made from scratch

Miss me?

2010-04-13T16:28:00.001-04:00

If you've been missing posts here, I'm over at a new blog, Lisa's Foods on the Move.

Check it out here - I'd love to have you join me!

Lisa's Foods on the Move

2010-03-24T18:07:00.003-04:00

I'm experimenting with a new blog on WordPress, called Lisa's Foods on the Move. Not sure yet if I'll still post to this one, though I'll certainly hold onto it for a while. Since I spend so little time crafting (I don't even remember the last time I knit on knit nights!), I'm trying out a new server -WordPress - and a new focus - foods, fitness, and travel.

Please check it out and leave some comments! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it while it's still new.

Wish me luck!

The good to come

2010-03-18T18:03:00.004-04:00

Hello, hello! Having a great week, and I can't believe how every week goes by so quickly. (It's one thing I definitely don't like about growing older.) I'm sure part of my good mood involves the recent beautiful weather, which has also inspired me to get into running again, and the increased exercise probably enhances my mood too. I'm trying to choose a 5k to run in the coming months. (Trying to accomplish more my birthday goals as the next one nears.)

Hmm, what else...Steve and I have made travel plans for April! We're flying to Spain, and then are headed to Morocco for five nights! I've wanted to go to Morocco for years, and I'm really really excited. We got pretty good flights, and we'll have some time in Spain too. Can't wait for the food, the culture, the warmth. And I'll have gone to Africa!

Been reading a new book - Diet for a New Planet, by Anna Lappe. I received it from Bloomsbury USA, with the agreement that I'd write a book review of it when I'm finished, so you can be sure to read about it soon. So far I'm learning a lot on agriculture's affect on culture change.

The photo? Steve and I went out for Moroccan food last week - before we planned our trip - it must have been in the back of our minds. I ordered baba ghanoush, he ordered falafel, and we shared some bites. The falafel were so fresh and delicious. Mine was good too, but I liked his better.

On another note, I've been thinking about starting another blog, with a focus on the Berkshires and sustainability. If you are interested in contributing a weekly or monthly post, let me know! It would be much more regular than this blog, and I'm interested in including posts on food and farms and green initiatives. We'll see. I suppose with full-time teaching I have a lot on my plate from now until June, but would like to get something going.

A sunny weekend

2010-03-07T10:03:00.005-05:00

Hooray for sunshine! And for two days in a row, which can be unusual here in New England. I had a pretty good week, despite feeling on the verge of a cold from Thursday until today. After loading up on vitamin C and getting lots of sleep each night, this cold seems pretty mild.

Tuesday was a great after-work day: first, Steve took me cross-country skiing on our property, which neighbors a lot of trails. We turned around at Ralph's Outlook, above, and ended up skiing for over an hour in a total. It was a great workout, and the fresh air was beautiful.

That night our friend Sarah had us over for a scrumptious, wholesome dinner: homemade lentil soup with kale (made with tomatoes, making it extra savory), and bread with butter. Whenever I make lentil soup I use broth or water, but the tomatoes added this delightful sweetness to the dish. Yum, yum!

The weekend's been okay here - I had a teachers' exam to take yesterday, which took up my afternoon, and today I might venture out for a walk, but that's about it. I'll probably make a loaf of bread and some more homemade granola bars. I just keep thinking about spring! Funny enough, for years I would grow frustrated in spring because I have pretty bad pollen allergies, but this year, with my incredible longing for summer, I can't wait until springtime. Springtime means summer, and summer means vacation...for which my plans are still in the works.

As I long for spring and summer, I'll leave you with this photo from our Southwest trip in December. Ah, sunny sunny Arizona.

Spring is even closer...

2010-03-01T20:01:00.005-05:00

...but I'm still doing my best to appreciate winter. After a successful snowshoe hike Saturday morning, Steve and I decided to go on another one together yesterday afternoon. With a thick layer of snow still coating everything in sight, and with no wind in the air, we had perfect weather. We did the same hike, around the lake, but I managed to take my camera along this time.

The same shed by the dam here. I am soooo lucky to live right near this beautiful lake!

We're also lucky to live near a cross-country skiing center.

I love how the weight of the snow looks on the coniferous trees. It's like a giant marshmallow tree.

I was super thirsty when we got back home, and I remembered that I had brewed a batch of peppermint tea the night before and stuck it in the fridge. Cool peppermint tea equals a really refreshing pick-me-up after an hour of snowshoeing.

To make it, use one teabag or one teaspoon of leaves for every cup of water. Pour boiling water over the leaves, and brew for five to ten minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge until you're ready to drink it. I wouldn't keep it in there for more than four days though.

My early morning routine continues to consist of a big bowl of oatmeal. I bought loads of steel cut oats earlier in the winter, and want to use them up before it gets too warm. Oatmeal also seems to bring on a warmth unlike any other breakfast food, perfect for these still chilly mornings. And it's filling. And I love being creative with the toppings. Today: oats cooked with cinnamon, raisins, and dates; topped with banana, cashew butter, and homemade peach jam (made last September). But by spring and summer, I'll be more interested in muesli, homemade granola, and yogurt.

Off to bed soon for a fun day tomorrow: Steve and I are going cross-country skiing in the afternoon, then our friend Sarah's making us dinner!

A good Saturday

2010-02-27T19:04:00.003-05:00

What a great day today has been. I'm feeling relaxed, refreshed, and accomplished. Steve and I slept in this morning (until about nine, which is really late for me, but it felt good to take it easy). We had oatmeal and tea for breakfast, and decided with our housemate to go for a snowshoe walk around our pond. It felt great to get lots of exercise, especially since we had to break the trail, and there were quite a few feet of snow in the woods. Plus, with the loads of snow we've gotten in the last week, I haven't gone for a run since last Monday. When I finally get home from work, I just want to read or cook.

This wasn't today's oatmeal, but I did eat this for breakfast earlier this week. More barley with banana, cashew butter, and maple syrup, but I added some canned pumpkin and cinnamon on top. I know the pumpkin may sound unusual, but I had been craving pumpking flavored foods, and it tasted a little like pumpkin pie for breakfast.

I made these delicious baked oatmeal snack bars tonight for dessert. I've wanted to try them out as an easy afternoon snack. Since I love oatmeal, and I love experimenting with different nuts and dried fruits, they sounded like a good treat. I made these ones with peanut, dried cranberries, raisins, and a drizzle of maple syrup before baking. I'd like to try them with lots of other items: coconut, dates, candied ginger, walnuts. (But not all in the same batch.)

An easy dinner tonight: Steve called them Mexican pizzas. We had a few tortillas in the fridge that I wanted to use up, plus just a tiny bit of tomato sauce left. Topped with the sauce, mozzarella cheese, portabella mushrooms, red bell peppers, and some onion, I baked them for about ten minutes in a 350 F oven. Along with steamed zucchini and baked sweet potato, it made for a wholesome meal.

On another note, if you're interested, you can read my most recent JCarrot post here. It's about Community Support Agriculture (CSA)...and no, we haven't decided whether to join a CSA yet. I think we'll wait for now, since the shares seem quite large, and I love going to farmers' markets.

Back in the groove(s)

2010-02-22T19:27:00.004-05:00

I've been feeling inspired lately. Inspired to blog more, to photograph meals and cooking again, and to go for runs. Maybe it's the warmer weather blooming (while just above freezing is not warm, it is warmer).

Yesterday I spent a greater part of the morning cooking. I prepared my Monday lunch (millet mixed with beans, salsa, and sugar snap peas and a side of cottage cheese; along with some grapes), baked white bread in the bread machine, cooked up some grains, and made our lovely lunch. I also went for my first run of the year (only about a mile, but it felt really good.)

I made two pots of grains: the one in the back is millet, the one in the front is barley. Millet has a similar taste and texture to couscous, but is gluten free. The barley's gluten free too, and I like eating it as a breakfast cereal, as a replacement for oatmeal. While it's typically eating in soups and stews, it tastes really nice with fruit and nuts. I'll show one of my barley breakfasts later this week.

Steve and I ate the same lunch too: multigrain Fairmount bagels, more Le Pizy cheese, some raw red pepper strips, and red grapes; I had a cup of peppermint tea too. We're trying to eat more veggies to stay healthy as we plow through the end of winter.

I'm off to get ready for bed, in hopes for an early night before rising at 5:45am! At least the sun is peeking through closer to 6:00, making the early mornings much more pleasant than back in December. Good night!

Back again (from Montreal)

2010-02-21T10:00:00.007-05:00

We got back from our trip to Quebec last night. It felt so good to get away for a few days - to ski, eat new foods, and explore. Just a few photos for you...

Cute little chocolates lay on the nightstand of the first place we stayed, in the Latin Quarter. I love the packaging on these ones.

I love to photograph signs that I like, with great graphics and fonts and things. Montreal seems to be full of them.

Look at these mushrooms! We stopped at Marche Atwater (Atwater Market) yesterday morning for breakfast and to pick out a nice cheese to accompany our lunch.

Just a snippet of our delicious breakfast at the market: cafe mochas, chocolate croissant (called chocolatine in Montreal), toast with butter and blueberry jam, and a wholegrain berry muffin. I sure got my fill of sugar for the day, but it tasted so fresh and wholesome.

We settled on this Quebec-made cheese, called Le Pizy. It had a strong odor, but was a creamy-tasting cheese, a bit like brie.

Lunch in the car: Fairmount bagels with Le Pizy cheese. And some water. We stopped at a rest area in the Adirondacks to eat, admiring the falling snow.

Now that I've done my full share of catching up on blog posting and reading, I'm going to spend the rest of the day reading more of Mark Bittman's Food Matters, getting ready for school tomorrow (I always lay out my clothes the night before, and pack my lunch and snacks beforehand - I'm just too slow in the mornings), drinking tea, and going for a walk in the sunshine. A nice, lazy Sunday after a nice, lazy vacation.

On oatmeal

2010-02-17T08:57:00.004-05:00

With the snow piled up outside, and with a slight breeze - making for a chilly morning - I woke up craving oatmeal for breakfast. Today I had rolled oats cooked with half a banana and cinnamon, topped with maple syrup, the other banana half, and a blob of cashew butter. Sided with a cup of tea with a dash of milk. Simple and scrumptious.

I've noticed that many people have been writing about oatmeal lately, whether in blogs, or magazine articles, or on websites. This old-fashioned, simple breakfast is making waves. And the toppings! I'm a traditionalist when it comes to oatmeal, mostly: plain nuts or nut butter, raisins, banana or apple, and a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar. I find too many tastes overwhelm my tastebuds. But check out this Tribute to Oatmeal - wow! Oatmeal is not as modest as it used to be.

If you like oatmeal, or New York City (or both!), check out these two articles from serious eats New York.

I haven't left the house since Friday, and today's the day! As you can imagine, I'm getting pretty restless, especially since we live in the woods, and we got hit with about six inches of snow yesterday. But the snow has stopped and the roads are clear; I'm off to run some errands this morning, and then we're off to Montreal later today! I'll post some shots from the trip when we get back. Au revoir!

Blog makeover

2010-02-15T09:36:00.005-05:00

It was time. While I loved the old picture on the top of my blog (is that called a banner?), I needed a change. For the last week or two, I keep having images of spring in my mind. And I don't even love spring, which brings on incredible pollen allergies. But spring leads to summer, which leads to vacation and warmth (if not like last summer's cold wet misery), swimming and hiking and biking and running. I love winter too, but I'm ready for the transition. So, this new banner is in anticipation of spring, and green...and fiddlehead ferns.

I'm in such a good mood today, despite being the third cloudy day in a row. It's snowing a bit, I'm on vacation, we leave for Montreal in just a few days (here we come good skiing, yummy food, and new sites to check out!), I've been lazing around the last two days drinking tea and catching up on books, going for walks, and I've been getting eight to nine hours of sleep each night. We're having friends over for pizza tonight. What could be better?

If you haven't checked out Mark Bittman's latest article on comparing soda drinking to cigarette smoking, it's worth a read. He brings up a lot of points that people I know have been talking about for years; now it's time for something to happen politically.

Valentine's day. And delicious lunch.

2010-02-14T14:12:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day. Whether or not you celebrate this "Hallmark holiday", I hope you are enjoying your Sunday and long weekend.

Steve was telling me earlier about how lots of his friends and coworkers kept asking what the two of us were planning for today. And honestly? Neither one of us bought gifts, or chocolates, or made plans for dinner or to see a movie. Some of you may find that sad. But honestly? I'm really not into the hype, though I appreciate homemade cookies and things.

Personally, I'd rather skip going out for dinner around here (I feel like I've eaten out at all of the good places so many times), and go on trips to New York City or Boston or Montreal more often. For really good food you can't find in the Berkshires. I don't want to seem like a snob about the restaurants here, but my palate just doesn't appreciate our favorite restaurants as much as it used to. I think we'll make pasta primavera tonight, loaded with fresh veggies.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but on another note, my lunch today was delicious. Just what I was craving. Homemade honey wheat bread (via bread machine) topped with cheese, avocado, and fried eggs; with sliced red bell peppers on the side. Yum yum.

Random post today. I blame it on being in vacation mode. I'm tackling lots of projects over the next few days, so my mind is all over the place. Happy Weekend!

Sting ray stuffie

2010-02-13T12:39:00.004-05:00

Has it really been two weeks since my last post? How time flies...

Hooray! I'm on February break from school, and my plans for the week include lots of reading, tea drinking, and walking. And Steve and I have a trip to Montreal in the works, including a day of skiing at Mont Tremblant. I've been craving a weekend in Montreal for months and months, so I can't wait.

I wanted to share this sting ray stuffie that I made for Steve a while ago...isn't it cute? I think it's on his desk at work. It reminds me of the rays we saw in Belize about a year ago.

More apples. This time dried.

2010-01-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Along with applesauce making back in the fall, I also tried drying apples for the first time. They were a great snack, on their own or mixed into trail mix. If you ever make these though, eat them up quickly! After two weeks, I think because the apples weren't fully dry, the ones we had left got moldy and had to be thrown away.

To make them:

Turn oven onto lowest setting. If you like your dried apples peeled, peel them first. Then core. Slice apples very thinly. Place just one layer on a cookie sheet. Check every hour. I dried my batch for four hours.

Note: There are other methods for drying apples, like sun drying or using a food dehydrator. This site has some those techniques.

Homemade applesauce

2010-01-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

Though apple season's been over for months, having planned ahead last fall, I'm eating through the last quart of homemade applesauce this week.

For the last few years, towards the end of October, I make a trip to a local apple orchard that sells a peck of blemished apples for ten bucks. Not bad, huh? Considering I end up freezing about eight quarts of applesauce per peck, which usually lasts me through the winter. And since a quart of "homemade style" applesauce at the grocery store costs about four dollars per quart... I'm making forty dollars' worth for ten! Plus, I know exactly what's gone into it, and I love the process of making applesauce. Next year, I'll be making twice as much, as long as it all fits into the freezer.

I posted the recipe here. I find it's best warmed up a bit, with some walnuts or other nuts or seeds on top. A great snack or dessert, it's delish!

Do you preserve any of your own food, or would you like to learn? Which method do you prefer: canning, freezing, or drying?

The only meal photographed

2010-01-28T17:00:00.003-05:00

Menu at The Teahouse in Santa Fe. We sat outside in the sunny, fifty degree weather. Sure better than below freezing back in the Berkshires.

Usually when I travel, I love to photograph my meals. I often try exotic dishes, or come up with ideas of what to cook when I return home. But sometimes, the want to strike a photo just doesn't arrive. Sometimes it's due to embarrassment of photographing food, sometimes I don't want to think about proper angles and lighting. I just want to savor, and be fully in the moment.

A late lunch: mushroom and leek quiche with a Greek salad.

I've been realizing this about myself more and more: I go through hobby and interest phases, rather than have one or two that I hold onto for ages. Steve, for example, loves photography. He's constantly learning new skills, experimenting, reading magazines, and improving his photography. My friend Elizabeth loves to knit; she's gone from learning all the basics to designing and selling her own patterns.

Whereas I have tried numerous hobbies, depending on my mood or phase -- running, yoga, drawing, painting, photography, writing... I suppose I get bored by doing the same thing for a while. Or maybe it's being so entrenched in the multi-tasking of our current world.

Do you have one or two hobbies that are constants in your life, or do you try new ones after you become uninterested in an old hobby? Which hobbies have sparked your attention?

Twenty-ten goals, belated

2010-01-18T14:28:00.008-05:00

I'm finding that as time goes on, I'm more interested in using this blog as a place to write and share more than solely focus on items "made from scratch." It's become more of a journal and more of a place for me to stay in touch with family and friends. And I am quite happy about that.

Now that I've gotten into the swing of things for 2010, truly thinking about what I want to achieve and accomplish, I've made some resolutions. This is not an annual ritual for me, but more of a way to reflect on last year to make some changes. Goals. To think about another year.

1. Only borrow one library book at a time. Maybe I can completely avoid those damn fines that I try so hard to avoid.

2. Go on walks at least five days a week. Or do pilates. Or yoga. For better sleep, and better health.

3. Wait until springtime to buy new clothes. I have plenty for winter.

4. Find more online coupons and ways to save money on products we already buy. Who isn't trying to save money this year?

5. Cook more large amounts of foods that can be frozen until later. This works well for soups, stews, and chili.

6. Spend more time reading, less time online. A vague plan, but do-able.

Do you have any goals or resolutions for this year?

2010-01-09T12:00:00.010-05:00

We got back from our trip to Arizona and New Mexico last Saturday...eight nights was the perfect amount of time away, this year anyway. I really needed a break, but I don't think I realized how burned out I was until we returned. After nearly four months of teaching without a break more than five days long, it was good to finally have time to clear my head. Read a book. Watch television. Journal and sketch. Hike and explore. Appreciate large expanses of sky. And on arrival back home, it felt good to be back.

Some highlights...

Sedona, AZ: An artsy town up against stunning red rock.

Grand Canyon, AZ: Believe the hype. It is absolutely beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset.

Monument Valley, UT: Unusual outcroppings made famous in old westerns. Just had to take a quick trip into Utah for lunch and views.

Santa Fe, NM: Galleries, local food, and adobe. If I were to move to the Southwest and could afford it, I'd move here.

Tombstone, AZ: So old West. A far way from my New England home.

Funny. Last year, on our trip to Mexico and Belize, I was really into photographing my food for the blog. But I just didn't have the drive to on this trip. While I love blogging, it felt like too much work to pull out my camera all the time. For me to truly relax and let go, the camera stays put unless I must take a photo. Inspiration must call.

Do you ever force yourself to take photos (for a blog or album), or does it always come as an enjoyment?

Be back soon

2009-12-23T17:07:00.003-05:00

We're leaving tomorrow for a trip to Arizona and New Mexico...see you in the new year! Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and new year. I hope to have some photos posted then.

Best of 2009: 16

2009-12-16T15:59:00.002-05:00

December 16: Tea of the year: I can't choose! I'm a tea drinker, but I like lots of different kinds: English Breakfast, green, Earl Grey, peppermint, Chai, and ginger. And I go through phases and moods; currently I enjoy a cup of black tea with milk in the mornings, and a cup of Earl Grey with milk in the afternoons. Tea fully warms me up, and gives me just the amount of caffeine to get through the day.

Best of 2009: 15

2009-12-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

December 15: Best packaging: Love the packaging for this yogurt, this tea, and this chocolate.

Best of 2009: 14

2009-12-14T19:32:00.003-05:00

December 14: Rush: Running for twenty minute without stopping. I know. For many this may be no lofty feet or cause a rush. But I can think back to high school, when I struggled to finish the twelve minute run each quarter. Foot after foot, plodding along, it was a challenge. Often I walked part of it. My shinsplints would start up. I felt like I was fooling myself - me, a runner?

Back in the spring, fully into student teaching, I felt like I had some extra energy to burn. I decided I would run a 5k. Early in the morning, before heading to school, I left to house - to run, to walk, to get my heartrate going. And I kept it up, recording my times in a log. Trying to run three days a week. I didn't always want to, either due to laziness or the weather, but I kept at it. Until finally, sometime in August, I could run twenty minutes at a time. Without stopping. And feeling good - feeling a rush. Sometimes I felt like I could just keep running and running and running.

Sadly, that 5k never came. I nearly registered for one in Albany, but by the time it was happening, I was deep into teaching, and had ended my training. Hopefully, next year will be the year. I'll be ready for the rush again.

Best of 2009: 13

2009-12-13T11:42:00.001-05:00

Not our house. Nearby, on a path around the lake. We live across the lake and down the road a bit.

December 13: Change you made to the place you live: Moving altogether. We had been renting for two years, and had the opportunity to move. To free housing. Yes, free! As part of Steve's work, he gets a free house, and when given the chance, we moved in June. And we're much happier - for having no rent or utilities to spend away, to live in a community with lots of people to spend time with, to live in a nice house with hardwood floors and in the woods. I'm grateful every day.

Best of 2009: 12

2009-12-12T23:30:00.000-05:00

December 12: New food: Fruits Crunch, only to be found - as far as I know - at Bistro Fruits Folie in Montreal. Made with yogurt, Muslix or Harvest Crunch cereal, and fresh fruit; I've ordered this deliciously filling breakfast twice. I've tried to replicate this dish at home, but it never comes out quite the same. Perhaps that's part of its appeal; I have to await my next trip to my favorite bistro for my favorite breakfast.

Best of 2009: 11

2009-12-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

December 11: The best place: Funny - the place I'm about to write about, which I consider a best place (maybe not the best place, but I really like it), used to be the worst place. Where am I talking about? Montreal.

Thinking back about ten years ago, on my first trips here and there to this French Canadian city, most of my time was spent wandering on Rue Saint Catherine and in Old Montreal...in the cold or snow...I must admit, I wasn't impressed. If you haven't been to Montreal, Rue Saint Catherine (called St. Catherine Street by anglophones) is a bit dingy in parts. Sorry if anyone from Montreal is reading this post. And Old Montreal is beautiful, but very touristy. Neither neighborhood gave me a sense of belonging.

But then, about two years ago, I visited again, with Steve, who had the same sentiment on his earlier travels to Montreal. And I fell in love with this city. We discovered new neighborhoods, like Quartier Latin and the Plateau. We have found wonderful bakeries and bistros and cafes and boutiques. Ate delicious bagels. Walked through parks. Figured out where the people live, not where the tourists swarm. And it's wonderful - I long to go back in the spring again. I guess that's the way it is for me with most cities; once I find the neighborhoods where the locals go and live, I'm drawn in. With Montreal, it just hit in a big way.

Best of 2009: 10

2009-12-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

December 10: Album of the year: I have to be honest - I don't buy much music. I don't think I bought one album or set of iTunes all year. But I do have one CD on my wish list. It's three years old, so I don't know if it technically counts as an "album of the year" for anyone but me. We watched the movie Paris, je t'aime much earlier this year, and I really enjoyed the music. Every time I look into buying the soundtrack, it's sold out.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen the newly released New York, I Love You yet?

Best of 2009: 09

2009-12-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

December 09: Challenge: My new job. Without question, this has been the biggest challenge of the year. It's funny - I was a student teacher for four months in the spring, and at the time, thought that was a major challenge...teaching every day to fourth graders, lesson planning, grading and constantly assessing. But when I started teaching full-time in autumn, I hit a much bigger challenge.

As a student teacher, you take on responsibility, sure, but you are not the sole person in charge of your students. I am responsible for my students' learning of reading and writing this year, which is not an easy feat. Do I enjoy it? For the most part, despite lots of classroom management, which involves being on constantly, keeping an eye out at all times. And having to design lessons in a subject area I am still learning about. And figuring out the best ways to assess what my students are learning. And being able to handle working all day, and then a few hours after school to get it all done. It's a balancing act - or maybe a juggling act describes it better.

But, as challenging as it is, I keep a few things in mind:

+Any new job is a challenge, especially during the first year; it will get easier in time.

+I love the school where I work. I've already made great friends, the school promotes common planning time for teachers, and the staff and students seem to be happy there.

+I laugh a lot. Kids come up with the funniest things. When they respond with a long "Wow," when they think I am unreasonable. When a boy stuffed a sweatshirt under his shirt to give himself a chest. When they ask if I like my job, and are surprised when I say that I do.

+I'm employed, and for that I am grateful. I'll just keep taking it one day at a time.

Best of 2009: 08

2009-12-09T10:49:00.001-05:00

December 08: Moment of peace: As crazy as my life has been since September, when I began teaching English full time, I've been making sure to find time for myself. To relax, unwind, enjoy life when I'm not working. What helps me feel the most at peace? Luckily, I've found a few ways:

+going for walks, especially around the lake near our house

+slowly sipping my mug of tea early in the morning, while checking my email and favorite blog updates

+doing a bit of yoga now and then, remembering to breathe

Best of 2009: 07

2009-12-07T20:03:00.000-05:00

December 07: Blog find of the year: Wish Jar. This blog, by Keri Smith, is loaded with her artwork and ideas and books. I love it for its quirkiness, its art, its playfullness. Just about every time I read one of her excerpts, I smile. Like her list of ideas. Her art make me think of Bread and Puppet, which I haven't seen in years. But makes me smile too. How I love activist art.

Best of 2009: 06

2009-12-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

December 06: Workshop or conference: Last March, during my student teaching, I went to a day-long workshop for new teachers. While the advice and handouts were good, the networking was great...I reconnected with students I took graduate courses throughout my time there...I met the human resources director of the district I currently work for...Though not a life-changing or remarkable workshop, a valuable one in other ways.

Best of 2009: 05

2009-12-06T13:22:00.002-05:00

December 05: Night out: Friday night. December 04. We hardly ever go out, as in out and about. But Friday night Steve and I took our friend out for dinner. Went for Thai food - had delicious vegetable fried dumplings and spring rolls. Pad thai and green chicken curry. (No chicken for me though.) Then stopped for a few drinks. I had never been before, but it's a great winter night spot. Fires roaring, low ceilings, small booths and tables, old tin walls. We laughed and shared stories, and before long, a band began to play oldies music; we could barely hear each other. It was a lot of fun - good food and good company.

Best of 2009: 01 and 04

2009-12-04T18:05:00.009-05:00

Here we go - a new blogging project, found out about through my friend Whitney. I've decided to take the approach of writing when the theme moves me. No pressure to write every entry, every day. And since I'm already behind, I'm going to backtrack a bit today.

To learn more about The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, check out this blog.

December 04 Book: A reread of a book I read several years ago: Simple Living for the Good Life, though it used to be called Living the Good Life. It is full of simple ideas, well-planned ideas, that Helen and Scott Nearing artfully carved out to make meaning in their lives. They lived simply - growing their own food, building their own stone homes, writing their own books. Though they lived their time, the Nearings continue to inspire.

December 01 Trip: Montreal and Quebec, in the spring. On this trip I really felt like this city was mine, ours. We went back to a favorite bistro for a favorite breakfast. Saw Habitat 67 for the first time, and was blown away. Ate delicious pastries in a small bakery in Quebec. Enjoyed the feeling of being very far away, yet not being far away at all.

Lazy days

2009-11-27T15:36:00.003-05:00

Here we are, another Thanksgiving behind us, and we're hanging out for some lazy days in Connecticut, at my parents' house. Perfect for drinking tea, blogging and blog-reading, eating my mom's delicious food, and watching television. Maybe some shopping too.

Looking for things to do over this weekend? Check out:

+ on montague's calendar giveaway

+ lovely teas from Harney and Sons, either as a gift or for yourself - this one's my favorite

+ edible communities magazines - either read some articles online, or find your community's

+ jen's absolutely beautiful pie, along with other photos and foods

Why made from scratch?

2009-11-22T10:10:00.001-05:00

+ to learn something new

+ for health

+ to support the local economy

+ for fun

+ to save money*

+ for therapeutic benefits

+ to make gifts

+ because it's more pure

*Okay, so I know if you want to buy a hat instead of making one, you can find really cheap ones out there...but, if you want to purchase a hand knit hat from a craftsperson or in a shop, it's going to be costly.

Finally - a winter market!

2009-11-18T18:05:00.001-05:00

Steve brought home the flyer on Monday night, and I checked out this blog too for more information. On Saturday, in two different locations, Berkshire Grown is hosting a holiday farmers' market. I'm not sure if this is the first one ever, but in any case, we'll be heading to the one in Great Barrington, and I can't wait! I love farmers' markets, and one of the hardest parts of summer's end is the end of the markets. It's not just the purchasing of foods that I enjoy, but seeing the farmers with their hard-earned work laid out on tables.

There's been a Troy Winter Farmer's Market outside of Albany for the last few years, which I've been meaning to go to for, well, the last few years. Maybe this will be that year.

For those of you who live in cold-weather climates, do you have winter markets near you for farmers to sell their goods? I'd love to see a winter market get started in the Berkshires, someday. Just think of the breads, cheeses, jams and preserves, pickles and sauerkraut, and fiber...mmm, just the thought of it makes me hungry.

Three good things 04

2009-11-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

Thoughts on the week:

+Food, Inc. We're finally going to watch it. I've wanted to since it came out in theaters.

+Posting on JCarrot again. I wrote a post about delicious egg bread, baked in my bread machine. It's pictured with mashed avocado.

+New blog post ideas. In the coming weeks I plan to write advice on budgeting and money saving for do-it-yourselfers.

Have a good weekend!

Homemade soup to stay healthy

2009-11-12T12:57:00.001-05:00

Home sick, and I don't like it. For the last few days, I'd been feeling like I was getting a cold. I had a sore throat, and felt a bit sniffly, but nothing major. Today I woke up feeling okay, but slowly felt worse as I drove to school. Some other teachers I worked with noticed that I wasn't my usual, enthusiastic self, and I was starting to feel a bit achy...so I went back home, stopping on the way for some Airborne, which I've heard works wonders. It's my first time using it, so we'll see. I don't feel terrible, and I don't have a fever - just under the weather, a bit lethargic.

For lunch I heated up some homemade mushroom rice soup. I cooked up a big pot of it last week, so there was a quart left that I froze for later. Just the right thing on a cold winter's day. (I know, it's not even winter yet, but with the bare trees and cloud-covered sky, it sure feels it.) When I made it last week I baked some cornbread to go with it, rounding out to a wholesome dinner.

Lisa's Homemade Mushroom Rice Soup

10 cups water

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I just bought a package of them)

3 carrots, cut into chunks

1 onion, cut into chunks

1/2 cup brown rice

1 tsp dill

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients except the peas, salt, and pepper into a pot. Bring to a boil, then let soup simmer for about one hour. Add the frozen peas during the last ten minutes of cooking. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Knitting (and blogging) again

2009-11-07T18:36:00.001-05:00

I finally finished them. It must have been last fall or winter when I started these arm warmers. Now that our Knit Night group is back in full swing, I sewed these together a few days ago. To make them, I followed this pattern; I used the same dimensions, but on size 9 straight needles. They're great under a warm sweater, and go with my hat from ages ago. Hopefully I'll get inspired to learn some more knitting techniques this winter.

On another note, I know it's been a long time since I've regularly blogged. I hate to make excuses, but I needed a break. I started a new teaching job, which has been keeping me extra busy, and while I was still cooking and baking, I didn't take the time to photgraph and blog. But I'm back. And I want to continue to blog. I have lots of projects in mind for the coming months, like some more knitting, some sewing, planting garlic. I'll keep you posted. Happy weekend!

Three good things 03

2009-10-31T11:55:00.001-04:00

+Cooking meals with friends. For this meal, from earlier this season, we ate baked ziti, homemade rye bread, freshly made pesto, and raw veggies.

+Visiting orchards. I have a few favorites that I frequent. After picking up several pounds of the last variety of peaches for the year, I turned them into 12 half pints of jam. It's lovely mixed into yogurt, or topped on a slice of toast.

+Tea bars and tea houses. I love them, as long as they serve pots of loose leaf tea and use glass or ceramic. Paper products are embarrassing.

Three good things 02

2009-08-21T14:04:00.000-04:00

+Picking fresh berries. I've been berry picking around where we live, mostly blueberries, blackberries, and black raspberries.

+Eating fresh berries. On cereal. As a snack, plain. On homemade rye bread (the second loaf made in my new bread machine) with sour cream and a drizzle of honey.

+Cape Cod. We went to Cape Cod last week, but sadly, the photos got erased off my camera accidentally. It was lots of fun though - we went on a fifteen mile bike ride, mostly on bike trails. I had gelato - one scoop of coconut, one scoop of cantaloupe melon - in Provincetown. We swam in the ocean. Hopefully, we'll get back there this autumn.

One good loaf 09: Anadama bread

2009-08-16T10:57:00.002-04:00

I have a new favorite appliance - my new bread machine. This summer we lived with a friend who baked pizzas with homemade dough, and she recommended that we purchase a bread machine. We could make all kinds of breads, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls. It sounded like a good idea; when she told us about the used machines found at Goodwill, the idea sounded even better. On Friday I purchased one, for just $25.

For our first loaf, I made anadama bread, a traditional New England bread made with wheat flour, cornmeal, and molasses. I had bought it before at one of the local farms, and since we already had all of the ingredients, I gave it a go, using a bread machine recipe from this book.

Want to try making anadama bread from scratch, sans bread machine? Try this recipe, or this one. Before you make it, read this funny myth about the bread.

Three good things 01

2009-08-11T12:14:00.001-04:00

I've decided to begin a weekly "three good things" post, based on an idea written in Mary Pipher's book Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World. She writes about finding ways to enjoy life and peace, and comes up with an idea to find three things to enjoy each day. Realistically, I don't see myself recording three enjoyments daily; on a weekly basis, however, I think this will be quite doable.

+Summery drinks. Made this cucumber and lime spritzer.

+Knit night. I hosted one at our house last Thursday night. I made a baby hat for a friend of mine, and we drank cucumber lime spritzer.

+NYC family outing. On Saturday we went to the New York Botanical Garden with my family and Steve. They have a great exhibit right now called The Edible Garden, which included a beautiful herb garden, food cooking demos, and tomato and pepper potted plants all over.

Always sometimes never

2009-08-06T10:12:00.003-04:00

I always:
+crave sweets.
+feel like going for a walk.
+write lists.
+pay my bills on time.
+want to travel to new places.
+use my planner.

I sometimes:
+sleep in.
+get into craft projects.
+write letters.
+crave cappuccinos.
+invent my own recipes.
+buy books.

I never:
+bite my nails.
+go a day without a cup of tea.
+watch scary movies.
+drink glasses of milk.
+watch sports on television.
+drink diet soda.

Thanks to Leslie at good-ness and Elise at enJOY it for this fun idea.

Photo from a spring fruit-dipped-in-chocolate project.

Blueberry love

2009-08-03T10:14:00.000-04:00

Blueberries. Small, plump, sweet, juicy. I went to one of the local farmers' markets last week, in awe of how much produce is finally in full swing. I couldn't resist a quart of blueberries, one of my favorite fruits. When not eating them topped on my cereal, I like to make all kinds of tasty desserts: blueberry crisp, blueberry buckle, blueberry grunt. (Yes, there is such a thing as blueberry grunt - it's a New Englandy treat.)

I made some whole wheat blueberry muffins, substituting blueberries for strawberries from this recipe. Using only whole wheat made them pretty dense; next time I'll use half whole wheat flour and half white flour, as called for in the recipe. And bakers beware: when I baked these muffins, the blueberry juice started to ooze onto the base of our oven. I should have put a baking pan under the muffin pan as they cooked.

Potato season

2009-07-26T16:56:00.000-04:00

Potato season in the Berkshires has begun. Last week on my daily drive to some local farms and farmstands, I found beautifully scubbed red potatoes in quart-sized baskets for sale. As you can imagine, we've been eating quite a few potatoes recently. This summer, if you get the chance, try some fresh blue potatoes, or fingerlings.

Here are some of the meals we've made lately, with potato:

1. Indian vegetable curry, with rice. I made up my own creation with veggies and spices I found at home, but here's a nice looking summer curry recipe.

2. Roasted vegetables.

3. Grilled vegetables. Just stick sliced potatoes and onions in tin foil and place on the grill until cooked through.

I'll have to make some summery potato salad soon too, with fresh herbs.

The last of the strawberries

2009-07-10T09:20:00.000-04:00

Strawberry season is at its end. We're nearly into blueberries, and I tasted the first raspberry from our bushes yesterday. Last week I made some strawberry cobbler, using this fruit cobbler recipe. It's nice with a dollop of plain yogurt on top. I found this lovely kind the other day. It's my new favorite.

While it's not made from scratch related, I also wanted to share a book I read the other week. It's called The Life You Can Save, and it's all about giving money to people in need around the world. If you're interested in philosophy, philanthropy, or human rights issues, it's worth checking out. The website has good resources as well.

Have a great weekend. Let's hope for some sunshine!

Lace cookies

2009-06-29T09:53:00.002-04:00

I'm guilty. With summer well on its way, busy with going to the movies, hanging out with friends, picking up yummy foods at the farmers' market, and sleeping in, blogging has been left to the way side a bit. Not having internet at home yet doesn't help either. But as filled as my days have been, there has been time for baking.

Last week I baked these lace cookies, which were one of my favorites as a kid. I remember eating them at family friends' parties and barbecues, and finding them in bakeries. They're delicate, buttery, and have a sweet and salty taste. They would work well dipped in chocolate after they've cooled too. With some strawberries on the side. Every meal and dessert tastes better with fresh berries.

My life, currently

2009-06-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

Moving: We just finished. It took a lot of work, but we're done, and happy to be in our new (old) place.

Baking: Making delicious strawberry yogurt muffins. Every time I opened a new container of yogurt, I saw this recipe on the lid. I finally made them.

Eating: Salmon tacos and potato wedges. I've been trying to find new recipes for the summer.

Rhubarb: Cooking with rhubarb. This time, rhubarb cupcakes and stewed rhubarb. I made the stewed rhubarb by placing about two cups of rhubarb in a saucepan, adding some sugar and cinnamon, and letting it cook for half an hour or so. You can sweeten it to your liking. It's delicious eaten alone warm, or it'd be good topped on yogurt or ice cream.

Exercising: In an attempt to get back in shape after a sluggish winter, I've been running three days a week, training for a 5K. I've never really run more than twelve minutes at a time, so this is a big deal for me. And for my birthday, Steve surprised me with a new bike, and yesterday we went on a bike ride. I'm a bit sore today, but ready to get back into biking.

Reading: Just finished this book today. It was really good, and made me think about giving and the state of the world.

A perfect snack: Pretzels and smoothies

2009-06-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the birthday wishes! I had a really good weekend - a hike to a waterfall, and a visit with my family, which included a delicious brunch, a canoe and kayak jaunt, some shopping, and dinner and ice cream out.

On Saturday I was craving a smoothie. In high school I used to make banana milkshakes when I got home, and would eat them with crunchy pretzels; this weekend I made some banana mango blueberry smoothies, and baked some homemade, whole wheat pretzels. A perfect snack. It must be the combination of salty and sweet that I love so much.

Soft Pretzels

4 cups flour (I used whole wheat)

1 package yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 egg, beaten

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt, sugar, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of remaining flour to make dough easy to handle (not sticky). Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Divide out into 12 equal parts; roll out and form either traditional pretzel shapes, or other shapes. Brush shapes with beaten egg and bake in heated oven at 425ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Eat warm out of the oven! We like ours with a bit of mustard.

Makes 12 pretzels.

Lisa's Banana Mango Blueberry Smoothies

All ingredients are approximate.

2 frozen bananas, cut into chunks

1/2 cup frozen mango, cut into chunks

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp blueberry jam (you could use any type of jam)

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Serve immediately.

List seven: On 30

2009-06-06T08:00:00.004-04:00

Another year older, and this year, it's a big one: I turn 30 today. Thirty. It sounds old. But I'm trying to embrace this next decade of my life. And so, here are 30 things I want to do in the next year, before I turn 31. Some are things I've done before; some are new. They are written in no particular order.

1. make a sourdough starter

2. make cheese

3. go to Montreal done

4. make sushi

5. run a 5k

6. knit socks

7. bake granola

8. go on new hike

9. go to New York City done

10. land a full time job done

11. go camping

12. ride my (new) bike done

13. write more blog entries done

14. go skiing done

15. take a yoga class

16. bake this no-knead bread

17. organize my photos

18. go for early morning kayak or canoe paddling

19. knit another hat done

20. travel to Australia

21. travel to a new country

22. read new books done

23. learn some French

24. make sponge cake

25. make blondies for my family done

26. see Food, Inc. done

27. plant potted herbs - basil, parsley, and mint would be nice

28. make Steve a sting ray stuffie done

29. finish knitting the black arm warmers I began done

30. spend lots of time with family and friends done

Made from scratch drawings 01

2009-06-03T15:40:00.000-04:00

You know how sometimes life gets so busy that all you can think about are the things you'd like to do if you had the time? You feel like no amount of time would be enough to get around to all of those projects.

Yes - and you may get jealous - I apologize - but this has been my life for the last few weeks. After a few years in grad school and working full time, and just recently finishing my student teaching, I haven't had much time off. Alright, so we go on some pretty nice holidays, usually taking off at least ten days at a time to explore and travel and visit friends and family. But now I have time to spend at home. I'm getting around to a few of those procrastinated or no-time-for projects. Cooking. Baking. Running. Yoga. Crafts. And even some drawing.

In grade school and high school I loved to draw. Whether in art class or in the silence of my bedroom, I'd take out my latest sketch pad to draw. As a child I would doodle and cartoon; in high school I got into still life and portraits. With pencils, charcoal, Cray-Pas, or markers, I would find items to draw.

Right after my student teaching came to an end, I made a trip to purchase art supplies. Every time I would see thin felt tip markers, I wanted them. So I bought Staedtler triplus fineliners. A ten-pack. They're lovely. Perfect for making some made from scratch drawings.

On college and farming

2009-05-27T08:15:00.001-04:00

An article in The New York Times on college students and farming sparked a blog post in me. You can read the post here.

One good loaf 08

2009-05-25T15:27:00.000-04:00

As much as I'm into buying locally grown, fresh foods, I just love bananas. I know they're shipped from far away South American countries, but I just can't give them up. We have switched to organic bananas in the last couple of months, after reading some info about conventional bananas. So we still eat them, but by buying organic, hopefully we're cancelling out some of the bad effects of buying such tropical foods.

Anyway, so last week I stopped at the local natural foods store, and they had a basket full of overly ripe, black bananas, topped with a sign that read: "Free bananas. Good for smoothies or banana bread." I would have felt bad to only buy a bunch of bananas, so I picked up some local sprouts too.

Home with the bananas, I decided to make some banana mango smoothies for dessert that night, using up some frozen mango chunks I bought a while ago. I also made banana bread with chocolate chips, using the banana bread-turned-muffin recipe that I last baked with in January. This time I used the full recipe (rather than the half I used to make the muffins), only used whole wheat flour, and added chocolate chips instead of walnuts. The loaf was quite large, and actually was almost too big for the pan. But it turned out really well, nice and moist, and delicious with a cup of tea.

Rhubarb crumb cake: A cake for spring

2009-05-23T14:33:00.000-04:00

Spring means rhubarb season, so I made sure to pick up some stalks at the local supermarket the other day, which always has seasonal items like fiddlehead ferns. I found a recipe for a rhubarb crumb cake, which sounded like a great way to use up the rhubarb.

I didn't have any sour cream, so I used yogurt instead. I also went without the topping; I felt that the cake already had plenty of sugar in it.

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 egg
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups raw rhubarb, chopped

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix butter, sugar, egg, flour, and vanilla. Dissolve soda into sour cream or yogurt and add to mixture. Stir in rhubarb last. Combine topping ingredients and crumble on top of cake. Bake in greased 9x13 inch pan for 45 minutes at 350ºF.

Québec, One a day 07

2009-05-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

Fiddlehead ferms. Only found at this time of year. Jean-Talon Market. Montréal.

Québec, One a day 06

2009-05-20T16:18:00.003-04:00

I have only seen such berry bowls in Canadian markets. Jean-Talon Market. Montréal.

Québec, One a day 05

2009-05-19T16:00:00.002-04:00

Veggie delight. Jean-Talon Market. Montréal.

Québec, One a day 04

2009-05-18T16:00:00.006-04:00

The pastries we ate at Panetier Baluchon. Mine was blueberry; Steve's was a chocolatine, also known as a chocolate croissant. Québec City.

Québec, One a day 03

2009-05-17T16:00:00.001-04:00

More Tunisian food. The main course: salmon, couscous, salad, and steamed vegetables.

Québec, One a day 02

2009-05-16T16:00:00.002-04:00

Tunisian food. The entrée: a variety of salads, including greens with hard boiled egg, tomatoes and cucumbers, tabouli, cabbage, beans, carrots, and hummus. Served with bread rolls.

Québec, One a day 01

2009-05-15T16:00:00.002-04:00

I love the province of Québec and the city of Montréal. Steve and I went away for another weekend, this time heading to Montréal for two nights and Québec City (called Québec by local Québécois) for one night. Though it was overcast and rainy for a greater part of the weekend, it was wonderful to get away, to celebrate being finished with student teaching, to be immersed in a different culture.

Some highlights of my weekend:

1. eating pastry at a tiny bakery Sunday morning in Québec

2. going to my favorite Montréal bistro to eat my favorite breakfast, Fruits Crunch, a mix of fruits, yoghurt, and Muslix cereal

3. taking long, rambling walks with Steve

4. napping in the car

On and off for the next few weeks I plan to post my favorite photos from this Québec getaway.

Brownie bites

2009-05-12T17:40:00.004-04:00

I'm back, and hope to do more regular posting again. My student teaching ended on Friday, and the last half hour of the day consisted of a party with the entire fourth grade, including gift giving and treats. It was a lot of fun, and it's been a lot of work. Now I'm on the road to finding a job and getting back into blogging, cooking, and crafting again.

Last week I made some brownie bites, going back to the brownie-blondie debate. I added peanuts to the tops of half of these ones. I found the recipe in my old elementary school's cookbook, but made some slight adjustments, including using whole wheat flour. They were a little too sweet for me; next time I'll add less sugar.

Brownie Bites

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup cocoa, sifted

cupcake liners

peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat egs, sugar, and vanilla. Blend in melted butter and beat well. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt; beat into egg mixture. Stir in cinnamon.

Add cocoa and blend well. Divide chocolate batter among 12 cups. Top with peanuts, if you like. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

List six. Things to bake

2009-05-08T07:09:00.000-04:00

Summer, with its natural heat, is supposed to be a great season for rising dough and baking bread. I'm ready to get into baking again this month, as I'm finally finishing up with student teaching today!

1. Sourdough bread. I had a starter that was good and ready, but I ended up throwing it away because I waited too long to use it. I'll have to start another one.

2. Granola bars. I love granola bars, but hate all of the packaging. The idea of adding our favorite dried fruits and nuts and seeds sounds good, and we'll have a good snack for hiking trips this summer.

3. Coffee cake. I love coffee cake. It would be wonderful to serve with tea or coffee. Or for breakfast.

4. Rye bread or rolls. I bought some rye flour a while back, but haven't used it yet. One of these days...

5. Pizza dough. Steve and I like to eat pizza for dinner. It's easy, we can add our own toppings, and it's so filling. I'd like to make my own dough, and save some in the freezer for future pizza nights.

6. Cupcakes. I think they're so pretty. And fun to eat. I made these ones in February; it's time to make more.

7. Angel food cake. One of my sister's favorites, and one of mine too. With strawberry season approaching soon, it'd be lovely to make a strawberry sauce or topping to go with it.

For more baking ideas, check out one good loaf and King Arthur Flour.

Organics around the nation

2009-05-02T21:56:00.000-04:00

Check out the latest New York Times article on organic foods in the U.S. They have some great maps too.

List five. My favorite breakfast foods

2009-04-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

I love breakfast foods, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite breakfast items with you here.

1. Bagels. With cream cheese, peanut butter, smoked salmon and tomato, or butter, I love bagels. Check out my favorite NYC bagels and Montreal bagels.

2. Muesli or granola with yogurt or rice milk. Either one is delicious.

3. Egg sandwiches. In Belize I ordered an egg sandwich at a tiny takeout place. It was served hot on toast with lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayonnaise. Yum. I also love making sandwiches with hard boiled eggs sliced up.

4. Oatmeal. With raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon, it warms me up on those cold winter mornings. Rolled oats or steel cut oats will do.

5. Muffins and tea breads. I normally don't eat these for breakfast. It's like eating cake for breakfast.

6. Bananas. Whether on oatmeal, with cereal or yogurt, or on toast or a bagel with peanut butter, they add a sweet flavor and are quite filling. Lately we've only been buying organic ones.

7. Hot tea. My current favorite is chai.

For more breakfast shots and inspirations, check out this blog, and Jennifer's blog, which no longer has new postings but does have beautiful photos.

Passover, one a day 05

2009-04-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Daisies add color and life to the room.

Passover, one a day 04

2009-04-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

Matzah covers for the seder table.

Passover, one a day 03

2009-04-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

More charoset. This one was made with mangoes and grapes.

Passover, one a day 02

2009-04-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

Charoset in front, horseradish behind. Charoset is a mixture of apples, walnuts, grape juice or wine, cinnamon, and other dried or fresh fruits; it symbolizes the mortar used to lay bricks in Egypt. We eat charoset and horseradish together on matzah. As a kid (and now as well), charoset is my favorite part of the dinner.

Passover, one a day 01

2009-04-14T07:30:00.001-04:00

Last week I went home for Passover, which included a trip to Philadelphia for the first seder. This week I'm going to highlight one photo a day from our seder.

Made from scratch kosher for Passover honey cake.

Spring gift

2009-04-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

On and off for the last few months, a substitute teacher came into our school to work for the woman I student teach for. As a gift, she brought me this beautiful hyacinth. Every day I savor its scent, ready for spring. I also love its color. And it makes the day less dreary, as we've had many overcast days lately.

A week in review

2009-04-03T07:07:00.000-04:00

I'm almost there. Since January I've been student teaching to finish my master's degree, and in just over a month, it will be complete. In the meantime, teaching full time and waiting tables three nights a week is just not conducive to blogging, nor making things from scratch. By the end of the day I'm happy if I can just read a book for a bit. But by May, I should have lots of time again to cook and craft and bake and blog.

I wanted to share with you my latest interview with the CEO of Hancock Shaker Village. I'm enjoying learning about local farms and goods through this series, and I can't wait to start shopping at farmers' markets again.

My dad also told me about a program called Wordle, which is worth checking out. Here's an image he made with words from my last blog post:

It reminds me of the way some people set up their tags or categories. I plan to do some cooking or baking this weekend, so I hope to have a new post or two up next week. Enjoy the weekend.

Breakfast at home

2009-03-29T13:13:00.000-04:00

This morning we awoke to the smell of sautéed onions. Mom made a homemade crustless broccoli cheddar quiche for breakfast, which we savored with toasted bagels.

When we decided to post the recipe, we were debating whether to call this dish a crustless quiche or a frittata. According to Wikipedia, a quiche is a baked dish made of an egg and cream base, while a frittata is more like an omelet, but cooked in a saucepan and then grilled. Learning the differences, we're calling Mom's dish a crustless quiche, as it's made of eggs and cream, and is baked in an oven. Whatever you want to call it, it's delicious served hot or cold, for breakfast or lunch.

Mom's Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

4 eggs
1 cup half and half or light cream
1 cup ricotta (can be reduced fat)
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 10 oz package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 onion
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
about 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Sauté onions in butter or olive oil on low heat until soft. Beat eggs, then add cream, cheeses, broccoli and seasonings. Mix well.

Grease oven-proof pie pan with olive oil, butter, or spray. Place sautéed onions on bottom of pie pan. Pour remaining ingredients over sautéed onions. Bake 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes before serving. Serves six.

Note: You may substitute broccoli with chopped spinach, and any shredded cheese (Swiss, mozzarella, etc.) may be substituted.

Gardening at the White House

2009-03-20T07:18:00.000-04:00

Michelle Obama declared that beginning today, an organic vegetable garden will be started at the White House. This means good news for Americans, whose president and family will model growing and eating healthy food in a time when the economy and obesity are major issues to face.

Blondies or brownies?

2009-03-14T19:30:00.004-04:00

A few nights ago I wanted to make blondies for dessert. If you haven't had them before, they're like a brownie and chocolate chip cookie mixed into one. They have the consistency of a brownie, but with a brown sugar and butter cake, with chocolate chips mixed in. While I've made them in a pan before, this time I made them in cupcake liners so that we had portable blondie bites. Craving chocolate, we ate them straight away. They were still soft and fell apart a bit, but tasted lovely. By the next day, they had a solid brownie texture.

I used a recipe from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book:

Blonde Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and lightly flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.

2. Beat the butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking soda nd mix until well blended.

3. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting.

To make blondie bites, butter and lightly flour a muffin tin (for 12 muffins), or line with cupcake liners. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes.

Which would you choose, blondies or brownies?

Out and about

2009-03-09T22:11:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's already been a week since I last wrote here. I've been busy writing new posts, like this one, this one, and this one.

And this past weekend we headed to Montreal, which was wonderful. Full of wandering, finding new cafés, and enjoying being immersed in Quebecois culture. While Steve and I had both been to Montreal several times, we found new neighborhoods to explore, like Quartier Latin and Plateau du Mont-Royal, which had funky restaurants and shops. I tried poutine for the first time. We bought delicious bagels. I got lots of photos of colorful townhouses and café signs.

As much as I love living in the country, I also love getting into cities for a faster pace and new choices of places to go.

Mango mango

2009-03-02T15:09:00.001-05:00

Last week I was having lunch with some colleagues, and a friend told me about a child in her class. The child and family are Chinese, and to celebrate the student's upcoming birthday, they bought cakes from a bakery in New York City. My friend knows how much I love to travel and try new foods, so she made sure to tell me all about it; she even brought the boxes of bakery-wrapped cakes into the lunch room so we could all have a look.

I hadn't seen desserts like this before. Sure, I'd tried lotus seed paste and sweet bean paste mooncakes before. But these little cakes this friend had looked like colorful, miniature fruit cakes topped with candied fruit. She gave a mango flavored one. It had a nice, cooling flavor, which would be especially lovely in the warmer months.

Fay Da Bakery in Manhattan and Queens sells this type of mango cup, and lots of other delicious looking desserts.

Are cupcakes still trendy?

2009-02-28T19:23:00.000-05:00

Cupcakes. They're simple. They're pretty. They're a single serving of dessert. And for the last eight years or so, they've been quite popular, especially since Sex and the City featured Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes. I went to a wedding reception a few years ago where Magnolia's Red Velvet cupcakes were featured. They were incredible, melt in your mouth treats.

Baking cupcakes from scratch has been on my list of baking experiments, and with another too-ripe banana sitting in the kitchen, it was time to make some. I put together banana cupcakes with vanilla icing, topped with coconut. I adapted the banana cake recipe from The Settlement Cook Book, an old-fashioned classic; you can find recipe here or here. To make cupcakes, line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill the liners halfway, and bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes.

While the cook book recommends topping this cake with lemon butter or coffee frosting, I decided to try their plain icing flavored with vanilla, then topped with unsweetened coconut. The cupcakes are also quite nice by themselves, or with a dusting of confectioner's sugar.

How long will the cupcake trend continue? I'm not sure. It seems to me that macarons are becoming the new cupcake. Trendy or not, they're worth savoring. To learn more about cupcakes, check out these gals.

Plain Icing No. 1

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp hot water or milk or cream

1/4 tsp vanilla, lemon, or other extracts, or 1 tsp lemon juice or rum

If the cake is cold, have liquid hot. Stir the liquid into the sifted sugar, adding more, a few drops at a time, as needed. The icing is of the proper consistency when it coats the spoon.

Chocolate goodness

2009-02-25T06:32:00.004-05:00

It was snowing all day on Sunday, and we just didn't make it out of the house. One of the items on the grocery list? Cadbury chocolate bars. Steve and I like to have a supply of chocolate in the house.

To satisfy our chocolate cravings without driving in danger, I decided to finally try a recipe that I cut out of a King Arthur Flour package one or two years ago, for Deep Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake. It was really easy to make, and is basically a mix of chocolate cake and chocolate pudding with walnuts or pecans. This cake would pair nicely with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, but a glass of cow's milk, soy milk or rice milk hits the spot too. I think this will become one of our regular desserts.

To market, to market

2009-02-23T06:39:00.000-05:00

I love markets, especially farmers' markets. If you enjoy markets too, check out I Love Markets. There are photos of markets from around the world, selling crafts, food, antiques, and other items. One of my photos from Ottawa was posted there last week. And I just love this photo. It makes me long for summer.

I've been hooked on farmers' markets since I was in college, when I'd walk to the big market on Saturday to check out which foods were in season. I ended up working on an organic farm that summer, after seeing the farm's beautiful produce week after week; I truly began to learn about where my food comes from, and when which items are in season. Since then, I always check out the local farmers' markets wherever I live, getting to know local farms and goods. I've also had the chance to work on another organic farm and a vineyard.

To find your local farmers' markets (and other places selling local items), check out Local Harvest.

Valentine giveaway winner

2009-02-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Stacie, lucky winner of three bars of Berkshire Bark chocolate! Steve picked the random number 26. I enjoyed reading everyone's comments. All of the sweets sounded lovely! (I have a very big sweet tooth.)

Have a good Sunday, and I'll get back to regular postings again next week.

Valentine's day giveaway

2009-02-14T11:24:00.002-05:00

As a Valentine's Day treat, I've decided to launch the first made from scratch giveaway this week. And what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with chocolate?

There are three different locally made Berkshire Bark chocolate bars to win in the one giveaway:

1. Midnight Harvest: Made with Belgian dark chocolate, roasted almonds, roasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries, and fresh orange zest.

2. Pretzelogical: Made with Belgian dark and milk chocolate, pretzels, sea salt caramel, and natural peanut butter.

3. Tropical Heat: Made with Belgian dark chocolate, macadamia nuts, mango, papaya, pineapple, coconut, ancho chili powder, and cayenne pepper.

Write a comment on this post on your favorite type of sweet; be it chocolate, baked good, fruit, or otherwise. Please have your comments entered by 10pm EST on February 21st. One comment per person. I'll post the random lucky winner on February 22, 2009. Anyone can enter, but make sure to either enter your email address with your comment, or check back here on the 22nd to see if you've won.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sweet and sour cabbage

2009-02-13T07:59:00.001-05:00

Things have been busy around here. After being out with the flu, I've been making up hours at work and haven't taken as much time as I'd like to cook. I finally made sweet and sour cabbage on Tuesday, and I wanted to share the recipe with you. It's a dish that my mom makes, and this was my second time making it. It's delicious over rice or couscous. I like to cook a big batch of it and freeze some of it for those times when I just don't have anything for lunch or dinner.

Mom's Sweet and Sour Cabbage

1 small cabbage, sliced

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, diced (optional - I added them this time for extra veggies)

1 15-ounce can of pureed or crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 box or 4 ounces of ginger snap cookies (I used Trader Joe's Organic Ginger Snaps)

Place all ingredients in soup pot and heat on medium-low heat for two or three hours, or until the cabbage and onions are soft. To make in a slow cooker, place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for six hours. Stir frequently to keep from sticking to sides of pot or cooker.

List four. Spring things I'm craving

2009-02-09T07:00:00.005-05:00

For the past few days we've had a tinge of warmth in the air. More than any other winter, I am craving spring, and it's only February. Usually I start longing for warmer weather in March, but I'm ready. Not only has it been exceptionally cold for the last few weeks, not reaching above freezing most days, but we also began the winter with an ice storm. I don't necessarily want to wish winter away; I have more ski trips and snow days to look forward to. But feeling a bit of sun this weekend certainly made me realize how ready I am for a warmer season.

Spring things I'm craving:

1. To wear a sweater without a jacket.

2. To see the buds just beginning to appear on trees. Just looking at photos of green trees makes me feel relieved and relaxed.

3. To go for walks without getting a chill.

4. To wear the pair of toast I'm currently working on.

5. To drive without worrying about ice on the road.

6. To buy and eat fresh lettuce, strawberries, rhubarb, and asparagus.

7. To sit outside, reading or knitting, sipping on a cup of tea. Delightful.

Out of habit

2009-02-04T21:34:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share with you a blog I've been checking out for the last few weeks. It's called habit, and the two women who started it wanted to capture one moment of each day of one year through photography and words. There are lots of beautiful photos here, and I love how it reminds me to cherish each moment more, and to find the beauty in small things.

Keeping warm with rice pudding

2009-02-02T22:20:00.000-05:00

It's snowing again. And for those of you who also live in the northeastern U.S., you know how cold this winter has been. One evening last week I was in the mood for something sweet, and something warm, but I didn't feel like baking. I wanted to make something easy. We bought a new rice cooker in December, and I recalled that our former one had a recipe for rice pudding. I dug it out from a pile of cookbooks and recipes, placed the few ingredients in the rice cooker (sans the raisins), and in thirty minutes, dessert was ready.

It was really good served warm, straight out of the rice cooker. I think the next time I make it, I'll try adding some cardamon seeds and cloves, to give it more of an Indian flair. I might cut out some of the sugar too; it was a bit too sweet! Enjoy!

Rice Pudding

2 cups long grain white rice
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
whipped cream (optional)

Pour 2 1/2 cups water into pan. Add remaining ingredients except whipped cream. Stir, cover and press switch. When indicator clicks to "keep warm," let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon warm pudding into serving bowls and top with whipped cream. Of, chill, then serve.

Serves six.

Oatmeal raisin cookies

2009-01-30T07:23:00.002-05:00

I remember driving into New York City every month when I was a child to visit my grandmother and great grandmother. As with many memories, the parts of these trips that are the most vivid in my mind are of food - the stops we'd make at the deli to pick up meat and bread and Hostess treats; the ice cream that we deemed "mushy ice cream," always soft from my great grandmother's not-quite frozen freezer; and the tin full of melt in your mouth oatmeal raisin cookies made by my great grandmother's neighbor. My sister and I especially loved relishing in bowls of the cookies topped with mushy ice cream.

Wanting to make cookies on Sunday, having a big new bag of raisins from the food co-op, and remembering those delicious cookies from my childhood, I decided to make oatmeal raisin cookies from scratch, following a recipe I found in The Joy of Cooking.

I made two batches. The first ones baked for 9 minutes, and stayed soft for the couple of days they lasted. I left the second set in the oven for a minute longer, and I found them a bit too crunchy for my taste. But they were still quite good, with the sweet, buttery taste I remembered, and disappeared quickly.

Quick Oatmeal or Wheat Flake Cookies

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cream:

1/2 cup butter

Add and cream well:

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Combine and beat in until smooth:

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp milk

Sift together and add to the above ingredients:

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp double-acting baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

When beaten smooth, add:

1 cup uncooked quick rolled oats or wheat flakes - I used oats

For a different flavor or texture, try adding one of the following:

3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1 tsp grated orange rind (optional)

1/2 cup raisins (optional) - I added these

1 can flaked coconut (optional)

Beat the mixture well. Drop cookies 2 inches apart on a well-greased cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown.

Soup weather

2009-01-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's snowing again today. And for the last couple of hours, an icy rain has been falling.

With this lingering below-freezing weather, I've been craving hot soup lately. Over the weekend I made a big batch of vegetable soup with rice and lima beans in the slow cooker, and we've been enjoying it for lunch each day. I replaced one cup of water with vegetable broth, to use up some that I had leftover from another batch of soup. The soup has a creamy consistency from the lima beans; it's especially nice with cheese and crackers.

Lisa's Vegetable Soup with Rice & Lima Beans

5 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 small potatoes, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup short grain brown rice (feel free to use short or long grain, and white or brown rice)
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Place the water, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, pepper, rice, and spices in the slow cooker. Set to cook for eight hours on low. Add the frozen lima beans and peas after six hours.

Hand sewn stuffed animals

2009-01-26T07:27:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I finally finished some Japanese stuffed animals, also called softies or stuffies, that I started working on a few months ago. They're basically miniature stuffed animals. Each one of the three shown only stands about three inches tall. Rather than just make them little animals, I added a loop of braided floss, turning them into ornaments, or door decorations, or hanging good luck charms. I really like the idea of hanging them over doorknobs for good luck.

I've made three so far, all out of recycled felt and embroidery floss, and I hand sewed them. I found the patterns for free through Shishigirl. I apologize if the elephant looks a bit blurry; I had a hard time getting a clear shot of the pink in this winter light.

Hand sewing is pretty new to me, besides sewing on a button or fixing up small holes in clothes. During college I did some sewing on a machine, often at my friend Allison's house. I remember making curtains, pillows, and some patchwork clothes. But I really enjoy sewing by hand. It's gratifying. And these little softies were quick projects, once I got the hang of it. By the way, the tan one is an alpaca, in case it's hard to identify.

Check out this blog and this blog for some hand sewing inspiration.

A new blogging adventure

2009-01-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

I have good news. And some self-promotion. In February I am going to begin contributing monthly to the blog of Berkshire Grown, a local eating and farming advocacy group in the Berkshires. I'm really excited to begin this new venture, and hope it will give me a chance to get to know more farmers and locavores in the region. If it works out, my goal is to interview a new farmer or member of Berkshire Grown each month. Yay for local eating and local farms!

You can check out the blog here.

On the mend

2009-01-21T09:41:00.001-05:00

Sorry that it's been a while since I've written. I seem to have the flu, unfortunately, so I've been trying to rest. I plan to write more later in the week or over the weekend. I have some exciting upcoming projects that I'd like to share with you.

This is a legwarmer I started knitting a few weeks ago. I'm almost finished with this one, then it's onto the second.

One good loaf (turned muffin again) 07

2009-01-15T09:19:00.001-05:00

One banana, sitting in a basket on the kitchen counter, was ready to get used or tossed in the garbage. I thought about making a smoothie with some yogurt and strawberries that my mom gave me last weekend. Or, I could try another tea loaf-turned-muffin recipe. While the smoothie would get consumed in one go, muffins would last a few days. And muffins cook faster than a whole loaf, and are premade portions of sweetness. Yes, it was time to try banana muffins from scratch.

I used my King Arthur Flour cookbook (The Baker's Companion) again, but just like the orange cranberry recipe I used last week, I cannot find a copy of this banana bread recipe online. Since I only had one banana, I halved the recipe, which made seven large muffins.

The verdict? Steve loved the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove enhanced flavor. I found them a little bit dry. Next time I would add a bit more yogurt, or would bake them a few minutes less.

Banana Bread

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup mashed banana (2 to 3 very ripe, large bananas)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (I added a pinch of clove as well)

2 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt (I used yogurt)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional - I did not add them)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil. Blend in the mashed banana and vanilla. Whisk together and then sift (it's important that these be thoroughly combined) the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Add all at once to the banana mixture. Mix quickly but thoroughly, then stir in the yogurt and walnuts, mixing until just combined.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake the bread for about 1 hour, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If the bread begins to brown too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil after 40 minute in the oven.

When the bread tests done, remove it from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes; after 15 minutes, remove the bread from its pan and place on the rack to finish cooling completely.

Makes one large loaf, or 12 muffins.

Note: If making muffins with this recipe, only bake for 25 minutes.

Gifts, belated

2009-01-12T09:39:00.001-05:00

I was finally able to create tags for my freezer jam, which I've been giving as gifts this year. (Since we were away over Christmas and Hanukkah, these gifts are a bit belated. For those of you who may be receiving them, sorry to spoil the surprise!) These are the first tags I made, the jam given to my friend Patty. I tweak them a bit each time, and the newer sets of tags are much smaller than the ones I've posted here. I've enjoyed giving these away - a little local Berkshires fruit is always fun to receive and eat. My sister has enjoyed it too. She got a jar of blackberry jam last weekend.

The other day Steve and I received a package in the mail from our friend Ellie, a crafts person and artist who likes to make things from scratch. We got these fun button key chains. You can find her here and here. Thanks Ellie!

My friend Mary Jo, the one who started our weekly Knit Night, made Steve and I each a pair of clogs as early Hanukkah/Christmas gifts. I'm wearing mine in this photo. She makes them by knitting each one, and then felting them in the washing machine. They're so warm, and break in very quickly. I've already gotten quite a bit of use out of my pair.

Food movements: local foods, whole foods

2009-01-09T10:21:00.002-05:00

The local and whole foods movements are really growing. Lately I have noticed more articles, books, and talk about the subjects than ever before. Am I just looking for it, or are these food movements becoming hot topics? It seems that Americans are finally realizing that while processed foods save time and energy to prepare, they are less healthy and tasty than locally grown foods and whole foods.

Check out this week's article by Mark Bittman in The New York Times, which promotes made from scratch food items. I appreciate that they point out how many things can be made in advance; rather than using canned soup broth, one can make a huge batch of it with some veggies, and store the broth in the freezer.

Now I certainly do not make everything from scratch. And I do not think people should only eat whole foods. Convenience foods can taste great and be healthy too. My goal is to introduce people to these food movements, and encourage people to try buying some produce from a local farmer, or to try baking from scratch rather than using a boxed mix. Not every time, but once in a while.

Knit one

2009-01-07T09:41:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I finally knitting finished my second hat. I lost the original one in Boston when Steve's mum and sisters were visiting. So I made a new hat, and I'm just as pleased with this one as I was with the first.

I followed the pattern for the Rock and Roll Brim Hat, in Jennifer Worick's Getting Started Knitting. It's been a good beginner book for me; I began with some different scarves, worked up to the hat on circular needles, and next want to try leg warmers and socks.

The yarn is a llama/merino blend that I bought from Mountain View Farm at the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair last year. There are great vendors at this fair, who travel from all over the Northeast. My friend Nicole and I must have walked through the vendors' booths three times before picking out just the right yarn.

Mexico and Belize craft

2009-01-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

One of the great parts about traveling in Mexico is the color - of the buildings, the flowers, and the local crafts. I just love these wool animals. They were hard to resist!

I bought another scarf in Playa del Carmen, to add to my collection. It's the one item I bought for myself on the trip, which I will wear when I long for sunshine.

Mexico and Belize drink

2009-01-05T07:00:00.003-05:00

Cappuccino
Mérida, Mexico

Cristal agua con gas (carbonated water) - my drink of choice on our trip
Valladolid, Mexico

Watermelon juice
Hotel Julamis, Mérida, Mexico

Hibiscus tea with watermelon infusion
100% Natural, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Fanta mineral water with gas
San Pedro, Belize

Here are some of the drinks we had on our trip as well. I apologize to Hilary, who got quite hungry from the food photos! These drinks photos may make you all thirsty as well! The fruity juices were a delight; I ought to make more smoothies for a feel of the tropics.

One good loaf (turned muffin) 06

2009-01-02T15:03:00.002-05:00

To embrace the winter season and to get back into baking from scratch, I made orange cranberry muffins this week. I had leftover Massachusetts cranberries leftover from a few weeks ago, and used a recipe from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion cookbook. While I followed a recipe that called for a loaf pan, I made a dozen muffins instead. This seemed to give me more batter than I usually have for muffins, so their tops raised quite well. They were a great after dinner treat, with a nice tart flavor.

Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I substituted whole wheat flour for 1/4 cup of the flour)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 orange, zest and juice (or 1/8 tsp orange and oil and 3/4 cup orange juice)

3/4 cup buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt (I used yogurt)

1 large egg, beaten

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup cranberries: fresh, frozen, or dried, roughly chopped (I used fresh)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the orange juice and zest, yogurt, egg, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry in the bowl and mix until evenly combined. Stir in the cranberries and nuts, then pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake the bread for 55 to 65 minutes, until a tested inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn it out of the pan to finish cooling. This loaf will slice better if wrapped when cool and left to rest overnight before serving.

Makes one large loaf, or 12 muffins.

Note: If making muffins with this recipe, only bake for 25 minutes.

A good new year

2009-01-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some more photos from the trip. The color brings me some warmth as the temperature hovers at 0°F today in western Massachusetts.

I have also been reflecting on the new year, and have some new goals/resolutions for 2009. I've gone through phases over the years; sometimes I create a list of new year's thoughts, other years I do not. This year though, as I move towards turning thirty and finishing a graduate degree, I do have some goals I'd like to set:

--Dedicate my weekends to Steve, family, and friends. After being in school for the last few years, I have not made as much time as I would like for friends and family. I purposefully asked for my weekends off from work in the new year to fill this need.

--Stay healthy. Continue to eat healthy foods and cook from scratch, and exercise. I started doing yoga again this week, which is a great way for me to relax and stretch.

--Take time to play. I have been quite consumed with working and studying for the last few months. After going on vacation, I realized that I want to get back to my hobbies more, like cooking and baking, crafting, and skiing.

I wish you all a good new year. Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my blog.

Mexico and Belize food

2008-12-29T13:25:00.006-05:00

Pizza with mushrooms
Raffael's, Mérida, Mexico

Enchiladas with cottage cheese and mole (chocolate & spices) sauce
Hostería del Marqués, Valladolid, Mexico

To begin sharing our adventures in Mexico and Belize, I thought I would begin by introducing you to a sample of the tastes we experienced. While not every meal was photographed, we had many great meals while traveling. I've included the restaurants and cities where the foods were eaten.

We began by flying to Cancún, and took a bus straight to Mérida, the capital of Yucatán. The owner of Hotel Julamis, Mel, gave us great suggestions for meals in the city. While there, we went on day trips to Uxmal, a Mayan site; Chichen Itza, a UN World Heritage site and Mayan site; Valladolid, a city with beautifully colored buildings; and Izamal, a city in yellow.

Grilled fish sandwich with fresh fruit
Wild Mango's, San Pedro, Belize

Rice and beans, coleslaw, fried plantains, papaya, tortilla chips
Lamanai, Belize

Next we headed to Belize, first via a bus to Chetumal, Mexico, then crossed the border into Corozal, Belize. From there we boarded a tiny plane to San Pedro. It may seem silly, but I originally wanted to go to San Pedro because it's the song Madonna sings about in "La Isla Bonita." And Ambergris Caye, where San Pedro is located, is a beautiful island - it sits on the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest reef in the world. The people are laid back and friendly. And the air is clean. One day we went on a snorkeling trip, and encountered so many creatures...sea turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays, an eel, an eagle ray, and lots of fish. The sea turtles were so graceful - incredible. The other day we went on a tour to Lamanai, a Mayan site on the mainland of Belize. We went on an adventure by boat and bus to get there, and while I was there, amazingly, I ran into my old roommate Michelle. I couldn't believe it!

Pumpkin bread
ADO Bus Station, Chetumal, Mexico

Cheese and spinach enchiladas with green sauce and avocado
100% Natural, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Huevos rancheros with refried beans and pico de gallo
La Vagabunda, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

From Belize we headed up the coast to Playa del Carmen, a chic city south of Cancún. We spent lots of time on the beach, enjoying the warmth and ocean before heading back to a northern winter.

Roasted vegetable pizza with caesar salad
Chicago Flat Sammies, Chicago, USA

We thought our trip was over after our last night in Playa del Carmen, but when we arrived in Chicago on Friday night, our flight to the northeast was cancelled, and we had to stay overnight in Chicago. After spending the night, we decided to explore the city; I hadn't been before.

Some stories and more photos to come...

Back from the journey

2008-12-28T18:48:00.001-05:00

Fresh watermelon juice
Hotel Julamis, Merida, Mexico

Hello everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying the holiday season, and are faring the weather, whatever kind it may be.

Steve and I returned late last night from our journey to Mexico and Belize, and we had a wonderful time. I plan to sort through my photos over the next couple of days, and will post some favorite made from scratch ones. I'll also post other favorites to Flickr. I will also fill you in on where we went and what we did.