Down to hEarth

This is for you, Nicki - So... you are taking home some nicely fermented yeasty bread starter and you want to know how to care for it in order to make bread... There are all sorts of details, facts, and interesting tidbits about fermentation and making bread out there online and in books so I'm not going to go into all of the scientific names and notes. I think Michael Pollen does a nice job of explaining this process in Cooked. What you will find here is just the basic instructions on how to keep your starter going with a few resources for what then happens next. Let's see... 1. Container : Find a nice jar or container that won't explode if the yeast goes a little crazy. I like my 1 liter Weck jar that I got over at World Imports. It has clips on top that will pop off before the glass jar breaks. Your starter is making gas - so this is a valid concern. Any 1 qt. mason jar will do, really. 2. Equipment : With bread making you need an instant read thermometer for...

Chicken Chowder Recipe 3 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken meat 8 cups homemade chicken stock 4 slices bacon, chopped 1 onion, chopped fine 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried 1/3 cup flour 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1 carrot, washed, peeled if you choose, and sliced or diced. 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1/2 heavy cream + 1/4 cup milk Salt and pepper 2 Tb minced fresh parsley (optional - add when serving) *This soup freezes really well. **Additions: you can add fresh or frozen yellow corn to this soup or even hominy. Also try a poblano chili with cilantro as a garnish. Basic recipe gets full credit from Cooks Illustrated  All Time Best Soups First step: Gather ingredients and prep them for the pot. Speaking of pots, this soup is worth the time to pull out that dutch oven you might keep on the back shelf. Getting ever...

Eating together is one of the most foundational human acts of community. Gathering together around food never seems to grow old. JP and I have been chatting about how one goes about feeling confident about hosting other people at the proverbial dinner table. She's realized that there is a hell of a lot that goes on before hand to make that meal with friends savory and special. I can only chuckle because I remember when I had that realization too. For each generation that takes on the hosting of gatherings, we look to the past generation and wonder how it seemed so easy for them. I'm here to say that it isn't easy. However, what I saw in the kitchens of my mother, my aunts, uncles, and grandmother was a labor of love. Sure, it can be exhausting, but the act of giving was and continues to be worth it. So here's my take on the act of sharing food: What kind of evening do you want to have? A cozy dinner with candles? A patio BBQ with football? Do you want lingerin...

Homemade granola is pretty straightforward. The first time around will feel more labor intensive because you will be tracking the baking to make sure your granola comes out just right. Also, the ingredient list seems long - but do yourself a favor and buy double on the amounts to either freeze or store for your next batch. The ingredients aren't set in stone. Obviously if you don't like pumpkin seeds - don't add them. However, I would highly suggest making sure you add the quinoa flakes due to the protein content of quinoa. With the nuts and seeds, this granola packs a nice solid punch on the appetite. Homemade Granola recipe: 5 cups rolled oats 2 cups quinoa flakes (I get this at whole foods. It comes in a box and is intended as a hot cereal, so the flakes are soft, not crunchy like corn flakes. Other natural foods stores may sell it in the bulk section, but it can be hard to find. If not available, I would just use additional rolled oats, or some other hot ...

Add caption Ingredients: 1 lb bag of green split peas 1 yellow onion 2-3 carrots 6-8 mushrooms (optional) 1 can/box of condensed cream of mushroom soup (Pacific organic is okay but nothing beats Campbells) 1 ham shank - not ham hocks.* 1/2 bay leaf salt and pepper   * If your market doesn't have the small ham shank (usually near other smoked ham products) use a ham butt portion. You can use the denser cuts of ham like black forest or other varieties of ham shaped into handy rounds but I think you miss out on some of the flavor provided by the ham bone. You can buy the ham shank butt portion (usually around $15.00) and cut it in half and freeze the left over portion for another round of soup (like Ham and Bean Soup) or to be cooked and eaten as...ham. Left over ham goes in the freezer for later So... to prepare the recipe: Rinse and sort the split peas. Take out any that are black, rinse and put the peas into the slow cooker. A pound of...

The youngest child now has her own slow cooker and she's wondering what magic she can create with it. Well ladies? What simple recipes would you suggest - that don't use red meat? I think slow cookers are great for things like split pea soup, ham and bean soup, chili (either beef or chicken), pulled bbq sandwiches, stews, chicken enchilada filling - what else? A couple suggestions - Everything that is added in the morning is going to get pretty mushy by the evening. This is fine for the meat, although chicken just doesn't need that long to shred. With chicken dishes, I tend to use my slow cooker on weekends when I can keep an eye on it for 4-5 hours (high). Beans need to soak overnight - even when they are going to be simmer in the slow cooker the whole next day. Just dump them in the crock pot and cover with hot water the night before. By morning, you can strain them or simply add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Crockpots make usually more than you can ea...