Average Jane

Average Jane's Daily Rituals: Coffee

My husband is in charge of washing any dishes that don’t go in the dishwasher, so when I’m ready to make my morning coffee, first I must gather the clean parts of the coffee maker from the dish drainer on the right-hand side of the sink. If there are a lot of clean items, I put them away before I go any further.

The coffee maker sits on a clever tray with little wheels underneath and I slide it forward—out from under the cabinet.

I start by putting the filter basket inside its outer shell, making sure to swing its handle to the back, away from the opening where the grounds pour in. Once I put on the lid, I pull out the middle portion of the coffee machine, nestle the whole apparatus into place, and close it again with a click. Then it's time to assemble the grinder. I slide its screen under the spout, pull up the top lid of the coffee maker, and work the unit firmly into its spot. 

The container of coffee beans is kept right next to the coffee maker, tucked to the back of the counter. I set it on the stove, remove the clear top lid, pull up the handle of the inner vacuum lid, and pull it out with a “schwhoop!” My favorite coffee scoop (and some lesser coffee scoops) are on a lazy susan nearby in a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy themed mug made for me by the mother of my high school boyfriend. I measure out four scoops of beans and drop them into the grinder, then “schwhoop” the vacuum lid back into place, fold down its handle, put the clear lid back, and restore the canister to its usual spot.

I put the grinder lid on and then grab the glass carafe. If I’m lucky, the Brita container in the refrigerator is relatively full. If not, I grab it by its front handle and set it in the sink. The last time I had a new kitchen faucet installed I learned that our kitchen pipes are smaller than they should be. So, it takes a while to fill the Brita’s upper chamber and I have to pay attention to make sure it doesn’t overflow.

Either way, I fill the carafe to the four-cup line with filtered water and pour it into the top right side of the coffee maker. Once I click the lid closed and push the machine back under the cabinet, I press the “1-4 cups” button followed by the start button. The grinder loudly kicks in and continues for what seems to be far longer than necessary to grind four scoops of beans, and then it brews the two cups of coffee I will drink that morning.

I’ve been collecting coffee mugs for years. I keep my favorites at the front of the shelf where I can reach them and I occasionally rearrange the cupboard to make sure I’m not leaving any of them out of circulation for too long. I choose each day’s mug according to my mood, fill it with freshly brewed coffee, and carry it up to my desk (or to my favorite chair on days when I’m not working), usually with a small plate with toast or a breakfast pastry balanced on top.

This happens every single day (unless I happen to go out to breakfast) and the whole process only takes about five minutes, despite the many steps. It’s my morning meditation and the source of my energy for the day to follow.

What’s your favorite morning ritual?

Average Jane Appreciates the Internet

In the past year or so, I’ve been branching out and discovering more online entertainment than ever before. For the longest time, I was not big on watching online videos, but now I subscribe to a whole bunch of YouTube channels. Also, I’ve run across some Twitter niches that are very absorbing. Want a rundown? Of course you do!

Average Jane’s 8 Favorite Online Entertainment Sources

1. Lost in Vegas - There’s no shortage of reaction videos these days, but Ryan and George are by far my favorites. They choose genres they aren’t very familiar with, like heavy metal and classic country music, and really listen to the music and lyrics. I’m a long-time metal fan, but watching their reactions to songs I’ve known for years makes me feel like I’m hearing them for the first time. 
2. Sled Dog Twitter - Particularly Blair Braverman, but also Quince Mountain and Chrissie Bodznick (and other mushers you will see retweeted along the way). Until I stumbled across the story of Grinch, I’d never thought very much about sled dog racing. Now I can recognize individual dogs when I see their photos in my Twitter stream, and I can’t wait to see the latest updates from Alaska while the teams train for the Iditarod. I’m not a big sports fan, but I know what I’ll be following on March 2nd next year.
3. Hydraulic Press Channel - Except pronounce it like “hygge” so it sounds more like, “hyoodraulic.” Lauri Vuohensilta is a young Finnish guy who owns a machine shop and likes to film what happens when he crushes things with a hydraulic press. He and his wife Anni are mostly off-camera, but their verbal reactions to how cool it looks when, say, a deck of playing cards explodes all over the shop make the fun contagious. The couple get more face time in their other channel, Beyond the Press, which documents their non-hydraulic-press-related destructive impulses. Check out the video where a crew explodes 110 pounds of dynamite in a swamp to make a pond for reindeer, which may be the most Finnish thing that has ever happened.
4. Ask a Mortician - Caitlin Doughty is a mortician who is striving to overhaul the traditional funeral industry and advocate for more consumer choice, greener options, and more open discussions about death. This channel is chock-full of interesting information about the work of being a mortician, iconic corpses in history, funeral practices of other cultures, etc., all presented in a quirky but exceptionally informative and respectful manner.
5. In the Kitchen with Kate - Millennial British siblings Kate and Alex sit at their kitchen table and try various snack foods from all over the world. I know, it doesn’t sound like much, but they’re charming and fun and their channel is a lovely brain break after a long day. I don’t think they ever rate anything below a six because they’re just too nice. 
6. Hope for Paws Animal Rescue - Eldad Hagar takes to the streets and deserts around Los Angeles and sometimes further afield, filming as he and his team members rescue abandoned animals. I’ve been watching these videos for a long time, so I made the classic, “Have we met before?” mistake one time when I happened to meet him at a BlogPaws conference several years ago. Awkward! The videos serve as a great way to bring attention to the needs of adoptable pets and fundraise for the organization and the other rescue groups that partner with them.
7. Epicurious - Cheap vs Expensive - This is my one Big Media entry here, but I have really been enjoying their videos where experts taste and evaluate foods and beverages, explaining why they believe that one is more expensive than the other. There’s a significant amount of education packed in as each person talks through the qualities of a good coffee, beer, bread, chocolate, etc. 
8. Tango the HORF - This Twitter thread just started last week, but it went viral enough that Tango the HORF now has his own Twitter account. It’s the story of a young, stupid, goofy yet beautiful horse told hilariously by its owner’s daughter. He’s not dead, he just looks that way when he’s sleeping.

What are your favorite YouTube channels and Twitter accounts to follow? Is there something great I need to know about?

Average Jane Cooks

Today I'm having company over for lunch and making my ever-popular Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables and a couple of loaves of French bread.

I've been trying to cook more meals in lieu of going out, but the one meal that I just don't feel like making this year is Thanksgiving dinner.

Last year I cooked a huge dinner and spent the better part of two days baking, cooking and cleaning. All that effort was for five people.

Have you ever brined a turkey? Damn, it's a lot of effort.

I have some wonderful Thanksgiving recipes. Here's the booklet, in case you'd like to peruse them. I'll definitely get my Thanksgiving mojo back someday, but I'm just not feeling it this year.

Instead, I think we should just go out somewhere. You can find a perfectly good Thanksgiving meal at lots of different places and get every dish you could possibly want without having to wash a single pot or pan.

Then I can just make a nice pumpkin pie or two to have around the house.

What are you planning for Thanksgiving dinner this year?

Average Jane Makes Dessert

I haven't made this lately, but it's a recipe that my sister and I both remember fondly from childhood. Judging by the ingredients, I'm imagining it made its debut either in a magazine ad or a branded cookbook. For something that relies heavily on packaged goods, it's quite tasty - a good mixture of sweet cream, savory pecans and tart cherries.

For some reason, my mom's old recipe file was just chock-full of desserts with the word "torte" in their names, none of which actually fit the definition of a torte. Maybe it was some kind of early 1960s trend. Who knows? Anyway, this is one of them:

Cherry Torte

1 can tart red pie cherries (drained)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand)
1/2 pint Cool Whip
1 cup chopped pecans
Juice and pulp of one lemon
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Melt butter, add to graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Press crumb mixture into bottom and sides of a standard pie pan, saving about a tablespoonful for garnish. Mix together lemon juice and pulp and cherries. Add sweetened condensed milk, Cool Whip and pecans and stir gently to combine. Pour mixture into pie crust and garnish with crumb mixture. Chill for several hours.

Easter Dinner with Average Jane

Once again, my sister has agreed to continue the family tradition of hosting a big meal on Easter, despite the fact that we're pretty much the most secular group of people imaginable. We'll have at least ten people - a comfortable combination of relatives and friends.

The main entree is easy: my company offers a discount on Honeybaked Hams which are then delivered to your desk on the Friday before the holiday. I stuck with the "small" 7-pound ham because, seriously, how much ham can a person eat?

Last night I was relaxing at home all evening watching TV and surfing when I realized just as I was getting ready to go to bed around 1:00 a.m. that I hadn't made my Easter cheesecake yet. It needs to cure for a couple of days before being served, so I was up until about 3:00 a.m. baking my usual delicious recipe but with a ginger cookie crust. I'm a little concerned that the crust may have overbrowned, but it's hard to tell because there's something spilled in the bottom of my oven that's smoking a bit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Me suggested that peach topping would be good with the ginger/walnut crust, so I'm looking forward to serving it that way tomorrow.

Originally I was thinking of making an asparagus souffle as a side dish, but after looking at a bunch of recipes I decided it was too much trouble. However, I did run across a veggie snack that sounds delicious and would use up a bunch of the frozen edamame I have: Garlic Edamame. If I don't make it as an Easter appetizer, I'll definitely try it soon.

My final contribution to the meal will be my usual dinner rolls. They didn't come out very well at Christmas, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow's batch will be better.

The one thing I'm not making is hard-boiled, colored eggs. Because my sister is the one with the kids, I'm sure she'll have more than enough at her house to cover our deviled egg needs.

If I were dyeing eggs, I would definitely try making the silk-dyed eggs I've been seeing all over the 'net in the past week or so. I just don't have the time or motivation to go to the thrift store for silk ties this year.

So that's my plan for tomorrow.

Today I'm heading to Parkville, Missouri to meet up with some of my friends and get to know some of my Twitter buddies in person. The plan is to have lunch and do a bit of shopping.

I can tell this is going to be a very lovely weekend.

Average Jane Rediscovers Popcorn

Over the holiday break, I bought an entire bag of popcorn so I could get the single kernel that this fried chicken recipe calls for. I didn't give the purchase much thought - it was just a big bag of plain popcorn for $1.

The other night, my husband and I were watching TV when we decided it might be nice to have a snack. I remembered the popcorn and went into autopilot mode to make a batch on top of the stove the way we always did when I was growing up.

I put a little grape seed oil (yes, the oil I use has gotten fancier) in the bottom of my biggest saucepan, poured in a half cup of popcorn kernels, put on the lid and turned the burner to "high" until I could hear sizzling. Within a few minutes I had a nice batch of popcorn. I melted a little butter in the hot pan, poured it over the bowl of corn and sprinkled on some salt.

Throughout the process, my husband hung around and kept asking lots of questions. It turned out that his family didn't make popcorn that way. In the pre-microwave days, they always bought Jiffy Pop, which my family considered overpriced and gimmicky.

We always used a battered, copper-bottomed skillet for our popcorn. It probably held about the same amount as the pan I used the other night, but I don't recall that we ever measured the popcorn we put in it.

I've never been much of a fan of microwave popcorn. I think it's too greasy and overly flavored. Now that I've been reminded of how good (and cheap!) popcorn can be when it's made the old-fashioned way, I may never go back.

Bomb Pop Martini Recipe from Average Jane's Sister

There was some discussion on Twitter yesterday about Bomb Pop Martinis, so I asked my sister for her recipe. It's easy and delicious.

Bomb Pop Martini

DeKuyper Island Blue Pucker
Bacardi Razz
Sweet & sour mix
Grenadine

Mix equal parts of Island Blue Pucker, Bacardi Razz and sweet & sour mix.  Shake WELL with ice and pour into martini glass.  Then take 1 capful of grenadine and slowly pour down the inside of glass until it settles to the bottom.

If you're a fan of frou-frou martinis with a kick, you might also like my Tootsie Roll Martini recipe. I posted it in 2005 and it still gets a lot of Google traffic.

Average Jane Shares An Easy Recipe

This is a recipe I got from my friend, Monica, back when we worked at a printing company together. There were about five of us working second shift from 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and because we were all broke and there weren't many food options nearby, we'd take turns bringing dinner for the entire department. I can't remember whether I first had her peach cobbler at work or if she brought it to a social event, but it's so delicious that I've hung onto the recipe for more than 15 years now.

If you aren't a big pumpkin pie fan, this might be a good dessert alternative for Thanksgiving:

Peach Cobbler

2 large bags frozen peaches
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter

Place peaches (thawed) into a 9" x 13" pan. Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of fruit. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

'90s Average Jane

Through the magic of Facebook, one of my friends from the early 1990s shared this with me recently:

It brought back a flood of memories. From my shiny wedding ring and the wallpaper I remember from the condo we rented at the time, I can tell that it was taken right after I got married in 1994. 

It was during one of our annual (at the time) cookie decorating parties before Christmas, back when I was young and thin enough that I could eat all the cookies I wanted. That's my natural hair color, incidentally. Well, not anymore. Now it would be half grey if I let it grow out. 

I still have those Jell-o molds on my kitchen wall, but they've been joined by many, many more. Collecting faux copper Jell-o molds from flea markets, antique stores and garage sales was something of a hobby for me until I discovered Ebay and finished the collection with pretty much every style ever made.

It looks like the cookie decorating party will be making a comeback thanks to this photo. I commented that it had been too long (2003 was the last one, as far as I can determine) and another friend wrote on my Wall that she hoped I'd have one this year. And why not?

This year I'll plan to bring together old friends and new friends for an ultra mega cookie decorating party! We'll have spiced cider, hot chocolate and - just for one day - all the cookies we want.

One of Average Jane's Favorite Cookie Recipes

This is a recipe I've been making all my life. The yellowed recipe card calls these cookies "Nut Butter Balls" but I've seen similar recipes called Italian (or Mexican) Wedding Cookies and Russian Tea Cookies. The recipe only makes a couple dozen cookies, but it's easy to double if you want more.

Nut Butter Balls

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add salt, vanilla, flour and nuts. Mix well. Chill. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

Note: For the holidays, I like to mix decorative colored sugars with the powdered sugar for little sparkles of color.