New Blog!

Public Service Announcement:

In anticipation of some lovely exciting things I'm planning for this new year I've decided to change my blog name- but instead of just up and changing the URL, I've exported all my old posts and imported them to the new blog:

Unabashed Enthusiasm!

Last night I finally went through and updated (I think) all of the links to the new site, but in case I missed one or two I figured it wouldn't hurt to post this to lead everyone back.

So update your readers (am I on anyone's reader?) and head on over. It's a bit of a blank slate but hopefully that will change soon!

heart,
K

Cranberry Ginger Shrub

What is a shrub? It's like a simple syrup...only with vinegar. Does that sound weird? I've become a bit obsessed with tart and spice, so it didn't bother me at all. It may turn people off though- just say it's awesome. They will agree.

I'd been wanting to make a ginger shrub for a while, but since we're in the middle of The Great Cranberry Overbuying Experiment of 2011 (now extended into 2012), it seemed like a good idea to add some of that as well. Our freezer is full. God help us.

Cranberry-Ginger Shrub (recipe slightly adapted from Well-Fed Everyone)

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 giant piece of ginger, peeled and diced (exact amount up to you- I err on the side of way too much)
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar

For me the right amount of ginger is one that attacks your face with spice. So I can't say how much I added to the shrub, but it was a decent amount.

After peeling and dicing the ginger heat up the water and sugar in a nonreactive pot. Once the sugar dissolves, add the ginger and let it simmer for 10 or so minutes to really get the flavor in there.

While that's simmering, rinse and pick through your cranberries. Add them to the pot and simmer, stirring every once in a while. Let it get nice and thick- at least 15 minutes, maybe longer. Then add the vinegar and let it simmer for another five minutes to let the flavors meld.

Take it off the heat and let it cool a bit, then put a strainer over a large bowl and pour the contents of your pot through it. Take a spoon and press down on the berries to get all the lovely juice out. Let it cool on the counter, then pour it into a bottle and stash it in the fridge.

Once it's cool it's great added to seltzer, maybe a little rum if you're in the mood. It's also great added to a bit of warm water. Such a wonderfully versatile beverage, I'll definitely be making more.

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Potato Bread

So at the potluck I went to last month someone brought some amazingly delicious rosemary bread. Not sure if my love of rosemary has made it onto this blog yet- it's not as much of an obsession as ginger, but it's a flavor that makes it into much of what I bake. After tasting that bread I had to find a recipe.

This recipe from Brown Eyed Baker seemed to combine all the things I love in bread. So last weekend I baked up a batch. The result?

Yum...ish.

It was fine, just not the tastiness I was hoping for. I think it needed more salt, maybe some butter. But I'm thinking if I'd used my real mashed potatoes instead of just some leftover baked potato those flavors would've come through more. Or I could've brushed the bread with oil and sprinkled a little salt on before baking. Maybe next time.

The good news- the biga for this was the best dough I'd made since the baking hiatus- the perfect tacky but not sticky consistency.

Pickles!

So...these are refrigerator pickles, not puttin' up pickles. Eventually I'll get one of those canning kits and go crazy, maybe once they go on clearance at Target.

Anyway, these are both delicious, and adaptations from one of my favorite cooking shows I never get a chance to watch anymore: Good Eats. Such a fan of what that show does, and so sad to hear that it's ending soon. Here's hoping it'll go on Netflix streaming, yes?

Spicy Curry Pickled Carrots (adapted from Good Eats)

Ingredients:

• Baby carrots
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder **(next time I'll add more)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon chili flakes **(next time I'll add more)

Place your carrots in a quart sized glass jar, as many as will fit (I used a lovely Slom from IKEA, which leaks a little- so that was fun!). Carrots float apparently- something I learned while making this- so cram 'em in or you'll have a sad little space of empty brine on the bottom of you jar that will mock you. I know from experience.

Place the rest of the ingredients in a small, non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Once it's boiled for a few minutes pour the hot liquid over your carrots. I transferred mine from the pot to a measuring cup with a spout for an easy/non-scalding pouring experience. Let cool for a bit, then close the jar and let cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge. Wait a few days before eating.


Rosemary Pickled Beets (adapted from Good Eats)
Ingredients:

• 2 cans sliced beets
• 1 large sweet onion, frenched
• 2 (or 3, or 5) cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Uncan your beets, rinse them off in a colander to remove excess salt. Let them hang out in there for a while while you prep everything else- i.e. french your onion, smash as much garlic up as you'd like, and pull the rosemary leaves off the stems.

Put the sugar, water, apple cider vinegar, salt, garlic, and those rosemary leaves in a small non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Once the pot has boiled for a few minutes, remove from the heat and pour your brine through a strainer into a measuring cup.

Take the rosemary leaves and garlic from the strainer and mix them with your onions. Then layer the beets and onion mixture in your jar. You'll probably have a bit of each left over. I made a sandwich with mine, with some roasted garlic hummus on the bread and a few slices of cucumber. Very tasty. Anyway-

Pour the brine over the beets and onions, let them cool for a bit, then close your jar and let cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge.

Per the episode, they'll technically be pickles within 12 hours, but they'll taste better if you wait a week. It's hard, I know.

Corduroy and Plaid Clutch

Were you aware that the most corduroy-y Corduroy Day was last Friday? In celebration I finally got around to making a new clutch, as my last one finally died- or at least, the pull came off the zipper and it was getting a bit dingy. I still used it for a month or so despite the hassle, as I always run my bags into the ground.

I used some corduroy I had left from my corduroy tie, as well as some plaid I bought ages ago with a project in mind that never came to fruition.

The lining is that same plaid.

I usually don't take the time to cut things on the bias, but for the plaid it makes the whole thing look so spiffy. Will have to try it with a few other plaids I've been saving.

The pattern is once again based off Noodlehead's gathered clutch tutorial, though I was too lazy to create the gathered front, as well as unsure it would work with this fabric anyhow. Per usual the zipper tabs ended up wonky, though I think less wonky than the first time. I think I finally understand what the directions say, so the third try may actually get the desired result.

And as the project came together so quickly I think I may make an extra to give to a friend. We'll see.

TBP: Pumpkin Yeast Bread

The first Wednesday of every month is potluck at my bar (well, not mine per se, but I spend enough time there...). Though I've only been to two before this I seem to by default bring the desserts. First month was a tasty bread pudding using homemade brioche-ish bread, then the second was delicious nutella cookies.

This month I wanted to try some of the skills learned from my awesome Le Pan Quotidien bread class and stuff rolls with chocolate. As it's nearing Thanksgiving and I had leftover pumpkin from my vegan pumpkin cranberry walnut bread, so I looked up some seasonally appropriate recipes.

What turned up? This lovely King Athur Flour recipe. It came together reasonably well, though I tried to keep my dough on the sticky side so there were a few minor freakouts during the kneading process (I'm a bit rusty it seems).

The bread itself turned out delicious- I made a loaf and 14 or so rolls, which I stuffed with some bittersweet chocolate and butter. The final verdict though: needed more chocolate! Also a kitchen scale to help with the uneven (and slightly too big) roll sizes. Will definitely make again though.

The biggest breakthrough came once the rolls were done- the pumpkin flavor was very mild, especially with the chocolate inside, but it gave the bread a nice softness and light golden color. It reminded me of my attempts at potato bread. Well, they were more than attempts- tasty potato bread was, in fact, made- but I never got that orangeish/yellow bread I was looking for. Those breads must have sweet potato in them. Will have to make search for more recipes one of these days...

*FYI- the camera has been found! Expect posts with pictures soon!

The Bread Project: Vegan Pumpkin Quickbread with Cranberries and Walnuts

I have ten bags of cranberries in my fridge and freezer. No kidding. They were 49 cents a bag at the Target by me for some reason, so we stocked up. Some of them may be used for a beer D is in the planning stages of, but that still leaves at least five bags, probably more if they're still cheap next time I go. Clearly I have a problem. So expect a lot of cranberry-based posts while we work through it all.

We also had canned pumpkin which needed to be used, and the thought crossed my mind to make something vegan. So foodblogsearch.com searching commenced and turned up a recipe easily incorporating both.

Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Cranberry Bread and Muffins (slightly adapted from Joy the Baker)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• Scant 2 cups of pumpkin puree (canned or freshly roasted, if you're all fancy)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup roughly chopped cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350. The usual muffin method- whisk the dry in one bowl, whisk the wet in another. Add dry to the wet. Stir a little. Add the walnuts and cranberries. Stir a little more. Try not to overmix.

I was able to get a smaller loaf and 18 muffins, though you could probably to a regular loaf and 12 muffins. Baked them together- the muffins were done in about 25 minutes, the loaf in about an hour. I probably took them out on the early side just to keep the bread moist, as I'd read sans eggs it can get a bit crumbly.

As is- super delicious. Next time I'll add more walnuts and cranberries though. You can probably even forgo telling people it's vegan, unless like me you have a vegan coworker who usually cannot partake in foods people bring in to work.

*Note: apologies for the lack of pictures. My camera has gone missing, and my cell phone's is just awful. Hopefully will find it soon! Or Black Friday's coming up so maybe I'll just get a new one.