Cakespy found an amazing use for homemade breads: dessert sandwiches. These delightful-looking confections made me want to get out the yeast and throw together a loaf of good, white bread so I can try them out. Since NH's birthday is alarmingly soon, I have a whole lineup of treats to make in his honor for the coming weeks, and I may just have to add these to the list.
I think my favorite concept may be the cookie dough sandwich, but the pink frosting sandwich is just so cute!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Bride's Book
This was my first blog-related purchase, it's a 1902 Scottish edition of what I think is an English book called The Bride's Book, a smallish guide to everything related to proposals and weddings, plus some suggestions and musings on the nature of early married life. The author is a Mrs. E. T. Cook.
This book was actually slightly awkward to purchase, since the couple who owned the shop wondered aloud whether it was a hint about an upcoming engagement (sorry folks, the title of this blog won't be legit for a while, if ever) but it's a blast to read and when I'm procrastinating I find myself flipping through for an interesting passage. My love for quirky old books burns onward.
I've scanned here the passage that inspired NH and me to purchase this volume, essentially a list of the various types of proposals with a brief description of each. It may surprise you, reader, to discover that the next several pages of Mrs. E. T. Cook's book focus on the meaning and delivery of the "Vague Proposal".
This book was actually slightly awkward to purchase, since the couple who owned the shop wondered aloud whether it was a hint about an upcoming engagement (sorry folks, the title of this blog won't be legit for a while, if ever) but it's a blast to read and when I'm procrastinating I find myself flipping through for an interesting passage. My love for quirky old books burns onward.
I've scanned here the passage that inspired NH and me to purchase this volume, essentially a list of the various types of proposals with a brief description of each. It may surprise you, reader, to discover that the next several pages of Mrs. E. T. Cook's book focus on the meaning and delivery of the "Vague Proposal".
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
100% whole wheat bread
The addition of vital wheat gluten was excellent. Seriously, I now regret every other time I have made whole wheat bread without it, because the texture is that much better. As I sat in the dining room reading about Animal Behavior, I couldn't stop lightly squeezing the cooling loaves because they were almost pillowy. I've frozen the bread already (made three loaves, heading into that "hibernation" period of the semester where I act like a chicken with no head), but even the toast yesterday was a bit chewier and lighter than my past loaves have been. This is a super simple bread that wasn't too demanding to make. I usually like to fuss with different flours and grains and so on but since this was an experimental loaf (or three) I went with basic. If you decide to try it, pump up the amount of sugar by a little bit if you use regular or brown sugar, or try agave sweetener if you're in on that trend.
whole wheat bread
1/4 cup warm water (warmer than your body!)
1 packet active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water (a little cooler than your body!)
2-2 1/2 teaspoons salt (use a little more if you don't plan on buttering your bread/using spreads)
1/4 cup honey
5 1/2-8 cups whole wheat flour
12 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (or so)
Put the warm water and yeast in a pretty large bowl, mix up a bit and let sit for five minutes or so until the yeast granules are nice and dissolved. This is a good time to beat up the egg and melt the butter if you haven't done so already. Add the egg, melted butter (I let it cool a bit first), lukewarm water, salt and honey to the yeast mixture and stir until well combined. Now, start adding the flour and vital wheat gluten a bit at a time, it'll be easier if you mix in a cup or two and then add more, rather than pouring it all in at once. Also, since the weather, the price of tea in china, and how exhausted you are might affect how much flour the bread needs on any given day (hence the wide measures), you'll have to pay careful attention to how the dough is looking. I used about 6 cups of flour and 2 tablespoons of gluten per cup, arriving at about 12 tablespoons vital wheat gluten. That'll change depending on how much flour you end up needing. Once the dough is neither dry nor sticky, knead for ten minutes or so (I usually spend about 7 minutes kneading and 3 minutes complaining about how kneading is such an arm workout) and when the dough is nice and satiny, make sure it's a ball and set it to rise in an oiled bowl for an hour, or until doubled. Make sure you oil the surface so it doesn't dry out (I usually cheat and spritz on some Pam Canola) and cover the bowl. I favor a clean, dry kitchen towel but plastic wrap does the job. When the dough has doubled, punch it down firmly but not violently, and cut it into three pieces. Roll the pieces into logs, tuck the ends under, and set them in greased/Pam-d loaf pans to double again, covered. While the logs of dough don't need to touch the sides of the loaf pans, you'll want to make sure the dough is touching both short ends of each pan, which helps it rise. This is especially hard with silicone loaf pans, which is one of the myriad reasons I hate silicone loaf pans. You might want to get the oven going at 400 degrees now, so it's nice and toasty when the bread has risen. The loaves should take about 45 minutes to double (but again, that depends on the temperature, the price of tea, and so on) so use your eyes. Now pop them in the oven for ten minutes, then drop the temperature down to 350 degrees to finish baking. I'm going to say that the bread is done when it sounds hollow on the bottom, but if that isn't clear enough for you, Nicole over at Baking Bites has superb advice.
Yields three yummy loaves.
whole wheat bread
1/4 cup warm water (warmer than your body!)
1 packet active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water (a little cooler than your body!)
2-2 1/2 teaspoons salt (use a little more if you don't plan on buttering your bread/using spreads)
1/4 cup honey
5 1/2-8 cups whole wheat flour
12 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (or so)
Put the warm water and yeast in a pretty large bowl, mix up a bit and let sit for five minutes or so until the yeast granules are nice and dissolved. This is a good time to beat up the egg and melt the butter if you haven't done so already. Add the egg, melted butter (I let it cool a bit first), lukewarm water, salt and honey to the yeast mixture and stir until well combined. Now, start adding the flour and vital wheat gluten a bit at a time, it'll be easier if you mix in a cup or two and then add more, rather than pouring it all in at once. Also, since the weather, the price of tea in china, and how exhausted you are might affect how much flour the bread needs on any given day (hence the wide measures), you'll have to pay careful attention to how the dough is looking. I used about 6 cups of flour and 2 tablespoons of gluten per cup, arriving at about 12 tablespoons vital wheat gluten. That'll change depending on how much flour you end up needing. Once the dough is neither dry nor sticky, knead for ten minutes or so (I usually spend about 7 minutes kneading and 3 minutes complaining about how kneading is such an arm workout) and when the dough is nice and satiny, make sure it's a ball and set it to rise in an oiled bowl for an hour, or until doubled. Make sure you oil the surface so it doesn't dry out (I usually cheat and spritz on some Pam Canola) and cover the bowl. I favor a clean, dry kitchen towel but plastic wrap does the job. When the dough has doubled, punch it down firmly but not violently, and cut it into three pieces. Roll the pieces into logs, tuck the ends under, and set them in greased/Pam-d loaf pans to double again, covered. While the logs of dough don't need to touch the sides of the loaf pans, you'll want to make sure the dough is touching both short ends of each pan, which helps it rise. This is especially hard with silicone loaf pans, which is one of the myriad reasons I hate silicone loaf pans. You might want to get the oven going at 400 degrees now, so it's nice and toasty when the bread has risen. The loaves should take about 45 minutes to double (but again, that depends on the temperature, the price of tea, and so on) so use your eyes. Now pop them in the oven for ten minutes, then drop the temperature down to 350 degrees to finish baking. I'm going to say that the bread is done when it sounds hollow on the bottom, but if that isn't clear enough for you, Nicole over at Baking Bites has superb advice.
Yields three yummy loaves.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
perfect for vacuuming: special edition
I know I already posted a pair for today, but hello, these have polka dots. And patent leather. And are Valentino. They almost make me want to cry they're so pretty.
perfect for vaccuuming
The cure for the snow? Fantasizing about these babies from Miu Miu.
Pure fluff, pink and girly. Dreaded ankle strap, of course, but overall lovely. At net-a-porter.com for some unreasonable price in snooty British money.
Pure fluff, pink and girly. Dreaded ankle strap, of course, but overall lovely. At net-a-porter.com for some unreasonable price in snooty British money.
Monday, February 25, 2008
bread
Tonight I experimented with adding vital wheat gluten to my 100% whole wheat bread. It's rising now. Report to come tomorrow in the AM.
I am VERY excited about this because I have been using about 1/3 white flour in my whole wheat bread to improve the texture. 100% whole wheat is a little healthier, right?
I love fiddling with recipes.
I am VERY excited about this because I have been using about 1/3 white flour in my whole wheat bread to improve the texture. 100% whole wheat is a little healthier, right?
I love fiddling with recipes.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
why vacuuming in heels is (maybe) good idea
My stepmother has one of those fun little calendars (it was a gift from my dad) loaded with quotes about shoes, which, if you've ever read this blog before, you know I am passionate about.
A few days ago she sent me this: "Nothing has been invented yet that will do a better job than high heels at making a good pair of legs look great, or great ones look fabulous."-Stuart Weitzman
Nothing earth-shattering but very true, but there are reasons many women don't do heels. Some of those can't really be addressed here (comfort, for example, is a personal decision), but many women just don't walk that well in heels. Since we actually do stuff (rather than sit around telling the servants to do stuff) it can be annoying to feel hampered in any way when it comes to walking, and as a result, many ladies resort to flats when a heel would add elegance and sex appeal.
The dirty little secret of high heels is that most people are not born knowing how to walk in them, and many people who wear them are bad at wearing them. Heels should always fit well and be in good condition, but it's especially important if you're not a regular high heel wearer (models wear heels all the time, which is why they can glide down the runway in the wrong size). You might just want to try doing your day to day chores in them.
If you don't mind wearing shoes in the house (or if the shoes you're practicing in are brand new), wearing them around the home is a great way to break them in and get used to them. Put the shoes on before vacuuming, washing dishes (don't do this one if they're say, satin, and will be easily ruined if splashed) , dusting, etc. As you walk around, try and correct your balance or straighten your spine. Practice going up and down steps in them, and see how they adjust with your feet as they swell naturally. As a plus, this is often a great way to find out if a pair of shoes ought to be returned; if you can't wear them for ten or fifteen minutes of normal activity, you'll never wear them out comfortably. Since the way most stores determine whether a pair of shoes is "worn" or not has to do with the condition of the sole, as long as your flooring of choice isn't concrete, the shoes will probably still be returnable. I've been wearing heels for years and I still do this with practically every new pair, since heel heights and shoe shapes are different. Many times after twenty minutes of walking around the house I will discover that a pair of super high heels requires an insole, or one of those neat heel grips. It's much more painful to learn your new red patent mary janes require an insole midway through a day at the office or a round of errands.
Do you wear heels? How do you break in your new shoes?
A few days ago she sent me this: "Nothing has been invented yet that will do a better job than high heels at making a good pair of legs look great, or great ones look fabulous."-Stuart Weitzman
Nothing earth-shattering but very true, but there are reasons many women don't do heels. Some of those can't really be addressed here (comfort, for example, is a personal decision), but many women just don't walk that well in heels. Since we actually do stuff (rather than sit around telling the servants to do stuff) it can be annoying to feel hampered in any way when it comes to walking, and as a result, many ladies resort to flats when a heel would add elegance and sex appeal.
The dirty little secret of high heels is that most people are not born knowing how to walk in them, and many people who wear them are bad at wearing them. Heels should always fit well and be in good condition, but it's especially important if you're not a regular high heel wearer (models wear heels all the time, which is why they can glide down the runway in the wrong size). You might just want to try doing your day to day chores in them.
If you don't mind wearing shoes in the house (or if the shoes you're practicing in are brand new), wearing them around the home is a great way to break them in and get used to them. Put the shoes on before vacuuming, washing dishes (don't do this one if they're say, satin, and will be easily ruined if splashed) , dusting, etc. As you walk around, try and correct your balance or straighten your spine. Practice going up and down steps in them, and see how they adjust with your feet as they swell naturally. As a plus, this is often a great way to find out if a pair of shoes ought to be returned; if you can't wear them for ten or fifteen minutes of normal activity, you'll never wear them out comfortably. Since the way most stores determine whether a pair of shoes is "worn" or not has to do with the condition of the sole, as long as your flooring of choice isn't concrete, the shoes will probably still be returnable. I've been wearing heels for years and I still do this with practically every new pair, since heel heights and shoe shapes are different. Many times after twenty minutes of walking around the house I will discover that a pair of super high heels requires an insole, or one of those neat heel grips. It's much more painful to learn your new red patent mary janes require an insole midway through a day at the office or a round of errands.
Do you wear heels? How do you break in your new shoes?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
perfect for vaccuuming
I thought I'd reign in the youthful craziness of the bright blue Louboutin t-straps with a pair of gorgeous, classic slingbacks.
These are by Barbara Bui and are at Neiman's.
These are by Barbara Bui and are at Neiman's.
the coworker, part deux
I was going to blog about the six dozen oatmeal and oatmeal raisin cookies I made today, but this was more interesting and has been waiting longer. Remember Evan? My friend with the rude coworker?
Things got worse. The aforementioned coworker contracted some vile respiratory illness that resulted in a hacking, deathly cough. The sort of cough that leaves your chest a bit sore. The cough progressed for weeks, without abatement, and in addition to the crunchy snacks (Evan and I cannot figure out how anyone who is practically coughing spleen up every five minutes can choke down a large back of corn chips daily). Anyway, Evan asked whether this fellow had seen a doctor for the loud, disgusting illness, and the coworker said he hadn't.
Now, I could make this a post about how rude it is to go to work sick, and make everyone else sick, and cause them to use up their sick days, which they really need in case their kids or sick or they want to take a spur of the moment three day weekend to Cape Cod. Everyone already knows that's rude and does it anyway because they're saving their own days for kids with the grippe (I played too much Oregon trail in my youth) or weekend jaunts in nautical-themed clothing.
Instead, I'm going to post about how S and I decided it would be a perfectly simple situation if only Evan were a woman. Now, I know that sounds sexist, but if I were the sort of person who was overly touchy about feminism and social discourse and race issues etcetera etcetera etcetera I probably would have titled this blog differently. For one, both men and women seem more receptive to women. Maybe it's the nurturing thing or maybe women just seem like less competition (oh well, that was dumb!), but time after time I have seen the so-called "woman's touch" in action. The women in my life have always been better at getting money back after the return/exchange policy was up, convincing that guy in the movie theater to move one seat over, and fixing random stranger's tags, collars or drooping scarves. Perhaps this is just something women are raised to do, and I would venture an extremely unscientific guess that it's a difficult to assess combination of non-threatening-ness, ingrained sweetness and perhaps, sexual attractiveness.
S and I decided that if Evan were a woman, he could show up with a bag of cough drops and a cup of tea, which would probably give the coworker at least a small hint that his hacking was noticeable (just a small jump to "interruptive"). If he actually used the things, they might work and could give our female Evan a chance to make a few hack-free phone calls. Also, female Evan could use his womanly touch to seem like a caring and thoughtful person when (s)he recommended the coworker stop by the doctor's office. I'm not a man (and this gender switching is starting to confuse me, it'll stop soon), but I think if plain old man Evan were to ask the coworker more than once whether he'd seen a doctor, let alone gently encourage him to do so, it would come off in a much more threatening way. Not to mention in my experience men aren't as eager to share health information, they seem a little more close-lipped on these subjects. Of course, almost everything in the last two paragraphs is a massive generalization that could be proven inaccurate in sixty billion situations, but I think the main idea makes some sense. As male, non-friend coworkers, Evan and the coworker have a communication problem.
I'm still writing a post about what Evan could actually do, but I thought I'd find out whether readers feel the same way. Would this subject beeasily more easily resolved if only Evan were a woman?
Things got worse. The aforementioned coworker contracted some vile respiratory illness that resulted in a hacking, deathly cough. The sort of cough that leaves your chest a bit sore. The cough progressed for weeks, without abatement, and in addition to the crunchy snacks (Evan and I cannot figure out how anyone who is practically coughing spleen up every five minutes can choke down a large back of corn chips daily). Anyway, Evan asked whether this fellow had seen a doctor for the loud, disgusting illness, and the coworker said he hadn't.
Now, I could make this a post about how rude it is to go to work sick, and make everyone else sick, and cause them to use up their sick days, which they really need in case their kids or sick or they want to take a spur of the moment three day weekend to Cape Cod. Everyone already knows that's rude and does it anyway because they're saving their own days for kids with the grippe (I played too much Oregon trail in my youth) or weekend jaunts in nautical-themed clothing.
Instead, I'm going to post about how S and I decided it would be a perfectly simple situation if only Evan were a woman. Now, I know that sounds sexist, but if I were the sort of person who was overly touchy about feminism and social discourse and race issues etcetera etcetera etcetera I probably would have titled this blog differently. For one, both men and women seem more receptive to women. Maybe it's the nurturing thing or maybe women just seem like less competition (oh well, that was dumb!), but time after time I have seen the so-called "woman's touch" in action. The women in my life have always been better at getting money back after the return/exchange policy was up, convincing that guy in the movie theater to move one seat over, and fixing random stranger's tags, collars or drooping scarves. Perhaps this is just something women are raised to do, and I would venture an extremely unscientific guess that it's a difficult to assess combination of non-threatening-ness, ingrained sweetness and perhaps, sexual attractiveness.
S and I decided that if Evan were a woman, he could show up with a bag of cough drops and a cup of tea, which would probably give the coworker at least a small hint that his hacking was noticeable (just a small jump to "interruptive"). If he actually used the things, they might work and could give our female Evan a chance to make a few hack-free phone calls. Also, female Evan could use his womanly touch to seem like a caring and thoughtful person when (s)he recommended the coworker stop by the doctor's office. I'm not a man (and this gender switching is starting to confuse me, it'll stop soon), but I think if plain old man Evan were to ask the coworker more than once whether he'd seen a doctor, let alone gently encourage him to do so, it would come off in a much more threatening way. Not to mention in my experience men aren't as eager to share health information, they seem a little more close-lipped on these subjects. Of course, almost everything in the last two paragraphs is a massive generalization that could be proven inaccurate in sixty billion situations, but I think the main idea makes some sense. As male, non-friend coworkers, Evan and the coworker have a communication problem.
I'm still writing a post about what Evan could actually do, but I thought I'd find out whether readers feel the same way. Would this subject be
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
it doesn't even fit the model...
and we're supposed to pay full price plus shipping for it? What's with the puckering in the cups near the sternum? There are many things in life a girl has to compromise on, but bra fit is not one of them. This brassiere (that's just not made for this model) is from Betsey Johnson and it's $36 at Urban Outfitters.
I had grown sick of Urban Outfitters, but their semi-recent redesign (or whatever they call it) tempted me to glance through the site tonight, and I found many cute and covetable things, like this really fun take on the spectator pump trend, by Pour La Victoire ($195).
But I also just can't get over the wacky fit on a lot of the lingerie in the pictures. I'm sure the stuff is cute and must fit (some) people correctly, I even own some Betsey Johnson lingerie. I wonder why they would feature it that way though, it seems kind of counterintuitive to you know, selling it.
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