World's Best Gingerbread. Really.

The other day called for Gingerbread. I hung up the phone.  

The day called back and said "Chocolate Gingerbread."

I said, "Speaking."

Usually my go-to gingerbread is Laurie Colwin's recipe but I was in the mood to expand my horizons and see what else was out there in the world.

I found the world's best at a blog called The English Kitchen.

Now I do realize that when you throw around words like "world" and "best" then you better damn well deliver. This recipe delivers.  If this isn't the world's best damn gingerbread, it's pretty damn close. It's everything the author says it is: "no-fail, bakes up deliciously moist, the perfect blend of spice and heat, and it tastes better and better with each day that passes."

The author gives her gingerbread a lemon glaze. I put my twist on it by adding cocoa powder. Frankly it needs nothing. It needs nothing and gives everything. That is the world's best gingerbread.

World's Best Gingerbread (really) from "The English Kitchen"

  • 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 heaping tbsp Hershey Special Dark Cocoa Powder (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups boiling water
  • 1/4 dark treacle and 1/2 cup Golden syrup (I have no idea what treacle is. I already had Lyle's Golden syrup from when I make Laurie Colwin's recipe, but only just 1/2 cup. I used 1/4 cup molasses for the treacle to get to the 3/4 cup. The English Kitchen says you can use all molasses, so don't sweat it)
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9 inch square baking tin, or spray with Pam.

Add the treacle/molasses and syrup to the boiling water along with the baking soda. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the flour, spices, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the cooled syrup mixture to the creamed mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients only to blend and note this is very liquid batter, don't be alarmed!

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serve warm, or pick at it in the middle of the night. It's divine.

Bloody Dragonflies

Failed attempt #13
Failed attempt #13

And bloody they are.  It took me twenty-eight attempts and a video tutorial from my cousin Donna to master this damn stitch. I found it on Freeknitstitches.com via Pinterest and whoever wrote the directions is just plain mean. Here they are as lovingly deciphered, decoded and put down by Donna, with a few tweaks by yours truly for those of us who like everything spelled out.

Dragonfly Lace Stitch

Cast on 16 stitches

Row 1:  P2, K4, K2tog, YO2, Sl1, K1, PSSO, K4, P2

Row 2:  K2, P3, P2tog, Slip 1 of the YO's purlwise, YO2 purlwise, Slip the other YO purlwise, Sl1, P1, PSSO, P2, K2

Row 3:  P2, K2, K2tog, drop all the YO's off the left needle - there should be 2 long strands; take them up with your right needle, YO2 knitwise, then go under the YO's again; Sl1, K1, PSSO, K2, P2.

Note: at this point, the slipped loops and the YO's in the middle make what Donna and I call THE TANGLE. THE TANGLE is ugly but don't let it frighten you. THE TANGLE is a metaphor for life, just keep going and it will work out in the end.

Row 4:  K2, P1, P2tog, drop THE TANGLE off the left needle , it is now 3 strands; take them up with your right needle, YO2 purlwise, then go under THE TANGLE again; Sl1, P1, PSSO*, P1, K2

Row 5:  P2, K2tog, drop THE TANGLE which is now 4 strands; take them up with your right needle, YO2, then go under THE TANGLE again; Sl1, K1, PSSO, P2

Row 6:  K2, P1, 4YO cast-on style**, drop THE TANGLE and P1, K1 into it - keep tension as even as possible and pull tight as you are doing the final "draw-up" of the wings; 4YO cast-on style, P1, K2

Row 7:  P2, K12, P2

Row 8:  K2, P12, K2

Row 9:  Same as 7

Row 10:  Same as 8

* On the even rows, this PSSO was a little tricky (for me) because that slipped stitch liked to "hide" under a long strand.  Just be sure you're passing the correct thing over.

** YO cast-on style—Donna had to show me what she meant by this.  You don't want to simply wrap the yarn around 4 times, it will all fall apart in the next row.  Do a yarn over the right needle, then take that loop off, turn it 180 degrees, and put it back on the right needle.  Repeat 3 times.  If that doesn't make sense, give me a holler, I'll try to explain better.

So the Dragonfly is 16 stitches wide. I attempted a double swatch with 2 lead off knits, 2 knits in the center, and 2 ending knits, so I cast on 38 stitches total. Those 6 knits are always knit, odd and even rows. 

This is one that takes a ton of practice, I'm still not happy with the final P1, K1 into THE TANGLE on row 6, I wish I could get it tighter.

If you try this and find it incredibly difficult and frustrating, do tell me about it, please! Remember it took me twenty-seven times to finally get it so don't get discouraged.

If you breeze right through it on the first try, I don't want to hear from you.

Paint Swatch Art: Fall Tree

If you want to lose an hour of your life, search "Paint Swatch Art" on Pinterest. Don't say I didn't warn you. Nobody warned me, next thing I know Panda and I are skulking out of Home Depot with an innocent 5 or 6 swatch cards in our hands, but about 200 more stuffed in my purse. How many can one take before it qualifies as theft?

Anyway, Panda wanted a heart punch and a butterfly punch. I already have a heart one, I think I may have three, that's another post. As for the butterfly, we found this awesome 3-in-1 layered punch by EK Success and it's great with the paint swatches because the colors are already coordinated for you.

I got a little oak leaf punch. I had picked out mostly fall swatch colors; I had a very specific vision of a tree collage I wanted to make. It's sort of my take on Marimekko. Possibly Marimekko meets Ikea. Marimekkea?

There are so many great ideas out there for paint swatch art: making garlands out of punched shapes, folding them into little boxes, framing them under glass to make a dry-erase calendar. A lot of teens copy lyrics or inspirational sayings onto them. They are very fun things to have around. And very (cough) reasonably priced.

So here are our projects and my warning. Let's be careful out there.

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20130924-230112.jpg

Swiss Chard with Balsamic Butter

Another boom of Swiss Chard from the CSA and from my garden is making me scramble for recipes.  This one comes from Susie Middleton's Fast, Fresh & Green which, in my opinion, is one of the greatest veggie recipe books around.  I like that it uses both the leaves and the stems; especially if you have "Bright Lights" chard - with its array of jewel-like colors, it makes a very pretty dish, as well as a tasty one. So yesterday I made a huge batch of Debbie's vanilla-and-cardamom baked squash, using a Butternut from the CSA and two Delicatas from my garden. Tonight I made it into soup, using the basic two-two-two recipe for all my Cream of Whatever soups, and it was outstanding with the Swiss chard on the side, with some garlic bread.  Jeeps actually put the chard on the bread and ate it like a crostini.

A perfect Autumnal Equinox supper, if I do say so.

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20130922-202508.jpg

Susie Middleton's Swiss Chard with Balsamic Butter

  • 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar (mine is this fabulous strawberry balsamic that Jeeps' partner Steve gave us for Christmas)
  • 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
  • 3/4 tsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 bunch Swiss Chard with stems
  • 1 tbsp peanut oil (really try to get peanut oil, it's worth it)
  • 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts (optional; Jeeps doesn't like them so I kept them on the side)
  • Kosher salt

In a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  Set aside

Wash and dry the chard.  Pull or cut the stems away from the chard leaves.  Cut or rip the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces.  Slice the stems crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces.

In a small skillet or pan, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.  Really babysit them because they will burn in a second.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the chard stems with a pinch of salt and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.

Add the chard leaves and 1/2 tsp Kosher salt.  Using tongs, toss the chard leaves in the pan until wilted down.  Scrape the balsamic mixture into the pan, stir, and remove the pan from the heat.  Add the butter and toss and stir until it's melted.  Fold in half the pine nuts.

Transfer the chard, stems, and cooking liquid to a small serving bowl and garnish with remaining pine nuts.

Pickle Me This, Pickle Me That

Carrots.  Out.  The.  Wazoo. Between the CSA and my garden, I am Bugs Bunny's best friend.  I love carrots, don't get me wrong, but my ideas are getting exhausted.  So right when my cucumber vines exploded, I dug into the past and resurrected my pickle recipes.

These are ice box pickles, remember, and are meant to be stored in the fridge.  Indefinitely.  But definitely in the fridge, not on your pantry shelves.  If you want to store them on your pantry shelves you have to follow proper canning methodology which I'm not getting into here.  These are meant to go in the fridge.  Nod your heads at me.  Good.

To fill up 4 half-pint jars you need:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vinegar (any kind, white, apple cider)
  • 1 rounded tsp kosher salt
  • 2 rounded tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp peppercorns, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes OR 1 1/2 tsp of McCormick's pickling spice

Bring all ingredients to a boil, then turn off the heat and let sit 5 minutes.  Wash jars, rings and lids with soapy water.

For cucumbers: 

pickled2
pickled2

Wash, then slice or cut into spears.  Put one smashed garlic clove and one sprig of fresh dill into each jar.  If you have no fresh dill, add 1 tsp to the brine above.  Pack cucumbers into jars, then pour brine over, leaving 1/2 of head space.  Wipe rims of jars, then put on lids and screw on rings.  Let cool, then store in fridge.

For carrots:

pickledcarrots
pickledcarrots

Wash, peel, then cut into uniform spears.  Follow same directions above, but replace the dill with thyme (fresh or dried).

Pickled cucumbers will be ready to crunch on pretty much overnight.  Pickled carrots you want to wait a week or so to let them soak up a lot of brine.  My CSA delivers orange, white and purple carrots.  I knew the purple ones would bleed so I kept them in their own jars.

Now.  Are you ready for a treat?  Pickled grapes.  I know, I know, I thought the same thing.  But you have to try them.  It's Molly Wizenburg's recipe, from Orangette, she made them for her wedding.  Make one little batch and try them, trust me.  They are wonderful.

Pickled Grapes with Black Pepper and Cinnamon

  • 1 pound red grapes, preferably seedless
  • 1 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 (2 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Rinse and dry the grapes, and pull them carefully from their stems. Using a small, sharp knife, trim away the "belly button" at the stem end of the grape, exposing a bit of the flesh inside. Put the grapes into a medium bowl, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then pour the mixture immediately over the grapes. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool at room temperature.

Pour the grapes and brine into jars with tight-fitting lids (or cover the bowl with plastic wrap), and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Serve cold.

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20130811-195950.jpg

Cheesy Cauliflower Patties & Poor Man's Crab Cakes

Cheesy Cauliflower patties are the latest recipe meme I've seen ciruclating, and damn are they good! I've had the recipe pinned for a while, and tonight I made a special trip at rush hour, just to get cheddar cheese and eggs, and it was totally worth it.  We ate them at room temperature with a side of Panda's favorite black-eyed pea salad, but they are just screaming for a winter evening, piping hot on the side of some tomato soup. I also imagine you could bake these instead of frying them, much like Stacey's cheesy broccoli bites. At the same time I was wanting to try a similar pattie recipe, sort of a "poor man's crab cakes", using artichoke hearts instead of crab meat. I figured it would just be a big pattie night and we'd have a lot leftover for lunch. Ha. I'm writing this with a tremendously full stomach and Jeeps is passed out on the floor. Since I stuffed myself, you're going to get stuffed with both recipes as well. It's only fair I share.

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20130723-200106.jpg

Cheesy Cauliflower Bites

The best thing about these babies is that there are four ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs (panko, plain, flavored, whatever)
  • 2 eggs

Cut the cauliflower into florets and drop into boiling water for about 10 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and mash. Let cool slightly.

Put cheddar cheese and bread crumbs into a bowl. Add cauliflower and eggs, mix thoroughly.

Form into patties and fry in olive or coconut oil until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Salt the patties after you've flipped them. Drain on paper towels, then keep on a baking sheet in a 175-200 oven while you cook the rest.

Poor Man's Crab Cakes

  • 1 can artichoke hearts (cut each heart into quarters, then crosswise. Squeeze as much water out as possible before putting in bowl)
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (I realized too late I'd used up both my scallions and last red pepper in the black-eyed pea salad, oops)
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp mayo
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (which I didn't have so it wasn't the true faux crab cake experience, oops)

Combine all ingredients, form into patties and fry.