Occasional Threads – Ellen Guerrant

Hello dear readers,

This is the longest I’ve ever gone without writing.  When I began my blog almost five years ago, I posted almost daily.  My apologies to those of you who came to my page only to find nothing new.  Thank you all for not giving up on me.

I have been in a situation I can only describe as being “seriously sidetracked.”  Last year’s calendar was well planned.  We were going to remodel our kitchen as a 40th anniversary present to ourselves.  We were going to transform our back garden.  We were going to……………the list goes on.

Things began to seriously back up following my first cataract surgery.  Not being able to see  clearly for three weeks meant I accomplished little.  The second surgery left me equally challenged.  I’d just undergone my first carpal tunnel surgery when we had a call that our daughter-in-law was in labor…..seven weeks ahead of her due date.

Miracle of miracles, little Leven Kai Guerrant arrived early the next day, weighing 4 pounds .02 ounces.  Tiny but perfect, Leven was able to go home after three weeks in the NICU.  Soon after, our DIL underwent gallbladder surgery to remove the badly infected organ which had triggered early labor.

After Leven’s arrival, all bets were off.  There was nothing more important to us than spending time with her and her parents.  We spent the next few weeks traveling to Greensboro for visits.  What fun to watch our first little grandchild grow and develop.

This fall, I made a trip to IL for my high school reunion and to visit relatives long unseen.  The holidays arrived all too soon and left even more quickly.

With all we had going on, I’m afraid I let my health slip.  I stopped going to the gym, assuming I’d get right back as soon as……..well, you know.  I’m finally getting serious again about walking and eating right.  As soon as the incision from my second carpal tunnel surgery heals, I can get back to the gym, the track and the bike.

During this long period of being unable to work – couldn’t see, couldn’t use my hands and so on – I’ve dreamed about the quilts I’ll be making or the sweaters I’ll be knitting for Leven.  My work is very abstract, but I’ve been thinking about making traditional quilts!  What a change that would be for me.

The piece at the top of this post was made in about 1981 during a class to beat all classes.  I studied with the late Mary Katherine Jarrell who began quilting lessons* with a demonstration of what a “proper” sewing basket should contain.  We were to make nine different blocks over the next weeks.

I planned my designs with fabrics which would work together in a sampler quilt.  The border fabric was and is one of my very favorites.  The hand-quilted piece was a gift to my DH and hung on our dining room wall for many years.

Sadly, some of the fabrics have disintegrated.  But I’ve kept the quilt as an example of the kind of work I used to do and as a memorial to dear Mary Katherine.  I hope my hands and eyes heal sufficiently to allow me the joy once more of making and hand quilting traditional quilts.

*If you’re new to quilting, treat yourself to a “quilting 101″ class with the best teacher you can find.  You’ll never regret it.  If you can’t find a class near you, contact me.

DH says these rolls “taste like fall”.

DOUBLE PUMPKIN DINNER ROLLS

Makes 24

1 cup whole or reduced fat milk

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup canned, solid-pack pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 C butter, room temperature

1 T. instant or quick-rise yeast

2 tsp. salt

5 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), toasted

4 T. melted butter*

METHOD:

Combine  milk, sugar, pumpkin, egg, butter, yeast, salt and flour in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.   (NOTE:  I disolved the yeast in about 1/3 cup of the milk (warmed) before adding it to the other ingredients).  Mix on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium-low and mix for 5 minutes to knead.  The dough should be soft,  but pull away from the sides of the bowl.  If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour.  Add the pepitas (I gave these a rough chop) and mix until incorporated throughout.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 – 1  1/2 hours.

Punch down dough, then turn it out onto a lightly floured board.  Knead slightly.  Divide dough into two pieces.  Form 12 rolls from each half for a total of 24.  I made small rolls, so results may vary.  Place  rolls on greased or parchment lined cookie sheets.  Cover with plastic wrap (spray with Pam so it won’t stick) and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until rolls are “light.”

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 20-25 minutes if you’ve made just 24 rolls); about 15 minutes  for smaller ones.  *Instructions recommend brushing tops of rolls with melted butter before AND  after baking.  I saved a few calories by not doing this.

Recipe source:  I found this in an article by the AP’s Alison Ladman in the Carolina Living section of  ”The Charlotte Observer” about this time last year. In it Ms. Ladman writes, “Adding squash or pumpkin to a dinner roll produces a bread that is soft, slightly sweet and wonderfully rich.  It also helps keep the rolls moist, making it easier to bake them ahead without worrying they will dry out”

For every Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember, my aunt Alda made “Three Day Buns.”  Oh my.  They were absolutely divine! Very yeasty, my favorite kind of bread.  I have the recipe, which was my Grandmother’s, but have never made it.  Too much kneading for someone with hand problems.

The recipe for Double Pumpkin Dinner Rolls caught my eye not only because the dough didn’t need kneading, but because it sounded different.  The color and flavor of these rolls are both wonderful, and the dough so easy to handle.  In a marathon session last night, I baked enough to last through the holidays.   Give them a try…. maybe they’ll be a favorite at your house too.  Enjoy!

Bill Guerrant, US Army, Americal Division, Chu Lai, Vietnam

He remains forever changed.

DH in Ukraine working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)  for The State Department.

My husband’s life has been one of public service.  He has served his country, his home town and many parts of the world well.

Go out of your way today to thank a veteran.

11.11.11

Veteran’s Day

The late afternoon light cast interesting shadows on these ghost pumpkins.

We are so fortunate to have a farmer’s market at the bottom of our street – just seven houses away.  Open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday (daily in October), the market gives us easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables, glorious bouquets, plants, baked goods and even fresh shrimp and grass-fed beef.  Fall is one of my favorite times there, as that’s when the pumpkins arrive!

We and the kids walked down Tuesday with their sweet baby Leven for her first visit to a pumpkin patch.  It was fun to watch her propped up for a photo shoot.