Slip-sliding away...

Woke up to the melodic strains of my next-door-neighbor spinning his wheels in a valiant attempt to back out of his driveway. (As. If.) The Ice Fairy had gilded the metropolis whilst we slept, and it soon became apparent (to me, anyway) that nobody was going nowhere. (Ooh! Double negative! Take that, Inner Copy Editor!) We spent a good part of the morning watching Those Less Clever Than Ourselves sled down our street in their SUVs (and in one case, an absolutely stunning cherry-red '64 Chevy). No accidents, lots of close calls, and two visits from AAA.

After the novelty of the Ice Olympics wore off, I set about fortifying the troops. (We seem to eat a whole lot more when it's filthy out...no?) I put together an ambitious lunch of Red Lentil & Squash soup with homemade rolls. The soup, while relatively tasty, was a total flop. Too sweet for the lot of us, so I'll give you the recipe for Marci's Onion Rolls, instead. These are a longtime favorite of our family, and are based on a recipe from Marci Bernstein (no relation) of North Miami Beach, FL.

Marci's Onion Rolls

9 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
3 cups unbleached white flour
1 c. vital wheat gluten
4 T. yeast
3.T sea salt
1/3 c. maple syrup
2 eggs
4 cups water
1 large onion, diced
2 T poppy seeds
1 t. dried dill
1T. caraway seeds

combine flours, yeast, salt, syrup, eggs, and water until dough is elastic and well mixed. Add onion, dill and seeds. Allow to rise 40 minutes. Shape and bake at 350 till lightly browned. Try not to eat more than eleven in one sitting.
These keep fabulously in a ziploc in the freezer, and taste best when toasted, if you're not eating them straight from the oven. You can play with the flours if you're feeling less crunchy than I am...and with the flavorings if your kids are not keen on "stuff" in their bread.

Before I sign off, I beg your assistance in the little matter of Parts Identification. My vacation-day yielded all sorts of
surprises in the art room, and I finally managed to unearth the attachments that came with my sewing machine. Much to my chagrin, none of these seems to be a zipper foot. Can anyone offer some insight as to what, exactly, any of them might be? I'm flummoxed. So, without further ado, let's play America's Favorite Weblog Game: