We seem to go through cycles. One week our fridge will be completely, or at least nearly, empty of leftovers, and the next week there will be so many I don't know what to do with them. It doesn't help that my Many Children (including the big, overgrown child) will eat everything I make and more one day, and not touch their food the next; or, that they'll eat and eat and eat something, and hardly touch it the next time I make the same thing. It makes food quantities pretty hard to guess.
Anyway, this week is one of the "so many I don't know what to do with them" weeks. I have a big container of scalloped potatoes, two different types of leftover chicken, mexican-style rice, roast beef, fried onions, and probably a few more things I've forgotten about. So, I figured it was time to use some of those things up. Monday night is pasta night, so I wanted to use some sort of noodle base; and roast beef and fried onions aren't something that would get eaten quickly, so I wanted to use them up. There was a little bit of sour cream left in a container to use up before I could open up the new container and get it out of the fridge downstairs. It all added up to beef stroganoff.
I would take pictures (it's still on the stove as I type) but although it tastes pretty good, it looks revolting. I've never liked the look of beef stroganoff. So, I'll just put up the recipe, suggest you eat it without looking at it, and hope you enjoy.
Leftover Beef Stroganoff
leftover roast beef, cut into thin strips
about 1/2 cup fried onions, or raw if you don't have any
coarsely chopped garlic...I used three cloves
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
the last bit of a container of sour cream, plus about 3/4 cup more to top it off
a generous sprinkle of paprika
Heat up the beef, onions, and garlic until the garlic (and the onions, if they were raw) is (or are) soft. Dump in the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and paprika, stir it all up, and heat it through. Voila! Really ridiculously easy beef stroganoff. Serve it over egg noodles and you have a meal.
Monday 21 October 2013
Saturday 19 October 2013
Christmas Carols, and Decorating for Fall
Yes, you read right: Christmas carols already. I can't help it. The advent of fall, and cooler weather, signals (to me -- The Man would disagree) the advent of advent, and advent means Christmas music and all the other delightful things that go with the celebration of Christ's birth. Don't get me wrong; I love fall, at least in theory, but Christmas, now that gets me excited. The other day at the thrift store, I found some lovely Christmas ornaments that I'm looking forward to putting on my tree. The fact that they have a shelf set aside for Christmas all year reassures me. I'm obviously not the only one with this unseasonable desire.
Despite my early Christmas kick, I do enjoy decorating for autumn as well. Just yesterday I found some adorable pumpkins made out of grapevines, on sale no less, which are now sitting on my mantel. Last year I got a pretty gold-coloured, leaf-patterned tablecloth, on sale again, at Fred Meyer that is actually big enough to cover our rather enormous table. And...okay, and that's about all I have for fall. Still, I'm just getting started. There are lots of years to collect fall decorations, and the right ones, too.
This is where sites like Pinterest and Houzz come and invade my life. I spend way too much of what little free time I have searching things like "Christmas" and "fall decor" on Pinterest, and while I find lots of lovely ideas, it seems that very few of them are actually practical. Especially with kids. And a dog. And a husband. I mean, really, glass jars on my coffee table full of red and green striped mints? Beautiful, but shattered and eaten (the jars and the mints respectively, I mean) in no time flat. Homemade berry wreaths hanging from the mantel look too much like those monkey bar rings on the playground for my littlest guy to leave them alone, and are far too time-consuming to make, to boot. No, I think that grapevine pumpkins, well out of reach, and a clear-vinyl-covered leaf tablecloth are as good as it gets for now, and, all things considered, are darn good.
Not that there aren't things I would like to get to spruce up the house for the fall season. I really would love an orange berry wreath to hang in the stairwell (I can see it mouldering on the front door, so the stairwell it is), and Chinese lantern makes me squeal and bounce up and down a little bit. A nice autumnal display in the front planters would be nice, too. The Man could care less, I think, but I do like the house to look seasonable. But, as I said, there are plenty of years to get there, and to gather ideas along the way. Everything is a process.
Despite my early Christmas kick, I do enjoy decorating for autumn as well. Just yesterday I found some adorable pumpkins made out of grapevines, on sale no less, which are now sitting on my mantel. Last year I got a pretty gold-coloured, leaf-patterned tablecloth, on sale again, at Fred Meyer that is actually big enough to cover our rather enormous table. And...okay, and that's about all I have for fall. Still, I'm just getting started. There are lots of years to collect fall decorations, and the right ones, too.
This is where sites like Pinterest and Houzz come and invade my life. I spend way too much of what little free time I have searching things like "Christmas" and "fall decor" on Pinterest, and while I find lots of lovely ideas, it seems that very few of them are actually practical. Especially with kids. And a dog. And a husband. I mean, really, glass jars on my coffee table full of red and green striped mints? Beautiful, but shattered and eaten (the jars and the mints respectively, I mean) in no time flat. Homemade berry wreaths hanging from the mantel look too much like those monkey bar rings on the playground for my littlest guy to leave them alone, and are far too time-consuming to make, to boot. No, I think that grapevine pumpkins, well out of reach, and a clear-vinyl-covered leaf tablecloth are as good as it gets for now, and, all things considered, are darn good.
Not that there aren't things I would like to get to spruce up the house for the fall season. I really would love an orange berry wreath to hang in the stairwell (I can see it mouldering on the front door, so the stairwell it is), and Chinese lantern makes me squeal and bounce up and down a little bit. A nice autumnal display in the front planters would be nice, too. The Man could care less, I think, but I do like the house to look seasonable. But, as I said, there are plenty of years to get there, and to gather ideas along the way. Everything is a process.
Wednesday 9 October 2013
Pullman Loaf
Here is The Bread Recipe, courtesy of The Fresh Loaf, if you're interested. Mostly, I admit, it's for my own reference.
unbleached all purpose flour (KAF or Gold Medal or Pillsbury) 4 cups (20.5 oz/585 gr)
dry whole milk 1/4 cup (1.5 oz/ 40 gr)
instant yeast 1 tbspn ( -- 9.6 gr)
unsalted butter softened 6 tbspn (3 oz/ 85 gr)
water at room temp (70-90 deg F) 1 1/2 liquid cups (12.5 oz/ 354 gr)
honey 2 tbspn (1.5 oz/ 40 gr)
salt 2 tsp (-- 13.2 gr)
Mixer method
In a large mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, dry milk and yeast. Add the butter and mix with the dough hook on low speed (#2 with Kitchenaid mixer) then add the honey, water and salt. When all the flour is moistened, raise the speed to medium (#4 Kitchenaid) and beat for 7 minutes. The dough will be smooth, shiny and slightly sticky to the touch. If the dough is not stiff, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little water and knead it in. It will weigh about 38.5 oz/1102 grams)
Hand method
Leave out 1/4 c flour. Whisk flour, dry milk and yeast together. Add the butter and with a wooden spoon or your hand, stir in the water, honey and salt until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until is comes together, and then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter, Knead for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, add as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should still be tacky (sticky) enough to cling slightly to your fingers. If the the dough is still very sticky however, add some of the remaining flour or a little extra. It should weigh 38.5 oz or 1102 grams
Both methods
Shape the dough and let it rise. On a lightly floured counter, shape the dough into a football. Flour the top and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to relax for 10-15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and gently deflate the dough, using your fingertips to spread it into a rectangle about 10 inches by 8 inches. Flour the counter as necessary to prevent sticking.
Give the dough one business-letter turn, then press or roll it out again to about 12 inches by 5 inches and shape it into a 16 inch long loaf. Set it in the prepared greased pan ( a long sandwich loaf pan). Grease the top of the loaf. Leave in a warm place, draped with plastic. Allow it to rise until doubled about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. when the dough is pressed with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in.
PREHEAT THE OVEN to 425 degrees F at least 30 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level (DO NOT USE AN OVEN STONE)
Bake the bread by gently placing the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the loaf around to encourage even browning and continue to bake for 30 minutes until deeply browned. If the bread seems to be getting too brown, tent with foil.
Cool bread by tipping loaf onto a rack, to let it cool. Cover with a tea towel if you wish.
Enjoy! We sure do.
unbleached all purpose flour (KAF or Gold Medal or Pillsbury) 4 cups (20.5 oz/585 gr)
dry whole milk 1/4 cup (1.5 oz/ 40 gr)
instant yeast 1 tbspn ( -- 9.6 gr)
unsalted butter softened 6 tbspn (3 oz/ 85 gr)
water at room temp (70-90 deg F) 1 1/2 liquid cups (12.5 oz/ 354 gr)
honey 2 tbspn (1.5 oz/ 40 gr)
salt 2 tsp (-- 13.2 gr)
Mixer method
In a large mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, dry milk and yeast. Add the butter and mix with the dough hook on low speed (#2 with Kitchenaid mixer) then add the honey, water and salt. When all the flour is moistened, raise the speed to medium (#4 Kitchenaid) and beat for 7 minutes. The dough will be smooth, shiny and slightly sticky to the touch. If the dough is not stiff, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little water and knead it in. It will weigh about 38.5 oz/1102 grams)
Hand method
Leave out 1/4 c flour. Whisk flour, dry milk and yeast together. Add the butter and with a wooden spoon or your hand, stir in the water, honey and salt until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until is comes together, and then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter, Knead for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, add as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should still be tacky (sticky) enough to cling slightly to your fingers. If the the dough is still very sticky however, add some of the remaining flour or a little extra. It should weigh 38.5 oz or 1102 grams
Both methods
Shape the dough and let it rise. On a lightly floured counter, shape the dough into a football. Flour the top and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to relax for 10-15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and gently deflate the dough, using your fingertips to spread it into a rectangle about 10 inches by 8 inches. Flour the counter as necessary to prevent sticking.
Give the dough one business-letter turn, then press or roll it out again to about 12 inches by 5 inches and shape it into a 16 inch long loaf. Set it in the prepared greased pan ( a long sandwich loaf pan). Grease the top of the loaf. Leave in a warm place, draped with plastic. Allow it to rise until doubled about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. when the dough is pressed with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in.
PREHEAT THE OVEN to 425 degrees F at least 30 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level (DO NOT USE AN OVEN STONE)
Bake the bread by gently placing the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the loaf around to encourage even browning and continue to bake for 30 minutes until deeply browned. If the bread seems to be getting too brown, tent with foil.
Cool bread by tipping loaf onto a rack, to let it cool. Cover with a tea towel if you wish.
Enjoy! We sure do.
Friday 4 October 2013
Thinking of Tea
I almost always have tea on the brain. My favourite way to spend time is drinking tea with my dearest friends, maybe over a game of Scrabble or a good conversation. I drink tea in the morning; I drink tea at night; I drink tea in between. I have a whole collection of tea quotes on my computer. I just like tea.
So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I like sitting down to tea. You know, with the little sandwiches and scones and sweets, and a pretty tea pot and dainty cups (which, sadly, hold far too little). However, I do get a little tired of the usual egg salad (which I don't eat), tuna salad (which I don't eat), tomato, and cucumber sandwiches. Why not spice it up a little? I asked myself. Yes, indeed, why not spice it up a little? No one said that a tea menu has to consist of the same things across the board. So, here are some recipes I found that may just make your tea table more interesting.
How about smoked salmon with capers?
Stilton, pear, and walnut?
Maybe some turkey sandwiches with Earl Grey honey butter?
Of course, it's not necessarily the fillings that need to be changed. Try tucking some chicken salad inside some pita wedges, or using a croissant or rye or pumpernickel bread instead of white or whole wheat.
And of course, we can't forget about the sweets. Scones are a classic; it just doesn't seem like tea without a warm scone with clotted cream and jam (or jelly; potato potahto). Try livening them up with a little bit of orange or lemon zest, or mix in some dried cranberries, raisins, or blueberries (I'm a fan of the cranberries, myself). Experiment with different kinds of jams. Right now my favourite is a cherry-berry freezer jam that I made this summer. Try a little bit of mascarpone cheese instead of clotted or whipped cream.
What do you like at your tea table?
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