New year

What a wonderful year 2011 was. And I look forward to so many new prospects; where I will be surrounded by new friendships and supported by old ones. I was lucky as a duck to chime in the new year, with Jill in town; my first visitor since my move to Omaha!

 frosty windows in the wintertime

and dear friends in Omaha

Before the new year, I was lucky to spend much time at home. I relished in the season of winter; spending most days sleeping in and staying in my pajamas through the evening hours. As winter will hold a special place in my heart forever, I especially appreciated the connection I have with the kitchen through these cold, dark months. The warmth that radiates from the stove heats my body and my soul. It is a connection that I nurture as much as I can, as the warmth from cooking sustains me through winter.

This year, I have spent much time exploring the world of candy making. For the past several years I have been making caramels with my Poppa's recipe. It is a treat that I have spoken of before, but cannot be under-praised. My Poppa's caramels are of a quality unmatched by many other sweet treats, and they are especially delightful during this time of year. Earlier in the year, I explored the spices of gingerbread and came up with a new caramel; the gingerbread chew. It was a hit, and it spurred my further exploration of other tasty treats! This winter, I made three new caramel chews: chai, maple and hot cocoa. Of the three, I am most pleased with the chai chews. Though this is not to say that there won't be more of the others in the future. Rather, it seems that some perfecting needs to take place before sharing the latter recipes. However, I am happy to share my new recipe for chai caramel chews!

Also, it should be noted that if you are hesitant to make candies or caramel chews because you don't have a candy thermometer, please don't let this stop you! You can pick a thermometer up for close to 5 dollars at most every supermarket or grocery store. And it will be 5 dollars well spent.

From left to right: hot cocoa, gingerbread, chai, maple, plain 'ol caramel

Chai Caramel Chews
4 cups of white sugar
1 quart of white corn syrup
1 pound of butter
1 quart of half and half cream
1 tablespoon of green label tea
1 tablespoon of red label tea
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
2 teaspoons of ground cardamom
Sea salt

1. In a small sauce pan, brew teas and cardamom pods in the half and half cream. Don't boil, but heat until the cream is a dark hue with the brewed tea. Strain the tea leaves from the cream and discard. 


2. Place the sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream and remaining cardamom in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. The pan should be at least 8 quarts or larger. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. 

3. Continue boiling while stirring until the mixture comes 247 degrees (medium-hard ball stage), approximately 1 hour.

4. Remove from heat and pour into a well buttered 9x13 inch cake pan. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of corse sea salt. When thoroughly cooled (a few hours; be patient!) invert the pan and remove the caramel onto a cutting surface. Cut the caramels into long 1 inch strips with a buttered pizza roller. Then cut the strips into 1 inch squares. Wrap them in waxed paper and share with your friends.


Happy new year and happy sweet treat eatin! 

Winter is here!

But first a recap of my fall, in photos:

much time was spent, with the most beautiful people I know.

 

 

cooking with dear friends!  

and free food, saved from the trash!

And now, Omaha. A wonderful place, filled with new wonderful people! And finally, a chance to prepare food for myself again. Today, my project, inspired by my Milwaukee friends (who constantly inspire me!) and some milk that was about to go sour: homemade yogurt! A week or two back, I had purchased plain yogurt from the grocery store. Remembering Lauren and Bridget's resourceful use of remnant yogurt and milk, I thought to keep a small portion of the yogurt in order to make more in the future. It turns out, that the process is quite simple! And in the spirit of saving not wasting food, I tried my hand at some homemade yogurt today, with our milk on the edge. 

To make your own homemade yogurt, all you need is: 

A half gallon or so of milk (preferably 2% or whole) per every 3/4 cup of plain yogurt and a crock pot (or something to incubate the yogurt)

1. Pour the milk into the crock pot, and heat on low for 3 hours. The milk will become somewhat bubbly on top, but should not boil. This step helps to kill any unwanted bacteria! After 3 hours, turn off the crock pot, wrap it in a towel and allow to cool slightly. 

2. After 2 hours of cooling, add the yogurt and stir to incorporate. Wrap it back up with a towel and allow to set for another 8-12 hours, until the mix thickens. After it has set, stir and store in the refrigerator. 

*Save a cup at the end! And you can do it again!! 

Its easy as could be, and quite price efficient too. If you don't love plain yogurt, try adding honey or jam to add flavor! 

Happy cooking (and yogurt making!)

p.s. it is a winter wonderland in Omaha

New Ground; an update from Omaha

Hello from the land of gateway to the west! 

Much has happened in the past couple weeks. I moved to Nebraska! Since I have arrived, I have settled myself and my things into a community house, where I live with three others; Francis, Alan and Farren. Francis, who owns the home, is a very active member of the community. Alan is also very active in the community, with a focus on trees and forest ecology. For the past week or two, he has been helping with prairie burns in the area. I am interested to take in as much of their knowledge of the community as I can. It is as though I couldn't have found a more perfect place to live, as I transition into this new city. My housemates are connected to all the people I would otherwise want to know, and have graciously welcomed me into their lives and introduced me to the people in their lives. Farren, who just moved in a couple of days ago, is here to work at a local non-profit. I am excited to know them all more! 

And me? I am working for the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, as the Urban Agriculture Specialist (woah!). What the heck does that mean? Good question. I am not quite sure yet. The position is mostly unwritten, so I have a tremendous amount of flexibility. At this point, I have been using my time to acclimate myself with the community. In doing so, I have attended the meetings of several organizations' meetings; which has been very rewarding on many fronts. To name a few, I have been connecting with: City Sprouts Omaha, Food Not Bombs, No More Empty Pots and Transition Omaha.

I have been cooking a lot lately, too. Perhaps you are wondering why I keep writing boring details of my life rather than recipes. But consider this post an explanation for my lack of recipe-writing. I have been busy as a bee, flitting from one state to another, with many adventures along the way! I have also been settling in my things so that I can live here and be healthy and full. Now that I am a bit more settled, however, it seems that I will again have time to share my recipes and food adventures, as I continue to forage, cook and preserve my own food.

Thanks for listening!
Happy Thanksgiving season.

Thankfulness

I am thankful for the food I eat and the people that I share it with.

Happy November!

 Me as a little smidge

Halloween is the ultimate nostalgic holiday. While other holidays seem to have a sense of nostalgia as well, Halloween has such a sensory connection, that it becomes nostalgic on many levels: what costume did you wear? what candy did you have? By Halloween, the leaves have usually fallen, and the air is crisp (and if you live in Wisconsin, it might be one of the first cold days of the year as well!).

 My dearest friend Liza and I, at our first Halloween we could be excited about!

This year, while I didn't have a costume or a Halloween party to attend, I spent my day creating a new and memorable concoction; one that would have even the spookiest of witches wishing their brew was as good as mine! For those of you who know my family personally, you may recall that fall is the season for the Clark's caramels. A tradition my Poppa started quite a while back, of making caramels for the fall and winter holidays. 

Little witch, age 2 1/2

To put a twist on a holiday classic, I tried my hand at gingerbread caramels! And I must say, they turned out quite delectable. 

Gingerbread Caramel Chews

3 cups of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar

1 quart of white corn syrup
1 pound of butter
1 quart of half and half cream; split into 1 cup and 3 cups
3 or 4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of ground cloves

2 tablespoons of ground ginger

1 tablespoon of ground cardamom

1 tablespoon of ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Kosher salt

1. Place the sugar, corn syrup, butter and 1 cup of the cream in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. The pan should be at least 8 quarts or larger. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then, gradually pour the remaining cream into the boiling mixture, in a fine stream, stirring constantly. Add spices and stir well, to incorporate.2. Continue boiling while stirring until the mixture comes 247 degrees (medium-hard ball stage), approximately 1 hour. For softer chews, heat to 242 degrees.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into a well buttered 9x13 inch cake pan and sprinkle with kosher salt, lightly. The salt helps to bring out flavor later, but too much and you will be grabbing for a glass of water!

4. When thoroughly cooled (a few hours; be patient!) invert the pan and remove the caramel onto a cutting surface. Cut the caramels into long 1 inch strips with a buttered pizza roller. Then cut the strips into 1 inch squares. Wrap them in waxed paper and share with your friends.

Tasty treats, no tricks necessary

Note: If you accidentally heat the caramels too hot, not to fear! Just allow them to cool. Then, reheat the caramel mixture with an additional 3-4 tablespoons of water and bring to 247 degrees. Add the vanilla again, and allow to reset. If the caramels aren't heated high enough, then not to worry, just reheat them again to 247 degrees and add the vanilla again and allow to reset.

Also, to taste test the caramels as you go, dip a spoon in the mix and allow to cool. I found myself adding more of some spices as time went on. It really is an experiment, so adjust as you go, to your liking! Now this is really a sweet treat to die for, especially at Halloween time.

Happy Halloween, from me and Liza last year:

Liza was "Cold" and I was Pippi Longstockings!

Happy treating!