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November 29, 2006
Cold and work
Weather news first: when I woke up this morning at 8 to take the dog out, it was 14 degrees, and it stayed below freezing all day. The novelty and the impermanance makes it all very enjoyable.
Work was eh. I'm going to have to regroup, but I'm not really in the mood for that, and probably won't be until Monday. My end of the month projects are looming and consequently, I'm quite cranky.
Birthday is Saturday, and I'm even less into it this year than I was last year. I don't feel hideously old; 35 is just 35. I have no plans, I don't feel like going out. My mom sent me a card and a gift early :) Leslie got me the Container Store stuff weeks ago. Richard let me get Viva Pinata and play it for a billion hours hehe.
I'd just like to make it through the rest of the week...
Posted by jodikins at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2006
Ice and genes
Today sucked at work. Frustration mounted to the point where I had to fix something, ANYTHING, and I ended up jumping the gun and pissing people off. It was minor, but the reaction was huge and disheartening.
Enough of that though. The coldness continues here and the roads are icy and dangerous in a lot of spots. We ventured out today for lunch, but stayed in otherwise. I dug through the freezer of doom and I'll be making a big pot of chili tomorrow since we're expecting some more snow tomorrow and a continuation of freezing temps. The weather has been really fun (since we don't commute), and a nice reminder of why we don't live elsewhere :)
And now for the genes, last month while watching The Dog Whisperer, the National Geographic Channel had an ad for the Genographic Project. I went to the website and it sounded absolutely fascinating. I was a little put off by the $107 price tag per kit, but genetic testing doesn't come cheap. We got the test kits right before our trip a few weeks ago, and I put off doing it. Richard's been bugging me to get it done, so tonight we did our first cheek scrapings. This wasn't the cute long Q-tip they show on CSI, but a hard scraper with a jagged edge. After a minute of cheek scraping it kind of hurts :)
Posted by jodikins at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2006
More Snow!
This time dry, powdery snow. Yay!
Posted by jodikins at 6:38 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2006
Changes
I did a lot of thinking this weekend, and I don't think I'm going to do cookies this year for people. Last year it really devolved from friends and family to mainly business contacts, and that really sucked a lot of the joy out of it. Originally it was a way for me to share all of the baking I'd done with my parents and other people we cared about, but last year I didn't even get to make and send what I wanted to my parents which was a big part of why I was doing this all in the first place. And that is what I'll be focusing on this year: things my grandma used to make and things I really enjoy.
Posted by jodikins at 3:06 PM | Comments (0)
SNOW!
A light dusting fell overnight, and now it's coming down kind of sleety, but SNOW! Yay!
Posted by jodikins at 8:23 AM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving 2006 in review
Other than feeling pretty crappy all day, Thanksgiving was quite enjoyable. The only thing that really didn't turn out well was the sweet potatoes. Despite being in the oven for 6 hours at 200, and 1 hour at 400, they were still hard as bricks. I'm going to chalk this one up to bad organic produce from QFC -- woody potatoes will never soften and be luscious.
The stuffing was good, not sure that I'd make it again the same way though. The pretzels were a nice addition -- they completely disintegrated into the broth, and just added a nice malted background flavor. The gravy was too rich with cream in it -- I'd definitely step down to milk next year, I was just too lazy to get it out of the fridge today. The turkey got a little overdone for me. Two reasons for that, 1.) it was fully thawed and defrosted -- last year there were still some ice crystals around the wings. And 2.) I overslept because of the whole feeling crappy thing. So the bird was in the oven for about an hour extra.
Strawberry jello pretzel salad was a big hit, but I think if I made it again, I would skip the frozen strawberries and substitute crushed pineapple and either mandarin oranges or sliced bananas. The frozen strawberries ended up being an unpleasant mush in an otherwise really nicely balanced dessert. The frozen strawberries also weren't adding anything flavorwise -- at least nothing that could compete with the good old fashioned artificial flavoring in the Jello itself.
QFC is once again on my shit list. The Better than Boullion Turkey base that I bought before we left for Chicago had an expiration date of... 03/2006. Fuckers. I'm going to pull a Fry's switcheroo, buy another jar of it, then take this one back.
Other than that, the day was punctuated by me falling asleep in the chair in the living room repeatedly, playing a little bit of Halo, and watching Over The Hedge and then Survivor and CSI. We didn't get to hang out with Leslie and Adam -- that was on the cusp of one of my chair naps, heh.
Dishes are in the dishwasher, the kitchen is slightly cleaner, and I'm feeling pretty relaxed. Sometime this weekend I'd like to get Viva Pinata for the 360. Adam was playing it last night, and it's totally cool. Drives Richard insane, but he doesn't have to watch it :)
Posted by jodikins at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving timeline 2006
Turkey:
I had a fully thawed Butterball 22.41lb bird, which was purchased late Saturday night, I believe. I put it in a container store box in the garage (covered) and made sure that as it thawed, the temperature was kept cool. Monday night, I started throwing ice in the box, and continued through Wednesday morning. The turkey was chilled, but it was fully thawed.
Wednesday I took a whole pack of thyme, almost a full pack of sage, and a hefty stick of rosemary (probably two if they were small), and shoved it in the cavity. All of the giblets were removed, the neck also came in a plastic bag, so I tore that open and put it in the bottom of the pan. There was a lot of blood to mop up -- I might not thaw it as much next year. Breast side down, of course. At 3PM, Removed the second rack from the oven and pre-heated to 350. Put the bird in and baked for 1 hour at 350. Turned the heat down to 200, and continued to bake til 8am. At 8am, I threw in three large washed sweet potatoes, individually wrapped in foil. Those SHOULD be done by the time the turkey comes out around 1.
Sweet Potatoes:
Just scrubbed and trimmed three large organic sweet potatoes, wrapped each in heavy duty foil and threw in with the turkey at 200 degrees from 8am on.
Cranberry Relish:
4-1/2 to 5 c. sliced raw cranberries
14 oz jar of danish orange marmalade
3/4 c superfine sugar
2 T. grated ginger
1/4 tsp orange oil
3/4 c. walnuts, finely chopped
Put marmalade in a sauce pan with grated ginger and sugar. Add in 1-1/2 c. of cranberries. Heat on medium low until the mixture liquifies and begins to warm. Turn heat up to medium until it gives up one bubble, dump in another 1-1/2c. of cranberries. Stir to coat and turn heat off (keep the pan on the burner). Add 1/4 tsp orange oil. Stir, then add walnuts and stir again. Remove pan from burner and add remaining cranberries. Stir, taste and correct any imbalances. pack in plastic containers and put in fridge.
Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad:
3c. crushed pretzels (used a 10oz bag of Snyder's Olde Tyme pretzels, saved the extra crumbs for the stuffing, i.e. do not use the full 10 oz in this).
1/4c. super fine sugar
3/4 c. butter.
Melt butter, mix into pretzel crumbs and sugar. Line a 9x13 pan with nonstick foil. Pat pretzel mix into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Take out and let cool (I did this around 2pm on Wednesday, and let it cool overnight.)
8oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 c. confectioner's sugar (NOT packed)
8oz Cool Whip
Mix softened cream cheese with confectioners sugar until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip 1/4th at a time to make sure that it's thoroughly mixed. Spread in a thin layer over the pretzel crust. Refrigerate. (Made this part at 8:30am on Thursday).
16oz frozen strawberries
8oz can crushed pineapple
6 oz box strawberry jello
2 c boiling water
Boil water, dissolve jello in water. Pour over strawberries and pineapple. Stir until jello has cooled and begun to thicken. Spoon strawberries over cream cheese layer, pour jello over top. Refrigerate. (I actually did 20oz strawberries and the pineapple and it overflowed the foil a little bit, so next year, just the one 16 oz bag of strawberries).
Stuffing:
3/4 loaf Safeway french bread
2 large onions
4 ribs of celery
chopped italian parsley
2 tsp Bell's seasoning
1 c. butter
big tablespoon in 3 c water better than boulion roasted vegetable in water
1-1/2 c pretzel crumbs
saute onions, add celery, add broth mix, add pretzel crumbs, add bread cubes
Baked at 400 for 1 hr. Seemed to be too much water/butter in the stuffing, but it made it very similar to what it would be like cooked in the bird.
wake up:
get stuffing going (cube bread, find broth mixes, saute onions, celery, seasonings, cook on stovetop until turkey comes out, then throw in oven to crisp)
mashed potatoes (two packs regular, one pack garlic, 5 c water, 1 c whipping cream) wash and chop chives, cheese and sour cream
gravy (one turkey, one onion, 1-1/2 c water, 1/2c cream)
green beans
corn
Full meal:
turkey
stuffing
mashed potatoes
sweet potatoes
green beans
corn
gravy
cranberry relish
butterflake rolls
Posted by jodikins at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2006
Cranberry Orange Bread
Fruit mix:
Zest of 4 oranges
3 c. sliced cranberries
1/2 c. super fine sugar
1/4 tsp orange oil
Let this macerate in a bowl for a bit (20 to 30 mins) -- until the sugar melts; then start the rest.
2 c. King Arthur AP flour
2 c. White Lily AP flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1-1/2 c. Odwalla tangerine juice
2 eggs, beaten
1.) Prepare the fruit mix and let macerate for 20 minutes.
2.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using the large cookie sheet pan, lay out 10 mini loaf pans (e-z foil).
3.) Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl (a whisk works well).
4.) Melt butter, add to dry ingredients -- don't mix yet.
5.) Beat eggs in butter bowl.
6.) Add tangerine juice to the bowl. Follow with the beaten eggs.
7.) Mix wet and dry together until most of the flour streaks are gone.
8.) Add in macerated fruit. Fold fruit throughout the batter and finish mixing in any flour.
9.) Spray each of the foil pans with cooking spray.
10.) Divide batter evenly between pans (they'll be barely half full).
11.) Bake for 35 minutes.
Posted by jodikins at 8:09 PM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2006
The Good Costco
Since we moved here, right next door to the primordial Costco, we have shopped at that original location. And I've been disappointed by the original location. Parking is always ass, and the store is small (or seems so) and doesn't have the selection or variety that I've experienced at other Costcos. But, we're lazy, so we never really sought out the other area locations.
Until today! Richard wanted to stop in at CompUSA over at Totem Lake, so we decided to try to find the Woodinville Costco with the new GPS system. I'm so glad we did -- I don't think I'll ever go back to the Kirkland location again. The Woodinville location is nicely laid out. It has a gas station, and it has a nice bakery, meat counter, wine section, and fresh foods section. So! I came home with a bunch of good stuff, most of which went in the freezer or is destined for there. I bought 6lbs of cranberries that I'm picking through, washing and freezing for Cranberry orange bread throughout the year. I also picked up some bulk spices -- I was right when I was telling Leslie that it's often cheaper to buy the larger quanitity spices at Costco than it is to buy a smaller jar of spices at the store. I got big containers of Italian seasoning and Cinnamon there for less than I'd pay for a small jar at the grocery store. Win-win there.
Posted by jodikins at 5:23 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2006
Home Sweet Home
It's good to be back home with the menagerie, but the trip to Chicago was awesome. I'm looking forward to going back periodically, which is really saying something considering how much I stress about travel :) Being able to work with people who genuinely enjoy what they're doing is a refreshing and welcomed change compared to the last year or two. Walking around the office, you can feel positive energy (at the risk of sounding all new-age hippie), and not only hope, but knowing that things will continue to grow. And how can you not love a bunch of folks who will get together to experience the PoPozao magic of K-Fed?
Posted by jodikins at 10:20 PM | Comments (1)
November 6, 2006
Rice Krispie Treats
Makes one 9x13x3 pan full
1-16oz bag mini-marshmallows (9 cups)
9 T. salted butter
12 c. Rice Krispies
Butter for foil (2 T.)
1.) Line a 9x13 pan with heavy duty wide foil. Melt 2T. butter in a small dish in the microwave (20 to 25 seconds), and coat the foil (bottom and all the way up the sides).
2.) Put 9 T. butter in the bottom of a non-stick dutch oven. Use rubber utensils to stir from here on out. Melt the butter over low heat until almost completely melted. Dump in marshmallows and begin stirring to coat.
3.) Once marshmallows are coated, turn heat up to medium and continue stirring until marshmallows begin to melt. Turn heat down again to low when 75% of the marshmallows are melted.
4.) Stir until all marshmallows are melted and the butter is incorporated. Turn off burner. Dump in all of the Rice Krispies.
5.) Stir to coat all of the Rice Krispies, and dump into buttered foil-lined pan.
6.) With a buttered rubber spatula, smooth out the top (but don't compact too much) and smoosh everything into the corners of the pan.
Posted by jodikins at 7:57 AM | Comments (0)
November 5, 2006
Lazy Gingerbread
3.7 oz minced crystallized ginger (from Surfas, Australian, about 1 cup chopped)
1 cup (2 sticks) salted Challenge Butter
2 T. freshly grated ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. unsulfured molasses
1/4c. whole milk
1/4c. heavy cream
4 to 4-1/2c. flour
8oz pearl sugar
1.) Mince ginger coins. Dump into 2 cup glass measure. Add two sticks of butter and microwave for 1 minute or until at least one stick of the butter is melted (you don't want the ginger caramelizing or burning, but you want the butter to eventually melt, which it will with the residual heat from the measuring cup). Set aside.
2.) Grate ginger into 2T shotglass measure. Dump into melted butter mix. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to butter mix.
3.) Dump butter mix into mixing bowl. Add 1 c. sugar, 1-1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix to combine. Add 1 c. molasses, mix again.
4.) Mix in 1/4c milk and 1/4c heavy cream.
5.) Add 1 cup of flour, mix to combine, then add 2 more cups of flour (3 cups total now), mix to combine before adding 4th cup of flour. Mix and probably add the extra half cup until the dough no longer sticks to the spatula. The dough will still be very soft, though.
6.) Chill until the will to bake strikes.
7.) When the urge to bake strikes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Use the large cookie sheets, and cover with non-stick foil.
8.) Roll 1 inch balls of dough, drop them in a bowl of pearl sugar, and roll to coat each ball. Place balls on cookie sheet -- the dough does not spread much at all so you can get 20 to 25 cookies on one sheet.
9.) Clean and dry a spice jar, and use the bottom of the jar to flatten the balls. The sugar should keep the jar bottom from sticking too badly.
10.) Pop tray in oven and bake for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and move cookies to a cooling rack. Cool completely before tossing in a container for storage.
11.) Lather, rinse, repeat. NEVER DOUBLE THIS RECIPE. It makes tons and tons of cookies, and by the time you're done forming them and baking them, you won't want to make them again for a while.
Posted by jodikins at 6:35 PM | Comments (1)
November 4, 2006
My own running notepad
To impress those who we shall be visiting this week, baked goods have been suggested/requested. So, I figured it might be nice to do a bit of a test run for the baking I never seem to escape during the holidays. One of the unexpected big hits of last year's cookie run was my Lazy Gingerbread cookies. Why lazy? Well, I made the dough quite a bit in advance (no eggs, and fully refrigerated, so no real danger of it going bad per se), and I kept staring at it everytime I opened the fridge, and just could not bring myself to actually roll them out, cut them out, and bake them. I didn't want to throw the dough out, so I finally decided to just roll the dough in balls, coat them in sugar, and smoosh and bake. They turned out fabulous. The coarse sugar on the outside made them extra crunchy, and the flavors were very balanced. And people liked them, even weeks later (I had some test cookies at that point :).
I remembered I'd made some modifications to the recipe, and I could have sworn I'd written them down somewhere, but extensive searches on my computer yielded nothing. Then it came to me -- I bet I blogged about it last year! And I had! I noted the modifications I'd made, not in great detail, but enough to figure it out now. This year I'm going to be keeping better records overall of everything I make, and hopefully that will make future years even more smooth and consistent.
So, tomorrow and Monday night I'm sure, I'll make rice krispie treats (yeah, I know -- not really a recipe, but people really enjoy them, especially when I make them old school style), lazy gingerbread, scotcheroos, and banana nut bread. All of those should travel well and won't be too affected by the fact that we probably won't see folks until Wednesday anyway. The bonus is they're all fairly easy to make as well.
Posted by jodikins at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)