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josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
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@josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
4 followers 1 following 360 posts
Journeyman human being. Sous-Chefs founder.

josephholsten.com

This is not a place of honor.

🌉 bridged from https://mstdn.social/@josephholsten on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/
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josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
You know it’s going to be a good day when you need over a kg of flour for milk bread today.
Activating yeast and hydrating tangzhong for large batch of milkbread.
November 22, 2025 at 4:41 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Sometimes, I get files in my downloads folder that I cannot for the life of me understand from whence they came.

I don’t even know how to summarize this thing. But I can say the document ends with recommendation of “Finalizing the ARMALICIOUS manufacturing and […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
November 18, 2025 at 5:45 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Another weekend, another batch of maintenance.
- Throwing together some granola, trying date syrup instead of honey
- gluing back together a swinging door that one of the spawn had wrecked (somehow forgot pictures)
- putting a fresh coat of Pedag creme polish […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Granola, with a medium brown color far past golden, peanut chunks, raisins & sultanas Hiking boots upon newsprint, tube of Pedag Bordeaux Mahogany, and cheapest imaginable travel toothbrush. One boot’s leather looks completely worn, the other dark and shiny (though still mildly scarred and battered).
November 8, 2025 at 8:08 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Well, beets were either too bitter (teensy) or too tough (mature). Delicata had skins that were a smidge too papery since I didn’t do them in the baking dish in their own steam.
So I got a dinner full of veg with one nibble removed. And I loved it.
#Cooking
Slipskinned bull’s blood beets and golden brown delicata rings with a little brown sugar.
November 2, 2025 at 2:59 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
We shall see how obnoxious all the itty bitty beets are. Plus delicata rings since I’m the only person who appreciates beets in the house.

#Cooking
Yep, an entire year’s worth of beets in one baking dish. At least a couple look substantial. Delicata squash rings. They’ll get tossed in butter halfway through, and brown sugar at the end.
November 2, 2025 at 2:51 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
At least the worms appreciate this year’s failures

#Gardening
Quite a few very small worms on the lid to my composter. Sure, it’s supposed to be a hot composter, but vermicompost is what happened here in Skagit County.
November 1, 2025 at 10:13 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
This year’s beet harvest is officially a Learning Opportunity. Cultivar Bull’s Blood, planted 3” spaced, and left to mature full season. Didn’t cut and come again for greens, just tried to keep the roots.
The remaining leaves are mature, spotted, and mixed up […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Colander not remotely full of adorably miniature beet roots next to a much larger compost pile of unusable beet greens. Hand for scale.
November 1, 2025 at 10:04 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Roasting some squash and processing some root veg from the garden today.

If we like the kuri, will likely process the seeds for next year.

#Gardening
Kuri squash, store bought, sliced but still with seeds Kuri quartered, greased and ready to wet roast Shallot and carrots, dirty and whole A tiny yield, but now we know we’ll gladly eat more next year! Maybe skip some of the chard.
October 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
In Portland for the #ZFS summit, at the University Place Hotel’s “Health Club”:
1984 Bruce Algra Fitnus[sic] Chart, teal and terracotta musculature anatomy of a woman who almost certainly will be doing Jazzercise later.
October 25, 2025 at 3:10 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
People speak about millenial cringe like it’s a recent thing, but I’m reading the 1999 source of a BeOS IRC client’s leet speak support:

https://codeberg.org/BeOS/Vision/src/commit/f58ba2ae1172dc97d435495561675f0a07d7bafa/src/VisionStrings.h.l33t
Source code listing: // channel agent #define S_CHANNEL_INIT "*** N0w +@Lkin9 IN " #define S_CHANNEL_REJOIN "*** @t+EmpTIN9 To R3j0in " #define S_CHANNEL_RECON_REJOIN "[@] @++emPtIN9 +O Rej01N " #define S_CHANNEL_GOT_KICKED "*** J00 H@ve b33n K1cKED fr0M " #define S_CHANNEL_GOT_KICKED2 "8y" #define S_CHANNEL_SET_MODE " 53+ m0de " // channel options #define S_CHANOPTS_TITLE " 0Pt1oN5" #define S_CHANOPTS_OPID1 "j00 @r3 cuRrEN+LY 4 ChaNn3L 0p3R4+0R. " #define S_CHANOPTS_OPID2 "J00 M4y CH4ngE 4ny Of ThE$E 0P+1on$." // client agent #define S_CLIENT_DCC_SUCCESS "c0mPlet3d " #define S_CLIENT_DCC_FAILED "T3RMIn4ted "
October 22, 2025 at 3:17 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Just a few things I forgot to write down last year, especially that I prefer 12 rolls from a 300g flour batch, plus I need to refresh my memory about ideal proofing times & temps. But the monsters heartily approve.

It’s almost exactly […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Milk bread rolls, half consumed mere minutes from the oven.
October 20, 2025 at 7:59 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
I’ve got to get a bigger proofing container.
Dough overflowing from a 2L cambro proofing container. Discovered after the lid popping off noise shook my oven, and I head from across the house. Today is going to be a day.
October 20, 2025 at 5:21 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
It’s been a few months, but the weather’s turned wet and I’ve got to make some milk bread again. I’m out of dry milk, so I’m just replacing any water with milk. Did you know you can activate yeast in milk?

And that’s the fist time my mixer has walked off the […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Tangzhong, just thick enough to take off the heat, leaving lines along the bottom of the pot after stirring. Yeast activating in milk! Looks a bit like a latte with the correct amount of foam. My mixer’s power cord after the fall: ground pin still embedded in the socket. Dough, moments before the fall, almost smooth and elastic. Clearly, this was a foolish time to wash dishes.
October 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Calling this done: 600 grit, about 24° bevel, softened corners, and a thin layer of board butter to keep the north cascades humidity at bay.

#WoodWorking #maintenance
Bench plane reflecting the kitchen light, with piles of pretentiously piles produce in the background because I lack storage.
October 20, 2025 at 4:28 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
And on this dies solis, I’m literally sharpening my blades. Finally making a new-old-stock kobalt no 4 smoothing plane ready for real use.

Iron’s corners have sharp points, no surprise. The bevel is at a weird 23°, fine. The cutting edge isn’t perpendicular, so […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Bench plane iron with sharpie on the bevel while I tune in to the existing angle. I’ve finally hit it, showing sharpening scratches in the center of the bevel’s ink. But all sorts of angles above and below on this blade.
October 20, 2025 at 12:28 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Yesterday put in some much needed maintenance into my wooden kitchen tools. I haven’t gotten to my heavier boards, but I’m pretty happy with how the epicurean richlite board came out. Got my second eldest to try out the orbital sander, we learned about […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Refinished richlite board beneath a well loved one. Clearly, the oil:wax is more water (and bacteria) resistant.
October 5, 2025 at 3:19 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Been soaking my pintos overnight, time to do a final sort and toss everything in to the “olla”.
Then I’ve got a double batch of scones to make for breakfast. I was going to start prepping for yellow rice, but apparently I’m out of bell peppers and carrots!

Then […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Pinto beans soaking, alongside all the ingredients for frijoles de la olla: onion, garlic, oregano, laurel, guajillo chile Ingredients for scones: medium flour, sugar, salt, cold butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract Scones with cherry jam and butter before they magically disappeared
September 15, 2025 at 4:56 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Thinking about building myself a version of Schwartz’s Anarchist’s Tool Chest, and doing an inventory of my tools since this’ll be my largest project. Noticed I still haven’t taken the pits out of my ~1917 Disston No 4. Took a few passes on its flanks today, and […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Don’t grief me about putting the saw back straight in the metal vise, it’s a working saw. But the blade sides are starting to approach shine again and the pre-1918 style v-joint tote looks as timeless in the original as on modern Lie-Nielsens. Triangle file on workbench in background.
September 13, 2025 at 4:52 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Celebrating refill-the-pickle-bucket-from-a-new-sack-of-rice day!

#Cooking
It’s a pickle bucket (with gamma seal lid) and a 25 pound sack of Homai Calrose rice. Soon, they will become one.
August 31, 2025 at 4:24 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
These are the beans. I used around three tablespoons of what I’m going to call murder salsa. At least this is going to set me for quite a few meals. But yee-ouch spicy.
Pinto beans, clarified onions, and some of the blended chiles, simmering in stock. Pretty much just blended chiles. This’ll last me a long while. Delicious! Also, firey.
August 7, 2025 at 9:53 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Oh no, I’m out of chipotles in adobo. Looks like I’m going to learn how well dried chiles guajillo & negro work in my beans.

I’m also a time traveler form the future to let you know that I will absolutely regret this.
#Cooking
Split chiles negros, guajillos, and a couple home made moritas. Did someone forget to remove seeds and pith? Yes, yes they did.
August 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Bonus photo: 2yo hands after an encounter with real blueberries.

No higher critical response possible.
2 year old hands covered in blueberry juice and streusel crumbs.
August 4, 2025 at 4:49 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Today’s bake mix: “blueberry” muffin tops. Fortunately, my neighbor brought over fresh blueberries last week and we have a few left.

#Cooking
Adding dry mix to liquid ingredients, as $DEITY intended. Gently folding in a large handful of plump blueberries, those little dark specks are the artificial blueberries, which need no gentle handling and will never collapse, leaking their vital fluids across the surface of your batter. Large tablespoon portions, and the softest streusel topping imaginable. Yes, these blonde beasts are the finished product, taken up to 200°F internal temp for the center piece. Makes me wonder if I should have given them a higher temp for some additional oven spring and crunch.
August 4, 2025 at 4:22 PM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
Of course, better ingredients are better, today I had bacon fat and fresh oregano. But I normally just use oil and dry spices.
Same goes for the beans. I honestly don’t think I’ve seen Louisiana style small red beans up in Washington. So today we’ve got a trio […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
One can of beans, a trio of pinto, black & kidney; drained and rinsed. After mashing a few on the side of the pan and letting it all simmer, it should be thick enough to leave a line along the pan bottom. Done! Tastes better than it looks.
August 4, 2025 at 1:44 AM
josephholsten.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy
I just realized that I’ve been saying “I’m eating a lot of beans and rice these days”, but no one actually knows what that means. A decade and a half ago, I read a recipe for red beans and rice, but I didn’t have half the ingredients. Also, I was living in a […]

[Original post on mstdn.social]
Quarter of a HUGE onion, chopped, sautéed in bacon fat, three chipotles (from adobo) ground in, tablespoon of minced garlic: aromatic as much as you can handle. Chicken powder, a few laurel leaves, and oregano left in hot water for a while before incorporating. Simmer on low until the flavors all meld. I wish I knew the word for this, but I think it has to do with the onions absorbing water and the oil starting to coat all the ingredients.
August 4, 2025 at 1:27 AM