Without getting too long and drawn out, I shall say that my blogging absence has been both for lack of time and lack of sometimes knowing what to say. In the last month, I've struggled with a sudden health issue that was picked up on in routine bloodwork. After a week fraught with tests and scans and worry, and being taken off several medications, I am settling back down. It's amazing what medications can do to you and I tend toward the side of having most, if not all, of the 'less common' side effects.
I am eternally grateful for the love and support of my friends when these things come up and I am blessed beyond measure to be feeling much, much better.
I am perplexed that is it hot enough here that on this 23 day of December we have turned on the air conditioner in the house. Sleeping at night with the windows open... It's very hard to get in the mood to decorate or bake cookies while wearing a tank top and shorts.
As we prepare to attend Christmas Eve Holy Communion services, I look forward to having my children all together for the blessing that comes from the sacrament. There is nothing that touches my heart more than seeing them kneel at an altar. They bless the mother heart of me in ways that can not be put into words.
This is the time of year that I always thank God for the life that he's given me another year of, and for the blessing of family to love, and friends to hold dear and the deep and abiding faith that is mine. Celebrating the birth of Christ gives me a renewed spirit to see me through the next year, no matter what challenges I may face and what new blessings abound.
I wish you, my friends, a Holy holiday in every respect, a Merry Christmas, with family and friends and the sweetness of many blessings and a blessed life in the new year to come.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Let the games begin!
On the way to Thanksgiving day, there's a lot of things that happen in advance.
One of those things is making bread.
I like to use cornbread and day old french bread in my dressing (loaf bread or day old biscuits work too).
So today, I baked a round of french baguettes.
Now, I know better than to think that there will be any left for dressing, but that is why I started today.
Two days, consecutively, making 4 baguettes each time, and I'll surely have a few little hunks tossed into the fridge by Wednesday.
This is the recipe I use. Easy and not much trouble, as far as homemade breads go, it's nice and hard on the outside and wonderfully chewy on the inside. This is not a traditional French bread recipe that begins with a poolish and takes several days. This is simplified, get it done today version that works well for me.
French Bread
Makes 1 boule, 2 batards, 4 baguettes or 8 petite pains
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
2/3 cup of warm water (I use hot tap water)
4 cups of flour (I use a combination of bread flour, semolina and white wheat, heavily loaded toward bread)
1 cup of cool water
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
In a large bowl, pour the warm water over the yeast and sugar. Stir it and let it sit about 10 minutes. It should become foamy and bubbly.
Alternating a cup full of the flour mixture and the cool water, make additions while stirring. Keep adding until you get a dough ball formed which is soft and elastic. Adjust water and flour to gain the proper 'feel' of elasticity. When you get a good texture, knead this dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
Oil the dough on all sides, lightly, and set it to rise in a large container until it triples in size. This should take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on temperature and humidity.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Divide the dough equally. ( I eyeball it, it's bread, for goodness sakes, not rocket science!) Make which ever shape your little heart desires. We love baguettes and the four of them look like so much 'more' bread than one large round boule. I also don't get crazy forming baguettes (which explains a lot about how they look). I grab a ball of dough, and 'playdough' roll it to form a long skinny 'stick', then stretch the stick to the length desired. You see in the photo above, that I got 4 different lengths (even if you discount the one with a small hunk missing).
I bake the french bread on a baking sheet, with a silicone baking mat, onto which I toss a tablespoon or so of cornmeal. Lay your bread (which ever shape) on the mat, and cover it. Let it rise again, between 1 and 2 hours, till it more than doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You can brush the bread with an egg glaze (one egg white, one Tablespoon of water, whisked thoroughly) or not. I didn't. I kind of prefer it with a brushing of butter when it comes out of the oven. Either way, I get a nice crispy crust.
You also need to take a nice sharp razor blade or knife (note in the photos that I need to get a new razor blade, as mine is getting dull and drags through the dough) and cut diagonal slices in the bread at intervals. This allows for oven rise and keeps the bread from becoming misshapen while baking.
For one round boule, you bake it about 35 minutes.
For batards, and baguettes, about 22 minutes.
For buns, about 18 to 20 minutes.
When done, the bread, when tapped, should sound hollow.
French bread is best eaten the day that it's cooked.
This is never a problem here.
If I do happen to bake it on a day when everyone suddenly develops dinner plans elsewhere, I simply a baguette or two to the neighbors.
This makes for happy neighbors and less enticement every time I walk back through the kitchen.
Printable version of the recipe: French Bread
One of those things is making bread.
I like to use cornbread and day old french bread in my dressing (loaf bread or day old biscuits work too).
So today, I baked a round of french baguettes.
Now, I know better than to think that there will be any left for dressing, but that is why I started today.
Two days, consecutively, making 4 baguettes each time, and I'll surely have a few little hunks tossed into the fridge by Wednesday.
This is the recipe I use. Easy and not much trouble, as far as homemade breads go, it's nice and hard on the outside and wonderfully chewy on the inside. This is not a traditional French bread recipe that begins with a poolish and takes several days. This is simplified, get it done today version that works well for me.
French Bread
Makes 1 boule, 2 batards, 4 baguettes or 8 petite pains
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
2/3 cup of warm water (I use hot tap water)
4 cups of flour (I use a combination of bread flour, semolina and white wheat, heavily loaded toward bread)
1 cup of cool water
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
In a large bowl, pour the warm water over the yeast and sugar. Stir it and let it sit about 10 minutes. It should become foamy and bubbly.
Alternating a cup full of the flour mixture and the cool water, make additions while stirring. Keep adding until you get a dough ball formed which is soft and elastic. Adjust water and flour to gain the proper 'feel' of elasticity. When you get a good texture, knead this dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
Oil the dough on all sides, lightly, and set it to rise in a large container until it triples in size. This should take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on temperature and humidity.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Divide the dough equally. ( I eyeball it, it's bread, for goodness sakes, not rocket science!) Make which ever shape your little heart desires. We love baguettes and the four of them look like so much 'more' bread than one large round boule. I also don't get crazy forming baguettes (which explains a lot about how they look). I grab a ball of dough, and 'playdough' roll it to form a long skinny 'stick', then stretch the stick to the length desired. You see in the photo above, that I got 4 different lengths (even if you discount the one with a small hunk missing).
I bake the french bread on a baking sheet, with a silicone baking mat, onto which I toss a tablespoon or so of cornmeal. Lay your bread (which ever shape) on the mat, and cover it. Let it rise again, between 1 and 2 hours, till it more than doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You can brush the bread with an egg glaze (one egg white, one Tablespoon of water, whisked thoroughly) or not. I didn't. I kind of prefer it with a brushing of butter when it comes out of the oven. Either way, I get a nice crispy crust.
You also need to take a nice sharp razor blade or knife (note in the photos that I need to get a new razor blade, as mine is getting dull and drags through the dough) and cut diagonal slices in the bread at intervals. This allows for oven rise and keeps the bread from becoming misshapen while baking.
For one round boule, you bake it about 35 minutes.
For batards, and baguettes, about 22 minutes.
For buns, about 18 to 20 minutes.
When done, the bread, when tapped, should sound hollow.
French bread is best eaten the day that it's cooked.
This is never a problem here.
If I do happen to bake it on a day when everyone suddenly develops dinner plans elsewhere, I simply a baguette or two to the neighbors.
This makes for happy neighbors and less enticement every time I walk back through the kitchen.
Printable version of the recipe: French Bread
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Frosty morning wake up call
First this disclaimer. If you are not inclined toward harvest of wild game, then this post is not for you.
Move along and come back another day.
It's part of what we do here... what surely has been done since the Native Americans lived on the banks of the river and every generation since. Venison is a part of our diet. We know where it comes from. It is hunted for that purpose. None of it goes to waste.
This morning, about 6 am, I was sitting in my chair having my morning cup of coffee, warm pup at my feet.
As usual, the house was quiet, the tv news was on, but nothing was really stirring around.
The oldest boy* was in the woods hunting, like many mornings this time of year.
* The oldest boy is a grown man, in every respect. Definitely not a child, but he is my boy, a child of my heart, my first son. He'll always be my 'boy'. For the rest of this story, he'll be referred to as my boy.
A solid hard frost was still lingering after our first good freeze.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang.
What did we do in the world before cell phones?
I do remember those days, but will admit to 'needing' my connections through that phone.
Anyway, I answer and it's my boy. He's hit a doe, she went down and then got up and ran. He'll wait a few minutes then track her. In just a few minutes, I get the call that she is maybe in the gully.
Now, for the uninitiated, let me explain the gully. In the early part of the last century, this property was farmed in cotton. Not a big plantation, mind you... but the kind of cotton you'd grow and harvest with your family members, to sell and pay for the very few things that you didn't raise or grow yourself. Horticulture wasn't then what it is now. Very few soil amendments went into the large fields and the topsoil and ecology of the land suffered. Rains came and erosion began and huge, gigantic gullies,,, great chasms of dense red soil, deep enough to sit a large house in... grew. And they grew all over the south... not just on this place. With many years of consistent hard work, we have managed to stop the erosion and now the steep hillsides began to grow pines and brush.
So, we have a deep, steep brush and pine filled gully. The perfect place for a deer to hide.
The boy knew that he'd delivered a kill shot... so we have to find the deer.
So I ask, "Shall I bring the dog?" Here I am referring to the soft warm pup at my feet, not quite a year old, one week out of surgery to spay her, but very smart, very trainable and very willing to do work.
I put on my bathrobe... my purple polarfleece bathrobe. and some tennis shoes. Otherwise, I'm wearing my pajamas.
I leash up the pup and we head off to the site of the initial hit.
My boy meets us. Flushed with warmth, he looks like an advertisement for country living.
Tall and striking, gun slung over his shoulder, he points to where we need to start the trail.
The pup takes the hint and nose down, starts to track.
I hand over the leash... thinking that I'm going back in to finish my coffee.
There's a fire in the fireplace, all cozy and warm.
I want to sit beside it.
And for about 15 seconds, things are fine. She's tracking off in the right direction......
... then I turn to leave.
And she looks back.
And then she sits down and refuses to budge.
She begins to whine and fuss and try to run to me.
NOOOOooooooo.... I think.... No. No. No.
I do not want to take a hike about the back 90 acres... I do NOT.
And there they stand... beautiful boy... beautiful dog... beautiful frosty, clear, clear cold field, dense, thick woods...
... deer down somewhere in the woods close by that needs to be prepped and on the way to the freezer.
Sigh...
So, looking very much like someone's mother in a purple bathrobe, I join the search party.
Through brambles and bushes, up hill and down vale, we track.
At some point, I realize that she's tracking where the boy has gone looking for the deer.
We go back to the last point on the tracking trail where there was blood, and give her her nose...
and were suddenly off in a new direction. Less than 20 feet away, we found the deer.
In a very short time, the doe was off to the processor and the very excited puppy and I were sitting by the fire...
... thinking how invigorating that it was to start the day, in the freezing cold, hiking about the place...
... picking out the thorns and twigs.
Move along and come back another day.
It's part of what we do here... what surely has been done since the Native Americans lived on the banks of the river and every generation since. Venison is a part of our diet. We know where it comes from. It is hunted for that purpose. None of it goes to waste.
This morning, about 6 am, I was sitting in my chair having my morning cup of coffee, warm pup at my feet.
As usual, the house was quiet, the tv news was on, but nothing was really stirring around.
The oldest boy* was in the woods hunting, like many mornings this time of year.
* The oldest boy is a grown man, in every respect. Definitely not a child, but he is my boy, a child of my heart, my first son. He'll always be my 'boy'. For the rest of this story, he'll be referred to as my boy.
A solid hard frost was still lingering after our first good freeze.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang.
What did we do in the world before cell phones?
I do remember those days, but will admit to 'needing' my connections through that phone.
Anyway, I answer and it's my boy. He's hit a doe, she went down and then got up and ran. He'll wait a few minutes then track her. In just a few minutes, I get the call that she is maybe in the gully.
Now, for the uninitiated, let me explain the gully. In the early part of the last century, this property was farmed in cotton. Not a big plantation, mind you... but the kind of cotton you'd grow and harvest with your family members, to sell and pay for the very few things that you didn't raise or grow yourself. Horticulture wasn't then what it is now. Very few soil amendments went into the large fields and the topsoil and ecology of the land suffered. Rains came and erosion began and huge, gigantic gullies,,, great chasms of dense red soil, deep enough to sit a large house in... grew. And they grew all over the south... not just on this place. With many years of consistent hard work, we have managed to stop the erosion and now the steep hillsides began to grow pines and brush.
So, we have a deep, steep brush and pine filled gully. The perfect place for a deer to hide.
The boy knew that he'd delivered a kill shot... so we have to find the deer.
So I ask, "Shall I bring the dog?" Here I am referring to the soft warm pup at my feet, not quite a year old, one week out of surgery to spay her, but very smart, very trainable and very willing to do work.
I put on my bathrobe... my purple polarfleece bathrobe. and some tennis shoes. Otherwise, I'm wearing my pajamas.
I leash up the pup and we head off to the site of the initial hit.
My boy meets us. Flushed with warmth, he looks like an advertisement for country living.
Tall and striking, gun slung over his shoulder, he points to where we need to start the trail.
The pup takes the hint and nose down, starts to track.
I hand over the leash... thinking that I'm going back in to finish my coffee.
There's a fire in the fireplace, all cozy and warm.
I want to sit beside it.
And for about 15 seconds, things are fine. She's tracking off in the right direction......
... then I turn to leave.
And she looks back.
And then she sits down and refuses to budge.
She begins to whine and fuss and try to run to me.
NOOOOooooooo.... I think.... No. No. No.
I do not want to take a hike about the back 90 acres... I do NOT.
And there they stand... beautiful boy... beautiful dog... beautiful frosty, clear, clear cold field, dense, thick woods...
... deer down somewhere in the woods close by that needs to be prepped and on the way to the freezer.
Sigh...
So, looking very much like someone's mother in a purple bathrobe, I join the search party.
Through brambles and bushes, up hill and down vale, we track.
At some point, I realize that she's tracking where the boy has gone looking for the deer.
We go back to the last point on the tracking trail where there was blood, and give her her nose...
and were suddenly off in a new direction. Less than 20 feet away, we found the deer.
In a very short time, the doe was off to the processor and the very excited puppy and I were sitting by the fire...
... thinking how invigorating that it was to start the day, in the freezing cold, hiking about the place...
... picking out the thorns and twigs.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
River adventure
I learned to swim in it.
I have fished in it.
I have canoed and kayaked upon it.
I have played in it.
I have put my children in it from their infant days.
I have slept beside it and I have sat and contemplated life from it's banks.
It is, for me, peace and tranquility and a centering force. When all the world around me is nuts,
the river is there , yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Several months ago, I attended a class to learn how to monitor streams and rivers for quality of the environment.
I recently got my 'kit' for water testing from a 'friends of the river' group. Kits were paid for by grant money and were instrumental in many of us being able to volunteer our time to begin to record and monitor on a regular basis.
The requirement is to routinely and regularly test the water according to the specifications of the Izaak Walton League of America Save our Streams Quality Survey. Using standard scientific method, you sample several different areas (the same area each quarter) and do a count of macroinvertebrates. Having records over time may be invaluable if and when changes occur or the river economy is threatened.
Macroinvertebrates are sorted into Taxa Groups and the water quality is rated depending upon the quantity and variety of 'little critters'. Group One organisms are not tolerant of pollution and their presence generally signified good water qualities. Group Two organisms can exist in a wide variety of water quality conditions and Group Three organisms are tolerant of pollution thereby signifying by their presence that the water quality is poor.
Group One macroinvertebrates were largely what was found in the class that I took, roughly 1/2 mile downstream from my own property river edge. We found only a few individuals from Group 2 and no individuals from Group 3.
The last Sunday of October, I talked my main sidekick on the weekends into accompanying me to the river to do my first official volunteer testing. He volunteered to drive me and while interested, at first was sort of "'ho-hum' what are you up to now?"
First and foremost, I learned that it was VERY cold for October to go barefoot into the river.
It was achingly cold... and there's really no way around it, unless I had the forethought to have brought some waders with me. (Bet your bottom dollar that I'll do that in January!)
So, I start the sampling and right away, I get a number of very lively specimens.
Now, we aren't exactly going after the tiny fish, but this one was in the net. All counted creatures were released unharmed back to their home location after the count.
And there were numerous macroinvertebrates so small that I had to use the magnifying glass AND my reading glasses.
A take away tidbit is that if you find snails, you can easily determine if they're indicators of clean water, or poor quality. By holding the snail oriented up and down, if the operculum opens 'right facing', then it is a 'clean water' indicator.
A bit of an amusing observation is that as the organisms were sorted into the trays as they sat in the sunshine, and the water became warmer than the temperature of the river, they became much more active.
Overall, I was happy to determine that my little stretch of the river had excellent indications of being healthy and clean. Wetland conservation and sustainability is important now and for our future.
And by the time I was done, I had not only a willing participant sidekick, but an excited one who wants to see how the future surveys go. I had also determined that 4 hands were necessary and 6 would have been ideal!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Renewed intentions
So, I intend to get back to visiting with you regularly.
I've actually intended before but so many things have taken the spotlight.
Seasonal employment has come and gone. When added to the heat and humidity of summer, it zapped my desire to do anything more than really necessary and not even all of the necessary things.
I find myself headed into the holiday season with a serious backlog of household chores and an intense desire to sit on the porch rocker and watch the leaves turn their beautiful autumnal tones...
... and to pick up the pecans before the squirrels get to them...
... or to lunch with friends whom I have missed during all of this.
The knitting group at church goes on, and really merits a post of it's own. It's a small group ministry and it's become so very meaningful to me, and I believe, to others. We have taught beginners and brought together experienced knitters and crocheters of all ages to make items with our hands to bless others. And on the way, we've discovered the blessings that always abound when folks of like-spirits get together and share their lives regularly. You find yourself thinking of them on other days and other times, and praying for the concerns of their hearts and lives.
I love the cooler, crisp mornings, but kind of miss the longer daylight hours of summer.
I enjoy planning a holiday meal and look forward to a time when kith and kin draw near.
I've actually intended before but so many things have taken the spotlight.
Seasonal employment has come and gone. When added to the heat and humidity of summer, it zapped my desire to do anything more than really necessary and not even all of the necessary things.
I find myself headed into the holiday season with a serious backlog of household chores and an intense desire to sit on the porch rocker and watch the leaves turn their beautiful autumnal tones...
... and to pick up the pecans before the squirrels get to them...
... or to lunch with friends whom I have missed during all of this.
The knitting group at church goes on, and really merits a post of it's own. It's a small group ministry and it's become so very meaningful to me, and I believe, to others. We have taught beginners and brought together experienced knitters and crocheters of all ages to make items with our hands to bless others. And on the way, we've discovered the blessings that always abound when folks of like-spirits get together and share their lives regularly. You find yourself thinking of them on other days and other times, and praying for the concerns of their hearts and lives.
I love the cooler, crisp mornings, but kind of miss the longer daylight hours of summer.
I enjoy planning a holiday meal and look forward to a time when kith and kin draw near.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
New Fall Bread Recipe
One day this last week, I bought some Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled cereal.
I love really hearty grain mixtures. This one is a blend of coarsely rolled whole wheat, rye, oats, flax seed, barley, and triticale.
I love these sorts of grains even more in the fall, just as the weather turns, which makes something instinctual in me want to bake bread.
I've been counting calories and attempting to behave, so have been making far less bread products.
With only two of us home most days, I really can't rationalize baking multiple loaves of bread, or multiple times a week.
In an effort to find a recipe for bread that worked with the cereal blend in the 5 grain cereal, I went to the website for Bob's Red Mill and spent a happy hour reading recipes. Then, I printed off a recipe entitled 'Freckles and Warts' and proceeded to alter/change/exchange ingredients until I had what I now consider a perfect fall afternoon bread, that also makes perfect fall morning toast, and with which I will make a positively yummy bread pudding or some fall morning french toast, depending on which way the wind blows this afternoon!
The bread is a mid density bread, with a barely sweet flavor and a pleasant chewy texture. It has remained soft for several days and is so very fragrant.
This is a remarkably poor photo of the bread, but it does give you an idea of texture.
This is MY version of the recipe!
And I'm not a fan of the descriptive name 'Freckles and Warts', so I'm going to be every so creative and call it 5 grain cereal bread!
Five Grain Cereal Bread
1 1/3 cup of warm water (I used it right from the tap)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1 cup of Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled cereal
1/2 cup orange juice
4 Tablespoons of demerara sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ginger (all spices are ground spices and I didn't actually measure... I'm a spice tosser!)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons of buttermilk
1/2 cup of dried, sweetened cranberries
In a large bowl, pour the hot water, the juice (at room temp), the buttermilk and the oil over the 5 grain cereal. Add the yeast and the sugar. Let it sit about 15 minutes for the yeast to begin working and the grains to soften.
Add all other ingredients and stir until it comes to a ball of dough. I needed to add a couple more handfuls of flour. Amount of flour always depends on moisture in the flour and in the environment, and practice teaches you what good bread dough 'feels' like.
I kneaded in the large bowl for four or five minutes, then tossed in the cranberries and kneaded till they were mixed into the dough. I greased it lightly with a little olive oil and let it rise for about an hour, or until doubled.
I then shaped it into a loaf and put in a well greased glass loaf dish (because I couldn't find my best metal one)
and covered it to rise, until it was a good inch over the top of the loaf dish.
Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes and check it for doneness. Mine was done to utter perfection.
Had I found the metal pan (which has a shape that I prefer) I'd have cooked it at 350 degrees and checked it at about 32 minutes.
Here's the printable recipe: 5 cereal bread
I love really hearty grain mixtures. This one is a blend of coarsely rolled whole wheat, rye, oats, flax seed, barley, and triticale.
I love these sorts of grains even more in the fall, just as the weather turns, which makes something instinctual in me want to bake bread.
I've been counting calories and attempting to behave, so have been making far less bread products.
With only two of us home most days, I really can't rationalize baking multiple loaves of bread, or multiple times a week.
In an effort to find a recipe for bread that worked with the cereal blend in the 5 grain cereal, I went to the website for Bob's Red Mill and spent a happy hour reading recipes. Then, I printed off a recipe entitled 'Freckles and Warts' and proceeded to alter/change/exchange ingredients until I had what I now consider a perfect fall afternoon bread, that also makes perfect fall morning toast, and with which I will make a positively yummy bread pudding or some fall morning french toast, depending on which way the wind blows this afternoon!
The bread is a mid density bread, with a barely sweet flavor and a pleasant chewy texture. It has remained soft for several days and is so very fragrant.
This is a remarkably poor photo of the bread, but it does give you an idea of texture.
This is MY version of the recipe!
And I'm not a fan of the descriptive name 'Freckles and Warts', so I'm going to be every so creative and call it 5 grain cereal bread!
Five Grain Cereal Bread
1 1/3 cup of warm water (I used it right from the tap)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1 cup of Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled cereal
1/2 cup orange juice
4 Tablespoons of demerara sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ginger (all spices are ground spices and I didn't actually measure... I'm a spice tosser!)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons of buttermilk
1/2 cup of dried, sweetened cranberries
In a large bowl, pour the hot water, the juice (at room temp), the buttermilk and the oil over the 5 grain cereal. Add the yeast and the sugar. Let it sit about 15 minutes for the yeast to begin working and the grains to soften.
Add all other ingredients and stir until it comes to a ball of dough. I needed to add a couple more handfuls of flour. Amount of flour always depends on moisture in the flour and in the environment, and practice teaches you what good bread dough 'feels' like.
I kneaded in the large bowl for four or five minutes, then tossed in the cranberries and kneaded till they were mixed into the dough. I greased it lightly with a little olive oil and let it rise for about an hour, or until doubled.
I then shaped it into a loaf and put in a well greased glass loaf dish (because I couldn't find my best metal one)
and covered it to rise, until it was a good inch over the top of the loaf dish.
Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes and check it for doneness. Mine was done to utter perfection.
Had I found the metal pan (which has a shape that I prefer) I'd have cooked it at 350 degrees and checked it at about 32 minutes.
Here's the printable recipe: 5 cereal bread
Friday, September 30, 2011
Oh, my...
I have really fallen down on my blog... and I promise to do better.
This has been more of a challenging summer and early autumn than I've had in a while.
So much heat, so many changes...
First and foremost, let me whine... (yes,,, I am going to whine).
I'm a bit more than 5 months into the Tamoxifen regimen, which is a preventative for breast cancer in my case, and I'm still struggling with the side effects of the drugs.
The struggle has been far greater than I had imagined.
With that being said, I have seen the doctor several times and I'm not willing to go off of the drug, which greatly reduces future chances of cancer. In the weighing and balancing of things, dealing with the side effects of tamoxifen is preferred to dealing with the side effects of surgery, chemo and radiation that I've watched a number of friends and family endure. Its' not a promise or a certainty... this tamoxifen regiment, but it's a pretty good shot ... and so I continue on the drug. Pretty much the only issue is some serious hot flashes... hot flashes on drugs if you will, which are far more manageable during the day, than at night. I've always been a person who needs their sleep, I LIKE to turn in early and I love to rise early for the day. Lack of undisturbed sleep has been a serious issue this summer.
I struggle onward with this issue.
Ok... that's enough whining.
Uhm... maybe not....
I've been temporarily back at work... such is the life of the part time folks of state parks. State parks in every state, and national parks as well have suffered tremendously in the economic melee that has been our lot these last years. Having found something that I absolutely adore doing, and knowing what it takes to run a park while short staffed, and having much respect and admiration for the dedicated few who persevere when it would be so much easier to look elsewhere, I am again facing the time of 'job not funded.'...
It's not that I can't find things to do... I can... It's that's where I want to be... where my heart is...
and it's tough, tough, tough to not just get up and go.
Somedays,,, a lot of days,,, you simply don't get what you want.
Ok, so NOW, maybe I'm done whining...
Okay... so maybe not...
The heat this summer really laid waste to the garden. We had some vegetables, but everything burned up supper early, even given the best efforts that we could manage. As folks on a country well, we are not able to run water day and night to the garden, and so the garden is effected by serious drought and weeks of 90 to 100 degree temperatures do not make it easier. I miss the gardens of better days... miss the leisurely stroll to pick 'supper' from the rows, in the late summer sun, miss being able to can and preserve for the winter and miss being able to share the bounty.
We are rethinking the garden... considering raised beds, which will be easier, I think, as we age.
Rethinking what to grow.
I've evolved to a more 'year round' garden perspective, rather than canning and preserving so much as I used to do, but instead, eating more in season,with what will grow at the time. I'm liking that approach... it's working with the fewer mouths that I have to feed.
This summer we ran an experiment. We did not purchase any plants, but started everything from seed.
I started at least a dozen types of heirloom tomatoes and also that many types of peppers from seed.
Some of the tomatoes were amazing... with the heirlooms faring much better with the heat and drought than the 'standards' that are sold in town. The heirloom seeds were pricey, but I have saved enough for next year, making it a more cost effective process... certainly more effective than purchasing the plants at $3/plant.
The pepper experiment was a resounding failure... planted too late, they didn't survive transplant, leaving us with a deficit of peppers, which add much to our diet. Will try that one again next year, but also be prepared to purchase some, if again faced with failure in the pepper department.
The other experiment was to purchase cheap seeds... at discount places, for things like squash and beans.
I'd really not consider it a success either... Perhaps, I'm snooty where seeds are concerned.
The cheap seeds did come up, but did not produce true to what they were supposed to be, in some cases. The beans did not produce nearly as well as our previous 'high end' seed, nor did they hold up to the difficult weather circumstances.
The only area that did produce beautifully from cheap seeds were the lettuces... Amazing turnout from packages of seeds that costs ten cents. Variety was nice, though not as much as from a pack of seed that costs $5, but for the price difference, fresh, beautiful lettuces were an acceptable 'cost cutting' measure.
Ok, so that's about all the whining I can take for today...
I promise to return with a better attitude, promptly!
This has been more of a challenging summer and early autumn than I've had in a while.
So much heat, so many changes...
First and foremost, let me whine... (yes,,, I am going to whine).
I'm a bit more than 5 months into the Tamoxifen regimen, which is a preventative for breast cancer in my case, and I'm still struggling with the side effects of the drugs.
The struggle has been far greater than I had imagined.
With that being said, I have seen the doctor several times and I'm not willing to go off of the drug, which greatly reduces future chances of cancer. In the weighing and balancing of things, dealing with the side effects of tamoxifen is preferred to dealing with the side effects of surgery, chemo and radiation that I've watched a number of friends and family endure. Its' not a promise or a certainty... this tamoxifen regiment, but it's a pretty good shot ... and so I continue on the drug. Pretty much the only issue is some serious hot flashes... hot flashes on drugs if you will, which are far more manageable during the day, than at night. I've always been a person who needs their sleep, I LIKE to turn in early and I love to rise early for the day. Lack of undisturbed sleep has been a serious issue this summer.
I struggle onward with this issue.
Ok... that's enough whining.
Uhm... maybe not....
I've been temporarily back at work... such is the life of the part time folks of state parks. State parks in every state, and national parks as well have suffered tremendously in the economic melee that has been our lot these last years. Having found something that I absolutely adore doing, and knowing what it takes to run a park while short staffed, and having much respect and admiration for the dedicated few who persevere when it would be so much easier to look elsewhere, I am again facing the time of 'job not funded.'...
It's not that I can't find things to do... I can... It's that's where I want to be... where my heart is...
and it's tough, tough, tough to not just get up and go.
Somedays,,, a lot of days,,, you simply don't get what you want.
Ok, so NOW, maybe I'm done whining...
Okay... so maybe not...
The heat this summer really laid waste to the garden. We had some vegetables, but everything burned up supper early, even given the best efforts that we could manage. As folks on a country well, we are not able to run water day and night to the garden, and so the garden is effected by serious drought and weeks of 90 to 100 degree temperatures do not make it easier. I miss the gardens of better days... miss the leisurely stroll to pick 'supper' from the rows, in the late summer sun, miss being able to can and preserve for the winter and miss being able to share the bounty.
We are rethinking the garden... considering raised beds, which will be easier, I think, as we age.
Rethinking what to grow.
I've evolved to a more 'year round' garden perspective, rather than canning and preserving so much as I used to do, but instead, eating more in season,with what will grow at the time. I'm liking that approach... it's working with the fewer mouths that I have to feed.
This summer we ran an experiment. We did not purchase any plants, but started everything from seed.
I started at least a dozen types of heirloom tomatoes and also that many types of peppers from seed.
Some of the tomatoes were amazing... with the heirlooms faring much better with the heat and drought than the 'standards' that are sold in town. The heirloom seeds were pricey, but I have saved enough for next year, making it a more cost effective process... certainly more effective than purchasing the plants at $3/plant.
The pepper experiment was a resounding failure... planted too late, they didn't survive transplant, leaving us with a deficit of peppers, which add much to our diet. Will try that one again next year, but also be prepared to purchase some, if again faced with failure in the pepper department.
The other experiment was to purchase cheap seeds... at discount places, for things like squash and beans.
I'd really not consider it a success either... Perhaps, I'm snooty where seeds are concerned.
The cheap seeds did come up, but did not produce true to what they were supposed to be, in some cases. The beans did not produce nearly as well as our previous 'high end' seed, nor did they hold up to the difficult weather circumstances.
The only area that did produce beautifully from cheap seeds were the lettuces... Amazing turnout from packages of seeds that costs ten cents. Variety was nice, though not as much as from a pack of seed that costs $5, but for the price difference, fresh, beautiful lettuces were an acceptable 'cost cutting' measure.
Ok, so that's about all the whining I can take for today...
I promise to return with a better attitude, promptly!
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