Ten Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now

1 Lizzie Bennet Diaries


So this web series is a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice, and the format is Youtube Channel (Lizzie Bennet is a vlogger)  It is really smart, and fairly faithful to the books (people who are sticklers about sticking to the books might want to look away; there are some small liberties and changes made, but nothing huge)  there are 97 episodes so far, and I'm willing to bet that they'll wrap up at an even hundred. New episodes are Mondays and Thursdays, and I need someone to catch up because I love it so much and want to taaaaaaaaaaalk about it!   Some of you have to be insomniacs/have too much time on your hands/ need something to do while you're knitting, right? COME ON, IT'S AWESOME.

2  Chocolate Milk- Trader Joe's Organic Midnight Moo + Tall glass of milk = Very Happy Val

3 Pickles! I know I've already posted about the pickles I've made, but my dad and grandmom recently tried them, and they said that they were authentic to how my great grandmother made them! It seriously was the most rewarding experience I've had cooking in a while- to be able to make them for my dad and G... it was great.  Now I'm contemplating making a whole dinner from that book. 

4 The Mountain goats, specifically the songs Love Love Love and This Year. 


5 Tomorrow is the first day of spring!  I am looking forward to this winter being over. 

6 Cooking Project: Making preserved lemons. This started because of a joke, but they look really pretty chilling on my counter. 

7 Apple Cider Caramels: I made the Smitten Kitchen ones with my friend Abby, and then I went rouge and made orange caramels and covered them in chocolate. Result: pretty good. 

8 Have I talked about this hummus before? no? Go make it. It sounds fussy, but it is TOTALLY WORTH IT. Look how pretty mine is:

9  Planning Canning for the summer!  I am going to utilize the heck out of the farmer's market.  Making my own jams, more pickles, and tomato sauce- it's going to be great. 

10  My cousins are coming to visit in April!  The Rhode Island contingent is hitting Baltimore hard.  I can't wait to show them my city!

What is making you happy right now?

Tilly's Pickles

I never had the chance to know my paternal great grandmother Tilly. All I have is the stories of her, the family lore. That, and the repeated stories that indicate she was a great cook.  She worked as a cook as well, in a school for many years, before the days of frozen meals and burgers and fries in school cafeterias. 

This Christmas, my grandmother gave me one of the best gifts I've ever received. It is the cookbook that was given to her, by her mother, when she got married. The publication date is 1952, and it was the cookbook that my grandmother and great grandmother cooked out of. It is so wonderful to have this piece of family history to look at, and, because I'm me- to cook from. 

The bread and butter pickles are one of the things that my great grandmother was known for, and as soon as I got the cookbook, I started plotting to make them.  

So I chose a day that I dubbed "Pickle Day", and set out to make my pickles.  I also was making Sriracha pickles, because I have had a bunch of requests from my co-workers to make more. 

Here is the cast of characters: 

And the cucumbers and onions, all sliced up:

Sidenote: I used my mandoline for the first time making these pickles, and while it is efficient and made it a whole lot faster and easier, it also took a chunk of one of my knuckles off. That thing is SHARP.  I need to get one of those metal mesh gloves. Or to use the guard it comes with.... 

 Jars getting ready to be sterilized:

The fruits of my labor! (the Sriracha pickles are here too)

There's something to using recipes from the past (although I had to update this recipe slightly, because I processed the jars instead of just hot-packing them) It makes me feel more connected to my family, and to a woman I've never known, but hope that some of her love of cooking has been passed down through me. 

A thing that I did; A thing that I'm doing.

So I've been working a lot lately, and haven't been posting much- but I'm excited about an event that I catered (mostly on my own! but with some help from some awesome people)

I can tell the story in some pictures:

Obligatory Crudite shot- served with a Mediterranean feta dip

 Look! it's the whole table!

 Sundried tomato and goat cheese crostini that my friend lisa made- delicious!

The spinach artichoke dip that will shave years off your life, but is so worth it! (four cheeses, much deliciousness)

 Procuitto and melon skewers!

Medjool dates stuffed with goat cheese and topped with honey toasted almonds

So while I'm not catering things on my own, really, (this was for an Iron Crow Theatre Holiday Fundraiser) I am building my own Culinary Instruction Business! I am teaching cooking classes, either for a series- eight classes, or one night events, like "how to roast a chicken" and "appetizers for a party"    so I was advertising with my new cool business cards: 

If you know anyone who wants to learn to cook, send 'em my way!

Workbowls

So last week my roommate and I went thrifting, and I found a set of ten nestled anchor bowls that were nested. It has made my prep work so much easier! 

All of the chopping

I have been working on making sure I have my Mis-en-place (french for everything in it's place) when I am cooking, and I have to say, It makes for much easier cooking. (The downside is the amount of dishes) But I'm also finding it's easier to clean as I go with them. 

So today's my day off, and I started off by roasting this chicken: 

Hello, chicken, you are tasty.

Then, I started with a riff on the Pioneer Woman's White Chili, Which i think is perfect for the fall weather that we've been having.   Now the stock is simmering on the stove, and my ingredients (above) are patiently waiting to become Chicken Corn Chowder. 

If only my other day off activities were this rewarding and delicious.  However laundry, it is not. 

Ten Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now.

1.  Rainy days, with the day off, making corn chowder (and probably cookies later)
2. My awesome roommate, who rocks on multiple levels, and having some time to spend hanging out with her. She went on a buisness trip last week, and I really missed her!
3. Instagram

4. This song, played over and over and over again.



5. Having some time, and space to do the things I want to do. 
6. My camelback water bottle. You have to bite down to get the water! It's like a sippy cup! Very strange. But awesome.
7. Doing research for upcoming projects.
8. Baking bread. Lots of bread.
9.  SONG POP.
10. Living in Hampden, and spending more time hanging out with Jackie because she's so close! You know, even when she demands I cook things for her.

What is making you happy right now?

#10: Learn How to bake bread.

Ok, I am totally going to say this. I can bake bread, but I have not Mastered bread baking.  But I still think I got this one done (and since I'm scarce on having list items done this year, I'm taking it as a win)

If you have been around any sort of cooking/baking blogs in the past few years, I'm sure you know this recipe.  It's made the rounds- mostly a few years ago, and I think I made it back then, but wasn't 100% impressed.  It's Jim Lahey's no knead bread. 

But I have been having a hankering for bread lately, and the minute it cooled down a little (and I had a couple of days off)  the concept is pretty simple; a small amount of yeast, and a long proofing period develops the bread with some awesome flavors. You mix together flour, yeast, salt, and warm water, stir, and let it sit on your counter for 12 hours.  Then you punch it down a little, form it into a ball, and let it rise for 2 more hours, at which point you bake it in a preheated cast iron pot.  And ta-da! Bread!

This bread is awesome. It's crusty, and chewy on the inside, and if you put a little butter on it- MAN, it is good.   I made the regular recipe, and then for the next one, I chopped up some kalamata olives and put them in.   This is what it looked like:

isn't that sexy?

Then, for breakfast this morning, I took the remaining regular bread, tore it up, put it in a casserole dish with custard base made with vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, dotted it with butter, and then shook a little cinnamon sugar on top.  I don't have a picture, because it was devoured so quickly- but it was so good. the insides were eggy and warm, and the top was crisp with the toasted bread pieces, and the cinnamon sugar made the outside crust crackle a little.  Having made it once, I can't stop thinking about it, and what changes/improvements I can make. (next time I'm going to sprinkle the top with maple sugar, I think)

But I'm back in the saddle again, and I can't start to bake more of this bread, especially because it is so easy.  It is totally worth the burns I got mishandling my cast iron pot.

Dinner with Jack

I was in a cooking mood, so I picked up some stuff as I was leaving work on Wednesday, and called Jack to see if she wanted me to cook her dinner. To the suprise of exactly no one, she said yes. So I trucked over to Hampden, and made dinner for Jackie and her roommate.  (You know, because I'm the Best Sister Ever). 

The first thing I did was set some artichokes to steam (or more accurately, to boil)

While we were waiting for them to finish, I made some avocado toasts: 

Toasted bread, a little butter, avocado smushed on, salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon. 

And some Caprese toasts: 

Toasted bread, balsamic vinegar, kumatos, basil, mozzerella, and a little salt. 

By then, the artichokes were done, and I served them with lemon butter and a mock- Sauce gribiche (if you follow the link, it's the smoother one) to dip the petals in.  We ate outside, and relaxed- it was a really nice spring night.  I'm looking forward to more dinners in Hampden when I move there next month!

And dessert was mascarpone lemon dip for strawberries and Toasted Coconut Thins: 

mmmmmm, lemony goodness....

One of my favorite things to do is cook for other people, even when it is as simple as this.