Exhibit A in the Case Against Canning

Ha! Manatee- Ha!

I have begun to use my canning jars.

Let me present to the jury, exhibit A- Preserved Lemons. I will use one preserved lemon in a recipe for Moroccan Chicken, the other 5.....well, I may need your help for that.

Preserved Lemons

6-8 Lemons
1/4 to 1/2 cup of kosher salt

1. Sterilize your jar- I think the easiest way is to pop it in the dishwasher and run it.

2. Make a thin layer of salt in the jar. Put the rest of the salt into a bowl.

3. Cut lemon in quarters, but stop cutting 1/2 inch from base, so quarters remain attached.

4. Holding lemon over bowl, open lemon and spread salt over exposed flesh.

5. Close lemon and roll it in salt so salt gets on skin.

6. Smooth lemon into jar.

7. Repeat with as many lemon as you can squeeze into jar.

8. With any remaining lemons, juice them into another bowl and then pour into jar so that juice is covering all the lemons.

9. Seal jar and but in pantry (cool, dark place). For the next 4 weeks, you will need to flip the jar every day.

10. After four weeks, you can start to use your preserved lemons. Once the jar is opened, keep it in the refrigerator. The lemons will stay good for 6 months. Make sure there is always lemon juice covering the lemons (you may need to add fresh lemon juice). When you retrieve a lemon, use a wooden spoon (not your fingers) so you are not introducing any bacteria into the jar.

WORD TO THE WISE: Since you are working with both lemons and salt, make sure you do not have any cuts on your hands.

Special Occasion Salad

Now salads are an everyday menu item at the Manatee household. This salad is a 'treat' salad. We were invited to dinner by some friends and we knew they were going to serve pork tenderloin. I volunteered a salad- for Manatee a salad is a dessert hence why I refer to him as Manatee- so I knew this would make him happy.
I just got my own copy of The Flavor Bible and decided to put it to use. I looked up pork tenderloin and then from there put together a salad that ended up being a great compliment to the pork.

I wish I had taken a picture of it because it was quite lovely (unlike the potato leek soup) but perhaps next time.

Special Occasion Salad


Spinach
Organic Spring Mix
Dried Cranberries
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Stix
Crumbled Feta Cheese (optional)
1/2 Apple
1/2 Pear
approx. 2 Tbsp of lemon juice

Dressing:
4 parts olive oil
3 parts Balsalmic vinegar
2 parts dijon mustard


Mix together the spinach and spring mix.

Add the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

Cut the apple and pear into small slivers. Toss with the lemon juice. Add to salad.

Serve the sesame sticks and feta cheese on the side.

Mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Shake. Serve on the side.

Enjoy!

:)

Potato Leek Soup

Last night I got to try a new cooking toy- an immersion blender. My life has now changed for the better. Creamy soups without the dairy- Fall and Winter are going to usher in a new era at the Manatee household. Our first soup was potato and leek. Now looks can be deceiving. I was warming it up for lunch and just waiting for someone to comment on the aromas coming from the microwave or the beautiful soup I was stirring, and then I would say, nonchalently "Oh, this? I just whipped this up last night." Then I looked at my soup, I mean really actually looked at my soup.



It looks like gravy.

But I can assure you, it tastes much better. :)

Potato and Leek Soup

2 lb of golden Yukon potatoes

2 medium sized leeks

1 Tbsp of Olive Oil

4 cups of vegetable broth

1. Cut the green ends off the leeks and discard.

2. Slice in half the long way. Then thinly slice.

3. You'll need to wash the leeks between each layer. Easiest way to do this: fill your (clean) sink with cold water and put the sliced leeks in there.

4. Wash the potatoes (assuming you have a double sink :) ). My original recipe said to peel them and I say forget it. Just thinly slice and set aside.

5. Take leeks out of sink.

6. Get a 4 quart saucepan hot and then add oil. Add leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly so they don't burn.

7. Add potatoes and broth. Turn it up really high so that it boils. Once it boils, turn down to medium low and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes.

8. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.

9. Add salt and pepper to taste (you'll need it) and enjoy!



The Canning Challenge

Manatee must not know me very well. Amidst finishing our registry today at Bed, Bath and Beyond, he threw down a challenge. As I hoisted up a package of canning jars, he looked at me and said, "Come on, you're not actually going to can anything."
I think my jaw may have actually hit the floor. Aside from the fact that I have been happily planning all the things I wanted to can/preserve (preserved lemons, some kind of delicious berry jelly, tomato sauce, pickles, relishes) and have been setting aside countless recipes that were just waiting for me to get canning materials, did he really think that telling me I wouldn't do something wouldn't make me want to do it even more?
So, the canning challenge has been thrown down. I will can something or preserve something or put a bunch of stuff in all of these glass jars in the next few months. You readers are my witness, and you readers that are close friends may be getting some pretty jarred gifts in the next few months.

You have been warned.

Land of the Misfit Herbs

This post has been a long time coming.

Way back in July, I got into my head that I just had to have a herb garden. I went down to the local garden store and explained I knew nothing about herbs or gardening but I knew I wanted an herb garden. I would have thought they would have been excited to share their knowledge but all I got was a pitying glance, "Well," she said, "you know you are coming pretty late in the season. We really don't have much. Are you sure you don't want something else?" "No" I stood resolutely. "I want herbs." She sighed and radio-ed out to someone in back and sent me on my way.

That woman also met me with a pitying sigh. "We're pretty picked over. Are you sure you want an herb garden now?" I thought maybe it was like converting to Judaism where they turn you down three times before letting you convert.
"I really want an herb garden."
"Positive?"
"Yes, I want an herb garden now."
She sighed again, defeated."If you insist, this is what we have" and she motioned over two rows of scraggly plants.
"We don't really have anything good left but you may be able to find something you like."
Their sales ability was truly astounding.
Because they had oregano, I didn't think the select was THAT bad. Essentially I chose the herbs that did NOT attract bees and so I picked out oregano, sorrel, sage, pineapple sage and savory.

It is to my utter shock that in September these herbs are still alive and (gulp) thriving. Now I am trying to figure out what to do with them. I did some internet research and learned how to dry them so more to come on that. Thus far Manatee and I have eaten fresh oregano and sorrel. Sorrel is kind of a neat one- in the pictures, it's the bigger green leaves and has a very lemon-y taste. We have mixed it with our salads and really like it.

So, any tips on what to do with fresh oregano, sage, pineapple sage and savory?

On a personal note, I am now officially Mrs. Manatee . :)

Summer Meals

Manatee and I are getting down to the wire in terms of our wedding. On a rather ragged Saturday evening, we were up North and in the midst of wedding chaos. I had brought up two bags of fresh CSA produce and I was determined to eat it. I began chopping, sans recipe and sans plan. As a I mauled my way through the tomatoes (Manatee can't stand the way I cut things, apparently I am supposed to saw but I prefer powering through) a plan began to crystallize. I threw mushrooms, garlic and onions in a pan and let them cook for awhile. Then I added tomatoes and began to chop eggplant and zucchini. My timing with all of this was off because my mom had broiled chicken breasts which were already done. We sawed up the chicken and threw all of it into pans. As it simmered I realized one pan didn't have enough liquid. First I put in water and then realized that it would be bland so I dug through my parents' cupboards and found balsamic vinegar. I threw some of that in the pan and covered it.
At that point of course I realized I had too much liquid and this was going to turn into a mess fast. This time I scavenged in the fridge and found a head of ice berg lettuce. I tore it up and took the cobs of corn out of the boiling water and voila! A summer meal of chicken, tomatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini and egg plant over lettuce with corn on the cob on the side. :)
It sure beat the baseball hot dog and potato chips that we would have ended up eating had I not used cooking to calm my nerves.

When the Going Gets Tough...

Use chicken sausage.

Yep, I said that.

I wish I had some amazing recipes to share with you but I have entered survival mode. While I did make an awesome pasta-free lasagna, I frankly don't have time to tell you about it. What I do have time to do is make an un-apologetic lovefest regarding Target brand (Archer Farms) organic chicken sausage.

My favorite kind is Chicken Apple and Manatee prefers Porcino Mushroom and Herb. Both are non-dairy and very healthy (you can eat 11 of them and still have less fat/calories than 1 brat!), and totally organic, so no chemicals or hard to pronounce ingredients. What I love about them is they are pre-cooked so you just need to reheat them, they're yummy and not so bad for you. You can eat them plain, pretend they are a brat and throw on sauerkraut and whatnot, or what I have been doing lately, is chopping them up and throwing them in with fresh veggies.

If you want to do the Italian thing, use the porcino mushroom ones with some fresh veggies (mushrooms, zucchini/summer squash, tomatoes, herbs, onions) and have them with some whole wheat spaghetti or use the apple ones with a peanut sauce. I have tossed them in with broccoli and whole wheat spaghetti and tonight I tossed them in with scallions, broccoli, zucchini and brown rice. The possibilities are endless.

When I have time I will share with you the pasta-free lasagna and my debacle with shredded cabbage (shudder!) but until then I am going to enjoy my sausage!