My New Love

Drying almond meal to grind into "flour"

Can I tell you that I'm in LOVE with almond meal ("if you love it so much, then why don't you marry it?" the childhood taunt rings through my head)?  And as a friend pointed out today, there are so many wonderful ingredients in this world that we wouldn't find under normal circumstances.  So thank goodness for my need to go gluten-free; I might not have discovered this alternative, low-carb flour otherwise.  When I first started using it I made crackers and a pizza crust and found them to be very delicate and too sweet, respectively.  So I had low expectations for almond flour.  It wasn't until the last month or so since I've been trying to use more of what I have on hand that I was forced to refer to my almond flour cookbook in order to do some baking without going out to buy ingredients.  The Holiday Maple Cutout Cookies were my first success with this new flour and it's only gotten better since then.  Monday I hosted a meeting for Community Pie, a local volunteer organization to which I belong.  I wanted to provide coffee and muffins though I knew I was dealing with a few different permutations of limited diets as our group includes a vegan (consumes no animal products...but she allows honey) as well as someone with Crohn's (can't have grains, any sugar--except honey, no baking powder), and myself (no gluten, eggs, dairy, etc.)  So what could I make that would suit the majority?  Though it took some thinking, I managed to adapt this muffin recipe to fit everyone's needs.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Makes 10 muffins

Adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook  by Elana Amsterdam.  They were fluffy and delicious way beyond my expectations.  



2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 c. acorn meal (or other nut meal)
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. flaxmeal diluted with 2 T. water
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
1/2 c. raw honey
1 T. vanilla extract
2 medium apples, cored and finely diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. and prepare a muffin pan with either oil, paper liners, or silicone liners (which I prefer b/c they're reusable and make for easy cleanup.)  In a food processor, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, acorn meal, cinnamon, flaxmeal, and water.  Pulse to combine.  In a small bowl, combine oil, honey, and vanilla.  Add to processor and pulse until combined.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in apples by hand.  Portion into muffin cups and bake for 30-35 min.  Let cool and enjoy (I like to serve with homemade apple butter.)

My second success with almond flour were some chocolate chip cookies.  It was Oscar night, one of my guilty pleasures for the year, and Ben requested--in a sweet, quiet voice--"do you think you could make some chocolate chip cookies?"  Certainly.  So I whipped up a batch of regular CCC for him and then made a special batch for myself, which turned out to be a great idea b/c I do not want to share ANY of these.

Tropical Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 10-12 medium cookies

Adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.  Because of limited ingredients I used 1/4 c. coconut oil and 1/4 c. safflower oil.  With the cashews and coconut, these taste like they contain expensive macadamia nuts.  I could eat them all day, though Vera didn't like them (probably the nuts).  Good, more for me!  

Take a photo before they're gone!

2 1/2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. melted coconut oil, melted over very low heat
1/2 c. raw honey
1 T. vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar)
1/2 c. vegan, soy-free chocolate chip cookies (I recommend Enjoy Life brand)
1/2 c. cashews, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.  In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda.  In a medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, honey, and vanilla.  Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined.  Fold in the chocolate, cashews, and coconut.  Scoop the dough by 1/4 c. portions onto the cookie sheets and press down slightly. Bake 7-12 min. (smaller cookies will bake more quickly), until lightly golden.  (I like to slightly underbake all my cookies so that when they cool they are still soft.)  Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.  Do your best to share with family and friends.

I have found a reasonably priced bulk almond flour online, but have also been making a little of my own at home from the by-product of my weekly almond milk making.  After I pour off the milk, I'm left with a wet almondy paste that includes the skins b/c I don't use blanched almonds for this process.  I saved up all of this paste in the freezer then when I accumulated a reasonable amount I spread it onto the fruit leather trays of my dehydrator and dried it for the good part of a day.  When it was thoroughly desiccated I ground it further in a spice grinder and added it to the commercial blanched almond flour I keep in the fridge.  The homemade flour is a bit drier, finer, and contains almond skin particles, but when combined with the blanched variety it makes a fine complement.  Plus it gets me a little further without having to order more and creates no waste from the almond milk making process.

This week was fairly prolific in terms of developing new recipes--again, it's my menu planning ahead that really helps.  Sunday night before the big awards show we enjoyed a hearty winter meal using some of our homemade sausage and more of the cellared winter squash that are keeping well in the basement.

Sausage and Herb Polenta with Winter Squash
Serves 6

Polenta:
4 c. cold water, divided
1 c. stone ground polenta (I subbed as much as 1/4 c. local blue cornmeal)
2 t. salt (or more to taste)
1 T. dried oregano
2 t. dried basil
2 T. ghee

Sausage:
2 T. grapeseed oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
2 c. peeled, cubed, steamed winter squash
1 T. ghee
salt and pepper, to taste
2 T. white balsamic vinegar

For Polenta:
In  medium saucepan, bring 3 c. cold water to a boil.  In a small bowl, mix cornmeal, salt, herbs, and remaining 1 c. cold water.  Add cornmeal mix to boiling water, lower heat to low or until mixture stays at moderate boil.  Stir occasionally for 15-20 min.  Polenta will thicken and begin to leave the sides of the pan.  Stir in ghee, additional seasoning and place on a round dish making a well in the center for the sausage.  Keep warm.

For Sausage:
Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the onion and celery over medium heat until tender, a couple of minutes.  Add sausage and cook thoroughly.  Add steamed squash and ghee and mix to combine.  Place in the center of the polenta on serving plate.  Drizzle the balsamic over the top.  Serve immediately.


And this week's Monday Soup Night feature:

Winter Squash and White Bean Soup
Serves 8

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. grapeseed oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 c. pickled ramps, chopped (or just use more onion, or sub. leeks)
1 qt. vegetable or chicken stock (plus more to for desired consistency)
2 lbs. peeled, cubed winter squash (or leftover squash puree, carrots, sweet potatoes, whatever you have)
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. dried thyme
2 fresh sage leaves
2 c. dried, soaked, cooked white beans, drained
1/4 dry sherry
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
salt, to taste
1/4 c. coconut milk

Heat the oil in a large soup pot.  Saute garlic, onion, ramps until tender.  Add stock and squash.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and add herbs.  Simmer over medium-low heat until the squash is tender, about 20-30 min.  Add half the white beans to the squash mixture.  In batches puree the soup mixture in a blender until smooth.  Return to the soup pot and add the remaining beans, sherry, additional stock, and coconut milk.  Heat through.  Season to taste.

I've continued on my mission to make homemade granola weekly and I think I've finally found my go-to recipe, which is a surprise since I don't have too many go-to recipes--I like to experiment too much.  Again, using what I have on hand, I subbed duck fat (gasp!) for the butter.  I've had a pint of rendered duck fat in my basement freezer for a couple of years and pulled it out last week to find that it had preserved beautifully.  I shan't tell any of my restaurant co-workers about this because they'll curse me for not making duck confit or something more elegant--though I still have plenty of the fat left that I could do so.  I fear the "beating" would be worse than when I described to them how I use pork shoulder to make my annual batch of sausage.  They just about attacked and told me I shouldn't waste such a lovely cut on sausagemaking, but instead use pork scraps (which I don't happen to have laying around at any given time.)  Such is life.  I decided that I wanted to put something really great into my granola and I did.

Gourmet Granola
Makes 8 c.

Adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair (who I'm sure never intended for this recipe to be adapted as such.)

3 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. sesame or chia seeds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. chopped raw cashews (or almonds)
1/2 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. duck fat (or butter, or coconut oil)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. sorghum syrup
1 T. peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, seeds, cashews, pecans, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.  In a small pan melt "fat," add maple syrup, sorghum, and nut butter and stir to blend. Remove from heat and add extracts.  Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, using a spatula to fold and evenly coat the dry mixture with the wet.  Spread on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat and bake until golden and dry (about 30-45 min.), turning every 15-20 min. so that it toasts evenly.  Store in an airtight jar.

The political conversations have continued this week and I've developed some new ideas about the future of education.  There was a conversation about homeschooling developing on Facebook and someone asked that if that's the route we choose, how do we teach our kids trigonometry, calculus, foreign languages.  A day or so later I finally had a chance to read the TIME magazine article about Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom, and her strict and controversial parenting method. She mentioned the need to help her daughters compete in the face of globalization, especially as the Chinese are quickly gaining on us in terms of education and economy.  Both of those ideas--teaching homeschooled children all the "important" school subjects and pushing our children to achieve achieve achieve got me thinking (or rethinking b/c I feel like my brain has touched this topic before).  First, I believe that the global economy as it stands (higher production, increased use of natural resources, growing human consumption...all in the face of a peak oil crisis) is not sustainable.  Why does the focus have to be on seeing who can be the biggest, smartest, fastest, strongest? What about teaching our children to work with their hands so they can provide for and nourish themselves and their families in different ways (or teach them other "survival skills" and lost arts)?  What about teaching them to be moral, contributing citizens in society?  What about teaching them about conservation especially when it comes to fuel, water, and land?  I have moved The Race to Nowhere up my Netflix queue within the last week because I want to hear more on this topic that's come to mind.  This is just me philosophizing.  I'd love to hear your ideas as well.

image courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation

Coincidentally, we attended the Milwaukee Premiere of Green Fire last night at the IMAX Theatre.  Even before visiting the new Platinum LEED Certified Aldo Leopold Center in Baraboo and reading A Sand County Almanac, Ben and I were inspired by this contemporary conservationist.  After visiting the family shack I was even more inspired by how much happiness this family of seven found with so few resources and by how incredibly involved and in love they all were with nature.  Of course, there's so much more to the story than that, but it would be a whole different post.  I do recommend checking out the film, the book of essays, the center, and the shack if you ever get the chance.  This man was truly ahead of his time.

Sausage Making 101

Gramma 'Cille's handy old scale

When I told someone the other day that I was planning to spend my Saturday making sausage she asked where I learned how to do it.  I'd love to be able to say that I learned from my grandmother, or a hog farmer who processes his own meat, or that I picked up this skill on my last trip to Italy.  We spent a little time on charcuterie and meat processing when I was in culinary school, but I actually learned the most about this art by taking a Saturday continuing education class at Milwaukee Area Technical College called "Fundamentals of Sausage Making" (though I can't seem to find any current listings for this course...don't know if it's still being offered.)  I believe this is our fourth season making our own sausage.  We've typically set aside time for grinding and stuffing in November after all the other food processing is complete, but this year I couldn't find enough empty fridge space for the pork shoulder between our fall garden harvest and my holiday meats and poultry.  I always order a whole pork shoulder and pork fat from a local farmer.  The first year we made sausage, we excitedly tested 5-6 different recipes of cased meats.  Over the course of the next year we paid attention to and began to better understand our sausage needs; since then we've limited the variety to lots of bulk Italian sausage (for our Friday homemade pizza night) and Bratwurst.  This year we intended to smoke the bratwurst, but our timing did not allow.  We would need at least a full day following the sausage stuffing to keep an eye on the smoker (since we're meat smoking novices and don't yet trust ourselves to leave the premises during the process.)  Our schedule didn't allow so we simply froze the brats straight from stuffing.  Next year we'll reserve a whole weekend.

I use a grinder attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer to grind the meat.  You could certainly use a manual grinder.  You might also have success with a food processor.  We've realized that even when we use the smallest grinding plate, the consistency of the stuffed meat can still be too course.  Though a sausage stuffer attachment is also available for an electric mixer, we use a manual stuffer that was a gift from my mother-in-law.  This stuffer was salvaged from my husband's great grandmother's farm outside of Oil City in western Pennsylvania; on the side of the cast iron it says “Patented July 1858."  Every year when we make sausage we think of Granny (she was tough as nails, I hear) making her own cased meats in the old farmstead kitchen.  It took us a while to get the hang of using this stuffer and realize it was a two-person job.  The first season we had the stuffing tube in all the wrong places (there was no manual for this piece of equipment so we had to guess.)  But now we've got it down to a science--Ben loads the meat into the stuffer, I slip the casings onto the tube, he pushes the meat down and I gently guide the casings as they fill with meat then twist off the links and tie the ends.  Et voila!   

Smoked Bratwurst

Makes about 3 lbs.

Recipe from Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book.

The old stuffer with casings in place

2 1/2 lbs. pork butt, or 2 lbs. pork butt and 1/2 lb. beef chuck

*1/2 lb. pork back fat

1 T. kosher salt

1 T. coarsely ground black pepper

1 T. coarsely ground mustard seed

2 t. minced garlic

2 t. sugar

1 t. ground mace

1 t. dried sage

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 c. water

3/4 t. curing salts (optional...I don't add them)

**Medium hog casings

Stuffed!

Mix the meat, fat, salt, black pepper, mustard seeds, garlic, sugar, mace, sage, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Grind the mixture through a 1/4-inch plate.  Add the water.  Add the curing salts, if you intend the cold smoke the sausages.  Knead and squeeze the mixture to blend all the ingredients thoroughly.  Stuff into medium hog casings, and tie in 5- to 6-inch links.  If you choose to cold smoke the brats and have mixed in the curing salts, air-dry the sausages in front of a fan overnight.  Cold smoke for 12 to 24 hours according to smoker directions.  Bratwurst can also be successfully hot smoked.  Hot smoke to an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees.  The smoked sausages will keep for 5 days refrigerated, or for at least 2 months frozen (though they last much longer for us if wrapped properly.)  Unsmoked sausages will keep for 3 days refrigerated.  

Italian Sweet Fennel Sausage

Makes about 4 lbs.  

Also from Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book.  Stuff these into casings as well or freeze in small portions in bulk--I use an ice cream scoop and line a sheet tray with balls of raw meat, freeze then transfer to a labeled freezer bag.  

Ground Italian Sausage

3 lbs. pork butt

3/4 lb. pork back fat

1/2 c. dry red wine

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. fennel seeds

1 T. freshly ground black pepper

4 t. kosher salt

1 t. dried oregano

1/8 t. ground allspice

Medium hog casings (optional)

Grind the pork and fat together through a 3/8-inch plate.  In a large bowl. combine the pork and fat with the wine, garlic, fennel, black pepper, salt, oregano, and allspice.  Mix well with your hands.  Shape into patties, or stuff into casings and tie into 5-inch links.  The sausage will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator, or for at least 2 months in the freezer, if wrapped properly.

*When you order/purchase pork fat, be sure it's solid back fat.  This year, I didn't specify and was given a package of soft pork fat that was much more difficult--though not impossible--to incorporate into the ground meat.  

**Sausage casings, both natural and synthetic, as well as other meat processing tools and ingredients can be purchased at Haught Distributing in Menomonee Falls.

This was the main culinary event for the weekend, but since it went more smoothly than ever before, I still had energy to do some baking today.  I'm trying to perfect my gluten-free vegan baking skills.  I opt for vegan recipes because they leave out the dairy and eggs I can no longer eat.  Though I realized today that if I have access to lard (mostly in the case of pie or pastry crusts), I don't have to limit my recipes to those without animal products...but I guess I'm already straying from that because I use honey and gelatin here and there.  Anyway, my current project is to find a good gluten-free vegan brownie recipe.  I made a pumpkin brownie recipe last week that had a lot to be desired in terms of consistency.  I may revisit the ingredient list at some point, but today I tried something different and had great results (though I'm still striving for that characteristic crackled brownie crust.)

Vegan Blueberry Brownies

Makes about a dozen brownies

Adapted from a recipe on the blog Gluten-Free Goddess.  For the blueberries, I used the "mush" I had leftover and frozen from my blueberry juice making process.  You could certainly just use frozen or fresh and pureed whole blueberries.  These are nice and moist!  I believe they could be a hit even with the gluten-, dairy-, and egg-loving crowd.

1/2 c. coconut oil

1/2 c. gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate chips (I recommend Enjoy Life brand)

3/4 c. sorghum flour

1/4 c. potato starch

1/3 c. pure cocoa powder

1 t. gluten-free baking powder

1 t. sea salt

1 t. xanthan gum

1/2 c. xylitol

1/2 c. sucanat

1 1/2 t. egg replacer whisked with 2 T. warm water

2 t. gluten-free vanilla extract

1 T. maple syrup (or honey)

1/2 c. hot water

1 c. pureed blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a square baking pan and set aside.  Melt coconut oil and chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler.  Whisking until incorporated.  Set aside.  Combine all ingredients--flour through sucanat--in a large mixing bowl.  Add diluted egg replacer, vanilla extract, syrup, and hot water.  Mix to combine.  Stir in blueberry puree and chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan.  Cut and enjoy.     

Playing with My New Toy

 Fruit Leather (photo: courtesy of SimplyRecipes.com)

Though it was far from the childhood Christmas bonanza of toys and was mostly without "schrapnel," as my parents called the pieces and strips of wrapping paper littering the living room and tree skirt, we managed to exchange a few holiday gifts and I even got a new "toy," a Nesco Dehydrator and Jerky Maker.  I had a very simple dehydrator before that basically plugged in and heated up; it was without a fan or any temperature settings.  My neighbor was glad to take it off my hands and I believe she might be using it for drying flowers or other crafty things.  Though I act like a Luddite most of the time, when it comes to drying local foods, I decided I wanted something a bit more high tech.--a more efficient substitute for my oven in dehydrating fruits and vegetables...that is, until I build my solar dehydrator (stay tuned.)  This brand was recommended by a local orchardist who offered me a sample of dried apple at a recent winter farmers' market.  They were much better than the ones I'd dried this fall and received greater acceptance from Vera.  So this past week, after all the holiday parties were under our belts (literally and figuratively) I took my new toy out of the box and "played" with it a little.  Actually, I just skimmed the user's manual.  (You may know that technical verbage and I don't mix.  I even had Ben read the breast pump manual and show me how to use it, but that's another story...)  So I searched the booklet for as many pictures and charts as I could find to explain how to use this new piece of equipment and avoided the mildly confusing lexicon like the plague.  I'll probably just end up winging it--reading as I go.  Meaning, I'll have the product all prepped and ready and then I'll fumble with figuring out how to operate the thing.  But really, it looks pretty simple.  I can't wait to try some dried fruit leather this winter.  That will take me right back to the old days of carob and protein drinks from my children when my parents sold health food, picked up eggs from a local farm, and ne'er a Fruit Roll-up or grain of white rice crossed our threshold.  Funny how things come full-circle.

Speaking of "health foods," my new reality is taking shape.  I think I've checked out just about every gluten-free, sugar-free, egg- and casein-free cookbook I can request to be held at our local library branch.  I've combed the internet for the best deals on bulk alternative flours and picked up others at Outpost Natural Foods.  I've tested a lot of new recipes on friends and family--whether they realized it or not.  So far I only found one piece of  "Heaven" discarded on the communal cookie tray at my parents' house (I blame it on one of the youngin's without such a developed palate, right?)  Now I'm attempting to serve a gluten-free, alternatively sweetened, dairy-free dessert to my husband's co-workers at the annual holiday party tomorrow.  Really, I just wanted to guarantee there would be at least one dessert I could eat (and so I wouldn't be tempted--in desperation--by other desserts likely to contain Jell-O, Cool-Whip, and pretzels.

Sweet Potato Spice Cake (Gluten-Free, Egg-Free and Dairy-Free)


Adapted from a recipe I found at Benevolent Kitchen.  Unleash your creative juices to jazz this up.


1 1/2 c. buckwheat flour

Mmm, Drippy Frosting...

1 1/2 c. tapioca flour (or white rice flour...or a combo)
1 1/4 c. xylitol
1 T. baking soda
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
3/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3 c. steamed/pureed sweet potatoes or winter squash
1 c. white wine (or water)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
2 t. gluten-free vanilla extract (Frontier or Flavorganics)

Glaze:
3 c. organic powdered sugar
1/2 c. almond milk or orange juice
Orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, etc...if gluten-free, avoid grain based alcohols)
Shredded coconut (optional)
Toasted pecan pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two 9-inch baking pans and line with parchment rounds. Sift together flours, xylitol, baking soda, spices, salt and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer or a mixing bowl combine sweet potato puree, wine, oil, vinegar, vanilla and mix well to form a smooth batter.  Pour into prepared pans and bake about 1 hour or until skewer inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool in pans until they are easily handled; remove cakes and place on wire racks to cool completely.  For glaze, sift powdered sugar into mixer bowl, add almond milk or juice and mix until desired consistency is reached.  I prefer it to be viscous enough to drip down the sides, but still be opaque.  To assemble:  Cut slightly domed portion off of one cake round and brush with orange liqueur.  Spread or pour glaze over this layer and sprinkle with coconut or pecans (optional).  Place second layer on top of first and repeat trimming, brushing, glazing, and sprinkling.  Let set.  Enjoy with dairy-free coconut "ice cream."  

Tonight we got back on track with our weekly Friday night pizza.  It was my first attempt at enjoying a pizza without my beloved cheese.  I prepared a super creamy bean puree and spread it on top of the sauce.  I thought it was delicious, though Ben--who wasn't even subjected to my latest substitute and still enjoyed mozzarella on his portion--said "it's getting further and further from a pizza."  I negotiated an idea for personal pizzas in future weeks when he can have his old gluten-filled crust back along with whatever forbidden toppings he wants.  It's a deal!  And Vera can just choose from either.  She's neutral on this issue because she tends to just munch the crusts anyhow.

Creamy Bean Puree
Makes 3 c.

Use whatever variety of white or yellow beans (cannellini, coba, etc.) you desire.  I prefer fava beans because I enjoy their "umami" quality.  


2 c. dried white(ish) beans, soaked overnight and cooked until very soft
Olive oil
Nutritional yeast (optional), to give a more savory flavor
Salt

Half and Half Pizza with Gluten-Free Crust

Put cooked beans, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt in food processor and process until very smooth.  Add more olive oil until you reach the desired consistency--I like it to be slightly on the "thin" side, meaning not lumpy and VERY spreadable.  Spread on pizza, crackers, fruit, veggies, etc.  Freeze extra in small portions.

As of this past week, I began a new season of continuing education.  Though I wasn't particularly thrilled with all of my required coursss in college, I have always enjoyed reading, attending lectures and workshops, and learning new things.  I can somewhat regularly be found enrolled in a continuing education course whether it's through the Milwaukee Recreation Department or at one of our many local colleges or community centers.  I guess I'm a lifelong learner.  On Monday I attended a "Beesentation" at the Urban Ecology Center, taught by the owners of Beepods, two energetic guys I worked with at Growing Power years ago.  They engaged us for two hours with an intriguing slideshow about the lives of honeybees.  What incredible creatures!  They must be the smartest critters on Earth!  I'm in the process of evaluating our property to see if a hive could fit within the setbacks required by the city for keeping bees.  And I'm hoping to get the approval of my neighbors as well--one of them might be reading this post (there's free honey in it for you!)  At any rate, I'm thrilled to be learning about this ancient art and hope to be practicing beekeeping myself by spring.

Top-bar beehives modeled after nature (photo: courtesy of Beepods.com)

Keeping Busy

During the summer, Ben told me I should save some of my posts for the winter when there isn't much going on.  I told him there would be plenty to blog about in the colder months, especially about recipes that utilize my preserves from the season.  But I've found a few other activities to keep us entertained as well. This week I started preparing some broccoli seeds for sprouting.  As I was looking through a hand-me-down cookbook from my mom, Healthy Food for Hungry Kids, (one I remember from childhood) I came across a section on sprouting, something I'd planned to do soon anyway.  I had just purchased some broccoli seeds at the co-op for this very purpose.  I've sprouted seeds in jars before, but I thought I'd try tray sprouting, which is much easier and works best for alfalfa, buckwheat groats, lentils, or brassica seeds.  First you cover the seeds with water and let them stand at room temp. about 3 hours or until the seeds swell.  Drain the seeds.  Line a shallow tray with 3 layers of paper towels.  Top with a single layer of cheesecloth.  Arrange the seeds in a single layer over the cheesecloth.  Spray thoroughly with a fine water spray.  (Paper towels should be wet, but the seeds shouldn't stand in water.)  Prick holes in a large piece of foil and cover the tray loosely.  Store in a warm (65-75 degrees), dark place.  Uncover the tray and spray with water 4-5 times/day until seeds sprout and grow 1/4 inch.  Then spray 2-3 more times/day, keeping sprouts moist at all times.  The sprouts are usually ready to eat in 3-5 days.  At that time, remove foil and set tray in a sunny place for several hours to let the leaves turn green.  Continue spraying sprouts.  To harvest, pull them off the cheesecloth.

Unholiday Gingerbread Cookies

LICK!

This week we were cooped up inside as I was very actively working on potty training Vera, which was pretty exhausting and rather boring at times--lots of sitting, reading, sitting, watching vigilantly, sitting.  To pass the time one day, we were paging through one of my photos albums from early childhood and I came across a picture of me helping my mom make Christmas cookies, which I remember being a super exciting activity.  I decided that even if I can't eat the cookies that I should still engage in mixing, rolling, cutting, and baking them with Vera.  I found a recipe for "Gingerbread Boys" in Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, one my Gramma's coveted baking books that I inherited after she passed.  Vera loved licking the beaters, something my mom used to let us do.  This recipe was eggless so I figured the damage was minor.  She also seemed to enjoy rolling out the dough and loved using the cookie cutters.  I emptied the drawer of the cutters I thought she'd find most interesting, seasonal or not.  So we ended up with lots of gingerbread butterflies, bears, hearts, and stars.  The excitement was rounded off as we watched the cutouts puff up in the oven (Vera gasps and looks at me saying "Oo-ooh!")  Tomorrow we'll decorate them and take most to a holiday gathering on Sunday.

Roll It...

...And Cut It...

As you might imagine, since my allergy diagnosis last week I've been delving into research about food allergies as well as poring over gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and other-free cookbooks from the library.  I've found some great titles that I think I'll add to my new collection.  Flying Apron's Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking Book looks like a perfect fit for me.  In a different book I was reading the foreword about how food allergies arise.  It mentioned that one of the first symptoms is eczema or other skin irritations.  Last year I saw a dermatologist for a regular mole check and he told me I had eczema, which I'd already sensed.  He gave me some petroleum based shampoo, which I politely handed back to him and asked if there was some more natural or homeopathic way to deal with it.  He told me that was ridiculous and basically laughed me out of the office.  I'd like to find him now and ask him if he's ever heard anything about food allergies.  This also makes me wonder about my family's history with skin problems as well as Vera's intense eczema that was attributed, by her allergist's prick test, to a dust allergy.  Interesting that since we've weaned it's really cleared up.  Once again I'm amazed at how things circle back to nutrition.

On the topic of my new eating plan, it occurred to me yesterday that I might rethink my desire to have urban hens.  If I can't eat the eggs I need to recalculate whether it's worth the work.  Of course, backyard poultry is still advantageous for producing one's one garden fertilizer as well as having insect control and pets, not to mention a very strong bartering tool--those delicious huevos.  I'll still fight for others to have this opportunity, but I need to do more thinking before making plans for our own coop.

Snowed in!

Vera and I were homebound today.  We took advantage of the big snowstorm and stayed warm by cooking and baking.  I've been trying my hand at some gluten-free recipes lately.  I made a Four Flour Bread from Bette Hagman's The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread.  I was surprised and thrilled with how light and fluffy it turned out; my experience with baking gluten-free is that breads are very dense.  This one was right up there with the best wheat flour breads I've baked (which are few and far between).  I enjoyed the first slice still warm from the oven, slathered with butter, but toasted a couple more slices for a sandwich: smoked turkey breast, Muenster cheese, local winter greens, spread with an Herbed Yogurt Dip leftover from Superbowl hors d'oeuvres.  

Herbed Yogurt Dip 
(adapted from Hors D'oeuvres by Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell)
Makes about 2 cups


1 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 c. fresh chives, chopped
zest from 1/2 lemon or 1/2 t. dried lemon peel
juice of 1 lemon
6 oz. cream cheese, in small chunks
1 c. whole milk yogurt
3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Place herbs, lemon juice and peel, cream cheese, yogurt, and oil in a food processor or blender; pulse until well blended.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 min. to allow the flavors to blend.  Serve chilled with vegetable crudites--I recommend carrot and daikon sticks.