Wishing You A Little Luck Of The Irish And If You Can’t Find That Enjoy Their Whiskey!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Rachelle Weymuller @ Caramelize Life
“making life a little sweeter through food, travel and community”
Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Mar 17
Spring Croci Have Sprung!
The beauty of spring is here. 
Have a fantastic weekend!
Rachelle Weymuller @ Caramelize Life
“Making life a little sweeter through food, travel and community”
Potato Leek Soup
Today I sat down to write but found myself procrastinating by looking through my iPhoto library reminiscing about an Ireland trip we took a few years back. This trip ranks high in my all time favorites. We shared it with family and good friends, where we traveled through rolling fields following rainbows start to end, finding our Irish luck in the form of sunshine mid March.
That year my husband turned forty ceremoniously on St. Patrick‘s Day. We learned about falconry, bog ponies, and I found one of my favorite cookbooks The Forgotten Skills of Cooking. We enjoyed our share of Guinness and sampled potato leek soup along the way.
My littlest, is a connoisseur of potato leek soup, she has a discerning palate for the tastiest homegrown potato. She is also privy to the whole process, kudos to Tess Hoke, founder of Local 98856 and the Methow Valley Community School Locavores lunch program where she learned the garden to table journey.
Years later and I am still trying to perfect that tasty soup and win her nod. Until tonight, when I received that approvingly tilt of her towhead and a unanimous two thumbs up from the rest of my family. Nothing feels so good as a warmed bowl of soup steaming with flavor, a local brewed beer in a handcrafted glass to finish off the evening.
Potato Leek Soup (serves 6 but I usually double it for left overs and lunch boxes)
[inspired and introduced to me from “around my french table” and Stew Dietz Event Planning and Catering]
What you will need:
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 large organic onions chopped
2 organic garlic cloves, germ removed and crushed
Salt, freshly ground white pepper
3 organic leeks white parts only spit lengthwise and chopped thinly
2 large organic russet potatoes peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon dried thyme or a few fresh sprigs
1 teaspoon dried sage or a couple fresh leaves
4 cups homemade vegetable stock (we have a mixture of folks around our table so I play it safe and go veggie most of the time but any stock or water will work).
1 cup whole milk
2 cups half and half (you can omit this and use water, or any combination of dairy just remember it will be lighter).
4-5 croutons per serving
What to do with your scrumptious ingredients:
melt the butter adding onion until coated then add in garlic, salt and pepper, cover and cook until onions are soft 6 minutes or so (making sure not to burn them)
Add leeks, potatoes, thyme, sage, stock and dairy
bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until potatoes and leeks are soft
Serve in warmed bowls topped with croutons
Options:
let soup cool and puree into a thick and creamy soup, then warm and serve
top with cheese or add some colorful chives
serve cold and top with pear or apple
Funny little fact:
In the nineteenth century potatoes were accused of leading housewives astray due to the fact that potatoes required so little time and effort to prepare that it left female hands idle and primed to do the Devil’s work. [good thing I’m too busy for any of that! ;-)]
~Rebecca Rupp
Bain sult as do bhéile! (enjoy your meal)
Rachelle @caramelize life
“making life a little sweeter through food, travel and community”
Mar 8
It’s A Comfort-Food-Farro Kind Of Day
Spring is here, no wait… it’s not, oh here it comes… Nope. Now it’s snowing. Don’t get me wrong:
I LOVE SNOW.
But I can see grass now. It’s over, I can’t go back, I’ve gone and done it. The potting shed is clean and the seeds are calling my name.
Ok, so it’s mud season; the fifth season (right after Winter; just before Spring) Mud season is when we are thankful for all wheel drive and a high clearance vehicle, when I get to be a little crazy at the wheel, just to get up the mile long road we call a “driveway.” Mud season is when the dogs’ paws are caked with the newly emerged earth and their fur becomes the transporter for all that was outside to now reside inside. My neighbor tells me “You’re out numbered” (kids, dogs, cats, bird, bunny, chickens… oh and our exchange student’s fish-Fishy (guess who’s fish it will be in July?)) she advises to “Just let go.”
I think it will be my new mantra.
This morning I practiced that mantra and put on slippers (dirt goes unnoticed better that way) and made emmer pancakes; a little comfort food for a cold damp day. I was surprised by the fact that breakfast, from egg-crackin’ to clean-up, took little more than 20 minutes. The aroma wafting from the griddle pulled my little sleepy heads out from under their covers and had them at the kitchen bar in no time. I had that Proud Mama moment of knowing that I’m providing a healthy, beginning of the day meal (that they will actually eat) for my active kids. Hopefully they’ll be satisfied until lunch.
Oh! Lunch! I plan the day from one meal to the next. Last night I tried something new; the farro boldly went where only basmati rice had been before…the rice maker. Yup, hoping it would transform our long stove top cooking times to that of a care free slow cooker experience. I am happy to report: <<genius!>> It worked! And today I have fresh farro for lunch, via my rice maker. (Enter celebratory music and little happy dance that you really don’t want in your head).
Spinach and Blue Bird Grain Farro Salad:
serves 2 for lunch
1 cup farro
3 cups washed baby organic spinach
A handful of sweet cheery tomatoes halved
1/4 cup goat cheese(Sunny Pine Farm)
dash of lemon pepper
pinch of salt
Stove top method: Add the Farro to a medium pot with 3 cups or so of water and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for 45-50 minutes.When farro grains are plump, soft and still chewy remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
Or
Rice Maker method: I use a 1 cup grain to 1 cup liquid and set it to gaba (longer time but great for more nutrients) brown rice mode. But follow your rice makers directions for brown rice.
~Saute baby spinach with a little water and a dash of lemon pepper and a pinch of salt, until it wilts then remove from heat
~fill warmed bowl with farro
~crumble goat cheese onto the farro
~top with wilted baby spinach and halved tomatoes
Enjoy!
Rachelle Weymuller @ Caramelize Life
“Making Life Sweeter Through Food, Travel and Community”
Fondue and Football
What do you think of when you hear the word fondue? Snow topped Swiss Mountains, cows with clanging bells that we only hear at ski races and steam filled wooden clad restaurants where the air is permeated with the smell of melted cheese?
We’ve experienced these warm cozy venues under the Matterhorn‘s shadow and enjoyed true Swiss hospitality high in the mountains with good friends. However, what comes to mind over all, is a crazy combination of Swiss hospitality and an American pastime.
My husband grew up with a New Years Day tradition of fondue and football. So when there are back to back bowl games playing on New Years Day, his family and friends gather and instead of chips and dip they dipped their cubed bread into the Swiss cheese and yelled at the t.v.
Wanting to continue that family tradition we now host a Methow style fondue and football New Year’s Day party. Opening our doors to friends and family we mix up batches of creamy fondue, and have the games on the tube.
Personalizing the party we’ve added options for those who think it barbaric to sit and holler at the little people on the screen or just can’t sit still. These folks can stand outside in the below freezing weather and warm their tushies by the outdoor fire and enjoy their brew of choice. Adults get beer, children hot chocolate, we even tried serving fondue outside with an electric pot but I think the jury is still out on that. If you are curious we found the metal pot allows the cheese to separate easier than the ceramic pots but then again it could have been the sub zero temps!
sledding fun
fondue to go
finding the hot spot
A party like this only works if everyone pitches in. We ask that our guests bring a hunk of Swiss cheese for melting and something to dip. Then everyone jumps in and helps during the party. Besides the football, sledding and skiing there are always other games to play, easy party ones such as find your boots and kids mittens, those who’ve attended before have learned to bring their most unique outerwear for easy finding.
Recipe for Fondue and Football [serves 2 or keep making it and it will serve 150 hungry folks].
A community of friends willing to bring bread, cheese and celebrate football and snow.
All that you need:
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese ( Swiss: Emmenthaler, Gruyere, Jarlsberg)
1 1/2 Tbs flour
1 clove garlic
1 cup dry white wine
salt, pepper and nutmeg
1Tbs Kierschwasser
day old baguette style bread cubed (for dipping)
veggies broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower, etc (steamed for dipping)
fondue fuel for your pot, extra fondue forks
Action:
Dredge cheese with flour
rub garlic on the inside of the pot place over stove
add and heat wine until small bubbles form
reduce heat slightly and add cheese slowly in small amounts while stirring
warm the Kierschwasser and add it to the pot
if needed thin with warm wine
sprinkle salt and pepper nutmeg on top to taste
Extras:
Make ahead: I prepare for this party well in advance, stocking up on Swiss cheese when it’s on sale or buying it in bulk. I shred the cheese ahead of time and pop it in the freezer for later use.
What to do with left over cubed fondue bread? How about bite sized French toast? Or Croutons for soup and salad toppings?
Or if you find yourself with an over abundance of shredded cheese, it’s perfect for that quick quiche recipe to speed up a week night dinner.
En Guete!
Rachelle@ Caramelize Life
Feb 22
Seed Dreaming
A Friday photo to send you into the weekend.
Today we are day dreaming of seed starting and garden days. Making our lists and checking them twice!
Tell us what you’ll be planting this year.
Seed Dreaming
Just right Pear Butter
A large ripe box of fruit, especially pears sitting on the counter is like a heavy dollar in a kids pocket at the candy store.
Fruit is my candy, I love it most when it’s enveloped in a warm layer of sugar and spices fresh from the oven or dried and chewy with its sweet autumn flavors concentrated in each bite.
This year I decided to expand my appreciation and try pear butter. With cold snap of winter ebbing and flowing this November I look to comforts and the smells of mulled cider and chi permeating the kitchen. I like to remember that cozy feeling when I was a kid, coming in from play outside in the cold and smelling the nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves filling the air during the holiday times. So naturally, I put on a pot of hot apple cider with mulling spices warming my memories and continuing the tradition for my family.
I do enjoy apple butter and mostly I’ve purchased it with the only ingredients being apples and apple juice. But for the pear butter I thought it would be nice to add those comforting spices so we can enjoy them even after the cold has gone.
Pear Butter with Autumn Spices
yield: 5 half pints
6 lbs of ripe organic pears, peeled, cored and sliced into small pieces
1 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Combine pears, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and spices (ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg) in a heavy pot and bring to a simmer over medium/high heat stirring often. Once at a simmer reduce heat and continue to stir.
Put a spoon in the refrigerator to chill, for use later.
After an hour or so remove the pot from the heat and blend pear mixture with an immersion blender, in the pot. Or use a potato ricer, or if cooled regular blender. Blending until desired consistency.
Once blended, bring pear mixture back to a simmer over medium/high heat for 20 minutes more or until the butter will mound on the back of the chilled spoon.
Prepare your canning bath and supplies…
Ladle pear butter into sterilized jars, remembering to leave 1/4 head space, check for air bubbles with a wooden chopsitck, wipe rims with a sterilized cloth and place lids on top.
Process jars in boiling hot water for 10 minutes, remove and let rest for 24 hours.
Extras:
Great on toasted bread, atop oatmeal, ice cream. A great addition to quick breads, muffins and cakes for added moisture.
A wonderful hostess or holiday gift to give, add a tea towel and your favorite recipe, for a gift from the heart.
Enjoy!
Rachelle@ Caramelize Life
Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagne
We live the lives of busy Moms, friends, entrepreneurs, wives, community members…the list of hats grows long. So it is important that we use our time wisely while the kids are at school and the house is quiet by combining our get together time. Focusing on sharing and connecting, creating new recipes and learning from each other are all great ways to build lasting relationships.
We set up a plan to meet once a month and share new recipes, try each others favorite recipes and expand our regular “go to” menus for our families. Our goal is to prep and make a dinner for that night and then something to put away in the freezer or “put-up” in the pantry to be enjoyed in the future months as a tasty reminder of our day together in the kitchen.
We decide menus by what we have in our refrigerators. For me that is easy; a quick check, since I have just one. But Stew, she has four refrigerators I’m told so she always comes ready for a multitude of options. On our most recent get together, her car was packed and each time she pulled something from her bottomless box of goodies, like a magician, I was pleasantly surprised at what she emerged with: squash, spinach, fresh squeezed lemon juice, herbs picked that day a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I have to confess, Stew Dietz is not your ordinary super mom (a title I think all Moms carry in this day and age) like the rest of us but she is also a caterer extraordinaire so she has menu planning down to a science.
After taking stock of our potential ingredients, we decided the plan was to make a Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne, Potato Leek Soup, Parsley Pesto and Apple Butter. These days in the kitchen are very productive. For the Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne, Stew found inspiration from a Bon Appétit magazine but we didn’t have all the ingredients they called for and staying true to our creative spirit we improvised and tweaked their recipe to what worked for us:
Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna
10-12 Servings 9x13x3” pan
2# Butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded & cut ¼ “slices
1# Spinach
1 Large Yellow Onion, diced small
1# Fresh Mozzarella, grated or cut into small strips
16oz Skim Ricotta
1c Grated romano cheese
Zest from one lemon
4 Sage leaves, minced
1T Fresh Rosemary leaves, minced
2T Fresh Thyme leaves, minced
½ c Fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Bechamel
¼ c Unsalted butter
¼ c Unbleached all-purpose flour
3c Whole milk
2c Half & half
¼ tsp Fresh grated nutmeg
1 Bay leaf
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1# Lasagna noodles
½ c Parmesan
Toss sliced squash pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake on sheet pans in preheated 400 oven until cooked, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
In 10 qt stock pot heat water until boil and cook lasagna noodles until done. Toss with a little extra virgin olive oil to keep from sticking and lay out on extra sheet pans, wax paper or parchment.
Heat 3T olive oil in 8 qt heavy bottom stock pot and saute onions until tender but not colored, about 8 minutes. Add rosemary, fresh thyme & sage and cook adding salt & pepper to taste. Add spinach in handfuls stirring it in until wilted. Cook over high to finish wilting and help evaporate liquid (or drain in colander, reserving liquid for soup!) Stir in lemon rind and fresh parsley. Once cooled blend with ricotta & Romano set aside in a bowl for assembly.
In heavy bottomed 5qt pot melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook not letting it brown, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in whole milk & half and half. Add bay leaves & nutmeg. Slowly bring to boil and simmer stirring almost constantly until thickened, about 10-15 minutes depending on your heat. Season with salt and white pepper. Pour through mesh strainer.
To Assemble:
In 9”x13” pan spread about 1/3c béchamel in the bottom of the pan. Top with layer of lasagna noodles, butternut squash slices, Fresh mozzarella, spinach/ricotta mixture & ½ c béchamel. Keep repeating for a total of 3 layers of “filling” ending with noodles/ last of béchamel and ½ c Parmesan.
Bake @ 375 for 45 minutes, turning to broil for additional 5 minutes. Let rest before cutting and serving.
*Freezer Tip:
I usually cover the lasagne with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and write on the foil; What is inside, the date it was made, and date it should be eaten by as well as baking instructions, incase I am not the one making it for dinner. I also add a reminder to remove the plastic wrap beneath the foil.
Other ideas would be to add suggestions of what side dishes to pair with it.
Enjoy!
making life sweeter…from Rachelle @ Caramelizelife
Best Place to Live in the Wild West
I feel a little like that proud Mother who can only see the positive in my own child despite the realities that we are all human. Truth be told, this is how I am feeling about my community right now. This last week has been eventful.
My family and I were just returning from a vacation we enjoyed with friends at lake Tahoe and witnessed other close friends tie the knot atop of Squaw Valley. Both places were incredibly gorgeous and filled with laughter and good friends but our trip was cut short on our return to Seattle when I happened to scroll through some Facebook postings and saw that a neighbor had just exclaimed”Somewhat disconcerting when the Smokejumpers are jumping above your house and three fire trucks are sitting on the road.” What? Did I read that correctly? Turns out that 4 smokejumpers landed on our hill to fight a blaze that had been ignited by a lighting strike. Have any of you felt that sinking feeling when something happens and you are too far away to do anything about it…personally?
We cut our visit with Grammie short and hustled (read: 4 hours) home over the North Cascade Scenic (not today) Highway to take care of our home and animals. All along the way our friends were keeping us updated, <I love the internet> on the positive aspects to the event “they didn’t send a whole smokejumper crew just 4 guys so that is a good sign” said Sarah Berns. Our neighbor, Hannah Dewey, gave us the hourly play by play complete with photos texted to us of the blaze that her smokejumper husband, Patrick, was fighting behind our home. They dug fire lines along with ground and air support teams to make sure the already brittle and dry sage and bunch grasses didn’t ignite with a gust of 90 degree August air.
We had luck on our side, the winds died down and an early response from a seasoned fire crew saved our bacon. All is well and we quickly returned to our bucolic country lifestyle.
So grateful we are to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way for their fellow men, women and children. You all make a difference in our lives and we are thankful, thankful for the nation wide community of firefighters who travel all fire season, thankful to our community for keeping us updated and thankful for our community beyond who checked in.
That country lifestyle is just part of why we live here, but I am sure we all have a part of that wherever we live. It’s the individual who chooses to make a difference.
Have you ever left a community event feeling inspired, maybe with that Ah ha! moment of satisfaction “this is why we live here”? Each year I search out Sunset Magazine’s annual “best towns to live in” issue, curious to see who out there is raving about their slice of paradise.
Community makes a place and each of us has the ability to enrich ours, and in so doing, make life just a bit sweeter.
The other night I had one of those Ah ha! moments at Spring Creek Ranch‘s first Celestial Cinema evening of the summer. The stars aligned and I felt like I had just walked into that idyllic country life set only seen in Hollywood.
83 degrees, a slight breeze, familiar faces, local eateries selling their goods, children playing on the lush green lawn. Listening to friends connecting and catching up by sharing summer vacation stories. Ahh… this is why we live here.
It is the people that make the place.
So fittingly, let’s collectively create a Recipe for Community. Like the story of stone soup, tell me the qualities you feel make a place special to you. Just add your ingredients in the comments and I’ll update the recipe.
Here are a few thoughts to start…
A group of dedicated people
Energy
Action
Curiosity
A desire to connect
Caring
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related Posts:
How about a shout out for the 70 firefighters working the fire in the mtns above Falls Creek!
Organized by the North Cascades Smokejumpers, The Rocking Horse Bakery is proud to have been able to provide an air drop of muffins, scones and other tasty treats for the crew’s breakfast this am!
Seattle Times
A sign of community and neighbors making a difference
And the Winner for the Food with the Highest antioxidant content is…(drum roll please) Part Two
If you are just joining us check out part one of our chocolate tour.
part two…
We hit the prime time to view the cacao tree, because in early to mid June, the tree is in bloom with flowers, new leaves are emerging from the top, and the cacao pods are ripening. Michelle cut open a cacao pod so we could see the white fibrous center and the seeds nested within.
Did you know that Hawaii is the only state in the USA where chocolate trees grow?
Next on our three hour tour we are happily seated under the big top, the Steelgrass’s newest addition. Here is where we trust Michelle and taste little bits of chocolate from numbered ramekins.
This blind test allows us to banish any preconceived ideas we bring and let our taste buds tell us what we really like, rather than great marketing. This method draws out each of our inner wine enthusiast and we write down adjectives like smoky, pungent, fruity with a gritty mouth taste with an earthy flavor. These words are the ‘terre’ (french for place) that describe the chocolate and the flavors that swim in our mouths bumping into our sweet and salty taste buds. The flavors pop in our mouths and our taste buds jobs are made easy purely responsible for sending messages to our vacation brain, so we may conjure up visuals of the tropical landscapes the samples of chocolate originate from.
- Cacao bean and chocolate covered nibs
Of course, if you didn’t have the patience for all this nonsense and preferred to just eat your chocolate pieces and doodle on paper with crayons (like I said; no rock was left unturned) then Annabelle had a small following in another tent just for you nonconformists.
Meanwhile in the big top we traveled back in time and followed Michelle through chocolate’s historical journey from start to present day. Then we were given the secret DIY knowledge of transforming these cacao nibs into rich, creamy, melt in your mouth chocolate complete with kitchen appliance recommendations for the aficionados in our group.
The last bit of information we absorbed was what brought us here in the beginning; we now know which chocolate our taste buds have decided is the best from around the world.
For me it was the 70% Kallari “Red Leaf.” Forastero/Nacional, grown in Ecuador. I was happy to hear that it is also a very socially responsible production with a great story, another bonus to all the good news I am learning about chocolate!
Armed with facts and research to support their debate I believe our family favorite smoothie will be made more often this summer. Below is our combination of Ed’s Juice and Java’s; Funky Monkey and Molly of Glover St. Market’s; Energy Boost.
2 Peeled Bananas
1/4 cup Cacao nibs
3 cups Almond milk
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
liquid chocolate to taste (optional for sweetness)
Blend together adding more liquid depending on desired thickness
Enjoy!
Have it cold: if you make too much or have left overs simply pour into a Popsicle mold and pop it in the freezer for a healthy summer treat.
Fact: Cacao has one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any food. Antioxidant levels are measured by Oxygen Radial Absorbance Capacity. Per 100 grams, cacao nibs have 95,000 compared to; broccoli 890, spinach 1,540, acai berries 5,500 and dark chocolate 13,120.
*source Steelgrass.org handout.
Aloha kakou!
Rachelle @ Caramelize Life
Related articles
- 6 Types of Superfoods and their Amazing Benefits! (heallovebe.wordpress.com)
- From tree to bean: the cacao harvest (abauerporsche.wordpress.com)
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