Tag: creative

Back to Brad

January 8th, 2024
So my first official bake back into sourdough were crackers, unfortunately not pictured because they are ugly, but also because I didn’t think about it. Instead, you can look at the second official bake which were these lovely, albeit slightly flat biscuits.

We had them with some homemade apple butter that I had made late last year. Let me tell you that apple butter was delicious—not too sweet and perfectly spiced. I made it with Arkansas black apples, a not-well-known variety, that are very crisp and slightly tart, but if you wait long enough, you can make great apple butter. I had a little over 2.5 pounds of apples, and if you have never made apple butter before, just know it’s an all-day affair of cooking, and you don’t get a lot out of it. But boy, is it really worth it? I had to make two quart jars—one for me and one to give to a friend. This was totally fine because I really didn’t want to get into the whole business of canning a whole batch of apple butter.

Brad IV showing us how he would win his 5th grade science fair if given the opportunity

Anyways, I had mentioned in my New Year’s post that I was throwing caution to the wind with Brad IV, and if you look above, this is day 8, and we are surely doing something right compared to my last journey with Brad III. Some of the new things I’m trying this time around are:
- I did not discard ANYTHING the first 5 days. Usually you feed, you discard, you feed, you discard—rinse and repeat. This time, I just fed, fed, and fed.
- the type of flour I’m feeding with is Einkorn All-Purpose Flour. I’m sure, if you recall, I strive to be gluten-free. I am not diagnosed as celiac, so I can tolerate limited gluten, and I have found that this flour does not bother me, especially when it comes to feeding my sourdough. Now, when I do full-on baking, I still use gluten-free flour (I also just recently came across King Arthur Gluten Free Bread Flour! which may or may not have caused Brad IV’s explosive episode last night in the oven…)
- bringing me to my next point: keeping my sourdough baby in the oven at night after it cools from dinner. It’s winter time here, and it’s way too chilly in the house, so he’s been hanging in the oven at night, and that has helped tremendously.
- really paying attention to my ratio when I feed! This is where a kitchen scale is super important. I use this with feeding my sourdough and baking recipes and it’s just more accurate than regular cup measurement methods (especially if you are using international recipes!)
Now some other things that I have considered doing include double-feeding during the day and/or supplementing my flour with rye flour for extra ‘protein’ if it seems like my starter is looking a little “sluggish”. As of right now, it looks like I won’t be needing to do that, but I will be keeping those tips in my back pocket, especially as I will be sticking Brad IV in the fridge for a day or so before I can feed him and use him again.

Here’s to putting the DO in sourDOugh!
Trivia Tuesday

September 19th, 2022

Salutations Salamanders!

Salamanders are a group of amphibians with a lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, and short limbs. They can range in size from minute salamanders of 27 mm (1+¹⁄₈ in) to the Chinese giant salamander which can reach 1.8 m (6ft) and weigh up to 185lbs! Most salamanders are between 10 and 20 cm (4 and 8 in).

Okay, why am I talking about salamanders? Well, salamander diversity is the highest in eastern North America, with approximately 56 different species in North Carolina alone, some only in specific isolated habitats! As someone who just came back from Western NC, you can’t visit any nature center without learning about salamanders.

Spotted Salamander, art by me

More information on Salamanders can be found here.
The Beauty of Bonsai

September 16th, 2022

Bonsai (pronounced “bone-sigh”) is more than tiny trees. It is an art that the Japanese have perfected, originally from the Chinese art form of penjing (dating back to the 6th century). True “bonsai” refers to miniaturized, container-grown trees that adhere to Japanese tradition and principles of pruning and training. Any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub can be created as bonsai – through pot confinement and crown and root pruning. These are not to be mistaken with dwarfing, as these trees have not been genetically engineered or bred to be dwarfed; these are trees from regular stock and seeds.

This past week, I was in Western North Carolina, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with my future in-laws and we took a trip to the NC Arboretum in Asheville. The Arboretum has a bonsai section and I have posted some pictures of that trip dedicated to their bonsai section. It is truly fascinating seeing local North Carolina trees that are normally so tall and wide be miniaturized and “fully grown”.

Dwarf White Pine, NC Arboretum

Japanese White Pine, NC Arboretum

Bald Cypress, NC Arboretum

The following images are of natural scenes with more than just one type of “bonsai” that are used to create a moment in time. Japan is known for art that draws inspiration from nature.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. If you ever get the chance to check out bonsai and real life, I highly recommend it! Now time for me to make like a tree, and leaf!
Weekly Update #2

September 7th, 2022

This is gonna be quick and wonky as I’m already in bed and doing this on mobile.

Okay I’m a little later than I wanted to be writing this, but my schedule has changed around due to my new part-time job. You are officially following a baker! There was a rumor that one of our local bakeries needed a part time person, I walked in and asked about it, a two-hour “interview” and couple weeks later and I started on Tuesday! So now I’m waking up at 4:30 every morning and it is a big adjustment. Today I got off at 10am and after soaking my feet in the tub (new shoes + standing for hours on end = sore feet), I decided I needed a nap!

So with that, my schedule is a little wonky and I’m having to shift my motivations around. I’m honestly surprised I was up to doing some household chores. However I did not have the energy to even think about making dinner (even though I’ve been trying to be good about sticking with a meal plan), plus the weather has been super icky, so the fiancé and I ordered delivery; it was delicious and well worth it. I don’t know what my week to week schedule will be like, but I’m looking forward to finding my groove.

So what’s on the agenda this week??

What I’m Reading:

(Still) A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Mass

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Okay that’s all I can think of for now; hoping to post something more substantial tomorrow.

TTYL!
Sourdough Crackers

September 6th, 2022

Do you like crispy, crunchy, salty things? Personally, I usually have to have a craving for something like that, but my fiance loves a good cracker/chip to munch on.

You may or may not know this, so for those who don’t know and haven’t read any of my previous posts about sourdough, it is important that you discard some of your sourdough starter. Now I don’t always bake something with my sourdough starter so I save my discard to make stuff with it. Do you sense where I’m going with this?

Insert sourdough discard crackers! Amazing and versatile. With the recipe I used, I had just enough to make two batches with it. Now, please keep in mind, that these are not your normal baked cheese squares that come in a red box at the grocery store; they are very homemade looking. But they pack a lot of flavor with none of the preservatives.

Everything But the Bagel crackers

Rosemary crackers

Now a few tidbits about this if you go about making your own. In the instructions, the author says to use parchment paper, but a commenter used a silicone baking mat. Since I had enough for two batches, I decided to try both options out and see what I liked best. Personally, I love parchment paper. Quick, easy, and mess-free. However, when it came to these crackers, the silicone baking mat worked a lot better in my opinion. I will also say that everything but the bagel ones may have cooked a minute longer than needed, so that might also affect my opinion. Either way, both options worked perfectly fine if you don’t have a silicone baking mat.

After I baked the crackers, we decided to snack on them before dinner and they were going pretty quickly! Luckily, we had a nice dinner planned that we didn’t want to ruin so we cut the munching short. In case you wanted to know, we had a feta dip with roasted red peppers and a tzatziki dip. Both flavors of crackers worked really well with each dip; my personal favorite was the rosemary with the feta dip though. The rosemary cracker would have also been good with some brie/prosciutto/honey. You could also do cream cheese and lox with the everything but the bagel cracker. I mean the options are endless. Even the flavor profiles are endless. Unfortunately, I need to stock up on more discard, as that completely wiped me out, before I can make another batch and try other flavors. I think some type of cheese would work really well. This recipe just might turn me into a cracker snob.

Polly want a cracker?
Blueberry Sourdough Muffins

September 3rd, 2022

I love the weekend. I love food. I love making food on the weekend. That includes these delicious blueberry muffins.

These muffins also inspired a terrible comedic standup bit, courtesy of my fiance.

Why is it called a muffin “tin” when it makes 12 muffins?

I got this recipe from The Gingered Whisk and they are easily one of the most delicious blueberry muffin recipes I’ve ever had. I also have to say that Brad III did really well and made these extra fluffy. I mean look at that delicious crunchy topping and delicate crumb!

Blueberry Sourdough Muffins, courtesy of The Gingered Whisk

A nice, delicate crumb

Did you know?

In our region, blueberries are harvested between mid-June to August (in some areas as early as April and as late as late September), so these are very late in the season, but they were perfectly sweet and juicy. Of course, thanks to hot houses, you can get blueberries all year-round or even buy frozen blueberries (which work very well in muffins.)

In 2020, the US produced 35% of the global production of blueberries (about 294,000 tonnes)! Wild, or lowbush, blueberries are mostly grown in Maine (the official fruit for the state), New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and by gardeners in a wide geographical area but on a much smaller scale. A significant production of cultivated, or highbush, blueberries are grown in British Columbia, Marlyand, Western Oregon, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington.

Blueberries are a great fruit to mix in baked goods, as a topping for yogurt, or even just to snack on as is! They are one of the most nutrient-dense berries full of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese. They increase the number of antioxidants in your body, which helps protect against aging and cancer, reduce levels of oxidized LDL (“bad” cholesterol), improve brain function, and accelerate muscle recovery. So next time you’re at the store, grab some blueberries (either when they’re on sale or in the freezer section), and enjoy! Bon Appétit
September!

September 1st, 2022

Draco practicing his smile, follow him on Instagram @dracothemagnificentbeardie

Happy September everyone! If you’re a normal person, this means it is officially fall and time for the spooky season to begin (if you’re a calendar, sorry you still have 21 days left before you can celebrate.) Although September is the ninth month in the Julian and Gregorian calendar, it actually comes from the Latin Septem, meaning “seven”, from the really old Roman calendar (March being the first month of the year). We all know September as the month of the equinox (Autumn for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Vernal for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere) in which the day and night are of equal lengths; after that, the nights will get longer as we head into the cold, Winter months.

I personally love fall and while I don’t love the frigid cold of winter, I do love being able to walk outside to go check the mail without sweating like I’ve just run a marathon. I mean, sure spring is nice, you have the flowers beginning to bloom and there is something magical about the world waking up after being covered in snow (if you’re lucky to see snow), but there is beauty in watching the trees change colors and everyone slowing down from the frenetic energy of summer.

Unpopular opinion, but I do not like the taste of pumpkin (sorry Starbucks lovers, but I will not rejoice in the PSL returning). While I enjoy the look of pumpkins (as a whole and as a scary face), I enjoy the taste of other squashes (new post idea, all the wonderful squash varieties!) Although, some could argue that when people are eating pumpkin things, it’s really all about the spices that are added to the pumpkin that people go gaga over. Have you ever looked at what pumpkin spice is made of? It’s really quite simple to make. Here are the main ingredients: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger (sometimes people will also add allspice – which is not a bunch of spices mixed together, but actually a dried berry from the Pimenta dioica plant; who knew.) These are what create that nice warm and spicy feeling in your mouth when you drink a PSL or eat a slice of pumpkin pie. Now when it comes to ratios of everything, it really depends on your preference. Some individuals do a 1:1 ratio of everything, some do 2:1:1:1 with cinnamon being the main component of their spice blend, and some even do a 4:2:1:1 of cinnamon:ginger:nutmeg:cloves. The best thing to do is to take the time to make a blend to your taste preference (and write down the measurements so you can make it again when you run out!)

Well, I want to thank you for stopping by and I hope you learned a thing or two. I want you to treat September as a month to look forward to and enjoy and less like Green Day’s song, Wake Me Up When September Ends. Take the time to think about your Halloween costume if you haven’t already (60 days until it’s time for our day of haunting), learn something new in honor of the kids who have started back to school, and watch out for the falling leaves that are sure to start piling up in yards soon.

“Happily we bask in this warm September sun, which illuminates all creatures…”
— Henry David Thoreau
Weekly Update #1

August 31st, 2022

Good morning! (Or good afternoon, depending on when you read this). Let’s start a new tradition where every Wednesday I give you an update on what I’m listening to, what I’m reading, what I’m baking, what I’m creating, and/or whatever else might be new!

So here we go:

What I’m Reading:

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (He did A Man Called Ove)
The Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass (#4 in the A Court of Roses and Thrones series)
Crimson Death by Laurell K. Hamilton (#25 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series)

What I Just Finished Reading:

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
(There is just something about moving to the beach that reminded me of this ~~depressing~~ enlightening novel)
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
(YA fiction just hits different)

What I’m Baking:
Sourdough: – English muffins! Fresh this morning! I made a sponge last night and this morning added the rest of the ingredients and cooked these right up. Let me say that nothing beats a freshly made, warmed and buttered English muffin.

Sourdough English muffins cooking on a griddle

Brad III, my beloved sourdough starter, is rocking it and I think he is ready to make me an actual loaf of bread. In the meantime, I will now start saving my discard so I can make yummy things out of that and I will no longer have to throw it away. I’ve seen some good recipes on sourdough crackers that I’m excited to try.

What I’m Creating:
1. This blog
2. A novel
3. Spooky art stuff

What I’m Listening To:
Fortunately (or unfortunately) I can’t stop thinking about that kid who talks about corn that was turned into a song on Instagram/TikTok. (It’s Corn!) I mean that song is a bop.
But for real, not an ad, but I like to listen to the Discover Weekly playlist that Spotify makes for me. Some weeks are really really good and I do actually discover new bands and artists that I end up likely. Some are not good and that’s okay because they make up for it with the daily mixes and the ability to blend music playlists with another person.

And on that note, I bid you adieu (to you and you and you!)
Work In Progress Wednesday

August 31st, 2022

Welcome to the middle of the week! You made it! I made it! We made it, hooray!

If you’re from the world of Instagram/TikTok, you might have heard of WIP Wednesday, in which Wednesday you show your work in progress.
Below you will find my attempt to do the 50 states with their state flowers. So far we have North Carolina (represent!) and Oklahoma. So far Oklahoma has seen a couple of revisions and I’m still not quite happy with it so I won’t even bother putting it here. Talk about a true work in progress project!

North Carolina outline with blooming dogwoods – find it here

Now, are these my only WIPs? No, because why would I only have one thing going on?
I have a book that I’m working on (nothing substantial yet, so don’t think you’re getting anything any time soon), I need to make some ghosts and pumpkins for the spooky season, and I guess my sourdough is a work in progress too. If we wanted to get really deep here, I would say that I am also a Work In Progress, but I don’t think we are ready yet for that conversation.

Anyhoooo, just a quick post regarding WIPs as I have another post I need to work on for today. TTFN, ta ta for now!
Trivia Tuesday!

August 30th, 2022
The Rainbow Tree Frog

Tree Frog by Me

Let’s talk about tree frogs.

First of all, they don’t all live in trees (talk about a misnomer), but are instead identified by their feet! They have toe pads to help them climb and the last bone of their toe is actually shaped like a claw!

Tree frogs can be as little as an inch long and as big as 5.5 inches! They come in a variety of colors, but most of the species in the United States are green, gray, or brown.

There are over 800 species of tree frogs, mostly found in the tropical climates of the western hemisphere. They are considered insectivores and rely on a diet of flies, ants, crickets, beetles, and other small invertebrates.

Amphibians as a whole are on the decline worldwide, due to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.

If you like the style of my tree frog, check me out on Society6 and snag a sticker!
- Society6
Information found at National Wildlife Foundation.

Tag: creative

The Rainbow Tree Frog