Yorkshire Pudding

The Pudding In Situ
Most of you (all 5 of you out there) know that I love to cook. I love cooking traditional folksy food, the kind that fills you up. Makes you warm, contented, whole.
The kid of food my grandmother made, and her mothers made before her. For me that would include food from Croatia, Ukraine, Germany and England. I'm a typical American Mutt, a little of this, a little of that.
So, as part of my attempt to connect with my culinary heritage, specifically the English side. I set out to bake a Yorkshire Pudding. No buying those horrid little frozen ones at the local Brit import store. Ohhhh no.
I scoured my cookbooks, looked online, Delia Smith had a good recipe, so I ued that but added an egg. It's all very touchy making the batter..Is the right runniness? Is it too warm? Did I beat it too much? Is the sun in alignment with Venus properly..There is alot to factor in, and honestly I was scared I'd screw it up. What if it doesn't rise, and just lies there in the beef fat, smoking and looking flat. Mocking me...You just have to go for it sometimes when trying out something new.
So I set the roast to roasting, and went for it.


TA DA!
I'd like to say I took lots of preparation shots, but I didn't, I was busy trying to not get eggshell in the batter, and keep the cats off the counter.The Hubbinator, who was out in the forge, kept coming in occasionally to look hopefully at the oven door and ask "Is it done yet? It smells amazing!".
No. Not yet, the roast isn't done. Now go on..I'll call you when it's ready..Repeat this pattern for several hours. When it was time, I called him in to watch the pouring of the batter into the hot fat. Other than my hair smelling like roast beef for the rest of the evening, it all went fine.
I poured the batter into the hot fat, it flowed like white lava into the pan. I shut the door and waited..
Okay. Everything is a go, now we wait...
Tick tick tick....Then it was time.
"My God you could ski down those peaks!" He exclaimed as I pulled it from the oven. I grinned. Success was mine!!!

No waiting or graces
So powerful was the allure of this pudding that the Hubby broke out his knife and started cutting a hunk out of it. Who could blame him? It was deeeeeelishcious, we managed to get the roast on the table along with the veg to enjoy it with, but to be honest, it was all about the fried dough.
The pic above shows it after the carnage had begun, and it's peaks had deflated.
Still. It was amazing, and I felt triumphant as a cook.
I think it might be time to do up another roast with pudding, this is making me hungry just looking at the pics.
Here is a great website, Historical Foods, they have recipes from every era, and taste.
http://historicalfoods.com/1033/roast-beef-lunch-recipe/

New Year

Wow! I have not blogged in...oh...ages. Mostly I just have don't have enough to write about..
Only a few people read it, yes they are my freinds, and wonderful. Not for reading the blog, but for being awesome people. I have to admit wishing people liked my blog, and found me interesting enough to read it regularly, but pagan lady blacksmiths who swear and drink ale aren't popular.
Well, onwards.
We were in our local newspaper back in October, The Oregonian, here is the article.
Very fun, it brought us some new commissions, thank the Gods, but it isn't enought to keep us alive. Dan is hunting jobs in his field, archaeology, and Iam just trying to not be depressed 24 hours a day while I forge steel, working on the jobs we do have.
Life teaches us strength by trying to break us down, that's what I have come to learn. Either you completely break apart, or you rebuild yourself, stronger, wiser. It isn't easy, nor is it pleasant.

One of the "teachers" out there, for me, is an amazing woman who writes the blog "Milkweed and Teasle". Jennifer and her husband are survivors and thrivers, literally. I love reading about the life she shares with her husband as gamekeepers on an English estate. She and he have been through it, they make do and mend fences. They work hard and love their lives, exhausting as it can be. Iam grateful that she shares it with all of us, because it inspires me to not just give up on my dreams, and that yes, life is hard. But also wonderful.
She also has a cluttered house which I can relate to. :) No time for being Martha Stewart when you have work in the shop all day thanks..
Anyways check her out.