Bike Rack

D made me a bike rack for my I came out of the womb day. All it took was five 2 x 4's, four hooks, two sawhorse brackets, and one 2 x 10. Oh yeah, some nails as well. He forgot the fifth 2 x 4 to run length wise neat the bottom to act as a brace/wall protector so eventually we will have to take a trip back to a store whose contents and layout mystify me. My brain just cannot wrap itself around Home Depot.

Here are the measurements or ingredients:
Four 2 x 4's cut 83" long
Two 2 x 4's cut 80' long or however long you want the bike rack to be
2 horsesaw brackets
1 1/2 inch nails
2 1/2 inch nails
4 hooks or enough to space them about 18 inches to 22 inches apart.
2 2 x 10s 48 inches long

Directions: Make it look like the above picture...but with one more 2 x 4 nailed across from one end to the other at tire height to prevent the tires from hitting the back wall. Also, you can add smaller hooks to the side beams so you can hang bike locks, tools, tool basket, helmets, etc.

Length of wood may need to be adjusted depending on the angle of the sawhorse brackets. I found this website useful.

Granola

This recipe is a modified version of the granola recipe from the Horn of the Moon Cookbook. Good granola. Not too sweet. I experimented for a long time with sweetness and at one point was adding 1/2 cup or more of honey or brown sugar. I quickly realized I liked it less sweet, because you can really taste the toasted oats. Plus dried fruit and coconut shavings add a nice sweetness.

Basic Granola

4 cups Oats (anything but instant oats)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 honey (or maple syrup)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
2 tbls. Water
1/4 cup untoasted wheat germ (optional)
1/4 cup untoasted wheat bran (optional)
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup shredded coconut (big flakes the best)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together except for the raisins and coconut. Place on cookie sheet with raised edges. Place in oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes and stir every five to ten minutes. Usually, I tend to stir it more often as the end of the cooking time nears to avoid burning the oats. Remove from oven. Let cool before breaking it into pieces. Add dried fruit and coconut.

Variations: Lots and lots of variations exist. A few I have tried include:
1. Vanilla granola. Add two teaspoons or a little more of vanilla extract to the oil and water. Stir rapidly and pour over dry ingredients. This will help the vanilla to spread evenly. Also, some people add a vanilla bean to the granola when they store it and this will also impart a vanilla flavor.
2. Ginger and dried peaches granola: Add chopped candied ginger to the granola about 20 minutes before it is done baking. Amount varies depending on taste but a little goes a long way. Add dried peaches instead of raisins.
3. Cranberry granola: substitute cranberries for raisins.

Special note: If you are doubling or tripling the recipe, the cooking time will take a bit longer. The best way to figure out when granola is done is when the oats turn golden and you can smell them baking.

Salad Dressing

This is a recipe for a great basic dressing. I have a soft spot for Annie's Goddess Dressing but sometimes that tahini is too overpowering. Enjoy!

Basic Salad Dressing
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 tbls oil
4 tbls red wine or cider vinegar
1 - 2 tbls yogurt
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Combine ingredients and stir. Store unused dressing in the fridge. Shake well before serving.

Bread Homestyle

D made the best bread last week. Better than the bread I had been attempting several months ago before I was derailed by a broken oven, school, and moving. That said I am one lucky lady. We were both sick or at least I was at that point. It was a sickness that robbed us of our sense of smell and taste. But the fresh baked bread really hit the spot. This recipe is from D’s mom.

Bread Recipe

2 tbl yeast (two packets)
Pinch sugar
1 c warm water
1 c warm milk
1/2 c honey
3 tbs butter
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 tbs salt
3 1/2 to 4 c white flour

Combine 2 tbls yeast, the warm water and a pinch of sugar. Mix and let sit for about five minutes. Yeast should start to foam and bubble.

Warm the milk in a microwave or on the stovetop. Add the butter and honey and stir until the butter melts and the honey begins to dissolve. When your yeast mixture is ready, add it to the milk along with the whole wheat flour and the egg and mix with a wooden spoon. Now add the salt and some white flour and continue mixing. Add white flour one cup at a time. Continue to add flour until dough is sticky but able to be kneaded. Knead for ten to fifteen minutes by hand. A mixer, such as a kitchen aid can be used, but watch closely to ensure that you do not over knead the bread (hard to do by hand). More flour can be added during the kneading process if it becomes too sticky. Be sure to keep the dough slightly sticky. (It will rise better).

Butter a bowl and put dough inside. Flip the dough around in the bowl so the outside is lightly coated with butter. Place dry towel over the top to prevent drafts. Allow to rise for around 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and split into 2 large or 3 or 4 smaller loaves. Knead each loaf for a little while and place it in its pan. Cover with towel and allow to rise for around 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Tap the bottom of the loaves to see if they sound hollow to make sure they are done.

Notes: D used Hodgson Mill Active Dry Yeast. which has worked really well for me in the past. For some reason, I have found that it is also the cheapest yeast.

Worms, Part I

After discovering that the local municipality was out of compost bins, I decided to use worms to compost my garbage after getting this advice from J:

The advantage is that you can keep them inside (you would have to b/c they would die in the winter), they are relatively hassle free, they can compost anything (I had one friend that would feed them meat scraps) and you can make the best compost in the world with them. Plus they are fun pets!

The fun pets really got me, and although I probably won't feed them meat, I am excited to feed them other cooked food. After looking into various options, I chose to use this set-up. I bought two grey plastic bins. V is letting me stop by his work to use the power drill.

I ordered, and D wrote the check for, a pound of worms from Down to Earth Worm Farm. The woman who helped me on the phone was very friendly and excited I was not from the area. They are supposed to arrive next week.

I really wanted these lily-scented worms, but they are hard to come by and I suspect mythical.

I have started collecting garbage and newspaper for the worms. D ordered a book so we don’t kill them, at least initially. I set up a plan to get kitchen scraps from E and S every three to four days since I am not sure I will generate enough food scraps to sustain them.

IC expressed concern that I may hear them slithering around, but hopefully they will be quiet and realitively scentless like all the blog postings say. To be continued…

Cabbage Soup

I got this recipe from IC whom I work with. I was sick and needed something to cure my stuffy nose. This soup is very flavorful and was done largely on intuition. It can be adjusted to your individual palate or style of cooking. It is also a great fall farmer’s market recipe…Enjoy!

Cabbage Soup

1 med onion
1-2 tbls butter
1/2 head of cabbage
2 tsp. salt
1 tbls of dry thyme
Fresh dill (to taste, a little less than 1/4 c appx)
Diced tomatoes, 28 ounce can or fresh (see directions below**)
1 to 2 med carrots, sliced (IC’s addition. Adds a sweetness, but is optional)
Pepper, to taste (my addition)
Topping: Sour Crème, Cream Fraiche or Cottage Cheese

Chop onion and place in gallon-sized dutch oven with butter on medium/medium-high heat. Stir onions occasionally so they do not burn. Cook until transparent.

Add water until pot is half full. Add thyme. While waiting for the water to boil, cut the cabbage into thin strips and massage with salt. When water boils, add cabbage and carrots. Simmer until cabbage is soft, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes. Continue simmering another 5 minutes or so. Add dill and simmer five additional minutes. Add pepper to taste and salt if you feel you need more. Serve hot.

**You may use fresh tomatoes, two or three. You may want to seed and peel them first. Mollie K recommends boiling them for 10 seconds, then peeling them and squeezing out the juice and seeds. Chop and add to soup. You may need to cook the soup a bit longer if you use this method.

Thoughts and Feelings: I had to use dry dill because for some reason my local Whole Foods does not carry dill and my dill plant is very tiny and delicate. I look forward to making it with fresh dill.
I also added cottage cheese to the soup, which IC does not endorse. I had it without too and it was delicious. Ricotta might be a little less adventurous if you want to add a simple dairy product to it. IC usually adds sour cream but thought creme fraiche sounded good, too.
I also would like to try it without carrots.

Best Dal Ever...

Or real close. Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni is an amazing cookbook. It is one of the best I have ever owned. Sometimes, I cut down on the oil a bit, but other than that it is perfection. The dishes highlight one or two ingredients. I have been in Boston pining for the cookbook and D emailed me one of my favorite recipes today. So here it is...

Lucknow Sour Lentils

Khatti Dal, a classic from the city of Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh, is indeed a superbly flavored lentil dish. It is fragrant with garlic and fresh ginger root and laced with black cumin-seed-flavored oil. The characteristic feature of this dal is the tamarind jice added to perk up the flavors and provide a tang.

For 6 persons:

1 1/2 cups pink lentils
1 tablespoon finely choppped fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 one-inch ball tamarind pulp, or 1 teaspoon mango powder, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons Kosher salt (but I highly recommend starting with less and working up)

For tadka:
5 tablespoons Indian vegetable shortening, or light vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black cumin seeeds, or 1/2 teaspoon white cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mashed or minced garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper

1. Pick clean and wash lentils following directions on page 327
2. Put the lentils in a deep saucepan along with the turmeric, ginger, and 5 cups water, and bring to the boil, stirring often, as the lentils have a tendency to settle at the bottom of the pan. Reduce ehat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes, stirring now and then.
3. While the lentils are cooking, put the tamarind pulp in a small bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Mash the pulp wiht the back of a spoon or using your fingers. Strain the liquid into another bowl, squeezing out as much juice as possible from the pulp. Discard the stringy fibrous residue.
4. Add the tamarind juice to the cooked lentils, and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes (if you are using mango powder or lemon juice in place of tamarind, do not add yet). Turn off the heat, and beat the lentils with a wire whisk or wooden spoon for 1 minute to smooth the puree. Measure the puree and if necessary add enough water to make 6 cups. If you are using mango powder or lemon juice, stir it in now with the salt. (The lentil puree may be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. It also freezes well. Defrost thoroughly before proceeding with recipe).
5. When ready to serve, simmer the puree over low heat until piping hot. The lentil puree thickens with keeping, so check the consistency again. You may need to add 1/2 cup water to bring the puree to the right consistency. Check for salt and transfer to a serving bowl while you make the spice-perfumed butter (tadka).
6. Heat the shortening over medium-high heat in a small frying pan. When it is very hot, add cumin seeds, and fry for a moment or two (white cumin seeds will take about 10 seconds). Remove the pan from the heat, add red pepper and the mashed garlic, and stir rapidly for 10 seconds or until the garlic loses its raw smell and begins to color--do not let it brown. Pour the butter with its seasonings over the lentil puree. Stir once or twice--just enough to lace the puree with ribbons of perfumed butter. Serve immediately in small bowls.

Thoughts and feelings: I rarely pick the lentils. I think I wash them occassionally. That may be me just trying to make myself look better.
I have only used lemon and it still turns out delicious.
I usually halve the oil.
If you burn the seeds or garlic in the oil, it is really easy to redo them. It is not easy to redo the lentils. One time I ruined it, because I burned the cumin seeds and for some reason didn't realize how easy it was to just make another batch.

CORRECTION of MY CORRECTION: The original post said 2 teaspoons salt and I was pretty sure that it is supposed to be 1/2 teaspoon...but upon double checking it is 2 teaspoons (see comments).