Wat Good Soups!

From the "other" food Root...
I recently saw a recipe in Saveur that I really wanted to try making. I never got around to it, but thankfully my lovely wife did. Doro Wat is an ethiopian dish with chicken AND eggs (I'm not sure which comes first :). The secret is heavily caramelized onions and a very unique sweet-and-hot spice mix called berbere. Add tomato, chicken pieces, and hardboiled eggs, and the result is a very flavorful stew, with an exotic BBQ flavor.

It turns out that 'Wat', roughly translated, means 'Stew', and there are all kinds of Wats. A vegetarian version called Misr Wat can also be made with lentils and berbere, and is a great way to spice up a sometimes bland soup. Elizabeth whipped that up yesterday, and having had my share of lentils, it's my expert opinion that this is one of the best ways to prepare them. Sega Wat is made with lamb or beef. We haven't tried that yet, but maybe if Elizabeth reads this post she'll be inspired? Or maybe I'll have to finally find that round tuit.

By request: recipes can be found at Saveur (the best food mag ever:)

Muffin Mishaps

Ok so I have another confession... this "expert baker" (I laughed when I read that in the newspaper writeup) is having muffin problems. It all started when I read Nourishing Traditions that my dear friend Amber sent me.

I have never been extremely satisfied with my muffin recipes that I've used in the past. Why:

1. They are really more like cakes
   
2. They are too dense
3. I want to find a good basic recipe that I can use with different add-ins
   

So in NT there are several recipes where you soak the flour overnight in a cultured dairy product (kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt). On that note my poor husband is terrified that I'm trying to bake up some of my scary kefir to feed him. Have no fear, I have used buttermilk and yogurt. I have found that the buttermilk is far thinner than yogurt and I haven't had as good of results with this. If I were going to use buttermilk in the future I think I would use less and then increase the fat called for in the recipe. So I have had flop after flop with these recipes.

After researching my muffin mishaps on the internet it seems that there are real flaws with her recipe. This is my fourth or fifth week to tinker with the recipes and I may have a success, we'll see if my peach cakes make it to the market or if Daniel gets to eat fallen cakes all week!

Why would I continue working on this recipe? Because I have noticed in my failures wonderful flavor, soft (not harsh, dense) textures, and according to several scientific studies presoaking grains in an acidic medium will increase the nutritional value.

One reason I wanted to relay my disasters is to encourage my friends and customers out there to keep on trying to bake on your own despite the difficulties. I have people come up to me and express that they have trouble trying to "bake outside the mix box" well who doesn't. For almost a whole year most of my bread loaves were bricks. It took me a long time to get to a point where I think I can make a pretty good loaf of bread. Cooking from scratch is more work, but it is healthier and more satisfying that opening a box. So if you have time get your bake on:)

Confessions

Ok well my birthday was Sunday, yea! And my birthday coming around sometimes brings out umm, materialistic inclinations I have. Do I really need the All-Clad name measuring cups and spoons? Probably not, even if I am in the kitchen all day. It's funny how much easier it is to buy overpriced, unnecessary cooking gadgets than to save my pennies toward my dream kitchen. Of course we have to replace carpet, fix the fence, repaint the entire interior of the house, and tile the guest bathroom before we sale. So it really seems like "Barley Fields" our urban farm is so far away.

I must say that using my heavy duty overpriced kitchen utensils brightens my day and they do really have a nicer feel than the aluminum measuring spoons that bend when you say try to scoop something firm (packed succanat). I have a nice set of All-clad mixing bowls (needed after WE broke some ceramic bowls we had). I must say they are very sturdy and I enjoy using them. Of course I love to receive these gadgets as a gift, and I am very fortunate that there are people that love me enough to splurge and get me something extravagant.

I really try to be simple and not be caught up in a quest for aquiring more stuff, but I have a ways to go. I sometimes think about my great-grandmother, who I have a few precious memories of. During the tough times of the depression she fashioned a grater out of a jar lid by poking holes through it with a nail. I'm pretty sure I'm not that smart, and I'm blessed I haven't ever had to resort to such.

I know that there are billions of people who would love to have a home like ours and a nice kitchen to cook in. In my outdated and cramped kitchen I'm somehow able to churn out enough baked goods to keep my little business chugging along. How important it is that we use wisely what we're given.

Elizabeth's favorite fruit

I know so hard to choose. In addition to being the month of my birthday August is the month for muscadine season. When I was little my grandparents friends had vines and we'd pick ice cream buckets full (the plastic ones). And I would make myself sick eating so many. Ahh those were the days, now I have to pay for them by the puny carton. One day I will grow my beloved native American grape and have enough to make jam. Until then I will ration some of my grocery budget on this Southern delicacy in August & September.

The Food Roots are in the kitchen

Of course we are, some of us never leave the kitchen! I've fallen behind on my blogging again. I wouldn't even have fun pics to post if Daniel hadn't made pasta this weekend and asked me to take a few pictures of the process. The pasta was great especially for a first attempt. I think Daniel thought it was a lot of work to make it a regular task.

I went to Clinton last week and had a great market. Thanks to my friends in Clinton for coming to see me and for buying my bread and other goods. I can't even express completely how grateful I am to people who actually spend their hard earned money on my handiwork. You make it possible for me to play in my kitchen all the time.

I will be at the Belhaven market this Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, I really do miss all my friends there. I hate that I have missed so many Belhaven markets. Daniel and I have this crazy dream of having an "urban farm", more space to have a little garden, a shop for him, fruit trees, and a few chickens. And to do this we have to get this house sellable. Unfortunately some home renovation projects are not good for my business. I think we're set for awhile now, we shouldn't have anything as major as redoing floors for some time.

A frugal housewife & her helper

So we all know it is costing more to live these days. Being I handle balancing our checking account, plus costing all my bread I am very aware of how prices our increasing. Daniel and I have made some changes to try to be more frugal...

- My wonderful clothesline: I think I love this because I'm so sentimental & it reminds me of going to my Granny's house where she hung out her clothes. Also I get to go outside for a few minutes to retrieve clothes. Follow the link to get supplies to set up your own line, or go to your local hardware store. We have started pretty basic, just a short retractable line.

- making full use of fresh local veggies: My dear Granny & PopPop have a garden out in the country in Jones county. They have so generously supplied us with more than enough fresh & free produce.

- grow your own veggies: We'll be attempting this next year. I'm anticipating some frustrations along with the harvest:)

- preserve surplus veggies & fruits: I made bluberry peach honey jam a few weeks back and this week Daniel & I made salsa.

This picture is my wonderful husband helping me make salsa. I never would have gotten that done without him. He cut a bunch of onions for me with his saran wrap onion guard to protect him!

Let me caution you canning isn't hard but you must follow the rules (check government sites for proper canning technique). It takes some time, but what better way to make use of seasonal produce to enjoy for later.

Freshening things up

I know I'm not the only person that craves change, new things. My customers seem to like new items and I enjoy making new items. Unfortunately adding new items to my lineup can be very time consuming.

I have added a few fun new things for this weekend, more than anything I have freshened up some of my old favorites.

- My bran muffins will be at the Belhaven Market this weekend. I have decided to add some shredded apple into the batter to help lighten up the texture of this super hearty muffin!

- I'm going to add some blueberries into my summery Just Peachy Cakes. Blueberries & peaches are a great combination.

- I have made cultured butter. Ta da! If you're interested in trying it yourself the link is to the website I got my recipe. Pretty website. It wasn't too hard to do, lots of fun, definitely some time involved in cleanup. From experience if you have trouble whipping it up your cream may not be cold enough.

I started with Luvel whipping cream (local yeah!) and my fresh homemade yogurt (so, so good). And I followed the instructions and when I finished I decided to spice up the yummy butter. To half of the batch I added garlic and zataar (a delicious Lebanese spice blend) and to the other half I added organic sugar & Penzey's cinnamon. I did blend in some canola oil to make it more spreadable, but no preservatives, coloring, weirdo chemicals. If you're asking yourself at this point "Why is Elizabeth , the health nut, promoting butter?" see this post.

So Saturday I will have some revamped treats, awesome breads, and wonderful homemade butter spreads to freshen your palette. Please come & see me.

Grillin on a Sunday!

This is food related b/c we were on our way to the reservoir to grill with some friends when Barley (aka Hearth Leaven Loaves's beloved mascot) decided to show out. This picture is especially funny when you compare it to other pictures of Barley. I put one in just for comparison sake of course. This is his puppy expedition pack, a Christmas present from Auntie Becca! Anyway he looks so different with the wind blowing his ears & abundant fur back, and with his eyes all squinty.


So we took Barley to the reservoir to grill with friends. We all had a great time and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. I really hope the good weather follows us into April to kick off the market right! I'm working on new recipes right now. I have most of them listed on my current products page. I don't have posts for most of my new products b/c I'm still trying perfect my recipes. They should be appearing soon.

Cake Time!

I know this cake may not look like a big deal to some people but it is the prettiest cake I've ever made! Unfortunately I baked it a bit too long and it was a little dry. But didn't the icing turn out good? This cake was for my mom's birthday a few weeks ago. I baked a chocolate malt cake & frosted it with a malt milk buttercream icing. Oh and the hearts were part of the cake batter I baked in a mini heart pan.

I'm fairly certain I will not bake this for the market. If these kinds of baked goods were around me on a regular basis I would be in trouble. It was a whole grain batter, but not lowfat and not healthy fats either. It was really fun to make the cake. I'm glad both of my parents birthdays fell on market off-time so I could make their cakes from scratch.

Playing With Yer Food

http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/

Some are food related, some are not. All are clever.

Luau!

Ok so this post relates to food b/c Hawaii is what inspired Daniel and I to get involved in Belhaven market.

So when we went to a luau (roasted pork-yum!) in Hawaii they had a band and the music was really fun and mellow. I have thrown a luau party for Daniel's birthday since we've been married (so last week we had our second luau birthday)! Well I wanted to find some theme music and this is what I came up with. Na Palapalai is the name of the group. For those of ya'll blessed enough to go to Hawaii, this should take you back. And for those of you who haven't been, you can still enjoy this CD, really mellow and fun.So in Hawaii Daniel and I really enjoyed going to the local Kauai Farmer's Market and buying local foods (fern, sweet potato shoots, mango, avocado- to name a few) to cook. We can do that here at the Belhaven Market and so can you. I hope to see you there.

Half of the Food Roots enjoying some hawaiian chow March 06