I make some things. This is one of them. This is a method, more than a recipe, since I don't think I've made it the same way twice and this is from memory, in fact. So here goes.
7 cups water
3 cups bourbon
2 cups strong tea
12 oz can frozen lemonade
6 oz (or 12 if you forgot and got the 12 oz can) can frozen oj
1 1/2 cups sugar
Combine the day before. Freeze. Let sit out a bit before serving. Some folks put it in a glass and pour white soda over it. Some folks drink it straight.
My mom's has about half the bourbon and less water--it's more fruit juice and sugar, basically. It's snow cone for grown ups. My version is snow cone for grown ups that makes you slur your words and lose at mah jongg.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
72. Christmas
Once I've recovered from Christmas, I will post some photos of the things I wrought this Christmas season: 3 afghans, a table runner, placemats, a circular quilt, minky dot pants, doll clothes, fleece blanket, 2 magnet boards, an embroidered picture of the book cover for 21 Balloons. But for now, I am simply reflecting on the insanity of doing all of this in December.
I had a stressful autumn, and I kept putting off Christmas until later. I made little bargains in my head: I don't have to make Advent banners this year, so I'll have more time...Fiona's older and can help on some of the tasks...and other total BS that we tell ourselves to keep us from screaming every moment of the day.
Thanksgiving came with an inflamed masseter jaw muscle and no ambition to do anything. December began. December ticked away. I had doll clothes done, and two afghans ready to seam, but really? Nothing. And then it was December 16.
I made a nice little list. I am never happier than when I'm making a nice little list. I had it all worked out. I would get it done. Of course, this didn't account for visits from friends or sisters (both of whom I very much wanted to sit and chat with, and did so, knowing I would pay for it later). It didn't account for showering or cooking meals or running to the pharmacy at the last moment or any of those things. It was solid sewing from start to finish. And a little spray painting.
But I got it done, all but one of the afghans, and that I finished at my leisure on the 26th and handed to the recipient (Jake's brother Sam and his wife Michelle).
I knew I had lost my mind when I had the prep work done for a set of placemats for my mother-in-law, and I looked at it and thought, "this should be a quilt. A round quilt." And I went for it. Wha?
So this year, for Christmas 2012, it is getting underway in February. Because it really only took me a few hours to make that round quilt. And it's insane that I waited until the morning of the 24th to start it. Insane. I could spend a week in February and get 4 quilts done and feel better about myself and about life and my jaw muscles and all that. Wouldn't it be nice to sit still the last week before Christmas?
I get better at Christmas every year. I adjust and learn how to make things better for myself and folks around me (Jake, kids, our families, friends). This one, however, came at great expense to my sleep schedule and mental stability. And that's just crazy. Like the whole semester has been.
But things are looking up in many directions, finally, and I have to start this in February. No more denial, no more superhuman feats of sewing.
2010 was the year of the quilt. 2011 was more generalized. I do better when I have a focus. 2012 will be the year of the traditional quilt. I need to go back to the basics of quilting. I need to go to Luckenbach, Texas. If you understand that, good for you.
I had a stressful autumn, and I kept putting off Christmas until later. I made little bargains in my head: I don't have to make Advent banners this year, so I'll have more time...Fiona's older and can help on some of the tasks...and other total BS that we tell ourselves to keep us from screaming every moment of the day.
Thanksgiving came with an inflamed masseter jaw muscle and no ambition to do anything. December began. December ticked away. I had doll clothes done, and two afghans ready to seam, but really? Nothing. And then it was December 16.
I made a nice little list. I am never happier than when I'm making a nice little list. I had it all worked out. I would get it done. Of course, this didn't account for visits from friends or sisters (both of whom I very much wanted to sit and chat with, and did so, knowing I would pay for it later). It didn't account for showering or cooking meals or running to the pharmacy at the last moment or any of those things. It was solid sewing from start to finish. And a little spray painting.
But I got it done, all but one of the afghans, and that I finished at my leisure on the 26th and handed to the recipient (Jake's brother Sam and his wife Michelle).
I knew I had lost my mind when I had the prep work done for a set of placemats for my mother-in-law, and I looked at it and thought, "this should be a quilt. A round quilt." And I went for it. Wha?
So this year, for Christmas 2012, it is getting underway in February. Because it really only took me a few hours to make that round quilt. And it's insane that I waited until the morning of the 24th to start it. Insane. I could spend a week in February and get 4 quilts done and feel better about myself and about life and my jaw muscles and all that. Wouldn't it be nice to sit still the last week before Christmas?
I get better at Christmas every year. I adjust and learn how to make things better for myself and folks around me (Jake, kids, our families, friends). This one, however, came at great expense to my sleep schedule and mental stability. And that's just crazy. Like the whole semester has been.
But things are looking up in many directions, finally, and I have to start this in February. No more denial, no more superhuman feats of sewing.
2010 was the year of the quilt. 2011 was more generalized. I do better when I have a focus. 2012 will be the year of the traditional quilt. I need to go back to the basics of quilting. I need to go to Luckenbach, Texas. If you understand that, good for you.
71. Zip
I did two things for the first time yesterday. I used a zipper foot on my sewing machine. I replaced the zipper in a sleeping bag. So I suppose it's only really one thing, in two parts. But I spent a long time sewing yesterday.
Mike's aunt's mother-in-law has a robe, an old terrycloth robe, very simple construction, and it is her favorite. No other robes equal this one. They either don't lie flat enough along the neck, or the pockets aren't square pockets. So I was handed a robe and minky dot fabric and asked to make another just like the first. And I did. I hate tissue paper patterns, so I laid out the fabric and the robe folded to specific pieces in order to get the diagonals correct. I made 4 pairs of pajama pants this way already for Christmas, and I don't think I'll use a tissue paper pattern again. Bleah.
So anyway, I made the robe while Jake's uncle Johnny sat in the living room dropping not so subtle reminders of his political bent. I was glad for the task.
I finished it quickly--about two hours including a short break for dinner. I had brought one other project to accomplish this break. The sleeping bag zipper. Fiona and Daisy each have sleeping bags that I found at a resale shop on separate occasions. They are flowered and vintagey looking on the outside and lined with a thin flannel. Fiona's is blue and pink; Daisy's is red and green. I love them. They look like something my grade school friend Nicole would have had at her house for sleepovers. They are not cold weather sleeping bags, but they are cute and lovely. I had one, not with the flowers, but in a wine-red-brown, that was very much like these. And so I like them. I've always been a bit wabi-sabi about things. Things that are old and a bit shabby but still functional? Keep them and love them.
But this blue and pink sleeping bag's zipper was in bad shape. First, it stopped threading well and so I made a stopper with a zigzag stitch. Then the zipper, an old metal one on a stiff fabric tape, began to disintegrate. The teeth fell off in chunks (like my worst dental nightmare). Fiona brought it to me and asked what we could do.
I worked in a fabric store and I knew sleeping bag zippers existed, but I'd never replaced a zipper. I sat down next to Jake's brother Kevin and his wife Liz, playing scrabble on my mother-in-law's new Nook tablet. The couch is such that you kind of sink towards the middle. Anyway, I clung to the side of the couch, half-watched Thor that was playing on the TV, and ripped out the old zipper.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
I have this old zipper foot in my sewing box. I think it is probably from my grandmother. I gave it a try. I broke three needles in the process but the third one stayed intact and it worked. It did. I got the zipper sewed on and then rebound it with the original matching bias binding. The zipper is black, where the original was white and metal, but it works. It zips so nicely.
So now all the projects are completed and it's time to think about next year. Because as God is my witness, I swear on the grave of my scary great-great-great grandmother Jenny, may she haunt me persistently if I fail to fulfill my promise, that I will start Christmas sewing in February this year.
Mike's aunt's mother-in-law has a robe, an old terrycloth robe, very simple construction, and it is her favorite. No other robes equal this one. They either don't lie flat enough along the neck, or the pockets aren't square pockets. So I was handed a robe and minky dot fabric and asked to make another just like the first. And I did. I hate tissue paper patterns, so I laid out the fabric and the robe folded to specific pieces in order to get the diagonals correct. I made 4 pairs of pajama pants this way already for Christmas, and I don't think I'll use a tissue paper pattern again. Bleah.
So anyway, I made the robe while Jake's uncle Johnny sat in the living room dropping not so subtle reminders of his political bent. I was glad for the task.
I finished it quickly--about two hours including a short break for dinner. I had brought one other project to accomplish this break. The sleeping bag zipper. Fiona and Daisy each have sleeping bags that I found at a resale shop on separate occasions. They are flowered and vintagey looking on the outside and lined with a thin flannel. Fiona's is blue and pink; Daisy's is red and green. I love them. They look like something my grade school friend Nicole would have had at her house for sleepovers. They are not cold weather sleeping bags, but they are cute and lovely. I had one, not with the flowers, but in a wine-red-brown, that was very much like these. And so I like them. I've always been a bit wabi-sabi about things. Things that are old and a bit shabby but still functional? Keep them and love them.
But this blue and pink sleeping bag's zipper was in bad shape. First, it stopped threading well and so I made a stopper with a zigzag stitch. Then the zipper, an old metal one on a stiff fabric tape, began to disintegrate. The teeth fell off in chunks (like my worst dental nightmare). Fiona brought it to me and asked what we could do.
I worked in a fabric store and I knew sleeping bag zippers existed, but I'd never replaced a zipper. I sat down next to Jake's brother Kevin and his wife Liz, playing scrabble on my mother-in-law's new Nook tablet. The couch is such that you kind of sink towards the middle. Anyway, I clung to the side of the couch, half-watched Thor that was playing on the TV, and ripped out the old zipper.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
I have this old zipper foot in my sewing box. I think it is probably from my grandmother. I gave it a try. I broke three needles in the process but the third one stayed intact and it worked. It did. I got the zipper sewed on and then rebound it with the original matching bias binding. The zipper is black, where the original was white and metal, but it works. It zips so nicely.
So now all the projects are completed and it's time to think about next year. Because as God is my witness, I swear on the grave of my scary great-great-great grandmother Jenny, may she haunt me persistently if I fail to fulfill my promise, that I will start Christmas sewing in February this year.
Monday, December 19, 2011
70. Brussels Sprouts Kids Will Eat
Start with young Brussels Sprouts. What is up with the capitalized name for this vegetable? Is it named for Brussels, like, the capital of Belgium?
Anyway.
Start with young Brussels Sprouts. Cut in half.
Saute in a hot pan with olive oil. Salt and pepper them lightly. They will turn brighter green and yellow at the center.
Take off the heat and powder them with Parmesan or Romano. Google wants to capitalize those words, too.
Serve hot. Fiona's comment: I wish we had more.
Anyway.
Start with young Brussels Sprouts. Cut in half.
Saute in a hot pan with olive oil. Salt and pepper them lightly. They will turn brighter green and yellow at the center.
Take off the heat and powder them with Parmesan or Romano. Google wants to capitalize those words, too.
Serve hot. Fiona's comment: I wish we had more.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
69. Salsa Verde Original Recipe and Changes
Here is the salsa verde recipe from Farmgirl:
Makes about 3 pints
Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes
2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped
3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as 'Granny Smith', cored and chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Combine the tomatoes, onions, peppers, apples, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a large,nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about an hour.
Stir in the jalapenos, cilantro, and cumin and simmer for 5 more minutes. Carefully puree the mixture using a stick blender until still somewhat chunky.
If canning, return the pureed relish to a boil, then ladle the hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Store in a cool, dark place.
And this is what I do if I'm not canning:
1. Throw all the green tomatoes in a huge pot.
2. Add enough vinegar and water to get them simmering.
3. Add whatever onions you have lying around. Garlic, maybe a handful of cloves? A few green apples. The tarter the better.
4. Chop a sweet pepper if you have one.
5. Dump in about 6 seeded and cored, chopped jalapenos. Maybe more?
6. When everything is mushy, stick-blender it (or pour it into the blender in batches).
7. Bring to a boil again, add lots and lots of cumin. Some salt. Some chili powder, maybe.
8. Simmer a while. Let it cool down. Pour it into freezer containers and hoard it away!
Makes about 3 pints
Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes
2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped
3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as 'Granny Smith', cored and chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Combine the tomatoes, onions, peppers, apples, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a large,nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about an hour.
Stir in the jalapenos, cilantro, and cumin and simmer for 5 more minutes. Carefully puree the mixture using a stick blender until still somewhat chunky.
If canning, return the pureed relish to a boil, then ladle the hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Store in a cool, dark place.
And this is what I do if I'm not canning:
1. Throw all the green tomatoes in a huge pot.
2. Add enough vinegar and water to get them simmering.
3. Add whatever onions you have lying around. Garlic, maybe a handful of cloves? A few green apples. The tarter the better.
4. Chop a sweet pepper if you have one.
5. Dump in about 6 seeded and cored, chopped jalapenos. Maybe more?
6. When everything is mushy, stick-blender it (or pour it into the blender in batches).
7. Bring to a boil again, add lots and lots of cumin. Some salt. Some chili powder, maybe.
8. Simmer a while. Let it cool down. Pour it into freezer containers and hoard it away!
Monday, October 17, 2011
68. Canning Supplies
When you set out to can, you really don't need many supplies, but the few you need? You really need them.
1. You need jars. Canning jars. I'm sure there are people out there who reuse pickle and mayo jars from the store, but unless you are canning-for-the-fridge (meaning, making a small batch of jelly and sticking it in the fridge right there and then to use as your current jar of jelly--pickles are often done this way successfully as well), you need canning jars. They are sold by the flat at most grocery stores. They are made by Ball and by Kerr, which may be the same company? Not sure.
You can reuse jars as long as they are in good shape. We open jars, use the contents, and then use them as drinking glasses. The ones that survive to the next canning season get sterilized with the others and get put-up again.
2. With the jars you need bands and lids. The lid is the flat thing on top with the rubber seal. The band holds it on. You can reuse bands until they rust. You cannot reuse lids. If lids look damaged or weird (see below), discard. Just don't even go there. The one on the right has some sort of weird spot on it. I discarded.
3. You need something to process the jars in. I use the official canner from Kerr or Ball or whatever. It doesn't have to be that--any large flat-bottomed kettle will work. But the part that is implied here:
is the rack. The rack is what makes it all work. You don't want jars to rest on the bottom of the kettle, where they are likely to burst. They need to rest just slightly above the bottom. There they'll do fine.
4. A few other random supplies that could be substituted for other similar objects:
Tongs; a jar-lifter to bring it out of the hot hot water; a wide-mouthed funnel (which is frankly so useful it gets used all the time in my house); pectin if you are going for a firm-set jam or jelly and you are worried it might not set. I'll talk about pectin later. I have used it successfully, I have used it unsuccessfully (by not following the directions, oops). I have set jam without it as well.
5. And as Daisy is demonstrating there, you need water. Lots and lots of hot water. Many people, myself included, boil jars before using them. I rest lids in hot water but I don't boil them because I want the rubbery seal to stay hard until I need it to soften and do its job (seal). And hot water to process jars in, too, is key, of course, in "hot water bath" canning. It's such a large kettle of water that I start it on the stove before I do any other prep work (except chopping if I'm working with hot peppers, or pickles which have to rest in cold water a long time first). But straight-forward tomatoes or jam or jelly? The water goes on to boil first.
That's it for the hardware: jars, bands, lids, kettle, rack, a few utensils, pectin (the only "special" ingredient), water, and a stove to heat it on. Towels are good. Spoons. Knives. But those things you probably already have ready to go.
Next up: the basics of jam.
1. You need jars. Canning jars. I'm sure there are people out there who reuse pickle and mayo jars from the store, but unless you are canning-for-the-fridge (meaning, making a small batch of jelly and sticking it in the fridge right there and then to use as your current jar of jelly--pickles are often done this way successfully as well), you need canning jars. They are sold by the flat at most grocery stores. They are made by Ball and by Kerr, which may be the same company? Not sure.
You can reuse jars as long as they are in good shape. We open jars, use the contents, and then use them as drinking glasses. The ones that survive to the next canning season get sterilized with the others and get put-up again.2. With the jars you need bands and lids. The lid is the flat thing on top with the rubber seal. The band holds it on. You can reuse bands until they rust. You cannot reuse lids. If lids look damaged or weird (see below), discard. Just don't even go there. The one on the right has some sort of weird spot on it. I discarded.
3. You need something to process the jars in. I use the official canner from Kerr or Ball or whatever. It doesn't have to be that--any large flat-bottomed kettle will work. But the part that is implied here:
is the rack. The rack is what makes it all work. You don't want jars to rest on the bottom of the kettle, where they are likely to burst. They need to rest just slightly above the bottom. There they'll do fine.4. A few other random supplies that could be substituted for other similar objects:
Tongs; a jar-lifter to bring it out of the hot hot water; a wide-mouthed funnel (which is frankly so useful it gets used all the time in my house); pectin if you are going for a firm-set jam or jelly and you are worried it might not set. I'll talk about pectin later. I have used it successfully, I have used it unsuccessfully (by not following the directions, oops). I have set jam without it as well. 5. And as Daisy is demonstrating there, you need water. Lots and lots of hot water. Many people, myself included, boil jars before using them. I rest lids in hot water but I don't boil them because I want the rubbery seal to stay hard until I need it to soften and do its job (seal). And hot water to process jars in, too, is key, of course, in "hot water bath" canning. It's such a large kettle of water that I start it on the stove before I do any other prep work (except chopping if I'm working with hot peppers, or pickles which have to rest in cold water a long time first). But straight-forward tomatoes or jam or jelly? The water goes on to boil first.
That's it for the hardware: jars, bands, lids, kettle, rack, a few utensils, pectin (the only "special" ingredient), water, and a stove to heat it on. Towels are good. Spoons. Knives. But those things you probably already have ready to go.
Next up: the basics of jam.
67. Shamefully Returning to Posting
It's been a really busy, really hectic return to school this year. Not only am I taking an online class that I'm too advanced for (long boring story omitted), but I'm volunteering 5 hours a week at school and Leo goes to speech therapy 2 hours a week. So there hasn't been a lot of anything that would qualify for this blog. Really. The garden is declining. I have a dying cat. The treehouse is all but done, but my part of it is the part that is all-but. Girl scouts are underway but nothing really for here to say right now.
But I have a few canning photos. So I'm going to go ahead and start that. Right now.
But I have a few canning photos. So I'm going to go ahead and start that. Right now.
Monday, August 29, 2011
66. Learning to Can
Melinda came over yesterday. I don't know Melinda--she is a friend of Jen's across the street. They know each other from craft shows. Melinda wanted to learn how to can, how to "put up". She is part of a community organization for sustainable food and growing your own and all that. I told her to come on over.
Raspberries were cheap, the cheapest I've ever seen. I picked up plenty to make raspberry jam, something I would normally not waste raspberries on, frankly, because they get hoovered up at my house at an alarming rate. I pick them myself when I am able (the fall crop is coming in out at the farm where I usually pick, so Leo and I might head out early sometime this week).
She came over Sunday morning, and about 10 minutes before she was due to arrive, I realized I had no pectin. I always cheat. Always. Every jam I make has pectin in it. So much work goes into it, I don't want it to fail. So I had a mini panic, realizing I couldn't run to the store in time, and Mike was camping with the girls so I couldn't have him run out for me. By the time Melinda arrived I had shifted gears. Raspberry sauce, I told her. She was thrilled I was going to do a demonstration and not just a lecture.
Cut to the end: I used a Ball recipe for raspberry jam, warning her it probably wouldn't set. But it did. I followed Ball's recipe exactly and it set fine. It's definitely a homemade variety, it is runnier than store-bought, but it isn't just a sauce. It is jam.
But anyway, I went through the process with her and I realized that wow, I've been doing this for 12 years. Once again, not a novice anymore. And while the internet is probably not the best source for information, pretty much across the board, I'm going to do a few lessons about canning. Maybe it would be better to call them tips. It'll be a few days. I didn't take pictures of the whole process yesterday. I'll need to can something else. Salsa verde perhaps. Hmm.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
65. Caprese Salad and Crostini
It is summer. August, specifically.
There have been many Augusts of Caprese salad. This year is no exception, although the tomatoes aren't coming from my yard this year, but from the CSA. Little candy-sweet sungold grape tomatoes. Romas. Big red lovelies for $1/pound because the farm that raises them doesn't consider them worthy of full price.
Mozzarella, the soft white kind, not the gummy string cheese kind. I found the latest batch at a local grocery chain, hormone free.
Basil from the yard. Handfuls of it. It's getting a little on the anise-ish side of basil this time of year (I've missed the perfect moment to make pesto but I'll still make it).
And we had this package of crostinis from the CSA. Crunchy, tasty, perfect with a slice of mozzarella, a basil leaf, a little orange tomato.
We've had it for dinner, just this and maybe some chicken strips from the freezer for the kids, for 2 nights this week. I'm out of mozzarella but that will be remedied tomorrow.
There have been many Augusts of Caprese salad. This year is no exception, although the tomatoes aren't coming from my yard this year, but from the CSA. Little candy-sweet sungold grape tomatoes. Romas. Big red lovelies for $1/pound because the farm that raises them doesn't consider them worthy of full price.
Mozzarella, the soft white kind, not the gummy string cheese kind. I found the latest batch at a local grocery chain, hormone free.
Basil from the yard. Handfuls of it. It's getting a little on the anise-ish side of basil this time of year (I've missed the perfect moment to make pesto but I'll still make it).
And we had this package of crostinis from the CSA. Crunchy, tasty, perfect with a slice of mozzarella, a basil leaf, a little orange tomato.
We've had it for dinner, just this and maybe some chicken strips from the freezer for the kids, for 2 nights this week. I'm out of mozzarella but that will be remedied tomorrow.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
64. Summer Garden
We left town for 5 days. Only lost one basil plant, a poorly placed container, not enough dirt to support a good sized basil. Everything else survived.
No tomatoes. I have heard lots of theories, but since it's affecting everyone I know, I'm going to blame the heat. I read something about how fruit won't set if the night temperatures don't get consistently below 75 degrees. Well, it's laughable these days because I don't think we've seen a seven in the tens place in a month? Today is the first morning it felt, well, normal, outside since the 4th of July parade.
So the Russian tomatoes, I can see why they're suffering. The Ozark Pink kind of ticks me off--it's from even further south than we are. Ah well. Some years are not tomato years. At least everyone is having trouble so I don't sit here worrying about my dirt or my watering procedures.
I had 4 bean plants that are spent now, but enough beans to freeze and eat over several meals. Peas of course are gone but they were fun, too. And the lettuce! Cilantro bolted I think the moment it sprouted, ah well, but the parsley and basil are hearty. Mint, in a separate undisclosed location, is making it just fine.
Now it's cucumbers and okra and jalapenos and small sweet peppers (maybe some variation of banana?). I lost one watermelon, baseball sized, to a water-crazed squirrel, but I have three more about that size, several little ones that may or may not take, and two about the size of Daisy's head. It's the first year for okra and watermelon. Both plants are kind of scary. The watermelon, if I didn't train it back and up the fence each day, would have covered my back gate by now. And the okra has huge leaves and fruits (I planted a cultivar that doesn't get stringy or woody even at 6 inch fruits).
I make pesto early next week. Tomato sauce? I bought 20 pounds of "seconds" from the CSA. Just freezing it this year. And we'll see about pickles. Looks likely.
No tomatoes. I have heard lots of theories, but since it's affecting everyone I know, I'm going to blame the heat. I read something about how fruit won't set if the night temperatures don't get consistently below 75 degrees. Well, it's laughable these days because I don't think we've seen a seven in the tens place in a month? Today is the first morning it felt, well, normal, outside since the 4th of July parade.
So the Russian tomatoes, I can see why they're suffering. The Ozark Pink kind of ticks me off--it's from even further south than we are. Ah well. Some years are not tomato years. At least everyone is having trouble so I don't sit here worrying about my dirt or my watering procedures.
I had 4 bean plants that are spent now, but enough beans to freeze and eat over several meals. Peas of course are gone but they were fun, too. And the lettuce! Cilantro bolted I think the moment it sprouted, ah well, but the parsley and basil are hearty. Mint, in a separate undisclosed location, is making it just fine.
Now it's cucumbers and okra and jalapenos and small sweet peppers (maybe some variation of banana?). I lost one watermelon, baseball sized, to a water-crazed squirrel, but I have three more about that size, several little ones that may or may not take, and two about the size of Daisy's head. It's the first year for okra and watermelon. Both plants are kind of scary. The watermelon, if I didn't train it back and up the fence each day, would have covered my back gate by now. And the okra has huge leaves and fruits (I planted a cultivar that doesn't get stringy or woody even at 6 inch fruits).
I make pesto early next week. Tomato sauce? I bought 20 pounds of "seconds" from the CSA. Just freezing it this year. And we'll see about pickles. Looks likely.
Monday, July 25, 2011
63. Paneer
I stood at my stove in my own kitchen and made paneer, an Indian farmers cheese. I got help on the internet. Here's what I did:
I put a half gallon of whole milk on to boil. I let it come to a boil while I took these pictures and marveled at how I think the kitchen is clean enough but the camera always catches me in denial.
It boiled and I added a 1/4 cup of lemon juice diluted in a 1/2 cup of warm water.
I stirred.
It separated, which was actually kind of gross, like what you don't want milk to do, there I'd done it on purpose.
I poured it into a cloth napkin I'd draped over a colander. I didn't have cheesecloth and it was too late to run upstairs for muslin. I just used a clean cloth napkin.
I rinsed the little globs of cheese to get rid of the lemon taste.
Then I put the globs into a glass container until I needed it for saag paneer. I could have pressed it further and made it more of a solid, like a tofu consistency, but I was sort of pressed, myself, for time. So it was more of a ricotta-esque, only dryer, kind of cheese.
Which made me realize something, that I no longer had to hope for the best and no antibiotics/hormones in my domestic ricotta--which of course is too much to hope for. I buy antibiotic and hormone free dairy products and meat--you would too if you'd had an antibiotic-resistant infection during childbirth. But the only product I could never find that way was ricotta. So every time I made lasagna I felt a bit queasy. Paneer is not equivalent to ricotta. But it could substitute. Easily.
I also started reading up on how to make my own ricotta, for that matter. Perhaps stay tuned.
I love the feeling of learning something new and being empowered by that learning.
I put a half gallon of whole milk on to boil. I let it come to a boil while I took these pictures and marveled at how I think the kitchen is clean enough but the camera always catches me in denial.
It boiled and I added a 1/4 cup of lemon juice diluted in a 1/2 cup of warm water.
I stirred.
It separated, which was actually kind of gross, like what you don't want milk to do, there I'd done it on purpose.
I poured it into a cloth napkin I'd draped over a colander. I didn't have cheesecloth and it was too late to run upstairs for muslin. I just used a clean cloth napkin.
I rinsed the little globs of cheese to get rid of the lemon taste.
Then I put the globs into a glass container until I needed it for saag paneer. I could have pressed it further and made it more of a solid, like a tofu consistency, but I was sort of pressed, myself, for time. So it was more of a ricotta-esque, only dryer, kind of cheese.
Which made me realize something, that I no longer had to hope for the best and no antibiotics/hormones in my domestic ricotta--which of course is too much to hope for. I buy antibiotic and hormone free dairy products and meat--you would too if you'd had an antibiotic-resistant infection during childbirth. But the only product I could never find that way was ricotta. So every time I made lasagna I felt a bit queasy. Paneer is not equivalent to ricotta. But it could substitute. Easily.
I also started reading up on how to make my own ricotta, for that matter. Perhaps stay tuned.
I love the feeling of learning something new and being empowered by that learning.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
62. Dice Bag
Jake lost his dice bag.
What?
From high school, and college. Dice bag. As in "I play roleplaying games that require dice of multiple shapes and sides".
I blame the girls. They've started playing a cute little game called Fuzzy Heroes and the dice bag disappeared.
It is our 15th wedding anniversary. The theme is "crystal" and I decided dice fit the bill. I picked up a variety of dice online and then made a bag for him.
The first bag was drawstring, lined, made of the same fabric as the ottoman cover I made earlier this year. I liked it. It was cute. But it didn't pull all the way shut. Fail.
So I went into my stash and found a doubleknit skirt that my sister gave me for the fabric (I made her a doubleknit quilt last Christmas). I cut it, salvaged the zipper, and made a sort of pencil case-ish bag that zips shut. It's red and white striped. Pretty ugly because the lines are nothing like straight. It is, in fact, entirely made of skew lines. But the dice go in and it's small enough to stash in a drawer where it will belong: the checks, 9 volt battery, and dice drawer. Of course.
What?
From high school, and college. Dice bag. As in "I play roleplaying games that require dice of multiple shapes and sides".
I blame the girls. They've started playing a cute little game called Fuzzy Heroes and the dice bag disappeared.
It is our 15th wedding anniversary. The theme is "crystal" and I decided dice fit the bill. I picked up a variety of dice online and then made a bag for him.
The first bag was drawstring, lined, made of the same fabric as the ottoman cover I made earlier this year. I liked it. It was cute. But it didn't pull all the way shut. Fail.
So I went into my stash and found a doubleknit skirt that my sister gave me for the fabric (I made her a doubleknit quilt last Christmas). I cut it, salvaged the zipper, and made a sort of pencil case-ish bag that zips shut. It's red and white striped. Pretty ugly because the lines are nothing like straight. It is, in fact, entirely made of skew lines. But the dice go in and it's small enough to stash in a drawer where it will belong: the checks, 9 volt battery, and dice drawer. Of course.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
61. Harvest
*Just a handful of potatoes. Enough for a big potato salad, or for two dinner side dishes. Mystery why they didn't work. I'm just starting them over for the first time so I have years ahead of me to figure out. Plus, besides the work, they were free, so I'm not too upset.
*Carrots. Oh my goodness why didn't anyone tell me about homegrown carrots? Like tomatoes, they are amazingly better than store-bought (in comparison, basil is the same either way, just cheaper at home; cucumbers just taste like cucumbers but in more volume, etc). These carrots are little ones, purposefully, although I picked some of them early and they were teeny. But all of them are so so good. They are now the fridge snack for the week. And I'm planting more tomorrow.
*First of the sweet peppers. I've never been great at growing sweet peppers but I have two little ones in the harvest bowl in the fridge. Hmm.
*First of the beans. A handful, but I wanted them to keep producing. I may freeze them...or I'll throw them into tomorrow's deer stew. I don't know yet.
*Basil and parsley ongoing--just bits here and there in the cooking.
*Garlic. Heh. I've talked garlic before. My crops are self-propagating at this point. I have three main areas where they grow: inside the "tomato cage", right outside the cage, and along the back fence. I picked the cage bulbs tonight, and a few outside the cage. Their stems were dead and dry so it was time. The cage harvest was huge (cutting the scapes does do something after all). The ones I could tell were first year growth I scattered in the beds for next year but put the rest on the table on the back deck. I'm freezing it this year. I tried dehydrating chopped bulbs but they lost more flavor than I hoped. I know they'll stay good in the freezer. And if the cucumber harvest goes well, I'll have plenty of bulbs for garlic dills.
*Other growing things: the tomatoes have blossoms and I've picked all the suckers. The lettuce remnants are removed and the areas where they grew are ready for something else (more carrots and beans?). Cucumbers are growing and there are teeny blossoms. Jalapenos. And the 3 watermelon plants I took a chance on because Maeve begged? They're wandering around the west side of the yard. Blooming. I may hand-pollinate to be sure.
*Carrots. Oh my goodness why didn't anyone tell me about homegrown carrots? Like tomatoes, they are amazingly better than store-bought (in comparison, basil is the same either way, just cheaper at home; cucumbers just taste like cucumbers but in more volume, etc). These carrots are little ones, purposefully, although I picked some of them early and they were teeny. But all of them are so so good. They are now the fridge snack for the week. And I'm planting more tomorrow.
*First of the sweet peppers. I've never been great at growing sweet peppers but I have two little ones in the harvest bowl in the fridge. Hmm.
*First of the beans. A handful, but I wanted them to keep producing. I may freeze them...or I'll throw them into tomorrow's deer stew. I don't know yet.
*Basil and parsley ongoing--just bits here and there in the cooking.
*Garlic. Heh. I've talked garlic before. My crops are self-propagating at this point. I have three main areas where they grow: inside the "tomato cage", right outside the cage, and along the back fence. I picked the cage bulbs tonight, and a few outside the cage. Their stems were dead and dry so it was time. The cage harvest was huge (cutting the scapes does do something after all). The ones I could tell were first year growth I scattered in the beds for next year but put the rest on the table on the back deck. I'm freezing it this year. I tried dehydrating chopped bulbs but they lost more flavor than I hoped. I know they'll stay good in the freezer. And if the cucumber harvest goes well, I'll have plenty of bulbs for garlic dills.
*Other growing things: the tomatoes have blossoms and I've picked all the suckers. The lettuce remnants are removed and the areas where they grew are ready for something else (more carrots and beans?). Cucumbers are growing and there are teeny blossoms. Jalapenos. And the 3 watermelon plants I took a chance on because Maeve begged? They're wandering around the west side of the yard. Blooming. I may hand-pollinate to be sure.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
60. Daylilies
I fried daylilies last night. I picked a bunch of blossoms and a few unopened buds. I dipped them in a tempura batter:
1 c flour
1 c water
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
And I fried them. I didn't have enough canola, and so I had to resort to some olive oil, and therefore they weren't as crispy as I would have liked, but they were yummy. So weird.
The buds were the best. I may try them again in other ways. And I hear the tubers are potato-esque. The daylilies in my alleyway are weeds. I like to eat weeds.
1 c flour
1 c water
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
And I fried them. I didn't have enough canola, and so I had to resort to some olive oil, and therefore they weren't as crispy as I would have liked, but they were yummy. So weird.
The buds were the best. I may try them again in other ways. And I hear the tubers are potato-esque. The daylilies in my alleyway are weeds. I like to eat weeds.
Friday, June 10, 2011
59. Guest Room
My mother-in-law is coming tonight. She's staying, which she usually doesn't do, mostly (I think) due to our cats. But I need to leave the house at 7 tomorrow for canoe training and water rescue certification, so it makes sense for her to come tonight and just start the day in the morning. This meant I actually had to clean the guest room, which is my Dorian Gray Memorial Room, frankly. It falls apart so the rest of the house can appear clean. These days it has been covered in my dining room--all the stuff from the walls, the cabinet, and so on. Plus it is also my sewing/craft room and therefore creeps towards chaos at every moment.
To top that all, the cats love this room. They love sleeping on the bed and leaving giant mats of fur. The older two are fond of barfing on the rug. So I had to dig the place out, change the sheets and blankets, and vacuum the heck out of it.
But now it is done. Still cluttered and definitely my sewing area, but the bed is clean and made, the two dressers (Leo's and a blanket chest) are tidy, the table with my sewing is explainable instead of shameful.
Time for the rest of the house to promptly fall apart.
To top that all, the cats love this room. They love sleeping on the bed and leaving giant mats of fur. The older two are fond of barfing on the rug. So I had to dig the place out, change the sheets and blankets, and vacuum the heck out of it.
But now it is done. Still cluttered and definitely my sewing area, but the bed is clean and made, the two dressers (Leo's and a blanket chest) are tidy, the table with my sewing is explainable instead of shameful.
Time for the rest of the house to promptly fall apart.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
58. Last of the Radishes, First of the Potatoes
Two of my 12 potato plants up and died. I don't know if I hurt them as I hilled them up, or if they got too dry (a few others looked sickly yesterday and I saved them by watering the heck out of them--that wet spring spoiled me!). So I dumped out their containers and found enough potatoes to serve as a side dish for dinner. I love yukon golds. Especially new potatoes that are yukon golds. Especially new potatoes that are yukon golds that were planted for free and hilled up with grass clippings and compost and cost me nothing but time (and only recently that, frankly). The radishes got chopped into a salad, but the greens were cooked down in a bit of bacon grease and served as well. Radish greens are not Daisy's favorites. That's ok, though, because they happen almost never. More radishes in the fall, but for now they are done.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
57. Radishes
We planted a ton of radishes in the garden this year just to get something going out there before I could plant the things I really like (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers). They grew. I had never grown more than 3 or 4 before, in a window box, to show Sophia the miracle of plant life back when I was going to homeschool her. I'm just not a big enough fan of radishes to waste precious garden space on them. But this year I decided, through research and gambling, to plant in succession many things one after another. And so the radishes had a place again. We harvested several times, large bunches. There's still a few out there.
And this salad, until I added a few hothouse tomatoes from the CSA, was all from our garden.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
56. Dishwasher
So I broke down.
I think it was the moldy water in the bottom of our current dishwasher. Realizing we had to get rid of it, and then deal with a big hole in the kitchen. A hole I could fill with...what?
With money, for the most part. The floor underneath is subfloor, so whatever I did I would have to cover that. Trash? A cabinet to hide trash? Just plain cabinets of some kind? None of them sounded right. Or cheap, frankly.
A dishwasher isn't cheap either, especially not the way we decided to go. But I envisioned 6 months from now still trying to find cabinets that matched or at least blended in with the ones we had (which I have painted, of course). Dealing with the cabinet under the sink and its dark spookiness. Handling it all.
I looked at my dining room and decided life was hard enough for the house, for me, for us. Plus...I will admit that while handwashing dishes feels both noble and satisfying, I am the only person doing it. Jake will load and unload a dishwasher. But he never, ever, ever, ever washes a dish by hand. Never. Neh-vah. No way, no how. He doesn't even see the dishes when they're waiting in the sink. So I could see into the future. I go back to work and...
So we bought a dishwasher. It gets delivered, and installed, and the old one hauled away, tomorrow. It is stainless steel on the inside and the outside and I think we will be very happy together.
I think it was the moldy water in the bottom of our current dishwasher. Realizing we had to get rid of it, and then deal with a big hole in the kitchen. A hole I could fill with...what?
With money, for the most part. The floor underneath is subfloor, so whatever I did I would have to cover that. Trash? A cabinet to hide trash? Just plain cabinets of some kind? None of them sounded right. Or cheap, frankly.
A dishwasher isn't cheap either, especially not the way we decided to go. But I envisioned 6 months from now still trying to find cabinets that matched or at least blended in with the ones we had (which I have painted, of course). Dealing with the cabinet under the sink and its dark spookiness. Handling it all.
I looked at my dining room and decided life was hard enough for the house, for me, for us. Plus...I will admit that while handwashing dishes feels both noble and satisfying, I am the only person doing it. Jake will load and unload a dishwasher. But he never, ever, ever, ever washes a dish by hand. Never. Neh-vah. No way, no how. He doesn't even see the dishes when they're waiting in the sink. So I could see into the future. I go back to work and...
So we bought a dishwasher. It gets delivered, and installed, and the old one hauled away, tomorrow. It is stainless steel on the inside and the outside and I think we will be very happy together.
Monday, May 16, 2011
55. Garden Update
My potatoes are taller than Maeve. I have hilled them up as best as I can. I will do more later this week. My plan to utilize old chickenwire as a barrier is not the best plan I've ever had. I'm debating how to handle this better. The Urban Homestead book recommends old tires. I don't have any old tires.
Garlic is going strong. Peas have figured out how to climb the strings I've dropped down for them. Lettuce is great. Radishes are all picked and consumed. There might be one or two stray ones out there. I let the girls sow them. I should plant more.
What next?
Tomatoes, of course. I picked up two plants at the farmers' market and later realized they were cheaper than equivalent plants at big box store #1. Wow. So I'll be doing that again this weekend. I have an Arkansas Traveler and a Black Krim. I've done Krims before but they were in one of my FAIL summers, so I'm hoping for better results this year.
Cucumbers, although I'm not wasting garden space on them this year. They'll go in the yard between other plants, grow up the fence in the back as best they can. I have learned the hard lesson of heirloom cucumbers. I cannot make them grow here. But last year I slapped in an older hybrid pickling cucumber and had a ridiculous harvest. This year is slicing cucumbers--we'll pickle what we can't eat.
Peppers, especially jalapenos. And maybe I'll try my hand at something new. Daisy is begging for watermelon. We live, of course, on a postage stamp. But maybe I could give them a try for her.
So far, I'm staying ahead of the weeding. Of course, it's been like living in Scotland the past month or so. Cloudy, misty, cool. It's May 17 and I'm going to wear a sweater when I go pick up the girls.
I'm back, by the way. I don't know if it was a thyroid dip or just recovering from stress due to Mike's travel (over now) or the flood worries or what but I'm getting stuff done again. Which is a good thing, of course, but especially in a house like mine.
Garlic is going strong. Peas have figured out how to climb the strings I've dropped down for them. Lettuce is great. Radishes are all picked and consumed. There might be one or two stray ones out there. I let the girls sow them. I should plant more.
What next?
Tomatoes, of course. I picked up two plants at the farmers' market and later realized they were cheaper than equivalent plants at big box store #1. Wow. So I'll be doing that again this weekend. I have an Arkansas Traveler and a Black Krim. I've done Krims before but they were in one of my FAIL summers, so I'm hoping for better results this year.
Cucumbers, although I'm not wasting garden space on them this year. They'll go in the yard between other plants, grow up the fence in the back as best they can. I have learned the hard lesson of heirloom cucumbers. I cannot make them grow here. But last year I slapped in an older hybrid pickling cucumber and had a ridiculous harvest. This year is slicing cucumbers--we'll pickle what we can't eat.
Peppers, especially jalapenos. And maybe I'll try my hand at something new. Daisy is begging for watermelon. We live, of course, on a postage stamp. But maybe I could give them a try for her.
So far, I'm staying ahead of the weeding. Of course, it's been like living in Scotland the past month or so. Cloudy, misty, cool. It's May 17 and I'm going to wear a sweater when I go pick up the girls.
I'm back, by the way. I don't know if it was a thyroid dip or just recovering from stress due to Mike's travel (over now) or the flood worries or what but I'm getting stuff done again. Which is a good thing, of course, but especially in a house like mine.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
54. Easter Eggs
The blue is dyed overnight soaked in vinegar and red cabbage. The yellow took just an hour or so in tumeric and vinegar. Both substances were boiled first before the soaking.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
53. Mittens for Lent
Here are two of the four pair. They're for school for next winter. The little pair is a preschool size, the bigger is probably for a 1st-3rd grade classroom. I have two pairs in between as well. A bit of homespun intermingled with the purple. These will felt up like crazy and keep hands warm on days they've forgotten those all-important mittens
52. Mended Porch Pillow
It got chewed up in the dryer. And normally I would have simply tossed it--we have a whole crate of chair cushions and pillows and so forth for the backyard. But I looked at it again and though, "I could fix this in 15 minutes."
And I did.
And I did.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
51. Nature's Miracle
Ok.
I have elderly cats: Hickory and Bleys are each 15 years old. And Hickory, I think, has started to get lazy about where she should or shouldn't urinate. She's fond of the dining room.
I'd been using a couple of different sprays to get rid of the cat urine smell, but every time I walked in the house, I was hit with it again. I tried a variety of natural remedies and chemical remedies and nothing was working. Plus, with Daisy a bit sensitive to chemicals in general, I didn't want to get too toxic. I was debating just tossing the rug, the huge room-sized area rug, and starting over, but I was tired even considering dragging it out to the alley.
So I went to the pet store and Nature's Miracle was recommended. It's supposedly some sort of enzyme thing that kills the odor on a cat-level as well as a human one, to keep the cats from returning to the same spot. I was happy to give it a try. I went home and sprayed the 3 areas that I thought were probably to blame.
The next day, I still smelled the urine. But the label said to wait until it was completely dry.
The next day, today, I still smelled it when I got home from church.
Then I got home from the barbecue this evening. And nothing. Nothing at all. No cover-up smell, no urine. Gone.
Well then.
I have elderly cats: Hickory and Bleys are each 15 years old. And Hickory, I think, has started to get lazy about where she should or shouldn't urinate. She's fond of the dining room.
I'd been using a couple of different sprays to get rid of the cat urine smell, but every time I walked in the house, I was hit with it again. I tried a variety of natural remedies and chemical remedies and nothing was working. Plus, with Daisy a bit sensitive to chemicals in general, I didn't want to get too toxic. I was debating just tossing the rug, the huge room-sized area rug, and starting over, but I was tired even considering dragging it out to the alley.
So I went to the pet store and Nature's Miracle was recommended. It's supposedly some sort of enzyme thing that kills the odor on a cat-level as well as a human one, to keep the cats from returning to the same spot. I was happy to give it a try. I went home and sprayed the 3 areas that I thought were probably to blame.
The next day, I still smelled the urine. But the label said to wait until it was completely dry.
The next day, today, I still smelled it when I got home from church.
Then I got home from the barbecue this evening. And nothing. Nothing at all. No cover-up smell, no urine. Gone.
Well then.
Friday, April 15, 2011
50. Potatoes, Peas, Garlic
My garden is growing.
Why am I always surprised?
I read The Urban Homestead over Christmas break and swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. One of their suggestions was one I'd read in other gardening books--garden plants cycle (greens come long before tomatoes long before pumpkins, etc) and so you can start with spring things, thick, and then replace them with summer things that take more space as the spring ones tire out. They also suggested this thick planting could, perhaps, be more fruitful if it were random. Instead of having peas here, greens there, beans in a third location, they put forth the idea that all of those could grow together, thinning things out as needed.
Now, I didn't follow this exactly--just with the peas, beans, and greens. My carrots are separate, as this is the first year they've actually sprouted and I wanted to focus on them to see what they do; my potatoes are in pots this year (and ALL OF THEM have sprouted!!!) lining the path back to the compost pile. And of course my garlic grows everywhere, so that I don't even worry about. But the idea of more of a wild garden struck my fancy, at least with these spring plants. I know where the tomatoes' sweet spot is in the garden, and I know that jalapenos can grow anywhere in the yard so they are a low priority for placement (I'm not going to plant them amongst the tomatoes, I mean).
So the back garden is planted. And it is growing, bits of lettuce and little pea plants and tiny beans starting to poke their heads up out of the rich composted raised bed.
I am already more involved in this garden than I have been in 8 years at least. So I'm hopeful.
A few photos:
Wild Osage Garlic growing amongst pernicious viny weeds. I don't plant garlic--it plants itself simply based on the seed heads I fail to remove or the few bulbs that get left behind in the ground. I LOVE THIS. And it doesn't get choked out by the English ivy or the violets. Stands its ground.
Peas. I planted two varieties and let Maeve plant them so who knows what is where? But I'm so happy to have helpers I can't care too much. We'll see how this goes.
And potatoes. They are bigger than this now, ready to be buried again already. I'm ridiculously happy about this. I had great success with potatoes the one year I planted them, but I didn't again because I didn't want to waste the garden space on such a big plant when there were tomatoes to grow. In old pots by the compost pile, though, they're not in the way. And the squirrels didn't go after the seed potatoes (Actually, they were heirloom potatoes from the CSA gone to sprout) so I'm not too worried about varmints.
Stay tuned.
Why am I always surprised?
I read The Urban Homestead over Christmas break and swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. One of their suggestions was one I'd read in other gardening books--garden plants cycle (greens come long before tomatoes long before pumpkins, etc) and so you can start with spring things, thick, and then replace them with summer things that take more space as the spring ones tire out. They also suggested this thick planting could, perhaps, be more fruitful if it were random. Instead of having peas here, greens there, beans in a third location, they put forth the idea that all of those could grow together, thinning things out as needed.
Now, I didn't follow this exactly--just with the peas, beans, and greens. My carrots are separate, as this is the first year they've actually sprouted and I wanted to focus on them to see what they do; my potatoes are in pots this year (and ALL OF THEM have sprouted!!!) lining the path back to the compost pile. And of course my garlic grows everywhere, so that I don't even worry about. But the idea of more of a wild garden struck my fancy, at least with these spring plants. I know where the tomatoes' sweet spot is in the garden, and I know that jalapenos can grow anywhere in the yard so they are a low priority for placement (I'm not going to plant them amongst the tomatoes, I mean).
So the back garden is planted. And it is growing, bits of lettuce and little pea plants and tiny beans starting to poke their heads up out of the rich composted raised bed.
I am already more involved in this garden than I have been in 8 years at least. So I'm hopeful.
A few photos:
Wild Osage Garlic growing amongst pernicious viny weeds. I don't plant garlic--it plants itself simply based on the seed heads I fail to remove or the few bulbs that get left behind in the ground. I LOVE THIS. And it doesn't get choked out by the English ivy or the violets. Stands its ground.
Peas. I planted two varieties and let Maeve plant them so who knows what is where? But I'm so happy to have helpers I can't care too much. We'll see how this goes.
And potatoes. They are bigger than this now, ready to be buried again already. I'm ridiculously happy about this. I had great success with potatoes the one year I planted them, but I didn't again because I didn't want to waste the garden space on such a big plant when there were tomatoes to grow. In old pots by the compost pile, though, they're not in the way. And the squirrels didn't go after the seed potatoes (Actually, they were heirloom potatoes from the CSA gone to sprout) so I'm not too worried about varmints.Stay tuned.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
49. Gate
This is the Gate That Mr. Murphy built. Possibly Mr. Chapman or Mr. Woltjen. I don't think it's original to the house, but it is old. It is, like many parts of my house, shabby. I think the brick is what fools the eye--brick houses, barring earthquakes, just stand and stand and stand. Yeah, a little tuckpointing, but they don't need to be painted, they don't need new siding or replacement bits of siding. No need to re-stucco. They just are. So it shocks me, still, when other things don't hold up like the red brick.
But I digress. This gate has to go.
My yard, during rougher times in the neighborhood, has been used as a quick cut-through to the alley to escape detection or just as a shortcut. The fault lies in two places--I could put a lock on my back gate, which is 6 feet tall and can be locked with a padlock or other such device, but the major fault is right here with this gate.
That's Billy's hand there, and the gate isn't much taller than he is. It's about as tall as Daisy, actually, easily jumped over by any teenaged male with his limbs intact. And look at that lock--it confounded our old rottweiler dog, but even billy has figured out how to wiggle the bar out of the lock. It is useless as a barrier now.
So it is time to replace it. This is the Year of Unfinished Projects, and I'm getting a lot of them done. This is one that has been staring at my in the face for 13 years. It's time.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
48. Ottoman slipcover
So Leo drew on the library ottoman in sharpie marker. Dang it. Plus the thing was a bit on the dingy side--things spill, I clean them up, but it's never really the same as before. 
The couch itself is still in good shape, but not the ottoman. On the surface, I mean--the furniture itself is solid as a rock. The ottoman opens up for cedar-lined storage and the couch opens up to a twin sized hide-a-bed. I love this thing.
So this year, you know, I'm trying to get my life in better order all over the place. So I took one of those faux Mexican woven blankets (it's made to look hand-done but it's not) and I cut it and sewed it together with French seams, by hand, and attached an elastic band at the bottom. Slipped it right over the top. Washable if need be, free project made of things lying around the guest room/craft room, and completely serviceable without changing the aesthetic in the room. Well, a bit, considering it's rainbow colored, but the couch was denim to begin with. Still a comfortable unfussy place.
Sorry about the smudge on the lens. Didn't notice it until after I'd taken the pictures and I liked the one with the cat enough I was too lazy (sigh, the ottoman in question is right behind me) to go back and take them again with a clean lens. I blame Billy. Of course.
The couch itself is still in good shape, but not the ottoman. On the surface, I mean--the furniture itself is solid as a rock. The ottoman opens up for cedar-lined storage and the couch opens up to a twin sized hide-a-bed. I love this thing.So this year, you know, I'm trying to get my life in better order all over the place. So I took one of those faux Mexican woven blankets (it's made to look hand-done but it's not) and I cut it and sewed it together with French seams, by hand, and attached an elastic band at the bottom. Slipped it right over the top. Washable if need be, free project made of things lying around the guest room/craft room, and completely serviceable without changing the aesthetic in the room. Well, a bit, considering it's rainbow colored, but the couch was denim to begin with. Still a comfortable unfussy place.
Sorry about the smudge on the lens. Didn't notice it until after I'd taken the pictures and I liked the one with the cat enough I was too lazy (sigh, the ottoman in question is right behind me) to go back and take them again with a clean lens. I blame Billy. Of course.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
47. Baby Bibs
My cousin is expecting boy/girl twins this summer. So I made her a few relatively androgynous bibs. They are made from old jeans on one side and quilting cotton on the other. I did a little appliqued bit on the front of each one as well. I simply traced a bib I owned, and used sew-in snaps at the top. I considered velcro, but for an item that will be washed quite a bit, I didn't want it to wear out so fast. And sew-in snaps are a weak connector. If the bib had to come off in a hurry (like if the baby, wearing it, got caught on something while crawling around), it would. As cute as buttons or strings are, I hesitate to use them on baby items. Little snaps will do just fine.
The only thing I'll change next time is to sew on the snaps before sewing the two layers together, thus hiding the stitches.
I'm thinking this might be my contribution to the church fall festival craft booth.
The only thing I'll change next time is to sew on the snaps before sewing the two layers together, thus hiding the stitches.I'm thinking this might be my contribution to the church fall festival craft booth.
Friday, April 8, 2011
46. To ply or not to ply
That is the question.
I've been teaching the kids in Sophia's class how to spin roving into yarn using a drop spindle. It's been fun. And I gave them a choice yesterday. They could either split their yarn in two and ply it to set the twist (does that make sense? Like a rope that twists on itself to make a strong solid rope), or they could set the twist on a single-ply yarn.
Which was something I'd never done before.
But I'd read about how to do it, and I thought, maybe I could do it.
You wind the single-ply into a hank, like wrapping it around your hand and elbow like you might do with an extension cord. Then you hang one end from something sturdy, and from the other end, you hang something heavy. We used coffee decanters and hung them from a dish drainer weighted down with cafeteria trays. Makeshift. Make do.
This morning I came in and checked on it. Four girls had chosen to set the twist instead of ply, and they set. Fiona's had a bit of a twistiness left to it--some pieces of her yarn were overdone--but her friend Wendy's was absolutely perfect. The other two were more like Fiona's, although all of them were completely usable, no problem there. They were excited. It was a good project.
I'm going to ply my mitten yarn. But I know now how to do it without plying. Maybe next time.
I've been teaching the kids in Sophia's class how to spin roving into yarn using a drop spindle. It's been fun. And I gave them a choice yesterday. They could either split their yarn in two and ply it to set the twist (does that make sense? Like a rope that twists on itself to make a strong solid rope), or they could set the twist on a single-ply yarn.
Which was something I'd never done before.
But I'd read about how to do it, and I thought, maybe I could do it.
You wind the single-ply into a hank, like wrapping it around your hand and elbow like you might do with an extension cord. Then you hang one end from something sturdy, and from the other end, you hang something heavy. We used coffee decanters and hung them from a dish drainer weighted down with cafeteria trays. Makeshift. Make do.
This morning I came in and checked on it. Four girls had chosen to set the twist instead of ply, and they set. Fiona's had a bit of a twistiness left to it--some pieces of her yarn were overdone--but her friend Wendy's was absolutely perfect. The other two were more like Fiona's, although all of them were completely usable, no problem there. They were excited. It was a good project.
I'm going to ply my mitten yarn. But I know now how to do it without plying. Maybe next time.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
45. Drop Spindle
This is wool:
This is a drop-spindle:
I made the drop-spindle from a dowel, a wooden model-car wheel, and a cup hook drilled in at the top. Drop-spindles are ancient devices, starting in the Neolithic Era and not being replaced by the spinning wheel until the late Middle Ages. It is hand work, it is slow, but it is cheap, portable, and does the trick.
Here I have it threaded with a leader cord (a piece of single ply bulky yarn). I split the leader cord in order to start feeding in the wool fluff (roving). The wool I'm using here is still a bit greasy from being on a sheep, which is what I want for this project. I bought a huge box of roving and mill-ends from a woman who gets them from a yarn mill and sorts through them by type, quality, and color, and resells them online. Perfect--I'm teaching Fiona's class how to spin with drop-spindles and that's perfect.
I catch the roving into the leader cord and start spinning the spindle, like a top, but letting it hang from the yarn as it twists. I catch it again and again, checking for how much twist is present. Fluff becomes a string, here below. Awkward photograph: I lay the camera on the ground and set the timer. So you're looking straight up at my hand holding the drafted (stretched) roving.
It isn't the most economical way to have mittens on your kids' hands come November (that would be $1 mittens at Target on clearance), but this yarn will ply into a bulky weight yarn and then will knit up tight into a warm wool mitten that, due to the lanolin content, will felt a bit and be somewhat waterproof. You can't buy that for $1 at Target. I'm thinking that the amount of roving I'll use for a pair of mittens will be about $2, and then there's just my time. But I like it. So there. I like being able to create something beautiful and useful out of what is essentially someone else's discards. That always makes me happy.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
44. Ribs
I smoked ribs today. I started yesterday:
about 5 1/2 pounds spare ribs
dry rub (I used Penzey's Ozark Seasoning)
wrapped tightly in foil and stuck in the fridge for 24 hours
Today:
I soaked about 4 cups of wood chips (I had mesquite) in water for 30 minutes
I started a small to medium fire on the grill, over to one side for indirect heat
I took my roasting pan's rack and turned it upside down on my grill, and then put the ribs on top of it.
Then I dumped about a cup of wet but not dripping wood chips onto the fire and closed the lid.
I repeated this process whenever I checked it and the smoke wasn't smoky enough. I used all the chips by the time I was done. I never had to stoke the fire. I added a sauce, a sort of Kansas City style, to one side of the ribs but I did not soak them in it.
I smoked them, total, about 2 1/2 hours. Which may have been a bit of overkill. But they were lovely. Better than lovely. I plan to sneak down there in a minute and eat leftovers...
about 5 1/2 pounds spare ribs
dry rub (I used Penzey's Ozark Seasoning)
wrapped tightly in foil and stuck in the fridge for 24 hours
Today:
I soaked about 4 cups of wood chips (I had mesquite) in water for 30 minutes
I started a small to medium fire on the grill, over to one side for indirect heat
I took my roasting pan's rack and turned it upside down on my grill, and then put the ribs on top of it.
Then I dumped about a cup of wet but not dripping wood chips onto the fire and closed the lid.
I repeated this process whenever I checked it and the smoke wasn't smoky enough. I used all the chips by the time I was done. I never had to stoke the fire. I added a sauce, a sort of Kansas City style, to one side of the ribs but I did not soak them in it.
I smoked them, total, about 2 1/2 hours. Which may have been a bit of overkill. But they were lovely. Better than lovely. I plan to sneak down there in a minute and eat leftovers...
Friday, April 1, 2011
43. Mending
When it comes to chores that have to do with clothing, I'm pretty much opposed. I can wash dishes by hand and even scrub the kitchen floor on my hands and knees--really--but I hate laundry. I hate:
1. Laundry
2. Ironing
3. Folding/Hanging
4. Seasonal change of clothing
5. Mending
My mending, currently, sits on Leo's dresser in the guest room. Every so often I find a hand needle and a couple spools of thread (white, black, gray or light blue) and tackle it. Currently I have only 1 shirt of Mike's to fasten a button to. It's a small enough pile to ignore for now.
Like most all of my clothing chores, they are made tolerable with Netflix and Hulu. I watch Law and Order or Sherlock or 30 Rock or whatever. Really. For a short while I watched season 1 of Hoarders, which is enough to make you do all your mending and ironing and throw all your junk away. Far away. Fill the 10 yard dumpster and have it hauled kind of throw away. But I digress. I do not envy women from 30 or 60 or 100 years ago without Netflix or cable TV or whatever your equivalent is. And I especially agree with the pope when he said that the washing machine was the biggest advancement in the status of women in the past 100 years. People mocked him but deep down we knew.
1. Laundry
2. Ironing
3. Folding/Hanging
4. Seasonal change of clothing
5. Mending
My mending, currently, sits on Leo's dresser in the guest room. Every so often I find a hand needle and a couple spools of thread (white, black, gray or light blue) and tackle it. Currently I have only 1 shirt of Mike's to fasten a button to. It's a small enough pile to ignore for now.
Like most all of my clothing chores, they are made tolerable with Netflix and Hulu. I watch Law and Order or Sherlock or 30 Rock or whatever. Really. For a short while I watched season 1 of Hoarders, which is enough to make you do all your mending and ironing and throw all your junk away. Far away. Fill the 10 yard dumpster and have it hauled kind of throw away. But I digress. I do not envy women from 30 or 60 or 100 years ago without Netflix or cable TV or whatever your equivalent is. And I especially agree with the pope when he said that the washing machine was the biggest advancement in the status of women in the past 100 years. People mocked him but deep down we knew.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
42. Pumpkin Muffins
Hooray for frozen pureed pumpkin (or perhaps butternut, which technically is a pumpkin after all). Here's my recipe, which is actually a recipe, as opposed to my usual guidelines or lists.Oven 350
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour (sometimes I ease up on the flour ratio)
1 c honey
1 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
combine in large bowl, mix until large crumbs. In a separate bowl:
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 c water
1 c oil
2 c pumpkin puree (that's about 1 can but I have mine frozen from last fall)
Pour wet into dry, mix until incorporated. Add 1 c chopped pecans. Fill muffin tin cups (I line with paper) 3/4 way full. Add sprinkles if desired (I did some of mine with sprinkles).
Bake, depending on size of muffin tin cups, 20 minutes. A knife inserted comes out completely clean when they're done. Cool on wire rack but really, eat them hot so they burn your mouth. They're the best pumpkin quick bread thingy I have made.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
41. Cassoulet
I made cassoulet this evening. What is cassoulet? It is a French peasant dish made from white beans and meat (usually pork, according to Wikipedia, and that's how I've had it in the past but tonight I used chicken). Here's what I did.
Overnight, soak 1 pound white beans.
In the morning, cook in crock pot on high for an hour and then on low until done. Drain, leave in pot.
Two hours before dinner:
Sweat holy trinity (bell pepper, onion, celery),
Cut up and brown 1 chicken breast,
I also added about 1/4 cup of diced volpi pepperoni. Just cuz.
This all gets combined with the beans in the pot.
Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and about 1/8 cup of thyme. Salt to taste (or salt at the table).
Cook on high in crock pot for about an hour and a half to 2 hours. Serve with crusty bread and a field green salad and perfection.
Overnight, soak 1 pound white beans.
In the morning, cook in crock pot on high for an hour and then on low until done. Drain, leave in pot.
Two hours before dinner:
Sweat holy trinity (bell pepper, onion, celery),
Cut up and brown 1 chicken breast,
I also added about 1/4 cup of diced volpi pepperoni. Just cuz.
This all gets combined with the beans in the pot.
Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and about 1/8 cup of thyme. Salt to taste (or salt at the table).
Cook on high in crock pot for about an hour and a half to 2 hours. Serve with crusty bread and a field green salad and perfection.
Monday, March 28, 2011
40. Dining Room Painting
The first coat of primer went up but it was obvious we'd need more. I did the beginning of the second coat last night, but found that the walls sucked the paint in just as fast as the first coat--Jake said I wasn't rolling it on thick enough, as well, which was frustrating because it took so much paint. It's 2 gallons of white on the walls right now and I'm going to have to invest in at least one more gallon of white to do the ceiling and to finish the second coat. Bah.
It's a no-VOC paint, by Bioshield, and I'm covering up dark dark red. So I'm not surprise at the coverage problems. When I order the gray, I'll order 3 gallons. Hoping that will be enough--I think it will, since I'll be covering white, not burgundy.
It smells like play dough. So strange. It goes on, with the roller, leaving a bit of a texture that I like. Our walls are plaster, at one time probably smooth as glass but that changes with 106 years of settling and use and abuse. Jake mudded and sanded for me but the bit of texture is helpful.
The white walls, after 12 years of red, are jarring. The room is HUGE. I moved the church pew and sorted through the board games we store underneath. I cleaned out the hearth (more still to do) and considered what might be next....it's good to be working on a project again.
It's a no-VOC paint, by Bioshield, and I'm covering up dark dark red. So I'm not surprise at the coverage problems. When I order the gray, I'll order 3 gallons. Hoping that will be enough--I think it will, since I'll be covering white, not burgundy.
It smells like play dough. So strange. It goes on, with the roller, leaving a bit of a texture that I like. Our walls are plaster, at one time probably smooth as glass but that changes with 106 years of settling and use and abuse. Jake mudded and sanded for me but the bit of texture is helpful.
The white walls, after 12 years of red, are jarring. The room is HUGE. I moved the church pew and sorted through the board games we store underneath. I cleaned out the hearth (more still to do) and considered what might be next....it's good to be working on a project again.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
39. One Month
It's been just over a month without a dishwasher.
The guy at Best Buy, where Jake went to look at features, not to buy, told him I wouldn't make it 2 weeks.
Yeah, it's kind of a bummer to get up from dinner and head over to the sink to wash dishes. But I used to load the dishwasher anyway so I'm not sure if it's that much more time for an average meal.
Lisa posted over on her blog that on a weekend day, her family regularly does 3-5 loads in a dishwasher, which made my mouth drop open. I guess if my pans were dishwasher-safe, or if I put plastic in the dishwasher, maybe it would add up, but never that much. That's more than a good sized dinner party over here, actually.
I'm thinking that besides the rare party or get-together that uses plates, I'm simply not going to miss it. Too many times I unloaded the dishes and then found myself rewashing something. Too many times. And when I find a dish that I've handwashed that isn't all the way clean, I simply put it back into the soapy water. I used to get kind of ticked off at the machine that wasn't doing its job.
So I'm not going back. I warned Jake that when I go back to work, I might be changing my mind (life will, in general, get more expensive when I go back to work). But we'll see how it goes.
Right now my only irritation is with the space it takes up. I keep thinking if there would be something I'd want more in that space, and what keeps coming to mind is a pull-out drawer for trash to keep it away instead of in a can over by the fridge. Hmm.
The guy at Best Buy, where Jake went to look at features, not to buy, told him I wouldn't make it 2 weeks.
Yeah, it's kind of a bummer to get up from dinner and head over to the sink to wash dishes. But I used to load the dishwasher anyway so I'm not sure if it's that much more time for an average meal.
Lisa posted over on her blog that on a weekend day, her family regularly does 3-5 loads in a dishwasher, which made my mouth drop open. I guess if my pans were dishwasher-safe, or if I put plastic in the dishwasher, maybe it would add up, but never that much. That's more than a good sized dinner party over here, actually.
I'm thinking that besides the rare party or get-together that uses plates, I'm simply not going to miss it. Too many times I unloaded the dishes and then found myself rewashing something. Too many times. And when I find a dish that I've handwashed that isn't all the way clean, I simply put it back into the soapy water. I used to get kind of ticked off at the machine that wasn't doing its job.
So I'm not going back. I warned Jake that when I go back to work, I might be changing my mind (life will, in general, get more expensive when I go back to work). But we'll see how it goes.
Right now my only irritation is with the space it takes up. I keep thinking if there would be something I'd want more in that space, and what keeps coming to mind is a pull-out drawer for trash to keep it away instead of in a can over by the fridge. Hmm.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
38. Christmas Present Quilt
This one is for my in-laws. The background is browns, reds, and forest greens. A bit of gold. And then on top of that, I appliqued a big forest green bow.
Cozy.
Friday, March 25, 2011
37. Aunt Sheila's Quilt
Sheila and Bill lost their house last summer in a total house fire. Mike's dad and many volunteers put it back together and when we visited in November it felt like a home.
We draw names at Christmas for Mike's mom's side of the family, and I drew Sheila's name. I knew what I had to do.
This quilt is Churn Dash blocks from an internet exchange back when quilt block exchanges were mailing lists instead of websites or groups online. Back then I was the underdog, skill wise. These ladies made much more precise blocks. I received 8 blocks in return for my 8 blocks, and then promptly stored them away for 13 years. Here they finally are, combined with polar bears and other random Christmas fabric to make a 60x60 throw.
Sheila told me this weekend she still had it out. "The living room's still all Bridgettified."
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
36. In process
Bevin is coming over this afternoon to help paint the dining room, or even just play katamari damacy on the PS3 while I paint. Either is fine. We're using Bioshield, a no VOC brand of paint, in white first because we have to prime this room (the current color is a deep burgundy red). After the white is on, I'm going to order a nice medium gray. I hang so many pictures in that room I just want a nice simple background.
We got rid of the vestment cabinet and as today progresses we will move furniture into the spots where I want it for good.
I almost bought a surplus table at a Borders that was going out of business. It was exactly what I was looking for in style, very very sturdy, but as I cleared books off the top, I realized the top was just a very well finished plywood. Nothing wrong with that, except I don't want just plywood. It was the perfect height and length but not quite as nice as I would want in the end. Eventually I want to convince my father to build me a refectory table (aka monastery table). Of course.
The basement is so much nicer. I'm waiting for the dumpster to be emptied Friday before I continue.
Tiny plants are coming up in the garden. So excited.
The girls' room is laughably messy right now. I'm going on a girl scout field trip Saturday, though, so that will have to wait until I'm home. Later.
I did a bunch of mending while I watched Sherlock on DVD (yummy).
I read about chickens again, sighed, and moved on. It is not my time for chickens. It may never be, in fact. But I still read up.
We got rid of the vestment cabinet and as today progresses we will move furniture into the spots where I want it for good.
I almost bought a surplus table at a Borders that was going out of business. It was exactly what I was looking for in style, very very sturdy, but as I cleared books off the top, I realized the top was just a very well finished plywood. Nothing wrong with that, except I don't want just plywood. It was the perfect height and length but not quite as nice as I would want in the end. Eventually I want to convince my father to build me a refectory table (aka monastery table). Of course.
The basement is so much nicer. I'm waiting for the dumpster to be emptied Friday before I continue.
Tiny plants are coming up in the garden. So excited.
The girls' room is laughably messy right now. I'm going on a girl scout field trip Saturday, though, so that will have to wait until I'm home. Later.
I did a bunch of mending while I watched Sherlock on DVD (yummy).
I read about chickens again, sighed, and moved on. It is not my time for chickens. It may never be, in fact. But I still read up.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
35. Spring Chick Bento
Quail eggs, hard boiled, with details in dried seaweed. Yup, did the whole Japanese thing there. The rest of the bento is simpler: celery, a little wheel of cheese in a wax coating, an olive, some radish shoots, cheeze-its, and little chicks cut from carrots. This is one of two bento boxes that are stacked and silly-banded together. The other box had apple slices cut into bunny rabbit shapes, with a couple of gummy bears and sunflower seeds. Maeve had a little peanut butter, dry milk, sesame seeds, and honey ball in with hers, too, but Sophia can't have peanut butter in her classroom so she missed out (as I wrote that she said "gross" so I guess she wouldn't have missed it; Maeve ate it gone).
Gotta say, quail eggs have quite the compact cuteness factor.
Gotta say, quail eggs have quite the compact cuteness factor.
Monday, March 21, 2011
34. Pie Crust
There is nothing like leftovers gussied up with homemade pie crust. We had leftover stew transformed into a meat pie tonight. I drained off a lot of liquid first, of course, and pre-baked the bottom crust.
On a side note, the stew started with a deer roast. Mike made parallel slices in the top of the roast about 2 inches deep and inserted bacon into the slices ("like bread into a toaster") and then wrapped the whole thing in bacon--this was good, but the next step of pot roast was even better. More veggies and it became a stew. It is ending its life as a meat pie. Four meals from one roast (and root veggies and peas to stretch).
But pie crust.
I used to suck at pie crust. Completely. It was a flat rock at the bottom of a pie. I tried to follow all the rules--act quickly, stay cold, use two knives or some sort of special cutter--and I was a loser. But I liked pie and detested frozen pie crust. I had to improve.
I started using a food processor.
I make good pie crust now.
My recipe for double crust.:
2 cups flour (either whole wheat pastry or white)
1/2 t salt
2/3 c butter (I know many folks use shortening but it's not part of my culture)
ice water
I put ice water in a measuring cup, set aside. Combine dry ingredients in the food processor. Stir. Add chunks of butter, process some more until combined fully. Then I turn the processor on and slowly pour water in (it's several tablespoons but I don't know how many). When dust becomes thick crumbs, I slow down. When thick crumbs congeal, I stop and let the processor do the work. If it looks too dry, I add a bit more. Otherwise, I'm done. Cold, well mixed, not overworked.
I roll half out on a piece of marble, dusted with flour. Fold in half and pick it up--line the pie plate and continue with the recipe. Then I roll out the other half and finish. Bake as directed in the pie recipe (or for meat pie, 300 degrees until done and hot (less than an hour or so).
On a side note, the stew started with a deer roast. Mike made parallel slices in the top of the roast about 2 inches deep and inserted bacon into the slices ("like bread into a toaster") and then wrapped the whole thing in bacon--this was good, but the next step of pot roast was even better. More veggies and it became a stew. It is ending its life as a meat pie. Four meals from one roast (and root veggies and peas to stretch).
But pie crust.
I used to suck at pie crust. Completely. It was a flat rock at the bottom of a pie. I tried to follow all the rules--act quickly, stay cold, use two knives or some sort of special cutter--and I was a loser. But I liked pie and detested frozen pie crust. I had to improve.
I started using a food processor.
I make good pie crust now.
My recipe for double crust.:
2 cups flour (either whole wheat pastry or white)
1/2 t salt
2/3 c butter (I know many folks use shortening but it's not part of my culture)
ice water
I put ice water in a measuring cup, set aside. Combine dry ingredients in the food processor. Stir. Add chunks of butter, process some more until combined fully. Then I turn the processor on and slowly pour water in (it's several tablespoons but I don't know how many). When dust becomes thick crumbs, I slow down. When thick crumbs congeal, I stop and let the processor do the work. If it looks too dry, I add a bit more. Otherwise, I'm done. Cold, well mixed, not overworked.
I roll half out on a piece of marble, dusted with flour. Fold in half and pick it up--line the pie plate and continue with the recipe. Then I roll out the other half and finish. Bake as directed in the pie recipe (or for meat pie, 300 degrees until done and hot (less than an hour or so).
33. Disaster Preparedness?
So, with the recent news out of Japan, I've been doing a little risk assessment. A little reading. Ok, a lot of reading. And planning.
And so far I've come to the conclusion that for the most part, we need to be ready to shelter in-place. As a family, we need to be able to see our way through a week or two without power. More than that and we'll be leaving anyway or forming a primitive culture in the backyard complete with conch shells and sharpened sticks because we live in the central city and that would be obnoxiously long to go without power. But ice storms and summer storms and tornadoes happen. Floods too, which could take out our water supply, although I don't worry about actual water here. Seriously--the whole city would be underwater by the time we had water in the house.
What I'm having a harder time with is earthquake and evacuation (more on that another time). For the most part, unless the entire city slipped beneath the earth in a New Madrid or Wabash earthquake, we would stick it out here as best we could. We live in a masonry foundation house (gulp) but even if we lost the whole thing, I feel like we have the network of friends and family to make it through until we rebuilt. Plus, if St. Louis was devastated in a New Madrid earthquake, Memphis would disappear from the map. Not to mention most of the family I've married into. New Madrid has been quiet for over 100 years. Yeah, perhaps we're due. Or perhaps we're safe. Or perhaps I can talk this around and around in a circle and get nowhere because I have decided this is where I live.
For the most part, though, any disaster would keep us home. Literally in the case of an earthquake--we are surrounded by bridges and not just the ones across the rivers. Viaducts and train tracks and even though they are slowly being improved, it is slow.
So I'm getting some things ready. More ready. I cleaned out the public area of the basement this week, and the storage area is coming soon. I've got our tub of girl toys and blankets and sleeping bags because otherwise they sit down there with us during the sirens and cry, which is never good but especially when you're already tense and hail is falling and the lights are out and the wind picks up. I'm trying to make it a less scary place, not exactly inviting but at least you can get around and find a place to sit for a moment. It will never be completely pleasant down there, after all.
And food: we've been in the CSA so long, I find that most of our food is fresh. Yes, I have ingredients like flour and sugar and all that, but I don't have any canned fruit. Or vegetables: bleah. I have dry beans, but if you're working without electricity (our stove is a lovely 1965 electric stove), that's a lot of firewood, charcoal, or propane to cook beans all the way from soaked to done.
I have found a great resource in Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient when the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison. Mike got it for Christmas but of course I was the one voted most likely to join a militia back in high school. Speaking of that, don't even bother looking up disaster preparedness online unless you want to learn about the fall of the government and training your 4 year old how to use a handgun. I am not that. I just don't want to wind up at a shelter if I can stay in my house (but of course if I have to leave, ahem, nuclear disaster/toxic spill/etc, I WILL LEAVE).
More later. Just starting this process and finding I'm not as far behind as I feared.
And so far I've come to the conclusion that for the most part, we need to be ready to shelter in-place. As a family, we need to be able to see our way through a week or two without power. More than that and we'll be leaving anyway or forming a primitive culture in the backyard complete with conch shells and sharpened sticks because we live in the central city and that would be obnoxiously long to go without power. But ice storms and summer storms and tornadoes happen. Floods too, which could take out our water supply, although I don't worry about actual water here. Seriously--the whole city would be underwater by the time we had water in the house.
What I'm having a harder time with is earthquake and evacuation (more on that another time). For the most part, unless the entire city slipped beneath the earth in a New Madrid or Wabash earthquake, we would stick it out here as best we could. We live in a masonry foundation house (gulp) but even if we lost the whole thing, I feel like we have the network of friends and family to make it through until we rebuilt. Plus, if St. Louis was devastated in a New Madrid earthquake, Memphis would disappear from the map. Not to mention most of the family I've married into. New Madrid has been quiet for over 100 years. Yeah, perhaps we're due. Or perhaps we're safe. Or perhaps I can talk this around and around in a circle and get nowhere because I have decided this is where I live.
For the most part, though, any disaster would keep us home. Literally in the case of an earthquake--we are surrounded by bridges and not just the ones across the rivers. Viaducts and train tracks and even though they are slowly being improved, it is slow.
So I'm getting some things ready. More ready. I cleaned out the public area of the basement this week, and the storage area is coming soon. I've got our tub of girl toys and blankets and sleeping bags because otherwise they sit down there with us during the sirens and cry, which is never good but especially when you're already tense and hail is falling and the lights are out and the wind picks up. I'm trying to make it a less scary place, not exactly inviting but at least you can get around and find a place to sit for a moment. It will never be completely pleasant down there, after all.
And food: we've been in the CSA so long, I find that most of our food is fresh. Yes, I have ingredients like flour and sugar and all that, but I don't have any canned fruit. Or vegetables: bleah. I have dry beans, but if you're working without electricity (our stove is a lovely 1965 electric stove), that's a lot of firewood, charcoal, or propane to cook beans all the way from soaked to done.
I have found a great resource in Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient when the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison. Mike got it for Christmas but of course I was the one voted most likely to join a militia back in high school. Speaking of that, don't even bother looking up disaster preparedness online unless you want to learn about the fall of the government and training your 4 year old how to use a handgun. I am not that. I just don't want to wind up at a shelter if I can stay in my house (but of course if I have to leave, ahem, nuclear disaster/toxic spill/etc, I WILL LEAVE).
More later. Just starting this process and finding I'm not as far behind as I feared.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
32. Parasol Ladies and Sunbonnet Sues
These two quilts (the Sunbonnet little girl Sues and the older Parasol Ladies) went to my two nieces on Mike's side.
Many of the background fabrics are retired from church (incidental tablecloths, for instance) or from resale shops. They are linen and cotton with a patina of age that makes the whole quilt seem older than it is. I tried to stick to older looking fabrics for the dresses and bonnets and parasols as well, with fair success.
I worked on these dang things off and on all last year. I was so done with them by the time I assembled them in November. Done. But they are lovely and I'm glad I made them (my brother's daughter also has a parasol lady, as does Sophia, and Maeve has a sunbonnet).
Many of the background fabrics are retired from church (incidental tablecloths, for instance) or from resale shops. They are linen and cotton with a patina of age that makes the whole quilt seem older than it is. I tried to stick to older looking fabrics for the dresses and bonnets and parasols as well, with fair success.
I worked on these dang things off and on all last year. I was so done with them by the time I assembled them in November. Done. But they are lovely and I'm glad I made them (my brother's daughter also has a parasol lady, as does Sophia, and Maeve has a sunbonnet).
Friday, March 18, 2011
31. Christmas Log Cabin & the Underground Railroad
While I've mentioned before that jelly rolls are pretty to look at but not the most useful to actually use in a quilt, this quilt is different--because it is a Log Cabin, which involves an insane amount of little rectangles cut to the right size, it is nice to start with strips already made.
One jelly roll creates exactly 25 Log Cabin blocks with no, I mean no, leftovers.
So if I wanted to really be able to create something more than a throw for the back of the couch at Mike's brother and sister-in-law's apartment, I'll need two that coordinate or match outright.
But this one was pretty. I set it as "Fields and Furrows", meaning the light and dark of each block created diagonal stripes.
Log Cabin quilts have a lot of mystery and tradition built up around them. Different settings that only apply to them (as opposed to other quilts, that can be set on point, with sashing, without sashing, interspersed with plain blocks, etc)--Sunshine and Shadow, Barnraising, Courthouse Steps. It is also the only block, as far as I know, that has a name for one of the pieces in the block: the center square is referred to as the "hearth" and in traditional quilts it is yellow or red. I have heard references to this quilt pattern used on the Underground Railroad (with a black hearth), but, like Aran knitting patterns and Scottish tartans, I believe we are trying to find symbolism where there isn't. I simply cannot believe there was a true meaning behind different quilt patterns flung over the clothesline, in an era when fabric was expensive and quilts were sewn entirely by hand when there was plenty else to get done. I can completely believe that a quilt, any quilt, on the line had meaning: it was a simple sign easily remembered but not easily found out by authorities. But the idea that Log Cabin meant this and Shoo Fly meant that? Seems pretty far fetched to me (especially considering a few of the patterns these researchers claim weren't popularized until the 1930s).....
But I digress. This Log Cabin isn't a sign of anything except Christmas.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
30. I Spy a Quilt
I made 2 I Spy Quilts this Christmas. Actually, I made 3 and I still have one waiting in the wings for some baby shower sometime. But Billy received one and Jake's cousin's son got the other. Around the edges in the border I wrote objects to look for in the quilt blocks, and each block is a novelty print with a variety of things to see.
Leo is still too little to really care, but I hear it went over well with the 3 year old recipient.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
29. Shoes
I do not own many shoes. Two pairs of black heels. A pair of "Sophia made me buy them" chunky green mary jane-ish things. My black leather heeled things I wear all winter. Flip flops. A pair of white sandals that are no good to me. Biking shoes, garden shoes, hiking boots (but those three all live downstairs). Gretchen down the street pressed me on this the other weekend. Was I forgetting any special occasion shoes? No. I wasn't. Seriously.
All of them (except the work shoes--meaning gardening, biking, and hiking) I will be keep on these shelves at the bottom of this closet organization center I put together this past week. And note how I store them. My cousin Joey showed me this. You know him. He writes little books about how to dress right and what to keep in your closet--his day job is a stylist/personal shopper kind of thing for women with not enough time and too much money. His life is bizarre. But still every Christmas my sisters and I compete to see which one has dressed "right" for Joey. More bizarre.
But the shoe thing. Store them one facing in and one facing out so that you can see the front of the shoe and the height of the heel at the same time. I love those sorts of little tricks that take no time to set up but actually do work.
It might make me buy more shoes. Not like Bevin level or something. But maybe a few more pair as time goes by.
Monday, March 14, 2011
28. Happy Pi Day
Pi Day: March 13 (3/14, or 3.14).
I made a pie for Pi Day, of course. I have pretty often in the past as well. I went with something new: a cooked custard pie. Since Sophia is a fan of chocolate pie and few other desserts that are not ice cream (which she gave up for Lent), I gave that a whirl. Note, in these photos? My stove top is gross. That is the disadvantage of having a stove top that is a drawer--I can push it in and forget it until next time. I do this more than I want to admit. But I do clean it. Really I do.
First, into a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 c sugar, 1/4 c cornstarch, 1/4 t salt, and 3 cups of milk.
Warm it over medium heat, stirring. While it warms, separate 3 eggs--you keep the yolks and not the whites, but get rid of as much white as possible. Put this bowl to the side.
Then add a cup of chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate) to the milk and sugar mixture as it warms up. Stir this in and let it come to a boil eventually and stir it for 2 minutes while it bubbles.
Drop a quarter cup or so of the thickening milk mixture into your egg yolks to accustom them to the temperature (I assume?). Then dump the egg mixture into the saucepan and stir while it combines fully and thickens up.
Off the heat it comes, and stir in 2 T butter. Once that is incorporated/melted, dump it all into a pre-cooked pie shell. Chill for 3 hours. Top with whipped cream or cool whip if you're too lazy (I was tonight)
It is awesome. Next time I will work more diligently to pull out the yolks completely, because egg whites in a custard create lumps. Not too many lumps, but Sophia was totally turned off by the lumps and had only a few bites. More pie for me. Maeve and Leo didn't seem to notice (but you can see a few there on the slice I photographed).
It makes me happy. I will perfect this one.
I made a pie for Pi Day, of course. I have pretty often in the past as well. I went with something new: a cooked custard pie. Since Sophia is a fan of chocolate pie and few other desserts that are not ice cream (which she gave up for Lent), I gave that a whirl. Note, in these photos? My stove top is gross. That is the disadvantage of having a stove top that is a drawer--I can push it in and forget it until next time. I do this more than I want to admit. But I do clean it. Really I do.
First, into a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 c sugar, 1/4 c cornstarch, 1/4 t salt, and 3 cups of milk.Warm it over medium heat, stirring. While it warms, separate 3 eggs--you keep the yolks and not the whites, but get rid of as much white as possible. Put this bowl to the side.
Then add a cup of chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate) to the milk and sugar mixture as it warms up. Stir this in and let it come to a boil eventually and stir it for 2 minutes while it bubbles.
Drop a quarter cup or so of the thickening milk mixture into your egg yolks to accustom them to the temperature (I assume?). Then dump the egg mixture into the saucepan and stir while it combines fully and thickens up.
Off the heat it comes, and stir in 2 T butter. Once that is incorporated/melted, dump it all into a pre-cooked pie shell. Chill for 3 hours. Top with whipped cream or cool whip if you're too lazy (I was tonight)
It is awesome. Next time I will work more diligently to pull out the yolks completely, because egg whites in a custard create lumps. Not too many lumps, but Sophia was totally turned off by the lumps and had only a few bites. More pie for me. Maeve and Leo didn't seem to notice (but you can see a few there on the slice I photographed).It makes me happy. I will perfect this one.
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