Jacob told me yesterday that he was going to bake bread everyday this week. Pictured below is day 2.
Tired of so many a bread machine failure loaf this year, I decided to take failure into my own hands. Bread, like mayonnaise and kombucha, is something La Casa knows is way way waaaay better when you make it yourself, unquestionably worth the extra effort. This half-whole-wheat loaf was hand-formed with my trademark ineptitude™ and includes sunflower seeds and rosemary. Maria (my protégé) has assisted greatly with kneading and baking.
When a house our size has bulk amounts of at least six kinds of bean, I’ve got two hours to make dinner, it is sometimes difficult to justify making food that requires buying fresh ingredients: “Cauliflower? Plantains? But the lentils and black-eyed peas are right here!”
(Of course, the tables will turn come harvest season!)
If a house goes on like this, without taking care to coordinate what is cooked, weeks’ worth of dinners may lack the expected textural and stylistic range as we spoon gruel from a bowl for the umpteenth time.
Now, I’m mostly a recipe person. I delight in following directions down to the letter for the promise of surprisingly perfect food (provided no one gets hurt). I think I got this from my mother (Hi Mom!). Nevertheless, occasionally I indulge in improvisation. This one began with an oath to make “gruel salad”, a joke that became reality. It was “one of those evenings.”
gruel with a twist
Cut celery, scallions, and asparagus into 3-inch chunks. Braise in medium saucepan with a little oil and a little more water. Add sliced mushrooms and broccoli. Pepper half-heartedly. Add half a cup of wheat flour and enough water to keep everything from sticking to the bottom. Overcook until gooey. Serve atop whole leaves of lettuce, carrots, and pear, with a vinaigrette dressing.
– Jacob, while we were discussing this best-of-craigslist post, which states that you can conserve water by peeing into a 5 gallon bucket and dumping it into the toilet without having to flush.
My housemate Jacob threw his first round of disc golf today at Lohmann Park in Urbana, IL. He impressed us on the 8th hole with an awesome bounce shot off the shed that earned him his first duece. I’ve been making photographs at Lohmann Park for several years, but I’ve never made an animated gif, until now.
Jacob bounces his second throw off the shed and nicely lays up for a duece
La Casa Grande Colectiva 