Fairbanks Weather
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Homemade Vanilla Extract
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| Homemade Vanilla Extract - Sorry my iPhone photography skills are lacking |
1 750 ml bottle of vodka
12 vanilla beans
The picture above is really about 1/2 of the 750 bottle and 6 vanilla beans (because that's all I had available when I started the batch), after 3 weeks. Split the beans down the center, I chopped mine in half also because I am using a pint canning jar that was too short. Place the beans in the vodka, wait 3 weeks. Strain into a clean container, you may add more vodka to the same vanilla beans, I add 1-2 new vanilla beans to the jar too and start a new batch. Enjoy using your vanilla extract!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Chicken/Turkey Corn Chowder with Barley
A while back I bought The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson.
I love the idea of slow cooker cookbooks, but I find I'm always disappointed. A can of this and that, meat topped in mushroom soup, that's just not for me. Of course we all know that real food takes a bit longer to prepare, and this is no different, it does take up front prep time, so if you want to dump this or that and go, this is not the cookbook for you. There are great tips for parts that can be made ahead, nutritional information, and all real food ingredients. I never follow anything exactly, and I find that every recipe calls for far more onion than I would personally like so I just decrease that part. I've made 5-6 recipes so far, and all are winners to me. Ok so my family was not a fan of the Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Shrimp, but in the defense of the recipe, they don't like sweet potatoes, I thought it was wonderful.
On Saturdays at work we always bring a potluck. This weekend I brought Turkey and Corn Chowder with Barley (well I had chicken cooked and shredded, so I substituted chicken, I told you I never follow a recipe exactly). I was a big hit, I had a 6qt crockpot full and every drop was eaten. I'm providing you with my recipe with my adaptions, and it does vary from the original recipe.
Turkey (Chicken) and Corn Chowder with Barley - adapted from the Healthy Slow Cooker
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano leaves (I used mexican)
1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns
8 cups chicken stock (I used my home canned, recipe here)
3/4 cup barley, whole hulled, pot or pearl (the others have more fiber, I used whole)
3 cups chicken or turkey, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes. Mine was basically shredded
2 cups frozen corn kernels (I always use organic corn, I like to avoid GMO corn)
1 tsp chili powder dissolved in 2 tbsp lemon juice
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped (optional) I did not use because it didn't want it overly spicy for anyone who doesn't like hot foods, but brought red pepper flakes and Tabasco to make it hotter for those who chose)
In a dry skillet, over medium heat, toast cumin seeds stirring until fragrant and they begin to brown, then grind (may substitute ground cumin). In same skillet heat oil over medium heat, add onions, celery and carrots until just softened. Add garlic, oregano, peppercorns and prepared cumin and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer to slow cooker. Add chicken stock and stir. Add barley, turkey or chicken, and corn and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until turkey and barley are tender. Stir in Chili powder solution, add green or red pepper and jalapeno if using and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes until pepper is tender. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
I started mine at 11pm and cooked overnight for 8 hours. In the morning I, shut it off, added the chili mixture and peppers, when I got to work I put in on the warm setting, and we ate at noon. This worked perfectly!
I love the idea of slow cooker cookbooks, but I find I'm always disappointed. A can of this and that, meat topped in mushroom soup, that's just not for me. Of course we all know that real food takes a bit longer to prepare, and this is no different, it does take up front prep time, so if you want to dump this or that and go, this is not the cookbook for you. There are great tips for parts that can be made ahead, nutritional information, and all real food ingredients. I never follow anything exactly, and I find that every recipe calls for far more onion than I would personally like so I just decrease that part. I've made 5-6 recipes so far, and all are winners to me. Ok so my family was not a fan of the Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Shrimp, but in the defense of the recipe, they don't like sweet potatoes, I thought it was wonderful.
On Saturdays at work we always bring a potluck. This weekend I brought Turkey and Corn Chowder with Barley (well I had chicken cooked and shredded, so I substituted chicken, I told you I never follow a recipe exactly). I was a big hit, I had a 6qt crockpot full and every drop was eaten. I'm providing you with my recipe with my adaptions, and it does vary from the original recipe.
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| The picture really does not do it justice |
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano leaves (I used mexican)
1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns
8 cups chicken stock (I used my home canned, recipe here)
3/4 cup barley, whole hulled, pot or pearl (the others have more fiber, I used whole)
3 cups chicken or turkey, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes. Mine was basically shredded
2 cups frozen corn kernels (I always use organic corn, I like to avoid GMO corn)
1 tsp chili powder dissolved in 2 tbsp lemon juice
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped (optional) I did not use because it didn't want it overly spicy for anyone who doesn't like hot foods, but brought red pepper flakes and Tabasco to make it hotter for those who chose)
In a dry skillet, over medium heat, toast cumin seeds stirring until fragrant and they begin to brown, then grind (may substitute ground cumin). In same skillet heat oil over medium heat, add onions, celery and carrots until just softened. Add garlic, oregano, peppercorns and prepared cumin and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer to slow cooker. Add chicken stock and stir. Add barley, turkey or chicken, and corn and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until turkey and barley are tender. Stir in Chili powder solution, add green or red pepper and jalapeno if using and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes until pepper is tender. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
I started mine at 11pm and cooked overnight for 8 hours. In the morning I, shut it off, added the chili mixture and peppers, when I got to work I put in on the warm setting, and we ate at noon. This worked perfectly!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Seed Buying - It's what to do when It's -30 to -40 for days!
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| What to do on the -40 degree days? Shop for seeds! |
I've hit the seed catalogs. It's the happiest thing I can think of (well besides dreaming of a trip to Hawaii) when it's been -30 to -40 for days on end. I'm ready to think of green, growing things! A girl can dream anyway. I tend to buy from Denali Seeds because they are for and sold here in Alaska, and Territorial Seeds, which is where I ordered from this year. I actually am trying to keep my seed purchasing to a minimum this year, I have a bunch of seeds leftover from last year when I bought everything new. I seal them in ziploc sandwich bags, and zip everything in a gallon ziploc bag and keep it in the garage, the coolest part of my house, but heated so it doesn't freeze.
Tomatoes are the one thing I have yet to get to grow more than 1-2 green ones per year here in AK. I was hoping that a greenhouse would help, but we had a very cold year and everything was 2 weeks behind, and my greenhouse was taken over by powdery mildew too. I started them indoors in early March, but over-watered or something and most died and I had to start them again the beginning of April. I will try a different soil, and water very carefully this year. I do plan to start them the first couple weeks of March.
A fellow AK blogger at Wild Roots Homestead posted a pic of a bunch of actual tomatoes grown right here in interior alaska, and from last year, when I got nothing. She recommended some soil treatments and varieties, I wish I could, but cannot find the actual post. I do remember her saying she has put fish parts under the plants. I have 19 fish heads in my freezer and I'll definitely give this a try this year. , she also recommended several varieties of tomatoes. I cannot remember them all, but found a couple of those I remembered from Territorial Seeds, Oregon Spring, Siletz, and Sungold cherry tomato. Last year I grew Manitoba Heriloom tomatoes. I think those have promise, and did set fruit, maybe in a warmer winter I may get someting. I also grew Nova and got basically nothing. I have a few seeds of each left and will try those again. I also have some seeds I saved from my CSA box that had damaged heirloom tomatoes that I'll give a try. I have no idea what the variety is.
So my tomato plan for the year:
- Start seeds early March on a warming seed starting mat
- Different soils when I re-pot my starts
- Careful watering
- Fish fertalizer until they flower, then will use a blooming fertalizer
- Put out in greenhouse as soon as it is warm enough. Sadly this is early-mid may at the very soonest.
- Place a fish head under each plant
- To limit powdery mildew I will be very careful to keep the leaves dry and ventilate better. It was a VERY wet year for us, which is unusual, so a normal year may help.
I'll keep you posted on my progress. Does anyone have any other suggestions for me?
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