Sausage Fest

Pork Shoulder, Sir William Berkshire, The Meat Hook at The Brooklyn Kitchen

                          

I took my first sausage making class! As a present for Christmas, I was given a few classes at The Brooklyn Kitchen. When I arrived, each student had the chance to make one of two sausages: Red Wine Rosemary or Mexican Chorizo. Given I love spicy food and have roots south of the border, my choice was clear. Our instructor Ben commented that it was a nice surprise to see Chorizo be the first table filled. With a can of Busch beer in each students hand, we got underway. (What goes better with sausage than a can of good ol' American brew?)

Class was a blast and I learned a lot. Team Chorizo! The staff at Brooklyn Kitchen was so cool and it kind felt like a place I would love to hang out more often. 

While the recipe I learned is very simple, make sausage is a bit more "hands on." And requires a lot of specialty gadgets. Making sausage is like meatloaf with power tools. As there are many more details to sausage making than meatloaf lumping, here is a link to making sausage techniques explaining what is going on the photos. Open the link in a new window so you can follow along.

Once I have a Cuisinart, I will be testing out these tricks at home. I might even skip the casings and just make the recipes as a meatloaf! (They'll be posted when I have tested them in my own kitchen) Watch out for that, my hungry readers....

Also I got to say hi to Sara, one inspiring Butcheress. 

Favorite Recipe!

Last week I had Tess and Julian over for my inaugural blog post dinner. I stuck to what I know and made my favorite meal: Honey Balsamic Chicken and Steamed Kale. Dinner turned out great. Always a hit and all we did was laugh. Good stories about New Year's and roommates til our sides hurt.Recipe after the photos.

Honey Balsamic Chicken

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Mintues

3 or 4 Chicken Breasts

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1 1/12 tsp Thyme

Olive Oil (to cook chicken) or Pam

3/4  cup Honey*

3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Combine Salt, Pepper, Thyme (can be to taste, I like the overall aroma to be thyme). Generouslly massage into chicken. Sautee in olive oil or Pam. While chicken is cooking combine honey and balsamic vinegar. Once chicken is cooked (165 degrees at meatiest part, if you don't have a meat thermometer - like me - you can gently cut the meatiest part to check that it's cooked), remove from pan, set aside. While pan is still hot pour honey balsamic mixture into pan. Once it foams, pour over chicken. Serve. YUM!

*I used natural honey which crystalizes over time. No need to fear! As photographed, put the jar into a pot of water, letting the water get hot, but not boil. Use a spoon to stir the honey to break up the crystals. Once honey has returned to a recognizable consistancy, remove from pot. CAUTION the jar will be hot. Be sure to protect hands while removing.  

Steamed Kale

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

One bunch Kale

Water

Clean kale by removing the thickest part of the stem. Pour water into large pot just a bit lower that steamer and insert steamer or wire strainer. Turn heat to high and wait. Once kale has turned a rich dark green, remove from heat. Serve and enjoy.  

clothes: vintage taupe blouse, gifted Talbots baubles, black American Apparel skirt. photos: Tess

The kitchen and the Closet

As a Detroiter-turned-New Yorker, the city has always held something magical and revealed itself to me in the most wondrous ways. I did not realize how much I love food until junior year when I went down the vegan path only to find out there is so much food out there to be devoured! When I realized I couldn't live without eggs, I tried vegetarianism. Alas, more vegetables and ethnic foods became even more appealing. I eventually caved into eating all sorts of food at the craving of bacon.

Junior year of college was riddled with all things "New" (York), I had just transferred to NYU, started acting school, and moved to the Big Apple with hopes of putting down roots. I wanted to get a new perspective on life through food. With designs to get myself in a more fit shape  (without hitting the gym, besides strolling about the city is a preferred transportation mode), a change of food can be a change of body. I started cooking for myself, cut my salt intake way down and started drinking plenty of water. Eating better and trying to get myself moving helped me get my body to a normal weight without killing myself. I never dieted, I just started to pay a bit more attention to what I ate. I try hard not to eat anything out of a wrapper or anything heavily processed but of course I have my weaknesses (Mexican Coca Cola, Chinese take out, donuts, fried chicken).

Cooking is an art, baking is a science but the main ingredients are always love, sunshine and happiness.  Whether it's inviting friends for dinner, bringing baked goods as a thank you, or just a way to bring friends together over something delicious, I couldn't love cooking and baking more. Cooking and baking at home has lead me to a healthier life style and happier body.  Eating better made me feel better about myself and made me love love love dressing up!

As an actress, I want to work on creative new works that tell good stories. It wouldn't be half bad if I got to work on good fun projects with fantastical, imaginative costumes either. Check out my acting website www.georgiecaldwell.com for more info on me.

On this blog I will stick to the kitchen and the closet. So, get out, dress up, and come hungry! Let the cooking, baking and happiness begin!