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

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

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

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:

1. 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.
2. Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon grease. Cook, over medium heat, until it starts to limpify - appx 10 mins.
   
3. Add Brown Sugar and a sprinkling of salt. Turn heat down and simmer, stirring occasionally until translucent, appx 5 mins.
4. Slice the bacon into 1/2 - 1" chunks
5. 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.
6. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally (to prevent sticking). Add water, 1/4 cup at a time, appx every 25-30 mins.
   
7. 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.
8. Let cool for 20 minutes. If desired, run thru a food processor to finely chop and blend the jam.
9. Return to the pot. Cover and refrigerate, overnight.
10. The next day, remove the majority of the fat from the top of the jam.
11. Turn heat to low and add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Cook on medium-low heat until most of the liquid is evaporated.
12. 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

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

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...

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...

Jeeeeeezus! When will this end???

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