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this and that

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 by alana

IMG_6272Today–a few things.

This weekend, we hauled ourselves (complete with kids and puppy) up to Montreal for Joey’s birthday. His one big request for the last year was to get to the PDC Sugar Shack in St. Eustache, Quebec, and we accomplished it. If you’re one for eating adventures, I highly recommend it. The only caveat is that you have to send them an email for a reservation in a tiny little window of time. For the maple season, you must email them at midnight on December 1 (set your calendars now), and for the apple season, it’s midnight on April 1, which, lo and behold, is tonight! Worth the drive and every penny.

I also wanted to tell you about a few new classes I’m teaching with Margaret Roach in the next few months. We’ve got full-day cheese classes on the books for April 25 and 26. This is the class we’ve been doing nearly once a month, and I’ve been loving every one of them. We teach in Margaret’s beautiful little teaching space in Copake Falls, NY, and in the midst of a few meals and a whole lot of sitting around telling stories about our yogurt failures and successes, we cover feta, ricotta, mozzarella, creme fraiche, butter, cream cheese, and of course, yogurt. We still have a few spots open, but these have sold out every time–so if you’re thinking about it, head over here to register.

We’re also teaching a new class in the end of May I’ve been wanting to do forever: a full-day introduction to fermentation. We’ll work through sauerkraut, kimchi, preserved lemons, fermented hot sauce, dilly beans, and fruit shrubs. We’ve got two sessions on the books-one on Friday, May 29 and one on Saturday May 30. Registration for that one is here.

DSC_0306

And while we’re at it, there are 3 pretty phenomenal cookbooks out this week that I need to tell you about. Great cookbooks always seem to come in waves, and this is a big one. Sprouted Kitchen’s new book Bowl and Spoon and the My New Roots book are both out today, and Kristin Miglore’s Genius Recipes is out next week. All SO GOOD.

Oh, and more, more! Have I told you about this? Have you seen it? Funniest thing I’ve watched in a long time.

Are you making matzoh balls this week? This recipe is hidden deep in the article, but it’s the best I’ve ever used. I’m on my third year of making it.

And we’ve mostly just been listening to this, which is making for a pretty steamy March.

Happy last day of March. My garden appeared today and it’s all mud! Bring on April.

 

Filed Under: cookbooks, Home Dairy, travels Tagged With: Montreal

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Comments

  1. M. Schneider says

    Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 2:59 am

    Good heavens, Wolfgang doesn’t actually cook his matzah balls in the soup they’re going to be served in, does he? Bleh. You can put a bouillon cube or two in the water for boiling the matzah balls, but don’t cloud up perfectly good chicken soup by cooking matzah balls in it, please!

    ~MS

    • alana says

      Friday, April 3, 2015 at 12:54 am

      Ha- I think he does! And I must admit, I do too 🙂 Next time I’ll try your bouillon cube, though.


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Instagram post 2337331591407595410_13442450 Sending off my taxes today with intention and prayer that they will be used to support programs for the most vulnerable, and that my little contribution will join with others to help move us towards the country I know we can be. #taxmagic ✨
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Instagram post 2330131706816229761_13442450 I’ll be baking up a storm for this! Local bakers- there’s still room for more! Let @north_plain_farm know that you want IN.
Instagram post 2324845496300301430_13442450 To those who ask here? In Great Barrington? YES. In Great Barrington.
Instagram post 2324091364266290851_13442450 I know there are so many resources out there right now, but I want to share one that’s been really helpful for me in the last several months. There are many seasons of this podcast, but I recommend Season 2 on Whiteness as well is Season 4 on Democracy. #sceneonradio
Instagram post 2322615811734696638_13442450 Black lives matter.
Instagram post 2319329508599466327_13442450 I did not bake these cookies, as I am no longer the cookie baker in this house. But this is the second time that  Sadie has made @susanspungen ‘s Triple-Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies (and also the second time I’ve talked about a recipe Sadie has made from the #openkitchencookbook), and I think these might actually be the best cookies I have ever had. I’m often looking for the perfect ginger cookie and this is it, and I’d also choose it over a chocolate chip cookie (or let’s be honest-any other kind of cookie) any day.
Instagram post 2316311882260313364_13442450 No matter how many rulers and pizza cutters and other magical tools I use, it seems that the straight line will always elude me.
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Instagram post 2312088043104000827_13442450 Every day my neighbor’s yard gets prettier.
Instagram post 2311325683330503572_13442450 @paulaperlis sent us @susanspungen ‘s new book and of course the first recipe Sadie picked is marked with the *project* heading. She’s been cooking all afternoon and the house smells like ✨✨✨ (With gorgeous images by @gentlandhyers ❤️)
Instagram post 2311141543964321092_13442450 When I took on a day job a few years ago, I found that the first thing to go was all the homemade stuff I’d been making and writing about over the years. I’m still going out to work most days, but I’m finding now with a full and captive house and more downtime in general that those things I love to make are back. For me, it’s granola, yogurt, bread. Hello, old friends!
Instagram post 2308503311808232748_13442450 All the things in the house pasta: roasted cauliflower, a few sad leaves of kale, one jar of fancy tuna saved for a special occasion (how about Wednesday?), Rosemary, homemade breadcrumbs from the freezer fried in butter, crispy sage leaves, pasta water, salt, so much pepper. Success!
Instagram post 2307412630968777107_13442450 @artbywoodgy made this beautiful thing for me for Mother’s Day. All the veggies are on Velcro so I can plan to my hearts delight.
Instagram post 2306345003953662730_13442450 Happy Mother’s Day to my brave and beautiful mom, who birthed two different humans in such different times in her life. With me she was so young, and she figured it all out just as she was learning how to be an adult. This picture was taken nineteen years later, when she was pregnant again and I was almost an adult myself. Thanks for keeping at it, Mom, and for always showing up with love. ❤️
Instagram post 2304888771283579843_13442450 What we do for cake.
Instagram post 2302665269449083186_13442450 It’s a magnolia year for sure.
Instagram post 2295808104927071821_13442450 A long time ago, Joey talked about his crush on this particular alien-like flower with a good friend of ours. Months later, little bulbs arrived in the mail. We put them in the ground last fall, and now they are everywhere. If that isn’t some kind of magic, I don’t know what is. ✨ (🙏🏻 to @wildflowers1 for the cool vase, too.)
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