The Land of Wool and Honey

To Indulge or Overindulge: That is the Question

While my out-of-town trips are becoming increasingly shorter these days, I've discovered I've become quite the expert at filling those short trips with long stretches of wicked luxury.  My latest field research on the subject?  A girls' weekend (or in my case, an evening) at my sister's house in Howell.

 

Liz and Becca, our lovely host.  You can tell they're twins, right?  Notice the brownies in the lower right-hand corner of the photo.  For a weekend steeped in ultimate bliss, do NOT forget the brownies.  Or the Skittles, Sander's hot fudge sauce or Reese's Pieces.

Can't decide whether you'd rather eat breakfast or ice cream?  Hold that thought.

How about a few scoops of Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream on your waffles?  Yup.  That works.  (Sprinkle liberally with fresh fruit, so as not to appear a total fatass.)

Your knitting sister, not wanting you to feel left out for missing a trip to a LYS, may pick out a few fibery delights for you.  Accept with a squeal.

 

When shopping at a consignment shop far from home and you stumble upon not one but five (FIVE!) pairs of fabulously fitting jeans for fall,

as well as a lovely red sweater,

that all come to less than $100.00, whatever you do, do not hesitate.  Buy them all.

While on vacation--even if you're only spending 24 hours away from home--it really doesn't hurt to spend a Sunday afternoon sipping cocktails.

An ice-cold Mary Pickford will do the trick.  A margarita would equally suffice.

You could knit a little on a beautiful shawl made from exquisitely handpainted yarn from a hard-to-obtain indie dyer, but heaven forbid you should take any pictures of that.

I can't say exactly what would happento your waistline your checking account your liver if you applied this pattern to an entire weekend of rest and relaxation, but I'm ready to find out. 

Sidelined (Or, Trading One Domestic Diversion for Another)

So my sweater isn't exactly finished.

On Saturday, this was as far as I got on sleeve #2:

 

Strange how work can get in the way of what you really want to do.  (And you'd think this would be the one place you could knit on the clock!)

Stranger still is how the things you thought you'd never want to do (i.e. the things that make you like your mother) become the things you're drawn to most.  In a freaky, biological sort of way.  As in, they wake you up in the middle of the night.  You start by thinking about Roma tomatoes.  You curse yourself for giving your sister your husband's grandma's pressure cooker.  (Drat!)  And then you start thinking, I should really put up some apricots this year.  Before you know it, you're perusing the isles at Borders wondering where the heck the Make Your Own Cheese section is.    

 

What I'm saying is this: there was no knitting on Sunday.  Instead, a successful culinary feat--bread.  From scratch.  With yeast and kneading and "knocking back".

 

Petits Pains Au Lait--makes 12 rolls

4 c. unbleached white bread flour

2 tsp salt

1 T sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 oz. fresh yeast

generous 1 c. lukewarm milk, plus 1 T. for glazing

1.  Lightly grease two baking sheets.  Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl.  Stir in the sugar.  Rub the softened butter into the flour.

2.  Cream the yeast with 4 T. of the milk.  Stir in the remaining milk.  Pour into the flour mixture and mix to a soft dough.

3.   Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled clear plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

4.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently punch down.  Divide into 12 equal pieces.  Shape into balls and space on the baking sheets.  

5.  Using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the top of each roll.  Cover with lightly oiled clear plastic wrap and leave to rise, in a warm place, for about 20 minutes, or until doubled in size.

6.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Brush the rolls with milk and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

*****

I have since ordered nine seed catalogues and earmarked approximately 37 recipes, including Strawberry Balsamic Jam and Golden Gossip Chutney.  I'm deep in the Gathering Stage now, tucking myself in every night with a few pages on how to thin seedlings and maintain the proper headspace required for a jar of marmalade.

Confession: these feelings didn't really come to me all on their own.  A friend lent me this book a few weeks ago and I.  Couldn't.  Stop.  Seriously.  Run out to your local bookstore for a copy--it's one you really should own.  I hate to spread around empty, overused phrases like, "It totally inspired me," and, "I want to make a difference in my community," or, heaven forbid, "It changed my life," but the fact is, this book is some kind of wonderful.

More wonderful still is learning that not everything your mother taught you was wrong.  Happy birthday, Mom.  Thanks for teaching me all the right stuff.