the remains of the day

After enjoying a nice, large chocolate chip cookie, here’s what I have left: an empty milk carton and a small pile of chips. Coach thinks there’s something wrong with this picture. But it makes perfect sense to me…

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smooth operator

Hey Baker, see that? I love PUNS too!

And I love coach’s gift, this immersion blender:

Today, it saved me from making a trip to Dave’s Chillin-n-Grillin, which, in addition to excellent smoothies, has sandwiches made from deli cold cuts (even the French dip!). Eww.

But I do love those smoothies. And now thanks to my new blender, I can make them right at home and right in the cup! How awesome is that?

Berry Smoothie
Place apple juice, frozen mixed berries (including blueberries!), and raspberry sorbet in cup. Blend with immersion blender until smooth. If the mixture’s too thick, add more juice. If it’s too sour, add more sorbet. Too sweet? More berries. That’s it. Yum!

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the competition

I haven’t been writing–I’ve been too busy baking this

oatmeal bread

and this

whole wheat walnut loaf

and this

dried cherry scone

Nice! Here at HeyChickens we’ve got so many good breakfast options! So what did coach choose??? (Drum roll, please.) He ate this

freakin' fancy loaf

The neighbor’s bread!

“Hey Coach, thanks for shoveling away that possum. Try my fancy friggin’ bread.”

Oh yes, it’s true: I am not the big winner. While I’ve been trifling with quick breads and sandwich loaves, our neighbor has mastered hearth breads!!! And oh man, does it hurt.

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gifts part four

Okay, okay, I’m almost done bragging about my X-Mas gifts. Here’s just one more: Sheboygan brats.

Please try this at home.

Honestly, sausage making isn’t hard–it’s weird and somewhat gross and totally fun. But you will need four hands for stuffing the hog casings. (I borrow two from coach.) A meat grinder and a sausage stuffer are pretty important too. (I use the attachments to my KitchenAid stand mixer.) You could just have your butcher grind the meat, and then form it into patties. But where’s the fun in that???

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gifts part three

Grandma’s gift this year was something deliciously old-school: chicken rillette. And what, you’re asking, is rillette? It’s shredded  (or chopped) meat mixed with lots of fat and served as a spread for crusty bread. It’s horrible for you and it tastes amazing.

This recipe comes to us from Palate Food & Wine in Glendale, via Bon Appétit. You can tell it’s a restaurant recipe because each element is painstakingly concocted. The chicken isn’t just poached and shredded. First it’s rubbed with herbs, then it rests overnight to absorb the flavors. Next it’s seared on the stovetop, then it’s braised in the oven. Once it’s cool, it’s finally shredded. The result, though, is the essence of chicken. And despite the time involved, it’s easy to do–sous chef or no.

Ready to make it yourself? You can find the recipe here. Enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget the cornichon.

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gifts part two

For as long as I can remember, I’ve coveted one infomercial product above all others: the food dehydrator. Making your own beef jerky at home? High five!

But as it turns out, you can save your easy payments. All you really need to make your own jerky is an oven, two rimmed baking sheets, a couple of metal cooling racks that will fit in those sheets, two old towels, a meat mallet or other blunt object, and a wooden spoon.

The whole process takes 2 days, including 3 to 5 hours in the oven. But active time? Maybe 45 minutes, max. And this is the result:

a pretty neat gift?

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gifts from my kitchen–part one

Hey everyone! Here I am, back from my stint in the big house, and with lots of stuff to share. What’s first? A huge shout-out to Lis, Leon, Michele, and Bill. Thanks for the MacBook. Now I get to work on Hey Chickens while lying in bed!

Next: granola. It’s stupidly easy to make, super portable, and pretty yummy. And I think it’s a decent gift. (Especially when packaged in a neat OXO container.)

The one below is based on a “vanilla-scented” recipe. But I toned down the vanilla for a more classic granola–one that tastes purely of oats and honey. If I got this granola, I’d copy Nina and stir it into plain yogurt along with berries and honey. It would also be great covered in milk or straight out of the container.

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something so nice

Here’s the best thing I’ve tried all week (shoot–is it only Monday?):

Vanilla ice cream topped with crumbled chocolate chip cookies over frozen fudge. It’s just genius: The fudge is on the bottom so the heat from your hands as you hold the container melts the fudge (!!) into a smooth chocolate sauce! Amazing. The selling point for me was the cookie dough in the ice cream, but two containers later and I’ve yet to find any. A small flaw in an otherwise perfect treat. I give it two thumbs up.

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fancy feasts

Here’s what’s cookin’: Ground turkey mixed with water, gently heated until no longer pink, and pureed. Fresh Oregon pears, steamed and pureed. Frozen in ice cube trays. At mealtime, heated and combined.

This is prime eating for our Snookie. The only thing better? Turkey plus mashed bananas. Yum! I think she’s going to love Alinea when she grows up.

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christmas cracker

If you haven’t noticed, I tend to get excited about a lot of neat stuff. But ask Nina and she’ll tell you, there are two things I love above all else. The first is public transportation (especially the BART!). The second is any and all articles about gifts made in the kitchen. Candies, cookies, granolas, even spice rubs can be fixed up at home and gifted in cute little packages. High five!

So imagine my joy when joythebaker made poppy seed crackers for her blog. And put them in cute jars!

I was inspired and so I copied her. It was easy. Crackers are actually simple to make, even when your baby wakes up early from her nap and cries through the rolling and the cutting. Don’t worry–it’s worth it. Because this recipe from the King Arthur cookbook is a revelation: The crackers are tender and light and crispy and wheaty. I’ve never tasted better. Plus, you probably have all the ingredients on hand–no shopping necessary. So what’re you waiting for?

thin and crispy

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