Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the cutest jumping skeleton ever!

 
 
 
Oh no!  He's coming to get me!
 

Aaaaah!



Noooo!



Gaah!



There are worse ways to go, really.



Vanquished by the super cute zombaby.


It's too late for me.  Save yourselves!  And be sure to have a happy Halloween while you're at it!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Squash Puree


What a drizzly, cold autumn day.  What's a girl to do?




Oh hey!  A big pile of winter squash.  I know these buggers are supposed to keep well as they are, but last year I had a bunch go all squishy on me (all over the windowsill of the bow window), and if there's one thing I hate, it's wasting food.  Besides, any project where I get to use a meat cleaver and a rubber mallet is totally worth my time.

Why the meat cleaver and mallet?  Well, squash are kind of tough to cut up, the roll when you least want them to, I am clumsy, and I would really like to keep all my digits.


Cleaver placement.

Part way through.
Ta-da!
To cut apart the squash, center the cleaver on the top of your squash and tap it with your rubber mallet.  Don't be like me and smack your thumb with the rubber mallet.  That hurts.  This is the best I could do for action shots.  Despite being a mom, I have yet to grow that third arm that I so desperately need.  I am also still waiting for the eyes in the back of my head to show up.

For the butternut squash, I just cut off the necks with a knife. 



After cutting all the squash you want to roast, scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.  I find a grapefruit spoon to work best for that icky task.  Then put your squash cut-side down in baking dishes, and put about an inch of water in each dish.  This helps to keep the squash moist, and keeps it from fusing to your dishes.  Bake at 350 degrees and check it after about an hour.  It's done when you don't feel any resistance when poking it with a knife.



Allow the squash to cool a while.  No one wants blisters on their hands.



When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a food processor and whiz it up.



You can package your squash puree however you prefer, but I like to measure it so I know what I'm dealing with.  Two-cup portions works well for me, so that's how I bag it.



I package my squash in quart size Ziploc freezer bags.  I find it helpful to label each bag with what it is, the quantity, and the date.  Squeeze out the air, and flatten the bags out.  I freeze mine on a sheet pan, then store them upright in a box once they are frozen solid.

Since I didn't add any seasonings to my puree, I can use the squash in sweet or savory dishes.  I can make soups, pies, or just serve it up plain.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy those winter squash!

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Knitting Machine

Last week I went to Hobby Lobby unsupervised with a head full of half-formed ideas.  Very dangerous.  Luckily I managed to spend less than an hour there, and left with a reasonable amount of merchandise.  I probably bought more than I should have, but I didn't go totally overboard.  I'm calling it a win.

A few years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a knitting machine that had belonged to her mother-in-law.  I had never knitted before, and had never heard of a knitting machine before, but what the heck?  After letting it hang out in its box for several months, I dove right in and made a baby blanket for my nephew.  Well, by "dive right in" I mean that I made a lot of tangled messes, watched a bunch of YouTube videos about knitting machines, then figured out what I was doing enough to make a baby blanket.  Since then I have made a few scarves for family, and one mess that is still incomplete, and will probably stay that way.  It has been about a year since I used the knitting machine (probably because I spend most of my time chasing a baby), and I felt like giving it another go.

The knitting machine

I won't try and write a tutorial here, since I am probably the last person you want to have as a teacher.  If you're curious, Google it, and watch some of the YouTube videos that pop up.  I found them very helpful, and if a craft-impaired person like me can figure this out, I have no doubt that you can, too.

Casting on and ready to go.

The first several rows.

If my half-formed idea turns into an actual complete project, I will be sure to post an update.  For now, I'm just having fun poking away at this, and enjoying the pretty colors I picked out.  It may take me a little while to get it finished, since I only get to work in nap-length increments.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Salmon Dip

Salmon dip is a fantastic way to use up leftover salmon, which never tastes quite a good warmed up again as it does when you first make it.  If you are anything like me, however, you never have leftover salmon because you ate it all the first time around.  This is why I sometimes buy salmon specifically to make dip.

Here's what you need:

Salmon (duh)
Sour cream
Mayonnaise (For the love of Pete, do not try to substitue Miracle Whip.  So gross.)
Seasoned salt
Fresh dill or Capers
Lemon juice

If you are starting from scratch (no leftover salmon here), you need to cook your salmon first.  Any method is fine, but this is what I do:


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet or sheet pan with foil (this isn't absolutely necessary, but I do it so I don't have to scrub salmon skin off my pans), and lay your fillet out.  Drizzle with some lemon juice, then sprinkle with seasoned salt and dry dill weed.  I don't use fresh dill at this point because it gets either wilty or brittle, and isn't very tasty in the dip.


Bake until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees (or 145 if you are a little paranoid).  You can either use a probe thermometer like I did, or just bake it for about 20 minutes and check it.


Put the salmon into a bowl and break it into chunks.  It should peel off the skin easily.


Add equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise.  How much depends on how much salmon you started with.  You are looking for a tuna salad-like consistency.


If you are using fresh dill in your dip, mince it.  I usually prefer capers, but I happened to have a large bunch of dill in my CSA box last week.



Add the dill (or capers), lemon juice, and seasoned salt.  Fold it all together.  How much lemon juice you use depends on how tangy you want your dip, so give it a taste.  If you use capers, you won't need as much salt.

Word.

I have noticed that, when using capers, it takes a few hours before the salt in the capers makes its way throughout the dip, so don't go overboard with the seasoned salt when mixing this up.  You can add more later if it seems bland.


And we're done.  I usually eat salmon dip on crackers (rice crackers are my favorite), but you can also make a salmon salad sandwich with it, or toss a spoonful with some buttered noodles.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Living Joyfully: A lesson from my dog

There are days when I am not as grateful as I should be.  There are days that I feel resentful.  Sometimes I find myself wishing I had more (time, money, unnecessary stuff).  Then I look at my dog, Langston.  I think I could learn a few things from him.

Toys are great.

Squeaky mouse.

Dagron!!

Dino-rawr!


But people are better.

Langston with Damian, the night we brought him home.

Langston with me, the night we brought him home.

Much more recently, accepting pats from Damian and tolerating Julian playing with his collar.


The little things in life can be the most fun.

A net float he found on the beach.  A.K.A. "The Best Toy Ever."

A stick, a.k.a "The Best Toy Ever."

Play stops being play when you call it exercise.  Run for joy!

Running!
Running with a friend!

Have faith, and trust your friends.  Try new things, even if they are a little scary.

The steep slope was scary, but he did it because we did.

He was willing to scramble up the clay bluff so he could come with us.

Just because God didn't give you wings, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to fly (at least a little bit).

Taking off!

Keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground is clearly overrated.

It's okay to look silly.  The people who matter don't care.

Slobber eyebrow.

Someone walked in tar and had to wear socks for a while.


Why?  Why the bandana?

Sharing is a good thing.

Langston shares his toys with Julian.

Julian shares his snacks with Langston.

Don't bully those who are smaller than you.  No one wants to be friends with a bully.

Langston plays nicely with Finn and Julian.

Feeling grumpy?  Take a nap.

A nap fixes a lot of things.

It doesn't really matter where you're going, so long as you have good company.

Going to the beach?  Going to the vet?  Who cares!  I get to go!

Walking with his friend, Silver.

Being part of a family is THE BEST!

Langston's first beach vacation.

Stay joyful, my friends.




Thanks for reading!