Lucy Maud

Lucy Maud

1999-2012

We have been fortunate enough to have had two wonderful Golden Retrievers over the past eighteen years. When Annie died, there was immeasurable comfort in still having Lucy. There is no such comfort now.

She was my constant, constant companion.

Necessity and Rosie Beaucoup are the Mothers of Invention

Now this is not a food blog. No one has a smarter, funnier, or more beautiful food site than  Movita Beaucoup. But I created a bran muffin variation this morning that is worth sharing. After preheating the oven and assembling and mixing half the ingredients for my favourite bran muffin recipe (which I had already carefully doctored over the years), I discovered to my dismay that I was almost out of sugar and had less than half the amount of bran required! Especially frustrating, given that the cupboards here have an amazing number of ingredients for keeping just two short people alive and well.
The sugar problem was solved by emptying every sugar jar in the house into the bowl. The lack of bran was trickier given that they are... well.... bran muffins. The recipe already calls for wheat germ so I didn't want to increase it to the extent that it was also fully replacing the missing bran for fear of producing those sawdust creations that health foodies in the early '70's felt virtuous eating but had no flavour except for shots of cloyingly and sickenly sweet raisins.
I poked through the cupboards, trying to think of something that would act as a bran replacement and add a flavour that melded well with the rest of the ingredients. And saw the buckwheat flour that I have on hand to make buckwheat pancakes. Voila! - a new recipe was born.
The muffins are delicious. They do not require an electric mixer. They have no raisins. They are worth trying.

Rosie Beaucoup’s Buttermilk Buckwheat

Bran Muffins

3 cups flour

7½ tsp. baking powder

1½ cups sugar

2¼ tsp. salt

1 cup bran

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup buckwheat flour

1½ cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup canola or olive oil

2¼ cups buttermilk

3 eggs

Use a large bowl to whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the walnuts.

Use a smaller bowl to whisk the oil, buttermilk, and eggs until well blended.  Add to dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Don’t overwork the batter.

Bake in greased muffin pans at 425° for about 20 minutes.

Cool on a rack for 4-5 minutes before removing from muffin pans.

Makes 21 large muffins. They freeze well.

Below Stairs

Progress is a bit slow but the room is starting to take on a character of its own. This week, we added a new Chobi area rug. It is identical to the one in the upstairs sitting area. Most people probably wouldn't buy two identical rugs but it does such a good job at prettily lifting the spirit of a room that we just couldn't resist.

The loveseat is going to be replaced with a dark brown leather sofa. We were on the brink of putting in an order for a couple of comfy single chairs when we got a call to say that the upholstery fabric had been discontinued so we have to go back and thumb through the samples again. And we are on the lookout for a nice table to put in the lower half of the room so we can gather to play cards and board games or work on projects. Maybe Movita will come and hold a workshop on white felt wreaths!

The eight drawer dresser is a brilliant piece of furniture for storing yarn and ribbon in the set of drawers on one side and hats, mitts, and scarves on the other.

And

The Best Coleslaw Ever

I got the recipe for Classic Creamy Coleslaw from the Martha Stewart website. I made a couple of adjustments. I didn't have sour cream in the house that hadn't passed its expiry date so I substituted Greek yogurt. I deleted the lemon juice as the cider vinegar was sharp enough. And added a dash of celery seed and a dash of dried dill. It's worth trying.

In terms of knitting, I have a terrible case of Startitis. I usually only have one or two projects on the go at any one time. This month, I have six and not making significant progress on any of them!

A Hat To Complete The Outfit

Pattern: Baby Pilot Style Hat

Designer: Cadi Thomas

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Sport

Color: Ivory

Needles: Circular - 3.25 mm

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baboo

Our bonnie Blackberry Baby is still the pick of the crop of '78.

Happy Birthday, Jam Face.

xox

Antique Shop Find

On Saturday, we went to the Annapolis Valley. We had a number of stops to make in the area and, along the way, noticed an antique store and decided to take a look inside. There were a lot of interesting pieces but most were too primitive or rustic for this house. But there was a large glass jar in a side room calling out to me...

Complete with a number of old glass ornaments inside!

After a good cleaning in hot, soapy water, it was given a new storage job for the next twenty years or so of its life. The yarn inside is from Gaspereau Valley Fibres. It is Nature Spun Sport - a lovely wool that is perfect for making stranded mittens, hats, etc. 

And I have spent so much time sorting, unpacking, and setting up the new room that I am progressing very slowly on the stranded work socks:

 Route 66 Socks from Around the World in Knitted Socks