The Spice Satchel

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day

Paul and I never really celebrate Valentine's Day, but this year we decided to have some fun. I have been working almost every weekend evening since I got a job to help us save money. Yesterday, I was scheduled out at 1pm, and there was a Red Wings game on our TV (that is very rare in this area)!
We have been looking for a Bordeaux that we would enjoy drinking with a baguette for a while, so we decided to spend our Valentine's Day picking one. We bought 4 bottles, and tried them all while we watched hockey and ate bread. I don't think we found the perfect Bordeaux yet, but we also didn't want to break the bank ;) It was a fun time.

It was amazing how different they all tasted. Our favorite of these 4 was the bronze medal winner- dry, slightly smoky light blackberry flavor.

Then for dinner, we made Asian Beef, a very simple recipe of thin steak- marinated in garlic, dark soy sauce, dry sherry and dark brown sugar. Served with fresh cucumber, radish and ginger (pickled ginger) relish, also with rice and mango. Steamed asparagus would also be a fantastic addition. It was pretty good with the Bordeaux too. Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday, February 11, 2011

The phone call

Last week I got a phone call from Koleen. She told me she sent me a mail, she wasn't going to tell me, but she couldn't wait anymore. When I got home the package was waiting. She had been crocheting a cover for the hot water bottle Mia likes to sleep with to help stay warm.
"I give up!" Koleen declares. :) She tried again and again, but the yarn is bumpy and it wasn't turning out right, so she sent me the yarn and the pattern, and the very cute (beautifully crocheted) flower she made to decorate the cover.

I finished the cover last night, and hope to get it to the post office this afternoon! I'm very happy to help my sister, and excited that they live in MI, so I'm sure Mia will have many more months of use before it really gets warm. I'm also happy that my sister has no problem just sending me a pattern and some yarn! It was quite a funny conversation, and while I'm sure she will figure out everything soon enough, I'm happy she turned to me with her dilemma!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

meatloaf

There are so many flavors in this meatloaf, it would be just as delicious as meatlessloaf, if you want to make it vegetarian.
1 lb. ground turkey, 1 egg, 3/4 C oats, 1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 C ketchup, handful roughly chopped parsley, 1 small onion diced, 1 small green or red bell pepper diced, 1 small carrot thinly sliced, 1 jalapeno minced, 2-3 cloves garlic minced, 1 tea. ground black pepper. Mix ingredients and place in square glass casserole dish. You can also add 1/2-1 tea. dried or 1-2 Tbl. fresh chopped marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme, and/or sage. Cover with 1 can stewed (no salt added) tomatoes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, or until 170 degrees internal temp. and the consistency of meatloaf ;)

Goes great with spicy fried potatoes. Dice potatoes and some onion. Heat olive oil over medium heat, spice heated oil with cayenne and black pepper, and garlic powder. Add potatoes and fry until almost done, add onions and continue frying until potatoes are slightly crispy and onions are soft.

Monday, January 31, 2011

baby crochet

Most of the crochet I do is used for gifts. I'm trying to sell on etsy, it's just not working out as well as I'd hoped it would. Anyway, I LOVE crocheting gifts, especially for brand new babies (most of whom are nieces and nephews). Jeremy and Doni just had Bennett, and I'm happy to announce I made him a blanket. One I hope he will enjoy for a long long (long) time! I think it is adorable. It is a pattern of pinwheels- so cute for babies and kids, and the colors aren't "too baby," so I hope he likes it when he gets older. It is a big square that I'm sure will cover him fully well into toddlerhood. :) I washed it already, so it's soft and relaxed from delivery. I hope Jeremy and Doni like it as well. I'm planning to go to the post office to mail it today- and now that I plastered it all over the internet, I think I better stick to my plan.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

When Paul's away the mushrooms will play.

Green bean casserole. I love it, Paul doesn't. He's on a business trip until Friday, so I'm making the best of it by eating as many mushrooms as I can. Plus some other things- such as guacamole.
I make green bean casserole with soy creamer, chicken broth, sherry, a little olive oil and flour, sage, thyme, cayenne and black pepper. Mushrooms, onions, garlic and whole green beans. Slightly spicy, slightly creamy, all delicious!

I will eat it tomorrow with a baked chicken breast- yum! I didn't use french fried onions, because (#1) I don't think it needs them and (#2) I didn't buy any.

Today I also made (and ate) guacamole. We had left over taco meat, so I had nachos.
1 avocado, 1/2 small tomato, 1/2 small onion, 1/2 jalapeno, a little cilantro and lime juice- and you have yourself some pretty tasty guac. Adding some minced garlic certainly wouldn't hurt either.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A very crochet Christmas

Now that Christmas is over, and everyone has opened their gifts, here are some of the things I made this year.
I sent a huge box to Koleen to distribute to family- thanks again sis!

For Nancy and my Dad, a ginger bread house. For Amy, Angela and Mike, stockings. I love these retro stockings! Very Christmasy, and beautiful too- I will probably make some for Paul and I one day.

For Paul, monkey slippers, so funny and cute. I had made him some before, but they are now too stretched out and no longer stay on his feet. I am better at crochet now though, and these will stay good for a long time! For Chloe and Mia, skirts. Mia's is shades of teal. Chloe's is purple and sparkly to go with her dance studio's colors- I even sequined it myself! I also made a matching skirt for Kelly (Chloe's American girl doll).

For my Mom and Jon, a tart tote, filled with tarts that smell like Christmas on a beach- their dream!

For Allison, a shawl with a button- a very cool button.

For Gabriel, a monkey. :)

Koleen sent me pictures of Mia and Gabriel opening their gifts the day they arrived, Mia said, "that is soooooo cute!" Gabriel was very excited, look at his face!

Christmas cookie

Paul and Amy put cookie cutters in my stocking this Christmas. Plus, Amy got me a new hand mixer, so I had to make cookies.

These cookies are from What's to Eat, a dairy- nut- and egg-free cookbook, Paul's sister, Sara, got for us a few years ago. Water, oil and baking powder take over for the egg and they also have a little orange juice in them. They are good, I think next time I will be sure to have sprinkles.
The dough is pretty sticky, I refrigerated it for a bit after it was mixed, then made sure not to roll it too hard (or grab it too forcefully at all) and always kept my surface, the rolling pin, and the dough heavily floured. I also used a spatula to transfer the cookies onto the cookie sheet.
Hope everyone's Christmas was as jolly as mine!