In the Kitchen

Thanks for all the good suggestions on dealing with the lack of plastic bags...I think I'm going to go without in a few rooms, use a brown bag in a few other rooms, and look into some of the recycled options for the kitchen. I also bought a tumbler composter on Craigslist this week so we're starting that up too.

And now for something completely different...food! I do read a few baking/foodie blogs here and there (I love Orangette) although I do admit to feeling completely inept by comparison. But every once in awhile I can redeem myself:

This is one of my fave easy desserts. I happen to be a pretty big Nigella fan and this recipe is from Forever Summer. I first made it after watching her TV show Nigella Bites. It's called Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly, and at first glance the recipe (I could only find a UK version here) is a bit daunting, since it calls for a vanilla pod, 5 gelatin leaves, and superfine sugar. But I am here to tell you that not only can you substitute any white wine (1 bottle) for the chardonnay, the sugar (1 cup) can be just plain old granulated, the vanilla can be 1 tsp of vanilla extract (this also allows you to skip the steps where you let the wine and vanilla steep), and 2 packets of plain powdered gelatin works just fine. Perhaps Nigella would gasp in horror at my modifications. Perhaps not.

Anyway, the main gist is that you make Jell-O except with wine instead of hot water, you add a little vanilla, and instead of the Jell-O packet you use unflavored gelatin.

When I made it this time I let the wine boil to remove the alcohol so Elliot could share it with us. He made affirmative noises and pointed to the fridge for more.

BTW, that elephant tray was a birthday prezzie from Mr Rae. He picked it out himself. I love it!