Super Bowl Cooler

Whether supporting the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers or enjoying the thought of a gathering of friends, the soda needs a place to chill.  Sure, one could dig out the coolers from the summer storage- by all means!  Let us, however, not forget what many of us already have in our homes: the top-loading washing machine.  Decorate, fill with ice and drinks, and have a ball.  When the party is over, the drinks all gone, let the ice melt and put it on the spin cycle.  If one's team wins, this is just one more victory; otherwise, at least it is one less chore to heap on one's upset.

What are some of your tricks for entertaining?

How Many Tomatoes Does It Take? or Home-Roasted Tomatoes

We all have our favorite standby meal for entertaining.  Mine is pasta- spaghetti, macaroni, what have you.  So, when Mr. Yeater took a day trip to Petoskey, and I invited a couple of friends to bear me company, I knew what to prepare for supper.  The only trouble was that I would be making

Lose That Bitter in a Pinch

So, the coffee grounds have been sitting in the cupboard or fridge for about a month.  Did we buy too much?  Probably.  Did we buy a cheap brand that used to be good, but whose quality has slowly declined since its hay-day?  Most likely.  We look forward to that little indulgence with growing reticence.  It is still good.  However, the bitter aftertaste is a bit off-putting and one must drown it with flavored creamer to make it palatable.  By then, one wonders why the coffee was made at all if we are to drink creamer and sugar.  I am a Coffee-Snob with a Gas station coffee budget.  Eew.

I have read a few tips here and there about how to be rid of the bitter and to bring out the intrinsic flavors of  the coffee bean without having to completely obliterate it with adulterations.  Until recently, I have rolled my eyes and continued on my merry way without so much as a moment's genuine consideration.  This morning, however, Mr. Yeater and I had had enough and we decided to try something.  In a magazine that I have received from America's Test Kitchen, it suggested one-eighth of a teaspoon of salt added to the grounds for a full (eight to ten cups) pot of coffee.  We use a small "four cup" pot, so we added just under a pinch to the dry grounds in the filter.  We did nothing else to the coffee except to prepare it in the usual way.  Would you know it?  It actually worked.  The coffee was still bitter the way that coffee should be without the lip-puckering and face-scrunching that typically accompanies bad coffee.  Suddenly, it was bearable, and rather pleasant. 

So, the next time the coffee is bitter, make a new pot with a little salt added to the grounds.  Enjoy!

What is your favorite morning drink?

Home Roasted Peppers

My Recipe Challenge is on its way today.  As I write, it is simmering on the stove top, filling the air with a delicious aroma!  This little endeavor has taken me two days to complete, though, if I had had the time it could have been done in one.  Why should chili take so long?  Well, because I cannot eat canned tomatoes (which is where one will find fire-roasted tomatoes in the grocer's), I had to roast them myself.  Subsequently, I decided to roast my peppers as well.  The recipe calls for chopped, roasted red and yellow bell peppers.  That can be a little pricey to buy in the store.  I will admit that I have never before roasted any vegetable, so I did some research.

Needed:
   Red and yellow bell peppers
   EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil); just olive oil will do
   Baking sheet
   Wax paper or aluminum foil
   Spices

The first time, I set my oven to two-hundred and fifty (250) degrees Fahrenheit.  I foiled the baking sheet, using about one to two tablespoons of olive oil to grease the foil.  I then sliced the peppers in half and removed the seeds and white pith with a paring knife.  Coating the halves with olive oil (and whatever spices you like), I placed them inside-down on the baking sheet...

...and I smashed them with my palms.  It is okay if they tear.

When this was done, they went into the oven to slow roast for about three hours.

They began to puff and blacken on the tops and around the sides they began to caramelize (that is what olive oil does when exposed to high heats for prolonged periods of time).

The most fun, or least fun, part was skinning the finished peppers with a paring knife and my fingers.  I would open the skin with the knife and pull it off with my fingers.  I did burn myself a few times on the pan and flesh of the pepper because I was not paying attention.

I did not like the results of the slow roast.  The flesh was too soft and resembled colorful slices of overripe mango.  Because I had not known how many raw peppers were needed to make a cup of diced, roasted peppers, I needed to buy a couple more and determined to try again.  The only difference is that I heated the oven to three hundred and fifty (350) degrees Fahrenheit and baked the peppers for an hour.  The results were much more pleasing.  The flesh was tender and malleable but firm enough to slice without slipping and sliding this way and that.

Have you had to learn any new skills or techniques in the kitchen for a particular recipe?

Copyright November 2010 (includes images; drawn by me in OpenCanvas)

In Hot Water with Blood Stains

Have you ever wondered why you are not supposed to wash a blood stain with hot water?  I remember being told when I was younger that if one should get blood on one's clothing to use cold water and never hot.  Of course, they were right, but I never understood why, and I found the answer without even looking.

Sweet Powdery Snow

You wake up in the morning.  The sun is streaming in through the window, bathing you in a warm glow.  You stretch and yawn with a contented smile.  Today is going to be a good day.  You get out of bed.  You wrap yourself in your coziest morning clothes and make your way to the kitchen.  "What shall I have for breakfast?"  You ask yourself.  French toast!  The bread is dipped in well-beaten eggs and placed on the hot pan to fry.  SSSSssssss, it hisses on contact.  The savory aroma of eggs and toast waft into your nostrils.  You close your eyes in blissful anticipation.  Flip!  And another delightful hiss.  Down goes the heat on the burner and the toast hits the plate with a satisfying Plop.  A tall glass of orange juice and breakfast is nearly perfect.  Now to sprinkle these delectable slices with sweet, powdery snow: confectioners sugar.  But, wait!  Where is it?  You rip open all of the cupboards, tear behind every spice and herb and baking supply- all to no avail.  All you find is a container of regular, granulated sugar.  Today was supposed to be a good day...  You could settle for the granulated sugar and bite into those fluffy pillows of ambrosia with a crunch, crunch, crunch.  No!  It will never do!  Suddenly, you recall a tidbit shared by a friend renowned for her kitchen ingenuity.  So you rush to the cupboard containing your blender.  You set it on the counter, plug it in, and pour a cup of granulated sugar into it.  A skeptical digit presses Pulverize and waits agonizing moments, hovering over the buttons, until at  last the grinding whir of the blender has accomplished its noble deed.  Mere coarse mediocrity has become a delicious dusting of powdery nectar.  A slow smile creeps upon your features.  Today is going to be a good day.


Copyright October 2010