Joy in the Little Things

[Phaedra]

There is one old saying: The wily hare has three holes in his burrow. This is one of my reading and coffee corners. 🤣 I just reorganized my seed cabinet this morning.

Now, all new seeds have checked in.

 

[ducks4you]

The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky—
No higher than the soul is high.
–Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet (1892–1950)

 

[ducks4you]

For every fog in October, a snow in the winter.
–Weather folklore

 

[ducks4you]

@Phaedra Geiermann , where did you find that adorable seed cabinet?

 

[Phaedra]

I tried Thomas Keller's recipe for making Madeleine, and the result is satisfying.

But my molds are much smaller than normal ones, each piece is only 13~14g instead of 25~30g.

So, I tried different ways to decorate them. Practices make perfect? Nah, practices and sharing make perfect. I prepared some for the neighbors and some for DH to bring for good colleagues.

Ours are ready, too.

The entire house smells like a dream now.

 

[flowerbug]

...
The entire house smells like a dream now.

i know what i want for breakfast!

i was thinking of making some tapioca pudding this morning so it will be fully cooled off by later on...

if you can find a way to keep the edges crisp for a while that would be great!? any ideas?

 

[digitS']

I've never had tapioca pudding with crisp edges, @flowerbug 🤔.

😗 This is a little divergence that this household's Cookie Monster has taken and seems okay with. DW began regularly buying an assortment of boxes of crackers. I've always taken pleasure in crackers along side slices of cheese, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. All currently in Good Supply!

She bought some Halloween candy the other day and more-or-less hid it from me. Some People!

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

I've never had tapioca pudding with crisp edges, @flowerbug 🤔.

i should have reversed those comments, as in i meant how to keep the Madeleine's edges crispy...

😗 This is a little divergence that this household's Cookie Monster has taken and seems okay with. DW began regularly buying an assortment of boxes of crackers. I've always taken pleasure in crackers along side slices of cheese, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. All currently in Good Supply!

She bought some Halloween candy the other day and more-or-less hid it from me. Some People!

Steve

i know! however, in recent times i've managed to restrain myself enough that i no longer ask Mom to hide the chocolate from me.

 

[Phaedra]

i should have reversed those comments, as in i meant how to keep the Madeleine's edges crispy...




i know! however, in recent times i've managed to restrain myself enough that i no longer ask Mom to hide the chocolate from me.

I followed Thomas Keller's recipe this time, and the edges are crispy! It's a bit troublesome but worth it. The batter has to rest in the fridge overnight (I think 8 hours would be enough, and you can put the batter inside a pastry bag), and the mold needs to be buttered and also go to the fridge or freezer.

So after the oven is preheated, you squeeze the batter on the cold mold. I am unsure what the cause is; maybe the butter or the temperature difference between the oven and the mold.

 

[Phaedra]

@Phaedra Geiermann , where did you find that adorable seed cabinet?

I bought it from an online furniture shop that offers vintage-style items. Originally, I was looking for such kind of Apothecary Chests, but they cost too much and feel a bit heavy.

In the end, I am satisfied with the current one - Among the 14 drawers, I put most of my seeds in the upper 10 (Jan to Oct), and the rest 4 drawers are for small tools.