Pickles

Today I tried something new: making pickles. I started with green beans and a recipe from Emeril. Green beans, fresh rosemary, and lemon rind in a brine of white vinegar, water, and salt. Here's the "in process" picture:

Steam process for 15 minutes, then let "cure" for 3 weeks. I don't know if I'll be able to wait that long.... It seemed wasteful to heat up the whole canning pot for just two pints, but it felt like the beans needed to be cooked, so I didn't want to skip that step. And this way I can keep one pint for later.

Then I tackled bread and butter pickles. Lara inspired me with her success story, and then there was a recipe in this month's Cooking Light, so it was fate. Cukes are from the Borskis. This mixture smelled wonderful:

The b&b pickles don't require processing, so I just put them in a big jar and will keep them in the fridge. Here are the finished products:

I'll let you know how they taste...

Apricot Curd

OH ... MY ... GOODNESS ... this is tasty stuff.

I love lemon curd, but I'd never heard of apricot curd until Lena mentioned it on Saturday. She gave me the recipe (see below), and I finally got around to making it today, and I'm floored by the results. I was a little skeptical, since it sounds like apricot jam with eggs in it, which doesn't sound tasty at all. But it's amazing how creamy and pudding-like the warm results are, how rich and flavorful. I assume it will be a little firmer than pudding once it cools. Honestly, it tastes like lemon curd with apricot mixed in rather than the other way around. I'm not complaining--I love lemon curd, and this version is just a bit sweeter and more complex.

Oh, and a note to Salt Lakers, Mary Boyer still has tons of apricots, if anyone wants to try this recipe.

8 oz fresh apricots

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1½ oz (2½ Tbsp) butter, diced

8 oz* superfine sugar (I used regular)

2 eggs, beaten

Wash the fruit and put into a pan with very little water and cook until soft. Push the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl and stir in the sugar, lemon zest and juice and the butter. Place the bowl over a pan of hot (not boiling) water and cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the eggs and continue to cook until thick. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and cover with waxed discs and lids or cellophane covers. Store in a cool place.

*Note that this is 8 oz by weight, not volume. I expected it to be one cup, but it was considerably more than that, closer to two cups. I thought it seemed like too much sugar, so I used only 6-7 oz, and my curd is a little tart.

Any canning experts out there want to suggest processing times for longer-term storage? I'd love to give this away as Christmas gifts, but I'm a bit wary of leaving it unsealed that long. (I think modern standards even rule out the parafin seal for jams and such.)

Next time I think I'll reduce the lemon and increase the apricots. I wonder how many other fruits are curd-able?

"Research shows..."

I read the other day that (and I'm paraphrasing here) that in one study children who ate only instant oatmeal for breakfast ate 80% more calories throughout the day than children who ate a veggie omelet and juice for breakfast (steel-cut oatmeal fared a little better). The conclusion was that it's important to include protein at breakfast.

Um, ok?

I'm ok with having protein for breakfast, but I have a few problems with this report, especially with the concluding statement. Did both meals have the same number of calories? Same amount of fat? Did they try adding protein powder to the oatmeal? How many kids were in the study? What were their eating habits before? Did the study conclude that we need protein at breakfast, or was that the magazine's inferrence? How do they account for steel-cut oatmeal's difference?

This is just one example of the millions of health-related blurbs we get bombarded with every day, each with authoratative "research" behind it. Too often I get sucked in, but this time I just got annoyed. And I had to share.

Talk amongst yourselves...

Meeeem-rieeeeees

I saw this on Susan's blog and it looked like fun. Participate if you like. Ignore it if you don't.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Atty's feet smell like cheese

They do! It's the strangest thing. I guess it's because he sweats milk-based formula. Oh, and he has started smiling. This is especially fun. And he's cooing and gurgling more.

He had his 4-month checkup a couple days ago, and they said he's just perfect, which of course we already knew. He also got more shots, which he didn't like very much. But he's taking it like a trooper.

Blessing Day

Atty was blessed over the 4th of July weekend. James's mom and my sister Susan and her family were able to come in from out of town, and we were happy to have our friend Brian K. join us in church for the blessing.

He was blessed with a keen sense of humor, that he would not suffer any long-term effects from his prematurity, that he would grow physically and spiritually, and that he would accomplish the goals he sets for himself. At first we thought he would cry through the blessing, but he stopped fussing as soon as James started talking. Good boy. :)

After church we had lunch in our friends the Lewises' back yard, since our living room is too small to accommodate everyone. Plus there was room and toys for the kids to play on, which was great until the sprinklers came on and trapped my nieces Aubrey and Ella in the playhouse. Luckily they both survived the ordeal.

Here are more pictures from the luncheon:

Atty and Nana

Susan and Alice

Atty looking confused and Grandma Poulson smiling behind him

New Photos

Sorry for the long blog silence. I just kept forgetting to transfer photos off the camera. Here are some of my favorites from the last few weeks:

Three-month birthday, chillin' with dad

Looking precious

Sporting a "Magnum P. I." look, courtesy Carrie & Devin North (shoes from Marian W.)

Wearing a piggie onesie I embroidered

In the pram