My Bit of Earth

The Grocery List: Inspiration and Adventure

I subscribe to about 10 different food blogs.  When I see a recipe that looks great, I bookmark it.  Then when it's time to make the week's grocery list, I already have all sorts of yummy ideas.  

As a result of this method--although we do have a few recipes in rotation that we go back to again and again (egg sandwiches, pizza, the chicken from Apples for Jam)--chances are good that if you stop by for dinner on a random night, we're trying a recipe that's new.  I've been asked if this is stressful, but I actually think it's kinda fun.  I enjoy the puttering, the adventure, the chance that dinner could be some fantastic new discovery!

For this week's list, several new recipes (still using up stuff from the back of the pantry) and one golden oldie (the pizza):

• Lentil Almond Stir-Fry 
• Spinach and Lemon Soup with Orzo 
• Rich No-Cream Wild Mushroom Pasta
• Rickshaw Dumplings with Broccoli  
• Pizza  (I think maybe with brie and fruit, but I reserve the right to change my mind.)

And here are a few of my favorite food blogs for your viewing (and munching!) pleasure:

• The Kitchn 
• 101 Cookbooks 
• La Tartine Gourmande 
• Homecooking Revival 
• Cast Sugar 
• Ezra Pound Cake 

A Little Clutch

No, it's not just your imagination, there has been an awful lot of sew-y-ness around here lately.  The thing is, I got a few new pattern books (thanks Dad!) and a gift certificate for fabric (thanks Anita and David!) for Christmas.  And then MLK day weekend came along, and I had some extra time....ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom! 

This little clutch is from Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol (aka Angry Chicken).  It's just a little lined sack folded over on itself, with a bit of elastic and a big button to close it up.  Right now it's home to a bunch of small knitting odds and ends, but for a few days I had it tucked into my purse holding my cell phone and chap stick and stuff.  It's kind of a fun little project, because, as the book notes, you could easily change the fabric and size to make it fit any occasion or contents.

Daring Bakers: Tuiles

It's Daring Bakers Day again!  This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf.  They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.  And fortunately for us savory lovers, they also allowed an alternate recipe--savory tuiles from The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller--which is what I decided to make.

The tuiles were actually much easier than I thought they'd be.  I used parchment paper rather than a silpat, and even used just a baking sheet for one batch (ran out of parchment!) to no ill effect.  The secret is to work super fast.  Once you pull these babies out of the oven you have literally seconds to peel them off the paper and shape them before they harden.  An extra pair of hands is helpful if you've got'em!

The instructions were to pair the tuiles with something light, so I chose this shiitake-soy tuna tartare recipe.  It was good, but I was a little disappointed at the way the mushrooms and sesame oil overpowered the flavor of the tuna.  If I were going to make this again I would definitely play with the ratios a little.

For the tuiles recipe, read on.

Historical Fiction Challenge: I, Elizabeth

For my first book of the Royal Reviews Historical Fiction Challenge, I re-read I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles.

This book is an "autobiographical" account of the life of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and for me, this book is Elizabeth.  

Miles just hits the perfect tone for the character.  A little vain, but fiercely proud.  Incredibly intelligent, but haunted and hunted by her own family.  Susceptible to the love of men, but ultimately willing to sacrifice that love for her love of her country.  It's just everything I ever imagined Elizabeth I to be.

Truly, if you're just going to read one book from this period, this is the one.  (Yes, yes--even better than The Other Boleyn Girl.) 

Pants From Sheets (This Time Without the Oops)

The pants re-made.  This time in the right size and with the right parts sewn together.  

They're just like these that I made earlier this year, except that I put in an elastic waist instead of the drawstring.  And (hat tip to One more Moore) I made them from old sheets.  Which are divine.  Because I can wear my sheets all day long, never-ever take them off, thought about wearing them to work a few times even.

Mmmmm.....

Moe Speaks: Thanks Stanley and Stella!

By virtue of my lovely beard (and thanks to Mom for guarding it from the Groomer Man), I recently won the under 25 pounds category of Stanley and Stella's beard contest.  I was not originally aware that there would be prizes, so when a package came in the mail with my name on it I was very happily surprised!

Oh-ho-ho!  Such a wonderful session of squeaking and de-stuffing was had!!!

Thanks Stanley and Stella!

Alabama Pincushion, Plus

Another one from The Alabama Stitch Book (I'm making myself a skirt from it next!), this is the "Over the Arm Pincushion".  One thing I love about this book is the little stories sprinkled throughout.  This project was patterned after a similar pincushion made by author Natalie Chanin's grandmother.  In the pouch of her grandmother's pincushion, Chanin found the following little poem:

I'm an Arm Chair Caddy, a very handy tool you'll see.

Put your thread and scissors in my pocket, pins and needles in the middle of me.

When you are finished sewing, fold me up as I am.

Put me away 'til next time you need a helping hand.

So handy and cute--and all made from old t-shirts I would have otherwise thrown away!

Moe Speaks: I Lurv Breakfast

Mom and Dad get special breakfasts on weekends, so Mom says it's only fair that we do too.  Yesterday, it was eggs and bacon and toast.  Mom burnt the bacon just a bit, but I would never complain.  And her eggs were perfectly ooey-gooey, although I made a bit of a mess with mine.  (It's hard to keep it in the bowl--you dogs know how it is!)  

The Grocery List: Cleaning Out the Pantry Edition

(Ohhh, new idea! Blogging the week's menu at our house. Don't promise it'll be fascinating or even terribly regular, but it'll keep me organized at least...maybe...right? Eh, anyway, here goes....) 

It was a cold and snowy Friday night. Sweet Husband had gone out to pick up bread and wine--essentials for weathering any storm--when I started looking in the pantry to see what I could scrounge up to go with sandwiches. 

Our pantry is small and dark and only has a half size door. (We joke that it's a self-enforcing measure against over-eating--if you got too fat you wouldn't be able to get through the pantry door to feed yourself!) As I sorted through its contents, I quickly became frustrated and decided it was time to organize. When Sweet Husband got home, this was the scene: 

Three boxes of unflavored gelatin, four kinds of flour (AP, buckwheat, cake, whole wheat), five different kinds of vinegar (white, apple cider, malt, balsamic, and rice)--not to mention various and sundry soups, pastas, rice, grains....the list could go on. Needless to say, today's grocery list was pretty much about using some of that up:

• Bean Soup Mix with Wheatfield's bread
• Orzo with Bacon and a Fried Egg
• Giant Chipotle Beans with cornbread 
• Steak and wild rice with mushrooms 
• Chicken and Bulgar Salad with Cranberries

Dewey's Books: March

For my first book of the Dewey's Books challenge, I decided to read March by Geraldine Brooks.  

March is the story of Mr. March (from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women) during the time he leaves the family and goes to fight in the Civil War.  It paints a much more multi-faceted and less-rosy picture of both Mr. March and Marmee, and is loosely based on the life of Louisa May Alcott's father, Bronson.

Dewey gave this book rave reviews for it's ambiguities.  She said, "I loved how absolutely nothing was black-and-white, cut-and-dried."  That makes me chuckle, because I thought the book was only so-so for the exact same reason--I wanted black-and-white and cut-and-dried.

I loved Little Women, and adored the March family--particularly Marmee.  But, as Brooks points out in her notes afterward, in real life nobody's that perfect.  Everyone has mean thoughts and misgivings and doubts every now and then--they'd be horribly boring if they didn't!  

But--at least in literature--I think I just prefer the fantasy.    

Barefoot Bloggers: Easy Sticky Buns

This month's second Barefoot Bloggers recipe--chosen by Melissa of Made by Melissa--is the Contessa's Easy Sticky Buns.

Whew--these are crazy bad for you, even by Ina standards!  Over a tablespoon of butter per roll, not to mention the brown sugar and puff pastry dough.  In keeping with New Year's resolution number 2, I just had a small bite of one, but it was one very carmel-y, nutty, gooey bite!

Read on for the recipe.

Moe Speaks: Fourth Birthday

Today, I am four.  I think Mom is maybe a little sad about this--me entering middle age and all--but I'm completely down with it.  I don't mind being older so much, and birthdays always mean fun!

This year my "present" was a nice, long afternoon walk at Clinton Lake.  (We celebrated last weekend.)  We don't usually go out hiking very much during "mud season", but Mom said we'd make an exception. 

(Note from Mom: I think we still have mud pasted to the kitchen floor from the aftermath!)

First, we walked all the way to the top of a big hill that looks over the lake. 

 

Then I chased my ball down hill towards the lake shore.

Mom played around for awhile taking pictures on the beach, but the lake was frozen, so no swimming!  I did get to sniff around a little before we headed for home though.

And then, as if the walk wasn't enough, I got to take a shower all by myself to wash off my mud!  

What a great birthday I had!

Inauguration Day: Happy To Be Back In the Driver's Seat

A few weeks ago Stacy (who is pretty much as conservative as I am liberal) was reflecting on the year behind and the year ahead, and said,

"The most hated President in the history of Presidents is about to say goodbye, and we can see if President Elect Obama can make good on his promises.  It's sort of like having a backseat driver for the past 8 years and finally throwing up your hands and saying "Would you like to drive?  Go ahead!"  We'll see if they can do better."

Talk about hitting the nail on the head--I think I snorted my coffee laughing!  As one of those backseat drivers, the analogy captures my feelings over the past 8 years just as much as I'm sure it captures Stacy's as a driver.  

Because I don't hate George Bush.  I don't think he's gotten up each morning, put his pinkie to his lips, and thought to himself, "How can I destroy the world today?"  I'm willing to believe he's had good intentions.

But, at the same time, as one of the people in the backseat, it's been tiring, frustrating, and at times infuriating, to be constantly thinking, "Umm, shouldn't we have turned there?"  Constantly having that panicky "we're going in the exact opposite direction from what we should be" weight in my chest.  And occasionally even being driven to exclaim, "Where the hell are you going?  Can't you see we're headed the wrong way?!?"

And, like a backseat driver who finally gets to slide behind the wheel, today it feels like we're looking at the map, letting out a deep breath, putting our hands at ten and two, and turning the car around.  We might not get where we need to be by the fastest route.  There will almost certainly be a few wrong turns and detours....  

But at least we'll be heading in the right direction!

Weekend Afghan: Falsely Advertised, But Still Quite Nice

Another knitting project that got finished up last weekend was this "Weekend (Baby) Afghan" that I've been working on for a friend's soon-to-be arriving small one.

The "weekend" part?  Completely untrue.  I don't know what super-human-speed-knitter pattern writters use to time these things, but this took me more like a month.  However, it is lovely and soft and even somehow enhanced by my few small mistakes, so I suppose I can forgive them.  ;)

Paradise Found (And a New Hat)

This weekend I made a great discovery.  If I sit up in bed just so, I can read and knit at the same time.  With a stack o'books on my nightstand, several knitting projects on my "to-make" list, and one very cozy down comforter tucked around me, I may have just found my own little paradise.

The latest project to emerge from my cocoon of bliss is Soule Mama's Favorite Knit Hat.  It was super quick to make--maybe four hours, but I'm slow.  And while it's not necessarily all that warming, it's so frickin' cute.  (And I'm not really a hat girl.)  I think it shall be my new want-to-go-out-of-the-house-but-do-not-want-to-shower-first cap of choice!  

(And the lake?  Well, that's Moe's story to tell, so stay tuned!)

The Boy Makes Eggs Too

When Sweet Husband and I first were married I had this silly idea that we should divide the household labor exactly down the middle, tit for tat, he cleaned half the toilet, I cleaned the other half.  (Not really on that last one, but you get the idea.)  It was most certainly related to my childhood, I'm sure.  Seeing my mom work more than full time and come home and do all the household chores too.  Not me, I vowed.

Yeah, that didn't last very long.  Not because Sweet Husband's a slacker--because he's absolutely not--but because keeping score like that is not practical or even--as I quickly figured out--really even healthy.  Instead, we've gradually evolved into a pattern that may not stay perfectly equal every second of every day, but does equal out over time.  Meal planning and recipe hunting, my job.  Weekend breakfasts, his.  The result?  The lovely plate of eggs and goodies you see before you.  I think it's a pretty good deal.

(And the perfectly round eggs?  Egg rings--absolutely gorgeous!)

The Boy Can Make Biscuits

Sweet Husband has been on a quest for about a year now--the quest to make tasty homemade biscuits. Over the course of his experimentation with different recipes, we've had dense biscuits, flat biscuits, dry biscuits, you name it.  But this morning, Sweet Husband's perseverance finally paid off.  This may be the perfect biscuit.  (And a little sage and thyme in the gravy?  That doesn't hurt either!)

The Pups Speak!

Moe:  I'm lodging a protest.  I've begged and sat nicely, but Mom says I can't have my own blog.  Stanley and Stella have one.  Molly and Taffy have one.  I want one too!  

Meryl:  Sorry Moe-moe, I can't be blogging all the time, gotta go to work--well, if you like eating, that is.

Moe:  Eating! Yes, let's go do that!

Meryl:  (Aside) Ya see how easily distracted he is?  He'll forget about this blog thing in no time!

Moe:  Will not!  I want a blog!  I keep your toes warm at night--you owe me!

Meryl:  Darn, I guess I do....OK, well how about this?  What if I let you and Porter crash my blog every so often?  Say, once a week or so?  Would that satisfy you?  We could import your old diaries from your Dogster pages, even....and some pictures....

Moe:  Hmmm....well that doesn't sound too bad....throw in a snack and you've got a deal!

Poll: Family

I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes people family, and I've come to the conclusion that my family is not very biological these days.  Rather, it's my people, those who know me and love me anyway, those who if I said, "I have a body to bury," would reply, "Where shall I bring the shovel?"

It's really only lately that I've started to think of our household as it's own family, as opposed to just mashed together fragments of our families of origin.  Sweet Husband, Me, Porterhouse, and Moe--that is my family.

My siblings and Sweet Husband's, our parents, of course--they are all my family.  

 

And then there's this little group that's sprung up around us here in Lawrence.  Some would call them mere friends, but they too are my family.

And then there are a few of you, frequent commentors and lurkers that I look forward to hearing from each day, I think you're kind of becoming my family as well.

Who is your family?

Omnivore's Hundred: Chicken Tikka Masala and Salted Lassi

I got in a few Indian foods from the Omnivore's Hundred last weekend, when some friends talked us into going to India Palace for dinner.

First, an order of chicken tikka masala.  Common wisdom is this dish is not actually Indian in origin, but was invented in Glasgow, Scotland, then imported to India.  Wherever it's from, it was pretty darned good though!  It had that sweet-spicy thing going on.  (I'm a sucker for that!)

Second, a salted lassi, which is a yogurt drink.  Imagine sipping salty cottage cheese through a straw.  While it was disgusting, it was kind of fun watching everyone's faces screw up as I passed it around the table for sampling.  In the end all four of us agreed--it was not good.  (Note Nice Friend making a kinda-creepy face for this kinda-creepy drink!)