Homemade Body Scrub

Paul's little sister, and a good friend of mine, Lizzie, is always coming up w/new (and delish) home remedies for hair and body. Her newest love interest is body scrubs, and this "recipe" is one that surely every crow will be able to make w/3 simple ingredients: fresh coffee grounds, brown sugar in the raw and body wash!

Bodum french press coffee grounds give you nice course pieces of bean, but whatever your coffee maker leaves behind will work just fine. Mix in the raw brown sugar in about equal parts w/the coffee grounds and squeeze in some body wash just to give a little lubricant and there you have it! Lizzie also shared that the caffeine in the grounds act as a firming agent, keepin these crows' skin nice and taught!

Sweet Domesticity

Ahh, glorious success!

As many of you know, I am not the most neat and tidy cook you'll come across. Generally speaking, there is a slightly crusty patch of food stuffs near/above the back right butt pocket of most pants I own.

Never again!

For, I have achieved womanly success in making, what I see, as one of the most eccentric, and gaudy aprons known to modern history. Alright, that is a bit of an exaggeration. Its quite simple, just more complex than I foresaw when I embarced on this endeavor 48 hours ago.

But ... there are frills, and crimps, and flowers- the antithesis of the vast majority of the items in my wardrobe. This fine piece of craftswomenship is the perfect accessory to any plainclothed wench.

Moreover, it was all done by hand, in a matter of a few hours.

I pat, pat, pat, myself on the back.

ps. I'm never going to get this thing dirty.

Introducing Miss Emma

Ok, this has nothing to do with food. It has to do with my adorable pup Emma, who Mark and I adopted over the weekend. I will keep it short, but as you can see from these pictures, she is clearly the sweetest beast companion that a Crow could ever ask for. Although Emma's culinary palate has yet to develop, I have no doubt that she will serve as inspiration for many a future post (homemade dog food anyone?)
I also want to give a shout out to the fabulous organization that brought Emma and I together, Canine Commitment. This organization and the loving people that volunteer for them take Dogs out of high-kill shelters in the South and bring them up to New England foster homes where they are loved and eventually found forever homes. If you ever consider adopting, I highly recommend going through them- I know others who have found amazing dogs with Canine Commitment and have had as wonderful of an experience as I have.

Basting Brush

Just saw this tip in a Food and Wine email today, totally want to try this out on the grill. The Rosemary would be perfect with some grilled Lamb Chops.

SIDE NOTE: If you click on the link does anyone have any clue what grilling tip #2 is all about, the page doesn't really explain much, sounds like a wild technique though.

I have a project.....

Great article in the times today about canning seasonal fruit and veggies at home. I'm dying to try it out; strawberries and artichokes sound particularly appealing. Anyone with me?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/dining/27cann.html

Restoring a Cast Iron Skillet

I have a new love. It is old, dirty, and overweight.

But I love it anyways.

I think all crows have a basic opposition to Teflon.* There is just something incredibly disheartening about a chemical that magically makes food not stick to your pan. This becomes even more disturbing once you have started cooking with cast iron, because somehow, without the magic of polytetrafluoroethylene, food doesn't stick to the pan! Moreover, if there are any little crusties stuck on the bottom of your pan, a little dip in a warm bath will quickly lift the char.

Teflon is also not suitable for oven use, which severely limits what you can do with certain recipes.

Natural Magic!

So Billy came home one day with two disgusting looking skillets that I figured would become wall ornaments because they were so covered in filth. Upon hearing this Billy made this face:

. .
O

.....and proceeded to look up different methods of restoration. He tried a few, but they never lasted. He found success in removing rust, but could never get the rust to stay gone, no matter how thoroughly the water was removed. Thus far, I have used two methods of "seasoning," one of which has been profoundly more effective in not only remaining rust-free, but creating a non stick surface.

*If you didn't already, you will after reading that article.
You will need:

Steel Wool
Paper Towels or cloth rag
Vegetable oil
Bacon

Heat oven to 400.

In the hottest water you can handle scrub all the rust off of the pan. Note the difference between rust, and old cast iron. The scrubbing process will not yield the black cast iron we all know. This comes in the seasoning process.

After you are confident in your scrub, thoroughly dry. Coat the pan in Oil and place cooking side down on the middle rack of the oven. Place a cookie sheet or some aluminum foil below the pan to catch any drippings. Keep in oven until the skillet has turned a deep, dark black.

Seasoning is complete.

Bacon Version.

Complete all steps, except upon removing from the oven cook a hefty amount of bacon. Use A high fat, uncured bacon for maximum filth and grease. Once bacon is complete spread bacon grase all over the inside of the pan. Place back in the oven and cook for another 15-30 minutes with the pan underneath to catch drippings.

Now you have the ultimate non stick surface.

Pros/cons

So obviously the biggest hurdle is overcoming a fear of bacon. Bacon is disgusting. But it does the job if you can get over that.

The vegetable oil will season the pan and prepare it for safe, rust-free use, but there are two major problems. The first is that the oil creates an almost sticky surface and there is, thus far after 2-3 uses still visible evidence of the oil on the surface of the Pan. Whereas the bacon fat seems to have melded with the pan, the oil is clearly not evenly distributed across the cooking surface. You could try Crisco, but really Crisco, is just as disturbing to me as Teflon.

So now the next time you see an old rusty pan for $2 at a thrift store you won't be afraid to bring it home!

Great Uses

Searing Meat/Fish/poultry
One dish meals
Making a perfectly hearty tomato sauce
Caramelizing onions
Skillet + Grilling*
Hitting boyfriends
Pretending its 1859
Pies
Quiches
Attractive presentation

*You can actually throw the skillet right on the coals!

Put This in Your Back Pocket for Soup Season

After those two 90 degree days I'm sure that soup is that last thing on everyone's mind, but honestly I can not wait until Fall to post my favorite soup recipe. Plus who knows- living in New England we could always get another freak snow storm before summer (this better not happen).

Spicy Tomato & Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 medium onion-diced
2 medium carrots-diced
2 celery ribs-diced
1 red bell pepper-diced
5 medium sized mushrooms sliced (optional)
1/2 bunch of kale- rinsed and chopped
2 medium garlic cloves- minced
1 can diced tomatoes (preferably Muir Glen Fire Roasted-a favorite amongst most crows)
1 quart vegetable broth plus 1-2 cups water (depending on how thick you like your soups)
1 1/3 cup dried red lentils- rinsed
1 Bay Leaf
1 1/2 tsp cumin, turmeric & cayenne pepper
olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

• Heat olive oil in stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat- add onions, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and bay leaf
• Cook until onions become translucent but not browned- add red pepper, mushrooms, garlic and remaining spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes
• Add broth, lentils, tomatoes and water and bring to a simmer
• Once soup is simmering add the chopped kale and an extra dash of salt
• Let soup simmer for 40 minutes (if using a dutch oven this will only take 30 minutes, turn heat off and cover-let sit for an additional 10 minutes)
• Serve with crusty bread

This recipe box was made and given to me by fellow Crow Riane Welch last Christmas. I keep all of my favorite recipes inside which saves time flipping through cook books and scouring the internet. This red lentil soup came to me when I had left over red lentils after attempting to make some cakes out of them- not so successful. I just followed a basic soup recipe, tweaked it a couple of times and voila- Spicy Tomato & Red Lentil Soup!

Dump it in the Dumplings

Before we begin, here is a picture of a plate of dumplings sitting on a picture of a dude with a silly mustache with a copy of Rick Astely's infamous record above it.


Now, Greetings!

Slow week? Or frustration with blogger? This week has been lacking in the post-frenzy-fantasy land.

I for one slacked of cooking-wise this week and overwhelmingly took the easy way out with several meals. The best, though, was Monday night's dumpling fest.

It was quite and lonely in this crows apartment that night, and the fridge was looking intimidating. There were left-overs of Broccoli and asparagus with 45 tons of garlic, but other than that all that occupied my icebox were ingredients.

Now, some days I love "ingredients." Other days, I really just want fast-easy-raw foods for quick satisfaction. I knew that if I wanted to eat at home, I was in for a challenge. I accepted.

Sometimes, I like patting myself on the back and making pasta dough.* Sometimes, it just is so much easier to buy dumpling wrappers from the grocery store. You can usually find them in the refrigerated section, or mixed in the produce. I have no brand preference, they all seem about the same.

Starting from scratch can be tedious, I recommend everything you are stuffing into the dumpling be cooked beforehand, to an almost mooooosh consistency. Personal preference should obviously take the lead, but the only things I like to be crunchy in my dumpling are scallions. So this night, the broccoli/asparagus combo would work perfectly. To make the filling more interesting I quickly sauteed onions and mushrooms with a hefty amount of fresh ginger and more garlic. When it comes to dumplings, you can really add whatever you want but there are three things that should always be there: Garlic, Ginger, and Green Onions.

Traditionally dumplings are stuffed with pork, but I have been trying very hard to find new ways to transform left-overs, rather than just re-heating them(something Holly is so good at!). Dumplings are such a good way to do this.

Now, methodology is the only thing left to discuss!

You can steam, or fry them, I prefer a nice combination of the two that can be done in a deep frying pan with a lid. A lid is very necessary.

I won't get into the details of stuffing the dumplings, as I think most of us here have done this before- its the same as a ravioli- a little water or egg was as a sea sealant-get out air bubbles- etc-etc.

I will say, avoid to much touching or overlapping of the little guys on your cutting board and in the pan.

Dumpling Methodology

Pulse all ingredients minus your plethora of scallions a few times in the food processor. You want a coherent mixture, soft, but not to squishy. Now mix in scallions. Assemble dumplings.

Heat up about 2-4 T of oil in your pan, and place your dumplings one-by-one in the pan. Fry until brown, and flip. Allow this side to brown and then add about 1/4 cup water (approx- after the first batch you'll get the hang of it and see how much you think you'll need for future batches) to the pan. This will crate a nice violent reaction from the oil- but fear not! Place the lid quickly on the pan and return to heat. Alow to steam for about 2 minutes. Again, with each successive batch you will figure out what works for you. The longer you fry or steam, the amount of water you use, etc. will change the final outcome. But its all tasty!

*My personal favorite pasta-making memory was at McBride. Nothing beats rolling out ravioli with wine bottles!

Dipping Sauce*

Soy sauce
Honey
Chili - Garlic Paste (aka. Sambal Oelek)

Mix them to your liking. Add some sesame seeds if you have them. That is all.

*There are a lot of great store bought dipping sauces out there, but this one is so fast that why bother?

Half Sour! and Sunburn

Oye, I had a rough weekend. Friday night I was at a show and all of my personal belongings were stolen. Wallet, keys, phone, jacket, bag, bike lights, helmet...everything! On top of that Billy's and my bike were locked to each other, stuck together eternally were it not for an angle grinder and a very long extension cord.

Saturday was spent replacing my stuff, and trying not to stress out about my unfortunate luck. Sunday I spent the day in the sun, only to get yet another putrid sunburn.

All would be lost were it not for a wonderful batch of pickles ready to eat today!

After requesting Holly's pickle recipe, I went on a little kick of pickle making fantasy. I made her sinus clearing recipe and tried something of my own. They are a combination of the east coast tradition of "Half-Sours" and a Dill pickle. I was a little nervous going into the process, but they turned out wonderfully :)

You will need a large glass jar with metal lid. If you can get an enormous Ball or Mason jar it would be best, but you can also use any large jar you have because these are quick pickles that don't need so much fermentation. There is a lot of blabber on the internet about different methods of making pickles, but I ignored just about all of the advice once I started this process. The only advice you need is to make sure your materials are clean, and your brine is clear when settled.

Its all about ratio- so even if you use a different sized jar each time, you can still get the same flavor out of the batch. I used a jar that held about 8 cups of liquid plus 10 pickling cukes. It was a jar that I actually bought a massive quantity of pickles in from our local GM/hyper processed foods grocery store.


Emily's Table-Top Pickles!

4 cloves crushed but still whole garlic
1 t mustard either seeds or power (depending on your liking)
1 t red pepper flakes
3 T pickling salt (no iodine)
1 t freshly crushed black pepper
1 t ground coriander
5 large sprigs fresh dill
5 oz white vinegar
hot water

Start by placing the cleaned cukes in the jar. Try to arrange them in a way that locks them in place. It is best if they don't move around to much during this process. Spoiling can occur when to much of the cuke is over top of the brine.

After the cukes are in place first pour in the vinegar. I would recommend 1/4 of the liquid be vinegar.* Not all half sour pickles have vinegar, but I figured it would only speed along the process without influencing the flavor too much. Measure out the amount of water you need. Use the hottest water that can come out of your tap. It needs to be hot enough to dissolve the salt, so if it is not, you need to boil the water in order to do so. Add the salt and other spices to the hot water. Pour overtop the pickles!

The garlic and dill can be added whole to the brine. Secure the top on tight and mix the pickle/brine combo to evenly distribute the spices and vinegar. Do this every few hours.

Let the pickles sit at room temperature for 2 days. Remember to mix them up every once in a while while also making sure everything is submerged properly. As with Holly's pickles, once they have become pickled to your taste, place them in the refrigerator and they will stop absorbing vinegar.

Yummmm. I'll be using these later in the week when I make Stamppot!
You can look forward to the recipe!

*The ratio of salt to water is 2 t to every 1 cup of water you add. So this recipe can be changed based on the size of jar you are using- Dually, you can really add any spices you want, its really all about experimentation

The Crows have landed. Let the CAWing begin.

Hooray!

We're going live in a valiant attempt to share our mowing strategies. We cook, we eat, we write about it.

We are ladies united in our love for all that is delicious. The simple, the complicated, the familiar and the exotic. Always fresh, always satisfying. Blossoming domestic goddesses, we know that no beverage should be left unaccompanied by a tasty morsel or two prepared in the company of good friends.

Here we will share recipes, cooking successes and cooking failures. What we made together and we we made apart. Reviews of local JP eateries. Favorite foods. Tips on great ingredients and products. Being thrifty. Gardening practices. Cocktails. Your totally awesome Friday night.

Welcome ladies, let's eat.