Jell-O of Doom

I made a grave miscalculation. I thought that Jell-O Classic Recipes was going to be an easy cookbook.  I did not count of my lack of patience, or that I was going to have a breakdown of logic.  I think that any one that has the foresight and the planning to make at least half of the recipes, deserve an award. Almost every step requires you to wait at least an hour before you do the next step. It is not one of those throw together desserts that turn out awesome.  Jell-O is a dessert that you need to be committed with plenty of hours to spare.  I do not deserve any sort of award for patience when it comes to Jell-O, in face after this little experiment I might deserve an award for creating the most god-awful concoction ever in less than six hours with four ingredients.  You may think that I am exaggerating, but alas and alack I am not spinning a tale.  

Creamy Fruited Mold looked deceptively simple.  Pick any flavor of Jell-O, add any fruit to the mix and add whipped cream. I think I took “Any Fruit” a  little too liberally. Cranberries are a super fruit, or at least I have been lead to believe this through various media outlets.  Cranberries and Jell-O are not friends.  I thought that if I used a strawberry flavored Jell-O, that I find too sweet and added the tart little berry, the flavor would mellow each other out and it would be a symphony on the taste buds. 

It was a symphony of discord. If I was have truly thought this out, I might have realized that the whipped cream was going to cut down on the sweet factor of the strawberry and that perhaps whole cranberries were not best fruit to use.  I did not think this through. It wasn’t until I took a heaping spoonful of pink fluff with the cranberries lurking inside did I get the realization that I had done something really wrong. 

Chomping into a spoonful of raw cranberries made me feel like an old Gusher commercial where my insides where trying to be my outsides and that death might be a true option to escape the utter tartness of this super fruit.  There was a moment where my jaws locked up and my eyes began to water. Cranberries were not a good idea.  In fact they were a bad idea. A very bad idea and I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be able to move my mouth again since it had seized up. The clenching of my jaw caused me to salivate, and eventually diluted the extreme cranberry flavor, which slowly unclenched my jaw, all the while drooling on myself.  I made a grave miscalculation and created the Jell-O of Doom.  

It seems like every step forward I make in harnessing my skills in the kitchen, I end up taking a step backwards in the weirdest way.  Lesson learned, don’t trust Jell-O when they say “any fruit” and never trust a cranberry. They will both betray you in the end. 

Delilah Dirk and The Turkish Lieutenant

Sometimes I forget that I like things. I lose myself in the hum drum of every day life and forget that I like to do more than just exist. Thankfully I have people in my life that know me better than I know myself.  A week or so ago was Valentine's Day.  Valentine's Day is commercial holiday that is used to sell an idea to the consumer, much like St. Patrick's Day is an excuse to drink beer and talk with a fake Irish accent.  I happen to like the idea behind Valentine's Day, because I see it as a good opportunity to be grateful. My husband looks at is as an excuse to go shopping for things that we both like.

This year my husband picked up a copy of Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff for our celebration of appreciation. I don't know how my husband does it, but he manages to find some of the absolute best graphic novels.  This latest acquisition to the comic collection is a great reminder to enjoy the journey and not worry so much about the destination. Not to mention there is always time for a good cup of tea.

I found the Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant to be beautifully drawn and vivid in the colors. The style worked well with the action and dialogue and you get a real feel for who the characters were and what made them tick.  Most importantly, it made me want to continue the journey with Delilah and Selim and see what sort of trouble the inadvertently brew up. I think that it important to feel like you can lose yourself in a story, even just a little bit and Delilah Dirk does that for me.  I definitely recommend this to all those that are interested in a strong female lead character that is not dressed in a provocative manner that challenges preconceived notions that girls can not be globe trotting adventurers, and are more fitted to the roll of side kicks. Delilah is one girl who chooses her own path. This is one of those graphic novels that would be perfect for girls of any age and has enough action and adventure that would make it an interesting read for boys.  I very much look forward to the next installment in this series, encourage you to keep an eye out for Delilah Dirk.

Poland and Ireland on a Plate

I think that winter is made for eating a sleeping. Since I am not allowed to hibernate through the winter, it is only logical that I spend way more time eating than I probably should. I did a mental tally of the cookbooks that I still have to utilize before June 30^th for this Cookbook Challenge, and I am still behind. It doesn’t matter that I may have acquired several for the Christmas holiday, I should still be further ahead than I am. It also doesn’t help that when I walk into a book store, I am drawn like a magnet to a lodestone to the cookbook section.

In an attempt to make some head way on the books that I already have, I have started to use multiple cookbooks at one time for a meal.  This has mixed results. Not bad results, but mixed, because some where I forget to take a picture of something and then debate on if it is esthetically pleasing to take pictures of food glopped together on my dinner plate.   In the end I suppose it doesn’t matter because it is all going to end up in my stomach in the end. (Insert evil cackle here.)

The Bermingham House

Every Wednesday we have was I dubbed as “Nerd Night” at my house. This is where my husband a long with a motley assortment of friends and family come over and eat food, watch a really bad movie and discuss a variety of off the wall topics. My part of this is has to do with the “eat food”. I prepare the food, which makes them the perfect subjects for experimental recipes in this challenge. This past Wednesday they had the pleasure of a mixed culture faire, where Poland met Ireland on the dinner plate and no potatoes were harmed in the process.  Literally there were no potatoes harmed in the process.

Scanning the cooks books I found a lovely stuffed tomato recipe called Mushroom stuffed Tomatoes in my Best of Polish Cooking compiled by Karen West that seemed like it was meant to be a natural side dish for Bermingham Chicken out of my Irish Countryhouse Cooking by Rosie Tinne. I am pretty sure that there is no such thing as a normal recipe. As I scanned the ingredients for the chicken disk, I realized that two slices of ham is a lot of ham. I am not sure if the slices they are talking about in the recipe are the inch thick slices that I picked up at the grocery store or if they were talking about sandwich thin slices. I decided to face it and to use just one large ham slice and cube it instead of two slices and lay them flat at the bottom of my fireproof dish. (The recipe was very specific that I used a fireproof dish, I am going to assume that all of my bake ware if fire proof, because why else would it be able to go in the oven?) Other than the slight confusion with the ham, the overall result of the dish was somewhat like an inside out Chicken Cordon Bleu.  Ham and Chicken are meant to be meaty friends in a cheese sauce. 

The Stuffed Tomatoes were not trouble free as I had hoped they would be.  I thought that I would have issues with coring a tomato and filling it.  That was actually easy.  If anything out of this whole challenge I am building some culinary skills and am a lot more confident wielding knives.  The trouble that I had with the tomatoes was the ingredients that were not listed.  There came a spot in the instructions where it told me to add onion and sauté.  I had no problem adding onion, if the onions were listed in the ingredients to begin with. I ended up scrambling to dice an onion to add to the mix.  Then at the end of the instructions it said to add spices.  I had already added salt and pepper and there were no other spices listed, so I wasn’t sure if this is where I was to get funky with the tomato or not. I just settled for more salt and pepper and hopped that it turned out well. 

Overall both recipes did not cause bodily harm to any of the tasters.  Some suggestions of adding rice to either dish came about, but if that was the only thing I would consider this a success and can cross both of the cookbooks off of my list. It is often amazing how it doesn't matter where food is from, that when it is done well it doesn't matter what is paired with what. It is a wonderful medley in the mouth. 

Laughing or Crying

I took an unintentional break on recreational writing. Instead I had to write  something rather serious,
and completely outside of my comfort zone.  I had to write my brothers obituary.  My brother expired his last breathe unexpectedly and it was like aftershocks of a major earthquake. You never knew when the next ripple was going to hit.

It was during this, that I discovered that I am one of those people that will laugh when it is probably more appropriate to cry.  While assisting with all the nitty gritty details of setting up a memorial service, I couldn't help but think about how this is just one more adventure that I could have with my brother, and he couldn't say anything to stop me from being an utter idiot or calling him an idiot.

My fit of giggles started when I was asked if I would want any of his ashes. It turns out that they have these little keepsakes that you can keep a piece of your loved one with you always. It is sentimental, and I can completely understand why people would want to do it.  However, the first thing I thought of when presented with this option was the Dib Cat making off with it and trying to bat it around the house like a cat toy.  It isn't like I would give it to the Dib Cat, but more like he would steal it out of the display case in the hall like a thief in the night, or perhaps like a cat burglar. Then it would be just my luck, because I have that sort of luck that the keepsake would break, and I would have nothing but my brother spread out all over the place, because of course the Dib Cat would bat it around all over the place like a professional hockey player.  I feel that it would probably be in bad taste to vacuum him up and try to sift him out of the cat hair and what not that gets caught in the filter.

Of course I could put him some where the cats could not get to him, but I feel really weird about putting him in my underwear drawer. That borders lines along really really creepy. Let me store human ashes with my polka dot underwear and stockings. Nope. Not doing it. I don't want to stumble across him when I am looking for my garters. It sort of kills any mood  may be going for at that time.  Can't keep him in the kitchen, because that would also lead to some questions that I would rather not answer as to my prowess in the kitchen and if my brother died from my cooking.  I want people to eat in my kitchen and at my table, so having him hang out there next to the kangaroo bottle opener would not be a wise idea.  

When the memorial came about, it was still a lot to take in. Honestly there is so many aspects to a person that it is hard to focus on just a small part of them. There were tears and there was laughter, and that is probably the best way to sum his life. It was a combination of tears and laughter. I did end up with a keepsake, even thought I did not plan on it. A large part of me is not really sure what to do with it.  I know for a fact that I am not putting it on a key chain because it is one of those things that you really don't want to lose on your day to day travels. Until I figure out the best spot to put the keepsake, it is in my jewelry box for safe keeping until I can get my fit of giggles as to where my brother will pop up next out of my system and enjoy the combination of tears and laughter this one last adventure with him has brought me.

We do not remember days, we remember moments.

Cesare Pavese

Kickstarted Addiction

I think that I might have a Kickstarter addiction.  I don’t know if it is because I love all the fresh ideas that people are brave enough to put out there and seek funding for, or if it is because I enjoy the shiny new toy aspect of it. I think that it is probably a healthy dose of both.   Kickstarter is an all or nothing venture. They either raise enough money for their project or they don’t. If the project doesn’t raise enough money, you as a backer are not out any money, but it they do raise enough money, then you pay up.

Unflattering picture of  Krampus I kickstarted

Can you see where I might have a problem?  It is really easy for me to toss a couple of bucks on a Kickstarter that helps fuel some ones dreams and passions and get something unique in the process, than it is to get an overpriced mediocre latte. The latte I will most likely forget about before the day is over, unlike whatever Kickstarter project I have backed.  I will talk about the project, follow the updates and sometimes even dance around the kitchen scaring the cats when something I am super into gets funded.  I like to think that I am helping someone achieve a dream and as a benefit get something cool in the process.

That is not saying that everything that I support gets funded, or if it does get funded, follows through.  I have supported a few things that did not yield the intended result, but it has not made me jaded.  It has just given me a story to tell and a mystery to savor.  Perfect example of this is where I supported an expedition for salt and nuts in Brazil, and for my support I would receive some salt and some salted nuts. It wasn’t a lot of money, and I thought that my husband would enjoy munching on an exotic nut, and the salt was seasoning bonus. Originally I had planned on using the nuts and salt as stocking stuffers for the Christmas holiday, but things had gotten delayed.  I had received some updates from time to time how the expedition was going and some video feed on salt mining, and then there was silence. It went from regular updates and video to nothing.   The jungles of Brazil swallowed up the founder that Kickstarter and it is unknown if I will ever get the salt and salted nuts that I chipped in for.  I had chatted a good bit about the salt and nuts with one of my coworkers and how they were intended as a gift, which turned into a tongue in cheek conversation about euphemisms. (Experiment 452- quit snickering. I really mean it this time!) While I may never actually receive the salty delight that I paid for, the amusement of this has been completely worth it, and that is the entire point of my addiction. It amuses me.

Here are 4 projects that currently amuse me and are still accepting backers:

-          100 Letters: A Celebration of Snail Mail

-          “Bigfoot Patrol: Yeti Squad” Embroidered Patch Artist Merch

-          Alabaster Vol 1-2 by Osamu Tezuka

-          Air Tight, Stay Fresh, Spice Jars

Irish Food and Cooking

Life has been more than a little bit off kilter for me lately, but that is to be expected when the unexpected happens.  The one constant is that I need to eat. This need to eat has been a blessing in disguise.  This need to consume nutrients and the need to for some mental distraction has helped propel me in this cook book challenge.  I am pretty sure that Irish Food and Cooking is all based off of comfort and family, or at least it tastes like it to me. 

The Irish Food and Cooking Cookbook I picked up when I was worked recreationally at a bookstore.  If there was ever a bookstore that made an impact on my life, Borders was it. I will save my antidotes of pages goes by, for another day, but while I was there I was enthralled by the cookbooks by Hermes House Publishing.  They were often in the bargain area, and cost less than the mozzarella pretzel and large chai tea with soy milk, and certainly a lot longer lasting.  

Flipping through the cookbook, I realized that everything looked delicious and that for once the main courses held a whole bunch of appeal.  Settling on a main course, mostly because a woman cannot live off of potatoes alone, I settled on Bacon Chops with Apple and Cider Sauce.  Interesting fact, bacon chops are pork chops.  Or at least they are for me, seeing that if they would market pork chops as bacon chops I would never be able to buy them in the grocery store again, since there is a weird bacon craze going on.  (Maybe not a weird bacon craze, since bacon is tasty, but cheese is also tasty and so is chocolate.) (I also feel like the queen of run fragmented on sentences, but at least I am the queen of something.) 

I have to say that I was blown away by how awesome this recipe turned out. It was also pleasing to me that I didn’t spoil the recipe by using pear and apple hard cider, since I did not have anything else. I count it as a win that I even have hard cider in the house, since it disappears rather quickly.  Having a meal turn out well, and adding a recipe that I would seriously use again and maybe even trot out for company is a boon. 

CSA: The Lovely Turnip

I have been really behind in everything. It was my original goal to write about what I got in my CSA every week and ease myself back into writing regularly.  That has not happened. I don't like excuses, and me giving and excuse for not writing leaves a bad taste in my mouth, because it is a lie.  I have been writing, just not here.  The thing that I wrote, even got published in the paper. A normal person would think that I would be over the moon to having something published in the paper. In fact some people would believe I would do a little jiggly happy dance around my kitchen crooning to my cats while my husband smirks at my antics. The truth is, what I wrote was not really something to celebrate. I wrote my brothers obituary.

Just typing that sentence out, causes crickets to chirp in the silence of my mind.  It has not been an easy January.  I am not going to talk about it at this point. I may to so later, but for the past two weeks I have done nothing but talk about it, which is why I am not really going to do so now. Instead I am going to admit failure with turnips.  My box from Strites (my CSA) came and there were turnips in it. I had to laugh, as I heard my husbands groan.  I am pretty sure that he would rather we get some weird squash we had never heard of, or perhaps more cider or apples, than a dozen turnips.

I want to like turnips. I thought I did. The recipe that I procured from my friend, Clay was wonderful; however a person needs more than one recipe for turnips.  The same recipe over and over again for the same ingredient loses luster. I only have one recipe and having made it twice, my husband has thrown in the towel. The want to like something is not the same as actually liking something. I want to believe that turnips and me can get along, and that they are not the bastard child of a potato and a radish that have a texture close to pears. (Pears are my arch enemy. To me, they are bland wet fruit rolled in sand.  My husband disagrees.)

All is not lost with the turnip, because it turns out that the turnip is massively photogenic. I wish I could say the same for me. The turnip is so photogenic that my older brother set it as my profile picture on his phone.  I am now as lovely as a turnip.

I can only shudder to think what is going to be in next weeks CSA, but overall I have been pleased with what we have received in the last few weeks. The over all experience has forced me to try new recipes, organize my meals and think out side of the box.  I am looking forward to the summer CSA.  Below is a list of what is in the boxes I have received, and it does include more than just turnips.

Winter CSA #7

In the Box:

Gala Apples

Kabocha Squash

Cabbage

White Potatoes

Multigrain Bread

Winter CSA # 8

Red Delicious Apples

Apple Cider

Brussel Sprouts

Spaghetti Squash

Turnips

Redskin Potatoes

Winter CSA #9

Fuji Apples

Garlic

Red Onion

Winter Squash

Cabbage

Dried Apples

Red Potatoes