End of Summer Treats
Behold a sassy jalapeño margarita, padrone peppers with pancetta, and an heirloom tomato salad with figs, arugula and feta. Thanks, Healdsburg Bar and Grill! What are your favorite foods to eat during Indian summer?
Devouring life, one bite at a time
If you buy the real vanilla beans and not just the extract, pat yourself on the back. You’re cooking like a pro! But wait, just because they’ve been scraped clean doesn’t mean they’re rendered useless. Rinse them off and let them dry. Then throw them …
If you haven’t been seeing so much of me these days, it’s probably because I’ve been busy canning. That’s right, Chuck and I have a new obsession, and when we aren’t talking about it or doing it, we’re thinking about it. As a newcomer to canning, this is the best time to be obsessed with it, as it’s been peak season into next month.
For detailed recipes, fantastic directions and supplies, check out the Ball website, or better yet, get a Ball Blue Book guide to preserving.
I know you have a slew of mason jars lying around, so this is the chance to put them to work. Sterilize them in a pot of boiling water for several minutes, then store in a 200 degree oven while you wait for the mixture to be ready. Every recipe is different depending on the fruit, use of pectin, and total amount, so I’m not listing a specific recipe. You can adjust your recipe according to how much fruit you have, or just follow a recipe from the Book.
For our first jam, we used freshly picked blackberries. Mix pectin into sugar and add to the boiling mixture.
After the pectin is cooked, pour the jam to the top of the jars, leaving no gaping air space between the jar and the lip (it can affect the jam’s shelf life). Use a clean cloth to wipe the brims, then place the cover on. (The quick wipe helps the vacuum.) Screw the lid until closed but not tight, and place in the pot of boiling water. We boiled for 15 minutes, according to our recipe. When you pull out the jars, the lids pop when they seal.
The only question is what to can next?
I’ve been in my new apartment for three months and it’s cute as can be- except for the light switch covers. They’re just terrible and awful and I’m offended every time I see them. This one is by far the worst. And this one isn’t …
Bat in the cave! No, that’s not code for a booger in your nose, that’s a video of an actual, live, wild bat who let himself in when I was housesitting. I tried to capture him on video without screaming, but that was a challenge …
I rescued one of these pans, a 4 1/2 quart dutch oven with handle. It wasn’t in bad shape, but had never been seasoned properly.
I already have a newer “Lodge” mini cast iron (just right for frying a single egg). They are already seasoned for you, but I figured I’d give it another coat if I’m seasoning the dutch oven anyway.
Isn’t it fantastic? It’s amazing what some people don’t want. I sanded off the rusty spots and scrubbed the pot out with soapy water (this is the only time to use soap- before you season it).
Then I dried it over the stove top and covered the entire surface with bacon grease, both inside and out.
Put into a 350 degree oven for at least an hour. The house will get a slight metallic smell to it specific to curing pans, but once you make that association, it’s kind of a comforting smell. Turn off the oven and leave the cast iron in until completely cooled.
After a day at Tahoe without much hiking, the next two days needed maximum mountain use. My dad and I went on a beautiful hike up to Dardanelles Lake. I scrambled down some rocks to the water so I could get my feet wet. With …
A couple weeks ago I went to Tahoe with my dad and his friend, Maddy. It’s a three hour drive from the East Bay, which means that you still get the better part of a day after you get there. Our first stop was the …
Until I snatched it up.
I found a cheery ribbon, a little glue, and voila!
Thank goodness we still have a couple more months of summer to put this baby to work.
Have you “up-cycled” anything lately?