Sooooouper soup!

My latest obsession is soup. No, I'm not canning it, but it is going in the freezer for lunch. Since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago, the pounds have secretly been hanging on. People still consider me skinny, but as my clothing gets tighter and tighter, it's hard to ignore what I know is the truth: I eat whatever I feel like, I don't exercise and I'm getting older. My big joke is that I'll be an adult by 40, and as I linger in the twilight of my thirties, there's not much time left. So I figure having soup for lunch will be a healthful and economical way to refuel. So far I've made three-bean chili (1 can each light and dark kidney beans, 1 can black beans, some TJ's frozen roasted corn, 1 small can sliced black olives, 1 can roasted tomatoes with jalapenos, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 small can goya tomato sauce, some frozen onions and some garlic. Season with cayenne, chili powder, cumin and liquid smoke.) Yes, I know it's a lot of cans, but darned if I am not broke and tired and need to use up some stuff in the pantry. It made about 5 servings. Four got frozen flat in ziplocs and are ready to go. Today I made split pea soup with smoked turkey necks I had laying around in the freezer. One dollar spent and everything else I had at home. The turkey neck meat was a bit rubbery for my taste, so I decided to toss them, but they did add some great flavor. Next up will be roasted tomato and pepper soup. I plan on slow-roasting the fresh tomatoes in the oven and roasting the red peppers on the stovetop. We'll see how that goes :)

Oodles of Noodles and the Bucket List

So I've been on a noodle kick. And it's actually so easy to make noodles. Like Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles. Yum. With knock-off Ikea Swedish meatballs. Yummy Yum. For New Year's Eve dinner, I made homemade lasagna, bread, and Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. I was a bit disappointed with the Red Velvet recipe. I feel it was lacking in flavor. My regular Red Velvet recipe is Red Velvet IV , which makes a monster of a cake, just like at a diner, or for those without a healthy business-owning Greek population, The Cheesecake Factory. This thing never fails to impress. I don't use the icing, however, and prefer to use a more classic cream cheese frosting. Well the Whoopie pies didn't stack up against the flavor of my reg. cake. Also, I wasn't fond of how thick the "batter" is. It seems as though it should be slightly wetter. Any-hoo, there's still work to be done on that front. I also didn't use the filling for the Whoopie Pies, instead using a cream cheese/ butter/ 10X/ Marshmallow Fluff combo. This was highly successful, and wasn't cloyingly sweet. Definitely one to make again.

That brings me to my bucket list:

Things I'd Like To Can/Make in 2012

Lady Apples-They've been driving me mad, they're so cute and are begging to shine brightly in a glass jar filled with liquid. Need to get on this soon. Window is closing. But what in tarnation will I do with them?

Caramelized Onion Relish-Every time I see this, I'm like "Hells yeah!" It's in the bag, and not time sensitive, as onions are cheap and plentiful year-round.

Spiced Red Cabbage-This is something I actually eat quite frequently, especially, when I'm feeling Polish (which I'm not) with Pierogis.

Carrot Cake Jam- What a concept! Many moons ago, I made my niece carrot cake for her 5th birthday with crystallized carrot roses. It was a big hit. This jam just speaks to me. Pineapple, coconut, raisins, brown sugar and shredded carrots. Imagine it with cream cheese on a bagel!

Cocktail Cherries-Not sure about the how, but know it will def. be in July.

Grenadine-Haven't found the best recipe yet, but it will work out in the end.

Tomato Sauce-for sure this is the most ambitious project yet. Not 100% sure if it will happen, but a girl can dream. If I do it, I'm going big. There will be a case of maters in my sweaty, hot August kitchen.

Barbecue Sauce-Need to work on recipes first. They may or may not include smoked tomatoes...

Pickled Jalapenos-Quick and easy, a staple for a nacho-lover like me.

Salsa-See above. Need I say more.

Candied Ginger and Citrus Peels-For next Christmas' stollen?

Seckel Pears-If I can find them at a good price, they're mine. Mwahahaha.

Well, that's all I got for now. We won't put olives on the list this year, though I have lye just waiting for a use. (Pretzel rolls anyone?) Hopefully this list will give you ideas, too.

Canning: 2012 style!

At last we've made it to when I can talk about my canning. I've got pics and everything!!! So I made Pink Grapefruit Moscato Marmalade:

(macerating fruit before cooking)

It turns out I have a great talent for caramelizing things, so most of what I made did just that. It definitely is a bit overcooked, and I had a pectin crisis (i.e. none formed after 45 min. at a hard boil) but with a packet of powdered pectin, it was salvageable. To me it tastes overcooked, but I know what it was supposed to be. It's really not so bad.

Next was Candied Caramelized Kumquats.

No longer orange, but a soft shade of brown, these are bittersweet, just like the experience of making them. Please make sure you slit your kumquats before cooking. I pin-pricked them, but it turns out that method is ineffective in keeping their plump, oblong shape. Perhaps skewer next time? Half are ok, the other half are shriveled up. You can't see it though, since they are encased in caramel.

Last up, Southern Comfort Spiced Oranges.

These are a cross between candied and pickled. With some SoCo for luck. They're actually quite good. Which brings me to this: Old-fashioned oranges. No, not some old-timey heirloom cultivar. Oranges for old-fashion-eds. That's right. I had some not-quite-so-pretty slices after I finished packing the jars, when it dawned on me to chop them up and add the leftover kumquat syrup to wetten them up and voila, instant macerated, muddled oranges. Add one teaspoon of these babies and some bitters with your favorite bourbon. Add ice, top off with soda, and you have an awesome interpretation if I do say so myself. I used a recipe from a 1970s pickling book. It's called "Orangerie."

Here is the final pic (minus the grapfruit, which hadn't been made yet)

The Canning Graveyard

So 2011, it's been a year. I had to dispose of all canned items that were more than a year old, so that meant EVERYTHING. So sad. Here are some pictures of the condemned:

I would like to honor their memory by a series of letter:

Dear Fig Jam #1,

I'm so sorry things didn't work out between us. You see, I couldn't resist the calling of free figs, and thought that we could have a great partnership. I cooked you too long and you became a thick paste. I just didn't know what to do with you. I'm sorry. RIP.

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Fig Jam *2,

Once again, I couldn't resist the dark, plump Italian fruit from my aunt's backyard. I thought things would be better this time around. I was wrong. Unfortunately, whereas your predecessor was too firm and unyielding, you, by contrast, were soppy and limp. I didn't cook you long enough, no doubt trying to overcompensate from my last relationship. It turns out I'm not a fig conserve kinda gal. I promise to resist the urge when it hits next summer....

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Spiced Plum Sauce,

I really liked you. You were rich and flavorful, but in no time flat, were stiff and crystallized. Still, we worked through the hard times, and I used up as much as I could on sauteed pork medallions. My husband just doesn't approve of your fruity spice, and it's all I could do to m(eat) you in secret. Next time, I will restrict myself to sauces of the tomato family.

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Peach Orange Blossom Jam,

From the beginning, we fought to stay together. From the tiny, hard fruits bore from our urban peach tree, we were not destined to succeed as a couple. I don't know why your lovingly diced flesh shriveled up in the jar, but it wasn't pretty. This is too hard. sniff.

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme Jelly,

I thought we had something, and we did for a while. Then things started to change, I got busy, you started to withdraw to the back of the cabinet, and we just stopped seeing each other. What happened? You were great with meat. I just wish we had more time together.

Sincerely,

miukat

Wow. I feel emotionally drained. All my hopes and dreams gone down the sink. Here is the canning graveyard:

I hope this doesn't happen again. It was really sad and wasteful. To 2012 and 365 days of pickles!!! Huzzah!

So long 2011!

Whew! It's been a year all right. I had no use of my kitchen until about June, since I live in NY on top of a restaurant, and we had some issues in there, the living room needed updating, so I painted and decorated all summer, and I didn't start really getting back into the cooking groove until Thanksgiving. Well, there have been lots of lows, and a few highs, but I'm glad this year is over. Next year is shaping up to be great, and I look forward to seeing what it brings. (Hark, is that optimism I hear?!) I have recommitted myself to this blog and what it represents, and next year I will be eating/drinking things I've made myself everyday. First things first, I will kick it off today with an Old-Fashioned. How is it homemade, you ask? Well, I don't have a still in the craft room, if that's what you're thinking! Let me tell you about my morning and we'll get there.

I woke up this morning with the macerating citrus looking me square in the eye and telling me to can 'em up. Remember, I had kumquats, orange slices and grapefruit marmalade. There was also a can shortage. And a money shortage. Ugh. It was waaay to early to find canning supplies in this neighborhood, so I took a look at my dedicated canning cupboard to really see what I could do. Sadly, since I haven't done any canning in at least 2 years, I realized all my stock would have to go. My husband is Gourmet Foodie Enemy #1 because he only eats a handful of things, such as pizza, fried chicken, and pork (in all of it's glorious forms, as long as it's unadulterated with other things, such as an awesome mustard rub, sauerkraut and apples, spiced plum glaze...) No veggies, no pie, no fruit ('cept the occasional apple, orange or banana, when the sun is lined up with Venus and Aquarius is in the fifth house, yada yada yada) He's not eating any of this stuff with me, so I have to A) eat it all myself (which clearly didn't work out) B) gift it all to my friends (which is not an option because cans are expensive and you never get them back or C) throw more parties and use it up. I happen to be a fan of C, so hopefully that will come to fruition this year. If I ever finish sewing my slipcover....

Well, I'll be back with a new post, since if I wrote everything in this one post, you'd be reading forever!

I love the fruit market!

So I just came back from shopping (and by the way I'm brrroooooke!) I spent $10 on fruit for canning and I feel like a shopping champion. Grapefruits were on sale 7/$1 so I bought 7, and oranges were also on sale 7/$1, so I bought 14. My intention was also to candy some kumquats for cocktail garnishes, so when I didn't see them where they were supposed to be, I panicked. Then I realized they repackaged them in clamshells, so I ended up getting about 1 1/2 pounds. That's not much, but I think it will be ok for a tiny batch. The water bath will be going any way, so who cares? Lastly, I decided grapefruit marmalade is bo-ring, so I stopped at the liquor store to get some moscato wine to dump in there. Now we're talking! So the oranges will become "Orangerie", sweet/sour spiced orange slices, and that should take care of today's marathon canning session. Well, maybe the camera will get unearthed and I'll take some pictures...

Tortas de Aceite

So it's finally happened. I'm so smitten with these flatbreads I've taken it upon myself to make it happen at home. From time to time, I find Ines Rosales Tortas de Aceites in the supermarkets and it happened again this week. $4.99 later, I'm daintily unwrapping each layer of waxed paper, and stuffing my face full of the sweet, crunchy goodness. As I peruse the ingredients, I realize that this is something I could make myself. With that in mind, my Google-Fu springs into action. After about an hour, I make the stunning discovery that no one on the interwebs has decoded this secret formula in English. Sure, there are plenty of recipes out there, but most are reviewed and reported as being sub-par to the original crispity, crunchity Ines Rosales brand. So I turn to the dark side: I'm searching en Espanol. Within minutes, a little recipe pops up and the next half hour is devoted to translating. It even says in parentheses
"Typo Ines Rosales". Well, the recipe is from Spain, and they said they'll be like my fave brand so I translated and made a few adjustments. Recipe and results soon to follow :)