Can Jam, part 2

I love Dilly beans. I love the homespun name of them, plus they are mmm mmm good. Fresh dill sure does look purty in the jar, and the judge at the county fair will recognize your talent over that know-it-all Ida Sue. Who does she think she is?
Sorry. Went off on a County Fair reverie for a second. Here's the recipe.
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 garlic cloves
4 sprigs fresh dill
1/4C. pickling salt
2 1/2 C. white vinegar
2 1/2 C. water
Sterilize jars and lids.
Pack beans lengthwise into hot, sterile pint jars. Add 1 sprig of dill and 1 garlic clove to each jar. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour, boiling hot, over beans, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Seal with lids and sterilize. Yield: 4 pints.

Can Jam

Ah, canning. There's nothing more satisfying to a Homespun girl than seeing rows of full Mason jars on a shelf. Its almost difficult to open them up, but oh, the sound of that seal releasing!
Let's clarify for those new to the game that canning does not refer to sealing things in cans, but rather putting things in glass jars and making the lids airtight. Another nice turn of phrase often used in the South is "putting up", as in "My Mama fell and hurt her hip, so the ladies from the Baptist church came over and helped her put up her okra."
Canning can be hot work, especially in the summer, what with all those jars simmering away on the stove, so I usually wear a bikini, and not just any bikini: the canning bikini. This is the top to a bikini that a friend gave me that I would never wear in public because it's too skimpy, and I am not that type of girl. But, for standing in a kitchen with four burners blazing in August? It's perfect. (I'd recommend actually wearing shorts or pants rather than a bathing suit bottom- you need a little coverage with all that boiling water).
You can start with the easiest thing to go into a jar: jam. Crush some berries, add whole bags of sugar (well, practically), cook it, and seal it up. This is really very easy, but with one caveat: your mental state. One time, I was in what I thought was a serious relationship, only to be broken up with without actually being told. (True story. Perhaps for another time). Anyway, while I was alternately on crying jags or angrily throwing plates, a friend and I decided to make jam. Although we had done it many times before in the same kitchen, it burned. Horrible. Scorch drawn all the way through. She maintained it was my attitude, and we named the jam "bitter berry". Bad attitude = Bad jam.

Canning is a way to take the best of the season and make it last all year. The specifics of how to can are like a science experiment from high school: be properly outfitted, read the directions, take care around an open flame. That said, don't be intimidated- even something that gets messed up can still be used. A jam that doesn't set? It's a fruit sauce! Pickles that don't seal? Eat them that week!
All that needs to be said and learned about canning can be done by reading the Bible of home food preservation, the Ball (that's a mason jar to you) Blue Book. If you'd like to can, the BlueBook is the best investment you can make. You can even buy it on Amazon.com with a little kit that includes some canning tools.

So, How can canning work for you? On with the show, my bikini-clad friends!

Take that, Martha Stewart

I inadvertently came up with a Thanksgiving idea so cool that Martha herself will be stealing this by next year. Shows you what not much planning and a cocktail will do.
I had bought some chestnuts just because I like having them around this time of year, and I threw them in the oven to roast. (Caveat: Chestnuts, even when you cut a slit in the skin, have a tendency to explode if they cool too fast. And I do mean EXPLODE. If I had been standing a little nearer to the tray I would have had a face full of chestnut). The family and I then printed out pictures of the people coming to dinner, printed them in yearbook size photos, taped it to a toothpick and stuck it in the chestnut. Each dinner place had a fun photo (of course we picked the embarrassing ones), and a tasty snack.

Your move, Stewart.

Under Pressure

My husband came home from the store one day and remarked "Look at all the dried beans there are! And they're so cheap! I bought 5 bags!"

This was about 2 years ago. They're still in the pantry, but in a moment of hunger+below freezing temperatures+ I really wanted white beans= I'm starting an experiment. The problem with dried beans is that they need to soak overnight, then cook for at least an hour, so it's not something you can whip up after work. Another problem is that after waiting 16 hours or so for some type of food, you tend to want something more exciting, like ice cream, rather than, well, cooked beans that you could have had out of a can. However, the Homespun warrior never wastes food, so I'm taking down some of those beans. I think the trick is this: You still always need to soak them, but if you put them in water when you go to work, you cover the minimum soak time and can cook them when you get home in a pressure cooker. I realize not everyone has one of these, and I don't use mine that much, but I'm going to start trying because it's truly amazing. The beans are ready to go into the pot and the cooking time, as stated by the Presto Pressure Cooker Manual, is .... 1 minute. Seriously.
I'll report back later on the outcome, but I'm pretty fired up. Beans will do that to a person.

Promising something for everyone

We had a Halloween party at the Commune, and in looking for a 5 person costume came up with the Love Boat. Yes, that's Issac, Julie, Dr. Bricker, the Captain and his daughter welcoming you aboard. We had this in three apartments, so we made them into decks: the first floor was the boarding level, the 2nd floor was the Fiesta deck (midnight buffet) and the third floor was the Lido deck (bar). Food on the midnight buffet included such favorites as ham, pineapple and cheese cubes on sticks, stuck into a watermelon rind and Swedish meatballs. The Lido deck features Mai-Tais and tropical fruit. Richard Simmons made an appearance, as did a lovely retiree from Boca Roton. No Charo, unfortunately.
I loved the fact that two days before this party, no one had done anything, and then with the addition of a couple of wigs and a Just For Men beard dye kit suddenly we got our mojo back. A little effort always makes things more special, and we definitely set a course for adventure. Take your theme party to the next level by doing that thing that seems like "too much". It's not. And your passengers, I mean guests, will love it.

Cheap and Easy, just like your Mom part I

The mack-daddy of making one thing and getting a ton of meals out of it is a whole chicken. Even if you spring for the organic, grain-fed, college-educated chicken, you're still at around $8 for at least three meals.

Whole chicken can be adapted to whatever flavors you like. Take your chicken, rinse it out, make sure you remove the plastic bag of giblets in the cavity, and dry it off with paper towels. Rub olive oil or butter all over the skin (top and bottom). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any spices you like. If you have a roasting rack, put the chicken in it. If you don't, cut up some onions or celery and put them in the bottom of a pan and put the chicken on top of them.
The temperatures and times for chicken come from a great recipe from Mark Bittman in his 'How to Cook Everything", which I like because it makes the skin crispy and the meat tender. He says:

1.Heat over to 500.
2.Put chicken breast side down and roast for about 25 min.
If the skin looks crispy, turn the chicken over. The easiest way to do it is take the handle of a wooden spoon, put it in the cavity, and then spin it with tongs and put down.
3.Lower the heat to 325. Roast for about a hour more, or until the temperature reaches 160-165. If you don't have a thermometer, you can make a cut near the thigh and see if the juices run clear, or wiggle the drumstick- if it moves freely, it's probably done.
4. Tip the bird up so the juices run into the pan, then let it rest for at least 5 minutes.

Carve it up! You can strain the pan juices and serve it with that, or make gravy if you're feeling super homespun. If you don't, don't feel guilty about it.

That's meal number one. You could even have thrown some cut up peeled potatoes in the pan after you turn the heat down and your meal is done.

Leftovers ideas will come....when else? Tomorrow.

Is it time for Mock Apple Pie?

For those into American food history, or those who just ate a ton of Ritz crackers as a kid, you'll remember the Mock Apple Pie. This is a dish made popular during WWII that tastes like apple pie (sort of) made with Ritz crackers and not a lick of apples. This frugal recipe recently sprang to mind after the recent (well, latest) economic crisis prompted all the millions of people who get hired to run their pie holes on cable news talk shows (the same people who came up with the gem "staycation") to start making pronouncements on how Americans will be changing their lives. Wow, if people have less money they might stop ordering takeout? What insight.
Homespun Urban already knows what to do with news like this. Use everything, buy food in its original form, and make/fake what you can't afford. With that in mind, we come back from our summer (well, and early fall) hiatus to introduce another series:

Cheap and Easy (just like your Mom)

Interpret that anyway you want. We'll try to post some ideas for meals that don't cost much and can be used for a few meals at the least. And if you really want to try that mock apple pie, go for it. Although now that I think of it, it might be cheaper to buy a bag of apples than a box of Ritz crackers. How times have changed.

The Homespun-iest Urban-like Recipe I Ever Invented

Hi folks! I'm Richie Rich! Need a way to use up leftover pate? I know, me too!


Well, sort of. Stick with me, folks: I went out to dinner on Sunday to a French Bistro, ordered pate to start, and had way too much to eat before dinner, so I took it home. (Urban).

I wanted to have spaghetti and meatballs tonight, but I didn't have quite enough hamburger. (Homespun).

I mixed in the pate with the ground chuck, and voila (Urban) and hoop-de-doo (Homespun), I got some of the meatiest meatballs ever!

This could just be the essence of the whole damn book.

Bake Sale Tirade! 50 cents each!

I made it myself!

You know that old bumper sticker about how it will be a great day when schools have all the money they need and the Pentagon has to hold bake sale to buy a bomb? I do agree, but I would like to add on the following:
It will be a great day when a school has a bake sale that sells things that someone actually baked.

This is obviously much less important than the world of fully funded education and peaceful living advocated in the first version, but this is nevertheless my rant of the day. My gainful employer had a bake sale today and this is what was on the table:

cans of soda
individual bags of potato chips
Dunkin' Donuts
Oreos put in sandwich bags
a dozen or so sad Toll House cookies that may or may not have been from a tube
A pan of Rice Crispy treats.

Does anyone else think this is a bad message on so many levels? Get beyond the obvious tendency towards childhood obesity, and you also have consumerism, and the missing message of the whole bake sale thing: If you put in a little sweat equity, you earn money and can feel good about giving it to your cause. Not to mention the important childhood memories of learning to make a real cookie, smelling it bake, licking the bowl , etc. I know people are busy. I know you could say, "What the hell do you know? You're not trying to run a household of 1 to 4.3 kids", but really? No one knows how to bake? No one's nanny knows how to bake? They should just call it a "Snack Sale". Or a "Junk Food Sale". And of course they made lots of money. But they didn't make memories! Oh no they didn't, dammit!

If I were to make something for a bake sale right now I would make this or this. But I guess that's just me.

Cooking for others

Today's Boston Globe features an interesting article by the restaurant critic. She acknowledges feeling guilty reviewing swanky restaurants and at the same time reading about the current rice and cooking oil shortage in developing countries. Her proposal is this : If you're planning on going out to dinner, change your restaurant to one a step down in price range than you were planning on going to, and donate the rest to world hunger organizations. Not a bad idea, eh? You could take it one step further by going homespun and cooking that meal you were going to have at home, then donating that money. I think that a steak dinner: Steak, salad, potato, etc. is just as good, if not better, at home, and think of the money you could save! Feed your palate and your conscious at the same time.
Here's the article. Her blog also features a list of organizations who need donations.

The Gnomes and Fairies helped me

I baked a cake recently that was magical: A plain chocolate cake batter, but then you mixed sugar, more cocoa and boiling water together and poured it on top of the batter. When it bakes, the top magically becomes cake, and the bottom magically becomes a chocolate/pudding sauce. Fantastic! Unicorn dreams and rainbows!

It is good. I'm too lazy to type the recipe right now, but if you really want it, email me and I'll post it.

The cake made me think of other magical foods, specifically the most famous magical food: Impossible Cheeseburger Pie. For those who don't know, it's ground meat, Bisquick and cheese: except that you pour all that shit in a pan, and it magically separates and the crust floats THROUGH the meat to the top of the pan.

I know there's scientific reasons for all this, but I don't care. I prefer to have it be magical! Pixie dust and unicorns!

24 hour cauliflower

I recently read the woman who writes the Orangette blog's column in Bon Appetit. She talked about a meal she had as an exchange student in France that blew her mind and shaped her palate from there on out. One of the things she spoke about was a plate of steamed leeks with a vinaigrette. For some reason, this sounded just about perfect, and since I had the day off (Patriot's Day: A holiday only in Massachusetts, Maine, and strangely, Wisconsin, that celebrates the revolutionary-type Patriots, not the soul-crushingly defeated football team), I thought I'd make a nice meal. I roasted a chicken with lemons under the skin, and cut up a cauliflower I had to roast as well. The reviews of the cauliflower on epicurious all talked about how "transforming" it was, how good, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

We had a lovely meal, the leeks were delicious, and this morning when I got up the husband asked "hey, weren't we going to have cauliflower last night?" Oops. I opened the oven, and there they were: Shriveled, defeated, a shadow of their former glorious selves. Full disclosure: When I reached in the oven to get them out, I put on a pot holder. Why? What can I say-it was early. He started to throw them away, but I wanted to try them.

They tasted like cauliflower bar mix: salty and crunchy. Well, and cauliflower-y.

I ate the whole pan.

Next tag line: Too Busy to Cook? Leave the Meal in the Oven All Night!

Why breakfast is the best of all possible meals

This revelation came to me recently watching, of all things, a Denny's commercial. It just looked SO GOOD. But think about it:

1. Any thing you could possibly make is quick.
2. There's toast.
3. Everyone loves it.
4. It perfectly fits the occasion it inhabits (weekday quick bowl of cereal;post-hangover greasy eggs and hashbrowns)
5. It involves coffee.
6. It's cheap.
7. Easy decisions at a time when you need it. If you can't decide between pancakes or eggs, it's encouraged that you get both. Try that with a Chinese/italian/Thai/sushi/steak discussion.
8. It's ok to have breakfast at other times of the day. No such luck with the other way around. (Shrimp scampi with your coffee?)

I think I'll go make some pancakes.

Spring forgiveness

With Spring finally here (sort of), it feels right to celebrate the fresh start of the season. Today is opening day for the Red Sox, and the easiest thing to do would be to have hot dogs, cracker jacks, etc. for dinner. I like sports theme meals for a couple reasons: it makes sports more fun for people who don't give a Sox, and it adds some flair for people who do. Plus, you can tie in regional touches depending on who's playing. Clam chowder for the beloved Sox, and for their opponent Detroit....well, for that one I'm stumped. Cherry pie? Tiger steak? Car parts?

Spring also equals rebirth, from flowers to 0-0 records, and maybe even letting go of the past. You can get rid of your old ratty, coffee stained coat, forgive yourself of winter pastiness and pounds, and try something new. This is neither homespun, nor urban, but (I'm embarrassed to admit) inspired by the fact that I got a little choked up seeing Bill Buckner throw out the first pitch. And I didn't even grow up in New England.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, and care, just click on his link. It's forgiveness of mythical proportions. Seriously. At least in New England.

thanks to http://www.liz-adams.com/ for the artwork today.

Ricotta Frackin' Gnocchi

I made this Gnocchi recipe last night. It's so good, it's making me fake swear. Don't trust the reviews on Epicurious. It's really frackin' good.

back and sad

Back from the fabulous Homespun vacation in...(in case you didn't guess) Hawaii. So sad to be back. But let's reflect on what we learned:
1. It takes a good 5 days for a fast paced urban gal to be able to sit still all afternoon and read a book. But once she does, woo boy...
2. Food really is seasonal and local for a reason. There's no way I wanted pot roast or lasagna while sitting under palm trees in 80 degree weather. The most perfect meals consisted of fish, vegetables, and maybe pineapple for dessert.
3. You can go on vacation and not get fat when you go to places that make you crave fish, vegetables, and maybe pineapple for dessert.

Jet Lag Journal, Part 2

Jet lag cured. See you in a week.

No Jet Lag Party Planning

images
Originally uploaded by kaytwhy.

Ah, to be away at a mystery destination...even if you're not, there's no time like the winter/spring 'shoulder season' to fight ennui with one of our favorite homespun urban things: a theme party. Channel the destination of your choice, whether it involves baguettes, pina coladas or the spam sushi pictured here. Dress like a native, download some local tunes, turn up the heat if need be, and send yourself somewhere fun without leaving home!

The Jet Lag Journal, part 1

One half of Homespun Urban is on vacation. I won't say where, but let's just say it's a place that uses lots of vowels in their native language (which rules out Wales). This little piece of paradise was going to keep me off the blogging, but since it's about 6 hours out of my time zone, I have the unfortunate habit of waking up every morning around 3:30. My sleep loss, blogspot's gain.

Before I left, I got wrapped up in "Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America. I love this show not only for the copious amounts of swearing, but also watching crappy restaurants (that remind me of many places I used to work) get turned into workable joints. Gordon tends to do the same thing to each place, but it works: get rid of complicated menu items, simplify, and have the food reflect the location and type of restaurant. There's not many places that can turn out sea urchin foam on broiled rabbit's foot, so why even try? Stick to fish and chips.
The place whose location I will not divulge features a cuisine that's big on fish, pineapple, and spam. Spam not withstanding, I felt a little like ol' Gordo when we went out for our first meal. Some of the food was what you'd want on vacation, but there was also a beef tenderloin with blue cheese creme fraiche and garlic mashed potatoes. Let me tell you, people don't travel to this place (which I can't tell you where it is but it rhymes with "Mawaii") to eat garlic mashed potatoes. Or so I thought. After husband and I had a good time imitating Gordon and swearing rapidly about the menu, the table next to us ordered everything we had just made fun of.
I guess people like the food that makes them comfortable, and who I am to judge? Sometimes the "eat what the locals eat" backfires- like the burrito I had during my layover in Phoenix (Southwest, makes sense, right?) that left me exploring every bathroom in the airport whose name I can't mention, but I can tell you I received a type of flower necklace that sounds like something dirty.
Aloha from the mystery vacation spot. See you at 3:45 am.

Storm-ready?

Jackson Street
Originally uploaded by Quincunx.

We thought that tornadoes only happened outside the Urban grid, but that's apparently as fictional as the Wizard of Oz. Atlanta got walloped this weekend and we're getting another big storm today, which has made me nostalgic for a homespun part of my past: the Mormon Cupboard.

We learned about the Mormon Cupboard from our mother. She’s not Mormon, but we think she heard it on NPR once. Anyhow, the Mormon cupboard evolved from their belief that everyone should have a store of food and goods to last a year for the end times or nuclear war or a family reunion or something.

Ours was actually not a cupboard, but a series of shelves going down to our big, cool basement. That’s where Mom stockpiled all kinds of food. (A big plus when you live in an area where school regularly shuts down for a week.)

Here are some of the things from our past that I'd wished I'd procured before the power cut out and the roads got blocked:

Mini shrimp in a can, cocktail sauce, and Wheat Thins. (Put one on the other in reverse order for a surprisingly satisfying snack treat.) Pop-tarts, cookies and other goodies that you might otherwise skip because they are jam-packed with preservatives. And a trusty camping stove to expand the culinary options to hot drinks and Spam.

Mayo your dreams come true

The last post included a mention of homemade mayonnaise. If you're a fan of the stuff, it deserves much more than a mere mention. I made it the other night not because I didn't have a full jar with that blue lid in the fridge, but because I was only cooking spinach and felt like I should contribute. Let me tell you something, mi amigos (that's Spanish for "you guys"), it is out of this world.

Homemade mayonnaise does have a 1970's, picnic on Earth-Day, hippie women dancing with unshaved armpits connotation, but it's incredibly easy and really a different product. You can even do it by hand, but if you have a food processor, it's even easier. You can look up different recipes,(here's one) but the basic science is this: egg yolks are mixed with a slow, thin stream of oil and a little acid (lemon, vinegar) to make mayo. Add the oil too fast and it won't emulsify, but other than that, it's monkey-easy. Add mustard, garlic, whatever you like depending on your inclination.

Then sit back and watch your cholesterol and happiness rise in direct proportions.

(Today's artwork courtesy of http://www.nataliedee.com/)

Saturday Night Super Fun Super Market

Think you don't need your homespun skills anymore because the big city offers you all the excitement you need? Think again, mes amis. (That's city talk for y'all).

A 24 hour downpour and too much fun on Friday night let to a rainy, cold, bored Saturday night for myself and 4 others. We figured we should eat something, but no one could come up with a cohesive plan. Husband Chuckie, always good at making games out of anything (witness the "Throw an acorn in a bucket" game that lasted 3 hours at Christmas time), came up with this: Each of the 5 participants has 5 minutes in the supermarket to pick one ingredient that they like. That's it- no other rules. Here's what we ended up with:

Spinach
Catfish nuggets
Cream of Mushroom soup
bacon
cheese fondue

Cheese fondue seemed like overkill, so we nixed it in favor of potatoes. Here's what we ended up eating:

Beer-battered Catfish
mashed potatoes with bacon and sour cream
creamed spinach
corn bread

This was, to everyone's surprise, and without a doubt, one of the best meals ever made at my house. The kicker was the cornbread, which was made with two packs of Jiffy brand corn mix (5o cents each!) cooked in the skillet that had already cooked the bacon. If you've never tried this, you should. I can't convey in words how good it is.


The morals of the story:
1. City life isn't always exciting-sometimes you have to make your own fun.
2. A fantastic meal can cost under $3 a serving.
3. Who knew that catfish could be so exciting?

All brought to you by serendipity.

Update: Hunger scores a half point

I recently took down 1943 in the Gourmet 60th anniversary issue project. 1943's delight was the classic Duck a l'Orange. I was excited to make this one, as I had never had it before and I'm a fan of game birds in general. I think growing up homespun makes you appreciate game due to the abundance of hunters in small towns. Full disclosure: I'm not suggesting I grew up in a house where Dad came home from hunting proudly displaying a carcass- the most he brought home was some fried fish for lent. I'm just saying my friends' Dads did, so I'm not afraid to go beyond chicken tenders.

Anyway, the duck was good. I'm not sure it was worth the effort, but it was good. I did end up setting the tips of the wings on fire trying to finish it in the broiler, which would have put a real dent in my menu planning, but they blew out quickly, and no one wanted those scrawny little tips anyway. And, come to think of it, it was a birthday dinner. The orange sauce was delicious, but it made enough for a 20 pound turkey and duck doesn't have that much meat. I also thought it would be a good idea to try and make stock out of the carcass, but come to find out duck is fatty inside and out- the stock looked like the fryer trap at Arby's when it cooled. I guess it takes a lot of insulation to sit on a frozen pond all winter.

Scorecard: Duck a l'Orange
Guests: Charlie, Kurt Megan
Verdict: "It's good", " I like it", "Give me more of that fatty skin", "I can't believe my kitchen is covered in duck fat".
Gourmet: .5 Hunger: .5 . A draw.

Totals so far: Gourmet: 2.5. Hunger: .5

The Oscar Party

The other half of Homespun Urban is currently changing diapers and debating the pros and cons of some type of nipple (don't ask), so I will help out by giving you readers the scoop on her annual Oscar Party.
Sometimes she throws the party herself, but usually goes to a friend's house. One option she's had in the past is to dress as a character from that year's batch (my Frieda Kahlo costume horrified me enough to become very, VERY vigilant about plucking my brows). The highlight of either her or her friend's party is the food competition. Much like the Super Bowl party, prizes are given for the best movie inspired food. If you'd like to see pictures of last year's winners, scroll down to the Feb. 27th, 2007 post for "Notes on a Sandal" and "...and I am telling you I'm not Chicken".
This year's contender was "Asconement"- a plate of scones with a note saying 'I'm Sorry'. I had suggested a roasted chicken platter entitled "No Country for Old Hens", but there wasn't enough time.

Hopefully Kate will post some pictures of the winner when she's done washing the burp off her shirt.

Winter Blues

I love to cook more than most people I know, but I am rapidly entering into the time of year when I'm done. Done with the routine. It's cold, your pasty skin hasn't seen the sun in months, and the thought of trying to push a shopping cart through a slushy parking lot is too much to bear. It's the dangerous season of Too Much Take-Out.

I'm not anti-take-out; in fact, it's one of the things that I loved when I moved to the big city. It's the time of year though, when you get into the habit of just ordering from the Vietnamese joint down the street one cold night, and one night becomes two, and two becomes four....

Full disclosure: There was a period last winter when the bar down the street had $13.95 prime rib on Wednesday, which was also the day I had my most hated late grad school class. We probably went there 5 Wednesdays in a row for Mahattans and rib. By the end, I was feeling like I might get the gout, but then Spring sprung and we recovered.

So how to fight the take-out-all-the-time habit that's no good for your wallet or waistline? That's a tough one. One option would be to try and make that Pad Thai or Beef and Broccoli yourself. (The recipe I use for Pad Thai is from the Boston Globe. I'll reprint in the post underneath). The other would be to try and change habits. Eat less meat for a week. Use only recipes from a favorite magazine. Try "breakfast for dinner". Recreate your Mom's staples.

Or book yourself a fabulous Spring break and let it motivate you to save your pennies for the swim up bar.

Boston Globe Pad Thai Recipe

This is a good one. Leave out anything you don't have (although the fish sauce makes it taste just like take-out).

1 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)
1/2 pound fresh shrimp, chicken, or pork
10 to 12 ounces 1/4-inch wide dry rice noodles (banh pho, sen jann, or rice sticks)
2 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 medium shallots, sliced in thin rings
1/4 pound firm tofu, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Asian chili paste, or to taste
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1 cup bean sprouts
1 egg, beaten, fried, and finely sliced
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 extra lime, cut into wedges (for serving)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded fresh mint


1. Soak the dried shrimp, if using, in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain them and chop them finely. If using fresh shrimp, shell and devein them; or cut the chicken or pork along the grain into small strips. Soak the rice noodles in warm water for at least 15 minutes.

2. In a wok, cast-iron skillet, or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot (but not smoking) add the garlic, shallots, and dried shrimp all at once. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is just golden-brown and shallots are beginning to caramelize.

3. Push garlic mixture to one side of the pan. Raise the heat to high and add the tofu. Cook it until it is lightly browned.

4. Push the tofu to one side of the pan. Add the fresh shrimp, chicken, or pork. Stir-fry, mixing everything in the pan together, just until the meat is opaque.

5. Drain the noodles.

6. Push everything in the pan to one side (if the pan seems dry, add another teaspoon of oil). Add the noodles and stir-fry, gradually working in the other ingredients in the pan.

7. Clear a small space in the center of the noodles and add the tomato and chili pastes. Gradually incorporate them into noodles until evenly distributed; the noodles should be tinted red.

8. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Clear a small space in the pan and add the sugar. Toss the noodles briefly.

9. Add the fish sauce and lime juice. Stir-fry, mixing thoroughly and scraping the pan with a spatula. You may need to cut through noodles with the spatula. Taste the mixture. It should be evenly balanced with salt, sweet, and sour tastes. Fish sauce helps cut through a heavy lime taste. But if you have added plenty of lime and fish sauce and the flavors still don't come alive, try adding more sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.

10. Add the peanuts and bean sprouts, toss briefly, and remove from heat.

11. Scatter the egg and scallions over the noodles. Garnish with wedges of lime, cilantro, and mint. Serve at once.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Urban slobs

I hate cleaning. I really hate it. But in an inverse relationship to my hatred of cleaning is my love of going out to dinner. In order to finance this habit, I have decided to let go of the dream I had when I imagined my big city life- the cleaning person. I know that my Mom and her best friend both have daughters that have had cleaning people and recently let them go. I know it blows their mind that their daughters, who "learned at the knee of masters", as Mom says, don't take pleasure and pride in cleaning. But I don't. I still hate it. And the person we had was great. It was nice. So nice. So so nice.

Still having trouble letting this go.

But, I love me my dinners out. So, in an effort to make my Mom proud and truly EMBRACE the clean house, I reread a book my sis gave me when I lived in a tiny studio apartment- "Organizing From the Inside Out" by Julie Morgenstern.
It's a simple concept, but one that doesn't seem to happen naturally: Don't fight your habits and try to have the system that you THINK you should have. For example, if you sort all your mail at the dining room table, don't build a mail system that's two rooms away- make it near that spot. I did this in the house over MLK weekend, and I'm here to report that the solid and top to bottom closet reorganization, the mail center, and laundry room re-org are STILL WORKING weeks later. And our city apartment with not much closet space seems to have plenty of space. Kind of liberating, actually. I guess Mom was right- cleaning can make you happy.

Or a nice steak dinner after that cleaning can make you happier.

MYO, part deux

I mentioned before that "MYO" was our mother's shorthand for "Make it yourself", or more often than not, code for "I'm sick of cooking for you kids". To continue our semi-regular MYO feature, I present to you: Croutons.

A family friend refers to these as "dead bread", and although he uses it as a derogative, it's pretty accurate. Easy, a good way to use up something you would normally throw away, and so easy a monkey could do it.

Take those hunks of bread you never ate, throw them in a bag, and when you have enough and feel like having soup or a salad, toss them with some melted butter or oil, depending on your taste. Mix in any spices you like (blends like Italian are good- might want to stay away from the sweet ones, like cinnamon), spread on a baking sheet and toast at 300 for about 30 min., or until they look like croutons. Store them in that same bag and applaud your Depression era/Green/use it up thriftiness. Go make some soup out of a ham bone and enjoy.

Best Ever Baby Shower Booty

I have to admit I dreaded of attending and buying gifts for this particular occasion for years. Either pick something on the registry that you don't really understand unless you have spawn yourself (wipe warmer? 'Brest' friend? WTF?) or do what everyone else does and buy some midget-sized outfits. Awww, cute. Until you've seen them open 20 different packages with similar stuff.

Want to be the most appreciated gifter? I used to think personalized onesies were the ultimate, but here are three better ideas gleaned from my new hands-on experience with birthing and caring for a wee one.

1) Meal delivery service. Outsource it or do it yourself , make it freezable (Ethel has some some good recipes. ) You could team up with some friends and cover a whole month. Heck, your new mom could use this much help for at least a season.

2) Spa gift certificate with a definite expiration date-so Mama has to get out of the house to use it.

3) Gift certificate for diapers.com, which will deliver all kinds of kiddie needs to your door and can be easily ordered with one hand at 2 a.m.

P.S. By the way, the Brest friend is not a semi-literate joke but a specialty pillow that absolutely rocks and is a great choice for anyone attempting to feed their young'un the old school way.

Presenting....the Philadephia Clam Pie

The best that 1942 has to offer. The next year in my Cook Gourmet Magazine Anniversary Issue Project (I need a shorter way to say that. CGMAIP?) is the probably not-so-appetizing sounding Philadelphia Clam Pie. It's sort of clam chowder in a puff pastry shell, except it's not milk or cream based. Surprisingly, the thickener is clam juice with cornstarch rather than dairy, but it still has a nice, creamy taste to it. If you're inviting your lactose-intolerant friend over, have no fear with the Philadelphia Clam Pie!

I'm still unsure of the Philadelphia reference on this one. I don't recall Philly being known for its seafood, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, this guy was also delicious, especially on a cold night. It was also Ash Wednesday, which I don't really celebrate any more, but it made me feel accidentally virtuous to go meat free. The score card:

1942: Philadelphia Clam Pie (Click for recipe)

Guests: The Commune
Votes: 5 for, 0 against. "A keeper" says Kurt. "Better than I thought" says I.

Final Score: Gourmet 2, Hunger 0.

My own Private Casserole

Cooking for one is an art form that is under appreciated. It seems as though society skipped from stay-at-home moms cooking for the family unit right to the gigantic take out and frozen dinners industry. But why not take the time to make yourself a nice meal? You can buy pretty much anything in small portions, it doesn't have to be fancy, and you can't eat from Trader Joe's every night (well, you can, but...all that salt is not good for you, dammit!)

When I lived in my 450sq.ft. apartment in the beginning of the Homespun Urban days, I cooked most nights. I'll admit that I didn't have TV, so some of my motivation was that it was sort of my entertainment, but it's always possible to do, even in a galley kitchen. It got to the point that friends that lived in the neighborhood always happened to "stop by" just around dinner time, so I ended up cooking for two instead of one.

I was reminded of this having the house to myself recently due to a "Man Weekend". The man in question is allergic to shellfish, so when ever the cat's away, the shrimp do play, so to speak.
I bought some little fresh Maine shrimp, and baked them for 10 min. at 450 in a casserole mixed with butter, scallions, garlic, a chopped up mushroom, and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with a little white wine, and you're done. Glass of white wine, a salad, TV all to yourself......

Too sad to blog

Too hard. Too embarrassing. Too heartbreaking.


All I can give you is the food results of Burp Bowl V:

1. Tastiest: A tie between "Hail Mary Pass the Potato Skins ", a nice dish complimented by a cilantro sour cream dip and "Flaxico Burgers", little sliders made with Flax seed rolls and grilled onions.

2. Best Football Reference: Another tie: "Hail Mary Pass the Potato Skins" again, and the one gloriously and now crushingly named "19-0", a bucket of nachos made with 19, yes, 19 ingredients. Not 18. 19.

3. Most Likely to Cause Gas: 'Unnecessary Meatness", a combo of wonton-wraped chedder hot dog slices and Philly cheese steak egg rolls. All deep fried.

4. MVP: This was a cake that's sort of an inside joke, but it was red velvet and shaped like something you saw a lot of whenever there was a shot of the cheerleaders. I'll leave it at that.

Now I'm going to go cry over the leftover Wes Welker cake.

Burp Bowl V

Every year we have a Super Bowl party called "The Burp Bowl". It features, among other things, the Patriots winning and a food contest. The categories are:

1. Tastiest. Past winners include 2007's Tortiere (French Canadian Pork Pie).
2. Best Football reference: Past winners are the "Peyton Manning blows his knee out" sheet cake, 2007, and some type of cheese log shaped into a football, 2005.
3. Most likely to cause gas. There is always fierce competition for this one. 2007's winner was Cincinnati Chili. The first winner of this one, back at Burp Bowl I, was a creation called "The Ted Washington", named for a 400 lb. nose tackle on the Patriots at the time. It was a casserole that featured 3 kinds of ground beef, three cheeses, fritos, tater tots, french fried onions and canned gravy. Yikes!

Last year we added a new category: The MVP, or most valuable plate. There were just too many quality entries going unheralded. 2007's winner was the Chicago Dog (check way back in the blog- there's an entry on the Chicago dog).

So who will win 2008? Well, the Patriots, but what about the food? Stay tuned, sports fans....

Score: Gourmet:1, Hunger: 0.

Well, we're off to a good start. Nasi Goreng, the treat of 1941, was a success. With lots of skepticism, I made the recipe with a couple small substitutions. The ol' husband is allergic to shrimp, so I used frozen squid instead. If that sounds off-putting, think about it: similar texture, similar mild taste. Not quite as good, but not bad. I also mis-read the call for "Ketjap manis", with turns out is a soy-based sauce, but I got sweet chili sauce instead, so I just added some soy.
1941's score card:
The judges: Husband Charlie and Comrade Dave.
The Verdict: Charlie "that's a keeper".
Dave: "put it in the rotation".




Gourmet 1, Hunger 0.

Party like it's 1941

I've nailed down the issue of Gourmet I was talking about a couple posts ago. It's the January 2006 edition, and it chronicles Gourmet from 1941-2006. My original plan was to hit one recipe a week, but once I did the math I figured out that it would take me 5 years. Hmmm....the project doesn't seem so fun when it will take longer than your recently acquired Masters Degree to complete. However, having stated publicly (to all 5 of you) that I'm going to do it, I at least have to get started. I went to the store today to get ingredients for 1941's winner, Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian rice/chicken/shrimp stir fry. (If you've been to Holland, you may have had this as "rijsttafel"). One of the benefits of the Urban living is that you have easy access to stores that carry not only the ketjap manis, or sweet chili sauce, the recipe called for, you get to choose from 42 brands. The local Asian superstore overwhelmed me, but I think I picked a good one. I have to be honest, I'm not too optimistic about the best of 1941 judging from my quick scan through the recipe, but then again, it was a war year, so you take what you can get, right? I'm sure this was the height of cosmopolitan cooking at the time.
The rice needs to be cooked and cooled, so I'll be making this fine dish tomorrow. Stay tuned....

The Cincinnati 5-Way

Now, get your mind out of the gutter. In honor of the Patriot's continued march to perfection last Sunday, I wanted to make some chili and remembered a style I had read about that's seen around Southern Ohio- Cincinnati chili. The chili itself is a sweeter, spicier, beanless version, but the five way comes from the assembly: Start with thick spaghetti, ladle the chili over, add plain kidney beans, diced onion, and cheddar cheese. If you don't like any of the toppings, leave them out and be content with a 4 or 3-way experience (your loss). The recipe was from a great cookbook from Jane and Michael stern called "Square Meals". If you don't have the book but want the recipe, email for it. Or, if you're from Cincin, let me know if I did it right- it seems like this is one of the regional foods that people get pretty passionate about.

Of course, now that we're in the Super Bowl, it will have to be chowder next time. Sorry, Bengals.

Thanks, Ruth Reichl!

I think I've found my cookbook project. In an earlier post, I spoke of wanting to undertake a "Julie and Julia" type project- cooking my way through one whole cookbook. After eliminating a few and the aforementioned oxtail incident, I found a project that I think will be challenging and interesting. I keep old Gourmet magazines that are of special interest, and I recently found their 40th anniversary issue (published 2 years ago, I think?) It's a recipe from each year from 1941 to the present. Not only does it present a wide variety of food, I think it's fascinating to see how eating habits have changed over the years. Stay tuned for 1941. (Don't worry, it doesn't involve powdered milk and spam...)

The 1950's dinner, minus the after-meal cigarette

Still looking for the cookbook for the "Julie and Julia" project, and a recent meal made me think I might go old school- maybe a 1950's era book. There's something really great about the era of martinis, rumaki, dress aprons... and baked potatoes. On a whim, I bought two cube steaks (you know, those ones that look like someone had run them over) and was trying to figure out what to do with them. The only book I had that had any sort of recipe was my 1960's era Betty Crocker, who suggested turning them into Stroganoff by sauteing onions and adding sour cream to the pan. Jacques Pepin's "Fast Food My Way" contributed a quick way of getting a good baked potato (6 min. in the microwave, 12 min. in a 450 oven), and with some sauteed broccoli, we were in Leave it to Beaver land in under 30 min.
Oh, that Betty! Look how sassy she looks circa 1986...

Tired, desperate, really wanted cereal

When we were growing up, our Dad often used to fix us a little bowl of milk and cereal before bedtime. Pair that with a warm bath, and you've got the fixins of a good night's sleep. I can't remember what that feels like, but I did really want some cereal during a recent night up with my constantly-feeding baby, and the last bit I had was aged to softness.

I vaguely remembered reading that you could heat up cereal in the oven and thought "who the hell would ever do that instead of going to the store?" but, being too wiped out to drive and reluctant to transport said infant, I gave it a try. Wow. 10 minutes at 300 degrees (I think, don't hold me accountable for any messes) and it was like a fresh new batch. Just one of the little things that can sometimes mean a lot.

Snow days are the best days of the year

It finally happened. Not only did we get a snow day, they called it THE NIGHT BEFORE. The night before! Cocktails all around.

Here's the tradition of snow day:













oh yeah! An easy doz of the hot d-nuts.

Go make yourself a dang quesadilla!

Inspired by the TGIFriday's menu I looked at to write yesterday's column, I took that expensive, over-salted steak from the fancy Boston restaurant and made it into quesadillas. It was good, but don't go buying yourself an expensive, over-salted steak to recreate the results....

Maybe I should have had the Parmesan Encrusted Silician Quesdillas

One of the benefits of the urban life is the opportunity to go to really nice restaurants. I went last night with the man, to a place that shall remain nameless but is well known in Boston. Here's the summary:
Drinks: 10.
Apps: Clams Casino: 10
Entree: Steaks: 5 good steak, salt shaker must have fallen into pan in kitchen
Service: 2, but who's fault it is is unsure

The salads came with the apps. The entrees came when I was still eating salad. The entrees came out of the kitchen 10 min. previous to that and had been sitting at the wait station during that time and so were lukewarm. Wine glass cleared before empty.

This, in the scheme of things, is not a bad problem to have. I realize that. But if you're paying hard earn scratch (and a good amount of it) for dinner, is it too much to ask to have service considerably better than your local TGIFridays? Who, I would guess, sends those fried green beans out before the Alfredo-crusted-cajun-blue cheese steak tip with crab entree.

Any thoughts?

(want to know which restaurant?)

You can get a good look at a T-Bone...

I read "Julie and Julia" last year, and was thinking about undertaking a similar project. For those unfamiliar, the basic concept is taking a cookbook and making every single thing in it. I'm not ready for Julia Childs, but I was considering the book "Bones" by Jennifer McLagan. It's pretty fascinating if you grew up around hunters and are not afraid of some serious meat. Hard core stuff, like pigs feet and calves liver, but that's what made it an interesting challenge. I wasn't planning on cooking from it every day ( I don't need to get the Gout), but maybe once a week would work. I'm here to tell you though, one recipe and I'm not sure this is the book I want to use. I tried to make an Oxtail stew, and yes, oxtail is just what you think it is. I imagined a super rich, beefy broth for cheap that I could later serve to friends and have them swooning at the delicious dish. "What is it?" they'd say. "I must have the recipe! Oxtail? You don't say!"

What I got was 2 days of prep and cooking producing a 1/2 cup of fatty, stringy beef.

Maybe I went wrong somewhere, but I think I'll look for another cookbook to conquer. Any suggestions?

p.s: Our title comes from last night's viewing of "Tommy Boy"- if you don't recognize how it ties into the theme, get the full quote here.

Why leave the house?

Today we start a new feature. Based on the trend (for better or worse) or making your home so great you never want to go out for anything (video games, netflix, etc.), we introduce: MYO Mondays. "MYO" is a term our mother would throw out when she was sick of cooking (and probably sick of us). We would ask "what's for dinner?", we'd get "It's MYO night".

Make Your Own, in case you haven't caught on, is an exploration of trying to recreate at home something you usually just go out and buy. This is not only trendy, but Homespun Urban: when you lived in a place where you couldn't go out and buy it at the corner bodega, you had to MYO. Now that you're urban fabulous, you can still impress yourself and friends with your skills. (And if you've seen "I Am Legend", you know that you just might need these skills in the future. In case you're immune from the zombies. Never mind. Go see it.)

Our first project: Pancakes.

I know you probably don't go and buy pancakes by the pound at the deli, but be honest: how many of us have that mix box in the cupboard? Mark Bittman says it best in his How to Cook Everything: "Americans must have been seriously isolated from the kitchen to ever let pancake mix get a foothold in the market, for it's ridiculously easy to make." (He says something like that- I'm quoting from memory.) He's right though: I made it this weekend, and here's the effort it took me:
1. melt butter in microwave.
2. put flour in bowl.
3. add baking powder, salt and egg.
4. mix with milk.
5. make pancakes.

I didn't time it, but my estimate was about 2 min., start to finish. Were they better than Bisquick? Maybe, maybe not. Was it just as easy? Yes. And now if you keep staples in your kitchen, you'll never have to run out in a snowstorm for that familiar yellow box. Sorry, General Mills. And don't get me started on that "shake and pour" stuff.

2008- Homespun is the new Urban!

Well, we're back.


It's been a long time, but we have two good reasons, and here they are:


Emily's Reason:
Kate's Reason:


We'd like to welcome to the Homespun Urban family little Campbell, born to Kate on Nov. 10th, and little Master of Music degree, born to Emily at the end of December. Aren't they cute?

And now back to the Homespun Living. Our pledge for 2008: more blog! more blog! To our 6 readers (including our Mom), we know you'll be pleased.