SLOWLY

Well here it is nearing the end of June and my summer of being a creative woman is moving slowly. Everything is moving slowly these days.

My husband had surgery the end of May and I thought having him home for 6-8 weeks would be great. But I find that I don't get anything done. I do, but it's mainly cooking and cleaning. If he wasn't home all day, I wouldn't be fixing two meals a day, I wouldn't be distracted by what he's watching on TV or trying to keep him from being bored.

Then there is my thyroid. It isn't working correctly and is scheduled to be removed in AUGUST. My doctor and I fully anticipated the surgery by the end of May/mid-June. So he didn't put me on any medication. So now, I'm tired, fat, sluggish and hormonal. I had no idea how many things the thyroid controls or works in in sync with. But after yet another visit to the urologist I found out that my bladder issues probably aren't bladder issues, but uterus issues caused by an imbalance in my hormones so let's wait and see how you're feeling after that's taken care of...once again things are moving slowly.

And then there is the house issue. We want to move. We find houses on-line, we talk to a realtor, we look at houses we like only to find out that they're sold. So we found a house the other day we LOVE. The others we've liked, could live in, were so-so, but this house was in a good location, had  potential etc. We did a walk-thru and we still liked it. Put in a bid...and now we wait and wait. Oh, there's an e-mail...lots of people put in bids on this very same house. My husband is bummed, and I'm...well  see above...I'm hormonal so OF COURSE I'm depressed. I don't even want to look at another house. I've even started packing, *sigh* I guess I'll live out of boxes for another 10 years.

So my creativity which should be blossoming with so much time on my hands isn't. Oh I've tried some new recipes, and I'm finishing a quilt. I looked into a painting class, but all of that is moving slowly too.

pecan, bourbon, butterscotch bread pudding

I love food - I like prepping and getting everything ready, I like the smells, the sounds and of course the tastes, but sometimes the textures make me gag. Bread pudding makes me gag. There is something really nasty about sweet, mushy bread that makes my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth and the bile creep up in my throat. I am NOT a fan of bread pudding - that was until I tried this one. 

My culinary instructor Tabetha told us this one was beyond good. She was right. It's sweet, crunchy and doesn't have that nasty mushy bottom. My husband, who also doesn't like bread pudding was celebrating his birthday and I thought this would be a good second dessert. I was wrong - this was a good FIRST dessert. The birthday cake was all but forgotten. I leftover cake, but the bread pudding was gone.  So here is the recipe - with comments that I've added. I'm thinking that next time I might add a few bourbon soaked raisins. 

The calories - probably a gazillion if you're worried - then just skipped this recipe - just reading will cause you to gain weight. 

Butterscotch sauce:

• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (no light brown sugar? I used dark and it turned out ok) 
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional) (I used Kentucky Bourbon, but I suppose bourbon is bourbon) 

Pudding:

• 1 pound day-old rustic white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2" cubes (12 cups) (I used a thick white bread and left the crusts on)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (It needs to be UN salted) 
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (These are expensive so I used real vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp)
• 2 cups pecan pieces

preparation

For butterscotch sauce:
Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Boil until mixture is syrupy and measures 1 1/3 cups, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream and bourbon, if desired, and stir until smooth. Let cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool completely, cover, and chill. Rewarm before serving.

For pudding:
Toss bread, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in another large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cream, poppy seeds, and salt; beat to blend. Place bourbon in a small bowl; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use). Whisk to distribute seeds, then add to egg mixture, whisking to blend well. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture in bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat well. Transfer mixture to a 13x9x2" glass or ceramic baking dish, spreading out in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake until top is browned in spots and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Serve bread pudding with butterscotch sauce.

I think the secret is baking it long enough. Make sure it is crispy on the top. I also soaked the bread over night. I found a copy of this recipe on epicurious.com. Tabetha said she reheats this and then puts a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and then drizzles the butterscotch on top.  I didn't reheat mine and people liked it just as well. It wasn't cold, but room temperature, but the time the last of it was eaten. I hope you enjoy this.  

creative gardening

Today I planted herbs. I love herbs; they smell good, they add flavor and some of them keep away mosquitoes. I often end up with a lot of herbs that go to waste. Thanks to a friend of mine, she posted this and I'm saving it to my blog to use later this summer. Hopefully, I'll remember that I posted this and will use it in a couple of months.

Not only was this a great idea, but I learned a lot about herbs. I wondered why my basil never smelled as good dried. Well duh, dried it isn't as good.

While many herbs can successfully be dried for long-term storage, certain delicate herbs, such as parsley, basil and chives, lose many of their aromatic qualities when dried.

Herbs that are going to be used in culinary recipes can successfully be frozen for later use. This how to guide details the steps required to create herbal ice cubes. Herbal ice cubes can be dropped directly into stews, soups or sauces as they are being prepared. The herbal ice cubes will thaw out as the recipe finishes cooking.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 20 minutes

Necessary Supplies:

Scissors

Fresh herbs

Colander

Measuring cup

Ice cube trays

Water

Blender

Bowl

Spoon

Plastic freezer bags or plastic containers

Here's How:

1. Use a pair of scissors to cut stems of fresh herbs from the garden.
2. Place the herbs in a colander and gently rinse them under running water.
3. Remove the leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
4. Measure out the amount of leaves you have to process using a measuring cup. Place the leaves into the blender after they have been measured.
5. For each cup of packed, fresh herb material that is being used, add ¼ cup of water to the blender.
6. Place the lid on the blender and process the herbs into a fine paste.
7. Pour the herb paste into a bowl.
8. Use a spoon to fill each ice cube compartment with the herb paste.
9. Place the herb filled ice cube trays in the freezer and let set until frozen.
10. Remove the ice cube trays from the freezer. Remove the individual herbal ice cubes from the tray and put them into plastic freezer bags or plastic containers with tight fitting lids.

Tips:

The herbal ice cubes can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Herbs that freeze well using this method include basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic chives, mint, parsley, tarragon and thyme.

Fresh herbs purchased from the produce section of grocery stores or farmer’s markets can also be processed into herbal ice cubes.

To use the frozen herbs, simply place the desired number of herbal ice cubes into the pan as the meal is being cooked. For example, 1-2 cubes of basil can be added to a pan of homemade tomato sauce.

Copyright Lynn Smythe Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

I found this on suite101.com

So what did I plant? I put in some chives, a couple of different types of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. If we don't get some rain soon, I'm not going to have to worry too much about drying them. 

A lazy Saturday of creativity

In my quest of creativity, I need to let go. Just let things happen, let things be and sit back. A teacher-mentor called this perk time. I like that term. Like a fine cup of coffee or a bottle of wine, you have to let it do it's thing at it's own pace.

I'd like this to be a peaceful journey this summer, but let's face it, this is my life and it's never been drama free. As our family is beginning to face some difficult questions about an aging parent, and relatives poor life choices, I see that being creative this summer is going to be a challenge so today - I just slowed down.

Creativity isn't always the flash of blinding brilliance, but sometimes in the monotony of life it creeps up on you. So as I was setting about to clean my bathroom, I realized that short bursts of productivity keep me moving. I have a short attention span so I clean on commercial breaks and cross-stitch while watching TV. My brilliant insight came in the fact that my cleaning routine is creative. If I had to tackle that nasty job all at once I would put it off and drag my feet and gripe about it. But when I time it in short 6-7 minute bursts it doesn't seem to take any time at all. One TV show and the bathroom is done and not only that, but the cross stitch pattern I've been dabbling at is nearly finished too.

So my creative insight for today - let ideas perk and blossom; short bursts of productivity work best for me and if I can see progress I keep moving forward.

The weather was awesome so I did some gardening today too. With as many gardens and containers I have the weeding has to be divided up. I know I promised pictures...as soon as I recharge the camera, I will download them. 

creativity side note

Just a few more days of school left this year and I can get my creative summer going full-blast. Just because I haven't posted in a few days doesn't mean I haven't been doing stuff. I just haven't had the time to blog, be creative and work.

This morning, I did have a chance to put in a few more flowers in a planter, but I spent most of my time dragging a hose around and watering everything - it's been very dry in my area and we desperately need rain. Today, it looks like it might rain, but it's looked like that several times this week and nothing came of it.

It's off to work in a few minutes and I have to go clean up. I'm not sure if I or the plants got wetter - there is a good breeze blowing and so I got pretty wet too.  

Creativity 2 focaccia bread

This morning started out on a creatively. I got up early and mixed up some focaccia bread. I may have over oiled it, but we'll see. At the moment it's rising.  Here's the recipe. I found it on Allrecipes.com

Focaccia Bread

Rated: Submitted By: Terri McCarrell Photo By: SummerRain Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour Servings: 12

"A wonderful, quick alternative to garlic bread. Lots of herbs and lots of flavor!"

INGREDIENTS:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1 pinch ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.
2.	When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
3.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2012 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 5/20/2012

I made some modifications to this recipe - 

First - I mixed the water - I meed sure it was 100 degrees and then I added my yeast and sugar and set aside for 15 minutes until it was bubbly before adding it to my flour and herbs. 

I used kosher salt

I added 1 tsp of rosemary

I used all oil oil. 

It was a very dry day - very little humidity so I upped the water 1/2 Tbsp at a time until I got a good consistency. 

I mixed about a tsp of all the herbs in some olive oil and set aside until I was done kneading. Then used that mixture to coat the dough with and the baking surface. 

I didn't have any mozzarella cheese so I just used the parmesan cheese.

It could've baked about 3 minutes longer it was a tad bit doughy in the middle. But overall, good flavor and served with spaghetti - the flavors blended really well. 

Creativity Day 1

I'm getting a head start on my summer of creativity. Technically, it won't start until school lets out for summer vacation and I won't have to head into the classroom every day, but it was a Saturday and the temperatures in Michigan were summer-like so I headed outside.

First stop - head to the Lowes to pick up a couple of 6-packs of violas and marigolds. Yesterday I found a new nursery and picked up some railing flower pots. When I went to put them on the deck, I found that my deck railing was about an inch to thin and my pots were wobbly. Not a problem, being the creative type, while I was at Lowes I found some felt pads that go on the bottoms of chairs. I figure I'll wedge to of these between the planter and the railing and they'll fit snuggly.

Once back at home, I put two red geraniums in each pot and one white trailing flower. I put some river gravel in the bottom of each pot for drainage and then wedged the flowers in tightly. A good watering and they're ready to go.

Then I looked at the deck. Ewww. The paint had peeled off and the wood was ugly and gray so before I place the planters I decided to stain the deck. I used a red stain to add a splash of additional color. My theme for that garden is red, white and blue.

So I made something pretty, perked up something and now I'm feeling pretty good for my effort. Tomorrow I'll snap some pictures and post them.

Yes, I wanted to do some baking, but I'm going to try very hard to stick to one project at a time and finish it before I move on to the next one. If I get up early, I'll try to make some bread from scratch. 

What to do this summer - be creative.

For a long time, I've complained that I don't have the time to....sew, draw, bead, paint, or write. I have fabric, needles and thread. I have graphite, and chalk. I have beads and string. I have canvas, brushes and paint.I have rough drafts on my computer, in drawers, in folders. What I thought I didn't have was time. Time and the spark any more. I used to be such a free spirit. Go with the flow, be free, see where life will take you. Then I got a job, got married, had a baby, had another baby and another. Bought a house, lost a job, lost a house, divorced the husband, got re-married. Life was an endless cycle of work, work, clean, run the kids to whatever practice, concert, event. I was tired - very very tired.

The kids have grown and moved away. My husband and I, while far from rich, are doing ok at the moment and, well, the employment area is very slow. I am only teaching one 3 hour class this summer. Yes, I have to watch my finances, but I have a roomful of craft supplies and a mind full of ideas. I have the time with little distraction. I picked up a book called "Creativity is a Verb" by Patti Digh. I do believe that I will spend the summer revving up those creative juices.

I'm sure there will be some pitfalls - it's hot. My husband is home convalescencing after foot surgery. I'm having thyroid surgery and we're moving. But those are minor distractions right?

So to add to my blog a different topic - you can see how I'm being creative under Creative. I might add to a couple of labels like creative and gardening or creative and culinary. But if you look up creative. you should see what I've created. I'm going to try to figure out how to upload some pictures too. That should be a creative fun time.
On tomorrow's agenda...I do believe I will try to write something and/or make cookies. I consider baking to be creative and tasty.

Oh and watch for my thyroid updates. After many years of problems in the form of cystic nodules, my thyroid has stopped working properly and I will be having it out in August. I will start a new line of posts on that topic.

Yes this is a hodge podge of me. Someday maybe, I'll print them all off and publish them.