take off the pressure and use the pressure cooker

we gave away our microwave about 4 years ago, we don't own a toaster oven (although on the list of things to buy), but instead use the conventional stove top and oven for all of our cooking needs. i rather enjoy reheating things the old fashioned way, making popcorn and just cooking in general when things take a little longer to reach perfection. 

i have to admit, sometimes you just want things done in a jiffy and at the end of a long work day, with a tired and hungry baby, cooking dinner can be a challenge. we tend to prefer making meals ourselves. it saves us money, we know what we're getting and it's almost therapeutic for me. i grew up in a household where my mom, who worked full-time, cooked every night. there was no question, so it seems only natural that i would provide the same for my family.

then i discovered the pressure cooker. this was a gift from my dad one christmas. he always comes up with good gifts to get us girls. things you wouldn't think of as needing, but always wind up coming in handy. the pressure cooker has been a good friend to me this fall and winter! a full meal complete with veggies, meat and grains is ready in 15 minutes! it has been such a blessing, to get a hot, home cooked meal on the table, before diegas even walks in the door. 
it's also allowed me to experiment. barley that usually takes 1.5 hours on the stove top, takes a mere 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. the beauty of it, there is no measuring involved. throw in some stew meat, some broccoli, a little wine (maybe some teriyaki, ginger and other spices), some beef broth and whatever other veggies and barley. brown the meat first and then add your other goods, before putting the lid on and counting the minutes from when the steam starts to escape via the weight. it's a comforting sound to those that grew up with hearing it around dinner time, in the colder months. and the taste is pure comfort too! try any combo of veggies, grains (and meat if you so choose. chicken also comes out deeelish)!

rice cake treats

i must be hard up for some sweets (as if i don't have carrot cake, ice cream treats and cookies in the house), because when i looked at the rice cakes that have gone uneaten for the last month on the counter...i thought i can make rice krispy treats out of those. i did a quick search online and found nothing (have only ever made rice krispy's once as a child at amanda's house and wasn't sure how to go about it). so i thought i would put my kitchen experimenting hat on and give it a whirl. i made a small batch with organic brown rice no salt rice cakes. kind of takes the health out of it, when you're mixing it with jumbo, corn syrup filled marshmallows, but somehow still felt a little better for me than the real thing. see photos below for a step by step. they we're approved by hubby who really did say "i like these better than real rice krispy treats." yes!

i used 2 rice cakes in small ziplock (4 rice cakes total) and crushed with rolling pin

about 2 tablespoons of butter and roughly 10 marshmallows

stir until melty

stir in the crushed rice cakes

press into a pan or dish of your choice, i used a bread pan for this small batch

cut into single servings and enjoy!

not your ol'easy bake

stirring the ingredients at her big girl table (carrot cake prep).

most of us ladies remember easy bake ovens. there seems to be something innate the comes into play in most cases, between the interests of boys and girls and their loves of tractors versus dollies. although at evia's age, it seems being in the kitchen is loved by all babies, regardless of gender. after all mama spends so much time in there, what's she doing above that high counter? the stool has become our good friend, as evia peers up and over the sink, "helps" with dishes - finds things to grab and mama to swipe away. i find myself constantly repositioning her to keep her safe. as much as i try to include her in the kitchen, she wants more. more mama time or more kitchen time? i'm not sure - but i'm eager to work on both. (re-reading this i sound so 1950's...mama's in the kitchen boys and girls liking wheels vs. dresses...i'm generalizing here, obviously).

i woke up and instantly decided to bake a cake with evia sometime during our day together. she's only ever tasted cake once at her 1st birthday. but mama has become a little more relaxed with letting her try things with sugar. she only gets tasters and it's pretty tasty stuff! so with the carrots we had on hand and the recipe my mom's been baking since the 70's that she passed along to me as part of her personal recipe collection, i decided to give carrot cake a whirl. after my sweet woke up from her nap, i asked her "would you like to bake a cake with mama?" she, i think unsure of what she was agreeing to, answered with an enthusiastic "yes." (or maybe she does know what cakes are, as she shows me everyday she knows things i had no idea she knew). 

substitutes don't always work out (and with all the substituting i did with this recipe, this one definitely didn't look pretty in the end), but boy did we have fun! we got flour on the face, i spilled some batter on her head, we stole a bite hot out of the oven - it was such a great activity together! on a side note, i brought all the ingredients, measuring cups, bowls etc down to her big-girl table and made it super user friendly - she could reach it all. she was happy stirring, for most of the ingredient prep and i was able to throw it all together. papa was pretty happy too, when he came home that evening and there was a cake with no official purpose. 

sometimes there is no good reason to bake a cake other than to eat it!

finished product. looked a little crazy, but tastes soooooo good.

earlier in the day, getting our giggles out.

"who?" from auntie anna

it must be coming up on the 6th month of pregnancy that allowed me to forget such an important and beautifully crafted gift this "homemade xmas." in the from scratch post i wrote about all the handmade items and forgot the ONE handmade item that was made for evia. auntie anna hand stitched and designed a little owl. it now watches us throughout the day and night and reminds of us of the love that little evia gets from her auntie.

forgetting such a gift = deserving a post all its own.

time = kitchen creations

fresh cherries ready for scone baking

this year i took two weeks off from work. it was the most relaxing holiday season i've ever experienced. and to say that, with a very energetic toddler, means it really was extremely chill. with all this time to just be domestic (one of my favorite roles), i was able to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. and not always by myself. my husband is pretty talented in his own right. here are just a few of the yummies that i recorded. 

used the classic scone recipe from joy of cooking and added fresh cherries

cherry scones warm out of the oven to contribute to xmas brunch (with drizzled cinnamon frosting)

d's fishing trip 12/30 with 10 rockfish inspired him to make cioppino for our friends and family for new years eve - amazingly delicious!

not many pea fans in this house, so why not use can of peas from infant-days to make soup

boiled peas with chicken broth, golden potatos, carrots, onion, celery, cumin and dill, salt, pepper, a dash of rice vinegar and used the immersion blender

the peas in this form, a little added pane rustica, were much more enjoyable

from scratch

final product, homemade gift 2011 - vanilla extract and d's spice rub

for the fourth year in a row, we have handmade most of our gifts for the majority of our family, for the holiday. on my side, we've made the gift exchange a "handmade" gift giving theme. over the years, the exchange has been creative, fun and economical. i'm always eager to see what my sisters and parents  have come up with and of course to see their reaction to our handmade goodies.

mom found a recipe for lip balm and used beeswax from property bees

10 years of holiday card collecting, mom cut them and hole punched to give us with string for garlands or gift tags next year

dad created fire starters (no more kindling) by using old candle wax, dryer lint in egg cartons

emily made a delicious assortment of truffles, mint, nut topped and cookie dough

anna went the handmade-purchase route and gifted a beautiful assortment of teas

another gift from anna - bottle brush animal ornaments, could they be any cuter?

vanilla in production, just 40% alcohol and vanilla beans - result vanilla extract

vanilla in the works, made two months prior so ready for use at xmas

spices from d, hand ground measured and packaged

these spices are requested throughout the year

2009's gift - sugar scrub

2008's gift, rosemary infused olive oil and d's rub