Brittany's Pantry

It recently occurred to me that I am making a few assumptions about you, my readers.  The more I read and research different kinds of blogs, I noticed that mine is pretty basic.  And I like that.   I don’t feel the need to crowd the page with irrelevant distractions or pictures of every step of my cooking.  If I am posting a recipe for cookies, I am going to assume that you do not need me to show you a picture of my mixing bowl with butter in it, and then with sugar in it, and then with eggs in it.  In my opinion, this is a lot of  wasted space and a lot to scroll through.  It makes it hard to just read through a recipe and decide if it is something you want to try or something that you would never make.  That said, things about cooking and baking which I feel as if I have known forever (ie. what it means to cut in butter to dry ingredients), might not be something you have ever done if you haven’t ever made biscuits or pie crust from scratch.  So I will henceforth make a stronger effort to be clear about my steps.  And if you ever need clarification, please comment or email me and I will remedy the situation.

Speaking of cutting in butter, it is the process of breaking cold butter down into small pieces to be distributed through out the dry mixture.  If it was softened, like when making cookies, you would have a dough with the fat completely incorporated-not the goal.  When making biscuits or pie crust, you want them flaky, with layers, right?  If the butter stays cold and is ‘cut’ into small, pea sized pieces, the heat of the oven hits it and it melts.  When it melts, it forms a little pocket of steam and puffs a bit, creating the flaky layers we all desire to pull apart in wonderful biscuits.  A food processor will quickly cut the butter of recipe into the dry ingredients, but I usually use it if I am making a decent sized batch.  A pastry blender is easy to use and perfect for a small batch for your family.  They are very inexpensive and probably available in your local grocery store.  You can also cut in butter by using two butter knives.  Keep your butter cold and everything should turn out great.

As an individual who loves to cook, my kitchen is one of my favorite places to be.  This may not be very apparent right now, as I live in a kitchen that is slowly going through a complete renovation and it is anything but functional or inviting.  But it will be!  Let me also take the time to apologize for the erratic blog entries.  I am recovering from bronchitis and pneumonia, my kids are a bit sick, my husband is changing shifts at work, and, of course, the ever present home renovation.  Please be patient.  The entries should pick up again soon.

Anyway…my Mother saved everything.  What does this have to do with my kitchen, you ask?  A lot.  Off the top of my head, I know that my Mom has at least one box in her basement full of nothing but old picture frames.  Lots and lots of picture frames.  No glass, just the frames, mostly old, dusty and broken.  She has kept them for decades just because she may need them someday.  Her desire to hold onto interesting things for the future has proven extremely useful over the years.  But, I am not like this.  If I haven’t used it recently or it does not have extreme sentimental value, I get rid of it.  You won’t find a ton of clothes in my closet; my entire year-round wardrobe fits in a two foot space.  You won’t find boxes of memorabilia in my attic.  And you won’t find a kitchen full of items I don’t use.  It is not pleasant to work in a space where you have to dig to find what you want.  Now, I don’t really care what is in your closet, but what is in people’s kitchen cupboards intrigues me.  Why, may I ask are you still storing that deep fryer you got as a wedding present 10 years ago and have never used?  Why do you have 9 different casserole dishes, but you only use 3 on a regular basis?  When was the last time you purged your utensil drawer?  These are questions I wish I could ask all home cooks everywhere.  And I urge, you…please!!  Get rid of it if you have no use for it.  I apply this philosophy to my whole house.  I have a continual bag in my hall closet that is headed to Goodwill.  Items from my kitchen are frequent deposits.  As my family and my tastes change, so does what I use from my cupboards.  Mind you, its not like I am replacing my dishes every year.  But if there is anything that moving 7 times in 6 years taught me, its DON’T KEEP STUFF YOU DON’T USE!  Clean out, reorganize, make some room, and write it off on your taxes!  You will breathe easier, your home will function better, and you will be a more efficient and productive individual in the kitchen.

My final note for today is about my compost bin.  Now, I am not going to lecture you about the importance of recycling (which you all should be doing) or which foods you should be buying organic (the dirty dozen), or the easiest way to conserve water in your home (low flow shower heads).  But my compost bin is particularly cool.  My husband, my children and I continually strive to reduce the amount of waste our house produces.  In addition to purposely buying items in packages that I know are recyclable or reusable, we cut our kitchen waste by using a rotating barrel compost tumbler.  We compost tea bags, coffee grounds, apple cores, banana peels, lettuce that has gone bad, and all manner or raw foods.  Mixed with shredded newspapers, grass clippings, chopped up dead leaves, pulled weeds, last years annuals, and the trimmings from my iris bulbs, I end up with free fertilizer for my gardens and less waste for the garbage man.  There are lots of different kinds of compost bins out there for every yard regardless of available space or effort you want to put forth.  I have even seen counter top bins made only for coffee grounds and filters!  Think about it.  It may be a change you want to try this year.

And now, because I hate to do a blog entry without a recipe, here is a quickie that is perfect to whip up for breakfast or brunch when you have a house full of people during the holidays.  This might sound a bit strange, but it is excellent, trust me.  I saw Paula Deen make something like this years ago, and while I have no idea if this is anything like her original recipe, this is how I make it.  And the picture below is how I serve it, with scrambled eggs and fruit.  A big glass of juice and coffee with a bit of extra maple syrup for drizzling and mmmmmmm. Piggy Pudding
Serve this drizzled with honey or real maple syrup.  If you have Apple Cider Syrup on hand, its even better.

1/2 lb breakfast sausage, browned, crumbled and drained of fat
2 apples, such as granny smith or golden delicious, peeled cored and sliced thin
1 T flour
1 T of sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

Spread the sausage in the bottom of a 9X9 glass baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Toss the apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon together and layer on top of the sausage.  Mix the corn muffin mix according to package directions and pour evenly over the top.  Bake at 375 for 20 -25 minutes, or until golden brown all over the top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.
Note: I like to brown the sausage ahead of time and keep it in my freezer or fridge.  That makes throwing this together in the morning sooo much easier.

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