A Wooden Nest

Heart-Shaped Things

2012-02-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day is less than a week away! I've been dabbling in all sorts of heart-shaped mischief over here, including these double-thumbprint cookies. I posted the recipe over at My Own Labels recently if you're interested in trying them yourself. They're tasty.

I've also been crocheting little hearts for fun in different yarn weights, from super bulky to embroidery floss. The littlest hearts are my favorite.

More Toast

2012-02-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

After knitting Matt's Felicity, I decided to go back to a safe, well loved project: Toast (with ribbing). When I like a pattern, I tend to make multiples in various colors so I can mix and match them with my wardrobe. These wrist warmers are nothing complicated - basically a giant tube - but I find myself wearing them daily, so I thought it'd be good to make a few more pairs.

I still plan on making more wrist warmers in the future, but I think it's time for me to teach myself something a little more complicated. Every time I look at the pattern for Hawthorne, I feel completely overwhelmed. There's, like, a chart?! Ugh. But I think it's a beautiful shawl - something I'd actually wear, and I know I can figure it out. I'll probably laugh at myself later for feeling so intimidated. I hope...

Anyway, I'm seriously loving the Portland weather today! It's sunny outside, and the forecast says highs are in the 50's for the next five or six days. Today is our Friday, and it also just happens to be the fluffy feline's 5th birthday, so I think that's plenty excuse to celebrate. Happy 1st of February!

Monday

2012-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

This is what greeted me from the window yesterday as I was pouring water in the kettle for our morning tea. It was a double rainbow, but the picture only gives you a faint glimpse of the second. Soon after this moment, the sky went completely overcast and it rained for the rest of the day.

Random tidbit: I've noticed something very strange about my cat lately. Whenever there's a lamp on, he'll stick his head right under the cover and sit there, inching closer and closer every minute until he finally knocks it over. I can only guess that he's trying to warm himself, but there has to be a better way.

I hope you all had a good weekend. Thursday was Pinochle night. My game partner and I won 2/3 games - hooray! And then Matt and I took advantage of the sunshine on Friday, and drove to Albany to see ~~two~~ four of our favorite people. Then on Saturday evening, we went to a party for a friend who is leaving town for awhile. She's like family to me, and it'll be strange not having her around, which just reminds me that we shouldn't take it for granted when our friends and family live near us. It might not always be that way.

Anyway, this week I'm looking forward to finishing my work, and doing a little knitting/crocheting. It feels like forever since I've had a chance to play with yarn. I'm also looking for another book to read, like usual.

Onion Jam, Two Ways

2012-01-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

After trying two different onion jam recipes this week, I've decided it's time to invest in a pair of onion goggles. I soaked all of the onions in cold water before slicing, and it really helped with the sting... until they began to cook. It seems that once they warm up, there isn't anywhere in the house I can go to hide from the dreaded onion tears.

The first onion jam recipe I tried was a simple red wine vinegar concoction based on this recipe. I like it because it's light (and pink), and a little different than the taste I'm used to from the second recipe for roasted garlic and onion jam made with balsamic vinegar. Still, the roasted garlic and onion jam is my favorite of the two. It's rich and sweet, and it makes me very happy. Almost as happy as bacon jam.

I like to eat onion jam on toast - plain or with goat cheese, over pan-fried potatoes with an egg on top, as a sandwich/burger spread, or with crackers, but there are so many more possibilities. It's quite versatile.

Of course, I'm still looking for the perfect onion jam recipe. Both of these were very good, but they were also much sweeter than I anticipated. As someone who generally prefers salty and savory foods, I'd love to find a recipe for onion jam that pushes more in that direction. I'm sad to say that more onion lives will be lost in search of the perfect balance for my palate.

Matt's Felicity

2012-01-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to reach a balance between the amount of time I spend knitting for others versus the amount of time I spend knitting for myself. That's why, after focusing on Christmas gifts for the last few months, I'm knitting only for me right now. I'm not sure how long this selfish knitting phase will last, but I'm hoping to get five or six items checked off my list without interruption.

Unfortunately, things don't always pan out the way I think they will. This hat is one of those things. It seemed like the perfect pattern for me - huge, slouchy, green - but after I was finished, I put it on and gave it a good look. Something was wrong.

It was the right size, and it fit comfortably, but it didn't work for me. I figured maybe I could wear it in over time, or block it out if it still didn't seem right.

And then I had Matt try it on. And it was obvious. The hat belongs to Matt.

Technically, what belongs to Matt belongs to me. We share accessories all the time, so I don't feel bad about giving the hat what it wants.

Sigh.

Irish(?) Soda Bread

2012-01-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

I ran into a recipe for Irish Soda Bread recently, and I couldn't wait for St. Patrick's Day to try it. However, after doing a little research, I've learned that any recipe for Irish Soda Bread that consists of anything other than these four main components - flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk - is not worthy of the word "traditional."

So it seems that this recipe is a modern (or Americanized) take on traditional Irish Soda Bread. The leavening is still produced by the reaction between the baking soda and the buttermilk, but there are additional ingredients that lend cake-like qualities to the bread. It's delicious, of course, and very simple to make, but from what I've gathered, it's much different than anything you'll actually find in Ireland.

I'd be very interested if anyone has anything to add on the topic.

Irish(?) Soda Bread
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit)
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 large beaten egg
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease a cast-iron skillet, or line a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. (Alternately, you can combine the flour mixture with the butter in a food processor to achieve the same result.)

Add the rasins and the caraway seeds, and stir until evenly distributed. Form a well in the center and add the egg and the buttermilk. Stir until just combined, and then use your hands to knead two or three times until you have formed the dough into a shaggy ball.

Place your dough in a cast-iron skillet or baking sheet. Score an X on the top, and place in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Check for doneness by inserting a knife or a wooden skewer. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe very slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.

Gardening 2012

2012-01-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

I know it seems early, but it's time to order seeds for the garden. I always miss out on the spring veggies because I never think about gardening until the sun starts to come out, but not this year!

Instead of using my blog as a reference as I have in the past, I'll be detailing our garden and food preservation results in a garden journal. My blog is never thorough enough, and my memory is laughable, so this should help us keep our facts straight about what works and what doesn't.

Winter

2012-01-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Despite the oddities in the weather, it still feels like the middle of winter to me, and I'm enjoying it. People sometimes ask me what my favorite season is, but I don't think I can honestly answer that question. Each season has its pros and cons, and winter's post-holiday calm is appealing to me very much right now.

We took the Christmas decorations down on the 26th. I know it's more traditional to leave them up until after the New Year (we accidentally left them up until February once), but we were ready to move forward. I even rearranged the entire house to accommodate Matt's Christmas gift to me.

This little rocking chair is one of my favorite things, so I had to give it a corner in our living room all to itself. We moved one of our bookshelves up into the office where we should've moved it long ago, and the dresser that was formerly in the office now resides in our bedroom. The changes makes everything look and feel a lot less crowded, and we now have a quaint reading/knitting nook.

I've been working on really simple and functional knitting projects lately. This pair of green wrist warmers are my first project done entirely by continental knitting, and I'm afraid it's obvious. My stitches are uneven, and the tension changes throughout, but it's no big deal. They sit under my sleeves, so it's not very obvious, and they serve their purpose. I have a pet peeve against long sleeves that creep up and expose my wrists when it's cold outside, so this takes care of the problem.

If you're interested, the project is based on the pattern Toast by Leslie Friend. There's also a version with thumb holes if you'd prefer fingerless mitts, and both versions are free. I've been adding 4 rows of ribbing on the top and bottom (see the stripy pair) to keep the work from curling, but that's really the only change. It'd be a great project for a beginner.

A New Year

2012-01-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

I may be a few days late, but happy New Year! 2011 was an incredibly memorable year for me, and I'm looking forward to what 2012 has to offer (apocalypse aside). And yes, I have my New Year's resolutions carefully written down in the pages of my journal in large, colorful ink, but I won't bore you with those right now.

This is the first week I've been home since early December. In case you were wondering, my step-mom is recovering well, and it looks like she'll be returning to semi-normal functionality soon. While I was discussing yarn with her one day, I learned that she's really into natural fibers, and has quite a bit of experience with alpacas. She even has a spinning wheel that, unobservant as I am, I only recently became aware of. She's had it for years, of course. I'm not sure how I could've missed it. Anyway, it's really beautiful.

She sent me home with this basket full of goodies: a bag of washed llama fleece, carders, instructions on hand-spinning, and a bag full of rolags that she carded herself.

The rolags look like puffy little clouds, and they're very soft. As you can imagine, this has me interested in learning how to treat and spin fiber myself. Matt likes to joke around that he knew this step in my yarn-obsessed progression was imminent. First I start crocheting, then knitting, then I get interested in natural fibers, then I teach myself how to spin...

Yes. I foresee in my future a farm full of goats and sheep and llamas and rabbits...

There's only one contraption in the basket that I don't understand. Can anyone tell me what that little wooden gadget is in the photo?

A Guest Post

2011-12-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve! I forgot to mention this yesterday, but I've written a guest post over at Harvest Kitchen Sisters for my favorite holiday treat, no-bake mountain bar cookies. They're really good, and take hardly any time at all to make, so go and check it out!

I hope you're all staying warm and cozy for the holidays. I'll see you in 2012!

Knits for Kids

2011-12-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

Saartje1's Northern Lights

Morfo's Ducks

Kale80's Baby Bear

CelticCastOn's Little Red

FlickaFish's Clara

All of these amazing knits make me want to:

1. Have kids and dress them up.

2. Make adult-sized matching knits for myself.

3. Learn colorwork.

Have a good holiday weekend, and stay warm.

Currently

2011-12-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

I love this wood stove, and I love being warm. These photos obviously aren't taken from my apartment with its inefficient baseboard heaters and leaky windows. They're taken from my dad's house, which is where I've been staying during the weekdays, helping my step-mom with errands and such as she recovers from an injury.

And while I miss home terribly, these little creatures - Rags the cat and Jake the dog - are good company throughout the day. They're both furry and friendly, and they seem to like me well enough. As it were, I generally like any animal that likes me back. Rags has a particular affection for my little stash of wool, so we get along well due to our common interests.

The observant among you may notice that my festive red and gray scarf seems to have lost length since the last time I shared my progress with you. This is such a simple project that I'm embarrassed to tell you exactly how many times I've frogged it. I'm also a little embarrassed to admit that I refused to be sensible and research the proper way to carry yarn up the sides until after I had already ripped it out for the sixth or seventh time in frustration. I thought I could figure it out on my own, and that I would be able to settle for a conspicuously messy side, but after giving the scarf close, objective inspection, I sighed deeply, and began ripping away once more.

So now that I know the proper technique, I've decided to make this horribly monotonous project a little more interesting by teaching myself to knit continental. I've heard many a great thing about the speed one can attain through continental knitting, and although some argue for the joys of English-style throwing, my project-oriented mind sees great value in getting things done quickly.

My first rows in learning this new technique have been rough to say the least, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Every time I make noticeable improvement, something in my brain dances with joy, which is enough reward to keep me going. And if continental knitting is really as fast as everyone claims, it will be well worth the effort.

As for this poor scarf, my stitches are frustratingly uneven due to my lack of dexterity. So... I may have to frog it again and restart before the end. We'll see.

Layered Peppermint Bark

2011-12-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

I know. Everyone is making homemade peppermint bark right now, but I had to pitch in my two cents on the subject. I was determined to make it this Christmas, and after reading this post, I decided Orangette's recipe was the one to try first. And wow. Very simple, and very tasty.

After looking over my last few posts, I note that things are feeling very festive around here as of late. I'm quite satisfied. I'll be spending my week in front of a warm wood stove with a box of wool and my hook/knitting needles. Not bad, eh?

Festive Red and Gray

2011-12-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

The mailman just delivered a huge order of yarn at my doorstep, so I've been knitting and crocheting non-stop this week. And now that I'm finally done with all of my Christmas knitting, I can start making stuff for myself again. It's exciting! And strange.

I'm not sure how the idea popped into my head, but I've been dreaming about a red and gray wool knit scarf for a few weeks now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to translate the idea I have in my mind to reality, but it shouldn't be that complicated. It's just that the scarf in my mind doesn't specify whether it's garter stitch or stockinette, thin or wide, short or long. So I'm just going along with whatever feels right. Right now that means a thin and long scarf with 1x1 ribbing. The color-change edge is complicated, but maybe nobody will notice.

I also finished another (yes, another) Autumn in a really pretty brass color. I love how this one turned out, and I have enough yarn for matching mittens or a scarf.

Baked Clay Ornaments

2011-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

It's December 5th! 20 days 'til Christmas. I just finished decorating the last of my baked clay ornaments, and I still have the paint on my fingers to prove it. And aside from the part where you have to condition the clay before it's even remotely moldable, I thought it was a really fun project! You can get information on how to make these here. It'd be a great activity to do with kids.

I've got all of my Christmas gifts ready, and the front room is fully decorated, but I still feel compelled to make more. I should just relax and enjoy it, right? Maybe I'll go make some cookies...

Christmas Garland

2011-12-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Today is my free day, so I've spent it listening to the Fleet Foxes (big surprise there) while sewing up strands of Christmas garland. Later tonight, Matt and I are going to paint our baked clay ornaments, and drink champagne while watching LOTR. I can't wait to see how the ornaments turn out.

It's crazy. We're only one day into December, and my schedule is already completely full. I actually had to make an emergency trip to the bookstore the other night so I could grab my favorite planner for 2012. It must be that time of year.

Happy first day of December!

Another Hat

2011-11-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

After knitting my husband's Chroma Striped Scarf, I needed a project for my leftover yarn, so I decided to try a hat called Turn a Square. I like the pattern, but it's meant to fit quite snug, and both Matt and I prefer a slouchy hat. We also seem to have abnormally large heads, so it's hard to know just what size to knit my gift hats. I usually try to compromise by making hats larger than the pattern calls for, but smaller than my own personal preference.

I'll be making at least one more of these hats, depending on how far I can stretch my chroma leftovers. I probably have enough for three more just like this one.

Brown Paper Packages

2011-11-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but around here it's officially Christmas. As soon as we returned home from Thanksgiving dinner last night, we turned on A Christmas Carol, pulled out the tree, and put up the twinkle lights. My husband is very fond of Christmas, and his enthusiasm is contagious.

Truth be told, I've been working on Christmas gifts since July. The upside to this level of preparation being that I don't have to scramble around last minute. The downside, the repression of my excitement to give them away as soon as possible!

Cheers to a warm Thanksgiving (my personal favorite holiday), and a relaxing weekend.

Yarning

2011-11-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

I finished knitting my reading mitts last night, and I'm fairly satisfied with how they turned out. I would use a stretchier bind-off next time, especially for the thumbs, but I'm no longer afraid of making thumb gussets. Hooray!

I also made a couple thick scarves to give as birthday gifts over the weekend. The first is a crocheted chunky circle scarf from Lindsi at People Webs. The pattern was really fun to follow, and reminded me why I love crochet so much. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

The second is a simple 1x1 ribbed scarf in thick n' quick. I particularly love the tweedy barley colorway, and might have to make one of these for my husband. So I can steal it. All the time.

If you're in the mood to be amused, check out this video by Tiny Owl Knits. She's so whimsical and cute! I love all of her patterns.

Mulled Wine

2011-11-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

I've been curious about this mulled wine stuff for a long time. Especially since reading about it, over and over, in George R.R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire. It just seemed like it might be really good, and warm, and full of spice - perfect for the holidays.

While visiting a friend over the weekend, I was given my first glass, and it was everything I thought it'd be. I decided I needed to figure out how to make it at home because the spices are really simple and plentiful in our kitchen pantry.

After doing a little research (and experimentation), I've found my favorite combination of spices for a bottle of red wine. If anyone has a good recipe for mulled white wine, I'd love to know. Somehow I think cardamom and honey would be perfect.

Mulled Wine
1 bottle of wine
1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tsp orange zest
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in pieces
1 tsp allspice
10-15 cloves

Pour the wine, sugar and the spices into a medium saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Make sure the wine does not boil.

Once the wine is warm, strain into mugs and enjoy.

Acorn Squash

2011-11-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

It gets dark so early now that daylight-saving time has come, which means the window of opportunity for taking decent photos in natural light is maybe four hours wide (and shrinking), depending on the weather. We're restricted with sunlight in our apartment because of the direction we're facing, and the surrounding trees, so this might be a good time for me to play with photographing things in artificial light.

The whole light thing really isn't a problem except when we make something for dinner that I really want to share with you, like these acorn squash from Matt's grandpa's garden. We've been eating them roasted in halves with butter and a little brown sugar. I know this is one of the most basic recipes on the planet for acorn squash, but it's also one of my most favorite things about fall, so I thought I'd put it up as a reminder. If you're looking for something a little more elaborate, this recipe for stuffed squash is really good too.

Roasted Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash
1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) salted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Slice your acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds. Place your two halves on a cookie sheet, skin down. Place in the oven on middle rack for 20 minutes.

While the acorn squash is roasting, mix your butter and sugar together to form a paste. Take out the squash once it has been in the oven for 20 minutes. Place the butter-sugar paste in the cavities of the squash, making sure to divide the paste evenly. Place the squash back in the oven for 40-60 minutes, until the flesh is tender.

Remove from oven. Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter and sugar mixture all over the flesh of the squash. Allow the squash to cool for five minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

A Project Person

2011-11-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

I'm finally starting to feel better after being sick for nearly a week, and I'm so glad. I was able to do lots of reading and movie watching, but I was otherwise completely useless.

Before I got sick, I went on a huge knitting spree. I made several more Autumns after finishing my first hat. That super bulky stuff gets addictive because you can work through projects so quickly, and although I enjoy the process of knitting (now that I actually sorta know how), I'm definitely a 'project knitter' at heart. In fact, when it comes to making things, I've discovered I'm quite the project-person in general. I like reaching the finish line with my work. Unfinished objects stress me out because they make me feel like I'm not accomplishing anything.

Next on my agenda are Suzie's Reading Mitts. These are another project not on my to-do list, but I find my hands get quite cold while reading in bed, even when everything else is bundled up. The name of these mitts immediately attracted my attention for that reason, but I also think they're pretty cute.

Sore Throat Remedy

2011-11-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

I recently found an interesting recipe for a sore throat remedy on HomeLife, and since I was dealing with a sore throat myself, I decided to give it a try. Aside from tasting delicious, it actually did ease my sore throat for awhile. Plus, it's warm and steamy, and I'm currently living off hot beverages to keep from freezing in this cold weather we're having (we finally had to give in and turn on our heater yesterday).

Anyway, I decided to make 'get well' gifts out of the idea, which I'll be posting about soon for My Own Labels, but I also wanted to share the recipe here since so many people are getting sick right now and it might be of some use.

Sore Throat Remedy from Homelife

2-4 slices of lemon
2cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced
A handful of mint sprigs
1-2 cinnamon sticks
Freshly boiled water
Teapot or boil-resistant jug
Honey, to taste

Infuse the lemon, mint, ginger, and cinnamon in boiling water for 5 minutes. Pour into mug and add honey to sweeten and soothe the throat.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

Every year, I tell myself that I'll plan for Halloween well in advance; that I'll make myself an amazing costume and join in on the festivities. And every year, October comes around and I find myself completely unmotivated. It's not that I don't like Halloween - I love pumpkins, candy, pretending, and dressing up - but I have yet to think of a costume idea that really inspires me. Honestly, I think that Halloween is a holiday I could really get into, but that sorta thing requires a certain amount of dedication on my part. I wouldn't want to contribute haphazardly.

But just because I'm not joining in on the costumed festivities this year doesn't mean I can't celebrate Halloween in my own little way. I made these jumbo Brown Butter Pumpkin Muffins specifically for the occasion, which instantly put me in the spirit of things. So tonight, I'll be passing out candy, and watching movies with a few friends who also forgot their costumes this year.

Whether you're all dressed up, or hangin' low like me, I hope you have a happy Halloween!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 12 regular or 6 jumbo muffins.

1/2 cup (one stick) butter
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons maple syrup (I used grade B)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or:
     1 tsp. cinnamon
     1/2 tsp. ground ginger
     1/4 tsp. cloves
     1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F, and line or grease your muffin tins. You can use either your standard muffin tin or jumbo sized.

Place the stick of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to stir occasionally until the butter has turned a golden brown color and gives off a nutty scent. Remove from heat, and allow the butter to cool for five minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the butter, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, eggs and maple syrup. In another bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, spices, salt, baking soda and the brown sugar. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, and stir until the mixture has just combined. Add any chopped nuts or dried fruits that you'd like, and fold in with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Divide the batter evenly in the cups of your baking tin, and bake in the middle of your oven for 20-25 minutes for the standard muffin tin, or 30-40 minutes for the jumbo-sized tin. Check to see if the muffins are done by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done.

Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, and serve. Enjoy!

Adapted from Pumpkin Walnut Muffins from Epicurious.

Current Fall Faves

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Homemade caramel popcorn.

Roasted pumpkin and butternut squash.

Episodes of Felicity (and Keri Russel's amazing curly hair).

Knitting/Crocheting with Matt while watching Harry Potter.

Card games with friends, especially Pinochle.

Cuddling with the fluffy feline.

Sweet Potatoes.

Good Books.

Hot soup.

Autumn

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my first knitted hat! This pattern is called Autumn by Jane Richmond (she's one of my favorite designers). I've talked about it before here, back in August when I first started teaching myself to knit. It only takes a few hours to make, and it's super cozy. I particularly love slouchy hats like this because they stay on my curly-haired head a lot better than most others.

I plan on making another hat just like it in this tweedy barley color that I picked up over the weekend. I will eventually get around to those other projects on my list, but I have to allow myself a slight deviation from the plan here and there. It's my way of living on the edge.

From the Garden

2011-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Monday was a really beautiful 70°F and sunny day, so Matt and I went outside to clean off our back patio area, retiring our container garden for the year. I can now safely say that I'm glad we gave container gardening another chance this summer, because all of our tomatoes, peppers and herbs produced impressively. We may experiment with cover crops over these cooler seasons to preserve the nutrition of our soil, but we're not entirely sure how much longer we'll be staying in this apartment, so it might not be worth the time and effort.

Anyway, we harvested the last of our tomatoes, and transplanted some of our herbs into pots for the windowsill in our kitchen. They smell amazing and make me want to cook all the time, and they look pretty next to the carnations Matt brought home a few days ago.

Speaking of cooking, I finally got around to buying Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. People have been telling me that I need to buy this cookbook for ages, so I finally did some research on it and decided they were probably right. I'm planning to curl up on the sofa with some tea to give it a good read-through tonight. I always like to make a list of all the recipes I want to try with new cookbooks I like. It's one of my favorite things.

Knit and Crochet

2011-10-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking Okay, as soon as I'm done with this [insert simple knitted project here], I'm going to put the needles/hook down and teach myself how to sew. But then I see all of these beautiful patterns, and I can't resist! I'm not the type of person who can have 15 different projects going at once without feeling a little insane (and broke), so maybe the sewing thing can wait until after the holidays.

These are just a few of the many projects I'm planning to start before the year ends:

The Bandana Cowl by Purl Soho

Hawthorne by Susanna IC

Spiral Flower Headband/Earwarmer by Shana Galbraith (Or any simple earwarmer, for that matter.)

The Beekeeper's Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits (Hexipuffs!)

And felted garland + knitted Christmas stockings! From Small Bird.

Nutmeg Honey Ice Cream

2011-10-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

I ran into a recipe for honey and toasted nutmeg ice cream over at Seven Spoons the other day, and was immediately drawn in. Matt and I have only just started experimenting with homemade ice cream after receiving our ice cream maker attachment as a wedding gift last month, and it's definitely one of my new favorite toys.

This may seem like the wrong season to dive into ice cream experimentation, but you need something to go with all of those holiday pies, right? And this flavor is perfect. The combination of honey and nutmeg is truly delicious.

Sometimes I'll add a tiny pinch of cinnamon to mix up the flavor, but it's best if the nutmeg is allowed to shine. Definitely make this if you own an ice cream maker. And if you don't? Well, I won't tell you that you're missing out, but...

Nutmeg Honey Ice Cream

1 whole nutmeg
Tiny pinch of cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup liquid honey
6 egg yolks
Pinch of salt

Grate 3/4 of the nutmeg into a small skillet. Add a really small pinch of cinnamon (optional), and toast the spices on medium heat until they become aromatic (2-3 minutes). Take the spices off the heat, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add the milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and the rest of the ungrated nutmeg. Heat over medium until just before it boils, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and allow the nutmeg to steep for 10 minutes.

Prepare the sugar, honey, egg yolks and salt by whisking them together in a bowl. Pour a small amount of the milk mixture (about half a cup or so) into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream while whisking the entire time. Transfer, while whisking, all of the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the mixture thickens (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the remaining cup of heavy cream and the toasted spices.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled. Once the mixture is cold throughout, pour it into a 1qt (or larger) ice cream maker, and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Leaf-Shaped

2011-10-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

I bought a set of leaf-shaped cookie cutters last month to make pretty shapes for the top of our wedding pies. I was really happy with the way they turned out, so I'll be using them for all of our holiday pies too. And for lots and lots of leaf-shaped cookies.

Yesterday was cold, so I baked a batch of these sugar cookies in an effort to warm things up. I seriously can't believe how quickly things are cooling down around here. All of our windows are perma-closed now, and I'm feeling a bit underlayered, like maybe I need to make myself a bunch of socks and scarves and hats before winter.

Now that we're inside all day, our home is feeling a little grimy and cluttered, so I'm on a mission to get things in order. Our kitchen is the only room in our home that I don't want to completely rearrange and scrub down. Anyone else in fall-cleaning mode?

Striped Scarf

2011-10-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting away at this striped scarf over the weekend. I really like this project because it's mindless enough that I can easily work on it while watching a film, but the color combinations are exciting enough to keep me interested. It's also really soft.

The weather is supposed to shift quite a bit here in the next week or so. We're going to get lots of rain and cooler weather, so I guess we should salvage all of the tomatoes we possibly can before they rot. Maybe I'll even try fried green tomatoes for the first time, or green tomato chutney.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

2011-09-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, instead of buying pumpkin pie spice at the store, I've been making up my own concoction based on the flavors I'm really looking for. I make a large enough batch to last through the autumn months, and not just for pumpkin pies, but for apple pies, apple butter, spiced hot chocolates and teas as well. I usually roast the spices whole before grinding them into a powder, but sometimes I don't. Either way, making this at home has given me the opportunity to use the freshest spices available to me, and it really affects the flavor.

This is the ratio of spices that I used this year, but you can tweak the amounts (or omit a spice you don't like) to suit your taste. I'm giving these measurements in powder form because whole spices vary in size, but this is about how much powder was yielded from my whole spices this year:

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Mix well until all of the spices are evenly distributed. Store in an airtight container, and use within two to three months for fresh results.

Apple-Honey Custard Pie

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Matt's parents gave us two buckets of apples over the weekend, so I've had apple butter on my mind. But before I started the process of coring, peeling and chopping, I wanted to make an apple pie! Or two.

So yesterday I was flipping through my cookbooks, and came across a recipe for Apple-Honey Custard Pie. I was a little skeptical at first because sliced apples in custard could potentially be a textural disaster, but I overcame my fears because the recipe looked so incredibly simple: slice a couple apples into small bits, toss the rest of the ingredients into a blender, pour over the apples, chuck it into the oven and bake! Easy, right?

It was. And the texture? Kind of amazing, especially with a layer of chopped pecans on top. I really think this pie could contend with most other holiday pies, it's that good. And it goes especially well with a nice, hot mug of homemade spiced chai.

Have I mentioned that this is my favorite time of year, food-wise?

Apple-Honey Custard Pie
Your favorite pie crust for a 9" pie.
2 cups peeled and thinly sliced tart apples
4 large eggs
3/4 cup honey (I used 1/4 cup honey + 1/2 cup maple syrup)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Handful of chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds (optional).

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 9" pie pan with your favorite pie crust. My favorite recipe for pie crust is here. Spread the sliced apples evenly on top of your pie shell.

Add the rest of the ingredients to your blender, and blend until well combined. Pour the contents of the blender on top of the apples. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on top (optional), and bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is solid.

Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.

Recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.

Dish Scrubbies

2011-09-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

These dish scrubbies have been really fun to make. I memorized the pattern after making the first one, so the rest have been mindlessly crocheted while watching my favorite fall shows this week. So far, I've made about ten 3-inch scrubbies, and have enough tulle to make another ten or so in this color. Fun stuff!

If you find yourself in a mess of tulle and want to try making yourself some scrubbies, click here. You may have to register with Ravelry to access it, but it's free and awesome, so you totally might as well.

Balls of Tulle

2011-09-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am currently tackling the giant pile of tulle Matt and I used for decorating the arbor at our wedding. I've been slowly working away at it over the last few days, cutting long strips and rolling them into little balls so I can crochet them into dish scrubbers over the weekend. We'll see how it goes!

Have a good weekend, and a happy first day of fall!

End of Summer

2011-09-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

When Matt and I left Portland for our honeymoon, it was 90°F outside. I don't know why we hadn't thought to pack proper beach attire, especially because we're both familiar with the weather on the Oregon Coast, but once we arrived, we hopped out of the car and immediately pulled extra clothes from our bags to bundle up.

Having a whole week to ourselves at the beach was so very needed and appreciated, and such a great way to end the summer. And then our week was up, and it was time to head back to reality. It seems we took the beach weather home with us, though, because it was cool and rainy when we got back into town. It truly feels like the end of a season, which is a little sad because this summer has been really special to me, but I'm definitely ready for fall.

I have few snippets of what the end of summer looks like around here, such as cracking open our first jar of dilly beans. The flavor isn't totally ripe (it takes about two months to fully ripen), but they're still so, so good, and I'm left wondering if 99 pints is really enough.

And apples from Matt's parent's apple trees. Speaking of apples, there are two apple trees on my walking route that never seem to get picked, but because they're in the middle of the street, I don't know who I could ask about gathering the apples for myself. I think I'm going to have to figure it out, though, because it's such a colossal waste of delicious apple butter waiting to happen.

And experiments with the food dehydrator. This year, I've made dehydrated cherry tomatoes and peppers, both of which are really tasty on top of homemade pizza. I'm thinking I might try dehydrated garlic next for homemade garlic powder.

Anyway, Matt and I are glad to be back. Fall is always such an inspiring season for me, so I'm very excited for things to come.

Tomatoes

2011-09-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Finally! We've had ripe tomatoes for the last week or so, but we've been too busy with the wedding to enjoy them. I really hope the plants are still healthy by the time we get back from our honeymoon...

Current Pickle Count:
-99 pints of dilly beans
-26 pints of bread & butter pickles
-19 quarts of dill pickles

Also, Matt calculated that we have 40.75 gallons of pickles total.

Hope you all have an awesome weekend/week! I'll be soaking my toes in the sand, and eating lots of seafood. :)

Wedding Wednesday!

2011-09-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I definitely should have known:

1. I would not have time to take photos.

2. I would start crying halfway down the aisle once I saw Matt playing his guitar.

3. The generosity of everyone involved would make the whole day one of the most amazing and unforgettable experiences Matt and I have ever had.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Day Before

2011-09-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

We had our combined bachelor/bachelorette party last night. We had dinner at Swagat (I'm eating leftover biriyani for breakfast!) followed by karaoke in a private room at Voicebox with lots of good company. It was so fun! Of course, my vocal cords are completely shot after a group round of Bohemian Rhapsody...

Today we're off to rehearse the ceremony, followed by a barbecue with family and friends. But first, I woke up extra early this morning just so I could have an hour or two to myself with my morning cuppa joe.

It's all finally happening! We're gettin' hitched, and I'm so excited! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I know I will. :)

Monday

2011-08-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

This might seem a little strange, but Matt and I are trying to squeeze in as many pickle making days as we can before the wedding. Do we have time for this? Hah. Not really...

The current pickle count:
-12 quarts of garlic dill pickes.
-7 pints of bread and butter pickles.
-60 pints of dilly beans.

We're hoping to double those numbers by the end of the summer, but we'll see what happens. With five days to go before the wedding, we're on a pickle moratorium.

Oh, and by the way? The weather channel says that Saturday is supposed to be 91°F, which is pretty much the hottest day of the week, and one of the hottest days we've had here in the Portland metro area this summer. I had to snicker a little when I saw that.

Focaccia

2011-08-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

I made up an herb-y pizza dough on Monday, thinking we'd bake a couple simple pizzas for dinner once the sun retired and the weather cooled a bit. But then Matt came home from work with some steak for the grill, so I tossed the dough in the refrigerator, and set to work on making kabobs.

As for the pizza dough? I turned it into focaccia bread, which is something I've never made before despite how incredibly simple it is to prepare. I pressed the dough into an oiled, square baking dish, and drizzled it with olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped kalmata olives, torn basil, sun dried tomatoes and asiago cheese. Not to mention, the dough itself was already flavorful with herbs. After baking for 25 minutes in the oven at 400°F, the focaccia was out on the cooling racks, awaiting our eager mouths.

It's times like these that I scratch my head and wonder, "What took me so long?" 'Cause this stuff is good, and it's even easier to assemble than pizza. I've been cutting it into squares, and slicing it in half for simple sandwiches filled with tomatoes, shaved red onion, and a little mayonnaise. Oh, and it goes well with a tall glass of homemade chai.

In the Garden

2011-08-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

A frog friend living under the petunia, and what appears to be our first ripening tomato (finally).

Spiced Chai Concentrate

2011-08-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

I've had this recipe for homemade spiced chai concentrate bookmarked since January, but I finally got around to making up a batch this morning. The verdict? Delicious. It's easy to make and smells delicious, too. I only made a couple of changes to the recipe, reducing the amount of sugar and ginger to suit my tastes.

Spiced Chai Concentrate
4 1/2 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
7 whole cardamom pods
2 whole star anise pods
10 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange zest
10 bags of black tea
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vanilla

Prepare the spices and the tea, and set aside. Bring the water to a boil, and remove from heat. Add the spices and the tea bags, and allow the mixture to steep for 15 minutes.

Strain the mixture into a 4-cup glass measuring cup or large bowl, discarding the spices. Add the sugar, honey and the vanilla, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

To serve, mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part milk. Heat for a warm beverage, or pour over ice to enjoy cold.

From TheCatNipCat's recipe on the Tasty Kitchen Blog.

In the works.

2011-08-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

After knitting six dishcloths last week, I decided it was time to move on, so I've started on a hat project called Autumn by Jane Richmond. I've had a ball of super bulky yarn laying around since Christmas 2010, so this project seemed perfect. The only problem is that the brim calls for size 11 needles, which I have, and size 13 needles for the rest, which I don't have. I guess I could go to the store for the 13's, but I really like my nickel plated interchangeables from KnitPicks, and I promised myself I wouldn't order anything else non-wedding until, well... after the wedding! It's a conundrum.

In other news, the green beans are finally ready for picking and pickling. I've been waiting for them quite impatiently. The urge to pickle things is bad this year, so I'm glad to say that we accomplished 19 jars of dilly beans two nights ago, and I can't wait for more pickle action.

Tomato Jam

2011-08-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've been curious about tomato jam ever since I saw the recipe on Marisa McClellan's blog, Food in Jars, so I gave it a whirl last week with some tomatoes I brought home from the farmer's market. I wish I could say I used my own tomatoes, but they're still green as green can be.

Anyway, this tomato jam stuff is really nice. I love it on crackers with a little mozzarella and fresh basil from the garden.

Strawberry Fruit Leather

2011-08-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Remember those strawberries I picked up from the farmer's market over the weekend? Well, I used them to whip up some homemade fruit leather yesterday, and it's really, really tasty. Check out the recipe from Simply Recipes here. You can follow Elise's guide for fruit leather using all sorts of fruit - not just strawberries.

If you're one of those observant types, you may have noticed a dwindling in my Wedding Wednesday posts for this month. Well, now that the wedding is almost here, I've decided to leave the rest of the planning as a surprise, but I may still post a thing or two here and there. And, of course, I'll post pictures of the big event itself once the wedding is over. What a happy relief that will be!

But for now, I've got vows to write and more paper bouquets to construct.

Monday

2011-08-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

I gave myself a break from the normal routine last week. Aside from spending all of my time in the sun, my only crafty projects were these waffle knit dishcloths. They're great for a beginner like me, and we were in need of a few more dishcloths around the house. As far as knitting goes, I'm still not very familiar with holding needles (as opposed to a crochet hook), but it's going smoother than before, with less random holes and dropped stitches in the middle of my work.

On Saturday, Matt and I visited the Gladstone farmer's market for the first time. We were lucky enough to catch the tail end of a parade on the main drag, so there were people everywhere. The market itself is tiny compared to most I've seen, taking up a modest parking lot and the corner of the neighboring street. It was kind of endearing, actually. I think we'll walk there again next Saturday to see what's new.

We picked up some strawberries and a bag of tomatoes. The guy at the stand said that these were the first tomatoes of the season, and they were going fast! I couldn't help myself and brought home about 3lbs worth. There's a recipe for tomato jam I've been dying to try, so I'll let you know how that goes very soon.

In the garden.

2011-07-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Just a teensy bit longer, and we'll be eating tiny tomatoes every night. I can't wait!

Matt surprised me a few days ago by bringing home a kiddie pool. He must've read this post. We promptly filled it with water and soaked our feet with margaritas in hand. It wasn't particularly warm that night, but who cares. I love this thing.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-07-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Style Me Pretty

W.Scott Chester Photography

NanaCompany

Anna Joyce Design

Map Folded Flowers from Papervine

Eat pie, love and be content. From PippiJewelry

You are the apple of my pie. From PippiJewelry.

Over the weekend.

2011-07-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

The weather was beautiful for my bridal shower on Saturday. The games were awesome, the food was delicious, and the kiddie pool was nice and refreshing. In fact, I might have to invest in a little kiddie pool for myself at home. It'd be nice to dip my feet when it's really hot outside.

Then yesterday, Matt and I packed up our blanket and sunglasses for Edgefield to see the Fleet Foxes perform. It was such a magical experience, and left both of us with goosebumps all over. I won't forget that concert anytime soon. I really look forward to seeing them again in the future.

I've been laying all of my wedding-related crafts aside this week. Instead, I'm re-teaching myself how to knit, and finding small, stripey crochet projects to use up all of my leftover yarn. It's been a nice break, but I really should get back to all-things wedding. We've got just over a month to go!

Sunflowers

2011-07-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Matt brought home these sunflowers to make up for the lack of sun. I think they're beautiful. I really don't mind the clouds and rain today - perfect weather for crochet and reading.

Honey Oat Bread

2011-07-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

It really doesn't feel like summer right now in Portland, Oregon. It's cool and rainy, and it plans to stay that way for another day or two. Lucky for me, I've been on a huge sandwich kick, and the weather is perfect for baking bread.

I came across this particular bread recipe in one of my cookbooks. It used to be that whenever I needed a recipe, I'd do a quick online search and find whatever I needed. Nowadays, however, I find myself turning to my cookbooks for almost everything. This recipe is from Bon Appetit, but it's listed online here if you'd like to try it yourself.

I made a slight change in the ingredients, using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. I also used a bread machine to knead my dough, but if you want the instructions to knead your dough by hand, visit the link:

Honey-Oat Bread
Makes two loaves.

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon dry yeast
3/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 or 5 cups whole wheat flour

1 large egg, beaten
Additional oats

Pour the water and the yeast into the bowl of your bread machine. Stir and wait five to ten minutes until the yeast has dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients, and turn your machine to the dough setting. Let the machine run its cycle.

Oil two 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Remove the dough from the bread machine and divide into two equal portions. Shape the portions into two loaves, and place one loaf in each loaf pan. Cover and let sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove the cover. Prepare an egg-wash by beating an egg. Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg and sprinkle with oats. Bake in a 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes.

Cape Meares

2011-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

My friends and I drove out to the beach on Saturday. We went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and visited the Cape Meares Lighthouse and the famous Octopus Tree (which, sadly, you cannot climb). This is the third year in a row that we've driven to Cape Meares for a beach picnic, but it was the first time the tide was out far enough for us to climb the rocks and explore. There were sea anemones, starfish, and lots of different shallow water dwelling sea life. If the tide had been out just a little further, we could've explored the caves. Maybe next time.

I forgot to bring my camera, but I had my phone with me, so I passed it to my friend to take the photo of the starfish. I've seen lots of starfish, but this was probably the largest I've ever come across. It was the size of a serving plate, with a purple-red hue.

We were soaked from head to toe from the rain and the ocean's water before we were ready to head back, and when we returned home, Matt and I fell asleep almost immediately. I think we slept for a good 10 to 11 hours, and woke up wishing we were back at the beach.

Oven Baked Fries

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

After my successful attempt with oven-baked onions rings, I decided I wanted to give baked fries a try. I used this super simple recipe for inspiration, and tweaked it by cutting mine a little slimmer and adding a pinch of rosemary. Delicious!

Matt always makes fun of me because I am the kind of person who must dip fries in some sort of condiment. My favorite is ketchup mixed with a grainy mustard, but I'll try all sorts of mixtures. I always snicker a little when he starts dipping his fries into my condiment concoctions. Once he starts, he can't stop.

Speaking of condiments, I made some homemade barbecue sauce for a post I wrote over at My Own Labels. I think I might never buy another barbecue sauce again. Seriously.

A few happy things.

2011-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

White carnations.

Upcoming trips to the beach.

Harry Potter! With friends.

Bright red strawberry freezer jam for breakfast.

Coffee.

Lobelia.
Sleeping in 'til 10am.
You?

Wedding Wednesday

2011-07-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

The weather was cool and rainy yesterday, so I had a friend over to help me make paper flowers. I recently posted about these as DIY wedding inspiration, if you remember. Here's the tutorial from JDC if any of you are interested in making a little bouquet for yourself. They're so easy! And beautiful.

We spent all of our time cutting, rolling and gluing the tops, but we plan to get together again soon to make the leaves and stems. I want lots of these paper flower bouquets for the wedding. :)

Herb-Infused Vodka

2011-07-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

Last Monday, I infused some vodka with rosemary and mint from our garden. I let them sit in the cupboard for a week, and removed all of the solids. I think I like the mint a little better than the rosemary.

I'm trying to think of what else to do with all this mint we've been growing. Mint chutney, mint-infused simple syrup, mint-infused whipped cream over chocolate cake...

The Garden

2011-07-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

With all of the pleasant weather we've been having, our tomato and pepper plants are going crazy with blossoms. I know it's early, but I can't help but check for fruit. I'm very much looking forward to tomatoes.

Matt and I broke down the other day and bought a basil plant from the store. The basil seeds we planted in the spring have sprouted, but they're growing slowly, and we're impatient. I picked some of the leaves today and made a walnut pesto for pizza tomorrow.

It's so nice to have pesto again. I think I ran out of my stock sometime in January.

Summer Hobby?

2011-07-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Despite this being the wrong season, and having a million other things to do, I find myself curling up on the couch every evening before bed to crochet. Most of my projects are gifts that I can't share here (yet), but I've also made a couple simple things for myself.

I'm definitely still a newbie to the art, but I'm getting better. Which is a good thing, because I find crochet extremely addictive. I may even try my hand at a crocheted garment soon... Y'know, after the wedding.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

100 Layer Cake, via Pinterest.

Clever Nettle

Via Pinterest from Navajo-Moon

By Broken Sundowns via ArtPixie

Project Wedding

Via Jessica Renaud

Gardens of Whimsy

I think I would prefer flowers in my hair to a veil.

Oven Baked Onion Rings

2011-07-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

After experimenting around last night, I came up with a recipe for oven baked onion rings that is almost as satisfying as its deep-fried counterpart. And considering how much healthier these onion rings are, I'd say it's worth the effort to make them at home, and would be a great side for your 4th of July barbecue.

Oven Baked Onion Rings

1 large yellow onion
Flour
Milk or Buttermilk
1 box Panko bread crumbs
1 tsp Salt

Grease or line a cookie sheet, and preheat your oven to 400°F.

Peel your onion, and hold it lengthwise to make slices 3/4" to 1"-inch apart. Separate the rings into a bowl or plastic zip lock bag, and dredge with flour until all of the rings are evenly coated.

Set up two more bowls. In the first bowl, add your milk or buttermilk until the liquid is about 1-inch deep. Fill the second bowl halfway with the breadcrumbs. Add the salt, and stir to combine.

Each flour-coated onion ring must first be dipped in the bowl with the milk/buttermilk, and then immediately dipped into the bowl with the Panko bread crumbs. Make sure that the insides and outsides of the onion ring are evenly coated with breadcrumbs, and then place on the cookie sheet. Repeat the process for all of the onion rings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the onion rings are golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite condiments.

White Pizza

2011-07-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've been making white pizza a lot lately. It's really simple. Drizzle your dough with olive oil, and spread a light coating of the following ingredients: Parmesan cheese, freshly cracked pepper, pepper flakes, fresh herbs from the garden (I used rosemary and basil), prosciutto, chevre, mozzarella, and tomatoes.

So good.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-06-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday already? Time seems to be moving just a smidge too fast for me this week. Actually, this whole month has gone by in a breeze. Anyone else feeling like June went by too fast?

I've been getting a lot done, thankfully! Though now that the wedding is almost two months away, I'm starting to feel like I'm a little behind on things. In the end, I have a feeling that our wedding will either be under-decorated due to miscalculations (or lack of calculation, really), or heavily over-decorated. I'm shooting for the latter, of course. So this week, I'm hunting down some fairly simple papercrafts:

Rolled Paper Flowers from Jones Design Co.

Paper Flags by WeddingChicks.

HomeLife's Fairy Lights via The Bride's Diary

Rosettes from Donna Salazar.

Living with Lindsay's Vintage Paper Wreath via The Bride's Diary.

Can you guys tell that I have a thing for paper wreaths? I honestly didn't know I was obsessed with them until I started making plans for my wedding.

Enjoy the rest of June!

Thirsty.

2011-06-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, now that it's officially summer, it's time to add a few cold beverage recipes to my to-do list. And all of these beautiful images have me seriously salivating:

Horchata from Simple Comfort Food

Honey Mint Julep via Design Sponge

Cucumber-Rosemary Gin and Tonics via The Kitchn

Mint Lemonade from Martha Stewart

Honeydew Hefeweizen Smoothie from Eva at Adventures in Cooking

And Homemade Ginger Ale via The Kitchn

Wedding Wednesday

2011-06-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

I finally made my pinwheels! I'll admit, these were a little frustrating for me at first because, 1. I didn't have a wire cutter, 2. The dowels had a tendency to split whenever I'd use a push pin to create a hole, and 3. I couldn't figure out how to get them to spin! I eventually had to refine my methods and acquire all of the necessary tools, after which the task became quite addicting. All I can say about making homemade pinwheels is that it takes plenty of patience, practice and experimentation.

I've made approximately 50 of these pinwheels so far. I still plan to add some embellishments, but I think they have a lot of potential.

I also made some crocheted flower hairclips for me and my bridal party this week. I glued the hairclips to the bottom with a hot glue gun, and added my favorite wooden buttons to the top.

I think they're kinda perfect.

Pie in a Jar

2011-06-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, everyone! I finally jumped on the pie-in-a-jar bandwagon and loved it so much that I wrote a post for the recipe over at My Own Labels. Check it out if you're interested.

In other news, today is my 27th birthday! Matt bought me the best birthday present ever: concert tickets to see the Fleet Foxes next month. I'm so excited!

In the Garden

2011-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

These are all from our back patio area. Everything seems to be taking off! Even the basil is sprouting, and our tomatoes have blossoms on them already. I say 'already' because last June's rain stunted the growth of our plants so much that we didn't see tomato blossoms until well into July.

I'm particularly excited about the Lobelia! This is the first time we've had flowers and veggies. We were going to plant vegetables in our little makeshift garden box, but all of the neighborhood cats used it as a you-know-what, so we didn't think it was a good idea to grow anything edible from its tainted soil.

I'm also excited because Matt went out to his Grandpa's place last weekend to plant more tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and beans. I haven't had time to to see any of it yet, but I'm very curious about how everything is growing. I can't wait to start pickling things this year. It seems that no matter how many jars of pickles we make, there's never enough.

As for our first garden harvest...

A little dill, lettuce, cilantro and mint. I made a salad (obviously), salsa, and some mint tea, which is fast becoming one of my favorite things.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-06-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

I believe Matt and I have finally settled on our wedding theme as lying somewhere between barn and garden. Barn because we want our guests to come wearing their best barn attire: overalls, coveralls, flannel, straw hats and flip-flops. I'd add boots to the list, but I think the weather will be a little too warm for that in September. And garden because I'm finding tons of irresistible garden-inspired wedding projects. For example, here are some images of inspiration for wedding favors:

Tree Sapling Favors from Wedding Bee Pro

Rosemary Favors from Ruffled

Homemade Jam Favors by TheKnot

Tulip Tree-to-Be from Project Wedding

Organic Birdseed Favors from Dream Green Weddings

Mint Tea

2011-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mint Tea
15-20 fresh mint leaves
3(ish) cups water
Green tea (optional)

Gently rinse the leaves to remove dirt and debris, and set aside. Boil the water in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and add the leaves, allowing the mint to steep for 4-5 minutes. If desired, add a tea bag or infuser of green tea for 3 minutes. Strain the liquid into mugs and enjoy.

2011-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

My dad and his wife asked me to house-sit for their animals while they went on a cruise last week. Lucky for me, their place is amazing. I felt like I was on a little vacation of my own.

There were stalls to muck, and animals to feed, but once the chores were done, all that was left was the river.

Matt was able to join me halfway through. We spent most of our time outside, playing guitar (him), crocheting (me), and cooking on the grill. I even developed a mildly distinguishable tan.

And now we're back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Checking In

2011-06-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello! I'm still out of town, spending most of my time mucking horse stalls, crocheting and soaking in the hot tub. Speaking of crochet, do any of you have a Ravelry account? I've had my account for awhile, but have only recently begun exploring the project pages, groups/forums, and all of the available patterns. It's addicting.

Anyway, just thought I'd pop in and say hello real quick. It feels weird to go a whole week without posting, but it's also really nice to be on a vacation of sorts. Though, I consider this more of a "work-cation." Matt and the Fluffy Feline will be joining me here tomorrow afternoon, and then the real work shall begin: homemade pinwheels!

Anyway, I'll be back next week. Until then, I hope June is treating you well!

Monday/Memorial Day

2011-05-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

To a happy Monday and a thoughtful Memorial Day. I'll be out of town, and (possibly) unplugged for the next week and a half, but I hope to have many things to share with you when I get back. Until then!

Wedding Wednesday

2011-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have been really busy this week with wedding projects, but I don't get to share them with you until they're camera-ready. All I can say is that I'm really, really excited!

This week, I came across some images of inspiration for a few simple wedding DIYs. The best part? I already have all or most of the materials required to make them. I love it when that happens.

Ring pillows via The Ritzy Bee Blog

Dried flowers and herbs from Design Sponge.

Flags made of washi tape via Pinksuedeshoe.

Drinking jars with name tags via Ruffled

Sheet music backdrop by Pobke Photography via Postcards and Pretties.

In the Garden

2011-05-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is less than one month away. I know this because the first full day of summer is June 21st, the day after my birthday. This is now one of my favorite times of the year (I can't pick just one!) because things are sprouting and growing, and the dirt isn't soppy and wet anymore.

Yesterday was a little rainy, but Matt and I went out to the local farmer's market, and then worked out in the garden all day. After we were done, we lit up the barbecue. I had to bring out my blanket and a hot cup of tea, but it was really nice. Especially after the coals in the grill were red enough to warm my feet.

As for our garden, the lettuce and Thyme seeds that we planted last weekend have sprouted.

Our whole backyard area is really shady, so we have to be strategic with where we place our planters. I'm still not sure we have the right conditions to grow tomatoes and peppers, but we're going to give it another try. Last year was a huge failure, but that was mostly the weather's fault.

This year, we're planning to grow some of our vegetables out at Matt's grandfather's place, which will make things a lot easier for us. They have a beautiful (and huge!) garden, and I'm so glad they're willing to share part of it with us.

We'll probably plant some beans and cucumbers for pickles, and we'll plant most of our tomatoes out there, too. But for our apartment, we decided to try a couple cherry tomato varieties: Yellow Pear and Riesentraube.

We also transplanted some dill, and planted our chive and chamomile seeds. A lot of these herbs are first-timers for me, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Lunch

2011-05-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

My favorite way to eat tuna: mixed with homemade bread & butter pickles, dilly beans, a minced clove of garlic, salt & pepper, and just the tiniest squeeze of mayo. I rarely eat breakfast, but lunch has my utmost respect.

How do you eat your tuna?

Wedding Wednesday

2011-05-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

This week, with the help of this tutorial, I made wreaths constructed from toilet paper rolls.

I was afraid that they would look tacky, but I think they're going to fit in nicely with our wedding. Especially after I add flowers and ribbon. After the wedding, I'll try to find a way to reuse them for Christmas.

I also finished my crocheted flags...

I wasn't sure I liked them enough, so I hung them on the wall to contemplate the issue. The next morning, I came downstairs and was pleasantly surprised. I guess they're keepers!

And last but not least, Matt and I found a cute couple at the thrift store for our dessert table.

This will hopefully be one of many little pairs we make/find. We'll see!

On Sourdough

2011-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Matt and I were finally able to plant some seeds last week. The sun breaks were so nice that we spent most of our time gardening and walking around the neighborhood. I like it when the weather is warm enough during the day to open the windows. The fresh air is always welcome, even when it's raining.

I also spent some time experimenting with sourdough. I've had my homemade culture for over a year now, and I've used it every week to bake our daily bread, but I haven't gone beyond my go-to recipe (King Arthur's Rustic Sourdough Bread) until now. When I first started this process, my sourdough starter wasn't very active. As a result, I used it exclusively in recipes that called for both sourdough starter and commercial yeast. Over time, my starter has developed into something that can handle itself, so now I'm experimenting around to see how much it can do.

Right now, I'm working on a recipe for sourdough cinnamon rolls. So far, so delicious! I hope to share it with you soon.

Lemon Curd

2011-05-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

I wrote about lemon curd for My Own Labels the other day, and I wanted to share the recipe over here with you folks. Lemon curd is actually really simple to prepare. I've made it on several occasions, and will say that the recipe from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters is my favorite. I really love sour foods most of the time, but there are some lemon curd recipes that really make my mouth pucker. This recipe, however, is nice and mild, and can be used in several different ways: baked in a tart shell, spooned over scones, whipped into heavy whipping cream as a filling for cake...

I've heard that it's best to use Meyer Lemons (a cross between a lemon and an orange) for lemon curd because they're sweet, but I've never been able to find them. I bet you could mix a little freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice together to make something interesting. Or you could replace the lemons with limes.

Lemon Curd
Makes two cups, or one pint.
•4 lemons
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of butter, cut into small pieces

Grate the zest of one lemon and set aside. Juice the lemons; there should be about 1/2 cup juice. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, milk, sugar and salt together until just mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Add the butter.

Cook in a nonreactive heavy pan, stirring constantly over medium heat with a wire whisk. Continue stirring until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon, and remove from heat. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or the eggs will curdle.

Pour into clean glass jars to cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-05-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

Our wedding invitations are ready to go out this week! Whew. I think they're perfect, and I'm really excited to send them to our friends and family. A huge thank you to my friend, Rachel, who designed, printed and cut them for us.

Because our guest list is modest, I was able to stamp each address/return address by hand with my alphabet stamps. It took about two days, but I really like the way it looks. I also found a flag banner stamp from a local craft store, and used it to border the addresses.

I originally intended on buying a pre-made return address stamp, but changed my mind because of the issue regarding last names. I knew I'd be changing my name after the wedding, so I didn't want to be stuck with a stamp that carried my old last name, but I also felt it would be inappropriate to jump the gun and have the stamp made with my future last name before it was even official.

Silly details.

Anyway, we'll be sending these out this week with the 29-cent postage stamps that Matt and I found online. Each stamp has a picture of a different herb, and in case you hadn't already noticed, I'm pretty much sold on anything with herbs.

Monday

2011-05-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you had a fun Mother's Day weekend. Matt and I spent the day over at his parent's house, filling our bellies and watching The King's Speech. It was so cozy and warm over there that we had to take a quick stroll around the block (in the rain) to wake ourselves up when we got home.

Speaking of rain, I'm crossing my fingers for a little break. Matt and I have been itching to go outside and play in the dirt...

Wedding Wednesday

2011-05-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I can't believe it's already May, and that our wedding is only four months away. I have a lot to do, so today I thought I'd share some things that are inspiring me for D.I.Y. projects:

Whimsy Crown via Pinterest (if you know the original source, please let me know).

Tiered Cupcake Stand from Thefunkyshack.

Love Angels from Kikuike.

Heart Dictionary Locket from Beautyspot.

Table Settings via Style Me Pretty.

I think it'd be really neat if Matt and I could make a cupcake stand, table settings, and cake toppers in similar styles. As for the whimsy crown and necklace? I may have to treat myself as a reward for all the hard work. :)

Star-Anise Scones

2011-05-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make these star-anise scones because I thought they'd go really well with the lemon curd that I made last week (recipe coming soon). They so did.

I'll be honest, these scones are somewhat of a triumph for me. I've never liked the taste of anise, licorice or fennel seeds, but lately I've been craving hints of the flavor. It's pleasantly surprising!

Now, if only I could change my feelings about beets...

I've found that there aren't many foods I don't like. There are, however, objectionable methods of food preparation. But I find that most foods have 'delicious potential,' and that's a hopeful thought. Maybe someday I'll find the right way to prepare those dreadful beets that everyone claims to love so much. I'm (trying to be) optimistic.

Star-Anise Scones
Recipe very slightly adapted from Bon Appétit.

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1 large egg
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground star anise
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (or 6 tablespoons) butter

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk 1/2 cup cream, egg, and lemon peel in medium bowl. Whisk flour and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Using large holes of box grater, grate butter over dry ingredients. Using fingertips, blend until coarse meal forms. Add raisins and cream mixture. Stir until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Turn out onto floured surface; knead just until dough comes together.

Pat out dough to 1/2-inch-thick round. Using 2-inch-diameter cutter, cut out scones. Gather dough scraps; press out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut out additional scones. Transfer to baking sheet.

Brush tops of scones with 2 tablespoons cream; sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2011-05-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to see the different reactions to Osama bin Laden's death. Some people are overjoyed, disgusted, indifferent... I find that such strong reactions in either direction make me tense.

Chicken Kofta Curry

2011-04-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

This week, I made Chicken Kofta Curry, which is a dish that consists of chicken meatballs (or 'koftas') that are cooked in a flavorful gravy. It's served over Basmati rice, and garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

The recipe I used for this dish comes from Show me the Curry, which is one of my favorite resources for homemade Indian cuisine. I chose it because I wanted to experiment with the homemade Garam Masala that Matt and I made last week, and I wasn't disappointed. The only change I would make to the recipe is the method in which the koftas are prepared: instead of dropping them straight into the gravy raw, I feel it would improve their texture to first brown them in a frying pan. Either way, it's up to you. And either way, it'll taste amazing.

Koftas:
1 pound ground/minced chicken
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Curry:
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
3 cloves
1" stick of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium tomatoes (or one 15-ounce can) processed in a food processor until liquid
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cup plain yogurt
2 1/2 cups water
Fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Mix all of the ingredients for the Koftas in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Using a mortar and pestle, lightly grind the cardamom seeds and cloves until they are crushed. Heat the oil over medium in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Once the oil has warmed, add the stick of cinnamon, bay leaf, and the ground cardamom/cloves. Quickly add the onion and salt, and stir, continuing to cook over medium heat until the onion has become dehydrated and browned (10-15 minutes).

Once the onion is ready, add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute or two. Add the tomato paste and the processed tomatoes, and stir to combine. Once the oil begins to separate from the tomatoes, lower the heat to medium-low, and add the turmeric, coriander, cumin and garam masala. Cook for one minute longer.

Add the yogurt and the water, stirring continuously. Increase the heat to medium again, and allow the gravy to come to a boil. Taste and adjust the salt or spices as needed.

Remove the Kofta mixture from the refrigerator. Wet your hands with water to prevent the mixture from sticking, and form into small meatballs. Drop them into the gravy gently, making sure not to disturb them once they're submerged. (If you wish, you can brown the sides of the koftas in a frying pan before submerging them in the gravy.) Once all of the koftas are formed and are submerged, cover the pot and allow the meatballs to simmer for 25 minutes on medium-low heat.

After 25 minutes have passed, remove the lid and gently stir the mixture. Turn off the heat, and cool for five minutes. Serve over a bed of basmati rice, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Recipe from Show me the Curry.

P.S. I added 1/2 cup frozen peas the gravy, which wasn't part of the original recipe.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-04-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I wanted to turn this old rice sack into a bucket for my flower girl, so I found a promising tutorial, cut out the pattern and pinned everything together. And then it just sat there on my desk for another week until I worked up the nerve to give it a go.

I actually think it turned out okay, but it's not exactly what I want for my flower girl. I want something taller. Luckily, I still have a few yards of burlap, so I'm going to mess around with the pattern this week until it's perfect.

Chana Masala

2011-04-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

After posting the recipe for Garam Masala the other day, I thought it'd be fun to share some of my favorite ways to use it. The first recipe that comes to mind is Chana Masala, which is one of my favorites in Indian cuisine. The main ingredient for this dish is chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), which soak up all of the seasoning, and balance the notes of citrus and spice. Served over a bed of brown Basmati rice, this dish is incredibly aromatic and flavorful.

Chana Masala
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2" ginger, skinned and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot green chili pepper, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 cup diced tomotoes (or 15-ounce canned)
1/2 cup water
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (or 15-ounce canned)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Cilantro (to garnish)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the cumin seeds until they start to pop in the oil, and then immediately add the onions and the salt. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic and chile, and cook for another minute.

Add the ground coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala, and stir into the onion mixture. Quickly add the diced tomatoes with their juices, and the 1/2 cup water. Once the mixture has returned to a simmer, add the garbanzo beans and the peas. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add your desired amount of salt, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Serve hot, over cooked basmati rice, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

First Barbecue of the Year

2011-04-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

The weather over the weekend was in the mid-60's and sunny, so Matt and I made every excuse to be outside. On Friday, we took a road trip to my dad's place for some dinner, a game of Pinochle, and a movie. I wish I had brought a camera so I could show you how beautiful the view is from their deck with the river flowing by.

On Saturday, we decided it was time to clean our patio, prep our garden containers, and start up the first barbecue of the year.

Soon after we lit our modest charcoal grill, we noticed barbecue smoke rising all around us from the neighboring lots. I can only conclude that barbecues are contagious, which makes sense considering how good they smell.

I made my favorite homemade burger buns again. They're so simple if you have a bread machine for the kneading, and they taste delicious. I made quite a few, and froze half the batch to have them ready for next time.

Unfortunately, the beautiful weather only stuck around 'til Saturday, and now we're in solid rain again until sometime next week. Ah well, It was really nice while it lasted.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Matt brought these tulips home from the tulip farm the other day, and they're just now blooming! It makes me feel like I'm celebrating Easter along with everyone else, even though all I'm doing is drinking beer, listening to Motown on Pandora, and conducting stovetop experiments. But hey, that's the way I like it.

If you're looking for some pretty egg decorations, click here to see my favorites of the year.

Garam Masala

2011-04-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Garam Masala is a really basic spice mixture used for Indian cooking. It's flavorful, but not too spicy on its own, and can be added to several meat, fish and vegetable dishes. You can find it in paste or powder form at most grocery stores, but I find that it's much better to roast and grind the spices at home. The flavor is substantially more authentic and fresh.

There are many variations on the recipe for Garam Masala, but this is the formula that we've been using at home. The amount that this recipe makes will last us about a month, but you can double it if you think you'd use more, or if you'd like to give some away as a gift.

Garam Masala
1 2-inch stick of cinnamon, broken up
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon saffron (optional)

Preheat a dry, heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat.

Break the cinnamon stick into small pieces, and add to a small bowl or ramekin, along with the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, peppercorns, and cloves.

Add the spices in your bowl to the preheated skillet all at once. Stir constantly until the spices are several shades darker and give off a sweet, smoky aroma. This process should take 5-10 minutes.

Once toasted, remove the spices from the heat, and transfer back into the bowl to cool. Once room temperature, add the nutmeg and the saffron, and transfer to a coffee or spice blender to grind into a fine powder.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

SimplyMichelle - Flickr

I thought I'd show a few images of wedding inspiration this week since it's been awhile. I love the idea of using herbs in jars, or alongside our place settings. Anywhere I can find a place for them, really. And instead of a traditional wedding veil, I think I want to wear a crown of flowers. Something simple, or maybe crocheted?

Anyway, I hope you're all having a good week. I think it's going by a little too fast!

Masalas

2011-04-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Matt and I made two different masalas (ground spice mixtures) from scratch, and they're so delicious and aromatic. I'm dying to share them with you.

Hello, Friday.

2011-04-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today means: sleeping in (until 10am), coffee, writing/proofing, researching, and maybe a little sewing. It also means homemade pizza for dinner! And maybe a late night movie with Matt, and a glass of wine to start the weekend.

I feel like I've had a slow and introspective week, but I'm really glad for the balance.

Rain, rain, rain.

2011-04-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

We're feeling rather lazy here today.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-04-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello! It has been a super busy week, so I thought I'd share some of the images I've taken for our wedding thus far. Seeing it all together like this is really motivating for me. There's still so much to do, but I'm totally ready to push forward.

Crocheted Bits:

Centerpiece Ideas:

Paper Garlands:

And a few others:

Have a happy Wednesday! :)

Thrifting

2011-04-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, a friend of mine came home from Florida for few days, so she took me out around town for some thrifting. I'm trying to limit my spending, making sure that every purchase I make can somehow be used for our wedding (and beyond). Money spent is money spent, and it all adds up. I always make exceptions for pretty mugs, cutting boards, and wooden bowls though. I don't think I could forgive myself it I let a good find slip through my fingers.

I've actually done well with my rule, despite the extra thing here and there. I've been looking for second-hand linens in our wedding colors, and it's surprisingly difficult to find them in coral pink and turquoise-y shades, but I managed to return home with a decent-sized bundle last week. I also found a good apple basket, but it needs work.

We have a long list of thrifty finds to spruce up once the sun decides to stick around for awhile. I'll have to post some 'before' pictures before it's too late.

Speaking of 'before' pictures:

Matt and I finally finished this bag of brown basmati rice, and I want to do something special with the sack. I'd love to sew it into a bucket or something, but I'm still just acquainting myself with my sewing machine.

Any ideas?

Bird Catching

2011-04-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

I went through a bird-obsessed phase when I was young. It probably had something to do with my other obsession - flying. I was convinced I could figure out the impossible, and I'd spend hours constructing wings from sticks and ferns.

After begging my parents to buy me a bird, they finally taught me how to make a bird trap out of a box, a stick, a long piece of string, and some bread crumbs. I think they must have known it wouldn't work, and that the birds would only ever get close enough to tease me, but it kept me well occupied. (I'll have to remember this trick when I have kids.)

Finally I said, "Dad, the bird traps aren't working? Will you please buy me a bird?"

And he said, "Well, we can get a bird, or we can get a puppy. It's up to you."

And that was the end of my obsession with birds.

Unda-Style

2011-04-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about unda-style? It's where you cook an egg to one side of your flatbread (tortillas, crepes, etc). I first read about it from Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks, and decided to try it out with a couple corn tortillas for some unda-style breakfast quesadillas.

It was really good! I only wish I had salsa...

Wedding Wednesday

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been busy making placemats for our wedding potluck. I'm making them out of muslin and a coarse yellow fabric that I found at the thrift store. The yellow fabric used to serve as curtains, but that's all I really know about it.

I'm still not quite finished with them, which you can see from the bits left unsewn, but I like their overall look. I consider this my first real sewing project, so I'm really happy that it wasn't a total disaster. I was nervous, I'll admit.

I still have quite a few more of these to make, but I think I'll switch to some of our other wedding colors. It might be fun to give each table its own theme. Once I figure out the dimensions of our tables, I'll be sewing table linens and runners as well. Lots to do, lots to do.

As for Matt, he is making plans for a trellis. He sent me this picture to give me an idea of how he wants to build it:

I think it's going to be perfect.

Buying Seeds

2011-04-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

We don't have much planting space at our apartment, but we have a decent sized patio for container gardening, and a little dirt patch where we can plant some herbs. I ordered a few things from the SSE catalog last week, and they just arrived:

Cilantro
Chives
German Chamomile
Genovese Basil
Lettuce mix

I'd like to get some mint, and maybe some tomatoes, but those will have to wait until the farmer's markets start carrying seedlings. It'd be nice to grow a couple tomato plants on our own patio, but last summer was so strange - it rained and rained and rained. Our plants grew big, but we only had a few fruits ripen before the cold set in, and they didn't taste very good. I'm hoping we'll have better luck this upcoming season, and that we might find some friends/family who will lend us a little space.

I was looking through our pantry the other day, and found some Good Mother Stallard beans from the first garden Matt and I ever grew. We only have about a pint left from the harvest, and I know I should cook them up soon, but I'll be so sad when they're gone.

It'll be nice to have a 'real' garden of our own someday.

A Little Inspiration

2011-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I found some old books on tole and folk art at the thrift store the other day. They're mostly about painting, which isn't something I'm all that familiar with, but I think they're inspirational all the same. Here are some of my favorite images:

I also found a slip of tracing paper that the previous owner left behind. I love finding treasures like this. Had to slip it back into the book after taking this photo.

There are a few more pages up on my Flickr if you're interested in seeing more.

----------

In other news, one of my favorite bloggers - Sherri from Little House in Paradise - gave me a Stylish Blogger award last Friday. Thank you, Sherri. :)

After looking up the rules, I found that I need to list seven things that you might not know about me, and then pass the award on. This kinda reminds me of those e-mail surveys my friends and I used to send to each other. I always thought they were fun, and enjoyed reading what my friends had to say. So, instead of me tagging someone specific, just feel free to answer the questions in the comment section, or on your own blog. Here are my seven:

1. I wanted to be a horse trainer until I broke my wrist, got a concussion (or two), and sprained my back. All from riding, grooming, or falling off.
2. I go a little crazy if I'm not getting enough alone time.
3. I have a frustratingly bad memory for facts.
4. I wake up super early - 6 a.m. most mornings.
5. I dislike most store bought breads, so I bake my own.
6. I've never really liked soda, though I'll drink a ginger ale now and then.
7. I'm a total bookworm.

Your turn!