THE LOVELY CRAZY
I found another bag of frozen rhubarb in the chest freezer which is never a bad thing, but my rhubarb patch outside is growing strong and I will have all the fresh rhubarb I could possible eat within the next few weeks. So found rhubarb just means I need to eat it right fast before the fresh stuff comes in. (I haven%u2019t had a problem with that. it%u2019s almost gone already). Plus the other day while I was digging up and transplanting raspberry bushes to the back yard, my neighbor came over and gave me a gallon of frozen raspberries, harvested from said bushes that I was currently planting in my yard. Score for me! Free bushes and berries%u2026I have such nice neighbors.
So the logical thing to do with my new found and giving bounty was of course to hurry up and bake something. Cobbler. Why cobbler? Well, why not? I figured the mr would really like it and eat it and I also didn%u2019t want to make anything to fussy because I was just to dang busy spending all of my extra time outside doing outside things. And cobbler, it%u2019s not fussy because it is basically biscuits and jam baked up all together. Not a lot to think about and comes out looking all homey and sweet and smelling all nice and cozy. Doesn%u2019t that sound nice? And not a pain in the ass?
And best part. A made cobbler works as dessert or breakfasts or just a snack. Just asked the mr. He ate it for all the reasons. With a dollop of yogurt or cream of course because he is fancy like that.
And yeah the fruit I used was frozen, but fresh works just the same here too.
Now, lets get to that cobbler.
The stuff. Raspberries (frozen), rhubarb (frozen), sugar, flour, salt, baking power, cinnamon ,almond milk, apple cider vinegar, cornstarch, and oil.
Raspberries, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch. Its all there in the bowl. Just needs to be mixed. So mix it.
Dump fruit mixture into well greased 8 inch pan and pop it into a hot oven to get a head start on baking.
While the fruits in the oven, make the biscuit dough. Mix the dry together then mix in the wet until just incorporated and a sticky dough forms.
Pulled from the oven, the fruit is starting to cook down and whoa, it just smells so good!
Drop on the biscuits dough on top of the fruit (careful of the hot pan). Evenly if possible, but don%u2019t work to hard to make it look perfect. Imperfection makes it look perfect, you know?
Once biscuits are on, lightly brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle with more sugar then pop it back into the oven for another 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are baked.
Pulled from the oven with a bubbly filling and a golden brown biscuity top. Things are looking good here.
And now it%u2019s time.
Dig on in my friend. Sever with something creamy like whipped coconut cream or some type of yogurt or ice cream situation of your choice. And again, this can be your breakfast.
Happy spring people!
-C
make a a 8 inch round which serves 5-6
For the Filling
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2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
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2 cups rhubarb chopped into 1/2 inch to inch long pieces (fresh or frozen)
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1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
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3/4 -1 cup sugar (lesser amount if you like a little more tartness. I used lesser amount)
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1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the dough
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1 cups all purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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3 tablespoons sugar
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3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
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1/2 cup plant based milk
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1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix together the rhubarb and raspberries with the corn starch, sugar, and cinnamon. Grease a 8 inch round pan the is at least 2 inches deep (can use a slightly large pan or a square) and dump in fruit mixture. Place into oven to bake for about 15 minutes or the fruit starts to break down.
While fruit is baking, mix up biscuit dough. Flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and baking powder go in a large bowl and mixed until combined. Add in the oil, the milk, and the vinegar. Mix until just incorporated and a dough has formed.
Remove the fruit cooking from the oven. Turn heat up to 375.
Carefully drop spoonfuls of biscuit batter on top of fruit. Brush the top of the biscuits with a little milk and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the biscuits are all nice and golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with a scoop or dollop of soothing creamy (coconut cream, yogurt, ice cream%u2026..whatever floats your boat.)
Left overs can be stored in pan, just cover it with something and place in fridge. Can be eaten cold to or reheated in microwave or oven.
It%u2019s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.
So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).
This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.
You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it%u2019s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can%u2019t complain about that.
To the smoothie goodness!
The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.
Everything goes into blender.
And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.
Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender%u2026 it%u2019s totally cool)
And done.
A banana oat smoothie.
Let the good time roll!
-C
makes 1 smoothie
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1 very ripe banana
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1/3 cup raw old fashion oats
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1 1/2 cups water
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pinch of salt
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a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)
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a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.
I am sadly at my last few bags of frozen garden foods from last season. As of now I have a bag of tomatoes, a couple bags of shredded zucchini, and a bag of rhubarb. Well, had a bag of rhubarb. I think I have eaten almost all of it already. My rhubarb patch better get up and producing stalks soon. And as for the rest of the veggies that I will require. Guess I am going to be surviving mostly on roots from farm share (we are getting a lot more greens though!!!!) and probably doing a bit more grocery shopping then I care too. A few more months. I can do it.
Anyway, enough about my freezer and lack of fresh produce problems.
Here in Vermont maple season is well on it%u2019s way making it a perfect time for anything maple. And rhubarb. Yeah I am using my frozen rhubarb from last year, but any time now (after the snow melts) there will be plenty of stalks for the taking. There will be so much maple and so much fresh rhubarb which are the perfect taste combination. Exciting times! And when added to oatmeal, things just get more gooder. (I know gooder is not a word but I think it should be) Oatmeal, especially baked, is the stuff where all gooder things start.
Have you had baked oatmeal yet? It truly is fantastic. Not at all gummy and gloopy like stove topped cooked oatmeal (but I like it like that too). It still has a good bite to it while still being soft and creamy and boy oh boy is it just the bees knees. With the addition of some crunchy almond friends, well even better. Trust me. If you are a oatmeal eater, you must try it baked. Best part is that it can be eaten as breakfast but also I have been serving it to the mr for dessert with a healthy drizzle of more maple. It%u2019s that good friends. From breakfast to dessert. Everyone is happy.
To the baked oatmeal.
The stuff. Old fashion oats, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, rhubarb (fresh or frozen), REAL maple syrup, some plant milk, a few flax eggs, a bit of tahini, and some almonds.
To start. Oats, cinnamon. salt, baking powder and almonds get a quick toss together in a big bowl.
If you rhubarb is not already chopped up into inch long pieces, do that. I already did before freezing it so yea me. Once its chopped, layer almost all of it (reserve a few small needful to toss on top) into a lightly greased 9×9 inch baking dish then cover evenly with the oat mixture.
In now empty bowl mix together the milk, the flax eggs, the tahini, and the maple until evenly incorporated.
Pour the wet mixture all over the oats and let it absorb.
Once the liquid is all absorbed , top with any left over almonds and the left over rhubarb. For good looks.
Pop into a hot oven to bake.
Golden brown with crispy edges. Rhubarb and maple baked oatmeal for all your maple, oaty and rhubarbie needs.
Fresh from the oven scooped warm into bowls. Top with extra maple if thats what you should want do.
Enjoy and happy maple season!
-C
Make a 9×9 pan of oatmeal
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2 1/2 cups old fashion oats (make sure gluten free if need be)
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/3 cup maple syrup plus more for serving
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1 tablespoon tahini or any other nut butter
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2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons warm water)
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2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped into inch long pieces
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1 1/2 cup plant milk (water works but it won%u2019t be as creamy)
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1/2 cup chopped almonds (optional)
Preheat oven to 375
Lightly grease a 9×9 inch baking pan (I used metal because it makes for crisper edges but glass works too) and dump 2 cups of the rhubarb in and evenly distribute on the bottom. In a large bowl mis the oats, the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Mix in chopped nuts if you are using. Evenly cover rhubarb with oat mixture. In now empty bowl mix together the milk, flax eggs, maple syrup, and tahini until evenly incorporated. Pour mixture over oats. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the oats have abosbed all the liquid. Toss the rest of the diced rhubarb and a few more chop nuts to the top and pop into the oven to bake.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (shorter time for a wetter oatmeal, longer for a denser crispier oatmeal)
Once baked to your likeness, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes just so it is not super hot. Scoop into bowls and serve warm with extra maple and milk or whatever you might want to serve with it.
Left overs last great in fridge for 3-4 days or individual portions can be frozen for a month or two. Just pop into microwave for a couple minutes to warm up.
I love pomegranates but barely ever buy them because they are usually really expensive. A few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to find that that the grocery store was selling them at a reasonable price so I bought one. Duh. Anyway, that was a few weeks ago and I have had the pomegranate chillin in the fridge, just waiting for the perfect time to bust open and retrieve all the bright pink jewel like seeds. But I also kind of forgot about it. It was hiding behind a giant rutabaga. When I finally grabbed the rutabaga for some soup, the pomegranate reviled itself again. It was time, it needed to be eaten. And me being me, I can%u2019t not share right? So I asked the mr what he wanted me to bake. He said muffins, and that is how I came to pomegranate orange and poppyseed muffins. Look at me, poster child for sharing good things. I should get a gold star!.
Anyway, these muffins came out awesome. First, they smell so good because anything baked smells good but the orange really shines and the smell is still lingering in my hair. Secondly, people really were into them. The mr said they were amazing when I finally let him eat one (two actually because I made them mini) and when I brought them over to Megans house for dinner, my Dad at one, then two, then three.. ..He stopped at 5, and this was after dinner. When a guy eats 5 muffins and is not a muffin man, you take it as a good sign.
Do yourself a solid this cold ass weekend and bake something. These muffins are a good place to start.
To the muffins!
The stuff. Flour, baking soda and powder, and salt in a bowl. Poppy seeds, an orange, a pomegranate, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and a little apple cider vinegar.
First, remove arils from the pomegranate. Cut the fruit in half, hold the cut side face down in your hand and place over a large bowl. Take a wooden spoon and wack the outside of the fruit and the seeds will just fall out. And yes , the juice stains so watch out.
Next, whisk together all the dry ingredients and add in the sugar, poppyseeds and the zest of the orange. Whisk again to combine.
And then add in the oil, milk, vanilla, and the juice of the orange.
Mix until just combined. Don%u2019t over mix or the muffins will get gummy.
Last but not least, fold in the pomegranate arils.
Such a pretty muffin batter.
Scoop batter into well greased muffin tins and pop into a preheated oven.
Orange and crimson and golden brown goodness.
Out of tins and onto a rack to cool
And now you eat.
Stay warm this weekend and bake some muffins.
-C
makes 24 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins
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2 cups all purpose flour
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2 teaspoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup white sugar
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1/3 cup canola oil
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1 teaspoon vanilla
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1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
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1 cup soy or plant based milk
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1 orange
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1/4 cup poppyseeds
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1 cup pomegranate arils
Note. To easily remove arils (the seeds) from a pomegranate, cut it in half, hold the cut side down in the palm of your hand over a large bowl and wack the outside of the fruit with a wooden spoon. The arils will fall right out into the bowl.
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Zest the orange into the bowl and add in the poppyseed and whisk. Next add in the oil, juice of the orange (about 1/4 cup) the milk, and the vanilla. Mix until just combined. Fold in pomegranate seeds.
Scoop batter into well greased muffin pans and place in oven to bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into the muffins comes out clean, which should take about 15 minutes (22 fish if normal sized)
Once baked, pull form oven and pop from pans. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Eat at your leisure.
What is any good holiday season without some sort of gingerbread? Am I right, or am I right? I am right. The smell alone smacks a smile on my face. Spicy and sweet and all sorts of comforting. If smells could be objects, the smell of gingerbread would be a warm soft blanket that you can curl up next to a fire, with hot beverages and a good book. Yup, that is exactly what gingerbread smells like.
Gingerbread cookies were an option for all the gingerbread goodness but right now there is a heavy influx of people making cookies of the gingerbread variety so I figured I should do something a little different and honestly, a heck of a lot easier and faster. Plus scones are a way more expectable breakfast food then cookies (who am I kidding, cookies are a completely expectable for breakfast) and I was looking for a good breakfast treat to feed the mr this week because its his birthday week and I wanted a little something special for him for breakfast. I know, I am just so great.
Anyway, these scones fit the holiday gingerbread bill. I mixed them up, added the chocolate chips for a little extra something, then tossed them into the oven and bathed in the smell as they were baking. Pulled them from the oven, poured some coffee, and set out a delightful afternoon snack for the mr, right after he was finished laying on the freezing ground trying to fix the tire on the truck. I think he really appreciated the smell of a warm blanket. And he really enjoyed the scones too. All birthday week long.
So what are you doing this weekend? I think probably making scones. Yeah, do that.
Here we go.
The stuff. In the bowl there is flour, old fashion oats, baking soda and baking powder, and salt. Also need the spices of ginger, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper. Molasses, brown sugar, vegan butter, soy milk, and chocolate chips finish of the list.
In the bowl add in all the spices and the brownl sugar. Mix until completely combined and there are no brown sugar lumps. Drop in the cold butter and cut it in with a fork. You don%u2019t want it blended, you want the butter in little bits.
You want it to look like this. Crumbly.
Toss in the chocolate chip.
Dump the molasses into the milk and mix until combined. Doing this helps minimize the amount of mixing you do which will help make sure your scones are not tuff. So don%u2019t not do this.
Pour the molasses milk into the mixture
With a fork, lightly fold and mix batter until it just starts to come together.
Dump dough out onto a lightly flour surface and gather together with your hands.
Flatten into a big disk and cut into 8 equal wedges. Or as equal as you want to make them%u2026 you could even make a few more wedges if you want more. You do you.
Place the scones onto a baking sheet. Brush a little milk on each then sprinkle the tops with a little brown sugar and some oats.
Pop them into preheated oven and let bake.
Gold brown and ready for the world.
After letting them cool for a bit on a wire rack, stack onto a plate and feed them to your people. And yourself of course.
Chocolate chip oatmeal gingerbread scone and a cup of coffee. A perfection in all the ways.
Enjoy the weekend. It will be great, especially if you make some of these scones.
-C
Makes 8 scones
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2 cups all purpose flour
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1/2 cup old fashion oats plus 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1 teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoons ground ginger
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2 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
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1/4 teaspoon cloves
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1/3 cup packed light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons more to sprinkle on top
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2 tablespoons molasses
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1/2 cup cold vegan butter
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2/3 cup soy or your favorite plant milk
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2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder and soda, salt, all the spices, and the brown sugar. Make sure there are no big lumps of brown sugar in the mixture. Once dry mixture is all mixed up, cut in (do not blend in) the cold vegan butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Toss in the chocolate chips.
Grab your measure out milk and mix in the molasses until completely mixed together. Dump the mixture into the bowl of dry and lightly mix with a fork until a dough forms. Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it all together with your hands .Flatten dough out into a circle about and inch thick them with a knife or dough scraper, cut into 8 even sized wedges. Place scones onto a baking sheet and lightly brush a little milk onto the tops.. Mix together the extra oats and brown sugar and sprinkle on the tops. Place into preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. Once baked, remove and place on a wire rack to cool.
Eat. Store left over scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Individual scones freeze well.
Who doesn’t like a good bun, right? %u00a0And just because this is where my mind wonders, peachy sweet buns. Doesn’t that sound like a pick up line or something you say to your significant other. Like, “Oh hey peachy sweet buns, you are looking good. Woo hoo”…….. Anyway, this is not about anyones peachy sweet buns, it it about actually sweet buns so u-hum, yeah.%u00a0
I am not trying to float my own boat here, but I am really really good at making buns, and you know what, I bet that you are too. They may seem a little intimidating, but really, it’s quite easy. I think what throws some people off is the yeasted dough and having to knead and waiting for the dough to rise,%u00a0but don’t let that stop you from sweet sweet buns. They are no harder to make then a boxed cake (maybe a little harder) and the results are by far more amazing and delightful (we don’t use the word delightful enough around here) then any old box or pre-made thing will ever be. Ever. Freshly made buns are what is right in this world.
If you are awesome and decide to make buns like any good person with a baking itch or a need for some sweet bun goodness does, make them peachy because its peach season and how can a peach bun not be that much more amazing? %u00a0Just think. Soft sweet dough, jammy cinnamon peaches, covered in a sweet lemony glaze……
Go on now, go and get yourself some peachy sweet buns.
The stuff. Flour and salt in the bowl, melted earth balance, brown sugar, yeast, warm soy milk, cane sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar, a couple of lemons, and af course, peaches.
Warm (not hot) soy milk, yeast, cane sugar, an melted (but again, not hot) earth balance go into a big bowl and get whisked around. Then add in the flour and salt ans mix around until you just can’t.
Time to knead. Dump the dough ad all the little bits onto a flour surface. Gather it all together and knead away, for about 5-8 minutes, or until the dough looks like….
This. Nice and soft and glossy. %u00a0Lightly grease the bowl ans stick the dough back into it, covered with a towel, and set for about 1 hour to rise and double in size.%u00a0
As soon as the dough is set ti rise, start on your peach filling. Chop up enough peaches that you have about 2 1/2 cups of chunks.
Brown sugar and peach chunks go into a pot and stuck on a medium heat until they start to bubble then set to a low simmer for about 20 minutes or until the peaches all break apart and reduce by half.
Add in the cinnamon and stir.. Peachy goodness. Now quick and stick that shit in the fridge or freezer to cool down.
BOOM. Dough did what it’s job and doubled. Time o make the buns.%u00a0
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll our into a rectangle of sorts that is about 1/2 an inch thick%u00a0
Cover the surface with all the peachy jammy goodness, and sprinkle on the remaining finely chopped peaches.
And roll, as tightly as you can, without squeezing all the filling out. I roll towards me, but roll away from you if it is easier. %u00a0It might get a little sloppy… it’s ok, just lick your fingers and keep going.%u00a0
Rolled and cut into 12 pieces.
Place the rolls carefully onto a grease and parchment lined baking 9×13 baking dish. In my picture I used a baking pan, which was not what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t thinking properly and so that’s what I did. Something with sides is preferable, but the baking pan did the job so really, your call.%u00a0
When you place the buns in the dish, place them toughen a bit, it helps then bake up high instead of out. %u00a0And any remaining go on jam that spilled out can get scraped right on top of the buns,%u00a0if you didn’t already eat it.
Now into the preheated oven these %u00a0babies go.
Look at those beauts. And they smell. A-MAZ-ING!!%u00a0
Right away get that glaze made. Powdered sugar, lemon zest, ans lemon juice. Super easy, just add the zest and juice to sugar and mix until smooth and glaze.%u00a0
Pour glaze over warm buns. Make sure to hit them all or someone is going to be pissed they didn’t get enough glaze…..%u00a0
Then it’s really just up to you whether you wait for coffee or tea or not, but really, just eat right away. There should be very little time between newly glazed buns and a bun in your face.
Enjoy the peaches!
-C
Makes 12 Buns
- For the Dough%u00a0
- 3 1/2 cups all purposes flour
- 1/4 %u00a0cup cane sugar
- 1 cup warm soy milk
- 2 teaspoon or 1 packet yeast
- 4 tablespoons melted vegan butter%u00a0
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the Filling%u00a0
- 3-4 good sized ripe peaches (about 3 cups chopped peaches)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Juice of half a lemon
- For the Glaze
- 1 lemons
- 1 1/2 cup powered sugar
In a large bowl mix together the yeast,%u00a0warm (not hot) soy milk,%u00a0sugar, and melted but cooled butter. Now add in %u00a0the salt and the flour. Mix until it’s too hard to mix then dump it all onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes until the dough is %u00a0soft, elastic-y,%u00a0and smooth. Place dough back into a clean lightly greased bowl and drape with a damp towel. Let dough rise for about 1 to 1.5 hours or until it has doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, chop the peaches up until you have about 3 cups.%u00a0Place 2 1/2 cups of the %u00a0peaches into a medium sized pot with the brown sugar and lemon juice and stick on medium heat. Set the rest aside. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring and mashing with a wooden spoon every few minutes,%u00a0until mixture has become thick and reduced by about 1/2. Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon,%u00a0%u00a0and place in fridge to cool.%u00a0
Once thee dough has doubled, dump onto a flour surface and roll our into a retacnge that is about 1/2 inch thick %u00a0Grab your peach mixture and spread the mixture evenly over the dough. Evenly distribute %u00a0the remaining chopped peaches over jam. %u00a0And then it’s the to roll.
Start from the long side and start to roll toward the other end, keeping it as tight as possible without squeezing out all the filling. %u00a0Once rolled, slice into 12 even sized buns.
Place on a lightly greased and parchment lined 9×13 inch baking sheet or pan and let rest and rest for another20 minutes or so. OR if you want to wait to bake them off,%u00a0cover them with plastic and set into the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake, remove from fridge and let the buns set on counter to come to room temperature before baking.%u00a0
Preheat oven to 350.
Place rolls into oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until all the buns have gotten a nice golden brown on top, and if you want to take the internal temp, that the temp has reached 190.%u00a0
Once the buns are done %u00a0baking, mix together the zest and juice of the lemon and powdered sugar. If the glaze seems to thick, add more juice or water, to think, add more sugar. Pour glaze all over warm (but not hot) buns.
And now all you need to do is serve up those buns right away, nice and warned.
Any left overs should be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days but should definitely be warmed up in the microwave for a minute or two before serving. They also freeze well too.%u00a0
Banana bread never goes out of style. It is a clsasic, everyday, everybody type of food. Have a slice for dessert, maybe drizzled with some chocolate, definitely.%u00a0%u00a0How about for a grab and go breakfast, sure sure.. A chunk slathered in peanut butter for snack time or anytime, well %u00a0isn’t that’s why you make it?%u00a0 And who doesn’t always have a banana bowl in the kitchen? A banana bowl that is always full of bananas because the banana just always makes it’s way home. They seem to pile up, even when I don’t mean for them to. And I know I am not the only one. I see it all the time. A fruit bowl in the kitchen with a least a couple of really really ripe bananas, waiting for that moment when you know there is no freaking way anyone in their right mind would eat those banana because gross. That’s when you have it, the perfect banana for some banana bread, or in this case, banana muffins. %u00a0
Here I went muffin style because I had already made a loaf of banana bread earlier in the week and because I wanted to send half of the muffins to the boys at the front desk at the gym. (They give me coffee, I give them muffins) And also, muffins cook a lot faster then bread so if you are a little low on time, muffins are the way to go. But if you would rather bread, you can make it bread. Bananas are there for you and are not fussy.%u00a0
The stuff. Ripe bananas, poppy seeds, brown sugar, oil, and apple cider vinegar. Also have flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl.%u00a0
Mash the bananas in a bowl, like really mash them up until it turns to a sugar banana slop.%u00a0Then add in the oil and the vinegar and mix together.
Dump in the dry and the poppy seeds and mix it all up until combined but then stop. Don’t over mix the batter or else you will get tuff muffins.%u00a0
Scoop into well greased muffin pans and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.%u00a0
Done! And in only took like 20 minutes appose to an hour if I made banana bread.%u00a0
And here is when you grab a coffee, a muffin, and have yourself a moment.
Stay good.
-C
makes 12-14 muffins
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 2/3 cups packed %u00a0brown sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
- 4 really ripe bananas (they need to be really ripe of the mixture will be to dry)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl,%u00a0mash the bananas with the sugar until the mixture turns wet and sloppy, but there are still a few little chunks of banana.%u00a0%u00a0Mix in the oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the %u00a0flour, cinnamon , baking powder and soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until all is combined but then stop. Don’t over mix batter.%u00a0
Scoop mixture into well greased muffin tins and place into oven once it has preheated.%u00a0Bake the muffins for about 20- 22 minutes or until nicely browned and a tester stuck into the middle of one comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let sit in tin for a few minutes until it cools down. Remove the muffins from the tin and let completely cool on a wire rack.%u00a0
Eat whenever and how many you want, store the rest in an air tight container for a couple of days or wrap a few and %u00a0freeze.%u00a0
I am on full fledged baking mode. I bought the Costco sized bag of flour, stocked up on spices and chocolate chips, and am counting down the days to when all the littles come over for the cookie decorating party. But I am also trying to pace myself because I don’t need to have cookies, cake, and candies all over the house quite yet. The season is young and the time for stuffing your face with all the candies and cookies awaits. Until then, (next week sounds about right) sensible baking like bread and scones (yes, scones are sensible)
The other morning I woke up and was very determined that I must make scones. I don’t really know why scones, maybe it was the news of Prince Harrys engagement %u00a0(the dream of being princess is now dead)%u00a0%u00a0but it was a fierce determination..%u00a0 And they had to be cranberry because well, I have a tone of cranberries in the fridge. And I know I could have made them just cranberriy, but why not add a little chocolate. Still sensible in my book.%u00a0 So scones I did make. And after he shared one with Barb,%u00a0the mr has been eating them for breakfast which is just another reason why they are sensible…they are breakfast food.%u00a0
The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (all in the bowl). Sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, soy milk and vinegar. And of course fresh cranberries and chocolate chips.
The sugar and cinnamon go into the bowl with the rest of the dry…whisk it all together. Oh, and preheat the oven.
Mix a tablespoon of vinegar into the milk so it starts to sour.
Coconut oil gets cut in to the mixture.. You want a course crumb, kind of like pea sized chunks of oil mix around in there.
And now rough chop the cranberries which is a little difficutl because they all want to roll away, but you can do it.%u00a0
I rough chopped the chocolate chips as well because why not.
Mix the cranberries and chocolate into the mixture until evenly incorporated.
Gently mix until the dough just comes together. Dump our onto a well floured surface.%u00a0
Pat the dough into a circle and flatten out until it’s about an inch and a half thick. Cut the circle into 8-10 equal pieces.%u00a0
Place the scones on a baking sheet and brush with a little milk. Pop them into the preheated oven%u00a0
Pop them out when they are all nice and golden brown.%u00a0
Place them on a cooling rack.
And watch them disappear or like a sensible person, eat one everyday for breakfast.%u00a0
Have a great weekend.
-C
makes 8-10 scones
- 2 %u00a01/4 cups flour%u00a0
- 1/3 cup %u00a0sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon%u00a0
- 1 %u00a0teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 hefty cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup plant milk plus about a tablespoon more for brushing on top
- 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar%u00a0
Preheat oven to 375.%u00a0
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar. Add the vinegar to the milk and set aside. With a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the coconut oil into the dry mixture until it becomes a course crumb.%u00a0
Rough chop the cranberries and the chocolate chips (optional on the chocolate chips) and toss both into the bowl. Give it a quick mix to coat it all then dump in the milk. Mix until the dough comes together (DON”T OVER MIX) then dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten out into a disk that is about and inch and a half thick. Cut into 8-10 equal sized wedged and place not a baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and pop into the preheated oven.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are all nice and golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Then eat them .
THE LOVELY CRAZY
May 20, 2019 by maximios • Blog
And it’s Sunday again. Time is just flying by.
The camping was amazing. I guess there are not a lot of people that go camping this late in the year because we basically had the entire Lake Carmi state park to ourselves. I think we were the only people there besides and old couple in a cabin far away from us. The weather was perfect, brisk, but not too cold, the sky was a grey, the colors were popping. We went for a jaunt in the fields and a hike in the wood, the mr went fishing off a giant tree, and we enjoyed a lentil and campfire squash for dinner. Simple and sweet and all the best of the world. Sure it rained that night, but we stayed dry and yes it started to pour in the monring while we were picking up camp but then it stopped and all was good. And really, what’s camping all the time without a rain day or two. It’s part of the adventure.
And is was Alex’s birthday, he turned 13, and he had a family birthday party, but we ended up not going cause I was feeling like crap. I think it was a crash and burn, but I was weary because everyone is getting sick around me. Snotty, coughing, grossness. I am trying to avoid it if at all possible.
The next day I woke up tired but feeling better and went about the day doing the this and thats and thats and running around here and there. The mr started a rat trapping job (not for any of our properties) that turned into a whole big week long thing and I just don’t even want to deal with that. I stay away from anything that involves animal. If I were to get involved, we would probably and up with a few pet mice and a squirrel or two. And definitely a skunk or possum. So again, I stay away from that stuff.
Then there was Wednesday. I had one of those days where everything was going wrong. To start my day I woke up with a door handle smashed into my hip which I then thought was broken (the mr sure knows how to open a door). When I got to the gym my toe started throbbing and opened up and starting bleeding again (gross), but whatever, not that bad. I then went and spent a few hours over at the loft cleaning the F out of it so that my dad had clean sheets, toilet paper, and no tools in the middle of the floor when he stayed. We are over there all the time, but something about being there that day was making me just super sad and nostalgic and I basically was just thinking about Washer and I might have cried a little. But that happens and well, yeah Then it was lunch time but I was not getting lunch, which is never a good thing with me, I was taking a trip to the dentist. Hooray for me! Good thing my teeth looked great, said I am doing a good job as usual taking care of my mouth, except I was told again that I should really consider smashing my jaw and my palette and get braces and wire my mouth shut and blah blah blah. Just give the dentist $500 million dollars and they will fix all my screwed up bite and jaw problems. Yeah, no. Dental stuff is a sore subject for me so I’ll just leave it here.. So dentist made me in a bad mood on top of being sad. But I made it home and made a cake for Alex’s birthday party (his friend party) which I ended up burning it. So ok, that shit happens too but then the second cake, looking all perfect when I pulled it out of the oven, well I dropped one of the pans, and burned myself a few time. And then I cried little more..Yup. Oh, and knocked over some greenware pots by my wheel because why not add some more misery to the day. I think after all that I just gave up and crawled into bed at like 730.
Thursday went a lot better. I managed to turn the broken apart cake into a single layer cake (genius) and make it actually look pretty good. I picked up farm share and got out to the fields before it started to rain (hurray for me) Barb came over and made me smile while we talked of all things Italy and I fed her broken cake bits. I hung up all my halloween bats and did some laundry and stuck a dent in paperwork and bills that needed addressing. A way better day.
Friday was a little hectic. The political stuff brought out a slight crazed rage over the craziness of the world and I am still trying to wrap my head around it (along with the last 2 years…) But besides begin little wild eyed, I finish decorating the cake for Alex. Worked at the studio where I loaded 2 kilns and then some. Dropped the cake off to Alex then went to the groocery store for food for the party the next day, and somehow got pizza dough to rise at just the right speed (in and out of the fridge all day) in order to have dough for pizza birthday party for Coco (he turned 2 on Thursday!) that night. The littles came over for just a small something special for Coco. We had pizza, cookies, and a buzz lightyear balloon. He was sick so he ate no pizza and cried at the candle on his cookie, but then he ate it and that sugar made him happy, even when he was blowing super snot bubbles from his little nose. . And then Erin brought him home so he could have a sugar crash and be sick at home and the other littles could sleep over. They watched a Wrinkle in Time, while I started prepping apples and pie dough for Dads birthday pie the next day. And then we all fell asleep early. These darker nights really make it easy to crawl into bed at an early hour. (not complaining at all)
Saturday went swimmingly. I woke up made a pie and a loaf of pumpkin bread all before the littles woke up for breakfast pancakes. Barb came over, they all ate, then off we all went, the mr and I, Barb, Miley, Judah, to the farm for wagon ride and pumpkin picking. It’s out tradition, and this year, we brought Coco too.(and Buzz light-year of course) The ride went great, the pumpkin patch was pristine, we all got a good pumpkin and some gourds, and no one fell off the wagon. A very successful pumpkin picking adventure. After that we all ran home and I got lunch ready, The rest of the family came, ate the food, made the mess. The mr thought it would a great idea for the medium kids to have something productive to do to keep them out of trouble so he gave them all shovels and let them dig a giant hole in the middle of the back yard because why not? Uh huh, yeah. So on top of the normal mess everyone makes, there was a heavy extra layer of dirt tracked in and out of the house. After everyone left, I got to spend a little extra time cleaning late into night. How they got mud on the bathroom walls is pretty impressive.
Today we are doing something with Dad and his other children. Either a bike ride or hike, not sure yet, but something outside that will involve trees. After that, the mr and I are going to try and find a place to camp tonight. The weekly camping is just too good. We can’t not. Plus after a full week of people interaction, I could really use a night of peace and quite in the woods.
Internet from the week.
-Pumpkin Knowledge. The Best Pumpkins for Baking and Cooking. And 3 Ways to Use Those Pumpkin Guts. And What’s Actually in Your Canned Pumpkin Purée?
–Wigstock, ‘An Iconic Piece of Drag History,’ Lets Its Roots Show At 2018 Revival. Oh my.. SO amazing. I wish I could be there!
-100% agree with this, it really is the best brand. The One Flour You Should Buy, According to a Professional Bread Maker
-Have you heard? Drunk birds are wreaking havoc in Minnesota
-Yeah, I would live here (that tree!) or definitely in this row house (the front door!)
–Most Introverts Would Like to Be More Extroverted. Yes and no. I love being alone and do not find it lonely, but I do wish I didn’t get completely drained and feel like I have ran a marathon from being around people.
–DARK MATTER IS A HUGE MYSTERY. THIS DEVICE IS TRYING TO DETECT IT. This makes me think of the His Dark Materials Books by Phillip Pullman. (read them if you haven’t, they are in my top 3 favorite books of all time)
-I kind of love this. Banksy auction prank leaves art world in shreds
-I follow this families adoption and it is so heartwarming and amazing and I just love them (Their daughter is so freaking cute, it kills me). And they are adopting again! I love how she does a Q and A about the whole thing.
And some pictures from the week.
The beginning of the week started off with cabin time with family and friends. All the sisters went up with their kids and we ate food, made bracelets, walked to the river, and just hung out for the afternoon. Seeing the family is (almost) always a good time. Then the mr and I ventured our way to our secret camping spot, went for a little hike, then ate our dinner in a park where I watched the mr open a can of beans for me by rubbing it against a rock. It was like magic, especially because I was starving and was smashing the end of the can like a rabid beast against, well everything. I forgot to bring the can opener for my can of beans which could have been the end of me. Luck for me the mr is so good and I never will need a can opener again. Anyway we ended up not camping out for the night. Our main reason for camping was to see the meteor shower, but the sky was all clouded so we couldn’t see squat. Plus the mr was tired and feeling sore, I was little tired, so we just headed back home. When we got home we sat under the slightly less cloudy sky in the backyard for a bit until the mr sprayed bug spray that turned into bug bomb and that not only kept all the bugs away, kept me away too. He had to take shower to ge the stink off and still he smelled. The smell lingered for days.. And to think it was just essential oils. Then we slept in our bed which was way more comfortable then usual because we were really suppose to be sleeping on the ground.
The rest of the week went as usual. Had little bursts of rain, although never quite enough to help the heat, only enough to up the humidity. Qui came over for dinner where he drank out a a mug with his face all over it and tried to talk the mr into getting his own scooter. I told the mr if he wants one, well then he should go for it. But I don’t think its happening any time soon. Barb and So came over for lunch and spent time harvesting all the goodies out of the garden. So picked a watermelon that turned out to be not quite ripe (so sad) and Barb picked all the kale that she could stand picking. Other then that, there was farm share, lots of running around, a chocolate zucchini cake, and the realization that I have Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder. (yes, it is a thing) A well rounded, semi productive, way to hot, week.
And then there was yesterday. It was amazing. Sure I was at work inside most of the day glazing hundreds of pots that little kids made, but when I got out, the sky was covered in big grey clouds with a slight rainy drizzle. The temperature was like 68 degrees, and there was a cool breeze. I might have even gotten a slight chill. It was everything that I have needed all Summer long. Seriously, to much warmth and sunshine is not good for me. I need cool rainy(dare I say snowy) days to help keep that balance, so yesterday really hit the spot. I was even able to wear a long sleeve shirt for like the first time in months. And when I went to bed, I was able to sleep under the blanket. So nice. So nice.
And we made it to today. The mr and I were talking last night about going comping today so we might do that. Or we might not and just veg out for the day here at home, maybe stop in to see the littles that are home from sleep away camp. I am leaning towards camping. We skipped out last week and if the nights are going to be anything like last tonight, ( nice and cool), a fire will be ever so lovely and welcome. And I am sure the mr would love to do some fishing and I of course can be happy reading and drinking coffee just about anywhere.
Stuff I read on the Internet this week.
– Amazing music, amazing person. She will be missed. Aretha Franklin: In Memoriam Playlist.
–The exhilarating history of roller coaster photography. And to have your picture taken at a “Oh Shit Point”… Makes for some good pictures.
-This is a place I would love to stay (or build An A-Frame Cabin Celebrates the Zero-Emission Lifestyle in Finland
–We Discovered Helium 150 Years Ago. Are We Running Out? I never thought about helium as being anything that we could run out of. Huh.
-Seriously, what the fuck dudes. Traces of Weed Killer Found in Cheerios and Quaker Oats Oatmeal-
–Genius Hidden Messages People Didn’t Expect To Find On Everyday Products. Sometimes it about the little extra attention to detail, and a little humor that keeps people coming back for more.
–12 Signs You Suffer From Summer Depression. See, its for real. and I have it.. number 2 and 6.
-Because in VT, we will pee on on your tomatoes. Haha. ‘Pee-Cycling:’ Vermont Researchers Look at Value in Human Urine
-What’s the Difference Between White and Yellow and Popcorn 101: Butterflies, Snowflakes & Mushrooms (oh my!)
-The colors and patterns really caught my eyes. New Synchronized Photographs of Swimmers by Mária Švarbová
Pictures from the week.
So much nice weather this week. I spent a good chunk of time in and around the garden, getting everything planted (it’s all in the ground) setting up a kinda fence of driftwood and yarn, running a strip of cooper around all the beds to keep the slugs out, and mad running with stick in hand screaming at all the squirrels. It’s been a lot of work but so very very satisfying. The only sucky part is with all this nice weather comes those stupid f-ing mosquitoes. I have already gotten my allotted bites for the year. Back to wearring heavy carports and hoodies while I garden, or walk out the door. Meh.
Other then all the gardeining, the week was productive. I did a lot of baking (cookies, banana bread, bread, hot sauce, some other shuff as usual), I picked up the last winter farm share (summer share starts in 3 weeks!!!), purged a bunch of crap, repotted plants, and finally got the taxes DONE. The big goal of the week of was for the mr and I to pick a paint color and buy primer and paint for one of the buildings in town we are repainting. We were close. We kind of picked the color but are going to wait until next week to make sure we really like it so we didn’t buy the paint. But we will so we are on track. As for the primer.. A whole day trying to track down what we needed and no one seemed to carry the product that we were looking for. Everyone said it was a special order and it will take forever to get. We did manage to find a few gallons so it’s a start.
And I still have not found the vacuum attachment which I keep looking for. I really should just order a new one, but I know as soon as I do I will find it. Life without the attachment is getting pretty dirty. Gurrrrr.
Then the littles slept There was more hole digging (because why not), pizza with Barb, tandem bike riding, and apparently while I was inside cleaning up food messes, there was a bike, rope, and scooter thing that only stopped because of a cop?…. Yeah. I also taught Judah how to play the amazing card game of solitaire. He was at it all night then after a breakfast of 10 pancakes, went out to the front porch like an old man and contuined to play. He is obsessed and its awesome. And I think I have got the Miley hooked on NPR. I was able to listen to Morning Addition through Wait Wait Don’t Tell ME without complaint. She even asked me to turn it up. That right there is win for the week.
I am hoping that today is not all rain, although the garden is loving it all up and I could spend the day doing inside things. I wanted to go for a bike ride or maybe a little hike of some sort. Going to have to wait and see. Other then that, no big plans. Probably make a few more phone calls about primer, doing a little weeding, drink a pot of coffee, and definitely take a nap. I need to reinstating summer weekend nap time. I end up staying up later during the long light hours so naps are greatly appreciated.
Interent links from the week.
–Are octopuses aliens from outer space that were brought to Earth by meteors? I mean, this just makes you wonder right?
–For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield. Plastic is just not good. Not good at all.
-Avoiding Plastic When Grocery Shopping. Learn how to go grocery shopping and stock your kitchen without buying any plastic products. Lots of good advice here. Again, think of the animals.
-It’s ok to eat romaine lettuce again, for now. How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US
-Would Your Cat Choose You Over Its Food?. The stereotype of cats. Yes is the answer. I know that Only’s one true love in life is food.
-This is my kind of Earthship.
-Food as art when there are starving people… Something to think hard about. THE RISE OF THE EXPERIENTIAL FOOD MUSEUM
-Some of my best memories from my childhood was when my mom would blast music (usually Whitney Huston or Toni Braxton) and make us dance with her. Good good times. The Surprising Benefit Of Moving And Grooving With Your Kid
–Frozen Food Fan? As Sales Rise, Studies Show Frozen Produce Is As Healthy As Fresh. I always have a bunch of frozen veggies in the freezer.
-Delicate Accumulations of Colorful Spring Flowers Installed in a Historic French Home Just lovely
Pictures from the week
I woke up this morning with a very vvid recollection of the dream I was having. In it I was the inventor of a thing called The Fire Stick, which essentially was a fishing pole with fire on the end that you stick in water( know, it makes no sense ) and it somehow propels you around. In the dream, I was using my Fire Stick to cruise down a river on a makeshift raft because I was fleeing something and I needed to leave by water. Thats it, but I know in my dream I was damn proud of my Fire Stick. Dream me is very strange and scares me a little.
The mr and I have no big projects going on right now so he is doing a bunch of side work and I am doing little things around the house plus trying to get through the taxes (I am procarsinationg so hard) I am getting a touch of cabin/spring cleaning fever and am starting to think about running away or repainting all the walls… which is crazy because it hasn’t been more then a year since I last painted. So I guess that leaves running away. Ha. What I really need to do is build a shit ton of shelves and reorganize the closets, but that takes measuring and buying wood and power tools and the mr so it will have to wait. ( I have to sweet talk him into having a shelf making day with me.. I would do it alone, but it will be much easier and nicer if he helps) And the running away part, well we are working on that part too.
Other then my crazy, the week has been pretty good. The mr got me another new power tool (I am returning the scroll saw in favor of band saw) The back porch has unofficially turned into a wood carving studio. And not just for me, the mr is really into wood carving right now too. We even braved negative temperatures to walk around on the beach to find cool pieces of drift wood to make spoons out of. (he gets pretty jazzed about stuff and there is not stopping him) Before that freezing cold returned there was a day where we were able to walk the wold without jackets and that was the day we took Shannon out for a walk. That lady just got a new hip and already she is walking better then I can. Maybe I will get myself a new hip too. Or new knees. I could be unstoppable.
Qui came over for a vegan banana bread baking how to, which got me thinking that I should start teaching vegan baking. Then Barb came over for chili and a dance party party, and then we had the little over for a sleep over and all around house trashing. I don’t know how they do it, but those littles make the biggest mess out of nothing. And they are sticky and gross and even surface needs to be wipes after they leave.
We did treat ourselves to a little culture and went to the Shelburne Museum to check out the Sweet Tooth art exhibit. It was cool, but not exactly what I was expecting. It was only a small room with a handful of pieces and I wanted more, and bigger and more, like the giant ring pops. Those were cool. I want a room full of giant candy, but no candy wrappers. The wrappers freak me out. But the next exhibit I am really interested in seeing too. It’s a puppet exhibit and that’s got be be some kind of fantastic.
Are you super bowling today? Yesterday the mr and I ran into the grocery store and it was packed with people, with shopping carts all full of chips and beer and garbage food. It was kind of crazy. We figured it was all for the football game. Then we started to blame everything that was annoying on the football game. It’s nice to have a reason for it all. This football game day thing always makes me feel like it is a holiday that I am not celebrating and I am ok with that.
So no football here today, just keeping it easy, maybe getting out into some woods at some point then maybe some reading or Netflixing some Grace and Franky. Keeping it low on this non holiday day. People be crazy and I want to stay away from them. Plus I have the Fire Stick to think about. Haha.
Stuff from the internet that I read this week.
–The ‘IKEA Effect’ — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies. Eat what you make and be proud of it, veggies and all.
-Things we should all know. Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale
–It’s Reportedly Becoming ‘Normal’ to See Whole Foods Employees Cry at Work. I think I cried a little when I worked at Heathy Living.
-I have had a conversation with the littles about what shape carrot tastes better (when they are cut into chips) Does Chopping Change Your Vegetables?
-Interesting planned, one that I think humans should leave alone. It’s enough to destroy one plant, lets stay away from the others. Pictures of Mars
–The Many Questions We Have About These Cookbook Covers. When I saw this, all I could think was douche bags. If anyone came up behind me while I was chopping anything, well there might be a unintentional stabbing.
-I don’t know if I ever will do this, but I really like the idea. HOW TO MAKE A LARGE SCALE (PATCHWORK) DIY RUG
-This is no Why Procrastination is Good for You
–What to Do When You Worry Yourself Awake. Do your worrying during the day.
–Axe-Throwing Bars: Why Mixing Weapons And Beer Is Surprisingly Good Business. But is it? Got to keep the hipsters happy. I guess it is kind of like really big darts, which I could totally get behind, but there is some real potential for some crazy shit to happen.
Pictures from the week.
Both of us have been on all week while both of us have been fighting off a something that wants to invade our bodies. We have tried not no let it slow us down too much, but I tell you what. I, and the mr, are pretty fucking sick of feeling like crap. We have been pumping so much elderberry, zinc, teas, and witchcraft. We WILL get rid of this shit!!!
Even though feeling like ick, we powdered through and did life. The mr bought me a scroll saw for spoon carving (which is now his and I am getting a band saw instead) We had a dinner with the mr’s family, Qui, Adriana, and Evan came over for cookie baking and spoon carving and there was a pizza party with some littles and the bionic woman. Oh, and let’s not forget the tea party that included a horse and fake tea. Next time I go to a tea party, there better be real tea or I am out. The mr has had a couple of bigger jobs that he was doing and I had (still am doing) the stupid taxes to finish. Doing a lot of paper work really gives a lady who needs glasses a big freaking headache. I have been procrastinating the inevaadable for a little too long. I need to start wearing my glasses all the time in order to see like, a lot better. Problem is that the procrastination in me is strong. I have had this new prescription for 2, maybe 3 months, but seriously, finding glasses is such a bitch. I am doing it though because I need to see, which lead me to Costco. Costco, the land of giant sized tubs of mustard and 10 lb bags of organic carrots (I buy them both), which also has an optical center (what don’t they have?)
Got to Costco, took a look, got annoyed and stressed and walked away. Figured I was already there so might as well walk around, spotted a friend being a pharmacist, cruising the isles, and that’s when I saw it. The display of 10 lb bags of lentils. No joke, I have been waiting forever for this day to happen. I was so freaking excited, like way, way more then anyone should ever get over a bag of lentils, but I was. I mean, come on, A giant bag of lentils … it is just so fantastic. I grabbed my bag of lentils and bounced out of there with a smile on my face and thoughts of dinner and large Costco sized pickle jars full of goodness. (I had already forgot about the glasses) I am already planning on another Costco trip just so I can but 5 more bags…. You can never have too many lentils. And I did end up buying glasses, I just ordered them off the internet. I figured I don’t care what they look like, I would just like to see. And I will, in like 1-2 weeks or whenever they come in the mail.
Last night Jeff Dad came to town to take some more care of his bionic daughter, although the lady is walking like a champ already and probably could start training for a marathon now. (You can go home now Dad, haha) We did dinner with him and her and missed out on the him that was suppose to be there, but at least we got to see Jackson with his arms full of a suit and tie on the way to the ball. Jackson just loves dress up and high school dances. He lives so hard for them.
Today is all about watching the ice melt away from the skating rink in front of the house that we call a walkway. I spent a little time chipping away at the thick sheet of ice with a spade shovel and am now determined to get at least a narrow path of safety for not just us, but the poor mailman that has been risking his life to deliver my junk flyers and sign up cards for AARP. It is suppose to be above freezing all day so I have a good feeling about it. While I watch and wait I will probably be reading, carving some wood, or napping. But it will all be productive because I am making sure the ice melts. I am doing it for the mailman.
The places the internet took me this week.
-Is it even possible? How Do I Avoid Catching Cold or Flu From My Sick Partner?
–Starlings Perform Acrobatic Life-Or-Death Dance With A Hungry Falcon. My mind was blown. I have watched it many many times.
–Are Biscuits and Scones the Same? I have always thought them interchangeable. A, Call them what you will, type deal.
-Holy shit Nutella.France Descends Into Chaos Over Nutella Sales.
-Sunday Reading: In the Air. Probably not great reading if you are afraid of heights. OR maybe it is.
-Kind of fantastic why you know why they did. The Guggenheim Offers The White House A Gold Toilet.
–The Far Out History Of How Hippie Food Spread Across America. I spent a good amount of time with the Moose Wood Cookbooks when I was a teen.
-I have killed at least 10 mosquitos in the past week. I think there is a nest in the house and they are waiting for warmth to attack me. How To Teach Mosquitoes To Leave You Alone
–The Imaginative Powers of a Brain on Autopilot. It’s when all the creative stuff happens.
And pictures from the week.
Mid January. I love this time of year. All the big holidays are over so the pressure is off, my body is acclimated to all the snow and cold so I handle it just fine, and every day gets a little bit longer. I feel like it’s when I really get focus on and enjoy winter for all it’s greatness. It’s just so dang pretty and I am again wondering why I do not live in a little cabin in the middle of the woods. Or why I have yet to go sledding. On the agenda for the week…Build a cabin and speed down a hillside on my ass. Can’t wait.
The beginning of the week I was still feeling like garbage. I thought for sure that what I had was a 24- 72 hour thing, but it lingered well into the week. (watch out, everyone is getting it) I feel better now, but am still a little low energy. Getting sick sucks so I think I won’t do it again.
And the twins turned 20. I would tell you all about how great it was to hang out with them but they are too cool and didn’t return any of my texts for hanging out and I guess they don’t care about me any more so whatever. Instead the mr and I brought Judah over to Shanons to crack eggs and make giant bowls of marshmallows with Cameron for dinner. So Happy Birthday Mark and Paul. You suck.
The mr and I made a trip out to Barton for a day of hard work. We gutted a bathroom, the mr moved some plumbing, and Jes and I starred down an actual “shit hole”( i.e. a hole that shit comes out of and is the proper use for the term), while sewage spewed all over the place and the mr stood strong and held up all the pipes in a sea of shit. It was a very dirty job, but someone had to do it. Unfortunately it was us, but there are worse things I guess. And now Jes is well along her way to putting a floor down over the hole and spending quality time with the purple swans the adorn her bathroom walls.
After that, the week just flew by. There was the farm share (thank goodness, I was starving), more family stuff with my and the mr’s family,I re-pierced my ear and may have gotten it infected, and I started a new sourdough starter (the yeast loves Red Cat Farm flour!). And let’s not forget the crazy ass weather. Friday afternoon I had all the windows and the front door wide open and the heat turned off. 60 something degrees and almost every speck of snow had melted. It was so, well, it was nice, but so weird. And very short lasting because we got like 6 inches and dropped like 70 degrees by the next day. Ah, Vermont. Love it or go crazy.
Today is one of those days where it could go either way. I have a pile of papers that I need to go through, people to see, laundry to do, but I am also thinking that an afternoon of wondering outside, reading and knitting might just take priority. Next week is going to be hectic so maybe I rest up today. And ice my ear because it really hurts.
What the Internet had for me to read.
-I love these so much I need to print them out, especially Backpfeifengesicht because it makes so much sense. 30 Untranslatable Words From Different Languages Illustrated By Anjana Iyer
–The Rolling Huts: An Architect’s Alternative Approach to Camping. My new life plan right here. Seriously. Buy the land and build the huts. It’s gonna happen.
-After reading this book I feel like I should just make life all about the bread. Sourdough: A Novel.
-Mushrooms are magical, and not just the magical kind. Do Medicinal Mushrooms Actually Work?
-Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains? It’s all the colors. Our brains do weird things.
-I could eat that whole thing. Giant Cabbage.
-Periods piss me off. There’s a reason using a period in a text message makes you sound angry
–Inside One of America’s Last Pencil Factories. This is pure awesomeness and make me really happy.
-Talk about some sweet ass sweaters. Custom Hand-Knit Sweaters Blend Subjects into Urban Environments
–It’s January: Time to Plan Your Garden. I can’t wait for seed catalogs!!!
Pictures from the week.
Happy Merry Christmas Eve you guys. I hope today and tomorrow brings rest and relaxation and excitement for all the fa la la las la to come.
I am excited. And really tired, and maybe a little stressed, but still really excited. We are doing the family Christmas tomorrow at our house, all 23-25 of us. Our house is officially the sponsor of all family gatherings. And because of this, I think that my family should all chip in and buy me a robot vacuum because I think I finally have gotten to that point where I am sick of constantly vacuuming (and the mr is sick of me constantly vacuuming too)
We started off the week strong, with a sense that I had everything done, covered, planned, and no stress. There was a bit of running around, especially for the mr, who was finishing up some jobs, but we got things done. I even got the loft cleaned (again) for Jeff when he gets here (he is coming the day after Christmas) I did a morning of gift wrapping for HANDs, finished up my Christmas shopping, picked up the farm share and made it to the grocery store before all the food was gone. Things were going smoothly. And good things happened too. I made a chocolate babka wreath for fun. Shannon got the news of a New Year hip (but the mr fixed it with his bandaid and gave her a little penis to boot(see photo below)) Barb got excepted to a college, and I ended up with the most fantastical tree skirt that I have ever seen. A panda bear Christmas. If you new me as a little you would know that I was obsessed with pandas and that this tree skirt is perfection for my young self and gives me all sorts of happy feels.
And all the snow. I think that we got about 5-6 inches of the most fluffy fun warm stuff that makes the world glow. That was the best.
Yesterday was a nut of a day. It started out slow but by 11, we had the three littles (Coco aka Emersion, is walking now which makes things a littler more interesting to say the least) over for lunch/christmas present making /newspaper snow flakes. It couldn’t have been any more crazy and messy. We started out painting on fabric to make pillows (the coolest pillows ever) for them to give to their mother. (she doesn’t read my blog so she I am not spoiling anything here) That was a mess in itself but we topped that off with trying to eat lunch at the same time. Three starving littles with paint all over, we rushed to get them some food. The mr was making the sandwiches and accidentally smashed the bowl of egg salad on the floor. It was eveywhere, glass and egg, and all sorts of gross, and the kids were starving and the baby was walking. But we were still all ok. Then I burnt the grilled cheese very badly while a little spilled the soup all over the table and the iPad. They finally ate carrots and apples and cheese quesadillas, but they definitely were starting to get a little toody and crazy themselves. Paint and egg, and wetness everywhere (going in and out of the house and it started to rain) the mess was just getting bigger and bigger. And I didn’t even mention the soccer net the mr is making that is hanging in the middle of the living room. To top it all off, my mom dropped off enough food to feed an army for the shenanigans on Christmas so there was bags of food everywhere. But she brought me flowers so everything was good. After that we figured what the hell and just made a shit ton of newspaper snowflakes and really just committed to trashing the house. Then they left and I spent the evening cleaning the fuck out of everything.
I am hoping today goes a little more smoothly, although I am pretty freaking tired because I spent most of the night tossing and turning over the things that I need to do today. (white chocolate chip or oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies? Do I have a empty recycling box for wrapping paper? Is there enough toilet paper in the house?) I know I am going to have to spend at least 15 minutes removing the sheet of ice that has accumulated over the car last night before I can leave for the gym, but the then that it’s, the rest of the day I am going to be spent in the kitchen. My plan all week was to spend yesterday baking and to spend today relaxing with a book but yesterday did not happen as planned. Todays schedule is now to make all the cookies, a birthday cake, (Cameron’s birthday is tomorrow too) and last minute Christmas things to finish up (doesn’t involve shopping!) At least my house is clean for the time being. I know it will be short lived but hopefully someone brings that vacuuming robot with them tomorrow.
True story. The mr likes to pick me up and tell me he wishes I wonuld fit in his pocket so he can carry me around with him everywhere. So sweet right? Yesterday in the midst of my crazy (I was going crazy) he picked me up and said he wished I was tiny enough to stick me in his pocket so I would shut my mouth and be quit. Hahaha. That is love.
Some internet looking for you browsing enjoyment.
–11 weird and wonderful Christmas tree patents. These are all amazing,
–Mary Berry Shares Advice on Getting Party Guests to Leave. Normally I just tell people that they need to get the F out.
-On their way to Vermont to give the gift that keeps on giving. Elderly Couple Stopped In Nebraska With 60 Pounds Of Weed ‘For Christmas Presents’
–How To Host A Hygge Holiday Party: Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection This is what I need more off.
-Are they laughing at us? Comedy Wildlife Photos of 2017
-I love this idea to set up a ritual or custom based on what works for your family. Science experiments instead of church. Sundays at the Altar of Science
–Never Too Late To Learn An Instrument. I hope the to be true because I really want to learn how to play the cello or the mandolin. I told myself after I graduated college I cud pick one of them up. I need to get on it.
-On my list of things to do this coming week. Taffy Vinegar Candy Recipe
The search for Santa. Kinda like where is Waldo, but with santas.
–5 Tips for Keeping Houseplants Alive This Winter. Got to keep the plants happy
And some pictures from the week.
Enjoy the season and Happy Merry Christmas!
-C
Hey there friends . Happy Winter, Happy Hanukkah, Happy near Christmas, and just happy happy. No stress right? We are all having a festive and enjoyable time this season? I hope so because we all need and deserve some good vibes. Let take it all and run with it. And eat cookies because because.
After such a fantastic little snow day, the week went as usual, although I now have the winter boots and the shovel out (I shoveled the driveway 3 times. Yeh for snow!). Leaving in the car takes a few more minutes now that we have to scrape the windows and just leaving the house involves more effort in clothing putting on then before. It’s been between -3 and like 5 degrees almost every morning when I leave so it’s been a little cold. (It’s all about the layers)
But the cold hasn’t slowed us down, just spending a little more time doing more indoor things is all. Like our holiday card. Got that done and sent out!I also have been doing a little extra cleaning here and there (I cleaned the F out of and under the stove) and have been trying to get the Christmas shopping stuff done and done (I am basically done shopping, it more about the crafting now) The real annoyance is that Only has spent most of the week inside trying to escape. I usually don’t care if he is outside in the winter but with the negative degrees and all I was trying to avoid finding a popsicle cat. He is a very talkative cat and has basically has been following me around the house yelling to be let out. I think today is that day I will let him make a break for it. He is driving me crazy.
Had a fantastic and slightly scary cookie party. I don’t know what exactly I was thinking was going to happen, but all the littles were as high as I have ever seen them. Miley was hysterically laughing all night, Judah got lethargic and then asked to eat a bowl of carrots but Sophia was the best. She was running around the house in circles with a look of shock on her face screaming. Around and around and around, mouth agape with a steady aaaaahhhhhhh coming out. The child was possessed. It was pretty much the best thing ever. And while the older boys and older ladies went home, Miley and Judah stayed over. While I was cleaning up some of the mess, the mr took them to the store with him and he came back with beer (for him) blackberries, and rented them the emoji movie. ( FYI, from the 3 seconds of that shit that I actually watched I gathered that it is probably the best movie to showcase all the worst parts our culture now)
We woke up to space pancakes and snow fort building. Then the mr took the boy to have boy time while the girl, Barb, and I went downtown for coffee. Once I was rid of littles I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the stick off of every surface and hand delivering some holiday cards. After dinner we went to the mr’s Aunt and Uncles house for a little holiday party party (I left at like 8 like an old lady but the mr rallied and rolled home well past midnight (I know cause he woke my ass up)) It was a vey full past few days.
The Sunday agenda is simple. Catch up. We have busy week ahead and it’s the week before Christmas and all so I just want to get my shit together. I don’t want to be stressing come the end of the week. But If I happen to take a long nap today while watching a Christmas movie, I won’t be made at myself.
Some of the internet I have visited this week.
–Simple Book Helps Adult Men Answer Pressing Question: ‘Where Does Your Penis Belong?’ Hahahaha, but seriously.
-I am sure by now you have heard of these pit-less avocados. I guess I don’t underdstand how so many people are managing to cut there hands open but it’s happening and so theses. . Avocado Hand Injuries Are Real. Is A Seedless Fruit The Answer?
-A vegan bakery that makes it own nut cheeses. Sound pretty awesome. Vegan Knead Bakery to Open in Burlington
-These are some amazing pictures. See the winning images in National Geographic’s 2017 Nature Photographer of the Year contest
–THIS EDIBLE STRAW COULD HELP REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC IN OCEANS. And we should just stop with all the freaking plastic already.
-This makes me sad. Animals That Could Disappear Because Of Us
-I took the quiz and got 100%. I am awesome and super anal about recycling. Holiday Recycling Quiz. A great resource for now and all year long.
–What Really Happens When You Mix Baking Soda with Vinegar?
–Sleep vs. Exercise? I will aways exercise over sleep but ya need BOTH
Pictures from the week.