being frugal during Harvey

During Harvey, there were no stores open near us except the corner store.  It is not a huge deal for us because we cook everyday.  I have a lot of food to make here.  The one thing we seemed to go through was large amounts of tea.  Pots and pots of tea.  With milk.  I was worried about the milk supply.  I had stashed some in the freezer but I wanted to make it last as long as possible.  

I decided to make a crepe like pancake with sourdough.  I was making bread anyway so I took a cup of the bread dough when it was in batter form, added eggs, sugar, oil, salt, and about half the milk I usually use and had sourdough pancakes.  I do not like fluffy pancakes so I did not add baking soda.  These were pretty tasty!  If I had no milk, I could use water and still have a good pancake.

I am writing this down for the next trip or storm or.  

sourdough crepe like pancakes

1 cup sourdough starter, 100% hydration (equal amounts of water and flour)

2 eggs

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

(for fluffy pancakes, add less milk and 1 teaspoon baking soda)

butter for cooking

Start heating the griddle over a medium low heat.

Put the sourdough in a bowl.  I was starting this for bread so there is a bit of oatmeal in it.

Mix in the sugar, oil, eggs, and salt.  

Mix in enough milk to have the consistency of pancake you wish.  I like crepe like pancakes so I used a half cup.  If you want fluffy pancakes, add baking soda too.

Melt some butter on the griddle.  Pour about a half cup batter on the griddle.  Let cook until the top is a bit dry.  Flip.

Cook for a few minutes until there is a little bit of brown on the underside.

Serve with a bit of maple syrup or powdered sugar or jam or whatever you wish.

Watch the boyos scarf them up!  I had to save a few for myself.  But the milk got stretched out.  But I will say the frugal version of the pancakes may become the standard pancake recipe.  That is how good they are.

I might make them tomorrow for breakfast.  

the current favorite pizza

Like I wrote in the past, Goat Mountain Pizza in Bellingham, WA is the only place I eat pizza out.  I ate pizza there again last time we were up in the Pacific Northwest.  It is just all decadent to my taste buds.  A lot of it is because it is good bread with stuff on top.  

I have played with it in the city, half a country away.  Then, I checked out Bianco from the library.  I have wished to go to Chris Bianco's resturaunts.  His food looks good.  I actually started to follow him on Instagram because of bread makers.  Which is horribly silly.  My Instagram feed is mostly bread, mountains, surf boards, and skateboards.  It is an odd feed.  

The cookbook was not very inspiring to me but I liked the easy of his crust.  2 cups water, 5 cups flour, yeast, 1 tablespoon salt.  I use sourdough instead of yeast.  He does a thin crust pizza but uses the same recipe for his foccaccia.  That is what I did.  Made a foccacia or sicilian pizza crust.  If I have leftover dough, I have the possibilities of a good bread or croissants.  100 grams of dough.  50 grams of butter.  I make two croissants.  I still have the problem of underproofing croissants but I am getting there.  And this way I do not have to go find a bakery.

On top of that crust, I have been putting parmesan and blue cheese, thinly sliced red onion and brussell sprouts coated with a vinaigrette of oil, balsemic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting it.  This is my favorite pizza currently.  I can eat a quarter of it at a sitting.  The boyos are happy because that means they will get lunch!

Everyone seems tired after Harvey.  Even if they were not "effected" they are tired because if you live here you were effected some way.  My cinnamon rolls are being asked for a lot.  I have been using white whole wheat flour in them to get more nutrition into people who need love for body and soul in the form of a baked good.  I have also been asked for cake.  Eyes lit up so big when I brought out cookies to the shop.  People are craving sweets.  They are thankful for all the good but there is some soul feeding that needs to go on.  I am trying to do what I can.  And baking for anyone who asks.

Harvey is not done yet

It is raining here.  Harvey is not yet done.  But maybe the rain will ease soon.  I have those pictures of the freeways under water.  I have the pictures from two blocks away where White Oak Bayou breached its banks.  It did not flood our street.  It did not come to close to our house.  But, as I type this, it is the first time in days where the skies are lightening a bit.  Safe, dry, with water and power.  I am beyond grateful and thankful.  

I am tired.  Tired from four days of what to expect next.  If there is an emergency, can they get to us or we get out?  My house is on high ground but that does not mean it is accessible.  The street is poorly engineered and floods.  It floods when rain just spits at it!  But it has flowed the whole time.  There is not much more that I can ask.

I have baked bread, made yarn, sewn.  I have done everything I can think of not to check the weather every hour.  Not check continually check on friends.  On the whole, the people I know are lucky.  People I know are out rescuing others and taking of others.  I have opened our doors to friends just in case.  So far, I have not been taken up on that.  It is community.  It is what we saw after Ike.  

I know the chain saw is coming out today or tomorrow because there is some neighborhood cleanup that needs to be done.  Nothing major.  Nothing blocking.  It will be low priority but if we do it someone else does not have to.  Once the rain eases more, the cleanup will start.  It is what we do.

Harvey

We have water.  A bit of wind.  Thunder and lightening at times.  This is good so far.  The problem is that this could be going on for the next four days.  Our street is empty currently but this picture is from this morning.  My morning walk did not happen because I do not walk when there is lightening in the sky.  I admit to being antsy.  I spent much too much time on Pinterest this morning and now wish to go a fabric store.  Inspiration at the wrong moment!

Bread is still being made.  That happens no matter what.  I have tweaked the recipe for my walnut cranberry bread.  I have decided I like it much better with less walnuts.  Where the ratio of cranberries to walnuts is 2:1.  The math major coming out in me.  There will be fresh bread tonight.  I could say as long as we have power but  I know how to bake this in a fire and I have a dutch oven so it will be baked tonight.

Being safe is good.

quietly creating

This summer I do not feel like I have a lot new to share.  Part of that is I have been making for my Etsy shop.  Like this project bag.  I really like it!  But it is not the first project bag I have made.  It will not be the last.  It will go into the shop.  Or at least until I decide it has been there long enough and it is mine.  But thinking that, someone will probably buy it.

I have done a lot of creating this summer but it is this type of creating.  Or creating that fails.  There have been some lovely fails!  Like I am trying to find just the right temperature for our favorite pizza currently.  I will share it because it is that good but we have been eating a lot of not quite right pizza.  It does not mean the boyos do not rave.  There is talk about moving the shop and the Boss got asked yesterday, "But what about our bready treats?  I do not think I wish to work in a new shop!"  I laughed so hard.  I had figured it was a perk.  I let them know when bread has come out of the oven, every time.  There is talk about building me a kitchen in the same space so they can continue to have bready treats.

It has been a summer for creation failure.  But then I have done all the easy stuff.  I am now way into the weeds.  For example, looking at my pizza dough recipe and realizing that it is very close to the croissant dough recipe.  Yes, I was craving croissants and made them from pizza dough.  If they are even better next time, I will post.  It is what I do.  Pushing the envelope.  Creating.  And some times creating just does not go as planned.  That is okay.

There is a tropical storm coming close.  There is predictions for much rain and the possibility of power being out.  There is also a boucherrie to go to in South Carolina over Labor Day weekend.  I may be around but not much around in the next couple weeks.