Ring The Bell and Let the People Know - Inspiration Thursday

This isn't the first time that Playing For Change has made an appearance on my blog.  What can I say?  I love it.  I love the music.  I love the bridges being crossed.  I love the awareness being raised.  I love the lives being changed.  I love the message being shared.

"Everybody's got to live together.
All the people got to understand.
Love your neighbor like you love your brother.
Come on and join the band.
All you need is love and understanding.
Ring the bell and the let the people know.
We're so happy and we're celebrating.
Let your feelings show
Love is all you need, love is all you need,
Love is all you need."

Our Thanksgiving Feast

It was quite a good Thanksgiving feast: mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, homemade pickles, Bek's quinoa stuffed peppers, fresh lefsa (Sharon figured out how to make dairy-free lefsa! Huzzah!), sweet corn, unbrie cheese, hummus and flaxseed crackers, soft, white dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, Ryan's awesome tomatillo salsa and chips.   Matt and I had chickpea cutlets, a recipe we've used a number of times from the cookbook Veganomicon, while the rest of the fam had their turkey.  The gals played Bananagrams while the fellas watched football.  We capped it all off with two kinds of homemade pie--gooseberry and apple.

Its Beginning to Look....

...a lot like Christmas!

That is what Matt and I were saying as he cleared away snow from the front porch this morning (and I took photos of the snow).  We got more than six inches in the last 24 hours.  It looks so beautiful and has made me quite happy.  I rather like snow in December.  Now when it snows in October or April I might grumble, but in December--no problem.  Its winter!

In addition to the snow making it all Christmasy we also got the tree all set up and decorated--not that it takes much.  We've got a rather small plastic tree which was one of the many things I inherited from my great-aunt when she moved.  There are probably just a couple dozen ornaments, if that, all of which are from my childhood.  And we've got three strands of bubble lights.  It is the perfect amount of decoration for me.  Small enough I don't have to store a whole big box of stuff all year, but bright and sentimental enough to launch me into Christmas cheer.

My dad dropped off some Christmas packages when he was in town a week ago.  (That is actually what prompted me to set up the tree--I had gifts to put under it.)  One from my step-mother he told us we should open it the day after Thanksgiving.  It was something we'd use through the holiday season.  So now there is an awesome new bubble light fixture in the front window, too.  Dana knows how much I appreciate bubble lights.  They're so fun and make me think of my grandmother.

My mother painted this ornament for me for my second Christmas.  Most of my ornaments are of this highly sentimental, homemade fashion.  It makes my heart happy to hang them up.

Matt and I have been busy making Christmas gifts, too, but still have a few more work sessions in store before we're done.  I have a nice sense of calm about it all--which has not always been the case.  I wish I had a few albums of Christmas music though....

Like the "cushon" on our bench?!

Matt's Sourdough Experiements

Matt has been making sourdough.

Sourdough baguettes.  Sourdough rounds.  Whole wheat sourdough.  All white sourdough.  Sourdough pizza.  Sourdough french toast.  Sourdough bagels.  Sourdough, sourdough, sourdough.

He was inspired to try his hand at it by his reading of Cooked by Michael Pollan.  There was a chapter on fermentation that apparently piqued his interest.  (It also inspired him to try brewing a batch of mead, too, in addition to the beer he brews.)

Since then I couldn't begin to count all the loaves he's made and recipe variations he's tried.  He's been primarily working out of two books we picked up at the library:  The River Cottage Bread Handbook by Daniel Stevens and Crust and Crumb by Peter Reinhart.  The latter he finds a bit pretentious.  The former he seems particularly taken with.  I wouldn't be surprised if it got added to our list of books we'd like to eventually purchase.  Our library, it seems, lacks any bread books specific to sourdough.

Its sure been an interesting, ongoing experiment.  Experimentation which I wholeheartedly support as its been keeping me well supplied with yummy, crust, fresh bread.

We've sure learned a lot and I am sure there is still so much more to learn.  I would say perhaps the best thing Matt's discovered is the secret to really thick, crusty bread.  The secret is to bake it at the highest setting of the oven (500 degrees F. in our case) with a pan of boiling hot water on the rack below the bread.  Oh, it makes for an amazing crust!  We did break one glass pan though during the learning curve though, I will admit.  Other than that it has been 100% amazing.  I love a thick, chewy crust.

Another thing we've learned is that its entirely unnecessary to use dry yeast.  A lot, I'd venture to say most, of the sourdough recipes we've found call for the use of both the sourdough starter and commercial dry yeast.  This didn't make any sense to Matt and I.  We'd always thought that was part of the charm of sourdoughs--you don't need to spend hard earned money on commercial yeast.  (I admit part of this presumption on my part was due to a passage I remembered from Walden by Thoreau where he remarks, "I have gladly omitted it since, though most housewives earnestly assured me that safe and wholesome bread without yeast might not be, and elderly people prophesied a speedy decay of the vital forces. Yet I find it not to be an essential ingredient, and after going without it for a year am still in the land of the living; and I am glad to escape the trivialness of carrying a bottle-full in my pocket, which would sometimes pop and discharge its contents to my discomfiture."

We wanted to make bread with only native yeast acting to raise it.  Turns out, Thoreau was right and that works just fine.  Commercial yeast is completely unnecessary.

But, just when things were going so well Matt didn't feed the starter for three days and whamo!  The starter has been struggling ever since.  There is very little bubbling and it lacks the tangy smell it had previously.  After trying to nurture it back to health for the last couple weeks I think Matt is ready to call it a lesson learned and start a fresh with a new starter.

It gives me a whole new respect for those folks who can trace the origin of their starter way, way back.  That's pretty impressive since just a couple days neglect can really do some damage.  Of course, nowadays one can always put it in the fridge for a bit if it is not actively being used.  Then it doesn't need fed every day.  Of course, that also means there is no fresh sourdough bread to eat every day either!

Another really interesting thing we found is how variable the sourness of the bread can be.  It seems like the taste develops with time in a number of ways.  One, a brand new starter doesn't seem to be as tangy as a more mature starter.  Second, depending on how soon you pull out some of the starter after feeding seems to impact the sourness.  Starter used more closely after feeding time seemed much tangier than when Matt poured off some starter to use much later in the day.  Third, it seems to me that the bread gets tangier when its had a day to cool and rest.  Bread eaten right out of the oven didn't seem to have as pronounced a flavor as it does once it has had a chance to cool.

I've also read, on the Root Simple blog, Natural News, and others sources, that there may be additional health benefits to eating this sort of bread as opposed to that raised with commercial yeast--nutrients being more readily available for absorption, lowering glycemic values, and perhaps even reducing the amount of gluten in the bread.  And even if in the end that is all proven false, hey, its still yummy bread to eat.

When I first met Matt I wasn't convinced I liked sourdough.  But, like so many things, it sure has grown on me.  I, for one, am pretty content to be the taste-tester for all of these experiments.

Curried Rice Casserole

This dish has quickly become one of my all around dinnertime favorites.  Every time I've eaten it I've been quite impressed with how tasty it is. Its readily adaptable to seasonal vegetables or what you've got hanging out in the fridge waiting to be used up which is always a plus in my book.  I also had been looking to bump up my casserole repertoire as I feel it has been lacking.  I really appreciate the simplicity of casseroles.  If you add beans its a whole meal.  Otherwise it makes a smashing side dish.

Curried Rice Casserole
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper
1-2 cups mixed vegetables and/or cooked beans
           (peas, corn, zucchini, eggplant, chickpeas, etc.) 
1 C brown rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
           (fire roasted tomatoes are a pretty amazing addition)
3 1/2 cups water
2 t curry powder
1/2 t salt

Saute onion and pepper and other vegetables if they require it in a bit of oil.  For peas and corn and other quick cooking veg this step is unnecessary as they will get enough time in the oven to cook them.
If using a cast iron add in all remaining ingredients to the pan.  Otherwise just combine all ingredients in a glass baking dish. 
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes at 375 degrees F. until the rice and veg are all tender.

In the Kitchen

 I surely enjoy spending time in the kitchen.  Matt does, too, probably even more so than me.  I never cease to be pleased by the creativity and satisfaction found in making a meal from scratch.  In many ways it has spoiled me!  I am used to being able to make things JUST to my liking and with the freshest ingredients possible.  That makes it harder to enjoy soup from a can and the like!

Cauliflower pakoras alongside curry.  I think pakoras are amazing.  Amazing.

Unbrie cheese with spicy pepper jelly, just-picked carrots, and some of the last of the 2012 applesauce.  Carrots that are fresh like that just taste totally different in a very good way.  Matt's making cheese for part of the Thanksgiving feast.  I am really, really looking forward to it.

Another batch of hot sauce with some of the cayenne peppers we grew this summer.  Its been a while since I had red cayennes to work with.  I invariably end up harvesting more green than red because of the end of the growing season.  As a result this is the most beautiful, tasty hot sauce I've made in what seems like quite a while.  I have to wonder if I think it tastes better just because it is prettier.

Quiche with homegrown spinach.  Its so nice having spinach in the freezer.  We tried to start a late season crop, but dilly-dallied too long in planting and the little tiny spinach plants didn't make it.  Drat.  But, at least we've got the freezer supply.

A vanilla variation on the three ingredient ice cream recipe (banana, vanilla extract, peanut butter), with the last of the roast pears and caramel sauce.  I think I might even like the vanilla one better.  Or maybe that was just on account of it being covered in roast pears and caramel sauce.

Yum.

I am Thankful

I am thankful for all the good that fills my life.  I have so many blessings--big and small--to be grateful for.

I am thankful for the wonderful family I was born into-- where my sisters are my friends, my mom and dad always made me believe I could do and be anything I wanted, and there was no shortage of cousins and aunts to play with and visit.

I am thankful for the wonderful family I am marrying into--where I met the hilarious brothers I never had and found a second set of parents who have always been so kind and generous with me.

I am thankful for Matt my magnificent companion in all our endeavors, who fills my life with love and joy and delicious things to eat.

I am thankful for my spunky, free-spirited friends who dance, climb, adventure, and play with me.

I am thankful for Montana.  There is no where else I'd rather be.

I am thankful for libraries with their endless books to read and information to discover.

I am thankful for sunshine and rainbows.

I am thankful for mountains and the good tidings them bring me.

I am thankful for live music and the transcendent glee that fills me up when I lose myself in dance.

I am thankful for the national parks--the precious cathedrals of nature--and all the good folks who have fought to ensure the preservation of these astounding places--especially the wilderness mystic John Muir and the dedicated ornithologist and editor George Bird Grinnell.

I am thankful for a house and tiny scrap of land to call our own and do what we will with.

I am thankful for Kurt Vonnegut the brilliant satirist who still holds the title of being my favorite author of all time.

I am thankful for my chance to make this world a better place.

I am thankful for living with a man who loves to cook and bake.

I am thankful for random acts of kindness.

I am thankful for knowing how to sew and mend and all the money its saved me and fun its given me.

I am thankful for my blog-friends and all the support and inspiration I've found in the blogging world.

I am thankful for trees for all the shade, food, oxygen, and homes for wild critters that they give--not to mention the beauty of the forest.

I am thankful for my childhood which I feel was a pretty darn good one.

I am thankful for bees and all the hard work they do keeping our food crops pollinated so that we have yummy things like strawberries, cherries, tomatillos, corn, and on and on and on.

I am thankful for the time I was able to spend experiencing the world abroad--no matter how brief it was life changing.

I am thankful for the Grateful Dead in all its incarnations from the original members to Furthur.

I am thankful for the stars and moon, comets, shooting stars, planets, and the rest of the ballet of the cosmos.

I am thankful for wool and its amazing ability to keep a body warm.

I am thankful for my job where I learn something new every single day.

I am thankful for being an American with all the rights and privileges that goes along with it.

I am thankful for a warm cup of tea on a cold, snowy day.

I am thankful for the changing seasons which each are awesome in their own magical, miraculous way.

I am thankful for audiobooks which make car travel and doing the dishes much more enjoyable.

I am thankful for bread in every way, shape, and form.

I am thankful for that big, blue Montana sky that seems to stretch beyond infinity.

I am thankful for fireflies which seem like a little bit of magic in insect form.

I am thankful for geysers and hot springs the power and beauty of which astonish me every time.

I am thankful for tiny babies and how they warm my heart--be it watching the wee bunnies chasing each other around in the grass or cuddling the precious infants of my friends and family.

And so many more things than I could every realistically hope to list.  Happy Thanksgiving.  May we all always have so many things to be grateful for.