My house these days feels very “before” all over. Do you know what I mean? I'm a bit horrified of taking any pictures.
Of course there was the intense heat for weeks (remember, we don't have AC! Normally that's fine and we can even take a week-long heat wave but this one was something else, let me tell you).
That wiped me out. I could barely function. I was like a shadow, a melting, sweating, roasting shadow of my former self.
And we're currently re-doing the porch steps and railings, and pondering a kitchen rehab, which of course means too much time looking at pictures and pinning things and talking to people…
But of course, normal putterings still go on… thought I'd chitchat with you about some of them!
My husband suddenly figured out what he would do with some random boards of good, solid wood we had lying around — cherry from our yard (most of which went into our dining room table) and rock maple from some long-ago benches.
He worked like a madman, cutting and gluing and recutting and re-gluing — it's like making a scrap quilt, but with wood — and made me an end-grain cutting board!
I really love it! It's heavy and just beautiful. My pictures can't really do it justice, but as time goes on you will see it here and there. It's truly lovely.
On a lighter whim, I collected fennel pollen, as I read that it makes a lovely seasoning. You just tap the pollen out of the flower heads onto some parchment paper.
I made Basbousa, which is a traditional Egyptian cakey, cookie, honey-soaked semolina kind of dessert, and sprinkled it on there. I will hold off on sharing a recipe for the Basbousa, because I tinkered quite a bit with the one I was using and definitely need to test it. I love how Arabic desserts are all variations on “butter + sugar + some pastry + soak in sweet syrup, what could go wrong”!
I don't know if we tasted the pollen, to be honest. The information is that the fennel pollen is strong and to use it sparingly, but maybe I needed a heavier hand. I will try again with something else… I have a tab open with Smitten Kitchen shortbread, and that might be different! I was just holding off making it until the Basbousa is eaten, since I plan to make Deb's recipe with the optional semolina (or maybe farina) and how many sweets of that kind should two people have around tempting them, anyway?
Perhaps I was so gutted by the heat because I kept baking, but I can't help that. One overwhelming day I put my dough in early to try to beat the worst of it, and decided to test whether it makes a difference to bake in a Dutch oven or on baking trays with a pan of boiling water on the other shelf.
Here you have two loaves (circled in red), baked the latter way, and two the former. (I didn't dust the pan ones with flour, and they are all slightly different sizes due to my different size bannetons, but otherwise they are the same.)
Here's the crumb (again, slightly different-sized loaves):
My conclusion?
I think they were very similar!
And I dehydrated garlic to make powder! You can see the method here in my Instagram highlight.
I will put the full comparison of the loaves in my IG stories as well later on!
I have a new podcast up on the Restoration of Christian Culture site: The Summa Domestica: A Homeschool Retreat for Mothers and Fathers. I go over the contents of Volume Two, offering a sort of mini-retreat to set goals and ponder vision!
I meant to end my talk with this passage that is actually the last one in that book, but I will tell you now:
In the sanctuary fo the home, we can teach the child the way he should go, with all the love, affection, and firm authority that suit the task perfectly. Have hope and be of good cheer in the beautiful enterprise of educating your children.
I would love for you to give a listen and share!
bits & pieces
- The baby formula shortage continues. Please share my post about the importance of breastfeeding and encouraging others to breastfeed (it includes a recipe for formula for those who truly can't). I have shared this podcast before, that I did with Eric Sammons on the subject, but it's still relevant.
- There is a lot of misinformation out there, including among experts, about breastfeeding — and a lot of it leads to failure to breastfeed and sometimes to the baby's failure to thrive. This site is informative and this article is worth reading, about human milk fortifiers and preemies.
- Some of us who were formed as conservatives before the age of clickbait, when reading essays in journals was a thing, not to mention whole books, would love to encourage others to delve into the seminal works. The arguments today are the same ones that were addressed so trenchantly by the giants of the movement. It's heartbreaking to see people ill equipped to spot and refute the same fallacies — and to observe the culture embracing them all over again. This article revisits one of the greats, Brent Bozell, and offers a bit of a reading list.
- A detailed review of mask evidence (spoiler: they still don't work). I'm only saying lest we all succumb to the inevitable, again….
- In my book, The Summa Domestica (as well as in a series here on the blog), I write at length about the moral education of children. I think we ourselves and our children can benefit from this review: 9 Ways You Might Be Sharing in the Sins of Others. A younger child just needs your gentle guidance in your own words as the situation warrants. An older one could read this article for himself.
from the archives
- Here is that moral education series (all linked within) here on the blog. It's also a section in my book!
- Here's an “after” to make up for my current “my life is all befores” attitude: the dining room after Bridget painted it!
liturgical living
Hat tip to Peter Kwasniewski for this quintessential Fr. Schall essay, a bit longer than most, on that saint and some profitable musings on education.
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My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available now from Sophia Press! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing!
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We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
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The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest (you can still get a lot of inspiration here! and say a prayer for her!). Bridget’s Pinterest.
Emily says
I have just started making sourdough and I am a little bit obsessed. Surely I do not *need* to make a loaf every week? But I so want to!
Leila says
I hear you! SURELY I did not *need* to make four (4) (!!) loaves on a 95 degree day??
Obsession is real! LOL
Katie says
I have to tell you- yesterday I read your chapter on taking everything off the sideboard before wiping it down and then dealing with all the things (which I’ve read here on the blog before). Later I decided to clean my room, starting with my dresser. Fifteen minutes the dresser was half cleaned and I was sitting on my bed mending not only the 3yo’s dress that lost a button and was on my dresser, but two other dresses from the mending pile as well 🤦🏼♀️
But I spent most of this morning deep cleaning the living room according to your suggestions, which I think were in the following chapter, and that took a lot of self control so we’ll call it a win? Ha
Leila says
Big win! 😉
mirhavensanctuary says
My grandmother’s family had a Summer kitchen in southern Indiana. Cooking pasta for a large group of family members during the recent heatwave revealed the wisdom in keeping ALL cooking separate from one’s living quarters during the Dog Days of Summer. Wonder if you could bake bread in dutch ovens outside on your sap boiling set up? Your loaves always look beautiful however you make them!
Leila says
A summer kitchen would be dreamy!
I think I would get even hotter starting a fire in that setup out there, but I could do it in my grill, as my friend and neighbor Molly recently did! You can see here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg0eT6krcA3d-x1macIdKUSjVMRQbOUBMzmkzU0/
I might try it!
Thanks for the compliment!
Nicolette says
Basbousa! I once purchased some, homemade, from lovely Eqyptian nuns who happened to visit our parish when I was teaching ancient history, and just as we were studying Egypt. I asked them to write the name in Arabic calligraphy for me, which I later copied on the board for my students as well as I could before we share the dessert together. They were pretty excited! (And so was I – it’s delicious!)
Leila says
It’s a treat from my childhood! I love it!
Karen says
I visited my local Catholic supply store today (Generations in Columbus, OH) and was thrilled to see copies of The Summa Domestica and The Little Oratory for sale. I already own both, but it was so exciting to see them for sale in our humble midwestern Catholic store.
Leila says
Oh, that’s exciting! Thanks for telling me!
Diana says
On Arabic pastry – have you ever read Agatha Christie’s hilarious account of her experience with one type of Arabic pastry in particular? Apparently it made them violently ill every time they ate it, so they surreptitiously fed the next one to the dog – and the dog died!! The story is in her autobiography.
Your home looks beyond-gorgeous-as-usual!!! 🙂
Love all of your adventures.
Leila says
Haha — no! I don’t think I have read that account!!
Thank you for the kind words!
Megan F. says
Auntie Leila, tell your husband job well done! And your sourdough looks lovely!
Also, if you ever have time, I’d love to see your pizza recipe. You mentioned that with the feedback offered by your kids, you had really honed your recipe. I, too, am on a quest for a very good pizza to feed my family.
Also, thank you for doing what you do. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reread Affirmation in the Thick of Things or your posts on discipline.
rosemary says
The cutting board is just gorgeous! Please tell your husband (though I am sure you already did) that he crafted a beautiful object. I would just look at it daily. It does sort of remind me of those complicated cakes that are dark/light cakes put together (they have a real name though it eludes me).
I also did not know that about fennel pollen! This year I grew fennel from seed along my driveway – the sunniest space – where I also grow rosemary and basil. Mine I think is past the pollen stage though I will check tomorrow. I am mostly excited to use the bulb for a salad. A friend made this for me years ago (https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipes/rachaels-celery-apple-and-fennel-slaw) and I have looked forward to replicating it.
Last, love the podcasts! I am almost finished with the SD and will probably start rereading when I am done. I find it is good calm bedtime reading when I can’t get in to anything heavier after a day chasing a toddler.
Leila says
Thanks, Rosemary, I certainly did tell him! And I told him what you said too!
Has your fennel been bulbing? Mine has not :/
Rosemary says
I am actually not sure; I assumed it was but I will have to investigate further! Any way to know – ie does it poke up a bit to the surface like a radish does? Or I wonder if I will have to do a little gentle digging….?
Leila says
The bulb grows just above the soil. Mine is just flat and white but not juicy and tender. Probably you need a LOT of water!
Alex says
Re the study from Bangladesh, which was flawed in many ways. Here is a study from Massachusetts. Really, kids are much better off being home schooled. No masks at home. But for families which have no choice, this is relvant. Surgical masks leak around the edges BTW, so not the best choice to reduce AIRBORNE transmission, and less comfortable than KF94’s https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/10/nation/new-study-based-mass-schools-finds-masks-protected-students-staff-covid-19/
Leila says
You must be joking.
The study is not peer-reviewed and none of the contributors seems to be an expert on anything except public policy. The first four authors have their identifier as “Boston Public Health Commission” and you may not live near Boston but I do, and so I am not impressed by this vast range of interests.
Since children are definitely not at risk for the virus and definitely have been harmed by masking, it’s downright criminal to present such a “study” — one which doesn’t even mention those two important aspects.
Even if we grant their premise (which I do not), we cannot go forward without a hard look at the harms. There are many things that, when looked at one way, *seem* to be of benefit, but only when you leave out all the other factors.
Mrs. Bee says
That cutting board is a thing of beauty and a true labor of love! I would feel awfully guilty “hurting” it with knives!
I always bake bread in a Dutch oven because it is so easy there is no way I can get it wrong. It comes out really good, but, Auntie Leila, does your own bread also feel a bit “damp” inside? Mine does, so that I want to toast it even when it’s still fresh, just to dry it up. I do let it cool completely before storing or slicing, so I don’t know why it feels there is still moisture inside.
Thank you for linking to the posts about the moral education of children – they reminded me that I should buy more of Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books!
Leila says
Yes, this damp quality is what led me to abandon the Dutch oven in the first place. I now think that I have improved my technique enough to have it make less difference. At least in this experiment, I felt that both methods yielded “dry” (yet still tender) insides.
Do you do “stretch and folds” and coil folds, focusing on really stretching the dough as you go, however gently? I think this particular step goes a long way to eliminating the dampness, although I am not sure. Sourdough is a mystery!
Mrs. Bee says
I do not bake sourdough: I really wanted to keep it a secret, but… I do not like sourdough! I have tried to love it, but every time I think, Why am I eating this… Sorry! I use a no-knead recipe, because I am scared of handling dough and the switch hasn’t gone off in my mind that compels a bread baker to really get into the details and science of the whole process. But what you say is very interesting, and I should really try to have fun with my dough, because after all I don’t think home made bread will ever turn out inedible. I have played a bit with the amount of water, but less water only produces a denser loaf, not a drier one (though when I tried I was also working with whole wheat flour, so of course it was dense.) So you must be onto something when you focus on working the dough. Food for thought 🙂
Leila says
It’s unfortunate that we commonly call bread made from a natural starter “sourdough” — it gives the wrong impression, mainly because when a baked loaf is sold as sourdough (instead of, say, “artisan bread” or “bread made with levain”), it is a sort of “San Francisco,” purposely sour-tasting kind of loaf.
But the French make their bread with a minimum of sourness… it can be done.
Bread made with a natural leaven has a better texture and flavor, better keeping qualities, and better nutrition. Plus there’s the advantage of having free levain on hand and never having to buy yeast! The tang is part of the depth of flavor and does not have to present as sour at all!
I think you can start the process of expanding your bread horizons — if you want to! — with making a levain with your yeast. Simply mix 1/2 cup of flour in 1 cup of water and sprinkle on about 1/4 tsp. of yeast. Let it proof and bubble up, and then put it in the fridge. The next day, proceed with your recipe (which probably had you make a sponge, but not keep it for 24 hours before using).
Also, yes, you can make a loaf without kneading, but that damp crumb will certainly result. Try mixing, resting for at least 20 minutes, and then simply stretching and folding 2 times, each time resting for 30 minutes. Then let rise and do what you normally do. I guarantee your bread will be of much higher quality!
Mrs. Bee says
Thank you for all the explanations and encouragement! I will search for all your old bread posts, too, I remember them being helpful, though maybe now you feel you know so much more. One more question about flour: I’ve been buying King Arthur for years now, but with the food prices going crazy, I have been wondering if I should go with a cheaper flour. Do you have strong opinions on the subject? It’s not so much that I care about the end products, I don’t think my palate could distinguish a cake made with KA from one made with the store-brand flour. But I do care about the flour in itself , that it’s not just another toxic thing we end up eating…
Mrs. Bee says
And speaking of breadmaking customs, if the French bake a slightly sour bread, in Tuscany it’s quite common to make a very simple bread without salt! It’s quite a shock to the taste buds at first, but one learns to love it. They call it “sciocco”, which by extension became a synonym of silly, without intelligence – or it may be the other way around, and calling the bread sciocco came from the general meaning of the word, since there are many colorful Italian expressions that refer to a lack of sense as a lack of salt (e.g., “non avere sale in zucca”, literally, to have no salt in the squash/pumpkin, which would be one’s head – a bit like Bertie Wooster calling one’s head “the onion”!)
Leila says
I have heard about this saltless bread! I am always beyond dismayed when I omit the salt from my bread, so I think it would take some getting used to!
Leila says
One does absolutely keep learning! I am in flux over here at all times!
I would really encourage you to ask people in your area what they buy. There are restaurant supply places that sell KA by the 50 lb bag much more cheaply than in the grocery store, and it’s doable to divide it up between other purchasers. A 5 gallon food grade bucket holds just about exactly 25 lbs, which is so handy.
Some cheaper brands do have unbleached flour. My only hesitation is to find out where the flour originates.
Alex says
Here is the peer reviewed study the newspaper article is based upon. Credentials and affiliations of all the authors are listed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35260896/
Actually I would prefer to have ULGI (on the order of the cost of those vile Smartboards) and HEPA filters (cheap, especially if CR boxes are used) cleaning the air and improved ventilation.
Alex says
Here is the Bangladesh study.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi9069
It deals primarily with whether some interventions resulted in a higher percentage of the population wearing masks in a few public places. The subjects were mostly men and the researchers looked at whether they were wearing free masks places such as mosques and markets. The intervention group increased mask wearing to 42% in the first two weeks, but dropped to 26% by 10 week–26% of men, but not women or children, so probably just a quarter of that percent in the total population, and not all the time. The control group wore masks 16% of the times observed. (Bangladesh is very hot and mask wearing would have been much more uncomfortable there than in New England) The masks were either cloth or surgical, not the much more effective KF94 or N95. The study covered a 6 month period before the more infectious delta variant, did not look at asymptomatic infections, and probably missed many other infections. Frankly it was surprising they found any effects from such a small change, but they did.
Mostly, I was annoyed with the dishonest way the Anderson misuses fifth grade math. Let me give a parallel example with easier numbers: An item usually sells for $100. At the end of the season store A sells it for $20 and store B sells it for $30. Store B is 50% more expensive even though there are only 10 percentage points difference. It’s bizarre that Anderson doesn’t seem to grasp the distinction between percent change and percentage points difference and seems to feel he has discovered some big flaw that negates the study based on the divergence of these numbers. The study could be bad, or irrelevant, or inconclusive, but not for the reasons Anderson states. If he means the results are not statistically significant, he needs to show that using a t-test
Alex says
https://fortune.com/2022/08/04/covid-creates-higher-risk-kids-children-pediatric-blood-clots-kidney-failure-heart-problems-type-1-diabetes/
Link to scientific article is in the first sentence. Children are not supposed to die or become disabled. The fact that more old people succumb should not make us indifferent. Children need fresh air, time with their families, time to dream. But if they have to be in institutional settings, until those institutions upgrade ventilation, filtration and install ULGI, and until there is a sick leave policy that encourages anyone who is sick to stay home until recovered, let’s not discourage precautions that individuals could take now.
Leila says
Sorry, none of this is germane without a comparison with the risks of masking.
It is wrong to mask children.
I doubt you wear a mask all day every day — just going to take a guess.
Masking children is wrong.
Anne Marie Mikolajczyk says
The pattern of China under the basbousa looks the same as my parents’ wedding China. It surprised and warmed my heart to see it
We even have matching wallpaper https://www.midcenturymenu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Anne-Marie-Mikolajczyk-rotated.jpg
Leila says
That wallpaper looks like a portion of the china — Blue Danube! You can see it here: https://amzn.to/3qeqXCD
I bought mine on FB Marketplace and it was nowhere near that expensive! It’s such a nice pattern — I can’t understand how they could discontinue it!