Somewhere In the Moment

First, let us begin with the black eyed peas for the New Year's Day Hoppin' John.

Lately, I find myself less and less interested in tradition but New Year's black eyed peas is definitely one tradition from which I cannot walk away.  We had a quiet New Years dinner with sister Elaine and my Mr. Steak and 'Taters. Mr. Steak and 'Taters dutifully ate two black eyed peas to bolster his luck in the New Year.  Elaine and I ate quite a bit more than two.

Shall we break down the pot:  Ham from the freezer. In November, I cooked a whole ham from a company that gives pigs a better life than some and then had a ton left over... I cubed a great deal of it and froze it in two cup portions.  Next bay leafs purchased at the farmer's market last fall and dried at home.  They have an amazing flavor.  Local sweet onion.  Turkey stock that I made and froze in cup portions in November.  Fresh thyme from the herb pots.  Dried black eyed peas, reconstituteded.  (Dried peas are an amazing thing.)
It is a wonderful thing to cook a dish with no need to open a can and know that I was so involved in so many aspects of each ingredient.  It's a difficult feeling to explain but I find a great sense of peace and self accomplishment when I am so involved in the food I prepare.

Second, a break from tradition.

Remember, I'm not feeling particularly traditional at the moment.  This explains the spring-ish tablecloth that I used at Christmas rather than pulling out my very traditional reds and greens. I also felt inspired to come up with something a bit different for the table.

Centerpiece Breakdown:  A little bit old, A little bit new, Touches of blue - Hecworth Silver plate Candelabra found on Ebay for $10 plus shipping, Vintage Blue Mercury Glass beads also sourced from Ebay about $10, Assorted ornaments from my Christmas decoration box and from Dollar Store, Turquoise blue perching bird an impulse buy at Walmart $2, Aluminum tray with decorative handles was a $1 thrift store find that had to have rust removed

I'm just in love with the silver and blue.  In love to the point that I packed away the ornaments with the other Christmas goodies but have simply not been able to disassemble the tray, candelabra, and mercury beads. 

Again, it is impossible to explain to Mr. Steak and 'Taters why I enjoy spending money and time on something with little utility that simply pleases me on an aesthetic level but seeing an idea in my head and making it happen the way I think it should does bring me great satisfaction.

2nd Hand Pumpkin

Well, this pumpkin isn't exactly 2nd hand but it is repurposed.

I love to carve a jack-o-lantern. It is unusual in my home if there isn't a glowing jack looking down the street on Halloween evening.  However, here in the southern United States, where the humidity clings, a carved pumpkin will literally melt in a matter of 48 hours.  In no time it seems, you'll have a nice little science experiment sitting out on the front steps.

Due to the "melting", this year I waited to Halloween day so that little Jack here would have minimal exposure and still be usable for other endeavors.  He was $4 at the grocery, he should certainly provide a little more bang for the buck.

At this point, you should know this might be disturbing to small children.  I am about to illustrate Jack-o-lantern homicide. Cue the horror film music...

 If you are working with pumpkin or winter squashes you should always work with a sharp knife. (Poor jack, he was such a happy pumpkin.)

(The carnage continues.)  Slice the pumpkin in pieces small enough to lay fairly flat in a baking pan.

Now, it's into the oven.  (Yes, he will be baked on top of being sliced into pieces.)  Use pans at least two inches deep, add about an inch of water, bake in a preheated 375 degree oven.  The bake time should be 30 to 40 minutes but this will vary depending on the thickness of the pumpkin.  The real indication that the pumpkin is done is when the tines of a fork slide easily through the pumpkin meat.  

Last, cool the pumpkin, peel the skin, and (preferably) process in a food processor or mash thoroughly with a vegetable/potato masher until you have a smooth consistency.  This is much like a pumpkin puree and should resemble baby food. Store in refrigerator or freeze, I like to freeze in 1 cup portions, for later use.

If you've never worked with fresh pumpkin, be prepared this is a much different product than the canned stuff.  Don't get me wrong, it works the same, but the color is much nicer and I think the final pumpkin product is better.

Post Script: The first photo shows the spicy pumpkin seeds I toasted in the oven.  They didn't last long.  Yummy!

From Scratch

 

 The other day, I was in the check out line at a local thrift store and the cashier began questioning the older but not really elderly woman in front of me about her purchases.  The woman was explained how she reused items for storage and such.  This led to a conversation about how the woman made everything from scratch including her bread.  That peeked my interest.  After all, I was on my way home to make the above cupcakes from scratch.

(For my one international reader, actually you're almost my only reader I'm not sure how the word "scratch" crosses dialectical differences but just in case I'll explain because it's important for the rest of the story.  In the US when the term "from scratch" is used in the kitchen it refers to making something with the basic ingredients, not relying on a mix or pre-made store bought things.  Now, back to the story.)

The cashier evidenced the usual amazement that someone still makes anything, much less bread from scratch which led the customer to share a joke.  It's an oldy but it's still good:

A young woman walks into the grocery store.  After spending quite a while looking around and going from one end of the store to another a clerk asks the young lady if she needs help locating something.  The young woman looked up and said, "Oh I'm looking for scratch".  


"Scratch?" asked the clerk.


"Yes," the young woman replied.  "My Mother told me she baked everything from scratch.

I was still smiling and the clerk was still laughing when it was my turn at the check out.


Photo: What I like to call double chocolate cupcakes (recipe found here at The Wife of a Dairyman) and cream cheese frosting.