Introducing my new series: Staying Home

I’m going to take you on a series of deep dives into the projects I’ve been working on during this quarantine. The last year had given me time to research and try out new solutions in many of the less functional areas of my home. 

You would think that 1,000 square feet would be plenty of room for 2 humans and 2 cats, but with all of us clamoring for a little bit of personal space, it was feeling tight. A big contributing factor is our crazy floor plan. Our home is a corner unit in a historical apartment building, so there’s a lot of hallway eating up square footage. And because it’s a vintage building, the hallway and closets are small and narrow. 

One of the most peculiar aspects of this home is the master bedroom. You see, our master bedroom is actually 2 rooms. The sleeping room has no windows or access to the outside at all. Instead, the sleeping room adjoins a long narrow room with enormous french doors at the far end. From a fire code perspective, the two rooms are considered a single sleeping chamber, but from a living perspective they are two very separate spaces. 

We have taken to calling the room with the french doors The Den, and it will be the subject of my next several posts. Stay tuned to see how I transformed this strange room into a relentlessly cheerful personal oasis.

P.S. 

I realize that it's possible to take amazing photos with an iPhone, but I'm still learning how to do it. Please bear with me! Eventually I'm going to have much more beautiful photos to share. 

Cabbage and Carrots - Ethiopian Tikil Gomen

Herb and Seed Sourdough Bread

This is essentially the same recipe as my Basic Sourdough Bread, but spiced up a bit. The method is the same though. Adding herbs and seeds is a good way to make your bread more exciting, even if it's not turning out as well as you'd like...

Malai Kofta Sauce - Gateway To India Style

Simple Roasted Vegetables

If you want to get more vegetables into your diet, this is one of the easiest ways to do it. Slow roasted vegetables are a delicious and savory addition to any meal. You can make them in big batches and store the leftovers in the fridge. Have them with eggs for breakfast, with crackers at lunch, or with some meat and pasta for dinner.

Basic Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Starter

Bread's got a bad reputation lately, but it hasn't always been that way. Bread has been a staple of the European diet for thousands of years, so why is it suddenly so bad for us? It's all about how it's made.

Store bought bread has been optimized to be fast and cheap to make. Industrialization is all well and good for some things, but it's turned bread from a nutritious food staple to junk food. There are 2 issues at play here:

1. Our guts can't break down the nutrients in most grains. Ever notice corn kernels in your poo? It's not just corn that we can't digest, most grains are that way. Grains are full of nutrients, but our guts need help use them.
2. Store bought breads are full of sugar. The sugar makes the bread dough rise fast, which manufacturers love. It also gives the bread a soft texture and sweet flavor, which we love. Unfortunately, the sugar is about the only part of the bread our bodies digest. This gives us a brief sugar high followed by a crash.

Before we had commercial yeast and sugar to leaven our breads, we had to do it with sourdough. The yeast in sourdough is slow. It takes no less than 24 hours to leaven a loaf of bread. During that time it's fermenting. The yeast slowly digests the flour and lets off CO2. This not only makes the dough raise, it also pre-digests the grain, unlocking the nutrients that our guts couldn't use before.

It's that simple. The natural fermentation that occurs when making sourdough makes bread a guilt-free nutritious food. Now here's how to make healthy delicious sourdough bread at home:

Making a Starter

Sourdough bread only take 3 ingredients: flour, water, and yeast. A starter is a simple mix of flour and water inoculated with yeast. You can get some starter from a friend, or you can make it yourself.

I think it's a great idea to make your starter from scratch. It helps you get acquainted with the fundamentals of bread making. Also, the flavor of each starter is unique to the place where it was made, so your starter will "taste like home" in a certain sense.

Making a starter from scratch will take about 3 weeks. To do so, mix half a cup or flour and half a cup of water in a glass container (I use a pint sized mason jar). Drape a small towel of cloth over it to keep stuff from falling in there and leave it on the counter. Once a day, scoop off the top half of the mixture and mix in 1/4 cup of fresh flour and water. After a week or two, you'll start to notice bubbles in the mixture. ITS ALIVE! By the end of 3 weeks, the mixture will be a fully mature starter, producing lots of bubbles and a tangy yeasty smell.

Storing and Maintaining a Starter

Taking care of a starter is a little like having a pet. You need to feed it and care for it regularly. I named mine Mittens.

You can keep your starter out on the counter indefinitely. Just remember to keep it covered with a cloth and feed it once a day. Feed it by scooping off the top half and mixing in 1/4 cup each of flour and water.

If you aren't using it regularly, you can put your starter in hibernation in the refrigerator. Feed it as you normally would by scooping off the top half and mixing in 1/4 cup each of flour and water. Transfer the starter to a clean glass container and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic to let it breath and put it in the fridge. I've kept my starter in the fridge for several weeks without any problems.

To wake a starter from hibernation, move it to the counter and feed it. Let it digest 12 hours, feed it again, and wait another 12 hours for it to be fully revived. Now your ready to bake!

Korean BBQ Sause

I'm filing this recipe under meats, but it's really just a sauce. You can use it on anything!

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Pear Puree
1/4 Cup Onion Puree
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Green Onion
2 TBS Soy Sauce
2 TBS Brown Sugar
1 TBS Sesame Oil
Pepper

Cook the ingredients. Put on food.

Crispy Chewy Sourdough Pancakes

Pancakes are a sort of indulgent weekend breakfast for Ed and I. This recipe takes some of the guilt out of eating bread for breakfast by making it fermented bread.

Serves 2 | Makes four 10" Pancakes

Ingredients
Sourdough Starter (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup, plus 1/4 cup Flour
3/4 cup, plus 1/4 cup Water
2 Eggs
2 Tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Healthy oil for cooking, I use coconut oil

The night before, combine the sourdough starter, flour, and water in a medium sized bowl. Consider using a combination of whole wheat and white flour for added flavor and nutrition. Cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth and let sit on the counter overnight.

In the morning, transfer 1/4 cup of the sourdough starter into a clean glass container. Mix in 1/4 of flour and 1/4 cup of water, cover, and set aside for your next project.

To the remaining sourdough starter, add the eggs, sugar, and salt. Heat a 10" skillet over medium low heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet and about a quarter of the batter. You may need to smooth out the batter to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the bottom is golden, flip and cook till the second side is golden. Repeat with the remaining batter. Keep finished pancakes in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Root Vegetable Pie

Simple Roasted Leeks

Roasting vegetables is probably the best way to eat them. I joked at a recent dinner party that's it's been a long time since I've eaten lettuce - raw vegetables, just not my thing. But I love roasted vegetables. I'd estimate about half of what I eat is some kind of cooked veg. This recipe is one of my new favorites.

Leeks are delicious and really good for you. Until recently, I'd only really had leeks in soup. Oh what I was missing! Like most vegetables, roasting leeks concentrates their flavor and brings out their natural sweetness. All you need to add is the tiniest bit of salt and oil for a super yummy treat. 

Ingredients

1 Leek

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Miso Paste (can sub 1/4 teaspoon salt if you don't have miso)

2 Tbsp Shredded Hard Cheese (about 1/2 oz, I used Asiago)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325. 

Chop the roots and tough leafy greens off the leek. Slice the leek stocks in half lengthwise and discard the outermost layer. Rinse any soil from between the outer layers. 

Mix the EVOO and miso, then brush it onto the cut surface of the leek (if not using miso, brush with EVOO and sprinkle with salt). Slice the leeks crosswise into 2 inch sections and line them up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper and cheese. 

Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy. 

  

to austin, part 2

Day 3
The third leg of our trip took us through southern Utah. For the most part, this was a very boring place - deserts as far as the eye could see, some were red, some were green. The green parts were perplexing, perhaps copper was to blame?

More exciting than random green rocks was Arches National Park. Big red rocks, 120 degree heat, and oddly dressed tourists, what's not to like?

Here's Emily enjoying some rare shade beneath the twin arches. Assorted Europeans can be seen in the background.

Twin arches. I was curious about how these giant rocks came to stick up from the surrounding desert. Not one to simply read the plaques posted all over the park, I looked it up on my phone. These rocks were once at the bottom at the bottom of an inland sea, which is why they have such lovely sedimentary layers. Supposedly, this part of north America had been slowly stretched upward and outward over the last 60 million years or so. The huge expanses of flatness were once cracks between the rocks. Over the millenia, they grew wider and wider until there became the majority of the landscape. Fascinating.

The majestic phallic rocks of arches park.

Emily attempts to blend in with the locals.

Tourists walk in single file, even when no path is specified.

Lastly, a delightful Indian village / gas station just outside Arches. So many opportunities for cultural exploration!

blackberry weekend

The best part of August? Blackberries, of coarse! So last weekend, Ana, Dane, and I went picking! Considering how prevelent blackberry brambles are in Tacoma, it was suprisingly difficult to find good berries. All of the obvious places were pretty picked over. Eventually, we found an undisturbed bush next to the highway. You can see pictures of our berry hunt on Ana's blog, Oh Ana.

When we got home, we got to work making delicious berry treats!
Before we got to the berries, we needed some bloody marys. I love this recipe, it's got horseradish, which gives drink a great complexity. Try it out!
Next up, blackberry cocktails. We made a puree of berries, peaches, and maple syrup, then blended with ice and absolute. Delicious!
No blackberry cooking spree is complete without cobbler! For a little extra flare, Ana poured some melted butter on top before baking. It was like magic in my mouth. So glad we made a couple of these!

to austin, part 1

I went on a road trip to Austin TX a few weeks back. Emily was moving down there for grad school, so I tagged along as her co-pilot. It was a great trip! Emily planned ahead so we could stop at a fun tourist attraction half way through each day, and sleep in a different state each night.

Day 1
We headed due east to Pullman WA, to visit Caitlin and Chris, who had just moved there. Their house is so cute! I don't know what it looked like before they moved in, but they did a great job fixing it up!
After Caitlin and Chris's place, we went south through Idaho toward Ontario OR. We learned that Highway 95, while beautiful, is not a fast way to get anywhere. But if you're up for a long, scenic drive through low mountains and winding river valleys, I would highly recommend it.
Day 2
From Oregon, we went south into Utah. The drive was not nearly as pretty as Highway 95 was, but Salt Lake City made up for that. It was so clean and green, it was hard to believe we were in the middle of the desert. We spend most of our time there wandering around the Temple Square, Mormon headquarters. Of coarse, it was even cleaner and greener than the rest of the city. Beautiful buildings and meticulous landscaping. Here's my favorite temple on the square:
On the way out of the Temple Square, I spotted this spotty moss flower bed. What a cute idea! I love moss. If I ever have a yard of my own, I'm going to rip up the grass and grow moss instead.
Tune in next time for Arches Park in southern Utah!

when refrigerators die

Many weeks ago, Ana and I put in a request to our landlady for a refrigerator with a freezer. The puny ice box in our current one just wasn't cutting it; our ice cream always turned to mush! Our landlady loves us, so she got right to work ordering a fridge with a separate freezer that would fit in our tiny apartment. The first new fridge they tried to wedge in here was 1 inch too wide. The second fridge 8 inches too wide. The third fridge was just right. Finally, a freezer!

But the troubles weren't over. About 6 hours after plugging in our perfect new refrigerator, it crapped out! We called the landlady right away, but she wasn't able to come up with any immediate solutions. After 24 hours with no cooling action, our leftovers and dairy were a total loss.
Here you see the first wave of food carnage. After the loss of my precious cheese and deli meats, I decided to be a bit more proactive. Ice block time! Produce drawers filled with ice became make shift motors, saving the last of the condiments and preserved foods. It's actually pretty cold in there now!

Unfortunately, lack of air circulation meant that anything not stored in a glass container was contaminated with new plastic smell. Goodbye, produce.
Ironically, it's business as usual for the built-in ice box. The racks are all gone and the plumbing to the drain was removed years ago, so I just use it to store liquor and wine. Nothing expired in there!

farewell to the happy couple

Surprise Party! Caitlin and Chris had to move to Pullman so Caitlin could continue on her journey to become a vet at WSU. As is often the case with moving, much was left to the last minute, Chris and Caitlin was a wee bit stressed. What better relief than to be surprised with a going away party? They had no idea! All of their favorite people gathered at Sara's place, some from over 200 miles away (myself), to wish them love and good luck, and of coarse, feed them lots of alcohol! After the party, Emily, Sara, and I stuck around to help them finish packing their moving truck. We <3 you Caitlin and Chris!

shake weight

The other day, I was strolling through Target. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I grabbed some hair stuff, some snacks, a dozen eggs (I'm loving the "fresh" food section they just put in).

As I was walking toward the register destiny struck. In the center of a mostly empty end-cap of cold medicine was an abandoned shake weight. It called to me. I knew instantly that I had to bring it home with me.

In case I had any doubts as to whether the shake weight and I were meant to be, the register set me right. When my checker scanned the shake weight, she handed me a free $5 gift card, part of a shake weight promo. An extra $5 to spend at Target!? Fate has smiles upon me.

helicopter ride

I went on a family vacation to Oregon last week. We started out inland, staying a night in McMinnville, a cute antique shop filled town where we took a helicopter ride! I've never been in a helicopter before, and the sensation of flying in one was very different than I was expecting. Takeoff felt like we were being lifted by a bungee cord! Once in the air, it was smooth and fantastic. We were cruising around at over 100 mile an hour. Too bad McMinnville wasn't very exciting to see from the air, but overall the experience was wonderful!

lake samish

Hello blog, how have you been? Did you know I went to Bellingham a few weeks ago? It was lovely! Ana and I took the scenic route on the way up there. We stopped in Mt Vernon for a pub lunch and some antiquing, then headed north on Old Chuckanut Drive. It was the only sunny day all week and we decided getting lost would be a good idea. After a windy drive through the woods, we found a place we had never been, Lake Samish.

other places

My new favorite blog to look at is Design Crush. All of her posts are short and sweet, with tons of fun products and art to drool over, and the most amazing recipes for foods I never knew I always wanted to make! Check it out, you might get a crush too.