from scratch

Lately, I've been making almost everything from scratch. This is my current chapter. This is what I am learning to love. I've been creating more than ever and at the same time, almost continuously in a state of rest. I have to keep reminding myself to check my business email because I haven't done much of anything online lately except upload videos to my YouTube channel. I feel as though I am drawing in those simpler, old-fashioned kinds of days from sheer desire for them; the longing coaxes them nearer, and suddenly time seems slow, and the days long, contentedly heavy, tiring. I am writing more than I have in a long time. I am kneading dough instead of buying bread, making crackers instead of purchasing them in plastic. Tiring of slathering my skin with things I can't even read, I whipped up toothpaste and deodorant for the first time instead of buying it. (All the recipes below).

I was raised on cold winter nights, cuddled in bed with my mom and sister, reading books like Little House in the Big Woods, gobbling up vivid descriptions of living holistically off the land, making everything by hand, living wild and one with the earth in the purest way imaginable. Maybe stories like that ruined me for the modern world. I feel like I've receded so far from the hustle of this day and age that I no longer recognize or remember it. It's a fuzzy memory. My days are filled with working, writing, art, art, art - and classical music, and baking, cooking, making the things I need to live. Buying less and less. Saving more. Learning more. Connecting: with the farms, the food, the things right here, right now. The unquenchable longing for art; for words flowing through my fingertips, for a paintbrush dancing in my hand. For moist earth between my fingertips. (I've just seen the loveliest baby bell pepper in my garden!!)   

We really are the artists of our lives. The more we become aware of that, the more magic we can create; savor. 

Recipe for everything pita crackers:

2 cup (250 g) einkorn flour (or half oat flour, half sweet rice flour. My husband LOVES these gluten free version.)

1 tsp himalayan salt 

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tbsp everything seasoning

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

½ cup (120 ml) warm water

1/2 tbsp of everything seasoning for topping

Preheat oven to 430°F. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients into a soft, stretchy dough. Split the dough and roll each portion out to about ⅛ inch thickness. Sprinkle on everything seasoning, and lightly pat down with your hands. Cut them up with a large, sharp knife or pizza cutter and place each square on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until light or dark golden brown. 

Everything hummus recipe:

Soak about 1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas overnight with a little baking soda. This is a wonderful tip that I learned from Rainbow Plant Life, and it makes for the creamiest hummus. Drain and rinse the next day, and cook them on the stovetop for about forty minutes, or until they are super duper soft. (Try the smush-test with your thumb. There should be no resistance.) Drain and rinse the cooked chickpeas once more, then add them to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped, then add:

5 heaping tbsp tahini

2-4 tbsp large lemon juice (preference!)

1 clove garlic chopped

1 heaping tsp ground cumin

1 tsp himalayan salt 

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

2-4 tbsp of iced water (this will make the hummus suuuper fluffy!!)

Top it with 1 clove of minced garlic sauteed until lightly golden brown in about  2 tbsp of olive oil, and a generous sprinkle of everything toppings.

Shiney, lovely, do-it-yourself toothpaste:

1/2 cup of coconut oil

1/4 cup of baking soda

1 tsp himalayan salt

10 drops of frankincense oil (food grade)

Earthy-sweet patchouli deodorant (inspired by the recipe in the Undiet Cookbook by Meagan Telphner)

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup arrowroot powder

10-15 drops of patchouli essential oil (or whatever scent you prefer!) 

Other things I've been loving:

Raw, Vermont wildflower honey

Gallery wall ideas & clay painting jars

Irish Breakfast loose leaf tea 

At Eternity's Gate original film score

EarthRunner sandals

Japanese porcelain dishware

Wolf Hall series by BBC Masterpiece 

What are you creating from scratch lately? Delicious food? A contagiously joyful vibe or space? I would love to hear about it below. Let me know what you are loving in this blossoming summer season. 

I wish you joy in your journey, my friend.

Kate