kitchenwench-blog

[kitchenwench-blog]

I'll delete when I'm home and can post this on FB. Until then, this will have to work.

Phone blowing up during practice final, just checked it. Hope this goes through to Facebook: I’m okay, the shooting was hours away from home, checking in with friends in the area, thank you for checking on me. I’ll rant about what bullshit it is that this is a THING now: hey friend, are you safe from the X-Hundredth shooting? Are we desensitized yet? Has someone made an app that we can just tap and it’ll post: nope, no bullets for me thanks!

Anyhow, back to math. I love and treasure everyone that checked on me. My heart goes out to the families destroyed because “guns don’t kill people” and “it’s not time to discuss gun control, not while families are mourning”

Xoxo-S

[kitchenwench-blog]

COMING SOON: Thanksgiving 2015

Good stuff, on it's way mid December because I'm working hard on my finals studies.

[kitchenwench-blog]

More sneaky peeking at a resting Adam turkey, flowers for tomorrow, and prepped sweet potato ratatouille! Recipes will follow, promise.

[kitchenwench-blog]

Teaser for post-holiday recipe dump. There's booze in it.

[kitchenwench-blog]

Super Freakin’ Easy Winter Squash

EDIT: So I thought this posted like, a week ago, until @lustyloveylady asked me for this and I finally got on here and realized that I had drafted and not posted it. Sorry!

Equipment

Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

Large Knife

Bowl

Large Spoon

Ingredients

Hard Rind Squash, like spagetti, acorn, or butternut

Seasonings of your choice

Method Guys, guys, you don’t even know. This is the EASIEST THING EVER. Literally, 3 steps, but I’ll break it into more because it’s so unbelievable how easy it is, that I want to make sure you understand you’re not missing anything.

Buy a hard rind squash. Now, I say hard rind, I mean hard rind like an acorn squash or a butternut squash a pumpkin, or any other hard squash.

Remove any produce stickers and give your squash a rinse.

Place whole squash in your crock pot. Yep, just like that. No cutting, no pricking, no oiling, no anything. Just take clean squash and chuck it in the crock.**

Put your crock pot on low and cook for 4-6 hours. You can also speed it up by putting it on high for 2-3 hours. Here’s the thing, you need to know your crock pot. Mine is a little hot, so it’s usually done in about 4 hours on low. BUT(!!!) here’s the awesome thing: it won’t hurt it to go longer! I got caught up at school one day and a spaghetti squash wound up in the pot on low for 8+ hours! It was perfectly fine and delicious!

Squash is done when you can easily prick the rind with a normal fork. There may be some resistance, it shouldn’t just slide in like butter, but it should be obviously soft.

Carefully remove from crock and place in a bowl to cool for at least 10 minutes on the counter or up to 2 days in the fridge. Yeah, no, it’s seriously that chill. You can eat it that night or let it hang out in the fridge for a couple days before dealing with it.

When cool, cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds out. They will come out super easily. Toss them or save them to roast! You won’t be able to sprout them, as they’ve been cooked.

You can eat the squash out of the rind if you like, but if you’re going to save it for eating later, remove it from the rind and put it in a storage container.*

Season it with whatever fat and seasonings you like! Spaghetti squash with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Acorn with brown sugar and butter. Pumpkin with curry powder and a splash of coconut milk before throwing it in a blender for a quick and easy soup! So many options without having to fight cutting and baking and all of that!

EDIT to add pics:

Step 1:

Step 2:

PROFIT!!

*You can also freeze the squash once it’s removed for later use. **You can cut the squash before baking, just be aware it will shorten the cooking time, sometimes drastically. I had to cut an inch off the top of a butternut squash so it would fit, it took my cooking time down to 2 hours on low.

[kitchenwench-blog]

Super Freakin’ Easy Winter Squash

EDIT: So I thought this posted like, a week ago, until @lustyloveylady asked me for this and I finally got on here and realized that I had drafted and not posted it. Sorry!

Equipment

Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

Large Knife

Bowl

Large Spoon

Ingredients

Hard Rind Squash, like spagetti, acorn, or butternut

Seasonings of your choice

Method Guys, guys, you don't even know. This is the EASIEST THING EVER. Literally, 3 steps, but I'll break it into more because it's so unbelievable how easy it is, that I want to make sure you understand you're not missing anything.

Buy a hard rind squash. Now, I say hard rind, I mean hard rind like an acorn squash or a butternut squash a pumpkin, or any other hard squash.

Remove any produce stickers and give your squash a rinse.

Place whole squash in your crock pot. Yep, just like that. No cutting, no pricking, no oiling, no anything. Just take clean squash and chuck it in the crock.**

Put your crock pot on low and cook for 4-6 hours. You can also speed it up by putting it on high for 2-3 hours. Here's the thing, you need to know your crock pot. Mine is a little hot, so it's usually done in about 4 hours on low. BUT(!!!) here's the awesome thing: it won't hurt it to go longer! I got caught up at school one day and a spaghetti squash wound up in the pot on low for 8+ hours! It was perfectly fine and delicious!

Squash is done when you can easily prick the rind with a normal fork. There may be some resistance, it shouldn't just slide in like butter, but it should be obviously soft.

Carefully remove from crock and place in a bowl to cool for at least 10 minutes on the counter or up to 2 days in the fridge. Yeah, no, it's seriously that chill. You can eat it that night or let it hang out in the fridge for a couple days before dealing with it.

When cool, cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds out. They will come out super easily. Toss them or save them to roast! You won't be able to sprout them, as they've been cooked.

You can eat the squash out of the rind if you like, but if you're going to save it for eating later, remove it from the rind and put it in a storage container.*

Season it with whatever fat and seasonings you like! Spaghetti squash with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Acorn with brown sugar and butter. Pumpkin with curry powder and a splash of coconut milk before throwing it in a blender for a quick and easy soup! So many options without having to fight cutting and baking and all of that!

EDIT to add pics:

Step 1:

Step 2:

PROFIT!!

*You can also freeze the squash once it's removed for later use. **You can cut the squash before baking, just be aware it will shorten the cooking time, sometimes drastically. I had to cut an inch off the top of a butternut squash so it would fit, it took my cooking time down to 2 hours on low.

[kitchenwench-blog]

Before I go to bed, I'll post recipes and pics for SUPER EASY WINTER SQUASH! as well as my great aunt's pie crust that I've improved upon, at the request of a friend. Also, I know I haven't been at all regular posting, and 2 of my 3 followers have regularly prodded me. I'm going to get better at this, I promise! Until then, have a pic of my cat's toes.

[kitchenwench-blog]

I lag

I know a couple of my friends *cough* ephebiphobia *cough* have been looking forward to updates here and I have lagged. I’m currently making grape jelly. There have been pickles. And chicken. Expect updates!

[kitchenwench-blog]

Coming soon: recipes for Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Potato Gratin and Green Beans Amandine.

[kitchenwench-blog]

Canning Club - January 2015

Okay, so I started a little club with some friends (mostly SCAdian housemates) and we’ve been canning. With RL issues and concerns, I’ve fallen behind in my blogging here (sorry ephebiphobia!) So here is January’s adventure, plus pics and recipes (if I have them)

January - Pickled Veg

In our group, we have old pros like my mom, who has been canning and preserving since she was 12, and my Momma (a dear friend named Linda), and we have total N00bs that this is their first foray into canning/preserving. My goal is to pass on this kind of info, so that I kinda do my part to keep it from becoming a “lost art”, and also further my experience and learning, so I’ve picking easy things and gradually ramping up. Pickles are seriously the EASIEST thing you can make. If you are afraid of canning/preserving and want to start, start with a pickle. There are TONS of recipes out there, and it can be a little daunting, but basically, here’s how it works:

Air, bacteria, and various fauna, as well as time itself, are the enemies of fresh food. You leave a piece of fruit on the counter, and in a week (if you’re lucky that it lasts that long) it will start to rot. It’s the circle of life.

Now, if you want to read the actual science stuff about how canning works, click here or here for some really easy to digest articles. Basically, how it works is you cook the food to kill any bacteria in it, you add sugar, salt, or vinegar (or a combination thereof) to add flavor and inhibit bacteria growth (sometimes for YEARS), you put the cooked mixture into a sterilized jar, and you seal it through a simple process that creates a vacuum in the jar and keeps anything from getting inside.... till you want it to!

The reason pickles are so easy is that brine is very forgiving. Brines can be sweet or savory, or both! I’m including a couple recipes in this post, as I made Bread & Butter Peppers and my mom made Mexican Carrots.

A good habit to get into when you start canning is the sterilization process. If you have a dishwasher, awesome! Put JUST your jars into the dishwasher at the start of your prep and run it on the usual (or sterilization/steam setting if you have one) then leave them in the warm dishwasher until you’re ready to fill them. If you don’t, do what I do. Wash your jars as you would any dishes, then put them into a pot of water (that you will then use to process your finished jars) with 2 inches of water above the tops, bring them to a hard, rolling boil. Pull them out with tongs and carefully pour the water out, stand them up in a cake pan, and put them in an oven on low (~250F or so) until you’re ready to fill them.

Now that you have your jars sterilized and prepped, on to the cook!

Bread and Butter Peppers

This made about 12 pint jars for me, your mileage may vary.

12 large bell peppers (I used a mix of red, yellow, and a couple green), cut into bite size pieces (or however large you want your pickles)

3 onions, sliced

6 cloves of garlic, cut in half

14 tablespoons of pickling spice (I prefer Penzey’s, you can blend your own if you like)

6 cups white vinegar (you can use apple cider, I prefer more of a bite)

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons salt

Put a 1/2 a garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of pickling spice into the bottom of each jar. Divide the bell peppers and onions between the jars, packing them in tightly. Put the rest of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves. 

While you’re cooking the brine, put the flat part of your jar lids into a pot and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit in the pot till you’re ready.

Let it boil for a few minutes, then take off the heat and use a ladle to spoon the brine into the jars. You want the peppers to be covered. Leave about 1/2 an inch of space at the top of the jar. I usually stop at the start of the screw bands on the jar. Use a damp papertowel to wipe the rims of the jars before putting the flat part of the lids on them. Once you have the flat lids on, put the screw bands on and tighten them. You don’t want to crank it down hard, but they need to be closed. Put the closed jars into the water bath that you sterilized jars in, and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, set your favorite timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, pull the jars out and set on a counter or cooling rack. You’ll probably start hearing the jars POP as the lids seal. When they’re fully cool, you can unscrew the bands and lightly test the lids. If they are sealed, they won’t slide off. You can store them with the bands off, once they’re sealed, they’re sealed. If they aren't sealed, you can try the water bath again, or just keep the open jar in the fridge and use within a few months.

Mexican Carrots

1 teaspoon cumin seed

4 cups white wine vinegar

4 cups water

4 tablespoons kosher salt, divided

2 additional teaspoon kosher salt

4 teaspoons dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed

2 small onions, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices

4-6 jalapeno chiles, quartered (seeded for less heat)

6 lbs carrots, peeled and cut on a bias 1/2 inch thick

16 garlic cloves, peeled

In a small skillet set over medium-high heat, toast the cumin seeds, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool. Mix the vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano and crushed peppercorns in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the onion and jalapenos and turn off the heat. Bring a large saucepan of water and the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the carrots and simmer until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the carrots in a colander and immediately transfer them to the saucepan with the vinegar and onions. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then turn off the heat. Divide the toasted cumin seeds, and garlic cloves among 8 clean pint canning jars. Using a slotted spoon, divide the carrots and onions among the jars. Top with the hot vinegar solution, leaving ½ inch of head space at the top of the jar. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth and put on lids and rings. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Coming soon is February’s adventure: Juice Based Jelly!

[kitchenwench-blog]

I've made this! Both alcoholic and non alcoholic versions!

did you know that they make ginger beer that is literally beer brewed of ginger? because i didn’t

[kitchenwench-blog]

Fettucini Carbonara

So this is my first time cooking along on Reddit's 52 Week Cooking Challenge! (yes, I reddit as well as tumbl. I basically live on the internet.)

This week's theme was eggs, and I'd recently seen a recipe on Buzzfeed for pasta carbonara. The only carbonara I'd ever had was Olive Garden style, so I was excited to try this simple, basic recipe.

Equipment

large pot

skillet

large mixing/salad tossing bowl

tongs

Ingredients

1lb dry fettucini

6 egg yolks*

1 whole egg

1/4 lb bacon**

1 cup grated parmesan or parmesan/romano blend

2-3 cloves of garlic

salt

LOTS of pepper

Separate 6 of the eggs and beat them together with the whole egg.

Dice the bacon and cook it up! You don't want it super crispy, but definitely done. About a minute before taking it off the heat, add your garlic to the pan and mix it about. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cook your pasta in nicely salted water. Drain, but reserve about a cup of the pasta water.

While draining, take about a tablespoon of the hot pasta water and beat it into the egg mixture. This will temper your eggs so they don't just scramble. Dump your bacon/garlic mixture into the eggs, grind a shit ton of pepper into it. Mix well, add more pepper.

Add the drained, but still hot, pasta to the eggs, tossing to coat. Add another couple tablespoons of pasta water to loosen things up.

Sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese in, continue tossing till the cheese blends in/melts. Add another 1/3, and more pasta water if needed. Toss till mixed and melted. Add the last of the cheese, and more pasta water, only if needed, and toss. Add more pepper!

Consume with gusto!

This was basically delicious. It was super simple and SO MUCH BETTER than any quick serve restaurant you'll ever have it in. It seems like a lot of steps, but if you think about it, it's maybe two more steps than making a box of kraft dinner. 10/10 - would recommend!

*Freeze the other egg yolks individually in an ice cube tray for future use. They won't be decent for something like a stiff meringue, but you can use them for baking, or anything else you need whites for.

**I used normal bacon because I had it on hand. The recipe called for prosciutto, and I will definitely use it when I try this again.

[kitchenwench-blog]

MAKING THIS SOON!!!

pumpkin spice puppy chow

click here for recipe

[kitchenwench-blog]

Freezing Strawberries

No pics, because this is super quickly composed and I'm still reorganizing my tags, but here is a quick How To freeze strawberries.

Wash and either cap or cap and slice your berries, depending on how you plan to use them later. I generally leave small berries capped and quarter or at least halve larger berries.

Toss GENTLY in lemon juice

Lay out each piece singly on a paper towel for 5-10 minutes, or pat dry. I'm impatient, I pat.

Place each berry, or piece, on a cookie sheet. You can get them close, just no touching (NO TOUCHING!!! NO TOUCHING!!!! *laughs at Arrested Development reference, clear throat, continues*

Put cookie sheet full of berries in freezer (NO TOUCHING!!!) for at least 4 hours, or leave them in overnight

When frozen, move into jars, tubs, or ziplock freezer bags to store. 

Use them within a year

[kitchenwench-blog]

I've resuccumbed to Instagram. Find me @ selanad if you so choose.