Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
THREE GIFTS ARRIVED ON MY DOORSTEP TODAY (I’m calling them “gifts,” although I paid for two of them myself). First was the crock- or “Bean-” pot pictured up top. I love such earthenware for slow-cooking stews, soups and of course beans, in front of the fire. Fireplace, or “open-hearth” cooking is one of my great loves in winter. I swear that food prepared in this colonial manner tastes better than anything cooked on the modern stove (or worse, the microwave). You might feel differently.
Rolled up in the same box as the crock-pot were 80 sheets of parchment paper, pre-cut to fit, more or less, my baking sheets. Do you prefer parchment to silicon Silpat, too? I like parchment because it is eco-friendly, and also because it is versatile. Sure, Silpat will keep baked goods from sticking, too, but parchment also permits browning and crisping. Not to mention you can steam things, like scallops, in a folded piece of parchment. Try doing that with Silpat.
I should probably mention that both parchment sheets and crock-pot were ordered from a shop called Bridge Kitchenware. This old, family-owned business used to be a big deal in NYC. The third generation of owners, however, gave up the hustle and bustle of city life for the quiet and calm of Roseland, NJ. Unfortunately they gave up much of their inventory at the same time. But at least they still offer crock-pots and parchment paper…at extremely discounted prices.
Now for the third gift, the one which cost me nothing. It’s snowing heavily here in the Hudson Valley, which means I can’t leave. So I’ll sit in a comfortable chair by the fire this evening, while occasionally stirring the beans and ham in my new crock-pot, and while reading The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell. And later, to thank my dear partner for being just that — a dear partner — I’ll bake his favorite gluten-free cake on a pan which is lined, of course, with present number two.
A crock-pot, some parchment paper, some snow, and this boy is happy. Do you find comfort in such “little things” too?
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Terry says
Hi Kevin, my simple pleasure came this week in the mail also! I received an Amazon gift certificate for Christmas, and I needed nothing really. So I ordered some lye! I have been wanting to try making some soap for some time, but stores around here do not sell lye (it seems to be used by unsavory people to make unsavory things). So I ordered it online. The shipping was almost as much as the lye cost, but since it was free to me, I went with it. Now I am looking forward to making some plain, simple, old-fashioned soap soon. That is the kind of simple things that I enjoy. Your bean pot looks very nice, hope the beans turned out as good as I suspect they did.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – You're making real soap? Now that is a very sophisticated simple pleasure! Will the soap be perfume-free — or will you add some scented leaves or oil to it?
Seems I should start a new feature here, called Living Off The Grid. It could be a study in self-reliance…What to grow in a survival garden, how to make your own soap, etc.
Terry says
The soap I make will be scent/color free. I found an easy small recipe to start out with. Some of us in our house have sensitive skin and I wanted to see how it goes.
I do read a lot of blogs that are heavy on the “Living off the grid”. Some in my extended family think I have gone off the deep end:)
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
I'm rather happy to go off the deep end, if it means fewer trips to the supermarket! The more I learn, the more I try to avoid industrially-produced food. Now, if I could make my own soap. Well, you'll let me know how it goes.
Anonymous says
I would love to understand how parchment is ecofriendly. Seems a silpat which can be used many times is greener than disposable parchment. I would love to learn – enlighten me!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Anonymous – Silpat doesn't biodegrade naturally, whereas parchment paper does. But you do make a good point: Silpat is reusable, and with care it can last for many years. I suppose if one does lots of cookie-baking, then Silpat makes sense.