Turkey Stock

Well, hello there!  Why yes, I did survive Turkey Day!  The food was delicious and well-received by all, the house looked well enough, and both my family and my boyfriend's family got along!  It truly couldn't have gone any better.

And, in true don't-waste-anything-if-you-can-help-it fashion, I made some tasty turkey stock!  I hope all of you out there with Turkey carcases did or are planning on doing the same!  Here's my basic poultry stock recipe - homemade stock is great for risottos, soups, stews, gravy, you name it.  Works with rotisserie chicken bones, too!  I usually just keep a freezer bag of vegetable peelings in the freezer for when it comes time to make the stock, and throw those in.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday, and even that if you didn't, the stress has hopefully subsided now!

Basic Poultry Stock


Turkey or chicken carcass, meat and skin removed (a little skin is okay)
1 onion (or, the skin and ends the onion)
2-3 large carrots, unpeeled (or, the peels of several carrots, and their tops)
3-4 stalks celery
1 handful parsley, stems and all (great when you have extra parsley that's getting a little yellow)
1 handful dill, stems and all (optional)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (great way to use up those extra herbs from the holiday feast!)
5-6 whole black peppercorns

Add all ingredients to your largest stock pot.  Fill to cover with water; place over medium-high heat and let simmer 3-4 hours, until vegetables are completely cooked through and the stock is a lovely golden color.  Occasionally skim the scum off the top with a spoon.  Strain the stock into a bowl to collect the solids (all the vegetables and bones); discard the solids and place the stock in the fridge overnight.  Skim the rest of the fat off the top of the stock the next day.  Place stock in the freezer for homemade stock whenever you need it!

Easy Plum Compote

So, I didn't end up making a kuchen with the rest of the plums.  But I did make a quick, single serving of plum compote to serve over this buttermilk cake.  A compote/sauce like this is incredibly easy to make - fruit, water, sugar, optional spices, simmered over medium heat until the fruit starts to break down, the sugar dissolves, and some of the water evaporates, leaving you with a thick, tart, plummy compote which pairs perfectly with a simple, every day vanilla cake, as the crumb absorbs the sauce.  It's really the perfect weekday dessert.  Enjoy!

Easy Plum Compote


6-7 Italian plums, pitted
1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Put all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and stir with a wooden spoon, crushing the plums with the spoon.  Reduce heat to medium low; simmer gently until skins of the plum have given the compote a jewel-like color, all sugar has dissolved, and the plums have completely broken down, about 10-15 minutes.  For a thicker compote, simmer longer.  Serve with vanilla/yellow cake of your choice.

Easy Plum Tart

My parents brought me back a box of produce from Green Bluff Farms the last time they visited Eastern Washington.  There were apples, pears, and  a large handful of small, almond-shaped Italian plums.  I've been working my way through the apples and pears - a wedge of sharp cheddar cheese and a sliced-up apple is one of my favorite snacks on a crisp October day - but I was a bit stumped as to what to do with the plums.

When we were growing up, Mom would make plum kuchen.  Kuchen is a kind of German cake.  Mom would put a layer of cake in the pan, slice the plums and layer them in neat rows, and sprinkle a cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top, which made the top of the cake crispy and a little caramelized once it had been baked.  Mom learned how to make it from her Mom, and so on.  While I love plum Kuchen and will probably make a small one with the rest of the plums, I wanted to do something a little different, more of a nod to my love of French food and culture.  And this Easy Plum Tart was born.

It really is easy.  Puff pastry from the freezer section of the grocery store, a little plain yogurt, sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with cinnamon (I really love the taste of cinnamon with plums after growing up with Mom's kuchen), some sliced plums and a liberal sprinkling of powdered sugar, and you got yourself a sweet but still tart dessert with buttery, flaky layers of pastry that would be a showstopper at any dinner party or late morning brunch with your friends.  Just make sure to have enough on hand.  

Easy Plum Tart

1 egg, beaten

2/3s of a sheet of puff pastry, defrosted

1 heaping tablespoon plain yogurt

3/4 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

6-8 Italian plums

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet.  Place the puff pastry on the baking sheet.

2. Pit and slice the plums into thin wedges.

3. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread the yogurt over the puff pastry in an even layer, leaving at least a half-inch edge of puff pastry uncovered.  (Leaving this edge uncovered is important so that the puff pastry will rise when it bakes).  

4. Arrange the plums in neat rows so that most of the yogurt is covered.

5. Using a brush or your fingertip, dab the edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash.  (This will ensure the puff pastry turns a lovely golden brown.  Throw the rest of the egg in with your scrambled eggs the next morning.)  

6. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the plums are tender and the puff pastry is golden brown.  Using a sifter, sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar.  Cut and serve immediately.

This tart was inspired by a number of sources, primarily by Katie Quinn Davies' Sweet Sour Cream Apple Tart.  

Project: Bag Rag Rug

A bag rag rug is a quick and easy project that makes use of some of those pesky plastic bags full of plastic bags that you may have around. It takes the simple old technique for making a rag rug, and puts it to use on a modern problem- too many plastic bags.


Ingredients:

• a big bag full of plastic bags
• rotary cutter/scissors
• cutting mat
• sewing machine (or more patience than I have)

A quick note: in this tutorial I used several thicknesses of bags, because I wanted the different colors. However, the changes in thickness made the rug bunch up a bit during sewing, and I had to set it under my cutting mat with a heavy toolbox on top for a day or so to make it flatten out. I would recommend only using one type of bag, preferably the thin grocery store kind.

First, cut the bags as shown, removing the handles and the bottom, then cutting strips across the width of the bag so they make loops. You can make the strips whatever width you want. Mine were around 3" on these thin bags and about 1 1/2 on the thicker bags.

You do not have to cut all of your bags at the beginning. It does get tedious. I cut a big batch, then would take breaks when I ran out to do another batch.


Take three strips, and clip or tie them together at the end. I chose not to tie them so there would not be an extra bump in the rug. Try to make the ends staggered, so they are slightly different lengths.

Braid the three strips together as if braiding hair, leaving an inch or two at the end.





You will need to attach the next strips as follows:

Pull the new strip through the loop of an original strip

Pull the second end of the new strip through the end which is sticking out of the original strip

Carefully pull tight. These strips of plastic are very fine and will easily rip if you apply too much pressure.

Repeat these steps for all three strips and continue to braid, adding on each time you reach the end.

If you staggered the lengths of the strips in the beginning, each knot will be in a different spot, avoiding a large bump in a single location.

Once you get into the rhythm you will find a way to keep the rope tight. Some people will tie the end to a chair or something, but this may not work well due to the length of the rope.

I began by stepping on the rope as I went, and when it got really long I just sat back on the couch and used my toes to feed the rope along! My fiancée thought this was hilarious.

When you feel like you have enough rope to make a rug, or you get bored with braiding, you can start to sew your rug. Of course you can do it by hand, but I chose to use my sewing machine.

Lay the beginning end of your rope down flat with the clip removed. I made this initial section of rope about 7" but it doesn't really matter. Curve the rope back closely beside the initial section, covering the loose ends when you wrap it around.

Continue to wrap the rope around itself, being sure it is laying flat at all times, and sew it to itself with a zigzag stitch.

If the rug is not big enough, remove it from the sewing machine and keep adding more strips until it is!

When the rug is the size you want, and you have almost sewed to the end, wrap the loose ends under (on the same side the loose ends from the beginning are on) and sew straight across them with a straight stitch, to the edge of the rug. Then, back stitch over it again for strength.

You can cut off any remaining loose ends, and your rug is complete!

Remember, if the rug bunches up at first you can put it under something flat and heavy to flatten it out more.

Finally, submit your project for inspection! This project is Dinah inspected and approved.

Cookbooks

Katherine here. There have been a lot of changes in my life and Alyse's life over the past few months. I just moved into a new (rented) house with my boyfriend, Ryan, after graduation. Seeking employment in this economy has been a challenge, to put it politely.  Alyse just got engaged and is pursuing her degree while working.  It's comforting to have our craft and cooking projects to keep us occupied and grounded.


One of my favorite things about the new house is my kitchen. Notice how I said "my" kitchen and not "our" kitchen. Ryan is banned from the entire area, as a trail of dirt and grime seems to follow him around like a lost puppy. As a result, it's my choice to arrange the kitchen however I please, and one of the first things I did was to put my cookbooks on the counter.

This is only a fraction of my cookbook collection - mostly the ones that were near the top of the boxes we've unpacked thus far. These were all gifts from my mother and grandmother. There are some classics in there, namely a vintage copy of the Moosewood Cookbook. There are also cookbooks which were far more in vogue back when my mother first bought them - is anyone using their microwave to prepare meals these days instead of to just warm up leftovers? - and cookbooks geared towards healthy, low calorie meals (is that a hint that I need less junk in the trunk, Grandma?). There's something pleasant about having these books near me as I putter around - it's nice to know that if ever the urge to try a new recipe strikes me, I'll be armed and ready, internet or no internet.

Fellow crafters, where do you keep your cookbooks?