Loopy
Yes, yes I am still making the trivet. Yes, I am having more fun than anyone should be able to have with some felt and some string. No, I don't expect anyone else to understand the appeal. But I'm fairly sure you're all an obliging lot and won't begrudge me my odd obsessions. I started by cutting out three equally-sized rectangles (size determined by setting the teapot on various books until one looked right, and then tracing around that book). Then I held them together with a few pins and started stitching. There was no particular plan for the stitching, [...]
Not Knitting
I like my dining room table. And I absolutely adore my teapot. But alas, the two of them don't quite get along. When I set the hot teapot on the table (something that happens about once a day if all is right with the world), it has a tendency to leave white marks on the table. Now I've discovered that these marks come right out if I rub them with a walnut (no idea why, but seems to be true). But that's a bit tedious if you do it too often. And of course I could just set a potholder [...]
More Provisions
And, lest you think yesterday's herb salts were the only things we made ahead and packed along with us, allow me to remind you of the hot chocolate paste. As with the herb salts, this was all explained last year. This hot chocolate paste has become such a staple part of our pantry that I didn't want to be without it, even on a trip (why yes, I did also pack a teapot and several kinds of loose tea, why do you ask). If you missed it last year, you really should give it a shot, it's awfully good stuff [...]
Provisions
Yes, we are off on our annual fall excursion. And yes, I will doubtless be detailing it all at alarming length over the next few weeks. But before we left, we had the traditional herb massacre and making of herb salts. I wrote all about making herb salts last year (here and here). We followed much the same procedure this year. Just for my own records, we used three bowls full of herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram), 4.5 pounds of coarse salt, and four full heads of garlic, and the results look to be just as delicious of [...]
Basil Brown Sugar Iced Tea
Our yard got off to a slow start this year. Normally by this point, I'd have giant handfuls of herbs to throw in anything I felt like cooking. This year, we're still a few weeks away from that. But just to be contrary, my basil plants are starting to flower. Now, you don't want to let them do that. You need to pick those flowers off (so the plant will keep making the tasty leaves). But I can't bring myself to throw them away. And so, Basil Brown Sugar Iced Tea was born. Three ingredients (I suppose four if you [...]
Ginger, three ways
Continuing in my ongoing series of things to put in jars, let's talk about ginger. I adore ginger and put it in lots of things. Breakfast, dinner, dessert, all can benefit from a bit of delicious ginger. The only thing I don't tend to care for is store-bought ginger ale. It's insipid. I prefer to make my own. It's ridiculously easy, and in the process, I get crystallized ginger and ginger sugar as a bonus. I did it last week, and I figured I should show you how it's done. 1) Get some ginger. The fresher the better (my grocery [...]
Supplied
What was that? You're concerned I don't have enough tea? I understand. I share your concern. That's why we have the back up tea storage in the drawer, and the bulk tea storage (for refilling these jars) in the pantry. I dearly dearly want to paint the inside of this cabinet bright yellow and paint the inside of the cabinet door with chalkboard paint for making grocery lists on (I actually really want to hire someone to come repaint the whole kitchen this summer, but I'm not sure if that will be feasible). I'm just concerned that the raw wood [...]
Yearly
The time has come (a bit late this year, I confess) for The Annual Preserving of the Lemons. I won't recap the directions (I did that last year, should you want to make your own). I'll just flaunt the results. That's all the meyer lemons I was able to scrounge at the store (I've switched to quart jars instead of pint jars this year, so that's actually about 9 lemons per jar). I'd like to lay down another jar or two, but that will require another trip to the other grocery store to see if they've got the right sort [...]
Small Things
Potatoes can be cruel. They tempt you with their tremendous potential for creamy, roasty, buttery goodness, but far too often they fall short of perfection. There are so many places they can go astray - overcooked, undercooked, under seasoned, mushy, mealy - it's heartbreak waiting to happen. But because I love potatoes you, and want them you to be tasty happy, I've experimented and found an absolutely idiot-proof way to roast potatoes. No really, this is how it should be done. Always. Without exception. And, yes, I know roast potatoes sounds like the simplest thing ever (and really, they are), [...]
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