I accepted the job at Cornell the other day. I'm not sure if it's coincidental, but I've been backsliding on the no-shopping experiment. I bought a frozen pizza, mustard, juice, sausage, and almond milk today. I don't need any of those things, really, but I'm getting pretty bored with the contents of my freezer/cupboards.
Nonetheless, I've made some progress. There is noticeably more space in my freezer now. I'm cooking one of the turkeys in a few day, so that's going to free up a lot of space.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
"It'll keep you regular" mixed grain and seed bread
As part of my "no-shopping experiment," I'm trying to use up my supplies of different flours + seeds. Today I decided to make the mixed grain and seed bread from the recipe book that came with the stand mixer. I didn't have enough whole wheat flour, and I had a lot of buckwheat and rye flour, so I ended up with the following recipe. I am sort of frightened by the fact that I had all these ingredients on hand.
The name needs no explanation, of course.
"It'll keep you regular" mixed grain and seed bread
2 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp.active dry yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten
3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Mix the water, maple syrup, and yeast together and let it stand for 15 minutes, then add the vegetable oil and honey. Combine all the flours, oats, gluten and salt and mix. Add to water/yeast mixture and mix for several minutes with stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add seeds and then add more bread flour 1 tbsp at a time until a dough ball forms that clings to the hook. Mix for 4 minutes, then let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1-1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down, divide into three equal portions, shape, and place in oiled loaf pans. Allow dough to rise until doubled, then bake in a 375F oven for about 35-40 minutes.
My dough was a lot drier than I would've expected. I did change the recipe quite substantially from the original, so I think I should've added less flour. Nonetheless, the dough had a nice texture and rose well. I punched it down, divided it, and prepared two loaves. I froze the third portion for later.
The bread was dense but tasty. It tastes sort of similar to the whole wheat artisan loaves they sell at Costco. I took a loaf up to Missy's and it got the toddler seal of approval from Kadin. Next time I'll use a bit less flour and let it rise longer.
The name needs no explanation, of course.
"It'll keep you regular" mixed grain and seed bread
2 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp.active dry yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten
3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Mix the water, maple syrup, and yeast together and let it stand for 15 minutes, then add the vegetable oil and honey. Combine all the flours, oats, gluten and salt and mix. Add to water/yeast mixture and mix for several minutes with stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add seeds and then add more bread flour 1 tbsp at a time until a dough ball forms that clings to the hook. Mix for 4 minutes, then let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1-1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down, divide into three equal portions, shape, and place in oiled loaf pans. Allow dough to rise until doubled, then bake in a 375F oven for about 35-40 minutes.
My dough was a lot drier than I would've expected. I did change the recipe quite substantially from the original, so I think I should've added less flour. Nonetheless, the dough had a nice texture and rose well. I punched it down, divided it, and prepared two loaves. I froze the third portion for later.
The bread was dense but tasty. It tastes sort of similar to the whole wheat artisan loaves they sell at Costco. I took a loaf up to Missy's and it got the toddler seal of approval from Kadin. Next time I'll use a bit less flour and let it rise longer.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
More musings on the no-shopping experiment
OK, so I've realized a few things now that the no-shopping experiment has been going on for a while. In particular, some stuff just can't be replaced easily. I'm almost out of wine, so it is now exempt. Peanut butter and tofu are also exempt. They're not dairy but in my mind they're part of the same vegetarian protein source group as dairy.
Bread and cereal also fall into a grey zone. I don't eat a lot of cereal, but it's nice to have around. I replaced my supply today. I'm going to try to continue to bake bread, at least until I use up most of my flour.
I've made a pretty good dent in the frozen leftover soups, so that's good. They will be replenished shortly once I start cooking again.
Bread and cereal also fall into a grey zone. I don't eat a lot of cereal, but it's nice to have around. I replaced my supply today. I'm going to try to continue to bake bread, at least until I use up most of my flour.
I've made a pretty good dent in the frozen leftover soups, so that's good. They will be replenished shortly once I start cooking again.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Split Pea Soup
It's cold and rainy today. I have the flu and crave soup, but my sense of taste is dulled. I decided to make split pea soup. I have a lot of dried peas to get rid of.
I opted to go with a fairly simple recipe that I found in Epicurious. Based on the reviews, it was pretty well-liked and was also pretty adaptable. In agreement with the no-shopping experiment, I adjusted it according to what I had. I omitted the ham hock and used about 8 oz of bacon instead. I fried that up, then set it aside. I drained off most of the fat and then sauteed the onion and celery in the remaining fat. (I didn't have carrots so I skipped them and added two diced up potatoes instead.) I added two cloves of minced garlic and sauteed it briefly, and then added the water, marjoram, two peeled and chopped up potatoes, the bacon and dried peas. The mixture was then brought to a boil and allowed to simmer until the peas and potatoes fell apart (2 hours). At that point it was pretty thick. I added salt and pepper to taste, along with a bit of smoked paprika and a drop of liquid smoke to deepen the flavor. I hope it doesn't taste horrible once I get my sense of smell back. I let it cool somewhat and then pureed the whole thing.
Anyway, it tastes pretty good, and will probably improve with age. It's got that classic split pea soup flavor and the right consistency. I'm looking forward to eating it with little bit of cheese on top and a slice of toast.
I opted to go with a fairly simple recipe that I found in Epicurious. Based on the reviews, it was pretty well-liked and was also pretty adaptable. In agreement with the no-shopping experiment, I adjusted it according to what I had. I omitted the ham hock and used about 8 oz of bacon instead. I fried that up, then set it aside. I drained off most of the fat and then sauteed the onion and celery in the remaining fat. (I didn't have carrots so I skipped them and added two diced up potatoes instead.) I added two cloves of minced garlic and sauteed it briefly, and then added the water, marjoram, two peeled and chopped up potatoes, the bacon and dried peas. The mixture was then brought to a boil and allowed to simmer until the peas and potatoes fell apart (2 hours). At that point it was pretty thick. I added salt and pepper to taste, along with a bit of smoked paprika and a drop of liquid smoke to deepen the flavor. I hope it doesn't taste horrible once I get my sense of smell back. I let it cool somewhat and then pureed the whole thing.
Anyway, it tastes pretty good, and will probably improve with age. It's got that classic split pea soup flavor and the right consistency. I'm looking forward to eating it with little bit of cheese on top and a slice of toast.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Musings on the no-shopping experiment
I bought a crazy amount of dairy, fruit, and vegetables recently. This is normal for me. My freezers and cupboards are too full not because I buy huge quantities of meat and starch, but because I tend to default to dairy, fruit and veggies and the other stuff ends up in the freezer or cupboard. It remains to be see if I actually save any money during my experiment.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
No shopping experiment, exceptions
I'm making exceptions to the no-shopping experiment.
1. Coffee is necessary and is exempt.
2. I have a huge oversupply of tea. So it's not exempt, even though it can easily be moved.
3. Cat food is exempt, obviously. However, the cats will surely benefit when I cook those turkeys.
4. I've also declared a moratorium on buying bath stuff. I have enough for several years. Really. Certain stuff from Paula's Choice is necessary and exempt, however.
5. Chocolate is necessary and exempt. It is unlikely that I will be left with an oversupply, of course.
6. It will become necessary to buy some stuff to get rid of other stuff. However I won't buy the Costco size packages.
1. Coffee is necessary and is exempt.
2. I have a huge oversupply of tea. So it's not exempt, even though it can easily be moved.
3. Cat food is exempt, obviously. However, the cats will surely benefit when I cook those turkeys.
4. I've also declared a moratorium on buying bath stuff. I have enough for several years. Really. Certain stuff from Paula's Choice is necessary and exempt, however.
5. Chocolate is necessary and exempt. It is unlikely that I will be left with an oversupply, of course.
6. It will become necessary to buy some stuff to get rid of other stuff. However I won't buy the Costco size packages.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Pork Chops with Spicy Citrus Chipotle Sauce
It's day one of the eating through the freezer experiment. I pulled out some soup for lunch and defrosted two thick cut pork chops for dinner/leftovers for tomorrow. I decided to brine the porkchops, and got out a cook book to find the brine proportions. Right next to the recipe for the pork chops, there was a sauce recipe that used orange juice, lime juice and zest, and chipotle peppers. I had all of those things. Perfect!
The pork chops were browned for on both sides, and then put into a 450F oven for about 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer just to be on the safe side. Puree the sauce ingredients in advance and then cook the sauce down while the porkchops are resting.
Here's the sauce recipe. I modified it since I didn't have molasses. This makes enough for four pork chops. (I made a half recipe)
1/2 cup molasses (I used a combination of brown sugar and corn syrup)
1 cup orange juice
zest and juice from 2 limes
4 adobo chilies in sauce (I had some in the freezer. I just threw in the entire packet - it may've been a bit more)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter.
salt and pepper to taste.
Puree all the sauce ingredients in the blender.
After the pork chops are done cooking, let them rest under fill. Drain the fat from the pan and add the sauce. Cook it down until it's thick and shiny. Remove from heat and add the butter. Serve with the pork chops.
The pork was done to perfection on the chop that I tested with the meat thermometer. The other one was a bit underdone so I saved it for tomorrow, when I'll be reheating it. Rugrat was crying and begging while I was browning the chops, so I gave her some without sauce. She liked it. As for the sauce, well, it's good I'm on a spicy foods kick. Even so, it was a bit much. I'd back way off on the chipotle peppers next time. It was tasty, though. It wasn't too sweet, and the citrus flavors came through. I ate my pork chop with broccoli and homemade bread. (I have a lot of flour to use up too!) I am enjoying this experiment so far.
Net food cleared from storage
2 pork chops
3 limes that were staring to go bad
1 packet of chipotle chiles from the freezer
2 oranges that fell off the orange tree
some flour + brown sugar
The pork chops were browned for on both sides, and then put into a 450F oven for about 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer just to be on the safe side. Puree the sauce ingredients in advance and then cook the sauce down while the porkchops are resting.
Here's the sauce recipe. I modified it since I didn't have molasses. This makes enough for four pork chops. (I made a half recipe)
1/2 cup molasses (I used a combination of brown sugar and corn syrup)
1 cup orange juice
zest and juice from 2 limes
4 adobo chilies in sauce (I had some in the freezer. I just threw in the entire packet - it may've been a bit more)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter.
salt and pepper to taste.
Puree all the sauce ingredients in the blender.
After the pork chops are done cooking, let them rest under fill. Drain the fat from the pan and add the sauce. Cook it down until it's thick and shiny. Remove from heat and add the butter. Serve with the pork chops.
The pork was done to perfection on the chop that I tested with the meat thermometer. The other one was a bit underdone so I saved it for tomorrow, when I'll be reheating it. Rugrat was crying and begging while I was browning the chops, so I gave her some without sauce. She liked it. As for the sauce, well, it's good I'm on a spicy foods kick. Even so, it was a bit much. I'd back way off on the chipotle peppers next time. It was tasty, though. It wasn't too sweet, and the citrus flavors came through. I ate my pork chop with broccoli and homemade bread. (I have a lot of flour to use up too!) I am enjoying this experiment so far.
Net food cleared from storage
2 pork chops
3 limes that were staring to go bad
1 packet of chipotle chiles from the freezer
2 oranges that fell off the orange tree
some flour + brown sugar
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