally, I felt that was a "very fair" price. It was less than what Dell has on their site (for that specific model). And it was "in-line" with what I was finding thru my searches (with Employee Discounts and/or what I could find at BestBuy/Tiger Direct, etc. - who did not have the exact-same model/configuration). I'm sure, if I wanted to spend a buttload of time on it, I probably could have located a "marginally-better" price - but, overall, I felt the deal was "very fair" and I am satisfied (I guess this means I have to add a posting to Yelp. Yes, I will!)

I put it through it's paces this morning by doing the following, simultaneously: Running 2 browsers, playing an MP3 (on Real Player) while running a video (on Windows Media Player), AND running Spotify (it was a cacophony - with all the "sound apps" running!), WHILE transferring files from my external HD, AND editing photos, AND playing with an xls spreadsheet all at the same time. No problems with performance (although my brain was about ready to explode with that many windows open simultaneously!)

Yup. I'm pretty happy with the new beast. I've had Dells before, and they seem pretty damned sturdy. (Don't EVEN get me started on my "Why I hate HP" rant. HA! The PC Guy tried to steer me toward some of the HP's they had in-stock [that another customer ordered, but changed her mind!]. As soon as he showed them to me, I held up my fingers in the sign of the cross and backed away - literally!). Anyway, I think I'll be pretty happy with this one.

I spent the ENTIRE EVENING, last night, downloading and installing all of my software, and getting my desktop arranged to my liking. Then, this morning, I started bringing some of my files back-over from my external hard-drive. The Toshiba had a 150GB HD (and I'd filled less than half of it), but I still had a lot of "crap" on it. I figure since I've got a Shiny-New machine, I want to keep it "somewhat neat" (for now, anyway!).

But - that's a roundabout way of saying that I didn't bring over the latest batch o' pics from my latest "Culinary Adventures." Not sure if I'll ever get around to posting the Illustrated Versions of the last couple of recipes. I suspect you'll survive (assuming anybody even *reads* this blog - HA!).

Although... If you DO read the blog, you might want to make note of the fact that I am now trying to segregate "substance" (i.e. RECIPES, GARDEN UPDATES, etc.) from "Blah-Blah-Blah" (who really gives a rip?) stuff (i.e. This Post!).

In fact, if I find myself getting long-winded (you know, kinda like NOW???), I'll probably end-up "breaking up" the posts so - if you choose - you can skip my Random Rambling and just focus on stuff that might interest you! HEYYYY!!!!

And with that thought: I'll probably END this madness. But I will mention that yesterday's PLAN of tackling Yard Chores never happened (Hubs interrupted me by suggesting we take the Christmas Lights off the house - which actually *was* a good idea!). I did start to tackle some of my chores today - but maybe I'll yammer about that in a separate post, hmmm???

:-)

Recipe: QT's Squashy Butternut Pumpkin Soup

2012-01-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

As promised, I am posting the recipe for My Very Own / I-Made-it-Up-All-By-Myself Soup Recipe.

It came out "pretty darn good" I think. I wouldn't call it the "Absolute Bestest Soup in the Whole Wide World," but it was quite tasty - and it cleared out my fridge and countertop! Win-Win!!!

Look at me, gettin' all "Martha Stewart" with the swirly cream and parsley sprig!
(The roasted, salted pumpkin seeds were a very tasty addition!)

QT's Squashy Butternut Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 Tbs golden brown sugar
1 small butternut squash (I forgot to weigh it!)
1 small pie-pumpkin (appx 2.5 lbs) (I suspect canned pumpkin would work, too)
4-5 shallots, chopped
1/2 regular onion, chopped (since I had leftovers, I put 'em in!)
3 stalks of chopped celery (mine was kinda squishy - doesn't matter!)
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
6 small red potatoes
2 cans (@ 14 oz) chicken or vegetable broth
2+ tsp Hungarian-style sweet paprika
1 tsp grated (dried/powdered) ginger
1 tsp dried tarragon
Nutmeg (a little goes a long way)
1 cup Crema Casera, Creme Fraiche or Heavy Cream
Salt & white pepper, to taste

Directions:

Peel, de-seed and dice the squash (instructions here) and pumpkin (not as easy!) into 1/2" chunks. This is a very labor-intensive (and boring) process so call a friend and chat on the phone while you're doing it - otherwise, you'll want to give up! If you wanted to be lazy, you could probably substitute canned pumpkin (Cheater!) - but I couldn't tell you how much. When it was all said and done, I ended up with 6 cups of pumpkin+squash cubes.
Chop the shallots, onions, celery and carrots
Peel and chop the potatoes into 1" chunks
Heat some olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the onions, celery and carrots and saute on medium-low heat 'til the onions start to turn limp and translucent. Turn the heat to low and add sugar and a sprinkling of salt. Let 'em "sweat" for appx 5-10 mins.
Turn the heat back up to medium and add the squash/pumpkin chunks, then the potatoes. Stir 'em around and saute for maybe 5 mins 'til they begin to soften
Add 2 cans of (chicken or vegetable) broth. Turn heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then turn down to low and simmer 'til the carrots/squash/pumpkin/potatoes get all mushy. (Looks like the carrots are taking the longest...). Might take a couple-three hours.
After everything gets mushy, grab your immersion blender (or let it cool and pour it into a blender/food processor, in small batches). Puree 'til thick and smooth.
Season with sweet paprika, salt & pepper + nutmeg and tarragon, to taste.
Add cream, re-heat and serve.
Garnish with a swirl of thick cream and a sprig of fresh parsley - or get all crazy and sprinkle some toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

I like how the slow-cooking of the onions brings out a hint of sweetness (of course, the addition of brown sugar doesn't hurt!). And the pumpkin is also naturally sweet. This seems like it should be a fairly light (yet still "filling") soup.

Post-Script: Originally, I thought it might make a good "cold" soup. So I tried it, cold, the next day. I suppose, if it were a bit thinner, it might be okay. OTOH, I've never been much of a "cold soup person" (if there is such a thing!), so I'm just leaning toward "It's better, served hot!"

(Just don't forget the pumpkin seeds! They really are a wonderful addition!)

Gardening Blah-Blah and New Recipe Tease!

2012-01-14T13:44:00.001-08:00

So today I figured I'd better get my butt outside and start tackling some of my Garden Chores. Fruit trees were supposed to have been sprayed with dormant oil + copper last month (and again, this month - and yet AGAIN, in February). Our peach-trees *do* have leaf-curl and the spraying is necessary to *slow* it's progression.

I also need to give some serious thought (hell, more than "Thought" - let's try "ACTION") to pruning these bad-boys! But morning temps have been in the low-30's, and I still have a touch of snively-ness! So I'm hesitant to venture out in the morning.

Okay, let's kill some time in the kitchen then, shall we? (I actually *wanted* to kill some time in the Tiki Shack - but I knew if I did that, NO Garden Chores would get-done!!!)

So, okay... Let's tackle the Farm-Share, instead!

I have discovered, yet, *another* New Love: Shallots! Kind-of almost a cross between fresh-garlic and onions. They have the onion tanginess/sweetness, with a touch of garlic pungency (at least that's my interpretation!). They seem like they'll make a very nice addition to today's recipe...

Yummy Shallots!

I think I may have purchased shallots, once, at the grocery store - when I had a recipe that called for them, specifically. And I felt like a complete Doofus because I had to ask the produce dude what/where shallots were!

Shallots will be playing a "supporting role" in today's recipe, but I thought I'd make mention of the fact that I think I really do love them.

And, I said it before (and I'll prob'ly say it again!), I really-really love the Farm-share because it's making me get all SUPER creative in the kitchen. It's almost become a "Game" - trying to stay ahead of the deliveries and figure out New and Exciting Ways to dispose of all these [delicious and healthy] Veggies!

Also - according to Friend-P's Facebook post - it's "National Soup Month" (Who decides these things, I wonder - or maybe I really don't wanna know!), so let's just combine all sorts of good things and try to come up with some MEGA goodness, 'k?!

So TODAY I am "going solo" and will be creating my Very-Own Brandy-New Recipe withOUT consulting ANY other recipes, okay? (Aack! Flying without a net!!!)

Here's what I started out with: Baby pumpkin-pie pumpkin (that I bought, back in October!, thinking I was gonna make pumpkin soup); a small Butternut Squash that came from the Farm-Share about a month ago; Shallots (from yesterday's Farm-Share); some excess onion slices (leftover from the Bacon-Onion Jam); a bunch of carrots; some old, limp celery; and some almost-squishy small red potatoes (I cut off the eyes and I'm gonna plant 'em in the backyard!).

Later, I will post the Final Recipe. Not sure if it will include pics (since I don't want to clutter-up my hard-drive 'til I get a new computer), but I WILL post the recipe later - after I assess it's palatability!

Now, it's early-afternoon and I *hope* the yard has warmed-up enough for me to tackle my garden-chores!

Later................................

Recipe: Bacon-Onion Jam (Updated / Final)

2012-01-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

Laptop is still sick. It's home now - but I have to shop for a new one - so I'm gonna minimize my "futzing around" with pictures for the time-being.

I'll post the "Illustrated Guide" to Bacon-Onion-Jam-Making (and the "Baptism" of my Brandy-New Pressure Cooker!) in a later post...

For now, I wanted to post the "adjusted" version of my Bacon Onion Jam Recipe (before I misplace my notes!!!). And please excuse the weird background colors, I copied/pasted from the original recipe and I can't figure out how to nuke the color w/o spending waaaaay too much time editing html)

This is what I Actually Did:

QT's Bacon Onion Jam (Final)

Yield: 4 and 3/4 (almost 5) half-pint jars

Ingredients:

1 lb Applewood Smoked Bacon
7 Medium Onions, sliced thinly (I mixed up yellow and red - but it really didn't make any difference!)
4-5 cloves minced fresh garlic
2 Tbs Golden Brown Sugar
1 cup fresh brewed coffee
1/4 cup Dried Currants
1/4 cup Golden Raisins
1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/8 cup Maple Syrup (I ran out of syrup! So I supplemented with:)
1/8 cup mild Agave Nectar (or Honey would work)
1-2 tsp+ Smoked Paprika, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste (optional - I didn't add any)

Directions:

In a large, heavy pot, fry the bacon 'til brown and barely crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain and cool. Reserve the bacon grease.
Saute the onion and garlic in appx half of the bacon grease (add more, if needed). Cook, over medium heat, until it starts to limpify - appx 10 mins.
Add Brown Sugar and a sprinkling of salt. Turn heat down and simmer, stirring occasionally until translucent, appx 15 mins.
Chop the bacon into 1/4-1/2" chunks (the first attempt: I did 1/4" x 1" strips and they were too big)
Put the bacon back in the pan and add coffee, currants/raisins, vinegars and syrups. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then immediately turn down to a simmer.
Simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally (to prevent sticking). Add water, if needed (I didn't need it).
Keep cooking 'til the mixture is a rich, deep brown and you can no longer distinguish the bacon from the onion (that never happened - the bacon was always "distinguishable" so I recommend chopping it into smaller chunks to begin with). It should have a thick, jam-like consistency.
Let cool for 20 minutes. If desired, run thru a food processor to finely chop and blend the jam. Food processor/chopping wasn't necessary (the onion got pretty-well obliterated with all the cooking!) (but start out with smaller bacon chunks).
Return to the pot. Cover and refrigerate, overnight.
The next day, remove the majority of the (now solidified) fat from the top of the jam. Use a teaspoon and scrape off all the white fat from the top. Dig down a little, under the top layer, because there's more congealed fat hiding just under the surface. It's not necessary to remove ALL of it, but get as much as you can!
Turn heat to low and add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Cook on medium-high heat, bring it to a boil and immediately turn down to "simmer" until most of the liquid is evaporated.
Check for "set" (grab a spoonful and put it in the fridge for 5 minutes. Hold the spoon vertically - if the jam doesn't drip off, it's "set").
Transfer jam to sterilized jars and process in a pressure canner @ 15 lbs for 10 minutes (I actually think 10 lbs for 15 mins might be a bit better for the final jam's consistency).

Additional Notes: 8 onions was waaaaaay too much for my Big Ol' Dutch Oven (I think it's a 3-1/2 qt - It would hold a gallon of liquid, if you filled it to the brim). The total quantity cooked down a LOT though.

Okay, I think that's it! The jam tastes positively PHENOMENAL!!! I could eat it straight out of the jar (but it's soooo much better on sourdough!)

No Post Tonight - Other than "Ain't I Clever???"

2012-01-12T20:40:00.001-08:00

After I spent the better part of today cooking (Apple Chips came out fine - and the Onion-Bacon Jam looks promising, so far)... And after taking a bazillion pictures (Crappy Droid pics - as well as some Decent "Real Camera" pics)... And after transferring them all to my laptop...

My laptop started acting up. Booooooo!!!

Nothing serious (I hope), but it wants to overheat and shut itself off at random intervals. So I'll be taking it to a computer repair shop tomorrow. I think the cooling fan is probably jammed up with dust and crud. But I'm not hedging my bets. I'm running a full back-up of my hard-drive tonight and minimizing the "strain" I put on The Beast...

So Mini-Post tonight and, hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to do my "Cooking Frenzy Wrap-Up" (including *updated* Onion-Bacon Jam Recipe *and* halfway-decent pictures!).

Tonight's post: Do you ever find yourself REALLY annoyed when you've printed up a recipe, and you're making a mess of the kitchen and either keep misplacing the recipe? Piling crap on top of it? Slopping chicken broth, spaghetti-sauce, apple-juice, whatEVERS on your print-out and obliterating the text???

Nah. Didn't think so!

Here is my most-clever and ridiculously simple solution:

It's a magnetized clip thingie-doo. I just tack it to the metal range-hood and clip the recipe-paper into it! It's up, out-of-the-way, unlikely to get slopped on, and easily readable!

Freaking Amazing!!!

Only caution there is: Don't hang it directly above whatever pots/burners you're actually cooking with because - "Duhhh!"

And no, you can't sue me for your own stupidity if you DO do that and burn your house down! ;-)

More tomorrow.....................................

Recipe: Apple Chips

2012-01-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

Man, I *must* be feeling better! Three posts in one day???

Scary!

Okay, I still had quite a few apples leftover from the past couple of Farm-Share Deliveries. And I bought a bag of Granny Smiths at the grocery store. Figured I'd drag out my apple peeler/corer (from Santa) and food dehydrator (which has been gathering dust in the garage), and make a batch of Apple Chips!

"W-A-D: Weapons of Apple Destruction!"

Pretty simple, actually. The bowl contains 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (to prevent browning), and a tablespoon each of Sugar and Splenda, plus a teaspoon of ground cinnamon (to make 'em taste good!).

Peel and core the apple.

Then slice the apple in half so you get apple "crescents"

Toss the apple crescents in the water/lemon/sugar/cinnamon bowl for two minutes...

Make a minor mess

(Ooooh! Compost!!!)

Place the apple crescents on the dehydrator shelves

(make sure they don't overlap)

12 apples filled 6 shelves of the dehydrator...

Pop the lid on the dehydrator, turn it on and let 'er rip!

I popped 'em in at around 9:30pm. I'll probably rotate the shelves and, maybe, flip the slices over in the morning (ooh - just invert the shelves - duhhh!!!).

I figure it'll probably take 12-16 hours for the apples to get nice 'n crispy.

I'll report in, tomorrow!

Recipe: Bacon-Onion Jam

2012-01-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Okay... Since that last post got too Rambly! Here is what I have come up with for the Bacon-Onion Jam that I will (hopefully) attempt to make tomorrow:

I'll do the Crappy-Droid Picture-Taking and post the results (including final yield), when I make it!

Note: This recipe has been updated! Recipe: Bacon-Onion Jam (Updated / Final)

Adapted from D's and YumSugar's Recipes

D's Recipe here:
http://dinnerwithqt.blogspot.com/2011/09/onion-jam.html

YumSugar's Recipe here:
http://www.yumsugar.com/Bacon-Jam-Recipe-6599476

And since it is an "Adaptation" I am calling it "My Own!" :-)

QT's Bacon Onion Jam

Ingredients:

1 lb Applewood Smoked Bacon
6-8 Medium Red Onions, sliced thinly (I might mix up yellow and red)
4-5 cloves minced fresh garlic
1 Tbs Golden Brown Sugar
1 cup fresh brewed coffee
1/2 cup Dried Currants (or I'll probably use Golden Raisins)
1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (the real stuff)
Smoked Paprika, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Extra Water

Directions:

In a large, heavy pot, fry the bacon 'til brown and barely crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain and cool. Reserve the bacon grease.
Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon grease. Cook, over medium heat, until it starts to limpify - appx 10 mins.
Add Brown Sugar and a sprinkling of salt. Turn heat down and simmer, stirring occasionally until translucent, appx 5 mins.
Slice the bacon into 1/2 - 1" chunks
Put the bacon back in the pan and add coffee, raisins, vinegars and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then immediately turn down to a simmer.
Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally (to prevent sticking). Add water, 1/4 cup at a time, appx every 25-30 mins.
Keep cooking 'til the mixture is a rich, deep brown and you can no longer distinguish the bacon from the onion. It should have a thick, jam-like consistency.
Let cool for 20 minutes. If desired, run thru a food processor to finely chop and blend the jam.
Return to the pot. Cover and refrigerate, overnight.
The next day, remove the majority of the fat from the top of the jam.
Turn heat to low and add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Cook on medium-low heat until most of the liquid is evaporated.
Transfer jam to sterilized jars and process in a pressure canner @ 15 lbs for 10 minutes.

Serve on warm, crusty sourdough with softened brie cheese. Or on crackers with goat cheese. Or maybe on a nice, juicy, grilled steak (Yummmm!!!!)

Non Sequitur: Artichokes and Bacon Onion Jam

2012-01-11T18:41:00.001-08:00

Okay, first I shall yammer about Artichokes...

A rather strange vegetable, the Artichoke. It's actually a flower. More specifically, a species of thistle from the Sunflower family. And it *is* rather daunting - as a food - if you're unfamiliar. But, trust me, they are delightfully delicious!

It actually was one of my favorite foods, when I was a kid. I'd come home from the sitter (back in MY day, we didn't have Day-Care, we had Baby-Sitters!), late in the afternoon, and whenever I heard the familiar "chit-chit-chit-chit" of the pressure cooker, I would shriek most gleefully "Arrrrrrtichooooookes! Yayyyyy!!!"

Over the dinner-table, we would often wonder about WHO was brave enough to actually eat the first artichoke (According to Google, artichoke-eating has been going on for a verrrrrry long time! Like, since Ancient Greece). Whoever it was, we were glad they *did* eat 'em 'cuz they are splendiferously tasty!

And - they're a huge California crop - so they definitely satisfy the "Locavore" in me :-)

So I picked up a couple of Jumbo Artichokes at the store the other day - and that's what I had for dinner tonight. Now, you'd think I woulda dragged out my Pressure Cooker (what with my Happy Childhood Memories and all), but I figured I'd just steam 'em instead. Takes a wee bit longer, and they aren't *quite* as tender, but it seemed like the most expedient approach.

I'd like to thank Kaylyn's Kitchen for posting her Artichoke-Prep tips. First, I found her post on pressure-cooking (which, obv, I didn't follow tonight!). Then I found her "illustrated guide" to preparing an artichoke - which I *did* follow. And - "Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!" - The splitting and de-hairing prior to cooking was a FANTASTIC suggestion!

I don't do anything fancy to my 'chokes. Basically just steam 'em over boiling water with a TBS of lemon juice (If I'm feeling *really* exotic, I'll toss a whole clove of garlic into the water). Then, after it's cooked, I peel the leaves, dunk 'em in Mayo (or butter) and enjoy 'em "plain." The heart, of course, is the BEST part (even better - now that I don't have to peel "hot hair" off of it!) Maybe I'll try her "Mom's Dipping Sauce" at some point but - like I say - I prefer them plain.

So that covers Artichokes!

Next-up: Bacon-Onion Jam.

At the Canning Club Jam Exchange - back in November (and, Gee, I guess maybe I didn't blather about that - weird!) - there were appx half-a-dozen ladies who came to my house, the Saturday after T-Giving. Now, there was no "Formal Planning" nor were there any specific "Rules" for the Exchange. Nor did we even know how many people were going to show up! But everybody basically arrived with munchies to share, and several different jars of jam to exchange.

Amazingly, the Exchange worked out perfectly because everybody brought the EXACT-RIGHT number of jars, so that everybody got to go home with the EXACT-SAME selections. I have NO idea how *that* happened - but it was absolutely perfect!

Anyway, we had lots of "normal" stuff. Plum jam, Persimmon jam, Strawberry jam... Then some interesting "combos" like Orange-Cranberry Jam, Nutmeg-Apple Conserve, Raspberry-Rose Jam... Then lots of cool Relishes and Chutneys like Tomatillo Chutney, Roasted Lemon Chutney (delicious on my leftover turkey!), Pear-Corn Relish... This is, by no means, a complete list - but my point is: it was a super-nice variety!

Now one of the things I got was a small jar of Onion Jam. I'll be honest, my initial reaction was "Onion Jam???" - as I smiled and said "Thank you!" That just sounded too weird for words - to tell you the truth! But one of the gals posted on the Cannig Club page that she had served D's onion jam with brie cheese, at a party, and that she got nothing but Rave Reviews.

Well, the other night (as I was still dying from the Worst Cold Ever), I wanted to eat something that might actually *penetrate* my sinuses - and maybe even reach my taste buds! So I opened up the jar of onion jam. I toasted a hunk of crusty sourdough bread, heated up some brie cheese, and schmeared the cheese and jam on the bread. That was my dinner and - let me tell you - it was UNBELIEVABLE!!! We're talking full-on "OH. EMM. GEE! I *must* have this recipe!!!"

I Googled-around and was surprised to find LOTS of onion-jam recipes.

One that sounds particularly interesting (and I probably will try, at some point) is Onion and Rosemary Confit.

There are also a couple of Red-Onion Marmalade recipes floating around. One from Joy of Cooking and One in the Ball Blue Book Canning Guide.

(And there are even some intriguing-sounding Bacon-Onion Jam recipes out on the 'net)

I was beginning to think I was going to have to attempt to "cobble together" a recipe from multiple sources - and wasn't sure I could successfully duplicate it because it had a very savory, "smokey" flavor to it. But then D pointed out that she *had* blogged her original recipe here.

Yayyy D!!! (Who seems to be another QT! Hey!!!)

Well, subsequent "discussions" on the Canning Club FB page have led me to believe that BACON needs to be added to D's Recipe. 'Cuz Bacon makes EVERYTHING better, right???

So I think that, tomorrow, I will be busting out my Brandy-New Mandoline Slicer *and* my as-yet UNUSED Pressure-Canner, and brewing up a batch of D's Smokey-Onion (+ Bacon!) Jam.

When I started this post, I was thinking I'd post my proposed recipe here - but I think I'll put it in a separate post because - Surprise!! - this one has gotten a bit long-winded.

Yeah, that NEVER happens! ;-)

Leeky Love! Cream of Leeky Spinach Mushroom Soup

2012-01-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

First off: Yes, I am starting to feel *almost* human again. I've still got some lingering sniveling and hacking going on. And I'm still scared to venture OUTSIDE - for fear that The Black Death will come back with a vengeance! Nevertheless, I think - maybe in the next day or two - I should start to feel almost normal again!

And since "Outdoor Activities" are still out of the question, I am back to finding forms of entertainment in the kitchen. Hubbie seems pleased with that - at least!

Yesterday, I made a HUGE vat o' chili. It wasn't particularly noteworthy (mostly came from a pre-packaged dried soup/beans dealy-bob). The only noteworthy quality was that it ended up making well-over a gallon of chili (Holy sh*t!)!

I figured, since the package had Crock Pot Directions, it oughtta fit in my crock pot (I know... "Silly me," right?). Nope, I had to drag out my steam canner and use it as a stock pot b/c I didn't own a pot big enough to contain all that chili! So I am experimenting with "Freezing" chili for future noshing........

Today, I realized that I've got a couple of deliveries' worth of Farm Share Veggies in the fridge (and another delivery coming on Friday!), so I'd best dispense with what I've already got. I *do* hate wasting veggies, after all...

And - because of the Farm-Share - I have discovered a New Love: Leeks (Something I never, ever, would have purchased before)!

Farm-Share Abundance included: Spinach, Onions, Baby Bok Choy, and my beloved Leeks. I also had an 8 oz package of fresh mushrooms that wasn't gonna stay fresh much longer. I figured I'd throw everything together and make some kinda soup. And, to be honest, I am mighty pleased with the results!

QT's Cream of Leeky Spinach Mushroom Soup

Unfortunately, I don't have *exact* measurements (like cups or oz), this is one of those recipes where you just kinda toss in whatever you've got! But if you scroll the the bottom, I have kinda/sorta "condensed" the recipe into something almost-usable!

First, remove the roots and green leaf/stem/whatevers off of 3 good-sized leeks and slice 'em into thin little donuts. You only want to use the white and pale green part of the leeks. Toss (better yet - Compost!) the roots and stems.

Chop up 1/4 of a yellow sweet onion and add that - if you are so inclined.

Then, separate the green-leafy parts from the white stalks of a head of bok-choy. Set the leafy parts aside and chop up the white stalks into small, 1/4" wide strips.

Then mince a couple of cloves of garlic.

Leeks and Bok Choy get sauteed first

Then, slice up the bok-choy leaves into smaller (spinach-sized) pieces. And rinse and remove the stems from the spinach, Combine all the leaves together and set 'em aside for now...

Then slice up your 8 oz of mushrooms and set those aside as well...

Spinach and Mushrooms, waiting patiently

Now heat up some Olive Oil in a medium to large sauce pan (I opted for my large dutch oven - after yesterdays Chili Overload!). Add the Leeks, onions, garlic and bok choy stalks to the olive oil and saute on medium heat 'til everything is starting to get limp and translucent - but not brown.

I ended up adding a tablespoon of sugar and a sprinkling of sea salt, then turned the heat to low and let it sit and "sweat" til everything was pretty limp, but not brown or crispy (maybe 5-10 mins?)...

Feelin' flaccid!

Then add your leafy stuff and mushrooms and continue to saute on medium heat. Heat, stirring constantly, 'til the leaves get all limp and shrively, and the mushrooms start to brown.

At this point, you might want to add a sprinkle or three of your favorite seasoning salt...

It's all steamy (not blurry!), and it smells divine!

Then add appx 1/4-1/2 cup of white cooking wine to deglaze the pan (burn off the oiliness).

Add a couple of 14.5 oz cans of broth. I opted for chicken broth, but vegetable broth would be just as good...

Blorp blorp!

At this point, I let everything simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes. I wanted everything to get super-soft and gushy.

The next-to-last step was grabbing my immersion blender and pureeing everything until it was a thick and fairly smooth consistency. The leeks and leafy veggies got obliterated, but the mushrooms wouldn't fit under my immersion blender - which was actually kinda cool! I like the mushroom "chunks!"

The final step was adding a cup of crema casera: Smooth, thick table-cream that I found in the refrigerated "Mexican Food" section of the grocery store. It's about the consistency of sour cream - only it's not sour (although you could probably use sour cream. Or even regular "heavy cream").

Return to the stove and heat for a few more minutes, then serve...

Deeeeeelish!

QT's Cream of Leeky Spinach Soup (Recipe sans commentary!)

Makes 4-5 generous servings

Ingredients

3 large leeks - roots and dark-green stems removed. Chop the white/light green parts into into thin slices
1 medium-sized head of baby bok choy
1/4 of a sweet yellow onion - finely chopped (optional)
2 cloves of fresh, minced garlic
2 cups (appx) of fresh spinach - stems removed (it was a generous "bunch" of spinach)
8 oz of sliced fresh white mushrooms
1 Tbs white sugar
1/4-1/2 cup of white cooking wine
2 cans (14.5 oz) of Chicken or Vegetable broth
1 cup Crema Casera (or heavy cream)
Seasoning Salt (optional)
Sea salt and fresh-ground pepper (to taste)
Olive oil

Separate the leaves from the stalks of the bok choy. Reserve the leaves. Chop the bok choy stalks into smallish (1/4") chunks.

Heat olive oil in a large sauce-pan. Over medium heat, saute the leeks, bok choy stalks, onion and garlic 'til translucent. Turn heat down to low, add 1 TBS of sugar and a sprinkling of sea-salt. Let the mixture "sweat" for appx 5-10 minutes 'til limp.

Turn the heat back up to medium and add the leafy greens and mushrooms. Saute 'til the leaves are limp and the mushrooms are starting to brown. Season with salt, pepper, seasoning salt, to taste.

Add 1/4-1/2 cup of white cooking wine to burn-off the excess oil.

Add broth. Bring to a light boil then immediately turn down to low and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until everything is soft.

Remove from heat and - using an immersion blender (or food processor or blender) puree the mixture 'til fairly smooth and (hopefully!) thick.

Add one cup of cream and stir into the soup. Re-heat, then serve.

This is a very-very tasty and surprisingly filling soup!

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel...

2012-01-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

Let's just hope it's not an oncoming train!

Yes, I still have the dregs of the Worst Cold Ever! Hubs is finally over it (Good for him), but since I caught *his* cold later (I had a mild cold - EARLIER), well, I'm still mostly "down" with it.

:::sigh:::

We were supposed to yank das boot out of the water, last month. We gave our notice at the marina and everything. But since we were both "Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door" through the end of December, the boat had to wait.

Yesterday, hubs announced that he was feeling better so - therefore - we must ALL be feeling better, right??? "We *really* need to get the boat out of the water!" (which was true - regardless), so I grudgingly agreed - with the caveat that I had to minimize the amount of time I was "outside" and get back home as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, the weather today was simply gorgeous (Upper 60's - and sunny with no wind. Would've actually been a PERFECT day for a sail, to be honest!). It took a couple of hours, but we got her back onto her trailer, hosed down, and back in her parking spot over at drydock.

All done!

So *that's* done!

Next season, we'll leave her in the water year-round. We really do get some very nice sail-able days in the winter (we also have hella-miserable rainy/wet/cold days, too!). But this year, we do have some maintenance-chores to attend to. Bottom job and paint @ the boat yard in SF (Boy, do I love making THAT drive - NOTTT!), and some outboard maintenance at an Evinrude shop not far from drydock...

I think, on the whole, I'd prefer winter-sailing though - on these almost-70* days with almost-no wind. Hubs likes the "challenging conditions" in summer (25+ knots - pretty consistently - every afternoon). But he's got a Sailing Buddy for that stuff. Me? I have totally "Embraced the Inner Wimp" and would much prefer to stick with 10 knots or less (it's just a lot more comfortable!).

Over the holidays, I did go through a bit of an "internal struggle" over the Boat-Thang.

See? Hubs would like to get a much larger keel-boat. Actually, he would like something offshore-suitable (35-40 footer). Now, *I* have no desire to sail offshore. Even when I was young and stupid, I had no desire to sail offshore! Six years of living aboard - I actually knew plenty of people who have DONE it - and I think that's just great. But for me? Nahhhhh.....

Add to that, my more - ahem - "Advanced Age" and bevy of health-issues (i.e. Diabetes and the need to keep medications refrigerated - and the potential need for ready-access to health-care / hospitals!)... Well, let's just say that circumnavigation is NOT in my future.

However, I wouldn't be opposed to a larger, more stable boat - for BAY SAILING.

And, with the recent (unexpected) passing of my good friend, the BoatGuru (of "The Haul-out of 1999" fame). Well, his boat is going to be coming onto the market very soon. I never did post my "purge" about all of that (I started to, but let it linger in "Draft" form - didn't seem right to purge here).

But I digress...........

John had an Ericson 35. Not sure of the year, but it was early- to mid-70's. It was a mess when he bought it - but he fixed it up REAL nice. And with him being a Marine Surveyor, well, I think (hell, I *know*) he did a fan-freaking-tastic job of getting that boat in Tip-Top Condition.

John's ex-girlfriend (they parted on good terms) had arranged a "Celebration"/Memorial / Crab-Boil at our old marina. I went up and had a fantastic time catching up with old friends, eating good eats, drinking good drinks, and shedding a few tears.

While I was there, the subject of his boat came up. I mentioned that I *might* be interested - an idea which my former neighbors strongly supported "Yeah! You should buy it! Keep it in the family!!!"

Well, emails were exchanged, and discussions were had. John's father is quickly realizing what a huge expense the boat will be - and my offer (which was extremely low) was being seriously considered...

Long story short: I ended up passing-up the opportunity. The logistics involved with getting the boat trucked up here (Rog wanted to sail it up from San Diego - "I don't THINK so!!!"), hauling, dis-masting, prepping, trucking, re-rigging, splashing, etc. Plus having to sell OUR boat. Plus then committing to ongoing maintenance of a 40-year old boat that's kept in the water, full-time... Well, it really was more than we could handle.

Heck, we can barely stay on top of a 6-year old Trailer-Sailor that requires *minimal* maintenance!

So, looks like a few more years of bobbing-like-a-cork on Lazy Lightning. I s'pose there are worse things, right?

Not much else going on, so I'm not doing very well with my "Write More Interesting Posts" resolution. But it's hard to drum-up much excitement when I spend my days alternating between Alka Seltzer Plus, Mucinex, and Delsym! Jeeeeez! Enough already!!!

Two weeks, and counting...

2012-01-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

Jeeeeeezus! When will this end???

Too sick to even complain at this point! How freakin' sad is that???

Happy Friggin' New Year!

2011-12-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been down-for-the-count for the past week and a half with - what started out as - a *really* annoying head-cold, but has now morphed into "The Black Death" (I swear!!!).

Hubbie's been down with it, as well. So we are planning a regular Rockin' Party of a New Year's Eve. That is, if you call clutching a box of Kleenex and snarfing down glassfuls of Alka-Seltzer Severe Cold & Flu Medicine a "Rockin' Party!"

And - Just For The Record: It is a VERY BAD THING when Hubs and I are sick simultaneously. Very-Very-Bad, indeed. In fact, I may be driven to create a new - anonymous - blog where I can rant to my heart's content (Hubs knows of this blog, so I cannot "share freely" here!).

Reader's Digest Version of "The Rant Du Jour" is that Hubs and I have very different ways of dealing with illness. Generally speaking, I prefer to hole-up in the guest room, buried in several layers of feather-beds and down-comforters. I tune the TV to something mindless (used to be HGTV, now I'm more into American-Pickers, Storage Wars and Pawn Stars re-runs). I keep a box of Kleenex handy, and a trash-can (raised out of the dogs' reach - otherwise: Ick!). And I take slugs of Ny-Quil 'til I'm damn-near comatose.

Pretty much: My approach is to TRY to hole-up in a corner someplace and sleep-it-off 'til it goes away. And I try to MINIMIZE INTERACTION with all other sentient beings...

Hubs, OTOH, wants EVERYONE (Okay, well, "Me") to know just how miserable he is. And, for the most part, he shuns any and all advice that I might offer (hence, I no longer offer advice). That would be okay, except that if I *don't* offer advice, he starts ASKING for advice so that he can, then, shun it.

"My head's all stuffed up and my ear feels plugged. What should I take?"

"Antihistamines"

"Those space me out. I don't want to take antihistamines."

Repeat that conversation over-and-over-and-over again, inserting different medications/vitamins/homeopathic remedies/ad nauseum for each exchange...

There's more to that particular rant, but I'm gonna stop. Like I say, he reads my blog and I think I need an anonymous blog for that stuff... But suffice it to say, with ME being sick at the same time (and wanting nothing more than to hole-up in a corner and be left alone), it was kind of a Toxic Situation...

Add to that the fact that I am soooo plugged-up, I really can't lie down comfortably (without feeling like I'm about to drown in snot) ("You're welcome!"). Well, I've been forced to enter the "Communal Zone" because, quite honestly, the recliner is the only place where I can rest and breathe comfortably. And that, of course, means that I have to interact with the Spousal Unit (who is miserable and wants everyone to know it...). Yeah, it's been a really crappy coupla weeks!

It got so bad, I had to order groceries online, for delivery (we were running out of "essentials" - including Kleenex *and* TP - Eeek!!!). Yesterday, I desperately wanted to make a vat o' Chicken Soup and figured I'd run over to Lucky's to buy a hot rotisserie-chicken. I got as far as putting (semi) clean clothes on and scrawled out a list... But when I actually considered the EFFORT it would take to pick-up my purse and walk-out-to-the-car... (Oh Gawd - THEN face the MASSES at the grocery store... NNNOOOOOOO!!!!!)

Well, it was more than I could comprehend, so I went online to place an order thru Safeway. Unfortunately, I couldn't order Rotisserie Chicken online - but I did get spaghetti fixins'.

So, New Years Eve Dinner will be spaghetti with meat sauce (and the sauce includes a quart of my Frozen Squozen 'Maters!). Now, with my Smeller and Taster being broken, I have no clue how everything will taste - but Hubs can't smell/taste either so nobody can complain, right?

Unfortunately, Safeway did NOT have a couple of key items (heavy cream being the most important one - oh Gawd, can't drink coffee without heavy cream!) so I ended up having to run out to Lucky's anyway :::sigh::: (Me and the Entire Population of Suburban San Jose!). I got my cream *and* my rotisserie chicken. So chicken soup will be blorping in the crock-pot tomorrow!

And we did replenish the supply of Kleenex and TP, so we're good there. We even got a couple of Duraflame Cheese-Logs for the wood-stove. And Hubs *did* go to CVS earlier this week and loaded up on OTC Cold Medicines (I've developed a new-found love for Alka Seltzer!). So I think we're pretty-well "set" for tonight.

Man, this is a FAR CRY from New Years' Eves past... I don't even want to think about it ("Getting Old" and all that sh*t!!!). No, this is just a Super-Crappy Cold and sh*t happens, right???

Furthur (a Grateful Dead band) is playing the Civic Auditorium in SanFran tonight (we did do NYE at their show a few years back). They're broadcasting it on Sirius so Hubs has rigged it up to the stereo in the family room. I shall claim my space in the recliner, curl up in my Snuggie and attempt to stay awake 'til midnight!!!

PARTY ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(or "Kill Me Now!!!")

Hey - Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and feel a jillion times better and it *will* be a Happy New Year! (Hope springs eternal!)

Happy New Year!

Froliche Weinachten - German Recipes!

2011-12-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'll try to minimize my usual "Blah-Blah-Blah" stuff for this post!

Let's just say that I've got a deep-down association with German Food = Christmas

And since, this year, due to travel/work schedules and catching (and *sharing*) a friggin' "Where's the #$%^ Kleenex?!" head-cold, we did NOT make our annual pilgrimage to Teske's Germania and Christmas-In-The-Park...

So this year's Christmas Feast was Deutsch!

Some recipes I had posted before... Others, not... But I figure I'll just recap 'em here with minimal commentary!

First Course: Austrian Gulaschsuppe (Goulash Soup). Evidently the Bavarians have absconded with this recipe, originally from Hungary, and put their own "spin" on it. DH discovered it while he was on a business trip in Munich and he raved about it. So I Googled it, found several recipes and smushed 'em together and ended up with this:

Austrian Gulaschsuppe (Goulash Soup)

This is (mostly) how the pictures looked when I found other recipes on the internet.

The soup that Hubbie ate was all pureed and thick, so that's how I prepared mine (see pic at the bottom). I think, next time I make it, I'll skip the "turn-it-into-shlop" step!

Ingredients:

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2-2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons sweet hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons regular paprika
salt & pepper to taste
dash Splenda
1 can (14 1/2 ounce) stewed tomatoes, chopped
3 cups beef broth
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sour cream, optional

Added:

1 more can of stewed tomatoes
2 parsnips (toward the end of cooking - maybe the last 2 hours?). Peeled and cut into small chunks.
1/4-1/2 cup of baby carrots (probably could have added them sooner)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp caraway seeds in a bouquet garni (I wrapped 'em in a coffee filter, sealed with twine - and removed 'em after a couple of hours' worth of cooking),
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup white vinegar

Preparation:

In a large kettle, cook bacon until almost crisp. Add green pepper, onion and garlic; cook until tender.

Add beef cubes and brown on all sides. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, pepper and sugar; stir and cook for 2 minutes. Pour into crockpot. Add tomatoes and broth.

Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. About 1 hour before serving, add the potatoes. Puree with an immersion blender (if you desire - I'll skip that, next time) Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

This is definitely a "Stick-to-your-ribs" hearty/winter-time kinda soup!

Warm German Potato Salad / German Style Scalloped Potatoes

(Lazy Crock-pot method)

I adapted this from several different recipes I found on the 'net

Ingredients:

8-10 slices of thick-cut bacon.
1/2 chopped medium-sized fresh onion
2 pkgs dried scalloped potatoes (I used 1 pkg of Sour Cream and Chives flavored, and one pkg of "Au Gratin" style)
2 (+ 1/2) cups water (might wait to see if it needs more - it did!)
1 can cream of celery soup (condensed)
1 @ 5oz can evaporated milk
4 (+2) Tbs white vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard (I just used plain ol' French's)
1/2 tsp celery seed
4 Tbs bacon grease
4 (+2) tsp Splenda (or sugar, or whatever)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
4 TBS Sour Cream

Preparation:

Fry up bacon and tamp grease out w/paper towels - reserve bacon grease. Chop onion and fry until light golden and limp (not crispy) - in the bacon grease. Dump the dried potato chunks into the crock pot, add the sauteed onions and bacon grease.

Mix the seasoning packet (that came w/the scalloped potatoes) w/2 cups water, dump that on top of the potatoes.

Add the can of crm of celery soup and evaporated milk. Add 4T vinegar, 4t Splenda, and mustard. Mix it in.

Crumble the bacon and add it in, along w/bacon grease and celery seed. Mix. Add salt/pepper to taste.

Cook in crock-pot on low for 4-5 hours.

After about the 3rd hour, I'd determined that it needed more liquid so - at that point - I stirred in 1/2c water + 1/2c heavy whipping cream. I'd tasted it again and decided it needed more vinegar (+ 2T) and sweetener (+2t Splenda). You might be okay with just adding these in at the beginning - but I am documenting as I do it!

Add Sour Cream during the last hour of cooking. Let it simmer for another hour, then serve warm.

Pumpernickel Bread (for Bread Machine)

Okay, this recipe surprised me - I'm not usually a huge fan of rye bread, but this was DAMN good!

I'm calling this one an adaptation from several different recipes...

Surprisingly Tasty Pumpernickel!

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups water
1-1/2 Tbsp. oil
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup medium rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. wheat gluten
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. caraway seeds
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in the bread pan, in the order listed. Choose Whole Wheat Cycle with Medium Dark setting. Watch your bread machine to make sure it's not straining too much (or going to attempt suicide by "walking off" the counter!). This is a very dense loaf (but still rose surprisingly well). If it seems too dry, you might need to add more liquid during the knead cycle.

Makes 1-1/2 lb. loaf

Austrian Wienerschnitzel
(borrowed directly from germanfood.about.com)

And this particular dish doesn't photograph well during preparation (it's hella-messy!), so scroll to the bottom to see the final product!

Ingredients:

4 veal cutlets (traditional) pounded to 1/4 inch thickness (about 5 oz. each) (I got two pkgs of veal for scallopini - it was already the proper thickness, but the cutlets were a little small)
1/4 c. flour (all purpose or brown rice)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 eggs
Oil or lard for frying (lard is traditional) (I used Crisco - gasp!!!)

Preparation:

To pound meat thin you may want to place the cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap for easier washing up. Use a heavy, flat-surface pan to pound if you don’t have a meat mallet. (My veal was already thin enough so I got to skip this step!)
Pound the meat evenly to 1/4 inch thickness for best results.
Do not press the bread crumbs into the meat. The crust should not adhere completely, but form a loose shell around the schnitzel.
Make sure the breaded meat “swims” in fat. Contrary to instinct, the breading will take on less oil than if the meat is sticking to the pan. Also, the breadcrumb topping has a chance to puff up a little, and your clean up is easier!
Set up 3 shallow dishes. Place the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in one and breadcrumbs in another. Beat eggs well and place in the third dish.

Heat at least 1/4 inch of oil in the pan to 350°F.

Working one at a time, dredge cutlets first in flour until the surface is completely dry. Dip in egg to coat, allow the excess to drip off for a few seconds and then roll quickly in the breadcrumbs until coated. Do not press breadcrumbs into the meat. Place meat immediately in the pan with the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Cook the schnitzel in batches, if necessary.

Fry the schnitzel for 3-4 minutes on one side. You may want to swish them around a little with your fork to make sure they are not sticking to the pan. Turn them over once and fry until both sides are golden brown. Remove from pan, allow the oil to drain off. Serve while hot and crispy - with lemon wedges on the side.

Schmeckt!!!

Rotkohl:

I think I mentioned that I attempted to cook this from scratch - ONCE. Made a helluva mess!

Cheater's Rotkohl

I totally cheated and bought a jar of Hainich Red Cabbage. Nuked it for appx 5-7 mins and served it warm. Just as good as home-made *without* needing the CSI folks to call the Forensic lab!

Apfelstrudel:

Again, I cheated. Bought a package of frozen Pepperidge Farm Apple Turnovers which I tossed in the nuker/convection oven for 25 mins.

All told: A VERY tasty dinner! Took the better part of a day to prepare (although most of it was Crock-Pot stuff). Nevertheless, 'twas mighty tasty!!!

Dinner!!!

Pardon the wonky "look" of this post. Blogger's not very user-friendly when it comes to inserting photos after-the-fact :::sigh:::

Merry "Low-Key" Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hope yours is filled with Joy and Happiness!

This year, with the economy being what it is, we decided to dial-it-back a notch or two. Actually, with our Amazon Wish List Widget thing, there really wasn't a damn thing that I really "needed" this year. Last year's Christmas Kiln has been the Gift that Keeps on Giving - and I'm pretty damned happy with that!

Of course, Rog filled his Wish-List with all kinds of new Camaro Goodies. I ended up getting him a few "small" Car Goodies (Camaro umbrella; key-chain; coffee-mug), and some "decent" Boat Goodies - including a bitchen' VHF Radio (actually, that was his Birthday Gift), with a "Remote" station to mount on the helm.

When you think about it, a "Base Station" AND a "Remote Station" on a teeny 26-foot Trailer Sailor is kinda, well, "ridiculous!" But OTOH, it does kinda make sense because the base-station has the "power" and the remote allows you easy-access from the helm (without having a Big Mama-Jama radio cluttering up the steering pedestal).

I'm guessing next we'll be getting a bow-thruster! (NOTTT!!!).

I also got Rog an off-shore auto-inflating PFD with tether/harness so he can strap himself to the boat when he goes forward (i.e. to raise/lower the mainsail). That's an important safety-item, I think ('cuz sometimes we're rockin' and rollin' by the time we drop the sails).

Stuff I scored: Mostly cooking/canning related (that was all I could think of - when Rog told me to update my wish list!). I did some research and found that Presto does make a 16 qt Pressure-Canner that *will* work on a solid-surface (Ceramic/Glass) cooktop (Yay!). I also got a cherry-pitter and super-cool, old-fashioned-looking, hand-crank apple-peeler-corer (which doubles, quite nicely, as a potato peeler/slicer!).

Apple Peeler/Corer - being used as a Potato Peeler!

Way Cool Pressure Canner! Can't wait to try it out!!!

Kinda frustrating to have "Canning-Stuff" when it's no longer Canning Season! But I will definitely put it to good use next year! I so TOTALLY love my Garden (Oh, and I did get a seedling/warming mat - which I *will* use next Spring, in the greenhouse, to get my Garden Started). My Garden is yet another Gift-That-Keeps-On-Giving, and it's nice to be able to enjoy the "Fruits of my Labors" (figuratively *and* literally) well into winter!

I also got some Artsy/Fartsy stuff: A few more Kiln Shelves (can NEVER have enough of those!), and a Soldering Iron for whenever I decide to try some more Stained Glass Stuff... Way Cool!

Anyway, I'm glad we didn't go completely off-the-deep-end with Christmas this year. It was nice and low-key - and we won't be faced with insurmountable bills going into the New Year. All told: A Very Good Thing!

The dogs had a good Christmas, too!

Dynah, Annie and Tazz... Opening their gifts!

And I am working on a German Christmas FEAST for dinner tonight.

Warm Kartoffelsalat (Warm, German Potato Salad) (re-hash from a previous post)
"Canned" Rotkohl (easier than home-made which leaves the kitchen looking like a scene from a CSI Episode!)
Austrian Gulaschsuppe (Austrian Goulash Soup)
Wienerschnitzel with fresh lemon wedges (re-hash from the same previous post)
Fresh, home-made Pumpernickel (from the bread-machine - and this stuff is DAYUM good!)
Frozen Apple Turnovers (lazy-person's interpretation of Apfelstrudel!)

I'll re-hash the recipes (in condensed form - sans "blah-blah-blah" in a separate post!)

Some of my New Years Resolutions (aside from the usual "Lose-a-billion-lbs, Find a Cure for Cancer, Achieve World Peace, End World Hunger...):

Find a phone with a better camera (I'm due for an upgrade) so "Foodie Posts" appear more appetizing!
Write Snarkier Posts
Post More Frequently!
Spend More Time in The Studio!
Watch more "Hoarders" Episodes so I'll donate a BUNCH more crap to Goodwill!
TBD........................

Anyway.... Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

-QT

Blown-Glass Ornament

2011-12-13T18:53:00.001-08:00

Ain't it purrrrrty???

And here it is, hanging in the sunshine
(Might look better if the bathroom window was clean!)

Anyway... Me Likey!

If you live in the San Jose Area, go check out Bay Area Glass Institute! They do lots of "hands-on" kinda classes where you, too, can make cool stuff like this - for not too much $$ (I think I paid something-like $30.00 for the "Blow a Glass Ornament" Event).

Awesome!!!

Food Follow-up and "Encouraging News" and Other Stuff

2011-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

So first-up: The Recipe Follow-ups.

Cranberry Nut Bread: Dee-lish! Yes, it is a bit "dense" (I'm finding that to be the case whenever I use whole-wheat flour - it's just the nature of the beast). It makes a mighty tasty (and filling) toast in the morning!

Yummy Friggin' Chicken Salad: Even better after it's been refrigerated for a day or two (and particularly 'nummy on Cranberry Nut Bread as a sammich!)

Scrump-dilly-icious Potato Leek Soup: Likewise, did seem to get a bit better on day #2 - after the flavors had an opportunity to "meld" in the fridge overnight. Only downside was, I had dumped the excess bacon bits *into* the soup before I fridgimated it, so it was a *tad* on the salty side. Recommendation: Keep the bacon bits separate and dump 'em in only after you've re-heated the soup.

"Encouraging News:" I think I alluded to some Potentially-Bad-Financial/Legal/Tax Stuff related to mom's estate, and my fear that I might get left "holding the bag" for the final bill (resulting in me going to my "Dark Place"). Well, sis did finally respond to my email and gave me a recommendation for an attorney. So I will start my Quixotic Battle over that whole mound o' Stinky Stuff. Not sure if we'll "win" (Gawd knows, I hope we do!). But at least I have been "acknowledged" and sis (whether she likes it or not) will *also* share the financial burden...

So, while I don't like the idea of "owing money" on this whole thing - at least I don't have to fork the FULL amount over (and I am officially "on-record" that: "Worst Case, if we DO have to pay-up, I'll make the first payment, and send the bill for the balance to you!"). Hence, I have moved-away from my Really-Dark-Place...

Annnnd.... In Happier News: I invited Cool Neighbor E to bring her two kids over this afternoon (one is a 2-year old boy, and the other is - maybe 5-6??? - a girl). I had made a few "extra" Christmas Ornaments, and bisque-fired 'em. I called Cool Neighbor this morning and asked if she and her children would like to help "paint" them. "After they're painted, I'll coat them with shiny clear glaze and fire them - and you can have some home-made Christmas Ornaments!"

She seemed most appreciative. It got them out of the house (her husband is in the middle of remodeling their ONLY bathroom - Oh GAWD do I feel their pain!!!). Gave the kids something to do; and they'll have Keepsakes that - maybe - they'll treasure forever!

Actually, I'm pretty-sure that they will. I actually still have a Christmas Ornament that *I* made when I was in pre-school. It's a small styrofoam ball with pinned-in sequins for eyes, a pinned-in bead for a nose, a pinned-in crescent of red construction-paper for a mouth, a red construction-paper cone hat, with a little wadded cotton-ball glued on top (I think there was also a wad of cotton for a beard - but it has long-since disappeared!). It really is a hideous little thing - but I swear I smile, every year, when I re-discover it in my Christmas Box!

No, I don't hang it on the tree. Honestly, I think it would self-destruct! But I really AM glad that I still have it!

(Hell, I wished I'd thought to snap a picture of my li'l monstrosity! But now my Christmas Box is back-up in the garage rafters. Maybe I'll take a pic, later, and post it........................)

So anyway, Cool Neighbor and Kids came over this afternoon. I did ask that they give me appx 30 mins lead-time so I could "get things ready." I basically pulled out a couple little plastic paint pallettes and filled each of the wells with different Liquid Underglaze Colors. Dragged out my "cheap" brushes, and filled a couple of cups with a small qty of water.

My "Child-Tending Skills" are minimal (at best) or (more realistically) non-existent! But I do know enough to realize that a two-year-old-boy is capable of UNTOLD amounts of destruction! I removed all "Potentially-Breakable" items and put 'em well out of reach! (Yet I still underestimated him!!!) (No damage, but anything within-reach got grabbed/removed from the shelves! LOL).

Anyway, they spent about an hour out in the Tiki Shack o' Perpetual Summer and painted just-over half-a-dozen ornaments. The mess wasn't *too* terrible (Thank Gawd for newspapers!).

I'll clear-glaze them tomorrow morning, then fire up the kiln...

Annnnd... In Other News: Yes, on Sunday, I did go to Bay Area Glass Institute and I blew my very own ornament!

I got there early and was one of the FIRST people up! Consequently, I didn't have an opportunity to "chat-up" other folks there and ask 'em to take my picture while I was "Doing the Deed!" So - Sorry! No pictures!

But it was Super-Cool and Super-Fun! I really do like BAGI because of their "Hands-On" approach to sharing glasswork! I know, in the past, I've been to places where you can "watch" glass-blowing demonstrations and it seemed like it was right-up-there with Voodoo and Alchemy. "Not for Common Folks!" But BAGI is very-much "Hands-On" - even if it *is* their glassworkers doing *most* of the work. It's very gratifying to feel like you've at least "kinda" contributed toward the effort of creating something Artistic! I came away feeling like I did *enough* of it to claim that *I* made it!

Heh! I say that now - but I haven't yet seen the Final Product!!!

Anyway, I'll post pics of my ornament - after I pick it up tomorrow...

That's about it for now - other than some "Sad News" about losing a Good Friend. But I'm still "processing" that. I suspect there will be a post about that in the next day or so (since "typing sh*t out" actually does help with the whole "processing" thing). This is the first time I have "lost" a contemporary - and it's hitting me pretty hard right now (Ahhhh.... Yet another part of the "Maturing" process, I'm sure) (F**K THAT! Thankyouverymuch!!!)...

Nahhh... Let's leave this post on a high-note: Yummy Recipes, Christmas Keepsakes for the Neighbors' Kids and My Very Own, Hand-Blown Christmas Ornament for myself... Yes - "Happy Happy!"

(In the meantime, if you have someone you love/respect in your life - PLEASE TELL THEM SO. RIGHT NOW!!!)

XOXOX

-QT

Scrump-dilly-icious Potato Leek Soup

2011-12-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

One Word: "YUM!!!"

So I know I've blathered about the Farm Share before... And how one aspect of it, that I really like, is that sometimes I get sh*t that I never, ever would think to buy at the store. And, in fact, sometimes I get things that I just plain don't know what-the-hell-to-do-with! And I'm forced to go figure it out :-)

Well, last weeks' delivery included Leeks (which I have cooked, maybe once or twice) and Potatoes (which I shun because of the carb count) - more specifically Klamath Pearl Potatoes which are like little white creamy baby 'taters.

Annnnd... Well, with "Winter" upon us, Soup just seemed like a good idea. And I've got Potatoes and Leeks, right? What say we make a batch of Potato Leek Soup?

So I surfed the intertubes, like I usually do. I read a bunch of different recipes, like I usually do. And I picked and choosed what sounded good from each of 'em and smushed 'em together into something that I can claim as my own!

But, to be fair, here were the three recipes I "borrowed" from:

One here:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/potato_leek_soup/

Another one here (except I really don't care for dill)

http://nourishedkitchen.com/a-recipe-potato-leek-soup-with-dill/

And this one here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/potato-and-leek-soup-recipe2/index.html

I daresay I'm getting *much* better about writing stuff down as I go along so I can A) Share it with you and B) Maybe DUPLICATE it someday?!!

And, let me tell you, this soup is definitely good enough to make again!

QT's Scrump-dilly-icious Potato Leek Soup

6 strips of thick-cut Applewood Smoked Bacon - reserve the bacon grease
2 TBS Butter (optional, if needed)
2 Large Leeks - Dark Green "tops" removed (only use the white and pale green parts)
1 lb Klamath Pearl Potatoes (or any kind of "smooth" potato. I think russets would be too "mealy") - peeled and chopped into small (1/2") chunks
4 C Chicken Broth (Or Vegetable - your choice)
1/2 C Marsala Cooking Wine
2 Bay Leaves
3-4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2-3 TBS Fresh Chopped Parsley
1/2 tsp Dried Marjoram
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Buttermilk
Salt and White Pepper
Small Handful of Fresh Chives (chopped)

Cook the bacon in a medium-sized soup pot (for once, I over-estimated the size pot I needed! I used my Big Mama-Jama Dutch Oven! HAH!). Cook it til crispy then take it out and tamp off the grease with a paper towel. Set the bacon aside, but leave the grease in the pan. I turned off the burner at this point...

Add thinly-sliced Leeks to the hot bacon grease, sprinkle some salt on top and let 'em soak in the grease and start to sweat - About 5 mins.

Turn on the heat to medium and start to saute the Leeks until tender. Don't brown them, just let them get super-limp and translucent. You might need to add melted butter at this stage (I added 2 TBS). It takes roughly 20 mins for the leeks to get properly limp-ified.

At this point, you could add the 1/2 c cooking wine to deglaze the pan. I didn't - I added the wine later, but it seems like it might be a good option...

Then I dumped the Chicken Broth and chopped potatoes into the pot. Added the bay leaves, chopped parsley, dried marjoram and thyme sprigs. Now I'm not all Fancy-Schmantzy with the whole "Bouquet Garni" thing. Bay leaves are easy to pick-out. The thyme could have been more problematic, so I left it in the hot-pot just long enough so the leaves got kinda limp. Then I fished the sprigs out, let 'em cool on a plate, then it was pretty-easy to strip the leaves off the stems and dump 'em back into the pot (or you could be totally lazy and just use dried thyme. I've still got fresh thyme growing out back and - By Gawd - I intend to use it!!!)

Anyway, I brought the pot to a boil on med-high heat. Then I turned it down to low, covered the pot, and let everything simmer for appx 20-30 mins 'til the potatoes would break-apart easily when poked with a fork.

While all of this is going on, chop up your crispy bacon into bacon-bit sized chunks.

Thennnnn.... I fished out the bay leaves and grabbed my immersion blender. Stuck it in the pot and whooshed everything up. I wasn't going for a super-creamy consistency, but I wanted it a tad less "chunky" (and it seemed weird to be eating Leek-O's!). So I whir-whir-whirred it 'til the soup was semi-thick, but when I scooped a spoonful, there were still a few chunks of potatoes. Just do whatever makes you happy!!!

Okay, NOW we're nearing the end (yes, this *is* a bit more labor-intensive than "Dump everything in the crock-pot and go about your business!"). This is where you start tasting the soup and deciding what you want to do next. I added the one cup of cream, and one cup of buttermilk. Gave it a taste. Added some salt. Tasted it again. Decided it really *did* need wine, so I dug out the Marsala Cooking Wine (I didn't have any dry white wines - but the Marsala turned out to be quite nice!). Tasted it again. Added more salt and a bit of fresh-ground black pepper, and a couple shakes of white pepper.

Tasted it again and decided it needed a little Sumpin-Sumpin. Finally settled on two GENEROUS tablespoon-glops of sour cream. Perfectomundo!!!

Serve the soup with bacon bits (which tend to sink when you sprinkle 'em on top!) and fresh-chopped chives.

Yeah, this soup was a bit of work - but definitely worth it!!!

Makes appx 6 generous servings.

There was a little left-over, so I've stuck it in the fridge. I'm very curious to know if this is one of those soups that gets EVEN BETTER when you re-heat it the next day...

Yummy Friggin' Chicken Salad

2011-12-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, *this* post IS gonna be quick!

The other day, at the grocery store, I picked up a Garlic Rotisserie Chicken so I'd have something to nosh-on while Hubs was out of town, and I was feeling too lazy to cook.

I ate one of the breasts, then stuck it back in the fridge.

Couple days later (as the gooze was congealing into a gelatinous blob, in the bottom of the plastic container), I didn't feel much like eating it "As-Is" so I converted it to Chicken Salad. Here is what I did:

QT's Yummy Friggin' Chicken Salad

Most of a leftover Rotisserie Chicken (whole chicken, minus 1/2 breast)
3 Celery Stalks
1 Granny Smith Apple (peeled and cored)
1/3 of a Medium Sweet Onion
1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
1/2 C Craisins
1/4 C Honey-Roasted Almond Slivers
However Much Mayo it takes to make Chicken Salad
1-2 tsp Splenda
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Chop up the celery into smallish chunks. Do the same to the onion and apple. Toss 'em into a mid-sized mixing bowl and add a couple TBS of mayo (to keep the apple from browning).

Peel the usable meat off the chicken carcass. You can either save the skin and bones to make fresh chicken stock (smart move!), or toss it (I was lazy and have about 50-bazillion gallons of canned chicken-stock in my pantry, so I - guiltily - tossed it!). Chop up the chicken meat into small chunks (1/2" or smaller). Add to the fruit/veggie/mayo mixture.

You could prob'ly "cheat" and go with canned chicken chunks - but I don't think it'd be quite as good - IMHO.

Dump the rest of the stuff in. Add more mayo, as needed, to keep it in a proper "spreadable-on-bread" consistency (without being overwhelmingly mayonnaisey). Taste it to make sure you've got everything "Just Right."

Let it "set" in the fridge for a couple of hours (better still: overnight) to let the flavors "meld."

So far, it's been absolutely STUPENDOUS on sandwiches (on fresh, home-baked bread). It's also FANTASTIC straight-out-of-the-bowl. I'm sure it would be equally-good on a salad (Oooh! With lettuce and mandarin-orange slices!), but I haven't tried it there yet (and I doubt it will last that long!!!)

Let me tell you: This recipe is positively DEEEEEEE-LISH!!! I've decided that Craisins are my new "Secret Ingredient!" They make EVERYTHING taste better!

No Self-Immolation... And Bread Recipes!

2011-12-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

Okay... On the off-chance that anybody is actually *reading* this blog, I figured I'd better post a quick ("Yeah, right!") update and let ya'all know I'm still alive!

I successfully baked a loaf of bread *and* completed a bisque-firing. And I didn't burn the house down! (Yay me!).

The Electrician came out on Thursday to check on the Lights/Fan Situation (Yay!).

He wandered out back to the Shack while I ran out to the car to pull-out my new light fixture. I headed out to the Studio and yammered to him about what-happened, what-I-did, and yada-yada.

"I was out here yesterday afternoon and everything was working just fine. Went back in the house, came out 20 minutes later, flipped the switch and the light fixture just died! No warning at all" blah-blah-blah "I figured it was a bum fixture, so I bought this new one - and was gonna have my neighbor install or cannibalize it." yada-yada "But when I noticed the fan wasn't working, and since they're both on the same switch, I figured it was something worse. I flipped all the breakers and they still don't work..."

"Oh, and, by the way - Hubbie-the-Engineer - really wants to know the reason for the failure because, well, he's an Engineer..."

Electrician then points out that the fan is just fine.

"Huh?!!"

He flipped the switch and the fan came on - Just Like That!

"No way!!! I *swear* it wasn't working last night!!!"

"Well, was it below 50*?"

"Ohhhhhh sh*t!"

Turns out, the fan (which is an attic ventilation fan) has an integrated thermostat and it won't kick on in cold weather.

So now I feel like a complete dumb-ass!

He offered to re-wire it to bypass the thermostat and hard-wire it to the switch (which really is better. Although - to be honest - by the time the kiln gets hot enough to burn off any toxic gasses, the room is probably gonna be well over 50* - nevertheless....)

Anyway - My first hypothesis (Bum Light Fixture) turned out to be true and he replaced it for me. The Bad News was: Since I provided the fixture, it really wasn't covered under *his* warranty, so it cost me $95.00 for a Service Call.

Fair 'nuff. It really wasn't his fault the light fixture failed. Besides, it's a small price to pay for Peace of Mind, I think......

Annnnd.... On the Plus Side: While the Electrician was working out in the Shack, our maid was cleaning INSIDE the house, so I took that opportunity to *finally* rip out my 'Mater Plants (filled the ENTIRE green-bin!). I felt bad - especially since I *did* manage to find appx 3 'maters that were desperately trying to ripen (Yes, I brought 'em into the house to let 'em "finish!"). But - since temps are consistently dipping into the 30's at night now - it is definitely "time" to say farewell to the Summer Garden and think about planting my cool-season seedlings (that are *definitely* ready to be planted!)...

* * * * *

The Bisque-firing went well. Only one fatality. Lesson Learned: Don't "stack" LUG bisqueware. LUG = Liquid Underglaze. When it heats up, it can "impart" it's color onto other plain-white pieces and/or it can stick together (when LUG is stacked on top of LUG). So I did lose one Christmas Ornament (really, no big deal)...

Since then, I've done a whole lot of glazing and I'm now doing a Cone 5 firing. I'll do another one immediately after that (since you can't "stack" glaze-ware - at all!). I am totally digging my "Remote Thermometer" Skype Action (Kiln is up to 1735* - even as I type!). Firing should complete in the early evening and, hopefully, I can unload it tomorrow...

And tomorrow, I am going to Bay Area Glass Institute to blow-glass and make a Christmas Ornament. That should be Super-Duper Cool, I hope!

Heck, maybe I'll even post some pictures!

* * * * *

Lastly, I promised you some bread recipes (unfortunately, no pictures).

I don't think I can rightfully claim these as my own. Sometimes, when I make stuff, I email the recipe to myself and kinda forget to indicate *where* I found the recipe. Obviously, if I know WHO to credit, I post the link here. In this case, these are OLD recipes and I don't know who to credit. Nevertheless, they're good enough to share, so here goes:

Honey Oat & Sunflower Bread

1 C + 2 TBS Water (appx 70-80*)
1/4 C Honey
2 TBS melted butter
1-1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Quick-Cook Oats (just plain ol' Quaker Oats work just fine - just not the "Instant Oatmeal")
2-1/2 C Bread Flour
1/2 C Wheat Flour
2 TBS Nonfat Dry Milk
2-1/4 tsp Yeast (make sure it's not expired!!!)
1/2 C Roasted, Salted Sunflower Seeds

Dump the ingredients, in that order, into your Bread Machine. Set it for a "Standard" Loaf, and let 'er rip!

Makes a 1-1/2 lb loaf of "pretty dense" but hearty and tasty bread...

If dense, chewy bread isn't your thing (and - since I was having such lousy luck with the previous recipe - what-with the bread-machine attempting suicide and all...), I offer up a lighter (but still very tasty) alternative:

Potato Bread

3/4 C Milk (I just used 2%)
1/2 C Lukewarm Water (I went a tad warmer than 70-80* because the milk was cold)
2 TBS Melted Butter
1-1/2 tsp Salt
3 C Bread Flour
1/2 C Potato Buds (I used some kinda "Yukon Gold Buttery Flavor" krep - but pretty-much any kinda dried "instant" potato oughtta work. Heck, I might try "Garlic Mashed" at some point, and maybe add some whole garlic cloves to the loaf - just to get all CRAZY)
1 TBS Granulated Sugar
2-1/4 tsp Yeast

Again, dump everything in the bread machine, in that order, and hit the button (I love my bread-machine!!!). This made a very nice, light(er), soft-ish bread that was good for making sandwiches.

This is another 1-1/2 lb loaf...

Oh Gawd - I made a FANTASTIC Chicken Salad that makes a fan-freaking-tastic sandwich. Think that one's worthy of a separate post...

Okay, still on the subject of bread, I decided to Create My Own Recipe today - and it's in the machine now. I kinda "started" with the Honey-Oat-Sunflower recipe, but modified the hell out of it so I can call it My Own!

QT's Cranberry Nut Bread:

1-1/4 C Water
1/4 C Agave Nectar
2 TBS Melted Butter
1-1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Quick-Cook (but not "Instant") Oats
2-1/2 C Bread Flour
1/2 C Wheat Flour
2 TBS Nonfat Dry Milk
2-1/4 tsp Yeast
1/2 C Chopped Walnuts
1/2 C Craisins
Zest from one Orange

Dump everything in, as described above. Although - I think it might be better to hold-off on adding the Walnuts, Craisins and Orange Zest until your machine gives you the "Add-Extra-Ingredients-Now" Beep. My machine actually does have that feature - but I didn't avail myself of it. Seems like the machine had a very tough time incorporating ALL of the ingredients during the initial knead (in fact, I had to pull the plug on it, do a little hand-kneading, then re-start it).

I suspect this is gonna end up being more like a 2# loaf (and my measurements of Walnuts and Craisin quantities are probably lower than "actual").

It's on it's second "rise" right now. I'll have to report back on the final outcome. But I suspect it's gonna be pretty tasty! (at least it smells DAMN good!)

Okay, I lied. Here is ONE picture - of the loaf as it finished in the Bread Machine!

And I can Officially Confirm that it is "Delicious!" Yes, it is dense, but it definitely is GOOD! Not too sweet. I wouldn't classify it as a "Dessert Bread" - but it's definitely sweeter than sandwich bread. I'll be very interested to try it, as toast, with my fresh (and Super-Tart) Cranberry-Orange Marmalade tomorrow.

Cleverness versus Cursedness

2011-12-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

So... For the most part, I've managed to hold my annual Winter Blues at bay by participating in a fair number of "Nesting/Cooking" type of activities: Lights are up. Tree is up. Most of the Christmas Gifts have arrived and are wrapped.

...And we had the First Annual Gathering of the South Bay Canning Club at my house, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and had a fun "Hen-Fest" kinda day (sans testosterone - DH took refuge on the boat that day!!!). I scored a boatload of yummy jams and chutneys and whatnot - in addition to pawning off some of my Excess. I call that a "Win-Win!"

Last week, Cool Neighbor E left a bag of home-grown blood-oranges on my doorstep (Yay Neighbor!), and I still had a couple of bags of fresh cranberries in the fridge - so I made Orange-Cranberry Marmalade (more on that in a separate post).

And - with all of this fresh, home-made jam - well, I *had* to drag out the Bread Machine (Sorry, I'm not so overcome with "Domestic-Nesty-ness" that I am willing to knead and bake my own bread!)...

But, mostly, I attribute my staving-off of Seasonal Affective Disorder to the fact that I've been spending sooooo much time in my Studio (aka the "Tiki Shack o' Perpetual Summer"). It is damn-near impossible to be depressed in my bright and "sunny" (okay overly-bright-fluorescent-lit) beach-side shack!

Every afternoon, after work, I've gone out there to squish clay, or sand-down my works-in-progress, or (::::gasp:::) glaze stuff. It truly is my own private li'l sanctuary. That's why I built it (err - "had it built!") and it's TOTALLY "Doing it's job!"

OTOH - there've definitely been some "Things" happening that are trying to STEAL MY HAPPINESS - dammit! One thing, in particular, has actually been semi-successful in putting me into a funk. I don't want to go into the details here - but it has to do with some "lingering financial/tax/legal issues" related to mom's estate and the sale of her house. And, unfortunately, it looks like I might be left "holding the bag" (to the tune of several thousand dollars) on that one. Sadly, that particular development has put me into a Very Dark Place...

Annnnd... It's been my experience that Negativity begets even more Negativity (not to get all Ooky-Spooky New-Agey on yer @ss or anything).

I'm certainly no Pollyanna. In fact, I'm generally pretty "cynical" in my view of the world (but - I like to think - in a humorous kinda way). For the most part, I *try* to be a "Glass is Half-Full" kinda gal and, overall, I think I can safely plagiarize Joe Walsh and claim that "Liiiiife's been gooood to me so faaaarrrr..."

But this particular speed-bump has been difficult for me to get over. And I'm working through a pretty good-sized chunk of anger over some - shall we say - "inequities" that have occurred in the recent past ("Justifiable anger" - I should note). This latest development has kind of turned into the proverbial straw...

Anyway, since I can't simply "blow it off" - I've been letting myself go to that Dark Place because the only way to deal with it is to, well, acknowledge it and "Deal with it!"

So, for the past week, I've been kind of letting it simmer (steam?) just under the surface (Warning everyone around me that "I'm dealing with sh*t" in the hopes that they'll, mostly, back-the-hell-off!).

So that's a whole lot of words that expressed Almost Nothing! Heh! But it's kind of the backdrop to my Story Du Jour!

So anyway... Night before last, I had dragged out the Bread Machine and decided to bake a fresh, tasty loaf of Honey-Oat-Sunflower-Wheat bread (again, recipe in a separate post). Evidently, it's been awhile since I baked bread because the "freshest" yeast packet I could find had expired back in September. Nevertheless, I sallied forth, and dragged out my bread flour, wheat flour, yeast, yada-yada, yada-yada, and dumped everything into the Bread Machine to let it work it's magic.

Wellllll, I ended up with a rather - shall-we-say - "compact" loaf of bread that could have easily shattered a window. Or broken a toe if you dropped it. And *something* (I don't know if it was the flour or the oatmeal or sunflower seeds) had obviously gone bad because it smelled funny and tasted even worse! (How do you f**k-up bread???) It made a rather loud (and none-too-satisfying) "thunk" when I dumped it into the garbage can. :::sigh:::

So the next day, I dumped the old flour, oatmeal, and remaining sunflower seeds into the trash and ventured out to Snob Hill. They've got a fairly comprehensive selection of organic "bulk" stuff. So I procured replacements to the aforementioned ingredients.

Forgot the honey though, dammit! (but I did have *just barely* enough for one more loaf!!)

When I got home, I decided I'd try it again. Set-up the Bread Machine on the bar between the kitchen and living room and let 'er rip.

Later that afternoon, I was on a mind-numbing conference call. One that, fortunately, I didn't have to be an "Active Participant" in. So I was able to multi-task!

I got the Most Brilliant Idea of using my Netbook (which has a built-in camera *and* spends most of it's life out in the studio) as a kind of "Remote Thermometer" (actually, more like a "Baby Monitor") so I could supervise the kiln's firing progress without having to run out to the backyard every hour...

(Okay, in case you forgot the blog-post title, we are now - FINALLY! - approaching the "Cleverness" part of my post!)

So I dragged my Netbook into the house and futzed around with the webcam-software to figure out how to capture images. It took a fair amount of futzing, but I got it to work (Yay Me!). Then the more "challenging" part was "How do I get my Laptop to ACCESS my Netbook's webcam software remotely?" I tried using Windows "Remote Desktop" but I couldn't get it to work (one machine is running XP and the other is running Windows7 and I have NO clue how Hubs has the Home Network set-up!). Not sure exactly what the problem was - but I just couldn't get it to work. And besides, I think someone needs to be *at* the Remote Machine to allow access. And - with the remote machine being in the Studio - well, that would kinda defeat the purpose, right?

It's a good thing that my mind-numbing conference call was a LONG one!

Then I did some Googling... (and yes, the conference call continued!)...

Long Story Short ("Too Late!"). I ended up setting up a dummy Skype account on my Netbook. Actually, it's a "real" account (to Skype) but only *I* know the account name - and the "dummy" account will ONLY accept calls from my "real" Skype Acct. I was able to tweak the settings so that it will automatically answer, and display video, when my "real" Skype Acct calls it.

End result: I can Skype my Netbook and look at the display of my kiln-controller (which shows current temperature) at any time. Yayyy Meeee!!!

So, after the conference call ended ("FINALLY!!!"), I set-up the Netbook in front of the kiln and aimed the camera. Trouble there was: The Netbook needed to be set appx 10" from the kiln in order to be able to read the display. The kiln can throw-off a whole lot of heat (it gets up to over 2000*!). I do have a cheap Logitech USB web-cam so I installed *that* software. I can tape the El Cheapo webcam to a stool next to the kiln. End result is the same: I can view the temperature in real-time, but I probably won't mind so much if I accidentally melt a $30.00 web-cam! (I doubt it would happen, but why risk it?)

"Success!!!"

(This snapshot was taken with my laptop - in the house - from the webcam - in my studio!)

So Big-Time "Yay Meee!" In fact, I was soooo tickled with myself I posted it to Facebook *and* emailed DH (who was in So-Cal on business). DH, as I'm sure I've mentioned, is an Electronics Engineer/Geek Extraordinaire - and our In-House IT Guru. And, it is assumed that I, being the wife, am utterly and completely devoid of any kind of "Technical Skills" (nevermind that I am a Business Systems Analyst/Software Designer, by day). Hell, even *he* was impressed that I figured that out - "All By Myself" (okay, maybe with a little help from Google!)...

Well, I think I used up what little "Good Karma" I had left because - let me tell you - it was all downhill from there!!!

So, I've got a fresh loaf of Honey-Oat-Wheat-Sunflower Bread kneading and rising in the bread-machine on the bar (must'n't forget about that!), and I've been running back-and-forth to the Studio. I'm contemplating doing a bisque-firing so I can crank-out some more Christmas Gifts: I still have a few ornaments to fire; a couple of "Christmas Craft Projects" for the neighbor's kids; Some bowls and Snack-Trays that might make nice gifts; and a handful of "Leftover Clay Critters" that I'd squished out of, well, Leftover Clay Blobs...

So I wander back to the Studio to start loading the kiln, and DH calls me to check-in from SoCal. I walk through the door and flip the light switch. "Sh*t!" One of the ceiling light fixtures is dead. "Well THAT sucks!!!" No warning, either. Just 20 minutes ago, it was working fine. Now it's completely DEAD.

Bear in mind, I'm teetering on the precipice of my "Dark Place" and it really doesn't take much to push me over the edge, so that really got me kind of irked. Hubbie's wanting to tell me alllll about his rental car (Mustang V6 convertible) and all the minutiae of his day, and all I can do is think about how peeved I am that "I'm sitting in the dark in - what's SUPPOSED TO BE - My Sanctuary!"

So I'm looking up at the non-functional light fixture, and Hubbie's yammering-on about how the seats and dashboard of the Mustang compare to his Camaro (and I'm registering, roughly, 70% of what he's saying). Then I notice that the plastic diffuser/cover thingie is coming off of the other overhead light fixture, so I grab a broom and use the handle to try to squish the cover back into place "Uh huh... Really? Yeah, they *are* kind of Retro, aren't they?"

Then: CRASH!!!

The diffuser/cover falls to the floor and SHATTERS!!!

At THAT point, I wanted to cry.

(Okay, just so you're up-to-speed, we are in the "Cursedness" part of the post..!)

(But wait! There's more!!!)

So DH wisely infers that, maybe, it would be best to cut the conversation short (after he said he was sorry I was having a bad day - which I *did* appreciate!) (He also suggested an Electrician).

Okay... So then I go in search of a replacement Diffuser/Cover online. No luck.

Then I hop in the car and drive over to Home Depot to procure new light-bulbs (even though I don't think that's the problem) and see if I can find a new Diffuser/Cover. Light bulbs, I found. Diffuser? No such luck.

So I bought a brand new light fixture - figuring we could cannibalize it for parts...

When I returned home, I encountered a rather strange plastic-melting smell. WTF???

Welllllll... While I was at Home Depot (a whopping 15 minutes!), the bread-machine decided to commit suicide. See, when it's in it's "knead" mode, it kind of vibrates (not unlike the washing machine during it's Spin Cycle). Well, somewhere between "kneading" and "baking" the damned thing *walked* off the edge of the counter and fell to the floor - spilling a partially-baked (but very well-risen) loaf of bread onto the floor. Then to add insult-to-injury, it CONTINUED TO BAKE. The plastic-melting smell came from the plastic-hinges where the lid attaches to the machine.

Fortunately, I discovered it while the plastic hinges were still malleable-enough for me to put it back together (and yes, it still works). More fortunate still: I discovered it before it had a chance to trigger our smoke detector (which would contact ADT, who, in turn, would contact the Fire Department), or worse...

At that point, I pretty-much decided that running the kiln would be a Very Bad Idea. In fact, all I really wanted to do was go to bed (and try to avoid injury!!!).

"Tomorrow is another day!"

Soooo... This morning, after a fitful night's sleep, I awoke and tackled work email. I had one lengthy conference call that I would be leading, so I figured I'd print out my documentation ahead of time.

We have a Fancy Schmantzy Wireless Network printer. I figured I'd try to save paper and print "duplex" to the Fancy Printer... Couldn't get the work machine to communicate with the wireless printer :::sigh::: so I emailed the documents to my personal email. Kind of a pain, buttt.... Bring up the documents on my personal machine and send 'em to the printer.

Printer-F*cking-Jam!!!!

So, I wander into the bedroom to attempt to "gently" un-jam the printer - only to leave a small corner behind. Rebooting the printer resulted in, yes, ANOTHER printer jam!

There's some fancy on-board video-tutorial on how to un-jam the printer, but when you follow-it, it kicks out even MORE warning messages ("Yada-Yada Cover is Open!") and, pretty-much, every message: Be it "Printer Jam" or "YaYa Door is Open" or whatEVER results in a Notification-Email to DH...

JeeeeeZUSSS!!! It was only two 3-page documents ferchrissake!!!! Turned into a nearly hour-long ordeal as I dismantled the machine and extricated torn-up confetti!!!

(In the end, I printed them on my crap-tastic local printer. Screw the trees!!!)

By this time, I was pretty-much fit-to-be-tied (and "Oh, yes" - I got an email from Hubbie inquiring about what was going on with the printer).

"Kill me now!!!"

Well, by the time the afternoon rolled around, I decided to TOTALLY tempt fate and started ANOTHER loaf of bread. THEN!!! I went out to the studio - again!

I decided to throw caution to the wind and fired-up the kiln... Went to hit the wall switch to turn on the exhaust fan - only to discover that it, too, was dead. This means it's NOT the light-fixture, but something electrical. I flipped all of the circuit-breakers (including the Main Panel), and re-set the GFI. Still, the light and fan are not working. I've called the original electrician and he will be out, tomorrow, to fix it.

I'm still moving forward with running the kiln (since those circuits are independent of everything else) and monitoring it closely on Skype!

Annnnnd... I *did* manage to successfully bake a loaf of bread without burning the house down.

So maybe, just maybe, my Karma is turning back around again!!!

If I never, ever post again - it means I probably self immolated! It's been nice knowin' ya!!!

Turkey Day Madness (Yummy Recipes)

2011-11-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

I think I hinted, a couple days ago, that I might post my Thanksgiving Day Culinary Adventures here.

This time I figured I'd skip the Play-By-Play and just wait til the damn thing was done (and confirmed "Delicious") before I posted the recipes.

I did kinda half-heartedly snap a few pictures (with the Crappy Droid Cam). Not sure if they're worth posting. If I decide to do so, they'll be in a separate post.

Look, I'm not touting myself as a "Foodie-Blogger" or anything. This is just my place to yammer about whatever, right?

In fact, right now I am in the Tiki Shack o' Perpetual Summer (Thank Gawd I've got a space-heater out here!), enjoying a margarita ("En las rocas, con sal!"), covered - head-to-toe - in white clay dust (Why-oh-why do I wear dark clothes out here??!!). I just finished making a couple of wine-glass-holder/snack trays, a handful of Chile Pepper holiday ornaments, and am contemplating glazing the rest of my Hurricane Cocktail holiday ornaments (so I can run another glaze firing this weekend)...

And, I figured I'd take a few minutes to schmear some white clay dust on my Netbook and post the "Successful" recipes from yesterday's feast...

Hell, I have absolutely NO business being a Foodie Blogger - given the sheer quantity of weight I *need* to lose! And, being diabetic, after spending just over a week in the Land o' Carbohydates (Mexico), and returning to the START of "Stuff Yourself Silly Season." Good Lord!!!

Okay, okay... Back on track here!

Da Boyd: I bought a Fresh, Organic, Range-Raised, Zen Buddhist, Birkenstock-Wearing, Granola-Eating, Tree-Hugging, Turkey Breast for a princely sum. Since it was minimally-processed, I figured I'd better brine it so I used Pioneer Woman's Recipe for brine here.

I am absolutely not claiming this recipe as my own, but I did make some minor adjustments. First, I halved the quantity of ingredients since, I suspect, her recipe would handle a 20# bird and ours was just a 9# breast... And I did some other "tweaks" as I went along... Nevertheless, this is definitely Pioneer Woman's Creation! (No plagiarism or copyright infringement here!!! No Sirree Bob!!!)

So anywaaaaay,,, the afternoon before Thanksgiving, I brewed up the brine, following Pioneer Woman's most-awesome recipe *almost* to the letter.

When I threw everything into the pot, I realized (once again!) that I didn't select a large enough pot for ALL of the ingredients, so I simmered everything with just 1 quart of water (figuring I'd add the remaining 3 quarts when I stuffed everything into the brining bag). I also added a handful of fresh sage to the brew - simply because my sage plant was begging to be pinched back (I'd say it was probably about a Tablespoon of fresh sage).

Pioneer Woman's Turkey Brine

Ingredients (modified for my 9# breast and "reduced sugar" mandate)

1.5 C Apple Cider
1 Quart of Water
2 Tbs Fresh Rosemary
1 Tbs Fresh Sage
3 Cloves Minced Garlic
3/4 C Sea Salt
1/2 C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (as opposed to equiv 1 C Brown Sugar in the orig. recipe)
1-1/2 Tbs Whole Peppercorns
3 Bay Leaves
Zest from 2 Oranges

Combine everything in a medium-ish pot. Stir until the sugar/salt are dissolved. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover. Let it cool.

Here's where I started to get creative. Let me tell you, this brine smells positively HEAVENLY and I thought "Gee, that might be a good 'base' for my injection marinade!"

So I reserved half-a-cup of the "condensed" brine and stuck it in a jar in the fridge.

Then, once everything was cooled, I poured the brine into a 2 gallon ziplock baggie (in my largest pot), then added 3 quarts of water and stirred it up well. Then I plunked (more like wrestled!) the turkey breast into the brine, sealed the bag and crammed it into the fridge to soak for 24 hours (or thereabouts - might've only been 18 hours - whatEVAH!).

Thanksgiving Morning, I kinda wrestled/rolled the turkey around, a bit, in the brine bag - since the "top" wasn't getting *as* brined as the rest of the bird. Then I started prepping other stuff...

I spent a fair amount of time working on a modified Coconut-Yam/Sweet Potato/Whatever-Casserole. It "sounded" really interesting. And it was. "Interesting." But not in a good way (not BAD, mind you. Nobody got rushed to the hospital for severe gastritis or anything), but it just wasn't good enough to share.

I think I've decided that we just aren't "Yam People." Last year, I baked the yams (in their skin) and served them like potatoes - only with butter and brown sugar. Those were actually pretty good but DH didn't seem impressed. I tend to "shun" traditional candied yams with mini-marshmallows (I was traumatized, as a child, when the mini-marshmallows caught fire under the broiler in my mom's oven many-many-many-many-many years ago!).

Okay... Next up: The injectable marinade... I nearly swooned over the aroma while the brine was simmering, and I snuck a taste of it. Dayum good (albeit - quite salty!). Originally I was gonna go with a pre-made mild Cajun-Butter Injection Marinade (I've used it in the past, and it is quite tasty), but I decided I wanted to stick with the more "citrussy" end of the spectrum. Along with butter (Hell YES we gotta have BUTTER!). So here goes:

QT's Citrus-Herb-Butter Turkey Injection Marinade

(Okay, I *am* gonna take credit for this one!)

Ingredients:

1/2 C PW's "condensed" Turkey Brine (recipe above)
1/2 C Chicken Broth (I think I'd go with un-salted*, or at least "Low Sodium")
1/2 C (1 stick) Melted Butter (again, un-salted* would be preferred!)
3 TBS Lemon Juice (I squoze a fresh lemon)
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder ("Perish the Thought!" but it had to fit through the syringe!)
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Finely Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage
1 Tbs Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

*I ended up having to add about 1-2 add'l Tablespoons of White Sugar (:::GASP!:::). Unfortunately, I did not have un-salted or low-sodium butter or chicken broth and the marinade came out a little *too* salty. The sugar took care of it, but you'll definitely want to taste the marinade before you call it "done!"

Anyway, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well-blended.

And as it was cooking, I again, noted how WONDERFUL it smelled and I thought "Gee, this might also work well as part of the 'base' for my Stuffing!" So, after it was done, but before injecting the bird, I reserved about half-a-cup of the marinade to incorporate into the dressing!

But I digress (yet AGAIN!!!) You pretty-much want to inject the bird about an hour (or so) before cooking, so the marinade has a chance to soak in throughout the bird.

And - since there's an awful lot of butter in the marinade - well, you need to time things appropriately because if the marinade cools too much, the butter wants to separate, then solidify!

So - about an hour before cooking, I removed the turkey from the brine, then soaked it in a sink full of clear water to get the excess salt off. Then I had to re-heat the brine - just nuke it for a few seconds in a narrow-deep container (tall coffee cup). Then inject the hell out of the breast.

I try to avoid poking too many holes in the bird (since "where it goes in" is also "where it can ooze out!"). So I load up the syringe, poke a hole in the bird, go deep and inject (pulling back as I depress the plunger so the marinade gets distributed throughout). I don't pull the syringe out completely (or if I do, I try to re-use the same hole), then inject a different section of the breast, utilizing the same pull-back/inject technique. I try to hit 3 different "sections" with each hole.

I think I ended up with only 8 holes in the bird (4 along the "top" centerline of each side of the breast). It's tough to explain, verbally. If you've never done an injection marinade, Google-it, there are tons of instructional videos out there (and it really is an awesome way to prepare a bird!).

Then let the breast "rest" in a roasting pan for about an hour before cooking.

For roasting, I used my "Big Easy" propane oil-less turkey fryer. Love-Love-Love it because it frees-up the kitchen and you can (mostly) "Set it and Forget it" (other than checking the temperature, periodically, 'cuz our "Remote Sensor" doesn't work through the window-glass for some odd reason) (and it was raining outside and I didn't want to stand out there all friggin' day!!!).

I have NO idea how long it took, but I wanna say it was roughly 2 hours to get up to 165* internal temp (in the middle of the breast). Once we got there, I removed the bird, stuck it in a disposable foil roasting pan, covered it with foil, then wrapped it in a towel (in the house) to "rest" and finish cooking...

Next up: Stuffing (The VERY BEST part of Thanksgiving, I think!)

Unfortunately, I didn't keep super-close track of what all I did, but I'll recount the general jist of it:

I freely admit that am a TOTAL cheater: I started out with two boxes of Stove Top Turkey-Flavored Stuffing. BUTTTT... I amped it up, okay??? (and GAWD was it good!!!)

First, I heated up my reserved marinade in a smallish saucepan. Boiled it and let it simmer for a few (maybe 5 minutes), then poured it into my big pot.

Added 1-1/4 Cups of Apple Cider and 1-1/4 Cups of Chicken Broth, and a stick of butter (Yeah!!), and heated it up. Then I dumped in the two packages of Stove-Top Stuffing Mix. Followed the package directions for the stove-top method of stuffing-making (which I have, since, forgotten, but it's a No-Brainer) (although - BTW - I omitted the water b/c I was using apple-cider+brine+chicken broth).

Then, in the smallish saucepan, I browned a 12 oz package of fresh Maple Breakfast Sausage (Flavored with REAL Maple Syrup). Once it was brown, I tossed in some chopped red onion (1 medium onion) and chopped celery (2-3 stalks). Swished em around - on medium heat - in the sausage grease 'til tender. When that was done, I transferred everything (grease and all - Arteries be damned!!!) to the Stove-Top Stuffing Pot.

Then I added a couple handfuls of Craisins and a couple handfuls of chopped Pecans (maybe 1/2 cup of each? No clue how big my handfuls are!). Stir it all up and transfer it to an 8x8 cake pan and toss it in the oven @ 350* about 20-30 minutes before dinner so it gets crispy and brown on the top (actually, it made WAAAAAY more than an 8x8 cake pan could accommodate, but I tossed the excess into a storage container and just stuck it in the fridge for later noshing!).

This dressing was THE BOMB!!! (I'd never made Sausage Stuffing before. Now "I'm a believer!!!")

Last up was the Gulliver's Creamed Corn - which is almost embarrassingly easy to make, yet indescribably delicious. I didn't change a thing in that recipe.

Other Stuff: Rolls from a Tube (Courtesy of Pillsbury!); Mashed potatoes (No Brainer) and Pumpkin Pie ("Like, duh!") - although I cheated and bought a pie from the Snob Hill Bakery...

Truth be told: We were both so stuffed from dinner, we didn't have room for dessert!

It really was a wonderful Thanksgiving Meal (and we've got leftovers up the gazoobie!)

Oh, and the Million Dollar Turkey Breast? It was *quite* delicious. It had a much "firmer" texture than the overly-processed turkeys I've made in the past (in fact, I was nervous that it wasn't quite "done" when I pulled it out of the cooker). But it was most definitely moist and utterly delectable! Yes, I'd probably do another Free-Range, Organic Turkey again...

Happy "Black Friday" to one and all (and NO! I did *not* participate in ANY of that Madness!!!)

Uno Mas

2011-11-23T20:17:00.001-08:00

...and the view from D's Terraza....

How I spent my day...

2011-11-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

...about a week ago...

Holy Cow - Where did the time go???

2011-11-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

Jeez, get back from vacation on Sunday... Greet the Hounds (Piddle-Frenzy)... Get unpacked... Ignore the Metric Ton of Laundry that has suddenly materialized... Take Monday off (to "decompress")... Make the mistake of checking work email on Monday Afternoon (150+ emails - Good Gawd!!!) Skim through them and attempt to concentrate on the "most recent" stuff...

Suddenly realize that THANKSGIVING is this Thursday!!!! AAAACCCCKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankfully (or maybe not) - "Family" has been reduced to DH and me - so that simplifies things considerably!

But still! Can't do Thanksgiving with what we've got in the fridge (about a quart of questionable milk and a few bags of squishy/fuzzy vegetables in the crisper!) so a trek to the Grocery Store is in order. I managed to cobble-together a list and made a trek to the store on Monday. I didn't want to do a "whole" turkey - now that I've discovered Turkey Breasts (Now that just sounds weird, doesn't it?!). I also didn't want to do a "Frozen" bird - I really wanted something Truly Fresh and Minimally-Processed.

I think I blogged about our Adventures at the San Benito County Fair about a month ago (at least I hope I did!). I actually would have liked to have purchased a fresh Turkey there except that A) They had to be taken home "ALIVE" (and I'm not about to slaughter a turkey at home) and B) They sold for almost $1,000.00 apiece!

Anyway... I consulted Google to try to determine where best to purchase a "fresh" minimally processed turkey and finally settled on getting a Diestel Turkey. Local, organic, range-raised, minimally processed and - as it turns out - ridiculously expensive.

Whole Paycheck - err Whole Foods carries 'em. But I figured Snob Hill might, as well. Yup. Snob Hill had 'em. I got a 9# Diestel Turkey Breast for just over $40.00 ("Ouch!"). But - I reminded myself - that's LESS THAN $1,000.00 *and* I didn't have to slaughter it myself!!!

So now I've got a Turkey Breast brining in the fridge; I've dusted off the cobwebs from my "Big Easy" Oil-less Turkey Fryer; And I think I've gathered together enough ingredients to put-together a halfway-decent Thanksgiving Feast (from which there will be leftovers a-plenty, I'm sure!).

For the brine - I totally "stole" Pioneer Woman's Recipe (but I "halved" the recipe and "added" some fresh sage - since my herb garden is still hangin' in there). I also tweaked the preparation, slightly, because I didn't have a big enough pot - and I reserved some of the brine so I can incorporate it into an injectable marinade tomorrow...

I am also going to make Gulliver's Creamed Corn. It is abso-freaking-lutely AMAZING! One year I made it with a mixture of peas and corn - that was fantastic, too. This year, I'll just stick with corn.

I hope to post a more detailed break-down of the Holiday Recipes tomorrow - once I figure out what I'm doing!!!

The rest will be more basic T-Giving Fare: Mashed Potatoes (I cheated and went with pre-made/nuke-able!); Sweet Potato Casserole; Stove-Top Stuffing on Steroids (I add a bunch of stuff to boxed-stuffing so it ends up tasting more home-made). Canned cranberry sauce ("Sacrilege!!!").

I actually bought a couple bags of fresh cranberries, but I want to dehydrate them with Splenda so I can have low-sugar Craisins! And/Or I might get all crazy and try to make Cranberry Jam - after T-Giving!

Anyway... Like I say, I'll try to post more detailed recipes tomorrow.............

And in other news: I think I alluded to the South Bay Canning Club. P came up with the awesome idea to have a bunch of Canning Friends get together to "swap" stuff. The swap was supposed to have taken place back in October (when my yard would have been fine for hosting a party!). Well, schedules just didn't line-up properly so The Exchange got pushed out to November. This coming Saturday, in fact. My yard is a FANTASTIC place for a Get-Together. My house? Not-so-much! But I volunteered.... Sooooo....

Add THAT to the pile of things to Freak-Out about - Heh! Well, sometimes I *do* need incentive to straighten-up a bit. And, thankfully, Aida is coming on Friday to clean-house. I'll make sure to let her know I am hosting a party and I'm sure she'll do a "better than average" job!

So I cleared-off the bar between the kitchen and living room. Figure we'll serve hors d'ouvres there (out of the dogs' reach!), and I hauled a bunch of crap off the coffee table - we can put our Jam-Exchange Stuff there. Still not sure how many people are coming (I'm guessing - maybe - 4-6 ladies. Mostly P's friends, but I could stand to make more friends!).

I will be serving Tortilla chips, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and maybe a bean-dip. And, of course, Sugar-Free Margaritas (and Diet sodas). We'll see if others bring more "finger foods" and we'll make a party out of it!

DH will be off, playing on das boot on Saturday, so the ladies can have their Hen-Fest without fear of offending Hubbie's Macho Sensibilities!

Anyhoooooo.... I thought I'd be blathering more about Mexico, but I've gotten sidetracked again :::sigh::: Hopefully I can go back to reminiscing about that in the days to come....

Aventuras en México

2011-11-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well, we're back! After a 9-Day Sojourn in Mexico.

We left on 11-11-2011 and came home on 20-11-2011 (How's *that* for some Funky Numerological Krep?).

As we were departing San Jose Airport, I was hurriedly attempting to download some English-Spanish Translators onto my Droid (only to discover that most required an Active Data Connection!). I did end up finding a couple of "Offline Translators" (which was a Very Good Thing since data cost something like $20+ per Megabyte!!!).

My Spanish is "passable" in the Resort Areas of Mexico ("Otro mas Margarita en las rocas, por favor, y un cerveza para mi esposo!"). Not-so-much en El Corazon de Mexico!

Anywaaaaaay.... We arrived, a bit disheveled and travel-weary, in Guadalajara at around 7pm, and had to do the whole Customs Thing. When you arrive in Mexico, they've got this push-button thing where, if you get a green light, you breeze right through. But if you get a red light, they have to paw through all of your sh*t. And we were *not* traveling light!!! (9-days + Scuba and Snorkel Gear!)

Well, Hubs decided to to the "hit the button" thing and, well, he has utterly craptastic luck and we got the RED light. Damn! So they had to search our bags :::sigh:::

Not that we were carrying anything questionable (although I was worried that my ceramic creations might've gotten broken in transit!). Between us, there were 4 suitcases and two smaller carry-ons!

Well, they looked through almost all of the bags and then I hefted my Big Bag onto the table - only to discover that the zipper on my bag had gotten completely destroyed in transit. The ONLY way to open it would have been to slice it open with a knife (And Gawd-Help-Us - we still had to drag it outside and load it into D's car). They wanted to search my bag and pushed it over to me to see if *I* could open it. No such luck!

I attempted, in my best broken Spanish (along with hand-gestures) to explain that we needed a knife or scissors to open my bag. "Lo siento! No abierto!" :::Big Frowny Sad Face:::

Well, the only "questionable" item they had encountered in the search, thus-far, had been 2 cartons of cigarettes in DH's luggage. They questioned me about that and I admitted that I had a 3rd carton in my luggage. "Dos para mi esposo - y uno mas para mi!"

They ended up just waving us through ("Thank Goodness!")

Anyway, we survived that ordeal, then wandered out to meet D. Thankfully, she had parked her car (since I didn't know what it looked like - other than the fact that it was a Toyota Matrix Weenie-Mobile - a HUGE step-down from the Porsche 911 she *used* to drive!). And I am soooooo glad we didn't have to slice my luggage open at the airport, 'cuz it was a bit of a trek to get to her car! (I'm envisioning my undies flying out of my suitcase as we attempted to haul it over the curbs leading to the parking garage!!!).

She had emailed me the night before our departure to confirm that she was picking us up. Thankfully, I did warn her that we weren't traveling light so she left her husband at home! (I honestly don't think we could have ALL fit into her car - with our luggage!).

Anyway... She picked us up and drove us to her home in Jocotepec - probably about an hour outside of Guadalajara.......

Oh. My. Gawd! What a BEAUTIFUL home they have!!!! They are on a mountain-side, overlooking Lake Chapala ("Million Dollar View" in the US - More like $350K in Mexico). I think she said her house was appx 3200 square feet. "Open Concept" with the kitchen open to the Great Room. The Great Room has vaulted, boveda ceilings (kinda like brick "arches"). 3 BR/2 BA. The Master Suite is separate from the other bedrooms (and overlooks the lake). Abso-freaking-lutely STUNNING!

All done up in Terra-Cotta Orange, Warm Yellows, Bright (almost neon) Greens, with Cobalt-Blue accents. I was sooooo thrilled to see that my gifts A) Survived the trip and B) Actually *matched* her house (although the spoon rest was more "orange" than Terra-Cotta).

I'll post pictures in a separate blog entry...

It truly is an amazing home. The house is set on a steep hillside, and they've built out the Terraza so that they've got an outdoor dining room and second, outdoor, living room with sofas and a firepit. And the most amazing Mariachi Sculpture... And potted plants hanging everywhere... And wrought iron-work... And Terra-Cotta tiles on the roof... And gorgeous Mexican artwork throughout (including a simply amazing, larger-than-life Don Quixote sculpture attached to one of their stone walls)... And Black, punched-tin, 3D Star-light chandeliers (one big one in the entry hall and one multi-size/multi-star chandelier over the dining table). Abso-freaking-lutely AMAZING!!!

The amazing thing is: Their lot is actually pretty small, yet they have essentially 6 "yards."

There's the "front yard" (which I am attempting to help with Landscape Design ideas).
The main Terraza, which overlooks the lake (Did I say they had an Amazing View of the lake? Oh GAWD!!!).
They also have an upper "side yard" (mostly gravel) which is where the dogs "do their business,"
Then they have a lower yard with grass (Same purpose, I think!)
Then there's a "Garden" side-yard, where D is maintaining a "Kitchen Garden." It's smallish and buts against the neighbor's house (very close - but you don't "feel" it - at all). The Garden-Yard also has a built-in gas BBQ grill and fish-pond( That's where we spent most of our time b/c their neighbor had unsecured WiFi - Plus we were able to smoke out there!
And lastly, the Guest Room has it's own Private Terraza (Smoking okay - but no internet access!)

Freaking AMAZING!!!

I attempted to take a "panoramic video" of their terrazas (but it's a little jittery! No Motion-Stabilization on my cheesy El Cheapo Big Lots video cam!). I'll try to upload it to YouTube and post a link here (later!)

I'll post a bit more about our Adventures, later. I've gotten side-tracked with "Catching up on Reality (UGH!)" But I'll try to post more later...

First Firing!

2011-11-07T21:05:00.001-08:00

Ya know, I haven't blathered much about my Ceramic Artistry Endeavors in awhile... Perhaps we should switch gears, yes???

I *did* blather, rather endlessly, about the Construction of the Studio (in fact, I recall that my "rants" were rather minimal - comparatively speaking!), but I haven't yammered much about what-all goes on INSIDE the studio, since it's been built.

Of course, that's probably because I haven't spent NEARLY enough time out there. But, now that - ahem - WINTER is upon us (and I freaking HATE winter), I intend to change all of that!

Because it's ALWAYS Summer in Nan's Tiki Shack, dammit!!

Anywaaaaay....

Earlier this year, my College Bud, D, came to visit. She's the one who retired early (at age 39!). She and her husband sold their house, bought a new one - for cash - in Laka Chapala (just outside of Guadalajara), Ex-Patted to Mexico, and have been living a Life of Leisure ever since, right? ("HATE HER!!!").

Well, while she was here, we discussed the whole idea of us flying down to stay with her for a few days and... If we did... What kinda "Hand-Crafted Artistic Krep" would you like, right? And what "colors" are your house/bathroom/kitchen/yada-yada?

Now mind you - she's very close to Ajijic - which is another HUGE Ex-Pat Community with all kinds of Artsy-Fartsy Folks (to say nothing of Mexican Pottery, in general, which *I* happen to think is really pretty nice). But she did tell me that her house is decorated, mostly, in Terra-Cottas, Yellows, Greens, and Cobalt Blues... She originally expressed an interest in a spoon-rest for her stove. Then later mentioned that she'd like a vase to stand on her fireplace...

Now, I'm not much for "commissioning" Artistic Works ("I can't take the PRESSURE!!!"), but I figured I'd give it my best shot!

And, we are getting ready to fly down to visit her, very soon....

So I made her a Spoon Rest:

I kinda liked how it ended up with almost a "Flame" vibe -

given her last trip out here when she got to Ride B*tch on Roger's Harley!

In the meantime, I also started some Holiday Ornaments...

Every year, I make Christmas Ornaments for all of my colleagues at work. Not everybody exchanges gifts (beyond the usual "White Elephant"/"Gift Exchange" at the annual Holiday Party), but *I* like to give everybody some kinda little hand-crafted, off-beat Ornaments - 'cuz that's how I roll!

Last year, it was Mini-Margaritas Chartreuse (Lime) or Red (Strawberry)...

This year, it'll be Fru-Fru "Hurricane" Cocktails!

Those skinny stems are gonna be problematic, though - so I made some "other styles" as well (in case I experience too much breakage!)

I also 'slabbed-out' some other trays/bowls for selling, or giving, or whatever...

These were all "molded" from bowls acquired from the Dollar Store!

Some of the "other" Holiday Ornaments I made (in case the Hurricane Cocktails break!)

Then I figured I'd get all Fancy Schmantzy. D sent me an email telling me about the empty space on her fireplace mantle, and how she'd like a vase to set there...

I *thought* we had some extra lengths of PVC pipe, stashed in the backyard, and I sort of got a "vision" of a teardrop shaped vase, molded around a PVC pipe.

But when I sought-out the PVC pipe (which I *thought* was stashed behind the shed!), I came up empty-handed :::gasp:::

But, that very afternoon, I found a Wiffle-Bat - on sale - at the Grocery Store. So I used *that* for a mold, instead.

I came up with this:

The "daisy" impressions came from a sink-mat I'd picked up @ Lowes

So, I got to work on the "Wiffle Bat Vase" and figured it'd end up okay... But, unfortunately, it kind of wanted to "split" along the seam where the edges of the slab met. Grrrr!

I tried, unsuccessfully, to repair it while it was still "leather hard," but the crack kept re-appearing.

I came *this close* to smashing the damned thing, in frustration - but then I decided to take a hack-saw to it (while it was bone-dry) and hacked about 2" off the top of it. In the process, it cracked in a rather artistic way:

"I meant for that to happen!!!"

I ended up coating it with Yellow LUG (Liquid Underglaze)...

Anyhoooo.... Over a period of several weeks (maybe a couple months), I ended up accumulating enough "stuff" to justify my first bisque firing...

Mind you, I'm still maintaining a "Membership" at a local studio, and my intent is to complete my bisque firings (which take appx12 hours), up there... But I'm "breaking in" my kiln, so I figured I'd complete my first bisque at home...

First Bisque Firing - Complete!

First bisque - unloaded...

I think I need to do some glazing!

Wiffle-bat vase. I brushed some blue LUG on top of the yellow, and sponged it off

(to give more "definition" to the daisy impressions)

Then I coated it with clear glaze - and gloss cobalt glaze on the inside... It still looks like it wants to crack, but I am being "guardedly optimistic!"

Glazing is Messy Work!

(I wish I had enough room for a sink in The Shack!)

Glazing my "Dollar Store" Leaf Bowl

Actually, this last weekend was a bit "harried" as I was trying to complete all of my glazing so I could load the kiln. We are getting ready to fly to Mexico - later this week - and I wanted my stuff DONE!

First Glaze Firing - Kiln is loaded!

First Glaze Firing - I'm feeling a bit "paranoid!"

"Better Safe than Sorry!!!"

So I ran my first Cone-5 Glaze Firing yesterday. I was alllll kinds of nervous. "Will I burn the place down? Will my stuff come out okay? Will the Wiffle-Bat-Vase topple over and destroy everything else in the process? What about 'overhangs' at the edges of the kiln shelves? Will my stuff warp? Will the glaze drip on my other pieces? Will I destroy my kiln shelves - or worse - my kiln???"

Yes. I *am* neurotic!!!

Well, the kiln ran for just over 9 hours (I had allowed for a 200* pre-heat with one-hour "hold" because I had brushed-on a fresh - and not totally dry - coat of kiln-wash). It finished up last night.

I checked it this morning, and it had cooled from 2175*F to 166*F. Not *quite* cool enough to open - yet...

I did the whole "Work Thing" - but the kiln was lingering in the back of my mind... "When can I open it? I wonder if everything survived? What if it SUCKS?!!" Yada-Yada

Again, yes, I *am* neurotic!

Around noonish, I wandered out again...

Temp had dropped to below 100*...

Time to open the kiln (Eeeeeeeeek!!!!!).........

Happily, everything SURVIVED!!!

Yes, I think I *even* did a Happy Dance!!!

First Glaze Firing, unloaded...

I am Really-Super-Happy with my "Dollar-Store" Leaf Bowl

The Spoon-Rest came out "Okay"

But I wish the yellow hadn't faded so much into the orange...

And the Wiffle Bat Vase came out mighty-fine!

So I am Super-Thrilled that my first glaze firing came out okay. And I'm very happy that I'll have appropriate "gifts" to bring when we go to visit my friend, D, in Mexico later this week.

And I am all-kinds-of-thrilled with my kiln and am eager to start making even MORE sh*t - now that I've experienced a good, solid dose of "Success!"

Buh-Bye Summer Yard :-(

2011-11-03T19:07:00.001-07:00

Well, as I ~~whined-about~~ mentioned yesterday, I freaking HATE winter!!!

Today... Well, most of the day anyway, looked pretty "decent" outside. Of course, WORK (:::gasp:::) prevented me from being able to go outside and *appreciate* it! But I digress!

When I finally *did* manage to wrap-up my workday (4:00pm - a full *hour* late for the dogs' dinner - and don't think I didn't hear-about-it from the Canine Crew!), I couldn't help but notice that things, outside, had gotten extremely gray and blustery!

Damn!!!

I went out to bid adieu to my "Summer Veggies:"

"Adios, Amigos! And Muchas Gracias for a simply AWESOME Summer Harvest!"

And I yanked-off everything "salvageable" from the vines...

One over-ripe cuke (How did I miss that???), one slightly under-ripe cuke

and several 'Maters (in varying stages of ripeness)...

Then I moved several other "marginal" plants over against the "behind-the-Tiki-Bar" East-Facing wall...

And shrouded 'em in a bed-sheet

Boooo!!! I am "Officially Sad!"

There was NO Tiki-Bar Lazing, nor poolside Margarita-Sipping - dammit! In fact, while I was enshrouding the Plumies, there was *water* falling from the sky!!!

I did manage to stow ONE of my thatch umbrellas in the shed (the Tiki Bar umbrella is just too heavy for me to wrestle!). I also managed to drag a couple of potted palm-trees *under* the gazebo. I haven't, yet, dragged ALL of my "marginals" into the greenhouse. In fact, I haven't even rigged-up the heater, nor thermostat, in the greenhouse - YET (Oooops!). Nor have I dragged the majority of my "stuff" into the shed.

I think I might require the assistance of "Rent-A-Son Services, LLC" this coming weekend, to complete my Winterizing Efforts. I've sent a txt message to C (aka "Rent-A-Son-Services"). I'm hoping he can show up on Sunday to assist....

Man, I freaking HATE winter!!!

Blah-Blah Winter Blahs....

2011-11-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, true to the Blog-Name, I will Ramble Randomly today... Prob'ly no pics or nuthin'!

I'm kind of in a Funk right now because... Well... Winter is coming (ain't no stoppin' it!), and I freaking HATE winter!!!

It's not like this Winter-Thing is a surprise or anything. Well, actually, it kind of IS - because we've had a simply LOVELY October, with utterly PLEASANT afternoons, and - in spite of the fact that my workload has been positively freaking INSANE (and don't get me wrong - I *love* my job and *love* working from home! But it *has* been nuts, lately!) - I've managed to squeeze in a fair amount of Tiki Bar/Rita Time...

This is actually "pretty normal" and, in fact, *usually* between Oct 31 and Nov 1 (like clockwork!), "The Powers That Be" grab hold of the Celestial Thermostat and immediately crank it down from 80*s to 50*s, like, overnight!

Well, today is November 1 and it is still in the mid 70's (late afternoon). But the weather prognosticators are predicting an Alaskan Storm-front, along with our FIRST FROST tomorrow - and possible showers!!!

WTF???

Now I *should have* taken advantage of the utterly pleasant October weather to start "packing away" the backyard. But, alas, I didn't! ("Just call me Cleopatra 'cuz I am the Queen of De-Nial!!!")

Actually, that's not entirely true. I did start packing away some of the summer lounge-chairs about a month ago. But there's still TONS to be put away. The thatch umbrellas need to come down and get stowed in the shed; the outdoor dining table needs to get covered; the Tiki Bar also needs to be covered... And sh*t needs to be moved so that plants can be stowed in slightly-safer locations!

(And summer veggies need to be ripped out... And Cool-Season veggies need to be planted... And yada-yada, yada-yada!)

Yesterday, I did manage to move the Bar Fridge and Sink over to the front porch of the shed (under an eave so they are semi-protected), and I did move my Plumerias up against the house. Need to move my Lime Tree, too...

Irony there: DH bought me a greenhouse for my birthday several years ago. 2007 to be exact!

The purpose of the greenhouse was to protect my "marginal" plants over winter. And, for the first few years, it did a damn-good job! (well, except that by the end of winter, the poor plants would be utterly infested with aphids and spider mites - who seemed to love the warm, dry conditions in there!). Well, it did *such* a good job that my Plumerias have grown into bona-fide TREES and are now too big to fit through the door of the greenhouse!

Ooooops!

So now I have to move the Plumies next to an East-facing wall (can't get to the south-facing wall, unfortunately). And on those nights where frosts are predicted, I have to cover them with sheets!

But annnnyyyywaaaaaayyyyy... I've moved the Plumies to the East-Facing wall - behind the Tiki Bar. And I've stuck ugly stakes into the pots (so the stakes can support the bed-sheets on Frosty nights!).

I've still got quite a bit more to do - but I think I'll try to tackle it tomorrow (when it's cold and I have no choice but to let-go of my denial that winter is coming!!!). For this afternoon/evening, I intend to sit out at the Tiki Bar and enjoy another Margarita....

:::sigh:::

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Done!

2011-10-29T15:06:00.001-07:00

She is DONE!!!

Well, the thermometer beeped, anyway!

It looks and smells positively HEAVENLY!!! I hope it tastes HALF as good as it looks and smells, right?!!

I have wrapped the turkey in heavy-duty aluminum foil. It didn't *quite* fit into the pot I'd set-aside, so I wrapped it up in a towel and plopped it into an aluminum pan, and inverted a second aluminum pan on top of that (to help retain the heat and let the Goodness soak-throughout...).

We'll slice into it a bit later....

Jeez... Smoking a Turkey Breast turned into a 3-day ordeal! I sure hope it's worth it!!!

Although - in the meantime - this did end up being a semi-productive day. I ended up mixing up a batch of Kiln-Wash and applying it to the floor of my kiln, as well as 3 kiln shelves. And I did another "test firing" (empty-kiln firing) to help "set" the kiln wash.

Idea behind kiln-wash is that it protects the kiln floor and shelves in the (hopefully unlikely) event that glaze-ware breaks/falls over during firing. Kiln wash will prevent the glaze-ware from fusing to the kiln and/or shelves. Of course, the piece will still be ruined - but the kiln will be protected!

So, while the turkey was smoking, I mixed up the "wash" and brushed it on the shelves per Sheffield Pottery's instructions. I probably could have gone straight to a bisque-firing - but I was worried because I've got underglaze on "both sides" of all of my greenware - and don't want to risk "stickage!" So I did a Fast-Glaze, Cone 018 Firing Profile (appx 1200* F). That should be enough to get the kiln-wash to adhere to the shelves, then I'll feel more comfortable about adding coat #2, and greenware, for a bisque-firing...

All Told: I think that today was Semi-Productive! Hopefully, tomorrow will be as well. I want to get out in the "original" shed - purge it, then re-load it in a semi-organized fashion, so we've got "space" to store all of our "Summer Furniture!"

One year, we actually rented a storage locker for the Summer Furniture. All-told, it cost MORE to store our sh*t than it would have to just Freecycle (or Donate) it, and buy NEW the following year (Ooooops!). Oh, well!

Anyhooooooooo.... Whenever we hack-into the Turkey Breast, I'm sure I'll post more pictures and commentary! Stay tuned.........................

* * * * *

Post-cooking Aftermath: Appx 1 hour later... The turkey breast is freaking orgasmically delicious!!! Seriously! I wouldn't change A THING!!! It is moist and tender and delectably delicious! I am actually surprised that the "final product" isn't pinkish - nor does it taste cranberry-y. It is just plain tasty!!! I am stunned and amazed - but it was TOTALLY worth all of the effort!!!

So - if you've got an Electric Smoker, just go-right-ahead and make this recipe, verbatim! You probably don't have to "stretch it out" to a full 3-days (like I did!) - 2-days oughtta suffice! - but I can most-definitely HIGHLY RECOMMEND this recipe. It really-and-truly *is* delicious!!!

Salud!!!

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Day #3 (Or: "Is there a Conspiracy???")

2011-10-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

As I type this... We are in the Final Stages of Smoking! But it wasn't easy "getting here!"

So... Where we left off yesterday - I was soaking Apple-Wood Chips in an aluminum pan:

They kinda ended up soaking for over 24 hours :::sigh:::

Not sure if that's gonna be Good or Bad!

I wrapped up the wood-chunks in aluminum foil and poked holes in the foil. Put one big Foil-Chunk in the Smoker box, on top of the heating element, then stuck the others "between" the elements (I'm pretty sure aluminum foil *on* an electric heating element is probably a Bad Idea).

Foil-wrapped wood-chunks, in the base of the smoker...

I went to plug it in so it could pre-heat. Stuck a nekkid Meat Thermometer on the top-rack to see how it was doing.

Well, ummm, it didn't do *squat!*

WTF????

Well, upon further investigation, I determined that the electric heating element was - for lack of a better word - "Toast!" Every time I plugged it in to the GFCI outlet, it tripped the breaker. Boo! I tried a more heavy-duty extension cord, and got the same result. Double-Boo!

Yes, I could order a replacement element, online, for appx $40 (with shipping). But I've got a ready-to-smoke Turkey Breast in the fridge RIGHT NOW!

So, off to Home Depot I went...

And I immediately encountered THIS:

Eeeeeek!!!! NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thoroughly traumatized, I pressed ahead... Made my way to the Grill Aisle - hoping to find "just" replacement parts.

No such luck :-(

I ended up buying a completely new Smoker Unit for $69.95 - just so I could use the heating element in my OLD smoker. Sh*t!

So now I have a Brandy-New Smoker (although I stuck with the OLD smoker for this endeavor - just popped-in the new element). "Hello Freecycle!!!"

Finally managed to get the thing pre-heated!

(and actually, I'm surprised it heats this high!)

And *finally* managed to get Da Boyd into the Smoker (Yayyy!!!)

I put minimal liquid in the "water-pan" (appx 4-5 oz of cranberry/pomegranate juice + 4-5 oz of water). I did leave the water-pan in it's "normal" position (about 2/3 of the way "down" in the Smoker).

All told: It took just-over 3 hours to cook the breast to an internal temperature of 165*. We are hovering right around 163* now and I probably *could* remove it- but I'm gonna leave it in 'til the electronic thermometer beeps. I did "sneak a peek" at it and it looks positively luscious!

Once I hear the beeps, I'll pull the breast out, wrap it in foil, toss it in a pot with a lid and let it "set" for appx 1 hour (to continue heating up and juicify all of the Goodness!).

Mmmm, boy! I hope it tastes good enough to warrant all of this freaking WORK!!!

Stay tuned for updates........................

Credit Where Credit Is Due...

2011-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

These are the websites where I got my "inspiration" for the Electric-Smoked, Cranberry Turkey Breast:

Good info on Electric Smoking of Turkey here.

Good "General Info" on smoking Turkey Breasts here.

A specific Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Recipe here.

And a Quirky Turkey Rub (that I didn't try - but it sounds damned interesting!) here.

As usual, I ended up "smushing together" info from various websites to come-up with My Creation (which may, or may not, turn out Fan-Freaking-Tastic!).

Just wanted to share!

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Day #2

2011-10-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I *did* say I was posting this in damn-near Real-Time, didn't I?!

Well, my plans for Turkey-Breast-Smoking got a little Bufoobalized when DH awoke with severe back / kidney pain this morning. We made a quick trip to the E/R (which ended up taking ~5 hours). No specific diagnosis, unfortunately (it wasn't kidney stones, anyway). But it seems it's not gonna be Fatal!

Anyway, it blew a big ol' honkin' hole in my day! As we drove home, I figured I was gonna just take the *entire* day off (we can take sick-days for tending to sickly family members), but somebody scheduled me for an afternoon meeting (and I had a veritable boatload of emails when I got back!). So I ended up working almost a full day...

I did manage to sneak out for about 20 minutes to dig-out and clean-up the smoker...

Looks like crap on the outside - but the bugs/spiderwebs/old, charred wood-chunks got cleared out of the inside!

The Turkey was supposed to "brine" for appx 12 hours. Ended up being a helluva lot longer than that!!!

Nevertheless, when we got home, I removed and "flipped" the breast over (since it was wanting to float in the brine, and the top-portion wasn't getting saturated adequately!). I let it soak for another hour-ish while I prepped the wood-chunks (details below)...

On the Plus Side: It *did* thaw out! (in fact, I moved it from the garage to the fridge before we left for the hospital).

On the Down Side: When you over-brine a turkey by soaking it in cranberry-juice, it tends to turn a bit pink!!!

So, when it was all said and done, I took the breast out of the Zip-Lock Baggie, rinsed it off in the sink then tamped it dry. Then I spritzed it with Spray-On Canola Oil and hit it with a dry-rub...

Coated with dry-rub... Looks a bit better!

Dry Rub:

2 TBS McCormick Grill-Mates Chicken Rub, to which I added:
1-1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage
1 tsp Minced Garlic (dried - ICK!)
1 tsp Thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground Allspice
1/2 tsp Paprika

(I totally cheated with the "add-ons!" This was actually a McCormick "Recipe Inspirations" package for "Apple and Sage Pork Chops" that was on-sale at the grocery store).

Prior to rubbing the bird, I grabbed a few chunks of Apple Smoker-Wood and tossed 'em in a large aluminum pan, filled with water. I wanted 'em to get nice and wet so they'd smoke like crazy... The wood should soak for appx 20 minutes. Then you wrap the wood-chunks in heavy-duty aluminum foil; poke some holes in the foil; toss the foil-wrapped wood-packets into a smoker box (Metal box with holes in it - you could just as easily use a disposable aluminum-foil pan); then put the woodsy stuff directly on top of the electric burner in the smoker.

Anyway, The Plan was to pre-heat the smoker to "as high as it would get" (evidently, my Brinkmann Model is notoriously under-powered - but whatEVER!), then plunk the wood and turkey breast into the smoker for appx 3-4 hours (with a meat thermometer - duh!).

The Reality was: My Afternoon Meeting, while very productive, took waaaaaaay longer than anticipated. So No Turkeys were Smoked today. Boo!!!

Sooooo... Turkey Breast got bagged in a new Ziplock Baggie, and tossed in the fridge. I think I'll be firing up the smoker (and - hell! - maybe even the KILN!) tomorrow...

Stay tuned................................

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast

2011-10-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Okay... This post is gonna be in "almost-real-time!"

With Thanksgiving coming, I figured I wanted to start "Messing with Turkeys!"

A couple-three years ago, I bought a Brinkmann Electric Smoker and - to be perfectly honest - it hasn't seen *nearly* enough use! So I figured I'd futz around with a Turkey Breast - just to see how it comes out!

For ACTUAL Thanksgiving, I will probably drag out my propane "Oil-less Turkey Fryer" (aka "The Big Easy" - which, to be honest, I really like it a LOT). It is actually more like a convection oven - but is still WAAAAAY the hell easier/cleaner than traditional roasting! And yes, I will post my T-Giving Preparations this year!

Anyway - in the meantime - I've decided I want to play around with the Brinkman Electric Smoker. It's GREAT for ribs and pork roasts - but I've yet to attempt poultry in it...

Tomorrow, all that's gonna change! I am smoking a turkey-breast, by golly!!!

Sooooo.... This evening, I ran over to the grocery store and procured a small-ish (~8#) turkey breast. Frozen-solid, unfortunately:

It does include the bones and also has a built in, pop-up, meat-thermometer (which I will be removing prior to cooking). It has also been "injected" with some kinda brine... But I hope to offset that with my OWN brine!

Here is the brine-bag:

Turkey-Breast Brine:

2 gallon Zip-Lock Baggie, filled with:
8 cups of water
8 cups of "Natural" Cranberry-Pomegranate Juice (sweetened w/Stevia - *not* High Fructose Corn Syrup!)
1 cup of Sea Salt
appx 1 cup of Splenda "Brown-Sugar Blend" (50/50 Splenda + Brown Sugar)
2 TBS of McCormick Grill-Mates "Chicken Rub."

The primary ingreeeediments!

Nekkid, Frozen-Solid Turkey Breast (Hide the Children!!!)

I mixed up the liquids + spices and salt in a large Zip-Lock Baggie. Made sure that the salt and Sugar-Blend-Stuff was thoroughly mixed-in with the liquid. Then I plopped the Turkey Breast in the bag...

Like thus!

Now, since the breast is frozen solid (it actually came with a gravy packet - but it is "iced-in" - inside the bird!!! Nights/Early mornings around here are now in the low 40's, so I decided to stick the whole thing (bird, bag, pot and all!) in the garage. Hopefully, overnight, it will be able to thaw (but not give us food-poisoning - I hope!!!).

Tomorrow morning, I will rinse the bird off and fire-up the smoker.... I will post subsequent updates, as they occur (tomorrow!!!)...

"Second Home" Wild Hair...

2011-10-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm gonna try to squeeze in another post before it gets too chilly out here (Yes, I'm attempting to enjoy our simply-lovely October weather at the Tiki Bar and *trying* not to get depressed over the fact that our "nice days" are numbered!)...

So Friday, after the JB show, we hooked up with an old High School Buddy of Hubs. Ted and his wife, Sue. They live in Chandler, AZ. They live in a simply Drop-Dead-Gorgeous, Straight-Out-Of-HGTV Custom Home that *they* designed. Their home is in a gated community and... Well... As soon as we walked up to their front door I was feeling like we are TOTAL "White Trash!"

But... AZ real estate and CA real estate are completely different animals! And the AZ real estate market has totally "tanked" whereas *our* market is still (mostly) hanging in there. I'm sure that "in it's day," Ted's house was probably worth $1M+. Now? Less than half of that! Our house? During the heyday, it was worth appx $650K. Now, it's closer to $400K. :::sigh:::

Nevertheless.... We are not "under water" (and I'm not sure Ted can say the same thing, to be honest). We never have been and never will be (DH bought *before* the boom!).

Anyhoooooo.... We spent a most pleasant afternoon with Ted and Sue. Just kickin' it by their pool (with integrated spa, waterfall, fountain, yada-yada) and built-in outdoor kitchen. During the heat of the afternoon, we hung-out under their covered patio. It was freaking AWESOME!

And that got me to thinking: I freaking HATE California Winters. And yes, I know, California winters don't hold a candle to East-Coast and/or Northern Climes. But I am a professed "Wimpy California Native" who believes that "Snow is for VISITING!" If the mercury dips below 60*, I start whining!

So anyway... I ended up finding myself surfing the AZ MLS listings to see what housing was like. I'm sure it's no Big Secret, but the housing market has pretty-well tanked in AZ (as well as Las Vegas, NV - where my sister lives, currently).

It just kills me to hear my sister say she "can't find anything" - housing-wise. Seriously! I mean, the Vegas Market is probably damn-near identical to the Greater-Phoenix Market. And it's no huge secret that we both "made out" pretty "OK" with mom's estate. There is absolutely NO reason why *she* couldn't afford to buy herself a house - for CASH - and live quite comfortably. Particularly since (in Vegas, anyway) she's already got someone who wants to rent a room (which would certainly cover her utility expenses).

But the thing is: *She* would want to live in a house like Ted's (actually - come to think of it - at 3200 SF, Ted's house is probably "too small" for her liking!). But if one dials-back one's expectations, there are *definitely* some very nice houses to be had in the $100-150K range (actually, there's stuff for *under* $100K! But - to be fair - I don't know that I'd want a house in an under $100K neighborhood).

But Sis wants something in the 3500-4000 SF range (5+ bedrooms, 4+ baths, with a pool, granite countertops, 3+ car garage, in a gated community, yada-yada) for under $200K.

Not gonna happen!

And, interestingly enough, as we were chatting with Ted and Sue - who built their "Dream Home" from the ground-up, right?! - they are already talking about wanting to down-size because the house is just "too much to maintain!"

Soooooo... Oops - I've wandered off-track again! ANNNNYWAAAAAYYYYY.... My "expectations" are not all that lofty, to be perfectly honest. The whole idea of having a place where winter isn't so damned WET and GRAY and COLD (okay, maybe still cold - but not WET!), well, that seems kind of "appealing" to me, right?!

Added Bonus: Since I telecommute fulltime ("Oh Gawd PLEASE don't let me lose my job!!!!"), I don't really have to concern myself, too much, over the economy and job-situation, right? And since houses CAN BE HAD for $100K... Well, Hell!!! *I* could live here!!! Or - at the very least - keep it as a Second/Winter Home, right?!

So... I surfed the MLS and am looking at a couple-three different communities: Casa Grande (appx 40 miles south of Phoenix), Apache Junction (30 miles-ish? East of Phoenix), Chandler, and maybe others... I want to be far enough "off the beaten path" to avoid gridlock at Rush-Hour (and ohhhhh yes - they *do* get traffic! Nothing compared to the Bay Area, but still!), but I still want access to Life's Conveniences.

I'm only "dreaming" right now. But it's scary to think how EASY it would be to "pull the trigger" and make it happen! I could, very easily, write a check for a $100K 3BR/2BA 1800-2000 SF home; hit the local IKEA and buy a couple thousand dollars' worth of furniture; fix my car's A/C and drive her out there, park her in the garage (on a battery-tender, of course!), and Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom! "Second Home!"

We could maintain "Dual-Citizenship!" CA in Summer and AZ in Winter. Not quite "Snowbirds" - but maybe "Rainbirds!"

Of course, I think "Gardening" would be out of the question. Summers would be waaaaaayyyy too hot and winters - surprisingly - get COLDER than we get here! (Chandler is Zone 8. San Jose is 9B - Who knew?!!).

Anyway, it's just another one of my "Wild Hairs" that I am chewing on, at the moment... No clue if it will turn into Reality, but it's kinda fun to Dream, right???

AWOL in AZ... Jimmy Buffett Show!

2011-10-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

Mac McAnally and Jimmy Buffett performing "Pirate Looks at 40"

Oops! Went AWOL again. Sorry 'bout that!

We had a brief, weekend sojourn in Tempe/Phoenix/Chandler/Peoria, AZ. See? Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers did *not* do any shows in California this year (B@stitches!).

When they posted a last-minute AZ show, I turned to DH and said "You've got Southwest Miles, right? Let's GO!"

And so we did!

So Thursday, 10/20, we awoke at zero-dark-thirty and headed to the airport. Boarded our Freebie Flight (and were surrounded by wriggly, shrieking infants!) (Thank Gawd it was a short flight!). Arrived in PHX, took the Shuttle Bus 450 miles to the off-terminal Rental Car Garage, picked up our Ford Focus Weenie-Mobile, then checked into Candlewood Suites in Tempe.

First thing we needed to do was procure Margarita-Fixin's. No, actually, the FIRST thing we needed to do was EAT, so we went to Joe's Crab Shack. Now there's something rather ironic about traveling TO THE DESERT to eat crab. I actually suffered a bit of a moral dilemma/guilt-trip over ordering Dungeness Crab! (Seein' as how San Francisco is, like, FAMOUS for Dungeness Crab!). Anyway, the food was delicious - and Joe's Crab Shack looks like a TOTALLY fun place! I wish we had one closer to home!

SECOND thing we needed to do was procure Margarita-Fixin's! Now, one would think that a veritable metropolis such as Tempe would have an abundance of Grocery Stores. Not so! At least not where we were staying! So we relied on Bertha (Hubbie's GPS) to direct us to the nearest grocery store. He plugged in "Safeway" and, well, let's just say that GPS's aren't entirely fool-proof (meaning that us people operating said GPS are the "fools" in that statement!).

It was kinda reminiscent of P's and my "Adventure" with trying to find the airport in Texas. P's GPS directed us to a Military Airbase which - "technically" - IS an airport! (I'm just super-relieved that we allowed a WHOLE lot of time to drive back to the airport!!!)

Well, as we were following Bertha's directions, we entered a *very* industrial area and I was thinkin' (but not saying) that "this doesn't look like the kinda neighborhood for a grocery store!" Sure enough! Bertha was directing us to a Safeway "Distribution Center" with big-rigs galore!

We *did* end up finding an Albertson's - not too terribly far from where we. And - since there aren't an abundance of grocery-stores, they seem to "make up for it" by having MASSIVE grocery stores. Hell, I practically needed the GPS to make my way back to the checkstands!

Anyway, I raced through the store (DH was waiting in the car) to pick up everything we needed (including a couple of beers for Hubs). Selection of silver tequila was rather limited, so I opted for the 1.75L of Sauza. Picked up a couple jugs of Fresca and a bottle of Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice. I already had Splenda and coarse sea-salt back at the room.

After that, I was totally jonesin' for a Rita. So as soon as we got back to the room, I opened the fridge only to discover NO ICE!!! (AAAAAACCCCKKK!!!). Called the front desk: No ice machine either!!!!

Opened up my Tequila, Fresca and Lime Juice bottle - only to discover that the Lime Juice had gone BAD (ahem - it was BROWN! ICK!!!!).

So I quickly made ANOTHER trip to a "closer" Grocery Store (which turned out to be a Mexican Market - but whatever!). Bought a bag of ice and a pound of fresh limes (Yayyyy!!!).

It was an ordeal, but DAMMIT, I *got* my Sugar-Free Margarita!

I figured I wanted to get my buzz-on *before* we left for the show because I didn't want to "pay the ransom" for High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup 'Ritas at the show (although I did end up ordering a couple once we got there!).

Anyhoooooo.... Hubs did NOT want to do the Tailgate thing (:::::GASP:::::). And it was probably just as well because we'd pretty-well run out of time for getting to the parking lot early. Plus we couldn't tailgate "properly" without Willie, the Tiki Truck!

So, the show was FREAKING AWESOME! I actually really like their concert venue - a LOT. It is much more "Patron-Friendly" than Shoreline Amphitheatre. Not nearly as "steep" - in terms of steps to climb. And it's WAY more "open" meaning, when you go out to the concessions to buy another beer (or High Fructose 'Rita), you can still HEAR the show.

And People in AZ seem to be a lot friendlier, in general, than California peeps. JMHO....

It was a fantastic show and a great experience. And I got my Jimmy Buffett "Fix" for the year, so Life. Is Good!

There's more to yak about, but I'll post some "Wild Hair" (Second Home/Retirement) stuff in a separate post...

Recipe - Sunset's Brandied Cranberry Short Rib Stew

2011-10-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Okay... Credit where Credit is due: I found the original recipe in a Sunset Magazine at the Doctor's office. I also found it online here.

It really intrigued me, so I decided to make it myself today. Trouble is: I don't have a suitable stove-top-to-oven dish, so I had to modify it for my crock-pot.

Here is the Final Recipe - as I adapted it (or would adapt it, next time I make it!)

4 lbs bone-in beef short ribs (orig recipe called for 6#, cut into 2" pieces) (I used 4# - and no, I didn't make the butcher cut them into 2" pieces, mine were appx 3-4" long)
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 TBS oil (I used Olive Oil in the pan, and spray-on Canola Oil on the squash)
3 lbs kabocha squash (1 small squash was about right)
2 medium onions - coarsely chopped (orig recipe called for "finely chopped)
1/3 cup flour
5 garlic cloves, minced (orig recipe called for 4)
1 square of semi-sweet baker's chocolate, chopped
4 cups beef broth (orig recipe called for 5 - but I ran out of room in my crock pot!!!)
1/2 cup brandy
1 cup dried, sweetened cranberries (Craisins) (Orig recipe called for 1/2 cup dried and 1-1/2 cups fresh. Fresh were waaaaay too sour and I will omit them, next time I make this!)
3 TBS candied ginger (found dried, sugared ginger chunks in the Produce Section of my grocery store - I minced 'em)
1 TBS finely shredded orange zest (I zested one organic orange - no clue if it ended up being 1 TBS!)

First, I poked holes in the kambocha squash and nuked it for appx 5 minutes (to facilitate slicing/peeling 'cuz it was one HARD sumb*tch!). Then I sliced it in half - across the equator - scooped out the seeds and goozy innards, then sliced it into 2" wedges (meaning the chunks were 2" across the fat end).

I have a combination microwave/convection oven so I lined the convection tray with aluminum foil and preheated the convection oven to 450*. Once it was heated, I pulled out the tray and arranged the squash wedges (bigger chunks on the outside). Spritzed 'em lightly with Canola Oil (since I ran out of sprayable Olive Oil), and cooked em for 15 minutes 'til they were starting to soften and kinda-carmelize...

While the squash was cooking, I tamped the short-ribs on paper towels, hit 'em with fresh ground sea salt and pepper, then I tossed 'em in a large pot on the stove and browned 'em on med-high heat in olive oil (took 2 batches). Once they were browned, I tossed 'em in the crock-pot (which was already set to "high" heat).

Next, I sauteed the onions 'til limp, using the same pot and oil that I'd just used for the meat. After they were limp-ified, I added the flour and continued cooking 'til everything was golden brown.

Then I tossed in the minced garlic and chocolate. Stirred it around and continued cooking for another minute or two. Then I added the broth and brandy - brought it to a boil. Then I added the dried cranberries, minced ginger and zested the orange. Let it keep boiling for a minute or so, then I poured the whole mess into the crock-pot on top of the beef.

I covered the crock-pot and let it cook on "high" for appx4 hours.

Well... Hell! I've still got squash in the nuker/convection oven! Turns out that doesn't need to get added 'til later, so I wrapped the chunks up in the aluminum foil and stuck 'em in the fridge (in other words, you don't need to prep the squash right away!!!) (but it's not a bad idea b/c kambocha squash is a real PITA to peel!!!).

Once the meat was starting to soften up a bit (although it hasn't yet reached the point where it "falls off the bone"), try to schlorp off some of the fat. Honestly, this dish did get incredibly greasy! I used a turkey baster to suck off the top layer of liquid and fat, and splooged it into a "grease separator" kinda measuring-cup-pourer thingy. Let the liquid set for a couple of minutes and poured it (sans grease) back into the crock pot.

Okay, at the four-hour mark, add the (now somewhat-chilly) squash to the crock pot. The original recipe also called for adding fresh cranberries at this point - but to be perfectly honest, I think fresh cranberries are waaaaay too sour. I *did* add 'em (and also added more Craisins at this point). But I think I'd omit the fresh cranberries next time. Anyway, dump the squash into the pot and let it cook for another hour...

After close-to 5 hours, I ended up removing the individual beef chunks and cutting the meat off the bones, cutting the meat into slightly smaller chunks and returning them to the crock pot (Mmmmmm! Beef Bones! Dogs are Orgasmically Happy!).

To be honest - other than the too-sour cranberries - I think this stew is freaking DELICIOUS!!! It smelled heavenly and somewhat-exotic while it was cooking. And it definitely *doesn't* have that "Crock-Pot Beef-Stew Flavor" (You know what I'm talking about!!!).

We are getting ready to sit down for dinner, momentarily... I'll report-back on how it was!

* * * * *

Aftermath 10/17: It was *quite* tasty. Like I say, it didn't have that "crock-pot beef stew" flavor - which was nice... I'm not a huge fan of anything "chuck" related, but this was definitely tolerable.....

Go ahead. Try it! I *think* you'll like it!

Bathroom Reno Pictures

2011-10-13T16:57:00.001-07:00

Okay... I'm making good on my promise to share photos of the Bathroom Reno Adventure...

I'm keeping my "commentary" to a minimum, right now, because I am seething mad at the moment (See the last photo. I'll save my "final commentary" for later!).

Sooo... Let's look at pictures, shall we?

In true HGTV fashion, I give you the bathroom "BEFORE:"

Ugly brown diamonds and "framed" El Cheapo Home Depot shower-door

The "reason" for the remodel.

Leaky tub and water-damage seeping up under the vinyl floor.

The underlayment, once again, was pure "gush!"

Similar damage at the foot of the tub.

FWIW I think this is the 4th (and - hopefully - FINAL) time that we have to replace the floor!

Matching Brown-Diamond Vanity.

It wasn't "horrible" - but a lot of the tiles were chipped/cracked and it just looked kinda "dated."

Ewwww! Speaking of "dated" - I absolutely HATED this brass "Hollywood Light Bar" fixture over the sink. It gave very good light, but it was just unspeakably ugly!!

Day #1 of Demo. "Buh-bye sink!"

(It looks kinda lonely and sad here - but "BUH-BYE!!!")

Demo-Crew, ripping out the old tile countertop...

Vanity tile is gone!!!

Guess I'm gonna be brushing my teeth in the kitchen!

Tub Tile is going...

Vinyl Floor is going...

Sheetrock is going...

Temporary Facilities.

I think the toilet paper hanging off the foot-peg of my Harley just kinda makes this shot Super-Classy!

Drywall is gone and innards are exposed.

We have determined that the tub is not level - Boooo!!!

Water-damage at vent pipe from old roof leak

And another view...

More leaky-roof damage toward the base of the tub
(we had the roof replaced a couple-three years ago).

Damp, but not rotten, floor at foot of tub. This is from the uneven tub leaking.

More wet floor action at the head of the tub. It looked like it was starting to rot, but it didn't go clear through the sub-floor, so AKB opted to "treat it" rather than "replace it."

This had been replaced, previously, when the last LOSERS worked on the bathroom leak.

("No Commentary! Shut UP!" ;-)

Countertop is GONE!

But the toilet's still there (whew!)

"Let there be light!!!"

New fluorescent light fixture with super-quiet fan. Definitely needed that!

New light fixture over the vanity.

I like how there are little squares embossed in the glass...

(goes nicely with the mosaic tiles)

They did level the tub. This is front-to-back (as you're facing the tub)

And side-to-side.

They put in shims under the tub, then CEMENTED them in.

So the tub shouldn't "settle" any more...

New drywall and plumbing!

Nifty New Niche!

We couldn't "center" it on the tub because there were support beams behind the studs.

Electrician was here...

And he wired in an "extra" wire for me. I want to do under-cabinet lighting (like a strip of LED's or something) to shine down on the backsplash and use as a night-light.

Treating the sub-floor with some stinky Copper-Green stuff.

It's supposed to stop rot and deter insects...

Mud going up on the tub walls...

Muddy Niche...

Mud at the base of the tub (and it covers the base of the tub so there should be NO LEAKS!!!)

See how thick the mud is, behind the tiles?

Tiles going up... Pretty!

And Accent Strip - Prettier still!

Tiles up - but no grout yet.

Tile "patch" between the light fixtures on the Medicine Cabinet...

Better picture of the Tile patch

Tile floor prep. Waterproof membrane with chicken-wire on top of that.

Oh noooooo!!! No Toilet for TWO DAYS!!!!!!!!!!

(EEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Muddy floor...

Floor tiles going down...

Tub is grouted!!!

Floor is done! (I really do love this floor-tile!)

Originally, I thought I wanted the floor-tile to be set on the diagonal.

But - seeing how the "pattern" is diagonal - it ended up making more sense to go with the tile set "square."

Blue paint on the walls - very soothing!

Tub fixtures starting to go in...

New "Euro-Style" Shower door (that I schlepped home from Lowes)

Two shower heads. One is a big, square "rainshower" head (Delta Dryden, if you're interested)

The other is a multi-function Euro-Style Hand-Shower (Grohe Euphoria).

Our brandy-new Toto Toilet

I've heard rave reviews from ppl about these toilets and, so far, it seems they're All Right!

Super-Low-Flow and doesn't plug-up when you use more than 4 squares of TP. In fact, I haven't had to use our plunger ONCE since it's been installed!

Week #3 and the counter is still nekkid - and we still don't have running water :::sigh:::

But we do have cool-lookin' lights!

Yayyy!!! FINALLY!!!! We have a quartz countertop!

(Caesarstone Buttermilk - which is purchase-able "by the foot")

(as opposed to "by the slab")

Close-up of counter-top with my mosaics laying on top. I don't think it's gonna clash.

We are ALMOST there!!!

Sooooo close to completion!!!

Pretty new faucet!

Backsplash Mud going up...

Super-thick (which is good!)

Mosaic Backsplash - SUPER pretty!

(still needs grout, though...)

Mosaic backsplash in the afternoon sun

(It is grouted, here)

Droid pics really don't do it justice - it is super shimmery and pretty!

This photo was taken well-over 24 hours after the last time the faucet was used...

Contractor is eager to receive his final payment, but...

The pretty sink faucet DRIPS! No, no a lot - but that's not the point!

The latest update (and I'm not posting my FULL opinion - YET!) is that *I* have to go deal with Delta Faucets MYSELF and when/if they choose to send me new cartridges/o-rings/new-faucet/whatEVER, then he'll send someone out "No Charge" to fix it.

Ohhhhh am I holding back a huge rant here, folks! (There's Yelp, and Yahoo Local, and Angie's List for that, I suspect...). Seems to me that if one spends over $10,000 for a bathroom remodel, then expecting a non-leaky faucet isn't entirely outside the realm of "reasonable-ness."

:::sigh:::

I *am* holding back some of the Final Payment until this is addressed. And that's ALL I'm gonna say about THAT!

Recipe: Home-Grown Tomato Soup (and Winter Garden Prep)

2011-10-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I totally *don't* want to talk about the Bathroom Renovation Project (now heading into it's FOURTH WEEK - ARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!).

So let's talk about Tomatoes instead, shall we?

More specifically, the last of the tomato harvest which was threatening to go all mushy on my counter top.

I've actually fallen back into "Nesting Mode" - ever since we had our first notable rain, last week (Waaaahhhh!!!). In fact, I stumbled onto a couple of interesting-sounding recipes in October's Sunset Magazine (Wow - A *current* magazine in the doctor's office???). One is a pumpkin soup with mint-pumpkin-seed pesto that sounds positively fascinating. The other is some sort of Cranberry/Squash/Short-Ribs Stew. I hope to try those in the coming weeks.

In fact, I had intended to make the pumpkin soup this weekend - bought a couple of pie-pumpkins and everything - but then I encountered the tomatoes, looking all forlorn in their bucket on the counter. And - unfortunately - I actually had to compost the previous batch o' maters (they got Super-Grody-lookin' - Oooops!). That was downright criminal!

I lacked the incentive and/or ingredients to make Finny's (Actually FarmGirl's) Tomato Sausage Pie. So I decided to make tomato soup instead.

What follows is kinda/sorta what I did (with approximate measurements 'cuz I didn't keep super-close track of what I was doing!).

QT's Fresh Home-Grown Tomato Soup

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (skins, seeds and all!)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow because that's what I had on-hand)
3 cloves garlic, minced (fresh, Duhhh! Don't even think about using garlic powder - eww!)
Appx 1 cup chopped celery (I think I used 3-4 stalks)
Appx 1 cup chopped carrots (I used about 2 handfuls of pre-washed baby carrots)
3 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1 "regular-sized" can of Chicken or Vegetable Broth (I think it was appx 14 oz.)
Small handful of fresh basil
Small handful of fresh chives
Couple-three sprigs of fresh thyme
(Or you could just go with dried, jarred stuff - Cheater!)
1 TBS Splenda (or Sugar - whatever), to taste
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper

First, chop up your tomatoes and set 'em to the side:

It's a mixed-up-mess of maters!

Some are slightly underripe and others are threatening to become compost!

Next, Chop up your onions, mince your garlic, and chop your carrots and celery. Try to keep your carrots and celery the same size so they'll all cook evenly.

I started by sauteeing the onions and garlic, in appx 1TBS of butter, first. Once they were limp and translucent, I added the celery and carrots.

Cooked everything on Medium-to-Low heat in a medium saucepan...

Til everything was limp and squishy - but not brown

Then I added the chopped-up 'maters:

And add a can of Vegetable (or Chicken) Broth...

Brought it to a low, rolling boil...

And added my fresh basil, chives and thyme.

Lowered the heat and let it simmer for appx 20-30 minutes 'til everything was pretty mushy-gushy...

Then I hit it with an immersion blender...

I'm really lousy at judging the size of pot I'm gonna need!

It was All Good 'til I plopped the hand-blender in.

Then I found that soup was schlorping out all over the cooktop (Oooops!)

Next comes the Grody-Ody part! Find a separate container that's about the same size as your soup pot. Then grab a wire-mesh sieve. Pour, then smush the soup thru the sieve:

Yummmmm!!!

You do want to force some of the thicker-bits through, but you want to keep the "significant" bits (seeds, tomato-skins, recognizable celery-chunks, etc.) on the inside-the-sieve-side.

I didn't snap a pic, but there was a bunch of thicker-soupy-stuff on the underside of the sieve, and I did scrape that into the soup... The stuff that was too thick to fit thru the mesh became compost.

And Voila!

Fresh, Home-Grown Tomato Soup!

It was rather runny, so I ended up making a roux by mixing 2 TBS butter with 2 TBS flour in a small frying pan. Once it was well-blended, I dumped the roux into the soup pot and cooked it on medium heat a little longer. Gave it a taste... Added a TBS of Splenda and a few shakes of Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

This soup was absolutely delicious! We had it for dinner, along with smoked pork-chops with Sweet Corn-Apple Relish, and a side of Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Definitely yummy!

Final Days of the Summer Garden:

This summer's garden was nothing short of AWESOME! I did harvest a handful of cukes; several ginormous zucchinis (that somehow eluded me while they were still small and tender!); Bushels upon bushels of peaches and plums (and apples - I keep forgetting about my apple tree hidden behind the greenhouse); And it was definitely a Record Year for tomatoes (Yayyyy!!!).

Things I didn't have success with: Watermelons. I did plant a watermelon vine - but I kinda didn't take into consideration the amount of shade that the maters were gonna cast over the melon vine (:::sigh:::). Pumpkins: I oughtta just give up on pumpkins altogether! Actually, I had planted one over by the far back fence (and put a small dog-deterrent fence around it), but *something* (I'm guessing NOT a canine) chomped clean-through the vine - just as the blossoms were starting to "set." Corn: That's another plant I've given up on! Much easier to just run down to the Farm-Stand down the street (for the sweetest corn in the valley!).

And, of course, the Straw-Bale Bed Experiment was a Big Fat Fail. It just didn't hold enough water with our blazing-hot summer-heat (and lack of rainfall - which is just fine with me, thankyouverymuch!!!). I am reviving The Experiment - added a fresh layer of compost on the top and re-checked the drip line - for my Cool-Season Kohl Crops and see how that goes (since we do tend to have wet winters). If it fails again, well, I'll just mulch and/or compost with it...

Ahhh... But I will forever remember this summer's tomatoes with great fondness! And I am especially happy that I managed to retain some Frozen Squozen 'Maters so we can enjoy them well into winter!

Maters are nearing the end, unfortunately. I keep wandering out to the garden in the afternoon to see what's going on. There are still some green babies, lingering on the vines. There was actually one big Mama-Jama 'Mater that was approaching ripeness, but *something* got to it before I could (Grrrr!!!). I've been giving the mater plants haircuts - every time I wander back there (cutting back any new blossoms which don't stand a chance in hell of every coming to fruition! And hacking back vines that have nothing on them).

I don't have the heart to rip 'em out completely because we are still having some warm afternoons and the 'maters *might* ripen on the vine (if the critters don't get to 'em first!). Once it starts to get *really* chilly, I will rip the last of the vines out (and maybe attempt to salvage one of the Stupice vines for greenhouse-growing). For now, I am content to leave 'em alone...

I actually have cleared about 1/3 of one of the raised beds, and did some direct-seeding of some cool season veggies: Beets, Carrots, Peas, and Turnips. Naturally (ONCE AGAIN!!!), I neglected to make note of what-got-sowed-where!!!

I've also planted leaf crops like lettuces, mesclun mix and spinach in the upside-down planters outside the back-door, and I've started some kohl crop seeds (cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli) in the house. Hope to get those moved out to the garden in the weeks to come.

Winter-Garden will be a bit of a Crap-Shoot, I'm afraid. It would be cool to have year-round veggies - but I've never had much success with cool-season crops in years past, so my sense of Optimism is over-shadowed with a hearty dose of Realism!

We shall see....

Bathroom Renovation Rant...

2011-10-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

:::sigh:::

I know... I've been uncharacteristically silent for the past week or so... (okay, maybe not so "uncharacteristic!" But what-EVAH!!!).

Actually, I was really hoping that this whole Renovation Project would NOT result in a rant but... Unfortunately... It did!

I can't say that I would give American Kitchen and Bath "Rave Reviews."

In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that I am kind of "regretting" my decision to go with them, to be perfectly honest.

:::Big Sigh:::

I really try not to go down the path of "Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda" - as a rule. But, in this case, I am really thinking I "shoulda" gone with Isaac - the guy who did our kitchen. I genuinely liked Isaac. He wasn't big into up-selling and he delivered what-he-promised, when-he-said-he-would. Those are REALLY big selling points when one is talking about dismantling the ONLY BATHROOM IN THE HOUSE!!!!

Admittedly - with this being the ONLY bathroom - there is a LOT more stress involved. And I might've even had some "pain and agony" if Isaac's crew was doing the job. But some of the bullsh*t I've been dealing with has been just-plain uncalled-for. JMHO....................

For starters: There were two PRIMARY reasons I went with AKB for the Bathroom Reno.

One was my Boss' Glowing Recommendation (Great work, Great Prices). To be fair, my boss has the Exact Same model house as my mom's house - which means they have three bathrooms so the "inconvenience" was certainly minimized in their case...
The Second (also - quite significant) reason I went with AKB was that they were a "One-Stop-Shop." Isaac had moved more towards "Kitchens" and didn't have a full-blown Bathroom Showroom. My fear, had I gone with Isaac, was that - while their "Labor-Only" bid was lower - I would've had to do a whole lot of running-around and schlepping of materials. Whereas, with Joe/AKB, it seemed that I could leave the running-around/schlepping to THEM!

(Not So, Kemosabe!!!)

Anyway, "Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda's" aside, I *will* say that Joe's crew DOES do a Good Job. I have no qualms about the "Quality" of the work they are doing. In fact, his crew is Very Good. Very Personable and (not that this is necessarily a huge "selling point"), the DOGS even like them. Actually, it *is* kind of an off-hand selling point because I *do* think that the dogs are an Excellent Judge of character (but I'm weird that way!!!).

But Joe (the owner) does kind of "keep their hands tied" - meaning, if it's not stated *explicitly* on the contract, they're NOT supposed to do it - right?

Case in point: The Tile Guy was here for two days. Around the same time, his electrician had ripped out the old light fixture (one Big Ugly Brass "Hollywood-Style" light bar) and replaced it with TWO new fixtures. The old fixture had ONE junction box. The new fixtures required two...

This left ONE gaping hole in the middle of the surface-mount Medicine Cabinet (which was not going to be replaced - due to budgetary constraints). I knew this, up-front. And I STATED this, up-front. We *knew* there was going to be a HOLE in the middle that needed to be patched, right?

Well, after the new fixtures went in, we circled back to discuss "what to do" about the hole in the middle. I had suggested, maybe, a sheet of oak veneer (to match the existing medicine cabinet). He claimed that would require a "cabinet maker" to fabricate - and a huge up-charge to handle it.

He suggested an MDF "patch" - which would be painted blue to match the walls.

"Uhh, no!" (that would look just-plain STUPID, actually!).

Then he suggested that maybe *I* could buy a "Decorative Tile" and glue it over the hole.

Well, I countered with "Why not have your Tile Guy put a 4" wide strip of my 'Accent Tile' across the top of the Medicine Cabinet to cover the hole?"

He hemmed and hawed about "Up-Charges" for the add'l labor.

Okay, Fine! ("F**ker!")

Wellllll.... I can "act" pretty obtuse, at times (if it serves my needs!), so while the Tile Guy was here, I queried him on how best to stick some of my Accent Tile up on the Medicine Cabinet to cover the hole, right? He couldn't offer to do anything about it (since it wasn't stated explicitly on Joe's contract). He did, however, offer some suggestions about just using "Liquid Nails" or Silicone to glue it up (but that would have allowed the "brown" stain-color to show through). I started asking him about using thinset to glue-it-up "Would that stick to wood?" (and "Can I have the leftover thinset?") and other assorted INANE questions 'til we reached the point where he OFFERED to put a patch of tile up FOR ME (just to get me to stop asking stupid questions!!!).

"Oh, could you?! That would be GREAT!!!" :::Big Smile:::

Took him all of 5 minutes to accomplish, I'm sure (given that he was already installing tile throughout the rest of the bathroom!).

Well, when Joe showed up, he seemed a little torqued about it and indicated that that *should have been* a $200.00 up-charge!!! (Are you f**king kidding me??? I certainly HOPE he was joking!!!).

Anyway... I have other gripes as well. And those gripes have resulted in *significant* delays to the completion of the job, unfortunately...

For example, when we were in the "Pre-Sales" stages (before I signed the contract), I was perfectly content to stick with a tile countertop. Yeah, I know that's not the Latest 'n Greatest, but it seemed like the most expedient/cost-efficient approach to take, right? And, when we started out, I had actually found a 6" tile (with matching edge-pieces) that actually matched the tub-tile I had originally selected (which later got changed - but whatever...)

"Ohhhh noooo!" sez the Sales Guy (and, later, Joe). "Nobody does tile anymore... I can get you Solid Surface or Quartz for the same price!"

Okay fine. Now, I know for a fact that sticking down a single-slab o' Quartz is most-definitely less labor than setting a Tile Countertop (what with all the tile-cutting involved). But, unfortunately, with the "change-in-direction" (based on the original sales-quote). the tile colors changed slightly, which meant that the counter-top selection had to change as well...

Well, long-story-short, I ended up selecting a Quartz Counter-top that couldn't be obtained. The original excuse was "Well, we can't get it because of the size and shape of your countertop." (Excuse me??? The size and shape of my countertop hasn't changed!!!).

Then he offered "Cultured Marble" as an alternative. "Oh, you mean that plastic crap they used to put in 1970's homes? No thank you!" (I'm not spending *this* much money to end up with a cheesy, plastic countertop)

Then it was - we can't find a remnant and the only way we could do it is with a "significant up-charge."

"Well, how MUCH is the up-charge?"

I asked that SEVERAL times and never got a satisfactory answer (Never got ANY answer - let alone a satisfactory answer)!

"Are we talking a couple-hundred? A couple THOUSAND?!" Give me a CLUE here, buddy!

(Seriously - I don't mind paying extra if the End Result will be worth it, right?!!)

I could NEVER get a straight answer!!! So I was forced to find a local countertop fabricator (fortunately, just around the corner from me!). I ended up emailing Joe and telling him I'd found someone else to fabricate my countertop for me.

All of a sudden, it seemed that Joe *was* able to procure an acceptable countertop (well then WHY THE HELL DID *I* HAVE TO SPEND MY WEEKEND AT A COUNTERTOP-SHOP BEFORE YOU "DISCOVERED" THIS?!??!!!) (Jeeezus that's freaking ANNOYING!!!)

And, honestly, this has been the way a LOT of the stuff has been. I.e. He "offers" Delta "LaHara" Fixtures. Okay, fine. But I don't really like the "style" of Delta LaHara. What about Delta "Dryden?" Can you get that for me? What is the cost difference? Uhhh, Errr...

Turns out *I* have to go to the Plumbing-Supply Store to order them (and deal with the cost difference - which is fine - butttt...). Same thing with Tiles actually (and the "Tile Allowances" he gave me in the contract were - ummm - laughable!)...

Anyway... Reason #2 for going with AKB: "One-Stop-Shop" turned out to be - NOT advantageous AT ALL!!! I had to run all over Hell-And-Creation to make all the decisions. PLUS a LOT of the sh*t I had to purchase (AND schlep home!!!) MYSELF!!! Shower-door: He offered ONE model. Not bad, but not what I was looking for. "What about 'Euro-Style?'" "Oh, that's more than double the price!"

Soooooo... Off to Lowes I go. Yes, I ended up purchasing (AND SCHLEPPING HOME) a Euro-Style Shower Door for HIS GUYS to install (at an hourly rate!) (BTW - the *First* attempt at installing resulted in a significant LEAK! I'd BETTER not get charged for the re-install!!!!).

Anyhooooooooooooooooooo..... If you have not surmised by now that I am "less-than-impressed" with the Quality of Service at AKB, well, let me state - most emphatically - that I am Less than Impressed with the Quality of Service provided by AKB! The WORK Quality appears to be good, but the "Service" and "Nickel-And-Diming-To-Death" that I am dealing with, now, make it far more painful than it needs to be!!

This was supposed to have been a week-and-a-half job. Well, it's been 2 weeks now and the counter-top and sink *still* aren't complete or installed (maybe... next week... I hope???).

The shower is in. And it's FANTASTIC.

The new toilet is in. I have joined the "cult" of Toto Toilet Fanatics (Love-Love-Love my Toto!!!).

Sink and Counter-Top are still "TBD." I have NO DOUBT that I'll love them when they're finally installed. But I can't say that I am 100% "Warm 'n Fuzzy" over the Customer Service (esp follow-up if - Gawd-Forbid - we discover a problem!). But, for now, I will remain "guardedly optimistic!"

I'll post Progress Pics in a separate post. We have a concert to go to, tonight, so I probably won't be able to update anything more.....

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter VI: Color Conundrum Solved

2011-09-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

Alllllrighty then! ANOTHER busy day!

Last night, I checked out the wall colors in artificial light (grant you, it's a more "yellowy" light than what our new light fixtures will emit...), and I decided that the Martini Olive was just a tad *too* bold. It would end up being oppressively dark in there if I had that shmeared on ALL of the walls. The blue looked *much* friendlier!

Although, in the bright, early-morning light, the blue is REALLY-REALLY BRIGHT (like, grab my sunglasses bright!) But that was with no window-treatments. Incidentally, the bathroom window is the only south-facing window we've got, so it really is the brightest room in the house.

Anywaaaaaaayyyyy, if it's too bright, we can just lower the matchstick blinds in the morning. Overall, I really think that the Blue Green Gem is the *best* color choice. And, in the evening and early-morning light(s), I was able to see that the blue *did* pick-up the light-blue tiles in the mosaics and *did* look like a good match. I think (HOPE) I'll be happy with it!

I didn't bother trying to snap pictures - Droid (or even the "good camera" for that matter) really can't capture the tone adequately...

I made a quick-trip to Big Lots, first thing this morning. Their latest ad had a relatively inexpensive "Tablet" PC / e-Reader that runs on the Android Platform. Before I got my Kindle, I had purchased a couple of Google eBooks (that I was trying to read on my Droid [first generation] phone). Well, Google Books don't transfer to Kindle...

Anyway, I wanted the Android Tablet and I *needed* more plastic, see-through bins to complete my Bathroom Purge. So I was there, right at opening time. Made my purchases and wandered back home...

Bathroom is now "mostly purged!"

This is the corner where all of my sh*t is usually piled up

I *really* don't like the Harlequin pattern (so I'm kinda glad my sh*t covers it - most of the time!)

All three sections of the Medicine Cabinet are EMPTY!

Empty, but not clean.

I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of dust during the job, so I'll probably have Aida do a massive dusting, once the job is done.

Hardware/Towel-Racks/Gee-Gaws have been removed...

And holes have been spackled

Bathroom has a noticeable "echo" now!!!

I even emptied out under the sink. I left some stuff in some of the lower cabinets/lower drawers, and I'll ask the workers to mask it off completely (if they can).

The Linen Closet...? Welllll... There is just WAY too much sh*t in there (and no place to put it!), so I've pulled out anything/everything I might possibly need, and I'll have the workers mask that off, as well. Hopefully it won't get *too* terribly dirty in there (although it is SOOO jam-packed, I'll probably only need to remove/clean the very TOP layer of "stuff" in there!!!)

I plan on taking a Super-Long shower tonight, and hope to squeeze in one FINAL shower, tomorrow morning, before The Gang shows up to start demolition. I'm bracing myself for being without a shower for appx a week-and-a-half (Ewwwww!).

Luckily, the weather has been quite nice, lately, so I *could* dive into the pool to remove the "surface stench." And, I'm past-due for "blondification" so I figure I can schedule a hair appt around Weds to get my touch-up *and* get my hair washed!

I had contemplated calling one of the local Health Clubs to see if I could do a "one-day membership" or something - just so I could gain access to their showers! (Or Worst-Case: I could get a hotel room, but I really don't want to spend THAT much money!).

Slightly OT, but I'll get back on track!:

Friend DV called me yesterday. She basically wanted to extol my culinary prowess, and went on-and-on about how WONDERFUL my Peach-Spice Jam was, and share how she'd used it. Her hubbie is a BIG Fisherman and they always have an ample supply of salmon on-hand. Apparently they grilled up some salmon with a mild Cajun Spice and then, toward the end of cooking, they shmeared on some of my Peach-Spice Jam and cooked it up. "Fan-f**king-tastic" (I think those were her words!)

She also put it on crock-pot Pork Roast (again, toward the end of cooking). In both cases, she proclaimed it was "Orgasmic." She said the added spices/sweetness really "made" the dish! So - if you ended up making a batch of that particular jam, there are a couple of "alternative" uses for it. Me? I just love it on buttered toast, but now I wanna try it on pork!

Honestly, I think it sounds so good (and I am *already* running low on my stockpile!), I may just hit-up the local Farm-stand to see if they still have fresh peaches. If so, I may whip up another batch!

Anyway - I digress (So what else is new?!!). As we were chatting, she asked "What's New?" and I told her about our upcoming bathroom reno. Well, bless her heart, she TOTALLY offered up her shower - "Every day, if you want!" Well, I don't want to be a nuisance (but then, stinking up the whole house could be viewed as a different type of nuisance, yes?!). I figure I'll pack up my toiletries and a towel, and head over to her place every-other-day. How Cool!

(Yep. I *am* the type of person who HATES to ask for ANYTHING! But, when it's offered, I'll more than likely accept!)

So... Tomorrow's the Big Day! Destruction starts first thing in the morning, I'm sure. I'm hoping I'll have my "revised estimate" early, as well... Wish me Luck! (I hope I don't need it!!!)

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter V: Color Conundrum

2011-09-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I've been a bizzy li'l beaver! This morning, I woke up, and started some of the Bathroom Destruction!

Matchstick blinds, towel bars and fru-fru shelves over the toilet are GONE!

(I still need to spackle the holes left behind)

And I've begun purging the vanity and - GASP - "organizing" the linen closet (which is HUGE, completely stuffed, and will NOT be purged!)

Medicine cabinet contents moved to the bedroom

(And no, unfortunately, this isn't ALL of it!)

And - oh sh*t - it turns out that Joe the Bathroom Renovator wants to complete the painting BEFORE most of the other work is done (Damn!!!). Yes, that makes sense b/c then there's less cut-work to do (I remember what a PITA it was to paint the bathroom because of all the "edges!"). But, OTOH, that's not good because I really can't pick a good color without having the new tiles and light fixtures in place. Damn-Damn-Damn!!!

And there are about 800-quadrillion color-choices!

Now, one would think that - with all the colors in the "accent tile" - I should have no difficulty selecting a complementary wall-color. Well, one would be MISTAKEN!!!!

I managed to narrow it down to three

Which quickly got narrowed down to two!

I did NOT like the color on the right, once it got on the wall. The "swatch" had me thinking that was gonna be the Perfect Match! Ha! It ended up being waaaaaay too grey. This is why it's a good idea to get actual paint-samples up on the wall - before making your decision!

Martini Olive on the left. Blue Green Gem on the right.

I really like the Olive because it is a dead-on match to some of the greens in the mosaic tile. But it is a *very* bold color and might end up looking too dark.

Both colors with Mosaics and Floor Tile

Plus the green is a slightly "warmer" tone - which might pick up on some of the warmth in the floor tile (which has NO green, but does have hints of rust, at least).

P is partial to the blue paint. But P makes no bones about the fact that she is not fond of greeny-yellows (or yellowy-greens!) so I think she is a bit prejudiced!

Di is unavailable :::sigh:::

I like the fact that the green *is* a dead-on match. The blue is not an exact match to the light blue tiles. It's "close" - but not "exact" (and I could NOT, for the life of me, find an Exact Match for the light-blue tiles!!!)

Okay, let's Step Back, shall we?

Hmmmm....

Yeah, that Olive Green is definitely a "bold" color. Plus, as I think about it, it *might* pick-up on the greens in the accent tiles a bit too much. :::sigh:::

Let's look at it in afternoon, direct-sunlight, shall we?

Hmmm... Actually, with the direct-sunlight, I am *still* on the fence! I think I need to wait and look at it in "artificial light" at night. I have a sneaking suspicion that the green is gonna be too dark/too green. The blue is definitely "light and bright" (but has almost no "warmth" to it). But - maybe - the blue will help the light-blue tiles (which are the least-prevalent color in the mosaic) "pop" more.

Gawd! I can't decide!!!

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter IV: Maybe a little ranting...

2011-09-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, Thursday and Friday ended up being a bit of a scramble. Yes, we finalized tile, grout and fixture selections, but there's still a buttload of stuff to get done!

I'd stopped at OSH in Redwood City, on my way home from my Dermatology Appt. - only to learn that OSH doesn't carry shower doors anymore!!! (Aaack! Then why do you have a display up that says "This item is IN STOCK"?!!!). Turns out it *can* be Special-Ordered, but I didn't have time for that - I had to get home for a conference call - so I figured I'd check with the OSH's down my way.

Well, we're down to one OSH (the Big One closed - GASP!), and they don't carry shower doors, either. So I figured I'd surf the 'net. No luck there, either (and Contractor's Wardrobe is a wholesaler - won't take orders from regular peeps!). Turns out that Home Depot *does* carry CW. Not that specific model/configuration, but I figured I could ask about Special Orders...

I have something of a love-hate relationship with Home Depot. Most of the time I lean more towards "hate" to be honest. And yesterday was one of those days. I looked at what they did have in-stock, and nothing thrilled me. So I hiked back up to the front of the store to hit-up the Customer Service Desk. There were 4 orange-aproned associates milling about, behind the counter, and one customer ahead of me (being helped by a 5th orange apron). It was definitely a case of "Invisible Customer Syndrome." In fact, when the one gal was done with the one customer, she got up and walked away!!! So now I have to do the laser-beam look and try to burn holes in one of the HD Associates with my evil glare. I finally get someone to (grudgingly) acknowledge my existence and she ends up sending me back to Kitchen and Baths - "They do Special Orders over there." (That's odd, it says in Great Big Letters on the Ginormous sign behind you that "Customer Service" handles Special Orders - but What-EVAH).

So, I hoofed-it back to Kitchens and Baths (in the back, opposite corner of the store). Nobody there! I wander around, trying to find *anyone* who can, maybe, CALL someone to come and help me (???). Nada. Every time I spotted someone in an orange apron, and started walking toward them, they would dart into the closest aisle and make a break for it.

Again, I didn't have a lot of time for dilly-dallying because, again, I had to get home for another conference call...

As I headed toward the exit, I encountered a Sales-Register Associate who saw my look of consternation and actually asked if she could help me with anything. I explained that I was wanting to find out about Special Ordering a shower-door. She directed me to "Customer Service." I told her I'd already been there, and they referred me to K&B, but nobody was working the K&B Dept. Well, bless her heart, she actually picked up her phone/walkie/talkie/communication device and tracked down someone to help me. (Yay!)

Hoof-it back to K&B. Met up with JJ, or whatever her name was. I told her exactly what I wanted, and she pulled out a catalog for Contractor's Wardrobe. She'd never heard of the "Radiance" glass style (and it wasn't listed in her catalog). "Well, it's on their website - and it's an option for both the model 2000 and 2400 shower doors." Amazingly, she picked up the phone and CALLED CW directly. (See? If you can *corner* them, they *will* eventually help you!!!)

Anyway... Long Story Short: Contractor's Wardrobe doesn't do the "Radiance" glass anymore.

:::SOB!:::

So, the shower-door pictured in my last post is a No-Go. I am trés bummed!

So then I called Joe, the remodeler, and asked about what was included with my original bid. Clear glass "standard" door (allowance $240.00). Asked about the Euro-Style. It's more than double the price, dammit!

I'm not thrilled with the "standard door" so I ended up going to Lowes and buying a frameless, clear-glass, Euro-Style door with towel bars on the outside *and* inside (I really like having the bar on the inside, as well). It was $250.00, but I expect that he'll subtract *something* from his Contract since he's no longer supplying the door (but he'll "up-charge" something for labor, I'm sure).

Side Note: Kudos to Lowes. Once I'd located the shower-door I wanted, I started searching for a cart. As I was wandering back to the front of the store, a Lowes-Dude magically appeared with a flatbed cart and ASKED IF HE COULD HELP ME!!! Once he picked me up off the floor (heh!) I told him "Yes! And how fortuitous that you have a flatbed cart! I want to buy a shower door."

Well, damned if he didn't drag the cart right over, load-up the door on the cart, ENTER IT INTO THE COMPUTER so they could easily ring it up at the register, AND he accompanied me to the check-out counter AND loaded it into my truck! Un-freaking-believable!!! I was in-and-out in no time!!!

HOME DEPOT: ARE YOU LISTENING???? (To be fair, this *does* happen at Home Depot every once in awhile - usually around 4:00pm on a weekday afternoon. But it really is the Exception rather than the Rule)

I've already gone over-budget on fixtures. I'm under budget on tiles (because I bought the tub-tiles myself). They, apparently, didn't give me an allowance for towel bars, toilet paper holders, etc (but they did allocate 2-1/2 hours labor for installation - are you f**king kidding me?!). Guess what? I'm installing the towel bars and toilet paper holders ($50 TOTAL) myself. I'll expect *that* labor cost to be taken-off the final bill.

Right now, I feel like I'm getting nickel and dimed to death, unfortunately. Here is where the "rant" comes in. See, when I got the original bid, I figured we'd stick with a tile countertop. Bigger, "fresher" tiles - but something that would complement the tub. Well, Joe doesn't like all the "labor" that goes with laying tiles, so he assured me that he could get me a solid-surface countertop for the same price. Okay, shift gears.

Searched high-and-low, and found a suitable countertop. Well, it turns out he could have gotten me a "better deal" if he could have found a "remnant." But I don't see how he could expect to find a "remnant" that would work since our countertop is HUGE and oddly shaped.

Anyway, Long Story Short (again!), "because of the color you selected (it's a standard Silestone Color I found at Home Depot!), and the odd shape of your countertop..." The price is now double what was originally estimated. (Well then why did you say that solid-surface would be the same price???)

If I weren't completely out of time, I'd probably say "Screw You" and go back to tile (let him eat the "labor cost!"). But now I've pretty-much fallen in love with the quartz and, quite frankly, I'd rather eat ground glass than set foot in another Tile Store at this point!

Anyway: The Long and the Short of it is: I am trying to keep the costs as close to $10K, as humanly possible. DH is paying for "half" of the original bid ($9800.00) and not a penny more.

Anything above that is "On Me" (hence my purchase of tiles, shower door, towel bars, etc.). And this doesn't even take into account the possibility that we may find something unsavory behind the shower - once the tile and walls are all ripped out. If that happens, all bets are off! (and there might be some "new" negotiations with the spousal unit if that occurs - but we'll burn that bridge when we get there, right?!)

Anyhooooo... As it stands right now, I think we're at $10,100.00 (according to my re-calculations - which I have provided to Joe, the remodeler-dude). I'm waiting for final confirmation on Monday *before* I sign the final contract and authorize work to begin.

I am under a fair amount of pressure, however. DH is overseas right now, for a week, at some Electro-Geek Trade Show in Switzerland. I want the "worst" of the work to be completed while he is gone (he doesn't deal well with "disruptions!"). I really don't want to postpone the job. But, at the same time, I don't want my time-constraints to force me into making bad financial decisions. I.e. if the revised estimate is >$500 over the original estimate - I may have to put the brakes on this project!

Now, don't get me wrong, I can totally "own" the fact that I made a few "more expensive" decisions. I'm okay with paying the add'l $ for those items that came in over-budget. But I do expect to see some "credit where credit is due" (literally!) where I have made choices that result in less labor...

Right now, I'm feeling a little annoyed with the contractor I've selected. But let's see what the revised estimate looks like, on Monday, and I may revise my position!

In the meantime, I have to decide on a paint scheme (AAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!!)

Next up: Color Conundrum!

QT's Random Ramblings

Recipe: Leftover Beef Pot Pie

Not a Damn Thing...

Recipes: Leftover Corned Beef Soup & Creamy Asian Turnip Bok-Choy Spinach Soup!

Winter has arrived *sigh* - but it's still National Soup Month!

Recipe: Cranapple Jam (Yummmm!!!)

Winter Gardening / Yard Chores

Random Ramblings: New Computer and Yard Chores

Recipe: QT's Squashy Butternut Pumpkin Soup

Gardening Blah-Blah and New Recipe Tease!

Recipe: Bacon-Onion Jam (Updated / Final)

No Post Tonight - Other than "Ain't I Clever???"

Recipe: Apple Chips

Recipe: Bacon-Onion Jam

Non Sequitur: Artichokes and Bacon Onion Jam

Leeky Love! Cream of Leeky Spinach Mushroom Soup

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel...

Two weeks, and counting...

Happy Friggin' New Year!

Froliche Weinachten - German Recipes!

Austrian Gulaschsuppe (Goulash Soup)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Preparation:

Merry "Low-Key" Christmas!

Blown-Glass Ornament

Food Follow-up and "Encouraging News" and Other Stuff

Scrump-dilly-icious Potato Leek Soup

Yummy Friggin' Chicken Salad

No Self-Immolation... And Bread Recipes!

Cleverness versus Cursedness

Turkey Day Madness (Yummy Recipes)

Uno Mas

How I spent my day...

Holy Cow - Where did the time go???

Aventuras en México

First Firing!

Buh-Bye Summer Yard :-(

Blah-Blah Winter Blahs....

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Done!

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Day #3 (Or: "Is there a Conspiracy???")

Credit Where Credit Is Due...

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Day #2

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast

"Second Home" Wild Hair...

AWOL in AZ... Jimmy Buffett Show!

Recipe - Sunset's Brandied Cranberry Short Rib Stew

Bathroom Reno Pictures

Recipe: Home-Grown Tomato Soup (and Winter Garden Prep)

Bathroom Renovation Rant...

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter VI: Color Conundrum Solved

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter V: Color Conundrum

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter IV: Maybe a little ranting...

Winter has arrived sigh - but it's still National Soup Month!