As Seen on TV :: Thanksgiving Preparedness

Handprint Turkey Instructions :: Knit Pumpkin Instructions :: Raw Brussel Sprout Salad Recipe :: Cranberry Fizz Recipe

Happy Hour Friday :: Cranberry Fizz

My new favorite fall drink.

The Cranberry Fizz
1 1/2 ounces Whiskey
1 ounce unsweetened cranberry juice
1 ounce soda water
1 teaspoon agave nectar
dash bitters
maraschino cherry

With a swizzle stick, mix together all ingredients (except the cherry) in a highball glass filled with ice.  Top with a cherry and enjoy.

November Knit :: Knit Pumpkin

I like having pumpkins around this time of year.  But orange pumpkins are so "halloween" that I can't handle them after October.  In honor of the month of November Knit I crafted a few pumpkins out of old sweater sleeves and twigs.  This could not be easier.  

You'll need
1 old sweater (with sleeves)
Batting
Needle + thread
Hot glue + hot glue gun
a twig

Instructions
Step 1 :: Cut off part of the sleeve of the sweater.  A traditional mens large sweater is about a 5 inch width sleeve.  You'll need eight inches in length.  (the ratio is 8 inch length :: 5 inch width and it works scaled down 7 inch length :: 4 inch width, etc.)
Step 2 :: Using the needle and thread, stitch loosely across one end of the sleeve length (a basting stitch).  Pull the threads at the end gently to close the hole.  Tie off the ends and knot them.
Step 3 :: Repeat the basting stitch on the other end but do not close the hole.  When the stitch is done, fill the sleeve with batting until it's loosely packed.
Step 4 :: Pull the threads on the open end to close and knot them.
Step 5 :: Tuck in the loose "frilly" top on each end.
Step 6 :: Cut a length of a one inch twig to look cute on the pumpkin.  Using hot glue, place the twig in the center of the button and push hard down to catch the bottom 'button' in the glue.  Hold briefly until the glue dries.

Pumpkin Patch

Over the weekend we popped over to a pumpkin patch on Whidbey Island.  It was an adorable little patch with trolley rides, a hay maze, and a pumpkin catapult.  My children had not napped either - so they were a little goofy.

Happy Hour Friday :: Spiked Apple Cider

As Seen on TV :: Apple Cider Extravaganza

Tune into Q13 Fox News this morning at 9:45 to catch me LIVE with my ideas for what to do with fall's most fabulous by-product...  Apple Cider! 

While apples are in season - and delicious - it's the cider that I get really excited about.

Here are the links to the recipes I featured on the show today::
Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
Apple Cider Cake

You can pick your own apples around the state as well.  We pick ours every year at our friend Matt's house.  You don't have to drive quite as far to get there, but you could, if you wanted to.  Click here to see the locations Red Tricycle has already scouted out for you.

Want to see more of how my shoot for 425 Magazine came together?  Click here and here or scroll down to see posts from earlier this week.  Enjoy!

Cook it :: Cider Braised Pork Shoulder

This is possibly one of my favorite things to come out of my experiments cooking with cider.  It is the perfect fall dish: it's warm, comforting, and evocative of knit sweaters and fireplaces.

Cider Braised Pork Shoulder

2 pounds pork shoulder spare ribs

¼ cup flour

2 large onions, sliced

1 fennel bulb

2 cups apple cider, divided

1 cup beef broth

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 spring rosemary

salt and pepper

canola oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pour ¼ inch of oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven (leaving the lid off) and set over a medium heat stove.  Place flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.  Dredge meat pieces through flour and place in hot oil.  Be careful of splatters.   Brown meat on all sides, remove from pan and set aside.

Pour off excess oil so only two tablespoons remain in the bottom of the pan.  Put onions and fennel into the pan and sprinkle remaining dredging flour over the top.  Stir gently.  When flour has been absorbed by the liquid, and you can’t see anymore ‘white’ flour, deglaze the pan with one cup apple cider.  Stir once to ensure all liquid is evenly distributed.  Let cider reduce to a thick ‘gravy.’  Add remaining cider and broth and bring to a boil.  Drop rosemary into the pan.

Very carefully, place reserved meat on top of the cooked apples being sure to keep the browned edges intact.  Place the lid on the pan and put the pan in the preheated oven.  Bake for two hours. 

Shred meat gently with two forks.  Serve hot over cooked egg noodles. 

If you read the magazine you'll note that while the recipe is called "Cider Braised Pork" we accidentally told you to buy beef in the recipe.  Yikes!  You can buy beef, but if you do, change the amount of salt you use.

What you couldn't see :: 425 Magazine Cider Press

If you pick up a copy of the magazine {425 Magazine, that is} you'll see a gorgeous spread of my family and me pressing apples into cider - and then three ways to use that cider.  What you won't see is this ::

The good light was in the dining room.  The ladder is vintage.  I was sure Jeff was going to fall any moment.  It didn't help that the earlier rain had driven everything that is usually outside in.  

Lars drew on chalkboards too.  He wanted me to photograph them just like Jeff did with my chalkboards.

Behind the Scenes :: Cider Pressing in 425 Magazine

This month's issue of 425 Magazine features one of my favorite activities - making cider.  When I was a little girl, my grandparents had an ancient apple press.  Every fall my sister and I got to press apples from their property into cider which my grandmother would serve hot at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  That old apple press is no longer ours - so we decided we needed a new one to create the same memories with my own children and their grandparents.  

Pick up a copy of 425 Magazine on news stands across Western Washington and tune into Q13 Fox News this Thursday around 9am to see a little bit more!

Five things you won't know from reading the magazine ::

- Lars is the only one truly featured in this issue because Judson slept the entire time and Pearl woke up super crabby.

- We shot this at Whidbey Island looking out onto a fabulous fall day.

- Apples were not yet in stores - we were about two weeks too early - so the apples were outrageously expensive!  Yikes!

- Because the apples weren't cheap, we bought as few as possible to make the shoot work.  That meant we filled the bottom of the cute dot bag with loads of newspaper before topping it with apples.  And we only had one shot at pressing apples because we were going to run out fast.

- The pork recipe went through six iterations before becoming a new favorite.  The first was too sweet, the next was too bland, then too much vinegar, too much salt, and we honed in on perfect.

Craft it :: Handprint Turkeys

I'm into a glam Thanksgiving this year.  Mostly because everywhere I look for Thanksgiving ideas it's all kinds of homey/ rustic/ rough around the edges.  Why?  There is no reason why you have to be thankful for what you have in a country setting.  I decided to glam up Thanksgiving this year with a little spray paint.   The first craft is turning gourds (left over from Halloween at our house) into Thanksgiving Turkeys.  Really really easy.  You just have to have access to children's hands.

:: You'll need ::

Children's hands
Gourds with turned 'necks'
Silver spray paint
Colored card stock
Hammer + nails

Step 1 :: Trace child's hand print onto card stock and cut out several hand prints.
Step 2 :: Spray paint gourd completely and let dry.
Step 3 :: Poke a nail through the base of the handprints.
Step 4 :: Pound nail into the blossom end of the gourd.



** If you are tracing the handprints of your own children, be sure to write their name on the bottom and the date.  Save for next year and compare.

Apple Picking & Grape Harvest

Yesterday we decided to drive to Eastern Washington to pick some apples for our apple press.  The three hour (plus Starbucks stops) drive was totally worth it to spend a few hours with our friend Matt, eat apples straight off the tree, eat real Mexican food, and even bring home a few grapes!

I love taking my kids to the farm - or where ever the food is actually grown - so they understand that food has to grow.  That it comes from somewhere, not just from the grocery store.  Or from an Amazon Fresh box!  Plus we get to have fresh apple juice now.

We're also going to try making some grape juice with chardonnay and cabernet franc grapes. I want to make them separately so we can have 'cab franc juice' and 'chardonnay juice.'  It seems like it would make a good mixer.  We'll see how that works out.

It's always so fun to go over and see Matt.  We learn so much from him while we are there.  It's amazing to see what kind of apples are considered 'unacceptable' to sell.  Because we were picking in an organic field, it's natural to see tiny worm holes.  But they can't pick those for sale because consumers won't buy anything with a mark - of any kind really.  And size is an issue too.  Pearl loved finding the tiny 'Pearl' apples for herself.  All the better for us, because tiny worm holes and small apples are perfect for making juice out of.

I think we ate our weight in apples while we were standing in the field.  The only thing better than eating apples straight out of the field is the smell of fresh picked apples that flooded the car the entire way home.

Cook it :: S'mores Bars

These are addictive.  And delicious.  And I shouldn't know how to make them.  But they are perfect for Halloween or really for anything at all.  I'm making them for our Halloween party next week and I really think you should too!

S'mores Bars
12 ounces milk chocolate, roughly chopped
1 package graham crackers
1 recipe marshmallow
butter

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with the butter.  Cut a piece of parchment to line the bottom of the pan and to hang over two of the sides.  Press parchment into the buttered bottom and set aside.

In a small pan, bring two inches of water to a low boil.  Place a glass bowl over the top of the pan and fill with the chocolate.  Melt the chocolate, stirring often, over the hot water.  If the water begins to boil too hard, turn down the heat and continue.

Pour melted chocolate into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Press the graham crackers into the chocolate so they completely cover the bottom of the pan.  Cut crackers with a serrated knife if needed.  Set aside.

Make marshmallows and pour into the pan.  Using a buttered offset spatula, spread marshmallow to completely cover the graham crackers.

Let sit at room temperature - undisturbed - for 24 hours.  Cut into 2x2 squares and roll sides in powdered sugar.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Cook it :: Spider Pancakes

This morning is chaos at our house.  The electrician is here running the new wires for the basement.  The plumber is coming back after being here all day yesterday.  And we need to find somewhere to go.  There's no power in the kitchen and we can't use running water this afternoon.  Trauma.

So we needed a good breakfast to get us through the morning.  In keeping with the Halloween theme I made Spider pancakes.  They are easy, so you can make them too.



Spider Pancakes

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 egg
3 cups milk
brown food coloring

Mix all ingredients together - leaving aside 1 cup milk and the food coloring.  Remove 1/4 cup batter and place in a squeeze bottle.  Drop in brown food coloring and stir until the color of chocolate is achieved.

Add milk to remaining pancake batter and whisk until combined.  Place 1/2 cup batter on a hot griddle pan.  Squeeze brown pancake batter onto the top of the pancake to create a spider shape.  Cook over medium heat until bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancake.  Flip and cook another two minutes - or until done.

** We made bats too.  You could also spell out a name, if it's short.

Apple Cider Making Adventure

When I was a little girl my sister and I used to make apple cider with our grandparents.  We loved making cider with them and we both have really fond memories of the old wooden cider press and the phenomenal cider it produced.  

We haven't made cider for years.  But when we found out the cider press was actually our uncle's - and that my cousin wanted it - we were crushed.  So we went online and found an exact replica of the old wooden cider press then went to the market to find crates of 'juicing' apples (mostly Gala).  

This weekend we hauled the press out on the deck and started juicing apples.

And it was good.

We pasteurized several gallons so they keep a little longer and left some "fresh."  My sister knows someone who has a still...  just saying...

I'm going to try to make Apple Cider Ice Cream.  And I'll have some at our Halloween party.  What else should we try?  Apple Cider Vinegar?  Thoughts?

Martha Radio Interview

In case you missed it, here is the interview I did on Martha Radio with Thomas Farley yesterday!

Halloween Round-up

Over the years I've posted a lot of Halloween ideas - here are my favorites so far...  I'm posting more all month!

Candy Masks

Halloween Hoodies

Bat Garland

Bag of Popcorn Costume

Halloween Masks + "facebook"

Cook It :: Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Pumpkin flavor has never been my favorite - but I'm learning to like it and this ice cream is definitely helping.  Roasted pumpkin and classic pumpkin pie spices create a perfect fall ice cream - just when you thought I'd given up on the ice cream maker.


Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
(inspired by Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream)

2 pounds pumpkin flesh, peeled
1/4 cup honey
2 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pumpkin on a cookie sheet and roast in hot oven 20-30 minutes until fork tender.  Remove from oven and puree until smooth in the food processor.  Measure out 2/3 cup pumpkin puree.

In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, honey, and egg yolks.  Set aside.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside.

Combine milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and spices in a 3-quart pan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.  Boil mixture for 4 minutes at a rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and ladle two ounces into the egg yolk mixture whisking until completely combined.  Repeat two more times until egg mixture is hot.  Pour remaining milk mixture into the egg mixture.  Place egg mixture bowl in the ice water bath to cool off.  Let mixture cool completely.

Pour ice cream base into ice cream maker and let spin until thick and creamy, about 25 minutes.

Transfer ice cream to air tight containers and freeze at least four hours before serving.

Cook it :: Rogue River Blue Cheese Ice Cream...

... with a Honey Fig Swirl.

That's a mouthful - and so is the ice cream.  When I pulled the cheese out and had it on the counter Mr. Hedin was extremely doubtful if the aromatic blue cheese would ever make a delicious ice cream.  Because of my crazy good connections at Metropolitan Market, I am the proud owner of 1.5 pounds of the coveted and award winning Rogue River Blue Cheese.

I'm not sure if the cheese is technically in store yet - I know that Kirstin and I split half of a wheel that was the first wheel available in the state!  Eek!  Can I tell you how special I felt?  And I happened to have green figs in the house when the cheese arrived - heaven.

So when I looked at a giant piece of amazing cheese I needed more things to do with it than just sit and eat it.  Because I could.  It's really really really that good.  With everything else that's come into my house over the last month and a half - I decided to turn it into ice cream.  But how?  Is that weird?

I am sure I've had savory ice creams before.  And I know they make them on Iron Chef all the time.  But could I pull it off?  I started with Jeni's Ice Cream recipe for Gorgonzola Dolce Ice Cream but used way less cheese - and made the same tweaks I have been making with all of her ice creams.



Rogue River Blue Cheese Ice Cream with a Honey Fig Swirl
makes one pint

2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 ounce Rogue River Blue Cheese, crumbled
1 cup chopped green figs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

Fill a large bowl half full of ice and water and set aside.  In a smaller bowl, that will fit into the ice bath bowl, whisk two egg yolks together with the cheese.  

n a 3 quart saucepan combine milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Whisk at a rolling boil for four minutes.  Remove from heat and scoop 1/4 cup of hot milk mixture and quickly whisk into egg yolks.  Repeat until egg yolks are integrated.  Pour remaining milk mixture into egg yolk bowl and whisk to combine all ingredients.  Place bowl into ice water bath and let mixture cool completely.  Do not stir.  

In a small saucepan combine figs, honey and water.  Bring to a boil and cook three to four minutes until water begins to evaporate.  Reduce heat and simmer another 10 minutes until thickened.  Pour figs into food processor and pulse 3-4 times.  

When cooled, pour mixture into ice cream maker.  Let spin until thick and creamy (about 25 minutes).  Pack into an airtight container, alternating layers of ice cream and figs, and freeze at least four hours.

Oh - and it's the perfect dessert for my birthday week celebration!  Served with candied walnuts and fresh figs... YUM!

Me & Mini Me :: Fall Lunch Date

Ascot Swing Coat from Anthropologie
Tartine et Chocolat Dress from Melijoe
Kate Spade Linette Heels
Hermes Enamel Bangle

Inspiration :: Owls

Really?  Don't owls seem like fall?  I was on pinterest.com this morning wasting time researching and came across a ton of owl images.  Feels more like a winter/fall thing to me, but maybe they are going to be SUPER hot this fall due to all of the anticipation??

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