The Cottage Revolution

Gloomy & Grey January

tea

I feel like January should be recorded, not by days or weeks or projects accomplished, but simply by cups of tea consumed by me. That’s what I’ve been up to. I’ve been fighting the gloom wrapped in a blanket, drinking tea and writing grants. I’ve taken some breaks to make some pasta. Okay. Actually, I’ve taken some breaks to make lots of pasta: spaghetti, fettuccine, lasagna and even soba noodles.
pasta maker

And just when the gloom seems too overwhelming to ward off with tea or pasta-making alone, I have some daifuku mochi, which in my experience is a no fail way to bring a bit of sunshine into the day.

mochi

What’s your go-to for warding off the January gloom?

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Claire

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Comments

4 responses to “Gloomy & Grey January”

  1. Patsy Scott Avatar
    Patsy Scott

    January/February are project months for me so I can ward off the glooms or any cabin fever (if it would actually snow) that might visit. For me it would be a quilt or an afghan, or what I’m doing now…stripping wall paper and painting. Your tea and pasta sound good, Claire, and what ever that last thing you mentioned…I’ll have to google. Enjoy your blogs

    Reply
    1. Claire Avatar
      Claire

      Project months are a great idea. Good luck with your wall paper stripping and wall painting!

      Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice that’s pounded into a paste and then shaped. It’s lightly sweet and has a thick, dense and kind of marshmallow-y texture. I love mochi on its own, but I also love it filled with a sweet bean paste, which is the daifuku mochi. They come in all types of colors and just make me really happy.

      Reply
  2. Patti Avatar
    Patti

    YUM!! This is my kind of menu. What did you fill your mochi with? I was planning on making daifuku mochi with azuki beans again for Chinese New Years (or mochi cake) but remembered that the last time I made it, it was a huge sticky mess. Any tips? Your pasta looks so thin, what number did you pass it through last?

    Reply
    1. Claire Avatar
      Claire

      I totally bought my mochi. I’m not nearly the ace you are at attempting new confections, but let’s make mochi our next creative weekend project! I would love love love to try it.

      The pasta was pretty thin. The spaghetti in the picture passed through #5. Then the lasagna I made called for “whisper thin” sheets of pasta so I passed those through #8. They were translucent and delicious. I’m in love with the pasta recipe I found because it held up perfectly to being continuously flattened.

      Reply

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