DONUTS

While stopping for a coffee near Minnehaha and 40th, I spotted a brand new buisness that was selling tons of used furniture and recycled paint in front of the store. I'm a sucker for any kind of reuse/thrift store, so I had to take a peak. I can't recall the exact name of the store, but it definitely used the slogan "reduce, reuse, and recycle" in it somewhere.

I was expecting the store to be a little bit more like a surplus store/reuse center where they have giant buckets full of screws,  or bunches of old door knobs, but it turned out to be just your basic thrift store. Fine by me.

The store owner advised me to "take awhile looking through the shelves," which I did, and am glad for it. I found this completely unused donut-maker from 1977, complete with box, labels, directions, and a full one year warranty. Well, that clearly is expired, but I am really pleased with how complete the set is. And it all only cost six dollars!

The instruction manual had at least 20 recipes, and I picked the "old fashion donuts" first. They turned out pretty well, so long and you flipped it half way through. I think if I can tweak the recipes and figure out exactly how much oil to use, and how long to cook them, they are going to start turning out perfect.

The only problem is, now I own a donut-maker.

Becoming a Housewife

...before actually being a wife.


I went to the used bookstore in Dinkytown this morning with the intention of buying some cheap cookbooks. I ended up spending 50 bucks on books. Oops!

Of course, right next to the cookbook section were books about etiquette and housekeeping. A long time ago, my dad had collected some old American etiquette books that were hilarious, and oddly inspiring to read. My sister also went through a similar interest of etiquette books and old cookbooks...well obsession really, because now she is a cookbook writer/cookbook collector/diner party thrower/food writer/professional blogger. At some point I became drawn to these books myself. Part of it for humor, because there is no way I am really going to follow all the guidelines from "The American Frugal Housewife: Dedicated To Those Who Are Not Ashamed Of Economy" via 1836,  or "Manners: American Etiquette" via 1928. But also because I would actually like to learn how to make my own butter. I want to know how to treat my guests properly at a diner party. And I want to know how to properly get dressed before going to the opera.

Here is my first useful tip from a housewife, Mrs. Child:

"The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments of time, as well as materials. Nothing should be thrown away so long as it it possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money."

Well said. Now I just need to figure out a way to put my cat to work.

Canning Strawberry Jam!

I had completely forgotten I created this blog, but apparently I have a fan (thanks Al)! I have been spending the last 3 days making massive amounts of strawberry jam, and at some point during the process I remembered about this blog.

Since my discovery of the Lyndale farmers market, and the amazing discounts they will give you if you arrive just before closing and buy stuff in quantity, I've really been meaning to can stuff. At some point this summer I am also planning on starting to yeast culture, which may or may not require some canning of wort or what not, so I thought I could use some practice.

I got a steal of a deal, 12 dollars for 14 crates of strawberries (the same size you would buy in a store for 3-5 dollars).

My first attempt almost failed because I tried to make a double batch, and after boiling the jam it started to boil over! Ek!! I lost a little bit, probably two jars worth, but lesson learned. I still have more strawberry jam than I will be able to eat in a year.

Ingredients 
Makes about eight 8-ounce jars
7 cups granulated sugar 
8 cups whole strawberries 
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 package (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin

1. Before starting, cut of leaves and any bad parts of the strawberries, and wash them.  
2. Put the glass jars in the canner, and fill the canner with cold water so all the jars are completely filled and covered. Bring to a boil, let boil for 1 minute, and turn off
3. Put lids and tops in sauce pan, and fill with cold water. Keep these on medium heat, and let simmer. Do not let boil
4. Have sugar measured out and ready
5. Crush strawberries (food processor? potato masher?)
6. Add lemon juice
7. Add Pectin
8. Bring to Boil
9. Add sugar slowly, and stir well. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 1 minute
10. Take off heat
11. Take jar out of water with tongs, and pour the water in the jar back into the canner.
12. Fill jars with jam, one at a time.
13. Put seal and ring around jar, and tighten with hands. Put back into the canner. Make sure water is covering all jars
14. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 10 minutes
15. Take off heat, and let jars sit in canner for 5 minutes
16. Remove jars and let them sit for 24 hours, somewhere they can't be disturbed.

Pumpkin Beer

I just finished bottling my pumpkin beer! I must admit I am excited. I decided to prime this beer with maple syrup (priming sugar creates carbonation!).

Yes, this sounds like a wonderfully planned out recipe, a pumpkin spice beer with a hint of maple at the end.  I actually only used it because I started the corn sugar I originally bought on fire. One second it was sitting on the stove, not boiling, and the next second my entire apartment is filled with smoke! My roommate and I ran onto the roof, and watched as smoke poured out of the house. "OH NO! THE CATS!" Let's just say we stopped the fire, saved the cats, and found out that our fire alarm doesn't work. No harm done, right?

Pumpkin Spice Ale with Maple Syrup

Grains:
8lbs 2-row
1.5lb Vienna
1lb Light Munich
1lb Carapilis
.5lb Crystal 60L
.25 Chocolate

Hops:
1oz Mt. Hood at 90 min
1/2oz Saaz at 20 min
1/2oz Saaz at 2 min

Yeast:
American Ale Yeast

Other:
1 cup brown sugar at 90 min
1 tbsp irish moss at 15 min

Spices: (Adding cinnamon and nutmeg at different times during the boil takes out a range of bitterness from the spices, just like hops!)
1 tbsp cinnamon & 1/2 tbsp nutmeg at 90 min
1 tbsp cinnamon & 1/2 tbsp nutmeg at 20 min
1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tbsp nutmeg, 1/2 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp whole clove at 2 min

Prime with 6.86 ounces of maple syrup (assuming I would have used 5 oz of corn sugar)

A Blog? Really?

I was over at Corina's the other day. We were chatting about her cleansing diet, brewing beer, being sick of eating squash even though it's only the middle of November, and other general domestics. When I told her about the 3 different batches of apple sauce I made, one with brandy, one hard cider, and one with wine, her reaction was "why don't you write a blog about this stuff?" My reaction to that was "why the hell would I write a blog? A blog about what? Homemaking and domestics?" Ms. Corina is the one who stayed up until three in the morning one night canning over 100 quart jars of tomatoes. She is the one with 1/2 a cow in her deep freezer. She is the one who sold home-sewn menstrual pads at her garage sale, not ME!

A couple days later I was making a pie, and I started to think. Here I am, making the 4th pie this month, and I don't even eat pie that much because it's so bad for you. Yet I still make it at least once a week. I mean, I LOVE pie, don't get me wrong. I love everything about pie. I love making pie for my friends, family, boyfriend. I would even make pie for my cat if he didn't have bladder issues from eating anything but his expensive prescription cat food. Why am I doing this? Forcing the people around me to eat pie that I won't eat myself, but can't stop making!

And then I thought, maybe Corina was right. Perhaps I should write a blog about pie. Give some purpose to the fact that I make it so much.