The owner of our house came by on Tuesday and while she was here I asked what the bush in the yard was. She said it was a Japanese Quince. Lots of googling told me I can totally use the fruit to make marmalade, jelly and more - woot!
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/easy-quince-cheese-recipe-membrillo-467
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Just to save it
We've decided we want paper flowers for teh wedding .. the current debate is do I make them or buy them? Here's a link to how to fold an Iris. Thanks to it, I have now folded one iris. :)
http://papercraftprintable.com/origami-tutorial-how-to-make-a-flower-origami-iris/
http://papercraftprintable.com/origami-tutorial-how-to-make-a-flower-origami-iris/
Sunday, August 1, 2010
More recipes to try..
http://elilaiann.blogspot.com/2009/11/mug-cakes.html
Forbidden Rice:
http://www.lotusfoods.com/Organic-Forbidden-Rice/p/LOT-10260&c=LotusFoods@Organic
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/bstickr.html
http://cookeatshare.com/popular/black-forbidden-rice-recipes
-------------------------
I mix it with medium grain brown and white rice, then cook them all together. The mix gives a slight variance in taste, texture, and appearance.
When mixing it with white or brown rice you should soak it separately from the other rice so that the purple color doesn't bleed into them.
I usually soak in room temp water for about three hours, changing water as it darkens. A final rinse in cold water just before mixing and cooking.
-----------------
Here's an insanely easy rice pudding recipe that I make with black rice -- the finished product is quite beautiful (and incredibly tasty).
1 c. black rice
1/2 c. sugar
1 can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
Bring rice, 3 c. water and 1/4 t. salt to boil in heavy saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in sugar, another scant 1/4 t. salt, and 1 1/2 c. coconut milk. Bring back to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and rice is tender but still a little chewy (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and cool to warm or room temp, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. Stir just before serving, and drizzle remaining coconut milk over each serving.
-------------------
I cooked black rice tonight and unfortunately I mixed WAY too much with my white rice. I wanted to achieve a light lavender color, but unfortunately it turned black. I mixed a cup of white rice with 1/2 cup of black rice. My mother wasn't kidding when she said she only added a tbsp to her white rice.
it looked scary and it tasted really nutty and delicious
if you want to eat it korean style you can add fresh peas to it or some beans and legumes (you can buy the mix at a korean grocery store). Its like health food for koreans and tastes really delicious
--------------------------
Cook 1 part Black Forbidden Rice in 2 parts water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Then, leaving covered, remove the pot from the heat, let sit for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
(Copyright 2010 Practically Edible. All rights reserved and enforced.) Read more of this snippet here : http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/blackforbiddenrice!opendocument&startkey=Nanjing%20Black%20Rice#ixzz0vPoQlXYF
Forbidden Rice:
http://www.lotusfoods.com/Organic-Forbidden-Rice/p/LOT-10260&c=LotusFoods@Organic
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/bstickr.html
http://cookeatshare.com/popular/black-forbidden-rice-recipes
-------------------------
I mix it with medium grain brown and white rice, then cook them all together. The mix gives a slight variance in taste, texture, and appearance.
When mixing it with white or brown rice you should soak it separately from the other rice so that the purple color doesn't bleed into them.
I usually soak in room temp water for about three hours, changing water as it darkens. A final rinse in cold water just before mixing and cooking.
-----------------
Here's an insanely easy rice pudding recipe that I make with black rice -- the finished product is quite beautiful (and incredibly tasty).
1 c. black rice
1/2 c. sugar
1 can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
Bring rice, 3 c. water and 1/4 t. salt to boil in heavy saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in sugar, another scant 1/4 t. salt, and 1 1/2 c. coconut milk. Bring back to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and rice is tender but still a little chewy (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and cool to warm or room temp, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. Stir just before serving, and drizzle remaining coconut milk over each serving.
-------------------
I cooked black rice tonight and unfortunately I mixed WAY too much with my white rice. I wanted to achieve a light lavender color, but unfortunately it turned black. I mixed a cup of white rice with 1/2 cup of black rice. My mother wasn't kidding when she said she only added a tbsp to her white rice.
it looked scary and it tasted really nutty and delicious
if you want to eat it korean style you can add fresh peas to it or some beans and legumes (you can buy the mix at a korean grocery store). Its like health food for koreans and tastes really delicious
--------------------------
Cook 1 part Black Forbidden Rice in 2 parts water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Then, leaving covered, remove the pot from the heat, let sit for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
(Copyright 2010 Practically Edible. All rights reserved and enforced.) Read more of this snippet here : http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/blackforbiddenrice!opendocument&startkey=Nanjing%20Black%20Rice#ixzz0vPoQlXYF
Friday, May 14, 2010
Amazing Tempeh-Couscous Concoction
I threw this together last night for dinner and ooohhhhh is it amazing. Seriously. Take a deep breath and try Tempeh - it's so very yummy, and good for you too! You can make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken or, if you're afraid of Tempeh, leave that out add a bit more chicken in it's place.
Amazing Tempeh-Couscous Concoction
Ingredients:
Marinade/Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
3" cube fresh ginger (peeled & minced)
4 large garlic cloves (minced)
Main Dish:
Olive oil or pam
8 oz package Tempeh, cut into 1/2" chunks (I use flax tempeh)
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 carrots, chopped
1 package frozen chopped broccoli
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 c. water
1/2 c. uncooked couscous
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Whisk together the sauce and mix in the cubed tempeh in a bowl to start marinading while you cook everything else.
2. Heat a splash of oil in a large pot (or spray the pot with pam) and brown the chicken. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, take it out of the pot and add it to the bowl with the tempeh and marinade.
3. Add carrots to the hot oil and saute them for ~5 minutes, until they start to change color/soften.
3. Add sauce/tempeh/chicken stuff, broccoli, spinach and water. You can thaw your broccoli and spinach, but don't drain them - you need the liquid. I was throwing this together last minute so didn't have mine thawed.
4. Cook until it's boiling (this may take longer if you start with frozen veg).
5. Remove from heat, stir in couscous, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir before serving.
A few other notes to make this easier. :)
- If you have a garlic press - USE IT! I also smooshify (yes, that's a word. Smoosh-i-fy.) the ginger in it by cutting the ginger into 1/2" slices and then squishing it in the garlic press. The goinger won't come out but if you pull the smooshed guts out of the press and then cut them a bit they mix into the sauce really easy. Just be careful, when you squeeze the ginger juice comes out (that you want in the sauce!) but don't lick your fingers after. :)
- I don't peel carrots anymore. I used to always peel them and then I read on Pioneer Woman that she didn't peel them and I thought .. huh. Why do I peel them anyways? So now I just wash them well, cut off the ends and go chop-crazy!
Amazing Tempeh-Couscous Concoction
Ingredients:
Marinade/Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
3" cube fresh ginger (peeled & minced)
4 large garlic cloves (minced)
Main Dish:
Olive oil or pam
8 oz package Tempeh, cut into 1/2" chunks (I use flax tempeh)
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 carrots, chopped
1 package frozen chopped broccoli
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 c. water
1/2 c. uncooked couscous
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Whisk together the sauce and mix in the cubed tempeh in a bowl to start marinading while you cook everything else.
2. Heat a splash of oil in a large pot (or spray the pot with pam) and brown the chicken. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, take it out of the pot and add it to the bowl with the tempeh and marinade.
3. Add carrots to the hot oil and saute them for ~5 minutes, until they start to change color/soften.
3. Add sauce/tempeh/chicken stuff, broccoli, spinach and water. You can thaw your broccoli and spinach, but don't drain them - you need the liquid. I was throwing this together last minute so didn't have mine thawed.
4. Cook until it's boiling (this may take longer if you start with frozen veg).
5. Remove from heat, stir in couscous, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir before serving.
A few other notes to make this easier. :)
- If you have a garlic press - USE IT! I also smooshify (yes, that's a word. Smoosh-i-fy.) the ginger in it by cutting the ginger into 1/2" slices and then squishing it in the garlic press. The goinger won't come out but if you pull the smooshed guts out of the press and then cut them a bit they mix into the sauce really easy. Just be careful, when you squeeze the ginger juice comes out (that you want in the sauce!) but don't lick your fingers after. :)
- I don't peel carrots anymore. I used to always peel them and then I read on Pioneer Woman that she didn't peel them and I thought .. huh. Why do I peel them anyways? So now I just wash them well, cut off the ends and go chop-crazy!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple & Lentil Soup
This is a modified recipe because I wanted to use jars of baby food. Original recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Potat....oup/Detail.aspx
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple & Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped into little bits
4 (4 oz) jars sweet potato baby food
2 (4 oz) jars carrot baby food
1 (4 oz) jar applesauce baby food
4 (2.5 oz) jars Chicken & Broth/Gravy baby food**
1/2 c. lentils (red are better, but the brown ones will work just fine)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
3 c. water**
plain yogurt
* = WIC Ingredient
**If the idea of cooking with the chicken baby food grosses you out, just use 3 c. chicken broth
Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onions, stir and cook until translucent.
2. Add jars of baby food, lentils, spices, and water. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer covered until the lentils are soft, approx. 30-45 minutes.
3. (Optional) If you don't like the texture of lentils, puree soup using either a blender or a stick blender. Add additional water if needed to reach desired consistency.
4. To serve, fill a bowl with soup then garnish with a scoop of yogurt.
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple & Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped into little bits
4 (4 oz) jars sweet potato baby food
2 (4 oz) jars carrot baby food
1 (4 oz) jar applesauce baby food
4 (2.5 oz) jars Chicken & Broth/Gravy baby food**
1/2 c. lentils (red are better, but the brown ones will work just fine)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
3 c. water**
plain yogurt
* = WIC Ingredient
**If the idea of cooking with the chicken baby food grosses you out, just use 3 c. chicken broth
Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onions, stir and cook until translucent.
2. Add jars of baby food, lentils, spices, and water. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer covered until the lentils are soft, approx. 30-45 minutes.
3. (Optional) If you don't like the texture of lentils, puree soup using either a blender or a stick blender. Add additional water if needed to reach desired consistency.
4. To serve, fill a bowl with soup then garnish with a scoop of yogurt.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Gummo Bears
Just saving this recipe from Beth for homemade gummi bears!
1/3 c water
2 packets unflavoured gelatin
1 small packet flavoured gelatin
sprinkle all the gelatin in the water in a small saucepan. Let sit for 5-10 mins. Heat until everything is dissolved. Pour into candy/ chocolate molds. Let sit while you go grocery shopping ;) Sprinkle or rub a bit of starch on the back so they won't stick to the plate when you take them out... Peel them out and voila, you're done!
1/3 c water
2 packets unflavoured gelatin
1 small packet flavoured gelatin
sprinkle all the gelatin in the water in a small saucepan. Let sit for 5-10 mins. Heat until everything is dissolved. Pour into candy/ chocolate molds. Let sit while you go grocery shopping ;) Sprinkle or rub a bit of starch on the back so they won't stick to the plate when you take them out... Peel them out and voila, you're done!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Tofu!!
Ohmygosh. So today? I made the most amazing tofu. I don't usually cook tofu.. maybe because Pete is more of a meat kind of man, maybe because if it's my house I douse it in soy sauce and gobble it up before I get a chance to actually cook it.. but today? Ooohhh, today. Today I made amazing cooked tofu. So, here's what I did.
Main Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Tortillas
Tofu (cubed)
Rice (already cooked)
Frozen Peas (or whatever veggie strikes your fancy)
Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp. curry powder (to taste)
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. garam masala
Start heating some olive oil in a pan. Probably .... 1 Tbsp? Sounds like I know what I'm talking about, right? K. So. You heat up that oil. When it's hot, throw a tortilla in. Cook it until it's brown, then flip and brown the other side. When both sides are brown put the tortilla on a plate with paper towel on it. now, I'm sure many people would do this at the end, so their tortillas are nice and hot.. but I'm lazy and prefer to keep all my cooking to one pan. HA. (Back to our recipe here) Cook as many tortillas as you want, adding a dash of olive oil if you seem to be running out.
When you're done, make sure there's olive oil left in the pan, and it's hot. Nice and hot. Now, throw that tofu into the pan. It's going to hiss and spit and protest violently - but ohh it's going to get so yummy. Don't stir it right away.. the tofu will stick at first, but if you give it a minute or two to brown it won't stick anymore and you can stir away.
Now you have a pan with tofu cooking in hot oil (I was cooking mine on med.. med-high). Let those babies cook! they only need occasional stirring/flipping. While the tofu is cooking, mix up the sauce. Just throw all the ingredients into a bowl and stir. Here's an important note on the sauce though.. I cooked ~1/2 a cube of tofu, so you may want to double the sauce. There needs to be enough sauce to coat the tofu + more to mix with the rice.
When the tofu is nice and golden brown on a few sides, turn the heat down (med-lowish?) and add the sauce, then some rice and peas. Cook until the peas aren't frozen and the sauce has soaked into everything. MMmmmm....
To finish, scoop the whole mix into your fried tortillas, and eat. Isn't it yummy?!
Main Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Tortillas
Tofu (cubed)
Rice (already cooked)
Frozen Peas (or whatever veggie strikes your fancy)
Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp. curry powder (to taste)
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. garam masala
Start heating some olive oil in a pan. Probably .... 1 Tbsp? Sounds like I know what I'm talking about, right? K. So. You heat up that oil. When it's hot, throw a tortilla in. Cook it until it's brown, then flip and brown the other side. When both sides are brown put the tortilla on a plate with paper towel on it. now, I'm sure many people would do this at the end, so their tortillas are nice and hot.. but I'm lazy and prefer to keep all my cooking to one pan. HA. (Back to our recipe here) Cook as many tortillas as you want, adding a dash of olive oil if you seem to be running out.
When you're done, make sure there's olive oil left in the pan, and it's hot. Nice and hot. Now, throw that tofu into the pan. It's going to hiss and spit and protest violently - but ohh it's going to get so yummy. Don't stir it right away.. the tofu will stick at first, but if you give it a minute or two to brown it won't stick anymore and you can stir away.
Now you have a pan with tofu cooking in hot oil (I was cooking mine on med.. med-high). Let those babies cook! they only need occasional stirring/flipping. While the tofu is cooking, mix up the sauce. Just throw all the ingredients into a bowl and stir. Here's an important note on the sauce though.. I cooked ~1/2 a cube of tofu, so you may want to double the sauce. There needs to be enough sauce to coat the tofu + more to mix with the rice.
When the tofu is nice and golden brown on a few sides, turn the heat down (med-lowish?) and add the sauce, then some rice and peas. Cook until the peas aren't frozen and the sauce has soaked into everything. MMmmmm....
To finish, scoop the whole mix into your fried tortillas, and eat. Isn't it yummy?!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
