snowangel

maggie, I'm about to take one for the team with the soup with banana, but I will do it on Souper Bowl Sunday when I have a mess of guests with other food to nosh on (and this is a group that is used to my experiements). It's the banana quite frankly that's the problem. I hate banana, and I think this dislike stems from the amount of banana ick I've wiped up from floors, faces, etc. of kids. Plus, I can't stand even looking at a banana that has any black spots or stripes on the skin. Give 'em to me firm and ever so sligltly green, please, if you must.

The paper for my list tomorrow: Today's list (note the stuff crossed off!) and tomorrow's list: If anyone has any questions about the items on the list, let me know. Oh, and these sheets arrive splatted from Heidi's school; my counters are clean! And, I'm aiming for a kitchen shot or two every day: Comments: I really love my kids and family. They are my life. We did see the ruby slippers. They look much more tarnished in real life than in this picture. The timer. The poor thing is on it's last legs. My dad gave it to me right after I got out of college (some 25+ years ago). I love this timer. What I really like about it is that when it hits zero, it chirps for 30-60 seconds, and then starts counting the other way, so that if you are outside and don't hear it, you know just how long whatever is in the oven has been over-baked, or whether the sprinkler has been on for 4 hours and flooded the basement. Plus, it fits nicely in a pocket (handy for grilling; a timer my single most essential grilling tool). Anyone know of another timer that counts backwards once it hits zero and you miss it?

OK. Seeking suggestions for soup this week! For some reason, I have a hankering for mussels, and there is a recipe in "150 Best American Recipes" for a mussel thing with bacon ( ), but other suggestions are welcome, and Costco usually has mussels. Need an asian suggesions and would prefer something other than Tom Yam or the chicken/curry/coconut milk suggestion. Other suggestions welcome and appreciated as I come up with my daily lists. (Reminder, I am not an organized meal planner like Bruce, and often shop on a daily basis, or on a whim).

Absolutely, and see my post down-topic about what you need to not be afraid of! I was blown away by this bread, and I acutally winged it, adding more barm to the starter, which made me have to wing the quantity of flour and water I added to the dough!

Run, do not walk, to your local library and check out Bread Baker's Apprentice, and realize a couple of things. Depending on time of year, things may take longer than they do at other times of the year. Wet dough is good. And, when it comes to shaping loaves, flour and cornmeal are your friends. An oven thermometer (to make sure what your oven's running at) and an instant read (to make sure the bread is done) are two of your best friends. I just decided I could conquer bread, and that flour is cheap so if bread does't work out, it's a small investment.

See if you can find some green hot sauce (like Cajun Chef), or add some worchestershire sauce or cayenne pepper! edited to add: or some smoked fish, bacon or sausage.

Dinner was yummy, and my bread was proof that even the most bread-impaired can succeed, if you don't worry your bread too much! Let's backtrack. As I was vaccuuming under my bed the other day (after I'd committed to this blog), out popped James Peterson's "Spendid Soups" (among other assorted other goodies like all of the knitting needles I've been looking for, my black pumps, and lord only knows how many of Paul's socks ). And, I was at my mom's house the other day, talking about soup, and she lent me the other book. So, as I contemplated dinner tonight, realizing that my chicken stock (more on that later) wasn't done, I remembered a couple of things. That I had been on the North Shore of Lake Superior last November, and at the Holiday gas station in Two Harbors, had bought some wild rice. And, that when I stopped at the really strange grocery store yesterday, they had boxed broth for $.50/box, and organic celery for $.50 for two bunches, and bunches of two leeks for $1.00. I had purchased these items with no plan in mind, other than they would be good for soup. Then, voila, the CIA soup book sort of plopped open to the Minnesota Wild Rice page. That and the fact that I had bread in the making made this one a no brainer. The stuff in the halloween ziplock is dried chives, from the garden. It seems like about a week after every holiday, those holiday ziplocks are on sale at my local supermarket for less than half the price of a regular box. I just figure it will be halloween or Xmas or easter again sometime! Leeks are really dirty, so they and the diced celery got a nice shower in the colander. A sautee of these things in some butter, a bit of flour, a mess of that boxed stock (no need to add extra salt to this soup!). I had removed the breast meat from my stock and added some of that, just torn apart with my hands. Just before serving, a splash of cream. Meantime, the baguette had finished rising, and the oven was piping hot, to I took my new kitchen shears to the loaf and... An epi! My best effort with sourdough so far! Nice tang, good holes and fab crust. Even the kids loved all of that crust. An epi really is a crust-lovers delight. Now, a couple of comments about the soup. I found that the wild rice cooked faster than the recipe indicated, and that it needed more of it than suggested. Do we suppose that this was because this was real wild rice (not cultivated)? Or that it was parched? I had intended to take more pics of dinner prep, but realisitcally, that's not going to happen, with three kids, two of whom have a lot of homework. Then there's the spat, or the bloody nose, or the "I can't find this or that or the other thing." Late afternoon and early evening are busy in the Fahning household! I'll get to tomorrow's list in a bit, as well as think about dinner tomorrow night, but bring on the suggestions. (Note to self: remember to eat lunch tomorrow!) (edited to fix a photo link)

If I want a smokey flavour to a soup, I opt for some sort of smoked pork. Smoked butt, bacon ends...

It came up on the request list when I polled the family yesterday. Hints and suggestions welcome. The mafe has been ixnayed by the family, and I figure if they're going along for the ride, I'd better try and make them happy at least some of the time! We have settled on a soup for tonight, and it is a Minnesota thing (I think!).

Having been bread impaired for a number of years (like all of my life), I made a vow this fall to conquer bread. And, I think I'm succeeding. I have a love of sourdough, and so, following the instructions in the Bread Baker's Apprentice, I think I'm winning. One of the things I learned is that if you start starter in the fall, when the windows are closed and the furnace is running, the starter might take longer to start. So, on Saturday, I refreshed my barm. After a night in the fridge, it was ready to be made into a starter: It rose (this is where I had a near disaster; I was cleaning up the kitchen, and stuck the starter in the oven, forgetting that I had done so when I set the oven on the "self-clean cycle." I realized this not but 5 minutes into the self-clean cycle, and fortunately found the manual for the oven and was able to avert said disaster, but it did mean getting to bed a bit later than I'd intended, and did mean that this might have risen a bit too long). After an overnight in the fridge: In the trusty KA with some water, softening before I added the flour and salt: Now, having done this before, I follow the recipe very loosely. I decided this time to add more barm than the recipe, which necessitates sort of going by feel when it comes to adding the water and flour to the barm, and the same holds true when making the dough. So, I didn't follow the recipe, but found having the cookbook and my readers (125 strength) comforting. There's something soothing about splatters on a cookbook page. I did not kneed the dough by hand, but with the mixer, and once it was mixed, gave it some time in the bowl, doing the fold thing twice at 20 minute increments. While the dough does not look fully kneaded after the knead, after the folds, it is just like grandma said "smooth as a babies bottom." I'm coming to think more and more that the rest and the folds allow the flour to fully hydrate. Then, into a clean bowl for a rise, and it is risen!: Turned onto a well-floured cookie sheet: Divided: I ended up dividing one of the pieces into two for two baguettes (or epis), and they rest in their makeshift couches (I LOVE parchment paper): Another one goes into a bowl to become a boule, and yet another just flat goes into a tupperware and will be worried about day after tomorrow: Then, Diana gets home and isn't sure that she's going to be home for dinner, so one of the baguettes goes into the fridge in yet another makeshift couche (note battle with plastic wrap): (sorry for crappy photo, but battling plastic wrap and taking pictures with no assistance is, well, er, not easy).

I'm back from the market, and focusing on dinner and my bread (yes, photos to follow). But some questions following my visit to the market: Why was petrol $1.99 when I drove up there, but $2.17 when I drove home some 25 minutes later? (BTW, I filled up for $1.83/gallon late last week) What is a "personal watermelon" (acutally what that little produce round symbol said)" As I was browsing the hispanic section (for hominy), I espied these cartons of Knorr's sauce, and I certainly understood what the mole was, but what about Pipian sauce? Off to take care of my bread before I have a disaster on my hands!

I've had breakfast now: As I rapidly approach 50, and look at my aging parents (and the aging parents of the friends of mine), I realize I need to make some changes. One is to incorporate more fibre in my diet, and to drastically increased the vegetables in our diets. Exercise plays a part in this, too (more on that later). But, I'm looking at my mom, who at age 73 is more fit (positively buff) and looks better now than she did at 50. She's agile and nimble and full of energy. Hence, the toast and my choice of bread. But, this stuff is sort of nasty. So, after my first bite, I added a bit o honey. My mom says it is better with mustard and some sort of greens and meat or cheese. I'll have to try that. Since the larder is nude of fruit, and a few other things I need, I'm off to the market. Stock will start soon, and my bread dough is rising (slowly, given that I don't keep the house very warm during the day. Photos to follow. Oh, and any suggestions for incorporating more whole grain into the diet will be appreciated.

I'll have breakfast in a little bit, but first, a question. I was thinking of making Mafe for dinner tonight, but I don't like peanuts or peanut butter. Any comments on how peanutty it is? Pam, Judith and I have left things pretty open for this week, but each of us one night will do something from RecipeGullet and one night will be a family favorite. I'm aiming this week to expand my horizons and not make things I've made before, except for the family favorite night, so any and all suggestions are welcome. And, if you've got a sure-fire winner soup recipe (that conforms to the copyright guidelines), get it into RecipeGullet!

Good morning! It is a relatively warm January morning here in Minnesota -- 14 degrees (F), and not windy. We had a dusting of snow last night and it is very pretty. My weekday mornings start early, long before sunrise (especially during the dark days of winter) to get the kids up and off to school. In order to prepare for the next morning, the last thing I do before going to bed is get things ready for coffee -- rinse or wash the coffee pot and gold filter, fill the maker with water, and fill the grinder with beans so that all I have to do is grind the coffee in the morning and push "play" on the coffee maker. I love this coffee maker. Sure, I know that a french press does a better job, but this is easy, and I need my first cuppa (strong and black) as soon as I'm out of the shower. While I favor Peet's, I only have it around when my sister (who lives in Berkeley) as been for a visit. So, in the meantime, my dad and I go together on 5-pound bags of "Bird Mountain." I'll look for a web site for the place where we get this coffee. I made my list yesterday morning. I live by lists. Since Heidi can't tell me about her days at school, the staff puts one of these in her backpack every day: As a maniacal recycler, I prefer to re-use and then recycle, so the back side of these are perfect for my daily lists: I've already crossed a few things off because a stop at a strange grocery store yesterday produced some of the items. I won't get through all of the items on the list (I never do), so they go on the next day's list, or I'll just squeeze more stuff on for tomorrow. The drywalling has been on the list for quite some time now. Off to get stock going and work on my bread dough!

There is nothing as comforting on a cold winter night as a big bowl of soup; walking into a home with the aromas wafting through the air and heat radiating from the stove top is most inviting. This is heart and body warming stuff. It helps thaw out your toes and restore your spirit. Now, of course, there are some places in this world where a pot of simmering soup in early February is more welcome than others. Were we sitting on a beach on the coast of a Caribbean Island, we might prefer a frozen beverage more than a bowl of chicken noodle soup. But from the shores of Lake Michigan to the upper reaches of the Mighty Miss to the wind-swept Canadian Prairie - where the snow reaches your waist or higher - there's nothing better. We bloggers are proud Northerners. We are diverse and yet the same. We are cold, but know how to overcome that. Pull out your soup pots and get your bones simmering. Share a week of warm and hearty meals! We're cooking soup this week - and looking forward to cooking with you.

Pozole? Can be done with chicken, as well, and even without meat, I'd think.

Tammy, have you thought about Mafe (peanut stew)?

Let's not forget every mother's best friend: the big ass bag of grated cheese from Costco. We rather favour the "Mexican" blend (a combo of jack, medium cheddar, queso quesadilla and asadero cheese). Saves knuckles, wear and tear on the grater, and just plain keeping the kitchen floor clean. The teenage daughter and I hide the good stuff for splurgues.

Tammy, have you ever done a taco meal?

For us, it's not that we don't love fine dining and would love to support on a regular basis these places. But, for many people, it a matter of choices we are forced to make. In our case, it is three children, a husband who doesn't get home on a weeknight until about 6:00 pm (and we live in a northern suburb, but that is not the most important factor). The kids need to eat. There's homework. There's the Teen who is rapidly approaching college! And, speaking to the latter point, preparing for college tuition and triple digit dollar meals just don't seem like the right thing as often as they used to. And, we have made the choice for me to stay home, to be here to get the kids off and home safely and without the potential problems of an unsupervised household. Fine dining? We'll be back at it, just as soon as the youngest is a bit older! I don't think I'm alone here, and I know that when Paul and I get get away for a bit, we're more likely to go for an appetizer (or two or three!) and a glass of wine than a meal, given monetary and time constraints on a weekday.

A Thai noodle shop table is laden with condiments. There's the fish sauce with sliced bird chilis. There's another version with vinegar and bird (again sliced) which is a favorite. Hot Sour Salty Sweet mentioned a "Vietnamese Must-Have Table Sauce that is redolent with lime, nam pla, a big 'o vinegar, the pinch of sugar and birds. What about peanut sauce? An Asian table that isn't loaded with condiments just isn't right. There's the sweetness of peanuts, acid, salty, hot spicy...endless ways to enliven a bowl of pretty plain food.

My husband agreed with this. The welded handles on the two Cuisinart pans I have are only really practical because the pans are small and will never hold much weight.

My guess, Janet, is that is is simpler and easier and requires less engineering. But, your topic struck a note with me today as I washed the gunk off of the rivets in on Calphalon skillet, and one All-Clas saucepan (gunkwhich no dishwasher will touch, BTW). And, then I was reminded of a couple of really old Cuiz pans. One is a suacepan with a wooden handle, which was some sort of givewawy when there was some sort of lawsuit. I have loved this 2 quarter, and it has no rivets, so it is a dream. Then, there is the little skillet Paul bought me when we were but two -- not 5. Not a rivet to be seen. I just wish it was bigger so eggs for five didn't take so long that by the time the last was served the first was long gone from the table! Hmmm. I'll ask the engineer (Paul) later tonight when the kiddies are all tucked in.

Was taco salad an 80's thing or is time passing faster than I think it was?

With three hungry roommates, what I have won't last long. After having another bowl today, I've decided that it could have used another can of hominy, and I probably could have doubled the number of chiles I used. It's quite mild, but all the better to juice it up with some hot sauce. ← I have made pozole but twice in my life (always using smoked meat and stock), and my family always felt that more was better than less when it came to the posole.