November 25, 2007
· Filed under Crafting
I really like paint can lanterns (yes, I know I’m a dork), and what’s cooler than a snowman sitting on your porch or in your apartment window? They’re easy to make and are quite festive. You’ll need:
1 1-gallon paint can with lid
1 quart paint can with lid
1 pint paint can with lid
white spray paint
black enamel paint
orange enamel paint
awl or large-gauge nail
hammer
3 battery-operated votive lights
Crafting the snowmen is simple:
1.) Fill each can with water and freeze until solid. Using the hammer and awl or nail, punch a ring of holes around the top and bottom of each can. Defrost water and dry cans.
2.) In a well-ventilated area, spray all the cans and lids with the white spray paint and let dry. If any of the punched holes are filled with paint, just use a toothpick to clear the hole.
3.) On the pint can, paint your snowman face with the black and orange paint.
4.) On the quart can, paint a row of buttons down the front.
5.) Put a battery-operated votive in each can, stack the cans with the largest on the bottom, and enjoy!
I recommend using the battery-operated votives instead of real candles in these lanterns because the cans will have the lids on and be stacked, causing a fire hazard and ventilation problem. You can get a 10-pack for what I think is a decently reasonable price at Plow & Hearth. You can also embellish your snowman any way you want- dress it up with a knit or felt scarf and hat, mini broom and corncob pipe. And instead of painting on the face detail and buttons, you can always hot glue buttons and a wood or paper mache carrot to the face- whatever your imagination dreams up, as always!
November 25, 2007
· Filed under Kitchen
There is nothing better than a chocolate parfait for dessert or an afternoon snack, and now you can tote them to work or school in ease and style- just make your parfait in a straight-sided pint or jelly jar. You know how the parfait goes, a layer of graham cracker crumbs, a layer of chocolate pudding, a layer of whipped cream… yummy goodness! For a little extra holiday flavor, you can sprinkle crushed peppermint candies on top. Who said you had to eat poorly on the go?
November 25, 2007
· Filed under Crafting, Musings
I’m a wish list fan. Now don’t get me wrong- I’m really not trolling for presents. Wish lists are an easy way for me to keep track of the things I like, and I often use the items on them as inspiration in creating my own projects (always giving credit where credit is due, of course!). But of course, it is the season for giving, and if you happen to be giving to me, you might check out my Martha Stewart Craft Wishlist. And even if you’re not buying me a little present, check it out any way to see what kind of crafty goodness Apartment Farm likes these days!
November 25, 2007
· Filed under Crafting, Kitchen, Musings
Well, it’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, so the holiday season is officially upon us! Surprisingly, most of my holiday shopping is done already- I’m making/assembling a lot of gifts this year, so it just remains to do some crafting. And the husband and I decided to put a $75 limit on gifts to each other this year. We’re really putting thought into getting each other a few things that we really need and want, rather than a bunch of stuff that’s going to sit in a corner unused after the holidays are over. We feel good about it.
We also need to design and make this year’s holiday card to get them in the mail soon (we already got our first Christmas card on Saturday!). I’m also going to make some gifts tags- perhaps some pinecone and ribbon tags. I think I’m going to do rustic brown paper wrapping with red and white kitchen twine to tie packages with, with fresh greens tucked in.
I also need to pick up a wreath form and floral wire to make a wreath this year. I may adorn it with gingerbread stars. We’re getting our tree this coming weekend, as we always pick it up the first weekend in December. We’ll be walking over to Gethsemane again this year on Saturday- it’s become our city tradition to walk the tree home. Then out with the decorations- I can’t wait to see all of our blown-glass ornaments and nutcrackers again. It will be very festive at the Apartment Farm indeed.
And then there’s the baking- spritz, shortbread, snickerdoodles, Russian tea cakes, rosettes, gingerbread and sugar cookies are all on the agenda this year. I’d also like to do a frontier town gingerbread facade, with a general store, telegraph office, church, and train depot all decorated with simple white frosting. It would be a lot of work, but I think it would be fun. I’ve never tried anything like that before, so why not? I also have a kit gingerbread house to work on this year as well. So there will be a lot of great treats to eat this season!
Happy holidays from Apartment Farm- remember to slow down and enjoy the season!
November 25, 2007
· Filed under Farming
You can still have greens to eat during the winter months, if you’re willing to grow them yourself. Micro greens are easy, fast and nutritious to grow in a sunny window during the winter. They make a nice small salad (add some kale or shredded cabbage, sundried tomatoes or preserved roasted red peppers, capers, diced shallots or onions and a your favorite vinegarette- yum!) or a great topping for a baked potato or mixed into scrambled eggs.
They’re very simple to grow- you just need a flat of soil (the under-bed rubbermaid totes work well, as well as enamelware roasting pans, wine crates, etc.) with good drainage. It only needs to be a few inches deep, as the root systems won’t get very large since you’ll technically be harvesting the greens at the seedling stage. Just sprinkle the seeds over the surface of your planter, sprinkle with a layer of soil and water gently. You might cover the whole affair with plastic wrap or a plastic cover to create a greenhouse effect to help your seeds sprout. To harvest your greens, wait until they’re an inch-and-a-half to two inches high, then shear off what you want with a pair of scissors. They should reach that height in a week or ten days after after they sprout. You can keep doing succession plantings throughout the winter to have a continuous supply.
Which types of seeds should you plant for micro greens though? You can really do any types of greens you like- lettuce mixes (that you can buy or create yourself) are good as you’ll get a variety. I like to do a lettuce mix with bunching onion, snow peas, and mustard greens mixed in. You could also add broccoil, other types of beans, cress, radish, bok choy, etc. Whatever you like, give it a try- you’ll be glad to have something fresh when the winter is starting to seem like it will never end!
November 25, 2007
· Filed under Kitchen
Thanksgiving turned out wonderfully- there was an abundance of good food and good company- what more can you ask for? Our Bourbon Red turkey was divinely delicious- I’ve never tasted anything like it. The flavor was so rich and turkey-like. Parts of it came out a bit dry, through no fault of the bird itself- we’re just not used to cooking such a small bird (ours was only 6-8 pounds) and it cooked up in a few hours time. It’s also recommended that you carve the bird before cooking because the white meat and dark meat can cook at different lengths of time. We’ll likely try that next year, as we never do the “presentation of the bird” and tableside carving anyway. (Side musing- do commercial birds even have dark meat anymore? People are really missing out on the dark meat!) All things considered, it was leaps and bounds a far greater bird than those breedless plastic wrapped messes you get at the supermarket. We’re hooked on heritage! The truffle oil is sinfully good- a little goes a long way and it really lent this smoky, deep flavor to the potatoes that was a perfect pairing. The wilted kale with bacon was a big hit, and my home made chestnut stuffing turned out perfectly, though next time I’ll be more diligent in chopping the chestnuts to a uniform mince. The test-run of the Norwegian Almond Cake failed unfortunately, so that didn’t make it onto this year’s table. It somehow turned into a soggy, scrambled egg mess, with bigs chunks of almond in it- very not good. But I’ve got another year to figure out how to do it right. So instead I made tall chocolate parfaits, which always turn out good no matter what. And the 2007 Beaujolais? A choice wine, the best we’ve had so far. Our guests must’ve like it too, since we went through three bottles! So, all in all a fantastic meal!
November 25, 2007
· Filed under Library
More good reads here at Apartment Farm. I really must get another bookshelf…
Merry Mixes by Gooseberry Patch
Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prairie by John Mack Faragher
Manifestos on the Future of Food & Seed (featuring essays by Michael Pollan, Carlo Petrini, Jamey Lionette, Prince Charles & Vandana Shiva) edited by Vandana Shiva
Ordeal by Hunger: The Classic Story of the Donner Party by George R. Stewart
The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman
Growing Midget Vegetables at Home by Grant & Holly Gilmore
Growing for Market: On a Few Acres or in Your Backyard by Roger B. Yepsen, Jr.
Make Something: An Anthology of Portland Zinesters
Americans on Vacation by the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
From the Prairie: A Child’s Memories by Joan Vibert & Linda Brannock
Through the Year: A Prairie Christmas by Joan Vibert
Fruits for the Home Garden by Ken & Pat Kraft
November 17, 2007
· Filed under Kitchen
Today was one of those days where comfort foods are the only ones that will do. For dinner this evening, I made up a pot of leek and potato soup- one of our cold weather favorites. I used a mix of red potatoes and Kennebecs. I usually like to use two distinct varieties if I have them on hand- I think the waxy texture of the reds contrasts nicely with the meaty texture of the Kennebecs, and both go nicely with the silky leeks. Perfect fall food. We ate some of the last of the Swedish rye bread from Schuberts with it, then I made the remaining few slices of bread cubes to mix with white bread for our Thanksgiving stuffing. I got about 2 cups of cubes out of the few slices that we had left- better to use it up that way than let the bread start to mold! But if I had known I was going to become so addicted to Schuberts’ bread, I would have purchased several loaves for the freezer. But I’m surely going to remember that the next time I’m there!
I’ve also got a Norwegian Almond Cake in the oven- this is the test run baking for Thanksgiving. It’s a simple flourless cake- 4 eggs, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 2 cups of finely diced almonds. It’s simple to put together- beat the sugar and eggs until light, slightly thickened and foamy and then fold in the baking powder and almonds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. But I can see how the trick would be to get the eggs and sugar beaten correctly- I can’t wait to see how mine turns out. And I don’t have a springform pan, so I anticipate unmolding it being next to impossible. But if the cake itself comes out well, I can always buy a springform for nicer presentation before Thanksgiving.
Tomorrow will bring more baking- an apple pie with the Empires purchased today, a double batch of coffee cake, and I might even try my hand at crepes. I ate them quite a bit when I was a child (both my mother and grandmother make excellent crepes) and I’ve been craving them lately- rolled up with cinnamon sugar is my favorite, but I might be ambitious enough to try a mille crepe cake. Yum!
November 17, 2007
· Filed under Farming, Musings
There seems to be a near-permanent cloud cover over Chicago lately, and a light drizzle has been falling all day. I’m disappointed that’s it not cold enough out to turn into flurries, but there will be time enough for that this year. We woke up early this morning so that we could go to the last market of the season- a bonus Winter Market that was offered for the first time this year. About a third of the usual vendors were there, and the stalls were over-flowing with cold-weather goodies- bushels of apples, potatoes, garlic, kales, winter squashes, beets, turnips, leeks and pears. There were a few odds and ends as well- the last green peppers, green tomatoes, shallots, cold-hardy lettuce, popcorn, grapes, and what not. There was also a bake sale and a handful of craft vendors, as well as a farmer offering wreaths, swags, and dried flowers. We stocked up for Thanksgiving- Russian Black kale and Kennebec potatoes from Green Acres, and Georgia Jet sweet potatoes from Henry’s. We also picked up some Parmex carrots and fresh dill from Green Acres, as well as some Empire apples from Nichols for eating this week. And of course, we were excited to pick up our Bourbon Red Turkey from Caveny Farm today as well. So, it was a bittersweet end to the season this year- it was great to experience the market for one last time this year and support our local farmers directly. But it’s going to be a long winter- 6 months more until we’re at it again! But as they say, to everything there is a season…
November 14, 2007
· Filed under Kitchen
One week until the big day. Most of the shopping will be done this Saturday at the Evanston Winter Market, where we will also pick up our turkey from Caveny Farm. These are the remaining items left to purchase:
- Heritage ham (I still haven’t been able to source one grown locally. Will I have to buy one from the Whole Foods!?)
- Kale
- Bacon
- Shallots
- Bread (for stuffing)
- Celery
- Fresh cranberries
- Riesling (for the turkey and as table wine)
- Kennebec potatoes
- Truffle Oil
- Sweet potatoes
- Slivered almonds
- Colonial-style beeswax taper candles (for table decoration)
The rest of the ingredients/items I have already purchased or I have on hand as staple pantry items. The only thing remaining after shopping is to cook it all up and eat it!
