should not wait so long

This is where I stood for about five hours on Friday.  In front of my printing press printing business cards.  I have really waited too long between printing sessions because I felt like I had forgotten everything I knew how to do.  It took me longer then I would like to admit to get the press set up right to print.  But I got there.  By the end of the day, my hands were swollen enough that I did not really wish to do anything else.

I have some other ideas for printing that I wish to do.  Some simple stationary.  Some simple notecards.  I am hoping that with an extra day not working that I will have more time to spend on things that I want to do.  But I am finding there still does not seem to be enough time.  A friend of mine who has recently retired keeps saying he can not figure out how he had time to work!  I do understand this feeling.

while I was working on Spikey's quilt

While I was working on Spikey's quilt, I was hand sewing the ribbing on this quilt.  For a small stuffed person and a small boy, machine stitching the ribbing is fine but otherwise, I hand sew.  This quilt supposedly has a home already but I am going to take it with me to the Maker's Market I am participating in the first weekend in April.  I am showing my quilts.  Guess what I am working on a lot right now.  Quilts!  I will have to see how it all goes.

It is fairly early to bed again tonight.  It has been that way all week but I am starting to be able to eat more then bits of bread, cheese, and fruit.  Though, today has mostly been vegetables and bread.  

More quilts this weekend.  I have also had some huge disasters so I do not know what I will write about this coming week.  I had a friend who said he could not believe that I had disasters but that is happen when there is experimentation in the mix.

for Spikey to share with Koda Bear

When Spikey came to me for repairs, I went out and picked up some fabrics in Koda Bear's current favorite color:  red.  I made them a quilt to share that is about a third of the size of the quilts I normally make.

I did enjoy making it.  It felt so much easier then the larger quilts I make.

I like how it turned out and Koda Bear's comment was choice:  "It's red!!!!"  It is a nice size to take in the car with him or maybe sitting with a book.

And Spikey was fixed pretty well too.  There was a hole in his side and nose, that I fixed.  I had to remake his nose, a paw and an ear.  Embroidery thread and blanket stitch are my friend. 

Both are home now and being loved.  

I am still feeling pretty lousy.  I keep expecting to feel much better but it is a little bit at a time.  I almost fell asleep at 6:00 pm.  I might do that tomorrow.

chipolte aoili

I have been under the weather this week.  Eating is not a high priority.  Actually think it is being caused by stress at work but I could be wrong.  Where I am contracted at is having layoffs and it is not kind process.  Cutting my hours was kind compared to what they are putting their employees through.

The last time I ate much was Sunday.  I made fish tacos again with mjukstat, roasted salmon, coleslaw, and chipolte aoili.  I did not realize how easy aoili was to make until I did.  I started with Frances Mallamann's recipe for aoili and then modified it until I got what I wanted.  So good with fish tacos!

Do not worry.  I have been eating little bits.  Mostly homemade bread, fruit, a bit of cheese, and much tea.  Just small little bits.

chipolte aoili

1 egg

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced if you are not using a blender of some sort

1/2 to 1 teaspoon chipolte or to taste (I like spicier but I have currently been vetoed)

1 cup walnut, olive, or avocado oil (I have used all three)

In a bowl, combine the egg, garlic, and chipolte with an immersion blender.  If you are using a regular blender, place in the blender container and mix for about 30 seconds.  While the either blender is going, slowly start drizzling in the oil.  By the end, you will have a mayonnaise textured sauce.  Taste to adjust the spiciness of the aoili.  Remember it is easier to add chipolte then remove.  Whisk in more if you wish.

I serve this with fish tacos.  It has a tendency to be used on many other dishes until it is time to make more.

mjukbrod or mjukstut or trunnbrod = Swedish flatbread

I will admit that I watch too many cooking shows, too much science fiction, and too many romantic comedies that include bullets and explosions.  Too many cooking shows that I try new things.  I personally like the ones that come from PBS the best but that does not mean I do not enjoy the rest.

Watching Mind of the Chef on Neftlix, Magnus Nilsson was featured.  I own his most recent tome.  I am very particular about the cookbooks I won because usually they are just a waste of space and I hope to down size to less the 556 square feet someday soon.  I do plan to have a separate art/textile studio.  He, his Mom, and Aunt made a traditional Swedish flatbread during one episode. 

Now, I am quite fond of potato lefse which is part of my heritage.  We have even been using it in the place of tortillas.  This Swedish one I had to try.  It is yeasted.  It has spices in it I like.  It is a flatbread. 

Yummy!  I have actually been asked to have this in the house every week now.  It has taken the place of all tortillas in the household.  The day I make it is the day we have salmon fish tacos.  I have started making chipolte aioli as well and the combination is soul satisfying.  One of those meals where you take a bite and sigh over the goodness.  The flavors just all go well together. 

I changed the recipe to use sourdough and I cut it in a quarter.  The biggest thing I did was figure out what was meant in the recipe.  It is not the most clearly written recipe I have come across.  It does have a couple speciality ingredients and it is done by weight.  Weight is easy but I find it is easy when you have a good scale.  A good digital scale is huge.  I was gifted with a MyWeigh scale and it has made a huge difference.  Also, the original recipe specifies two different styles of rolling pins.  These can be made without them but it is a heritage thing for me.

mjukstut

sourdough starter

3/4 cup milk

188 grams of a mix of whole wheat and rye flour

3/4 cup milk

63 grams of butter, room temperature

70 grams of golden/light agave (or golden syrup)

3/4 teaspoon ground aniseed

3/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon baker's ammonia

3/4 teaspoon salt

438 grams wheat flour

The night before, in a large bowl mix the sourdough, 3/4 cup milk, and 188 grams of rye/wheat flour.  Cover and let sit until bubbly.  Take a bit of the bubbly mixture out for you next baking.

Into the bubbly mixture, mix the 3/4 cup milk, room temperature butter, agave, aniseed, fennel seed, coriander seed, baker's ammonia, salt, and 400 grams of the wheat flour.  Mix this very well.  Once it comes together, start kneading in the rest of the flour (38 grams).  The dough should be smooth but very soft, easily sticky as the kneading continues.  Cover and let rise until double.

Once double, tip the dough out and portion out into balls.  The first time, I made 8 portions. The second time 13.  It all depends on what size you wish the final flatbread to be.  Cover and let rest for 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degress Fahrenheit with a pizza stone in it or a cast iron pizza pan.  Or just a pizza pan.  Some type of heavy baking sheet.

Flour the work surface generously.  This can be a sticky dough.  Roll out into a round.  For a soft flatbread, roll out to 1/8 of an inch thick.  For a hard flatbread, like a cracker, roll out as thin as you can.  Traditionally, the bread is rolled out first with the ridged rolling pin.  Then the rolling is finished with the knobbed pin.  Heritage thing, it is fun to have.  The pins are not needed though.  Brush off any excess flour.

Place the flatbread in the oven on the baking sheet.  Bake until bubbling and golden.  There may be some char around the edges.  I find about two minutes in my oven is correct.

Once they are cool, bag in plastic to keep them soft.  If left in the air, no matter what thickness, they do become brittle (hard). 

Right out of the oven, they are pretty fantastic with a smear of very good butter.  Because of the spices used, there is a sweetness to them that is quite lovely.  Goes well with the fish and chipolte aioli in fish tacos!  They have a tendency to contain the most interesting items in this house but then that is why I have been requested to make them every week!