Getting Settled in Denial

I'm still painting. Still tearing open cardboard boxes, gasping or squealing when I find what's inside. Still washing and wiping dishes, studying cabinets, arranging each clean bowl and sparkling glass.

I should be in a hurry. With oil prices climbing everyday, folks in my line of work are in demand. I need to get back to work. I have to get back to work. But the idea of leaving home, once again, and driving to some far off state and sitting on a hotel bed and flipping on a fastened-down TV makes me cry. Right now the booming wells are in Colorado, Wyoming, the Carolinas. I don't want to travel. I want to be home.

(But how blessed am I to have a career? Thank you, God, for blessing me.)

I'm planting my garden, buying bananas, setting up my sewing machine, and plunking buds in vases as if I never have to leave. Silly me.

Silly, in denial, me.

The Hesed House

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from him.

-Psalm 62:5

I decided not to rush things; not to let my spontaneity gallop wildly through my world again, kicking up dust and making me nervous. I'll go slow and steady with the cabin and land, I promised myself. So this month I found a small, old house to rent down the road from the church I attended as a girl. At noon everyday, I hear the church bells and feel ten years old again.

The house has been empty for some time. It needs updating... it needs another chance. This last week I painted a bedroom, set up my bed, and hung curtains. For the first time in almost 16 months, I slept between my own sheets- not in a hotel suite, guest lodgings, my sister's floor. I woke up this morning and saw familiar things, my things, and thanked God for the rest and hope He's given. It's beautiful.

In deciding what I'd call the place (because houses need names, you know) I felt like Hesed House fit. Hesed is Hebrew for "mercy", but the meaning goes much deeper than that. It's a word that describes the reciprocal relationship between God and man. When it's used in the context of humans, it's talking about extending kindness. Doing favors for the benefit of others. Affection for God. Being lovely. But when Hesed is used in God's context, it refers to His loyalty. How He redeems. Preserves. Keeps promises. And how He created that empty space in us... making us aware of spirituality and His grace.

Last night I was thinking again about Hesed and was interrupted by an email from someone needing a place to stay for several weeks this spring. And suddenly I decided: the name and its meaning is perfect.

This morning I'm making the bed, making coffee, and getting reacquainted with things long packed and a house long awaited.

Happy weekend. -Brin

Cheesemaking, Or, How to Turn Milk Into Magic

Cheese -
milk's leap toward immortality.

Clifton Paul Fadiman

I'm learning to make cheese. It was on my list of 30 things I wanted to do in my 30s. And so here I go, becoming quite the curds and whey girl.

(Actually, the whey girl is Millie. Did you know that dogs LOVE whey? I mean, they love it. Millie jumps in the air for it. Anyone know why this is- that dogs love whey?)

All cheese experts advise starting with "beginner cheeses" like mozarella or cream cheese. Cheese you don't have to load in a cheese press. Cheese you don't have to know advanced chemistry to make. Me? Ha. I flipped to Home Cheese Making's recipe for Farmhouse Cheddar and dragged out the milk.

My first stab at making homemade cheddar cheese was a success. Now I'm addicted. Farmhouse Cheddar is a crumbly white cheddar cheese- kinda along the same texture as feta- that you only have to age for a month. The ingredients are easily had and so's the equipment. I found the hardest part of the cheese making process to be regulating my electric stove to keep the heat just right; too hot and the curds break, too cool and the curds don't set. But with a little (okay, a cheese truck load) of patience, I made, aged, and waxed my first round of cheese.

If you're interested in giving cheesemaking a go, start here: cheesemaking.com. And by all means, find a copy of the book I linked above and decide what you'd like to try your stove at first.

Anyone have cheesemaking tips or advice for beginners? I'd love to hear from folks who do or want to make homemade cheese. Thanks! -Brin

Love and Orchids

I love that God created strawberries. I love that God thought of music. I really love that God made orchids.

I mean, it isn't hard to fall for and follow after a God who makes us orchids.

So today I'm sharing my beautiful petals with you. (You don't mind sharing a bloom, do you?) Happy Valentine's Day, lovely one. Hope you know how deeply loved you are.

And God, we love You because You first loved us. Thanks for the orchid. -Brin

Okra Canning Day

 It's snowing. I've been canning okra. Somehow these things go together to me.

Is okra primarily a southern food? I can't imagine not having okra around. When I was young, my Dad would buy gallon jars of pickled okra when he went to the "city". My siblings and I would nearly hyperventilate when we saw the jars lined up in the back of the car. Nothing said "treat" like pickled okra.

Now I'm buying Star of David okra seed and canning farmer's market bounty in the meantime. It's still a treat: the growing, the canning, and the eating.

Somehow life's come full okra circle...

The BEE (Best Ever Eaten) Cake

I have this little code I sometimes jot on recipe cards. It's BEE. As in, Best Ever Eaten. There are so many recipes out there, you know? I gotta have some way of remembering oh yeah, this is the best ever and I should make it again. Therefore, the BEE.

And what got the BEE this weekend? My own revised version of Ree's Christmas Rum Cake. Only I used Kahlua. And it ain't Christmas. It's BEE.

Sorry for the half cake shots. By the time I got around to grabbing my camera, half the cake was gone. And I may have eaten another piece while taking pictures. It's BEE, I tell you.

BEE CAKE

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Cake:

1 yellow cake mix

1 box (3.5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. Kahlua

1 c. chopped pecans

4 T. brown sugar

Glaze:

1 1/2 sticks salted butter

1/4 c. water

1 1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. Kahlua

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Spread pecans evenly over bottom of pan and sprinkle brown sugar over pecans. Set aside. In medium bowl, mix together cake ingredients. Pour and level over pecans and brown sugar. Bake for about 50 minutes or until skewer just comes out clean. Don't overbake.

Just before cake is out of the oven, melt butter for glaze. Add water and sugar and boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Kahlua.

With the cake still in its pan, drizzle about 1/3 of glaze over the top (bottom). Sit for about 5 minutes, then turn onto cake plate. Poke the cake a zillion times with a fork or skewer, and slowly drizzle remaining glaze over the cake. It will drip down the sides of the cake, puddle at the bottom, and seem like entirely too much glaze. Just keep at it. Trust me.

Store covered up to a week or until devoured. The cake tastes better the longer it sits.

Oh boy, does it. BEE.

Gosh. Now I gotta go cut another piece. ...

Learning to Wash

Have I told you much about plans for the cabin? While creeks and lake abound, there is no access to running water. At all. While a super cool rain harvesting system and a small well are in the works, for awhile water will be precious and a chore.

So I'm learning now to wash in tubs. Sinks. I'm making myself do this so it won't be a shock or another thing I'll have to figure out once I'm facing other cabin-building challenges this spring. Granted, I'm only washing for one, but it's still a process to wash, wring and dry by hand! (And of all the things I can do without, clean sheets and clothes is not among them.) Fortunately, I've had a little help along the way.

First of all, I found a kid to teach me how to wash clothes without a washer. Priceless. I mean, few of us know how to do this anymore. Glad there's still someone out there to teach us before it matters.

Second, I cheated. I found this washer thingy. It is amazing. At first I was skeptical it would do anything but make suds, but somehow this little baby gets things clean. The ultimate test was Millie's blanket after she romped through slushy/muddy snow. (Dog hair. Dirt. Blech.) No problem for this thing. And, dare I say, it's kinda fun and a great way to relieve some stress.

Next, I found a soap that's tough, rinses clean, and didn't freak my skin out. (I have hyper sensitive skin.) Variations of this laundry soap recipe have been circulating the internet for some time, and there's a reason: this soap is the real thing. Affordable, easy, and does exactly what soap is supposed to do. I got the Laundry Soap Starter Set because it was easy. My Mom made her own batch after rounding up the ingredients from WalMart and the local hardware store. Either way, it was a smart, economical move, I think.

Next up, I plan to grab a clothes wringer. And I've forever loved the clothesline. But for now I'm delighted to have clean clothes with no electricity and limited water! Anyone else out there have memories/experience/tips for washing sans a Maytag?

(In case you wondered, I do not receive any compensation for talking about products I love. And Lehman's has no idea who I am. :)

Seed Starting Guide

The temperature outside is 0 degrees. Exactly. I don't care where you're from, that's cold. But inside, all is well. I've pulled out my seed catalogues- a favorite January past time- and have settled in with a Sharpie. Time to get circling, planning, and dreaming. I can't wait for my first garden on the land!

I wanted to share with you gardeners out there, hobby or otherwise, the amazing Lazy Gardener's Seed Starting Chart that Gayla of You Grow Girl dreamed up. Download the chart, then run over to the accompanying link and get the frost dates for your area. Plug in your date and this handy chart will tell you when to plant what. No counting, guessing, or keeping track! How handy is that?

Looks as if I need to be gearing up for Kale and Lettuce. Better get a move on!  -Brin

Pet Preparedness

Millie is in the doorway of the house in Kansas and, despite my pleadings, won't come out to play in the 8 inches of snow. I didn't want to get out either, but we ran out of dog food. Here I am, careful in my preparations, and run out of dog food in the first 3 days of a winter storm.

Oops. I have to do better.

For those of us with pets, let's be prepared. As we ready our families, homes and pantries for tough times, let's not neglect our precious pets. Here, then, is a quick guideline of what I'm trying to keep on hand for the animal in my life:

Food. Keep at least 2 weeks of food in a clean, airtight container.
Water. Store at least 1/2 gallon of water per pet, per day. (More or less depending on animal's needs and time of year.)
Pet Medicine and Medical Records. My vet had no trouble advancing me extra of Millie's medicine. In some instances, this may not be practical or possible. Do what you can. Also, keep a copy of your pet's current vaccination records on hand.
First Aid Kit. For a pet? Absolutely. Bandage rolls, antibiotic ointment, alcohol wipes, latex gloves, flea and tick medicine, etc., are good to have on hand. Keep one at home and one in the car if you can.
Current Picture. A large, printed photo of your pet will be invaluable should he/she go missing or be separated from your family during a disaster.
Carrier, Crate or Harness. Depending on your animal, you'll need something suitable for transporting your pet and keeping them safe. A favorite blanket, toy, or treat inside wouldn't hurt, either.

Undoubtedly there are other things you can add to this list depending on your pet, your location, and your lifestyle. Think it over and stock up for your pet as your time and budget allows.

For a complete list and more information on pet preparedness, check out the ASPCA approved cheat sheet on ready.gov listed here. (See, even the government recommends this preparation.) And as always, if you have suggestions or tips, please leave them in the comments so we can all learn. Thank you!

My heart and prayers are with all those affected
by the tragedy in Tucson. 

National Cookie Day

Today is National Cookie Day. A day I can truly get behind. And what better time to slip you a few of my favorite cookie recipes - new and old - just in time for Christmas baking?

Ready?

Sugar Cookies. This is my go-to recipe for sugar cookies. It's the recipe I use to make all my cut-out cookies. I do sometimes switch it up. For the snowflake cookies pictured here, I actually stirred vanilla bean seeds and a little organic vanilla chai tea into the batter before rolling out. Yum. Yum. Yum. No matter what how impatient/unskilled/pressed for time you are, this cookie dough makes the quickest, lightest, most tender cookie. They melt. (Honestly, if I had a daughter, this is the first recipe I'd teach her.) Add these to your holiday baking, and I guarantee it will become an heirloom recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies. I tried Deb's recipe three years ago- the week she posted it- and was immediately converted. Make these, only skip the chocolate chips and double up the peanut butter chips. And, if you can, use crunchy peanut butter. I always use crunchy. Divine.

White Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies. These are amazing. A smidge fancy, a ton delicious. In fact, I'm even adding... um... lime zest... (don't tell) to these to make them red, white and green. Totally Christmasy. These make wonderful gifts!

Lace Trumpet Cookies. If you've never tried this southern favorite, do. Please do. Everyone will thank you. These pretties are fun to make and lovely up a holiday spread in no time. I first made these for a holiday cookie tasting party in 2004 and they were a big time hit. Big time.

Oh. I could go on and on. (And maybe I will, later.) I truly hope you enjoy these. And please, if you have a favorite or family recipe of your own to share, please leave a link or note in the comment so we can all enjoy!

Now if we only could figure out how to do a virtual, National Cookie Day, cookie swap... -Brin

How To Dry Corn

Farmer John (that's really what he goes by), was selling the last of his corn crop from the bed of his pickup last week. I had to stop.

Corn, as any historian, commodity trader, or foodie can tell you, is... necessary. Experts speculate over 4,000 products in our grocery stores have corn or corn products as an ingredient. And the more corn we relegate to ethanol production, the more scarce and expensive corn is getting.

The Story of Corn is getting wild. Which is one reason why I shook Farmer John's hand and gave him a heartfelt thank you.

Yes, the price was too good to pass up. But what is a girl to do with 10 pounds of fresh, kernel corn? (I already have some canned. I already have a bit more stored.) Well, I'll tell you: channel my inner Pilgrim and Indian and dry it.

Here's how:

Set a large pot of water on to boil. Wash your kernels to remove any silk and sediment - especially if the corn's straight out of the garden. Once the water is boiling, blanch the corn (let it hang out in the boiling water) for about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. (For me, that meant dumping it all out on a bit of cheesecloth, gathering up the corners, and letting it drip out over the sink. Of course, I dumped a bunch in the sink. A colander would be helpful here.)

Spread your blanched corn on parchment lined cookie sheets and pop it in the oven at 200 degrees F for roughly two hours. Maybe more, maybe less. In truth, mine took about 4 hours and I had to stick a wooden spoon in the oven door to prop it open and vent the steam. But it was a chokingly humid day. This is Texas.

Remove corn from oven once it's shrunken and leathery-crisp. It will have reduced dramatically in size as the moisture evaporates. Let cool and store in sterilized, airtight jars or plastic bags. (I vacuumed sealed most of mine.) Stored in an airtight, moisture-free, dark environment, this should keep at least five years.

To use, rehydrate one cup of kernels in two cups boiling water. Use in casseroles, soups, and side dishes. Make Cheddar Corn Chowder. Grind to cornmeal and make cornbread, stuffing, or polenta. Yum.

Wishing you and yours a bountiful, meaningful Thanksgiving. -Brin

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

-Psalms 100:4-5

Huddling

I went for a walk yesterday over chilled, spongy hills. Grasses, the color of Thanksgiving, leaned in the foggy wind. They seemed alive, somehow, marching in from the four corners of the hills to huddle together, a congregation united.

As it turns out, another job - one I'd been hoping for, actually - materialized before I'd ever lost the one that's kept me stressed since January. I finalized the deal on Friday. I'm in the oil and gas brokerage business; in short, I find land and mineral (oil and gas) owners for domestic oil companies and help smooth out the legalities so the two can ink an agreement to drill. It requires endless travel, endless complications. I dislike it in the way a child dislikes the home he wants to run away from: you want to leave, but where would you go?

I'm off to Kansas after Thanksgiving. Instead of grumbling that I'll be in a hotel, miles away from home during the holidays, I'll be thankful: I have a job. God is good no matter where I am.

I was thinking today of all the folks who are out of work, who aren't finding jobs despite long, ego-beating searches. And I was thinking that I want to hear their stories. I'm not the compassionate God - I can't shoulder your burden - but maybe if we all huddle together... if we trudge up the hills from the four corners and congregate together... together we can help lighten loads.

So here's the deal: if you or someone you know is really struggling financially, I want to hear about it. We want to listen, to encourage, to pray. Everyone, please pitch in. This is my front porch, and we'll all rock and share and have a good cry and come away, lighter than before. Comment here, anonymously if you'd like. Tell your story; share your burdens. And in two weeks, we'll meet back here and read through the stories and figure out a way to stand together and brave the wind.

Blessings- Brin

How To Make Vanilla Extract

Been down the baking/spice aisle lately? Seen those prices?

(Know how deadly heart disease is? I believe sticker shock has contributed to more cases of heart disease than we realize. Someone should look into that.)

But back to the baking/spice aisle. Did you know you can make your own vanilla extract at home for... considerably less than you pay for those tiny bottles in the store?

You can. Here's how.

First, know this: vanilla extract is essentially vanilla macerated in alcohol. That's fancy talk for "you float vanilla beans in vodka, let it sit, and call it vanilla extract". And that's what you do. Take alcohol (vodka or rum, usually), add vanilla beans, let it age in a cool, dark place, and you're set.

Yes, it may seem like you're ending up with a lot of vanilla. So bottle some up in little bottles and give it away for Christmas. Or better yet, bake tons of goodies with it and give those away for Christmas.

Just think of the lives you may save and friends you may make.

How To Make Vanilla Extract

3 cups alcohol (vodka or rum)

6-8 vanilla beans (depending on size)

Jars or bottles with tight-fitting caps or lids

1. Sterilize jars, if using. Or use the bottle the alcohol comes in, as I did here.

2. With a sharp knife, beginning about an inch from the top, split the vanilla beans lengthwise in half.

3. With clean hands, stuff vanilla beans in jar or bottle, taking care to cover the beans completely with alcohol.

4. Give the jar a good shaking, then place in a cabinet in the coolest part of your kitchen.

5. Let the vanilla beans do their thing for about 6 weeks. Shake your jars or bottle every week or two. Vanilla will be ready to use in 6-8 weeks. Yay you!

Now some facts: Assuming you use sterilized jars and fresh beans and store your stash in a cool, dark place, your vanilla extract should be good indefinitely. Do not try to can this, as alcohol is extremely flammable. When you start running low, simply add more beans and alcohol to your bottle and keep going. If you can taste the alcohol after 6-8 weeks, allow your jar to cure a few weeks longer... the alcohol taste will evaporate. And no, you can't use water in place of vodka or rum; alcohol acts as a preservative and takes care of any contamination worries.

Happy holiday baking! -Brin

Still More...

 ...going up in that jumble sale of fantastic-ness in the name of ordering my cabin kit. I'll continue posting treasures - like this Kelly Rae Roberts print! - through tomorrow.

Dang. The Farmer's Egg Crate from Anthropologie. I did really want that... :)

Making It All Add Up

I've added a jumble of beautiful things to be auctioned off, cheaply - ridiculously cheaply - for the last few dollars I need for the cabin kit. Gulp. It's for the exterior only... all the interior will be left up to me. Gulp again.

 Some things from Freeman House are up on the auction web floor. Things I adore but won't have room for. Freeman House? Giant cocoa mug. Cabin? Doll tea cup. I'm saying goodbye to lots of things...

 But hello to a flower meadow. And a brook. And a cherry tree.

The sale's over here if you're interested, and I'll be adding to it through Wednesday. 

I'm back tomorrow with pre-Thanksgiving baking secrets that will astonish you. Can't wait. -Brin

Window Into My... Brain

My habits (obsessions) of late: making my own cheddar cheese. Sewing thick quilts for the cabin. And reading everything I can find on the reality of quantitative easing.

I'm an exciting gal, eh?

Guess that's why today has me so nervous. Quick, somebody hand me some homemade cheese to gnaw on...

I look at this Laura George piece often. Isn't it fabulous? Only I want one the way Jesus put it: when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Maranatha.

Secret of Contentment

I know what it is to be in need,

and I know what it is to have plenty...

I have learned the secret of being content

in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in plenty or in want:

I can do all this through Jesus Christ

who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:12-13

A Word From Millie

 Millie here. I put my chew down to come tell you that folks flooded us with emails (I heard over 80 in the first two hours alone) about the preparedness stuff.  Now Brin's all worked up trying to make the list cuter and fancier with more links and information. She'll get it out soon.

In the meantime, I say that if you have pets, don't forget about us. Be sure to get us extra food, water, and medicine, too. Just sayin'.

Gotta run. I have things to bark at and a bone to defend. -Millie

Bread and Wool

I'm in this head place where I'm longing for things that are real. I'm considering more carefully before buying. I'm asking myself: would this last in a tiny cabin, miles from electricity? Where did this come from, and what's it's future? I'm making subtle switches. Hardcover books, not digital words. Oil lamps, not light bulbs. Mason jars, not plastic tubs. Flour sacks, not paper towels.

And my latest obsession: hearty bread and sturdy wool.

I'm in love with Shelter, Jared Flood's 100% American wool yarn. To say that I actually teared up when I unwound the first skein and found a blade of grass amongst the fibers is not an exaggeration. Shelter starts with beautiful, shaggy Wyoming sheep and ends spinning through a historic mill in New Hampshire. Go take a look-see. It's American and it feels so... real, somehow. Like something Ma Ingalls would have knit if she had her pick of any yarn on the prairie.

It's that amazing.

I put it down only long enough to plan my next loaves of pumpernickel rye bread. Last year I ate many a meal with this bread, only instead of growing tired of it, I've grown to love it more. It feels... real... to my kneading hands and hungry stomach. I like this recipe best so far, although I've adapted it for my own tastes. I feel a completed recipe coming soon.

Bread and wool talk, to be continued...