I finished my first accordion book today. I’m so proud of myself. I’ve worked really hard, and I have to say it’s very gratifying to get to this point. I got this certificate for finishing. I wish I had those kinds of things when I was a kid learning to play my violin–I think I would have advanced more quickly…who knew I would be so motivated by a wee piece of paper.
Posted in music
“As everyone knows, there is only one way to fry a chicken correctly. Unfortunately, most people think their method is best, but most people are wrong. Mine is the only right way, and on this subject I feel almost evangelical.” From Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
So funny. Any recipe that starts out like that is one that I will read thoroughly. I wish for Laurie Colwin’s sake that I liked fried chicken because her method is simple and I would say worth a go. I’m seriously enjoying this book at any rate. In another chapter, she talks about the perils of feeding fussy eaters. She suggests having people fill out questionnaires before coming to dinner about any food phobias they might have. I’m glad to know I’m not the only hostess who has encountered such oddities. Her humor put a band aid on some painful memories that I’ve had. Anyhow, go read this book!
Only one more day of daily posts. I think I’ll try to keep up more regularly than I had with posting than I did before May. I’ve rather gotten used to posting every day.
Posted in reading
Such a lovely food writing book/cookbook. It’s not as wonderful as Ruth Reichl’s Tender At the Bone so far, but it is very charming. I’m looking foward to finishing it after school is done tomorrow.
I cut out the pattern pieces for the cape mod. I’m not sure I’ll get to it until next week. We have lots of stuff happening this weekend, plus our anniversary is on Monday.
Nathan and I sat down to troubleshoot the hat yesterday, and what we discovered was that the combined circumference of the crown sections is a great deal more than the circumference of the brim, so the pattern is indeed a little off. So either you have to attach the crown further down the brim, rather than 3/8″ down it like the pattern tells you, or you have to enlarge the arc for the brim. I think next time I will enlarge the arc again, but make a shallower angle on the side that does not attach to the crown so that it won’t be so floppy. I wonder if a pie wedge shape might achieve that purpose….
In the middle of my troubleshooting, I went on Flickr to see if anyone else had made the hat and run into problems. I didn’t find much help, but I found this wonderful blog. This coat that she made has to be one of the prettiest pieces of clothing I’ve seen in a really long time. I think you’d be hard pressed to find something ready to wear with such fine detailing.
Posted in Uncategorized
I’ve been wanting to make this hat for a while. It’s super sunny all the time in Colorado, and given that I burn easily, a nice hat is a lovely thing. I had a bit of trouble where the brim meets the crown. I sewed all the way around, and realized that I had 6 inches extra of crown than I did brim. 6! I measured the whole thing perfectly. Did I miss something in the directions? Perhaps I have a faulty version of the pattern.
So after ripping out that seam, I added a 6″ chunk of brim from the pattern piece. It worked out perfectly, but it made obviously a much floppier hat. Did anyone else run into this problem? I’ll set Nathan on trying to help solve my problem, but for now, I will enjoy the retro coolness of my extra floppy sun hat.
Posted in sewing
Today we and my church family said goodbye to a dear friend who passed away after a long battle with cancer on Tuesday. Nathan and I were priveleged to be a part of a small group with him and his precious wife during the time we were dating until just after we got married. Undoubtedly, he heard the Lord tell him, well done my good and faithful servant. He loved his family, he loved Jesus, and he loved so many people and was a living portrait of the grace and the mercy the Lord offers us. I will always remember his quiet spirit and how he served his family. Nathan and I are greatful for the time that we were able to spend with him and for the blessings that he spoke into our lives. He will be missed, but he lives on.
Posted in family time
We helped some friends move yesterday–they actually moved right across the street from us. We’re super excited to have neighbors! As we were waiting for the boys to finish loading the truck, my friend talked about a cake she used to be able to get in Oklahoma–a chocolate and vanilla layer cake with cream cheese icing and strawberries in between and whipped cream frosting. After church today, I decided to give it a go and see if I could create what she described. It was cool to be able to make a cake to give away, and we all got to sit and have a piece in their mostly unpacked living room. Good friends and cake are a lovely way to spend a day.
Posted in cooking
I loved this spatula. It was my good friend for a few short years. I bought it on a trip to Santa Fe/Albequerque with my sweet friend Lisa a few Labor Days back at The Spanish Table in Santa Fe. After much love, it met it’s end thus:
Thankfully, one of Nathan’s best friends lives in Seattle where there is another Spanish Table, so he graciously sent us a replacement.
And unlike the goldfish that replaces (like you’re not supposed to notice) the one that met an untimely demise when you’re a kid, (this never happened to me, it’s just the best example I could think of), olivewood spatula #2 will find a happy place in my heart and my utensil crock that was just as happy as when olivewood #1 resided there.
Posted in cooking
I was reading about the 2008-2009 Met Opera season this afternoon. It sounds pretty exciting. I’m quite excited to see La Cenerentola again, which is the first opera I think I ever saw (on Great Performances with Cecilia Bartoli as Cinderella), and to see Natalie Dessay as the sleepwalking heroine of La Somnabula. She was so amazing in La Fille du Regiment this season, and she seems so kind and down to earth and un-diva like, that I’m eagerly anticipating seeing her as a sleepwalker.
Posted in opera
This was dinner tonight.
Very simple and easy on a sore throat (I taught today with handsigns and writing on the board–awkward, but it kept my kids very attentive, which was super, especially given that there is one more week left for the year). I suppose you could take out the spinach, but we are constantly getting spinach in our vegetable share, and it’s too much for me and Nathan to eat raw, so I usually end up sneaking it into a lot of different places on the weeks we get it.
I adapted the recipe from Here in America’s Test Kitchen. I’m typically not a fan of Cook’s Illustrated in general because the tone in their recipes always seems so know-it-all, but this really is a good recipe.
Spinach Macaroni and Cheese
1 small bunch of spinach, washed and spun dry
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk (I like a combo of half and half and 2%)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (I use Sriracha because I love Vietnamese food and would be lost without it)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard dissolved in 1/2 tsp water
4 oz elbow macaroni
2 T butter
6 oz grated cheese (today I used a combo of sharp cheddar and goat’s milk monterey jack)
Bring some salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach is tender–about 2 minutes. Fish the spinach out of the water with a strainer and press out as much water as you can from it. Chop the spinach once you have finished wringing out the water.
Mix the egg, milk, pepper sauce, worcestershire, salt, and pepper, and mustard mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
Cook the macaroni in the water you used to cook the spinach in until it is still a little firm (you will cook it more). Drain it and return it to the same pot and toss with the butter over a low heat. Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni along with the cheese and the spinach. Stir until it starts to thicken and the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes). Bon Appetit.
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