NiP suggests: 101 cookbooks

i think i'm pretty late on this one, but 101 cookbooks is great.

the basic set up for each post is simple: a bit of a story about the inspiration for or the start point of a recipe, or maybe just a bit about what is happening in author heidi swanson's life. and then a great, healthful, vegetarian recipe. but what moves the site beyond being just a good blog and brings it to the level of useful cooking reference is all the sort functions- you can find recipes by category, season, ingredient.

and the dishes tend to fall in to the "totally plausible" realm. rarely is there something that requires shopping at specialty stores or (if your pantry is well stocked) even planning ahead. the flavors are simple and lovely and ready for reuse and personal embellishment.

things i have made from 101 cookbooks:

a great, not too sweet raspberry cake with a touch of salt.
basic tapioca. i think i overcooked mine a bit, but it was still good.
a salad with miso dressing. i will surely be making this dressing again.
poached eggs on noodles (instead of the rice called for, i used soba.)

four-in-hand

i don't often have a reason to wear a necktie, but that doesn't mean i don't like them. in fact, i think they can look pretty great. but last time i pulled out one of my few ties for a wedding, i was surprised by how raggedy it was.

so i pulled it apart,

and took some measurements,

and made myself a new tie. it is navy blue mid weight cotton canvas (with red quilting cotton lining the points) and a little embroidered embellishment that i'm not terribly satisfied with. the canvas is the perfect weight, though- soft and flexible but with enough body to lay nicely.

after finishing this one, i decided it was a prototype and went on to make a second, with a cleaner embellishment. if you are looking for a new four-in-hand, you might swing by the ol' etsy shop.

compost

my garden has taken quite a beating this season. first the chickens ate my carrots and chard. then once all the stuff they love was gone, they developed a taste for cauliflower, fennel, and radish greens. and then they decided, what the hell, let's strip the tomato plants bare.

my only successful homestead-y project this season is the compost bin:

sweet dirt, bro

i've been meaning to start a bin for quite a while and, a month or so ago, i finally did. it is fed mostly with kitchen scraps and wood chips from the garage- only from around the lathe, though, where there is less chance of the chips being polluted with plywood adhesives or petro-based wood glue. occasionally, it gets the chicken coop scrapings and i'm thinking i might add cotton sewing scraps (though horror stories of the amount of pesticide and other chemicals used on cotton crops have made me hesitant. maybe just the organics?)

anyway, i'm really amazed at how well it seems to be going: there is no bad odor- just a little earthiness- and the moisture level seems pretty self-regulating. 

the bin itself is just some old redwood fence scraps and 2x4's scavenged from the side yard. the open front makes it easy to stir but it gives the chickens full access. and they like spreading things out. so it may be time for a little movable fence to keep things a bit neater.

in the end, fresh dirt doesn't quite make up for the loss of pretty much every crop i planted. but it helps.

shorts

now that summer is finally upon us and the weather is warm and parties are starting to take place completely out-of-doors, it is a good time to invest in some shorts.

because y'all wanted to see my hairy white legs

i finished these up just in time for a graduation party at a pool and then tried them out for a pic-a-nic at a lake. all and all, they're pretty good. i'm still not convinced that they aren't too short, though having them likened to something james "sean connery" bond would wear makes me feel a little better about that.

more pictures and details below!