creating

we've been busy creating: food, art, clothing, moments and memories.

gianna and i made lasagnas together. fun and messy. we also made crackers. they were great except for her very liberal application of seeds and lots of salt. they're pretty much inedible, they're SO SALTY!

i'm got interested in making sourdough bread and discovered that the bakery at my local grocery store will give you some of their sourdough starter for free if you ask for it. once i got it i started feeding it flour and water, just like the recipe said to do, and wow did it take off! i need to feed it for a couple more days and then i can use some to bake my first loaf.

we rearranged the dining room and turned the spare room into more of a play room. it feels so nice to have less clutter in the dining room. New chairs make it even better!

i have finished the birthday strawberry shirt/dress and am halfway through the strawberry pants. i'm thinking about making some strawberry shorts too. why not?

and in case you're wondering, here's the recipe for the cocktail pictured above. i've been varying it by using different frozen berries. i can't wait to try it when there are fresh berries!

since i posted my ramen recipe i have a made a few changes to it, mainly just cooking almost everything separately and then combining it together at the last minute. the change was based on this article about the best way to recreate amazing ramen noodle bowls at home. i didn't try making this exact recipe, but i thought the idea of cooking everything separately made sense, and it really tastes better. everything tastes fresher. i've also been only adding miso paste to the broth, and omitting the sherry and soy sauce. maybe i'm longing for spring and lighter flavors. i don't know, but it tastes right right now. i also found this ramen recipe in my inbox from amazing illustrator heather ross. it seems sort of labor intensive, (i.e. not based on using leftover meat like i do) but i bet it is fantastic!