Winter Soltice, December 21

Jack Frost was in the garden,

I saw him there at dawn.

He was dancing around the bushes

And prancing on the lawn.

He had a cloak of silver,

A hat shimm'ring white,

A wand of glittering stardust,

And shoes of sunbeam light.

~J. Smeeton

Spiced Winter Cider

(serves about 16)

1 gal. apple cider

5 cinnamon sticks, plus a few extra for garnish

2 oranges, sliced into wheels

1 red and 1 green apple, cored and sliced

1 1/2 tsp. whole cloves

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1-2 oz of spiced rum or brandy (i.e. Tuaca, or Capt. Morgan) per serving (optional)

In a large pot, combine all the fruit, spices, and cider (everything but the booze) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Ladle cider (without fruit or spices) into mugs and serve hot. If desired, add a shot of rum or Tuaca and a cinnamon stick for garnish.

Holiday Kransekake Time

Celebrate your Scandinavian heritage, or start a new family tradition this holiday season with an authentic kransekake from

Teton's Kitchen.com

Orders are filling up fast, so place your order soon!

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments

Non-edible, but forever fragrant!

(I first made these some 13+ years ago, and they still smell great!)

2 cups ground cinnamon (buy in bulk)
1-1 1/2 cups applesauce

In a bowl mix and then kneed the above indigents to form a stiff dough. Adjust the amount of applesauce as needed. Roll out the dough, to about 1/4 inch thickness, between two sheets of plastic wrap. Remove top layer of plastic wrap and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Use a toothpick, or straw, to create a hole at the top of the ornament for the ribbon. Arrange the ornaments on a newspaper lined drying racks, and allow drying for a few days. When completely dry, use a finger nail file to file off the rough edges. Decorate by gluing dried flowers, metallic thread, ribbon, etc., if you choose. Thread a ribbon through the hole at the top, and it is ready to hang.

Other ideas for Cinnamon-applesauce ornaments:
Gift tags
Place card stands,
Party favors
Hang them in your closet, car, or bathroom

EASY TURKEY!

Smoked turkey is my weakness! Brine and smoked is sinfully good! However, if I have to cook a turkey indoors I have always used the fast and hot method. Gourmet.com just happens to have the method written out…so, I borrowed it (see below). I usually roast a 20 lb bird, it takes roughly 4-5 hours, and half way through cooking when I turn the bird is the only time I might baste.

Use my recipe, your own creative concoction, or the ideas provided by gourmet.com.

My favorite recipe for roasted turkey:
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup Dijon mustard
3 lemons
2-3 boxes of the fresh Poultry Herbs you find in your produce section (thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, tarragon)

Wash and pat dry the fresh herbs and lemons. Wash and pat dry the turkey inside and out, and place in a roasting pan (follow the directions given below by Gourmet.com, but leave off all the salt and pepper). Juice the lemons into a small bowl, and save the rinds. Whisk together the soy sauce, mustard and lemon juice. Use your hands, a pastry brush, or turkey baster to cover the turkey with the soy mixture inside and out. Place the lemon rinds inside the cavity of the turkey. Lay the herbs on the turkey breasts and legs, saving some sprigs to be placed inside the cavity with the lemon rinds.

Follow the roasting directions below provided by gourmet.com.

Tips:

• Always watch the drippings level in the bottom of you roasting pan! If it over flows it will catch fire. If the level gets too high just spoon out the dripping, or extract it with the baster.
  
• A foil tent over the turkey for the first couple of hours to prevent burning the herbs over the breast works well. Make sure the moisture that collects under the foil during roasting drips back into the roasting pan and not out side of the pan,
  
• If you like the stuffing in the turkey, use some of the dripping extracted to prevent overflow to make your stuffing separately. Scoop the cooked stuffing into the cavity after the roasting, and after you have removed the lemon rinds and herb twigs.
  
• Are you going to garnish your platter? Consider garnishing with fresh rosemary and lemon wedges, maybe a few sprigs of thyme.
  

The Simplest Roast Turkey (from Gourmet.com)
Serves 8 to 10

• Active time: 20 min
  
• Start to finish: 3 hr
  

November 2005

You’ll rejoice as white and dark meat alike come out juicy and tender in a bird you can set and forget—and then enjoy.We do not recommend this high-heat roasting method for turkeys weighing more than 16 pounds. However, for turkeys weighing less than 14 pounds, start checking the temperature earlier. If you only have a dark-colored metal roasting pan, add 1 cup water to the roasting pan before putting the turkey in the oven.Learn how we achieved turkey perfection.

• 1 (14- to 16-pound) turkey, neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for turkey giblet stock
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (2 teaspoons if using a kosher bird)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  

Special equipment:

• Pliers (preferably needle nose); a small metal skewer (optional); kitchen string; a flat metal rack; an instant-read thermometer
  
• Remove any feathers and quills with pliers (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others).
  
• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450ºF.
  

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly in turkey cavities and all over skin. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired, secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.

Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F). Cut off and discard string from turkey.

Other cooking options:

Stuffed turkey: Twelve cups of stuffing will fill both cavities and leave you extra to bake separately. Just before roasting, spoon room-temperature stuffing loosely (stuffing expands as it cooks) into the neck (smaller) cavity. Fold the neck skin underneath the body and secure with a small metal skewer. Then loosely fill the body (larger) cavity, and tie drumsticks together. If you don't want any stuffing to spill out, cover the opening with a slice of fresh bread, tucking it inside the cavity before tying the drumsticks. Follow roasting directions above. (Timing for a stuffed bird may be slightly longer, but start checking the temperature at 1 3/4 hours.) Immediately transfer stuffing from body cavity to a shallow baking dish (separate from one for stuffing baked outside the turkey). Take temperature of stuffing in neck cavity and if less than 165°F, add it to the baking dish. Bake (covered for a moist stuffing or uncovered for a crisp top) until it reaches a minimum of 165°F. This can take 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oven, which you may have lowered to reheat side dishes.

Roast turkey breast: The same method used above can be applied to a whole turkey breast (instead of the entire bird). For a 6- to 8-pound breast (with skin and bone), reduce amount of salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons and pepper to 3/4 teaspoon. Use a V-rack instead of a flat rack. Roast, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through roasting, until thermometer inserted in thickest part of each breast half (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 30 minutes (temperature in breast will rise to between 175°F and 180°F). (For a grilled turkey option, see Grilled Whole Turkey.)

Career Change- GOOD!

Elections night 2008, I was running an in-house camera, from the media platform, for the Democratic Party’s Election bash. My job was to project a big picture on a screen so the thousands in attendance could see who was speaking at the podium. Being a former “newsie” I did get to see some old buddies from my news station days. It was really, really nice to see them again. However, I know for sure, I don’t miss the job, or the windowless environment, deadlines, competition, questionable ethics, “The Book” (a.k.a. “ratings” which happen four times a year, when all your fav shows are no longer re-runs), and some other stuff.








Anyway, the evening was emotional, my right hand got badly squished by a 32” TV that, no joke, weighs more then I do (and I’m 5’10”, yep it was a big @$$ TV!), and the anxiety of the evening was almost too much for me to handle. All of it reassured me that I made a good move.

Being in a kitchen, creating yummy things that put joyful expressions on beautiful faces is where I need to be. *Sigh*

Rooks Rike Rooby Racks! Rummy!

"What The...?!?!?!"

"OH MY GAWD, THAT IS DISGUSTING!!!"

Me: (rubbing hands together) "EXCELLENT!"

No worries, it is just food in costume... or is it? Hmm?

My experience has been, if you make this look real enough no one will have the guts to touch your "kitty litter" for about an hour, or two, if not longer, or until they have had a few drinks.

This is super easy to put together. Practically fool proof. Kidz, of all ages including you, will have great fun crafting Tootsie Rolls into "Kitty doodie."

What you will need to make a Kitty Litter Cake:

NEW litter pan (Sm. pan for approx. 25 servings, *Lg pan for about 50+ servings)
NEW pooper scooper.

NEW pan liners.

1 box chocolate cake mix (make according to the box)

1 box vanilla cake mix (make according to the box)

2 boxes instant vanilla pudding mix (follow the "pie instruction")

1 pkg. vanilla sammich cookies

green or blue liquid food coloring

1 bag of Tootsie Rolls

1 sheet of newspaper for the full effect.

Wash and sterilize your NEW litter pan and NEW props. Make the pudding and refrigerate.

Bake the cakes (according to the pkg) in 12x8x2 inch rectangular pans, side by side in the oven (again, according to the pkg) till done, and then cool completely.

Get out your food processor and roughly chop up the cookies. Reserve about 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups (2-2 1/2 if doubling the recipe) of the cookie crumbs, this will go back into the processor with a little food coloring and become the litter.

Line the litter pan. When the cakes are cool crumble both cakes into a large bowl and pour the pudding over it. Mix with your hands until you think the pudding is well distributed (this can be a lot or a little, see fool proof, no right way). Dump the mixture into the litter pan and lightly press it down. Make the litter by putting the reserved cookie crumbs back into the processor and add a few drops of food coloring, mix... Well, till it looks like kitty litter. If you don't have a kitty go to your neighbor and ask to see their litter box...

Sprinkle the cookie "litter" evenly over the entire cake.

Now, for the super fun part!

On a microwave safe plate, unwrap and nuke about 6 Tootsie Rolls for approximately 3-6 seconds, until they are warm and soft. Twist, taper, roll, squeeze, whatever the candy until the desired effect is achieved! Use a little "strategery" and place the candy "dookies" in the "litter."

It is all about the presentation! Before the guests arrive, spread out the newspaper and place the litter pan full of cake goodness on it. Maybe have a little extra cookie litter to scatter around on the paper, along with a few candy dookies.

Be ready for people to get grossed out. This is the one, and only time, you want and can take pleasure in hearing someone say "THAT IS HORRIBLE!"

Remember to be polite, and say "THANK YOU!"

* Easily double this recipe (2 choco. cake, 2 vanilla cake, 4 puddings, 2 pkgs of cookies, you are fine with the one bag of Tootsie Rolls). Make sure you get the right size of pan liners.

A Blue Ribbon Winner

4c. love
2c. loyalty
3c. forgiveness
1c. friendship
5 tbsp hope
2 tbsp tenderness
4 qts faith
1 barrel laughter

Take love and loyalty; mix it with tenderness, kindness and understanding. Add friendship and hope; sprinkle abundantly with laughter. Bake it with sunshine. Serve daily with generous helpings.

Confessions of a Tightwad

R.I.P.

I love you, little hand mixer! You worked your little beaters till you couldn't work no more! We made a good team, and some good treats together. Thank you little mixer! You did your best for whirled peas. Now, may you rest in peas.

Confession:

I'm a penny pincher in the worst way! Looking back on certain things, I can't believe how much of a tightwad I can really be. Seriously, I will waste time, which can be viewed as money, doing things totally by hand rather than buying the necessary equipment that will save my hands, time, and nerves. Stupid? No...Blockhead? Maybe!...Good for business start up? Ummm...

On that note, let me introduce you to my newest business partner... "Bobbie Jean" Yes, I have names for things that I depend on, like my friends, and my cars (Penny, Cecilia, & Belle). I'm weird... Like, tell me something I don't know. Back to "Bobbie Jean," she made a batch of kransekake while I was baking an upside down cake! SO EXCITING! The meringue was heavenly! Holy cow, the time I saved?!

Business 101:

Just because a big item purchase can be a tax write off does not give you the green light to buy. Remember- only a small percentage of the bill is written off on your taxes, not all of it! When debating on new equipment for your business you have to ask yourself a few questions. Do I need NEW as opposed to refurbished? Is the new equipment going to save me time and labor? Is it going to save me money in the long run? Can it pay for itself? In my case, yes... yes... yes... and YES! WOO! HOO!

Keep your overhead low, and spend wisely!

Banana Blush

Modified from "Natcheryl's Cafe Cookbook" and The Whole Wheatery in Lancaster, California.

3/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
1 banana
1/4 c. fresh strawberries (or 2Tbs strawberry jam)
1/2 c. ice
1/2 c. vanilla soymilk

Blenderize till smooth and enjoy!

Bourbon Raisin & Cinnamon Bread

Again, I had scraps leftover from another recipe. In this case, it was a batch of happy and drunk, little raisins. They had been sitting in Bourbon for a while, and they tasted of pour alcohol with a hint of raisin. What to do? Forget putting them in oatmeal, but that might not be such a bad idea for managing arthritis, so I've heard.

A few years ago, I had made a full spread German dinner complete with German pancake for dessert. The pancake filled a large saute pan, and was about 1 1/2-2 inches thick... A real pan cake. The cake called for rum soaked raisins, and was very good. Therefore, the German Pancake was my inspiration for recycling my drunk and happy raisins.

I found a recipe on allrecipies.com for this raisin bread, but switched it up a bit. For one, I did not use any dairy products, or eggs. If I knew the bourbon was vegan then I would call the bread vegan, but I don't know for sure. Second, I didn't play by the rules of the recipe. Third, drunk raisins!

The result was better than expected! It was easy to make. The recipe made 3 loaves, but I sliced up one loaf to make cinnamon rolls drizzled with icing. The rolls were gone in no time! I didn't think of taking a picture until after they were gone! The raisins tasted like raisins again, and I should have used more. Making this recipe with rum raisins in the cinnamon rolls with the raisin infused rum glaze would be perfect!



1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
3 egg replacers
1/2 cup Evap. Cane Juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated soy butter, softened
1 cup raisins (bourbon/or rum soaked,optional)
8 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons soy milk
3/4 cup ECJ sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons soy butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in warm (approx 110F) water, and set aside until yeast is frothy. Warm the soy milk in a small bowl in the microwave until it bubbles, or temp reaches 120F, and set aside. Mix together frothy yeast, egg replacer (according to package), sugar, butter, and salt. Stir in cooled milk. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a while. Place in a large, greased, mixing bowl, and turn to grease the surface of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll out one ball of bread dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle 1/3 of the mixture on top of the moistened dough. Scatter 1/3 cup of drained raisins on top of the sugar mixture. Roll up tightly; the roll should be about 3 inches in diameter. Tuck under ends. Place loaves into well greased 9 x 5 inch pans. Lightly grease tops of loaves, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise again for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pans, and brush with melted butter or margarine. Let cool before slicing.

Got "Oat" Milk?

I only had vanilla soy milk in the fridge. I needed unsweetened oat milk for a potpie that had a biscuit like crust. I made oat milk by grinding 1 cup oats in the blender, and soaking it in 2-3 cups of water. Let soak for a while, and then strain and use the liquid (you can do the same with almond meal to make almond milk). It worked well!

Later, I was left with slimy oat mush that I just couldn't toss in the compost. Hmm, what can I do with oat slime??

• It tasted OK, so it could be eaten.
• Add some honey and smashed banana and give myself a facial, and if I get hungry...
• It worked well for administering meds. to my little, old pup.
• Homemade dog treats!

By the way, it was a cauliflower and mushroom potpie with a klamata crust, very hearty, very tasty, and from my favorite cookbook Veganomicron. The potpie was perfect comfort food for a rainy, northwest night.

Autumnal Delights

Happy Autumn Equinox!

We thank the earth, water and air

And all the helping powers they bear

We thank the people, loving and good

Who grow and cook our daily food

Most of all we thank the Sun

The light and life for everyone.

Feast! And be well!

Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

with Spicy Cream Cheese Icing

(icing garnished with a sprinkling of cinnamon)

1 c. canned pumpkin puree

1 c. evap. cane juice

1/4 c. soy milk

1/3 c. oil

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

Prep your muffin pan, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the first five ingredients (punkin, e.c.j., soy milk, oil and vanilla). In another bowl sift together the five dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt). Using a fork, stir the dry with the wet mixture until combined. Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

Vegan Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 c. non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese, at room temp
1/4 c. non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, at room temp
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cake spice
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Use a hand mixer and whip together the cheese and margarine until combined. Add the cake spice and sugar 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until creamy and smooth. Finally, add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix well.

To Your Health

I have been playing with ingredient substitutions to make the kransekake suitable for people with special dietary needs. For example wheat /gluten free, vegan, and organic. For the sugar sensitive, I want to use a natural sweetener like sweet leaf (aka Stevia) rather than aspartame, or sorbitol. However, this requires additional costly research. Some people may have something to say about changing the traditional ingredients. I have to agree that making a Kransekake out of sugar cookie dough would be a bad thing, and totally NOT traditional. However, substituting wheat, eggs, or sugar for something cleaner and healthier just might be a good thing.Your feedback is welcomed on this topic. Tell me what you think, or if you have suggestions pertaining to clean and healthy ingredient substitutions.

Feast and be well!

Bottom line- If it doesn't taste good, forget it!

To Do List

• Ride a mountain bike trail too advanced for me, and not quit, or fall of a cliff.
• Landscape my back yard.
• Live well, and be well.
• Embrace the next new life changing adventure.
• Always make time to dance me arse off!
• Shoot beautiful pictures of whatever inspires me.
• Be a friend to my friends that know how to be friends.
• Visit Ireland, or Scotland, or both!