happy valentine's day

i did a little bit of nail bling for today; nothing too big. it's 24kt gold flecks and a pink heart. i noticed that the 24kt thing was popular in the nail circuit, and remembered i had some flakes left over in a jar from when i was in college and focusing on illuminated manuscripts.

i've got a couple of things i'm messing around with right now, one being spinning on my tulipwood jay spindle. it's bombyx silk and camel. it drafts smoothly and spins with a subtle tawny stripe. the other thing is i traded my violin for a ukulele; just waiting on some better strings, then i'll start to learn how to play it.

for dinner tonight i made vegetarian pot pie filled with asparagus, mushrooms, peas, onion, carrots, and beans, topped with filo dough, and served with rose wine. for dessert i baked white chocolate and cherry scones with strawberry rose champagne tea. the theme was hearts and pink. i used things i found around the house that fit into those subjects. it's really enjoyable setting the table for a special event, i should do it more often.

thank the bees, thank the chinese

there is a honey for every tea. i love raw honey, being immensely inspired from reading chalice, and i've loved loose leaf tea since shortly after graduating college. they go good together, like spice and chocolate, butter and baked goods, cheese and fruit (all of which tastes divine with honey). i have savannah to thank for introducing me to these two great things; the tea room on broughton street, and the savannah bee company.

summer solstice + sourwood honey
pomegranate pai mu tan + winter white honey
mirabelle + acacia honey
brin's cup + star thistle honey
golden buddha + sourwood honey
emperor's bride + tupelo honey
french verveine + star thistle honey
green rooibos with lavender + acacia honey

i mostly go for fruity and light, spicy and deep, aromatic and thirst quenching. but, mostly fruity. yum. the flavors of the honey add layers and undertones to the tea. i find it's good to match hues of tea and honey together; light hued tea + light golden honey, amber hued tea + deeper hued honey. this way the subtle flavors of one don't overwhelm the other. but, that doesn't mean you can't experiment, sometimes you get a feeling for which could be good pairings after awhile.

#1 rule, raw honey beats sugar any day, on anything
#2 rule of honey aficionados, never have less than two types of raw honey at hand. never. with all the small sizes it comes in, plus the fact that honey has a shelf life of infinity, shouldn't be a problem.

matcha baking

doing some matcha baking: marbled cake from this neat blog. it was tasty, but i think next time i'll substitute ground flax for one egg to obtain a moister cake. i didn't have a small enough cake pan, so i used a parchment lined bread pan (which was too big, still). perhaps i should pick up smaller bakeware next time i come across it. i always find them adorable, but never think i'll have a reason to use them.

a foodies holiday

thanksgiving is a three day holiday. wednesday is for grocery shopping and baking pies. thursday is a day of cooking, table setting, gathering family around, eating, and washing dishes. friday revolves around shopping and creative interpretation of leftovers.

for this holiday, i decided to change our tried-and-true menu up a little. here's my take on the traditional:

tropical fruit salad

cranberry puff pastries

cracked wheat and butterbread stuffing

steamed asparagus

smoked gouda brussel sprouts

mashed squash and golden potatoes

heirloom rice salad with apples & cranberries

broiled sole with shallot butter

pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream

it all cooked up amazingly well! the pumpkin pie is one of the best ones i've had; the recipe called for sweetened condensed milk, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. i semi-baked the crust, then poured in the filling. the only food which was only ok, was the cranberry puff pastry; it needed cheese, brie or havarti, something to cut the tart nature of fresh cranberries. 

i'm thinking an oyster stuffed fish could be interesting and tasty next year. know any good recipes?

yummy yummy

once one figures out the prime time to cut up a mango, life gets really good. vanilla ice cream served with fresh ripe mango.

sweet as sweet can be

i was feeling like today should be a baking day. it's grey, and chilly, thus a perfect day to have the oven on. so, i made a batch of vanilla cupcakes using a 1-2-3-4 cake recipe with matcha buttercream frosting. delicious, and sweet; and now i have a stomach-ache like you wouldn't believe. ah, the joys of overindulgence.

this is why i enjoy buying baked goods; all you need to do is buy one, satisfy a craving, and not get a sugar spike and crash by trying to eat all dozen or so of what you've made. or maybe i need to learn how to share, bring some to work, or have more friends who live close by. but, i do enjoy baking, and eating yummy things. and i do try to cut the recipe in half when the recipe would allow.

the last of sweet things

well, i've eaten the last of my malebranche matcha cookies today. i decided to make an occasion of it, and made some fresh sencha extra green tea (a blend of my gift of sencha from the ladies of the cafeteria from when i was in kyoto, and matcha tea from ippodo). i paired the cookie with a frosted rice cracker, served up on my grandmothers' noritake china.

i like the play between the lines of the cracker and those of the tea pot, as well as the white and green balancing. i've had two cups of green tea everyday lately, usually between breakfast and lunch; it sets me up to go out and work in the studio.

although matcha is my favorite flavor in baked goods and icecream, genmaicha tea has quickly become my favorite drinking tea, and mixing it with matcha to make it extra green is quite delicious!

cats and ravens, but no fox

as this was my last day in kyoto, i did some new things and revisited some old favorites. needless to say, enjoying matcha soft serve at malebranche in kyoto station, slurping my favorite bowl of ramen at ippudo, and listening to the lovely incense at lisn were the old favorites.

as for the new; i walked amongst the torii gates at fushimi inari-taisha, found where all the cats of kyoto hang out, and browsed a used book store i pass whenever i ride the bus to kokusaikaikan station.

inari was incredible; amongst the forest and hills were paths of torii gates, lined up like dominoes, their orange red hue a striking contrast to the cool greens and mellow browns of the landscape. every now and then a stone shrine dotted the path, some in groups and some solitary, most accompanied by fox guardians and miniature torii gates.

while following the path, i came across a single meowing cat, gave it a pet and continued on amongst the raven cries. then several minutes later another tabby cat walked solitarily by, not really craving attention (perhaps it was on a mission?). as i continued onwards i came to a fork in the path and turned right, happening upon several more kitties basking in the dappled sun coming through the trees. i make note of this, as one of the things i noticed in kyoto is a particular scarcity of cats. this can mean one of two things; cats are well taken care of and are not abandoned to roam feral in the streets, or they are, but not anywhere i've gone. i can't imagine that they aren't popular pets here in japan.

today was a particularly blustery day, and though it did not rain, and the sun was out, i stayed cold for the better part of it. i admired many coats and cloaks in fuji-daimeru, and wished that i might acquire one; but that would be foolish, as it isn't really needed in mood swing savannah.

um...food?

well, what have i been eating? as that seems to be a general theme when visiting other countries, i'll tell you. mostly, throughout the week, oishii nihon ryuri, prepared in the cafeteria at school. i've eaten udon, battered squash, beans, various mushrooms made into soups, seaweed, lots and lots of cooked fish, soups, rice, and so many other things which can be labeled home-style japanese cooking for which i have no name.

i make most of the classic japanese food choices while out and about kyoto on the weekends; sushi with miso soup, cold soba, ramen (oh delicious fresh ramen, steamy hot giant bowl of ramen, how i will miss you), pan, mochi, matcha anything. kyoto is known as quite the foodie capital, so there are many options. as for trying a nice variety of foods, somehow, i haven't gotten very far past ramen, as it has become my ichiban suki food here in japan. i've got eight free days left, so perhaps, i will try many more things (but i can't guarantee anything, as i really do love ramen).

food in my belly

now that i've been in japan almost a week now, i have gotten use to the time change and am able to sleep through the night and not feel quite so sleepy during the day. the first few days were spent doing a little fiber shopping; linnet, avril, nomura tailor, and ein shop.

the food here is delicious! i've had ramen made up fresh, udon with it's plump little noodles, sushi with an invigorating touch of wasabi, matcha icecream in its smooth and deep green yumminess, and many other dishes i have no name for.

i hope to visit a tea house, ohara, kokkedera moss temple, mina perhonnen, and a few other places soon. this weekend i will be going into gion; there is a haven for matcha bliss there that has matcha in every menu item. yum! oh, and to finally get around to taking non-weaving related photos.

korean food is yummy

update from korea. i've survived the longest leg of my journey thus far. with the exception of having to go through security three times; basically, every airport i've stopped at, it has not been too bad. i had a window seat for my lax to seoul ride and it vastly limited my range of movements, but the sleeping positions i managed to twist myself into brought some measure of sleep. i'm feeling okay, a little sleepy, it's light here now and i'm waiting for the plane which will take me to osaka.

i breakfasted on a vegetarian bibimbap at the seoul airport, and it was mighty tasty, with a side of seaweed salad, fish stock soup and kimchi. i thought of taking a photo, after i had already eaten more than half of it. i will keep it in mind the next time i sit down to eat a meal.

orange fruit goodness

as i wandered around the grocery store the other day i came across a yellow bag filled with dried golden berries. i clutched at it eagerly and threw it into my basket. i love these little tart berries; never mind that they're packed with bioflavinoids and are from the land of the incas. i was introduced to them in the chocolate aisle (yes they have aisles with just chocolate, box after intoxicating box, filled with a variety of bars for every craving). they were a little box of yummy dark chocolate covered berries neighboring the box of dark chocolate covered guava i had been reaching for. i've never looked back, but those little boxes get pricey.

so, today i had the brainstorm of making my own chocolate coated golden berries. i started by melting a dark chocolate bar in a double boiler and dipping the berries in the melted goodness. as each one was covered i placed them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. when all of them were done (about 30 count) i put the whole sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes to solidify. when time was up, into a lidded container they went for easy snacking reach in the refrigerator. it could have been less than 25 at this point, but i'm not keeping record. what's great about this combination for snacking is that there are amazing health benefits to each; golden berries are really nutritious, rich in vitamin p and each contain about 15% protein, dark chocolate in moderation is full of antioxidants and is heart healthy by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. also, they're a wonderful emotional pick-me-up when one feels the dark clouds of melancholia closing in.

another yummy fruit that i added to my cart was kumquats, which they happened to be stocking as i was browsing the fresh fruit aisle. this is definitely one weird fruit; the skin is sweet and the insides are sour, so you eat the whole thing (like a grape). when one has so many, what is there to do but bake something with them? one of my favorite recipes for kumquats are scones. you can use just a couple (for a pleasant light flavor) or a whole bunch (intense, with a piece of fruit in each bite). needless to say, but i lean towards the second option.

kumquat scones

1 cup pastry flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces

3-7 thinly sliced kumquats, skin only

1 egg or energy egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg

1/2 cup almond milk

preheat oven to 400 degrees

in a bowl combine dry ingredients. using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until small. stir in fruit. add egg and milk and mix until moistened. transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface. if dough is too sticky knead in a little bit of flour until a less sticky mass is made. knead 10-12 strokes. mould into a flattened circle about 1.5" deep, cut into eight wedges. place each wedge about 1" apart on a parchment covered baking sheet. sprinkle sugar on top of each and bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out clean. (sometimes it takes 20-30 minutes if there is a lot of juice in the kumquats, just keep checking every 5 minutes after the first 15 minutes.) let cool on rack. for an extra fancy treat, serve with devonshire cream and fresh blueberries or raspberries.

guava

there's a restaurant in savannah that deals in pizza which i've heard has a pesto pie with guava. i would really like to try this. maybe this week i'll find out and let you know how it tastes. i love guava juice, and the color of its flesh is amazing; not quite pink yet not really peach.

while thinking of this, i felt the need to put together this color combination for a cushion. i've titled it "the importance of being guava". i haven't actually seen the whole film the importance of being earnest, nor read the book. i feel it fits though, in whichever weird convoluted way works for you.

the linen that i used for the front is exceptionally awesome; the texture, the weave, it's softness, the lightness of the natural linen against the white cotton. yum. i was thinking it would be very nice to have an article of clothing in this material.

ice cream sandwich

this year i think strawberry ice cream is my favorite. last year's choice was vanilla; which is definitely what i still enjoy with a slice of pie or brownies. i've been using some of the recipes from my new cookbook veganomicon, and decided to make oatmeal cookies with coconut. they turned out okay, a little drier than i'm used to. so after they cooled for a bit i thought of making a strawberry ice cream sandwich, which i say improves the flavor tenfold.

breakfast foods x 3

most people have comfort foods they favor. i realized the other day that my favorite foods are breakfast ones. it's the one meal i don't have to agonize over. it's a bowl of hearty whole grain cereal with unsweetened almond milk, two slices of manna bread with nutella and sliced strawberries or blueberries or blackberries.

the day before, i was home, it was lunchtime, i was low on groceries and hungry. so i took some strawberries out of the 5 lb bag of ones i picked last thursday, sliced them and put them in a pan along with raw sugar and gelatin. boiled, reduced and poured into a jar. i toasted myself an english muffin, slathered it in irish butter, with a scoop of fresh strawberry preserves and they were so yummy! for dinner i made lovely oatmeal on the stove and poured it over frozen wild blueberries, red raspberries, fresh strawberries, irish butter, crushed pecans, and a dollop of local savannah bee company acacia honey. breakfast foods are definitely delicious times three! the main combo is grain + butter + sugar + fruit = yum!

some others i enjoy at times are:
~whole grain toast with butter and a sprinkle of vietnamese cinammon and raw sugar
~farina with irish butter and local honey
~whole grain pancakes with mango, blueberries, and crushed pecans or walnuts

what are your favorite breakfast foods?

say it isn't so

my allergy tests came back yesterday. it's actually pretty funny. so i have absolutely 0 allergic response to gluten. but i am significantly allergic to egg whites. go figure. i guess this past year of avoiding gluten was good practice for now avoiding egg whites. i'm going to miss my non-gluten alternative desserts at restaurants; flan, flourless chocolate torte, rice pudding, creme brulee, tapioca pudding, ice cream, and macarons. i'm also going to miss quiche. i've read about a good alternative using tofu though. i'm not allergic to egg yolk, so that part of the egg can still be baked with at home.
and funnily enough i still have to avoid all of the same things when eating out; pasta, bread, baked goods, dressings, soups, egg rolls, battered fish. and a few new things; fried rice, egg in my pad thai, tamago sushi. bleh. so everything and nothing has changed.
i also have moderate allergies to pineapple, cow milk, pinto beans, kale, alfalfa, asparagus, and vanilla. the vanilla one is a bit of a kicker. i really like natural vanilla in everything i bake, but i guess if i only eat what i bake every four days i'll be ok. i hope. or i can switch to vanilin. yuck.

decadent brownies

oh yeah, try adding orange zest to dark chocolate chewy brownies along with a pinch of vietnamese cinnamon. yummy yumminess!

a painting and an obsession

i've never been one to like mushrooms. oh, they're pretty enough, sure. but eat one? ugh. slimy. but then a weird thing happened. i watched a program devoted to fungi on some educational channel. and suddenly i wanted to eat them. it's very strange, but you know, they're very tasty sauted with butter and garlic.
and then i wanted to paint them, and so i did. they're even better to paint!

at the same time, i came across a picture of a dumbo octopus in national geographic. i really think they're a very adorable and cute creature. the ocean is full of such inhabitants. i've always been drawn to things that are so ugly they're cute.
so, onto researching my new subjects. for images a scroll through flickr would be my best shot. there are surprisingly few photos of the dumbo octopus, also known as Grimpoteuthis. they're a little deep in the ocean, places where we (homo sapien) don't get to a whole lot (which is a good thing, imho). i found around 12 or 13 on the whole. mushrooms are a little easier, there are entire groups devoted to this subject.

oh, and i like to work small (kinda obvious huh?). the above painting is 5" x 7".

taco!

an avocado mais taco, a yummy quick snack or entree for the gluten free vegetarian among us. you'll need to gather the following ingredients:

corn tortillas
muenster cheese, thinly sliced (i like boar's head)
ground cumin
red onion, diced
1/4 of a hass avocado (1/4 sliced lengthwise makes 2 tortillas)
red leaf lettuce, cut into strips
tofutti better than sour cream

lay out a tortilla on the plate, place one slice of cheese centered and sprinkle onto it a little bit of cumin, microwave for 10 seconds. layer the diced onions, avocado slices, and strips of lettuce. top off with some dabs of tofutti sour cream. fold over and eat, me gusto!

perhaps not a fool

echo did a wee bit of posing today in front of a lovely vintage printed textile i discovered while antiquing. it is covered in blueberries and strawberries.

on other fronts, the gluten free thing isn't going half so bad as initially imagined. so far i have baked a delicious sweet cornbread, a lavender honey cake, dark chocolate brownies, and a dutch chocolate zucchini cake. there are plans on the horizon to make blueberry oat muffins and an irish soda bread. amazingly the most glorious thing about all of these scrumptious baked goods is that they are made from scratch and gluten free.