karminadellic's Blog
karminadellic's Blog
Last Post 139 days, 7 hours Ago
Jul 17, 2008 | 2:34 PM PST
Tags: cooking , baking
I love to cook. I am a disaster at baking. This came out when I was asked to report my pickle and cantaloupe preserve recipes in the forum section. The closest thing I can come up with is an ingredient list with terms like: big pinch, little pinch, handful, a few and a lot.
I read recipes to get ideas but don't follow them. I think the problem with baking is that I don't measure anything. I mean I can and I will, but I don't like to. My job as a technical writer and editor is very detail oriented. I work on manuals describing step by step how to repair airplane parts - so trust me I know that little things are important. But when I come home and look in the fridge or out in the garden for something to make for dinner - it is my creative release. I want to play with flavors and experiment - turn off that part of my brain that can tell if a margin is off a centimeter or if the verb doesn't agree with adjective.
Cooking from my garden is incredibly stimulating to me - and every harvest I discover new ways to cook things and appreciate flavors differently. One summer after a long winter in Vermont I had a stocked freezer, pantry and a thriving garden. I decided to see how long I could eat with what I had without going to the grocery store (that was 45 min. away). 3 months! It really stretched me to see the resources under my own nose and try things I never would have otherwise.
With baking, you only have one shot . Rising, resting, kneading creates a controlled chemical event. The process is volatile based on tiny degrees of variations. My boyfriend is a chemist and loves to bake - I totally admire and appreciate those skills (and his macadamia nut chocolate chip cookies!) I always do something like swap baking soda for baking powder and the whole thing turns out to inedible. I feel terrible that I wasted all that time!
Cooking gives me the freedom to make mistakes. If you are going to experiment you have to be prepared to fail. If something doesn't work, I can adjust seasonings, add something, or throw out the rice that burned and make it a salad.
How many of you gardeners out there are cookers vs. bakers?
Jul 16, 2008 | 2:02 AM PST
Tags: gifts , Eggplant , pesto
I really enjoy giving gifts. I love to think of the person and give them something that will really make them smile. I don't have extra cash particularly around the holidays so if you are my friend you know you will receive a small, unique, homemade labor of love from me rather than a new ipod. Perhaps it's my own complex but it seems culture and society seem to value quantity, size, cash equivalent. Not a platform that I have the ability or the desire to compete on. I have had mixed feelings at times giving homemade gifts. There is always that fear that I am giving something that they hate but will be too afraid of hurting my feelings to just give it to the goodwill.
One thing I have always found to be safe is fruits from the garden. My great aunt turned 90 years old. What do you give a 90 year old woman that she doesn't already have? I thought of my childhood memories in her amazing rose garden. it was my fairyland that I looked forward to visiting every time we went to her house. With that thought, I looked out the window and saw my first Japanese eggplant ripening on the vine. I snipped it - tied a ribbon around it with the note, "My first harvest." I whipped up a spinach pesto, put it in a crock. I went to the discount store and for $10 bought a bright green tin bucket, some yellow checked dishcloths, and a pair of green gardening gloves. First fruits to the matriarch. A fellow gardener knows that this is an honor. Well - she loved it and is still talking about it.
So this year when everyone is passing around gift certificates, my loved ones will be receiving jars of pickles and preserves. They will also be receiving my attention, my time, my labor, and my blessings for growth and life. That's better than anything you can get at the mall.
Jul 16, 2008 | 1:39 AM PST
Tag: pickles
This weekend my kitchen turned into a pickle factory. It is so rewarding to see the 24 quarts of pickles that my garden produced this year.The recipes for pickles are short and simple - but be prepared that it takes quite a bit of time if you count for prep. Here are a few tips newbies I learned:
1) Clear and Clean First. Take the time before you start to make space in the kitchen. I cleared everything off the counters and made sure all surfaces were clean and free of crumbs and grease. I rolled a table in from the living room to do the slicing on and put an old shower curtain under as a drop cloth. Be sure to get out and clean all your ladles, tongs, pots, and ingredients. It makes everything go smoother if what you need is on hand and ready.
2) Beg, Borrow or Steal Good Tools. I'm not into spending a lot of money on equipment and gadgets that you use only once a year so scour the Goodwill, garage sales, and be good to your foodie friends. They won't mind if you return what you borrowed clean, in a timely manner, and of course a gift of the finished product!Last time I did pickles I hand sliced everything and it took a ridiculously long time so this year I borrowed a mandolin (plank slicer) from my gourmet aunt and uncle who have every foodie gadget imaginable (they have 12 spatulas each a different size and shape). It helped A LOT. I also borrowed a large steamer tray that I put over 2 of my stove top burners. 12 quart sized jars could fit at one time and it worked great.
3) Solicit Help. I am the only one that I know personally that counts on their garden for groceries much less cans. People have aunts or grandmas who do. They helped once when they were five. Invite them over for the experience. I titled an email, "Little House on the Prairie Weekend." made a pitcher of sangria and invited my friends. Preparing the food is a communal event. Laughter infuses the what you are making and makes it taste better and another set of hands to slice when yours cramps up is invaluable.
Good luck! It is such a great feeling to hear the seal crack as I open a fresh jar and think "I made this!"
Jul 16, 2008 | 12:14 AM PST
Tags: water , grass , arizona
So I live in a metropolis in a desert. My boyfriend and I moved into our current house in January. The former tenants had let every living thing in both front and back yards wither away. It is amazing what happens with a little TLC and water! Our backyard is now a garden oasis. The grass is green and thick. It was yellow and patchy. The mesquite tree has doubled in size and the veggie garden is going crazy.
We have been watering the back yard every night (when it's dark to prevent evaporation) for 10-20 minutes. So the water bill went up and we decided to consolidate our efforts in the backyard - where we entertain and spend most of our time - and have only been sporadically watering the front grass. Who cares about the Joneses Right?
Now we just got a letter from the City stating we must restore the front lawn or replace it with desert landscaping due to it's "Slum-like" appearance. For real? It didn't look that bad - just yellow in spots - and it's Arizona in the summer for goodness sake. We are fixing up the place one thing at a time - installing desert landscaping is on the agenda but not in the budget right now.
Well - whatever. I'm enjoying my beautiful GREEN back yard. We had a rain this week and monsoons are on their way so the front grass will just have to deal. The roses in front look great BTW - I water those ;)
