Chicken Soup

I love soup and chicken soup has got to be one of the easiest things to throw together... especially when you have some leftover chicken.  I roasted a chicken a few days ago and then promptly joined my little one in her cold.  You can go the harder way and make your own broth, and I do save chicken carcasses in the freezer for that purpose, but you can also use the chicken stock in a box variety and it does nicely for a quick dinner.  Last night I went with matzo balls instead of noodles.... feel good in a bowl!

For this soup I used:

1.5 - 2 quarts chicken stock, either a brand you like or homemade
2 stalks celery sliced
3-4 carrorts peeled and sliced
Leftover chicken shredded, about a cup
1 package Matzo ball mix (not the soup mix, just the Matzo Ball mix), I had this brand on hand
2 eggs (for the Matzo Balls)
2 Tbsp veg oil (for the Matzo Balls)

I made the matzo balls according to the package.  They are pretty good for a box.... and take 5 minutes to make, plus 15 minutes of letting the mix sit in the fridge.
Put the carrots and celery in the broth, bring to a boil, add the matzo balls and cook covered 20 minutes.
I added the chicken to the bowl and it was heated up by the hot broth.  This served 2 adults and 1 child with little leftover.

Dinner done in 40 minutes, with only about 15 minutes of time actually "doing" anything.  You could throw in more veggies if you like, sometimes I add some frozen green beans or peas, or leftover veggies if I have them.  With matzo balls I like to keep it simple with just carrots and celery.

I had 4 matzo balls and wanted more... but restrained myself.

Perfect dinner for a cold and rainy day, you could a salad to round out the meal a little, but being sick I wasn't much in the mood for that.

Soda Bread my Mom's way

Irish Soda Bread is one of those things that I wonder why I save just for March.  We've always had a big St. Patrick's Day party in my family and my mother is in charge bringing the soda bread.  I don't get back to NY every year for the party, but I have to make soda bread where ever I spend St. Patty's  Although there are many recipes out there, I have always been partial to "the way my Mom makes it".  Round loaves with a big X, filled with raisins and caraway seeds.  Amazing fresh, and just as good for the next few days toasted up with butter on it.  This recipe is also on the sweet side for a bread, but I haven't even gotten any complaints!

The recipe my Mom uses is in an old cookbook, and it's one of those pages with stains and lots of annotations and adjustments written on it.  Her version is as follows:

Irish Soda Bread
4 C. flour
1C. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C. butter, melted
1C. raisins
1 Tbsp. caraway seeds
1 1/2 C buttermilk

Heat oven to 350 deg.

Whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda) in a large bowl.  Pour the melted butter over the dry and stir in with a wooden spoon until the mixture looks crumbly and sandy with a few larger bits of butter.  Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds.  Gradually add the buttermilk, mixing with your wooden spoon until it comes together into a moist dough.  Generously four your counter and knead the dough 10-15 times, or until it's not wet anymore on the outside.  Divide into 2 round loaves and place on a large baking sheet.  Cut an X in the top, brush with milk (or the leftover buttermilk from your measuring cup) and sprinkle the top with sugar.  Bake in 350 deg oven for almost an hour, or until the loaf is golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack covered with a clean dish towel for a couple of hours or until completely cool.

The dough will look like this when the melted butter is mixed in.  

Enjoy a slice!

A little pick me up

I spotted these peanut butter goodies the other day and just had to try them.  Homemade peanut butter cup?  Yes please!

They may not be as beautiful as Katy's are over on No Big Dill, but I am pretty sure they taste just as good.

This bowl of wonderfulness is stashed in the back of the refrigerator.  If they make it through the weekend I may just have a few to share (with the mommies) at my play date next week.

Pile begone!

I finally installed some shelving in my laundry room and cleaned up the pile that was monopolizing half of my counter space...

I went from this embarrassment:

To this!  It has stayed that was a for over a week now too...

In love with Madeline

This is the second sweater I've knit for Erin with Madeline Tosh yarn, it is just beautiful stuff.  It's hand dyed in the most lovely variegated way, is super soft and is amazing to knit with.  It's also machine washable!  So I can buy this beautiful yarn for Erin and I don't have to worry about her just being a toddler!

She found the last apple left on our little tree.

Still needs to be blocked a bit, the lace is crumpled on the bottom

Let's go to the park already Mom!

The pattern is Baby Tabitha by Sandi Rosner for Kollage Yarns.  I knit the size 2, and added a little extra length, about 1/2", to the bottom section to account for Erin's long torso.  It fits perfect right now, but I may have to knit another in the next size for next year!  

Another bright fall pretty

I just love how this dress turned out, or at least 95% of it.  That's pretty darn good for a dress that contains several firsts for this novice seamstress.  First time making a garment out of corduroy, this was a sweet fine wale cord in some bright dots.  First time inserting a neat and clean zipper, I've done some messy ones but this was the first one I was actually pleased with.  First time setting in a front placket, with those cute little pleats no less.  

Had to get a shot of the cute bow I picked up at the farmers market, totally need to try and make one of these.

I just love the toothy smile and had to sneak this one in too!

Spider Web

I just saw a post over at MADE and had to make my own spider web over my fireplace.  My Mom commented the other day how I had nothing on my mantle so I though this would be a good remedy.  Plus I need some Halloween decorations already!

Yeah, still pretty bare but working on it.

Maybe some spiders on those candle sticks will improve things?

14 pounds of apples

Another reason to love fall is apple picking!  Too bad the closest place to pick here in Portland is out in Hood River.  Good thing I got my apple picking fix in NY in September because a trip out the gorge isn't happening this season.  Oh well, I did get a big bag of apples from Dinihanian's Farm where we get our CSA.

14 lbs of apples go from this:

really about 3x this number of apples

I leave the skins on, and use a food mill after it's cooked.  

Beautiful!  No sugar needed.  

to 5 pints of applesauce in about an hour and a half.  

Wait... 14 lbs of apples only gets you 5 pints of applesauce?  Well you also get two of these!

Tree Pants

Planning on participating in my first Sew Along!  Or I guess I hope to be, depends on what the actual project details are and they are up next week.  Sew, Mama, Sew! is having a sew along for several home holiday projects in October, the idea being to get the home projects done before you start in on the holiday gift making.  The "Tree Pants" project is for a cute and simple tree skirt quilt with bright stars floating in a solid background.  Mentally debating what color combos I want to go with, traditional?, bright and cheery colors?  Here's hoping my Christmas tree will get to trade in the table cloth this year for an actual tree skirt!

A Little Autumn Sunshine

I love the autumn, it may just be my favorite season. Apple picking, refreshing cool days and turning leaves are high on the list of life's little joys for me.  What I don't like is leaving behind the bright and cheery colors of spring and summer, especially on my little one.  So I made this sunny top to bridge the summer weather into the fall.  It's great layered with a tee underneath, and looks just as good on it's own for the warm days or with a long sleeve underneath as the days get cooler.  The pattern is based loosely on an existing pattern for a dress. I shortened the bodice pieces and added ruffled "skirt" to be the length I wanted for the top.  Easy!  The best part, she loves this top and actually took off her shirt the other day and asked to exchange it for this one, yea!

Posing sweetly

Jumping?

Perfect for exploring

Simple joys in NY

A few small pleasures of late summer in upstate NY...

The best way to eat a fresh picked tomato grown by your grandpa

Riding on a garage sale gem

Drinking from the hose with a little help from your cousin



Digging in the sunshire after 4 days of rain

Everyone asks my uncle to pass this little guy down to them whenever he brings it out

Poppy for my little pea

Erin needed a new winter hat and I am loving Turquoise lately so made her a little Poppy hat from a free Ravelry pattern.  Cascade Fixation again, I love that stretchy soft yarn made into little things for little ones.

She seemed excited!

Baby C Peek

A new baby is arriving soon for a good friend and I made a few things to help welcome him into this world.  The little hat is my favorite newborn hat.  It's stretchy and will stay on a new little head and keep that tiny body warm.  It's made from Cascade Fixation and the pattern is a simple beanie with a top knot from my local yarn store. 

A blanket with ties for the stroller

A nursing pillow cover that isn't pink from his big sister

The star pattern on the nursing pillow cover was quite serendipitous since my friend asked me to make a crib skirt and some sheets in a "space" theme for her son's new room.  We found some adorable fabrics and I have been working away on his nursery decor.  I am just in love with how it is turning out and can't wait to share the finished goods!

A peek at the fabrics... those adorable rocket ships are from In The Beginning's Rocket Scientist line.  

Goodbye Brother, Hello Brother

Just under a year ago I bought my first electronic sewing machine.  I found a nice deal on a entry level Brother model from Costco.  All the basic utility stitches I could need, nifty buttonholes and a slew of feet were included.   My previous machine was a White Zigzig model, a beautiful turquoise green and white in a cabinet that had seen better days.  It was dependable for mediocre results, probably would have been great after a servicing but since that cost 3x what I paid for the machine I could never bring myself to haul it in.  The new machine was a nice upgrade for me, and was at the right price point at the time, just under a couple hundred.  I was just getting back into sewing and wasn't sure how much time I'd end up spending on it, especially considering that I had a 1 year old and my sewing is pretty much relegated to naptime.

After finishing up my first ever full fledged knit project last weekend my sewing machine broke.  I was putting it away, unplugging and lowering the needle to guard against curious toddler fingers and noticed that it was difficult to turn the wheel.  Huh. So I turned it all back on and tried to lower the needle with the electronic button.  Loud and disturbing sounds and stuttering of the needle ensued followed by a flashing error code on the LCD.  A little fruitless troubleshooting and a trip to the repair shop later, I found out it was going to cost nearly as much to get it fixed as it cost. I was duly informed that those entry level models are full of plastic gears that loose teeth like a 6 year old.  Apparently you get what you pay for.  I really loved that machine until it broke.  Thank goodness Costco has a wonderful return policy and I could bring back my machine for a full refund.  I love you Costco, your products are generally great and when they aren't your customer service is.

Goodbye Brother

Hello Brother!

Please excuse that Project Runway logo, not really my thing but boy am I excited to sew on my new baby!  Too bad Erin is awake after a 25 minute car nap, I guess it will wait til tomorrow.  

Pedicure and Blackberries

A couple of weeks back I had my first pedicure in almost 2 years.  It used to be an indulgence every couple of months, but after having my sweet pea it fell to the bottom of the list when choosing what to do with my "free time".  Things like doctor appointments, groceries and haircuts were higher up on the list.  I finally got around to treating myself to the bliss that is a pedicure and flipping through magazines without a toddler demanding that I color or play trucks with her.  I came across an article about Dorie Greenspan bloggers in O magazine and a beautiful picture of a cupcake topped with a yogurt icing and blueberry pie filling.  The picture was so simple and alluring, a golden cupcake topped with pure white icing with a deep blue-black dollop of blueberry pie filling on top.  It's cited as an adaptation of a Dorie Greenspan recipe.  With a little guilt I tore recipe the page out and slipped it into my purse; sorry future readers of that magazine, you will miss out on the last column!

That recipe has been laying on my counter since then, begging to be made, but with all that canning just didn't happen.  Until today when I got a pint of big beautiful blackberries from our CSA, they were just begging to replace that pie filling and sit atop those cupcakes.  The recipe is simple too, no mixer required.  The only step that was a bit strange was folding in a half cup of canola oil at the end, which didn't really work and I had to just flat out mix it with a whisk to get it to incorporate.  I am suspicious that the original recipe called for butter and for some reason (does Oprah ban butter in her magazine?) it was switched to canola oil.  The results were good, not great, but very pretty!

I'd like to try the original version of  her french yogurt cake to compare.  The flavors in the cake were great: fresh from the lemon zest and the ground almonds added a nice nutty flavor.  The texture was a bit dense (no mixer?).  The icing made from greek yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla and gelatin was pretty but also had a less than perfect texture.  I expected a smooth but firm icing, and it was a bit grainy from the gelatin, but that my be my fault.  I bloomed the gelatin in cold water, my package didn't have directions and I think I should have used warm water.  It was grainy going into the cold yogurt and didn't get any smoother with mixing.

Overall I like this recipe and will try it again, but I think I will beat the sugar/yogurt/eggs to get some lightness in them and then fold in the flour and oil next time, or try melted butter instead of oil.  

Canning weekend

I love canning and I think it's so under valued these days.  I grew up with my mom canning in the summers.  She was mostly a jam maker, and never missed making at least enough strawberry and raspberry jam for our family for the rest of the year.  I clearly remember going off to college and having store bought jam for the first time, realizing how lucky I was to have enjoyed my mother's jam all those years (actually I thought, "This stuff is garbage").  Now I know that was cafeteria grade jam, but there is just no comparison in my mind between store bought and homemade.  As long as you use good fresh fruits, homemade jam is far and away superior to my tastes and you can control how much sugar you are adding.  My mom also made the occasional pickles and sweet pepper relish, as well as a sweet chili sauce that I have never been able to find a store bought replacement for.

I made a big batch of strawberry jam back in June when the local berries were at their peak, and I was lucky enough to have my Mom make it with me while she visiting.  This past weekend our family went blueberry picking and came home with 12 pounds of berries.  So blueberry jam was on deck, as well as some new recipes for blueberry syrup and blueberry butter.  The jam came out perfect and now I have 9 jars to enjoy for the rest of the year.

The "Blueberry Bonanza" recipe that yielded the syrup and butter was less of a success but still pretty good.  The recipe cooked down the berries for a few minutes, then separated the juice from the solids.  The juice was used to make a syrup, for pancakes or ice cream.  The syrup actually jelled up a little, instead of remaining syrupy, so that was less than perfect, but the taste is good.  I cut down on the sugar in the recipe by about 15%, and I think next time I'd cut out more because it turned out a little too sweet for my taste.  It will definitely get eaten at home, but won't be gifted to anyone.  On the other hand, I love the Blueberry Butter results!  The solids (and some juice that doesn't completely drain by gravity)are cooked down with some lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg until it's a spreadable consistency.  I can't wait spread some on my morning toast... just waiting to finish up the open jars of jam first!

Also on this past weekend's canning list were some Dilled Beans.

I had an over abundance of green beans from our CSA this past week so I decided to add in some yellow wax beans and try out another new recipe for dilled beans.  Pretty much a dill pickle on the green beans.   Fingers crossed for a good result, I'm letting them pickle awhile before I open a jar.

Hoping to get raspberry and blackberry jam put away before the end of the summer, and for those I can pick from our own raspberry bushes and the "wild" blackberries that grow all over around here!  I also would like to make some straight up dill pickles.  I saw some pickling cukes last week when I was picking our CSA... so I may have to get those this week and do some more canning this weekend!

Making my own

As much as I love a nice slice of toast hot and buttered, I don't like to keep butter on the counter, especially in the summer.  So we use that spreadable butter made with Canola oil, nice buttery taste and spreadable right out of the fridge.  My favorite brand, with the least number of "other" ingredients on the label:

It still has a fair number of ingredients beyond butter and canola oil.  I've been thinking more and more about trying to eliminate those additives from my family's diet, and this seemed like something that I could totally make. So after a little research I decided to go with a 50/50 (by volume) mix of butter to canola oil. That's 2 sticks butter to 1/2 cup oil.  

I started with 2 sticks of regular salted butter at room temperature (I cook and bake with unsalted, but for spreading I like salted butter).

I put it in the food processor and let it rip until it was all smooth

I then drizzled in 1/2 cup of canola oil while it was running and ended up with a really loose and soupy "butter"

I spooned it back into my original container and popped it into the fridge to set up. 

The result was great!  It's solid after chilling and spreads right out of the refrigerator.  I'd say the only downside is washing the food processor, took a bit extra soap to get that greasy butter off.  The taste is good too, just like butter except a bit lighter.  It also cuts the saturated fat down, which can never be a bad thing for your health.  I figure it's about half the price of buying my favorite brand, which makes everyone happy!  Also, I can reuse that container that fits perfectly in my refrigerator's butter tray.  Yay!

Irresistible Indeed

My list on things to make from the "Growing Up Sew Liberated" is long but I had to make these adorable numbers for my sweat pea to play with.  The book is beautiful and I can't wait to tackle some of the other projects but these were a perfect little something to keep my hands busy in the evenings.  Erin loves them already, practicing gathering them all up and seeing if she can carry them all around at once.

Baking Therapy

Baking is my therapy and lately I've needed a little comforting.  My cousin recently posted a recipe for English Muffin Bread, it being one of her go to recipes for a little comfort food.  I can see why, it's simple and easy and the result is a couple of hot loaves of delicious white bread with a tender bite and a nice yeasty aroma.

As yeast bread goes this is pretty darn simple.  Mix the dough, knead it in the bowl only enough to get it to come together and then shape into your loaf pans, a single rise in the pan and into the oven it goes.  A half hour later your kitchen smells like a bakery and you forget you worries because you are trying to will that bread to cool enough to cut that first hot slice.  Mr Sid came home from work, took one look and said "I can't wait to make an egg sandwich on that", then promptly buttered and devoured a slice.

A couple of slices are headed into the toaster in a moment...

What to do with some pretty ripe apricots?

We are in the throes of summer fruits here in Oregon and I find myself with some extra apricots.  We've already eaten a bunch and I decided that the last ones are a bit too ripe to eat out of hand.  With some inspiration I decided to make an Upside Down Apricot Cherry Cake.  I didn't have quite enough apricots to cover the bottom of the pan (only 3 big ones) so I decided to add in some pitted and halved Bing cherries from one of our local farms.  The result was beautiful and tasted just as good topped with a little whipped cream.