Berlin's Whimsy

From "Ewww!" to "Mmmm" Giveaway

A LITTLE GIVEAWAY: The kids & I are heading to the Oregon coast for a few days of visiting with long lost friends and rubbing our toes in our familiar sand... So, I'm leaving you with this post... The giveaway details are at the end...

One of our steadfast lunchtime sandwiches is the peanut butter and pickle sandwich. I grew up eating them and have never given them a second thought. That was until my kids started bringing them to school and the other kids started exclaiming, "Ewww!"

Luckily, my kids weren't swayed. They are PB & Pickle fans. And I am, too. Usually, I make our sandwiches with dill pickles but a shopping oversight resulted in a jar of sweet pickles sitting in the cupboard for far too long. In desparation one day, I decided to use that jar. And even my "Ewww" reaction to sweet pickles turned to "Mmmm" in the sandwich with peanut butter. I still prefer dill but the sweet is a nice mix up.

Recently, our family discussed our "weird" food combinations. I remembered my Dad slathering up a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich while I sat looking aghast. I don't think it was the taste combo as much as the texture that repulsed me.

During our discussion, my sister-in-law told me about the peanut butter and sprout sandwich. I immediately thought "Ewww" until she pointed out the similarity to the Thai food flavor combination so I tried it and it turned to a "Mmmm" (I used mung bean sprouts, following the Pad Thai combination).

And then there is my early strawberry season recipe: balsamic vinegar reduction sauce over strawberries and ice cream. "Ewww! Vinegar?!" I initially thought. But then I tried it!

It's a great way to use the early season strawberries that lack the flavor of our local Oregon berries (yes, I'm partial). All that is required is reducing 2 Cups of balsamic vinegar (I like the Costco brand for this recipe---don't use expensive balsamic!) over a low simmer until it is thick and it coats the back of a spoon. Cool just a bit and then spoon the sauce over sliced strawberries and vanilla ice cream. "Mmmm!"

***GIVEAWAY: I want to hear about your flavor combos, recipes, or stories of food items that might seem weird to today's palate but you still enjoy... OR your family's traditional recipes that might not be 'en vogue' today (I'm thinking pickled watermelon rinds and that sort of thing). What "weird" foods do you like? And if you don't have anything of the sort to share, just post a comment and you'll be entered in the drawing... I will choose a random comment next Tuesday.

The prize? Four embroidered linen "Doily Napkins" (it's a fun little pattern of mine that I've been enjoying---pictured above) and an itty bitty cookbook (made by me) that includes a few of my favorite recipes along with related stories...

Have a great weekend!   

Bread Machine Tips---Daily Bread.

Though I was an artisan-style bread baker, I love my bread machine. I was hesitant at first to use one but I finally relented when I just didn't have the time to make our daily bread from scratch. I prefer to bake my own bread. Many of the commercially produced breads include dough conditioners and other strange ingredients to maintain their product's consistency. I like that I know what I'm putting into our bread. I feel that bread is one of those comforting gifts in life---true foodie alchemy. And when my bread machine dies, I'll probably continue on without it, but for now, I'm thankful...

Bread machines have a tendency to bake bread too fast resulting in a bread that lacks the yeasty depth of flavor that handmade ones do. They also tend to dry out readily. After experimenting with my machine based on my background in baking, I found a few tips that improve bread machine bread.

1) If you can control the timing of your bread machine's phases in some sort of custom setting, do it (this is why I love my Zojirushi). Bread increases in flavor and performance with time and if you can increase the time it ferments or rises, it will improve the flavor. Here is what I have my bread machine programmed for:  Knead for 20 minutes; First Rise is one hour and 11 minutes; Second rise is 45 minutes; Bake for one hour. I always use this custom setting. Remember, time is bread's bestfriend----time adds flavor among other good things.

2) Bread is a living thing and various conditions can change the way it acts. Things such as humidity, barometric pressure, and the flour you are using can change the way flour absorbs water changing the way the bread reacts even when you are using the same recipe repeatedly. For this reason, I check the dough in the bread machine when it is nearing the end of the kneading cycle to be sure the dough is the right consistency. You want your dough to be on the wet side---if you pinch it, you don't want the dough to cling to your fingers but you do want it a bit sticky (stick and release). Creating a dough that is too dry is a common mistake in baking bread. If the dough seems dry, add water to it by the tablespoon-full. If it is too wet, however, add a bit of flour.

Also, check to see where your dough is lying in the bread pan---you don't want it on one side or another (the Zo is really great about setting the dough up to rise in the correct position in the pan).

This is my daily bread recipe. It's based on a recipe from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook (highly recommended---in fact, all of the cookbooks by Beth Hensperger are wonderful). This is a basic formula that I then add varying ingredients to depending on the grains I have on hand. My kids love it, too.

Crunchy Daily Bread

(Makes a 2 lb loaf)

1 1/2 C. water

1/4 C. honey

1/4 C. molasses

3 T. canola oil or butter at room temp.

3 C. bread flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1/4 C. wheat germ

1/4 C. flax powder (we use the organic white flax powder from Costco---love it!)

2 T. vital wheat gluten

2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. SAF yeast (or 1 T. bread machine yeast)

Crunchy Add ins:

3 T. millet

3 T. sunflower seed

3 T. amaranth

Layer the ingredients into your bread machine pan according to the manufacturer's directions (my machine requires first the liquids and then the dry ingredients). Set the machine for your custom setting, or for a Basic Whole Wheat. Check in on your machine as it nears the end of its kneading cycle and add liquid or flour depending on the dough's consistency. Let the machine do its thing and remove your bread after it is finished baking. Cool just a bit and enjoy your nutritious bread!!

 

Like Christmas all over again.

When I opened up the mailbox yesterday, I found a big package of fun crammed in it. A wonderful Mom residing in Japan offered to pick up a few Bento supplies for me a while back.

I love, love, love swapping and barter so I offered to make her daughter a linen smock. I had meant to wait to share all of these wonderful goodies until her package was on its way around the globe but I just couldn't wait!

The kids used two of these little Bento boxes for their lunches today. We marveled at their smaller size than our regular Laptop Lunchboxes. It really does put our portion sizes in persective. I uploaded these photos to my Flickr photostream with notes to describe what some of the items are/do...

Improved Hummus.

Yeah, you can buy the plastic tub of hummus at the store---and I often do----but sometimes I like to make an extra-special batch of hummus. The kind that tastes so much better! It's a project...

I had not thought about making my own sesame paste before reading this Japanese Cookbook (I know---again with that cookbook!) and her recommendation of making your own sesame paste. She described the taste as more subtle and true in flavor than jarred tahini.

Always willing to try something new, I decided to make some. It's really very simple: toast a layer of sesame seeds in a dry saute pan only until they begin to move around a bit and pop. They burn quickly so keep an eye on them---only toast them to a tan color! Let them cool a bit and place them in a mortar & pestle. (I have a Thai granite mortar & pestle that I use frequently for all sorts of kitchen jobs, such as grinding up spices to release their flavor, Thai cooking, and even making guacamole). I suppose one could grind up the sesame seeds in a Cuisinart, but I think the mortar & pestle renders the seeds into a smoother paste and presses the flavors out better. This will take a bit of grinding, however...

But there is a pay off to all the grinding. Suddenly, a wondrous aroma of toasted sesame will waft up and out of the bowl, urging you on in the endeavor. Initially, I made the sesame paste to add to Miso Soup as described in the cookbook. This was WONDERFUL and I highly recommend trying it.

This weekend, I craved pita and hummus. I thought about my ground sesame paste and decided to try a new and improved hummus. I turned to one of my favorite hummus recipes (below).

If I'm going to go to the trouble of making my own hummus, I go all the way and cook the garbanzo beans beforehand. They are very easy to cook after soaking overnight. I believe the flavor of the home cooked beans versus the ones in the can in the resulting hummus is much better: just like the sesame paste, it's more subtle and "real" tasting...

Hummus with Fresh Ground Sesame Paste

2 C. cooked garbanzo beans (reserve liquid)

1/3 C. fresh lemon juice

3 T. ground sesame paste

2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt to taste

2 T. good olive oil

Sprinkling of sweet paprika

Method: In a food processor, grind together garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt until blended. Add enough reserved cooking liquid to form a smooth paste.

Transfer the paste to a serving bowl and float the olive oil on top and sprinkle with paprika. This recipe makes quite a bit of hummus so I often make two different kinds out of the large batch...

Variation: (pictured above, on the left):

Add 1/3 C. kalamata olives to the blended mixture and blend only until they are coarsely ground.

And while you're at it, why not make your own pita bread?! Joanna of Mothers of Invention posted a wonderful recipe and instructions last week...

Flickety Click.

Some of my favorite knitting bloggers tagged me for the 'You Make My Day Award.' How very sweet and thank you so much.

I only recently discovered Mary Jane's blog: Mary Jane, Midge & Mink. In addition to my late discovery of Mary Jane's blog, I experienced another "duh moment" when I realized one day, while fondly gazing at one of my favorite sweater patterns from Interweave Knits, that the pattern designer was Mary Jane! Hopefully, this slip in recognition isn't any indication of my mind growing slower as I age... Part of the reason I had not recognized Mary Jane as a knitwear designer is because of my adoration of her beautiful photos, thus my ignorance of her knitting expertise.

My other nomination came from Lara at Yarnit. She is back in college right now and in much of the same situation as I am at the moment. I appreciate her sharing her own journey to self-discovery and self-fulfillment during a huge transition in her life. I know how difficult it can be to weigh out all the obligations.

And lastly, Christabel of Rhubarb Supreme nominated me, too. I must admit her blog is new to me, but I enjoyed my visit today!

For nominations, the rules are as follows:
"Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."

Like Mary Jane mentioned, it is difficult to choose only 10 other bloggers (and as you'll see, I didn't---yes, I cheated). Truly each blog I read makes my day. I read many, many blogs but not all of them everyday. So here is my attempt to whittle them down to the ones I read every day (or at least when they update).

1. Knitting Iris----I don't ever miss Siri's blog.
2. Beauty that Moves  Lots to love here.
3. Bella Dia--Check out her re-purposing series.
4. Blue Yonder A must!
5. Dustpan Alley Always good for serious thought or laughs.
6. House on Hill Road Wonderful project ideas.
7. A Friend to Knit With Lovely knitting and parenting.
8. I Have to Say... The kind of peaceful parenting & living I admire.
9. Kirstencan A fellow nerd... ;-) And crafty mom.
10. Uncommon Grace Beautiful and mindful parenting.

***I didn't nominate Megan at The Scent of Water (because Mary Jane did---but I love Megan's blog, and I didn't nominate Mary Jane's blog for obvious reasons, though it would be on my list)!

****Also, might I add a few blogs that are new to me? Please do check them out:

1. Ysolda (She is a young knitwear designer. Not only do I LOVE her designs, but her instructions are very helpful and she continues to update them through user feedback. I found her You-tube instructional video on the Long-tail Provisional Cast-on very helpful).
2. Still Life in Yarn A new friend.
3. The Scent of Green Bananas (yum).
4. Linaloo Another new friend.
5. Lunch in a Box (Need I mention again how helpful Biggie's site is?)

Oh, and then there are my favorite Flickr friends that don't have blogs...

1. Ex. Libris' ---A fellow Mr. Bento lover, I follow her food, gardening, and life adventures through Flickr. I'm also VERY jealous because she's a librarian ;-)!
2. Cauchy---Wonderful knitting and a wry sense of humor.
3. Camilla1967-----Catch-your-breath photos (check out those horse images) and a fellow fiber addict.
4. Clouded Maple---Another Laptop Lunchbox junkie and photographer.
5. Pocket Farmer----Knitting, Maine, farming, recipes, and a sense of humor.

Phew, my right clicking finger is tired now...

Happy Meal.

I added this fun little Bento strap (Belt?) to my Etsy shop.

It's made to hold the Laptop Lunchbox securely closed... But more importantly, it's a bit of fun!

***I have not been able to find elastic that is anything but white, nude, or black. If you know a source for good quality elastic of varying colors, please let me know!

Starting my day out right.

I like eating a bowl of Miso soup for breakfast. I'm often not hungry in the morning and if I skip breakfast I'm often starving by mid-morning and grabbing any snack available. Not a good routine. So, I began eating a little bowl of Miso soup in the morning. I now seem to crave it each day and I know it's a healthy way to start my day.

Miso soup is made with Dashi. I don't always have Dashi handy, however. I know there is instant Dashi but it often contains MSG. Instead, if I don't have Dashi in the refrigerator, I forgo this step for my own simpler version of morning Miso with just hot water. I have a handy-dandy hot water dispenser that makes it that much easier.

***I love that little image on this miso package! ;-)

I use a mild version of Miso , adding just a tablespoon or two to a small bowl of hot water. I add a little wakame to it. I keep cubed tofu in the refrigerator for my Miso, as well as for when I crave a snack (usually cheese) later in the day. I bake this tofu and Heather has helpful instructions here for this technique. I add a few cubes of the tofu to the Miso, or as described in this wonderful Japanese Cookbook I've been reading, I crumble soft tofu into the Miso Soup. Sometimes I add a few green onions. I find that it's a great way to start the day and fills me up enough to make it to lunch (where sometimes I have Miso, again)!

More Books worth reading:

The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--

Harumi's Japanese Cooking: More than 75 Authentic and Contemporary Recipes from Japan's Most PopularCooking Expert

Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen

***From time to time, concerns are publicized about soy in one's diet. After researching this a bit (while also recognizing that many diets of the world have been based on soy for generations without the asserted negative effects), I found this FAQ about soy to be very helpful.

The Lunch Lady, again.

Is it possible for someone to make a living packing wholesome lunches? Well, if so, sign me up! (Yes, I did spend one l-o-n-g  school year slathering up PB & J's at the local elementary school, but that doesn't count----mostly in the "wholesome" department).

(This fancy Kiwi idea is from Lunch in a Box).

I suppose I like these Bento lunches because it's my fussy nature----the little compartments, fancy garnishing touches, the nurturing nature of packing someone elses lunch (or mine)!  Often, what others find mundane, I find joy in. Go figure. I also admire the Japanese philosophy of food's not only tasting good but looking good, too-----ritual, presentation, and small tidbits of nutrition.

My locale is lacking in Asian grocers, as well as Bento supplies----even with all the gourmet, upscale grocers, the Asian foods sections cannot compare to the likes of Uwajimaya. It's not that there isn't a need for one here, with all the gourmet trendiness I see.

On another cooking topic, I'm in love with this Cookbook right now. Carnivores, do not fret---there are plenty of wonderful recipes in this cookbook. They just happen to be vegan. One of the authors was on this episode of The Splendid Table. Even the host of the show, Lynn Rosetto Kasper, espoused this cookbook's gourmet virtues.

Groupie.

(No, they're not coconut--I'm freezing rice for future Bento lunches)

I'm a Biggie groupie. After finding her site with TONS of wonderful lunch ideas, my lunch routine will never be the same. I could go on and on, but I'll just direct a link to her fast lunch ideas list... I'm trying out a few of her freezer ideas this weekend to ease our morning rush...

And as I continue my job search for a typical work-a-day grind (I have a couple good prospects----keep your fingers crossed for me!), my Mr. Bento will see some use again soon...

(The Bento strap from yesterday was found on Ebay. Ebay seems to offer the largest selection of Bento supplies---unless you are close to a Daiso).