In the Kitchen | Pho and Eggs

It's been refreshing to think ahead to spring and warmer weather as I'm finalizing the details for the upcoming classes at the shop. I tend to go into hiding right before posting a new round of classes as all the loose ends get tied up, but I've been trying to find some balance by spending a little time in the kitchen. A couple weeks back, I decided to make Vietnamese Pho - a soup with a spiced broth, rice noodles, herbs and we enjoyed ours with beef. I've never made Pho before and decided to take the completely from scratch route, including making broth with beef bones. Granted, this was a lot more work than just using beef stock - it had to simmer for hours for the flavor to develop, then it had to be strained and cooled skim off the fat - but it was totally worth it!

When the broth was ready and the Pho was assembled, it was beautiful meal full of delicious light and fresh flavor.

I love fresh veggies and herbs on just about everything, and this soup had plenty with bean sprouts, red bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, basil and a nice squeeze of fresh lime juice.

I used this wonderful recipe and video tutorial for the broth and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to make Pho completely from scratch. Sure, it took more time and effort, but it yields a stockpot quantity of delicious broth and we have plenty frozen for future use now - I can't wait to enjoy it again this summer with fresh garden goodies!

On a less time consuming and complicated front... a friend of mine has chickens and she very generously shares her super-fresh eggs with me on a regular basis. I love hard-boiled eggs, but the eggs from my friend are SO fresh that half the white - along with half my patience - is lost when trying to remove the shell after boiling. So, I asked her for advice - I figured there has to be a better way, right? She suggested baking them in the oven. Well, I'm happy to report that it works and it really couldn't be easier!

Here's how you do it:

• Place one dozen eggs in one muffin pan (a mini-muffin pan might work better so they can stand up, but this is what I have).
• Bake in the oven at 325 for 30 minutes.
• Using tongs (careful, the eggs are HOT), transfer the eggs in an ice bath until they're cool enough to handle.
• Eat right away or store in the fridge. The end.

These eggs are perfectly cooked with a creamy texture that is so much better than traditional boiled eggs and they peel SO easily! Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever boil eggs again.

I guess I better get back to my class prep, shop knitting and the Journey-along, but maybe I'll sneak into the kitchen later to make some deviled eggs - I'm sure hubby would love that!

Cheers!

Treats and Driver's Seats

I found this "recipe" for crock pot dolche de leche shortly before the holidays and decided to give it a try. Simply pouring sweetened condensed milk in some jars and putting them in the crock pot for a few hours with water seemed way too easy. BUT... I figured it didn't require too much effort on my part, so it was worth a try. Good news! It wasn't too good to be true and it made great holiday gifts (2 batches worth) and I made another batch last week. This is what you do:

Yup, simple. I used 3 cans of sweetened condensed milk for 4 half-pints and this leaves just a wee bit leftover (perfect for coffee or tea). After filling the jars, into the crock pot they go, cover them with water and set on low for 8-10 hours (adjust the time depending on how dark you like your dolche de leche). Tip: add a splash of vinegar to the water bath to avoid sediment adhering to the jars and crock pot. 

That's all there is to it and it's absolutely delicious! I've been enjoying in on apples and I can't wait to try it on some ice cream!

On a healthier front...

I decided it was time to use up some of the last of our CSA carrots for this Carrot Butter recipe. I used cashews instead of macadamia nuts and, of course, I used some of our precious homemade maple syrup I blogged about back in April.

After trying to patiently wait for the carrot butter to cool, we finally enjoyed it with a baguette and a healthy handful of chopped parsley. We still have quite a bit left from our late season CSA deliveries and I'm already planning something with squash for this weekend - a soup, perhaps?

And... much to the pleasure of my feet during the Wisconsin winter, I finished these socks:

They fit great and I love the longer cuff! I also made some progress on hubby's worsted weight socks that I mentioned last time. He tried on the cuff and it fits perfectly so I'm confident it will be a great fit for him (and a quick knit for me). Onto the heel!

I'll leave you with this, and hopefully my guy makes you smile:

Logan is quite the car companion and he's recently discovered that he can manage to fit his 112 lbs into his new favorite place - the driver's seat. 

Cheers!

Holiday Wishes

These last few weeks have been a blur. It's busy at Firefly Fibers year round, but even more so once the weather cools. With the addition of the holiday season, busy is an understatement and it's really been a blur since Thanksgiving. I spent a fair amount of time brainstorming handmade gift ideas - initially I had grand knitting visions and then reality set in and reluctantly, I adjusted. Being that I didn't have a chance to get started on holiday gifts until this last Sunday (yes, 3 days ago and today is Christmas Day), I'm happy to say that I am done and really have enjoyed the last few days at home.

Plans quickly shifted last week from handmade yarn projects to homemade canning projects due to the time constraints - no need to worry, yarn has been assembled into various projects, but I can't divulge details... yet. As for the canning, I went a little cranberry crazy.

I love cranberries! Every year I make cranberry relish in a huge batch when cranberries are in season and freeze for year round enjoyment. I also love the Food In Jars blog and was intrigued when a simple recipe came up last month for Spiced Cranberry Jam. Then, right at the bottom of the post before the recipe was a link to her Pickled Cranberries. After admitting that the gifting plans had to be adjusted, this is what I went back to. And rather than torment myself with having to choose one of the two recipes, I decided both were going on the holiday 'to do' list - in double-batch quantities, of course. 

It felt a little like I was going off the deep end as it was happening, but I couldn't help myself. If one batch was what the recipe called for, it only made 'sense' that I get enough for a double-batch and double-batch I did. After the initial 11 - 12oz bags and a second trip for 3 more, we were set! Really, who wouldn't be set with 10+ lbs of cranberries? I'm now brimming with pride as I see the jars lined up and know I only went a little crazy.

The jam was super easy! After sorting and washing 6 lbs of cranberries, I removed the rind from the lemons and oranges with a veggie peeler, juiced them, added ginger root and let the food processor take care of the 'zesting' for me.Super easy and the finished product is delicious - we enjoyed some last night with cream cheese on crackers!

The pickled cranberries were also easy and I can't wait to try them - they have to set for 24 hours before enjoying to let the flavors do their thing. How am I going to wait that long?!

We finished tying up loose ends last night and we'll hit the road to head north for Christmas with hubby's Grandma this morning. Then Sunday we'll be off to his mom's for a second gathering. Both are sure to be enjoyable and relaxing. I'll report back soon on the feedback on the cranberry concoctions and the other holiday bits I can't reveal quite yet.

Warm holiday wishes to you and yours! Alisa