MISS LEWIS'S WHITE LOAF BREAD

Form the wonderful cookbook by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, The Gift of Southern Cooking. I made a couple of loaves of Miss Lewis's white bread to have at the ready for when the days of leftovers begin (a turkey sandwich on homemade white bread? Hello!). Obviously, though, we've already enjoyed a few slices.

CHECK IT: YEAST ROLLS

TODAY, THERE WAS CHILI

Lots of chili.

FLYING HIGH

Our friends April and Chris and their superhero son, Jonah, were just through Oxford and spent a few days with us at the homestead. They moved to Vancouver from Oxford back in August, so it was really great to get to see and spend some time with them after they'd been away for so long. We ate well, told lots of stories and watched Jonah turn the living room into an art studio and knight's lair.

Spending time with old friends is a wonderful way to jump-start the holiday season. We're still flying high from their visit.

EVIDENCE OF A CRAVING

All of this sweet talk has inspired a craving for some spice: the hot fish from Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish in Nashville. 

A LESSON IN PATIENCE

Normally, I am not a patient person. It's hard for me to wait for paint to dry, conditioner to work and cakes to cool. So on Saturday, when I decided to make candied orange peels, my limitations were put to the test. 

The December issue of Saveur is guilty of putting this bee in my bonnet. I was enchanted by the article on pandolce alto and decided right then and there that I wanted to put it on my list of holiday baking projects. Since the recipe calls for candied orange peels--and since a one-pound bag of them costs upwards of twenty bucks--I figured I'd have a go at making them myself. 






They took all dang day. Luckily, though, I was able to multi-task, rotating gingersnaps in and out of the oven and whipping up some shortbread batter in the mixer. When all was said and done, though, it was obvious how worth it all of my effort was. These things are deliciously decadent. Especially when they're dipped in dark chocolate.

So now that I have a Mason jar of candied orange peels at the ready, this weekend I will be making pandolce alto. Now all I have left to do is muster the patience for the starter to ferment.

SUCH A SNAP!

You got a peek at the gingersnaps in a previous post, but I thought they deserved their own close-up. I've made these little guys three times in the past week, which is to say that they are some seriously addictive cookies. They're also super easy, and the recipe makes a ton--ten dozen, actually--so they're perfect for giving. I got the recipe from my tattered 1964 edition of The Joy of Cooking. After making batch number one, though, I decided that they needed a bit more heat, so I added a wee bit of cayenne. The result: one peppy little snap.

I baked 200 of these things last weekend and gave them all away. What was I thinking? 

Back to the mixer I go. 

THE BEST THING SINCE...

I've always been a fan of quick breads: pumpkin, zucchini, banana. But I've never really tackled yeast breads because, well, I was intimidated. That is, until The Mixer.

My new Christmas present had me all aflutter this weekend, daring me to try anything and everything I wanted. So I did. I started with cookies, but I soon graduated to making bread dough. I found this recipe online and, I have to say, this is some mighty fine bread. So good, in fact, that I made it twice. 

But now I feel I've gone to a place from which I may never return: Kurt is suddenly used to a house that smells like homemade cookies and fresh baked bread. As so, it seems, am I. 

HOW TO BREAK IN A NEW STAND MIXER

200 gingersnaps

50 cranberry and pistachio shortbread cookies

50 chocolate-dipped candied orange peels

5 loaves of bread

It was a sweet, sweet weekend.

(Thanks, 5!)

THE ARTIST IN HER STUDIO

My twentieth high school reunion is coming up next year, so I've been spending a lot of time combing through yearbooks and old photo albums. One of those archaeological digs unearthed this photo of me, circa 1975. I'm sure I got this easel as a Christmas present (thanks Mom and Dad for nurturing my creative impulses early!), and I'm sure I decided to make use of the thing as soon as my parents--er, Santa--gave it to me.

In addition to admiring my early talents (and wardrobe), I can't help but admire that classic 1970s harvest gold linoleum floor. Funny that I rediscovered it in a picture because when we were in Kalamazoo for Thanksgiving, I actually made mention of it and all its glory. We visited our friends, the Courtneys, who are currently living with a kitchen that has a similar--if not that exact--incredible floor.

My mother's kitchen has gone through a series of renovations since this picture was taken. And so has my art. And, thankfully, my wardrobe. I have to say, though, my haircut remains remarkably the same.

LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING

I'm listed on the new Mississippi Visual Arts Directory, a project of the Mississippi Arts Commission. Check it out.

And, speaking of the Mississippi Arts Commission, I also have a bunch of photographs on their new "Culinary Arts & Foodways" section of their main website.

Speaking of photographs, a handful of my B&W photographs are currently for sale through BECA Gallery's New Collector's Club. BECA developed the Collector's Club as way for people to begin collecting art without having to shell out a ton of cash. Four of my b&w photographs are being offered in limited editions of prints varying in both scale and price. You can check out the offerings right here.

By scooping up some art, you'll also be doing a good deed. 5% of each purchase will be donated directly to a non-profit organization of each artist's choosing. Anyone buying one of my photographs will be making an automatic donation to The New Orleans Kid Camera Project.

So let this post be a shameless plug for giving the gift of art this holiday season. Supporting creativity never goes out of style.

ROAD TRIP REWIND: ZINGERMAN'S

Would you believe that, after five years of traveling to Michigan with Kurt, my very first visit to Zingerman's happened this Thanksgiving? Me either. I mean the place is only a two-hour drive from Kurt's hometown. But every time we make the drive--the very long drive--to or from the Wolverine State, we're either too tired, too far behind schedule or just plain too ready to get to our final destination to stop. We made the detour this time, though. And while it was a satisfying thing to be able to cross this must-do thing off of my list, I can't say it was the best experience. Which is not to say that there's anything wrong with Zingerman's, believe me.  We just happened to hit the deli at lunchtime on a Saturday when there was a U of M basketball game in town and, as a result, a line around the block--not good for folks who need to get back on the road. So instead of the fat, juicy reuben I'd gotten myself geared up for on the drive there, we made do with some grab-and-go sandwiches from the bakery next door (the sandwich pictured above is olive tapenade and mozzarella on a baguette). It was good and all, but it was definitely not the Zingerman's experience I'd been dreaming about.  

There is some good news, though: the Zingerman's mail order catalog arrived in the mail yesterday. I might just have to stuff a reuben in someone's Christmas stocking. 

FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY: JUBILEE TOASTETTES

These were a gift from my mother-in-law, who knows I have a thing for all things retro. She actually had them tucked away in her pantry (if memory serves, they were somewhere near the cinnamon). I took them out of the cupboard to admire and photograph them and, before I knew it, they were mine.
Friends, be ready for a mini toast the next time you're at our house. And, of course, some pie.

SANTA CAME EARLY THIS YEAR

My sweet, sweet husband brought the spirit of giving to the homestead early this year. It arrived in the form of a bright red KitchenAid stand mixer, complete with a copy of Ken Haedrich's overwhelmingly inspiring and informative tome, Pie. Knowing I'd want to make use of both things before St. Nick showed himself around these parts, Kurt was generous enough to let me enjoy this beautiful bounty just as my baking season kicks off. I don't know how he talked Santa into it, but I’m sure glad he did. Rest assured, there will be pie for every occasion—and, I'm sure, for no reason at all.

Thanks, my love, for the sweet, sweet gift. XO!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: A LIFETIME OF COOKIE TRENDS

I send you into the weekend thinking about cookies. Decades of cookies. The folks at Gourmet have devoted the December issue to more than half a century of their favorite cookies. There are many recipes you'll recognize (Old Fashioned Christmas Butter Cookies), some you'll scratch your head over (Shoe Sole Cookies), and some you'll want to add to your repertoire (I'm going for their best cookie from 2006: Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies). Let the baking begin.

ROAD TRIP REWIND: BABY COWS!

Ever been in a room with about 100 baby cows? It's really entirely too much cuteness to even process, especially when they make their little moo sounds and get all excited about the barn cats that come up to taunt them.
But they're at the cutest when they're suckling your fingers. 

ROAD TRIP REWIND: GOT MILK?

Kurt grew up on a dairy farm, so I've heard lots of stories about the early mornings and hard work of a life tending to cows. I've also heard quite a lot about the milk. For years, Kurt has gone on and on about his love of fresh milk. Last week, I got a taste of what he's been talking about.
Kurt's stepfather, Jim, who passed away almost three years ago, taught Kurt just about everything he knows about farm life. A series of events led him to have to retire form the dairy when Kurt was a teenager. But Jim missed being around cows, so when the milk operation stopped, he went into raising beef cattle. Since I've been visiting Michigan with Kurt, I've always had the opportunity to interact with a cow or two. But this time, I happened to bring up the subject of fresh milk, which inspired Kurt's mother to set us up with a tour of a local dairy.
This place (which shall remain unnamed, due to the fact that they shared fresh milk with us, which, in case you're not aware, is unlawful) milks 450 cows three times a day. That's a lot of milk. We spent part of an afternoon in the milk house, watching the guys prep the udders, apply the milkers and weigh each cow's production. This particular cow dropped thirty pounds of milk.
 After the milk from each cow is weighed, it travels through the lines to a common tank. The owner was nice enough to let us get an ice-cold gallon of milk from the tank, as well as a gallon straight from the milking line. 
And yep, that's me taking a swig of warm cow's milk just one step removed from the udder. It really was incredible. I've been joking that Kurt and I have finally consummated our marriage, now that I've had the experience of drinking fresh milk. 

The highlight of the tour for me, though, was when we paid a visit to the dairy's nursery. And I thought I was crazy about goats. Check back tomorrow to meet some of the cutest animals you ever did see. 

ROAD TRIP REWIND: KEEP ON CAMPING

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Kurt's hometown of Marlette, Michigan. Barns are a dime a dozen in this little farming town, but this big red barn is special. Not only did Kurt rehabilitate it a handful of years ago, spending countless hours painting and nailing and roofing the thing all by himself, it's the current home of the Explorer.
The Explorer belonged to some family friends who used it to tool around the country after their retirement. After they got too old to tool around, they passed it on to Kurt's mother. And now, Kurt's mother has passed it down to us. I'm pretty sure it's a 1978 vintage. I can definitely say that it's rockin' some vintage style.
The Good Sam Club decal is the tip of the iceberg. Inside, there are comfy bucket seats, benches with an appropriately gaudy floral upholstery, yellow curtains to match, wall to wall carpeting (also yellow) and the very best welcome mat I've ever seen. 
Did I mention that there's also a bed, bathroom and kitchen? All tiny, of course, but what would you expect from a house on wheels?

The Explorer is going to be hanging out in the big red barn a bit longer, while Kurt's mom gets it in tip top shape. As soon as it's road ready, we're going to be making tracks. 
Who says you can't get a jump start on your retirement years?

ROAD TRIP REWIND: AH, MICHIGAN IN NOVEMBER

This is the view of Lake Michigan from Benton Harbor, Michigan, just four days before Thanksgiving. We stopped here on our way to visit some friends in Kalamazoo. We were hungry, and I was bound and determined to lay my eyes on the lake, so we took the quick detour. But I'll have you know that Benton Harbor was a veritable ghost town, except for the handful of diehard fishermen out on the jetties. One guy we talked to had been out in this insane weather all day and hadn't caught a thing--except, maybe, a cold.
We didn't stay long. Luckily, good friends and a warm meal were waiting for us in Kalamazoo.