Where have I been keeping myself?
Things I have been doing instead of posting on this blog:
- Playing World of Warcraft.
- Knitting. I have finished
a pair of socks! Go me!
- Working for The Shakespeare. This may develop into a full-time job. I have been working there steadily since mid- August, in both the scene and paint shops.
- Eating carrots. I have become some kind of carrot-addicted rabbit-person. No, really.
- Watching the Forsyte Saga (series 2). Oh, the drama. Oh, the costumes. Gina McKee is fabulous. Soames is suitably horrid. I want to make early twentieth century fashion popular again.
- Going to Greensboro and Maine. Both were lovely.
Baby Eggplant #1
Baby Eggplant #1
Originally uploaded by AdridneAnother Takoma Park Farmer's Market purchase. I bought two, actually, for 75 cents total. Both together fit in the palm of my hand. The man asked "Is this all?" somewhat dubiously. I assured him that it was.
I think I'll paint the second one tomorrow.
Watercolor, 5.5" x 5.5"
Taylor Gold
Taylor Gold
Originally uploaded by Adridnemmm.... Taylor Gold pear.
Watercolor, 4.75" x 4.75"
Look what I got! Salvation Army is my friend. I went there to drop off a ginormous carload of stuff that Fuz and I no longer need/want, and I stopped into the thrift store, and there was a spinning wheel!
I have been drooling over pictures of spinning wheels in the Halcyon Yarns catalogs for years, but I never thought I'd be able to afford one. But there she was, covered in dust between two stools. $40. For those of you who are not in the know, this is aproximately 1/10 of what one could expect to pay for a spinning wheel. Really nice ones can cost upwards of $1,000. So, after researching the maker, asking for advice on Craftster, and checking with Fuz (space is at a premium here) I returned to the store and bought it. Yay! I am in love.
It's made by Clemes & Clemes, a manufacturer which no longer makes spinning equipment. But there are rumors that they're going to start again real soon...
In other news: we're going to France on Friday. Maybe I can buy roving to spin? We will see...
PS- No, I do not know how to spin. I'm working on that part, okay?
Labels: France, spinning
Grad School? Check.
I'm back.
Today Fuz and I will go upto Philly and tomorrow we'll return with the rest of my stuff. The cats, thank god, are already here in Silver Spring.
I am a Master of the Fine Arts in all but name.
Graduation on Thursday.
Woo hoo.
Jammie Pilfering Motherfuckers.
Someone stole half my laundry.
The darks.
I took the darks out of the dryer and put them in my giant purple laundry bag, put the lights in the dryer and went back upstairs. When I went down to retrieve my nice, freshly cleaned clothing, the lights were still in the dryer, but the bag of dark laundry was no where to be seen.
Who steals laundry?
There is a door to the outside in the laundry room. It is frequently left open.
Downstairs-neighbor-Brian said he saw strange men knocking on doors just after the time I left my laundry. He heard them go into the laundry room.
They got most of my pants.
My new favorite pants.
My black linen capri pants with a broken belt loop that I loved anyway.
Many t-shirts.
And my pj pants.
They stole my jammies.Jammie stealing bastards.
Labels: laundry, theft
Biscotti
Biscotti
Originally uploaded by Adridne. I have some strong opinions about biscotti.
1) They should be hard. We're not making nice little almond cookies here. This is food that fights back. If you can chew them without dipping them in a beverage, you're doing it wrong.
2) They should be filled with almonds. The actual cookie part is really just there to cement the almonds together and carry the almond extract.
3) Actually, I guess I only have two strong opinions about biscotti.
I foolishly left my All New Joy of Cooking in Philly. I wanted to make biscotti to bring up to Maine for Christmas, so I looked for recipes on the internets. This led to Cooking for Engineers, home of my favorite corn fritter recipe. The biscotti recipe was.... okay. I upped the almonds and almond extract, and, in the end, added some impromptu extra liquid. The result:
Biscotti
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Mocha Caramel cream liqueur*
1 cup whole raw almonds
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350. Chop the almonds. But not a lot. Chopping each almond into 2 or 3 pieces is about right. If some whole almonds get through, that's fine. Toast them in a toaster oven until they're a bit browned and really fragrant. 400 is about the right temperature.
Cream the sugar and eggs together. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, the liqueur, and the almonds.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the egg mixture. Fold it until it's well mixed. At this point the dough should be really, really sticky. Like you mixed up a batch of plaster using superglue instead of water. You can start mixing it with a fork or a wooden spoon, but I highly suggest finishing it with your hands. It just works better. If the dough isn't sticky, add some liquid 1 tbsp at a time until it gets to the aforementioned plaster/superglue consistency.
You will have a lumpy batch of incredibly sticky dough. Separate it into two halves, and make each one into a loaf about 3 inches wide and an inch thick. This is best achieved on the baking pan. They should be flat little loaves. A sil-pat sheet will really help you out here. Other wise, lightly grease the pans first. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until the loaves are light brown. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking time. When they're done, let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slice them into 1/2"-3/4" thick pieces, cutting at a slight diagonal. Spread these out on the baking sheet, one cut side up, and bake them at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown on top. Turn them over and bake for another 8-10 minutes until this side is golden brown, too. Let them cool completely before storing them in an air-tight container. They keep for about a month, though in my household they're usually gone in a week or less.
Makes about 25 biscotti.
*When I was making this batch, I finished the dough and it was NOT RIGHT. It was crumbly and dry, like pie crust dough. It is not to panic, thought I. We'll just see what's in the fridge I can use as some extra liquid. Milk? Eh. Chai concentrate? No. Godiva liqueur? Maybe. Mocha Caramel cream liqueur? Hell yes!
Back from School
I have returned from Philadelphia and
the worst apartment ever. Perform a little trick with me, okay? I am going to predict which of your upstairs neighbor's pipes you would
least like to have leaking into your living room. Pick one. Think hard! Got your least favorite pipe in mind? I know what it is. I think we all know what it is. That's the one which was leaking into my living room until Wednesday. It is now not leaking anymore. It only took my landlord three months to fix it.
I can't wait to not live in Philly anymore.
Excuse me while I go make biscotti to bring to Maine tomorrow.
