Catch-up

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.

Entertaining with Seafood

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 how 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, but 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!

Oh (Big) Brother

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?

Suds from Scratch

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.

Indoor Farmers' Market, #1

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.)

A little something for knead-a-phobes

It's the end of the road for my trusty bread maker. It has accompanied us through 6 moves (Beloit via Washington DC via Austin, TX) over the past 13 years, but it can no longer beat down raised dough. I bought a new knead bar, to no avail. So, I've been trying to figure out how to keep making bread, without having it turn it into an all-afternoon affair. I don't have a good kneading surface, I tend to overknead, I have an entourage that doesn't like a distracted mother.

Mark Bitten has come to my rescue. He is The Minimalist for the NYTimes and specializes in simple to fix, yet complex to taste, recipes, accompanied by a thorough description of what he is doing and why. He has taken a no-knead recipes for bread and shortened the prep time down to about 5 or so hours. Brilliant. The white bread is divine and, frankly, less work than the bread maker bread was.

Speedy No-Knead Bread
(adapted from Mark Bittman)
3 c. bread flour (MB says you can use reg. flour, but the loaf will be shorter. I recommend bread flour; it has more gluten in it which contributes to the chewy texture of bread. Usually gluten is developed through kneading, which we aren't doing, so I would think the extra would help)

1 package (1/4 oz.)instant yeast (I used quick rise, because that what I had for the bread maker...some comments on MB's blog suggested that was better)

1 1/2 t. salt
Oil as needed

1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 c. water (I warmed mine slightly--100 degrees or so), and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (I put mine in the microwave, which happens to be the warmest place in the kitchen. It's also a more consistant temperature than leaving it out on the counter.)
2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 min.s more. (I'm not sure you can call what I did "folding"; I slurped it around a couple of times and left it on the counter)
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) (I used a Corningware casserole dish) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from over. Slide dough into pot, seam side up (?) and shake pan once or twice to distribute dough.
4. Cover with lid and bake 30 min.s, then remove lid and bake another 15-30 min.s until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

This makes a big, oval loaf that has a great crust. It is moist and almost sourdough-y on the inside--because of the yeast? I don't know but, anyway, it barely made it past dinner. We all had fourths.

Roxanne Neat

Mighty gusts of wind blew the doors open and sent great clouds of fall leaves rolling down the street today. I guess this means we're full into fall (which we are by the calendar, but it seems like we just started wearing coats about two weeks ago). It was nice to slip into the store for brunch and to listen to the lovely, clear voice of Roxanne Neat, a central Wisconsin folk singer.

She played for a little more than an hour, and treated the audience to guitar, keyboards and even (my fave) the banjo. Fresh from an appearance on WERN's (Madison) "Simply Folk," her selections ranged from traditional folk songs to modern ballads. She even slipped in the stores' un-official theme song, "I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck." It was delightful...and too short.

Perhaps she can be convinced to return...