I love getting homemade food presents for Christmas. The jams featured on my slices of toast are presents I got this holiday. They are apricot and pomegranate and oh so, so, so good. Makes me want to make my own jam!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Late Breakfast
I'm starting to realize that I have to go back to work again in a few days, and school a few days after that. Before the whirlwind of school and work begins, there are so many things I wanted to get done. I think it's safe to say that some of those things are not going to happen just yet, such as the Librarian Embroidery Kit I've been working on. Instead, I have sewed a new set of curtains for my bedroom (pictures to be posted soon), baked pies, played a show with Brian, and today I have spent the entire day cleaning my kitchen and bathroom. I'm still working on cleaning the rest of my place, but I think the rest should be fairly easy in comparison to those two. It's so hard to stop and clean when I'm hardly ever home during the work/school year. My bones are arching quite a bit, and I just realized it's after 5pm! Never too late for toast and jam!
I love getting homemade food presents for Christmas. The jams featured on my slices of toast are presents I got this holiday. They are apricot and pomegranate and oh so, so, so good. Makes me want to make my own jam!
I love getting homemade food presents for Christmas. The jams featured on my slices of toast are presents I got this holiday. They are apricot and pomegranate and oh so, so, so good. Makes me want to make my own jam!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Meat Pie
What's with all the pies, right? I have to admit, I recently watched the movie, Waitress, which really got me into baking pies. This is my pie-ish attempt at an Empanada, but it's not really an Empanada, and more of a meat pie.
Pate Brisee with steak and lamb, marinated with paprika, baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. Next time, I think I will add onions, Empanada style, and also use a different dough. The Pate Brisee tasted a bit to crumbly and I think I was going for something fluffy.
Pate Brisee with steak and lamb, marinated with paprika, baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. Next time, I think I will add onions, Empanada style, and also use a different dough. The Pate Brisee tasted a bit to crumbly and I think I was going for something fluffy.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Blueberry Pie
It all started with some flour, salt, butter, and water.
A little mix here and there, and we got pie crust crumbles.
A little push and shove from my hands, and we got a ball of pie crust.
A few fresh blueberries standing by.
A little squishy with my hands, then adding sugar, lemon, cornstarch, and some flour. Putting it all together, we get this lovely mess over here.
Combine the crust and the squishy mess, and we get this.
Cut out a few stars and add them on top.
A little oven time and we have ourselves a fresh Blueberry pie!
With the extra dough, I was able to make a little Blueberry Galette!
Yum!
A little mix here and there, and we got pie crust crumbles.
A little push and shove from my hands, and we got a ball of pie crust.
A few fresh blueberries standing by.
A little squishy with my hands, then adding sugar, lemon, cornstarch, and some flour. Putting it all together, we get this lovely mess over here.
Combine the crust and the squishy mess, and we get this.
Cut out a few stars and add them on top.
A little oven time and we have ourselves a fresh Blueberry pie!
With the extra dough, I was able to make a little Blueberry Galette!
Yum!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Apple Pie
Merry Belated Christmas! I know I promised these pie pictures days ago, but I got really caught up in the holidays and lots and lots of baking! For my first pie, I think I did pretty well. I started with a few varieties of apples including: Jonagold, Granny Smith, Jazz, and Honeycrisp.
I was pretty proud of the crust. It was my first time making my own crust! I used Martha Stewart's recipe for Pate Brisee. It was a lot simpler to make than I thought it would be!
It was a nice golden brown after the oven.
I used star cookie cutters to make vents in the crust.
I ended up with some extra crust dough and apple filling, so I made a little apple galette.
After I made these pies, I made a few more, which include one more apple pie, a blueberry pie and a blueberry galette! I will post pictures of the blueberry pie/galette tomorrow. I am glad to say my 5 desserts in 5 days is over, but since I am on a little vacation from work and school, I think I might keep it going. Next on my list is Creme Brulee.
I was pretty proud of the crust. It was my first time making my own crust! I used Martha Stewart's recipe for Pate Brisee. It was a lot simpler to make than I thought it would be!
It was a nice golden brown after the oven.
I used star cookie cutters to make vents in the crust.
I ended up with some extra crust dough and apple filling, so I made a little apple galette.
After I made these pies, I made a few more, which include one more apple pie, a blueberry pie and a blueberry galette! I will post pictures of the blueberry pie/galette tomorrow. I am glad to say my 5 desserts in 5 days is over, but since I am on a little vacation from work and school, I think I might keep it going. Next on my list is Creme Brulee.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Chocolate Wafer Sandwich Cookies With Peppermint Filling
I have been steadily following my plan to make 5 different cookie types in 5 days. These Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwich cookies are from last night (day 2 of 5), and well, they've got me re-thinking the whole cookie plan.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to make 5 items, but not all cookies. I thought the recipe for these Chocolate Wafer cookies was a quick simple one, but it ended up taking a good 4.5-5 hours, through the whole process, and well.. I wasn't impressed with the taste much either. I like them, they were good, but not 5 hours good. If I'm going to spend 5 hours on a cookie, I want it to taste like it took 5 hours to make, you know?
The recipe for the wafers is from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I also used her recipe for Vanilla cream filling, except I substituted vanilla extract with mint extract and added crushed candy canes and a about a quarter cup more butter.
As far as the rest of my 5 day 5 holiday treat plans go, today is day 3, and I am in the midst of baking my first apple pie, from scratch. Since I have the next 10 or so days off from work and school, I decided to try to bake things that have been on my to-do list for a while now. Pictures of the pie will be posted tomorrow!
Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to make 5 items, but not all cookies. I thought the recipe for these Chocolate Wafer cookies was a quick simple one, but it ended up taking a good 4.5-5 hours, through the whole process, and well.. I wasn't impressed with the taste much either. I like them, they were good, but not 5 hours good. If I'm going to spend 5 hours on a cookie, I want it to taste like it took 5 hours to make, you know?
The recipe for the wafers is from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I also used her recipe for Vanilla cream filling, except I substituted vanilla extract with mint extract and added crushed candy canes and a about a quarter cup more butter.
As far as the rest of my 5 day 5 holiday treat plans go, today is day 3, and I am in the midst of baking my first apple pie, from scratch. Since I have the next 10 or so days off from work and school, I decided to try to bake things that have been on my to-do list for a while now. Pictures of the pie will be posted tomorrow!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Deli # 6
Last night, I relaxed. I cleaned my apartment, watched bad tv and ate a tuna sandwich from Marv's Deli, in Valley Village.
I pass by this cute little mom & pop deli at least twice a day on my way to work, it's about 3 blocks down the street, but I've never gone in. Recently, they ranked # 6 in La Magazine's Top 10 Delis, so I had to give it a try. The atmosphere and people were so sweet, exactly what you want from a mom & pop shop. I asked them what they recommend and the lady behind the counter (Marv's wife?) suggested the tuna. I was in the mood for tuna, so I went for it. I was a little surprised that it cost a little over $8 for a tuna sandwich (with no cheese, even), but it makes me wonder if they just started doing that because of the LA Magazine review, or if it's always been that way? Either way, it's LA and I guess what one should expect to pay for a sandwich these days, anywhere you go. It was a good sandwich, but maybe a little bland. It had no tomatoes, no cheese, just tuna salad and a hint of mustard. I have to admit, I've had a lot better. Something is telling me to give them another chance. There were tons of roast beef/pastrami pictures on the wall, maybe that's their strength? I think next time, I'll go for a meaty sandwich. They were the sweetest people, and sometimes, that all it takes for me to make a second trip. I'm a sucker for good service.
I pass by this cute little mom & pop deli at least twice a day on my way to work, it's about 3 blocks down the street, but I've never gone in. Recently, they ranked # 6 in La Magazine's Top 10 Delis, so I had to give it a try. The atmosphere and people were so sweet, exactly what you want from a mom & pop shop. I asked them what they recommend and the lady behind the counter (Marv's wife?) suggested the tuna. I was in the mood for tuna, so I went for it. I was a little surprised that it cost a little over $8 for a tuna sandwich (with no cheese, even), but it makes me wonder if they just started doing that because of the LA Magazine review, or if it's always been that way? Either way, it's LA and I guess what one should expect to pay for a sandwich these days, anywhere you go. It was a good sandwich, but maybe a little bland. It had no tomatoes, no cheese, just tuna salad and a hint of mustard. I have to admit, I've had a lot better. Something is telling me to give them another chance. There were tons of roast beef/pastrami pictures on the wall, maybe that's their strength? I think next time, I'll go for a meaty sandwich. They were the sweetest people, and sometimes, that all it takes for me to make a second trip. I'm a sucker for good service.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Quick And Easy Christmas Cards
Two days ago I said I needed Christmas cards, but I probably didn't have time to make them. Well, I was wrong. These cards took no time to make!
I used 2 different types of fabric, a greenish one and a brownish one. I cut the green one into a triangle shaped tree and the brownish one into a little square tree stump. Using red thread and my machine, I sewed the trees together on the cards.
People seemed to really enjoy them too!
I used 2 different types of fabric, a greenish one and a brownish one. I cut the green one into a triangle shaped tree and the brownish one into a little square tree stump. Using red thread and my machine, I sewed the trees together on the cards.
People seemed to really enjoy them too!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Peppermint Bark
My first cookie variation is here, except it's more of a candy than a cookie. I used Martha's recipe for peppermint bark. First, I crushed the Starlight Mints.
Next I melted the white chocolate.
I didn't have a double broiler, so I put a pot over some boiling water, and that worked just fine.
Next, I put in rice crispies and laid it on a cookie sheet. I sprinkled the crushed mints on top and pushed them inside using wax paper.
Place them in the refrigerator and 20-30 minutes later, they are ready to be crushed into pieces. I arranged them in little red cellaphane with baker's ribbon.
It was a fun recipe, but I'm afraid I didn't think it was minty enough for my taste. Next time, I might add some peppermint extract to the chocolate. It's a good recipe for those who prefer a subtle peppermint taste.
Next I melted the white chocolate.
I didn't have a double broiler, so I put a pot over some boiling water, and that worked just fine.
Next, I put in rice crispies and laid it on a cookie sheet. I sprinkled the crushed mints on top and pushed them inside using wax paper.
Place them in the refrigerator and 20-30 minutes later, they are ready to be crushed into pieces. I arranged them in little red cellaphane with baker's ribbon.
It was a fun recipe, but I'm afraid I didn't think it was minty enough for my taste. Next time, I might add some peppermint extract to the chocolate. It's a good recipe for those who prefer a subtle peppermint taste.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Seven Days Left!
While I finished all of my Christmas shopping, I did forget about a few small details. I didn't get Christmas cards yet, and while I would prefer to make them myself, I'm not sure I'll have enough time (but I might try tonight)! On top of that, I keep wanting to bake holiday cookies, but my kitchen is not fully stocked with chocolate chips and sprinkles just yet. Ideally, I would like to bake 5 varieties of cookies this year. One for work, one for cookie-swap holiday party, and three for three different family gatherings. So far, I know what I'm making for one of the parties (which will be posted probably on Saturday), but I think I'll take a stroll to the supermarket for the other 4 cookie varieties.
I love Christmas.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Vegetable Soup
It's been really cold in my apartment lately. For the longest time, I had been resisting to turn the heater on, because of that horrible dust-burning smell that comes around every winter, after not touching the heater for a good 8-9 months. I just wasn't ready for that smell. I finally gave in to it and the smell has come and gone, but I'm still interested in alternative methods of keeping warm. Warm blankets, wearing clothes fresh out of the dryer, and a good cup of hot soup.
I basically threw a bunch of veggies into a pot of chicken broth. I don't have a real recipe, but I'll try to list everything I used.
Annette's Veggie Soup
Ingredients:
3 cans of chicken broth (though, fresh is always better than cans)
1 tomato, cubed
6 mushrooms (could be more or less, to taste)
1.5 red/yellow potatoes
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup green beans
1 bay leaf
a pinch of garlic salt (to taste)
a pinch of paprika (to taste)
a pinch of onion powder (to taste)
1. Bring broth to a boil. Add bay leaf.
2. Wash all veggies. Cube potatoes and place them into the boiling broth. Potatoes take the longest to
boil, so cut the rest of the veggies during this time.
3. Add seasonings to boiling broth (garlic salt, paprika, onion powder)
4. Slice mushrooms and place those in next.
5. Cube tomatoes, and place tomatoes, corn, and green beans in next.
6. Allow ingredients to boil, so that all vegetables are cooked. Serve hot.
I basically threw a bunch of veggies into a pot of chicken broth. I don't have a real recipe, but I'll try to list everything I used.
Annette's Veggie Soup
Ingredients:
3 cans of chicken broth (though, fresh is always better than cans)
1 tomato, cubed
6 mushrooms (could be more or less, to taste)
1.5 red/yellow potatoes
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup green beans
1 bay leaf
a pinch of garlic salt (to taste)
a pinch of paprika (to taste)
a pinch of onion powder (to taste)
1. Bring broth to a boil. Add bay leaf.
2. Wash all veggies. Cube potatoes and place them into the boiling broth. Potatoes take the longest to
boil, so cut the rest of the veggies during this time.
3. Add seasonings to boiling broth (garlic salt, paprika, onion powder)
4. Slice mushrooms and place those in next.
5. Cube tomatoes, and place tomatoes, corn, and green beans in next.
6. Allow ingredients to boil, so that all vegetables are cooked. Serve hot.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I'll Do My Crying In The Rain
Crying tears of joy, that is! School is out and I am super excited to craft again! It all started off by trying to make little Christmas ornaments. I was playing with some blue tissue paper, using scalloped scissors and cutting circles.
I started playing around, but was getting nowhere. I picked up some pink embroidery thread and thought I'd sew these tissue circles together. My embroidery needle happened to be attached to an empty white piece of fabric, already set up in an embroidery hoop. One thing led to another and I just started sewing.
I'm still not sure where this was going, but I did like the paper/fabric/embroidery thing, so I kept going. The blue paper reminded me of raindrops.
The whole concept is a work in progress, but in the meantime, I'm just going to have fun and enjoy the fact that I have no more papers due for the next few weeks!
I started playing around, but was getting nowhere. I picked up some pink embroidery thread and thought I'd sew these tissue circles together. My embroidery needle happened to be attached to an empty white piece of fabric, already set up in an embroidery hoop. One thing led to another and I just started sewing.
I'm still not sure where this was going, but I did like the paper/fabric/embroidery thing, so I kept going. The blue paper reminded me of raindrops.
The whole concept is a work in progress, but in the meantime, I'm just going to have fun and enjoy the fact that I have no more papers due for the next few weeks!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Christmas Wrapping
The quarter is officially over and I've been super productive already. First off, I celebrated by giving myself a little manicure/pedicure. Ever since I was in high school, I've always had red nails, but for the length of this quarter, I had given up on nail polish. The upkeep was just too much to handle. After a little pampering, I finished up on some Christmas wrapping.
I'm pretty in love with the retro santa lady gift wrap that I found this year, it goes pretty well with my Martha Stewart gift wrap too! After the wrapping was done, I started playing around with tissue paper and fabric. Somehow, kind of by accident, I starting whipping up little creations and getting really inspired. Nothing is done yet, but I will post some progress tomorrow morning.
I'm pretty in love with the retro santa lady gift wrap that I found this year, it goes pretty well with my Martha Stewart gift wrap too! After the wrapping was done, I started playing around with tissue paper and fabric. Somehow, kind of by accident, I starting whipping up little creations and getting really inspired. Nothing is done yet, but I will post some progress tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I'm Back
I hate to leave my blog behind for so long. Well, tomorrow is the last day of my first quarter in graduate school. It wasn't as stressful as I imagined, but I had a few insane moments in there... well, okay, a lot of insane moments. This morning I somehow sprained my neck and can hardly move, which may be a result of the stress, come to think of it.
All I want to do now is sit back and make holiday cookies. December 21 is my last day of work and I will have a nice 10 day vacation before I start my new job and new school quarter. Those 10 days will hopefully be dedicated to cooking, baking, holiday cheer, and crafty goodness. December 21, come quickly!
All I want to do now is sit back and make holiday cookies. December 21 is my last day of work and I will have a nice 10 day vacation before I start my new job and new school quarter. Those 10 days will hopefully be dedicated to cooking, baking, holiday cheer, and crafty goodness. December 21, come quickly!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Only One Week Left
Trust me, I rather be crafting! Papers are due one week from today. Soon, I will be crafting with a vengeance!
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Family Pictures Continued
Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm in my last 2 weeks of the school quarter and things are getting a little tough. In addition to that, I'm changing jobs from the Getty Conservation Institute to the Getty Research Institute, so I think my mind has been spinning in circles a bit. I promise that I have been crafty, just not posty. I thought I'd share my wall of family photos (which I may have posted before?) as a follow up to my previous post.
As far as my previous post goes, I've decided to put the albums away for now and possibly invest in a nice scanner to do the job.
As far as my previous post goes, I've decided to put the albums away for now and possibly invest in a nice scanner to do the job.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Original Order
I've picked up my old photo albums again, in order to transfer everything from acidic photo albums...
... to a acid-free album.
This project started a while ago, but to this day, I haven't figured a few things out. One of the biggest debates in organizing an archive is the question of original order. The way my family has organized their photos makes little sense to me. For example, the last few pages of my parents Hawaiian honeymoon album contains the most random pictures of birthdays, sears portrait sessions, and pictures that just don't seem to fit. On the other hand, their honeymoon album contains pages like this:
I'm not sure I can transfer this flower, card, and the page itself. It just does not seem right altering this page. On the other hand, if I don't, the colors will fade and acid will eat it up! There's something about pictures that represent memory and memory fades, just like pictures do (and maybe should). This situation is all so confusing to me right now. Another trend I found in a lot of the older albums was the reoccurring Mary stickers:
I know if I were to transfer these images, I would bring the Mary with me, but somehow I feel bad messing with this. The more I dwell on it, the more I want to scan each page, make a book out of that, and call it a day.
... to a acid-free album.
This project started a while ago, but to this day, I haven't figured a few things out. One of the biggest debates in organizing an archive is the question of original order. The way my family has organized their photos makes little sense to me. For example, the last few pages of my parents Hawaiian honeymoon album contains the most random pictures of birthdays, sears portrait sessions, and pictures that just don't seem to fit. On the other hand, their honeymoon album contains pages like this:
I'm not sure I can transfer this flower, card, and the page itself. It just does not seem right altering this page. On the other hand, if I don't, the colors will fade and acid will eat it up! There's something about pictures that represent memory and memory fades, just like pictures do (and maybe should). This situation is all so confusing to me right now. Another trend I found in a lot of the older albums was the reoccurring Mary stickers:
I know if I were to transfer these images, I would bring the Mary with me, but somehow I feel bad messing with this. The more I dwell on it, the more I want to scan each page, make a book out of that, and call it a day.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Beehive Librarian
Just a sneak preview of what I've been working on...
There's a lot more, but I'm trying to keep it all a secret until I release a little pattern kit. The small details are taking a lot longer than I expected, I can't decide whether to make this an iron-on kit or a tracing kit... or maybe make it both? The problem with iron-ons is washing them out. I might make a few of each, put them on etsy and see what goes first. Anyone have a preference when it comes to embroidery patterns?
There's a lot more, but I'm trying to keep it all a secret until I release a little pattern kit. The small details are taking a lot longer than I expected, I can't decide whether to make this an iron-on kit or a tracing kit... or maybe make it both? The problem with iron-ons is washing them out. I might make a few of each, put them on etsy and see what goes first. Anyone have a preference when it comes to embroidery patterns?
Monday, November 26, 2007
Not Weekly
I'm still here! I took a quick holiday/school break from blogging, but I'm back and hopefully daily again. Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! I didn't cook as much as last year this holiday, I actually didn't cook at all for Thanksgiving. I might have to plan a post-Thanksgiving-Thanksgiving dinner soon, but that may have to wait until mid December, when I'm finished with school. I have been doing lots of embroidery lately, trying to get the librarian patterns out, but I took a little break to make Brian and I some Christmas stockings.
I'm proud to say that I have finished 90% of my Christmas shopping at this point, and did not enter one shop during black Friday.
I'm proud to say that I have finished 90% of my Christmas shopping at this point, and did not enter one shop during black Friday.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Girly Gift Bag
I have had a busy weekend of writing papers, embroidery, and last minute Christmas shopping (my goal is to get it all done before Thanksgiving - and 80% is done now). Lots of craft shopping was done at Michael's, thanks to the wonderful coupons they include in Sunday's paper.
I got a few types of Martha Stewart wrapping paper and a nice pair of scalloped scissors (pictured above). I also got a huge Martha Stewart scrapbook for my family's old portraits (which are now in horrible acidic, adhesive photo albums), some Mod Podge, and super cute cupcake liners. Before I went cupcake, photo album crazy, it was my brother's birthday (Happy Birthday George) and I was looking for a cute way to wrap a gift card. I use some of my Martha wrapping paper and made a little bag.
I cut the edges into flaps and taped them together from the inside.
After putting the gift card in the bag, I started to sew the top...
..until it was shut. I sewed on a bow and somehow turned a boy-ish Frys gift card into a girly surprise.
I got a few types of Martha Stewart wrapping paper and a nice pair of scalloped scissors (pictured above). I also got a huge Martha Stewart scrapbook for my family's old portraits (which are now in horrible acidic, adhesive photo albums), some Mod Podge, and super cute cupcake liners. Before I went cupcake, photo album crazy, it was my brother's birthday (Happy Birthday George) and I was looking for a cute way to wrap a gift card. I use some of my Martha wrapping paper and made a little bag.
I cut the edges into flaps and taped them together from the inside.
After putting the gift card in the bag, I started to sew the top...
..until it was shut. I sewed on a bow and somehow turned a boy-ish Frys gift card into a girly surprise.
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