Rain delay.

The rain has set us back, which is mostly just frustrating. We're not really into the whole "taking a break" thing...we want to get this project moving.

The most painful part of the delay is having to wait even longer for our pups to come home. When we started the project we had to send them for what we thought would be a brief stay at their grand-pup parents house. I haven't really been counting the weeks, but it feels like forever since they were last around. We are keeping our fingers crossed for an Easter return. Ask and you shall receive?

In case you don't know our pups, I am pleased to introduce you to Joanna (right) and Joaquin (left). 

Joanna is down-to-the-bone Basset Hound. Joaquin is a pure-bred Heinz 57 watchamacalit. I'm not sure that I've ever both loved and loathed something as much as these two pups. That's right: not even Jose or Will have pushed me to the brink of insanity like these guys. But for whatever reason the three of us who take care of these dogs really love em' and are aching to have them home.

I actually had a dream a week or so ago that I opened our front door and Joaquin was just sitting there, looking so nice and sweet, just waiting for me to tell him it was ok to come inside. *sigh*

Foundation, part I

So if digging a giant hole in our backyard didn't make this project feel serious, building the foundation with our very own hands sure did.

I guess that I should note that pretty much all of us on Sunset Hill are developing our handy (wo)man skills on-the-job. The extent of my own natural abilities in this department were probably best expressed through my job of moving concrete blocks from point A (the backyard) to point B (inside the foundation). Others, however, tackled head-on the challenge of building our foundation DIY-style, and with much success.

Here was our crew for the day:















Dave (blue sweatshirt and glasses), aka "Angel Sent From God Above" is a mason and father of 3 kids, two of whom are in Will's after school program at the Banneker Community Center. When he heard what we were doing, he offered to come and show us the way. He said he did it for "God points", of which I am happy to be a recipient. Other willing laborers (from left to right) included Huck, Guff, Carrie, Angel David and his 3 kids, Nate, and Will. Not pictured are Tim, Kristen, and myself.

So, on with the show...

Dave got us started with the first corner of the foundation:














Tim and Guff engaged in some problem solving:



















Will took on the job of cutting blocks:



















Nate and Tim mixed the mortar:















Hold on. Let's just pause for a second here.


This is Nate.














He likes to tell people that he's from Greene County. What you can't see in this picture is that his navel was showing for most of the day, which was pretty much only in the 40s. Nate is a friend via Young Life. Despite his shirt, he's been a big help in the project. He also works at Lowe's and must have sensed that someone was aimlessly wandering the aisles during a recent solo trip I took there. In my moment of despair Nate appeared from the sky (w/ a short sleeve shirt on) and saved the day. Before I knew it my car was loaded (not by me, by Nate) and I was on my way.

Our friend Huck was probably MVP of the day. He was really into this gig as a first-time mason and by the end everyone was looking to him for advice. He pretty much completed the first wall all on his own:















Carrie wasn't about to let the boys have all the fun and fame, so she jumped in to take over the detail work. By the end, she was laying block better than the rest of em' (sorry guys):














Kevin, inspired by Carrie's can-do spirit, picked up a power tool for the first time EVER in his life:














He loved it so much that he even picked up another one!














Will and Dave were doing their thang...















And by the end of the 1st day of the foundation project, we ended up with this:














Actually, the group worked way past sundown that first day and ended up almost finishing the first 3 walls. Smells of yummy food lead our weary bodies across the yard to the Blue House where a scrumptious meal made by Josh, Sam and Kristen awaited us.

Next up, Foundation, part II...

Excavation, Part I

Second project: Excavation, Part I

Well, I think we can say we're officially initiated into the full-of-surprises World of Home Remodeling.

Our first major project was excavation. Jeffro/Jethro (haven't quite figured out which one it is) and his boss Ollie (don't know his name either, but Jeffro/Jethro calls everyone, including his boss, by this name) dug a giant hole on the backside of our home over spring break. Here he is tearing up our back porch. Upon finishing he said "ur back purch's run!" (translation: your back porch is ruined!):

Although there were several surprises along the way, most of which are probably only interesting to us, the most notable was the discovery of an old, abandoned septic tank:

For any fans of Lost out there, you can only imagine our excitement during the first few seconds before realizing what this actually was.

We quickly determined that it wasn't our fate to go down the hatch, however, so Will called the folks we were pretty sure were meant to:

At the end of the week, we had a nice, big hole on which will eventually stand a mudroom and attic bedroom:















Between tearing down the back porch and digging a giant hole, I'd say it was a pretty productive spring break week.

Next up: Excavation, Part II

Remodel

Well, we're expanding. Our house, that is.

Our house maybe wasn't made to accommodate all the life it now sustains: 3 humans, 2 dogs, 1 cat, bi-weekly community dinners, and a gardening/beer-brewing/food preservation and creation operation. The local lore is that our odd gravel street of identical bungalows (circa 1930) once housed workers who labored in the quarry that is now a 1/2 mile long medical complex. When we first bought it, it seemed giant compared to the 3-bedroom shotgun we were living in. I think we'll miss our home-as-is. But we also love Sunset Hill and want this to be the place we call home indefinitely.

Thankfully we only have to add a small addition and will expand the rest of our new space into the original footprint of the house...the unused attic. We're aiming to do most of it ourselves with the generous help of friends and Sunset Hillbillies. The same approach was taken with the blue Feltigan home and it worked out perfectly.

First project: Back Porch removal

This is our back porch. We saved the original, rusted thermostat nailed to the inside of the middle post.

James, Josh and Will were the three willing laborers.

Josh is a happy worker.

I thought it would be funny to take a picture of James while he was taking a picture because this is something he would typically do to me.

Will/Wario taking down the last piece of plywood ceiling.

Down she goes.

A job well done.















Next up: Excavation....

Yogurt.

Cream-top yogurt with homemade granola has become somewhat of a staple in our house. We can't get enough of it. I cringe, however, when I go to pick up a $3 32 oz. plain organic yogurt that I know will be gone in a matter of 2-3 days. I just can't justify spending that much on breakfast when I could eat toast or eggs for a lot cheaper.

Considering our habit's expense and my love for making things from scratch, I decided that it was time to start making our own yogurt. It's so easy it's laughable--All you need is a crock pot, some milk, and some yogurt (yes, that sounds weird, but you'll see).

Sunset Hill Yogurt

1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk (preferably raw or organic and pasteurized. Avoid ultra pasteurized) into your crock pot. Cover and turn on low for 2 1/2 hours.

2. Unplug the crock pot. Let sit for 3 hours.

3. In a separate bowl mix 1/2 c. plain yogurt (w/ active cultures...just look for those in the ingredient label) with 2 cups of warm milk from the crock pot. Pour the mixture into the crock pot. Replace the crock pot lid and wrap the crock pot with heavy towels. Let sit for 8-12 hours.

4. Viola! You have homemade yogurt. Will keep for 7-10 days. Keep some yogurt reserved as a starter for your next batch.

The great thing about homemade yogurt is that it is half the price of the store-bought stuff.

Store bought organic yogurt: 32 oz. for $3.

Homemade organic yogurt: 64 oz. for $3. (I buy gallon jugs of $6 organic milk).

I've been chowin' on this for the last two days and it is yummy. Totally worth it.

Top 10 of 2010

Hi Friends,

I don't really blog here any more (thank you school and work and life), but I've been thinking a lot lately about food and how thankful I am for the year-in-food I've had.

With that in mind, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to distract myself by posting a Top 10 of 2010. Not sure what the actual theme of the list is, other than it has to do with food:

10. Sharing bulk items from Bloomingfoods with the Feltigan house. This was our first year to do so and it's been great to know that there's a giant bucket of sugar around somewhere so you don't have to run to the store.

9. Food blogs. I've kind of OCD'ed out to some rad food blogs this last year and have a learned a lot in the process. Some of my favorites are the food section of the Atlantic, Cheeseslave, and Food Renegade.

8. Homemade granola. I've tried lots of granola recipes over the years in order to find the most economical and healthy option. I finally arrived at this beauty and have never looked back.

7. Homemade brew. Ok, now, I have to admit that I haven't really had that much of the homemade beer that the Guff has brewed, but it's pretty cool nonetheless that he makes it and shares it with everyone.

6. Canned garden goodness. I think this is our 3rd year of canning now, and we've really hit our stride. A major breakthrough was Will's creation of "restaurant style" salsa. I have to admit, I hate chunky salsa. Even if it's from the garden, it still reminds me of the nasty ketchup-salsa you get from the store. Now we have La Cha-esque salsa at home whenever we want it.

I've also expanded my repertoire of delicacy canned goods to include pickled garlic and pickled red onions. Fancy pants.

5. Eating good in the neighborhood. We have eaten out quite a bit in the past year. I will unabashedly blame this on our excessive schedule of work/school/practicum/band commitments. Even though I'd prefer to eat out less, I have come to REALLY appreciate the fact that not only do I live in a community where I have endless local eatery options, but I can also choose to eat somewhere that sells local meat and foods. Upland, Nick's, and Farm (pizza or burgers only!) have become regular stops for us from time to time.

4. Dehydrated herbs and veggies. After a failed attempt at making fruit leathers in 2009, I broke out the ole' dehydrator this year to give it one more try. Lo and behold I sucessfully dehydrated lots of tomatoes, basil, zucchini, and peppers.

3. Cream top yogurt. What in the world have I been doing eating the low-fat crap? My regular breakfast now includes cream top yogurt, aforementioned homemade granola, flax seeds, honey, and cinnamon (if I remember). Yum.

2. Will at the Farmer's Market. This past summer Will started working regularly at the Bloomington Community Farmer's Market for our friends Matt and Mandy of Schact Farm. Not only do we get lots of good meat and eggs (especially during that awful salmonella outbreak this summer!) from Schact, Will also barters for other yummy treats from the market. Mushrooms and peppers have been among my favorites.

1. Community dinner. Although this isn't new to 2010, it has started to occupy a new place in my heart. I think that all of us on Sunset Hill have come to enjoy the space that community dinner provides to share food, friends, and fellowship. When I'm able, I especially enjoy the opportunity to cook for everyone. I've come to realize that this is my favorite form of hospitality.

After all of this, what could I possibly have to look forward to in 2011? Well...

1. Raw milk. We are FINALLY on the waiting list! Homemade butter and cheese and yogurt, here I come...

2. Fruit. Apple and peach trees should be ready for harvest, along with our recently transplanted blueberry bush.

3. Hard cider. Did I mention that Will's gonna be making that from the apples?

4. Beeezzzz. (or bees). Guff is getting some bee gear for Christmas. At least that's the buzz around town.

...and last but not least...

5. RHUBARB!

You will know from an old post that I have a long-standing love affair with rhubarb. Well, we finally transplated it to a new spot where it is MUCH happier. It was probably ready to harvest this year but I wanted to make sure it was good and ready before going to town. My heart does a little pitter patter when I think of all the yummy pies, sauces, and jams that are in my future...

Well, that's it for 2010. Now that I've totally implicated myself as some sort of yuppy hippy bleeding heart foody, I hope you don't judge me too much. I just really love food and its role in community.

Vinagre!

I'm a complete sucker for PBS. Big surprise there. I was at home knitting the other night and found myself watching this cooking show called Daisy Cooks! Ms. Daisy started talking so enthusiastically about this condiment she grew up with called "vinagre" and made the bold claim that she would live without ketchup before she'd live without vinagre.

I was hooked.

I think God really wanted me to try out this concoction because Tim Felton showed up to my house on Monday with the key ingredient of vinagre: pineapple. Who buys pineapple in December??? Like I said, this was divine intervention.

Daisy claims you can use vinagre on just about anything. I haven't actually eaten anything with it yet, but I think I'm going to cook some pork chops and then spoon the peppers and onions from the vinagre on top. I did taste it, however, and it's pretty wild!

My belief in the divine fruition (pun intended) of this recipe was evidenced last night by the fact that I was actually hugging the quart of vinagre will singing its praises to my husband. Winter in Indiana will do strange things to a person....

Vinagre

2 ripe pineapples 1/2 large Spanish onion, sliced thin 1 tablespoon smashed fresh oregano leaves 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 20 garlic cloves, crushed 6 Habanero peppers or chili pepper of your choice, stems cut off, peppers coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, or as needed 1/2 teaspoon salt, or as needed

1. Cut the tops off the pineapples and discard them. With a big knife, cut off the rind from the pineapples with as little pineapple attached as possible. Put the rinds in a pot large enough to hold them comfortably and pour in enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and boil until the pineapple peel is very tender, about 30 minutes. Top off with water if necessary to keep the rinds submerged.

2. Meanwhile, put the onion, oregano, peppercorns, garlic, Habanero or other chili pepper, vinegar, and salt in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid.

3. Strain the pineapple liquid over the seasonings. If there is not enough liquid to cover the ingredients, re-cover the pineapple with water and boil for 20 minutes. Taste and add a little salt and/or a little vinegar, if you think it needs it. You can use it as soon as it cools, but it will get better as it sits.