We all have our little victories and for me it’s getting holes in bread. “Easy!” you say, “Just poke your finger in there!” But were it that simple. My recent problems with ciabatta led me to think my dough was…
Family Traits
Facial recognition is all about layers of information. The first time you see someone, the top layer is quick impressions. Eyebrows big or small? How do the eyes fit in the face? What’s the mouth like? Next time you meet…
Random Bags and Coming Home
Two quick thoughts on parenting. One: be prepared for random items in unexpected places. Last night I found on the couch a mesh bag filled with two miniature pumpkins, a glittery smiley face sticker, and several small ficus berries. Knowing…
Music for Children
Even before Toddler Harbat was born we began to get music for children. Some had familiar nursery rhymes yelled out over a background of synthesized strings. One was original compositions by a woman with an average voice, a guitar, and…
It’s Spring!
Here in Southern California, spring comes in October. Rain has arrived after a five-month hiatus and everything is turning from dusty taupe to rich emerald. I relish the sound of water patting and dripping on leaves, the mechanized whirr-whip of…
Ciabatta and More Ciabatta
I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into. I’ve agreed to make 16 loaves of ciabatta for a fundraiser event. In a way, this will be easier than any other type of bread because I can use the no-knead recipe. …
Taco Tuesday
New tradition begun this week: Taco Tuesday. A weekday food ritual reminds me of Pizza Friday in elementary school, when our white rectangular sytrofoam trays got a white rectangular Styrofoam pizza plopped on it. Each pizza looked exactly the same,…
Oh Yeah…Bread
Sometimes I think I’ve figured out a technique for making bread. This is the right way, I say with confidence. Then I slap myself upside the head because I’m obviously wrong. I used to create steam in my oven with…
Handwriting
Here’s a question for you: how often do you change your handwriting? Sounds like an easy question until you start paying attention to how you put pen to paper. In the last month I’ve changed how I write my lowercase…
Shop Class as Soulcraft
When I was twelve I made a pair of mirrored wood sconces in shop class. My teacher was a massive figure who looked like Mr. T’s older brother and had only one speed: deliberate. I imagine if you cut your…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: baking, blue collar, gardening, industrial arts, parenting, power tools, shop class, white collar
RSS - Posts