Fall Tote Bag

It is rare that I A.) sew for fun and B.) end up making something I actually like and will use.  Last Sunday I spent a few hours (like 4-5 total, not a quick project) on this nice, big tote bag.  I bought the fabric a couple weeks ago just because I really liked the pattern.  Then, when I got the sewing itch, I bought a Simplicity pattern (see below) on sale for $1 to make a new bag for the fall.  I think the extra details of the bag (the pleats and the band) made it really special and worth all the work. I've been using it for a few days now and I love it!  It doesn't have any pockets, but I organized my stuff with a zippered makeup bag, wallet, and a couple totes for Luke's things. 

Green lining

Love this button I found!



Simplicity Pattern #2685, bag D



Salted Caramel Brownies

 Still warm from the oven I thought "ugh these are too sweet!" and then I guzzled a cold glass of milk.  Then, I stuck them in the fridge overnight and was all Busta Rhymes on them the next day. "Gimmee some mo!"  These are so good and fudgey and caramely. Dan and I have an argument.  If I could only choose chocolate or caramel for life I would choose caramel, hands down.  He scoffs and says "Chocolate!" So, these brownies are a good compromise for us.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies:

3 19/50 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons butter, melted  (use salted butter here!)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Topping:

1/4 cup butter (use salted butter here!) 

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk, divided

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt (I used kosher salt because it was chunkier than my fine sea salt)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare brownies, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking powder) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add butter mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. Scrape batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan (I only had a 9" round pan, bake for 5 minutes longer) lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare topping, melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cooled brownies. Let stand 20 minutes or until set.

4. Combine 2 tablespoons milk and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. Stir just until smooth; drizzle over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt; let stand until set. Cut into squares. (Or cut into pie slices if using round pan)

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light

SEPTEMBER 2011

Mangia! Homemade Tomato Sauce!

I have a new favorite grocery store in Columbus. It's called Double Oak Farm. It is like going to the farmer's market any day of the week that you want!  They have fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goodies, and pantry items from Indiana farmers and producers.  It's a tiny shop but they have a great selection.  I went in last week to find some "old" tomatoes to make sauce with.  They didn't have any on hand, so they got a TON that weekend just for me! (Well, not just for me...but I still felt special.)  They were only $0.50/lb for their #2 tomatoes (code word for not so pretty).  But they were not ugly at all! They looked a lot like #1 tomatoes if you ask me!   I bought a conservative 8 pounds.  I used a couple for another dinner, and the rest I used to make my first batch of marinara sauce this morning.  I couldn't find the exact recipe that I had in mind, so I found a reasonable one from Mario Batali and then tweaked it A LOT until it was mine (he used canned tomatoes, amateur...)  This is only my first round of sauce making, stay tuned for future saucy adventures...

Malorie's Homemade Tomato Sauce

Makes about 8 cups (about 4 pint-sized jars)

Ingredients:
7-8 pounds tomatoes (find yourself some cheap, ugly #2 tomatoes!) -peeled, seeded, squished, see prep work below
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, small chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, shredded finely
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more/less to your taste

Directions:

• Prep your tomatoes.  This is a bit messy.  I added a few pictures at the end showing this process.

1. With a sharp knife, score an "X" on the bottom of each tomato. 
2. Boil a big pot of water.
3. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
4. Carefully place tomatoes in boiling water for about 2 minutes (do this in two batches if your pot is too small)
5. When skins look like they are peeling off a bit or your "X's" are bursting, fish tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and place into ice water.
6.  When tomatoes are cool to touch, pour out ice water.
7. Get a large bowl and a fine mesh sieve/strainer.
8. For each tomato, peel and seed with a hooked finger into strainer over large bowl.  Put tomato flesh into the same bowl.  Cut off the stem "belly button" and discard.
9. With your hand, mush and push seeds and skins against the strainer over the bowl (to get the tomato juice).
10.  Discard skins and seeds.
11. With your hands, squish and crush the tomatoes in the bowl.  Fun fun! Now wash your hands. Tomatoes are prepped, hooray!

Now for the sauce...

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft.
• Add the tomatoes and juice, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours  (After about 1 hour, I used my immersion/hand blender to puree the sauce.  If you do this, be careful not to splash the hot sauce on yourself!)  If you don't have an immersion blender, let the sauce cool and then blend in blender.  If not, the sauce will just be chunky.
• Season with more salt to taste, or leave as is.
• I am not an expert canner, but I bought mason jars to look like I am. I washed them and filled them with the hot sauce leaving 3/4 inch from the top because I intend to freeze a couple jars. Let cool before putting in freezer (I think... again, I'm not an expert on canning.) 
• This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Serve with your favorite pasta and add fresh basil and parmesan, too! 

This is what the recipe looked like before I got my hands on it...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/basic-tomato-sauce-recipe12/index.html

You could probably bake these scones and bread outside...

Although it is hardly the season for having the oven cranked up, I have been baking a lot.  Here are two great recipes that I've made recently.  I didn't change them very much except I used more "machinery."  For the blueberry scones, I used my food processor instead of cutting in the butter by hand.  For the oatmeal wheat bread, I used my stand mixer instead of kneading by hand.  So, don't really bake these outside (unless it is 375 degrees out there...and I don't mean heat index).  Recipes are at the end of post.

Blueberry Scones
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Blueberry-Scones
Blueberry Scones Recipe
Oatmeal Wheat Bread
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Oatmeal-Wheat-Bread-232825