The January Salad

January is the month when I try to redeem myself from all the indulgent foods of the last two months.  You too?  Although I don't try too hard (I had chocolate chip cookies yesterday), I believe in a balanced diet, so today I made a kale salad.  

I've been enjoying visiting with Travis and his family the past few days (cute baby pictures to come!).  Rebecca brought one of her Christmas presents with her and said I might like to look through it, so I took the time this morning to check it out.  What a fun cookbook, and yes I've already googled that pour top for mason jars.  Not only did I find it here, but also found this one that's pretty cool. 

When I saw this recipe for Kale and Apple Salad, I knew what I was going to have for lunch, since I had kale, apples and blue cheese in the fridge.  Notice how pretty that salad looks in the book, because mine didn't turn out looking like that at all, but it was very tasty none the less.  

The first thing I did was make the salad dressing.  The book gives you the recipe for a basic vinaigrette (1 part vinegar, 4 parts oil and salt and pepper) and then expands on that formula with four more dressings.  If that was the only thing you learned from this book, it would be valuable.  Making your own salad dressing is the easiest thing in the world, tastes better than store-bought and costs little to make. The authors call the dressing for this salad, The Orchard Dressing.  I had to adapt it a bit, as I didn't have walnut or canola oil.  I used an extra light olive oil and it tasted delicious.

The Orchard Dressing

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1/2 t. honey

1/2 t. sea salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

4 T. walnut oil

4 T. canola oil

Combine in jar.  Seal and shake for 30 seconds.

I washed and dried the kale, then cut it away from the center stem.  After spinning it once more in the salad spinner, (I wanted to remove every drop of water), I chopped it pretty fine and gave it a nice massage.  That massage helps to break down some of the fiber in the leaves and yields a more tender salad.

I thinly sliced an apple.  The recipe called for three and that's why my salad looks different from the book. Mine's heavy on the kale.  

This chunk of blue cheese has been hiding out in the cheese drawer, waiting to be used in some way.  Although, I'm not opposed in the least to eating it straight out of the fridge with slices of pears, I decided to use it in this salad.  When I'm too busy to pay attention, I'm guilty sometimes of forgetting about those little pieces of cheese and letting them go to waste.  Since I took the time at the beginning of the week to clean out and take inventory of the contents of my fridge, I knew it was there.  Yay me. 

The recipe called for toasted walnuts, but I had some candied pecans left over from a Christmas salad and I'm trying to use what I have.  Darn it.  Guess I'll just have to put those candied nuts in the salad. (wink)  They are so good.  I'm going to share that recipe with you some time soon.  I promise. 

As I was putting the ingredients back in the cabinet, I spied a jar of dried cranberries.  Since I can't seem to leave well enough alone when it comes to recipes, I decided to throw a few of those in too.  That was a good call.

Thanks to Becca,  and her cookbook, I have a new January salad.  This is the time of year to be eating hardy greens anyway.  I know that.  I have to keep a blind eye to those tempting salad mixes in the plastic containers.  Every time I buy one, I get mad, because once I start digging in the box, I find that half of the greens are slimy and I end up throwing it away.  Money down the drain!  If I can be patient, hopefully, I 'll have a garden bed full of spring mix in a few months.

Starting a cookbook project is one of my goals for this year.  I plan to pull some of my many cookbooks off the shelves and cook from them, blogging about the recipe as I go along.  Even though this isn't one of my cookbooks, it's a good place to start.  Infuse  has some delightful recipes for salad dressings, infused oils, (for drizzling over caprese salads, sriracha popcorn, grilled pizzas and steak), flavored waters and spirits.  Since I don't drink alcohol, I didn't spend a lot of time in that section.  If your looking for some ideas to easily add some pizzaz to your meals, infused oils is a way to go.  Fun book.

Update to original post: This salad is even better the second day!

*  Take the Time goals  #33 - Eliminate food waste.     #50- Start a cookbook project.

Toaster Strudels

I really have been doing other things besides baking lately- things like hosting a book club meeting and taking a new photography class top the list, and I'm going to post about those soon, but I am on a roll with this cookbook project, so I thought I'd go ahead and share the next recipe.  Mastering that wonderful pastry crust recipe, opened up new possibilities for other delicious goodies. I was anxious to try those home made PopTarts on the cover of Alana's book.

First of all, my husband said I should not, even, call them Pop Tarts because they weren't anything like the cardboard tasting pastry treats that come from the store.  My neighbor stopped by the day I made them and I gave her one to take home and try.  She sent me a note saying the "strudel" was wonderful.  So, toaster strudels they are.

Here's how I made them.  After pulling the perfect pastry dough out of the refrigerator and letting it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, I rolled it into a rectangular shape, cutting around each side to eliminate the rough edges.  Of course you could use refrigerated pastry dough purchased from the store if you didn't want to make your own.  But that perfect pastry dough recipe is easy and delicious!

I cut the large rectangle into 6 smaller ones.  I carefully lifted one of the rectangles onto the baking sheet and brushed it with an egg wash.

Then I put a tablespoon of jam down the center of the dough.  I used blackberry, strawberry and raspberry and we liked them all, but my personal favorite was the raspberry.  

Another pastry rectangle went on top and then I used a fork to gently press the edges together.

I pricked the top of each pastry with a fork.  My daughter suggested it would have been a good idea to use different designs on each flavor, so you could tell the flavors apart once they were baked.  That would have been clever, but the suggestion came too late.  As it was, we were just pleasantly surprised when we bit into each one.

I brushed the tops of the pastry with the egg wash,

and lined them up on the baking sheet.  The recipe yielded 6 strudels, but I couldn't see going to this much work for 6 strudels!   I doubled the recipe so I would have 12, and actually ended up with 14.  The extras were no problem!

I loved the way they puffed up as they baked.  I sprinkled powder sugar on half of them.  Aren't they pretty?  I knew my hubby would like them this way, as he's not much on frosting, but big on pastry!

Kenzie suggested frosting on the rest, with sprinkles.  I nixed the sprinkles idea, but the frosting was a nice addition!  I like frosting.

Recipe number two was a success.  What will I try next?  I think it will be the cheese crackers.  I'll let you know how they turn out.  Anyone else out there trying some new recipes?

The Perfect Pie Crust

Last week, I introduced my cookbook project , along with a review of the first book I had chosen.  I'd  randomly pulled one of my cookbooks off the shelf, read it from cover to cover, and selected some interesting recipes to try.  You can go here to read my review on The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila.

I love this book and could hardly wait to squeeze some kitchen time in my schedule, so I could begin experimenting.  First on my list was pie crust.  Me and pastry dough, well we've not always been on the best of terms.  I can make a pie crust from scratch, but it's a struggle.  Sometimes its too crumbly and is a complete mess when I try to roll it out to put in a dish.  To counteract this problem, I often end up adding too much liquid, which results in a goopy mess.  Sometimes it turns out tough and  of course what I'm going for, is tender and flaky.  After fighting with the dough and finally getting it in the dish, it doesn't always look beautiful.  As you can see, making a pie with a homemade crust is a bit of a risk for me.  "Will it work this time?", is the question that I ask whenever I start to make a pie, and because of this uncertainty, pie making has never been my favorite thing to do.  Which is a shame, because it's unquestionably my husband's favorite dessert.

Now, I could always buy a crust in the store and I do from time to time.  But the only way I can do that, is if I don't look at the list of  ingredients.  Ignorance is bliss doesn't really apply when you've already been educated, but I can selectively forget what I've learned in a pinch.  Pie crust should really only have a few basic ingredients and it's always best when you can pronounce them.   After reading Alana's recipe for basic pie crust, I was intrigued by her method, which she has convinced me is fail proof, and is totally unlike any pastry recipe I've used in the past.  The key is keeping all the ingredients cold and using a stand mixer.

So, here we go.  The first thing I did was take my butter directly from the refrigerator and dice it in small pieces.

After measuring the flour into my bowl, I dropped the butter cubes into the flour and gently mixed them up by hand, covering all the butter with flour.  

In a measuring cup, I added apple cider vinegar and salt to water.  Then the bowl with flour and butter and the measuring cup with the liquids went into the freezer for 10 minutes.  The only hard part here?  Cleaning out enough space in the freezer to sit a large mixing bowl!

After the ten minutes had passed, I attached my paddle to the mixer and blended the flour and butter, until the mixture resembled small crumbs.

With the mixer still running, I slowly added the cold water, vinegar and dissolved salt mixture into the flour.  Then I watched and waited and maybe held my breath a little, feeling doubtful, yet hoping that this was going to work.  After what felt like minutes (but really were only seconds) , those old thoughts were starting to resurface, "maybe I just need to add a little more water...", when it happened!  In an instant it all came together into a ball and I had pastry dough. 

Amazing!  And so easy.

I gently kneaded the dough a couple of times and then divided it in half.

I shaped both pieces into a flattened disc and covered them with plastic wrap.  The recipe suggests refrigerating for at least an hour, or up to 3 days.  At this point it can also be frozen for up to 6 months.  If there was anything negative I had to say about this recipe it would be, you have to plan ahead.  Mixing up the dough in the morning and then putting the pie together in the afternoon, was the system that worked for me.

After the refrigeration period, I took the dough out and let it rest for about 15 minutes before rolling into a circle.  I can't even begin to describe what a dream this dough is to work with.  No crumbling or tearing.  It's perfect!

I decided to put this crust to good use by making a blackberry pie.  Thanks to my friend who has been sharing her blackberries, I had plenty to make Mark's favorite dessert.  

And just look at that beautiful pie! The crust was delicious, flaky and tender and buttery... oh my!  I'm completely sold.  This really is the perfect pie crust.  I've made it twice now, with good results both times.  Having some of this pastry dough tucked away in the freezer seems like a smart idea.  And with the holidays just around the corner, pies will definitely be on the menu.

Basic Pie Crust

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 t. apple cider vinegar

1/2 t. salt

Cut the butter into 1/2 inch squares and combine with the 

flour in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Using your hands, toss

the mixture to coat the butter in the flour.  Put the bowl in the

freezer.  In a measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup water, the

vinegar and salt.  Stir until the salt dissolves and put the 

measuring cup in the freezer.  Freeze both mixtures for 10

minutes.

Take the mixing bowl out of the freezer and blend the mixture

on low speed with the paddle attachment until it starts to 

become the texture of crumbly meal.  Take the measuring cup

out of the freezer and, with the mixer running on low speed,

slowly pour the wet mix into the bowl.  The dough will be

crumbly at first, then after 10 to 20 seconds, it will come

together in a ball.  Stop the mixer.

Turn the dough out onto the counter and press it together into

 a large disc.  Cut the dough in two equal parts, wrap each piece

in waxed paper or plastic wrap and press into a disc.  Refrigerate

for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.  Take the dough out of the

refrigerator 15 minutes before you are ready to roll it out.

Makes two 9 inch pie crusts.

 From The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila

The Cookbook Project

I have a thing for cookbooks, which is understandable, because I have a thing for food!  I love everything about it, growing it from seeds, shopping for it in a great market, trying new recipes, looking at and taking beautiful pictures of it, dining in wonderful restaurants and sharing all of these experiences with people I love... yep, I just adore food.  Sometimes maybe too much, but that's a subject for another post.  Back to my cookbooks.

I have stashed, in nooks and crannies throughout my kitchen, and overflowing into the family room, cookbooks that I've collected over the years.  My Christmas wish list usually has a few titles on it and I'm known to spend whatever mad money I might have on a new volume.  Some girls buy shoes, I buy cookbooks. 

For relaxation, I will take a cookbook off the shelf and read it from cover to cover, as one would read a novel.  Because a good cookbook includes much more than just recipes.  There are stories around those recipes that make them come to life.  If you've ever noticed over on the right sidebar, under "What I'm Reading", there is almost always one book dealing with food. 

 This month I've been reading The Homemade Pantry.  It was while I was reading it, that I had an idea.  I thought it would be fun to have a cookbook project, where every month or so, I would pull one of my cookbooks off the shelf and share it with you.  This is mostly for my benefit, so I'm spending less time dusting off my books, and more time using them and because I'm motivated by projects.  But I hope you might enjoy it as well.  With Pinterest and so many great cooking websites, a person would never really need to have a cookbook in their home and still turn out some great meals.  And because life's busy, more days than not, we just stick with the tried and true, get it on the table quickly, meal.  It's easy to get in a cooking rut.   But when we can make the time,  there's something exciting about pulling a cookbook off your shelf and creating something new.    

As much as I love this cookbook, I know it would not be for everyone.  Some people have no interest in making their own cheese or yogurt.  Or Poptarts.  Yes, that's  homemade Poptarts on the cover of the book.  I think they look delicious.  But for those who like to challenge themselves to produce foods that others would only buy in a store, this one's for you.  I already make a lot of my own food from scratch.  But at times I get lazy and this book has motivated me to start cooking and baking again.  I'm going to dig out the yogurt maker this week and I've already been munching on granola that I made a few days ago.

In the introduction, the author says,
"If we are to become people who do make butter, we might have to shift the way we see ourselves a bit.  We might have to get into the adventurous spirit and unearth our own curiosity about where our food comes from.  We might have to make a colossal mess of the kitchen. And we might have to slow down, at least long enough to knead a loaf of bread before the day begins.  Here are a few reasons I have found myself to be the kind of person who makes butter:
1- Food made at home is better for you.
2- Food made at home tastes better.
3- Food made at home usually costs less.
4- Food made at home eliminates unnecessary packaging.
5-Food made at home will change the way you think about food.
You won't make all of these recipes every week.  You might make pickles just once, and then decide that the experience is not for you. But I promise you this- after making your pickles, you will think very differently about all pickles."

I concur.  Not only does this cookbook have some great recipes, for simple and nourishing foods (which doesn't always translate as quick and easy), but the pictures are amazing.  I would love to follow her photographer around for a while and learn her techniques.  In this book, she has captured not only images of beautiful food, but  a lifestyle that centers around wholesome eating.  In another life time I'm sure I would have been a food stylist and photographer.  After reading through The Homemade Pantry a couple of times, I feel like I know Alana and her family.  Take a peek.

Every recipe begins with a little essay about why this food is important enough to be included in her cookbook.  True stories about food and a family. I loved them. 

Alana gets excited about food, just like me.  She talks about the thrill of cooking this way for her family when she says: 

" Whether it's your inner pioneer expressing deep satisfaction when you look at your rows of bright-red jam-filled mason jars or your inner five- year- old (or real five -year- old) celebrating when the butter breaks from the buttermilk, the thrill is what keeps me cooking and sharing."         I totally get this.

So, here are the recipes I plan to try in the next month or so.

*mozzerella cheese - I have to hurry while I still have some basil and few tomatoes left.  I can only imagine a caprese salad with fresh mozzerella that I made myself.  If it turns out well, that is.

*toaster pastries - There is a big kid at my house who likes Poptarts.  I won't mention any names.

*basic pie crust -I've never been able to master a good pie crust consistently.  Maybe this will be the recipe that works for me.

* cheese crackers-I hope these will make me forget that I love CHEEZ-IT's.

* lasagna- yep, I'm going to make my own noodles and sauce, and who knows, maybe even my own mozzerella and ricotta.  This will be my piece de resistance.  I'll have to set aside a chunk of time for this one, but I bet it will be the best lasagna I've ever made.

That should keep me busy for awhile. I'll keep you posted as I try each new recipe.  How about you?  Would you like to be a part of my cookbook project?  Just go ahead, pull one of your favorite cookbooks off the shelf and make something new.  I would love to hear about your cooking adventures.