Published on March 3, 2010
It was probably so cheap because it's missing the drawer, but Kirby assured me one can be made very easily.
My aversion to ordering a box coffee mill on eBay paid off! Yesterday Dawn, Kirby, Kyle, and I went shopping at an antique mall, and Kyle found this great old coffee mill. It was marked $12, which we thought was enough of a steal, but was actually discounted. We ended up getting it, tax and all, for around $10! Of course it’s missing its drawer, but Kirby says we can build one with no problem. We were out of coffee, too, so I went ahead and got some fair trade whole bean coffee at the grocery store yesterday. I just put the filter where the drawer goes and “crunched up” (Kyle’s terminology) the beans right into the filter. Easy peasy! I’m not sure how old the coffee mill is, but it still works well!
This is where you pour the beans.
In other news, next week is my last week of working a real job for a while. School is growing increasingly hectic, but I really hope that unemployment will offer me more time to devote to gardening, crafting, and figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. The next few months should be pretty interesting!
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Published on February 23, 2010
We live in a very, very old apartment, and at times I feel like it’s crumbling down around us. That’s really the only logical explanation for the copious amounts of dust we sweep up on a daily basis. Well, that and our cats. Cats (with all their shedding and the litter they track everywhere, no matter how often you sweep) create a lot of uncontrollable dust. Dust is really, really bad for sewing machines! Mine sits in a pretty out-of-the-way cubby hole next to my desk and under my printer, but cats love those kinds of places. As an extra step toward combating the buildup of dust on my sewing machine, I made this very simple cover that slides over the top. Pick attractive fabric and it’ll be easy to hide your sewing machine in plain sight!
Chowdy Boy is sleeping under scrap fabric in the background.
To make one of these, all you have to do is take some simple measurements and sew some squares together. Take the measurements for the height, width, and length across the top of your sewing machine. Add 1″ to each measurement, and cut out five rectangles: one for the top, and four for each side. Sew all the side pieces (the yellow and blue boxes) together to form a tube, then turn that tube inside out and sew the top on, matching the short and long sides up. Turn the raw bottom edges under 1/2″ and press, then hem.
I've summed the process up in this great diagram: sew the yellow parts together, and hem the blue parts.
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Published on February 20, 2010
Maxine and Chowder love anything that smells or looks like outside. One of their favorite activities is sitting on top of the printer and watching the birds in the backyard, and their (especially Chowder’s) favorite treat is cat grass. It’s my understanding that cat grass provides necessary roughage that aids in their digestion, especially when it comes to preventing hairballs. Products labeled cat grass are typically oat or wheat grass, or both. Chowder and Maxine have both been known to nip at (and devour, at least in the case of my African violets–the leaves, not the flowers) my plants, making it obvious they crave something other that cat food and treats. Another benefit of growing cat grass is that it keeps them away from my other plants, though I’ve resorted to placing most of them out of their reach anyway (especially those that are poisonous to kitties!).
Chowder and Maxing love munching on cat grass.
I’m in the process of looking for cat grass seeds online for several reasons. First, I’ve only found them at places like Wal Mart and Kroger around here, and they’re pretty expensive. Additionally, they always come in grow kits (basically a bag of soil and a plastic tub), and I’d like to avoid that additional packaging waste. I’m going to check a few places around here before ordering, but I did find a mix at SproutPeople.com that looks pretty legit. It includes wheat, rye, barley, triticale, flax and oat seed, and is only $5.55 per pound. Their shipping, however, is pretty steep, so I’m going to bookmark them and keep looking for now.
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Published on February 14, 2010
I’ve been working on homework all day, but I’m taking a break to stretch my brain and eat some cake. I had big plans of making a heart-shaped red velvet cake with cream cheese icing (from scratch!) last night as part of Kyle’s Valentine’s Day gift. When I got home from work yesterday, however, I was greeted by the smell of something warm and chocolatey. Kyle, who to my knowledge has never baked before, made me this lovely Italian Love Cake for Valentine’s Day. It was great fresh out of the oven last night, and even better cold from the fridge with coffee for brunch this morning!
Yes, that is a Homer Simpson bobble head in the background.
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Published on February 11, 2010
While we were in New Orleans recently, Kirby made these portobello mushrooms for Dawn and me that were really wonderful. Of course he didn’t follow a recipe, but between the basic rundown he gave me of how he made them and the information I gleaned from hovering around him in the kitchen, I compiled a mental list of ingredients. Yesterday I decided I wanted to reproduce them, so I went to work. A lot of these numbers are just approximations because I just threw everything together and tasted as I went along, but I’ll definitely be making these again in a more controlled manner and attempting to perfect the recipe (though I’ll admit it’s pretty close to perfect as it is). Served with a simple salad, this would make a great, minimal-effort Valentines dinner for the veggie-lover in your life!
Ignore that soup--the mushroom, potatoes, and gravy were the real star of the show!
Portobello Mushroom Steak & Potatoes:
- one large onion, chopped
- three cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 t butter or olive oil
- two large portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 C soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 C red wine vinegar
- 3 T honey
- 1 t crushed red pepper
- 1/2 t ginger
- 1/2 t ground clove
- 1/4 t basil
- 1/4 t parsley
- 1 t cornstarch
- 1/2 C water
Mix middle eight ingredients (from soy sauce to parsley) in a small bowl, whisking until everything is well combined. Set aside. Saute the onions on medium-high heat until they’re translucent (3-5 minutes), then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two. Place the mushrooms in the skillet, then pour the sauce mixture over them. Lower the head to medium-low and cover the skillet, letting the mushrooms cook for 10-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. Once the mushrooms are tender, remove from skillet and set aside. To make the gravy, combine the cornstarch and water, making sure to mix well so that no clumps of cornstarch remain. Pour into the onion, garlic, and sauce mixture left in the skillet after the mushrooms are done and mix well. Cook on low heat until the gravy has thickened to your liking, then pour over mashed potatoes. (My mashed potatoes were very basic: washed thoroughly, diced and boiled with skins on, added salt, pepper, butter, and milk and mashed coarsely with a fork.)
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Published on February 9, 2010
I love botanical drawings, and I’ve been hoarding these beautiful calendar pages for almost three years. I decided to finally do something with them and, using some cardboard and scrapbook paper, I made a few valentines to send to a few friends. I put these sweet babies in the mail today, so hopefully they’ll make it to my friends by Valentine’s day!
Handmade valentines from recycled cardboard and calendar pages.
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Published on February 8, 2010
Not to reinforce gender stereotypes, but this apron is too cute.
I picked up this apron at Target last weekend for my niece’s third birthday. I can’t ever say enough about how much I love Target, and I’m so glad there isn’t one around here or I’d spend way too much money. Anyway, I brought it back and put her name on it late last week, and mailed it out on Saturday. She should be getting it any day now!
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Published on February 5, 2010
I’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with those beautiful Meyer lemons I picked up at Johnny Becnel’s while in New Orleans last weekend. I wanted to make something that didn’t require too much work (we made Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon for dinner last night, which are fairly time-consuming by themselves) that would still be delicious and good with coffee for breakfast today, so I chose pound cake.
Meyer Lemons from Johny Becnel's Farm Fresh Produce in Belle Chasse, LA
There are several reasons I love pound cake more than bread or cake. First of all, I’m not a big fan of icing pound cake has none. Secondly, pound cake is more moist than either bread or cake. And finally, pound cake is really rich but not too sweet–meaning I can eat it for breakfast without feeling queasy all day.
Meyer Lemon Pound Cake, shortly before being devoured for breakfast this morning
I used this Meyer Lemon Pound Cake recipe found at My Husband Cooks. I was forced to make a few alterations because I don’t have a stand mixer and I didn’t feel like going to the store. Still, I am very pleased with how it turned out (as are my friends, who ate over half the cake last night). I may use the lemons I have left to make a couple more to freeze for special occasions. The recipe calls for:
- 2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 C sugar
- 1 C butter (2 sticks; I used Smart Balance because I didn’t feel like going to the store and that was all we had, but I’ll probably use butter next time)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 meyer lemons (zest and juice; I do not have a zester, so I just used the juice and the end result was still very lemony)
- 2 t vanilla extract
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
Preheat oven to 325° and grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Cream together softened butter and sugar. When the butter and sugar have been mixed thoroughly, add the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the lemon zest and juice (or just juice if you’re me), and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla, baking powder and salt, and mix thoroughly. Add the flour in 1/2 C increments, slowly mixing until it’s just completely integrated–do not over mix. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for 75-80 min. When the cake is done, a toothpick will pull clean from the center. Allow 15 minutes for cooling, then serve!
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Published on February 2, 2010
I have so much to say! First of all, I’ve decided to drop my clay arts class because it was eating up all of my spare time (10 hours a week, basically). Consequently, I’ll have a lot more free time (10 hours a week, basically).
On a related note, here are some things you can be expecting around here:
1. That winter hat tutorial I promised a month ago, now that it’s almost spring.
2. Lots of grad school and moving business; those two things are really sneaking up on me.
3. I bought raw almonds and Meyer lemons from a frui stand while visiting family in Louisiana this weekend. Delicious or at least interesting recipes should be coming soon.
4. Whatever else I feel like talking about.
One thing I’m very into right now is manual box coffee grinders. Also while visiting family this weekend, I got to use my grandmother’s kickass coffee grinder. I’m convinced I need one now, but after looking at several antique box models online I’m a little discouraged. The cheapest one I’ve found so far is $70, but I haven’t looked very extensively yet. There’s also an antique store around the corner from my apartment that I should check before ordering one online. Other suggestions are very welcome!
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Published on January 24, 2010
Most of the art (I use the term loosely, for the most part) hanging in my apartment has been acquired at thrift stores, yard sales, antique shops, and from moving friends. Consequently, for a long time it hung rather blandly in a mishmash of antiqued, boring pea-green, brown, and gold frames with no sense of unity or cohesiveness at all. Sometimes I’m okay a mishmash (see: the assortment of blankets on my bed, the pillows on my couch), but since the kinds of things I have hanging on my wall are so diverse (you should know that all of my art is not so cutesy–there are zombies hanging in the living room, but that’s for another post), I decided to spraypaint all these thrift-store frames a unifying black. I chose spraypaint because I wanted a smooth, even finish that still allowed the character of the frames to still shine through despite their newfound homogeny. Today I’ll show you the three from the bedroom and hall, since there’s still work to be done where the living room is concerned. All in all, though, this is a very quick and inexpensive way to make your home feel more put-together with minimal effort.
One thing to keep in mind: I used black glossy all purpose spraypaint, the cheapest kind I could find. I did the base coat on one of the frames with what I had left of an old can of black matte spraypaint, and once dry it was really chalky and didn’t look good at all. Since it was just a base coat, I didn’t have a problem with it, but if you want to do this project yourself make sure you get the glossy kind. I used 2-4 coats, depending on the frame’s original finish (I didn’t bother to sand them, only wiped them down) and how windy it was when I painted each frame.
A boring brown frame, before (I'd already disassembled and started painting the smaller one before I remembered to take pictures)
Before: Cute kitten, boring frame
Butterflies in black frames, after
Sweet kitten in a new black frame, hanging proudly in the hallway.
P.S. That is an aqua globe you see in the plant on my chest.
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