Our Xmas was truly lovely. The Goose Dinner went off without a hitch, Lillian was patient during the many family gatherings, and we loved the wintery weather. We received some fantastic handmade gifts during the festivities. Click pictures to enlarge. My sister sewed me a lower half apron with purple fabrics from my 30th...
Read more →Alex and I make all sorts of things ourselves: confit, counter tops, hard cider, chicken coops…stuff most people prefer to buy. We like getting a little messy and learning exactly how things are created. Even given our penchant for handmade goods, we freely admit that Alex’s birthday gift of homemade ammunition for his father...
Read more →This post concludes my series on handmade holiday gifts. Previous weeks included instructions for making hand-rolled beeswax candles, hot cocoa mix, and spice rub. A list of other possible gifts in jars is at the bottom of the post. I believe that giving a homemade or home canned gift in a mason jar is...
Read more →Last week I shared how to make hand-rolled beeswax candles. This week I offer recipes for this spice rub and cocoa mix. The series concludes next Monday with ideas for perfectly packaging your handmade gifts. My parent’s kitchen counter always has a crock of this spice rub alongside the baking canisters. Dad uses this...
Read more →Are you making handmade gifts this year? We are! Hand-rolled beeswax candles will make an appearance in several gift baskets. They are simple enough that Lillian can make a passable candle and they burn cleanly with only the slightest honey scent. We order bulk beeswax sheets from Knorr Beeswax for $43 (shipped) for twenty...
Read more →We at Hounds in the Kitchen have many things to be thankful for this year: family and friends, a garden that filled our pantry with home canned goods, a dog finally healed, and new projects like cider pressing. On Thanksgiving, especially, we are thankful for animals that give their life to feed us. In...
Read more →Alex is interested in the workings of yeast for all fermented things, so he naturally fell into bread baking. At first he tried many recipes with as many failures as successes. Now, he now bakes a batch of bread twice a week to feed our family. Alex does not, however, like to get messy....
Read more →Our cider press has seen lots of action since we acquired it a month ago. Here is what it produced so far: October 26 – 1 liter pear cider November 6 – 1.5 gallons winesap cider, 1 gallon gold rush cider + lots of tastes consumed at our Cider Pressing Party November 21 –...
Read more →Homemade flavored liqueur is one of the simplest ways to preserve the flavor of fresh fruit. I posted a recipe for cranberry liqueur last year, but one can make liqueur with any fruit with the following simple method. Local, in season fruits make the best liqueurs because they have the strongest fresh flavor. Choose...
Read more →Roasted beets are my favorite. Earthy, sweet, and purple, my favorite color! Pickled beets are my grandmother’s favorite. Last year my mother made them for her and this year I decided to do the same. I shared that I was pickling on twitter and discovered that my friend Susan of Travels with Pirates also...
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