Cooking…for the halibut

To-Try Recipe #3: Easy Vegan Aquafaba Mayo

Made with an immersion blender. It might have worked better if I’d had a slower hand at the oil dribbling – the recipe said to start out t the oil at a drip and progress to a slow stream, just like regular mayonnaise, but of course knowing me I had to slosh it it. My blender wasn’t working very well and I’d chosen too small a jar for it to maneuver properly.

All that said, it turned out good!  A little runny and a little too salty, but tasting surprisingly like real mayo!  I will definitely make this again.

Keep or Discard? Keep

 

To-Try Recipe #4: Oat Bread 

This is technically a retry, because I did it once before and it failed almost as bad then as it did this time. Before, it didn’t rise. This time it did rise, rather nicely, and then fell again.  The dough was way too sticky—it needed at least a half cup more flour—and so it couldn’t be shaped nor could it hold its shape.

I’ll eat it tomorrow as part of the Japanese Egg Sandwich. And I’ll save the recipe, for inspiration. But I'm not sure if I'll ever make it again.

Keep or Discard?  Keep, and see if I can get it to work better if I ever try it again.

 

Review (partial): Code Name Helene

 Code Name Helene

I’m going to quit on this audiobook, but it’s hard to explain why. It’s extremely well written, witty and funny and pretty exciting, too.  The main character is a British agent operating in occupied France during WW2, although she’s also a journalist who covered some events during the Nazi’s rise to power. All very interesting stuff, and right up my alley.

The reason I’m quitting is purely personal and should not reflect poorly on the author or her accomplishment. In fact, from what I’ve ready, I’d recommend this book highly. And will.

My personal issue is that it’s a great story, but that’s all it is to me, a story. I’m not connecting with any of the characters—they’re cool and all, but seem so flat. The “love (lust) at first site” chapters were so boring that I skipped them. They’re all fun, cool, sexy and courageous people, but that’s not enough. Even though it’s 100% based on reality, it isn’t real to me. Sorry to be that way.

 Great book; not my cuppa. But still great.

Review: Ranger Confidential

Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, And Dying In The National Parks

By Andrea Kankford

Great book!  She tells all sorts of ranger stories—hers and other peoples.  Some are gory and some are very, very painful; others are inspiring and even sometimes amusing.  She must have been an excellent observer for all her years in the parks.  Or else, just really good and prying life stories out of people!

I wish it had gone on forever. But just be aware, I did mention painful…?  Yeah, but worth it.

 She spends little time on the annoying bureaucracy that the rangers must have had to endure, and sticks with their rescues, adventures, life histories and other fun stuff.  So I can’t say that I learned anything about The National Park Service (did I want to?) but I did get to read a lot about the awesome and dedicated individuals that staffed it.

 
Many stars.

Cooking…for the helluvit

To-Try Recipe #2: Butternut Squash Curry Insta-pot (not)

I’d saved this for the Insta-pot, but the quantity made ended up being too much for my super-small version of the Insta-pot. That’s my fault—I chose the smallest one possible on purpose.

But I didn’t want to cut the recipe in half, because it showed all signs of being something that I’d want a lot of yummy leftovers of. So I made it in a saucepan. I can’t tell that the Insta-pot would have sped up things much, although I might have been able to have it for lunch instead of having to put it away for tomorrow.

It’s nothing unusual—lentils, butternut squash; onion, garlic, ginger; spices, coconut milk, and spinach. I was supposed to add lemon juice and the end and forgot—maybe I will tomorrow and that will take away the bit of a “bite” it ended up having. Just a bit of aftertaste, probably from the curry powder or the cumin seeds. Both seemed excessive for the quantity.

I also have to admit that I cheated a little—strictly against the rules. I couldn't find cashew butter at the store, so rather than trying peanut butter (not a suggested alternate), I just three in about two tablespoons of ghee.  It’s no longer vegan, but who cares?

So the result: on tasting, it seemed pretty good but didn’t throw me on the floor. When I eat a whole serving tomorrow, I’ll decide whether or not I want to try it again.

Tomorrow:  YES!  Keep or Discard?   Keep, keep, keep

 

Cooking…for the helluvit

No, I’m not phasing out Gardening Roots and replacing it with cooking. But there’s not much gardening going on right now (although there could be) and I need something else to fill these posts and waste my time on.

Therefore the plan is to try all 25 recipes in my To-Try folder.  The usual rules apply—no messing with ingredients unless I really have to (reducing fat or omitting black pepper); no discards without a replacement; post a picture of each and write something interesting about it.

Here goes:

To-Try Recipe #1: Honey Mustard Dressing

There were no weird emulsifiers or caragheenans or xantham gums in this, also no sucralose or other artificial sweetener. Right there makes it a winner, right?

Not exactly. The ingredients: Dijon mustard, olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, garlic and salt—they alone were sufficient to make a good dressing. But something went wrong…I think it ended up too spicy and not sweet enough. My garlic clove was way too big; there was too much vinegar and not enough honey. In my opinion.

I liked it well enough on a salad, so I think I’ll try again and adjust the proportions a little.

Keep or Discard?  Keep! At least for a second try using lemon juice instead of vinegar.

Magnus in the Swamp, Return Day

 Saturday, December 13

And the end of our little journey.  On our morning walk, I heard a Red-cockaded Woodpecker and turned on Merlin. It verified the call and it also picked up a Brown-headed Nuthatch. But I never saw either of them.

It was a nice and boring trip home.

TRIP NOTES

1.     None, really.  We did get a really good couple of recommendations from the guy at the entrance station to Palmetto Island, although the first one turned out great and the second one only so-so. Lesson learned—ask for recommendations if the person at the gate is friendly.

2.     There is never a bad time to visit the ocean.

3.     Take lots of walks!  The time may come when you can’t.