pshaw_raven: (Pumpkin)
One of my pumpkins has been GNAWED ON by an ANIMAL. Probably a squirrel. It didn't get far enough to really damage the gourd too badly, it looks like it mostly shaved off the green outer skin and the pumpkin is already healing. But it's probably time to put socks on them. This is an experiment - I've been told that animals dislike the texture of stretchy nylon stockings and won't bite into them, so you can slip a knee-high over the pumpkins to keep them safe. Hopefully even if the chewed pumpkin isn't suitable for eating I can still save seeds from it.

Not much has really been going on lately - it's happily quiet out here. I've been able to more consistently sit down and draw each day, and I'm knocking out a short comic. I enjoy stories where someone adopts a horrific monster-like creature and makes it a pet, and the monster starts behaving like a pet as well. And yeah, I'm also into monster girl/boyfriend stuff, too. (it's me - I'm the monster) But I;m just enjoying playing around with story ideas, weird imagery, and getting used to setting aside art time. Hopefully this will allow me to get back into working on Lora and finish the thing.

Speaking of art, I got a copy of Japanese Design Through Textile Patterns by Frances Blakemore. It's a collection of textile stencils that would be used to dye fabric, with descriptions and discussions of symbolism, etc. It's an enjoyable flip-through that will give me ideas for clothing patterns, backgrounds ... or just eye candy.

I also made my first attempt at melon pan. They were ... okay. The cookie layer didn't come together well and was super-crumbly. I switched recipes and was just reading through the pineapple bun recipe in Modern Asian Baking At Home which made much more sense to me. The inner bun is milk bread, so you start with a tangzhong and proceed much as you would for shokupan. She also doesn't call for scoring the tops of the buns, but I'll be doing that and sprinkling on coarse sugar. The ones I made aren't bad, they just aren't great, but I think I can nail it next time.

Since my birthday is coming up next month I might make a more elaborate cake, something like a butter cake with matcha frosting. Or a loaf of chocolate shokupan made in my kitty-shaped pan. Not sure yet.
pshaw_raven: (Noodles)
So as most of you know, I live in the middle of nowhere. I like it out here - I like the peace and general quiet, the fact that I don't have a ton of physically close neighbors, and how much of the natural pine forest has been left in place. Having lived in urban and suburban areas, I'm not sure I'd deal well with living cheek to jowl with humans again.

The only actual problem I have is that sometimes the logistics of doing normal errands are tricky. For example, I needed a bag of hemp hearts. (I know that hemp hearts aren't something anyone "needs," but bear with me.) I ordered a bag from Amazon, and found it was now a Prime Pantry item, so I also grabbed some of the vegan protein powder I use to get free shipping on a pantry box. I also picked up some black lentils and stuff like that. Today as I'm making my weekly grocery list, I realize that not only am I low on shiro miso, but that a recipe I wanted to make next week calls for aka (red) miso and toban-jan, which is a Japanese bean and chili paste. These are things I know I will use - I routinely use the white miso in making seitan, and I make a lot of Japanese dishes, so these ingredients never sit around going bad.

Problem is, Middleburg ain't a miso kind of town. I'll need to either take a chance on driving out to Flemming Island to the Fresh Market or going all the way into Jacksonville to Jax Oriental Market. Jax Oriental is an hour each way but I know they'll have what I want, and it'll be cheap. But it's also two hours of travel, so figure in gas and my time. The Fresh Market ... miiiiiight have it, but the whole reason I ordered hemp and shit online was to save myself going there - it's about a thirty minute drive. It'll be more costly because it's The Fresh Market, and they may or may not have both kinds of miso and the chili paste. I mean, I can probably substitute smaller amounts of gochujang but I think we'd miss the earthy flavor broad beans add.

Or I could order all this crap from Amazon, it'll be here Monday, and then I don't have to personally drive any further than the Publix in town. I justify this last choice to myself thusly - I'm not personally having to drive thirty minutes to an hour for a few small items, and the Amazon delivery driver is going to be out here anyway. If she or he is already delivering packages in this area, then it's not like a special trip (gas, time, engine wear) is being made just for me. 

I dunno y'all. I really feel strongly about reducing my consumption of resources, but I also feel strongly about tofu stewed in spicy miso broth. With noodles. And I figure if I select the larger amounts - one pound packages of each kind of miso - I can store it in the fridge and have enough to last me six months or so. If you keep miso in an airtight container, it'll last basically forever. And even if air gets to it, it mainly just dried out and you can still use it, though it's hard to carve chunks off the dried block. 

UGH #^&**(#&*&*#@##&$ I'm just going to order it. I don't want to spend all that time out driving.

Toothsome

Oct. 17th, 2017 09:45 am
pshaw_raven: (Sushi Cat)
 I know we still have a few weeks to go, but this morning it was cool enough to run outside - 63 and though it was humid, it was breezy, so that wasn't bad. IT WAS GREAT. I did four miles, saw the garbage truck guys, and got followed by a small dog I've never seen before. No collar or anything.
Today's errand day and I mainly need to go into Middleburg though I'm sorely tempted to go up to Jo-Ann's. I found some dessert recipes on Tastemade Japan and it's poking me to make goodies. But P'shaw, are cookies, cakes, and shit in line with your nutrition goals? Technically? No, but everyone needs treats now and then. I found this nifty recipe for Matcha Chocolate Layer Cakes,  (caution - autoplaying video) and put it into MyFitnessPal. If instead of four you cut it into 16 pieces it's only 145 calories a serving, and the squares are about the size of petit fours. For me personally, this is the perfect size to kill a sweet tooth. 
So at Jo-Ann's I'd be looking for other decorations besides gold leaf. It's pretentious and bourgeois. They might have those little candy pearls, though, which in white and green would look really neat against the chocolate and the matcha dust. I already own an offset spatula and double boiler, so I'm all set up there. Given how little of it I tend to eat anyway, I'd like to make my own desserts because the process is enjoyable and kind of soothing, I'll know almost exactly what's in them, and I found lots of things I can store in the freezer so I'm not "pressured" to eat them before they spoil.
That same site also has recipes for making those ridiculously thick, fluffy pancakes. They look so good OMG ... 

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