bellevett

bottling it up.

has anyone found a way to bottle up feelings yet?

this week has so far been so pleasant. i am in the process of figuring out just how to bottle up the feeling of such pleasant, relaxing, and happy times.

the slow pace of enjoying the company of others, still buzzing from the christmas/solstice holidays and getting ready to celebrate the reviving/clensing feelings of bringing on a new year, has been good for the soul.

 

if you figure it out, let me know.  hope you are enjoying your days.

 

ps. above.  mixture of hot earl grey tea and hot egg nog from a local dairy.  literally my breakfast lunch and dinner at this point. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what a great weekend we have had, enjoying family and the season.

hope you all enjoyed your holiday.

i am off to enjoy this week with my family.  hiking, relaxing, and photo taking with my new camera!?!?!, see you guys in the new year!

 

yule tide greetings.

last night we burned our annual yule log.

toasted our good fortune with home brews.

and burned some wishes.

 

ironically, one of our good fortunes this past year has been our good health, and the health of such a stunningly handsome little man, and it stands to be said that said little man is currently sick for his very first holiday season. 

 

before you feel sorry for me, and for him, let me say that the last two days, we have been snuggled under a quilt on the couch, drinking warm elderberry lemon water, reading books, and watching bad christmas movies. 

so, my idea of homemade egg nog and fine finger foods was traded for some homemade chicken noodle soup and some homebrews.  (our IPA is finally ready, and it is so delicious.)

and my ideas of having an awesome gourmet dinner with my parents here at our house on christmas night is being traded for homemade pizza and some board games with my parents here at our mediocre-ly clean house on christmas night. 

my plan of bringing a fabulous dessert to dinner on christmas eve is being traded for having my mom's cookies for dessert on christmas eve.

and lastly, my plan of knitting 700 more things between now and christmas for various people, is well, just not happening.

actually, i think my trade-offs might end up being better than my possibly ridiculous original plans.

enjoy your celebrations my dear friends!

happy solstice! 10 months old. shoes optional.

december 14, 2011.

so, here in my neck of the woods, its pretty much early fall, or late spring. 

we still have kale, carrots, beets, and spinach growing strong.

we are most hangin outside without shoes on most days. 

60 degrees.  in the winter.  days before christmas.

(we simply must move north. if for nothing more than for the hope of a white christmas.)

 

at any rate, today is winter solstice.

we will enjoy the shortest day of the year.

outside.

with simple foods.

and plan for our early spring garden.

and with that, there is the hope that spring will be here soon.

fresh vegetables are in sight..... distant sight.

 

we might get some snow between winter solstice and our first spring seeds are in the ground, but until the snow comes, we might just be outside barefoot.

i think this boy approves.

bark

 

first and formost: peppermint bark.

the most addictive most rediculous item in the land.

here is how i make mine:

6 oz. semi sweet chocolate

6 oz. milk chocolate (i mix the two together.)

12 oz. real white chocolate (callebaut if you can find it. but if not, just anyone that has cocoa butter as the main ingredient.)

1/8 teaspoon peppermint OIL (this is important.  if you buy peppermint extract, you are going to need about a teaspoon or a little more.  the peppermint oil is an extreme concentration.  i use loranns.)

1 box of crushed up candy canes.  i put mine in the food processor, because i am not into the chunks.

*************

melt your semi sweet and milk chocolate in a double boiler, stirring.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

after chocolate is melted, spread it in a thin layer on the parchment paper.  this works best with an actual spoon.  offset spatula for me was a bust.

put this in the freezer.

melt your white chocolate in a double boiler. 

when melted add your peppermint oil.  taste it and see if it is pepperminty enough for you.  add a bit more if necessary.

take chocolate tray out of freezer, add the white chocolate on top, quickly.  then add your crushed candy canes on top.

put in fridge until solid.

break into pieces and eat massive amounts for breakfast lunch and dinner  package in nice jars and give to all the people you love the very most.

 

 

------------------------------------

so, the whole candied grapefruit dipped in white chocolate was rather.... meeehh.

so, i went another route. 

as i had seen a recipe in ina garten's book back to basics, or maybe barefoot contessa at home... not sure.... with a nut and fruit bark, so i gave it my best shot with the candied grapefruit.

(truth be told, i really like candied orange peels better, but the selection of oranges at my co-op has not come into a good season just yet.  january will be epic.  blood oranges galore, i just know it.)

 

to make you need:

12 oz mixture of good chocolate, i like to mix semi sweet and milk.

1/2 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of salted cashews

1/4 cup of candied grapefruit peels, crystalized ginger, or really any dried fruits you can find.  really.

coconut would be good.

ok, so melt chocolate in a double boiler.

when melted, spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

add cashews.

add raisins. 

put in fridge and chill.  break into pieces and give to your best buds.

 

hooray for holiday foods!!!

among other things....

lots of joy making around here.

lots of crazy around here.

lots of trying to fight the crazy around here.

............................

i finished a sweater for crosby at the beginning of december.

we had our pictures taken that weekend by a very talented photographer, in which crosby wore said sweater.

the pictures are awesome. yes. will show soon.

 

in the meantime, here is the sweater unworn.

and unblocked.

it is the perfect winter pullover.

i raveled it here with details.

.................

i will be back with more soon, but for now, i need to get back to the 2 pounds of peppermint bark.

it needs to be consumed.

 

on december 7th.

yesterday it did this:

i began to believe my dreams were finally coming true of an early december snow.

but, alas, it stopped.

inside i was finishing up this:

now i am officially casting on for a few confidential christmas gifts.

also, i finished letting these dry:

 

they are all packed up in a tin, waiting to be dipped into some white chocolate.  which will happen this weekend. if they last that long.

 

december 5

 

i do want to find ways to bring some heart and soul back into the holidays.

(although it could just be my recent visit to the mall that has been tempting me lose faith in what the season should be about and the way our nation celebrates.... ahem.)

so, yesterday on st. nicholas day's eve, i made some delicious and treatlike buttery parmesan thyme crackers that we can have today. 

the recipe is out of the back to basics cookbook by Ina Garden. 

i own all of her cookbooks, and they are used weekly at the least.

we didnt put any shoes out last night for special treats to be delivered in.

but, we will be celebrating to the fullest today complete with white chocolate covered candied grapefruit peels and some sort of dinner containing cranberries for good measure.

Parmesan Thyme Crackers

original recipe from Ina Garden 

1 stick room temperature butter

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated on a microplane

2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4 c flour

about 1 tablespoon cold water

 

cream butter with your electric mixer

add freshly grated parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper

cream together

slowly add flour

it will get very crumbly at this point and dry

add cold water very slowly, mixing with a fork, so as not to add too much water

when your dough gets nice and soft, that you can knead it into a ball, you are ready

make into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in fridge

pull out of fridge after about 20 minutes

oil a baking sheet lightly with olive oil

preheat oven to 350

cut into thin slices about 1/4 inch or less

place on baking sheet and place baking sheet in freezer for 10 minutes

pop into oven for 20 minutes, checking after 10 and rotating pan

let cool on metal baking rack, store in airtight container

 

and yes, i do believe i can bring some heart and soul back into our holiday traditions via food.

december 3

nothing says the holidays like a real life train exhibit.

 

 

train exhibit

finished a sweater

watched it's a wonderful life

drank some real hot chocolate

merry making is in full swing.

december 2

last night we spent some time elfing....

in the form of bottling some homebrewed beers. 

 

as the bottlecapper, i spent some of my time knitting, while beers were being filled. which seems like a way that i would like to spend all of my days: knitting until a full beer comes my way in need of a cap.  i could really spend all day in the kitchen with cody, endlessly making, and brewing, and cooking up new and more awesome consumable goods that bring us even further into the land of self sustainability. 

yes. that sounds like a good plan.

although here is the truth, it is that i was tired, and crosby was finally asleep, and my mind was telling me to finish a few projects around the house and curl up in the bed with a few more things checked off my christmas to do list.   BUT that list is gone my friends, for december is for living.  and i am glad for it.

 

which brings me to my last post, and my resolution "list". 

like i need another list really.

most of it was blank.  i went through and wrote down a few things that were my most memorable holiday traditions and things that i sometimes dont seem to make time for and then i spent a few days thinking.

and living.

and i realized that what i really wanted and what i was really trying to verbalize was that my true resolution was to live in the moment for the last few days of 2011. 

to snuggle and nap.

to read.

to knit.

to slow down.

to enjoy time with family.

to make cookies with my friends.

to stop thinking of things that need to be done.

to bottle beer at night with my husband.

 

and in one week, i will sit and drink one of those bottled beers. 

modeled after the terrapin brewery's wake and bake.

and i will be happy that i bottled these beers with cody late into the night.

 

so, the moral of this story is that i have a blank sheet of paper numbered 1-31. 

and i am filling it in as i go along.

and that feels right.

 

ps. i am so inspired by Heather.  this post and this post were truly heart opening.