D & K Odds 'n Ends

Monday, December 9, 2013

Pretzels from Scratch

Finally! For years I've thought about making pretzels from scratch - today's snow/ice school cancellation day ended up being the day.

Mixed by hand, then 5 minutes with Kitchen Aid dough hook set at 4.

Divided into 8 somewhat equal chunks.

Hardest step - rolling into strips that were supposed to be 28-30 inches long!

Shaping and soaking in baking soda water.

Baked at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes - not according to the recipe but I know the quirks of my oven after too many burnt adventures! Picture taken before butter coating.

I think even the bottoms look nice!

Recipe source:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/hot-buttered-soft-pretzels-recipe

~~K

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Rainbow to Home

Unseasonable weather (cold and rain) preceded our departure from Saugatuk! Despite the wet roads our drive home presented us with a wonderful rainbow!

~~K

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Windchimes

Windchimes have become the featured items in the outdoor pine room. To see the expression of even one-year-olds as they grab and shake the sails to make "music" is priceless!

Many have been received as gifts, others handcrafted, and some recycled. For the children to fully experience and enjoy them interactively, I did add sails to most of the chimes that are easily within reach from their small stature as they walk through the boughs.

To extend the kid's joy to their own homes, I decided to make inexpensive (less than $4 each), non-tuned wind chimes. Here goes:

3/4" EMT 10' conduit - $5 from local hardware - 2 chime tubes cut 12", 14", 16", 18" (no waste)

2 small metal trays - $0.50 each from local thrift store

2 small metal candle holders - $0.50 each from local thrift store

2 wooden medalions - $0.29 each from local craft store

Flat black and clear spray paint - on hand

50 lb monofilament fishing line - on hand

25 lb waterproof braided nylon bait casting line - on hand

After cutting the conduit with a small pipe cutter I drilled 1/8" holes through the diameter of each tube 2" from an end. I then used a file and steel wool to smooth the cuts and coated them with a clear finish spray in hopes of delaying rust.

Two 1/8" holes were drilled in the center of the candle holders (future strikers and sail holders); one at the top of each wooden medalion (future sails); and 10 in the trays to be used as caps (8 for suspending tubes and 2 for the chime hanger). These were then spray painted black for rust protection and appearance (obviously any/various colors would also be acceptable).

The tubes were connected to the cap with 24" lengths of braided nylon. The striker was attached to the cap with a 32" length of braided nylon and the sail was attached to the striker with a 36" length of braided nylon. For a more durable hanger, a 36" length monofilament was used. As with most windchimes left out in the elements year round, I anticipate having to restring these windchimes periodically (just part of yard maintenance)!

Surprisingly, the sound of these chimes is quite melodic and pleasant considering the tubes were cut only from the standpoint of making two windchimes with no waste! One of these days I should try to make myself an 8-tube tuned windchime. ~~K

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Bike to Work

Living so close to school encourages me to bike it in the summer - traffic is too crazy and scary for me during an actual school day!

It's a pleasant short ride as long as the wind isn't too fierce!

One Way Distance - I use Map My Run for recording bike rides, runs, and walks.

This morning a sheriff's deputy (who I frequently see at school) pulled up beside me and jokingly said, "I'll need to cite you for speeding. I just clocked you at 16 mph." Joking aside, the 16 mph is true. ~~K