The Importance of Being Sentient

Hey, I just love how dedicated you are with your b...

2011-08-23T23:14:36.639-07:00

Hey, I just love how dedicated you are with your blogging ! I'm trying to get into blogging also. If you have any tips for me visit me ;)
http://hexing-curse.blogspot.com/

Thanks !

That sounds wonderful! and colorful, too. Did you ...

2011-05-15T17:58:58.033-07:00

That sounds wonderful! and colorful, too. Did you make this one up, Meg?

I recently went to the Theo Chocolate factory in S...

2011-05-14T08:45:37.150-07:00

I recently went to the Theo Chocolate factory in Seattle for a tour and got to see the behind-the-wrapper process, tasting cacao nibs among the other chocolate bar samples. I've loved cacao nibs for a long time, especially in brownies and gooey things, because I love a good crunch.
To me, on their own, they taste a bit like bananas.
I'm glad to hear that you put them in your granola too!

Wonderful

2011-05-14T08:42:37.439-07:00

Wonderful

I've been thinking a lot about flour blends la...

2011-05-13T11:07:00.250-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about flour blends lately! It's sort of assumed when baking gluten-free fare, but to incorporate different flours into wheat baked goods seems a great and creative idea too.
Have you looked into the Tassajara Bread Book? I like what he has to say on combination loaves.

Sounds yummy - can't wait to gry these.

2011-05-11T07:35:15.098-07:00

Sounds yummy - can't wait to gry these.

Aww, shucks! Thanks for the feedback, brandi!

2011-05-06T10:36:59.135-07:00

Aww, shucks! Thanks for the feedback, brandi!

I love your blog, your way with words, and the del...

2011-05-05T13:13:20.861-07:00

I love your blog, your way with words, and the delicious foods that you make me want to try! This looks great!

Good ole Jello-O. I used to LOVE the Bill Cosby co...

2011-04-26T17:38:36.338-07:00

Good ole Jello-O. I used to LOVE the Bill Cosby commercials with the quivering neon stars and hearts. For some reason, my mom would never let us cut our Jello-O into fun shapes, and so it also reminds me of the Jello-O dish we used; only for Jello-O and nothing else, for some reason.

And gelled desserts are really big in pockets along the west side of the country - it's the Mormons really. Part of their food culture includes both sweet AND savory (um, barf?) jell-o dishes.

Kudos on the ambrosia post, Megan! :)

I know what you mean about wanting to do all the h...

2011-03-25T09:21:34.865-07:00

I know what you mean about wanting to do all the hoeing and digging by hand. It seems people don't even have a capacity to imagine farming without oil-dependency anymore!
When I lived on the farm in Kansas last spring, we did everything by hand and she had amazing systems in place for how to be most efficient with the work. It was great!
I look forward to seeing your PVC grow-light contraption.

I think this is the salady version of "glop,&...

2011-03-14T13:49:37.925-07:00

I think this is the salady version of "glop," a very common (simple) dish we have here in GSO.

I've come to the conclusion that "hash br...

2011-03-14T13:13:31.441-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that "hash brown" can refer to any pan fried potato dish. Let's not split hairs, I say.

I'm partial to Theo (it's in Seattle) myse...

2011-03-11T15:44:00.406-08:00

I'm partial to Theo (it's in Seattle) myself. Mom and Dad are coming to visit in a week and we're going on a tour of the factory!
Also - speaking of Mexican chocolate: I've taken up baking gluten-free brownies for the restaurant where I work and the favorite variety so far is the Mexican chocolate ganache topped. Cayenne + chocolate = looove.

Sounds like a jazzy, different version of hash bro...

2011-03-04T14:34:15.414-08:00

Sounds like a jazzy, different version of hash browns. N'est-ce pas? The cream... oh.

I'm a sucker for really good chocolate. I just...

2011-03-04T07:11:19.604-08:00

I'm a sucker for really good chocolate. I just ordered some from Askinosie. Sooo expensive, but sooo good. Valrhona is another favorite of mine.

I do love drinking chocolate with high-quality cho...

2011-03-02T14:14:16.385-08:00

I do love drinking chocolate with high-quality chocolate. Adding in some spice is nearly always a good idea with chocolate dishes.

Yay!

2011-03-02T14:04:30.211-08:00

Yay!

Sid--in my ears!

2011-03-02T14:02:54.310-08:00

Sid--in my ears!

Jealous. And I love that you made a new category j...

2011-03-01T10:01:44.434-08:00

Jealous.
And I love that you made a new category just for this post :)

where are your earplugs??

2011-02-28T19:55:59.469-08:00

where are your earplugs??

Ginger apricot!! or ginger peach... Want! And I ...

2011-02-28T19:54:44.392-08:00

Ginger apricot!! or ginger peach... Want! And I know what you mean about winter. Cold = toilet seat, ick. At least we don't have a frozen bowl, like Rob did where he lived in his twenties.

Okay, will try to find... wonderful book combining...

2011-02-23T19:37:15.984-08:00

Okay, will try to find... wonderful book combining cooking and letters! By the way, all your letters will eventually need a bigger box, perhaps a whole closet!

Camille--the Dutch oven is something that I consid...

2011-02-16T13:54:41.927-08:00

Camille--the Dutch oven is something that I consider a worthwhile investment. Cast iron will theoretically last forever if you treat it well, and the combo cooker is two pieces of cookware in one, which I really can't argue with. Lodge makes a good one that also happens to be blissfully inexpensive.

But seriously, the bread is so good that I really couldn't believe it. And NO KNEADING! Sometimes I really enjoy the kneading process, but I have strained wrist and finger muscles in the past, which isn't good. And since arthritis runs in the family...well, you get it.

Brian--Right you are. New bakers can really benefit from weighing things. I do have a scale, and I do use it, primarily for bread baking, but sometimes I just need to break free. Also, the book Ratio made me see why weighing can be really handy while cooking on the fly.

Very nice. Perhaps I should do some sourdough at s...

2011-02-15T19:12:21.373-08:00

Very nice. Perhaps I should do some sourdough at some point. I keep putting it off. You know how it is.

I like your thoughts on measuring, with but one caveat: beginning bakers who don't have teachers will benefit from the precision of the scale. Also, some people really like the scale as well, but primarily it's difficult to learn what is the right way to do something if it's all higgelty-piggelty because you don't know how much flour you're using. Oh, and if you're using ratios or baker's percentages to measure stuff out, then weighing is handy.

However, once you've gotten to a certain level of experience with measurements, absolutely, learn to let go and feel what you're making.

Megan. This post gave me chills. Please, if you wr...

2011-02-15T16:54:08.893-08:00

Megan. This post gave me chills. Please, if you write a bread book, call it "Phoenix Rising."

I'm so inspired by this to start another batch of sourdough - I haven't been in one place long enough to justify the souring period, but with moving into a new house, I'll finally get to again!

I love the idea of this Dutch oven you talked about. I'm going to have to research that - I'm not one for new gadgets and gizmos in the kitchen (aside from a really good garlic press) but large staples like Dutch ovens (especially ones that have double-use lids! are a whole 'nother fettish.)

PS - I tasted my kraut after 2 weeks today, and it's not quite as soured as I'd like. It's been at a pretty warm constant temp this whole time, may give it a couple more weeks.