they taste good! I think next time I make them I might add 1/4 c of molasses... and maybe double the spice... if you like sweet muffins double the sugar...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
muffins!
they taste good! I think next time I make them I might add 1/4 c of molasses... and maybe double the spice... if you like sweet muffins double the sugar...
I just made up a vegan muffin recipe... it may suck, but i'm going to type it up before i forget in case it doesn't...
in the first bowl:
1 1/2 c pumpking puree
1/3 c brown sugar
3 T oil
1 T vanilla
1t cider vinegar
in the second bowl:
2 c white whole wheat flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t each: ginger, cloves, nutmeg
1 1/2 c pecans
combine the bowls. cook at 350 for 20-30 minutes. yields 12-18 regular or 6-9 jumbo muffins (depending on the fulness of the muffin cups).
i'll let you know if it's any good in about 15 minutes!
in the first bowl:
1 1/2 c pumpking puree
1/3 c brown sugar
3 T oil
1 T vanilla
1t cider vinegar
in the second bowl:
2 c white whole wheat flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t each: ginger, cloves, nutmeg
1 1/2 c pecans
combine the bowls. cook at 350 for 20-30 minutes. yields 12-18 regular or 6-9 jumbo muffins (depending on the fulness of the muffin cups).
i'll let you know if it's any good in about 15 minutes!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
New Year.
Well, somehow time seems to be getting away from me in the way it does; I laugh at myself when I look up wondering where life has gone, and how the days seem to move so much faster than they have before. I mean, I am only 30...
Without going into any gruesome details, N, myself, and our dog Sophie made a trip to and from Texas over the holidays. We were hit with about 10 inches of snow the day before we originally intended to leave, so we had a couple of extra days here at home for which we were both grateful. All-in-all it was a good trip, though it seems like ages ago (therein another comment about time-is it moving fast or slow??). I've posted some pics of our food adventures; the first of which sums up our trip to Texas, with ground beef simmering on the stove waiting to be added to chalupas. Much meat was consumed, capped off with a new year's day celebration (back in VA by then) with black eyed peas plus ham-hock and, well, bacon. We have since slipped back into fare that suits our stomachs a bit better. I was excited about a new rye starter, which grew beautifully (photo of the profile of the starter with all of the air holes), only to realize neither of us is a big fan of rye flour. Go figure...
All of this to say that we are both busier than we would like to be, but are glad to be back into the swing of things. We're finishing up a January term on the meaning of the death of Christ, which I will not even begin to go into here today; I'm exhausted and have reading to do and meetings this evening. But, yes, our home is filled with good smells of soup on the stove and the sunlight continues to do its magic as it comes through the leaves of the plants piled in the front window, all reaching toward the light as they stay warm through the winter...
Peace
Without going into any gruesome details, N, myself, and our dog Sophie made a trip to and from Texas over the holidays. We were hit with about 10 inches of snow the day before we originally intended to leave, so we had a couple of extra days here at home for which we were both grateful. All-in-all it was a good trip, though it seems like ages ago (therein another comment about time-is it moving fast or slow??). I've posted some pics of our food adventures; the first of which sums up our trip to Texas, with ground beef simmering on the stove waiting to be added to chalupas. Much meat was consumed, capped off with a new year's day celebration (back in VA by then) with black eyed peas plus ham-hock and, well, bacon. We have since slipped back into fare that suits our stomachs a bit better. I was excited about a new rye starter, which grew beautifully (photo of the profile of the starter with all of the air holes), only to realize neither of us is a big fan of rye flour. Go figure...
All of this to say that we are both busier than we would like to be, but are glad to be back into the swing of things. We're finishing up a January term on the meaning of the death of Christ, which I will not even begin to go into here today; I'm exhausted and have reading to do and meetings this evening. But, yes, our home is filled with good smells of soup on the stove and the sunlight continues to do its magic as it comes through the leaves of the plants piled in the front window, all reaching toward the light as they stay warm through the winter...
Peace
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Finals...
Totally overwhelmed and in the midst of finals right now, so not much time to write. I did venture into my first french bread/sourdough adventure yesterday, which went pretty well. Pictures of all the kitchen adventures to come...
Must return to theology; trying to sort through natural evil and the nature of God. Nothing like a little light theology to get one going in the middle of a week...
Cheers.
Must return to theology; trying to sort through natural evil and the nature of God. Nothing like a little light theology to get one going in the middle of a week...
Cheers.
Monday, December 14, 2009
today i learned it is possible to make powdered sugar if i don't feel like trekking to the store. blender+sugar=base for icing. yessie made cinnamon rolls last night and we baked them this morning. i am, for whatever reason, in charge of frostings in our house, so that's why the blender and sugar jar came out to play.
i love our kitchen although it is a mess.
i love our life. our home is warm and glowing with light. our animals are snuggly. our hearts are full. our wallets are empty, but that's probably par for the course, yeah?
i love our kitchen although it is a mess.
i love our life. our home is warm and glowing with light. our animals are snuggly. our hearts are full. our wallets are empty, but that's probably par for the course, yeah?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Ciabatta
More of other people's words today:
Dar Williams, Calling the Moon
The moon wanted more of my night
I turned off the engine and the headlights
The trees appeared as they'd never been gone
I promised the fields I'd return from now on
And the moon kept on rising
I had no more to say
I put my roadmaps away
And surendered the day
And I know you'll be calling me soon
And if I don't answer, I'm calling the moon
Calling the moon, I was calling her then
I'm wondering, will she take me again
Oh, I'm calling the moon
When I called the moon back to me
I thought she wanted my beauty
I shone in the best that vanity buys
I covered the path where my life turned to lies
And the moon kept on rising
But I felt nothing at all
She comes when the empire falls
And shines on crumbling walls
Calling the moon, by the name that she chose
As Tennessee wandered in moth-eaten robes
Oh, I'm calling the moon
Calling the moon
Oh, I'm calling the moon
Oh, make sense of me, night
I can see so much from this cold height
The moon said, "Oh darkness, my work is done
I've poured this bottle of light from the sun
But their anger keeps on rising
And they don't understand
I've shown them all that I can
That the world is at hand
And I know they'll be calling me soon
And if I don't answer I'm only the moon
I can see by her light
This one's going out to the moon tonight
Oh, I'm calling the moon
Calling the moon, 'cause I know what it's worth
To tug at the seas and illumine the earth
Oh I'm calling the moon
Oh I'm calling the moon
Dar Williams and I have been friends for about 7 years now, with the natural ebb and flow that comes between a musician and her fans. I first fell in love with the song Iowa,thanks to a friend who added it to a mixed cd for me some years ago, and have found a consistent string of different songs that hit me at different times in my life. Calling the Moon is one of N's favorites, so there is a twofold connection for me.
I spent much of the day today (as I was intermittently "studying") bringing a loaf of ciabatta to life. Correction: trying to do so. It is difficult without a stone, an incomplete recipe, and the wrong kind of flour. So, it is a learning experience, and hopefully we will have some bread on which we can enjoy apple butter, but I don't think it's one for the books. Though, I will say that, as it cooks downstairs, and the apartment fills with that oh so delightful aroma, it smells like all of the elements are there.
I'm in an odd place this evening. It could be because I just left therapy, and am still in the process mode, or any of a number of other factors, but I'm in a sort of odd emotional space. It's nice to just feel it out and know that it's a good place to be (especially for one who has historically not been sure what to do with her emotions). The dog is sleeping on the sofa, N is out buying cookie, dinner, and origami ingredients, and Cat Stevens is now playing in the background. It's a good night.
The bread is done. While it's not ciabatta, it's nice bread, and was quite tasty with a bit of earth balance smeared on the top. I'm gonna go ahead and draw out the (seemingly) obvious parallel: sometimes our expectations and work go into something with an assurance that we know what we are getting. Then, well, we have to substitute other flour, or compensate for no baking stone, and we get something totally unlike the thing we'd expected and worked for. But, what we get is actually so much better, defying those expectations and filling us with goodness. I will eat my hot bread and call the moon, bringing it back down a notch to the glorious simplicity of this life. yes.
Dar Williams, Calling the Moon
The moon wanted more of my night
I turned off the engine and the headlights
The trees appeared as they'd never been gone
I promised the fields I'd return from now on
And the moon kept on rising
I had no more to say
I put my roadmaps away
And surendered the day
And I know you'll be calling me soon
And if I don't answer, I'm calling the moon
Calling the moon, I was calling her then
I'm wondering, will she take me again
Oh, I'm calling the moon
When I called the moon back to me
I thought she wanted my beauty
I shone in the best that vanity buys
I covered the path where my life turned to lies
And the moon kept on rising
But I felt nothing at all
She comes when the empire falls
And shines on crumbling walls
Calling the moon, by the name that she chose
As Tennessee wandered in moth-eaten robes
Oh, I'm calling the moon
Calling the moon
Oh, I'm calling the moon
Oh, make sense of me, night
I can see so much from this cold height
The moon said, "Oh darkness, my work is done
I've poured this bottle of light from the sun
But their anger keeps on rising
And they don't understand
I've shown them all that I can
That the world is at hand
And I know they'll be calling me soon
And if I don't answer I'm only the moon
I can see by her light
This one's going out to the moon tonight
Oh, I'm calling the moon
Calling the moon, 'cause I know what it's worth
To tug at the seas and illumine the earth
Oh I'm calling the moon
Oh I'm calling the moon
Dar Williams and I have been friends for about 7 years now, with the natural ebb and flow that comes between a musician and her fans. I first fell in love with the song Iowa,thanks to a friend who added it to a mixed cd for me some years ago, and have found a consistent string of different songs that hit me at different times in my life. Calling the Moon is one of N's favorites, so there is a twofold connection for me.
I spent much of the day today (as I was intermittently "studying") bringing a loaf of ciabatta to life. Correction: trying to do so. It is difficult without a stone, an incomplete recipe, and the wrong kind of flour. So, it is a learning experience, and hopefully we will have some bread on which we can enjoy apple butter, but I don't think it's one for the books. Though, I will say that, as it cooks downstairs, and the apartment fills with that oh so delightful aroma, it smells like all of the elements are there.
I'm in an odd place this evening. It could be because I just left therapy, and am still in the process mode, or any of a number of other factors, but I'm in a sort of odd emotional space. It's nice to just feel it out and know that it's a good place to be (especially for one who has historically not been sure what to do with her emotions). The dog is sleeping on the sofa, N is out buying cookie, dinner, and origami ingredients, and Cat Stevens is now playing in the background. It's a good night.
The bread is done. While it's not ciabatta, it's nice bread, and was quite tasty with a bit of earth balance smeared on the top. I'm gonna go ahead and draw out the (seemingly) obvious parallel: sometimes our expectations and work go into something with an assurance that we know what we are getting. Then, well, we have to substitute other flour, or compensate for no baking stone, and we get something totally unlike the thing we'd expected and worked for. But, what we get is actually so much better, defying those expectations and filling us with goodness. I will eat my hot bread and call the moon, bringing it back down a notch to the glorious simplicity of this life. yes.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Mary...
“I took my other hand and placed it on top of hers, and she moved her free hand on top of it, so we had this black-and-white stack of hands resting upon my chest.
‘When you’re unsure of yourself,’ she said, ‘when you start pulling back into doubt and small living, she’s the one inside you saying, ‘Get up from there and live like the glorious girl you are.’ She’s the power inside you, you understand?’
Her hands stayed where they were but released their pressure.
“And whatever it is that keeps widening your heart, that’s Mary, too, not only the power inside you but the love. And when you get down to it, Lily, that’s the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love--but to persist in love.’”
--Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
We are all called, I think, to persist in love.
Amen...
‘When you’re unsure of yourself,’ she said, ‘when you start pulling back into doubt and small living, she’s the one inside you saying, ‘Get up from there and live like the glorious girl you are.’ She’s the power inside you, you understand?’
Her hands stayed where they were but released their pressure.
“And whatever it is that keeps widening your heart, that’s Mary, too, not only the power inside you but the love. And when you get down to it, Lily, that’s the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love--but to persist in love.’”
--Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
We are all called, I think, to persist in love.
Amen...
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