food blogger, gardener, rambunctious coffee fanatic
Last week a great inspiration to jLAmode passed away. Chloé was a fantastic cook, couturière and gardener. She was a constant inspiration and will be greatly missed.
Expect to see recipes and techniques that were learned from Chloé over the next few weeks/months/years... As long as jLAmode exists, it will reflect her inspiration and instilled talents.
Finally done! The cotton slub knit asymmetrical henley.The original design: http://jlamode.com/concept-asymmetrical-henley/ [You may say it's backwards from the design. On the contrary - it's exactly what I see in the mirror]
Composed with diverse methods; I used a chisel and mallet to cut out the button holes.
If you love avocado, this zippy preparation will hit the spot. The bisque is prepared by pureeing:
The rice, white jasmine, is simply cooked with the addition of prepared lemongrass as well as coconut oil and salt.
The fragrant, sweet rice meets the mellow, mild zest of the bisque in an unexpected and delightful experience.
This is nearly more of a cake than a bread; heavy on the sugar and eggs.
I'm often asked about the recipe, but I merely mix things together until it seems right. That said, here's some basic guidance:
Follow the typical bread ingredients: Flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast and some sort of fat. Again, add more sugar than normal, and a couple of eggs.
First, in a mixer, not a bread machine, cream butter and sugar. Then add the normal amount of water, yeast, salt and half the normal amount of flour. Pitch in some eggs and the mixture should be like a thick batter.
Let raise and then add in the proper amount of flour to make a soft dough. kneed and portion the dough for a loaf or rolls.
Brioche is a cool raise bread, so it should experience its final raise in a cool room, or the refrigerator (overnight). Bring it to room temperature before baking in a 350F degree oven for ~20 minutes. Remove from oven and apply an eggwash before returning to the oven until it's finished baking.
It's mindblowingly good. And rightly so! A traditional brioche is ~25% butter.
To keep food growing through the winter, a shelter is needed. I built the cold frame out of two halved 2"x10"x10' treated planks.
Align the boards and drill pilot holes:
Screw the ends together:
Add a stabilizer, if you like. This just helps keep the structure square during transport:
A prefect square frame. Position in your garden and line with cardboard.
I added fill dirt and potting mix (about 2 inches of each):
Now it's ready for a cover (glass, poly, blanket, etc.) to keep out the bitter cold. It only needs to be covered when the temperature is freezing.
Stay posted to see what grows!
At the request of a dear friend, I set out to design a quilt that reflected people, places and times in someone's life.
First sketch:
Sample for approval:
All of the fabric was gathered from friends and family:
Then construction began - slow but steady work:
Finally, the core was finished:
The border was added and final asyembly was complete!
I got to use my new, custom printed jLAmode tags:
The final product:
Quilt making is massively time consuming, but it’s rewarding.
So many people hate okra. Honestly, after seeing the way okra is prepared and served at restaurants, I would hate it too. So, I'll show you how to make a proper okra dish with a Italian twist.
Fried okra, served here with spicy seared green beans and ranch mashed yams.
For dessert, pure, unadulterated chilled cantaloupe.
