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Of Ducks, Ravioli, and Some Rudeness
Apr. 7th, 2009 10:04 pmLast week, Dorkboy and Little Man fondly remembered the Crispy Duck dishes just about every Chinese restaurant in England has on the menu, and how they miss it. I clearly saw that as a challenge. So off I went in search of a reasonable recipe that isn't overly westernised and all that. And found one. The only change I made was I replaced the sugar with honey for the sauce, too. Cuz, you know, I don't like the idea of sugar. Not that I ate the duck. Well, I tried a bite because I was curious whether it tasted authentic. The guys wiped out 3/4 of the entire duck in one go. Oh, I added cucumber to the scallions for the pancakes, but otherwise, I followed the recipes, including the Chinese pancakes, which I cooked in the crepe pan. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures. Clearly, I was far too excited to think of that.
Then today, my new book arrived. I find good quality books on cooking more of an inspiration than actually looking for precise recipes. I devoured the book for breakfast. Until I reached the page that tells one how to make pasta from scratch. And I thought, Oooooohhhhh, Iz gonna make ravioli; mushroom-filled for us and pesto-filled for the young ones.
( Pasta Recipe )
( Ravioli Filling )
And last but by no means least, ( The world's easiest marinara sauce ) Dinner really was a lovely affair. It's all gone now. A pasta maker has just moved to the top of my 'urgent needs for the kitchen' list.
In other news, I tried signing up for the snuna exchange in time for the postings. Nope, no luck. Mod denied me and argued there is no age statement on my profile. I wrote back saying I understand my profile page being crowded, but age statement is there, and I pasted it into the PM. I guess expecting an answer is too much to ask for, eh? And giving a profile page more than not even a cursory glance, in which banners from various adult-only archives could have been noticed, or glancing at my friends list, which also would have shown the likelihood of me being old rather than underage would have been too much too. *snerk* Sorry to those of you who participate, but I won't be reading or reviewing. Cuz if I can't read all of the fics, then I don't want to at all. *pouts*
On writing, I have to edit one chapter to send to my lovely beta, and I have to complete another chapter of a different fic to send to my other lovely beta. I have an interesting three-word-prompt from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stefdarlin, which I am keen to write, but so far, I've come up totally blank. Lucius is very keen on progressing the other two fics, and I've been spending far too much time in the kitchen lately. I think tomorrow the cooking will be simple; maybe kugel, asparagus, and some green salad.
I still owe a few comments on the writing thread, which turned out overwhelming in a very positive way. I received much food for thought on the why and was surprised to find that a lot of the reasons you've given apply to me.
Then today, my new book arrived. I find good quality books on cooking more of an inspiration than actually looking for precise recipes. I devoured the book for breakfast. Until I reached the page that tells one how to make pasta from scratch. And I thought, Oooooohhhhh, Iz gonna make ravioli; mushroom-filled for us and pesto-filled for the young ones.
( Pasta Recipe )
( Ravioli Filling )
And last but by no means least, ( The world's easiest marinara sauce ) Dinner really was a lovely affair. It's all gone now. A pasta maker has just moved to the top of my 'urgent needs for the kitchen' list.
In other news, I tried signing up for the snuna exchange in time for the postings. Nope, no luck. Mod denied me and argued there is no age statement on my profile. I wrote back saying I understand my profile page being crowded, but age statement is there, and I pasted it into the PM. I guess expecting an answer is too much to ask for, eh? And giving a profile page more than not even a cursory glance, in which banners from various adult-only archives could have been noticed, or glancing at my friends list, which also would have shown the likelihood of me being old rather than underage would have been too much too. *snerk* Sorry to those of you who participate, but I won't be reading or reviewing. Cuz if I can't read all of the fics, then I don't want to at all. *pouts*
On writing, I have to edit one chapter to send to my lovely beta, and I have to complete another chapter of a different fic to send to my other lovely beta. I have an interesting three-word-prompt from
stefdarlin, which I am keen to write, but so far, I've come up totally blank. Lucius is very keen on progressing the other two fics, and I've been spending far too much time in the kitchen lately. I think tomorrow the cooking will be simple; maybe kugel, asparagus, and some green salad.I still owe a few comments on the writing thread, which turned out overwhelming in a very positive way. I received much food for thought on the why and was surprised to find that a lot of the reasons you've given apply to me.
To all who write, I'm curious. Why do you write? I'm genuinely curious, and I don't want anyone to draw ideas from others' comments, so I'm screening comments for a day or two. I just want a really honest opinion. And if you don't want your comment to be seen, say so, and I won't unscreen it. I'm just really curious.
(no subject)
Mar. 31st, 2009 09:09 pm*squeeeeeees*
*flails*
I haz cheerleader for the Hermione BigBang. And guess where she lives? *points at icon*
Yup.
*bounces*
*flails*
I haz cheerleader for the Hermione BigBang. And guess where she lives? *points at icon*
Yup.
*bounces*
(no subject)
Mar. 30th, 2009 12:57 amsubvers!!!May your day be wonderful and the year ahead the best one yet!
Of feeling better, LuLu, and cheesemaking
Mar. 29th, 2009 09:04 pmI'm feeling better. Thank you for all your good wishes and orders. I followed those of Mr Malfoy and was pretty much back to myself by last night, after some seriously good rest.
I wasn't going to write anything, or if, I was going to finish the "drabble" from last week. But Lucius had other ideas upon seeingorganic_chemist's prompt. Yes, it's LuLu, and it's dedicated to Shug because she seems to find delight in that particular pairing, and you can find it here.
And I've promised I'd type up the 30-minute mozzarella recipe, but thanks to Ari, I found it on the net. It is identical to the one I have, its author being the one featured making cheese. You can find it here. If you need rennet, cultures, etc, that's the site I buy my stuff for cheesemaking from. They're good and deliver reasonably fast.
I wasn't going to write anything, or if, I was going to finish the "drabble" from last week. But Lucius had other ideas upon seeing
organic_chemist's prompt. Yes, it's LuLu, and it's dedicated to Shug because she seems to find delight in that particular pairing, and you can find it here.And I've promised I'd type up the 30-minute mozzarella recipe, but thanks to Ari, I found it on the net. It is identical to the one I have, its author being the one featured making cheese. You can find it here. If you need rennet, cultures, etc, that's the site I buy my stuff for cheesemaking from. They're good and deliver reasonably fast.
(no subject)
Mar. 27th, 2009 01:47 amAll cheesemaking activities came to a grinding halt when I woke up this morning with a cheese grater, the metal kind, inserted in my throat. I. Do. Not. Appreciate. It. The nose was running, too, and there were sneezes heard throughout the home. I felt about as energetic as a pregnant snail, so I returned to bed where I spent most of the day. Only little breaks of adding more Vitamin C to the water, gulping up more MMS with lime and apple juice were had. I do feel better now, but the grater in my throat isn't entirely gone. I've had serious words with it. This kind of thing is not conducive to writing, honestly. It all left me divinely unimpressed. Tomorrow will be a better day. *glares*
(no subject)
Mar. 26th, 2009 05:01 pm
Dairy obsessions
Mar. 26th, 2009 02:42 amThe feta, curing at room temperature on the kitchen counter, stinks to the high heavens. It's gorgeous. Yeah, laugh about that. But make some, too, and then disagree. ;) The labna is sort of half-made, ie. the yogurt has turned into cheese, but I'm pondering a need for more oil or a spoonful of cream, as it's a bit too crumbly, so I stuck it in the fridge to allow me a night to ponder the next step. I was going to post that 30-minute mozzarella tonight, but writing was more important. That said, if you want to attempt making it, you need decent rennet, which is NOT the one you find in the grocery store. So, while I'm procrastinating typing up the recipe, go and find yourself some good rennet. Google 'cheesemaking supplies' and you'll find something. I personally prefer cheesemaking.com's concentrated, non-gmo, vegetarian rennet, but that's me. You'll also need non-homogenised and non-ultrapasteurized milk. There are some sources in every state. If you have a Fresh Market, try it; they have glass-bottled Jersey cows' milk that's only pasteurised. Or try your local health food store. Even better, find a dairy farm, tell them your dog/cat/chickens are in desperate need of raw milk and buy it from there. Alternatively, purchase calcium chloride to make the milk pretend it wasn't ultra-pasteurized or homogenized. If you really want to get into it, here is a good recipe for traditional mozzarella.
Over the weekend, I had a go at culturing my own yogurt without cultures so to speak. I purchased a small tub of authentic Greek yogurt. It worked fine. Was a bit whey-heavy, but I know what the problem is (should have used less milk), so here is an attempt at encouraging you:
one quart milk
one small tub of Greek yogurt (the ingredients should be: milk, two or three bacteria; non-fat or full-fat, any fat content is fine)
Heat milk to 116F. Add tub of yogurt. Stir well. Hold at 116 (+ about 2 degrees/ - about 10 is fine; if it doesn't thicken at all four hours later, up the temperature to about 120; if it thickens before that, reduce temp to about 110/100) for a good five to six hours. A few hours later you should have a good quart of Greek yogurt.
You can do the same, by the way, with creme fraiche. All you need for that is about a tablespoon of creme fraiche, add it to half a pint of half and half (or single cream in the UK) and leave at room temperature for 6-12 hours. In Europe, it's probably not worth it, but here in Memphis, a small tub (about 4 ounces) of creme fraiche set you back about $7, so saving that last spoonful and purchasing some half-and-half surely brings down the cost. It also works with sour cream.
Right. Lucius, mushrooms, and a contra bass are calling.
Over the weekend, I had a go at culturing my own yogurt without cultures so to speak. I purchased a small tub of authentic Greek yogurt. It worked fine. Was a bit whey-heavy, but I know what the problem is (should have used less milk), so here is an attempt at encouraging you:
one quart milk
one small tub of Greek yogurt (the ingredients should be: milk, two or three bacteria; non-fat or full-fat, any fat content is fine)
Heat milk to 116F. Add tub of yogurt. Stir well. Hold at 116 (+ about 2 degrees/ - about 10 is fine; if it doesn't thicken at all four hours later, up the temperature to about 120; if it thickens before that, reduce temp to about 110/100) for a good five to six hours. A few hours later you should have a good quart of Greek yogurt.
You can do the same, by the way, with creme fraiche. All you need for that is about a tablespoon of creme fraiche, add it to half a pint of half and half (or single cream in the UK) and leave at room temperature for 6-12 hours. In Europe, it's probably not worth it, but here in Memphis, a small tub (about 4 ounces) of creme fraiche set you back about $7, so saving that last spoonful and purchasing some half-and-half surely brings down the cost. It also works with sour cream.
Right. Lucius, mushrooms, and a contra bass are calling.
(no subject)
Mar. 21st, 2009 05:00 pm
(no subject)
Mar. 16th, 2009 10:23 pmHAPPY BIRTHDAY, Shug!
Hope your day's been filled with love, fun, joy, happiness, and lots of prezzies, and the year ahead with more of the same!
(no subject)
Mar. 14th, 2009 02:03 am
The drabble that was hit with Inflatio
Mar. 13th, 2009 08:41 pmreally isn't a drabble or multiples thereof anymore. Because it ended up 2500 words long, which makes it officially a short story. *iz a know-it-all* It also resolves why Lucius was so insistent on Mozart until it was written. He's thankfully moved on to Tchaikovsky now. Bliss, I tell you, pure bliss!
The into-a-short-story-evolved-drabble is entitled Zu Hilfe, Zu Hilfe! and you can read it here. It'll be up on Ashwinder and Owl at some stage, too.
*returns to WIPs while enjoying Tchaikovsky now*
The into-a-short-story-evolved-drabble is entitled Zu Hilfe, Zu Hilfe! and you can read it here. It'll be up on Ashwinder and Owl at some stage, too.
*returns to WIPs while enjoying Tchaikovsky now*
(no subject)
Mar. 12th, 2009 04:15 pm
(no subject)
Mar. 10th, 2009 11:44 pmLife around here has come to a screeching halt while Lucius is visiting Mr Mozart. *mumbles incoherently about evil prompt creators*
When nothing came to me on Saturday night after our Keeper of the Prompts,organic_chemist, issued the prompt to me, I sort of filed it away under 'to be done one day.' Uhuh. Yeah. Right. No. It sort of turned itself into a sequel of Reacquainting with Beethoven, and, uh, yeah, it won't rest until it's done.
Have some brilliancewhile you breathlessly await my new opus, which is courtesy of mundungus42. Thanks, love. It's entirely too brilliant to be lost in the comments. :D
When nothing came to me on Saturday night after our Keeper of the Prompts,
organic_chemist, issued the prompt to me, I sort of filed it away under 'to be done one day.' Uhuh. Yeah. Right. No. It sort of turned itself into a sequel of Reacquainting with Beethoven, and, uh, yeah, it won't rest until it's done.Have some brilliance
mundungus42. Thanks, love. It's entirely too brilliant to be lost in the comments. :DStill under the influence
Mar. 10th, 2009 08:10 pmof Lucius-induced Mozart that is.
And just how delightful is this? Little wizard man conducting the Met orchestra with great skillz. And, OMG, look at the name of the Queen of the Night! *snicker*
And just how delightful is this? Little wizard man conducting the Met orchestra with great skillz. And, OMG, look at the name of the Queen of the Night! *snicker*
