First glimpses

of soap that I finally made! It's only taken me two years.  I ordered my first supplies when we lived in Chicago still. But lots of business and other activities became prevalent, so time and energy were shorter. Now it's back to more free time and yesterday was the day. It really does feel like it's taken months of lots of free time to lead up to this day. Reading books, watching youtube's, gathering materials...

Lo and behold, I pretty much had the worst thing that could happen, happen. I got the mixture pouring all over my gloveless hands. I thought I could have a heart attack my heart was beating so fast from being scared that my hands were gonna start burning to blisters. Calling 911 started becoming very real. But very thankfully, after many, "Oh god, oh god!"'s later and extreme handwashing in the sink, everything was okay. Making soap involves caustic soda (lye), which is the chemical that combines with fats to make soap. Caustic soda is extremely alkaline and can cause skin erosion pretty much. I'm not too sure how I made it out alive because right now, 24 hours later, my soap measures a pH of about 9 or 10, and my book says I shouldn't even touch it if it's at a pH of 11. After another day or so, the saponification process will continue and the pH should come down.

The mistake I made was from a great idea-- putting rubberbands around my milk carton mold, to make it more square instead of it bulging out from the weight of the soap mix. At this point, I had taken off my gloves, and then the rubberbands started collapsing the carton, so the mix was overflowing all over the place. I had to grab it quickly to save it all from going to waste (/to almost lose both my hands). Most of it just landed on this soap mold and made an extra bar of this nicely molded soap, of which I was only going to have one of (due to excess mix that I pre-measured I would have), but now I have two!

You can see that it got a little messy.

I will be posting more pictures of the cut up loaf I'm sure when it's ready to be cut in a few days. I am calling this soap, "Cinnamon + Fir" (not so creatively), as it is scented with Fir Needle essential oil, and contains cinnamon for 1.) it's nice color, 2.) it's warm, creamy scent, and 3.) it's antiseptic, astringent and stimulant properties. The Fir is fresh and woodsy.

foodstuffs

This lemon cake with vanilla (cream cheesy tasting) frosting is sure to brighten your mood.

Sautéed carrots with green onions, red bell pepper and loads of garlic with this black bean pasta, tossed with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Cowl + Muffin Recipe

I'm very excited about this garment! I've never worn anything I've made, except to try on one scarf as a gift I was giving. I was just so excited about the color and having such a huge hook that I couldn't resist starting it at 2am in bed last night. I knew it would be fast work and easy on hard-to-focus eyes. I debated sleeping in it when it was finished about an hour later. The pattern is so easy you could probably do it with your eyes shut, and much faster the second time around. It's the free "Openwork Crocheted Cowl" pattern from Lion Brand Yarns, found here.

Maybe the reason I was able to start and finish this project so late in my bed was because I ate three of these before getting in. They were fresh out of the oven. (They are quite tiny and were sans the cashew cream.) But really, a lovely muffin-- Jae Steele's Blueberry Buckwheat Muffin.

The recipe**:

INGREDIENTS:

- 1¾ cups whole buckwheat (raw, not toasted)

- 2 cups filtered water (room temperature or just-boiled)

- ½ cup maple syrup

- ⅓ organic non-dairy milk

- ⅓ cup flax seeds

- ¼ cup softened non-hydrogenated coconut oil or sunflower oil (plus extra if using to coat pan) *I've used canola and it works great! (not sure about the nutrition)*

- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

- zest of 1 organic lemon (about 2 tsp, lightly packed) (if organic is unavailable, omit)

- 1 tsp anise seeds, ground (optional)

- ½ tsp sea salt

- 1 tbsp baking powder

- ½ tsp baking soda

- 2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse the buckwheat, then combine it in a bowl with the 2 cups of room temperature filtered water and soak overnight (or combine with the 2 cups of just-boiled water and soak for 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare a muffin tray with paper liners or a light coating of oil (you'll need to prep 16 cups instead of the standard 12).

Pour soaked buckwheat (along with any unabsorbed water) into food processor or blender, add the syrup, milk, flax seeds, oil, lemon juice, zest, anise and salt, and give it a whirl for about 1 minute, until the buckwheat kernels are broken down. Add the baking powder and soda, and whirl again for another 10 seconds to combine.

Pour the batter into a large bowl and fold in the blueberries with a silicone spatula.

Portion the batter into muffin cups, filling them to the top, and bake for 25 minutes*, until the tops are domed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stores in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in fridge for up to a week.

MAKES 16 MUFFINS. Gluten-free & potentially Soy-free

MUFFIN TIPS

Soaked but not forgotten

If you soak the buckwheat but don't get around to making the muffins the next morning, all is not lost. It will keep in the fridge for a day or two -- just allow it to warm to room temperature for about half an hour before proceeding with recipe.

Ghost muffins

When a muffin tray is on its way to the oven but not all the cups are filled, pour about ½" (1 cm) water into each empty cup to promote the same level of humidity in the oven.

Recipe completely courtesy of jae steele and her cookbook, Get It Ripe.

*I've found it can easily take longer than 25 minutes in the oven, and I haven't noticed too much of a dome. I take them out when they are obviously not liquidy anymore, and the paper liner can easily be peeled off by user.

** I sometimes call this muffin, "the most disgusting muffin by the average American's standard" muffin, because they are not sugary sweet (in fact, completely devoid of refined sugar!) or cakey, and have an earthy, nutty flavor. However, they are sweetened with maple syrup, and have a lovely light flavor with a little tang of lemon and also sweetness of the blueberry. I think they're delicious and every time I eat them,  I physically feel really good-- my stomach feels soothed and I feel oddly invigorated. Alive groats! I write this because I know baking takes money and time, and you shouldn't waste either of these by being misled.

Hay!

     I got 40 bales of hay delivered! I had been doing some effortful craigslist searching and mental worrying over the past few weeks that I wouldn't be able to procure any, and lo and behold, I got a hold of Martin, who told me, "I'm your man!" upon returning my call. I even got into a semi-fight via text with a complete stranger, whose ad I was responding to. He said that he delivered to where I live and had a 30 bale minimum, with bales @ $4 and requesting texts for any questions. So I texted him that I was interested in just that, and he responded back:
     - "160 bales min $1350 w ferry."
     I said, "Ok, thanks. Don't need that much/can't afford it/no means to pick up myself. Thanks!"
     To which he commented: "That's why u pay the feedstore $25/bale."
     I did not appreciate this annoying comment, so I decided not to just take it ("up the tailpipe," as Courtney on The Bachelor would say).
     So I wrote, "You said you delivered to [my area] and had a 30 bale minimum on your ad. I have some more local options available, thanks. Don't need that snarky attitude."
      After hitting send, I immediately wondered if he could trace my phone number somehow and find out where I live. A coward behind this phone keyboard, indeed.

     But we patched things up and my local man, Martin, really came through. His wife threw the bales off the truck, Martin stood on the ground and threw them inside the doorframe of the greenhouse, and I organized and stacked them. It was hard. Martin is 72 years old. Born and raised on the farm that he still runs a small beef cattle and egg operation on. The whole transaction felt like I was dealing with real, good-old farmers, who do the hard work to get the job done.

     Now the garden can be fantastically mulched (hopefully not too many weed seeds in there), but as I've been learning from Steve Solomon in Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, I can't just add any old organic matter I want at any time! We have to be smart and add the right kind at the right time! I always knew that you can't add manure too soon before planting because you can burn your plants, and it won't breakdown in time for it to be useful for your plants, (plus not get your organic/biodynamic certification)... but I DIDN'T know that when you add crude/uncomposted organic matter, there's a sharp rise in soil decay organism populations, which use the same nutrients as plants to build their bodies, and thus they take up all the nutrients that the plant needs and therefore there are far fewer nutrients available to plants at this time. So adding crude manure or vegetation to even established plants can be more detrimental in that there will be far less soil nutrients available to them! So the hay will go to mulch all the pathways to keep weeds down and create composting action so that the pathway soil can then be shoveled onto the beds when it's fully decomposed. Then in the fall we'll be ready to mulch the beds. Plus, the stack of hay will probably raise the temperature of the greenhouse by a degree or two!

New medallion/coaster motifs

I got a new crochet book by Melody Griffiths called 201 crochet.  This is where I got the patterns, and she writes that, "the four-armed spiral is a favorite Celtic motif." I'm excited to try out some new colors that I got yesterday in shades of blue. I just need to iron this flat for a more finished look.

Packaging Goal

     One goal for 2012 that I have is to reduce the amount of waste packaging that I produce, i.e. paper coffee/tea cups and lids, bags, etc. I had a plastic reusable tea mug, but I had to leave it in New York, and having put coffee in it, it was somewhat tainted. And I'm really missing my Tea Tumbler that I got two Christmas's ago in our family's annual Yankee Swap game. One of my sisters and I may or may not scheme with each other every year to get what each other wants. The Tumbler is specifically for herbal teas that can steep for an unlimited amount of time, with a mesh strainer screwed to the top, so you sip and it filters. This I FORGOT in New York. Hopefully it's on it's way with my old coworker there who is moving to Portland and offered room on their moving truck for a box of mine.

     But while on vacation in California, we stumbled into this outdoor shop that had some reusable looking mugs. Little did I know, it would be insulated. The Insulated Klean Kanteen keeps your drinks cold or hot for 6 hours, and being stainless steel, it doesn't hold flavors-- which is all tried & true. It has changed my life a little. I can make some good strong healthful herbal teas in the morning, and sip the last 4 of the 16oz. 5 hours later and it will still be steamy. Also, I got some cloth teabags finally. I've never had any, and they're really nice, so now I can buy teas in bulk and not use anymore pre-packaged teabags (though I don't think teabags are really a huge thing to worry about, but I'm getting to use whole leaf teas this way + make my own blends).

     I have to say that I'm not doing an A+ job on reducing, but I've saved at least 10 cups/lids with the Klean Kanteen now. I highly recommend this mug to anyone in the market.

Coaster Craze

I'm on a coaster making spurt.

And these might be made into a hotpad, or maybe a wall hanging.

Songs of 2011

Just put on my "Like" playlist on youtube, and it's been very enjoyable and I had forgotten about some of these songs. Most of these songs were probably not made in 2011.


Taken By Trees - Lost and Found


Bill Callahan - America!


Metronomy - The Look


Rollerskaters - Sleep Tight


The Pretenders - Back on the Chain Gang


Smog - Rock Bottom Riser


Girls - Alright


Joanna Newsom - Swansea


Frank Fairfield - Cumberland Gap

new coaster

It's raining out today and I just realized that it's made me not want to go outside, even though I like the rain.

heyheyhey

I got a mattress/boxspring/bedframe for the spare bedroom on craigslist, and while I didn't need a bedframe, it offered an opportunity to have some fun with color! The walls of my room are almost the same color and it's just such a surprisingly nice shade. And now it's popping up everywhere, including my friend's bathroom tub, sink and tanktop because she thinks so too! And then the other night at the movie theater bathroom which seemed freshly painted!

 

I had no idea how difficult it would be to strip the stain off and sand. Halfway through, I said screw it, no more stripping, just some good sanding. Which was also very difficult.

Movie theater bathroom:

Sunday night + Biscuits

Plain, tangy, slightly lumpy and grainy, where you have to stir in the separated whey on top yogurt.  I am quite particular about the kind of yogurt I like. It's one of those foods whose health benefits has been severely changed, distorted and marketed the hell out of to the point of it becoming bad for you. Like 30 grams of sugar, chemical flavors, and always saying they're better than other Leading Yogurt brands. (Yoplait won't even say what's in their yogurt on their website.) It's like politics: if you're good, you don't need to be nasty about your competitors. And don't get me wrong, I don't have a perfect diet.

Anyway, a good trick I learned in the good state of Wisconsin one time was to check the sugar levels of even the most organic, raw yogurt on the supermarket shelves, especially the fruit or other special flavored kind. They can be near up to 30 themselves. So buy(/make your own) plain yogurts and add the fruit or other flavors yourself. Common sense. Of course, splurge when you want to, in moderation. Plus then, you'll have it on hand to make very tasty biscuits!

A long term goal of mine is to know how to cook or bake without needing a recipe. Of course, cooking is easier, baking harder. I have down pat now a great non-gluten-free, non-vegan dough recipe from memory.
-- 1 cup flour
-- a little less than 1/2 tsp. of sea salt or to taste
Sift together.
-- 5.5 - 6 tablespoons, very cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes (You'll learn the best way to do this.)
Cut this into flour mixture until you have a crumble-like texture. "They" always say pea-sized pieces but that only sort of makes sense.
-- 3+ tablespoons of ice-cold water
Add water until your dough becomes a ball. Flatten into disk, wrap completely or cover in bowl with plastic wrap or something else that could be more environmentally friendly, and let rest in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. (The recipe I learned from says 30, but I've pushed it and it hasn't been negatively affected that I've noticed.) Roll out as needed. The disk can also be frozen for future use.

This makes one 9" pie crust.

I use my hands to do all the mixing. Not opposed to food processors or utensils.

Now for biscuits, it's a spin on this. 2 cups of flour gives you 12+ biscuits depending on the size you make them. + you'll need about 2 tsp. of (non-aluminum) baking powder for them to rise. (Goal: learn about baking powder.) You can use eggs and milk as your liquids-- or just yogurt for a most moist, delicious biscuit. Add as much yogurt as needed for your dough to again, become a ball. You can also cut it with water. Don't overwork dough. On a floured surface, pat until about 1/2" thick. Cut into disks with cup or cutter.

**A biscuit tip I learned in the great city of Chicago is to place biscuits on cookie sheet/pan/whatever you have, touching eachother. This keeps 'em plumper and maybe even moister.

I really like the idea and practice of baking just by knowing texture and your own tastes. I've found that some of the women I've met from South America are excellent bakers, just by experimenting with liquids and solids and not following recipes.

Next: Gluten-free and vegan versions!

Vacation in California

     Craig and I took a little vacation to California this past week to visit his mom up north in Humboldt county, stay with a friend there, and then visit friends in San Francisco! I had never been to San Francisco before, so it was all the more titillating.

     First we flew over some very cool scenic sights, then landed in San Francisco where we extemporaneously rented a Prius suggested by the rental car agent which was amazing, rolled down it's windows because it was near 70 degrees(!), and stopped to have some Thai food for lunch before proceeding over the Golden Gate Bridge to begin the 6 hour drive up north. I was really excited to be in that warm weather and see the buildings painted in such colorful colors.

     The drive up 101 went by pretty quickly. I realized that I think it was because I was just so comfortable in that Prius. And Craig did a good job of driving. We wound our way through some redwoods and stopped when we needed breaks. We really enjoyed our time in Eureka and Arcata.

I love this frozen yogurt so much!! And I've never even been that big of a frozen yogurt fan! Except TCBY's white chocolate mousse! This tops that though because it's an independent store, they have non-dairy and organic flavors, on-the-spot-prepared waffle cones and my newly found delight of toffee bits topping. I always got the berry and non-dairy vanilla flavors of the day swirled. (Day #1: organic mixed berry and coconut milk-based vanilla; Day #2: organic blueberry and almond milk-based vanilla.)

Then there's the best burrito I've ever had in my life from La Chiquita taco truck in Arcata. 2nd time around proves it again. 1st time was 3 years ago.

Neat to see all the vineyards in Sonoma County.

Sunset in San Francisco

So many things were in bloom in San Francisco. What a treat.

Our flight was canceled two days in a row trying to get back to Seattle because of the snow blunder, but it didn't even matter because that meant we got to spend more time with great friends in the city and their silly cats!

And while I really enjoyed the warm'ish weather in California (it didn't stay 70'ish for long and we had a stormy night while in San Francisco), I also enjoy blustery, rainy Seattle-area. Today I really felt the need for my whole rain suit to take care of some things outside because it was raining sideways starting in the morning.