Christmas Past

Christmas is already more than a month behind us and I’ve yet to share my handmade Christmas gifts. Today I shall remedy that.

First up are the Frenchy shoulder bags made for my old college pals. This continues to be one of the most satisfying patterns I make. Not only does it go together beautifully but it also generates a wonderful response from the recipients every time. I tried to match the fabrics to their personalities and I think I did it. E & K raved about them at our girls’ dinner out. I blushed and graciously accepted the compliments.

Next are some pillows inspired by all the tiny patchwork squares I was seeing at Posie. I used all my most loved scraps for these. The squares are each 2” so I spent a few early morning cutting sessions before work getting them ready. The pillows are 16” square with an envelope back for easy cleanup. I also “lined” the front panel with flannel to make them extra soft for lazy winter naps.

Finally, the one Christmas present that didn’t make it to Christmas, a Wee Wonderful teddy bear for Little Miss Lou. While helping me unpack Lou found my secret suitcase compartment where I thought I’d hidden the bear. She pulled it out and asked what it was. “A teddy bear”, I replied, “and-um-it’s for you”. Which prompted her to jump up and down on my bed where she proclaimed, “Now I won’t have bad dreams anymore.” I think I granted a Christmas wish.

Recipe of the Week

Recipe: Bacon and Brown Sugar-Braised Collard Greens
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients: *****
Collard greens are a fairly recent addition to my veggie repertoire but they’ve quickly become a favorite. They are the side dish of choice when pork tenderloin or pork chops are on the menu. Of course, there is bacon and that is one of the great foods of life.

Preparation: *****
Until now I’ve only ever prepared collards one way, sautéed in olive oil with lots of garlic. I think this recipe uses a more traditional preparation, boiling. Before that all you have to do is wash the greens, fry up some bacon, and sauté the onions and garlic. Easy peasy.

Taste: **
I had such high hopes for this recipe but it was not good. Even the dudely who tends to look on the bright side of everything had nothing good to say about this dish. I think its downfall was the brown sugar. I had initially thought the sugar might temper some of the bitterness collards can have but no, no, no. It just made sweet collards. And sweet collards are not good collards. And that’s something coming from a girl who has never turned down a sweet.

39 and holding

To celebrate my last thirty-something birthday I'm all dressed up and heading into the city for some shopping, a late lunch and the theatre. Here's hoping your day is good too.

Recipe of the Week

Recipe: Graham Crackers
Source: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients: *****
This stuff is way better than you'll ever get out of a prepared box of crackers. There's whole wheat flour, honey, cinnamon, and canola oil. It almost makes you forget you're snacking.

Preparation: ***
The preparation was classic, and easy, for baked goods. It's all the rolling pin action that gets me. No matter how many times I use my rolling pin I just can't quite love it. The fact that you have to roll the dough so thin doesn't help either. When the recipe recommends liberally flouring your surface, do it! And even then keep your bench scraper handy.

Taste: *****
Considering this recipe made 2 1/2 dozen crackers and within mere minutes only about 18 of those remained I'd have to say it was a winner. (For the record I only had one of those crackers. A girl must watch her figure with spring just around the corner.) The dudely, with crumbs spraying from his lips, requested these be made again and again. Being a sucker for adoration I just might comply with that request.

Curing what ails you

I am finally surfacing from three weeks battling The Worst Cold I've Ever Had. Seriously, it was nasty: I sincerely hope you don't catch it. However, should you succumb to this or some other respiratory virus, I highly recommend dosing yourself twice a day with a hot drink containing the following:

Juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp vitamin C powder (~1 gram)
a generous spoonful of honey

It may not cure you, but it will soothe a sore throat and help shake loose some of the mucus. My husband insists I add a splash of rum or cognac to his but I prefer the non-alcoholic version. Best results are obtained when consumed while wearing pajamas and watching Alone in the Wilderness or some other show about somewhere really, really cold.

Psycho bunny, qu'est-ce que c'est?

I've spent a lot of time laying on the couch watching TV lately thanks to a particularly nasty virus.  I caught reruns of the first season of Project Runway and decided to find out what Jay McCarroll is up to these days. Hello, two fabric lines for Free Spirit.  In an interview from last fall he describes them as the following:

"It’s like cotton for a more cultured, crafter’s world, like, the artsy girls who make cute little tote bags or little outfits. It’s perfect for that."

You have to love someone who tells it like it is. Can't you just see some of his prints fitting right in at the Black Apple?

Recipe of the Week

Recipe: Mean Green Tortilla Soup
Source: Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients: *****
There is cumin and cilantro. Need I say more?

Preparation: *** (*****)
If you were to follow the recipe’s instructions word for word you’d end up dirtying more dishes than a pot of soup should ever dirty. Because of the recipe’s fussiness I could only give it 3 stars. With my tweaking, however, I believe it’s worth 5 stars.

First off, use thawed frozen corn and skip the whole nonsense of heating up your water, broth, and corncobs. I just can’t believe that with the other ingredients going on you’re missing out on that much flavor. Second, don’t bother browning your chicken and then finishing it in the oven while starting to sauté your veggies in yet another pot. Instead dice up the chicken and brown it in the soup pan, remove the chicken, and then sauté the veggies. In case you’re counting you’ve already saved yourself from washing TWO pans! And grating your garlic? No thanks. You’ve already dirtied a knife and cutting board so go with mincing by hand. Finally, use a blender to puree the tomatillos. There are way fewer parts to wash and with a job this small assembling the food processor just isn’t worth it.

Taste: *****
YUM-O. (I know, I know. I just couldn’t resist.) IF I were the type to throw a Super Bowl party this would be the unexpected centerpiece at the food table. But I'm not that kind of girl. However, this will definitely be making a re-appearance in our casa as we continue to trudge through winter sans football.