Knitting, Singing, the Universe and all....

It was the day AFTER Thanksgiving, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring..... we were still recovering from the tryptophan crash of the day before! Whatever were we to do with all that heirloom turkey that Besty and Jamie brought from Santa Fe? I had actually thought ahead of time and prepared a super concentrated Mole Paste at home before we all traveled to our extended family meet up on the Oregon coast in Manzanita. Here's how I did it: FIRST I contacted my Father-in-law, the Spanish professor who is also an amazing and intrepid cook. I hoped he had "the secret recipe to a great Mole sauce"...indeed, he immediately loaned me two huge volumes on Mexican and Oaxacan cooking, both of which included several individual Mole recipes. One even had all sorts of historical fact and fable about this Sauce of Fame. (Hint: Both of these books are now on my "wish list" for Christmas!) As I read through the recipes - many of which took days to prepare,

In this busy life, a moment of reflection with Sarah McLachlan and St. Francis of Assisi..... We have been very busy (typically, October/November are our biggest months of the year!)Here's Jon taping up boxes yesterday - and then there's Sean (our UPS Angel!) flexing his muscles to begin the pickup! Besides "work" I have added quite a bit more to the canning pantry, including several pints of our home-fermented Sauerkraut, and Wool-Wash. Well, the wool-wash isn't for eating.... but it will help get those stains out of Jon's sweater after he's eaten the sauerkraut... I got the "recipe" for Wool-Wash from an Australian friend... 4 cups boiling water 4 cups pure SOAP flakes (not "detergent! - if you can't find it, just grate a bar or 2 of pure castile soap) Pour the hot water over the flakes, and beat with a whisk or mixer, until well blended. It gets "foamy - that's alright! When well incorporated, add

Please follow this link to support the Weiner Amendment extending MEDICARE for ALL to the Health care Bill in front of Congress. The link take you to a fax you can send from your computer- and gives you phone numbers for your representatives as well as the major players, and the White House. Let your will be known! Here's the scoop: Breaking news from PNHP (Physicians for National Health Plan). The Weiner amendment 'could' come to a floor vote on Friday or Saturday with maybe a 20 minute debate allowed. Your calls and faxes were instrumental in making this happen. Now is the time to push hard on your congressperson to vote for the Weiner amendment. Even if it fails, it is very important to show that it has support. If the entire health reform bill fails, as it very well may, then Medicare For All has a real shot at enactment when Congress realizes it MUST address health care. Here's the link to the FAX YOUR REPRESENTATIVE page. Here's the link where yo

My birthday is Hallowe'en, and yes, the apostrophe indicates that you know how to properly spell the word! ("e'en" is a contraction for "evening") As a child it was much akin to a Christmas birthday -but it's gotten much more fun the older I get. This year, my friend, Joni happened to be visiting from Scotland where she's lived with her husband for many years. And she brought me a spurtle!!! I was soooo excited :-) The spurtle is that lovely turned piece of wood in the pic above - and it's been used since the 15th century to stir.... porridge! The Golden Spurtle Porridge Making Championship competition is held in Carrbridge Scotland every year. I quickly chopped and steamed up some of the delicious apples Stan and Bev brought down, ran them through the chinois, and added some spices for Apple Butter making... The spurtle lived up to it's reputation - the rounded end fitting evenly against the ceramic sides of the pot - not one lump was left

" Be not simply good, be good for something ." -Thoreau Contact your congress people and representatives! Email, web sites info, and ground address for US Senators/Representatives can all be found here . And here is NY Congressman Anthony Weiner's site, Countdown to HealthCare, where you can sign petitions, get up-to-the-minute informatin on what and how things are moving through congress. I am tempted to move to NY state, just to claim Weiner as my rep! Don't you wonder how a Democratic President, elected on a platform of reform, with over whelming Democrat majorities in the House and the Senate can take a hugely popular social program and turn it into a corporate give away? This is about as good for us as Medicare part D (which essentially gave billions of dollars to the pharmaceutical companies!) That's just what's happening with the "HealthCare for America" act recently introduced by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. the way it reads, right out of

From our little garden this year, a bounty of food! Stan's apples trees contributed quite a bit of fruit for us as well (it was low yield year for the pear tree - so we only got a few. I still have jars of Pear Sauce, Pear Butter, and several litres of "Poplar Pear" wine from last year!) Completed : Tomato sauce, 6 pts Diced tomatoes, 7 pts Enchilada sauce, 4 pts Ketchup, 6 - 1/2 pts Bar-b-q sauce, 6 - 1/2 pts Garlic Dills, 6 qts Icicle pickles, 8 pts Cardamon Applesauce, 6 pts Apple Pie filling, 5 qts + 1 pt Cranberry Sauce w/Port 6 - 13 oz. Apple Cranberry Brandied Mince filling 6 pts Cranberry Pear Chutney 4 pts Plum Walnut conserve 4 pts Honeyed jalapenos, 6 - 1/2 pts Hot Thai Vinegared peppers, 1 pt Grape jelly 6 - 1/2 pts Ginger Marmalade 9 1/2 pts Sunrise Marmalade 13 1/2 pts Bitter Marmalade 8 1/2 pts Gingery Apple Butter 9 1/2 pts Sauerkraut 9 pts (11/15/09) Brown Sugar Applesauce 10 pts (11/15/09) Yet to Can: Worcestershire

Well, it's not the end of my quest, but here is what I've come up with - it is a tasty, yeasty, and scented with warm grainy-goodness. (remember the last loaf that I said smelled a bit "bean-y? By the 2nd day - the beans had won and the loaf was out!) I know it's a long list of ingredients (especially when "Bread" used to mean only 3! flour, water, yeast) And I used my bread machine again, but this is my own creation - and it's good enough to make the weekly kitchen schedule! Robbin's Better Bread -GF recipe Melt 1/4 c. butter Off the flame, whisk in 1 3/4 c. whole grain rice milk, then whisk in 3 whole eggs. Place these wet ingredients in the bread machine. Mix the following thoroughly with fork or whisk: 3c. Gifts of Nature GF Baking mix (there are no bean flours in this mix !) 1/2 c. sorghum flour 1/4 c. teff (I used it whole-grain , not flour. It's smaller than poppy seeds, but I think this is what smells so good!) 1/4 c. quinoa flakes

Where have I been?! First, there were pears..... later, there were pear tarts, pear sauce, and pear butter :-) Then, there were apples!!! Now there are many, many quarts of Apple Pie Filling, and there is yet to be applesauce and chutney! Apple Pie Filling for Canning! Peel and Core Apples - I think I had about 15# Immerse them in a couple of quarts of water, + juice from 1 lemon to prevent discoloration while working Drain apple slices, and place in kettle, along with about 2-3" water, 1/2 c. maple syrup, 1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. minute tapioca..... and cinnamon - lots- maybe 2-3 tbs! Simmer for about 10 minutes - you want the apples slices to get hot and fork tender, but not mushy . You might also want to dip in a clean spoon and adjust your seasonings at this point! While the apples cook, sterilize your quart jars and get your lids ready. I got 6 quarts and 1 pint out of this batch. Ladle hot fruit and cover with syrup, and add 1 tsp. lemon juice to each jar. Place sterile lids

Speaking about HealthCare.... I believe the polls that state that a large majority of Americans are so sick of how health insurance companies control the delivery of services, that over 60% (many plls place the figure more than 10 points higher!!)of us want - NEED!- a Public Option - (Medicare for All - type option!). Take a look at what has happened to just that type of program in Wisconsin - it is TOO popular, and the state is about to stop enrolling citizens! On June 15th of this year, Wisconsin began experimenting with a public health option, BadgerCare, to adults without children in a program called BadgerCare Plus Core Program. It is very basic, has a one-time enrollment fee, no monthly premiums, small co-pays, and covers primary care and generic medications. So many adults have signed up for the program that as of October 6th, sign-ups will be suspended and those who sign up after that day will be put on a waiting list . The Wisconsin legislature approved (it's essentia

I just got back the test results - the test I procrastinated having done because I just didn't really believe it would show anything - and am shocked to discover that Intestinal antigliadin IgA antibody was elevated, indicating that you have active dietary gluten sensitivity. For optimal health, resolution of symptoms (if you have them), and prevention of small intestinal damage and malnutrition, osteoporosis, and damage to other tissues (like nerves, brain, joints, muscles, thyroid, pancreas, other glands, skin, liver, spleen, among others), it is recommended that you follow a strict and permanent gluten free diet. As gluten sensitivity is a genetic syndrome, you may want to have your relatives screened as well. So, it seems I am off on a new culinary adventure- because I sure as heck won't stop eating or cooking!!!

Yes, we CAN!! I have been mad in the kitchen lately 'cause the garden has been put to bed, and I have boxes of pears, apples, tomatoes, plums, and peppers in our little house - and they invited a bunch of dark bellied dew lovers in to visit. Well, I really got annoyed that the DewLover family keep inviting more and more relatives over, so the produce.... is going to have to produce! for this batch of Honeyed Pickled Peppers I used about equal amounts jalapenos, banana peppers, and ripened, red banana peppers. I assume that you know enough to sterilize your jars and use proper pepper precautions such as wear gloves and don't touch your eyes!! ;-) For 4 Pints (8 - 1/2 pt. jars): Prepare about 2 - 2 1/4 pounds peppers: wash, slice into 1/2" rings, and seed. Prepare brine: 4 c. organic ("live" - the type with the mother in the bottom!)) cider vinegar 2 Tbs. (or, my method: 2 large bloops out of the jug) of honey 2 tsp salt 2 heaping Tbs. pickling spice mix Heat al

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So, remember when we bought the Penguin to make sparkley water? The main impulse-to-buy was because I had come across the technique for making Tonic Syrup (the base for tonic water) and wanted to try concocting :-) I love tonic water - most often drinking it with nothing but a slice of citrus, all through the summer. Oh, I admit to splashing gin in there after 4:30 some days, but I really could drink tonic water everyday! I became a tonic water snob - disdaining cheap supermarket brands for interesting (and expensive!) boutique brands... finally ending up understanding that this obsession must mean it's time to make it myself... After reading several "cocktail" blogs (and there are at least as many of those as there are knitting blogs!!) it was clear that there were as many ways to create tonic water as there were cooks; the only constant was an infusion of powdered cinchona bark in water. Then, I realized that the most difficult step was going to be acquiring the Cinch