Garden Fresh

Add another reason to the list of why I love what I do: Fresh produce.

On tonight's menu was Stuffed 8 Ball Squash (adapted from a recipe on the FatFreeVegan.com blog)

My wonderful sister, Susan, decided to join in my vegan-ness (at least for one meal) and she said she really liked it! The filling was simple and scrumptious: brown rice, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, almonds, and basil.

Susan wasn't just a guinea pig here, she presented something new for me to try as well. I've seen so many recipes for kale (especially since embarking on my vegan journey), but had yet to try it. She made a simple kale salad dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. It was very green and fresh tasting. I'm looking forward to trying it some other ways as well, like this Cosmic Cashew Kale and Chickpeas!

Blackberry Bliss

Ok, so I'm realizing that a lot of my recent posts have been food related, but things have been kinda crazy between work, freelance projects and theology homework, so pretty much the only medium I have time to be creative with right now (outside of work) is food- I mean, I have to eat, right?

That said, I had a rush of excitement the other day when driving home from work. As I rounded a bend in my neighborhood, I saw three girls off to the side with baskets, picking things off of bushes. I immediately began scanning the growth on either side of the road and to my surprise I saw patch after patch of wild blackberries! I got home, grabbed a bag and walked right back outside. It ends up we have numerous bushes right in front of the house and I got to picking! I only gathered a handful then, but I went back out yesterday to further investigate (just about roasted in the heat) and found that there are far more berries than I could even pick! I navigated the thorny limbs and came back in with a couple of cups of berries. I decided that I was in the mood for preserves, so I got to it.

Wild Blackberry Preserves

Mash 2 cups of berries with a potato masher and place in small pot with 2/3 cups sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until thickened and jelly-like. (I used my splatter screen over the pot to keep things from getting stickier than they already were). Pour into a glass jar and keep refrigerated. These will last for a few days in the fridge, or preserves can be frozen in jars for delayed gratification.

Going Veg

Here begins a story that really began 4 weeks ago when my BFF decided to go vegan. She dove in head-first and hollered back the proverbial "come on in, the water's fine!" and here I am, three weeks into a six week journey as a vegan.

I must say that these last weeks have been a culinary joy and I haven't particularly missed eating animal products. It's been an adjustment, of course (reading every nutrition label and asking what's in stuff at restaurants), but really I feel that this experiment has made me a much more conscious eater. During this time I've also felt very inspired to try new things and be more creative in my cooking.

Some of the dishes that I've really enjoyed are listed and pictured below. Even if I go back to meat, cheese, and egg eating after these weeks are up, I know that I've found (and have yet to find) many new ingredients and recipes to add to my repertoire!

Pan seared polenta cakes on a bed of garlicky spinach and cherry tomatoes was a real summer treat.

Slow-roasting eggplant delivers silky smooth results. Placing the vegetables cut-side down over a sprig of fresh thyme adds brightness.

This Asian-inspired udon noodle bowl with snow peas, tofu and shiitake mushrooms was so delicious and satisfying!! A creamy, ginger and coconut milk base is spiced up with some chili sauce.

One of my favorites is taco night! Guacamole salad and black beans leave no room for meat and sour cream on these bad boys.

P(r)esto!

This story begins with the convenient appropriation of a rather large bunch of fresh basil (one of the major perks of working at a plant nursery).

What better to do with a bunch of basil than whip up some classy pesto? I actually bought an ice cube tray last week specifically in the hopes that I would have a batch of pesto to freeze in 'em! (I'm a nerd, yes I am). I washed the basil as soon as I got home and put the bunch in a glass with water to keep it fresh while I ran to the grocery store for the fixin's for my newest creation.

Springtime Sausage Pasta

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(Yield: 1 Serving)

Ingredients

One sweet italian sausage

1/2 cup sliced bell pepper (I used half red and half yellow)

2 oz fettucini pasta (I used enriched vegetable pasta)

1 1/2 tablespoons Classy Pesto (recipe below)

1 1/2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon flour

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon pine nuts

Instructions

Bring pasta water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions.

In a medium saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Remove sausage from casing and brown- breaking up into bite-sized pieces- about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper to pan and cook with sausage until tender and slightly translucent- about 3 minutes.

Once sausage and peppers are cooked, remove from pan and hold in a bowl to the side. Returning pan to medium heat, add flour and stir constantly until all the juices in the pan are absorbed and the four is a medium brown color (we're creating a rue here, in case you're wondering). Add milk to the pan, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps form forming. Bring to a simmer and cook until bubbling and thickened.

Add pesto and parmesan cheese to the milk/flour mixture and stir to combine. Return sausage and peppers to the pan and toss with cooked pasta.

Garnish with pine nuts.

Classy Pesto

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(Yield: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

One huge bunch fresh basil (about 3 cups of leaves)

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place basil, garlic, pine nuts and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times. Turn food processor on and pour in olive oil through the pour spout of processor in a slow stream. Voila- I mean- Presto!!

As mentioned above, I spooned my pesto into an ice cube tray to freeze. Once the pesto is frozen, I'll put all of the cubes in a ziplock bag and back into the freezer- at the ready for endless culinary possibilities!

I'd like to mention as a footnote that you should be very mindful, once you have removed your basil bunch from it's fresh-keeping glass of water, to not mistake said glass of water as one intended for human consumption. Not that I know from experience...

Further Pinhole Experimentation

Well, good or bad, here are the results of my D-SLR pinhole experimentation (so far). Though the photos do not have the same razor-like focus that a normal pinhole would produce, I like the dreamy quality of it. The results include interesting flares, shadows, vignetting and distortions.

Pinhole 3.0

Me and the ol' pinhole photography concept go way back (at least to the more experimental years in my distinguished art school education). I loved the endless depth of field and the dreamy quality of the resulting images. We hand built our cameras from pretty sophisticated internet-bought kits (this one), then shot using medium format film, developed the film, and enlarged the prints.

In more recent years, I taught a pinhole photography class to children at a camp. In this case, we also made our own cameras, but this time from up-cycled cardboard packing boxes and duct tape. Our "film" was photo paper which we developed in a college classroom-turned rudimentary darkroom. Here's a couple of examples of this method:

Now, to get to the matter at hand- after all, this is not a blog of my past accomplishments (prestigious as they may be). I read a crazy idea of how to turn my beloved DSLR into a pinhole camera. I was quite skeptical but, I figured, I've got nothing to lose! Basically, I hammered a pushpin through the protective body cap of my camera, taped a crack caused by this invasive procedure, and then used the bulb setting (about a 50 second exposure) to capture my first digital pinhole photos!

Voila! I don't expect you to be impressed, but I'm excited to test this out in daylight- and what better opportunity than my upcoming trip to the beach (tomorrow).

In Stitches

What room is complete without a collection of our proud country's state birds? This was a question plaguing me for longer than I'd like to admit- and then I came across this project.

I'm in the beginning stages of what is sure to be months of work...two words: bird quilt. The end product will be comprised of 30 embroidered birds.

They are simple line drawings and I have completed the eastern bluebird (of Missouri and New York) and the black-capped chickadee (of Maine and Massachusetts). 2 down, 28 to go!

I look forward to the night that I can wrap myself in national pride and sleep under this quilt!

Adventures in Branding

Hooray for flexing graphic design muscles! I've really enjoyed helping the bestie come up with some ideas for her new photography business.

Ever since her hubbie got her a DSLR for her birthday she hasn't put it down! She's passionate and has an eye for lovely photographs. That said, we collaborated on some logo images of retro cameras. I love what we came up with and thought I'd share them on here!

A Frou-Frou Tutu!

As promised- the pics from my latest textiles project!

Though deemed a success technically, I'm sad to report that the intended model is terrified of her tutu (thus my shots are frolicking toddler-free).

I used the tutorial here for the construction, but with some variations. I bought three colors of tulle by the yard and cut it into 6" strips and then made varying lengths for texture. The knotting technique could not have been easier!

Bonus Photo:

The roses have bloomed in our garden and I couldn't be happier about it!

A Monther*

*That's what I'm gonna call the space between this and my last posting.

In that amount of time I have become gainfully employed, gone on several hikes (breaking in my new kicks), made a tutu for the bestie's little girl (pics forthcoming), been on a wonderful out-of-state antiquing adventure, and spent time with people whose company I greatly enjoy.

I found two lovely books on said antiquing adventure which I am very excited about! One is the Better Homes and Gardens Treasury of Needle Crafts (1982) and Butterick's Needlework Classics (1976.) I can't wait to dive into the wealth of knowledge contained in these pages!

Quite a successful monther if you ask me...

(Other possible uses of the term monther: "Dude, I could really use a monther right now to clear my head," "It took her like a monther to tell me that story," or "Gimme a monther and I'll get back to you on that..." the possibilities are endless!)

Productive Day!

Today was the first sunny day since the daylong downpour on Wednesday and in honor of such an occasion, my mom and I went for a hike! We walked through beautiful Red Top Mountain state park and despite the chilly start to the day and the blisters that resulted from the 5.5 mile trek, it was absolutely spectacular. We spied three white tail deer frolicking through the woods and enjoyed the meandering trail that led us in and out of wooded areas and along the shores of Lake Altoona. We finished our trip with a simple picnic by the lake. My now-famous homemade cheese-its made an appearance as well as a few steak biscuits (thank you Cracker Barrel) crisp ambrosia apples and refreshing sparkling black cherry juice. The day could not have been lovelier! Now to find our next hiking destination...and some kinder footwear.

After a little rest, I jumped back into my latest project which employed my sewing machine!! It was my first time using it and I am thrilled with the results. Some left-over fabric from past projects and trim and button given to me by my grandmother met up to make a cozy place for my new little iPhone 3GS to sleep.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

In light of Monday's sugar cookie blunder, here is my second attempt at cooking making this week.

This time I went with a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie and was very pleased! I took them right out of the oven and over to my bestie's house. She was having quite the challenging day and the combo of warm peanut butter and chocolate could only help, right?

Though the efficacy of cookies in solving all of my friend's problems is impossible to confirm (or deny), I can at least say that I have emerged from the slump of cookie failure.

Peanut Buttery Goodness Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the honey, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by spoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

*Next time I think that I'll substitute 1 cup of chocolate chips with peanut butter chips to add to the peanut butter gooey deliciousness.

Just Another Day (?)

Today, for some reason, I was inclined to cut out tissue paper hearts and bake up some sugar cookies...odd.

I wish I could give a glowing report of my sugar cookie success, but alas, my efforts did not pay off as I had hoped. Thin, crispy cookies and painfully sweet icing. Thankfully, I wasn't trying to impress anyone with them- except my sister.

Next time I vow to:

1) Use the electric mixer (as opposed to the old-fashioned elbow grease method)

2) Not roll the dough so thin before making cutouts and baking.

Cookie blunder aside, here's my festive little centerpiece:

Satisfaction

There's nothing like the feeling that a finished project brings!

I am looking forward to reuniting my brother with his newly customized shoes. I worked on painting these two days in a row and committed roughly 5 hours each day.

I have to say that I am very satisfied with the outcome and am standing by for my next source of inspiration!

A Shoe Story

Seeing as I have SO much time on my hands I took on another project. This time it was for my dear brother. Yes, this brother. These were the shoes he wore on his wedding day and he wanted me to create a custom design for him.

He sent a link for inspiration and I got started!

A blank canvas (shoe)

supplies: acrylic paint, textile medium, masking tape, newspaper, pencil, paint brush

The Finished Product (right shoe):

One down, one to go!