Filed under: Uncategorized
Amish Friendship Bread starter was a gift from someone at church. I personally love to make bread. I have succeeded in French bread and whole wheat when I was handed the turn to down fall.
Maybe it is just me? The starter was happy, fermenting, but I was not. Me, I prefer to cook vegan. I am just a vegetarian, but I will eat vegan over vegetarian most days. The things keeping me back are cheese and sometimes ice cream. I will not get into that.
The Amish bread starter eats up milk and the recipe given was a disappointment. Three Eggs in bread will NOT do. I had to redo.
My first job was to get rid of the eggs. I use common egg replacing tactics, grounded flax seeds. The recipe gave a liquid to bake. The bread took two hours had to be scraped out. The flavor of pistachio pudding mix and cherries was worth keeping.
The next job was to make dough, not a liquid. I used cornstarch for the egg replacement, ¾ cup of oil, and measure 1 ¼ cup of starter. Success, the bread just rolled out of the pan after one hour in the oven, but not vegan yet. I still used milk. I also used the white chocolate pudding mix with white chocolate chips that where getting old. My mother’s favorite.
The third try is a charm. I still used the milk-eating starter, but this starter can be made vegan. There is still work to be done. So if you test it out or change it please tell me.
· 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
· 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
· 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
· 1 cup white sugar, divided
· 1 cup plain/ vanilla soymilk (vanilla)
In a Gallon Plastic Baggy, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine 1-cup flour and 1-cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when soymilk is added. Slowly stir in 1-cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10-day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
Now follow the Amish Friendship bread 10-day step, but using soymilk. I just feed my starter every once in a while, like once a week, and bake about every 2 weeks.
DO NOT DO DAY 10’s INTRUCTION!
Vegan Coconut-Banana Friendly to All Bread
Dry:
1 large box or 2 small boxes of Coconut Cream intent pudding mix (Vegan)
2 cups of flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
Just under 1 cup of sugar
Egg Replacement for 3 eggs. I used 3 Tbsp of cornstarch.
Optional: add a little over or more of coconut flecks
Wet:
½ cup of coconut milk (or soymilk will work)
1 ripe banana mashed
½ tsp of vanilla
3 Tbsp.-1/4cup of water
Preheat oven at 350.
Mix dry. Then mix in wet. Add water to make the dough moveable, mixable, and stays togerher. It is a chunky mixture, not smooth.
Spray no stick in a loaf pan (I used one). Coat the pan with sugar. Put it in the loaf pan.
Put in the oven for an hour (, but watch it) or until a toothpick comes out kind of clean.
Let it cool in the pan for a minute or two, then as gently as you can turn out the bread and flip it up right, OR let it sit in the pan for a longer time… because
mine caved in.
The bread is very moist inside, almost pudding-y. It is a change to the everyday banana bread. Personally, I taste the banana more but the hint of the coconut that lingers will make people ask.
There is still work to be done. So, if you test it out or change it please tell me. I would LOVE to know!
If you just want coconut bread then forget the banana and ad 3/4 cup oil or some apple sauce!
Filed under: Crochet, General Craftiness, Sewing | Tags: Crochet, elephant, friend, timid
I walked straight over to my flowerbed under three cedar trees. The shade cooled of f my skin as I picked the leaves off of a young basil plant. I looked around at the thriving plant and wonder how they stood up to the heat like today.
Suddenly, a light shower of rain fell. It was much unexpected. The sun was still shining a lie as a light summer shower of mercy fell from the heavens.
I stayed there sitting on my heels by the herbs when I heard another unexpected sound. It was a quiet sound like a bird on the ground. I looked over. By the purple flowers was an elephant. She was a beautiful color of gray and had big blue eyes. She had large ears that she had the habit of hiding behind because she was very timid.
When she saw me looking at her, she hid behind her ears and looked over her ears to see if I was still looking at her. Her ears, I could tell, where turning a light shade of pink out of her bashfulness. I asked her if she had a name.
The reply was no answer only a quick look over her ears.
I knew if I kept asking her questions, she would never answer them. Therefore, I talked. I talked about how hot the weather was and that it was great that a little rain came (which by then had stopped), how I was picking herbs for dinner’s spaghetti sauce tonight, how glad I was that school was out and finally how glad I was that she showed up. I did not look at her when I spoke, but went on examining the herbs.
She was not were she was before when I looked up. She was at my elbow picking some different herbs to put in my spaghetti sauce. She handed them to me with her trunk.
“
My name is Rainy,” she said to me in a light high, but soft voice.
We had become friends. She was my first new friend of the summer, and I was very excited. I invited her to dinner. Rainy opened up more as dinner was being made. She helped me and my mother prepare a lovely but simple spaghetti dinner.
She told us how she became known as Rainy. She said she could always tell when it was going to rain ever since she was born.
“…but… the great problem with this is I can’t tell if the rain coming is going to be a large terrible storm or a light lovely shower, like today. You see, I am greatly afraid of lighting.” Some reason this did not surprise me at all.
I told her that she is welcome over she time it is going to rain so that if it was a bad lighting storm she would be dry and safe.
“Thank you very much. You have become a true friend.” Rainy said to me with her large blue eyes sparkling.
Friendship comes with cost and if that means waking up in the middle of the night to find her scared of the rain about to come (big or small) is all the cost then I can pay it. In addition, it is always a good feeling when I can comfort her though the big storms.
Thanks to Rainy for modeling for me by the purple flowers.
*Body and Trunk crocheted with leftover gray wool yarn.
Ears and legs made with fleece (gray).
Eyes and inside of ears made with felt (pink, black, white, and blue).
*Truck made with Vogue Knit1. pattern. The body based apon the principles of the pattern.
Amazing how many people hate rain! I find it such a nice day when it is raining. If you thank God only for the sunshine, how many times do you miss a moment. Sure, I’ve cursed the rain. Large storms sometimes do bring grief.
The saying goes, The only people who hate rain has never danced in it. I don’t dance in the rain everytime it rains. Yet, I am the girl who will seat outside during a lighting storm for lunch (Under something. I’ve got to keep the uniform dry.).
Rain can give you a smile. Think of it as snow. Snow is rain. Snow reminds me of hot chocolate and warmth. Rain then in return must remind you with something. Maybe it reminds you of flowers or craft days?
Filed under: General Craftiness, Sewing, TV | Tags: heart, keychain, love, Mulder, plush, relationship, Scully, Tithonus, untitled movie, X files
I found the X-files about two years ago. Because there was nothing to watch, my friend turned it on the sci-fi channel at 4 o’clock. I was quickly captivated by the show’s mystery. The X-files made me open my eyes to the normal things happening and to question it.
Suddenly, I found out that X-files did not just revolve around the unexplained cases they solved but had a lot to do with aliens. As a child, aliens terrified me. I would not look at the screen when a rare scene showed an alien. Yet, my fear did not last for long. My love for the plot, which emerged to me out of order, and the characters, Mulder and Scully, out shadowed my childish fears.
I fell in love with Scully first. The very first episode I saw was “Tithonus”(6×09). “Scully pursues a photographer who can seemingly predict the deaths of other people.” Mulder did not have a large role in this episode. Scully is like me in some ways. The more I see her the more I see me sometimes. She is very logical and sound. She is solid in what she believes be easy to turn. She knows what is right, and Mulder shows her the other right. Scully is not very social, like me. Yet, many differences separate Dana Scully and me. Scully is brave and rarely is there a time when she runs away, unless it is emotional. Scully is smarter then I could imagine and has a quite different past with her family and men.
Before I saw the X-files Movie: Fight the Future, I did not see Mulder and Scully together very much. When they almost kissed, I smiled so big. They were meant to be. I was soon watching for this relationship to emerge. Their love was everywhere. Scully and Mulder rarely touched each other. What a respected relationship, that they do not have to be on top of one another every second, like most TV couples. Their love for one another came in a believable, real life order: respect, trust, care, unknowing, people assuming and love. The relationship Mulder and Scully have is the most realistic relationship that evolved over a series.
Untitled X-Files movie is coming out this summer. I am terribly excited to see what trouble Mulder and Scully get in to and how their relationship is doing. Still there is no leak of what the movie is even about.
Featured at: geekcrafts
Filed under: Art/Photography, Crochet | Tags: bird, Bittersweet Blog, craft crochet, fake, flower, Publix orchird
I am often tricked by man’s attempts to recreate nature. I am so blind to what is real and what is not. Very often, I find myself looking at a flower, making sounds of joy over it, and having a big smile on my face, until I realize I am looking at a fake flower. I too often say, “I knew that,” and walk away greatly embarrassed.
In Publix, my favorite store, I saw beautiful orchids on a shelf across the produce section. I exclaimed something of excitement to my mother, who did not hear me, and I sprinted over to the beautiful orchids. I looked up at a stunning purple one. Suddenly, flashed of scenes came to mind. I could give this to someone or I… I could learn to grow them (yeah, right.). Moreover, here, I found myself in that awkward position, again. The orchids were phony. My face red, I saw the cheap green plastic under the fabric printed leaves, the fake green as the stem that connected to the dust collecting fake flower and the fake moss at the bottom of the plant. I looked from side to side, from person to person, and thought that maybe no one heard me make my excited remark about these fake flowers. I lingered a few seconds, to make it seem I was looking for a fake flower to buy, and then I made a beeline back to my mother.
My best friend Ruth lives in a nice home that I think of as my second home. Her mother has the home stuffed with pretty flowers (one of them is an orchid) and plants. In the summer, we would have to go around the house watering each one. That would take a while. One day I looked at a vase full of flowers sitting on their piano. The vase was full of big gorgeous flowers. I asked Ruth how they kept them alive. Luckily, I was with my friend; therefore, I did not feel ashamed.
This is the most embarrassing. I was in my parents’ room. I set down to read when I saw some blue flowers. I was proud to immediately realized that the flowers where not real. I looked down to my book again, but from the top of my book, I spied with my little eyes something yellow.
I put down my book quickly. There nestled in the fake flowers was a small yellow bird. “You poor thing,” I said, “You should be outside.” The cute little birdie hoped in my hand and I made my way outside.
Once outside the bird looked up at me with large eyes to tell me a silent thank you. I carefully placed her in a tree in the backyard.
I soon realized that my mother’s crocheted bird I made her was gone. Humiliated, I quickly tiptoed outside to retrieve it.
I was going outside for a walk. I suddenly heard something in the grass. I did as people do in horror movies. I stood there. Why did I not run? Terror was upon me. It was holding me still in its grips. I shook with fear as the grass blades started to move more rapidly towards me. In a flash a tiger jumped out before me on a rock. I was shocked. Tigers do not live in the countrysides of USA. The tiger roared at me showing all his teeth to me. He then just look at me and I at him.
He cleared his throat and said, “You are rude, aren’t you?” I just about fell backwards. Tigers don’t talk or call people rude. “Well, my name is Vegger the Tiger.”
I snorted, “Like veggie?”
Vegger, the tiger, roared,”That is nothing to laugh about! Is your name Meat-an the human?”
“Why no! My name is Sydney. How dare you call me Meat-an!” I stomped my foot.
“Do you eat meat?” Vegger asked cleverly.
“I haven’t eaten meat for about 3 years Shouldn’t you be the one called Meat-tiger?”
The tiger rolled his ‘r’s. I think he was laughing. “It looks like we both assumed. I do not eat meat.”
My mouth dropped open. “But… you’re a tiger. They eat meat.”
“And you are a human. It looks like we are at the beginning… again. Lets skip the names.”
“So you are a vegetarian tiger, like me?”
The tiger rolled his ‘r’s again. ” You are not a tiger.”
“Why are you a vegetarian?” I asked.
“It was hard growing up. I lost my mother to humans and I never knew my father. I learned to hunt on my own. I sometimes would not catch things for weeks, so I looked to the fruits and veggies to help with my hunger.” Vegger smiled, “Then I meet Flo. She was a Chital. I tried to kill her one day, but she out ran me. Well, She saw me eating my between diet and came up to me. She showed me how to eat better and that it was possible that I did not have to eat meat. She was my first friend.”
He paused, and I nodded.
“I bet you are wondering how I got over here in the USA?”
Well duh. “Yes.”
” Flo and her herd had to move on. I moved about trying to help others who were bad at hunting to become vegetarians. I heard of Tigers being captured and brought to the USA. I came in secret. Sorry, I can not tell you how I got over here because it will be my way back. Anyway, I am here to help oter captive tigers become vegetarians, so maybe they will be let back out.”
I looked at him strangely
“If they stop eating meat, they may let them back out to the wild,” Vegger explained, “because they would not kill any more animals.”
I didn’t have a chance to tell him of his false hope, because a car came by on the near road. He dived in to the near by grass.
I stood there for a while. I just talked to a tiger, really. I heard a roar, “Good bye!”
I yelled good bye back and waved. As I was waving wildly, a car came by again, and I felt stupid. I continued on my walk.
Filed under: Poetry
The rumbling clouds come marking the sky.
Clouds like fingers cover the bright heaven above.
All trees hold their ground. Away the birds fly.
Dry earth reached out for the sky’s harsh love.
The sky breaks open its gloomy floodgates.
Water rushes out with a mighty force.
The drops of rain fall to the ground that waits.
All water, falling, has the code of Morse.
Here comes the wind, blowing tremendously.
With no mercy, lighting sends fire down.
Raising water swirls from the ground harshly.
Nothing is seen when the rain is around.
A gold sun comes to throw the clouds elsewhere.
Columns of gold are placed, and all is fair.
Filed under: Uncategorized
As my first post, I guess need to explain myself.
My name is Sydney. I am wearing jeans and a gray tee-shirt- hoodie with a skull print on it. I am not an overly happy preppy person. I am normal girl who goes to high school. I am normal. Trust me. I made this blog to express myself and out of inspiration.
Sunny: I like to express my first name as Sun.
Doodle: I doodle. I draw. I love pencil and paper.
