Wool Sweater - Bottling

Nearly 3 weeks after being shut in the bucket and it's time to see what's going on in there. Prying off the lid is an awkward task. I worry if I just try to rip it off things will slosh around too much. So I patiently lift a little, turn the bucket, lift a little more. Bucket probably goes around 3 or 4 times before the lid comes all the way up.

The initial smell was great. Then I noticed all the little bits of hops around the top of the bucket. Things that got stuck during the bubbling. Still a few hops floating too. That might have meant I could have put the lid back on and let it settle a few more days before bottling. But I didn't look it up. I already had everything ready and Daddy was looking after The Boy. Better get to work when I have the kitchen blocked off and all to myself.

Thing I need to remember next time: if the siphon hose has been stored coiled it is important to get it warm with hot water and relax those curls out. It is rather annoying (and difficult towards the end of the brew bucket) to try to keep the siphon end in the brew bucket out of the sediment while keeping the exit end of the siphon hose under the beer already in the bottling bucket. Especially when one is on the counter and the other is on the floor.

One thing that did go better this time: I bought the right sanitizing stuff. So everything only needed a minute rather than 30.

In the end I have 40 bottles (6 of them 22 oz) and a half bottle. Not sure what will happen with the half, but the beer was in there and it was just as easy to cap it as pour it out. So I guess I'll find out. Fewer bottles than my last batch, but more was left behind in the brewing bucket this time for two reasons - more sediment and the sediment wasn't as compact as last time (another reason I think I could have waited a few more days).

Now me and my tastebuds wait. 2 weeks according to the instruction sheet. Eat all the sugars and fart lots little yeasties! I want my beer bubbly and not sweet.

Wool Sweater

It's a winter warmer!

No, not something you wear. But if you drink enough of it you'll feel warm. Maybe. This is my second homebrew. The first was a pale ale. The super friendly guy at my local brew shop recommended the pale ale kit after I made a face at the suggestion I make an amber brew for my first batch. Not that I have anything against amber beers, I just prefer a little more in my glass. I asked then about making a winter ale, but he thought I'd be better off doing something a little more simple for my first time through the mechanics of getting a 5 gallon batch of beer made. He was right, and the beer was good (still is really, I've still got a few left).

Back to this batch. Doug had a great gift idea for Christmas - beer ingredients. I even got them before Christmas because we exchanged gifts early. But the beer making had to wait since we were headed North to the Seattle area for the holidays. After the holidays there were a couple weekends in Portland followed by a couple of weeks helping Roland get over surgery. Which means that finally, in the middle of February, I got to spend an afternoon brewing in the kitchen.

This time, instead of a neat little booklet outlining each step, I had a one-page photo copied recipe laid out in an outline style. Good thing I've done this before.

I started with 2.5 pounds of grain, freshly milled the day before. My 5 gallon brew pot was filled pretty full once I got enough water to steep the grain plus the grain in there. After steeping for about 30 minutes directions told me to increase the water level to 4 gallons. Now it was really full! In went the malt extracts (both liquid and dried). Then some hops. Then more hops. Then more hops again. Hooray for hops! And the combined boiling time was nearly 2 hours. In which we learned a fun thing about our smoke detector: humidity WILL set it off. Repeatedly. Prepare yourself to open windows, flap around kitchen towels, and consider removing the damn battery by the end of the batch. (Good thing this smoke detector wasn't in our apartment in Hawaii. And maybe that's why we didn't have one.)

Then into the bucket to bubble away - hopefully unmolested by the tiny human in the house. Smelled pretty good going in.

New Kitchen

We've moved. Not recently, but since I last updated sometime in the middle of 2013. New apartment in a new state. And the kitchen? Not so tiny any more, but still not all that big.

Actually, it's still kinda tiny. I can't store all my kitchen stuff in the kitchen. There would be more "kitchen" space in the kitchen if it weren't for the full-size washer and dryer right next to the fridge. But with the cloth diapering I'll happily trade some needed cupboard and counter space for a place for the machines that clean the diapers.

And in the new kitchen? A new hobby! Homebrewing to be exact. Today I brewed my second batch. First was a pale ale. Today was a winter warmer. I'll write more on that later. First I wanted you to know that I am still here - and that 'here' is a new place.

Challenge: Coffee Cake

For whatever reason I woke up the other day wanting coffee cake.  I'm not even really sure what the coffee cake I had in mind tastes like anymore.  But I do remember my mom having a recipe for coffee cake, and at least a couple of times when I was a kid she made it for breakfast.  I knew it had a crumbly top and a cakey bottom, but beyond that I had no idea what this would look like.  Luckily, Google knows everything if you just know how to ask.  Or so I thought.

Turns out Google might know too much sometimes, while still no knowing the exact thing I'm looking for.  The recipe my mom used might be out there somewhere, or it might be something that was tweaked and handed down.  If I asked my mom she could probably tell me, but calling your mom who is 4 time zones away while she is at work and can't answer the phone and wanting coffee cake NOW is not conducive to getting said coffee cake.  In addition to wanting coffee cake, I am also on pantry restriction.  I can't buy anything new for the pantry because I'm in the middle of packing up my entire apartment.  So I had to find a recipe that would work with what I had on hand.

Of course I found nothing, and my want was growing stronger so I was either going to have to give up the search or make up my own thing.  I went with the latter.  I figured I had nothing to lose, so if it was gross we could just throw it out.  Not like you can donate open used boxes of things anyway.

What I ended up with turned out pretty good.  Not sure how soon I'll make it again, as the cake was Bisquick based and that is not something typically found in my kitchen.

*UPDATE*
Of course now we've actually moved, and before I finished this entry. The basics of the cake were a simple cake like concoction made from Bisquick mix. The topping was a simple Apple Crisp crumble topping. In the event that I find my handwritten note about this recipe or make something like it again I'll update this post again.

Until then, just enjoy the picture of cake.

In Limbo

So, lots has been going on since my last post.  I started working full-time, which cut into my desire to cook.  Then I got pregnant and a combination of tiredness and morning sickness took away all my cooking mojo.  Now that I'm feeling up to cooking again we are inbetween homes.  We've been lucky enough to have friends with space for us to stay, but it just isn't the same as having your own kitchen.  All my spices have been given away and my tools are in storage.  But I have been cooking again, so there might be something to share soon.

Homemade Chili Seasoning

Last time I went on a big grocery trip, I planned a menu and made a shopping list.  Chili was not on it.  At some point yesterday though I decided that we must have chili for dinner, and I would use the TVP to keep it vegetarian.  I thought to myself "surely I have beans and tomatoes on hand, and I can figure out chili seasoning..."

The recipe I found that most closely resembled what I thought I was looking for still needed some tweaking to fit personal preferences.  Mostly because I am too wimpy to handle any kind of heat.  And I dislike black pepper in just about EVERYTHING.  I think it tastes like dirt.  Yes, I know what dirt tastes like (thank you, Basic Training).

Here is what I came up with for the best chili seasoning:
(adapted from mybakingaddiction)

4 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
dash of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sea salt

Mix together all ingredients.  Makes about 1/2 cup.

 

Mmmm, chili seasoning with no hidden ingredients.  Store in an air tight container.

Now for the Vegetarian (actually Vegan) Chili:

Start with Onions.  I used 6, but they were small.  They came from the Farmer's Market in Haleiwa. Don't be fooled by their tiny size.  Half way through I had to take a break for onion tears.  Chop them up and saute them in olive oil. 

TVP = Textured Vegetable Protein.  This ingredient is best not thought about.  When I think about it too much, I end up thinking of the scene in The Matrix where everyone is eating the slop that gives them all the nutrients they need.  So you can pretend to be sci-fi about it, or you can use ground meat. (Note: there will be no Vegan Super Powers gained by eating meat)  I used 1 cup of TVP and 2 cups of water.  Throw it in with the onions once they cooked as much as you like them.

Beans.  I used what I had on hand.  Which was 2 cans of black beans and 1 can of kidney beans.  Make sure you rinse those things.  Bean sludge is disgusting.  Add to the onion/TVP mixture.

 Throw in a can of diced tomatoes, including the juice in the can.  2 (8oz) cans of tomato sauce should be added too.  Unless you like dry chili.  Then add 2 tablespoons of the chili seasoning mixture.  Or more if you want.  This would also be a good time to add more heat if you can handle it.

Yum, finished chili.  The TVP looks like ground turkey.  Because of the chili seasoning it tastes like chili.  However, TVP all alone is gross.  Like tofu all alone.  You just shouldn't do it.

Limoncello Sorbet

A recipe for Limoncello popsicles got me all excited for a lemony treat. Of course, popsicles sounded silly given the fact my kitchen is equipped with an ice cream/sorbet maker. Doug always seems interested in Limoncello gelato when it can be found. That option didn't seem likely though; all the recipes were too high in rich dairy products for his consumption. So... sorbet!

Finding a recipe is easy. Unless you are me. Then you notice that about half the recipes you are finding suggest doing things one way, while the other half suggest another way. Many have ingredients you don't want to use or omit ingredients you do want. Solution? Take some notes about the things you like and head to the kitchen without a recipe.

Turns out the basic idea for sorbet is all you need. Some type of fruit juice and/or fruit puree and simple syrup will do the trick. The amounts of each depend on personal preference for flavor and consistency. Your simple syrup can be made with lots of sugar or a little, but it is important to cook the sugar into simple syrup. Otherwise your sorbet will be gritty instead of smooth.  Flavored liquors can be added to help boost the flavor and to help keep the sorbet from turning into a giant ice cube. Or in the case of Limoncello sorbet, to give the treat the nice bright lemon flavor of Limoncello.

So enough about my method and onto my recipe (makes about ten 1/2 cup servings):
2 cups water
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Limoncello
Zest of two lemons
1 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

1. Mix water and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
2. Mix Lemoncello, lemon juice, and lemon zest. When sugar mixture has cooled to room temperature, add to Limoncello mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours.
3. Follow ice cream maker directions with mixture.

(just so you know, I ate this scoop after taking its picture)

Ta da! Limoncello sorbet. If you want, you can pour a shot of Limoncello over each serving. We ate it without, and it was wonderful. No sharing from this batch, though I may make some for the next potluck get-together. And I'm already having ideas about other fruit/Limoncello combinations.