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Okay Finny, the winner for the February project has to be KraftyKraut’s bat bag. Love the way she made it from a t-shirt and what in the world is the prop that’s holding it? KK — shoot me an email and I’ll send off your prize! Although a close runner up is Sue, who inspired February’s selection only to create an entirely different bag that finds the balance between practicality and stylish design.

The March recipe is Irish Soda Bread — to celebrate St. Patrick’s command that all snakes be banished from Ireland. (Any man who hates snakes as much as I do is worthy of homemade carbs.)

(Modified) Cook’s Illustrated Irish Soda Bread:

Ingredients:

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in large bowl.

Work softened butter into dry ingredients with fork or fingertips until texture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add buttermilk and stir with a fork just until dough begins to come together. Add dried fruit.

Turn out onto flour-coated work surface; knead until dough just becomes cohesive and bumpy, 12 to 14 turns. (Do not knead until dough is smooth, or bread will be tough.)

Pat dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches high; place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet or in cast-iron pot, if using.

Place the loaf on a cookie sheet and cut a cross shape into the top.

Bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into center of loaf comes out clean or internal temperature reaches 180 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter; cool to room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes

I look forward to hearing about your baking and sewing adventures. Don’t forget to post to the One Yard Wonders photo pool!

Fin, let us know what the sewing project is!

~ K

My first trans-Atlantic trip was to Israel and Palestine in 1999-2000. I was on a journalism internship with the American Jewish Committee. We visited a variety of newspapers and got to see the majority of both countries within 3 weeks. It was a trip I won and the beginning of a life-long love affair with international adventure.

One of the things I remember most clearly was the new array of foods we were introduced to. Traveling with a dozen other student journalists, we were immediately taken to a restaurant in Tel Aviv upon arrival and the best of Israeli cuisine was showcased. This was long before I’d be introduced to Pita Jungle, my local Tempe haunt, or even hummus for that matter. There were so many interesting and colorful things to try, including falafel.

We soon learned the chickpea is a staple in Israeli cooking because most restaurants keep kosher. No dairy and meat on the same plate or even at the same meal. Imagine how shocking this was to a Christian girl who grew up on cheese burgers? Or even more sacrilegious  for my new Jewish friends — bagel sandwiches with cheese, eggs, and sausage.

My love of Middle Eastern food began with gusto. Falafel stands on the streets were far more appealing to me than hot dogs anyway. Falafel — or Israeli meatballs — are fried balls of chickpeas and spice. They were wrapped in warm pita, with salty pickles and a dash of hummus that made your mouth dance. It was just so very good. When I came home, similar to my exuberance after living in Mexico, I wanted to recreate the adventure through food for my family and friends.

It’s taken ten years, but I’ve finally gotten around to making a falafel recipe worth sharing. My one beef, so to speak, with falafel is that they are typically fried. I don’t do well with fried food. My stomach cramps and I pay for the indulgence for days to come. So, when putting this recipe together, I knew baking would be crucial.

Baked Falafel

Yield: 18 large falafel

Ingredients:

2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 handful of spinach (about a cup)

1 handful of parsley (about a cup)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup pepitas

2 eggs

juice from 2 lemons

dash of paprika

dash of cumin

dash of garlic salt

dash of pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add all ingredients, minus the olive oil, in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is grainy — not runny. Scoop onto greased baking sheets in uniform shapes (an ice cream scoop works well.) Lightly brush tops with remaining olive oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden, turning at minute 8.

Serve with quinoa, hummus and a nice glass of white wine. These are incredibly healthy and tasty!

~K

Wondering what to do with all those pumpkin seeds coming out of your jack-o-lantern? May I make a suggestion, including using up a few more of those jars we’re recycling? Wash and dry the seeds {handy instructions} and then consider throwing them into a batch of granola. Pumpkin seeds are high in protein and you are keeping them out of the trash, or compost, by enjoying them toasted instead.

This is my go-to granola recipe. I simply substituted the coconut and craisins for the pumpkin seeds and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. Voila — a fabulous snack that has my coworkers and neighbors skipping this week. {Alrighty, it may be the cooler weather we’ve been dreaming about for months and not the granola, but still. Lots of skipping, smiling, and thanking the weather Gods in Phoenix this week!}

~Kelli

So, you are going celebrating a three-day fabulous summer weekend with a BBQ. May I make a suggestion? Take an hour while the meat is marinating, the beer is cooling and the cake is in the oven to make homemade BBQ sauce. This is a family recipe that I can promise BBQ lovers will not soon forget.

My grandfather Trevor has been perfecting his BBQ sauce recipe for years, including many spent in Louisiana where he learned to master gumbo, crepes and a variety of other delicious plates we’ve come to expect at our truly eclectic family table. Plus, it freezes well and is another great way to use up some of those jars you’ve got hanging around — you know, the dusty ones in the back of the pantry.
Double the recipe and you’ll have two great Fall gifts ready to go. Just be sure to leave yourself a couple inches at the top of the jar before you stick it in the freezer. If you decide not to freeze your batch, the sauce will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
Enjoy!

Pap’s BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 green bell pepper
1 large celery stalk
1/4 white onion
3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1/2 can of tomato juice
Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Using a three-sided grater, or your food processor, finely grate the bell pepper, celery and onion. Put the oil in heavy pot on medium-high heat. Add the grated vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add sugar, vinegar, sauce and juice. Let simmer for 15 minutes and add cayenne and garlic powder. Taste and see if you want to kick it up with a bit more of each spice.
Let simmer for 40 minutes. If the sauce isn’t the thickness you desire, add 1/4 cup of corn starch to a cup of cold water and mix thoroughly before adding to sauce pot. Bring to a boil, stirring carefully. Take off heat.

Adding a dash of liquid smoke is great too!

~K

P.S. Big thanks to Miss Colleen for yet another kind, thoughtful and creative logo! Please feel free to download it here and use it for your own Jar of Renewal projects.

Some people receive business cards when they start a new job. Others place an order, wait a couple weeks and show up to as many meetings in the meantime with baked goods. Business cards may get thrown away after a meeting, but I doubt these gingersnaps ended up in the trash. I’m always trying to figure out a way to make my mark in the business world. I’ve met so many new people during the last two weeks and managed to feed more than a dozen. I think it is safe to say they either think I’m crazy or I’m going to quit to complete my Martha transformation. Regardless, they are sure to remember my name.
Plus, Martha would have hand-stamped her business cards and calligraphied recipe cards to go with the cookies. Not a bad idea, actually…

~K

P.S. Rebecca recently mentioned her sister Shelley made the best gingersnaps ever. Challenge accepted. This recipe isn’t quite there, but I’m working on a couple new variations. When I get the alchemy just right, I’ll post my findings. On another note, it only took me knowing Rebilou some 20 years before I heard her say gingersnaps were her favorite cookie. Mine too. I have fond memories of grocery shopping with my mom as a little girl and her buying a big brown bag of gingersnaps and letting us eat them in the cart. We thought she was so brazen to eat before paying for them. Funny, the things you remember.
What is your favorite cookie?