this week on tumblr

Some recent favorites from my tumblr page...

 (maybemine via madamecupcake)

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(sneak peek: whitney + dustin of oh, darling! via Design*Sponge)

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(Halloween Cocktail: The Jack-O-Lantern via Apartment Therapy The Kitchn) 

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(Making a display for my ghost! via emmawho)

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Redesigned movie posters via A CUP OF JO)
Sartorialist, I grew up going to the Jericho Theater!

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(How-To: Tiny Crochet Pumpkin via Craftzine.com)

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(Cross-Inspirational, London via The Sartorialist)

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via madamecupcake)
If I could dress it in argyle, I would definitely get a cat.

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And Happy Halloween everyone!  Are you dressing up?  Handing out candy?  Making popcorn and watching scary movies?  Sipping Halloween cocktails?  We have been busy crafting our costumes and our living room is beginning to look a lot like an elementary school art room these days.

birthday wishes

I'm heading down to the Big Apple until Friday for my organization's annual conference -- yes, I have a day job! -- but wanted to pop in quick and note that today was almost the third birthday (here are #1 and #2) for which The Boyfriend received a homemade hat from me.  Yikes.  But I swear they were all by request!  I'm not a hat-pusher!  Alas, the third hat will have to wait a little bit longer until I find the perfect yarn and beef up my new knitting skills.  I'm not too worried about the hat, though, because there are a few slices of birthday cheesecake waiting in the fridge as a distraction.

Since I'm cruelly abandoning the birthday boy on this special day, let's all wish him well in the comments below!  I'm sure he will absolutely 100% hate it :)  I'll pick a commenter at random to receive a little party favor in the mail.

(Photo:  A pretty tree in Nanaimo, BC, July 2010.)

sunday soup, cheeseburger in a bowl

We recently came into a small fortune of ground beef from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows, so expect to see a few more meaty recipes than you're used to around here.  (Big El Hombre, this one's for you.)

This isn't the most gourmet of soups, but I bet kids really like it and it sure does satisfy a certain type of craving.  I made some changes to the original recipe and have included them below.  It really does taste like cheeseburger in a bowl-- ground beef, cheese, onion, ketchup, mustard and even potatoes as a french fry stand-in.  You are supposed to serve it with a toasted bun and pickles, lettuce, tomato (cute, right?) but we didn't have those things and so served it straight up with thick slices of Farm Bread. 

Cheeseburger in a Bowl Soup
(adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp flour
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 medium potatoes, chopped
• 1 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp ketchip
• 2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 cup skim milk
• green onions, for garnish

 

Directions

1. In a 4-quart stock pot cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is browned.  Drain off fat, sprinkle flour on beef mixture and cook 2 more minutes.  Stir in stock and potatoes and bring to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
2. Stir in tomatoes, cheese, tomato paste, ketchup and mustard.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted, then stir in milk and heat through.  Garnish with scallions, if desired.

happy friday

Happy Friday everyone! And happy birthday sister- let the weekend festivities begin!  Looks like tomorrow will bring some quintessential autumn weather to my neck of the woods with a chance of rain Sunday, ie: a strong chance of snuggling up on the couch with my knitting project and some re-runs of West Wing on Sunday.  (Yes, you heard right... my KNITTING project.  After a few stubborn years of maintaining a crochet-only lifestyle, I have officially become a knitter.  More about this to come, obviously.)

Also, a long-awaited shop announcement coming sometime next week.

(Photos:  Our neighborhood, October 2010.)

community supported bakery

Recently, I've been totally blown away by the creativity of others in my city.  The tweetzzapizza guys, for starters.  And now the husband and wife duo behind All Good Bakers is starting up the area's first CSB-- Community Supported Bakery.

It works just like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) wherein you purchase your bakery shares at the start of the season and then pick up delicious baked treats each week.  So awesome.  All Good Bakers had a booth at the Local Harvest Festival back in September and we picked up a flyer about the CSB along with a sweet treat.  They use local and organic ingredients whenever possible and also offer a few vegan selections, including their famous Vegan Cinnamon Buns.  You can choose in advance what you'd like each week (ie, Oh this week I'd like a loaf of Rustic Italian but then the next week I'll get the seasonal scones.  All Over Albany has an interview with the bakers and links to more information about the CSB shares and sign-ups over here.  The last day to sign-up for this season is October 24, so you local readers better get moving!

I love the creativity and innovation behind the CSB idea.  It's a well-known business model applied in a non-traditional niche.  I really do believe that we are transitioning away from boxed, processed, empty calorie and suspicious ingredient food.  I have faith that the local food (and local economy) movement will become more and more mainstream.  That healthy fruits & veggies and handcrafted quality products will be preferred over cheaply made goods.  But during this transition, which will likely be quite slow and a little bit painful, sustainable visionaries (farmers, bakers, artisans, etc.) are rolling up their sleeves and getting creative about building successful, profitable businesses.  I love that.

From the All Over Albany interview:

"The up-front capital the community supported model will bring us will enable us to bake with organic flours and local ingredients ... and it will allow us to run our own business and still have time for family.  We want to grow slowly, build a solid customer base and then perhaps expand."  

Yes yes yes.  Email them at allgoodbakers@gmail.com for more info.

PS-  FUSSYlittleBLOG is hosting a giveway of treats from All Good Bakers.  You can also enter a giveaway at their Facebook page.

PPS-  They are also venders at a nearby farmers market AND do special orders (cakes, cupcakes, etc.)  Just thought you should know.

making yogurt cheese

Cheesemaking is a forbidden fruit in our home.  I'm not sure why.  Something about "impractical" and "tiny kitchen".  Once I found out about yogurt cheese, however, I threw caution to the wind and decided that I would take a small leap into the world of cheesemaking.

Yogurt cheese couldn't be simpler.  You need plain yogurt and some sort of sieve/draining set-up.  I laid several layers of cheesecloth inside a mesh colander and placed that in a medium-sized bowl.  I've also heard you can use a dish towel with a fine weave or even a coffee filter.  You just need something to strain the liquid from the yogurt and something to collect the liquid.

Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth-lined colander, or your preferred set-up, and cover.  I just twisted the cheesecloth up into a knot, but you could cover yours with plastic wrap if you'd like.  Set aside in the refrigerator.  Check on it occasionally and empty the bowl of liquid (that's whey, if you're down with cheesemaking lingo) when necessary.  You can give the yogurt a few presses and squeezes to speed up the process.  Once the yogurt has reached a cream cheese consistency, you've made it!  You just made your own cheese. Ain't nobody gonna hold you down.  Oh no.  You've got to keep on moving.

From what I've read, the process is quite flexible; let it drain for only a few hours, drain it overnight or leave it for a few days.  The longer you drain it, I think, the firmer the cheese.  I started this after work, checked on it a few times throughout the evening and then let it sit overnight.

Plain yogurt cheese tastes like plain yogurt with a thicker consistency.  Not much of a surprise there.  I added a pinch of sea salt, ground black pepper, fresh shredded basil, thinly sliced scallions and crushed garlic, a la this recipe.  What a difference that made!  Use it as a spread for crackers, in sandwiches or with a generous hunk of crusty homemade bread.

Would you make your own cheese?  Do you have a cheesemaking ban in your household?  Are there many other households in which such a topic is discussed?  I don't know if I'll make actual cheese anytime soon, but I'm intrigued...

sunday soup, pumpkin tortilla

Mmm mmm, pumpkin tortilla soup.  This is the third time we've made this recipe and it's still a favorite.  El Hombre's mom was in town last night and we wanted a fail-safe menu.  So pumpkin tortilla soup and panini* it was.  Tomato, mozzarella, avocado & pesto panini on homemade bread made in my very own brand-new bread machine.  Whoop!

Back to the pumpkin tortilla soup.  It's a chop everything up, saute & simmer recipe.  And until we sprinkled that cheddar cheese on top, it was completely vegan.  Don't skip the tortilla strip garnish, or the avocado for that matter, they really make the dish.  A spoonful of sour cream on top would also be a nice touch, if you're into that sort of thing.

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup (adapted slightly from here)
Ingredients

• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Canola oil for deep-frying
• 1-2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

Directions

1. Cut six of the tortillas into 1/2-inch squares.  Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and add onion, garlic, cilantro or parsley and chopped tortillas.  Stir frequently and cook until onion is soft.  Add the cumin and chili powder.
2. Add the canned pumpkin, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt.  Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour.
3. While the soup is simmering, cut the remaining 6 tortillas in half and then into thin strips. Heat canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until very hot and fry tortilla strips until crisp.  Move tortilla strips to a plate covered with paper towels to drain.  Garnish soup with tortilla strips, avocado and cheddar cheese.  

*The plural of panini is... panini.  Swear.

ooh la la evening shawl

I started this shawl a few weeks ago with a wedding in mind, but ended up wearing a cardigan instead.  I'd had the pattern in my favorites on Ravelry* for months and finally succumbed to my curiosity.  I mean, this has a SLEEVE!  A shawl with a single sleeve.  How does that even work?  I love it.

The pattern called for six balls of Paton Silk Bamboo.  I ended up using just a little more than four of them in the Plum colorway, which is perfect because two of the balls of yarn were from a different dye lot and consequently slightly off-color.  This 70/30 blend of bamboo and cotton is perfect for the shawl;  smooth, silky and a little bit decadent.

I picture it with a Little Black Dress, pearl bracelet and a vintage hair comb holding back perfectly coiffed curls.  Or skinny jeans and a tank top.  Either one.

You can buy a PDF of the pattern on Ravelry here or on Etsy here.  It is clear and easy to understand, but for some reason I was having a tough time keeping the stitches consistent.  I'd count each one, but somehow at the end of each row I'd be a little off.  Or the stitches in each row wouldn't quite line up with each other.  But the end result looks correct, so maybe it was just a figment of the imagination.

I'm a cardigan girl through and through, but shawls and wraps are so classy I may have to make a few more of them this season.

* I've been a member of Ravelry for a few years but never thought to mention it here.  Think of it as a social network for yarn junkies, the Facebook of Knitters and Crocheters.  You can find me on Ravelry by clicking here, or you can log-in and view the project page for this shawl here.

fondue partay

I assumed that this would have been be my 6th or so post about fondue, but a quick search tells me that although I've shared photos over on flickr, I've never once written about the wonder that is a Fondue Party here.  Shame! Where to start?  My mom has another gem of a book from the 70s that declares something like,"Fondue is perfect for a really gay evening at the ski lodge."  Indeed it is, even if a little lost in translation.  I'm of the strong belief that fondue is an all-season experience, but I find it has the strongest effect when it's cold outside and you are huddled around a fondue pot inside, filling your belly with cheese and chocolate.

The first fondue night of the cool-weather season happened last week.  I can't take credit for this one, since all I had to do was bring over my fondue pot and a beverage; my gracious hosts provided the rest.  Imagine my delight when, upon presenting the apple cider & cranberry cocktails, I was told that the main course fondue was a Cheddar and Hard Cider recipe. C'est magnifique!

Drinks were poured, cheese was melted & the fixins were brought to the table.  A feeding frenzy promptly ensured, during which time we ate our weight in bread, mushrooms, chicken sausage, apples and broccoli dipped in fondue.  I've heard many a complaint about fondue not being sufficient as a stand-alone dinner.  Let my story be a lesson to you:  you can get wonderfully sick with gluttony just from dipping little crudites and bread into melted cheese.  Trust.

Then, have gone beyond the point of no return, we started up the dessert fondue.  Strawberries, pineapple and sponge cake dipped in warm chocolate.

Fondue makes the world go 'round.  You linger around the fondue pot, scraping up every last bit of gooey goodness while storytelling and jokemaking, and all is right in the world.

Do you fondue?  I became an Avid Fonduer after my mom and sister double-teamed my Christmas gift a few years ago and I ended up with a brand new fondue pot and a fondue recipe book.  I think that picking a fondue recipe is the easy part, but deciding what to dip in it always stumps me.  Any suggestions?

congrats

Congratulations to Dad & Clarissa, who tied the knot this past weekend on a beautiful autumn day.  Your photographs are almost ready :)

mr. cornelius applejack

While we are fortunate enough to have illustrated directions for making our own apple jack, we decided to go the easy route and swing by a local apple orchard, family farm and distillery to pick up a bottle.

"Since colonial times, traditional applejack was made by freezing barrels of hard cider during the long winter months, then tapping and removing the alcoholic center. This was a powerful and harsh liquor, since it concentrated all of the alcohols — both good and bad.  Since we carefully distill Cornelius Applejack 3 times, our version offers a smoother, more satisfying take on this American classic."

We mixed a little bit in with our regular apple cider and enjoyed it outside with fresh cider doughnuts 'cause we're ciderfreaks.  Ciderfreaks.  Each bottle is made from over 60 pounds of fresh applies grown right outside of the distillery.

This got me thinking about good ol' John Adams and his daily drink of hard cider.  The only hard cider I've tasted has been of the sugary, bubbly bottled variety and I have a hunch that they aren't quite the real deal.

"Most Americans now consider cider—if they consider it at all—to be in the same category as wine coolers or those enigmatic clear malt beverages: chemically suspect, effeminate alternatives to beer. And who can blame them? America's mass-market ciders are comically weak and inexplicably fizzy. Many are made not from cider apples but from the concentrated juice of eating apples, which is a bit like making wine from seedless table grapes." 

- Slate

Do you drink hard cider?  Have you ever made your own?  Would you come to a Colonial America-themed costume party where I serve cider and we curse the Redcoats?  Catch another discussion about hard cider over at The Kitchn. 

hot coffee, rough start

As I dumped piping hot coffee all over my freshly pressed outfit, including a brand-new shirt, and over the entire kitchen floor, three pots and pans that were stored nearby and my delicious breakfast sandwich, I decided that I needed a pretty picture to get through the day.  And another cup of coffee, a new breakfast sandwich, burn relief ointment and probably a pint of Ben & Jerry's.  Here's to a rough start of another rainy day in New York!

(photo via Toast's Autumn 2010 House & Home collection)

one-bowl lunch

During my visit to Portland I grabbed lunch at one of the city's famous food carts (they have over 450 and Budget Travel voted them the World's Best Street Food) called The Whole Bowl.

They serve just one thing:  The Whole Bowl.

The bowl is filled with brown rice, red and black beans, fresh avocado, salsa, black olives, sour cream, Tillamook cheddar, cilantro, and the secret lemony-garlicky "Tali" sauce.  Or as The Portland Mercury says, "a big, hearty bowl of tasty hippie stuff."

This is what I want for lunch every day, or at least something like it.  Easy enough though, right?  You just need a grain (rice, couscous, quinoa, barley, etc.); protein (black beans, lentils, chickpeas or even some tofu/tempeh/grilled chicken); veggies (avocado, bell peppers, onion, corn); cheese and a sauce (oil and vinegar, salsa or your favorite dressing).

I remember reading that Wendy at Moop just throws together a similar type of bowl for lunch most days and I've seen other "templates" around here and here.  Do you have a favorite one-bowl lunch?  Or any promising combinations you'd like to try?

pizza by text or tweet

Stumbled across tweetzzapizza the other day:

"Homemade pizza on Saturday nights (7:30pm-sellout) in Albany.  

Sketchy bicycle delivery.  Meet us on the corner.  

Order via text or tweet."

Menu looked good.  $7 for cheese, $8 for a pie with toppings.  So I texted in our order (one three-cheese pizza) and we set up a delivery game plan.

They deliver by bike within the Center Square neighborhood of Albany, maybe up to midtown if you ask politely.  Apparently they are close enough to our building that they planned on walking it over instead of using the bike.  Obviously I was bummed, but then as I walked to the nearby corner four minutes later... a guy on a crazy-looking bike appeared!  I yelled, "Is that my pizza?!"  And it was.  It was.  I wish I brought my camera outside (but here is someone else's picture of it).

 

The business plan is hilarious and awesome.  The delivery was ridiculous and super speedy.  And the pizza was warm and delicious.  Thanks, tweetzzapizza :)

I've heard that in NYC you can text a guy and he will deliver you a grilled cheese.  Is this the wave of the future?  If so, I'm definitely setting up a text-only delivery service of warm chocolate chip cookies.

this week on tumblr

A few recent favorites from my tumblr...

Established in 2008, this eight month, part-time (520 hour) practicum offers instruction and work experience in small-scale sustainable agriculture.  In a hands-on learning approach, participants work alongside farm staff in the fields and at the market.   Participants attend complementary lectures and participate in a variety of supplementary  educational activities. The practicum is intended as a beginning point for aspiring growers, agricultural professionals, and educators.

(UBC Farm at the University of British Columbia)

Another point scored for BC.

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(Alisha's Bright White Guest Cottage  via Apartment Therapy,
found via sewliberated & myidealhome)

Looks like they are working with a tiny space too.  At least we don’t climb a ladder to get to bed.

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The School of One - the diary of one woman’s new career as an autodidact:

The world is full of wonders and I am greedy for them. So with this weird unconstructed space that is my adult life, I am going to attempt to make a form. I will mold a career of my own. I don’t have funds to travel, but I have a library card and I happen to live in a city with amazing cultural artifacts. I have time. I have a roof overhead and a tolerance for very little cash in hand. I also have an unshakeable belief that knowledge is worth having. So this space will be a map of my attempts at self-education, a documentation of the things I am reading and seeing and doing in an effort to mold the raw matter of my mind into something a little better.

-Stephanie from even*cleveland

So she created a syllabus of the things she wants to learn:

Track 1: The Old Canon: Greeks

Monday and Tuesday mornings. Part of my long term goal to read the Western Canon (as defined by Bloom). I’m starting at the beginning, rereading Homer, and moving on to Hesiod. After that: plays and histories as they fall.

Track 2: Modern Novels

Monday and Tuesday afternoons. For my purposes, modern novels mean 20th century. This fall: Flannery O’Connor and Kafka.

Track 3: Poetry

Thursday mornings. I’d like to grain more poetry into my mind - there are very few poets I have read entire or retained more than fragments of. This fall: Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell and their collected correspondence, Words In Air. I may try to work in some Lady Caroline Blackwood if I can (Lowell was her 3rd husband).

Additionally:

Wednesday trips to the Met, Thursday afternoon field trips to museums, galleries and whatnot, and a little bit of time every day with LingQ to try and polish up my French. I’m also going to try and fit in some astronomy and history podcasts when I am walking the dog.

(School of One found via What Possessed Me: School of Awesome)

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(the tree of cups via myidealhome)

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(via Lands’ End | Share the Warmth)

Knit or crochet small squares and send them to Share the Warmth, where volunteers will stitch them together into blankets for families in need.

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 (these-hours by Amelia via madamecupcake)

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Check out my tumblr page for more finds and inspiration from around the web.