A mediocre effort

U-Pick Strawberries

2010-06-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

I've been a little obsessed with strawberries lately. I've been buying them from the store, eating them with breakfast, snacking on them and thinking of amazing treats to make with strawberries. Not since I was a little kid have I felt such a strong desire to eat strawberries all the time. Yesterday, I went to Sauvie Island with my sister and a friend to pick our own strawberries. My sister and I used to do this with our grandparents in California, but it's been years since I picked my own strawberries. We went to Kruger's Farm and each filled up 3 pints of strawberries to take home. We've had slightly out of season cloudy weather in Portland, so our strawberries are a little small, but still tasty, and very cute.
Today, I made some Strawberry Basil Pesto. My boyfriend has been asking me to make this for a couple of years now, but his requests always came when strawberries were out of season. I roughly followed a recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini. I have a tendency to just wing it when making pesto, and I ended up using the ingredients from the recipe, but added them to the blender by taste. I've put a bit in our fridge to eat this week and have frozen the rest to enjoy later.
With the remaining strawberries I plan on making cupcakes for a friends birthday this weekend and I will freeze what ever is left over.

Cheese Success and Marinara

2010-06-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I made a second attempt at home-made mozzarella. I used the 30-Minute Mozzarella recipe from the book Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll. The first time I tried to make mozzarella, I ended up with a big pot of boiled, slightly curd-y milk. It took me a couple months to find the time/inspiration to try again. The mozzarella wasn't quite as perfect as I had hoped, but I think there is a pretty big learning curve with home cheese making. The texture is a little off, and it is a little bland, but it is still cheese and is definitely edible. There are a few different reasons as to why my mozzarella didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. It could be that I have an electric stove, it could be the pot or utensils I used, the brand/type of milk, etc... I think I will try it again in a few weeks to see if I can get a slightly more satisfying result.
Also this week, I finally made some marinara sauce from the tomatoes I grew last summer. I know, tomatoes that have been frozen for almost 9 months probably aren't as good as tomatoes frozen for 30 days or just a couple of months. I've been busy though, and it is difficult to motivate myself sometimes. I'm not a huge fan of tomato sauces, usually I prefer a pesto or alfredo. This sauce turned out quite well though. I used a recipe from Epicurean.com, and put the sauce into jars and froze for later.
Tonight we are making calzones with my sister, and my home-made mozzarella and marinara sauce are going to be put to good use.

100 Best Children's Books

2010-06-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

A new favorite blog of mine, Book Scout, wrote in April about a list compiled by The School Library Journal of the 100 best childrens books of all time. This is a list that was put together from a poll by the blog A Fuse 8 Production. There were a few surprises, and many child hood favorites, and also many books that I had either not heard of or never read. Because of this, I've taken it upon myself to read (or re-read) all of the books on this list, with the exception of the books that I have read recently (with in the last year or two) or read more than once (The Harry Potter series, for example). I've placed the entire list on the side of the blog for everyone to see. The titles in bold are books I have finished (or have read in the recent past and have decided not to re-read).

If you are interested in following along in more detail, please take a look at my Goodreads. Also, feel free to read-along and share in the comments. I started this at the end of April, and am giving myself a year to complete the list.

Gulf Oil Spill

2010-05-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

Photo from Boston Globe

I spent most of my childhood in Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula, which is close to Prince William Sound. Prince William Sound is where the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in March 1989. We moved to Alaska in August of 1989 and throughout the 6 years my family lived in Alaska there were constant reminders about the environmental effects of this horrible event. We learned about it in school, our local museum had animals and birds who had died covered in oil taxidermied and put on display as a reminder.
I don't like to use my blog to push my beliefs on other people. I have strong opinions about animal rights and our environment, which I will talk about when asked, but I prefer not to be preachy about it, and usually keep my opinions on the matter to myself. This time though, I feel it is important to take a moment and talk about the Gulf Oil Spill. Already larger and more disastrous than the Exxon Valdez spill, the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is still leaking, and it is estimated that it may not be fixed until August of this year. Can you imagine what 4 months of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico will do to Louisiana's wetlands, and the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama? The political mess surrounding this terrible event keeps growing, while the media focuses on who to blame, the oil leak continues to pollute the Gulf Coast states.
I wish I had the resources to hop on a plane and give my time, to help with the clean up. If you live in the area, please consider volunteering and helping one of the many organizations assisting with the clean up. Below is a list of resources available for anyone who wishes to volunteer or make a donation.

Louisiana Gulf Response
Greater New Orleans Foundation
Volunteer Opportunities: The Daily Loaf
Gulf Restoration Network. This is where you can send a message to BP, calling on them to take more action.

Learning to Like Math

2010-02-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

photo by Chris Coughtrey

For the majority of my life, I have stood by the very strong statement of "I Hate Math". Young people are exposed to math in a very dry manner, often resulting in negative opinions that last their entire lives. Sometime last year it became apparent that I was no longer going to be able to avoid taking a math class, and on top of that, I needed to start at the very bottom. I enrolled in Math 20, Basic Math. I slowly started to re-learn long division, fractions, and many other basics that I had never paid much attention to when I was first required to learn them in elementary and middle school. As the year progressed, and I continued into Beginning and College Algebra, I started to realize that not only is math interesting, it can be fun as well.It has a start and a finish, and almost always has an answer. This strongly appeals to my constant desire to be organized. I now Like Math. I feel almost silly saying it, and have tried to convince friends that they too can like math, but have been consistently scoffed at (understandably so, I would have reacted in a similar manner until recently).

Unfortunately, I am finished with my math classes. I truthfully would love to take more, but I'm not required to for my degree. I did recently find a new blog from the NY Times that might help feed my desire to learn more math. The Blog, written by Steven Strogatz, is about "the elements of mathematics, from pre-school to grad school, for anyone out there who’d like to have a second chance at the subject". His debut post features a video from Sesame Street, and truthfully, how can you go wrong with Sesame Street?

Also, for those of you who are interested, Strogatz was also featured in a RadioLab episode called Numbers.

A Trip to an Alpaca Farm

2010-01-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago I took a drop-spindle spinning class at Knit Purl. The class itself was a lot of fun, and I loved learning how to spin yarn, but since that time I haven't made a big effort to continue learning. The majority of my crafty hobbies have fallen to the wayside since I returned to school in 2007. What did develop from my original interest in spinning yarn though, is an interest in the animals wool comes from. Specifically, alpacas and sheep. Because I had never seen either of these animals up close, I decided to plan a trip to a local farm.

Yesterday afternoon my Aunt and I drove out to Hillsboro, Oregon to visit the Easy Go Farm. Easy Go is owned by the wonderful Linda and Barry Bolewicz, who were nice enough to take time out of their afternoon to introduce us to their alpacas. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this encounter, as quite a few people had mentioned to me that alpacas spit at people, similar to their Camelid cousins, the camel. What I learned is, alpacas will spit, but only when they are angry, and very rarely will they spit at people. They are very shy, curious animals, and are a bit jumpy if you try to touch them without first being shown they want you to. My favorite bit was learning that an alpaca will introduce herself to you by touching her nose to yours, and after this has happened she will allow you to pet her neck or side, but not her head.

My visit to Easy Go Farm was a success, and I am very glad I made the effort to meet some alpacas in person. Linda and Barry sell fiber products from their alpacas and sheep, which can be viewed on their website, and they are also members of the Alpaca Fiber Co-op of North America.

Holiday Treats

2009-12-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

photo by Glorious Treats

Here are a couple of blogs who have compiled lists of recipes or food-gift ideas for the holidays, as well as a couple fun holiday projects.

- Handmade Holiday Food Gift Ideas at Lucid Food

- 12 Days of Cookies at Lottie and Doof

- Gift worthy recipes at Smitten Kitchen

- DIY tin can lights at Somethings Hiding In Here

- Cake in a jar at Angry Chicken

- Pumpkin Pie Truffles at Straight From the Farm

5 Christmas Things

2009-12-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

Photo by polarizing

A list, to wake up the blog.

5 of my favorite pieces of Christmastime.

1. Decorating the Christmas tree
I've always enjoyed this. From picking the tree out, to stringing on the lights, and carefully picking a place for every ornament, this makes me feel like Christmas is just around the corner.

2. Baking
I'm not much of a baker. I generally stick to regular ol' cooking during the rest of the year, but something about cold weather makes me want to break open the cook books and turn my oven on. Bread is my favorite thing to make, but I'm also partial to a good cookie recipe.

3. Wrapping gifts
I love picking out paper, or making my own, and finding creative items to decorate gifts. I know they will just be torn to pieces, but I enjoy the way lovely gifts look all set up and pretty under a tree.

4. Holiday gift guides and end of the year lists
I have a fun time searching through the lists compiled over the many blogs on the internet, looking at everybody's favorite gift items. I suppose it just appeals to my list making/organizing sensibilities. The end of the year "best of" lists are also fun, whether it be about books, movies or whatever.

5. The all around giddy feeling that is in the air.
I love the way Portland lights up during the holidays. There are lights everywhere downtown, many different festive music and creative events. It sometimes feel like little holiday bubbles are floating around making people just a bit happier during the month of December.

Potato Soup

2009-10-11T21:47:00.001-07:00

Fall is the beginning of soup season. When it is cold outside I often have the urge to cuddle up with a blanket and a warm bowl of tasty soup. Last night I had made a recipe from 101 Cookbooks called Rustic Potato Chowder. I made this soup about the same time last year, and it was extra tasty. I'm not sure what I did differently this time around, but it didn't taste quite the same as I remember. I believe we didn't use enough milk, which made it a bit chunkier, and had a stronger shallot taste. It was still quite tasty though, and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

We made two separate batches, one without bacon, one with. The recipe specifies vegetarian bacon, but I revised the meat version to use real bacon, while the vegetarian didn't have either. The other thing we did differently was to use less onions and shallots. I used about 1 1/2 onions and 2 shallots, while the original recipe called for 2 whole onions and 3 shallots. It is a yummy, thick soup, perfect for dipping breadsticks or baguette into. It also reheats very well if you add a bit of milk before heating it in the microwave.

I was unable to find the original link to the recipe on Heidi Swanson's website, so I am posting the entire recipe below. You should definitely take a look at her awesome blog though, or read one of her fantastic cooking books

Rustic Potato Chowder

8 to 10 slices Smart Bacon (or real bacon if you're not-veg)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups diced, unpeeled new potatoes, any color (1/4-inch dice)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 cups organic milk (low-fat is fine)
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
another 1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
fresh chives and/or chive flowers

Create the base: In a large pot cook the Smart Bacon according to package instructions, until browned and crisp. Cool and chop into
small pieces. Set aside.

Add ingredients and simmer: In the same pot over medium-high heat, add the extra-virgin olive oil, onions, shallots, and garlic.
Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to get soft.
Add the diced potatoes and teaspoon of salt and saute for about two minutes. Now add the mustard and milk. Bring to a boil, then
simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the soup thickens and the potatoes are soft throughout.

Whisk and season: Whisk in the Gruyere cheese, another teaspoon of salt, and a couple pinches of pepper. Garnish with the bacon,
fresh chives, and/or chive flowers.
Makes about six big bowls.

Canning, the Second.

2009-09-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who loves pickles. She can eat pickles all day, every day. Mostly dill, but she doesn't shy away from a good sweet pickle either. Most of the summer we talked about making our own pickles, and finally, this past Sunday we made the jump from eating to cooking. Just like with my apple butter, I was surprised at the simplicity of it. We used a recipe for Single Day Sandwich Dill Slices from The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The recipe pretty much consisted of making a pickle brine from vinegar, water, sugar, canning salt and pickling spice and then pouring that over the sliced cucumbers inside the jars. We over-estimated on the amount of pickling cucumbers we needed to purchase, and ended up doubling the recipe for 10 jars of pickles instead of 5.
We won't know if our pickling was a success for another 4-6 weeks, but hopefully we'll have some tasty dills to eat and share.

A Summer Bounty

2009-09-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the year I wrote about starting a garden in my apartment. The plants consisted of tomatoes, habanero and jalapeno peppers, tomatillo and a variety of spices. Originally thinking that I wouldn't succeed in growing anything, I had an over abundance of plants all over my apartment. I gave away many tomato plants, and moved my garden from inside my apartment to the side of my boyfriends house. Once moved, the garden had 6 tomato plants, 1 tomatillo, 1 habanero, 1 jalapeno ,1 giant basil plant, and a few other herbs. Because this is my first real attempt at growing food, I'm really just happy to have produced anything, even if what came out of the ground isn't exactly what I had hoped for.

This is about what I'm getting off my plants every couple of weeks. Cute little tasty tomatoes. My original plan was to grow enough tomatoes that I could make and can my own tomato sauce for winter. I'm still quite happy with the result though. The oval shaped tomatoes are Roma, both the little yellow tomatoes and the mixed green and red came from rainbow tomato seeds, and the rounder tomatoes are Red Siberian.

My little hot pepper plants are still growing, both have a few little peppers on them. The basil didn't quite make it in the heat, and the tomatillo is making a last sprint at growing before fall hits us. I've had a lot of fun planning and growing my plants, especially seeing them grow from seeds. I will definitely do this again next year, hopefully with slightly better results.

Canning Attempt #1

2009-07-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

I've been interested in canning for some time now, but was a bit worried about attempting it on my own. I decided to start with something relatively simple: Apple Butter.

I did a bit of research first. The Ball Preserves website is a good resource, as well as this article from Sandy Moyer.

It was messier than I expected, but the canning process wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I would recommend using an actual sieve or food mill. I used a big spoon with a strainer and it made the process more difficult than it needed to be. The recipe I followed came from Simply Recipes. The only thing I would have done differently was use slightly less cinnamon, but otherwise my Apple Butter came out well.

Green Thumb

2009-05-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I decided that I would once again in my life attempt to grow my own food. I bought many different seeds and planted them in little containers. I wasn't entirely convinced that my efforts would come to much, but after a couple months of obsessive plant watching and a few weeks of bright sunshine, my little windowsill garden is looking very promising. My goal is to have the ingredients I will need to make home made salsa, pesto and pasta sauce. I have 3 kinds of tomato growing, jalapeno and habanero peppers, tomatillos and a variety of herbs. Here is a glimpse at my burgeoning vegetable garden.

May Day

2009-05-01T17:11:00.001-07:00

While walking to the library today I noticed that my neighborhood looked as if it had snowed flowers. We walked past an elementary school class who were happily picking up handfuls of the cherry blossoms and throwing them in the air.

unskilled

2009-03-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

I just read a post at Secret Society of List Addicts that was a list compiled by the writer of things in which he excels. This is my response, a list of things I am terrible at.

1. Returning phone calls. Or, for that matter, leaving voice mail messages. I am super lame when it comes to talking on the telephone. Texting is much easier for me.

2. Remembering to replace the roll of toilet paper when it runs out.

3. Stop and Chats. I hate, hate, hate running into people randomly when I am out and about and always feel awkward.

4. Not eating an entire box of Annie's macaroni and cheese when I cook it. I can't help it, I just keep eating, and then I feel like puking.

5. Remembering names. I wish I was better at this, as I feel really rude when I am told a name and five minutes letter can not recall what it is.

Faux Bois

2009-03-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

I love an occasional Woodgrain pattern somewhere you might not expect it. It adds a fun splash of kitsch to everything, and can come in so many different versions.

(From Left to Right)
1. Faux Bois Vans at Somethings Hiding In Here. These are custom made, but you can make your own by drawing a wood pattern on a pair of white slip on shoes with a brown fabric pen. These were also featured in the Dec/Jan 07/08 issue of Readymade.

2. File Folders from MoMA Store. Who doesn't want to have the cutest supplies in the office?

3. The Silverwood Necklace made by Enamored. This etched silver pendant is more subtle than other faux wood prints.

4. Not faux, but a real Wood Stapler at The Curiosity Shoppe, the best source of everything kitschy and wonderful on the internet.

5. If you're able to splurge, the Timber Table is an excellent modern example of a faux woodgrain. I love the simpleness of the etched acrylic. It is made by Gus Modern and can be found at Bobby Berk Home.

5. Perfect little clutch made by keykalou.

Stompy Feet

2009-02-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

photo by q8

This morning while walking to the library I noticed that the very large puddles that build up near the sidewalk had frozen overnight and were now ice puddles. What is more fun than stomping on a puddle of ice? It's as fulfilling as popping plastic bubbles or cracking crème brûlée. It definitely made my morning. Next time you see a frozen over puddle of water pretend it is a giant bowl of crème brûlée and you are the spoon. Lightly tap your feet on top before jumping right in.

February Fourteenth

2009-02-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

I've never gone out of my way to celebrate Valentine's Day. I've always kind of thought that you should celebrate the people you love the entire year, not just one day in February. Despite that, Valentine's Day does tend to inspire some very cute handmade items. Below is a list of my favorite Valentines picks from Etsy.

Main: mini muslin bag, somethings hiding in here.

Top, Left to Right: heart pencil pin by jenmaestre, white and pink monster by craft fraud, love tree cup by lucky little dot,
Bottom: sweetheart towel set by art goodies, jelly romance by nut and bee, heart collar by whisker kisses

Our Sunshine Begs to Differ

2009-02-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil has declared 6 more weeks of winter. I truthfully would like some more winter. Our wacky sunshine this past month isn't typical Jan/Feb weather for Oregon. I can't really get angry though. It is the sun, and that Vitamin D is good for us.

Obsessive Compulsive? Oh My!

2009-02-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

photo by knitalatte11

I love photography that relates to my need to organize things. I prefer very linear, symmetrical images with contrasting colors. The Flickr group Organized Collection absolutely appeals to my obsessive compulsive nature. I especially enjoy the variety and different interpretations of the word "collection".

No socks please!

2009-01-31T08:31:00.000-08:00

photo by Richard

I went to my first yoga class this past Thursday. Well, not my very first. I attempted it once before in a class of over 40 people. The experience was overwhelming and it's taken me about 5 years to try it again.
I participated in the Community Yoga Class at The Yoga Space, which is a 2 block walk from where I live. I was worried, as I often am in new situations, but it ended up being the highlight of my week. The teacher was warm and helpful, even taking it a bit slow because of the addition of myself and some other people who hadn't practiced in a while. Two days later my body is still sore, but not in a bad way. I'm so glad I finally managed to get myself out of the house. This brisk, winter weather has made me turn into a hibernating bear. The studio also offers two beginning classes. Unfortunately, I have a scheduling conflict and am unable to attend either one. It would seem that I will need to jump right in and hope my body can handle the class when the teacher is not taking it easy.
For any other yoga newbies, I have a couple tips I thought I'd share:

1. Remember to take your socks off! I found myself slipping and sticking to the mat the entire time.
2. Wear simple clothes. I thought my American Apparel sweats would be appropriate, but they were too baggy. Also, you get quite warm and it isn't necessary to layer too much.
3. Don't do more than your body can handle. I tend to get nervous when I'm not doing something the "right" way. I need to remind myself that I'm just starting out! It's OK if I'm not doing the poses perfectly, or if my body can't stretch as far as the other students.

Whole Wheat Bread

2009-01-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to make an effort lately to avoid buying store bought bread. I've been sticking to a relatively easy crusty, white bread recipe. The other day though, I thought I'd mix it up and try a wheat bread, which is what I normally eat anyway. It turned out much better than I expected.

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Adapted from Cooking Bread.com

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup warm water
2 packages of fleishman's dry yeast
7 cups of 100% whole wheat flour
1 tablespoons salt
2 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup oil

Dissolve the honey in warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups of the flour with the salt, water, honey, and oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Add the yeast mixture. Add the remaining 2.5 to 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, Lay on a floured surface when adding flour if you don't have a mixer. Do this until the dough is smooth. Knead for 10 minutes or mixer on low speed. Lightly oil hands and counter top and mold dough into 2 loaves. Put into 2 large bread pans that have been greased with a solid shortening. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough has increased by one-half in bulk. I Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When dough has increased by one-half, bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until loaves test done. Remove the breads from pans when they're done and cool on wire rack.

New Motivation

2009-01-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how a book, or a national event can change your point of view, just slightly, and make you feel like doing things. I've just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. As I was reading the book I began to feel more and more like I should be making a bigger effort to eat locally and make my own foods. Who knew it was possible to make cheese at home? It's my plan to grow a couple of vegetables this year that could go towards at least one meal. I'm thinking I will grow the ingredients to make my own Margherita Pizza. Some tomatoes, basil, oregano and home made mozzarella will do the trick. I'll stick to buying pizza dough from Hot Lips Pizza though, as theirs is made from local ingredients and always turns out so well.
The Presidential Inauguration on Tuesday has also added to my sudden push to be productive. Before volunteering at the library this morning I stopped by Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners and bought Lotta Prints by Lotta Jansdotter and Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. So far I've just skimmed through looking at the amazing photography, but hopefully they will give me the little push I need to utilize my unemployed time a bit better.

Non-Resolution

2009-01-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

I've never really been one for New Year resolutions, but I'm a sucker for a good list. So, two weeks into the year I've created a list of things I'd like to accomplish. It's unlikely that I'll actually accomplish more than one of the items, but I still thought I'd give it a go.

1. Save some money

2. Learn how to spin yarn

3. Dress like a girl sometimes.

4. Eat more vegan/raw foods

5. No more plastic/paper grocery bags

6. Make something for myself

7. Hike more. This time I mean it.

8. Travel somewhere that isn’t the U.S.