I cannot believe that it has been 11 days since I last posted! We have been so busy the last couple of weeks. Between entertaining visitors, taking two online art classes, kids activities and travelling, I'm swamped. I'm beginning to feel as if I'm catching up now.
Suppa Club has been fun. We have had the hostess pick two recipes and the group then votes on which they would prefer to try. (Hey, is this a rule now or can I just send one recipe out when it's my turn?) This week our recipes were slow cooker recipes, one of my favorite things to do and perfect for a working mother. The choices included a rosemary garlic chicken and a mushroom pork ragout. The mushroom pork ragout won out (it has three kinds of mushrooms!) so I will be making that tomorrow.
I have to admit that, while I voted for the pork, I also liked the sound of the chicken one and made that last Monday. No pictures though, but it was tasty. I left it a bit long in the slow cooker and it was dryer than I would have liked. The sauce was not as flavorful as I expected either. I may make a variation of this again sometime and just roast the chicken in the oven. I will either skip the sauce altogether or try to zest it up a bit somehow.
I plan to make donut muffins Saturday morning with the kids. We love to make homemade donuts and we've made many kinds of muffins, but never these. They sound like the blending of two perfect worlds! I can't wait.
So, we have lots of cooking and baking going on this weekend. I just need to dig out the camera and share. Happy Halloween and Happy Weekend.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Bavarian Hot Pot for Suppa Club - YUM!
This picture does not do this dish justice. I made this for a large crew of people (10) this weekend and it was a big hit with everyone except my picky eater. Instead of Kielbasa, I used polish sausage that I picked up at Detroit's Eastern Market. It had a bit of spice to it already. I made few other changes to the recipe other than adding more of everything to feed a larger group. I omitted the peas as it seemed to have plenty of veggies already and I didn't have them on hand. I also discovered near the end that I don't have marjoram so I threw in a bit of italian spice mix instead.
Well, now that I read through this, I guess I didn't really follow directions either since I didn't peel my potatoes, cut my carrots small, cut my beans up or make homemade beef broth. However, it got rave reviews from kids and adults and I sent the recipe home with our company at their request. What little I had left was great the next day!
Bavarian Sausage Hot Pot
Serves 6
1 pound cabbage, cored and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
6 ounces green beans, tipped and snapped into 1-inch lengths
1 pound Maine or Eastern potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups shelled fresh green peas or frozen green peas (donot thaw)
3 cups rich beef broth (preferably homemade)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram, crumbled
3/4 pound knockwurst or kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Place the cabbage, carrots, beans, potatoes, the fresh peas, if using, the broth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large heavy kettle (pot). Set over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the broth bubbles gently, cover, and cook without stirring for 20 minutes. Add the caraway seeds, marjoram, knockwurst, and frozen peas, if using, and toss lightly to mix. Re-cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add the parsley, toss lightly, and serve in soup plates with crusty chunks of bread.
Source: www.epicurious.com
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Calendar Pages Journal
Every month I create a new calendar to journal in. I've been doing this faithfully since May of this year. That's FIVE months! Pretty good for me. I have lots more ideas for calendar spreads so I don't plan to stop anytime soon. I've been unsucessful at writing in a journal on a regular basis but I seem to be able to draw in a sketchbook regularly so this is working out very well.
Dad in Michigan sweatshirt
I'm just posting this on here to see if my dad ever looks at this. He really doesn't like Michigan, being an MSU grad but he was cold and my son lent him his sweatshirt. Mike had to take a picture. I think he pulled the hood up to hide his true identity!
Dad, if you're reading this, you better post a comment.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Summer is Really Over
Time to check the TO-DO List!
Fun Stuff for Spring-Summer List:
- MC Escher Exibit Done
- Flint Farmers Market Done
- Detroit Eastern Market Done
- Mushroom Hunting Missed it this year
- Strawberry picking-make freezer jam too! Done
- Lots of walking/hiking in the woods Done
- Canoeing Done
- Camping DONE (really, I've had enough for this year)
- Drawing, painting, writing Yes! Will keep it up!
- Read some good books-Done
- Make and eat lots of pie and cobbler Yes, but intend to keep working on this one. Yum!
Hmmm, not bad. I think we got it all in except for morel mushroom hunting. We had a great summer. Now it is really beginning to feel like Fall.
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