RBOC: Favorite Hobbies Edition

• Just came back from Sunday morning yoga class.  I'll spend the afternoon working and then head out for Sunday evening yoga class.  I'm averaging 5-6 classes a week and 1-2 at home practices.
• This morning's class was focused on the back and Warrior 3.  Warrior 3 feels especially challenging to me.  At the end of class I asked the instructor if we could do more Warrior 3 in tomorrow morning's class.  Yes I am that kind of masochist when it comes to yoga.
• I think about yoga a lot.  Sometimes it pops into my head before I go to sleep; sometimes when I first wake up.  I read about it when I can and I even watched Enlighten Up (which wasn't very good) just because it was about yoga.  This obsession reminds me of how I first felt about martial arts when I started that at 16.  Somehow that's comforting.
• My obsession is becoming known among my doctoral students.  I managed to turn 1 of them onto it and she's brought another into the pack.  A third student hasn't done it in years but just sent us all a calendar for her favorite ex-teacher.  It looks like we're going to have a little yoga field trip.
• I haven't been baking very much.  I haven't been that interested in doing it (the hot summer may have had something to do with that) and I'm trying to eat healthier.  But last night I baked one of my new favorites: cinnamon chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake.  The recipe is from my favorite blog for baking.

• The coffee cake was amazing.  I ate two small pieces and gave two large pieces to b (I'm bad that way).  The recipe makes a lot so I had him bring most of it into work today.
• He just texted me that half of it is already gone and he's been there less than 15 minutes.
• Last night was also pizza night.  The crust was perfect this time.  I now only make pizza in cast iron skillets.

• I haven't been doing much photography lately either.  Work definitely gets in the way of my hobbies.
• Last night I took some shots of the pizza and coffee cake.  I didn't think about the shots, I just wanted something for that other social media I sometimes update.  However when I pulled them onto my computer I found shots of dying yellow roses that I had forgotten.
• Every once in a while I like to play with textures.  I belong to Kim Klassen's Texture-Lovin' Group and get weekly freebies.  So last night I played with the yellow rose shots and some textures.  The result was a blog post.
• Blogging is one of my favorite hobbies.

If I'm Baking....

...it must be Spring Break.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

from here

It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Locked In the Bathroom

b is away this weekend.  He flew to Large Southern Hub City to teach his first wilderness first aid course.  He was a little nervous before he left but is doing great.

Today was the first BBB in the new house.  We read Truth and Beauty.  I expected a large crowd but there were several last minute cancellations.  I wanted to have a fire in the fireplace but it was a warm day.

I baked these cookies.

They are delicious but perhaps a too peanut-buttery for my guests? I have way too many leftover. I also made my sure-fire brownie recipe but some guests arrived before I had finished mixing the batter and I messed it up.  I think I made fudge.

One guest brought a lovely loaf of No-Knead Bread she had just baked and luckily I had some aged cheddar on hand.  That was a big hit, along with the grapes and cherries.

So the day was beautiful, the house was lovely, the food and guests superb.  We had a rather lively discussion as we had very differing opinions on the friendship portrayed in the book.  Things were winding down and people were making ready to go when one guest got locked in the bathroom.  At first we just heard a lot of knob turning and it took us a while to realize she was truly stuck.

Another guest, known for being handy around the house, tried to help.  Soon we were all gathered around the bathroom.  We slid the key back and forth under the door but could not get it open.  I got a screwdriver but was quickly informed that it would not make a difference.  The doors in our house have all their original locks (from some time in the 1940s).  They are quite quaint but, it would seem, temperamental.

 The offending lock.

The offending key.

My guest ended up climbing out the window and into the backyard.  After everyone left I called b. Obviously there was nothing he could do from Large Southern Hub City but he is generally my starting point for all problems.  I then called a locksmith.  Turns out there's a franchise locksmith called "Pop-A-Lock" that shows up within 30 minutes to unlock your door (the Domino's of the locksmith world).

A very nice gentleman arrived at my door in 15 minutes.  He ended up having to climb into the bathroom window (which seemed much harder than climbing out of it) and managed to get it open with the key.  I was hoping he'd have to at least use a tool or something.

In other news, this song has been in my head all weekend.

Pizza Night

This afternoon I made potato leek soup and tried my first bread in the new house.

Then b and I tried out 3 different cast-iron pizza recipes.

The first was a variation of what b has learned on NOLS trips.

The second I found on one of my favorite food blogs.

The third was a faux-deep dish that b found here.

It was the winner. 

Working At Home: A Photo Essay

Today I worked at home.

Pupzilla and The Brute kept me company as I slaved over the computer trying to revise my grant for a fast approaching due date.

Catatonic

Dogatonic

The joy of working at home is that I get to slave over a hot stove/oven in between slaving over the computer. Today I baked another loaf of NoKnead Bread. It came out divine but I'm still burning the bottom a little.

Taken While the Bread was "Singing"

I also recreated my Boef Bourguignon (Well actually The Joy of Cooking's Boef Bourguignon). I used to make this for Thanksgiving back when I refused to eat turkey. It was b's first time trying it and he gave it rave reviews.

Taken Halfway Through Dinner After Remembering I needed a Photo

In between grant writing/cooking/baking I popped over to the gym for a yoga class (sorry no pictures). I'm totally enjoying yoga, which is something I never expected. I'm thinking I need to do it two or three times a week to keep this level of sanity.

Weekend of Cooking

I told b today that when I slow down (as we both know I'll never actually retire) I think I'll spend my spare time cooking and baking. It is what relaxes me. However I think I'm going to need a ton of grandchildren to cook and bake for, as once I get going there is way to much food for either of us to consume. Right now my money is on Pumpkin producing the grandchildren, as Angel is having none of it.

I had a wonderful and stress-free weekend. I had three work items that absolutely needed to be done (class prep, journal review and student paper feedback) and I accomplished each one but did no other work at all. I then cooked the following:

1. Indian-styled red beans
2. Curried rice and chickpeas
3. Curried potatoes
4. Sauteed spicy cabbage
5. Roasted veggies with garlic and balsamic vinegar
6. Roasted eggplant, chickpea and feta cheese dip

I also baked my first No-Knead Bread.

The first three recipes come directly from Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian." The cabbage and roasted veggies are regulars for me. The dip recipe actually came off of the yogurt container of my favorite greek yogurt.

I've been ignoring the No-Knead Bread for many years. My in-laws were the first to start (from a recipe in the New York Times), however I am a big fan of kneading (it's what makes baking bread fun in my book) so I didn't think I'd ever need (no pun intended) such a recipe. Then Macheesmo started several post about this method, the man who made it famous and his book. Finally my doctoral student has been baking this bread regularly and brought a loaf over at our Pumpkin Carving Soiree. The bread was delicious and the simplicity convinced me that I could have bread like this every week (SouthLite just doesn't "get" good bread). So I gave it a try. Here's the result:

Personally I think the recipe calls for a tad more salt but I'll be baking it again next week. The other thing I learned this weekend is that home-cooked beans are vastly different from canned. I know, I know....all of you who have learned this lesson years ago are laughing but I think beans and bread are going to be a weekly event at the House of Dirt and Rocks from now on.

The bigger problem I ran into this weekend was a lack of storage containers. I thought our house had an inordinate amount of tupperware but it seems I was mistaken. I either need to invite large quantities for students over for a feast or invest in more tupperware and a larger freezer.

Food: Its What We Do

Tomorrow is a promotion test at the dojo. Normally these are done during regular class hours but a bunch of us decided we needed a social event so we are combining the promotion with a potluck cook-in affair. b can't make it--he has to work all day--but today he made a lasagna for me to bring. Actually he made two--a meat and spinach and a spinach. The latter one he made for us to have at home. But since I'll be bringing a meat lasagna and I don't eat meat, I also made a pasta salad. It may be my best pasta salad yet--with asparagus, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan cheese, basil and chives. I also heard that there was only one dessert coming so I baked peanut butter brownies (recipe from my current favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen) too. If that wasn't enough kitchen action for one day, b decided to try to make his own waffle cones simply because we had ice cream in the house. Unfortunately he found out a little late that we don't have the right kind of waffle iron. Nevertheless they made for a yummy waffle and ice cream sandwich.

Is it any wonder I keep gaining back those same 10 pounds?

Sunday Nite Italian Extravaganza: A Photo Essay

The Menu

Homemade Oreos thanks to Smitten Kitchen

Pumpkin, our darling daughter

Mmmmm....satisfaction

My New Love

This is my birthday present from b. I've been putting off getting one for many years. It seemed like a big item (both financially and size-wise) for me to own and I always made due without it. For some reason this seemed like a good year to ask for it. I thought I'd be happy with it but not thrilled.

I am thrilled.

Note the color. I like yellow in my kitchen and it matches the baking bowl I found earlier this year on my escapades Up North.

I made myself a birthday cake with it...a cake I've made a number of times before (deep chocolate layer cake with peanut butter frosting). It was not only extremely delicious but so so much easier.

I love to knead when I make bread so I didn't think I'd use the dough hook that much. Tonight was pizza night (well calzone night actually) here at the House of Dirt and Rocks. I gave it a whirl.

I'm in love.

My Weekend

I haven't really done lists here at Dirt and Rocks. IRL I'm a big list maker but they are always To Do lists. However I feel the need to document what I've done this weekend in list form. Here it goes:

• Worked out at the dojo with b
• Went to god-awful show
• Dropped in on Pumpkin's party
• Food shopping
• Finished Christmas shopping for humans
• Baked coffee cake for friends
• Visited Pumpkin as she was bored and immobile
• Visited with friends; saw their new house; played with a puppy
• Walked Pupzilla twice
• Ran 2 miles (yeah I know, wimpy, but I'm working my way back up)
• Baked bread
• Baked small loaves of banana bread for b to give to his superiors
• Cooked Avgolemono soup (well my version - I use onions instead of celery and broad egg noodles instead of orzo)
• More food shopping (for everything I forgot the first time)
• Finished the analysis I need for tomorrow morning's meeting
• Wrote an email to my Department Head explaining my position on a potential spousal hire in the middle of a budget crisis
• Ate a yummy dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches (with home-baked bread) and Avgolemono soup
• Drank a Guinness (well several but not all in the same day)
• Blogged

Why do they call it our days off?

Tomorrow will only be a half day of work for me. It is b's last day off (he worked all weekend) before Christmas and there are still errands to be done. We have yet more food shopping to do (going to specialty supermarket for Christmas dinner fixins') and then we need to buy presents for the pets (shhh, don't tell but Pupzilla is getting a new bed this year).

Also I'm obviously in the middle of a baking frenzy. I still have cinnamon buns to bake for Christmas morning (it's actually an all day affair I do every Christmas Eve) but then after Christmas I want to try sourdough bread again and I want to bake a chicken pot pie.

Our Story Continues

Now that grading is a thing of the past (whew!) I thought I'd update you on the various goings-on at the House of Dirt and Rocks.

When last we left our story, b and I had come back from a brief visit with Angel for his birthday and bought our Christmas tree. The following Saturday we received an email from Angel stating his semester was over and he had a few days before his trip to Costa Rica and he thought he'd spend them with us. Now you may remember that his last trip home ended in a car accident (everyone safe) that totaled his car. Not having found another yet, he needed one of us to drive down and retrieve him.

We had already made plans with my adopted daughter (she really needs a name...let's call her Pumpkin) for the evening. b was going to cook a lobster dinner for her (she had never eaten lobster before). I was making cupcakes (chocolate with peanut butter frosting--not very holiday like but b requested them) and we would trim the tree.

b drove the 3+ hour round trip to bring Angel home while I made the cupcakes. Angel and Pumpkin finally met, b made an amazing lobster (and steak for the red meat eaters) dinner and a good time was had by all. Pumpkin braved her way through the lobster but is definitely not a fan.

Tree-trimming was fun.






Pupzilla played the role of reindeer.


Cupcakes were a hit.


I've spent the last few days hanging out with Angel. He's a bit more relaxed than the last trip and more like himself...but not completely.

Or rather he is himself but that self is a bit different from the boy I knew. I'm trying to adjust to the man he's become and figure out our relationship in this new phase.

b had to work today so it was up to me to drive Angel back to school. He leaves for Costa Rica tomorrow morning. I'm very excited for him but was not ready to give him up. I guess I never will be.

My Science Is Hot....*

...and yummy.

Pumpkin bread for tomorrow's event

Being a behavioral scientist I study people. I also happen to conduct community-based research and the communities I work with are most likely to be female. If you hope to be successful conducting research with communities of women you are going to have to feed them. This means I am often baking (and cooking) for (and with) my participants.

Much of my research is participatory, which means my communities help shape my projects. Together we come up with all sorts of interesting and sexy ideas. Last spring we did Spa Day.






How hot of a science project is that?

*written in response to Dr. Isis' December Scientiae theme "My Science is Hotter than Dr. Isis's Naughty Monkeys Because"

Another Baking Sunday

Update: Sorry about the clip...it was Get Smart.

This week it was bread and chocolate chip cookies. I also made chicken and noodle soup (it's been cold around here -- good soup weather) with a Greek twist. At the end you add a blend of lemon and egg. It came out quite yummy and the bread was a perfect compliment.

We had cookies and milk in bed watching this:

Great cookie, bad movie.

Sundays

b has changed his work schedule for the holiday season and he is now working Sundays. Actually as of next week, he'll be working Saturdays and Sundays. Anyway, it seems Sundays have become baking day. Last week was sour cream pound cake. Today its calzones for dinner and coffee cake for dessert.

I was supposed to spend the day working but other than getting a final exam together for my undergraduate class not much of that has taken place. Pupzilla did get a long walk on a beautiful fall day, so that was good.

In other news, I am now the proud mother of a Pi Kappa Phi. The initiation went well but was very long--from 7 pm last night to 7 am this morning. And that is all us outsiders are allowed to know.

Class-Related Baking

I spent most of today in the kitchen. You may recall that I've been teaching a practicum class this semester. This class was totally my idea and I was able to hand-select a small group (N=10) of undergraduate (n=6) and graduate (n=4) students. My research assistant served as a TA. The entire class was focused around my research topic and we conducted field work that was a mix between necessary and helpful for my research agenda. The students were great and we've really grown as a group.

Tomorrow is the last class. Everyone will be handing in their portfolios and we'll share our experiences of the semester and our ideas for the future. Several of the students met on Friday to audiotape some of the poems from one of my studies. My friend and colleague (who has been volunteering with the class) is putting it together as a photostory. We'll preview that as a group.

Several times during the semester I baked for some of the community events. Mostly breads - pumpkin bread, banana chocolate bread - and other times I brought in muffins from a local bakery. I promised them I'd bake them all something for tomorrow.

I recently found this website and enjoy both the receipes and the restaurant posts (most take place in my home town). Today I baked Beer Cupcakes (substituted Beamish for Guiness) and Peanut Butter Banana Bread. The cupcakes were as easy to make as promised and I think they look pretty good.



I decided against the optional peanuts outside of the banana bread, so it doesn't look quite like the photo but it too was fairly easy and rose A LOT in the oven. I'll have to wait for tomorrow for the tasting.



Two of my students (undergraduate) and my assistant will be graduating next week. We'll have lots to celebrate and feel proud of but it will be a little bittersweet.

Sunday Night Baking

I made these tonight. They're for tomorrow's work function but we tried a few out ourselves. b and I both liked them but Boy was not impressed (he's a fussy one).

Pizza...Or How I Spend Spring Break

I love to bake (much more than I love to cook) and baking bread is probably my favorite. Since it's Spring Break this week I figured I had time for "Make Your Own Pizza" night. The name is a misnomer as I do most of the making. B assembles at the end and Boy prefers me to do everything.


The Ingredients


The Dough

My favorite part of baking bread (or any yeast product) is the kneading. I just don't get the point of bread machines. To be able to feel the dough come alive in your hand is the most exciting part of the process. Ok, maybe eating it--actually I don't know which I like more.


One-handed Kneading (b wasn't home so other hand was taking the picture)


Ready to Rise

As I wait for the dough to rise I make the sauce:



I also do some writing on the "Grant That Just Doesn't Want To Be Written."

It seems The Brute:



and Pupzilla:



had other pastimes in mind.


Dough Risen

At this point I separate the dough into 3 pieces for our individual pizzas, wrap them, and put them in the 'fridge and I'm off to the dojo.



Hours later I return to find b home with our brand-spanking new tent set-up in the backyard (sorry no pics yet). We are very excited.

Back inside for cocktails and the forming of the pizzas:



At the end b and I enjoy the fruits of my labor:


(photo courtesy of b)


Boy, who is out for his first day of work at his 2nd job, does not make it home in time for dinner. I make him a calzone (his usual preference):



which he eats when he gets home at 10:30.

b and I stay up to watch "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."