Canning Addition

I have to admit that I think I have a problem. I started last month and can't stop canning. Somehow I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing with my free afternoon. I know that this winter I will be very happy that my cupboards are stocked and Christmas presents are covered.
After my adventure with those pickles watermelon rinds, I made pickled grapes. They were found on the website smittenkitchen.com, which is my favorit cooking blog. They sounded so interesting that I had to make them, and very glad I did.

I took a jar to a bbq last weekend. On a cracker with goat cheese, mmmm. They are definitely a recipe I will make again.

On the otherhand, I will not be using the same recipe I used last week for homemade ketchup. I think it was the cardamon seeds that added a weird flavor to it. I have tried twice now to enjoy eating, but I just can't fake it. Next time...

Pickled Kitchen

If it is possible to get vinegar poisoning I think I may have it! I spent almost all of day pickling. Last night I started the first project: watermelon rinds. Usually choice, but my mom makes the best pickled watermelon rinds so I thought I would give them a try. The hardest part is time involved. The cutting down to size, and overnight soak.

Yet, once everything is ready they weren't that hard.

It's hard to wait the month or more til they are ready, but should be worth it!
Here's the recipe that I used for them. I used a version I found on the food blog "Foodista," and changed a few things like decreasing the amount of sugar and cloves, and adding whole black peppercorn.
I also don't have a canning kettle, but each of the six half-pints sealed themselves without one. I just boiled the jars and lids, and closed them up as soon as they were filled. The sound of the "click" of the seal has become one of my favorite sounds!

Pickled Watermelon Rind

• 1 large watermelon,  cut away the pink flesh and green rind. Then cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1 quart white or cider vinegar
• 5 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorn
• 8 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

Remove green skin and remaining pink from watermelon rind, then cut into 1-inch chunks to measure 4 quarts. Place rinds in a non-metal bowl and add the water and salt. You may need to add more water in order to completely cover the rinds. Cover and soak overnight in refrigerator.

Drain and cover with clear water, then transfer to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes; drain and set aside. In the same large saucepan, pour vinegar; add sugar. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Add the drained watermelon rind. Boil gently until rind is transparent and syrup is slightly thickened, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove spices and spoon into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving about 1/2-inch head space, and seal. Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

No rest for the wicked

It is hard to believe that it already August. I guess this is the disappointing part of being an adult, the lack of a summer vacation. Unless your rich, which I'm not, work continues no matter the season. However, I have been very lucky at work lately to snag some awesome produce for free. A couple weeks back, I was helping out at a different store and I came back from my lunch break to find a box of 50 organic peaches on my chair. Awesome! 

They had some rain spots, which I could see, but they were pulled after customer complains. No complains from me!  I sliced & froze them all. Messy work, but it was worth it in the end.

I tried out a recipe for peach schnapps! It will be ready in about two months. I also made something with a quicker satisfaction, peaches and vodka! It's in the fridge and is delicious:)

So I guess work hasn't been so bad afterall!

Dressing and Facebook

So as you have noticed, there is now a facebook badge on the side of my page. This is my mom's dressing. It is amazing how she has been able to made, market and sell her Salad Dressing. I'm really proud that she has done this. So many people dream of making and selling something, and she has actually done it! And is doing well with it. She just got into Whole Food Markets. It is awesome to walk down the aisle at work and see her dressing on the shelf! She's in a bunch of local store, check out her website www.missmaryanns.com to find out where.

Friends!

Friends are wonderful. I am lucky to have lots of great ones. These past couple of weeks have been full of fun random get togethers. Either out in the neighborhood, or at a home, some good times have been had.

Today was a great example of one of those times. My friend Kelly invited a few of us over for a craft day. It was the perfect rainy Portland day for one. We all brought a snack. Mine was a dish I had seen on television last week, and have been dying for an opportunity to make. It was guacamole with blue cheese, quite tasty.

I was able to finish up a couple of friends for Abe. This bear pattern is fun to make, and easy to change up. I have yet to name these two fellows, or decide who they will end up with. For now, they will be hanging out here.

I also finished up a couple of toys for Betty & Iszel. (Those would be my two crazy cats.) I put cat nip in with the stuffing. Next time I may add some krinkly plastic bags for added sound effects.

idea sources

Recently, I bought the book "One Yard Wonders." It is full of very cool projects that use a yard or less of fabric. (That is where I found little Abe's pattern.) Yesterday, I tried my hand at a new laptop sleeve.

The one I had made years ago has sadly seen better days. I decided to use a bunch of scraps of my favorite fabrics I have saved over time.

I save a lot of random stuff. Including a huge old tack board I've had since I was a kid. It was really big, and haggard looking. I cut out a piece and covered it in this festive green fabric.

projects projects projects

Recently I changed jobs at work and now have the wonderful schedule of day-only shifts. This is the first time in over three years that I haven't had to work in the evenings. It has been awesome so far. Partly because I can see my friends more, and partly because I have more motivation to work on craft projects.
I had yet another baby shower this weekend. Which I am happy for, since it gives me the opportunity to make more things:) The husband of this latest baby is into sci-fi and robots, so when I saw this rocket fabric it seemed a perfect fit.

The burbing blankets are a fun, and easy gift.

The next picture is a diaper/wipes holder.  It is lined, and has a velcro tab to close at the flap. Think this will come in handy when they are out and about.

I also made this bib out of a cute sock monkey print flannel.

The shower was great, and the projects turned out pretty good I think.

Abe the Bear

A good friend of mine from high school has the cutest little girl! Unfortunately, they live more than two hours away on the Oregon Coast, so I don't see them as often as I would like to. Last week, we had a mini-reunion in Salem with several of my best friends. I found this pattern for the cutest little bear and decided to make it for Josie.

I had never made a stuffed animal before. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy. It sort of looks like a creature from outer space, and I think it sort of frightened the little kid at first. She didn't seem too into it, but then there were a lot of new faces around poking at her. I think the bear turned out pretty cute. It will definitely be a project I'll make again, when the babies my friends are hanging get a bit older.

Whoa Baby!

Last year was the year of the weddings, so that means it is time for the year of the babies! I have two good friends due this spring. My friend Kate just had her baby shower last weekend. Going along with my plans to make most of my gifts, I made her several baby gifts. I have so many ideas of things to make, but somehow just not the time lately it seems. I found some very cute fabric at the big craft fair I went to in december. It was a dark cream linen with animals and french words on it. I made her a set of burbing blankets (like the ones I made for Chasse last year). I think they turned out pretty cute, and were a hit at the shower. Unfortunately when my computer hard drive crashed these pictures were lost:(
Luckily I do have a picture of the bib I knitted. This idea I got from a family friend's daughter who has been knitting a lot of her babies clothes. The bib was an easy project. I used a soft cotton yarn. Curious to see how it wears over time.

"Borrowed" Ideas

In the weeks before Christmas I went to several craft shows. While I saw a lot of neat things, I kept having the same thought, "I could make that!" So instead of just talking about it, I actually did try out some of the things. Candles and gift tags. Both were fun to make.

The Candles were a based on ones I saw that were made from vintage tiny planters and egg nog mugs. I found these containers in my cupboards, and were able to personalize the gifts I gave. The candle making itself was actually pretty easy. I used 100% soy wax, and some scented oils I had at home. I need to tweak the scenting process for the next go around.
The gift tags were also personalized. Just with a little wrapping paper, glue and a typewriter, these tags were a nice addition to the gifts.

Comeback

I've decided to really give this blogging thing a try. I have decided recently that there is a whole world of bloggers out there with some really cool ideas. (Yes, I know that I'm a bit late on this one) I would like to throw some of my ideas and projects I'm working on out there into this world too. Both to share what I'm up to and to get ideas from other people. I'm interested in all types of things. Food, sewing, knitting, and random crafting. The posts in the past were about food, but I'm going to be adding the other crafts I've been working on too. So here goes...

If last year was the year of the weddings, then this year is the year of the babies. For my friend Chasse last year I made burping blankets. They were a really easy and cute gift to make. I found a very cute fabric at the local fabric store "Bolt" here in portland and used a soft flannel on the other side. I'm planning on making more of these for my two friends having babies next spring.

a healthier paula

This morning I tried my hand at banana muffins. I noticed the bananas I had on my counter were on their last leg, and I need to do move quickly. I looked at a few recipes that I have used in the past for banana bread, but thought I would try something new. I found a Paula Deen recipe for Banana Coffee Muffins on the food network's website. I read a few reviews, and their suggestions on how to make it healthier. I combined a few different tips and came up with a super tasty and moist muffin.
I used 1c. oats and 1/2 flour instead of solely flour, and used both kahlua and brewed coffee rather than just coffee. I also used less sugar and butter, but they turned out awesome. Definitely recommend the recipe (with the changes I made:)

original recipe: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/michaels-banana-coffee-muffins-recipe/index.html

A better chip

Last night I tried my hand at Potato Chips. Though it may have been the wrong night to have the oven going for hours on end, maybe next time I will pick a day when it is not 95 degrees outside:)
I found a simple enough sounding recipe for a baked potato chip. I used both red and yukon gold potatoes. To get them thin enough I tried a couple of different methods out including two different types of mandolins. In the end I found that it was easiest to use the attachment on the cuisinart to cut thin & even slices. I placed the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment and baked at 300 for about 50mins. It was a little difficult to make sure they didn't burn and all turned out cripsy enough. I sprinked them with salt and pepper before I baked them. I have tried a few...and they are a definite success!

the goods

The cobbler
The Jam
Original State:)

The plan

Alright, the plan for this blog is to follow my attempt to make, bake, pickle, and cure all of the food that I possible can. It is part in an attempt to try out new recipes, and also to try to know exactly what is in my food. There are a few exceptions that I am going to make, including beer and booze (though I will try to infuse my own). Since I live in a small apartment I will be buying my fruits, vegetables, and meats, but I am going to try to only get them at the farmer's market (when available).

First try:
After a trip to Sauvie Island last week to pick over 5lbs. of raspberries, I made jam and a cobbler. The jam recipes was the easier I had ever seen. All you do is take 1c. of raspberries and 1c. of sugar and place each in an baking dish. Spread them out and bake at 350 for about 20 mins. Take them out of the oven and pour the sugar on top of the raspberries. They make a sort of mini-explosion and melt into a beautiful jam. Put that into a jar, cool and enjoy. (I got this recipe from Nigella Lawson's cookbook) The cobbler recipe was from "The Martha Stewart Cookbook."