SouleMama

in this season

{Edited with the lovely and fun Sesame Ellis Photoshop actions.}

We are at one of my favorite intersections of growing seasons around here. (Equal to that of cucumbers & tomatoes.) It is of course, the marvelous combination of strawberries and rhubarb. As I was pulling today's post together, I was ever so tickled (yes, tickled) to see that I've shared a strawberry and/or rhubarb recipe nearly each June on this here blog. So, it's a tradition!I love traditions...

2008's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
2007's Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

And I am ever so pleased to introduce to you the latest installment in the SouleMama Strawberry-Rhubarb Collection:

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The Ruby June

6 oz Rhubarb Soda (you'll need rhubarb, sugar, and sparkling water)
1 oz white tequila
appx. 1tsp fresh lime juice

Serve over ice. Funky vintage glasses option, but strongly recommended.

{And while it's totally a personal decision, and I have NO interest in 'debating' the issue, I do want to pass on an informative little note about breastfeeding and alcohol for those of you who have shared with me your concern.}

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So I know I asked YOU for names, but in the end, SoulePapa came up with The Ruby June, which stole my heart (or my taste buds), and I just couldn't imagine it any other name. (I'm a little biased to his name suggestions - he did, after all, come up with three out of four winning Soule baby names.)

Honorable mention (and a little prize!) goes to the following three of you for the fabulously fun name suggestions:
Soule Sipper - BOATBABY
Rhubarbarita - Melissa
white ruby - kelli

That was really fun - thanks, you guys! And here's wishing you a weekend full of Ruby Junes, or Rhubarb Soda, or strawberry rhubarb muffins or whatever you may desire in celebration of whatever growing season you may be enjoying!

saturday market

Early, early this morning at the Saturday Farmer's Market - one of my favorite ways to start a summer weekend.

I'll be back on Tuesday. Have a lovely weekend!

bread love

Can one survive on just bread and peanut butter (and sometimes almond butter or cashew butter...yum)? I'm a little embarrassed to admit just how much I'm testing that theory these days. My peanut butter consumption gets a little nutty (ha!) when I'm nursing a babe. But peanut butter and fresh handmade bread is a kind of daily perfection I never tire of. Toss in some apple slices and maybe some cheddar, and well...we call that 'lunch' on a lot of days around here.

Thankfully - for all that bread consumption - I enjoy making bread as much as I enjoy eating it. I've been using the Tassajara Bread Book method for a while now, making two loaves every three days or so. There's something immensely comforting, meditative and rhythmic about making the same recipe over and over, week in and week out. How it takes a few minutes of my time spread out over a few hours - setting an underlying rhythm to that day. How every single time the heel of my hands meet the dough to begin kneading, I always, always have an instinctual instant of remembrance - thinking of those before me. Those I know of (my great grandmother, whose bread board I use), and more generally, the millions of women and Mamas before me. And as I continue kneading in a familiar rhythm, I find myself brought so fully into the present, with my feet planted firmly in my kitchen, with the sounds, smells and sights of my children and my life so clear. It's empowering, really...and as silly as it may sound, I get an enormous amount of strength from this little ritual that leaves me both mindful of my past, and aware of my present at the very same time.

The beauty, though, of making bread today - as opposed to the days of my great grandmother - is that on days when I don't have the energy, the inclination or the time...I can just as easily pop a loaf into the bread machine, or yes, even buy a loaf of bread (though it just never tastes as good!).

I've been puzzled for a while over the best storage of the precious bread. In the past, I've been using paper bags (from purchased loaves) over and over. But eventually, those wear and tear, and the size was never perfect. And I'm kind of a freak about plastic and food, so that was out.

So I did a little poking around to find out just how it used to be done. You know, before we had preservatives keeping our bread longer, or tupperware in which to store it. Actually, I sent the kids on an investigative bookshelf search, which they happily obliged me in. Who knew fabric was the answer?

 

With that, I made these bread bags. Quite simple, they're basically a drawstring bag out of linen fabric - breathable, but tight. The measurements worked out so that a vintage tea towel - with the sides trimmed off for using as a drawstring - was the perfect size. 

So far, I think it's really working. I put these inside my bread box, and they stay a little bit fresher, a little bit longer. I have plans to make a whole slew of them to have on hand. I'm pretty excited about handing off a gift of bread in one of these soon.

{And could I have illustrated today's post with something less than seven photographs? Perhaps. But where's the fun in that? I told you I love bread.}

A Homemade Life

First up...about comments. Oh, there's so much goodness in there - always and everyday I read them all and am so grateful for what you share there. And now it's going to get even better - as Typepad has enabled threaded comments (and userpics if you so choose!). Yay! So now we can reply directly to individual comments, making the 'discussion' of blogging feel a bit more like a 'discussion' as it should be. Yes! So please feel free to chat amongst yourself (nicely, of course), and jump in if you think you can help someone else out with a reply!

Okay. Moving onto today's regular programming...

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By now, you've heard tell of the beautiful new book A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, of Orangette. But I can't resist telling you of my own love for it too. Because it's really one of those very special books. Part cookbook, part memoir, Molly weaves her recipes seamlessly into the stories of her life. Stories of love, loss, friendship and laughter. (I did lots of laughing while reading Molly's stories.)

You know how there are those people who you meet (or in this case, "meet," as we've only laid emails - not eyes - on each other), who seem so in sync with what they should be doing in their lives? Those people who have clearly landed themselves in their 'thing', and therefore...their passion, their talent and their energy just shines and radiates and seems, well, catchy?

It's a silly way to describe it, but that's what I think of when I think of Molly and the way she can tell a story. Her passion for food, for friends, for love and life...well, it's catchy. Reading her words always inspires me to do something - whether it be head to the kitchen to try out one of her recipes (so many of the ones she's shared over the years have been added to our regular repertoire), or into my studio to make something I'm excited about, or just to run and tell my husband how much I love him. Her blog posts have always done that for me (I save them for last just for that reason!), but her style just feels so very right in a book I can hold in my hands and snuggle up to read.

Molly's been on a bit of a tour with the book release, and I saw that she made macaroons (recipe in her book) to share at one of her signings. (Um, how nice is that?) Since I couldn't attend, I figured I'd make some myself - to celebrate in spirit. Alright, so maybe it was just an excuse to drizzle chocolate over some coconut and sugar. Whatever the motivation...I think Molly would get it. (and the results were delicious.)

Cheers to you, Molly! And cheers to us, for now being able to hold these treasured tales and treats in our hands (and mouths)!

the last harvest

And now it's winter squash. Blue hubbards, pumpkins, butternuts, acorns, long island cheese, jarrahdale and more. They're 'slow' food of the ultimate kind to me - soups, pies, and the like - oozing of fall and the holidays and slowing down of the harvest season. No need to rush about trying to put them by in a hurry - they'll keep. These photos are from our CSA, where we soon celebrate, bittersweetly, our last week of the harvest season. But long after our pickups stop, we'll still be enjoying these treats of this harvest season.

Some of the favorite ways all this squash has worked it's way into our bodies this week:

Simply - slice thin. scoop out seeds and veins. sprinkle with olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cumin (sometimes some cayenne!). Bake until soft.

Orangette's Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini

Gourmet's Pumpkin Soup with Apple Schnitz "Croutons"

Tribeca Yummy Mummy's Fall Lasagna

and of course, a little pie.

And while we're talking food, I found the piece by Michael Pollan in last weekend's New York Times Magazine so interesting and important. You might too, when you have a few minutes and the energy to read it:
Farmer in Chief

apples & wood

A lot of images, and not a lot of words today - I'm feeling quietly both full and grateful. Grateful for good friends who made our woodpile grow larger than I ever thought it could this weekend; and Full of apples - picked, baked, canned, eaten and shared. Friends, wood & apples - it was a good weekend. I hope yours was too!

Today, we rest and rejoice.

Tomorrow? A little something for you! See you then...

our tomato sauce

Since so many of you asked so nicely, I paid a little extra attention to what I was doing on Friday when I made what I think to be our last batch of tomato sauce. (And I'm grateful for the push to do so - now I won't have to reinvent my own wheel come next August.) Pasta is such an easy Winter stand-by for us, so I'm going to love having lots of this on hand to pull from.

This recipe makes for a chunky sauce, which is just how we like it. I use an assortment of what we have on hand for tomato varieties. This year, we've had a lot of Juliet's - seen in the basket in yesterday's photo (they grow so well!).

Tomato Sauce
(makes roughly 2-3 quarts, depending on the tomatoes you use)

4 lbs tomatoes, peeled and cored
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3-4 large cloves garlic
1.5 cups chopped red onion
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup firmly packed basil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Puree one half of the tomatoes in a food processor or blender. Coarsely dice the other half.
2. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot on med-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, oregano, thyme, and rosemary and cook until onions are soft, about five minutes.
3. Add all of the tomatoes and the sea salt. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for 60 minutes. Stir ocassionally.
5. Stir basil and vinegar in. Continue to cook (uncovered) until of desired thickness (I usually go another 30 minutes or more).
6. Eat, Can, or Freeze!*

*If you're canning, I'd suggest using the methods in Putting Food By, or the basic handy Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. About half of mine have been canned, and on days where I haven't had the energy or time to do so, I've put them right in the freezer instead (in Wide Mouth Mason jars). A good Freezing FAQ can be found here. 

The River Cottage Family Cookbook

We have a new cookbook love. The River Cottage Family Cookbook has quickly become a family favorite around here. Those of you across the pond are likely much more familiar with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and River Cottage than we are stateside. Just last winter, having coffee at a friends farm, I discovered the River Cottage Meat Book and couldn't peel my eyes from it - with the photography, the style, the recipes, and the overall message of food and our connection to it.

I was thrilled to hear of the release of a family-style cookbook this summer by the same author (joined on this project by Fizz Carr). At nearly 500 pages full, it's chock full of family, farm and foodie goodness. I think what I like most about this book is that it's more of a whole lifestyle book, rather than just exclusively recipes. The recipes are so great. But there are some really great basics, too - solid and clear instructions for making all the dairy basics - cheese, butter, yogurt. And bread, too (lots of great bread instruction). Intermingled through the recipes are projects, too. For example? Starting a Garden. Making Your Own Salt. Hosting a Pancake Race. Awesome. We need to have a pancake race.

We've tried out a lot of the recipes in the past few months since the book's arrival. One has already been committed to memory - I make the "Fragrant Rice" at least once a week now, the recipe is so perfect. (Okay, confession: The fried onion and cabbage? Not so much. Maybe cabbage is a regionally acquired taste, though? Do tell, because it's one of the only foods I can't get anyone in this house to eat!) This week, I remembered to photograph these recipes-in-progress. Summer Fruit Tart and Pick-Your-Own-Minestrone. Both equally delicious, and almost entirely kid-made.

I think our kids were pretty involved with our family meal preparation before, but this book - it's words and images combined - have fueled an even greater participation. One piece of advice in the book about involving the kids is to 'take it outside'. So simple, and yet it wasn't something we were in the habit of doing. So, I've been sending the boys out with a cutting board and the evening's vegetables to cut. I have less mess to worry about on the floor, and somehow by nature of being outside - it becomes louder, more boisterous, and more playful of a process. It's become such a habit now for them to be involved in this part of the meal, that I'm sure it will carry back inside with us as the season changes, and there will be lots more exploring of the recipes and projects in these pages.

weekend in blue

I guess you could say there was a theme to our weekend. It started simply enough with a blueberry picking date with a friend, followed by a record-breaking 3lbs eaten by three babes in ten minutes upon arriving home. Then there was an afternoon of making blueberry jam. Which of course, required a reading of Blueberries for Sal (always and forever "Blueberries for Cal" arond here). And to finish the weekend off, there was a Sunday morning backyard picnic of lemon scones and blueberrry jam. Oh, that was a tasty weekend.

Lemon Scones
(adapted from the "cream scones" in the fabulous Tassajara Bread Book)

1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon raw sugar

Mix the milk, sugar and egg. Sift in the dry ingredients. Add melted butter, followed by folding in the lemon. Roll out into 3/8" thick on a floured board. Cut into wedges. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees until just barely golden brown (10 minutes or so). Transfer to cooling rack to cool slightly before serving. Devour. With jam.

thank you!

You might have noticed a few tiny visual changes around here lately - and a few more little tweaks are in the works in coming months. (I'm hearing you all loud and clear that you miss the "Inspiring" list of links - no worries, it will return soon!) The first of these changes was the addition of the SouleMama BookShop. I'm asked often for my 'favorite' books on particular topics - unschooling, crafts, parenting, and on and on. So I've been looking for a spot to share such 'favorites' lists in an always-accessible way (while keeping it all seperate from the "Currently Reading" sidebar feature, which I like to keep to 'current' books). The Amazon storefront was the solution for me - as I can keep the lists, while also participating in the Associates program. There is much more I want to add there - I haven't even touched on bird books yet, for goodness sakes. Or favorite board books, or chapter books, or....oh my. We love books. So if those book lists interest you, check back there often as I'll be adding more of the titles most treasured in our home.

Another new thing you've likely noticed in the past month has been the addition of the "Sponsors" on the right sidebar. For so long (years, I dare say), I've thought long and hard, searched high and low, and explored so many options in regards to this. And I am so happy that it evolved exactly where I wanted it to be - a place where I can introduce you to small companies and organizations who I support and believe in - in a low-key, non-obtrusive and well, pretty way ("pretty" is important!). I'm incredibly grateful to those Sponsors, especially, who took a chance these first few months as I've been trying it out - Nova Natural, Lisa Leonard, and Mama Merit Badges. Thank you!

I never could have imagined all the things that blogging would lead to when I began three and a half years ago. I never imagined the warmth, generosity, amazing friendships, and wonderful opportunities that have come into my life. And I certainly never imagined that this whole thing would turn into something that contributes in a small financial way to my family - and brings us closer to our goals of living, working, playing and creating together - as a family. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to continue writing and maintaining this blog and all that comes with it (the many joys and the many challenges) in a way that feeds my soul, and helps my family - rather than takes me away from it. So thank you, for your part in that particular aspect of blogging for me - for the things you've purchased in my shop over the years, for the Amazon purchases you've made through my links, through the support that you've shown my sponsors, for your notes and gifts of encouragement, and just for reading here each day.

What I'm finally getting around to, is a small token of thanks to you! In the left sidebar, you'll notice a new little feature "For You," and in there currently, you'll find two downloadable patterns (as PDF files - let me know if you find any kinks!). One for the Gratitude Wrap, and another for my favorite knit hat pattern (originally posted here a long time ago now, but reworked a bit as I remade it late last night! In yellow. Ahem). They're free and offered up as a little 'thank you' to you for being such nice readers. Because you are! You'll also find a link to all of the recipes I've posted here over the years - compiled in one place and organized seasonally (because I would organize everything that way if I could). My goodness, I make a lot of bread with berries, don't I? Hmn...

Well, anyway. Enjoy. and Thank You. Truly.

makin' jam

There has, indeed, been more picking, more eating, and more jam-making since I first mentioned it last week. How could we not? It's so yummy, and, well, next strawberry season seems a long ways off. And the 'jam' shelf in the pantry was looking mighty bare...just waiting.

As promised, here's the recipe I used. But you have to promise to remember that I really don't know what I'm doing and honestly, I made it all up as I went along, so take it all for what it's worth (how's that for an intro?). If you want good sound advice on strawberry-rhubarb jam from a pro, check out the current issue of Bon Appetit, where Ms. Molly's montly article and recipe this month is on strawberry rhubarb jam! I haven't seen it yet, but like everything else of hers, I'm sure it's wonderfully good.

So, here's what we did:

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

5 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/2"
juice of 1.5 lemon
1 TBSP grated lemon zest
1.5 cups sweetener (I used turbinado sugar the first time, and honey the second - both worked well, though I think the specific pectin I used was helpful in making the liquid of honey be okay as a substitute)
1 oz pectin (I used Pomona's Universal Pectin, found at Whole Foods; but here's an article on making your own)

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl (except the pectin), cover with wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Drain juice from berries and rhubarb, and put in a large pot. Add half of the berry/rhubarb mix, and the pectin powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until it starts to thicken a bit. Puree, and then return to pot.

Add remaining berry/rhubarb mix. Bring to another boil, and then lower heat to a simmer for 20 -30 minutes, or until the jam thickens to your liking.

Pour into prepared jars, filling to within 1/2" of the rim, and place lids on. These could be eaten immediately, refrigerated (for a few months?) or preserved:

For preserving, I use (sterilized in the dishwasher, followed by a few minutes in the oven) ball jars, and once filled, the simple 'open canning method' of placing the filled jars in a large pot of boiling water for five minutes. I've been keeping my eye out for years for a canner while thrifing, but no luck yet, and I seem to get by fine without it. A jar lifter is really helpful though, and I do have one of those. For a great canning resource online (a little overwhelming, but everything you need is on there...somewhere!), Pick Your Own is really helpful. Should preserving/canning the jam be the option you choose, I strongly recommend you do a little more reading about it. That website is a good start, as well as one of the many canning cookbooks out there.

That's it! I hope that's clear and I especially hope that it works for you should you try it. Though we've nearly eaten three jars this week, I've got to slow our pace down. Because there is nothing like the feeling - to me - of a fully stocked pantry headed into the fall season. And of course, that dream of strawberry jam in January. Okay, and all the days from here to there in which strawberry jam will certainly be a breakfast feature.

strawberry fields...now and later

"Strawberry Farmer" is totally on my (very long) "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up (And Own Land)" list, but in the meantime, I'm grateful for the local farmers who grow them, and share with us (though the balance of supply and demand for organic, local, pick your own around here makes me a little nervous...and eager to get planting my own, with plenty to share).

Yesterday, we excitedly found our way to a strawberry field.There was lots of picking, followed promptly by eating...

And today, we'll make jam - strawberry rhubarb jam, to be precise...yum.

And if we can manage to make enough (we'll have to find another field!), come a cozy, wintry day in Maine later this year or early next, the six of us will huddle by the woodstove and top some freshly baked bread with strawberry rhubarb jam, and remember these early beautiful days of summer. 

The Splendid Table Cookbook Giveaway

I'm getting excited about food right now. I think there's a late winter point of despair (to put it in dramatic terms) when I am so sick of soups and the dregs of the 'root cellar' foods. I'm anxious for green and red and oh so much more. While it's still early, I can at least feel it coming. I think it has something to do with making the last installment in our CSA payment for the year, and the promise that fresh! local! yummy! produce will soon be ready for us each and every week. Ah...

Anyway, in anticipation of all that, I've been food-inspired lately. Opening favorite old cookbooks to find new things, and finding new cookbooks to put a spin on the old. One new arrival has been The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award Winning Food Show. Amy shared a great review of it a few weeks back, and everything she said is so very true. I love the stories woven into the recipes. And the recipes are delicious, and well, 'different' than so very many other cookbooks. It feels like a 'fresh' cookbook if that makes sense.

I've actually photographed a bunch of the things we've made from this book in the past month, but this is the only one that I don't fear will have the effect of turning you away from the book. A food photographer, I am not (Delicious photos in the book - I'll leave it to the experts). Above is the Supper Tart of Red Onions, Greens and Grapes. See what I mean? "Different" - we make SOOO much pizza around here, and this was a perfect fresh spin on it for us - on puff pastry (I know, it's a tart, not a pizza, but the kids thought it was pizza). It was so good that looking at this photo is totally motivating me to make it again (for the fourth time) tonight. Yum. Another favorite has been Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash and Greens over Bow Tie Pasta. Again, just the right spin of yummy and new. Oh gosh, and the Retro Garlic Bread! Really good too.

Of course, I wanted to listen to the radio show after falling in love with the cookbook. And thank goodness for the internet (it's not carried on my local radio station), because you can listen to podcasts of the show on their website. (They've also got a really interesting year-long project going on, following 15 people eating a regional diet, each blogging about the experience - Locavore Nation).

As a little treat for YOU, the publisher, Clarkson Potter, has generously agreed to do a giveaway of The Splendid Table's new cookbook. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post before 7am (my time) tomorrow - Friday - at which point I'll choose a random number to send one copy of the book to, and announce it here at the end of this post. Good luck!

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Comments Closed. We have a winner! The Random Number Generator led me to Momma Roar, who wrote:

I'd love some new recipe ideas!! We live in PA in Amish country...where a lot of the meals I make are meat and potatoe AND basic. I'd love to have some new ideas!!

What fun!

Posted by: Momma Roar | May 01, 2008 at 04:45 PM

 

Congratulations! And thanks to everyone for playing!

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how we make dinner

With LOTS of help, of course. Seems to me the only way to get dinner made these days is to have someone across the kitchen island from me - either helping with my dinner plan, or more likely, choosing to work on their own dinner plan. Today, a favorite recipe of Adelaide's.

Needed:
every measuring cup, spoon and wooden spoon in the house
sifter - optional, but strongly desired
an apron - like Mama (or Papa) - (additional clothing optional)

Ingredients:
3 cups dinner-in-progress scraps - carrots, onions, leeks - anything will do
8 cups water - carried - cup by cup - across the kitchen
2 cups mystery pantry food - unidentifiable, forgotten dried beans? Yup.
2 tiny precious drops - something chosen from the fridge door
6 parts - clean up
2 parts - patience
10 parts - laughter

Mix & stir until everything has been added. If the other dinner isn't done yet, um....add more water. At this point, the excitement can usually be transferred to setting the table (seriously), 'showing' the soup to everyone, and then...carrying it very carefully to its ultimate destination outside with much fanfare.

We call it Compost Soup.

WHO Bread goes acoustic

How's all the WHO bread doing out there? I'm thrilled you're trying it and liking it. One very important thing I forgot to mention when I posted the recipe - you have to say WHOOOOOO Bread - like an owl. You just have to - it's a rule (my children say so).

A lot of you asked for a non-bread machine version of the recipe, and I'm happy to tell you that we have one! Allison from In A Nutshell sent along her translation, and was gracious enough to let me share it here with you, too. In her words:

WHO Bread - acoustic style
(bread machine recipe here)

1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter @ room temperature
1 tsp salt
3 cups of flour (we do 2 cups unbleached white, 1 cup whole wheat pastry)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or, one package)

Pour 1 1/4c. warm water (about 110 degrees F), honey, sugar, and yeast into a bowl. Whisk until well combined and mixture is frothy. Set aside to proof while you mix together the other ingredients.

In a separate large bowl stir together, flour, butter, salt, rolled oats, and cinnamon.

Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined. (I like to do this with my hands.)

Place dough into a lightly oiled bread pan. Cover with a damp towel and leave in a warm spot to rise for about an hour (45 min. if you’re impatient!). Punch down dough and let rise a second time for 45 minutes, covered with a damp towel.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove towel from top of dough and place pan in the center of your oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Done!

Thank you Allison!

We gave it a go yesterday, and it was indeed yummy and light and quite fun to make. Adelaide thought it was worthy enough of a bread-with-tea party. Though I did have a toss-up between what I wanted to eat more - the bread or the baby.

I mean, seriously.

inspiration :: sweet and savory

Oh my.The internet is a very good and dangerous place. Full of inspiration of all different kinds. This weekend, in just one quick Flickr browse of my contacts, I stumbled upon this photograph, which in one click led me to this recipe, which promptly got me up off my chair and into the kitchen - stopping only on the way to gather my loves....for a little donut making. It was the perfect antidote to the blizzard that was storming outside.

That recipe? SO easy and SO good. For some reason I was comforted so much by the baked-not-fried aspect that I totally skipped reading the sugar quantities. Oh my. And really, oh well....because they're donuts, right? We don't eat them everyday. Still, if you make them, be sure you have all 8 of your children, or a few neighbors around to share them with. Otherwise, you'll eat them all up and have crazy sick too-much-sugar head. That's no good. The donuts, however, are good. And they are best eaten warm and immediately. Of course. (My babes like the middles.) Thanks for the inspiration, Liz!

And in other kinds of inspiration, I'm honored to be on Inspiration Boards today. You can find that interview here. Thank you Lori, for the interview and all the work you do to keep us inspired on Inspiration Boards!

WHO Bread!

So here, my friends, is the recipe for the WHO Bread I photographed last week. And here's a little surprise about it (and me): it's a bread machine recipe. I know, I know. You're surprised, aren't you?

I will admit - I wasn't interested in a bread machine for um, years. I'm not only stubborn, but I get a little skeptical about the latest and greatest 'thing' we're supposed to 'need'. Truth be told, elaborate kitchen gadgetry kind of irritates me (where to put it all?, to begin with). But then...last year I found myself staring right at a brand new one at a yard sale for $2 (I think used & good condition bread machines are plentiful in the thrift world), and I thought I should give it a try instead of just grumping about them, as I had been doing. I won't say that I'm hooked - I really love making bread by hand. I truly do. The entire process of baking bread by hand gives me so much pleasure. Except for the times when it doesn't give me so much pleasure. And then I happily use the bread machine.

We had experimented with a few different recipes, and never quite found one we liked. So we scratched them all and came up with one of our own. It's basic, but we think it's pretty yummy. When we make it, it's usually our 10 o'clock-ish snack - our 'second breakfast' if you will (c'mon - don't you have at least three?)

My absolute favorite part of making this bread (which is likely no surprise), is that the kids can be so easily involved. Ezra - who loves to cook- writes & draws the recipe over and over and can nearly do the process entirely by himself. If it weren't tasty anyway, the feeling of success that it gives him would win me over too.

WHO Bread

(makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to 'basic' with medium crust)

1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter @ room temperature
1 tsp salt
3 cups of flour (we do 2 cups unbleached white, 1 cup whole wheat pastry)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or, one package)

Enjoy! (And Happy Valentines Day!)

from the kitchen

Above: the (short) life of a brownie.

I had some rare and lovely solo cooking time earlier this week, and ended up at Martha's Super Fudgy Brownie recipe. It's a good one. I'm picky about brownies (I know I'm not alone in this) - and the chewiness factor on these are just to my liking. The particulars of mine (in addition the recipe) are 4 oz each of semisweet and bittersweet, as well as semisweet chocolate chips mixed into the batter at the end. Um...so good. I shared them at a little evening gathering of crafty gals, and saved a few for breakfast for my little ones. Because that's always a good idea - swapping out the oatmeal and yogurt for chocolate and sugar before 7 am. Yikes. But fun.

The kitchen is where I've already been this week, and it's where I'll happily plant myself (and all my helpers) for the next 48 hours. The lists are made, the bread is rising, and my apron is on. Tomorrow promises to be a lovely day and a yummy one, too. The kids have been talking about the gratitudes we share following our Thanksgiving meal blessing. "But how do you choose just one...or even two!?" one of them asked. Exactly. There is so very much to be grateful for.

For those celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow...and for everyone else, too - I'm so grateful for each of you - the time you spend here and the many ways you contribute to my life. Thank you.  I hope your day is full of joy and goodness and many yummy things shared with those you love. 

Gluten Free Girl, by Shauna James Ahern

I grew up eating what most of us in this country were eating in the 70's and 80's. My sisters and I joke about the point - well into our teens - at which we learned you could bake a cake without a Betty Crocker box, or the discovery of lettuce other than iceburg. Oh, the food of our childhoods - The brands. The salt. The sugar. (and for me, like many others - the childhood ulcers, asthma, and allergies that went along with the diet). Oy. I remember clearly the moment when I was 13 years old and babysitting in another home - and opened the fridge to discover shelves full of green stuff. I had no idea what any of it was. But I knew I wanted it - needed it, in fact. Next came the discovery of an old, worn and tattered Moosewood Cookbook that I opened like it was some sort of precious artifact (well, it is, really), and brought home with me to devour the unfamiliar words in the recipes. It was then - much to my parents credit - that I began doing my 'own' grocery shopping. Wandering around the natural foods aisle grabbing tofu and fantastic foods mixes - having no idea what to do with any of it, but knowing that it was a start. I've learned a lot about food since that point 20 (gulp) years ago, and I'm still learning a lot about food. I can happily say that my fridge looks more like that one full of green stuff than I ever thought it would. Good food is important to me - important to my family. And the most basic - and yet, revolutionary - thing I've learned about food is how directly it is linked to every sense of my health - of mind, body and spirit.

I've had these food memories and thoughts on my mind since receiving Shauna's book last week, and reading her story of finding the 'right' food for her. And today, I'm honored to be a stop on her virtual book tour for the release of Gluten-Free Girl: How I found the Food That Loves Me Back & How You Can Too. The book arrived last week - and I gobbled up the entire book in one day's worth of our adventures - sneaking reads whenever I could until I reached the end. You could say I devoured it - laughing and tearing up throughout it. Shauna writes from such an open and honest heart - the one we've come to know through her blog - and the result is a truly beautiful book.

And, you might be wondering, no we are not gluten-free. This is a book about food, love, health - the whole 'life' picture. The story of her path to wellness through food is so inspiring. And throughout the flow of her storytelling in the book, she weaves in information about Celiac disease, tips on living gluten-free, and an array of delicious-looking recipes. Anyone already living gluten-free - or just beginning that path - will surely find much in this book to add more beauty, joy and good food to their lives. And everyone else who reads it will think a little differently about the food they eat, where it comes from, how it is prepared...and the kind life in which it all happens.

This weekend we made the Curried Carrot Soup from the book. It was a big hit - sooo good and deep in flavor, and so perfect for the fall evening in which we ate it, after a long walk in the woods.

Cheers, Shauna! It's a beautiful book you've shared with the world!

Apples for Jam

I might as well admit it. I originally bought Apples for Jam : A Colorful Cookbook for the cover (see below - next to the cake!). Sight unseen - I ordered it entirely based on the cover photograph. Crazy, I know - but luckily in this case, it turned out to be a really good choice. With a staggering amount of recipes (200 to be precise); stunning photography and writing of food, family and life; as well as artwork by her children scattered about - I really like this book. Oh, and the whole thing is organized by color. By color. Oh, so visually dreamy. I don't think I've ever had a 'cookbook' I've looked at like this one.

The recipes (oh right. the recipes! it is a cookbook after all) are really good, too. They're simple in nature and construction - family food, if you will. And with a little tweaking here and there, I think a lot of these will find their way into our own family food repertoire. We started with a dessert - we happened to have everything it needed on hand, and well, desserts are always a good place to start, don't you think? With some butter and buttermilk from dear Dulsie, and the very last of our backyard blueberries of the season - it made for a super yum mid-day, early afternoon snack. We barely saved enough for Papa's arrival home from work. (But we did. We would never forget Papa with the daytime dessert making.) And yes...I do know that this makes perhaps recipe #4 that I've shared that involves a baked blueberry thing. Hmn. Well. I don't really know what to say about that. Blueberries are good!

Berry and Buttermilk Cake, Adapted from Apples for Jam

1.5 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
freshly ground nutmeg - a few grinds
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh berries
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (for topping)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk eggs until fluffy in another bowl, then add all wet ingredients. Mix dry and wet gently until combined. Spoon mixture into a 12x8x2 inch pan. Sprinkle blueberries on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool in pan before cutting.

(Oh, and since writing this post, I've made the winter squash fritters from this book, too. Um. Soooo good.)

i heart film #4

Late summer at the farm.

(You'll notice few pictures of the boys here - because, you see, I can never find them at the farm.)

summer's end

Farewell!
to a plentiful and lovely summer...

making butter

Our produce share for the week. Such bounty and color at this point in the season - it's beautiful. And so bittersweet, too, as I know it's a sign of the end. Among our greens and oranges and reds - in the center - is some raw milk. Ezra, in particular, is a fan of the idea of raw milk, as much as I'm in love with the idea of knowing the name of the cow from which our milk comes. This milk comes from Dulsie, the Mama cow we see each week. We talk a lot on the ride to and fro the farm about Dulsie and the milk she gives. And all the many things that her milk becomes.

After we made cheese at the farm earlier in the summer, Ezra was most interested in making some butter. From Dulsie's milk. And finally - finally, today we did.

We got some instructions from the farm, but checked here online too. Really, though, it was pretty simple - skim the cream off the top, shake (a lot), drain, shake (a lot more), rinse, form into a shape. So simple that I've been wondering all day how it is that I've made it 30 years in this life without making my own butter. I'm so glad we did so today.

Once we started and I knew how much Ezra was loving the whole thing, I realized we needed something really special to put this butter upon. So out to our blueberry bushes we went, and returned in to the kitchen for some blueberry muffin making.

So good. So very, very good. So good that it prompted one of my near-daily visits to the real estate websites to search for Maine farms for sale (I can't help myself). Nothing quite right for us, though - not yet, anyway. And so, for the time being, I'll gladly take our local milk when we can get it, make it into whatever my little ones prefer (yogurt next?), and treasure the whole thing. And of course, give our thanks to Dulsie, the cow.

at the farm

Much of the way we measure and talk about the passage of time with our little ones is by seasons - it seems so much more tangible to them than calendar months and years. They're fully aware of how humid it feels, or how blue the blueberries are now, or how the evenings might feel cooler. The fact that it's just turned 'August'? That doesn't mean anything. The fact that the mosquitoes are gone? That does. A different measure of time.

And so it was that on the drive to the farm this week, Ezra slowly put it together that the season is changing a tiny bit - that the harvest is fully in swing; that most of the things planted in the spring are coming to fruition; and that yes - this means that vegetable gardening will soon pause for the winter and eventually even, we will stop going to the farm to pick up our weekly CSA share.

He was crushed. It hadn't occurred to me that he thought we would be going there once a week forever. He was eventually comforted by the repeated counting out of how many more weeks we likely have before the season is over. And since it's more than 'five' - his standard for a lot - we're okay for now. And then, there's next season to look forward to, when he'll be old enough to attend farm camp here with his brother - just one fall and winter between that exciting time for him.

In past years, we've always been part of a CSA where we share pick up responsibilities with neighboring families - easing the driving burden on us all. But this year - with the decision to let our own vegetable garden go for the year - we joined a CSA just a bit closer that we could pick up at and visit each week. While considering the driving impact that decision entails, it feels more than balanced out by what we've gained. Each and every week - in a comfortable rhythm - we make our small trek for food. The kids gather the canvas bags, we walk the path to the farm - stopping along the way to say hello to the cow, the pigs, the ducks, the chicks, the bunnies, and whatever butterflies may be in the flower garden, and we journey in to get our vegetables. There's much routine we have in the measuring (which miss Adelaide loves), the counting (Calvin's expertise), and the selection of *just* the right eggs (always Ezra's job) - all very important details.

There are very few outings (for me, anyway) that are easy with three young children and just one adult. The beach, the woods, and the farm - those are easy, and fun, and wonderful. The hardest part is always the leaving. No one ever wants to leave.

Thankfully, the leaving is always softened by the anticipation of getting our food home...and on the table.

Dinner from the farm? One of those measures of the season we're so very grateful for.

what I love :: rhubarb + strawberries

Yummy rhubarb from our local CSA.

+ Strawberries from yesterday's pick-your-own adventure.

= the perfect 6am pre-breakfast muffin snack (vintage strawberry tablecloth makes them taste even better).

Strawberry - Rhubarb Muffins

1.5 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking soda

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 stick melted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange rind (optional, but oh-so-good)

1 cup chopped rhubarb
1 cup sliced strawberries

Mix dry in a large bowl. Mix wet separately. Add wet to dry. Stir in berries and rhubarb. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Devour.

what I love :: summer food

It can't be found locally yet, and not even organically...but I couldn't resist a little dive into the season with corn on the cob, cooked on the grill. With pasta salad, and grilled burgers (for the meat eaters among us). Eaten outside, naturally. Where else can you eat your dinner in between swings on the swingset and cartwheels on the grass? It's one of the only times that our busy little babes partake in the kind of leisurely hour-long meal celebration I always dreamed about having with my own family. I love it.

And in just a couple of weeks, our first CSA share of the season will be ready, and then come the berries, and the rhubarb, and the watermelon and.....Oh my....

Quiet Cooking

I don't think I need to tell you how much I love the busy, bustle, energy of family life, and particuarly around family mealtime. I really do. I feel blessed to have it, and I truly enjoy it - the mess, the baking, the craziness, the creativity, the laughter. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

But you know what else I enjoy? QUIET.

Yesterday, Steve arrived home from work to find us at the end of the driveway, at the ready for a hand off - the kids ready and buckled into their car seats, the car full of pajamas, a picnic dinner, and all that they would need for a playground/picnic/bedtime driving adventure with Papa. Goodbye! Goodbye! Be on your merry way, my loves {right now, please!}!

And back I went into the house to revel in it's silence. And to clean it without someone behind me 'helping'. And to cook without the flour ending up on the floor (okay, only a little). Quiet cooking? Oh, I really, really like that. Instead of madly scrambling to just 'get things made' before they end up on the floor, or interrupted to help settle a disagreement in another room...I can leisurely take my time baking and cooking, and actually thinking about what I'm doing. It even allows for a bit of creativity, and like sewing I do think, the results of that are always unique, and a little bit of a surprise.

Blueberry-Banana Cake

wet:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1 ripe banana, mashed

dry:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp lemon zest

Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, sift dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. Fold in the blueberries and lemon zest, being careful not to overmix. Bake in a greased 8" pan, at 350 for 30 minutes (or until a toothpick or knife inserted in center come out clean). Let cool in pan, and remove. Extra yummy with cream cheese frosting (I like to add a little blueberry juice to this).

It was yummy last night at 11pm with three dear friends gathered here for dinner, craft, laughter, and wine.  And I must say that it tasted just as yummy at 7am this morning as a breakfast surprise with my three loves, while we compared stories of last night's adventures. Ah, the Quiet and the Noise.

a report from the mountains

With just a few days to go until Solstice (when we exchange our gifts) and then Christmas right behind (when there will be lots of gathering and hosting with family), I'm well past the point of having enough time to clean up between projects. I just keep on rolling right into the next, adding the fabric to the pile, and the pattern pieces to the growing fire hazard (folding that paper is 90% of the reason I usually don't use patterns. So lazy am I.). And the floor? Oh gosh. The floor is so bad that I have to wear shoes to prevent any workplace injury. Please tell me I'm not the only one whose been hit by the messy wrath of the holiday beast?

The mountains of mess aren't limited to my studio. The kitchen? It's an ice skating rink with the now-permanent layer of flour from our daily cookie baking. Sometimes, the sifting around here gets a little out of control. Ahem.

While I may be walking around with my clipboard (with my excel spreadsheet of lists. I'm not kidding, and stop laughing!) and weaving my way through the chaos, there's mountains of joy in this kind of busyness,too. Out of these piles, and stacks and messes are the handmade gifts that we're so excited to give (and receive). And yummy treats that we're devouring and ready to share with friends. And a home that feels cozy, and ready for hosting and nestling for that long winter's nap (c'mon, snow!). It certainly is a fun kind of mess. But man, as soon as the peace of January comes, I'm just itching to fold that fabric. Well, you know what I mean.

warm coffee is very very very important...

...which is why this french press coffee cozy made it's way to the top of my crafting list this weekend (in spite of all the other projects with deadlines). This has been on my mind to make one since I saw mav's in action last month, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it really does work to keep the coffee warm. That's a very very good thing. SO...here's what I did: I pieced a few of my favorite blue vintage kitchen-ey fabrics into two squares big enough to cover the press, quilted each of those to two layers of cotton batting, sewed those two pieces together, turned it right side out and then used a wide bias tape to 'finish' the bottom.

And of course, it needed a matching oven mitt (based on the Denyse Schmidt Quilts Too Hot To Handle Oven Mitt).

care for some tea?

My grandmother, Meme, was a dreamer, and a master of pretend play. The reality of her life was that she grew up very poor during the depression, in a large family, and saw much more than her fair share of tragedy. It's precisely that, I'm sure, that made her the dreamer she was. I adored being with her and all the dreaming we would do together-- we had secret names for each other (what? you think I'm telling? never!); had grand adventures to many places (including the 'seaside cruise' we went on in her backyard in the summer--which amounted to laying in lawn chairs, running a looooong extension cord from the house to prop a fan in front of us, closing our eyes and 'listening' to the boats in the harbor... All of this in the rural mountains of Maine, of course.); we had a tea party every day I was there; and of course, went on many a 'treasure hunt' at yard sales and junk shops.  On the summer of my 10th birthday, she decided our mission would be to find a real (as in, not a child's) tea set. Because every 10 year old girl needs her own tea set, right? Naturally. After a few days of hunting around, I came upon the tea set above at a shop, and I was sure that this was THE ONE. I think it surprised her--certainly it wasn't the 'fine china' that she had in mind, or that I was usually drawn to (we're talking about a child who already had a bavarian china collection at this point!), but - never one to get in the way of a child's dream - she bought this one for me anyway.

Mostly, it's sat in a box in some basement or another for the past 20 years. I've never been so sure that I love it, and haven't really had a place to keep it out anyway. I dug it up yesterday, as we're getting ready for Ezra's third birthday in two weeks and he wants a 'tea party'. I hadn't really looked at it in about 5 years and was surprised when I opened the box. Surprised that I think I kind of like it again. Or at the least, am very interested in figuring out what my 10 year old self loved about it. Today's goal is to find a spot for it so I can ponder just that. And so I can have a tea party with my little ones, perhaps on a breezy seaside cruise.