Let it Rise

If there is one thing I find more satisfying than making my own fresh homemade bread, it's eating it.

And after that, it's coming up with delicious variations on the recipe, while listening to good music and enjoying a peaceful Sunday morning in November (well, to be fair, I would like this in any month, but at any moment, I like right now most of all, so the sentence still holds true).

Lately I have been back on the bread train, and I've become obsessed with experimenting to create bread that is better than they sell at the bakery. I feel like I am on the right track. It's become a habit I can take pleasure in, like brushing your teeth or walking the dog. Making bread makes any place feel more like home. And the best part is, whenever I bake bread, I get to witness this little miracle: yeast.

Okay so before you start rolling your eyes, give it some thought. Do you like beer? Wine? Basically any liquor? You can thank yeast. Do you like having a healthy digestive system? Well you better make sure you're getting your yeast then! You like how your garden grows? You'd better, if you're reading this blog! And you guessed it, yeast helps bees and insects pollinate flowers. So it's really important.

 In all seriousness, yeast is a fundamental part of every ecological cycle. Different species of yeast are everywhere-- even in the air. In fact, until it became a commercialized product, bread yeast was just made by letting yeast ferment the sugars in grains. I couldn't believe this was something I didn't already know, until my roomie explained that this is what bread "starter" is all about. It's like a teeny tiny little family of superheroes who do all kinds of cool things that make our everyday lives awesome.

But best of all, it helps me make delicious bread.

Now, since I've only recently become aware of the miracle that is bread made from home-grown yeast, I've still been working with store-bought yeast. And I am okay with that, because it's pretty freakin' cool too. Here's what I'm leading up to: a sequence of shots of the yeast working its magic on one of my recent batches of bread.

It begins.

Ooh, look! Bubbles!

Kinda looks like the moon . . . or the blob. Or cheese? Okay maybe that's a stretch.

Okay, wait, what?! How did this suddenly go from pictures of yeast to pictures of funnel cake?
I think I can even make out a face in that.

The same, yet different . . .

Weird pancake floating in a bowl? Weird species of jellyfish? Perhaps the face of the virgin Mary?

I think it might be growing hands.

Really fat hands?

Almost ready for flour!! (Get ready for a time warp)

And voila! Le pain.

I have this really great recipe for molasses oat bread to share with you all, too, but it will have to wait, because I am sleepy. G'night all!

Little Bones

It was like a scene from a horror movie.

I was standing in a dark, damp, dirt floor cellar, with barely enough light to see by. The cold dirt floor, shadowy corners and musty smell, though reminiscent of childhood fears involving axe murderers and bogeymen, were not what dismayed me.

No, what really bothered me was the nightmarish scene before me: countless cobwebs hanging thick and low from the ceiling, filled with sawdust and the mummified skeletons of hundreds of large, dead spiders.

And even more terrifying: I was about to perform the task of removing them.

Cellars are wonderful things, but I recently discovered just how wonderful a habitat a cellar can be for those lovely creatures that prefer to dwell in dark basements. Luckily, as disgusting as the above description sounds, it wasn't really as bad as it seemed at first. I just grabbed a stick of firewood and rolled up those cobwebs like cotton candy, spiders and all. Once the spiderwebs were gone, a little broom work and I was ready to store my crops for the winter. Sort of.

First I had to clear a space for them.

I wouldn't really consider my parents pack rats. They are usually pretty good at clearing out the old junk. But basements are funny places. They tend to collect junk. And it seems like the darker and more musty they are, the more weird old crap just accumulates there. In my cleaning, I encountered empty canning jars with rusty lids, plant pots, maple syrup bottles of varying shapes, sizes, and ages from young to ancient, interesting looking pieces of firewood, a rat trap (ew), empty wine bottles, an old garden hose, various rusty cans of something unrecognizable, a bunch of little jam jars full of black ooze, etc. Okay, so maybe that list isn't all that weird, but that thick layer of dust and cobwebs  that blanket everything sure makes it seem like this stuff has been here for eons.

And apparently some of it has. At least, long enough for the rust to eat a hole in the lid of this jar. Hmm... do you think it is still edible?

Seriously. I actually have no idea what the contents of these jars are. Maybe we should do a smell test? It could be fun! Right?  . . . Right?

And yes, in the background you are observing a bag of lamb starter, a stack of egg cartons, and an empty can of Guinness, among other things.

Side note: There is something beautiful, or at least entertaining, about the kinds of odds and ends that collect in basements. You can learn a lot about a person from the things they hide away in the cellar, but don't throw out for some crazy reason. Maybe it will be useful someday, or maybe it has nostalgic meaning, or maybe it's just been there so long you were no longer aware of its existence. Regardless of why it's there, what you keep and what you throw away tells a story. But, I digress. This is supposed to be about food, isn't it?


Well, here it is. Not really that impressive in photos, but it was satisfying to store away some of the crop. The remainder was shared with family or came with me to Ottawa, where it will become the subject of future blogs!

The basement is pretty cold, so the gourds (squash and pumpkins) will keep for a few months there. The rutabagas should too, but if they don't I won't be heartbroken. One can only eat so much rutabaga, you know! I intended to cover them in paraffin, but lacked the time or energy to carry out that experiment. It will be interesting to see how long they last.

Since the carrots were so mangled by chipmunks that there wasn't enough left to store for winter, the only other storage vegetable I had to worry about was parsnips. They got the same treatment that the carrots would have, had they survived.

They don't look all too appetizing like that, do they? Kind of like little bones, or tiny skeletons, buried in the sand.

Oh god. I gotta get out of here.

Giving Thanks

Okay, so my Thanksgiving post is a few days late.

I think the act of giving thanks is partly to blame for that. It was such a wonderful weekend, it reminded me of how important it is to seize the day.  So, I've been doing just that-- carpe diem!

Turns out, that makes for a busy life.

Tonight, I am reflecting. Having a little post-Thanksgiving thanks giving time. And among my blessings, I count an abundance of home grown food in my cupboard, fridge and freezer, a beautiful farm I get to spend tons of time on, and a family that I wouldn't trade for anything. So, in no particular order, I'm going to share a few of the things I got to be thankful for this year.

1) Winter vegetables.

No, I am not getting ahead of myself! That's just how all the cookbooks and gardeners refer to those long-lasting veggies. That's because they will keeping feeding us well into the winter. In addition to the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, we had home grown baked squash with butter, and a lightly spiced mix of turnip, parsnips and carrots (purple and orange) for our family dinner.

For spices I just used some cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, plus salt and pepper. The veggies were simply cut into chunks and tossed in cooking oil and the above seasonings. Sometimes I like to keep it traditional.



Oh, and speaking of tradition, here's another one: home made pumpkin pie. And when I say home made, I mean really home made. When Dad and I were off flying and bringing in firewood, Mom was working very hard to turn those lovely orange gourds into a delicious dessert!

(As a side note: isn't pie that is not a garishly fake orange colour just so much more appetizing?)

The how-to guide for home made pumpkin or squash pie will follow. This is just a visual taste:

2) Human flight.

The fact that we can fly, period, is incredible. The fact that I somehow got to go flying with my Dad on the most beautiful October Saturday morning in all of history is indescribable (and the crepes that I whipped up for brekky afterwards were pretty damn tasty as well!).

Okay, so maybe this isn't all that relevant to the focus of this blog, but the pictures sort of are.

Quin Mo Lac Road

Moira Lake. And, uh, a forest. I like the way the light falls in this shot.

If you can tell what this is a picture of, I will be impressed (in other words, I have no idea). 

Either this person is taking advantage of the extra long haying season, or they got lazy. Them cows ain't gonna like that moldy hay too much!

Yeah, that's right. Them cows!!

Isn't it beautiful?

Hey, I think I can see my house from here! (Can you spot the air strip?)

3) Children (and babies!) (and music!!)

When I arrived home this weekend, my mother was busy preparing a Sunday school lesson for Thanksgiving Sunday. She was trying to think of appropriate songs for the occasion. I was busy doing something that was probably super-duper important on my computer, but I suddenly came out of my technology-induced comatose state to the sound of music-- in my head! Mom's efforts had thrown me back in time, to my days as a camp counselor. I grabbed my guitar and played Johnny Appleseed for her. Mom was thrilled. Consequently, I was recruited as entertainment for the children at church on Sunday. No weekend sleep-in for me!

But this section is supposed to be about kids, right? Well, hang on, I'm getting to it! You see, kids are great, but they can be chaotic. When you try to get kids of various ages to concentrate long enough to make a turkey centrepiece out of construction paper, you run into trouble. But music is amazing, and so are kids. When I finally got my guitar tuned again after having the tuning key savagely tweaked by an adorable 3 year old (who was instantly forgiven), I began playing the song. It was magical. They all came out from their respective corners, and the chaos calmed just long enough for everyone to sing (or hum) along to the song. Johnny Appleseed is right-- I do have all the things I need!

Like this guy. My new nephew. He's kind of a big deal, because he and his generation are yet another thing to be thankful for. Also, he's adorable. But seriously. I'm making a point here. I swear. And that point is: thank goodness for babies!

And although that seems like an appropriate conclusion to this post, I have one more story to tell. Hold tight. It's a good one.

4) Laughter

This was originally intended to fall under the kids section, but it has occurred to me that the act of laughing is almost as great as the cause of the laughter. Almost.

The cause has a name: Madison (uh, hopefully her parents are cool with her name being published on the internet? Hm...).

Madison is imaginative. She also has a good memory. For example, she remembers exactly where the dolls and toys are stored in the basement of my parents' house. And she knows that she can't carry them up the stairs by herself. So one day, she asked my Dad (whom she refers to as Farmer Fred), for assistance. She advised him that it was important to hang on to the railing on the stairs, or " I might fall down, hit my head, and bleed all over the place." Needless to say, Farmer Fred had a laugh over that one.

This past weekend, Madison wanted a toy for her baby doll to play with. Farmer Fred thought he would have a little fun.  He told her he wasn't sure about going downstairs. “I don’t know," he said.  "I might fall down, hit my head, and bleed all over the place!”

“No,” she responded matter-of-factly, “You just hold on to the railing! At least, that’s what I’m going to do.” So smart. So freakin' smart.

Farmer Fred took the advice very seriously, but unfortunately he had an accident. From the living room we heard a ruckus. Someone had evidently fallen down the stairs. When the pair returned to the living room, he announced “I fell down the stairs, hit my head, and nearly bled all over the place!”

But, he tells us, Madison was not sympathetic. She simply told him, “You’re not bleeding. Get up.” 

I guess even a child's imagination has its limits!

Harvest Time

It's that time of year again. The leaves are beginning to fall, scattering their colourful skeletons in the streets. The smell is unmistakable, reminiscent of days gone by, a reminder of the year's slow progression toward cold and darkness. It's bittersweet. Every year, when autumn arrives, I think, "this is my favourite season!" But then again, I think that with every season.

In my mind, autumn is a time of celebration. As with every other season, I celebrate with food. And there is much to celebrate! The squash and pumpkins are ripe on the vine, turnips, carrots, cabbage and parsnips (as well as any other late root veggies you've got growing) are awaiting the last frost, and the fatted calves and lambs are ready for harvest too. Apples are in abundance, ready to be made into pies and crisps and cider and sauce.

In my mind, this time of year is a time to plan for winter. It's time to think ahead to ensure there is plenty of food to sustain us through those cold winter months when homegrown veggies are hard to find.

This year I've done more canning than any year before. For the most part, it's been experimental. Here's a summary of what I have learned about preserving my own food.

1. The basic principle is to preserve food by placing it in a jar that is sealed by creating a vacuum. The most common way of doing this is by sealing the jar tightly by hand and then heating the jar and its contents. As the jar cools, the air inside contracts and creates a vacuum seal. Basic canning often also makes use of an acidic brine, which is antibacterial and generally makes for safer preserving. The basic premise behind pickling is ensuring that the veggies don't rot if the seal isn't perfect. An exception to this is with foods that are already acidic, like fruit and tomatoes, which don't require a brine.

2. In order to preserve foods that are not acidic without pickling them, one can make use of a pressure cooker or canner. By increasing the pressure under which the canning jars are processed, you can ensure that the jars seal successfully. Using a pressure canner, you can preserve pretty much anything. This includes greens, non-acidic veggies like beans, corn, peas, and even meat!

3. Because canning essentially requires cooking the contents of the jars to some degree, there are certain foods that preserve better than others. For example, this year I decided to try canning some of the abundance of kale that I grew. Although the kale probably held its own better than spinach or another green might have, kale is generally thought to be tastier when cooked very litte. So I am pretty sure that opening those jars is going to be interesting.

4. Some things are just better suited to being frozen. As much as I love my toast and jam in the mornings, I do prefer to freeze my fruit. Freezing retains more of a food's nutritional value, and also quite often tastes better. The only downside to freezing is that it requires freezer space (at least, until temperatures drop low enough to permit putting the food outside)!

This year, I tried to keep it simple: no fancy chutneys, and no weird relishes that are going to sit on the shelf for months on end. My goal was to can things that I could either eat straight out of the jar, or that could be used as ingredients in other recipes. Here is a list of what I've accomplished so far:







- Summer Squash and Cucumber Bread & Butter Pickles
- Spicy Pickled Beets
- Canned Kale
- Canned Tomato Sauce (in Spicy and Kale varieties!)
- Canned Salsa
- Canned Applesauce
- Frozen Kale
- Frozen Blueberries (picked in Tweed)
- Frozen Strawberries (picked in Foxboro)
- Frozen Asparagus
- Frozen Rhubarb (for those mid-winter strawberry-rhubarb pies!)
- Frozen Summer Squash and Zucchini

In addition to these items, I'll have plenty of carrots, turnips, squash, pumpkins and parsnips to last me well into the winter.

Someday, I really hope to live a largely self-sufficient lifestyle. It's probably a long way off, but I think this is a step in the right direction. Let me know if you are curious about a recipe for a specific item mentioned above-- I'm happy to oblige.

Heritage

Recently, my Mom and sisters tried to explain to my grandmother why, in addition to the usual red tomatoes, we also have purple, yellow, orange and pink tomatoes this year. I wasn't there, but I know my grandmother well enough to know that she was intrigued, a little fascinated, and overall, rather impressed with this novelty. The only part of the concept she struggled with was the word for those fancy new [old] tomatoes. "Heirloom" just didn't stick. To her, they were "heritage" tomatoes.

Same thing, really.

The point is, they are old. Or at least, the seeds are (old tomatoes can get pretty stinky, pretty quick). These aren't genetically engineered, hybrid seeds. They are descendants of those seeds that were passed down from generation to generation by seed-saving women and men who valued the plenty that was provided by their tomato crops. Just like my grandma, they are that good kind of old: the kind that makes you feel richer, somehow. Yep, I am rich with tomatoes-- and with the love of a good family.

But when you are rich with tomatoes, you've really got to do something about it. Lately, I've been doing a lot of different somethings.

With the first little tomato crop a few weeks ago came my first green pepper, as well as some cucumbers, and a little red rocket pepper. I decided to challenge my family's concept of soup, and make a refreshing pot of gazpacho!

Gazpacho

You can have it pureed, or chunky-- your call. Basically, you just chop up a bunch of vegetables and throw them in a broth, then let it sit in the fridge for a while to let the flavours mingle. Here are the amounts, which are pretty flexible:

- 2 cups tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup green or red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup cucumber, finely chopped
- 2 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated or very fined chopped
- a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp of finely chopped hot pepper (mine were called red rockets!) or several drops of hot sauce to taste
- 6 or more ice cubes
- A splash of red wine vinegar for a little kick (optional)

Yum! Heritage in a bowl. 

Wascawwy Wabbits!

Of all of the characters in all of the children's shows I watched as a child, one I never expected to identify with was Elmer Fudd.  I like to think of myself as a friend of the animals. I try to be okay with the rodents and insects that slowly (or quickly!) devour different parts of my garden. As long as the majority of a crop is left in tact, I can handle it. The animals need to eat too, right?

But here I am, grumbling about rabbits, and trying to think of a way to deter yet another pest from stealing my crops. I tried to be nice, I really did. But this is just the last straw.

First, it was the wild turkeys. They were always lurking about, threatening to scratch up the seeds from their seed beds, or devour the little seedlings before they even had a chance to grow. Luckily, our faithful dog Lady helped me with that: one word from me, and those turkeys would be over the trees in a matter of seconds. Then, there were the aforementioned cabbage worms. I made short work of those, although the telltale moths are back indicating that it's probably time for another dose of [organic] spray. The chipmunks have been ever-present, and I suspect they were responsible for the early demise of the majority of my beets, but short of setting traps, I wasn't sure how to rid myself of them, so I'm fairly certain that they are responsible for the loss of my dry beans, too.

Recently the lambs figured out how to break through the chicken wire, and promptly pruned half a row of tomatoes. We quickly responded with snow fence, and the tomato plants have since made up for lost time.

But I had no idea what was getting my cabbages. After all, one third of a large cabbage is an awfully big meal for even a family of chipmunks. It wasn't until I mentioned it to my father, who guiltily admitted that there might be a cute little cottontail residing in the barn, that I learned we have rabbits to deal with too (funny, isn't it, how someone who can hunt deer and moose and cold-heartedly shoot the squirrels that are nesting in our attic can be such a softie about one little bunny!).

To be honest, though, in spite of all of the pesky pests, I feel fortunate to have lost so little. There are many cabbages remaining, and the parts of that cabbage that weren't nibbled were perfectly edible. We've had plenty of fresh lettuce, radishes, beans and peas, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. In spite of the little nibblers, my true challenge has been trying to make use of the excessive amounts of zucchini and summer squash. Note to self: one hill of each will suffice next year!

I've really been enjoying the challenge of using up the excess. The internet tells me that I am not alone: there are plenty of creative zucchini and summer squash recipes out there. The challenge is getting my family interested in eating large amounts of these vegetables per day. They can be a little hard on the stomach, for one thing. Which is, I suppose, why there are so many zucchini and summer squash bread, cake, and muffin recipes out there.

Here are a few that I have tried (you can substitute yellow summer squash for zucchini in any of these recipes).

Zucchini Chocolate Cake
(Let's Break Bread Together, Steinbach MB: Derksen Printers, 1988)

This has been a family favourite for years. It's a deliciously moist cake, thanks to the zucchini-- just be careful to squeeze the excess moisture out of the grated zucchini, to ensure that the cake is not too moist (there is, in fact, such thing as "too moist" when it comes to this cake!).

My Mom made this cake when my Dad's British cousins came to visit a few weeks ago. I was informed that in England, they use the friend name for zucchini: courgette. I think that's a much prettier word than zucchini!

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup of soft margarine
1/2 cup of cooking oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk or sour cream
2 cups of shredded zucchini
2 1/2 cups of flour
4 tbsp of cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Cream margarine and add sugar and oil. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour milk. Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture. Stir in zucchini. Spread into a greased pan-- you can use a 9 x 13" or a lovely bundt pan as in the photo. If desired, sprinkle with a topping of  1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Bake at 325 for 40 to 50 minutes (above, cake is drizzled with cream cheese icing).


Zucchini Muffins
(Simplyrecipes.com)

This is a simple, easy, mess-free recipe which requires no electric mixer. It tastes great and is pretty healthy if you substitute 2 cups of whole wheat flour and make sure to add the nuts and dried cranberries!

3 cups grated fresh zucchini
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini and melted butter. Sift dry ingredients and stir into the zucchini mixture. Stir in walnuts, raisins or cranberries if using.

Grease the muffin tins or use cupcake papers. Use a spoon to distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups.. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick to make sure the center of the muffins are done.

Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Lemon Rosemary Zucchini Bread


This recipe was my "experimental" choice. A little bit different than the usual zucchini loaf recipes, but it's always a good idea to be a little adventurous once in a while. I love the flavour combination of the lemon and rosemary.

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 cups grated zucchini (from about 1 lb of zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 4 x 9" loaf pans, or in my case, 1 loaf pan and a muffin tin.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.  Beat in the sugar, then the melted butter and olive oil.  Stir in the lemon zest and grated zucchini.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and rosemary in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time, stirring after each incorporation.

Divide batter/dough into two loaf pans.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes.  Test after 40 minutes.  If you gently press down on the surface of the loaf, it should bounce back, and a bamboo skewer inserted into the center should come out clean.

Remove from the oven.  Let cool for a few minutes and then remove the loaves from their pan to cool on a rack.


*Note: Not all animals are bad. I nearly peed my pants a few times in the garden today, for example. First, there was that 2 foot long garter snake. Then a giant spider making a web in the jungle that is now my tomato patch. And of course, the frogs! So many frogs. And I've seen a vole or a mole dart under the foliage a few times too. They all eat the things that eat my vegetables, which means I am okay with their presence in my garden. So I've got animals friends, after all. Thank goodness for that.

In the Garden

Raise your hand if, every March, you get this little itch that tells you that you need to start planting things.

Now put your hand down, 'cause I can't see you. Hopefully nobody else did either.

If you're like a lot of Canadians, you spent much of January and February dreaming about summer. If you're anything like me, those dreams not only involved beaches and barbeques, but also digging in the dirt and mud, enjoying the delicious fruits [and vegetables] of your labour, and getting really weird sunburns on really specific areas of your body. Actually, I didn't dream about the latter, even though it is what has ended up happening! But I digress. Summer is here, and the garden is flourishing.

So far, we have enjoyed some spicy radishes and delicious fresh greens in our salads. The beans, peas, cucumbers and squash have begun to flower, and so have the tomatoes. And there is work to be done. I could harvest baby beets any day now. The vines are well on their way to taking over the world, and it's almost time to start thinning the carrots. The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are coming along fine, but have recently suffered a massive attack from little green worms called "cabbage loopers," which are really the larvae of a little white moth. I've had to learn quickly learned about organic pesticides, one of which is me! It sounds romantic to chase butterflies around the garden, until you realize the intent is not so much to catch them as, well, squash them.

Recently, I realized that I could start harvesting kale, which meant I was confronted once again with that oft-pondered question: what to do with a boat load of kale?

Actually, for me it didn't take much pondering, since I learned so much about kale last year. I have a few choice applications, as well as a bunch of backup ideas to try out. So far, I've added some kale to my morning smoothie (it's a superfood!), steamed it like spinach, used it as a substitute for spinach in a recipe for Spinach Squares, tried canning it in my handy pressure canner (not recommended), and made Kale Chips.

Kale Chips

Kale chips can be as healthy or unhealthy as you make them. You can be creative and add different spices to see how they taste, or just keep it simple. Here's how.

1. Prepare the kale. First, you'll want to wash it. Then, cut the leaves from the stem, and rip them into bite-sized pieces.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 425 F-- or 450 if you are able to watch really closely. I get distracted, so I don't like to risk burning.

3. Lay the kale out in a single layer on a light coloured baking sheet, and spray with oil. A can of Pam works really well for this, but if you don't have it, you can also just brush the leaves with cooking oil. Different cooking oils will (obviously) produce different flavours, so I will leave that up to you!

4. Season. This is entirely a matter of choice. Salt is usually a good start, and I like to add some fresh ground pepper. This combo on its own is pretty delicious, but you can also add some other choice seasonings, as desired. Some good ones to try are: garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano and a combo of turmeric and cumin. I have even tried to spice it up with some cayenne, but to be honest, I found it too spicy (and I like my spice).

5. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tips of the leaves just start to brown. Once you take the kale out of the oven, let it sit for about 5 minutes, move to a serving dish, and enjoy.

Although this is not the healthiest way of enjoying kale, it is a great alternative to potato chips or crackers, and really hits the spot when I am having that particular brand of craving.

Please don't hesitate to post a comment if you have your own special recipes for kale. I'm really excited about finding more ways to enjoy this delicious, healthy vegetable. Until then, happy summer!

Sometimes, The Devil is a Gentleman

This is one of those posts that will be more of an experiment in thought than in local food.

I had spent the day working. Packing, cleaning and sorting through my belongings. I was planning to spend the afternoon baking a cake for a friend—a friend who, along with her significant other, has made a habit of treating other friends to delicious, themed birthday cakes. I was really excited about this cake, and about doing something nice for my friend(s), who so frequently do(es) nice things for everyone else. But I was also a bit sick, tired of packing, and emotionally weary from the relative state of upheaval my life has been in of late. So I wanted to get to work so I could get a good night’s sleep later on.

In the midst of all the action, my sister called.

We had a great conversation.  I really, really needed a good talk, and so did she. My cake got abandoned, and so did packing and resume-writing. But oh, what a good conversation! We discussed those things everything one needs to discuss with one’s sister when both are feeling tired and in need of an emotional brain dump. The next thing I knew, an hour had gone by. When I got off the phone, the guilt was attacking full force.

Guilt! Why does it plague me? Oddly enough, my sister and I had just been talking about our bad habit of feeling guilty about everything. I was still going to be able finish the cake, so why did I feel so guilty about it? Why is it a sin to put myself first once in a while? And similarly, why do I feel so guilty about writing a blog post about cake, when this is supposed to be a local food blog? After all, I needed the break. I deserved it. And this is my blog! I can write about whatever I damn well please!

And to be honest, I am really pleased to write about cake.

So as I continued making my cake, and pondering my guilt, I defiantly decided to enjoy every single moment of it. I licked the beaters. I sang along to a great CD. I laughed when I splattered chocolate all over the wall. I even greased up a little cupcake tin and emptied the scrapings from the batter bowl into it, so that I could have my very own cupcake, a la Bridesmaids (the movie, go see it!) because I wouldn’t be around to enjoy the cake itself. I didn’t feel guilty at all about saving a bit for myself.

After the guilt attack had passed (I had cured it with indulgence), and I was grinning my face off while dancing around the kitchen to “Dance ‘Til the End of Time,” by Steven McKay, cake beater in hand and chocolate cake batter dripping down my arm, I thought, “Yes. This is exactly what I want to be doing right now.”

That, my friends, is what happens when you quit being a baby and enjoy your life.

But wait-- don't completely stop being a baby. It's always good to remain a child at heart. Which is why I made a . . . 

Money Cake

You can use any cake recipe, and any icing for this cake. I used Devil's Food cake, which I thought was appropriate, since money is the root of all evil. The cream cheese icing was just for some added decadence. 

I think that this is a tradition dating back for hundreds of years, but in my experience it has just been an awesome way of making a birthday party extra special. Of course, there is a choking hazard, so obviously you need to warn your guests. And don't feed this cake to small children. But if everyone knows what to expect, it can be a lot of fun. I have also heard of a New Years tradition in which the individuals who get the largest coins being named King and Queen for the day, so that's a nice added twist if you like. 

All you really have to do is wash the coins with soap and water, and add a vinegar rinse if you are like me and want to make sure they are really clean. Then, wrap each coin in tin foil, and drop them in to the cake at random before you put it in the oven. As long as each coin is well covered in batter, the cake bakes up like  normal, and you have a money cake! 

This blog post is dedicated to Alison.