sewinsight

Sun and rain

Spring in Seattle, we cherish those days when the sun comes out.  Feeling the warmth of the sun on our faces, the colors and blooming flowers of spring.  But those of us who have been here long enough, know that it won't stay, so we have to take what we get and we are good at that.

B is doing Little League for the first time.  They recently had the big kick off parade.  Quite the event.  

 

 

 

I know I have said it before, but what I love about this little neighborhood we live in is the small town feel.  Parades like this, the fact that we can go into our favorite shops - the bookstore, pie shop, bakery - and they know who we are, they know our names, they know our favorite requests.  Rare in this day and age.

This weekend we celebrated a sunny Saturday (and were inspired by Anthony Bourdain in Provence the other night) with a provincial feast.  Pan fried sole (I am still eating fish), grilled portabello mushroom and asparagus.  Caprese salad and a very nice loaf of Macrina bread with some olive tapenade.  All those flavors, first grill of the season, fresh local fish.  so good.  but we knew to cherish the sun, because Sunday brought the rain.
 
 

But that's okay, because we broke out the dining table Ping Pong set and had some fun.  
  

Happy weekend to you.

Baking with B

Took me a bit to post these photos, but we are heading to Cali for some sun today, just me and B, and I was emptying off the camera and realized I forgot these.

On a recent Saturday it was just the two of us for the day, so I decided we would bake up a storm.  A loaf of bread, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies, and some Orange Blueberry Muffins.  He chose the muffin recipe from a Williams Sonoma Kids cookbook we have and lead the cooking on those.

 

For dinner I made this soup, a current favorite in our household.  A nice way to combine the vegetarian (or trying to be) eater with my two carnivores.   What we do is I have the soup only, and they grill sausages and add them to their soup.  

Been working on a scarf, inspired by one in Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  Love the randomness of how the two different yarns combine this way.  Been reading Jane Eyre - never read it in college or high school (am I the only one) but thought it would be fun to try something new.  I am enjoying it, the language is such that I really need to focus while I read, but that's a good thing.  What are you reading?

Food

Recently I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" with a friend, and really enjoyed it, especially the parts with Meryl Streep, as has been widely reviewed as being the stronger part of the movie.  I had read the book "Julie and Julia" so knew somewhat what to expect on that part of the story, but enjoyed so much watching the portrayal of Julia and Paul Child, they were quite a funny pair.  I picked up a copy of Julia Child's book My Life in France and look forward to reading it, once I get through the behemoth book i got recently from the library.

Watching the movie got me to thinking, and while I will never work my way through her book Mastering the Art of French cooking because I don't like eating meat, I did like the idea of stretching myself in the kitchen.  So I went to an equally large book, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and would like to work on expanding my repertoire.  I am also totally loving Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, which I had ordered out of the UK as it wasn't available in the US at the time.  It looks like it has just come out for the US here, but then you wouldn't have to do all that converting from grams to cups, and where is the fun in that? 

Last weekend we had my Mom and stepfather for dinner, and I made two new recipes from the book, one is the Stuck Pot Rice - which was really good, yogurt and curry, yum.  The other was a dal as I love Indian food and have been wanting to try, but was less excited with the result.  I will have to keep trying.  So I have set an unofficial goal for myself of a new recipe each week, I'll let you know how it goes.

a week of high hopes

B was on spring break this week and I had high hopes that other than a few work commitments, we would get so much accomplished.  And in a way we did, but not as I had originally envisioned.  The week started off great, Monday I was a baking fiend.  I made a batch of gluten free brownies for the freezer and a gluten free carrot cake.  Went to two grocery stores, did some meal planning, and whipped up a batch of gluten free flour mix as well as more of my muesli.  

Tuesday morning I had to work, so B went to soccer camp and came home in not a great mood so we hung out.  I cut fabric for a quilt and a bag as I find it easier to do the cutting process for more than one project at the same time.  Then Wednesday it hit, both Royal and B were down for the count with a nasty cold.  B eventually developed into an ear infection with a fever and pink eye.  So we went into total germ lock down.  Funny about fevers here though, last time he had one, I finished the picnic quilt and this week was no different.  I finished the lap quilt I had been thinking about for a year.  On Wednesday I pieced the quilt while B worked on his favorite craft projects, which involve copious amounts of tape and paper.  

He created a bunch of musical instruments then wrote the music, and conducted to his Star Wars CD playing in the background.  Yes that is the theme to Star Wars below.

By Thursday the quilt was pieced and I machine quilted it by stitching in the ditch.  

And Friday, with some help and inspiration from Leslie of onegirldesignwrks and Leslie from goodness I decided to machine bind the quilt.  I just wasn't up for hand binding it.  I used a combination of the technique Leslie described in her recent post, with the binding tutorial from Heather Bailey I have used in the past.  It worked pretty well (I found one spot that is off today, I will fix it) and when I finished I literally had about 12 inches of thread left, yes that's it.  I know it would be close and was crossing my fingers and toes.  So here it is, a lap quilt for our loveseat.  The back is a grey flannel, soft and cozy.  B and I tried it out this morning, good for cuddling.  B is on the mend, and we are off to the zoo today for some fresh air and to enjoy this sunny (yet cold) Seattle weekend.

quick post - muesli

Just a quick hello before I take B to school.  I made more muesli the other day and thought there might be someone out there interested so I thought I would share.  On of my favorite snacks, or lunches (and yes I know I am strange, my friends tell me all the time) is plain nonfat yogurt with muesli on top. Since muesli can be kind of expensive, I realized how easy it would be to make my own.  

So I take a container, fill it half way or so with Old Fashioned rolled oats (which we buy at Costco because we have oatmeal for breakfast a lot) then start adding fruits and nuts or whatever dry strikes your fancy.  I tend to add regular raisins, golden raisins, dried apples (cut small), wheat germ, flax seed, sunflower seeds and sometimes walnuts, though I am not a huge nut fan.  Then put the lid on, hold on TIGHT to both top and bottom (learned that the hard way) and shake it up.  I use the Bob's Red Mill wheat germ and flax seed, and love Trader Joe's for the dried fruit, seeds and nuts.  Also a great way to get in the wheat germ and flax seed which I otherwise don't remember to add to things.  I suppose there are those who might compare this to eating cardboard, but I love it, the sweetness of the fruit and the creaminess of the yogurt.  

Total guilt free snack or lunch, then I can feel good about having that piece of carrot cake after dinner :)

a lovely winter break

We have had such a nice winter break holiday together, mostly just the three of us, at home, baking, reading, knitting, playing, time in the dark room, laughing...  The snow kept us in for the most part, but it was such a welcome break (I say that now that the roads are clean enough of snow that I can finally drive myself around).  

We did host my family on a VERY snowy Sunday for a pot-luck lunch with lots of visiting, playing and decorating of cookies.  We decided no gifts this year and had such a great time just hanging out.  

A very big gift from some very special friends arrived on a particularly long day at home snowed in and the box was a very welcome activity for us.  We added windows, Star Wars masks and a mailbox.  

I made those yummy chocolate peanut butter cups from a previous post again and an apple crisp for Christmas dinner with friends.  They were really good, again, and I mixed some milk chocolate chips in with the semi-sweet chips as I found them a little too rich last time, I also mixed some peanut butter into the chocolate mix, both adjustments worked really well.

Typical state of our coffee table now, my knitting project in works (see below) and various Star Wars paraphernalia.  It was a very Star Wars Christmas over here, complete with the Millennium Falcon (the gift in the big box).  

I have been working on some new fingerless gloves, these using the pattern, Fetching, from knitty.com and a similar yarn to what they recommend, with a combination of Merlino, Microfiber and Cashmere. I was inspired by the wonderful sets that Erin over at House on Hill Road did last season, and wanted to give some a try. The first set of cables was pure torture, stitches slipping off of the cable needle, and all sorts of fun, which had me questioning the idea of these being a "fun, easy project".  For the next set of cables, I switched to using the fifth bamboo double point needle, which, while not "easy", did involve a lot less profanity.  I finished the one above, including the picot edging on the top (thank goodness for YouTube knitting videos, I would never have known what to do).  I have started on the other hand, this one is cabling to the front, which is a little more fiddly than to the back for me, but I will persevere.  

Today held a little Seattle outing.

One stop was to pick up some more coffee from my new favorite coffee roaster.  I am so in love with this coffee let me tell you, it's like discovering fine wine after drinking the cheap stuff.  Drove across town just to pick up my coffee beans, and in a coffee city where there are sometimes three coffee shops at one intersection, that is saying a lot.

Start 'em young :)  No, really he is having hot chocolate.  Notice the t-shirt?  I tell you it is everywhere in our house right now.

knitting and chocolate, a good combo

I found these delicious and sinfully easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups here with the recipe over here. (their photos are much better than mine)  We whipped them up one afternoon and have been enjoying (and sharing) them all week.  Mine weren't as pretty as her's but tasted great.  

I have finished a few more of the Kim's Hats from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, all done in the Manos del Uruguay wool.  I am finding the colors I bought more recently (same stuff) to be not as soft and have more variation in the thickness of the strand than the batch I originally bought. 

Exploring my Swedish roots with this one.

This was my attempt at learning colorwork.  I had three balls I was working with the whole time.  Good in theory, but it was a pain to execute.  Think I might wait on trying something like this again anytime soon.

These may be my last hats (phew you say?) for a little while, I have decided to do the Trunk Show again this year and need to get the sewing machine humming again.  Started work on some coasters last night.  I have lots of ideas for bags and purses, should be fun.  Wish me luck, I will need it.

finally a fun friday

Inspired by Kirsten in Vancouver, we are trying to do Fun Friday's too.

It did start with a little work (normally my day off) but was actually fun. Had a site visit on a project that both Royal and I are working on and we brought B. He was a trooper, hung out watching the workers installing cabinets while we discussed paint colors and such.

Then B and I headed off for the zoo, we love the zoo, and since it was a sunny day, we joined the masses in a springtime visit. Played with the big camera (Nikon D200) today, I got Royal to take the extra battery pack off so it was much lighter and easier to use.

We came home and I downloaded the soundtrack to Once, have you seen it? If not I highly recommend it, we loved it. I must preface that it is a musical, not my favorite genre by any stretch of the imagination (right up there with country music, sorry but a little country and Phantom of the Opera would just send me over the edge), but this isn't one of those break into song while walking down the street for no reason (well it happens once, but she is composing a song so it makes sense). Anyway, very touching story - great indie movie.

I listened to my new tunes while I did some baking. Some gluten free banana bread (foreground) for Royal and some Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars from Sunset Magazine for B and I (not gluten free). The banana bread didn't work, still figuring this gluten free thing out.

Then we just hung out and I played more with the camera. Worked tonight on continuing to machine quilt B's quilt
but the carpal tunnel in my arms was getting so bad I had to stop. The quilt is getting there, and since B pointed out to me tonight that his crib duvet is getting too short for him I guess I better get cracking.

gettin' creative

I was pretty thrilled to have Amanda's new book the creative family get dropped in my mailbox while I was eating lunch today. It gave me a chance to check it out while I ate and before I had to go back to work.

When I picked B up from his sitter after school I told him we were going to do some art projects and did he have any ideas, so we got right to work.

I took a little inspiration from her talk about work space, and cleaned out our tansu cabinet (in the background) which I use to store art supplies, puzzles, games, as well as other stuff. It was nice to go through it all and get it organized, I love little more than an organized cupboard. I loved what I read of her book so far and look forward to delving further into it. It is a nice reminder to slow down and watch you kids, let them lead the play because they are, after all, the masters of imagination. Based on what I have read so far, I recommend you check the book out.

B took my camera and did a little photography himself, here is his shot of our weight challenged cat sunning on the window sill (okay, don't laugh, she just never regained her pre-pregnancy figure)

While I worked on dinner, B did one of his favorite dinnertime activities which was to take my order:

Then he worked on putting a dinner together for me in his little kitchen:

And here is what I was working on. I was inspired by the way yummy Sopa de Lentejas at La Isla Seattle (a great little Puerto Rican restaurant in Ballard) I had when I was out to dinner with a friend the other night. I had some precooked lentils from Trader Joe's, so I chopped some carrots, sweet potato and zucchini, put them into some boiling stock (I used chicken but you could certainly use vegetable stock) then added about 2/3 of a can of tomato sauce, salt and pepper. I let it simmer for a while, don't know how long, I was busy getting my imaginary dinner at the Chop Chop restaurant B was running. When the veges were tender I added the precooked lentils and simmered until warmed through about 5 minutes. I served it over rice and boy was it good.

I signed up for my first knitting class today, starts next Monday night, sounds like a great way to spend my birthday, I can't wait. Now I can finally continue work on the 10 rows or so I started 5 years ago when I was on bed rest while pregnant.

Funnish Friday...well I did have to work

Normally I take Friday's off to be with B, but not this week, had to do an add on day at school so I could compete all the work I promised to clients "by the end of the week". I have been inspired by my buddy Kirsten to focus on having Fun Fridays with B. Usually it is a day of chores and errands (yes I did 4 loads of laundry and worked all morning) but we did have some fun this afternoon. Sun was shining, temporarily pushing away that February Funk I have been feeling and see that others in blogland have too. B wasn't up for going out for donuts after school (WHAT! Is he really my kid?) because he said his tummy is upset (he is on antibiotics) so we hung at home. He made great creations out of Legos and Tinker Toys, and then proceeded to set up a toy and book shop in our living room and sell me his creations. I loved how he went through book by book giving Daddy and I a synopsis of the story, such an enterprising young lad. I raided the change jar and bought some books and Tinker Toy robots.

I had to cure my sugar craving (for the donuts) somehow, so I made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Yum. Beck even had one, his tummy miraculously recovered. Too bad Daddy is now gluten free, I feel so bad baking something he can't have. A nice woman in Trader Joe's the other day gave me a whole run down on making my own gluten free flour mix for baking, even wrote it down for me, this is why I love Seattle, people are just so nice (well most of the time, just not those driving BMW's). I have most of the ingredients but am having trouble finding Xanthan Gum, I have tried three stores now, but will try PCC, they should have it. I am new to the whole Gluten Free world, adding an interesting dimension to cooking and baking. The other fun element is I have discovered that most of the Gluten Free baking mixes and flour mixes contain fava bean flour which B cannot have, because he has hematology issues. Anyway, how did my cookie story turn in to food griping, sorry. Here's a shot of the cookies, and the recipe.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Quaker Oats

1 ¼ cup butter (2 ½ sticks), softened (I found it works best with 1 1/2 sticks of real butter and 1 stick of a vegan buttery spread in stick form, no hydrogenated fat)
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups old fashioned Quaker oats (uncooked)
1 – 12 oz chocolate chips

1 ½ cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

Heat oven to 375°
Beat softened butter, firmly packed brown sugar and white sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add combined dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in oats and chocolate chips (or raisins) with a spoon.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 – 9 minutes. Enjoy!