Cabbage Kale Carrot Slaw

I had this recently at a potluck and it is really easy to make. The most expensive ingredient is the mayonnaise. Actually, nearly all the calories are in the mayo, so use one that you enjoy eating.

Makes: almost 3 quarts

Ingredients

2 lbs green cabbage, shredded
1 lb green kale, leaves only
2 organic carrots, sliced into matchsticks

Mix vegetables together in a large 5-quart bowl. Add coleslaw dressing and mix until combined. 

Coleslaw Dressing

1/2 c organic mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp organic granulated sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Kitchen Notes: Canning 2016

Canning started early this year, mostly because I thought I might try to make strawberry jam instead of just eating the strawberries fresh. This is what has been made so far. I am down to one pint jar of salsa (from 6 pints) from last year's canning and also one pint jar of pickled beets with whole cloves.

To do wish list

tomato salsa with hatch chiles
tomato salsa with tomatillos and jalapenos
peach bourbon jam
harissa with fresh chiles
harissa with dried chiles
pickled beets with cloves (very tasty, imho)
dill pickle spears

May

apricot-pineapple preserves: 1 pint, 3 half-pints, 1 four-oz jar
apricot-rosemary preserves: 3 half-pints, 4 four-oz jars
strawberry-basil preserves: 4 half-pints plus 8 oz in the fridge
strawberry port wine jam: 5 half-pints plus 8 oz in the fridge

Apricot Pineapple Preserves

Among the jams sampled from this spring, the strawberry port wine jam is a definite keeper. Slightly boozy and very strawberry flavored, it's a fine complement to unsweetened herbal teas and crackers. The strawberry basil jam tasted just like strawberry jam. The green flecks of basil in the jam doesn't do anything for the jam other than change the visual aesthetics. And, the apricot rosemary preserves came out a little runny after processing in a hot water bath and it is because of that I added a tablespoon of low-sugar pectin to this batch of apricot preserves.

The Foodening Blog - Apricot Pineapple Preserves

Cost-wise, it's slightly more expensive to preserve apricots than other fruits; even though I got these fresh at $0.99/lb. The fruits were much smaller than what you'd typically find at a southern California farmers market. Though, it is possibly this was an early harvest due to our wacky spring weather where we hit a high of 99 F in April in the Pacific Northwest). I plan to use the apricot preserves as an added condiment to other desserts. I love apricot tarts and pastries.

This batch came out tasting as expected, a little sweet and a little tart with mixed apricot and pineapple flavors. Visually, it looks unremarkable like it is just another jar of apricot jam.

Ingredients

1 lb 12 oz fresh apricots, pitts removed and halved
1.25 c organic granulated sugar
One 20 oz can diced pineapple (or 1 1/2 c fresh diced pineapple, if available)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 tbsp low-sugar pectin (powdered)
zest of 1 lemon

Directions

In a large 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, add apricots, pineapple, sugar, and lemon zest. Mash together and let sit covered for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare lids and jar bands by immersing in a bowl of hot boiled water. In an oven, preheat oven to lowest temperature setting (my oven goes to 170 F), place washed jars onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Leave jars in oven until ready to fill.

Over low-medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has risen to 200-220 F, add the pectin and stir until combined.

(optional) Taste. If at this point the jam needs sugar, add more and stir the mixture over low-medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

When the preserves look reasonably thickened (use the spoon or chilled plate test), remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and then fill jars.

Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Strawberry Port Wine Jam

This was the first jam of the year. I'm still learning the differences between jams, preserves, and compotes. I prepped the entire half-flat of strawberries from the farmers market and decided to make two different strawberry jams since this recipe only called for 2.5 cups of prepped strawberries.

I should also note that I tried to be extra clever and put a teaspoon of fresh strawberries into the hot jam, hoping for some texture; but alas, nature has thwarted my efforts. The jar with fresh strawberries added did not set properly and looks a tad runny when I tilt the jar. All other jars have set firmly, well, as firm as pectin-laced jam can get. And, because I only prepped six half-pint jars, the seventh cup is in the fridge.

The recipe ratio is from Southern Living magazine, June 2003 issue; but my inspiration for making this came from the A Flock in the City blog. I chopped the entire batch of strawberries in a food processor. Maybe this is why the strawberries disintegrated into liquid when I cooked them.

Strawberry Port Wine Jam made with Fonseca Port

Makes 7 half-pint jars

Optional equipment: candy thermometer, food processor

Ingredients

2.5 c fresh strawberries, de-stemmed and chopped
1 1/2 c port wine
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 package powdered pectin (1.75 oz)
4 c organic granulated sugar

Directions

In a large saucepan, stir together strawberries, port, lemon zest, nutmeg, and pectin.

Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add in sugar and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Bring this back up to a rolling boil (bubbles don't go away when stirred) and boil for an additional minute.

(optional) I used a candy thermometer and brought the mixture up to 220 F. This is just shy of the temperature needed to make candied syrup threads.

Remove from heat and skim off the foam.

Fill jam into hot, sterilized jars. Wipe the rim with a paper towel moistened with hot water. Place lids and secure the bands.

Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. (Meaning, after you put the jars in the water needs to come up to a full boil again and then start the 10-minute timer).

Kitchen Notes: Strawberry Season

Depending on where you are, or how your grocery stores source their not-local produce, strawberry season can start as early as December (as was the case when I last visited southern California) where advances in agriculture methods have yielded seasonal crops in shorter grow cycles with larger production. I'm not sure when harvesting season is in southwest Washington/Portland since farms as far out as Yakima valley (east of the Cascade mountains) show up in the Portland metro area farmers markets. This year, warmer and drier weather started in March. Off-season prices range from $2/lb to $5/lb for commercially grown strawberries, up to $6/lb for local or organic strawberries. 

Is this a lot of money? It depends on what you're going to do with them: eating, paired with wine or desserts, making preserves, etc. Gone are the days when strawberries could be found at the grocery store for $0.99/lb. And, both farms and grocery stores don't really fall into any standard of weights and measures when it comes to selling to consumers. Some do it by visual cues, selling by the pint (visual volume not by weight) and others sell by the weight. Personally, I'd rather buy my produce by the pound than its visual volume (as is the case with rhubarb stalks, where you have to estimate how much usable rhubarb you'll have after trimming the ends of the stalks).

Last weekend at my local farmers market, I picked up a "half flat" (visual volume) of fresh strawberries which were smaller than what you'd find at a grocery store, but looked really red (an indication of ripeness and sweetness). Of the three or four booths that were selling strawberries in "half flat", I went with the cheapest booth at $10/half flat. When I got home and weighed what I bought, it came out to be 2 lbs 12 oz or roughly $3.63/lb.

Fresh rhubarb stalks at the farmers market also has a wide range of pricing, typically $2.50 to $4.00 per pound. The stalks are redder, thicker and healthier than what can be found at the local produce market. But, is it really worth double the price?

Strawberry Basil Preserves

I picked up a basil plant from Trader Joe's about a week ago and its tall stems were flopping over. Originally, I wanted to use the fresh basil to make margherita pizza (basil, tomato, mozzarella); but our weather has turned back to the Pacific Northwest norm of below 60 degrees F and not enough sun (not good for making pizza dough). Basil seems to go well with red fruits and this is to see if basil goes well with strawberries.

The basil might overpower the strawberry flavor in this batch, as I used more than 1/4 c of basil leaves. I added a few more whole strawberries to the remainder of the prepped half-flat to bring the total fresh weight to 2 lbs.

One jar didn't seal properly so it is in the fridge. Now I have two cups of jam to eat. Do you know what that means? More exercise.

Strawberry Basil Jam, ready for its hot water bath

Makes: 5 half-pints

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh strawberries, de-stemmed and chopped
1/2 c filtered water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1 c organic granulated sugar
1/4 c roughly chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a large saucepan, add strawberries and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to medium heat and continue to boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a food processor, combine sugar and fresh basil leaves. Whirl together until no large bits of basil remain and the sugar turns to a pale green color. Set aside.

Remove lid from the saucepan and stir in lemon juice. Add sugar gradually, stirring to incorporate. Boil for 5 more minutes. Skim off any foam that rises. 

The jam is ready for jars when the volume of liquid has reduced and the jam has thickened.

Pour jam into hot, sterilized jars with a 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rims, lid and tighten bands on jars before processing in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Lightly Sweetened Whipped Heavy Cream

One of my favorite ways to eat strawberries is to heap whipped cream on top of them. A mere 8 oz of heavy cream makes about 2 cups of whipped cream. It's easy to make even if you don't have an electric mixer with a balloon whisk. It's the perfect accompaniment in colder weather when you don't want to scarf down strawberries with ice cream.

Ingredients

8 oz heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions

In a sealable, sturdy container large enough to hold two cups of volume, add heavy cream and powdered sugar. I use a pint mason jar.

Whisk with a balloon whisk until stiff peaks form. By hand, this takes about 5-10 minutes. With a stick blender or electric mixer and balloon whisk attachment, this takes about 2-3 minutes.

Don't overbeat the cream unless you are trying to make butter.

Btw, you can also add this to fresh brewed coffee or hot cocoa to create sweetened foam on top of your drink.

Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup

It wasn't until I had a rhubarb infused hard cider at a cider fest earlier in the year that I started to appreciate the culinary aspect of this plant. Behold! Strawberry-rhubarb syrup for cocktails and soda drinks. I saw this recipe on my RSS feed from Smitten Kitchen. It is a very simple recipe that smells fruity and has a tangy sour-sweet taste. 

Also this was my first time using rhubarb in a recipe. Should you happen to buy the stalks fresh, trim and discard the ends as you would with a stalk of celery. Then chop or dice as normal.

Yield: 3 cups

Usage: 2 tbsp per 6-8 oz of chilled sparkling water or sparkling wine

New York Styled Bagels

Fresh baked bagels from a hot oven is definitely the way to go for future bagel eating. Simply, wow. The dough is airy and soft like a pillow. Its underside is a nice golden brown color and when you tear the bagel apart, it has that classic bagel-tearing-texture. How else to describe it..? I've never been to New York and I've always been skeptical of bagels sold west of New York state. The style has less to do with the ingredients in the dough than how the dough is prepared, specifically the boiling time of the bagels. This recipe was adapted from the Sophisticated Gourmet blog.

New York Style Bagels from Scratch

Ingredients

3 1/2 c all purpose unbleached wheat flour (minus 3 tbsp)
1 1/4 c warmwater (or whey), heated to 115 F
3 tbsp Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten
1 1/2 tbsp organic granulated sugar
1 tsp sea salt
plus more flour for kneading

Kitchen Notes: Green Tea & C Electrolyte Drink

This is certainly a cheaper option to Gatorade or coconut water and is a good mix of sea salt, sugar, and potassium. There are many ways to feel thirsty and not have water quench it. For today's recipe write-up, I will assume that this vampiric thirst is due to the dry 90+ degrees (Fahrenheit) weather in the Pacific Northwest; also I just ate a heavy protein-dense sandwich for lunch.

Onto the recipe...

In a 1-quart mason jar add the following:

1 packet of Emergen-C (any flavor) or Trader Joe's Effervescent Orange
8 oz filtered water

Swish the liquid around in the jar until the powder dissolves, then add:

8 oz fruit juice (something high in potassium, like Trader Joe's Cherry Cider or Blueberry Juice)

The type of fruit juice used offers different ratios of vitamins and trace minerals.

Brew 8 oz green tea (from leaves or a tea bag), remove tea bag and dilute with another 8 oz of filtered water. Or brew 16 oz of green tea and add that to the jar.

Add 1/4 tsp sea salt -- the type of salt does matter for its trace minerals. Himalayan sea salt will have a higher concentration of trace minerals as will Hawaiian Black Salt; but don't go breaking the bank on this ingredient. Most salt labelled as "sea salt" will work. 

If you are concerned about the lack of iodine in sea salt, you could add food items such as fish, dairy, eggs and seaweed to your diet.

In total, you should have 32 oz of water consisting of:
1 c fruit juice
1 c green tea
2 c filtered water
1/4 tsp sea salt

According to MyFitnessPal, each 8 oz serving contains:

36 calories
sodium 128.8 mg
potassium 117.5 mg
magnesium 15 mg
Vitamin C 416.8 mg

Enjoy and stay hydrated!

Read more?
Magnesium-rich foods [PDF]
WebMD: Minerals by Function and Source

Sun-dried Tomato Fromage (homemade cheese)

This recipe ratio comes from Portland Oregon author Claudia Lucero's book, One Hour Cheese. Fromage simply means "cheese" in French; not to be confused with "frommage" which is an Icelandic lemon dessert or bits of leftover cheese whirled together to make a cheese spread. Fromage made from scratch involves very simple ingredients. I made this because I had cartons of both whole milk and buttermilk just past the Sell By date.

Sun-dried tomatoes and fromage cheese

Like the book title suggests, this batch of cheese comes together rather quickly; depending on how long you let the curds drain. While I have fresh herbs in the garden, I used sun-dried tomatoes as my mix-in.

Materials

cheesecloth, enough to line a colander with two layers
a plastic or metal colander
a large bowl to catch the whey
candy thermometer or digital temperature gauge


Ingredients

1 qt whole milk
1 c cultured buttermilk (vs homemade buttermilk)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
(optional) finely chopped fresh herbs
(optional) sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Directions

In a large 5-quart (or larger) heavy-bottomed pot, heat milk over low heat until the milk reaches 170 F. Turn off the heat and whisk in buttermilk and lemon juice.

Let this sit for at least 5 minutes to curdle.

While the dairy is curdling, line a colander with two layers of cheesecloth. Set the colander over a 5-quart mixing bowl.

Slowly pour curds (white stuff) and whey (liquid stuff) onto cheesecloth. Let drain for 1-3 hours.

If you want to speed up the draining process, as soon as most of the whey has drained out, gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and layer them like you are wrapping a package. Take a heavy object (a pot with bowls in it) and place that on top of the cheese to help press out the liquid.

Unwrap the cheese and place into a sealable container. Mix in the salt, herbs, and/or sun-dried tomatoes. If you are opting out of the herbs and tomatoes, at least add in the salt. Cheese spreads don't quite taste right without it.

Pack cheese into the container and cover. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.

Kitchen Notes: Cornish Game Hens

I can't believe the price of a game hen these days. Today's price is what whole 4-5 lb chickens costed at the supermarket several years ago. When they were on sale, you used to be able to buy them for 2 for $5. Now each is nearly $5.

Cornish Game Hens also called rock hens, Cornish hens, or poussin, aren't full sized chickens. Despite the name, it's not a game animal (not hunted) and the bird is a hybrid, and commercially bred as food. Also, while hens typically refer to female chickens, a Cornish hen can be male or female. The USDA describes these birds as an immature chicken less than five weeks of age and less than two pounds. These are usually 22 oz at the grocery store and are always in the freezer section. 

I found them randomly at my local Costco, also in the freezer section. Buying at bulk retail would drive the cost down to $3/hen, but who has room in their own freezer for six birds?

It's been a while since I last roasted one.

Read more?
Modern Farmer - The Cornish Game Hen is a Liar

AB Tapioca Pudding

This is a melding of flavors that has gone terribly wrong. This tasted ghastly. I thought I should write it up in case I felt like making this again. Ugh. Lemon zest. This does not belong in tapioca pudding. Blech!! WTF Alton?? Why are you steering me wrong on something as f'in simple as a stovetop pudding.

AB cooks this recipe in a slow cooker; but the volume is so small that it shouldn't warrant cooking in a 6-quart crockpot. I did this stovetop instead.

Terrible AB Tapioca Pudding

Ingredients

3 1/2 oz (by weight) tapioca pearls
2 1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c heavy cream
1 egg yolk + 1/3 c organic granuated sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean halved with seeds scraped