Category: Misc.

I’m Jammin


I’m obsessed with canning. I admit it. For the Putting Up Event I made the most unusual Watermelon Rind Preserves. I was rather surprised that most of my commenter’s had not heard of this specialty. But that’s whats blogging is for, to learn new things. This time I wanted to do something a little sweeter and more traditional. I was worried that I would need massive quantities to make fruit preserves. Actually you don’t need so much and its recommended you make small batches. I purchased about 8 apricots and a pound of cherries. I envisioned these two together in a yummy preserve. As I prepped and stoned the fruit I had the sudden inspiration to add a vanilla bean. A lot of the seeds got caught up in the foam but the vanilla flavor shined through. I added a tad of butter to decrease foaming but I still got some. Foaming , experts believe. adds to spoilage. Another thing you have to worry about is the pectin setting. I need to stock up on pectin! I processed this and found after 24 hours the jam didn’t set. The instructions on the pectin box said how you can redo the jam.The only thing wasted is the lids and bands.So I redid the batch to much better results.I’m wondering if I did add enough sugar. I ended up adding a cup more sugar than was previously used.The taste of the unset jam was fantastic!I was almost tempted to use it just as a fruit syrup. I’m just be going to be handing out these as gifts to friends and coworkers while keeping a few for us. I asked Certain Someone to give a jar of Watermelon rinds to his golf buddy and co worker. They had to call me to explain why it wasn’t pink and what it actually was.I’m sure these fruity preserves wont be met with confusion.

Apricot Cherry Preserves with Vanilla Bean

1 pond of cherries
1 1/2 pounds of apricots ( about 8 or so)
6 cups natural cane sugar *I ended adding another cut when redoing the batch.
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup water
1 package of Pectin

Wash and stone fruit. Cut vanilla bean down the middle and scrape seeds. Add fruit and vanilla bean pulp with pod to heavy pan. Add sugar , water , and pectin. Bring to rolling boil as you stir. Scrape off any foam that rises. Take of heat and stir more. Laddle into sterilised jars, place lids, on , and process according to instructions. I used the pressure canner with a weight of 5 lbs and a process time of 10 minutes. Take out canner and let and set 24 hours. I f the jam doesnt set, redo as instructed on the package of pectin. If you choose to use no sugar or sugar substitutes use a pectin brand for less sugar.
Makes 8 half pints

Certain Someone…Guest Blogger Round Two

Certain Someone’s Spicy Noodle( noodles,green pepper,red pepper, jalapeno,leeks,carrots, and chicken with his secret marinade)

Yesterday my honey decided to cook for his possible future Baby’s Mama.No I’m not pregnant but it was Mothers Day! He got up early to start to prep for a feast later. Certain Someone had plotted out a nice spicy marinade for the chicken made with or finds from last week. The day turned out longer than I expected , but I made it home in time for him to get started. Now I get a little anxious when he starts puttering around in my kitchen ,like he gets anxious when I start messing with his complex entertainment/gaming center.Nevertheless I offered to assist by slicing and wasking the leeks. We disagreed on the best methods for this but I differed to him.I was impressed with his use of a paring device for paper thin carrot slices.I didn’t teach him that. At times I couldn’t help but offer some slight suggestions. This was the first time he used his WOK. I had done all the cooking in it. I cautioned him to heat it right before adding the oil. We knew he run into trouble with the addition of the noodles. They didn’t require cooking and were supposed to be tossed into soups or the WOK immediately. He had them soaking in water to loosen. The smells were fantastic but Certain Someone was disappointed that the noodle were sticky and starchy. They didn’t brown like he wanted them too. Nevertheless it tasted great and was quite filling. We had plenty of leftovers. I had awoke with a cold and decided to stay home. I took the fry pan out as I was ravenous and heated up his noodles with some oil. Can I just say they were even better the day after.I like it that Certain Someone is taking a slight interest in cooking with his busy schedule and I look forward to the expansion of his repertoire. Thank You honey for feeding your sick girlfriend. Kiss.

Putting Up Event…Watermelon Rind Preserves

I think in my past life I was a Farmers wife or something. Or maybe my Blackberry loving self deep down inside yearns for simpler non Glamah-rous life. OK, I take that back.I can see myself as a Zsa Zsa Gabor(or was it Eva) type on Green Acres.Anyway the swell duo of Rosie and Pixie have come up with a fantastic event called Putting Up. They are calling on us to use our canning skills.

A long time ago my mother and I purchased a pressure cooker/canner. We had a blast trying to make Chow Chow and pickled okra and peppers.We managed to make tons of food and oddly never went back to it again. Each summer I vowed to do something. Jams were a particular interest.With this event I have seen a lot of excellent jams. So as I always walk to a different drummer, I decided to make another item my Mommy always waxed nostalgic on. Watermelon Rinds Preserves. I used to shudder when I heard of this.I had never tasted it. But economy and time dictated that I use what I have. My Fruit and Vegetable Box yielded 2 small seedless watermelons amongst other things to bountiful to mention here. There was no way Certain Someone and I would finish these organic treats. So I dug out my pressure canner and searched for the instruction book. I then took all the watermelon meat and placed it a Gallon bag to freeze. Now that’s the way I prefer to eat it! Plus would be awesome in martinis. Then I got into the long process. Not to long, but a lot of prep.

Why would anyone want to preserve Watermelon Rind? Well my research shows that this is Asian,Southern, and Polish specialty. You associate it with the Deep South. In the Depression , one looked for ways to use every bit of food you could. Rinds are edible and can be a tasty treat cooked down with spices and sugar.Asian cookery makes their own versions as well and just the not pickled rind but used fresh in stir frys , etc.I have also seen recipes from as far away as South Africa and Australia.Seems everyone is on to something.I read they are healthy too. I found the rind, once peeled of the green skin and pink flesh , took on characteristics of cucumber. Most of the recipes in the Internet are similar. I used a combo of recipes as a guide, and added a combo of both brown and white sugar.Next time I want try try more variations. I have seen recipes call for a little spice.I’m glad I forced myself to do this and you all will be seeing more preserves from this summer.If my mother was alive she would get a kick out these if I presented it to her in a gift basket for Mothers Day. Its not only economical but fun and novel. Maybe I need to rent a table at the Farmers Market? “Glamah Rinds Anyone? They’re so cheap darlings it’s chic! “
Glamah Rinds aka Watermelon Rind Preserves
Ingredients :
1 -2 lbs prepared watermelon rind * if you have more rind adjust to levels of sweetness and spice you prefer
1/2 cup salt
6 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar (I combined brown and white sugars)
1 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 lemon sliced thin
1/2 tsp whole cloves * was thinking of using star anise next time.
1/2 tsp whole allspice
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp of minced ginger
Method :
Prepare the watermelon rind, and remove any pink flesh and green skin. Cut the rind into pieces about 1 inch. Mix the salt and water in a large bowl, and add the rind. Let stand overnight. Drain thoroughly and rinse. Drain and rinse again. Place in a non reactive pot or kettle, cover with cold water, and cook, about 30 minutes, until the rind becomes tender and translucent, but still firm. Drain again. Place the sugar, vinegar, and lemon in the pot. Tie the spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to mixture. Bring to a boil, then cook 2 minutes. Add the rind, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, for 15 minutes after it comes to a boil. Remove the rind with a slotted spoon and place in hot, sterilized jars. Boil the syrup 5 minutes longer, remove the spice bag, and pour the syrup over the rind till filled. Process in your canner according to your instructions. I used a pressure of 5 lbs and cooked for approx 10-15 in the pressure canner.
Seal at once. If a sweeter preserve is preferred, increase sugar to 2 cups. This made 4 half pints.
Serve with breads, ice creams, grilled chicken, etc.

Update! We have a winner of the the Tamale Open. Congratulations Megan . I sent you a email to claim your prize.

It’s The Little Things

Life for me is erratic. Sometimes I have a lot on my plate and sometimes things are kind of slow.I constantly push myself.But I go out on a limb because I want to. The key is to find balance. Besides my day job I have some sidelines. I wouldn’t call them profitable yet, but I get pleasure and some other things from them. This past weekend to ‘support” my sideline product I gave a free demo on my dime and time.I really wanted to stay home with Certain Someone, play in the kitchen, blog, and veg.The day seemed fine enough. I noticed a man arrive besides me who seemed at a loss. Seems he was supposed to demo at this fine wine emporium but didn’t speak much English or know what to do. I thought it was odd and tried to help him out. We spoke a little English and French as he knew French. We offered each other samples. About a few hours into our boring Sunday the store manager came by. Seems this kind interesting man was the owner of the vineyard and made these fine wines! From that point on they moved him to his proper place and make a big fuss. Where were they at the beginning I ask? Anyway I went over to say goodbye and took a bottle of his Moscato. He grabbed the bottle and said something in halting English. He returned with the bottle all wrapped up for me . Gratis! A small thank you. Made my day.Check out his vineyards.

The today I had a special package awaiting me. I won some Amano Chocolate from Blake Makes! I don’t know how this blogger does it but he always has great giveaways. I’m waiting for Certain Someone to return so we can sample together.

And a final thought from me for the week. I want and love good food. Time is a question most times. While I don’t shy away from the complex, sometimes I like it simple. I pulled this one out of my hat the other morning.A slow cooked pork loin in my favorite Asian spices and seasonings. I wanted this slow cooked meal to be similar to my favorite Schezwan green beans. Not quite, but a good meal . I don’t have to tell you the Certain Someone had a few servings of the meat!

Slow Cooked Pork Loin

1 pork loin

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup water

4 Star Anise

Dried Chilies to your taste( I used 4)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

I/2 cup of a simple syrup I made infused with rum( leftover from the rum buns). Your could use Golden Syrup

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker. Place on 8 hours. Go about and enjoy your day. Serve with steamed Jasmine Rice and green beans.

BBQ…With a Asian Twist

This past Sunday was glorious in Chicago. I had a early meeting and Certain Someone played some golf. We knew we wanted to take advantage of the sunshine and BBQ. I have a spacious deck in need of repair. Currently a team is using it to work on the roof. Certain Someone has never really enjoyed my deck. In years past it was teaming with flowers.Me and my condo association are stalled on the maintenance of the deck.A neighbour is holding up the process of repainting and varnishing it. So until its settled I don’t feel like enjoying it. But the deck is what motivated me to buy the condo in the first place.So anyway the night before we went with some friends to dine on Argyle Street. Argyle St is up to the north and is teaming with Vietnamese business. On our way to dinner we stopped in a grocery when I loaded up.

Certain Someone got into the act and started adding the condiments and noodles he liked. I searched for more exotic finds like Pandan extracts,

Star Anise( look at this huge bag!), Tamarind Pods,

,

Lychee’s, and this amazing BBQ sauce in can that is a paste of spices and dried fish in a oily base. We sampled this at a friends house and were hooked.At least I was.We both thought of using our loot in the Sunday BBQ.Four bags of groceries for under $30.A BARGAIN!

So I woke up Sunday and marinated 4 chicken breasts in the BBQ sauce I purchased. This sauce comes with a plastic lid and seems to go a long way. It took us a while to light my old rusty charcoal grill. But Certain Someone got up and got it going. I had some Zucchini and green pepper I planned to grill alongside the chicken. Certain Someone was in charge of the noodles. We planned to slice up the grilled veggies and fry them up in the noodles with some garlic. Half my vegetable were lost as my grill basket came loose . But we saved half. He choose the thick white chewy Vietnamese noodles. The chicken had been marinating for hours and I decided in addition to add a final brush of Hoisen Sauce on the final moments of grilling. All in all we created a nice summer late lunch while we discussed buying some nicer deck furniture, Certain Someone enjoyed it outside for a change and suggested we do this more this summer. I’m all for it.Stay tuned for this weekend when Certain Someone flies solo and takes out the WOK for a guest appearance.
I will be closing voting on the Tamale Open Roundup Friday May 10. Please be sure to get your votes in.