SpiderWomanKnits

ice cream for breakfast

If you're on Pinterest, I'm sure you've seen the frozen banana "ice cream" pin by now. If you're not on Pinterest or have never made this frozen confection before I highly recommend that you promptly fix both of those things. Pinterest will make your life better, it will. And you can eat this dessert for breakfast. Case closed. 

I was delightfully surprised by how satisfying this simple dessert is. The original pin shows frozen bananas being placed in a blender and then whipped into a fluffy cloud. Well, my blender is broken and I didn't want to bother with freezing the bananas anyway. So, I simply sliced ripe bananas and whipped them with my handheld immersion blender until they were a fluffy cloud. It worked very nicely. So, if you don't feel like freezing the bananas or don't want to add stress to your machine by blending frozen bananas I say skip that step. 

A few things about this "ice cream". First, it's not ice cream. Don't even try to pretend it is or sell it to your kids that way. That being said it is delicious! It's in a category of it's own. If it's late at night and you need something sweet you can indulge in this treat and be just as satisfied as you would be eating ice cream but actually still feel good after eating it. Really, it's that good. But that brings me to my second point, you have to like bananas. It's made with bananas so it's going to taste like bananas. I love bananas. I've seen pinners comment that you can "mask" the banana taste with the other ingredients but I don't see how that's possible or why you'd even want to. Just eat something else. See, lots of bananas in there. 

Okay. Want to make some? Here's what you do. 

Gather

Four ripened bananas, sliced into 1/2" pieces

1-2 tspns of high quality dutch process cocoa or to taste. If you're gluten free just be sure your cocoa powder is too. You can omit this. 

2-3 tbspns peanut butter or to taste, I used an all natural, unsweetened peanut butter because i felt like it would offer a creamier texture. If you've ever tried to melt regular peanut butter and pour it on ice cream you know how it freezes solid? I was trying to avoid that. It worked. Of course, you can omit the peanut butter too. 

Blend all of your ingredients together in a blender, food processor or in a bowl with an immersion blender until light and fluffy like a cloud. Place in a freezer proof container large enough to hold a pint. Freeze for several hours. Done!

You'll have to allow it to thaw for a little bit before you can scoop it but the texture of mine was like gelato! So perfect. I can't wait to make this again. I'm going to be adding cinnamon and more peanut butter for sure next time but the add in possibilities are endless! Rum and raisins (not blended, obvs.)? Shredded coconut? If you're looking at bananas on your counter right now that are about to turn, you know what to do. Enjoy!

xo

Spidey

 

The Zucchini Post

You really have to love zucchini. It's been so hot and dry here in Vermont and my garden isn't the best it's ever been but those squash plants keep putting out without even the slightest fuss. I've learned to love the burdenous bounty and I thought I would share some of the ways that I preserve and use my zucchini with you. 

First up is the good old fashioned shred. If you have a gigantic zucchini or a pile of "average" size zucchini that are staring you in the face but you're just not in the mood to do anything with them, grab your coarse grater and just have your way with them. When I am grating I grate around the seeded part so I am left with a small core of seeds. That I just feed to my very grateful chickens. And now, from here, you can really go anywhere. 

Let's start with Zucchini Bread. Perhaps you have a favorite recipe? If it calls for 1 or 2 cup portions of grated zucchini just measure out those size portions, place them in a freezer bag, label the bag with the measurement and stick it right into your freezer. I love to flatten out my freezer bags so they are stackable. It makes me feel good to have a neat stack of measured out frozen zucchini, that's just the kind of girl I am. 

Speaking of Zucchini Bread. I love this recipe for Lemon Zucchini Bread.

Often times I will just bake up extra loaves, slice them, freeze the slices flat and then transfer the slices to a gallon size freezer bag. Then, you can pull a slice when you want it, anytime! And if you're the only one in the mood for zucchini bread it's no big deal. Alternatively, you can bake little mini loaves like the ones I did above and freeze those. Just be sure to reduce your baking time by almost half if you are using a mini loaf pan. While we're on the topic of zucchini bread. I also love this recipe for chocolate zucchini bread. It's just outstanding. You could make it in a cake pan, slap some frosting on it and have yourself one delicious chocolate cake as a matter of fact. It also freezes well. But, if you don't get around to baking extra loaves of bread and you have a hankering for some this winter, don't worry! Because you already preserved those perfect portions of grated zucchini in your freezer, right?! We're all feeling really smart now. 

Edited: To make either of these breads Gluten Free just sub in your favorite GF flour mix. I use Bob's Red Mill AP Mix. 

But since we have piles of zucchini that's all grated up why not can up some very impressive and super simple Zucchini Relish?

That's what I've been doing a lot of lately (of course, in the middle of a heat wave, hence my punchy tone). My kids really love this relish. Use it on burgers and hot dogs etc. all summer long. During the winter and fall add a tablespoon or two to tuna salad or slather your favorite sandwich with it. When I can it I use half pint jars instead of full pint but that's just my preference. If you do the same just make sure you process the jars for the same amount of time. This relish also makes a really special gift to pass out to teachers, friends, host/esses etc. Put some up. You'll be happy you did. 

Yet another way that I love to preserve zucchini is to just clean them and then slice them into 1/4" rounds. Freeze those flat on a parchment lined cookie sheet and then transfer to a gallon size freezer bag. The frozen rounds can be used in Zucchini Parmesan Casseroles or Veggie Bakes all year long. I don't defrost them first. I just layer them frozen as you can see in the picture below. 

To sum it up, zucchini freezes really well. You can cube it for stews and soups and freeze those. Grate and freeze it for breads, relish, omelets, fritters. Slice it into rounds for casseroles or the grill before your garden gets hopping next season. Whatever suits your fancy. Oh, and when I am pickling and I have extra brine I'll throw some sliced zucchini in a jar, pour the leftover brine over them and let them chill out in the fridge for a day or two. Zucchini makes great fridge pickles! 

If you happen to find yourself with a cup or two of extra shredded zucchini that you're not preserving do not hesitate to make some of these! 

I really can't stop making these. They are so good. You can find the recipe for Zucchini Fritters here. I've been eating these for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just squeeze the bejesus out of the mixture instead of waiting for it to drain like the recipe calls for. On one occassion I was clever enough to mix it up the night before and let it drain in a colander over a bowl in the fridge overnight. I feel like whipping some up right now. 

I'd love to hear your favorite ways to use or preserve zucchini. Please do share. 

Hope you're having a lovely summer!

xo Spidey

recipe : {gluten free} peanutty noodles and shrimp

Well hello there. Here I am again. Nothing like a little blog redesign (what do you think?) and a friend asking you to share a recipe to get your posting juices flowing again. 

This is one of my families all time favorite recipes. It started with this one but then evolved into something slightly different so I'll give you my own version here. 

{Gluten Free} Peanutty Noodles and Shrimp

You'll Need:

salt : 1 pound of Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti : 3 tablespoons peanut oil : 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined : 1 tablespoon paprika : 1 or 2 cups of thinly sliced veggies of your choice (we like shredded carrots, garlic scapes, red pepper, snap peas, cabbage, broccoli, anything really! use what you have on hand or is in season.) 

4 large cloves of garlic, sliced  :  1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce : 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter : 2 tablespoons rice vinegar : 1 tablespoon seasame oil : 2 scallions, thinly sliced : water

What You'll Do: 

First, combine peanut butter, seasame oil, sliced garlic, rice vinegar and soy sauce in a large bowl or stand mixer and stir to combine. Add water as needed to create a smooth, pourable sauce. 

While you are making your sauce, put up a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions being very careful not to over cook. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, while your pasta is cooking, heat the peanut oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add your shrimp and cook through. Add the paprika, stir. Add your veggies and toss until slightly cooked but still crisp. Set aside. 

Combine your cooked, cooled pasta with the peanut sauce and stir. Place desired amount of pasta on plates or in bowls. Top with shrimp and veggies. Garnish with scallions. Serve with Rooster Sauce (we like lots and lots). Enjoy!

This is a great summer recipe. It's served cold-ish and it's light. You could cook the noodles ahead of time, in the morning for instance when it's cooler, and the shrimp and veggies cook so quickly that you won't need to stand over the hot stove for long. It's a great way to use your garden darlings and you can always omit the shrimp if you're a vegetarian. 

I'm using Instagram a lot lately. You can find me there as spiderwomanknits. Do take the time to follow along if you wish. It would be just lovely to stay in touch that way also, although I do intend to be back here much more often. And, I'll have some exciting news by the end of the week.  

 

tap tap tap

I hope this thing is still on because I have a lovely little snack idea to share with you. I discovered it first, where else, Pinterest, but then I haven't stopped making it since. Whenever we need a quick, wholesome snack this is what we are turning to. Surprisingly and deliciously addictive. I haven't even bothered with any seasoning other than a sprinkle of sea salt. Jorn, Simonne and Vaughn can not get enough of these. We're lucky enough that we don't have to "sneak" any foods into our kids diet, they are adventurous eaters, but these offer a refreshing break from carb-based snacks which can be so much easier to reach for. 

You can find the original recipe here. Again, I haven't done anything other than just sprinkle them with some salt. You can just drain a couple of cans early in the day and let them sit until the afternoon/after school so they get nice and dry. That way when you roast them you'll get a nice crispy outer texture. They're so good that they won't last more than a minute or two on the table but, boy, would they be delicious on your dinner salad too. 

I know I mentioned it before but I am using Instagram a lot these days. If you do too, find me there as spiderwomanknits. Lots of pics of what we've been up to these days. 

Hope your Spring is off to a lovely start!

xoxo

Spidey

Recipe : {Gluten Free} Darkside Cookies

I was craving chocolate chocolate chip cookies the other day. I had tried several recipes before but none that really fet like "the keeper". So, I decided to just make my very own. Oh boy. Let me tell you. 

Since I can't just have every one of you over for milk and cookies (which would be my preference) I'll just share my recipe with  you. How's that sound? These are Gluten Free because, well, I'm gluten intollerant and my whole body hurts if I eat it. I can't test these with regular flour so if you do make them and you're not gluten free I would love to hear how they turn out. Jorn named them :) 

{Gluten Free} Darkside Cookies 

Needs:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted        

1 cup packed brown sugar                 

1/2 cup white sugar                          

1egg plus 1 egg yolk                         

2 tspns vanilla                

2 cups Gluten Free Flour, I use Bob's Redmill AP Mix          

3/4 cup Hersey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder

1/2 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn xantham gun (omit if you are using regular flour)

1/2 tspn salt

2 cups semi sweet or milk chocolate chips, or a combo of both

 

Make: 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Stir in vanilla. 

In a separate bowl sift together all the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. 

Stir dry ingredients into your creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Put your dough into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

This is a really important step, don't skip it! Once my dough has been refrigerated I roll it into even ping pong sized balls and just bake off a few at a time. This is an old habit from my days working in a homemade ice cream shop but it's a good one. That way you don't eat all the cookies at once and you can just pop the cookie balls onto a cookie sheet and bake away without getting your hands super dirty every time. Keep in mind that baking time is for chilled dough. 

When your dough is properly chilled and prepared bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Enjoy! 

(breakfast) obsession

Have I mentioned that I love Pinterest? I'm telling you. You'd think that it would suck time and that you'd end up spending more time pinning than doing but for me it has been an incredible motivator on so many levels. It's one thing to be inspired by blogs and magazines etc. but when you have that motivation scattered all over the place or in unmanageable bookmarks or nooks of your home it's very difficult for those images and feelings to really take focus. I've found it incredibly revealing and helpful to watch my personal boards, and boards of friends develop.I see now that I really do have a "taste" and, for better or worse, I find myself embracing that more as a result of my pinning. Boy, could this lingo be getting any weirder?

Anyhoo, this gem of a recipe was a result of sharing on Pinterest. It's a keeper, for it's simplicity and it's taste. After the first time I made it the recipe was committed to memory. To make it gluten free I just sub Bob's Red Mill AP mix. It's perfect for my family right now since we are experiencing an egg laying slow down, getting just a handful a day from our 35 plus bird flock. I hope you make it and enjoy it too! 

preserving cherry tomatoes

I am getting about 1 gallon of cherry tomatoes every day. That's a conservative estimate. This year I planted Sun Gold Cherry Toms. We are really loving them. I always freeze a bunch whole to be used for fresh pasta sauces in the winter but this year I am also slow roasting them with cloves of garlic. Oh.My.Wow. These are truly amazing and will be a warm, rich and comforting companion in winter stews, soups or just smothered on a piece of toast.You will have to use all of your will power not to just eat these on the spot while you are filling your jars.

To slow roast cherry tomatoes (or any small tomato) preheat your oven to 250 degrees. I have a convection roast option on my oven which works wonderfully. Wash your tomatoes, sliced them in half and place in a roasting pan (or pans if you have a bazillion like me). Separate whole cloves of garlic from the bulb but leave the skin on and scatter them in your pan. I like to use one clove per jar and I always roast extra. Drizzle olive oil over your pan and sprinkle kosher salt to taste. Place in the oven and roast for approx. 1 1/2-2 hours. I like to set my timer at 30 minute intervals and just keep checking or rotating pans so they roast evenly. You want them to be slightly browned and almost dehydrated though there will be some thickened juices. Fill 4oz Ball jars, leaving 1/2", and add one clove of garlic squeezed from it's skin to each jar. Let cool, cover and freeze!

If you want to just freeze your cherry or grape tomatoes, just wash and dry them. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment in a single layer and set in freezer until they are solid. Transfer to zippered freezer bags.

Enjoy!

 

today's haul

It's not the biggest haul we've had but it certainly is special. Those are the first potatoes we've ever grown! What a fun crop. Still lots more in the ground. We'll certainly make room for more next year. Jorn, Simonne and I spent Vaughn's nap time in the garden together today picking all these veggies. It just fills my heart watching the two of them cooperate and work together to help pick whatever it is we are picking. They are just as excited as I am to see what's available for us on a particular day.

A few nights ago I used the 2 pounds of beans we had picked that day (kentucky wonder, gold rush and purple) to make Indian style green beans. The whole family made me swear that I would not pickle the beans we picked today but would prepare the Indian Style beans again. Here's the recipe. I hope your family loves it as much as mine. It's taken from one of my favorite cook books Whole Foods for the Whole Family.This is the recipe as it is written in the book, we doubled it.

Indian Style Green Beans

1lb green beans

2-4T oil (salted butter)

1t black mustard seeds

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 t. ground coriander

1/8 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. salt (or to taste)

1-2T lemon juice

Cut beans into 1 inch pieces (I just snap mine while I am washing them) Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute mustard seeds until they "pop". Add beans, onion, carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in seasonings, reduce heat to simmer. Cover, simmer until desired tenderness. Stir in lemon juice and serve. We serve this as the side along with the most simple and delicious Chickpea Curry. If you look through the reviews you'll see my mods for that recipe on the site. Oh, and one more picture, just because, I love my Garden Sweetie so much.This was how she was dressed all day today while we were working.

food glorious food

Oh boy. I have been busy, busy doing what needs to be done to begin preserving both our own harvest and the local harvest that surrounds us. In the past month or two I've put up 18 pints of our own sweet pickles, 24 half pints of locally picked raspberry and strawberry jam, frozen 5 gallons of locally picked blueberries, strawberries and raspberries as well as 2 gallons of our own and a neighbor's zucchini so far. It feels so good.

After gobbling up all the fresh berries our bellies could handle from our latest outing to Mad Tom Orchard I made this amazingly simple and delicious raspberry buttermilk cake. Actually, I made two of them because the first one was eaten in 3 minute flat. This is an easy one to make gluten free because the recipe only calls for 1 cup of flour. I used Bob's Red Mill AP Mix for the flour and added a 1/2 tspn of xanthan gum. The recipe is already committed to my memory. It's a keeper.

A few weeks ago we had a very special visit too. Aran and Nadia stopped by the farm. It was such an incredible pleasure and an honor to meet them both and to learn that Nadia is a neighbor. Aran's blog, Cannelle et Vanille, is packed with tempting food photography and the most delicious recipes (many of them gluten free!) I've ever seen. Stop by both of their spaces, you will be inspired.

montmorency

We are lucky enough to have a Montmorency Cherry Tree on our property. It's a fairly young tree and this year I got to the cherries before the birds did. I was able to stash away a lovely and very swollen gallon freezer bag full for future use but I used a quart of fresh cherries to cook up this galette. Heaven.

I still haven't found a gluten free pie crust recipe that's a keeper though. Do any of you have any advice, recipes or links for working with gluten free pie crust? I can't bear to go through the rest of the berry and fruit seasons without finding 'the one'. Help!