Unlikely Trio.

Inspired by a recipe in the new Cooking Light, I decided to make a Lemon-Lavender Olive Oil cake. The original recipe is Lemon-Rosemary Olive Oil cake. I didn't have any fresh rosemary, but still have a lot of lavender left over from last year. I was intrigued by the use of olive oil in a cake instead of vegetable oil or butter.

Despite the unique ingredients, this cake is quite mediocre. There's a small amount of lavender flavor, but not enough to make it outstanding. The lemon flavor is barely there and the olive oil flavor is non-existent. I guess you have to have olive oil in the title of the recipe since it's such an unusual cake ingredient, but it really shouldn't be there because if you didn't tell me olive oil was in the cake, I never would have guessed.

Needless to say, it was a disappointment. I may try it again, this time using rosemary and a lot more lemon.

Refashioned.

The other day I cleaned out and organized my daughter's closet. I donated most of her clothes, but decided to attempt a wearable refashion on a few pieces.

Two long sleeve shirts to make into short sleeve shirts and 1 dress that she wore (and loved) at her birthday party last year. It's long sleeve, and kind of tight now at the top.

The shirt were easy. Simply cut the sleeves. I didn't even hem them, just used an overlock stitch. I really like how it turned out. I put on some sparkly iron-on hearts on one shirt, and an applique (that cut off of another of her shirts that was stained beyond salvation) on the other.

If the child would stay still for more than 1.5 seconds, the photos would be better.

I simply detached the top of the dress from the bottom and added an elastic waistband. Voila! A skirt that she loves.

PS. I'm pretty sure my blog is one-year old today.

A New Hobby.

Because I guess I just don't have enough!

It's a snow-ball effect and this is how my fiber-related hobbies began: cross-stitch, knitting, sewing, quilting, and now... embroidery.

I've been looking at kits from Sublime Stitching for some time. Then, a couple weeks ago, I just did it. I bought the Cat-A-Rama pattern. I mean, it's only $5, why was I hesitating!?

I enjoy embroidery because:
1. Instant satisfaction (it works up pretty quickly.)
2. You can decide which stitch you want to use.
3. Pretty colors! Embroidery floss is inexpensive, so you can build up a stash rather swiftly.

This is the first one I did.

It came out OK. Not spectacular, but pretty cute. What am I gonna do with it? Not sure. Maybe make an apron pocket out of it.

This is the second one. I don't love it. I think I should decrease the strands I'm using. I really have no clue what to do with this one. Probably just let it lay around for years until I decide to throw it out and then a few weeks after I toss it, realize that I have the perfect usage for it.

Apologies for the crappy photos. But see what I mean about the thread thickness? Look at this poor guy's totally indiscernible face.

~
Last night was dead in work, so I walked over to my favorite thrift store. I picked up a bag of embroidery floss for $1.



And then after my sushi dinner with my sister, we stopped at AC Moore and I bought this for $6, marked down from $10.99. Cool!

Thoughts of Summer.

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James


The older I get, the less tolerance I have for the summer heat. Scratch that, it's the humidity. It's very humid and the more humid it gets, the crankier I become. I don't like sweating. I love the cool comfort of air-conditioning.

I have memories of playing with the hose on my patio. I still love the smell of the first gush of water sizzling on the hot cement. That is the smell of my childhood summers. After getting wet with the hose, I'd come in, go into my bedroom, peel off the bathing suit and slide into some dry clothes. My skin felt cool and the clothes felt warm.

I'd go into the air-conditioned living room, lay down on the rug and watch TV (probably "The Brady Bunch). The air was so cold, sometimes a blanket would be required. It was so soothing and so comforting. Perfect contentment, especially if something delicious was wafting through the air.

I also remember summers at my grandparents' house. Nana & Poppop. In my childhood mind, the backyard was enormous! There was a little pool for me and my cousin. There was a marigold yellow dishpan for us to dip our feet in prior to entering the pool to avoid stray grass from invading.

After the pool, we'd put on sundresses and sit in their air-conditioned living room. We'd get refrigerated m&m's in blue or green plastic cups and crunch on them while watching TV. To this day, I prefer my m&m's cold.

My grandfather had a full vegetable garden. I loved picking cucumbers and biting carrots fresh out of the ground. They tasted so sweet. I imagine the flavor has become enhanced in my memory over time, but that's OK. They were the best carrots I've ever eaten. My grandfather still has a vegetable garden, although it is at a different house. And now, I watch my daughter help him pluck tomatoes and cucumbers from their stems.

I guess I'm just feeling reminiscent today and contemplating what my daughter's childhood summer memories will be. I hope they are full of fun, adventures, and air-conditioning.

Kitchen Wish List. From Basic to Extravagant.

These photos aren't mine. All pictures are linked back to the original source.

1. Food Processor.Seriously, isn't it odd that I don't have one of these? I want one. I've made due without one by using my blender. But seriously, you can't make pie crust in a blender. Yes, I use the manual cutter thing, but not having a food processor is almost embarrassing.


2. Grill Pan.


Quorn cutlets would be pretty sweet on this! Corn on the cob would be too. Or Boca burgers. Or paninis!



3. Mortar & Pestle.

I don't really know *why* I want one. I just do. Oh wait, to grind up some herbs. Yeah, that's why.


4. Pasta Roller Attachment.

I want to try to make my own pasta. $150 seems like a lot of money just to try something, though. I wish I knew some one who had one, just so I could try it out.


5. Cupcake Carrier.

I don't think an explanation is needed. It's just super practical.



6. Cake Dome.


OK, I don't really need one of these, but I'd like one; preferably vintage. It's charming.


7. Rotating cake stand.

Would be a lot easier to frost cakes.


8. Cake server.


I should really have one of these. It's ridiculous that I don't.

Rose the Fairy.

We're still getting visits from Rose the Fairy in her daytime butterfly disguise. We say hello and wave. Often she waves back with her wings. I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying my second childhood.

Easy as Pie.

I have a confession. It's difficult to admit. It's kind of embarrassing as well. Please don't think any less of me.

OK.

Here goes...

I suck at making fruit pies. There. I said it. *looking down at feet*

Seriously. I've never found a crust recipe that tastes good to me. There is never enough filling and/or it's too runny. The crust gets soggy. I want to be good at making pies. They seem so comforting. And so simple. I don't have a family recipe for fruit pies either, which kind of makes me sad. Now, if you need an heirloom poundcake recipe, or a cheese pie recipe, or a cookie recipe, then look no further, I've got you covered.

Where am I going with this? Well, I had about 8 about to rot peaches. (sounds yummy, right?) But seriously, they were so sweet, too soft for me to want to just eat them. So, I went to epicurious.com for a recipe for anything peach-related that didn't involve milk (none in the house) or eggs (still in my mother's fridge). Pie! Ooh. Look at this pie recipe! Sounds good and a little different! No bottom crust to get soggy! The reviews say how easy it is! I have cardamom! Serendipity!

So, Abby and I started with the crust (after warning her that pie crust must chill in the fridge for 7 years... that's the pre-school equivalent of 1 hr.). Things were going swimmingly. Ooh, and the raw dough is very tasty! This is going to be the perfect summer's evening dessert.

We work on the filling. I'm thinking I may not have enough peaches, so I added a mango. Same color and equally as sweet. I'm so creative! We smell the cardamom and declare it wonderful.

Finally the pie crust is ready to roll out. The child does this (with some help from me) and she expertly cuts out little hearts with a cookie cutter.

After consulting with my friend and expert apple pie baker, we conclude just to sprinkle the crust with water (remember, out of milk & eggs) to make the raw sugar stick to the crust. No biggie.

The pie comes out of the oven. My house smells pretty damn delicious. This will be so good!!!

After everyone was in bed (my husband went to bed early and my daughter had Mr. Softee for dessert), I cut myself a slice of the pie.

The result: Meh.

The crust, well the crust was delicious. I will keep this crust recipe. The filling was scanty and reminiscent of baby food laced with perfume. The cardamom just didn't do it for me. Too much, or just not the right spice for me. I think allspice would have been perfect. I would normally say, "Oh well, next time." But, I'm pretty sure there won't be a next time. Hey, at least it's pretty!