Growing Paperwhites!

Since I've been little, I've always taken an all or none approach to self-improvement. Usually I'll make a list and try to fix everything at once and end up changing nothing. I still haven't learned! I just made too many resolutions this year. So far- the kitchen has stayed cleaner, I've been cooking more, and Dylan and I have been working out at least 3 times a week. But this blog has been seriously neglected and there are so many things I would love to be documenting right now! I'm still doing a lot of wedding planning. There are only 115 days until I get married and so many things to do!

One of the big, BIG things I've decided to try and do myself are the flowers. I've had little gardens, and patio plants, but I've never grown flowers. It might be too big of a thing to try and do myself, but there's not a lot of cost involved, and so much potential. I don't think I've mentioned this yet- but I bought 100 paperwhite bulbs a month or two ago. I was reading about live centerpieces, and thought it would be really cool to grow my own or buy plants or something. Paperwhites seemed to be the easiest and prettiest to try, so I went ahead and ordered them for about $60. I decided to plant two early to see how long it would take for them to bloom, if jars and pebbles would work, how they smelled, etc. Well, my first one just bloomed! Only one of the two bulbs I initially tried grew roots. One just got moldy- I'm not sure if it was the bulb or the amount of water... but I started a third bulb two days ago and it's doing just fine! I'm keeping the rest of the bulbs in my bathroom closet- which isn't insulated (so pretty chilly) and it's completely dark.

Here are a few pictures:
Below is the two-day old baby. I pulled the little guy out of the dark two days ago and stuck him in the jar on top of about 2 inches of pebbles. I added just enough water to touch the bottom of the bulb, and set him in front of a bright window.


Here's a full-grown one. I planted him about 4 1/2 weeks ago. You can see all the roots!

Below is the full-grown one next to the baby and a close-up of the flowers. It was a little wobbly, so I pushed two wooden skewers on either side of the bulb and tied the whole thing with a little ribbon. There were three sets of buds (my flower anatomy is bad- i'm not sure what they really are called...) and the first two bloomed about 4 days ago. The third just bloomed yesterday! The one flower is reallllly fragrant. I don't mind the smell at all, but the one bulb can be smelled in both rooms downstairs.

I'm pretty excited about these. I hope the flowers last at least a week or two- it'll be so much less stressful knowing I can have a larger window to start the bulbs and have blooms in time for the wedding!

More soon on the other flowers I'm hoping to grow for bouquets!

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Lately we've had a little snow and lots of freezing weather. Right now it's 3 degrees! I made split pea soup a few days ago and just reheated the last of it. Here's what I did:

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

a few tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1lb split green peas, rinsed
4 cubes vegetable bouillon cubes (for 8 cups)
about 10 cups water
splash soy sauce
rosemary, black pepper, and salt to taste.
few tablespoons fresh parsley

In one pot boil the peas, 8 cups water, and the 4 cubes, covered, for about 30 minutes. I usually use Knorr Vegetable Bouillon. It's cheap and available at Kroger (or in Dolle family Christmas stockings).

Meanwhile, in another, big, stock pot cook the onion and garlic in oil over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes (covered.) Add the celery then peas/broth when soft, and the parsley. I pureed about half of this, then added the soy sauce, rosemary, pepper, and an additional 2 or so cups of water. It simmered, covered, for another 45 minutes or so, until I was ready to eat, but would've been good sooner. I topped my bowls with spoonfuls of sour cream and dunked sour dough bread.

A note about cubed bouillon:
I really like but Mark Bittman and really enjoyed a recent NYTimes article of his- Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen, but I don't agree with what he has to say about cubed bouillon. I've tried making fresh vegetarian stock for soups... and sometimes they turn out to be amazing- but it's usually more chopping, cleaning, and time than it's worth.

When I first moved into my new house I imagined myself doing a lot more making than I actually have been. I had lists of projects, recipes, and plants I wanted to try, and was going to document them all here. But that hasn't been the case. And when I have taken pictures of things I'm making, I'm too lazy to upload the pictures from my camera to put them up here. But I have new year's resolutions, and news from November!

First, the news: I'm engaged, and getting married June 20! The date was finalized after weeks of indecisiveness. Dylan and I are getting married at the church I grew up attending, and the reception is going to be in my aunt and uncle's back yard. There's tons to plan and think about, so this blog might temporarily become a blog for wedding/reception ideas.

Second, the resolutions:

1. Update blog regularly, my goal right now is three times a week.

2. Exercise regularly. Again three times a week.

3. Cook more often. I've gotten into a habit of making really boring food that isn't very delicious nor is it very good for me.

4. Keep things cleaner around here.

5. Start working at least three days a week. I'm substitute teaching these days, which means I choose the days and locations that I work. I'm not taking classes anymore so there's absolutely no excuse for me to not work at LEAST three days a week. I really should work 4 or 5.

And now, I'm off to do laundry and straighten up the kitchen so I can blog about the black bean soup I'm going to make.

rising cost of good food

The New York Times published an interesting and inspiring article last week; Money is Tight and Junk food Beckons, that describes the extreme cost of eating fresh, healthy foods and a California couple who tried to eat for one month on less than $1 a day (their fascinating blog is here). They baked and cooked bulk grains and beans, supplemented their diet with orange Tang for vitamin C, and lost weight, energy, and a lot of time. Their blog doesn't inspire me to attempt a similar experiment. It does make me want to spend more time in the kitchen developing recipes that are fast, healthy, and more affordable than some of the really terrible things people are forced to sustain on because of time and money.

Michael Pollan (a NYTimes contributor and author of The Omnivore's Dilemma & In Defense of Food) wrote a great article several weeks ago, a letter to the next President of the United States asking them to make food policy a priority for the health, security, and economy of our country. He was interviewed on Fresh Air and makes a compelling argument for an overhaul of the way America grows and sells food. Definitely listen to the Fresh Air episode- it's really, really, great.

I'm going to make lots of soup this fall and winter. It's cheap (a 10lb bag of potatoes at Aldi is $2.50, a big can of crushed tomatoes $1!) and easy and comforting, and can feed two people for at least a week. One of the biggest challenges to writing about soup recipes will be documenting ingredients and quantities... so much of the seasoning and I do is in pinchfuls and shakes... it's hard to keep track of! I'm making split pea soup in the next day or two, will try to carefully record my steps, and will post the recipe if it's worth eating!

Pinto Beans and Kale

After a long, freezing, and frustrating day I wanted something easy and spicy and steaming for dinner. A few weeks ago my friend Mia mentioned that one of her favorite meals is her grandma's pinto beans and kale.
I had kale and a 28 oz can of pinto beans from Aldi that's been in the pantry for months... so I threw a few things together and it turned out to be the perfect thing for a cold and grumpy night.

Pinto Beans and Kale
(serves one hungry girl three times)

1 tb butter
2 cloves garlic
about 1/2 lb of kale, shredded
28 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in 2 cups hot water
1/2 tsp thyme and rosemary
lots of black pepper and red pepper flakes

Melt butter with garlic in skillet over medium high heat, add shredded kale and beans, saute until wilted. Add veggie broth and spices, and let simmer, stiring occassionally, about 30 minutes until most liquid has evaporated.













I ate this with a some of Aldi's jambayla rice mix I had on hand. It was perfect. I also have to tell you all how inexpensive this meal is to make if you have basics on hand. The kale ($1.29/lb at Kroger), beans (about $1 at Aldi), and rice ($.99 at Aldi) cost less than $4.

First Pumpkin!

Had to share my first carved pumpkin this year:

I found the template at the Associated Press political pumpkin pattern site
and was putting the finishing touches on Barack's ear about two hours later! I tried to find a pumpkin with a flat-ish side because the templates aren't really designed for round things.
I used lots of pins to hold the template in place, poked about 8,000,000 tiny holes around the edges of the pattern, carved the lines using a grapefruit knife, and carefully picked out the positive space using a paring knife. I'm thinking about trying to photoshop my own template of Biden grinning. I just love that smile.

experimenting with ice cream

Two good friends surprised me with an ice cream freezer for my birthday about a month ago. Since then, I've been experimenting weekly using Jeni Britton, David Bovitz, and the contents of my fridge as inspiration. So far I've tried vanilla, lemon yogurt, lemon-raspberry yogurt, chocolate, white chocolate ginger, and just plain frozen yogurt. The best, so far, was the white chocolate and ginger.
The original recipe can be found here, but I made a few minor changes in both ingredients and methods. Here's my version:

White Chocolate and Fresh Ginger Ice Cream

4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2/3 cup white sugar
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate chips, spun through food processor
5 egg yolks

1. Blanch the ginger for a minute, drain, and add sugar and milk to saucepan. Stir occasionally over low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Put white chocolate into medium bowl and set aside

3. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl and, while whisking, slowly drizzle warm ginger/milk mixture into bowl.

4. Return to saucepan once combined and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened enough to coat a spoon (about 5-8 minutes?)

5. Add hot mixture to white chocolate and stir until chocolate melts. Add the cup of heavy cream, cover, and refrigerate while making and eating delicious dinner (about 4 hours).

6. Pour through strainer (or large slotted spoon) to catch the big pieces of ginger, and freeze the mixture in your ice cream freezer for about 40 minutes until really, really thick. Eat and share what you can, put the rest in a plastic airtight container. Cover the top of the ice cream with plastic wrap to avoid ice crystals.