Blizzard Warning

We have a blizzard warning in effect until tomorrow morning.  It snowed heavily here for a large part of the day and now the wind is expected to pick up and blow it all around.  Great....

They are calling for wind chills tomorrow morning to be near -30 F. What a lovely walk to work that will be!!!

V finished another book set for his freelancing and they gave him yet another one on the spot.  He turned in an invoice for 5 1/2 hours of work on this last set. At $15 an hour it should add up nicely. One problem is that since it is freelancing there is no social security or taxes withheld.  Hopefully it won't add up to so much that it causes problems next year. But having the money coming in now will be nice, even just a little bit.

Independence Days- week 6

Wow!  6 weeks of IDC already!  Where does the time go?!  It's been a busy week here.  Lots of things going on and some progress made.  So, here goes:

1. Plant something- No, but have finalized my list of what I want to plant.  I'm meeting with Roger next Saturday to finalize the planting plan for the garden.  Then I need to place my orders.  

2. Harvest something- a few lettuce leaves from the basement experiment.  Yum!

3. Preserve something- Made candied grapefruit peel yesterday. Not exactly a staple food but J and I like it. The boys both made horrible (but hilarious) faces when they tried it.

4. Store something- 2 bags of white sugar and more brown sugar.  The reserves in the basement were getting low and luckily there was a decent sale at the grocery.

5. Manage reserves- brought up another squash that has a bad spot.  We haven't cooked it yet but at least I know it's there.  We've got roast veggies planned for dinner Wednesday so hopefully it won't go too much further down hill before then.

6. Cook something new- Well, I guess the grapefruit peel counts.  I did lots of research before I started, comparing several different methods for making it.  

7. Prep something- nothing new, although V finding out about the new lid for my pressure canner fits- it's a tool that we will definitely be using a lot in the future.

8. Reduce waste- Recycled and composted as usual.  Used cloth bags at the store.  Also purchased a waffle iron to reduce reliance on prepared food (and it's packaging).

9. Learn a new skill- candied citrus peel!  I really need to get back on track with the knitting- I've been too distracted with garden planning and reading my new books to work on knitting.

10.  Work on community food security- introduced the concept of local foods to my new student in casual conversation- I figure I've got a captive audience for 12 weeks and he seems receptive.  Supposedly our beef went to the processor this week so we need to get in touch with them to specify how we want it packaged.

11. Regenerate what is lost- A slow week with this one.  Work has been a bit hectic and I haven't been out much. I do plan to forward emails and photos from my brother to I11 and K8s teachers.  Reaching out to improve those relationships.  It's not everyday that your kids know someone who is doing research in Antarctica and sending regular updates!

It's the beginning of a new week- many things lie in store.  Let's hope it's a good one.  

Here we come a waffling...

or better called:  LEGGO MY EGGO!

Success!

We had waffles for breakfast, using our new waffle iron.  You wouldn't believe the trouble it took yesterday to find a plain, basic waffle iron.  Most of them were either belgian wafflers- which I didn't want, or fancy ones with interchangeable plates to make pocket sandwiches- also something I didn't want. J14 finally spotted this one up on a top shelf.  It was a plain, 4 waffle iron.  No bells and whistles and inexpensive- just what I was looking for.  I found it interesting that the store didn't have this one out as a display.  They only had the fancy, expensive ones out as display models.  But this was just what we were looking for and at $20, definitely in the right price range.  One nice feature is that it locks together and can be stored on end so it doesn't take much space to store.

There is definitely a learning curve here- to find out how much batter is enough but not too much, how long is the optimal baking time, etc.  We also need to find a recipe that we like.  I tried 2 different recipes this morning.  The first tasted okay but didn't rise very well and the waffles tended to be flat and soggy, no matter how long I cooked them.  They didn't rise well enough to make good contact with the top plate.  At first I thought I hadn't put in enough batter but even with more batter in the next round they were still soggy.  The second recipe I tried was one I have had my eyes on for years, from a cookbook that was a gift from one of V's sisters years ago (the Crabtree & Evelyn Cookbook).  It is one for oat waffles using buttermilk.  It definitely performed better, the waffles were fluffy and crisp- it also has much less fat in it- 3 tablespoons of butter as opposed to 1/2 cup of oil.  I also like the fact that it has whole grain rolled oats. I'm not sure how well the boys will like them. Maybe next time I'll have to tweak the recipe with vanilla or something else, right now they are plain.

But it's a start!  The boys liked them and said that they would be an okay substitute for Eggos.  I guess I have a new job as waffle maker now.

Grapefruit peels and such things

Wow!  This is my 100th post!  Time sure flies when you're having fun.  Today was a good day.  I managed to get quite a bit accomplished: several loads of laundry (the Saturday usual), a shopping trip with J14 where we purchased a waffle iron, sorting and choosing fabric for J14's practice bag that she is working on right now (I'm giving advice but trying to not tell her what to do) and I made candied grapefruit peel.  

The grapefruit peel, I have decided is one of those things that you will either love or hate.  I LOVE grapefruit and am one of those bizarre heretics who likes to peel and eat grapefruit just like I would an orange.  I don't mind a bit of the white pith that most people think is quite bitter.  J14 is the same way.

I started out with 3 grapefruit peels that I had been saving in a bag in the fridge.  I used my handy-dandy orange peeler tool from Tupperware to score it into quarters and then peeled it.  I put the quartered peels into a large pot with lightly salted water (about a teaspoon to at least 4 cups of water). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes- this is to remove a lot of the oil that makes it bitter. 

Simmering peels

They initially float but as they cook they will sink a bit and turn slightly translucent.  After simmering them for the 20 minutes in the salted water, drain, cover again with fresh (unsalted) water, bring to a boil again and simmer for about 10 minutes.  I did some research before trying this and some recipes called for 5 separate 1 minute boils. I also noted that several of the people who tried the frequent, quick boils were unhappy with their results.  I opted to go for the method with the longer simmer.

When the second simmer is complete, drain and let cool slightly.  I'm not sure how long I let them cool- it was however long it took me to hang a load of laundry from the washer and start another.

The next step is to lightly scrape some of the excess pith off the peel.  Several sources suggested using a paring knife but what I found worked best was, of all things, a grapefruit spoon.  I used the serrated edge to scrape off some of the more stringy bits and remove some of pith where it was really thick.  How much you take off is up to you.  Then I used a sharp knife to slice the peels into thin (1/4 inch or smaller) strips.

Little strips of peel. It's a bit messy.

Then I make a syrup of 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup water.  I heated this until the sugar was dissolved, then added the strips of peel and brought the whole mess to a boil.  Then I let it simmer until the syrup was almost entirely absorbed. I forgot to look at the time when I was doing this bit but it seems like it took forever- it was probably at least 45 minutes.  When the syrup gets thick you need to watch it carefully so it doesn't scorch.  The strips of peel will look very clear- kind of like gummy worms.

Then I took them out of the syrup a few at a time into a pan of more sugar and rolled them to coat.  Then I lay them to dry on wax paper covered baking sheets.  You could use cooling racks as well but mine isn't big enough for as much peel as I had.

The finished product!

Rolled in sugar and laid out they look a bit like very heavily salted french fries but taste nothing like that. I'm going to leave them out to dry for at least a day, then I'll put them in an airtight jar in the fridge. 

My father has made candied orange and lemon peels for the past few years. I think all candied citrus peel is an acquired taste.  These are very much a "Hi! How are you! I'm a grapefruit!" experience.  It is a very intense grapefruit flavor with a bit of an aftertaste as well- a little bitter.  J14 has been snacking on them and thinks they're addicting.  I can eat only one or two at a time before I've had enough. For me the are a 'self-limiting snack'. I like that. I'm not tempted to eat too much and with the grapefruit aftertaste, I'm not tempted to eat anything else, so who knows- maybe these are the new grapefruit diet!

In other news, V heard back from the manufacturer of my canner.  He actually got an email from the foundry foreman and not just some customer service person.  They are going to be sending another lid- evidently no questions asked- although V did send photos with his initial email to the company. He had to send them our shipping address but hasn't heard if we need to then ship the original lid back to them.  But things are in the works. Yeah!!

As I mentioned earlier J14 and I went on a quest this afternoon for a waffle iron.  Even though it is a purchase of a new item we figured that it will eventually save us money.  One thing that has been bothering me a lot recently is that we have kept buying Eggo waffles for the children (especially the boys) for breakfast.  They are something that they all enjoy, are reasonably nutritious (but only if you don't read the ingredient list!), and are quick to prepare in the morning.  But I HATE that we have been buying them.  So we plan to make our own waffles and freeze them instead of buying Eggos.  That way I know that the flour won't take 3+ lines of the ingredient list and they will be much less expensive.  We're going to make waffles tomorrow for breakfast to try it out.  I don't know about the children but I'm excited- it's another step toward frugality and away from the grocery store.

Little Things

Sometimes it is the little things that keep you going:  a single flower blooming in the very early spring, a hug, a message from a friend.  V has had a tiny spark of good news in the job front.  His former employer has asked him to do some freelance proofreading.  Granted it's not much but I'm definitely of the opinion that something is better than nothing.  V finished one manuscript yesterday (a 4th grade math study book) and they gave him another set to work on (6th grade math).  It isn't much, a few hours of work at the most, but it is something.  At least, it shows that they really did value his work.  If they are able to keep him supplied with a few manuscripts a month it will be a few hundred dollars rolling in that we weren't expecting.  That is a good thing- especially since he has been turning up the heat during the day when he's home (OK, I have it set to drop to 60 when we're not home- but I usually just put on extra clothes when I'm home by myself).

In work news for me- I had a student start with me this week.  His name is James and he will be working with me on his clinical rotation for 12 weeks.  He has survived week 1.  I do enjoy having students but the first few weeks are rough.  Things take 3 times as long to complete because everything has to be explained and processed.  It will get better quickly- he is a great student and a fast learner- but it has been a LONG week.

Children are all healthy.  J14 has modified her dressmaking plans but we are going to work on the mock-up purse this weekend.  I11 is scheduled for oral surgery at the end of the month (with IV sedation!!).  K8 is plugging along.  

Tomorrow promises to be a busy day.  The usual weekend business plus making a purse and candied grapefruit peel.  We'll see how I hold up.

A new challenge!

Melinda at One Green Generation has issued a new challenge.  It is a tweak of her challenge last year.  Since I'm a newcomer into this blogging community, I missed out on last year's challenge- but this one is going to be great!  The challenge is to grow something from seed to seed.  That is, plant from seed, harvest and save seeds for next year's garden.  

I did a little bit of seed saving this year but am far from an expert.  This should be a good learning experience for me.  I need to do more research on it- it seems so natural but I'm sure there are tricks to the trade.

I really need to get together with Roger to plan the 2009 garden.  Time's a wastin' and I'm impatient for spring.  I've got my list and I know he's got his- we just need to make them work together.  

Help... teenager emergency

Okay.  I love it that J14 is a sweet, generous thing but there are limits.  She came home tonight from school and announced that she is planning to make two of her friends dresses. One a formal for prom and one for Homecoming next year.  A noble sentiment but not very practical.  I told her that I wasn't saying 'NO' but I didn't think it was a very well thought out plan.  She proceeded to stomp upstairs and rattle off a rant on her blog about it, essentially saying that she will do it with or without my approval.  

Now, J14's previous sewing experience is making a skirt when she was 10 and piecing the top of a lap sized strip quilt (all straight line sewing).  For the curves on the pockets of the skirt she needed lots of support and help.  So I envision several problems with the prom dress idea:

1. Funding- She thinks she is going to purchase the fabric for these dresses from her savings- money she has been collecting for several years for college expenses.  She would have enough to do it but I hate to see her use so much of her money on something like this.  I don't think she has any concept of the price of good fabric- especially what you would want for a formal dress- or the quantities involved.

2. Time-  She has difficulty already fitting in everything she wants/needs to do- we can barely get her to practice her violin so I don't see her having lots of time to sew... and I will NOT do this for her. 

3. Skill level- Sewing a formal is not an entry level sewing project.  She has very little sewing experience.  I know that improving her sewing skills and making some of her own clothes is one of her goals for the year but I think this is a bit of a big leap.  I know she has until next year to do this but I don't think a year is long enough to really develop her skills to that level.  She doesn't seem to think of this as a barrier.

She already has a grand plan to make her friend Teara a purse for her birthday in February and I'm okay with that.  She has fabric from another project and we went out to get a zipper last week.  I found an old zipper in the craft/sewing cupboard and we need to pick fabric to make a sample purse before she tries on the nice stuff for the gift.  I thought this would be a good time to teach her how to put in zippers (something I can do but dislike intensely).

A purse for a birthday present is a little different than making someone's prom dress for them.

HELP!!! Any advice on how I field this one successfully would be appreciated.  I'm really hoping that this is one of those wild schemes that she will forget about in a few days but then- she's stubborn- just like her Mom.