Monthly Archives: December 2010

>Name that bakery item

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I left my labeler out on the table.
La Petite had too much time on her hands and decided to play with it.

In case there is any doubt, she made sure we knew what was for dessert after opening the gifts.

She didn’t label the coffee.

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>Pizza! Pizza Crust at home!

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>I was craving homemade pizza. Tombstone wouldn’t do. Wasting money on a delivery wasn’t right, either. But (there’s always a “but”) – we didn’t have any crust.

Homemade pizza crust is something I haven’t mastered yet. I’ve used mixes with limited success, and I’ve never made my own. I took a deep breath, reached for Organizing Dinner; 70 Meals, 1 trip to the store. I tried her pizza crust recipe; lo and behold, it worked!
Pizza Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 packet (1 1/2 tsp) dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Generously grease a baking sheet, and place on middle rack of oven. In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the flour, yeast, and salt until well blended. Add water and oil. Mix until almost smooth. Gradually stir in remaining flour to make a firm dough. Cover; let sit for 15 minutes. Generously prick dough with fork. Roll out and prebake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or just until edges of crust begin to turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven.

At this point you get to add the toppings. I use a basic marinara or spaghetti sauce, spread thin, with onions and peppers sliced thin and fresh oregano sprinkled generously on top. After that we choose a meat or other special toppings. Basil and spinach make a nice veggie pizza with a little feta cheese. One of my favorite pizzas was the one I topped with fresh pepperoni from the neighborhood meat market. Oh, that was good! The butcher sliced it thin for me, too. Lastly, of course, the cheese. I cover the entire pizza with grated mozzarella (I keep a ball of mozzarella in the freezer; it thaws quickly and grates well while partially frozen) and then supplement it with whatever cheeses we have in the refrigerator. Why, yes, we do always have cheese available. Doesn’t everybody?
The Organizing Dinner blog posted the same recipe recently. I can vouch for its simplicity; try it! The fun part is choosing toppings. Yes, I live in Wisconsin; our pizzas always have plenty of locally made cheese. In my house, it also has home-grown oregano, brought in from the deck to live on a bookshelf for the winter. In the summertime – well, I think I’ll wait until summer to post this again. I’ll share my ideas of fun with farm market produce on a pizza crust.
No, this is not a sponsored post. Nope. Just a hungry day and a solution to my dinner dilemma. Enjoy!

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>Taking pleasure in the small things

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The week ended the same way it began – badly. I spent the drive to Chicago alternating napping and checking email on my phone, trying not to entertain too many work-related thoughts because I felt like I was rocking uncontrollably, hanging on for dear life and wailing “Where am I going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?!”
But after a simple veggie burger and fast food fries for supper with a little Andes mint custard for dessert, my stressed-out stomach began healing and my outlook started facing up and forward, not down and back. Eventually we dropped La Petite at the spare room that was her destination and checked into our treat, a hotel room.
That’s where I began to count my blessings in the form of simple pleasures.

-a lumbar pillow, just the right size to rest my aching back while I read a book in bed
-in-room coffee maker, a personal favorite
– and a little hazelnut flavor to make it go down smoothly.
With simple pleasures like these included in my overnight stay, all must be well with the world.

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>Chuck’s Black Bean Soup

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>He heard it first on Wisconsin Public Radio courtesy of Zorba Paster on Your Health. Then he went online and found another variation that wasn’t quite as spicy. Finally, he made the recipe his own. Yes, like me, Chuck likes to play in the kitchen and modify recipes to fit our own family tastes. He served this as part of Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s a great soup for any cold or dreary winter day.

Chuck’s Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup white pearl onions, peeled
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup green bell peppers
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
3 (15 oz.) cans black beans (He used Bush’s regular, plain style)
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons taragon vinegar (can substitute another vinegar if desired)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
Garnish: chopped green onions, sour cream
Directions:
1. Hear 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic to the oil and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Keep heat low wnough that the veggies don’t brown; be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter.
3. While you cook the veggies, pour the garbanzo beans into a strainer and rinse them under cold water. Set aside.
4. Pour 3 cans of black beans into strainer and rinse under cold water.
5. Measure 3 cups of the drained and strained black beans into a food processor or blender with 1 cup of chicken stock. Puree on high speed until smooth.
6. When the veggies are ready, pour the pureed black beans, the whole beans (black & garbanzo), the rest of the chicken stock, and every other ingredient in the list (down to the liquid smoke) to the pot.
7. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until soup has thickened and all the ingredients are tender.
8. Pour mixture into crockpot and warm for 4 hours.
Chuck notes: Steps 1-7 can be done the day before and refrigerated overnight. He and Amigo did that Wednesday evening and warmed the soup in the crock pot while the turkey was cooking.
My opinion: delicious. This one’s a keeper. So is Chuck, for that matter.
And in other news, the winner of the Lulu photo book was Kim Moldofsky! Kim, I’ll send you more information soon. Congratulations!

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>Buy nothing day? Buy locally day?

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>Almost. I almost made it through Black Friday without buying anything. I avoided the craziness of the midnight and 4 AM openings; in fact, I avoided the big box stores altogether. Chuck and Amigo went to Kohls in the afternoon to buy a few things, and I got nominated to pick up bunny food after my other errands.

I mailed two packages (one a catalog return, the other Sun-Lovin’ Rat headed home to Ontario) at the postal outpost inside the drugstore. Then I headed toward the pharmacy and found out that due to renewal regulations, I couldn’t pick up both of my prescriptions. Instead of saving the time and gas of making one trip, I had to go back later. How much later? “You can pick up the other one at the earliest…. tomorrow,” declared the pharmacist. Growl. He had the courtesy to let me know that next month it’ll probably work out to renew them together. Whew.
After the pharmacy came a mini-grocery trip to supplement the leftovers in the house and pick up bunny food. Produce is outrageously expensive right now. Makes me wish I had a greenhouse and could grow my own!
So that was Friday. I didn’t face the madness of Black Friday, but I didn’t join the “buy nothing” crowd, either. Independent to the end, that’s me.
As for Saturday: I saw signs and notices in our newspaper asking people to “Support Small Businesses” and “Shop Local” on Saturday. Upon further review I realized it was part of a national movement. La Petite had a few places in mind, boutiques in our small and lovely downtown, so we planned an afternoon there. I offered to pick up the tab for our beverages,since there are several nice coffeehouses along the way.
Alas, it was not to be. She got some bad news (an unsuccessful job interview), and wasn’t ready to leave the house. Chuck did his share to keep me home, too, by dropping a rototiller on his big toe. The right foot, of course, making the drive to the ER my responsibility.
Well, local shops, I’ll be back. It might not be on the sponsored day, but I’m loyal. I’ll get there.

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>Holiday shopping the thrift-y way

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>I admit it. I’ve been growing greener every year with my holiday buying. Wrapping, too, but that’s another story.

Two years ago I gave reusable shopping bags to everyone on my list.
Last year most extended family members received anti-static dryer balls.
This year: I’m not sure. Cloth napkins? That would work for a few of the folks, but not all. Gifts in a jar? That would be a good start; I usually give these to the people who work closely with me at school. Homemade jams? If I have enough, that could work.
Think. Think. Think. Thank Winnie-the-Pooh for this inspirational thought. Think. Think. Think. While I’m pondering the options and considering keeping my pocketbook and philosophies loaded with green, take a look around the blogosphere for others with thrifty gift ideas.
The Elegant Thrifter has authored and published The Find; The Housing works book of decorating with thrift shop treasures, flea market objects, and vintage details. Check out the blog for ideas and techniques and frugal fun.
The Thrifty Chicks update infrequently, but when they do, it’s worth reading.
Leah at Suddenly Frugal champions all things lean and green. Recently she gave advice on maximizing the value of your holiday spending and how the US Postal Service keeps the season green.
Sonya at Dime Store Thrift posts great finds and creative ideas and even has her own Etsy shop for selling her thrifty creations.
If you’re more bargain cyber-shopper than thrifter, go to WantNot.net. Her tag line “Having it all with less” accurately reflects her personal philosophy and her posts are full of bargains and humor.
Meanwhile, I continue to think, think, think. I don’t have a green theme gift yet; maybe this is the year I won’t find one that works for all. While I ponder the possibilities, I’ll slice up last year’s holiday and birthday cards for reuse as gift tags. At least I’ll feel useful that way.

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