Nothing Says Summer Like...

Kettle corn. (And corn on the cob and barbecues and watermelon and farmers markets.)

I love to snack and so do the kids. I don't always want something healthy, although I should. Traditionally, you can only get kettle corn at festivals or maybe the market, but I refuse to pay 5 dollars for a tiny bag, so I decided a few years ago, after watching a vendor at an art festival make it, that I would try and make homemade kettle corn. It worked. Thought I'd share my technique with you.

You will need:

a soup pot

oil to cover bottom of said pot

popcorn

sugar

and salt to taste

I make my popcorn stove top style, I will never change that, so I am going to write this as if you have never done that. 

1. Heat your oil on medium-high heat. (Take it from me, high heat will only catch your oil and possibly your kitchen on fire. Sorry Mom and Dad.) 

2. Drop in ONE or TWO kernels, cover and move the pot in a circular fashion over the burner. When the tester kernels pop, you are ready to cover the bottom of the pan with more kernels. 

3. After the kernels have been exposed to oil for 15-20 seconds, maybe longer if you are patient, maybe shorter if you want to try and make unconventional caramel corn, add sugar. About a 1/4 cup. I use a bit less. Cook and move in a circle on the burner. If you see fire, your oil is too hot. I have linked some tips for putting out a grease fire. If you smell burning popcorn, you are either done cooking or you need to turn your heat down. 

4. Use common sense, when the popping slows down, you are done cooking. Salt and move to a big bowl to enjoy. 

Any questions, you can email me or comment. I'm probably not being as thorough as I should be...

Tuesday Yummyness

Chinese Sesame Salad. I will come back later to post the picture of this dish. It is so good and a favorite. I make everything from the dressing to the baked tofu. It's very easy.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu

Preheat oven to 375. Toss all three in a bowl. Cover tofu with liquid. Spread evenly on cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes:
16 oz firm tofu
2 Tbsp soy sauce (or Braggs)
1 Tbsp sesame oil

The Dressing

Mix together:
1/2 cup vegan mayo
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce (or Braggs)

The salad is:

Iceberg lettuce sliced thinly (or I like to use cabbage, either red or green)
1 red bell (diced)
1/2 bunch green onion (sliced)
1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)

I prepare all of these early, then at supper time, I put all the ingredients together and add:
1/2 cup of sliced almonds

That's it. Easy Peezy. Tomorrow is Number 3's 9th birthday. We are having sourdough pancakes with sliced strawberries and bananas and real whipped cream that I will whip myself. That's the only part not vegan. I will post that recipe tomorrow. For now, I am off to the Farmer's Market in Flagstaff to get $.79 strawberries and other fruits for the fruit kabobs little man is sharing with his class.

Ask And You Shall Receive

I posted a picture yesterday of the dinner I made. I made lentil soup served in a bread bowl. One person asked me for the bread recipe and when I went to pull up the blog for where I posted it, I realized I never did. So I will. Someone else asked me to post the recipe for the soup, so I'll do that too.

The bread recipe was published in Mother Earth News a few years back. I love that magazine, so if you ever want to know whet to get me for Christmas, a subscription to that would be grand. It's the easiest bread I have ever made and I have made a lot of bread. It takes 5-10 minutes to make, then a couple of hours to rise on it's own, then a minute to form, 40 to rise again and thirty to cook. You spend less than 10 minutes with the dough itself. How cool! Each batch makes four good sized loaves and the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes. You can even get crazy and make sourdough bread and pizza crust. Last nights bread bowls were Italian herb.

The lentil soup recipe is as follows:

Boil for 1 hour:
1 cup rinsed lentils
4 cups of vegetable broth

Saute` until tender in different pan:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 diced celery ribs
1 carrot sliced
1/4 onion diced

Reduce heat of veggies, add: (Then saute` two more minutes)
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp. garlic
1/4 tsp. thyme
pinch of cayenne (I don't like spicy, so I don't add this)

Add veggie mix to lentils then add:
1/4 cup tomato paste

Simmer for 5 minutes; add salt of you need to.

Tonight we are having vegan Chinese Sesame Salad. I will post that in a second. Now that classes are done for the semester, I have more time to cook and more time to blog. On Sunday, after Tris left for work, I made a meal plan and a shopping list. I figured out what I had and what I needed for my fare, so I only spent $62 for 7 dinners with leftovers!! I hadn't meal planned before, but I am going to start, after this weeks savings and delicious dinners. Most of dinner is finished before the kids even get out of school. I am even ahead on Wednesdays meal. Eating well feels good!!!

Adventures in Sprouting Day 3 Photos

I skipped Day One photos because they were boring. Here's day three though! They're growing!!!!!!!

Last night, I started a jar with clovers and broccoli sprouts. I will be keeping you posted on those too! I know I am geeking out about these, but I didn't expect it to be so easy to do. If I wasn't supposed to be in O Chen in 30 minutes, I'd write more. Also, I must depart.

Happy Sprouting!

Container Gardening

Tris and I worked hard on Saturday afternoon to plant 12 tomato plants, 6 cabbage, 6 Brussel sprouts, 11 pea plants, several potato plants, and 1 blueberry bush. We researched how to grow in Flagstaff, consulted books and got dirty. I am expecting a lovely bounty come May or June on the cold weather plants and late July on the tomatoes. I have no idea about the blueberries. I'm guessing not this year. We used any container we could find, including an old sled for the shallow rooted lettuce.

We are staring to think about chickens again. And I am secretly hoping to figure out vermaculture this summer. Also in the works are thoughts about a greenhouse and raised bed garden. The Two Queer Hippies are back!

Adventures in Sprouting

As if I don't have enough to do with the end of the semester just 4 weeks away, I started sprouting alfalfa. I was in my local expensive store, you know the one, when I came across their home sprouting section. All I had to buy was the special lid with holes (it fits the wide mouth mason jars I recently acquired) and some seeds. Initial cost: $15. I have been soaking and rinsing since Sunday night and my sprouts are beginning to sprout! I am going to buy another lid and some different seeds today. I may actually be able to sell my sprouts at the farmers market this summer if I can master growing them!! Here are pictures of soaking and day two. They're boring, but the daily chronicle should be cool in the end!

Soaking

Day Two

Keeping Myself Accountable

I am on day 2 of the 21 day yoga challenge! I am loving every minute!! Who else has joined me?

Also I am still not eating sugar. 23 days!!!!!! This week, I am going to make no sugar, vegan mini-cheesecakes. I am super excited about them. I'll post pics and the recipe for you. It came from a delight little gem of a book I picked up at Bookman's called, Sexy Bitch. I'm in love....

That's all I have for now.

Peace and Love