Confessions of a Condiment Slut

What does a tray of homemade gnocchi have to do with my confession as a condiment slut?  It makes perfect sense to me, so let me try to explain.

Far more than spring cleaning, I am trying to get the house in order.  Living on just one floor for the last 6 months has forced us to really evaluate what we need to live and what is the best way for 4 people and two dogs to live in 1000 square feet.  In the winter.  As my return to work looms I thought it was time to tackle a few things like the closets and the kitchen.  Enter The Kitchn Cure.  Fantastic, a very public way to force me to actually do the work.  And to ensure I really stick to it I am promising to report it all here, once a week for the next 6 weeks.

Pantry before

It actually hasn't been that long since I cleaned out the fridge and the pantry - this week's assignment.  When I am upset about something I clean.  I think Hubby and I had a major domestic fueled my pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was nesting?  So it's been a year... not too long.  But this time I took a closer look at what was actually in there and filled a garbage can, the recycling bin, and a bag for the Foodbank.

It is no secret that I have a tendency to hoard condiments.  Fancy mustards, barbecue sauce, fruity vinegars, jams, honey, hot sauce, and even salad dressings all have a special place in my heart, fridge, and pantry.  When I travel my souvenirs are either cookbooks or food.  As a thirtysomething married chick I don't bring home tropical diseases or naughty memories of strangers, I bring home Texas 1015 Onion Dressing and Jerk Sauce.  And all that baggage was sitting in my house.  Seriously, I had salad dressing in the fridge from a trip to Texas 9 years ago and I've moved it three times.  I was carrying it around like an STD.

Pantry after

While I'm not sure I will cure myself of my condiment obsession, I was rather ruthless in culling the scores of sauces taking up space and not inspiring anything tasty.  Just like the women's mags will tell you when cleaning your closet - if you haven't used it the last 6 months it's time for it to go.  That seemed generous even, so I applied a two month rule.  Surprisingly, I haven't used a lot of stuff in the last two months.

Gone was the hoisin sauce (I never know what to do with it), jerk sauce, three open bottles of three different barbecue sauces, about 4 bottles of salad dressing with just an inch left inside, cream of wheat, expired cans of sweetened condensed milk, and even a can of alligator meat I bought at my brother's wedding in New Orleans.  His wedding was 9 years ago.

Fridge before

Our fridge is only 3 years old and Hubby has been complaining that it is too small.  It is not a small fridge, it was just filled with condiments.  I knew it was bad, but the pile of crap on the counter was ridiculous.  Did I really need ten bottle of salad dressing when we Hubby only ever wants Golden Italian?  Why do I have all that barbecue sauce when CattleBoyz is the best stuff on earth?

There was never any room for leftovers.  And when they did make it in the fridge they always got lost and I would end up throwing out a bunch of food.  Oh yeah, I forgot that cheese sauce was there. Damn, I could have made mac and cheese for dinner last night.  Crap, I could have had that for lunch the other day.  What a bloody waste.

Fridge After

Now there is a dedicated shelf for leftovers.  And another one for all the blessed cottage cheese we go through (over 2 litres a week).  Our three different kinds of milk actually can fit.  Oh, and the fridge will close without any extra hip action.  Most importantly, Hubby might actually be able to find something if he opens the fridge door.  I think he fantasizes about a fridge that is about 6 inches deep and the length of the wall - that way everything is in the front row.

So this condiment slut decided to actually make use of her leftovers when culling the condiments.  Easter dinner's mashed potatoes became gnocchi for dinner.  And I pulled out some braised short ribs from the freezer to serve as the sauce. It's almost worth making extra potatoes just to make these.  Light, little dumplings that Smilosaurus devoured and The Monster spat out.  She's always hated potatoes.  At least I know where the leftovers will be.

Leftover Potatoes Gnocchi

(serves 4)

3 cups mashed potatoes (already loaded with cream, butter, and seasoned)

1 beaten egg

3/4 - 1 cup flour

1-2 ounces grated parmesan

1.  Mix all ingredients together to make a soft dough.

2.  Roll dough into a long rope, about an inch thick.  Cut off one inch pieces.  You can roll them over a fork for the traditional look or just leave them.

3.  Refrigerate or freeze on a floured tray.  Cook in a pot of boiling water until the float to the surface.

Wonderful served with a nice meat sauce, braised short ribs, brown butter, cream sauce with lobster, and so much more.

Improv Sampler - Wonky Log Cabins

It's been said before here - I'm not a huge fan of wonky log cabins.  But they are an excellent first step into improvisational quilting.  It takes one of the oldest patterns/techniques and turns it on its head.  No templates and no precision cutting.

Most of the time when you see a wonky log cabin they are set as individual blocks within a quilt.  This makes for very bold, graphic designs.  In my searching though, I would be curious to see what wonky log cabin blocks look like set in traditional log cabin settings.  Hmm... I might yet tackle the log cabin again.

I won't pass on a tutorial, but I will send you to this one.  I couldn't have said it better.  The important thing to remember with wonky log cabins, really in any improvisational technique, is to still remember basic sewing principles.  Use a consistent seam allowance (preferably 1/4 inch).  Trim your excess fabrics so you aren't left with a mess of extra fabric on the back of the block.  And square up your block at the end. 

One final tip with these wonky log cabins: Try to make your final logs at least 3/4 inch wide (finished).  Any narrower than that and you will have these teeny strips that get lost when you piece the blocks into a quilt.

We can thank Denyse Schmidt for providing the true inspiration for all of us on these wonky log cabins.  But they are some amazing examples of these modern quilts all over the place. Some of my favourites can be found here, here, and here.

Is It Over Yet?

Yes, Easter is over.  Passover too.  And soon enough the week will be done.  Stick a fork in me, because I am definitely done.

We always try to get through the beginning of April/Easter without any major calamities. We've had babies born at our wedding, our baby nearly arriving 9 weeks early, that baby then being hospitalized, asthma attacks, and various minor things like cars lighting on fire at this time of year.  A few minor hiccups last week, but we were doing great and no hospital visits in sight.  Then, on Monday morning I walked into a door.  And broke my nose.

Thankfully it is no big deal and other than some swelling I don't look too beat up.  There was no emergency room visit, so that's progress.  

By the time 5 o'clock rolls around my face is throbbing and I just can't deal with making dinner. Today I attempted to deal with my overflowing fridge and get something together.  The most I could muster was dealing with the leftover dyed eggs.  Most of them were cracked from the manhandling The Monster gave them.  And there were a lot!  We could have been eating egg salad sandwiches all week.  Instead I thought we could indulge on one of Hubby's favourites: deviled eggs.

Truth be told, Hubby loves himself a boiled egg, no matter what form it comes in.  Dippy eggs with toast points.  A half dozen hard boiled eggs as a post-hockey snack - yes, I said 6 eggs as a snack.  And even the traditional potluck deviled egg with its sprinkling of unnecessary paprika. The most requested form however, is the curried deviled egg.   And yes, we could eat these for dinner.  Okay, we might make a salad to round out the meal.  Maybe.

I make these for every barbeque we have.  I made them for my brother- and sister-in-law's wedding.  And my other brother-in-law asks for these almost more than he asks for pie.

For every iteration on the deviled egg theme there will be lovers and haters.  My brother, for example, makes wasabi deviled eggs.  I'm not that much of a fan.  And I could take or leave the traditional variety too.  But add some mango chutney and curry powder and you will see me hoovering a plate faster than anyone could sprinkle paprika.  Maybe you'll hate these, but then I would think there is something wrong with you.  And if deviled eggs aren't your thing, add a touch more mayo, chop up the whites, and make an egg salad sandwich.

Curried Deviled Eggs

Makes 12 servings

6 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half lengthwise

2 TBSP mayonnaise

1 TBSP mango chutney

1 tsp curry powder

Salt and Pepper

1.  Scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl.  Set aside the whites.

2.  Mash the yolks together with the mayonnaise, chutney, and curry powder.  Season to taste.

3. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites.  Garnish with a slice of mango.

Improv Sampler - Free-Piecing

Welcome to free piecing.  This technique is definitely about the process.  And sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.  In other words, don't look too closely at that 'sun' block in the photo.

It does help to plan when you are doing free piecing, or at least have an idea of the general shape you want to finish with - a house, a flower, a star.  Quite often I actually make a sketch if my brain is baby addled and I can't figure out how the pieces should go together.  (I should share my sketches one day - if a quilt block could be a stick figure then I am an expert at drawing that!)

Free piecing in this context is about the process of cutting and piecing.  There are no templates and often no rulers when cutting.  Sewing is just one piece to the next.  You often start from the inside of the block and work out.  You have the be creative and improvise along the way.  For example, in the house block above I didn't cut a piece long enough to encompass the angle of the roof.  That means the roof doesn't overhang the house that much and the roof is smaller than intended.  Oh well.  I compensated by adding another strip of the background fabric to make the block big enough.  Problem solved.

This technique also works well in combination with freely cut applique pieces, like this artist.

Nary an Easter Bunny In Sight

The world is overrun with chocolate this week.  Bunnies and eggs and little fake nests filled with plastic clippings.  I, myself, am a sucker for Mini-Eggs.  But I do loathe the fake chocolate that sometimes creeps its way in to our house by well-meaning family.  Today we tasted chocolate in an entirely different league than even the best locally made bunny.

I took the girls on a date this morning.  We used to call them adventures, but The Monster has been insistent about going on dates since Mama and Daddy have found a regular babysitter and a little free time. 

"I'm a big girl, I can go on dates."  It's enough to put fear in to the heart of any father of daughters.  And she isn't even three.

Alas, I digress.  So our adventure... er, date, was to Choklat, here in town.  This is historically the worst week of the year for our family (but that would be a true digression to mention why). This year was milder, but really no exception to historical rule.  I figured some emotional eating would be good for all of us.
And after eating two of these between the three of us (yup, Smilosaurus had her share), plus a brownie, we were all feeling good.  That is, until we got a flat tire and the nanny we'd hoped to hire turned us down.  That's why I'm glad that I have some fresh truffles, some ridiculously expensive dark chocolate bars, and perhaps another couple of cupcakes hiding in the kitchen.

Choklat, owned and operated by jack of all trades Brad Churchill, is one of only two chocolatiers in Canada that actually makes their own chocolate.  From the bean.  Brad imports the raw beans in giant burlap sacks.  If you peak through the doors at the back of the kitchen you can see them piled there, waiting to be roasted on site.  The smell of chocolate in multiple forms is worth the visit itself.  Then you see the menu.

Unlike any other chocolate shop, there isn't a storefront display of chocolates waiting to tempt you.  There might be some chocolate dipped strawberries, the rich cupcakes, or some other baked goods, but there are no trays of chocolates distinguished by their swirls and gold dust. Pick up the diner style menu and choose your evil.  Key lime truffle filling covered in dark chocolate and rolled in coconut?  Espresso truffles with dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa nibs (those are for my mum-in-law visiting this weekend).  Then buy a cupcake iced with whipped chocolate to watch Brad and his staff make your truffles right then and there.  The only thing missing was a glass of cold milk.

When the new girl was struggling to make the truffles I ordered look right Brad told her to start over.  Heck no, I said, I don't care what they look like!  But he wouldn't have it and said the rejects would be kept for samples.  I should have pushed for an extra sample right then and there.

One more mention has to be made of the cupcakes.  At all the fancy, trendy cupcakes shops in nearly every major North American city the vast majority of cupcakes are okay cakes designed to carry a frivolous amount of frosting.  And that frosting is almost always a buttercream piped in a pastel tower of sweetness.  When the mood hits they can be just right.  But when you want a real chocolate cupcake go to Choklat.  I must admit that the cake part isn't perfect, it is a little dry.  The frosting however is a simple whipped dark chocolate with a touch of cream and icing sugar.  Not cloying, not bitter, and just a little bit creamy.  Together with the cupcake it is perfection.  The kind of perfection that makes you want another and you know you won't get sick or need a trip to the dentist.  The kind of perfection that erases a crappy week.  The kind of perfection that caps a perfect date. 

Improv Sampler - Chopsticks

There really is more to improvisational quilting that wonky log cabins.  Of course, those are good too.  But this technique, which I call chopsticks, is the first step in some fun designs.

Start with a square that is roughly the size you want your finished block to be.  Or just start with a square in any size and see what happens.  Cut some strips of other fabrics, slightly longer than your square.

Slice your square on any angle - through the middle, close to the side, or even lop off a corner. Don't throw away either piece.  It is best to keep the pieces set-up as if you just cut them so you can remember how it all goes back together.

Pick up the piece on the left side and sew one of your strips to it, right sides together.  Open and press.

Pick up the remaining piece of your square and sew it to the edge of the strip, as if you were sewing the original square back together (but with the strip in between).  Open and press.

You can sew one strip or many.  The process is the same every time.  Start with the square, slice, re-sew, and press.  Your strips can be parallel, on an skewed angle, or even perpendicular, like this quilt.

Important tips for this technique:

- Don't start with a square that is exactly the finished size you want because you will lose bits as you re-sew.  Start larger and trim down.

- Try not to have strips less than 3/4 inch on the edges.

- Strongly contrasting fabrics work best, but you could get a subtle design with fabrics close in value or colour.

This basket has been and will become some more improvised blocks.  In my bid for teaching supremacy - okay, just one teaching job to start - I've been putting together class notes and a class sample.  After all, you can't pitch a class without showing what you'll do.

Generally I don't like samplers, but I did want to be able to demonstrate a few different improvisational  techniques.  By no means are they the only ways to tackle improv quilting, but they are a good way to break free from patterns.  These techniques are also about the process, not necessarily a final design result.  There is design and then there is improv.  One step at a time for breaking the pattern addiction.

Over the next week I'll share with you the finished blocks and ultimately the finished quilt top. That is, if I can find the time to finish all of it.  I've got 12 of the 16 blocks finished, but the last few days haven't been very productive with a sick Hubby and our anniversary.  And now the baby is sick so I'm not sure what naptime will bring.  We do what we can.

Taste Adventure - Lulo

This has been a long winter for everyone.  No matter how committed I am to eating local as much as possible I've been caving lately.  I Just. Can't. Eat. Another. Apple.  Not one.  And heck, those aren't even really local to Calgary.  But I've run out of frozen berries and peaches, there are no more saskatoons or rhubarb for baking, and I need the tang and heat that comes with something grown in the sun, relatively recently.

I'll admit to buying imported blueberries and watching out for the California spring fruits that actually look good - I draw the line at strawberries that look white inside.  But my true weakness are the tropical fruit I find at More Than Mangos.  I know, I've mentioned them before.  It goes against the true nature of our local farmers' market to have them on location, but I'm happy he's there.

Last weekend I picked up this pretty, round fruit.  Mostly orange with some deep green it actually reminded me of my childhood bedroom.  I was given free reign to pick my colours when I was about 7 or 8 and I chose peach and dark green.  But the taste of the Lulo was anything but childish.

Tart, but sweet.  Almost like a lime curd, but a lot tangier.  The pulp, scooped out, had the texture of a soft jelly.  In truth, the whole thing reminded me of eating those sour lemon candies - the fruit jellies covered in sugar.  I ate the flesh atop a bowl of my favourite vanilla yoghurt.  It was just what I needed on a not quite spring day.

And the girls?  The Monster gamely took a bit and refused any more.   Smilosaurus would eat it with enough yoghurt on the spoon, but that's it.  It may have reminded me of childhood and candy, but my daughters apparently have different tastes.

Happy Anniversary

Some days you just need to stay in bed.  Preferably snuggled under a quilt not attacked by a dog.  Today is one of those days.  Hubby was up all night in the bathroom, thus keeping me up. But gone are the days when we could just wallow in sickness and tiredness - toddlers and babies just don't get that.  So Hubby is wallowing in bed, trying to sip ginger ale and the girls and I are having a pajama day.  Oh, did I mention that it was our wedding anniversary?

Thankfully the damage on the quilt was not also done today.  It was actually attacked by one of the dogs a little over 5 years ago, on a day far worse.  I'd been reamed out at work, we were awaiting word from Hubby's parents about his dad's cancer surgery, it was the coldest day of the year, and the desk we picked up for my brother was damaged.  You know, one of those days where just one more thing going wrong will make you cry tears that you fear will never end?

We were pulling up to the house and I asked Hubby where the dogs were.  At the time they were generally outside dogs and couldn't fully be trusted in the house for long periods of time alone.  He assured me that he cleaned our room, closed the closets, and left them on their beds sleeping.  But I knew, I just knew, as I asked him, "But what about the quilt?"  I raced in the house and at first glance everything seemed fine - dogs were spazzing at our arrival and everything appeared intact.  Then Hubby found a crumple of wet batting in the dog bed, the intact dog bed.  Sure enough, a quick investigation found a chunk missing from our quilt. Commence Cheryl losing it.  I screamed, I punched the walls, I cried, and it took a few shots of vodka to settle my nerves.

When we arrived at the hospital the next morning we had a few more misadventures to share with my father-in-law.  He was more than an optimist, he always chose to not let things get to him and he had the ability to get everyone around him do the same thing.  Here we were whining about our ridiculous string of bad luck to a man diagnosed with terminal cancer and he was making us laugh.  And then he told me to just make the chewed section part of the quilt's history.  It wasn't ruined, this is just what happened one crappy day.

It's taken me over 5 years to fix this quilt, partially out of laziness, partially out of uncertainty on just how to do it, and partially because it serves as a vivid reminder of those precious days five years ago.  Our anniversary was looming and the quilt was in desperate need of a wash, so it seemed time to tackle it.  

Thankfully it was only this one section along the edge of the quilt that was chewed.  I decided that it was small enough (about 8 inches total) that it wouldn't wreck the remaining edge of the quilt (it's a king-size).  So I merely cut around the total chewed section in a relatively gradual curve, cut some bias binding, ripped out stitches of the old binding, and did my best to attach it all together.  I don't generally use bias bindings, and never continuous bindings, so it was quite the challenge for me.   It came out okay.  I'm not proud of the final connection of the new and existing binding, but overall it looks decent.

The next step is to actually put another label on the quilt, identifying the history.  This quilt was pieced together with blocks I got in a block shower from a whole bunch of on-line friends. At the time of our wedding I was heavily involved with the World Wide Quilting Page.  They got together and sent us blocks to make a wedding quilt.  Even Morgan enjoyed receiving all the blocks.  And this quilt has always been our summer quilt ever since.  One of these days the weather will warm up and we can retire the duvet for the summer and snuggle under this quilt again.  Happy Anniversary.

Silly Monday

Have you noticed a trend?  My Monday posts for the past few weeks have included the ridiculous and the humourous.  After the night/weekend we had with tummy troubles there is need to continue.  Besides, it is our anniversary and for the last 3 years we've spent either our anniversary or Easter (or both) at the hospital.  Today might just continue that trend.  Hubby can't get out of bed and a trip to the hospital for fluids may be required if he doesn't get better. Happy Anniversary!

This picture does make me smile though.  I snapped it last week.  Again, I need to keep that girl attached to me when I move dinner making to the stove.  I've mentioned the 'no hands on the cutting board' rule.  And she knows not to touch Mama's knives.  I guess I need to extend that to the knife block too.  But don't the plastic knives from her play kitchen brighten things up a little?

Easy Meatballs

For gawd's sake, winter just won't go away.  There was more snow yesterday.  Dreams of rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus are futile, being months away from the reality.  Might as well hunker down and cook up some more rib sticking meals.

Meatballs are a family favourite here.  Smilosaurus is extending her meat love and will gladly devour at least 4 meatballs at a meal, in favour of the pasta.  And surprisingly, The Monster has never been much of a fan of pasta, but will also pop meatballs into her mouth like they are candy.  We are rather traditional, preferring our meatballs over spaghetti (or tagliatelle when there is no spaghetti) and doused with a thick tomato sauce.  The odd time we will go for that odd standby, Waikiki Meatballs.

Over time I've tried numerous methods and recipes for making meatballs.  Always time consuming and either greasy or burnt I struggled to get the technique right.  Over time I gave up browning them on the stove.  I always ended up with unevenly cooked meatsquares, not meatballs.  Baking them in the oven without browning seemed obvious.  But I hated that they would cook in their own grease.  I highly doubt I am original in my idea, but all my friends seem suitably impressed.  Now I cook them on a cooling rack set atop a cookie sheet.  The grease drips down and I'm left with brown, yet tender meatballs.

Make sure you cover your cookie sheet with foil - it really saves on clean-up.  And spray your cooling rack with cooking spray or brush with a bit of olive oil so the meatballs don't stick. Bake at high heat (400 degrees Celcius).  The final size of your meatball will determine your cooking time.  I usually make mine about an inch diameter and they cook in a little over 10 minutes.

When it comes to recipes, I'm afraid I don't have one of my own to share.  This is the kind of thing that is a little of this and a little of that.  Sometimes I use breadcrumbs, sometimes I use milk soaked bread cubes.  Maybe I'll throw in a splash of balsamic, or some parmesan.  One day I'll use bison, the next turkey.  And when I'm feeling lazy I simply take half beef and half italian sausage.  No other seasonings, but they are moist and tasty.  Use your favourite, or check out some of these.

Gourmet's Spaghetti and Meatballs

Martha's Easiest Spaghetti and Meatballs

Alton Brown's Perfect Spaghetti and Meatballs

Jamie Oliver's Meatballs and Pasta

Rocco's Mama's Meatballs

And the best story about Rocco ever

Doll Quilts Delivered

My first custom order of quilts has been delivered, and the recipient loves them.  This was the first time I've sold work, so it was stressful and quite exciting.  I know I love my quilts, but will other people?  I now feel free to share with you where they went.

Christina at Bamboletta makes the most beautiful hand made dolls.  Made from natural ingredients and customized for you and yours they are treasures.  Ever since I found them I've been culling our own doll collection so that I can get down to just one of hers.  The Monster will be getting one for her birthday this summer.  Please check out her stuff, it is simply beautiful.

She is also starting a store for doll related items, and that's where my quilts are going.  This opens the door for me as well.  I've decided to also take some custom orders for doll and baby quilts (for now).  I know I won't get rich doing this, but it is a nice compliment to things I love to do.

Pyrohy Addendum

Lest I gave the impression that pyrohy are only for the days when your belly needs something solid to weigh you down, I thought I should share this photo.  This is my mom making pyrohy in Mexico, on Christmas Eve last year.  My pregnant sister insisted that it wasn't Christmas Eve without pyrohy so my mom, despite her desire to read on the beach, indulged her and made a batch.  Notice the empty wine bottle for rolling the dough!

Project Improv Blocks

Just under the wire...

I finally got my Project Improv blocks out to Jacquie.  Oh look, more circles!  I did enjoy the colour combo and may have to do something with this again soon.  Hmm, I know a baby or two on the way.

The Ultimate Comfort Food

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a good Ukrainian girl.  If you are from anywhere but Western Canada this elicits a questioning, "So?"  But out here that takes pride to admit. Ukrainians are the butt of many a joke about stupidity, frugality, and general country bumpkiness.  Not to mention the ability to consume alcohol and vast quantities of starchy food. My drinking and eating habits aside, I am proud to say that I thinks I gots me some good book learnin', I certainly know how to spend money, and my farm experiences revolve around being shipped to rural Saskatchewan for a few weeks every summer only or investigating potential greenhouse gas reduction projects in my professional life.

As a Ukrainian I can proudly say that I know how to make borscht, blood sausage, cabbage rolls (holubsti) and pyrohy.  Okay, maybe I'm not proud of making blood sausage  - that stuff is vile! But oh, those pyrohy, or pierogies, to the rest of you.

Pyrohy are a go to food in this house.  No energy to cook? Throw some pyrohy in boiling water and dinner is served.  Meeting the potential (at the time) grandson-in-law? Keep water on a low boil until the moment he walks in the door and cook him pyrohy. Shitty, cold day?  Fill up on pyrohy. Pregnant?  Eat them every day your husband, a.k.a. the Diet Nazi, allows.

Although Hubby is only Ukrainian by marriage, he knows the love you get from a heaped plate filled with dumplings, fried onions, and a ridiculously large scoop of sour cream.  When his father was struggling with cancer years back we took a break from the hospital and joined my family at the church pyrohy supper. Concerned family friends asked us how we and his family were managing.  Between bites he simply replied, "Fuck cancer, I'm going to die of a heart attack!" And then he went back for seconds.

It isn't just the tender dough wrapped around creamy, salty potatoes (usually) that fills your gut with a heavy hug, it is the process of making pyrohy. They are time consuming to make. Repetitive and rather boring, it can be meditative. Or you can invite a whole bunch of friends or family over, chat, sip tea (or rye) to stir, roll, and pinch. Trays of frozen dumplings and a lot of laughs later you may not even need to eat them. Okay, you will need to eat them, but maybe a few less.

If you don't have the time or some interested friends, find a Ukrainian church with a pyrohy supper or a European deli that sells homemade. Do. Not. Ever. Buy a supermarket offering. No matter how much bacon, fried onions, or sour cream you slather on, they will not be good. The dough will be tough and the filling gluey.

This is my mom's recipe for pyrohy dough. Find any church cookbook and you will see a million different ways to make the dough. This one, in my handwritten recipe book, makes no sense on paper. No, you are not making glue. Actually, it is damn confusing when you make it too.  Trust me, like the pyrohy process as a whole, take it gentle and it will all come together into your little pillows of goodness.  

Yesterday I invited Julie over and we made a couple of batches between dog adventures, baby snacks, and interviews. She couldn't stop gushing (at least it seemed that way to me) about the tender dough and got me thinking about all sorts of filling options and even frying them before boiling. Bad, Julie!

Baba's Pyrohy Dough

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 egg, room temperature

2 cups recently boiled water

1.  In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt.

2. Combine the oil and the egg, beat together lightly.  Stir in to the flour and salt.  It will not combine well, but keep stirring and working at it until you have a coarse meal, like biscuit dough would be before you added the liquid.

3.  Pour your hot water in to the flour and egg mixture, all at once.  Immediately start stirring. It won't look like it is coming together, but keep stirring it.  Don't beat the crap out of it, but stir for a minute or two and it will come together into a somewhat lumpy, ugly dough. The next three photos show this.  Cover with a damp tea towel or loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rest for at least 15 minutes, if not 30.

While your dough is resting you can get your fillings together.  Purists will insist upon mashed potatoes, perhaps with some cottage cheese or maybe cheddar.  Some of us love a good sauerkraut filling (the only ones I would eat as a kid).  The classic filling in this house is cheesy mashed potatoes with a crumble of bacon smack in the middle.  Don't mix it in with the potatoes because the sharp bits of bacon will pierce the dough.  Regardless of your filling choice, make sure it is cool or cold, not hot.  Julie brought over two very yummy fillings - mashed potatoes with cheese and carmelized onions and mashed potatoes with leftover chicken and gravy.

You can also make dessert pyrohy.  My sister-in-law loves them simply filled with saskatoon berries.  Recently I made some with blueberries and ricotta.  And yesterday I used the pear left from Smilosaurus' snack, carmelized them with a bit of butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar mixed with ricotta.  Julie's suggestion was mascarpone, but I had none.  The dessert pyrohy is best served browned in butter with a bit of sugar, like a good blintz should be.  And perhaps some lightly sweetened sour cream on the side.

Let's get to the process of filling that dough now.

First I cut a good hunk from the resting dough, recovering the remainder.  Then roll it out into a log, like we do with playdough.  Make it about an inch around.  Then cut off 1/2 inch chunks. Take those chunks and roll them into balls.  You will have about 1 inch balls.  Of course you can make them any size you want, this is just how I do it.

The next thing you want to do is to roll those balls flat with a rolling pin.  Not too flat or your dumpling won't stay together.  Not too thick or you will have very thick pyrohy and the dough may not cook all the way through.  I would say it's about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch.

Take a heaping teaspoonful of your filling and place it in the middle of your dough.  Again, not too much, not too little.  After you've made a few you will be able to eyeball the perfect ratio for you.  
Fold over one side to create a semi-circle.  I do this all in my hand, but Julie favoured doing it right on the counter - or with her fancy contraption that made them all too perfect for my liking.

Finally, pinch the sides together.  This is where personal style takes over.  My mom, for example, does a solid pinch all the way around, once.  I do a soft pinch for an initial seal, then a firmer crimp.  It doesn't matter how as long as it is sealed and preferably without a big flange of thin dough.
Et voila!  (I don't know how to say that in Ukrainian).

Unless you live in a large family, or an average Ukrainian family, one batch of dough makes more than one meal or two.  The best way to store pyrohy is frozen.  You need to freeze them individually first.  I lay out tea towels, sprinkle them generously with flour, and place the pyrohy on them as I finish each one.  Freeze, then store in plastic bags, containers, or even ice cream pails in the freezer until ready to use.  Just remember to label them if you made more than one kind! 
Last but not least, you need to cook your pyrohy.  Whether you cook them fresh or frozen., the technique is the same.  Bring a large pot of water to a full boil.  Toss in your pyrohy, not crowding them too much.  Keep at a boil and stir gently every now and then.  The pyrohy are finished when they float at the top.  If they are frozen and particularly thick you might poke them gently to make sure the filling is soft.  Drain.

You can eat them straight this way, generally served with fried onions and sour cream.  A lot of people fry them with the onions to crisp up the outsides.  Growing up we ate them boiled for dinner and the leftovers were fried for breakfast the next day.  What else do you do without a microwave?

I serve mine with some garlic sausage/keilbasa/kubasa.  Other traditional sides/toppings include mushroom gravy, dill sauce, and bacon.  If you want to make the pretense of a healthy meal you might serve salad or peas - to the kids -  with this.  Oh yeah, bring on the heart attack.

Doll Quilt Show and Tell 7

While the bird quilt may be the favourite of many, including me, this quilt has my favourite colour combo of this series of doll quilts.  Black, white, and pale blue.  It is modern and fresh. It is crisp and bright without being too bold.

Are your surprised, there are circles?  

For the quilting on this one I did straight lines in the same blue as the circles.  One line, however, has that circle stitch.  I felt it needed a bit of something different, just a little bit.

Now, I know a little girl with a birthday coming up.  And then there is the new nephew who is still waiting for his quilt.

Passion Fruit Take 2

After the first disaster with passion fruit I wasn't willing to give up on my family.  Dammit, they were going to like these things!   Considering that it was the seeds that turned off both The Monster and Hubby I knew I need to do something with just the juice.  The novelty of cracking the fruits on the counter just wasn't enough to carry them through the visual.  That left out Nigella's famous passion fruit pavlova.  But everything tastes better as ice cream.  Well, except for that weird savoury ice cream they were always making on the original Iron Chef.

Another trip to More Than Mangos yielded some of the same orange passion fruit and the little purple ones.  Crack 'em open and the orange ones have pale pulp and the purple ones have orange pulp.  Go figure.

We had family in town over the weekend and my 6 year old nephew came in the kitchen to help me make this ice cream. He gleefully smashed the passion fruit, nearly gagged when he saw the insides, and bravely tried a small slurp of the seedy pulp. He admitted that it tasted good, but politely declined any more. Oh, and he was happy to devour a bowl of the ice cream before they left for the night, not so generously sharing with his parents.

A little research and some searching through my own recipe archives and I arrived at a recipe that I thought would work.  I made it once, and then again.  Yeah, it's good.  In case the above photo didn't tip you off, this is no plain passion fruit sorbet.  This is rich, subtly sweet ice cream with bits of meringue in it, passion fruit pavlova ice cream.  The ice cream has the subtle flavour of the passion fruit, with a hint of vanilla.  But it is thick and creamy, reminding you of the whipped cream.  And the bits of meringue introduce a softer texture that disappears as the ice cream melts on your tongue.  Just writing about it now is making me very happy that there is a bit left in the freezer for a before bed snack, if I can keep The Monster successfully diverted with cookies and bed-jumping.

In fact, putting meringues in ice cream is an ingenious idea.  You use the egg yolks for the ice cream's custard base and make the meringues with the egg whites.  No waste, and some extra meringues for nibbling on while your custard chills.

I used a recipe that I found on Orangette.  Hers calls for the addition of cocoa nibs.  While good, I would leave those out for this recipe.  I used my leftover three egg whites, spooned out about 12 good sized clouds, and baked them while I made my custard.  Once cooled completely I froze them.  The texture doesn't change tremendously, but it does help when breaking them into small pieces to put in the ice cream.  Try to be conscious of the colour of your meringues.  It doesn't really matter, but the subtle contrast in the finished ice cream is a nice touch.  Plus, it helps when you are feeding the baby who can't eat egg whites the ice cream and you can see the meringues.

Passion Fruit Pavlova Ice Cream

Meringues

1 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup white sugar

3 egg whites at room temperature

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees C.  Line a large cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment.

2.  Mix the cornstarch and the sugar together.  Set aside.

3. Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt together in a heavy duty mixer.  Beat until bubbles are small and uniform and soft peaks are starting to form, a couple of minutes.

4.  Gradually add the sugar and cornstarch, a little bit at a time.  Continue whipping until stiff peaks form and the mixture is very glossy.

5.  Spoon the egg whites into circles about 2-3 inches wide on a cookie sheet.  You should have enough for about 12-14 individual meringues.  Push down each meringue in the centre with the back of a tablespoon.

6.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Rotate your pan and watch that the meringues don't take on too much colour.  If they are turning golden turn down your oven temperature.  Finished meringues should be crisp and dry.  Cool completely on the pan before turning out on to a wire rack.

7.  Place half the meringues in the freezer for at least 4 hours before using.  Enjoy the rest as sweet treats.

Ice Cream

4-8 passion fruits - you need about 1/2 cup juice

2 cups half and half cream

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 inch piece of vanilla bean, split, but not scraped

3 egg yolks

Splash of vodka, rum, or passion fruit liquor

1.  In a heavy saucepan whisk together the creams, milk, sugar, and salt.  Over medium heat bring to a simmer.  Toss in the vanilla bean while heating.

2.  Whisk the egg yolks.  Add about a cup of cream to the yolks, whisking vigorously.  Then stir the egg mixture into the cream.  Continue to cook, whisking continuously, until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon.

3.  Strain the custard into a clean bowl.  Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or over night.

4.  Take your passion fruits and find the closest child with a bit of strength or energy.  Get the kid to smack the passion fruit on the counter in order to crack it open.  Scoop the pulp into a wire mesh strainer and stir with a tablespoon to force the liquid through the strainer.  Chill 1/2 cup juice until you are ready to freeze the ice cream.

5.  When the custard is cold, make ice cream according to your appliance's directions.  When the ice cream is done, just before you turn off the machine, add the passion fruit juice and the splash of liquor.  

6.  While the ice cream is churning chop your frozen meringues.  They will still be somewhat soft, so be gentle.  Resist the urge to tear them apart because you will merely squish them down.

7.  Pour your ice cream in to a plastic container for freezing.  Fold in the chopped meringue. Cover with plastic wrap and the container's cover.  Freeze for a minimum of a two hours before serving.

Doll Quilt Show and Tell 6

The last of the doll quilts are finished and are ready to ship today.  Phew... That took a lot longer than I hoped for.

This one is my attempt at a traditional quilt.  Pieced blocks in an old pattern (Churn Dash) count as traditional, right?  Of course I couldn't pick traditional colours.  I've had the border fabrics for years and this seemed like a good time to use them.  Such a vibrant quilt!

I simply stippled this one.  To be honest, I was tired the day I had to quilt it and couldn't motivate myself to try anything else.  I know I shouldn't beat myself up about it because it looks good.  Besides, there is nothing wrong with stippling.  Sometimes it is the right thing to do.  I let the quilt tell me what it needs.  Yes, I'm serious about that.  Some designs beg for certain quilting techniques.  In this case, though, I didn't even ask the quilt.  I just told it that it was going to be stippled whether it liked it or not.  I think it is happy.

Never Turn Your Back in the Kitchen

Winter storms attacked us again.  Sneaking in from behind they walloped us good yesterday.  It wasn't much of a day for venturing out, although we did that - there is something to be said for the snowsuit overtop of PJs.  Rather, it was a day for the oven.  And really, it was a day for the couch, but unless you want to watch this all day you have to get up and encourage the kids to jump on the beds.  

With a pile of carrots and parsnips in the house stew was on the menu.  Passion fruit ice cream too, but that will come another day.  The Monster and I set about peeling veg while Hubby tried to rest on the couch.  Oh, did I mention that all four of us have colds right now?  So we get all our veg peeled and chopped and I set to browning the beef.  After a quick deglaze of the pan with orange juice (my favourite thing to use when making stew) I turned around to grab all my veg.  As you can see from the above photo I had cause to pause.  We have a 'no hands on the cutting board' rule in the house, but apparently that doesn't apply to rubber duckies.

There are so many reasons to cook with your kids, giggles notwithstanding.

Backseat Adventure - Family Day in Banff

It's been a few weeks since we took a day off and headed a little West to Banff.  But we were talking about brunch and Hubby informed me that he would forgo any brunch in the city to drive to Banff for brunch.  All I have to say is "Be careful what you wish for..."

It was a strong desire for a change of scenery and the promise of a soak in the Hot Springs that took us to Banff.  We will head to the mountains to hike or bike, but we don't usually go in to Banff.  To be honest, we avoid it.  Do you remember that scene at the end of The Truman Show, where they hit the edge of the set?  That's what I feel like when I go in to the Banff townsite.  A wonderfully idyllic setting that seems too pretty to be real.  Really, just a mall with a fantastic ceiling.    This particular day we just wanted brunch, candy, and a soak.  Call it the urban adventure to the Rockies.

We paid our national park entrance fee, parked on one of the empty spots off Banff Avenue, and wandered, nose to the ground, for some eggs benedict.  Then talk about some fantastic friggin' luck.  We cut down a side street to check out a bakery.  Hmm, it smelled good but there were no eggs on the menu.  Hubby needs his eggs.  But just down the road we happened upon The Bison Mountain Restaurant and Lounge.  The downstairs is under renovation, but the restaurant was open.  They happily accommodated our stroller and put us in a quiet spot near the kitchen - not to hide us, but so we could see all the action from the open kitchen.  Then the brunch glory began.

Sure, they had a kids menu, but it seemed too safe, too boring, too predictable.  But the french toast sounded yummy, and it came with bacon.  Everything is right in the world if The Monster has bacon.  And some eggs benny that sounded too pretty to be real.  But oh, was it all so real.  Broek Acres Back Bacon with carmelized onions (or maple onion compote, as they called ).  And I had duck confit with fresh cheese curds on my benny.  Hands down, they were both the best eggs benny we've ever had.  And Hubby knows his eggs benny.  Hence the desire to drive there anytime.

The Monster's french toast came stuffed with smoked gouda and bacon, covered in a blueberry sauce and garnished with an apple slaw.  When the waitress brought the plates out she was looking for the third adult at our table.  "Oh no," we told her, "that's for her."  In the end she ate half of the actual toast, most of the blueberries, all of the cheese and bacon, and she split the apples with her sister.  

A little, just a little, walk was required after all that goodness.  Where else to go in Banff when you aren't there to shop?  The candy store, of course!  World famous, Welch's Candy Shop has been an institution for anyone who has ever made their way to the mountains more than once.  As a kid we always went there, even if we were only skiing for a day.  No trip was complete without my brother's wine gums, my sister's jaw breakers, my mom's almond bark, and my macaroons.  As I got older I always managed to sneak a couple of Flakes in the bag too.

The selection might be a bit overwhelming for the neophyte.  Just don't get overcome by the selection of imported treats and various cliche Canadiana candy.  Save your eyes for the large bulk display.  No, it isn't all homemade on site, but that isn't the point.  Just the visit, the sugar smell, and the white paper bag of your treat of choice are what it's all about.

Finally, the day would not have been complete without a visit to the Banff Upper Hot Springs.  Yes, it's touristy and generally crowded.  But if you get there before 4, when the ski hills haven't cleared yet, then it's just you, some Canmore locals, and all the Japanese tourists.  And in the winter you can still enjoy the view before darkness settles in.  It sure as hell isn't going to burn off any of the calories from brunch and your candy, but it feels so good on work weary bones.

Hmm, what's Hubby doing this Sunday?