If you came here from Tales of a Kitchen Witch, hello there! I haven't updated this blog in AGES, but you're welcome to read and comment on what's here and I'll try to toss up something interesting for you to look at within the next day or so!
<3
Mama
6.20.2012
11.06.2009
Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Although plain roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious and packed with nutrients, these fiery and sweet seeds elevate a humble snack to a whole new level of yumminess.
3 cups whole organic pumpkin seeds, raw, picked clean of pumpkin flesh, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil or more depending on how much is absorbed by seeds
Sea salt to taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl and turn out onto a greased cookie sheet. Roast at 350 F until seeds are crisp and starting to brown, stirring several times and adding more oil if needed to keep seeds from sticking to the pan (and each other, although some sticking is inevitable). Allow to cool, stirring every few minutes, at least most of the way- they're actually quite lovely when eaten still slightly warm.
3 cups whole organic pumpkin seeds, raw, picked clean of pumpkin flesh, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil or more depending on how much is absorbed by seeds
Sea salt to taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl and turn out onto a greased cookie sheet. Roast at 350 F until seeds are crisp and starting to brown, stirring several times and adding more oil if needed to keep seeds from sticking to the pan (and each other, although some sticking is inevitable). Allow to cool, stirring every few minutes, at least most of the way- they're actually quite lovely when eaten still slightly warm.
9.30.2009
Redonkulous Short Ribs
Short ribs are an economy cut of beef and tend to be not terribly...well, meaty. Here's my take on a traditional Southern recipe, adapted for the crock pot, that stretches the meat with an amazingly flavorful gravy to serve with rice.
1 rack (approx. 8 bones) beef short ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups V-8 or similar tomato-vegetable juice blend, such as Knudsen's Very Veggie
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups water
2 tbsp. butter or Smart Balance (optional)
Season ribs with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Sear in olive oil over medium heat in a heavy frying pan until thoroughly browned on all sides. Remove the ribs from the pan and save the pan drippings- you can do this by just covering the pan and leaving it on the stove or sticking it in the fridge. Line the bottom of a crock pot with sliced onion and lay browned ribs on top. Pour the juice blend and water into the bottom of the pot and sprinkle the soy sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.
40 minutes or so before you want to serve, prepare the rice, reserving the butter or Smart Balance. Reheat the pan from earlier and make a roux with an approximately equal ratio of flour to the amount of drippings in the pan. Transfer the ribs from the crock pot onto a plate and whisk the liquid from the crock pot into the roux, thinning the resulting gravy with water or stock if necessary. Taste to correct seasoning and throw the whole mess back in the crock pot to simmer while the rice cooks.
Just prior to serving, stir the butter into the rice, spoon the excess fat off the gravy in the crock pot and give it a good stir. Serve the ribs and gravy over the rice.
This dish pairs well with dark leafy greens like chard and kale. I serve it alongside chard sauteed in a little oil with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt, then season the greens with a little raw apple cider vinegar at the table.
Anthony Hamilton- Sista Big Bones
1 rack (approx. 8 bones) beef short ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups V-8 or similar tomato-vegetable juice blend, such as Knudsen's Very Veggie
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups water
2 tbsp. butter or Smart Balance (optional)
Season ribs with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Sear in olive oil over medium heat in a heavy frying pan until thoroughly browned on all sides. Remove the ribs from the pan and save the pan drippings- you can do this by just covering the pan and leaving it on the stove or sticking it in the fridge. Line the bottom of a crock pot with sliced onion and lay browned ribs on top. Pour the juice blend and water into the bottom of the pot and sprinkle the soy sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.
40 minutes or so before you want to serve, prepare the rice, reserving the butter or Smart Balance. Reheat the pan from earlier and make a roux with an approximately equal ratio of flour to the amount of drippings in the pan. Transfer the ribs from the crock pot onto a plate and whisk the liquid from the crock pot into the roux, thinning the resulting gravy with water or stock if necessary. Taste to correct seasoning and throw the whole mess back in the crock pot to simmer while the rice cooks.
Just prior to serving, stir the butter into the rice, spoon the excess fat off the gravy in the crock pot and give it a good stir. Serve the ribs and gravy over the rice.
This dish pairs well with dark leafy greens like chard and kale. I serve it alongside chard sauteed in a little oil with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt, then season the greens with a little raw apple cider vinegar at the table.
Anthony Hamilton- Sista Big Bones
9.28.2009
Lavender-Mint Hand Soap
If you're anything like me and can't stand the lingering chemical smell of most commercial hand soaps, this might work for you:
Equal parts Trader Joe's or Dr. Bronner's Peppermint and Lavender castile soaps
Hand Soap Dispenser
Mix soaps and pour into dispenser. Done!
These scents, or any other, can of course be used by themselves as a hand soap, but I stumbled across this rad combination when I didn't have enough of the TJ's peppermint soap to fill my dispenser and topped it off with the Dr. Bronner's lavender.
Equal parts Trader Joe's or Dr. Bronner's Peppermint and Lavender castile soaps
Hand Soap Dispenser
Mix soaps and pour into dispenser. Done!
These scents, or any other, can of course be used by themselves as a hand soap, but I stumbled across this rad combination when I didn't have enough of the TJ's peppermint soap to fill my dispenser and topped it off with the Dr. Bronner's lavender.
Introductions
Cast of Characters:
Mama: That's me- a tattooed, pagan/pantheist, erstwhile vegetarian, homeschooling mama, massage therapist, aspiring midwife, champion of verbosity and wildly eclectic music lover.
Daddy Bear: The husband- primary father figure in The Kidlet's life, decidedly non-tattooed gamer geek, rock-solid stabilizing force in Mama's life, awesomely inexhaustible cookie jar of love, and IT guy.
The Kidlet: Our baby- an amazing, inspiring, spell-casting, maddening cross between Stephen Hawking and Rainbow Brite.
Daddybot: The Kidlet's father, Mama's mostly amicable ex, musician and...IT guy.
Mama: That's me- a tattooed, pagan/pantheist, erstwhile vegetarian, homeschooling mama, massage therapist, aspiring midwife, champion of verbosity and wildly eclectic music lover.
Daddy Bear: The husband- primary father figure in The Kidlet's life, decidedly non-tattooed gamer geek, rock-solid stabilizing force in Mama's life, awesomely inexhaustible cookie jar of love, and IT guy.
The Kidlet: Our baby- an amazing, inspiring, spell-casting, maddening cross between Stephen Hawking and Rainbow Brite.
Daddybot: The Kidlet's father, Mama's mostly amicable ex, musician and...IT guy.
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