Signs of spring - croci (or crocuses if you prefer)

-

With Blizzards followed by balmy days preceding days of "wintry mix" it has been hard to tell what season it actually is. These past few days have brought new evidence! We are turning the corner into spring.

I have always loved bulbs. Seldom has a year gone by where I didn't force at least a few. They wait on windowsills as little promises of spring that get me through the winter.

We bought our house in the midst of winter and to my delight we had many flowers throughout the lawn come spring. Since then I have tucked at least a few more bulbs into the ground each fall and daydream of their blooms in the darkest winter days.

A few days ago we were blessed with the first blooms - our croci are trumpeting, heralding the coming of spring!

-

Comments not being posted

-

It has come to my attention that several people (and who knows how many people haven't let me know) have submitted comments that have not made it to me for publishing. I'm looking into the issue but so far have come up empty handed.

I love your comments and would be thrilled if you would try again. I've changed a couple of settings which means more work for me but hopefully comments will go through!

Thanks in advance and thanks for reading!

Paleo Popovers (grain free)

-

Our chickens have started laying again, which means we have an abundant supply of eggs. Several of our customers went on vacation and at one point we had more than eight dozen and hadn't yet collected that day!

While I've previously made egg-based almond flour cakes that use at least a handful of eggs, I wanted to make something that would be less of a dessert while still being a treat. My thoughts turned to popovers and I came up with the following:

Paleo Popovers!

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)

3 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400f 

Melt butter in an 8" square baking pan in the oven 

while the oven comes up to temperature.

Mix eggs, coconut flour, and maple or honey.

Pour mixture into melted butter in the preheated pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Full height after 20 minutes.

While it will reach an impressive height about half way through the baking process, it will continue to brown and then collapse a bit as it cools. 

Perhaps someday I'll try this recipe in muffin tins. Until then I doubt we will have a hard time eating it like this. I've now made this recipe more than once and each batch doesn't seem to last even two full days at our house! It's a great protein-rich snack that feels like a dessert. 

Individual popovers - Popovers Part 2.

Zucchini Flour Popovers - Popovers Part 3

-

Baby knitting and looking forward

-

It's been two and a half months since the birth of our daughter. These months and this incredible person light up my life and are teaching me patience, and so much more. While many things fall to the wayside with a newborn, I was able to sneak in some knitting. 

I have challenged myself to only use yarns from my stash. The blanket is a simple log cabin design. The red and brown jacket (ravelry notes here ) fits her now and the pink and brown jacket (ravelry notes here) should fit her in a couple of months - her weight has more than doubled since she was born! There is also a premie sized knit cap but it's already packed away and I don't seem to have a clear picture of it being worn. 

It feels as though a bit of the new baby haze has lifted over the past week or so and I find myself more productive than I have been since the first weeks of my pregnancy. My thoughts have once again turned to this space as I think about how to move forward. 

Becoming and being a mother is such a wondrous experience and no doubt it will color what I post. I do not, however, want to completely alter the nature of this blog - I want to respect C's privacy and keep mainly to my own creations and experiences. Expect to see posts more often and I look forward to your comments!

-

Dearest C

-

Nine days ago our daughter was born. For reasons we may never know, she decided that 36 weeks was enough cooking and was born happily and healthy at home. 

Four days old

We are all adjusting to the changes and so very grateful for how smooth the process was. I struggle to find the words to honor these experiences that have shifted our life in such profound ways. 

Thank you so very much to all those who have helped us and continue to help ease our transition. We appreciate your care more than we can express. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we adjust and strive to be the best parents for this incredible person. 

_

Pebble Magnets

-

I have a fondness for small stones as many windowsill in our house can attest. On walks I often find myself with a few choice pebbles in my pocket tracing their edges with my fingers. 

I also love magnets. A couple years ago I combined my love for magnets with a couple other loves and made vintage typewriter magnets. This time, it's pebble magnets.

This particular collection of stones hails from our own yard, New Hampshire, a beach on the island of Santorini in Greece, and the shores of lake Huron in Michigan.

I strive to keep clutter out of our lives and off our fridge and the simplicity and harmony of these stones seems to balance the utilitarian and man-made elements we keep there.

-

Coconut Oil Kettle Corn

-

Some time ago I received a request to do a post on coconut oil kettle corn, so here it finally is.

It's as tasty as you can buy but so much healthier! Coconut oil has countless health benefits and more are still being discovered. Unlike many of the other healthy oils (olive for example), it can be used for high heat cooking, which is perfect for kettle corn. 

After looking up a bunch of recipes, I experimented myself and have found the following to be spectacular!

Coconut Oil Kettle Corn

Ingredients:

1/4 C coconut oil

1/2 C popcorn kernels

2T powdered maple sugar 

Salt to taste

I've gotten powdered maple sugar at a variety of different natural/health stores. You can substitute white sugar but I would recommend using less (start with 1T and then see if you like it sweeter), as maple sugar is less sweet because of the other nutrients it contains.

In a saucepan with a lid (or a stovetop popcorn popper) heat the coconut oil with three popcorn kernels in the oil. When all three kernels have popped you know the oil is ready (hot enough). This trick seemed to be common throughout many of the recipes I looked over and it's worked for me every time. 

When the oil is hot add the kernels and the maple sugar. Shake/jostle the pan with lid in place on the burner(or stir if you've got a stovetop popper) constantly until the majority of kernels have popped.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt.

For extra crispness (or if you think you might have any leftover - ha ha ha!) place on a baking sheet in a warm oven for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

While both coconut and maple have distinct flavors, this blend melds pretty well so that neither is particularly strong or identifiable. It just tastes like a rich sweet crunch and a delicious treat.

-

Saying "no" to a baby shower

-

While both my husband and I are only in our thirties, we have spent years decluttering, 

purging, and generally downsizing our amount of stuff. I firmly believe that 

the fewer things you keep, the more special they are. 

We are purposefully steering our life toward having fewer but higher quality items as opposed to having an over abundance of cheap, poorly made, disposables. 

This brings us to the decision not to have a baby shower. We want to honor our community and celebrate bringing new life into our family and this world in a way that also celebrates a smaller, less cluttered, more authentic life together. We want time and ability to have adventures together, rather than a cluttered home and time spent managing our stuff.

I have a friend who, for her first child, received over twenty receiving blankets. All but a few never even got unfolded. I've seen registries for baby showers that had three or four diaper bags, and been to showers where the majority of items were for newborns only and so wouldn't be used for more than a couple of months tops. We understand the desire and need for coming together to celebrate a new person, and even for some the need for financial support for items beyond one's own means. If we were ten years younger, we might be in a different situation. As it is, there is nothing we will actually need that we cannot reasonably afford.

 We know and are grateful that those who want to contribute to this new person's life, will do so, regardless of a shower.

I am not comfortable with cultural institutions and expectations that center around large quantities of stuff. I do not want anyone to feel pressure to give, as it is not belongings that make our life so rich.

 We want the things we do own to be ones we use and treasure. We want them to be long-lasting and good for much more than just our convenience.

We hope to have a non-gift-centered celebration at some point this fall - so if you're local (and we actually know you) we hope you'll join us then!

-