I've got this big list of goals & fun things I want to do before school starts back up, & making fresh pasta was one of them. Little did I know that my mom would spot this awesome Ampia pasta machine at Goodwill! It's really heavy-duty.
We think that the ravioli attachment, on the right, doesn't actually go with the base part, since there is no way to attach it---it was just sort of piled on top of the pasta maker, so we got it. Maybe another brand? It doesn't say Ampia on it...oh well. I may try to use it as is, but didn't attempt ravioli this time. I'm going camping tomorrow & don't have a lot of tasty filling options on hand.
I used the recipes from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman & they worked really well. I ended up making 6 pounds of pasta---24 main course servings! I figured I might as well make as much as I could, since I had the house to myself & could freeze it all.
First I made spinach pasta:
It wanted to become fettuccine, so I obliged:
Then I made black pepper fettuccine, which I'm super excited to try:
Next, I made some plain ol' spaghetti:
I froze some of the plain pasta sheets for lasagna, then made tomato fettuccine, flavored with tomato paste:
The only kind I've tried so far was the tomato. I put a little pesto on it (not the best color combo!) & it was heavenly---so light & tender. I'll post some pictures when I make something that looks somewhat appetizing! Traditional Egg Pasta Dough- 10 ounces all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- a few drops of water, if needed
You basically just mix these ingredients together, adding a little water, if necessary, then knead for 1-2 minutes. If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour. For best results, let rest for at least an hour. Divide dough into 6 pieces, then roll it out according to your pasta machine.
*Spinach Variation---use 2 more ounces of flour (12 ounces total), add 1/4 pound frozen chopped spinach (cook, mince, & squeeze out all water)
*Black Pepper Variation---add 1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper
*Tomato Variation---add 3 tablespoons tomato paste
I'm lucky to have my Gran's old Singer, & have only just now completed my first garment...this cute owl apron! I think I'm going to give it to my friend Sage, since she loves to cook & her birthday is coming up soon. Excuse the poor lighting, please. I planned on taking better pictures today, but our apartment is all dark (closed blinds to keep out the 95*F sun), since we're trying to keep the interior cool for our dog, Ruben. It works, but looks a bit dreary.
I got the owl fabric from Joann's, & the gingham was from a free pile---there's a ton more of it too!
It took me two days to sew, because I ran out of ric rac & had to make another little run to Joann's, which ended up being an hours-long adventure, when Ethan wanted to come along. We then had to go to his bank, the library, Movie Madness, the library again (since they'd left some DVDs out of the cases!), Trader Joe's, Joann's, Goodwill, then Joann's again (he found a cool calligraphy book & wanted some pens). Whew! That must be why it wasn't finished till 10:00 last night, ha ha. It probably needs to be ironed again, but that can wait.Said ric rac:
Cute, ribbon-y pocket:
This garland was my first little warm-up project. The idea is from The Purl Bee (they have the cutest free project ideas/patterns!!!), but I didn't use invisible thread (because I didn't have it, or care enough to buy it). I haven't figured out where I'm going to hang it, which is why it's just in a pile on the desk. I didn't place the colors randomly, like they suggested, because I am obsessed with rainbows & it can be a pride garland too!
Now I've got to get sewing on a poppy dress that I actually started last summer. The pieces are all cut out, but are jammed in a drawer of fabric. I was too intimidated to start sewing...until now!
Ethan recently quit smoking, so I wanted to reward him with one of his favorite treats---crème brûlée! I *thought* I was going to go with Nigella's recipe, hence the cookbook in the background, but I realized her version made a giant casserole of it (not individual ramekins), plus it wasn't baked in a water bath, which I wanted to do.
I ended up going with this recipe, since it called for a pint of cream, which was my limit, ha ha.The ingredients you'll need are: 4 egg yolks, 1 pint cream, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, plus a little extra sugar for the broiling part.
Preheat the oven to 275*F & get a bunch of water boiling, so you'll be prepared for the hot water bath. Scald the cream & vanilla by putting them in a saucepan over low heat, until the mixture begins to steam.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks & the sugar until combined.
It should look like this:
Once the cream is steaming, remove it from the heat & whisk about 1/2 a cup of it into the yolks, whisking constantly (or you'll end up with scrambled eggs). Repeat this tempering step, then whisk the yolks into the pan of cream. This should combine everything together without shocking/cooking it.
Divide the mixture between your ramekins. The recipe said it would make 4, but I only ended up filling 3, since I wanted the custard to be high in the ramekins, so the broiling would be easier & quicker.
Carefully pour the boiling water until it reaches about halfway up the ramekins. Place in the oven (using mitts!), & bake for about 35-45 minutes, or until the edges of the custard are set, & the middles wiggle like jello. Don't over-bake them, or the texture will be gross. Mine took about 10 minutes longer, since they were deeper. They'll continue to set as they chill. Remove the ramekins from the water bath & chill them until cold, preferably overnight.
Time for the crunchy top! Get your oven broiler super hot. If you have a torch, it works much better than the oven broiler, so use it! Take a paper towel & carefully blot off any moisture from the top of the custards. Sprinkle them with a thin, even layer of sugar, then place as close to the broiler as possible. You want to caramelize the sugar before you recook the custard & get it all melty again. Once you get the color you want, remove them & put them back in the fridge to chill for about another hour or so. If you wait too long before digging in, the topping will lose its crunch.
After all that hard work, share & enjoy the fruits of your labor! So rich...
This turned out surprisingly well, but it was likely due to the amazing eggs & chives I'd been given by Coral, my sister, & Ethan's parents. The eggs were almost buttery...
Egg Salad w/Chives
*6 organic, free-range eggs
*Vegenaise/mayo to taste (maybe 1/4 cup?)
*2 teaspoons mustard
*salt & pepper to taste
*handful of minced fresh chives
*delicious bread---I used Grand Central's Como
Gently place the eggs into a medium pan, then cover with cold water, by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover, then let sit for 12 minutes. Drain water, then fill pan with cold water, letting the water cool the eggs. If the water gets warm, drain & refill with cold again.
Crack the eggs & peel them. Chop them to whatever texture/size you desire: I really use a fork to make 'em fine. Add Vegenaise, mustard, and S & P. Taste & get the seasonings perfect, then fold in the chives.
Lightly toast bread & spread with egg salad. Garnish with chive blossoms, if you want to be super fancy.
Last night, I had a majorly wacko craving for toast: one piece with homemade strawberry jam, one with butter & nutritional yeast. It was delicious. For a moment, I was tempted to sandwich them together, but thought better of it. Maybe next time...
I also have all these eggs to use at some point. Some are from Coral, some are from my sister. They both have a bunch of happy chickens that crank out the best eggs in the Universe---the yolks are so bright that they're almost orange! I see a lot of egg salad sandwiches in my future.
Ethan's on the coast, at his parents' house, trying to quit smoking, so I told him that when he gets back I'll make him some crème brûlée. And Coral is letting me borrow her blowtorch for the crunchy sugar topping. I'm excited!
Speaking of Coral, she goes to the Country Fair every year & does henna tattoos for people. She brought me back this zig-zaggy hand-thrown pot that I adore!
Since I'm obsessed with succulents, I planted a variety of little starts in there, hoping they'll go wild & fill it up. Hmmm, I see a dog hair in there too...bonus of living with a big ol' dog!
It's sort of difficult for me to transition from the quiet, nature-filled camping scene, back into the obnoxious (at least where we live, ha ha!) city environment. One cool thing was going to the Farmer's Market though. I got a rainbow bouquet of flowers, a bunch of fresh lavender, & an armful of phallic veggies: regular & yellow zucchini, plus a few cucumbers.
Pretty flowers:
I decided to make roasted zucchini, since roasting is super easy & always brings about great results. Here they are on an olive oiled sheet, after slicing into 3/4" rounds.
And here they are after being tossed with a mixture of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, a teensy bit of sugar (like 1/4 tsp.), & salt & pepper. Roast away in the hottest oven temp. possible, turning halfway through, for about 16-20 minutes. Try to hold out for the browning.
Can you see all those glorious browned bits? I wish I would have let them go longer, but I was too hungry, plus my pasta was ready to eat. The ones on the edge were the best.
At work, I made some cinnamon-raisin & cranberry-orange scones, along with a batch of orange-nutmeg cookies...
The recipe is from The Grand Central Baking Book, but I vegan-ized it for work.
I also found comfort in Mario. Ethan & I had a video game night & it was a blast. My old NES is still kickin'!
I feel better now...I'm outta here!
For my main birthday present, Ethan took me camping from Wednesday to Friday. We decided to head to Cape Lookout, since we're both from the coast & wanted to head back home. I definitely didn't appreciate what a lovely area I was born into till I went back last week. It's hard to imagine that a more beautiful place exists in the world, though I admit that I might be biased!
We got into the park around 4:00 p.m., so we set up camp & got down to scarfing. There were plenty of Smart Dogs & Tofurkey Sausages to be had!
Yum!
After the food had a chance to settle, we headed to the beach for some Frisbee, but ended up splashing in the ocean after awhile. The weather was magnificent! Most people would probably avoid water in the mid-50s, but it was calling our names & we got used to it pretty quickly. Then we were hooked! We went in up to our waists, but that was enough.
Modeling my new birthday hat:
We saw a couple of nesting seagulls too.
My sister stocked me up on Smart Wool from head-to-toe, so I was nice & snuggly, even when it cooled down at night.
Here's the beautiful night sky that we were treated to at camp:
The next day, Thursday, we went for an amazing hike out to the Cape, which was a little over 5 miles, round trip. Shortly after taking off, we were in awe of the beautiful, gnarly, old-growth forest that surrounded us.
The weather was really humid at first---this is a rain forest, after all! We went for about a mile & ended up on the stormy side of the Cape, which was beautiful.
It wasn't technically raining, but the moisture condenses on the trees & showers down on everything below.
After that windy section, we ended up on a drier path that was perfectly warm & sunny. 
Yeah, the water was actually that bright! It almost looked unreal, it was so beautiful.
The trail was so varied that a person has to pay close attention, or risk going headlong down a hill or off a cliff! Yikes.
Here's Eth, peeking through a tree-gina (not the scientific term, I'm sure!).
After all that work, we made it to the end! The cliffs are loosely fenced off with rope, but many people (not me!) climb under them for a better (deadlier) view. You can see little dark blobs, which are actually seabirds & dolphins...yes, dolphins! We were looking for grey whales, since they migrate through around this time of the year, but we were delighted to sea pods of bottlenose dolphins instead.
Unfortunately, my camera is not the best, so we only got a few blurry shots of some fins & tails, but this one below is probably the most obviously dolphin-shaped one...
Some edibles we came across, not all of which were ripe & ready to eat...
Salmonberries:
Salal Berries:
Deliciously fragile Thimbleberries:
Tangy Wood Sorrel:
NOT EDIBLE, but eating...
And this one is clearly trying to attack me!
Everything was so ALIVE. Fallen logs were their own little ecosystems, teeming with fungus, lichen, moss, bugs, etc.
Shelf Fungus:
On our last day, we were out of firewood, so we headed to Tillamook (my hillbilly hometown) for some good ol' greasy breakfast. We cruised through Oceanside, where I used to want to live.
After our bellies were filled, we made the most of the drive by heading up to Cape Meares.
Beautiful view of Three Arch Rocks:
The historical & mysterious Octopus Tree:
Ethan, being tourist-y:
I might as well be tourist-y too!
And lastly, the lighthouse. Sadly, some very bored, ignorant people have gotten their kicks by shooting at the windows.
This was one of the most fun birthdays/camping experiences I've ever had. Thank you to all my friends & family. I'm thankful that our lives overlap! :)
