Gazpacho!

Heather says:

With the temperature rising something has to give. Try this Andalusian favorite for a change of pace. Traditional gazpacho is often made with bread blended in, I prefer to serve it on the side or with a dollop of sour cream. This version makes a nice accompaniment to sandwiches or as a light starter course. Directions for a more delicate version will follow the original.

Gazpacho

• 4 - 5 large tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 cucumber peeled and seeded
• 1 or 2 bell peppers seeded and cut into chunks (use red or green, red produces a sweeter flavor and prettier color)
• 1 med sweet onion (such as Vidalia) roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• small pinch of cayenne pepper - optional

Blend all ingredients until smooth and chill for at least four hours.

For a more delicate version:

Peel and seed the t0matoes. Seed the cucumber. Dice the onions and mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until soft before blending with the vegetables and other ingredients. Chill at least four hours.

Seeding and dicing tomatoes

Heather says:

Tomatoes, while botanically classified as a fruit are treated as a vegetable in the kitchen. While this tidbit may get you two hundred on Jeopardy, it certainly will not help much at all when deciding how to get the most from summer’s bounty. Delicate soups and sauces often call for tomatoes that are both seeded and peeled, this aids in their consistency and digestibility.

Other recipes may call for tomatoes that are seeded and diced, these are typically salsas and garnishes. There are several techniques for seeding tomatoes, but I have found two simple techniques will get you through most recipes.

For delicate dishes follow the technique for peeling and coring the tomatoes. Then, cut the tomatoes in half along the equator and scoop the seeds out of the cavities.

For dishes calling for tomatoes that are seeded and diced follow these steps.

Using a very sharp knife slice just enough off the bottom to create stability.

Just to the side of the stem, or core, use the knife to cut a petal, following the curve of the tomato. Beefsteak tomatoes, such as the one pictured have fairly thin walls and lots of seeds.

Roma tomaotes have fleshier walls, but the technique is the same.

With the tip of the knife remove any seeds that may be clinging to the wall.

Continue working around the tomato.

To dice the tomato place the petals flat on your work surface. Flatten it slightly, if needed.

Cut lengthwise into strips.

Finish by cross cutting into a fairly even dice.

Beauty by Ivy: beauty tips from the stars

Ivy says:

I love me a good YouTube video roundup. I love it even more when it’s beauty tutorials. So as you can imagine, I absolutely love this post. Roll on over to Wise Bread and check it out. Best one is the MAC smokey eye tutorial, IMO.

Jam 201: Fixing a bad batch

Hi,
I made jam last summer and it tuned out excellent. I have done the same thing this year and they are all watery. An old lady in the grocery store said to NEVER make jam on humid days (and yes it was humid the day I picked and made the jam) Is there anyway to fix this jam?

In a Jam
Heather says:
Personally, I would chalk it up to a learning experience, but there are ways to fix soft jams and jellies.
You must work with it in small batches of no more than 4 - 6 cups. For every 4 cups of jam or jelly you will need:

• 4 tsp powdered pectin
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix the listed ingredients and bring to a boil, stir in the runny jam, and return to a full boil for at least 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Skim off the foam and place in sterile jars. You will need to reprocess the jam (with new wax lids!) in a water bath canner for 5 minutes below 1,000ft above sea level, 10 minutes for 1,000 - 6,000 feet, and 15 minutes for over 6,000 feet above sea level. These times are for half and full pint jars only.

In the future, test your jam before processing by dribbling a small amount on a plate and placing in the freezer. It should gel quickly. If you only have a small amount of jam and don’t want the hassle of re-canning. Consider using it as topping for ice cream, filling for a poke cake, or even as a base for sauce for chicken or pork.

Good luck and don’t let one bad batch discourage you from future efforts! I have had a few jars that were runnier than I liked, but it still spread on toast and tasted fine. I kept them for home use rather than as gifts.

Yo’ mama, yo’ daddy, and yo’ greasy granny

Dear Home-Ec 101,

My husband is an engineer and sometimes likes to get dirty helping the techs repair his machine. Usually the grease spots on his jeans come out with Spray-n-Wash (sometimes I have to treat them twice) or it’s a pair of junk jeans and I don’t bother to worry about it. But he got a nasty grease stain on my favorite pair of his jeans…I’ve used Spray N Wash twice and it still hasn’t come out. I know my mom used to use Lestoil to get out grease and bad stains…I might go buy some, but thought I would ask first and see if you had any suggestions–maybe even things I’ve already got lying around the house.

Signed,

Launderin’ in Levittown

Ivy says:

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I have a lot of experience with grease spots on laundry.  I used to work at an auto repair shop, and now I’m married to a kitchen manager. Can we say grease city? I knew you could.

When I was working at the auto repair shop, I asked the guys how they got the grease stains off their clothes and they typically had two methods: Simple Green and Dawn dishwashing liquid. I’ve found if Simple Green can’t get it clean, Dawn could, and vice versa.

One thing I really like about Simple Green is, it works on lots of grease problems. It’s really handy to have around for that very reason. It also whitens up white tennis shoes! It does EVERYTHING!

Next Page »