Insecurity in the Kitchen

Hello everybody!  The Fresh Pioneer is back!

   I'm such a fan (NOT) of change, I thought we'd try recipes a little off the beaten track... for me. Maybe not for you.

  Which brings me to the title of the post: Insecurity In the Kitchen.

 Edna comes from this era, I believe.

 

Now, even though she's a mixer of steel and advocates never letting them see you sweat (or smell your engine smoking), there's still an itty bitty bit of a pleaser left in her. I know this because I found her this way...

Now, we all love a good cookbook, but I'd never actually seen her beater-deep in the pages of such a thing. Poetry, yes. Romance, every day! But a 50's 'Joys of Jello'? Hmmmm.... Was it the Marine giving her insecurity issues? I needed to sit and ponder, but I was a bit busy.

I'd picked up a Rocket Grill for super cheap and was SO excited to make panini sandwiches. Ok, I may have talked about it a few times. Maybe even twenty. It just never occured to me that Edna would consider this sleek little grill any sort of competition.

I bought it at a yard sale for $8 but when I got it home, I realized our ancient kitchen didn't have the right plug in near the counters. Rocky would have to heat up on the floor. Near the toddlers. Ugh. So, I had to take an older kid off laundry duty and plant him near the grill, for safety. He's obviously enjoying the break with his new Rick Riordan book.

I heard a strange whimpering sound and turned to see this... Edna reading the Joy of Cooking. Things were serious. She had real issues. But I was busy assembling the sandwiches and just didn't have time to reassure her. I looked at her and thought...

 

 

 

And then the grill broke. Seriously. It got really, really, really hot, but the two grill parts were stuck together!!!!!! No paninis!! 

 

There was a shout of triumph from Edna. Which was quickly covered by a cough...

Insecurity from Edna?? I mean, no comparison!!!

Edna or Rocky? Edna, no contest.

Especially since Rocky turned out to be 8 bucks worth of unsafe heating equipment that smelled a lot like somebody else's dinner.

 

But then, I realized, if the President of France gets insecure about being vertically challenged, I guess I can understand a little jealousy.

 So, I said, 'Edna, Dearest, let's make something fun. I've got just the book for you!'

She was ALL SMILES!!! We cracked it open immediately!

 She wanted this one: Watergate Cake with Impeachment Frosting. It's election year and Edna is quite political.

 

 

I voted for the Kentucky Bourbon Cake because... well, obviously, it's got BOURBON in it. Yuuuuummmmmm. Except I had no bourbon.

 

We both thought this sounded quite intriguing: Not-for-Children Gingerbread Bundt Cake. But that wouldn't be possible in the zoo that is my house.

In the end, we decided on trying out a very difficult frosting recipe. Because no matter if Edna is a little insecure and I'm a complete kitchen FAIL, together we can make good things.

So, MARSHMALLOW FROSTING was on the menu.

   Our chickens are on strike. My sister just 'happened' to come by with 3 cartons of farm fresh eggs. She's got an inside line to Somebody Important and apparently that Somebody wants me to cook marshmallow frosting.

Here are 4 egg whites. Edna said to just hold the yolk gently in my hand and let the whites drip through. No chance of a punctured yolk. Ugh. Yuck. And it worked. Here are the yolks and the whites. (We did hire a lawyer, Ruthy. It was a permanent separation.)

Combine one cup of sugar,

 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (which always makes me think of warriors on small horses),

1/2 cup water.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes. Then put in the candy thermometer...

 

 

WAIT! You don't have a candy thermometer???

 

Yeah, I didn't either until a little while ago when my sister said there was no way to cook without one.

 (P.S. My mother said without a thermometer you can use this method to find the softball stage:

Drop a ball of the boiling sugar water in a cup of cold water. If it balls up, and you can roll it between your fingers [IN THE WATER, NOT DIRECTLY FROM THE PAN] then it's softball. When it drops to the bottom and makes a small rock- hardball.)

 

We're heading for softball, which is 242F on the thermometer.

It took about 10 minutes.

 

Combine the egg whites in a mixer bowl with a whisk attachement. Edna just rolled her eyes (I mean, beaters) and said it was fine. So, in they went with 1/8 tsp of salt.

Now, after soft peaks have formed, you'll take the sugar mixture that's been getting to 242F and slowly add it in. Timing is everything. So if the sugar mixture isn't ready, you don't want to whip the egg whites to FIRM PEAKS (which is where we were headed with this) and let them sit.

 They will not wait.

No patience.

So, soft peaks, watching the thermometer, then quick into firm peaks, then add the sugar mix.

A note: I'm sure you're all aware how HOT that stuff is. But just in case... be careful. This isn't a kid-friendly recipe. To eat, yes. Not to make.

 

After about 5 minutes of mixing on high, it should look like this. Edna was enjoying the workout. I was drooling. At this point add 2 tsp vanilla.

 

To be used immediately!

 

 Which means this:

 

Now, that's bound to make any insecurities just fade away.

 Here's to friends, working together, and kicking your negative inner voice in the knee!

Until next time!

IMPORTANT: This is just a small note for those who have seen the devastation from Hurricane Sandy and would like to donate to the small organizations on the ground. This news comes from Mary Curry, who has spent days trying to fill the gaps in the hardest hit neighborhoods. The donations to these sites go directly to the groups working person to person. Of course, all prayers are needed!!

"The other effort that I know of is for a specific location in Red Hook, Brooklyn. They were one of the first and hardest hit areas in Brooklyn. Their page is very slow to load but donations are through paypal. http://www.rhicenter.org/index.html


Also, this group - Masbia - is a nonprofit that has been providing hot meals for people in the shelters. http://www.masbia.org/
They've been trying to accomodate the needs of seniors with special dietary needs in the big shelter in my neighborhood. It's really sad - 600+ seniors evacuated from nursing homes and Bellevue.


Right now we're trying to buy and donate specific items requested like cleaning supplies, diapers, batteries, etc. and making meals whenever requested. It's so hard to see what's needed between local relief efforts and the big fed and city donations. The variety of items needed is so varied, everything from adult diapers and underwear to blankets and warm clothes to cleaning supplies, etc. I figure since we're here, we can do the immediate need kind of donations and people further away who want to help can make the online donations."

 

-- Mary Curry

Thanks again everybody and have a wonderful Wednesday!