For some reason this week has just been extra busy, but I have still been working diligently on making things, and trying out new things. First, I think an update on the rock candy from Rock Week is in order. It turned out great-- beautiful and tasty. Now I'm trying to figure out how to keep M from eating it!
Yesterday, I decided to try to make some marmalade out of the plethora of clementines that always seem to be inhabiting my fruit drawer. I converted a recipe for oranges, and since clementines are much smaller, it may turn out to be horribly sweet. But we'll see.
First, I sliced them quite thinly and then quartered the slices.
Next, I put them all in a mason jar and mashed them lightly.
As I am doing a lacto-fermented marmalade, I mixed together salt, whey, brown sugar, and water, and poured over the clementines. I covered tightly and will let sit for approximately three days. I can't wait-- if it's good-- to but some on some homemade bread at breakfast! Yum! Note: This recipe/process is NOT to be confused with canning and preserving. This marmalade will not be shelf-safe to store for a long time.
I also made fresh coconut milk to use at a later date in a recipe. This required a bit of help from my husband as I bought a different type of coconut from what I've had in the past, and couldn't figure out how to split it. One I brought in the strong arms to handle that (as you can see in the picture next to a crock pot simmering with grass-fed beef broth), I moved on to scooping out the coconut milk.
After scooping, I put it all in a blender and blended with the coconut water i had reserved when we split the coconut. I let it blend until there were no chunks, and it looked creamy and a bit frothy. Yum! I use coconut milk a good deal-- in Thai currys, in Jamaican rice and peas, occasionally to flavor jasmine rice, etc. It's also great in coffee in a pinch when you run out of milk.
A couple of other notes:Whenever I state I am using salt in something, it's always sea salt. A good quality sea salt contains essential minerals not found in your standard iodized table salt. The beef broth (or stock) I was making is almost a constant in my house, although typically I make chicken broth. But I made the beef because my farmer I buy eggs and milk from sold me about 2 lbs of grass-fed beef soup bones for $2. It was a heck of a deal. And my husband will eat grass-fed beef, just not conventional. If you want to know why, let me know and I will explain.
Today's adventures will include more truffles, this time chocolate and peanut butter, making an outdoor grill out of a busted up driveway, taking pictures of the diaper my husband made (grr.), and making chicken cacciatore in the crock pot. (M's dinner pick for tonight.) Also, tomorrow's post should include Asian Mini Pizza appetizers that we made last night (another of M's picks.)
"Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it." Confucious
No need to explain about the grass fed beef. Jim's endocrinologist told us several years ago not to eat beef. He says anyone who has a hormone imbalance should stay away from beef, as the mass produced beef on the market today has too many hormones and antibiotics in it from the growing process. Jim's thyroid was killed when he had radiation for cancer of the tongue back in 2001. So, he takes thyroid meds, and we eat very little beef. In fact, if I make things that call for ground beef, I use only 1/3 gr beef and the rest ground chicken, turkey or pork.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. We primarily eat chicken, turkey, fish, and lamb, but since I've recently discovered he'll eat grass fed.. I'm plotting to buy a half or quarter of a cow from a local farmer once I can come up with the funds!
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