lwood

A few nights, in accordance with some experimental stuff dpaxson and I are doing, I'm making heart stew...which I've never made before, but organ meats tend to want one of two things: seared or braised, because there's a vast gum-rubber land in between.

This recipe is my own creation, but I found it tasty!

( Ingredients )

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( Method )

Tea.

Almost everyone in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America have something to say about tea, and here I strictly mean the (variously) prepared leaves of Camellia sinensis, steeped in water.

( Musings on the Icing of Tea, and why it is Considered Harmful in certain contexts. )

Thus do we define, as Cariadoc of the Bow puts it, the Iced Tea Problem.

One of the answers listed in his Miscellany is sekanjabin, which I had the good fortune to try while sojourning with Jennifer/Wander/lferion in Atenveldt (and then discussed with him later). It boils down to a thicker-than-simple syrup, which one may dilute to taste, thus:

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( Cariadoc's Sekanjabin Recipe )

Sekanjibin, of course, is not the only answer to The Problem of Iced Tea. In an episode of Good Eats that first aired in 2006, "Just Barley", Alton Brown introduced the US--at least the foodie/geeky subset, to barley water. The picture in the Wikipedia entry I linked to looks more like the Russian malted rye soda that I drank at one of my other events this past summer, but never mind.

( Barley Water Recipe )

Of course, this recipe and its accompanying rant are completely wasted on those who can't handle gluten-bearing cereal grains. For most of you, I would recommend substituting brown rice for the hulled barley--except you, bearfairie, because anaphylaxis is so not a good look for you! Obviously, I need to experiment with millet and quinoa waters. 8-)

So! Therewith, my current thoughts on The Problem of Iced Tea, and my current favorite solution: barley water!

To your health!

-- Lorrie

Yesterday, I found a recipe online for a Finnish all-rye sourdough bread (scroll down the comments to hansjoakim, who translated this from the Finnish), which I have extracted and executed. Here it is, expanded with notes that I hope prove helpful to you:

( Finnish Rye Sourdough Bread )

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I have yet to actually eat any of this, but it looks proper and sounds right when I thump it. *grin*

Sourdough breads keep longer, and better, than conventional yeast breads. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that the lactic (et al) acid provided by the sourdough's bacteria do a happy little denaturing number on the proteins. Thus, a loaf I made for count_geiger and I back on Thursday isn't stale yet--so, do not worry about it being day-old, or even longer, as long as the loaf remains sound.

Happy Baking!

-- Lorrie

What's keeping me from roaming the streets of My Fair City and joining up with the latest demonstration/riot?

1. Fiber Arts (this post).


2. Editing ancient issues of Idunna for republication (not terribly interesting if you're not in the project, really)


3. Exploring whole grains and baking sourdough bread.

I suppose, taken together, it's a real high fiber diet...

ANYWAY!

Of late, I have undertaken rudimentary studies in several fiber arts that were of interest in Northern and Western Europe Back in the Day--especially if I could pack it up and take it on one of my trips. Here's a quick run-through...

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( Spinning on a Drop Spindle )

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( Nalebinding )

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( Card/Tablet Weaving )

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( Sprang )

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( Actual Weaving )

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( Knitting )

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There. Next, a few notes about the baking, brewing, and other food things of late.

-- Lorrie

Similarly, that same countgeiger likes his spinach this way, because it is "not wet".

Everyday Spinach with Mushrooms

Per person:

5 oz spinach (baby or adult, doesn't matter)
2 oz brown mushrooms, sliced
enough of your oil-of-choice to cover the bottom of a skillet
1/2 onion, diced to 1/2"
pinch of salt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
splash tamari or soy sauce

Place sliced mushrooms in microwave-safe bowl and cook on high power for two to three minutes. Remove and press into a sieve or colander, extracting a lot of liquid, and set aside.

If using adult spinach, roll several leaves together into a cigar, and slice crosswise into 1/2"-1" long pieces. Baby spinach can be used as-is (but costs twice as much). In either case, place spinach into a bowl and microwave that too, 2-3 minutes per serving or until wilted (but not undead). Remove and press into a colander or sieve, extracting yet more liquid, and set aside. Your spinach will have reduced ridiculously in volume, 2/3, 3/4, or more.

While spinach is cooking in microwave, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Once a drop of water sizzles in the pan, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are fully browned. Add spinach to skillet and combine with mushrooms, onions, and garlic until spinach is heated through, then add tamari or soy sauce and cook until the sauce is absorbed, perhaps two minutes more.

Serve immediately.

Yes, math is hard, and many of us would rather go shopping.

But--math is pretty! Look! Click the clicky, watch the pretty math go by!

I have just called the Doubletree San Jose and reserved my rooms for NEXT YEAR's Pantheacon. All the computers have done their little dances, and you--YES YOU--can reserve your room RIGHT NOW and have it be part of the Pantheacon room bloc.

Room rates are $93 for non-pool-view, $103 for pool view, per night, for one to four adults.

This is the main con hotel, the one that always sells out months and months before the convention. Do not delay--reserve yours TODAY!

The dates for next year's Pantheacon are 18-21 February, 2011. Be sure to mention that you're with the con for the special room rate when you call.

Call the hotel directly: (408) 453-4000.

-- Lorrie

Today is dpaxson's sixty-seventh birthday¹, and I've been asked to bring the cake and ice cream, while Suleiman the Magnificent Spiffy performs his usual arcane awesomeness with a pork roast.

Now, it's a little-known fact that Herself the Birthday Girl isn't much of a one for chocolate. Given her druthers, it's caramel every time, so that's where we're starting from.

I did consider a tres leche cake, that sensuous mouthgasm of yellow cake soaked in condensed (thus part-caramelized) milk, topped with whipped cream, and there's some half-and-half in there somewhere which makes this technically quatro leches, and I was very nearly inspired to throw in a can of dulce de leche as well--and that would have been Quite Good, no mistake.

But then, I remembered that guaranteed-magnificent spiffy pork roast. Pork, as all men know, cuddles up right well with onions. How could I pick that up and run with it? Well, I might consider caramelized Vidalia ice cream...on a bet...if I had an ice cream maker...and it were Vidalia onion season...maybe if I hadn't blown the Vidalia onion mead for Dísablót...

Wait, wait, wait. What else goes well with pork, and also onions?

( Apples! )

I'm posting from my phone and on the road, so with little of my usual flair and panache.

If you want to ensure a Doubletree room for next year's Pantheacon, you can make a reservation as soon as this SUNDAY, 21 February. Synchronize your watches...

Edit: I know what pentaclemoon just posted; I read that too, so I called the hotel. What I reported above is what Reservations told me just now. Sorry for any confusion from the apparent contradiction--if I get better info I'll retract/correct immediately, of course!

-- Lorrie

Last night, on my calendar, was the last night of calm before ZOMGWTFBBQPantheacon--dpaxson and I opted to postphone rehearsing our parts for the Odin Ritual we (and hilarypoet, trogula, bearfairie, and more!) are doing Sunday morning in favor of reading to one another, aloud, from The Curse of Chalion which, while a fantasy novel, is one of our favorite books to recommend to the chronically god-bothered.

We stand by our decision. *grin*

In the meantime, this is why I probably won't have seen whatever deathless prose you approach me with for the next nine days:

Today, I start pre-cooking for Wednesday--with the complication that, as seasword's flight has been thrice-cancelled, auntiematter will not be here to cook or attend. In her honor, I'm-a cooking red cabbage, although I am coin-flip ambivalent about whether it ought to be Danish style as seen at California kitschy cult classic restaurant Pea Soup Andersen's (special star ingredient: pomegranate jelly^*!) or German style (special star ingredients: apple and bacon!). Also, I have this pork shoulder and this bottle of dr_beowulf's Vidalia Onion Mead (one of only two still known to exist) and they're a-gonna get funky overnight, oh yes.

Tonight is trance class, although with P-con prep reaching a fever pitch, we're not sure how many will actually show up.

Tomorrow-day, I will start a batch of barley in dpaxson's slow cooker, then pick Elisheva up from the airport (YAY!).

Tomorrow-night, Hrafnar's Disablót.

Thursday: not only Elisheva, but also erynn999, as countgeiger does The Sensible Thing and goes to the Con a day early to set up as part of His Staffly Duties. The rehearsal dpaxson and I put off to read to each other will probably happen here instead.

Friday through Monday: PANTHEACON!

Tuesday: The sun will rise. The hobbits will rise somewhat later. A car will leave the Bay Area for an Overnight Jaunt to an Undisclosed Location.

Wednesday: That same car will return.

Thursday: The visitors leave. dpaxson and lwood fall down, go boom.

Friday: If I had a job, I would be calling in dead.

Saturday: dpaxson's birthday!

Sunday: Funeral for a friend.

Monday: countgeiger's Birthday!

And that's the lot--holy cats! I have to go to the store!

-- Lorrie (zoooooom!)

^* - We had this at the restaurant and quite liked it--it was the last straw that finally talked me into buying their cookbook, which isn't just "food from the restaurant", but also contributions from the Solvang/Buellton community, so there's not only contributions from all over Scandinavia and Contintental Europe, but also Mexican--and a frybread. It wanted but for a couple Chumash recipes to be a proper Santa Ynez Valley(Danehold) culinary trifecta. However, the waitress at the restaurant sheepishly admitted that the pomegranate jelly (which woulda been local not long ago) had been replaced, at the restaurant, by grape. Concord, from the taste. Rest assured, it won't have that on my watch...