Christine Haynes Launching Patterns!

Remember Christine Haynes from this awesome guest post? She is one of the nicest crafters I've ever met. She's hard-working, honest, and always has a positive attitude. She's like a little sunbeam of crafty goodness. When I met her at a craft fair a few years ago, I liked her immediately. And when I saw her cute dresses and original designs I liked her even more. 


Christine is THIS CLOSE to launching a line of her very own patterns. She's got everything lined up and ready. All she needs now are a few more donations from people like us who want to see our favorite crafters go to the next level. No donation is too small. But check out the video she put together, and you might just find yourself wanting to donate more than your pocket change when you hear about the generous gifts she's making for donations of $10 or more. 





See? Wasn't that video compelling!? Don't you suddenly want TWO custom-made dresses from Christine?? If so, feel free to donate here. I wouldn't ever endorse anything I didn't totally believe in. I totally believe in Christine and can't wait to see her line of patterns in stores all across the country!


Thanks in advance for any help you can give her! 

DB Challenge: Fresh Frasier (AKA Food Fail)

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

When I saw samples of this delicate dessert, I was so eager to begin. I'd taken a couple of months off from the Daring Kitchen challenges for work and travel, and returning to this collective group of talented food-artists was exciting for me.  

The sample Frasier I saw online was gorgeous. And while I won't pretend that I am nearly as talented as SOME people when it comes to baking or decorating cakes, there was a simple elegance about this particular challenge that I was drawn to.

I was baking on a particularly rushed afternoon. Never a great head space for me. I far prefer a lazy Sunday or rainy Saturday morning.... but life isn't filled  with relaxed weekends, so a rushed afternoon weekday was my only opportunity.

While I was making the Chiffon cake, I was feeling confident. It looked really pretty. It smelled good. The only little issue for me, was that I was using an Angel Food pan instead of a Spring-Form pan, so my cake would have a gaping hole in the center. I figured I'd fill the hole with berries or cream, so I didn't really flinch over the choice. It was all I had, I'd make it work

Unfortunately for me, the cake was the least of my problems. I read the recipe FIVE times before embarking on the pastry cream portion. FIVE TIMES. And I still ended up with a soupy mess. After a second, and THIRD attempt, I threw in towel, and made the cream I used for my Fastelavnsboller buns. This probably would have been suitable and tasty, but in a hasty attempt to salvage the pastry cream one...more... time... I combined the third batch of pastry cream WITH my custard from the Fastelavnsboller buns, and ended up with a tasty, but grainy paste instead of a light cream. 

My Frasier had all the potential to grow up into a pageant queen, but ended up more like a drunken sorority girl walking home from a party the next morning with smeared mascara and a broken heel. 


It tasted fine. In fact, the Chantilly cake was really pretty fantastic.  And strawberries are always yummy. But. Yea. My filling was like bathroom caulking. The pan may have also contributed to the overall demise of my Frasier. Whatever the mess it was, it was still served up to friends and family who all said (with cocked heads, while patting my arm), "No, really, it's good. At least you tried."

PDF Recipe for this cake is located here.


I'm sure yours will be prettier than mine. Really, it has to be.

Our Viking Dinner: Foraged, Flame-Cooked Fun

Over the weekend, I set out with the mister and a friend for a little afternoon hike in the hills just south of Los Angeles. The joke was that we would try to forage for our dinner the way the Vikings did. I'd picked up a Viking Cookbook in Norway, and had brought it with us, so that we could have a "shopping list" as we hiked. Did I think we would ACTUALLY find enough of what we needed to make a dinner? Hmmm. I thought we would find the plants we were looking for, but none lovely green and so untouched by beast or man that we would actually want to EAT them... 

After dodging a few patches of 'pois on oak', we came upon our first shopping list item: Stinging Nettle. Stinging nettle is appropriately named. Wear heavy gloves if you plan on handling this plant. Don't even think about breaking it off with your hands. We used clippers and either paper or plastic baggies to handle the stuff. Why? It stings. Painfully. And for a few hours. 

Next up, we found a nice patch of elderberries. They were sweet and delicious right off the tree, but we loaded up a baggie of these berries and carried on thinking of all the uses for these sweet treats. 

After a few other items, mustard seeds, Toyon leaves and lemonade bush berries, we were set. We picked up a whole perch at the fish market, and headed home to work on our menu for the evening, which included the following: Cream of Nettle Soup, Charcoal-Grilled Perch, and a Smoked Pork Pancake. 

First, I started prepping the nettles for the soup.
21 young nettles
1 litre vegetable stock
3 tablespoons flour
100 ml milk or cream
salt, white or black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon thyme
4 eggs

Rinse and blanch the nettles, then drain them well. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and add the nettles. In a separate bowl, add the flour with a little cold water to make a paste, then boil for several minutes until slightly thickened. Add the cream. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Hard-boil the eggs and place two halves in each bowl. Serves 4.

Meanwhile, we soaked the elderberries in a large bowl of cold water. This helped separate the dried up berries and ants that floated (or frantically swam) on the surface, from the sweet, supple berries that sunk to the bottom of the bowl. 

We mashed up half of the berried in a strainer to make a sweet and tart juice concentrate that we added to fizzy water for a refreshing beverage. With the second half of the berry bowl, we made a syrup to pour over ice cream, and a quick jelly that we ate on toast the next morning!

Next up, we prepped the perch and the grill.
1 kg perch
2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch pepper
4 tablespoons butter
50 ml dill, finely chopped
50 ml parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Gut and clean the fish thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper both inside and out. Mix the butter and herbs together and refrigerate for a few minutes to harden up. Then, pack the fish with the herb butter. Grill it over charcoal, 8-12 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the fish. 

Our fish had been cleaned and de-scaled at the market, and in hindsight, we probably would have left the scales on, because I'm guessing those scales protected the fish from falling apart on the coals in the days before aluminum foil. Half-way through the cooking, we wrapped that bad boy in foil so that we wouldn't lose any meat to the fire. 

Lastly, we made a smoked pork pancake.
1/2 kg smoked pork
500 ml milk
7 eggs
150 ml flour


Slice the pork and fry it lightly. Keep half the pork fat in the pan. Whisk together the eggs, flour and milk and pour the batter into the hot pan. Lift and prod the batter with a spatula from time to time to stop it from sticking to the pan. When the pancake seems firm, slide it onto a plate. Put the pork back in the pan with some of the fat, and then slide the pancake (uncooked side down) back into the pan. When golden brown on both sides, serve with jam. 

I had some trouble removing my pancake from the pan, so it ended up looking a bit more like scrambled eggs. Despite the ugliness, it was still tasty. 

We washed the dinner down with our elderberry fizzy water, some lemonade berry lemonade, and after dinner, a fragrant, but subtle-tasting Toyon-leaf tea!

Our foraged Viking dinner was great fun to cook and eat, but the collection was the real treat for us. The hike was beautiful, and thanks to our knowledgeable friend Ivan, we knew we were not gathering anything poisonous... I do want to say, that if you are NOT sure what you are gathering, don't eat it! There are lots of places that offer local guided tours as well as information in books and online about identifying local wild edibles, and their terribly toxic counterparts. That said, I hope you will enjoy these Viking recipes and let me know what you think!!

P.S. If you are curious about the crochet viking helmet I'm wearing, I bought a pattern from Tara at Easy Makes Me Happy and begged my mom to make it for me (since I only know how to knit) before I went to Norway! Check out her other patterns too- all very cute! 

Photo Saturday: An Orchid for Norway

Thinking about Norway this weekend, and all of the devastation there. This shot was taken down an empty alley in Bergen, just over a month ago...

When Life Gives You Watermelon Rinds, Make Pickles

We're eating a LOT of watermelon right now. In our home, it's the ideal summer food; sweet, hydrating, cool and refreshing. But after the Eat Real Festival last weekend, I got to thinking about using MORE of my melon, and I set out to make watermelon rind pickles at home. 

The Eat Real Fest *did* have a class on making these pickles, but since I was regretfully unable to attend, I turned to epicurious for guidance. I found a recipe that looked really yummy, but did make a few small tweaks, based on the user comments, and my own favorite flavor combinations. Here's what I did:

• 1 4-pound piece watermelon, quartered
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons coarse salt

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 10 whole cloves
• 15 whole pink peppercorns
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 3 chili peppers, whole
• Fresh, raw ginger (as much as you can handle)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Cut the watermelon pulp from its rind, leaving thin layer of pink on rind (reserve pulp for another use- like eating immediately!) Cut the green outer skin from the rind and discard. Trim the rinds into 1 x 1/2-inch pieces to measure 4 cups. Combine 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the rind and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the rind with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a large metal bowl. 

Combine the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, sugar and the rest of the ingredients in the heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. 

Pour the liquid over the watermelon rinds in the metal bowl. Fill a large zip-close baggie with excess pickling liquid over the rinds in the bowl to ensure the pieces stay submerged. Cover the whole thing with a plate, allow the bowl to cool, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. The next day, remove the rinds from the metal bowl with a slotted spoon, and bring the liquid to a boil in a heavy pot. Once boiling, pour the pickling liquid over the rinds for a second time.  

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Repeat this last step (allowing the bowl to cool, refrigerate the liquid and rinds for 8+ hours, and then strain the rinds from the liquid, and boil the pickling liquid before pouring over the rinds for a third and final time). 

Keep finished pickles in sealed jars in the refrigerator. Serve at picnics, on hot days, or when you are looking for a cool snack with an unexpected kick!

I was very happy with my rinds. I'm a huge raw ginger fan and the combination of ginger, chili, and apple cider vinegar made for a really robust flavor, and one that works nicely when served with hot and spicy food. 

While the idea of needing three days to complete this pickling process is not ideal for most people, it was a very quick daily process, and the smells that filled my kitchen were so satisfying, I'm actually missing the boiling and straining process already! 

If you try this recipe, or have a family watermelon pickle recipe you love, I'd love to hear from you. I'm new to watermelon pickles, but am so happy I finally found them!

Saving Summer: DIY Pressed Seaweed

What's my favorite thing about summertime? Everything. I love being outside. I love camping. I love the beach. I love long days full of warm sunshine, and cool water. What do I hate about summertime? That it eventually comes to an ends. 

For me, pressing seaweed is one way to keep summer alive throughout the year, so this week I grabbed two of my favorite kids, and hit the beach in search of sun, fun and seaweed. 

We searched...

We gathered... 

We enjoyed the day...

And most of all, we edited.

While I've been to beaches that were strewn with seaweed, the one we picked this week (Huntington Beach) was fairly bare- which is fantastic for lying in the sand and floating in the water, but we were mindful about how many pieces of seaweed we took home since there wasn't an abundance.

When we did finally bid the sea adieu, we returned home and gave our seaweed a good rinse under the tap. Then we let it sit on a paper towel for a spell, while we located one of my trusty old $1 hardback-books from the bargain tray of a local used books store. When I press seaweed, I like to use a THICK hardback book. (Personal note: For about 6 years I used Howard Stern's first book Private Parts. But a couple of years ago, it finally disintegrated- so don't choose a book you LOVE for this craft. What you will need to press your own seaweed at home is:

- A used hardback book you don't care about damaging

- Wax paper

- Fresh seaweed

- Toothpicks

- Fresh water

- Paper towels

- Heavy things like bricks or potted plants

- Lots of time

Take a piece of wax paper that is large enough to cover both facing pages of your book. Lay the fresh seaweed down on the wax paper, and use your toothpick to straighten out the seaweed. The way you close your book is the way your seaweed will stay, so take the time to really untangle it, and make it look as lovely as you can. 

 

 

Once your seaweed is completely untangled, fold the wax paper over it, and gently press down on the book. I will often press several pieces of seaweed in the same book, but make sure there are enough book pages between the seaweeds that the liquid won't seep from one piece to the next. Too much liquid in your seaweed press can lead to a moldy finished product.  

To prevent mold from growing, I usually place my seaweed-stuffed book outside in an area where the dry summer breeze can help wick out any extra moisture. I also stack heavy objects- like bricks, potted plants, or additional books on top of my make-shift seaweed press. 

Then, I leave the whole thing alone for a few months... 

When I'm done, I place my seaweed on a white backing and frame it. If I can find the Latin name of the seaweed online, I will hand-write it under the specimen. 

There have been cases where I've lost a piece of seaweed here or there to mold, but I typically end up with about a 95% success rate. 

I really love the natural history quality that pressed seaweed adds to my home. But more importantly, it makes me feel like summer fun is never too far away! 

Foodie Paradise: Eat Real Festival in Culver City

Culver City is my kind of neighborhood. Lots of art galleries, bike paths and hiking trails, and a variety of unique places to eat. This weekend, the tasty morsels were abundant, as the Eat Real Festival moved into town and set up camp at the Helms Bakery. 

In addition to rows of food trucks offering up intoxicating smells and exploding flavors, the festival had several stages with hands-on classes (hubby & I learned how to make sauerkraut and forage for local edibles, while my neighbor learned how to pickle watermelon rinds and make sourdough bread!), there were demos on making your own butter, and cooking with cactus, butchering meats, live bands playing toe-tapping tunes, and loads of vendors selling hand-made edibles, and responsibly-crafted goods. And there were TONS of people, who had walked and biked there (in your face, "cArmageddon")- which was a blast!

Below are a few shots from the festival. 

The colorful eggs from the gorgeous chickens from Dare 2 Dream Farms in Lompoc.

Where does food come from? The game, "Pin the meat cut on the cow" might help...

Food trucks, glorious food trucks!

Our Sauerkraut class presented by the good people of the Farmer's Kitchen.

The sweet baby animals in the "learning zoo" (on loan from local butchers.)

The crowd getting into the noodle-pulling demo by Mr. Yang of Mandarin Noodle Deli-  Smiles all around!

Community Garden-themed Mural-painting in the back lot! 

Cool-Haus ice cream sandwiches were incredible!! Mine was a European Berry Yogurt on Maple Waffle cookies. Husband got Apple Pie Ice Cream on Snicker-doodle cookies (his was eaten before a photo could be taken!)

Even my Norwegian relatives stopped by for a hot dog and to pet the chickens!

Of course, no sustainable food event is complete without a pig-butchering demo starring Chris Jacobson of Top Chef Season 3, and skilled butcher, Michael Puglisi, who both work at The Yard in Santa Monica.

And did I mention how cute their signage was? I should have bought a shirt because I LOVED their graphics!

This was the first Eat Real event in Los Angeles, and there have been three in Oakland so far. I hope to attend many more of these events in the future! I was smiling all weekend. The Eat Real Festival, got me thinking about what more I could do to raise food at home, and how to make smart food choices when I'm shopping. I also picked up some new skills, met more of my neighbors, and got to taste some really delicious foods and beverages! Thanks Eat Real Festival! See ya next time!