Well hello blog, nice to see you again.

Yesterday I was feeling rather optimistic and took on two kitchen projects that I've been wanting to try for a while. I decided to try my hand at making ricotta cheese and no-knead, whole grain bread. 

Now, food-related projects tend to go badly for me when they involve a recipe. I'm pretty awful at following written directions, because of my ADD and general impatience. But it's become very important to me to start making more of my own food, particularly expensive and frequently purchased items like cheese and bread. Eventually my goal is to have a little homestead with my own chickens and goats, and maybe even a miniature cow, for eggs and milk. But that's another blog entry.

PART 1: THE RICOTTA

The ricotta recipe I used was supposed to yield about a cup of cheese. I wound up with more like a tablespoon. Having read on several different websites that this was by far the easiest cheese, that it was a joy and pleasure to make, and that basically a monkey could do it... well, it was a bit discouraging to see the results. I figured there were several places where I could have gone wrong. First, I used 2% milk instead of whole. I only did this because one website said it was fine to substitute, but who knows. Second, I scalded the milk on the bottom of the saucepan (in spite of my frequent stirring). I'm not sure if this would really affect the end product or not. Finally, and I think most likely, I don't think I waited for the milk in the saucepan to come to a full simmer before adding the lemon juice. I saw the bubbles start, and promptly dumped the juice in. When it didn't coagulate immediately like the recipe said it would, I had a feeling I'd jumped the gun. 

I got enough to mix in to a little bowl of blueberries, at least. Oh, and I can't believe how freakin' hard it was to get this stuff out of the damn cheesecloth! Maybe because the curds were too watery, maybe because I squeezed too hard when trying to get the last of the water out, but my goodness that was a frustrating episode. Practice makes perfect I suppose, but it's frustrating to be unsuccessful when you practice on expensive organic ingredients. 

On the plus side, I got a nice amount of whey which I used to make breakfast smoothies. Delish.

PART 2: NO-KNEAD BREAD

I fared far better with this project. Behold, my ugly, yet tasty loaf o' whole grain bread:

It didn't rise quite as nicely as I'd hoped, but for a first attempt it turned out decently. The bottom got a bit burned, but it still tastes pretty damn good. I had a moment of panic when somehow, a piece of saran wrap somehow got stuck to the dutch oven and wound up on the 500 degree oven rack. I'm not exactly good at thinking on my feet and I had no idea how I would get this gooey, stringy plastic out of a hot oven, and I envisioned the plastic gluing itself to the oven floor and the burning smell permeating everything that was cooked from then on. Fortunately I was able to pull almost all of it out with some tongs, and there was a slight smell of melted plastic but it didn't permeate anything and the bread turned out fine. WHEW. 

A week ago I applied for a consolidation of debts loan. Today I was denied. No idea why, but I'm told I'll get a letter of explanation. 

This probably isn't a huge setback, but it sure feels like one. I'm discouraged and even more stressed. I knew when I quit the Census Bureau that it would be hard to find a job that let me keep up with my bills, but it's been much worse than I anticipated. I've had the part-time weekend thing at Petco for about six weeks I think, and the money sucks. I've applied to at least 50 places by now. I've eaten all my delusions of staying true to what I wanted in a job, because I'm desperate. I can't shake off this guilt that I've ruined things for Kenny and I. How will we ever get a house when I'm unable to save and I'm wrecking my credit? How will we pay for our wedding? 

Today sucks.

Tonight I harvested the first batch of swiss chard, cooked it up, and then fainted from sheer joy. No, but it was really fucking delicious. I sauteed it in a cast iron skillet with garlic and olive oil, then once it wilted I sprinkled parmesan cheese on top and stuck it under the broiler to brown. I don't cook often, and when I do it's usually something very simple or, like this dish, one that I've seen my dad make a million times. Let me tell you, it's 100% true that nothing tastes better than food you grew yourself. That was easily one of the most satisfying dishes I've ever eaten.

News video from the BBC (and can I just mention how much I love the BBC for reporting the news without constantly injecting the reporter/anchor's personal opinion into the story, like American news stations) on the violent protests in Tehran over the election results. As they say in the broadcast, protests like this have been unheard of for the last 30+ years in a country where the population prefers to "keep their heads down." Hopefully this marks a turning point and the beginning of the end for religious dictatorship in Iran.

BBC news coverage in Tehran

 

My mom's Etsy store is finally online! I need to make a banner and pretty up the page, but for now at least we have a few products up. MANY more to come, so stay tuned! The Wratty Wren.

In the garden, all sorts of activity.  A few days ago, we opened up the compost bin and shoveled out the first batch of compost, and spread it over the garden. The plants definitely seemed to appreciate the nutritional boost. The swiss chard is gorgeous, probably going to cook some up in the next few days. The tomato plants have nearly doubled in size, and look great aside from a little fungus on the leaves which my dad wants to treat with a neem oil spray. One of the heirloom tomato plants has a single green tomato, the pea plants each have one or two adorable little pea pods, and the bush beans all have tons of pretty little purple flowers. Unfortunately the deer moseyed into my garden the other night and munched down a couple of bean plants... they must've been rather unappetizing however, because the majority of the plant was left alone. Only the top leaves of two or three plants were eaten. We set up a motion-sensing sprinkler that will theoretically go off when the deer approach and scare them away. 

I was supposed to interview for a second part-time job at a kennel/dog rescue today. I even spoke to the lady this morning, asking for the address. It sounded like she was in the car, and she asked if she could call me back in a few minutes. She never called back, and maybe it's for the best. I don't know the address but I know the city, and I have to cross the Bay Bridge which scares the crap out of me. 

Guess I'll go plant the rest of my seeds instead. Squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, and cucumbers. Summery goodness!

The first signs of yummies to come: a little white flower on one of the pea vines, and a tiny green tomato on one of the tomato plants (I can't remember the name of this variety off the top of my head... black something. Black prince? A variety that is supposed to produce early in the season and thrive even in wet, cool conditions.). 

Today I harvested the last of the romaine. Some unknown critter was dispatching my romaine (and only the romaine, no other plants) in the most bizarre way... at the base of the plants, it looked as though they had simply been clipped off with shears, and the plants simply toppled over. The weirdest part was that none of the plants were actually EATEN. Not even nibbled on. Aside from that oddity, the romaine did fairly well. However, I doubt I'll grow it or the arugula again next year. We just don't eat it enough. The patch of garden that was dedicated to lettuce will be home to six ichiban eggplant seedlings as of tomorrow.

For a little 10x10 backyard garden, which I planted without a clue as to my soil type or acidity level or what plants would do well in said soil types or acidity levels... it's coming along damn nicely. Hope it continues.

As promised... pictures!