Autumn Leaves just in time for Spring
Hello all! I’m excited to bring you the final Autumn Leaves Scarflette pattern. As you may remember it was my very first ever attempt at writing and publishing a knitting pattern and there were some inevitable mistakes in it. I recently got myself a brand new Macbook and I have been able to revisit it and re-knit the pattern to iron out the kinks. As much as I liked that big bone button on the initial version it was completely impractical. It was heavy and would topple over at the slightest movement. A better solution is to use the 5 yarn overs along one edge as buttonholes and then place 5 corresponding tiny buttons on the opposite side. Very pretty and useful! I found a stash of vintage buttons and covered them in some very pretty fabric.
Here’s the link to the PDF download. Please let me know what you guys think! Skip ahead to see some pictures of the fabric covered buttons.
I found a bag in someone’s garbage one day and it was filled with 1950′s notions. among them were these diamond shaped button forms that you cover with your own fabric. Very clever design.
You cut out the little circle template that was on the card of buttons, and cut out 5 circles of fabric. Then you place them over the button front and poke the edges behind and over the little metal teeth that catch and hold it.
Then you use a nail file or the blade of your scissors to poke the edges into the groove along the corners to make it neat.
Then you just pop on the little metal back plate that clips onto place. SOOOO easy! And so fast.
Now, get to knittin!
Remember the ‘Closet of Doom’?
Eeek. I know. I wasn’t using my closet to hang my clothes, so much as to cram odds and ends out of sight. For months I planned it out in my head and talked about fixing it up. A few weekends ago I decided to put my money where my mouth was and finally finish the job.
I went Home Depot and got a gallon of a very pretty pale robin’s egg blue paint from the Martha Stewart paint line.
In case you like it the name is Enamelware and the number is MSL116. Aqua is one of my very favorite colors, and I wanted to make a nice fun pop of color inside the closet when the doors were opened. I started by pulling everything out and washing down the walls, filling in holes with spackle and sanding it down. The walls are old plaster so there was a lot of mending to be done.
I gave everything two coats of paint and even before I put everything back in it looked so pretty. That blue is such a cheerful happy color. I love it.
Sorry for the blurry picture, but you get the idea. Its soooooooo much better! I know where everything is, and nothing is wrinkled and horrible looking. It is so worth the $20 in paint and the few hours it took to do. I hope this inspires you to get in the spirit and get a spring cleaning project done. It feels great to make a positive change.
We Missed You!
Hello everyone! I know its been a long time since we’ve posted, and for that I apologise. The busy holidays took over our lives and then we fell out of habit with blogging. One major issue for me was that my old hand-me-down computer was on its last legs. Happily, after saving my pennies and with the help of my tax refund I got a shiny new MacBook last Friday and I am really excited to be back on track. With this new computer I will be able to publish knitting patterns with ease, edit pictures and blog blog blog! I am going to republish the Falling Leaves (long overdue with corrections!) Scarflette, Wren Cowl and several other patterns that I have been writing and test knitting. I really am excited.
Yesterday I took a trip to the top of Manhattan to see the medival museum the Cloisters. Spring is certainly springing in the North East, there are bits of green pushing out of the black earth, buds are swelling on the trees. But its been cold. Soooo cold. So here’s proof that winter won’t last forever. Even though it feels like it!
So don’t be distressed my dears! Even though we’re still wrapped in winter coats and hats, just look around you for the little signs of spring. Its coming, though slowly, we just need a little more patience.
The Most Sublime Gingerbread, Evah.
Don’t you just love Nigella?
Don’t you just love Nigella? Well I have another reason why you should, as if we needed one more reason. It is within the pages of this book:
Its my go-to baking book. Everything I have ever made from it has been wonderful. On page 236 is a deceptively simple sounding recipe for gingerbread. Florrie was making this last Christmas and raved about it, she served it with creme fraiche ice cream… oh my, sounds like heaven. I only made it myself this past Thanksgiving. I needed to bring a few things to my boyfriend’s mum’s house and I wanted to bring a dessert. This gingerbread is cake-like, moist and possibly the most tender cake I have ever eaten. Its dark and delicious.
I was a little skeptical about the lemon glaze… but it really makes the cake! We’re doing a charity bake-sale at work next week, and I plan on making this recipe as mini loaves to sell. I will have to exercise a lot of self-control not to gobble it all up myself! -m
My Blueberry Teapot
I got this teapot when I lived in Buffalo in the mid nineties. It was my very first teapot and it instantly caught my eye. I was walking down Elmwood Avenue past this little dress shop and it was sitting in the window, waving at me. I love everything about it. Its small, about 16oz, so its perfect to make a pot for just me or just me and a friend.
I walked right in to the dress shop and bought the pot on the spot. I asked the sales lady if there was a matching creamer and sugar bowl, she said yes, but they weren’t in stock but that she would order it for me. I checked back every week for about 3 weeks but it seems that she was a bit of a dingbat and kept forgetting to order it. Finally I came back a couple of weeks later and they were there! Believe it or not she gave me the creamer for free since I had waited so long and didn’t flip out over her dingbattedness. :O) How nice!
Today its keeping me company as I write and re knit (for the fifth time!) my pattern for a knitted coin purse. I love it when the weather turns cool and I can spend a cozy day inside with good movies, my blueberry teapot and a knitting project. The only thing that would make it better, for me, is if it was grey and a bit rainy. Ooo, or SNOWY! I adore the snow. But if it were snowing I would feel the urge to bake some cookies… mmmm cookies. I have been in the mood for gingerbread lately.
For now I’ll settle for some tea. The stamp on the bottom of the pot says April Cornell, with a long string of numbers. I have tried googling the designer before to see if there are any other pieces, but I have never come across the elusive blueberry teapot. Wouldn’t some blueberry teacups be darling? Hope you are having a nice cozy weekend too. Cheers! -m
Halloween at The Croakery
Halloween was rather crazy up here in the woods. The Tiny Terror hosted a party, need I say more. Everyone got into the spirit and dressed up including the adults, there were games, crafts and a scavenger hunt! A spooky good time was had by all.
A flying ghost greets the guests
Tiny Terror is a dab hand at crafts
The worlds cutest bat, doing a final walk through before the guests arrive
After 20 minutes TTT was ready to change out of his costume, I’m so glad I spent so much time making it!
Witch (Grammy) & Slice of pizza (GG)
Doofenshmirtz and A Spider
My spider babies making their way down from the nest
A part wouldn't be complete without a cake or two
Another party, another costume
He must be my son. In true Florrie fashion, The Tiny Terror decided that he need a different costume for his pre school party. f
My Pretty New Baby
Let me tell you about how I was an extremely lucky girl! My job sells Le Creuset pots, and for years I have coveted one, but as I’m sure you are well aware they are quite an investment. I love the Carribean Blue color especially, but my store only stocks the Cobalt Blue.
Once a year we get an employee appreciation extra discount, but we aren’t allowed to buy anything that requires a special order; for example a Le Creuset pot in a non-stock color. We had a few in stock in the size I wanted so I said to myself, “Self, just have a look at the Cobalt and maybe you’ll like it enough to get over the fact that you can’t order the color you want.”
I cracked open the orange box that was labeled Cobalt Blue and LO AND BEHOLD, when I flipped the lid around the ocean was shining up at me. It was a MISPICK! Some soul in France was distracted momentarily and a Carribean Blue pot was slipped into a box labeled Cobalt Blue, it was shipped to NYC and it was meant to be mine! I was able to buy it with my extra discount and I took that gorgeous beauty home and now it lives on my cooker in its rightful place of honor. :O) I’m the happiest girl in the world today. -m
Last of the Summer Basil
The fall is quickly settling in, even in the city. I wanted to use up a big chunk of the basil that we grew in the container garden this summer and I thought that pesto would be a good way to do just that. I grabbed a red tomato, cut a large handful of the spicy, lemony basil and peeled and crushed a few cloves of garlic.
I stripped every last leaf off of the basil stems and popped them into the food processor with the garlic while George enjoyed the cool breeze and sunshine.
Once the basil and garlic were chopped up a bit I added a healthy amount of olive oil and let it whizz around some more.
The gorgeous olive oil, of course, was followed up with some lovely parmesan. I couldn’t afford expensive pine nuts, but I used some unroasted, unsalted cashews and you know what? They were delicious.
I scooped this onto some corkscrewy pasta, and diced up that beautiful tomato.
Did you think I was kidding? Look at that beauty! You won’t find that at the supermarket! At least you won’t find that flavor anywhere but homegrown.
Totally yummy and perfect for one of those lingering summer-like fall days when the sun is warm and you still have some green and lovely basil in the garden.
Autumn
p>I was a very lucky girl this weekend and I got to spend some time with Florrie up at the Croakery. It is so beautiful there in the fall, deep quiet woods, crisp cold air and the colors are breath taking. Just take a look! I wandered in the woods, drank some yum frothy coffee, went to the fair. I hope you all had as nice a weekend as I did! Thanks Florrie! I had (as always) a great time.-m
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Preppy Progress
I have made significant progress on my Preppy Sweater. I am almost done knitting the body, just a few more rows needed. I took my last ball of yarn and weighed it, split it in half for the sleeves. I’ve been in the position before where I ran out of yarn before the second sleeve was complete. Hopefully this will keep that particular problem away!
Look how cute the resulting mini balls of yarn are. Sooo cute! I am still hemming and hawing about what sort of sleeve to do . I definitely want 3/4 length, but I’m unsure how to finish them. I have been toying with the idea of repeating the neck ruffle on the sleeve Not on the whole cuff but perhaps a bit at the elbow… but I’m not sure if that might be too much. I guess I’ll figure that out when I get to it. Won’t be long now, and just in time, considering the cold rainy weather we’ve been enjoying. -m
Jam Labels
So, you’ve made your jams, jellies and preserves. Now you need to make sure that you remember what’s inside. Or you need to decorate them to give away as gifts. Let’s make some labels!
Instead of the oh-so-country tradition of tying some gingham fabric over the top, I wanted to do something a little more modern and sleek. I traced the inner lid of the jars I was using and cut out a bunch of circles. I used a nice heavy weight art paper, in a color that corresponded to my Peach Jam.
Then I grab my colored pencils and markers to decorate the top. I like to make a blended edge that fades into the center. the textured paper makes this look very pretty. I use a felt tipped marker to write the contents on the top. I will use a pencil to write simple direction on the reverse, such as “store in a cool dry place, refrigerate after opening” etc. I also have a paper punch that makes little ‘price tags’ and sometimes I like to add one of those looped around the band.
You can crank them out assembly line style.
I love how its sleek, a little modern and not a bit fussy. You can decorate the tops in any way that you feel inspired. Now, go label your jam jars!
The Tiny Terror’s Room Part -4
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! This has been going on for a year and I still haven’t gotten around to finishing it. Big shame on me. Also I have lost interest and just want to be done!
Reluctantly, very reluctantly I have given up on the ombre stripes. I just couldn’t get the blending perfect enough. The amount of time I was spending retouching was bordering on the ridiculous!
So here is my (pitiful)progress report;
In the end I choose to paint the wall in pear green
Yes, it is bright and hits you in the face, but the room is north facing and naturally quite dark.
I think the chocolate browns and neutral shades will tone it down
Fingers crossed I’ll have this done and dusted by Christmas. f
Lemon Marmalade
I liked the way the grapefruit marmalade worked out so much that I wanted to try something tarter and lemony. Enter, lemon marmalade! I got 10 lbs of lemons from Costco and got started. I used my mandoline on the smallest setting to thinly slice three whole lemons, I zested 6 more and juiced another dozen. This was some tangy brew! I try not to add too much sugar to my preserves, and I added about 5 cups of sugar to this mix, but I think it could have even used more! Lemons are TART man, its no joke! I like the tartness, and I was more afraid of it being sickly sweet so its turned out fine. The marmalade turned out to be such a pretty color, too! Light sunny yellow. Loves it! I bet it would be wonderful on bread with a honey butter for an extra touch of sweetness. My friend David bought a jar and he plans to make some lemon cheesecake, Yes, Please!
October wish list
It’s almost the middle of the month, I can’t believe how fast this month is whizzing by.
I’m longing for summer to hang around for a few extra months, failing that the gentle warmth of an Indian summer.
Tickets to see La Bohème at the Met. I love going to the opera, the dressing up and pre show dinner are all part of the package. I’m fortunate to manage to see at least one a season, however it has never been La Bohème, so really this has been on my wish list for about 3 years. Fingers crossed.
A spooky, kooky Halloween.The Tiny Terror is have a party, so I am throwing myself it to planning it. It’s so much fun dressing up and being silly with a bunch of toddlers, there are no limits to the amount of silly they like.
Borscht!
I got the new issue of one of my favorite magazines last week. There are loads of great looking things in there. Since the weather has turned fallish and rainy, what better time to make some soup! There’s a whole section of roasted vegetable soups, one that caught my eye was the Roasted Beet and Potato Borscht.
Since I had some beets languishing in my crisper I thought that the timing was perfect. Sadly, beets have a tendency to languish in my crisper but these beauties got a chance to be something wonderful! :O)
Beets are quite possibly one of the prettiest vegetables out there. Marbled, magenta and jewel-like. Seriously, how gorgeous is that! It looks like I upped the color saturation in a photo program.. but I swear I didn’t. Its actually that color.
The recipe is really easy, your oven does most of the work. Then its a quick simmer on the stove top. Blitz and garnish. Easy peasy. I made a few small changes to the recipe to make it lower in calories, important to bolstering my efforts in slimming down.
I swapped out the chicken broth for lower fat turkey and reduced the amount by one cup, changed the sour cream garnish to low fat greek yogurt. The rest of the recipe was all vegetables so it was good to go.
The vegetables before the roasting…
And in all their caramalized glory after…
A quick deglazing of the pan. I don’t want any good bits to go to waste!
The whole business gets put in a pot, then I used my hand blender to blitz it up a bit, not totally smooth but still a little chunky.
This soup is so delicious. The recipe says it serves 4, but it makes 8 cups. A two cup serving seems like a lot to me, changed the number to eight one cup servings. A one cup serving is only 2 points on the Weight Watchers system. ( I am allotted 21 points for my current weight) The best part is that number includes the greek yogurt and scallion garnish.
Its really perfect for a cool rainy afternoon. Makes a great starter course, or with a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich you have a whole meal. Go make some! You can thank me later. -M
Preppy Cardigan
Earlier in the summer when I was dreaming of fall knitting I bought this gorgeous charcoal grey Cascade 220.
I have started to knit a sweater with it a couple of times, but last month I began anew and this time it took. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman’s ratio method working from the top down.
My inspiration for the cardigan is part Anthropologie Victorian elegant, and part 1980′s Preppy. I cast on three times the amount of stitches at the neck and after knitting in seed stitch for an inch I decreased by knitting three together across the entire row to create a super cute ruffle. Once the neck was done I started increasing at four points over the shoulders to create the shoulder gusset.
This got a pretty, simple cable detail. I portioned off six stitches around the center mark of each gusset increase and used a cable needle to make the twisty cables.
The button placket is also in seed stitch. Since I’m a bit busty I worked in short rows over the front. If you are also a busty gal and haven’t ever done short rows to increase the front of a sweater I highly recommend that you try it. It keeps garements from riding high in the front. I won’t go into too much detail here, but there are tons of tutorials out there on the internet and you should check them out. It will totally change your knitting!
This picture is me modeling the progress before I did the short rows. I’m not holding my hand behind my head to be cute, I’m holding up the other side of the neck… I can only put one arm in while its on the needles and it kept slipping down the back. I plan on doing some increases on the left and right sides so that the hemline has two lower points over each hip. Once I have worked the body down to the hips I will go back and knit the sleeves. I’m thinking three quarter, possibly with another ruffle… but I have to see how it goes and more importantly how much yarn I have left by then. I’ll post again once I have made more progress. Right now I have a lovely rainy Monday off to work on it.
Pie Plate
I picked up this cute pie dish on sale at Anthropology, I love how the pattern and writing will be revealed as the pie is eaten.
I had a great time apple picking the other day and can’t wait to use this to bake my pie. f
Cacao Brownies
My beautiful friend Mo spent two years in the Peace Corps working with the Nagabe people in Bocas, Panama .
Cacao Pods, Photo by Medicaster.
One of their main exports is Cacao [kuh-kah-oh], or chocolate. Its one of nature’s superfoods, very high in antioxidants and vitamins. Can you believe that chocolate comes from such a funny looking plant? The beans and pulp are removed from their pods, and are set out so that the pulp ferments and falls away. The resulting beans are left to dry in the sun. They are then cracked into pieces, or nibs, roasted, sort of like coffee, and finally ground up into a paste. As they are ground the oil in the nibs is released and they are formed into these solid little hunks of cacao. They smell heavenly! Rich and earthy and oh-so-chocolate-y. I just want to stay all day sniffing in the wonderful aroma. Mo says that I can shave the cacao into a fine powder, mix it into hot milk and have Aztec hot cocoa, just like Moctezuma! Awesome! I’m saving that treat for a cold late fall evening. Possibly when I head up to see Florrie at the Croakery for the Sheep and Wool festival next month.
So, Miss Mo came to visit me a few weeks ago and she brought me a lovely gift of cacao. She also gave me a recipe for brownies using the cacao. Yum!
My other friend Javi sent me a text asking me to make him some brownies, and it was the perfect opportunity! I couldn’t pass it up. I wanted to make them before now, but that many brownies in the house would have derailed even the most stalwart dieter! I cut Murray and myself teeny squares for a treat and Javi gets the rest. :O)
I used my fine microplane grate to shave the cacao, and melted it in hot butter. Mixed the rest of the ingredients together and popped it into the oven.
I always like to sprinkle a little extra sugar on top of the batter for a lovely sugary crust. They came out ooey-gooey-good! Its such a shame that I have to give them away!
I’ll let you know how the hot cacao comes out, though I can’t believe that it could possibly be bad! Thanks Mo-mo! -m
Autumn
My favourite things about autumn… The crisp fresh morning air, snuggling under my feather duvet, the glorious colours of autumn leaves, living in the middle of the woods one really has a great vantage point. Also autumn has the fun holidays like Halloween and thanksgiving.
My favourite food of the season… Freshly picked apples from the local orchard, the possibilities are endless.
Looking forward to cooking this season… Baking bread, it’s been far too hot to even consider having the oven on. Hearty stews like boeuf bourguignon, and roast potatoes and buffaloaf!
Autumnal drink… I’ll be finishing the last few bottles of the rosé and begin moving onto the heavier reds.
My autumn plans… The Tiny Terror’s Halloween party, a Thanks for friends Thanksgiving dinner, knitting gifts that have been on a promise since last Christmas. Preparing the vegetable garden for next years growing season. Squeezing in a quick trip somewhere and possibly re-upholstering a love seat.
What I’ll miss about summer… The late light evenings, I hate when it’s dark by 5.00pm.f
Trying something new…
Last month I made the decision to improve my health, starting mainly with my weight. My roommate Murray and I have joined Weight Watchers and in just 6 weeks we both have lost more than 10lbs each. I don’t mean to sound like a WW commercial, but its the most sensible, logical program I have ever tried. I feel great, not deprived and I am steadly losing the pounds that I want to shed. Their little tagline “WW, because it works!” Is totaly spot on. I’m losing weight, and I haven’t set foot in the gym.
Which brings me to last weekend. We both wanted to up our activity level, and I have always thought that jogging seemed intriguing. Murray used to jog back in the day and she was very encouraging about it. A mutual friend of ours posted on FB that she was trying out this program Couch 2 5K. A nine week program that eases you into jogging and turns non-runners into runners capable of running 5K, or 3.1 miles. I found out that there was an iphone app for it, and that’s all the nudging I needed.
The weather has finally cooled off enough that it doesn’t seem like masochism and on Sunday 9/12 we laced up our sneakers and got to trotting. It starts with a brisk 5 minute warm-up walk, followed by 1 minute jog and 1 1/2 minute walk intervals. It was actually kind of nice! But please don’t mistake nice with easy! I really had to push myself the second half to run the full minute each time. I’m a bit sore after workout #2 and #3 but I am proud of myself for going outside my comfort level and trying something new. I have 8 more weeks of training to reach my goal of being able to run 5k, and by then I will have whittled away more than half of the remaining 30lbs that I need to loose. I’ll keep you posted! Wish me luck! -m
A Little Fall-ward Thinking
Summer is yet to draw to an official close, but that hasn’t deterred me from planning and taking action on the things that will keep me toasty through the chilly months ahead. The mornings are cut with a chill at the moment, but when the sun was blazing I whipped out my knitting needles and got to work. I am usually a last minute person, so I took myself be surprise by beginning a project with a fair amount of time to spare.
Out of character - chunky yarn!
For a change, and it’s a big one for me, I chose to knit with the super chunky thoroughly snuggley Twinkle handknits yarn. I fell head over heels for it’s softness and the beautiful dusky colours it comes in. Usually my yarn of choice is very fine and progress tends to be on the slower side, there is something so appealing about the instant gratification one gets from watching the piece grow when using thicker yarn.
Butterfly cable
The stitch I chose it from Vogue knitting stitchionary 2 and it’s called butterfly knot. I love how the cable really pops and the different textures it combines. I’d envisioned are ridiculously long scarf that I could wrap around my neck many many times. However this plan is being revised for a couple of reasons a) chunky yarns knit up quickly, but tend not to have a lot of yardage and b) I only bought t skeins in this colour, thinking it would go further, and am now faced with the dilemma of not being able to get any more at the moment. Should I wait for it to arrive and deal with the dye lot issue or switch colours and alter my plan. f
Memory Pup
My very good friend Lynn asked me to take a shirt that belonged to her father and turn it into his favorite pup, a scotty dog. She had been holding onto the shirt for years, packed away and wanted to make it into something she could display, that would make her smile and remember her father when she saw it.
I found a super cute free scotty dog pattern online. I increased the size a little and traced it off my computer screen. The clever girl who drafted the pattern made her scotty out of felt, so I had to add a bit of seam allowance to the pattern. The soft, fine, flannel shirt was also in need of a bit of support, so I ironed on some pelon interfacing before cutting the pattern out. I used my pinking blade and quickly cut out the 6 simple pieces. I used the buttons from the shirt for eyes, and sewed them onto the sides of the head before I joined the pieces.
I pinned and stiched them together. This is a very easy pattern and it took me less than 2 hours to complete the job. One thing I would do a little differently next time, is also mark the pattern out on the pellon before cutting along the seam allowance, it would have made it easier to sew along the line I was supposed to be sewing on. It wasn’t hard, but it would have been more accurate.
I finished off stuffing him full of fluff and by adding a navy blue velvet ribbon collar. He really turned out darling. I haven’t presented him to Lynn yet, but I think she’s going to like him.
Woof!
"Can I haz cheeseburger??"
September Wish List
The countdown to the official start to autumn has begun and the chill is already being carried on the morning breeze that is whispering around The Croakery.
A few more warm summer days
Although my summer was fairly jammed with festivities, I feel that I didn’t manage to spend time with half the people I wanted to. So a couple more beautiful weekends where I can hang out and relax with friends in the sun would be fabulous. One more al fresco party before the dining and fun is moved inside to shelter from the rain. A few more glasses (bottles) of rosé to sip on the deck, accompanied with idle summer chat. That would be perfect.
An escape to the spa
Even if it’s just for an hour, a little time to indulge me. I know, a tad selfish, but I’ve had a non stop couple of weeks and I would just like to let my mind go blank and have a chance to catch up to itself.
Vegetable garden
It’s been a year in the coming and I have failed to make much progress. I never did get round to making my raised beds, nor did the much needed fence make it up. I can hear the clock ticking and know that it really must be done before the ground frosts arrive. I made the mistake of not getting this done last autumn and thinking that spring would be the best time, however I now know that as soon as the ground is thawed something can be planted. I was playing catch up all this year, only to keep falling further and further behind.
Nigella Kitchen
This is the wonderful Nigella Lawson’s new cookbook,it’s not available here until the 12th October, boo. So I’m considering paying international shipping to get it early. I really really want it now, that’s my inner spoilt child speaking. If you’ve know me through this blog and podcasts then you know that I adore Nigella, I just know we would be great friends if we ever met! I can’t wait to see and cook her delectable new recipes
Summer Absence
The sun is shining, the days are long and carefree, socialising it at its pinnacle! The lazy days of summer have done just that to us here at FlorrieMarie, made us lazy. We have decided to take a summer hiatus from blogging and relax, but come September we’ll be back to the blogging grindstone. Filling you in on our summer happenings and all the new stuff that crops up. fm
Container Garden Update
Things have been growing and sprouting and blooming over the past month and a half here at the Flat. Our container garden has evolved into something pretty cool. Fat tomatoes are hanging on the vine, teeny green peppers are forming and our zucchini and eggplant are putting out some very pretty blooms.
Our rosemary and basil are doing extremely well, this is the basil after a trimming and it still looks big! The lettuces behind it are also doing super. We keep picking and it keeps growing.
The tomatoes are going strong too. The three we planted in the largest tomato are tied up together in a bamboo teepee and they have many blooms, and several green tomatoes. The tomato in the single pot has about 4 large fruits that are already turning from green into a pale orange.
The pepper plants are still a little on the small side, but they are hardy looking and have little green fruits forming.
Great Product & Healthy Treats
When I first saw these little produce bags I thought they were terribly silly, and pointless…
Then I got to thinking about how many of the plastic produce bags I go through at the supermarket. What a waste! This set of 5, washable drawstring bags is the perfect reusable solution, and so cute! And they hold so much!
I went to the market and got a bunch of produce, and decided to invent a yummy frozen treat. Its been hot as blazes and something cold with only a few calories was exactly what I was looking for.
I took the stones out of a few apricots (my fav!) a peach and a mango and blitzed then in the blender.
I pushed the puree through a sieve and then put it back in the blender with some greek yogurt and a couple teaspoons of sugar to add a touch of sweetness.
Once it all was well blended I poured the mixture into some small ice pop molds and popped them into the freezer. In a few hours they were cold fruity and smooth. Sooo good.
NYC in Pictures
A moment in the subway. We wait for the D train.
I have a new app on my iPhone called Hipstamatic… and it has all kinds of lenses, film, filters and flashes and its so much fun. Totally worth it!
Early Harvests
This summer has already been quite a whirlwind! Florrie and I have both been caught up in all the activities and nice weather, and we have let our little blog languish a bit. It was purely accidental! We’re back (well I am currently, Florrie will be back very soon with tales of her travels in Europe and Africa to regale us!)
This afternoon I got home from my early shift at work and decided to poke around in our container garden. I happily got a little mini harvest for my trouble. My hands smell so good right now and I’ll tell you why…
The lavender had several little sprouts of purple flowers so I snipped a few to put in some teeny vases in the hallway. They smell so heavenly and they are such a beautiful shade of intense indigo blue.
The with some marigolds from the window boxes out front, they make such a cheery addition to our yellow hallway.
Next I looked at my tomato plant and one of the ‘maters was a beautiful scarlet. I picked it and set it out on the shelf in the kitchen to soften a bit. Its destiny is to be in a fresh tomato sandwich. Soon my pretty!
I have several other green tomatoes that are starting to blush a little bit golden orange. Looks like a good year for tomatoes!
Next I had a look at the basil plants… when we first put them in the container we were certain that they couldn’t possibly make it. They were small and shriveled and sad. But a few weeks of blazing sunshine and plant food and they have become our comeback-kid of the containers.
They were getting so big I had to trim them down a bit so they wouldn’t get too leggy. The peppery aroma is lingering on my fingers with the lavender and it smells like summer. These babies will be pureed into some pesto and served over some cold pasta, perhaps with some of those lovely tomatoes? Yes!
May FLOMAil
After a bit of a break we have finished the second issue of FLOMAil, our e-letter. This month we are talking about our gardens, Marie shared one of her tasty jam recipes and Florrie has a crafty project to help identify what is sprouting in your garden.
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Thanks for reading
JAM!
I have been wanting to try out my new canning pot since I bought it last weekend, and with the great deals on strawberries and rhubarb in season this weekend was the perfect opportunity.
Just look at those gorgeous berries!
Don’t even get me started on the beautiful ruby-red rhubarb.
I started out by washing, hulling and slicing the berries. I bought 4 flats and it took a while but it was worth it. I used about 2/3rd for the jam and put a little sugar on the rest and popped it into the fridge for later.
That made a LOT of berries. That’s my big green bowl, filled past the brim!
Next I washed and chopped the rhubarb. It’s a pretty fibrous veg so I wanted to make sure that it was cut up well. Look at that beautiful interior.
The rhubarb is much tougher than the berries so I popped it into the pot first, with a cup of sugar to cook down a bit.
Meanwhile I put the empty jars in the canning pot and let them heat up.
Mix in the berries and give it a good stir. Bring to a boil and add in your sugar.
Add in your package of pectin (helps you achieve a nice jelly like consistency)
Juice a whole lemon into the pot and mix everything well.
Add in a little pat of butter to reduce the amount of foam. Trust me, it’s a needed step!
Boil it again until it is done, usually about 13 minutes at a rolling boil.
Use a spoon to skim off as much of the foam as you can, its ok if you can’t get it all, but if you want a nice clear jam its a necessary step.
It’s actually quite tasty, the foam.
Carefully take the sterilized jars out of the hot water and fill it nearly to the top with hot jam. Wipe of any jam that gets on the lip of the jar. Place a new lid on the jar and screw on the neck rings. Carefully put the jars back into the canning pot with some tongs.
Cover the pot, crank up the heat and when it comes to a rapid boil let her go for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit for a few minutes more.
Carefully remove the jars and let them sit on a rack or some towels overnight. You’ll hear a little chorus of clicks as the jars cool and the lids seal themselves. The next day label your jars with the contents and date canned. Any that have tight seals will keep in your pantry until needed, any with compromised seals can just be put in the fridge and eaten within a week or two.
Beautiful AND delicious! It requires a bit of time, but not a lot of effort. Next up is raspberry, peach and something spiked with real vanilla bean. I’m thinking golden raspberries. Later this summer I am trying pickles again! Take advantage of all the great seasonal produce out there. Its so totally worth it.
Gardens and Growin’
After a long sabbatical we’re back podcasting and we’re getting very excited about our growing gardens.
Sorbet Pretties
The self imposed (though admittedly not strict) ban on buying new kitchenware was lifted temporarily last week when I brought home these beauties.
They are Sorbet Cups from Crate&Barrel. Four colors of cuteness with little matching porcelain spoons.
What I love most is that they are porcelain so that makes them dishwasher (i wish!) microwave, oven and freezer safe. So not only are they cute little recepticles of sorbet, but you can prefreeze them so the ice cream stays cold. But even better…. you can bake little chocolate pots in them, little crumbles, all sorts of little goodies!
I think the blue one is my favorite.
Guacamole
I had three gorgeous avocados that I got on sale last week that had become perfectly ripe. What better thing to do than to make them into one of my favorite things to eat…. GUAC!
I was waiting for Murray to get home and the Brown Bear to come over so I popped in one of my all time favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally, for some happy background noise. I always put this movie in when I have to do something and don’t want to get too distracted… like when its time to clean or knit. It’s in my top five favs.
I always make sure I have the following ingredients when I make Guacamole; red onion, garlic, limes, jalapeno, cilantro, tomato, salt. Even if one ingredient is missing it isn’t the same.
This amount of ingredients is for 3 medium-sized Haas avocados. I start out with the avocados themselves. I slice in half along the pit, I lightly thwack a sharp knife into the pit and twist to easily remove it from the second half. Just be careful and make sure its a sharp knife!
I hold one half in my hand and being careful not to cut through the peel I score the flesh into cubes.
Then I use a big spoon to scoop it all out and into the bowl. You don’t have to score the flesh. It just makes me feel like I’m cooking. :O) You could use the spoon to scoop it out into the bowl and skip the knife wielding. But what fun is that!?
I like to use a fork and mash the first two avocados so that they are mostly smooth and creamy.
The third avocado I like to keep chunky and I mix those chunks into the mash. I find it gives more body and plus I love a chunk of pure avocado.
Yum. Make yours to your preference, smooth or chunky. That looks good enough to eat already! But let’s make it even better!
I start off with half a roma tomato, de-seed it and squeeze out a little of the excess moisture. I chop it up into a medium fine dice. You want to be able to see that it’s a beautiful bit of ruby tomato, but not a huge bite.
Next I use about a quarter of a med red onion, finely diced. I prefer the onion to be rather on the fine side because raw onion has quite a bite. But if you want big bits, go for it. Customize to your heart’s delight.
We want to do the same for the garlic. I use about 2 cloves for three avocados. I mince them rather finely, too. Just to avoid a big stinky bite of just garlic.
Next I dice up a third of a fresh jalapeno, with the membranes and seeds removed. Leaving them in would be too much heat for me! But look how pretty they are! Like little emeralds.
Next comes the lime. I like to juice at least one whole lime, if not two because I like it to be a little limey. If you like less lime use one. But please don’t leave it out!
I even make sure the lime pulp gets in there. I really do love lime.
I give a handful of cilantro a rough chop and get it in the bowl.
Put in a big pinch of salt (I prefer coarse seasalt) and give the whole mess a good stirring.
I like to make this a few hours in advance to give the flavors a chance to intermingle and marry. But it’s still delish on the fly. Murray showed me this little trick. While the lime helps it not go brown, if you put in a pit of two after its done and mix them in it stays fresh longer. Don’t know how, but it works a treat!
Put it into a pretty serving bowl and eat up! I could have this every day. I would be fatter, but I would have lovely skin and hair, lol.
Vegetable Garden Chapter 1
Last year, rather late into the growing season I planted a few things, lettuce, spring onions, radishes and spinach. They grew well in their tubs, so this year I am feeling a little more ambitious and want to plant a full veg garden.
The proposed site
The space on the other side of the creek gets great sun and is out of the way. The ground is rocky so digging it up will be hellish. I plan to rake up the leave, skim the grass off the top loosen the soil and remove the big rocks. As this is the country side and there are lots of wild animals constantly foraging I’m going to fence in it. I plan to grow things in raised beds and will add lots of top soil to achieve that.
Wish me luck, I’m already feeling overwhelmed and the potatoes and parsnips should be in the ground now! Yikes
We have been working hard since the beginning of March to make over our city kitchen. I’m sure you remember the “before” pictures… If you don’t, you can look at them here. Dark, dismal, and a little bit creepy!
We worked hard to spackle holes and prime the walls, then make them gleem with new pretty color.
We have our high dining table with some smart new barstools.
We love our print! It was the catalyst for our 1940′s theme idea. Check out those adorable Alice salt and papper shakers. Murry found them at Fishes Eddy. They are awesome!
That corner to the left of the stove is reserved for our new cabinet/countertop. We need to get back to IKEA before that happens though. But look at that fab ceiling light! There’s another one in the pantry.
There were also stick on floor tiles on the kitchen countertop. Murray spent about an hour peeling them off with the steamer again, then we had to deal with the sticky mess. We tried several ways to get it off. Baking soda took off one layer of sticky residue. Step two was smearing veggie oil over the surface and letting it sit. Using the putty knife to scrape oil and glue off worked well and got a lot more off, but didn’t take it off completely. The last two steps were to sprinkle Comet cleaner and scrape it again with the putty knife, then Ajax did the rest, removing the last of the sticky residue. Now the counter top is gleaming! But my arms want to fall off!
I love the afternoon sun in the kitchen. It makes everything glow!
The pantry was a big project. The previous renter had put up floor tiles on the walls and they leave behind a horrid sticky mess. We had to use a steamer to peel them off the walls, goo gone them and then clean and paint. It was quite a process.
We put up the elfa shelving and now we have a well organized, working kitchen and pantry. It’s so great… so GREAT! :O) Really the only things left to do are to make some pretty curtains, get our kitchen island/countertop and figure out a solution to the floor. It’s a horrible floor folks. We’re thinking those lock in place wooden floor boards that sit on top of the existing floor. Anyone have some advice about those?
But in the meantime we are loving the transformation, the space is cheery, bright and a really nice place to hang out with friends and family and cook and eat. We truly love it.
Container Garden
Inspired by Florrie’s major success with her container gardening last year I was inspired to set up my own. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of paying through the nose for fresh produce. Besides that, it puts me in mind of Land Girls and Victory Gardens. Since we’ve decided in our kitchen renovation (look for a post regarding this tomorrow) will be a 1940′s WWII theme, its perfect.
We have been accumulating little plants for about two weeks now. And Murray had the great luck to stumble upon a great little shop in the neighborhood that sells flats of veg. They are really nice, sturdy, healthy looking plants, too. Outside the kitchen window is a little mini roof that covers a doorway to the porch on the floor below us. Its about 3′ x 6′ and its the perfect (mostly) sunny spot for some things to grow.
Last night Murray and I went to Home Depot and stocked up on dirt. this afternoon we spent 45 minutes setting up Le Jardin du Flat. :O)
Our leafy cast of characters is as follows;
Spinach
Romaine Lettuce
Rosemary!
Lavender
Peppers
Aubergine
Basil
Mr. Tomato
We started out by drilling a few drainage holes in the bottom of the tubs. We don’t want roots sitting in overly wet dirt and rotting.
Next we filled the containers with dirt and broke up the bigger bits.
We made some holes, filled them with some fresh water and put in the plants. In the big container we planted three tomato, two peppers and three eggplant. We had 12 plants total, but we didn’t want them to get too crowded, although I did nestle in a couple extra spinach plants. I figured they would stay low-ish and the others would tower over so it should work out alright.
In the smaller blue tub we planted the lettuce and the rest of the spinach. the bigger rosemary plant got its own pot, as did the lavender.
In our long zinc window box planter we added the smaller rosemary as well as the basil.
I also potted a little terra cotta pot with a basil plant and some dill. The dill was a little small and straggly, so we’ll see how he fares. I hope he perks up and takes off. Time will tell.
So there it is. Our little mini container garden. Its going to be grand!
Gimpy
You happen a upon all sorts of things when driving around the countryside, one of those things was this;
A Painted Turtle
This is a painted turtle, and as you can see in the photo he is missing part of his front right leg, hence the name Gimpy.
Cobra Commander and I spotted him close to the side of the road. Before I knew what was happening, the car was parked across someone’s driveway and CC had sprung into rescue mode. CC scooped Gimpy up into the bag and headed back to the car. I slid over to the drivers seat, I thought it best i drive incase Gimpy escaped. He made a valiant effort, but the bag proved to be too tricky.
Amber belly and red markings
We have at least 2 of these in the pond already, but weren’t sure of their type until we found Gimpy.
Off he goes to his new home, I hope he’s happy and plays nice with the other tutles
Going...
going...
gone
Spring Planting
Last month at the flat we were seized with spring fever and decided to plant some herbs. We chose Chives, Dill and Sweet Basil.
We kept them by the window and made sure they stayed watered and warm. In just a few days they had begun to sprout. Teeny tiny sprouts, but sprouts indeed!
And just a few short weeks later they are growing fast. We’re going to have to thin them soon and replant as they will be swiftly outgrowing their teeny pots.
Dill Sprouts
Since these three were doing so well I decided to plant a green pot with Catnip for the puss. By May he should have some nice green nip to chew on.
Steak Tonight!
Remember the Steak Jar? Well the time has come to crack it open, pour its contents into a purse and cash it out for dinner! It took a few months of concentrated effort and dilligently not paying with exact change to accumulate enough money to have a tasty steak dinner. The Brown Beear can really pack it away, so I have to buy a lot! Feel free to tailor this recipe to fit the size of your appetite!
I filled up my cosmetic bag with the pennies nickles and dimes and went over to TD bank. They have a handy coin counter and they convert your coins into the kind of money that crinkles. They even will do this you aren’t an account holder at their bank! How nice!
Then I walked over to the supermarket and bought some beautiful steaks, cremini mushrooms and pretty purple onions. We’re in business!
I put some potatoes on to boil wile I trimmed the onions and sliced them into pieces, and chopped the mushrooms into rustic-ly thick slices. I used the flat side of my kitchen knife to slightly crush and peel my garlic cloves. I like to leave them whole. You’ll see why in a bit.
The onions and garlic go into the pan until they are slightly cooked.
Cook them until they look sort of like this…
My beautiful mushrooms are ready, waiting in the wings. I like them to be meaty mouthfulls so I try not to make them too small. They get smaller as they cook.
In they go!
At this point I like to cover the pot. Mushrooms carry a lot of water and covering them forces it out. Look at all that steam!
After about 7-10 minutes under there, take the lid off and let the moisture cook away. Lots of pan juice!
Once the liquid has simmered off, let the onion mixture brown a bit and get tasty. Season well with salt and pepper. (actually the Brown Bear uses WAY too much salt when he eats so I usually skimp on the salt at this point, this dish is way to bad for your heart as it is!) But we both love extra black pepper!
Pour this into a large bowl or a bowl and set aside. Now you will see why I like to leave the garlic cloves whole. Pick out the cooked garlic cloves and put them back on your cutting board.
Smash the garlic with the edge of your knife so it is like a paste. A garlicky delicious paste! This will elevate your steak to a whole other level!
Gorgeous!
Salt and pepper your meat and cook the steaks in the same (unwashed) pan that you cooked the onions in. I did the big steak alone. If you crowd meat in a pan it tends to release too much moister and steams rather than browns. We want a fairly hot pan and we want to sear sear sear! Another no-no is multiple turns. Only turn your steak once and don’t fiddle and move it around in between. Let it set and cook and you will be rewarded by your paitence.
As the first side cooks, divide your garlic mash into the number of steaks you have and liberally smear it all over the raw side. Dot with butter and wait till its cooked to your liking. I perfer med-rare, seared brown outside and pink inside. Its tender, juicy and delicious.
When its time, turn the steak and get ready for oooohss and ahhhhss from anyone who is in your kitchen at the time. Trust me, this is husband/boyfriend/lover gettin food!
While it cooks on the second side some magic is happening between the meat and the pan. The garlic is cooking in the fats and will become a delicious crispy heavenly goodness. Make sure you scrape up any bits that stick to the pan and pop them back on the steak.
Serve it up with mashed potatoes, the sautees onions and mushrooms on the side and a big salad. Sit back, relax and enjoy this once in a while indulgence.
Cheap organising tray
I love makeup, Mac is my preferred brand and eye shadow my weakness. There is something so alluring about the sleek black case and the way the colour peeks through the clear centre. I keep my goodies in the drawer of the vanity in the bathroom and it has gotten rather chaotic. I’d purchased a couple of clear acrylic trays to stash them in, but they were fairly pricy and I still needed a few more.
Then, the other day I was in Target looking for photo frames when I saw these;
4x6" clear plastic frame with a card back and stand
The frame is about 1 1/2" deep
I think the frames cost around $1.50, so I think I got a pretty good bargain.
I sorted the Mac into colour families
The trays stack 2 deep in my vanity drawer and now I spend less time rooting around looking for a specific shade when I’m putting on my face.
