back is ready to go

The back for the quilt is done.  I really the fabrics in it.  Part of them came from Ragfinery which means that they are second hand and I bought them by the pound.  The other bits come from a very cool packet of fabrics from another quilt store in Bellingham.  I really like how it turned out.  Now for basting, quilting, and binding.

It is hot here.  I got back from walking and just feel like I cannot get enough water.  The air smelt burnt.  I know it is that time of year but this is the first year in a long time that I have tried walking.  Before, I was in an ice rink.  It was a tad cooler.

little black linen dress

I have been working on a quilt for the Tall Short person.  Yes, I know the last quilt I have been working on is not finished.  But  I have this habit of always working on nine squares while I am making a quilt.  When I was putting together the last top, I started in on these squares.  There are spider webs, forest insects, skulls, bright colours, dark colours.  Pink, purple, and black are predominant.  The back is going to be pieced as well with an ocean theme and a hug in the middle.

But after the quilt top was done, I was figuring out the back.  I put together a little black linen dress while I made more nine squares and thought.  I love this dress even though it is a tad short because that was the fabric I had.  It also seems to collect every thread and fuzzy within a five mile radius.  And if I do not wear apron, the flour!  The flour is everywhere!  But that is just normal.

But it is comfy.  And it is black.  And it is linen and it is the time of year where the temperature sits around 100 degrees Fahrenheit most afternoons.  It felt too hot to breathe outside today so I was a bit of a slug.  Lots of water and stitching but no walking.  I walked a little bit earlier and it was still hot.  Tomorrow may be better and it may not but I may try harder.

baked piroshki

When I have been traveling lately, I have been eating my own food.  It means I can travel more.  It is actually what I would like to be doing right now but autumn is going to be busy.  Cooler too.  I do not particularly like to camp when it feels to hot to breathe.  It feels that way around here lately.

I did send the boyos off to Tennessee.  A different set of boyos then normal but boyos still.  I was asked to make some type of hand pie that was filled with a savoury filling.  The adults loved these.  The picky boyos, and I am not exaggerating, did not think they were food.  I was not surprised.  I have tried to feed them before.  

This is a keeper recipe.  Especially traveling or a surf day or in the refrigerator when I am not home so the boyos will have quick food.  I did tweak it a bit to make it easier for my life.  Part of that, of course, was using sourdough.  They are the only yeastie beasties that I have and I do not go to the store for yeastie beasties.  I also like that they are baked but I did not precook the cabbages.  It was not needed.

This recipe does take time but it is well worth it.

baked piroshki

Note:  I found this on pinterest.  I modified this recipe.

sourdough starter

100 grams flour

100 grams water

1 1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled until warm

3 to 4 cups flour plus flour for kneading

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground meat

4 small potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup cabbage, shredded

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste

A few hours or the night before, mix the sourdough with 100 grams flour and 100 grams water in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit in a warm place until bubbly.

In a pot of water, put the peeled and quartered potatoes.  Bring the water to a boil and turn down to a simmer.  Cook the potatoes until soft.

In a skillet over medium heat, put the olive oil and onion.  Cook the onion until some brown is showing.  Add the garlic.  After about five minutes, add the ground meat.  As it is browning, add the potato, cabbage, salt, and pepper.  Once the meat is browned, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.  Set aside in a bowl to cool  It is easier to make the piroshki when the filling is not hot to handle.

 

Reserve a bit of the sourdough for next time.

Mix in the milk, sugar, and warm water.  Mix in 3 cups of flour.  Turn out onto the counter and knead until smooth and silky.  Cover and let rise until double in a warm place.

Portion out the dough into 2 inch balls.  I got about 24.  Flatten out the ball of dough and place a tablespoon of the meat of filling in it.

Bring the sides up and twist to close.  Place on a baking sheet with the twist down.  

Fill all the buns.  I had extra meat filling which is waiting for next time or for a pie.  Allow to rest covered for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  When the oven is preheated, bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden.

So good!  So handy.  Good traveling food but good lunch food too.

together

I am not sure I should be writing now.  My head is hurting something fierce and I have a tendency to babble when it feels like this.  It may actually be the stress of the week is over causing my head to hurt.  The comedy of errors that is going on is astounding.  But I cannot do much about the comedy other then survive.  It is going to be interesting.

The quilt top I have been working on is together.  I now need to finish putting the back together.  I do not have a piece of fabric that I like to go with it that is the correct size.  But I can basically make a simpler quilt for the back.  Which I am working on.  I hope to have it finished it time for me to baste it without the help of Koda Bear.  He sneaks off with my safety pins!  You should see what he does with my button box!  Did you know straight pins and buttons become swords?  Koda Bear is a trip but it is much easier to baste the quilt without his help.  I just to make sure doughnuts are ready to be fried on Sunday.  I promised.

It will be a quiet weekend at my machine and wheel for me this weekend.  I will continue to be amazed at how large my pumpkins are getting.  And I was thinking about playing with lamination again.  Though I saw a crazy video with plain and chocolate laminated doughs with a chocolate filling that makes me wish to experiment.  I should have started something like that this morning so it may have to wait until next week.  It was mentioned to a chef this week that I bake a little bit.  As the story goes, he mentally rolled his eyes until he found out that I play with kouign amman.  I have difficulties spelling it and enunciating it at times but I do.  I was thinking about a cardamom roll or a croissant or a cornetti or . . .  Do not leave unattended butter and dough in my vicinity this weekend.  Which reminds me, I do think I need butter.

Some stitching is going to happen soon.  Black fabric is being washed because it is all I wish to wear.  Even though I picked up some flowered (floured :) ) linen.   Something  I have been looking for for years and found today.  When I wish to wear is dark colours.  I will wash it away and put it away until I feel like wearing colours again or have an event where black is not appropriate.  Very few places where black is not appropriate but you never now.

See.  I said I babble.

Yes, Chef!

Koda Bear and I were mixing up bread dough this afternoon.  He was talking to me about how wet it was and then I added the flour.  He asked me what it should be like and I said it should be pancake batter.

Koda Bear, who only wishes to eat fish and chips (halibut is preferred), wanted pancakes for dinner.  The planned loaf of bread became the pancakes.  Pancakes even fed company!

I was making oatmeal bread so I was not sure how these pancakes were going to turn out.  I was pleasantly surprised  I  served them with sugared berries instead of syrup.  Everyone seemed very pleased and no one went away hungry.  I would say that was successful.  And Koda Bear did not eat his weight in fish!

Now, particulars.  These are yeasted pancakes.  There is no other leavening.  I have mentioned it before but I do not really like the taste of baking powder.  I would have used baking soda here because of the sourdough but I still do not like the flavour.  I also do not like cakey pancakes.  These are much less cakey.  With the leftover batter, I added some more makings and have dough rising for bread.  Two for one is about my speed right now.  

oatmeal pancakes

Note:  if you want a cakey pancake, add 1 teaspoon baking soda to the batter.  I was working with Koda Bear on this.  He really likes the scale but we were more in a dump mode which is why the volumes.  I also do a lot of bread by feel and eye anymore. 

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1 cup flour

1 cup flour

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup melted butter

butter for frying.

In a large bowl hours before needed, mix the sourdough, 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup water together.  Let sit covered until bubbly.  Reserve a couple tablespoons and store in the refrigerator for next time.

To the starter, mix in the rest of the water, the oats, and the brown sugar.  Give it a good stir.  Mix in the eggs.  Mix in the flour.  It should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter.  Cover, and let sit at least one hour.  

After the hour, the batter should be bubbly and you should be able to see the gluten stretching.  Heat a frying pan or griddle of medium low heat.  When hot, melt butter on it.

Mix in the salt.  Mix in the butter.

I used a third cup measure to pour the batter on the pan.  Wait until bubbles have formed and popped, and the top is dry looking before flipping.  There should be some golden brown.  Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two or until there is some brown.  I fry these on cast iron which continues to heat.  I have to slowly turn the heat down as I fry pancakes.  I get three in my pan at a time.

Fry pancakes until the batter is gone or bellies are full.  Extra pancake batter can be stored in the refrigerator or made into bread.

I served these with sugared berries.  You could use maple syrup but Koda Bear did not need that.  I was thinking that I would have also liked roasted apples with cinnamon and ginger.  But the heat index was 109 degrees Fahrenheit today so roasting apples was not high on the list.  Maybe when it cools off.  

The title of the post is due to Koda Bear starting to say "Yes, Chef!" everytime I asked for his help.  It made me laugh.