October

I'm always a little sorry to see October go

but we do get one more month of fall with November.

~b

Friday Post Card

 This is what pumpkin carving looked like at our house this year.

Grandpa started a fire and set us up in his woodshop 

where all the fun carving tools are.

Someday I will miss this.

~b

1 + 2 = 3

Mr. b made me an oak rolling pin 

while he had a turkey breast on the smoker.

I made a sourdough pie crust for a turkey pot pie.

This is just the way we roll around here.

~b

Jack

"Listen up Pumpkins!

Halloween is Nigh and you have a job to do!"

 ~b

Spurtle

I ran across this kitchen utensil while studying sourdough starters.

The spurtle is a wooden Scottish kitchen tool, dating from the fifteenth century, that is used to stir porridge, soups, stews and broths, The rod-like shape means that porridge can be stirred without congealing and forming lumps, unlike a spoon that would have a dragging effect during stirring, and the low surface area reduces the chances of porridge sticking to the instrument.

It looked like the perfect way to stir my sourdough starter...

and I knew Mr. b would be able to turn one out for me.

He made mine out of oak.

It is 14 inches in length and 1 inch wide at the handle.

It's a beautiful addition to my wooden kitchen utensils.

~b

Friday Post Card

Have you carved your pumpkin yet?

~b

sourdough

 I am having a lot of fun with my sourdough project.

Yesterday it was sourdough pancakes for breakfast...

 

and today I made sourdough banana bread.

I even had time to throw a couple of kid's rice packs together.

Life is good...

~b is for banana bread

Sourdough 101

 I decided to take my breadmaking one step further

 making sourdough starter.

I am on my seventh day of feeding this and keep it warm

and as you can see it's doing well with those big bubbles of carbon dioxide.

Tomorrows discard will be baked into pancakes or banana bread.

Mr. b is a big sourdough fan.

I also intend on mastering cinnamon french bread.

My sourdough starter wasn't ready to use so I used regular yeast.

I followed the recipe this time but next time I will add an additional rise.

~b is for bread

Friday Post Card

 

What's not to love about fall?

~b

rock stars

 I had a conversation last week with our 7 year old granddaughter

 when she mentioned her younger sister didn't know if she wanted to be 

a rock star or a mermaid for halloween.

That got this grandma thinking that

 putting a couple of rock star costumes together for their dolls might be fun.

Grandpa chipped in with a couple of guitars and a microphone.

I think I will refer to them as the Goo Goo Dolls.

~b

I finished up binding my orange peel quilt yesterday 

while I enjoyed a cup of jasmine tea 

and a pumpkin doughnut.

 There was no plan with this quilt...

just use my scraps.

And it turned out perfectly scrappy.

It is all hand quilted which gives it more scrunch 

than a machine quilted look.

I love it and I won't be afraid to use it.

Has anyone else been craving pumpkin anything?

Doughnuts, muffins, bars, coffee creamer or pie?

It's that time of year.

~b

Friday Post Card

 

~b

 I was thinking about halloween when I put these zipper pouches together.

Wouldn't they make cute trick or treat bags?

~b is for boo

quilt projects

 I dug out a few of my novelty scraps today

to make these quilt-as-you-go zipper pouches.

They will make a great beginner sewing project at my next summer camp.

~b

autumn's bounty

 It just isn't fall until we've had scalloped potatoes (the way mom made them)

and baked squash.

This weekend we hit several farmstands in South Dakota watermelon country 

and came home with squash, melons, pumpkins and numerous types of gourds

including a couple of birdhouse gourds.

And because pumpkins just don't display well without mums 

we stopped at a greenhouse for a large mum plant.

~b

Friday Post Card

Backroads in the fall are always beautiful.

 

~b