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)