Kitchen Basics...who couldn't use a little tune up on their chopping and frying skills? Saturday afternoon was spent learning easy ways to dice, tricks for removing the garlic smell from your hands (hold a steel knife under running water, really!), tossing veggies in a fry pan, and assembling a gorgeous plate of pasta. But enough from me...you can see/hear for yourself (Paul Dionne is doing the teaching). Check out the Asian Stir Fry class on Sunday, Feb. 8!
Oh, this poor little blog is languishing. Juggling two of these babies is hard work, esp. when juggling everything else. Still, I resolve to be a bit more attentive. I think about topics all the time, so maybe the thing is to just post these musings and see what y'all think. Food, who doesn't think about it most of the time?
I'm teaching a Make Your Own Baby Food class this month (Jan. 18) and have been thinking about the introduction of food and how the lads reacted. I thought it was going to be some major epiphany, but, for both of them, it was a bit of a snooze (rice cereal with a splash of apple juice--who could blame them). Eamonn was much more interested in the purees; Alec did a lot of spitting and didn't really engage until he could pick stuff up. He's still a lot more fickle when it comes to eating than Eamonn ever is. E finished a beet salad two days ago!
I'll use a lot of information from this site, and my personal experience. As with all things concerning babies, it's useful to remember that they are just little people and can be picky and quirky just like everyone else (I sneer at Bat Man "fruit" roll ups, but can't stop eating Twizzlers, for instance--I guess it's the fake strawberry flavor that makes one slab of corn syrup more appealing). I hope I will inspire some new moms to go beyond Gerber's and create their own mash-ups. Sweet potatoes and apples, anyone?
Oof, one thing after another and suddently it's 10 days later. There's a name for this...slow blogging..and I wrote about it on GTTSB. So let's just say I'm trying to guarantee quality blog. Here are some pics from the last couple of weekends at the store. We also had the first couple of episodes of B&P's Discussion Sections, but maybe I'll talk about those in a couple of days.
First up, Bath Fizzies with those Dodges of Double D's B's. Simple to mix (oil, scent, baking soda, citric acid), delightful to use. 
We combined, compressed and took them home as gifts. Eamonn loves them, but is frustrated that they don't just fizz for the whole bath time--just until they dissolve. He kept trying to sit on one in tonite's bath, so now his can smells like cranberry. Could be worse. A lot worse.Next up was Truffle Making, in kid-(grand)parent teams. The class was lead by Jinjer Miller, who is has great truffle-expertise. We rolled coffee-flavored, vanilla, almond and peppermint. They were all very pretty, but I thought the almond rocked (secret ingredient: Watkins Almond Extract). Delish.
Last, but not least, was Shrimp Three Ways--as cocktail, proscuitto-wrapped and in gumbo. We were a small, but dedicated bunch and Chad even broke out the crab cakes as an extra treat. Chocolate, seafood, last weekend was rather decadent.
We were a boisterous bunch last Saturday. A few dates, a girls' night out, some of the regulars. Chad Measner of South Padre Sea Foods (and the B&P chef, btw) demonstrated ho
w to peel and boil shrimp for cocktail, sauteing for scampi and searing sushi-grade tuna. He even whipped up a couple of sushi rolls using the raw tuna--a treat for some, a (scary) adventure in eating for others.
Watching Chad, with some assistance from Erich, it occurred to me how loose one should be when cooking. A dash of salt, a squirt of dressing, a splash of oil...there was very little measuring, bu
t lots of tasting and adjusting that went on as we watched. I guess it pays to have quality ingredients within an arm's reach so you can just add a bit of this and that (and have the confidence to mix whatever flavors are on hand).
Anyway, it was quite tasty and the Crane's Lake Chardonnay and Brut were respectable matches. Cheap, but not headache-inducing. We were all pleasantly surprised by the Brut--bring on the bubbly!
I'm always charmed by the uneveness of my CSA produce from Angelic Organics. They pull all the carrots and we get all the carrots, lumps and bumps and warts included. A few years ago, I got an eggplant with a long tubular growth, right in the center of its "face"; I put a pair of Eamonn's sunglasses on it and enjoyed at least 10 min.s of hilarity until Eamonn, disgusted, grabbed his specs off the fruit. Sadly, I couldn't find that picture of the shaded aubergine, so you'll have to enjoy this zucchini duck I found on Google images...
Our friends in Europe don't feel the same way. Get a load of this...apparently, the European Union has something against eggplant noses (and braided carrots and twisted squash). There has been a rule on the books banning misshapen fruits and vegetables, although this is going to be repealed at the beginning of July. However, they are keeping the standards for apples, citrus, pears, tomatoes and strawberries. These have to be marked as substandard or intended for cooking, only.
What?!?!? I thought Europe was supposed to be so Green and Less Wasteful than Americans. Heaven forbid a parsnip should have an extra leg. What do they do to keep themselves amused after naptime, before fixing dinner?
For three November weekends in a row Bushel and Peck's is sponsoring Terri and Dan Dodge's soap making classes. They are the brains behind Double D's B's, and have already graced us with their bees and honey. Now it's soap-expertise.
Our first class was last Saturday; students decided what "flavor" soap they wanted to make--rosemary/calendula, lemongrass/poppyseed, honey-oatmeal, or peppermint--and organized ingredients (lye, oils, scents). We learned proportions, how to measure and mix, secrets to choosing smells and herbs. I was sitting next to the rosemary-calendula group and, man, that cleared my sinuses.
The ingredients are all vegetarian (although, old-schoolers can try a recipe with lard at home). The lye provides the cleansing action, the oils the moisturizing and the scents, well, provide the scents. Everything is mixed and the chemical reaction of the lye, water and oils creates a solution that cooks itself (the water and lye heat up to almost boiling, oil cools it back down). The mixture is poured into a mold, where it hardens for a day and then is removed to continue curing for another month. The lye combines with the oils during this 4-week long chemical reaction, after which is it officially soap. The recipe uses 5% more oil than will react with the lye; the final result--a beautiful, delicious smelling, moisturing (because of the extra oil) bar!
If you find yourself yearning to mix, there's still space on Nov. 15.
We combined, compressed and took them home as gifts. Eamonn loves them, but is frustrated that they don't just fizz for the whole bath time--just until they dissolve. He kept trying to sit on one in tonite's bath, so now his can smells like cranberry. Could be worse. A lot worse.
w to peel and boil shrimp for cocktail, sauteing for scampi and searing sushi-grade tuna. He even whipped up a couple of sushi rolls using the raw tuna--a treat for some, a (scary) adventure in eating for others.
t lots of tasting and adjusting that went on as we watched. I guess it pays to have quality ingredients within an arm's reach so you can just add a bit of this and that (and have the confidence to mix whatever flavors are on hand).
I'm always charmed by the uneveness of my CSA produce from Angelic Organics. They pull all the carrots and we get all the carrots, lumps and bumps and warts included. A few years ago, I got an eggplant with a long tubular growth, right in the center of its "face"; I put a pair of Eamonn's sunglasses on it and enjoyed at least 10 min.s of hilarity until Eamonn, disgusted, grabbed his specs off the fruit. Sadly, I couldn't find that picture of the shaded aubergine, so you'll have to enjoy this zucchini duck I found on Google images...
Our first class was last Saturday; students decided what "flavor" soap they wanted to make--rosemary/calendula, lemongrass/poppyseed, honey-oatmeal, or peppermint--and organized ingredients (lye, oils, scents). We learned proportions, how to measure and mix, secrets to choosing smells and herbs. I was sitting next to the rosemary-calendula group and, man, that cleared my sinuses. 
We experimented and were delighted with the results: the indoor farmers' market is on! The Art Gallery at Bushel and Peck's was full of favorite Beloit FM vendors, including: Golden Bear Elk, Arrowhead Orchards, Daval's Buffalo, Earl Hulson, Jimmy's (or Jackie's) produce. There were also wonderful hand-crafts from Bonnie Miller (I bought a great vintage race car piggy bank), David Mauk's lawn ornaments, Robin's Roost candles, and Rhonda Power's beautiful jewelry. Almost everyone will be back next week, so be sure to stop by (from 8-12:30 on Saturday.)
