~ Artichoke Delight ~

Posted on November 4, 2011 by karen

I’m the type of person that gets on food “kicks.”  As in, I’ll eat one type of food for two weeks straight and then not eat it again for a year.  My current kick is for artichokes.  I grew up eating artichokes on a pretty regular basis and they were never weird to me.  I have my parents to thank for exposing me to a wide variety of foods growing up.  Now that I’m an adult, I’ve come to realize that not everyone knows how to cook or even eat an artichoke.  That, my friends, is a travesty because they are delicious!

This post will show you not only how to cook an artichoke, but also how to eat it, just in case there’s anyone out there that is intimidated by this flower-looking delight.  Artichokes are actually pretty easy to cook, but you have to plan ahead.  They need about an hour of cook time.

What you will need:

  • 2 medium to large artichokes (I make 1 per person for us, but artichokes are very shareable)
  • a couple bay leaves, dried
  • oregano, dried
  • garlic salt
  • pepper
  • about a tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • large pot with a lid
  • 3-5 tablespoons butter

First, you’re going to want to get your water going so that it’s good and boiling when your artichokes are ready to go in.  I fill a large pot almost full of water and add some olive oil, lemon juice, and two bay leaves.  I don’t measure the oil and juice, but I would say a tablespoon or two of each.  The lemon juice adds a subtle flavor, but it also helps to preserve some of the green color of the artichoke.  The bay leaves add amazing flavor.  Turn the burner on high to get it to a rolling boil.

Next, rinse your artichokes under cold water making sure to get water between all of the leaves (petals?) and remove any stickers that the grocery store may have put on.  Turn the artichoke with leaves pointing down to get most of the water out.  Then, bring the artichokes over to your cutting board.

Aren’t they pretty?  Usually, you would want your artichoke to be a nice shade of green all over and not have any of those brown marks.  But, alas, this is Ohio and the produce is what it is.  The taste of the artichoke will not be affected.  Also, try to choose one where all the petals are still rather tight to the center.

Use a large knife to cut the stem of the artichoke off.  (I discuss my favorite knife in this Easy Chili Recipe post.)

You can cut a few of the leaves at the bottom off if you need to.  The goal is to have the bottom be flat so the artichoke sits nicely on a plate.  It should look like this.

Next, you will want to flip the artichoke around and cut the top inch or so of the leaves.  A sharp knife is key and you might need to put your back into it a little as the leaves are pretty sturdy.

Your artichokes should look a little something like this.

Give your artichokes another good rinse under cold water and hold them upside down to release any water from inside.

By this time, your water should be at a rolling boil.  Turn the burner down to medium high.  Now it’s time to put your artichokes into a nice jacuzzi for the next hour or so.  Place them into the water bottoms down and be sure not to drop them from any significant height to avoid water splashing.  Be careful not to burn yourself.  Using tongs for this is suggested.

Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top of each artichoke and then liberally sprinkle the garlic salt, oregano, and pepper over the top of each one.

Now, cover the pot with its lid and set the timer for an hour.  The burner should stay on medium high the entire time.  You want it to be at a good and steady boil, but not so much that the artichokes are bouncing around too much.  You can pretty much forget about these until the timer goes off.  Just make sure that you had put enough water in the pot to start, since a significant amount of water will boil off even with the lid on.  After an hour, your chokes should look like this.  Notice how low the water level is now.

In order to be sure they are ready, use a pair of tongs to pull one of the outer leaves off.  It should come off with ease.  (I had to cook mine for an hour and 10 minutes before they were done, so make sure you do this test.)

When the artichokes are done, turn off the burner, but leave them in the water bath until you have completed this next step.  Cut about three to five tablespoons of butter into tablespoon sized pieces and put them into a microwave safe bowl the size for dipping.  Microwave the butter for about 15 seconds or until melted.  (Sometimes, the butter doesn’t look completely melted, but I just swirl it around a little and it should melt any of the larger pieces.)

I start with 3 tablespoons since you can always melt more if you need it.  Next, used tongs to remove the artichoke from the water and hold it upside down over the pot to release any water still trapped inside.

Then place it onto a plate.  When Dane and I are eating these, I just let the artichokes get cozy and share a plate, but if it is a more formal affair, you can place them on individual plates.  Serve with warm, melted butter for dipping.  Oh, and don’t forget to provide a plate or bowl for the refuse!

Now, if you are already an artichoke expert, you can ignore the rest of this post.  For those not so artichoke savvy, here’s a little lesson on how to eat these beauties.

First, take a leaf and dip the end into the melted butter.  Then, use your teeth to scrape off the meaty part of the leaf.  Savor the deliciousness.  Here’s a photo in case you are still confused.

Dip.  Scrape.  Place in the refuse pile.  Repeat.

I think part of the reason why I love artichokes is for the ritual of eating it.  You take your time to eat all of the leaves (petals?) and then for all your hard work, you get rewarded.  The heart of the artichoke is my most favoritest part (yes, I realize that “favoritest” is not a real word 😉 ).  This next part can get a little scary for some.  When you get closer to the heart, the leaves get to be smaller and thinner.  The first step to getting to the heart is removing the rest of the leaves.

This next part needs to be done with care because that hairy stuff underneath the leaves can choke you if you eat it.  (Now, don’t you feel like eating artichokes makes you daring?  I mean, you are basically defying death!)  Use a knife blade to carefully scrape off all the hairy part.  Like so

Isn’t it so pretty?!  Ok, maybe just in my crazy, food loving mind. 😉

Next cut the heart into pieces.  It’s customary to divide it up among all that put in the hard work to get to it.  That’s why I like having my own artichoke because then I get to eat the. whole. thing.

I still divide into four pieces to make it easier to dip in the melted butter.  :)

Yummy.  Yummy.

Anyone else out there the type of person that gets stuck in a two week food “kick”?  Maybe next week will be peanut butter and jelly for me.  We just won’t know until it hits me.  Anyone a first time artichoke eater?

 

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~ Saffron Risotto ~

Posted on November 3, 2011 by karen

Prior to going to dinner with some close friends at a local Dayton restaurant called Sidebar, I had never had saffron risotto.  In fact, I had no idea what saffron was except that maybe it possibly was used in Indian food.  Ya, I had no idea.

I can honestly say that Sidebar was probably the best dining out experience I’ve had here in Dayton. (If you are ever in the area and don’t mind spending a pretty penny, then be sure to stop by.)  Their main focus is their signature cocktails, but that isn’t why I would go back…their wide selection of small plate delights are a-maze-ing.  Specifically, their saffron risotto was absolutely delicious.  It was served as a side on the small plate of Grilled Beef Tenderloin Skewers and I may or may not have ordered a second plate just to get more of the risotto (although, the steak was pretty darn awesome as well).

The point of all this is that I came home and couldn’t stop thinking about the risotto, but Sidebar is a little pricey, so it’s not exactly a place we can go to everyday.  I had to find a way to replicate it at home.  After a little online research I found out that saffron is actually used as a spice all over the world and it does. not. come. cheap.  It is derived from the crocus flower and the reason why it is so expensive is because you don’t get much from each flower.  I considered planting crocus all over my yard after learning about it.  Alas, after a little more online research, I found out that Trader Joe’s sells it for a (somewhat) reasonable price.  This little bottle set me back about $6. (I wanted my hand in the photo just so you could understand how small this bottle was.)

Just a few strands of the bright red saffron will give food an intense yellow color.  The taste of saffron is rather subtle and might be described as floral.  But, as I said, it ends up being rather subtle.

Having lived in Rome for a semester in college, I am no stranger to risotto, but I had never made it from scratch.  Risotto is a little bit high maintenance.  It needs to be stirred constantly and you can only add a little bit of liquid at a time.  But, it did come out delicious and there were definitely no leftovers, so if you have the time, this recipe is worth a try.

Ingriedients:

  • 28 ounces of chicken stock (I make mine using Better Than Bullion, which you can find at most grocery stores.  I highly recommend.)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (I use extra virgin)
  • 1/2 an onion, diced (I’ve been into the Texas sweet onions lately)
  • 1 cup risotto (aka arborio rice)
  • salt
  • 1 cup white wine
  • large pinch of saffron
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 medium saucepans

In one pan, bring the chicken stock to a low simmer while you dice your onion. (Check out my Chili Recipe Post to see my preferred onion dicing method.)  In the other sauce pan, heat the oil and add the onions.  Cook on medium until the onions are translucent or about 10 minutes.  Then, add the risotto and season with salt.  Next, you want to saute the risotto with the onions until the rice looks translucent, but make sure that it doesn’t turn brown (remember, I told you risotto is high maintenance).  This should only take about a minute.

This is the arborio that I used.

Next, add the white wine to the pan of onions and risotto.  I bought this wine at TJ’s.  I think I bought it because I liked the old surfer car.  I’m almost positive that I did not buy it because it was made with organic grapes, but I won’t say no to organic. :)  I’ll admit that I am not a white wine connoisseur by any means, but I enjoy a glass of Chardonnay every now and again and if you make this recipe I suggest that you enjoy one while you make dinner…come on, you deserve it. :)

With the wine, add the pinch of saffron.  As you bring this up to a simmer, you’ll want to keep stirring the risotto until almost all of the wine has been absorbed by the rice.  A friend of mine who is a cook once told me to only use a wooden spoon when making risotto, so that’s what I did.  He also mentioned something about only stirring clockwise…or was it counter-clockwise?  I can’t remember, but I’m pretty sure that was just some old Italian wives tale anyway. 😉

You should see the bright yellow color coming out now.

This is where the simmering chicken stock comes in to play.  Add two ladles of chicken stock to the pot and keep stirring until it is almost completely absorbed.

Continue adding stock one ladle at a time, waiting until the stock is absorbed before adding the next until all the stock it gone.  And keep stirring!  (Remember…high maintenance!)  Your liquid shouldn’t be boiling, just simmering so that it doesn’t burn.

Cook until the rice is slightly al dente (Italian translation is “to the teeth,” but basically you just don’t want it too soft or soggy).  It should slightly stick to the spoon like so.

Once it is cooked, take it off the heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese.  I like myself a lot of parm…take the 1/3 of a cup as more of a suggestion than a requirement. 😉

I stirred the grated parm in and used the shaved as a garnish.

Once the cheese and butter are incorporated, put the lid on the pot for 2 minutes.  Then serve immediately in bowls with a little more cheese on top.

This can be served as a side or as a main entree.  The recipe feeds 2-4 people depending on serving size (as I said, there were no leftovers and it’s only the two of us, so…)

In my honest opinion, I’m not sure the saffron did much more than give it a really cool color.  The taste was very subtle, but still good.  If you are short on cash or just don’t want to make a trip to traders for saffron, I think this would still be delish without it.

So, there’s a new recipe to try and you also got a little lesson on saffron.  Your welcome.  haha

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!  I’m thinking I might try a pomodoro risotto next time because that is what I remember loving in Italy.  Have you tried your hand at this high maintenance recipe or something equally as needy?

**Note: this recipe was adapted from this source.

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~ Fall Pinterest Challenge Reveal! ~ Spray Painted Glass Bottles Tutorial ~

Posted on November 2, 2011 by karen

**Today is the day for the big reveal!  I explained the Pinterest Challenge: Fall Edition in an earlier post here.  Basically, a few super bloggers that I follow (find them here, here, here, and here) decided to challenge any and all pinners around the world to stop pinning and start doing.  I accepted that challenge and this is the final result!  If you’ve never heard of Pinterest, check it out here.** 

 

I have already talked about how Dane and I are beer lovers here.  Well, we also have a strong affinity towards another libation…vino!  We both have some Italian blood flowing through our veins, so it’s almost mandatory for us to enjoy wine, right?

I’ve been trying to think of something I could do with old wine (and large beer bottles) that we accumulate every now and then when I saw this on pinterest…ding! ding! ding!

The original image is from Woman’s Day online website.  And here’s the link to my pin.

Now, I was a little sad that I didn’t get around to doing this for Halloween (it would have looked quite cute on my mantel!).  Then, as I was trying to think of which pinned project I wanted to do for the challenge, I thought to myself, “self, why not try a fall or winter themed sprayed wine bottle?”  (I try to really think outside the box as often as possible. 😉 )

Which is where this project began.  I had one empty wine bottle on hand which was made of green glass and a large empty beer bottle made of brown glass.  (For those interested, the brown one was a bottle of Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout.  It is a dessert beer which is as sweet and delicious as it sounds.  I highly recommend.  The wine was a bottle of Cab Sav by Twenty Bench, which I hold dear to my heart since I spent many a nights enjoying it with my best friends at a small wine bar in Cali called Friends of the Vine.)  I decided to go with a winter/Christmas themed design on the green bottle and do an autumn themed design on the brown.  The first step to this project is removing the labels.  I started by giving the bottles a good soapy, warm bubble bath.

When the labels were soft, I scraped off as much as I could with my thumb nail.  You could also use a straight razor to do this.  After some scraping, I was left with this.

No bueno.  Enter my trusty bottle of Goo Gone.  A little Goo Gone and a paper towel makes easy work of getting rid of sticky label residue.  After all the label stickiness was gone, I gave the bottles another quick wash with soap and water and let them dry while I went to get to work on my stencils.

I’m sure there are lots of ways to go about doing this, but since I had recently had success making stencils with the $1 roll of adhesive backed vinyl I  purchased at Michael’s to do my glass etching project, I decided to stick with what I know.  My first thought was to free-hand a design using a sharpie and then use my exacto knife to cut it out.  Let’s just say my free-handing skills are a little sub par.  Whomp, whomp.

I was happy with my large tree, but not so happy with my attempt at leaves.  I mean, seriously, those leaves are terrible.  Let’s just hope my cutting skills are above the level of a first grader…eesh.

I decided to print out letters from Word and then cut them the same way I did with my glass etching project.  I even used the same font (Apple Chancery) since I liked it so much from before.  This time it was a little trickier to cut out because the letters were smaller.  In fact, I started out with all lowercase letters and they were just too small and the lines were too thin.  So, I switched to all caps and it worked out a lot better.  (Tip: use a small piece of double stick tape to keep the print out from moving around while you cut.)

For my Autumn leaves, I hit up google and searched “autumn leaves” in the images and fell upon this site.  I wanted the design to be simple, without too much detail…translation, easy to cut out.

I copy and pasted the leaves to a word document and printed it out on some card stock that I had around.  I used scissors to cut out each of the four leaves.

Then I used double stick tape to stick a leaf onto my contact paper.  I cut the contact paper to a more manageable size.  Then I used my scissors to cut around the leaf.

I went ahead and used the contact paper that I had already drawn on.  Waste not, want not, right?

Then, when I had everything cut out, I peeled and stuck each of the pieces appropriately to the respective bottle.

Next, I took my bottles outside (think ventilation when you think spray paint) and used an old box I got from Costco as my spray paint studio.  Funny, I don’t even like fish sticks.

I had that white primer already in the garage and in an effort to keep this project inexpensive, I decided to use it.

I wore a pair of latex gloves that I already had from the dollar store to protect my finger tips and was sure to shake the can for a full minute (ish) before I started spraying.  Be sure to spray about 8 to 10 inches from the bottle and keep the can moving while you spray.  It’s important to do a few lighter coats as opposed to laying it on real thick and getting drips.

I debated leaving some of the glass showing and making it look like snow, but decided on just painting it all white when it wasn’t quite looking the way I wanted it to.

Oh, and I put a gloved finger in the bottle to maneuver it around while I sprayed to avoid getting any smudges on the bottle.  Once it was painted, I set the timer for 20 minutes (the amount of time the can said it would take to be dry to the touch) and took a nap…just kidding…I’m sure I was doing something much more productive than that, I just can’t think of it at the moment. 😉

I didn’t want to wait too long before peeling off the contact paper in case it decided to cure or something.  I used an old razor to very carefully peel back the letters from the bottle.  I basically equate the care I took taking off the letters to the care a brain surgeon would use.  Ok, maybe not that careful, but I didn’t want to accidentally scrape off any paint and ruin everything.

After all the letters were peeled off, I put one of the gloves back on and stuck my finger in the bottle to carry it in the garage to finish drying to avoid having any bugs landing on my paint and getting stuck.  Safety first; that’s what I always say.

Then I sprayed the brown bottle.  I got a little more creative with this one since I already had some red spray paint on hand and purchased a bottle of orange spray paint from Lowe’s for about $5.

I gave it a little bit of an ombre effect which I have been mildly obsessed with lately.  The red has a glossy finish and the orange is satin, which I was worried about at first, but I like how it turned out.

**Tangent Warning**: A note on the difference of spray paints.  I have already admitted in another post that I am rather a novice to spray paint at this point and have just bought the cheap stuff in the past.  I bought the Valspar can because I liked the color better than any of the others and just thought it was an added perk that it had the trigger nozzle that I had heard good things about.  My conclusions thus far are as follows: A) the red can had an old style nozzle and dripped all over and I was super happy that I was wearing gloves, 2) the trigger nozzle kept my glove clean, but 3) it was harder to hold down the sprayer than the red one…I guess the age old debate continues; trigger nozzle vs old skool nozzle.

Back on track…here is the final product!  Drum roll, please……

and a close up/artsy shot

I like how using the primer gave it a very matte look.  Now for the beautiful Autumn leaves

and a close up to really show you that ombre

I think it was a pretty cool addition to my other Autumn decor!

Here’s the breakdown of cost and materials:

  • empty glass bottles (free.99)
  • contact paper (already bought for $1)
  • print outs of designs (free.99)
  • exacto knife/scissors
  • double stick tape (already had)
  • spray paint of your choosing (white and red – already had, orange – $5)

This project came to a grand total of 5 bucks for me.  And it would have been free had I decided that I was happy with just using the red paint (I am obviously hard to please).  The best part is that I plan on using the orange paint for another Turkey Day project soon.  Hurray for reusing supplies!

I LOVE the way the Autumn leaves bottle turned out and I’m thinking about making him (her?) a friend down the line when another large beer bottle turns up.  I may also need to make Peace a friend…maybe Joy?  The winter themed bottle will have to go away for a little while since it is WAAAAY too early to start thinking about snow (sorry northeast…major bummer!)

Overall, I think this way a pretty quick, easy, and cheap frugal project that people of all levels of craftiness can do (you saw my leaf drawing, right?)  Try it out and let me know how it goes!  Oh, and keep Pinning!

Posted in Arts n' Crafts, Decor, Tutorials | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Quick mantel update…

Posted on November 1, 2011 by karen

Since Halloween is over it was time to switch my bunting.  (Find the tutorial for how to make your own here.)

Drum roll please…..

Ta da!

So happy with how it came out!

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