Knit & Nosh

the mason shaker arrives

A few months back a took part in a Kickstarter for The Mason Shaker. How could I not?

Yesterday the mailman dropped a package on my doorstep and as soon as I saw the return address I wished it were 5:00.

A call went out to my Twitter pals about the Shaker's maiden voyage and the consensus was that whiskey, specifically corn whiskey, needed to be used. Working with the memory of a cocktail I had a couple of months ago at a going away party, I began digging through the booze locker.

The cocktail contains Kentucky bourbon for a nod to the south of the Mason-Dixon line, but adds an uptown Yankee touch with the addition of brandy and amaretto. The results are delicious!!!

While I was adding ice to the shaker I wondered if the glass would get frosty the same way my old metal shaker does.

It does.

Only one drink is needed and it should be sipped after you are all tucked in for the night.

Because I first tasted this drink at a bar when saying goodbye to Donald & Mary Cass I am naming it the D & M. I cannot help but think of them when I mix up this cocktail, but drinking it reminds me how sweet friendship can be.

D & M

1 1/2 ounces good bourbon

1/2 ounce brandy

1/2 ounce amaretto

Couple dashes of orange bitters

Add ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until frosty.

Pour into the prettiest glass you have, sit back, and enjoy.

 

Love and miss you Donald and Mary Cass!!!

 

 

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clifford

Today is Clifford The Big Red Dog's birthday celebration. Youngest Son (now almost 14) was a late talker. So late that he had doctors in two counties poking, prodding, and testing him for years. Eventually he did talk, and no one that knows him now would have any idea he was not born speaking in five syllable words. His first sentence came when he was about 5 years old while shopping in the local toy store. He was holding a stuffed Clifford and held it up to show me. "Take little Clifford home?". The other kids and I could not believe our ears.

Yes, we took little Clifford home.

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cbrm - boozy brunch

Boozy Brunch by Peter Joseph.

A great idea and a wonderful book. Boozy brunch is a well researched and enjoyable read. The quotes, (often by writers, go figure) are priceless and the history is much appreciated. It is a good thing I was not drinking while reading or I may have shot tomato juice out my nose.

Recipes are included for all of the drinks you normally associate with brunch and much, much more. Some drinks are naturals that we should have been drinking all along. Why are we stuck on Bloody Marys and Mimosas?

Along with enough cocktail recipes to keep your weekends pickled for years to come, are some great food pairings to go with them. All the breakfast favorites are here, both sweet and savory. How handy to have it all in one book!

Boozy Brunch will get TONS of use at my house and I am happy to give up a bit of shelf space for such a worthwhile book.

hummus pizza

One morning I checked the garden and found we had one yellow squash big enough to eat. Some serious joy happened at this point. Youngest Son asked if he could pick it and I showed him where to cut. He pulled out his trusty pocket knife and harvested that squash like he had been doing it his whole life. While he was cutting, I was making a dinner plan.

As a rule, I do not much like store bought hummus. I find it bland and grainy when compared to the stuff the comes out of my own kitchen. But the original recipe mentioned using a roasted garlic hummus and that the hummus would be topped with pieces of roasted garlic that could be used to make the pizza. So I picked up a tub of roasted garlic hummus at the store and prepared to follow the recipe as written.

First, there were not any whole cloves of garlic floating on the top for me to play with. Second, the hummus I purchased is the BEST store bought hummus I have ever run across. The flavors are perfect and the texture is silky smooth. Lily's is made in Portland and I can tell you it is worth looking around to find a container.

Instead of firing up the grill to deal with one squash, I pulled out the trusty paninni maker. I was not sure this idea was going to work but I figured if I was successful this technique could be used for lots of other vegetables. Worked like a charm!

 

Hummus Pizza

Pizza dough for two 10" pizzas, homemade or store bought

2 cups hummus, homemade or store bought

8 ounces cheese, I used a combination of fontina and mozzarella 

Summer squash of your choosing, yellow, crookneck, zucchini, or patty pan

1 clove garlic

Olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Roll out the pizza dough and cook on pans or a stone until just done. Do not let the edges get dark.

Cut your squash into slices about 1/2 thick. While the dough is cooking grill or pannini your squash.

Crush garlic clove into a small amount of olive oil. Once the dough comes out of the oven, brush with the garlic oil. Then spoon hummus over the crust, top with cheese, and place squash over cheese.

Put the pizzas back in the oven and cook just until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 5-10 minutes.

My new go to summer pizza!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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cbrm - the mexican slow cooker

Reading through this book I was surprised that no one had written one before. Mexican cooking is perfect for the slow cooker!

The Mexican Slow Cooker by Deborah Schneider begins with a little bit about the slow cooker and ingredients. There a couple of pages on using both fresh and dried chiles that are invaluable. The recipes are broken into five chapters.

Soups

Mains and Guisados

Street Food Favorites

Basics, Rice, Beans, and Other Sides

Desserts

So far, I have not come across a recipe I do not want to try. Many of the soups I have not eaten before but will definitely be cooking. There is a recipe for Menudo, something I am not a fan of but Husband LOVES. We have yet to find really good Menudo around here and visits to San Diego are planned around trips to Quatro Milpas. The recipe in the book looks very much like what he is after.

There is a recipe for Mole as well as many different tacos, even tamales. In addition to the recipe for tamales, you will find a Tamale 101 primer to help out those new to tamale making.

A variety of burrito fillings, rice, beans, and highly flavored meats with sauces ensure you will find what you are craving. There are even a few desserts, Coconut Rice Pudding topped with Mexican Chocolate anyone?

Corn is beautiful right now and I took Sopa de Elote y Calabaza (Fresh Corn and Zucchini Soup) for a test drive.

The surprise ingredient is corn cobs. After removing the corn from the cobs they are then simmered along with the soup. This little addition gave the soup a great depth. I added a bit of poblano chili to the pot and the finished dish was better than I would have expected. Really, really, good.

As the days become cooler and dinner turns from salad to soup, this book is going to get a ton of use.

 

 

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emergencies happen

No matter what part of the world you live in, there is some kind of natural disaster swirling at your feet. Add to that the threat of fire and your best bet is to make like a boy or girl scout and "be prepared".

I grew up in Southern California, earthquake country. As an adult we kept an Earthquake Kit. Two sealed plastic trash cans full of food, water, and diapers. One can outside, one in what was deemed the most stable closet of the house. When we moved to Seattle we did not realize that earthquakes happen here too. We learned the hard way, with experience, and now have an emergency kit here as well.

After the Northridge quake in LA I learned more about preparedness than any flyer in any newspaper. For instance, did you know that boiled water makes the best ice cubes? Before that quake our emergency kit was pretty standard, since then it has grown into a thing that may actually make our hearts a little lighter in the event we need to use it. Yes, I am going to share.

OK, you have a list of all the things that you are suppose to have in the kit. Things like water, food, flashlights, and a car charger for your phone. Now it is time to turn to yourself and/or your family. What is it that makes your family comfortable? Do you need to have peaches with breakfast? Then peaches need to be in your kit. What about wine with dinner? Even if dinner is tuna on crackers, add some wine to your stash. Enough to get you and whoever else through five days. Chocolate, definitely. Does Oldest Daughter enjoy crossword puzzles? Add a book. You know I have knitting in my kit, this pattern, needles and a half dozen colors of floss. Takes up no room at all but will keep me sane. If your family plays games, cards and other distractions are essential. Even if you do not play games now, distractions are going to be necessary and welcomed.

The extras are highly personal but cannot be underestimated. Love scotch? A bottle better be tucked among the instant coffee and granola bars. Have a hard time getting through the day without bubble water? That would be me and I have plenty stashed away. Think hard about the things that make your day special and think even harder if you have kids. A bit of candy and a new toy can work wonders.

Do not forget the pets. The last time Youngest son and I were going through the supplies and checking expiration dates he asked about Tom (the cat). Duh, of course we need to have food and a new toy for him.

I hope we never have to use our kit, but knowing it is there provides a great deal of comfort.

 

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