Things I love TUESDAY... +music!

So, I have to admit, I've been laaaazy as far as picture taking for tuesdays goes, so I only have 3 pictures for you, two of which are rather old, but rather adorable, at least... Sorry.
To make up for it, I've introduced a new feature... SONGS OF THE DAY! I'll put three good songs (WITH LINKS!!!) at the end of every post.

I love fluffy pillows of risen bread dough.

This picture is so old, but it's a freaking NEWBORN GOAT. Cute, amirite?

Oh, how I miss the constant sugar-high that was my youth...

and the songs of the day are.....

time to pretend- mgmt

tighten up- the black keys

schizophrenia- sonic youth

have an awesome week!
     -g

bread and thanksgiving.

I know, I know, late thanksgiving post, but I didn't want to spend my thanksgiving on the computer instead of with family.
Thanksgiving was very low-key this year, my family just drove up to meet some cousins (and their six dogs and 5+ birds...), we shared stories from the year, and ate amazing food. All of the leftovers went to great-uncles and cousins, but today I decided I'd make some warm, simple, homemade bread.

Bread is such a perfect, mellow food. When it's being made, you can't help but be calm. It smells lovely at every phase, from the earthy scent of the yeast foaming away in warm water, to the floury, cozy smell of bread in the oven that fills the whole house.
I think that, in itself, is enough to be thankful for.

I used my mother's recipe, which involves a bread machine, so if you don't have one, just mix it by hand and let it rise in the bowl.

First off, gather your ingredients- water, flour, yeast, and salt.

ingredients...

Warm the water, and pour into the bread machine (or a bowl). Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let it settle for just a moment before adding the flour.

about to mix.

Set the machine to the dough setting, and let it work.

Or, if you don't have a machine, mix the dough until it's thoroughly combined.

mix mix mix...

Let it rise in the machine, it will stay the right temperature. Or cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

WOAAHHHH. you done got big!

Turn out onto a floured surface, cut in half, then shape into two loaves. Place on a greased and cornmeal coated pan, then let rise for another hour.

pre-rising, I forgot to take a picture after it rose again.

Bake at 450º until it's done (I didn't time it, but mine went a tiny bit too long)

Slice, and enjoy plain, or with some butter and a smudge of jam.

yum.

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon of yeast

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of water (warmed)

happy late thanksgiving.

      -g

Things I love tuesday... IT'S SNOWING!!!

woah... deep breath...
the last few weeks have been mad crazy, and rather awful, but I'm FINALLY on Thanksgiving break, as of today.
My apologies for today's post being a day late, but to make up for it, I'm posting all of my favorite pictures from the last month-ish.

Gathering ingredients for butterscotch pudding...

Peaches... I miss summer already.

My halloween costume... deranged 50's housewife- complete with bloody rolling pin!

My lunch the other day- quesadilla w/ habanero cheddar and guacamole.

YOU GUYS. IT'S SNOWING. OH. EM. GEE.

... and snow means it's time to brew some tea with milk...

...and sit down with hot, cozy tea, and a favorite book.

Lots of love,

      -g

PS- Buddy Holly is amazing, and you all should stare at this picture of him for a while, kay? I did...

smexy... right?

things I love TUEDSAY! (blog edition)

I like to give credit where credit is due, so I figured for this week's edition of TILT, I would give links to all of my favorite blogs, all of which are a MAJOR inspiration to me.

shutterbean and joy the baker- the original food blogs that inspired me to start my own!
(psst- check out their podcast!)

gala darling- the inventor of things I love THURSDAY, and thus the inspiration for things I love TUESDAY. Clever, huh?

Ironic Couture- a blog created by some friends of mine... I can't help but laugh my ass off reading Libby's posts.

Doe Deere Blogazine- Pretty much the first blog I ever read, and I fell in love with the concept immediately.

Tempeh With a Side of Algebra Homework- Another blog by a friend, AND she's a gluten-free vegetarian. I don't know how she does it...

Hey, Nice Nails- Speaks for itself, my smudged black nails are JELLY.

Things we Forget- Inspirational post-its, left around random places.

and lastly, The Oatmeal and Hyperbole and a Half- for when I just need to laugh.

kale chips, or how I learned to deal.

So, the past few weeks have been filled with an unholy amount of suckage...

My grandfather died, the Boy broke up with me, I've been crazy swamped with homework and rehearsals, and I miss my old school terribly.

But, after a few weeks of crying, stuffing my face with apple crisp, and watching Titanic over and over, I decided it was time to put on my big girl undies and toughen up.
How better to do that than listen to Adele and La Roux, and make HEALTY FOOOOOOOD! YEAH!
Okay, so that's not THAT exciting, but it led me to a food-induced epiphany- Life. Goes. On.
No matter what happens, or who you lose, or how much you push yourself, everything eventually figures itself out.

In short, this is for everyone who lost someone they love, for all the girls or guys who have been dumped, and for anyone who needs a health-food epiphany. 

Start with a bunch of flat-leaf kale... (sound delicious yet? no...? yeah, I thought so.)

...yummy?

Cut it up into little squares/random mouth sized shapes.

mouth sized. yeah.

Toss it into a pan with some olive oil and seasonings. (Salt and pepper, garlic salt, Old Bay... whatever you like.)

Starting to be yummier...

Bake it up, eat up, and toughen up.

Also, try not to call your ex the night they break up with you. Please. For my sake, if not yours.

BTW- just use enough oil to lightly coat the kale you have, and bake at 300º for about 20 minutes, or until crisp.

Good Luck, and don't be too hard on yourself, kay?

    -G

P.S.- I love you. 

Things I love TUESDAY

...is a week late, as last week was scaaaary crazy.
Speaking of scary, I'll have a post about halloween up soon!

I love to just sit on my bed and draw.

The stop signs in Quebec just make me happy.

I love kale chips! They're so crispy, it's like junk food with veggies! (Recipe soon)

I love making random things out of candy after Halloween.

I found this robin's egg in my garden this summer.

And lastly, I LOVE how hideously creepy this little gnome is.

Lots of Love,

     G

marshmallows and music...?

Hi, I'm grace, and I'm addicted to music and marshmallows.
Yeah. For real.
So I figured you should try it, and to make this easy for you, here's a recipe for marshmallows, and a quickie playlist of my faves, WITH links.

You can thank me later.


Just as a quick warning, this marshmallow recipe is DANGEROUSLY easy, and I have to say that my blood sugar level suffered during that time, along with my friend Libby's (from Ironic Couture.)

Let's get started, shall we?

First off, get your gelatin soaking in a mixer bowl, then put the sugar, syrup, and water in a pot. 

Bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.

Boiling away...

Pour it into the mixer with the gelatin, and whip for 12 minutes until it is fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and salt.

Fluffy!

Pour into a pan lined with oiled plastic wrap, and let sit for at least an hour.

I can't even wait...

Use scissors to cut the marshmallow slab into little cubes, and dust with powdered sugar.

YUM!

Ingredients-

3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar for dredging

Firstly, put the cold water into a mixer bowl, and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let this sit for 10 minutes.

While the gelatin is soaking, combine the 1/4 cup of water, white sugar, and corn syrup in a pan. Bring it to a boil, and boil hard for one minute.

Pour the (HOT) syrup into the gelatin, and mix on high for about 12 minutes. It should be huge, fluffy, and magical. :)

Put that mixture into a pan lined with oiled plastic wrap, and let it sit for an hour. After an hour, remove the marshmallow slab from the pan and coat it with powdered sugar. Use scissors to cut it into little cubes, coat them with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

BUT WOAAHHHHH

we're not even done yet!

As promised, a bunch of my favorite songs, with links! 

M83- Midnight City (this song is SCARY good. I'm not even kidding.)

Ratatat- Seventeen Years

Animal Collective- Fireworks

Crystal Castles- Crimewave (not that good, but catchy.)

Band of Skulls- Honest

The Cardigans- Lovefool

La Roux- In for the Kill

Sea Wolf- You're a Wolf

happy listening!

   -g