Inside an organ shop

This week I had the privilege to take an overnight trip to Atlanta and visit John, who has been doing some pipe organ work there.  Yay for not working!  Because of my awesome connections (and awesome friends), I was able to go inside the shop of Robert I. Coulter Organbuilders and snap some pictures.  They were in the middle of a renovation project, so I was able to see some of the bare bones of the organ.

John tells me this writing is called Skinner script, after the original maker.

Off with the old leather, and in with the new!

Thanks again to John, Robert, and Josh for letting me traipse around with my camera while they try to get work done.   :)

One week down, fifty one to go.

One week's worth of photos at the start of my Project 365.  If you haven't had a chance to look at it, please go check it out and let me know what you think!

P.S. It is so hot outside.

Crepes: A first attempt

Still recovering from my birthday soiree that took place on Sunday . . .

Think fondue of both the chocolate and the cheese kind, add a wonderful watermelon mojito pitcher, home-brew raspberry wheat and cider, wine bottles galore, and an attention whore kitty who's loving every minute of it.  I wish I had taken pictures of the spread and the people, but alas, I was drinking all of that gloriousness.


But I did take pictures of these:




Ever since we've had our 14" skillet John has been asking me to make crepes.  To be fair, it is a perfect pan for it.  It's amazing what boredom and some time on your hands can do.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan

Directions

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

*Savory Variation Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

*Sweet Variation Add 21/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.

This is Alton Brown's recipe, which turned out beautifully.  I added some vanilla extract for the sweeter variation, then slathered them with Nutella, and stuffed them with dried figs and fresh Bartlett pears.  Delicious!

Now I've got to work on a savory variation for John's breakfast.  Not a bad problem to have :)

On another note:  In honor of my birthday I have finally taken the plunge and started a Project 365 photography project.  For those of you who do not know, it is a project of diligence and commitment where one picture is posted per day for an entire year.  I could not be more excited and more intimidated at the same time.  Please go over and take a look when you have time.

Rice Bowls

Oh, did I mention that leftover sushi ingredients make excellent rice bowls?  Because they do.  True story.

Happy 4th to all!  If it wasn't blazing hot outside, we might be doing something.  But instead, we've enjoyed a productive and air conditioned day inside.

Sushi!

About a month before our move, John and I decided to go through the pantry and start eating things so we wouldn't have to pack them.  Quite a few things got pushed to the back and were forgotten until we dug through and unveiled them.  One of those things: A bag of brown sushi rice from Earth Fare.  "Well, tomorrow is sushi night then!"

You see, we've done seared ahi tuna before.  And certainly, we've put together some good rice bowls before.  This sushi thing, however, is something we were still kinda fresh at.  We had the rolling mat from some uses before, but we hadn't done it with brown rice before.  Plus, the last ones we're kind of messy.

But, as you can see, this attempt was spot on.  We were so delighted at how easy we found preparing the brown rice.  Then we threw in our favorite ingredients, in this case tuna, salmon, cucumber, cream cheese, and sesame seeds, and drizzled them with sriracha and yum yum sauce!

And we made a lot!  They were devoured in about 30 minutes time, I'm ashamed to say.

We found them easy to make and easy to repeat.  And the brown rice eased our conscience about eating healthy.  We now have sushi as a staple.  You may be jealous now.

In other news:  It's hotter than a B**ch in Columbia, SC!