It's A Family Affair - A Lesson in Housing Guests

Ahh, summer! The time for barbecues, swimming in crystal clear backyard pools, lazing about on weekends, and - of course - family visits!

Now, I love family visits! But, I'll admit, the past few weeks have found me in a chaotic sprint around the house and on the road. Whether it's vacuuming rugs, scrubbing tile floors, ironing guest linens, packing suitcases, driving back and forth to the St. Louis airport, or trying to remember to water the garden in this horrendous heatwave...I'm a bit tired, and my mother is coming to visit tomorrow!

Initially I was on my sprint around the house to make everything immaculate! I'm sure most women can empathize with this. As a daughter you feel that your mother (followed in second place by your mother-in-law) is the ultimate in judging how well you keep a home. She was the one from which you learned how to keep a house and how to entertain company....now she's the guest staying in your home. And no matter what your mother may say to you: "Oh honey, don't bother with going out of your way, it's just me..."...you know she's secretly inspecting everything in the house!

So, over the past few days I've vacuumed & mopped, dusted & Windexed, and ironed & laundered pretty much everything in my house in preparation of her arrival, but it's funny what two adults and a dog can do in a couple of days. This morning I looked around my house and realized that my list was pretty much back to its beginnings:

1) vacuum living areas
2) clean mirrors and window over sink in kitchen
3) dust
4) scrub kitchen floor
5) launder guest linens (so that they smell fresh on arrival)
6) re-check pantry and fridge for staples (buy milk, coffee, garbage bags and cereal)

I could have gotten stressed out, but since I had gone through this same exercise a couple of weeks ago when my in-laws came to visit, I realized that it really wasn't that big a deal. Vacuuming and dusting would take me an hour or so, the kitchen floor I'll do tonight after dinner (should take 20 minutes), linens will take 50 minutes, a jaunt to the store will take 45 minutes, and the mirrors/windows are almost negligible.

The lesson I've learned with house guests (family or not) is that you really don't need to start prepping more than a couple of days in advance. Save the cleaning for the day before they arrive! But do make sure you've put toiletries in the guest bathroom and cleared some space in the guest room closet or nightstand for them to unpack their suitcase. When people aren't living out of their luggage, they feel more at home. Because in the end it's really not how clean your floors or mirrors are, guests are more impressed when they feel like you've truly accommodated them and made a bit of your home their own.

How green is your garden?

Just a little over a month ago Matt and I planted an herb garden in our backyard. Using an existing garden bed which had become overgrown with weeds we tore out all of the dead plants and wild grass, tilled the rocky soil, created a terrace, and added in some topsoil. We planted a variety of herbs and crossed our fingers that we wouldn't end up killing the basil, parsley, thyme, dill, Thai basil and rosemary in the first week!

(Our backyard garden - 5/3/12)

A month later and the crossing our fingers worked, thanks to Miracle Gro and every other day watering!

(Blooming! - 6/1/12)

With the plants finally matured we have been enjoying using fresh herbs in our evening dinners, and just last night I got to use my Thai basil for the first time.

Making a light and lovely green curry, I sprinkled the chopped herb over the top of the completed meal to add a bright finish to the plate, as well as adding a sweet bite to the dish. I was so happy with the outcome of the meal I wanted to share it with you all!

Take-Out Night, Made In: Green Tofu Curry with Creamy Rice

Ingredients:

1 package (14 oz) extra firm tofu, chopped into half inch bite size pieces (feel free to use a pound of diced chicken or shrimp in lieu of the tofu, if you're not a fan of the vegetarian staple)

2 1/2 tbsp green curry paste (like Thai Kitchen brand)

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp EVOO

1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup carrots, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 tbsp Tamarind (or soy sauce)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, separated (2 cups for rice, 1/2 cup for curry)

1 cup white, long-grain rice

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

In a medium pot combine rice, chicken broth and pad of butter together. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, decrease heat to low, cover with lid, and let simmer for 15 minutes, allowing the rice to absorb all of the liquid.

While the rice is cooking heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add EVOO and garlic. Let garlic sauté until it just becomes fragrant, then add the coconut milk and curry paste. Stir to combine all ingredients - making a lovely light green sauce, then lower heat to medium and let sauce thicken a bit for about 5 minutes.

After sauce has started to thicken, add the tofu, vegetables and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Let the curry simmer on the stove top for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove the rice from the low heat and stir/fluff with a fork. Using a ladle or large ice cream scoop, gather a cup of rice (you should have about four, one cup servings in the pot) and carefully place the molded ball on your plate. Ladle the green curry around the rice, then sprinkle the thai basil on top of the rice and curry.   

As always you can find this recipe and other new creations under the Erica's Epicurean Creations tab on the right hand side of the blog.  Bon appétit!

I'm A Nut

Being a proud denizen of the great state of Ohio, there are a few things all Ohioans indelibly know, whether we learned it in school or were inundated by the trivial ramblings of a fellow Buckeye:

1) Ohio was the 17th state admitted into the Union in 1803
2) Eight presidents hailed from Ohio (William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding)
3) Ohio is the only state in the nation to have a pennant shaped flag
4) A Buckeye is both a poisonous nut and a delicious candy treat
**This is just a sampling of my trivial Ohio knowledge**

You see in Ohio we all seem to know WAY TOO MUCH about our state, and we take pride in our excessive Buckeye bantering. We inevitably end up being the annoying person at our friends' house parties. If there is a group of people genially discussing the presidential campaign you might hear a Buckeye say: "Did you know that there have only been six Presidents in the history of America who did not 'win' Ohio? [Blank looks from the partygoers, prompting the Buckeye to keep rambling.] Also, did you know Ohio is called the "Mother of Presidents" because eight of our sons were elected to that most esteemed position of power?" Yeah, were that guy/gal.

Also, if the song "Hang on Sloopy" ever randomly comes on at the same house party and there's one person jumping up and down all by his or her self, singing all the words, they're probably a Buckeye; it's our state fight song. But what - you may be asking yourself - exactly is a Buckeye.

When the state was first settled by pioneers in the late 18th century the rolling hills of Ohio were dotted with a multitude of trees, to include a brushy looking fellow named Aesclus glabra (aka - the Ohio Buckeye).

(Aesclus glabra - the Ohio Buckeye tree)

This Ohio Buckeye produces a "fruit" (a cousin of the chestnut) which is poisonous if eaten by cattle, and possibly humans - although I've never known a person to eat an actual Buckeye (the nut inside the spiny fruit hanging from the tree). Most commonly the Buckeye - which resembles the eye of a male deer - was used by Native Americans in the region who blanched the nut to extract tannic acid, which allowed them to create leather. Meaning that the ol' Buckeye was deadly to the cattle of the region in more ways than one!

(The fruit and corresponding nut of the Ohio Buckeye tree)

In 1840, William Henry Harrison's campaign for the presidency sealed the deal for Ohio becoming the Buckeye state. Though "Old Tippecanoe" was born in Virginia, when he was elected to the presidency he resided in Ohio. During his run for office he used a log cabin made of buckeye timbers, and advertisements showing men carrying walking sticks made of buckeye wood, to be the emblem of his campaign. While I'm sure it wasn't the buckeye emblems alone that helped him deftly defeat Martin van Buren, his attachment to his home-state and pride in Ohio made the residents of the state die-hard "Buckeyes" from that point on.

Today I would wager that not many Buckeyes are Whig supporters who remember the days when William Henry Harrison defeated Tecumseh at Tippecanoe. However, I would bet that most of them could tell you where the Ohio State University stood in the NCAA BCS rankings.

Regardless of why we're proud to call ourselves Buckeyes these days, there's one thing we Ohioans all know and love - buckeye candies!

If you're from Ohio and you do not know how to make the delicious peanut butter and chocolate concoctions which looks just like the nut, well...shame on you! I think it's mandatory in 8th grade home economics to learn the recipe. As such, when Matt came home a week or two ago and told me a guy from his class had brought in buckeyes, I was intrigued. I proceeded to barrage him with a slew of questions about the origin of the candies:

Me: "Craig brought in buckeyes?! Is he from Ohio?!"
Matt: "Yeah."
Me: "What part?"
Matt: "I don't know."
Me: "Did he make them himself?
Matt: "No. His Mom made them and sent them to him."
Me: "That was nice. We're they yummy?"
Matt: "What's not to like about peanut butter and chocolate?"
Me: "True. [Pause] Have you ever had MY buckeyes?"
Matt: "No. I didn't know you made them."
Me: [Affronted] "Matt, I'm from Ohio!"
Matt: "Well excuse me, I didn't know it was mandatory to have a buckeye recipe."
Me: [Looking at him like he has two heads] "I'm from Ohio...of course it is...."

So, when Matt mentioned he was invited to a party this weekend and kindly asked [probably just to make the crazy Ohioan in me jump for joy] if I would make buckeyes so he could bring them, I was happy to oblige.

While there is nothing healthy about the little confections, they are sinfully delicious. It doesn't matter whose recipe you follow - Craig's mom or mine - the bottom line is: "What's not to like about peanut butter and chocolate?!"

So, if you're not from Ohio or you are but just don't have a good buckeye recipe yet, here's mine! Make sure if you ever make these you're taking them to a party, they are meant to be consumed by many people. Believe me, 36 buckeyes between two people will only amount to a serious sugar high and morning-after stomach aches!

Erica's Buckeyes

Ingredients:
2 cups creamy peanut butter (that's pretty much one whole 18oz jar of JIF)
3 tbsp softened butter
1 oz white chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
12 oz semisweet choc chips

Directions:
In a double boiler (use a glass Pyrex bowl over a medium pot with boiling water) gently stir the white chocolate until it has melted and all lumps have smoothed out.

Remove bowl from heat and let the chocolate cool for a minute or two.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer begin combining the peanut butter, sugar, softened butter, salt and - finally - white chocolate. Using the paddle attachment on a medium speed, stir until all ingredients are combined. (If you don't have a stand mixer a large bowl and hand-held mixer work just as well!)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and clear out some space in your freezer for the tray. Begin rolling the dough into small 1 inch balls with your hands. You will need to rinse and dry your hands about every 6th or 7th ball, as your hands will start to get mealy from the peanut butter and the balls roll best with clean, dry hands. Once you have lined your tray with the peanut butter balls, place in the freezer for about a half an hour, or until the dough has firmed up and does not fall off a toothpick when pricked.

Once the balls have firmed up, leave them in the freezer while you begin melting the semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler.

Once melted, remove the balls from the freezer and set up a dipping station by placing the melted chocolate directly next to the parchment lined tray. Using a toothpick, spear an individual buckeye, dip in the chocolate, spin to coat the bottom and sides of the buckeye - leaving just the peanut butter "eye" exposed - and return to the parchment. Once all buckeyes are dipped and back on the tray, place the buckeyes in the refrigerator for about an hour, until the chocolate has set. Serve immediately, or place in an airtight container and leave in the refrigerator for up to a week, or the freezer for up to a month.

Obviously you will need to do a taste test before serving to ensure that the buckeye candies are safe for consumption. This recipe will produce 36 buckeyes, but I find that 30 is a nice number to bring to a party! ;-)

References:
Aesclus glabra - Ohio Buckeye
Why Buckeye?
Erica's Brain: A Buckeye Compendium