Wolf's Den

Wordless Wednesday- I was told they were red (from seeds from my dad's hollyhocks)

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:50:08 GMT

Daring Cooks Challenge- Meatballs

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:57:52 GMT

The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice.

Meatballs! Yum. We really like meatballs, generally have them one of two ways here- with spaghetti- usually baked spaghetti- or in a Tagine with couscous. My mom makes awesome sweet and sour meatballs.

So for this Challenge, I did Moroccan spiced Meatballs with Couscous and vegetables, in my tagine.

Meatballs are actually fairly easy to make. It's just a matter of patience because it can get tedious rolling and rolling and rolling. But the end results are so worth it.

Moroccan Spiced Meatballs with Couscous and vegetables.

For the meatballs-

1lb ground lean beef
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 large egg
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp trumeric
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 ginger

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Dig in there with your hands and really squish it around to thoroughly blend every thing together. Take about 2 tbsp of mix and roll between your hands in a ball. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet with a little space between them. Repeat until all the mix has been formed into meatballs.

Here you need to decide how many you want to use immediately. The rest gets placed on a smaller lined cookie sheet if you have one, and placed in the freezer for several hours. Then, bag up and completely freeze for future use. The ones you will use immediately, place in the fridge while you prepare the couscous and vegetables.

For the couscous and vegetables-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 cup uncooked couscous

1tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 medium zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces- about 1.5 to 2 cups worth
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tsp dried cilantro
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 tsp lemon juice

In bottom of tagine, or deep cassarole dish if you do not have a tagine, pour the uncooked couscous. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onions under tender. Add garlic, cinnamon sticks, turmeric, cilantro and stir well, cooking for about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and raisins. Stir to combine. Add beef broth and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and set aside briefly. Take your meatballs and arrange them in the cassarole dish/tagine, on top of the couscous. Very carefully, scoop the vegetables over the top. Pour any remaining juice in as well. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until couscous is cooked and most of the juice has been absorbed. Remove cinnamon sticks and discard. Drizzle the lemon juice over the top and serve immediately.

More recipes!

Basic Meatball, Dry-Prep Method
Servings: 3-4
Based on: cooks.com

Dry_Prep

Ingredients:
1 pound (500 gm) chopped meat (beef, veal, pork etc, or any combination of these)
½ cup (120 ml)(60 gm/2 oz) bread crumbs (seasoned or plain)
1 large egg
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Olive Oil or other mild flavored oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl using either your hands or a sturdy spoon until all ingredients are well incorporated (but do not overwork).
Scoop out approximately walnut-sized scoops of the mixture and gently roll into balls in the palms of your hand.
If baking, place in a roasting pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (this makes for easy clean-up).
Bake meatballs in an oven that has been preheated to moderate 350°/180°C/gas mark 4 for approximately 35 minutes, turning the balls halfway (cooking time may vary, depending on the size of the balls you made).
If pan-frying, heat approximately 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium to medium high heat and cook the meatballs in batches (do not crowd the pan) until browned nicely on all sides.

Basic Meatball, Wet-Prep Method
Servings: 3-4
Based on Mark Bittman’s recipe, as seen from: Seasonally Effective

Wet_prep

Ingredients:
1 or 2 slices of white bread (crusts removed preferably, but not necessary), torn or cut into small pieces
¼ - ½ cup (60-120 ml) milk (or milk substitute – I have used flax milk here successfully)
1 pound (500 gm) ground beef (or other meat, or meat combination of your choice)
Salt, pepper and spices to taste

Directions:

Soak the bread in the milk (using only enough milk to soak up the bread – will vary a little based on the bread you use) for about 5 minutes until the milk has completely soaked all of the bread.
Once the bread has soaked up the milk, add the meat and spices and mix it thoroughly with a spoon or your hands (your hands work best with this method to really squish the bread throughout the meat, but it’s up to your comfort level).
Cook as directed in the dry-prep method, either baking or frying.

Spanish Meatballs
Servings: 4-6
Inspired by: Martha Stewart

Spanish_Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 slices of white bread (crusts removed preferably, but not necessary), torn or cut into small pieces
¼ cup (60 ml) milk (or milk substitute)
2 pounds (1 kg) ground beef (or other meat, or meat combination of your choice)
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (divided)
1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (3 gm) ground cumin (divided)
1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (3 gm) paprika (divided)
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can (800 gm/28 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Prepare the meatballs using the wet-prep method described above, including half of the onion (raw), and half each of the cumin and paprika.
Bake the meatballs at moderate 350°/180°C/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through cook time.
While the meatballs cook, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
Add onions and sauté with salt and pepper (to taste) until they soften and are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes to the onions, stir, then add the remaining half of each cumin and paprika.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer
When meatballs are done cooking, carefully drain them and place them into the simmering sauce.
Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes before serving.
Serve over rice or with rustic bread.

Swedish Meatballs
Servings: 4-6
From by: Cooking With Mel

Swedish_Meatballs

Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
2 slices of white bread (crusts removed preferably, but not necessary), torn or cut into small pieces
¼ cup (60 ml) milk (or milk substitute)
2 pounds (1 kg) ground beef (or other meat, or meat combination of your choice)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) butter
½ cup finely diced onion
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

For the gravy:
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) butter
¼ cup (60 ml) (35 gm) (1¼ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
3 cups (750 ml) beef broth
¼ cup (60 ml) half and half (half milk and half light cream)

(Note: I made this using flax milk in both the meatballs and the gravy, and used olive oil in place of the butter to make these dairy free to accommodate my son’s dairy allergy and it worked out beautifully)

Directions:

Preheat oven to very cool 200°F/93°C/gas mark ¼.
In a small bowl, tear the bread into small slices and then add the milk, allowing the bread to soak.
While the bread soaks, heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the onions, along with a pinch of salt, and allow the onions to soften.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside, allowing the onions to cool a bit.
Combine the ground meat, soaked bread, eggs, salt, pepper and sautéed onions, mixing well to combine fully without overworking.
Roll the meatballs (I make my Swedish meatballs a little smaller than other styles, not sure why…) and set them aside.
Heat the 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of butter in a sauté pan over medium-low to medium heat then cook the meatballs in batches until browned evenly on all sides, approximately 7-10 minutes per batch.
As each batch is done cooking, remove the meatballs to an oven-safe dish and keep them in the warm 200°F/93°C/gas mark ¼ oven to stay warm.
Once all of the meatballs are done cooking and are in the oven staying warm, lower the temperature a little bit on your pan and whisk in the flour. Whisk for about 1-2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the beef broth until everything thickens nicely.
Raise heat to medium
Add in the half and half and continue to cook and whisk until the gravy reaches the consistency you like.
Remove the meatballs from the oven and serve, smothered in the gravy.

Italian Meatballs
Servings: 3-4
Based on our family’s basic meatball recipe, re-inspired by: The Bumbling Chef

Italian_Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 pound (½ kg) ground beef (or other meat, or meat combination of your choice)
1 large egg
¾ cup (180 gm) (45 gm) (1-2/3 oz) Italian style breadcrumbs OR plain breadcrumbs or matzo meal combined with 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) garlic powder
¼ - ½ cup (60 - 120 ml) ( 25 gm – 45 gm) (1 to 1-2/3 oz) grated parmesan cheese (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Shape meat mixture into balls and place onto a baking sheet that has been covered with foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Bake the meatballs at moderate 350°/180°C/gas mark 4 for approximately 30 minutes, turning them halfway through cook time (cook time may vary depending on the size of your meatballs).
Serve over pasta with shredded parmesan cheese or use to make a delicious meatball parmesan sandwich or hoagie.
You may also choose to simmer these meatballs in the marinara sauce (or other red sauce of your choice) in order to cook them – this infuses the entire meatball with the flavor and moisture of the sauce, and infuses the sauce with the flavor of the meatballs. The choice is yours!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Servings: 4-6
This recipe is the one that was made in our family, so while variations can be found online, this is just our regular family recipe!

Sweet_and_Sour_Meatballs

Ingredients:
Prepared meatballs, a double batch (about 24 meatballs)
1 jar (12 oz) (340 gm) chili sauce
1 jar 12 oz) (340 gm) grape jelly (jam)
Juice of one lemon

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the chili sauce, grape jelly and lemon juice.
Heat this mixture over medium heat until the jelly melts and everything begins to incorporate.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for at least 30 minutes, until the meatballs are heated through
This recipe is very, very adaptable. If you don’t have chili sauce, use ketchup. Or cocktail sauce. Don’t have a lemon? Use a lime! Want some added kick? Add a splash or two of teriyaki sauce (yum. I promise.). Be adventurous with your flavor of jam, if you want. You can also choose to cook the meatballs in the sauce rather than adding them in after they are cooked – whatever you choose. We always served these over rice, but they make great appetizer meatballs, or can be served however you prefer.

Italian Wedding Soup
Servings: 6-8
This is the version Shelley made, as seen at: C Mom Cook

Italian_Wedding_Soup

Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1½ pounds (700 gm) ground turkey
½ cup (120 ml) (60 gm/2oz) breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (10 gm) (1/3 oz) grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon (2 ½ ml) (3 gm) sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For the soup:
5 carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3gm) Italian seasoning
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
6 cups (1500 ml) chicken broth
2 cups (500 ml) water
1 box frozen, chopped spinach
½ - 2/3 cup small pasta (such as ditalini, tubettini or even orzo)
¼ cup (60 ml) (25 gm ) (1 oz) grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

For the meatballs:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Using your hands, form small meatballs, about the size of a quarter.
3. Set prepared meatballs aside.

For the soup:
4. In a large soup pot, sauté the onion and carrot in the olive oil over medium low heat until soft and tender. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and continue to sautee until fragrant, about another two minutes.
6. Add the chicken broth and turn the heat up to bring the soup to a slow boil.
7. Once the soup comes to a boil, carefully add the meatballs, one at a time (to keep them from sticking or clumping together).
8. Once all of the meatballs have been added, pour in the dry pasta and the spinach.
9. Bring the pot back up to a simmer, season with additional salt and pepper as needed, and simmer for at least 25 minutes.
10. Stir in the ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
11. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
12. Serve with additional parmesan cheese with a side of crusty bread.

Still looking for some ideas?

Use ground turkey to make turkey meatballs and create a Thanksgiving inspired meal, with turkey gravy, cranberries and sweet potatoes.
Mix your ground meat with taco seasonings and/or simmer them in taco sauce and make meatball tacos.
Prepare your meatball with a little piece of mozzarella cheese inside then smother in marinara sauce for an inside-out meatball parmesan sandwich.
Make a meatball that would be perfect for breakfast!
For additional inspiration, we have started a Pinterest board of ideas. The link to the meatball inspiration board is in the Additional Information section.

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:
Meatballs are a great food to prepare ahead of time and freeze. Because the meat is already ground, you will not experience the same texture-change that can occur with other meats upon freezing/defrosting.

Meatballs can be frozen either before or after cooking. To freeze meatballs before they have been cooked, place the balls, once prepared and rolled, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, then place the whole pan in the freezer. Once they have frozen, remove the pan and transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer bag. Uncooked meatballs can be frozen for up to three to four months. Meatballs can also be frozen after cooking. Allow them to cool, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze immediately. Cooked meatballs can be frozen for two to three months. Whether frozen cooked or uncooked, to defrost the meatballs, transfer the frozen bag to the refrigerator the day before you plan to use them, then reheat/cook according to the meal you plan to enjoy!

Additional Information:
Basics about meatballs: http://www.ehow.com/about_4672404_meatballs.html
More basics, with additional cultural variations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meatball
Ideas for recipes for vegetarian meatballs: http://www.squidoo.com/vegetarian-meatballs
A delicious cannellini bean vegetarian meatball: http://www.squidoo.com/vegetarian-meatballs
Some more vegetarian (and some vegan, too) recipes for inspiration (though these links are ones that we have not, ourselves, tested):
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-sweet-and-sour-meatballs/
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-tofu-no-meat-balls-vegan-and-gluten-free-361658
http://www.myvegancookbook.com/recipes/recipe.php?id=109
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Tvp-Meatballs-Recipezaar?columns=4&position=7/32

And, for yet additional inspiration, here is a link to a Pinterest board that we have been using to bookmark all kinds of awesome, amazing and fun looking meatballs:
http://pinterest.com/shelley_c/meatballs/

So there I was...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:18:13 GMT

On a nice, albeit longer than we planned and hot, walk with the husband and Caena.

We cut through the park so she could walk through the creek to cool off and Mark crossed first. Mind, it's been rainy here. So I went to cross, lost my balance, missed grabbing him and twisted as I landed on my knee and hip.

At the time, my only pride was hurt, but now that we're home and cooling down, I figured out I managed to wrench my back, scrap the side of my knee and bruise both palms of my hands. And my elbow ain't feeling so hot either.

Guess I'm done doing beadwork for the night. Heh.

Go me.

Ow.

New kumihimo sets

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:30:35 GMT

Starlit, 3 piece kumihimo set. Available on Zibbet.

Sweet Cream, 3 piece kumihimo set. Also available on Zibbet.

I have one more set in the works, but I need to get some other findings for it first. Then I have at least one pair of earrings to wrk up and a few pendants in the plans.

Busy, busy...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:22:22 GMT

What you're looking at, is FIVE different kumihimo/beadwork projects in the works. What you don't see is the sixth project- a necklace, earrings, bracelet set and a seventh- a cord on the wheel, off to the side.

I'm hoping to have at least 3 of these projects ready for listing by this weekend. One of these projects is for the ZBox and that will get added to as I create more cords and use the extra for the samples instead of turning them into toys for Morrigan.}:)

On my desk currently, samples in progress for the Zbox, a 3 piece set- necklace, earrings, bracelet, a cuff, a pair of earrings and what hopefully will be another 3 piece set- choker/necklace, earrings, bracelet.

Did I mention I still haven't gone through the nearly 700 photos from out vacation trip yet either?

Fun!

New yarns!

Wed, 29 May 2013 18:03:19 GMT

So last week we went on vacation up to New Jersey to see Mark's parents. Before hand, I had done some researching and found several local shops in the areas we would be, to visit and hopefully pick up some either handspun and hand dyed yarns, or at the least, hand dyed yarns.

I think I succeeded quite well.

First up is Hooked in Haddonfield, NJ. I will admit, I went a bit overboard. But in my defense, Mark kept telling me to get the yarn, and 3 skeins HE liked all together, colorwise, so those I'll blame on him.}:P

Blue Heron Yarns Rayon Metallic in Blue Violet. Silky soft and absolutely wonderful to work with as kumihimo. I actually started and finished a 16 strand cord in 3 days while in New Jersey. It'll be listed in cuff form by next week- needed to get some beads that color coordinated.

Shalimar Breathless, hand dyed. Gorgeous and soft, the color varies from rich butter yellow to a softer, pale yellow.

Plucky Knitter, also hand dyed. Also very soft. Are you sensing a theme? Most of the yarns I got are silk blends or cashmere/merino blends, or straight alpaca in the case of at least one.

The next three are Mark's picks. All are raw silk blends, Shibui Heichi- Spore(green), Column(cream) and Hydrant(red-orange)-

Cascade Eco Alpaca, all natural, 100% alpaca. I needed some browns and this on definitely fit the bill perfectly. And it's squishy.

Both are Manos del Uruguay Silk blends. Hand spun and kettle dyed in Uruguay. Lovely, lovely yarn. The darker one I have a cord nearly finished with, 12 strand and it's quite lovely.

And that was just at Hooked!

The next yarn shop we hit was in Philadelphia, Pa- Rosie's Yarn Cellar on Locust Street. It's literally in the basement of a brownstone building. Cute, cozy and full of great yarns. There I picked up 3 'local' yarns- hand spun and hand dyed in Lambertsville, NJ

50/50 Merino/Alpaca in Scarlet Oak (red-orange), Basswood(brown), and Fringetree(grey-cream)-

Then we hit Loop on South Street, also in Philly.

There we snagged 2 miniskein bags by a local spinner/dyer, Black Bunny Fibers, each with a great range of colors and various yarn sizes as well as fibers-

After Loop, was Nangellini, still on South Street but further down. The owner, I believe she is, also spins her own yarn, but unfortunately, the skeins she had on hand were of the chunky style that I can't really use. They were definitely very gorgeous yarns, hand dyed by a friend of hers. We still managed to get a couple local dyed yarns and one handmade recycled silk yarn from India. The store itself was full of neat handmade items and had a side courtyard that had been mosaiced by Philly's Magic Gardens creator, Isaiah Zagar

Ella Rae Lace Merino, hand dyed in tans and greens.

No Two Snowflakes, hand dyed in 'Decanting'. This local to Philly hand dyer, incidentally, has an Etsy shop as well, where there are a few other skeins of hers that I wouldn't mind having.

Frabjous Fibers Recycled Silk yarn . 100% silk. It's on the chunky side and has a bad habit of trying to untwist as I was working with it in an 8 strand kumihimo cord. It also tends to shed. I like it, but I don't love it. A necklace and bracelet set is being planned for the cord I have made with it though.

And that was it for Philly.

A few days later, we were in Mount Holly, NJ to tour the Burlington County Prison Museum. Unfortunately, the day we went, it was closed. Fortunately, right down the street was Woolbearers.

Lanamira Verte. Hand dyed by Woolbearers, and I believe hand spun as well. It's even lovelier in person.

Bamboo/Merino blend, also hand dyed by Woolbearers. This one has little flecks of other colors in it and is also lovelier in person.

And that's it. 28 new skeins and miniskeins of great yarns to work with. I'll be busy for awhile! Of course, our next trip to see my family in Michigan, means more local yarns from there too!

Daring Cooks Challenge- En Croute

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:35:45 GMT

Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!

Yes, we've done an en croute style challenge before- 4 years ago. Back then, I made a Salmon En Croute for Mark, and a Tilapia En Croute for me. This time around, I went with the ol' stand by - Beef Wellington, since we'd never made it before.

To that end, I went to my local butcher and got a very fresh beef tenderloin. Then I pulled out the puff pastry I had in the freezer, the dried mushrooms I had and went to work. I've never made crepes before and I will freely admit, I am definitely not a master at them. But the extra was great with blackberry jam smeared on it.

I omitted the liver pate portion. We cannot stand liver. And to be honest, we probably wouldn't have known the difference.

A good thermometer is a must to get the internal temp exactly right. Mine actually went 10 degrees higher than what the recipe called for, but then it sat and rested for 15 minutes while we prepped the Parsnip puree and spring veggies we paired it with.

So how was it? Absolutely delicious. Tender, juicy and just yum. Even the leftovers were great the next day. Yes, the bottom got soggy, but it was still good. I will definitely be making this again sometime, maybe for my parents.}:P

THE RECIPES!

Classic Beef Wellington

Servings: 4

Ingredients
For the duxelles
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable or sunflower oil
1/4 cup (60 m) (25 gm) (¾ oz) finely chopped shallots
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) (100 gm) (3½ oz) finely chopped Portobello mushrooms (from 4 large caps; remove the stems and gills before chopping, preferably in a food processor)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (1 gm) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Heat the butter and oil in a 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over low heat.
2. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, stir well, and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have cooked down to a thick, almost black mixture, about 15 minutes.
4. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
5. Stir in the parsley; then transfer to a small bowl and cool completely. (The duxelles can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

Ingredients
For the crêpes
1/2 cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2-1/2 oz) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour
1/8 teaspoons (½ gm) kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) unsalted butter

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, break in the eggs, and add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the milk.
2. Gently whisk the eggs and milk, gradually incorporating the flour.
3. Slowly whisk in the remaining milk to make a smooth batter. (The batter can be covered and set aside for up to an hour at this point.)
Melt the butter in a 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan to coat with the butter; pour the excess butter out into a small bowl.
4. Whisk 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (½ oz) (15 gm) of the melted butter into the batter. Reserve the rest for greasing the pan between crêpes.

5. Increase the heat to medium high and pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the batter into the skillet. Swirl so the batter thinly and evenly coats the base of the pan.
6. Cook until the crêpe is spotted with brown on the underside, about 1 minute, then flip and cook the other side until lightly browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
7. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the pan off the heat as necessary.
8. Transfer the crêpes to a plate, separating them with sheets of parchment, and cool. You’ll need about 4 crêpes.

Ingredients
For assembly
3 pounds (1-1/3 kg) center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed, side muscle removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable or sunflower oil
2/3 cup (180 ml) chicken liver pâté, homemade or store-bought
1 pound (½ kg) puff pastry, homemade or store-bought, thawed overnight in the refrigerator if frozen
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) unsalted butter, softened

Directions:
1. Remove the beef from the refrigerator about an hour ahead so it has time to lose its chill. Pat the beef dry and season all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch (30 cm skillet over high heat until very hot. Sear the beef until it is evenly browned all over (don’t worry about the ends), 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Transfer the beef to a baking sheet and cool.
4. In a medium bowl, mash the pâté and the duxelles with a fork until they form a soft paste.

5. Lay 4 crêpes on a clean work surface, overlapping them just enough to give you a 13x13-inch (33x 33 cm) roughly square surface. Dot the pâté mixture over the crêpes, then use an offset spatula to spread it evenly across the crêpes’ surface.
6. Place the tenderloin in the center of the crêpes and carefully wrap them around the filet, pressing and molding them into place. Trim off any excess crêpe at the ends.
7. If using store-bought puff pastry that’s packaged as 2 sheets, fuse the sheets together by slightly overlapping them and lightly rolling over the seam until adhered.
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 13x16-inch (33x40 cm) rectangle (for store-bought puff, roll in the direction of the seam).
9. Transfer the wrapped beef to the center of the pastry and tuck any crêpes that have come loose back into place. Bring the pastry up around the beef, smoothing out any air pockets.
10. Brush some of the beaten egg along the bottom edge of the seam and then press gently to seal; trim off any excess. Seal the pastry similarly at the ends.
11. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with the butter. Lift the Wellington onto the sheet, seam side down. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours. (If refrigerating longer than 1 hour, let the Wellington sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.)

12. At least 20 minutes before baking, heat the oven to very hot 475°F/240°C/gas mark 9 and position a rack in the center of the oven. Brush the Wellington with the remaining beaten egg.
13. Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the pastry with diagonal lines, being careful not to cut all the way through the pastry.
14. Put the Wellington in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to hot 425°F/220C/gas mark 7. Roast for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6 and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the Wellington registers 135°F/57°C for medium rare, 20 to 25 minutes.
15. Transfer to a carving board and let the Wellington rest for 10 minutes.

Mushroom En Croute

Servings: 4

Ingredients
6 large (225 gm) (8 oz) Portobello Mushroom caps
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Olive Oil
8 Shallots, sliced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (2 gm) Fresh Thyme, chopped
1 Lemon, zest only
2 large bunches (225 gm) (8 oz) Baby Spinach
¼ cup (60 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) Breadcrumbs
4 oz (115 gm) brie cheese, sliced
16 oz (500 gm) Puff Pastry
1 Large Egg, beaten
½ Vegetable Stock Cube, dissolved in ¾ cup (180 ml) of water
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Crème Fraiche

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6.
2. Reserve the 4 largest mushrooms and set to one side. Chop the remaining mushrooms.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the shallots until softened. Remove half the shallots from the pan and place in a bowl.
4. Add the chopped mushrooms to the remaining shallots in the frying pan and cook until softened, then remove the pan from the heat.

5. Place the spinach in a bowl and pour over boiling water, stir then drain in a colander thoroughly, pressing down on the spinach to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
6. When cool enough to handle chop and add to the bowl with shallots. Add the thyme and lemon zest, season and mix well.
7. Roll out the pastry to measure approximately 20 x 12 inches (50x30cm) and cut into 4 equal pieces. Now working with one piece at a time, place a whole mushroom, gill side up, on one side of the pastry
8. Sprinkle with a quarter of the breadcrumbs followed by a quarter of the spinach mixture and finally a quarter of the cheese.

9. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg and fold over to enclose the mushrooms, pinching the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling, then place on a baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden and crisp.
10. While the mushrooms are cooking, gently reheat the chopped mushrooms and add the stock, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir through the crème fraiche and keep warm until ready to serve.

Saucisson En Croute

(perfect for little hands and creative minds)
Servings: 2

Ingredients
2 sausages
1/4 sheet puff pastry, cut in long strips
Cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. If using cheese, wrap the cheese around the sausages.
2. Wrap the strips of pastry around in a spiral to cover the sausage.
3. Once covered, brush with egg wash
4. Bake in a preheated hot oven 425°F/220°C/gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes or till the pastry is golden brown.

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:
Each of these recipes can be frozen for up to 2 weeks after they have been fully cooked, though they are best when fresh.

After Midnight visitor.

Fri, 10 May 2013 20:27:18 GMT

So if you follow me on Twitter, you'll have seen my mention of a raccoon that decided to help itself to the birdseed a few nights ago (around 10pm) and how Caena was so not impressed.

Well, it decided that it enjoyed being told to get off my roof SO MUCH, that it came back last night. At 330am. Yeah. I scared it off. It came BACK at 430 am.

"Oh hai there, I'mma just gonna help myself, k? thankx!"
(Yes, the feeder was swinging. It had just let go of it and it had been 3/4 FULL.)

Yeah. No. Not ok. Git off my porch. It's 330 in the damn morning! Quit ringing the wind chimes every 5 minutes and waking me up!

"So, umm, ok, no feeders then. Welp, I'll just clean up the seed I spilled then, in the hopes you'll go back inside and turn the lights off. No? That don't work either?"

NO, that doesn't work either. I threw a couple empty woodpecker feeders at it. It just looked at me and silently mocked my poor aim when I'm half asleep and haven't bothered with putting my glasses on. I swear it was laughing at me. Then it climbed down and left.

I took the feeder down.

30 minutes later, it came back. And promptly left again when it saw the free food buffet was gone.

For the record? That deer/squirrel/raccoon/wildlife repellent stuff? So does not work.

New stuffs!

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:18:34 GMT

I realized after listing my latest cuff, that I haven't done a recent new items post. So here we go!

'Green Leaves'
Handmade Kumihimo cuff
7.5" long x 2" wide

Fits wrists 7.5" to 9"

'Tiger Burning Bright'
Handmade Kumihimo and beadwork cuff
7" long x 2" wide

Fits wrists 6.5" to 8.5"

'Fire and Ice'
Handmade Kumihimo bracelet
5" long x .5" wide

Fits wrists 5.5" to 7"

'Desert Sagebrush'
Handmade Kumihimo cuff
6.5"long x 2" wide

Fits wrists 6.5" to 8.75"

I have 6 other cuffs in progress- well, 4 cuffs and 2 bracelets- and one kumihimo necklace in the works. So I'll be busy for the next week or so.}:) Stay tuned!

Center In The Square gets aquariums!

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:55:19 GMT

The Center In The Square is a lovely facility in downtown Roanoke, Va. There's a science museum, a new butterfly habitat, Mill Mountain Theater, new rooftop gardens, a history museum, dance center, arts, and more. It's finishing up a multi year complete removation and reopens fully towards the end of this month.

If you live in the area, they need volunteers! Most especially for the Tank Team!

This is the main centerpiece, a 5500 gallon saltwater aquarium. It'll have 250 fish, living rock, 150 live soft and rocky corals, a few starfish that hitchhiked in on the rock from the ocean and is quite awesome to see. The glass is roughly 2.5-3" thick. Yes, glass, not acrylic.

One of the people Mark works for/with is a volunteer there and we got to see the tanks up close as they were adding fish.

Adding fish. Here you can get a better sense of the scale of the tank.

A school group came through earlier that morning, so they were on hand to see 2 of the several species of saltwater fish, from mainly Florida and Michigan, from what I understand, being added to the tank. It's no coincidence, I'm sure, that the fish added were 'Nemo' and Dory' fish, from Finding Nemo.}:)

School of Hippo Tangs, aka 'Dory'

School of Clownfish, aka 'Nemo'

This awesome school of Green Chomis were added while we were there.

School of Bengai Cardinals. These fish are endangered in the wild.

Yellow Tangs hiding out

More Yellow Tangs, Bartlett's Anthias and Royal Gammas

This group of Yellow Tangs was funny. If they saw you looking at them, they'd dart below the edge where you couldn't see them. The Clownfish did the same thing.

It's not only a saltwater tank that they now have. There are 5 other tanks as well, not filled but all but 2 set in place. These tanks are 500 gallon tanks.

This one will have a running stream set up, similar to what you'd see on the Roanoke River. In it will be the Logperch, the only known location of being the Roanoke River.

Another view, and the tank around the corner from it, which will be the Turtle tank.

The long center tank here, will contain Seahorses, Giant Seahorses I believe. The round stands that flank it, will have circular tanks for Moon Jellyfish- 32 in each.

Next Tuesday, they add in the live corals.

When it fully opens, I'll have more photos of all the tanks!

Busy, busy

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:47:47 GMT

Sneak peek of what I'm currently working on

Wordless Weds- the most adorkable Chipmunk on my porch railing

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:09:42 GMT

Semi Wordless Wednesday- Dante at age 3yrs.

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:21:14 GMT

Was cleaning out the back room closet and found a scrapbook with lots of photos of friends from Okinawa, cards and a few like this. We have so few of her when she was younger.

Dante-Inu at age 3. May 1997. She was obviously blowing coat.

My grandmother died today.

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:36:28 GMT

This was my paternal grandmother, the last grandparent on my dad's side. Seems the dementia had gotten really bad the last few months, and it was to the point where she'd forgotten how to even swallow.

She didn't know anyone anymore- didn't remember me 2 years ago when I last saw her in fact.

They had her on morphine towards the last few hours and called my cousin Kimberly in to be with her. Around noon/1pm, she just slipped away.

They brought her back to Battle Creek from Grand Rapids (in Michigan), to the funeral home where her arrangements had been made awhile ago, and had a small family service. She's likely being cremated as I type this.

I have a lot of fun memories growing up and spending summers at their cabin. And that's the best way to remember her.

Outside...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:59:58 GMT

I took myself outside, weeded my front Iris bed, a couple containers, pulled out the #$%%^&#% Chamomile that's insistant upon taking over, trimmed the Horehound of dead ends and propped the Lavender and Rosemary back up- they seem to think it's their duty to hide the walkway or something, who knows.

Got a big bucketful of weeds(well, Bachelor's Buttons I didn't want crowding out the Irises this year) and dead stuffs for the compost bin and I smell like Rosemary.

The Lilac is covered in blooms that when the wind blows just right, the scent of which drifts into the house. The Wisteria I can see from my desk is just starting to open its buds and it's covered in them. The Clematis on the fence is bud loaded and the few along the porch and slowly waking up.

The back hill is covered in violets. They're competing with the Dandelions for a lovely riot of color. The Forsythia is just finishing blooming and the Mock Oranges are slowly budding out. There's a bee, probably a resident Carpenter Bee (I have a section of fencing in a remoter area of the yard where they started a colony. It was moved there from closer to the house expressly for that purpose. They're great pollinators and as long as they leave the house along, I'm good with them being here.)

The Rhubarb is leaving out, the 5 HollyHocks that I started from seed gathered from my dad's gardens last year, are growing rapidly. One of the Bronze Fennel is coming back. There were 2, but they're roughly 5 years old, so not surprised one isn't coming back this year.

The Dwarf Azalea out front under the white Buddelia is about to burst into bloom, which means that up the mountain at Happy Hollow Gardens, they're likely about to bloom as well. Would be an excellent time for a ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

There's a pair of Goldfinches visiting the feeders this year. The Carolina Wrens haven't returned to build a nest on the porch, unfortunately. In fact, I haven't seen them lately.}:(

I do need to trim some dead ends on the Lilac and Wisteria, but for now, I'm just enjoying the sights and smells.

Daring Cooks Challenge- Chicken Ballotine

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:49:26 GMT

For the April Daring Cooks Challenge, Lisa from Parsley, Sage and Sweet has challenged us to debone a whole chicken, using this video by Jacques Pepin as our guide; then stuff it, tie it and roast it, to create a Chicken Ballotine.

This was an interesting and fun Challenge. Very tasty too. And not as difficult as it sounds really. I watched the video twice through the day I made the Challenge. Then, I had Mark on hand to pause it as needed and had the whole chicken deboned in under 15 minutes. Not too shabby for a first try, eh?

Since I couldn't exactly move my computer into the kitchen to debone the chicken, I cleared and cleaned my desk off and did it there. It's not pretty, but well, I did it and you won't see the inside until after cooking anyway.}:P

Do yourself a favor and make your filling before you debone you chicken. I made the filling at the same time and well, the chicken was done first. Heh.

I also used the Red Rice filling with a few changes- I used Black Rice instead of Red because that's what I had. I used 2 leeks instead of one because they came in pairs and the other likely would have gone bad before I used it. I also did not make the sauce.

So when the filling is finished and cool enough, stuff the legs of your chicken. I really packed it in there, to the point they looked like they still had bones}:P

Then you cover the rest of the interior with more filling. I didn't use all my filling. It was a smaller chicken. But being only the two of us, it was a good size for us. The rest of the filling was used in a stew with some aged sirloin.

Once you have the filling spread, take one side of the chicken and fold it to the center. Then take the other side and slightly overlap it. Make sure all filling is tucked inside and very carefully flip your chicken over.

Tie the ends of the boneless drumsticks to gether with cooking twine. Leave a tail.

Make a loop of twine at the other end of the chicken and slide it down to about an inch from the end closest to you. You should have a half hitch knot that you then pull snug, but not too tight, so you don't squeeze out all the filling.

Repeat until the entire chicken is trussed. Then flip it over and take your twine, tuck it under the loop furthest from you, and pull it through, repeating with all loops until you reacj the legs again. Then tie it off.

Rub the entire outside with butter. Then salt and pepper to taste. I also used garlic powder. Then into a roasting pan and into the oven until the internal temps reach about 160-165.

At the end of the roasting time- it'll vary depending upon size of chicken, or even if you use a different bird entirely. Mine took about 35 minutes total. Let rest about 5 minutes before slicing. Alternatively, you could cool then refridgerate for slicing once cold.

Absolutely delicious. And something I'll be trying more often!

THE RECIPES

The Video- Highly recommend watching a few times before attempting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kAekQ5fzfGM

Ballotine of Chicken
Servings: 4 -6

Ingredients
1 chicken (about 3-3/4 pounds) (1-3/4 kg), boned
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) (1¼ gm) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) (½ gm) freshly ground black pepper
Red Rice Stuffing or Spinach, Cheese, and Bread Stuffing (see recipes below)

Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup (80 ml) water
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry red wine (you can substitute chicken or vegetable stock or fruit juice, such as grape)
1 celery stalk (2 oz) (60 gm), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (1¼ cm) dice (1/2 cup) (120 ml)
1 small onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 carrot (2 oz) (60 gm), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (1¼ cm) dice (1/3 cup) (80 ml)
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) potato starch OR cornstarch (4 gm), dissolved in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (4 gm) chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6.
2 Lay the chicken skin side down on the work surface and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Spread the cool rice or spinach mixture evenly over the chicken - stuffing the legs too. If using the spinach stuffing, sprinkle the cheese and bread cubes on top of the spinach. Roll the chicken up, tie it with kitchen string, and place it in a roasting pan.
3 Roast the ballotine for about 1 hour or until the temperature is 160-165 degrees F in the center of the ballotine. I took mine out after 50 minutes and let it sit until it reached 165. Lift it from the pan and place it on a platter.

For the sauce:
4 Skim off and discard most of the fat from the drippings in the pan. Add the water and wine to the drippings to deglaze the pan, and heat over medium heat, stirring to loosen and melt the solidified juices.
5 Strain the juices into a saucepan. Add the celery, onion, and carrot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and boil gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved potato starch and soy sauce and bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring, to thicken it. Remove from the heat.
6 Transfer the ballotine to a cutting board and remove the string. Cut half of it into 4 or 5 slices, each about 1 inch thick. Return the uncut half of the ballotine to the serving platter and arrange the cut slices in front of it. Pour the sauce over and around the ballotine, garnish with the parsley, and serve. Cut additional slices of ballotine as needed at the table.

Red Rice Stuffing

Ingredients
1/2 cup (120 ml) (115 gm) (4 oz) Wehani rice
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) chicken or vegetable stock or low-salt canned chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon (1 ¼ ml) (1½ gm) salt
1/2 ounce (15 gm) (about 1/2 cup) dried mushrooms, such as cèpes (porcini), rinsed and broken into pieces
1/2 large leek, trimmed (leaving some green), split, washed, and sliced (1 cup)
1 onion (4 ounces/120 gm), chopped (3/4 cup) (180 ml)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) water

Directions:

1 Combine the rice, stock, salt, and dried mushrooms in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender. Set the rice aside in the pan, uncovered.
2 Meanwhile, combine the leek, onion, oil, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and cook at a gentle boil for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook until all the water is gone. Add to the rice, mix well, and let cool to room temperature.
3 Place step by step photos accordingly, or leave note where you want photos to go.

Spinach, Cheese, and Bread Stuffing

Ingredients
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) finely chopped garlic
5 ounces (140 gm) baby spinach leaves
1/4 teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1½ gm) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1¼ ml) (½ gm) freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (240 ml) grated Gruyère or mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces/115 gm)
1 1/2 cups cubed (1/2-inch) (1¼ cm) bread

Directions:

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute to soften the garlic and wilt the spinach.
2 Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips: Wrap up any leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If not using bones, scraps and carcass from chicken for a stock or any other preparations, immediately, seal tightly in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 year.

Safety First!

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:17:22 GMT

Safety First!
Handmade Kumihimo Cuff
7" long x 2" wide

Fits wrists 7" to 9"

* * *

Tired of not coordinating your accesories with your safety orange hunting vest? Missing the neon orange of the 80s? Want some dayglo orange for that rave coming up? Want to dazzle the school kids at your crossing guard job?

Look no more!

Safety First! is a handmade 8 strand kumihimo cuff made from dayglo/safety orange yarn, I believe to be 100% acrylic, possibly acrylic/wool blend. This awesomely bright yarn is from the Team BNA Traveling Swap Box and found its home with me.

This is a fun cuff! It features a gloriously cool handmade stoneware flower by Lisa Peters ART, securely attached to the cuff with a Czech glass druk bead in teal with a vitrial coating. The flower itself color coordinates with the cuff itself, with a glazing of cobalt, hints of teal and bright orange.

The ends of this spectacularly bright- and I mean bright!- cuff are handbeaded in peyote stitch, using 6lb FireLine, with Czech glass seed beads in cobalt and teal. The clasp is a silver plated extension chain and lobster claw clasp.

Amaze your friends! Blind the deer or wild turkey or men or whatever you chose to hunt! Flash back to the 80s! Where ever you wear it, Safety First! is sure to turn heads! If not completely blind people!

The first 3 photos are taken in direct sunlight- including this one. They serve to show just how bright this cuff is. The last 2 photos were taken in indirect sunlight. When I say neon, I mean neon!

Available HERE!(For now, Zibbet and Artfire soon.)

So, this and that.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:36:34 GMT

Got around to doing the April Daring Cooks Challenge last night. It wasn't as difficult as it seemed. Only took 15 minutes to do the main part. And man was it good too. No, I can't tell you what it is for 4 more days.

I have all my windows open and have had them open, day and night, for the past two days. This is nice. Aries and Morrigan are loving it.

The forsythia out back is in full bloom. The mock oranges are leafing out. The Wisteria vines on the fence, that I can see from my desk, are loaded with flower buds that get larger by the day. Most of the irises have all come back and several of the daffodils and narcissus have either finally bloomed or will soon.

Whatever was causing Caena's skin issues seems to be ever so slowly clearing up, finally.

Almost finished with a new cuff. Just doing the last of the beadwork, then it can get photographed today for listing this evening. This was a fun cuff.

Mark got me a real Mah Jongg set. Hee. Now I just need to learn how to really play.

And I turned 40 today.

Why, Etsy? WHY?

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:53:24 GMT

Someone thought it was potentially a bug that not all items were showing up in Search.

It's not a bug. It's deliberate.

"Laura from lauramhood says

.
Hi there,

I want to share the same response I posted in a separate thread for anyone that did not see it...

Thanks for the questions. I I can confirm that the behavior you're seeing is not a bug, rather, we're testing a different type of experience with a small percentage of visitors to Etsy.

I'm unable to share specific details during the test because it could potentially influence the results, but please be rest assured that only a low number of visitors are seeing this test and we're monitoring the results very closely with all types of sellers and buyers in mind.

Thanks,
Laura"

WHY?!?

WHY would you do this?!? As a buyer, I'd want to be able to see ALL of my options, not have them arbitrarily picked over for me before hand! Why does Etsy think I need a shopping experience chosen by them instead of by ME? Why does Etsy think ANYONE wants their shopping experience picked and chosen FOR them beforehand?!?

As a seller who regularly buys supplies and such on Etsy, this is absurd! Why is Etsy arbitrarily deciding what I should see instead of me doing that for myself?

Are they trying to drive sellers off the site? Because if their listings are going to be hidden for no real reason, then that's what's going to happen.

I really do not understand this 'test' whatsoever, all it's going to do is hurt sellers in the long run.

And also, how is this not considered a form of Bait and Switch? Which is ILLEGAL. Pay for something, expect to get that specific something and instead get something completely different?

We pay for our items to be listed in search and viewable by anyone who comes to the site for 4 months at a time.

If they are deliberately hiding a significant number of listings, then we are NOT getting what we are paying for!

I do not understand the thinking behind Etsy anymore. First the test combining OUR SHIPPING WITH OUR ITEM COSTS- which confuses the hell out of everyone, as well as shows incorrect pricing on sites such as Wanelo. Then the beta test a new Forum format which looks gods awful and takes away anyone who's muted's ability to report a violation there. And is apparently being streamlined for those with smartphones- iphones and androids only! No Windows phones or Blackberrys or any other smartphones need apply!- and ipads.

And there's the new listing page beta test which shows exactly ONE photo of a listing and isn't clear that there are others or that there may be shipping to other places than what is shown. Oh and changing the autopay to default to the credit card on file INSTEAD of the paypal account that had been selected as the payment processor- THAT screwed a lot of people up and they never once mentioned it until it was brought up in the bugs forum.

And who the devil knows what other tests they're running that we haven't found out about yet.

It's just... ugh.

Video games are supposed to be fun...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:17:40 GMT

Not depressing.

Been playing Assassin's Creed: Revelations lately, trying to finish it so we can play Assassin's Creed III before Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag comes out in Oct.

But it's been damn depressing. And because of that, it pisses me off easily and I quit for a day or so.

In other words, I simply don't WANT to finish the game.

I will admit, Altair and Ezio are my first favorite video game chars. (Mordecai and Zero from Borderlands are the others. Don't get me started at what happens to Mordecai's Bloodwing in BL2. I'm still not happy about that.)

So if I finish ACR, that means their stories are finished. I have all 5 Masyaf keys. I've done the memories for them. Each one was progressively more depressing than the previous.

I know- they're just pixels, they're not even real life people. But you know what? This is why there are books I will never reread and why there are entire book series that Mark will never finish.

I already know how the game ends- I have the Assassin's Creed books and I've read the one for this game. Yes, I wanted to throw it across the room. I have before- I threw one of Gail Dayton's Compass Rose Trilogy books across the room when she killed my favorite char in the third book. Needlessly, senselessly, in a pointless and utter idiotic way.

I get too attached to inanimate objects.

Maybe I won't finish the game. Maybe I'll stop playing it right where it is, with everyone still alive- and I mean everyone, including Yusuf, just in a sort of limbo. Or maybe I'll go kill more Templars and Ottoman and Janissaries and not worry about advancing the story line any further.

Maybe I'll start playing Bioshock myself- watching Mark play Bioshock Infinite is fun. Or finish Skyrim, or start playing Uncharted or even start Dishonored that's been sitting here. And we have Defiance coming this week too. And Mark wants the newest God of War. Or I could go finish the first Borderlands. And we're playing Borderlands 2 through again on True Vault Hunter mode and Ultimate Vault Hunter mode is coming soon. And there's Sims3- I still don't have University yet...

So see? I don't have to finish the game if I don't want to.

Even though, I already know how it ends.

Daring Bakers Challenge- Hidden Veggies

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:01:25 GMT

Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results!

For this Challenge, I made 2 different things- cake and muffins. I didn't go all out on this Challenge like I could have. But well, it's just the two of us and there's only so much baked goods we should and need to eat.}:)

We're strange people who actually like to have veggies with dinner, every night. Tonight in fact, we're having grilled zucchini.}:P

First up is the Banana-Spinach Muffins, from the recipe provided by the Challenge host. Mark thoroughly loved them. He says you can't taste the spinach. I refuse to eat them. Cause I made them so I know there's spinach in them.}:P

I tweaked the recipe- added an extra half of a banana and 1/4 cup of Amaranth Flour to add a hint of nuttiness. He said it reminded him of honey wheat bread with bananas added. I'll take his word for it.

Next was a Carrot-Zucchini Cake with Raisins and Pineapple and Pineapple Cream Cheese Icing- Torte/Flan style ( Pampered Chef Torte cake pans, they used to call them Flan cake pans years ago.}:P). This is a staple here. With the exception of adding shredded Zucchini, I usually tweak a boxed mix- This time it was a Duncan Hines Decadent Classic Carrot cake mix- with pineapple, and substitute the water with pineapple juice. It tends to create a more flavorful, moister cake. The Zucchini, while sort of evident in the flecks of green, was not noticeable in taste.

That actually makes 2 of the torte style cakes, so one went to work with Mark. He texted me that it was gone in under an hour and no one he talked to that had eaten a piece, realised there was zucchini in it.

Overall, a fun Challenge!

Banana and Spinach Muffins

Servings:
Makes 6 large or 12 small muffins

Ingredients

1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) whole-meal (whole wheat) plain flour (Regular all-purpose flour works as well) ** I added 1/2 cup of Amaranth Flour**

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder

1 pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 pinch of salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup (60 ml) (125 gm) (4½ oz) unrefined sugar (I used coconut sugar) (Can use regular white granulated sugar)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil (I used light and mild – regular EVOO would be too strong, use any mild flavored oil if you can’t find light and mild olive oil)

1 teaspoons (5 ml) vanilla extract

1 ripe medium banana ** I added an extra half of a banana**

4 tablespoons (60 ml) yoghurt (I used soya, but any kind of yoghurt would work) ** I used greek, Greek Gods to be specific**

1 cup (240 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) of packed spinach (with the tough stalks removed first) ** I used fresh, but I imagine frozen could also be used**

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 (160°C fan) and line your tin with paper cases.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a mixing bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar vigorously, then add the oil, vanilla extract and yogurt.
Mash the banana and stir that into the egg mixture too.
Blitz the spinach leaves to a puree with a hand blender or regular blender, then add them to the egg mix.
Stir the wet ingredients into the flour, and mix well.
Spoon into the prepared cake cases.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until firm to the touch, lightly browned on top, and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack, then feed to your unsuspecting children, and feel smug that they think they are eating cake, but you know they are eating spinach!

Carrot-Zucchini Cake

Any box mix carrot cake you prefer
crushed pineapple with juice- drained but reserved
1 medium zucchini, finely grated

Cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
reserved crushed pineapple
2 TBsps of pineapple juice

Substitute the 2/3 water in the box mix with the pineapple juice- reserving 2 TBsps. Add crushed pineapple to the juice to bring the amount of liquid up to the amount of water called for. Reserve the rest.

Mix and bake cake as directed.

Take the cream cheese, sugar, reserved pineapple and juice and thoroughly combine. Spread over cooled cake and enjoy. Refridgerate any leftovers.

MORE RECIPES HERE.

It's a hard life...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:19:49 GMT

Being Caena. It's hard holding that pillow down and the couch that threatens to run away.

It's hard being an Aries too. So much lovins, so little time.

Daring Cooks Challenge- Homemade Cheeses

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:38:14 GMT

Sawsan from chef in disguise was our March 2013 Daring Cooks hostess! Sawsan challenges us to make our own homemade cheeses! She gave us a variety of choices to make, all of them easily accomplished and delicious!

Well, suffice it to say, that finding non-UHT Goat's milk or even sheep's milk here, is impossible. I really wanted to try my hand at homemade Feta too. Bummer. Never did get any rennet either.}:/

So, instead I settled for a cheese I'd not made before or had either. Labneh, yogurt based cheese. It reminded us of cream cheese, only more tangy. It was great on crackers, on bagels, on the crispy flatbread from the Daring Bakers Challenge, on pretty near everything we put it on, or even on its own.

And because Photobucket is currently being stupid with throwing up a beta site that has so many issues to work out, you get only one measly photo. Sorry. Blame Photobucket.

THE RECIPES (PDF)

Missent...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:22:56 GMT

So I ordered some more yarn from an Etsy seller I bought a skein from last month.

Enroute to me, before it even left their CITY, it somehow got 'Missent', according to the tracking.

Contacted the seller, and said hey, we might want to keep an eye on this because of what it's saying. I'd never had it happen to me before, I'd never seen a 'missent' tracking update, so wasn't sure what we needed to do.

Well, the good news is, the seller has had this happen before.

The bad news is, the seller has had this happen before.

They said it'll go to the town my brother lives in, back to their town, then SHOULD come to me.

Their closing statement doesn't fill me with confidence in our postal system or in them either- 'Hope you get it!:)'

Yeah.}:/

Last night, I filled out a stolen/missing mail online form and sent it in. Tracking never updated until early this morning.

You know what's worse than seeing the tracking updated to 'out for delivery', knowing that your mail has already gone and it's not here?

The SELLER saying, well, hope you get it and doing nothing on their end to find out what has happened to the package THEY sent.

Congrats, seller, no matter how much I love your yarns, that just cost you future purchases from me.

I'm not perfect, but holy cow, part of a seller's job is to make sure the package gets to the customer, not wash your hands of it as soon as it's in the mail and say well, hope you get it, leaving it to the customer to figure out what happened to the package, when it never arrives.

What a farce this has become.

Dear universe

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:45:08 GMT

Stop fucking with me. I am not amused.