I promised cheery….so here it is….

One of my best friends, has recently designed, built and moved into her dream home. She and her husband had previously lived in a beautiful Tudor style home that had been built in the 1920’s. They loved the home, they spent lots of time and effort adding onto it, making sure to have the add ons match the style of the original structure. Beautiful gardens, extra living space, a bedroom and bath, patio and sheltered parking were all added on. The delimma…….. was, that this beautiful home, was in the middle of a busy and crowded neighborhood. What to do?

My friend and her husband started dreaming and planning, because although they are both artistically minded they are also feet firmly planted on the ground. So plan they did……..

They both are inspired by Japanese style. They found an Architect/Builder who liked their ideas and thought he could pull them off…..so they did a little more planning, a little more drawing…lots of saving…..and lots of patience…..and came up with this…….

and here is the inside…

and yes it’s always that neat. I wish by association my house could always look so good….isn’t it beautiful?

Wow, and as if that isn’t enough I have more from my good friend Darcy…a recipe..Yeah!

I have attached a picture of my starter, I found the recipe with my grandmother’s stuff.  Here it is:

1/2 package active dry yeast(1 1/4 tsp.)

2 cups flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 cups warm water

    Combine ingredients in a stone crock or bowl (never use metal). Beat well. Cover with cheese cloth or towel, let stand 2 days in warm place.

Refrigerate loosely covered.

    There are many variations for starters but this one worked well for me. Mine was ready sooner than two days probably because of the hot weather. You will know it is ready when the mixture is nice and bubbly and has a lovely yeast smell. Then it can be reiterated. In the fridge it will loose its froth and a brown liquid or hooch will form on the top, just stir it together before use the starter in a recipe.

The starter will need to be replenished or fed once a week or so. If you have not used any starter in a recipe just remove a cup and share it with a friend or discard. Mix together equal amounts of water and flour(1 c. water, 1c. flour) combine with remaining starter and leave in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours until bubbly, then refrigerate. Here is the recipe for

Sourdough Pancakes:

Make the basic batter the night before. Put one cup of sourdough starter in a large glass mixing bowl(NEVER use metal bowls or utensils with sourdough) Add 2 cups of warm water and 2 1/2 cups of flour. Mix thoroughly and cover with a plate or plastic wrap. Keep bowl in a warm place overnight. The mixture should be quite active with fermentation(bubbly) by morning, remove 1 cup of the batter and put it back into your original starter. This will replenish or feed your starter and keep it active.

Add to the batter left in the bowl:

1 egg

2 TBS oil

1/4 cup four

Beat thoroughly and add:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 TBS sugar

Blend together and allow to rest for a few minutes. Then pour onto a hot griddle, keeping the pancakes small will improve the texture and taste.

This is all new to me so I hope it makes sense. I think I will try sourdough biscuits next weekend.

Enjoy!

Darcy

Aren’t you glad I know Darcy and she is my friend? I am… and glad that she is  generous enough to share with us her dream home and good food. Thank you Darcy!!!