Giveaway Results! And some jam

Okay, so I know I said that I was going to post the results yesterday.  It was just a busy day, and when I got home I was tired...you know how it goes.  

First I want to copy and paste a comment I made in the giveaway post.  I figured there was a better chance it would get seen here (of course everyone is going to read this post to see if they're a winner!)

Thank you for entering! I'm going to give everyone until midnight to enter, and then I'll pick a winner tomorrow. I just wanted to respond to a few comments.

First - I have to say that I didn't come up with the name of Passover Crack! Smitten Kitchen came up with that, but I have been making that recipe for years and years.

katidyd - I tried to figure out how to add email signups and I couldn't! If anyone has any tips/hints, I would appreciate it. And if you live nearby I would love to give you some amish starter.

Thank you so much everyone for checking out my blog, and I hope to hear from all of you in the future!

I really mean that - it's been so great to hear from so many new people.  I really wish everyone could be a winner!

But okay, I won't drag it out any longer.  The winner was.....

Memoria from the blog Mangio da Sola!  I used random number generator (random.org) to pick a winner from the 87 entries, and entry #10 won - where she became a follower.  I tried to copy and paste the results from the site, but had some difficulties doing it on my mac.

Memoria - if you could contact me to give me your email address, I'll send it over to the representative from CSNstores, and you'll get your gift certificate!  I'm so excited to see what you get, you'll have to blog about it!

And on another note - I was in the mood yesterday for a pb&j sandwich.  I went to get out my jam from the fridge, and saw that there was mold on the top of the lid.  Definitely not a good sign.  I'm still in that lazy mood so I wasn't about to go to the store (even though there are several items I sorely need).  Last night I decided I wanted something fruity for dessert, so I unearthed some strawberries I froze last summer.  I decided to heat them up in the microwave with some sugar and tapioca (to attempt to soak up the juices).  They were still really juicy, so I added some cornstarch and heated some more.  I was surprised when it came out jelly-like.  I added some frozen raspberries to it, and called it jam!  I made a pb&j sandwich today with it.  It's not the best jam I've ever had, but it does really well in a pinch!  And it's preservative and HFCS free, always a good thing.

Recipe: Strawberry and Raspberry "Jam"

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen raspberries

2-4 tbsp sugar (depends on how sweet your fruit is)

1 tsp instant tapioca (optional)

2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions:

Put the fruit in a microwave-safe bowl, and sprinkle the sugar and tapioca over them.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the cornstarch on top, and stir well until it is dissolved.  Microwave on high for another 3-4 minutes, stirring after every minute or two, until it comes to a jelly-like state.  You can either enjoy it warm (it would taste great with yogurt or ice cream), or stick it in the fridge and use it as jam.

I survived!

Ladies and gentlemen (although I'm pretty sure it's just ladies - except for maybe my dad) - I have completed my first year of grad school!  I finished my takehome exam last night, and now it's just burning a hole in my backpack until I can turn it in on Monday.  I can't put into words how great it feels to be done!  I'm not going to pretend that I spent every minute of the last year studying or learning, but that was always at the back of my mind.  So now when I watch an SVU marathon for an entire day, I really don't need to feel guilty about it!  But seriously, there are so many things I want to do now.  First - there are two farmers markets I want to check out.  I usually go to the one downtown every Saturday, but apparently there are two others - one on Tuesdays and one on Wednesdays.  I also want to go to every orchard nearby and pick all of the fresh berries!  I think I need to clear out freezer space just for that.
But right now, I'm just being lazy, and watching lots of tv and bad movies.  I haven't been to the grocery store in a while, in part because I am trying to save money and clean out my pantry, and also because I just haven't had a lot of time.  So I was hungry, and realized I had nothing convenient to eat.  I have a ton of eggs, and I thought about making a frittata.  But of course, I was not in the mood to actually chop anything to put in it.  So I went the easy way - I made a big pan of scrambled eggs, and added in some jarred roasted peppers (I didn't even chop them, I literally tore them up right over the pan).  But it was definitely delicious.

So I just want to remind you one last time to enter the giveaway!  Today is the last day!
And happy mother's day to all of you mothers!

Sourdough starter!

I am so incredibly excited - today when I got back from hours of studying, a sourdough starter was waiting for me in my mail!  My favorite person from the children's hospital I worked at last year told her sister about my blog, and my sourdough troubles, and she sent me some of hers!  She has been making sourdough bread for the past 16 years, so she is my sourdough expert and angel.

I was sent 1/4 cup of the starter, and I added 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour (unbleached) and 1/3 cup whole wheat flour.  I'm letting it sit in a warm place for 24 hours, and then it will live in the fridge.  There are so many things I want to make with this - I can use it in my artisan bread, I want to make pretzels, rolls, I even heard you can make chocolate cake with it!

So stay tuned - I will be having a lot of fun with it once exams are over!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Easy pasta

After using up all of my strawberries, I still have a ton of spinach left.  Since it's been several days since I bought it, I decided that it would probably taste better cooked than fresh.  This was a very easy dinner.  I was going to write up an actual recipe, but realized that it wasn't really necessary.  When cooking pasta, add spinach in the last minute or two so it cooks, but is not overcooked.  And roasted shrimp is great with this - toss peeled shrimp (thawed if frozen) with olive oil and s&p, and cook for ~7 minutes at 400 F.  Toss everything together and enjoy with some freshly grated cheese.

The perfect spring-like salad

I went to the farmers market last Saturday, and was very excited to see strawberries!  I bought strawberries and fresh spinach.  There was some asparagus, but it was a bit expensive.  I can't wait until there are more veggies though.
I remembered there was a salad my mom had made when I was a kid, that had strawberries and spinach and a sweet dressing.  I got the recipe from her, and realized that I didn't have all of the ingredients.  I made it anyway, and it was so good.  I didn't have the worcestershire, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds, and I used all red wine vinegar with a splash of balsamic.  I used a small glass jar to mix the dressing - it was easy to shake it all up, and it stores it well.  The dressing is so pretty!  It's pink, and kind of sparkly because of the sugar and oil.  I remember that with the missing ingredients, it is even better.  Oh and I used half the sugar - I thought it was sweet enough as is.

Recipe: Strawberry and Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup vinegar (red wine and/or balsamic)
1/2 cup oil (a neutral oil, like canola or vegetable)
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp worcestershire

1 bag spinach
2 pints strawberries, sliced

Directions:
Mix everything except for the spinach and strawberries, it works well in a glass jar.  Toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing and serve.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Homemade ginger ale

I'm not a big soda drinker.  I really dislike most coke/pepsi products.  I love having root beer or cream soda every once in a while.  And I love ginger ale.  While I was visiting my sister in New York in the winter, I discovered green tea ginger ale.  It was amazing.  And I haven't been able to find it since!  I have to say that a good substitute for it is just pure homemade ginger ale.  I might try mixing in some green tea the next time I make it - see if I can make my own!

This ginger ale was so good, and tasted just like fresh ginger.  It had a much stronger bite to it than the store-bought kind.  I used the leftover ginger to make candied ginger.  The recipe said to leave it out for a day or two, but I am unfortunately having some issues with fruit flies.  So I left it in the fridge for several days and it worked just fine.

Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale and Candied Ginger (recipe from One Perfect Bite)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ginger, peeled and sliced thinly (a spoon works really well to peel)
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 cups water
1 quart club soda
1 lime, sliced in wedges

Directions:
Combine ginger, 1 cup sugar and water in a saucepan.  Simmer slowly for 2 hours, until sugar is dissolved and ginger is softened.  Strain warm syrup and allow to cool.  Save the ginger pieces to make candied ginger.  To serve - take 1 part ginger syrup and 3 parts club soda, and squeeze some lime juice in the glass.
For the candied ginger - line a cookie sheet with wax/parchment paper.  Place a cooling rack on top.  Toss the ginger with 1/2 cup sugar and dry on rack for 1-2 days.  (Can do this in the fridge if necessary, but it will take longer.)  Store in an airtight container.

Don't forget about my giveaway!

What to do with great bread

It is so exciting that I have so many new followers!  I know that most are here for the giveaway, but regardless, I feel a little bad that I haven't posted in over a week.  I can blame exams yet again.

So I have been baking my artisan bread, and let me tell you, it makes a great sandwich!  This isn't worthy of writing up an actual recipe, but I've made some sandwiches with sundried tomatoes, provolone or laughing cow cheese, and spinach.  And it was delicious!  The best thing is that I discovered the trick to cutting sandwich bread is to wait until the bread is completely at room temperature - then you can cut it really thin.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway!  It ends on Sunday, and a lucky winner will get a $40 gift certificate to use at CSN stores.