In Jennie's Kitchen

homemade baking powder

I'm not a gambling woman. Not to say that I'm at all conservative. I just prefer to do my homework and go with a sure thing. Now that I've shared that side of my personality, you'll be surprised to hear what I did this weekend.

It was the big party, remember. The Mr. turned 50, and I went on a cake baking marathon the week before to make his birthday cake wish come true. Three cakes in four days to be precise. Oh, the damage to my waistline, though it could've been worse had it not been for the willingness of my neighbors to take the surplus off my hands.

Well, I found myself in the kitchen the morning before, ready to bake the cakes—frosting would happen the next day, only to find I was out of baking powder. Yeah, I know, real genius, right? It was so cold out, and frankly the idea of leaving my cozy, warm apartment was not at all what I had in mind. I hadn't even had my morning coffee.

homemade vegetable bouillon

You've been patient, and for that I thank you. Now, hopefully you've all tried or bookmarked my recipe for manicotti. Jennifer over at Last Night's Dinner gave them a thumbs up, so go check out what else is on her must-eat list after you're done visiting me here. A couple of weeks ago, I came across a recipe for homemade bouillon over at 101 Cookbooks. It was brilliant, and Heidi says even she hadn't thought of making it until reading about it in the River Cottage Cookbook.

This turned into an "a ha!" moment for me. If you love cooking from scratch as much as I do, or simply do it because you want to feed your family healthy, unprocessed food, there is no cure-all. Most of the basics on store shelves are just a ghost of what they pretend to be. And you know what, it makes sense. Those products must be processed to become shelf-stable. 

That's where the brilliance of homemade bouillon comes into play. You don't have to worry about freezer or fridge space to keep a ton of vegetable stock on hand. All you need is room to store the one quart of bouillon this recipe makes and you'll have 48 quarts of homemade vegetable stock at your beck and call. Depending on which brand you normally buy, that'll shave over $150 off your grocery bill in the long run. It'll also leave you with a tastier base for soups, risottos, and even veggie burgers (I used it to cook lentils for "burgers"). It's also comforting to sip for a light lunch along with a salad or sandwich.

how to poach an egg

You know that feeling when you come across something so perfect you just want to tell everyone? Maybe even scream it from a mountain top? I had that moment during lunch yesterday. After a day of going into the city for a meeting, chasing sunshine before and after to snap shots of scones and a chicken and Meyer lemon tagine I'd made the night before (recipes to come soon, I promise), I realized what was causing my faint-like feeling. I was starving. Embarrassing as it is to admit, all I'd eaten was a nibble of some lemon yogurt cranberry scone and a cup of coffee—and it was 1:30pm.

Eggs are always my back up when I need nourishment stat since they're super quick to cook. Ah, but my Ten in 10 promise to start eating healthier creeped into my conscience. Did I really want to smear the cast iron with butter and fry one. Well, of course I did, but I was good. I decided to poach one and have it with multi-grain toast. Problem is I don't do it that often and always mean to teach myself the right technique. Simply Recipes has a good post on the topic and Epicurious has a great how-to-video. I mainly followed the Epicurious directions with the following adaptations:

• I used one of those pump extra virgin olive oils instead of regular cooking spray.
• As soon as the egg started to set, I took a cue from Elise at Simply Recipes and shut the heat off. I then gently placed the ladle at the bottom and let it rest there for 2 or 3 minutes while the yolk set.

I should mention my egg slipped out of the ladle much easier than the one on the Epicurious video—I was a bit worried when I saw how much they had to wiggle it. While Elise says it's best to use vinegar so the egg white congeals, the Epicurious method eliminates the need since the whole egg rests nicely in the ladle. There you have it. The news I couldn't wait to share. And it's just in time for your weekend brunch menu.

 

On the Chopping Block: Onions and Shallots

I'm still feeling jet lagged from my whirlwind trip to San Francisco for Blogher Food. It was great to meet so many twitter friends. This week I'm introducing a new contributor at In Jennie's Kitchen.  It is all my pleasure to announce that Jen Schall, from My Kitchen Addiction, has come on board as an intern. Remember that quickfire challenge on Top Chef testing technique skills? Well, Jen's how-to on chopping onions will have you on your way to winning immunity.

And one more thing before I go. Want to win $10,000 towards getting more fresh-grown fruits and vegetables in your local school? Hidden Valley Ranch is giving you just that opportunity with their Love Your Veggies program, and twitter folks have an extra special chance to win too. Get the details here. And now, let's talk onions with Jen Schall.