Author Archives for Ellen

Soda bread

I do enjoy baking my own bread. Sofar i used the recipe for the rye spelt bread i posted here in January this year. Only when i had a cold for a week or two, i bought bread in the shop. Today i made another bread, for the first time: soda bread.

I have read about soda bread before. I know it is quick to make. You do not need to knead the bread and let it rise for an hour or more. It is a chemical process, with baking soda and a sour milk.

So today i checked my stocks and went to the shop: i needed buttermilk and more wholemeal flour. I had decided to use the recipe in the Guardian on the How to cook the perfect soda bread page.

The one thing i changed is the treacle. I don’t have it. I’m not even sure we have that ingredient here in the Netherlands.

OK, i just looked it up. It is most likely the same as keukenstroop. Which we do have. I’m not a big fan myself, or better said, i never bought the stuff. Anyway, i used two tablespoons of honey. Works just as well.

Ingredients

  • 450g coarse wholemeal flour
  • 50g rolled oats
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tbsp treacle
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 450ml buttermilk (or sour milk, or milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice)
  • 1 tbsp melted butter, to finish

I did buy the buttermilk from the Weerribben. This is made in the old fashioned way. Originally buttermilk is the liquid which is left behind after churning butter or cream. In our present day supermarkets it is more common to have buttermilk that is soured with different cultures. I’m not a big milk fan, i never drink it. I did taste the buttermilk though and i did enjoy the taste. I’m not going to drink it that much, but still 🙂

Making the bread is really easy. You do need to heat up the oven to 200C first. Once the oven is warmed up, put all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the middle. Stir the honey and buttermilk together than pour this into the well. Stir this very quickly together with a fork, later on with your hands. Shape the dough into a round, cut a deep cross into it. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. After it is baked, brush with melted butter.

You can not keep this bread very long. This is the one issue which has prevented me from making it. I ate it with the leek potato i made earlier this week. Tomorrow i will get more, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not sure it will be good to eat on Friday. We will see.

Published on March 17, 2016 at 6:00 by
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A work day

Today i did some work. I had some css work this morning and a design job in the afternoon. I tried to keep it simple. Often that is the best way to handle it.

I did go to the supermarket this afternoon. I bought two more leeks. I wanted to make a leek and potato soup. Very simple recipe. Fry some leek, i used two. Add a sliced clove of garlic. Add a liter of hot water, two cubes of broth. Two handfuls of potatoes, sliced in half a centimeter width. Let it simmer for around twenty five minutes. Added a bit of cream. Yummy.

Tomorrow i’m gonna visit my mum. Not sure i will walk from the train station, depends on the weather.

I hope you will have a nice day. Enjoy it!

*kiss*

Published on March 15, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Bowl and jug

It is so hard to draw. The more i look at something small and seemingly easy, like a bowl, the harder it gets. To draw the shade and light, to draw the reflections. Apart from the shape.

Photos are a lot easier. Focus, click, done.

It is not about getting the picture though. It is about looking and deciding. Not anywhere near something good. Just a sketch.

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Published on March 14, 2016 at 6:00 by
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A walk in Rotterdam: around the Plas

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A children's pool. Empty in early March.
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The Kralingse Plas
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A bike path, grass, foot path, reed, trees, sky.
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A big tree
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Tree stumps with moss near the water
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Two birds
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Tree
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Hazy view
Published on March 11, 2016 at 6:00 by
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A diary day

The weather was not bad. A bit grey, yes, but some blue patches inbetween. Not too cold. It will get warmer. Soon! Wind will be from the south southwest. Many clouds, but hardly any rain. A bit of sunshine. Time for me to plan a walk, Thursday or Friday. The Kralingse Bos. Later on a walk to the Rottemeren. On a real spring day.

My mind is so full of sex. Kisses. Skin on skin. Moist. Not sure why. I want to work. Write a good post about my history with art. Make a new video clip. Draw still lifes. And yes, well ok, sex would be nice too. It is hard to control my mind. I really do not get it. I know when it started, a year and a half ago. It is like, the more i can handle it, the more i can control my mind, the worse it gets. More vivid, more real. Like i can almost touch another body. Like i can feel someone hands going over mine. It’s not. It’s all in my mind.

*sigh*

I do realize this time will not last. A changing time.

Published on March 9, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Plant with window sill

Not a very good drawing. But i did enjoy making it, even though it was hard. The more i looked at the plant, the more complicated it got. All the fine details, the tiny differences in darkness and lightness, in shine and dirt.

I did stop before i had completed the whole drawing. It is a sketch.

I will make more of these sketches. I might even do a proper still life.

Published on March 7, 2016 at 6:00 by
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Let’s Wait Awhile

Let’s Wait Awhile, a song from the 1986 album Control from Janet Jackson.

A few weeks ago i thought about this song and decided it is a candidate for me to sing. I did need to sing it a few times with the song playing. I decided to have the final words as a single voice, missing out the double lyrics in that part. I do like to keep things very simple.

In her book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself, Janet commented that she was inspired to write the track after talking to a friend about how he was unsure if he really wanted to have sex with his girlfriend, since she was sexually assertive and he was in doubt about his sexuality. She advise him to wait awhile and after that discussion she was inspired to write the track. “I connected that song to Todd and millions of young people who might need encouragement to think rather than act, to pause rather than move,” she stated.

I will always think before i act. To my own detriment.

Let’s Wait Awhile
There’s something I want to tell you
There’s something I think that you should know
It’s not that I shouldn’t really love you
Let’s take it slow
When we get to know each other
And we’re both feeling much stronger
Then let’s try to talk it over
Let’s wait awhile longer

Let’s wait awhile
Before it’s too late
Let’s wait awhile
Before we go too far

Remember that special night
When all of the stars were shining bright
We made our first endeavor to stay together
We made our very first promise
To love, to share, and be real honest
But on that very first night
It wasn’t quite right

Let’s wait awhile
Before it’s too late
Let’s wait awhile
Our love will be great
Let’s wait awhile
Before we go too far

I didn’t really know not to let all my feelings show
To save some for later so our love can be greater
You said you would always love me
Remember I said the same thing to you
You don’t have to be frightened with my love
Because, I’ll never give up on you
Let’s wait awhile
Ah well before it’s too late
You know you can’t rush love, love

Let’s wait awhile
(Ooh hoo hoo)
Before it’s too late
(Let’s wait awhile)
Wait awhile
(Our love will be great)
Let’s wait awhile
Before we go too far, oh, oh, ooh

Let’s wait awhile
(Let’s just take our time)
Before it’s too late
(Let’s wait awhile)
Your love’s so good
We shouldn’t rush in
(Let’s wait awhile)
Slow it down
(Before we go too far)
Ooh

La da lee de da da de de de, da da da da la da
La da lee de da da de de de, da da da da la da da
La da lee de da da de de de

I promise, I’ll be worth the wait

Clip

Top of the Pops performance

Live

Cover by Alexandra Burke

Published on March 4, 2016 at 6:00 by
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