babysitter?

Zany. No other word for it. But it seemed like such a good idea at the time! The lure of sourdough loaves baking in my kitchen as we fall into autumn made me do it. You get the idea, gather supplies, mash something, stir in a few additional things, tweak it in between all the daily extras on Monday morning. After all, it was on the long list of one of the those things I wanted to do in my lifetime.

Alas, I did not think about this week's momentum and what it entailed to keep a sourdough starter alive and well. Did I truly realize what I was doing or where my week was taking me? Making the starter was a simple enough process, but the other requirement involves a special form of babying.

And did I mention we are leaving for the coast tomorrow morning?

WANTED:
 Reliable babysitter. Helpful if you live in a warm environment and enjoy stirring in warm water and flour.

chocolatey chips muffins

 I have been experimenting in baking with whole wheat pastry flour...just because. The one thing that is obvious to me when I eat these baked goods is the crumbly texture of whatever I have baked.  But the taste is not altered in the least.

Chocolatey Chip Muffins


1 2/3 c flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
3/4 c buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 c sugar
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffing tins or line with papers. Melt butter and 6 ounces of chocolate chips in small saucepan. Let cool. In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add chocolate mixture with the buttermilk, egg, sugar and vanilla. Pour this mixture into a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Stir just until incorporated. Fold in 3 ounces of chocolate chips. Fill muffin two thirds full and place remaining 3 ounces of chips on top of each of the twelve muffins. Bake for 20-23 minutes.

 Extra Bonus:

Made with Charlotte this afternoon,

 stirred up in an antique bowl that once belonged to my mother.

...it's elementary my dear

My brain strains to net aura moments. I am thinking I may be a tad bit more tired of late with the new schedules and all the extras that beckon me every day. Be informed, when I speak of such moments I am not talking rocket science. So it was today as I was preparing a lunch, requested by Charlotte, of boxed macaroni and cheese. I know this goes beyond simple, please know I give no endorsements here...just the fact of the matter is...it works sometimes. Anyway, as the water in the pot began to boil I threw in a solitary noodle, it danced, ooh..cool... then another noodle, a definite two-step...how about the addition of a third noodle? I am now observing a grand dance right before my eyes!  Elementary, my dear. A fascinating lunch began with boiling water, single noodles...and a dance observed!

And there is the healthy blooming hibiscus that glows outside on the back patio with its display of multifarious blooms due to the cooler September evenings. It is the closest thing I might ever own to the resemblance of a lemon tree.

Latin declensions are kindling my mind lately. I was a student of Latin for three years, eighth, ninth and tenth grades. There is no reason to remind you this was a long time ago.  Since the study of Latin is one of Rose's school subjects this year, I am taking on the challenge of studying Latin along with her. These days I find myself grabbing Latin words and declining them while sitting at stop lights or waiting in grocery store lines. This site helps when online practice is needed.

The windows are opened wide letting in evening sounds that fascinate and aid in creating a wonderfully soothing sleeping environment. We dine outside every evening we can and with our new later schedule due to ballet lessons and and visits with Mother, we find ourselves dining by candlelight as darkness  tiptoes into our spaces. 

 It was a quick stop by the market to pick up some sushi for dinner, which we ate with the chopsticks given to us by some friends who were former missionaries to Taiwan. I have always loved how material items can bring special people to mind.

 A before bedtime game of Rummikub with Charlotte.  As we were finishing the last match even my husband had joined in to the game's fascinating pull.

Have you played this game yet?  

incredible edible egg salad

I am resolved to admit that sandwiches are a part of my life, especially at lunchtime. Sometimes they are a means in themselves; let's just get something in our hungry bellies. Other times they can be as pleasant a treat as kites in a blue cloudless sky, wide open, soaring and carrying you as far as your imagination would like to venture out.

To make this incredibly finger-licking good egg salad,

Boil 4 large eggs, peel and coarsely chop.
Add:
 2 Tablespoons plain whole milk yogurt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
a small pinch of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

 Serve open faced, by lavishly spreading on Artisan bread slices or crackers rather than between two slices of bread, if that is your pleasure. Then sit back and dream. Picnics by the seaside, breezes blowing your hair in a hot air balloon, or reading a good book in a scented bath...

the fact of the matter is

Man does not live by bread alone...some of us also need sewing projects in our lives to survive.

This time it is embroidery stitches on silk...in neutral colors...to cover a journal.

O, for the love of basil

Some of you already know how much I love basil, considering it the gem of any summer garden. This year my basil has done exceptionally well, some of the leaves have been truly as gigantic as a tomato.

I have been seeing the words basil syrup in recipes scattered from here and there. And since herb syrups of any sort are right up my alley, I wasted little time in making one with basil this week.

I have been a fan of Susan Branch and her cookbooks for years. Her quotes and original drawings dispersed throughout her cookbooks are fun.  This recipe was recently given on her fairly new blog. It has a unique taste, not at all like basil though. Maybe it is the lime juice and condensed milk that makes it interesting. However, I do like it especially when poured over crushed ice. It will cool you down quickly... but one may need to watch out for what my children call "brain freeze" with those first few swallows.

(The fish straw has no extra significance whatsoever)

make pesto while the sun shines...

Ah, summer. Flourishing herb gardens and basil abundant, the trophies of summer's heat. I whizzed up a batch of pesto this morning in the food processor. But for the very first time ever I did something to the basil that I have never tried before in all my years of making pesto. I blanched the basil for 30 seconds in boiling water. This will make the color of the pesto stay the most lovely shade of green I am told.

Immediately after blanching run cold water over the basil leaves, and with gentle handling press out the excess water before putting the leaves into the processor.

the sound of watermelon

"I hear watermelon".

These were the words out of Rose's mouth as she walked into the kitchen just as I was sliding a knife through the green rind of a watermelon. Funny, when I perceive watermelon it is the sweetness of its taste, the appealing shade of red and the feel of its juice running down my bare arm.  But all senses do escape in that pop!

There is something I need to add here, no two things. Charlotte meticulously checks out every slice of watermelon for seeds before she eats it. Her opinion is that watermelons are not to have seeds, any seeds whatsoever. Sad, I know. She will never know the fun of spitting watermelon seeds from here to yonder.

And as for the blue rubber hair band in her hair....I was straightening the kitchen counters and to get it out of the way, I slipped it onto a bit of her hair. Better hers than mine. But it is perched in a comical way I think as I watch her eat her "seedless" watermelon.

Peach Lemonade

Quenching your thirst basically takes water, of which I drink plenty, but when you want something  delicious and refreshing that will zing your taste buds, peach lemonade does seem to be rather divine.

Peach Lemonade
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup water
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
 Heat until sugar dissolves, steep for 10 minutes.

Drain.
Add 2 cups of peach nectar or peach juice. I have used both, the nectar has a stronger peach taste, but the juice works just fine.
Stir in1 cup lemon juice. I personally use this brand of 100%  pure bottled lemon.

To this add 2 cups of water. I  enjoy the tartness, but you can add more sugar if preferred. Serve over a glass of ice and add a garnish of fresh rosemary. 

Then sit back and taste summer while it still can be found. Mine is packing and planning to leave very soon.

love stitches

 I stitched by candlelight at the dining room table tonight following a dinner of prime rib and yorkshire pudding. It added a calm to my after dinner mood and reminded me of olden times when stitching by candlelight was an only possible choice. Kiri Te Kanawa was singing in the background adding her own style of harmonious heights, it was beauty moving.

The particular piece I was working on has been taking its time in coming. But I love what it stands for...  heritage, meals shared around a table with family and friends, fine things, some of which can never be purchased. White flouche on white linen, one single initial embroidered in the corner, awaiting its place at a table. Things that possess lasting value that will stretch over years and years.

My stitches are not professional or even that beautiful or clean cut. The true beauty must be seen with the heart, each thread stitched in love.

Kit in the herb garden

Several pairs of flannel pajamas, neatly folded and set aside, were brought to my attention this past weekend. The time had come to get started on something that had nestled back in my brain a couple of months ago awaiting the proper time of delivery. An outfit for Charlotte's American Girl dolls constructed from the plaid flannel of Daddy's pjs was the result. Quilt squares cut from the flannel fabric have also begun with hopes of a completed lap quilt in the future.

The photography shoot took place in the herb garden with Kit standing in my newest woven basket.

The green and blue color scheme was quite successful.