If you haven’t yet tried preserved lemons, now is the time. Primarily used in Moroccan cooking, this unique salty citrus flavour quickly makes an amazing dish out of chicken or fish and adds lift to sautéed vegetables or beans. This recipe has only two ingredients, so choose them wisely. Organic lemons are the only ones I ever use for preserving as the rind will have less junk (pesticides, etc.) on it.
Ingredients:
12 organic lemons
coarse Kosher salt
Directions:
1. Scrub the lemons under running water with a vegetable or nail brush to get the rind nice and clean. Then cut the stems and ends off the lemons.
2. Score each lemon into a star: start by making a cut through the lemon from the top down to almost the bottom, but don’t slice all the way through. Leave enough remaining so that the lemon stays attached. Cut again twice more, to get a star shape.
3. Pack the insides of the star with lots of coarse salt. Don’t be afraid of the salt it’s not going to become overly salty if you use too much. Just go for it!
4. Now pack the lemons into clean, sterilized jars. Really squish them in there so that the juices start to cover the lemons. Add extra fresh lemon juice if you need to top each jar up so that all the lemons are completely covered. Keep squishing down the lemons over the next couple of days to get more juices out and covering the fruit.
5. Let sit for a month in a cold place like the fridge until the rinds soften.
To use the preserved lemons, rinse under cold running water and remove the pulp. The pulp can be squeezed for it’s juice, but generally the rind is what is used. Slice or dice the rind to add to recipes like this one: Chicken Tagine with Green Olives and Preserved Lemon. Yum!
If you are having a New Year’s Eve bash this year, infused vodkas make a festive basis for some fabulous cocktails. Or perhaps you are lucky enough to be attending a soiree held by someone else? A fruity infused vodka makes a perfect hostess gift and is much more original than wine. Start them now and they’ll be perfectly flavour-infused by the big night.
Berry Infused Vodka Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups of berries such as blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry
1 lemon
1 whole vanilla bean
1L (750ml) of inexpensive vodka
Directions:
Using a vegetable peeler, peel off 3-4 strips of lemon rind. Use the back of a paring knife to remove as much pith (white stuff) as you can. Pith = bitter. Add rind to a large mason jar.
Add berries to jar and mash lightly. Spilt vanilla bean in half an add it as well.
Pour the entire bottle of vodka over the mixture, seal with a lid and shake. Leave in a cool, dark place for 3 days.
After 3 days, strain the infused vodka through a fine strainer or medium cheesecloth into a bottle. Repeat straining in a finer cheesecloth for a clearer liquid (optional).
New Year’s Eve Cocktails
Blueberry Nights
1 oz blueberry infused vodka
1/2 oz brandy
1/2 oz ginger syrup
3 oz soda
Blackberry Royale
6 oz champagne
1/2 oz blackberry infused vodka
1/2 oz simple syrup
garnish with floating cranberries
Strawberry Refresher
fresh mint leaves, muddled at bottom of glass with…
As part of the Natural Skincare Series, here is an uber-moisturizing, exfoliating sugar scrub recipe that will wake up your skin and your mind with two energizing scent choices: lemongrass/ginger or rosemary/spearmint.
Materials:
small 1/4 pint (125ml) jam jars
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup sweet almond oil
Lemongrass Ginger Recipe Ingredients:
3 drops of lemongrass essential oil
1 drop of ginger essential oil
1/4 tsp turmeric for coloring
Rosemary Spearmint Recipe Ingredients:
2 drops of rosemary essential oil
2 drops of spearmint essential oil
1/4 tsp spirulina for coloring
1/4 tsp crushed dried mint leaves and bergamot petals
Directions:
1. In a bowl or large 1L measuring cup mix together the sugar, oil and recipe ingredients.
2. Spoon mixture into small jam jars and smooth out top.
Making fragrant jars of homemade bath salts couldn’t be easier. In vintage mason jars, bath salts look beautiful on display and make wonderful gifts. Here is a recipe to make your own as part of the Natural Skincare Series.
Materials:
Epsom salts
100% pure lavender essential oil (not fragrance)
dried lavender
vintage mason jars
Directions:
1. Fill each mason jar about halfway full of the Epsom salts.
2. Add just 10-15 drops of essential oil, replace lid, and shake.
3. Remove the lid again, add 1 tablespoon of dried lavender flowers, replace lid and shake (again)
4. Add more Epsom salts to full the jar then (you guessed it) replace the lid and shake shake shake.
This past weekend we served up freshly harvested apples as mini pies topped with dulce de leche ice cream and caramel sauce. Personal-sized pies offer modern take on apple pie and ice cream that adds just enough flair to top off an elegant autumn dinner. And, really, who doesn’t like getting a whole mini pie all to themselves? Here is the recipe for 12 of them:
Basic Pie Crust
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salted butter, cut into small cubes
approximately 1/2 cup ice water
Directions
Cut up the butter into cubes, lay them on a small plate, and stick them in the freezer. The longer in advance you do this, the flakier your crust will be. We like the butter to be fully frozen when we use it.
In a food processor, pulse the flour to mix, then add the butter and pulse about 10 times (until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with chunks of butter still visible). Add ice water, a tablespoon at a time and pulse to mix. Combine just until the dough holds together when pinched with your fingers and there are still butter bits visible although no larger than small peas.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a large square and cut into 16 evenly-sized pieces. Gently and quickly so that you do not melt the butter or overwork the dough, form the 16 pieces into disks and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Mini Apple Pies
Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8-10 mixed apples (some tart like Granny Smith, some sweet like Gala)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll small disks of dough on a lightly floured surface, into an 8” circle, handle lightly and keep cool in the fridge until ready to roll each piece. Carefully fit 12 of the disks into jumbo muffin tins or wide mouth canning jars, gently lowering dough into bottom and sides of pie plate without stretching. Gently fold and pinch the dough so that it creates a cup form with a thick edge. Refrigerate.
Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice apples 1/8 inch thick, tossing them in the bowl as you work. Add sugar, cinnamon, flour and toss to combine. Transfer apple mixture to pie crust, pressing in firmly.
Roll out the remaining 4 disks of dough and cut into 4” strips. Layer four strips per pie in a lattice pattern and brush with egg. Bake until golden and bubbling, approximately 25-30 minutes, Cool before serving.
We also made the dulce the leche ice cream and sauce, but those recipes will have to wait for another day. In the meantime, try out our absolute favourite vanilla ice cream recipe.
I just can’t stop eating the scrumptious blackberry and blueberry I made this past weekend. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it tastes this good, I mean these two fruits were obviously meant to go together: they grew only steps from each other.
When went for my annual wild blackberry picking pilgrimage, I stopped off at my favorite organic blueberry farm on the way back. It never crossed my mind until this year that the sweet blueberries and the tart blackberries would be an amazing compliment to each other. So good I have to share:
Black and Blue Berry Jam (long boil a.k.a. no pectin)
4 cups blackberries
4 cups blueberries
5 cups sugar (just a guideline, adjust to your own tastes)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a large, tall pot and set on medium high. Stir constantly until juices release and the mixture is soupy and boiling. Reduce to medium low and keep boiling, stirring occasionally, and using the spoon or a potato masher to squish the berries. Put a few small plates in the freezer. Continue boiling and stirring jam until mixture starts to thicken and foam subsides. Check jam for consistency by putting a spoonful of jam on one of the chilled plates. When the mixture cools, ask yourself: ”Do I like this consistency?” Keep boiling jam and testing until you answer, “Yes!” then ladle into clean, sterilized 250ml (1 cup) jars. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes with adjustments for your area. Store for up to a year in a cool, dark place.
This past week I have been pretty heavy into the holiday parties yet I still made time to harvest my sprouts and make myself a decidedly summery sandwich: avocado, cream cheese and a mixture of lentil, radish, broccoli, red clover, and alfalfa sprouts. This powerhouse of nutrition was just the thing to keep me whooping it up holiday style, and it makes a much healthier hangover meal!
I happy to say that a few weeks ago I received a SodaStream Soda Maker to review. It couldn’t have come at a better time as I had just made another batch of fruit cordial from fall’s bounty and I’d been buying bottles of soda like it was going out of style. Truth be known, it IS going out of style. People love their bubbles but not all the waste: cans, bottles, and flat soda are a drain on the environment and on our wallets.
It was a wonderful treat to open the box and find a SodaStream Crystal – a sleek looking machine that makes up to 60 liters of sparkling water in beautiful glass carafes. Within minutes of putting down the box cutter I had my first SodaStream soda.
How it Works:
Pretty simple. Fill the carafe with water to the fill line. Insert the carafe into the SodaStream and press the top button in short bursts until you hear a buzz. I usually push the button until I hear 3 buzzes and this gives me wonderfully fizzy water.
Review:
Taste I was actually shocked at how good the sparkling water tasted. I expected club soda which tastes fine but it’s meant to have something added to it. SodaStream sparkling water doesn’t need anything added! It has a crisp bite and a fresh flavour that is delightful on its own. I’ve tried it with both tap water and spring water and the results are equally as strong (we do have great tap water here in Vancouver).
Soda I like that you can add as much carbonation as you can handle. I add 3 pumps for sparkling water straight up, and 6 pumps for soda with added juice or syrup. Here’s a tip though, add the soda to your glass first, then add the juice or you will get a volcanic explosion of fizz.
Machine The unit is made from plastic mostly and is quite tall (on the countertop it just clears standard height upper cabinets) but it is very thin so it takes up little room if you want to tuck it away. I keep it on my counter right near my spring water dispenser so it’s easy to whip up soda in seconds. The plastic casing is lightweight but can be a little rickety. When I pump the button the casing will pop right off, so I need to hold the unit down with one hand so that it doesn’t come apart and a couple of times it has malfunctioned (my fault maybe?) in that water exploded in the machine on the first pump.
Carafes Included with the crystals are two glass carafes. Each carafe holds 620ml (about 2 cans of soda) and comes with a fizz-preserving closure which I’ve had mixed reviews with. Sometimes I put a half-full (or half-empty if you are a cynic) in the fridge and find it flat a day later. Other times it still has some fizz after a few days. I’m not sure why the variation but I’m sure I’ll figure it out in time.
Worth the price? Given the price of the starter kit I wasn’t sure I would have bought a SodaStream for myself (it would’ve been a great Christmas gift though), but now that I have used it, served friends, and invented all sorts of recipes, I’m sold! I think if you drink a lot of soda, want a healthier option, and want to reduce waste, then it is definitely worth the start up price. Like many gadgets, I can’t imagine going back to the olden days of lugging heavy packs of bottles home and recycling, recycling, recycling.
Soda Stream vs. Soda Siphon:
When I was first thinking of getting a home soda maker, I questioned whether the old fashioned soda siphons (think Italian Soda) would be a good option. This is the lower cost alternative to the SodaStream out there on the market however the soda siphons require a new CO2 cartridge for every liter of soda. Here is a comparison:
Soda Siphon
SodaStream
Perrier 1L bottles
starter kit
$44.00 to $89.00 USD
$99.99 – $249.99 CAD $79.95 – $199.95 USD
$0
CO2 cost per first 60 L of soda
$60.00 for 60 CO2 plugs + shipping costs
Included in starter kit
prices vary so approx. $90.00 (at $1.50/L)
CO2 cost per additional 60 L of soda
$60.00 for 60 CO2 plugs + shipping costs
$19.99 for canister refills for 60L + shipping costs
~ $90.00
carbon expense / waste per 60L
60 empty CO2 plugs
shipping (if necessary)
60 empty bottles
Mixology
Now comes the fun part. For the creative barkeep, chef or foodie there is no limitation to the flavors you can amplify with bubbles on the tongue. At your next cocktail party, try serving preserved fruit or pickles in an equal mix of sparkling water and canning liquid. When my amaretto figs are ready in a month, I plan to serve them this way – with some bite!
If bubbles in your drinks is more your style, below are a few recipes that are part of my fizzy drink repertoire. (There are also some great recipes here submitted by SodaStream fans.)
1. Make natural soda by mixing one of these flavoured cordials or syrups to sparking water – a refreshing change from cola.
2. Forget chemically flavored water, there are plenty of ingredients in your garden and fridge that’ll make delightfully unique flavoured water. Most brands don’t use real anything in their flavouring so be wary of even the gourmet lemon or lime waters. Try these instead:
Squeeze of lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit
Sliced cucumbers, beets, or celery
Herbs like basil, thyme, mint, lemon balm, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Try interesting herbs like thai basil or chocolate mint and sweeten with a drop of stevia.
Floating fruit like cranberries, strawberries, blueberries – these add no flavour but make wonderful garnishes.
3. If, like me, the cocktails in Bon Appetite magazine have you excited to try thier alcoholic concoctions, then raid the liquor cabinet for cocktail ingredients and make ‘em fizzy.
The Final Word
Overall, after testing it out for a few weeks, I would definitely buy a SodaStream. I probably wouldn’t invest in the glass carafe “Crystal” machine at $239.99, instead opting for the less expensive and functionally the same “Jet White” for $99.00. Although I must admit I do love having glass bottles as I use very little plastic at home to store food. Whichever one you choose, the SodaStream is economical, environmentally-friendly, healthy, and fun. Plus, you get to plan for new recipes. Next on my “To Make” list: blueberry infused vodka, pear syrup, and limoncello to mix with my ohsofizzybubblingsparkling water.
*Note: prices are in Canadian dollars, US prices are a bit cheaper. Check them out here:
In my quest to use natural products made as simply as possible, I bought a kit from Scentimental Creations to make my own lip balm. It was so easy that I had 4 pots and 1 tube of lip balm in about 20 minutes. I made 2 types of lip balm:
Chocolate Mint: add 2 drops each peppermint and spearmint essential oils, 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder to give it a rich brown shade, and 1/2 tsp of honey to make lips shiny.
Milk Chocolate Mint SPF 25: as above but add 1/2 teaspoon of titanium dioxide before pouring into the pots which will make the balm the colour of milk chocolate and give lips protection in the sun.
The kit contains a moisture oil blend, beeswax, carnauba wax, 5ml essential oil blend (mint medley), 4 containers, and instructions. I LOVE the recipe but if you want to make your own (or want to skip the beeswax) here is a great recipe for Vegan Lip Balm.
I picked some green grapes this past week from the community plot and since I was also given a bunch of concord grapes, I processed them in my new food mill which was sent to me from cookware.com (thank-you!). The result was a strong flavoured grape syrup I used to make the best ever grape soda.
First I cooked the grapes to loosen their skins.
I then ran them through the food mill which left me with a thick pulp. The mill did a pretty good job of removing the skins, but even with the finest screen on the seeds still got through. I look forward to trying it again to make applesauce.
I strained the pulp through a fine sieve, cooled it down, added some soda and, voila, homemade grape soda. It looks pretty much the same as the blackberry cordial I made a few weeks ago but the flavour is completely different (like comparing grapes and blackberries).
If I ran it through a jelly bag I would have had a clearer liquid, but I didn’t have one and I certainly don’t mind the homemade look of this drink. It tasted so good that it was gone in an instant anyhow. Luckily I still have lots of syrup left over to make more.
