Month: February 2022

Today, Liz, and I made our first pizzas. Ever!

I made the pizza dough this morning, using OO flour, and corn meal. (I have been waiting for an eon to use the corn meal. Not much call for it here.) The OO flour is a high protein flour, which will make a sturdy crust, hopefully. As neither of us has ever done this before, we will have to wait and see how they turn out.

This is what they looked like going into the large, clean oven. The left pizza is for the Garcia’s and is ham, cheese, and pineapple. The right one is for himself, and me, and is homemade sausage, cheese, black garlic.

The sauce is homemade, just this morning; I made it while the dough was rising. (Beats doing the dishes, or folding laundry.) It, too, was very simple; a large can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, onion, oregano, dried basil, a dash of sugar, and you have pizza sauce. Of course, everyone’s recipes differ, but, as a first attempt, it tastes pretty good. Oh, I forgot, I also added a teaspoon of fish sauce. Why? Because Chef John used anchovy fillets in his but I do not keep fillets; fish sauce is anchovies.

Added bit of fun; I got to use the cheese graters for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I have had them for years, but do not remember ever using them. What a shame, too, cuz they work really well, and quickly. I was able to grate the Manchego, and Parmesano-Reggiano in just a minute or two. Going to keep this in the forefront of whatever is left of my memory.

The pizzas should be done in the next few minutes. We, then, have to wait ten or fifteen minutes for them to “set up” before we cut into them. I will try to be patient.

When they come out, and have set, I will add another photo of them. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

You read that correctly. Never, ever, will I use that mixture to clean the ovens.

First of all, that is way too much Dawn; it took me an hour to remove all of the soap that collected on the clothes I used. I used up two months of water just rinsing the darn things. It took me an hour and a half to clean out both ovens, after which I had to spray everything down, use a dry microfiber cloth, and wipe off all of the soda residue. It looked like someone had drizzled a film of ash all over the inside, and outside of the ovens. What a mess.

I am really glad that I let 3 hours elapse before typing this post. It is completely different than what I was saying to myself while I was working, and when I finished. I am not sure I could have posted it, in fact, I was that upset.

After that, I am almost persuaded to go back to the ugly, smelly harsh chemical oven cleaner, not that I ever actually clean my ovens. I just, accidentally, let some wild hair get to me, and tried the dish soap, baking soda, and vinagre mixture. Do not do it.

Anyway, enough boohooing. Here is the event as it stands.

Then, I decided I had had enough, and I considered the chore finished. So it was. I went back to the bedroom, moaning, and groaning about the ache in my back, (which ought to be incredible tomorrow,) and sat down for a few minutes. Then, both kettles whistled on the stove, so off I went to finish the dishes.

Both windows are still oven windows with streaks, but I still do not care. One day, quite some time from now, I just might take the above window off, again, and really clean it up. Not right now.

If anyone you know thinks they want to save the planet by using the aforementioned formula, tell them they have my permission, if they care, to use the chemical stuff. Or, better yet, just do not use your oven. Then you will never have to clean it.

Another thought; when was the last time someone came to visit you, at your house, and asked if they could, please, see the inside of your oven? That was, you are correct: exactly never.

So, I am now of the mind that, if someone happens to see the inside of my oven(s), and it, or they, happen to be dirty, it will be because I have chosen to cook delicious meals for my husband and myself. And, if those meals shout out while they are cooking, then, they do. I will be thankful that we have two ovens, and that I know how to use them. (Most folks down here cook on the stove top, rarely using the oven. Difference in cultures, that is all.)

So, peace be in your hearts while you stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

There was a post on Pinterest recently that caught my attention.

It was a recipe for products to clean your oven with harsh chemicals. Of course, I was skeptical, but, finally, tonight, I mixed the ingredients together and applied it to both the large, and the small ovens. I did not take a before photo of the Breville Smart oven, but I did of the large oven. Yikes.

I have baked several loaves of sourdough bread the big oven at 500ºF, and a couple of casseroles. Some of the casserole contents spilled out onto the floor of the oven, causing a bit of black charcoaled residue.

The Breville oven has been used, and abused, over the past 2 years. I weekly bake bacon, bread, casseroles, potatoes, steaks, pork chops, etc., most of which splatter all over the oven. It smokes like a house on fire whenever I cook something in it.

If this cleaning mix cleans the ovens, I am going to use it on the stove top and get rid of the covers I am currently using. They are great, but if I can get the stove top clean, then clean it will stay. How fun.

Until tomorrow, when I clean, again, all of the mixture away, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: I am sorry. Did you ask what the product/mixture was? Well, I will be happy to tell you. It is as follows:

1/2 c. Dish soap, 1 1/2 c. Baking soda, and 1/4 c. White vinagre. Mix them in a medium sized bowl of your choice, then, using a sponge, spread it all over the inside of your dirty oven, and shelves. Close the oven door. Go to bed. Next day, with a damp sponge, wipe it all off, and, with luck, be completely amazed at your beautifully clean oven.

I made spaghetti, with sauce, all from scratch.

Yes, I did! All by myself, too. I did not even listen to one minute of my Outlander book, book number 5 in the series. I spent all of my time concentrating on the tasks before me. They were numerous, I must say.

My goals for today were to make a loaf of whole wheat bread, as I have been, as we had only a few slices left of the last loaf I made. I wanted to make homemade spaghetti noodles, and sauce, using the Italian sausage I made the other day; everything from scratch.

And that is exactly what I did, too! Here are a few photos from my days journey. Hope you enjoy them.

I made the dough for the spaghetti using semolina flour, as it is true pasta flour, and has a very high protein content, making it a strong gluten product. the instructions said it would be a more difficult dough to use, versus a high protein white flour, such as All Purpose flour. As I wanted the “real” experience of pasta making, I opted for the semolina instead. It was very easy to use, once I got past the three minute mark when kneading it.

Then, I got to use my new KitchenAid pasta making attachments to roll our the pasta, then cut it into spaghetti pieces.

And, since this was my first adventure, I got a bit fuddled when I was putting the dough through the cutting piece. What was I going to do with it after I cut it? My husband came to my rescue. He happened into the kitchen, just after the first batch of spaghetti came our of the cutting piece. He put my drying rack together, just in time for me to use it.

As I said, since I have never done this before, I was a bit disorganized. Instead of dusting them in the semolina and hanging them on the rack, I dusted them and placed them, in a curl, on a floured baking sheet. Fortunately, I do not have a photo of that kerfuffle.

Whilst the pasta dough was “sleeping” for 30 minutes, before I began all of the above, I made the dough for another loaf of our new favorite, whole wheat bread. It is absolutely the softest WW dough I have ever had the opportunity to use. The bread is delicious.

Then, while the bread was rising, and the pasta was sleeping, I made the marinara/spaghetti sauce, using, of course, my homemade Italian sausage. Spectacular, I am telling you.

The sauce came together, the spaghetti got rolled out, then cut, then dried for a few minutes, and the bread was put to bake.

I boiled the water for the spaghetti, (which took about 3 minutes to cook), reheated the sauce, took the bread out of the oven, and made a few pieces of garlic toast to go with the meal.

To top it all off, I grated some fresh Parmesano-Reggiano cheese on top of the sauce, and Bob’s your uncle. We did not have any wine, but that was ok. It was only three in the afternoon.

But, I did it! I still cannot believe how much I got done today. Yesterday too. What a week. Soon, I am going to start on Asian cuisines, and see where that takes us. I will try to be patient. Hah!!!

Everyone, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I made my first attempt at baking bolillos today, which turned out to be not as hoped. Onward, and upward.

They do not look bad, and, actually, look very much like the ones in the photo I was using as a comparison. Unfortunately, they are quite bagel-like in their external texture, and are a bit difficult to bite into. I, however, enjoy that texture, but others, (read everyone else except me) do not.

Again, I think this is because so much of the different breads eaten up North have different, and sometimes, tougher textures. Breads, and desserts here, are usually quite soft, and easy to chew. Tortillas are soft as well. Very few people eat tostadas even.

Anyway, the bolillos with which we have to compare are quite lovely here. They are easy to bite into, and pillowy soft inside. Damn. I have to find a recipe to replicate this phenomenon. It is not easy, I am here to tell you. Maybe just a bread recipe that I can shape into the bolillo shape. Hmmm. Worth trying.

For now, most of these will become bread crumbs, as Liz, and I, both make milanesa fairly often. It is very similar to a chicken Parmesan, but we don not use a sauce, just bread the flattened protein. Yum.

While I figure out how to replicate the bolillos we buy in the store, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: I spoke too soon. Jesús, Liz, and Gaby just came down, and have eaten three of them. So, a batch will be going with them in the morning. They loved the flavor, and the texture. Score.

I have not made a batch of kombucha in months; four months, to be exact.

The end of October saw the last batch of kombucha that I made. I was sure that we were back in the buch drinking way of life, but, alas, once again, I was wrong.

Every time we open the fridge, we see all of these on the bottom shelf, in the back. Taunting us; calling to us; being ignored by us. Shame on us.

So, this week, I decided to open one of the buggers, and taste it. You may recall me saying that the last one I opened was ceremoniously spread all over the underside of the cabinets, on the windows to the laundry area, all over the hood of the exhaust fan; well, you get the idea; everywhere except in my glass. It had so much natural carbonation, for which I was, and am, extremely grateful, but, I would never have imagined. It was under such pressure, that the slightest hint of the bottle top being opened, even a millimeter, caused the flip top to burst open, and the geyser to erupt, just like the Grand Canyon’s Old Faithful.

That said, oh, and yes, I have since cleaned it all up, I had to come up with a way to open a bottle, with as much precaution as I could prepare. Here is what I decided to do.

I have put a metal mixing bowl, with moderately sloping sides, in the sink, put the bottle in the bowl, then, put another mixing bowl with steeper sides over the top. Holding on to the metal cage of the flip top with my left hand, I have to rest the top bowl on my arm, hold on to the bottle with my right hand, then gently, and ever-so-slowly start to pry off the flip top. I stop when I hear it start to fizz, and watch it as it runs down the side of the upper bowl, being contained in the bottle bowl, and not all over the kitchen.

Sorry. I got a bit carried away there, for a moment. I am quite recovered now.

I knew there had to be a way of opening them without spraying the contents all over the kitchen, and I finally figured it out. Now, we can enjoy the contents, and do not have to throw them out. However, I would really like to make another batch soon.

So now we can drink these little buggers instead of pouring them down the drain. The mixture in the dark bottles is blueberries with black raspberries, and, pineapple, only, in the clear. The pineapple has a much better flavor than the berries. The berries taste like dish soap. As they have so many health benefits, I will drink the dish soap and know that it is going to help improve my gut health. How much? I have no idea. And, I do not care. Anything is better than nothing.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones. I am back to my puzzle. 😉

Post script: I ended up dumping all but one, which was made completely of pineapple. The others, all of them, had too much ginger, and were awful. Onward to a new batch with just pineapple.

I know I spoke about this not very long ago; fresh fruit, here, is quite incredible.

In the fruit stand there are 2 kilos of fresh eggs. What more can you ask? Here is what I did with the fruit, not the veg, or the eggs. 😉

I peeled, and diced, two mangos, diced the pear, two different kinds of apples, two banana’s, and two mandarins, minus the seeds. It is delicious.

We do not eat fruit often, but when we do, it is so fresh, and sweet. It makes me wonder why we do not eat it more often.

We had a piece of the tres leches cake last night that I had left over, and put some cut up mango on it. Yummm. The cake is so mildly sweet, the mango pieces were exactly what it needed. As there is one more piece of the cake for us to share, we can put a scoop of the mixed fruit on top of it. Yeah!!!

Until we meet again, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.