26th
I love this photo. My brother Russ looking so cute like Opie on Mayberry, my dad holding me on his lap with his ginormous hand resting on his leg with the other gently tucked around my arm; my mom looking spiffy in her dress, my sisters Mary Ann and Nancy with their sweet little bangs and fresh scrubbed faces. Besides wanting to honor our brave fallen soldiers on Memorial Day I want to honor my brother and my mom. I hear a lot about them now from my dad who is in the grip of dementia. His short term memory is fading quickly but his long-term memories are fresh and so he has many stories to share about my brother and my mom. Russ died in his late thirties at the peak of his career—but a man who accomplished so much in the time he was given and my mom died in her late sixties—a woman who loved to laugh and gave me these words of wisdom before she passed away, ” Now be sure to laugh every day!” Wise words that I’ve tried to apply to my life.
Happy Memories to you all.
15th
I’ve been experimenting with various bread recipes this year and I found this one and my daughters love it. It’s easy, inexpensive and tasty. I’m presenting the recipe as I found it via a breadmaking chat room. Enjoy!
Measuring: When measuring the flour, fluff it with a spoon and then spoon it into the measuring cup and level but DO NOT PACK. This is the most important thing for getting consistency.
-
- 5 1/2 C bread flour
- 1 TBS salt
- 2 1/2 tsp rapid rise or bread machine yeast
- 16 oz very warm water
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS honey
Place all dry ingredients in the mixer bowl but don’t turn on mixer. In a separate container, place the warm water and add the oil first and then the honey, using the same measuring spoon, as the oil will keep the honey from sticking to the spoon.
Stir the liquids together and stir them, then turn on the mixer with dough hook installed to low speed for 15 seconds. Then add the liquid mixture all at once and turn the mixer to its lowest speed for about a minute and a half—until ingredients are pretty well together and shut it off. Let it rest this way for 10 minutes.
Turn the mixer to the second speed and let it run 3 minutes. Remove the dough hook and turn the dough onto a floured board or table. Knead 3 or 4 times to get the air bubbles out.
Place it in an oiled bowl (you can put it back in the mixer bowl) and put it in a warm place, like your oven with a cloth draped over it for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, punch it down and turn it onto the floured surface and knead another three or four times. Form loaves and put into 2 loaf pans.
Put them in the same warm place with a cloth draped over them and let them rise 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is the color you like. If you put a small pan of water on the rack below the bread, it will make the crust softer and chewier. Remove from pans and let cool at least 30 minutes on a wire rack.
I usually brush the tops with olive oil because it softens the crust a bit and makes the loaves look nice.
This bread has a wonderful flavor and keeps very well.
13th
A photo of a sweet punkin of mine. I love this photo because it contains so much joy.
08th
This image is made in honor of all the hair stylists who bring so much creativity, joy and beauty into this world. Thank you!
06th
A drawing from my sketch journal made during a trip to Cape Cod. A good reminder during hectic days to hit the “pause” button,take a deep breath and remind oneself to take it all one step at a time.
02nd
It’s swimsuit season again and the Lands End catalogs are arriving daily and their arrival makes me think of this illustration I did for Atlantic Monthly. Shopping for a swimsuit can be painful and arduous. My best memory of trying on a suit is this: I was shopping with my oldest daughter who was three at the time. When I tried on my swimsuit she looked up at me and said in the sweetest little voice, ” Mommy, you look so beautiful!” Seeing myself through her eyes made me be less critical of how I looked in a swimsuit and I keep that suit to remind myself of that sweet moment.
rss feed
