homemade gifts...

homemade gifts..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today i made cranberry jam for my class potluck...
and to take to the office for my co-workers.

i got the recipe from the whole foods website...
and i've inserted it here.

i served it with brie...
on a buttery cracker.

***

Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
2 apples (Fuji, Gala and/or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored and grated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries have softened and mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer to small jars, if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition
Per serving: 40 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 0g protein

buddha's hand...

buddha's hand..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

Called a Buddha's Hand Citron, this odd looking fruit is actually one of the oldest members of the citrus family. Although it smells strongly of lemon, it has no juicy pulp hidden beneath its rind. Instead, the Buddha’s Hand is grown commercially for its powerful zest. The aromatic rind is used to flavor lemon liqueurs and specialty vodkas, and provides aroma to lemon-scented cosmetics. Chinese and Japanese households hang it in their homes as a natural air freshener, and it even has a place in some religious ceremonies.

***

i'm getting ready to make my cranberry sauce...and i plan to zest a bit of it into the sauce...and use some of the fingers to flavor vodka.

sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds...

sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

1 medium pumpkin
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pumpkin open from the bottom, removing seeds with a long-handled spoon. Separate flesh from seeds, and reserve the flesh for another use (see Pumpkin Pie). Pumpkin should yield 1 cup seeds.

Spread seeds on parchment in an even layer. Bake until dry, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let cool.

In a medium bowl combine 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.

Add pumpkin seeds and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds.

Transfer to bowl with spices, and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

***

recipe...
courtesy of martha stewart...
as usual...
i made the recipe my own...
and added a bit of ghost pepper (pictured below)...
omitted the ginger...
and reduced the oil to 1 tbsp.

 

the outcome...
DELISH!

i put them in the car so i wouldn't eat them all tonight...
and would have some to take to my co-workers tomorrow.

sugar pumpkin & seeds...

sugar pumpkin & seeds..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

to make a pumpkin cake with brown butter icing...
and some sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds.

***

i received the pumpkin in my csa box last week...
and had it on the counter as part of my fall decorations last week...
but now...
it's gonna be cake!

today...
i'm roasting it to make the puree...
tomorrow...
i'll make the cake.

baked kale chips...

baked kale chips..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

Adapted from smitten kitchen's recipe

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale
1 tablespoon seasoned olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

herb crusted fish...

herb crusted fish..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

w/roasted broccoli.

***

on the fish...
parsley, dill, lemon zest, kosher salt, walnuts
baked for 15 minutes at 400 degrees

***

today was my first full day back in cali...
after being in ny for two weeks.

two things i noticed about being with my daughter in ny...
i ate healthier (not as much junk food)...
and i walked more.

as a matter of fact...
i lost 8 pounds.

i could tell i'd lost weight...
because my skirt and jeans were baggy...
and i HAD to wear a belt...
or sag.

i chose the former. :)

in keeping with my healthy eating...
my dinner consisted of baked fish...
roasted veggies...
iced tea...
and greek yogurt for dessert.

spicy gazpacho...

spicy gazpacho..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

so...
remember yesterday that i was at cornerstone sonoma...
at the tomato tasting event.
oh yeah...
and my grapettes won the taste contest.

well...
there was also a 'cooking' exhibit...
and gazpacho was made.

since i have SO MANY tomatoes...
and the weather is in the upper 90s...
i thought i'd try out the recipe we received...
and make a batch today.

***
8 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 english cucumber, peeled & roughly chopped
1 small red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1-4 jalapenos, seeded & chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 shots tabasco

directions - mix all ingredients in a bowl and let marinate overnight. run through food mill & then place in blender briefly. do not over blend. garnish with tomatoes 1/4" dice, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, cilantro, italian parsley. fold in garnish & top with creme fraiche & julienne basil.

recipe...
courtesy of...
eric hollis,
executive chef
alsina station grill

***
ya'll know i don't follow recipes so...

i used shallots instead of red onion...
and added a lot more tabasco.
i also added a couple of dashes of worchestershire sauce.

oh...
and i also didn't use a food mill.

i did some other things too...
but...
make it your own.

enjoy!

tangy salted green chilies...

tangy salted green chilies..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

256

10 serrano chili peppers
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

wearing rubber gloves, slice chili peppers very thinly. place them in a jar & stir in vinegar and salt. cover loosly with a lid, or with cheesecloth and a rubber band.

refrigerate for five days, then close lid tightly. keep stored in refrigerator. peppers will last for several weeks.

yield 3/4 cup

*recipe from nytimes

***

this is one of my favorite condiments

for my dad...

for my dad..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

tomorrow i'm going to hang out with my parents...
so i made another jar of pickles for my dad.

my mother may try them...
but she's not really into this type of thing.

i picked up a container of okra chips for her...
when i went to whole foods today.

i'll make another batch on monday...
to take to my co-workers on tuesday.

***

i tasted one of the pickle spears last night when i got home from class...
OMG...
it was SO good!

i'm so excited about my new pickling hobby...
i need to pick up some more jars...
pronto!

and...
i should probably get a canning set...
so i can process some of these...
so i'm not just making & eating them.

not that there's anything wrong with fresh, homemade pickles!

i made pickles...

i made pickles..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i'm so excited!!!


i can't wait to taste one...
or two.


and if they're as good as they smell...
i'll be making some more this weekend...
and also trying my hand at pickling other things!


so...
call me crazy...
but...
i'm excited!


***


the recipe i followed was from food in jars. i found the recipe a couple of weeks ago while browsing the web...and then...i lost it.


being the persistent person that i am...i kept looking. and luckily...i found the recipe again last night. five minutes later...i was in the kitchen. making pickles. at 11:00 at night. when i needed to be in bed. because i have work...and school on thursday.

toddy...

toddy..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today i have no voice.

since i have quite a bit of reading to do...
that could be a good thing.

it'll keep me from talking (so much)...
as it hurts to do so.

a cup of hot chai tea...
w/a few extra ingredients.

enjoy your sunday.

lemonade cucumber spa pops...

lemonade cucumber spa pops..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

when i saw this featured on marcus samuelsson's blog...
i knew that i wanted to make them.

yesterday...
i picked some cucumbers...
and mrchazman brought me some lemons from the store...
and viola!

next time i make them...
i'll cut the cucumber smaller...
as my julienne's were a bit long.

mrchazman is skeptical of trying them...
so i made him some plain lemonade pops.

panzanella ala cheryl...

panzanella ala cheryl..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the first time i make something...
i sorta follow the recipe.
the second time...
ummm...
what's a recipe?

i still have an abundance of tomatoes...
and my csa must too.
they gave us three bags of different types this week.

***

tomatoes
homemade croutons
shallots
parmigiano
capers
olive oil
basil
salt
pepper

panzanella bread salad...

panzanella bread salad..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

4 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks
4 cups day old crusty bread, cut in chunks the same size as the tomato
1 cucumber, skinned & seeded, cut into large chunks
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil, torn into little pieces
1/4 - 1/2 cup good olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

i also added black olives and a bit of lemon juice.

mix everything together and let marinate, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. do not refrigerate or you will destroy the texture of the tomatoes.

serve at room temperature.

serves 6 to 8

recipe from simply recipes.

i made some iiiiiice cream...

i made some iiiiiice cream..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

a week ago...
i went to sur la table for my lunch.
when i walked in...
i saw the ice cream starters.

i first picked up salted caramel...
and then...
because mrchazman LOVES butter pecan...
i chose that one.

i spent the better part of saturday asleep...
because of an allergy attack early in the morning...
and...
when its bad enough to have to take meds...
my day is shot.

so...
of course...
last night...
i was wide awake...
and feeling the need to be creative...
i made ice cream.

***
and...
for a bit of eddie murphy  ice cream humor.

*explicit

figgy...

figgy..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

as i mentioned in the blog post about the padrons...
i also bought some figs when i was at oxbox public market.

i saw some figs at the farmer's market...
but when i inquired about them...
they'd all been sold.

i usually buy the mission figs (purple ones)...
but the clerk told me the green ones were really good...
so i bought some of them too.

i didn't ask...
but i think this is a green ischia fig.

padrón peppers...

i'd never even heard of these until saturday...

i was on feedler...

bouncing from blog to blog...

bookmarking those that i found enjoyable...

and wanted to read on a regular basis.  

one of the blog posts i read was about padrons.  

i thought...

that sounds interesting...

then i left for the napa farmer's market...

thinking i'd get some fruit...

and a few photos.  

when the market closed...

i went into oxbox public market for lunch.  

i first stopped at the produce stand...

just to see what they had...

as they always have something 'different'.  

and there they were...

two bags of padron peppers.  

$13.99 a pound.  

i was immediately excited...

and began to spout the blog post i'd read to the clerk.  

i grabbed a handful...

and a couple of figs...

paid for my purchase...

and went off in search of lunch.  

while i ate...

i tried in vain to find the blog post again.  

i went into feedler...

trying to pull up everything i'd read that morning.  

nothing came up.  

it wasn't until i google padron peppers and blog...

that i found what i was looking for...

the best way to enjoy padron peppers...

and immediately book marked it...

and added the blog to my reader.  

i read the article again...

and as i was heading back to my car...

stopped back at the produce stand to purchase another handful...

just in case.  

today...

as an appetizer...

i had them.  

i enjoyed them...

but was slightly disappointed to have only one spicy pepper in the bunch.  
*only one of ten or so is spicy.  

next time...

i'll add a few jalapeno slices in...

for a little extra kick.  

tomatillo salsa verde...

ingredients...

1.5 lb tomatillos

1/2 c chopped white onion

1/2 c cilantro leaves

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp sugar

2 jalapeno peppers

salt to taste

directions...

remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.  

place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly black the skin. 

place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers and sugar in food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.  

season to taste with salt.  cool in refrigerator.  

serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment.   

tomatillos from yesterday's garden harvest.

recipe from simply recipes.  

fit for a princess...

a few days ago...

i picked my first tomatillo...

and had initially planned to roast it and make a salsa...

but today i saw another (read easier) recipe.  

so...

i gathered all my ingredients...

and started dicing.  

tomato.  tomatillo.  onion.  chile.  cilantro.  lime juice.  kosher salt. 

mix well.  

have a shot of tequilla (in my princess shot glass)...

w/a lime wedge while it marinates a bit.  

i then ate it with my dinner of...

bbq ribs...

grilled corn on the cob w/compound butter (that blog post is coming)...

and potato salad.  

yes...

i know i focused on the corn...

and not the salsa...

but...

the salsa is in all the other photos...

and that roasted corn was delicious!!!  

btw...

the corn festival is next weekend...

though i really don't think i'm gonna pay $10 to walk around in that heat.

limoncello...

limoncello..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

earlier today...
when i saw holly's photo...
i was reminded of my own stash of limoncello...
chilling out in my freezer.

i made this a few months ago...
and gave a few bottles to co-workers...
and kept a couple for myself.