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Entry tags:

food

Help understanding American recipe?

I would like to make this cake recipe. What does it mean when it says "1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided" in the ingredient list? First I read it as "one to one half a cup", but that doesn't make sense. Is this in fact an American way of writing "one and a half"? And why does it say "divided"? Also it's a mystery to me why it says in the instructions that you should use "1-1/4 cups flour" instead of "1-1/2 cups flour". I can't see anywhere else in the recipe that uses flour. It does say "test kitchen approved", so I assume it's tested and proofread...

Zeb and Flo

Once upon a time Florence and Zebedee (though they were probably not called Florence and Zebedee back then) lived with some different humans. Given that both cats were confident and healthy, we can be pretty sure that the First Humans cared for them and treated them well. Then, for reasons we'll never know the First Humans moved away and left F&Z behind to fend for themselves in the garden. A kind neighbour rescued them and took them to a cat rescue, but the rescue was already full to capacity so they were passed on to Avon Cat Rescue, the lovely place from which we've been adopting cats since 1987.
We saw their pictures on line, their age (about 8 months) and sprang into action. We had to wait for them to be neutered, but once they'd recovered we could liberate them and bring them to their Forever Home.

( pic spam )

This is not the retirement you are looking for

Things are hard. Every time I breathe out and think that it's ok and all the bad stuff is done, some other horror does the 'surprise, motherfucker' meme.

( more than you wanted to know )

Entry tags:

food,
the farm

Status update + delicious recipe

I'm doing well! I've been home for a few days now, after spending a week at the family summer place with my parents, my sister, and her kids. A good time was had, with no family quarrels! \o/

Before that, I had a visit from

exeterlinden and her two kids. We had not met in person for eight years (because kids), and had very little contact during that time, but we just reconnected instantly. It was lovely. <3

Current delicious produce from the garden: potatoes, swedes, young beets and carrots, cabbage, chard, leek, onions, garlic, herbs, broad beans, green beans, green peas, zucchini, aubergine, tomatoes, and chiles. I LOVE just going out and harvesting what I need for cooking! We just took up all the onions, and they are now drying in the sun. I think they will be a substantial portion of our yearly consumption.

Today I got one of the ducks to eat from my hand, by means of lying down prone on the grass and stretching out my hand with food on it. They are such ridiculous little duck-billed dinosaurs. Edvin who was previously one of our favorites has unfortunately turned into a schoolyard bully, perhaps because the males from the first group of ducklings from the spring are now old enough to be seen as a threat to his fragile masculinity. The second group of ducklings are now almost full-sized, and we can see their adult colors, though not yet what sex they are.

I hardly ever buy cook books, but a while ago I bought two by the same author, which fit my current needs perfectly: the first one has chapters on various vegetables, and the second on various fruits and berries, so if you've got a particular vegetable/fruit/berry, you can get recipes and inspiration as to what to do with it. They are in Swedish though. He's big on using fruits and berries in savory cooking, and here's a delicious recipe I made yesterday: ( Read more... )