July 12, 2009
This past spring I took a class on spinning, the fiber variety that is. I was taught to use a drop spindle, but dream of a spinning wheel. Until a couple hundred dollars magically appears, my drop spindle and I shall make lovely yarn. And speaking of yarn, I’ve also learned that sheep aren’t the only sweet animals that offer their coats for our warmth…there are doggies!
Perched atop my fridge (for just this pic) is a little memory for a new friend, a pillow made from the fur of one of her dogs, a Ms. Sugar. Ms. Sugar happens to be a rather aged Great Pyrnees and may not live for much longer, our mutual friend Barb wanted something to remember her by and amazingly I was actually able to spin dog fur into yarn and then knit this little pillow. I had such a blast making this, I’ve been saving the fur I’ve combed from my own dogs.
July 4, 2009
Today seemed like it was turning into a fine day indeed. I had spent 3 hours with my English Shepherds, actually got the entire backyard mowed and edged, and weeded almost all the garden beds. The kids and I planned a dinner from a vintage cookbook and had rented “Inkheart” Then Sarah Palin resigned as Governor and then *ominous drum roll* my mother called.
She wanted to pick a fight, blame me for the resignaiton (bet none of you suspected my amazing powers of evil persuasion ”Mowhahaha!), and yelled, “Thanks to people like you one more woman has been silenced and forced back into the role of cookie maker.” You see according to my mother I’m a liar, a person who takes glee in the fall of women from powerful positions (seems counter productive considering I am also a woman…a point she said didn’t really matter…) and that I must remember Republicans are never wrong, never mean, never anything bad. Only those of the Democratic party could wear that mantle.
I tried to discuss facts, things like the largest cost to the state of Alaska in regards to ethics charges was ironically the ethics complaint Mrs. Palin made against herself. I also attempted to point out the greater irony was that the ethics complaints that average, yet disgruntled Alaskans made was due to her ethics platform and laws passed. That dog didn’t hunt…not a whit. You see I don’t understand anything and never have, this was a plot against her because she is a woman. My mother’s golden argument was, “It doesn’t matter what a woman does, you support her . It doesn’ matter if she’s incompetent, support her coz she is a woman.” My point was “I want the best person for the job, whether they have a penis, a vagina, both or neither…its the quality of the person not their reproductive organs that determines the calibur of their work, unless their work happens to involve their reproductive organs…like Gov. Sanford.
In the end my mother expressed her dismay, disappointment, and disdain for me…because after all is said and done I’m just a cookie maker, like her vaunted Sarah Palin is now…or so she says.
June 23, 2009
In my quest to actually use the vintage cookbooks I buy far too many of, I’m challenging myself to make at least one recipe a week. This one was fairly easy, but offered a lesson in changing terms and descriptions. When I first read the recipe title I thought of the orange-y pink stuff at the grocery store. Well defined by Wikipedia:
In the United States “French dressing” is almost always a reddish orange color (never true red, never white). It is a homogenized, pureed, uniform viscous sauce with a tangy sweet flavor. Unlike a typical French vinaigrette, there are no bits of herbs or spices floating in it. It is generally made from vegetable oil, vinegar, ketchup (or tomato puree), water, paprika, other spices, and sweeteners, all thoroughly blended.
But, it hasn’t always been this way. Infact, French dressing traditionally is actually a reference to a vinaigrette. Oddly enough, its called French dressing in the United States and in the United Kingdom, but not France. The French refer to it simply as ‘vinaigrette’. I actually don’t know any French people to verify this, so I could be completely wrong. :)
The recipe is simple and light. And as with the brownies, I’m amazed at the serving size. Basically when complete you have 3 tablesppons of salad dressing, for 4 salads! No wonder weight wasn’t much of an issue back then.
June 14, 2009
Here at House Wild Hare we have a lot of rhubarb. So much in fact, we have frozen rhubarb, dried rhubarb, rhubarb jam, rhubarb wine fermenting away, and now we have found a use for the leaves…nature’s most versatile accessory!
Princess Rhubarb
Rhubarb ‘little’ Man
Rhubarb Vogue
June 12, 2009
I love a good cook book. In fact I love curling up with a good cook book more than any other kind I think. Especially when the text is quirky and coy, like it is in the vintage Betty Crocker cook books. Having quality recipes isn’t even a requirement for me, as I enjoy reading all the archaic , yet oddly appealing details of a rose colored world that never was. How many of us still or ever set up buffets for the ‘boys’ where food is simple because, “Men like to hunt around for things and fussiness confuses them”? How precious is that?
Given all that, I decided to try some recipes. Just to see how they measure up to our modern versions, tonight’s test : brownies. Gracious, those people had massive portion control! Supposedly my 8×8 pan can provide brownies for 16 people. Who would have thunk it?
As to the verdict, the Imps and I really liked the brownies. They are a much darker rendering than what we’re used to and I dare say richer as well. But, really, really small.
June 8, 2009
Usually on Sundays I sit around, okay actually I’m running around cleaning the house and prepping for the coming week…but, I digress…so, I “Sit” around and kind of digest all the odd occurrences and thoughts from the past week. This did not happen yesterday, as I was busy laying on the bathroom floor hoping the gods would release me from my misery…severe food allergy from one of Kashi’s “Seven Grains of Goodness Evil” and non-stop hurling for almost 2 hours…then rest…then back to normal. So here’s the Monday Roundup:
1. I have pretty much written Sarah Palin off in every possible way a person can be written off, except by actually killing her (which according to her is now okay to say, because we can “screw political correctness” from now on) but now even she has sunk to an all time low. She has committed a crime so heinous, so disgusting and revolting I shudder each and every time I hear it mentioned. She wore red cork sandals with a blazer/ skirt combo. This proves without a reasonable doubt she isn’t just a bigot, a zealot, and a conservative hate spigot, she is a ‘What Not To Wear’ episode on steroids its so serious. If I didn’t want to vomit every time I hear of her, I would actually send her a pair of decent shoes so she would stop embarrassing the good folk of Alaska.
2. Laundry is never ending, its like the circle of life just with nasty socks taking a more prominent role.
3. I think Kashi Go Lean should be re-named Kashi Go Hurl.
4. If I were a vampire I would be a phlebotomist on the night shift at an emergency room. That way I could have all the blood I required and no one would be the wiser. I also wouldn’t be Gothic and sulky. I’d be a preppy vampire.
5. Wish I could understand why when I look at Sotomayer I think ‘Stay Puff Marshmallow Man’.
June 6, 2009
The Imps and I went to see this film this afternoon, our little celebration in honor of another school year ending. All I have to say is that any movie that includes the phrase, “Captain Kirk’s nipples” when things go wrong is a winner in our book.
June 4, 2009
I spend a great deal of time and energy, thought energy at least, trying to decide if the universe intended for me to be a long haired person or a short haired person. I must admit I feel most comfortable with short, puckish hair. Since July of 2008 I have been growing my hair out and really it has sucked every step of the way. These days I kind of look like Leif Garrett at the height of his 70’s popularity. Which obviously worked for him, not so much for me!
Then I see pics like this and am ready for the old chop-chop:
Now I must wait, my beloved hair stylist can not see me until June 19…which shall feel like a million years from now for me and my shaggy Garrett!
The Fates (and the Dept. of the Army) have decreed the Imps, my somewhat imaginary spouse, and I shall be re-locating to Knoxville, TN in spring 2010. To say I’m excited would be a complete understatement. I was so worried there would be some nasty punch line in the space time continuum and we would be moving to Alaska. Leaving me with only the day in and day out drudgery of sitting in front of Sarah Palin’s house with a sign reading, “Sarah Sucks Moose Balls”. There are beings of grace that watch over us and this lil’gal is heading to the state of Dolly Parton, deep fat fried every freakin’ thing, Elvis, and the Smokey Mountains…this shall be grand indeed. :)
Pic courtesy of Imp #2
