do fun stuff- a kids record for parents

Quick interruption...

See, there is this very cute family and their very cute little boy is living with Smith Magenis Syndrome (SMS).  There is not enough information out there about SMS, and there isn't any sort of road map for families trying to care and love and raise their cute little boys and girls with SMS.  Ryan Marshall of Pacing the Panic Room, and step-dad to that cute little boy, has put together an awesome compilation album of kids music that parents can also bop along too without shame.  (Perhaps you've seen Ryan's maternity series or pictures of his cute family?)  100% of the proceeds will go a grant fund that will support intensive research and case studies on SMS, providing parents and families with some more answers and help.

 

You can help out by:

1. Buying the album on iTunes:  Do Fun Stuff — A Kids Record For Parents.  It's a mix of both kids songs and kid-friendly songs that parents will like.
2. Spreading the word:  Go to http://www.dofunstuff.net/ to share this widget on your own blog or website.  Twitter about it using the #dofunstuff hashtag.  Post the link on Facebook.

And you might want to just go ahead and catch up on Pacing the Panic Room posts.  Watch this video, look at this picture and you'll be hooked.

backyard sanctuary

Wishing you a peaceful last weekend of August.

These photos are from the backyard at my favorite house in the Berskhires.  Isn't it wonderful?  Doesn't it make you want to put on a light sweater, build a fire and watch the stars?

quiche, day or night

The quiche has become my go-to quick meal, much like I imagine spaghetti and sauce is for other households.  Everybody loves a quiche.  Boy and I could eat a whole one, just the two of us.  We try really hard not to.  Actually, I could likely eat a whole one by myself, but I don't.  Mom, Sister & I sometimes make quiches for our weekly dinner dates.  Nan & Grampy like them too.  Like I said, everybody loves a quiche.

I've already posted my basic quiche recipe (find it here), but given how often I make, eat and share them I think it needs a revisit.

The basic idea is you take a pie crust, sprinkle some cheese on the bottom, add your filling of choice and then pour a beaten mixture of eggs, milk and seasoning over it.*  Sprinkle some more cheese on top and that's that.  As for the filling, the world is your oyster.  Paint the town red.  Seize the day.  Etc.

Some of my favorite quiche fillings are:

• spinach & feta
• broccoli & cheddar
• peppers & onions
• tomato, mozzarella & basil
• roasted asparagus
• green beans & goat cheese
• roasted potatoes & rosemary
• zucchini & squash

For many of these (but not all) you'll want to just sautee up the veggies before adding to the quiche. 

Last night, we ate the inaugural Southwestern Quiche-- cheddar, chives, black beans, corn, bell pepper and tomatoes.  Holy hell.  Try it.

*  For a regular pie crust, I use two eggs and 2/3 cup milk (or half & half, or cream).  If you have a deeper dish or larger pie crust you might need three eggs and 1 cup milk.  Use salt and pepper and whatever herbs you have at your disposal.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

What's your go-to meal?  Doesn't have to be fancy.  In fact, the simpler the better.

this week on tumblr

A few recent favorites from my tumblr...

(One home to rule them all via MNN - Mother Nature Network)

I want to live here.  SO BADLY.  Someone make this happen.

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“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth."

(Muhammad Ali via Volunteerism Quotes) 

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(Print by Bold & Noble via Darling Dexter)

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 (via these are things)
"Haters gonna hate."  
I could stare at this little animation all day long.

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(burlington, vermont guide via Design*Sponge )
Woop woop!  Design*Sponge did a Burlington guide :)

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 (Try This! Easy Homemade Ginger Ale via Apartment Therapy The Kitchn)
Do you think this will be good?  Has anyone tried it?

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( living in: dazed and confused via Design*Sponge)
Check ya later...

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 (wedding accomodation via tales of a jUnkaholic)
Also want to live here, obviously.

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Click over to my tumblr page for more finds and inspiration from around the web.

PS- My weekend will be full of sleepovers in the Hudson Valley!  First we have margaritas, college roomies and the best bagels from Queens and then onto playing in the garden, drinking in the garden and eating the most delicious omelettes.  Sounds good, right?

creole tempeh over brown rice (kinda)

Ok, maybe this is cookbook week here on la blog.

Because here we have a recipe from Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook:  Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change The Way You Eat.  It's a very pretty book, with beautiful photographs and a great layout.  It's also completely vegan, which is neat, though it occasionally calls for fake meat products.  Which don't quite do it for me even though I've been known to partake in such products from time to time.  Plus, if you are going vegan then GO BIG OR GO HOME.  But I'm not vegan, so who am I to say?

The chef also notes that "There are no sprouts in this book, or in my refrigerator.  I don't like them."  Diss.

If I had glanced down at the bottom of the page, I would have seen that the estimated preparation time is two hours.   If I had, I can only hope that the advanced rational thought capabilities that are supposedly characteristic of homo sapiens would have led me instead to make a PB&J, because it had been a long day and I was starving.  But, you know, I didn't see that part so I put on my apron and suffered through.

I made a version of Tempeh Creole Over Brown Rice.  My notes are in green.  I also cut all of these measurements in half, which ended up being enough for two dinners plus two small-ish leftover portions.

• 8 tbsp shoyu soy sauce (don't know what that is so I used regular soy sauce)
• 4 tbsp low-salt Creole seasoning (probably offensive somehow, but I used a Cajun mix instead)
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, slice 1/8" thick (nope)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 pieces kombu seaweed (nope)   
• 2 packages tempeh
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (white whole-wheat flour)
• sea salt
• 4 tbsp canola oil, or more if needed (more if needed)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery (nope)
• 2 cups peeled, seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes (started to cut up cherry tomatoes, which is allwe have, but I gave up and dumped in some store-bought tomato sauce)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 5 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme (nope)
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried basil (used fresh)
• 1/2 cup red wine (didn't even see this ingredient listed until now)
• freshly ground black pepper
• ground cayenne (chili powder) 
• 3 tbsp chopped scallion (had some but forgot to use it!)
• 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (nope)
• steamed white or brown rice (brown)

So after you completely bastardize the ingredient list, here's the deal.  I paraphrased some parts.

1.  In a large pot, combine the soy sauce, half of the Creole (Cajun) seasoning, garlic, ginger and kombu with 6 cups water (3 cups if you are halving the recipe) and bring to a boil.  Cut tempeh on the diagonal into 1/4"-thick slices.  Place tempeh in boiling broth, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes (yeah, 45 whole minutes... not for the hungry).  Remove tempeh with slotted spoon, saving the broth.  In a mixing bowl, stir together remaining seasoning and flour.  Dredge each piece of tempeh in the mixture.

2.  Saute the tempeh until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the pan.  Cook stirring frequently until veggies are softened.  Add tomatoes (or about 1/4-1/2 cup tomato sauce) and minced garlic.  Cook for 3 minutes.

3.  Add reserved tempeh cooking liquid, bay leaves, herbs and wine.  Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne (chili powder) to taste.  Gently return tempeh to pan, "nestling the slices" in the liquid.  Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes (30 more freakin' minutes).  Remove bay leaves & serve over brown rice.  Garnish with parsely and scallions.

My picture of it is ugly, really ugly, but guys, this was so delicious.  I've never made such tasty tempeh before (I believe the key is braising it for the 45 minutes).  Even with my many omissions and mess-ups it held its own.  And it was real, straight up, legitimate, run around and use every pot and pan you have cooking.  So, a complete pain in the ass, but worth it.

libraries & cookbooks

I've been taking out a lot of cookbooks from the library lately, and I think I'm addicted.  Libraries turn me into a damn greedy beggar, with their free books and online renewal.  I go looking for one specific thing and walk out with an armload of cookbooks, just because I freakin' can.  It's like a free lunch buffet... you end up binging on stale sandwiches and cans of store-brand soda all day, just because you can.  

I flip through them, mark the recipes that look good, and then I copy or scan them into my computer.  After that, I return the books.  It seems illegal.  What can I say, I'm a real thrill-seeker.

The New Vegetarian Epicure, however, is going on my must-purchase list.  I realized that after I bookmarked all but two menus in it.

Favorite cookbooks, anyone?  Let me in on the secret.  Also, if you have any tried and true recipe management/organization systems, let me know about those too.  I've got a binder full of recipes, a binder full of other food and nutrition information, a shelf of hard-copy cookbooks, plus online accounts and collections at Epicurious, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart and I tag all the other miscellaneous recipes using Google Bookmarks.  Sooooooo, I need some help.  Oh, and does anyone use Evernote or another digital notes organizer?

giveaway winners

Congratulations to Cat K. & katie, who are now the proud owners of the Lunch Bags! book and a handmade Simple Lunch Bag, respectively.  Should have mentioned this sooner, but Cat K., you are required to make each and every pattern from the book and then send me all of them, because they are so stinkin' cute.  (Joke.  But they are cute.)  And katie, you join the ranks of many a noble man and woman in possession of lunch bags from unspeakable visions (here, here, here, here & here for example, and here for a special patriotic edition).

We'd have a pretty bad-ass picnic going here what with the pb, sprouts & cucumber sandwiches; waldorf & orzo salads; tomato, mozz & basil; chicken can-can (that sounds so awesome) & black bean empanadas; brie, grapes & nectarines; blondies & cowboy cookies (recipe forthcoming); all chased down with some black cherry kool-aid, cold bailey tea & wine.  Nice work, my friends.

Aw, sad... you didn't win?  Well there are a few lunch bags lingering in the shop & you can buy the book here.  Cheer up, it's Friday!

(Photo:  Vancouver, July 2010)

last dance, last chance

Hope you had a breakfast of champions this morning, because today is the day I will single-handedly decide your fate.  Will you be the new owner of an autographed copy of Lunch Bags! 25 Handmade Sacks & Wraps to Sew Today?  Might you soon have your very own Simple Lunch Bag to fill with oreos and twinkies?  Maybe.  Maybe you'll be so lucky.  But you have to enter the giveaway first, and you can do that ASAP by heading over to this post and leaving a comment.  You have until 8pm est tonight and I'll announce the winners tomorrow morning.  Good luck, and Godspeed to ya.

PS-  What do you guys eat for breakfast?  I know I've been getting kinda nosy with your meal choices, but help a sister out.  I'm bored.  Need new breakfast ideas.  Bonus points if they include ice cream, cupcakes or gin.

cotton produce bag

I crocheted up this produce bag using the linen grocery tote pattern from the purl bee.  Instead of linen yarn I used up some cheap-o cotton yarn I had laying around. I ran out of the primary color just as I was about to start the handles, so I did those in a yellow cotton.

No modifications to the pattern this time, but if I give it another go I think I'll crochet a tighter mesh so that skinny cucumbers and zucchini can't make their escape so easily.  They have a tendency to poke out of the bag in a very obscene fashion, and I'd like to put an end to that right now.  I also might make the next bag a little bit shorter-- it has so much stretch that when it is full it hangs down practically to my knees.  Cute pattern overall, seems sturdy enough for a modest load of produce.

One more day, kiddies.  Click here to enter to win a copy of Lunch Bags! 25 Handmade Sacks & Wraps to Sew Today or your own handmade lunch bag.  Giveaway ends tomorrow, August 12 at 8pm EST.

fb, here i come

Bet you never thought this day would happen.  Unspeakable Visions is on Facebook.

This is real.  I just made all of your dreams come true with the click of a button.  So now you Facebook vultures can descend upon my humble page and Like it or I'm a Fan it or Join it or whatever it is that you vultures do.  Buzzards gotta eat.

And I'm not setting up a personal page (yet) so don't try to find me and friend me and then tag me in incriminating pictures.  It's just not happening.  (Yet.)

Win a brand new copy of  Lunch Bags! 25 Handmade Sacks & Wraps to Sew Today or your very own lunch bag!  Click here to leave a comment and enter.  Giveaway ends this Thursday, August 12 at 8pm EST.

weekend love

Any fun plans for the weekend? I can't believe it's August already! I'm going to make a distinct effort to savor the hot and muggy weather instead of curse the hell out of it, as I'm prone to do sometimes...

This weekend we are escaping to the western Adirondacks (hoping for s'mores), next weekend a bunch of us will pile into a van for an Ohio wedding celebration (will there be s'mores?) and after that I'll head down for a weekend with friends in the Hudson Valley (there better be s'mores).  Enjoy the season while it lasts, right?

Hey, want to win this lunch bag?  Or a whole book with patterns to make your own lunch bag?  Or a free, all-inclusive trip to the vacation destination featured in the above photograph?*  Then head over here to enter the giveaway!  Contest ends next Thursday, August 12 at 8pm est, so get to it.

*Ok, I'm lying about that last prize.  But you could certainly bring your new lunch bag to a municipal beach near you, no?

(Photo via Stash Books Blog)

the book is here! (+ a giveaway)

Yes yes, the book is here! You can order Lunch Bags! 25 Handmade Sacks & Wraps to Sew Today from your favorite online retailer today. It should also be available in a store near you soon.

I'm of the mind that the only way to properly celebrate a Book Release is with an Ice Cream Social.  I was having a tricky time figuring out logistics for one, but I need not have worried my sweaty little head, for last night I was surprised with a complete mini ice cream party.   Because nothing says, "Way to go on getting that lunch bag pattern included in a book all about lunch bag patterns!" than a melted ice cream sundae on a hot, muggy night.

From C&T Publishing:
"Today's hottest designers share their sewing savvy with 25 projects, from a simple sandwich wrap to a sophisticated shoulder bag. Why shouldn't your lunch bag match your personal wardrobe and eco-conscious lifestyle?"

Would you like to own an autographed copy?  Sweet pea, you've come to exactly the right place-- I'm giving one away!  No sewing machine?  Just plain lazy?  Nothing to be ashamed of because I'm also giving away one of the Simple Lunch Bags featured in the book!

Leave a comment on this post by 8pm est on Thursday, August 12 and tell me about the scrumptious picnic lunch you would pack in one of these totes.

Be sure to let me know if you'd like the book or a lunch bag.  I'll announce the winners right here next Friday.  Family, friends & likeable strangers are all welcome to participate.  Don't be shy.  Be a winner.

wine-y violins

Goodness, I should have shared this with you months ago.  I may have to create a new post category, something along the lines of "boy makes things" because hell, does this boy (man) sure make things.  He is sneaky, and quiet, and most often just shows up with some creatively designed and immaculately constructed thing and is all, "Oh what, this?  This little thing?  Yeah I did it on my lunch break."  And doesn't even want to blog it or brag about it or flaunt it in anyone's face.  So then it's a very good thing he has me, and also that he doesn't check this blog very much, because I am able and willing to do the above blogging and bragging and flaunting for him.  Maybe I can even start a new feature: "Tuesdays with the Boy" or "New Yankee Workshop:  The Next Generation".  Or ya know, something.

As I was saying, I should have posted this months ago but I took pictures and then it was given away to its proper giftee and I forgot all about it.  Until another project in the works reminded me of this thing and well, here we are.  Since I am not writing this in consultation with its creator, I will likely flub the details.  But what we have is a violin (?) scroll/pegbox (?) (Google is yielding some conflicting violin diagrams and I never got along with the string section that well) turned into a wine bottle stopper.  Brilliant.