Friday, October 30, 2020

Poetry Peeps October Attempt


 I've known Tanita Davis for a while now, ever since we were Daring Bakers around 2007 or so. Tanita is an accomplished and acclaimed Young Adult Fiction published writer, and she is also a poet. She and a number of her friends who are fellow poets, the Poetry Peeps, write poetry to a theme or a poetry form every month. Recently she invited readers, like me, to join in if we like. It's been ages since I attempted to write poetry, but this month Poetry Peeps decided, "in their infinite 2019 wisdom, that October was going to be a good time to explore a new type of poetry called Naani." It's a short form of poetry, somewhat like haiku. The name means 'of one and all' and the form needs to be 20-25 syllables total, so I'll succeed or fail in a short time.

Since the poem can be about anything, I decided to write about what has been hanging over me all month. No, not the elections, although they are important. No, what concerns me now is the fire danger here in Northern California, and all over the state. October each year has been full of wildfires. It used to be my favorite time of year, but not anymore. Maybe it will be again in the future. I want October to be wonderful! Here's my poem:

Jack O'Lantern orange
swirling flames,
obscuring smoke;
California's Fall new normal

Visit Tanita's site for her quite seasonal poem and for links to the other Poetry Peeps.

 

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Bread Baking Again - Oatmeal Whole Wheat

After a very long, very hot summer and early fall, we are finally getting some cooler autumn weather. At the moment there isn't any smoke, but that could change today or tomorrow with the coming of offshore winds and a fire that is burning in Napa. We are, again, under a red flag warning for fire danger. I'm going to enjoy cool and smoke free air for as long as I can. Where we live is not scheduled for pre-emptive power outage either, but nearby communities are, through Tuesday morning. Such is the life of a Sonoma Co, CA resident now. Fall used to be my favorite season, but now it is fraught. I'll be sure to put up a post if we are evacuated or in any danger. I know that some in my family use this blog for such news.

Back to bread! 

This oatmeal bread starts with cooked oatmeal, cooled, and barely warm water with yeast hydrated for 10 minutes. Flour is whole wheat and bread flour and all-purpose. I makes a nice, tight-grained, moist sandwich loaf with a great flavor. I especially like molasses with oatmeal bread, so I added a tablespoon. The recipe is my own, but there are probably others like it around. 


Oatmeal Bread

1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned kind is best, but not instant)
1 cup water

1/4 cup barely warm water
1 packet (1/4 oz.) instant dry yeast

1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk, barely warmed
1 tablespoon molasses

In a large bowl, place the rolled oats and the water. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 2 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool completely.

While oatmeal is cooling, place the barely warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle on the yeast and hydrate for 10 minutes. Mixture should show some froth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with bread hook attachment, place the 1/2 cup barely warmed milk, the molasses, and the hydrated yeast and water. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture and stir to combine. Lower the dough hook and turn machine to low. Add the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms and the sides of the bowl are cleaned by the dough mass. There may be flour mixture left, or you may need a bit of additional all-purpose flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured clean work surface and knead for 2 minutes. Form into a ball. Place ball of dough into a lightly greased large bowl. Turn ball to coat with grease. Cover and let rise in a draft-free warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Turn dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured clean work surface. Press down to get rid of excess gas. Shape dough into a loaf and fit into a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise until slightly above the rim of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. Crust will be browned and loaf will sound hollow when bottom is tapped. Let cool completely before slicing. Makes one loaf.



Friday, October 23, 2020

A Few More #Inktober Drawings

I've gotten really far behind, so today I drew an image that covers four prompts. It's inspired by pulp sci-fi books my older brother NoHandle used to read, plus a nod to Darth Vader's helmet and armored gloves. Not the most sophisticated drawing, but it was fun!

Indulgent Pumpkin Pie Spectacular


Looking for a showstopper dessert for fall festivities or because you have a pumpkin spice craving?  Southern Living has a gorgeous, delicious pumpkin pie that is enhanced with an extra crust of gingersnaps and pecans and, after the filling has partially baked, is further adorned with a brown sugar-pecan streusel topping. To put it really over the top, just before serving it is embellished with whipped cream. The recipe calls for ginger flavored whipped cream and some ginger cookie garnish, but the plain, luxurious whipped cream is garnish enough.

Because this pie starts with a refrigerated pie crust, it is not as difficult as it sounds. The pie crust is fitted to a deep dish pie pan, then a mixture of finely ground gingersnap cookies, finely chopped pecans, powdered sugar and melted butter are mixed together for the inner crust. The filling is rich with pumpkin, sour cream, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and spices, plus vanilla. The streusel has flour, brown sugar and pecans, moistened with more melted butter. No one said that this was health food! The finished pie, glamorously topped with dollops of whipped cream, has elements of both pecan and pumpkin pie. You only need thin slices because this is a rich, decadent dessert.  


Pumpkin Pie Spectacular

makes one pie - recipe from Southern Living Magazine
 

1/2 (15 oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts (one disc of pie dough)

2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 35-40 cookies)

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons butter (1/4 cup), melted

 15 oz. canned pumpkin

14 oz. canned sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pecan Streusel (see below)

Whipped cream, ground cinnamon (optional)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Fit pie crust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp.

2. Stir together crushed gingersnaps and next 3 ingredients. Press mixture on bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pie crust.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).

4. Stir together pumpkin and next 6 ingredients until well blended. Pour into prepared crust. Place pie on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle Pecan Streusel around edge of crust. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set, shielding edges with aluminum foil during last 25 to 30 minutes of baking, if necessary. 

Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Dollop with Whipped cream; dust with cinnamon.

Pecan Streusel

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoon butter, melted

1/4 cup pecans, chopped


Thursday, October 22, 2020

Another Blog Birthday


On October 22, 2006 I posted my first blog post on this blog (or any other blog for that matter). At the time I didn't really think too much about how long I would continue blogging, nor what it would mean to me over time. It has been a joy, a learning experience, a window onto the world, a virtual recipe file box, a way to meet a lot of really nice people, a way to express myself and stretch myself and grow as a person. Not bad! 

I have written almost 1,500 posts and have gotten over 6,500 comments over the years. Each month between 5,000 and 8,000 views of posts happen. My main focus is still food, especially recipes, and seasonal cooking and baking. The visual arts still are a vital part of the blog. I hope to continue Inktober postings soon...had a nice visit from our daughter and took a break from ink during that time.

Here is what I wrote in that first post:

After about a month of visiting a bunch of great food blogs, I decided to join the fun.

Food is one of my earliest enthusiasms. Baking was how I got started and it remains one of my favorite ways of being creative. Then there are all of the beautiful fruits and nuts just outside my back door in season...pretty California...apples in the fall, but we've gone through blackberries, plums, peaches, pears, walnuts, quince, persimmon in their turn over the years. I grow tomatoes, green beans and lots of summer squash, plus herbs.

Other enthusiasms are painting & drawing, photography, gardening (flowers, too) and writing a bit. Seems like most of these can be enjoyed while blogging or will add to the blog.

I love trying new things and have been cooking long enough that I take the results of new recipes, untasted, to parties and often make small changes to recipes the first time I try them.Foolish? Intrepid? Confident? Who knows?

Looking forward to tasting new things, making new friends and having a good time.

Elle

I think that those enthusiasms have been explored and I have certainly tasted new things, made new friends and had a really, really good time. Here's to more blogging fun going forward!

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Rock The Vote Blue


I'm old enough to know that there have been presidential elections in the last 50 years or so that were very important for a variety of reasons, but I think that the 2020 election might top the list. The last four years have been chaotic. Right from the start there was a disrespect for the job that government does that benefits all Americans and a greed to harness the powers in government that can serve and/or enrich a few.  Even now key government positions are unfilled by the President and so key work is being done by placeholder workers who, because everyone knows they are placeholders, have less power and influence. Beyond that I guess I am tired of each day waking up to another news article about Trump. The news often isn't about anything else but Trump. That gets old folks. We haven't even touched on the massive changes in our culture, in our place in the world, and in how our government governs that are the result of four years of Trump. It feels very much like our democracy is in danger.

Because some Americans have benefited from those changes, or have been led to believe that those changes are good for them, not everyone is interested in having the next four years be non-Trump years. Others are afraid, or filled with hate or both. Others have a strong interest in one issue...like abortion, or gun owners freedoms, or eliminating government regulations and they believe that continuing with our current president will help with those interests...and that might indeed be true. I respect each American's right to vote the way they see fit, but I sincerely hope that a vast majority of American votes are just as tired of the Trump years as I am. I pray that they can see that the balance of power that our founding fathers set up has been seriously unbalanced.

This week my daughter and I did an art project. We painted rocks blue and then added words, phrases, images and icons encouraging people to vote (non-partisan) and also, on some of them, asking them to vote Democratic. We have been dropping off those rocks in prominent places around town and around the area. We are in the last few weeks of this election period. If you are an American and registered to vote, it's time to think about what you believe in, what you respect, what you are willing to put up with, what you hope the future holds...and VOTE.

Friday, October 16, 2020

The Babes Bake Bierocks


For October we head to the Nebraska region of the U.S.A. for a specialty that Sweetie and I really enjoyed. The Bread Baking Babes Kitchen of the Month, Kelly of  A Messy Kitchen said this, "The first (choice of bread) is bierocks or runzas, which is a Nebraskan dish (also US regions with strong Eastern European and German heritage).  It is a hand held meat pie similar to a Cornish pasty I think.  I have seen vegetarian versions as well with portobello mushrooms instead of the beef." 

One of the key aspects of bierocks is that the filling needs to be flavorful since the bland bread can overpower it otherwise. Most versions that I saw used onions and cabbage...the rest of the filling varied. My filling was made with ground pork, onions, garlic, thyme and sage (dried), parsley (fresh), a bit of white wine, a touch of tomato paste, and quite a bit of a salad mix that contains kale, shaved Brussel sprouts, red cabbage, green cabbage, and broccoli stems in julienne. I did simmer it for about an hour, but by then it seemed done and ready to fill the dough without being cooked any more.



I made half the dough, which made enough for our dinner, plus two lunches. It's an enriched dough, but easy to work with. I used 1 cup graham flour as part of the flour for a bit of added nutrition. Other than that, I followed the directions below.

Do try these. They are filling and delicious! Thanks Kelly for choosing theses...a new favorite for fall.


Also, to become a Buddy, send Kelly an email with a photo of your finished buns and a short description of your bake. She'll send you a Buddy badge. Be sure to also check out the other Bread Baking Babes to see how their Bierocks/Runza turned out.


Bierock/Runza dough:

(Serves 12)

4½ cups all-purpose flour (feel free to use part wholemeal or add flax meal for speckles)

2 tbsp sugar 

2 pkgs (1/4 oz) yeast 

1 tsp salt 

¾ cup milk 

½ cup water 

½ cup butter 

2 eggs, beaten


Start by placing 1½ cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Gently heat the milk, water, and butter to 115º F.
Pour warmed wet ingredients into flour mixture. Stir slightly before adding beaten eggs.
Add remaining flour, one cup at a time, until the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. 

Filling ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
2 pounds ground beef (I used ground pork)
4 cups shredded cabbage (about ½ a head of cabbage) (I used 2 cups kale salad mix)
1 small can sauerkraut, with the juice (I skipped this since I don't care for sauerkraut)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste (be liberal here, the bread tempers the seasoning)
(optional) cheese of your choice (I skipped this since I'm allergic to dairy)

  Chop onions and garlic and sauté in a large frying pan with a little butter or olive oil until tender.  Add ground beef (pork) along with (tomato paste, sage, thyme, parsley, wine) and generous amounts of salt and pepper.  Cook until beef (pork) is cooked through (then stir in the kale salad). Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Cool before using as filling for the bierocks.

Punch dough down, and divide into 12 equal portions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  
Working with one piece of dough, roll out a circle of dough approximately 1/4″ thick.  It shouldn’t be so thin that it is breaking up into holes when you handle it.  To help with the shaping, place the round into a bowl. Dump the filling (~½ cup) on top of the dough, and then pull the dough around the filling and pinch sides together to seal.  Flip the bierocks/runza out, seam side down.

Place onto a greased baking sheet (edges can touch). 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  

Optionally, brush tops with melted butter during the last 10 minutes of baking for color and flavor!

 


Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Dunes for #inktober day 13



I love the ocean and the dunes and dune grasses. You can just imagine the salty sea smell and the crash of the waves just downhill from those top grasses.

On white paper with mostly a gray wide marker and some added white gel pen and fine point black pen. 

Monday, October 12, 2020

Pears and Gingerbread


On the face of it, pears and gingerbread is an odd combination. Pears are fresh, light, juicy with a distinctive taste, but a mild one. Gingerbread, on the other hand, is best when it's assertive, bold and full of strong ginger flavor. You would think that the gingerbread would overpower the pear.

But, in this recipe at least, it doesn't. The slices of pear are visually lovely, sitting pale and perfect on top of the dark gingerbread. They are a fine counterpoint and hold their own in the flavor department if the pears are ripe and juicy. I was lucky enough to be given some local pears a few weeks ago. I made the cake when they had ripened to perfection. The gingerbread has a lot of molasses and both fresh and ground ginger. I also goofed and left out the vegetable oil, but Sweetie and I agreed that it really didn't need the additional fat.


Although the recipe was for one cake baked in a large skillet, I made two small cakes in springform pans, plus a slightly larger cake in a 6-inch skillet. That way I was able to give the two small cakes to neighbors, including the neighbor who gave us the pears. A nice full circle! I'm going to give you the recipe for the single cake in the large skillet.

This is a really, really delicious cake, moist, strongly flavored with ginger and molasses and a hint of lemon. I served Sweetie his first piece when it was still warm. I added more pear slices to the plate and a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream. He was delighted!



Pear Gingerbread Cake for a 10.5-inch skillet
by Lodge (the cast iron people)

3 medium-sized firm, ripe pears, cored, peeled and sliced into eighths 
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup vegetable oil (optional)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (peel first)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground loves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat. When butter has fully melted, turn skillet to coat the sides up to the rim. Sprinkle brown sugar over the surface. Wait 3-4 minutes until sugar has partially melted, then stir with a silicon spatula to combine the butter and partially melted brown sugar. Spread evenly over the pan bottom. Arrange sliced pears on top of the butter/sugar mixture in a nice pattern. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine  boiling water and molasses, stirring until well blended. Add oil (if using), ginger, ground ginger, and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, combing flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Mix half the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture, then add the remaining dry ingredients and stir until completely combined.

Carefully pour or scoop the batter over the pears, being careful not to dislodge the pattern. If needed, use and offset spatula to smooth the batter over the fruit to the edges of the pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes, or until a tester in the middle of the cake comes out clean (test at 25 minutes).

Let the cake sit on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then loosen the cake by running a knife around the edge of the skillet. Place a large plate or serving platter over the pan and, using potholders, carefully invert the skillet so that the cake falls onto the plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.



Slippery For Day 12 #inktober

In my youth I was a fierce sled rider. We had a few places nearby to sled. One good sized hill down by the creek was my favorite...not as long a ride as I would like, but steep. Another, with a long path after the bottom, across a play yard, was at Thomas Jefferson school. A more dangerous, but fun place was at the top of the hill on Marshall St. above the creek...it was higher up the same hill but there was the occasional car that came by which you had to watch for. It was the best hill and the longest, steepest ride...but there were those cars. We used wood and metal Flyer sleds and tugged them up the hill with the rope which was used for steering on the way down. you could also steer with your feet as this little girl is doing. Today's prompt of 'Slippery" works well for the slippery slope of a snow covered hill. 

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Disgusting for #inktober day 11


Finally caught up. This is the prompt for today, October 11th. Disgusting.

This is not an easy prompt to meet. Fortunately (I guess) I found out the creating vomiting jack o'lanterns is a thing and that seems pretty disgusting to me.

Light gray paper, fine point ink pen, white gel pen. 

#Inktober Throw and Hope

Thought about the obvious for 'throw' like pitching a ball or frisbee, but hands are actually hard to draw (for me anyway), so I went with a decorator throw over a couch arm...something warm as ends of day in October tend to be cooler.


 White paper, black fine point pen, white gel pen, pale yellow chalk

For Hope I thought about the kinds of things one hopes for and remembered that when I was little, we would put out homemade and decorated cookies for Santa, in the hope that he would bring us our heart's desire for that year.


   Gray paper, black fine point pen, white gel pen

Friday, October 09, 2020

#inktober days seven and eight

 Still not caught up, but here are two more.


Day seven: Fancy - Black paper, white acrylic, black fine point pens, white gel pen



Day eight: Teeth - white paper, black fine point pen, pencil

Wednesday, October 07, 2020

#inktober days five and six

Still running behind, but here are the art pieces for day five, Blade, and day six, Rodent.


 

Sunday, October 04, 2020

#inktober day four-the radio


I was never very good in mechanical drawing class. Now you will see why! Still, it reminds me to listen to more music. Drawn with black fine point ink pen, and colored with Sharpie markers.

Fall Is Here So Try This Savory Gallette


It's not as easy as it once was to celebrate the coming of autumn. For the last four years each fall we have had wildland fires, smoke, evacuations, power outages, heat, and a general sense of dread. This year you can add the pandemic to that!

Still, one thing that doesn't change is my desire to bake delicious things. I grew butternut squash this year. I also actually harvested and shelled some walnuts from our trees. They are both elements of this yummy galette. The other elements include roasted garlic, caramelized onion, fresh thyme, and (non-dairy) ricotta cheese, as well as a store-bought pie crust dough. Together they create the perfect fall dish for sharing with friends and neighbors as we did yesterday evening once the air had cooled and the smoke had mostly disappeared. We had good air quality for the first time in days! That meant we could sit outside on our neighbor's deck, socially distanced, of course, and enjoy this savory galette, plus AM's delicious guacamole and G's fresh strawberry margaritas. AM had watermelon wheat beer with hers. We were able to really see their two new kittens Remy and Emil, catch up on things and generally enjoy the lovely evening.

The way I approached this recipe, which is a variation of one I found in the Press Democrat, our regional newspaper, was to split up the prep of the filling ingredients. First I prepared the squash, peeling it, cutting it up, removing the seeds, then dicing it fairly small so that it would roast to a nice soft consistency before getting too brown or hard on the outside. The whole head of garlic that flavors the cheese was roasted at the same time, then later when the head had cooled, the inside roasted cloves were removed and mashed up. I folded them into the cheese to mellow and then stopped for lunch.

Later in the day I made the caramelized onions since they require a lot of attention and stirring. It's worth it because you really taste the onions in this tart. Don't try to hurry them...they need long, slow cooking. While they were cooking I chopped the walnuts. Now all the elements were ready.

The easiest part if putting it all together. While the oven (and a baking stone!) preheated, I rolled out the dough a bit more, then carefully transferred the dough to a piece of baking parchment placed on a baking peel. The cheese was spread over the bottom, some walnuts sprinkled over that, the onions spread over the cheese and walnuts, then the squash was spread over it all. I gently folded up the dough over the squash, pleating it as needed, then sprinkled some walnuts over the exposed squash. After brushing the dough with non-dairy creamer, I sprinkled a few more chopped walnuts over the dough, then slid the galette, still on the parchment paper, onto the preheated baking stone. This way you get a crisp, cooked bottom.

This galette can be vegan if you use a vegan pie crust and non-dairy ricotta and milk.



This is an awesome blending of flavors and textures. Do try this yourself. It's the season after all.




Butternut Squash Galette with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onions and Walnuts

A variation of a recipe in the Press Democrat newspaper, Sept. 30, 2020

Makes 4-6 servings

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 large head garlic, whole and unpeeled, top cut off
1 large yellow onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh ricotta (I used a non-dairy Kite Hill ricotta)
1 dough for one crust pie (I used Pillsbury ReadyCrust - half the package)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, divided
1 tablespoon milk (I used soy creamer)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, placing a baking stone on the middle rack. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cut another piece of parchment paper at least 10-inches in all directions and place on a bread paddle or a rimless cookie sheet. If you don't have a baking stone, put the parchment on a pizza pan or another baking sheet.


Here are some photos of the prep on the squash.

peeled & seeds removed





diced


In a large bowl, or in a clean, large, plastic produce bag place the prepared butternut squash and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Toss in the bowl or close the bag and shake vigorously to coat the squash with the oil. Add the thyme, salt and pepper and combine with the squash. Spread the squash, in a single layer if possible, onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Add the prepared head of garlic at one corner, and place in the oven. Bake until squash and garlic are tender. (Check at 20 minutes. If squash is tender but garlic isn't, remove the squash to a bowl to cook and continue cooking the garlic.) Total cooking time is about 25 minutes. Removed pan from oven and let squash and garlic cool. Set aside.



whole garlic head, prepped


While the squash and garlic are roasting, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saute' pan over medium-high heat. Add prepared onions and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and soften. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside. If the dough is still in the refrigerator, remove now to warm just a bit.


caramelized onions and the walnuts


When the garlic has cooled, peel the cloves and put in a small bowl. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the ricotta.


cheese and garlic layer


Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until at least 10 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough circle to the parchment paper on the bread paddle or pizza pan or baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to spread the ricotta mixture over the center of the dough, leaving a 2-3-inch outer edge uncovered. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts over the ricotta. Put the cooled caramelized onions on top and spread over the cheese and walnuts. Top with the cooled butternut squash, spreading the squash out to completely cover the onions and cheese.


walnut layer


onion layer


   squash layer


Fold the edges of the dough toward the center of the galette, pleating as you go. Sprinkle most of the walnuts in the center where there is no dough, then brush the dough with the milk using a pastry brush, and sprinkle the dough with the rest of the walnuts.

baking on stone


Bake in the preheated oven. If using the bread paddle or rimless cookie sheet and baking stone, slide the parchment and galette onto the baking stone. If not using the baking stone, place the sheet pan with the galette into the oven. Bake until crust is golden brown. Check at 20 minutes, but this usually takes about 25-30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Carefully transfer to a serving platter and garnish, if desired, with more fresh thyme. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.



Saturday, October 03, 2020

#inktober Third Prompt



Today's prompt is bulky. Not an easy one for me to figure out, but I eventually decided that my gardening boots seem very bulky to me, as opposed to my usual shoes which tend to be lightweight and fairly sleek.

I used Japanese ink and water for the shading and a fine-point pen for the drawing. Probably should have used a thicker paper. Need to work some on my shading, but you can tell that these are a pair of boots. 



Friday, October 02, 2020

Wisp

 


Cup of tea? Cup of joe? The wisp of steam rising off the hot liquid can be mesmerizing.

Inktober day #2 - gray cardstock, white and black ink markers.



Thursday, October 01, 2020

Inktober Try On


Last year at this time I saw that there were artists doing a month of ink drawings for something called Inktober. There are a set of prompts for each day but beyond that it's up to the artist. After seeing many lovely works of art in ink throughout the year on Facebook, I decided to try on the concept of a daily ink drawing. I may not be very good and I may not actually do one every day, but it's been a long time since I did much drawing (as opposed to painting) and even longer since I did any all in ink, so don't expect too much.

I was reading a great book today called Italian Lessons by Peter Pezzelli and in it the main character from Italy was telling an American recent college grad that in Italy and much of Europe people take the safe way because "otherwise the risk of failing and looking bad is too great - and to look bad is the worst thing that can happen to you when you are Italian." He then goes on to say that it's not the same in America and that we are willing to fail. So I guess I'm very much American in this challenge.

Don't worry, I'll still be posting recipes and picture of delicious food!

The first prompt for October 2020 in Inktober is Fish. Above at the top of the post is my drawing, done with a fine point pen and a wider permanent black marker (Sharpie).