Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Monday, March 2, 2009

vacation adventures pt. 1

It certainly is lovely to no longer feel like an ice cube whenever I go outside! Here's what's been happening these first few days of vacation:


random headscarf, Old Navy sweater, Converse dress, Mossimo purse, Old Navy flip-flops

Yesterday's outfit. It's actually been a little chillier than I expected (mid 60s), hence the sweater.


Lunch at Whole Foods Market, which consisted of Margherita pizza and a delicious fruit tart with lemon cream.

Magenta bougainvillea.


And here's some pictures of the items I sewed for the trip:

A zipper pouch for snacks (to keep in my purse), because I'm not wild about the idea of my ipod getting anywhere near my Fig Newtons.

I made it using this genius tutorial. It's all pretty much notion/fabric odds-and-ends I had sitting around (the pink fabric is actually a leg from a pair of pants I turned into shorts).

The little applique is just a design cut from a scrap of fabric and ironed/stitched in place with the help of Wonder Under and my sewing machine.



Sleep shirt. I couldn't find one that I liked at any stores, so I made one ( loosely adapted from patterns from this book). Again, pretty much all the fabric is second-hand here. The bodice was cut from a men's tee, and the skirt part is actually cut from an old maxi dress, so this came together in about half an hour (measuring the ribbing was the most time-consuming step).

If you get the idea I was whipping these things together the afternoon before we left, you're right :)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

a little night sewing

I've spent the past few evenings sewing some extra Barbie clothing for an upcoming craft show. As you can see, I also snapped a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos.

Magnetic pin cushion. This kind is a lot easier to use than the typical tomato cushion (though I'll admit it's not as cute).


My trusty Husquevarna Viking.

Fabric and trims for 2 Barbie evening gowns.

Vintage Barbie illustration.

Barbie, waiting with the scissors and thread for her modeling gig.


Samples of a new bathing suit design I'm working on (these will be debuting in the shop in a few weeks!).

Dress bodices and my iron.

In other news, I tried out a new dessert for an Australian-themed dinner the other night: lamingtons. I'd never heard of these before I started researching Australian food; basically, they're squares or cubes of butter cake coated with chocolate icing and topped with coconut.

Mine weren't particularly authentic, but they did taste great! I used chocolate ganache instead of icing, and toasted up plenty of coconut to sprinkle over each.


My recipe is from a copyrighted cookbook, but here's a few online recipes I that look similar:

Also, here's the ganache recipe I used:

  • Ganache (it's at the end of the brownie recipe)

Saturday, February 21, 2009

banana-oatmeal muffins





I'm usually not a fan of banana-related baked goods, but my Mom, muffin whiz that she is, makes a mean banana-oatmeal muffin. Which just happens to be what we had for breakfast this morning.
Above are my photos, and here's her recipe:

Banana-Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon honey
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups mashed bananas (4-5 medium)

Combine oats and milk and set aside.

In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

To soaked mixture, add oil, eggs, vanilla, and bananas.

Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir only until the flour is moistened.

Fill greased muffin cups and bake 375 F--20 minutes.

Makes approx. 17 muffins.

Best served with scrambled eggs and orange juice.

What did you have for breakfast?

Friday, February 20, 2009

5 cool websites: miniatures

I've always loved miniatures. Here's a few
of my favorite websites featuring tiny things:

This is such a cute, sweet idea.

Miniature food jewelry at pukashell.etsy.com. The detail on this ring is insane.

Amazing video about a lady who knits tiny clothing for movies like Coraline (those are two fingers inside the sweater!).
Thanks, Jessica!

World's Smallest Man-Made Orange.

And lastly......
miniature pigs.

So. Cute.

All images property of their respective websites.

Monday, February 16, 2009

v-day

It was a very nice Valentine's Day.





Jones New York shirt, thrifted cardigan, Ralph Lauren cords, Croft & Barrow oxfords, Mossimo purse

I made some last-minute valentines that turned out rather dorky....


...but you can't go wrong with Riesens!

I also made a cherry pie for the family. By the time I got around to photographing it, it was mostly mutiliated.

I miss it already (the pie, I mean :).

Did you have a nice Valentine's?

Monday, February 9, 2009

the best snack ever (or me, practicing my macro photography)

Start with an apple, a knife, peanut butter, and some Kashi ® GOLEAN Crunch!™ cereal
(the last dregs in the bottom of the box work great for this).

Slice your apple.

Spread each slice with peanut butter.

Pour some cereal onto a plate or flat bowl.

Dip each apple slice, peanut butter side down, in the cereal.

Enjoy! Goes best with a good book and cool drink.

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