boozy berry sangria

Last week, my Beloved picked up a bottle of wine at the grocery store while we were shopping.  It turned out to be a not very good bottle of wine and what he really wanted was sangria. 

A nice margarita.  A nice glass of sangria.  I am happy with both so I figured why not.  Every recipe I have read so far, I have not been very excited about.  So i went to google and typed in boozy sangria.  I found two recipes that looked interesting with a bit of modification.  Apple does not belong in sangria in my opinion.  The first time I was introduced to that was at my cousin's wedding and I just thought it was odd.  I still do.

This is the first one.  The berry version.  I have no citrus fruit in the house right now but I do have frozen berries.  They worked well.  This sangria is better if you can let it sit for about twenty four hours before drinking.  It also overfilled a half gallon mason jar.  It may have been the amount of fruit that I used but it would be better if you could find a gallon mason jar or such.  Mine is holding whole wheat flour.  Or did before I kneaded dough today.

boozy berry sangria

Note:  I used Life in Pleasantville's recipe with some modification.  Mostly because I did not wish to go to the store again.  Yes, I am lazy.

750 ml bottle of merlot

1 cup citrus, orange, or cranberry vodka - I used a roasted pink lemon vodka.  It is not available for purchase so use what you have

1/2 cup agave

2 cups moscata wine (the recipe calls for white cranberry juice but I had none but I had moscata)

1 to 2 cups frozen raspberries

1 to 2 cups frozen strawberries

1 to 2 cups frozen blackberries

Mix the merlot, vodka, and agave together.  Mix in the moscata.  Put the frozen berries in a gallon container.  Pour the liquid over.  Put in the refrigerator and wait twenty four hours if you possibly can.

I could not.

the last planned forever shawl done

I finished the last planned forever shawl today.  Miss D, who saw it while I was making it, said green is her favorite color.  I lucked out in the picking of the yarn.

It is going to be interesting not having this at work to work on.  I am going to have to take one of the two sweaters I am working in.

While I was making this shawl, I shattered my bone crochet hook on Papaw's floor.  I came home and had a bamboo of the same size and there was just too much friction.  I ordered myself a Furls crochet hook that is supposed to help hand health.  I am hoping because I have been very hard on my hands lately.  It translates all the way up into my shoulder, back, and neck.  I have the aluminum hook to use until the Furls comes because that is how horrible the bamboo is.

I found it interesting that today I finished this shawl.  Interesting in a sad way.  My Grandmother died last night.  104.  She was in hospice and I knew death would be soon.  I know she lived a lovely adventurous life.  But that does not mean I did not hurt a bit at the news and I am just sad.

I realized today it is not okay to be sad in our society.  When people ask how I am and I say said, they try to cheer me up.  Tell me 104 is a long life.  She saw so many things and changes.  I would have to agree with that.  But I can be sad that the person who helped teach me to crochet and sew is not here to see what I make.  Or see Koda Bear grow.  Or find out what happens with the Tall Short Person next. 

In many ways, I want to be both my grandmothers when I grow up.  But I am sad.  And that is fine.

bits and pieces (mostly a quilt top is pieced!)

This weekend was trying to get caught up a bit after traveling.  Especially since there is about a month before we travel to Sitka.  It is where I wanted to go and I made it happen.  Koda Bear and my parents are going to go with me so it should be interesting. 

I finished mending one of my work sweaters that became a bumming around in sweater.  I had a cashmere cardign that had gone to lace due to holes but I decided to take some of the yarn I made and make the patch.  That was in Montana, in July, over the fourth of July.  I just got it stitched on.  My Dad would now say my elbow is sick again because it cannot be out.  Stupid old jokes and puns.  But I have a mended sweater to bum around in.  Under my waterproof, it will work well in Sitka.

I also got the next quilt top pieced.  I am so pleased.  And I took the easy way out and put the back together.  There was still some stitching involved but not so much piecing.  I am looking forward to the quilting.  Just the rhythm, the meditation.

I have been spinning a bit two, but pictures of my spinning wheel and the yarn are boring.  I will take a picture of the sweater in progress soon.  I am still making the yarn for it!

Just bits of my weekend.  With much tea and books.  A bit of gardening that messed up my hands again.  The gloves I used this time were worn out so I got blisters.  The next pair, a bit too small.  I have not found a pair I like that fits recently.  That is life.

leek fermentation for healthy bellies

I promise this is the last vegetable fermentation for awhile.  Yes, the boyos really did ask for krauts and kimchis so they could have healthier bellies.  And because is goes so well with brautwurst and such.  They really like it.  It is not really my cup of tea.  Give me time and I might change my mind.  My favorite fermentation is sourdough.  Oh well. 

That is life with boyos.  But the title of this post was actually said in my house.  I keep thinking that I should write them all down.  All those interesting one liners.  It also has been suggested that a movie be made of the goings on but nobody would truly believe our normal life.  This is from someone who works on films and likes documentaries.  Life is always unexpected.

Leek-chi

Note:  Taproot magazine has been my friend for starting fermentations.  I try to stay close to the recipes unless items are hard to find and then I go with what I have in stock or I can buy locally.

6 cups leeks (about 3 pounds), with 2 to 3 inches on the green, washed well and sliced thinly crosswise

2 teaspoons real salt

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ancho chile, ground or to taste

1 teaspoon chipolte chile, ground or to taste

In a large bowl, put the leeks.  Cover with salt and toss.  Massage or press with a tamper to start brine development (I used my muddler).  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.  Let rest covered for 45 minutes with a cloth.

After the rest, brine should have started to develop.  Transfer into a quart jar and tamp down so there are no air pockets.  I did this a bit at a time.

Cover with a quart bag.  I filled with rice but you can use water.  Let the brine come around the sides of the filled bag.  Cover with a cloth and let sit in a cool place for 5 to 10 days.

Make sure the vegetables stay submerged during this time.  I did not have any scum form but if you do scoop it out and put your weight back.  When the color changes from green to a yellow-green and the leek-chi is pungent, remove the weight, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator. 

Boyos like.

walnut sour cherry rye bread

I am having a difficult time getting back into the swing of Houston life since we have been back.  The upheaval at work is not helping as well as the heat of late summer.  Our last traveling bit was for the boyos and I just did not feel like I came back refreshed.  I have already done some mending today and I hope to put my hands in dough and sit at my sewing machine.  That may help.

Before we left, I made a walnut sour cherry rye bread.  I have been listening to the Kerry Greenwood Corinna Chapman mysteries and since Corinna Chapman is a baker there are all these lovely descriptions of bread and food.  Corinna Chapman starts most mornings with some of her own bread, many times rye, and sour cherry jam.  I rifted on that for this bread.  I was thinking it would be great with cheese on our travels.  The youngest of the boyos though did not think this was food so there was much to much eating out done due to just trying to get him fed.

I made two loaves of this.  I gave half to two different co-workers.  One came back and said it was fabulous as the bread for grilled cheese.  The other, who like stout beers, said it tasted like a really nice Lambic beer, and also like a Flemish Sour Ale.  Since I have not found a beer I like, I would not know but someone else may.  I think it is pretty fabulous with butter and with cream cheese.  The grilled cheese is on my list and smoked salmon and cherry jam.  

walnut sour cherry rye bread

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1 cup rye flour

2 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup walnut oil

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup finely chopped dried sour cherries

3 teaspoons salt

5 to 6 cups dark rye flour

The night before, mix the starter, 3/4 cup water, and 1 cup rye in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit overnight.  Take out a couple tablespoons of starter for the next batch of bread.

Into the starter, mix the water, honey, oil, walnut, and cherries.  Mix in two to three cups of rye flour.  It should be the consistency of pancake batter.  Cover and let sit until bubbly, a couple hours or more.

After the batter is bubbly, mix in the salt.  Mix in two more cups of flour.  You should have a stiff dough.  Turn out onto a counter floured with rye flour and start kneading.  The dough should be very soft.  The sour cherries may soak up more liquid and rye rises better if it is a moister dough.  Place back into a cleaned bowl, and let rise until double.

Grease two large loaf pans.  Divide the dough into two and form into a loaf shape.  Place into the pans.  Cover and let rise.  My house was cool so I let the loaves rise overnight.

Turn the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put in the loaves and bake for one hour.  The loaves are done when they sound hollow when tapped.

It is best if you can wait at least twenty minutes before cutting but that rarely happens in my house.  Enjoy.