Felt food update

Sarah was kind enough to give me some pointers and here's how it's going...



I love how the baked pototo and the cheese slice turned out!

Last Night's Dinner #80: Orecchiette with Cherry tomatoes and Arugula

I made Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula last night - a pasta dish local to Puglia - and let me just say that I officially love Lidia Bastianich. I love her cooking style - there's nothing pretentious about her food or how she prepares it. You can also see how much of her travels inspire a lot of her recipes. I hope one day I get the chance to travel and collect cooking ideas from around the world.

This dish singlehandedly proves that simple is better.



You'll need:
A bag of cherry tomatoes cut in half
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 box of Orecchiette
bunch of Arugula, clean and trimmed
extra virgin olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt


Cleaning sandy veggies

The best way to clean arugula that hasn't been pre-washed is to place it in a huge bowl of cold water. Wait a couple of minutes then slowly lift up leaves and drain the water out of the bowl. You'll notice that the sand/dirt finds its way to the bottom of the bowl. Repeat a couple of times, until your bowl is sand free. This works for all leafy greens that tend to be sandy (e.g Spinach).


step 1. Heat up a large pot of water for pasta.



step 2. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add garlic (cook for 30 seconds to a minute), add cherry tomatoes, and season with salt and crushed red pepper. Please be sure that you season it well with salt - it makes a huge difference if you under season. Lower your heat so the sauce can begin to simmer. You want to get it to a point where the tomatoes burst and the skins get all wrinkly.

step 3. In the meantime, add salt to the pasta water and begin cooking the orecchiette. Follow box instructions, it should take approximately 11 minutes.



Add the arugula to the pasta right before it's fully cooked (time it so that the pasta only needs a couple more minutes before it's ready). Cook for 2 minutes and set aside 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta and arugula - transfer into the tomato and garlic pan. Mix.

Turn off heat and add some Pecorino Romano or Parmesan. Drizzle in some fresh olive oil before serving. If it looks dry, you can spoon in some of the reserved pasta water.

Hope you give this one a try!

Supergood

If you haven't seen Superbad yet, go rent it. I was hesitant at first, but I actually liked it more than Knocked Up - it was such a good laugh.



We tested out the new iTunes movie rental service - not bad just make sure you start downloading way before sitting down with a tub of popcorn (although you can start watching before the whole thing downloads, it's not instantaneous.)

Make your own Girl Scout Cookies

I love Girl Scout Cookies!



I also love to freeze my thin mints before wolfing down the entire box. I just discovered recipes for homemade versions at Baking Bites - Samoas, Do-si-dos and Tagalongs!

Lost in translation

I spent the entire day yesterday working on a new bag, using a pattern from one of my new Japanese craft books. It's nice to work on projects that aren't for inclusion in the store, but this one got me all riled up.



Unfortunately, the measurements and diagrams were not enough - I wish I understood Japanese. I had some issues with the pattern and ended up winging it towards the end. All I kept hearing was Tim Gunn's voice "Make it work!" So I tried...



I'm not happy with how it's falling and folding. I think the strap is a bit too wide, it's causing the flap to fold in a really awkward way. I also think I need a thicker linen or I need to use a stabilizer. I was so disappointed, but I think I'm slowly getting over it and have managed to convince myself to give it another go tomorrow :-/

NOT last night's dinner

I wasn't sure what to get my friend's son for his birthday until I saw this post on a small fox in a big world. What a great idea - felt food! I'm going to attempt to make breakfast, dinner and dessert items.

I've cut out the shapes, now let's see if they sew up right...

Last Night's Dinner #79: Wannabe Buccatini All’ Amatriciana

Lidia's Italy is one of my favorite cooking shows - her recipes are always so "simple yet complex". Last night's dinner was inspired by Lidia's Buccatini All’ Amatriciana, a Roman classic. It's "inspired" because I didn't have pancetta, guanciale or the right pasta needed to make the dish. Instead I used bacon and thick spaghetti.


a)wilt b)cook three ingredients separately c)mix it all together and add crushed red pepper flakes and salt

The techniques used on the show were a little different...
On the show, she used about 1/2 cup of water to wilt the onions before adding the olive oil. Once the water evaporated, the oil was added to the pan and the onions continued to cook. She also kept the three main ingredients apart until the bacon fat was rendered, then mixed it all up. I used a good amount of crushed red pepper - it's suppose to have a decent kick!


Make sure to save 1/2- 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer cooked pasta and reserved water into the saucepan.

I also didn't pass the tomatoes through a food mill. I simply separated the tomatoes from the juice, sliced them into strips then added it (with juice) to the pan along with the bacon and onions.


Shut of the heat and add Pecorino Romano, mix well.

I also made a quick antipasti - Prosciutto wrapped asparagus.



I tossed the asparagus with olive oil, sliced shallots, freshly ground pepper and a little bit of salt. Baked it for about 10 minutes then wrapped 3 or 4 with a slice of prosciutto.

Weekend Wrap-up: $40 Burgers

It was Hillsy's birthday on Friday but it became more of a birthday weekend - in true Queen fashion =)



I took him to Old Homestead Steakhouse, a place known for Kobe beef. We saw a food show a couple of months ago and when he almost teared up watching Zimmerman's big mouth wrapped around the colossal Kobe burger - I knew that this was the place to take him for his birthday.



I wouldn't normally order a burger at a steakhouse, but I too wanted to know what the buzz was all about. This thing was enormous, I couldn't even fit it into my mouth. So did the $40 burger taste like what you would expect from a $40 burger... I'm going to allow the burger connoisseur to address that in a critic's corner post (hopefully by tomorrow).



I also baked a chocolate lover's dream cake - Blanc et noir. Each bite was like biting into a perfect baked truffle - melt in your mouth goodness!! I'll be posting the recipe and how-to pics by the end of the week!

The birthday celebration ended last night at an impromptu dinner with a couple of friends at Carne Vale - a churrascaria. We used to like this place a lot, but after last night we both felt that it's gone downhill. I think Hillsy will be providing a critic's corner review for this place as well!

Fairies do exist!

Look what came in the mail....



The mysterious Craft Fairy sent me the most perfect buttons along with a sweet note - it's the perfect gift! Thank you Craft Fairy!!

Read more about TCF's random acts of kindness on the craftfairyx blog !

Fairies do exist!

J.Crew's baby sister

I just read about Madewell on Anh-Minh's blog. So, to answer her question ... I think I'm the last one to know about it!

It appears to be more affordable but luckily without compromising style.

I feel like I have a whole bunch of things to share with you today... I just haven't had the chance to write and upload pics - I'll get on that after I run some boring but necessary errands!

Lifeflix Rewind

This week was a good week for me. Very productive - tried a couple of new recipes, finished my new line of spring goodies for my etsy shop update (early!) and made the submission deadline for the next Poppytalk Handmade Market.

Here's the weekly rewind...
:: first time with the hookah
:: lovin' the container store - my craft center opens
:: finally got back into the kitchen - Berenjenas Rellenas (Stuffed Eggplant), Crispy Ham & Cheese Sandwich
:: diy - photo studio for less than $5

Have a great weekend and thanks for sticking with me (even when I'm being a slacker)!

Woohoooo!

You know how I've been feverishly working day and night on my zipper pouches - partly because I was hoping to be part of an online market .... well I sent the email last night along with a bigger version of this photograph requesting to be part of the market and...



I'm in! Thank you Jan for getting back to me so soon! I'm officially participating in the February Poppytalk Handmade Street Market from February 11 to March 8. I can't wait. Go check out the current market "Love Transforms". Trouble is, now I have more ideas popping in my head and I want to make more stuff --- uh oh.

a big Happy Birthday to my Hillsy!

My $5 Photo Studio

I needed product shots for my next etsy shop update (Monday, January 28!) and I wanted the photos to look semi-polished. I have lighting issues in my apartment so I knew I had to come up with a better set-up. I spent yesterday morning at the park taking a couple of simple shots - I nearly froze!

I wanted to offer an alternative view and show the product "in action" so I did some research and found a very very affordable way to make your own photo box and studio.


Yep - that's my Kitchen Aid Food Processor box.


I used a sharp knife to saw off the sides.


My tracing paper wasn't big enough for the longer sides so I resorted to using tissue paper.



Here's a sample shot...


You too can build your very own $5 photo studio! Here's a short list of the best HOW TO's I found:

• Strobist - How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio
• Photodoto.com - Create your own light box
• Digital Photography School - How to make an inexpensive light tent
• DIYPhotography.net - Studio Lighting - Really cheap homemade diy studio - no lighting needed
  

Last Night's Dinner #80: Crispy Ham & Cheese Sandwich

Here's another recipe from my new book - it's like a Monte Cristo French Toast hybrid (and maybe chicken parmesan). OK that description may not be the best way to sell this one... but then again, the words crispy, ham AND cheese in one sentence?? BTW - my pictures definitely don't do it justice.

You'll need:
8 slices of hearty sandwich bread
1/2 - 1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 pound of serrano ham (I just used deli ham)
1 cup grated manchego cheese
2 tbs minced scallions (white part only)
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 eggs
2 tbs milk
olive oil
a pinch of dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper



step 1. Combine cheese, scallions, mustard, thyme, pepper to taste and 2 tbs of oil. Mix in one of the eggs.


step 2. Remove crust from bread and slice diagonally. Spread the mixture on one half (4) of the bread slices. Top with ham and place other half of bread on top.


step 3. Mix remaining egg with milk in a shallow bowl. Dip each sandwich in egg, making sure you get all five sides. Dredge each sandwich in bread crumbs.


step 4. Heat up 2 tbs of olive oil and fry sandwiches (*I had two batches) until nicely browned (2 - 3 minutes each side). It's a little tricky, but try to brown the sides as well by carefully standing each one on its sides.

*I wiped the pan with a paper towel and added new oil before I started my second batch.

Simple Amusement

Hillsy picked out the best eggs from the market this week - I just had to take a picture and share because I've never seen such a rainbow of eggshells in one carton! (or maybe I just never stopped to notice)



What can I say - I'm easily amused ;-)

Last Night's Dinner #79: Berenjenas Rellenas (Stuffed Eggplant)

Alright guys, I finally finished my project and got back in the kitchen last night!


Meat-Stuffed Eggplants Spiced with Nutmeg

I decided to try out a new recipe from my new cookbook - Cooking from the Heart of Spain. And it was a winner!



Here's what you'll need:
a little less than a pound of ground beef
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup of basic tomato sauce or store bought
1 cup of freshly grated Manchego cheese
1/4 cup water
1 cup chopped onions
4 garlic cloves chopped
a couple of pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
1-2 tsp of kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs olive oil

step 1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.



step 2. Place eggplant on baking sheet, score the tops in a criss-cross pattern and then rub tops with 1 tbs of olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.



step 3. In the meantime, heat up the rest of the oil and add bacon. Cook for a minute then add onion and garlic - cook until onion pieces are translucent (approximately 3 minutes).



step 4. Add ground beef and make sure to separate into small bits. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper while the meat is still a little pink. Add tomato sauce and water. Taste to make sure that you're seasoning is right - make sure you put enough salt. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates and all that's left is the natural oil from the beef. Lower heat and simmer with lid on for about 20 minutes (until the mixture is pretty dry).



step 5. Scoop out the eggplant from the shells and add to the meat mixture. You may want to cut up the eggplant pieces into bite-size pieces. Be careful not to tear the skins - you'll be restuffing them with the meat mixture. Continue cooking the meat mixture for about 5 minutes or so.



step 6. Scoop meat mixture into eggplant shells/skins. Sprinkle cheese on top and put back in the oven until cheese bubbles.

This would go great with a simple salad.

*recipe adapted from Cooking from the Heart of Spain

Craft center opens

I opted for the wire version versus the more popular mesh because I think it's more functional - since I can see what's inside without having to open the drawers.



I moved the desk to the other side of the room - which is now called the crafting corner =) It's nice to have my own little corner, instead of being smack in the middle of the "living room".

I'm afraid that a dedicated corner is as close as I'm going to get to a crafting room (for now).

The latte factor

Read any financial self-help books and you'll see the term "latte factor". Latte factor represents the hundreds of dollars spent on morning venti lattes (popularized by you know who). So instead of making coffee at home, most folks willingly spend approximately $5 every morning for the convenience - some even repeat the habit for a 3pm caffeine pick-me-up! It's hard to believe that someone could feasibly spend $10/day on coffee, adding up to a whopping $2600 a year! That's a lot of craft supplies!

Well, I just discovered my new latte factor - Tavalon's Green Tea Soy Latte. I love this stuff and I can't seem to curb the cravings. I can't walk past it without going in for a fix. I need to stop!


Inside Tavalon (Union Square)


Loose tea display