The Storm Before the Calm

Tomorrow we leave for the UK. We will be there for a nice long visit and doing some things we only dreamed we would ever do; like attending a live (mostly) Monty Python performance, walking the Welsh coast, and seeing our son perform Shakespeare in Oxford. I am beyond excited.

But tomorrow is another day. Today is last minute stuff: trips to the bank, looong holds waiting to deal with impenetrable insurance bureaucracy, wrapping one last batch of caramels, cleaning the chicken coop, putting up some elderberry honey vinegar. You know, stuff like that. And of course there was a break for pastrami sandwiches at Wexler’s Deli downtown.BBQUm . . . . the sandwich didn’t hang around long enough to snap a picture. So the photo above is actually from the nearby Smoke City Market (woot for the San Fernando Valley) which also does a serious pastrami.

So now I’ve decided to populate this post with photos, such as the one above, that I like but haven’t found a home anywhere yet, like on Facebook or on my Instagram feed.apple_rosemary_jellyHere is some apple rosemary jelly I made with apples and rosemary from my garden. I was really happy to put some of our summer garden in jar so I could revisit this season at another time . . . The past month has been a whirlwind of jam making: white peach basil, plum rose, strawberry pinot noir, aprium, etc. But now, I am happy to put a lid on all the jam-making and get out and about in the world.

I love the finality of leaving on a plane. Once those doors close, that’s it. No more errands to run or things to get ready – you’re done. Stressing done. Make do with what you’ve got at that point and/or improvise from there. It’s a kind of new start. Liberating.pippi_playingAt this point I’m looking forward to those flying feelings, but I’m not there yet. Miles to go before I hit the road, really. So no more sitting at a computer for me – these feets were made for hiking in Wales. But first maybe I should put some lotion on them . . .feetinjeansBest wishes for a happy and safe summer from NerdHaven West! And special thanks to Jesse and Kerry (and their loveable rottweiler, “Tony”) who will be manning the homestead while we are gone. I’ll be posting from the road.

 

 

Caution: Bacon Making in Progress

stuffed_bacon I don’t know how I became the bacon advocate. It just happened. I’m not even that crazy for bacon. I’m more in the chocolate camp, really. And what’s more, I especially don’t like smoked things. To me, smokiness tastes like burned dirt, but in this lingering, cloying, way. There: my secret is out. I feel so free now. Smoky flavors and black licorice: my culinary kryptonites.

And yet I became a bacon person. I signed up to make bacon for my Master Food Preserver class way back when and made a metric ton of it to prepare . . . and I loved it because I didn’t smoke it. I slow roasted it. I cured it with salt, obviously, but added in herbs and spices and other flavors, like juniper berries and thyme and rosemary and maple syrup. It was so fun to try all these other flavors with the meat. And then once or twice I kicked it up a notch and roasted some sliced bacon a second time in brown sugar and chili, and made pig candy, which gave me a bit of a reputation, but that’s a story for another time. Continue reading

Kitchen Art

I recently purchased a lovely and inspiring painting from a friend and had been wondering where I should display it so it could get the most eye-time . . .

pink-geraniums-nancy-nickersonI finally decided to install it in my kitchen – since that’s really where I spend most of my time. The little darling seems very happy hanging there, and I feel very happy seeing it. The painting reminds me that one’s work does not have to be huge to be great – as it is both tiny (5×7) and heroic at the same time. And, of course, it’s pink. Which is awesome. Continue reading

‘Tis the Season

G'Day!

I love this little guy – a door hanger that a crafty friend made for me. Mostly I love this foxy door hanger because: (1) he is randomly Australian; and (2) although he arrived in December, he doesn’t look Christmasy. So really, he could be proclaiming the arrival of any season – and I believe that is just what he is doing. These days, he is busy announcing citrus season. Continue reading

Domestic Bliss

My traveling co-blogger sister has been carrying the weight of this blog for a while now, as she cruises around Southeast Asia. Meanwhile I have been slacking at home and trying to get back to normal (what’s that?) after the holiday break in routine. Now I feel that not only must I carry my share of the load and post something – but I must post something super domestic in order to balance out all the travel. A little yin to her yang, if you will. So here’s what’s going on at my little house today:windowIt’s a beautiful, sunny, warm day. I did some laundry and folded the clothes outside on the picnic table.P1010054 And I made my own laundry detergent this morning! It was easy and smells really good (I used Dr. Bronner’s scented soap – one rose and one orange – and added essential oils). The laundry looks clean, right? I used this basic recipe. I was surprised at how much cheaper it is to make my own at home.

My chores completed, I meandered about in the garden. I loved this little camellia flower hanging out all by itself in the shade.  It’s the first blossom to bloom on this plant.

camelliaBack inside, I messed around with my paper chain garland project. This is a craft project that I have been meaning to get to for, like, ever. And now it is almost completed. Here’s a tiny preview:craftI also checked in with my cats. They are my stay-at-home version of the wax monks. But a little less creepy.catAnd today I am making chicken stock. When I think about the most homey, cozy, productive, domestic things I can do, making chicken stock might be the golden star at the top of the list. Check out these lovely globules . . .chickenstockI suppose I feel so strongly about chicken stock because it is one of the building blocks of my cooking. Not only do I use it as an ingredient in many dishes, but often it is the main ingredient, to which I just add whatever we have on hand, especially leftovers, to make a quick, delicious, satisfying and healthy supper. That’s all anybody needs, isn’t it? We are fans of soup around here.

I have a basic formula, which I tweak as I feel like it, for my supper soup. I learned this method from How to Cook Without a Book, by Pam Anderson, certainly one of my most favorite and recommended books, especially for beginners.

For each quart of chicken stock, I saute a diced onion in a pot and add:

1 pound cut-up vegetables, like carrots (leftover roasted ones are yummy here), leeks, celery, kale or collards (thinly sliced), zucchini, or frozen peas. Got half a head of romaine lettuce? Chop it up and throw it in.

1 pound meat (like boneless, skinless chicken (precooked or not), precooked sausages (like kielbasa or pre-cooked chicken Italian).

Some starch, like a pound of diced potatoes or pre-cooked pasta or rice or a can or two of cannellini beans. Pasta or rice gets added at the end. Or you could add a sprinkling of corn meal, like in the polentina alla toscana recipe from One Good Dish, by David Tanis. (I expect that you will be hearing more about this book from me in future posts. I love it.)

And sometimes, a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes. And herbs and salt and pepper of course. Have some rind from a hunk of Parmesan cheese? Throw it in! So yummy.

We have had some very tasty combinations like Italian sausage, collards and tomato or chicken with spinach, rice and lemon (oooh I’m hungry now), or the basic chicken, carrots, celery and peas with pasta. Sometimes I skip the meat and just do beans and vegetables. It’s easy to combine all sorts of things in the soup. Often it ends up being more of a stew than a soup, I load so much stuff in there. But it tastes delicious regardless.

No chicken soup tonight, though. It’s too warm! In January! Instead I will strain this stock and pop it in the fridge to cool. Tonight I’m going out on the town for a quick bite with the boy before his fencing lesson. Domesticity party!!

Tomorrow I will de-fat the stock (mostly) and freeze it for a rainy day (here’s hoping for one of those soon – it’s so dry here.) Then who knows what else I’ll get into . . .

That’s the report from NerdHaven West – staying home in L.A. and doing fine. xo