On the Needles and In the Oven

Things are settling back into our normal routine again and I'm pretty happy about it.  I enjoyed the break and visits with family, but now I'm enjoying our regular routine again.   I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Little G was happy to go back to school yesterday.  He chattered about his friends (we caught a couple of their names, including the teachers) and was in a great mood when we told him it was a school day.  When I picked him up after lunch he was grinning from ear to ear and didn't want to leave!  He was also as proud as a peacock because he had two stickers on his shirt from using the toilet twice.  The teachers made a big deal of it and he was literally running in circles with his chest puffed out, he was so proud of himself!  I was proud too, since we've been using the toilet successfully at home for a very long time, but he'd been making a liar of me with his preschool teachers. :) 

Showing off his stickers!

In more mundane news, I've been doing a little bread making and knitting.  I attempted the challah bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I ran into a couple of problems with the bread, but they were my doing, so I'll give it another shot. 

The first loaf I made, I didn't photograph, and it was an apple strudel bread I found at the authors' website.  I allowed it to rise too long and it sort of exploded out of the pan in the oven.  That didn't affect the taste though and we still ate some of it.  It wasn't what I was going for as far as the filling, so I decided to try another variation when the mood strikes me again. 

I still had a few pounds of the dough in the fridge after the apple bread.  Since it only lasts five days (due to the sugar I speeding up fermentation, I think) I needed to use it more quickly than I do when I make the standard artisan bread recipe.  I waited until the sixth day and I think that is partially to blame for the lack of spectacular results on those efforts.  I made caramel pecan sticky buns and a loaf of regular challah bread (both recipes in the book).  I did remember to take pictures of those.

The sticky buns were pretty good, but I think they would have been better with fresher dough.  They had a bit too much tang for my taste.  The challah didn't rise quite as much as I'd have liked, but again I'm sure it was from the dough being past its prime. 

I ended up using the challah to make french toast sticks to freeze for Little G.  I sliced it normally and then sliced the pieces in half and soaked them in the usual egg, milk, cinnamon sugar mixture to which I also added pureed butternut squash baby food.  Then I baked them on a cookie sheet, turning halfway through.  They turned out pretty good and froze well.  You could make them with regular bread too.  I did a few pieces that way to use up the rest of the egg mixture, actually.  Here is where I must confess that Gabriel hasn't eaten any of this yet, but I've had it for breakfast twice.  I'm pretty sure he'll like it too. 

On the crafting front, I've been knitting a scarf for myself.  I found a very simple lace pattern on Ravelry that seemed simple and it has turned out to be just what I was looking for.  I'm an extremely slow knitter so I don't like projects that are too big or complicated.  I usually make baby hats, but wanted to make something for myself this time.  I used yarn from my stash and I think it will wear well and it's a pretty color. 

Now the question is whether it will be done in time to wear this winter or next.

Whew!

Well, the past two months have flown by in the blink of an eye!  I had every intention of posting regularly and even thought about posts I would like to compose.  Alas, my sidekick and life in general have conspired against the blog. 

It is hard to believe we are only a few days away from Christmas.  In fact, we've already celebrated with my side of the family, who came up to visit and exchange gifts last weekend.  It was a lot of fun seeing them and Little G loved seeing KK, Pops and Aunt Sessa (Sarah).  They brought him (and us!) some fun loot too! 

I've made a few crafty projects in the past couple of months.  Most recently I made some felt jumbo crayon and notepad wallets for Little G's five preschool classmates.  I need to make a couple more for the cousins.  They turned out pretty cute and weren't difficult to make.  I'm a slow cutter and sewist and I could make one in 20 minutes or so.  The materials are also inexpensive, with the costliest item being the crayons.  I had a difficult time finding the jumbo crayons in stock and ended up paying $3.99 per package, which was annoying since I bought the last ones on clearance for fifty cents.  I was happy to find them though, so I ponied up the cash.  I'll post a pic when I make the next batch, since I forgot to do that before giving away all the others. 

The other project that I'm still working to complete is those darn training pants.  I have ten pairs completely cut out and all are at least partially sewn, but I still have a way to go to complete them.  They are the project that won't end.  I counted the number of pieces in each pair and when multiplied by ten I realized that I've cut out 150 separate pieces to make the 10 pairs of pants.  No wonder I'm tired of them! 

Since I'm loaning a few pairs to my sister in law when she trains her daughter and she's starting next week, I've got to buckle down and finish. 

G is doing pretty well with training too.  He sometimes stays dry for multiple hours now, but not consistently enough that I can just put him in underwear anytime.  He never makes a dirty diaper, which is wonderful!

I've done a little cooking since the last post.  Nothing too exciting, but I recently made my usual cranberry orange nut bread for a little Christmas treat for our friends and neighbors.  I also tried a recipe for microwave peanut brittle I saw over at Made that turned out great!  It has been raining since the day after I made my initial batch, so I haven't made more yet. 

Back to the salt mines sewing room so I can get some stuff accomplished while my little boss is asleep!

Pear Butter

As part of my ongoing cooking kick, last week I decided to make pear butter.  I'd never really had much to do with apple butter, or any other "butters" for that matter. 

As you probably already know, there isn't actually any butter in these preserves, that are just a really thick smooth fruit spread. 

I made a small batch using 2 1/2 pounds of pears. 

Please forgive my pitiful photos.  My kitchen is dark!

I cut them up and added a little water and lemon juice cooked them down on the stove until they thickened and were very soft.

Then I used my stick blender (one of my very favorite kitchen tools!) to blend them to my desired consistency.  I wanted it to be completely smooth, but that's personal preference and you could leave it chunky. 

I added my spices and flavorings - cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla - and returned it to the stove to continue to cook down.  Once it reached the consistency I wanted I cooled it a bit and put it in my jar. 

Since this only made one jar I obviously didn't can it, but you could do that if you make a large batch. 

Little G has taken it to preschool for his lunch on a sandwich, we've had it on toast and I made biscuits one night and it made a tasty dessert!  I'd love to get a bigger batch of pears to make more.


Warning!  Random cuteness moment coming up:

Contrary to appearances, Little G isn't throwing a gang sign here.  He using sign language to say I love you!  Awww... melts my heart.  Especially when it's spontaneous and I don't have to beg him to do it. :) 

Artisan Bread

I recently mentioned my new cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  Well, I'm back to report that it works!  I mixed up my first batch Tuesday night and baked a loaf Wednesday and it was by far the best bread I've ever made.  I made another loaf from the same batch of dough yesterday and the flavor was even better.

In the past I've made bread and it was always quite dense.  My most recent attempt at french bread was better, but still slightly denser than I would prefer.  I'm sure I was putting in too much flour, but try as I might I couldn't avoid it.  This method is very quick and simple - it really is about five minutes of hands on time.  There is no kneading either at the time of mixing or when you are ready to bake. 

You mix your dough with a spoon in your covered container and then put it in the fridge to rest at least for a few hours or overnight.  Then you pinch off about one pound, shape it, let it rise for 40 minutes, and bake it for 30 minutes.  The hardest part is waiting for it to cool enough to cut.  I have to fend off Big G from the warm bread. 

Here is my second loaf:

I still have enough dough for another loaf or two in the fridge.  The dough lasts for about 10 days before it starts losing its rising power.  You don't have to use a starter or feed it.  I definitely recommend the book! 

Tomato Soup

This afternoon I made one of my favorite soups for dinner.  It's so easy and tasty that I thought I would share.  I adapted the recipe from this one I found at Pots and Pins . 

I follow the basic recipe as outlined, but I use dill instead of italian seasoning, and don't add the cheese.  I found that the cheese gave it a texture that I didn't care for. Today I substituted a mixture of sour cream and whole milk for the cream called for and it turned out great.

I usually make a double batch and freeze half in containers that hold two servings.  It is SO much better than canned soup for an easy lunch and doesn't take too long to thaw if I put it directly into a sauce pan on the stove.

We enjoyed some of my homemade bread from the freezer.  I put it in the oven to get warm and crusty. 

The best part of dinner was that Big G caught an early flight home and ate with me!  He also got a chance to play with his very excited little boy before bedtime.

Even Little G enjoyed some soup.  He ate his bread and soup mixed together to make using a utensil easier for a little guy and even asked for "moe" when he finished his first bowl!