The Cottage Life

I'm Moving!

2009-10-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

No, not houses (thank God).

I'm moving blogs. Or rather, consolidating blogs. I have been keeping separate blogs for lifestyle/food, and the other things I do in my daily life, and I've decided to combine them.

The new blog is Kung Foo Cinema, and I hope you'll join me there. A lot of the same content will be there, and I may even move some of the Cottage Witch posts to the new space.

In the meantime, the CW will stay here for some time, in case you want to access the recipes.

Hope to see you at the Cinema!

Frozen Chicken Fingers

2009-06-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it - I can pretty much eat the same thing over and over. I'm perfectly content with a peanut butter sandwich (on homemade bread, natch) and a banana for lunch, every day. But with summer here and a kid home from school, I have to put a little more thought into what I have lying around for lunches.

To make sure she's well-fed while I'm at work, I pre-make large batches of buttermilk chicken fingers and flash freeze them. (Flash freezing deserves its own post, but essentially, you freeze things in single layers until they're hard, then pop them in ziploc bags - where they magically don't stick together.) The kiddo can then pull a couple of chicken fingers out of the bag, pop them in the microwave for a minute or so, and voila. Hot lunch.

This is more of a method than a recipe, so feel free to add herbs and spices to taste.

Frozen Buttermilk Chicken Fingers

Season however many chicken tenders you want to make with salt and pepper. Be generous with the seasoning. Then, place them in a shallow baking pan and cover them with buttermilk.

Leave the chicken tenders in the buttermilk bath for at least an hour or two. I've left them overnight with no ill effects.

When you're ready to cook the chicken, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

I use panko bread crumbs as breading. They make a light and crispy coating, and tend to adhere well. Just make sure that you season the bread crumbs well, because they don't have a lot of flavor on their own. You want to season every layer of flavor. Place them in a flat dish, like a plate or a pie plate.

Now, pull the chicken tenders one at a time from their buttermilk soak, and dredge them in the panko. Use your fingers to pat the bread crumbs on so that they really adhere and form a nice crust. You may need to add more panko to your dish if you have a lot of chicken tenders to make. Pile the chicken tenders on a clean plate after they're breaded.

It's time to fry these puppies. Heat some canola or other vegetable oil in a large skillet until it's just starting to smoke. While that's heating up. get out your tongs and set aside a large baking sheet to place the browned chicken tenders on.

Once the skillet's hot, lay the first batch of tenders in it. Don't overcrowd the skillet! You'll need to do several batches, so give them plenty of room to breathe. Let them sit for a few minutes without moving until they're nicely browned; turn with your tongs and brown the other side - 1 to 3 minutes more. At this point, you're just trying to get a nice crust. You're not trying to cook them through.

Once they're browned, move them to the baking sheet, using your tongs. Add a little more oil (no more than a tablespoon at a time) if needed, and brown your next batch. Once all of the batches are browned and added to the sheet, move it to the oven. Bake the chicken fingers at 350 for 5-8 minutes, until the thickest are cooked through. (You may want to remove some thinner or smaller pieces out of the oven sooner, if you are making a large batch - put those closer to the front.)

Remove the pan from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. I usually transfer them to a clean baking sheet at this time (sprayed with cooking spray), because they're less likely to stick. Put the sheet in the oven, uncovered, for about an hour. Check in an hour or so, if the individual chicken fingers are frozen solid, you can remove them from the baking sheet and transfer them to ziploc bags. They'll stay individually frozen in the bags.

When you're ready to eat, take however many chicken fingers you want, and transfer them to a clean plate. Microwave on high for one minute; if they're not heated through, heat 10 seconds at a time until hot.

Enjoy!

CSA Recipe - Sauteed Swiss Chard

2009-06-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

I've never had Swiss chard before.

I grew up eating greens, true, but Southern greens: collards and mustards. They were always boiled to within an inch of their lives, and doused in white vinegar.

But my CSA box this week came with a bunch of Swiss chard, so I needed to figure out how to cook it. And preferably not boiled and drowned in vinegar (though there's a place for that, surely). Gourmet magazine came thundering to the rescue, with a recipe in this month's issue for Wilted Swiss Chard with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan. It was delicious - nutty and flavorful, and it grew tender with just a quick sautee.

One interesting note...Swiss chard isn't Swiss at all.

Gourmet's Wilted Swiss Chard with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan

I cut the amounts by a third here because I only had a single bunch of chard. I also did not use anchovies, and it turned out fine. Still, I'm printing the recipe as is so you can make your own adjustments.

Ingredients
4 large Garlic Cloves
3 lb. Swiss Chard (about 3 bunches)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
6 flat anchovy fillets
1 tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper

Instructions
1.) Thinly slice garlic lengthwise
2.) Cut Swiss chard leaves from stems and center ribs, then cut leaves and stems into 2 inch pieces, reserving separately
3.) Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers
4.) Saute garlic until golden (about 45 seconds), then transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon
5.) Add anchovies to oil in skillet (it will splatter) and cook, stirring constantly, until anchovies break down (about 30 seconds)
6.) Add chard stems and cook, stirring frequently, until stems begin to soften (4 to 6 minutes)
7.) Add chard leaves by handfuls, turning with tongs and covering pot briefly until greens are wilted, before adding more
8.) Cook until leaves and stems are tender (5 to 8 minutes)
9.) Stir garlic, lemon juice and cheese into chard
10.) Season to taste

Note: Be sure and rinse your chard very, very well - more than you think you need to. They pick up dirt, and mine had just a hint of grit to it.

Taking Advantage of Summer's Bounty

2009-06-22T19:49:00.001-07:00

When I got home from work a few days ago, this was sitting on my back porch:

In spite of living in an area known for its farmers' markets and farms, I've found it hard to consistently get out and get fresh produce. So, I joined a local CSA - which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. At its heart, the CSA movement connects farmers directly with consumers. You sign up for a local farm's CSA, pay a regular fee (which is usually pretty affordable for the quality and quantity), and the farmer delivers a box for you - usually of pre-set produce.

(It makes sense - if the boxes are all the same, the farmer can keep expenses, and therefore prices, lower.)

Part of the fun of joining a CSA is that you never really know what you're going to get. Not only do you get good, fresh, locally-grown produce, but it kind of forces you to cook in different ways.

My first box consisted of the following:

A bunch of lettuce (tossed into a salad)
A bunch of Swiss chard (sauteed with garlic, lemon juice and parmesan)
A pound of small white potatoes (destined for a German potato salad)
Several heirloom tomatoes (eaten raw with buffalo mozzarella, and tossed in the aforementioned salad)
A pound of white nectarines (eaten greedily)
A pint of fresh blueberries (eaten greedily)
Several small red onions (stored properly)
A yellow pepper (given away)

Now, the key for my CSA (www.farmfreshtoyou.com), is that you can sign up online and they deliver right to your door. You can also ask for certain items to be left out of the regularly-scheduled box and replaced with other things. For instance, I am allergic to peppers, so they replaced the planned lipstick peppers with the potatoes (though one slipped in - no biggie). They also allow you to pick different boxes with different mixes of produce - this week, I'm going for more fruit.

So far, I highly recommend a CSA - especially if you can get one that delivers. I'll let you know as the weeks go on if the quality and convenience are worth the price. I'll also share a few of the recipes I've tried with the ~~loot~~ veggies.

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

2009-06-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Summer here isn't exactly like the summers I remember from growing up in the Deep South. In fact, they may be just the opposite - instead of 105 degree heat and 100% humidity, we have thick fog and 60 degrees. Basically, I spend most of the summer in sweatshirts, except for the occasional, bright, gorgeous exception.

As Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Still, it's summer somewhere! Therefore (ergo), I bring you my favorite ice cream recipe of all time: Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream. You hardly taste the Guinness - just a deep tang beneath the creamy chocolate.

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

This recipe is from David Lebovitz' book The Perfect Scoop and trust me, if you like to make ice cream, you need this book.

7 oz. Milk Chocolate, finely-chopped
1 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
4 large Egg Yolks
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Guinness Stout
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1.) Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl set over an ice bath, and set a mesh strainer on top.
2.) Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan.(You're looking for the first whisps of steam to rise up from the surface.)
3.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks.
4.) Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yoks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
5.) Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. (You're looking for the ability to draw a line in the center of the custard on the spatula, that then does not fill itself back in.)
6.) Pour the custard through the strainer over the milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
7.) Whisk in the cream, and then the Guinness and the vanilla.
8.) Stir over the ice bath until cool.
9.) Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. (This step is important. If the custard's too warm, it won't freeze in most kitchen ice cream makers. I chill mine overnight, but go for at least 8 hours.)
10.) Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

New Windows in an Old Cottage

2009-06-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you not familiar with my story, I live in one of oldest - if not the oldest - farmhouses in the small coastal town in which I live. There's some debate on whether or not it's the oldest residential house, but it's darn close. All accounts put it somewhere around 1907-1908 (which, in coastal California, is fairly old).

It's called The Collins House, after a doctor who owned it for 50 years, and it pretty much looks like a Norman Rockwell picture postcard.

I heart it. A lot.

It's been meticulously restored, so I haven't had to do a lot to it, but recently had some restoration work done to the three large windows in front. Basically, the bottom window frames had been ruined by a shoddy patching job prior to my buying the house, and needed to be replaced.

Somewhere along the line they'd been nailed and screwed shut, but they were designed to open, as we saw when we removed the wood from the front of the window.

Take a look at this:

Yes, that is an old rope and pulley system, and still functional. Here's a closer look at the iron weight inside, which had to have weighed close to 15 pounds, and probably had not been outside the house in a century:

I don't know why, but I just found that cool.

Once the windows were repaired, I was able to open the front three windows that look out onto the street for the first time in what must have been years. I can't express how much better it makes life. This was an old farmhouse, and as such, the windows were designed to maximize light and air circulation. Having the windows open causes a nice breeze to move through the entire house, keeping it nice and cool even on hot days.

Plus, it's essentially TV for the dog, who sits in the window seat for hours, haranguing passersby.

I Have Returned

2009-06-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

Now that it's the Summer Solstice, maybe it's time for me to dust things off here and hit the restart button.

I won't go into the long, boring details about why I was gone for so long, but they involve a crazy little dog, a busted computer, and a camera that refused to do camera things.

Plus, I got distracted and then boom. It's summer again. (What the...?)

But now that the kiddo is here, she's demanding all kinds of new goodies, so I'll have plenty to blog about this summer. There will be a slight sabbatical while we travel to London, but I promise great pictures of awesome British food (which I'm told does exist).

Looking forward to getting back to it.

My 20 Things - Christmas Edition

2008-12-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

Over at the blog The Inspired Room (which I love), Melissa's asked us to consider the little things that make Christmas special. This was a good exercise for me; there's been a lot of sadness this season (my friend's suicide, my 20-year-old cat's passing), but there's also been a lot of joy. A lot of it has just come from the simple things, and stopping to notice them.

Here's my list (in no particular order, btw), and I encourage you to go over to The Inspired Room and read more lists - then make your own.

1.) Smelling the scent of a real Christmas tree.
2.) Stealing the candy canes off the Christmas tree.
3.) Seeing the elaborate displays in the lobbies of buildings throughout San Francisco’s Financial District.
4.) Eating fondue on Christmas Eve.
5.) Attending Christmas Eve mass.
6.) Helping to decorate the church for Christmas Eve mass.
7.) Dressing Stelladog in a Mrs. Claus costume.

8.) Always having tons of candy in the break room at work.
9.) Listening to the soundtrack from The Charlie Brown Christmas Special.
10.) Watching The Charlie Brown Christmas Special!
11.) Viewing the gorgeous red lights on the huge tree outside my office window.
12.) Santarchy!
13.) Adding to my collection of ornaments in the annual Ornament Exchange with my Mom and sisters.
14.) Topping the tree with my wooden and tin star, so heavy that the tree ends up bending at the top every year.
15.) Reveling in that quiet that settles over everything as people start leaving for their vacations.
16.) Attending the Dickens Christmas Fair.
17.) Eating Starbucks gingerbread - with the thick spread of cream cheese frosting dotted with crystallized ginger
18.) Having my friends over for our annual Christmas party - lots of goofiness and playing games.
19.) Picking out just the right gift for people I love.
20.) Watching my daughter carefully unpack and set up her little snow village of ceramic houses, people and trees.

Cookie Exchange

2008-12-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here is my haul from yesterday's office Cookie Exchange:

As you can see, I made out like a bandit. (Actually, I had a lot more but I gave about half to J, because I am an awesome best friend.)

I had never been to a cookie exchange before. Basically, you brought a dozen or so cookies, and the recipe if you wanted, as well as a container to take your cookies home. We laid each type of cookie out on trays, with labels. Then each of us told the story of our cookies - why we chose them. what was special about them and any baking tips. We then descended on the table, and however many cookies you brought was how many you were supposed to take.

Except no one followed that rule and everyone yelled at me for counting.

Our extras were sold that afternoon to raise money for a needy family.

My favorites, above, were the prettily-decorated sugar cookies on the right, and the chocolate-drizzled meringues on the left. Also in there are my friend Risey's cran-white chocolate-oatmeal-deliciousness cookies (they probably have a better name). None of my little hamburgers made it home with me, having been dipped in mine and J's tea.

Salt Butter Cookies

2008-12-14T20:11:00.001-08:00

First of all, forgive the quality (or lack thereof) of these photos. My camera's having fits, and I'm stuck with the iPhone for now. Still, I wanted to get you the recipe for these little babies:

These are the cookies I made for the cookie exchange at work, and they were pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. They're called "Grandma Sylvia's Salt Butter Cookies" and are from the America's Lost Recipes cookbook.

Now, this name kind of sucks, to be honest. I guess it's named for the fact that you use salted instead of unsalted butter, but they're really more like Rich and Buttery, Whiskey-Tinged, Chocolate-Filled Sandwich Cookies of Absolute Fabulousness. (Or, as my co-workers immediately named them "the little hamburgers".)

Not "Salt Butter Cookies". Lame. But whatever.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whiskey
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup boiling water (from the kettle)
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.) In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and whiskey. Set aside.
3.) In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
4.) Beat in the yolk mixture.
5.) Add the flour and beat until incorporated.
6.) Shape the dough into 3/4-inch balls* and place 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet.
7.) Bake until lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
8.) Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
9.) When the cookies are cool, pour the boiling water over the chocolate pieces, stirring until completely smooth.
10.) Stir in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.
11.) Spread 1 teaspoon of filling on one cookie and top with another cookie, pressing them together. Repeat with remaining cookies.
12.) Let the filling set until hardened, about 20 minutes, before serving.

These will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. They're also astonishingly good dipped in tea.

*Make the balls smaller than you think they should be. If you make them too big, the little domes will seem fine on the cookie sheet, but will be kind of a mouthful when they're stuffed with chocolate and stacked on top of each other.

Tastebook

2008-12-09T21:27:00.001-08:00

At the risk of giving away this year's Christmas gifts, I wanted to introduce you to:

TASTEBOOK

This is one of the best sites I've come across in a long time. It basically allows you to create your own cookbook, but it does so in an easy, elegant way. It's head and shoulders above any publishing tool I've used before, and it's dedicated solely to cookbooks.

Basically, you create a "Tastebook" and can fill it with your own recipes or recipes that you choose from their site. They have thousands of recipes from a lot of the big "names" in food. You just drag and drop them into your Tastebook. Or, you write your own, with room for your own personal description, photos and more. The font and design is very clean and professional-looking.

Then, you have them print off as few or as many books as you want - all hardbound binders that let you take the pages out and replace them.

And here's the cool part:

Say you order a 100-recipe Tastebook (for $35), but you only have 30 recipes. They will credit you for the other 70 recipes. Later, you can fill in those recipes and have them send you the recipe pages to pop in your Tastebook. You only pay for shipping.

No, I am not affiliated with them at all, but I did create my own cookbook with them. I took over 80 of the recipes that worked out great or that I make all the time and turned them into a Tastebook, complete with my own commentary on each of the recipes. Not only are they destined for gifts, but I'm excited about having them all in one place!

If you cook a lot, or just want a cool gift idea, I would definitely check them out.

The Yule Goat!

2008-12-07T16:57:00.001-08:00

Behold my favorite Christmas decoration ever: the Yule Goat!

I picked him up a couple of years ago at IKEA, which is appropriate, since the Yule Goat (or Julbok) is a distinctly Nordic tradition. Being Swiss means I'm not actually Nordic, but when it comes to being able to stick a big straw goat on my table and call it Christmas, I make an exception.

The Julbok originated in pagan times, presumably tied to the god Thor, whose chariot was pulled by two strong goats. There are lots of "Yule bucking" traditions that involve blackface, pretending to slaughter one of your neighbors, and cake. I'm not real clear on how they all fit together, but you can look at this Wikipedia entry for more info.

(Funny, there's also a tradition of hiding a small Yule goat in your neighbor's house and seeing how long he takes to find it. I may start that tradition at work...)

In many towns in Sweden, they erect a giant Yule goat in the town square, and see if it can survive until Christmas before vandals burn it down. (Pretty sure that wasn't the original intention of the tradition, but that's how it's turned out.) The vandals get REALLY creative, and so do the towns in trying to prevent the torching.

The most famous of these is the city of Gavle, which has had a goat for years, and has about a 50% record of reaching Christmas versus early firey death. One of Gavle's fire-prevention methods has turned into one of my absolute favorite personal Christmas traditions. I bring you...

BOCKENKAMERA!!!!
Yes, the Gavle Goat has its very own webcam! (Plus, the word "bockenkamera" is right up there with "wunderbar" as the coolest non-English words EVAR.)

It's one of those 1998-style ones, too, where you have to refresh every few seconds. ("Look, the blue car moved!") I don't know what it is about this thing, but I am mesmerized by it every year. I keep it on my screen at work and keep refreshing the page - because, of course, the more we watch the better the Goat's chances of making it to Christmas sans arson.

We're watching you, goat burners...

Turkey Soup

2008-12-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

I am slowly but surely working my way through the Thanksgiving leftovers, and the greatest of these, of course, is Turkey Soup. I hardly felt that this needed a post until I ran into a friend who said they never made it because they "didn't know how". I'm pretty sure they know how to boil things, which is all turkey soup is, but whatever...

This, then, is for that nameless friend.

1.) Fill your dutch oven with turkey stock. Bring to a boil.
2.) Meanwhile, thinly slice two or three carrots with your ultra-cool mandolin, or a not-so-cool knife.
3.) Finely dice a stalk of celery.
4.) Toss the veggies into the now-boiling pot of stock.
5.) Finely chop (or tear with your fingers) all the leftover turkey you saved from your turkey carcass before turning it into stock.
6.) Add the turkey meat to the stock.
7.) Open a bag of egg noodles, check how long they should cook, and tip them in the pot.

Note: If you listen to Rachael Ray (which I usually don't), you should cook the noodles separately if you don't plan to eat the whole pot at once. Then, just add a handful of noodles per bowl. This is sensible advice. I never follow it.

8.) Once the noodles are done and your veggies are tender, check for seasonings - kosher salt and plenty of fresh-ground black pepper.
9.) Chow down.

I know I don't give times, etc., but really, if you have good stock you can't make too big of a mess of this. You just want to heat the turkey and stock through and get the veggies and noodles really tender. If you slice the veggies thin enough (which you will if you use the cool mandolin) it doesn't take much time.

Also, feel free to experiment with onion, other veggies, herbs, etc., and you can, of course, use canned stock. My stock is very flavorful, and this is what I happen to like in my soup, but again, can't mess it up. Be creative.

Don't Do This

2008-12-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

I bring you the first of what will no doubt to be many entries in the "Do Not Be Like Me" category.

Behold:

Lesson: Hot pans of stuffing should not go straight from the oven to your favorite 10-year-old wooden cutting board, no matter how distracted you are.

::sigh::

Thanksgiving Recipe: Candied Yams

2008-12-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

So, I completely thought the whole "sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top" was an American thing, until I served it last year. As in, all red-blooded 'Muricans ate it at Thanksgiving. Apparently not. It's a Southern/Midwestern thing. And the rest of the country is seriously missing out, I say.

This is my Mama's recipe, and I print it as she gave it to me. This is one of those recipes that you kind of have to do by feel but, honestly, you smother it in melted marshmallows. How could you really mess it up?

Mama's Candied Yams (aka Sweet Potato Casserole)

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.) Drain and mash 2 big cans sweet potatoes
3.) Mix in well:
1 egg
Dash of salt
Pinch of cloves
Some cinnamon (I heart this ingredient. Precise, no?)
Brown sugar to make it sweet (This is even more precise!)
A few chunks of butter
Handful of mini marshmallows (you'll need more for topping)
4.) Spread into a pan and cook until heated through, about 30-45 minutes.
5.) Remove from oven, and cover with mini marshmallows. Return to oven until the top marshmallows are ’melty’ (exact phrase ala Mama) and browned.

Thanksgiving Decor

2008-12-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Editor: I realize I'm a little behind, but I want to catch up with a few Thanksgiving-related posts while the memories are still fresh. After that, I'll go full-on Christmas. Promise.

Thanksgiving is definitely a meal to break out your best tablecloth and china. On the other hand, you also want people to feel comfortable, particularly if you're hosting a group of "Thanksgiving orphans", like I did this year.

My goal was to balance an air of specialness with a dose of down-home warmth. Here're some of the things I did:

My table was a mix of fancy and not. I used my Lenox china pattern (Hayward - a simple gold-banded ivory china) and Waterford crystal (Clara, a discontinued pattern). To bring things down to earth, I covered the table with a simple ivory linen cloth and used brown napkins. I mixed and matched serving pieces - including decanting the ruby-colored homemade cranberry relish into a Mason jar!

Chunky candles and real fruit in the cornucopia added to the warmth. I actually had to look pretty hard to find a cornucopia that wasn't already filled with fake fruit and flowers; I ordered this one for about $20 (with shipping) from Cost Plus World Market.

I found these elegant leaf place cards at Papyrus. My daughter wrote the names on them by hand.

Note: These pics were taken by one of my guests, all rights reserved.

Turkey Stock

2008-11-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

The house smells absolutely fantastic today and this is the reason: turkey stock! Not only will you get a lot of stock because of the size of the bird, but if you brined it in spices before roasting (which I did) then the stock will be even more flavorful. Below is my basic stock recipe (more of a method than a recipe, really). Just strip all the meat you can off the carcass, and tip it into your stockpot.

1.) Dump the turkey carcass unceremoniously into a large stockpot.
2.) Cut an onion into quarters; don't bother to peel it.
3.) Wash a carrot and celery stalk; don't bother peeling those either. Cut them into large chunks and dump them in.

Note: Multiply the veg by the size of the bird; for a chicken, one of each is plenty. In this case, I had a 14-pound turkey carcass, so I added an extra one of each veg. With a large turkey, you'd probably be okay with both, but you might want to add a third.

4.) Add a quart of water (about 16 cups), or enough to cover the meat and veg.

Note: My turkey needed about two quarts.

5.) Toss in a handful of fresh thyme and fresh parsley.
6.) Toss in a handful of whole peppercorns (wait on salt until it's done).
7.) Bring the pot to a boil, uncovered.

Note: This may take about half an hour or so. Be patient.

8.) Lower the heat until the pot is simmering slowly, putting up a bubble or two at a time.
9.) Put on the lid loosely, letting steam escape, and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours.
10.) Strain the stock into another container, pressing on the veggies and meat to extract all the stock.
11.) Test for seasoning (it's hot!) and add salt, if necessary.
12.) Chill until cold.
13.) Remove from the fridge, and skim off fat. Test again for seasoning.
14.) Put into individual containers and freeze.

Note: I usually freeze in 2 cup increments, because a.) two cups seems a good increment for most recipes and b.) its easy to remember how much I have, and I only have to unfreeze a bit at a time. (Don't freeze the whole batch as one, because then you'll have to thaw it and use it at once.)

Tomorrow, once the stock is done, I'll make turkey noodle soup!

Welcome!

2008-11-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Cottage Witch, my new blog dedicated to what has come to be my favorite place in the world - my home. Is this a blog about magic? In a way. I do believe that there is something magical about home - a warm fire, soup bubbling on the stove, a cat purring in your lap. If your home is your sanctuary, then I believe you can find magic - and healing - there.

I bought my home a little more than three years ago, and it's been teaching me all that and more. Now, I'm known among my friends as the good cook, the "Martha" whose table is always decorated for the seasons, and the one you can always go to for a cup of tea and a place to recharge.

Funny, because three years ago, I was depressed, my place was a mess, my friendships were ... meh ... and I couldn't cook at all.

Living here, in this 100-year-old historic cottage, I've started to see the magic in the every day. When I do the dishes, it not only renews the kitchen, it renews me. When I make a new recipe, I not only have a nice dinner, I have something to add to my collection of recipes I'll pass on to my daughter one day. I'm happier, I'm healthier and my outlook on life has never been brighter.

Maybe that transformation can't totally be chalked up to my house, but it sure hasn't hurt.

Here I'll be chronicling my journey toward making my house a home. Come along...