I can run!

The last week has been one full of movement.

Last Saturday was the Rhythm Race, which sounded so cool. A 5K at Rentschler Field, with live music along the course and tailgating after. I've done 2 other races there, so i knew the terrain could be gravel, but would be flat. Mich, Aimee and Ian were signed up, and Duncan was going to join us as a spectator. 

It was a fail. There was hardly any music and the course was lots of loose gravel that hurt and made running a real challenge. We had split into pairs, Mich and Ian walking and Aimee & I running with the stroller, except around Mile 1 Connor just wasn't having it. We tried carrying him, walking with him, everything. No go. Aimee headed back with him, and i saw Mich and Ian as i went around a turn. They were calling it quits too, the loose gravel was just too much. I finished, 41:44, and it was hard. Tailgating after was fun, being with friends, but this race was not one i'd do again. Not even water on the course or at the finish line. I've been spoiled with HMF events.

Thursday was the 3rd Extreme Scramble (5K) with Aimee. I had field work earlier in the day, so i wasn't at my best, but the course was masochistic fun. We went across the Connecticut River twice, once across the Bulkeley Bridge and once across the Founders Bridge, both of which involve a lot of stairs. The sections along the river were nice - shady, pretty, cool, and even under the Founders Bridge there was small up and downs that were kind of fun, even if they were a challenge. When we crossed the river a second time the sun was setting and Hartford looked pretty. We ended with a time of 41:21, walking the stairs and a bit of the second bridge because i was tired. 

These two scores had me nervous, as Sunday was the Old Wethersfield 10K. But how could i avoid a race in my own town? There was a 5K too, but this big kid option... i knew i could walk the distance easy, but run it? I anticipated a time around 1:20. I was afraid we'd be last, looking at the 2011 results. 

Mike lectured Aimee and i on not starting too fast, pacing ourselves, all that jazz. Well, we did, and at Mile 1 i think the clock said 12:45, which was reasonable. After that, we actually made up time on each mile, so that we hit Mile 5 at almost perfectly 1:00:00 according to the marker. The course was great, through the historic areas, along the green, and the fact that we were doing a double loop wasn't even that bad, because it was so cool and flat. We walked the three water stations and that was it. Our final time was 1:12:43, meaning we averaged 11:43 per mile! It took me a little to recover at the end, but i had run a 10K! 

It's worth noting, if i had stopped to walk, i'm not sure i would of been able to run again. I felt like a machine, as long as i kept running i would stay running, but if i slowed down i was doomed. The last mile was HARD. And that afternoon i was exhausted and sore. I need to be training more and for longer distances. Of course, i also managed to bruise my right instep, so running today isn't going to happen. Probably not tomorrow either. 

I'm so thankful for Aimee, i could find so many excuses not to do these things, but they are rewarding and fun. In just under a month we'll be doing the Warrior Dash, another big challenge. And then, maybe the half marathon. 

Yeah.

Corn Chowder

Friday is CSA pick up day.  Once again, Fair Weather Acres did not disappoint, and i came home with a giant muskmelon, a dozen ears of corn, more peppers, giant scallions and more.  

I'm not a huge fan of corn on the cob.  Maybe it's the childhood punishment of having to shuck ear after ear, or the 6+ years of having to pick it out of my braces.  Even if i was, Duncan and i couldn't possibly eat a dozen ears of corn ourselves in just a few days.  The last time we got this much corn, I froze it, so that we could have some ready to go for recipes or a side.

This time, i decided to try my hand at making corn chowder.  It's not something i've made before, but i have enjoyed it.  When Duncan said it was one of his favorites, i decided to go for it.

I decided to start from Corn Chowder with Chilies from The Pioneer Woman.  Her recipe seemed flavorful, easy and i'll admit it, her photography could probably make anything look delicious and amazing.  I wanted to go with more items from my CSA, however, so i made some modifications.

some of my ingredients

• 6 ears of corn, shucked and cut off the cob 
• 2 slices of bacon (i tried her trick with just cutting the end and it came out great)
• 1 onion
• 1 large scallion (these were giant,you'd probably need several regular sized ones)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock   You could use chicken stock if that's what you have on hand.
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Salt to taste
• 3-6 Tbsp corn meal
• 1/4-1/2 cup water

Over medium heat, place the bacon in a pot or dutch oven (yay i got to use mine!) and let it cook down so the fat starts to be released.  

Add the onion and scallion, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to become transparent.  (You could also add the peppers at this step if you wanted them to be more cooked in the final product).

Add the butter to the pot and allow to melt.

Add the corn and stir.  I added the peppers at this point as well, and they stayed fairly crisp in the chowder.  Allow to cook for a few minutes, so things start to get bright, stirring frequently.

Add the vegetable stock and cream.  If your vegetable stock is dark, don't panic, the cream will lighten up the color.    

Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

In a separate bowl, mix the corn meal and water, starting with 3 Tbsp of corn meal and 1/4 cup water.  Add to the pot, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  

If the chowder is not thick enough, mix the remaining corn meal and water and add to the pot, simmer for another 10 minutes (approximately).  

veggies before adding stock and cream

We ate this with a sweet sausage and bread.  It was good enough Duncan told me to keep the recipe, which may be a first.  

Strawberry Jam!

After attending the great class at Billings Forge, i decided to give making jam a go on my own, and properly can and everything.

It went great!  First I hulled and sliced 2 lbs of very ripe strawberries.  Then i threw them in a pot and mashed them a bit over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Then i added about 4 cups of sugar and a few tablespoons of lemon juice.  I also added 3 tablespoons powdered pectin.  I let come to a steady boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.  Once i got a good thickness, it came off the heat, and i filled 2 8 oz and 1 4 oz jars.  I added a few chopped up  mint leaves, stirred and filled another 2 8 oz jars and 1 4 oz jar.  All the jars went into the boiling water to keep them properly preserved.

While it was definitely easy to do, it wasn't the neatest work.  I spent a decent amount of time cleaning up bits of strawberry red from drips and drops as i went.  I also steamed up the whole kitchen with so many pots boiling!

There are so few pictures because the camera on my phone kept steaming up.  This was hot work, but definitely not hard.  I'm glad i did this, and am looking forward to tasting things in a few weeks.

Baking FAIL

This weekend some friends and i went camping, to celebrate Aimee's birthday.  Birthdays require cake.  But she is not eating much animal product (vegan as practical?), and seeing if removing gluten from her diet helps with some health stuff, which means not just any store-bought cake would do!  OK, and it's Miss Aimee the Cookie Mistress and no store-bought cake would do anyway, she's one of the best bakers i know!

Aimee loves salt.  She's taught me to be a little less fearful of it, and even taught me to add it to things i might not otherwise, like frosting, to add a little pop.  Also, we recently went to Tanglewood, and passed on some local salted caramel ice cream that all made us go "oooh".  I've never made caramel before (and it will show during this saga), but thought it sounded like a fun challenge.

It's a good thing sugar isn't expensive this was a complete fail, even after several tries.  And so the trash can had a feast.  These were my first attempts at a gooey filling (the sugar never melted enough) and harder decorative caramel (burnt).

Try #1 for filling came out grainy and gritty.  The sugar never melted enough, I think because i left out the 'optional' water, there was never enough moisture for it to get really soft.  

Try #1 for a harder caramel that i could break and use for decorating the cupcakes.  I let it get too dark and it burned.

I feel like maybe next time i should do some research about caramel before hand, as i ended up scrambling and not sure what i was looking for (hence so many failures!).  

This just wouldn't get hard, it kept melting at room temperature!

And here is Try #2 for a filling.  It's was way too thin.

The second time i adapted a non-vegan recipe, and substituted almond milk for the heavy cream.  This obviously cut the fat content way down.  Again, i maybe should of let this boil longer, as it was thin when i transferred it to the jar, but i was afraid of repeating my previous over-cooking error.  After a night in the fridge it was much more sticky and caramel like, but when i tried to use it, it was clear, it was way too thin.

I decided that the cupcakes should have a little more depth, rather than a single flavor note, so I made chocolate cupcakes, using a similar process to my lemon cupcakes.  These, however, were gritty, somethign didn't properly incorporate, either the flour or the cocoa.  But they looked ok, right?

Sadly, Aimee did not get cupcakes.  My time ran out before i could make a new batch of anything.  I would totally fail a reality TV cooking show audition.  We did, however, put candles in a cooked banana with chocolate chips and marshmallows for her on Saturday.  

Still, i will make these darned cupcakes for her!  Ian says that this is a sign i'm becoming a better baker, that i can tell things are not right and pitching them rather than making my friends suffer through my mistakes or something.  

CSA

Another weeks farm share, with Lucky investigating.  Lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, peaches, heirloom cranberry beans, tomatoes and lots of peppers!

My First Cooking Class (but not the last!)

peach preserves

Last night, after work, i headed over to Billings Forge Community Works, in the Frog Hollow section of Hartford.  For those of you not familiar with New England's rising star, this is a neighborhood that is not-so-great, in charitable terms.  Billings Forge has decided to invest in probably the roughest area of Hartford, including the very fancy Firebox restaurant, as well as the Kitchen, which grew out of the catering side of the restaurant.  Both are farm-to-table style businesses.  There are also artist workshops, a community garden and a weekly farmer's market.  Oh, and did i fail to mention the mixed-income housing?  Or that it's all in former industrial buildings?  I know this blog is often about domestic things, but yours truly is an civil/environmental engineer who has a love for urban planning, so places like this do fill me with a certain joy, particularly when they succeed as well as Billing Forge appears to.

Among the many programs at Billings Forge, are some cooking classes at The Kitchen.  I was a little intimidated, having never attended a cooking class outside of 7th grade home ec, but a girl has to learn somehow, and books and youtube only go so far.

I'm happy to say this won't be my last time there.  The class was great.  We met in the dining area, and had an introduction to what Billings Forge is about, what the Kitchen does and met our instructors.  There were about 8 students in the class (3 pairs, me and another woman who came by herself) and 2 instructors, so there was lots of attention.  We had a short lecture on safety, and why it's important to follow instructions when it comes to preserving fruits and vegetables (botulism, among other reasons).  We also learned the difference between 'refrigerator' recipes versus recipes which require hot water baths and proper sealing.  We would be making refrigerator types of preserves, which won't last as long, but are much faster to make (and, after tasting my peach preserves, these won't be lasting long anyway, as i want to eat it all NOW!).  

We also learned that we'll be using a lot of sugar.  And this is critical, because that's what acts as the preservative binding with water in the fruit and preventing the growth of microorganisms, much like salt does in some recipes.  Then we headed to the kitchen to begin our hands on work!

Our instructors already had all the prep done for a pepper jelly, which they gave us the recipe for.  I don't have a lot of experience with savory jellies, but after trying a sample of this recipe the instructor had made a few days earlier, i'm excited to try some new things out!  The smells from the pot as it boiled were amazing.  

As we learned about pectin, we began to cut up our peaches for a preserve.  Pectin is extracted from fruits (some fruits have more pectin in them than others) and is used to make things gel.  It's in a number of products, in liquid or powder form.  We were recommended to check out Pomona Pectin, produced in Massachusetts, not only because they apparently make a great product, but it comes with a recipe book and a how to do your own recipe guide.  Liquid and powder pectins will produce different results, so you can't just substitute one for the other.  We would be working without pectin, which means we wouldn't be getting a really hard set product (hard set would be like Smucker's, when you scoop it out of the jar it sort of holds it's shape). 

I cut up 6 peaches unpeeled cut into small chunks and added 2.5 cups of sugar and just a little water to prevent the sugar burning before putting it on the stove. A good stir to get things going and then we let them go!  Some people added herbs to theirs, such as rosemary (i got to try a drop of this, and it was ZOMG good).  Basically we just let them boil, stirring occasionally, hoping to get to approximately 220F.  

Finished products

Because there are only so many burners on a stove, we made 1 large batch of the blueberry preserves (i forget what this was officially called), using the same process.  Lots of fruit, lots of sugar & a little water, setting to a boil and stirring occasionally.  Again with the wonderful colors and smells!  

We were told we could skim off the foam if we wanted from our preserves, it was just an aesthetic thing.  Some folks use a little butter to deal with the foam.  I didn't, and mine looks lovely anyway.  We also discussed how to tell if things were set without a thermometer.  Our instructor had a very fancy instant read thermometer, but you can also get an idea of your set with a frozen plate, and seeing if a skin forms or if it is runny.

We also spent some time discussing techniques for packaging, fancy jars, and trying some pickled items that had been made at the Kitchen, including beans, beets, onions, radishes and garlic snapes.  When things were ready we used a canning funnel to pour into our jars and ta-da!  Really, it was as simple as cut, stir, heat, stir more & pour.  

This class really boosted my confidence about making preserves,  both sweet and savory, and answered a lot of my questions regarding technique.  I just ordered a copy of Well Preserved, which focuses on small batch preserving, which fits with my food quantities better, and am looking forward to more adventures in preserving!.  

Last weeks CSA

Thought I would share a photo of last week's CSA share from Fair Weather Acres.  I've not been great at blogging our harvest, as Duncan has been picking it up, but it does give you an idea of just what comes in when, here in southern New England.  

On the streets of Hartford.

Thought I'd share this pic of a yarn bomb outside the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford on Sunday. It made me happy.

Gluten Free Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

yum!

It was a very, very busy weekend.  And despite my best efforts, my food didn't cook itself, nor did the yummy fresh peaches get eaten.  They were on the verge of getting too soft, so i thought hard for a moment.  Then another.  Then another, until cobbler happened.

This cobbler has blueberries and a bit of ginger for flavor.  I added brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon as well.

The topping is a mix of white & brown rice flours, almond flour, oatmeal, almonds and even a little ground walnuts, because i am a wild person.  With gluten free crumble tops you can get away with a lot of different mixes of grain and nut combinations.

This all went into a small baking dish at 350 F for about 30 minutes.

I get to taste it today.  I can't wait!

Update: despite the cat STEPPING on it, it still tasted awesome (Lucky may be adorable 90% of the time, but occasionally his name ought to be Lucky-We-Don't-Throw-Him-Out-A-Window).  I need to be more brave when adding spices, as the ginger was not very noticeable.  Also, i think i want to up the ratio of nuts or oatmeal, to give the crust more chew.  Still, for a throw-together, this worked!

Spice jars are love

In process

Duncan is away for EAA Air Venture and thus I began my home projects to surprise him. Last night was using the Crate & Barrel spice jars (thank you 4+ year old gift card!) and my label maker to organize the spice cabinet.

See, I LOVE our spice cabinet.  It's a former ironing board cabinet in the kitchen, right across from the sink.  It is one of the reasons our kitchen feels so vintagey and cool.  That said, it's also totally awkward to fit everything in there.  The jars from most spice companies are small enough there is plenty of room on the shelf, but too big for two across.  Also, we don't always buy the same brands, so there are different dimensions to deal with, making stacking a challenge!

The current state of the cabinet

I'd look for one cinnamon, and have jars of cloves, pepper and sesame fall out.  Or Duncan would want cumin, and it not being immediately apparent, would purchase a second bottle.  And then a third.  (No lie, we have more cumin than a small country, and it's not a flavor i particularly enjoy!!!)

I ordered 3 dozen of these bottles, which were on sale for about $18 a dozen.  They feel heavy and solid, and the mechanisms feel secure.  The mouths are large enough i could get a stack of bay leaves into them, and i suspect most of my measuring spoons will have no trouble getting things out.  There are gaskets around each which seem to work well and ensure a good closure.

I think this week, if i have time, i will slip in a few more shelves so i don't need to actually keep them stacked.  I have also ordered a 3 dozen more, knowing we have more spices, and our collection will continue to grow, silly me and my enjoying time in the kitchen.

Zoomed in.  Sprinkles are a spice.

One of the things that did strike me is just how beautiful these things are.  The colors, textures and smells were just a wonderful thing to take in and enjoy.  Even with the grainy close up you can see the variety of colors involved.  I didn't realize until this exercise what a variety there is!  The store labels are so big they hide the beauty of what is inside.  The glass jars allow me to really see what i'm working with (as well as how much there is!).  I think it will help me become a better cook as i get to understand my ingredients better.

Filling the Freezer with Fritters

Honest, i don't always make total junk food.  Sometimes i take healthy things and turn them into junk food.

All this without grating my fingers!

The CSA from Fair Weather Acres is great.  But like most folks in the summer, we've got an abundance of zucchini and summer squash.  I've already made a few batches of zucchini bread, and even brought some to work, where it quickly disappeared, but i still had way too much to use up and squash bread is less popular.

Then i saw a recipe for zucchini fritters... this sounded interesting!  Grated zucchini with a little flour, egg, spices and fried?  And promised to freeze well?  Hmmmm.  It was rainy out, and supposed to cool off (once again the weatherman LIES!).

This time i followed a recipe by Smitten Kitchen, which was amazing and yum.  My changes were using whole wheat flour, and making a second round with summer squash (which used a little more scallion).

Tasty tasty zucchini

Seriously? Make these.  Try not to eat them as they come out of the pan.  OK, eat the little bits that aren't a whole piece right out of the pan.  Or the ones that are a little too crispy.  Or not round.

Who am i kidding.  These and two muffins (and two hard ciders) were dinner last night.  And some more are lunch today, with some cherry tomatoes and a plum.

Some tips - definitely use a cheesecloth for de-watering the veggies.  I used a towel for the zucchini and it may be green forever.  Also the pore size was too small and took longer.  There is a LOT of water in these veggies and the full 10 minutes with salt makes a difference.

I only have a grater, but the texture was fine, sort of like a hashbrown of sorts.

These should freeze fine, and will update if not.  We'll probably know soon, because i want more already.

Muffin Experiments

Peach muffins

First off, although i didn't run yesterday because of the weather, i did make a rather crazy fitness choice - I signed up for the Warrior Dash.  This is a race that is around 3.5 miles, with a series of obstacles including climbing over walls, balancing on narrow boards, crawling through mud and jumping over fire.  Aimee, who is my running inspiration, as well as my brother will be joining me.  I've got until September to try and gain some upper body strength, as well as continue working on my running.

I did use the evening for productivity.  First off, i made a batch of peach muffins, using Alton Brown's muffin recipe from I'm Just Here for More Food, with a slight modification.  I used half whole wheat, half white flour (by weight).  I sifted the dry ingredients twice, to make sure things were incorporated.  I also used greek yogurt, because that's what i had.  I didn't measure, just went with what i had left in the container, which looked to be about a cup.  Because that's what i had.

I had wanted to use some raspberries in these, but sadly mine had gotten moldy, and the ones that were salvageable were too soft, and i didn't want pink muffins.

Blueberry muffin

I love the flavor the whole wheat added, but i think next time they will need a lower temperature, as the outside came close to being burned had i not turned off the oven and let them finish as the heat reduced.  These muffins were also a little more dense in comparison with the blueberry muffins i made several days ago using the same recipe except using only white flour.  I have done a little reading and learned there is such a thing as pastry whole wheat flour and may investigate such a product.  I don't believe white flour is the devil but any change to get a little better nutrition is nice.

Both batches were not sweet, nor cakey, but felt like something old-fashioned and comforting.  I'm interesting in trying a savory batch sometime soon, perhaps some sort of herb and cheese thing.

Because i made the blueberry muffins before leaving for a trip to Massachusetts for a family gathering, i froze them and found they were still great post-freezer.  They also defrosted quickly, which is handy.  I decided to freeze all but 3 of the peach muffins (two i ate for dinner, plus one for today's lunch, don't judge!).  We'll see if the flour choice has any impact there.

In related news, i recently read two posts from Food 52, one on Food Styling and the other on Food Photography.  Please bear with me as i try and learn (and also use my iPhone 4S as my camera).

Creating my own systems

I recently started reading Get It Together Girl!: A 28-Day Guide to Practical NOT Perfect Home Organization, and was terribly disappointed.  It is another book with specific steps to home organization, which is fine, but either I'm more organized than i think i am (a realistic possibility) or the exercises were a poor fit for me.  I do a fridge purge weekly, and already group like with like in my pantry.  Under the sink is for dish towels and cleaning supplies, over the fridge is for emergency supplies.

And i thought about why i'm not doing the Kelly's Missions or monthly habits as part of FlyLady, and again, they just didn't fit for my life.

One of the reasons I think i've struggled with these sorts of things before is i was trying to follow the systems too closely, but until someone comes up with an organizational system for geeky girls who have a full time job, a role in an activist organization, live with their spouse part time, own a cat, and have an active social life there will never be a perfect fit!  And trying to adapt a life to a system is a recipe for frustration and even failure.

So what elements are working for me?

• Write things down - This is something i learned through Getting Things Done by David Allen, and is admittedly a skill i need to keep improving.  Jotting down ideas takes minutes at the most, and prevents them from being lost in the shuffle of daily life.  
• Create a manual - Many organizational systems encourage a journal or manual of some sort, to serve as a reference for yourself, but also anyone else should they need to step into your shoes.  I am still in the process of creating mine, but hope to share it as it grows.
• Break things down - Many projects can seem daunting initially, but if you set reasonable time limits and work on the tasks that make up a project, anything is possible.  This method lets you tackle big projects over time, rather than exhausting yourself trying to get everything done at once.  This is where that 15 minute thing comes from, as well as the idea of breaking your home into zones.  
• Dedicate time - When you are doing something, try to remove distractions like TV or internet chats. I like to keep music on to keep me motivated, but try not to change the station once i'm going.  If your family all working together is beneficial, do that, but if not, try to make time when you can work alone (which is usually my preference).  I make sure i build time into my weekly plans to work on the most relevant projects.
• Follow routines - Routines mean you can rely on yourself to get certain things done.  I have a morning routine, an after work routine and a before bed routine.  They are all short, simple tasks than ensure i'm ready for the day, and can rest easy or focus on more critical things.  The scale and scope of your routines is up to you and your needs.
• Be flexible - For me this is critical.  My schedule changes often, and my work hours are not always consistent.  I need weekday routines that are short in time span and can be done before work, after work or before bed.  I also don't follow a days of the week plan except for calendar activities (Monday yoga class for example).  Having every Wednesday be grocery day would be way too challenging!  I try to keep a few projects ready to go for when i have time, and schedule things early enough that there is a little wiggle room should something come up.  
• Experiment - There is no one-size fits all for organization.  Be open to new ideas, and give experiments enough time to see if they work.  If they don't, try something else, if they do and it makes you happy, stick with it.  
• Let go - Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day.  Don't hold onto guilt or shame about not getting everything done, just be OK with what you did do and move on to tomorrow.  Let go of stuff you're not using, is bad, broken, or you just don't like.  Its not as simple as it sounds, but really, give yourself some compassion and create space for the things that make your life better.  

Busy Week

This week was super busy!  Lots and lots going on at work that left me very tired by the time i got home.  The good news is that using my book really helped me get going and kept me on track.  This week is also pretty busy looking, and i'll be spending the weekend in Williamstown with Duncan's family, so being organized will be really important to getting everything done.

Here's this week's plan to get an idea of what i'm looking at!

Gluten-free, vegan lemon & raspberry cupcakes (AKA Baking without a net)

July 4th was an important day in the domestigeek's life.

See, there was a low-key bbq to attend, with the usual Olympus family.  The perfect opportunity to attempt the kohlrabi chips i'd been thinking about.  And make up some German potato salad, an easy crowd pleaser that is safe for most diets because the ingredients are so simple.  But of course, i wanted something sweet.

I'd just done the fat kids salty-sweet cookie day, and it's been hot here in CT.  Stupid hot.  And humid.  (And awful for spending time in the kitchen, but maybe i'm a little twisted). I'd been thinking about doing chocolate cupcakes with coffee icing and heath bar chips on top, to play on Duncan's favorite ice cream flavor, but it felt too hot for chocolate.

For whatever reason, lemon was calling to me, and i thought lemon squares, but that seemed too advanced, and most of the vegan recipes called for tofu, something i knew i wouldn't be able to get Duncan to even try.

But then i found inspiration!  Lemon and raspberry cupcakes!  But this recipe was complex and i didn't want to spend the small fortune on the various flours and whatnot, if they even all were available at Stop & Shop or Whole Foods (and who wants to make 2 grocery store trips?).

So i did some more research, looked at several gluten free cupcake recipes and went to town.

Although it's not perfect, the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour is decent for a base flour.  I hope to experiment more and maybe come up with a better blend when Aimee and Ian and i do Science Day (stay tuned for that adventure!), but i was willing to dumb down the flours to that.

I then had to consider the vegan element.  A cake needs the proper proteins to get the right texture.  I hate using egg replacer, because there is something kinda sketchy about it in my head.  So what would work?  I decided that this gluten free vegan recipe would be my base, which has apple cider vinegar, baking soda and water.

So for the cupcakes, this is approximately my recipe:

2-3 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1 cup sugar (yes, i know, sugar can contain bone char, which isn't vegan, but the lovely folks i'm most often baking for are comfortable with sugar, if you want an alternative, i'd suggest researching your brands or using turbino sugar)
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
0.5 teaspoons salt
0.3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
zest of 1 lemon
squirt of lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a dozen cup muffin pan with paper liners. (i also used a silicone liner to make a 'test' cupcake, there was plenty of batter
3. Sift together the dry ingredients (start with 2 cups of flour and sugar, baking soda, salt).
4. Add the oil, extract, vinegar, and water, and zest. Mix together till smooth.  My batter was very loose and i ended up adding more flour until i liked the consistency.  You want something akin to a cake batter, loose, but not watery.  I also tasted it and decided to add some lemon juice to up the flavor.  
5. Pour into lined muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. These seemed to rise fairly well.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Test with a toothpick, if it comes out clean you're good. 

These had a dense, spongy but soft texture.  I think next time i may reduce the amount of water to account for additional wet flavoring (lemon juice).

As i waited for these to cool i made a raspberry filling.  This was definitely a little tart.  If you'd like something sweeter, add more sugar.

1 bag frozen unsweetened raspberries

1.5 cups sugar

1-2 cups water

1. Thaw the raspberries with about 1/2 cup sugar
2. Put the raspberries in a saucepan and cover with water, add another 1 cup of sugar.  Simmer, stirring often and allow mixture to reduce to a thick consistency.
3. Strain some of the seeds out with a strainer.  
4. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture.  Using a narrow tip, insert into the cupcakes and squeeze gently (Wilton has some pictures to explain).  

Mine weren't perfect, but it did work!  Expect some leakage on the tops, but you'll cover it with frosting, so it'll be ok.  Next time, more sugar and maybe something to thicken it up better?  I'll do some research and report back.

The last part was the frosting, after all, a nice creamy frosting is one of my favorite cupcake elements!  

I've grown up on Domino Sugar's buttercream frosting recipe (although now i know Aimee's secret of a little salt, it'll never be the same).  Of course, this relies on butter, which is not so vegan.  Here's where a little playing comes into effect.  Earth Balance is great for baking, so long as you can do soy, but it's texture isn't as hard as butter, so the frosting isn't quite right.  You need to up the ratio of sugar to get the right thick texture.  I can't exactly quantify this, but i tested it as i went by seeing how stiff the frosting was on the spatula.  When it held it's shape without melting, i decided it was thick enough.  Because of the heat in my kitchen i also suspect i had a harder time establishing the right texture.

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup earth balance (i usually get this at stop & shop in the butter/margarine area)

3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon extract

zest of 1 lemon

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix on medium, adding sugar as necessary for a thick texture.  This isn't a strict recipe, you can alter the flavor elements to taste, just remember the more wet you add the more sugar you'll need for that thick creamy texture.  You want to minimize the amount of liquid you add, so start small and add slowly.  If it's too thin add more sugar, too thick, add more wet flavor in the juice or extract.  

I topped these with raspberries.  Ta-da!

A Day Off and Next Week's Plan

Today I have the day 'off'.  After a 55+ hour work week Duncan has decided to let me relax and do what i want this weekend.  He's wonderful like that.  So what am i doing with this time to relax?

At the moment cleaning.  So far this morning:

* Morning Routine (although i am dressed in hang around the house clothes)
* Folded and put away the laundry
* Upstairs trash & recycling emptied
* Kitchen trash & recycling emptied
* Dishwasher running (It's SO HOT today and i feel guilty not waiting until after 8 to run it, but the heat had made things start to mold, lesson learned)
* Pitched attempt at indoor herb garden.  The containers didn't allow for drainage and stuff just rotted.  I think i'll try something more creative next time.
* Lunch box hand washed, Lucky's waterbowl washed and sink returned to shiny.
* Kitchen trashcan hosed off and drying outside
* Under the bed storage purged of some junk
* Serious sweeping and dusting of bedroom, including under furniture
* Bedroom & Landing windows, mirrors and other glass cleaned
* Hung some new art and a set of shelves in the bedroom
* Organized the linen closet with labels and everything
* Swept the stairs

Now i'm tired and have decided i deserve something from Dunkin Donuts and to peruse the latest book i picked up: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  I'm hoping to make some pickles and maybe more things as i learn.

Here is my plan for next week, which, even with the holiday, will be a little challenging routine wise, but WAY closer to normal.

Not this week (Routines)

This week has been crazy town work-wise, with long days and field work every single day.  Field work means a different schedule (often coming in early and/or leaving late) as well as not necessarily being able to eat breakfast or lunch because of the environment.  That can create a tired, cranky, hungry girl at the end of the day!

So while i've been thinking about routines and systems, i've not been able to consistently implement anything yet.  I have been keeping my sink shiny, something Ian teased me for on Tuesday.

Since tomorrow begins around 4:15 AM, I'm hoping to spend some time in the afternoon working on some menu planning and scheduling from the comfort of my couch (potentially after a nap).  I promise i am working on this stuff though!

As for the blog, i've created a Twitter account, so you can follow along as i attempt to do my various projects.  You can find me there as DomestiGeeky!  I'd love some followers and folks to chat with and learn from!

Kitchens of the Future... Or Not

I just finished reading The Real Kitchen of the Future Won’t Involve Sous-Vide over on Slate, and it really made me think.  I'm a gadget loving girl, for sure, but what do i really use in my kitchen?  What do i wish i had for making some jobs easier or to improve the quality of my food?


* Knives (i'm slowly learning to use more than just a little paring knife, thanks to my friends and spouse)
* Cutting boards, both plastic and wood
* Basic Pots and pans
* The crockpot
* The mixer - SO MUCH LOVE for my Kitchen Aid!
* My breadmaker, though less with my current diet plan, because i'm eating less bread.
* Mixing bowls, mostly plastic or old Pyrex/FireKing
* Pyrex casserole dishes
* Baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper
* Mason jars

I infrequently use my blender, and have never used the pasta maker my spouse bought, though he has 2 or 3 times.  For special occasions we use the fondue set.  For a few recipes involving nuts i use the mini chopper thingy.  Once in a while i use the double boiler, and very rarely my dutch oven.

Some of this may be because i tend to cook simpler recipes.  I hope to continue learning new skills and adventuring more, but there is a balance between taking on those challenges and still needing dinner at the end of the day!

So what's essential in your kitchen?  What tools could you not survive without, and what gets dusty in the cabinets?

Salty Sweet

This weekend i must have had a particular craving for salty-sweet, as i tried out two new recipes.  I had to alter each to make things edible for my gluten-free and vegan friends, but they were still SO delicious, i have to share.

Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies - i used regular old Lay's chips which came out fine.  I substituted Earth Balance for the butter and used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour for the flour.  I could of been braver on the salt application on top, but these were awesome and very easy to make.

Salted Oatmeal Cookies - Again, i swapped out Earth Balance for butter and used Gluten Free flour.  I also substituted a few tablespoons of applesauce instead of using eggs.  I added a little more cinnamon than the recipe called for, but also let the raw dough sit for longer in hopes of getting the oatmeal softer, which worked.  They didn't get too puffy, like sometimes dough does, but these were a huge hit.

When i asked my friends which they preferred, they all asked if i could just put potato chips in the oatmeal cookies.  I'm pretty proud of both sets, since i felt i was working without a net in making these GF and vegan.  I love when my experiments create tasty results!!!

Farm Share Week 1

So here's what i did with my delicious produce from the first week of my CSA through Fair Weather Acres, a beautiful and delicious haul!

Spinach (1 lb)

• Omelettes with spinach and swiss cheese and Farmer's Cow eggs (see picture).  Pretty proud of actually making an omelette that didn't turn into scrambled eggs, but could of been more patient and cooked it a tad longer.
• Cut up a ciabatta roll and layered herbed goat cheese, fresh spinach and roasted red pepper as a fancy late afternoon snack.
• Threw some in a salad for Saturday & Sunday dinners
• Cut some up and ate it with slices of turkey for a lunch on Monday & Tuesday.

Strawberries (1 qt)

• Ate some straight out of the container they were SO GOOD i snacked on them consistently.
• Strawberry shortcake for Father's Day using home made Cream Biscuits from the Fannie Farmer cookbook and whipped cream from scratch.  I wish i took a picture of these, they looked so pretty in my mom's blue bowls!

Parsley (1 bunch)

• Looking to use it soon, if not will dry it.

Rainbow chard (1 bunch) 

• Pickled the stems with a modified version of this recipe.  They are not kidding in calling this rainbow chard!  They are gorgeous!
• Going to sautee the greens with the beet leaves maybe?

Turnips (2)

• Cut 1/2 of the larger turnips into french fry shapes and roasted with some herbs in the oven.  Came out tasty, but could of cooked longer.  Amazingly low cal!

Beets (1 bunch)

• Tried to make beet chips with the actual beet part, but they all came out burnt.  Looks like i'll have a chance at redemption this week as we'll be getting more.  The ones i didn't burn came out tasty!
• Pickled the stalks using this recipe.  
• Saute the greens with the chard?  Or just combine this week's haul with the next for a larger serving?

Romaine lettuce (1 head)

• Saturday & Sunday dinner salad with tomatoes, spinach, cucumber, peas and chick peas.

Bok choy (1 head)

• Slow Cooker Chicken with Pineapple and Bok Choy

Tomatoes (2)

• Saturday & Sunday dinner salad, basic but tasty!

Getting back to routines, Creating a system

Previously, i have learned a lot from using modified versions of FlyLady.  Although the system is geared towards stay-at-home-moms, homemakers, there is a lot of unnecessary stuff, and a has a bit christian bent, i have found the core ideas to be very useful (for the record, i don't have kids, my spouse lives at home 3 days a week, i work a full time job plus a volunteer gig, and have a vague Catholic influenced but also nature based spirituality).

I'm once again finding myself with a focus on my home and have a desire to return to domesticity, and now am asking how i can accomplish ALL THE THINGS without sacrificing other important elements of my world (yes, that comic is terribly accurate).  So i come back to FlyLady, despite the sugar sweetness, silly acronyms and way WAY too many emails.

The dear FlyLady is all about routine.  There is a morning routine, an evening routine and others if you want them.  There is also routine tasks for each day, week, month and even seasonally.  This is probably the thing that has helped me the most, along with tackling things in small, manageable chunks.  

If you're like me, you succeed when you 1) know what needs to be done, 2) know how to do it, and 3) can make time for it.  Although routines can feel monotonous for some, for me this system meets those three needs.  It also helps prevents me from spending 3 days in a manic state trying to accomplish everything i truly meant to do over the last month.

In FlyLady land, you have all these routines written out in something called a Control Journal.  It's the magic binder with all your information.  In the world of service oriented individuals, there is also something often referred to as a Butler Book.  While there are different elements in each, the general concept is the same, a guide for how your (or someone else's) home runs.  I am also associating some GTD systems in with this concept as well, as lists and references are important tools.

My intention is to begin building my personal guidebook with my routines, references, calendar, and so on as i build my habits.  I'll try to find a way to share them here as well.   I will be calling it a Home Management Guide for now (a phrase i have seen used less often, but also contains the elements I'm hoping to create, and isn't as emotionally loaded as the other options).  So stay tuned!

Thoughts on an organized garage

I've been remiss in writing this, so here it is.  Some thoughts on organizing our garage.  Sorry it's a little stream-of-consciousness, but i wanted to write it before it disappeared.  Hopefully other folks will find it useful in changing their spaces around too.

1) Dividing the garage by space and use was helpful.  Duncan's tools & bike mean his bay isn't going to be used for parking, but mine could if enough stuff was removed.  The center line is where actively used equipment goes.  Since we live in New England, this means alternating the lawn mower and snow thrower.

2) Getting the space as empty as possible (and seeing what was actually in there) was a critical step, because i was able to get a realistic idea of what the space was.

3) Grouping like with like helped me see where we had unnecessary duplicate items, as well as get an idea of how much storage would be necessary for different sorts of items.  Yes, in CT we need 3 snow shovels (one will undoubtedly break during a major snowstorm), but not 2 mini ones for when you're trapped in the car (or something, Duncan likes them).  This also allowed me to pick up scattered lumber from various projects, which will hopefully mean we don't buy new if we don't need it, since it will be obvious what we have 'in stock'.

4) I ran into trouble with getting rid of items that are Duncan's, not mine.  I suggest any group of individuals do a project like this together, so that important things are not thrown away, and similarly, junk isn't kept indefinitely.

5) I also swept and cleaned as i went.  This made a huge visual difference.  I'm going to make it a rule that the garage is swept on a regular basis and after projects.  It will help with minimizing mice and tracking stuff around.  The problem is there is oil on the floor from the motorcycle, which i am not sure how to deal with properly.  Anyone with experience here?

6) Vertical storage!  Duncan and i purchased some shelves to aid in this, which i hope to install this weekend.    Garages are a great storage area, but we were not taking advantage of any vertical areas.  Some shelves will make things easier to see and create much needed space on the floor and tables, making access and projects easier.

Truth

Mini Pledge 1 from 100 Days of Real Food

So link hopping today took me to the 100 Days of Real Food blog, which is well worth a read if you're interested in food, what we eat and how to limit your intake of artificial ingredients.  I'm not sure i buy everything she says, but i've decided to participate, behind the schedule, in her 14 Mini Pledges.  Although they are not necessarily sustainable for me at this point, i will try to keep with the spirit of things.  I may modify as necessary, or fail, or whatever.

Week 1 is to eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.  I feel that this may be a challenge for breakfasts, as i usually only eat 1, but maybe i will alter my oatmeal a little.  Or alternatively, ensure one snack is a fruit or veggie.  Lunch and dinner should be relatively easy.

Although she suggests the fruit and vegetable be organic, i'm not going to hold myself to that.  In part just because i would rather use what i have available.  Also because today, after work, i sign us up for a half share in the Fair Weather Acres CSA!  This is a veggie & fruit CSA (the fruit will be coming from Belltown Hill Orchards and Dzen Farm).  I prefer local over organic, because it keeps money in my community, supports my neighbors, and Connecticut grows some delicious produce!  It also reduces the environmental impacts from shipping.  I'm not strict on either, but this is about new experiences, right?

Anyone want to join up with me starting Monday?

Garage Reorganization

Before you go thinking that this is a blog all about food and exercise, Friday night i decided to start the process of reorganizing the garage.  Sadly, this is a multi-step process and my pictures came out lousy, but i promise to write more about it soon.

Breakfast, lunch and a snack!

Breakfast - maple blueberry refrigerator oatmeal! (small jar)

Lunch - blueberries (the dark spot in the center top), half an apple, cucumber slices, 2 hard boiled eggs, salt, cherry tomatoes, strawberries

Snack - lifesaver and wasabi & soy sauce almonds

Beverage - lemon ginger refrigerator iced tea

It's all delicious!  And happy!  And easy!

Sorry it's not the greatest picture.  I was very tired last night and not so enthused about making things.  Making things in bulk seems to be the way to go (like boiling the eggs and making several jars of oatmeal).

Bruschetta

Another non-recipe recipe for summer.  This is one of my go-to favorite dishes to bring to a party or potluck in the summer, and tastes delicious even a day or three after making it.

So first off you need some tomatoes.  In years past i've used plum tomatoes, because you don't want this to be too watery.  Having now made it with heirloom cherry tomatoes, i'm not going back.  The smaller tomatoes were easier to work with, and having a variety of color and taste was awesome.  But really, you just need tomatoes, cut into small pieces and thrown in a bowl.  Leave out the watery goop if you use full size tomatoes.  SUPER EASY, right?

Mince up some garlic.  My tomato averse spouse has explained to me that this really is simply a carrier for garlic and basil, but i actually enjoy the taste of tomatoes, so however much is up to you.  For this much i used about 8 cloves.

Take that garlic and a little extra virgin olive oil (a tablespoon-ish) and heat it up in a skillet.  Just get the garlic golden brown so it's not overpowering.  5 minutes maybe.  Let it sit off the heat while you do the next step.  No stove?  It'll taste fine with raw garlic.  Be sure to really mince it fine is all.

Cut up some basil.  Do fresh, none of that dried nonsense.  It'll look prettier and taste better.  I like to roll up a pile of leaves inside each other and then slice, to make thin ribbons without bruising the leaves.  Throw that in the bowl with your tomatoes.

Remember the garlic and olive oil?  Into the bowl.

Next add a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar to that bowl.  Gently mix.

You can add salt & pepper.  I tend to skip that because of the dietary needs of my family.

You can make it the night before, covered and refrigerated to really let the flavors mix, but if you're rushing it'll still be awesome so long as you use good ingredients.

Serve with sliced up french bread (toasted or plain), on top of salad greens, on top of chicken, on top of pasta... really, it goes good with a lot of things.  Add a little mozzarella cheese if you like.  

Today's Breakfast/Lunch/Snack

Today's breakfast/lunch/snack.  Wasabi almonds, hardboiled egg (with salt), raspberries & blueberries, salad (lettuce, tomato, broccoli & cucumber), babybel cheese, strawberries, salad dressing & lifesaver in Planetbox. Strawberry vanilla refrigerator oatmeal in jar.  Freeze dried peaches in tin.

I may not eat it all, but for 2.5 meals, 725 calories isn't bad.  Still leaves more than half of my budget for dinner!

FitBit

I am in love with my FitBit Ultra.  A FitBit is a teeny tiny pedometer, but calling it just a pedometer is like calling Romeo & Juliet a play.  It is, but also much more.

The happy little black gizmo is about the size of my finger, and can be clipped onto your waistband, or stuck in a pocket or even a bra.  It's much less conspicuous than any other pedometer i've ever tried, which i admit, was a concern.  I may be geeky and overweight, but i try to draw attention to neither of those things!  It tracks your steps, flights of stairs (and hills), calories burned, distance traveled and gives you the time.  All of this you can see by pressing the little button on the unit itself, or when it syncs to the website via wireless connection when it is 15' or less from the base station.

It took a little adjusting to get my mileage more accurate to my runs, initially it was overestimating my stride, and i still would like to go to the track to get some more accurate measurements, but in due time.  I've now used it for several walks, walk/runs and even a hike and found it was quite accurate.  It's been a great motivation to do a little more throughout the day, and even helped me do my chores!  If i am 'short' on my daily goals, i will walk around the house putting things away to collect steps and flights of stairs.  It's amazing how sedentary i am during the day at the office and how active i can be by just simple things like cooking, cleaning and having fun!  Even shopping suddenly turns into a mental game of how i can get in a few more steps.

For years i've heard the lines about park further away from your destination, use the further copier, and other little tricks to get more activity in your day, but never really thought hard about how they actually have an effect.  It's 20 seconds, right?  Wearing a pedometer has turned those little things into something numeric, and therefore more real for me.  Because i have a goal to work towards each day, i am inspired to try those small changes, rather than see them as something nice, but not important.

I also feel that by using the fitbit i am more accurately tracking my calories, because some days i am very active at work and other days not so much.  It's helpful for me to know what an office day looks like so i can find other ways to be active.  Similarly, when i am more active, i can balance that with a lighter workout for balance.

Although i don't know how accurate it really is, you can also use it to track your sleep.  By wearing it on your wrist (it comes with a wristband), it will track your movement and create a report of how long it took you to fall asleep and how often you woke up.  This has been very helpful for nights where i have had trouble sleeping and noticing patterns in my sleep habits.

Because it syncs with tools i am already using, primarily LoseIt and RunKeeper, it also is particularly useful.  Unlike a traditional pedometer, i don't have to enter anything.  Each time i sync, Lose It adjusts my exercise calories and tells FitBit what i've eaten.  There is a huge list of apps and sites that work with FitBit's API, and i suspect it'll keep growing.

Overall, i love this little gadget and think it will continue to be a great tool on my weight loss journey!