Sunday Happy

I have this weird anticipation for the day. It is suppose to reach near 60 degrees and then get a little cooler tomorrow, but not really cold. It’s like after today it is going to be spring and then summer and I am over here all like “what is going on? Am I excited? Bummed? I don’t quite know. I just know that today is that weather turning point and I am here for it..I think?

Another not really interesting week. We went snow shoeing which was A+ but then the rest of the week was whatever.. I spent a lot of time with the calculator doing tax stuff which sucked ass It is still hovering over my being, and will, until they are done which hopefully will be soon.. And then the usual stuff with clay, with people, with the food. But yeah, I got nothing to exciting to tell ya. I was boring as all hell.

Today, as I said already, is suppose to be a warm one, albeit a rainy one as well so the mr and I didn’t make any real plans. No wait, that is not true, we are going seed shopping!!! I hate shopping, especially when other people are around but I love seeds so you know, it will be interesting. As for playing outside, that’s probably not going to happen. Warm and rainy means ice and I have fallen on my ass enough this year, thank you very much.

Internet from the week

-If You're Overwhelmed and Exhausted Right Now, It Could Be Worry Burnout. Yup, this be me. And really, who isn’t right now.

-Um why haven’t I been doing this? It’s Zucchini Season! How You’ve Been Growing Them All Wrong.

-Hotel Staffers Tell Us the Weirdest Things They Have Seen Rich People Do. Why? Like really, why?

-What science still doesn’t know about the five senses Interesting.

-This makes me sad! I listen to “Its Been a Minute” every Saturday. Sam Sanders signs off from NPR’s ‘It’s Been a Minute’ I love Sam!

-Street Photography by Juri Nesterov Documents Ukrainian Life Across Decades♥️♥️♥️

-I got parks on the mind. Everything You Need to Know About National Park Entrance Fees

-The oven preheat is important. How Long Does It Really Take to Preheat an Oven?.

-Missing an ingredient from your recipe? Food substitutions are your friend. Food subs are part everyday life. Recipes are not GOD.

-Have you used sumac? It is delicious although it is hard to find. Even her in VT with all the coops, I have only been able to get it from one place. But I guess the internet con hook you up.. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sumac

Pictures from the week.

Green pea and Watermelon Radish Salad

We are getting closer and closer to spring (2 weeks!) and with spring comes color, in the form of all things, food included. (I am so ready for all the greens!!!!)

Speaking of color. Have you ever cut open a watermelon radish? It is pure joy. You have this creamy white and slightly green bulb, nothing much out of the ordinary but when you slice it open the inside is the brightest purplish pink. So freaking pretty! But better then pretty, watermelon radishes taste so freaking good! And then we have peas. They are just the best bright green and creamy little gems which pair perfectly prefect with the radish.

Bright purple radish and green peas tossed together with some onion and tahini. Yes and yes. On freaking tasty as all heck salad. A true spring delight!

Now to the pretty as all heck salad!

The stuff. A large watermelon radish, frozen and thawed green peas, red onion, tahini, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and aa small handful of cilantro.

First thing is to dice up radish. Cut into cubes about twice the size of a pea.

Place diced rashes on a lined baking sheet and pop into a hot oven.

In the mean time cut up the onion nice an thin.

Place cut onion into a big bowl, add a sprinkle of salt, and add in the vinegar. Toss around and let sit for 5 minutes or so then add in the tahini and toss around until creamy.

Slightly roasted radishes. You can roast them more but I find a good 20 minutes so they are slightly tender and haven’t lost have much color to e the best.

Toss the peas onto the hot sheet pan with the radishes and let them sit for a fe minutes just slightly warm up.

Then dump the peas and radishes into the bowl with the tahini onions. Sprinkle with pepper and toss around.

Look at that. Gorgeous right? And if you have and want, toss some fresh cilantro or parsley onto top because why not.

No stop starting at the how pretty it is and you know, eat it.

-C

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Green pea and Watermelon Radish Salad

serve 2-4 as a side

• 2 cups green peas (fresh or frozen andthawed)

• 1 large (softball sized) watermelon radish

• 1 small red onion

• 3 tablespoons tahini

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• salt and pwpper

• handful of fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 425.

Grab radish and cut into small cubes about twice the size of a pea. Place on a lined baking sheet and pop into hot oven.

While radishes are roasting, grab onion and slice as thin as you can Place sliced onion along with the vinegar into a big bowl and toss around with a pinch of salt. Let sit for a few minutes then add in the tahini. Toss around until creamy.

After about 20 minutes pull the radishes form oven They should be slightly tender. Dump peas onto baking sheet with radishes and let them warm up for a few minutes.

Dump the peas and radishes into the bowl with the tahini onions. Add black pepper and another small pinch of salt. Toss around until evenly coasted. Top with sm ripped up fresh herbs (if using).

Eat.

Store any leftovers (there will be none) in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Sunday Happy

The world. I could talk about it but I don’t even know what to say. There are all sorts of feelings that come and go but what I feel most is sad for all the people. It is all very overwhelming and yeah. I don’t know, the world is a fucked up place and there are some seriously fucked up people in it. That is where I am at.

Other then the week having a shadow of doom and gloom, it had some good stuff. The mr and I went for an icy walk with So and Megan. It was actually more like a ice skate due to the trails being completely covered in ice which was fine by us cause we just bush whacked our way around. Then it go hot, like close to 60 degrees and all the snow melted (not all the ice though). It was crazy because you get so used to the cold and that first day of warm weather feels so luscious. Don’t get me wrong, I love me all the snow and cold, but it was super nice to have the front door open for the morning and to go for a run without having to cover my face and hands. But then it snowed again, a nice hefty snow and we went right back to winter. The upland downs of Vermont weather. Got to love it. Besides all that I also spent some time with clay, went through paperwork, did some other not fun stuff, and made bagels. Then we had Megan, So, Judah and Coco come over for said bagels and an afternoon of sledding and outdoor shenanigans . It was all sorts of fantastic

Sunday again. (It never ceases to amaze me how fast week can fly by). Today the mr and I have snowshoe in the woods plans for a few hours this morning then after tuckering myself out I have library plans followed by sitting on my ass and reading plans while drinking many cups of hot coffee and or tea for the rest of the day. Just about a perfect day if I do say so myself.

Some of the lighter internet that I looked at from the week.

-Real estate and all the jazz about moving is all sorts of nuts right now. What happens when Americans stay in the same house forever?

-And then there is this. Americans are fleeing to places where political views match their own. AReyou seeing this happening where you live? Living in VT this has been happening for quite a while.

-I have thought about how to fly with camping stuff a lot. An experienced backpacker’s guide for flying with camping gear

-Nordic by Design: 16 Ideas to Steal from Iceland (and Icelandic Turf Houses). I mean how freaking adorable are these!

-Give me all the dark black coffee but also sometimes a little spice too. You Should Add Spices to Your Coffee Grounds

-BEST OF: SPRINGTIME GREEN.Yes. And there a few couches in these pictures that I am obsessed with.

-In Praise of Crayons at Restaurants — for Adults. I don’t understand why people associate crayon with children. Crayons are for EVERYONE! If I went to resurnats (I haven’t eaten out Lin like 10 years) I would want crayons.

-Have you heard about the giant bear in California that is hanging out n Tahoe? Well they got the wrong guy. Hank the Tank Is Innocent!

-Growing up all I wanted to be was a cartoonist. Very Funny Ladies' sketches out the history of women cartoonists at 'The New Yorker'

Pictures form the week.

Sourdough Bagels

I don’t know about you and your people situation but my people, they are bagel people, like my whole entire family (and it is a big one). I swear that they (especially the littles) could eat bagels every day and be happy about it They like them so much that we even do bagels at just about all of our special family get togethers, which is fine by me because the get togethers are always at my house and they don’t make as big a mess as lets say spaghetti. They can really make a mess with that. So bagels, they are good.

I made this batch for the littles. (And that is why I made them plain. Can’t go wrong with plain). They have winter break right now so they came over for an afternoon of sledding, hot cocoa, and lunch. I asked them the day before what they wanted me to make for lunch and they said bagels. Big surprise. HA! But really, they all know what they like so why mess with a good things?

A little about these bagels. It is not the fastest recipe you will find. The hands on time commitment is no too much but there is a good amount of time that the dough is spent rising in the fridge. Because they are sourdough the dough needs at least 12 hours to rise so if you want bagels right now then this is not the recipe to use. But the great thing about this bagel dough is that you can make it and leave in fridge for 12 hours but I have left it in the fridge for like 3 days and the dough was still great. If you want bagels anytime in the next few days, then this is the recipe for you. Also a lot of bagel recipes have barely malt and that is not always easy to find or buy in not gigantic quantities but this recipe just uses molasses and the results are pretty close to perfect. So time yes, but fancy ingredients no. And they taste amazing. Plus who doesn't want to make their own bagels and just be that bad ass? Because yes. Bagel making is badass.

Now to the bagels!

The stuff. Flour, water, salt, ripe sourdough started, yeast, and molasses.

Day one. Mix the water with the starter, yeast, and a bit of the molasses until combined. Add in the salt and flour and mix unit it becomes a shaggy dough.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and… get to kneading. About 10 minutes, (a few extra if you are slow). Have about 1/2 a cup of extra four on the side to flour the counter as needed.

soft and suple and kneaded all nice. Place kneaded dough into a clean wet bowl and cover.

Before rise and after rise dough.

Dump risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 8-12 pieces. (8 for larger bagels, 12 for smaller)

Shape bagels. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and stick a whole into the middle. Carefully stretch the hole out about twice as big as you think it should be. (it will shrink). Place shapped bagels ontoa lined and or greased baking hseet, giving each a bit of room to groww.

Now it all looks like bagels. Cover and let them sit and proof for about 35-45 minutes.

Before bagels are comeplety done their second proof, prepare the molasses water bath. Just add water and molasees to a big wide pot and bring to a boil.

Once water bath is boil and bagels are done the second proof it is time to boil. Carefully drop bagels inot boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Flip then boil for another minute. REmove boiled bagelss with a slooted spaturla and place back on lined or greased baking sheet.

boiled bagels. Now pop the into hot oven and bake. 22-25 minutes, until nice and golden brown.

Gorgeous!

Place them on a wire rack to cool just a bit.

And then you serve them up and eat them. How do you eat the bagels is up to you. My people are easy. Plan cream cheese or peanut butter so that is what they get.

-C

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Sourdough Bagels

makes 8- 12 (depending on size)

• 5 1/2 cups al purpose flour

• 1/4 cup active starter

• 1 teaspoon active yeast

• 1 tablespoon molasses

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups warm water

  WATERBATH

• 6-7 cups water

• 2 tablespoon molasses

In a large bowl mix the warm water, starter, yeast, and molasses until combined. Add in salt and 5 cups of flour and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Dump dough onto a floured surface and start kneading, dusting counter (you might use 1/2 cup or even a little more) whenever dough gets too sticky, for 10 minutes (add a few extra minutes if you are kind of slow). The dough should be smooth and not sticky and feel dense.

Place kneaded dough into a wet large bowl, cover with plastic or a silicone lid, and place in fridge for 12-24 hours.

After dough had risen in fridge, remove and dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8-12 equal sized pieces. Pinch and roll each piece into a ball then punch your thumb into the middle all the way through. Carefully stretch the hole about an inch in diameter then place the shaped bagel onto a lined and greased baking sheet. Repeat with all dough. Once the bagels are all shapped, lightly cover and let them sit and proof for another 35-40 minutes.

While bagels are proofing, pre heat oven to 450 degrees and get the water bath ready.

For water bath combine water and molasses in a pot as wide as you got and bring it to a boil.

Once bagels are done their second proof, carefully drop bagels (a few at a time so not to overcrowded) into the boiling water. Boil first side for 2 minutes then flip and boil other side for 1 minute. Remove boiled bagels with a slotted spatula and place back on baking sheets. Repeat until all bagels are boiled and once they are, pop them into hot oven. Bake for 22-25 minute, rotating baking sheets half way, until bagels are nice and golden brown.

Remove bagels from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Eat right away or whenever you want. Bagels can be stored in airtight container or bag for 3-4 days at room temperature but if you are not eating them within a day or two, it is better to slice and freeze them. Frozen bagels last a few months and are easy to pop from oven and toast!

Sunday Happy

It is the last week of February and I am trying to let that sink in. How is it possible that we are this far into the year already? It makes me feel like I am falling behind in life, like I should have a lot more figured out by now. Yikes! And then I think I realized I need to start thinking about the garden. That got me excited!

This past week I have definitely felt like a bear that is suppose to be hibernating. Sure I have done the things that I needed to like work a bit, pick up food from the farm, go for morning runs. Monday the mr and I did have a nice Valentines day, but other then that, I have had zero energy and actually felt and still feel like I could give two fucks about anything. All I really want to do is hide in a pile of blankets and books and nod off all day. The thing is if I actually were to do that I would loose my freaking mind. I don’t do well with longs pouts of unproductiveness. It makes me feel wrong. So basically I have been doing things but dragging ass all week and really don’t have much more to say about that.

Now were are back to Sunday. What to do, what to do. I am hoping to go for a little hike in the woods now that the trails are not completely iced over (the little snow we got helped with that). And I need to go get groceries so I will probably do that. And the studio. I might bop in for a hot minute to glaze a few pieces.. I don’t know. Maybe today will be the day where I actually say screw it and do spend the day in hiding. But probably not. I really do need to go to the grocery store. I’m dangerously low on carrots.

Some stuff on the internet that I read this week.

-The surprising benefits of eating together. I don’t remember much as a kid but I do remember the times we ate together. Still to this day the mr and I eat dinner together every single day.

-A kind of how it is made. How Good Design Promotes Good Health.

-People are waaaay to quick to toss food that they “think” is bad. Are Those Weird Sprouts On Your Potatoes Safe to Eat?

-An Arizona priest used one wrong word in baptisms for decades. They're all invalid. Well that is some shit and it actually pissed me off a little when I read about it. Organized religion and all the ceremonial stuff is whatever, you do you, but to invalidate peoples baptisms because of a single word? That seems kinda of ridiculous, but that is me.

-What’s the Difference Between Cacao and Cocoa? know this when you buy that chocolate for the cookies.

-A 5-Year-Old Called the Design Shots on Her All-Yellow London Bedroom. I love this room. And the reading nook. I need a reading nook.

--Fortune Cookies Come With Almost Every Chinese Delivery Order in America. Here’s Why.

-I need to get out of here soon. The travel itch is intense. I am thinking Norway. Where Can Americans Travel Right Now? A Country-by-country Guide

And a few pictures from the week.