Knot Sew Crafty

How Do I Love Mark Bittman? Let Me Count the Ways.

This is a well-used, well-loved copy of Mark Bittman's book How to Cook Everything. We turn to it often and have cooked everything from bagels (which were stunningly good) to fish (he gives recipes for all kinds) to Raspberry Gratin (hello, Summer!). At this moment, Solveig is baking the Sweet and Rich Muffins from page 250. I add a little vanilla, use white whole wheat flour and substitute soy milk for the milk, but other than that I just make the plain muffins. They look a little bit boring.

The kids love them so much that it's a little surprising. There are no fancy frostings or sprinkles or chocolate chips (although I might have to try that...) and the kids eat them up and their friends demand that they share at lunch time. Hmm.

Mark Bittman has a new book out, called How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, and it is, of course, also fantastic. It makes me love him just a teeny bit more.

Did I Say No-Spend April? I Meant No-Spend May.

No-Spend April is not going so well. CMR was away and (close your eyes, CMR!) the recommendations in the back of The Creative Family looked so good that I had to get as many of them on Paperback Swap or used on Amazon as possible. I also ordered wooden musical instruments from Willow Tree Toys because I am determined that we are going to be the kind of family that has impromptu hootenannies, as described by Soulemama.

So cool!

I have also been eating take-out Thai food.

Nigella's Banana Bread

My affection for Nigella Lawson knows very few bounds. I love everything that I know about her--her hair, her twin-sets, her accent, her not-scrawniness, even her children's names (Cosima and Bruno!) I also love her banana bread recipe from How To Be A Domestic Goddess. We always seem to have brown bananas about our kitchen, and this recipe is my favorite by far. It makes a moist, dense banana bread, which is exactly how I like it. I don't put in the raisins or walnuts, because my children are very picky, but I'm sure they're delicious. Sometimes when I'm feeling decadent, I put some chocolate chips in. I'm feeling experimental today, so I'm trying to make it in the bread machine. We'll see how that goes...

Ingredients:

three-quarters cup golden raisins

6 tablespoons or 3 ounces bourbon or dark rum

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

half teaspoon baking soda

half teaspoon salt

half cup unsalted butter, melted

three-quarters cup superfine sugar

2 large eggs

4 small, very ripe bananas, mashed

three-quarters cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

9 x 5 inch loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert

Procedure:

Put the golden raisins and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the raisins have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then stir in the walnuts, drained raisins and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Scrape into the loaf pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1 and a quarter hours. When it's ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out mostly clean. Leave in the pan on a rack to cool, and slice and eat as you wish.

Makes 8-10 slices

Yum.

SouleMama!

I am almost giddy with excitement at the arrival of The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule!

I hope I find a quiet moment or two to read it today. And I don't have to count it as shopping today, because, technically, I ordered it months ago!

Visit the SouleMama at SouleMama.

No-Spend April

With all my declarations of wanting to make things, what I've actually been doing is buying things. Books like Crocheting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti, The Crafter's Companion, Amy Butler's In Stitches, The New Gocco Guide, and far too many others to mention. I've also subscribed to magazines like Craft, ReadyMade, and my beloved, most beautiful Country Living UK.

I also bought yarn, needles, yards of fabric, fat quarters, japanese craft books, rubber stamps, ink, brayers, a gocco kit, blank card stock, embroidery floss, plain dishtowels to embroider, and I'm afraid the list goes on a bit more...

I hereby vow that April shall be "No-Spend Month" in the Knot Sew Crafty household. I'll lay out the rules tomorrow, but basically I'm not going to buy anything that is not vital for daily living.

If I should find this challenge to be too depressing, I will console myself with the beginning of baseball season...

Lotta Lotta

My new favorite book arrived at my house this morning! It is called Lotta Prints by Lotta Jansdotter and I cannot wait to start printing!!!!