Wednesday, August 25, 2010

project update: week one

So things are going relatively well. We've had a few oops moments for sure, but overall it's been pretty smooth. Mostly we're trying to work out what the "rules" are. If the goal is to skip commercially packaged stuff, then can we buy things like cheese and bread from the farmer's market? As long as the people selling said items are actually the ones making them?



The reality is that unless I want to spend literally every spare second in the kitchen with the stand mixer and food processor on high alert, we probably will need to supplement our homemade things a bit. Especially because I have work that needs to be tended too and projects other than our urban pioneer life experiment.

But I have been giving it a fair go! In the last week and a half I've made bread 3 times, see?



(Ends stored in these glass containers from Crate & Barrel. Highly recommend them as an alternative to ziplock bags.)

The sandwich bread was good, but the loaves too small for the pans I have. Next time, same recipe but only one loaf so they're not so short. The rustic Italian peasant bread... left something to be desired. BUT I did make croutons using some of it and they were delish. The ciabatta was a wild success. Definitely making it again tomorrow (but must start the sponge today) for leftover soup.

I spent pretty much all day in the kitchen on Sunday making... ready?

Hummus (I will share my recipe eventually because I think I've honed in on a perfect version)



Tuscan white bean soup with kale (Should also share this recipe, because it is delicious)



Peach jam (We have a giant jar in the fridge and a few processed jars on the shelf for later)
Baby food (Pluots!)



Cesaer salad with charmoula tofu (tofu is NOT on the list, but it was a legacy block in the fridge and we couldn't very well let it go bad. But I did make the croutons and the dressing)

Ciabatta sponge

And that's just enough for two dinners and some miscellany. Those pioneer ladies, they really worked hard. So yeah, we're in the process of evaluating our rules. And then last night we had 7 people for dinner. So we ordered pizza. Oops. But we don't have a dishwasher! And while making quinoa burgers sounded good, the amount of clean up sounded bad. I did make a big chopped salad to go along with our pies. So, you know, we split the difference.

Some of you asked what we're using instead of disposables in the kitchen. I will definitely do a post on our alternatives soon.

13 comments:

Marty J. Christopher said...

Did you ever watch Frontier House on PBS? All those people did all day long was work! You should watch it if you haven't seen it already...might inspire you! Again, I am always impressed by all the things you manage to have on your plate. That bread looks fantastic!

Unknown said...

everything looks amazing! i really admire you. xo

danielle said...

um- how are you doing all this wonder woman?
i can barely get dressed in the morning.

i need you to right me a tutorial.

danielle said...

um- how are you doing all this wonder woman?
i can barely get dressed in the morning.

i need you to right me a tutorial.

danielle said...

wow. write not right. see what i mean?

Unknown said...

Wow this is awesome. And that soup looks too good to be true!

Lindsay said...

Ooh yes please!! Please share the Tuscan white bean with kale soup recipe! I adore all of the above. Looking forward to it. Oh, and I made for dinner the other night one of the brunch items you had at Gjelina - the beet salad. Yum.

Amy @ Seven Grey Sweaters said...

I've been working on the same project! It's been a lot of fun.

Though I am now addicted to your method of roasting beets in aluminum foil, and I haven't figured out how to quit buying foil. I'd love to find out your alternative.

Char said...

yes, i'm glad to be a modern woman! :) beautiful shots

blake said...

super inspiring! I get a rush from all this DIY stuff. We've recently stopped with the ziploc baggies and have turned to the giant stack of storage containers we *already* had... eureka. I'd love to hear all the tips and ideas you come up with!

Steph said...

yay... i think your experiment is so exciting. One thing I have been doing recently is making crackers... rosemary spelt are my favorite! I tried some wheat thins and posted the recipe on my blog if you want to give them a whirl. They are really easy and everyone will enjoy them so muuch. I'm so excited to hear more about your project...

best of luck!

alyson said...

um yes.. I think we'll be needing that Tuscan Bean Soup recipe. it looks amazing! your project is very inspiring. *might* give it a whirl.

teedle. said...

this post has me mouth watering!