new aprons
just a quick note – there are more kitschen dress aprons available at Belmont Butchery! Grab one next time you’re there!
xoxe
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chocolate chip banana muffins
I love bananas – and i always feel guilty when there’s a lone ranger sitting on the counter, freckling til it turns completely brown. I’ve tried freezing them before until I’m ready to make a batch of banana bread, and damn if they didn’t go bad in the freezer. and I freaking hate wasting food. So, this week when I had two nanners headed to the other side, I decided to take action. I grabbed my old bread making book for a recipe, realised quickly I had little of the ingredients called for and kept rolling through the recipe. I tried it, as did my sis and Dev, so it’s ok to pass this along to y’all:
1 cup rolled oats
1 healthy cup self rising flour
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 egg
handful of chocolate chips [semi-sweet]
1 package of peanut butter nature’s valley granola bar – crushed
2 bananas coarsely chopped
mix the flour, brown sugar, choc chips, oats. mix the milk, egg, honey, vegetable oil. mix the oat mixture and milk mixture together, then mix the bananas in, divide up in greased muffin pan[s] and bake at 400 for 15ish minutes….
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a trio of houndsteeth
i mentioned before about the three wool skirts that i scored from an n.c. thrift store…i knew i had a good find when this little old lady pointed at me from across the store and said, “where did you get those? show me!” who can argue a buck.twenty-five for a wool skirt? one is this tightly woven bright mustard and light teal houndstooth, it was handmade by the wearer before me, and had a hideous full pleat pattern that fell below my knees. no lining and on the inside she used the lace hem tape which is a nice little touch. then i found just your run on the mill black and white, larger weave houndstooth in your classy pencil skirt, a little big, but workable….the last one i found is awesome, it is a black and multi-color [avocado, salmon, raspberry] weave. this one also appeared hand made and used some old-school handmade bias tape method for the edges…it’s always fun to come across something made in a different era or made by hand, because there’s always something new or different about it that i’ve never discovered.
well, now that i’ve ripped ‘em apart, i’ve been pinning them back together, bringing them into my waist size, and adjusting the hem…and voilà some lovely little skirts for class and work.
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meatloaf
Meatloaf – I never seem to cook this dish the same way twice…it always comes out delicious though, or so I hear, so that’s good to know. This is a great easy recipe I can prep in the morning before work and throw in the oven after work and voilà! a wonderful winter meal that’ll stick to my ribs and warm us right up!
1.5-2 lbs of ground beef
2-3 cloves garlic
1 slice of bread, diced
a healthy 1/4 cup of ketchup
1 packet of lipton’s dry soup [french onion is my favorite]
1 egg
Mix the ketchup, egg and Liptons together, then add the meat, then garlic & bread. Bake at 350 until done approx 35-45 min…yum!
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cranberries.
although a little late, since the holiday season is over, I wanted to mull over the cranberry fruit and some recipes…
growing up, the only cranberry sauce we had was the gelatin-ish ocean spray holiday can goodness…recently at the grocery store, I found a 2 pound bag of fresh cranberries, and I said what the hell…let’s try out some recipes and see what happens….deliciousness happened…here are some recipes…
Cranberry Chutney. – this is delicious with baked brie, pork chops and even chicken breasts.
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup fresh cranberries
4 tsp cider vinegar
1/3 c raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans [if desired, or macadamia]
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
bring the water & sugar to a boil in saucepan. add cranberries, vinegar, nuts, brown sugar, ginger, garlic. continue to boil slowly and stir til thick…5-10ish minutes. cool & refrigerate.
Cranberry Sauce.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 cups cranberries
optional – pecans, macadamia, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.
bring water and sugar to boil, add cranberries, raisins, cinnamon & nutmeg. refrigerate.
Cranberry Bread/Muffins.
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup milk
1/2 stick butter [melted]
1 egg
I made this recipe a while ago, and as I recall, I was out of milk, but had some cran-apple juice and substituted and it was delicious. Dev said it reminded him of the muffins he had as a kid, and I took that as a complement….
combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon. an a small bowl take a bit of the oats mix and combine with the cranberries. in another bowl combine milk [or juice!], butter, and egg. stir the butter mixture in with the oats mixture – fold in the cranberries, divide evenly in greased muffin or bread pan.
bake muffins at 425 for 15-20 minutes or bread pan 35-40 minutes or until light brown and springy.
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inspiration…julia
As I mentioned earlier, I have been taking full advantage of my time off and I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen, instead of in front of this here computer…I’ve been baking from scratch for the first time ever, making wonderful dinners which make my man fall in love with me even more [wink], and perfecting the art of making a good hummus [the consistency is still off!].
My collection of cookbooks is random and unfaithful to any one style…I have a wonderful Italian recipe book a dear friend gave me years ago, a French cookbook I bought on a whim in Bayonne, France, tofu & vegetarian cookbooks from that time I was a semi-vegetarian, French Women Don’t Get Fat from when that was a trendy read…and from my father, a cookbook Skinny Bitch in the Kitch [unbeknownst to him, it's vegan - the picture reminded him of me - not the title...I'd say vice-versa!]…and then I have a skinny little 3 ring binder with a collage of collected recipes from magazines, mom, friends, etc…I am so unfaithful to my recipes…I use them as inspiration mostly, and as a springboard to making a mess and experimenting in the kitchen…
I will shamelessly change recipes around to suit my pantry’s current offerings, or my taste…I think I’ve only followed a couple of recipes exactly and I nearly never make exact measurements – I just pour it in, til it looks good. This always makes for an interesting record of events when people ask me for a recipe…
Anywho, my newest cookbook hunt, which I will be equally unfaithful cooking with, is tied to all the hype with the new movie Julie+Julia that just came out…I saw it in the theaters, and our favorite parts were watching Julia at work. Chopping thousands of onions on a butchers block, speaking French at the market, and showing the men up at the Cordon Bleu.
I’m no professional and I can safely say I probably wouldn’t cook much from it…as Schrambling so nicely puts it in her post on Slate…which is why I’m looking for a thrifted or vintage, well loved, with maybe some flour spots or french onion soup spills on the pages. I want it to join the ranks of the cookbooks…I want to try the 6 recipes Dickerson recommends from the book. It would look good on the bookshelf at least, and lend advice when needed.
I had this thrifting search on the back burner, until design*sponge had a wee blog post on the movie and the cooks…photo below from their blog/post:
and then I just got fired up to go looking for this cookbook…after reading Schrambling’s post though, I wonder if maybe this would be a more practical buy which I would use more of the recipes….
anywho, after all this Julia rambling, I do have some recipes of some scrumptious things I’ve been baking up recently:
Biscotti-
2 eggs, 2 egg yolks
2 3/4 cups self rising flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons [melted] butter
1 cup [coarsely chopped] almonds
almond extract
or any other flavorings you like…
+flour, sugar, then make well…
+eggs, egg yolks. stir into flour mixture.
+butter
stir until dough begins to form a ball. stir in nuts or whatever other accoutrements you desire.
divide dough into 3 pieces, roll into logs, flatten until 1 1/2 inches wide.
place on greased baking sheets, bake on 325 for 25 -30 ish minutes, until dough is firm and light brown. cool on cookie sheets on wire racks for 15 minutes. use serrated knife to chop each roll into 1 inch slices. enjoy!
Macaroons…now before starting this recipe, I must say, I wanted to save all the egg whites from the biscotti recipe before, and I figured I would try my hand at macaroons. Since I do not have one of these lovelies: 
or any electric mixer for that matter…it made the situation more interesting…that is, the recipe says to beat the mixture until it firms, and with a whisk, my arm got tired after a few minutes…so since it was too runny to scoop with an ice cream scoop like the lady was doing in the picture, I used my creative little brain to pour the mix into a greased cupcake pan to bake until they formed, then flipped onto a baking sheet, then cooled…ha!
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups finely shredded coconut
add egg whites to pinch of salt, beat with an electric mixer until stiff. fold in sugar and vanilla, then stir in coconut. using a spoon or ice cream scoop, form cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. bake for 15 minutes [or until lightly golden] at 350. let cool for 30 minutes.
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new years thoughts
dearest reader, are you still out there?
i suppose some old friends may still be following these typings of mine, and i have been mulling over lots of things that i’ve done in the past few months that i’ve been meaning to share. and i just didn’t download pics, or holidays and exams got in the way. and then i wondered are people really reading this anyway, or what is the point of maintaining a blog if you are letting your business slip by? [which was the whole point of this blog in the first place]. or some other cockamamie excuse – you know how it goes…
so, happy new year & merry christmas a little late, but i was thinking of you, ever faithful readers!
i have pretty much shut down my shop – i am not making anything new, just trying to sell the stock i have left [if interested - contact me, we'll make a real good deal, promise!]… now, i am concentrating on getting smart. i faired well with last semester - it’s a completely different experience this go ’round. i’ve put the needle and thread aside and am now operating with number twos and scantrons. i survived my behavioral econ class [a 400 level in which i had NO base level econ], which i had no idea was going to be so centered around numbers and equations and math(ick).
the past few months have really been a breath of fresh air that i had been gasping for – i am walking to school and work now…with school out i have been a baking, reading, sewing fiend [not all at once, mind you]…i have found many sources of inspiration, and have been stock piling photos away for future projects and endeavors.
for a recent birthday for a dear quarter centarian, i made a guinness chocolate cake from scratch, only later to realise 1. he hates chocolate cake, and 2. [well i already knew this] he hates icing. *but* he loved the cake!! i think the guinness made it all work
guinness chocolate stout cake [as taken from bon appétit, with a few tweaks]
ingredients:
cake
* 2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
* 4 sticks unsalted butter
* 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
* 4 cups self rising flour
* 4 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1 1/3 cups sour cream
icing:
* 2 cups whipping cream
* 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
preparation:
cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
between classes i have been using my down time to read. books. that maybe i started 3 years ago [i apologize, mr. zinn for taking so long to finally read your intelligent history lessons]. the time traveler’s wife was excellent. until the end. boo- corny endings. i am still traipsing through my mai 68 book & french history book.
i have also taken the cover off of my sewing machine, i sewed some christmas cards, and have been saving my favorite pairs of jeans, patching up the well worn spots at the top of my knee…
we’ve also been traveling a bit to visit families for the holidays - we watched power para gliders take off right outside of nc which was *awesome*,
we went to a new winery nearby as well [the cabernets were bitter and pungent,in my opinion, the blends were better and i think will continue to peak as they age...and they did have quite a few nice, sweet wines if that's your thing]…back at the house we made like little children – hopped on the trampoline and jumped til we giggled and couldn’t jump anymore, and drove go karts at their max speed, and then sword fought with the wi until the house shook from all the jumping…
later on another trip to nc, we went thrifting in a little town outside of charlotte. only in shelby, nc can you find vintage fabulous books, such as:
the american woman’s complete sewing book, by ida riley duncan, instructor, home economics department at wayne university in detroit. copyright 1948.
the new how to keep house, by mary davis gillies, interior design consultant, former decorating and building editor, mccall’s magazine. copyright 1948.
because, “the methods of laundering, shopping, or cooking a meal of even ten years ago may no longer be the way to get best results. my mother’s housekeeping procedures…are as completely outdated as the open cockpit airplane in this jet age.” absolutely correct.
last but not least…the homesteader’s handbook to raising small livestock by jerome d belanger. copyright 1974.
because we will have land one day and i want a chicken coop, maybe some rabbits too.
those books are no joke – and they’ll make a great addition to the coffee table. i also found three ridiculously awesome houndstooth wool skirts, which after a bit of tweaking will be a fabulous addition to my closet. they’re not your mom’s plain jane black & white [well one of them is - but the others are a punchy green & gold and green, salmon & teal.] 2.25 each. *ridiculous* and two of the skirts were handmade and i thought that was really nifty to be buying and revamping them…[pictures to come] soon…
i think this ramble will suffice for now. until the next post…you should really get baking that guinness cake. delicious and easy! plus even with its ginormous size…it freezes well, so just wrap it up and throw it in until st patty’s day!
xoxe
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ode to the fiesta
fiesta, by schwinn. picture by dev, one night in the fan, many moons ago.
she was as hefty as a hunk of metal,
she always carried the weight in the front basket
her pedals were breaking,
she squeaked when i rode her.
her seat has been stolen twice,
and she’s been cruising for over 40 years
without a care in the world.
she was old, not yet broken.
and now she is gone.
maybe to someone else,
maybe dismembered by now for her parts.
sad squirrel.
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field trip: belmont butchery
i have some fabulous + exciting news for this week- reversible aprons are now available at Belmont Butchery !!
I think the shop has been around for at least 5 years now…i remember reading an article in Richmond magazine when the store first opened, and i thought i have to go!
it wasn’t until a classmate [and butcher at belmont] urged me to come check it out. local meats, grass fed, occasional surprises [rabbit! lamb sausage with rosemary+thyme!], awesome service, wines, artisan cheeses, fresh local eggs…why had i not been in before?
even on my student budget, i am able to afford to go in there every once and a while – for the service & quality meats…you’re getting a killer deal. plus, you bring all the questions about meat – they have all the answers…they explain the cut, the type of meat, how to cook it up, da da da…
anywho, so yesterday, i strolled in, i grabbed another hanger steak, some rabbit [yes, rabbit!], and some handmade chorizo [pizza later this weekend?]
I decided to try the rabbit last night…as usual I had the meat and spices and no recipe. that’s never a problem in my book though. here’s what i came up with:
- 2 legs of rabbit
- 2 cloves of [crushed] garlic
- 1/2 pkg sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1/2 sliced onion
- olive oil
- penzeys french dressing spice
i sauteed the mushrooms & onion in a bit of olive oil over med heat. while the veggies were simmering, i rubbed the legs down with some olive oil, sprinkled some of the spices and the crushed garlic, and then put them in a shallow baking dish. added a little water to the bottom of the dish, added the sauteed mushrooms & onions & threw in the oven at 350 fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. meanwhile i grabbed the potatoes that were starting to look at me with their new eyes…chopped em up, boiled em, then threw them in the pan with some olive oil, cumin, and powdered mustard & salt…
yum! there were no leftovers, so i’m glad i snagged some shots!
so, if you haven’t been to belmont already get over there! no excuses -they are open mon-sat! and check out my aprons while you’re there!
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Tags: aprons, belmont butchery
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