Stuff, whatsits, and woozles.

A slightly drunken thing about making your own bacon (yum yum). Note: do not wield sharp kitchen knives while drunken...yeah, PSA.

Yes, I had a really stressful day, several beers, and very little dinner, so...coherence is totally optional.


( in which I make bacon )

Here are some other websites that describe how to make bacon (and have their own recipes, mine is REALLY approximate)
http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/Make_your_own_bacon_Homemade_bacon_tastes_fantastic
http://porknwhiskey.com/category/food/charcuterie/
http://www.northernvista.org/resources/how-to-make-your-own-bacon/
There are also bacon making sections in:
Stillroom Cookery (Firth)
Putting Food By

If you like bacon, begin this recipe by frying two slices of bacon. Leave the grease in the pan, save the bacon for sprinkling on as a garnish.

If you like spicy, add some hot peppers.

(begin regular recipe).
Dice an onion and some bell pepper (about 1/3 of a pepper or so), fry in olive oil (or the bacon fat if you are using that version). Add a dollop of vegi bullion, and fill the pan about half full of water (I used my medium sized Le Creuset). Turn the heat up to get the water boiling. Peel and chop 4 medium potatoes, add to the soup. Add a medium sized bag of frozen corn. Simmer until the potatoes are falling apart. Mash with potato masher until soup is thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
(I added tabasco, cayenne pepper, chile powder, and about a teaspoon of bbq sauce).
If you are going to eat the soup all at once, add the dairy to the pot. We eat it over several days (and freeze some), so I usually don't add the dairy until it is reheated. Then I add about 1/2 Tbs of half-and-half to each bowl.

YUM YUM. Spicy, creamy, rich, thick smokey chowder.
This is also AMAZING with some smoked salmon in it (though I might not add the bbq sauce if I'm adding salmon).

This is a bigger/more difficult set of challenges. Here's how it's going to run. You pick 5 of the following challenges to complete in the next, 6 months? When you have done all 5, tell me and you'll get a cool prize. I'm thinking stuff like: stoneware mugs, carved wooden spoons, silver earrings, etc. Depending on how organized I am, you might even get to PICK prizes at say..September Crown? That's tentative.

So, anyone can play, but I'm trying to gauge these to be challenging to Laurel-level types :)

( list of challenges to choose from, may expand soon )

(this means you have one week to complete the last challenge, if you haven't yet, let's see those annotated bibliographies!)

This challenge is to obtain/read/get/digest 5 new to you sources. As always, the subject is up to you. The challenge here is to find NEW sources, even if you think you've read/looked at/found all there is to find. OR, see this challenge as a way to start looking in a new direction!

As before, you need to share your spiffy new findings publicly, so that our collective knowledge is advanced (I prefer the annotated bibliography format, but just a plain bibliography is also fine). Once you complete the challenge, leave me a note (and preferably a link!), and you'll go on the list to receive a shiny something at some unspecified time :)

( Now, on to the meaty bits: HOW do you find new sources? )
As usual, you have about a month to do the challenge, or until I remember and declare it is done (and time for the next one, grin).

I am utilizing my "grew up with hippies powers".

Dish #1. Brown rice (spicy)
( ignore the packaging )
Dish #2. Black beans (spicy)
( this requires a slow cooker )

Combine rice and beans in your favorite ratio. We've been eating them in tortillas with a little cheese, sour cream, extra hot sauce, and lettuce. But honestly? They are so good I can eat them strait up :) YUM RICE AND BEANS!!!!

NOTE (please read). These are the CANNING books, not the pickling, not the fermenting, not the cheese making or cellering or brewing or meat preservation books. Yes, some of these books have sections on that, but in this entry, I am just talking about their worth as a CANNING book.
They are roughly in order of usefulness, with the first one being essential, and the last few less interesting (to me).

( good canning books )

Like the first one, I'll give you something small and shiny (if you remind me) http://gargoyal3.livejournal.com/515511.html

So. Most of us do some kind of research about the middle ages (heh). We should SHARE! Instead of wondering what to start with a new-to-me topic, wouldn't it be GREAT to have recomendations?

Here is the next challenge.

SHARE your favorite sources. At least five, but more if you like. I would reccomend an annotated bibliography. Essentially, tell people where they can find that resource (a citation), and then tell them ABOUT that resource.
Why should they read this one? Does it have the best pictures? Is it the ONLY place that your favorite recipe is published? Also, describe what the resource IS. Is it a book of pictures with no explanation? Is it a list of recipies in Old German? Is it a text book on archeology? What all is IN it?

This has to be in a public place. Blogs are okay, as long as the post is set to public. Websites are better.

The point here is that somewhere out there is another person who would like to know what you know, and it is a serious service if we can make these little caches of knowledge easily available.

As before, ifn you do it, I'll give you something shiny. If you remind me ;) This one isn't very time consuming (feel free to message me if you want help with formatting). We SHOULD all have 5 sources within REACH at any one time. So, let's say by March 1.

If you already share, then just add five more and get a woozle!

Would it be cool, if instead of floundering through the literature on some subject, if you could instead read summaries and reviews, so you'd know which ones to start with? Right.

Welcome to annotated bibliographies! These are a great memory tool for yourself. I often find myself thinking "I wonder which book has that chapter about X", and being able to look it up without having to look through all the books is GREAT. I also use other people's annotated bibliographies to look for new useful sources, and see what I've missed.

Okay, so HOW do you do one? Well, there are lots of ways, and we'll discuss a few

( bibliographies, back here )

Budget leads to needing to make many meals with little cash. So, three recipes made from two chickens...

( Read more... )

I get asked, pretty often: "HOW DID YOU FIND THAT???"

I have a few ringer websites that I'll share here, we'll get more in depth later (grin).

So. If I am looking for an item of physical culture (eating knife, bowl, bead, etc), I start here:

The YAT. York Archaeological Trust. Picture gallery first, then reports.
http://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/piclib/photos.php
The YAT isn't sorted well, nor is it easy to search, but it has super-cool images of everyday STUFF.

Swedish Historical Museum.
http://www.historiska.se/historia/sokisamlingarna/
Use google to translate, or have fun with Swedish :) Be aware that this site does NOT have stable links, you should save the images and information you find, don't bookmark. (site currently having server problems, sorry!)

For Viking stuff, also check out Frojel
http://www.hgo.se/frojel/Object%20Gallery/default.html

Google Scholar.
Go to google.com. On the top bar is a drop down menu. Go to scholar. The results will be published articles and books. Not all are accessible online, nor are all free, but it at least tells you that the resource exists!

Google Image.
Same as above. Often gets me past the recreated schlock and into the good stuff, as I can SEE when a site is about something medieval.

Google Books.
As above, but many older books are available full text online. Also VERY good for looking at the tables of contents of things before you bother to buy them.