Let it Snow and Snow and Snow...

They never close the schools in Madison. Last year it happened for the first time in about 10 years. This year they've already closed twice! It started last night around midnight and it's still going as of 9 am this morning. They say it's snowing between 1-3 inches per hour and we should accumulate about 12 inches before it's all done. The photos are out the back door of our yard...in the bottom one you can see at least one foot of snow on top of the crock on the deck. The Farmer's Almanac predicts 20% more snow this winter than last winter, which was an all time record for us, so we've got the shovels ready and we're bundled up watching it snow and blow. The holiday packages are mailed and the cards addressed and ready to go out, so I guess we'll bake today. Beast is already in the kitchen eagerly awaiting the next project. I think it will be fresh baked soft pretzels today, with a post to come with photos, details and a recipe on the next Blog.
In the meanwhile, Happy Holidays and Let It Snow!

Santa Beast Says...

Ho Ho Ho...I found the cookies! Mom thought she hid the ones that didn't go out in the mail, but I found them and boy are they good! Patience really is a virtue--tee hee
We've been busy in the kitchen for the last week baking cookies (eating crumbs that drop of the floor and I'm the first kitty there); making cranberry chutney (the things humans eat!) and baking pizza and bread and cooking lamb--that smells like some real food-meow! Here's a picture of our Cranberry Chutney (before and after cooking) and a recipe too. It goes great with poultry or pork, but is also good as a side condiment or slathered on a sandwich for a sweet-savory taste. Or, try it with baked brie and crackers...lip smacking good! And, this recipe has no sugar so it's safe for people with diabetes or other sugar concerns.

Lisa's Cranberry Chutney
Ingredients:
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
4 oz fresh or dried figs, chopped coarsely
1 navel orange, zested, peeled and chopped coarsely
zest from orange
1-1/2 cups Agave Nectar (you can use sugar if preferred)
5 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/8 cup sherry
1/8 cup port wine
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (I keep grated ginger in the freezer
so it's always on hand when I need some for a recipe)
1/8 tsp allspice
Combine ingredients in a large stainless-steel or other non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook at a low boil for about 30-40 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and the liquid is syrupy. If you are going to process for storing, then proceed with processing, otherwise, cool and store in refrigerator. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

That's Isaac Laughing--he's 1!

My how time flies...the past few weeks have been busy, which is why I haven't been in Beast's Kitchen. And he's a little crazy about it too--every time I open the doors to the kitchen he flies into the room and jumps immediately on top of the dishwasher to watch what's going on.
For Thanksgiving weekend we went to visit Tim's Grandson, Isaac, who turned 1 year old on the 21st of November. We had fun playing with him and making him laugh, and wearing him out too. It won't be long and Isaac will have a little sister to burn up energy with. Of course it will take her a while to be fun for him, but I suspect that he'll be charmed with her. Best wishes with the pregnancy, Angela and Rich!

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Wow! How time flies...I had several entries planned for Beast's Kitchen in the past week but somehow didn't get to any of them. In any case, this one is just in time for your holiday meal planning...
Even those who "hate" Brussels Sprouts will love these! And talk about easy...you really don't even have to know how to cook to make these :)
Start with 1 lb Brussels Sprouts, as local and organic as possible...rinse them and remove any loose outer leaves. Cut them into quarters, lengthwise, then toss in a bowl with 1-2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Next, heat a large skillet over medium heat and pour in 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Add Brussels Sprouts and cover. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is where your stove top temperature and the size of your pan will make a difference in the cooking time. You don't want the heat too high during this phase or the sprouts will brown too early. You also want a large enough pan that they are in one layer and not too crowded. When you can easily pierce with a fork, not mutilate, then remove the lid on the pan, raise the heat to med-medium-high and continue to cook another 5-10 minutes until the sprouts are caramelized, shaking the pan or stirring occasionally to ensure even caramelization on all sides. Once caramelized to your preference, remove from heat and sprinkle with 1/4 cup good quality parmesan or other sharp flavored hard cheese, such as gruyere. If you're not into cheese, instead add 1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar during the last 5 minutes, allowing the vinegar to caramelize the sprouts. Both versions are exceptional, super easy, healthy and will convert any brussels sprout haters for life!
Enjoy--Lisa (and Beast, of course)

As the snow flies the lettuce grows

Just as the snow has started falling my cold frame lettuce experiment is starting to look promising. I decided to try growing loose leaf lettuce in a cold frame this fall. I planted seeds at the beginning of October and have reseeded every two weeks. My goal is to have lettuce out of the cold frame through New Year's. If we get more, fantastic. If we get none, well, it really only cost the price of the seeds, so not too much lost, but it's looking promising right now, as you can see from the photos. We're about one week from our first baby greens-yum!

Wood Fired Pizza, Good Friends and only 2 days Left Until the Elections

It was an unbelievably warm fall day...one that will probably go down in history...if tomorrow doesn't beat it, which it may---a record high is predicted. We gathered with good friends for wood fired pizza and enjoyed talk about everything from food to elections to getting old, but mostly we talked about food. I've baked a LOT of pizza, from scratch, both in my oven and on my grill, but I've never, until today, baked pizza in a wood fired oven. It's truly AMAZING...what takes 10 minutes in my oven and 5-7 minutes on my grill is done in just 2-3 minutes in a wood fired oven. And talk about crisp, bubbly perfection--yum! Thanks friends...let's not wait too long to do it again!
So now, after a long, drawn out Presidential campaign it's only 2 days from the elections, and I've got to admit that if I were one of the candidates I'd probably want to go to sleep until the inauguration in January, but I'd also be a bit let down after all these many months of pounding the pavement and stumping. That said, I'd NEVER run for public office---what are they--NUTS? They get paid very little, criticized constantly and have the toughest job imaginable--no thank you. That said, predictions are for record voter turn out and the longest voting lines in my lifetime. So, I think I'll bring some cold pizza and vote early tomorrow to avoid the election day crowds.
Until next time--enjoy the fall weather, soon it will be time for over the river and through the woods...

Halloween--We had a few problems with the costumes

As you can see...the kitties were not into the idea of "dressing up" for Halloween. No matter what I tried to bribe him with, Beast wasn't wearing "no stinking bat costume". The only reason Birch put up with it is because she's been around long enough to know it won't last too long. And Coffee, well, she's too little to fight back.
I'm boycotting the candy giving this year and I found some "healthy" treats...sort of. Mini packets of animal crackers-they're actually still pretty good, and low fat too; fruit sticks--supposed to be made from real fruit, and loaded with vitamin C; and mini packs of Doritos, Cheetos and Lays potato chips--by far the best tasting and the worst for you. I wish we could go back to the days when people actually made the snacks. Remember that? I may be giving my age away, but I remember when we used to be invited into the homes and actually had to do a "trick" before we got a treat, and there were usually a bunch of adults sitting around having cocktails and smoking. Then sometime while I was still a kid people started doing sick things like putting razor blades in apples and poisoning candy. So we no longer hand out homemade treats and everything has to be factory sealed in individual pouches, which most often must be inspected by mom and dad before the little ghosts and goblins get to taste the treats. That said, the costumes are still great fun and the kids love ringing the doorbells and hollering TRICK OR TREAT at the top of their lungs.
Beast's Kitchen, where we're cooking up miniature pumpkin empanada treats, Happy Halloween!