tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072Fri, 28 Feb 2020 09:37:25 +0000vegetablesfruitsbakingvictory gardenfriendsherbspreservation (drying)farmers' marketIndependence Dayslocal foodsCSALocal Rootscomfort foodpreservation (canning)preservation (freezing)grainsdessertuse it upfarmingPreserving the Seasonsbreadforagingpreservation (misc.)new skillsEthicureaneconomyfamilytomatoeseventseat local challengerecipesholidaypreservation (pickling)breakfastdairyedible flowersblogbusinessToday's Kitchen StorebeveragesbooksForty Seeds ProjectnutsGene Logsdonequipmentdemonstrationphilosophyvacationmistakespastachocolategoing greenhumorIndian foodwritingBriWendell BerryWoo's Brewseggspoultryseed savingsnowcost comparisoneating outnewspotluckquotesOEFFAfishfundraisermeatpermacultureriendssolar cookingMaking the world a better place -- one happy stomach at a time.http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)Blogger1339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-2245799009655987379Wed, 07 Aug 2013 11:13:00 +00002013-08-07T07:13:32.491-04:00blogYes, it's been a long time since I've posted here, and I think it's time for me to face facts.  Life has gotten very busy with a new part-time job (still food-related), other work projects, a funky gardening year, and just changes in general.  Truthfully, I'm not doing a whole lot of cooking these days -- summer seems to be the time to just grab something (like a handful of carrots or cucumber http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2013/08/and-all-rest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-3869209620010891757Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:50:00 +00002013-04-07T10:03:58.009-04:00comfort foodpreservation (drying)use it upvictory gardenYou might think that when I went vegetarian 20 years ago, I would have made dried beans a sizable portion of my regular diet.  After all, even in the early 1990s there was a strong perception that vegetarians mostly ate rice and beans in order to get the complete proteins they no longer absorbed from eating meat. Strangely enough, though, I was not a big fan of beans.  Maybe it was too many http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2013/03/bean-living.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-9133787902881551250Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:39:00 +00002013-04-07T09:42:13.105-04:00bakingdessertfriendsholidayThe Christmas season was so busy that I didn't get the chance to bake cookies with My Wonderful Nephews.  But never fear -- there's always a cookie-baking holiday around the corner, so we scheduled time to bake Valentine cookies instead. One nephew helped with the mixing while the other two helped with decorating -- what a fun mess! http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2013/02/heart-work.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-1029932798662209663Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:53:00 +00002013-01-07T15:05:43.929-05:00bakingmistakesnew skillsToday's Kitchen Storeuse it upIn looking around for ideas for new cooking classes at Today's Kitchen Store, I thought about the remaining packages of fillo dough I have in the freezer.  So many people make the comment "that must be so hard / time-consuming / tricky!" when I bake and sell baklava, that it seemed to me that a class on using fillo dough might start to demystify it for others. So, with a little extra time on my http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2013/01/fillo-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-395217265438487098Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:39:00 +00002013-01-07T14:52:42.057-05:00bakingbusinesschocolatecomfort foodgrainsToday's Kitchen StorevacationI've taken a partial baking vacation this past week and plan to do so in the coming week, baking just a few different kinds of bread for my shelves at Local Roots and not a whole lot else.  I sort of miss the luxury of having about a week and a half completely off work as I did when I worked at the library, but there are ways of getting a little extra time off now that my schedule is more http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/12/quick-fixes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-6305359992281751742Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:44:00 +00002012-12-26T14:44:05.603-05:00bakingdessertfruitsholidayI wanted to do something a little different for our Christmas feast this year.  It's been hard for me to get motivated to make much of anything sweet -- I burned out on baklava by mid-December, and I only made one batch of biscotti (and gave it all away to the Absent-Minded Professor who was, as always, hungry and grateful). But I splurged on some delicious Page oranges from Florida this year, http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/12/live-and-let-pie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-5401813164451132875Tue, 25 Dec 2012 21:17:00 +00002012-12-26T14:27:37.733-05:00bakingbreakfastcomfort foodfamilyholidayToday's Kitchen Storevegetablesvictory garden'Tis the week of Christmas, and since I plan to take a partial vacation from business baking later this week, it seemed an ideal time to indulge in some delicious baking and cooking for myself (and for My Dear Papa, since we are sharing a holiday feast today). --Okay, technically these scones are business-related as I need to finish testing and tweaking recipes for my upcoming biscuits and http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/12/holiday-dish-list.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-6144024567185488927Sat, 15 Dec 2012 23:06:00 +00002012-12-26T14:14:26.879-05:00comfort foodfriendsmeatpreservation (freezing)recipesuse it upThis month has been utterly exhausting so far, and I have felt more than usually depleted of iron and other nutritional tweaks to my well-being.  I'm still mostly a vegetarian, though I've become a "meat snob" who will occasionally indulge in good local grass-fed meats in small quantities.  But this week, I knew I needed beef and plenty of it. Luckily, a couple of weeks ago I spotted a recipe http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/12/i-have-beef-with-this-recipe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-5567662252076421105Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:56:00 +00002012-12-26T14:04:12.196-05:00farmingfriendslocal foodsLocal RootsSince I've been trying to give a little more time to writing lately -- writing articles, that is -- I've started working some little field trips into my schedule.  Last week I headed south to visit a friend from Local Roots to see his family's farm and to check out his home business. With 55 acres of rolling pasture bordered by woods and gardens, you'd think Michael Jaeb would do more with http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/12/to-syrup-with-love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-6020949797314558865Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:50:00 +00002012-12-26T13:55:56.753-05:00familylocal foodsnew skillsSince it's My Dear Papa's birthday, I decided to make a nice birthday dinner for him.  I'm a little out of practice -- the last time I made him a birthday cake, it was a lemon cake that involved both a cake mix and a pudding mix.  (Yes, that's a distant and not so seemly part of my culinary past.  Let's move on, shall we?) The meal itself was simple: a chicken dish of Mom's, a simple salad, and http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/11/i-must-be-nuts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-7080784110042905403Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:49:00 +00002012-11-21T13:49:25.363-05:00bakingbreadherbsLocal RootsToday's Kitchen StoreBusiness keeps me busy these days in a big way.  But I love it!  And I love being able to continue experimenting with the baking and such -- and to have customers respond favorably. What's new? --I finally developed a multigrain bread I'm happy with.  Based on the various struan recipes in Peter Reinhart's books, it incorporates whole spelt flour, whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, cornmeal, http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/11/new-and-improved.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-8302051072924200045Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:28:00 +00002012-11-21T13:40:45.185-05:00herbslocal foodsLocal RootsNo matter how long I've been seeking out, supporting, and loving local foods, I continue to be surprised by what can be sourced locally.  Local Roots has been a huge help in providing some of these things, but it's especially exciting to see what new things local farmers are willing to try. Case in point: ginger. I know, who would have thought you could buy fresh, locally grown baby ginger http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/11/slow-ginger.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-5981736931343651536Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:18:00 +00002012-11-21T13:24:53.953-05:00bakingbreadcomfort foodeconomyToday's Kitchen Storeuse it upI taught a class on artisan breads at Today's Kitchen Store this morning -- the first of two sessions, it's been such a popular offering!  The recipes have been pretty simple, with only two variations on a basic theme, but I had fun showing the class the many different ways to shape or embellish such good doughs. Because I start the class with dough already prepared and ready to shape, things http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/11/dough-not-let-this-go-to-waste.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-4076083577271405202Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:09:00 +00002012-11-21T13:16:47.376-05:00comfort foodedible flowersvegetablesvictory gardenI'm a fan of homemade pizza, if you haven't learned that already.  Nothing beats a fresh homemade crust, good homemade sauce, fresh vegetables, lots of cheese... hmmm, I'm getting hungry! I used to be pretty boring in how I topped my pizzas, though.  "Give me broccoli or give me death" seemed to be my motto.  But I've learned to appreciate other garden-fresh toppings, too. Here are two recent http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/10/sharing-pizza-harvest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-1318349336149908846Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:34:00 +00002012-10-04T11:42:32.321-04:00friendsfruitspreservation (canning)The apple crop this year is smaller than average, thanks to the early warm weather followed by frosts back in the spring.  I've kept in touch with the folks at the local orchard to know when the U-pick would be open, knowing it might be a short season. After all, My Adorable Nephews have been asking for weeks if we can go apple picking!  So the Southern Belle and I made sure that we could get http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-empires-strike-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-8673384969926374937Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:20:00 +00002012-10-04T11:33:06.603-04:00farmers' marketpreservation (freezing)use it upI've said this before about being a producer at Local Roots, but it holds true for being a producer at the outdoor market, too -- end-of-market trades are a wonderful bonus! Before I started selling at the outdoor market this year, I knew several of the farmers and other folks already.  This year I've had the chance to get to know some of the others a little better, and I've found that pretty http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/09/puree-and-simple.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-3590148937038953134Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:58:00 +00002012-09-18T09:58:47.457-04:00preservation (misc.)vegetablesvictory garden Many things about the garden have frustrated me this year, thanks to the oddball weather we've had.  But the two varieties of shell beans I planted have given me good returns. I finished harvesting the Saturday Night Special beans (like smaller navy or cannellini beans) a couple of weeks ago and finished shelling them last evening.  As you can see, I ended up with a quart of beans for me and ahttp://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-bean-good-harvest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-3169762213086574289Mon, 03 Sep 2012 21:16:00 +00002012-09-18T09:54:44.456-04:00bakingdessertfamilyfriendsIn past years, I relied on the Chef Mother to bake me a birthday cake -- her classic carrot cake, studded with walnuts (no raisins, thank you very much) and cloaked in a sweet cream cheese frosting.  Even in a year when she was recovering from a major illness, the cake tradition was carried on by My Fabulous Aunt. But with the passing of the Chef Mother earlier this summer, I knew it was time tohttp://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-new-cake-on-old-tradition.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-6837848177459999822Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:30:00 +00002012-08-16T13:30:42.923-04:00use it upvegetablesIt's that time of year when the garden is overflowing with produce and I have bigger eyes at the farmers' market than I do stomach -- which means I inevitably have a lot more food in the refrigerator than I get around to cooking and eating. This week, though, I'm determined to do something about all the produce and to bring some semblance of order to my kitchen. On Monday, I shut up and put uphttp://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/08/slaw-and-order.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-1015611206830487091Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:13:00 +00002012-08-16T13:22:59.650-04:00familyfruitspreservation (canning)vacationWith my baking schedule and self-employed status, I don't get much in the way of vacations any more.  Granted, I did take two days "off" when my oven was on the blink, but in lieu of baking I did some writing and housework -- sort of a vacation, but not completely. But don't think me a whiner:  I occasionally get a little respite, and when I do, I make it worthwhile.  (And then I bring home morehttp://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/08/lifes-peach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-2331912709691342602Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:35:00 +00002012-08-10T08:55:30.006-04:00vegetablesvictory garden The heat and drought this summer have really not motivated me to get into the gardens, even when I know they need work.  But today I finally worked up the courage to visit garden #3, and I dug up the first four potato plants. Maybe you can't quite tell, but there are a few pounds of spuds in that basket, and some of them were lunkers.  So I stopped digging after those first four plants http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/07/lets-nip-this-in-spud.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-5466288071769512025Sun, 22 Jul 2012 13:48:00 +00002012-08-10T08:55:49.586-04:00farmers' marketpreservation (freezing)vegetables This year's corn crop -- like most other crops -- is well ahead of schedule.  The Corn Queen has had her truck full of sweet corn for a couple of weeks now, but I only just found the time to get some for freezing. So on a beautiful summer Sunday morning, what's a girl to do but sit on the front step and shuck corn? Just enjoy, that's what. http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/07/whole-lotta-shuckin-goin-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-7297979350038171603Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:33:00 +00002012-08-10T08:56:41.957-04:00friendsfruitsI love getting my weekly delivery of farm-fresh and bartered goodies from my friend the Delighted Gardener.  She not only keeps me stocked with herbs for my baking and tea blends, but she also provides seasonal produce, homemade yogurt (from her family's Jersey herd), handmade paper, colorful bouquets, and other treats.  Usually she gives me a choice from what's available, and sometimes I simply http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/07/heir-transparent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-6693707017051468054Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:27:00 +00002012-07-08T17:27:00.550-04:00familyOver the past several years, I've had many an occasion to write about the Chef Mother, sharing a bit of my family history and kitchen training at my mother's hands.  But it's hard to grasp how truly encompassing her influence has been on me.  She taught me the vast majority of what I know about cooking and food preservation, even though I eventually followed my own path through 15 or so years of http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/07/remembering-chef-mother.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9444072.post-4824675209514508331Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:03:00 +00002012-06-25T14:04:44.056-04:00bakingherbsToday's Kitchen Store The crazy weather this year has thrown a number of gardening and food preservation plans awry, but in one area, the early and persistent heat (and even the increasing lack of rain) has been a blessing for my lavender crops. In garden #1, my two lavender bushes have yielded four cuttings, three of which occurred during the last two weeks of May.  In garden #2, two more lavender bushes have http://baklavaqueen.blogspot.com/2012/06/lavender-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Baklava Queen)2