Vermont Route 100 Scenic Tour

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Route 100 is a two lane highway that runs north-south almost the entire length of the state of Vermont - 217 miles. While it is a necessary road for many to get from here to there, it's also quite popular with tourists because it winds through beautiful farm land, quaint little New England towns, and our beautiful Green Mountains. 

Loving a good car trip, my wife and I spent one full day of our staycation driving the 80 miles of Route 100 from Waterbury, VT to Ludlow, VT. Though we've both traveled the portions of the road closest to the Burlington area, neither of us had been this far south in that part of the state. We made our way slowly down, spending not more than 15 or 20 minutes in the car on any given stretch. There were so many things to see and do (and photograph). We were constantly pulling over to check out a general store (we stopped at every one), walk around the town green of an adorable community (I fell in love with Rochester, VT), take in a waterfall, or visit an interesting shop. And of course I'm a huge lover of barns, so I pulled us over on the side of the road many a time to hop out and snap a few shots of one of the many beautiful structures. 

We stayed over night at a historic inn on Echo Lake right outside Ludlow, VT, an area that used to be a popular vacation destination for fancy folks (perhaps still is). I made a vow to come back to Echo Lake for a relaxing week one day - there were tons of people out on the Camp Plymouth State Park beach and kayaking around, and it looked like the most fun. The next day we visited President Calvin Coolidge's birthplace and family homestead. Neither of us knew much about him, and it was an enjoyable introduction to his life as well as an opportunity to walk through an area preserved (and sometimes replicated) as a super tiny 1920s village. I love that kind of thing. I was especially pumped to see the quilt that Coolidge made for his own bed as a boy and the short-term exhibit of Grace Coolidge's clothes (spoiler alert: they're gorgeous). And of course Navah spent some of the time on our trip home (not on Route 100) on Wikipedia sharing other interesting facts about him and his presidency with me. 

If you decide to travel this stretch of Route 100 (which I recommend), here are some things I would suggest: stopping to snap some pictures of Moss Glen Falls, grabbing a sandwich at the Warren Store or the Pittsfield General Store, veering off the road just a bit to take the very short hike to Thundering Falls, pulling over to admire beautiful old barns and homes, getting out of the car in Rochester to take a walk around and get some coffee and a baked treat from Sandy's Books & Bakery, spending an hour or two at the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, and (if you can) strapping a kayak or a canoe to the top of your car and checking out Echo Lake. 

We'll have to save that last bit for next time (when we'll own a kayak?). 

Now that we've done that gorgeous trip, I'm super motivated to drive the rest of Route 100 - north of us and also the last southern bits that we didn't get to. In fact, I'm ready for another staycation, but it will probably have to wait until next year!

p.s. I'll be back with my regular Thursday garden posts next week. This post was delayed a bit because of technical difficulties yesterday!

 

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Quarterly Book Report: July 2015

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These last three months were tough for reading, in part because I got stuck on a couple books that I still haven't finished and in part because garden season began. Sadly, I finished only three books since March, though I'm partially through a few others. And the ones I did complete - all audiobooks. Sigh. 

Do you do that? Get stuck on a book? I'll get a little bit bossy with myself  - "You can start that book after you finish this one, but not any sooner!" - as if I'm in need of strict parenting about my leisure reading habits. And I'm desperate for a good escapist novel, so I've got to either make it through these books or let it go! 

For now, here's what I "read" April - June. 

I Can't Complain: (all too) personal essays*
Elinor Lipman

"Perhaps I live in an overly frank family. My husband has an expression that I call 'evaluative.' His features rearrange themselves into something that is part squint, part frown, a look I've seen on the faces of judges at the Westminster Dog Show. Occasionally he undergoes a moment of delicacy before blurting out what the offense is, but most often he diagnoses and prescribes without much soul-searching. My son will say, 'Ma? You're not planning to wear those pants outside the house, are you?' Not now, I won't."

It took me a couple of essays to get into this simple little collection by Elinor Lipman, with some of the early essays in the collection feeling a bit dated (they're reprinted from pieces she's written throughout her career). But by the end, I was completely in love and wanted to take her out to lunch. Her witty and matter-of-fact take on culture, marriage, and friendship were refreshing and often had me laughing out loud. And on a couple rare occasions, I was wiping back tears. When it ended, I missed her. 

Bad Feminist*
Roxanne Gay

"We need to stop playing Privilege or Oppression Olympics because we'll never get anywhere until we find more effective ways of talking through difference. We should be able to say, 'This is my truth,' and have that truth stand without a hundred clamoring voices shouting, giving the impression that multiple truths cannot exist."

I had a love-hate relationship with Gay's book of essays on feminism and her relationship to it. For starters, I went in with the wrong expectations. The title and a few things I'd read about the book gave me the impression that I'd be cozying up to another How to Be a Woman - a funny take on the journey of being a modern-day feminist. But she actually takes books like that to task for demanding that feminism always be funny in order to be swallowed. There are some amusing moments in Bad Feminist, but it is, for the most part, a very serious book about serious issues. Many of the essays are lengthy academic pieces of literary criticism, and in many I found myself zoning out a bit (not the fault of the book but of my atrophied lit crit muscles). I liked best the pieces where she delved into her own personal experiences. I'm glad I read the collection because it gave me insight I wouldn't otherwise have - into the life of a black female academic grappling with her place in the world and our society's handling of race and gender from that perspective. I found myself arguing with her often, which I think told me as much (or more) about myself as it did about her. 

Where'd You Go, Bernadette*
Maria Semple

"Those East Coast kids are a different breed, on a fast track to nowhere. Your friends in Seattle are Canadian in their niceness. None of you has a cell phone. The girls wear hoodies and big cotton underpants and walk around with tangled hair and smiling, adorned backpacks. Do you know how absolutely exotic it is that you haven't been corrupted by fashion and pop culture? A month ago I mentioned Ben Stiller, and do you know how you responded? 'Who's that?' I loved you all over again."

I read a ton of great reviews of this one from some of my favorite bloggers, and I was prepared to really love this quirky novel about a teenage girl's search for her mom who suddenly goes missing from their Seattle home. While it kept my interest, I wasn't head over heels. The writing and the characters were fun and unique, but I was bugged by some character choices that seemed not understandable or believable to me. Each person in the book behaved at times in ways that were incomprehensible but were not really addressed by others in the book, something that is arguably not a flaw but bothered me nonetheless. On the other hand, I adored the epistolary style and the frame of the main character's detective work. The book is told from the viewpoint of Bee Branch, a 15-year old girl, and all information is revealed through the documents (most emails and letters) she is combing through on the search for her mother. It was original, and it totally worked.

*Listened on Audible. 

p.s. April's Quarterly Book Report. 

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Whole Wheat Zucchini Potato Pie

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Project Pie: I'll be baking 24 pies before Pi Day 2016 to get over my fear of baking pies. And to eat delicious things. You can join me by posting about your pies in the comments or tagging your twitter, instagram, or facebook posts with #projectpie. Make something scrumptious and gooey!

This recipe needs a disclaimer. Once you take a bite of this pie, you will not want to stop. And you will not want to eat anything else. Only this pie, with its flaky crust and its soft, perfectly seasoned filling. Forever and ever, amen. 

You've been warned. 

Thank heavens for the potatoes we've been getting from our farm share, stored over the winter and giving a little substance to those first few weeks when it's largely greens. And now the zucchini is rolling in, and there is absolutely no better use for the two of them - the buttery potatoes and the summery zucchini - than in this pie. 

I'll be honest and tell you that I fought hard with this crust. There was some swearing. I used the Joy of Cooking recipe from my blueberry pie but adapted it for our standard dietary needs - aka, Earth Balance instead of butter and whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose. I didn't change the water content, which resulted in a sticky dough that gave me all sorts of problems when I was rolling it out. Lesson learned.

I said a prayer and shoved it in the oven. 

And boy, did I sing praises when I took that first bite. Wow. The crust pulled through and the flavors of the vegetables and the garlic and the sour cream melded together perfectly.  And let's talk about sour cream for a moment. If you'll remember, my wife is intensely lactose intolerant. Sour cream has only graced our kitchen in rare moments when I really wanted it for something specific only I would be eating - until recently when we discovered that our favorite lactose-free yogurt provider was also making sour cream. A huge thank you to Green Valley Organics for bringing sour cream into our lives and making this deliciousness possible. 

I fear I'm going on too much about this one, but I can't hide the way I feel. This pie is my soul mate. 

Whole Wheat Zucchini Potato Pie
Adapted from The New York Times

Crust:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter)
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1/2 cup ice water

1. Quickly mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. 
2. Break the shortening into large chunks and cut your butter (from the freezer) into small pieces. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture. Cut it into the dry ingredients by chopping vigorously with a pastry blender or cutting it with two knives. Work quickly so the butter does not melt. Make sure you are getting all the flour off the bottom of the bowl. Stop when the mixture has some pea-sized pieces and is mostly a consistency of dry, coarse crumbs, like cornmeal. 
3. Drizzle the ice water over the top. Using the blade side of a rubber spatula, cut into the mixture until it is evenly moistened and small balls begin to form. If balls of dough stick together, you're done. If they don't, drizzle 1-2 more tablespoons of water over the top. 
4. Press the dough together until it forms a ball. It should be rough, not smooth. Divide the dough in half and press each into a flat, round disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can refrigerate for up to several days. 

Zucchini and Potato Filling:

1 pound yellow-fleshed potatoes
1 large zucchini
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of nutmeg

1. Thinly slice the potatoes and zucchini into discs. (I used a mandolin slicer.)
2. Place into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix gently and thoroughly until all the potato and zucchini slices are covered. 

Putting it Together:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, beginning in the center and rolling out from all directions. Roll the dough about 3-4 inches wider than your pie pan.
3. Transfer the dough into your pie pan by rolling it loosely around your rolling pin and then unrolling it into the pie pan. Press the dough over the bottom and into the corners of your pan. Trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang, and then tuck that overhang underneath itself.  
4. Put the bottom crust into the refrigerator (preferably for at least 30 minutes). Roll out the top crust in the same way, though a little smaller. Pour your filling into the bottom crust (you can layer all the slices nicely and neatly, but I just poured the filling in distributed everything evenly) and top with the top crust. Cut steam vents in the middle. Crimp the rim with a fork or make a decorative edge. 
5. Place the pie pan on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 50-60 minutes more until the top is golden. 
7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes on a rack, then slice and enjoy.

p.s. These cornmeal and rye whole grain waffles are my waffle soul mate.

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Friday Photo Gratitude

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I will be on vacation next week, so ktmade will be quiet. But I'll be back July 6th! 

Stealing a bit from Soulemama's weekly {this moment}, I will be posting a single photo, no words, every Friday as a practice of gratitude - for the simple and extraordinary pleasures of life, for the ability to capture them with my camera, and for the honor of sharing them with you. 

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This Week in My Garden: June 25, 2015

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My hosta wrote me a love letter. I gasped out loud when I saw the flowers, totally unexpected on my morning walk a couple days ago. I walk straight through the yard these days, rather than up the driveway and onto the street, so that I can quickly peruse the garden and then check on the blueberries and raspberries before we head out. I almost passed right by the hosta without noticing because I was looking to the right, worrying over my zucchini. 

Thank goodness I turned my head. A well-timed flower sighting can make my day. 

The garden is a little weird right now, with some things growing beautifully and others suffering for reasons I can't figure out. 

On the positive side: My hosta, of course. The sugar snap peas are flowering. There are tomatoes on almost every one of my tomato plants. That has never happened by this time of the year, and I am delighted. My green beans are making slow and steady progress. The pattypan and delicata squash seem happy as can be. Aside from being chomped by bunnies, several of the brussels sprouts are looking big and luscious. I'm harvesting a few radishes every few days.

On the negative side: The zucchini and cucumbers are just....sad looking. Some of the leaves are turning brown and some of them have a sort of speckled appearance, almost like they just couldn't get quite green enough. My eggplant and spinach are growing so slowly. The eggplant has only made a few new leaves since I put them in the ground over a month ago, and the spinach still look like small sprouts even though it's been at least two weeks. The radishes are very, very tiny. Also, should I be worried about these yellowing leaves at the bottom of a few tomato plants? And how did I end up with so many little rocks in my soil?

Always a learning experience. I haven't gotten as much time out there in the last couple weeks, and I miss my lazy weeding. Here's hoping I can add a little more garden time in the coming days. 


p.s. Our garden, two years ago this week.

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Ten Things

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1. On Sunday night, I finished knitting my first adult-sized sweater, which is also my first pullover (I've previously knit two baby cardigans). When I bound off the last stitch and held it up, I laughed simply because smiling wasn't enough. I felt like a rockstar. I'm blocking it now, and I can't wait for it to dry so I can share it with you. 

2. We visited the Lake Champlain Islands this past Saturday with my in-laws and stopped in at the Hyde Log Cabin, which is believed to be the oldest log cabin in the United States. Boy do I love old homes. This one had the bonus of a volunteer attendant in old-timey garb to tell us all about the Hyde family's belongings in the single-room cabin - the corn husk beds, the quilts, the family register, the spinning wheels. And then we visited the one-room school house next door where I leafed through all the old English lesson books. I was in heaven. 

3. Since making my little simple weaving, I've become obsessed with weaving. I've looked at  every woven thing on Etsy, and I'm thinking about weaving a floor mat. 

4. We'll be on vacation next week, and it can't come soon enough. 

5. I feel as though I could subsist entirely on this balela salad from Costco right now. It has such an interesting flavor profile, and I could easily eat the entire tub in one sitting (but then likely be quite sick). 

6. My aunt and uncle spent a few days of their vacation up here last week, and it was such a treat to visit with them and steal their knowledge about plants and gardening. My uncle is a landscape architect, and my aunt is a terrific gardener with a good eye. They gave me so many ideas for our yard. It might be years before we can implement a lot of them, but I'm excited by the possibilities.

7. We're about a quarter of the way through staining our deck, and it won't stop raining long enough for us to finish. Also, getting a good coating on all those little railing slats is incredibly tedious. Good news is that the rain is mostly beading up on the places we have stained. Hurray for being semi-responsible homeowners! 

8. The conversation happening over on Momastery's facebook page about the Charleston shooting and about the way we all interact with and talk to each other (or don't) is so moving, and it makes me feel hope in a time that seems, in some ways, hopeless.

9. I have been submitting my food photos to foodgawker, and no matter how good I think they area, they never accept them (except for this one several months ago). Almost every time, they say that the photos are underexposed or have low lighting, and I can't figure out where/how to take a picture that doesn't end up that way (and also, I can't totally see it, which is even more frustrating). 

10. Jammer is snoring. 

p.s. One of the little baby sweaters I made

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Project Pie: Traditional Blueberry Pie

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Project Pie: I'll be baking 24 pies before Pi Day 2016 to get over my fear of baking pies. And to eat delicious things. You can join me by posting about your pies in the comments or tagging your twitter, instagram, or facebook posts with #projectpie. Make something scrumptious and gooey!

I wasn't really into cooking until I started experimenting with all sorts of wacky ingredients for my wife - the challenge is what hooked me. And while we eat a lot more "regular" things these days, I still don't have that knowledge base about many recipes - especially baking. I've made dozens of biscuits, but never with real butter and all purpose flour. The same goes for cookies. And pies. 

Since I began Project Pie, I've been keenly aware of my lack of knowledge. What is your pie crust supposed to look like? Feel like? Is it supposed to stretch? If it's crumbly, why? If it's tough, why? I've eaten pie before, so I know what a good flaky crust tastes like, but I had no idea why it got that way. And I had no idea what I might do to make my whole wheat, dairy-free versions mimic some of the most delicious (and coveted) aspects of a traditional pie crust. 

So when my wife was away a few weekends ago, I decided to bake a traditional pie. Real butter, all purpose flour, white sugar. No food processor.

I wanted to really understand pie crust. I wanted the "touch."

I pulled out my big Joy of Cooking and started to read - six pages on the creation of a pie crust. I learned things. About the science behind the flakiness. 

“When the larger chunks of fat melt during baking, they leave gaps in the dough that fill up with steam and expand, separating the pastry into myriad flaky ledges. Inexperienced pie makers tend to overwork the flour and fat mixture into a soft, greasy paste, resulting in pastry that is mealy and dense, like shortbread, rather than crisp and flaky.”
— The Joy of Cooking

And I learned that adding more water and working the dough more causes the formation of gluten, which is what will make your dough hard or chewy and more like bread than pastry. 

I took all the instructions and followed them to the letter, something I almost never do with a recipe. 

I froze the butter but left the shortening at room temperature. 

I cut it in by hand quickly with a pastry cutter, leaving some large pea-sized chunks,  and then mixed in the ice water with my rubber spatula until the dough began to form small balls. 

When I stopped mixing, I couldn't imagine the dough would be able to hold together. But I followed the instructions. I smashed all the little pieces of dough into a ball, separated that into two, wrapped them in plastic wrap and stuck them in the refrigerator to chill. 

When I rolled it out, the dough didn't fall apart. I could see the chunks of butter and shortening. I cut the crust with a 3/4 inch ease around the pie pan and tucked the edges under just like the book said.

Everything exactly as I was instructed.

Turns out The Joy of Cooking knows what it's talking about. When I cut into that pie, the crust cracked beautiful, flakes of perfection sticking up as the knife went in. 

There was much rejoicing. (Followed by face-stuffing.)

Whether this knowledge will help me create a tender and flaky whole wheat + vegan pie crust remains to be seen, but I have to hope it will. For now, I'm basking in the success of that exquisite pie and hoping I don't hurt my arm from all the patting myself on the back. 

Traditional Blueberry Pie
From The Joy of Cooking

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
egg or milk + sugar for glaze

1. Quickly mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. 
2. Break the shortening into large chunks and cut your butter (from the freezer) into small pieces. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture. Cut it into the dry ingredients by chopping vigorously with a pastry blender or cutting it with two knives. Work quickly so the butter does not melt. Make sure you are getting all the flour off the bottom of the bowl. Stop when the mixture has some pea-sized pieces and is mostly a consistency of dry, coarse crumbs, like cornmeal. 
3. Drizzle the ice water over the top. Using the blade side of a rubber spatula, cut into the mixture until it is evenly moistened and small balls begin to form. If balls of dough stick together, you're done. If they don't, drizzle 1-2 more tablespoons of water over the top. (I added 1 1/2 more tablespoons, but this will depend on the particulars of your flour, kitchen air, etc.)
4. Press the dough together until it forms a ball. It should be rough, not smooth. Divide the dough in half and press each into a flat, round disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can refrigerate for up to several days. 

Blueberry Filling:
5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. When you pour the mixture into the bottom curst, dot it with the butter. 

Putting it together:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, beginning in the center and rolling out from all directions. Roll the dough about 3-4 inches wider than your pie pan.
3. Transfer the dough into your pie pan by rolling it loosely around your rolling pin and then unrolling it into the pie pan. Press the dough over the bottom and into the corners of your pan. Trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang, and then tuck that overhang underneath itself.  (If you're able to eat eggs, do an egg wash over the bottom crust to seal it from the pie filling.)
4. Put the bottom crust into the refrigerator (preferably for at least 30 minutes). Roll out the top crust in the same way, though a little smaller. Pour your filling into the bottom crust and top with the top crust. Cut steam vents in the middle. Crimp the rim with a fork or make a decorative edge. 
5. Place the pie pan on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbles juice through the vent. 
7. Let cool completely on a rack (this step is important so that all the juices don't just flow out when you cut the first piece).

p.s. Cherry Chocolate (Green) Smoothie

 

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Friday Photo Gratitude

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Stealing a bit from Soulemama's weekly {this moment}, I will be posting a single photo, no words, every Friday as a practice of gratitude - for the simple and extraordinary pleasures of life, for the ability to capture them with my camera, and for the honor of sharing them with you. 

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This Week in My Garden: June 18, 2015

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Things are happening!! I came out one day last week to find teeny tiny little cherry tomatoes, the green bean sprouts shot up, we got a wee radish, and overnight the zucchini plants blossomed. It all makes my heart go pitter patter. The joy of that new fruit on the stem is worth all the headaches with rabbits and slugs. 

The zucchini plants actually have me concerned because their leaves have not done that well, so all four of them look pretty anemic. I can't imagine how the little bit of sun they'll be able to take in will support those new blossoms. I pinched the flower off one plant to do a little experiment and see how it does in comparison to the other three. The growing season is short, so things do need to flower quickly, but this just seems awfully early for the size of the plants. 

Sometimes I think I'd like being a farmer, spending the days tending my fields, but I know I'm glamorizing it. If the slugs bug me now, imagine if they were destroying my livelihood. 

No, I think I'll stick to my little homesteading garden. It suits me just fine.

p.s. Four ingredient vegan chocolate frosting.

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Simple Weaving

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At a friend's house in middle school, I played with one of those little looms that kids used to make potholders. I don't know how I'd never encountered one before, but I was enamored by the way a simple over and under pattern with stretchy fabric loops could hold together to create something so thick and sturdy. 

Since then, looms and weaving have fascinated me. The end result seems magical. But beyond making a multi-colored potholder, I always considered weaving something that was done only on giant expensive looms by people with exceptional skill. I sought them out at craft fairs. I watched women in a dark little shop in Guatemala, adeptly sliding the shuttle back and forth. 

I actually considered buying a loom once when a coworker told me his mom was selling one (after I went on about my desire to one day weave), but I ultimately passed, primarily because of my penchant for purchasing craft-related things and then allowing them to languish. 

So when I started to see these weaving projects on the internet a couple years ago, I was intrigued. But it took me a while to jump on the bandwagon, mostly because the weaving I'd always appreciated was functional - making scarves or blankets or rugs. The artsy little wall hangings popping up on every craft blog seemed a bit weird to me. 

And then Elise Blaha Cripe created a massive one, and it triggered again that fascination with all things woven. Since then, it's been on my never-ending crafty to-do list, and I got very excited when I saw some tutorials for weaving without purchasing a loom (see purchasing penchant, above).

Last weekend I finally sat down with all the materials, created my little cardboard loom and got to sending that yarn back and forth. 

Oh boy, is this addictive. I wove for four hours straight, until I was finished. I couldn't stop. The  motion is meditative, like knitting is and crocheting has been for me. 

I used this tutorial and this tutorial primarily.

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weaving.jpg

 

I'm pretty sure I completely screwed up getting it off the loom. The stitches are inconsistent, the fringe point is a little off-center, and I messed up a couple rows without realizing it. But I love it in spite of its imperfections. Or because of? I love it mainly because I so loved making it. 

The lighting in this room is terrible, so the pictures leave a little to be desired, but as I sit here on the couch, I'm looking at my weaving, my ticker tape quilt, my instagram magnets, and my rag quilt and feeling so much gratitude for materials to craft with, working hands, and a home to display the things I've made. 

weaving.jpg

 

p.s. You are so loved.

 

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Blog Redesign

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I started blogging back in 2007. I'd been reading a number of students' blogs as I tried to decide where I wanted to go to law school. And once I made the decision - George Washington University - I read the entire archives of a blogger about to graduate. It was my first experience of really learning about what I might expect from something before I jumped into it, and I was thrilled by it. 

Of course it didn't take long before I decided I needed a blog of my own, and I really only knew of two choices - Blogger or Wordpress. The blog I had been reading about GW used Blogger, and since I didn't have any real sense of comparison and this was just a fun new hobby, I hopped on that train. 

Eight years and three blogs later, Blogger has served me well. I've published 719 posts on the platform, made friends, found my voice, and learned a bit about domain names and design along the way. But there have also been some kinks - primarily issues with comments - and some limitations with aesthetics, especially with my lack of web design skills. 

I've been considering switching platforms for quite a while, and last weekend I finally took the plunge. It's hard to conceptualize how completely the blogging landscape has transformed in those 8 years, but there are now dozens of different platforms out there if you want to share your words (and pictures) on the internet. 

I went with Squarespace for two reasons:

(1) their design templates are beautiful, clean, and professional
(2) paying for the service includes access to help staff

As a non-web designer, I have gotten so frustrated on numerous occasions when something on my blog is not working and I have no idea how to fix it. I've spent many hours googling away to try to figure out what the problem is, often to no avail. Even just a few months ago, I tried to make a simple change (through code) to how links open on my blog and temporarily disabled my blog template, inducing several panic-driven hours trying to get it back. I eventually did, but I decided it was time to move on. 

I think web design and graphic design are awesome and you know that I considered trying to figure it all out since I do love collecting hobbies. But when I was honest with myself, I really want to be spending my time writing, crafting, cooking, gardening, and taking photos. And there are only so many hours. Squarespace was the obvious option for a blog that would be beautiful but also allow me to focus on the areas I want.

This past weekend I exchanged 25 emails with Squarespace support staff. In one, I simply said:

No question - just wanted to say how amazing all of you have been the last 48 hours as I've created a new blog and imported my blogger one over. So incredibly helpful. 

Having access to actual people to answer my questions was critical and amazing. I'm still working out a few quirks, but I'm so excited to transition over to a more streamlined, professional look, and one that is hopefully a big more user-friendly for my readers. Check those tabs, folks. 


And speaking of working with awesome people, Bree from Sweet Little Muse, who designed my new logo, was fabulous. And typing the words "my new logo" makes me get kind of giggly all over. I have a logo!

Though my blog looks different, you can expect the same types of posts from me - crafts and recipes and photos and words sharing my creative process, the ups and downs and hopes and fears. 

Thank you for joining me on this journey. 

 p.s. Made these roasted potatoes last night - so freaking perfect.

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Slow Cooker Apple Pie Breakfast Quinoa (Wonderbag)

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I know I lost some of you right there at the title. Quinoa for breakfast? 

Hear me out. 

Have you ever thought about why certain grains get placed into certain categories? Why oatmeal for breakfast and not rice? Why is cream of wheat usually sweet and grits are usually savory? Why do we serve polenta with chicken at dinner time but grits with eggs at breakfast? 

I'm sure there are legitimate cultural and sociological reasons for all of these categories, but I'm not convinced we have to follow them. Or that we should. 

I don't know about you, but making sure I have enough oomph in my breakfast to keep me going until lunch is kind of critical. And I'm not a "I'll just have a coffee" kind of gal. I need protein. I need something that will stick around until at least 11:15. 

Breakfast quinoa consistently gets me there. And for mornings when I don't want a smoothie or when I need to have something ready the night before, it's a perfect go-to. 

Besides, all the cool kids are doing it.  

The reason this recipe is a little bit extra awesome is that (1) it tastes a bit like apple pie, and (2) you can make it in a slow cooker (aka it can be ready when you wake up in the morning). I used my Wonderbag, but you could make this in a regular slow cooker as well. The trick with a regular slow cooker is to make sure you have it on low if you're going to cook it overnight. 

 

Apple Pie Breakfast Quinoa (in the Wonderbag)
Serves 8

1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups almond, soy, or coconut milk, divided
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other non-dairy margarine)
raisins, optional
walnuts, optional

1. Place the quinoa, water, 1 1/2 cups of the non-dairy milk, and apple into a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce heat just enough to maintain a rolling boil and add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, and Earth Balance. Let cook for 5-7 minutes. 
3. Remove the pot from the heat and place into the Wonderbag for 2 hours (can be as long as overnight). If you are using a traditional slow cooker, you can throw all the ingredients in without the first two steps, but make sure to turn the slow cooker to low if you are doing it overnight. 
4. Remove the quinoa from the Wonderbag (or turn off your slow cooker) and mix in the final 1 1/2 cups of non-dairy milk to make things extra creamy. Stir in raisins and walnuts if you'd like. 

As you can see, this makes a lot. I brought some to a brunch potluck and also packed some up into jars for a few breakfasts this week! 

p.s. Cheese + Chive Fried Grits - for breakfast OR dinner. Bam.

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This Week in My Garden: June 11, 2015

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If you ever want to give yourself a lesson in patience and releasing control, plant a garden. Boy, do I struggle with patience. Especially now that everything is in the ground, and I'm seeing growth. I want to see pea pods! I want little cherry tomatoes! I want vegetables now!

And I want to control it all perfectly (and get gardening "right").

As you can see, we're still battling the slugs - they're getting to some of the pole bean seedlings so fast that I never even see the leaves. And now rabbits. I'm continuing to use Sluggo for the slugs, and I put down one application of Liquid Fence to try to deter the rabbits. I'm not sure yet whether it's working. There were definitely some chunks taken out of things the day after I put it down, but the eating has let up a bit since then.

The copious amount of rain we've received in the last week has been great for the pattypan squash and delicata squash. I'm not so sure about the canteloupe or the zucchini, which has some ominous brown spots. And two of our cherry tomato plants have taken off. We might just get some good tomato action for the first time ever!

If my previous years' gardens are any indication of how this year will go, some of the plants won't work out. But some of them will exceed our expectations. It's still all trial and error.

I also did a little non-vegetable gardening this weekend and put some hostas into the garden bed in front of our house. I expanded the size and changed the shape of this bed last summer using wood chips from some dead trees we had cut down in our yard (you might've noticed the wood chip pile in some of my photos). My hope is to one day fill it with lots of shade-loving plants and extend it around the side of our house, but I'm totally intimidated and overwhelmed by actual landscaping. I don't have a great eye for it, and I know nothing about flowers or shrubs or anything non-vegetable. So I'm taking tiny steps.

I hated the squat little evergreen bushes that were in there before, so I switched them out for some hostas that I'm told will expand beautifully. The plants already there are daffodils and, I think, irises. My suspicion is that some of them never bloom because they don't get enough sun. I'm hoping to eventually put in some hydrangeas, maybe a small tree at the edge that gets sun, and lots of other pretty shade plants.

I have to keep reminding myself that we've only been here two years, and I don't have to do it all right away.  (As with everything else in life!)

Tell me what's going on in your garden. Harvesting the fruits of your labor yet? Dealing with pests? If you're blogging about it, leave a link to your blog in the comments so I can read up!

p.s.

The Seasons of Life

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Summer Rain

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We got a screen door installed a couple weeks ago - just in time for summer rain. I have the front door open, and I'm listening to it come down, a quilt wrapped around my shoulders.

I have been go go go lately - at work, at home, in my mind. I enjoy the feeling of pursuit, of setting a goal and crossing things off the list. I like it when my brain feels like it's going to burst from the million ideas I have for this project or that project or every project. I feel a little surge of pride when my hamstrings and my back ache after a day of heavy gardening.

I also get burned out. I lose the joy.

The garden feels overwhelming, or I can't make time for even a little piece of the thousands of projects running through my head, or the list is growing with nothing getting crossed off.

There is a fine line. Once it begins, the spiral down is quick and complete.

I know enough these days to know it's a cycle, to know that tired and overwhelmed is a phase that will pass, that I will be rejuvenated and energized again. And I know that joy and pursuit and fear and exhaustion can live right next to each other, weaving themselves together in inseparable ways.

The best thing for it, I think, is summer rain. It's the feel of a blanket around my shoulders and a cool breeze on my face. It's the sound of billions of tiny droplets falling on our garden. It's not running immediately to check for slugs but instead breathing in and out again and again and again.

p.s. still loving this smoothie

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Strawberry Basil Pie (Vegan)

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Project Pie: I'll be baking 24 pies before Pi Day 2016 to get over my fear of baking pies. And to eat delicious things. You can join me by posting about your pies in the comments or tagging your twitter, instagram, or facebook posts with #projectpie. Make something gooey and delicious!

I should have waited until later in the summer to make this pie, when strawberries are in season and I'll be able to pick pints of them when I pick up my farm share. But what can I say? I'm impatient. I got this pie cookbook at a cute little kitchen store in Saratoga Springs. I was immediately drawn in by the stunning photos and a few of the recipes that looked not only fabulous but also adaptable to our particular dietary needs. 

The book is separated into sections based on season and then further into months. When I told my wife I was going to be making the strawberry basil pie, she asked if I shouldn't wait a little longer, until strawberries are really in season here.

But it's one of the pies for June! I exclaimed. And it's June!

With the cold lingering these last few weeks and me spending most of my time in long sleeves, I'm looking for summer wherever I can get it. And this strawberry basil pie tastes pretty much like summer on a plate. Even warm, its subtle flavors are refreshing and light. If you're a little skeptical of the salad-like ingredients, don't be. The basil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper just provide hints of a more sophisticated flavor and keep the pie from being overly sweet.

And this crust. Yum. 

It's the best one I've made so far, significantly more like pastry dough than my regular go-to pie crust.

I also think the spelled-out method for creating the dough in the food processor was helpful for me to understand exactly when to stop processing. I might try her method with my go-to and see if that results in a flakier crust. 

Vegan Strawberry Basil Pie 
Adapted from First Prize Pies

Cornmeal Crust

1 cup Earth Balance, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1/2 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour, chilled
3/4 cup cornmeal, chilled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1. Stir together the milk and vinegar and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. 
2. Fit the food processor with a metal blade and add the dry ingredients, pulsing once to blend. 
3. Take your milk mixture and Earth Balance out of the refrigerator. Pour the Earth Balance into the food processor and turn it on. 
4. After a couple seconds, begin slowly pouring the milk mixture through the feed tube of the food processor. Once the mixture has been added, turn off the processor. 
5. Pour the dough onto plastic wrap, bind it tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Note: The dough should come together if pressed but will not have formed a ball on its own in the food processor.)

Filling

8 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and halved
10 large basil leaves, sliced very thinly
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or sub cornstarch)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Almond milk wash, for glaze
Coconut palm sugar, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. If you are using frozen strawberries, thaw and drain them prior to mixing. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the arrowroot, pepper, and salt. Add this to the strawberry mixture right before adding the filling to the crust.

Putting it together

1. Remove the crust dough from the refrigerator and split in half. Place one half back into the refrigerator and roll the other half into a circle on parchment paper. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate and trim the overhang. 
2. Place the pie plate in the refrigerator and take out the other half of the dough. Roll this second half into a circle and cut into six strips. 
3. Pour the strawberry mixture (with the arrowroot mixture added in) into the pie pan and form a lattice on the top. Trim the edges and use a fork to crimp.  Brush the top with almond milk and sprinkle with sugar. 
4. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. 
5. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the strawberry juices have thickened. Cool on a rack at least an hour before serving. 

Note: Earth Balance and nondairy milk are subbed one-for-one for butter and milk in this recipe - feel free to use dairy ingredients if you can. 

p.s. I'm 8 pies in on my 24 pie challenge. Here's what I've made so far:

Vegetarian Taco Pie with Cornbread Topping

Vegan Maple Pecan Pie

Chicken Pot Pie with Herb Crust

Very Berry Mousse Pie

Passover Chocolate Mousse Pie

Whole Wheat Maple Apple Pie

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

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Friday Photo Gratitude

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Stealing a bit from Soulemama's weekly 

{this moment}

, I will be posting a single photo, no words, every Friday as a practice of gratitude - for the simple and extraordinary pleasures of life, for the ability to capture them with my camera, and for the honor of sharing them with you. 

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