I made some adjustment to timing and temp for this recipe, but I still think it could use more lift. Next time, I will be adding a tiny bit of yeast to the mix.I dried some starter and crushed them into flakes to send down to LA for a friend.
My very favorite Halloween snack. Heck, maybe my favorite chip ever. Too bad it only comes around once a year. 
More goods from Japan. The most curious item being the white chocolate covered chips that taste like ruffles dipped in yogurt.Plus, more rice cakes.
Tonight we tried the Sesame Noodle recipe from the ubiquitous New Best Recipes book, a little salty but not bad. However, the winning recipe is this recipe, minimally adapted for our lazy-cooking-night go-to food.
Sesame pastes vary a lot. Make sure the consistency is like smooth cream. If it is too thick, add some water. If it is roasted and tastes bitter, add a little more sugar. To make your own paste, use a food processor, adding roasted sesame seeds to the oil until a 3/4 cup of paste is formed, then continue adding ingredients and process till smooth. This is the way of least fuss.
Sesame pastes vary a lot. Make sure the consistency is like smooth cream. If it is too thick, add some water. If it is roasted and tastes bitter, add a little more sugar. To make your own paste, use a food processor, adding roasted sesame seeds to the oil until a 3/4 cup of paste is formed, then continue adding ingredients and process till smooth. This is the way of least fuss.
1/2 cup mild tasting oil
1/4 sesame paste
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 in fresh ginger, minced
6 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp red vinegar
4 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 lb buckwheat noodle
1 tsp hot chili oil or to taste
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 scallions sliced thin
1 japanese cucumber, julienne
1 medium carrot, julienne
roasted sesame seeds
Stir together all ingredients except scallions and sesame oil. Cook the noodles, then rinse with cold, practically icy, water. Toss quickly with sesame oil. Pour sauce over the cold noodles, toss again and garnish.
Cheaper and less saturated in cream and butter than its Northern cousin, Southern Indian Food builds on the simple flavors of the ingredients, often vegetables only, revving them up with a wallop of direct chili heat. Crepes are griddled and stuffed with fenugreek potatoes. Chickpea dough is deep fried into soft pillowy doughnuts. Onion and tomato pancakes are perfectly crisped and studded with fresh chilies. On the side, sambar and various coconut sauces or relish come in a painter's palette of colors. Unlike many dishes found in Northern Indian restaurants, the lentils and "curries" have a milder touch of spices. Chutney lacks the sometimes overly saccharine and singlemindedly vinegar tang, but more than makes up for it with clear tomato punch. Stews tend towards a more soupy texture rather than thick gravy.
Granted, the comparison between the two regions is a bit specious. The rare Northern Indian restaurant accentuates the fresh flavor of a single ingredient while orchestrating a blend of spices and never makes the dishes chaotic or dumb them down, but the other 99% of the typical Northern Indian restaurants just have really heavy hands in all the pots. In my mind, Northern Indian food, depends on the complexities between flavors, richness, texture and ingredients, requiring a refined sense of balance from the kitchen. Southern Indian cuisine is akin to the greatest of breakfast and snack foods - eat with your finger meals that are hearty, warming, rustic and deceptively easy. Of course, none of this takes into account regional distinctions...
Tonight I went to Saravana Bhavan in Sunnyvale and had a cheese masala dosa with sambar and three sauces. We also had idly, those donuts, and a lacy wheat crepe. The various breads that come out of the kitchen are showstoppers. Look for the giant poof the size of a serving tray. The mango lassi is top notch - just thick enough, with a slight tang, and without that funky floral aroma or strange carbonation. Is it impolite to show leftovers on a blog?
Annapoorna in San Mateo offers a thali dinner if you want to try a variety of "stews" at once. This joint is much smaller than Saravana Bhavan and easier to get into, but the food just isn't as vibrant as the former.
Both are vegetarian only.
Granted, the comparison between the two regions is a bit specious. The rare Northern Indian restaurant accentuates the fresh flavor of a single ingredient while orchestrating a blend of spices and never makes the dishes chaotic or dumb them down, but the other 99% of the typical Northern Indian restaurants just have really heavy hands in all the pots. In my mind, Northern Indian food, depends on the complexities between flavors, richness, texture and ingredients, requiring a refined sense of balance from the kitchen. Southern Indian cuisine is akin to the greatest of breakfast and snack foods - eat with your finger meals that are hearty, warming, rustic and deceptively easy. Of course, none of this takes into account regional distinctions...
Tonight I went to Saravana Bhavan in Sunnyvale and had a cheese masala dosa with sambar and three sauces. We also had idly, those donuts, and a lacy wheat crepe. The various breads that come out of the kitchen are showstoppers. Look for the giant poof the size of a serving tray. The mango lassi is top notch - just thick enough, with a slight tang, and without that funky floral aroma or strange carbonation. Is it impolite to show leftovers on a blog? Annapoorna in San Mateo offers a thali dinner if you want to try a variety of "stews" at once. This joint is much smaller than Saravana Bhavan and easier to get into, but the food just isn't as vibrant as the former.
Both are vegetarian only.
"Freakism! Freakism!" - Dr. Robert Verne
At today's Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, I scored a free ticket to the San Jose Museum of Textiles for stopping by their table. I also received a free fat quarter from Fat Quarter Queen because I didn't have any cash on hand and my piddly purchase didn't justify the fee for swiping my credit card. That was a little embarrassing but I was surprised they didn't just tell they have a minimum.
I spoke to the gals from Peninsula Quilters about getting started with quilting and also chatted with the ladies from Penwag about getting a student registration discount so I can attend some workshops.
The quilts were absolutely amazing and inspiring, but I forgot my camera!
Instead, I now present my new Olfa rotary cutter guide arm, measuring seam allowances and cutting at the same time. The price was about 6 bucks, much less than what I could find online with shipping.
At the suggestion of an avid quilter, I checked out Jeans Impressions, the booth of Jean Brown, a nice lady who demonstrated the Aunt Becky finger shield and sized me for a Needlearts thimble. I overheard other shoppers say they didn't like the metal to metal method, but since I'm just starting out anyway I figured there's no harm in trying. I just have to make something to quilt first!
Since I have major fabric and button anxiety, all I've really been doing lately is collecting instead of making. These fabrics and notions struck my fancy so I brought them home.
I spoke to the gals from Peninsula Quilters about getting started with quilting and also chatted with the ladies from Penwag about getting a student registration discount so I can attend some workshops.
The quilts were absolutely amazing and inspiring, but I forgot my camera!
Instead, I now present my new Olfa rotary cutter guide arm, measuring seam allowances and cutting at the same time. The price was about 6 bucks, much less than what I could find online with shipping.At the suggestion of an avid quilter, I checked out Jeans Impressions, the booth of Jean Brown, a nice lady who demonstrated the Aunt Becky finger shield and sized me for a Needlearts thimble. I overheard other shoppers say they didn't like the metal to metal method, but since I'm just starting out anyway I figured there's no harm in trying. I just have to make something to quilt first!
Since I have major fabric and button anxiety, all I've really been doing lately is collecting instead of making. These fabrics and notions struck my fancy so I brought them home.
Clockwise from back:
Daiwabo Japanese grey cotton with a linen texture and nubby rayon stripe. Bought at the Praire Queens Quilt Shop.
Two silver and gunmetal wire buttons from Fabric Chicks, who always set up a beautiful booth. They also carry unusual, intricate trims, doll making/painting, and wonderful fabric. I bought my brown-gold ribbon and the Australian print cottons from them at the San Mateo shindig recently.
Australian print cotton. So soft, with a great pattern. J R Flamingo also sells absolutely stunning silks and brocades that I have seen no where else, but at relatively painless prices.
Brown owls on black Japanese cotton as a tribute to the owl making spree. Also from J R Flamingo.
Two skeins of trim are viscose/rayon cording used for couching and braiding. The other two are bundles of various furs, strings, and embroidered ruffle. Fiber Goddess
Woodland cotton prints. Twigs and tree bark. Homespun Harbor Ltd.
Vintage lace wrapped on a card.
Various fat quarters. Pink and purple dots on brown. Two beautifully detailed mum prints. Webs on celadon. Kaffe Fasset spots. Cotton. Golden Gate Sewing Center
Looped pink elastic from Plumcute Designs.
My funny owls are filled with wool scraps and heavy metal washers. I use them for sewing weights. The bottoms still need bits of felt but I like their individual character.Instructions here.
Note to self: When using silk for crafty projects, interface first!
Unhappy with the results of my first sourdough bread, I left the loosely covered container on the counter for 12 hours and fed the starter twice in that time. The resulting proof was higher than the first dough. I made this starter just a tiny tad less watery.
I turned the temp to 425 degrees instead of 450 degrees, put the dutch oven in about 30 min into the preheating time instead of 1 hour, and when the dough went in, I slid an upside down cookie sheet onto the lowest rack. At 25 minutes the bread was pale and just beginning to crisp on the top crust points. I took the lid off, baked it for 5 minutes then inverted the loaf to the rack and baked it upside down for another 5.
I don't believe the finished product was any worse for wear at having to stand on it's head. The comparison shows the difference! The bread was evenly brown all over with a much higher rise and nicer fluffier crumb than before - moist but not gummy - with a great crispy crust. I'm a lot happier with the results but I'm still going play around with the settings some more.
After a long rise, the sourdough is wet and bubbly.
Sourdough patted out into a rough rectangle on a floured counter. After some time in a hot oven the bread develops a crust on the top and "sings" while it cools. This bread came out too wet in the middle , a little flat, and nicely burned on the bottom. I couldn't invert the bread onto the cooling rack, though it finally popped off midway through the cooling process. I think my oven is off and I'm going to make adjustments and try again.
While waiting for the bread to bake and cook, we made Dynamite Sushi Rolls and Scallops with Uni Sauce from Hiroko Shimbo's book. These inside-out rolls get a smear of Kewpie tobiko sauce and are then broiled.
My new Escali kitchen scale arrived today so I fed my starter for bread making and left the tub on the counter all afternoon. The photo on the left is a "before" feeding picture.
The second photo shows the flour getting weighed on the Escali. The plastic feels like toy truck construction, but the scale is small and easily stored. Unlike my friend's Salter, the Escali keeps whatever measurement style from when it was used last. So if I was measuring flour in grams before I turn it off, the next time I try to weigh something, the scale still uses grams. Plus, the batteries are AA so my Sanyo rechargeables get put to use.
The process of waiting was almost 8 hours on the dot. The scent was a bit like yeast and beer, with fine bubbles dotting up the sides of the container and popping on the surface. The starter was maybe an inch from the top of the quart container at a maximum rise. After an extra 15 minutes, I saw the starter falling so I mixed up the dough quick before taking a photo.
On the left, part whole wheat and bread flour gives the dough a speckled tan color. About 15 scrapes and turns of a spatula got me a nice round mass. The leftover base starter was almost exactly 100 grams, a good amount to keep in cold storage. Immediately after setting the dough out to rise, I fed the starter again and put it back in the fridge. Totally painless!
In fact, making bread was so easy I had time to make Uni Chawan-Mushi with Cabbage Salad and Salmon from Hiroko Shimbo's book The Sushi Experience. I even weighed the uni on the new scale.
This chawan dish is very, very rich with an uni umami flavor balanced perfectly by hot wasabi. Crab and scallop are poached briefly in sake and divided into ramekins. Then the seafood studded uni flavored cream custard is steamed in a bain marie. The garnishes are a dollop of wasabi, a tongue of uni and a basic sushi sauce of mirin, soy and bonito flakes. Unfortunately I poured too much on these ones to show the green wasabi but they still tasted great. I would recommend going light on the sauce however. I bought the cups at Ikea so they were overly healthy portions and the chawan-mushi needed an extra 5 minutes but otherwise the recipe worked perfectly.
Two little bags that came with this months Fudge. They match the cover look.
Last weekend I took a bra class with Marijane and I'm super happy with the results. Apparently, I've been wearing the wrong size my entire life - darn salespeople. MJ helped me with the fit and gave me tips on constructing a comfortable and pretty bra that isn't my typical molded cup Wacoal. The first bra I made was plain pink with ruffly trim and is getting cannibalized to make a third, yet again, altered bra. 
This is my second bra. The crazy animal print is out of my comfort zone but it actually looks pretty good on me. I felt hokey doing it but I photoshopped myself into a self directed color analysis and decided that winter purple and autumn orange is my thing. Yes, that's Gackt in the back.
This is my second bra. The crazy animal print is out of my comfort zone but it actually looks pretty good on me. I felt hokey doing it but I photoshopped myself into a self directed color analysis and decided that winter purple and autumn orange is my thing. Yes, that's Gackt in the back.
