tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54799033850887080502023-11-16T05:18:11.798-07:00d.i. wine and dineSpend a little extra time doing-it-yourself and you will gain a more intimate understanding of that which surrounds you - including food and drink.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.comBlogger445125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-48438699358937551722015-10-05T19:30:00.001-06:002015-10-05T19:30:06.531-06:00slow cooker: curried vegetable and chickpea stew<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/21360015949/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="2015.09_slow cooker curried vegetable and chickpea stew"><img alt="2015.09_slow cooker curried vegetable and chickpea stew" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5691/21360015949_76082230dd.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> <br />
Still at it with the slow cooker! Now, if only we could convince our toddler to eat vegetables...<br />
<br />
Adapted from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/slowcooker-recipe-curried-vegetable-and-chickpea-stew-recipes-from-the-kitchn-67520">The Kitchn</a><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">Ingredients: </span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">olive oil</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1 onion, diced</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
2 russet potatoes, diced</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1 T. kosher salt</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1 T. curry powder</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1 T. brown sugar</span><br />
1 T. ginger, minced<br />
3 garlic cloves, minced<br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1/8 t. cayenne pepper</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">--- </span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span itemprop="ingredients">2 c. dry chickpeas, cooked the night before</span> </span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 bell peppers, diced</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"><span itemprop="ingredients">2 c. veggie broth</span> </span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"> 28 oz. can diced tomatoes </span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1/4 t. black pepper</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients"> ---</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">10 oz. baby spinach</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">
1 can coconut milk </span><br />
<br />
Saute onions over medium heat. Add the potato and cook for a few more minutes. Add spices and cook for less than a minute. Transfer everything and all the remaining ingredient except the spinach and coconut milk to the slow cooker and cover. Put the dish in the fridge overnight. Fire up the slow cooker in the morning. Cook on low for 6 hours. Half an hour before serving, add the spinach and coconut milk and turn the slow cooker to high. You can eat it as a stew or serve it over brown rice. Yum yum!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-20515511941315814352015-08-23T13:27:00.002-06:002015-08-23T13:27:27.968-06:00slow cooker: vegetarian lasagna<a data-context="false" data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="false" data-header="false" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/20829718551/in/dateposted-public/" nbsp="" title="2015.08_slow cooker vegetarian lasagna"><img alt="2015.08_slow cooker vegetarian lasagna" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5795/20829718551_33b0af00d9.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
Oops! We had a bit of a blogging hiatus while our family adjusted to me going back to work full time. The time crunch of working full time and having a family is pretty impressive! I more fully understand why people use slow cookers. Here's a classic tasting lasagna recipe that we've been making lately.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
12 no boil lasagna noodles<br />
<br />
1/2 diced red onion<br />
8 oz. sliced mushrooms<br />
6 oz. Boca grounds<br />
5 oz. frozen kale<br />
5 oz. frozen broccoli<br />
1 T. minced garlic<br />
50 oz. pasta sauce<br />
1 c. water<br />
<br />
30 oz. ricotta<br />
1 c. shredded mozzarella<br />
1/4 c. shredded parmesean<br />
2 eggs <br />
1 T. basil<br />
1 T. oregano<br />
1/2 t. red pepper flakes<br />
<br />
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella<br />
1/4 c. shredded parmesan<br />
<br />
Cook the onion in a large pot over medium heat with olive oil. Add mushrooms and continue to cook. Add remainder of sauce ingredients and warm up enough for Boca grounds to break up and disperse. In a separate bowl mix together the cheese ingredients. Set aside 1/2 c. mozzarella and 1/4 c. parmesan for topping.<br />
<br />
In a 6 qt. crock pot, spread out about 1/5 of the sauce. The put down a layer of 3 noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, and 1/5 of the sauce. Repeat three times. Lay down 3 more noodles. Cover with the remaining 1/5 of sauce and top with mozzarella and parmesan. At this point you can go straight to cooking or my preference is to put the lid on it, put it in the fridge over night, and start the cooking in the morning so dinner is ready right when I get home. Cook on low for 5 hours.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-84383015961760227392015-03-02T21:20:00.001-07:002015-03-02T21:21:14.988-07:00pretzelized bread dumplings<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16690123415" title="2015.02_pretzelized bread dumplings by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_pretzelized bread dumplings" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8607/16690123415_d423bd3690.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
I was making a batch of <a href="http://di-wineanddine.blogspot.com/2010/01/guest-post-on-chicago-brunch-blog.html">bread dumplings</a>, and it was a rather large batch, so I decided to pretzelize two of the loaves. I added a shake of baking soda to the boiling water and boiled them like normal. Then I put them on a pan, sprinkled salt on them, and baked them for a bit. They got a nice brown color, like pretzels do. They are delicious!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03780090285653825530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-82638588232958803472015-02-22T15:37:00.004-07:002015-02-22T16:02:29.754-07:00the food waste stream<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16430105750" title="2015.02_the friday store by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_the friday store" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8665/16430105750_5660437e7b_z.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
<br />
We have a huge a surplus of food in this county that gets thrown out and yet there are people who go hungry. It's so... illogical and unkind. I know of three ways to remedy the situation. Do you know of others?<br />
<br />
1. Dumpster diving requires thrifty and brave souls who individually and regularly check store dumpsters for salvageable items. Found treasures include packaged foods that are near expiration and bread or produce that is bagged separately and in decent condition. Risks include trespassing, getting messy, and potentially wasting your time. This is not a very wide reaching solution and it seems to me that trendy, privileged people are more likely to partake in this activity.<br />
<br />
2. A friend of ours recently stumbled on a place near us called <a href="http://www.westword.com/restaurants/in-a-weak-economy-the-friday-store-specializes-in-surplus-groceries-5112579">The Friday Store</a>. It is tucked away in a business park. For a discounted price they sell food items that are about to expire or have some flaw like upside down labels or dents.
It is only open on Friday and Saturday. The owners spend the rest of
the week gathering near expiration foods directly from local grocery stores. Disadvantages include that the store is not very well known so it doesn't have a
super huge impact - though it still probably has more impact than dumpster diving. Also,
while it does seem to have patrons who are shopping there out of
budgetary necessity, it still has the trendy, privileged patrons like ourselves going for fun or righteousness. Either way, it is a great resource and I do recommend checking it out if you're in the area!<br />
<br />
3. There are programs like <a href="http://www.boulderfoodrescue.org/">Boulder Food Rescue</a> that utilize volunteers to collect donated food items from local grocery stores and then redistribute it agencies that work with people who need it. I favor this solution because it gets more food to more people who need it but then again it requires a lot of volunteers. Oh hey, if you have spare time on your hands, you can follow their instructions for starting a food rescue near you!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-69502196124047658272015-02-18T21:11:00.003-07:002015-03-14T20:14:47.028-06:00i love my bread machine: 3 favorite recipes<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16389064178" title="2015.02_i love my bread machine 2 by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_i love my bread machine 2" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7439/16389064178_9cff22d3b8.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
A loaf of rye made in the bread machine<br />
<br />
I've been making bread in our bread machine at least once a week for the past couple years. Sure, it's great because it takes less than 10 minutes to make a loaf of bread, but I really enjoy using a bread machine because it is so predictable. When I make bread by hand, there's all these variables: how much flour did I add during kneading? how long did I let the loafs rise and at what temperature?<br />
<br />
The beauty of the bread machine is that all those variables are controlled and are exactly the same from one cycle to the next. When I was making bread by hand it often turned out flat or really dense. With the bread machine, I am free to tweak the ingredients from cycle to cycle, knowing that the proofing will be perfect every time.<br />
<br />
On weekends, when I have a little bit more time, I often makes baguettes using the bread machine dough cycle.<br />
<br />
Another great thing about bread machines is that they are plentiful at thrift stores. When our gratis machine finally broke and I couldn't fix it, I picked up a new, larger machine from a thrift store for 10 bucks. <br />
<br />
Here are some general tips on the bread machine process:<br />
<br />
<i>Flour</i> - I always weigh this out on a kitchen scale, otherwise the scooper can compact the flour and it is hard to know if a cup is really a cup. All wheat and rye flours I’ve come across are 4.5 oz. per cup. We buy 25 lb. bags of all-purpose flour from a local organics wholesaler that sells to the public. 25 lbs. fits perfectly in a five gallon bucket, which we fit with a Gamma lid.<br />
<br />
<i>Paddle</i> - The bread machine’s mixing paddle often gets stuck in the bottom of the loaf when you take it out of the pan. I keep a small pliers in the kitchen for the purpose of removing the paddle. There’s always one or two slices in the middle of the loaf that are holey, but hey, that’s bread machine bread.<br />
<br />
<i>Order of ingredients</i> - Wherever possible, I add ingredients in the order that minimizes dirty spoons. For example, in the case of tablespoons, I always add sugar (dry) before oil (wet). I also always add oil before molasses since it prevents the molasses from sticking to the measuring spoon.<br />
<br />
<i>Yeast</i> - We buy a large package of bulk yeast and
keep a small container in the fridge, refilling it from the bag,
which we keep in the freezer. You can use the packets too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15954163754" title="2015.02_i love my bread machine 1 by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_i love my bread machine 1" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8591/15954163754_38fb569020.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Here’s my favorite bread machine recipes:<br />
<br />
<b>Seed Bread - 1.5 lb. recipe</b><br />
(source: modified whole wheat bread recipe from Regal Breadmaker Guide & Cookbook)<br />
<br />
8 oz. water<br />
1 t. salt<br />
1 T. sugar<br />
1 T. oil (olive or whatever)<br />
1 T. molasses (optional)<br />
1 egg (optional, makes a fluffier loaf)<br />
4.5 oz. whole wheat flour<br />
9 oz. all-purpose flour<br />
1 t. yeast<br />
1/2–1 c. seeds (I usually do mostly sunflower or pumpkin seeds, supplemented with a few tablespoons of flax, sesame, poppy, or mustard seeds, or even uncooked millet) <br />
<br />
Use whole wheat and dark crust settings.<br />
<br />
<b>Sourdough - 1.5 lb. recipe</b><br />
(source: ??)<br />
<br />
1 1/4 c. sourdough starter (see below)<br />
1/3 c. water<br />
1 t. salt<br />
1 T. sugar<br />
1 T. oil (olive or whatever)<br />
13.5 oz. all-purpose flour<br />
1 oz. cornmeal (optional)<br />
1 T. vital wheat gluten (optional, gives a better crumb; omit if using high-gluten bread flour instead of all-purpose)<br />
1 t. yeast<br />
1/4 t. citric acid (optional, add if you want it to be extra sour)<br />
<br />
Use basic/white bread and medium crust settings.<br />
<br />
Sourdough starter recipe (source: Fleischmann’s Yeast Bread Machine Favorites)<br />
2 c. all-purpose flour<br />
2 c. water, lukewarm (105–115ºF)<br />
2 1/4 t. bread yeast<br />
<br />
Combine and cover loosely. Let sit on the counter 12–24 hours and then refrigerate until ready to use. I keep my starter in a 24 oz. canning jar (wide mouth, tall, straight sides). When I take out the 1 1/4 c. of starter, I replenish with 1 c. flour and 1 c. lukewarm water.<br />
<br />
<b>Baguettes - 3 lb. recipe</b><br />
(source: modified Zojirushi bread machine baguette recipe)<br />
<br />
I have a 2 lb. bread machine, but find that I can make 3 lbs. worth of dough using the dough setting. The dough overflows the pan a bit when rising, but not uncontrollably. I usually only make these on weekends because baking in the oven take a bit more time.<br />
<br />
2 c. water<br />
1 1/2 t. salt<br />
1 1/2 t. lemon juice<br />
1 lb. 8.7 oz. (700 g) all-purpose or bread flour<br />
1 T. vital wheat gluten (optional, gives a better crumb; omit if using high-gluten bread flour instead of all-purpose)<br />
2 t. yeast<br />
<br />
Favorite additions to the baguette dough are rosemary (1 T. dried) and olives (3/4–1 c. kalamata)<br />
<ol>
<li>Use the dough setting.</li>
<li>When cycle finishes, use a spatula to pour/scrape dough onto a floured counter. Sprinkle/spread some flour on the top too. Cut into three chunks with the spatula. Loosely shape the chunks into baguette or batard shapes (it is pretty forgiving) and set on floured pizza stone.</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 470ºF. Let dough rise about 40 minutes, covered with a damp cloth.</li>
<li>When ready to bake, flour the tops of the dough again and score the tops.</li>
<li>Bake for about 30 minutes.</li>
</ol>
To give the baguettes a better crust, steam them by putting a pan of cold water in the oven at the beginning. I also cover up the <a href="http://www.the-appliance-clinic.com/electric_range_blocked_vent.html">oven’s vent opening</a> (as far as I know, only electric ovens have this) with a damp cloth until the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking.<br />
<br />
Before rising:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16473768959" title="2015.02_baguettes 1 by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_baguettes 1" height="265" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8586/16473768959_a10bb78626_z.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
After baking:
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16472501780" title="2015.02_baguettes 2.JPG by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_baguettes 2.JPG" height="266" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8649/16472501780_5c91759762_z.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Three olive-rosemary loafs made with the baguette recipe:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16390154729" title="2015.02_bread machine by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.02_bread machine" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8615/16390154729_24dfe45c9f.jpg" width="500" /></a> Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03780090285653825530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-57685797837775519942015-01-14T14:31:00.001-07:002015-01-14T14:32:33.420-07:00diy toy crates<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15661738183" title="2015.01_toy crates by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2015.01_toy crates" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7579/15661738183_702286bded.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
My homemade shelves found a new purpose! The shelves were originally built to <a href="http://di-wineanddine.blogspot.com/search?q=shelves">showcase canned and fermented foods</a> in our dining area. A year or two later we moved to a house with a smaller dining area so we stowed the shelves away in the second bedroom. Next we had a kid and the second bedroom became a kid's bedroom. Toys began to multiply so my dad helped me build wood crates to contain said toys. See? Lovely!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-52946634159280689922014-12-14T20:23:00.003-07:002014-12-14T20:29:41.455-07:00glögg<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/16024025142" title="2014.12_glogg by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.12_glogg" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7577/16024025142_a32873084f.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
Glögg is a Nordic mulled wine that is optionally spiked with stronger alcohol. A friend of mine's grandparents basically do a glögg bar crawl to Swedish bars in Chicago each Christmas season. I partook once. Good times! Now when I am feeling festive for the holidays, I make glögg at home and share it with others.<br />
<br />
750 ml bottle of red wine<br />
250 ml inexpensive brandy<br />
1 c. sugar <br />
1/4 c. dried currants<br />
1/4 c. blanched almonds<br />
10 cardamom pods<br />
5 cloves<br />
1 cinnamon stick<br />
1 orange zested<br />
1 T. minced ginger<br />
<br />
Combine red wine, brandy, sugar, currants, and almonds in a pot. Place spices in a jelly or tea bag and submerge in the pot. Heat on medium low for 45 minutes. Remove spice bag and serve.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-48356304020075397782014-12-12T20:00:00.000-07:002014-12-12T20:01:27.887-07:00vegan nacatamal pie<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15388898633" title="2014.12_vegan nacatamal pie by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.12_vegan nacatamal pie" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8603/15388898633_a4216b5893.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
A friend of ours recently left Colorado to travel the world and teach English. Her first destination will be Nicaragua. In the process of lightening her load, she left us with her crock pot. I thought it would be nice to expand my own horizons and make a Nicaraguan dish for our first crock pot meal. I honestly had no idea what Nicaraguan food was like until I looked it up. It's interesting how we seem to be satisfied with a certain number of ethnic foods (Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican) and ignore inspiration from other parts of the world. Anyway, I made Nicaraguan nacatamal pie - a crock pot version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacatamal">nacatamales</a> which are fairly similar to Mexican tamales. Instead of using pork butt I made these vegetarian and added anasazi beans though small red beans would have been more authentic to Central American cuisine. Speaking of food diversity, wouldn't it be interesting to have more bean options on our grocery store shelves?<br />
<br />
Filling Ingredients:<br />
anasazi beans, cooked<br />
rice, cooked<br />
potatoes, sliced<br />
bell peppers, sliced<br />
tomatoes, sliced<br />
onions, chopped<br />
green olives, minced<br />
achiote paste<br />
mint<br />
salt<br />
black pepper <br />
<br />
Topping Ingredients (adapted from <a href="http://cookingbride.com/main-courses/tamale-pie/">The Cooking Bride</a>):<br />
2 c. instant Masa Harina<br />
1 t. baking powder<br />
¼ t. salt<br />
2 c. veggie broth<br />
½ c. olive oil<br />
<br />
Mix the filling ingredients in a 6 qt. crock pot. Mix the topping ingredients and glop it on top of the filling. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until potatoes and masa dough are cooked.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-46386183229258902772014-12-10T20:46:00.004-07:002014-12-10T20:47:16.362-07:00paracord macrame plant holder<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15372575893" title="2014.12_paracord macrame plant holder by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.12_paracord macrame plant holder" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7555/15372575893_a1317c92c2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Just in case we ever need a survivalist stash of paracord, there is some wrapped around our hanging plant... But really, this was a fun craft project. I melded instructions from <a href="http://www.deucecitieshenhouse.com/2013/12/diy-modern-macrame-hanging-planter.html">henhouse</a> and <a href="https://whimseybox.com/projects/macrame-plant-hanger--5">whimseybox</a>. I had to do and undo the project three times until I was satisfied. Luckily it was an easy process. Apparently not all paracord has the same breaking strength so pay
attention to what you buy. I bought 550 pound cord which is the most
common and what the survivalists go on and on about. Next I plan on making a paracord dog collar for Francois which might actually prove useful someday while backpacking. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-26601374089600964662014-11-12T18:34:00.000-07:002014-11-12T19:12:25.087-07:00vegetarian bigos<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15590292908" title="2014.11_vegetarian bigos by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_vegetarian bigos" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5602/15590292908_674ddabba9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Bigos is an Eastern European stew made of cabbage and various meats. Its alternate name is hunter's stew. Shall we call the vegetarian version forager's stew? Houby (mushroom) hunter's stew?<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 lb. tempeh, diced<br />
3 medium russet potatoes<br />
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped<br />
1 medium onion, diced<br />
2 large carrots, diced<br />
3/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water for 20 minutes<br />
3 1/2 oz. gourmet mushroom mix<br />
8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced<br />
10-15 prunes, diced<br />
2 c. sauerkraut, drained <br />
2 c. water + 2 cubes Not-Beef bouillon<br />
1 c. red wine<br />
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes<br />
1 T. tomato paste<br />
2 T. molasses<br />
1 T. marjoram (or oregano)<br />
2 t. black pepper, ground<br />
2 t. caraway, ground<br />
1 t. dijon mustard <br />
1/2 t. paprika<br />
1/8 t. nutmeg<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced <br />
dash of liquid smoke<br />
<br />
Saute the tempeh until browned. Bake or boil the potato and then dice. Saute the cabbage, onion, and carrots and set aside. Saute the mushrooms until they begin to release liquid. Put everything in a large pot and cook on medium for 20 minutes or more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-11240397983346280932014-11-03T14:55:00.000-07:002014-11-03T14:57:32.436-07:00back porchWe finished redoing our back porch! It was quite an eyesore and a safety hazard when we bought our house 2 years ago. Some of the columns were pieced together 2x4's that did not run the full height of the structure and most were minimally anchored to the floor slab if at all. We replaced all of the columns with red wood posts that our neighbor salvaged from a construction site and we securely anchored them all. For a clean and simple outdoor space, we removed all of the screens and fencing. There aren't many mosquitoes in Denver so a screen porch is not very useful. I can only guess that a previous owner used the space for dogs. To maintain our enclosed backyard, we built a new horizontal wood slat fence along the
driveway side of the porch. The ceiling and rafters all got a fresh coat of white paint. I am very happy with how this project turned out! (thanks Mom and Dad for all of the help!) <br />
<br />
AFTER<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15703545245" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="2014.11_back porch 1 2014 after by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_back porch 1 2014 after" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/15703545245_b1354a3bbf.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15518376027" title="2014.11_back porch 2 2014 after by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_back porch 2 2014 after" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8134/15518376027_81d55c7c7a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15084204603" title="2014.11_back porch 3 2014 after by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_back porch 3 2014 after" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3943/15084204603_40d473d8ce.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
BEFORE<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15679807566" title="2014.11_back porch 1 2012 before by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_back porch 1 2012 before" height="332" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5616/15679807566_2fa8517d58.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15518151118" title="2014.11_back porch 2 2012 before by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_back porch 2 2012 before" height="332" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7508/15518151118_346b48e913.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15701655431" title="2014.11_back porch 3 2012 before by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.11_back porch 3 2012 before" height="375" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8644/15701655431_c446b34c8b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-34189404588309932142014-10-09T10:35:00.002-06:002014-10-09T12:10:25.340-06:00rhubarb coffee cake<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15296711120" title="2014.10_rhubarb coffee cake by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.10_rhubarb coffee cake" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15296711120_14b9e6f653.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Everybody likes to talk about rhubarb when it first makes its debut in the spring. Our winter appetites long for something fresh so we accept this
tart vegetable as placeholder in our pies until the real fruits ripen. Then it is forgotten until next spring. But seriously folks, you can sparingly harvest rhubarb through fall as long as you keep enough leaves on the plant so it can come back next year! Spread out the tart vegetable love and enjoy the benefits of continuous harvesting and lazy gardening! <br />
<br />
(<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/02/big-crumb-coffee-cake/">recipe from Smitten Kitchen</a>)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-17429766120364090422014-10-08T20:20:00.000-06:002014-10-08T20:20:53.062-06:00arugula<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15430796196" title="2014.10_arugula by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.10_arugula" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3932/15430796196_4e816c6bf7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Feeling thankful for the thicket of arugula growing along the side of our new patio!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-62821300352450743022014-10-05T08:36:00.000-06:002014-10-05T08:36:00.412-06:00galactagogue oatmeal milk stout<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15256284397" title="2014.10_galactagogue oatmeal milk stout by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.10_galactagogue oatmeal milk stout" height="281" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15256284397_d14805a7e4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Way back on Father's Day in June, Eric brewed <a href="https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/galactagogue-milk-stout">this oatmeal milk stout</a> and infused it with herbs that promote lactation - fennel, anise, coriander, fenugreek. Honestly, there are hardly enough herbs in it to counteract the anti-lactation properties of the alcohol. Wah-wah sorry mamas! It makes for a good beer name though, right? Plus it's super tasty!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-37242236804823752162014-10-04T20:05:00.000-06:002014-10-04T20:05:26.799-06:00plum wine<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15439486991" title="2014.10_plums by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.10_plums" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15439486991_9e52178ae5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
A few weeks ago we picked up 30 pounds of plums from a friend with a plum tree. The plum tree was still weighed down with plums when we left. We hardly made a dent! We used a handful of plums in a plum upside down cake. We dehydrated about 10 pounds of plums into prunes. AND with 20 pounds of plums we made a 5 gallon batch of plum wine using this <a href="http://www.homebrewit.com/three-plum-wine-recipes/">basic plum wine recipe</a>. We will let you know how the plum wine tastes in about a year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-67980707727386399492014-09-19T08:28:00.000-06:002014-09-19T08:28:00.301-06:00spinach cheddar mini muffins<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15214898021" title="2014.09_spinach cheddar mini muffins by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_spinach cheddar mini muffins" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3919/15214898021_6eecee36d5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
My little baby is eating!!! Err, attempting to eat. Honestly he is mostly just playing with his food at this point. There is a serious learning curve for getting different shaped and structured foods to your mouth, feeling said things with your mouth, perhaps chewing/gnawing/tasting them, and maybe even swallowing a bit. We are doing the whole <a href="http://www.babyledweaning.com/">baby led weaning</a> thing. For all of you non-baby people, it is a trend towards letting your baby feed themselves what you're eating (minus too much salt or sugar) rather than spoon feeding them purees. Here is a slightly more eggy and less spicy version of a recipe from the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
olive oil<br />
1/2 red onion, chopped<br />
1 c. + 3 T. all purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 t. baking powder<br />
1/2 t. cayenne pepper<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 c. milk<br />
2/3 c. cheddar cheese, grated<br />
2 c. spinach, torn<br />
<br />
Saute the onion in butter. Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and milk and stir into dry ingredients. Fold in the cooked onion, cheese, and spinach. Distribute into mini muffin tin and bake at 325<span class="st">°</span> for 20 minutes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-77407863865540812752014-09-17T16:02:00.000-06:002014-10-04T20:42:22.671-06:00fresh pressed apple cider<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15194990616" title="2014.09_fresh pressed apple cider by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_fresh pressed apple cider" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3890/15194990616_9603cc64e1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
We planted apple trees last summer. They won't be producing a bounty of fruit for awhile. In the mean time we were lucky to find a post on Craigslist Free for apples in our neighborhood. It's a good permaculture reminder of the joy created when you share the excess!<br />
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And it gets better. Our friends happened to be pressing their backyard apples with a newly built DIY apple press - basically a holey five gallon bucket and a car jack. We were able to throw our apples into the batch and enjoy some fresh pressed apple cider! Yum yum yum!! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-77043010205765302162014-09-15T19:38:00.000-06:002014-09-15T19:38:00.543-06:00green chile sauce<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15031321240" title="2014.09_green chile sauce by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_green chile sauce" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/15031321240_4b68f38e9b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Next year when I make a big batch of hatch green chile sauce to stockpile for the winter, I need to remember to buy the mild-medium hatch green chiles NOT the hot ones. Ego, do not be fooled! In order to make a tolerable sauce, I had to seriously water down <a href="http://www.visitalbuquerque.org/albuquerque/cuisine/recipes/entrees/#sauce">this recipe</a> with veggie stock, flour, and butter.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-25675719497376452502014-09-14T11:33:00.000-06:002014-09-14T11:33:00.300-06:00eggs<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15218036115" title="2014.09_backyard chicken eggs by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_backyard chicken eggs" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3888/15218036115_e68894551a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Eggs from our very own chickens!! YAY!!! I have wanted this for years! See? Dreams really can come true. We are getting about 4 eggs a day right now. This should taper off over the winter since we don't plan on using artificial lighting to trick them into laying more. <br />
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(p.s. thank you Cait for the beautiful terracotta egg rack!)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-35611031515303046402014-09-13T09:00:00.000-06:002014-10-05T08:43:19.965-06:00hatch green chile jelly vs. plum jam<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15214919771" title="2014.09_jam jelly contest by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_jam jelly contest" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/15214919771_f357da0f58.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Wheat Ridge, the lovely town we call home, is hosting a festival today call Ridgefest that involves food trucks, craft brews, local artisans, a homebrew contest, <a href="http://ridgeat38.com/play/2014ridgefest/contests/">a cottage foods contest</a>, and much more. Similar to the scope of foods allowed by the <a href="http://farmtotable.colostate.edu/prepare-cottage-foods.php#.VBNmZUi0buE">Colorado Cottage Foods Act</a>, this contest will feature breads, pickles, and jams/jellies. It is a fun way to let people know that the Colorado Cottage Foods Act was passed 2012 and that they are now legally able to sell certain homemade foods from their home kitchen rather than a commercial kitchen. <br />
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Eric and I will be competing against each other! I made a hatch green chile jelly and he made a tart plum jam. We shall see what happens!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-84252540750431136222014-09-12T14:32:00.000-06:002014-09-12T14:33:31.421-06:00patio<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15031395348" title="2014.09_patio 02 by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_patio 02" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/15031395348_a2664a84ae.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
This patio project is actually old news. I finished it mid summer but neglected to post about it on the blog. The patio stones are 2' x 2' reclaimed concrete pavers from an office building's raised floor system. The notched corners, once for the raised floor pedestals to lock into, now are reminiscent of a tile floor pattern. The pavers are gray though they look a little red in this photo because when we got them they were sticky with carpet glue so we had to scatter sand on the surface. Hopefully in another year the weather will wear away all of the glue and the sand can be swept away. Below the pavers is about 1" of sand for leveling and about 4"-5" of crusher fines. We used ProFlex paver edging around the perimeter. This patio should stay put! (thanks Dad for all the help digging and filling!)<br />
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For furnishings, I refinished a weathered red picnic table that the previous home owner left behind. The base frame is painted a creamy white and the horizontal surfaces have been sanded down to wood and coated with a natural <a href="http://di-wineanddine.blogspot.com/2013/05/finishing-top-bar-beehive.html">beeswax/linseed oil finish</a>. I think I will go with a darker wood stain when the picnic table needs to touched up. <br />
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And what a view of the chickens!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15031402498" title="2014.09_patio 01 by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_patio 01" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/15031402498_5b75f887bb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Here's a little backyard before and after:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15031937378" title="2014.09_patio 2012 before by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_patio 2012 before" height="180" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/15031937378_95474e7931_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15032360877" title="2014.09_patio 2014 after by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.09_patio 2014 after" height="180" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5560/15032360877_c853f7770a_m.jpg" width="270" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-69380174855548540912014-08-22T18:53:00.002-06:002014-08-22T18:54:51.855-06:00flannel bagPhew! We just got home from a road trip. I was worried about how our 5 month old would handle hours of sitting in the car. He does fine on short car trips around town (I can't wait until I carry him around in a bike carrier!) but for hour long car rides he gets irritable. In hopes of avoiding 12 hours straight of crying in the car, I gathered all of the distractions I could think of including this homemade flannel bag with felt pieces. Why a bag instead of your standard felt board? I thought it would be more portable, it can be hung from the head rest, and it can store all of the felt pieces!<br />
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road trip theme<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15003531912" title="2014.08_felt board bag road trip by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.08_felt board bag road trip" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/15003531912_83d4cf1efa.jpg" width="377" /></a><br />
<br />
make your own monster faces (copied from <a href="http://www.kixcereal.com/kix-cereal-monster-felt-board-book/">this site</a>)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/15000813301" title="2014.08_felt board bag monsters by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.08_felt board bag monsters" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/15000813301_1ee609c6cb.jpg" width="377" /></a><br />
<br />
The felt board concept actually didn't interest him this time around but I think he will enjoy it soon enough. And to his credit, he did amazingly well sitting in the car for hours! PHEW!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-82814967338669692232014-07-23T20:00:00.002-06:002014-07-23T20:01:10.148-06:00spring rolls with carrot ginger dipping sauce<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/14726234555" title="2014.07_spring rolls with carrot ginger dipping sauce by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.07_spring rolls with carrot ginger dipping sauce" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3905/14726234555_f982cf672d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
It's summer, it's hot outside, and we don't have air conditioning so, Self, please refrain from the stove at least a few nights a week!! We've posted about <a href="http://di-wineanddine.blogspot.com/2009/04/spring-rolls.html">spring rolls</a> here before but here's a twist on our old standby that includes more colorful veggies like red peppers and beets! The sauce is pretty great too! Thanks again to a <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/315105/spring-rolls-with-carrot-ginger-dipping">recipe from Martha Stewart's Meatless</a> cookbook. Have I ever mentioned that one of my favorite leisure activities is leafing through cookbooks from the library? I wonder which cookbook I will borrow next...<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
rice paper wrappers<br />
radish sprouts<br />
3 carrots, julienned<br />
3 candy cane beets, peeled, julienned<br />
1 cucumber, julienned <br />
1 red pepper, julienned<br />
1/2 lb. firm tofu, sliced into long strips <br />
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Sauce Ingredients:<br />
3 carrots, chopped<br />
1/4 onion, chopped<br />
2 T. fresh ginger, peeled<br />
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar<br />
2 T. tamari<br />
1/4 t. toasted sesame oil<br />
salt<br />
black pepper<br />
1/4 c. sunflower oil<br />
1/4 c. water<br />
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Soak rice paper wrappers in warm water until just pliable. Put the rice paper wrapper on a plate, load it up with veggies, and roll. Dry off the plate between spring rolls so you get a good sticky surface to pull the wrapper taught.<br />
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For the sauce, blend everything but the oil and water until smooth. Then add the oil and water while the the blender or food processor is running.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-30120234887990545212014-07-20T20:01:00.000-06:002014-07-20T20:01:44.480-06:00garlic harvest<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/14691384961" title="2014.07_garlic harvest by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.07_garlic harvest" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/14691384961_0e1c39691d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Garlic varieties: Silverwhite, Polish Hardneck, Mechti, Red Toch<br />
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I harvested most of our garlic crop today. Polish Hardneck is the definite winner in terms of size and quality. We were a little late in harvesting the Mechti...a lot of the encasing skin disintegrated, so those bulbs will not store well.Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03780090285653825530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479903385088708050.post-65148940117089154682014-07-19T18:37:00.000-06:002014-07-19T18:38:42.786-06:00coconut curry red lentil soup with dried currants<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diwineanddine/14507892350" title="2014.07_coconut curry red lentil soup with dried currants by di.wineanddine, on Flickr"><img alt="2014.07_coconut curry red lentil soup with dried currants" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3925/14507892350_83a77e85df.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Thanks to the little baby now at the center of my life, I have a new appreciation for single vessel meals that have the flexibility of being abandoned without overcooking. Brace yourselves for more soups, stews, and casseroles on this blog! I know... how stereotypical American... well, so is my inspiration for this soup! Good old <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/1050570/curried-red-lentil-soup-dried-cherries-and-cilantro">Martha Stewart (or one of her ghost writers)</a> inspired me to take a different spin on <a href="http://di-wineanddine.blogspot.com/2010/02/dal-soup.html">my usual red lentil soup</a> by adding coconut milk and dried fruit. Yum! <br />
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Ingredients:<br />
olive oil <br />
1 1/2 c. carrots, diced <br />
1/2 c. onion, diced<br />
4 T. fresh grated ginger <br />
half a head of garlic, pealed and minced<br />
1 1/2 T. curry powder<br />
1 T. salt <br />
8 c. water<br />
2 c. red lentils<br />
1 16 oz. can coconut milk <br />
dried currents<br />
cilantro<br />
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Saute the carrots, onion, ginger, and garlic in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the curry powder and cook for a minute. Add the salt, water, red lentils, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup. Serve with dried currents and cilantro.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686442993806162899noreply@blogger.com0