Leap Year, February 29

I hope everyone is faring well in the doldrums of Winter. I think the secret is to have hobbies or things you enjoy doing when there isn’t as much action to be had outdoors. In my case, I have too many things I am interested in doing.

There are projects waiting for me everywhere! I am not kidding. There’s the scarf I am knitting to match my new Winter coat. It is 2/3’s done. Two skeins of yarn weren’t enough so I had to order some online and wait (momentum died).

There’s the book folding pattern of a motorcycle for my son which required at least 1,000 pages. The size was a tough one but I am using a Webster’s New World College Dictionary (librarians and others who might object, I am sorry). I am now on page 450 of the pattern.

Also, I am going to make an Easter decoration. I purchased the plastic eggs and I already had the twine and burlap ribbon. The Easter decoration idea comes from something I saw in the store, it was overpriced and I thought that I could make it for a lot less.

Lastly, my daughter wants a ponytail hat. That project is all cast onto my loom but I haven’t started knitting.

Once I told my Mom that things would slow down after I got “such-and-such” done. Her reply was, “No. You will just find something else to do.” There you have it! Moms are always right. I am resigned to the fact that this is the way I am and that I kind of like it that way.

Recipes

I have tried many things since my last post but there are a couple I would like share with you.

This first one is going to sound a little odd at first but you really must try it! It is fantastic. That is fantastic if you like dill pickles or dill in general. Let me know in the comments what you think when you try it.

Dill Pickle Soup (lavendarandmacarons.com)

This soup is actually a Polish recipe. I had never heard of it until recently. My brother-in-law told me they have it on the menu in a Buffalo area restaurant.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion finely minced
• 1 large carrot grated on large holes of box grater
• 1 c dill pickles sliced horizontally and then halved
• 5 c vegetable broth or chicken broth if you want
• 3 medium potato peeled and cubed
• 4 1/2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 4-5 tbsp pickle juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp dill chopped

Instructions

• Add broth to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add potatoes, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
• At the same time, heat butter in large non-stick pan (avoid Teflon pans) over medium heat.
• Add onion and carrot and cook until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 7 minutes. Stir in dill pickles and cook for 3 more minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, in a medium bowl whisk together sour cream, flour and 3 tablespoons of dill pickle juice.* (Note 1)
• Stir in sautéed vegetables, salt, pepper, sour cream and flour mixture into the pot with potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender when poked with a knife.
• Remove from the heat, and serve immediately garnished with fresh dill.

The bonus here is that it is a vegetarian soup and if you left out the sour cream it could be vegan too.

Oven Roasted Rotisserie Chicken (countrysidecravings.com)

Honest to goodness this chicken tasted like a rotisserie chicken you would buy in the store or one that I used to make when I had a rotisserie. The chicken was melt in your mouth delicious.

Ingredients

• ½-1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons onion powder
• ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• pepper to taste
• 1 (5 lb) (2.2kg) whole chicken
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C).
2. In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and peppers.  Set aside.
3. Remove giblets from chicken and rinse chicken in cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Rub chicken with olive oil then rub spice mixture over entire chicken.  Place in a baking dish, cast iron skillet, or rimmed baking sheet.  
4. Bake for 80-90 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.  Baste with juices 3 times during the cooking process if desired.  Let chicken rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

Let’s Do a Little Life Hacking Now

Microwaves are a great kitchen tool. Here are some things you can do with your “nuke” that you may not have thought of.

• A plastic cutting board can be put in the microwave for 1 minute to disinfect it. Wash the board well, rub it with a cut open lemon and nuke it for 1 minute. You can also microwave a sponge for a minute to sterilize it.

• If you have fresh herbs that you want to dry that only takes 1 minute as well. Just place them on a paper towel and put in for a minute. If they are not dry enough to crumble in your hand then you can keep microwaving at 20 second intervals until they are.

• Microwave garlic for 15 seconds to easily peel the cloves.

• To get more juice out of citrus fruit microwave them for 10 to 15 second and then juice away!

• If you have a stale roll or some sort of bread just wrap it in a paper towel or napkin for 20 seconds and viola it is edible again!

• Do you cry when cutting or chopping onions? Just peel the onion and microwave it for 30 seconds and chop without tears.

• Microwaving peaches or tomatoes for 30 seconds will make them easy to peel.

Beyond the Microwave

• If you accidentally over salt something that you are cooking peel a potato and add it to the pot. The potato will absorb the excess salt.

• Did you know that the tag on bed sheets, blankets, comforters indicates that it is to be placed at the lower right hand corner of the bed?
• Cornstarch will untangle any knot you have. Just sprinkle some on the knotted shoelace, string, chain, etc, rub it in and watch the knot untangle.
• Ever tried heating citrus or spices in water on the stove to make your house smell heavenly? Here’s one that will have your house smelling like a bakery in no time. Get a small pan and fill it with water. Just add some vanilla and cinnamon and simmer slowly. Remember to keep an eye on it though.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and found something that you can use. See you next time!