Maybe more than once a month...

Well, now. I thought I'd definitely be posting here more than once a month or so. But slow and steady wins the race (is this a competition?) and I'm aiming for the long haul here.
But in this last month I've done a few things: made cheese, baked a couple bundt cakes, and thanks to some good friends started a new collection of (more) dishware. Generally having fun.The cheese and dishware will have to wait for another post. First, the bundt cake.
There she is, in all her glory.

(must remember to use cake plate if blogging)

Now I have to admit. While some bundts can be dressed up and look pretty fabulous, most are of a more humble nature. This one was a banana cake from this book. Even though it was a tidge overbaked, that sucker stayed moist for days. Considering the glacial pace we eat baked goods, that's a very good thing.

Maybe you're not a baking nerd like me and would also be curious to know that bundts are one of those modern desserts created to meet the need of a product (see Jell-o salads, amongst others). Nordicware started making "ethnic" bakeware like ebelskiver and Kugelhupf pans but hit gold with the Bundt pan in 1950. The full history of the company can be found here in handy timeline, and here for the history of the cake. I have yet to make the eponymous Tunnel of Fudge cake but am looking for the opportunity. In any case, I always like breaking out this particular pan. Maybe the ridges make it seem more fancy? Or the shape's risk for sticking adds a hint of danger? I don't know.

(successful unmolding!)

But no matter what the reason, they are darn tasty cakes.

Opening Act

(First of all, I promise not to continue the variety show metaphor ad naseum. No one needs to see post 12,354 as Act 242: Bring on the Elephants! or some nonsense. Er. Well, then. Moving on.)

So I've been reading this book, Radical Homemakers. The author details an in-depth history of domesticity along with interviews of current homemakers. She chooses some fascinating people from all walks of life who have opted out of consumerism and into a life based on family, DIY and the home. A challenging read and recommended for anyone with interest on the topic.
Even though I haven't finished, the book has got me thinking about who I am, about what I do. Do fall under the label of "radical homemaker"? First of all, am I radical? Hardly. While my politics lean toward the bleeding heart end of liberal, I can hardly be counted on for the next G20 protest. Am I a homemaker? Not in the 1950's stereotype of stay- at- home wife and mother, waiting for her next Valium. Not in the current sense of the term either, working in the home as my primary job. If I am neither, what am I? Is my fondness for the domestic arts just a hobby or a quirk?
Thankfully homemaker isn't a term easily pigeonholed. I'm starting to think homemaking is a philosophy not a role. The book speaks to those who would embrace a different way of looking at life that includes creation from the home instead of external consumption. That's where I think I am. Now, I haven't managed to weave my own undies out of homegrown cotton. Or convince my husband to live off the grid. But, I do like to can peaches I pick myself and have been known to make my own mozzarella. If I ever get this skirt pattern to fit, I may even be the type to make my own clothes. Eventually, I would love to make or grow more food than we buy.
Hm. Maybe I'm more radical that I thought.