Monday, July 16, 2012

Makaio's Tooth Fairy Pillow

My nephew, Makaio, just lost his first tooth! What a big boy! Can you believe I hadn't even made him a tooth fairy pillow yet? What kinda auntie am I anyhow??

He was a little uneasy with the idea of someone coming into his room while he slept, so that bought me a little time.  But now I have redeemed myself and he can carry on losing those teeth.  It's actually not a pillow at all - this design fits better under his pillow. Or maybe I should have made one that hangs on the doorknob.... oh, well.

Remember this one I made for Malia? 


Here's the front:

The back (aka where you cash in).  I made it nice and roomy so the tooth fairy can fit packs of gum, hotwheels cars, or large wads of cash (inflation, y'all):


I hope he loves it!

Minty Lip Balms

The lip balm factory was open again today.  This time, mostly because I had a surplus of Altoids Smalls tins (addict?) and also because I was inspired by the excess wax comb from my neighbor's bee hive.  I didn't end up using that comb because it smelled like smoke, and nobody wants a hickory-flavored kisser.  So I used regular wax...intended for such things as lip balms. 


I used this recipe again, which I love because it's simple and I had all the ingredients on hand.  Aaand, it's a pretty great lip balm.  I used a jar in the microwave this time instead of a double-boiler and it was A) much quicker, B) much less messy, and C) now I have a container to hold the leftovers until next time.

If you try this recipe in Altoid tins, be careful not to fill the tin past the hinge as your lip balm will leak out the back (which I learned the hard way). And for this reason, you might not want to keep this in your purse, in case it heats up too much (like, if you left it in a hot car or something) and leaks all over your very expensive purse.  This is best kept in a bedside table or medicine cabinet. 

But isn't it so cute?!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

"Wild" Blackberry & Rosewater Jam


To those of you who aren't familiar with Oakland, you might be surprised to know that there are wild blackberry brambles in several parts of the city (we also have a serious deer problem, which I may or may not have told you about... more on that later).  

On one of our walks recently, D and I noticed a very prolific patch of them and made a mental note to return when they ripen. So yesterday, we marched right down there with our bucket (and ladder, maybe) and got to pickin'.  In half an hour, we picked about seven cups of beautifully wild blackberries!  (I think the movement is called "foraging," and while very trendy a term, it still sounds like "scrounging" to me...so I say "wild")

 These guys were a little fuzzier than regular blackberries, but after a good soaking, the fuzzies came right off. 

 

For a little added interest, I put about one teaspoon of rosewater in the jam.  You can find rosewater among the Middle Eastern or Indian products in specialty/ethnic stores.  It's not expensive, but it is potent.  A little goes a long way! D was worried that even the little tiny teaspoon I did add was too much, but it's actually just right.

 

Look how gorgeous and deep the color is!


And now it's officially summer, now that we've canned something.  Sidenote: This is my all-time favorite size/shape/brand of jar, in case anyone cares. Simple design (no cornucopias embossed on the other side), not too big, not too little, nice and wide, easy to pour into, easy to get jam out.


Oh, yeah. Fruits of our labor. 


Wild/Foraged/Scrounged/Organic Oakland Blackberry and Rosewater Jam



Monday, July 09, 2012

Every Herb Pesto

Oh, yeah.  You're gonna like this one.

This is some good stuff. 


Here we have my adaptation of this pesto recipe (p.s. She's my new favorite. Also, when I say "adaptation" it mostly means I forgot something or I tinkered with the instructions. But I'm a glass-half-full kinda gal, so I use words like "adaptation" to make it seem like I did it on purpose and from a place of creativity when mostly it came from a place of haste or lack-of-planning), made with basil, parsley, cilantro, and spinach. I used pine nuts, because I didn't have almonds, but I think it tastes more decadent that way. Also, I forgot to add lemon, but I like it just way it is.  Next time I'll actually follow the recipe (something I'm notorious for NOT doing).

 
Anyhow, I was totally excited to make this for dinner and tell you all about it, but something even better happened - we just got invited for Persian food at the neighbors!  And I do not pass up Persian food with the neighbors.  So, the pesto will have to wait another night, but I can tell you that it was delicious right off the spatula.  Late for dinner - see ya!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Maile's Birthday Blankie


Maile turns 5 today! What better a place to celebrate this little wahine than in Hawaii!

While she probably won't need this while we're here, I was too excited to give it to her. Her own fuzzy little blankie.

I made Malia one for Christmas and they all fight over it. So each child needs their own (I brought a belated birthday blankie for Makaio too - show you later).

Happy birthday to the sweetest, friendliest, most clever 5 year-old I know!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

St. George Sprits





Buddha's Hand Citron infused Vodka

Being a Californian, I've been wine-tasting a bunch of times.  With Napa, Sonoma, and Russian River Valley about an hour away, it's a fairly easy outing for us.  But, for the first time this week, D and I went for a spirit-tasting!  D had "scouted" this place out a few weeks ago and recommended we go.  My brother recently landed a job at a distillery, so we were just doing a little "research" on the competition (wink).

We went to St. George Spirits on Alameda Island (even closer than Napa - only a 10 minute drive!) home of Hangar 1 vodka. What a cool place!!  It's in an old airplane (or blimp?) hangar and it sits right on the NW tip of Alameda with a great view of San Francisco.  The distillery itself looks a little Willy Wonka-esque with shiny copper stills and pipes and barrels everywhere. Only windows separate the tasting area from the distilling area. 



We tasted vodka, eaux de vies, gin, whiskey, bourbon, liqueur, and absinthe. They teach you how to taste spirits (differently than winei) and we learned so much about different kinds of spirits, it felt a little like liquor school. You can pack a lunch and eat at the picnic tables out front to blunt the effects of the tasting :)

I'm not super into liquor (or wine, for that matter), but it was so fun to do something other than wine taste! So, whether you're a local, visiting from out of town, or a local hosting out-of-towners, this is one cool experience that you should definitely check out - even if you're not a "liquor drinker." You'll feel super-hip.  But make an appointment if you want a tour or if you plan on going on the weekend. 

Ok, now I sound like a drunk...

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Harissa



 
Have you heard of Harissa?  It's a hot, North African chili paste and it's my new favorite condiment. It's salty and spicy and garlicky and awesome...if you're into that kind of thing.  I first tried harissa in a breakfast sandwich from Vesta Flatbread food truck at the Oakland Farmer's Market. Hooked!  Immediately!

Now, I'm no taste bud adrenaline-seeker, but this stuff is good (And pretty spicy! A little goes a long way) - and you can make it at home fairly easily!  This is the second jar I've made. I use a recipe similar to this one.  Instead, I only add a little cumin in place of the caraway and coriander seeds.  I suppose the spices used depend on which region's recipe you're following (Tunisia vs. Morocco vs. Algeria, etc.)  Also, I used only arbol chilies, which are fairly small and hot, even though I did seed them.


Ok, so how to use this stuff? Probably any way you like! I primarily eat my harissa with eggs and avocado for breakfast. The avocado cuts the heat a little.  Honestly, I eat this almost every single morning - it's so good!  Vesta uses it with chicken and even on top of potatoes, but you could use it whenever you need a little heat.

I dare you to try it. I'll bet you get hooked too.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Teeny Zucchini




Did I tell you that we moved to the sweetest little street in Oakland (that is not an oxymoron)?  Last August, we left the fog of San Francisco and headed to the Sunny Side of the Bay.  We absolutely love it!  We have sun and space and neighbors we know!

One of my most favorite things about our new neighborhood is that we have a community garden, just for the people on our little cul de sac.  We've planted tomatoes (lots!), zucchini, corn, squash, basil, beets, carrots, eggplant, radishes, beans, and peppers. The tomatoes seem to be doing well, but we'll see what else the soil allows.

This is our first little harvest.  Teeny zucchini!  I thought they would get bigger, and maybe they will, but for now, this is it.

I also spied an almost red tomato, which tickles me the most because I started those babies from seed! I am one proud tomato mama.



Oh, and this cocktail? Well, that's basil (in the form of a gimlet) from our garden. And I have the best husband/mixologist on the block to make them for me! I haven't told the neighbors of his cocktailing talents just yet...




Sunday, June 17, 2012

All Grown Up


I know you've seen these guys before, but I like to think I'm expanding my repertoire a little.

My nephew is 7! *sniff*  He's become such a smart, funny, energetic, sweet guy!  Since he was learning tick marks in school recently, I thought this would be appropriate.


And while adults seldom broadcast their age, my sister-in-law expressed some interest in displaying her name on a shirt, and, well.... I jumped on that!  Thirty-one is her lucky number and this happens to be her golden year!  Happy (SUPER BELATED) birthday, Jess!  And so I made her a birthday shirt too, but little more subtle...





Saturday, June 16, 2012

I'm Back with Some Bread. Forgive?

Well, if I haven't completely let you down, maybe there's still an ounce of forgiveness inside of you for my lack-of-bloggingness.  It's not that I don't have things to blog about, au contraire (I studied Spanish, not French), I've just been so busy lazy about uploading photos.  Let's see if this new summer schedule will help me turn over a new leaf...again.



We'll start with something simple... a little loaf.  Now, I know you've seen my loaves before, so it's nothing new.  Still using my very favorite, easiest bread recipe with a few tweaks. This one has some rye flour (trying to clean out the cabinets) and caraway seeds (ditto), and I always add a bunch more salt.  But I swear, this method never lets me down.  Try it, you'll impress all your friends.  Or if not, impress yourself.

Thank you for your forgiveness. Everyone (my sister) was sick of looking at those lemons. Monica, you're welcome.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Preserved Lemons

I can't say "lemon" without actually thinking "yemon." When my niece was little (yitto), she couldn't say her Ls, so she replaced them with Ys.  So, here we have some preserved yemons.

In any case... I made some this morning with a windfall of meyer lemons (See? You're doing it now too!) from my friend at work.  Ever since I sorely lost a canning competition to someone who made preserved lemons (so original!), and ever since I bought a tagine, I've been wanting to make these. 

I followed this recipe.

Wash the lemons well and then slice off the ends of the lemon like so.  (Then line them up and take a photo, because I just think this is so pretty, I just might hang it on my wall)

 

Then almost quarter the lemons, leaving the lemon attached at the bottom:

 

Douse it with kosher or sea salt, making sure to get all surfaces covered with ample amounts of salt. I used a little more than 1 tablespoon of salt per lemon.


Here's a simplified version of the method I used.  First, place the lemon in a sterilized jar, and then squash it down to release the juices that will eventually cover your lemons. 


Squash!


If you don't have enough juice to cover the lemons, juice an extra lemon or two into the jar or take one wedge out.  Top it all off with a little more salt.

 

And voila!  Keep them on the counter top for a few days, flipping the jar daily, then move them to the refrigerator.  In about 3 weeks, the rinds will soften and they should be ready to go!  Rinse the lemons before using. 


 

I've seen the recommendation to add spices, so I threw some cloves in one of them.  Fingers crossed!  I will be making this when my preserved yemons are ready!