Will I see you there?
Thursday, August 30, 2012
QuiltCon!
Will I see you there?
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Homemade bagels
I made bagels for the first time ever this morning, and boy, were they ever delicious! I've been testing out recipes from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book the last few weeks. I have both that one and the Healthy Bread version checked out from the library. I'm working through a few recipes from both to figure out which book would work best for me to purchase for my cookbook library. Hence the bagels this morning. I mixed a half batch of the bagel dough recipe on Wednesday, so it had had a good three days of fermenting in the fridge. And it took less than an hour to have piping hot fresh bagels for breakfast in the morning!
I only made two bagels for the first go around. I used my kitchen scale to weigh out the three ounce hunks of dough.
Oven on, water boiling, and this was my first attempt at shaping the bagels.
I'm hoping with some practice that I can get them a little more evenly shaped!
Quick boil on the stove!
Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, then into the oven.
Mine didn't brown up much like the book says they will, even with leaving them in the oven for an extra four minutes, but they tasted amazing!
The outside was crispy and the inside was soft and the taste was divine. We slathered ours with cream cheese and the homemade sour plum jam I'd made last week. Best breakfast I've had in awhile! I think this bagel recipe closed the deal for me to buy this book!
I only made two bagels for the first go around. I used my kitchen scale to weigh out the three ounce hunks of dough.
Oven on, water boiling, and this was my first attempt at shaping the bagels.
I'm hoping with some practice that I can get them a little more evenly shaped!
Quick boil on the stove!
Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, then into the oven.
Mine didn't brown up much like the book says they will, even with leaving them in the oven for an extra four minutes, but they tasted amazing!
The outside was crispy and the inside was soft and the taste was divine. We slathered ours with cream cheese and the homemade sour plum jam I'd made last week. Best breakfast I've had in awhile! I think this bagel recipe closed the deal for me to buy this book!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
My new garden companion
Last week, this feathered friend adopted my front garden as its home.
We spent a good half hour hanging out together while I watered the yard and pulled some weeds. It would walk gently over to whichever area I just watered and pick out the bugs that crawled to the surface.
This same crow has been my garden companion every day since. I've never been a fan of crows before as they tend to be very loud at 5:30am and then make a mess digging up holes in my garden. This crow is different. It never makes a mess when looking for bugs and treads lightly through the garden, avoiding munching on any plants. Yesterday, it perched on the hood of my neighbor's station wagon while I gardened. It reminded me of my chickens on their perch.
I need as much help as I can get battling the bugs in the front yard, so I'm thrilled to have this new addition to my garden! Now, if I could just train it to scare off the squirrels that keep planting avocado pits all over my yard, I'd be all set! What wildlife have you welcomed into your garden?
We spent a good half hour hanging out together while I watered the yard and pulled some weeds. It would walk gently over to whichever area I just watered and pick out the bugs that crawled to the surface.
This same crow has been my garden companion every day since. I've never been a fan of crows before as they tend to be very loud at 5:30am and then make a mess digging up holes in my garden. This crow is different. It never makes a mess when looking for bugs and treads lightly through the garden, avoiding munching on any plants. Yesterday, it perched on the hood of my neighbor's station wagon while I gardened. It reminded me of my chickens on their perch.
I need as much help as I can get battling the bugs in the front yard, so I'm thrilled to have this new addition to my garden! Now, if I could just train it to scare off the squirrels that keep planting avocado pits all over my yard, I'd be all set! What wildlife have you welcomed into your garden?
Monday, June 6, 2011
Knitting needle organizer
I have a friend who is an avid knitter, so when I came across this Timeless Treasures fabric of sheep knitting, I knew I had to buy some for a future gift. Her birthday is today, so over the weekend, I sewed up this knitting needle organizer as a gift.
I used some of my own knitting needles as a guide to getting the size right. With the top flap closed and the case laid open, the organizer measures 20" wide by 14.5" high. There are two sets of pockets, one with openings starting at 3/4" and going up to 2" wide to keep all the long needles in size order, and another set of three wide pockets for storing circular needles. The circular needle pockets are made from Robert Kaufman's Metro Circles in black.
I added a flap for the top to keep the long needles from sliding out, and the whole thing folds up in thirds and snaps closed.
I am always so nervous giving handmade gifts, but this one turned out to be a great fit. My friend said she had needed a way to keep her supplies organized for a long time and this organizer was perfect! Yay! Now I just need to make another one for myself!
What are your favorite handmade gifts to give?
Linking up with Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story!
I used some of my own knitting needles as a guide to getting the size right. With the top flap closed and the case laid open, the organizer measures 20" wide by 14.5" high. There are two sets of pockets, one with openings starting at 3/4" and going up to 2" wide to keep all the long needles in size order, and another set of three wide pockets for storing circular needles. The circular needle pockets are made from Robert Kaufman's Metro Circles in black.
I added a flap for the top to keep the long needles from sliding out, and the whole thing folds up in thirds and snaps closed.
I am always so nervous giving handmade gifts, but this one turned out to be a great fit. My friend said she had needed a way to keep her supplies organized for a long time and this organizer was perfect! Yay! Now I just need to make another one for myself!
What are your favorite handmade gifts to give?
Linking up with Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Harvesting Garlic
I finally harvested all of the garlic from my front yard this week. The last few weeks walking by the garlic patch, the plants became quite fragrant. It was like driving though Gilroy! The stalks had turned mostly yellow and were starting to dry out. It was time. I unceremoniously yanked one out of the ground to see if it was ready, and it was! So I grabbed a bucket and yanked out the rest.
All 24 of the cloves I planted last October sprouted up and made new heads of garlic. The range of sizes, though, is crazy!
After brushing the loose dirt off the heads with a dry rag, I bundled them into bunches of 3 to 5 heads, tying them with twine at the top. This is soft neck garlic, which needs to cure for 4 weeks before storing. I plan to braid the medium sized ones to hang in the kitchen, while saving the largest for replanting and using the smallest ones to cook with first. In the meantime, I've hung the bundles on a rack in my husband's work shop, as a lovely garlic scented air freshener.
Did you plant garlic this year? What are your favorite varieties? I think I will be adding a few more varieties along with this White Sicilian variety to my garden this fall and would love some suggestions!
All 24 of the cloves I planted last October sprouted up and made new heads of garlic. The range of sizes, though, is crazy!
After brushing the loose dirt off the heads with a dry rag, I bundled them into bunches of 3 to 5 heads, tying them with twine at the top. This is soft neck garlic, which needs to cure for 4 weeks before storing. I plan to braid the medium sized ones to hang in the kitchen, while saving the largest for replanting and using the smallest ones to cook with first. In the meantime, I've hung the bundles on a rack in my husband's work shop, as a lovely garlic scented air freshener.
Did you plant garlic this year? What are your favorite varieties? I think I will be adding a few more varieties along with this White Sicilian variety to my garden this fall and would love some suggestions!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
This week's sourdough experiment
I've been baking almost weekly loaves of the Rustic Ciabatta bread from Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery book, so this week, I needed to change things up a bit. I was missing having regular loaves of bread around the house for things like french toast. My first thought was to make a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread, till I remembered I was out of raisins! The recipe I was planning to use was the sourdough Grandmother bread recipe from Chickens in the Road, and while looking for the raisin bread version, I came across the apple streudel version. Thank goodness! I had some apples that needed to be used, so this was perfect.
Deviating just a bit from the original recipe, I use two cups of sourdough starter, two cups of water, and no added yeast for the two loaf recipe when making this bread, leaving the rest of the ingredients the same. It takes longer for everything to rise, but it develops more flavor during the longer proofing times and I don't have to keep yeast around when I want to make bread.
Today, I made one plain loaf in a 5x9 pan, then made the apple version with the second loaf. The only thing I changed for the apple loaf, was to use water instead of butter brushed on the dough before adding the apple mixture for a lower fat version. Oh, and I had to bake mine for an hour as both loaves were in the oven together.
The apple bread - oh my. So delicious! Yup. Ate it for lunch. Don't tell anyone. I plan on drizzling it with some frosting when eating the leftovers this week. The braid on this was so easy to do and made such a great presentation. The original recipe link has several how-to photos on this quick process.
The sandwich loaf - is again a reminder that I have little patience during that second rise time! I should have let this loaf rise a bit longer while the apple version was baking, then it wouldn't have popped open on the side. I guess I need to make these loaves more often so I won't forget!
 |
| mid-rise |
Deviating just a bit from the original recipe, I use two cups of sourdough starter, two cups of water, and no added yeast for the two loaf recipe when making this bread, leaving the rest of the ingredients the same. It takes longer for everything to rise, but it develops more flavor during the longer proofing times and I don't have to keep yeast around when I want to make bread.
 |
| Is the bread ready yet? |
Today, I made one plain loaf in a 5x9 pan, then made the apple version with the second loaf. The only thing I changed for the apple loaf, was to use water instead of butter brushed on the dough before adding the apple mixture for a lower fat version. Oh, and I had to bake mine for an hour as both loaves were in the oven together.
 |
| fresh from the oven |
The apple bread - oh my. So delicious! Yup. Ate it for lunch. Don't tell anyone. I plan on drizzling it with some frosting when eating the leftovers this week. The braid on this was so easy to do and made such a great presentation. The original recipe link has several how-to photos on this quick process.
 |
| cinnamon apple bread |
The sandwich loaf - is again a reminder that I have little patience during that second rise time! I should have let this loaf rise a bit longer while the apple version was baking, then it wouldn't have popped open on the side. I guess I need to make these loaves more often so I won't forget!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The First Blueberries
The beginning of fruit season officially started at my house this week. After a lovely warm weekend with temperatures in the high seventies and low eighties, my blueberry bushes kicked into high gear and I got to harvest the first of the berries yesterday.
The chickens were right there just in case I dropped any.
I moved my plants up onto the bench and table a few weeks back as the girls were pecking at any berry and flower they could get to every morning. I keep thinking about planting my blueberries in the ground, but it's just so easy to move them around when I need to if they stay in pots.
When I planted them three years ago, I followed the directions on this site to pot them up. Blueberries prefer acidic soil, so when I water, I add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to my 2 gallon watering can when I remember. I should do it every time I water them, but I'm a lazy gardener. Also, I saved a giant bucket of pine chips from a local tree removal that I've been adding to the top of the pots occasionally, with a bit of compost to feed them a few times a year. Other than that, I don't pay them much attention until I see bits of blue amongst the leaves.
You can't beat homegrown blueberries on top of homemade granola for breakfast. Even if you only have a balcony for growing food, add a few blueberry plants to your life!
The chickens were right there just in case I dropped any.
I moved my plants up onto the bench and table a few weeks back as the girls were pecking at any berry and flower they could get to every morning. I keep thinking about planting my blueberries in the ground, but it's just so easy to move them around when I need to if they stay in pots.
When I planted them three years ago, I followed the directions on this site to pot them up. Blueberries prefer acidic soil, so when I water, I add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to my 2 gallon watering can when I remember. I should do it every time I water them, but I'm a lazy gardener. Also, I saved a giant bucket of pine chips from a local tree removal that I've been adding to the top of the pots occasionally, with a bit of compost to feed them a few times a year. Other than that, I don't pay them much attention until I see bits of blue amongst the leaves.
You can't beat homegrown blueberries on top of homemade granola for breakfast. Even if you only have a balcony for growing food, add a few blueberry plants to your life!
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