Baking up Memories

Lucille's Cooky Bible

There have been some busy bakers in our kitchen over the last two weeks.  Somehow it's taken me over 10 Christmases to fully delve into my grandmother's cookie books and dedicate some of our holiday baking to her.  She was a cook for a living and a baker in her spare time.  And she would make what seemed like pallets full of homemade treats around the holidays to complement the bowls of store-bought fairy food and red, white, and green gumdrops and other candies on display at every end table (it's a wonder how in the world great dental health runs on that side of the family.)  As a grade schooler, teen, college student, young adult it was a sugary wonderland.  As I've stepped back several years, I now understand why my sister and I felt compelled to perform high-intensity dance routines (including full-on toe touches) in the living room.  Yikes!  Sugar rush!

As I've gradually gone through my Gram's boxes of recipes in the last decade since her death I've been delighted to see that she saved recipes, made notes, and added dates just like I do.  (Must be the German gene for careful record keeping about which I've heard so much.)  She also added housekeeping and moneysaving clippings.  This was all clearly from an era when people had more time on their hands--or at least fewer of the distractions we have these days. The moment I cracked the cover of her Betty Crocker Cooky Book (the publishing date is not to be found because the inside cover and other pages with possible indicators are plastered with clipped recipe, but circa 1960 is a good guess) there was a rush of memories.  My grandmother's handwriting, the dates she made these cookies, and the washed out vintage photos of things I'd eaten growing up all sent me into nostalgia mode.  Wow!  The last thing to do is prepare some of these goodies and taste the memories as well.

Recipe clippings plaster the inside cover.  

My Gram's handwriting

Handwritten on the inside back cover.

My Great Grandma's Sugar Cookie Recipe, which I
successfully converted to gluten-free this year.

My Great Aunt Irene's attempts.  She's still around to tell.

Jim Dandies--definitely making this blast from the past.

V went through these books with me (including the annual Wisconsin Electric holiday cookie book w/ energy-saving tips) and picked out what she thought "looked" good.  We came up with a diverse list of cookies, bars, and candies to prepare this season, though we may be entirely too ambitious.  But I thought I'd try to uphold the tradition of making way more than we could possibly consume before the next sweet holiday in mid-February.

Vintage packaging ideas

Vintage ads from the Milwaukee Sentinel, 1965

V's at the perfect age to start grasping baking, the physical work anyway--I'll teach her more about theory later.  Last year she helped stir chocolate over a double boiler and pound peppermint sticks for the ever-addictive peppermint bark, but this year's she's really embraced the detail work of batch baking.  Her patience and skills in helping mix the dough have improved greatly from last year and--maybe it's a Montessori thing--she loves the repetition required for preparing cookies to go in the oven.  She's able to focus fairly well on the intricacies of putting tiny thumbprints and dollops of jam in the center of mounds of sticky dough.  Cutting out shapes is her specialty.  And eating dough, licking the beaters is her favorite.  We still have some decorating to do this week, but I'm confident that no matter what amount of frosting and sprinkles gets caked onto these cookies, they're going to look beautiful.  They may not be as precise and consistent as Lucille's, but the taste memory will be present.  It seems we're establishing a new tradition so we can work on perfecting recipes and techniques over the next decade plus.

My list 2013, her list 1999--note that she admits to
supplementing w/ some from a church cookie sale.

The next generation of bakers at the helm 

Detail work

She stuck in her thumb...

Using our homegrown/homemade gooseberry jam

A little taste for the baker--note the mess around her mouth in every pic.

Gluten-Free Chai Spice Cutouts

My Great Gram's Sugar Cookies

It would pain her that I made them gluten-free, but I
was happy w/ how they turned out

…Lay them straight

More photos to come as we pound out the last few batches this week.  Of course, we're not going to eat all of these ourselves.  We'll put some out when company comes this season, but we also intend to contribute some to the pool of cookies for bus drivers and crossing guards to be put together at school today.  Next week we're hoping to make our way around the block delivering to certain neighbors.  Better to share, especially when it's sweet treats.

Enjoying Winter, Planning for Spring

Packets of energy waiting to be cared for and turned into vegetables.

It sure has been a weird winter here again.  Last year we adapted to having very little snow and cold, but this year we've had a little bit of everything: rain, snow, warmth, sunshine, deep cold, deep snow.  I guess that's what they call a "wintry mix."  We've managed to get outside a good bit (though it's never enough for me) this season, which keeps the cabin fever at bay and by my theory is what's kept us so healthy (Ah! that fresh air does wonders!)  But I am getting excited for spring and our 2013 vegetable garden.  My attitude towards gardening has improved greatly from last year when we had just finished our kitchen (so were thoroughly exhausted from both mentally and financially) so I really kept the garden spending to a minimum.  It was also a test for myself to see if I'd miss the extra work and subsequent poundage of veggies.  I did and I didn't, but regardless I'm ready to jump back in full force this year.

I don't know if it's just the cold, dark days or the fact that I'm still enjoying the benefits of green juicing, but when I went through the seed catalogs this year all I wanted was greens, greens, and more green stuff.  I hope my attitude is the same in May and June when we're buried in salad mix, collards, and Asian greens.  (I see a bartering opportunity or two or three!)  As I mentioned in a previous post I'm also trying to capitalize on V's current obsession with pink and purple; she's excited to grow a pink and purple garden: pink radishes, beets, tomatoes, and pole beans; purple string beans, broccoli, tomatoes, basil, lettuce, and tomatoes.  Let's hope she enjoys eating those colors as much as she enjoys wearing and coloring with them.

Not a ton to report on the recipe front as I feel like I'm just beginning to crawl out of a winter rut--a cycle of [homemade] quesadillas, soup, pizzas, pasta on a loop for too long.  Lately I've been pumping up our homemade regular pizza dough (not gluten-gree for my husband/daughter) with lots of supplemental goodies.  I knew these extra ingredients wouldn't so much affect the outcome of the dough so I added ground arame (seaweed), ground flaxseed, chia seed, daylily powder, hemp seed.  You could also throw in some beet green powder, ground shiitake mushrooms, nutritional yeast.  Go nuts!

Super Pizza Dough!

They will seriously never know it's good for them.

Rolled out and ready to pre-bake

I finally had an opportunity to get back to a project I began last February--making gluten-free flatbread.  My attempt back then turned out a rigid though tasty bread.  More recent attempts gave me a pliable bread for which there are endless possibilities.

Grain-Free Flatbread (for Gluten-Free Wraps)

Many homemade gluten-free, grain-free flatbreads I've found use psyllium husk for pliability.  This recipe contains very few ingredients compared to some of the complex formulas out there.  That makes it easy enough to produce weekly (and freeze after baking if you'd like.)  (Note: If you haven't been eating a lot of fiber lately, don't eat the whole pan at once. Psyllium is very high in fiber, which should be added to the diet gradually with lots of additional water daily.)

½ c. coconut flour

2 T. psyllium fiber powder

¼ c. coconut oil

1 c. boiling water

Optional:

1/8 t. sea salt

1/8 t. granulated garlic

½ t. Italian seasoning herb blend (or Herbamare seasoning)

Whisk coconut flour and psyllium together in bowl along with salt and herbs, if using. Add coconut oil. Add hot water a little at a time, stirring as you add (will melt coconut oil). Mid well making sure all dry bits are incorporated.

Roll (w/ rolling pin) or pat (w/ moistened spatula) bread out on silicone baking mat or parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan until thin and even. The dough is forgiving, so feel free to move pieces around and repair patches as you go. Bake at 375F for 15-20 min. depending on your oven and how thinly you've rolled the bread. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool to room temp. before slicing/eating.  (Note:  It's better to err on the side of baking less as overdoing it will make a crispy, fall apart wrap.)

Before you know it I'll be starting all my garden seeds so stay tuned for those adventures.

Happy Valentine's Day

Sweets for you or your Sweets.

Taking a moment to wish you all a day filled with love and friendship.  Here's a yummy (and healthy!) gluten-free, grain-free brownie recipe for your sweeties.  Enjoy the day and I'll be back next week.

The Homestead in Winter

Someone is making plans to eventually get urban hens.

The holidays are mostly over so I want to get my blog back on track to include more about what many of you originally came here to learn--cooking, preserving, gardening, etc.  An FAQ about the urban homestead is "what do you do all winter?"  Before I learned about the ins and outs of the daily lives of farmer friends I always guessed that winter was a time for them to kick back and relax.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  I would never compare our modest gardening operations in the city to the scale or effort of my rural farming friends, but there are similar patterns during the "off-season" and simply sitting on one's behind is hardly in the plan.

Winter does mean a kind of "hibernation"--especially after the whirlwind that can be the holidays--and I have found myself wishing to crawl into a cave and sleep for months and months.  But while I don't exactly go completely down for the count until spring, I do experience my own torpor.  In winter I find more time to read, knit, sew, bake, plan--gardens, menus, things to preserve, class schedules, travel agendas--and catch up with friends over coffee.  As on a farm, winter's also the time to clean and repair my equipment.  In fact, I just picked up my sewing machine this morning; it's all ready for another 1000 miles.  Winter is also the time to assure that gardening tools and canning equipment are in good working condition.  

Homestead-wise, winter also finds me managing our basement vermicompost bin, sketching out my dream garden for the spring, and making arrangements to get advice in pruning our fruit trees, as well as getting out to enjoy the Wisconsin winters--ice skating, sledding, and hopefully even some skiing or snowshoeing this year.  

One thing I'm most excited about is garden planning and seed starting for 2013.  Having some morning solitude while V is at school will give me a little space and time to plan more logically then act as early as the ground can be worked again in spring.   The second thing exciting me most is the travel plans we're making--a few jaunts both near and far for spring and summer, which we hope to execute in the most sustainable ways currently available to us.  We've found pleasure in making camping reservations and saving dates and spaces for a few of our annual warm-weather weekends.  There's so much hope and excitement this time of year though it's also important for us to meditate on the quiet(er) we'll have until spring.

This winter will be the first downtime I'll truly have had since my daughter started school.  First semester I was getting into a new groove, then there were the holidays, and now I've finally caught my breath and know where I want to go mentally and physically.  My favorite day of the week is Wednesday when I often find time to read, blog, craft, thrift shop, or just sit quietly and drink coffee all morning (that last one is still a dreamworld to me...I mean really, can anyone see me sitting in one place for an extended period of time?  Sounds like the making of a New Year's resolution.) 

As I mentioned in a previous post, we are still celebrating some winter holidays.  Last weekend we explored Twelfth Night and Three Kings Day.  We made a King Cake (or in this case a Rosca de Reyes) and took down the decorations.   Though I wished I'd had time to pour some surplus wassail on the roots of our apple trees I did not, in fact, make time for the drunken revelry of Tudor England when they used to douse the orchard with alcohol, leave wassail-soaked toast in the branches for the birds, and shoot off their guns to ward off evil spirits.  I would however like to try playing snapdragon some year.  Sounds like a wild and crazy way to begin the carnival season when everyone lives a little excessively all the way through Mardi Gras.  

Dough after the first rise

Rolling up the filling--Brandy-soaked Dried Cranberries with Almonds

Cut, shaped and ready for the second rise before baking

Studded with halved homemade preserved cherries and baked till golden

Along with some Shakespeare it'll make the perfect adieu to the holidays

To get the winter cooking ball rolling again I'm sharing a favorite gratin recipe that I just tweaked this week using beets and turnips instead of the potatoes, parsnips, and turnips for which the original recipe calls.  

Beet and Turnip Gratin (Gluten-free)

Peeled Beets and Turnips ready to slice

Makes about 8 servings

Once baked and creamy, the turnips and beets will be indistinguishable in both flavor and color, but you won't be disappointed.  I use a hand-held slicer with a ceramic blade.  Such a tool is invaluable and can be purchased inexpensively at an Asian grocery.

Oil or butter to grease the baking dish

1 T. butter

2 T. gluten-free flour (or AP flour)

1/2 c. vegetable broth (or chicken stock for a richer dish)

1 1/2 c. milk or cream

Salt and pepper

1/4 t. grated nutmeg

1 lb. turnips, peeled and thinly sliced

2 medium leeks or 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 lb. beets (I used red, but golden beets would also be beautiful, but note that they begin to discolor if not used immediately)

Grated cheddar, parmesan or your favorite melty cheese (optional)

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese or other hard cheese

1/2 c. ground gluten-free crackers, cornflakes, or breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs if you prefer)

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease gratin dish (or any deep casserole dish with butter or oil); set aside. Heat butter in saucepan until foam subsides.  Add flour and whisk a few minutes.  Add broth/stock and stir vigorously until well incorporated.  Add milk/cream and whisk until mixture returns to boil.  Simmer a few min.  It should have the consistency of a thin white sauce (a little thicker if you use cream vs. milk).  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Arrange a layer of turnips in the bottom of the gratin dish.  Sprinkle with some of the leeks/onions and a  little salt and pepper and additional optional shredded cheese, if desired.  Add a layer of beet slices and more onions.  Seasoning in between all layers and proceed with the remaining ingredients.  Pour sauce over, cover, and bake 30 min.  Mix cheese, bread crumbs, and parsley.  Sprinkle on top and bake 30 min. more uncovered.  

Let the layering begin.  Don't forget to season w/ s&p between each layer.

And layering.

Cheesy, bubbly goodness in the end.

Season's Greetings, Best Wishes for 2013!

Helping paint placemats for our Winter Solstice meal

Our multi-cultural interfaith exploration of the holidays continues as we celebrated the Winter Solstice last Friday evening with my in-laws.  I'd been wanting to have a big Solstice celebration for years and with the way our family schedules worked this year, 2012 was finally the time to do it.  V helped me choose natural as well as a few artificial pieces of greenery and other herbs and berries to adorn our solstice table--each bit symbolizing a different blessing on our household. According to Druid's Herbal, plants are brought into the house at the time of the Winter Solstice to assure the woodland spirits can find refuge during this period of darkness and cold.  Our centerpiece, with farolito borrowed from the Las Posadas exploration, included:

• Cedar (arborvitae) for cleansing and purity
• Bay Laurel to bring the light of the sun into the house and ward off illness
• Chamomile for its ability to soothe and cleanse, for love and purification
• Frankincense (by way of incense sticks), an antiseptic herb used symbolically to bring purification and protection
• Holly for protection and to symbolize the coexistence of human and plant spirit and life
• Juniper for love and protection
• Mistletoe for healing, peace, and beautiful dreams
• Oak for healing, strength and wisdom
• Pine for prosperity, peace, healing and joy
• Willow to invoke the goddess to achieve desires

Our Solstice table

All the bits and pieces of greenery to bring good spirits
into our home this winter

We enjoyed some traditional wassail, a baked potato bar for dinner (potatoes being a traditional food served at Winter Solstice celebrations), took a starlit walk with the walking sticks V and I had collected weeks before, told stories and opened gifts by candlelight, and sang a few yuletide carols after finishing our Bûche de Noël made by my talented former co-worker at Eat Cake!  I definitely want this tradition to go on.  It was a very special, peaceful evening.

Roasted Apples and clove-studded orange for our wassail.

Gluten-free no less.  So beautiful and yummy!

Is that the North Star on our Solstice walk?

We sat by candlelight and a few string lights for the remainder
of our Solstice evening

These jelly jars come in handy for lots of things.

A little extra sparkle for our Winter Solstice celebration

After presenting V with her Christmas gift--a trip to see The Nutcracker followed by a carriage ride around downtown--we rested then set out early the next day to spend Christmas with my folks in west central Indiana.  It was the first trip to see them since they'd moved out of my childhood home.  I was a bit ambivalent about the visit.  Since it was the holidays I didn't know if I would feel like I was "home."  But by way of their hospitality and the familiar decorations from Wegner Christmases past, I felt just fine.

The Nutcracker at the Milwaukee Ballet

Your carriage awaits...

Just days before Winter Storm Euclid dropped a few
inches on my parents' place V was trying to find any
bit of snow to make an angel. 

My dad's become quite the baker in recent years--taking
after his mother no doubt.  Gramma Lucille would be
extremely proud.

Back home in MKE now, but missed out on the Boxing Day feast I'd planned.  Moved right into exploring Kwanzaa and had V help me collect the items for our centerpiece.  

Making our vibunzi for the Kwanzaa centerpiece

Exploring Kwanzaa this week.  Couldn't find a black candle for our
center unity (umoja) candle.  Trying to use the materials I have.

Today found me receiving an amazing box of uber-fresh starfruit from a friend/neighbor whose family in Florida has a big carambola tree.  I never knew starfruit could taste so amazing.  Just shows that the stuff we find in stores that travels miles and miles isn't worth the price when it tastes like cardboard.  Can't wait to see how I'll use this fruit.  Preserves, dehydrate, juice, salad.  Don't know, but it's reminding me that one other thing I love about the holidays is receiving these special gifts from friends and family from other regions.  My sister-in-law from Alabama has been known to gift us pickled okra from the south as well as fresh kumquats from her grandparents' house in Florida.  It all reminds me of the days when one couldn't get these treats any old time, but perhaps got his or her hands on them around the holidays.  Like oranges in a stocking.  I still think winter citrus is worth waiting for.

Unbelievable flavor!

Looking forward to a low-key New Year's Eve with friends and preparing a meal of auspicious offerings to bring us luck in 2013!  Till then.  Peace to you all.