I was looking for something I could bake that wouldn’t require me to leave the house to buy buttermilk or heavy cream; I could have made muffins with yogurt, but I wanted to make something new. So I checked my cabinets to see what kind of flours I had on hand, then leafed through Ms. Boyce’s book, and – given my ingredient constraints – decided upon the olive oil cake. It looked interesting; plus, it called for fresh rosemary, and my rosemary plant is the only herb still soldiering on from the summer, so I like to use it when I can.

I’m happy to report that the cake is a success. It’s kind of reminiscent of banana bread, except instead of the banana flavor, it’s olive oil and rosemary; maybe it’s just the texture (moist – sorry for those of you who hate that word beyond all reason) and the chocolate that remind me of it. In fact, if banana bread and pumpkin bread are breads instead of cakes, so is this.

Also, y’all, this cake/bread has no butter: that’s right, I baked a thing that does not have butter in it. Most probably major world upheaval is in the cards – it is 2012 now, after all. You should probably prepare by baking this cake.

Thanks to Tim for the new pie dish!

What I’m reading: The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton; The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate
12 oz. white chocolate
1/2 cup of crushed candy canes or starlight mints
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (optional)

Note: You may adjust the amounts of bittersweet and white chocolate. If you would like a thinner layer of white chocolate, for example, use less of that and more bittersweet. You can also use semisweet chocolate in place of some of the bittersweet chocolate, as I did. You may also choose to do more than two layers, or to reverse the layers; in these instructions, dark chocolate is on the bottom layer and white chocolate is on top.

1. Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil over it.

2. Melt bittersweet chocolate (or white chocolate if you want that to be the bottom layer) in a saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring continuously. If you are using the peppermint extract, add it once the chocolate is mostly melted, and stir/whisk swiftly at this point.

3. Remove chocolate from heat and pour onto the aluminum foil. Spread the chocolate in an even layer with a rubber spatula (or another kitchen instrument of your choice). Put the baking sheet with the chocolate in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.

4. While the chocolate is chilling, melt the white chocolate in a clean saucepan, stirring continuously. When the dark chocolate has been in the fridge for 15 minutes, remove it and pour the white chocolate over top, smoothing with the spatula. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes or mints over the top, then put the sheet back in the fridge to chill for another 20 minutes.

Once the chocolate has set, break it into pieces.

This is a relatively low-effort recipe and with a beautiful and delicious result; great to keep around the house or give away as a gift (or some of both).

I will try to continue posting recipes and other miscellany here from time to time, but for more frequent (hopefully) library-, information-, and education-related posts, you are cordially invited to view my other site.

What I’m reading: The Lake of Dreams, Kim Edwards; Vaclav and Lena, Haley Tanner

What I’m listening to: Pay Attention, Mighty Mighty Bosstones; Tattoo You, Rolling Stones; the Muppet movie soundtrack

AUGHHHHH!

Together now: AUGHHHHH!

That is all.

On Saturday, I took a Bookmaking for Beginners workshop taught by Sarah Smith through GSLIS Continuing Education. The workshop began with a short lecture about different kinds of bindings through history, and how contemporary artists are re-using and making books. The rest of the day was all hands-on: we started with the one-sheet fold-up and the accordion structure, then the blossom fold, Turkish map fold, and Korean map fold; then we learned how to make single-section and two-section pamphlets, and finally how to do chain-stitch.

All the books! From top to bottom: Blossom fold, Korean map fold, accordion fold (with covers), woven flexagon, Turkish map fold, two-section pamphlet, one-section pamphlets, chain-stitched binding.

From left to right: two-section pamphlet, one-section pamphlets (3- and 5-station), and Korean map fold.

This is the Korean map fold book: it’s the same one that looks like a little cedar block in the previous picture. It’s bulky because it contains six pieces of 8.5″x11″ paper, folded into 8 sections each.

This is the two-section pamphlet; the sections are each made up of four sheets of paper, each folded in half once. The cover has a pleat in the middle, and there are three “stations” (holes) where the waxed thread goes through all the layers to hold it together.

This is a one-section pamphlet, also with three stations. I gave the other pamphlets rounded corners, but I folded the edges of this cover in, so it has French flaps (like fancy trade paperback editions sometimes do).

All four pamplets: the top two have five stations, the bottom two have three.

Standing up like this, these remind me of The Monster Book of Monsters from Harry Potter (when Hagrid teaches the Care of Magical Creatures). On the left is the blossom fold; on the right, the Turkish map fold.

Here’s the Turkish map fold, open. It does fold down nice and flat – I think I have a city map of Paris folded in a similar way.

This has the best name of all: woven flexagon. We started with one long sheet (the cream-colored paper), and used a blade to make slices about 1″ apart; then, we took the colored papers and wove them between the slices. It’s quite cheerful-looking, but I have no idea what I’ll do with it.

A simple accordion fold, with covers made of binder’s board covered with decorative paper. We got to use polyvinyl acetate (PVA), an archival-safe plastic adhesive, to glue the paper cover over the board. Sarah showed us how to tuck the corners in with a bone folder to make them smooth and sharp.

The same book, lying open. I preferred the sewing to the folding; I couldn’t make the folds 100% exact. Sarah also showed us how to make an accordion fold with pockets, which I would have liked to cover with the binder’s board, but mine didn’t quite stack straight.

Finally, the chain stitch – this is the longest book, with five sections, or signatures, sewn together.

Here’s the chain-stitched booklet, closed. The stitching makes a nice pattern.

Other than being pretty, the chain stitch is also a nice binding because it allows the book to open flat, which is good for journals and sketchbooks, because you can write or draw deeper into the margins without worrying about the gutter.

All the bindings!

A flock of books – all hand-made in less than seven hours. Even though I probably won’t be using these bookmaking skills in a practical setting anytime soon, the workshop was a good experience: I learned new things, stretched the part of my brain that relates to making tactile things, and created a physical product to use or give as gifts. All in all, a Saturday well spent.

What I’ve been reading: The Mirador, Elisabeth Gille; The White Darkness, Geraldine McCaughrean; The Blood Confession, Alisa Libby
What I’ve been listening to: Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger (audiobook); Clarity, Jimmy Eat World

Also, llama! (We visited the farm.)

And cows. 

Running for cover: a mostly sunny, breezy day was interrupted by a brief rainstorm.

But the sun came out again.

We stopped by Atkins for cider donuts.

The trees in the middle of campus always turn the most spectacular colors.

It’s always worth the drive out – and it’s much closer to Boston than to New York, so now I can get there and back in a day. Fresh cider donuts only a couple of hours away…dangerous.

Sailboats.

The MIT dome, site of many pranks (hacks).

Geese.

The CITGO sign, we learned, is a historical landmark, and when the Red Sox hit a home run, it lights up: C IT GO (see it go). Fun fact!

A nod to the Vikings.

The tour took about an hour; not a bad way to spend a pretty day. (I’d advise calling, though; their website isn’t the most functional/up-to-date.)

What I’ve been reading: The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson; Pretties, Scott Westerfeld

What I’ve been listening to: Passion Leaves a Trace, Black Lab; Pay Attention, Mighty Mighty Bosstones

I made oatmeal-apricot scones (twice, they were that good).

Saw some pretty snapdragons outside Cafe 1369 in Inman Square.

Took a ferry out to Spectacle Island and swam in the very, very cold water of the Boston Harbor.

View of Boston from the ferry on the way to Spectacle.

The beach was a little rocky. Someone took advantage of this to sculpt a mouse. (Sand mouse: it rocks.)

We had to take a closer look at the Duck House when we got back to Boston. Does it have the same connotation as being in the doghouse? Are the ducks in trouble?

Also, after eleven years of listening to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, I finally saw them live…

…at Fenway.

And they were totally amazing and awesome and lived up to all my wildest expectations. They were followed by the Dropkick Murphys:

Who were also good, but who were not so mighty as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

We had a housewarming party, at which a guest made “chocolate death cake.” (It was amazing. And there was extra mousse.)

Made these peach muffins from a recipe in Good to the Grain. They were supposed to be ginger-peach, but I didn’t have any ginger. They were delicious nevertheless.

Apparently, if you turn the muffins sideways in their cups (see above) after you take them out of the oven, they cool without getting soggy? I’m not sure this made a huge difference. However, I would definitely agree with the “best when fresh” advice in the recipe; they do keep all right for a few days, but they are the opposite of lasagna (which is tastier a day or two or three after it is first baked than it is when it is fresh out of the oven).

Played at Mixed New England Sectionals. We came in second in our division! And had beautiful weather both days.

Post-frisbee, we added some additional illustrations to this pre-printed paper placemat.

And that’s all the news that’s fit to print. When I’m not reading or studying or writing for one of my three classes this semester (my last semester!), or playing frisbee, or cooking, or sleeping, I’m posting more often on my “professional” site (mostly library-related, fewer tirades against cable companies) and on Things I Put In My Container Today (fun for us, odd for you). I’m also keeping track of my reading on Goodreads; it’s mostly teen fiction right now because of my young adult literature class, but if you’re interested, I usually post reviews there. Finally, I am looking for a job! So if you know of any library jobs in the greater Boston area, let me know.

What I’m reading: Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi
What I’ve been listening to: the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Barenaked Ladies, Motion City Soundtrack, Black Lab, Nick Cave, Eluvium

It did put a damper (pun intended) on our beach weekend, though today is beautiful beach weather. Of course. Here’s what it looked like Saturday morning, on the bay side of Cape Cod:

And here’s the ocean side around 5pm:

What I’ve been reading: The Good Fairies of New York, Martin Millar; Amy and Isabelle, Elizabeth Strout; Forever, Judy Blume; Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson; White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi

What I’ve been listening to: Can’t Hardly Wait soundtrack; Goldfly, Keep It Together, Lost and Gone Forever, and Parachute, Guster; Beneath These Fireworks, Matt Nathanson

Men’s Wearhouse becomes the Swearhouse when you can’t find anything in your size…

…and Borders is closing, but you can still place your Orders online.

What I’m reading: An Object of Beauty, Steve Martin; The Good Fairies of New York, Martin Millar
What I’m listening to: All Their Greatest Hits, Born on a Pirate Ship, Everything to Everyone, Gordon, and Stunt, Barenaked Ladies; How to Save a Life, The Fray

I love desserts that double as breakfasts. Or breakfasts that double as desserts.

What I’m reading: An Object of Beauty, Steve Martin
What I’m listening to: The Ultimate Collection, The Kinks