Canning for the Canned pt.4

You know, you'd think I'd learn that the laws of physics do in fact apply to me. I'm really good with following laws. I signal when turning, always cross the street at a cross walk, and have yet to rob a bank. But for some reason, when it comes to cooking, I somehow think I am immune to the basics.

Take this weeks experiment in making strawberry jam . . . or I should say strawberry syrup? If I admit it was supposed to have been strawberry jam, then we have our first official canning FAIL. But -- I did successfully make strawberry syrup.

Ingredients:
6 cups red, ripe strawberries
5 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

Preparation:


Wash and hull strawberries.


Combine berries with sugar in a large stainless steel pan; let stand for 3 to 4 hours.

Bring strawberries to a boil slowly, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice. Cook rapidly until strawberry mixture is clear and syrup is thick, about 15 minutes.

This is about where the wheels came off the wagon. The syrup refuse to thicken - it did however do this cute trick:

And boiled all over the counter top - I left it for 2 minutes on its own, and this is what it did!

Pour mixture into a shallow pan and let stand, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.

Another fail on my part, I lacked patience and worried that bugs might decide to crawl into the mixture. So I skipped right ahead to -

Ladle strawberry mixture into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes four 8-ounce jars (sort of).

And that is how you get strawberry syrup. Not strawberry jam.

Canning for the Canned pt.3

I am without my sidekick this week as Trinh is out of town (and has an interview on Friday!!), but my canning adventures continue. This week I've been working on jams. First up is Rhubarb Ginger jam. And I don't mind telling all of you how good it is, to the point that not only did I make a second batch, but I also may have licked the bits off the counter that missed the jars . . .

Rhubarb Ginger Jam:

8 cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup grated ginger

Take the rhubarb and cut into small pieces. Grate ginger, or cheat and purchase the ginger available in a tube.

Add all ingredient into a medium pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium and continue to occasionally stir for 20-25 minutes. Careful not to let it burn!

Turn off burner and let sit for for 5 minutes.

You can prep the jars for canning while cooking the jam. After sterilizing the jars and lids, put the jam inside the jars, add the lids (make sure to boil in water for 2 min to activate the seal on the lids - do not touch!). Then place the jars in boiling water for 12 minutes to give them a hot water bath.

My second batch was much redder in color - but just as tasty! This is a super easy jam recipe to start with, and doesn't require as much sugar as many other recipes. The taste is sweet, but tart with a nice spicy bite at the end.

Baby Blankets

I finished my first crocheted baby blanket a few weeks ago - here it is:

And I swore up and down that it was too much to do another one, so what did I do? I started two more . . .

Oh, well . . . at least I can do the last one in blocks, I'm not as likely to go blind.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

It's that time of year again! Smithsonian Folklife Festival!! The weekend before and during the 4th of July, the Mall is transformed into a culture, a country, and, what I call, an "other."

This year the culture is the Asia Pacific, the country is Mexico, and the other is "Inside the Smithsonian." It's always hot and humid and tons of fun. Last year featured Wales and my sister, mother and I spent hours wandering around. Especially at the cooking tent, where they had welsh cooks who were a hoot to listen to. I also purchased some cookbooks and socks - corgi welsh socks!

So, this year my sister and I headed off and arrived a little after 11 - I must say, this years wasn't quite as much fun - could be a bit of the language barrier. I'm used to how welsh sounds (my mom's family comes from Cornwall) But the guest cooks this year were really hard to understand.


Mexico, being the featured country, was located in the middle with the most tents. They featured cooking, storytelling, musical instruments, and . . .


Tequila! I stepped into the area and turned to my sister and said "do you smell liquor?" Yes, we did, they were distilling on the Mall.

Next we wandered to the "Inside the Smithsonian" section, where I shamelessly petitioned for a job. I should have made a sandwich board reading "Hire Me!" and wandered around, it might have been less subtle.

Then we were off to the Asia-Pacific section- which was much smaller than Mexico, but also offered cooking, story telling, and how to make your own traditional Hawaiian musical instrument . . .

Then, of course, it was time for lunch - my favorite part of the festival -

Kate purchased some chicken mole from the Mexico section and I got chicken tikka Marsala. Very yummy - I am seriously thinking next week for the 4th going down and getting some more. Those who know me, know I love chicken tikka - so below I have my recipe (which while not quite being as good as this, is very tasty). And yes, for those who came to my house party last month and have been asking - this is the recipe I used -

Chicken Tikka Marsala:

Ingredients:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt,
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, chili powder, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat a grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. (I usually cheat on this - yes, yes, tikka means grilled, but I only own a little one and find the skewers messy, especially when I cook for 20+ people - I usually cook the chicken in a large fry pan)

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

I keep the salt low in the recipe so people can add the amount they like. Serve with rice.

On Greenwich Time

Back to cheap things to do in London - Don't miss out on Greenwich! This lovely place is just outside of London, just hop on the tube (exit: Cutty Sark or Greenwich) and you have a whole free day ahead of you. You can also catch a boat down to Greenwich for around six pounds, but the LDR - one of the lines on the tube, goes down there too and the LDR is above ground and goes through Canary Wharf - London's new business section, which offers some pretty interesting sights as well.

I'd say start out at the Cutty Sark once you get to Greenwich, but it's pretty well wrapped up for refurbishment right now - you can see it, but it's covered in plastic sheeting.

Start out by heading down to the riverfront and take a walk under the Thames to Island Gardens. Seriously, there's a pedestrian tunnel that goes under the Thames. It's marked by little gazebo style buildings on both sides of the Thames. This offers the best view of Greenwich.

The view from Island Gardens towards Greenwich

The building in view was the Royal Naval Hospital and is now used by the Trinity College of Music, if you pause and listen you can hear the students practicing. Head back over the to the Greenwich side, and sit down on the green space and listen - while I was there I ate breakfast while listening to someone singing opera and someone else playing the tuba. The building was designed by Christopher Wren. Many of the historic room are open to the public, including the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul which is magnificent!

The Queen's House is located right behind the Hospital/College built by Inigo Jones (for you design freaks out there - don't worry, I include myself in this statement.). The Queen's House is home to a very nice art collection, but what gets me every time is the floor!

When you've seen enough art work, head up the hill (and it is a hike) to the Royal Observatory.

Yes, all the way up there . . .

At the Royal Observatory, you can learn all about Greenwich Mean Time, stand on the Prime Meridian . . .

Nice shoes!

. . . and discover the stars with Astronomers of old.

When you head back down the hill, stop in the Maritime Museum - I didn't find it very interesting (there is a huge barge used by the Royals from the 17th-19th century which is unbelievable, and totally worth peeking at) but then again, oceanography and ships really aren't my thing. There were several little boys running around that had died and gone to Heaven. So, if you're really into ocean stuff or have boys, put this on your list as a nice break from all the art and history.

Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (became so in 1997!) and there's a visitor's center which can point you in the right direction if you need any help. Also, many of the buildings around offer free tours throughout the day and I believe there's even a walking tour or two for free.

You can easily spend the whole day here - and its all FREE!!

Canning for the Canned pt.1

Trinh and I have done it again! Our cooking has taken us to the land of savory this week. We present "Canning for the Canned" or "Yes, We Can, Can!" -- dancing is optional. This week we conquered Pesto and Green Serrano Hot Sauce. And then we canned them.

Last week we discovered this lovely website: Giver's Log which features some really cool ideas for homemade gifts and fun things to do. Both recipes for this week can be found there - we made some small modifications to fit our particular needs - for example the grocery store didn't have the red peppers needed, we selected some green ones.

For canning instructions check out a step by step guide here.

Feeling hot, hot, hot!!

For our adventures in Pesto - May we present "Leslie and Trinh's Presto Pesto"

I am proud to say a good portion of the basil used in the Pesto came from my garden. The poor basil plant got a hair cut. It's looking a little on the bald side right now. We simply added all the ingredients to the food processor (success! I broke down and purchased one after we attempted to use the blender - to no avail!). We slowly added olive oil and then pine nuts. Then after boiling the containers we deposited the pesto inside and topped it off with a cluster of pine nuts.

Who want's a haircut?

Do you think we need some more garlic?

Ready to give the mixings a spin!

Oh, so pretty! Our finished product.

Check out the next entry for our continuing adventures as we had too many photos to fit in just one!

Canning for the Canned pt.2

For our hot sauce - May we present "Leslie and Trinh's Burn Off the Recession Hot Sauce"

Pretty green peppers!

Trinh removing the seeds with surgical precision

Cooking it up!

It's spicy and we mean it! In fact, Trinh is missing her eyebrows . . . oops. (just kidding!) We cooked everything down and then blended! It came out a lovely pumpkin color with red flakes. Tasty! Tasty! --

What do you think?

Trinh's out of town next week - so I may or may not have a cooking adventure, but we'll see . . .

Riding out the Recession!

I had a Friday field trip. Jodie, Trinh, and I headed out of town and went to Bush Gardens down in Williamsburg. A bit pricey for this unemployed girl, but you've gotta get out and blow the stink off! It was my first trip to Bush Gardens, it's a very, very clean theme park.

Jodie and Trinh are 'coaster freaks. I draw the line at thing that drop you for the sake of dropping you, but I do like roller coasters. Jodie and Trinh aren't fond of anything that spins in a constant motion, and I love those rides. I did talk them into going on to the teacups - but they wouldn't get into a teacup with me as they didn't want theirs to spin extra. I was all alone in my teacup!

We made the mistake of going on the Roman Rapids very late in the day and got hosed. We were dripping wet for the ride home, all the other water rides we'd been on earlier in the day weren't as bad. Jodie and I took a direct hit under two waterfalls. I spent the rest of the day imitating a drowned rat.

Although from the pics, we seem to have had the most fun in the gift shop, despite the fact that we didn't buy anything (gift shops world wide must hate me, I rarely buy anything).

Pics by Jodie:

It's London calling!

Let's hear it for the War Lords!

All alone in my teacup . . .

Kensington Palace

For those of you who haven't been Kensington Palace is a must see. Known mostly as the home of Princess Diana - this Palace has been the home of royalty for much longer than that. Ever heard of the Kensington System? No? It was the rules and regulations enforced on Queen Victoria when she was growing up at Kensington.

Right now the Palace is undergoing renovation, but while many of the areas are off limits, they have what I consider to be one of the most interesting exhibitions EVER. Enchanted Palace has to be one of the most incredible museum experiences I have been to in a very, very long time. As a museum professional (or once upon a time museum professional . . .) I have been to a fair number of exhibits.


I went with my friend Tanja, a theatrical producer. When doing my research for my trip, I'd seen that the Palace was doing a fashion exhibit and put it on my list of things to see, I hadn't looked too closely at what it was. Tanja and I arrived (in the middle of a cold miserable downpour) and were a little worried about the age level of the exhibit. The theme was "Quest for Seven Princesses" and came with dance card "map" of the rooms. The price was also a bit steep - twelve pounds to get in. -- it was worth every penny!

The exhibition was a combination of art, history, theater, fashion, and mystery. Various room inspired fashion designers to create costume installation art pieces. The theme of the princesses were about actual princesses who lived in the space. You had to wander around and figure out what princess went with which room - and had to ask the docent/actors to tell the stories about the room. Words cannot convey what a marvelous experience this was! There was something for every age level. It was informative and engaging. Don't miss out on this - And every six months or so, new designers come in and re-interpret a room, so the experience changes with time.

Tanja and I walked around with our jaws hanging open. It's not easy to impress either of us, but we were both blown away by what the Palace had to offer. Neither of us are novices in our field, so for both of us to be captivated is really something!


The gardens were a little rainy and cold to wander around in the day we were there, but what we did see was beautiful!

Slippers and Baby Dresses

My crocheting continues - I've recently finished a pair of slippers for my grandmother (her response, "We seem to have had a role reversal, grandmother's are supposed to crochet things for their grandchildren, not the other way around).

This is a fun and easy pattern I found. It's designed by Monpetitviolon and you can find all of her wonderful patterns and item on Etsy. I used bamboo/silk thread and they feel absolutely wonderful on your feet.


I've also been crocheting away with more baby items, and made this cute little baby dress for a friend's baby - the pics here are of it unfinished - my mom added buttons on the back and a ribbon around the waist.

Adventures in Unemployment Cooking

On a brighter note - (I've been side tracked again from continuing London, we'll pick that up again soon, I promise!) today the unemployed Trinh and I have been experimenting in the kitchen (God help us). We decided to start with something simple . . . and then we decided that was too simple and needed to challenge ourselves. So in addition to Popsicles, we added strawberry ice cream . . . and French Macaroons. You can guess where the wheels came off the wagon.

For our Popsicles we decided to start with a basic strawberry, a Choco-pb-banana Popsicle, a coffee, and last an Earl Grey tea Popsicle. Strangely, the grocery store didn't have Popsicle sticks, so we improvised. I had some leftover bamboo skewers from a previous cooking attempt which we cut down to size. Also not owning any Popsicle molds we decided to use Dixie cups.

Please note, I'm like my mother, I don't measure when I cook and bake. Well, I kind of do, but it's more of an eyeballing attempt.

The basic strawberry is simple enough - (Trinh says we should have added a little something special and made it a daiquiri). Take a pint of fresh strawberries, take the stems off, and cut in half. Add a little honey, 1/4 of sugar, and a dash of lemon juice. Blend. This makes about 6 Dixie cups.



For the Choco-pb-banana: List of ingredients: 3 bananas, jar of peanut butter, jar of chocolate spread, milk, and chocolate chips. Take 2 bananas, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and 1/2 of chocolate spread (think Nutella-like), and a 3/4 cup of milk (we used Skim). Blend. Next take last banana and slice into circles. Next put a few chocolate chips at the bottom of the Dixie cup, then spoon in a little of the mix, then add a banana slice, layer of mix, and then top off with chocolate chips.

For the coffee and tea-sicles - the tea requires 2 tea bags of strong tea in a cup and for the coffee one standard strong cup. Let it cool to room temp. Add a mixture of 1/2 cup of sugar in each with a 1/2 a cup of milk (we used 2%). If you just freeze the coffee or tea without the milk and sugar all you get is frozen coffee or tea - not much of a popsicle.

For more fun Popsicle ideas check out BlissTree or Growing a Green Family

The ice cream was a straight forward process as I own an ice cream maker (haha!) - a product of my many years working at Williams-Sonoma (who I love and adore!).

As for our French Macaroon . . . as the saying goes - Tomorrow is another day. Evidently we folded too much . . . and I didn't get a picture of the destruction. Rest assured, I will next time. It wasn't pretty. The poor things were flattened and crispy.

Trinh and I will be working on our savory skills next week when we attempt Pesto and homemade hot sauce - also it will be our first canning event! Hang on to your booties people, we're in for quite a ride!

Time Creeps in This Petty Pace

I realized while looking at the calendar today that at the end of this month I will have been unemployed for 6 months. That's 6 months of looking, 6 months of cover letters, 6 months slowly treading water.

I tell myself constantly that this is not forever, this is just right now. But honestly, I hit that point of a rock and a hard place earlier today. That point at which any action seems entirely pointless, so you look at the clock and even though it says 11:00 am, you figure it's ok to stare at the ceiling for another half-hour or so. Well, that's exactly what I did, then I got annoyed, hauled myself out of bed and into the shower. After standing ankle deep in water (the shower's been clogged all week, I've been ignoring it in the hopes that the person in charge of cleaning it this week and last week would step up and actually do it) I was even more annoyed.

Then I went into attack mode. Nothing was safe. I did the laundry I'd been ignoring, cleaned my bedroom, re-organized my closet, weeded the garden, gutted the basement, took the garbage out, distributed new ant-traps, re-charged all electronic devices, sorted clothes and shoes to Goodwill, and, YES, I unclogged the shower.

Why am I telling you this? I had someone say I seemed to be enjoying my unemployment. And to a certain extent, I acknowledge it is by far not the worst thing in the world to happen to a person. But . . . I try to be cheerful in my posts, to keep it light hearted, but also honest. Not everyday is a good day, in fact there are probably more bad days than good ones in the land of the unemployed. There's a good deal of self-doubt and uncertainty that comes with the territory and most of us that live here are just doing the best we can. Many of us living here did not make the choice, we were told we were not needed or wanted.

To our loved ones, friend, and acquaintances: We cannot help but crave the attention and conversation when you come home in the evening. We understand you've had a tough day and all you want to do is unwind, but you're the first human contact many of us have had all day, we're just excited to see you! (Trust me on this one, during my first month off, I went out to the local CVS, used the self-check out, and realized once I got home that I had missed my only chance of the day to talk to someone face to face. I sat and cried for a half-hour.) We do not mean to snap at you when you ask (if you dare to) how our day was, or how the job search is going, or if we've heard back from someone (the answers are ok, ok, and no.) We are glad for your continued support, even if we don't always say so.

So today started off not so great, I still got a lot done, and there's still more to do. I would honestly love nothing more than to go to an office and beat my head against a keyboard there, than here in my house. At least there I'd be a contributing member of society . . . the paycheck would be nice too! I know I'm looking at 6 months, but I also know that there are people who have been out of work much longer . . . with any luck I'll be forced to change the header on this blog soon.

Something more cheerful next time . . . London continues!

A Walk Along the Thames

Continuing fun and Free things to do in London-

There's no better way to spend the day or at least part of it than walking along the South Bank. Pick any number of Tube exits (London Bridge, Southwark) and you have a golden opportunity to people watch and see some pretty fantastic views.

Start down by Parliament and Big Ben - on the North side of the river - looking across the way you'll see the London Eye. Cross the bridge for a better view of Big Ben and Parliament. There's a path that resides right next to the river, just follow along it.

Head towards the London Eye, you'll pass the Aquarium along the way - I've never been in, it's too expensive and I can see fish back home.

The London Eye as quickly become part of the London landscape. Again, I've never had the opportunity to ride on it, I hear the best times are in the evening with the sun setting. The price is a little much for this poor traveler right now - one of these days I'll try it.

Keep walking up the river, past the Carousel and if its a sunny day, you'll come to the out door book shop under the bridge. It's fun to peruse the volumes available.

Also keep an eye out for street performers and street artists. Talented people sing and dance and re-create the work of Michael Angelo and Donatello on the pavement. Also on the areas with sand, sand sculptors work their magic and create mermaids and castles.

There are plenty of shops to go into and places to grab something to eat if your hungry. There's nothing like some gelato while you walk along the river. Farther down artists have taken over a small area and set up shops (expensive!). Keep walking and you'll come to an area that's still under construction, but just follow the detour path (and the crowd) and it will guide you around and back to the next section of the South Bank walk.

The detour will drop you off at the Tate Modern (also FREE!). There's a fantastic pub out on the waterfront if you want to pause for a little bit. Next up is the Globe Theater, where you can find groundling tickets for five pounds to watch a Shakespearean play. Or if they're sold out, you can always wait in line to see if they have any last minute seats that open up. I'm sorry to have missed their production of Anne Boleyn which is debuting this August! Macbeth was on when I was there, and I've sat through that show one too many times. The Globe also offers tours of the theater.

And last for our trip along the South Bank, cross the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul's - great photographic opportunities await! If you're not too exhausted, stop inside the cathedral and take a tour or just wander around.

Next up on London . . . (no we're not done yet!) . . . Kensington Palace . . . there's a reason it gets its own entry . . .

Finishing Furniture

I've also finished painting more furniture. Some good friends who recently moved gave us a side table, coffee table, lamps, rugs, and a chair. When I said the previous room mate took everything, I wasn't kidding.



This round I made a mistake. I read somewhere that spray painting is easier, cheaper, and faster than using a brush. Not so! Even after sanding off the top layer, the paint refused to stick to the wood. It bubbled and peeled, and my layers of spraying were less than even. So let us just say it took a few coats.



When the paint finally dried, I took the sand paper back to the tables and antiqued them. I'm quite pleased with it and when Steph and John came over to the house, they didn't even realize they were looking at their old tables!





The side table finished and in the living room.

Our new coffee table on the new rug.

Detailing on the coffee table.

I've discovered I really like painting furniture, so if anyone has anything that needs to be painted, I'd be more than happy to offer my services.