Tuesday, July 26, 2016

A plum job

My kitchen is chaos because of a decision I rashly made. I am entering a jar of jam in the Erie County Fair!

As is typical with me I waited until the absolute last minute to make this decision. I did not realize I would have to put down what kind of jam I would make. So I put down plum jam.

With which, I went to the Broadway Market and got a hold of some plums. I bought something like eight pounds because I want to get this jam right.

Last night, 80 degrees and it was 100 degrees in my kitchen. And my kitchen smelled like Christmas because of the spices I am putting in this jam. I do not want to give away all my secrets because I am gunning for a blue ribbon, but one spice is the star anise I prudently picked up at A Dollar back in March. 

That made my day, being able to use that star anise! Plus, I had really forgotten how I loved to make jam. It is usually not something you prioritize especially when you have other projects going.

I think the last time I made jam was last summer when I did the story on picking strawberries. Back then I delighted in my garage sale canning equipment and I do so again today. Probably I am using the same jars I used then because we burned through that strawberry jam.

There used to be a crayon called Plum. I wonder if they still have it or if it has been eliminated along with the Mulberry. I think the Plum is still there.

As is my jam, now. I made 15 jars.

Blue ribbon, here I come!

A plum job

My kitchen is chaos because of a decision I rashly made. I am entering a jar of jam in the Erie County Fair!

As is typical with me I waited until the absolute last minute to make this decision. I did not realize I would have to put down what kind of jam I would make. So I put down plum jam.

With which, I went to the Broadway Market and got a hold of some plums. I bought something like eight pounds because I want to get this jam right.

Last night, 80 degrees and it was 00 degrees in my kitchen. And my kitchen smelled like Christmas because of the spices I am putting in this jam. I do not want to give away all my secrets because I am gunning for a blue ribbon, but one spice is the star anise I prudently picked up at A Dollar back in March. 

That made my day, being able to use that star anise! Plus, I had really forgotten how I loved to make jam. It is usually not something you prioritize especially when you have other projects going.

I think the last time I made jam was last summer when I did the story on picking strawberries. Back then I delighted in my garage sale canning equipment and I do so again today. Probably I am using the same jars I used then because we burned through that strawberry jam.

There used to be a crayon called Plum. I wonder if they still have it or if it has been eliminated along with the Mulberry. I think the Plum is still there.

As is my jam, now. I made 15 jars.

Blue ribbon, here I come!

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Saturday kitchen


It would not be the weekend without me banging my head against a wall over some complicated pastry I am trying to make for church! Today I wanted to make a cinnamon swirl yeast coffee cake. Sort of like a big cinnamon roll.

I found a sweet dough recipe and mixed it and it rose -- and then it was time for the fun part, to roll it out like a pizza crust, top it with the filling, roll it back up and curl it into a ring.  I had made this yummy filling out of this old hippie cookbook. It was melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

La la la la la la.

It felt great, rolling out the dough on the cool, clean marble. Then it was fun to spoon the rich filling over it and spreading it to the four corners.

But then ...

Tuscany, we have a problem!

This always happens to me! The filling starts to ooze to the edges as I am rolling this thing up. There is too much! It pools up. I got to the end and ... zut alors! Zut, zut alors! I had to think fast. I took the upper edge and folded it over the lower so the goo was trapped in the middle, and then I scooped the thick rope into a ring and dumped it into the waiting cake pan.

Sugar and butter and cinnamon was already leaking out the sides. and underneath. Plus the ring was lopsided. It is always lopsided! 

Oh well. It really does not matter. The cake gets sliced up before anyone sees it because that is the way you want it after Mass. So the cake could look like this big toad ...


.. and no one would know the difference. It is just something I want to do for myself, do up a cake fat and round and perfect like a big doughnut. Why can't I do that?

I will be brooding about this Sunday morning when I should be listening to the sermon.

I will be looking for answers in Scripture. Especially to that overriding question:

Will somebody please tell me what makes this so much fun?



Saturday kitchen


It would not be the weekend without me banging my head against a wall over some complicated pastry I am trying to make for church! Today I wanted to make a cinnamon swirl yeast coffee cake. Sort of like a big cinnamon roll.

I found a sweet dough recipe and mixed it and it rose -- and then it was time for the fun part, to roll it out like a pizza crust, top it with the filling, roll it back up and curl it into a ring.  I had made this yummy filling out of this old hippie cookbook. It was melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

La la la la la la.

It felt great, rolling out the dough on the cool, clean marble. Then it was fun to spoon the rich filling over it and spreading it to the four corners.

But then ...

Tuscany, we have a problem!

This always happens to me! The filling starts to ooze to the edges as I am rolling this thing up. There is too much! It pools up. I got to the end and ... zut alors! Zut, zut alors! I had to think fast. I took the upper edge and folded it over the lower so the goo was trapped in the middle, and then I scooped the thick rope into a ring and dumped it into the waiting cake pan.

Sugar and butter and cinnamon was already leaking out the sides. and underneath. Plus the ring was lopsided. It is always lopsided! 

Oh well. It really does not matter. The cake gets sliced up before anyone sees it because that is the way you want it after Mass. So the cake could look like this big toad ...


.. and no one would know the difference. It is just something I want to do for myself, do up a cake fat and round and perfect like a big doughnut. Why can't I do that?

I will be brooding about this Sunday morning when I should be listening to the sermon.

I will be looking for answers in Scripture!