Angelnina's Cottage

Le Jardin (An update on my vegetable gardens)

angelnina — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:31:22 +0000

My gardens are doing well. The weather has been unusual. Cold one day. Hot one day. Rain one day.

Somehow, the veggies are managing to grow right along.

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ABOVE: My front yard garden. The photo was taken before I pruned my tomatoes. This is the first year I pruned back most branches below the first level of flowers. I also removed all the suckers. I knew I made the mistake of planting tomatoes too close together, but by the time I understood the Square Foot Gardening method, my tomatoes had set from pretty good roots. I decided to pull and few out and put in pots. They’re struggling, but I think I may get some fruit out of them yet.

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A few days after I took the photo of my squash and melon garden–they took off. They’re huge now and I still need to remove a few and move them. I’m going to have enough squash to feed an army.

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Escarole from the back yard garden. I love this stuff. I’ll be eating some tomorrow. You simply throw it in a pan with olive oil, garlic, crushed red peppers, and cannelini beans. Mmmmm.

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The beets are looking good. These are my red beets. I planted a few gold as well. I’ll be planting more of these right away.

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Lipstick peppers. My first year for these. Supposed to be nice in salads and such.

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A visitor doing her job on the artichokes.

Chicken Update ~ Sean Junior and the Girls

angelnina — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:26:52 +0000

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Sean Junior is growing up. I haven’t heard him crow yet, but I expect to anyday now. Some people say he may still be a she, but experienced chicken farmers seem to out number the votes on Sean being a Shawna. We’ll see. He/She has some beautiful coloring.

As for the others, hopefully they’re all hens. The Rhode Island Red, Lucille, is a bit aggressive, so I’m still on the fence whether or not she is a pullet or a cockerel. I’m leaning toward pullet.

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Above: The young flock enjoying the pen. 11 weeks old

The big girls are busy laying eggs–everyday. We get two eggs. Roxy lays the xtra-large eggs, while Mama Hen lays the large eggs.

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I still have Roxy. She is still extremely noisy. I suppose if I laid an extra large egg everyday I’d be a little bitchy too.

UPDATE: Second Loaf on Convection Bake “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes”

angelnina — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:21:00 +0000

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I baked my second loaf today. I haven’t cut into it yet, but the crust is even better looking this time. I made a few changes: I slit after rising–I had to let it rise for almost an hour this time. I set my oven to convection bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes prior to baking. I still used the pizza stone and cup of a boiling water for steam. After fifteen mintues of convection at 425 degrees, I quickly switched my oven to regular bake cycle at 450 degrees for another fifteen minutes. I can see the crust is crackling (I shouldn’t have kept tapping it :) Looks like a winner. I’ll let you know how it tastes later.

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Angelnina’s Strawberry Jam ~ Canning and freezer jam

angelnina — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:01:44 +0000

Freezer Jams

I wanted to pick my own strawberries this year, but when the weather changed to ”Holy hell, I’m fryin’ out here!” I decided a farmer’s market was the next best thing. The farmer’s market is closer than the U-pick farms, so when I add in a gallon of gas, the berries cost $5 more than if I’d picked them myself. I think it was worth it.

As I blogged here, I was fortunate enough to receive the canning jars for free. So, my total cost for 5 jars of my own gourmet strawberry jam, and 7 jars of freezer jam, came to about $1.60 a jar. If I didn’t make freezer jam I wouldn’t have needed the pectin and could have saved $2.49 off the total cost. Considering I have paid $6 for a jar of gourmet jam, I’m very happy with the outcome.

Water Bath Canned

Angelnina’s Strawberry Jam

I use 2 lbs 3 oz strawberries (fresh picked and hulled)

3.5 cups sugar

zest of half a large navel orange

1/4 fresh squeezed lemon juice

1.5 tbsp orange liqueur

Mash strawberries in 1 cup batches. Add sugar and stir together. Add zest and liqueur Cook until boiling and bring to 220 degrees. It’s important to stir constantly and not allow it to burn. 220 degrees will ensure thickening.

Immediately remove and ladle into canning jars. Seal in water bath for 10 minutes. Follow canning instructions.

FREEZER JAM

I follow instructions for uncooked freezer jam inside Sure-Jell pectin. It’s like eating fresh sugared strawberries.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day? YES!

angelnina — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I’m still in a state of shock this morning. I found a book at a thrift store titled, “The Splendid Table“ by Lynne Rosetto Kasper. I had heard of the author on NPR. I was excited to find such a great book at a thrift store and I couldn’t wait to take it home and comb through it. I always go online and look up the books I buy and check out the author’s bio. I came across her web site which recommended a recipe for artison bread in five minutes. More research led to the book I will be purchasing today:

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

If you enjoy great bread–run to the bookstore NOW! The recipe allows you to mix flour, salt, yeast, and water to make a dough that rises for a few hours on the counter and then goes into the refrigerator to use at your leisure for up to two weeks. I have only made my first loaf, and there is plenty of dough leftover-I predict a few more loaves of bread and maybe a pizza in the next week or so.

When you’re ready for fresh baked bread –simply load your hands up with flour, cut off a grapefruit size piece of dough from your container of dough, form it (if you haven’t made rounds before, you may need to see a video for this part) and place it on a pizza peel you have covered in corn meal to rise for about 40 minutes (I allowed mine to rise 60 minutes in the warmest part of my home). Preheat your oven to 450 degrees for 20 minutes (or halfway through the rising time) with a pizza stone on the middle rack and a broiler pan on the bottom rack–to be filled with a cup of very hot water when you slide your risen bread dough into the oven onto the stone. Slit the top of your risen dough with a serrated knife (dip knife in flour to keep it from sticking), sprinkle some flour over top, and bake! 30 minutes later, you should get something that looks like the photo at the top of the page.

Watch the video

The Recipe:

Recipe: Simple Crusty Bread

Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

Cornmeal.

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

I made a sandwich today and the bread is just like the great artisan breads you buy at the bakery!

NOTES FROM ANGELNINA: Make sure you use the pizza stone and add the hot water right after you slide dough oven. I do not have a pizza peel, so I used a small flat edged cookie sheet which I practically piled cornmeal on to make sure it wouldn’t stick no matter what ( I mean heap it on!). Then I grabbed my baker’s scraper just in case it needed a shove–it didn’t and slid right off. Again, I had loads of flour and cornmeal on the bottom to ensure proper fast slip off pan. Some people use parchment paper, but I haven’t tried it yet.

I used Gold Medal Bread Flour–so far nothing beats this flour for me, so I didn’t want to take a risk.

See MY photos of various stages here…

Rising right after mixing.

Risen for two hours. ( I kept lid on looser because I wasn’t sure if it was too air tight

In the fridge to wait a few hours more…

My formed ball, slitted, and resting. I slit it before the rest period, but the instructions say to slit before placing in oven! I panicked but all went well.

Fresh out of the oven

Slicing while still a bit warm (not hot). We couldn’t wait.

Hot Weekend! Ghostbusters and Chicken Herding

angelnina — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:32:36 +0000

This past weekend, we had some hot weather! I am so happy Mark installed an air conditioner. I didn’t want the hole in the wall, but I welcome it on these 90 degree days. I’m sure ninety degrees sounds mild compared to some regions. I know. I’ve lived in Florida, California, Arizona, and New York (and everywhere in between). We’ve been wimpified here in the Pacific Northwest. I suppose it’s just what each region’s people adjusts to. In this area, if we heat up to 80 degrees, it’s a heat wave.

Sean and Olivia came over to wash their car. It’s a bit hot for car washing, but they did it and then I found them watching Ghost Busters in the den.

I cook with the air on, so I’m sure it was cold to them–hence the throw blankets. Givoanni joined them.

When Giovanni isn’t napping, he’s busy herding chickens. I don’t think they take him seriously, and frankly I’m more concerned for his safety than for theirs.

After a while, they simply ignore him.

Muffuletta Sandwich (Reposted from LJ)

angelnina — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:23:57 +0000

I first posted this on my Live Journal account, but I think it’s worth reposting here. I am making Artisan Bread today, and if all goes as planned, it should make the perfect muffuletta!

First of all, this is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my life! The blends of Italian meats, imported Italian provolone, and the tapenade are beyond belief!

If you aren’t familiar with mortadella, it contains small chunks of pistachio nuts!

If you are watching your cholesterol, try using turkey or chicken lunchmeats. I plan on trying the combination soon.

Muffuletta
Giada De Laurentis
See more photos and recipe behind cut.
Muffuletta Recipe

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 cup olive oil

10 large pitted green olives, chopped

1/3 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives

1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (1-pound) round bread loaf (about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches high)

4 ounces thinly sliced ham

4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella

4 ounces thinly sliced salami

4 ounces sliced provolone

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 ounces arugula leaves

Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper. Cut the top 1-inch of the bread loaf. Set the top aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread some of the olive and roasted pepper mix over the bread bottom and cut side of the bread top. Layer the meats and cheeses in the bread bottom. Top with the onions, then the arugula. Spread the remaining olive and roasted pepper mix on top of the sandwich and carefully cover with the bread top. You can serve the sandwich immediately or you can wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator a day before serving.

Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.

There were enough sandwiches leftover to feed Mark for the week.

Serve with a nice glass of dry red wine. A perfect follow up is a plate of fruit for dessert.

Cuisinart Bread Machine

angelnina — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:11:34 +0000

From my experience with bread machines–I’ve owned three—this one works the best. I bought this Cuisnart Convection Bread Machine used for $14.99, and I’ve made french bread four times–successfully. The Amazon reviews made me nervous, but I had already bought it at the thrift shop, so I figured I just lost my fifteen bucks and I’ll get over it. Half of the reviews are more than positive, but the poor reviews are extremely negative.

This model uses convection baking which makes the crust cripsy, and I really prefer it. It is difficult to get out of the pan, but I’m working on a way to change that. The paddle can be removed before the last rise–which I believe is a plus.

It’s been a nice break when I don’t feel like baking my usual six loaves at a time.

Nothing looks sadder than bread machine bread, but this bread tastes surprisingly good.

Polka Dots and Addiction

angelnina — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:52:00 +0000

I found another cool Pyrex Mixing Bowl. I need another old pyrex bowl like I need a hole in the head. I couldn’t just leave it sitting there on the shelf. I mean, for Chrissake it has polka dots!

I admit it, I’m addicted. I can’t leave a piece of old Pyrex well enough alone. My pink cabinets are filled with the stuff. I love to bake and prep in the retro pastel colored Pyrex bakeware. It’s a sickness, but there is not a 12-Step program, so here I sit.

I think there is a part of me that wants to believe I can somehow capture “the good old days”. The days when sweet little grandmas wore aprons with heart shaped pockets and baked pies filled with sweetened fruits and custards. Nevermind whether the good old days ever existed. Reality dictates that buying a pastel or polka dotted mixing bowl is not going to bring them back. I know that. I have common sense–most of the time. I still can’t part with my set of multi-colored Pyrex nested mixing bowls.

I once found a pink Pyrex nesting bowl and although a crazy man was following me around the store I couldn’t leave without that pink bowl. As he inched closer and closer to me–I started to walk faster and faster–finally breaking into a sprint holding my pink bowl in hand as I heard him shouting, “I love you!”. In spite of fearing for my life from the crazy man, I still waited for a cashier and paid for that damn pink bowl. Priorities.

Retro Set of Culver Glasses / Tumblers w/ Fairies :)

angelnina — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:55:11 +0000

I found an interesting set of six glasses at the thrift store. I am especially drawn to the fairies! The second section appears to have a genie on a magic carpet, and the third section looks like a magician or sorcerer. Culver makes these and I know they made a lot of other barware too.

See More Here….

These glasses have a mystical magical feel to them, so they’ll be hard to part with. I know I need to sell them on my Ebay account, but I’m seriously considering keeping them. I think they would be great for a party–or just lemonade or iced tea! Oh my gosh, why do I love retro glass and dinnerware so much?