On Stuff. And Things.
Ha. Last year I posted that I'd finally found a jellied cranberry recipe worth keeping. Guess who didn't link to it or put it in her recipe book? That's right, that'd be me. Last night I made up the chunky cranberries from my usual recipe; tonight will be the jellied cranberries from the Food in Jars recipe. Tomorrow night will be pie crust, and then Thursday morning will be the succotash and lots of baking.
I've started up my sourdough starter again, which will be ready to use in a couple days. Wonderful Husband wanted a more historic/official starter, though, so when we found a packet of dried San Francisco starter at Surfas for a little over $5, we got that too. Though the instructions for starting it are just, gah! Must be kept between 80-90 degrees for X hours, etc. The house isn't reaching those temperatures currently, so I'm thinking of getting the foam cooler from the garage, putting that on the counter, and using either hot water or hot/cold packs to get the official starter started. I guess it needs a lot more babying than my wild-yeast one!
Also, I had listed out everything else I needed for my part of Thanksgiving, and got most of it at the Saturday farmer's market. There I ran into Shannon from the mommy/baby group I've been attending. I have a suspicion that the universe may be telling me to make friends. Not a hardship!
And, finally, today I did something I've been pondering for a few weeks now, and called Mother's Milk Bank in San Jose to start the process of becoming a milk donor. While I'm not a super-lactator like some nursing mothers (seriously, did you know that the Guinness Book of Records has a category for "most human milk donated"?), on one pumping a day I'm averaging about four ounces over and beyond what Squiddle needs. And if that can go to a milk bank, to be pasteurized and then sent on to preemies and sick infants who need it, that makes me feel good. God knows I'm not too good at charity; this, at least, is something I can do. There was about a five-minute interview over the phone, mostly about the same stuff that you fill out on the form when you donate blood. I'm being sent an information packet, along with forms for my doctor and Squiddle's, and there will be a blood test to make sure I've not got any diseases that would be transmissable through the milk. News to me if I do, so....
I've started up my sourdough starter again, which will be ready to use in a couple days. Wonderful Husband wanted a more historic/official starter, though, so when we found a packet of dried San Francisco starter at Surfas for a little over $5, we got that too. Though the instructions for starting it are just, gah! Must be kept between 80-90 degrees for X hours, etc. The house isn't reaching those temperatures currently, so I'm thinking of getting the foam cooler from the garage, putting that on the counter, and using either hot water or hot/cold packs to get the official starter started. I guess it needs a lot more babying than my wild-yeast one!
Also, I had listed out everything else I needed for my part of Thanksgiving, and got most of it at the Saturday farmer's market. There I ran into Shannon from the mommy/baby group I've been attending. I have a suspicion that the universe may be telling me to make friends. Not a hardship!
And, finally, today I did something I've been pondering for a few weeks now, and called Mother's Milk Bank in San Jose to start the process of becoming a milk donor. While I'm not a super-lactator like some nursing mothers (seriously, did you know that the Guinness Book of Records has a category for "most human milk donated"?), on one pumping a day I'm averaging about four ounces over and beyond what Squiddle needs. And if that can go to a milk bank, to be pasteurized and then sent on to preemies and sick infants who need it, that makes me feel good. God knows I'm not too good at charity; this, at least, is something I can do. There was about a five-minute interview over the phone, mostly about the same stuff that you fill out on the form when you donate blood. I'm being sent an information packet, along with forms for my doctor and Squiddle's, and there will be a blood test to make sure I've not got any diseases that would be transmissable through the milk. News to me if I do, so....