Weed or Not? Dandelion Jelly and Bruschetta.

It was my day off today.  I slept until 8:30, which is sleeping in for me.  I had no plans.  But somehow, as I was lying in bed, I remembered that I have heard of people cooking with dandelions.  I also remembered that dandelions are very healthy.  And I also remembered seeing an abundance of dandelions growing along the edges of the apple orchards when I went for a run yesterday.  So this led to me looking through recipe and mouthwatering recipe for braised dandelion greens, dandelion bruschetta, dandelion pesto, and finally, dandelion jelly.  These recipes were enough to force me out of the warm depths of my bed to go on a dandelion hunt.  I donned my rubber boots, for it was lightly drizzling outside, grabbed a couple buckets, stopped my the kitchen where I work for some advice from one of the chefs, and then started the short walk to the apple orchards.  I have never felt more natural, organic, peaceful, and 'at one with the earth' before.  By the way, because of my sarcastic nature and my opposition to anything so called cheesy, I never use the phrase 'at one with the earth' without a heavily sarcastic tone.  But I did feel very relaxed and calm.
After filling one plastic bucket with dandelion greens and one with the sunny flowers, I walked back, making a quick stop at the organic foods store near my flat to pick up an orange and a lemon for my jelly.  Now it was time to begin.  I am not including the recipes for the jelly or the bruschetta here because neither one turned out ideal, but I still plan to play around with them, so if I figure out the perfect way, I'll be sure to let you know.  So for now, this post is just a story of my day.

A cup of my favorite tea was the best companion...

 First I started with the flowers.  To make the jelly, you must remove all the petals, but be careful not to include any of the green parts, as they are very bitter.  It took a bit for me to get the hang of it and to figure out the best way to do that.  It was rather relaxing, though, to stand at my kitchen counter, watch the rain fall on the cherry trees below, and hear nothing but my thoughts and the rain...oh and the pounding of the workers on the roof next door to me.

 I boiled about a liter of water and then added the petals and slices of orange and lemon.

After this cooked for about 10 minutes, I took it from the heat, strained it through a towel, and cooled it in the sink with cold water.

Then I returned it to the heat and added a bit of vanilla and the sugar and pectin mix that you can buy here in Germany.  This is where I believe I messed up with the jelly.  I added enough to make it the correct sweetness, but I guess it was not enough to make it jell properly.  So now my jelly looks wonderful, but is more like a thick syrup. But it tastes pretty darn delicious!  Maybe I'll have to try it on pancakes!  I did still pour it into four jars and seal them by putting the lid on immediately and then putting them upside down to cool.

Here are a couple abnormal dandelions... The bottom one has one stem, but 9 flowers!

After I had finished with the jelly, cleaned the kitchen, and done all the dishes, I was more than a little hungry for lunch.  So I washed all of the greens and trimmed off the stems.  Then I steamed them for a couple minutes to soften them a bit.  I cooked one small onion and a bit of garlic in a pan with some olive oil until they were a bit brown and then added the greens.  I seasoned them with a bit of salt and pepper and squeezed a bit of lemon juice over the top.  I tasted it at this point and they were still quite bitter, so I sprinkled in a tiny bit of sugar and a small drizzle of red wine vinegar.  This truly improved the flavor.  I had gotten some whole wheat bread from the freezer, so I toasted up a few thin slices of it.  Then I chopped some fresh tomato and put this on the toast with a crumble of parmesan cheese.  Finally I added the cooked greens.  They turned out very yummy, but very difficult to eat.  The green were still quite tough, so I think when I try it next time, I will cut them up a bit more and maybe steam them longer.  I ended up having to take huge bites because I could not bite through the greens!  But the flavor was top notch so I will be trying it again.  I imagine a goat cheese would taste wonderful with the dandelion greens also.  All in all, a successful day...

Just a day, just an ordinary day...

You know those days when the weather is just awful?  As in a day like today... It is raining... And blowing like nothing else... And it is cold.
Well that's how it is today and fortunately it is my day off.
I have a personal policy for my days off.  I must relax.
It sounds simple and rather obvious, but I have discovered that my natural instinct to put off my laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. until my one day off a week.  Then instead of regaining my energy by slowing down, I work extra hard and end up more tired than I was before.

  

So today, my laundry is done, my apartment is clean (enough at least), my groceries are purchased, and I can just... relax.
For today that translates into my spoiling myself by whipping up a killer guacamole (recipe follows), cutting up some fruit (mango, kiwi, and orange), making a hot pot of Earl Grey tea and reading a lovely book.  Later I may or may not be planning on pulling some leftover Christmas cookies out of the freezer...

My book of choice today, happens to be Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables.  I had read the first few chapters at the beginning of December, but had forsaken it when I downloaded The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.  It is a mystery, of course, and I got hooked by it and could not put it down until I discovered who committed the murder.  Now that I finished it, I am returning to figure out what happens to young Emily Starr.
To sum up this rather random and unorganized post, I'll just say that I am quite thankful for my warm apartment (even though the windows are a bit drafty) and for good food... Cannot complain, as life is good and God is my great King...

Robin's Tasty Guacamole

1 large avocado, medium soft

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

1 small tomato

1/2 lime, juiced

1 1/2 tsp. salt (more or less depending on taste preference)

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 or 2 dashes of cayenne pepper

1)  Cut avocado in half with peel on, and remove pit.  Cut each half into cubes while still in the peel and then scrape the pieces into a medium bowl.  Use a spoon or fork to mash until it reaches desired texture.  I like mine with a few chunks, so I stop mashing it before it becomes totally smooth.  

2)  Dice onion into small pieces and add to avocado.  Mince garlic next and also add to avocado.  

3)  Slice tomato and remove seeds and all middle parts until you just have rings.  Then cut into small pieces and add to bowl with avocado, onion, and garlic.

4)  Add lime juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and mix well.

5)  Chill for 20 - 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend and intensify.

6)  I like to serve mine with thin, toasted ciabatta slices, as they have a nice flavor that goes well with the guacamole and make a more complete meal for vegetarians.

7)  If you wish to store it, save the avocado pit and put it back in the guacamole to help it from become brown as quickly.

Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups guacamole.