Steak and Veggie Chili

Let's take a moment to talk about mise en place. Mise en place is a fancy-chef way of saying: Prep everything before you begin, and put in all in little bowls. There's a lot of positive things to be said about this method, my personal favorite being that you won't be stressing out as you create a dish or meal, frantically chopping things or discovering you're out of something you thought you had once you've begun. Everything is ready to go, right there in plain sight.

However, I don't always practice this very rigourously, and I'm here to tell you that's okay. Pete Wells of the New York Time's "Cooking with Dexter" column wrote a funny piece about the impracticality of rigid mise en place. And here's an interview with Mark Bittman that touches on the same subject. Both men mention television as a culprit. Many cooking shows show us the pretty picture (things in tiny bowls!) without much discussion about how necessary those tiny bowls are. 

Wintertime Jam

I've had this all ready to post for days, minus any witty content. January is a rough month for me, traditionally, and twenty-ten was sort of one of those years that knocked me around a bit. That may be a bit depressing to read on a blog, but this jam is very very good and might cheer you up. If you need cheering up. If not, you might want to make this jam anyways, and think of it as your morning sunshine, and hum a happy little morning song. You could leave out the spices, but I like using these spices in the winter, and they certainly do not belong in the summer. This is your chance.


Wintertime Jam

adapted from Food in Jar's Apple Cranberry Jam

4 cups peeled and diced soft apples
4 cups peeled and diced pears
4 cups cranberries
1 cup water
5 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
zest and juice of 2 lemons
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Prepare the jars in the canning pot, along with the rings. Put the lids in a bowl of hot water to soften the seals.

In a seperate large pot, combine the apples, pears, cranberries, water, and sugars. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that comes up to the surface. I just use a wide flat spoon for this. Skimming off foam helps the jam to be clearer once it's cooked. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the cranberries begin to pop and the apples and pears begin to soften. You may want to use a big wooden spoon to smush up the apples on the side of the pot, especially if you diced them too big (not that I did that…).

Add the citrus zests and juices and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches 220˚/104˚ (but see this for info on high-altitude gel points: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/01-06-03.html). Right before the gel point is reaches, stir in the cinnamon and ground cloves.

Remove the jam from the heat and ladle into your prepared jars. Wipe the rims, place on the lids and screw on the rings. Process in the boiling-water canning pot for 10 minutes (remember: don't start the timer until the pot has come back to a boil).

Remove from the water, let cool completely, remove the rings and wipe down the jars, and check the seals. Label and date and eat!

Makes 5 pints (I did 3 pints and 4 half-pints, same processing time for both)

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Ta-da!

Mo's Peanut Brittle

My Grandma Mona was one of my closest friends. She taught me to sew, to paint, and that "being naughty is fun". We would drive over the mountains to stay with her for a long weekend about once a month. Besides cable television in the kid's bedroom, another wonderful feature of G-Mo's was the breakfast cereal. Sugary boxes of wonder awaited us, and frozen waffles were the alternate. Once in the weekend my grandpa would pull together a rich breakfast, sausages and eggs and pots and pots of coffee. I taught myself to like coffee at my grandma's house, wanting to be like her so much that I made myself chew coffee beans until I liked them.

She did not cook much, at least in my memory, although she always allowed us to choose things from the Schwann's truck. Golden Nugget bars, Dixie cups, and those perfectly round little pizzas were the most popular choices.

She did, however, made the best peanut brittle in the whole world. This brittle is different from your typical hard-candy-with-suspended-peanuts affair; this has two generous cups of peanut butter folded in to make a rich, buttery, slightly crumbly treat. Before she died someone had the wise thought to get the recipe, and I now own it written in her own hand. 

Top, Peanut Brittle. Bottom, Coffee Walnut Toffee.

Perhaps like me you wanted to give small gifts to people around you, but the holidays snuck up on you and then you caught that bug that everyone had and now it's too! late! I'm here to tell you: Make this peanut brittle and everybody will be happy.

The Longest Night

I'm pretty sure The Raven is nearby.

Princess Cookies

I'm pretty picky about spelling, and I'm not afraid to correct misspelled words. I don't understand people who don't employ spell-check. In college part of my job was to read my boss's papers with a red pen in hand. Besides all the free marshmallows and gummy bears I could eat, that was my favorite part of the job -- the power of that red pen. (Can you guess where I worked?)

A caveat: I'm not, per se, the best speller. I'm pretty good, but there are certain words that trip me up. It's gotten to the point where I have psyched myself out over these words, and so I'm never quite sure what the real spelling is. Calender. Independence. Lavender. 

That semi-interesting tidbit brings us to the title recipe. They're actually Coconut Lavender Macaroons. I associate coconut macaroons with two things: Christmas, and teatime. Christmas because my mom always made them this time of year, and teatime because they just seem like such a girly cookie. I also had a Disney princess bandaid on today, and it was the color of lavender. These cookies have lavender. So, Princess Cookies. (My brain wants so hard to talk about Kate Middleton right now. She might like these cookies! She is going to marry a prince! Her hair -- how does she do it!!!)

Five-Spice Beef Party Delight

PARTY FOOD I LIKE:
Deviled eggs. I could eat a whole platter.

Cheeses.

Weddings only: Those wedding pillow mints.

Seafood stuff.

Tiny sandwiches.

Smoked salmon.

Time to party! Except apparently me and my friends are not the party type.* Actually, I did go to a party this weekend, a potluck. The night before I decided that I would have to use a recipe from a cookbook that's languished on my shelf forever; there's no point in having something you never use. The Five-Spice Beef, categorized under appetizers, sounded delicious yet non-threatening.

(Although I am hosting a craft party this Saturday. Leave a comment or email me if you'd like to come! Goodies will be served.)

To make the recipe, you simmer a roast in a spiced soy sauce broth for a few hours, then chill and slice it. Chinese five-spice is a mixture of five spices, the specifics of which vary a little. Serve the sliced beef with a delicious dipping sauce that's spicy and savory!

Deck the halls

That cabinet? Four bucks.

Lately at work I've been tuning into the "Holiday Showcase" music station. It's nothing super great, but the four-year-old that I nanny likes to sing along. Everybody!

"Deck the halls with boughs of folly..."

Yes, that's really how she sings it. I kind of like it.  Boughs of folly. I feel a little sad putting up Christmas decorations, because in a month I know I'll have a serious case of the Januaries and no pretty greenery to alleviate it. I did buy two little dinky strands of blue lights and draped one around my bed, canopy-style. The other I wrapped around my Giant Branch. What is a Giant Branch, you ask? I will tell you. (Also, I am going to do a little bargain-bragging.)

About a month ago I parked on my university campus. A big windstorm had just blown through. As I ran up to Frat Row (gross) I saw a Giant Branch on the ground. I immediately wanted it, but my errand was urgent. As I hurried, I worried that someone would take my Giant Branch. Obviously I am a crazy person, because who else would want a Giant Branch? 

(Background: It is a well-documented fact that I <3 branches. When I worked in an art studio where we used a lot of natural materials, I was constantly dragging them inside after my breaks. Some were broken up for art projects; one winter I stuck a whole bunch into the top of a wire shelf and decorated them all to look like a winter wonderland, with glitter and ornaments and shiny things. I blame that job for my continued giant stick obsession.)

The G.B. in all it's glory.

THANK HEAVENS the Giant Branch was still there!

(Sidenote: I used to study art in college, but I wasn't as "serious" about it as some of the other "serious" art students (meaning I took classes in other subjects and other buildings). One day I made a really weird request of someone to save some materials that would otherwise have been thrown out (fine, it was human hair, from the student salon), and the other person looked at me like I was cray-zy. In that moment, I felt so proud, like "I'm a real art student!". I still get that feeling whenever I am gathering branches.)

That quilt? Ten bucks. Bookshelf and coatrack? Free.

This Giant Branch is the most giantest branch I have ever had. It is so wonderful. There's a little bark, and a little moss that's still green, but mostly it's naked and relatively smooth. To prepare it to enter my bedroom, I shook it (to get rid of bugs, duh) and let it dry out in my garage. Then I let it season for three weeks (meaning, I forgot about it). Finally, I brought it the two flights up to my room and lashed one end to the foot of my bed.The other end rests on the wall.

My branch can touch the sky!

FACTS ABOUT THE GIANT BRANCH:
It is about nine feet long.
It is made of wood and moss and bark.
It is vegan.

WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU DONE TO DECK THE HALLS BESIDES BLATHER ON ABOUT A GIANT BRANCH:
I put pine boughs into cups and vases to make branch bouquets. Totally a planned branch theme (except not. I didn't notice it until justthismoment. I am just that savvy.)
Then I put some silver balls in strategic places around the room (meaning: where they would not roll away.)

ANYTHING ELSE:
Well, yesterday I had this stuck in my head all day. You're welcome. My favorite/most hated to have in my head part is the soaring "evergreen bough" line.