BitterSweet

A sourdough starter is something of an elusive creature- At least to me, that is. A creature that creates unparalleled artisan breads, that one can store in the refrigerator for decades as long as it stays fed; it sounds more like a fairy tale than an actual ingredient used to raise loaves. Hoping to see the magic first-hand, I was thrilled when Bazu so kindly offered me some dried starter to work with about a month ago. While I couldn’t wait to get my wild yeast prepped and baking, the timing was not in my favor. It arrived just as we had begun to clear the chametz out of the house for Passover, and then I was trapped on campus for another couple of weeks. Storing the starter in the freezer with fingers crossed, it was only yesterday that I could “activate” the little beasties… Although I wouldn’t exactly call them active now…

I knew things had gone awry as soon as I unwrapped the plastic. What had once been a dry powder was now a wet, sticky dough. Hm, not so good… But maybe it still works! It was frozen, after all, I reasoned with myself. Dutifully mixing in fresh flour and water, letting it sit over night, and then pouring off what appeared to be hooch in the morning, I hoped for the best. Of course, it wasn’t actually bubbling at all… but then, what do I know about sour dough? Plans for my first batch of sour dough English muffins continued as scheduled.

Mmm, doesn’t that look good? “Look” being the keyword, because the last thing you would want to do with this pucks is actually taste them. Yes, they look so puffy and nicely risen, but trust me, it’s all a facade; Deep within each brick lies not airy bubbles, nooks and crannies, but instead a solid chunk of gooey dough. I should have taken the numerous hints tossed out before getting my hopes up, but alas, one bite of this disastrous dough makes it undeniable: The sourdough starter is dead.

Maybe sourdough and I were just never meant to be.

… And on May 4th, that was my beloved dog’s day- Or to be more precise, her birthday! I can hardly believe it myself that this little puppy who’s been the love of my life since I was in elementary school is now 11 years old. Since I’ve been getting a lot of questions about her lately, I thought I would take this opportunity to give her the spot light and give you guys some answers.

As you may have already gathered by now, she is a she, even if the majority of people simply assumed the opposite. Her name is Isis, pronounced “eye-sis,” something that it seems is difficult to decipher just from the spelling. Don’t worry, we still have family members that can’t spell it correctly anyways! What many readers picked up was that yes, she is indeed a Basenji; an African-Egyptian breed that hates getting wet and simply adores warm weather. That’s why you’re likely to find her doing this in the summer:

Sunbathing. You know it’s nice and hot out there when she’s willing to spread herself across the pavement!

While many guides will tell you that Basenjis are barkless dogs, they won’t tell you that they can still be quite noisy, just in different ways.  She doesn’t exactly “yodel” as they say, but she does whimper, grumble, whine, yip, and otherwise make her presence very well known.  Barkless does not equal silent by any means!

If you have more questions, shout them out, because I honestly can’t think of too much else to tell you. She’s just a simple, sweet little pup.

So to celebrate her birthday, as per usual, I baked her a small cake made with peanut butter and oats. To give it some extra “flair,” I frosted the top with some leftover tofu cream cheese. A treat fit for a human, even!

She started off by cautiously licking off the frosting, much like any other excited child… But it wasn’t long before the teeth came out! From there, it was pretty much all over.

Happy birthday, Isis!!

Space is at a premium in my shoe box of a dorm room. Barely larger than your average closet, I can pretty much touch each wall without leaving my bed- And believe me, I have very short arms! Mercifully, it is a single room intended for only one occupant, so it’s not as if I’m tripping over another person in these already cramped quarters. By the same token, it’s awkward to invite friends over when you pretty much need to sit back-to-back in order to be comfortable. The smallest of my companions are sometimes inconvenienced as well, but to my great delight, it seems as if some have adapted beautifully to the less than optimal conditions.

Peeking out from behind a row of text books and novels, three clever kitties took it upon themselves to conserve space on my bulging bookshelf. Stacked up in a tower of rectangular plush bodies, I was worried that they might be uncomfortable, or even worse, be at risk to topple over. After much reassurance and a day or two without incidence, they found that they actually preferred this arrangement, happily balancing close to each other. And with all the room that they’re saving me, who am I to argue!

Available at MochiMochi Land, you can now knit a set of compact cats for yourself. No matter how spatially compromised your home is, they’re sure to fit in perfectly!