gastronomy

Last Saturday, Chip and I finally were able to connect with David, our cooking day buddy. Apparently, I haven't blogged about this much, so I'll give a quick overview:

We start the day a few days beforehand, planning a menu and finalizing what we need to make and purchase. Then on the cooking day, we head out to a fun grocery store (this time it was Sendiks) and buy good quality ingredients. Then we regroup at whoever's house we're cooking at (this time it was at the Taylor's) and plan out the cooking times. Dinner is generally around 6 p.m., with appetizers to keep folks happy until we're ready to eat.

This time we went with a French bistro theme, making beef burgundy as our main dish. To round out the meal, we started with a variety of French cheeses, red pears and cheese puffs. Then we had shrimp brochette and a cherry tomato salad. Along with the beef were garlic green beans, potatoes Lyonnaise and French bread. Dessert was profiteroles with coffee ice cream inside. We had a couple of wines, too.

David has made puff pastry from scratch before, so we used the recipe he had (which turned out GREAT), taking turns stirring it in the pan before piping. Most of the dough was used for dessert, but we added a little cheese to some and made the cheese puffs from the same recipe.

While we were working on that, Chip prepped the beef to get it ready to slowcook in the oven. He also was our potato man, peeling and then slicing them (using a mandoline, thank goodness).

Then we took off the shells and tails of the shrimp, chopped lots of herbs and cut tomatoes for the salad. (note: the tomatoes in the shrimp picture here are for show, and those are fresh bay leaves)

Everything came together rather nicely, though the potatoes took a little longer to cook, as we made massive amounts of them (we cooked for 12, which included us). We decided to plate the food for folks, rather than do family style, as it would take a little less time and would evenly distribute the beans. Plus, we liked the thought of getting to serve everyone--don't you just love to sit back and relax and enjoy a good meal without any work? Yeah...

Everyone demanded dessert right away, so we cut the puff pastries and scooped ice cream shortly after dinner. They were devoured pretty quickly...

We might try Mexican next time.

Book recommendation: Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
Recipe recommendation: Gougères
Movie recommendation: Bottle Shock

attractions

A more detailed post on the following is in the works:


In the meantime, here are a couple of projects going on at home:

compassion

For youth group this week, Chris and I held a Compassion night. Our group sponsors a child, so we thought it would be a good idea to give our teens a better picture of what it's like in another country, especially one that has Compassion children in it. The organization sends out quarterly magazines and frequent letters that contain great information, plus they had sent me a DVD with a brief overview of the whole process (when sponsoring a child--it had a LOT of really cute kids featured), so we had lots of good material.




We started off by having everyone pile into a small cardboard hut we set up outside and talked about living spaces in other, poorer countries. Chris read a few Bible verses about how we, God and others treat (or should treat) the needy and poor. There was some good brainstorming about how we can better serve the needy we are surrounded with, such as give more to the local food pantry.


Then we talked about chores and how things are a little different, especially when you don't have running water at your house. Our simulation wasn't exact, but carrying a 2 gallon bucket on your head for the length of the house gave them the idea.

Then we talked about food and water and money. I randomly gave a couple of teens play money and we talked about jobs, cost of living and what's available. I had some dirty water they could have for free, semi-clean water for somewhat cheap and expensive filtered water. And not all of them had money...
Then we watched the video, read the letter from our child and wrote one back to her. We also had one of our teens talk about the mission trip he took over the summer. He gave us a brief overview and some impressions he had.
Hopefully this lesson has a bit of an impact and we'll be able to think about how blessed we are, and what would we hope for if suddenly the U.S. weren't quite so blessed...

Sorry for picture blurriness...I had to move fast!

Book recommendation: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Recipe recommendation: Super Crisp Oven-Fried Fish
Television recommendation: Fringe

shop update

We're pleased to announce our first guest artist is featured in our shop, so stop and by and check them out! Both are talented seamstresses and can provide a unique gift for you or a loved one with a baby or small children. Clicking on their link will take you to their shop, where you can see all their products.


There also are a few new greeting cards to peruse, so be sure to hop on over for a visit!

historic

Yea! The fall edition of Novel Food is here, and I've got another favorite to share with you: Make Way for Ducklings.

And, no, I'm not doing a recipe that features duck... sheesh.

This is a Caldecott medal picture book about a couple of ducks who are trying to find a place to build their nest in Boston. The park they really like is too busy for hatchlings, but once the babies are a little older, it would be ideal (plenty of peanuts, too). So the ducks find a secluded spot a little farther away, and befriend a nearby policeman, who ends up helping Mrs. Duck get her ducklings over to the park, giving us the title of the book.

Because of all the peanuts eaten, I decided to make a nifty recipe that works really well for Christmas treats, whether you serve them at a party or wrap them in a decorative container.

Named for Temperance Hall in Washington, D.C., this is a flexible recipe that's perfect for experimenting, if you're so inclined.

Prohibition Peanuts

Spice mix:
½ c kosher salt
3 T sugar
1½ t ground cinnamon
1½ t ground cumin
1½ T ground cayenne pepper

(or any spices you wish--I used Chinese 5 Spice and Paprika)

Combine salt and sugar in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the remaining three ingredients in a small skillet and, while stirring, toast over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Pour toasted spices into sugar/salt mixture and mix well. Let stand 1 hour to let flavors meld and store in an air-tight container until ready to use.

Peanuts:
1 T peanut oil
1 pound unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

(or any nuts you like)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over low heat 2 to 3 minutes. Add peanuts and stir to coat evenly. Remove from heat and toss peanuts with 2 T of the spice mix. When the peanuts are cooled completely, store in an air-tight container until ready to use.

Tasty warm or room temperature! If you need to heat them up a bit, pop the peanuts in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.

Try to find whole peanuts to avoid processed taste!

Book recommendation: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Recipe recommendation: Prohibition Peanuts
YouTube recommendation: Boxhead & Roundhead

getting funky

I went shopping yesterday after my dental appointment, as I was in Janesville, and just about everywhere I stopped had at least one area devoted to Halloween. Even Old Navy had a rack of pet costumes!

So, with all things creepy, orange and October on my mind, it was no wonder it poured out onto this card (and I'm not sure where I saw the cat in the moon idea... too many blogs lately!):

The Friday dare at Daring Card Makers is to follow a sketch and (ideally) use papers from funky hand, but my printer only does words in black and white... Plus I have lots of paper to use up before I get any more...

convivial

Well, we did it! Inspired by the herb farm dinner we attended and another farm dinner posted over at Champaign Taste, Chip and I cooked for our Bible study (well, most of them) this past Saturday. It was very fun, though a lot of work, despite many things being prepared beforehand. Most of the menu items were either Wisconsin based, things in season or from our garden.

We decided to eat outside on our porch (freshly stained, btw--it's now a lovely peachy/orangey shade, rather than gray), so we moved the table outside. Because of the way our house faces, we get shade on our porch, so with the slight breeze, everything was perfect.

Beginning with chive toasts and several cheeses from the Carr Valley cheese company (up in Mauston), the appetizers were duly enjoyed as conversations began. Lavender lemonade accompanied.

The next course was yellow squash and basil soup--this used up a bunch of the thousands of yellow squashes we have (worse than our zucchini plants...) and was an extremely pretty soup: my first thought was it was like a bowl of gold! The picture does not do it justice. Sesame grisini was served on the side (mine turned out VERY crunchy, but tasted good).

This was followed by poached pears. I used Bartlett, rather than the Bosc the recipe calls for, and they turned out wonderfully.

Then was the main course: tilapia with cuban oregano pesto and slow roasted tomatoes. (Yes, I know the fish itself isn't local, but the local stuff was über-expensive... okay, maybe not über... but still...) We used those stripey tomatoes with a little corriander and they were delicious. The fish Chip did in the smoker, which gave it a lovely mesquite taste. We served this course with a sweet, white wine from Wollersheim Winery: River Gold.

Chip then took everyone out to the yard to play some Bocce ball while I got desserts assembled. We ended with blackberry flan and lemon straws (a cookie). I made crème brûlée coffee from the Door County roastery. The whole dinner took about three hours, which we expected, and was quite relaxed, which we didn't expect! All-in-all, a good cooking day.

This was similar to cooking days we do with Dave!

Book recommendation: Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Recipe recommendation: Lavender Lemonade
Movie recommendation: Prince Caspian