four&twenty

Home Ec: Fall Gardening

I was thinking today as I was working in my garden that I take mentoring pretty seriously when it comes to gardening. I am such a “wanna-be” gardener even though it looks like I have it down. Well I don’t at all.

I am constantly calling my friends who have horticulture degrees or just lots more experience than I. And I know they call people who have more experience than them. So I benefit from the trickle down of knowledge. Throw in a healthy dose of the, “How hard can it be?” mentality and, shebang!  I have a decent garden.

But I am constantly doubting what I know and have many failures. I also do stupid things like shoveling mushy compost with my white gym shoes!

Well I attempted to photograph myself gardening this weekend. Practically impossible to hold a shovel and a camera at the same time! I finally got a bin full of compost to actually turn into dirt. It took forever because I had added WAY to much green stuff and not enough leaves (I was too lazy to go hunt up leaves.) Therefore my compost spent months in the anaerobic state rather than the optimal aerobic state. But never fear, I finally added enough dry stuff that it degraded into rich dirt. I found a cute frog in my bin and you know, they say amphibians are the first to go if their environment is bad sooo... it must be okay!

I also have been feeling so unmotivated to start fall planting. So with winter on my heels, I am at last into action.

I love the idea that a gentle rain will keep my seeds wet so I don’t have too. So I dove in on Sunday afternoon. First, I harvested all my remaining carrots and beets. I took a shovel and turned the bed, and then I tossed in my compost and turned that in. Then came decision time, what to plant? And then it dawned on me that it says right on the seed package whether or not it’s a cool or warm season vegetable! So I quickly weeded through my seed stash taking out only cool season seeds. I use the Square Foot Gardening approach by Mel Bartholomew. Except he does a professional job and I just wing it using some old bamboo sticks, to temporarily grid off the sq. feet. Oh to be Mel…

In the process, I discovered that I had neglected to support my eggplant all summer and it was a mess, so I gingerly staked it up and discovered a bunch of fruit under the pile! Even when I mess up things still grow and produce! Here’s to Eggplant! A good source of Vitamin K ,Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium, Manganese and a very good source of fiber, not to mention, a good source of an antioxidant called Chlorogenic Acid, among the most potent plant-based free radical scavengers ever discovered!

– Sara

Eggplant Dip
from Dr Andrew Weil MD

- 1 eggplant
- ½ med onion, grated or finely chopped
- 2 T capers
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup EVO
- ½ t dried oregano
- ½ t salt
- ¾ t fresh ground pepper
- 1 T  red wine vinegar
- 4 pitas
- 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, diced
- 1 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Set eggplant on a baking sheet or dish and pierce it a few times with a knife. Bake until soft, 30 mins.
It should pierce easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Peel off skin, put flesh in a blender or processor. Add onions, capers, lemon juice. Turn on the machine, then gradually add the EVO. Continue to blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl, stir in oregano, salt, pepper, and vinegar.

Warm pitas briefly on a baking sheet, then cut each into 8 wedges. Arrange on a plate. Just before serving, stir the tomato and parsley into the dip.

Home Ec: The Science of Yeast

I LOVE bread. A tradition of making it from scratch is easy to establish. The aroma of this yeasty wonder baking is pure gratitude and a warm slice with butter is a one-of-a-kind head-nodding smile. But home baked bread is more than yummy, it's science! Of course yeast is the agent that makes bread rise and yeast is an interesting thing to study.

Yeast has several crucial roles in bread baking. Yeast is a single celled fungus. How can such a little fungus be so important? Well, yeast is the driving force behind fermentation that allows a big lump of dough to become well risen. Yeast is a living organism that works by consuming sugar and excreting carbon dioxide and alcohol. Fermentation helps to strengthen and develop gluten in dough and also contributes to incredible flavors in bread.

There are three essentials to any bread dough: flour, water, and yeast. As soon as these are stirred together, enzymes in the yeast and the flour cause large starch molecules to break down into simple sugars. The yeast then eats the sugars and exudes a liquid that releases carbon dioxide and alcohol into air bubbles in the dough. It’s just like blowing up bubblegum! The longer fermentation goes on the more it breaks down big molecules in proteins, starches, and fats into their building blocks, so the more flavorful the dough becomes.

There are two basic yeasts that we buy today: active dry yeast and quick rise, or instant yeast. You can use either in a recipe. You just need to mix the active dry yeast with warm, (not hot) water with a pinch of sugar to activate it. Instant yeast can be added directly to the flour with all the other ingredients. This recipe calls for instant yeast and I don’t happen to keep that on hand so I used my active dry, I just added it to the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until bubbles formed on top which lets me know the yeast is alive. If bubbles don’t form it means your yeast is expired or you killed it with hot water! About 105 degrees is perfect for dissolving yeast.

Flour is an important ingredient in bread making. The higher the quality the better your bread will taste. It’s better to use bread flour rather that all-purpose. Here’s why. Bread flour is milled from hard red spring wheat. It has a higher protein content so it has more gluten and will rise higher. All- purpose flour is great for soft breads like muffins and banana bread. It will give a more tender crumb.

Water is the last basic ingredient so it should be pure as well. If it has too many chemicals in it, that can be hard on the yeast and doesn’t taste good either.

Today I went to my favorite site for bread recipes, King Arthur Flour and found just what I was looking for. It is quite easy...a yummy and satisfying, not to mention educational, Thanksgiving activity for the whole family!






Soft Rolls
4 1/2 plus 2/3 cup bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 large egg whites
¼ cup vegetable oil   
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3 to 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
 
1. Mix and kneed the dough ingredients-by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—to make a smooth dough.
 
2. Cover the dough and let rise until it’s noticeably puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes.
 
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, deflate it, and divide it into 12 pieces (about 3 1/4 ounces each). Shape into balls.
 
4. Dip the top half of each roll into water, then into the seeds. Place rolls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press gently to flatten.
 
5. Cover the rolls, and let them rise until puffy, 45 to 60 mins. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400F.
 
6. Bake the rolls until they’re deep golden brown, 22 to 26 mins. Remove and cool on a rack.

– Sara

“Happy Fall” Apple Pancakes

It’s apple time at my house and our tree is loaded with apples, leaving me to scramble for things to do with them. This morning it dawned on me to add apples to our favorite buttermilk pancake recipe. The result was, THE BOMB, according to my teenage son!

Oh, and by the way, my first photos failed so I had to take more and Wesley had already left for school…Oh my, did I just eat a second plate of pancakes in the interest of not wasting food??? So much for that lecture on moderation..

–Sara

Here’s the recipe:

Buttermilk Pancakes
• 2 cups all-purpose flour ( I use 1 cup 9-grain flour and 1 cup regular flour) King Arthur has great 9-grain!
• 2 ½ t baking soda
• 1 t baking soda
• ¾ t salt
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk*
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large apple diced (don’t peel)
• Syrup and whipped cream of course

Combine the first 6 ingredients and stir well. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a bowl and stir. Add the chopped apples directly into the wet ingredients and stir some more. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, stirring until just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cook slowly on a hot, greased griddle.

*If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, read here about some easy substitutions!

Home Ec: Tools & Measuring (with CUPCAKES!)

Whenever I make a recipe like lemon curd or custard I freeze the left over egg whites in a freezer bag and label it with how many whites are in there. When you get five stored up, that’s a great time to make white cupcakes. Just thaw the whites in a bowl of warm water on the counter before proceeding. Or, conversely, when you make lemon curd, make white cupcakes! They are wonderful together!

Before begining, here are the basics of measuring for baking. Start teaching these simple methods to your kids to build their confidence in the kitchen.

Type of ingredient:            How to measure:

Cake Flour                          Sift flour, spoon into dry measuring cup
                                            and level with straight edge

All Purpose Flour                Use dry measuring cup, spoon in
                                            and level with straight edge

Granulated Sugar                Use dry measuring cup, spoon in or scoop
                                            and level off with straight edge 

Brown sugar                        Use dry measuring cup, pack it down,
                                            it will come out in a mold

Confectioners Sugar           Use dry measuring cup, sift sugar,
                                            level with straight edge

Baking Powder, Cocoa        Use measuring spoons, dip in and level off

Liquids                                 Use liquid measuring cups at eye level

Shortening                           Pack into dry cup and level off

If you will follow these guidelines, it will make your recipes come out better because you won’t be using too much or too little of the ingredient. For instance, if you scoop flour with the cup you will use too much because scooping packs the flour down. For tastier treats, carefully measure!

Now let’s talk tools:

I have quite a selection of measuring implements. I like to collect them! I bake a ton and like to have several sets on hand so I don’t have to stop and wash them. I keep all the measuring spoons in a little crock so they are handy.

Some sets of dry cups have more than just 1, 3/4, 1/2, and ¼ cups. It’s nice to have 1/3 and 2/3 cups as well.

It’s the same with measuring spoons. I love having 1/8 teaspoon, 1 ½ teaspoon, 1 ½ tablespoon etc.

A variety of liquid measuring cups is important also. One cup, two cup, four cup and eight cup are all helpful.

Okay, now here’s the cupcake recipe:

White Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
This recipe comes from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. It is a wonderful basic white cake recipe. It is perfect for teaching the basics of cake making and how to properly measure ingredients.

• 3¼ cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1½ tablespoons baking powder      
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature
• ½ cup plus 6 tablespoons (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 5 large egg whites, room temperature

For the Frosting:
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons lightly packed finely grated lemon zest
• 3½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Making the cake:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir vanilla into milk.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until just combined after each.

3. In another bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold one third of the whites into the batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.

4. Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each, three-quarters full. Bake until a tester inserted comes out clean 18 to 20 minutes.

Note: I never trust any time given in recipes for cooking. I always start checking at least 5 minutes before the minimum time they give because ovens often run hot. Over baking cakes makes them dry and tough so always start checking early!

Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tins to cool completely before frosting.

Making the frosting:

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar in batches and beat until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and beat 1 minute. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Note: I piped lemon curd into the center of my cupcakes (about 1 teaspoon or so). I then piped the frosting over the cupcakes and sprinkled them with yellow candies.

Home Ec: Lemon Curd

Whipping up all those tasty meringues got me going on an egg theme! You know that the meringue recipe left me with left over egg yolks so, what to do? Of course, lemon curd! It’s one of the yummiest things in the world! And it’s a gorgeous color of yellow!

Lemon Curd Recipe
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons lightly packed finely grated lemon zest
- Pinch salt
- 6 large egg yolks

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Whisk in the yolks until smooth.

Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 6 minutes. To check if the curd is thick enough, dip a wooden spoon into it and draw your finger across the back of the spoon; your finger should leave a path. Don’t let the mixture boil.

Immediately force the curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, using a rubber spatula. Let cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally, or place plastic wrap directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate, covered until ready to use. That is, if you don’t eat it all standing right there at the counter!

Tip: The secret to success with this recipe is to use med-low heat. You are making a custard of sorts. Heat causes the yolks to thicken beautifully but if you get impatient the eggs with curdle and scorch. The hardest part of this recipe is grating all the lemon zest. You need a microplane grater! Use a light touch and only remove the top layer of peel. Directly under the yellow is white pith. It is bitter! I once made a beautiful looking lemon tart that tasted terrible because I didn’t know about the pith thing yet. Very sad experience, but I never did that again!

So make your lemon curd and get ready for some yum!

Stay tuned later this week for a sweet back-to-school recipe...lemon curd-filled white cupcakes frosted with delectable lemon butter cream.

– Sara

Home Ec: The Spontaneity of a Garden

Saturdays are when I like to make my family something that may take a little more time to cook. It is summer so the garden is in full swing and you never know exactly what you will find when you look. I harvested a few things...onions, summer squash, zucchini and some small tomatoes...then whipped up a delicious stir fry for breakfast.

Summer Saturday Scramble
• In a bowl beat up 5 or 6 eggs with a fork
• In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat
• Add chopped onions and sauté for a few minutes
• Add chopped up squash
• Season to taste with garlic powder, cumin, ancho chili powder & salt
• Sauté for two minutes and pour in the eggs, stir until eggs are cooked
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream, good salsa, and chopped fresh tomatoes

Divine!

Happy husband, healthy children... an exceptional harvest!

– Sara

Home Ec: Lemonade Stand

After making several recipes with grated lemon rind I was left with a pile of lemons I needed to juice so they wouldn’t spoil. So that led me to a summertime favorite, lemonade!

My children used to make this by the gallon and sell it on our street with homemade brownies.

One year they donated all the proceeds to Samaritan's Purse, getting all the neighborhood kids involved. There were kids running all over the place on bikes taking orders while I banged out batches of brownies to keep up. As soon as our neighbors found out the kids were donating the money, the orders really shot up. What a great opportunity to connect with the community!

The kids brought in almost $150.00! The cutest thing was, the kids all sat in a circle and decided among themselves what to purchase from the catalog, "Should we get goats or soccer balls? Chicks or water treatment?"

It was a soul satisfying experience for them AND no squabbles about how to divide up the proceeds! Yes!

Fresh Lemonade
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup water
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice
5 cups cold water

Combine the half cup water and sugar in a sauce pan and heat until the sugar just dissolves. Remove from heat and pour in the cold water. Stir in the lemon juice and pour over ice in tall glasses. Add some fresh mint or slices strawberries for color. Enjoy.

Note: This freezes well... yummy popsicles!

– Sara

Home Ec: Eggs

Summer is a great time to acquire some habits that have been deemed extracurricular, habits that I believe are not supplementary at all, but a vital part of learning.

Making recipes with your children provides them the opportunity to learn basic cooking skills that will serve them the rest of their life and is a perfect time to show them some science.

Home Economics is my passion, so here goes…

To begin, choose a recipe that is simple and delicious. Next, decide what specific science topic the recipe will allow you will explore.

Soooo, let’s make some Sparkling Sugar Kisses! These yummy meringue cookies are easy and fat free. This recipe below is from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.

Making meringues is the perfect gateway for a little lesson about eggs.

Eggs are composed of the shell, which holds the egg inside. Shells are produced in a range of amazing colors because they come from different breeds. While it is terrific fun to explore shell color, any color will do when it comes to making meringue.

Just inside the shell is the membrane.

When you crack open the egg you will see the yellow yolk sitting inside the albumen.

Out of the shell, fresh eggs stand up taller and firmer on the plate. The white should be thick and stand up around the yolk. The yolk should be firm and high. A less fresh egg will be runny and flat.

The chalaza, it’s the white cord that holds the egg in place inside the shell. There is an air cell between the shell and the membrane that grows larger with age.

Eggs are evaluated by passing them over bright lights where the interior quality can be seen. Grade AA eggs have a firm white and a thick round yolk and perfect shells. Grade A has “reasonably” firm whites and perfect shells. Grade B has thinner whites and some stains on the shells.

Now to the subject of sizing eggs. The size does not refer to the dimensions of an egg or how big it looks. Size tells you the minimum required net weight per dozen eggs. So Jumbo eggs have 30 oz. per dozen, ranging all the way down to Peewee eggs which have 15 oz. per dozen. Most standard recipes call for AA large.

The best thing about eggs is that they are high in protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Now on to the making....

To make a proper meringue you have to do a few things to ensure success.

Always begin with room temperature eggs because when you whip them more air can be incorporated so the volume will be bigger. To warm them fast just place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.

Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk you will use to whip the whites are clean. Wash them in warm soapy water to degrease. Fat will coat the ends of the egg white’s protein, which greatly diminishes the whites ability to hold air.

Now you are ready to separate the whites from the yolks. Strain them through clean fingers! Most recipes for meringue call for a little salt and cream of tarter to help the molecules of whites hold onto water and air molecules—chemistry in action!

To beat the whites, use an electric mixer or whisk them by hand. Either way the whites go through several stages.

The first stage is a puddle of clear liquid. As you begin to beat, a puddle with foamy air bubbles will emerge. Eventually the whisk begins to leave tracks in the bowl. To test which stage your whites are in simply lift up the beater out of the foam. If a point forms and falls over immediately, you’re looking at soft peak. From here 15 to 20 more strokes will bring you to medium peak, and another 15 to 20 strokes to stiff peaks. Be careful, don’t over beat the meringue because liquid will begin to separate out from the foam and you’ll end up with grainy, lumpy looking whites.

Meringue calls for super fine sugar because it makes a less grainy meringue. To make your own super fine sugar simply give it a good spin in the food processor and the crystals will get super finer!

Make sure not to add the sugar too soon in the beating process. Start adding gradually somewhere between soft and medium peaks.

By the way, this recipe calls for vanilla, but I flavored mine with peppermint extract. You can even crush peppermints to add to the batter. Be creative!

– Sara

Sparkling Sugar Kisses

Yield 2 dozen // Baking temp 250F

 • 2 large egg whites

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter

• ½ cup (31/2oz) sugar, superfine preferred

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or the extract of your choice

• Coarse sugar

Preheat the oven to 250F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

In a large, very clean, nonplastic bowl. Beat the egg whites until they’re foamy, then add the salt and cream of tarter. Add the sugar gradually, continuing to beat until the meringue is thick and glossy, and forms stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla at the end.

Drop meringue by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse (or colored) sugar. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the kisses cool in the unopened oven (don’t peek!) for 11/2 to 2 hours, or until they’re dry and crisp all the way through. Remove them from the oven and store in an airtight container.

It you use a tablespoon cookie scoop, don’t heap it; level it off; to obtain the correct size and number of cookies. For fancy meringues, pipe them onto a sheet using a pastry bag and the tip of your choice.      

Variations: Stir in ½ to ¾ cup mini-morsel chocolate chips after the vanilla.