Spring Garden: Planted (Mostly)

We took advantage of near-record highs this weekend to get our spring garden into its beds. They look tidy, but since we planted mostly seeds, there isn't much to see yet...

But I have this pretty spreadsheet to show you what it will look like!

*NERD ALERT*

(click image to enlarge)

Notice the central symmetry of cucumbers flanked by broccoli and surrounded by a ring of tomatoes. Kumbaya, yo.

The large boxes are 11 feet long and almost 2 feet wide, giving us over 100 square feet to plant. In that space, we've tucked:

• beans - festina, stringless green pod
• beets - early wonder, golden
• broccoli - green magic, packman
• cabbage - Chinese
• carrots - amarillo, carnival blend, cosmic purple, nutri-red, St Valery
• chard - bright lights, pot of gold
• cilantro
• cucumbers - English
• dill
• kale - dwarf blue curled, dwarf blue scotch, Italian heirloom
• onions - evergreen long white bunching, Walla Walla sweet
• parsley - Italian dark green flat
• peas - bush, dark seeded early perfection
• potatoes - red, white
• tomatoes - black Krim, Juliet, Moby Grape, Roma, sun gold, sweet 100

We'll also plant squash and fingerling potatoes. In separate containers, I planted strawberries (Chandler and Sequoia varieties). And we have a mysteriously-labeled "black tomato" to pot. Will it bring cherries, plums, or beefsteaks? Who knows? Vague labels for the win!

I know most of you can't yet get your gardens out. Our final frost date of February 28 gives us a jump start, for sure. I hope to share some inspiring pics of sprouts soon.

Will you grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, and/or nuts this year? What are your favorites? What works well in your area?

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Book Birthday: APRIL FOOL, PHYLLIS!

You may remember Phyllis from Punxsutawney Phyllis. Now everyone is back, and spring is in the air.

Or is it? From IndieBound:

"When Punxsutawney Phyllis forecasts a blizzard on April Fools' Day -- the same day as the Spring Treasure Hunt -- the other groundhogs are convinced that Phyllis is pulling a prank."

I got a nice long sneak peek at April Fool, Phyllis! because Susanna asked me to create classroom guides for it (kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2). I can tell you it's a sweet story (in more ways than one -- Phyllis's family makes maple syrup!) and the illustrations are beautiful. I can't wait to pick it up from my local shop.

You can find Phyllis, too, at...

• IndieBound
• Barnes & Noble
• Borders
• Amazon
• GoodReads

Congrats, Susanna!

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I know, I know, but LOOK at her.

Born January 10 and she already looks like she wants to eat someone's face. Chattanooga Zoo is under scrutiny, and I won't comment on that. I just love how you can see her pads through the bowl.

And her intent gaze.

And the face-eating expression.

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24-Hour Bread

OK, I'm ready to call this adapted.

Two weekends ago, I tried Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, featured by NYT's Mark Bittman in 2006 [original recipe]. The next weekend, I added chopped Kalamata olives. This weekend, I added dried cranberries and walnut pieces to the basic recipe, with sweet and savory success.

Over those three bakings I altered the recipe's schedule to an even 24 hours. I like this because I can decide when I want to have bread ready, then mix it at that same time the day before. As long as I'll be home at the 21-hour mark, I'm golden. (Even then, there's time to play with. Yesterday, between when the bread began its final rise [21:15] and when I had to preheat the oven and pot [22:45] I ran errands to the library and grocery store.)

24-Hour Bread (adapted from above)

430g bread flour*
1g instant yeast
8g salt
345g cold water**

What To Do (from an email to my pal Gabel)

1. In a medium-large bowl, mix everything together.

2. Cover the bowl with plastic and let it rest in a cool-ish place (50-70 degrees F) for 21 hours.

3. Pull dough out onto floured board. Fold it onto itself 2 or 3 times, cover it with plastic again, and let rest 15 minutes.

4. Flour 1/2 of a cotton towel or pillowcase.

5. Shape the dough into a loose ball/boule, place it on the towel, flour the top of the loaf, and cover with other half of towel. Let rest + rise for 2 hours.

6. When the dough has risen 1+1/2 hours, place an oven-safe pot (w/ lid) in the oven and preheat to 450F.

7. When the dough has risen 2 hours total, overturn it into the preheated pot, replace the lid,and bake for 30 minutes.

8. Remove the lid, and bake for 15 more minutes.

9. Put the loaf on a cooling rack and listen to it crackle!

10. Try very hard to ignore the aroma and gorgeous crust. THIS IS THE HARDEST PART OF THE RECIPE.

11. Give in and try a slice before it's fully cool. Butter is good. So is olive oil.

I'll update this post with variations. Unless otherwise noted, add the extra ingredients at the same time as the water.

Plain, per recipe above:

 Kalamata Olive (drain, rinse, chop, and add 75g Kalamata olives):

Cranberry-Walnut (add 75g dried cranberries + 50g walnut pieces):

Sun-dried Tomato and Pine Nut (add 50g sun-dried tomatoes + 30g toasted pine nuts):

*    I use King Arthur unbleached. I think its high protein content helps the structure here.

**  Not ice-cold, just whatever comes from the cold tap. Cold water keeps the dough cool longer, allowing for slow, steady rises, and giving the yeast monsters a leisurely lunch of flour carbs.

*** I use a 3-qt enameled cast-iron casserole [this one, on clearance now at Target].

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Jane Fisher

Dave's grandmother Jane died last Friday at 96. She was feisty and outgoing and gregarious. She was also a caver. As a member of the National Speleological Society, she helped map caves worldwide. She set a record in her age group for descent into a cave by rope. She was a member of The Explorer's Club. There's even a cave named for her in Meramec State Park, Missouri [another photo].

Four years ago, St. Louis's KETC featured her in a story about Missouri cavers. She shows up at 3:25. Check out her awesome jacket of patches collected on her expeditions:

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Barely got this shot...

...before the ravening wolves in our bellies pounced on it again: the no-knead bread of last week, with 1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, rinsed, chopped, and added.

Other small changes:

• I used the metric weights listed here.
• I accidentally left the dough in a cool room overnight (closer to 45-50F than the 70F in the recipe), but I think it benefited the resulting loaf. Makes sense: when I baked at the restaurant here, the French dough rose in a  refrigerated cabinet overnight.
• I moved twenty minutes from the second rise to the first within a 24-hour schedule: first rise 21 hours, rest 15 minutes, second rise 2 hours, bake 45 minutes. The crust was slightly thinner than the first loaf, but still delectably crispy and chewy. (I also like the nice, round numbers in those times -- easier to figure.)

We used the last of the previous loaf in a panzanella. A full week after the bread was baked, you might expect it to be pretty stale, but it was still moist in the middle.

Currently trying to decide what flavor(s) and/or shapes to try next.

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An Almost Perfect Day Off

I had two goals today: visit Hamlet's Books on Main and ski at the Breckenridge Nordic Center.

So I mapped them both. Hamlet's would be 2 blocks away, the Nordic Center another 1.5 miles.

I checked into Breck's Free Ride shuttle and discovered the main station is just four blocks from Hamlet's and had a bus going to the Nordic Center every half hour. So I packed my daypack and set out at the crack of 10:30.

But at 306 S Main? No Hamlet's! TRAGEDY, INDEED!

It would be a push to make the next bus, but I didn't want to browse over-priced ski wear, so I picked up my pace.

Then, at the corner of Lincoln and Main: Weber's Books and Drawings. I don't know what the "Drawings" were about, but just as I thought I'd seen all the books on offer, I spotted Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. I wanted to fall into the cover, and it only took a few lines of the introduction to hook me. So I was able to give a few bucks to a local indie bookshop after all. TRAGEDY AVERTED!

Timing was perfect for the next shuttle to the Nordic Center. Super-friendly staff there got me outfitted and I was off to do a green loop called Troll Forest. It was every bit as fairy tale as it sounds (see pic above). And nearly deserted. So I skied it twice for about 5km.

Back at the lodge, I found a sunny bench and pulled out lunch: a tin of sardines in mustard sauce, a carrot, a BabyBel cheese round, and a Snickers bar, all washed down with orange Gatorade. Dad would be proud of me for the Gatorade, which I chose over water because the salt would keep it from freezing in the outer pocket of my pack. SCIENCE!

Anyhoo, the bench was so nice, I pulled out my new book and read for an hour. Then I put more sunscreen on (I was like a model kid today, Mom and Dad!), and set out for a bigger blue loop, Beaver Meadows. Which I mostly managed to do, though I got off on another trail and backtracked, but it was all pretty, so no complaining.

Did I mention I was listening to Wolf Hall the whole time I was skiing?

After an hour in the Meadows, I was wiped. Back to the lodge, the shuttle, the grocery briefly to get tomorrow's sardines and Snickers bar, then home for a shower and a bit of blogging. Oh, and between the shuttle and the grocery, there was a sign at Kava Café that said HOT DONUTS. And so donuts were scarfed.

An almost perfect day off. Missing, of course, was Dave. This trip was a last minute incredible bargain found by Dave's cousin, but there was no way Dave could make it. He's working at least three BIG projects, so he had to pass. And because he's AWESOME, he encouraged me to come anyway.

I'm very, very lucky. Hope you guys are just as lucky.

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Bent Objects

Sculptor Terry Border gives us the secret lives of everyday things. In fact, that's the subtitle of his book. His photo blog is Bent Objects.

Thanks to Sarah for linking!

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Traveling Light, Sort Of

This is the bag I travel with: REI's Hitchhiker daypack. I love it. When I told Dave's cousin Lois I wasn't checking luggage for our 4-day ski trip, she was surprised. But this pack's awesome. It's holding:

• snow pants (1 pair)
• thermal leggings (1 pair)
• base-layer shirts (2)
• turtleneck shirt (1)
• socks (3)
• unders (4)
• bra (1)
• knit hat (1)
• balaclava (1)
• snow gloves (1 pair)
• earband (1)
• sunglasses (1 pair)
• swimsuit (1)
• shampoo (1)
• conditioner (1)
• deodorant (1)
• moisturizer (1)
• toothbrush (1)
• toothpaste (1)
• wet wipes (1 pack)
• kleenex (1 pack)
• laptop (1)
• laptop charger (1)
• cell phone (1)
• ipod (1)
• wallet (1)
• electronics cables (1 small bag)
• flight, rental car, and map info (1 ziploc)

So, my bag's small, but I can't claim to pack light. :)

To round out the week's clothes, I'm wearing jeans, another base-layer shirt, a fleece jumper, and my parka. I may unzip the expander panel on the daypack for the parka. Or use it to cushion my seat. We'll see.

What luggage do you guys travel with?

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My Library

I walk to my library branch. It's a nice stroll, more than a mile...

Here she is: Landa Branch. She was a private home built in 1928-29 and later gifted to the City of San Antonio on condition she become a public library and playground...

The study room...

Where the middle grade books live...

...including the nicest bookshelf ever...

Stairway to the second floor...

Painted lobby ceiling and second floor balcony...

I used to use the Central Branch (aka the Big Enchilada) because it usually had whatever book I sought. It's nice, too, with modern architecture and a Chihuly-designed glass tower.

Now I use the inter-library loan system to have books delivered to Landa. It's a treat to get those emails telling me I can pick up that book I've been waiting for. On cold days, I don't even take off my scooter helmet -- just pop in, grab my books, and check them out. But when I have more time (and less all-weather gear), I love to browse in this beautiful space. The rooms are cozy, the wood and marble real, and the librarians smiley. Why wouldn't they be?
Do you have a favorite library branch?

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Feast of Greens

Behold winter greens...

Yes, the broccoli head is tasty, but look at those leaves. Mmmm...

Last night I harvested a big bowl of greens -- the broccoli greens and two kinds of kale...

How easy are greens? Very. First, slice out the stem...

Then chop the leaves into pieces about the same size (these are about 2" x 2"), and rinse them...

In a little olive oil, sauté onions, bell peppers, and garlic for 5 minutes. Over medium heat, add all the greens and a can of stewed tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, till greens are cooked through but not limp. The greens and tomatoes will provide enough moisture to steam the greens. Pull off the heat, add red wine vinegar to taste. The vitamins practically pop out of the screen...

We ate the greens-veg dish over brown rice, with a side of roasted sweet potatoes (also a cinch: cut into even cubes, toss in olive oil/salt/pepper, roast at 400F till forkable) and a slab of homemade bread. 

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Cat Lassie: Not As Reliable As Dog Lassie

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No-Knead Bread

Initial reaction: HARUMPH!!!

No kneading? What is this silliness?

But the photos look good, especially the air holes in the crumb. Plus, if the bread didn't turn out, I'd only lose about 20 minutes hands-on time. So I gave it a shot. The recipe came from Jim Lahey and took off when featured by Mark Bittman.

A few pics of the process (and one of the bread maker [Yes, hat and scarf, inside the house. I'm a heat miser. But aren't they pretty? Mom made them. Anyhoo...]). The ingredients...

Mixed briefly...

Don't lick the spoon...

Covered w/ plastic...

20 hours and 45 hands-off minutes later, I prepared an old pillow case to act as a floured cotton towel...

Loaf went on, more flour on top...

Covered for another 2 hours...

At 1.5 hours, I preheated this enameled cast-iron pot (w/ lid) in a 450F oven. At 2 hours, I tipped the risen loaf in and put the lid on...

After 30 minutes, I took off the lid...

After a final 15 minutes (no lid), the loaf came out. It immediately began to crackle, causing flour to sift down onto the table. Impatient wait began...

The wait didn't last long...

Thoughts:

The salt level is fine. I'd read that folks thought this recipe didn't have enough, but I think the bread's fine by itself and with condiments / other courses / etc.

The crust is dreamy -- chewy and crispy, not too thick -- exactly what I love about European-style artisan loaves.

The crumb is lush -- chewy and moist -- very similar to the glossy crumb of ciabatta.

I want to try flavor variations -- dried fruit + nut, sun-dried tomato, roasted pepper, garlic + rosemary, olive + thyme, whole grain w/ seeds, etc -- but I'm happy with the rising and baking times.

I need to start running again, because I see a lot of this bread in my future.

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Snow Day

See it? See it?

Most of San Antonio got a snow day today, or a mid-morning start at least. Snapped a few pics before the sun could melt it away...

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Skype Brings a First

Got an unexpected but awesome Skype call from Jen in Germany this morning. She had baby Ben on her lap and 2-year-old Isabel everywhere else. We got to chat about running and writing and a possible visit in November.

Then Isabel showed me a gigantic book.

And I think she said my name (first time)!

Then she ended the call because she had to go poop.

I love Skype.

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Also: Pages!

You may have noticed that Daily Pie's layout has changed a bit.

Gone, of course, are the daily topics. But when I cleared those from the left sidebar, I had the urge to really simplify the front page of the blog. So I took advantage of Blogger's Page feature, which allows me to publish separate stand-alone pages. I took a lot of what had populated my sidebars and moved the info to dedicated pages. The page titles sound like commands, but they're just reminders to me of things I want to do every day:

Write:  my current project(s), agent information, links to selected writing posts, and interviews other bloggers have done with me

Read:  upcoming book releases across genres and markets, and (via GoodReads) my current and past reads

Cook:  recipes, favorite cooking and baking websites, and a farmers' market-finder tool

Grow:  current challenge(s) I've set myself, and past challenges

Give:  causes I support with regular contributions of funds, time, and/or word of mouth

As a result, we're back to one sidebar and a simpler front-page reading experience.

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Daily. Pie.

For the last couple of years, this blog's had daily topics. I did that to give it some focus and myself a framework to write on. After all, social media experts said: your blog is your platform! It must have a focus!

So I compromised and gave it one focus per weekday. And it worked, mostly. But last year, I started to feel preachy, expounding on my five topics as from a mountaintop to the desperate masses. YEESH. Who wants to be that guy?

OK, probably someone, but not me.

I spent most of December and January on a blog sabbatical (Winnie-the-Pooh raconteuses aside) to decide what I want Daily Pie to be. I wasn't willing to give it up. It began as a way to share my life, in bits, with family and friends and new internet pals. It was goofy and fairly honest and a means to connect with folks in a positive way. A nibble of pie every day.

And so it is again.

This year, I'll develop my author website. That'll be the place to focus on my chosen profession. Daily Pie, on the other hand, will be a place to share things that catch my eye and ear, mind and heart. Photos, conversations, articles, videos, thinks.

So drop in when you like and pull up a chair. Have a bite and a cuppa. Chat with your mouth full.

Let's have some fun.

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Aging Well

A big birthday shout to Dad, who's 65 today.

AWESOME!

Here we are at Kennedy Space Center in 1973:

I've grown an inch or two, and no longer wear pink shorts.

Dad still digs rockets, though he's retired from teaching hormone-addled middle schoolers about them. Now he travels and reads and swims and cooks and dances and drives voters to the polls. And shovels snow and ice, as he had just finished doing when I talked to him this morning. Hard core.

For a fairly embarrassing photo retrospective, click here.

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