Sourdough, the unknown country. An unknown country.

 Excited to create pumpernickel rolls like one finds at steakhouses (yum!), I searched high and low for what looks like a good recipe. https://theweekdaykitchen.com/pumpernickel-steakhouse-rolls/

Few of the ingredients can be found in my local stores, so I just ordered what I lacked from King Arthur’s. I expected it to arrive in early December. The package arrived while we were at family Thanksgiving. Among other things in the package with which I have zero experience, was a sourdough starter kit. That recipe calls for sourdough starter, which I obviously didn’t have. Until we find a home in the pantry, the contents remain in their delivery box, resting in the cool of the kitchen window seat.

Tonight, I’m having trouble sleeping. I could wake Kevin with my tossing about on my side of the bed, or I could get up and learn about sourdough. Time to open up that box. I’m still not completely clear on it all, but I think this is a great time for step one. In case you weren’t aware, sourdough is a demanding mistress who does nothing quickly.

Step 1: 

In case that’s not clear, it has to sit for 8 to 24 hours. Why not do it at 3:30?

My confusion lies here: even though these were the directions included, do they mean the 28g starter package?

I’m going to assume so. 

Initial feeding, as per directions:

In this cooler weather, our home is generally not room temperature (68-70F), more like 63F. I dislike turning on the heater needlessly. Anywho, the closed microwave seems to be room temperature.

I’ll have to leave a note for hubs to return the items to the microwave if he uses it in the morning. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start step 2 in ten-ish hours.

When I left the bed in favor of the kitchen, I had an idea to start on the pumpernickel rolls. The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of sourdough starter fed or unfed - I interpret that to mean I can use the “discard” from step 2. That’ll save time. Once all the pumpernickel roll ingredients are mixed and kneaded, they have to sit in the fridge overnight. Ugh. That’s, um, fine. I’ll complete the recipe on Saturday. These better be amazing rolls. It seems I can also use the sourdough discard to make pancakes, or English muffins. Whole new worlds are opening to me through this purchase from good old King Arthur.

First rolls ever

 I made rolls. Kevin and I made them, but mostly I did it. It was the first time ever without Daddy. He’s been gone three years, and it had been a while before that.

My task this Thanksgiving was to bring rolls. After making last years’ delicious, albeit cold in places, mashed potatoes, I was demoted to rolls. (The crowd was large last year, and keeping that many potatoes warm with my single oven didn’t cut it, apparently.) We bought enough Sara Lee pre-fab for all, but I truly wanted to make Daddy proud. Thus, Wednesday evening, I introduced my tipsy hubs to the joy of baking bread products from scratch. It was easy, in my mind. Maybe not so much for hubs, but his knowledge has expanded as have the things that bring him joy.

Using this recipe:  https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/big-batch-quick-dinner-rolls-recipe we created two dozen rolls in less than two hours. Most have been consumed, but these remain:

They’d have benefited from five more minutes in the oven when eaten directly from the pan, but the process of reheating them takes care of it. All in all, I’m pleased.

Drag Queen's Wig Wreath

This wreath is worthy of a drag queen's head, and I made it!

Using single-strand garland from Dollar Tree, red hyacinths from Joann, cinnamon pine cones from Dollar General, and floral bits from various stores affixed with hot glue & floral wire, a wig was born. 

It's on a 30" frame, the largest of the wreathes I've made to date. I have a 30" twig wreath awaiting adornment, but it shall have to be patient. Tomorrow I shall gather leaves from our magnolia to festoon it, along with bulbs I sought but only found in a resale shop and many pine cones, both gold and brown. 

Living room fan, almost

I putup the fan in the living room today. I'd hoped to surprise Kevin with it done before he came home from work. 

Switching out electrical boxes was the hardest part. It seemed to take ages. I made a colossal mess of the floor while cutting a new hole in the ceiling. The large medallion we got barely covers it. 

Hanging the fan itself wasn't a problem. Assembling the remaining pieces after hanging it (per the fan's instructions) wasn't bad, either.  I dropped screws at every stage, which was annoying, but not a big deal. 

Installation complete, I turned the power back on, then proceeded to the last step: flip the switch and pair the fan with its remote. I flicked the switch. The lights in the kitchen (and all else on the breaker) turned off. I reset the breaker, then tried again. Same result. I did something wrong with the wiring. Fuck. 

I'll have to take the fan apart in reverse order and redo the wiring. Ugh. 

It looks pretty, at least. 

I did finish before Kevin came home. He hadn't believed that I could hang that myself. Not that he doubts me; he just thought it too heavy for me. 

Fans, at last!

Kevin & I purchased four fans for the house last spring. We have yet to install any. For a while, we'd thought to pay someone; we changed our minds after researching costs of electricians. I then spent many hours reading about electrical wiring, and watching YouTube tutorials until I felt confident we could conquer our electrical projects. 

We *did* complete one (two-part) project: we changed out the pendant lamps in the kitchen, and installed dimmers both for those and for some other kitchen lights. (Those projects predate me; Kevin had them on his list since he bought the house in 2010.) We just *knew* we'd install the fans next. We didn't. 

That was summer of 2015. Turning off the electricity to do possibly very sweaty work during the heat of the Texas summer put us off completely. 

Today, the weather is lovely. I've already connected the housing for the remote control (including the appropriate wiring) to the bedroom fan. We have a brace to place between the joists and (at last!) a ladder borrowed from friends. (I tend to forget that our lack of a ladder was also a great impediment to fan project completion.) Eh, so we're ready. 

These are the pendants we hung (fan parts litter the island; do forgive the mess.) 

These are pieces of the living room fan, and the ugly fixture currently hanging in its place. 

http://m.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-Platinum-Santa-Ana-48-in-Brushed-Nickel-Downrod-Mount-Indoor-Ceiling-Fan-with-Light-Kit-and-Remote-2-Blade/50057291

This is our lovely bedroom fan:

The lights are on the inside, a circle of light surrounding the fan. Funny, when we bought it, it was on super-sale because it was said to be discontinued. Now I find that Lowe's still sells it. I'm glad we got it for less than retail. http://m.lowes.com/pd/allen--roth-Eastview-23-in-Aged-Bronze-Downrod-Mount-Indoor-Ceiling-Fan-with-Light-Kit-and-Remote-3-Blade/3281038

And here is where it shall go. 

Once I post this, it will be time to open the blinds & curtains to let the light in, and turn off the electricity! 

I'll update with pictures of the finished project later (and tales of any mishaps that might occur, though let's hope they don't!).

Giant yarn blanket

I love love love this blanket. It took me far longer to make than it should have, but only because I kept taking it apart to start over again. The yarn is hand-spun, I dyed merino wool from a farm in Indiana; I ordered it on etsy. They're called Colorways. It feels AMAZING. 

As previously mentioned, I don't always finish my projects (blame my ADD - I start a different project, or simply get distracted). The knitting is complete, but the ends have not been woven in (in this picture). Nor has it yet been blocked. I love it all the same. It is very warm an snugly. 

The blanket is made of giant yarn, using 150 gauge needles. The blanket itself is not giant, but it's fine for five foot two me. 

I'd love to make a huge blanket in this material, but that's a bit in the future. This blanket took five skeins (1lb each) that sell for $39/skein. (I paid $135 for the yarn & needles in a kit.) I'm not in a hurry to shell out $300 for that extravagant yarn. 

That's my baby, Annie, in the background. And you can see one of the 150 gauge needles next to my tiny hand. 

Annie loves making biscuits on this blanket. 

A hat for Laura

I knitted this hat for my sister, Laura. It was the first hat I had knitted in years. I liked the pattern so well that I knitted another for my mother (in a different yarn), and one for my friend, Avi. Mum and Laura like theirs. Avi liked the one I made for Mum, but I've yet to give hers to her. Soon...

I rather like hats. I'm not the best at completing projects; hats are small and easy to finish. I plan to learn to knit socks soon. 

This is Laura's hat. 

This one is Avi's hat. I altered the pattern's embellishment; I wasn't fond of it. I improvised the replacement. I forgot to snap a shot of Mum's hat. I'll take a picture of her wearing it and post it later.