Less Mess Deep Fat Frying and No-Splatter Bacon

I hardly ever fry something- not only because it's not healthy, but also because it makes the house stink for days and makes a mess of the kitchen. I set up a temporary fry station on a portable table in the garage, and it worked very well. I could fry the beignets from the mix we got in New Orleans, and the smell didn't permeate the house. My electric fondue pot maintains pretty even heat, and though it's a bit smaller, frying is fast enough that doing it in small batches still goes pretty quickly. Safety is paramount, so watch your cords and don't have animals or kids around.

Fry station set up in garage

 

Finished beignets

Oven-cooked bacon

Layer bacon on a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet. I cover with a second sheet to catch all splatter, but some could consider this optional. Bake at 400F until it's done the way you like it, around 18-24 minutes.

Dad's Yeast-Raised Overnight Waffles

Overnight Yeast Waffles

1 pkg dry yeast
1/4 C warm water
1 1/4 C milk
2 C flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
3 Tbsp melted butter

The night before, dissolve yeast in water. Scald milk then cool to lukewarm and add to yeast. Add flour and salt, stir. Cover and let stand overnight in a warm place without drafts. Stir in the remaining ingredients in the morning. Bake in a hot waffle iron for 5-6 min (we prefer the larger Belgian-style for this one). Makes about 8.

Source: Waffles, Flapjacks,Pancakes, Blintzes, Crepes and Frybread From Scandinavia and Around the World

Dad's Celery Root Blended Soup

Andy makes wonderful soups. Anytime we roast a chicken or a turkey, he simmers the bones into delicious stocks and freezes it in batches. One of the soups he makes most often is from a great cookbook we love, Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook.

Celery Root Soup

3 Tbsp butter
2 large celery roots (celeriac, about 1 pound each), peeled and cut into 1" chunks
6 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 med onion, chopped
2.5 c water (recipe calls for 5 c but we use 2.5 for a thicker soup)
5 c chicken broth
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 c milk or cream
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a heavy pot. Add celery root, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring until soft, about 10 min. Add water, both, potatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer partially covered about 45 min. Remove from heat and let cool a little. Puree in blender in batches. Return to pot and stir in milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat but don't bring to a boil or milk will curdle.

Dad loves this soup so much, he's trying to grow his own celery root.

Grandpa's Rusks (Swedish cardamom toasts)

Will spent the afternoon with Grandpa in 2015, and captured the recipe and method (as understood by a 14 year-old) in his notebook.

Hosting a Zoom Graduation Party During a Pandemic

We were so excited for our daughter's college graduation. We learned that hotel rooms in Madison book out more than a year ahead of graduation weekend, so we booked our room in April of 2019 in anticipation of the graduation ceremony that was to happen May 9. Then the pandemic and lock-down hit, the in-person graduation ceremony at Camp Randall was cancelled, and we had to give up the weekend in Madison. While we're looking forward to celebrating in person together in the future, we wanted to mark the day with a little virtual celebration, so I planned a virtual event. A few observations:

• We used my academic Zoom account, as Zoom is fairly universal and easy to use, and since I had more than a free account our event could go longer than 30 minutes, so we weren't limited by time or number of attendees
• I scheduled the party in Zoom a couple weeks ahead and used Evite to get the link out to all of the guests, but still had to do a reminder so they could easily find the link again
• I verified with guests at least a week early that they had Zoom downloaded on their mobile devices. I did a couple of practice Zoom meetings with the graduate and a few guests, including the grandparents who were new to Zoom
• I pulled together a slide deck to structure the event. I probably worked on the slides for a total of 4-5 hours:



• A few trivia questions about the graduate to warm up the group and allow people to join in the first few minutes
• A retrospective section with pictures of her over her 4-year college career
• Pictures of the graduation we had hoped to have, including her face pasted over stock graduation pictures
• Information about her new job, future apartment, etc.
• A little gift section during which her brother unwrapped her gifts for her
• Toasts and congratulations from family and friends




• I coordinated hosting duties with her dad and brother, all three of us on different laptops. As I was showing the slides and kicking off, dad was admitting guests to the Zoom and her brother was playing comic relief with a goofy picture of the graduate as his virtual background
• The three of us practiced the event setup, and discovered a couple of important things with this practice, including the video I embedded into a slide didn't play the audio as I'd hoped (I ditched that slide), and the whole slide show lagged quite a bit (I went back and compressed the pictures in it and performance improved). I also saw it was better if I was hardwired into the router for best speed. This practice helped create a smoother event

We all had a fun time, and we kept it moving so it wasn't overly long (it lasted about 35 minutes). It wasn't the graduation we'd planned for, but we were able to recognize the event in a fun way that included more people than would have gone to the graduation anyhow. We're still looking forward to a great dinner out to celebrate when the time comes.

Art submission 2021 State Fair that resonated for me

Refinishing our Adirondack Chairs

We have nice Adirondack chairs we bought about 7 years ago from a small hand-crafted furniture maker in Nisswa, MN, Natural Tones Rustic Furniture. We love them- they are well-built, and very comfortable to sit in. When we bought them, the builder advised that every 2 years we give them another coat of Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Clear Coat, which I've faithfully done, and we store them in the garage over the winters. Over the years, though, the finish was starting to deteriorate, and with all of the tree pollen in our backyard we have an issue with surface mold and mildew. This spring we saw it was time for some deep cleaning, and I started by doing a scrubbing with a bleach solution.

Our spray tool contained a bleach solution

As I was scrubbing the chairs, some of the matte stain coating started to come up, as well, and with the overall appearance of the chairs, I knew a refresh of the stain coat was in order. Fortunately, I had our furniture receipt, on which the builder had indicated the stain type and color, Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Solid Stain in the color California Rustic. I had the local Hirshfields mix up a pint and did a sanding and repaint job in the garage, followed by an application of the clear Arborcoat.

After cleaning and sanding, before repainting with the solid stain

After refinishing

Looking good again

Crispy Oven Baked Potato Fries

These are delicious, and the best method I've found.

Yield: Makes 3 servings

Note- You can double (using 6-7 small-medium potatoes) and still fit on one baking sheet

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges (I generally cut each potato into 3 equal-width sections lengthwise, then cut each of these sections into about 1/2" planks)
4-5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl.  Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.  Put 3-4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet (I find I can use closer to 2-3 tbsp so they're not too greasy).  Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (I use a cut potato wedge to spread the oil around- nothing extra to wash).  Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Drain the potatoes.  Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on a clean kitchen towel.  Pat dry with additional towels.  Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry.  Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and more salt.  Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  

Ready to bake

  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.  (Note- it's not very earth-friendly to use a sheet of foil for just 5 minutes- I cover the baking sheet with a 2nd baking sheet turned upside down instead of the foil). 

Covered with a second baking sheet rather than foil

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer.  Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5-10 minutes (I find I need to bake them a bit longer).  Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning. If you're in a hurry, you can experiment with convection bake- watch the timing.

Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. 

Tasty

Note: Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Best Chocolate Chip Blondies

These are good, and easy to put together. They yield a dense, fudgy bar- better than a standard Tollhouse bar. These are also good for packing and mailing to college kids, and they freeze well.

2 sticks butter
2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. flour
2 eggs
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add brown sugar and stir well by hand. Add baking powder, vanilla and salt. Stir. Add flour, stir well- batter will be stiff. Beat eggs well in a separate bowl, then add them to the batter. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter in the greased pan. Bake until the top begins to get golden brown and the edges just begin to pull away from the pan, about 20-25 minutes. Do not overbake.

Note the dense fudginess

Packed to send to a college kid!

The Best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Another tried and true recipe

Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar (I use half this, or 2 tbsp)
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for frying (can substitute oil)
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (or chocolate chips are good, too!)
Optional: a sprinkle of cardamom, 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter or oil. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy batter, being careful not to over mix.

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat (or electric griddle to 350). Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet and sprinkle the top with some of the blueberries. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. These make good leftover pancakes to heat and enjoy the next day.