In The Kitchen: Marmalade and Candied Citrus Peel

The new year is starting with very little planning and more serendipitous action.  Every year I have begun it with resolutions, promises, a well planned calendar and lots of goals!  There is an accompanying 'to-do' list that expands over the year but is mainly to break down goals into doable chunks.  Yet, alas, in reflection on New Year's Eve, I do seem to only achieve 50% of what I had planned. Big Sigh...is released.  I think we all know why?  Life has a habit of not honoring our personal boundaries and goals when we have a lot to do.  Since we do not live in a bubble we are often waylaid by the daily challenges of being engaged in the lives of our co-workers, friends, family, our communities and routines that get waylaid.  

This year, I have reduced my priorities to basic things like pay attention to good health practices (exercise and fresh whole foods), reduce clutter (an on-going process), keep work at work, do something creative everyday and keep one on-going project alive that you can, should you wish to, follow on my historical clothing blog: http://www.lachatelainechocolat.blogspot.com  La Chatelaine Chocolat.  That being said, I have taken the last few days before I return to work as an educator, to relax, recharge and have fun.  Having fun for me is putting my hands to work cooking, sewing or some sort of creative endeavor.

My parents have several citrus trees in their 'back 40' as my Dad calls it.  (It isn't really 40 acres and there is no mule) but a nice size yard with 3 citrus trees: orange, grapefruit and Meyers lemon.  I picked a huge bag full of the oranges and the lemons and decided to make marmalade and candied citrus peel.  I haven't done this in such a long time and as I want to improve on the quality of food I eat and share, I thought I would give it a go.

Today, I finished up the marmalade and made the candied peel. What recipes did I use?  Well, between my 1950's Joy of Cooking by Rombauer (the new versions having nothing about canning at all in them), Tart and Sweet by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler and my own limited experience, I made the marmalade.

I used:
4 medium size oranges
3 lemons
All quartered and seeded and boiled in 3 cups of water the night before and allowed to sit 18 hours.

Today, I shredded the orange and lemon wedges and and returned it to the liquid it was in and boiled it.

The back enameled pot has the oranges and lemons before sugar is added.  The forefront is
the first boiling of the candied peel.

The marmalade was allowed to boil for 1 hour then I added 3 cups of sugar - I used an organic brand sold at Trader Joes.  I boiled the mixture until it reached jelly stage 220 F and used the chilled plate method to be sure it was ready.  The one thing I learned or was reminded about was to keep the marmalade moving. Stirring constantly...can't walk away - scorched marmalade is not tasty! (And, no I didn't scorch it but nearly did!)

In the meantime I sterilized my jars, and screw-tops and washed the lids.  When the marmalade reached the desired carmel color I filled the hot jars up to a 1/4 inch and sealed them.  The sealed jars went into a hot water bath for 10 mins.

Prepping the hot marmalade for hot processing in boiling water.

Hot water processing.

Finished product.

I love hearing the little 'ping!' when the seal solidifies.  Next I worked on the candied peel.

I used:
3 medium sized oranges
2 Meyers lemons

I removed the peel with as much pith attached as possible.  The peel was then shredded - sliced into strips.

In 2" of water, I brought the peel to a boil - removed and strained off the water.  This was repeated twice more to remove as much of the bitterness as possible.

After the rinsing boils, I put in the pot 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar and then brought to a boil.  The rind was added and the lot was boiled till the strips were translucent.  I prepared another jar - sterilized it - and when I poured the boiled rind into a sieve, the sugary liquid was captured to use as an orange/lemon syrup in cocktails or another culinary dish.

I allowed the candied rind to drain on a rack with parchment paper under neath to catch the drips for easy clean-up.

Candied rind fresh out the pot.

I decided to use a super fine sugar to coat the candied rind - it is what I had on hand...having used up my granular sugar stock in both processes.  I put the sugar in a large wide bowl, about 1 cup, then added the rind.  The rind was sticking to the rack, so I had to pull a lot of it off.  As I moved the rind about in the sugar they separated from each other and was well coated.  I let it sit a minute and then dusted them again in the sugar.  The sugared rind then sat on the parchment to cool and dry.

Sugaring the rind.

Once cooled, you can store it in an airtight container.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I used the Sweet Paul recipe in the Winter 2013 issue.  http://www.sweetpaulmag-digital.com/sweetpaulmag/winter_2013#pg1

One of my 2014 goals is to eat less processed food and rely on home cooking to regulate my diet. By making your own jams and preserves and 'candy' you can control how much sugar you use. This batch of marmalade is sweet but more tangy than store bought marmalades. I didn't use the full amount of sugar stated in either book I used as a reference.   I had fun doing this and I am looking around to see what else I can make...

If you try this, please let me know what you made and how it came out.  The resources I mentioned above are great for the novice jam maker.    Bon appetit!

Happy New Year!

A new year has begun and when I look back at 2013, I see that I was able to accomplish many things, one of which was to start this blog.  My goals this year are simple:  To continue to live and breath a creative life.  I keep reflecting on whether I have actually achieved that.  When you work a full time job it is often hard to see past all the anxiety of the weeks work and commuting to note:  Hey!, I am doing something creative everyday or at least most days!  Feeling frustrated that I haven't been able to keep up with my new blog.  Losing sight of my vision for this blog in the craziness and excitement getting ready for the holidays has been slowly undermining my focus and motivation to keep trying.  That being said, I can but try.  My main focus or the foundation of my New Year's Resolutions is to maintain my four agreements (by Don Miguel Ruiz):

Keeping these simple guidelines in mind, I hope to figure out how to prioritize and organize my time so that its is manageable - doable.   Fitting creativity around a weekly job that is not 9-5 in many cases - I am a teacher by profession - is always a challenge.  Working with teens is rewarding and I do not regret my 29 years of teaching at all.  However, it is exhausting physically and emotionally.  I need my creative time to help me refocus my attention on what is also important to me - art, crafts, sewing and writing.

I hope that 2014 will be my year to continue on my life's journey one step higher up on the spiral of possibility.  I have begun my quest to live a creative life and there is no time like the present to re-energize my motivation.  Thank you for stopping by. I hope to share my journey more frequently than I have.

May 2014 bring great joy, love and hope to your dreams, your family and all that you hold dear.

Cheers!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Holidays to all.  Thank you for your patience with the long lag times between postings! I hope that you will return often as I hope to recalibrate my blog to provide the latest on my creative endeavors and inspire you to continue to build your creative lifestyle.

I wish that your holidays have begun with joy and love and will end with a sense of renewal for the coming new year.

Best Wishes!  

Tutorial Mondays: Decorative display letters...Just in time for the holidays

Last year I decided to add to my collection of decorations for the holidays. I had seen in many magazines the trend of using lettering as a decorative detail and wanted to figure out how I could make a set with what I had around the house or at least with minor purchases.  With a little research which included studying different magazine pictures, etc., I came up with a method I thought would work.  And, it did!  I want to share with you how I did this in hopes of giving you the opportunity to try this out as well.

Materials:

1. Wooden letters (unfinished) - I got mine at Michael's Crafts (last year's project came from Joanne Fabrics).  The letters range from 99 cents to $1.50 a piece.  These were about 1/8 to 1/4" thick. 
2. Craft acrylic paint - I like the Folk Art brand but other's work as well.  I chose a red.
3. Embossing powder.  I chose silver.
4. A rubber stamp with a simple over all pattern.  I chose a 4 sided block of leaf patterns.
5. Embossing stamp pad (the medium that sets the embossing powders).  I have Hampton Art Stamps variety in a smaller pad and the one shown above by RangerInk, called Tinted Big and Bossy Giant pre-inked Embossing pad.  (Both are acid Free).
6. Heating tool
7. Sponge brush and access to water for clean-up.
8. News paper or a plastic drop to protect your work surface.
9. Drill for making holes.
10. Twine - I used a blue and white twisted twine.
11. Other optional supplies:  Light sandpaper to soften any rough edges (not shown), toothpicks

Step 1:

If you need to sand the letters so they are not rough at the edges, use a light sand paper or emery board and clean the edges.  Mine was acceptable so I didn't bother.  However, you need to drill the holes at the top of the letter to string together on twine later.  For the holes, I used a 3/32" drill bit and made two holes.

Step 2:

Paint the front side and edges of the letter with your acrylic craft paint.  I did a couple of layers, letting each one dry.  Don't forget the edges.  You can opt to do the back but wait till the paint is dry before your turn it over. (Can you spray paint these?  Sure why not, give it a try!  I prefer the acrylic paint).  Remember to keep the holes clear. Use a toothpick to clear the holes of paint if necessary.

Step 3:

(If you have not embossed before, try this on a thick card stock and practice).  

Now use the embossing pad and the rubber stamp:  Press the stamp into the pad, then press the stamp on to the surface of the letter in an overall way.  My stamp was bigger than the letter so I stamped and turned the block and stamped in an empty space and kept going till the letter was covered in an embossing ink pattern. The picture above shows the embossing ink highlighted in the light.

Step 4:  

Over a large piece of paper - paper towel will work or a piece of newspaper - I used an 8.5 x 11 printer paper - place the letter on the sheet.  Sprinkle your silver embossing powder all over. Don't worry about wasting the powder - we will recapture the left overs.

Step 5: 

Pick up the letter carefully so as not to rub off the embossing powder which is temporarily adhered to the embossing powder.  Shake off the excess and even tap an edge to the table over the paper to dislodge any more excess.  The excess embossing powder that was shaken off before heating can be recaptured.  Open the embossing powder container.   Pick up the paper (with the embossing left overs) and tilt the powder back into the container. It may seem tedious but I would do this for each letter.  The powder on the table gets every where and could interfere with your designs on the next letters.

Step 6:

Using the heating tool melt the embossing powder onto the letter. (Warning: Don't put the heating tool too close other wise you will melt the acrylic paint - yep! It will!  Acrylics are a plastic of some type - it will melt, bubble and burn, if you get too close and linger.)  You will know the embossing powder is melted and permanent when it turns from this sandy grey look to the...

shiny metallic look above.  Wait a second or two till it cools, then you can gently touch it without burning yourself.  If it is hard and smooth, its done!  If not apply the heat again.  You will see a visual change in the embossing powders as it transforms to its permanent state - it will bubble, rise and then flatten into a bright color.

Step 7: Once all the letters are done, use your chosen twine, string up the letters so that the twine comes up from the back and goes over the front into the next hole and out the back to the next letter.  

I would say that this took perhaps about 15 to 20 mins total to paint, dry, stamp and emboss the one letter in this tutorial.  The biggest time consumer is the painting and letting it thoroughly dry. If you don't let the paint dry the embossing powder will stick to any moist surface and the design will be smudged and not clean.  

All the materials can be found at arts and crafts stores in your area.  The embossing tools are the more expensive part of the list.  If you do not want to invest in a heating tool you could use a hair dryer on its hottest setting but the force of air might blow off the embossing powder, do a test run on a piece card stock first.

I am sure there are other ways to mount the letters, please share your ideas in the comments for myself to note and other readers eager to try this but do not want to use string.  

As the holidays continue to gather momentum, making fun and pretty decorations has always been a part of the celebratory process for me.  I hope that by sharing this tutorial with you, you will give this a try and add a little bit of sparkle and a heartfelt text message to your family and holiday guests.

Happy Holidays!

Tuesday Arts: Week two of Haiku daily practice

Last week's haikus started off as a project in doodling-a-day.  However, with Thanksgiving celebrations I got behind and fell back on my rubber stamp, embossing, inking and watercolors. The black band was simply for Black Friday...which ended up being a day of rest for me.   The reason I wanted to just doodle is I am a teacher during the week.  My students are always doodling.  I remember doing the same in the margins of my papers.  Its a free way to just let the pen flow without expectation.  As I want to free up my practice of so many expectations I have put on myself in the past, the doodling I hope will be a great exercise in setting my creative soul free.  Let loose the wild child.

Sunday Musings: 1st day of Advent...and counting

Though, today is the first day of December, Autumn still reigns until her elder sister Winter takes over December 21st.  Here in northern California, the days are warm and the nights chilly. Sunrises are foggy and the sunsets flame-on!  The deciduous trees in the area are lemon, mustard and a riot of reds, rust, tangerines and corals.

Inspired by this colorful season and with a desire to improve my creative practice in embroidery and textile painting, I whipped out some muslin and stenciled, using fabric paints, oak leaves and acorns. Out of practice, I used a bit too much water and the paints bled a bit beyond the stencils. I was not waylaid by this and I am working with 'this mistake' (always a learning experience rather than a problem) and using embroidery to outline the leaves and acorns to define them as well as bound the eye within the shapes.

I am not sure what I am doing next with this piece - ah, the joys of experimentation! - but I wish to use various stitches - running, kantha-like or shashiko-like to build the background which is pretty boring...to say the least.  It has been my habit to spring into a project out of fear that I won't do anything.  So during those moments, I plunge in with only the details in mind and not the broader picture. The result is I get stuck with nice image(s) but might not be sure what to do with them to make the composition cohesive and finished.  I tell myself that I need to do is slow down, and think the process through.  And, yet I don't want to lose the spontaneity of the process. Mistakes can become happy resolutions. A shift in ideas is a welcome re-energizer when the project loses its sweetness.  I envy those who can use sketch books to build ideas and go from there as it seems to keep them on track and focused on the outcome they want.  For me, past experience with over planning a project results in my work feeling stiff, and staged and a dull imitation of the original idea.

In any case, with this project I was not actually looking for a specific outcome.  I wanted to play with paints and threads and learn from the experience.   So, we shall see how this evolves over the next few weeks.

"Analysis kills spontaneity.  The grain once ground into flour springs and germinates no more."
 - Henri Frederic Amiel

“Why not seize the pleasure at once? -- How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!”  - Jane Austen, Emma

Thursday Crafts: Happy Thanksgiving

Autumn - art quilt 8 x 10

The Autumn dust has settled, and the candles begin to glow.

We gather together to give thanks for all we have.

We think of loved ones who have past on.

Friendships are embraced and renewed.

Love warms and heals us.

Hope kindles our creative powers.

Joy feeds our spirit so that,

Peace settles in our heart and soul for the days to come.

Happy Thanksgiving.