The Kindness of Strangers

This is just too easy.  I got this recipe for Potato Rosemary Potato Bread from The Culinary Chronicles.  I love Rosemary Bread and had been buying a small rounded loaf from the grocery story for about $5.00.  I didn't have any left over mashed potatoes, so I quickly cooked some using potato flakes you can buy in the store.

Assembling all the ingredients, I made the dough.  It reminded me of Grandma's Hands.  That's the name of an old song.  I don't think it's a Negro Spiritual, but everyone seems to know it and I first remember singing it in church.  I learned to cook by watching my grandmother.  She told me the food tasted better if you put your hands in it.  And hers certainly did.  So a lot of my mixing is done with my hands.

As I dug my fingers into the dough, I thought I could have used the mixer with the dough hook for that.  Too late.  My hands were already coated with flour.  So I continued, mixing the ingredients and kneading the flour until I had an elastic ball.

I used a glass bowl to mix the dough.  I also used a glass one to allow it to rise.  The reason for this is I live in the northeast.  It's still cold here (40 degree range) and we can have snow as late as April.  To warm my kitchen in winter I set the oven to 170 degrees and put the glass bowl on top of the stove.  The dough rises in the warmth.  Metal pans conduct heat and in some cases will cause the dough to begin cooking.

Rising on the stove

Since the heat comes from the back of the stove, I sit the bowl toward the front for more even heat.  I covered it with a towel that I folded up so none of the fabric touched the burners (safety first).

Now it's time to make the rolls.  Punch the dough down and then break off small pieces.  Roll them into balls and place three in a greased muffin mold.  I used PAM to oil the pan.

Before the second rise

All muffin pans filled

When I ran out of muffin pans, I used muffin top pans.  The dough flattened to the mold of the pan.  But all of them rose.

The yield on this was 30 rolls.  And I got exactly 30 rolls.

Coming out of the oven

Set in a rose

I set the roll in a rose napkin, but it didn't stay long.  The house was filled with the aroma of rosemary and baking bread.  It brought the troops down the stairs and straight for the counter filled rolls.

In any shape it tastes as good

I froze some of them.  Each day I take out a few and warm them.  They taste just as fresh as when they came out of the oven.

Here's the recipe courtesy of The Culinary Chronicles.

2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup shortening
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup scalded milk
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1. In a small bowl, put the yeast in the warm water and stir with a spoon. Let sit for about five minutes or until the yeast starts to bubble.  Scald the milk and let it cool for two minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, shortening, and salt. Add the milk and stir in one cup of the flour. Next, add the yeast mixture and the beaten eggs. Add the mashed potatoes and rosemary and stir. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough comes together.

3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and let rise in a warm spot for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Punch down the dough. To form the rolls, pinch off about a 1/2 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place three balls into a greased muffin tin. Continue forming rolls until dough is gone. Let the rolls rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake rolls at 375 degrees F for about 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Makes about 30 rolls
 

Southwestern Glory

Are you one of those people like me who has a craving for certain things?  Like a Big Mac attack or going on a Noraholic binge?  There are times when I only want Chinese food or pasta (Fettuccine Alfredo is my favorite, and there are so many ways to change it, but that’s another subject).  Today I’m craving the southwest.  I love Mexican food.  It’s strange that I should since I really don’t like dishes that are two spicy (read spicy hot).  And authentic Mexican food uses a lot of hot peppers.

Photo Credit: Stock Xchange

Several years ago I went to New Mexico for a writers conference.  The scenery was beautiful and the dry air was strange to my used-to-humidity-body.  I found you have to drink water practically all the time.  But that and other visits inspired this table scape.

We found the cactus at the Grand Canyon.  This was another trip to Arizona.  As a side trip my son and I drove to the Canyon.  He found this giant glass cactus and could not leave the state without it.  We couldn't carry it on the plane (it's huge and would not pass the overhead bin test).  They agreed to ship it to our home address if we paid the shipping.  It was worth every penny and of course reminds me of one of the perfect days in my life.

It's made of small glass squares (which take a mountain of time to clean).  The glass is stacked on top of each other until it builds the cactus.  The edges are sharp so we tend not to touch it.  But it's so unique that whenever we have people over they always comment on it.

The plates and glasses are a bright color and with February being the doldrums of winter, I needed something that reminded me of sunshine and warmth.

And what Mexican meal would be complete without MARGARITAS!  I don't remember if they were the first drink that I really liked after I became of legal drinking age, but if not they were close.  I love them frozen.

My daughter loved it when I spread the chips all over the table.  She got to eat them.  And her Margarita was virgin.

Here's a full table view.  Well it's time to eat.  We're having re-fried beans, a taco salad, rice, enchiladas, chips, salsa, and beef tacos.

Dishes & Glasses - Dollar General
Charger - (already had these)
Cactus - Grand Canyon

If you can't be in the southwest, at least you can eat as if you were.  Enjoy.

Kitchen Remodel - One Step at a Time

My kitchen was due for an update.  It was stuck in the 80's like most of those I’ve seen on HGTV.  However, the price tag they have for the average kitchen remodel was outside my price range.  I couldn’t afford to hire a contractor and have them gut my kitchen and start over.  For one thing, the footprint was not going to change.  And if you’re not rearranging the layout, there is no reason to gut the kitchen.

I decided to do the kitchen my way – one step at a time.  And one expense at a time.  I’d watched a every DIY and home improvement show there was, checking out designs, products and estimated costs.  I  went to home shows and talked to builders and contractors, all of whom wanted to come and gut my kitchen. I wanted to know where to begin.  Why isn't there a manual that says, START HERE!

I talked to people who said start with the appliances.  And others who said start with the cabinets.  The truth is you have to start with a plan.  You have to know everything that is going in the kitchen, where it's going and what the dimensions are.  Even if you're like me and not changing the footprint of the space, you need to know the size of things when you go shopping.

Rough Layout of Kitchen

I knew I did not want to pull my cabinets off the wall and replace them.  The boxes are fine.  The doors are solid wood and could be refinished or painted, but the style of the doors is something I don't like.  So I want to replace them.  More on that later.

I checked out the cost of everything and made myself an Excel spreadsheet with what I estimated I would need in order to do this remodel.  I wanted hardwood floors, granite countertops, a new sink, one of those faucets you touch and the water comes on or goes off, a backsplash to complement everything, stainless steel appliances, and finally replacing or refacing the cabinets and adding new doors.  Everything cost more than I expected, but I'm a bargain hunter and I'll ask if a discount is available.  You'd be amazed at how often they say yes.

I started with the floors.

This is the old linoleum floor

I was actually doing the floors in my family room where all the remodeling had already been done.  Since the kitchen is a natural extension of that room, and it would cost more if I broke the family room and kitchen into two projects, I did the floors first.

This is the new floor

Every home improvement project has surprises, so be prepared for them.  My first surprise was that the appliances died on me.  All of them at once.  They had been dying in that the refrigerator didn't really freeze everything.  The broiler on the stove did not work at all.  Some of the tile on the electric burner had cracked (my fault for letting it get red hot while I was writing).  The microwave worked, but it was a monster and attached as one piece to the stove.  If I replaced one, the both had to be done.  Then the oven conked out.  Thankfully, it was the day after a party I'd held.  When that went, it was time to go shopping.  I lucked out at a sale that coincided with a holiday and appliances came with both a store discount and one from the manufacturer.

All was not going smoothly since a surprise came in the form of additional electrical, plumbing and gas lines that needed to be run.  The old microwave and stove was one of those huge ones.  When I replaced it, we discovered the old one had been hard wired.  The new one had a plug.  So I needed a outlet.  The old microwave was twice the size of the new one, so the cabinet above it, which by law it must be bolted to was so small that I'd be lifting things out of the unit and they would be over my head, not to mention aesthetically it would look awful.  So I bought a new cabinet.  Because I wasn't concerned about the doors, they would be replaced anyway, I got a sturdy cabinet that fit the size needed.  As an aside, I sprang for the convection-microwave and I love it.  It gives me a second convection oven if I need it and we've used it more than once.

Notice the size difference of the cabinet and microwave

Back to the remodel.   Floors are done, appliances are in.  I have a working kitchen.  Everything else is cosmetic.  I started looking for a countertop.  I wanted granite.  I love the look of it and previously I had butcher block or what I thought was butcher block.  It was really Formica as I found out when the installers came and removed it.  And there was another surprise.  I was responsible for removing the debris.  They stacked it outside my garage.  I started getting rid of it a piece at a time, since no person picks up our trash.  The garbage truck has two metal arms that fold together on either side of the plastic bin, lifts it and dumps it.  Luckily the trash guy saw me one day and stopped.  He told me to put it all out and he'd take it away.

Formica Countertop (I thought was Butcher Block)

After a lot of shopping, I finally decided on the countertop, but no backsplash.  I wanted mine to be the same from the counter up.  It took me six months to find something I liked and could afford.  My tastes are very expensive.  And this is my castle, so I'll have what I want.  I don't mind saving to get it.

Granite Countertop

The backsplash is black and white and cracked glass.  It's hard to see the cracked glass in a photo, but it really pops against some of the cabinet doors I've seen.  And this brings me to the doors.  That is where I am now.  I've had several estimates for refacing and replacing the doors.  All of them are outside my price range.  So I have a plan.

Black, white and cracked glass backsplash

I kept the door front of the tiny cabinet that was replaced when I got the new microwave.  It's still winter here, but when spring finally breaks (it's got to be above 50 degrees), I'm going to take that door and divide it in half using a piece of painters tape.  Then I'm going to work on half of it; sand, paint and put three coats of polyurethane over it.  If I like the finished product, I'll paint my cabinets and replace the doors.

And then that room will be complete and I can go on to the next project.

Bathrooms!

Here's how the cost broke down.  So it's possible to do things without breaking the bank.  I did some negotiating with various contractors and got the price down.  I also shopped to make sure I was getting the quality they promised even though the price was low.

Countertop - $1,900

Upgraded Sink - $100

Faucet - $260 (I found a real bargain)

Floors - $2,600

Appliances - $4,900

Backsplash - $600

Labor for Faucet and Backsplash Installation - $600

Smoothies

“Would you make me a smoothie today when I get home from school?” This is a request my daughter made yesterday. Of course, she couched it in several “if I...” statements. I agreed to make the smoothie regardless of the if’s. For one thing it’s a healthy drink.

Smoothies come in all sorts of flavors and we like them all. They are a concoction of fruit and fruit juices. We decided to do Orange-Banana. You can use any fresh or frozen (thawed) fruit. From oranges you get Vitamin C and we all know potassium comes from bananas.

These are the ingredients you will need.

2 Bananas
Orange juice (enough to cover the bananas)
1/4 to1/2 cup Sugar (I’m sure a sugar substitute will work easily here)
Ice

Depending on your blender size, the yield could be different. I have a Waring. It’s been with me for at least twenty years. We get 3 1/2 tall glasses.

Peel and break the bananas into small sections.  Put in blender.

Add sugar and enough orange juice to cover the bananas.

   Blend.  The mixture should look like this.

Add the ice.

Blend a second time.

The mixture should be thick and creamy.  Pour into talk glasses and add a colorful straw.  You can also serve these in daiquiri or margarita glasses.  Garnish it with a sprig of mint, a tiny umbrella or fruit on toothpick.  They make a great summer drink, an replenishment drink after exercising.

It's fun, it's easy and most important, it's healthy.  We had guests once who didn't like orange juice.  I made them for breakfast and they tried them.  While they may not like orange juice, they had seconds on these.  Now, banana-orange smoothies are a requested item by those same guests who didn't drink orange juice.

Enjoy!

The Blue-Plate Special or Ordering at Woolworth's Lunch Counter

The lunch counter at F.W. Woolworth’s was always busy and every seat was filled.  According to my friend Karen Plunkett-Powell’s book Remembering Woolworth’s, it was a company built on selling everything for nickels and dimes.  Did you know they had their own china pattern?

Woolworth’s has moved into the realm of iconic American history.  Much of its memorabilia has been lost.  I picked these dishes up and discovered they were made for F. W. Woolworth.  They must have been made before Woolworth moved into the realm of iconic American history, because they are both dishwasher and microwave safe.  They only had two.

Blue has never been my favorite color, but I gravitate to it in dishes.  We had blue china when I was young.  At first I thought the pattern was Blue Willow.  Every time I see a blue pattern on a white plate I think it’s Blue Willow, although I hope one day to find Ming Tree.

I don’t know if they ever served food on these plates at Woolworth’s.  From what I can remember, since I never ate at the counter, the stacks of cups and plates along the back wall were institutional white and thick like ironstone.

The non-matching cup is from another collection, but it seemed to work here.  I love cups with cops since when I'm writing anything hot will usually become tepid before I finish drinking it.  The covers are as good as a ceramic thermos.

I also tried a new way to fold the napkin.  It was virtually painless, but napkin folding interest me.  They give the table both character and definition, setting the stage so guest immediately understand the purpose of the table and the meal.

Blue was never my favorite color, but when it comes to dishes, I seem to gravitate toward that calming color.  Meals should be enjoyed, savored and eaten in leisurely environment over which you can decompress, tell stories and enjoy the company of others.  We tend to run faster than trains these days, each of us busy and needing to get to the next job, class, event, or whatever calls our attention.

I added the salt and pepper shakers because they have blue and pink hearts on them and sit on a blue heart.

Finally to round out the table, I added the small portrait of a French cafe.  While it's not Woolworth's, it can act as a conversation piece or just be a pleasing scene to look at while you eat.  And the French are famous for their food and for taking time to thoroughly enjoy it.

All we need now is the food and today's blue-place special from the Woolworth menu is the Delux Ham Sandwich for a whopping $.40.  Couple that with a $.10 King-siz Coca-Cola and you have a complete meal.

Eat hearty.