kitty: treasures from the farmers market

Swiss Chard Burgers Swiss Chard, Cucumbers, White Pepper, Red Whine Vinegar, Peach Juice, & Sugar Burger marinated in Peach BBQ & Mocha Java BBQ

M and I meet MG and her husband at the Clintonville Farmers Market yesterday, such a happy experience. We found so many yummy treasures at the market. From Swiss Chard, Heirloom Candy Beets, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Zucchini, Shiro Plums, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blue Berries, Shitake Mushrooms, and most of all farm eggs. I just love the colours of Swiss Chard......

MG: i made bread!

my first loaf of bread--real, bona fide, cake yeast, slow-rise, hand-kneaded loaf of bread. a whole wheat milk loaf based on a shokupan recipe in a Japanese magazine. the flavor worked out a bit bland and needs tweaking, but the texture is surprisingly nice. light, soft, and supple. feeling all chuffed and can't stop thinking "i made this!?"

smeared with butter & gooseberry jam

MG: wiggly

i've had a package of bo kanten (japanese stick agar made by freeze-drying seaweed) in the cupboard for years, waiting for me to brave the world of agar jellies. it had an unapproachable air, a cache of unknown quirks and techniques hidden from me, so i would google and read and think and put it off--repeat ad nauseum.

most of the recipes i found were created for gelatin (similar jelling agent, but of animal origin); add to that agar powders and agar flakes, whose volumes are an unreliable measure, it was hard to know how much stick kanten to use. finally, i happened upon this panna cotta at Chocolate and Zucchini. the recipe was written for agar; it gave the agar measurement by weight; AND it's a panna cotta, which means the soft side of the rubbery jelly spectrum. i do not like rubbery jellies. i still indulged in a bit of characteristic hesitation then went about making the unknowns into knowns.


amazing!! like vanilla milk just this side of solid, with a lovely shimmy but little resistance. silky and fragrant like dining on sweet vanilla perfume. but not too sweet. both hubby and i loved it with many toothy grins and wiggling of plates. i looked forward to the next time a mug of the panna cotta could come out to be unmolded, and hubby kept count of the number remaining in the fridge.

i used the stick kanten in the weight specified by the recipe for agar but first soaked it in cold water before tearing it into small pieces then adding it to the rest of the ingredients. i also oiled my small coffee mugs cum molds with walnut oil to help with unmolding. 1 gram of agar to 250ml/1cup of liquid seems to be a good working proportion.

now i want to agar-jelly everything from double cream panna cotta to all milk blancmange(r), and coffee, and almond milk, and cashew milk, and fruit purees, a myriad of things; and savory ones too--terrines, mushroom cream, tomato cream. mm.

there is already a strawberry batch chilling in the fridge.

MG: making cake

cupcakes for a birthday boy

dressed in strawberry cocoa chantilly

cake based on Nigella Lawson's "Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake" (How to be a Domestic Goddess, pg 166). i replaced some of the water with yogurt, decreased the sugar, and melted the butter with the chocolate. oh, and i used white whole wheat flour, my default flour. it seems to work for all sorts of baked goods except for ones needing lots of gluten. chantilly was heavy cream whipped with strawberry extract, cocoa powder, and agave syrup--Meiji's Apollo strawberry chocolate being one of the favorite candies of said birthday boy.

kitty: the end of summer

The last spoils of summer, tonight the weather guy forecast our first frost. I wish I had pulled the rest of the carrots, hopefully they will be ok.

kitty: wanted to say hi!

A Cheer up dinner for M: Jerk Kabobs and Yellow Watermelon, basil, champagne, muscat vinegar salad

Just wanted to pop on to say hi... There hasn't been a lot of crafting lately. I started Liesl but I have run into a major problem with the pattern for some reason my front and back are not symmetrical so I need to rip and start over. I am really not sure what I did since I counted each row and they were correct, but obviously something is wrong. Not sure when I will start again I fear my stress level may not be patient enough to start anytime soon.

The side that is correct.

The side that is wrong.

MG: eating

lunch: curry of mushrooms, leeks, tomatoes, peas atop jasmine rice

a color-combo infatuation

MG: second february

just back from california visiting friends and giggling/playing/bouncing with their tot and new baby. knitted along on my second february sweater (this time baby-sized) for said baby during the trip. i'm using blue sky dyed cotton. the mommy is charmed by the muted blue (a hint of green in some lights), and the sweater is really rather cute.

sad cellphone pic of a pleasant time

Ava, Monika, and Philippa inquired about cold brewing tea. here are links with more information on proportions and procedures. i've been putting about 3 spoonfuls of loose-leaf tea into a 1-liter jar, filling it with filtered cold water from the faucet, then leaving it in the fridge overnight. refreshing, thirst-quenching, and simple. incidentally, we also really really love this cold-brewed coffee recipe.

mmm, cold-brewed coffee & chicory

MG: cold-brewing tea

deliciously defies the laissez-faire brewing

loose leaves and water left in the fridge. mild. cool. reminds me of machida where i drank bottles and bottles of cold green tea. earl grey and oolong so far. sencha and jasmine and assam yet.

*****

some very good people remembered me...

...and the memories of my mom this mother's day

MG: little perfections

one of my very favorite parts of our Tokyo trip was the obento section of Tokyu Hands. we brought home kitchen gadgets that add no end of delight to our days.

sandwich cutter...

...for sandwich cutouts.

a parade...

...of puffy bites

it's easy to settle; to eat/wear/use/live the things that are easy or available or have always been; to fall into a life, unquestioningly, not even knowing i suffer a little with every meal, every shirt whose neck falls forward fifty times a day, every useless convention. we need such compromises with reality, and there is even beauty in that, that we can learn to love what we didn't ask for.

but then there is this elephant-shaped grilled cheese sandwich (grilled tomatoes and cornichons too). tool and meal both well made. uncompromisingly tasty for tongue, eyes, and heart. a meal that gave two 30-somethings a smiling and glowing sunday afternoon. and the realization that lives could be, should be, a string of such things, that we should look to their possibilities.

MG: cooling mugs...

...of pots de creme

MG: need giant buttons

hi! thanks for the contest entries; Kitty Kitty and i are really enjoying them. it's thought-provoking--the interaction of materials and outcomes, of the crafts we co-pursue. it's also been fun to meet the delurkers. thank you all for saying hello. we'll leave the contest open until the end of the day this Friday the 11th, so there is still time to enter if some stragglers so desire.

twinkle hoodie reknitting was completed a few weeks ago. but i'm not sure where to look for giant buttons, so the hoodie sits neglected, asking for its finishing wash and darning. i do like the sweater a whole lot. squishy nubbiness. and the fit is lovely now; worth the new 15mm needle and frogging and reknitting.

will i find cute buttons large enough to befit thee?

* * *(the separation asterisks up there make me nostalgic for books of my young adulthood.) other making-type goings on:

bfl the color of lemon creme

roasted butternut squash soup

MG: belated gratitude

pumpkin pie still poofy from the oven

grateful for... loved ones who love eating together, laughing together, being together--enough to arrive by webcam if one has to; brussels sprouts; white whole wheat flour; pumpkins; spices; a good pie dough recipe; crunchy stuffing balls without chicken broth but with toothpick antennas; fiber projects that touch more than one pair of loving, making hands; knitblog friends.

pretty cranberries

MG: tea party

tastier than this cellphone pic indicates

february non-baby sweater was taken out for afternoon tea at Central Perc yesterday. i knitted along to the delicious accompaniment of tea sandwiches, pastries (not too sweet), scones (adequately salted & perfectly textured), jam, fruit, and whipped cream. there are two pots of tea hiding under those maroon cozies on the left. i had the house blend of Earl Grey and Ceylon; hubby had Assam. the teas were bright and fresh and robust. mmm.

february sweater is currently about ribcage length. and no sleeves yet. lots of stitches in there at this gauge.

yesterday was also laundromat day...

pretty colors

my feet say hello

MG: it's a lovely drizzly day

you've seen the twisted ribbing and garter bands on hogarth, here is the front-panel vertical lace pattern. blue doesn't usually appeal to me, especially navy blue, but somehow this one is just right.


i'm knitting Zimmermann's february baby sweater--for a non-baby, i.e. me. i've recalculated for my gauge and measurements, casting on double the number of the specified stitches. the number of rows between yoke increases was simply doubled by extension, but i'm doubting that decision. it makes sense, since i'm much taller than a baby than i am wider (confusing syntax, eh?). i'm hoping the proportions will still work in the vein of a diminutive cardigan.


i like making granola in small batches with the ingredients i'm craving at the moment. on the stovetop and just enough for a meal. yesterday, i wanted almonds, golden raisins, vanilla, and bananas. vanilla banana granola.


on low-medium heat, put nuts and rolled oats into a dry well-seasoned cast-iron pan. sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt. toast a few minutes or until warm and fragrant. add dried fruit(s) of choice and a pat of butter. stir until coated. drizzle with honey and a few optional drops of vanilla extract. stir until desired coloring and consistency. the mixture gets extremely hot! so let cool before eating. i like to add fresh fruit and milk while things are still warm and start in with the cereal still chewy. as i eat, the granola gets crunchier, and i get the benefit of both textures.

MG: summer lunch

pan-roasting eggplant, tomato, green beans; frying egg

MG: today

rainy morning

pasta with butter, peas, cherry tomatoes, and chives; fennel (sliced, salted, then rinsed) with olive oil and grated parmesan

hubby's carnivorous version

MG: moving

hi there. thank you for all the lovely comments about my puffy-sleeved Zimmermann raglan. i've been remiss in answering them partly because blogger stinks about email addresses, partly because all the nice attention flustered me, and partly because things have been hectic.

to answer some questions... i didn't alternate skeins in rows; i took my chances one skein at a time. the kettle-dyed Araucania varied as it wished with differing circumferences (spirals in the body; stripes in the yoke) and differing skeins (subtle in the sleeves; contrastive in the body). the only purposeful choice was making sure the two sleeve skeins were similar. the sweater is structured on the Zimmermann seamless raglan in Knitting Without Tears. i made up those puffy sleeves and will definitely write up a post to share my shaping and numbers.

i've been packing up my life and moving... a few thousand miles. i left berkeley and am now in the dayton area of ohio working out the next stage of my life.

it takes the heart much longer to move than the body. i'm homesick. i miss skies so blue one swears there is a purple tinge to the sky. i miss the ever-present companionable breeze blowing from the chilly waters of the bay. i miss spring evenings saturated with mock orange, so sweet one could get drunk on the scent. i miss soaking in my neighborhood cafes; guiltless organic, fairtrade coffee. i miss my bookstores. i miss the farmers' market appleman who knows how devoted i am to his braeburns and warns me when their season is about to end. i miss vibrant, diverse, local, fresh, handmade food. if you are (ever) in the bay area, eat something tasty for me.

cheese danish from a tiny donut shop
handmade noodles, onion pancake, veggie buns
farmers' market goat cheese and fruit
crunchy tacos and pineapple aqua fresca
farmers' market goodies
rice noodles and veggies in lime broth
mushroom curry, naan, chai
veggie rolls and vietnamese sandwich
how i spent my evenings

MG: discombobulated

hi there. i'm here. things are hard. it's hard to describe where i am; don't know if it's still all too close to understand what things mean or if i'm overwhelmed or both. probably both. mostly, i feel (as the title indicates) discombobulated.

i'm trying to reconcile "failed PhD" into my identity, but what's hardest at the moment is the daily feeling of aimlessness. my days suddenly feel pointless. i'm no longer sure what i'm working towards.


meanwhile, i've started a new sweater with some lovely vegetable-dyed Araucania Nature Wool. knitting around and around--knit stitch after knit stitch--in a soft wool is comforting right now, like a good yoga pose one can sink into: my brow softens, my lips soften, the knot in my stomach softens, my heart softens. this sweater (already dubbed eponymous) will be a cardigan, so i'm heading towards my very first steek.


i try to bring home something new from the farmer's market every week. a few weeks ago, it was the beautiful creatures below. romanescos. the little one is about the size of a navel orange, the large one a grapefruit. a little googling revealed them beloved by mathematicians for their fractal and fibonacci qualities. surreal and tasty.