Mushroom Gravy {Video Recipe}

This one time, on my birthday, at 8 in the morning, I made my mushroom gravy recipe in front of a video camera with Adrienne from XOXO Cooks. Here's the result, featuring a cameo by Nightshade the cat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFPwW4nMcUE&feature=youtu.be&list=PLy1Rk5fg96veupV7Hh_SypQsKxHcgW9w2

Gravy is serious business this time of year, though we make gravy year round. My method is the same for sausage, mushroom, or poultry gravy. Brown aromatics and additions, melt in butter, cook an equal amount of flour with the butter, pour in the liquid, whisk until thickened, and voila - smooth and tasty gravy.

What's your favorite kind of gravy?

Mushroom Gravy {Video Recipe}

This one time, on my birthday, at 8 in the morning, I made my mushroom gravy recipe in front of a video camera with Adrienne from XOXO Cooks. Here's the result, featuring a cameo by Nightshade the cat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFPwW4nMcUE&feature=youtu.be&list=PLy1Rk5fg96veupV7Hh_SypQsKxHcgW9w2

Gravy is serious business this time of year, though we make gravy year round. My method is the same for sausage, mushroom, or poultry gravy. Brown aromatics and additions, melt in butter, cook an equal amount of flour with the butter, pour in the liquid, whisk until thickened, and voila - smooth and tasty gravy.

What's your favorite kind of gravy?

How To Open A Sealed Canning Jar {Video}

Here's a quick tip to use at home and share with recipients of home-canned gifts:

Yes, this video was recorded way back in July at our old house and I did cut the video short at the end because a certain little girl and her little dog interrupted the last sentence during the umpteenth take. Making and editing videos is hard for me!

Friday Five: Inspirations and a Video

Here are five cooking thoughts trolling through my taste buds: 1) Lil ate root vegetables! - I agreed to make a video featuring Newman's Own ingredients in exchange for a video camera and some of their products. I do honestly purchase Newman's Own products and genuinely like the brand, so this was an easy video to kick out. What surprised me was that my co-star, picky daughter Lil, actually ate the sweet potatoes and beets in the recipe I prepared! She hasn't willingly eaten either ingredient in years! Watch our goofy video if you want and I'll share the recipe Tuesday for what I made.

2) Brined green peppercorns - This ingredient was used by Del Sroufe at his recent Hills Market cooking class. I was fascinated as I've never heard of or tasted Brined Green Peppercorns. They packed a big flavor punch into the pasta dish he made. I want to make them myself (of course) and figure it can't be that hard with only four ingredients listed on the bottle: vinegar, water, salt and peppercorns.

3) Smoked fried chicken - I am reading Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work, a cook book for true food nerds. It details the scientific reasons behind the way food behaves. I have been obsessed with the idea of their cold-smoked then fried chicken even though I don't have a cold-smoker.

4) Alpaca - I was browsing Dine Originals Restaurant Week menus online. There are so many great ones but I was truly surprised by the Ohio alpaca terrine offered by The Refectory Restaurant and Bistro. What I know of the alpaca industry is that the animals are most often raised for fiber. I'm curious where the chef is finding meat alpacas and what in the world they taste like.

5) Cooking to make an emotional experience - Yesterday, I listened to Fresh Air featuring Alinea chef Grant Achatz. He described that in designing his highly creative meals, he aims to affect a person emotionally. I've never deliberately tried to affect others' feelings with my cooking, but I certainly do address my own emotions in what I cook.

Open a Hard Winter Squash Without a Knife!

How do you open an acorn squash? Or a huge Cinderella pumpkin? I usually pull our big cleaver from the magnetic knife strip. I hold it with both hands and smack at the tough skin. The squash rolls and I try to right it. The cleaver gets stuck and I smash down further anyways.

Alex sees me, fears for his beautiful countertops and my fingers, and takes over the job.

Recently, my friend Susan let on that there is a better way....a method so simple a five year old can do it with no knife!

In our preparations for Christmas Eve pumpkin soup, I decided to try it. I handed Lil a large white pumpkin grown by a friend, whispered the instructions, and turned on the video camera.

What do you think? Will you try the throw and crash method to open a winter squash soon?

Added to Hearth and Soul Volume 29.

Watch me on 10 TV!

10TV is filming a live segment with me at 7:50 am this Sunday.  Set your DVRs for my first extended television appearance, one that will hopefully not involve too many 'umm's, 'err's, or stumbles. I'll be talking meal planning, cooking as a family, and doing a cooking demonstration.

If you just can't wait for Hound video, check out this example of what Lil learns from listening to Alex: