Rain Coast Style Cracker Recipe and For Sale - Cheap

Saturday is the annual community garage sale where everyone puts out the junk articles they no longer want or need.  Things are usually pretty cheap  inexpensive and you have to watch that you don't bring home more useless crap  things you don't need.  As well as a slightly used deep fryer with bear scratches on it I am trying to unload the following

I bought this when Sean was about 4 months old because I wanted him to be a beautiful piano player just like my sisters two girls.  Neither he or his brother have a shred of interest in it.  You can lead a horse to water......

I'm also trying to unload this

This old wood cook stove was in the kitchen when we bought the house.  It wasn't the main stove or oven but I used it sometimes just to see if I could.  I'm glad I was born in the age of electricity.

I couldn't have made these crackers in that old cook stove as they would have been way past zwiebach and right into burnt offerings and what a shame it would be to ruin a batch as they are so delicious.

You should make these because they are really simple.

Watch out - it's way too easy to eat a pant-load of these things.

Raincoast Style Crackers

2 cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk (or *milk w/1 tbsp vinegar)

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

1 cup raisins (or *dried cranberries/apricots)

½ cup chopped pecans or *walnuts

½ cup pumpkin seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

*¼ cup sunflower seeds

*¼ cup poppy seeds

¼ cup ground flax

½ tsp dried rosemary

* indicates that the original recipe didn’t call for these but that’s what I generally use – also you can switch up the flavors by changing the rosemary for another herb that you like. Last time I added Chia seeds as well.

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together dry ingredients, stir to combine.  Add wet ingredients and stir only until blended.  Pour batter into two 4 x 8 loaf pans that have parchment paper or are oiled and floured.  Bake about 40/45 min until golden and springy to the touch.  Remove from pans and cool.

Put the loaves in the freezer as they are easier to slice when frozen.  Slice as thin as you can and put slices on a cookie sheet in single layer (melba toast style).  Bake slices at 310 deg for about 10 min then flip them over and bake for another 10 min or so (watch closely as you can go from crispy to burnt in a very short time)  If you make both loaves at once you will get about 8 doz crackers.  These crackers are exceptionally good when dipped into asiago artichoke dip.

I am not one to leave well enough alone.  Faced with the task of using up three bunches of quickly ripening bananas, I adjusted the recipe above to get a pretty delicious version of these crackers.

I added to the recipe 3 medium ripe bananas, 1/4 cup oat bran and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp cardamon, 1 tsp lemon pepper and I switched the pumpkin seeds for slivered almonds and that was it!  They taste a bit like dried bananas.  Yum.

These will take longer to bake about 10 - 15 longer depending on the thickness you cut them.

Deep Fried Bears

We live at the base of a small mountain (not an Alps style mountain but a mountain none the less)  There is a lot of wildlife that call this area home.    It is not unusual to see bears or raccoons in our fruit trees fattening themselves up for the winter.  Similar to what I do as well .

Every year or so I will pull out my deep fryer and make donuts or calamari or some other equally unhealthy delicious dish and, because I don't want my kitchen covered in a fine film of oil, I put the deep fryer outside on the deck to do the cooking there.   I  also leave it out there to cool down after all the frying is done.
Last time I forgot to bring it in.

  Look here  

 This is where the fryer hit the deck when the bear tried to get to the oil.  

 Look here

This is the bear paw-prints showing the trail where the bear dragged my deep fryer  into the flower bed at the end of the deck to lick up all the oily goodness. 

  Look here

 This is my deep fryer going into this weekends garage sale.

Darn Bear!

Banana Hair

I found on a blog  http://aprilbaker23.blogspot.com/2011/03/banana-rama.html a recipe for banana hair conditioner that I thought I would try.  Mostly because my counter was covered in bananas (I don't know how that happened) but also because I have bad hair and love home remedies.
I mixed up the concoction, moistened my hair as instructed and slathered it on.  It smelled nice and felt awful - it was pretty cold and slimy.  There was extra so I thought good for the hair, must also be good for the skin, so on my face it went. 
I didn't have a plastic bag that was large enough so I got a blue recycle bag and wrapped that around my head but thats a lot of bag!  I found duct tape and taped the bag so that it wasn't hanging in my face and, timer set for 45 minutes, went about my chores.  The doorbell rang.

It was a representative from a local church.   He looked scared - not to blame him, I really was not at my best.    He thrust his pamphlet into my hand and ran. That, without a doubt, was the  quickest invitation to meet Jesus I've ever had!

My hair, by the way, looks great!


We live in a beautiful part of the world

this is Archie - he has a smiley face on his hip

Earthquest and Ulcers

Our 15 year old son Sean will be going into grade 11 next fall.  He is a “keener” – loving everything. His arm shoots up in a "pick me pick me" kind of way every time there is a request for a volunteer, participant, member, accomplice, whatever ... and he is happy, happy, happy all of the time which, as I understand, is pretty unusual for a teenager.  When the opportunity came along to sign up for Earthquest, http://www.earthquest.ca/  an outdoor educational program in his high school, there was no question in his mind that he would enrol.   He received his acceptance letter yesterday.

Now I have a stomach ache.

 I have to sign a waiver that states that  I won’t be able to file a lawsuit if his beacon locator fails should he be hit by an avalanche,  or if his ocean kayak flips and he’s eaten by killer whales,  or if he falls into a crevice on a glacier,  or if his mountain bike goes off the edge of the trail and he lands in a raging creek 60 feet below.
I can hardly type these words.

We go for our first parent/student meeting with the leaders of the program, Moe and Barrie Reid, on April 28th.  http://www.earthquest.ca/home#!__instructors .  They were the leaders when Sean’s dad (my husband) took the program.  He, my husband, will be attending his 30 year high school reunion this July.

 Sean’s first expedition is August 15.  I am hoping not to turn into a nervous, hovering, panicking, worrying and tense mother but I fear that ship might have sailed.

This is Sean last summer on Okanagan Lake

Walk of Shame down Memory Lane

Today I  started sewing this bathing suit.

 It is a pattern that I come back to time after time.  Its easy to construct and the end result is very comfortable and quite forgiving visually .  Each time I make a new one, or even put on an old one, I am reminded of the summer my sister and her family came for a visit. 

Adam was 3 months old and they wanted to go to the beach.
It was hot.      
So hot that children were crying as they walked across the beach to the lake as the sand burned their feet.  I was wearing this suit (see above) which I had made in a very bright royal blue.  I thought I looked pretty good for just having had a baby 3 months earlier.  The bottom of the suit was bothering me, riding up a bit.  I kept tugging at the  side trying to pull it down thinking that I couldn't have gained that much weight.  I am quite verbal so the people around me knew I was having an issue with the suit.    To be honest, probably everyone on the beach knew of my problem. After about an hour of tugging and complaining and carrying on I pulled the waistband out a little thinking that  might help the situation and what do I see?

   The crotch lining!!!   
. 
The waistband was around my right leg, the right leg was on my left leg and the left leg was around my waist.  "I'VE GOT MY BATHING SUIT ON SIDEWAYS!'  I blurted out

The elderly gentleman sitting on the beach chair next to us  gave a smirk, a wink and a nod as if to say "you are an idiot"

I thought I was going to burst a blood vessel .

this is Adam and a buddy thirteen years later

Some Days......

I don't know who wrote this or who to give credit for it but this sums up my day ! 



I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the recycle bin under the table, and notice that the bin is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the recycle first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only one cheque left. My extra cheques are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of coke that I had been drinking.
I'm going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye: they need to be watered.
I place the coke down on the work surface, and I discover my glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the work top, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone has left it on the kitchen table.
I realise that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the tv room where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:

• The car isn't washed.
• The bills aren't paid.
• There is a warm can of coke sitting on the work surface.
• The flowers don't have enough water.
• There is still only one cheque in my chequebook.
• I can't find the TV remote.
• I can't find my glasses and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realise this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
I just remembered, I left the water running......................................


So, to whoever wrote this - thank you.   J

Watercolors - note to self - don't quit the day job

I live in an area of British Coumbia that looks quite similar to this.  I moved here from the Prairies (Manitoba to be exact).  Its very flat there.   I have a fear of heights and sometimes the BC roads are just too "perched on the edge of a cliff" for me so I just shut my eyes which works unless I am the one doing the driving,

This is where we live - this picture is from the top of Bluenose mountain.  Our house is situated in the area on the very far right side of the picture where the grass looks mowed!

Perfect really.

Except for the driving part.

This is our son Sean.

He's such a great kid.



Soft Pretzels and a Bad Hair Day

Today I was in the bank, paying some bills, and a woman came up to me and said"you have beautiful hair"


I think she might have been drinking.

Soft Pretzels Recipe

Into the bowl of a mixer with a Bread Hook add:

3 cups Bread Flour (2 1/2 Cup White and 1/2 cup Whole Wheat)

1 tsp Instant Yeast

1 tsp Salt

2 tbsp Sugar - (1 tbsp White and 1 tbsp Brown)

1 tbsp Powdered Milk

With mixer running add:

1 tbsp Oil

1 cup Warm Water (Skin Temp Warm) 

You might need to add a bit more water but mix well and add dribbles of water if necessary to get a smooth dough. It should feel like your breasts did when you were 25. 


The dough should look like this and This is what your thighs will look like if you eat too many

Remove from the mixer bowl and knead a couple of times on the counter and place back into the mixer bowl that you’ve oiled slightly and let rise, covered with plastic wrap and a towel, for about an hour until doubled (more or less) in size.  Set oven to 425 deg. F.  in about 15 minutes.  Punch down dough, cut into 8 pieces, roll each into a log shape, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes.  Roll each log into long thin strips about 15 - 18" long. 

Twist into a knot. 

 Drop into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, flip, wait 20 seconds and remove to an oiled sheet pan. 

Sprinkle with sea salt and poppy seeds or sesame seeds.

  Bake immediately at 425 degrees F for about 18 - 20 Minutes.


Make and eat these and it will take your mind off my hair.

Happy Birthday andThe Seeds of OCD

Our son Adam will be 13 tomorrow.   He is a boy with a killer sense of humor who always has us laughing.  I am so happy we have him in our family! 

This is him on the right trying to look tough.

Happy Birthday Adam

This is some of his art

I started some seeds tonight - I should be able to put the resulting plants in the garden at the end of May.  Last fall when I was dealing with the intense amount of produce (canning, freezing, chasing neighbors down the street with bags of tomatoes, squash and carrots, and making numerous trips to the food bank) I decided that NO MORE!  I would NOT plant 24 tomato plants, I would NOT plant 20 hills of potatoes,  I would NOT plant artichokes (artichokes??? what was I thinking!!!) I would NOT be planting every seed in every spare corner of the garden because there was just too much.

 It must be OCD because when I pulled out the bag with all those beautiful seeds I was overcome. 

You'll hear from me again in the fall when I complain about having too much produce.

Music - How Could I Do Housework Without It?

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BK6mIIZc84

Prairie Oyster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-BDqlwI-Hs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-S_L5UjrKM&feature=watch_response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxAu8elBXiQ&feature=related

Adele

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Zs7XS3XUo

Jimmy Eat World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qmc5lOhcfo

The Vanishers with Ginger St. James

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Zjex8VaeU

Please SUPPORT THE ARTS


Two days ago I put some bisqued bowls into the kiln and tonight I took them out - the kiln didn't reach cone 6 but the sitter shut the kiln off and here is the result.  I won't quit my day job....

Two days ago (maybe three) I brought in some forsythia and witch hazel branches and this is what they look like now - I love Spring.

Beautiful Bird and a Budding Photographer

My 15 year old son Sean, soon (too soon) to be 16, has a big interest in photography.  We will often find him out in the yard, sneaking up on wildlife like a predator about to get its prey.   Camera almost touching the bees in the flowers, muttering that he needs a new lens - hoping I'll hear and say lets go shopping.

 I am deaf to his "need"s.

But he is getting pretty good, so I asked him to take a photo of me for my blog profile.   Sadly, even he can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

He has also built this birdhouse at school in woodshop - pretty good I think!  He made it from one plank of walnut and one plank of birch.  He cut then glued together the different woods for the body, turned the top and bottom finials on the lathe, assembled and put a protective urethane coating on it.  I think he's pretty talented.  I Love you Sean!

Today at work I was eating my lunch that BD had packed for me (what a great guy!) It was left over roast pork dinner,  I commented that too bad he hadn't sent some gravy for the potatoes and maybe I should speak to him about  it later at home.

For my afternoon snack I grabbed some rain coast crackers and a small tub of peanut butter from my lunch bag.  I dipped the cracker into the somewhat runny peanut butter took a big bite and Eureka!! I found the gravy.  I think I owe an apology to BD for my attack on his lunch packing skills.

Lame - somedays I'm just lame.

Afraid to Open the Lid

As many potters know our passion is a very humbling  one and definitely not an activity  for the impatient.  Two weeks ago I threw some large pots on the wheel - not large by many standards but as large as my kiln will hold.  The pieces need to dry to leather hard - about 3 days in my basement  closet-sized pottery room, then I need to turn them and try to trim a nice foot.   I also need to add embellishments if I'm going to - this could take a few more days.  When the piece is fully dry I touch up any flaws or blemishes that I didn't notice when it was damp and much easier to do.   Now its bisque kiln time and hopefully I have enough to fill the kiln - I can't run it half full as I've already wasted electrical energy  keeping 59 cent fish alive (see previous post).  This takes about a day and a half to 2 days to be able to take out the still hot pieces from the kiln.  Now I can apply glaze - decisions, decisions - which glaze will give the least amount of dissappointment,  hmmmm.  I choose and resieve the glaze, then its time to haul the mask, bucket of glaze, glaze sprayer, bucket of water, mixing stick, sponges, and assorted tools to the garage where I have the spray booth set up (this is only for large pieces - small ones get the dip treatment in afore mentioned closet-sized pottery room).  Find the compressor, hook up the sprayer, place the bowl on the turntable, all the while thinking "this will be the piece that is the most beautiful piece of pottery ever made!".    Let it dry for at least one or, better still, two days and load them into the glaze kiln.  Two days later it's safe to open the kiln lid - How Does It Look?  Warped? cracked? runny? blotchy? or, the beautiful bowl I was hoping for?

Check back in TWO days and I'll post a picture.

Meantime, watch this..........
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_sHGFf4o8

to see how he (Steve Tobin) gets this....... Beautiful!
http://www.stevetobin.com/

!

Something's Fishy

Archie

Today is a happy day - four fish survived the winter in our tiny pond!  Last fall we (BD the Royal We) bought an electric heater that floats on the top of the water and keeps away the ice and four of six feeder fish have survived the Canadian winter and are happily swimming about.  We calculate that our 59 cent fish are now worth about $68.00 each.  However, it's not all good news  .....   we have noticed a blue heron sitting on the neighbors roof looking over what it thinks is his buffet.  We know it thinks it is his buffet as he's dined here before.  Our dog Archie (see above) barks at, and chases, all the birds that fly over HIS yard - except for the herons.  They are too big,  bigger than he is,  and SCARY, they have big flappy wings and long legs and  huge beaks!  and all his terrier bravery leaves him. 

 Good Luck little fish!

Pond

Look Closely - Here are the Fish

 Have a great Sunday everyone!  J

Pottery Glazes and The Shelf of Shame

http://johanlopes.net/before-i-die-in-new-orleans


I would write, on this wall, the following:
"get a cone 6 glaze mix for my pottery that will never let me down" 

Maybe it's like making a cake, six people can use the same recipe and all six cakes taste different.  I've blamed my kiln (I even made a kiln god - but he doesn't scare away the fire dragons.)

Kiln God That Doesn't Do It's Job!

I've blamed the dipping,  I've blamed the sprayer, I've blamed my scale, I blame the recipe provider, I blame the color of the clay.   The end result is that I have lots of pottery that belongs on my "shelf of shame".   I keep it, I tell myself, to gauge my progression but I think, in the back of my mind, that I might not get any better than I am now and that this is as good as it gets! 

Shelf of Shame

Maybe I should have paid more attention to the periodic table and chemistry class!

Witch Hazel -Smells Nice - Has Nothing To Do With Pottery !