Hello ... I WROTE this post last Monday, but Blogger was being difficult about including photos at the time and I didn't have the patience to fight with it. So here it is, Monday's post on Friday:
... then at the LAST possible second, she ATTACKS and KILLS IT! Repeat until kitty is too tired to continue. In between rounds of this game, I finished the "bubblegum and licorice" sock I (we) started last weekend. I managed to get it all done during the week while travelling to and from work on the city bus, but for the "bubblegum" pink toe . I got the ribbing and first row of the pattern of sock #2 started ...
... with Miss Boots' assistance of course ... ready for this week's knitting on the bus project. In addition, I spent some time in the kitchen preparing a variety of things for the freezer. I like to have soup / stew type things that I can heat up quick if I'm tired at the end of a long day. I also bake my own bread, and try to keep some "baked goodies" on hand.
... along with the zest of one orange. In one bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
Yes, I used whole wheat bread machine flour. It's what I found in the cupboard! In a second bowl, mix together your grated zucchini and orange zest with 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup veg oil, and the juice of 1 orange. 
Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture and keep mixing until the two are incorporated together but don't overdo it. Spoon batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake at ... 
... 325 degrees F for 55 minutes. A toothpick should "test clean" at the end of the 55 minutes. If not, bake another 5 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing or storing. 
I like to bake. And I like to eat. If I ate all the things I baked in one or two sittings, I'd be much "fluffier" than I already am. Baking is a real challenge for single people, did y'all know that? I have discovered a solution! Ziplock bags! I store one or two slices of home-made bread, Orange Zucchini Bread, cake, etc in the freezer in individual Ziplock bags ... then I can take out and eat a reasonable amount when I feel like it. For example, yesterday I had an urge for something chocolate and decadent after dinner, so I dug into the frozen chocolate cupcakes ... 
... and served myself up one cupcake with a handful of frozen raspberries, a shot of raspberry liqueur, and a splash of cream ...
... all in a fancy Margarita glass. Dessert for one! If I don't treat myself when I have the urge, I end up eating too much of the good thing after denying myself for any extended period of time. How do y'all keep your eating/dessert habits under control?
Well, it is presently 6:56 pm Easter Monday, so I suppose the long weekend is about finished. Did y'all do anything particularly special???? I didn't ... just enjoyed being at home, and that was really nice.
Miss Boots assumed my presence indicated "play time", and she made quite a pest of herself insisting that I drop whatever I was doing to play. If I tried to ignore her, she started doing naughty things like jumping into the bookcase and knocking photos and books onto the floor, or climbing up the back of my legs! Besides hair elastics and scrunchies and dirty socks out of the laundry basket, Bootsy's favourite toy at the moment is this gadget 
... a fake fur "tail" with a bunch of feathers and a bell at one end and a stick at the other end. The stick is brilliant! Keeps the hu-mom's hands safely out of the way of kitty claws. The game goes like this: Boots PRETENDS she's NOT really watching the "tail" go by ...
... a fake fur "tail" with a bunch of feathers and a bell at one end and a stick at the other end. The stick is brilliant! Keeps the hu-mom's hands safely out of the way of kitty claws. The game goes like this: Boots PRETENDS she's NOT really watching the "tail" go by ...... then at the LAST possible second, she ATTACKS and KILLS IT! Repeat until kitty is too tired to continue. In between rounds of this game, I finished the "bubblegum and licorice" sock I (we) started last weekend. I managed to get it all done during the week while travelling to and from work on the city bus, but for the "bubblegum" pink toe . I got the ribbing and first row of the pattern of sock #2 started ...... with Miss Boots' assistance of course ... ready for this week's knitting on the bus project. In addition, I spent some time in the kitchen preparing a variety of things for the freezer. I like to have soup / stew type things that I can heat up quick if I'm tired at the end of a long day. I also bake my own bread, and try to keep some "baked goodies" on hand.PS: Missing you L ... cookies are lasting so long these days that they're going stale in the cookie jars! ;-P
I had a couple of extra zucchinis in the fridge, so I made ORANGE ZUCCHINI BREAD. Here's how:
First, grease a loaf pan and set it to one side. Then, grate about a cup of un-peeled zucchini ...
... along with the zest of one orange. In one bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
Yes, I used whole wheat bread machine flour. It's what I found in the cupboard! In a second bowl, mix together your grated zucchini and orange zest with 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup veg oil, and the juice of 1 orange. 
Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture and keep mixing until the two are incorporated together but don't overdo it. Spoon batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake at ... 
... 325 degrees F for 55 minutes. A toothpick should "test clean" at the end of the 55 minutes. If not, bake another 5 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing or storing. 
I like to bake. And I like to eat. If I ate all the things I baked in one or two sittings, I'd be much "fluffier" than I already am. Baking is a real challenge for single people, did y'all know that? I have discovered a solution! Ziplock bags! I store one or two slices of home-made bread, Orange Zucchini Bread, cake, etc in the freezer in individual Ziplock bags ... then I can take out and eat a reasonable amount when I feel like it. For example, yesterday I had an urge for something chocolate and decadent after dinner, so I dug into the frozen chocolate cupcakes ... 
... and served myself up one cupcake with a handful of frozen raspberries, a shot of raspberry liqueur, and a splash of cream ...
... all in a fancy Margarita glass. Dessert for one! If I don't treat myself when I have the urge, I end up eating too much of the good thing after denying myself for any extended period of time. How do y'all keep your eating/dessert habits under control?
It was a pleasant minus fifteen degrees and slightly overcast. I also got caught up to date with Coronation Street ...
... and did a little quilting.
I used Whole Wheat bread machine flour because that's what I had. Usually, I use Unbleached flour, so I don't think this is a "fussy" recipe.
I didn't have any nutmeg, so I added a pinch of allspice. I'm very versatile, me! (However, I was seriously having a difficult time measuring and posing and taking photos all at the same time today! Some days I'm ambidextrous, and some days not so much.)
This is also one of those occasions in life when margarine just won't do. Okay, I admit it ... in my world, there is NEVER an occasion when margarine is suitable ... I seriously hate the stuff! The Creator did not say "thou shalt consume whipped plastic" instead of Divine Real Cream and Butter!
Hmm. That cane sugar looks a tad pale. No problemo ... I added a tablespoon of molasses ...
... to darken it up! Sweet taters and molasses ... sounds like a logical combo, don`tcha know!
followed by 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast.
... then close the lid and let your bread machine do its magic!
If your sweet potato is a little on the dry side (smaller ones sometimes are), you might need to add a few more tablespoons of water or cream so that it all mixes up into a smooth dough. I didn`t have to add more liquid ...
... I had baked a gigantic sweet tater in its own skin, and it was moist enough.
... from the Public Library because I've been reading various blogs with posts about yummy artisan breads attributed to this book. The bloggers all RAVED about how easy yet fabulous these breads are. I've been baking my own bread in my electric bread machine, and as convenient as that is, I have to tell you that after awhile, every loaf comes out the same.
... that really had me doubtful. And when I did get ready to bake the first bit of it, I was quite alarmed at how wet and sloppy the dough was ... even though the book warned I wouldn't be able to form perfect balls. This is what the dough looked like after 45 minutes rising in a toasty warm kitchen ...
... rather flat and insipid. BUT, 35 minutes in a hot oven and ...
... MAGIC! Crusty, yeasty, and fabulously mouth-watering! Cutting into one revealed a dense bread ...
... very much like papasecos, those wonderful chewy Portuguese buns that I haven't enjoyed since moving up here (and away from that yummy Portuguese bakery two blocks down Columbia Street). One bite and ...
... to this ...
One lonely little clump of frozen snow left, and I'm pretty sure the rain that's coming today will wash it away. Trees and bushes are swelling with new life ...
... and the multitude of crows in this part of the city are busy cooing sounds of 
... and will probably soon be engaging in battle with these hardy guys ...
... which I truly don't understand because I think Dandy Lions are much prettier (not to mention TASTIER ... especially the first tender spring leaves) than lawn grass! It doesn't take much sunshine to motivate Northerners to get outside and start enjoying it. The temperature may only be 5 degrees above 0, but you'll see kids wobbling on bikes ...
... and all kinds of people sporting bare neon-white legs and arms. I've walked home from work in shirt sleeves all week, and even went out in sandals (NO SOCKS! YAHOO!!!) twice this week! Oh the relief, the joy of NEKKID FEET!
With this particular spring comes change. My landlady is moving away, and a FOR SALE sign will be going up at this house (I'm in a basement suite). I really like this neighbourhood, but I'm not 100% convinced I want to live with new (AKA unknown) owners. I like the space I'm renting here, but it does have a few drawbacks ... such as lack of a proper kitchen sink, and a driveway that needs to shovelled too damned much. So I've been looking at apartments and have discovered a couple of buildings (and new neighbourhoods) that might be very pleasant to live in. Rent is going to be a little bit higher, but not astronomically so. However, my landlady really wants me to stay here so she can go back down south and not leave her house empty while it's for sale, and has offered a couple of tempting incentives. At the moment, I haven't totally made up my mind to go or to stay. Hmmm. I'll have to keep y'all posted on that! 
... with a few of my still growing collection of cows (which, I repeat, I did NOT start myself, and do NOT want more of!). And here's a shot of the back:
In hindsight, I would do a few things differently if I were to do the same project again (which I won't because I get too bored doing the same thing twice). 
Crazy cat ladies with a touch of class on one side, and zany farm critters and equipment on the back ...
... cuz y'all know you can take the girl out of the country, but not the country out of the girl! It was a spur of the moment project using bits of this and that from my notorious multi-bin fabric stash. (I had not yet pressed the finished placemats in these photos, so the binding looks wrinkly.) I've really been enjoying this quilting binge, and especially enjoying it on my new sewing machine.
It's a combination recipe book and travelogue ... I could hardly put it down once I started reading it! If you like baking breads, and you like letting your imagination travel to unusual destinations (AHEM! ELDEST DAUGHTER!) ... I very highly recommend this book!
