Snippets from Northland

tad9:

Each day there is a rather disturbing amount of wood being heedlessly thrown away, onto the curbs of the city and into the junkyards of the country. Now I’m not talking about packing crates and shipping pallets here, either. Beautiful, wide boards of oak, maple, cherry, walnut, pine, etc, etc… can be found like windfall apples, scattered and rotting near the sites of frantic interior redecoration and renovation, from old homes and new homes. Especially from old homes. In fact, just the other day I was walking down the street and noticed a pile of old boards, full of nails and ready to be trashed. Upon closer inspection, I found that they were 3/4 inch solid oak, between eight and twelve inches wide and as long as my arm, probably eighty or ninety years old. If this doesn’t put you in the mood to make some furniture, I don’t know what will. And yet here they were, mere inches from their untimely demise. 

Not only does reclaimed wood look beautiful, having aged and acquired patina and character, it is also much easier on the environment to reuse existing lumber than to go out and cause new pieces to be sawed. If you want to get technical, its also had time to dry out fully in its environment, revealing any quirks or defects, and with older pieces, is likely to be wider than what is commonly available today. Today I found a company called Pioneer Millworks (http://pioneermillworks.com) which specializes in sourcing and providing reclaimed lumber and milled products for use by craftsmen, designers and decorators. The picture shows a sample of their “Mixed Softwoods, Original Circle Sawn” flooring.

whiferdill:

Ingredients
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, cut into matchsticks
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp each of paprika, cumin, chili powder and black pepper
1/4 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder and salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 425F. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into thick matchsticks. Place fries in a large bowl. Combine all the spices, salt and pepper in a separate bowl. In a third bowl whisk the two egg whites together and pour over the sweet potatoes. Using your hands to mix around making sure all the potatoes are evenly coated. Pour the spice mixture over top of the sweet potatoes and toss to evenly distribute flavors. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake sweet potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked.

justbesplendid:

Roasted Garlic Pasta Recipe by WishfulChef

1 head of roasted garlic, cloves removed (recipe here)
1 pound whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup olive oil (use leftover oil from roasted garlic recipe if possible)
1/4 – 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (and more for topping)
generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

• Cook pasta to a nice al dente. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat.
• Stir in roasted garlic cloves for a few minutes until they begin to sizzle. 
• Turn heat off and combine pasta, cheese and pepper. 
• Mix well and plate. Top with more cheese, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Total time: 20-25 minutes  -  Yield: 4 servings

2headedsnake:

cupetinte.blogspot.com

Frida Kahlo book self portrait

unboundeddomesticity:

roasted potato stacks

simply-recipes:

Onion and Cheese Soda Bread

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

450g/1lb plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g/6oz Gruyere cheese, grated

300ml yoghurt

3 tbsp water

2 tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7

2) Heat the oil in a frying pan & gently fry the onions until translucent, about 10 minutes.

3) Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl; add the cheese, onions and sundried tomatoes.

4) Mix the yoghurt & water together then stir into the flour. Mix with a spoon until it comes together to form a soft dough.

5) Turn onto a floured surface, knead until it form smooth dough & shape into a 20cm round. Place onto a baking sheet & mark out 6 wedges with a knife. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If it isn’t ready after this time, turn it upside down on the baking sheet and bake for a few minutes more.

6) Serve warm with grilled bacon, tomatoes & onion relish

If you make this - do post back and let me see your results!

laurajmoss:

Create your own farmhouse table