It's been a long time since I posted. It's been a hard year but I'm better now, as Stan says to Ollie.
This Christmas I'm embarking the long-planned and still very exciting doll project. . . I'm making a long winter scene from Laura Ingalls Wilder's writings. There has been a flurry of collecting and making and assembling things. The bespoke dolls are being bespoke, as we speak! Today I have pictures of Ma, still in her underwear and that only partially finished but you'll get to make her acquaintance.
She is wearing a petticoat made of fine linen and hemstitched but old and worn. Remember the brown and red shawl she got at the Christmas party at the church the year before? I haven't hemmed it yet. Note the lovely dresser, restored by the resident restorer, Bill. All the items are quarter size, that is 1/4 our size.
On the dresser is Ma's knitting basket. Don't you think her hands are beautiful?
And on the bed is the fabric for her dress, ready to be cut out. On the dresser are some quilt squares. Note the chamber pot under the bed!
Here are the packing case kitchen shelves, with their dishes, jars and pans. See the coffee grinder on the top? Ma's and Mary's rocking chairs stand ready.
I plan to make a new what-not but this little one is making do right now. The clock works, the little flowered box is not really right but the spotted dog is exactly right! Leaning against the bottom shelf is an 1881 calendar which is actually a trade card from 1881.
Stay tuned for more progress reports!
It turns out that I am allergic to carpet beetles. Nobody else here is, just me. And how allergic! Big red welts and how it itches! But we have learned that a thorough cleaning and vacuuming reduces the chances of my having a new crop of welts considerably. So once a month now, I deep clean. Move all the furniture, vacuum all the carpet, mop all the floors. Fresh sheets every few days. The Victorians would consider that the bare minimum of house cleaning, I'm sure. Last week I did all that. I was a cleaning fiend. And afterward, I got my self a prize. Some "Nick and Nora" Pajamas. Extra Large, but of course they lied. They almost fit but were too tight in places. I was undismayed. I added large white gussets where space was needed and now they fit perfectly. These are really Spring time pajamas. Notice that some of the birds are reading books, truely these are Ana Pjs.
At Christmas, the people who supply me with eggs gave me a sweet squash, which I kept on the counter as a decorative element. Then I decided to use it. I baked it whole, cut it in half, cleared out the seeds and mashed up the pulp. I was surprised how sweet it was. Some I ate on the spot. The rest was made into a curried soup with some chicken and broth and served with chicken salad with grapes and pecans. What a lovely lunch to have in winter with a friend. Afterward we went to Spring Mill Park for an early look around. Luckily it was almost warm that day.
Bill and I often talk about Little House subjects, especially when we are working on a project or reading a related book. Right now I'm reading Little House, Long Shadow by Anita Clair Fellman. Such analytical books often bring out my most argumentative side, believe me! I am loath that any criticism be leveled at my heroine Laura. So it is not surprising perhaps, that Bill has dreamed about the Ingalls. He woke up this morning talking about a restaurant dedicated to the Little House Books. So I got busy and made up a menu. It was a good excuse to make biscuits for breakfast too!
Now all I have to do is win the lottery to open a half dozen or so Restaurants!
The last bright thing is this, after all these weeks, the orchid is finally beginning to bloom! One wouldn't have thought it would stay in the bud so long! The last picture I took for you was a month ago!
I am so happy it's March and almost not Winter any more!
This is the coldest weather we've had since the demise of the furnace. It has become hard to keep warm, unless one hugs the stove. The laundry room and the work room are running about 50 degrees, which seems very cool to my shoeless feet. heavy socks not-withstanding. Even the kitchen is chilly. It is true we are currently burning the scrap wood and saving the dry oak for later, but it is also true that we will start the last truck-load of wood sometime this week. I certainly hope our wood man will be able to get out and chop some more wood for us!
Friday we drove to Plainfield to shop at Gilly's Antiques. I found a treasure trove of miniatures for Mary Lincoln: A lovely glass-walled what-not.
Here is the tea set on top:
And then with the carved box on top, which do you like best?
And finally with the tiny glass doors closed. Look carefully to see the tiny latch. I'm thinking the tiny Noritaki oval dish should have a little rack to make it easier to see.
Then I found some items in a larger size that I think would make a scene from Laura Ingalls Wilder's "The Long Winter" :
See the coffee grinder, in which they ground the wheat all winter? The kerosene lamp which ran out of kerosene? The tiny clothespins with which Ma hung out the laundry to freeze dry? There's a coffee pot, a tea pot and a baking tin, even a sifter. However these are not the same size as doll house items. They will require made-to-order dolls. And a much taller room. I suspect it will take me nearly a year to get it all together. It would be fun to have for next Christmas.
Last week, after the monthly shopping trip, Chicken breasts went on sale for .88 cents a pound. So, though I am not yet completely out of chicken, I had to go and buy some. There was a limit of two packages and each package was about 5 pounds so I boned 10 breasts and made 11 packets of white meat. We had some fresh, cooked in wine and mushrooms for Sunday night dinner. The pot of broth I made from the carcasses is stored in the garage until I get all the bones out and boil it down just a little more. I notice that now one can buy little thin plastic bags to wrap individual pieces in but I just wrapped them in waxed paper, like I have always done.
Five just fit in a one gallon resealable bag. Now the little freezer is quite full. Something that always makes me feel rich.
Last week I got the idea to bake the tortillas in mixing bowls so we could have a sort of fajita salad. I sprayed the bowls with Pam and baked them for about 12 minutes in a 400 degree oven. We loved this variation and have already had it again!
Fajita salad in tortilla bowl with beans and rice on the side. Covered with cheese, sour cream and salsa. And French Dressing too.
We have spent this day watching the Inauguration, tissues at hand because we were tearing up from time to time. I am still waiting to see the gown Michelle has picked to wear to the dances tonight.
It's not just the Birthday Week, it's also the Anniversary Week, the part of the year we celebrate most seriously We were married 11 years ago just a week before our Birthdays. This year we had a lovely week indeed. On our Anniversary we ate a nice Stir-fry at home after spending the day out shopping, reading at our favorite Non-lending Library, Barnes and Noble, and having a quick lunch at McDonald's. On our Birthday we opened presents at breakfast.
Then we had a quiet day reading and went out to Outback for a festive dinner. There were lots of calls and e-mails and Happy Birthdays on Facebook. I wore all black with Mother's jade necklace shining on my neck. Even on Sunday we went to a party, a Christmas event at Elegant Options Antiques. They were swamped with people, eating their elegant snacks and standing in line to buy Christmas ornaments and presents. We chatted with friends and acquantances. Not too early for a Christmas event evidently!
Here are some of the gifts I received. The little jewel box is reminiscent of Laura's box and I was overcome to get it. Note the tiny book for Abe Lincoln. I loved the lazer cut card from Bill and the preying mantis one. Another favorite is below:
From my Daughter in Seattle and her Husband. Who wouldn't want to be addressed as Super-Mom?
Here is how the book looks on Abe's desk. It is beautifully bound.
You remember how I longed for a fan for Mary. We found this one at Oolitic Antique Mall. It was a charm from a necklace. Bill cut off the little loop. On Monday we were quite unready to resume normal duties. But on Tuesday I mopped the floors and straightened up for Eliyah's usual visit.
We read the last Chapter of The Long Winter on our Birthday. And neither of us could resist a few tears:
"The table looks some different from what it did a few days ago" Pa said as he heaped Mrs. Boast's plate with turkey and stuffing and potatoes and a large spoonful of cranberries. And as he went on filling the plates he added, "It has been a long winter."
"And a hard one," said Mr. Boast.
"It is a wonder how we all kept well and came through it," Mrs. Boast said.
While Mr. and Mrs. Boast told how they had worked and contrived through that long winter, all alone in the blizzard-bound shanty on their claim, Ma poured the coffee and Pa's tea. She passed the bread and the butter and the gravy and reminded Pa to refill the plates.
From "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"They were all dressed and washed when Pa came in with the milk half frozen in the pail.
After he had got his breath and melted the frost and snow from his mustaches, he said, "Well, the hard winter's begun"
Why, Charles," Ma said, "It isn't like you to worry about winter weather."
"I'm not worrying," Pa replied, "But it's going to be a hard winter."
From "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
It's turned warm now, for a week or two but I'm still expecting another load of wood any day now. It's better to be prepared . . . Perhaps this is "Indian Summer".
Last week I bragged about saving $50 on this month's groceries. Then the next week's grocery store flyers came out. What's this, chicken breasts for .77 a pound! And pork roast for $1.78 a pound! I did read a prediction that meat would go down before it went up, the supposition being that farmers would first butcher a little early rather than buy the more expensive feed this fall. Later the price will go up to pay for the feed. So I bit and spent another $25. Then I went home and boned 15 chicken breasts and froze them, and with what we already had that's 25, count 'em 25 approximately 1 pound chicken breasts in the freezer. As well as 4 pints of chicken broth with chicken bits in, ready to make soup. That is kind of a big production, and one needs to plan to take off the trash afterwards before it begins to stink!
See the pile of bones and skin on the left?
Note the wax paper instead of lids. That way the jars won't break when the broth freezes. After it's frozen, you may replace the paper with lids, providing that the jar wasn't over-filled and conseqently bulging from the top! If you're going to use them soon, the waxed paper will do fine. Because I poured rather than ladled, most of the fat is in one jar, but that's all right, I'll use that one to make a cream soup or sauce, adding the flour shaken in a jar with some liquid, broth, milk or water, depending on what I'm making, instead of mixing it with butter to make a roux. I boiled this broth down to make it flavorful and rich. I added celery leaves and smoked salt and freshly ground pepper for flavor. As a diabetic, noodles are not such a desirable addition but I was thinking of beaten egg to make those thin shreds such as in some Greek soups.
While I was at the store, I looked at .17 a pound potatoes. Two decades ago I liked to buy potatoes for .20 a pound, in 50-pound bags. So I looked at these sale potatoes. But they were spotty and shriveled. Last years potatoes, the last stored ones before the new crop comes in. I'll wait. I may pay more but I will have fresh potatoes, thank you very much!
My daughter in Seattle is missing the mid-west autumn. We've already had three frosts and windy days and rain so we're a little past the peak but here is a picture of our back yard. I do love the fall!
I've had requests for the Beef and Barley stew from last week. It's very simple:
1 # stew beef or chuck, cubed
1 medium onion, minced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 can minced tomatoes
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t smoked salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup whole barley. I had to buy Bob's Red Mill this time and it wasn't precooked like Quaker, but it was lovely after cooking all afternoon in the crockpot.
1/2 package of mushrooms, about
About 2 quarts of water, home-made stock or boullion.
I don't brown the meat. I just put everything in the crockpot and turn it on. Wait, I don't put the mushrooms in until an hour before we eat. I did this at 10 am and by 6 pm it was delicious. We ate it with rye toast and butter on the side.
I have been watching Victorian Cooking on youtube and they recommend browning shin bones in the oven and then simmering them in water with unpeeled onions and carrots, salt and pepper, all day for a lovely broth. And I will try that just as soon as shin bones go on sale, but a quality boullion is quite acceptable to my way of thinking.
"Now Laura," Ma said kindly, "You must not be so easily discouraged. A few blizzards more or less can make no great difference."
"The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
On Wednesday we went to the stores and bought 5 weeks worth of groceries. That includes the Butcher store, the Health food store and two grocery stores. It took us about 2 1/2 hours.
At the Health food store, I bought bulk molasses and maple syrup, Tibetian Pink rock salt and Applewood smoked salt, chili powder and decafe Earl Grey Tea, and a dozen lovely red peppers on sale for .33 apiece. These define the tastes of this month's cooking, to some extent. The peppers are frozen, nearly a gallon of them for fajitas, salads and omeletes, Eliyah will make pancakes after school to eat with maple syrup, and the salts, well, nothing tastes better for me than scrambled eggs with smoked salt and ground pepper for breakfast! The total was $24.80 and constitutes my quarterly trip to the Health food store. Counting that and the others, my total for 5 weeks was $300.75. We saved $50. Of course, as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If we find ourselves jaunting to the store in less than a month to get some goodie we're out of, well, that would be a failure of the budget, wouldn't it?
My menus for this week include Pasta, which will make three meals, Beef stew with barley and mushrooms, Pork tenderloin sandwiches and Clam chowder with toasted cheese sandwiches. We bought plenty of ice cream, fruit and chocolate for desserts.
This week I made Rye bread for a change, using the molasses and some cocoa powder to impart some color and flavor. I rolled the loaves in chopped sunflower seeds too. It is yummy.
Today is a very windy day. The air is like, buoyant, as I noticed when I went out to rescue two t-shirts left out to bleach in the sun. So I left the garage door up and the door into the house open, to bring in that leafy air. When I went out to get something in the garage, I found a wren trembling on the work table. She was so afraid of me she wouldn't shoo out, she just couldn't move with fear. I put up the second door and left her alone and now she has gone. It is so windy, the garage must have seemed like calm from the storm.
Eliyah made breakfast Pizzas Thursday, biscuit dough with eggs, cheese, bacon and a slice of tomato. They were very good and he has written down the recipe for his box. We used lard in the biscuit dough, which gives it a special flavor.
Some have mushrooms on them.
My sole decoration for Halloween is the witch in our kitchen, brought all the way from Yugoslavia.
I have been making lists at the dining room table by lamplight, even though it's the middle of the day. I find it makes the lists go better, and now I think I'll add a cup of Earl Grey tea too.
