Small Batches

I am a fan of cute food and I am a fan of small food. Luckily, each lends itself to the other.

Over the weekend I made these:

These are banana muffins that are about 2x2x2. In retrospect, I should have put something larger next to them for perspective. Oh well. Next time.

There are books out there for small batch cooking and baking, and special tools, too. but I tend to use the regular recipes from my old standard cookbooks and halve them. For baking, I use small cookie cutters, ramekins, and the occasional pan/odd and end from a children's baking set. Other, basic kitchen elements lend themselves to simple repurposing. For instance, a loaf pan is a wonderful replacement for a casserole dish when working with a halved hot dish or lasagna recipe. A couple ramekins make a lovely tiny layer cake, or made-for-one tart.

For those wanting to experiment: when cooking in small batches and small containers you have to watch the time. Generally I halve the oven time unless the item is truly tiny, like the muffins above. Those I kept in for 1/4 the suggested time in the recipe.

Over the years, I've collected many vintage dishes, too. Much of this has been done with the help of my generous family. My mother is holding on to the most gorgeous German serving dishes you have ever seen. Seriously. One day I'll have enough room for them to live safely amongst my other dishes.

But back to the subject at hand: one thing you'll notice about old dishes is that the serving dishes are the size of contemporary dinner plates, and the dessert plates are little bigger than a saucer for a tea cup. Small food looks undeniably better on a small plate. Lucky for folks like me, gorgeous small plates can be found on the cheap in thrift stores everywhere. Mr. Crafty bought me a little hand painted plate with flowers for Christmas that put him under a mere $2.

I should note, though, that I am the lone small food eater in this household. I don't know how such habits would translate into the every day workings of a larger, busier household. Even Chimallo the cat would prefer the whole can of tuna over a tiny serving in the shape of a leaf. And Mr. Crafty, at an impressive 6 foot 6, would likely blow away if he ate my cute little portions. But I, at 5 foot 2, find it an easier way to enjoy my food and embrace my preference for grazing throughout the day.

Also, none of this is to say I don't love a huge holiday meal or a gigantic cup of coffee, though. And I've been known to make a big pot of tea and drink the whole thing through the course of a movie, constantly refilling my cute tea cup. And some huge food is just so amazing. I've been watching a lot of old Julia Child episodes, and recently lost two hours to watching her and Martha Stewart make an enormous and gorgeous wedding cake. Oh, to be able to do something like that!

Designing Woes

Mr. Crafty's garter stitch scarf is coming along nicely. Of course, the only thing he has to decide is which color from the scrap bag to use next.

I, on the other hand, am having a harder time. See, I made the bottom hem of this sweater I'm designing with a fold-over hem, but I wanted an over-sized cuff for the sleeves. An oversized fold-over cuff would be too clunky, but a ribbed cuff wouldn't mesh with the big picture.

For some reason, it seems that the cuffs should match the bottom edge. I mean, I know it doesn't have to, but it seems like there'd be too much going on otherwise, you know? So now I'm ripping this cuff back and starting over again, which means re-writing the pattern notes. Again. Blarg!

Great Gifts

My family always sends the best care packages. Look at what my grandmother sent:

Gingerbread men from the family's favorite bakery and a Biltmore pattern tea cup. I heart tea cups. No really.

My mother sent me a fabulous Valentine's Day package, too. But I'm ashamed to say that Mr. Crafty and I... uh... ate all of it. In short order.

Two Optional Ingredients for a Lovely Day

1. Mango pancakes. To make, cut up the flesh of one mango into small bits (.25-.5 in. cubes). Add to your favorite pancake recipe or mix. Eat with honey.

2. Falling mice. They hurt lots less than falling ice.

Carrot Soup

My friend Summer and I used to make carrot soup when we were about 18, both living on our own for the first time. We've had time to perfect it since then. It's certainly a good, simple meal for the skint and skinny. It's also a speedy, hearty dish that makes a wonderful addition to a more grown-up dinner and translates well for lunch the following day. Tasty warm or cold, it's a year-round standard in the Crafty household.

Over the weekend we ate our carrot soup with baked brie on the side. Our window chickens presided over the kitchen part of this culinary adventure.

I've included two versions in this post. Mix and match as you see fit, and do report back and tell me what you think.

Carrot Ginger Soup (Great for Summer)

Ingredients

3 in. piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp peanut oil

4 cloves of minced garlic

5 cups carrots cut in 1/2 in. disks

7 cups water

4 cups soy milk or regular milk

Briefly heat oil and throw in ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute or so. Add water and carrots and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to a simmer and cook carrots until soft (10-15 min). Using a measuring cup, remove 4 cups of water. You can store this for later use in another soup recipe of course. Whir with a hand mixer until pulpy. Add your 4 cups of milk (or similar product) and turn heat on low. Heat until soup is warm, or you see little tiny bubbles starting to form at the edges of your pot. Don't bring to a boil, as this could scald the milk. Avoid whirring with your hand blender after adding the milk. This will result in a sort of carrot soup latte.

Safe and Easy Carrot Soup (Version Pictured)

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter

1/2 large or 1 small chopped white or yellow onion

5 cups carrots cut in 1/2 in. disks

7 cups vegetable stock (or stock of your choice)

Sauté onions in butter until soft and beginning to brown. Add carrots and stock. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a moderate simmer, cover, and cook until carrots are soft (10-15 min). Whir with a hand mixer until pulpy.

Additions/Considerations

Both soups are, as mentioned above, wonderful cold.

Consider serving with yogurt.

Consider spicing with cinnamon, cardamom, curry, or tumeric.

Sautéed pine nuts or slivered almonds would be a tasty addition.