A Very Crafty Bunch

I had thought it to be a little too difficult for her. Once again, I'm learning not to underestimate Lucette. Her back-stitch is truly marvelous.

And her concentration fierce.

Jane is tackling her own embroidered kitty. It's a very vibrantly yellow "Chinese kitty." As a not-quite-4-year-old, she is doing remarkably well. I love her willingness to do her best, even if it looks different than someone else's best.

Peter was actually curious, too. I didn't have any more embroidery hoops (Perhaps a rocket pattern for later?), so he contented himself with making camouflage yo-yo's. I imagine they'll soon find themselves launched by one of his many apparati.

What a pleasant afternoon we've had.

I Love Me Some Dilly Bread

There are lots of expressions of amore when I serve up Dilly Bread. It's a particular favorite with soup but the leftovers also make into delicious sandwiches.

Dilly Bread is made with cottage cheese and is a great way to use up a half-eaten container or when you accidentally buy the lowfat. (Oh please, let's cut corners elsewhere ... just not my cheeses!)

• Dilly Rolls •
Dissolve and set aside:
• 2.25 t yeast
• .25 c water

In saucepan, heat until warm:
• 1 c cottage cheese
• 1 T butter

In separate, large bowl, mix:
• 2 T sugar (or honey)
• 2 T dried minced onion
• 1.5 T dried dill
• 1 t salt
• .25 t baking soda
• 1 egg

Add dissolved yeast and warm (not hot!) cottage cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add:
• 2.5 c flour (a mix of white and wheat is good!)

Stir in the flour with a large spoon to make a stiff but sticky dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for about 1 hour or doubled in bulk.

Stir dough dough, but do not knead. Grab sticky blobs and place on parchment lined baking sheet. (Your hands will get ridiculously sticky, but press on!) Let rise for another 30-40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden. Serve with lots of butter!

Side note: These freeze wonderfully and you can also make it like Great Mother used to, as a loaf. Just plop all the dough into a greased bread pan, let rise, and bake for about 35 minutes.

Poppin' Up a Whole Lotta' Goodness

Last night was movie night for the Pops and myself. And what does a good World War II drama need? Yep, popcorn. But this time we got a little caa-razy. I'm talkin' crazy-delicious!

Pull out your air-popper and fill 'er up with seeds:

While the kernels are a-poppin', melt your butter ... and don't be stingy!

Pull out that cheapy sea-salt grinder that is already filled with salt, but works like a dream. Set it to a medium/coarse grind:

And the magic? Oh yes, my friends, it's Turbinado (raw) sugar:
Drizzle your butter, grind your salt, and sprinkle your turbinado. Give it all a good toss and grab a stack of napkins for those soon-t0-be greasy mits.

By the way, keep the rewind remote handy. It's so good, you may forget to pay attention to the movie.

My Mama's Birthday

Light reflects on face gazed upon.
Peace found in simple song.
Delight bubbles from contented soul.
Generosity without effort.
Adoration in full.

My own. My mother.

Thrifting is Good for Your Health

Turns out I have a sore throat today. Ugh. But ... I did manage a quick run to the thrift store and I'm soothing myself with peppermint tea and the morning's jackpot: a virtually mint-condition 1972 edition of the 50's game Sorry. A lovely prescription, if you ask me.

We're having lots of fun apologizing today.

Especially this one.

Just Because

:: barbequed steaks, passionate conversation, lethal board game competitions ::

:: chocolate in abundance ::

:: tomfoolery, funny movie, late night,
sneak quietly upstairs so the grown-ups keep talking ::

An Afternoon Ceremony

Did you know that crayons get married?
Well, they do.
They even kiss.

Basil and a Kicky New 'Do

 Last night I went outside to pinch off the flowering tips of the basil. They were so fragrant, I couldn't help but plop the sweet ends into a vase on the kitchen counter. Now, each time I pass by the herb cuttings, I start dreaming of a Caprese salad. And, the tomatoes are almost ready to make my culinary dreaming come true! Add the basil, slices of mozzarella, a little balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper ... Mmmm.

While I was out herb snipping, Pops snapped a few pics on his own. I'm thinking basil also makes a nice backdrop to showcase a new snappy haircut, don't you agree?

Scenes from the Pacific Coast

• sand skipping •

• sea water splashing •

• sunlight streaming •

• fingers digging •

• grandparents loving •

Zippy Pouch Tutorial

I find these little zippy pouches to be a most gratifying project. Very simple, quick, and a fun way to use up cute scraps of fabric. Since I plan on making more, and you might like to also, here is a simple tutorial to keep the steps right at hand. Let's get started!

You will need 4 pieces of fabric (two for outside, two for lining) and a zipper of whatever length your cut fabric is. (I love thrifting vinyl zippers. Nice and cheap, and you can cut them to size!)

Next, sandwich a right-side up zipper with a right-side up lining and a right-side down outer. Stitch across, close to zipper.

Flip fabrics so zipper selvedge is now inside. Repeat these two steps on the other side.

Looking good so far? If you'd like to top stitch close to the zipper, now's the time. You don't have to, just if you like the tailored look.

Flip fabrics so right-sides face each other, outer to outer, lining to lining. (Don't forget to un-zip the zipper at least halfway so you can turn it once it is all stitched!) Pin around the edges, turning zipper teeth and seams towards the lining.

Stitch all around the edges (about 1/4 inch) leaving a 2-4 inch opening at the bottom of the lining. Clip corners.

Turn so that right-side fabrics are now out. Stitch lining opening closed. A slip stitch by hand is always the prettiest, but I usually just run a machine stitch all the way down, very close to the seam.

Tuck the lining into the shell, give it a good press with a hot iron, and Voila! A nice little zippy pouch for you.