tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50638613527958703062023-11-16T03:13:06.457-08:00Honey PotTales of a grad school dropout,
in the kitchen and in the field.Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-41682207835079483722010-04-16T19:56:00.000-07:002010-04-16T20:40:53.069-07:00England and Wales part 4: Wales<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHUCwSrZm2Uxf-r0RuCpNr1NtRQO_7aFmluaCiL35xJ6tShYJvkQz2ntp8Ug1Z6_nXlttebtl_2GWowNkNHsa6ELF_FaN0yblNtkf6KGczVXSuwis6MxSbO9cZX8E_-RoPYovlCo_sII/s640/england%20056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHUCwSrZm2Uxf-r0RuCpNr1NtRQO_7aFmluaCiL35xJ6tShYJvkQz2ntp8Ug1Z6_nXlttebtl_2GWowNkNHsa6ELF_FaN0yblNtkf6KGczVXSuwis6MxSbO9cZX8E_-RoPYovlCo_sII/s640/england%20056.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />When I was 12, I took it upon myself to teach myself Welsh. Really. Needless to say, it didn't really stick. But although that obsession faded, I never lost the desire to visit Wales. So when we planned our trip to central England, I insisted we take a day or two to drive into Wales. It didn't look that far on a map - surely it wouldn't be that long of a journey.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDdmkhsUocChoGvrNDrpRyHPLxMjO5B3eAmr9bk0i7s-x8pZcS257RNO1RXFk5XDXbZx8-U_1A9teEFFLjGrRYsU_Wv8J-jmUl2g-GnZoIuay5WqkeAcs6aY31mclcmdy0MqF6ZgRLlo/s640/england%20155.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDdmkhsUocChoGvrNDrpRyHPLxMjO5B3eAmr9bk0i7s-x8pZcS257RNO1RXFk5XDXbZx8-U_1A9teEFFLjGrRYsU_Wv8J-jmUl2g-GnZoIuay5WqkeAcs6aY31mclcmdy0MqF6ZgRLlo/s640/england%20155.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Well, never underestimate how long it can take to get around on British roads. Nevertheless, we did get in a few days along the southern coast of Wales.<br /><br />Our first stop, as it grew dark and dark rainclouds rolled in, was the not-entirely-scenic town of Swansea. Caught in the middle of what seemed like a true gale, we took the first room we could find and spent the night.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey29pBy_M8z_uVEAssUlKYUp-c0hr_9K1632gj7zhE_cS9kXFq-V_udOEfZDRdlrTpkiwG6FRTZ4U_CTt5WVL9fs95axmWAydrTsl-mzy1ql0_9Uqha7PfM1ID4Zes-R-5oY2ugbCQFw/s640/england%20139.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey29pBy_M8z_uVEAssUlKYUp-c0hr_9K1632gj7zhE_cS9kXFq-V_udOEfZDRdlrTpkiwG6FRTZ4U_CTt5WVL9fs95axmWAydrTsl-mzy1ql0_9Uqha7PfM1ID4Zes-R-5oY2ugbCQFw/s640/england%20139.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The town of Pembroke, from the castle</span><br /></div><br />From there, we drove west. Our next stop was Pembroke, a cute medieval town with a stunning 12th century castle. We spent several hours running around the castle grounds, climbing stairs, walking along the ramparts, and enjoying amazing views from the towers. Like I said in the last post, there's something to be said for historical sites where the visitor can have the run of the place.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYTMyYTrkXdVZ7Y2jY03KEQpDrs0ju9thcjydHYd4lCbAKgXfLNn9QNifFXNmGyMertIORwXph2BmXO5JXtj9WPmEe3bI0yBVcGCdsMz0Aq_ZW-EV_TlhxLldbdFUImWXFPW4X1ZjUSc/s640/england%20138.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYTMyYTrkXdVZ7Y2jY03KEQpDrs0ju9thcjydHYd4lCbAKgXfLNn9QNifFXNmGyMertIORwXph2BmXO5JXtj9WPmEe3bI0yBVcGCdsMz0Aq_ZW-EV_TlhxLldbdFUImWXFPW4X1ZjUSc/s640/england%20138.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">We had the castle virtually to ourselves<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWPh-F7wUr5Nweaib3YWFYyhjUVu9hHtS46gVJSI9jYEJ74vKGXv37zXjKfZBOFxVg6X6eJGf4YoJIVEsAK8JNGxZnCF2YJW1mmObLrRl8RR-v5pTu8i51VIjWwGjHVE5BHN-8WX6HwE/s640/england%20134.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWPh-F7wUr5Nweaib3YWFYyhjUVu9hHtS46gVJSI9jYEJ74vKGXv37zXjKfZBOFxVg6X6eJGf4YoJIVEsAK8JNGxZnCF2YJW1mmObLrRl8RR-v5pTu8i51VIjWwGjHVE5BHN-8WX6HwE/s640/england%20134.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The British have a thing for creepy mannequin-based historic interpretive displays. Apparently, this is what it's like at a medieval feast. </span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4T5CCejJbHLHb6Tgx5RFi3uo71fDNwBwrqpAdHSLwhL5Rq-J5Fdc9bpha6hjjMTCZ9V_BL0lZHDtQO9P_-m6EUrI1xavWrZHz__lzL9a5pqwTi4qS2uZU02OzWr2trDY5DoDJb1OwzM/s512/england%20146.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4T5CCejJbHLHb6Tgx5RFi3uo71fDNwBwrqpAdHSLwhL5Rq-J5Fdc9bpha6hjjMTCZ9V_BL0lZHDtQO9P_-m6EUrI1xavWrZHz__lzL9a5pqwTi4qS2uZU02OzWr2trDY5DoDJb1OwzM/s512/england%20146.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />From Pembroke, we headed south to the seaside town of Tenby. With an amazing, broad beach and a colorful old town, Tenby was a lovely place to visit.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PEMgKUirFXdqDLVuOHl7BKkGdmv8MaClRxTy7iYRMZcCn64RnoYuGzWwCErKyuP1f1wanAgUBzzpF72HwXbpVUKGrJv7B2ur-6CDKbs7gHf_K9kjSNrkqTiIkWAapd-EAbBbhTr8FuU/s640/england%20156.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PEMgKUirFXdqDLVuOHl7BKkGdmv8MaClRxTy7iYRMZcCn64RnoYuGzWwCErKyuP1f1wanAgUBzzpF72HwXbpVUKGrJv7B2ur-6CDKbs7gHf_K9kjSNrkqTiIkWAapd-EAbBbhTr8FuU/s640/england%20156.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AWHyUXEZOKh7PulSLli8dnJyH2cbNWCAma5GKNOctmcR3uOuu5E_sgIbhN164-rWxmyRW5Y0g6mFh2Cbmmk4Kndxb_oFha3-Bh-ziNPPa5Bp0DqiD6DxTTkZqEKgMTIS17tVx0BbsHo/s640/england%20151.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AWHyUXEZOKh7PulSLli8dnJyH2cbNWCAma5GKNOctmcR3uOuu5E_sgIbhN164-rWxmyRW5Y0g6mFh2Cbmmk4Kndxb_oFha3-Bh-ziNPPa5Bp0DqiD6DxTTkZqEKgMTIS17tVx0BbsHo/s640/england%20151.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-14561057340972385672010-03-09T19:00:00.000-08:002010-03-09T19:19:33.399-08:00England and Wales part 3: Stonehenge and Avebury<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34CCSD4S0jRcobk5lwWcBI9RMmhyigLEowj0k38rLmPN_BmM2FuMtdw5MEsx43inxK7jFkVPoXgoqx4T-lGPuN3TQqS9Mq4k2nY3dMKr73g2Car4n_iuuG46WRJY8dqBI7HS5NMWuQaU/s512/england%20116.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34CCSD4S0jRcobk5lwWcBI9RMmhyigLEowj0k38rLmPN_BmM2FuMtdw5MEsx43inxK7jFkVPoXgoqx4T-lGPuN3TQqS9Mq4k2nY3dMKr73g2Car4n_iuuG46WRJY8dqBI7HS5NMWuQaU/s512/england%20116.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'll keep this brief...no one needs another lecture about Stonehenge, so I'll stick to touristy photos. For more information on Stonehenge, check out <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.16465">English Heritage's webpage.</a> or the <a href="http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/research/stonehenge">University of Sheffield's excavation page</a>. For more on Avebury, again English Heritage has a good<a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.16309"> run-through</a> and photos. Both sites are <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/373">UNESCO World Heritage Sites</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhA2rOIuoaJZBSWLHrjuLChhnKU-ByO1hnqtUE03fz4OWLMoKwF-r_lDO8RDU_mQIbZ1mTHHL7Rq3rcYJ-MoKyonBloP0wlNhyphenhyphenuUWOCnCqES3-bvIaPHMUMsF7ag56ttCUHsErvzAREw/s640/england%20103.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhA2rOIuoaJZBSWLHrjuLChhnKU-ByO1hnqtUE03fz4OWLMoKwF-r_lDO8RDU_mQIbZ1mTHHL7Rq3rcYJ-MoKyonBloP0wlNhyphenhyphenuUWOCnCqES3-bvIaPHMUMsF7ag56ttCUHsErvzAREw/s640/england%20103.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Stonehenge (duh). The site hasn't fared too well over the last few centuries. A <a href="http://www.stonehengevisitorcentre.org/#/need-for-improvement/outline">busy road</a> cuts nearly through the center of the site and separates the stone circle from other elements of the site and the surrounding plains. When you arrive at the site, you park, buy your ticket, then are funneled into a passageway that runs underneath the road. You pass through a cement corridor lined with large murals depicting the landscape of the prehistoric Salisbury Plain (lots of trees!), but little interpretive material is available. Then, emerging from the tunnel, you immediately see the stones themselves (and lots of sheep!). Turn around, and you'll see traffic and the visitors center.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXq1masGlwalWW-XOiB7wGTbPJ71jpDYtcsj2bIPCcJkMqwx4J9kllQYoJ0PfaFvzDlLeFyPHcDzeRvdsopFcZs2DBL7QvdYrWxeCb6O8Ppj7siMsNyqYzUaONgZLIorAnzTVMcNWHag/s640/england%20092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXq1masGlwalWW-XOiB7wGTbPJ71jpDYtcsj2bIPCcJkMqwx4J9kllQYoJ0PfaFvzDlLeFyPHcDzeRvdsopFcZs2DBL7QvdYrWxeCb6O8Ppj7siMsNyqYzUaONgZLIorAnzTVMcNWHag/s640/england%20092.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Once at the site itself, you're essentially confined to a path ringing the stones. You can get pretty close, but no touching. From here you can appreciate the monument up close, if you're lucky enough to have a view unobstructed by picture-taking tourists.<br /><br />The lack of access to the stones is not a bad idea though, considering how badly the site has been damaged by visitors over the years. The more people tread on the ground, touch the stones, or (god forbid) <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/7414491.stm">hack off pieces of the stones</a>, the more irreversible damage is done to the site.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGHjirA4rJtcLDvaZVxZVtDvIfrNxSQbB-kIXLdJxIYaTzoXdpwtUWP4xO-5JEX0ampEzJ0L4DNZTBxEqHo6Uq5Htmh4xtpZb9jwkZwSQzvE3Gi60_dbPoBYvjdaZJGx3Mx4NaTm7QFc/s640/england%20118.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGHjirA4rJtcLDvaZVxZVtDvIfrNxSQbB-kIXLdJxIYaTzoXdpwtUWP4xO-5JEX0ampEzJ0L4DNZTBxEqHo6Uq5Htmh4xtpZb9jwkZwSQzvE3Gi60_dbPoBYvjdaZJGx3Mx4NaTm7QFc/s640/england%20118.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This is Avebury. It's another prehistoric site, and physically it's close to Stonehenge (about 20 miles), but as an archaeological experience it's worlds away.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijx4AYAUgiydv78p0CpuWMUuNRCUTYDQhHw0ViE0APBMq11q4PIMU-mkcynbyInHkegzv_Dly02_V3LCeU4p3CuiLjHjtgpw2Jdl3TKvxi0816dIaO9aXwWzmFdPlqeU6yEYazUMQdcFQ/s640/england%20120.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijx4AYAUgiydv78p0CpuWMUuNRCUTYDQhHw0ViE0APBMq11q4PIMU-mkcynbyInHkegzv_Dly02_V3LCeU4p3CuiLjHjtgpw2Jdl3TKvxi0816dIaO9aXwWzmFdPlqeU6yEYazUMQdcFQ/s640/england%20120.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The site is essentially unrestricted. You can walk along the massive (1.3 km circumference) circular earthen banks and ditches, you can touch the standing stones, and wander around the site with relatively few tourists to contend with. There's something to be said for an archaeological site like this- where a visitor is free to experience the site how he or she chooses.<br /><br />There is always a conflict (at least in my mind) between the need to conserve archaeological sites and the need to make sites available to the public. While the feet and hands of the thousands of tourists who visit a site like this in a year inevitably do damage to the site's integrity, at the same time this must be balanced by the benefit of allowing the public to experience archaeological sites and the fundamental right of all people to know and experience the world's history.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybzuAn-eOavCzCUAqM9boY-4-d3nE7oP62-57VAZRogWMWT1C7ca-TC3u9LKwIEXXXvTAgcRvvMpsjqibRaxd7w2H_Hec5soeaHXeJtEYly4cKWVutF4ocY398x7OKpxaFnkPgPLN-N0/s640/england%20119.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybzuAn-eOavCzCUAqM9boY-4-d3nE7oP62-57VAZRogWMWT1C7ca-TC3u9LKwIEXXXvTAgcRvvMpsjqibRaxd7w2H_Hec5soeaHXeJtEYly4cKWVutF4ocY398x7OKpxaFnkPgPLN-N0/s640/england%20119.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-9075893363064475432009-11-16T19:35:00.000-08:002009-11-18T21:38:16.938-08:00England and Wales, part 2: Bath<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">After leaving London, we boldy rented a car and set off on a terrifying, death-defying, left-side-of-the-road driving adventure (note: I was too chicken to drive). First stop, Bath.<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU6HSaSCpmsyjBhbkbrvZS-BjcSSa59Y_UT-OILdqa7uQFAWJapJrNzweYAlPh0mk3HZZXgq0YJyfMGAwk5gN8nuxmsU0C1AkL3_yZhKrFEEhFTBjnl-liG-1FJ9RWl8Ew49SZrYBfwE/s640/england%20075.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU6HSaSCpmsyjBhbkbrvZS-BjcSSa59Y_UT-OILdqa7uQFAWJapJrNzweYAlPh0mk3HZZXgq0YJyfMGAwk5gN8nuxmsU0C1AkL3_yZhKrFEEhFTBjnl-liG-1FJ9RWl8Ew49SZrYBfwE/s640/england%20075.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Abbey in Bath</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Bath was just gorgeous. The architecture was incredible, and everything was made from a lovely golden sandstone, which seemed to practically glow. We arrived in the middle of a nice afternoon shower, and got the whole place to ourselves for a few hours.<br /><br />Then of course there's the history. Perhaps on account of its natural hot springs, Bath has been continuously inhabited since Neolithic times. In the 1st century A.D., the city, then known as "Aquae Sulis", was a well-populated Roman resort and religious center. And in Georgian times, the city rose out of relative obscurity to become a major resort town for the wealthy. Much of the city's most prominent architecture dates from this period.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwXG3svSf6lLP6XfSqbhm9lu5sCOkjfO62lTXC0PPZ15242nbS5X2lUkCdkC7YfLI1oU9a1B3V3vBYxOLyW2dNZn2-rznTMUkHr7_9hKn_35dZ49802MBOAxISXmqwxC7kcQL-oCnsN4/s512/england%20077.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwXG3svSf6lLP6XfSqbhm9lu5sCOkjfO62lTXC0PPZ15242nbS5X2lUkCdkC7YfLI1oU9a1B3V3vBYxOLyW2dNZn2-rznTMUkHr7_9hKn_35dZ49802MBOAxISXmqwxC7kcQL-oCnsN4/s512/england%20077.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Bath. The lower levels (around the pool) are Roman, the upper levels date to the 19th century.</span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Note the two "Romans" having a casual conversation by the pool.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2452/3583051783_5bcf098274.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2452/3583051783_5bcf098274.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">"I say, good fellow, which way to the frigidarium?"<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscxS1gnY3Kb2wcLU5l5-kKRjPRWc2zexl84fgxRv9RHxEfrQFzHp3CaTFdXCeQp24NHke5DWSx6m9R_icwNhUL_z1VFI541kHUthI774oUbFg_gKeMfbFXUUWqoTMsoX09X-CmE5Mi-Y/s640/england%20073.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscxS1gnY3Kb2wcLU5l5-kKRjPRWc2zexl84fgxRv9RHxEfrQFzHp3CaTFdXCeQp24NHke5DWSx6m9R_icwNhUL_z1VFI541kHUthI774oUbFg_gKeMfbFXUUWqoTMsoX09X-CmE5Mi-Y/s640/england%20073.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Pump Room at the baths. My inner Jane Austen nerd has died and gone to heaven at this point.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/common/showimage.func.php?img=sally%20lunns%20house%20koji%20lightened%20by%20pete%20309kb.jpg&width=350"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 527px;" src="http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/common/showimage.func.php?img=sally%20lunns%20house%20koji%20lightened%20by%20pete%20309kb.jpg&width=350" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Image courtesy sallylunns.co.uk<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">After leaving the Baths, we ran across this interesting structure- supposedly "Bath's oldest house" (with some elements dating to the 15th century), and the mythological point of origin of the famous Sally Lunn Bun. How could I pass up the combination of historic structure, tea house, and creepy "kitchen museum"?<br /></div></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/3583052581_d27234c0aa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/3583052581_d27234c0aa.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />To be honest I had never heard of a Sally Lunn bun before, but apparently they're quite famous. The plaque says so.<br /><br />According to the restaurant's <a href="http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/history,intro.htm">website</a> (improper use of quotation marks in the original), <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br />"It is a rich round and generous brioche bun similar to the historic French festival ‘breads’. Sally Lunn, a Huguenot refugee (perhaps better known as Solange Luyon) came to Bath in 1680 via Bristol after escaping persecution in France. In Lilliput Alley she found work with the baker and introduced her now famous light and delicate ‘bun’ to pre Georgian Bath."</span><br /><br />While in the tea house, I had a smoked salmon sandwich on a toasted Sally Lunn bun and a pot of tea. I felt very British.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3583088765_fe6eef42e4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3583088765_fe6eef42e4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In the basement of the building is the restaurant's "kitchen museum", a recreation of the original 17th century kitchen. 30p for admission, or free with purchase of buns! I think the creepy mannequin is supposed to be Sally Lunn.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-65015726846867547732009-10-27T21:23:00.000-07:002009-10-27T22:30:18.930-07:00England and Wales, part 1: London<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2h5QJVMsuL3QbyXe9s-h7qhXIH7Fq1GGvFR1tjR5V3raUKODZOyCG4SPYHFAsh6pEd-Qv6aBq6c4lUeeedvgGmOP5424Ffk4VHYO01_WYKWRyWqPeSvaxAkCVt-tJ11Jh5Qycu8DR6YU/s640/england%20031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2h5QJVMsuL3QbyXe9s-h7qhXIH7Fq1GGvFR1tjR5V3raUKODZOyCG4SPYHFAsh6pEd-Qv6aBq6c4lUeeedvgGmOP5424Ffk4VHYO01_WYKWRyWqPeSvaxAkCVt-tJ11Jh5Qycu8DR6YU/s640/england%20031.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Hello out there. Anyone listening? Amazing how four months can just fly by like that.<br /><br />For the next few posts I'd like to share some snapshots from my "recent" trip to England and Wales. First up: London!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWwYC_BNgahzWRBp4n21GEnJ2fNSaPkYyhPeeibviMRsG0kWgLHTh3ESPDFN9B3kV9O3WmHsxMqy9IkT-1uF6Znk130NYM5UqZ3hKTyXVsqHzMaH7-CnLHKix5_jt3zTvMrthsU1sboI/s640/england%20035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWwYC_BNgahzWRBp4n21GEnJ2fNSaPkYyhPeeibviMRsG0kWgLHTh3ESPDFN9B3kV9O3WmHsxMqy9IkT-1uF6Znk130NYM5UqZ3hKTyXVsqHzMaH7-CnLHKix5_jt3zTvMrthsU1sboI/s640/england%20035.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Kensington Gardens<br /><br /></span></div>For whatever reason, England was one of those places that I never had a strong urge to visit. Scotland - yes, Ireland - definitely!, Wales - why not? ...But England never had much appeal. But oh how wrong I was. England was truly delightful. From the minute I stepped off the plane, I felt as though I'd come home.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrx51JqOFbcWA1GqdDYeHbMFfGavtdTricqru3gqGi_3EwnQvNjGaCWSROTUpyAXVmDZYADZ52do223JyiITXZw72j2lwRet6KI8LxxX8Fu5k7YNc3n4qYzRgn2ulw-QpazGGpeJLta8/s640/england%20045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrx51JqOFbcWA1GqdDYeHbMFfGavtdTricqru3gqGi_3EwnQvNjGaCWSROTUpyAXVmDZYADZ52do223JyiITXZw72j2lwRet6KI8LxxX8Fu5k7YNc3n4qYzRgn2ulw-QpazGGpeJLta8/s640/england%20045.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For one thing, the weather was fantastic. Although we'd been duly warned of the risks of traveling in the UK in April, we had nothing but blue skies and sunshine for the first half of our trip (although we were later duly punished by gale force winds and torrential rains).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3583847086_d42240c4a4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3583847086_d42240c4a4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Wild Boar Sausage at Borough Market<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">And again, despite dire warnings from friends, family, and total strangers about how bad the food would be, we found the opposite to be true. Almost everywhere we went, we ate very well indeed- particularly, though not exclusively, in London.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3583041053_7380334c6c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3583041053_7380334c6c.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Touristy, yes, but I was like a kid in a candy store at the Borough Market. The location is spectacular and the atmosphere is really enjoyable if you can tolerate the crowds. The sheer variety and quality of the food for sale was amazing. We got ourselves some boar sausage and ate it next door outside the Southwark Cathedral, then went back for dessert and coffee from Monmouth Coffee Co.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3583040007_1244946fb6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3583040007_1244946fb6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Clearly there was no way to resist such adorable shortbread. Unfortunately they looked better than they tasted.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Of course there was plenty of sightseeing. We made the mistake of visiting the British Museum just as all of the major galleries were closing, but I still got in a rushed tour of the highlights. </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBHUCEgZNW_ULj-VM_j_E2TydEf7C3e6yOlRKWoxNSNaf8rT3eyfe9hYLB4sofFx7oMKOUPUlMrLpJ-Oe-xrr6omOOKKEfwckQDsAB-t8CxziQdQksepMGFNhag2iSBvYDqV2cgsbKkA/s640/england%20016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBHUCEgZNW_ULj-VM_j_E2TydEf7C3e6yOlRKWoxNSNaf8rT3eyfe9hYLB4sofFx7oMKOUPUlMrLpJ-Oe-xrr6omOOKKEfwckQDsAB-t8CxziQdQksepMGFNhag2iSBvYDqV2cgsbKkA/s640/england%20016.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A centaur gets the ole' knee-in-the-back from a headless Lapith, Parthenon Marbles, British Museum<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/3583853328_35337f655b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/3583853328_35337f655b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Sweet!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeCAWo-JPNwJK9yH0C6C4EyRyC6GGVPJsez7elb5Vm8ou6wCmo2w_1aWdgodFhfkVuT-HKGE6E89QhlM38KnmyRIIP0bmv2a065MFFUBSU22c1-EaOFmEAR4pT5c_W66QC1oLyx_4Nwk/s640/england%20041.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeCAWo-JPNwJK9yH0C6C4EyRyC6GGVPJsez7elb5Vm8ou6wCmo2w_1aWdgodFhfkVuT-HKGE6E89QhlM38KnmyRIIP0bmv2a065MFFUBSU22c1-EaOFmEAR4pT5c_W66QC1oLyx_4Nwk/s640/england%20041.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ottolenghi</span><br /><br />We spent our last morning in London with pastries and coffee from Ottolenghi, walking in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3583855286_ab60b35c76.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3583855286_ab60b35c76.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-48160541745787031632009-06-28T17:15:00.000-07:002009-06-28T17:34:54.118-07:00Bizarre Historical Landmark of California: Watts Towers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2895868599_d15687eaa0.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2895868599_d15687eaa0.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=613">Watts Towers</a> are one of LA's more unique attractions. Built by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia over a period of 30 years, the nine towers and associated structures are a great example of 20th century American folk art. Rodia immigrated to the US at the turn of the last century, working his way across the country and eventually settling in 1921 in Watts, California. The same year, he began building the Towers, working completely by hand, without scaffolding, and using whatever materials he could get his hands on. The project was finished in 1955, when he simply left one day, deeding the property to a neighbor. The City of Los Angeles declared the Towers unsafe and ordered them demolished. However, public outcry prevented the demolition, and the property is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark and Los Angeles <a href="http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2007/04/no-15-towers-of-simon-rodia.html">Historic-Cultural Monument number 15</a>. The property is also now a <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=613">state historic park</a>, and the towers have been undergoing renovation following the Northridge quake.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/2896710314_7c2b3a2c26.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/2896710314_7c2b3a2c26.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Imprints of tools, plus Rodia's initials ("S R") and date 1923.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>As an archaeologist, two things fascinate me about the Watts Towers. First is Rodia's use of found objects in the construction of his work, a.k.a. a creative use of other people's trash. As with <a href="http://archaeobaking.blogspot.com/2008/05/bizarre-historical-landmarks-of.html">Nit Wit Ridge</a>, most of the decorative elements are created out of found objects such as soda bottles, broken glass, pottery, silverware, and sea shells. These objects, discarded by others, were deliberately collected for their color and texture and arranged with great care. The framework for the Towers was made from scrap rebar. Some of the decorative material came from Malibu Potteries, where he was employed for a time, but much of it was collected during Rodia's wanderings along city streets and the nearby Pacific Electric Railway right of way. Thus, the Towers are not only an excellent example of the reuse and repurposing of artifacts and building material, they are also practically a museum of early to mid- 20th century material culture.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2895872709_1cc8c95505.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2895872709_1cc8c95505.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Green bottle bases used as decorative elements</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2896713150_84cbc0fbf4.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2896713150_84cbc0fbf4.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><b> </b></i></span></p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><b> <img src="http://www.giglio-usa.org/images/Br%201962%20Album%20Cover.jpg" align="left" border="0" height="415" width="183" /></b></i></span></p><br />Another interesting aspect of the Watts Towers is that despite the prominent role of American material culture in the decorative element, the design of the Towers in fact echoes aspects of traditional Italian culture. Whether by design or unconscious imitation, the Towers strongly resemble the tall, elaborately decorated ceremonial towers carried in the processions of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Giglio</span> festival in Nola, Italy, near where Rodia spent his childhood.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"> Tower from a Giglio festival in New York, 1962</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />While the neighborhood in which the Towers are situated is, to say the least, sketchy, they are certainly worth a visit. Pictures do not do the site justice- only in person can you get a sense of the scale of this unique work, and truly appreciate the 30 years of work put into it by one man. The site is very easy to get to by LA standards, just off the 110 freeway, so no excuses.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2896714602_d49957a8a7.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2896714602_d49957a8a7.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /></div><br /><br /><cite style="font-style: normal;" class="web"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Here is the National Register registration form [pdf] (and the source of data for this post): </span></cite><a href="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/77000297.pdf"><cite style="font-style: normal;" class="web"></cite></a><a class="external text" title="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/77000297.pdf" rel="nofollow">Arloa Paquin Goldstone</a>, "<cite style="font-style: normal;" class="web"><a href="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/77000297.pdf" class="external text" title="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/77000297.pdf" rel="nofollow">The Towers of Simon Rodia", </a><a href="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/77000297.pdf">National Par</a></cite><cite style="font-style: normal;" class="web"><a href="http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/77000297.pdf">k Service. June 18, 1990.</a></cite><br /><br />Also, check out this interesting 1957 film showing the man himself at work:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcpJFawYZlY<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CcpJFawYZlY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CcpJFawYZlY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-77158969882699186522009-06-10T21:06:00.000-07:002009-06-10T21:12:40.120-07:00Seen at a Minnesota street fair<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/SiwuCdwlOMI/AAAAAAAAAHY/3TUNKNUgQZk/s400/2009-06-07%2014.13.18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/SiwuCdwlOMI/AAAAAAAAAHY/3TUNKNUgQZk/s400/2009-06-07%2014.13.18.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/Siwt1g9pkII/AAAAAAAAAHU/frKATNFU0cs/s512/2009-06-07%2014.13.03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/Siwt1g9pkII/AAAAAAAAAHU/frKATNFU0cs/s512/2009-06-07%2014.13.03.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/Siwua0Av76I/AAAAAAAAAHk/DZUq4AxKzqg/s512/2009-06-07%2014.36.38.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/Siwua0Av76I/AAAAAAAAAHk/DZUq4AxKzqg/s512/2009-06-07%2014.36.38.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Um...no.<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/SiwuK2DhU1I/AAAAAAAAAHc/bQKNCjvU-50/s400/2009-06-07%2014.16.28.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/SiwuK2DhU1I/AAAAAAAAAHc/bQKNCjvU-50/s400/2009-06-07%2014.16.28.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/Si9D9-bnbXI/AAAAAAAAAIA/sIL2KQGDpeo/s512/2009-06-07%2014.18.56.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ula1420SgTs/Si9D9-bnbXI/AAAAAAAAAIA/sIL2KQGDpeo/s512/2009-06-07%2014.18.56.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Cheese curds! Not on a stick, but always delicious.<br /><br /><br />Not pictured: Mini Donuts<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-90650095032289769242009-04-26T12:19:00.000-07:002009-04-26T20:50:16.369-07:00French Bread, Julia Child-style<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2370153822_91314e2481_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2370153822_91314e2481_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm so proud of this bread. A beautiful, crusty, chewy baguette. I have no idea why I baked, photographed, and wrote a blog post about it over a year ago, but never hit "publish". So, in the interest of spring cleaning, here it is: Julia Child's french bread.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2370154252_5f8e3e29f7_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2370154252_5f8e3e29f7_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I will not get into the topic of what makes a "proper" french bread. This is a much disputed <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/08/baguettes.html">topic</a>. However...proper or not, this bread is damn good. And you can't ask for a more reliable source for a good recipe than Julia Child.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2369317675_2f7f2b3ba8_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2369317675_2f7f2b3ba8_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is the kind of recipe that you must read, reread, then commit a substantial amount of time to carrying it out (although as with most bread recipes, the bulk of that time is hands-off). But don't be too intimidated- it really is ultimately quite simple and very worthwhile.<br /><br /><a href="http://breadchick.blogspot.com/2008/02/ze-daring-bakers-conquer-french-bread.html">At The Sour Dough</a> you can find not only Julia's original recipe, but helpful comments and tips from experienced bakers interspersed throughout. There is a wealth of information there. Finally, I believe I've linked to this before, but do take a look at <a href="http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/free/baguette.html">this video</a> of Julia Child and Danielle Forestier making french bread. For a visual learner like myself, it helps to <span style="font-weight: bold;">see</span> the recipe, not just read it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-28381710294566025772009-03-08T20:31:00.000-07:002009-03-08T20:54:21.644-07:00Field photos: Redlands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4ADtJwgQCPfFSVNRJt-8gQzcQjcpSJRurzUYSO1VYCXl9V1WHR3UYqzsZc34Kg5-69OCeKHcrF7d25MBQu4z1GcNzliCBxHl7d8jyLgXk9ZY9xai8E86BozqmkdDVcN0Opd_Os9qT7w/s1600-h/redlands+005-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4ADtJwgQCPfFSVNRJt-8gQzcQjcpSJRurzUYSO1VYCXl9V1WHR3UYqzsZc34Kg5-69OCeKHcrF7d25MBQu4z1GcNzliCBxHl7d8jyLgXk9ZY9xai8E86BozqmkdDVcN0Opd_Os9qT7w/s400/redlands+005-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310918083323508194" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I've noticed a pattern in my travels in California. When traveling for pleasure, we invariably pick a nice little town along the coast, or take a drive up the coast, or camp on the coast... I rarely venture inland, except when work takes me there. But California's interior is just as spectacular as its coast, and is full of beautiful scenery, quirky little towns, and history.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7Iv03q07TrPE9Yovbi2iw5JWdVvDZ5yXk5o7ctsic0lv439i76CcWHlxvnDp26bny4FZA0dm2OVZVTYzNhSgOnHTIk2GL6CLULyq1Q-DIpxCa-AYToyUsIRyKZ3lSvJKYj8SV0891eM/s1600-h/redlands+015-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7Iv03q07TrPE9Yovbi2iw5JWdVvDZ5yXk5o7ctsic0lv439i76CcWHlxvnDp26bny4FZA0dm2OVZVTYzNhSgOnHTIk2GL6CLULyq1Q-DIpxCa-AYToyUsIRyKZ3lSvJKYj8SV0891eM/s400/redlands+015-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310918105706761634" border="0" /></a><br />I have fallen in love with Redlands, California. There's something about the town, which sprung up in the late 19th century around the citrus industry and quickly became a favorite winter retreat for wealthy folk from the east, that reminds me so much of a midwestern town. It may be the blocks after blocks of well-preserved Victorian and Crafstman homes (endangered species in Southern California), the cute main street, the small-town feel...whatever it is, I immediately felt at home.<br /><br />In fact, so many of the original residents of Redlands came from the Midwest, that an early group of settlers called themselves the "Chicago Colony" and named Redlands' main street after State Street in Chicago.<br /><br />Interestingly enough, Redlands was a planned community designed by two East Coast developers, Frank Brown and Edward Judson, in 1881. The planners bought the land, laid out the town in a grid plan, advertised to potential eastern investors, and encouraged the fledgling citrus industry by building canals to bring water from the mountains to the orchards.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvJBFr7nt3RQ1rWK_KLGNuVL6Z5qgu-wnbV336fDo3jnowZj_r4LeZsXbDaWJqzZo9bI2L5I20v5MwJa7fuI0fRx28XriR8Gjq9gORFUcGAGG67qYk_qqyKWK7kGOYWgEsvQ_5jcjtds/s1600-h/redlands+017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvJBFr7nt3RQ1rWK_KLGNuVL6Z5qgu-wnbV336fDo3jnowZj_r4LeZsXbDaWJqzZo9bI2L5I20v5MwJa7fuI0fRx28XriR8Gjq9gORFUcGAGG67qYk_qqyKWK7kGOYWgEsvQ_5jcjtds/s400/redlands+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310919335822816674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Santa Fe depot, once Redlands' main railroad station (no longer in use). The structure, a colonnade that shades the depot within, is built in a Classical Revival style.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHRCLR8KeuA8HLnQasBOIFfhHK1kOuzAyKZ_WBaY2cc91JQTiYHFscNonGRLMTo02A5eIO3Tj67gyvIDlUiRFEdMp9JyuOL0QnWiC02ki8bloYB-ceLyrAvgEgICeRCvZWfx2FW_iDd8/s1600-h/redlands+004-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHRCLR8KeuA8HLnQasBOIFfhHK1kOuzAyKZ_WBaY2cc91JQTiYHFscNonGRLMTo02A5eIO3Tj67gyvIDlUiRFEdMp9JyuOL0QnWiC02ki8bloYB-ceLyrAvgEgICeRCvZWfx2FW_iDd8/s400/redlands+004-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310918091633695810" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Shutters on a window at the San Bernardino Asistencia, once a cattle-grazing outpost of the Mission San Gabriel from 1819-1834 (California Historical Landmark #42). The structures you see there now are actually reproductions built in the 1930s as a WPA project. Its Historical Landmark designation was actually in recognition of the fine craftsmanship of the WPA structures, not so much for the site's earlier history.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe41ZGwMnECJM0KKg-SUxUNDxQk3SYKKae2NDFgLorlPRGOTgIaWDDCn2aJL-hA9agtngM8-Nq3xgNzo9FQ6iueZeirItHm-4Hk80cDyqxvZ5MB3up21cccJfdpS44eiTRdvGJvUqh9M/s1600-h/redlands+023-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe41ZGwMnECJM0KKg-SUxUNDxQk3SYKKae2NDFgLorlPRGOTgIaWDDCn2aJL-hA9agtngM8-Nq3xgNzo9FQ6iueZeirItHm-4Hk80cDyqxvZ5MB3up21cccJfdpS44eiTRdvGJvUqh9M/s400/redlands+023-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310919347251659762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7yPZJdruHPetGwRmGp_3RkDdPs_9A59ZG6qDOrwMULYbJTrJlBrP2AoQKN_ZcNgMVYcIMOq-B_p-ZOv5FrEwRtEgGH3rRgiJGMawYmVt78LiuPrb3P507y2YoJR5mSO_jQTKz5Ka_-c/s1600-h/redlands+022-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7yPZJdruHPetGwRmGp_3RkDdPs_9A59ZG6qDOrwMULYbJTrJlBrP2AoQKN_ZcNgMVYcIMOq-B_p-ZOv5FrEwRtEgGH3rRgiJGMawYmVt78LiuPrb3P507y2YoJR5mSO_jQTKz5Ka_-c/s400/redlands+022-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310919984042666146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The A.K. Smiley Public library, near downtown. One of the prettiest libraries I've ever seen. Designed in a "moorish" (or mission) style, the library opened in 1898. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a state Historical Landmark.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjED_SCLv4opaEVaI4zUQohavYO8762kLIRpTkn0DPkXePcu1uNeeM2tsPFzbHXMrfFJmBI0nVadwghcnpotYwdTVQ9s9lrrXWloWJ1QxJM1YFF1Lxuj1dcVDAzjWhAALwjfboe2OmKA-k/s1600-h/redlands+011-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjED_SCLv4opaEVaI4zUQohavYO8762kLIRpTkn0DPkXePcu1uNeeM2tsPFzbHXMrfFJmBI0nVadwghcnpotYwdTVQ9s9lrrXWloWJ1QxJM1YFF1Lxuj1dcVDAzjWhAALwjfboe2OmKA-k/s400/redlands+011-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310918098158484050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Lest you think Redlands is all class, let's take a drive out to the outskirts of town, shall we? Technically, this house is in neighboring Mentone. You can't tell from the picture, but the Statue of Liberty head has glowing green eyes.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcDidvZ6YjLbiwbNYtSJjtTVR3RhnF2T9lbeRZXo6XcV_1gIDHhA8gB8EVL0ndNcVndyiIpqVBvOHRQ1kZy4GXEgV0B-xLczUR9Es_BAggOSwwIEf5y3IwfXvjl245YMv9iGynDekous/s1600-h/redlands+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcDidvZ6YjLbiwbNYtSJjtTVR3RhnF2T9lbeRZXo6XcV_1gIDHhA8gB8EVL0ndNcVndyiIpqVBvOHRQ1kZy4GXEgV0B-xLczUR9Es_BAggOSwwIEf5y3IwfXvjl245YMv9iGynDekous/s400/redlands+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310918097290357970" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Long-abandoned bunkers in the desert scrub...creepy.</span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-57157340964606194902009-02-08T14:32:00.000-08:002009-02-08T14:59:09.777-08:00Buckwheat Pancakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/198/3263967227_d6afebf9b1.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/198/3263967227_d6afebf9b1.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've come to love the taste of buckwheat, but experience (and experimentation) have taught me that I enjoy it in moderate amounts, where the strange, earthy, slightly bitter taste of buckwheat is prominent but not dominant, tempered by other flavors. For instance, I don't like buckwheat crepes (too much!), but I love these buckwheat pancakes, where buckwheat flour comprises a modest 25% of the flour in the recipe.<br /><br />Not only is the taste of these pancakes exceptional, but the addition of a small amount of buckwheat flour, which contains no gluten, makes for a light, fluffy pancake. These are excellent with maple syrup or honey, and chocolate chips make a great add-in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buckwheat Pancakes </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">loosely adapted from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bread Bible</span>, by Beth Henesperger</span><br /><br />3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour<br />1/4 cup buckwheat flour (I use <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/product.php?productid=3632">Bob's Red Mill</a>, because it's all I can find here)<br />1/2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />lemon or orange zest, to taste (optional)<br />1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)<br />1/8 tsp salt<br />3/4 cup buttermilk<br />2 eggs<br />3 tablespoons oil or butter, melted and cooled<br /><br />Preheat griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. You'll know it's ready when you drip a drop of water onto the pan, and the drop dances over the surface and quickly evaporates.<br />1. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest or cinnamon (if using).<br />2. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and butter or oil until foamy.<br />3. Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture, and whisk until just combined, about 10 seconds of mixing. There will be lumps- this is fine. Just DO NOT OVERMIX or you will get tough cakes.<br />4. Grease the skillet and drop batter onto skillet in 1/4 cup measures. If you want to add chocolate chips, do this after you've dropped the batter on the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes, or until you see bubbles forming on the batter, the edges are dry, and the bottom is golden brown. Flip pancake and cook until 2nd side is also golden brown, about 1 minute.<br />Serve immediately.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-7141471040561078732009-01-18T13:07:00.000-08:002009-01-18T14:12:40.936-08:00Update of sorts<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/3206824465_4b2c801de6.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/3206824465_4b2c801de6.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Vulture over Montana de Oro State Park (Los Osos)</span><br /></div><br /><br />Oh dear. I seem to have neglected this blog over the past few months. I guess my life has revolved far more around archaeology lately than baking...but not the fun, blog-worthy kind of archaeology, with travel and adventure and whips and fedoras-- but the mind-numbing, excruciatingly boring tasks of proposals, report writing, artifact cataloging, and endless meetings via conference call. Well, such is the field of archaeology I suppose. But it would not be worth writing about.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3206819443_9f22c671a9.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3206819443_9f22c671a9.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Lion's head spout on the lavanderia (wash basin) at the Mission Santa Barbara, ca. 1806<br /><br /></span></div><br />But really, not much has changed, except that I have, finally, officially and unceremoniously been booted from my graduate program. I am not sad about this. I still enjoy my job, most of the time. I still dislike Los Angeles but try to make the most of living here. I travel as much as possible.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3373/3206826495_12fe849b5a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3373/3206826495_12fe849b5a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me being a dork and scouring the ground for artifacts at Montana de Oro SP (while on vacation...I cannot turn off my inner archaeologist)</span><br /></div><br /><br />I went home to the Midwest for Christmas and everything was coated in 1/2 inch of ice. It made me appreciate California all that much more. I complain about this state a lot, but it's January 18 and it's 79 degrees and sunny outside. Not bad.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCCAGCiMH0m_VP8oGuJ7s3TQDkNEsDCsRo_7MRjlt3Fm0iSMnqfpU5DHrB-Pwhy6UIixBpVlMl8gz6-AC5TwfRmIWMASyIJDMKVqB8FDp-WIKB1obJ54FV0K-zxgKx2LpaDD7Ly9xKuk/s1600-h/IMG_0342.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCCAGCiMH0m_VP8oGuJ7s3TQDkNEsDCsRo_7MRjlt3Fm0iSMnqfpU5DHrB-Pwhy6UIixBpVlMl8gz6-AC5TwfRmIWMASyIJDMKVqB8FDp-WIKB1obJ54FV0K-zxgKx2LpaDD7Ly9xKuk/s400/IMG_0342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292748437547338562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3206823433_74b25aa951.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3206823433_74b25aa951.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Can you guess which one is Illinois?</span><br /></div><br /><br />So bear with me for a few days while I regroup, bake some cookies, and get back on track.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-21100677014838422642008-11-09T21:46:00.000-08:002008-11-09T21:56:25.328-08:00The Root Beer Stand, Kalamazoo, Michigan<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2915476315_0a54860c11.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2915476315_0a54860c11.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Gotta love the slogan, and the homemade root beer, but...<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2915475191_a1470bb268_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2915475191_a1470bb268_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Can someone please tell me what, exactly, is "hot fluffed ham"??<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-54045356495189592592008-10-19T18:38:00.000-07:002008-10-19T19:22:12.394-07:00Animal Cracker Taxonomy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Barnum%27s_animals_examples.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Barnum%27s_animals_examples.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />For the, like, two archaeologists out there who read this blog, and anyone else of the scientific persuasion, here is another fine piece of <a href="http://archaeobaking.blogspot.com/2008/03/peeps.html">unnecessary snack-food-based research</a>. As in other scientific fields, archaeologists frequently must grapple with the problem of practical and meaningful classification of objects, in our case typically artifact classification. And anyone who has ever taken (or worse, taught) an introductory archaeology class will remember that first torturous day of discussing taxonomy, typology, assemblages, seriation, and other similarly confusing terms.<br /><br />This is apparently an old webpage, but it's new to me. Here a biologist attempts to create a taxonomy of animal crackers based on their recognizable and classifiable features. Taste did not factor into the classification scheme, but I do believe that I have personally eaten my way through this entire taxonomy.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fhsu.edu/biology/Eberle/AnimalCookies.html">CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMAL COOKIES, ANIMAL CRACKERS, AND RELATED TAXA</a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">by Mark E. Eberle, Fort Hays State University.</span><br /><br /><br />See also: <a href="http://archaeobaking.blogspot.com/2008/03/peeps.html">peeps research</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-82431214008273048182008-10-12T18:21:00.000-07:002008-10-12T18:44:58.241-07:00Whole Wheat Basil Bread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2793135237_847551ec19_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2793135237_847551ec19_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I gave up on my basil plant long ago (along with my other herbs, it was a victim of my unintentional but deadly neglect), but luckily for most of the year it's readily available at any of LA's many farmer's markets. A few weeks ago I bought the most enormous bunch of basil- really, it was like a small tree's worth- and after making two batches of pesto, I still had plenty left. <span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span><br />This bread was a good vehicle for the remaining basil, its pungent aroma a nice complement to the warm nuttiness of whole wheat. The basil flavor was most prominent the first day, and faded a bit after that. Like most bread, it freezes well, but again you lose some of the basil flavor with freezing. So really, you have no excuse not to eat it all straight out of the oven.<br /><br />This is my entry for <a href="http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/5175999/">World Bread Day 2008,</a> kindly hosted once again by <a href="http://kochtopf.twoday.net/">Zorra</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whole Wheat Basil Bread</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">adapted from </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The Bread Bible</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, by Beth Hensperger</span><br /><br />Makes 2 loaves<br /><br />Sponge:<br />2 tsp instant yeast (or 1 tbsp dry active, proofed in some of the liquid)<br />pinch of sugar<br />1 1/2 cups warm water<br />2 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)<br /><br />Dough:<br />1 cup warm buttermilk<br />1/4 cup honey<br />4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled<br />1 cup whole wheat flour<br />2 to 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour<br />1/2 cup minced basil<br />2 1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />melted butter and Parmesan cheese for topping the loaves<br /><br />-Sponge: mix yeast, pinch of sugar, warm water, and 2 cups whole wheat flour in a large bowl (If using dry active yeast, first proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of the water, then mix with other ingredients). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.<br /><br />-Dough: Add honey, buttermilk, basil, and butter to the sponge. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes while you prepare your kneading space. This will give the dough time to fully absorb the flour and make it easier to knead.<br /><br />-Kneading: Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and sprinkle salt on top. Knead dough for about 6 minutes, until salt is evenly distributed and dough is smooth and springy. Add more flour as need to prevent sticking (but not too much, you want a soft but not too sticky dough).<br /><br />-1st Rising: Put dough in large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place dough in warm spot to rise until doubled in size (this typically takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, but keep an eye on it if your kitchen is very warm).<br /><br />-2nd riding: Gently deflate dough and let rise a second time, which will take about half as long as the first rise.<br /><br />-2nd rising: When dough has doubled in size again, turn it onto floured surface, gently deflate it, and divide dough into 2 portions. Shape into loaves and place into 2 buttered loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.<br /><br />-Baking: After you have shaped the loaves, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When loaves have risen, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Place loaf pans in center of oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from pans and cool completely on rack before slicing.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/5175999/" title="3rd World Bread Day hosted by 1x umruehren bitte aka kochtop"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/2826991233_ed3f34e0f5_o.jpg" alt="3rd World Bread Day hosted by 1x umruehren bitte aka kochtopf" height="180" width="130" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-35444245871697772952008-09-28T14:57:00.000-07:002008-09-28T15:18:10.504-07:00How to make butter<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2896685088_6328f5a23d.jpg?v=1222638935"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2896685088_6328f5a23d.jpg?v=1222638935" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Step 1: Get yourself some cream. Heavy cream. And some sort of whipping utensil (a stand mixer would be ideal, but I don't have one so I used a hand-held electric mixer. If you're feeling particularly vigorous, or in need of some exercise, you can whip the cream by hand with a whisk or even shake it in a large jar.)<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2896685830_820522789e.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2896685830_820522789e.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Step 2: Whip the cream. Here it is at stiff peaks...keep going.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2895843771_f7f102a6d2.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2895843771_f7f102a6d2.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Keep going...you can see that it's already turning yellow.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2895844611_0b6be0bdbf.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2895844611_0b6be0bdbf.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Something's definitely starting to happen here.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2895845401_ae3c58c31b.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2895845401_ae3c58c31b.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Stop! You have achieved separation! Now the butter solids have separated from the liquid ("buttermilk"), and you have little bits of butter. Don't whip past this point!<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2896688874_3db3f65494.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2896688874_3db3f65494.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Step 3: Shape the butter. But first, you need to remove all the buttermilk, or your butter will go rancid quickly. You can do this by rinsing and kneading the butter in very cold water, then draining the water and adding fresh cold water, repeating until the water runs clear and no buttermilk remains.<br /><br />Now you can form your butter into a ball, a log, a stick, or...<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2895847047_a09140e501.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2895847047_a09140e501.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Step 4 (optional): Put the butter back in the bowl and whip for a few more seconds until the butter is light, fluffy, and spreadable.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2895847793_21b9532055.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2895847793_21b9532055.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Package, refrigerate, and enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Note: I ended up with 6 oz butter from two cups (16 oz) heavy cream. That's about a stick and a half. Clearly, making butter is not any more economical than buying butter from the store, unless you get a super deal on cream, but it's way more fun. </span><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-21243226973370293172008-08-24T13:41:00.000-07:002008-08-24T14:04:52.029-07:00Chocolate Whiskey Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2793173287_4cfb4506aa.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2793173287_4cfb4506aa.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>This cake is to celebrate the end of a long spring and summer working on the road, and (hopefully) a return to baking. I've missed it. As much as I love fieldwork, it gets exhausting after a while and I just want to go home and eat, sleep, and bake. I suppose that's one of the problems with <span style="font-style: italic;">working</span> as an archaeologist, as opposed to just being a student.<br /><br />The cake is very simple to make, but it's a real showstopper. It's your basic moist, rich bundt cake, but the addition of whiskey takes it to a fantastic new level. I took it to a potluck and got rave reviews.<br /><br />I used <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CHOCOLATE-WHISKEY-BUNDT-CAKE-232636">this recipe from Epicurious</a>, with a few additions. I nearly cut down on the amount of whiskey, thinking a half cup would be overkill... but I'm glad I didn't, as it was the perfect amount (I used Knob Creek bourbon). I also added about a cup of chopped bittersweet chocolate, which I'd highly recommend if you like your chocolate cakes <span style="font-style: italic;">really chocolatey</span> - and I bet more chocolate would be even better. And since I only had a 6-cup bundt pan, I divided the batter between that and an 8-inch cake pan and baked the cakes for slightly less time than the original recipe calls for.<br /><br />The cake is great on the day it's baked, but keeps really well and becomes almost fudgey when refrigerated. And even more boozy. Which can only be a good thing.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-90902797979310346032008-08-04T21:03:00.000-07:002008-08-04T21:19:28.556-07:00More field photos: San Luis Obispo County<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2579232130_72f5289566_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2579232130_72f5289566_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Stormy morning in Templeton</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2579231806_42812edc9f_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2579231806_42812edc9f_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Crazy geology on the road to Lake San Antonio</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2579227442_d866633f55_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2579227442_d866633f55_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">So pretty...SO...DAMN...HOT.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/2578395511_15392d1685_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/2578395511_15392d1685_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Look, it's The Saddest Bear in the Whole World. He lives in the chocolate store in Paso Robles and is clearly suffering from the after-effects of a chocolate binge. I know the feeling.<br />(Here's a <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2578395117_6131875270_b.jpg">close up</a>.) </span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-31274144680902502322008-07-05T15:14:00.000-07:002008-07-05T18:11:32.089-07:00Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2578560061_1cf3527ce0_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2578560061_1cf3527ce0_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />What a week. I worked way too hard. I ate way too much grilled meat. And I hung out with my mom at the American Library Association conference in Anaheim. While we unfortunately missed the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF03v3oxkJ0">Book Cart Drill Team World Championship</a>, I did get the unique (and somewhat terrifying) experience of having to fight several thousand librarians for free food and alcohol at Disneyland.<br /><br />After all that, I think I deserve some ice cream. There may be no better dessert to make on this long and hot 4th of July weekend than cold, refreshing mint ice cream with chunks of mint flavored chocolate sandwich cookies.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mint TKOs (Chocolate Sandwich Cookies)<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Adapted from a recipe by Thomas Keller, in <span style="font-style: italic;">The</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Essence of Chocolate</span>, by Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br />I just put peppermint extract into the white chocolate filling, but if you want to up the mintiness you could put some into the cookie dough as well.<br /><br />makes about 3 dozen cookies (or 18 sandwiches) <p style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Filling</u></p> <p>1/2 cup cream<br />8 ounces white chocolate, chopped<br />Peppermint extract, to taste<br /></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Cookies</u></p> <p>3/4 cup sugar<br />1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour<br />3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder<br />1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 1/2 teaspoons salt<br />7 1/2 ounces butter (1 stick + 7 tbsp), room temperature, cut into small cubes</p> <p>1. Make the filling: Place the white chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk together to melt the chocolate (it'll be lumpy at first, but then come together). Add peppermint extract to taste. Let cool until it has thickened enough to spread - it may take a few hours at room temperature.<br /></p> <p>2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare two baking sheets by greasing thoroughly or lining them with parchment paper.</p> <p>3. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in an electric mixer.<br /></p> <p>4. I recommend covering the mixer with a towel for this next step, unless you want cocoa powder all over your kitchen: With the mixer still running on low speed, add the butter a few pieces at a time. Let the dough continue mixing until it comes together - it should go from looking kinda like cornmeal to a cohesive mass. But do not overmix.<br /></p> <p>5. Turn the dough out onto a floured working surface and work into a solid block. Divide the block into two pieces.</p> <p>6. Working with one piece at a time, roll out between two sheets of parchment paper until 1/8" thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.<br /></p> <p>7. Bake the cookies for about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer cookies to wire racks and let finish cooling.</p> <p>To assemble the cookies:<br /></p> <p>8. Cool cookies completely. Place half of the cookies upside down on a work surface. Using a small spoon, scoop a small amount of filling onto the center of each cookie. Top with another cookie right side up. Press the cookies together until the filling spreads out to the edges.</p><br /><br />_______________________________________<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peppermint Ice Cream</span><br />Adapted from <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/recipes/vanilla_icecream.html">this recipe.</a><br /><br />1 cup milk<br />2 cup heavy cream, divided<br />pinch of salt<br />3/4 cups sugar<br />5 egg yolks<br />1-2 tsp peppermint extract<br /><br />1. Make an ice bath: Put a bunch of ice cubes and some cold water into a large bowl. Place 1 cup of the cream into a medium bowl and set in the ice bath. Have a strainer handy near the ice bath.<br /><br />2. Heat the milk, remaining 1 cup of cream, salt, and sugar in a saucepan, until sugar is dissolved.<br /><p></p> <p>3. Stir together the egg yolks in a medium bowl and very gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour (a ladle is a good tool to use for this). Pour the warmed yolks into the saucepan, again stirring constantly.</p> <p>4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula. Stirring and scraping is very important- you don't want the custard to cook too quickly and lump onto the bottom of the pan. Cook until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.</p><p>5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream, then stir in peppermint extract (I used 1 tsp, but it could have used a little more - add to taste, and remember that the flavor will be a little less intense once the ice cream is frozen).<br /></p><p>6. Chill thoroughly (at least 8 hours is ideal), then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.</p><div style="text-align: center;">_______________________________________<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To make mint chocolate cookie ice cream:<span><br /></span></span><span><span>-Break cookies into bite size pieces, then freeze for about 1/2 hour.<br />-When ice cream is done churning, transfer to large storage container, then fold the cookie chunks into the ice cream. Freeze. Eat.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-40214367864843039912008-06-22T16:28:00.000-07:002008-06-22T20:09:21.648-07:00College Reunion; or, The many ice creams of the Twin CitiesI recently went back to the Twin Cities, Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, for my college reunion. Now, it seems that many people (especially Californians, for whatever reason) are sadly ignorant of these wonderful cities. Here is a sample of some of the questions I've been asked by seemingly intelligent, well-educated Californians when I tell them that I went to college in Minneapolis/St Paul:<br /><br />-Where's that?<br />-That's so far north. Doesn't it get cold there?<br />-Is St Paul a small town?<br />-Minnesota? Is that a city or a state?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Answers:<br />-North of Iowa, west of Wisconsin...wait, you don't know where Wisconsin is either?<br />-Um, yes.<br />-No. It is the capital of Minnesota, and the Twin Cities metro area has a combined population of 3.2 million.<br />-For pete's sake people, did you not take 5th grade geography?!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> In any case, let's just say that Minneapolis and St Paul are delightful places and I will gladly take any excuse to go back and visit, especially during the early summer months, when the whole place is in bloom, the trees and grass a vibrant shade of green and the locals taking advantage of every minute of the nice weather, since they know it won't last.<br /><br />In addition to reconnecting with long-lost classmates, I also spent much of the trip eating. In two short days I consumed an embarrassing amount of ice cream, which isn't all that unusual for me I suppose, but I had an excuse this time: 1) the Twin Cities have some great local creameries, and 2) Los Angeles, my current home town, has none, as far as I can tell (Seriously, if anyone knows of a great place to get ice cream in LA that is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> a Pinkberry or Coldstone or other chain store, let me know).<br /><br />Some photos from my trip:<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2602453510_7124aca276.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2602453510_7124aca276.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Campus: The dorms I got stuck in definitely weren't this pretty.</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2602438508_7ce47fb1d3.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2602438508_7ce47fb1d3.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">College was such a blur... I can't believe I spent a whole year in this horrid room.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2601625539_6e8a4cb0a2_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2601625539_6e8a4cb0a2_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Spoonbridge and Cherry, in the Walker Art Museum's sculpture gardens</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2602455270_39321a259a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2602455270_39321a259a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">All that art made me hungry. Conveniently located a short stroll from the Walker, Sebastian Joe's makes some fantastic ice cream.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3255/2602455802_539eb60424_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3255/2602455802_539eb60424_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Cinnamon Crunch ice cream- cinnamon ice cream with graham crackers. Seriously good- I'm going to try to make this at home. The cone is a homemade waffle cone coated in chocolate and heath bits. The chocolate and heath went well with the ice cream, but the the waffle cone itself was so-so.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/2601629213_cac67a343b.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/2601629213_cac67a343b.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My favorite creamery in the Twin Cities- Izzy's in St Paul. I love everything this place does. </span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2602458500_305e7c4af1_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2602458500_305e7c4af1_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">With every scoop you order, you also get a free "izzy"- basically a mini-scoop on top. This is "Irish Moxie" (irish cream and coffee ice cream with chocolate cookies and toffee bits) with a Norwegian Chai izzy. Don't know exactly what's in the norwegian chai - although it has a prominent cardamom flavor- but it's one of my favorites. The Irish Moxie was also fantastic.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">While I didn't get a chance to visit it this time around, no tour of the creameries of the Twin Cities would be complete without the Grand Ole Creamery, a St Paul institution. Their ice cream is always superb and they make the best waffle cones, always with a malt ball in the bottom to prevent drippage.<br /><br /><br />Sebastian Joe's<br /> 1007 W Franklin Ave<br /> Minneapolis, MN 55405-3138<br /> <span class="phone"><span class="phone">(612) 870-0065</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.izzysicecream.com/">Izzy's Ice Cream</a><br />2034 Marshall Avenue<br />Saint Paul, MN 55104<br />651.603.1458<br /><br /><a href="http://www.grandolecreamery.com/">Grand Ole Creamery</a><br /><span class="black11">750 Grand Avenue<br />Saint Paul, MN 55105<br />(651) 293- 1655</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-40369084982668182882008-06-10T18:30:00.000-07:002008-06-10T18:54:28.166-07:00Field Photos: San Luis Obispo County, Calif.<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I'm on the road and working far away from home, so please excuse the lack of food-related content and enjoy these photos. Suffice it to say the work is not interesting enough to even describe, but the scenery sure is lovely.<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/2500782910_f8b49c66d1_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/2500782910_f8b49c66d1_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Sunrise near Paso Robles, a lovely place to be.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/2500837396_c12c6a3866_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/2500837396_c12c6a3866_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">He thinks he's a goat...<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2499991973_5caa9e5054_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2499991973_5caa9e5054_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Shoe repair, anyone?<br /></span></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2369/2500819142_cdffdedffd_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2369/2500819142_cdffdedffd_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2500781270_1054fd4fca_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2500781270_1054fd4fca_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Farm near Paso Robles...lots of farms 'round here.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2500762140_ed5db9ba3f_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2500762140_ed5db9ba3f_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">House fall down.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2076/2499931819_4805f7d3dd_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2076/2499931819_4805f7d3dd_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Port San Luis, near Avila Beach.</span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-82643289634304591602008-05-24T17:01:00.000-07:002008-05-28T22:17:26.923-07:00Overnight Orange Cinnamon Rolls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/2476895427_a9698329d2_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/2476895427_a9698329d2_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Being out of town often as I have been for the past few months, I've had little chance to bake. So my boyfriend's birthday provided the perfect opportunity, and having only two days at home wasn't going to stop me. Luckily this recipe requires minimal effort. Like any yeast recipe, though, it does require time, patience, and some planning ahead.<br /><br />This recipe will make a small batch of rolls, perfect for 2 or 3 people. Double it if you need a bigger yield. The dough is prepared the night before and has its final rise in the fridge overnight--then in the morning, they just need to come to room temperature before they're put in the oven. This is perfect for someone like me, who lacks the motor skills and mental alertness needed to bake until after noon at least. I am not a morning person.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/2476895219_428db1be45_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/2476895219_428db1be45_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Orange Cinnamon Rolls</span><br />Adapted from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CINNAMON-ROLLS-WITH-CREAM-CHEESE-GLAZE-241631">this recipe</a><br /><br />Makes 6 rolls<br /><p><strong>Dough:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Zest of 1 orange<br />1/2 cup milk<br />2 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />1 3/4 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />1 large egg<br />1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast<br />1/2 teaspoon salt</p> <p><strong>Filling:</strong><br />1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar<br />1 tablespoon ground cinnamon<br />2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Glaze</span>:<br /></p><p>powdered sugar<br />orange juice</p><p>see step 12 below.<br /></p><br /><p><strong>The night before:</strong><br />1. Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F,<br /></p><p>2. Pour into a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, zest, and salt. Mix thoroughly.<br /></p><p>3. Add remaining flour. Mix until flour is absorbed and dough is a coherent mass, but still a bit sticky. If dough is too sticky to handle, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl.<br /></p><p>4. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour (sparingly) if sticky, about 8 minutes.</p> <p>5. Lightly oil large bowl. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, 1.5- 2 hours.<br /><br />6. Meanwhile, prepare filling by mixing brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.</p> <p>7. When dough has doubled in volume, gently deflate and transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 8x11-inch rectangle.<br /></p><p>8. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over surface. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 6 equal slices.</p> <p>9. Butter a pie pan or 8- or 9-inch round cake pan. Arrange rolls in pan, cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover pan with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Put dough in refrigerator and let rise overnight.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">The next morning</span><br /></p><p>10. Remove rolls from refrigerator an hour before baking and allow to come to (near) room temperature and complete their second rise.<br /></p><p></p>11. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.<br /><br />12. Make glaze: Put some powdered sugar in a bowl- a cup or so. Add orange juice, a little tiny bit at a time, mixing until desired consistancy is achieved. Once rolls have cooled a bit, drizzle glaze over top. (Sorry for the imprecise directions- I improvised the glaze).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/2477708146_5f3a156b61_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/2477708146_5f3a156b61_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is my entry for <a href="http://www.bakingasweetlife.com/2008/05/06/breadbakingday-10-breakfast-breads/#more-251">Bread Baking Day #10: Breakfast Breads</a>, hosted by Melissa of <a href="http://www.bakingasweetlife.com/">Baking a Sweet Life</a>. <strong></strong><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-47484395598106647922008-05-10T17:03:00.000-07:002008-05-10T17:45:58.883-07:00Bizarre Historical Landmarks of California: Nit Wit RidgeWhen driving through Cambria, CA, I came across a sign pointing to a California State historical site called "Nitt Witt Ridge". What?<br /><br />I had to find out what that was. I drove up a steep hill and there it was: Nitt Witt** Ridge in all its bizarre glory.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2471759659_deb39cc454_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2471759659_deb39cc454_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Since I can't find the appropriate words to describe this place, I will quote from a brochure I picked up by the front gate:<span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span><br />"Art Beal, [also known as Captain Nit Wit or der Tinkerpaw], born in Oakland of Irish and Native American parentage, spent much of his childhood in orphanages.<br /><br />He built a three-level fantasy environment from collected materials in Cambria, which locals call the Poor Man's <a href="http://www.hearstcastle.org/">Hearst Castle</a>. This has a literal basis, as some construction material was scavenged from the Hearst estate. It helped that Beal was a local trash hauler, and had trouble discarding things...With a pickax and shovel, he hollowed out a 2.5 acre hillside in Cambria, using collected trash as landfill, to create an intricate network of terraced gardens, buildings, ornamental stone arches, fountains and walkways."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2064/2472584944_aff1c61fb7_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2064/2472584944_aff1c61fb7_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, the house was fenced off and closed to the public, so I didn't get to see the interior. But the exterior alone is pretty cool. Beal used found materials, both natural and manmade, to both construct and decorate his "castle", using beer cans, car parts, abalone shells, old stoves, <a href="http://i.pbase.com/v3/31/2431/2/50416059.NitWittRidge1DownedOfficerRide05.jpg">toilets</a>, and other unusual elements. Beal began construction of his house in 1928, and built it up over the next 5o years. Beal died in 1992 at the age of 96, and the house is now listed as a California Historical Landmark, considered representative of "one of California's remarkable folk art environments".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2393/2472584524_bdb65c6622.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2393/2472584524_bdb65c6622.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">one of many toilets</span><br /></div><br />I especially like the contrast between Nit Wit Ridge "- built from local scrap, over a 51-year-period, by a single trash hauler"- and the<a href="http://www.hearstcastle.com/"> Hearst Castle</a>, "only six miles north on the Pacific Coast Highway, made from expensive artifacts collected from around the world by a wealthy publisher, who hired architect Julia Morgan and a small army of construction workers, all of whom labored for 28 years to build an estate on 127 acres with 41 fireplaces, 56 bedrooms and 61 bathrooms", in addition to two pools, and a zoo filled with exotic animals shipped in from all over the world.<br /><br />The brochure would have it that "history makes all things equal: today, both Nit Wit Ridge and the Hearst Castle are state historical landmarks".<br /><br />However, the Hearst Castle clearly still benefits from the advantages that money brings: compare its fancy new visitors center, gift shop, and online tour reservation system to the dilapidated, fenced-off and clearly less frequently visited Nit Wit Ridge. You can <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060410/ai_n16143258">still take tours</a>, however, if you arrange it in advance.<br /><br />**"Nitt Witt" and "Nit Wit" both seem to be acceptable spellings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2026/2472583688_0e00166abc_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2026/2472583688_0e00166abc_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2402/2472584272_cfc47c774a_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2402/2472584272_cfc47c774a_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> Abalone shells inlaid in the stairs</span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-57918335416995519562008-04-16T20:02:00.000-07:002008-04-16T21:57:15.180-07:00Salty Chocolate Shortbread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2032/2370147616_76ede4965e_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2032/2370147616_76ede4965e_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />If you're a fan of the combination of chocolate + salt, this is the cookie for you. It's deeply chocolaty, not too sweet, and very salty. Use a fine-grain sea salt for a uniform saltiness, or a more coarse grain for little nuggets of salt in every bite.<br /><br />The only major change I made from the original recipe was to omit the cacao nibs it called for, because I didn't have any. And while I'm sure the nibs would give a great flavor and texture, the cookie is fantastic without them. No need to get too fancy.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2173/2369311167_8172567bb0_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2173/2369311167_8172567bb0_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><p><strong>Chocolate Shortbread with Sea Salt</strong></p> <p><em>adapted from Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg<br /></em></p> <p>5 ounces (1 cup) all-purpose flour</p> <p>2 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) cocoa powder</p> <p>1 teaspoon sea salt</p> <p>6 ounces (12 tablespoons) butter, room temperature</p> <p>3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) granulated sugar</p> <p>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</p><p><br /></p> <p>1. Mix the flour and cocoa powder in a bowl.</p> <p>2. In another bowl or in a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes until light colored and fluffy.</p> <p>3. Add in the vanilla.</p> <p>4. Add half of the flour-chocolate mixture and combine on low speed. Add the rest of the mixture and mix until just incorporated.<br /></p> <p>5. Add in the salt and mix to combine.</p> <p>At this point the dough can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. But if you want to finish the cookies now, no refrigeration is necessary.<br /></p> <p>6. Baking: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.<br /></p> <p>7. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thickness. </p> <p>8. Using cookie cutters or a plain old knife, cut the dough into whatever shape you want. Sprinkle a few grains of coarse sea salt on top of a few cookies if you want to get crazy.<br /></p> <p>9. Place the shapes on the prepared sheets and bake for 15 minutes, rotating halfway. The shortbread should be slightly firm but not hard.</p> <p>Let cool on wire racks.</p> <p>The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up a week. The texture is best on the day of baking, but the chocolate flavor deepens after a few days.<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-79093333576134306362008-04-07T16:47:00.000-07:002008-04-07T20:14:41.864-07:00Garum and Gourmet<div style="text-align: center;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVisTfAp2E1ulhfd-NG2xMfqxzR3I3180U5YFt3CDwq7qBIBqc0xYwy9MvyTgT7oabJfQka7PEMFt0IOoPkgRezzxBAQCaIo0PP8zzEeqc1YtwJY80nnxAmKWDr1W8CYG03BXcqWmJBE/s1600-h/FishRacR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVisTfAp2E1ulhfd-NG2xMfqxzR3I3180U5YFt3CDwq7qBIBqc0xYwy9MvyTgT7oabJfQka7PEMFt0IOoPkgRezzxBAQCaIo0PP8zzEeqc1YtwJY80nnxAmKWDr1W8CYG03BXcqWmJBE/s400/FishRacR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186702375559187202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Roman mosaic from Tunisia, 3rd-5th century A.D.</span><br /></div><br /><br />I'd like to point you in the direction of two few brief, not fantastic, but nevertheless interesting articles by Robert Sietsema on <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/">gourmet.com</a> in a series entitled "Eat like a Roman". The <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/01/garum">first</a> is about <span style="font-style: italic;">garum</span>, a favorite condiment of the Romans.<br /><br />What exactly is garum? Let's consult an ancient expert: "Another liquid, too, of a very exquisite nature, is that known as 'garuim:<span style="text-decoration: underline;">'</span><a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Ahead%3D%232256#fn1" name="anch1"> </a>it is prepared from the intestines of fish and various parts which would otherwise be thrown away, macerated in salt; so that it is, in fact, the result of their putrefaction" (Pliny the Elder, a 1st century C.E. author, from his<span style="font-style: italic;"> Natural History</span> 31.43, trans. Bostock and Riley).<br /><br />Yum.<br /><br />The sauce was typically prepared in facilities near the sea from freshly caught fish, which were left to ferment in the sun for several months, then the resulting product was bottled and exported. While garum was produced all over the Mediterranean, certain regions were known for the quality of their garum- Spain, for instance was known to have a particularly good product. Quality was judged by region of production, type of fish used, and length of fermentation, and higher quality often meant higher price- although widely available at a range of prices, the good stuff could be very expensive.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1016/1290061642_33a658f606.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1016/1290061642_33a658f606.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Garum production tanks at Baelo Claudia (Spain)</span><br /></div><br /><br />In the gourmet.com article, the author happens across a bottle of something labeled "garum" at his local Italian market and decides to give it a shot (although whether the product he bought is the same thing as the ancient condiment is up for debate). He aptly describes the scent of the sauce as "like being swatted across the nose with a dead crab", but then, confoundingly, goes on to add it to everything he eats, including his morning coffee...what on earth possessed him to do this is beyond me.<br /><br />In the <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/03/romansalad">second article</a>, he goes on to actually cook a variety of "ancient Roman" dishes with the garum, with mixed results.<br /><br />There are much better resources and writings about ancient Roman cuisine out there- I'll try to round some up and post them sometime in the near future (suggestions welcome). But it's always fun and very interesting to see modern-day people attempt to witness and understand aspects of life in the past, especially through the strange cultural expression that is food.<br /><br /><br />Links:<br />http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/01/garum<br />http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/03/romansalad<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-10176924445525541972008-03-28T18:43:00.000-07:002008-03-28T17:07:09.717-07:00Field Photos and Baklava<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2286751727_8cfe92504b_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2286751727_8cfe92504b_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Well, I'm just back from another trip up to Half Moon Bay, but this time I actually had to work. I was working as an archaeological monitor, which basically means that I stood around a construction site and made sure no one accidentally dug up any artifacts.<br /><br />Oh well--if you have to work, there are few more beautiful places to do it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2301/2346994930_bd9be21e93_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2301/2346994930_bd9be21e93_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Of course it also helps that in addition to beaches and parks, the tiny town of Half Moon Bay has some great restaurants, two excellent bakeries and four (!) independent bookstores. Lest I sound to much like a travel brochure, I should also add that HMB has godawful traffic to rival L.A.'s.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2346163625_0014d0fb82_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2346163625_0014d0fb82_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2346163915_acc5b398c6_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2346163915_acc5b398c6_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2346994474_de024311b1_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2346994474_de024311b1_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2346164131_ddf3761f03_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2346164131_ddf3761f03_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Where does baklava fit into all this? It doesn't really, so you'll have to forgive the non sequitur. In a rare fit of cleanliness, I was cleaning out my pantry right before I left for Half Moon Bay and trying to figure out what to do with all the miscellaneous items that I'd acquired over the past year. One of these items was a tub of pistachios I had brought back from Greece last summer and that were, surprisingly, still perfectly fresh and edible. Seeing a chance to use my new food processor, I immediately thought of making baklava. I realized I could throw in other random items in my pantry as well: half-used jars of honey, rose water I had bought on a whim but rarely used, and half a package of filo in the freezer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2287538156_777b09cd90_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2287538156_777b09cd90_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>This recipe is a variation on basic baklava - rosewater and cardamom take it to a whole new level. It's important that the syrup be completely cooled before it's poured over the (hot) baklava, or the filo will get soggy.<br /><b><br />Baklava<br /><br />Syrup:</b><br />1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup honey<br />3/4 cups water<br />2 tablespoons rose water (or to taste)<br /><br /><p> <b>Filling:</b><br />1 cup raw or blanched almonds, and 1 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped or ground (I don't like huge chunks of nuts, so I tend to grind them pretty fine)<br />2 tablespoons sugar<br />1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom<br /></p><p> 1/2 pound (about 12 square sheets) filo dough<br />About 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter</p><p>1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Syrup</span>: Stir the sugar and water over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rosewater. Let cool completely.</p><p> 2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Filling</span>: Combine nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a medium bowl.</p><p> 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 9 inch square pan.<br /></p><p> 4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Assembly</span>: Place a sheet of filo in the pan and lightly brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more sheets. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 2 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Spread with the remaining filling mixture and end with a top layer of 5 sheets, brushing each with butter. Trim or fold under any overhanging edges.</p><p> 5. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 equal lengthwise strips through the top layer of pastry. Make diagonal cuts across the strips to form diamond shapes.</p><p> 6. Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 15 additional minutes.</p><p> 7. Cut through the scored lines. Drizzle the cooled syrup over the hot baklava and let cool completely, at least 4 hours. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.<br /></p><p> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063861352795870306.post-91791882688768408402008-03-23T21:19:00.000-07:002008-03-26T21:55:05.974-07:00Peeps!Just about the only way I celebrate Easter these days is through the consumption of Peeps. Preferably the bunny-shaped ones. So, in the spirit of the holiday, here are some Peeps links:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.peepresearch.org/">Peeps research</a> - highly scientific, of course.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.millikin.edu/staley/peeps/lcsh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.millikin.edu/staley/peeps/lcsh.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>More <a href="http://www.millikin.edu/staley/peeps/">Peep research</a> at the university library at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. -- "a study of small fluffy creatures and library usage" (who says librarians don't have a sense of humor...however odd it may be).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lordofthepeeps.com/">Lord of the Peeps</a> - these people clearly had way too much time on their hands.<br /><br />**Bonus peeps! More links, thanks to mom: Peeps diorama contests from the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR2008032002753.html">Washington Post</a> and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR2008032002753.html">Chicago Tribune</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright Honey Pot 2009. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at archaeobaking@gmail.com.</div>Maddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01539525265141312108noreply@blogger.com0