boogaj

Bread & Paper

I did finally take a photo of the last little bit of bread I made from the big bowl of dough -- more on this dough can be found in my previous post.  I took the small bit of dough, squished it flat and sprinkled some Parmesan cheese & Italian herbs on top.  Then I popped it in the oven so I could have it for lunch.  Very tasty -- and the oven spring was great even 2 weeks after I made the dough.  Here's the inside:

I was planning on making up another batch of dough yesterday, but got sidetracked.  I'll get to it today hopefully and try to remember to take photos.

I've also been cutting paper:

I've been meaning to do some papercutting, or Scherenschnitte, since someone mentioned it in a comment on my blog back in 2005!  (Yes -- Elizabeth (no link) left a comment to this post way back when!)  I've checked out a few books, done some research on the web, but hadn't actually *done* any papercutting.  Why? I have no idea, other than I was busy with other things, I suppose.

Enter Amy and her amazing Mailorder -- or eMailorder in this case.  It's so funny, because Jan was just doing some papercutting and I was going to get my act together and do some myself, but that weekend got away from me.  So I guess it was fate -- and I was just waiting for Amy to come along with issue #8!

It was super easy, fun, quick and the results are really great!  I mounted the heart on a blank card and the girl on a sheet of cardstock so I could perhaps frame it.

I see more Scherenschnitte (& home baked bread) in my future!

Completely Obsessed

I am completely and totally obsessed with watching all the old episodes of LOST on the computer.  Abc.com has all the old episodes on their website in streaming HD -- I'm partway into season 2 and I've been doing a lot of cross stitch while watching.  So here is my completed Mystery Sampler (more info on this design).

And I started Strawberry Garden from Blackbird Designs.  Now usually I find the center of the cloth, mark it and work my way out, but I've seen a lot of people online who stitch the border and work their way in, so I decided to give it a try on this design -- it seemed like a good choice since this design has a border right around the edge.  And I actually find that I'm enjoying it.  When you start in the middle, you are restricted to working on one part of the design, but working the border first leaves you free to work many different areas.  I'm enjoying it -- and the boring border is already finished which is nice.

Sorry, I have to run. . . there's another episode of LOST calling my name!

Baking Bread -- the easy way!

I've been obsessed with making good bread for years and I've found a few recipes that are good, but none of them are particularly easy or --  more importantly -- quick.  So when I saw this book, I knew I had to give it a try.

The book is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, and I have to say that I'm loving it!  The concept here is simple -- you make a large batch of dough, stick it in the fridge, and slice off a chunk of it whenever you want fresh bread.  The basic dough keeps for 14 days and is easy to mix up (no kneading!)   It uses only very basic ingredients and you can do a lot with it.  I made a batch of the basic dough and we have had fresh baked bread with dinner 3 times this past week. 

The book also includes some other dough recipes and then expands on these so that you can use the dough to make all kinds of different loaves.  I'm looking forward to trying one of the richer breads -- like the brioche -- soon.

What I like most about it is that I can make a family sized loaf.  There are only three of us, so I hate to make a huge loaf that goes stale before we can use it all.  And I also love that you only mix up the dough once every week or so.  Taking out all the ingredients and then cleaning up afterward takes most of the time in baking.

I wish I had some bread to show you, but I'm afraid it doesn't stick around for more than about 30 minutes after it comes out of the oven!

Remiss

I've been remiss in thanking all the wonderful women who were in my swap group for the Ornament Swap this holiday season. Look at all the beautiful ornaments I received! I can tell that a great deal of care went into these ornaments and I feel very lucky to have been in such a great group.

Thanks again fellow ornament swappers!

Book Binge

The cold damp weather makes me want to do one thing -- lay in bed with the blankets piled on and read.

Just before Christmas, I treated myself to the His Dark Materials Trilogy -- The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass -- by Philip Pullman.  I am so glad that I did!  At first I decided to read the books because of all the controversy.  In case you haven't heard about it -- some people are outraged because Pullman's Dark Materials world appears to be anti-god and truly can be called anti-organized religion.  What do I say about this?  Hurrah!  Finally an opposing view.  So much literature is overtly or covertly religious, what is wrong with voicing a different view.  (If you want to read his views on religion -- which I wholeheartedly concur with -- you can read more at his website.)

But religious themes aside -- I *loved* these books and devoured them greedily!  When I read the last word on the last page, I was sad that it was over.  This is when I know that I've read something amazing.  At its roots, it's a story of growing up and of good vs. evil -- wisdom vs. blind faith.  I can't wait to read them again and I can't wait for Maddie to be old enough to read them. 

I do want to say that these are not books for young children -- in fact, I think they are more than substantial enough for any adult.  And some of the themes are appropriate only for older kids -- on the cusp of adulthood -- teens perhaps.

After this I read something very different -- Forgetfulness by Ward Just.  This is a book set mostly in France and concerns the death of a French woman married to an American ex-pat.  It was interesting, as it concerns terrorism, 9-11 and anti-American feelings.  I'm not sure what to make of it.  The main character -- the American living in France -- seemed to dislike himself.  The French wife who died at the beginning was unsympathetic.  This lent realism to the story, but left me a bit cold.

My mom bought I Am Legend by Richard Matheson for Pete for Christmas, but as he has about 20 books on his "to read" pile -- I snagged it.  The book is actually a collection of stories -- I am Legend is more of a novella.  Right now there is a movie out starring Will Smith based on this book, but it sounds like they fleshed out the story and moved it to New York City.

This book is set in a suburban area and the main character is the last man on the planet  -- a planet that has now been populated with a kind of vampire.  It's certainly scary and fits right in to the apocalyptic genre.  If you like horror then you have to read some Matheson and I am Legend is a good place to start.  It's very old school horror -- akin to old school sci-fi which probably explains why I liked it.   I have to admit that I didn't read all of the other stories in the book.  After reading I am Legend and a few other stories, I had a nightmare and decided that I don't read horror for a reason  :)

Up next is Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky who wrote Suite Francaise which I read and enjoyed last year.  So far I love the book and read more than half of it yesterday.

Baking in '08

2007 ended with plenty of baking due to the holidays.  Maddie and I managed to make these a couple of days before Christmas and they were quite tasty.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe from the holiday cookie booklet that came out in '06 I believe, but I think this is the same recipe.

I love making cookies and baking bread, but I don't do it as often as I should.  I'm trying to get away from processed food as much as possible, so instead of buying cookies and other sweets at the grocery, I'm going to try to make treats for my family so I know what is going into them, how they are made and can adjust them to make them more healthy.  This will surely help me to accomplish another of my 2008 goal  too -- buy less packaging.  Instead of a box, plastic wrapper and plastic tray -- the packaging used for most foods -- I'll simply put my cookies in a glass jar.  Better for us, better for the environment.

I already made a batch of cookies this year -- Oatmeal Raisin cookies from my new go to cookbook -- Essentials of Baking from Williams-Sonoma.  I can't seem to get enough of this cookbook.  Looking back thruogh the archives, I realize that I haven't even posted about the scones I made using the recipe in this book.  I've made them twice now, substituting different dried fruits and they are *so* good (much better than those dry, stale things that Starbucks sells!)

I also received an awesome gift for Christmas that will help me with my goal of baking more in 2008 -- this super cool Cuisinart Brick Oven.  I've already used it about 5 times for various things and it works like a dream.  Tonight we make homemade pizza in it for the first time.  I'm excited!

More baking posts are sure to come in the near future!

Quilting Goals

Looking around the still torn apart spare room, I spotted something. . . a UFO that definitely needed my attention and soon.  Which brings me to today's craft:

Last year I did make some progress and actually finished a couple of quilts.  But the "quick and easy" quilt I was making for Maddie has languished.  (I started it back in July.)  The quilting was a *terrible* ordeal!!!!  My little sewing machine was not up to the task, but I ventured on -- machine quilting it on my little Pfaff.  Never again.  I'll either purchase a larger machine made for quilting or send out the next quilt because this nearly did me in. 

So, after an argument with Maddie in the fabric shop (this quilt was neither quick nor easy in retrospect!) we decided on the binding and I machine sewed it onto the front of the quilt.  Now I just need to hand sew it to the back and it will be all done.  I'm thinking this will be my TV project for the next month.

Other quilting goals include getting to work on the "quilt block a day" quilt which I have completely abandoned since around February of last year.  And I would also like to make a quilt for the family room that I can snuggle in while lazing on the couch.  (Using fabric from the stash, of course -- leading to another goal I'll talk about another day.)

Just Do It

So, did you ever get an idea -- get inspired -- and then file it away to do "someday"?  Well, it seems like I've been doing that a lot lately.  In fact, I look back at 2007 and don't feel like much happened.  So this year I'm going to try to act on those little ideas instead of filing them away.

Project #1 -- This morning as I was surfing, I came across this little printable calendar at the Blueprint Blog.  Well, I'm not so hot on the idea of cluttering up the desk, but I thought -- hey!  I can make a tear sheet calendar to hang on the wall using those little pages! 

So here's how I did it. 

1. Print out all 12 pages.  Stack them together neatly and staple them on all 4 sides (one staple per side will do the trick) -- this will keep them neat while you are cutting through the stack.
2. Get out the cutting mat, metal ruler and exacto knife.  (Oh and put on some tunes.)  Then cut out all the pages in one go.  You want all the pages to be the same size -- so that's why you do it this way.
3. Then find some binder clips.  (Believe it or not, this was the most difficult part for me.  Yeah, the ubiquitous binder clip -- nowhere to be found!)  Clip the pages together, leaving the top edge uncovered so that you can. . .
4. glue it!  I used PVA and a little cheap-o foam brush.  I think plain crafting glue would work.  You just want something that doesn't get brittle when it dries -- PVA is perfect for this since it stays flexible.  I got mine from Paper Source.  So, go ahead and glue very carefully along the top edge only.  Wait about 15 minutes and glue it again -- get the glue in there so it holds each page into your little booklet.  Squeeze it a bit and put the binder clips across the top, close to the edge (but not on the glue!)
5. Now, or after it dries, get a hole punch -- you have 12 pages to get through so you need something that is up to the job.  I used a metal punch that you hit with a hammer -- sort of like a Japanese Screw Punch.  Mine came with an eyelet setting kit -- the kind you find at scrapbooking shops. 
6. All finished -- on February first, have fun ripping off the first sheet!

So, that's all there is to it.  You can make all kinds of little scrap pads using this same technique.  Save those scraps!

Resolutions?

I'm not sure I have any resolutions this year, except maybe to do more crafting.  So over the next few days I'm going to take stock and try to focus on where I'm headed.  Today's craft:

I've fallen in love with cross stitch again this past year.  The amazing reproduction designs as well as the monochromes have brought me back to this once uber-cutesy craft.  I want to finish up the last little bit on my band sampler:

And then I'm planning to move on to Blackbird Design's Loose Feather Club -- Strawberry Garden:

This should be a fun and quick stitch and I bought all the thread and fabric along with the pattern, so it's ready to go!

I'm also very inspired by the designs of Jan Houtman who died this past year.  He made amazing samplers (many of which seem to be pictured at this website.)   I would love to make my own sampler this year in a similar style.

That should get me through most of the year, but there is always Paradigm lost to work on.  I'm afraid my eyes aren't really good enough to work on it much though.  In fact, I don't think I've made significant progress since the last photo I took of it about a year ago:

It's really a gorgeous design and I would love to get some work done on it this year, so I'll make an effort to work on it during the day when I have better light.  Maybe with the new office I'll be more inspired to sit in here in the sunlight and get down to work!