Sunday's cooking experiment

Red lentil tofu is the latest experiment. I like crunchy tofu so why not try making it from what I have. 

This version, from Hermann on YouTube, is not exactly like the Chinese tofu, slightly different texture, but I plan to try it in crunchy cubes anyway. 

And here's the red lentils soaking. 

The proportions to cook will be 100gm red lentils, 250ml water. Definitely worth a try.

You blend them, add salt then cook on top of the stove. You need to stir to avoid sticking.

After about ten minutes 

About fifteen minutes total 

It took about fifteen minutes cooking before it was stiff enough, then I transferred it to a glass dish, cooled a bit then fridge. About an hour later: tofu!

This is a lot cheaper than the tofu I've been buying, and I'll see how it works for tofu katsu.

Today's accompaniment to making stuff is another Coles, this one Murder at the Monastery 

In other diy, my patio door lock has been temperamental ever since a large male visitor who didn't know his own strength, went helpfully to lock it. He forced the lever  beyond its tolerance, jamming the mechanism. I had to get a contractor to reopen it.  So, now it locks, and then again, now it doesn't. 

Yesterday it just wouldn't, so I dropped a piece of PVC piping into the channel, enough space to open the door slightly, not enough for anyone to walk in.  Here you see it out of the channel so the door opens.

I used to do this when I had cats, so they could sit at the partly open door and sniff the air while keeping the door secured. 

This worked fine until one day I was outside, and dear little kitty Marigold played and juggled with the pipe till it fell into the channel, locking me out. 

Good thing I'd unlocked the front door so I ran round the block outside and got in that way. Also a good thing it was a ground floor window. If she'd done that at the second floor condo, different story.  Never a dull moment with a Burmese in the house.

Nor with bears, sez 

Ted and Big Ursy 

Happy day everyone, tofu all round! We got this.

More weaving, banana prep

Still in recovery from recent feasting, Saturday was about soup from leftovers, including scraps of game hen, then fruit, yogurt and granola bars. Dialing back the fat and sugar a bit. And making broth from the remains of the game hen for future soup. 

Quite a bit more weaving Saturday, and I  think this warp length might make two lanyards. I added in a lot of extra length when I measured the warps, just in case. 

I also added in an extra photo Saturday, scroll back if you missed it,  to show how the other warp ends are secured to give tension. I'm really happy at how well my diy rigid heddle is working.

And if you want to see much better bandweaving footage, go here

Durham Weaver is lovely and so's her voice. She's on YouTube. And has written the standard books on this subject, so she knows what's what.

It was time to mash bananas, since they'd arrived at just the right speckly ripeness. Three lots for the freezer for future banana bread. One cup, 3 bananas,  mashed for each loaf.

Apparently for Misfits the banana project is a big deal. Test marketing only -- I'm not far from HQ, so I'm in the testing region.

Major  producers such as Dole, for now, rather than indies, to reduce the complications, detailed questions to me about my order. 

Evidently you can't pack bananas with other produce because it outgasses and can push other fruit to ripen en route in the box.  This could mean berries or other soft fruit would be past it when they arrived. 

So there's a special breathable banana bag outside the box. Maybe these issues are the reason they haven't included them before. 

Father Richard's audiobooks are a good accompaniment to my current weaving. After I finished weaving Friday night, needing to rest my back from steadily maintaining tension, I did a bit of crochet, thinking there are various ways to make whistle lanyards, while Death in the Parish played.

It's really about wanting to bandweave rather than make lanyards, but one thing leads to another, as astute readers here will have observed.

Happy day everyone, helpless prawns of fate.

Still my flag, thick and thin 

Band weaving resistance

Here's where art goes subversive. I needed to do some weaving today, namely band weaving using the rigid heddle I carved from stiff plastic. 

Then I thought it would be good to make the band into a lanyard for a yellow (the color of resistance) whistle, the current anti ICE device.

So I'm giving this to someone at risk, art in service of activism.  Here's the order of events today, with breaks for lunch, crunchy tofu, afternoon tea, tea and pumpkin pie, and stretches to avoid getting sore.

The closer pictures of the work in progress are blurry because at that point the warps are attached to my belt, too close for the camera to focus well. Bear with me, I think you'll get the gist.

 

That plastic thing with holes and slots is the heddle. This device is thousands of years old. Well this particular one is a few months old.

 

Here's threads, nine, one per hole and slot 

Threaded up, one thread per, using a tiny crochet hook as a sleying tool. Sleying is threading the heddle. Listen up, there will be a quiz 

Here's the other end of the warp threads, knotted together then attached with linen nonslip thread to the ADA compliant grab bar where there's a step up. You don't have to be ADA compliant but it doesn't hurt.

Ted and Big Ursy checking I've got the warp threads even and the heddle straight 

And here's the band under way  it's weft faced, meaning the horizontal threads, the weft, are what you mainly see.

The narrow part was where I was establishing the band. I can go back and undo that when I finish, so that I end with a fairly consistent width. It's a workaround because you weave with the skills you've got.

Happy day everyone.

Ah what a tangled web we weave 

When we arghgh the warps by forgetting they're attached and get up to leave.

Sez Ted and Big Ursy, who photobombed a picture here and there.

Thanksgiving was five star

Thanksgiving was just lovely, all the food hot at once, the game hen plump and tenders and juicy. 

Before Handsome Son arrived with his share, Mike the Artist Contractor came over with home cooked, he's a great cook, additions for our table before he left for his own gathering.

A helping each of the best mac n cheese I've ever had, and a container of sweet potato in maple syrup with a topping.  

Chocolate chip soft cookies, warm, so good.

Handsome Son had brought pumpkin pie and cream, garlic potatoes, assorted crackers and cheeses and ginger ale.

I did the game hen, cranberry sauce, green beans and corn.  So we had a feast.

We simplified everything years ago, no fancy serving plates, just serve ourselves from the stove top, leaving the rest of the food in the warm oven so second helpings are still hot. 

This works better than the serving dishes which looked festive, and where the food would cool and need to be reheated.

HS went home with a good bit of the pie, cream and cookies. 

Since I don't need auto stuff now, I also added in my battery jump-starting kit and a quart of oil I'd had in reserve.  

He left quite pleased with his haul. 

A good day was had by all. Oh, a pome.

I spent the evening darning the warm socks, now more and more darn

while I listened to Reverend Richard reading his own Murder before Evensong.

Happy day everyone, I hope your day whether a holiday or just a Thursday, was good.  Sez Ted and Big Ursy

Thanksgiving prep and thanks

First prep was to text several friends to tell them I'm thankful to have them in my life.

That done, since for once Handsome Son is not working Thanksgiving Day, nor Friday, we're celebrating Thursday, the "right" day.

Here's the pretty simple food, my part of it -- he brings a lot of other food -- in the fridge, prepped to roast Wednesday evening, and on the counter to heat Thursday. Using canned veg is a recent thing to save my energy.

Done ahead, warm through Thursday, smelling very good 

 

And the table is set up 

Tea lights found in the freezer and set up on the hearth.

Meanwhile Wednesday was about tofu katsu, which was browner and crisper than it looks here

and reading 

a great social history of domestic service and how Virginia Woolf conducted herself with the women who served her and provided her with the care and space which enabled her to write. I expect they'd have liked a room of their own, too.  

Light portrays, in a well researched and compassionate look, all the lives affected by domestic service in the England of the nineteenth into twentieth century. This has been described as a history of women, either working in service or hiring into service.

Before I leave, just a word of thankfulness for you, blogistas. I publish daily, at midnight my time, so that I'll have something to get up for next morning -- your comments. And you lift me up and educate and entertain me each day, thank you.

And let's remember the people who really put the food on our American tables

Where'd it go? Knitting Group, Textiles and Tea

 I looked out this morning and there was the car, gone. The car fairies must have been out early. It was there last night.

I was doing more visible mending Monday, and found I'm darning darns at this point 

These socks are warm house socks,  definitely worth mending till the original sock vanishes into the darns.

I have looked everywhere, everywhere, for the peanut butter bar recipe and it has vanished. So I'll reconstruct it, per request.

18 minutes or till edges are brown, in 350°f oven.

Heat over moderate flame,  stirring, quarter cup honey, quarter cup molasses (or maple syrup for a lighter taste) half cup smooth peanut butter, till all blended, add one tsp vanilla, half tsp salt, tsp pumpkin spice, stir, then two cups rolled oats, stir off heat till all blended. I also added in ground flaxseed. You could fling in other seeds and nuts.

Then parchment paper in pan, I used a glass pan, just guessed the medium size would work, spread the mixture, pressing down. 

Bake as above, cool 10 minutes in the pan, on wire rack, then use the parchment paper to lift out the mix, to cut into bars.  I used a pizza wheel to cut. Store in airtight container. If there's anything left to store. 

I expect the recipe will now reappear. I'm pretty sure I didn't skip any steps. 

The recipe reappeared, doh. The source Forks over Knives.com, a plant based website. I'm glad I can credit it now.

I liked this recipe because it's unfussy.  So now you have two options, the real one and my version.

The needle arts group had two new members, mom and little girl, who both plunged in and learned to knit in no time. I didn't get the child's picture, security purposes. And other great works are underway. 

Chat ranged over resistance, whistles against ICE,  one member took a yellow whistle for her neighbors, learning to knit, dpns, the upcoming library needle arts display, cats, car sales, children's names, spool knitting, Friends of Pine Ridge, westernized Chinese names, and more.

Then home, courtesy of driving friend, cold rainy afternoon, to Textiles and Tea with nuno silk felter, Patti Barker

She creates wearable art and one of a kind wearable art coats, on themes of women's lives, struggles and needs -- see the coat of many pockets! 

She addresses climate issues and nature in her costumes. There's a lot of meaning behind her work. 

Ocean Crone 

Stained glass effect 

Me Too, features missing to show what was stolen 

Earthquake, wildfire and tsunami 

Moth and another winged insect 

Dragon skin 

pockets on top of pockets! She's working on a hundred-pocket coat

here's a felted silk lattice scarf like the one she's wearing

A few of her artworks behind her in the studio

Go to her website for more. 

Happy day everyone, mine was full of incidents. I hope yours was. Good incidents, that is.