Clearing out the Freezer/ Easy Chicken Recipe

I recently read a great book that I'd highly recommend to anyone: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.  The basic premise is a Cordon Bleu trained chef who mentors nine "ordinary" women in feeling more comfortable in their kitchens.  Many of the lessons are pretty basic, but the book + our impending move + a random piece on NPR with Mark Hyman about toxicity in foods made me look at my kitchen in a different way.  I've never thought of myself as a hoarder, but nothing will shatter your delusions of minimalism like packing house.   The amount of "just in case" foodstuffs I had stuffed in my freezer and pantry is downright embarassing.  The worst part is those bags of "just in case" appetizers from Costco never lived up to their promise of stress-free entertaining.  "Oh, you're down the street and want to pop in, sure no problem!" Instead of sashaying to the freezer/pantry and grabbing something, this is always followed by a frantic phone call to The Husband asking for a list of brand-new ingredients to try out a brand-new recipe.  Whatever is left over gets put in the freezer/pantry.  Can you picture what happens over the years?  It's as though some part of me is planning for a post-apocalyptical food shortage and is afraid to use those candy wafers, boxed cake mix and  whipped topping ... you know, ... just in case!  Because who wants to face the dissolution of society as we know it without cake pops?
SO, for the last 5 weeks, I have been shopping out of my freezer and have only purchased dairy products (we don't have a cow yet) and a few produce items (tomatoes aren't even in the ground yet).  And somehow, I've managed to put together some pretty great meals.  Stuffed artichokes in a brothy bechamel sauce anyone?  Chicken sumac on a bed of carmelized onions?  There is nothing so satisfying as The Husband and Kids wiping their mouth asking, "When did you have time to go grocery shopping?" and responding with a faux-modest smirk.
The best/worst part is that after 5 weeks, the stores of food are still embarassingly full.  I know we are blessed to live in such plenty and am grateful that an over-stuffed freezer and pantry is my problem.  But I also worry that I will be held accountable as steward of all this .... suff.
One of the recipes that has become a staple is one that I had previously only passed on to family and very close friends and sworn them to secrecy.  It is sometimes known as Gravy Chicken, sometimes as Mmmm Mmmm Chicken, sometimes just mumbling as it is being shoved into the mouth.  I will provide the basic recipe but the best part is that you can replace the chicken with firm fish fillets and the onions with any frozen vegetables you have on hand (though I would still saute the onion first).

This was made with salmon fillets and a bag of rescued frozen vegetables

Mmmmm Mmmmm Gravy Chicken

1/4 cup flour

Salt and Pepper
Chicken pieces
Butter and Oil
Onion (chopped)
Chicken Broth (about 3/4 - 1 cup)
Lemon Juice
Thyme

Mix flour with salt and pepper and dredge chicken pieces in this (easiest way is to put the flour in a ziplock bag and then throw the chicken in  and shake)
Warm pan and put in a pat of butter and olive oil.
Brown chicken on both sides until golden and set aside
Add onion to pan and saute until softened
Add the remaining flour and let onion "absorb" the flour
Slowly add the broth and mix quickly, it will thicken fast
Add lemon juice and thyme to taste
Put chicken back in the pan and cover with sauce
Bring to boil and let simmer until chicken is cooked through
Plate chicken and then pour drizzle the sauce on top.

This is not gourmet, nor is it particularly healthy, but it is something that you can make relatively quickly and be sure that it always turns out.  It's also a good way to use up (blech!  What a horrible thing to say about food) odds and ends of vegetables you have in your fridge/freezer/pantry.

Five weeks of eating out of my freezer and pantry have shown me how bizarre our consumption habits are.  It's something I would encourage everyone to try if for no other reason than to spare the world from me sharing all the insights I've gained from this "project" (i.e. gain them yourselves!)

We're Movin' on Up!

Come on now, you all remember the Jeffersons.  Sing it with me.

Well, except that we're not really moving "up", more east I think.  But the reason it's big news is that we are moving to a house in the country.  As in septic tank country! For realz!  The house also has quite a bit of land so we are - God willing - going to try our hand at some true-blue homesteading.  Chicken coops, bee hives, maybe goats, and of course sustainable agriculture with canning and freezing to maximize sustainability.

Now, stop chewing on your finger nails, I know what your thinking, "But what does this mean for me?"  

It means that though CWI will continue chronicling my attempts at craftiness, I will probably be inundating you with tedious descriptions of how a California-raised city girl is going to try to hew a working farm out of this rugged Canadian landscape.   (You know I'm kidding right?  Niagara is the Napa Valley of Canada)

Not mine ... actually from an American Greetings Card: "The Road Not Taken" (seriously)

Big News*

Stay Tuned ...

(*Big for me anyhoo)

Coffee Filters Peonies

(AKA, Coffee Filters find use in a Keurig-using home)

If you feel the urge to tell me these look more like carnations than peonies, please resist.  There are already those among us who have earned my wrath for the mere hint of it.

I know we're not the only family to say, "Wowzers!", but I'm guessing we're the only ones that have had to precisely define it.
I have the honor/privilege/utter joy of having one of the cutest little girls on earth as my niece (actually, all five of my nieces are brag-worthy).  This girl is incapable of hearing a new word or phrase without asking  what it means.  Woebetides anyone who spouts gibberish in front of her - she will call you out on it.
So she heard the kids and me saying "wowzers" and narrowed her big round eyes to slits: "Amma (Auntie) Samah, what does wowzers mean?"  I can't capture the earnestness with which she asks this question, it has to be seen to be believed.
I had to think quick before I lost her respect ... "Well, it actually equals double wow.  So instead of saying wow twice, you would say wowzers.  And if you say WOWzers, then it's like a triple wow."
She nodded gravely and then waddled off.  I later heard her explaining this new SAT word to her sister with no detail left out.

SO, with that explanation, I will say about this project: WOWZERS! (That's quadruple wow for those of you not paying attention).

Coffee Filter Flowers:

Peonies are my favorite flower.  They are like the southern belles of my garden, all over-the-top pretty and just wavin' and noddin' their heavy heads back and forth -practically waving their scented hankerchiefs at you.
But, my peonies are a distant memory here - and will be for several more months.  Maybe that's why I revisited these coffee filter peonies.  West-coasters whose roses are still in bloom, go away, this project is not for you.

 While there are -surprisingly- numerous blogs featuring this project, Michelle Marie's tutorial was invaluable at walking me through the steps.  But, like the annoying reviewer on Allrecipes.com, I will just add the steps that made the project more doable for a lazy accident-prone special crafter such as I am.

1. I didn't use two sizes of filters.  Not a principled decsion, my store just didn't have them.  So whatever you find, use.
2. After folding the filter the fourth fold and notching, don't unfold!  Notch (or round) the other side while still folding AND do the scuffing up bit also while still folded.  (see #3)
3. The scuffing up.  Michelle's tute was amazing, but left me high and dry on this most important step.   Here's a real peony:

You see how the edges are kind of rough?  Well to mimic that, what I did was while the circle was still folded, I held it firmly together and used the inside part of the scissors to very quickly snip and pull (not too hard).    Then I opened the scissors all the way and sort of rubbed them like a nail file over the rough edges.
4. On the first and second circle, I used an orange/yellow marker to mimic the stamen by drawing a starbursty-type thing in the middle.  It will only show a little, but enough to make me think it was worth it.
5. Every so often, make  a slit in the circle along where one "petal" naturally ends.  It will help with the twisting as well as making it look more natural.
6. Finally, glue is your best friend.  When you're done, look at your flower and if it's all kattywompas, pull out your scissors and prune, then put a tiny dab of glue and press parts of the layers together to get the shape you want.

And for you fellow Keurigers out there who don't have filters in your home.  Don't despair - and don't run out to the store.  If you have cream colored tissue paper, you can do the same thing.  Just lay 10 pieces together and cut out the circles in one cut (about 6" diameter).
The top picture shows the cream flower made with tissue paper. 

California Dreamin'

Sometimes I will try to taunt my Californian family and friends about their lack of four seasons. Seriously, who wants to be looking for shade during an outdoor(!) wedding in November (!) (Answer: Me.) I try to play up the romance of an actually functioning fireplace as opposed to one used for storage (Yes, you know who I'm talking about) But let's be real, there comes a day every winter when I would trade anything short of my kids -and maybe my husband (... what? he's the one who got me into this mess!) for a few days where the primary conversation is not about snow tires and how much vitamin D is required not to die in this place. Nobody outside of the Northeast actually dreams of a white Christmas. Irving Berlin wrote the song in ... you guessed it, California!
Yes, I'm done now (for a few minutes, I may resume my rant midway through the post ... you've been warned.)
My kids, however, embrace winter like a long lost friend - that friend that always comes over right before dinner and leaves before the washing up, that friend that calls and wants only to talk about their own troubles  and forgets that you're a person too, that friend that ... oops sorry.
They love all things winter related, but I'm starting to wonder if their love of the cold is just a foil for post-cold coziness.  The same kids that are not allowed juice until they finish two cups of water first (please no comments from Urologists) are plied with hot chocolate multiple times a day throughout the months of December, January, and February.  Maybe I'm overcompensating for not giving them the Pacific Ocean childhood I had.  Whatever the reason, they milk it (pun totally intended) for all its worth.
Another winter must-have for my kids is their rice bags.  I've tried to come up with a more elegant name for them, but rice bags stuck and now I can't get rid of it.  These rice bags spend one minute in the microwave and provide enough footheat to last until you're to far asleep to notice the below-zero temperatures.  They are also the easiest sewing project in the history of the world (I've checked - and since Wikipedia is down, you can't fact-check me).
So for all of you still too daunted by zippers and buttons to pull out your sewing machine, or for those who want an introductory project for little sewers, here we go:

5-minute Sac de Riz (everything sounds better in French)

You only need two rectangles.  I decided to go all fancy and quilt this one, but feel free to just use one layer ... if you dare!  Mwahahahaha.  Also notice the awesome ironing job I did. 

The perfect quilting sandwich.  Again, just ignore if you're only doing one layer.

Ignore... ibid

Now just pretend we're starting again with two rectangles

Putting fabric right sides together is pretty much all you need to know about sewing

With right sides together, sew around the rectangle about 1/2" in leaving a gaping 3" hole on one of the long sides

Using that gaping hole, turn the whole thing inside out and you now have this thing of beauty

Do as I say, not as I do... put FAR LESS rice than you think you should.  Otherwise, your children will hear you saying things they never should as you try to sew it shut.  I advice no more than halfway full.  This is also where you can add a drop or two of lavender oil if you like.

Fold the ends of the gaping hole in and topstich around the outside to close it.  There are no pictures of this part because I was busy yelling at my sewing machine at this part.  See caption above.  This is nothing if not a cautionary tale.  This guy is ready for a one-minute microwave.

See: now she can pretend that her left ear is in a sunny place. My son is in the background composing, "Ode to Winter"

 

Tea Sampler for an amazing person

A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I found out that our favorite librarian was sick with pneumonia.  They immediately started clamoring that I had to make her a get well card the minute we got home.  I tried to explain to them that cards - while a beautiful gesture - are not necessarily curative.
They just looked at each other with cocked eyebrows as though I had just said the world was flat.
Anyway, I did make the card; one I'd been meaning to make for a while: with three "pockets" to hold tea bags.  I didn't take any pictures at the time, but I followed these fantastic instructions and came out with something pretty close.
Recently though, a friend of mine has been going through biblical plague-type circumstances and has managed to trudge through it all (including death in the family, a member of an already stretched-to-the-max staff quiting with no notice, men in HazMat suits ripping out the walls of her home/work, etc...) with remarkable aplomb.  I designed a special card/book/tea sampler just for her.  This time I did take pictures and copious notes so that I wouldn't forget how I did it.

She happens to be a teacher so I designed it to look like a little binder.   Though it looks complicated, the only real "difficulty" is getting the numbers right.  If you're going to use Stash tea like I did, then you can just use my numbers.  Otherwise, see below for instructions on getting your measurements right with a different sized teabag.
Stash teas measure about 2.5"x3.25, so you will want each paper cut to: 6"x6.25"

You might as well do four pockets at a time.

On the 6 edge, score (with a bonefolder or blunt part of a butter knife) at 2.75" and 5.5"
On the 6.25" edge, score at 3" and 3.25"

To make your pocket, fold up the small lip and put adhesive on the outside of it.  Fold again on the middle scoreline to close.

Fold again on the scorelines going the other direction and your done.

Don't get confused by the change in photo direction, I am punching on the open parts of the pocket, NOT the folds.

To make it look more finished, notch out a half-circle from the top of each pocket (I used a circle punch but you could do this with scissors)

With four pieces of paper, you end up with eight pockets, I haven't tried going any bigger than this, because I would worry that the "spine" of the binder would give out.

For the outside, the spine will need to accomodate the four pockets which each have a quarter inch spine, together they add up to one inch officially, but with the paper, it goes a little over.  Plus, you don't want them squished so that you have room for the tea!

So: cut the outside card paper slighly taller than the pockets x slightly wider (x2 +1.5).

Come on, seriously, I haven't lost you have I?
You have to double the width because the card has a front and back, and you have to add the 1.5" for the spine.
See?  Easy Peasy.
That works out to 3.25"x8"
Score on the long side at 3.25" and 4.75"

Add adhesive to the spine of the pockets and carefully place them flat on the inside spine of the card one at a time, starting with the two outside pockets and leaving a bit of space in between.

You're done!

Actually, one more thing: to close the binder, you'll want to adhere some ribbon all around,leaving enough of a tail to tie.

Now you're on your own in terms of decorating your little binder. I happen to be a stalker of all things tea-related, so I happen to have theme appropriate stuff on hand, but that's just me.

Don't forget to find yourself a pithy inspirational quote by some famous wordsmith...:)

Paste Waste No More

Who uses tomato paste?  Okay, hands down.  Now, who uses one or two tablespoons of tomato paste and ends up throwing out the can two weeks later when it has started to froth over and developed primitive speech?
You will erect a mini tomato paste blob in my honor!
After years of accumulated guilt, a lightbulb finally went off.
Parchment Paper + Small Tray + Freezer = Happy Dance.
I flash froze tablespoon-sized lumps of paste and then popped them in a little ziploc bag.  Not only did I not have to cry over spilt paste, but the next time I need said paste, I just toss one or two of them into the pot.
Brilliant?  Or Genius?  You decide.
(Sorry, no pictures, inspiration struck so fast I didn't have time to pause to record for posterity ... this post will have to do!)