Saturday, March 19, 2011

Chicken Liver Pâté


Much like Kimberly's schmaltz, Chicken Liver Pâté is an excellent classic Jewish dish. Even more so, you'll need the schmaltz for this recipe so it's a good thing we have it prepared! I have used, for a more personal touch, duck instead of chicken in this recipe.

250g chicken livers
1-2c chicken stock, preferably homemade
3 hardboiled eggs
1 red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons duck fat or schmaltz
Fresh flaked sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Slowly simmer the livers in enough chicken stock to just barely cover them - about 10 minutes. Drain. Reserve 2 tablespoons stock.
2. Using food processor, puree eggs and livers with stock as needed until smooth
3. Heat fat in pan until melted completely.
4. Gently caramelize onions over low heat for about 15 minutes or until just barely dark around the edges and golden in the middle.
5. Pour onions, fat and all into the livers and blend once more until a nice deep delicious paste.
6. Season to taste. I found it's best with a bit of salt and just a touch of pepper.

Eat like there's no tomorrow. Fantastic source of Vitamin A and protein!


Thursday, March 17, 2011

What do I want to do today?

As women, we place ourselves in a position of responsibility over others and those we love with compassion and love. Sometimes, we forget who we are, what we love and where our hobbies went. In a fluff of children, school, planning events, going to work... our responsibilities pile onto our hard-working backs and we find ourselves losing our fucking minds. Yeah I said fuck, I wanted to.

Every time we start to run down, our nails ragged and our hair limp with stress (if there at all), our loved ones look at us and say "Why don't you do something for yourself?" Yeah, if only we could figure out what that was! Or when we'd find the time!

That's when I realized all I had to do was...ask myself. What do I want to do today? It's a simple question which can have a myriad of answers. It can range from complicated ("I want to go to Spain today") to easy ("I want to read a chapter of my book today") to downright impossible ("I want to read a chapter of my book today while the kids are asleep").

The point is not whether or not you can do the things you want to do - but the point is you can KNOW the things you want to do. If you don't know, you can never do them. Instead your life will be a cycle of doing what other people want you to do for them. Stop. Breathe. Ask yourself what you want to do today. Listen. Listen closely. Ask yourself more than once a day. Ask yourself four or five times a day. Your answer will change. Some of it you'll be able to do! Right then! Then after awhile you'll realize slowly but surely you're doing more and more things for you. In return, everyone is happier.

Sometimes it's hard to stop and be self-centered for a little while, but we all know it's important. Without a few personal acheivements daily, how can we expect to have the self-esteem to continue the rest of our lives in happiness?

What does Liz want to do today? Well, Liz wants to ride her pushbike to the park. So Liz is going to.


Saturday, March 12, 2011

Twitter!

In an attempt to be edgy and cool and follow the sheeple (my friend hates this word so I purposefully used it, this'll test if he reads this or not) I have decided to get Nothing But An Apron a Twitter account!

Why Twitter?

Well, with today's modern woman needing to stay connected, it's important we realize that there are those who wish to do so via easy and simple means. Twitter will allow Nothing But An Apron to update you on upcoming projects, competitions, quick and easy tips you may not find here (as I remember them) and photos of different projects we're working on.

What can you expect from Nothing But An Apron in the coming months?

With the addition of Twitter, we will be including more posts on home repair and building as well as projects for the modern woman to use to make her house a home, a fortress or a castle. Or a piggery if you really want. There will be more focus on projects, products, health and fitness.

As a modern woman who is absolutely in love with vintage lifestyles as I know MANY other women are - it's hard to find that middle ground between wanting to wear pearls, petticoats and heels and being a powerful strong woman capable of maintaing a job, children, personal friendships, love, life and even, yes, her poor husband.

Nothing But An Apron is just what is sounds - a place for women (and men!) to take it all off, be stripped, be beautiful, be human - and still be a domestic god/dess.

We have plans for posts like: How to build your own chicken plucker, how to make a castile soap, how to dress appropriately for your figure (AND still get those awesome vintage finds to look fabuuuulous on you without feeling like you're in a costume in public!) and how to have basic modern principles combined with the desire to also have basic vintage principles.

Wear your pearls! Wear your petticoats! Build things with your bare hands! Dress sexy and feel great naked for the person you love! Fix computers! Get tattoos! Wire your OWN house! And most of all; follow us on twitter!

www.twitter.com/notbutanapron or just check out our new sidebar!!