Monthly Archives: August 2012

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Crochet Chenille Thick and Quick Beret (Lion Brand)

Easy

Chenille Thick and Quick – 1 Skein, N & P Crochet Hooks, stitch markers

Crochet (6sc = 4″ gauge on P Hook)

Beret:

With P hook, ch 4, sl st to form a ring – 6 sc in ring, place marker for beginning of round.

Rnd 1:  2 sc in each sc, 12 stitches

Rnd 2:  1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st – repeat around, 18 sc

Rnd 3:  1 sc in each of the next 2 sc, 2 sc in next st – repeat around, 24 sc

Rnd 4:  1 sc in each of the next 3 sc, 2 sc in next st – repeat around, 30 sc

Rnd 5-7:  Continue in this manner, working 1 sc more between incs each round until there are 48 stitches.  Work even on 48 stitches for 2″.  Fasten off.

Ribbing:  With N hook, ch 4.

Row 1:  sc in 2nd chain from hook and each ch across – 3 sc

Row 2:  Ch 1, turn, working through back lps only, sc in each sc.  Repeat Row 2 for 21″ stretched.

Finishing:  With RS facing, sew short edges of ribbing together invisibly.  With RS facing, sew ribbing to beret, easing in fullness.

Top Knot:  With P hook, ch 7, leaving a 3″ tail on each end of ch.  Break yarn, tie ch into a knot and secure at beginning ring.

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Kheema (Madhur Jaffrey)

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 inch by 1 inch chunk ginger, peeled and chopped

4 T vegetable oil

1 2″ stick cinnamon

4 whole cloves

4 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1-2 hot peppers

1 T ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 large canned tomato or 2 small, coarsely chopped

2 lb ground beef or lamb

3/4 – 1 tsp salt

1 T lemon juice

Blend onions, garlic, ginger with 3 T water into a smooth paste.

Heat oil (medium).  When hot, add cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay, red peppers.  When peppers turn dark, add paste from blender.  Fry about 10 minutes, stirring pretty constantly, sprinkling water if it starts to stick.  Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, fry another 5 minutes.  Add tomato, fry another 2-3, add meat and salt, fry on high heat 5 minutes.  Break up meat and brown.  Add 1/2 c water and the lemon juice.  Bring to a boil and cover.  Lower flame and simmer an hour.

This was pretty nifty.  And there seem to be about a hundred ways one could use this basic stuff… with vegets added as you cook it initially, or in tandem with other things.

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Rice with Spinach (Madhur Jaffrey)

2 c long grain rice

3 tsp salt

1 1/2 lb fresh spinach or 2 packages frozen

6 T vegetable oil

2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp garam masala

Wash rice and drain.  Cover with cold water and 1 tsp salt.  Leave for 2 hours.

If using fresh spinach:  Fill a 4-6 quart pot with water.  Add 1 tsp salt, and bring to a boil.  Trim and wash spinach thoroughly.  Wilt the spinach by dropping it, a little at a time, in the boiling water.  As the spinach wilts, remove to a colander, and rinse with cold water.  Press water out, and chop very finely.  If using packaged spinach – prepare as per directions, then drain and squeeze.

In a 3-4 quart oven and flame proof container, heat the oil, add the onions, and saute on medium 5 minutes or until golden.  Add spinach and garam masala.

Preheat onion to 300.

Drain rice and add to spinach mixture with 2 1/4 c water and 1 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut aluminum foil to fit top of pot snugly.  Cut a half inch diameter hole in the center.  Put in over for 30 minutes.  Check rice.  If not done, cook another five.

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Egg Moghlai (Madhur Jaffrey)

12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

4 medium onions, 2 peeled and chopped, 2 rainbowed

1 1/2″ by 1″ piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

10 T vegetable oil

2 cinnamon sticks, 2 1/2 – 3 ” long

2 bay leaves

10 cardamom pods, slightly crushed

10 whole cloves

1 tsp whole cumin seed

Dry-roasted and ground:  1 1/2 T coriander, 1/2 tsp cumin

3 T yogurt

1/4 c tomato sauce

1- 1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp saffron, roasted and crumbled (I generally substitute safflower in 2 to 3 times the amount asked for, as saffron is so pricey)

Put the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger into blender with 4 T water.  Turn into a smooth paste.

In a 10″ pot, heat 8 T oil.  Put in rainbowed onions, and fry over medium-high heat 10-12 minutes or until browned and crispy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add remaining 2 T oil to the pot, and add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, and whole cumin.  Stir and turn spices once.  Add paste from blender and fry, stirring, for ten minutes.  Turn heat down to med and add dry-roasted coriander and cumin, turmeric, and cayenne.  Stir and mix one minutes.

Add at intervals, constantly stirring and frying:  the yogurt, the tomato sauce, stir for a minutes, eggs and salt, stir for 2 minutes, 1/2 c water.  Mix well, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, simmer gently 20 minutes.

While cooking, soak saffron in warm milk.  After done simmering, add browned onions and saffron milk.  Mix, cover, and simmer five more minutes.

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Pickled Zucchini (Rombauer’s)

Cut into thin slices:  2 lbs zucchini, 2 peeled onions

Cover with cold water and add 1/4 c pickling salt.

Let stand 2 hours, then drain.

Bring to a boil for 2 minutes:  3 c cider vinegar, 2 c sugar, 1 tsp celery seed, 2 tsps mustard seed, 1 tsp turmeric.

Add vegets, remove from heat, and let stand for 2 hours.  Heat to boiling point and cook for five minutes.  Pack in sterile jars.  Seal and process.

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Beef Creole with Potato Puffs (McCall’s Great American Recipe Cards)

Last night’s dinner.  Went over rather well, especially when my partner’s reaction to the picture of the dish was twitchy and involved commentary about how the “potato puffs” looked like fungal growths.

<strong>Beef Mix:</strong>

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c chopped onion (I used around a cup)

1/2 c chopped green pepper (I used a whole pepper, probably came out to around a cup)

1/2 c chopped celery

1 pkg frozen peas, partially thawed (The recipe called for 10 oz, the package I used was 14)

1 T flour

1 tsp chili powder (I used a tsp and a half)

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 c catsup

1 c tomato juice (since we get the small set for drinking cans, this ended up being 11 oz)

1 T Worcestershire sauce

<strong>Potato Puffs:</strong>

1 1/2 c mashed potatos

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp grated onion

1 T parsley flakes

1/3 c dry bread crumbs

1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.

In large skillet, over medium heat, slowly brown beef, leaving it in large chunks.  Add onion, green pepper, and celery – cook, stirring until it is aptly cooked for your tastes.  Add peas.  Blend flour with chili powder, salt, and pepper – quickly stir into the meat mixture.  Add catsup, tomato juice, and W-sauce.  Cover, simmer five minutes, or until you have the potato puff mixture ready.

In medium bowl, combine all the puff ingredients, blend well.

Put the meat mixture in a 2 quart casserole (3 quart if you increased amount the way I did).  Drop tablespoons of puff mixture into the meat mixture.  Cover.  Bake 30 minutes.  You can also do everything up to actually putting it in the oven, and then hold off beginning cooking until close to mealtime.  However, if it cools down, add 15-30 minutes to the cooking time.

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Almond Tile Cookies (McCall’s)

Benefit to making things that produce as many leftovers as some of my choices of late is that sometimes I can use my cooking time to make something more interesting.  This was the first time I had made this particular style of cookie, and it was an amusing experience.
Warning:  This recipe doesn’t make very many cookies.  The count for me was 17 (though it claims 3 dozen), although I was less particular about the “drop by teaspoon” and I didn’t flatten them out or curl them.
2 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 T butter, melted
3 T flour
1/2 c sliced, blanched almonds
Preheat oven to 400.  Grease large cookie sheet and dust with flour.  (Unless using nonstick or silicone.)  Combine egg whites, sugar, and vanilla – beat with a whisk about 2 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved.  Add melted butter and flour, beat until smooth.  Stir in almonds.
Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet.  With a small spatula, spread each to a 3 inch circle.  I only put six in per cookie sheet.  Bake 4 to 5 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown around edge and lightly browned in the center.  Immediately, using the spatula again, remove cookies carefully, and place over a rolling pin to curl them.  Repeat until out of batter.

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Spinach Frittata (McCall’s)

3 T oil

1/2 c thinly sliced onion

10 eggs

1 c finely chopped raw spinach (1/2 lb)

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 T chopped parsley

1 small clove garlic, crushed (I think I used a couple, my household really loves garlic.)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

PReheat oven to 350.  Heat oil in 10 inch heavy skillet (if using cast iron, make sure it is well-seasoned, or reseason it before starting.)  Add onion, saute until onion is tender and golden brown.  In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  With wire whisk or fork, beat until well blended.  Turn into skillet, with onion.  Cook over low heat, lifting from bottom with spatula as eggs set.  (It says three minutes, I guesstimated when it looked right-ish.)  Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes, or until top is set.  This can take quite a bit.  With spatula, loosen from bottom and around edges.  Cut into wedges and serve.

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Fels Naptha Soap

Posting this as sort of a warning.  My household has done some searches over time for homemade detergent recipes.  A number of them included a suggested ingredient of “Fels Naptha Soap.”  Looked into it because there are a lot of unhealthy ways to make soap, varying in degree.  This particular soap contains a Benzene derivative.  Definitely not on the list of things you want to absorb through the skin, or get into your clothes.