October in full swing

Handmade soap follow-up

Soap! I can now check soap off my growing list of easily-bought-from-a-store-but-why-bother-when-you-can-go-to-the-trouble-of-making-it-at-home projects. First it was bread. Now soap. Next will be candles or lip balm, me thinks.

It's definitely a science, this soap-making business, and that's not usually how I tend to operate. I like recipes of the "add a little of this and a bit of that" variety. But I've made four batches now, stockpiling for holiday stocking stuffers, and am pretty excited about the results.

The batches I made most recently were successes (albeit after a bit of trial and error) and proved that making soap at home can be a highly satisfying personal venture. Not to mention the fact that they're honest-to-goodness sudsy, cleansing, fragrant bars that truly function as any respectable soap should.

Here are the tips I've learned so far:
1. The longer the bars have to dry, the longer they last and the less they leave a slick, soapy film on your hands after you've rinsed them. So wait at least 8 weeks before using your homemade soap.

2. Be bold with essential oil fragrances, and avoid using any citrus essential oils because they do not hold their fragrance. To get ideas for soap flavors, I like to visit boutique or on-line shops that sell specialty soaps. But be careful not to add too much essential oil because this will alter (I think) ratio of oils to lye mixture and thus mess things up. Also, the fragrance of the soaps I've made so far tend to change (mature?) with time, so if you're not totally satisfied with a fragrance at first, give it time - it seams to get better.

3. If the soap doesn't harden in 24 hours after pouring the molds, melt it down again, let it cool (stirring constantly), and re-pour - that should do the trick.

Quick & easy Beef Stew

One more food post and then - I promise - I'm moving on! Maybe. What is this - my sixth recipe in a row? And the third on soup? I can't help it. I just can't. But do stick by me here because this one's a good one! It's so simple and delicious, it almost qualifies as a five-ingredient recipe. Only there are more like nine or ten ingredients, but you get the idea!

We made it yesterday and are serving it today during The Game, along side some fresh bread and brownies spiced up with cinnamon & chipotle chili pepper.

Quick & easy Beef Stew
- a splash of olive oil and a tab of butter (1-2 T. of each)
- 1 1/4 lb. (approx.) beef chuck stew meat tossed & coated in flour, salt & pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 (6 oz.) jar Heinz Chili Sauce, or to taste
- 1 can or bottle of light beer, or the equivalent of beef stock
- 1 large or 2 small potatoe(s), chopped

Heat the oil & butter in a heavy soup pot and add the stew meat. As the meat begins to brown, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Once the meat pieces are thoroughly browned on all sides and the veggies are soft add the garlic, stirring to combine.

Pour in the Heinz Chili Sauce and the beer or stock; stir. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cover, cooking until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Thai-spiced tomato soup

Soup! I was inspired by this post over at The Wednesday Chef, which offers a nice, simple, straight-forward recipe for Thai-spiced tomato soup. Looked good, warm, healthy, and perfect for a simple weekend dinner.

Then I up & got inspired, thinking "Thai food? I like Thai food. And wait! Aren't ginger, coconut milk, scallions, and peanuts also key Thai ingredients?" And this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality resulted in a fine-flavored savory and thick tomato soup. Here goes:

Soup
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3T. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2t. fresh ginger, minced
- 2T. red curry paste (follow instinct here and don't over-do it for obvious reasons)
- 1/4t. ground cumin
- 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk (we used low-fat)
- 1 (14 oz.) can chicken or veggie broth
- 1T. brown sugar
- salt to taste

For garnish, combine the following:
- 1/3 c. roasted, chopped peanuts
- handful of cilantro, chopped
- 2-3 scallions, chopped
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1T. olive oil
- 1t. soy sauce

Cook onion in oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic & ginger; cook for about 1 minute. Mix in curry paste and cumin; cook for another minute or so.

Add tomatoes, coconut milk, broth, and brown sugar; stir to combine. Add salt and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve with a hearty spoonful of the garnish on top.

The man can cook

Roasted chicken, marinated in a brine and rubbed down with garlic, plus veggies, and baked beans. Good stuff to come home to on a chilly, drizzly day, indeed!

Borscht

Forget fancy, complicated, and lengthy recipes! Try this for the ultimate five-ingredient recipe. It is sublime, a brilliant color, and has almost no calories or fat.

Scott, one of Ryan's PSU cohorts, and his wife Megan made this for us as the first course of an elaborate eastern European feast, and I've been dreaming about it since!

Easy-schmeezy Borscht

- 1 can regular beets and 1 can pickled beets (with their juices)
- Sour cream (I like Tillamook low-fat)
- Diced cucumber
- Chopped green onions
- fresh dill

Zip the beets with their juices together in a food processor until smooth. Chill, and then serve with a healthy dollop of sour cream and garnish with cucumber, chives, and dill.

Buttery Apple Cake-Tart, thank you Traveler's Lunchbox!

I wish I could describe how spectacular this pie plate of autumn gold smells, brought to us by The Traveler's Lunchbox, a favorite food blog from quite the itnernational lady.

Since I'm going to be making this over and over again, I should note where I strayed from the recipe:
- I used 2 apples and 1 pear, not three apples
- Instead of a vanilla bean I used vanilla extract
- Cinnamon was added to both the sliced up fruit and to the batter (how could I not?)
- I sprinkled sugar flavored with vanilla extract and cinnamon on top before baking

I think I'm in heaven, and I haven't even tasted it yet. Ryan is circling the kitchen right now with a fork in one hand and a napkin blotting the drool in the other. This is as good as it gets.

Besides, did I mention I played hooky today? I just can't stop myself!

Zesty carrot salad

For you, I present another five-ingredient recipe, this one a healthy, colorful, and seasonally apropos side dish. I sense that my b.i.l Kenna might like this one, as he is a big fan of carrots!

Carrot and cranberry salad with fresh ginger dressing
adapted from November's issue of Bon Appetit

- one bunch green onions
- 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 4 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Cut white parts off onions; set half aside and cut the other half into slivers lengthwise. Take the remaining onions (green parts) and cut into slivers lengthwise, and then into 2 inch strips. Add all the onion slivers, both white and green, into a bowl with the carrots and cranberries.

In a food processor make the ginger dressing by combining the reserved white onion ends, rice vinegar, and ginger. Zip until well blended.

Toss the dressing over the salad to coat, and refrigerate for a while before serving to allow the flavors to work their magic.

Note: I went back and added more carrots, some salt & pepper, and a dash of olive oil. Unless you have dull taste buds do the same b/c this salad is zippy!

Which is it?

Weekending. Couldn't decide: autumn or winter?