Archive | October, 2011

for lack of a cookie jar…

October 19, 2011 at 11:04 pm

Now if only I had a cake pan so I could put a cake in there one day!

These fabulous cookies are Soft Gingersnaps, taken once again from AllRecipes.com. Perfect for fall, small and spicy! The crunchier ones melt in your mouth when dipped in hot coffee.

Soft Gingersnaps

makes 6 dozen 2-inch cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter (no substitutes), softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Additional sugar

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Roll into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks.

3 :: in eat this

The other day Elliott couldn’t come home for lunch (he usually can, believe it or not!) and so Lena and I were left to our own imaginations about how to pass the afternoon. We both needed a break from being cooped up inside for so long. Eventually I packed a bag, put Lena in the baby carrier, and set off down the River Walk.

We found a stone bench along the walk and decided to relax there for awhile. Lena went to town reaching for any fallen leaves or flowers she could reach. She’s getting so good at rocking on her hands and knees or lifting herself up onto her hands and feet. Still hasn’t figured out how to use her hands and knees together to crawl, though. I’m counting my blessings while she’s stuck in one place!

We’d chosen such a peaceful time of day, but the River Walk is never quiet. Every minute or so someone walked or jogged by with dogs or friends or music. This kept little Lena’s head moving back and forth as each amazing new person passed by.

I, meanwhile, worked on the Knitting Project I Am Not Proud Of, which perhaps I’ll share with you tomorrow. I did finally manage to finish it the same day that these pictures were taken and so that’s a relief. But it’s taught me an important lesson about spending too much time creating things out of inferior materials.

Lena’s lying on a patchwork afghan I knitted for her before she was born, and I also just finished a shrug-style sweater for her the other day. It’s getting cooler in San Antonio… finally!

Don’t you just want to cuddle this little muffin?

3 :: in arts and crafts, Lena, Texas

down by the river

October 19, 2011 at 3:28 pm

Lena’s lying on a patchwork afghan I knitted for her before she was born, and I also just finished a shrug-style sweater for her the other day. It’s getting cooler in San Antonio… finally!

Don’t you just want to cuddle this little muffin?

3 :: in arts and crafts, Lena, Texas

our Saturday morning

October 19, 2011 at 2:59 am

It’s becoming a tradition in our house to walk to the Pearl Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning. The temperatures still rise into the 90s almost every afternoon here in San Antonio, and so it’s motivating to get on our way while the day is still new.

This past Saturday, though, we were distracted by the annual King William neighborhood garage sale. We’re staying in the King William Historic District while in San Antonio and, although of course the last thing we need to do is acquire more stuff, we had to check it out.

It wasn’t that great, though; our neighbors kept all their good stuff. Oh well, we didn’t need anything anyway! We took off down the River Walk towards the farmer’s market about 2 miles away.

Remember the previously-featured amazing overpass with the fish sculptures (that light up at night!) “swimming” underneath? One of the river tour boats came around the bend as we passed by.

Finally we reached the market, where we enjoyed playing on the grass again!

As we explored the farmer’s market, we discovered the annual San Antonio Herb Market. We loved growing our own herbs on our kitchen windowsill in our Capitol Hill studio. If we had a little more time in San Antonio (only one more month here as of tomorrow!) we’d buy our own herb pots to grow here. Instead, Elliott is about to start growing mushrooms in the closet; his mushroom growing kit arrived from Amazon today. More about that cultivation later!

We bought some more locally grown okra at the market, as we’re becoming fans of roasted okra. After browsing other market stalls and the wonderful bookshop, we headed for home. The picture below was taken as we walked back into the beautiful King William neighborhood. Sometimes it reminds me of Capitol Hill… maybe it’s all the trees? No rowhouses here, though!

Here’s our favorite recipe for roasted okra, taken from AllRecipes.com:

Roasted Okra

Ingredients

18 fresh okra pods, sliced 1/3 inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons black pepper, or to taste

Directions

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Arrange the okra slices in one layer on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

0 :: in eat this, family, Texas, weekend

our Saturday morning

October 19, 2011 at 1:59 am

It wasn’t that great, though; our neighbors kept all their good stuff. Oh well, we didn’t need anything anyway! We took off down the River Walk towards the farmer’s market about 2 miles away.

Remember the previously-featured amazing overpass with the fish sculptures (that light up at night!) “swimming” underneath? One of the river tour boats came around the bend as we passed by.

Finally we reached the market, where we enjoyed playing on the grass again!

Here’s our favorite recipe for roasted okra, taken from AllRecipes.com:

Roasted Okra

Ingredients

18 fresh okra pods, sliced 1/3 inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons black pepper, or to taste

Directions

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Arrange the okra slices in one layer on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.