Easter Sweaters 2011

Easter 2011
Originally uploaded by LMN and Friends

My first knit sweaters... for the 12" dolls taken from a free ravelry pattern. Not too shabby.

Gavin

April 2011
Originally uploaded by LMN and Friends

For fun, Gavin the Garden Gnome has started writing letters to Lillian and Phoebe. I plan on having Gavin get the girls to do all sorts of art projects and fun things through the summer. Gavin regularly leaves books at the library for us. Lillian has taken a liking to caring for Gavin during the day. She even made a little bed for the 12" Garden Gnome that clearly says on the bottom "THIS IS NOT A TOY" hee hee.

Knit wash cloths for exchange

April 2011
Originally uploaded by LMN and Friends

Here are the cotton washcloths I knit while watching Buffy. Each one took 4-6 hours. I made them for a bits of goodness exchange. The stuff I received back kinda stunk this time. Oh well. Next time I'll just keep the washcloths ;)

Hamburger buns

It seems as though no one sells dairy, soy & egg free hamburger buns and I am just sick of having hamburgers on bread so I ventured out and made my own buns tonight. I have to say, they turned out really yummy. They just took FOREVER. Next time I do this I'm going to have to start at noon b/c they need a total of 3.25 hrs to rise plus all the mixing, kneading, baking time. Anyway, here is the recipe taken from: http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2008/06/hamburger-buns.html

INGREDIENTS

- 690 grams (24 oz/5 cups) all purpose flour

- 290 grams (10 oz/scant 1 1/4 cup) water

- 200 grams (7 oz/1 cup less 1 tbsp) soy milk OR RICE MILK

- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

- 2 tsp sea salt

- 30 grams (2 tbsp + 2 tsp) olive oil

METHOD

1. Mix flour, water, and soy milk together with the dough hook attachment until combined into a rough dough. Let sit for 20 mins.

2. Using the dough hook, work the yeast into the dough, then the salt, and finally the olive oil. Add extra flour until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl and knead for 5 mins. The final dough will be sticky when you remove it from the dough hook. After kneading, transfer to a large well-oiled bowl, turning to coat dough.

3. Cover, and let dough rise in a warm place for one hour. Remove dough from bowl place it on the counter, smooth side down. Whack the dough with a flat palm to degas it. Gently stretch the sides of the dough then fold them into the centre. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Return dough to bowl and cover.

4. Let dough rise another hour and repeat step 3. Return dough to bowl, cover, and let rise for 30 mins.

5. Weigh the dough on your scale (should be about 1257 grams) then turn out onto a floured surface. Divide that number by 12 to determine the weight of each bun (should be about 104 grams). Weigh out a piece of dough, then repeat step 3 to shape the bun. After folding, pinch dough with your thumb and forefinger from the sides into the bottom of the dough ball to create tension on the top surface. Seal the seams by pressing ball in the palm of your hand. Dust bottom with flour and place on a baking sheet (leave an inch or so of space around each bun). Repeat with remaining dough. You will probably need 2 baking sheets.

6. Spray buns lightly with oil and press down on them with splayed fingers to flatten. Cover with a towel and let rise for 45 mins.

7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees while buns are rising. Right before the buns go into the oven, gently press down on them once again to flatten. Brush with soy milk and top with sesame seeds (optional). Bake for 10-11 mins, then remove from pan into cooling racks. Only bake 1 sheet at a time.

IF YOU ARE MAKING SMALL BUNS FOR THE VEGAN SLYDERS:

- Make twice as many buns (i.e. half the size) and place in them in two 9 x 13 baking pans. Bake for 7 mins, them remove from pan on to a baking sheet and bake for 3 mins (to brown up sides).

Hiding chicken and yummy bread

These two recipes came from a friend. She brought them for a sunshine meal when Ezra was born and the kids love them. Phoebe especially likes the 'hiding' Chicken.

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup

http://www.marthastewart.com/332311/roasted-chicken-and-butternut-soup

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and diced medium
• 1 small yellow onion, diced medium
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, toss together chicken, squash, onion, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast until squash and chicken are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

2. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool. Transfer squash and onions to a medium pot and add broth, cumin, and coriander. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash some vegetables until soup is thick and chunky. Discard skin and bones from chicken; cut meat into small pieces and add to soup. Stir in lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, top with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Braided Brigit Bread from "Circle Round"

2 Tbl yeast

1/2 cup warm water

pinch of sugar

1 cup milk (I used rice)

1 egg (I used flax meal)

1/4 cup sugar ( I would reduce a little. It seems too sweet to me)

1/4 cup vegatable oil

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, finely minced or passed through garlic press

1/2 tsp each dried oregano, thyme, and basil (I would add a little more, but that's just me)

4 Tbl tomato paste

water

5 - 6 cups unbleached white flour (I subbed whole wheat for 4 cups)

1 egg yolk beaten (I skipped this step)

Dissolve the yeast in warm water sprinkled with the pinch of sugar. Combine the milk, egg, sugar, oil, salt, garlic, and herbs in a large bowl. In a measuring cup, place the tomato paste and add the water until it reaches the 1/2 cup point. Pour into the milk mixture and stir well. Add the yeast mixture.

Begin adding flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough can no longer be stirred. Turn out onto a floured board and knead, continuing to add flour to keep the dough barely dry. This is a loose and soft dough, so be careful how much flour you add. Don't let it get stiff. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn it over to coat both sides. Let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down, Cut the dough in half, divide each half into thirds, then roll into thick coils. Braid three coils into a loaf and pinch the ends together. Set on a lightly oiled baking sheet .Repeat with the other three coils. When the loaves have doubled in size, paint all surfaces with the egg yolk (or not) and bake for 35-40 mins in a preheated 375 deg oven or until internal temp of bread measures 200 deg.

NOTES as of 5/2011: I used tomato sauce instead of paste and the bread was still awesome.