Back in my Belly…

While the adventure mobile is stuck in the shop until the new year, I've been spending less time on the road and more in the kitchen. The damage sits around $5,000, so I'm doing what I can to use what's in storage and make the most of my purchases. Putting myself on a budget has been a blessing, an opportunity to explore new dishes I've wanted to for some time. 

Bread is incredibly cheap and easy to make, I've gotten pretty confident with it and am ready for more recipes. I'm baking about a loaf per week, devouring it between sammiches and as a side for soup or chili. When it goes stale I turn whats left into bread crumbs, croutons or freeze for the mornings I wake up craving french toast. 

After endless hounding by my father I finally dusted off the carboys and started brewing. My first batch was an IPA based off of Anderson Valley's, Hop Ottin. She will have an incredibly strong taste profile from dry hopping during the secondary fermentation and should be ready to drink in a week. I haven't made cider since college and since the gear was out I tackled that too. This batch is technically considered a wine with and APV around 11% and will be ready after Christmas.

Unless you grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania the following may be a bit strange, red beet eggs. I woke up missing home one weekend morning and oddly remedied it by making this Dutch treat for the first time. Since the initial batch, I've made three more jars and have ate them all. A pickled egg a day keeps the girls away...or, maybe it's just me?

With the fall season comes some of my favorite things to cook, soup, stew and chili. I didn't get photos due to bad lighting, but I finally made ox tail soup. Incredible, how beautiful the cheap cuts and nasty bits are when slowly simmered or braised all day. Along those lines, it's about time I make pho again.

Lastly, I made stock for the first time from the leftovers of one of the best roast chickens I've ever had. Check out Thomas Keller's recipe if interested and prepare your taste buds for ecstasy. I had planned on making soup Sunday night until challenged by a friend to make her chili. Needless to say, it was a perfect meal to start the week and I had enough to freeze for those nights I'm too lazy to cook.