Green Onion Rejuvenation

I've been really introspective lately, so tonight is a quick post to pictorially tell you why you don't ever need to buy green onions again.

Day 1, fresh-cut:

Day 3:

Day 5:

Day 8:

Day 15 (some fresh-cut onions were added to the bowl):

Gratitude

I'm making myself write this post because I have a crappy attitude right now.

I grew up in a tiny village in Michigan.  I moved away as soon as I could, with marvelous intentions to never touch the place again with a ten foot pole.  I went to college in southern Michigan, and interned in Coastal Carolina.  After the boat trip, I lived near Norfolk, VA.  I had a degree that I spent many, many difficult hours attaining.  But I couldn't find a use for it in Virginia.  I worked the crappiest job I ever had for minimum wage until I couldn't stand it and quit.  Then after that I found an okay job, but I was bored and it didn't challenge me.  By that time I was going crazy.  Even though I had jobs, I still called myself unemployed because I wasn't working in my field.  Then I was offered a job.  In my hometown.

It's a good job with a good company.  But it's in a tiny village in Michigan that I swore I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.  And because that's really eating at me right now, I'm going to tell you what I LOVE about this tiny town.

My parents live here, and it's great being in touch with them.  They have the best dog in the world, and when I have a bad day, there is no better cure than taking that dog for walk.  Since moving up here, I've been able to start a garden, and ask my mom every question about plants I can think of.  I'm a lot closer to some really good friends, and even better, I've made some new friends that I really cherish.

Since moving up here, I have access to homegrown, cheap, mostly organic, and local foods (where homegrown means it's grown on a small scale with lots of love and attention, whereas mega-farms don't have time for attention so they use chemicals).  In addition, I've had access to canning supplies and I've had people with a lot of experience coach me through my first canning experiences.  I got strawberries and blueberries for jaw-dropping prices (pick-your-own).  I've picked wild elderberries, wild leeks, huckleberries and Grandma's grapes for free.  For the first time ever, I've successfully grown some herbs.

I bought a boat and sailed it around the lake.

I went on vacation with my entire family.

I hosted Thanksgiving...successfully.

I canned salsa with Rachel, served wine at an art and wine showcase with Kimber, and survived a long-distance relationship with Kyle.  I jumped out of an airplane.

I decorated my first apartment, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

I ran a 5K.

I get to start planning this year's garden.  Next month, I get to start planting it.  I live on a gorgeous lake that I get to look at every day.  I have one of the shortest commutes I've ever had, and I get to go home for lunch.  I am only hours away from some of the most beautiful sights in the US.  I have abundant trails to hike and hills to ski.  I get to re-explore my hometown with adult eyes.  I get to reconnect with people and get to know all those people that I should have when I was a teenager.

There are really good things about this town that I won't find anywhere else.  Maybe this place won't be forever, but it's my here and now.

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

This is a bit more on resolutions.  I read this post on 12 Things Happy People Do Differently, and it has some really good points.  I'm not going to repost the whole thing, but I would highly recommend trotting over to Marc and Angel's site for the original post.

Out of the twelve points, there are a couple that I would really like to focus on.

3. Avoid over-thinking and social comparison
"...If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made....  If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself."

Wow.  Now that I read it, I realize I do this.  Frequently.  And I know - I KNOW - that other people have different skills and talents and there's no point in comparing myself to them.  However, it never occurred to me to make a comparison between my current self and an earlier version of myself.  Frankly, the difference between me five years ago and me today is astounding.  I like myself now so much better than I did then.  I've made good progress!  And, in looking back that far, I realize that there are some improvements I had been making that I really don't work on anymore, and I should.  

Let's back up only one year.  My life has changed so drastically in the past year.  I'm still working on figuring out what I want out of life, but I've taken several steps in a direction that makes me really happy.  

I don't want life to make my decisions, I want to push life to the furthest edge I can take it.  As Thoreau says, "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."

How wonderful is that?  To drive life into a corner and reduce it to its lowest terms?  I think I've been letting life take its course lately, and it is time for me to be proactive again.


5. Nurture social relationships.
"The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships.  Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely?"


This goes right in line with something I've read in Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (which I also highly recommend).  He describes a town in Pennsylvania composed primarily of Italians, and how the death rate there is 30 - 35% lower than in the rest of the US.  While many Americans were suffering from heart disease, this Italian community was healthy and thriving.  There was no difference in diet, exercise or genetics. It became apparent that the difference was the community - the people visited each other, stopped to chat on the street, or cooked for each other in their backyards.  The relationships were so strong that they were literally keeping people healthy.

How awesome is that?  I went to lunch with a friend last month and was amazed at how euphoric I felt afterward.  It's incredible what human relationships can do.  I'm not great at socializing, so this is a great reminder that it's NOT okay to take the easy road and stay at home.  Friends keep you stable and grounded.  I feel like I'm too busy to have people over for dinner most of the time, but I really can't even tell you what I'm so busy doing.

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" --Thoreau

So that is something to think about for a while.  It is good to be reminded to push for the most out of life.


 

Resolutions

So, I don't really make New Year's resolutions.  They probably work out great for some people, but personally, I set "resolutions" all the time (although I usually refer to them as 'goals').  I don't feel any pressure to try to make some big changes at the beginning of the year, because if I see the need for a change, I'd rather work on it immediately.

But, for the sake of blogging, I can try to come up with a few goals for my year.

• Travel:  I have one good friend who is in Hawaii right now and I thought I would be able to join her, but it didn't work out.  I also have another friend in Ecuador.  I feel like I didn't travel anywhere in 2011, and that just sucks!  So I'm taking a big trip this year.  Destination TBD.
• Blogging:  I did well for a while, but once I moved to Michigan I stopped.  It's something I enjoy, I would like to get out a post or two per week, which also ensures that I do something interesting enough to blog about.
• Goals:  Rachel has this marvelous habit of setting goals at the beginning of the month, and then at the end of the month summarizing how well she did.  I'm going to try it.  
• Fatigue:  this one is kind of hard to admit.  I have a serious problem with chronic fatigue, and I have for the past 2.5 years.  I finally have a good job and good insurance, so I'm going to make it a goal to find an answer.  Fatigue is a really common symptom, so it's hard to diagnose the cause, but I am just so tired of being so tired all the time.

January goals:

• Paleo diet for 2 to 3 weeks.  Paleo is crazy restrictive, so I'm not sure if I can do it.  Basically, all you can eat is meat, fruit, veggies and nuts (but not peanuts!).  It cuts out all grains, anything processed (for instance, lunch meat is not okay), and all starches (potatoes and rice).  I'll be using it as a detox - my aunt did it for a month and said she never felt better.  
• Pampered Chef party.  That's happening this week!  I'm excited to show off my apartment and hang out with friends.  And while PC stuff is expensive, it's really great quality.  
• Not spend money (I know what you're thinking, but I'm pretty sure I can do a PC party and not buy anything too big).  December was a rough month!  I have never in my life had that high of a credit card bill, so January is essentials ONLY (food, gas, rent).
• Budget.  This has been a goal for a while.  It's time to make it happen, mostly because I finally understand why I need to budget - I am financially stable, I track all my spending, and I don't spend excessively, so I thought I didn't need a budget.
• Garden!  I want to start planting things in February, so January is the time for planning and ordering seeds.  I am considering (but most likely making this a goal for next year's garden) getting all non-GMO seeds and then saving seeds, but I don't think I'm ready for that.

Alright, I think that's a good, manageable list.  Except Paleo.  I am a little scared.  I'll keep you posted :)

Homemade Grape Juice

I love grape juice.  It is my favorite of all the fruit juices.  I'm just not an orange juice person.  And if you're willing to put in a little time and effort, you can have grape juice for free.  Storebought juices are a) expensive and b) full of preservatives and mystery chemicals and flavor packets and really, who knows what else.

So to start out, you need grapes.  My grandma graciously donated her concord grapes, because she has adequate supplies of grape juice to last her for another year.

The next step is the uber-laborious destemming, sorting and washing.  For which you will want to recruit help.

Next, take those grapes and put them in the biggest pot you own.  DO NOT OVERFILL IT.  Grape juice that boils over is not fun to clean up.  This is a voice of experience.  So, fill it maybe 3/4 of the way with grapes, then cover them with water.  GENTLY SIMMER until the grapes look spent.  See photos for details.

Now the messy part.  These bad boys need to be strained.  I used a pillow case.  If you like your grape juice to be clear, you might want to find something more finely woven.  I hung the pillow cases from a kayak paddle hung across the two counters in our tiny kitchen.  Be creative.  You can make this work.  Wear old clothes though.

Alright, so if you're paying attention to details, you'll see I have some jars with sugar in them.  I think it was like half a cup.  I don't really know.  It's to taste.  But, having opened a couple jars, it wasn't enough.  When you can the juice, I think something happens and it loses some sweetness.  So add extra sugar.  And then fill up your jars with juice.  Since it's juice, you don't need much headspace.  Check out those 2-qt jars!  I got them at an auction.  They are perfect for juice.

Then can it!  I had some jars where the juice was still pretty hot, they only needed to be processed for 15 - 20 minutes, but some of the juice got cold and I think I might have processed them maybe half an hour.  If you are going to can grape juice, please use a real recipe because I don't want to be responsible for canning gone wrong.  That being said, it is juice, so you can't really OVER process it.  Alternatives to canning it include drinking it, giving it away, and turning it into wine (probably not with concord grapes though).

I started this project after work on Friday night.  We were up canning until 1am.  Food preservation is not for the faint of heart, but mid winter when you open a jar of last summer's grape juice, the satisfaction will make up for it.  I promise!  I know that what I'm eating is local, natural, and VERY inexpensive.

And delicious! :)

Kitchen Disasters, Part II (French Macarons)

This is a story where everything that could go wrong did.  If you are looking for a recipe because you are ACTUALLY going to make macarons, this blog is not for you.  Nothing to see here, move along.

So how is this related to Part I?  Well, I had all these egg whites.  And actually, while I didn't realize it at the time, I found another use for all that ridiculous baking chocolate.  So, real recipe here, and my take on it below. 

Macaron Batter
1 c. powdered sugar
½ c. powdered almonds (sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar

Chocolate Filling
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped grated
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

To make the macarons:
Preheat the oven to 350º F and line some pans with parchment paper.  PARCHMENT paper.  Not wax paper.

Put the almonds in a food processor to help them achieve a powder status.  Kyle tells me that if you use whole almonds, the oils will cause the almonds to form a paste, not a powder.  That's why the recipe calls for sliced almonds.  I used salad almonds (pictured below).  Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar so that everything is evenly mixed.

Use a mixer to beat the egg whites until they're stiff.  Gradually add the granulated sugar.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag.  I used a gallon zip-lock bag.

Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper in one-inch dia. circles.  Rap the pans on the counter to flatten the macarons, then put them in the oven.  The recipe I read said 15-18 min.  I would suggest 13 min.  I would not suggest 18, and I probably wouldn't even suggest 15.

To make the chocolate filling:
Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using.


Okay, it all sounds so simple, right?  Well let's look at how well I did...

 

I don't have a food processor so I used a blender.  No big deal.  The almonds tried to paste up, but it was okay.  The powder part turned out okay.  Kyle requires that I show you what a mess I made with the powdered sugar though.  All over the floor too.

I forgot to take photos of the next part.  Remember, these egg whites had been in the fridge for a couple days.  They didn't get as stiff as they should have.  I don't know what that means.  But the folding of the dry ingredients into the egg whites and sugar felt successful.  It didn't feel like anything had gone wrong.

The piping...well, I gave myself every advantage.  I made two batches of these, so anything that went wrong the first time could be corrected in the second batch.  So the first batch was a mess, but by Round 2, I had it down to an art.

Here's where things really went downhill.  I rapped the pans on the counter.  I put them in the oven.  I walked away...

When I stopped by five minutes later, smoke was pouring out of the oven vent.  I opened the oven and smoke billowed.  There was no flame.  What was I to do?  Since there wasn't any fire, I just left them.  I was mid-experiment!  I couldn't just give up!  So here's the haze of my kitchen.

Finally the timer went off.  I took them out of the oven.  I left them to cool and made the second batch.  The oven had stopped smoking (thankfully).  However, as soon as I put the second batch in the oven, it started smoking again!  Moral of the story:  WAX paper is not the same as PARCHMENT paper.  DO NOT USE WAX PAPER.

Alright.  So now I've got five pans of macarons.  How did they turn out?  Funny that you should ask...  The first two pans, I piped the macarons WAY too large.  And they stuck to the wax paper so badly that I ended up throwing most of them out.  The next pan was burnt.  The next pan was all cracked, and so far, none of the pans had achieved the "feet" that the original recipe said was characteristic of good macarons.  But the last pan?  Oh, the last pan.  Perfect.  PERFECT.  Not cracked, not burnt, had beautiful feet...

And then the chocolate filling.  I feel like I corrected everything that had gone wrong with the mousse in making this filling.  The cream was cooked perfectly, the chocolate blended perfectly, everything was great...and then I tasted it.  SO bitter.  In a panic, I threw in about half a cup of powdered sugar.  I wasn't sure if I was messing with the science of the filling or not...but in the end, that was the one thing that really turned out. 

So, after waiting for the filling to cool, I smeared some between each cookie.  And actually, it wasn't so bad.

 

 

Mini photo shoot with the pretty macarons...oh, by the way, I got a new camera.  DSLR.  And I love it.

So there you have it.  Smoky-tasty, just-about-edible macarons.  Hopefully the family likes them, because I am DONE baking.

Kitchen Disasters, Part I (Chocolate Mousse)

This story starts with the Amish.  This is the story of how they ruined Christmas.

Well, that might be pointing fingers a bit.  I might be partially to blame.  It all started at my last shopping trip to the Amish Store, aka the place where magic happens.  The Amish sell discounted goods, and that makes it easy to stock up on whatever wonders they offer this week.  And last week, they offered some nice Ghirardelli dark 100% cacao chocolate.  Being a dark chocolate lover, and an idiot, I bought some.  I went for a bar of it after dinner, and cringed.  Unsweetened.  This is not eating chocolate.  This is baking chocolate.

Luckily, this chocolate came with some recipes, so not all was lost.  Let's start out with the recipe this time, and then we can dig into where things went awry.

Ingredients:
4 large egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. whipping cream
1 1/2 bars (6 oz) Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bars, chopped

1.  Beat egg yolks in a small bowl on high speed until thick and lemon colored, about 3 min.  Gradually add sugar.

2. Heat one cup of whipping cream in saucepan over medium heat just until hot (do not boil).  Gradually stir half the cream into the egg yolk mixture then combine back into hot cream saucepan.  Cook over low heat about five minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is blended and thickens.

3.  Let cool ten minutes, then add chocolate and stir until thick.  Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until just chilled.

4.  Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream in chilled medium bowl on high until stiff.  Mix 3/4 c.  of the whipping cream into chocolate mixture until blended.  Fold remaining whipping cream gradually into chocolate mixture until well blended.

5.  Spoon mixture into dessert bowls.  Refrigerate any remaining dessert.

Okay, so not as straightforward as your average recipe, but definitely doable.  No baking required!  I started by chopping my chocolate bars.  I think this is where I first went wrong.

Then I beat the egg yolks.  I saved aside the whites, because egg whites can do awesome things, and google told me that I can freeze the yolks and they will STILL do awesome things.  Waste not, want not.  The whites were put in the fridge.

Look at how pretty and lemon-colored my yolks and sugar are!  And then, I combined them with the cream in the saucepan.  I think this is another place I went wrong.  "Hot" is a pretty subjective term.  The cream was "hot," but I think it should have been hotter.  My next cream recipe put it well - not boiling, but just starting to bubble at the edges.

And then I added the chocolate.  It never quite melted all the way, so this mousse had texture and it wasn't so great.  Noted:  "chopped" chocolate is a dangerous game to play.  Grated chocolate is a safe bet.

How can you screw up whipping the cream?  Well, if maybe you only bought two cups of whipping cream, not 2 1/2...

 

So while it mixed in okay, between how much I heat the cream and how much stiff cream I used, the mousse never set.  It was pretty runny.  It tasted delicious, sure, but I still count this as a disaster.  I got to use my pretty new IKEA bowl though!

Alright, so that was the story, Part I.  Stay tuned for Part II, which was a far bigger disaster.

And everyone have a merry Christmas!  I'll be taking a break until after the holiday.