Butter and Whiskey

Lentil Salad

I want to drop a little weight, so I'm half-assed South Beaching it for a bit. Here's a delicious salad I made today that will last us a whole week. Cheap as hell too, so it's a recessionista special:

2 C Lentils

handful of fresh sage

3 cloves garlic, chopped very finely

3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 T balsamic vinegar

3T extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1 t paprika

two red bell peppers, chopped

three green onions, chopped, white and pale green parts only

handful of pitted kalamata olives, quartered

Rinse the lentils under cold water. Combine the lentils and sage, along with a good handful of Kosher salt, in a pot with six cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until lentils are cooked, about 45 minutes. Fish out the sage and discard. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika in a large bowl. Whisk in olive oil to combine. Stir in lentils while they're still warm, so they lightly cook the garlic, and let it all come to room temperature.

Stir in bell peppers, onions, and olives. Taste and season further if needed.

Going Vegetarian Twice a Week for the Environment

.... And it's made me cook new and interesting things.

For example:

Quinoa with roasted beets and brussel sprouts!

3 large beets

10 large brussel sprouts

couple tablespoons olive oil

1 C quinoa

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped

1/2 C balsamic vinegar

two green onions, sliced finely

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the beets (wear gloves if you don't like red stuff all over your hands) and chop into one to two inch chunks. Toss with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper well. Place the beets on a cookie sheet and into the oven.

Meanwhile, chop off the ends of the brussies and cut in half. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper well. Place cut side down on a sheet, and after the beets have been cooking for about twenty minutes, put the brussies in the oven.

In a saucepan, combine the quinoa with two cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the water is absorbed.

Saute the garlic and shallots in a little olive oil - careful not to burn!! - until shallots are translucent. Salt and pepper well, and whisk in balsamic vinegar. Bring to a simmer for about four minutes.

After the beets have been in the oven for forty minutes (and the brussies for twenty), check to see if the beets are fork tender. If they are, remove them, along with the brussies.

Combine the quinoa, beets, brussies, sauce, and chopped green onions. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm. 

Oyster and bacon omelette

Made this up today for hungry hungry hubbie:

Four slices of bacon

5 large oysters, shucked

half a red onion, chopped fine

salt and pepper

4 eggs, beaten with

1 tblsp heavy cream - although, since I didn't have heavy cream, I used all I had, which was ricotta cheese and it was heavenly

1 tblsp butter

Crisp bacon in a skillet until fat is rendered, remove to paper towels. Drain all but one tablespoon of bacon fat (Molly Malone was a lucky Scottie and got the rest this morning) from the skillet. Add shucked oysters and red onion, plus salt and pepper.

Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent and oysters are cooked.

In the meantime, beat the eggs with cream (or in my case, ricotta cheese) for a good while, until eggs have little air bubbles floating on the top.

Remove oysters and onions from skillet. Chop up the cooked bacon and mix the oysters, onion, and bacon together on a plate. 

In a separate frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add beaten eggs and be PATIENT while the bottom sets. Carefully add the oyster and bacon mixture, then fold one side over. Once set, flip over once until eggs are set on the inside.

Serve with a little Tabasco sauce and see a happy hubbie. And puppy.

Slow cooker beef stew

Had to use up some stuff before it went bad, made an awesome slow cooker beef stew:

1 lb. stew beef

1/2 C flour

1 T paprika

2 T salt

extra virgin olive oil

four carrots, cut into chunks

two large brown onions, cut into eighths

1 can tomato paste

1/2 C red wine

2 T soy sauce

2 T red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

1 t sugar

1 bag frozen peas

Toss the beef with the flour, paprika, and salt, then brown in olive oil on all sides in a large skillet. You may have to work in batches so you don't crowd the pan. Make sure to get each piece nice and brown on all sides.

Remove beef to slow cooker and top with carrots and onions. 

Combine last five ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk til smooth. Add a little to the skillet to de-glaze all the brown bits. Use a wooden spoon to really scrape up all that flavor. Add to the slow cooker along with remaining tomato sauce.

Mix it all up, add a little more salt and pepper, and cook on low for eight hours or high for four and a half hours. Add the peas for the last fifteen minutes of cookin'.

Serve all alone, over rice, over mashed potatoes, over some nice wide pasta. Makes a ton, so set some aside for freezing. 

No pic, but blankie was awesome

I didn't have a chance to take a photo of little Tegan's blanket, the giant granny square, but it really came out amazingly well. Kathlene loved it, which is all that matters. 

Started a log cabin style blanket for YET ANOTHER new baby, who's due this summer. All garter stitch, which might drive me crazy. I'm not building it the way one would normally build a log cabin blanket, with all the picking up stitches. I'm making a bunch of different sized shapes, which I'll then stitch together. I'm basing the idea on the Mason-Dixon Moderne log cabin blanket, but I'm going to simply make the nine squares and then assemble.

If it works, I'll post the pattern. Eek.

Easy Recessionista Soup: Andouille and Beans

Used up a bunch of stuff to make a filling soup that will last for days. 

1 Tblsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large brown onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

salt and pepper

red chili pepper

2 Andouille sausages, cut into chunks (either buy precooked or cook off before you start soup)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 box chicken broth

1 can white beans (canellini - drain and rinse well)

Saute all the veggies together until soft, but not brown. Add salt and pepper and red chili flakes. Add sausage and cook until the smokey flavor is all through the veggies. Dump in tomatoes with juice, broth, and beans. Add more salt and pepper as needed. Simmer until the flavors all meld it up and there you go!

Other add-ins: Start the soup with bacon or pancetta, then add the veggies from there. Don't like beans? Don't use them. Try adding some rosemary or thyme when you're sweating the veggies. Kale makes this soup amazing - just remove the tough stems and give it a little chiffonade. Or, tear apart some stale crusty bread into one inch chunks and throw it in there to suck up all the nummy broth, making it an Italian bread soup. Add some peeled potatoes if you've got some.

I just used what I had on hand to feed my hungry hippo husband.

Been ages...

But since my friend Jill has just started blogging, I thought I'd pick it up again and catch up on a couple recipes and patterns.

Firstly, I have spent the last several months creating the biggest granny square in the world for my friend Kathlene's new baby, Tegan, who surprised us all by coming a couple months early. It's, I think, the prettiest thing I've ever made. Pic to come once I give it to her tomorrow. It's just one giant square. A million shades of green.

I'm on a slouchy hat kick right now. I'm trying to get a perfect slouch. Once I master it, I'll post the pattern. It's almost there.

I'm also making a circular scarf using Noro silk. Pic and pattern to come.

And now, a recipe. Finally.

T = Tablespoon

t = Teaspoon

Valentine's Day Indian Butter Chicken

For the marinade:

1 lb. chicken breast, chopped into 1" pieces

1 C plain yogurt

juice of two lemons

1 T chopped garlic

1 T minced ginger

1 T garam masala

Combine all ingredients well and marinate for at least an hour (or overnight if you're awesome).

For the sauce:

1 T vegetable oil

2 shallots, chopped

1 T minced garlic

1 1/2 T minced ginger (I used the jarred stuff)

2 T fresh lemon juice

3 T butter

1 T garam masala

1 t cumin

1 t red chili powder

1 can tomato purée

1/2 C plain yogurt

1/2 C heavy cream

Sauté the shallots in the heated oil until translucent (don't brown). Stir in the garlic and ginger and turn down the heat, stirring until they're soft but not brown. Add lemon juice, butter, spices, and let them all hang out on low heat for a couple minutes. Add tomato purée and yogurt. Add the cream and remove from heat (don't let it boil or you'll be sorry. Not really, but it'll not be as smooth as it should be).

Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Add oil to pan and heat. Sear on all sides, about four minutes on each side. Add to sauce, and gently heat it all up together until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with basmati rice and make your mouth happy all over. You can top it with a little cilantro to brighten it too, unless cilantro tastes like soap to you, which it does to some people.

Roasted Parsnip and Asparagus soup

Made this up tonight, and it was pretty interesting:

20 stalks asparagus

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

3 leeks, cleaned well, white and green parts only, sliced

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 shallots, chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 whole cloves of peeled garlic

1/2 cup heavy cream or milk

Heat oven to 400˚. Toss leeks, asparagus, and (on a separate pan) parsnips with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast asparagus and leeks for 5-10 minutes or until bright green. Remove from oven. Roast parsnips for 30 minutes or until they pierce easily with a fork.

Heat stock over low-medium heat until simmering, then keep warm.

In the meantime, heat a deep pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions, shallots, and garlic to pan and toss a tablespoonful of kosher salt in the pan. Cook until translucent. Add curry, coriander, and cumin, and cook for a couple minutes. Add butter and stir until well combined.

Add flour and cook for a minute or so. Slowly ladle in warm stock, stirring well after each addition, and bring to a simmer - don't boil or you'll break your roux. Turn heat down to low.

Cut asparagus into chunks and add to soup along with the leeks. The parsnips should be ready; remove them from the oven.

Ladle soup and parsnips into your food processor. Be sure to cover the top with a kitchen towel, unless you want an enormous mess. Pulse a few times and then blitz it on full blast (you could also do this in chunks with a blender or hand blender). Blitz for a few minutes and taste. Add salt and pepper to your liking, plus two whole cloves of raw garlic. Blitz again until smooth.

Return to stove and stir in cream. Serve immediately with a dollop or créme fraîche or sour cream.

The leeks and parsnips are very sweet, so a good amount of salt really works. Great as a starter, although we had it for dinner and it was more than enough.

Crafting frenzy

I am very proud of myself these days. I can actually see myself getting better at this stuff: With all the babies being born in our enormous crowd, I have been knitting and crocheting like a dervish.

Firstly, for baby girl West:

I used about fifteen different yarns and did this very basic pattern:

Chain... I don't know how many, but long enough for a baby blanket (not martha, not at all), about 36"

Double Crochet in third chain from end, Double Crochet in each ch to end, turn.

Ch 3 (counts as first DC), DC in next DC stitch, DC in every DC stitch thereafter.

Change colors at your whim. I did a bunch of different greens and pinks and whites. Came out so pretty, non?

I don't have a pic, but I also made a hat for our friend Donovan, who just got a baby brother. We wanted him to know that he is still a VIP to us, even with all the attention the baby is getting. D loves Spiderman, so I made a Spiderman hat using this very Spidermanny red, black, and blue yarn. :

I cast on 60 stitches onto circular needles and did two rows of 1X1 ribbing. I worked in stockinette for about five inches.

Then I added the blue yarn into the mix for three rows.

I did a rapid decrease by knitting one stitch and knitting two together for a round, then knitting one round, and repeating the decrease. Then I just threaded through and pulled it tight. Adorable. And Donovan loved it.

Here's the big project: One Big Baby Block.

This is for the new Popeski baby, arriving in March. I made six blocks:

2 Solid green (cast on 30, work in stockinetter) with the parents' initials stitched in:

Two diamonds in stockinette and reverse stockinette (cast on 45 stitches and decrease at each end for each row, then stitch the two diamonds together to make a square):

One striped square in checkerboard, which is created thusly:

Cast on a multiple of 8 + 4

Row 1: K4, *p4, k4; rep from * to end

Row 2: P4, *k4, p4; rep from * to end

Repeat first two rows once more

Row 5: As 2nd Row

Row 6: As 1st Row

Repeat last two rows once more.

Rinse, repeat, etc.

Looks like this:

You can see Mols smiling teeth. She approves.

One striped square in divided boxes, made thusly:

Multiple of 5 stitches

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: P1, k4, repeat to end

Row 3: K3, p2, repeat to end

Row 4: As 3rd row

Row 5: As 2nd row

Row 6: Knit

Repeat, rinse, ta da

Looks like this, with a snuggly Mols:

Stitch together into a cube and stuff. And SCENE.

Linguini with clam sauce

Here's the linguini with clams that I made for Sopranos finale, which I'll be making again tonight for Himself's birfffday:

2-3 T butter, plus 2-3 T butter later
2 T Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 anchovies, chopped
2-3 T flour, plus another 2-3 T flour
1 C white wine
1 C clam juice
2 cans chopped clams, about half-way drained (sounds gross, but worked great)
Juice of one lemon
1 C whole milk
salt and pep to taste
handful of chopped Italian parsley
1 lb linguini, cooked al dente

Melt the butter and the oil together over med-high heat. Add garlic and anchovies and cook until the chovies are melted. Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour and cook for one minute. Turn down the heat a bit. Slowly pour in the white wine, whisking it into the pan, making sure it's not lumpy. Add the cup of clam juice and the clams. Stir often as it starts to thicken. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the sauce.

In a separate saucepan, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter, and add 2-3 tablespoons of flour. Cook for one minute. Slowly add the milk, whisking out any lumps. As it starts to thicken, whisk into the clam sauce*. Simmer for a few minutes, add salt and pepper to taste, and a handful of chopped parsley.

Toss with pasta.

*I made this little bechamel-y add in because it wasn't a really creamy sauce like my mans likes it. I'm sure there's a more traditional way to make a creamy white sauce, but this was my way. MY WAY!