Just dandy

After reading this post over at Fog and Swell the other day, I figured we had to give dandilion bread a try.



Most of the dandilions in our yard were on their way to seed, so we took a walk to the neighborhood school gathering what blossoms we could along the way.  (If you go out picking, be mindful of yards that seem fertilized or otherwise chemically treated.  We knew the ones we picked from were clean.)

It won't take long.  You only need a cup of petals for a loaf of bread.  The picking will go even faster with little helpers.



This recipe was quick and simple.  I used spelt flour because that 's what we have on hand.  And, like Kristy I used coconut oil instead of canola.  The 30 minute cooking time surprised me.  Don't similar tea breads take closer to an hour in the oven?  Actually, we decided to meet Jeff for dinner just as the timer went off.  The bread was still pretty wet, so I just turned off the oven and left the loaf inside to continue baking for a bit with a gradual cool-down.  When we got home, the bread was warm and cooked perfectly through.  Might give that a try if you're willing to just let it go.  It sure beat monitoring the baking every 5 minutes!



Calder loves this dandilion bread.  I've gotta say, I can't knowingly taste the flowers, and the bread isn't a shocking yellow.  But, it is a pleasant nibble.  Perhaps the spelt overpowers the flowers.  It is dense and moist, and would take well to jam or honey.  Yum!

Mostly, I just like the idea of using those silly little weeds (what makes it a weed?) in the kitchen.  Maybe you will too?

Ah, panforte

You are so so good.

It appears I have a new tradition of making something tasty on Christmas day in between lunch and dinner... a time when everyone else in the house is napping.

Last week, Meg shared a wonderful recipe for panforte perfected by her mother. (Beautifully photographed too!) You know how your taste preferences change as you age? I am disinclined towards cakes, frosting, cookies and such of late, but this mix of fruits and nuts is just right.

Oh, it is a workout to stir the sweet liquid into all that fruit/nut/flour mixture. And just as she suggested, I abandoned the spoon in favor of incorporating it by hand as best I could. Then you cram it into your 9" springform and think, "Really, I'm using all this force on something that I want to eventually eat?" Yes. Yes you are, and you will love it. Press harder!

Then you slice off a sliver, a beautiful cross-section of fig and almond and hazelnut. And the spice combination, there's cardamom and cinnamon, black pepper and cocoa. It was perfect last night with red wine and perfect this morning with coffee.

To be sure, most all of the powdered sugar falls off before it reaches your mouth. Watch out! Your chin, your clothes, or couch or table will surely get a dusting.

And I don't think you'll mind one bit.

I need new boots

We'd had an especially crafty morning. Everyone was pleased with the results and looking forward to sharing them on Thanksgiving.



Though the rain was falling and the temperature quite chilly, we bundled up and headed out on a destination-less walk. In less than a block we'd picked up a couple walking companions and began our puddle hunt.





Stopping to inspect things of interest here and there...





...followed by flat out trying to get home.

* * *



Getting a message from her pretty much blew me away. So brave. I hope I would have done the same.

Perpetual

He and the cat shared my lap.



I fought hard to appreciate the moment, but all I could think about was, "What comes next?"

Room

Some of my favorite books are falling apart.

That only means their his favorites too.

Alone in his room, he listens to this story over and over while Lake goes down for a nap. It keeps him company, but also contains a wonderful lesson.

On a recent long drive with friends he shared the story with them practically verbatim. Oh, the capacity of the young brain! Big words, amazing memory, comprehension, full of questions and craving knowledge.





I love peering at his collections. The bits of his everyday and not so everyday that he saves; a rusty railroad spike, volcanic rocks with the glass of water at his bedside. Life is such an adventure!





His room will eventually be their room. He knows this. It should be interesting, and hard, and funny, and frustrating, and... another adventure.

In the afternoon

* * *

She said he cried whenever they went upstairs.



As long as they were outside he was happy.



We arrived to find them on the corner learning to kick the leaves.

In line

The post office was very busy. Calder wrangled Lake while I filled out customs forms.



He's so mindful of his little brother. I tried to tell him he didn't have to keep such close watch, but I don't think he could control it. His awareness of Lake is probably a good thing in many ways.



The package to Sicily(!) was light as a feather... or maybe seven.

* * *

When he sang this afternoon in the kitchen I was struck by the true beauty and sweetness of his voice. My attention triggered vulnerability and self criticism. "Don't look at me, Mom. I sound like a girl." He's only five.



One of his cousins sang in a choir when he was young. I need to tell him this. Perhaps it will help him feel comfortable with his voice and the idea of singing in front of others. And then to find a choir...



Why is it so hard for me... for him... to take a compliment?

Two wrongs do make a right

The other week when Molly suggested that yogurt could be made in a slow cooker I was inspired. Finally a way to make yogurt without an official yogurt maker or diligent minding of temperatures and times. I had to put in a hold request for the book at the library, and in the meantime took to the Internets in search of instant gratification. I found this (thinking it was what Molly had done) and decided to give it a go.

And... it worked! For the most part. The recipe, as written, resulted in "too runny" yogurt for my taste. So, I had to take the extra step of straining off the watery whey first with a coffee filter and then with a cotton flour sack dishcloth. I got some delicious, thicker - but not super thick - yogurt that went great with a big dollop of rhubarb sauce.

I was just a little disappointed at the volume loss, time, and mess resulting from draining off the whey, so when the first batch of yogurt was gone I tried again. This time around I decided I would add in some powdered milk at the point where the recipe says to put in the starter yogurt. Unfortunately, I absentmindedly set the slowcooker to one of the high settings instead of one of the low settings, and consequently ruined the milk before even getting to test the thickener.

Third time's a charm... right? Not for me. I heated the milk. Mixed in the starter and some powdered milk. Incubated it in a cozy towel blanket overnight. And after all that lovin' what I woke to the next morning was thicker, yes, but of the strangest consistency. Gluey? You'd scoop out a spoonful and it would just slip right off in a blob leaving no residue on the spoon. Gross. Not yogurt. I couldn't stand it in my mouth.

Aaaarrrrggghhh!

The two quart jars of homemade, organic yogurt sat in the fridge for the better part of a week. Untouched. Bumming me out. If I didn't come up with a way to use them quick they'd spoil and I'd have to dump them anyway. They were very nearly given to the chickens where at least they'd be eaten. I couldn't bear to send them down the drain.

You would't have thought that a kitchen misadventure from three years ago could save the day but then... unbearable, gluey yogurt meet awful strawberry freezer jam. This jam had turned out so sickeningly sweet that we couldn't stand to eat it. It wasn't jam, really, it was more like an ice cream topping. The berries were tough and chewy like candy. But, like the yogurt, I couldn't throw it away. So it waited for years in the icy purgatory of our garage freezer.

In the days that the yogurt sat patiently in the fridge for my verdict I tried to come up with a use for it where its strange consistency might be of some help rather than a liability. My final conclusion... popsicles. They'd either seem more creamy or the freezing would actually mask the yogurt's flaw.

Low and behold, these are really quite good! The jammy berries are a nice feature. Their chewy texture kept them from becoming brittle and icy. The tart, milky yogurt is cut nicely by the sweet and fruit from the jam. They're creamy. And good. I think we have a "Yes" where everywhere we looked we were surrounded by "No."

So, here's to not tossing out all that time, effort, and good, solid ingredients. Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles to the rescue. And maybe one of these days I'll succeed in making the homemade yogurt of my dreams.

2010

1 :: january's walks are wet



2 :: february - his first haircut (d.i.y.)



3 :: march's bowler with an attitude



4 :: april and a giant fort



5 :: may - 36 hours in san francisco with gram (listening to the bridge)



6 :: june brought lake



7 :: july - our first full month of baby gazing



8 :: the big "4" in august



9 :: a weekend at the coast with people we love - september



10 :: an october trip to north carolina (mom, i love this photo)



11 :: brothers getting used to it - november



12 :: december's heart bokeh in the tree (by calder)

From our family to yours, wishing you a Happy New Year! May 2011 be full of joy and good health! (Now I really need to find this year's calendar.)