coldcoldcold. there has been a lot of hot tea, lots of Madeleine Peyroux on Pandora, and always, always a fire. Ziggy and I fight over the prime spot right in front of it. usually, we share. our sugaring operation has been on pause as temperatures stayed below freezing, with lows in the single digits often this past week. there was a big first two days of sap collection, followed by an entire day (and well into the night) spent boiling off in that cozy little sugar 'nook'. all bundled up out there late night, post-shower and ready to turn in except that there was all that boiling yet to do, I was beyond content. warm and cozy, tucked in that little nook, listening to the roaring of the wood stoves and smelling that sweet almost-syrup smell of sap that'd been boiling off all day long, with a mug of warm milk and sap-syrup (ridiculously delicious), looking up at all those stars in the five feet of open sky up there between the walls of the woodshed and the walls of the garage..... well, it was one of those moments when I thought yes, this. this is it. there was nowhere else I'd rather have been at that moment. sometimes I think just maybe I really could have made it in those big woods of Wisconsin with Laura and her crew. maybe. at least for a nice long visit anyway.
:::
in the meantime, one of our Ameraucanas has finally started laying some pretty green eggs. that's Clover, the pretty girl up top there. I never cease to be amazed by how very much an individual hen's personality (chickenality?) changes when they are actively laying. whereas she was quite skittish just before, she now lets me pick her up and snuggle her a bit. about as much as I'd like to snuggle a chicken with smears of poo on her feet, anyway. and they're so proud. so much more confident, they seem. like they get what it's all about now and nothing can keep them down.
about pancakes. I'm not so much a fan of the typical 'squishy' pancakes. I like them somewhat hearty and if there is a bit of texture in there all the better. I've been playing around with the pancakes recipe out of an old copy of Laurel's Kitchen, and while I found it to be a good jumping off point and still reference it for the overall dry-to-wet ratios, I've found that as long as I keep the volume of dry ingredients in the same general ballpark, all is good. and so it's been a mix of whole wheat, cornmeal, oats, wheat germ, and chia seeds making up that end of things lately. I throw in an extra egg and some cinnamon, maybe some nuts, and there you go. a hearty and texture-y pancake for mama, that papa and Claire enjoy as well. next I want to try some savory versions of these little cakes of the pan.
also- books. I had a strong finish to 2013 and so far, this year, I'm just not feeling it. I've started a couple I just wasn't feeling, got a pile of books here at home to read, a couple on hold (but not yet in) at the library, and have been considering starting the Harry Potter series (though the idea of committing to several books turns me off a bit, not that I'd have to be doing so) but nothing seems to be sticking or calling my name very loud. Amanda's recommendations are always quite helpful, but still, I'm short on reading motivation for the time being, I suppose. Let me know about anything just wonderful out there. or maybe I'll just read the Snow Child again. On hold at the library are The Goldfinch and The Luminaries. Here at home are The Fault in Our Stars, The Birth House (a reread, I loved it), Astrid and Veronika (another reread), The Joy Luck Club, and Better Off.
:::
plans for the blogger swap are coming along well, and I've now got an exciting mix of folks signed up and ready to go. a big thanks to Karen, Cory, and Ashley for already putting the word out on their own blogs (either linking to the blogger swap post or the Grounded article) so as to help grow this thing a bit. I'll give it a few more days before closing it and getting things started. If you have already let me know you're in and you want to help spread the word, by all means please do! also, I'll need to get everyone's addresses soon, so send those my way if you can~ and if you haven't signed up yet and are interested, just send me an email or let me know via comment and (as long as you are in the U.S. and have a blog of your own)* I'll add you to the list!
thanks, all- this is going to be a good time!
*open to US residents only to ensure (relatively) even shipping costs for all involved, and to bloggers only for both connectivity and accountability*
*open to US residents only to ensure (relatively) even shipping costs for all involved, and to bloggers only for both connectivity and accountability*
Your Clover looks just like my Miss Margaret. Miss Margaret passed away last week, she was quite old, but such a lovely chicken and it's funny, I never thought I would miss a chicken but I do.
ReplyDeleteYour pancakes look really good, especially on this cool Sunday morning.
Enjoy your sapping, that looks like a fun activity.
so sorry you lost your favorite chicken~ over the years we've lost a couple and I've not had too hard a time with it, but there are some I know it'd be harder to lose. my favorite one is actually an old hen named Margaret! she and I have been through a lot (I've had to do some hen-EMT sort of things involving our dear Margaret) and she's a sweet old bird. it IS fun! unnervingly hard to predict this year, but fun all the same.
DeleteOh those pancakes look delicious. Have never mastered them myself (they're not as big in this part of the world - mainly kept for Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday). If you have the inclination I'd love to know the ratios you use and any other tips. I always think the life in Little House in the Prairie sounds lovely too, though scary.
ReplyDeletesure thing! the recipe from the Laurel's Kitchen book calls for 1/2 cup wheat germ, 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 TB brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 large eggs, 2 1/2-3 c milk, and 2 TB oil. mix dry. mix wet. combine. ladle onto skillet or griddle and cook until bubbles come to surface and start to pop, then flip and cook another little bit. eat. when I make them, I just play around with that first 2 1/2 cups of dry ingredients, usually something like this: 1/4 c wheat germ, 1/4 c flax meal, 1 cup flour, 1/2 c oats, 1/2 c cornmeal, a big spoon of chia seeds. I use coconut oil, and I add about a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. once I ladle them onto the pan I often add either blueberries or chopped pecans.
Deletealso- this recipe makes a lot of pancakes. about 2 dozen 4" pancakes. sometimes we make the whole recipe, use what we need and keep the rest in the fridge for later in the week. or you can make all of them and freeze the extras to heat up in the oven or toaster later on.
DeleteOh yum, thanks. The baking powder is what must make them so fluffy. Def will make a big batch. So rich with all the egg and sugar, yum yum.
DeleteLoved astrid and veronika, super loved!! I have it on my bookshelf. have you read "the orchardist" it was pretty good by amanda coplin.
ReplyDeleteoh I really liked it, too! will look into the orchardist, thanks!
Deleteit looks sooo cold in your pictures. those pancakes look amazing. <3
ReplyDeleteyes, it's been so cold! I know it's cold just about everywhere, we're just not used to regularly getting into the single digits down here in NC, even in the mountains.
DeleteI'm not sure what types of books you like to read but here are a few of my favorites from my 2013 reading list:
ReplyDeleteWesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy
Spin by Catherine McKenzie
Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
typically memoirs, historical fiction and similar genres. travel writing. magical realism. thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out!
DeleteHave you read any books by Alan Rabinowitz? Jaguar is my favorite but they are all good.
Deleteno I haven't- I'll look him up!
Deletedo you know how much i miss pancakes with pecans? so very much. there used to be a place around the corner from my hovel in nola that served buckwheat pancakes with pecans. heaven on a plate.
ReplyDeletemmmmmmmm, buckwheat. I love buckwheat pancakes but never make them myself. I should. do you not eat pancakes anymore? I'd make you some buckwheat pancakes with pecans if you came by ;)
DeleteI was in quite the book rut myself at the end of last year, I always hate the feeling of not having a good book going. Right now I'm reading Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls it's been called a Laura Ingalls for adults and I love it. She also write The Glass Castle which was amazing. The Orchardist was great as well, and anything by Wally Lamb is phenomenal. Just finished his newest novel, We Are Water. The Birth House is definitely a rereader! You should definitely read the Harry Potter series if you get the chance, it will not disappoint. Happy reading:)
ReplyDeleteI LOVED both of those books by Jeanette Walls. and you are the second to recommend the Orchardist, so now I really must look into it ;) thanks for the book ideas!
Delete