I'm strong to the finich cause I eats me spinach!

Bring your family and friends to the table with this lovely spinach risotto that would make Popeye proud.  Yes, I know another recipe from Jamie Oliver, but trust me -- you will be so glad I've given it the spotlight it deserves.  Hey, look at these guys- Popeye, he's winking at you, he knows you want a bowl of this creamy goodness and well -- Jamie with his sly smile knows he has hit a home run with this dish. 

My husband and I have Italian mothers who are great cooks.  As a result we both learned how to cook many of the traditional dishes, and I guess you could say we're a little on the cocky side when it comes to cooking and evaluating this cuisine.  I have my dishes that I do well, as does my husband.  For instance, I can make a mean gnocchi while my husband excels at risotto.  I had never had risotto until I met my husband and wondered how my mother could have overlooked this wonderful dish during my childhood.  After a few years of enjoying my husband's risotto, I got it into my head that I could do it too.  But this was his dish and so he has always put me off when I asked him to show me how to make it.  Well not a problem, I thought. That’s what cookbooks are for, right? 

I decided to try the one from Fanny at Chez Panisse by Alice Waters.  It is a children's book so I figured if a child could make it, I could too.  It's a basic straightforward recipe and a great one to start with if you have never made the dish.   But there are many other cookbooks with great instructions for making this dish.  You could also try- Lidia's Italian Table by Lidia Bastianich (page 153) or Make It Italian by Nancy Verde Barr (page 196).

I've been making this dish for a while now, and I think it tastes as good as my husband's. But I could never get him to admit this until I made Jamie Oliver's version from, Cook With Jamie, My Guide to Making You a Better Cook.  I will never forget the day and time he agreed that my risotto is as good as his. So I plan to make this version repeatedly so my husband knows he is living with a risotto master. 

Spinach and Goat's Cheese Risotto

Start by first making the spinach part of the recipe and then hold it off to the side while you make the risotto.  Then add the chopped spinach after you finish cooking the risotto.  

 Spinach part of recipe
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
nutmeg, for grating
5 oz of spinach, washed and dried (You can use more if like, I tend to use 10 oz since the spinach cooks way down, just saute with a little more oil.)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 handful of grated parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon
4 oz of soft goat's cheese crumbled

1) In a saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of butter,  2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic and a good grating of nutmeg. When the butter is melted add the spinach.

2) Cook for 5 minutes, moving it around in the pan until it's wilted down. 

3) Finely chop or whiz the spinach in a food processor and season with salt and pepper.  Now start the "basic risotto recipe" found below.

Basic Risotto Recipe

4-5 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped

optional 2 sticks of celery trimmed and finely chopped

2 cups of Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1 cup vermouth or dry white wine

1) Bring to simmer the stock in a saucepan.

2) In a large pot add olive oil, butter, onion, and if using celery and cook gently for about 15 minutes until onion is soft, but without letting it develop color.

 3) Add rice, it will sizzle.  Turn up the heat and stir until the rice is well coated with the oil, butter & onion.

 4) Pour in the vermouth or wine. Keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated.

 5) Add the stock to the rice.   Only one ladle at a time, stirring frequently and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding more stock.  The heat should be at a low simmer so the rice doesn't cook too quickly.  Continue adding ladlefuls of stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite.  If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.   This process will take about 15 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook the rice, it should hold its shape, but be soft, creamy and oozy.

6)  Stir in your chopped spinach into the rice.  Then stir in 2 tablespoons butter and the Parmesan cheese.  Squeeze in the juice from 1/2 of the lemon.  Check the seasoning and add some salt and pepper if needed.  

Put a lid on the pan and let the risotto rest for a minute, before folding in the goat's cheese.  For a nice presentation- add a sprinkle of lemon zest and goat's cheese to the top of each serving.

7) And now as Jamie says, "tuck in" and enjoy!

Create Your Own Lace Fabric!

This is a super easy, inexpensive and quick craft project that can be adapted to a variety of fabric projects.  I found it in a great source called the Crafter's Project Book by Mary Ann Hall & Sandra Salamony.  This book is a wonderful resource for projects that range from simple to involved.  It is divided into four categories: Paper, Fabric, Ceramic/Glass and Metal/Wire/Wood.  The authors offer tips and variations on many of the projects and the instructions are clear and concise, although no extra photos or illustrations are included beyond the final project.

You will need: a spray bottle that produces a fine mist but doesn't drip, chlorine bleach, a large bucket filled with a mixture of cold water and white distilled vinegar (I used about 2 cups of vinegar), dark colored fabric or a garment (made from natural fibers such as cotton, linen or rayon), lace, rubber or latex gloves, glasses or safety goggles, and some type of protective drop cloth or newspaper.

1.  If your fabric or garment is new, wash and dry it to remove sizing and preshrink it.

2.  Work outdoors (but not on a windy day) and put down a drop cloth or newspaper.  Carefully lay out your fabric or garment, smoothing it flat.  If you have a shirt or tee, protect the back by inserting cardboard or foil into the center so the bleach doesn't reach the bottom layer of the garment.  See picture below.

 

3. Carefully lay down your lace.  Try to select lace that has some weight to it and a bold or distinctive pattern.  I purchased a very small amount (2/3 of a yard) and cut it in half.  Then I carefully placed the pieces side by side to get the width I needed.  You can reuse the lace many times, just make sure you wash out the bleach so it doesn't destroy the fibers.  Alternatively you could use other items for a stencil, such as a fern frond or leaf, a doily or lace tablecloth.

 

4.  Put on your gloves and glasses to protect yourself. Using your spray bottle lightly mist bleach over the lace and fabric.  If you want the bleach to work more slowly, dilute the bleach with water rather than using it full strength. 

5.  Carefully lift off the lace and place it in the solution of vinegar and water to neutralize the action of the bleach.  Now watch the fabric; when the lace pattern has emerged enough to suit you, place the fabric in the bucket of vinegar and water solution and gently swish it around.   After a minute or so wash out your fabric or garment and lace with soap either by hand or in a washing machine.  For shirts with sleeves- repeat the whole process on the back of the shirt after you have washed and dried the garment. Don't forget to protect the front of the garment from the bleach.

Keep in mind that not all colors bleach the same.  Black can become brown, or gray or a purple pink.  If you have extra fabric you can do a test swatch to see how it will turn out.  Remember the darker the color of the fabric the more dramatic your results will be. 

On this piece you can see my spray bottle started dripping and left splotches on the fabric.

The dark denim bleached to a worn looking lighter blue color and because of the texture of the fabric the lace pattern was less crisp then the smoother fabrics.

Have fun experimenting!

Egg stravaganza - Three ways to decorate your eggs!

Marbleized eggs

These marbleized eggs are from Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts.  There are many egg dying and decorating ideas in this book and this one looked the most kid friendly.  It is very simple, although you will want to supervise young children if you don't want food coloring in unexpected places.  Two tips- Use less oil, a tablespoon was too much.  Also I had better results when I dipped the eggs in rather than rolling the egg in the dye.

Marbleized Easter Eggs How-To 

    1. Prepare a dye bath in a small heatproof mixing bowl: Mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring (use more to intensify color) with 1 cup of hot water. Add an egg, and submerge it until it turns the desired hue. Remove egg; let dry, about 15 minutes.

     2. In a shallow, wide bowl, prepare another batch of dye in a darker or different shade; this will provide the swirls. The liquid should be 1/2 inch deep. Add about 1-2 teaspoons of cooking oil (you may need more depending on the size of the container). Run a fork through this mixture, creating swirls of oil on the surface. Place the dyed egg in the marbleizing mixture, and roll it once around the bowl to pick up the oil streaks; remove, and blot gently with a paper towel. Let dry, 30 minutes.

For more distinct veining don't pat dry.

tip- Dip egg rather than let it roll around in the dye.

Ukrainian Decorated Eggs

Also known as pysanky this type of egg decorating offers striking results.  I like to think of it as doodling on eggs with wax.  It is just like batik, but instead of fabric you're working on an egg shell. As you draw on the egg with wax it then protects that area from the next dye that egg is dipped into.  You repeat this process going from the lightest to the darkest color of dye.  The best part is when you melt the wax off revealing the bright colors underneath.   This process is not as difficult as you might imagine, just a bit time consuming, but in a very good way!

 Basic Instructions 

These are streamlined instructions, for more complete directions and numerous design ideas consult the book Decorating Eggs by Jane Pollack.  You'll need some inexpensive, but unique supplies.  I've found two places in the area that sell the supplies- Rainbow Fabrics in Fairfax and The Caning Shop in Berkeley.  There are kits you can buy that have the dyes, kistka, beeswax and often include a booklet of instructions and designs.  You can also easily find these supplies on the internet. 

Supplies you will need: raw room temperature white eggs, beeswax, kistka, dyes, candle, pencil, and paper towels.

kistkas & beeswax

1.  Wash your hands! Oils from your hands will adhere to the egg shell and make the dying uneven. 

2.  Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.  Wax will not stick to cold, damp eggs and dying will be uneven.

 3.  Lightly draw on your design and/or guidelines on your egg with the pencil. Try using a rubber band to help with drawing long straight lines.  Do not erase any mistakes, erasing can cause uneven dying.  The pencil marks disappear when the wax is melted off.

 4.  When you are ready to use the kistka light your candle and heat the brass funnel part (not the tip) of the of the tool in the flame.  Use the heated part of the funnel to scoop out a little bit of beeswax.  It will melt from the heat.  Practice drawing on a some paper until you get the wax easily flowing and you feel comfortable using the tool.  I like to work on a paper plate and use it to test the flow of the melted wax.  The kistka and melted beeswax will eventually pick up some of the soot from the flame, this is normal and helpful, as it is much easier to see the darkened wax on egg shell. You will need to reheat your kistka in the flame every so often to keep the wax melted.  Draw on the egg as you would a pencil.

Heating the kistka and scouping up wax.

If you overheat the wax it will puddle. Practice first on some paper.

5.  Draw everywhere you want the egg to be white.

Hold your pinky finger against the egg to keep your hand steady.

6.  Dip your egg for 30 or so seconds into a bath of one quart of water with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar.  This will clean the egg of any oils and help the egg take the dye evenly. Dry egg with paper towel, patting not rubbing.

7.  Using a spoon carefully lower the egg into the dye.  Dropping the egg into the dye bath can cause the shell to crack.  The time the egg spends in the dye bath varies.  Some colors take right away after a few seconds, some can take 5 to 15 minutes.  When you are happy with the color of your egg remove the egg from the dye using the spoon to raise the egg out of the bath.  Carefully pick up the egg off the spoon with a clean paper towel and gently pat the egg dry.  Keep in mind that the dye on the paper towel can get transferred onto clean eggs or eggs dyed other colors so use clean towels for each color.

8.  Wipe spoons clean before putting them into different dye baths. 

9.  Repeat the process for each color you want to add, adding wax to your design to keep the surface color.  It is best to start from your lightest color and work up to your darkest.  For example: yellow, orange, pink, red, and ending with blue or black.

This shows the progression after yellow- orange, pink and red.

10.  On your final color you will not add any wax.  Pat dry and get ready for the big reveal.  Use a candle stick rather than a pillar candle, you need the flame exposed.  Hold the egg next to the flame, not in it or above it for a few seconds.  Wipe away the melted wax with a clean paper towel or bathroom tissue.

Finished!

I don't blow out my eggs.  While many pysanky artists advise blowing out your eggs, you really don't have to do this extra step.  I don't like how blown eggs float in the dye.  You have to weigh the eggs down in the dye bath which can be challenging.  So I leave my eggs whole and eventually the inside will dry out.  If you are careful in how you handle and store your eggs you can have eggs that last years.  Store in a cool area in paper egg cartons. Or you can coat the egg with a high-gloss or matte-finish polyurethane.  Make sure to use a product that is not water soluble, you want an oil based product.  After the egg has dried it is safe to blow it out if desired.

Try not be intimidated or overwhelmed by the work of expert pysanky artists.  With a bit of practice you can create lovely eggs.  Consider experimenting by applying these techniques in non-traditional ways.  Writing on the egg with the kistka stylus takes a little practice, but even children with adult supervision can produce exciting results.   

Eggs done by a 10 year old

When it is time to display your eggs make sure not to place them in the sun, let children shake them, or get any moisture on them.  Oh and you don't eat these eggs!

Silk Dyed Eggs

For this project you need 100% silk fabric, not silk blended with other material.  Try using silk ties. You can find them at thrift stores.  I was amazed at the quantity of ties that Goodwill had. Or if you can use old silk garments or scarves.  

Look for bright, printed patterns.

Silk-Dyed Easter Eggs How-To1. Cut silk into pieces large enough to wrap around a raw egg.

2. Tightly wrap a raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the printed side of the material is facing the egg. Secure with a twist tie.

3. Place the silk-wrapped egg in a piece of undyed cotton and secure tightly with another twist-tie.

4. Place egg(s) in an enamel or glass or nonreactive pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover eggs completely. Add three tablespoons of white vinegar to the water.

5. Bring water to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 40 minutes or longer.

6. Remove eggs from water with tongs or spoon, place on a cooling rack, and let cool.

7. Remove silk from cooled egg.

8. For shiny eggs, wipe with a paper towel dabbed in vegetable oil.

Video demonstration from www.marthastewart.com

Bet this one is tough to pedal, but with decorated eggs who cares!