There has been a much welcomed return of making around here this week as well as some previously scheduled knowledge sharing* which always ends up inspiring more making, a very good thing. Continue reading
Category: creativity
Of crafts and swaps.
I don’t know how I first heard of the Craft Swap Craft Cville was throwing. The point is, I heard of it. And was more than a little excited. Swap your craft supplies that are just sitting there for ones you might use? Yes, please. Continue reading
Round tuit.
I finally got around to trying some things that had long been on my want-to-do list – wine herb jelly and canning my fermented mini-gerkins. I read in Joy of Pickling about hot water bath canning your fermented pickles and realized in the name of fridge space, I needed to do that before my fridge was overrun with jars of cute, mini-watermelon-like cukes. Continue reading
Pizza lately.
Pizza for dinner is a regular occurrence around here. I make a batch of dough and split it, creating two slightly thin crusts. One becomes something more standard for whatever kids are around for dinner and one gets to be some version of clean out the fridge pizza, using up whatever I have on hand.
Lately, that means what Edie dubbed “fabulous pizza” when she about 3 or 4. The rest of the world may know it as Pizza Margherita, but in this house, pizza made with tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella is fabulous pizza.
My most recent pizza experiment that turned out surprisingly well used tomatillo salsa for sauce, monterey jack cheese, arugula, jalapenos and Caromont Farm fresh chevre. The tomatillos, arugula and jalapenos all came from the garden, as did the tomatoes and basil on the fabulous pizza. It was one of those dishes that is better than the sum of its parts. The mildness of the jack cheese was a nice counterpoint that tied together the creamy- savory-with a bit of a bite thing going on.
Getting funky with it.
I have this fun scarf I knit myself a few years ago that never fails to get compliments.
Perspective.
Is the glass half empty or half full? It’s all how you look at it.
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time navel gazing here lately, pondering the greater meaning of life, exactly what talents I do possess and just overall taking stock. I blame the change of season and the start of a new school year for this. Also an upcoming birthday that is bringing along a hint of a mid-life crisis I-don’t-even-know-what-to-call-it-because-it’s-not-a-crisis-as-much-as-it-is-some-heavy-duty-life-stuff, that when I talk to friends about why this is forthcoming, all agree, it’s a pretty damn valid impetus and furthermore, I’m handling it pretty damn good, all things considered. Continue reading
Living in her Pinterest world.
It was Spring Break of first grade where Edie discovered that Martha Stewart was a real person and had her own TV show. Somehow, despite having piles of Martha’s books and magazines stacked all over the house, I had neglected to expose my daughter to all that the lifestyle maven had to offer. This is what happens when I let my child watch television unsupervised. (She discovered Julia Child this way too.) Edie was instantly hooked. Here was someone that understood her. Next thing I knew, she had handed me a materials list because with Easter coming that week, she was going to dye her eggs Martha style.
Major mom win.
Edie is a HUGE Taylor Swift fan. When she found out Taylor was coming to play in Charlottesville, she was pretty much beside herself with excitement. Could not stop talking about going to see her show.
And then I found out how much tickets were. Continue reading
Recent Experiments.
In my quest to make the perfect dill cucumber pickle, I’ve tried my hand at fermenting them this season. Amanda made it look easy, so I followed her directions, gathering cherry & oak leaves from trees around our yard, as well as a basket full of dill heads from the garden. I got two pounds of the most beautifully adorable cucs from Whisper Hill Farm and went at it.
Misadventures of the gardening foodie sort.
Last summer, my friend Cynthia introduced me to this adorable little relative of the cucumber family, the Mexican Sour Gherkin. The flavor of these miniature watermelon-appearing fruits has a crisp, tart (think lemon) cucumber flavor. I immediately thought they would make an excellent pickle. Continue reading
Chicken Wire & Paper Flowers 