Moments

Well, ahem. It's been a while, much longer than I thought it would be. Going back up to San Francisco, teaching four classes, taking two classes, trying to adjust to working full time and attempting to grasp the ramifications of a few gigantic changes looming on the horizon, I have been in survival mode for the last month and a half. More than often in the last few weeks, I have found myself staring holes into the air after a long day of grading papers, contemplating change and reading about teaching listening and speaking skills to ESL students. I hate to admit it, but I have not felt much of a creative spark. For the first time in four years, I will buy Christmas presents. There. I said it. (Imagine Mozart's Requiem beginning to play as you are reading these words. Ahhh, the drama...).

All is good, though. It really is. I'm just in the process of adjusting, getting ready for some big changes and enjoying the moment. While I certainly feel unsettled, I also feel excited that the future seems a little less defined, a little less clear.

Too many weeks ago, I committed to participating in Amy's Moments. Moments is "a project dedicated to the idea that it is "all the moments that make up a life—not just the pretty ones." Bloggers who participate in Moments seek to "share their imperfections with each other and hope to further the idea that no one can do it all." The timing of Amy's project could not have been better--I have a feeling that, in the coming months, our life might get a lot more unsettled than it is now. I'll have to try my best to appreciate all the moments that will come my way, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Thank you for stopping by! I will be back.

A Productive Weekend

This weekend was great on a variety of levels. Maybe the best news of all is that it has been cool outside. For the first time in probably five months or so, the temperature has dropped below 70.  

I also somehow managed to crochet the pot holders in the picture above while watching  American Beauty, which I considered showing to one of my classes next week. I decided against the movie, but I'm happy that I found the time to make the pot holders. Maybe I'll be able to make at least some of this year's Christmas presents after all. 

I hope you'll have a great week! Thank you for stopping by.

Still Here

I have missed this space. Even though I don't have a lot of readers, this blog occupies a special place in my heart. In some ways, this virtual space has become a sort of home for me over the last year. Not being able to keep up with my bi-weekly postings has made me feel both frustrated and sad--especially as this inability to do something I enjoy translates to other areas of my life as well. I haven't baked a bread in more than five weeks, I haven't gone surfing, haven't made any raspberry jam, and I haven't been able to do any Christmas crafting. But...I have a lot of good news that make the aforementioned sacrifices and changes more than bearable. 

I have been busy on many other fronts. I'm learning about linguistics, which, while not overly exciting, will help me further my career. I have been getting a lot of work done. I graded over 80 papers in the last ten days, prepared for lectures, and met with students outside of class. I have still been able to cook most of our meals. I have been keeping up my running schedule. If everything works out, we will be moving next summer. And, most importantly, I went to New York to meet my Dad and one of my sisters for our annual mini family reunion! 

We had a wonderful time together. The weather was beautiful. After I arrived in New York last Thursday, it cooled down nicely and I could feel a hint of autumn in the air. On Friday, we walked all the way from the Garment District to the City Museum, mostly through Central Park. The leaves just started to turn color and the whole world was drowning in golden light (that was the day I left my camera in the hotel). At the museum, we checked out an exhibit about Manhattan's natural history. It is startling how much Manhattan, or Manahatta has changed in the last four-hundred years. I have a hard time imagining windmills in the Financial District! We also ate the most amazing food, went on a crazy shopping spree, and walked many miles through this fabulous city. It was great to be able to spend time with my Dad and sister, even though it was only a couple of days. 

I look forward to returning to this space more regularly. As always, thank you for stopping by! 

Summer: A Retrospective

This summer was fantastic. In fact, it might have been one of the best summers in history as far as I'm concerned. Here's a little retrospective. 

::Queen Ann's Lace::

::My Beloved Mountains (and Man)::

::Summer Sprinkles::

:: Funny Little Fat Man On a Turtle:: 

:: Grappa on the Piazza della Signora ::

:: Homegrown Tomatoes::

:: San Francisco ::

:: San Francisco ::

:: The Tipsy Pig ::

Thank you for stopping by! 

A New Pair of Socks

As I have been mentioning here and there (in almost every post), I have been incredibly busy and will be even more busy soon. Right now, I'm teaching three classes and taking one linguistics class towards my TESOL certificate. In a couple of weeks I'm going to pick up yet another TESOL class. I'm also going to be traveling somewhere almost every three weeks between now and Christmas. Needless to say that I haven't had much time to do any knitting, baking, or sewing. I'm even considering buying Christmas presents this year. (I can't believe I just wrote that on my "craft" blog). 

But..., there's hope. To prevent myself from turning into a completely stressed-out grump and to maintain at least a marginal claim to being crafty, I started a new pair of socks. I'm using this pattern, but I'm planning to make a pair of knee socks or leg warmers, not anklets. This is the first time I'm using a lace pattern and I'm loving it. I like how logical it is and I enjoy how it comes together row by row. The yarn is a merino, alpaca, nylon mix and is a pleasure to knit. I hope to have these done for our before our next SF trip at the end of October. 

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are having a good week. 

You HAVE To Check This Out

A couple of minutes ago, a friend of mine send me a link to this blog. Scroll down the page and check out the August 17th entry, titled "The Reason Some Girls Stay Single." The writer isn't promising too much; the recording is hilarious. What a freak! 

German Plum Tart

It's been a little quiet around here lately. I have been busy getting used to my new schedule, traveling, and dealing with the heat. All in all, life has been pretty good. What hasn't been good is that we have been eating out way too much. My goal for the remainder of this month is to eat at home as much as possible. 

I kicked off my good intentions by baking a German Plum Tart. In Germany, it is tradition to eat plum tart in late summer and early fall. The tart consists of a pizza dough-like yeast crust and plums. It is served with sugar and cinnamon to taste, as well as with whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. Normally, it only takes about an hour to make the dough. Since the crust involves yeast, I decided to apply Peter Reinhart's principle of delayed fermentation and see what happens. The results were amazing. Check out the recipe below: 

***Because this tart is made using delayed fermentation, it will take 2 days to make it.***

Ingredients: 

500 g all-purpose flour

1/4 l milk

50 g unsalted butter

30 g sugar

1 little bag of yeast

enough plums to fill a cookie sheet of tart

extra sugar 

cinnamon 

whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream

1. Mix the all-purpose flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Slightly heat up the milk, take it off the stove and let the butter dissolve in it. Add the yeast to the butter and milk. Next, dump the liquids to the flour-sugar mix, stir, and knead until a smooth, flexible dough develops. Place the dough in the mixing bowl, cover it, and place it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. 

2. About three hours before you plan to bake the tart, take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up and rise. In the meantime, cut the plums into quarters. 

3.When the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the mixing bowl, place it on a well-floured  surface and roll the dough into a rectangle big enough to fill a cookie sheet. 

4. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and transfer the dough. The best way to transfer the dough is to fold in all sides (it'll look like a small packet) and carefully carry it over to the cookie sheet. Unfold the package and stretch and/or cut the dough so that it fills the sheet nicely. Arrange the plums on the dough and slightly press them in. Then, sprinkle the plums with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and let the dough rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

5. Place the tart in the oven and bake until the edges of the dough are slightly brown and the plums are soft. Depending on your oven and the size of your cookie sheet, this should take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes. 

When the tart looks done, take it out of the oven let it cool down a bit. Sprinkle with more sugar and cinnamon to taste and serve it with ice cream and/or whipped cream. 

The last time I made this tart, a friend of mine made cinnamon whipped cream and spread a thin layer all over it. It tasted great. 

Have fun! As always,  thank you for stopping by.