Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks

Pickles in Jars

Finally got around to pickling earlier this month, using some of the great vegetables from our Two Small Farm box, as well as a bunch of things I picked up at the California Avenue Farmer’s Market. Using Joy of Pickling, a book I reviewed last year, I made four kinds of pickles – Dilly Beans, Bread and Butter Pickles, Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles, and Pink Pickled Cabbage and Cauliflower. Since I used red cabbage and purple cauliflower, I think it will be even more pink that normal!

The B&B and Dilly Beans need a couple weeks to setup, so I won’t get a chance to know how the two different types of bread and butter pickles turned out until September. I did a post about an old family recipe for Zucchini Pickles last year, which is almost exactly the same as the one in Joy of Pickling. The Pickled Cabbage and Cauliflower was ready after 10 days, and it is now stored in the fridge. The easiest of the 4 pickles, it is very vinegary and tart. Not sure exactly what to serve it with, might have to start experimenting.

Are you pickling this summer? Anything special? For inspiration, check out what my food blog friend Sean, of Hedonia, has recently started -  a new community blog, Punk Domestics, celebrating everything that is fun about preserving, canning, curing, and creating food at home.

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A few weeks ago, a group of friends got together for a cooking party at Cuisine Style in Belmont. The evening was billed as an Iron Chef-style competition, although in the spirit of friendship, we did not declare any “winners”. Basically, every group that managed to get something edible on the table was in good shape.

The best take-away from that night was the chance to be creative in the kitchen – a few main ingredients were provided (flank steak, artichokes, potatoes) and loads of extras were available, including a very well-stocked pantry (preserved lemons) and other fresh vegetables, as well as fresh herbs and spices. A creative cooks playground.

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Oh, and three professional chefs.

They helped a lot. One team created a neat side dish with sliced potatoes, baby artichokes and fennel. Another group found an interesting use for preserved lemon in a fresh herb chimichurri. Not one book was consulted. Not one recipe used. It was fun.

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I like being creative in the kitchen, under the right circumstances, but for my everyday cooking, I love using recipes. Lately, there have been a couple articles (here, here and here) about doing without recipes, but I must say, I am a big fan. As a non-professional, I rely on recipes to help me get the proportions correct and I learn an incredible amount from following in someone else’s footsteps. I don’t think that makes me a bad cook, I think it actually frees me to explore my creativity.

When I read a recipe, I think about ways in which I can alter the dish to make it my own. Depending on what I have in the house, I will make substitutions or changes.

Ok, so where is the message here? Well, I would like folks who think they cannot cook to find a basic recipe from Simply Recipes and give it a try. I would like my friends who think they cannot cook, instead to realize that they can (and do) and start describing themselves in terms of how much they cook, rather than if they can cook. I think my friends who like to cook should jump-start their summer cooking by pulling out a new recipe and giving it a whirl. I think everyone should be able to identify as a cook, whether or not you know how to make something by heart. And I think, when given the opportunity, you should experiment in the kitchen, in whatever way that works for you. And I think recipes are good.

I often hear “your kids eat so well” or “I can’t believe what your kids eat” or “I can’t get my kids to eat what your kids eat”. Although my kids do eat pretty well, I thought a little clarification is in order.

My rule of thumb for dinner is to create a menu that includes at least 4 items, with a 1-2-1 combination: one of these items, I expect my kids will love; two of the dishes are new recipes or foods that I am not sure my kids know or like; and for the final item, I am almost positive my kids won’t like it at all. Take a look at this photo:

Family dinner

Grass-fed beef steaks – this is what I expect my kids will like
Roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli – the 2 dishes I am not sure about
Sauteed spinach – the one I am sure they won’t like

All of these items go on their plates, and they need to take at least a bite of everything. My son inhaled his steak and sweet potatoes, but did not like the broccoli and spinach. My daughter ate her steak (slowly), but loved the broccoli and ate half of this bowl. She did not like the sweet potatoes and avoided the spinach.

This seems pretty normal to me. I will serve a similar meal again, and the next time, I am sure they will enjoy different parts of the dinner.

The menu plans I post on Mondays are indicative of what we eat 99% of the time. However, if we have a crappy day or an unexpected activity arises and our plans change, then my menu plan slips, sometimes completely, and sometimes until later in the week.

Often times, we will have leftovers, and sometimes I will have those for lunch, but if there is a lot, I pack up a container for the freezer. This week, we are having leftover Chicken and Hominy Stew, and Carrot Soup, both from the freezer stash.

I love to try new recipes – I subscribe to loads of different cooking magazines and find great enjoyment from curling up with a new cookbook. Most weeks I try at least one new recipe, something I hope will be successful for our family. However, if I find my husband is going to miss dinner, I often will shuffle things around, as I don’t have much success with new recipes on nights he is away. Takes two of us to provide positive role modeling about a new recipe. And I will often serve a new food 10-15 times before I see any interest from my kids.

Now that my kids are older, cooking with them has become much more interesting. My daughter enjoys being in the kitchen, and has found fun ways to contribute to our family dinner. A fruit salad with honey, or fresh cookies are what she is interested in now, but I like to sit and read cooking magazines with her and see what she is inspired by.

What works in your family? Do you have family dinner? Do your kids eat well, what tricks do you use to introduce new foods?

February was a fun month of travel – I had a couple days up into San Francisco, pretending I was a tourist, then a trip to Southern California with the kids over winter break.

Naturally, in addition to the kids, I took my new best friend, iPhone. She and I get along so well when we travel. She doesn’t snore, she doesn’t steal the covers, and sometimes, when I just want a little peace and quiet, she relaxes me with my favorite tunes.

But, for travel, she is also provides loads of fun stuff. Here are some examples:

Example #1:

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New Restaurant in Santa Barbara

As we drove through Santa Barbara, searching for the Mission Santa Barbara, we decided to grab a bite to eat. Not being familiar with the area, I used my Yelp app to search nearby restaurants. Immediately a list came up which included Los Agaves, a restaurant on Milpas Street. In Yelp, all the information I need to make a decision is provided – reviews, website, directions to the restaurant. And with Yelp, I am finding all sorts of restaurants I thought I would never try – in Atascadero, we ended up at a cute diner where the waitress was super helpful. In Redwood City, I “discovered” a taqueria I would not have found on my own. For someone who relies on personal recommendations, Yelp has been a life saver.

Example #2:

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Geocaching in wherever

Sometimes, when you are traveling with kids, you really need to do something other than check out a museum, visit a monument or eat in another fancy restaurant. That is where the Geocaching app comes in. Geocaching is a treasure hunt using GPS, and for $9.99, you can download the app to your iPhone that makes it possible to Geocache almost anywhere. On our trip, we found caches in Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Fremont and Redondo Beach. We have also used Geocaching as a disguise for hiking – in Alaska, we took a great walk in Chugach State Park, geocaching two sites along the way. The kids loved it!

Example #3:

Google Maps

I don’t try to get lost, but sometimes it happens. Or, I want to find a new shop. Or, like #1, I have used Yelp to find a new restaurant, and now need help navigating there. And this is where Google Maps comes in. I love this on my iPhone. Took a while to get used too, but once I figured out how to search and then display the step-by-step instructions, all is working well. In San Francisco, I used it to navigate on the bus and walking, between Downtown and the Castro. Add in the Nextbus.com site, and I was able to make all my meetings on time.

Example #4:

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Skateboard parks, where?

While down in Southern California with my brother, my kids wanted to try out their new skateboards, and we thought it would be fun to find a skatepark to check out what the more experienced kids were doing. Using AroundMe, and its sister app, SearchIt, we quickly found a skatepark in nearby Hermosa Beach. I also used AroundMe to find a nearby coffee shop and book store, so I had something to do while the kids skated.

What is your favorite travel app?

There are so many lately, many of them free. Others I have enjoyed include OpenTable for making restaurant reservations, Kayak for checking flights and prices, SitOrSquat for the nearest potty, TripIt to manage my itineraries, GateGuru to see what is nearby when stuck in an airport, Evernote to manage my packing list, Skype to make free calls back home, and Fandango to find a nearby movie theater. Now if someone could just build one app to do all of these tasks, then I would be set!

The Master’s Swim Team that I work out with has been having a big event this month, encouraging swimmers to swim 50,000 yards, or 100,000 yards, or whatever gigantic number of yards they desire. The idea is to reinvigorate your workout and challenge yourself.

Because of a cold and a little travel, I am going to make it to about 10,000 yards, or 250 laps. Not too bad, overall. But nothing compared to Mitchell, who is on track to complete 250,000 yards!

In addition to swimming, the team is also encouraged to bring in a can of food for every 200o yards, as a donation to a local food bank. I joke that my goal is 5 cans of food.

Leaving practice the other day, I looked over at the collection barrel for the food bank. It was great to see so much food, cans and packages, piled high. Even overflowing.

As I walked away, I had an internal discussion with myself about the kind of food that is donated during these drives. I saw cans of beans and stew, rice, and the ever-popular, ramen noodles.

I started to think that donating a package of ramen noodles ($.20 a piece, if you buy the big box from CostCo) can be a very inexpensive way to donate, with a seemingly large bang-for-the-buck. Cans of stew and soup make an easy meal, and canned beans are high in protein.

However, this is not the food we eat at home.

Lately, I have been avoiding buying beans in a can, since it is easy to cook them up in a pressure cooker and freeze some for later use. I also have concerns about the amount of sodium in canned goods, and still don’t completely understand the impact of BPA linings of food cans. Soup I make from scratch, generally from vegetables from our CSA, and the only time we eat ramen noodles is at swim meets in the summer!

And then, my struggle comes down to money. If I am going to give $10 to this food drive, am I going to seek out Massa Organics Rice ($4 for a 2 pounds bag) and buy two bags, or stick with grown-who-knows-where rice from the grocery store, and buy way more than 2 bags? If I buy beans, I can buy 10 for $10, if I stick with a generic brand, but if I want to buy organic, Eden Foods brand beans in BPA-free cans for $2.50 a pop from Whole Foods, which means only 4 cans for the food drive.

The other argument I have with myself is just because I eat this way, doesn’t mean everyone else does. Where is it my place to dictate my food preferences through donations. Why shouldn’t I just buy and donate the least expensive food items, with the greatest nutritional value. Who cares if it is local, organic or sustainable?

I guess I do.

So, my workaround for this great dilemma is to donate cash directly to the food bank. That way, everyone is happy. I can give the amount I feel comfortable with, and the food bank can purchase the items they really need, based on their clients requests. Win-win.

Have you had similar internal discussions? What have you decided to do?

In the first ten days of this new decade and year, I have spent time thinking about my goals for 2010. I thought I might be clever and come up with ten goals and share them with you, and encourage you to adopt my goals, and then decided that, no, that’s silly. But after watching Food Inc., I do have one idea to share:

Care about your food

That is pretty easy.

And apparently, it is the most important thing you can do. Think about what you put in your mouth. Think about the food you buy. Read a label. Or two. Talk to a farmer. Or two. Know what is available and make your own choices. Ask questions (don’t be afraid — if the store/food purveyor doesn’t like the questions, move on).

[Ooops, careful, starting to sound preachy...]

I don’t really want to be. But caring about your food should be a high priority. It is your body, and as far as I know, barring any unusual scientific breakthroughs, it will be your only body in this lifetime.

If you want to eat a bag of peanut M&Ms, by all means, do. I know I would (and have). But understand your choice.

I am not asking you to subscribe to a CSA, shop at Farmer’s Markets, buy only local/seasonal produce, eat only sustainably farmed foods and meat. Those are my own personal choices.

I am not asking you to plant a garden, source local food, and cook from scratch. Those are my own personal choices.

I am asking you to think about your food. Any questions?

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment on the Progressive Tools Giveaway! The winners are:

Comment #9 – Kristi C.

Comment #28 – DeeAnn S.

The slicers are winging their way to the winners as we speak.

Happy Holidays to all of you, and be sure to check back in the New Year for more giveaways!

Foodzie Gift

Over the last couple of years, since I started participating in the Eat Local Challenge, I have developed an interest in finding food close to home. We subscribe to a vegetable CSA through Two Small Farms, as well as a fruit CSA through Frog Hollow Farms. This weekend at the FoodBuzz Conference, I learned about more local food options, some part of the Foodzie community.

Foodzie is on a mission to help you find tasty food from local food producers. As a sponsor of FoodBuzz, they brought several of their favorites and demonstrated a great diversity of products.

FoodBuzz had loads of interesting and local staples, here are some of my favorites:

Olive oil:

Stella Cadente Olive Oil and St. Helena Olive Oil Co. are two local olive oil companies. Located in Fort Bragg and St. Helena, California, respectively, these shops are turning out tasty olive oils and vinegars, and any would make an outstanding holiday gift for the locavore on your list.

Salt:

La Mar’s Mendocino Seasoning Co. in Gualala, California, is bringing local salt to the Bay Area. When fishing closures forced them to shutter their sport fishing business on the Mendocino Coast, they turned to a all purpose seasoning mix that Lora used to make for holiday gifts. Bob began to produce handcrafted sea salt and they were able to combine their interests into a new seasoning company.

Chocolate:

Au Coeur des Chocolats is practically right around the corner from my house, in Redwood City, California. Featuring sea salt caramels, handmade chocolates and caramelized almonds, Shawn Williams and Doug Basegio are created excellent artisan chocolates on the Peninsula.

Wine:

Ehlers Estate, an organic and biodynamic winery north of St. Helena, California, served up some of my favorites in their 100% estate produced wines, including Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. They also produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.

Handley Cellars in Philo, California, the Anderson Valley, makes the most of their cool wine growing climate, producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer and a sparkling wine. We tasted the sparkling wine, a 2006 Handley Brut Rose, made from 80% Pinot Noir grapes. A tasty sparkler, it would be great on the holiday table this year!

Well, I think I have covered the basics – olive oil, salt, chocolate and wine. Oh, wait, there is one more. Popcorn!

479 Popcorn is another local company producing tasty, ready-popped corn for your enjoyment. The popcorn is sourced from the Sacramento area, quite local indeed. I tasted the Chipotle Caramel + Almonds, and it was nicely balanced, not too sweet and not too spicy. Other flavors include Fleur de Sel Caramel, Madras Curry Coconut + Cashews, and Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt. They are also branching out and providing a Pop It Yourself Kit, with special sugar and salt blends.

All great gift ideas. In fact, if you were super clever, you might include one of everything and send it to your sweetie for the holidays!

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About this time last year, I was contacted by Lydia Walshin from Perfect Pantry and Drop In & Decorate, with a unique proposal. Have a party, she suggested, and invite your friends to come over and decorate cookies for the holidays. Then, take those cookies and donate them to a local non-profit organization serving basic human needs in your community.

Wow, I thought, what a great idea. I always host a cookie exchange or two during December, but after you exchange the cookies and eat lunch, there is not much to do. Decorating large sugar cookies to donate would be a great activity. So, last Christmas, I hosted my first Drop In & Decorate event to support the Ronald MacDonald House, and then in May, hosted another Drop In & Decorate for Mother’s Day. Both occasions were well received, with friends commenting about how enjoyable it was to decorate and create with worthy recipients in mind!

This year, as the holidays approach, I am again thinking about hosting a Drop In & Decorate event. I will chose a Saturday or Sunday, so I have time to prepare, and may start reaching out to non-profits before Thanksgiving. I learned a couple things from my last two events:

1. Start calling non-profits earlier than you think
2. Be flexible when offering the cookies – some organizations were having special parties they wanted the cookies for, others could only take donations M-F
3. The cookies can last a week or two after you make them – all that frosting helps, plus wrapping them individually in plastic bags helps keep them fresh

If you’d like to host your own Drop In & Decorate® event, Pillsbury and Wilton would like to help! Pillsbury has donated 50 VIP coupons, worth $3.00 each, off any Pillsbury product — including sugar cookie mix, icing and flour — to be distributed, first come, first served, while supply lasts, to anyone who plans to host a Drop In & Decorate event (max. 5 coupons per person). And Lydia will include a Comfort Grip cookie cutter, donated by Wilton, while supplies last. Write to lydia AT ninecooks DOT com for more info on how to get your free coupons and cookie cutters.

And if you plan on hosting your own event, be sure to check out Lydia’s great information on how to Host Your Own Party, as well as Recipes for Cookies and Icing. I typically make Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies a week or so in advance, and freeze them until I am ready to decorate. I make the Royal Icing with the help of friends, and my family helps package the cookies when they are all set.

Are you planning to host a Drop In & Decorate event? Let me know!

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One of the programs I learned about this weekend at Foodbuzz is the Food For Thought event, in support of Mission Graduates. On Wednesday, November 11th, 25 restaurants in the Mission District of San Francisco will donate a portion of their sales to Mission Graduates, a non-profit organization focused on increasing the number of Mission District kids who are prepared for and complete a college education. Participating restaurants include Maverick, Foreign Cinema, Little Star Valencia, Range and Mission Beach Cafe.

So, if you are planning to eat out on Wednesday, November 11 in San Francisco, consider a trip to the Mission and support Mission Graduates. Feel-good eating at its best!