Friday, May 13, 2011

A hammer and some nails

I am not entirely sure how people do it. The internet has led me to believe that people can have real jobs, cook from scratch, and implement newly learn skills, like say, yogurt making, into their daily lives and still actually feel like they are living daily lives. The internet tells lies. Or, perhaps, I am over enthused and attempting too much at one time. Or, perhaps, I am sub par.

That might be the truth.

Yesterday, I did a hundred pounds of laundry, spent an hour weeding the garden, took the dog on an hour long run/walk, then made home made hummus and gf crackers (can anyone give me some helpful hints on how to grind flax seed at home?), and watched Mean Girls while I took a bath. I am so totally super productive and awesome. Never mind that I was the grumpiest by the end. No I wasn't! Stop talking trash. You can't prove that shit.

I might still be grumpy.

So, I don't have a rolling pin, which is, actually, kind of crucial to making crackers. So I used a bottle of my friends homemade root beer. Which worked, until the root beer started seeping. Then I used another bottle. The crackers are . . . good? Sort of. I took a recipe off the internet and tweaked it, i.e. replaced almost every major ingredient with another, sort of similar ingredient. For example, my new gf flour mixture for almond flour, flax seeds for sesame seeds, safflower oil for grapeseed oil, etc. Interesting results: Something that still looked just like flour only slightly wetter but definitely nowhere near dough of any kind. So I added more oil and more eggs and some water and then it looked pretty okay and rolled out alright. Other interesting results: flax seed, when whole, is encased in a totally indigestible hull that gets stuck in your teeth and then, since it's wet in your mouth, starts to gum up a little bit and create what the internet likes to call a "slurry" between your teeth. It's pleasant. Again, does anyone have any advice on grinding flax seed at home? Because I would like it. And will use it.

I also made hummus. That turned out better. And tastes good. Like garlic. I like garbanzo beans and cook with them all the time. I tried to sprout them last week, with interesting, foamy, sour results. We won't talk about that.

It's a process.
I want to grind my own grains. Does anyone have a grinder they want to sell/give to me? I'll bet I could grind flax seeds in it too, couldn't I.

My kitchen is not that big. My entire apartment is not that big (19 by 25 of my feet laid end on end), but since moving in I have acquired a blender, toaster, yogurt maker, coffee maker, and tiny food processor. Does anyone need a coffee maker? Because I don't use mine. I'll trade you for a grain grinder.

What else is going on? I only have three months left of my VISTA year. And I am super stoked. People are starting to ask me what I am going to do in September and I really don't know, having not thought about it at all. I want to be apprenticed somewhere. Like at a mill. (Get it? Because they grind grain at mills? Is this funny yet?) Or maybe I will go work at Jimmy Johns. (Which we now have in Waco. Go eat there. This instant!).

3 comments:

Emily said...

I ground flax with my coffee grinder and had pretty great results, other grains not so much
e. (wootton)lentini

tao1776 said...

Did you know that Linseed oil is also used in oil based paints and stains? Great health benefits tho.. I always take a swig while I mix my paint! (kidding) Love your blog (for a Texan) Ha!

jessica said...

I miss you frequently. It sounds like you're good. good and well.
I hope it's true :)