Larocque and Roll

My favourite mistake December 16, 2007

Just before the staff party, I saw an episode of Sugar where Anna was making desserts with condensed milk. One square in particular caught my attention, and I bought all the ingredients with the intention of making them for the party. Because I had already made a gingerbread trifle, I decided to pass for the moment.

I have another pot luck party coming up on Monday, so I thought I’d have a go at making them last night. I followed the recipe exactly as it said, despite some misgivings, and then put it in the oven. Before I did, I put a cookie sheet under the pan just in case.

A little while later, I checked to see how it was doing. It’s a good thing I put it on that cookie sheet because it had completely bubbled over. Not only that, it had seeped behind the parchment paper I’d lined the pan with, meaning removing it would be a challenge. Once it comes out of the oven, it’s supposed to cool off for a few hours - thank the deity of your choice for Canadian winters!

Once it came back in and thawed some, it was as difficult as I though to get it out. When you do, it’s oh so worth it.

Yeah, it’s a bitch to get out of the pan, but it’s sticky and sweet and delicious. If you’re inclined to try making it, here are my thoughts:

1. Only use half a cup of butter in the crust. You just want the crumbs to stick together, no be batter-like (which they were last night.)

2. I used graham cracker crumbs instead of vanilla wafers. Hey, if I can find shortcuts, I’m going to take them.

3. Use the salted peanuts! The little bit of salty in the sweet is a lovely contrast.

4. If one can of condensed milk covers the top, then don’t add the second can. I think that’s why it bubbled over last night. That, plus the overabundance of butter in the crust turned it into a soupy concoction which re-hardened after the cooling period.

I thought about drizzling chocolate over it once I got it out of the pan, but that would just be gilding the lily.

Not to labour the point… September 3, 2007

This Labour Day long weekend, I’ve been spending it… well, labouring. Saturday I had to work - I don’t mind working the Saturday of a long weekend because everyone’s already left town or are doing long weekend-y things, and don’t so much come to the library. Sunday I spent it doing laundry and tidying the basement, and doing dishes. On the goofing off front, I did manage to finish the book I was reading, and spend a goodly amount of time watching TV in the evenings. Today I plan on cutting the grass, doing some weeding, and perhaps hitting a matinee. And reorganizing the two bookcases I moved a few weeks back.

Last night I made rice for with my dinner. I always make extra so that I can make rice pudding for dessert. Tonight I tried a different recipe, and used shredded coconut instead of raisins. It is an addition that was most delish - thanks to my sister who made the suggestion.

In other news! My sockapalooza socks arrived last week!

My pal was Lucy, aka Pinkphish, all the way across the ocean in the UK, and I love the colour and the pattern. The socks look really blue in that picture, but there are actually a lot of different, subtle colours. Thank you so much!

That’s more like it July 23, 2007

After a longish week, I had high hopes for the weekend. And happily, everything went better than expected.

Saturday morning I biked down to the market with a fellow knitter and neighbour. After we got back, I turned right around and headed for the bike path along the waterfront - it was the best bike ride I’ve been on in a while.

I put handy circles around where I started and where I turned around to go home - the trail runs along a main road for a while before it hits the next dedicated bike path. My water was running low, it was getting close to noon and I didn’t want to run out of energy before I got home. On the way, though, I stopped and got an ice cream cone!

When I did get home, I did make the mango sorbet (tasty!) and did the three big chores I’ve been putting off for weeks - washing the basement floor, cutting the grass and weeding the garden along the side of the house. To be fair, I’d put off the weeding and grass cutting because it’s been raining for the better part of the month so far, so it’s not like I did it on purpose. I also finished watching “Freaks and Geeks” - it’s a surprisingly sensitive, funny and heartbreaking show. Too bad it only lasted one season.

Sunday was pretty great, too. I got groceries early, then ran to the theater to catch “Live Free of Die Hard” (geeky and action-y!). For dinner, I barbecued some salmon steaks, which were kind of boring on their own. Looking around to see what I had, I eventually threw together an improvised mango relish/chutney thing.

If my memory serves me correctly, it goes something like this: heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat, then sprinkle dried chilies into the pot and let brown a little - don’t burn them! Finely chop about a quarter of a medium onion and throw it in, and let cook until the onion is soft. Cut a 1 inch cube of fresh ginger into small chunks and add to onions and chilies. Finely chop up 1 mango into tiny cubes, and finely chop a quarter of a red pepper, and add it to everything else. Stir for a few minutes, then add the juices of 1 lemon and 1 lime, and roughly 1 tsp brown sugar. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mango is soft, then serve! As with everything else, add more or less ginger and chili depending on how hot you like it. I will say that it’s pretty tasty, and I’m planning the rest of my menu for the week around it.

And thus ended a pretty good weekend.

A little bit of this and that March 26, 2007

Lots of things to update, and not much time in which to do it. Between the thunderstorms and the whole “getting ready for work” thing, let’s see what I can tell you about.

~ Last Thursday was the only day of the year where you could legitimately say, “Go Rebecca! It’s your birthday! We’re going to party like it’s your birthday!” and have it be accurate. For those of you keeping score at home, it’s the 31st time this has happened.

~ Most of the time I experiment with cooking, it turns out okay. Occasionally, it turns out badly. And on rare, shining occasions, it turns out better than expected, which was the case with the spinach sauce I made to go on some leftover penne noodles at the beginning of the month.

It’s a carton of baby spinach, tossed into the food processor and chopped until it’s all shredded into tiny little pieces. Then you make a white sauce (two tablespoons butter, two tablespoons flour, one cup of milk; melt the butter, stir in the flour until smooth, and then slowly add the milk in parts) and dump in the spinach. Pour on cooked noodles, stir, and serve. Tasty! And a pretty colour!

~ I’ve been experimenting with knitting multiple projects at the same time. Normally, it’s all I can do to finish one project, yet I’m finding I like having several things on the needles, so I can switch projects when I get bored. One of my recently completed projects is a tea cozy for my little teapot.

My teapot - it is both short and stout. And now it has a sweater!

~ This past weekend was my sister and b-i-l’s annual ball hockey tournament. At first, it looked like this would be the first year the weather wouldn’t co-operate and we’d have to play in the rain. In the end, we played in the mist [1] and the mud, and no one got injured. Also, a good time was had by all. My photos are here.

~ Had I more time, I’d post the playlist I listened to on the drive from here to Guelph and back. It’s dope, yo.

[1] Isn’t that a Sigourney Weaver movie - “Ball Hockey Players in the Mist”?

Operation Chaos, Part the First May 30, 2005

Sunday afternoon I decided I didn’t have enough excitement in my life, so I decided to undertake two major, first-time projects, and call it “Operation Let’s See How Much Chaos I Can Create In My Tiny Kitchen.” The first project was to cook my very first pot roast, which doesn’t sound difficult, except that I’ve been known to badly screw up simpler recipies.

I started by browning the roast with a little oil and flour.

Then I added a half cup of beer. (Black Label, if you must know.)

I hit a little snag when I had to call my mother to find out what temperature I put it in the oven on. “Um, it’s called *pot* roast. You cook it on the stovetop.” Thanks Mom!

I cooked the pot roast on the stove for about an hour, with the cover on. After the hour, I added the carrots and the onion.

I also added a little more beer…

…and celebrated getting to this point without any major screw ups.

Now I let it simmer for another hour and a half. After that time, this is what it looks like.

I peeled the potatoes to make mashed potatoes.

And voila! The final product!

It was good. Very tasty and tender, and I’m having the leftovers tonight.

Post-post-Boxing Day buzz December 28, 2004

Another day spent in glorious debauchery.

Yesterday, the ILP tried to go to the kitchen and restaurant supply place and the giant book store. Hilariously enough, both were closed. So I hit both places today.

If you are ever in the St. Catharines area after Christmas, might I suggest stopping by the Book Depot (it’s on Welland Ave. for those in the region). Books that are already on sale are even more on sale for the next few days. I made out pretty good - among other things, two Nigella Lawson cookbooks, A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain (I’m hooked, I tell ya…), Me Talk Pretty One Day by Dave Sedaris, The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, and Sellovision by Augusten Burroughs (which I started reading while waiting in line). The clerk tallied up the total and then divided it in half, which made me all giddy and excited and wanting to go back again tomorrow. But I somehow have to get them all back to Sudbury, plus I don’t have room on my shelves (or, at least I’m not going to have room) to house them. Plus, I need to save money for my SEX (stash enhancement expedition - a knitting term) on Thursday.

The kitchen place is really cool, even though I feel like a complete amateur in there. There are so many pots and pans and implements to look at, that I feel that my cooking/baking would improve if I only had that funky looking wire whisk…

The other problem I have is that when you grow up with a mother who loves to bake and does so almost constantly is that you have an unrealistic expectation of how many pie plates, cookie sheets, muffin tins, loaf pans, cake pans, mixing bowls, etc., you really need. Do I need those tiny muffin tins for perfect bite-sized cheesecakes? No. Do I need a deep-dish pie plate with scalloped edging? No. Do I need a round bund pan for making gingerbread cake or poppyseed cake? Maybe, but I don’t need the $40 cast-iron one. So I limited myself to a nice, heavy mixing bowl and a long square pan for making brownies. Yeah, right…

Afterwards, I stopped at the library for a little visit (hi Elaine!) and then went to the yarn store in Fonthill. I got another ball of Dandy to finish the scarf I started eons ago but needed one more ball to complete, and two balls of totally cool novelty stuff - names of which I can’t remember.

And then I came home and finished Kiss of the Fur Queen. Good lord, but it was a sad ending! It was a sad book, but I loved it nonetheless. I’m all sad now, and I don’t really want to read Pi, but I’m going to force myself to anyways.

Soup’s On! : Cream of Carrot soup October 3, 2004

This is my absolute favorite soup. The backstory: when I was at grad school, I was a student assistant for the Director of the school during my first year. Before the Christmas break, he invited all the student assistants, the MLB/MLIS students, and some of the staff for a formal dinner party. He served this soup and made us guess what was in it. I don’t recall that any of us were at all close, but afterwards I asked for a copy of the recipe. It came from the newspaper (my best guess - the Chronicle Herald), so I don’t know where it came from before then.

Anyways, there are a whole host of soups that are similar to this - creamy, slightly sweet, and with a warm spicy flavor. I also have a recipe for sweet potato soup that’s along these lines (but it’s a bit spicier), and am on the hunt for a pumpkin and/or squash soup.

• 6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 2lb carrots, peeled and chopped (you can get 2lb bags of carrots at the grocery store)
• 1 medium or half a large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cups light cream
• 1 cup milk

Combine broth, carrots, onion and celery in a large pot, and boil for 15 min. Remove from heat, and puree until smooth. Return pot to medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine water and flour until smooth, and add to the puree. Cook until thickened and reduce heat to simmer. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Ta-da!

Some notes:

• Since the mixture is going to be pureed, I’d suggest cutting the vegetables into small bits. It takes longer, but it’s easier to puree.
• There are any number of ways to puree the mixture - in a blender, in a food processor, etc. I have a Braun hand blender (not this exact one, but something like this), and it does a fabulous job.
• By far, this is rather prep-intensive. You’ve got to peel 2lbs of carrots and chop them into itty bits, and then chop celery and onions into itty bits as well. It goes faster if you have help.
• Instead of light cream, you can use 2% or homogenized milk.

Bon appetite!

Soup’s On! : Veggie Chili October 2, 2004

I started writing this last night, but was so tired I fell asleep. Not at the computer, but in the general vicinity.

The first batch of soup I made was a vegetarian chili I originally found in the Looneyspoons cookbook. However… it’s chili. You don’t measure things exactly, you leave some stuff out, you add other things, and play with the ratios. So, here’s how I make it:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium or half a large onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 green and 1 red pepper, chopped into medium-sized pieces
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped into medium-sized pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces (not too big, but not too small)
• 2 potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes (make sure you use a boiling potato, like Yukon Golds, as opposed to a baking potato, because they’ll fall apart during cooking)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• chili powder and/or dried chilies (to taste)
• a dozed medium-to-large mushrooms, cubed
• 1-2 (depending on size) zucchini, cubed
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (19 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (12 oz) corn, undrained
• oregano, basil, cumin, and cayenne pepper to taste

In a large pot, combine oil, onions, peppers, celery, carrots, garlic, chili powder/dried chilies, and potatoes. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are soft (about 6 min.) Add mushrooms and zucchini, and cook for another 5 min. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, and spices, and stir well. When it starts to boil, cover and reduce heat and let simmer for 20 min. Ta-da!

Some notes:

• The original recipe called for chickpeas; I don’t really like them, so I substituted potatoes.
• Like I said, it’s chili, so it’s naturally better the second day, which is when I’d recommend freezing it.
• Don’t leave in the freezer for more than a few months, because the mushrooms get rubbery and the zucchini fall apart.
• If you prep all the vegetables at the same time, it takes less than 20 min to prepare.
• Normally I don’t add celery - I’ve always thought of it as water in annoying stringy form. But since the other recipe calls for it, and I had to buy a bunch, I added it.

Bon appetite!

Soup’s On! : Introduction

Y’know how sometimes you come home at night, and you’re tired and you’re hungry, but you don’t have the energy to cook. Even if you did, there’s nothing in the fridge or cupboards to cook? To top it off, outside it’s cold and grey and (depending on where you live) damp. Misery hangs over your head like a little black cloud, and you contemplate crawling under the blanket on the couch to spend the night in front of the television. What you really want is some good, hot soup to stop the rumbling in your stomach and warm you up.

Yeah, I’ve had a few of those days. So what I started doing was making big batches of my favourite soups, putting them in containers, and freezing them. That way, when I’m having One Of Those Days, I can just grab a container from the freezer, put it in a bowl of hot water to thaw for a bit (I don’t have a microwave), and then put it in a pot on the stove to heat up.

Since I moved up here, I’ve made three batches of soup, and unfortunately, used the last container two weeks ago. Autumn has started in earnest now, and I need to restock. So this morning when I went for groceries, I got the ingredients for two of the three soups (the third, a sweet potato soup, was good, but not freezer-good.) Once I finish cleaning up the apartment (which means I need to start at some point), I’ll begin making the soups.

Peaches and reading August 25, 2004

This morning when I got up, the peaches I bought at the market on Saturday had infused my apartment with a wonderful, peachy smell. Before it became the sickly-sweet smell of rotting peaches, I made them into peach crisp. Yum! I will have to get more tomorrow so I’ll be able to make peach crisp for the book club on Sunday night.

Book club - we’ll be discussing Wicked. My thoughts so far? It paints the Witch as a completly sympathetic character (but I’m not finished it yet), and it has served to reinforce my dislike of The Wizard of Oz. But it’s boring me to tears! I want to read something else! Give me a chicklit book! Something fluffy that doesn’t require deep analysis!

Right. Now to tinker with the page for the twenty minutes I have left until I fall asleep at my desk.