My Arts & Crafts Supplies!

In our town, the flyers are always delivered on Fridays. Last week, as I finished perusing them, I remarked to my husband that this was probably the last batch of flyers that wouldn't be advertising school supplies.  Like Christmas and, to a smaller extent, Halloween and Easter, Back To School is big business and the advertising starts early.  This makes me feel bad for all the kids who are still firmly entrenched in vacation mode, which of course they should be seeing as there is still as much break ahead of them as behind.  I can remember being in my childhood kitchen on August 1rst, many summers ago, and hearing the radio announcer proclaim that summer was half over. I was devastated!  And yet, for all that I wished that summer could last forever, there was one Back To School ritual that almost made it worth while to see summer coming to an end.

School supplies.

Shopping for the supplies was fun, of course, but there was something so wonderful about having that pile of new stuff just sitting in my closet, waiting.  I would tidy my room and closet in anticipation of my new things, and, once I had it all home, I would spend many hours arranging and rearranging.  Even better if it was a new school bag year as well; I loved arranging my supplies to see how it would all fit.  Careful consideration went into which subject got which colour folder.  Sometimes I tried a little reverse psychology and would assign a hated subject (MATHMATHMATH!!!) my very prettiest folder (one year it was pink!) One year we were allowed to have "Finder Binders" which housed all your subject in one handy, velcro'd binder.  Another year the thrill of my new school bag became a horror story, as all my subjects had extra heavy, oversized texts and I tore through four book bags in quick succession.  That my parent's didn't send me to school with a haversack was a miracle.  I also remember the first year we were allowed to write with ink instead of pencil (Grade 6) and how unbelievably horrible correction fluid smells at 3:00 in the afternoon in a hot classroom.  


The very best supplies were for art.  Not surprisingly, this class required the most supplies, and yet we barely ever used any of them. It was wonderful stuff though, and we got to keep it all in an shoe box art box; glue, scissors, crayons, markers, pencils, and oil pastels.   Every year those pastels showed up on our art list, and every year I would head to school excited that this would be the year we would actually use them.  You see, I was positive I was a great artist, and that those pastels would be the medium to release my talent.  Except...we never used them.  Once, once we used them, to learn about smudging.  And that was it.  I think I had the same box of unopened pastels for three years. 


Ah, memory lane!  I miss that annual ritual, and so sometimes I indulge in a little supply shopping of my own.  I've posted before about my love of notebooks and pens, and how much more organized they make me.  And now, instead of a shoe box  an art box, I have my very own craft room, full of all my wonderful stuff!  Wednesday we went to Terrace, and I picked up a few new supplies to add to my collection.  I think they're pretty great!

First up was a trip to the yarn shop, to see if I could get a spool of charcoal grey angora to finish my mitts.  I was very disappointed that they were out of it, and the search continues.  I did, however, get some beautiful new yarn that I think will make the most lovely mittens for someone on my Christmas list; Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo in Rinky Dinky Pink!  In addition to being pink and soft and pretty, this yarn has the nicest washing instructions I've ever read "Reshape whilst wet."  Any company that uses the word "whilst" is good by me!  And yes, this time I purchased two spools, just to be on the safe side!

We were doing some shopping in a large department store and I decided to pop into the craft department to pick up a crochet hook for Housewife Bliss' Housewife 101 tutorial on crocheting, which is being taught by Tehlia (Little T) of Raw Adventures of an Army Wife.  This took me a little while, as I was mesmerized by all the pretty hooks.  I was holding onto a very nice bamboo hook when I spotted the beautiful shiny plastic ones.  I have no idea if plastic crochet hooks are considered good or bad, but the colours, like old school toothbrushes, were just so pretty, I couldn't resist!  I picked one that looks like it's made of lemon drops.  Admittedly, I hadn't written down which size to buy and so I let colour guide me.  It was hard to take a picture of this that didn't have a glare in it, so I have decided that my hook clearly must have magical powers.  Do YOU have a magical crystal crochet hook??


And finally, an impulse buy!  As we were leaving the craft department, my eye spotted something familiar - Aleene's Original Tacky Glue!  I've had the same large bottle for years and it was only recently that I noticed it was getting low.  I was wondering if I would be able to find it, and then there it was!  Only it wasn't just one bottle of Aleene's...

 It was five!  Three regular, one washable, and one "Jewel -It," for gluing "plastic, metal, glass, beads; rhinestones; pearls and sequins to fabric."  Because you know, I might.  I would've given my eye teeth to have had this stuff back in junior high, when we were customizing NKOTB shirts!  All joking aside, I have a few Christmas projects that I will put my "Jewel-It" glue to use on. Ah Christmas, what would we do if we didn't have the Christmas holidays with which to indulge our secret, hidden love of glitter and other shiny things? 


And that, my friends, will be a Nesty for another day!  Have a wonderful weekend!  And hide those Back To School flyers from the kids; the glass is still half full!!!!

Retro Recipes - Can YOU Bake a Cherry Pie?

A few days ago, my neighbor dropped off a wonderful gift - a bag of freshly picked cherries!  I was thrilled, and I knew immediately what I wanted to make.  Cherry Pie!!  Cherry pie is my husband's favorite, and it isn't very often that we get a chance to make it with fresh cherries.

Making cherry pie from scratch requires a bit more work than just opening a can of filling!  In addition to making the pastry, there are all those cherries to pit!  I had forgotten to heed the advice of my cousin Ainsley (of Pattycake Manners) to purchase a cherry pitter, and I found myself staring into a bowl of cherries with a paring knife as my tool.  Well, the paring knife got the job done, but it took a while and my hands are now very stained.  However, I had the 5 1/2 cups of fruit required for my recipe, and I was ready to begin.


I decided to use a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks.  I have made their pie crust several times, and I really like it.  It's a funny thing about me and pie crust.  I come from a long line of excellent bakers, and I consider myself to be a really good baker.  However, pie crust stumped me.  No matter how many times I tried, my crusts tore, were tough, and just plain unappetizing.  I continued to try on occasion, but I had access to lots of great pies at home, so it wasn't a big deal.  However, once we moved to Kitimat, I decided that once and for all, I was going to master pastry, starting with pie crust.  I'm not sure what changed, but now I make crusts with no problem at all, and I'm looking forward to branching out into other types of pastry.

But back to the pie!  I've had good luck using recipes from this cookbook, so I was confident starting my pie.  The recipe called for me to combine sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl, stir in the fruit, and allow it all to sit for at least 15 minutes to make a syrup.  I followed this process, assembled the pie, and popped it into the oven.  I like to follow the technique of covering the edge of the crust with foil for the first 30 minutes of baking so that it doesn't get too brown.  When I took the pie out after 30 minutes, it looked lovely and wonderful smells were wafting from it.  I popped it back into the oven and set the timer for an additional 30 minutes, as the recipe said to bake it for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the crust was golden and the filling was bubbling.  After about 15 minutes, I heard a most unwelcome sound; the hiss and sizzle of pie filling hitting an oven floor.  My pie was boiling over!!  I quickly grabbed a cookie sheet to slide under the pie (to reduce the amount of mess in my oven) and as I was doing so, I saw that the crust was golden and the filling was indeed bubbling.  So, I took the pie out of the oven and gave it a good inspection.  I was using a glass pie plate, so I could get a good look at the entire crust.  It was completely baked, well ahead of schedule.  So, I turned off the oven and let the pie cool for a few hours.


We were very excited to cut into the pie.  I had an image of the cherries being surrounded by a sweet-tart sauce of perfect consistency; thick enough to stay inside the crust when cut, but not gelatinous.  Well, my filling was definitely not gelatinous!  When I cut into the pie and lifted away the first slice, the recess left quickly filled with juice.  Definitely not what I was aiming for!

It wasn't awful.  In fact, some people who tried it said it was delicious, and just like any other "from scratch" homemade cherry pie they'd had.  But, that wasn't good enough for me, and now I'm on a mission to figure out what went wrong, and to perfect my recipe!


One of my first thoughts was that perhaps I should prepare a cooked pie filling first, thus ensuring that it thickens, and then add it to the crust the same way I would if I was using a store bought filling.  I have found several recipes online and they all sound great.  I also checked out a few that use the method I did; mixing raw fruit with sugar and a thickening agent.  The one thing I noticed about the second kind of recipe is that they called for much more cornstarch or tapioca than I used.


And so, dear readers, I'm throwing it to you!  Can YOU bake a cherry pie, and, if so, what are your tips?  Which method do you use?  In the meantime, I'll be continuing my research; I'll let you know how it all turns out!


Have a great weekend!

Simple Pleasures

I try to keep my mind open to the secret messages my world is trying to send me.  Sometimes the messages come in more obvious forms, such as television commercials, news stories, or Facebook posts.  Sometimes, the messages come from cookies.

Cookies, you say?  Could the Nestygirl have finally gone crazy up there in the mountains of the North?  Do we need to send a search party up there with a pair of heels, some Clinique and a copy of Instyle?  Does she need a filing system in need of alphabetizing and colour coding?  WAS IT THE CUPCAKES????  No, dear readers, I'm fine. No cabin fever yet. But I am telling you the truth, the cookies are speaking to me.

She's mad!!  Send help anon!!!

I'm not even talking about fortune cookies.  I love fortune cookies, but I tend to always get the generic, boring "Peace is found in nature" ones.  My husband, now, the cookies love him.  It's always, "You will receive money in the mail" and "You will protect many people" and "Adventure awaits you on the water."  But like I said, I'm not talking about fortune cookies.  I'm talking about "Simple Pleasures" cookies.  You know the ones, thin, plain little cookies that are actually much more delicious than their simple form suggests?  I picked up a box of lemon ones last weekend to go with the Strawberry Mousse I made for dessert, and ever since, the phrase "simple pleasures" has been floating through my head.  So, now you understand, the cookies are speaking to me.

Suddenly, mood related messages seemed to be everywhere.  This month, one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, is offering up suggestions on how to "energize your life."  The cover of this month's edition of another favorite magazine, Everyday with Rachel Ray contains the following phrases:

• "Cook With Love, Not Guilt"
• "No-Sweat Party Package"
• "Stress Free Ways to Feed Your Friends"

The message is loud and clear; people are stressing out!  And why?  For Pete's sake, it's summer!  The livin's  supposed to be easy, remember?  So when I got to my cousin Ainsley's Pattycake Manner's post We Need to Chill I raised my hand and said "I second that!"

And then I got some cookies.  Simple Pleasures, eh?  If only cookies could get everyone to chill, how much better off would we all be?  

Part of my new life philosophy is to try my very hardest not to sweat the small stuff; I made a career out of that, and, while it served me well professionally, I really don't feel the need to be so detail oriented in our home life. And life is good!  We put our energies and, when necessary, concern into things that really require it and we move on.  So it makes me sad to see that people are at the point where things that should be pleasures, such as cooking, crafting, entertaining, even, as Ainsley pointed out, blogging, have become sources of stress. 

Cooking? Not feeling inspired in the kitchen?  Here's a little secret; to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever died from eating instant mac & cheese every once in a while.  I have a flat of it stashed in our pantry, and you all know how much I love to cook.  Just pour everyone a glass of juice to go with it.  They'll survive.

Crafting?  Unless it's your income source, crafting is supposed to be fun, so if it's stressing you out, put it away.  I have a pile a scrap-booking projects awaiting completion, but you know what?  I'm not in the mood right now. I can't scrapbook on the patio with a glass of wine, and summer won't last forever so I'm going to enjoy my patio while I can.  My paper and pictures aren't going anywhere, and I'll feel like doing it again soon, but in the meantime, I'll read, or knit, or play with my dogs.  And drink wine on the patio.

Entertaining?  I'll give you that one, it can stress out even the most seasoned party planner.  I love to throw a party, but I've been known to whimper "Martha didn't cover this" as my grill won't heat or the temperature drops to near freezing in July.  If it stresses you out badly, don't entertain.  You don't have to.  Really.  Invite people to a restaurant, or have a campfire.  But seriously, if big parties aren't your thing, don't throw them. 

Blogging? I agree with Ains, we need to chill out.  Again, as with crafts, if your blog is your income source, then yes, it could be a source of stress if you have requirements to meet.  But for those of us who blog for ourselves, for fun, and to be a part of a community, don't let it become work to the point that you dread blogging.  Take a vacation, simplify your posts, scale back the "hops" and "blog parties" you participate in, and enjoy your summer.

To that end, here's some of the "Simple Pleasures" I've been enjoying:

• Knitting - I finally finished my Fireside Red boot socks!  My friend Tasha of Fibre Rox stopped by to help me with my Kitchener Stitch, and they are awesome!  I've started some charcoal grey angora wristlets; the yarn is so soft and pretty, you can feel your blood pressure just loooooowering down!
• Reading - I just finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb.  I have my two new magazines, and I'll be starting Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin for book club soon (although I am really liking Mrs. Bliss's idea about starting a Wine Club, too!)
• My dogs - Regular readers of my blog will know by now how in love I am with my pups Molly and Tinkywink.  I know not everyone is a dog person, but I tend to agree with Bernard Williams that "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."
• Cooking - My kitchen is my happy place.  When I watched Julie & Julia and heard Julie Powell say "I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say "nothing" I mean nothing, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick.  It's such a comfort,"  I understood. Last night I made a glazed lemon cake, and the sight of it in my cake safe makes me happy.  Tonight, I made primavera-ish pasta sauce and added some fresh basil leaves that I grew myself.  That made me happy.
• Naps - One of the really nice things about not working is that, if I want to, I can take a mid-day nap.  They are wonderful!!!

 These are just a few of the things I'm doing to live my life well. As we head into the weekend, I encourage you to listen to the cookies in your life, and embrace simple pleasures.  Summer is short, so enjoy it!!!

Today I am linking to Housewife Bliss' Fabulous Nest Friday, as well as New Friend Friday, which is co-hosted by The Girl Creative and Trendy Treehouse. 

 

A Post (Not) About Campfires

Gentle Readers,

This was supposed to be a post about camp fires. We've been having a lot of them lately, and I thought you'd enjoy hearing about them.  That was my plan, and we had planned to go to the river last night and have another fire, and I charged my camera up and everything, just for you!  But then it rained. And then I felt a little bit "rainy day-ish."  So much so that when my husband came home for lunch, he suggested that it was the perfect day to forget about housework, turn on the "fireplace" and curl up on the sofa with a warm highland blanket, a cup of coffee, and the new Everyday With Rachel Ray.  I decided he was right, and as soon as he left I gathered my stuff, switched on the electric fireplace, and snuggled in.  When he called to check in a little while later, he mentioned that this would be a great night to cook the homemade lasagna I had stashed in the deep freezer.  I also agreed with this; nothing is easier than having something cooked and ready to pop in the oven, especially on days when you are feeling less than inspired.


I spent the first little while reading blogs.  It was nice.  The rain was falling gently, the dogs were snoring softly in front of the "fire," and I was warm and happy.  Time for a second cup of coffee and my magazine!  As I crossed the room to the kitchen, I checked the clock and noticed that it was 4:00, the perfect time to pop a frozen lasagna in the oven to eat around 6:00.  I jogged down the stairs to the freezer and breezily reached down to pick up the lasagna.  I stopped.  I felt my eyes widen, blink, squint, and then go really wide.  No.


The entire contents of my deep freezer had thawed.


I gasped.  I felt faint, then sick, then faint again.  I grabbed the phone and called my husband and squeaked out something about "Freezer....meat....thawed....ackkkkk...wah...no!"


There are many times when I am particularly grateful that my husband is a law enforcement officer.  Often those times are because he is trained to STAY CALM whereas I AM NOT!!!!  Through my wheezes and squeaks, I heard him tell me to "STAY CALM, I'll be home soon, everything will be fine.  Just go check the meat."


Check the meat, check the meat!  As some of you will recall, this winter we purchased a quarter of a cow.  And although we have eaten a lot of it, there was still quite a lot left in the freezer.  Including most of my better cuts, which I had been saving for the grill.  I took a deep breath, and went back to the freezer.

You know it's good when your butcher draws a smiley on it!

I started unloading, and relief flooded through me.  Ice!  There was ice between everything!!  The phone rang again; it was my husband checking in.  Upon the news that the remainder of our cow was OK, he was happy too.  We had a quick conference, and decided that the best thing to do was start cooking.  He would be home shortly to run and buy ingredients and storage materials.


Crisis (somewhat) averted, I loaded a basket with meat and hauled it up the stairs.  I went back and grabbed the lasagna.  I walked it upstairs.  And then I stood there for a few minutes, trying to figure out how, exactly, to start cooking an eighth of a cow.  I stared at the brown paper wrapped packages.  I sighed.  I grabbed my Betty Crocker Cookbook, with all it's wonderful cooking charts, put it on the table, and stared at it.  Then I turned around, turned on the oven, and put the lasagna in.  Right about then, my husband came in the door.  I may have been flapping my arms.  At the sight of me floundering around my sea of meat, he took over and we headed back to the basement to clean.


Not for the first time I was happy we decided to buy an upright freezer because I don't know how one would clean up after this kind of mess in a chest freezer. Working together, we got it cleaned up very quickly, and then we headed back upstairs to make our plan of attack.


I had had the presence of mind to sort the meat.  We had:

• 10 packages of ground beef
• 2 packages of stew beef
• 6 soup bones
• 2 T-Bone steaks
• 2 Sirloin Steaks
• 2 Tenderloins
• 1 Large package of short ribs
• 4 Cross Rib Steak 
• 1 Sirloin Tip Roast
• 1 Round Roast
• 2 Standing Rib Roasts (aka Prime Rib)
• 1 HUGE Standing Rib Steak

I think that was everything.  I think that's actually more like a 16th of a cow.  My mind was whirling, trying to think of the most efficient ways to prepare everything so it could go back in the freezer.  I sat down with my cookbook and a notebook, and quickly devised a plan.  I jotted out a shopping list for my husband and he took off for the grocery store while I fired up the George Foreman Grill.  By the time he got back, the sirloins and the T-Bones were cooked and ready to be slipped into labeled freezer bags. We unpacked the grocery bags and assembled everything for the real power cooking.

Ladies, start your Crock Pots!

It was like our own version of "Kitchen Stadium."  "Battle: Thawed Beef," I thought to myself as I simmered, stewed, roasted and braised.  I mixed, stirred, chopped, and patted.  I chopped many, many onions.  The house started to smell like The Keg.  The dogs were thrilled, especially when we sent them out into the yard with my soup bones.  The neighbors dogs got a few, too, and soon the night air was full of the sound of dogs ecstatically snacking.  At one point I heard my husband laughing hysterically and, when I went to see what was going on, he pointed out our diminutive Yorkie trotting across the back yard, holding aloft a beef joint that had to weight as much as he did. And throughout the evening, any time I sat down, one of the bigger dogs would come over and lick my arm. Apparently, I tasted delicious.

Fat & Happy Dogs

Yup, it was a wacky night.  I was reminded of Wednesday's post, where I noted how virtuous I was feeling about making a plan to eat well, and how great I've been feeling since eating a lot of vegetarian dishes.  Well, this should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone who gets a little too big feeling on their blog.  The silver lining, aside from the fact that we caught it in time, was the fact that I do love to cook and this was as big a cooking challenge as I've faced in awhile.  At the end of the evening, I had prepared the following:

• Five meat loaves
• A pot of stewed beef chunks
• 2 batches of Italian seasoned ground beef (for pasta dishes)
• A large batch of pasty filling
• A batch of Molasses Mustard saucy ribs
• A roast beef
• A pot roast
• 2 grilled T-Bones
• 2 grilled sirloin steaks
• 2 roasted beef tenderloins
• 4 braised cross rib steaks
• Beef and onion broth (from the braising) that will become French Onion Soup

Meat loaves, ready for the (now running) freezer.

By midnight it was all done.  I had used my Foreman Grill, my Crockpot, 3 roasting pans, 5 loaf pans, and all 3 of my dutch ovens, twice.  All that was left to cook were the three Prime Ribs.  We had recruited our neighbors to come for supper the following night to help us eat them; I had shed a tear as I cooked my T-Bones on the indoor grill, there was no way I was cooking and freezing Prime Rib.  I actually think there are laws against that, at least there are in my world.  Then again, my world has talking salt & pepper shakers in it, so the laws are shaky.


My sweetie was a wonderful sous chef.  He ran up and down the stairs more times than I can count, took garbage out to the barn, corralled the dogs when they got too enthusiastic about Meat-Fest, and even ran to the store to keep me in sugary snacks and fizzy drinks until the job was done.  He cleaned the freezer, did laundry, and tidied the rec room.  He cheered me on when I got tired and waxed enthusiastic at everything I pulled out of the oven and ladled  into freezer bags and plastic tubs.  


After a hot shower to wash away the beef smell that had seared and steamed itself into my pores, I finally collapsed into bed with my magazine.  However, Everyday only made it as far as my bedside table.  Eight hours of non-stop cooking caught up with me, and I needed to sleep. But tonight, tonight is looking good...


Oh, what's that?  What happened to the freezer?  The switch on our power bar mysteriously flicked off.  We're blaming the cats.  That's our story and we're sticking to it.  They're pretty strong and good with their paws.  They could do it!  Especially if the dogs helped!  It certainly wasn't one of us!  After all, they made off like bandits from all this; they ate better than most people did last night!  All joking aside, we've decided that it doesn't really matter how the switch got flicked; we caught it in time, it won't happen again, and all's well that ends well.  As my honey pointed out to someone who wanted to know who's fault it was, no one wins when you play the blame game.


Now, how many of you are going to go check your freezers RIGHT NOW?  I know I'd have to!  Have a great weekend!

Today I'm linking to Fabulous Nest Friday and Trendy Treehouse Follow Me Friday.

Give Me the Simple Life Part III - A Few of My Favorite Things + Fabulous Nest Friday!

A cottage small is all I'm after,

Not one that's spacious and wide.

A house that rings with joy and laughter,

And the ones you love inside.

                                         (Harry Ruby/Rube Bloom, Give Me the Simple Life)

Ah, it's Friday!  This is one of the rare weekends when my husband's days off actually coincide with those of the rest of the world.  However, even when it's not actually the start of your days off, there's something about a Friday that gets you excited and filled with anticipation.  Anything can happen on a Friday!

I like to try and have my nest all fixed up for the weekend.  You never know when you might have drop in guests, so it's always a good idea to to freshen up the house and stock the fridge and cupboards!  

The weekend is also a great time to go shopping.  Back home, I would always go for breakfast with my mom and my sisters on Saturday mornings, and more often than not we ended up hitting the shops!  We also enjoyed visiting thrift and second hand stores to search for treasures.  And if there was a basement to attic or rummage sale on the go, that was on the agenda too!

Over the years I've accumulated a lovely cache of treasures both new and previously loved.  My mother and my husband in particular are wonderful gift givers with the knack of finding the perfect item you didn't realize you wanted and/or needed!  Add family treasures and personal shopping finds to my stash and I have a nice collection of things that make my nest my own.  While preparing this week's series of posts on "The Simple Life" I decided to do a post on things that I'm loving right now, and I've decided to make it a recurring post.  Over time I'll share old treasures, new finds, investments, and just plain stuff!

Anyone who read Wednesday's post on my Cloud of Inspiration may see some of the items mentioned appear in these new posts.  And so, I'll start with one of these items.

My beautiful luster-ware tea set!

Several years ago my mother-in-law, who has a fine cache of treasures of her own, gifted me with a beautiful luster-ware tea set.  Depending on where we lived, this elegant set sometimes had to live in seclusion so as to protect it from our cats, who have a habit of breaking fine things.  The decision to put it away was finalized a few years ago, when our cat Junior Mint got herself tangled up in a Christmas display I had made that included the tea set.  As she panicked, the components of the display, tea set included, went flying across the room.  There was a horrible moment as we raced about gathering up pieces, and although several items did suffer damage, the tea set emerged unscathed.  We tried displaying it again at our first Kitimat home, but we were too nervous that the dogs would knock over the wine rack on which it was displayed  as they rough-housed.  However, when we moved into our current house, the kitchen cabinet tops provided safe shelf space, and my tea set found it's home!   

Another item I'm really loving right now is my Bodum French Press Coffee Maker.  My version is the one that Bodum designed for Starbucks; I adore it's simple, elegant design.  We love our french press coffee, so much so that when our old coffee maker gave out during the winter we decided not to replace it.  This means better coffee all the time, and more counter space for me!!

Pretty Note Books (and a long lost fountain pen!)

I'm sure some of you probably remember my recent post on to-do lists and pens?  In it I mentioned that I had found the perfect notebook, so, here it is!  I purchased two, so I use one for my daily to-do lists, blog brainstorms, and household notes, and another for Bible study.  In addition to being cute, they also have a folder AND an envelope inside!  Brilliant!!!!  And did you notice the pen in the picture?  A few days after my rant about how my favorite fountain pens were all gone, I was searching through a desk that used to live in my old craft room and I found FOUR fountain pens still in their box!  Turns out, I had doled out the pens to my husband and I in the first place and then put the box in a "safe place."  We were both very pleased to get a new supply of fountain pens!

You may also remember my salt and pepper shakers.  My husband brought them back from Nova Scotia for me.  He purchased them at one of our favorite Halifax shops, The Black Market.  Here are a few shots I took of them (and yes, it's sad that I enjoy taking pictures of shakers!)  I caught myself having a bit too much fun setting them up in different poses and then imagining the dialogue between them.  To demonstrate, (with apologies for the quality of the images):

Salt - Ridiculous! I don't believe a word of it!

Pepper - Please listen to me!  I can't let you go on thinking he's someone he's not!!

Salt -No!  I can't believe Basil would betray me like this!  And for that horrid Paprika!!

Pepper - "Don't go!  It will be fine!  You still have Oregano and I!!!!

Salt - "Hold me!"

(The phrase you're searching for is "charmingly eccentric!") 


So there you have it, the first installment of "A Few of My Favorite Things!"  I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for new, and old, wonderful treasures to share with you!

I'm linking to Housewife Bliss' Fabulous Nest Friday blog hop, and you should hop on over and check it out, too!  I've discovered so many great blogs (and the wonderful folks who write them!) through this hop, so go check it out!


Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

 

Fabulous Nest Friday - Super Speedy Spaghetti

There are few things more comforting than a big bowl of pasta.  Spaghetti is one of the first recipes a new cook masters, and is there any doubt why?  Even the simplest meat sauce poured over spaghetti noodles looks impressive and tastes great.


Over the years we have enjoyed picking out different pasta sauces and trying them out, and many a pleasant Saturday has been spent chopping, sauteeing, and simmering.  My husband makes a mean puttanesca, and one of our favorite culinary memories is of  preparing the traditional Italian "Sunday Gravy" recipe from the "Sopranos" cookbook.  Full of sausage, pork, chicken, and love, making this sauce was a weekend affair, starting with shopping for all the ingredients on Saturday and then spending Sunday concocting the gravy.  Delish!!!


Another great thing about pasta is that it is filling and, for the most part, nutritious.  It's everything you need on one plate, which makes it popular with busy families.  However, since most pasta dishes are slow cooked, it isn't easy to "whip up" between getting home from work / school and heading out for evening activities.  And so, a few weeks ago, when I found a great new recipe that puts pasta on the table quickly, I knew I had to share it with all the busy folks out there!


I found the recipe for One-Pot Spaghetti in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (as luck would have it, I found a link for you!).  I was considering doing a "Retro Recipes" post on spaghetti and meat sauce, and wanted to try out some basic, tested recipes for reference (since I rarely use a recipe).  When I read the unusual preparation of this dish (cooking the pasta in the sauce) I knew I had to give it a try.  I was really pleased with the results!  This is great recipes can be prepared in under an hour using basic kitchen staples.  Is it the same as a slow simmered, thick and chunky meat sauce?  No, but it would be the perfect weeknight dinner.  It's also quite affordable, especially if you are a smart shopper and watch for good buys on ground beef and stock up when it's on sale!


Today I'm linking to Fabulous Nest Friday on Housewife Bliss; hop on over to discover some wonderful blogs! 


Have a wonderful long weekend!  See you Monday!

Fabulous Nest Friday - Strawberry Shortcake Intervention...

I realize that I have been heavy on the food posts the last few weeks; even my craft project this week was food related. However, those of you who know me know that food is what I do best, and after a long winter of less than desirable produce I am so excited to have ingredients like good strawberries at my disposal.  You may recall my mid-winter post on creative uses for canned beans; if I can muster enthusiasm for pork & beans you can only imagine what's going to happen when the fruit trucks start rolling into town!


Last week I was invited out to supper, and I offered to bring dessert.  I was wandering through the baking aisle contemplating making a chocolate cream pie, when I remembered there was a special on strawberries.  The cream pie got booted out of my mind...I had all winter to make desserts out of milk and eggs.  Now was the time for Strawberry Shortcake!


Some people don't get very excited about this dessert, and for the longest time I couldn't understand why.  Then I had a strawberry shortcake made with those ubiquitous little yellow cakes, and I understood.  What I don't understand is why anyone would use those things.  My apologies if you think they are good, but friends, you don't know what you're missing!  Allow me to enlighten you...


Strawberry Shortcake, East Coast style, is composed of freshly sliced sweetened strawberries, whipped cream, and a tea biscuit!!!  NOT a tired, stale little yellow cake.  I promise you, strawberry shortcake done right is a delight.  If you must have cake, fine, have cake, but make it a good cake, like a buttery pound cake or a light and lovely angel food cake.  Just no yellow cake pucks, please!  But you should try the biscuit.  It's really really good!  We can even make it sweet...here, I'll show you....

See, doesn't that look better!  And there's sugar in the biscuits and on the biscuits. So give it a try.  Put the cello pack of yellow cakes DOWN!!!  There you go.


I will confess that that is not real whipped cream, for two good reasons.  The first is that my hand mixer is broken.  The second is that I'm dairy intolerant and whole fat real whipped cream, the stuff of my dreams, would darn near do me in.  And so, this is Cool Whip.  Still delicious, and more acceptable than LITTLE YELLOW CAKES.  (I will regale you with tales of my quest for dairy free desserts another time...)


I came up with another shortcake recipe this week that I was rather proud of (I've been patting myself on the back a lot this week...I'm due to botch something...I'm planning on making more jam later...hmmm...).  After making the wonderfully sugary tea biscuits for the shortcake, I decided to make a batch of biscuits with whole wheat flour for regular consumption.  I'll be honest, pretty much everything I ate this week short of pork chops ran the risk of having strawberry rhubarb jam smeared on it (come to think of it, that might be good...) so my system was probably pathetically thankful to get whole wheat anything.  I was getting some biscuits ready for breakfast the other morning, and just before I put the jam on I thought "what about a breakfast shortcake?"  I had biscuits and berries...all I needed was a topping.  Of course, yogurt!!  I had some French Vanilla soy yogurt in the fridge, so I took it out and set to assembling my creation.  It was great!  Kind of like a breakfast parfait, but with a biscuit instead of granola.  My camera batteries died as I was trying to get a photo, so I can't show you what it looked like.  I didn't sugar the berries for this one but if you like your breakfast extra sweet, by all means go ahead.  Without the sugar, though, this makes for a tasty and nutritious breakfast, and one that would be fun to serve guests for a weekend brunch!


It's Fabulous Nest Friday, so hop on over to Housewife Bliss to and and take part!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Summery Sangria - Fabulous Nest Friday

Yesterday over at Housewife Bliss, folks were sharing their favorite summery beverages in response to a post for a fabulous giveaway that she is hosting.  I chimed in with my fave, Sangria.

Of course, once I started thinking about Sangria, I couldn't stop thinking about Sangria.  As in, what a great post that would make!  And so my Fabulous Nest Friday post will again be "Kitchen Witch-y."

My interest in putting fruit into spirits started many years ago.  My mother and I had discovered a recipe for a "rum pot" that you built over the course of several weeks, as the fresh fruit required came into season.  With the image of sipping our delicious creation during the cold winter months dancing in our heads, we decided to give it a try.  Mom provided the supplies (I was in university and that much rum, sugar, and fresh fruit would've paid for at least one text book) and I provided enthusiasm, stirring expertise, and on some occasions, fruit picking abilities.  A (very large) bottle of amber rum, sugar, and the first of the fruit was placed into a giant 4 liter jar and we stirred it up.  Every week, we added more sugar and another fruit.  In turn, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, cherries and I can't even remember what all were plunged into the pickle jar with more and more sugar.  It lived in our linen closet (dry and dark) until the day when, according to the recipe, we could try it out.

One of the suggested uses was to pour it over ice cream.  Ice cream and rum, nothing wrong with that.  We got out two bowls, filled them with ice cream, and drizzled (okay, poured) our creation over the top.  And...

It was interesting.  Strange things happen to fruit when they soak in liquor and sugar for that long.  I'm not sure if we did something wrong, or if the test kitchen in charge didn't actually see the recipe through to the end, because we did everything they said and, while it wasn't unpleasant, it wasn't the showstopper we were imagining.  The blueberries were hard and the strawberries kind of...bloaty.  We finished our dessert; over the next week or two we tried a few more of the "suggested uses" but before long it was back in the linen closet.

All was not lost.  Every so often, dashing out the door to a party I would grab a mason jar of the liquid to add to Sprite (that was yummy!).  Munching on a boozy peach would give you a nice warm glow.  I'm not sure what ever happened to the rest of it but every so often we will remember the rum pot and have a good laugh.

But back to sangria.  During university, we discovered a bottled, dirt cheap "sangria" in the wine section of our liquor store that was always a crowd pleaser.  We enjoyed this drink for several years, but as time went on and I got more and more into cooking, I knew I could do better.  Many years had passed since the rum pot, and I was feeling ready to get back into the fruit and liquor game (also, I could now afford to bankroll my culinary experiments)  And so, before one party in our early married life, I went online and found a REAL sangria recipe. This recipe, from Martha Stewart, is very similar to that one.  I remember being surprised that there is actually brandy in Sangria, and while it is optional in many recipes, I strongly suggest that you add it.  It really adds a certain something to the drink.

And don't leave out the sliced citrus fruit either!  This is a fabulous recipe for a summer party, and it's so easy to increase the recipe.  A big punch bowl of sangria in the middle of your buffet is decorative as well as delicious, so dust off your punch bowl and go for it!  I'm actually on the lookout for a cool, old school punch bowl with wee little cups, but in a pinch, or for a smaller batch of sangria, a large pitcher will do just fine.  Once upon a time, I had the most perfect sangria pitcher.  It was a tall, Mexican mouth blown glass pitcher with a rim of brown glass at the top.  It was funky and summery, and it could hold a lot of sangria.  It was a favorite guest at many parties until one day it literally fell out of the refrigerator.  It smashed into a million pieces on the floor, and I have never found another pitcher that could quite take it's place. 

Hopefully I will find a wonderful new pitcher soon, because summer is just around the corner and I have the most perfect patio for sipping sangria with a beautiful view of the mountains.  We've decided we'd like to get a Turkish brazier with a cooking grill, and I have visions of tapas nights on the patio with lots and lots of delicious chilled Sangria to accompany all those small plates!   And who knows, now that I'm in BC with all the bounty of the Okanagan Valley at my disposal, maybe it's time to try the Rum Pot again!

This is a different recipe than the one I originally tried with my mom.  This recipe is actually called "Rum Pot, Bluenose Style."  For those of you not in the know, Bluenose is an affectionate term for a Nova Scotian, which I am.  I think it would be great to make a Bluenose Rum Pot using Okanagan fruit.  As you will see, this recipe explains what probably went wrong with the fruit in our first attempt.  So be advised if you are doing a version that has the fruit floating in a jar, you can expect discolouration. 

Fabulous Nest Friday + Springy Spinach Salad

Recently, I began following the blog "Housewife Bliss."  I'm really enjoying it, and so I have decided to join in the "Fabulous Nest Friday" blog hop that Mrs. Bliss hosts.  You should check it out, too!

There are several categories to choose from for Fabulous Nest Friday posts, and I have chosen "Kitchen Witch" (no big surprise there!)  All joking aside, it worked out well as I have recently put together a wonderfully tasty salad with a yummy new ingredient that I was planning to share!

There's just something about the Spring, when the sun shines brightly and the grass turns green, that makes you want to eat lighter, fresher foods.  Foods that leave you feeling ready to go for a hike or do some gardening instead of curling up under a blanket with a good book or the remote control.  Spring is also when many fruits and vegetables begin coming into season and make their annual debut at the grocery stores.  It's little wonder that we start to crave light, fresh foods with all the wonderful ingredients to choose from!

Salads are a favorite of mine.  Because it is so good for us, I always buy a large container of baby spinach and try to add it to as many dishes as I can.  A side salad is a great way to get the spinach in.  I like to jazz salads up with fruit, nuts, beans, anything to add taste and texture, but if you're short on ingredients or prep time, try just grating some carrot on top of the spinach and adding a flavorful dressing.  It will add a flash of colour to your plate as well as oodles of vitamins!  I like dinner salads as well, but I'm a girl who needs her protein, so I often add meat, fish, or a hard boiled egg to a salad to make it a meal.   

I also enjoy making my own salad dressings.  Some can be mixed up easily by putting the ingredients in a mason jar or cruet, and shaking them up.  Others require blending (I love my Magic Bullet for these!).  If you've never made your own salad dressing, I highly recommend you try!  The difference in flavor is unbelievable, and you can adjust the seasoning to your preference.

Springy Spinach Salad

This week, I have been enjoying the most delicious, and pretty, Spring Spinach Salad.  It is so, so simple to make but it looks gorgeous and tastes even better.  All I did was fill a dinner plate with baby spinach and added sliced strawberries and halved cherry tomatoes.  Then I drizzled the whole thing with homemade maple dressing.  You could use any dressing you like but the sweet maple dressing really complemented the berries.  Then I added my new favorite thing - soft honey goat cheese!

I discovered honey goat cheese completely by accident.  I have been dairy intolerant for years, however I can eat goat's milk and products with no problems.  It was a huge relief when I discovered this as it re-opened the world of cheese to me again. In my opinion, while most dairy alternative products (such as those made with soy or rice) are excellent, the cheeses are where they fall short.  They are well made, and they do well in dishes where they will be melted, but they never taste better than cheese food products.  Goat cheeses, however, are very similar to those made with cow's milk.  There are more and more available all the time; I've had cheddar, mozzarella, brie, camembert, and of course, the well known chevre, or soft goat's cheese.

We recently had friend's of ours over for a "Build Your Own Pizza" night, where we put out lots of pizza toppings and shells and let their children design their own pizzas.  I made up three large pies for the adults, with a variety of toppings.  I had wanted to get a brick of goat mozzarella for my section of the pizza (I usually do a quarter or a half with "my" cheese) but none was available where I was shopping.  Rather than run around to several grocery stores, I decided to purchase a log of soft goat cheese and use that instead.  It was only when I started to assemble the pizzas that I realized that I had actually purchased a honey flavored soft goat cheese!   I still used it, and even though it tasted a little strange with tomato sauce and anchovies, I could tell that this was a tasty cheese that would complement the right dish very well.

And so the other night, as I was looking for a little something else to add to my salad, I remembered my honey goat cheese and crumbled some on top of my salad.  Unbelievable perfect, and perfectly delicious!  This is a salad for someone with a sweet tooth, especially when paired with the maple dressing!  So good!

Have a wonderful weekend!  I hope you discover a new and fabulous ingredient, and that you share it with me in the comments!!