Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 3
Week 1: January 7, 2023

Can we all agree soup and salad are a match made in heaven?

Hot and soothing soup + crunchy and piquant salad = first rate YUM. I grew up watching my Mom concoct all manner of delicious soups from whatever she had on hand, but if you didn’t have that example to follow you might appreciate a soup recipe framework to get you started. The recipe is printable and infinitely adaptable, so have fun with it and enjoy all the delicious soups you’re about to create!

Window garden

I rarely buy lettuce in winter because it is so easy and cheap to grow an abundance of salad shoots in cereal bowls.

The bowl I am holding is a “crop” of buckwheat lettuce ready to harvest. This week’s crops include pea shoots, sunflower shoots, radish sprouts, broccoli sprouts, amaranth sprouts, and kohlrabi sprouts.

I get two to three cuttings from the pea shoots, the others are one cutting. The soil and root wad goes to the chickens or bunnies for a special snack.

Another harvest we are thankful for – eggs. Raising a new batch of laying hens fro day-old chicks last spring and summer was real work. Daily feedings, cleaning the waterer, checking on them multiple times a day. Moving the cage from place to place. Not to mention Sam had to build a new cage for the juvenile birds. We are so glad we went to the effort. Our egg supply is

Best basic kitchen tools

If I were marooned on a desert island with only 4 kitchen tools, here’s what I’d want.

To my mind these are the true workhorses in the kitchen. When I taught hands-on cooking classes through my community’s food bank, these are the tools I recommended people start with.

Dutch oven ~ Choose an enameled cast iron, stainless steel, or cast iron Dutch oven with a heavy bottom in a size that makes sense for your family. Perfect for soups, stews, whole chicken, roasts, etc. (Mine came from Macy’s.)

Cast iron skillet ~ Choose a cast iron skillet in any size, but 10 and 12-inch are ideal for most families. Make stir fries, skillet-meals, and bake in them, too. Lodge is a good brand that is readily available. (I found a set of 2 at a yard sale)

Extra large cutting board ~ An extra large cutting board like this Epicurean 17×13-inch board gives you elbow room when chopping veggies, which encourages you to make stir fry and soups more often. (from Bed Bath & Beyond)

Chef’s knife (or santoku) ~ A quality 7-8-inch chef’s knife is your best friend. Look for full tang construction as with this Henckel’s knife – blade extends through the handle. Pick it up and see how it feels in your hand. Hone it often to maintain its edge. Other recommended brands: Wüsthof, Cutco, and Global. (Found mine at a thrift shop)

Thrift shop finds

If you’re a thrifter like me, you will appreciate this. I found a “new” (to me, anyway!) ravioli cutter and wooden spoon last week at a thrift shop, reasonably priced.

I use a ravioli cutter to cut dough for homemade crackers and pasta. My old ravioli cutter was aluminum. It got scrunched in a drawer and bent out of shape, so I was looking for a “new” one. Imagine how happy I was to find this beauty with a nice wood handle and brass cutting wheel from Italy!

Not on my list was a “new” wooden spoon, but I couldn’t leave this behind! A heart-shaped spoon! The wood was very, very dry and felt rough to the touch. (Perhaps someone put it through the dishwasher.)

I took both home and set to work restoring them for future service.

The heart-shaped spoon and the wooden handle on the ravioli cutter were both carefully sanded with fine grit sandpaper until they felt as smooth as velvet.

After cleaning the dust away, I rubbed in a generous coat of Spoon Butter. The wood soaked it right up and the grain glows! I tell you, I appreciate these two used utensils more than I would new ones. You know why? Because I, in effect, earned them. I had to do a little work to make them useful.

The Poppy Trail platter made by Metlox was a secondhand find on Facebook Marketplace in 2018.

Samuel’s projects

Sam has many ongoing projects. One of them is teaching me to shoot comfortably and with accuracy. My Dad felt it was important for his daughters to learn to handle firearms safely, so Sam is picking up where my Dad left off years ago. I have memories of many Saturday mornings as a girl spent aiming at pop cans, laundry detergent jugs, and other likely targets. What I’m shooting: a 9mm Wildcat. It has quite a bit of kick, so I have to brace myself!

Oh. My. Goodness. Have you ever seen a smoke tube?

This perforated stainless steel tube is a bit of wizardry. Fill it with wood chips or wood pellets and light them to create smoke in your BBQ grill. Sam keeps a cache of fruit wood prunings from our apple, pear, plum, and peach trees.

Tea at Mom’s

On the tea table: Sourdough Gingerbread waffles with Chai-Spiced Pear Butter, thick slices of bacon, and chamomile tea.

Bookshelf

Another wonderful book by Jane Watson Hopping, The Pioneer Lady’s Hearty Winter Cookbook.

One of the best antidotes to winter doldrums is cooking and this book is a treasury of timeless country recipes of the kind that sustained families in the early and mid 1900’s. Many of the recipes are family antiques. Don’t worry, they work in today’s kitchen!

A sampling of recipes:

Mother’s Homemade Tomato Soup

Great Aunt Mae’s New England Clam Chowder

Ida Louise’s Late Harvest Jeweled Slaw

Easy-to-Make Dinner Rolls

Deluxe Whole Wheat Bread

Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Refrigerator Cookies

But even if you never cook a single recipe from the book, you’ll enjoy reading the author’s stories and bits of comfort shared. Enjoy!

The Pioneer Lady’s Hearty Winter Cookbook is out of print, but you can find it at my favorite online used bookseller. If it happens to be out of stock, simply create a wish list and the company will email you when it comes back in.

Happy New Year to you

I am stepping into this new set of 365 days thoughtfully. I have not set goals nor made any big changes or decisions. 

Instead, I am avoiding distractions and tuning my ear to listen to the still, small voice in my heart. 

You know what? It doesn’t give me an annual plan. Nor a to-do list. No. Rather it beckons me to live in the moment. This moment. And find contentment here. 

I pray that you, dear friend, are able to quiet the noise and hear the voice in your heart. I pray your cup overflows with contentment and joy this year.

Blessings, Michele and Samuel

Note: This post contains links to products and vendors I use and appreciate for their quality and usefulness. Some are affiliate, some are not. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases when you use the links I provide; this does not change your price.

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 2
Week 50: December 17, 2022

The vast majority of coffee drinkers use a drip coffeemaker, but perhaps there is a sweet spot in your heart for a percolator due to memories of grandparents using one. Watching coffee bubble up through the glass knob is a cheerful way to start the day.

Let me start by saying I am a tea drinker. My husband Samuel is the coffee drinker. I do like to make coffee for him occasionally, so I am interested in making *good* coffee.

When our last programmable coffeemaker went downhill, to my surprise Samuel chose a percolator to replace it. The Beautiful coffee maker (yes, that is its name) is indeed attractive and simple to set up. By the time the 90-day warranty had expired, it was taking well over half an hour to brew a pot of coffee.

Samuel researched percolators online for various features and flaws and eventually chose the 12-cup Farberware stainless steel model.

Key features:

easy to use

makes very good coffee

all stainless steel, no aluminum parts

easy to clean

keeps coffee warm for a while

fill directly from the faucet

shatter-resistant plastic knob rather than glass

Drawbacks:

not programable

slightly more fiddly to set up

missing the view of perking coffee afforded by a glass knob

He chose stainless steel specifically to avoid adding traces of aluminum to his coffee, which I think is wise. Most percolators used to be aluminum and aluminum has been shown to be present in Alzheimer’s patients’ brains.

The lack of a programmable timer is an obvious setback, easily remedied by purchasing an appliance timer, which we still need to do.

The shatter-resistant knob on the lid should hold up much better than the traditional glass knob, but it isn’t see-through. A big share of the fun of a percolator is being able to watch the coffee bubble and perk through the knob.

I’m interested in all of your coffee wisdom. Tell us about your coffeemaker and why you like it (or don’t). Have you considered a percolator?

All parts that come in contact with coffee are made of stainless steel. Parts appear to be well-made. Using a paper filter in the filter basket may not be needed; Samuel is using up fine coffee grounds left from the drip coffee maker.

Samuel likes being able to fill the pot directly from the faucet instead of filling a carafe and pouring into a reservoir.

Samuel has used the new Farberware percolator for three weeks and likes it. It takes one minute per cup brewing time and he says the flavor is very good.

Saturday Date Day

Fun fact: Samuel and I met at a Grange Co-Op store! Mutual friends TJ and Charity Weber played matchmaker and we met at my place of employment. A brand new Grand Co-Op just opened in a nearby (50 minute drive for us is nearby) town and we made a date to go check it out.

Who is that be-spectacled woman with the cartload of boxes? Me – Michele! Samuel and I decided to give each other practical gifts this year and my “pick” was a pantry makeover!

What is in the boxes? You’ll soon see!

If weather cooperates, we will begin reorganizing the pantry between Christmas and New Year’s. I will bring you along and can hardly wait to show you!

Exciting presents don’t always come in little jewlery boxes. Sometimes they look like tools, supplies, and work.

In the kitchen

WHY WAIT TO EAT HEALTHY?

Here’s a thought. Instead of waiting until after the holidays to eat healthy, consider starting now.

Typically I indulge in too many treats during the Christmas season and end up not feeling my best on the holiday itself. I always tell myself it’s okay – that I’ll get back to healthy eating in January.

This year I am doing it differently. I’m starting now.

The plate you see in the picture was a recent lunch plate. It was as delicious as any charcuterie board I might encounter at a party and it was all mine.

I do plan to allow myself occasional treats, occasional being the operative word.

I’m not here to tell you how to eat, though I am a nutritionist; instead I am encouraging you to eat in a way that makes you feel your best. What does that look like for you? Do that.

In case you’re curious what’s on my plate,

(Clockwise from the top): sliced 1/2 apple with cinnamon, celery and sharp Cheddar, golden sauerkraut, purple carrot coins, slice of peeled kohlrabi. Enjoyed with a big mug of bone broth.

I am on a mission to declutter the house, so one-pot meals like this one that feed us for a few days are especially welcome as they free up time. This scrumptious Chicken Pot Pie with einkorn crumble crust lasted for 3 dinners and 2 lunches.

TIP FOR FRESHER HARD COOKED EGGS

Have you ever found a bowl of hard cooked eggs in the fridge and wondered how old they were and if they were still safe to eat?

Here are a few helpful tips to ensure your hard cooked eggs are fresh and delicious:

Date the eggs – that’s right, write the date they were cooked right on the shell with a pencil.

Refrigerate the cooked eggs within 2 hours and make sure your fridge is set to 40F / 5 C.

Store in a sealable container.

Wait to peel them until you are ready to eat them or use them in a recipe.

Freezing cooked eggs is not recommended.

Samuel’s projects

In addition to putting in overtime as a County grader operator plowing snow this week, Samuel kept the “woodbox” full, and kept the front porch, patio, sidewalk, and steps free of leaves after work. Here he oils his boots and my work gloves to keep them flexible and waterproof.

LEARN TO BLEND YOUR OWN HERBAL TEAS

Winter is a wonderful time to study. The busyness of the garden and harvest season are behind us and our attention naturally turns indoors.

I you are interested in herbal medicine and have ever contemplated making your own tea blends with herbs, I have an idea for you:

Give yourself the gift of a special online course in medicinal tea blending!

I have taken and personally recommend this course. It is FANTASTIC!!!

My very smart, capable, talented, and hard-working friend CeAnne Kosel created this class and included everything you need to be successful at making your own medicinal herbal teas. She walks you through step-by-step via video!

Students receive a sheaf of tea recipes for specific health ailments AND learn to create their own custom tea blends too.

A mini-class in dehydrating herbs is included. If you grow or forage your own herbs, this will be especially helpful to you!

Class materials are neatly organized for printing. Simply place them in a 3-ring binder with the printable cover sheet and you’re set!

I’m such a big believer in this course I am sharing my affiliate link to her class. Using my link will earn me a commission and doesn’t change your price. Thank you! If you have questions, feel free to ask. I am happy to help.

Seed saving

These are so fun to grow and eat, have you tried them?

Lacy vines with that quintessential cottage garden look are easy to grow on a tomato cage or piece of wooden lattice.

Tiny fruit grow about an inch long, resemble miniature watermelons, and taste like cucumber with a touch of spritely lemon – so unique!

Wonderful added to salads (fruit or green), pickled or fermented like old-fashioned sour dills, also fun to eat out-of-hand.

I saved enough viable seed to equal 3 commercial seed packets worth $10.50. That’s money saved.

Bookshelf

1. CHRISTMAS IN MY HEART by Joe Wheeler

Author Joe Wheeler brings together the best old favorite stories and fresh new ones from master storytellers like Temple Bailey, Madeleine L’Engle, Pearl S. Buck, and O. Henry alongside special writings from literary unknowns.

Each story contains a spark. They come from the heart, reminding us of the generous love that Christmas embodies. It is the gift anyone can give and these stories beautifully demonstrate that.

A few of my favorites include: The Candle in the Forest, The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth, A Father For Christmas, The Gift of the Magi, The Last Straw, and A Full House. (I love them all!)

2. THE PIONEER LADY’S COUNTRY CHRISTMAS by Jane Watson Hopping is brimming with old fashioned recipes and charm. Anticipation abounds in this book! Memories of family feasts, complete with relatives from far away, and a country cook’s best tried-and-true dishes. Enjoy poetry, line drawings, and really good recipes that work in today’s kitchens.

Both are perfect books to take to bed – or the bathtub – or read aloud to the family.

Christmas in My Heart and The Pioneer Lady’s Country Christmas are available inexpensively from used booksellers.

Best wishes to you this Christmas season!
Michele and Samuel

Note: This post contains links to products and vendors I use and appreciate for their quality and usefulness. Some are affiliate, some are not. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases when you use the links I provide; this does not change your price.