Inside My Mid-life Crisis

Thanksgiving is a time when we reflect about how grateful we are for our many blessings. This year is certainly no exception at the Brothers house. We had all four generations of our women at the table. My amazing, patient, supportive and super handsome husband. A good family friend joined us and as usual we had a wonderful, bountiful feast in our lovely home with a cozy fire. We are truly blessed.

Lindsey shared her expertise with the shaker by making us all a pumpkin pie-tini...pumpkin pie vodka, whipped vodka, half & half and a splash of soda..shaken not stirred Moneypenny....and yes it was as rich as it sounds, just one please or you won't be able to remember eating dinner!

We have enjoyed a variety of nice wines over this long holiday weekend, here are a couple of the highlights!

Honorable mention but sadly no photo of the bottle:
2010 Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon, JL Giguiere Lake Country, Zamora CA
Dark red, blackberry aroma; medium acidity with full tannins and a dusty-chocolate finish.
I have "yum" written on the tasting notes ie the honorable mention!

2007 Steppe Cellars Semillion. This is one of our Club wines from Steppe in Yakima Valley.
This Semillion tastes just like fall to me. Straw yellow with a slightly melon aroma but an apple-pear taste. Creamy  with pleasingly crisp acidity. Nicely balanced but sturdy enough to hold up to lighter food such as the roast chicken it accompanied.

OK- Suezy, Theresa; get ready, this one is right up your ally......

2004 Castillo Clavijo Gran Reserva Rioja; Criadores De Rioja S.A-Alberite Spain
This was a "big red" suggestion to us by the gal helping us navigate our first trip to Total Wine & More. She was dead-on with this one and it may even be worth a special trip to Southcenter to get a couple more bottles.

As you can probably tell by the name, this is a Spanish red. It's an estate reserve (reserve actually means something on "old world" wines unlike here in the US...) red blend.

70% Tempranillo, 10% Garnache, 10% Granciano and 10% Mazuelo.  You may recall hearing me extol the virtues of a big Tempranillo on other wines, this did not disappoint. I read that the Tempranillo and Granche combo is classic Rioja zone blend but what about those other two??
Graciano is a low yield grape specifically used in Rioja Gran Reserva's to give the intense aroma and the ability to age well.
Mazuelo is what Carignan (karen-yawn) is referred to in Rioja region and what brings the tannins and
acidity to the blend.

I got a little nervous with this one as the cork was dry and broke when I pulled it. To capture any cork bits, I poured the wine through the strainer in my splayer and aerated it into the decanter.
I got all warm and fuzzy with the oaky aroma wafting up during the trip into the decanter. I was further buoyed by the brick red color traveling down the glass into a red brown pool...... then the pour into the glass, with oaky anticipation the swirl, the sip, the push of air to send notes to the epithelium...ok I'm down right wine giddy now as the tannins meet the oak, then a cedar-silky long finish, ahhhhhh a keeper.
OK what time does Total Wine open? I have to have a couple more bottles and at about $15 a bottle, not out of budget!

Fall has officially fallen in the Pacific Northwest. The rains have come, it's starting to get a little cooler though it is rather unseasonable warmish still. Fall is actually one of my favorite seasons. Time to get the soup pot and the crock pot out, the leaves are so lovely and best of all, NEW CROP APPLES!  My trip to the pumpkin patch yielded a variety of squash that will eventually become meal participants, but in the mean time a bountiful centerpiece when coupled with some leaves and twigs gathered during a park walk with Blackberry.

The first fall soup of the season was served a couple weeks ago. I found this "lighter" version of pumpkin soup in the Parade magazine. By their recipe, 6 servings at only 110 cal per serving. You don't get into real calorie trouble unless you eat it with pretzel rolls and fresh sweet cream butter....heh heh heh... is it any wonder I can't loose weight regularly!

I served the soup with roast chicken thighs and cauliflower. Cut any excess gross fat blobs off the chicken, score next to the bone to speed the cooking, season liberally with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning and chopped fresh rosemary (Brita, go snip your plant..) Bake at 350 about 45 minutes while you prepare the soup.
The fat from the skin sends yummy goodness running over to the cauliflower without drowning it in fat. Brant says this is his new fave way to eat cauliflower...

Spiced Pumpkin Soup- my editorials will be in italicized blue...
1T canola oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 t minced garlic (one big clove)
1 t curry powder (sweet/yellow)
1 t cumin
1/4 t cardamon- I didn't have it, didn't use it and didn't miss it-I was not about to spend $9 bucks on a jar of a spice I would never use for a 1/4 t--skip it.
1/4 t salt (I use kosher of course)
1/4 t black pepper
2 C reduced fat/low sodium chicken stock/broth
1 15oz can of pumpkin (NOT pie filling, pure pumpkin!)
1 12oz can fat free evaporated milk
6 T plain,fat free Greek yogurt
**2/3 C light coconut milk- more later on this

In a large pot heat oil over low for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook until soft (sweat the onions), add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the spices, salt & pepper. Cook for another minute stirring all the while.

Whisk in the stock and the pumpkin. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.


 "BTB-RTS" If you ever watch Chef Anne Burrell, you will here her rattle off those letters, its a basic cooking technique, bring to boil, reduce to simmer....

Add evaporated milk and simmer another 2 minutes.


Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth (I didn't do this, it was pretty smooth since my onions were so finely minced.) Add more broth to thin if desired (mine was thin enough as-is)
Ladle into bowls garnish with yogurt and parsley.
**now, I skipped the yogurt (it just sank to the bottom) trade the yogurt for 2/3-3/4 C light coconut milk added at the same time as the evaporated milk-delish and a zero impact on the calories if you skip the yogurt.

We enjoyed this meal with a crisp and clean, apple-y, medium dry 2010 CMS Sauvignon Blanc- Available at Costco for $8 a bottle and it is a WA wine from Hedges.
Happy Fall everyone!

One of the things we do at our quilt retreat is share a project with each other, this is the one Ethel taught us this year...I love these, so simple and super cute!

Quilt Coasters Ingredients:
(6) 5" squares of coordinating fabrics (per coaster)
Charm squares are perfect or if you are cutting, you can even go a little larger but I wouldn't go any smaller then 5".

Lay the first 2 squares WRONG sides together. This is the "bottom" of the coaster. Press your other 4 squares into triangles.
Lay the first triangle on top of the "bottom" square. Line it up precisely.
Lay the next one on the next corner...
Then the next corner...
Corner 4 goes down half on top of corner 3 triangle and half underneath the corner 1 triangle..similar to how you close a cardboard box in on its self...
Clip your corners, careful not to clip the seam....
Not the greatest representation, but turn the coaster inside-out...
Push out your corners...I used my purple thang...
Press to finish and that is all there is to it, I whipped 8 of them out in about an hour. Experiment, I may try stitching down the "long" side of the triangles and/or stitching around the outside edge with a decorative stitch in contrasting thread on the next batch....Thank you Ethel for such a quick and easy project, these will make great hostess gifts!

Picture this, 3 full days of nothing but sewing, eating and gabbing with some of your quilting besties.
Once again, a fine time was had by all and many projects completed (well for some of us anyway)
I am still so discombobulated from going back to work full time (woe is me) that I was not very organized this year.

Here we are at the Wild Rose Retreat Center in beautiful "downtown" Orting, WA on day 1. All Set up and working away. Does anyone else see a disproportionate amount of tables around LaDonna? We had to have a table intervention and it's a good thing we were one person short!
It doesn't look like much but it took me all day just to cut out my project--there are 600 triangles alone.
Each block contains 29 pieces, there are 2 different block designs and a total of 30 blocks; do the math, that is 870 pieces in the blocks.
I actually completed 22 blocks, not bad considering we left after lunch on Sunday and I spent all day Friday cutting...I decided to put sashing in. OK, I lost count now.
Here are Ethel's accomplishments--she is amazing with the tiny pieces and her table topper pattern was a hit with us all!

These are Di's and LaDonna's....
These are Sue's and LaDonna's...If we were giving a prize for highest production it would go to LaDonna! (hmmm note to self for next year..a prize for most items completed..) We have already scheduled next years 3rd Annual. Maybe I will actually get my project done before then!

Fish can be somewhat of an acquired taste. I love all kinds but it's taken me 20 years to get Brant on board. This is a salmon recipe given to me by my old buddy Matt T and even Brant likes this one.

I'm planking but you can do it just on the foil which is how I normally do it.

Salmon Filet (plan on 6-8 oz per person; it's yummy)
Mayo
Johnny's Seasoned Salt
Black Pepper
Foil
Cedar/alder Plank (optional)

Start by creating a tin foil tray with 2 layers of foil, fold the edges over and up to form sides.

If using a plank, you need to soak your plank submerged in water for 2-4 hours. This is a cedar plank.
**Note--make sure you are using a "store-bought" cooking plank, don't just buy a cedar shake at home depot-no telling what kinds of chemicals may be on it.

Spread a thin layer of Mayo over the top of your filet, I use light mayo but that is up to you. Sprinkle liberally with Johnny's Seasoning Salt. (This is also a left coast item, right coast may need to look for something like Lowrey's Seasoned Salt) Finish with some fresh cracked black pepper.

 Place the foil directly on a medium high grill (we use a gas grill). The fish will take about 20 minutes to get to "medium" if you like your fish cooked well give it another 5-10 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on your grill temp. Fish is done when it flakes and is opaque; test in the fattest part.

If you are planking, the plank will get burn marks even through the foil- just throw it on the burn pile when you are done!  You can do this with just the foil in a 350 oven if you are not a griller. Enjoy!

Wine Corner: 2010 Stoneleigh  Sauvignon Blanc, Marlboro New Zealand

Today I must extol the virtues of my Food Saver Vacuum Packer. I am on my second unit in about 10 years. It is approx $200 initial investment and well worth the money. You will recoup this expense in savings by buying food in bulk then packaging in your desired sizes and freezing for later use.
Meat purchased in family packs is normally a $1 or $2 cheaper per pound. If you buy cheese at Costco or Cash & Carry in large packages you can also break that down into smaller packs and cheese freezes easily.
Many of you know we make our own sausage and we also grind our own hamburger by buying sirloin tip steaks when they are on sale for $3.49 or $3.99 per lb; this is waaaay cheaper then buying the extra lean hamburger and you know EXACTLY what is in it.

I will now demonstrate how to blanch and freeze fresh green beans. I have been doing this for several years. You wind up with lovely packs of green beans that taste as they should that can be enjoyed all winter. You will need:
Beans, Big pot, Bus tub or sink for ice bath, Ice, Big collander, Vac Bags, Vac Packer

Buy your beans at a local market-we have great green beans right here in the Puyallup Valley. I bought this 15 lb box for $18.95 at Valley Farms on River Rd.

Get your BIG pot on the stove and fill with water, bring to a boil--no salt. Mine has a strainer basket in it so it is very easy to remove the beans-if yours doesn't you will need to use tongs to remove when the time comes.
Prepare your beans by cutting the little end off where the bean was attached to the plant. No need to cut the other end off.
Gather them up in a handful and do a bunch at a time. I toss into a bus tub (we bought for making sausage but they are very handy to have around) I like to leave mine whole but you can cut into smaller pieces if you like.
When your water is at a full boil, drop beans by handful into the pot- careful not to overcrowd or flood your pan!
Bring back to a boil (takes a couple minutes) then boil for about 3 minutes. Beans should be "al dente" which means "to the tooth" in Italian and means firm to the bite.
After blanching, place the beans in an ice water bath. This shocks the beans and stops the cooking process. Bring your water back to a boil to get ready for the next batch. Notice the nice vibrant green color the beans remain. mmmm

When cool-remove from the ice bath and drain. If you don't have a big tub for your ice bath, you can use one side of your sink--just be sure to clean it well and rinse any soap or comet out of the sink.
Fill your vac-pack bag with the desired portion and vac and seal accordingly. I portion in about one pound packs which is about 4 one cup servings.

Date your bags and freeze! My box of beans yielded 18 packs of beans so that is $1.05 per bag. They are fresh, local, no additives or preservatives and you did it yourself.
These will last in the freezer a year (if you don't run out!). You don't have to buy 15 pounds- buy 5 and give it a try; you can use zip top freezer bags but with out vac packing them you won't be able to get all the air out and they will only hold about 2 months and may get ice crystals in them which will make them a bit watery but still pretty good.

Has it been a month already since my last post? Time is really flying by and we have been busy enjoying this great summer weather. One of my stand-by's for camping meals (especially for a group) is my baby back pork ribs.
This is a 3 step process so planning is everything. Dry rub overnight-braise-grill.

Ribs:
I usually pick them up at Costco or Cash & Carry ranging in price from $2.99 to $3.99 per pound. They come in packages containing 3 racks of ribs. (Yield is about 9 servings of 4-rib sections).

Dry Rub:
1 1/2 C Brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 C Kosher Salt
1 t Black Pepper
1/4 t Chipotle Pepper (ground or Chili Powder)
1/2 t Smoked Paprika (optional or regular paprika)
1 t Cajun Seasoning (good 'ol Penzy!)
2 t Sweet Curry Powder (yellow)
Mix rub ingredients in a bowl.
Line a deep roasting pan with 2 layers of foil overlapping a few inches to hang over the top.

Lay the racks in the pan "meat" side up "silver" side down, they will likely overlap a bit or you may need to use more then one pan depending on how big your pan is. **NOTE-you don't have to take that "silver" off, these babies will be so tender you actually need it to hold the meat on the bone!**
Coat liberally with the dry rub on the top/meat side only.
Cover the ribs with another layer of foil pressing it down against the meat and folding over your overlap edges--Refrigerate overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours).
Good morning! The next step is the braise, braising is cooking at low temperature in a liquid. This technique is used for making tough cuts of meat tender, liquid can be water, stock, beer, apple juice or hard cider or something a little more special as below. Use this same technique with a beef or pork roast for succulent results.
Braise Liquid
2 C White Wine (I like to use a Chardonnay)
1/4 C Vinegar ( I used white wine vinegar but cider is great too)
2T Honey
1 T crushed garlic
Dash Tabasco or Franks
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Mix braise ingredients in a bowl and gently poor over the top of your now-24 hour-rubbed ribs. Cover again with the foil.
Bake at 300 for 3-4 hours until meat is tender and pulls away from the bone. Check them after about 2 hours and add more wine or water if needed, you don't want your liquid to dry out.

These are ready to eat now, you can serve immediately with a little BBQ sauce on the side.  To serve later, let them cool a bit before putting them back in the fridge. When you are ready to serve them you can just heat them up on the grill. If you want you can coat with BBQ sauce on the grill. I usually just serve it on the side because these babies don't even need the sauce, they are amazing just as they are. Enjoy and remember, anything worth having is worth working for.

Wine Corner: I have been remiss in getting pictures of bottles for you but I do have this one. Suffice it to say that does NOT mean I haven't been tasting new wines and taking tasting notes tho :)

2007 Athena Dolcetto from the Viansa Winery in Sonoma County CA.
Dolcetto is a black (red) grape from originating from the Piedmont Region of NW Italy. This wine appeared clear and ruby in color. Aroma was light and pleasant with fruit notes. Taste was medium dry with a low acid soft finish. Pretty easy drinker especially in this hot weather, chill it a little so it is not at "room temp" of 80!!