Or, maybe it’s a “vacamoon.”
In any case, we’re going to France.
Want to come along?
Tag Archives: Kathy Schmidt
14 Ways To Enjoy Your Life More
This is not, of course, an exhaustive list, but it’s a heartfelt one based on recent events that we wanted to share with y’all.
1. Take a few moments every day to sit in a favorite spot and quietly contemplate your blessings.
Alternately, use your favorite perch to keep an eye out for horses and riders, people walking their dog, or, Lord help us, that vexing yard squirrel. Immediately upon sighting any of the above, explode your 75-pound self out of the chair and let your inner hound out for romp at max volume.
Even if you’re denied effective access to the actual offender(s), the startling effect on your housemates is good for a chuckle, and laughter is always good medicine.
2. If you have a good joke–or at least something that makes people laugh–tell it early and often. (See #1 above.)
3. Take LOTS of pictures.
Life passes quickly, pixels are almost free, soon everyone who has a phone will have a camera, and photos are a fabulous vehicle for crafting and preserving memories that will otherwise fade sooner than we realize.
4. Stay warm.
If you’re not into wearing boots, gloves, a coat, hat, scarf, or even hair, at least put on a hug.
5. Play with engineers as often as you can. They will teach you things about spatial relationships, physics, and humility that might otherwise elude you.
(Note: 25 years later, the [easyazon-link asin=”B0007RXJLS” locale=”us”]wooden Brio train set[/easyazon-link] STILL rocks the toy box.)
6. Welcome willing hands into your kitchen. You can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, and who cares if there’s a teeny bit of shell or two to contend with? The calcium is good for you.
(I’m not 100% certain that there’s calcium in egg shells, but who cares anyway?)
7. It’s never too late to embrace your inner super hero.
Or…
7. Your eyesight is precious, so whether you’re playing squash, getting ready to go snowmobiling, or something in between, wear goggles and protect those irreplaceable windows to your soul.
8. If you have the chance to do something fun today, TAKE IT!
9. Anticipate fun.
10. When life sends a snowstorm, build a fort.
11. You don’t need to know the tune to enjoy the concert.
12. Read the good parts out loud in bed.
Also, memorize what your special people’s hands look like. (See #3 above for an idea on how to do that.)
13. Don’t worry about what you look like in photos. Get over it. 15 years from now, you won’t be able to get over how young and beautiful you were.
14. Embrace it all.
How To Make Hand Warmers
This Saturday was the 2nd annual Teton Valley Great Snow Fest. This is predominantly a spectator event featuring that cherished winter pastime, the ultimate in chilly fun amongst steaming horse buns, skijoring.
Last year, while my soul was cheered by the thundering hooves, the Olympian focus of the skiers, and the tribal whoops of the enthusiastic crowd, my fingers and toes ’bout froze to death.
I hate having cold hands. It makes me cranky.
But I also hate feeling like a landfill-oblivious citified wussy who cracks open a pair of disposable hand heaters the moment my mittened digits cross the threshold from December to March.
Don’t get me wrong: products like the [easyazon-link asin=”B002O14BI0″ locale=”us”]Heat Factory hand and body warmers[/easyazon-link] are great if you need some extended-play external reinforcement for a blood flow that just isn’t up to the job. In fact, there are apparently even commercially available [easyazon-link asin=”B00A6O0QB8″ locale=”us”]reusable versions[/easyazon-link] that would at least alleviate the landfill guilt, but I only found out about those in the last five minutes, not two weeks ago when I made my own.
I think I’ll call them “Sarah’s Mitten Steamer Buns,” in honor of a temporarily wounded ski-warrier friend who reminded me that warm rice in a sock makes a great impromptu heat pack.
That, plus the photo above is the only one taken for this post that didn’t pose an eerie resemblance to a neat offering of steaming horse pucky. This would not be an issue, I imagine, if you chose a different color sock.
Visual aesthetics aside, if you put them into the microwave on high for about 30 seconds each, and then place each HOT lump into your mitten or gloves, they’ll steam like specialty spa treats for the duration of a 45-minute walk and keep your fingies all warm and happy and smelling like lovely toasted brown rice, unless you want to mix a tablespoon of dried lavender into the rice and massage a generous dollop of good moisturizing cream into your hands before heading out, in which case your hands will emerge like you’ve just spent $30 on a high-end manicure.
Here’s how:
Take a pair of clean “thicker” hose (I used old “trouser sock” knee-high thingies that will never grace these liberated calves and tootsies again) and cut into 7-inch tubes.
(Note to anyone not familiar with the term “knee-highs”: it’s important to use a fabric half-way between [easyazon-link asin=”B003CMYT8W” locale=”us”]Carhartt men’s extremes cold weather boot socks[/easyazon-link] and a woman’s 10 denier * [easyazon-link asin=”B008GPUNTE” locale=”us”]summer pantyhose[/easyazon-link]. Something thick enough not to succumb in total lameness to the pressure of a grain of rice , yet thin enough to permit a decently small knot diameter.
Tie a knot in one end as close to the end of the fabric as you can, making sure that it is a completely sealed egress for wayward grains bent on going AWOL.
Cut off any excess fabric from the end of the knot.
Put 1/4 c. of brown rice into the sealed end of the tube, adding the lavender mentioned above if you care about such things.
Tie a knot in the other end.
Congratulate yourself on being so handy, toss your new wee homemade reusable hand warmers into the microwave for 30 seconds each, pop them into your mittens, moisturize, and then get out and enjoy the snow!
* According to Wikipedia: “Denier (pron.: /ˈdɛnjər/) or den is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers. It is defined as the mass in grams per 9,000 meters. The denier is based on a natural standard—i.e., a single strand of silk is approximately one denier. A 9,000-meter strand of silk weighs about one gram.” And now you know why 10 denier pantyhose run merely by rubbing up against legs sporting a two-day old shave.
Buckwheat Pancakes… With Chia!
These table-bangin’ good fluffy buckwheat pancakes will have your breakfast crowd crowing for more.
And remember, you’rre under no legal obligation to tell them that it’s a vegan recipe that’s gluten-free, low-fat, inexpensive, easy, and jam-packed with enough power nutrients to fuel a spectacular day.
That part can be our little secret.
The only tricky part of this recipe is to remember to put 2 cups of buckwheat groats (not kasha… groats) in about 3 cups of water to soak overnight (or for at least 5 hours) before you want to make them so you end up with about 4 cups of the bloated little gems by the time you’re ready to start cooking.
Don’t worry… after you’ve made these once, you won’t forget. And even if you do, your family will remind you.
Buckwheat is not actually wheat or even a cereal or grass of any kind at all.
These are actually seeds of the buckwheat plant and are closely related to rhubarb and sorrel. They contain a high concentration of all essential amino acids, good news for vegans and moms everywhere. It’s also now being used to make gluten-free beer.
Enough said.
After draining and taking a good look at the triangular little nuggets of beauty, I almost felt badly putting them in the Vitamix to blend them into the smooth creamy base of the pancakes, but I got over it.
You can use any blender, but this is our 10-year old workhorse of choice. It’s now starting to object to being put to vigorous use by emitting odd burnt rubber aromas.
While it will be sad to say goodbye when that day comes, I’ve already got my eye on the one waiting in the wings, recommended by Cook’s Illustrated in their list of essential kitchen equipment: the [easyazon-link asin=”B005OCFHHK” locale=”us”]Nimbus 2000[/easyazon-link] [easyazon-link asin=”B0062U6GBY” locale=”us”]Vitamix 5200[/easyazon-link].
After draining and putting the groats in the blender, add the liquid ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of water 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp non-hydrogenated coconut, sunflower or olive oil 2 tbsp liquid sweetener (blackstrap molasses, date syrup, agave syrup, maple syrup, etc.)
Next, add the dry ingredients: 1/4 c. flax meal and 1/4 c. chia seeds. (Here’s a great black bean recipe also featuring chia seeds in case you have some left.)
These two ingredients, in addition to the buckwheat, are what add the amazing nutritional punch to the pancakes.
1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp sea salt
Blend well until either the Vitamix gives out or you have a smooth, medium-body pancake batter consistency. You may need to add a bit of extra water if the batter is too thick (or if the ancient blender starts to smell funny).
Heat an oiled heavy-bottomed skillet (we love our cast iron jobber) to medium smokage.
Use about 1/3 of a cup of batter for the first one…
… then wing it for subsequent cakes once you know about how much is enough.
This is the way your Grandmothers used to cook, and if it was good enough for them and your parents, it should work for you too.
Watch for the bubbles to form across the entire surface of the pancake, marveling at the photogenic magic of the steam escaping from them like l’il volcanoes.
Once you can see the bottoms have browned and the surface is covered with bubbles and several actual holes, flip ’em.
There’s a reason these are called “cakes.” They rise before your eyes.
Peek at the undersides, and once they are uniformly brown and the side walls have lost that glossy look, shifting to an opaque “I’m done, already!” look, remove to an awaiting warmed plate…
… add a sliver of tasty slick, if so desired (we desire)…
… and let the [easyazon-link asin=”B00555HUDA” locale=”us”]maple syrup[/easyazon-link] (and here’s why we love Springtree syrup) and table-banging flow!
Ingredients and Measures
2 cups buckwheat groats
1 1/2 cups of water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated coconut, sunflower or olive oil
2 tbsp liquid sweetener (blackstrap molasses, date syrup, agave syrup, maple syrup, etc.)
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
Equipment you might want for this recipe:
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B00008GKDN” locale=”us” height=”325″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31AVWK3EJNL.jpg” width=”500″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B00008GKDQ” locale=”us”]Lodge Cast-Iron Griddle[/easyazon-link]
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B002CJNBTO” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31xQ1%2B4T0YL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B002CJNBTO” locale=”us”]Dexter-Russell Pancake Turner[/easyazon-link]
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B001Q8XVVA” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41T75%2BDSlSL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B001Q8XVVA” locale=”us”]Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cups [/easyazon-link]
Specialty Ingredients
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B001CGTN1I” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WyjMiZo9L._SL160_.jpg” width=”128″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B001CGTN1I” locale=”us”]Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds[/easyazon-link]
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B0019H32G2″ locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31XbppUI0lL._SL160_.jpg” width=”108″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B0019H32G2″ locale=”us”]Organic Whole Grain Buckwheat Groats[/easyazon-link]
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B000EDBQ6A” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WYKCSK1XL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B000EDBQ6A” locale=”us”]Bob’s Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal[/easyazon-link]
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B002BCD2OG” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WrPXmr4FL._SL160_.jpg” width=”92″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B002BCD2OG” locale=”us”]Madhava Organic Agave Nectar[/easyazon-link]
…and don’t forget the 100% maple syrup!
[easyazon-image align=”center” asin=”B00555HUDA” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EVssRySGL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]
[easyazon-link asin=”B00555HUDA” locale=”us”]Spring Tree Maple Syrup Grade A[/easyazon-link]
Happy Birthday, Rick!
This is one of my favorite photos of Rick.
I love the concentration on his face, and how the sunlight halos his crown of silver, and how his eyes see beauty everywhere.
I love being in the kitchen with him, and I think that by next summer, I may even be recuperated enough to tackle a new canning season with him again.
Rick was very enthusiastic about canning any fresh thing that would fit in a pot this fall. Very, very enthusiastic.
I adore this about Rick.
His never ending talents amaze and delight me…
… as they do others everywhere he goes.
Who else can make pulling fence posts look so Bridges of Madison County gorgeous?
He looks after us and our home with a carefulness and diligence that would break your heart…
… but he knows how to play, too.
He isn’t afraid to try anything new, from canning to snowshoeing to skidsteering.
This was very impressive, by the way.
The fact that he not only kept our neighbor’s skidsteer out of the creek but also actually managed to spread the gravel level and exactly where it needed to go was a thing ‘o beauty.
Speaking of which…
I love you.
I’m so grateful you were placed on the planet at the same time in the course of human history as I was…
… and that we get to hang out and enjoy the rest of our days together.
Happy Birthday, my love, and many, many happy returns!
Cooks Illustrated Kitchen Tools and Equipment List: Bakeware
In addition to Cook’s Illustrated lists of essential knives and pots ‘n pans found in their fabulous tome The Science of Good Cooking, they also include recommendations for the bakeware without which a kitchen mechanic can barely function.
Like, what if you experience a fresh pumpkin spice loaf emergency but don’t own a decent loaf pan or cooling rack?
Do not let this happen to you or your loved ones.
BEST BUY: Baker’s Secret Nonstick Loaf Pan
While the wide-ranging benefits of a large, heavy guage rimmed sheet pan may seem obvious if you’re thinking “cookies,” by simply adding a cooling rack that fits nicely inside the rim and an oven that can maintain a low, steady heat, you have bought yourself a food dehydrator in the bargain. And maybe some tasty kale chips, too.
I’m delighted to have just saved you a couple hundred dollars and a ton of counter space. You’re welcome.
(And pay no attention to the teeny skiff of carmelized goodness around the edge of our own well-loved cookie sheet. I’m confident yours will stay much cleaner.)
While a baking mat doesn’t appear on the Cook’s Illustrated list, it is such an essential in our kitchen that I’m sliding it in here anyways. You just slap one into the bottom of the cookie sheet and start dropping your dough with confidence, knowing they absolutely, positively will not stick to the pan. Baking mats save you calories–no additional oil to be absorbed into your baked goods–and they save you the time it takes to grease the pan and then scrub the cold leftover baked-on oil out of the corners. (See above: not a fan of this step.)
One word: lasagna.
And you can just never go wrong with Pyrex, which hit the market in 1915 and has been a kitchen staple ever since.
As much as I love my beautiful azure blue Emile Henry pie plate for serving at the table, there are practical reasons why the transparent Pyrex version is a better choice. The glass provides an even browning surface, and the transparency makes it easier to keep an eye on the progress of your pastry bottom and sides. Plus, the Pyrex version sells for about a quarter of the price, so there’s that.
Here’s another word I particularly enjoy: butter tart squares. (Okay, that’s three words, but let’s not quibble.)
Square cakes…
Chicago Metallic Non-Stick 8-Inch Cake Pan
Round ones…
BEST BUY: Chicago Metallic Non Stick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan
We’re not fussy. Just let us eat cake!
Wilton Avanti Non-Stick 12 Cup Muffin Pan
And butter tarts. Let us eat butter tarts, too.
The Science of Good Cooking (Cook’s Illustrated Cookbooks)
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Cooks Illustrated Best Kitchen Equipment: Pots and Pans
HER: They say our love won’t pay the rent
Before it’s earned, our money’s all been spent
HIM: I guess that’s so, we don’t have a pot
But at least I’m sure of all the things we got*
Lovely. But I’ve got news for you, Sonny… You need to get that girl a pot! And maybe a Dutch oven and a decent skillet, too.
And lucky for you that Cook’s Illustrated has published a great list of essential kitchen equipment in their fabulous kitchen bible, The Science of Good Cooking. (See here for the previous installment on sharp stuff: knives, boards, and sharpeners.)
Cuisinart MultiClad 4-Quart Saucepan with Cover
I never understood why the best pots are “Clad.” Do they perform better than the naked ones?
There are many mysteries in life. (Here’s some enlightenment on that particular one.)
Tramontina 6-1/2-Quart Cast-Iron Covered Casserole
Here’s another mystery: why are these commonly referred to as “Dutch ovens“? In our home, we use this all the time on the stovetop to cook soups and stews or whenever there is a need for a big heavy pot that can be trusted to keep a consistent heat, like when you’re working with hot oil.
Got a Dutch oven? You also got a deep fryer.
All-Clad Stainless 12-Inch Fry Pan
A single great skillet is like a good friend who becomes more precious as the years roll by, with even the wrinkles and weathering embraced as the authentication that there is only one like this.
T-fal Nonstick Oven Safe 12.5-Inch Saute Pan
Here’s one thing on their list that we don’t have in our kitchen. I’m not sure why, except that maybe it’s tied to my disdain for crappy plastic spatulas that don’t stay stiff enough to get underneath stuff you want to lift from a pan, and when you do, they’re so dang slippery that food (usually a fragile egg) often slides off and lands in an unhappy mess back in the skillet.
My solution in the past has been to habitually reach for my favorite metal spatula (to be listed in an upcoming installment on “handy things in the kitchen”) which scratches the schmidt out of bottom of the non-stick skillet, releasing toxins or the bubonic plague or something nasty like that.
So, we don’t have one of these.
[Update: And… now we do! Click here to find out why.]
Calphalon Stainless Roaster with Nonstick Roasting Rack
Rick makes the worlds finest oven-roasted rosemary potatoes on the planet in this. Somehow food sticks less readily to it’s heavy bottom than other oven-related containers we own, so it’s the go-container for most stuff.
Stay tuned… the bakeware list is on deck!
* In a rare 1965 clip of Cher wearing her original nose and what appears to be a super-sized pair of prison pajamas in broad horizontal stripes, maybe just a little strung out, crooning “I Got You, Babe” with the fine Mr. Bono, click here. Just be warned: your curiosity has the potential to be rewarded with a particularly vile earworm.
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