Philotic Web

I'm making applesauce and it smells wonderful everywhere!

I made homemade ginger ale this weekend, using my lovely new le creuset for the first time!

Beautiful! How was the the flavor?

I always mean to make my first batch of ginger syrup before I'm pregnant, but I have failed each time.

Steph, it's pretty ginger-y!

The recipe I used says to mix it with club soda to make ginger ale, but I didn't care for it that way. The somewhat metallic taste of club soda didn't pair well with the ginger syrup I made, at least not in my opinion, anyway. I swapped out club soda for tonic and was much much happier with the results. A wedge of lime and YUM! Perfection!

I did over-reduce my first batch by not paying attention at all, so now I've also got some ginger jam! Thinking of marinating some chicken in it, as it's VERY strong--too much so to eat on it's own, I'd say. But I'm open to suggestions!

Sounds tasty!

I'd probably throw some jam in with a stew. I put some apricot jam in my last stew, and it was really taste, though subtle.

My friend Dana is visiting and making me Carnias for dinner with fresh guwakamile and pico. It smells so good in here
But here is the amazing recipe that is making my house smell so delicious right now

Carnitas al la Dana

2 lbs pork (carnitas pack at winco)
1 cup OJ
1 cup old fashioned Mexican coke
2 heaping! table spoons cumin
salt pepper
Pinch of cayenne

Cut pork into 1 inch cubes, put in big red pan. Salt pepper to taste mix, Add cumin and pinch of cayenne on top. Add equal pars OJ and Mexican Coke. Add water to completely cover the meat. Bring meat to boil, reduce to simmer and leave UNCOVERED.

Just leave it alone! Seriously, DON’T TOUCH IT!!!!!! no stirring nothing

it can take 4-6 hours to cook down

Once it’s cooked down to basically no liquid (thick like the fajitas) start to break apart the meat. You want it to start frying in its own fat (this makes some bits crispy). Once you get the crispy bits take off heat. Enjoy!

Serve with tortillas, pico, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream

1 cup old fashioned Mexican coke

...do I even want to know?

1 cup old fashioned Mexican coke

...do I even want to know?

Everything is better with coke ..

but really its coke bottles in mexico with real sugar instead of HFCS its also bottled in the old fashoned glass bottles.

1 cup old fashioned Mexican coke

...do I even want to know?

Hey, everyone knows coke is a leavening agent... I mean, just look at it!

Steph, it's pretty ginger-y!

The recipe I used says to mix it with club soda to make ginger ale, but I didn't care for it that way. The somewhat metallic taste of club soda didn't pair well with the ginger syrup I made, at least not in my opinion, anyway. I swapped out club soda for tonic and was much much happier with the results. A wedge of lime and YUM! Perfection!

I did over-reduce my first batch by not paying attention at all, so now I've also got some ginger jam! Thinking of marinating some chicken in it, as it's VERY strong--too much so to eat on it's own, I'd say. But I'm open to suggestions!

If you'd like, I can hunt out the ginger ale recipe I've used in the past. It uses baking yeast in order to make it fizzy, instead of calling for a mixer.

I searched all over for a jar of Marmite when I found my coworker had never had any. Finally found some, he had a single pita chip with some, and now the entire office refuses to have even a taste. So I have the smell of Marmite, I suppose, with nothing to do with it. I guess I'll make toast.

Made DELICIOUS cinnamon-nutmeg-garlic-and-onion-Hubbard squash soup this weekend. Also a loaf of cocoa-cayenne bread, which didn't quite rise enough but was still delicious. Two weekends ago was oatmeal chocolate-chip and peanut-butter cookies. And I've made 4 batches of massaman curry (2 beef, 1 chicken, 1 vegetarian). Plus some killer salads (including a delicious craisin+cabbage+walnut with olive oil and vinegar dressing one) with my CSA shares. And yummy garlic mashed potatoes. SOOOOOO happy to have a kitchen.

Brian was convinced to bring home a HUGE hubbard squash from or farm this weekend when he told then his wife needed pie pumpkins. I use the pumpkins to make soup, and I know hubbard's are often substituted in pie, so I'm glad to see that it should make a good substitute in my soup. It's going to be a lot of soup, though!

Brian was convinced to bring home a HUGE hubbard squash from or farm this weekend when he told then his wife needed pie pumpkins. I use the pumpkins to make soup, and I know hubbard's are often substituted in pie, so I'm glad to see that it should make a good substitute in my soup. It's going to be a lot of soup, though!

Yeah. Our Hubbard wasn't that huge by Hubbard standards, but we easily got 2.5 - 3 gallons of soup out of it.

Woke up this morning and made french toast with apple cider syrup, fried eggs, and rosemary garlic fried potatoes. It's smells amazing <3

I havent found a way to eat winter squash that I actually enjoy. Consensus is that I'm missing out, so does anyone have suggestions?

With crushed pineapple. Or as soup.

I love winter squash! It's so great to have a big square piece of golden hubbard squash baked up all golden brown, adrip with butter n brown sugar sometimes I like a bit of maple sugar with it too. I like to murder it a bit in the oven and get it good and crusty so the inside is kinda dry and powdery like a baked russet spud. Damn you now I'm hungry !

The smell is in my office, not my kitchen, but:

Shredded barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese, and a slice of cheddar, all on grilled multigrain bread.

I havent found a way to eat winter squash that I actually enjoy. Consensus is that I'm missing out, so does anyone have suggestions?

I looooove winter squash soups, stews, or curries, especially made with coconut milk.

An entire bushel of peeled, chopped, and cooked down apples. My hands are blistered and cramping, but boy what a smell!

That sounds amazing!

I really hate peeling apples.

I got a kitchenaid peeler at TJMaxx when my other one broke, and the handle is so nice and chunky. My hands don't hurt at all when I peel, I can peel one in about 30 seconds. I only paid a dollar fifty for it, but I'd pay full price for it now that I've used it.

I don't own a peeler at all. I grew up learning to peel potatoes and such with a paring knife.

I did, too, but I would cut myself at least every third time. A peeler is my rebellion against my upbringing.

Now you are a rebel without a gauze.

*groan*

Now you are a rebel without a gauze.

*groan*

Oh man, I really laughed out loud (and i'm sick, so promptly coughed up a lung after)!

I did, too, but I would cut myself at least every third time. A peeler is my rebellion against my upbringing.

The only time I have ever cut myself peeling is when I was using a peeler up at my sister's house.

I have about a gallon of pureed hubbard squash, half of which is in the freezer. Today, I picked up another hubbard the same size. I'm going to have a "pumpkin"-filled fall/winter!

It was entertaining to have Brian cut my squash in half with a circular saw.

I have about a gallon of pureed hubbard squash, half of which is in the freezer. Today, I picked up another hubbard the same size. I'm going to have a "pumpkin"-filled fall/winter!

It was entertaining to have Brian cut my squash in half with a circular saw.

So you're not cooking it all at once, eh? Probably a good call.

I'm about to be inundated with apples from the tree in the backyard... applesauce anyone? Cider? I have a feeling I'll be up to my eyes in it.

Just finished a second helping of apple brown betty from apple tree in farmyard yum!

I'm about to be inundated with apples from the tree in the backyard... applesauce anyone? Cider? I have a feeling I'll be up to my eyes in it.

Make applesauce, but do it right! Cook the apples in their skins, then run them through the saucing mill! Yellow apple sauce is a mere shadow of the real stuff.

You can also make Apple Butter!

I'm about to be inundated with apples from the tree in the backyard... applesauce anyone? Cider? I have a feeling I'll be up to my eyes in it.

Do you have a dehydrator? Apple chips are AMAZING and last for awhile.

last night we made roast trout with autumn squash and an orangey-pecan-roasted-garlic tapenade. the recipe is from my favorite cookbook for fish, Cod and Country.

The recipe suggested Kabucha, but we had Butternut, wish we'd had the tastier kabucha, and I think I overcooked the squash.

in any event, the star of this was teh orangely, pecan roasted garlic stuff that was mean to go on top of the trout,

This stuff is amazing!

Rub a head of garlic in peanut oil (or canola oil) wrap in foil and roast at 325 for 45 minutes. put one cup of Pecans in the oven to roast for 4-5 minutes. Cut Garlic in half and squeeze the cloves into a bowl. Add two tablespoons olive oil and the zest of one orange, and mash it all together, season to taste with salt. Add pecans (chop them if you need to), and combine it all together.

It's so incredibly savory and delicious--especially with the salad we had on the side. I love 'candied' nuts added to salads, but rarely do because, sugar is bad. This is like candied nuts, but no evil sugars!

I am back in the kitchen after taking basically the entire summer off.

Marinara sauce on the stove right now. Apple butter in the slow cooker.

Made pumpkin waffles this morning for breakfast. Tonights dinner is a baked penne with roasted vegetables.

I love the fall. I love to cook.