Commonplace Book

What I’m fixing:

The farm share is in full swing, and, combined with a zillion blackberries I bought off craigslist last week, the bounty has been shaping our eating.

Commonplace Book

 

Trying to find places all over the house to accommodate the glads that keep tipping over outside

As my mother pointed out that I hadn’t posted in a month, here’s a quick check in while the toddler shakes seed jars on my lap. We are back in the States, attempting to tame the yard, rejuvenate my sourdough starter, and find me time to write as we settle back into our routine.

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

Commonplace Book

I’m feeling hopeful these days because I read that when you plant bulbs, you can expect that sometimes the first year they sleep, the next year they creep, and finally they leap. We are pretty firmly in creeping territory, and I’m not sure any of my new ones from last fall will bloom this year round. But six of my peonies have returned, and that is a great source of satisfaction and hope.

Commonplace Book

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

Note: OK, y’all, I’ve been letting this one roll for about two months, as you’ll see in my cattle call of cakes. Bear with me as I get caught up!

Commonplace Book, 55

I’m finally learning how to French braid! Like a real girl!!

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

What I’m fixing:

• Do you, dear reader, find yourself possessed of the calm conviction, “This is how I die” every time you endeavor to hack up a butternut squash? This trick doesn’t work for every recipe — because cubed roasted squash is really freaking good — but sometimes you can just roast the behemoth whole and cube it later. See instructions here.

Commonplace Book, 54

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

Also on the recent menu

What I’m fixing:

• In the continuing vein of mediocre cake skills, what do you do when you tear up a cake all to hell trying to get it out of the pan? If you’re me, and not cutesy enough for cake pops, you crumble it up further, throw it in a fancy wedding-gift dish with instant pudding and Heath bar bits, and call it trifle. BECAUSE IT TRIFLED WITH YOU, FIRST.

Commonplace Book, 53

‘Tis the season around here. Your neck of the woods, too?

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

Commonplace Book, 52

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

What I’m fixing:

• The incredible inedible egg(plant): no more! Because my friend suggested I could chop it up and hide it in taco meat and so I ate it along with its two skinny sisters from our farm share. And then the following week I hid it in ground beef that I seasoned vaguely Greek and topped with puff pastry because, duh.
• In continuing adventures of hiding vegetables: Summer squash fritters with garlic sauce.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT AT HOME: subbing a giant and seedy summer squash for zucchini because UM:

Commonplace Book, 51

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

What I’m fixing:

Chocolate Rose Cake. I’m just getting around to posting this from Scout’s birthday mid-month. This recipe/tutorial was written by a lousy cake froster for a lousy cake froster like me — seriously, I try to enlist Pippin to frost cakes so I can pass the lousiness off as charming. And after all that reading and diagram studying, J ended up doing the fancy icing for me after I put on the crumb coat. But I’m not mad about the results!

Commonplace Book, 50

What is a commonplace book? For me, this is a space where I post interesting links, reflections on what I’m reading, and the newest recipes I’ve been trying out — a collection of miscellaneous micro-posts.

We celebrated Pippin’s feast day with the Feast of St Peregrine this week. He chose breaded fish, barbecue chips, cherry tomatoes, homemade ciabatta and cinnamon rolls he helped me make. He was over the moon. Kids are so easy sometimes.