Project: Custom Recycled Dog Bed; and A Short Original Story About the Busy Dogs

A short story about two busy dogs, and their special bed- and some pictures showing how I saved the gross old thing from getting thrown away, and refurbished and recycled it into something newer and better:

The Feather Bed

Once upon a time, there was a girl who had a feather bed. It was puffy and cozy and wonderful. Then, she married someone who preferred not to sleep on feather beds, and they decided to get rid of it. It was tossed onto the floor of the bedroom, waiting to go to Goodwill. That's where it was found by a very spoiled little terrier puppy, who decided that she deserved a feather bed of her very own. She curled up on the thick, white, down bed, and decided it was her favorite spot to sleep. . .


She liked to hide her toys inside of it, and roll on it after baths, and dive into the the big squishy piles of fabric and feathers. The puppy slept there every night. She grew and grew, until she was all grown up- 17 lbs. The feather bed was much too big for her, and there was lots of extra room. One day, another dog came along.


A very naughty little dog, who was scrappy and skinny, and knew how to make mischief of all kinds.


The dogs liked to curl up together, and snuggle on the feather bed. When the people saw how the spoiled little puppy loved her new friend enough to share the special feather bed with him, they decided that even though he was scruffy and naughty, the new dog could stay.

After awhile (more than two years!)... the feather bed was looking very dingy and dirty and flat and sad. It was leaking feathers, and covered in dog hair, and it didn't look so nice and white anymore. The people wanted to get rid of it, but they just couldn't. The dogs loved it too much. So....

The girl got some special fabric (a strong, waterproof kind, with a beautiful pattern), and some big buttons, and strong thread...


And the dogs looked them over and decided they were ok....
And the girl made them a cover, so that they could keep using their special feather bed. Only it wasn't a feather bed anymore. It had turned into a dog bed. A plump and puffy, snuggly dog bed with lots of room for two busy dogs. And the dogs would race into the room and jump gleefully onto their new bed.

And they slept there every night, and they were happy. And at night the people could hear them snoring- but that was ok, because it was very quiet snoring, and the people didn't mind it so much because it reminded them that the dogs were happy and close by, and they loved them very much.

THE END

Pumpkin Spice Baby-Cakes with Orange Cream Icing

Inspired by today's trip to the Pumpkin Patch with the preschoolers, Pumpkin Spice Baby-Cakes made a sweet dessert on an October evening. I used organic canned pumpkin to make this batch of cookies, which are soft (almost cake like), and lightly spiced, and covered in orange-cream icing. They are nice with cider, coffee, or as a dessert to share- and are super easy to make.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Spice Baby Cakes:
1 Cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Icing:
2 Cups powdered sugar
1/4 Cup (half stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons orange juice

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with waxed/parchment paper. Foil would also work.

Step 2: Make cookies. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy.

Step 3: Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix well.

Step 4: Add (remaining) dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Drop cookies (about one Tablespoon of dough each) onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until firm and light golden-brown.

Step 5: As cookies bake, make icing. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk together. If too dry, add more OJ. If to wet, add more sugar.

Step 6: Remove cookies from oven. Cool for a few minutes, then top with a small dollop of icing.

Step 7: Eat, share, enjoy!

Variations: Icing makes enough for about two batches. I doubled the cookie recipe. I also took a hazelnut-chocolate bar, broke it into tiny pieces, and mixed it in to about a dozen of the cookies. Tasty. Nuts or chocolate chips can be added as desired. I used all organic ingredients in this case, as they are easy to find and comparable in price for their non-organic substitutes.

Chicken and Barley Garlic-Ginger Soup with Everything

I have a head cold, and this soup did the trick in making me feel better- warm and nutritious, as well as sinus-clearing. Went into Co-op and bought all seasonal ingredients - the soup was fresher and cheaper because of it! This was seriously an everything goes in the pot, Autumn day kind of soup- and it turned out great. I made a huge pot- probably about a gallon, of really hearty and ingredient-rich soup. Lots to freeze and lots to share.


Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Large Bunch of Carrots, diced
(I used organic, rainbow colored carrots for some variety and color- and got them with the giant tops on- a good snack for the chickens)
1 leek, sliced into thin pieces
3 celery stalks, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon dried basil leaves
1-2 handfuls of favorite mushroom, diced
2 Cups Barley, Dry
1 whole chicken, roasted, then shredded- include all dark and light meat (free range all natural, pre-roasted chicken = cheap, easy and good)
4 quarts chicken stalk (or veggie stock, or bullion, etc)
approx. 1 lb colorful, fingerling potatoes, diced into 1/4" cubes
1 GIANT bunch dandelion greens (a little over 1 lb)
Salt and Pepper to taste




Step 1: In a large stockpot heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add carrots, leeks, celery, garlic, and spices. Cook until fragrant and just tender.

Step 2: Add mushrooms and Potatoes. Grate in a few teaspoons worth of fresh ginger. Cook until mushrooms start to gain color. Add another drizzle of olive oil if needed. Add chicken, broth, and barley. Use a zester or grater to grate all of rest of the fresh ginger into the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes- seasoning to taste and stirring occasionally.

Step 3: When flavors are coming together, soup is fragrant, and barley and potatoes are cooked through, serve soup along with foccacia.

Variations: Endless. Add everything. Spice it up. More greens, more veggies, more spices. Go crazy. Yum.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asparagus and Tomato Over Ginger Wild Rice

On a recent trip to Co-op I decided to venture down the frozen food aisle. I was really excited to discover a shelf of frozen meats and seafood. When the deli items aren't purchased, and the sell by date nears, they freeze the meat and fish, and only charge 50% for them! The only hitch is, once you defrost, there's no going back- you have to use it the next day. I promptly bought 2lbs of pet-quality ground turkey and lamb for Scout and Luke (1.89 for 2 lbs!), and a huge Tuna steak for us. Tonight, we feasted. Scout and Luke loved this new discovery, and so did I. Unfortunately Chris was stuck at the lab :( but he'll get some nice left-overs (I had to cook it, since it defrosted last night). This was a super delicious and easy meal:

Seared Ahi Tuna Steak with freshly harvested Organic Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes,

served over Organic, Long-Grain Brown and Wild Rice

Ingredients

large tuna steak

1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

1 cup rice

2 cups broth

3 teaspoons ground Ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1lb asparagus

several handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved

butter

Step 1: Use lemon juice, salt, and pepper to season tuna steak liberally on both sides. Set aside.

Step 2: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, brown the rice and garlic for a moment, then add broth and ginger. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook rice until just done, and liquid is absorbed.

Step 3: When the rice has about 10 minutes left to cook, start this step. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. When warmed, add seasoned Tuna Steak. Cook for a few minutes on that side, to desired doneness (like a steak). Nice to leave a little rare/soft in the center.

Step 4: 30 seconds before turning steak to cook the other side, add cherry tomatoes and trimmed asparagus.

Step 5: Flip steak, and cook second side. Add 3 tablespoons butter, sliced into small pats, all around vegetables and fish. Serve vegetables and fish over wild rice. Drizzle with pan sauce.

Autumn Dinner: Umbrian Lentil Stew, Salmon, & a Raspberry Salad (recipe)

Since returning from Vietnam, where the cuisine contains very little wheat and dairy, I have been trying to expand beyond my typical go-to dinners (some variety of pasta, with a side of bread) and have tried to think more consciously about the types of carbohydrates and side dishes in the meals I make. Don't get me wrong, I still love my homemade spaghetti and warm, rustic bread, but I want every part of the meal to be a conscious choice. This week I assigned myself a project. I decided to strive for maximum variety, and make sure the protein, carb, and veggies in each meal were unique, so that every single dinner this week was completely different. We had Israeli Cous Cous with fennel sausage and spinach in tomato sauce one night, a huge chef salad with various nuts, olives, hard boiled eggs, and blue cheese was another evening's dinner, and I followed that up with some long grain wild rice with lemon pepper cod and Greek salad. (Ok, ok, so the salads are a little repetitive- but organic greens have been on sale, and I've been using a different variety of lettuce or greens each night, and also a different dressing and additional fixings with each meal).

For tonight's dinner I bought some fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon from our market, and decide to try making lentils to serve along side. I bought a half-kilo (a little over one pound) of Umbrian Lentils- a tiny, multi-colored variety known for being smooth and light texture and flavor. They are grown organically in a traditional crop rotation schedule in the hills of Northern Italy. Aside from the unique yellow lentils in Ethiopian food, my last encounter with lentils was during my early childhood, and I really hated them. I remember the texture being mushy and terrible. This recipe was a nice surprise for me. Chris and I both enjoyed them, especially as a compliment to the salmon, and I will definitely try a variety of this dish again.

Lentil Stew

Ingredients

olive oil
1/4 C (1-2 slices) organic turkey bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
all leaves from 3-4 large sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tomato, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 lb lentils
2-3 C chicken stock
salt and pepper

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add diced turkey bacon.
(Traditionally this type of dish would call for pancetta. I don't eat pork, so I substitute turkey bacon. It is actually pretty darn close in flavor to real bacon. It is leaner and cooks to be crispier, which I like, and it is available in an organic, no nitrate added variety.) As the meat begins to brown, add diced vegetables (except tomato) and herbs. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until very fragrant and vegetables are just starting to cook and soften.

Step 2: Add in tomato, cook for one minute more.

Step 3: Add in lentils, and stock. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until lentils are cooked and just a bit soft, but still retain some bite. As lentil cook, you may need to add a little more stock. There should be a bit more liquid than lentils.

Step 4: Plate a large scoop of lentil stew, pair with salmon and salad.

Notes/ Varieties:
If serving as a whole meal, consider adding some extra turkey bacon and some mushrooms to round out the meal. Vegetarian version- Substitute mushrooms for bacon. Add extra tomato and vegetables. A similar, traditional Unbrian lentil dish is served with fried eggs on top.

Salmon

Ingredients
1 lb fillet of fresh salmon
lemon (juice)
salt
lemon pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
3 medium tomatoes, chopped

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil (I love recycled aluminum foil!), and place fish in dish with skin side down.

Step 2: Squeeze the juice from half of a lemon over the fish, then season with salt and lemon pepper. Chop 2 Tablespoons butter into small pats, and place them all over the top of the salmon fillet. Cover and surround fish with chopped tomatoes.

Step 3: Cook for 10-20 minutes (depending on thickness of fish), watch closely to make sure fish does not over cook.

Step 4: Plate alongside lentils and salad, serve and enjoy!

Salad

Ingredients

1 part organic raspberries
2 parts fresh seasonal greens (spinache, arugala, dandylion, butter lettuce, etc)
a light drizzle of balsamic vinagrette

Step 1: Combine ingredients in a bowl, toss together. Serve alongside lentils and salmon.

Vietnam

We arrived back from Vietnam at the end of August- it was an amazing journey. Truly life altering. Since a picture is worth at least a thousand words, if you're interested in the details you can check out our little photo album with explanations in the captions, for a brief synopsis of our adventure. Thanks to everyone for their support! We were able to help so many people, and bring clean water, toys, school supplies, and friendship to so many children!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2629442&id=10701959&l=582f44916e

Good Morning Sunshine! Muffins (recipe)

Now that our chickens are finally getting the hang of things, I'm trying my hardest to use up the 4+ eggs we're getting each day. We also have some big crab apples up in the tree, and I wanted to put some of those into a recipe as well. This is how I used today's batch. Fresh fruit + Fresh Eggs = Good Morning Sunshine! Muffins (makes 12 large muffins- 219 calories/3g protein each)

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 C olive oil
1 C brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
a splash of fresh lemon juice
Fresh Fruit (2 C shredded sour apples + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or 1 1/2 C fresh berries)
2 C unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.2 teaspoon salt



Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, stir together eggs, olive oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. When combined, add fruit, and stir until evenly mixed.
Step 2: In a small bowl stir together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt). Fold dry ingredients into wet until just evenly mixed. Do not over stir.
Step 3: Use a large spoon to plop the batter into the cups of a muffin tin. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes total, until still very moist- not browned- and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Pull out at about 15 minutes before done, and add a dab of butter and sprinkle of brown sugar to the top of each muffin.

Enjoy warm. I made a batch of each type. 3 large apples from our tree produced about 2 cups of grated apple. The apple muffins were sweet and tasty- really nice to eat warm. The berry muffins are a little tart- not too sweet, and get a little bit more fluffy. Next time, I'm going to try pumpkin/pine nut muffins. Good Morning Sunshine!

Berry Muffins next to Apple Muffins

Reagan's Seafood Bisque (recipe)

I made this bisque after adapting a couple of classic recipes to include more vegetables and cut down on heavy cream. I wanted a soup that had more lean protein in it, and ended up deciding to add a final step, of adding in my favorite types of seafood after the bisque has been pureed. This is a rich, delicious soup that goes wonderfully with fresh bread, and any fresh, seasonal seafood and herbs that you have on hand.The whole prawns create the base for this dish, but aside from that, you can add just about any favorite fish or shellfish. I chose to use shrimp, lump Dungeness crab meat, and Alaskan cod. I also used fresh thyme and parsley from the garden. This recipe creates a giant crock pot of soup- I made it this way so that I could share it with friends, and freeze small containers to pull out for a quick meals down the road. If you are planning to make just enough to serve a family for one night, I would cut the recipe in half- which would then fill up a 4 qt saucepan rather than a crock pot, and easily serve 6 people as a main dish (and would give you 12-16 small cups of soup for side dishes/appetizers).

Ingredients

1 yellow onion
1 medium leek, chopped
1 bulb fennel, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cans peeled, diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can tomato paste (around 5-6 Tablespoons)
1 cup Oloroso sherry
1 pound medium sized, whole, shell on, prawns
1 cup uncooked Basmati rice
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups half-and-half
2 cups vegetable stock
8 sprigs parsley & sprigs thyme- tied with cooking twine
2 teaspoons crushed, dried bay leaf
2 teaspoons crushed, dried basil
fresh ground salt and pepper
8 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
a few pinches of cayenne pepper
1 pound shrimp-I like the cooked, peeled, deviened shrimp meat (looks like tiny baby shrimp)
1/2 pound lump Dungeness crab meat
1/2 pound fillet of Alaskan Cod

Tools needed: Blender (standard or emulsion) and large crock pot

Step 1: Heat butter and olive oil in a large crock pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and fennel. Cook until translucent (about 8 minutes).

Step 2: Add tomatoes and tomato paste. cook until most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated (about 6 minutes). Add sherry, and simmer until reduced by half (about 10 minutes). Count your whole shell on prawns, and write the number down. This will help you later when you need to remove all of them from the soup.

Step 3: Stir in prawns, rice, cream, half-and-half, and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer. Add bundle of fresh herbs, as well as dried basil and bay leaf. Simmer gently, stirring every few minutes, for 25 minutes. Add lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes more (total time simmering = 45 minutes).


Step 4: Remove herbs and whole prawns. Discard. Puree soup in a blender. You could also use an emulsion blender or a food processor. I just have a small blender, and I ended up needing to blend two batches (about 90 % of the soup). The bisque can be served at this point. If adding seafood such as crab, shrimp, cod, halibut, shellfish, scallops, etc. follow step 5.


Step 5: After pureeing, return soup to crock pot, over medium heat. Add cod, shrimp and crab (or desired seafood). Simmer for a final 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. If adding fish, flake into small pieces with a wooden spoon as you stir.

Step 5: Garnish with sprigs of parsley, and serve with warm bread. Enjoy!

Orecchiette Pasta with Brown Butter Sage Sauce (recipe)

This is such a quick and delicious meal. It is rich and flavorful, and is a good choice as a side dish to roasted veggies or chicken dishes. Here, I served it with some homemade meatballs. I added lots of fresh sage, garlic, and Pecorino-Romano cheese to the meatballs, along with extra red pepper flakes. See the previous meatball recipe for details on how to make homemade meatballs. Once those were in the oven, while the pasta was cooking, I made the sauce. One important factor with this sauce is the type of pasta- It works well with smaller, thicker types of pasta such as campanelle, orecchiette, and is outstanding with stuffed pastas such as a cheese or mushroom ravioli.

Ingredients

Two large handfuls of fresh sage leaves, julienned (30-40 leaves)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound of pasta (see above for pasta types)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a pinch of salt

optional- homemade garlic-sage meatballs with Pecorino cheese

Step 1: Make and cook meatballs. See previous recipe for details. Modify as follows: add 5 cloves minced garlic, 15 diced sage leaves, 1/3 cup Pecorino cheese, and 2 extra teaspoons red pepper flakes, into ground beef mixture before shaping meatballs.



Step 2: Boil water for pasta. Add pasta, cook to al Dente, and drain. Pasta should still have a nice 'bite'

Step 3: Make sauce. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat until it begins to foam. At that point, add in 3 Tablespoons olive oil, and all of the julienned sage leaves. Continue to cook, stirring slowly. Be careful that the heat is not too low (needs to be high enough to maintain foam and slowly brown butter) and not too high (be very careful not to burn/overcook). Just as the sauce begins to turn a pale golden color, add minced garlic. Continue to cook until sauce is golden throughout, but not burned. Add a pinch of salt, to taste.




Step 4: Pour sauce over cooked pasta, and toss pasta so that it is evenly coated. If using meatballs, add those to the pasta as well. Serve immediately. Garnish wish Parmesan cheese and a couple of fresh sage leaves.

Davis-Vietnam Community Outreach Project

We are so excited to announce our travel plans for this summer! We are going to have quite an adventure, trekking through the jungles and communities of Northern and Central Vietnam with a few of our good friends. We will be in Vietnam in August, for a total of three weeks. The focus of our journey will be our community outreach project, and our volunteer efforts in a local orphanage. We hope to share more information as our trip comes together, and share pictures and stories as we travel! We are also looking forward to exploring Vietnam's natural beauty including its National Parks, wildlife, and ocean. We are excited about meeting people from local villages, staying in stilt houses, hiking in the jungles, and learning about the history, culture, and landscape of Vietnam- as well as reach out to the orphans of Ba Vi and support their needs.

Click HERE to follow us on Facebook


Davis-Vietnam Community Outreach Project

Goals/Fundraising Plan

Goals

Volunteer our time and services in Ba Vi Orphanage, in Northern Vietnam

Make a connection with the community of Ba Vi Orphanage by developing relationships with the children and workers; learning about daily life in the orphanage; observing the needs of the children, staff, and building; and beginning a dialogue about how to extend and continue our support

Purchase much needed supplies and materials for the children at the orphanage

Travel through Northern and Central Vietnam to learn about the country, language, culture, landscape, and local villages

Visit the Cuc Phuong National Park to view one of last remaining preserved habitats in the country, and the endangered animals and indigenous Muong Hill Tribe that lives within the park.

Visit and make a contribution (donation, possibly also volunteer some time) the Endangered Primate Rescue Center (operated by the Frankfurt Zoo) within Cuc Phuong National Park.

Bring photos, stories, and information back to the children of La Rue Park CDC and Russell Park CDC in Davis, CA; help the children develop a sense of global citizenship, an awareness of other cultures and ways of life, a sense of responsibility to care for others in need, as well as knowledge about the country of Vietnam and the people and animals who live there

Plan future support efforts

Expenses

5 volunteers (Melissa Chordas, Lisa Heritage, Reagan Carosino, Chris Carosino, Palina Chordas) from Davis California are traveling to Northern and Central Vietnam from August 1 – 21, 2010. The following figures reflect the actual costs of travel and living expenses for the trip, excluding any donations/contributions we will make.

Cost of airfare: $1206.00 per person

Cost of trip once in Vietnam: $1,300 per person (including guide, interpreter, transportation, lodging, food, etc.)

Total cost per person: $2,500.00

Total cost for group: $12,500.00

(This figure does not include cost of Visas, passports, vaccinations, malaria medication, and health and safety related travel supplies including DEET, sunscreen, Sipro, etc. or equipment such as leech socks, backpacks, hiking shoes, etc which each person will need to obtain)

Fundraising Goal for Community Outreach Project

Fundraise $2,000 to purchase supplies for the orphanage. We will take most of the funds with us to Vietnam to purchase supplies there. We may purchase some supplies in America to take with us if transport is feasible. This includes the following items which the orphanage has already specified as an area of dire need:

-Board books and picture books in English

-Baby formula

-Educational basics including paper, pencils, etc.

-Some clothing for the children

We would like to use about 250 dollars for a donation to the Endangered Primate Rescue Center. This will help to support their efforts to rescue primates from smuggling and illegal trade, as well as support habitat preservation, breeding programs, education, and program development.

We would also like to fundraise $600 per person coming on the trip. This will help pay for the cost of food, lodging, interpreter, transportation, and expenses while we are volunteering.

5 people x $600 = $3,000 total to help cover volunteer costs

Total Fundraising Goal: $5,250

Italian Wedding Soup with Homemade Meatballs (recipe)

Today a friend gave us a ton of greens from a weekly produce basket. I decided to try and use them by making homemade Italian Wedding Soup, with fresh greens, Israeli couscous, and homemade meatballs. I have never made meatballs before, and even though I was winging it, I was really happy with how they turned out. The quality of meat makes such a huge difference. We have been getting our meat from the UC Davis Meat Sale. Every couple of weeks UC Davis offers meat from their animal sciences program for sale. It is extremely fresh (slaughtered and butchered on site), and raised naturally- free of unneccessary antibiotics. The animals are raised in small numbers and recieve vetrinary care from UCD. The meat is SO delicious, and ground beef goes for about $2/pound. I just made up the recipe as I went along, and added what I happened to have, so I thought I'd share the basics here:

Ingredients for Meatballs:

fresh ground beef (2.5 lbs)
1 sweet yellow onion, finely diced
2 fresh eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons garlic pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
freshly ground salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, using hands. When evenly mixed, use hands to shape into small meatballs. Each one should be about 2 tablespoons worth of meat mixture. This recipe should make enough to completely fill 2 cookie sheets. Bake until cooked through (~8-12 minutes).



Ingredients for Soup:

free range chicken broth
Vegetable bouillon cubes
1 pound organic Crimini mushrooms, diced
several large bunches freshly picked seasonal greens (you could use any- I used chard, kohlrabi, mustard greens, arugula, spinach, bay leaf, and a few varieties of lettuce)
Israeli couscous (I used around 2 cups, dry, for a huge stockpot of soup)


For soup:

Put a stockpot on the stove, and fill with 50% free range chicken broth, 50% water. Bring to a boil. Add vegetable bouillon cubes (Use the amount of water added to broth to determine number of cubes- ratio on package, usually 2 cups per cube).
Add diced Crimini mushrooms, simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add choped greens and bay leaves, cook for another 5 minutes. Add Isreali couscous, cook for a final 5 minutes.

Vegetarians can eat soup plain (if you are eating with people who don't like to use chicken broth, you can use veggie stock exclusively), meat eaters can add meatballs as desired. A bowl of soup with 4 meatballs is well balanced. Garnish bowls of soup with parmesan cheese, and serve with freshly baked rustic bread.

Quick and Easy Banana Bread (recipe)

This is a nice recipe for those forgotten bananas that are starting to look a little spotty:

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
1 Tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9 x 3 bread pan.

Step 2: Peel bananas, and place them into a small bowl. Add cinnamon and milk, and use a fork to mash mixture together until evenly mixed and creamy.

Step 3: In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, add the banana mixture, stirring well until evenly mixed.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients, and mix until flour has disappeared, then stop. Transfer into baking pan. Bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (1hour to 1hour 15 minutes).

Step 5: Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then enjoy warm!



Variations: add crushed walnuts, dried cranberries (or both) with dry ingredients. Enjoy with honey or butter on top.

Next time I make it, I am going to try brown sugar instead of granulated, and crumble some on the top... we'll see how it turns out!

Spring Projects

Spring has sprung in Davis. The sunshine and 75 degree weather sent us outside, to work on some of our garden projects and yard work. Two of our accomplishments this week included building a 4 x 4 compost bin using recycled wood pallets, and getting our first batch of chicks. We are hoping to build a coop in the coming weeks, and look forward to having chickens, fertilizer, pest control, and our own eggs by the end of summer.

Here is a picture of one of the chicks next to an egg, for size comparison. She hatched from her own egg just two days ago.

These are our little ladies... we hope. The chickens are pre-sexed, so 95% of them should be hens. We picked up a total of four chicks from one of our favorite stores- Higby's Feed, in the neighboring town of Dixon. The little yellow ones are Buff Orpingtons, and the black and white ones are Barred Plymouth Rocks. Someday they should look like this....



Buff Orpington

Barred Plymouth Rock

Here is our compost bin- still under construction. It has now been completed and is in use. It is also completely lined with chicken wire, and has a lid. We salvaged the wood pallets from the alleyways of Davis. The only cost was about $7 worth of chicken wire. We are really excited to decrease our household waste and create some beautiful compost for our garden.

Cooking Up Comfort Food: Ground Beef Stroganoff (recipe)

Chris and I were both under the weather over the past few days. This is one of my favorite dishes to fight a cold- quick and easy to make, warm, inviting, and with ingredients like black pepper, onion, garlic, and spicy brown mustard to boost the immune system and clear the sinuses. In this version I substituted ground beef for the traditional Stroganoff's strips of beef tenderloin because it is what I had on hand, and is cheaper. (To stay on the cheap but avoid factory farms, I like the organic, grass fed, ground beef now carried at Costco)



Ingredients

12 oz egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
freshly ground salt and pepper
garlic powder
3 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup beef stock
1 onion, sliced very thinly
3 Tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon spicy mustard
(We like Sierra Nevada's Porter&Spicy Brown)

Step 1: In a pot or large saucepan bring water to boil, and add egg noodles. Cook until just tender, still slightly firm (3-5 minutes). When noodles have cooked, drain and set aside.

Step 2: While noodles cook, season ground beef with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and garlic powder (~2 tsp) to taste. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter. As butter starts to foam, add onion. Cook for one minute, then add beef. Use a wooden spoon to periodically stir beef and break into small pieces. As soon as beef is just cooked, remove from heat (do not overcook. Meat should remain moist, not dark brown and crumbly).

Step 3: In a saucepan melt 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter. Whisk in 1 Tablespoon flour until smooth. Add 1 cup beef stock, and bring to a simmer. Whisk for 1-2 minutes as sauce thickens. Reduce heat. Once sauce has stopped bubbling, add sour cream and mustard. Stir into sauce until texture and color are smooth and even. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Pour sauce over ground beef and onions. Toss with egg noodles. Serve hot.

Variations: Sliced mushrooms can be added in with onions and lightly browned before beef is added.

Saturday Morning Coffee Cake with Raspberries (recipe)

I made this recipe up in an attempt to create a coffee cake that would stay very moist and spongy, have lots of crumbly topping, and serve as a complete meal. This coffee cake is by no means health food, but by incorperating lots of natural yogurt and fresh raspberries it is more nutritional than traditional coffee cake. See the end note for variations.

Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups yogurt
(I like Stonyfield farms organic, low fat yogurt in either plain or vanilla flavor. It is the best yogurt you will ever eat, and is more healthful and cow-friendly than other varieties.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries



Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan, and set aside.

Step 2: Prepare streusel. In a small bowl combine 1 stick butter (8Tbl) melted, 1 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. Use a fork, and stir ingredients together until crumbly. Pea sized balls of streusel should form. Set aside.


Step 2: Mix dry ingredients for coffee cake. In a small bowl stir together 2 1/3 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.

Step 3: Mix together wet ingredients for coffee cake. In a small bowl, or in a large measuring cup, Stir together 1 1/2 cups yogurt and 1 tsp vanilla extract. set aside.

Step 4: In a mixer bowl combine 1/2 stick butter (4Tbl) softened, and 1 cup sugar. Beat on high speed, until very fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time.

Step 4: Add wet and dry ingredients into mixer slowly. First add half of dry ingredients, then half of yogurt mixture, then add the second half of the dry ingredients and second half of the yogurt mixture. Mix well after each addition.

Step 5: Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, and 1/2 of streusel mixture with a spatula. These ingredients should be distributed evenly through batter, but berries and streusel crumbles should remain mostly intact.


Step 6: Pour batter into the greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Use a spatula to smooth batter and make sure it is evenly distributed across pan. Sprinkly remaining streusel over the top of the cake.

Step 7: Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until cake is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 8: Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm, with favorite French pressed coffee. Enjoy!


Variations: Nuts, especially almonds or diced walnuts, can be added to the streusel topping. Raspberries can be omitted, or traded for any other fresh berries.

Paws-itively Delightful Dog Treats (Recipe)

Scout and Luke know that if they want to be in the kitchen while I'm cooking they have to "go to bed" and wait politely in their baskets in the corner. They are eager taste testers and floor cleaners, and love to have a front row seat any time I'm trying out a new recipe, and I've yet to find a more appreciative or forgiving audience. This recipe is especially for our furry friends- and even our dainty and selective foster dog gives these puppy treats her wag of approval. If you'd like to let your pooch try them out, they will be for sale outside of the Davis Food Co-op tomorrow afternoon as part of a bake sale to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake. If you can't make it, but still want to try the cookies, this recipe is about as easy as it gets, and lacks the preservatives, additives, and sodium in commercial dog treats- your dog will thank you!

Scout's Favorite Peanut Butter Puppy Treats

(Makes about 100 medium-sized cookies)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 cups peanut butter
1 cup plain, all natural yogurt

1 cup milk

(substitute organic ingredients if you so desire!)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set out two medium sized bowls.

Step 2: In one bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In the other bowl, stir together milk, yogurt, and peanut butter.

Step 3: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring at first, then mixing with hands. Add small handfuls of flour until dough is no longer sticky, and has a smooth, spongy texture.

Step 4: use a rolling pin to roll dough 1/3 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to create dog treats of different shapes and sizes.

Step 5: Place the cut out treats on a baking sheet, and bake until they the cookies are golden-brown (~15 minutes)

Step 6: Get your dog to show off some tricks, and then reward her with a delicious treat!

A 'Super Bowl' di Arancini (recipe)

On Sunday we headed off to watch the Super Bowl with some friends. As an appetizer, I decided to make Arancini. Arancini means "little oranges" in Italian, and they are the dish I miss the most since since moving home from Italy. The breaded balls are traditionally filled with risotto and cheese, but sometimes contain meat (sausage or pancetta) or vegetables (such as peas or diced mushrooms). The arancini in Italy were about the size of real oranges- a single one would be enough for lunch, and I liked how the rice, cheese, and entire meal came in such a tidy and delicious package. It was nice to order one and be able to eat it single handed while walking down the street. They were easier to find in southern Italy-Napoli and Siracusa, but I remember eating them in Rome as well, and I have never found anything quite the same in America. I actually love arancini so much that I was afraid to make them- it's intimidating to try and replicate something so wonderful, and I wasn't sure I would actually be able to make them hold together and fry them without ruining them. Well, the good news is- it can be done! Since I was attempting appetizers, I settled on the simple risotto and cheese varity, and made them about the size of golf balls, rather than the baseball sized ones I remember so fondlly. They were not as daunting as I imagined, and were worth the effort! The recipe below is for the small, vegetarian arancini that I just described. I plan to try large ones with different fillings next.

Arancini
(makes 20-25 individual balls)

Ingredients:

Several cups of Olive oil
or alternate cooking oil (not extra virgin- it becomes bitter when used with high heat)
2 shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons dried basil leaves, ground
freshly ground salt and pepper
1 1/3 cup dry Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
Provolone cheese, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (20-25 total)

Step 1: Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, once around the pan. Saute shallots, dried basil, salt, pepper, and garlic (until fragrant, with shallots turning translucent ~2 minutes), then add dry rice. Stir, mixing shallots, garlic, oil and rice, and continue to cook for 2 minutes more.

Step 2: Add 1 cup vegetable stock. Turn heat to medium-low, and simmer. Stir constantly, until liquid is nearly gone. Then add the next cup of vegetable stock. Continue to stir, and reduce liquid once more. Then add water, 1 cup at a time, continuously stirring until liquid is nearly absorbed. (you can reduce 4 cups of stock if you prefer, but I didn't want it to be too salty) Risotto should be creamy, but individual grains of rice should be just tender- not mushy. The whole process of reducing and stirring to cook risotto should take about 20 minutes.

Step 3: Set risotto aside in a bowl or dish and let it cool to around room temperature. Add eggs, and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs to risotto, stir to evenly mix. Pour 2 cups breadcrumbs into a bowl for breading.

Step 4: Run hands under water until just damp. Pick up a small handful of risotto-egg mixture in one hand. Gently squeeze it and form it into a golf ball sized sphere that will hold its form. Take one cube of cheese, and press it into the center of the ball. Pinch/pat risotto into place to fill hole. Roll stuffed risotto ball in the bowl of bread crumbs, coating with a thin but even layer. Place ball onto a dish or cookie sheet. Repeat this process, making a total of 20-25 arancini. It works best to rinse/dampen hands between each ball.

Step 5: Place a sauce pan over the burner, and fill with olive oil so that the oil is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep. Heat over medium heat to around 350 degrees. I don't have a thermometer for this- but I know the temperature is correct when small bubbles are continuously rising, and the balls immediately sizzle when dropped into the oil. The balls should not be falling apart or sticking to the bottom (oil is too cool). They also should not be blackening, and the oil should not be smoking, popping, or emiting a burning/stinky smell (too hot).

Step 6: Cook arancini in batches. Gently drop 4-5 arancini into the oil, and cook for 2-3 minutes. They need to cook all of the way through, and the cheese needs to melt. The outside should become crisp and firm. Use metal tongs or a slotted spoon to remove arancini from the oil, and place them on a plate, on top of a couple of paper towls to drain any excess oil. The arancini should be golden brown, with a crispy shell.

Step 7: Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes atop paper towels. Serve hot (cheese inside should be melted). If you are not going to eat/serve immediately, heat the oven to 200 degrees, and put a baking dish or tray inside as you start to cook the arancini. After they have drained for a couple of minutes, transfer them to the warming dish inside of the oven until you are ready to serve them or take them to your party. Enjoy!

(A guy at an Italian deli once told me that these also reheat in the microwave fairly well- but I didn't try it because there weren't any left).

variations: as mentioned above, you can make any type of risotto for this recipe. I have had arancini with mushroom risotto and with lemon-Parmesan risotto before. Red pepper flakes, pesto, or sage are nice herbs for seasoning. They are also good stuffed with peas, sausage, or other favorite foods.

Santa Rosa Hiking and the Russian-River Brewery

Today the fam met up with our friends Melissa and Ana and drove over to Santa Rosa for some hiking and a visit to a local brewery.



Melissa found Foothill Regional Park, right by the town of Santa Rosa where the brewery is located. We drove over to Sonoma County to the park, and while it was raining intermittently, it was a nice hike. Climbing up into the rolling hills and landscape of the north bay we quickly left highway 101 behind us and were soon peeking over hilltops towards free range cattle, forests, and rolling hills of vineyards. The landscaped was decorated with young, gnarled oak and the occasional madrone and manzanita tree. In the rain, the green of new winter grass made for a beautiful hike. (So much so, I forgot to take pictures and instead have just copied these instead.) Before the land was made into a state park, three lakes were created and stocked with fish. These still greet you at the bottom of the park, when you first enter and begin climbing into the hills and are still used for recreational fishing. The perimeter of the park offers a great, but quick, ~3 mile hike and it is definitely worth checking out if you are ever in the area, which you should be...

So why the Russian-River Brewery?

Some of you may have seen an earlier post about my experience at the Davis Food Co-op a couple of weeks ago when I asked an employee about the empty row of Pliny the Elder bottles of beer. After asking an employee to check in back if there was any more, a case was brought out from the storeroom. At this point, what began as a Reg and myself standing in the beer isle had added three others also hovering around. The employee opened the case asking, "Is this going to be enough for you?" revealing three bottles of Pliny the Elder inside. I reached down grabbing two bottles., one for Reg and one for myself, and replied, "Yes, this should be just fine. Thank you." By the time I had finished saying fine, a hand had reached into the box and removed the final bottle. The now small crowd which had gathered around the un-boxing uttered a collective sigh and began to scatter. As Reg and I finished to shop, no less than three times were we asked hastily, "They have Pliny?" "When will they have more?" "Do you know where else I could find that?" We returned home and enjoyed our Pliny, perhaps a bit over hyped but a really good beer none-the-less.

Pliny the Elder is a double IPA, and a pretty damn good one at that. However through two key actions, (1) making a very good beer and then (2) have purposefully inconsistent and spotty distribution, the brewery has made Pliny the Elder a real hot item. Chris, a friend of mine who had introduced me to the brew has also told me about a limited release of Pliny the Younger which was going down all this week for SF Beer Week starting on Friday the 5th. Pliny the Younger is a triple IPA and a strong 11% ABV, or in other words, a great sipping brew. So of course we wanted to get in on this release of the Younger, the brewery figured they had enough to last all week... they sold out on Friday. ALL of it was gone on the first day. However we still wanted to go to the brewery and try their other brews and still do the hike so away we went.

The brewery was still packed and we waited about 20 minutes for a table we only got because someone grabbed us as we were walking around and said they'd give us theirs when they were done. Score. When we sat down we were treated to some good pizza (I know, a lot of pizza this week. But the smell was so good, and we were so wet and hungry, we couldn't pass it up.)

The other cool thing about this brewery is, besides making the hot Plinys, they also do some really interesting brews featuring fermentation in old wine barrels to give the brews a whole new flavor. Unfortunately the one I really wanted to try, Beatification was not currently available. That brew features no added yeast whatsoever. Instead it is uses only the wild mix of yeasts from the air (akin to sourdough) and is aged in old oak barrels that no longer contribute oak or wine flavor but rather have their own unique mix of yeasts. We'll be going back to try that another time.

The brews we did try consisted of:

Russian River Porter (41 BU's, Bitterness Unit)- Not bad but not great, smooth like on nitro but it wasn't and seemed a bit flat.

Happy Hops (32 BU's)- a "hoppy pale ale", but really not that hoppy. Like a traditional english pale ale.

Blind Pig IPA (72 BU's)- this is more like it. Lots of that pine flavor but not killer hops. If IPAs are a bit too hoppy for you sometimes, this has a flavor like the Elder (95-100 BU's) but not as much bitterness.

Concesecration (10% ABV, 17 BU's) - This was a cool one. A dark sour ale fermented in Cab Sauvignon barrels. I liked this one but Melissa and Reg favored the other.

Supplication (7% ABV, 27 BU's) -

The ladies liked this one. A dark ale aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with three strains of yeast and sour cherries. Pretty cool to try these out.

In the end though, as you can see in the picture posted above. We came home with a growler of Pliny the Elder.

A New Foster Dog...

Also, this evening after returning from the hike we picked up a new foster dog. The SPCA just got her today, and we having been looking forward to taking another foster. She is a very sweet, small, cuddler, but unfortunately has very matted hair which makes he shy away in pain when you pet her on the head. She is going to the groomer Monday and I don't think she will be around long based on her very sweet temperment.