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Lovely Internet 10.18.13

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1. I don’t usually dress up for Halloween, but I think Jenny’s costume is perfect.

2. I’m more of a pie person, but cinnamon roll cupcakes have peaked my interest!

3. This family Halloween costume idea is just the sweetest.

4. I’m excited to dig my teeth into the new Kinfolk cookbook.

5. With the last of the summer’s figs, I may try this.

6. I had my worst day at sea ever this week, but probably nothing compared to what these folks experienced.

7. Let’s all agree the cutest result of the shutdown ending is that the Pandacam is back on, right?

8. One of these is on its way from Portland for River. We love Greypaw- Kaylee’s leash, training tab, and collar all came from Erin. Her work is amazing!

9. How the South Made Me a Queer Feminist

10. I am still giggling uncontrollably about the fact that this popped up this week. That whole story coming soon.

In the Works: For those local readers, I’ll be doing a cast iron workshop on November 7 at GRUB! I’m psyched- we’re going to talk about the hows and whys of cast iron, demo a few recipes, and eat some good food!

For more tidbits from Elena the person, follow me on twitterinstagrampinterest or facebook. Follow along with MissElenaeous for thoughts on everything other than Southern food.

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Bone Broth

bone broth 1 After the round of sickness that swept through school and a few long days traveling by air and automobile, I came down with the inevitable cold. This time of year is hard on the body, and I often struggle with doing my best to take time for myself while all the world around me seems to be going mad. It’s easy to check out, order Indian food, and pledge to cook another day. In all honesty, we’ve been doing a lot more of that than I’d like to admit the past few months. But when a that first chill in the air (and fogginess in the chest) hits, my reset button switches. I pull myself up out of the muck of late summer and get back in the kitchen. An act that, inevitably, feeds much more than the body.

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The first thing on the menu this week was a generous batch of bone broth. Bone broth, like chicken stock, is a simple combination of vegetables, water, and beef bones, simmered for an extended period of time. This batch had beef bones (labeled “soup bones” in the butcher’s freezer department of the market), oxtail, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots. The bones were roasted, the vegetables were chopped, water was added, and the broth simmered for over 24 hours.

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For the past few months I’ve been lamenting the end of summer, complaining to anyone who would listen that I wasn’t ready for the seasons to change. And I wasn’t. This summer was amazing- full of adventure, excitement, and opportunity. I loved every second of it and I was not willing to let go of long afternoons at the beach or boat rides or saying yes to everything because who cares, it’s summer! Finally, however, this week, I was ready. I got home from another big trip with a cold and a messy house and I just knew it was time. It was time to settle back in for fall. Time for long evenings on the couch with a book and a cup of tea, for pots of soup simmering for hours on end, time for roasts and root vegetables. And when I get sick of all that, it will be time to dream of watermelon again.

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Bone Broth

4-6 pounds beef bones & oxtail

4-6 pounds root vegetables- potatoes, carrots, onions, etc

1 head garlic (leave cloves whole)

1/2 stick butter

Salt

In a 425F oven, roast bones for 30 minutes.

Melt butter in a large soup pot. Add bones to the pot, along with onion, garlic, and remaining root vegetables. Fill pot with filtered water. Bring to a boil. Stir well and reduce broth to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on but slightly cracked, for 12-24 hours. Strain and freeze the broth.

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Lovely Internet 10.11.13

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Someone wise recently told me that lists and links are a great way to connect with your readers on a personal level and to give accolades to the people on this internet who make your heart happy. So I thought I’d jump on the Friday link roundup train and start a weekly link list of things I’m loving, both Southern food related and a little more general; a series that I’m calling Lovely Internet. Here are this week’s ten things from around the web that put a smile on my face.

1. Glad I never stopped eating eggs!

2. How amazing is this? I’ve been reading Anne of Green Gables to my students and I have to say, I might need that tote.

3. Hot Cocoa Popcorn. I’ll be trying this immediately.

4. Just a few short days until this girl is ours.

5. Happy Columbus Bartolome Day.

6. I continue to be impressed by the weekly installment of The Bitter Southerner.

7. Bourbon Chai. I’m not usually a big fan of hot booze but this sounds enticing.

8. Muscadine Rose Hand Pies. I’ve had hand pies on the brain, and a jar of muscadine preserves already in the fridge…

9. How much do Kaylee and River probably need homemade dog coats? It will get cold here for my two short haired dogs. (see also)

10. The Difference Between Baking Powder and Baking Soda.

Also this week Psychology of Eating included me in a list of its top 100 “Foodie” websites. Thanks guys!

For more tidbits from Elena the person, follow me on twitter, instagram, pinterest or facebook. Follow along with MissElenaeous for thoughts on everything other than Southern food.

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