Delicata Squash: a score and a flop

A friend had given me two delicata squash, and I finally got around to using them last night. I had never tried them before.

One I served with dinner, and it was a hit (even if it was slightly burnt.) The other I roasted plain and blended to bake muffins. Those didn't turn out so well.

The Score - roasted squash

I found simple directions from Chez Pim to roast them with butter, brown sugar, and salt. While they were roasting I baked meatballs, and served spaghetti and meatballs with the squash as a side. I always consider it a small accomplishment to make an unplanned, successful dinner from ingredients already at the house- with leftovers or simply things I happen to have on hand.

The Flop - muffins

To be fair, I should have thought about this recipe and maybe just used it as a basic guideline. Because the idea was good, but the ratios seemed a little off. 3 cups of flour for that amount of spices and squash? They were very bland, to say the least. Next time I'll find a different recipe, or I would try to adjust this one a little bit. It made a dozen and a half muffins, which seemed like way too many for the 1/2 cup of squash.

Today they taste a little better, and the spices come through a bit stronger, but I'm still not calling it a success.

I have to say I do like these little squash so far, and I look forward to trying them again. They're a nice size when only cooking for two.

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope everyone had a lovely V-day yesterday, whether or not you celebrated or did anything special. I just had a lovely dinner with my husband, which was take-out Indian food from one of our favorite places.

I also made Oreos again as I did last year. I don't remember which recipe I used, but this year I chose a recipe by The Baker Chick.

I made a couple modifications, including coloring the frosting pink. They were so cute!

I also used cream cheese in the frosting instead of shortening. The filling turned out a little soft, and they have to stay in the refrigerator. Next time I might add more powdered sugar so they travel better.

I brought some of them into the office, and I would have taken a picture whole, but I forgot and started eating it =)

25 Days of Christmas Inspiration - day 1 and 2

I've decided to post every day from now until Christmas with ideas, recipes and other inspiration for the holiday season. Enjoy!

Today you get two day's worth, because our house has been without power for two days now. That's part of living in the mountains, but we got hit pretty hard this time around. Here's a shot from my neighborhood

Fortunately, there's more than one way to get home, so we were able to get around it. And here's hoping we have power restored very soon.


I thought I'd start things off with something good to eat! Whether you're throwing a party, giving them as gifts, or enjoying them yourself, it's always good to have a stash of great recipes at hand.

 Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

These look absolutely fabulous! I haven't tried them yet, but I have a feeling they'll be on my list this year. Yum! Here's another take using a different pretzel shape. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate and mint is one of my favorite combinations, so I'll definitely be trying this one also.

Lastly, here's a new take on the traditional gingerbread house. Super cute!

Mini Gingerbread Houses

Kids or no kids, these look fun. I like the idea of using them for place cards at a holiday party.

Pumpkins

Continuing with my love of all things autumn, I started sewing some fabric pumpkins. I haven't decided how I'm going to sew the leaf yet, but I'll probably add a crocheted stem, and maybe some tendrils. I have ideas on how to improve the shape, and I'm looking forward to making more of these.

While I was searching for pumpkin leaf designs, I ran across this lovely cake at Hurry Up, Cakes. Of course, now I want to bake some cakes =) Wouldn't this be perfect for a Halloween party?

And, speaking of Halloween, here is an adorable crochet pattern costume from Darncat Crochet.

Apple Cookies

Last night we had some friends over, and I made these glazed apple cookies. I was looking for something that really tastes like fall, and these fit perfectly.



I used granny smith apples, and grated rather than chopped. Next time I'll chop, since the little ribbons of apple were I think less pleasant than chunks would be. Nobody complained, though, and the plate was empty in no time.

I also used butter instead of shortening, cut the sugar down to a heaping cup, and left out the nuts and raisins. I used my standard pumpkin spice blend- cut down the cloves a little and added a pinch of allspice. I also increased the vanilla in the icing to give them extra flavor. A hint of maple instead might be nice.

Next time I will definitely double the recipe.

They were a little on the sticky side, so I might also increase the dry ingredients if it looks too wet before baking.

I'm looking forward to fall with it's crisp air, mulled cider, and pumpkins. I already saw some pumpkins in the store!

-- iPhone post

Pumpkin Muffins

I'm so happy it's finally cold enough to feel like autumn, and that means baking time!

Black & white photos are brought to you by it's-too-dark-to-get-a-good-color-balance-on-my-phone. Just imagine a rich pumpkin color and you'd be spot on.



I made 2 1/2 dozen muffins and a heart-shaped mini loaf.

Recipe is from BigOven, Lynn's Pumpkin Bread. As some of the reviewers suggested, I added a bit of allspice, and also ginger. I cut the oil down to 1/2 cup and substituted about 1/4 cup each brown sugar and molasses for 2/3 of the sugar, and added a pinch more baking powder to make sure they wouldn't be dense. That's how I cook, but I made sure to remember this time, just in case it turned out well =)

Verdict: YUM



My Captain Obvious moment: when sprinkling the cinnamon-sugar on top, use a little tiny strainer or a small jar so you don't get any on the tins between muffins. Burnt sugar stinks in the oven! And if it gets into the sides, it makes that poor muffin look horribly burnt.

As my husband said: "Organic muffin liners!"

The stuff in the middle is still just as tasty :)

-- iPhone post

English Muffins, Take 2

I made the sourdough English muffins again this morning. I doubled the recipe and it made 25. They look prettier than last time, I think, and also got the thumbs up from my husband.

They froze well last time, so I'll repeat that as well. This is definitely going to become a staple around here.



So far its been a great weekend. Even though we've lived here for a year and a half, I'm just now heading out to explore the local farmer's market for the very first time.

And tomorrow I'm putting together a small workshop for beginning sewers on making market bags from old (or new) sheets. Very much looking forward to it =)

-- Posted From My iPhone

Birthday Presents of Fluff and Sugar

For my friend R's birthday last week, I made her a fluffy scarf from a Patons yarn called "Divine" in Denim Storm. I think it turned out well... I used a shell stitch, and a large hook. I finished it up at our weekly S&B at the coffee shop. Now I'm in a scarf-making mood, and ready for some cold weather!

My friend C's birthday party was last night, and I decided to make her something sweet: mint brownies!

Mmmm, swirly frosting...
Several people asked for the recipe, so without further ado, here it is:

Famous Mint Brownies

They were very easy to make. I kept them in the freezer a little too long, because I didn't pay attention to the time. So I had to thaw them before I could slice through. I started using my ceramic knife, but was concerned that I might break it. So I switched to a metal knife, soaked in warm water in between each slice. That was the way to go.

Definitely not low calorie.. make sure you have enough butter on hand! I doubled it and made two glass pans =D

I also made another batch of the mini apple pies that I did for 4th of July. I was really hoping to post the recipe here, but it's not ready yet... I made so many modifications to it yesterday that I don't know how I'd write it out. But, after another test batch or two I hope to have an actual recipe to give.

Tiny Pies on Fourth of July

On the 4th of July (I know, really behind on posting this!) we went to a friend's BBQ and I wanted to bring something festive.

Something apple pie... I thought about an apple cookie with frosting, but then my husband came up with this idea. He said: "Why not make them like those little quiches?"

So I did!

I used a standard apple pie recipe with a couple tweaks, including adding applesauce, and put the whole thing in a sauce pan to simmer for an hour or so. The little tiny crusts don't take as long to bake, and I wanted to make sure we got the true apple pie consistency.

I cut out little tiny stars and put them on top. Aren't they adorable?

I started out using the mini tins, just the size of those little quiches. But as I was running out of time, I started using standard tins, so they'd be wider and flatter. Those are in the foreground below, and I think they turned out better in the end.

Definitely want to try this again. Maybe pumpkin next time...

At the BBQ I had brought some yarn to crochet by the fireside. As I was standing around talking, I realized it was getting chilly, being by the coast, and that my beer was uncomfortable to hold. Somebody joked that I should crochet myself a beer cozy.

Not to back down on a challenge, I made this in just a few minutes, standing and chatting with folks.

Much better =)

And for the kitty cuteness, here's a rare photo of all three cats together. Casper is on my lap (taking up the entire thing,) Spook is chilling out on the arm of the couch (pretending the other two aren't there,) and Marmalade is lounging on her corner perch where she likes to survey the whole room.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies and Easter Lilies

Wow, it's been over a month! Sometimes life gets too busy to sit down and write about it. Here are a couple sites I wanted to share.

Sugar Cookie Cinnamon Rolls that look absolutely fabulous. I haven't tried them yet, but I think I will have to sometime this summer.

Those of you with toddlers will appreciate this article on modifying girls' clothes. Some very cute ideas in there...

And finally, I've been busy with photography work, both personally and professionally. I've been meaning to start up a photo-a-day set on Flickr, but never seem to get around to it... My (weak) excuse was that it should be started on January 1st.

Bah! Forget tradition, here's my first photo

And here is the daily photo set, just in case it should actually prove interesting.

Thoughts on Bread

As I munched my breakfast of PB&J this morning I thought about the bread I've been making. So far it's OK, but not excellent, and I still want to improve the texture.

When the loaf rises, it gets easily to a good plump size, and then I bake it. But it's still fairly dense inside. I'm sure there are other things I could do to work towards a lighter loaf, but one thought is that it's possible the recipe could make more than just one loaf. (The recipe actually says to put it on a flat surface to make a round, but I'm the one that is changing it to a loaf shape

So I think I'll try getting a second pan (then I can experiment with metal vs. glass also) and let the dough rise longer, to see if that helps. Perhaps confining it to too small of a space is the problem.

Maybe it's like people: If you put yourself in too small of a box, you limit yourself and can't realize your full potential.

Also, hello 100th post!

English Muffins

This weekend I made sourdough bread and realized that my starter is getting pretty big. I also decided that since it's going to be around awhile, it needs a name. Betty. Thrifty and useful, just like my starter. Betty has a large home, but I don't like to have the starter get out of hand. I didn't bake last week, and I didn't throw any out, so she was getting a little uppity.

I thought I'd be adventurous, and made sourdough English muffins last night/this morning.

There must be a reason this recipe came up #3 on a Google search: YUM

They were easy to make, too. I don't have a biscuit cutter, but a plastic cup (thin edge) worked just fine. I was worried that I rolled mine too thin, but they turned out just fine. I think if they were too thick they wouldn't cook evenly.

Also, the second side cooked much faster than the first. I was going by the timer and almost burned them!

Straight off the griddle they needed no toasting, but when I snacked on one later they only improved with toasting. Definitely going to hang on to that recipe.

They're partially whole wheat, and I've also started feeding Betty whole wheat to mix it up a little bit (also I was out of white flour at the time.) I don't know if that's by-the-sourdough-book, but then it wasn't that way from Betty's Amish-bread beginnings...

Tonight I started something else new: ginger ale! I can't wait to try it =)

Sourdough English Muffins
Makes about 12

• 1/2 C starter
• 1 C milk
• 2-3/4 C flour - adjust as needed for consistency of your starter
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Semolina or cornmeal, for dusting

Combine starter, 2 cups of flour, and milk in a large bowl. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and leave out for 8 hours or overnight.

After the overnight rest, add remaining flour, sugar, salt and baking soda and mix well. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes. Roll out to 3/4" and cut with a biscuit cutter into rounds. You can reroll the scraps, but you may need to let the dough rest before cutting more muffins from them. Place muffins on a piece of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal and let rest for 45 minutes.

Spray griddle or skillet lightly with spray oil. Heat to medium and cook muffins for about 6-8 minutes on each side, or until browned on the top and bottom and cooked through. These have great griddle spring and rise quite a bit during the "baking".

Split with a fork and enjoy!

Welcome, Spring

The weather's been so beautiful these past couple days. As someone recently told me, "It's too nice out to be sick!"

I agree, but I still haven't shaken this darned cold. In fact, I'm missing out on a friend's birthday party tonight. To console myself, I made some no-bake cookies.

My batch doesn't look very pretty, that's for sure :)

I found these over at Nutmeg Nanny. They are delicious and very easy. I'd never made this type of cookie before. They taste like peanut butter fudge, and I must say I didn't wait for them to cool before sampling one or two...

In other springtime news, the strawberry plants I thought I'd killed with neglect are loving their new pot. In fact, they started blooming again!

Bread and Apple Pie

I've been a little under the weather for the last few days with a cold, so I've felt like I'm running at half-power. Needless to say I didn't get all my projects done this weekend (do I ever?) but we did sit down with the seed catalog and pick out some vegetables to order. I also made more of the newspaper seed pots, but we're going to need a LOT more... The pattern is from eHow, and I cut down the layers by only using one sheet of our smaller local paper, and also I don't have to cut anything off.

Last week was a co-worker's birthday, and so I thought I'd make an apple pie for her. Cook's had a recipe that intrigued me, with a crust included. I used shortening instead of lard, and it turned out lovely. For the filling I did the variation at the bottom, and lowered the sugar (by request) and I think it turned out well. I used mostly Granny Smith, with Braeburn, Honeycrisp, and one I think Fuji. Definitely a recipe to keep on my shelf.

I usually do lattice tops on apple pies, but this time I decided to do something different- Stars!

I made sourdough bread today, with mostly white flour, but added 1/2 cup oatmeal and about 3/4 cup ground brown rice. The rice isn't super-fine, so it actually adds a bit of crunch to the bread. I thought I'd have to grind up the oatmeal, but it turned out just fine (I used what I had on hand, quick oats.)

The risings had some help from our wi-fi station. I've started putting the bread in my husband's office to rise, since it's so warm with his computer. Then I realized that the airport box was really the warmest, and so we put a few spacers on it and set the bowl right on top! Brilliant!

It got the thumbs up, can-I-have-another-slice from my husband, which is a pretty high rating. I think this is the best loaf so far, definitely lighter than the others.

Now I'm finishing up my last project for the weekend, which is cataloging the contents of our pantry. I get so frustrated when I can't keep track of the expiration dates and end up throwing food out.

So I'm making a spread sheet with all the items on it, and I'll print out one copy sorted by expiration date, and the other sorted by type. I'll keep notes in the margin, and revise it as needed. We'll see how it goes... I'm optimistic =)

The Continuing Sourdough Saga

Here's where I stop counting the loaves... That last one was very tasty by the way. It was a tad under done, but made a fabulous toast.

Now I want to start making it more than white bread, but not ready for whole wheat starter yet (maybe someday.) The coarse ground mini-loaf was ok but not perfect. It was tasty when cut into cubes and served with artichoke dip.

Now I'm trying a loaf with only 1/4 cup ww, ground in the blender again, but to a finer texture. So far it's a lovely dough, and seems to be rising well.

Maybe some day I'll be able to replace our $4.50/loaf grocery store multi-grain.

Since I'll be baking nearly weekly, there are a couple more thing I want to try.

- Sprouted wheat / other grains
- Multi-grain flour (look into a mill!)
- A small amount of grape nuts, soaked in milk first (I like muffins made this way)
- Brown rice ground into flour?


-- Posted From My iPhone

Sourdough Gets Better

First off, I saw not one but two gorgeous sunsets tonight. One I captured in town with my iPhone, wishing I'd had my slr on me. After it went grey I headed up the mountain and got to see the rest of it, which was just as stunning, but with more gold than pink.





I was given an Amish Friendship Bread starter before Christmas. Never having had one before, I did a little research. Long story short, I just cannot get past the instant pudding mix, nor the _cup_ of oil.

Not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I decided to try something else. I fed it like sourdough for awhile, and then started baking. I've made pancakes that were pretty tasty (imho.)

The first loaf was tasty, and rose well in a glass loaf pan. However, it wasn't very sour, more like traditional white bread. The second loaf I tried flat on a pan, and didn't give it enough time for a second rise, so it's not very tall. But it's tasty, and finally has the distinct sourdough flavor.





In the backround is loaf 2, and in my hand is a small third loaf. I made it half whole wheat, ground in my blender. It's very coarse, maybe too much so. I may be looking for a small wheat grinder soon....

Here's hoping it bakes well!

After I get this kitten off my lap, I can go finish my chores for the evening =)

-- Posted From My iPhone

Thanksgiving, and New Family Member

This year I'm sharing the cooking of Thanksgiving with a friend. I'm in charge of the deserts, and here's a preview of a favorite I made at my 'first' Thanksgiving dinner 3 years ago.





It's a chocolate pecan espresso pie. Yum!

In other news, we have a new 4-legged furry kid in the house.

The little cuteness himself, Casper:





He's a 5-month-old rescue with long grey fur, white boots and a white chest and chin.





The girls haven't accepted him yet, but that's not much of a surprise since he only came home on Sunday. He's quite adorable and violently friendly, as my husband aptly puts it. It's hard to get a decent picture of him, as he keeps moving around and loves to investigate whatever you may have in your hand.

Here's a picture of Spook and Marmalade from a few months ago, as they pretend to get along.






-- Posted From My iPhone

Labor Day Weekend 09

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. I know I did :)

I'd feel more accomplished if I had actually finished the kitchen cabinets. However, I did finish a couple other projects, so that made me happy. I made a roast chicken at the beginning of the weekend. Sunday I shredded the remaining chicken and made enchiladas, 2 1/2 dishes worth of them. Fortunately we had friends over to help us eat them. I got a little over-excited when buying the mega pack of tortillas, however. What was I to do with 16 extra tortillas?

Homemade frozen burritos, that's what!

Yum, they look good enough to eat now...

I threw in some refried beans (on sale!) cooked up some rice spiced with enchilada sauce, and topped it with cheese. Well wrapped in saran wrap, into the freezer they went, saved for a rainy day. (Or just a day that I don't feel like preparing lunches)

I was craving cinnamon rolls, so I pulled out my Fannie Farmer book to get a recipe. I didn't read far enough ahead, and discovered halfway into them that they weren't the same type that I'm used to. I improvised anyhow, and they came out alright. Still, I can think of ways to improve them next time.

I've been wanting to cook with whole wheat, but I don't have a mill yet. I read somewhere that you can grind it in the blender, so I tried that. It worked! It wasn't super-fine, but it was ok to cook with. I made the cinnamon rolls about 1/4 whole wheat to not make them too heavy.

I'll wrap up with some kitty cuteness =)

Marms, always moving and difficult to photograph.

Spook, blending in with the plants and yoga mats.

Birthday

Last week was my birthday, and so I made myself a Strawberry Shortcake Cake from the Pioneer Woman Cooks (love that blog!) I made a couple modifications, mainly because I was in a hurry. I didn't have a deep enough pan. I put it in two pans and forked the cake layers before pouring the strawberries over them. It was tasty!

Also, our friends gave us homemade ice cream. Yum! They made my favorite flavors, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate. Which I can honestly say are the best of each flavor I've ever had.

My husband gave me this gorgeous mask, which I'm hanging in the craft room. I love the peacock!

My calla lilies are finally blooming. They add a nice pink touch to the front yard.

July 4th was nice and mellow. We hung out with some friends, and walked down to the beach. It wasn't too crowded, but still it was nice to be away from tourists for the most part.

Busy Busy!

I'm going to start scheduling myself to post at least once a week. I have so many projects going on right now. I put a couple water bottle totes up on my shop. I've been really enjoying making those, especially as they're relatively quick and small. I also have a purse in the works, in the same net style. It needs to be lined and then it will be in my shop as well.

My roses just bloomed! Here it is partially opened from a few days ago, but now the two roses on the bush are just huge, easily 5 inches across, maybe six.

They're a little brighter than I had wanted, and the scent is not very strong. But I have red roses, and that makes me happy.

Wow, I did not see that spider in person. Good thing I didn't go in for a real close-up :)

On the baking front, I tried this awesome Raspberry Buttermilk Cake, with blueberries. I will definitely be making it again. I had to take it to my office so the two of us wouldn't eat the whole thing. Next time I think I'll follow the directions more carefully and put it in a cake pan, not the first thing I grabbed, which was a pie pan.

I started my Christmas shopping this weekend! Or rather, materials for the presents. We're only halfway through the year, but I have three gifts planned out and partially shopped for. Maybe I'll be finished on time this year!