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I've let two days pass. Thank god I live in a country where freedom of speech is granted, but never to be taken for granted.
I was appalled to open the paper and read yesterday's headline in the Post-Dispatch regarding the "legitimate rape" comment. No, let me restate that, I was trembling mad. I re-read the piece twice just to be sure I hadn't missed any detail.
What I cannot come to grips with is this: Republicans can't seem to release themselves from wanting to legislate a woman's body.
Get out of our bodies.
I make no apologies for being a woman. A strong woman. A woman who was always told by her mother to stand up for her rights. Don't ever be afraid. Don't ever allow intimidation influence your opinions. Stand tall.
I was a kid who aspired to be an attorney. In grade school, I took pen to paper to write a letter to President Gerald Ford expressing said hopes and--received a letter back! The local paper ran a column about my letter.
The world I was entering was slowly reckoning with the fact that women were no longer relegated to being second class citizens--submissive "types". My generation would have more choices than any female generation prior.
I don't need to elaborate or dredge up my own personal scars, or explain why I had such a visceral reaction to this unseemly comment. I simply need to vote. And I will. And because we live in a democracy and because other great women before me fought for this right, I will absolutely take the only action I can in the face of this insult.
As of my writing, an apology has been issued.
Apology not accepted.
26 Eylül 2012 Çarşamba
Vegan Lemon Cornmeal Pound Cake (This is How 102 Feels, Almost Fifty and . . . On Going Gray)
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Well, I suppose I should start with this lovely cake. This insufferable summer has caused my cake cravings to be put on hold. (Of course now we are in the middle of Hurricane Isaac weather--so far I've personally measured a rainfall amount of an inch and a half. Much needed rain.) I was worried about my sweet tooth issue. Nights would pass and not a single crumb of dessert could be found. I jumped in with a few batches of chocolate chip cookies--keeping the dough in the freezer for an occasional nibble, but other than that, nothing. I was confounded by this. My thoughts tended toward the "dark" side. (Or the hormonal.) Where had my sweet tooth gone?
I have some ramblings to share first. Feel free to jump to the bottom of this post for the recipe--this cake rocks. Husband summed it up best: This tastes like a lemon brownie! And it did--a superbly sweet, tart, moist, heavenly treat for both a midday snack, or midnight dessert. We loved it. It is a quick-to-mix cake--which to me makes it that much more lovable. I modified the recipe by adding a bit of cornmeal and subbing for the AP flour with a bit of whole wheat pastry flour and some lemon extract and almond extract to the batter. (I feel lemon and almond have a natural affinity for one another.) I'd bake it in a glass loaf pan as I like how the glass browns the edges of the cake so you get a bit of crunch along the edges when eating.
I had this weird dream. I was sitting alone in a dark theater. In walks Clint Eastwood (not in a poncho which is my favorite look for him, btw), but in a suit. He steps up to this podium with an empty chair placed next to it. He begins babbling incoherently. I am awe struck but unable to speak because I am asleep. On and on he goes, until this comes out of his mouth: Well do ya punk? To no one. Then I am jolted awake by a wet nose ready for her morning walk. I just hope I don't dream of Robert De Niro talking to an empty chair spewing, You talkin' to me?
Of course the dream could have been on account of the 102 degree fever I was running last week. I have not had a fever like this in years. I was fine on Tuesday. Went to guitar class. Had a pre-scheduled doc appointment that just so happened to fall on Wednesday--the following day. Suddenly Tuesday night, things began to feel really bad--all over. I was exhausted. I could barely walk across the bedroom floor, let alone to the kitchen. I was also alone as Dr. Thyme was out of town. I went to bed early thinking I may be suffering from the ravages of this horrible Missouri climate I'd been forced to endure these past four months. My body telling me it's had enough of Southern summers. So I went to bed early.
I woke in the morning to find myself under four layers of blankets, and wearing my flannel PJs. It was ninety outside. Uh-oh. I called the doctor and said it might not be a good idea to have my check up. They thought otherwise and said to get in there. I went--after downing four ibuprofen and packing two bottles of Gatorade. I was ghost white by now. I began coughing. I got into the exam room, was handed the "paper gown" and said to have a seat until the doc came in. I opted to lay down in said paper gown and began to doze off. Then the door opened and my doc was like, Whoa! You comfortable there? Then saw my clammy skin and knew this was not funny. I had a slight fever, swollen glands and irritated redness on my throat. Oh, and I could hardly keep my head up. For some reason he insisted I get my flu shot AND anti-pneumonia vaccine. I was like, whatever. My doc and I go waaay back and he had insisted on seeing me because he'd not seen me in over two years.( I have "doctor issues".) By the time my visit was over and I'd made it home (after stopping for liquids at the store which I found to be harder to do than running a marathon)--I was back in bed. Again, the fever coming on. To make matters worse, the arm where I was given my pneumonia vaccine began swelling like I'd been stung by five bees! What the?! I was on the phone with the doc again. Um. This shot you gave me--it seems to be spreading down to my elbow. . . any thoughts as to why? Oh and about my fever, it's worse. Uh-oh again. The antibiotics were phoned in to the pharmacy as was an inhaler (because having asthma never helps in situations like these.) To make matters worse, I learned the "reaction" to the vaccine happens in less than one percent of the population. Wonderful.
Late Wednesday night, husband came home to find me in quite a "state". I didn't call him, I just sort of sent a couple of emails because had he heard my voice, he'd have lost all concentration and focus for his meetings. So via emails he knew I'd not been feeling "well". He could tell this virus or whatever it was that had me, had me good. I wasn't going anywhere for some time. (Plus being a scientist and knowing way more about illness in humans, he was a little worried himself, not only about my symptoms but also about the massive swollen hive I had on my arm.) I was a hot mess. No pun intended.
Finally, by Sunday, things began to lessen a bit. By Monday, I had to get outside. Doing so caused me great exhaustion. But I needed fresh air and some time with the garden. It helped. I still have the horrible cough. I tire easily. But am on the mend overall. At least I've been flu/pneumonia-proofed. We're spending the weekend relaxing and reading.
While I mended and when my temp wasn't in the triple digits, I did manage to finish two really wonderful books: Just Kids by Patti Smith and Reading Jackie by William Kuhn. They were available through my Kindle and library loans. I so loved the book on Jackie. This autobiography deals with Jackie as an editor--we learn about her through the books she helped publish while working as an editor first at Viking, then at Doubleday. So much has been written about JKO--her clothes, her grieving widow status, but this book completely dispels the illusion of some lonely widowed ex- First Lady. She was incredibly smart and incredibly well-read. And someone for whom reading about will stay with me for quite some time. I was always in awe of her. The Patti Smith book was equally as engaging. I know very little about Patti Smith other than her song "Because the Night". It was an anthem for much of my angst-ridden young life. Incredible story, beautifully written. Highly recommend.
Finally, after much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that as I near fifty, I am ready for change. As if there weren't enough "change" happening already (night sweats, confusion, lack of focus, MOOD swings)--I thought it time to see what color my hair "really" is. I've not seen her since I was in my early twenties. I have a lot of gray around my temples. So much so that as I waited between appointments with my Loreal box, it didn't appear that I needed a touch-up unless one looked beyond the hair framing my face--the gray almost stepping in as the blonde faded. As time wore on, I wondered how much more gray was actually there. It was hard to tell. I saw streaks of gray peeking out around my neckline, too. Obviously, the trend was spreading.
If this goes as planned, I should have a pretty good idea of what I've got cooking up top in about eight weeks. (I'm sporting a fun little pixie right now--I channeled Jamie Lee Curtis and Sharon Stone). I would also like to add that my "profile" pic you see on the blog, well, let's just say, that is several years older than this blog!
Vanity is work. I don't want to spend that much time staring at myself in the mirror any longer. As it is, we do not own a full length mirror in this house. I won't allow it. Now that the first fifty are nearly behind me, I am hoping for the next fifty (god willing) being a little less focused on the mirror and a bit more focused on the window--looking out.
Vegan Lemon Cornmeal Pound Cake*Adapted from Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon lemon extract1/8 teaspoon almond extract1/2 cup unsalted vegetable margarine3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons waterzest of 1 lemon
For the glaze:1 cup sifted powdered sugarjuice of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9" loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. In a medium bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: flours, baking powder, salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the unsalted margarine with sugar until light and fluffy--about 2 minutes. Add the Ener-G Egg Replacer, lemon zest and extracts to the sugar mixture--beating until well-incorporated. Add the flour and then milk alternately--beginning with the flour and ending with the flour. Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. While the cake bakes, mix your glaze, then set aside. Cool cake in pan for about 15 minutes. Poke the top of the cake a few times with a knife then pour the glaze over it. You can leave it in the pan for a bit longer to allow the glaze to sink into the cake--slice and serve warm. I stored the rest of the cake sliced in pieces in an airtight container in the fridge. I loved it cold!
Well, I suppose I should start with this lovely cake. This insufferable summer has caused my cake cravings to be put on hold. (Of course now we are in the middle of Hurricane Isaac weather--so far I've personally measured a rainfall amount of an inch and a half. Much needed rain.) I was worried about my sweet tooth issue. Nights would pass and not a single crumb of dessert could be found. I jumped in with a few batches of chocolate chip cookies--keeping the dough in the freezer for an occasional nibble, but other than that, nothing. I was confounded by this. My thoughts tended toward the "dark" side. (Or the hormonal.) Where had my sweet tooth gone?I have some ramblings to share first. Feel free to jump to the bottom of this post for the recipe--this cake rocks. Husband summed it up best: This tastes like a lemon brownie! And it did--a superbly sweet, tart, moist, heavenly treat for both a midday snack, or midnight dessert. We loved it. It is a quick-to-mix cake--which to me makes it that much more lovable. I modified the recipe by adding a bit of cornmeal and subbing for the AP flour with a bit of whole wheat pastry flour and some lemon extract and almond extract to the batter. (I feel lemon and almond have a natural affinity for one another.) I'd bake it in a glass loaf pan as I like how the glass browns the edges of the cake so you get a bit of crunch along the edges when eating.
I had this weird dream. I was sitting alone in a dark theater. In walks Clint Eastwood (not in a poncho which is my favorite look for him, btw), but in a suit. He steps up to this podium with an empty chair placed next to it. He begins babbling incoherently. I am awe struck but unable to speak because I am asleep. On and on he goes, until this comes out of his mouth: Well do ya punk? To no one. Then I am jolted awake by a wet nose ready for her morning walk. I just hope I don't dream of Robert De Niro talking to an empty chair spewing, You talkin' to me?
Of course the dream could have been on account of the 102 degree fever I was running last week. I have not had a fever like this in years. I was fine on Tuesday. Went to guitar class. Had a pre-scheduled doc appointment that just so happened to fall on Wednesday--the following day. Suddenly Tuesday night, things began to feel really bad--all over. I was exhausted. I could barely walk across the bedroom floor, let alone to the kitchen. I was also alone as Dr. Thyme was out of town. I went to bed early thinking I may be suffering from the ravages of this horrible Missouri climate I'd been forced to endure these past four months. My body telling me it's had enough of Southern summers. So I went to bed early.
I woke in the morning to find myself under four layers of blankets, and wearing my flannel PJs. It was ninety outside. Uh-oh. I called the doctor and said it might not be a good idea to have my check up. They thought otherwise and said to get in there. I went--after downing four ibuprofen and packing two bottles of Gatorade. I was ghost white by now. I began coughing. I got into the exam room, was handed the "paper gown" and said to have a seat until the doc came in. I opted to lay down in said paper gown and began to doze off. Then the door opened and my doc was like, Whoa! You comfortable there? Then saw my clammy skin and knew this was not funny. I had a slight fever, swollen glands and irritated redness on my throat. Oh, and I could hardly keep my head up. For some reason he insisted I get my flu shot AND anti-pneumonia vaccine. I was like, whatever. My doc and I go waaay back and he had insisted on seeing me because he'd not seen me in over two years.( I have "doctor issues".) By the time my visit was over and I'd made it home (after stopping for liquids at the store which I found to be harder to do than running a marathon)--I was back in bed. Again, the fever coming on. To make matters worse, the arm where I was given my pneumonia vaccine began swelling like I'd been stung by five bees! What the?! I was on the phone with the doc again. Um. This shot you gave me--it seems to be spreading down to my elbow. . . any thoughts as to why? Oh and about my fever, it's worse. Uh-oh again. The antibiotics were phoned in to the pharmacy as was an inhaler (because having asthma never helps in situations like these.) To make matters worse, I learned the "reaction" to the vaccine happens in less than one percent of the population. Wonderful.
Late Wednesday night, husband came home to find me in quite a "state". I didn't call him, I just sort of sent a couple of emails because had he heard my voice, he'd have lost all concentration and focus for his meetings. So via emails he knew I'd not been feeling "well". He could tell this virus or whatever it was that had me, had me good. I wasn't going anywhere for some time. (Plus being a scientist and knowing way more about illness in humans, he was a little worried himself, not only about my symptoms but also about the massive swollen hive I had on my arm.) I was a hot mess. No pun intended.
Finally, by Sunday, things began to lessen a bit. By Monday, I had to get outside. Doing so caused me great exhaustion. But I needed fresh air and some time with the garden. It helped. I still have the horrible cough. I tire easily. But am on the mend overall. At least I've been flu/pneumonia-proofed. We're spending the weekend relaxing and reading.
While I mended and when my temp wasn't in the triple digits, I did manage to finish two really wonderful books: Just Kids by Patti Smith and Reading Jackie by William Kuhn. They were available through my Kindle and library loans. I so loved the book on Jackie. This autobiography deals with Jackie as an editor--we learn about her through the books she helped publish while working as an editor first at Viking, then at Doubleday. So much has been written about JKO--her clothes, her grieving widow status, but this book completely dispels the illusion of some lonely widowed ex- First Lady. She was incredibly smart and incredibly well-read. And someone for whom reading about will stay with me for quite some time. I was always in awe of her. The Patti Smith book was equally as engaging. I know very little about Patti Smith other than her song "Because the Night". It was an anthem for much of my angst-ridden young life. Incredible story, beautifully written. Highly recommend.
Finally, after much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that as I near fifty, I am ready for change. As if there weren't enough "change" happening already (night sweats, confusion, lack of focus, MOOD swings)--I thought it time to see what color my hair "really" is. I've not seen her since I was in my early twenties. I have a lot of gray around my temples. So much so that as I waited between appointments with my Loreal box, it didn't appear that I needed a touch-up unless one looked beyond the hair framing my face--the gray almost stepping in as the blonde faded. As time wore on, I wondered how much more gray was actually there. It was hard to tell. I saw streaks of gray peeking out around my neckline, too. Obviously, the trend was spreading.
If this goes as planned, I should have a pretty good idea of what I've got cooking up top in about eight weeks. (I'm sporting a fun little pixie right now--I channeled Jamie Lee Curtis and Sharon Stone). I would also like to add that my "profile" pic you see on the blog, well, let's just say, that is several years older than this blog!
Vanity is work. I don't want to spend that much time staring at myself in the mirror any longer. As it is, we do not own a full length mirror in this house. I won't allow it. Now that the first fifty are nearly behind me, I am hoping for the next fifty (god willing) being a little less focused on the mirror and a bit more focused on the window--looking out.
Vegan Lemon Cornmeal Pound Cake*Adapted from Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon lemon extract1/8 teaspoon almond extract1/2 cup unsalted vegetable margarine3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons waterzest of 1 lemon
For the glaze:1 cup sifted powdered sugarjuice of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9" loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. In a medium bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: flours, baking powder, salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the unsalted margarine with sugar until light and fluffy--about 2 minutes. Add the Ener-G Egg Replacer, lemon zest and extracts to the sugar mixture--beating until well-incorporated. Add the flour and then milk alternately--beginning with the flour and ending with the flour. Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. While the cake bakes, mix your glaze, then set aside. Cool cake in pan for about 15 minutes. Poke the top of the cake a few times with a knife then pour the glaze over it. You can leave it in the pan for a bit longer to allow the glaze to sink into the cake--slice and serve warm. I stored the rest of the cake sliced in pieces in an airtight container in the fridge. I loved it cold!
Crispy Jalapeno Rice Balls Over Spicy Three-Bean Chili (Sew. Bake. Dr. Who. Hike. Repeat.)
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These little jewels made our little bowl of chili a great big winner in our hearts. I had very little in the reserve tank for cooking earlier last week. Just recently getting my strength back. (Even canceled guitar again as I did not want to risk exposing myself to "little people germs" just yet--and there are a lot of little people traipsing in and out of my lesson place, trust me). When the inclination for food finally found me--I headed right back in the kitchen (starving) and did what most normal recovering women might do: reach for the frying pan. This chili wasn't going down with the traditional food stuff (corn bread). I was thinking really spicy, crunchy. I had picked a boat load of jalapeno peppers that morning in the garden. (Still picking them. The only tried and true, drought-resistant veggie apparently.) Quite honestly these rice balls demand another meal pairing. They were that good. And simple. I'll forgo the usual recipe at the bottom of the post here and jump to the way these came about. Oh, and for chili--just use your favorite recipe. It matters not, just know that the crunch factor combined with a little bit of heat and the yummy must-have guacamole and viola. Dinner.
Here's how: first cook a cup of brown rice--used my rice cooker. (How I survived pre-rice cooker, I have no idea.) Then placed the cooked rice in a bowl, allowing to sit and cool for fifteen minutes or so. Dice a few jalapenos. Three worked for us. Dice a half red onion. Mince a few cloves of garlic. Add 1/4 cup or so of whatever type of bread crumbs you have on hand, 1/4 cup vegan mayo, 1/4 cup vegan cheddah. Some dried oregano, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and S & P to taste. Add all this to the bowl and mix well with either your hand or a spoon. Actually using your hands works best. Keep mushing this all up until the mixture begins to hold a shape--small golf ball-sized worked for me. Place a plate of panko bread crumbs next to the shaped rice balls. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat with a bit of canola oil. Carefully roll the rice balls in the panko, then, using a pair of tongs, place the rice balls in the pan and cook until brown all over. Serve over your favorite chili, soup or with your favorite dip. Yum! 
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Not only is it officially 'hiking' season here in St. Louis, it's also Dr.Who season! Dr. Thyme and I hiked our first hike in ages this morning! We went to Powder Valley which really is like a little carved out oasis in the middle of major traffic intersections here in St. Louis. Very lovely morning hike. E-a-r-l-y morning. (As in roll right out of bed and go!) No BIG pictures allowed.
As for the other, I am a fairly new Whobie given I had never even heard of him up until sixteen years ago. I found a funky LONG striped scarf tucked away in one of Dr. Thyme's college boxes while cleaning closets one day. I was like, whoa: What a fun and really l-o-n-g scarf! I asked, So this is cool--where'd this come from? Dr. Who. I was like, Who? He said, Dr. Who. I said, What. . . Who is that? He said, OMG. It's a British TV show. Have you NEVER heard of Dr. WHO? Um.. . And thus my introduction to The Doctor ensued. (Thanks to The Doctor, angel statues are not allowed in my garden. Or Daleks. They are off-limits as well.)
On the mend and all, I have been going bonkers in the kitchen. Made these Peter Reinhart cinny buns last weekend. Loved them. Subbed GF flour and whole wheat for some of the regular AP flour. Worked like a charm.
Then started a new dress. . . Clearly, I'm not ready for Project Runway. 
But found this cute book at Jo Ann's. It's full of female icon dresses (patterns included!) The dress I am making is a Jackie dress. (As in that Jackie). Boat neck, high-waisted. Interfacing and darts and oh-my! We'll see how this turns out. Meantime, I just ordered a new sewing book: Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing. I have followed Gertie's blog for quite some time. Love it. Her blog inspires and delights. My new book arrives Tuesday. I hope to at least have my Jackie dress finished by then. We'll, um, see. Lest you think I've not been knitting. Evenings are reserved for such pleasures. (Because working around heavy machinery after three o'clock is never a good idea.)
Whipped up a batch of pumpkin donuts yesterday. Could. Not. Resist. King Arthur posted a recipe for these on Friday. Just in time for Saturday morning! I heart King Arthur. Of course I had to dip a few of mine in chocolate. Of course!
These little jewels made our little bowl of chili a great big winner in our hearts. I had very little in the reserve tank for cooking earlier last week. Just recently getting my strength back. (Even canceled guitar again as I did not want to risk exposing myself to "little people germs" just yet--and there are a lot of little people traipsing in and out of my lesson place, trust me). When the inclination for food finally found me--I headed right back in the kitchen (starving) and did what most normal recovering women might do: reach for the frying pan. This chili wasn't going down with the traditional food stuff (corn bread). I was thinking really spicy, crunchy. I had picked a boat load of jalapeno peppers that morning in the garden. (Still picking them. The only tried and true, drought-resistant veggie apparently.) Quite honestly these rice balls demand another meal pairing. They were that good. And simple. I'll forgo the usual recipe at the bottom of the post here and jump to the way these came about. Oh, and for chili--just use your favorite recipe. It matters not, just know that the crunch factor combined with a little bit of heat and the yummy must-have guacamole and viola. Dinner.
Here's how: first cook a cup of brown rice--used my rice cooker. (How I survived pre-rice cooker, I have no idea.) Then placed the cooked rice in a bowl, allowing to sit and cool for fifteen minutes or so. Dice a few jalapenos. Three worked for us. Dice a half red onion. Mince a few cloves of garlic. Add 1/4 cup or so of whatever type of bread crumbs you have on hand, 1/4 cup vegan mayo, 1/4 cup vegan cheddah. Some dried oregano, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and S & P to taste. Add all this to the bowl and mix well with either your hand or a spoon. Actually using your hands works best. Keep mushing this all up until the mixture begins to hold a shape--small golf ball-sized worked for me. Place a plate of panko bread crumbs next to the shaped rice balls. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat with a bit of canola oil. Carefully roll the rice balls in the panko, then, using a pair of tongs, place the rice balls in the pan and cook until brown all over. Serve over your favorite chili, soup or with your favorite dip. Yum! Not only is it officially 'hiking' season here in St. Louis, it's also Dr.Who season! Dr. Thyme and I hiked our first hike in ages this morning! We went to Powder Valley which really is like a little carved out oasis in the middle of major traffic intersections here in St. Louis. Very lovely morning hike. E-a-r-l-y morning. (As in roll right out of bed and go!) No BIG pictures allowed.As for the other, I am a fairly new Whobie given I had never even heard of him up until sixteen years ago. I found a funky LONG striped scarf tucked away in one of Dr. Thyme's college boxes while cleaning closets one day. I was like, whoa: What a fun and really l-o-n-g scarf! I asked, So this is cool--where'd this come from? Dr. Who. I was like, Who? He said, Dr. Who. I said, What. . . Who is that? He said, OMG. It's a British TV show. Have you NEVER heard of Dr. WHO? Um.. . And thus my introduction to The Doctor ensued. (Thanks to The Doctor, angel statues are not allowed in my garden. Or Daleks. They are off-limits as well.)
On the mend and all, I have been going bonkers in the kitchen. Made these Peter Reinhart cinny buns last weekend. Loved them. Subbed GF flour and whole wheat for some of the regular AP flour. Worked like a charm.
Then started a new dress. . . Clearly, I'm not ready for Project Runway. 
But found this cute book at Jo Ann's. It's full of female icon dresses (patterns included!) The dress I am making is a Jackie dress. (As in that Jackie). Boat neck, high-waisted. Interfacing and darts and oh-my! We'll see how this turns out. Meantime, I just ordered a new sewing book: Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing. I have followed Gertie's blog for quite some time. Love it. Her blog inspires and delights. My new book arrives Tuesday. I hope to at least have my Jackie dress finished by then. We'll, um, see. Lest you think I've not been knitting. Evenings are reserved for such pleasures. (Because working around heavy machinery after three o'clock is never a good idea.)
Whipped up a batch of pumpkin donuts yesterday. Could. Not. Resist. King Arthur posted a recipe for these on Friday. Just in time for Saturday morning! I heart King Arthur. Of course I had to dip a few of mine in chocolate. Of course!Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies (The Yellow Wallpaper and My DIY Madwoman in the Attic Moment)
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I try to never drag dear husband along to the grocery store. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost would be the "impulse issues" we both have when it comes to things like chocolate glazed donuts (in the bag!) and "instant breakfast food stuff". Sunday found us both at the store to pick up a few necessities. (After our walk/hike.) Not even two aisles into the place and he stops cold in front of the Hostess display. (We both are recovering Entenmann's Chocolate Glazed doughnut addicts.) Being a little spent from the morning activity, we had no business going anywhere near food. But yet, here we were. And like a true enabler, I said the unthinkable: Well, if you must. And sort of started down the rest of the aisle when again he'd stopped, only this time, he has a box of NEW Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Breakfast Bars in his hand and says, I had these on the plane last month, they weren't that bad. Really? What pray tell might said "cookies" be made of, I ask. (You can see where this is going.) The look on his face when he turned the box on its side to read the list of nearly thirty ingredients (some undecipherable to me) was priceless.
I'm not knocking "instant" food stuff. I'm just not someone for whom the chemical-processed-food bell tolls. Or at least I try really hard not to be. So, having made it out of the store without the breakfast bars or chocolate glazed donuts, we counted this store visit as a victory. When we got home, I promised I could whip up a batch of those dang cookies and they'd be way better. And I did. And they were. And the recipe for said cookie is at the bottom of this post. Scrumptious, chewy, moist with just a bit of crunch on the outside--but full of oats and yummy spice. Mission. Accomplished. Meantime, there was some house drama I had to contend with.
When we were house hunting eight years ago, we sort of stumbled across our home at the last minute on a Sunday Open House scavenger hunt. I'd seen this home on the internet, and liked (for the most part) what the house features listed--land being number one. However, I also knew that there would be some serious interior TLC cosmetic "fixes" in order. Not least of which was the overly zealous use of wallpaper. (All homeowners in previously owned homes know of what I speak--those wannabe "decorators".) The wallpaper in the kitchen alone was nearly a deal breaker. (Green and white prison stripes!) It had to go. And I knew I'd be the one to change these cosmetics. Sure, DH would pitch in to help, but as it was discovered, this house had way more than just a few minor cosmetic issues. In a nutshell, it became a bit of an equity nightmare. Oh and there was the nicotine aroma. Ew. Ew. Ew. To this day, I've harbored a disdain for the hoodwinks and smooth selling (can you say "major fabrications") that were used in the sale of this home--both by the previous owner AND their illustrious real estate mogul. For months, even years, I'd felt we'd made a mistake. I wasn't sure about a lot regarding this house/location, but the ink had dried and it was now HOME. Hard stop.
As I lay in bed with fever a few weeks back, I recalled a literature class and the assigned reading of, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. One of my favorite feminist pieces. They just don't write them like they used to. The story has stayed with me for years and I will probably read it for the fourth or fifth time again--it's that good. And it's free!
While I felt I was not yet mad, though getting close, I tend to the dramatic when I am ill (as in at one point asking Dr. Thyme, Do you think I'm . . . dying?). I spent the better part of my days staring at the wallpaper in the bedroom. I remember a line from the seller when I offhandedly commented, Wow, someone certainly loves wallpaper. (Read: My God, How Awful!) With pride the response went something like this: Oh yes, we had that professionally hung and it's a high quality paper. Oh. Kay. Thank god I know how to use a paint brush.
My first trip to the home store was in a quest to find out how easy? it might be to remove wallpaper. I was assured it could be done, but the word "easy" should be omitted from the project description. Boy they weren't kidding. But the kitchen prison stripes HAD to go. After all, it was the kitchen! That was my first foray into the art of wallpaper removal and my swearing off from doing it EVER again.
Fast forward to last week and walking into the bedroom, I noticed a seam on the wall begging to be ripped. So I ripped. . . and ripped, and ripped--one eight hour day of ripping wallpaper. Suddenly I was staring at beige walls with fuzz. Surely I can paint over that fuzz? Surely. Uh, no. No you can't. Don't even try. What I was staring at was the remnants of the glue backing (and an incredible heady smell of old cigarettes). Ew, again.
With my water mister in one hand and a putty scraper in the other, I began peeling the next layer of paper off the walls.This took me two more days to complete. It was now day four. While I was doing the bedroom, I thought: I might as well do the bathrooms! Yay!
By the end of day four, I had the colors in mind: Gray on the bottom and very, very light gray for the top. (I'd have removed the "Shaker-like" chair rails, too, but feared I may discover they were used to cover some other contractor disaster.) Don't get me started.
Well, here it is a week later. Walls are painted in both bathrooms and bedroom and brightness and color rejuvenation abounds. I am happy as can be with how the walls turned out. Dr. Thyme loved the choice of the lighter color for the top half in the bedroom--it makes it very bright. This is typically where my day starts and with winter approaching, he felt it would help offset the Seasonal Affective problem I tend to battle. The more I stared at it, the more I realized, the color scheme--gray on bottom, nearly white on top--was like snow. And I LOVE snow.
The project took me a week from start-to-finish. I won't say I didn't want to cry, or run screaming from the bedroom with shreds of glue-y paper sticking all over me and a spray bottle in my hand. I maintained my sanity by keeping a jar of chocolate Halloween candy nearby.
Now, I am preparing to re-cover two of our bedroom chairs (re-purposed patio chairs!) with some lovely fabric I found at Jo Ann's in their remnant sale pile. I heart remnant piles.
Meantime, here's the breakfast cookie recipe, and better yet, you can pronounce ALL of the ingredients! I incorporated a bit of Gluten Free All Purpose baking flour (my favorite is Hodgson Mill) in these because I like how doing so adds protein and lessens the chance of my having a glucose moment right after eating them. I've been doing that a lot lately, adding in GF flour or mixing AP flours with other whole grain flours. For the oats, I used half Bob's Red Mill Five-Grain Cereal mixed with instant oats. You could use whatever type of oats you have on hand: rolled oats or quick cooking. I used both dark and light raisins. Feel free to play with the spices--I personally love a super cinnamon-y cookie. You might not. It is a forgiving recipe. If I make these again, I think chocolate chips may be called for.
Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose baking flour1/2 cup white whole wheat flour1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 banana, mashed and mixed with 1/4 cup warm water1 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer powder1/2 teaspoon ground allspice1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 cup vegetable margarine (2 sticks)3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 cup rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Five-Grain Cereal)1 cup instant oats1 cup raisins1/2 cup shredded coconut1/3 cup chocolate chips (*optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift all dry ingredients together--flours, baking soda, salt and spices (reserve the oats and coconut)--in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat together the sugars and butter/margarine until light and fluffy--add the banana/water mixture and teaspoon of Ener-G Egg Replacer and vanilla extract to this and beat until well incorporated. Add half the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix for about ten seconds--just until large clumps form. Then add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix once more for another ten seconds or so--just until the dough just starts to come together. Now, add the oats and coconut and/or chocolate chips. Using and ice cream scoop, place the dough on cookie sheets with about 2 inches between them. These are large cookies because they are breakfast cookies, not tea time cookies! I was able to fit six cookies per cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Don't over bake--they tend to dry out if you do. Remove from oven when the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for ten minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for three days, or you can wrap and freeze the cookies and eat within a month.
I try to never drag dear husband along to the grocery store. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost would be the "impulse issues" we both have when it comes to things like chocolate glazed donuts (in the bag!) and "instant breakfast food stuff". Sunday found us both at the store to pick up a few necessities. (After our walk/hike.) Not even two aisles into the place and he stops cold in front of the Hostess display. (We both are recovering Entenmann's Chocolate Glazed doughnut addicts.) Being a little spent from the morning activity, we had no business going anywhere near food. But yet, here we were. And like a true enabler, I said the unthinkable: Well, if you must. And sort of started down the rest of the aisle when again he'd stopped, only this time, he has a box of NEW Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Breakfast Bars in his hand and says, I had these on the plane last month, they weren't that bad. Really? What pray tell might said "cookies" be made of, I ask. (You can see where this is going.) The look on his face when he turned the box on its side to read the list of nearly thirty ingredients (some undecipherable to me) was priceless. I'm not knocking "instant" food stuff. I'm just not someone for whom the chemical-processed-food bell tolls. Or at least I try really hard not to be. So, having made it out of the store without the breakfast bars or chocolate glazed donuts, we counted this store visit as a victory. When we got home, I promised I could whip up a batch of those dang cookies and they'd be way better. And I did. And they were. And the recipe for said cookie is at the bottom of this post. Scrumptious, chewy, moist with just a bit of crunch on the outside--but full of oats and yummy spice. Mission. Accomplished. Meantime, there was some house drama I had to contend with.
When we were house hunting eight years ago, we sort of stumbled across our home at the last minute on a Sunday Open House scavenger hunt. I'd seen this home on the internet, and liked (for the most part) what the house features listed--land being number one. However, I also knew that there would be some serious interior TLC cosmetic "fixes" in order. Not least of which was the overly zealous use of wallpaper. (All homeowners in previously owned homes know of what I speak--those wannabe "decorators".) The wallpaper in the kitchen alone was nearly a deal breaker. (Green and white prison stripes!) It had to go. And I knew I'd be the one to change these cosmetics. Sure, DH would pitch in to help, but as it was discovered, this house had way more than just a few minor cosmetic issues. In a nutshell, it became a bit of an equity nightmare. Oh and there was the nicotine aroma. Ew. Ew. Ew. To this day, I've harbored a disdain for the hoodwinks and smooth selling (can you say "major fabrications") that were used in the sale of this home--both by the previous owner AND their illustrious real estate mogul. For months, even years, I'd felt we'd made a mistake. I wasn't sure about a lot regarding this house/location, but the ink had dried and it was now HOME. Hard stop. As I lay in bed with fever a few weeks back, I recalled a literature class and the assigned reading of, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. One of my favorite feminist pieces. They just don't write them like they used to. The story has stayed with me for years and I will probably read it for the fourth or fifth time again--it's that good. And it's free!
While I felt I was not yet mad, though getting close, I tend to the dramatic when I am ill (as in at one point asking Dr. Thyme, Do you think I'm . . . dying?). I spent the better part of my days staring at the wallpaper in the bedroom. I remember a line from the seller when I offhandedly commented, Wow, someone certainly loves wallpaper. (Read: My God, How Awful!) With pride the response went something like this: Oh yes, we had that professionally hung and it's a high quality paper. Oh. Kay. Thank god I know how to use a paint brush.
My first trip to the home store was in a quest to find out how easy? it might be to remove wallpaper. I was assured it could be done, but the word "easy" should be omitted from the project description. Boy they weren't kidding. But the kitchen prison stripes HAD to go. After all, it was the kitchen! That was my first foray into the art of wallpaper removal and my swearing off from doing it EVER again.
Fast forward to last week and walking into the bedroom, I noticed a seam on the wall begging to be ripped. So I ripped. . . and ripped, and ripped--one eight hour day of ripping wallpaper. Suddenly I was staring at beige walls with fuzz. Surely I can paint over that fuzz? Surely. Uh, no. No you can't. Don't even try. What I was staring at was the remnants of the glue backing (and an incredible heady smell of old cigarettes). Ew, again.
With my water mister in one hand and a putty scraper in the other, I began peeling the next layer of paper off the walls.This took me two more days to complete. It was now day four. While I was doing the bedroom, I thought: I might as well do the bathrooms! Yay!
By the end of day four, I had the colors in mind: Gray on the bottom and very, very light gray for the top. (I'd have removed the "Shaker-like" chair rails, too, but feared I may discover they were used to cover some other contractor disaster.) Don't get me started.
Well, here it is a week later. Walls are painted in both bathrooms and bedroom and brightness and color rejuvenation abounds. I am happy as can be with how the walls turned out. Dr. Thyme loved the choice of the lighter color for the top half in the bedroom--it makes it very bright. This is typically where my day starts and with winter approaching, he felt it would help offset the Seasonal Affective problem I tend to battle. The more I stared at it, the more I realized, the color scheme--gray on bottom, nearly white on top--was like snow. And I LOVE snow. The project took me a week from start-to-finish. I won't say I didn't want to cry, or run screaming from the bedroom with shreds of glue-y paper sticking all over me and a spray bottle in my hand. I maintained my sanity by keeping a jar of chocolate Halloween candy nearby.
Now, I am preparing to re-cover two of our bedroom chairs (re-purposed patio chairs!) with some lovely fabric I found at Jo Ann's in their remnant sale pile. I heart remnant piles. Meantime, here's the breakfast cookie recipe, and better yet, you can pronounce ALL of the ingredients! I incorporated a bit of Gluten Free All Purpose baking flour (my favorite is Hodgson Mill) in these because I like how doing so adds protein and lessens the chance of my having a glucose moment right after eating them. I've been doing that a lot lately, adding in GF flour or mixing AP flours with other whole grain flours. For the oats, I used half Bob's Red Mill Five-Grain Cereal mixed with instant oats. You could use whatever type of oats you have on hand: rolled oats or quick cooking. I used both dark and light raisins. Feel free to play with the spices--I personally love a super cinnamon-y cookie. You might not. It is a forgiving recipe. If I make these again, I think chocolate chips may be called for.
Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose baking flour1/2 cup white whole wheat flour1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 banana, mashed and mixed with 1/4 cup warm water1 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer powder1/2 teaspoon ground allspice1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 cup vegetable margarine (2 sticks)3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 cup rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Five-Grain Cereal)1 cup instant oats1 cup raisins1/2 cup shredded coconut1/3 cup chocolate chips (*optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift all dry ingredients together--flours, baking soda, salt and spices (reserve the oats and coconut)--in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat together the sugars and butter/margarine until light and fluffy--add the banana/water mixture and teaspoon of Ener-G Egg Replacer and vanilla extract to this and beat until well incorporated. Add half the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix for about ten seconds--just until large clumps form. Then add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix once more for another ten seconds or so--just until the dough just starts to come together. Now, add the oats and coconut and/or chocolate chips. Using and ice cream scoop, place the dough on cookie sheets with about 2 inches between them. These are large cookies because they are breakfast cookies, not tea time cookies! I was able to fit six cookies per cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Don't over bake--they tend to dry out if you do. Remove from oven when the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for ten minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for three days, or you can wrap and freeze the cookies and eat within a month.
Apple Butter in The Slow Cooker (And Cowboy Boots on My Feet)
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Out of our element and/or out of our minds, we managed to somehow drive nearly an hour away for apples on Sunday. This was not a planned trip. What started out as a plea to DH to accompany me to the "country store" for deer corn and a salt lick (if you have to ask, you probably don't need to know), ended up as a diversion of the crazy kind. *I can't lift the salt lick--it weighs like fifty pounds--just an fyi.
So, we were walking aimlessly around this store--think combo Home Depot and Bass Pro, minus the climbing walls, skis, canoes and whatnot. Shopping for bird seed and flower pots one day, I came home with a pair of cowboy boots instead!
I wear them nearly all the time in winter. In summer sometimes, too. I love my boots! They caused a bit of a stir once. In the airport, a man stopped me and accused me of wearing "spurs"--ranting on about how I pose a risk with my "spurs". . . how could I wear these on a plane, blah, blah, blah. Was he completely mad? I don't know. He was much shorter than me. I figured he had bigger problems than my boots. I politely ignored and walked away. People are funny. 
So anyway, back to the country store. As we were waiting in the check out line, they had a lovely display of Amish jams and jellies--nothing like an impulse aisle of Amish delights to inspire you to cook. I spotted the Amish Apple Butter and that's all she wrote. I was now set on making my homemade apple butter. The only problem with that was the apples. So I turned to Dr. Thyme with a jar of the apple butter in my hand and said, Um. . . I don't think I made any apple butter last year. . . why do you suppose that was? And we both knew the answer to this. With a bit of begging on my part, we were on our way to the apple orchard.
Neither one of us was prepared for what we saw when we arrived at the apple orchard: People. Every. Where. We pulled into the traffic-patrolled and parking-attendee-directed lot. I was sort of petrified myself. I imagined that no one, or hardly anyone would be there on this particular Sunday afternoon. My reasoning I offered to husband in talking him into this hour long diversion was this: the Cardinals AND Rams were both in Chicago--everyone will be watching the games! So you can guess what was coming out of Dr. Thyme's mouth as we navigated the car to our parking space we were directed to: Oh, no one will be there. . . there's a GAME on TV. . . What do you call this? I looked at my poor husband and said, I'm in if you're in. . . I mean we're here, right? And because I could tell I'd just done the unthinkable--drug DH out of his Sunday rest/read day for THIS. I said meekly, Just hold my hand and stay close. . . oh, and don't touch your face after we leave! (After my virus-bout, I'm a bit neurotic about crowds AND germs.)
So this is how our apple picking went. We parked the car, walked a half mile to the general store, made a bee line to the bagged apples, grabbed three bags of the two varieties we liked and headed straight through the massive onslaught of people crammed shoulder-to-shoulder and waited, for what seemed like FOREVER, to check out. But not before rewarding ourselves with a bag of kettle corn. And that was our trip to the apple orchard.
While at the apple orchard, we struck up a conversation with one of the store "tour guides"--I guess it is sort of a destination. She was as sweet as could be. Clearly a lover of apples like us. I told her I was there to get my apple butter apples. That I love making apple butter. She shared with me her love of it, too. Then let me in on her secret recipe: apple butter in a slow cooker. . . over night. Whoa. Say what? And that was all I needed to hear--slow cooking, over night, can in the morning. Viola. Apple Butter.
We came home with 20 pounds of apples! I got busy searching out recipes for slow cooking apple butter and found an excellent one PLUS video via Martha Stewart's site. Go figure. Martha knows all. I am happy to report that this recipe did not disappoint. In fact, this is probably one of the best batches I've had. I made English muffins yesterday, too. So this morning, we tested it out on toasted English muffins. Yum.
What surprised me was how little I had to do to actually "cook" the apples. I added a bit more cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves than the Martha recipe suggested. I like my apple butter spicy. Waking up to slow-cooker-apple-butter-aroma-filled-house was the best. You can't buy that in a candle or in a plug-in, trust me.
The apples had cooked down considerably and to a texture that was nearly perfect. I leave the skins on my apples because I like the extra heft this gives the butter. With my stove-top method, I'd use a hand blender to puree. Not this time. After the butter cooked all night--ten and a half hours on "low", then another five hours in the morning on the "keep warm" setting, I had some of the finest apple butter I'd ever made.
So was the trip to the overly-crowded and anxiety-inducing apple orchard worth it? You bet. And did we come home with deer corn and a salt lick? Yep. And are the deer happy? See for yourself.
Look really close and you'll see at least two deer--but there were probably three more down the hill.
Out of our element and/or out of our minds, we managed to somehow drive nearly an hour away for apples on Sunday. This was not a planned trip. What started out as a plea to DH to accompany me to the "country store" for deer corn and a salt lick (if you have to ask, you probably don't need to know), ended up as a diversion of the crazy kind. *I can't lift the salt lick--it weighs like fifty pounds--just an fyi. So, we were walking aimlessly around this store--think combo Home Depot and Bass Pro, minus the climbing walls, skis, canoes and whatnot. Shopping for bird seed and flower pots one day, I came home with a pair of cowboy boots instead!
I wear them nearly all the time in winter. In summer sometimes, too. I love my boots! They caused a bit of a stir once. In the airport, a man stopped me and accused me of wearing "spurs"--ranting on about how I pose a risk with my "spurs". . . how could I wear these on a plane, blah, blah, blah. Was he completely mad? I don't know. He was much shorter than me. I figured he had bigger problems than my boots. I politely ignored and walked away. People are funny. 
So anyway, back to the country store. As we were waiting in the check out line, they had a lovely display of Amish jams and jellies--nothing like an impulse aisle of Amish delights to inspire you to cook. I spotted the Amish Apple Butter and that's all she wrote. I was now set on making my homemade apple butter. The only problem with that was the apples. So I turned to Dr. Thyme with a jar of the apple butter in my hand and said, Um. . . I don't think I made any apple butter last year. . . why do you suppose that was? And we both knew the answer to this. With a bit of begging on my part, we were on our way to the apple orchard.Neither one of us was prepared for what we saw when we arrived at the apple orchard: People. Every. Where. We pulled into the traffic-patrolled and parking-attendee-directed lot. I was sort of petrified myself. I imagined that no one, or hardly anyone would be there on this particular Sunday afternoon. My reasoning I offered to husband in talking him into this hour long diversion was this: the Cardinals AND Rams were both in Chicago--everyone will be watching the games! So you can guess what was coming out of Dr. Thyme's mouth as we navigated the car to our parking space we were directed to: Oh, no one will be there. . . there's a GAME on TV. . . What do you call this? I looked at my poor husband and said, I'm in if you're in. . . I mean we're here, right? And because I could tell I'd just done the unthinkable--drug DH out of his Sunday rest/read day for THIS. I said meekly, Just hold my hand and stay close. . . oh, and don't touch your face after we leave! (After my virus-bout, I'm a bit neurotic about crowds AND germs.)
So this is how our apple picking went. We parked the car, walked a half mile to the general store, made a bee line to the bagged apples, grabbed three bags of the two varieties we liked and headed straight through the massive onslaught of people crammed shoulder-to-shoulder and waited, for what seemed like FOREVER, to check out. But not before rewarding ourselves with a bag of kettle corn. And that was our trip to the apple orchard.
While at the apple orchard, we struck up a conversation with one of the store "tour guides"--I guess it is sort of a destination. She was as sweet as could be. Clearly a lover of apples like us. I told her I was there to get my apple butter apples. That I love making apple butter. She shared with me her love of it, too. Then let me in on her secret recipe: apple butter in a slow cooker. . . over night. Whoa. Say what? And that was all I needed to hear--slow cooking, over night, can in the morning. Viola. Apple Butter. We came home with 20 pounds of apples! I got busy searching out recipes for slow cooking apple butter and found an excellent one PLUS video via Martha Stewart's site. Go figure. Martha knows all. I am happy to report that this recipe did not disappoint. In fact, this is probably one of the best batches I've had. I made English muffins yesterday, too. So this morning, we tested it out on toasted English muffins. Yum.
What surprised me was how little I had to do to actually "cook" the apples. I added a bit more cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves than the Martha recipe suggested. I like my apple butter spicy. Waking up to slow-cooker-apple-butter-aroma-filled-house was the best. You can't buy that in a candle or in a plug-in, trust me.
The apples had cooked down considerably and to a texture that was nearly perfect. I leave the skins on my apples because I like the extra heft this gives the butter. With my stove-top method, I'd use a hand blender to puree. Not this time. After the butter cooked all night--ten and a half hours on "low", then another five hours in the morning on the "keep warm" setting, I had some of the finest apple butter I'd ever made.
So was the trip to the overly-crowded and anxiety-inducing apple orchard worth it? You bet. And did we come home with deer corn and a salt lick? Yep. And are the deer happy? See for yourself.
Look really close and you'll see at least two deer--but there were probably three more down the hill. 25 Eylül 2012 Salı
Oma's Flourless Chocolate Torte
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No matter what, I can always count on a tasty baked good when visiting with my Oma (grandmother).
From Viennese Crescents to Christmas Stollen, my Oma bakes all of the traditional Swiss favorites whenever family is around and this Flour-less Chocolate Torte is just one of those fabulous desserts that is an Oma classic.
Having grown up in Switzerland, baking and sweets just come with the territory for her and she is always more than willing to share with me the recipes for these delicious treats.She also happens to be one of my biggest supporters in all of my baking endeavors and I always look forward to making something of hers.
When it came time for one of the girls at the office to celebrate their birthday I knew this was the perfect cake for the occasion. She happens to eat a gluten free diet and because this cake is flour-less it just made sense. To make the cake extra special I topped it with a layer of whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries.
Oma's Flour-less Chocolate CakeFills one 9-inch spring form panOven: 300 Bake time: 45 minutes
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips6 TBS butter1 cup sugar6 eggs, separated
Preheat oven to 300. Spray your spring form pan with cooking spray.In a microwave safe bowl (or over double boiler), melt chocolate chips and butter for about 2 minutes, checking every 30 seconds or so and mix until smooth.Separate egg whites in large glass bowl, reserving yolks in small bowl.Beat egg whites until stiff.Slowly add sugar and continue to beat until sugar is incorporated.Add egg yolks one at a time to chocolate/butter mixture, making sure each yolk is fully incorporated after every addition.Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.Pour batter into prepared pan and transfer to oven for about 45-60 minutes.
*To check if this cake is done a toothpick should come out fairly clean, but this is a very dense and rich cake so it may not be perfectly clean. The best way to tell is if there is a good crust on the cake and the sides have begun to pull away from the pan.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing sides of pan.
Homemade Whipped Cream1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream1/4 cup powdered sugar1 tsp vanilla
In a small bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed. If you have time, place in fridge for about 20 minutes to help stabilize.
Feel free to cover yours with a small layer of homemade whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries or just serve with a small dusting of powdered sugar and ice cream!
Happy Baking!
No matter what, I can always count on a tasty baked good when visiting with my Oma (grandmother).
From Viennese Crescents to Christmas Stollen, my Oma bakes all of the traditional Swiss favorites whenever family is around and this Flour-less Chocolate Torte is just one of those fabulous desserts that is an Oma classic.
Having grown up in Switzerland, baking and sweets just come with the territory for her and she is always more than willing to share with me the recipes for these delicious treats.She also happens to be one of my biggest supporters in all of my baking endeavors and I always look forward to making something of hers.
When it came time for one of the girls at the office to celebrate their birthday I knew this was the perfect cake for the occasion. She happens to eat a gluten free diet and because this cake is flour-less it just made sense. To make the cake extra special I topped it with a layer of whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries.
Oma's Flour-less Chocolate CakeFills one 9-inch spring form panOven: 300 Bake time: 45 minutes
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips6 TBS butter1 cup sugar6 eggs, separated
Preheat oven to 300. Spray your spring form pan with cooking spray.In a microwave safe bowl (or over double boiler), melt chocolate chips and butter for about 2 minutes, checking every 30 seconds or so and mix until smooth.Separate egg whites in large glass bowl, reserving yolks in small bowl.Beat egg whites until stiff.Slowly add sugar and continue to beat until sugar is incorporated.Add egg yolks one at a time to chocolate/butter mixture, making sure each yolk is fully incorporated after every addition.Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.Pour batter into prepared pan and transfer to oven for about 45-60 minutes.
*To check if this cake is done a toothpick should come out fairly clean, but this is a very dense and rich cake so it may not be perfectly clean. The best way to tell is if there is a good crust on the cake and the sides have begun to pull away from the pan.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing sides of pan.
Homemade Whipped Cream1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream1/4 cup powdered sugar1 tsp vanilla
In a small bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed. If you have time, place in fridge for about 20 minutes to help stabilize.
Feel free to cover yours with a small layer of homemade whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries or just serve with a small dusting of powdered sugar and ice cream!Happy Baking!
Happy Birthday America!
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Dear America,
In celebration of your birthday I baked you a cake, just like I do all my favorite people!
Last year we made a pie in your honor...
...but this year I wanted to make sure you had something extra special so I personally decorated a cake for you.
I know you won't be here to blow out the candles, but that's okay because we probably wouldn't be allowed to light them anyways. Texas actually put a ban on all things related to your fireworks (even sparklers are out of the question) but don't worry, we're still going to celebrate... just fireless.
You're pretty special you know that? It's not every birthday that we get a whole day off from work to celebrate, so thanks :)
XOXO,
E
I hope everyone's day is filled with grilling, cold drinks and good friends!
Happy 4th of July!!
In celebration of your birthday I baked you a cake, just like I do all my favorite people!
Last year we made a pie in your honor...
...but this year I wanted to make sure you had something extra special so I personally decorated a cake for you.
I know you won't be here to blow out the candles, but that's okay because we probably wouldn't be allowed to light them anyways. Texas actually put a ban on all things related to your fireworks (even sparklers are out of the question) but don't worry, we're still going to celebrate... just fireless.
You're pretty special you know that? It's not every birthday that we get a whole day off from work to celebrate, so thanks :)
XOXO,
E
I hope everyone's day is filled with grilling, cold drinks and good friends!
Happy 4th of July!!
Kaydol:
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