snowangel

So Pam, are jonesing for a real tomato, too? Were these those vine on ones that are so available here, and so lame? I'm lusting for those hot, sultry days of August that produce the tomatoes that rea really tomatoes! So, I have made kao soi (Khao -?- soi) and it will sit in the outdoor fridge for Friday night, I think. It was when Peter horked all over my shoes that I lost any appetite tonight. But, let's backtrack: thisis afternoon, as he laid on the couch, I started a potholder. My knitting bag is cool. It was an Xmas gift from my dad, it it came from some store in Berkeley (where else!) that carries sustainable and "good" things. Its provenance is the Phillippines, and it was made from recycled juice boxes. In case there are any knitters out there, it's a CO 4, K2, YO, k to end of row. Repeat rows until you have enough stitches on the diagonal that you are happy with. Then, do a K1, K2t, YO, K2t, knit to end of the row and repeat. So, since I wasn't in the mood, after cleaning off my yellow crocs, to get a meal on the table, we did what any family whose mom and caregiver has had a bread epiphany does. Slices, toasts, butters or mustards and salamis: All praise to good bread, butter, yellow mustard and supermarket deli sliced salami. Oh, that bread! More bread tomorrow! Let's hope that dough that I stuck in the fridge yesterday is half as good as this batch was.

We did not eat soup tonight (it's a long story, and soon to come), but those of us who did eat ate something that often goes with soup! Sounds like Judith and Peter could be in the same place right now!

A snowangel blog would not be a snowangel blog without some sort of disaster. Be it a flood or a dead camera... Stay tuned for dinner. It might not be soup. And, you'll see a new and non grocery item on the list tomorrow. The long haired boy has quit horking and the teen's headache is better, and we've used all manner of tools (some from the kitchen) to help alleviate the appliance problem so that the middle child has clean clothes for tomorrow! Oh, and Pam, you'll see before and after fridge shots. Something spilled.

Ahem. You'll see my fridge tomorrow or the next day. Dinner is simmering, the long hair has quit horking, and the teen has a migraine (she things; let's just say it's an awful headache). The sun turned to snow. Photos soon! Today was also report card day. We have much to celebrate!

Pam, isn't part of latkes the fact that they are fried? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around "baked latke snack" (which I've never seen!). Ixnay on the "sugar free" candy here. Heidi's AED's preclude anything sugar-free. Abra, given the origins of Kao Soi, I'm hard pressed to imagine that it wasn't originally made with wild game. As you will see later this evening, it is a good and worthy meat for the soup. An interesting thing about kao (khao?) soi is that everything one sees now on the internet about it involved poultry, but back in the early 70's in Northern THailand every place that was serving it used red meat.

I am so with you on this. Last night, on our blog, when we made the clam chowder, I chose to use russet, not red (or "new") postatoes and have Peter take the masher to the pot before we added the (canned) clams so that there would be that nice variety of texture. Some chunks, some smooth. For some odd reason, a combo seems to fill up kids more; makes the soup seem more substantial.

I am back from the Asian Market: Now, there is a story here. This is a great Asian market, and I'll get back there and take some photos. But, to the story. I have a cell phone, which I often forget that I have, so I rarely take it with me. But, today, I called my cell phone (so I could find it). I'm figuring that when I actually remember to take it with me, there's a reason. Bingo! As I'm shopping, and getting ready to take pics, the phone rings. The long-hair has horked twice at school. So I hustled butt and got my stuff paid for and rushed to school to pick him up. But, I did do some shopping: One of the dark green bunches is that basil that has the purple stems, and the other green bunch is cilantro. Rootless cilantro. I've noted that we only get cilantro with roots when the season is such that we can grow it outdoors. I also got a bahn mi. This one could have been heavier on the cuke, but was divine. The bread, the peppers, the whole nine yards. Usually when I go, The Lady makes one specially for me, but she was sick today. They love me -- The Farang -- at this market. But, they had all manner of whole fish at the market, as well as blue crabs and head-on shimp. Would blue crab have a place in cioppino? Dinner tonight will be venison kao soi for Diana, Paul and I, something else for Heidi (she doesn't do spicy at all), and the long hair will eat what seems right, I'm thinking. BTW, my good intentions for hand pounding my curry paste for the kao soi went out the window when the cell phone rang. More later. The Boy Wants to snuggle with The Mom on the couch and watch Hawaii 5-0. Book 'em Danno!

Sometimes, it takes a long time to move into a house. We moved almost 4 years ago, but it takes a long time to find one's place in a new home after 18 years in an old home. I must add that my former kitchen was about 3 times tge size of this one. The old kitchen would have required 110 knobs or drawer pulls to replace them all, and this one requires but 25. But, this morning, I had a hankering to get my recipe box in a place where it wasn't stuffed in a cupboard I could better use, so... My recipe box is ugly. Yes, it's harvest gold, but it reminds me of my old kitchen before I moved (you'll see my harvest gold kitchen floor soon, but the HG appliances were replaced with white not long after we moved!). But, the box is filled with stuff clipped from newspapers, recipes from the boxes of my grandmothers, great grandmother and great aunt Laura. So, newsprint, magazine recipes, and those on the cared from thos who came before me -- in that wonderful cursive handwriting, some in ball point pens, some in fountain pens. My recipe box is near and dear to my heart, and I'm glad it's now mounted. Note that the recipe you are making fits nicely in that slot on the handle. Oh, and note the power tool! This was a Mother's Day gift some years ago. It's neato keeno, and came with also a flashglight, circular saw, and one of those skinny saws. And, two rechargable batteries! It's a toss up as to whether that, my Bose bookshelf speakers or my Ryobi orbital sander is a favorite gift. Off to the Asian market. Reminder to self: take camera! (edited to replace a photo)

I have had breakfast. 1/2 grapefruit, served ala Pam -- halved. Gave me an excuse to use those serrated grapefruit spoons which I think must have been a wedding present. But, here we have a few of my favorite kitchen things Toast. I could go on for hours about toast. I love toast, and like it fairly dark. My euphoria about my bread continued as I saw the butter pool into the holes, and oh, the crunch of the crust and the tang of the interior. My bread kept well overnight! The "thing" in the white package is vension, one of the last little bit from 2005's season, and I know I need to use it soon. I love venison. Unfortunately, 2006 was not a very good hunting season. My FIL says it was too warm, and it's much easier to hunt when there is snow on the ground. He was so desperate to get venison that he even bought a muzzle-loader to extend the season. He got one small buck which we will share. I absolutely adore the wooden spoon with the whole in it. It was an Xmas present from my MIL long ago, and it is the favorite cooking spoon in the house. The "spatula" thingie. It is great for stirfrying and sauteeing. I got it at Crate and Barrel years ago. I don't think they carry them any more, but if they do, buy one. It will become a favorite. Although I have a serious love of power tools, every kitchen needs a screwdriver. Paul gave me this the first Xmas we were married. The handle holds more bits -- flat ones and phillip's head ones of different sizes. Magnetized. Anyone who removes this from the kitchen pays a price! Ruler. Every kitchen needs one. I have one that I like better, but it seems to have deeveloped "legs." Hmmm. One of the things that happens when one has kids.

Good morning, and thanks for the compliments on the bread and the boy. My mom and Paul keep saying that he should get a haircut, but Peter and I are holding off! This morning started as they all do. My radio goes off 15 minutes before the alarm, and the first words I heard were "12 below wind chill." That and how dark it is sure make it hard to want to crawl out of the sack. I long for those summer days when daylight wakes me up! But, as I do every morning, I rise, grind the beans, start the coffee maker and hit the shower. Then, it's get the kids up and on their way. Heidi does not eat breakfast at home (she breakfasts at school; part of her OT). Peter likes cold cereal (sugary) and Diana either eats fruit, peanut butter toast, or a granola bar. Once the kids are all gone, and it is light, I do as I do every day of the year I'm home -- a cuppa on the deck, home of my outdoor fridge, gazing at my garden. At the back of the garden are some herbs, most of which will winter over. This is an odd garden because of the trees which means part full sun and part shade. I'm going to re-do this garden this spring because when I planted it, I planted based on how it looked when I was at ground level, and it's just not right from the gazing spot. I also grow basil and tomatoes, but those are on the side of the house where it's full sun all day long. My list. Note how much stuff I crossed off of yesterday's list! Oh! After I took this picture, I realized that I should have crossed off the note about Goodwill. About the plastic recycling. We have curbside recycling for certain kinds of plastic containers, glass, cans and newspaper. The grocery store has containers for recycling plastic bags, which I acutally sort into two piles. The shopping-type plastic bags (and paper bags) to to Goodwill because they don't buy bags but rely on donations. The other plastic bags to to the grocery.

So, Pam, we've seen your bread. How does it taste? That's the thing that got me about these loves today. Unbelievable. The kids actually wanted toast or bread and butter for dessert! I must mark today on the calendar as my Bread Epiphany.

Maggie, my problem is that I like the odd bits, so there are never very many in the bag o odd stuff in the freezer. But, moment of maternal pride. Yes, the 11-year old boy (the long hair) actually wanted a piece of toast, and only ate The Crust! Be still my beating heart! Is there anything greater than knowing that you have raised a crust lover, other than loving bread and butter? (and Bacon

Tonight was magical. As an assignment, Peter had to combine math and reading (for his TD -- Talent and Development -- math thing. It's an advanced course that only a handful of kids in each grade participate in). So, I figured cooking. And, since I hadn't planned anything but the bread that was doing the slow rise in the fridge, I put the young man to work. Part of this involved looking to see what we had. Digging throug the pantry (a story for tomorrow, BTW) was no mean feat. But, Peter looked at what we had and consulted a cookbook which was a recent gift -- America's Test Kitchen. Now, while this is not a book I would have purchased, it is great to have when one has kids and they need instructions; I tend to wing it. Peter found two cans of clams, and a couple of bottles of clam juice. He also mananged to locate three potatoes and an onion, as well as the bacon ends (prominently displayed in the fridge). He honed his peeler and knife skills, and I was so delighted, that I didn't take very many pictures. We opted for russets, since we like the way the perform when one takes the potato masher to them (roughly, mind you) While he was getting this going, I cut the baguette I'd put in the fridge the night before (BTW, an empty foil box makes a wonderful couche): The epi was sensational, and a real hit. Nice and holey, and the overnight rise in the fridge really enhanced the flavour. Peter likes his soup spooned on top of crackers. I'd say the success of the meal might depend on the amount (or lack) of leftovers. And, for dessert, a slice of the boule I also baked. Like I said, a magical evening. The boy (gotta love my long-hair!) made dinner, pretty much on his own, with a couple of "mistakes" that turned out to not be mistakes. And, Oh, The Bread. Now, my question. How to best store this bread so that it has the same magical qualities it did tonight? That crispy, shattering crust. The tangy holey interior that is moist, but not wet? Ah. Do Not Be Afraid of Making Bread. (shouting!)

Bruce, while my photos upload, I'm going to grab a hunk of meat to thaw for Kao soi. My memories of this dish are VERY fond, so I need to see if I hve the right noodles in the freezer, or head to the Asian market tomorrow! As I said up topic, if you don't own Bread Baker's Apprentice, get it, and soon. I did the starter as per Reinhart's instructions, but it took about a week longer than he said. I'm wondering if the starter (seed culture) wouldn't have gotten going sooner had it not been late fall, when the house was all closed up. And, I will itterate what I said earlier. Do Not Be Afraid of Bread. Oh, Kao Soi. Since I got a mess of stuff cleaned up off my list, I'm thinking not Maesri curry paste, but hand pounded!

well... i was going to do a shrimp with coconut cream, but now that my body is being so uncooperative i shouldn't eat creamy stuff. i'd love the hot and sour with shrimp recipe, if you have it handy. ← Judith, there are four (at least) Hot and Sour Soups in RecipeGullet. Search in titles on Soup; two of them crry the first word Chinese, and two Hot. Edited to add: Feel better, my friend!

Stay tuned for dinner. Sometimes one just has figured out the bread. Sometimes, being a mom is just so cool you can't stand it!

I'd say either the Folk Fest (which means summer!) or kolachies (sp?) which seem more wintery than summery. ← Maybe treat wasn't a good choice of words on my part. Tasty, cool beverage would have been better. Winnipeg is known as the Slurpee Capitol of the world. (Slurpee.com facts) Winnipeggers consume more slurpees than anywhere else on earth. Which is shocking, considering our winters (the cold doesn't seem to stop us.) A guy named Alex is even working on a Slurpee documentary up here. ← Interesting. 7-11's have pretty much disappeared from here, having been replaced by SA (Super America). Not being a fan of frothy drinks, I'll have to see if they have them when I stop for gas (insert little boy giggles here!).

I forgot to eat lunch yesterday, which was a mistake, so on my list today was to eat lunch. Well, I had lunch, but not what you'd think. On my way to stop at Heidi's school, I ran to Costco (1.5 miles from my house; I'll often stop at Costco for just eggs and milk or cheese because it is so close) to see if they had mussels. I was there about the time that the sample ladies were ready to pack it up, so they urged the few of us that were there to load up on samples. Disclaimer: I am lucky in that I can get there during the weekdays. I have been to Costco once on a Saturday, and never again. Back to the samples. There was prepared tuna salad. I can't imagine why in the world a person would make tuna salad, but the sample(s) wasn't bad. There was cheese. THere were boca burgers. There was plain canned tuna and plain canned turkey on ignorable crackers. There was their own take-out pizza. Some sort of yogurt juice. And, then there was the cioppino, which I've not had in years and makes me think that should be on the menu this week. So, what do you put in cioppino? Lobster need not apply (I makes Heidi and I both have a case of the horks). Let's talk about cioppino. Meantime, I need to drink another gallon of water. Most of that prepared stuff they give you in samples at Costco is so damned salty...sodium overload!

I'd say either the Folk Fest (which means summer!) or kolachies (sp?) which seem more wintery than summery.

I had not intended to leave the house today, but Heidi's teacher called and wanted me to drop something off, so I did. And, as I walked from the car through the parking lot in the bitter and ferocious wind, all I could think of was that theme song from the movie "Top Gun" -- "Take My Breath Away." Wowsa. So, since I was out, I stopped at the supermarket (two blocks from Heidi's school, and on the way home) to get some snack items for her at school, per the teacher's request on yesterday's slip -- I got her animal crax and some graham cracker snacks that are small. This means that the staff doesn't have to break things up for her since she cannot physically take a bit out of a cracker. But, while I was at the supermarket, I realized I needed a few other things -- things that weren't on the list. I was almost out of rye flour and saltine-type crackers, and while I was there, something else caught my eye: What does anyone know about that Harvest King Flour? The main internet thing that came up when I searched was this, but it doesn't tell me very much. Interesting that most foods need all sorts of disclaimers, but flour sacks don't need to tell you very much. Now, to the crackers, we've tried the major brands. There's Nabisco's Saltines, Keebler's Zestas and Sunshine's Krispys. We like the Krispys the best. What do you prefer? Anyone but Peter and I like them with butter? (This type of cracker is essential for thickening soup for Heidi.)

How very un-northern of you. I wonder if anybody else feels the same way... ← Yes, Pam, it is very un-northern of me, but it's about the only food(s) I dislike. Remember, I had my first raw pork larb at age 8 (or was it 9) and have never looked back. Carrots in stock. Makes the stock odd tasting to me, and doesn't transform into an Asian soup nearly as well. I'm thinking soup tonight that is a family favorite, and very bread worthy. You'll see Asian later this week because the pickings at my Asian market get better later in the week.

Hmmm. Never occurred to me to leave the skins on the onions. I'll have to do that next time. My stock has thawed, and been defatted (do I just freeze that fat or do I have to do something to it first?). Stock making (I did this yesterday) and the stock is reducing now (to save on container/freezer space). I'll post photos of the reduced stock later: While I normally use stewing chickens from Whole Farm Coop, I neglected to order any in time for the blog. What I love about these chickens is that many times, the label has the name of the kid who grew it for a 4-H or FFA project! But, this time, chickens from Costco. They were $.69/lb, and they come in two-packs, and this month there was a BOGO coupon. I had raided the breast off of one of the chickens for chicken pot pie on Saturday. There are the feet! plus a bag with some gizzards and a neck that I found in the freezer (that's another story). I also added a package of gizzards that fell on my foot when I opened the freezer door. The boys in the 'hood get such a kick out of seeing a chicken foot poking out of the stock (almost as big a kick as they get out of smoking butt conversations). Time to skim! I hate skimming stock. And, it was at this point that I remembered to add celery. I never add carrots to stock. In fact, other than roasted carrots, raw carrots or a carrot/leek/horseradish gratin I made, I hate carrots. In fact, I hate root crops in general. Which brings me to another point. I am not big on sweets, so we almost never have dessert. If I'm eating pancakes or waffles, they are naked or topped with a tart lingonberry sauce or fried egg. My true exception to the sweet rule is chocolate milk. I like Nestle's Quik the best, and really like this liquid stuff better than the powdered stuff. Mixed in much better. The potholders on the left were from my greatgrandmother, and I've dug out some sugar and cream yarn to knit a few more for myself because as you can see, these are in sorry shape. I also have a pair of the silicone potholders, which are great for pulling smoked meat off the grill, but I find that they are not flexible enough for general use. Not only do I have hand-knit potholders, but I always have a day-of-the-week flour sack dishcloth hanging on the oven handle. as well as a couple of other towels. I'm picky about my towels, and I think my family finally understands that the flour sack ones are for dish drying, and the terry ones are for drying hands. But, the terry ones are not for use as a napkin. Wash your hands or face first, please! Back to the day-of-the week towels. When I got married, I got four sets of them from various older relatives, who considered these a traditional shower gift. I made and gave sets to my closest friends for wedding showers as well, and now that they've all been married for a while, I give new sets to them for 20th anniversaries. Yes, Aunt Martha's hot iron transfers are still available, and while not readily available in the Twin Cities, small town Ben Franklin, five and dime, etc. stores still have lots of them. I think I like the Dutch Girl pattern the best, although I'm pretty fond of the animated dishware series. Off to do laundry, clean (finally) and ponder dinner. Oh, I also had a grapefruit for breakfast (which I forgot to photo). Unlike Pam, I like to peel and eat mine.

What does everyone do with that layer of fat they remove from the chilled chicken stock?

Good morning! I'm fortifying with coffee before I get Heidi up and the household has it's morning buzz of activity. It's zero and windy, and as soon as I find my gloves, Ill retrieve my stock from the outdoor fridge. It chilled rapidly last night. Chilled as in frozen. Shaya, Diana has requested Kao Soi, and I have a hankering for ba mi, so one of those will be on the menu this week (I think!).

Siracha, and perhaps an over easy egg cures most everything. Photos of my chicken stock tomorrow. Said stock is chilling rapidly in the outdoor fridge (deck) as the temps plummet and the "breeze" approaches gale force. OK. Need further help here. It appears that the natives (meaning the famil) are expecting something other than just soup and bread or soup and rice (which would be fine with me, and what I was planning on). Ideas for meals that have soup, but where soup is not the focal point? I've got some ideas, but thought I'd to to the pros here on eGullet. I'm going to clean the fridge before I dare to post any photos!