After years of quilting without any major injuries besides a sore back I have ran out of luck:
That's four stitches on my index finger... did you know they can sew right through your finger nail? I didn't. Super gross I know! Should I mention that I haven't worn nail polish in month, at least I wasn't embarrassed by the sad state on my nails when bleeding all over, that counts for something, it really does!
Happy valentine's day to all! I hope you are planning on inundating your friends with notes! I know Finn plans on it (that is what an almost four year old does apparently). I usually have some elaborate card or portrait to give Thomas, but this year I (sort of) forgot about it completely and had a slight panic attack yesterday afternoon.
I quickly switched on the new Bernina 580 and got cracking on a pair of cherub coaster in linen. This machine is so flawless (no joke) that the hardest part was fraying the edges by hand. The files are from Anna Bove Embroidery, still my favorite shop out there.
The coater completion was immediately followed by a mad rush to the liquor store where I found the exact Champagne we drank out our wedding 11 years ago! I was smiling so widely at the register, thinking of how clever this was, that the clerc got most suspicious and triple-checked my ID. I am 33 years old people! this is a great day indeed!
Oh, and here the 'shouting' card that goes with it, feeling cleverer every moment, ah! ah!
We visited Hill Air Force Base Museum this weekend. I had no idea it could be so much fun, none of us wanted to leave.
You can see giant air ships outside from the last 40 years or so, things so massive I can't believe they would ever lift off (I mean 500 000 lbs!) but inside are the real jewels, shiny bombers from WWII and current stealth planes, all in pristine condition. My maternal grandfather flew bombers for the French Air Force in Indochina and it definitely peeked my interest in the historical blurbs posted all around.
This place made Finn hyperventilate in glee. Did I mention it's free too?! incredible Saturday afternoon.
Finn has been frantic lately, talking/breathing/sleeping the idea of his birthday. He woke up at 3 am this morning, came to us with a Playmobil catalog and would not take note of the hour. We are tired today and even though I decided to reach Finn in the middle and just spent the best part of the day making save the date cards for him to give to his friends at school.
They need to be clipped to each child folder so I felt compelled to add the paperclips with bow. I love how French those little blue stripes look. It's a big decision having this party at our House. Almost all birthday parties Finn has been invited to have been held at outside private venues that I believe are not age appropriate and seem to cost an harm and a leg (they are only turning 4). I wonder if parents are hesitant to let others into their house, I certainly don't live in a 'Manoir' but the first step to a happy life is most certainly to be comfortable in your own house. The only downside I can see is that Finn can't invite more than a dozen friends.
For the invitations I found this free download from the Wedding Chicks blog. I edited the card the best I could with illustrator, which is not saying much. I hope I can do the same with the actual invitation.
Moving on to making paper airplane garlands and folded boat hats...
Before I start talking about carbs I would like to tell you the story of how today was the day I got SPAT ON!
Mid morning I could contain my new found enthusiasm for running no longer and I headed out the door on a two mile loop when I quickly found myself behind a man pushing a stroller. Nothing weird so far, except for the cigarette he was apparently lighting up and the big gust of smoke that blew in my eager lungs. Feeling this was not a particularly good position to be running in I decided to stealthily pass him, his baby and his cigarette road side. As I did just that he turned his head and spat on the ground which was now covered (ever so briefly) by my shoe! What made in laugh made me speechless, for so many reasons better left behind. Gross, gross, gross.
Onward to better things. My friend A and I have been working on a foolproof recipe for an healthier version of the no knead bread and I thing this is it!
Today's Loaf
Recipe adapted from the New York Times and with help from Penni Wisner
Semi-Whole Wheat No Knead Bread
Start this recipe in the evening, make sure your starter is well fed and very active
mix ingredients together in this order in a medium bowl
using the rice spatula that came with your rice cooker (!)
1/2 cup of sourdough starter
2 cups of water
1.5 cups of King Arthur's Bread flour (blue bag)
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon of coarse salt
1.5 cups of Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour
Mix well and set aside. Every once in a while for the first two hours give the dough a few turns with the spatula. After that time you can cover the bowl and leave it overnight to rise. In the morning, invert the bowl on a floured plastic platter (it cuts down on cleaning considerably) and let it sit for 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball as best you can with the help of a dough scrapper and additional flour if needed; 'plop' the ball into a bowl and let rise for 2 hours. When only 30 minutes remain I usually turn on the oven ( 500 F) and place a number 22 Le Creuset dutch oven inside. My friend uses all kinds of covered dishes with success, however we think that the cast iron dish creates a thicker/crunchier crust. Bake the bread for 30 minutes with the lid on (I add a little flour to the bottom before I invert the dough inside the hot dish). Then remove the lid and bake for an additional 25 minutes with the oven temperature reduced to 425F. Remove from the dish promptly and wait until the loaf has cooled completely to cut into it. It's an important step to insure a good crumb texture.
This bread keeps for an extremely long time. We found it is still very nice after five days if stored at room temperature wrapped in a cloth towel. It is the best bread I have ever made and it matches exactly the taste and feel of Country Sourdough from the Locally Illustrious Crumb Brothers.
