Non-Nameable Wood

Passing the Bar Dinner

2010-10-24T02:10:00.004-04:00

After three long years of days and nights when we didn't even see eachother--Keith either studying, practicing for mock trial, or fighting the good fight as SBA president--law school was over last spring. Hooah! Although, I shouldn't speak so soon, since I just found out he's returning as a coach for this year's mock trial competition, using up his Sundays for the next two months, (and of course, let's not forget the still looming Saturday nights of waiting tables). Still, school is over. And then he studied arduously for "the hardest test you ever take in your life" as he puts it. After three months of fretting over the results, they finally came in last Friday, and hallelujah, he passed. On to bigger and better things, like paying off student loans, credit card bills, and all the other lovely things that come with being a student for seven plus years. It finally feels like it's time to celelbrate. Plus, I'll be done student teaching in December, and then once I write my thesis in the spring, I'll be done with school forever. Then again, I'm hearing from just about everyone, that it makes sense to get a 6th year, but I've got some time before I'll even start to consider that.

So, onto the dinner. My brother is also visiting from Colorado (a rare treat), and I made a killer pasta dish. No recipe. It was just a flying by the seat of my pants sorta night. I started with al dente penne and fork tender Brussels sprouts. Then I made a white wine sauce with sauteed shallots and garlic, deglazed with white wine. Then I hit it with some heavy cream to thicken it up, and dropped in some crumbled gorgonzola. I finished it off with some black pepper, and roughly chopped flat leaf parsley. Et voila! Meal fit for a newly sworn in attorney. So proud, and that's an understatement.

Autumn's Creepin' In

2010-08-15T13:39:00.002-04:00

Fall Favorites

Kitchen Repairs and Stir-Fried Rice

2010-08-12T12:47:00.004-04:00

I'm currently acting as watchdog, making sure my cats don't knock a sink off the kitchen table that has been precariously propped up on foam gardening mats, while my dad runs to the store to grab some more plumber's putty. Woo, that was a mouthful, and dangerously bordering on a run-on. After 30 some-odd years, he is putting in new fixtures, fixing a leak, and re-puttying the sink. Is re-puttying a word? If not, I just invented it. "Circle C"! Sorry, I can't help but add that in at the end. My boyfriend just took the bar exam, so peppering in some intellectual property lingo can't be helped.
Back to the guarding of the sink-I'm stationed in place and can't leave my post, but that can't prevent me from having a great lunch, right? I must mention that this is a leftover rice dish from the other night, so all I had to due was add a little homemade peanut sauce and sprinkle a few soybeans over the top before heating it in the microwave. Still, it's a nice blog-worthy meal, and since I didn't post the original version, I figured I'd make the most of my time (at my post) taking pictures of my iPhone and blogging.

The rice dish itself couldn't be more simple. It's just some jasmine rice, steamed veggies, garlic, ginger, soy, and rice wine vinegar. However, I have this secret ingredient that really elevates the dish. It's thai coconut curry broth made by College Inn. They have a whole line of culinary broths, and while I usually refrain from using anything but low-sodium chicken, this was hard to pass up. The broth is light and clear, yet very fragrant, with sweet lemongrass and mellow coconut. I'll admit, I use it to spice up boring rice dishes when I'm short on time, and I've even added small amounts to thai curry when I make it.

Cooking Channel to the rescue again

2010-08-03T15:25:00.004-04:00

Dal Soup
Recipe Courtesy Bal Arneson

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
2 tablespoons garam masala, recipe follows
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup brown lentils
5 cups water
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish

for garam masala

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/2 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup dried curry leaves*
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
5 whole cloves
2 black cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 dried red chiles
*Can be found at specialty Asian and Indian markets.

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to get hot. Add the garlic, garam masala, cumin seeds, and turmeric and cook for 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lentils and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.
To make garam masala:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to an electric spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle and grind by hand. Grind to a fine powder. Store the garam masala in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Everything but the...is awesome!

2010-08-02T16:08:00.004-04:00

I definitely want to make this asian inspired barbeque chicken while the weather is still warm enough for grilling. It looks flippin' awesome! I co-opted this recipe from The Kitchen SInk and the picture below (courtesy of The Kitchen Sink blog) makes this dish look all-the-more moutherwatering.

The Cooking Channel Rocks!

2010-06-23T03:10:00.007-04:00

I am in love with the new Cooking Channel. It's a throwback to old-school food network, mixed with a little Canadian love, minus all the hyped mainstreamed programming that's on food network now. I loveNigella Express , Unique Eats and Food Jammers. I think they're my favorite new shows.

So, I was infatuated with the hip, young programming and then tonight I saw the dreaded Rachel Ray advertising her short lived show, Tasty Travels. Why did they have to go and mess with a good thing. Still, I'm totally behind this new network and have already prepared one successful dish I saw on a West Indian cooking show: curried mac n' cheese asparagus, carmelized wala wala onions (my addition) and panko breadcrumbs. I'll be sure to add a picture post-haste.

Lazing Around

2010-05-30T03:37:00.003-04:00

It's the second night in a row that I've crashed on the couch right after dinner, and due to iphone malfunctions (mostly my fault) I didn't wake up as Keith called me on his way home from work. Sadly, we missed the opportunity to go out for drinks, but I'm hopeful for tomorrow night. It's a three-day weekend with Memorial Day on Monday (I always feel sinful for not being patriotic), so tomorrow we can go for drinks. It's been so long and a proper celebration for finishing school is in order.
On my to do list, is read more books. I've been consumed with text books, so I haven't read for pleasure in a long time, and with all the books that are on loan from friends, I still feel like I haven't had time to choose anything I've picked myself. Maybe it's better this way. I'm not sure I possess the creative decision making skills necessary for choosing a book right now. A lot goes in to selecting the right book to read--especially the right summer book. It's got to have a certain tone and setting. Movies are like that too. One of my new summer favorites is Little Children. Here's somehin gso romanticly nostalgic

Garden Time!

2010-05-21T08:11:00.003-04:00

I love this perrenial mix because it is infused with color and there's so much texture and varying degrees of height. I recently picked up some shade-loving perrenials (sadly my garden is part sun to mostly shade). I decided to be a little adventurous and chose some unknowns. Jacob's ladder in "Stairway to Heaven" (yes, like the song) and I'm thinking of using it as a border along the terracing beams that Keith just "installed". I'm hoping they'll be happy there. I also bought a pink geranium and some other small blue perrenials to put around it. I wish I had written down their names! Finally, I chose New Guinea impatiens in "cherry cream" for a container planting.

Grilling in Snow Shoes

2010-01-02T02:14:00.009-05:00

My dad makes claims of being a grill afficionado, and while I do give him props I think he's just a guy who likes to relax outside, occasionally flipping a steak or a burger. Don't get me wrong-he's a great cook (when he's not being lazy) and he was probably the person who's taught me most in the kitchen. Despite the fact that it's December and here in New England it's 30 degrees and snowing outside he wanted to grill this week. I met him halfway and decided to grill some food (indoors) in our cast iron grill pan the other night. I started out with plain grilled chicken breast and made a sun-dried tomato cream sauce to drizzle over the top, which came out so good I swear I could have just eaten the sauce and been happy. But as someone who has to cook a full rounded meal each night, I also grilled some polenta and vegetables, both of which came out great.

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes (drained if packed in oil)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1.Saute the garlic in oil and deglaze pan with wine.
2.When alcohol has burned off, add tomatoes along with salt and pepper. Heat through.
3.Add cream and bring to a simmer. Add parsley, leaving about 1 Tbsp for garnish.
4.Put sauce in a blender and pulsate to incorporate the ingredients to your desired texture. (I pureed mine until there were only little flecks of red from the tomatoes.)
5.Serve over chicken, pasta, or be inventive and try something different!

For the polenta I took the lazy route and started with the store bought, tube (the package looks a little like a roll of sausage meat). I sliced it into 1/4 inch slices, lightly brushed it with olive oil and grilled away. Polenta takes on a nutty flavor when it's grilled and the crunchy outside crust creates a nice texture.

So, if you're feeling boredom that comes with eating the same hearty, warming, winter-friendly food every night, pull out your grill pan, throw on some summer tunes and have yourself an "indoor" grilling party.

Sagitarius is in the Hizz-ouse!

2009-12-03T00:20:00.002-05:00

Finally, December is here. Lots of stuff this year. Christmas, Hannukah, out-of-town family, my birthday. It's a big one. A nice round 10 number. I'll leave it at that. Best of all, we're getting another kitten. Astrid so needs a friend to keep her company and romp with during the day. Hopefully it will help with her skiddishness a bit. Right now, we're checking out animal shelters and have found a few kittens. I'm smitten with the tiger striped tabbies with white bellies right now. I think that would look cute with Astrid's moo-cow coloring. Now we just need to decide on a name. Mabel, Stella, Hazel, Mildred, Gertrude, Miri...the list could go on and on and on.

Danks-giving

2009-11-26T23:17:00.002-05:00

I stole that from my brother. I'm not a person who uses the word "dank" to describe a seriously good thing, but in this case, I will use it. Because that's what our Thanksgiving dinner was- DANK. Ha!

I got this recipe for roasted butternut squash and shallots from Real Simple. While I do love sweet potatoes, I hate the traditional American version with baked marshmallows on top, so I tend to strike that item from the menu altogether. Mostly because I know that if I do serve it, Keith, with his affinity for sweets, will beg for the over-processed, sickeningly sweet marshmallows on top. Have I ever mentioned his favorite candies are Peeps and candycorn? He's gone so far as to order boxes of candy corn on the internet when it's not "in season". That said, he does appreciate "foodie" food, having worked in restaurants all his life, and this dish was a fine alternative to the sweet potatoes. It was sweet and salty and had a very earthy taste from the squash and the roasting process. And I love shallots. I think this recipe called for 10 or so shallots. Mmmm.

This is a cranberry chutney I saw on Martha Stewart on demand. It raised many eyebrows as I cooked that morning, mainly because the house stunk of onion and fruit and strange spices, but the result was so satisfying. I would make this dish a hundred times more, Thanksgiving or not. It would go great with an Indian spiced pork loin or chicken.

The turkey breast was simple-just rubbed with fresh sage, rosemary, thyme and my dad made a stellar gravy to go with it.

And last, but not least, broccoli gratin. My favorite. I got the recipe here. I love broccoli and cheese is definitely in my top five. Gruyere is so good, I just couldn't resist, even though it's not a traditional holiday side dish.

Pushing the Holidays

2009-10-20T01:56:00.004-04:00

I'm starting to look online for Christmas and other holiday goodies (although I rarely see many Chanukah themed cards out there) and I'm not entirely sure where to start. My etsy searches have led me in circles, so I've resorted to checking blogs I read to see what was posted and linked to last year. Ah. I do love Christmas time-my birthday is 5 days before, so that time of year has all the excitement rolled into one, plus being a Christmas baby, I think I have an extremely fond attachment to the holiday.

I've been getting Black Apple postcards for the past few years, but I haven't seen anything holidayish in the shop lately. I know--it's not even Halloween yet! Stop me! I can't help it, though. There are already Christmas displays in department stores around here! Capitalism is sick. Thank goodness I don't have cause to shop in department stores all that much.

Having both of Keith's siblings getting married this year is really causing a strain on our finances (especially since we're both in both weddings!), so I'm looking for cheap options. Any suggestions?

Family

2009-10-17T22:56:00.003-04:00

My brother is home for a short visit (a stop along the way on his trip from Cape Cod to Colorado). He's moving to Vail this fall to become a full time ski bum. Well, I believe there will be more to it, but that's the main impetus for the move.
Keith and I are considering getting a friend for Astrid to play with. We find that she's sometimes lonely when we get home from work and school at the end of the day. Lots of ankle biting, hard play, etc.

Despite the frenetic energy that comes with being a bridesmaid for the first time, and having to take man this position from home base while the bride lives in Tenessee, my other "future sister-in-law" and I decided to throw a last minute shower. We were joined by the groom's mother, who thankfully catered the event, as she and her husband own a gourmet food and deli in town. But as always, I had to go above and beyond and make everything I was bringing from scratch. This included a few gallons of butternut squash bisque and over 250 cookies to give as favors at the end of the party. Meredith, said "future sister-in-law", and I went way overboard as we tried to tackle three different cookie recipes (all of which were virgins in my kitchen). Oh, and did I mention they were Martha recipes? We all know what that entails. Oh yeah-and one of the cookies even called for food color stamping? Yup. We stamped over 100 sugar cookies with monogrammed letters for the bride and groom.

Meredith and I had some "Lucy and Ethel" moments, the first being when we tried filling the portable soup carrier with water (measuring to see how many gallons it took) without first checking to see if the spout was closed. It wasn't. And it's hard to believe, but even after our jeans and shoes were soaked and we were standing out in the dark for 10 minutes trying to empty the container and start again, we actually repeated our mistake.

Fortunately, I had baked the sugar cookies and even iced them earlier in the day, but the stamping project proved to be way more difficult than we expected. Then again, with a Martha project, shouldn't I have learned that lesson a while ago? She makes everything look so damn easy. Needless to say, the icing hadn't completely dried, so when we started stamping the letters, the letters were making impressions into the icing (cracking it as we went) instead of sitting nicely on top. We managed to get a few good ones in before stopping to let the icing dry.

Our next cookie, which eventually became my favorite, was a maple leaf cookie that received a wash of locally harvested maple syrup and a splash of dusting sugar.

The final cookie was a soft pumpkin spice cookie with a maple glaze. Also, delicious, even though we didn't have time to ice the cookies that morning of the shower.

Chimmicuri

2009-08-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

Dinner In

2009-08-08T12:31:00.004-04:00

Last night I decided to be Joan Cleaver and prepare Keith a lavish dinner (well, I don't know how lavish it was, but still there was a salad and a main) for when he got home from work. Literally, I was there waiting to toss the salad when he walked in the door, and I had the pasta water just below a boil, and the sauce on a gentle simmer. It was very 1950's housewife of me, but I am getting bored with my two weeks off before work starts again.

We started with a simple salad of Romaine and cherry tomatoes and storebought--yes, storebought--Italian dressing. Italian dressing (the vinaigrette kind, not the gloppy white stuff) is one of those dressings I feel like I could never get quite right at home. It always ends up too restaurant-y and I want the taste I grew up with.
I used our very own cherry tomatoes and some fresh romaine and Newman's Own Italian dressing. It's the next best thing to homemade-satisfies my "store-bought" craving, but it's organic and doesn't have any gross additives like high fructose corn syrup. I definitely recommend it.

I also tried a new pasta recipe out. It's a faux bolognese from Mario Batali and uses prosciutto and mushrooms in place of ground beef or pork. Very tasty and quick to make.

Perusing the Internets

2009-07-31T01:32:00.003-04:00

I forgot how much I love Urban Dictionary. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

A few exciting things...

2009-05-26T00:14:00.005-04:00

We're getting our first American Apparel out here! It's going in on Broadway in New Haven right near the Yale CoOp. This means no more shipping charges or waiting a week to get clothes in the mail. Nothing like instant gratification...

And here's a hilarious article I found about Woody Allen suing American Apparel over some clever marketing using a shot of him from Annie Hall in which he's dressed as a Hacidic Jew.

Even more exciting, there is a great new movie coming out. I would categorize it as an indie romantic dramedy and it stars John Krasinski from the Office (love him!!!)and Maya Rudolph, formerly on SNL. The film is called Away We Go and also features Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, and Catherine O'Hara, Paul Schneider. Superb cast.

Here's a brief synopsis:
Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt’s parents Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple’s main reason for living there.

So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. (Read more)
Another awesome thing I came across, is an article talking about how the film went green during shooting: an amazing for such a wasteful industry. Plus, the soundtrack by Alexi Murdoch, sounds wonderful. And, oh yeah... did I mention that Sam Mendes directed the film. So many reasons to love this movie-I can't wait to see this in the theater!

Sea Dwellers

2009-02-14T01:32:00.009-05:00

Astrid chewing on the catnip toy I made her.

It's Ollie the Octopus from this book, The Knitter's Book of Yarn, that Keith got for me as a Christmas present. I'm really into it. More on that later. So, Ollie was made with Sugar n' Creme (I didn't have purple, so I just used a multi-color) and was knit in the round on size 8 dpns.

Winter Baby

2009-01-24T21:52:00.007-05:00

Our new baby, Astrid.

Scared of her new surroundings...

Flowers in the Snow

2009-01-18T15:39:00.003-05:00

Much to my surprise, when I went out to get the mail this morning, snow coming down, I discovered the 2009 catalog from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. It was a pleasant spring teaser, which was graciously appreciated. I do love winter, and in fact, I much prefer a snowy winter to one that's just cold, but we've had snow on the ground since my birthday in mid December, so it's been a bit oppressive. And very tundra-esque around here lately.

I'm already eyeing the gladiolas, which I had lusted after all last summer.

lost website : (

2009-01-17T21:34:00.004-05:00

Okay. Deep breath. Sadly, the squarespace account I was using to write my old blog expired and I have since lost all of my archived entries, including recipes, knitting, sewing and gardening projects, and worst of all, loads and loads of pictures. But in an effort to start anew, I'm continuing my blog here. I was able to transfer some of my old entries, but am missing many. More later.

Food, Glorious Food

2006-12-08T22:46:00.001-05:00

Today is the first time in a long while that I've had a chance to post a proper blog. I've been incredibly busy applying to school for next semester, picking up babysitting jobs (while applying for many other jobs), and knitting like a fanatic for the holiday season. I decided to take a break this morning and upload a bunch of photos , most of which include food shots, that I've had sitting on my desktop for quite a while. Among these photos are dinners I've made recently and desserts, including a pie for Thanksgiving. I promise to post recipes as soon as things settle down a bit. For now, here are the money shots.

Chinese Dumplings

Keith and I made these awesome dumplings using pre-made wonton wrappers and a filling of water chestnuts, spinach, garlic and mushrooms. He was the "wrapper" and I must say, he did an amazing job. We also made a little dipping sauce that consisted of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and scallions.

Ravioli

I made this one night for my dad. I used store bought ravioli (who has time to make them from scratch!?) filled with porcini mushrooms. And I actually used a variation on my mushroom brandy sauce for the sauce. I simply added a bunch of veggie broth to thin out the recipe a little. I did a little spinach sauté for some extra iron and vitamins, topped it with some gorgonzola chunks,and then drizzled a touch of truffle oil over the top for a final touch. It was a little indulgent, but so worth it.

For Sauce:

1. Sauté slivered onions in olive oil, salt and pepper. Combine two tablespoons of tomato paste with about a half cup of warm water, sugar and salt. Set aside.
2. Once onions begin to caramelize, add sliced mushrooms (portabella or crimini), 1-2 cloves of slivered garlic, a handful of pine nuts, and 3-4 chopped sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add a teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes.
3. Deglaze with a splash of brandy and allow alcohol to cook off. Add the tomato paste mixture and bring up to medium heat.
4. Add a pad of butter and roughly a half-cup of heavy cream. Allow to simmer and reduce.
5. Once sauce begins to thicken, add chopped spinach (optional), fresh herbs (basil, parsley or thyme), and grated Parmesan cheese.
6. Just before the sauce is taken off the heat, add a small handful of diced Gorgonzola or blue cheese and check taste for seasoning. Garnish with a sprig of basil or parsley.

Here's another rendition, if you want to make it with a regular tube pasta, like penne.

For Pasta:

1. Bring water to boil, and then season with salt. Heat olive oil in sauté pan.
2. Add veggies (broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers) to boiling water. Take them out al dente.” Set veggies aside in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Add penne pasta and salt to reserved boiling water. Cook until al dente and portion into bowls with veggies. Toss to coat pasta with olive oil.

Dress with sauce and garnish with basil and parmesan.

Getting Fabulous

2006-12-01T21:57:00.000-05:00

Okay, so Keith is taking the LSAT on Saturday, so we've had kind of a hectic and uneventful week. He's been studying non-stop. I have faith that he'll do well, but this is a high anxiety time nonetheless. Fortunately, I have finally taken my friend, Laura's, advice and ordered Absolutely Fabulous from Netflix. And, well, it's ab-fab. Tonight, I'm going to work on the remnants of an open six pack and make a box of Annie's white cheddar mac 'n cheese. And even more awesome, is that I get to skip the gym because I spent the entire afternoon squatting in the garden, digging holes and burrying tulip bulbs. Ab-Fab, here I come...

3 Reasons Why You Need To Be Listening to the Decemberists Right Now

2006-11-15T21:55:00.002-05:00

1. Their Artwork has been turned into embroidery patterns.

Straight from the master's mouth... Embroidery Goddess Jenny Hart, creator of Sublime Stitching, posted this recently on her blog:

"Do you like The Decemberists? Do you like embroidering? Then, I bet you would like embroidering The Decemberists. What the heck do I mean? I mean, the band asked me to create limited-edition, custom embroidery kits and patterns with wondrous illustrations by Carson Ellis. Alas, you can't buy these kits direct from me. I handed the precious lot over to the band, who are currently selling them at their shows while on tour. Don't look at me, I don't have them here! Go see The Decemberists!"

2. The lead singer's sister is a fantastic writer.

Colin Meloy is a self-proclaimed poet and former English Major. He writes beautifully poignant and evocative lyrics, many of which start out as poems. His sister, Maile Meloy, writer of Liars and Saints, is a successful, published author.

Again, I'm just going to do this the easy way, and refer to a more authentic source. " Maile Meloy was born in Helena, Montana, in 1972. Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, The Ontario Review, Witness, and Best New American Voices 2000, and she won the 2001 Aga Khan Prize for best story in The Paris Review. Half in Love received the 2003 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction and the 2003 Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. " (from Ploughshares Literary Journal)

So, yeah, read her novels. They're freakin' great. And anyone who has such a prolific sister, gets a vote in my book.

3. Their music is downright awesome. Just listen to it.

Self-Portrait Challenge- Domestic Glam

2006-11-09T22:14:00.002-05:00

Here's my glam shot, in keeping with this month's theme. In truth, I'm actually just in a heather colored wife-beater, taking a break from doing the dishes. But hey! I saw it as an opportunity to lean up against a shiny stainless steel fridge, totally glam in my opinion, and snap a few shots. I even put on a shiny blue bracelet that Keith bought for me at a Tibetan Boutique in Brooklyn, Pema . And for those of you who know me, I very rarely wear any makeup. But in keeping with the glam motif, I smeared on a little Burt's Beeswax rhubarb colored lip tint. So, I guess it came full circle... rhubarb in a kitchen.

An Old Find

2006-11-06T18:12:00.002-05:00

Birth Announcement Project

Okay, so I'm working on an embroidery piece that's 22 years in the making. It's actually a birth announcement for my 22 year old brother. How is this possible, you might ask?

I guess when my mother was pregnant with Brian, she was working on a piece to hang in the nursery. We're talking vintage, totally eighties, complete with a teddy bear and a sort of spooky clown. I can actually remember her working on the piece, sitting on the couch-- the messy tangle of colored thread hanging off her round belly. I would check her progress every now and again, and as any curious four year old, would take my fingers and gently rub them over the French knots and cut loops.

Apparently, she came so close to finishing the piece (it's complete except for the ball on the clown's hat, and the frame), but once Brian was born, she was too busy to finish it.

Now that I'm living at home again, I have a chance to root through some of my mom's old things: unfinished projects, vintage skirt hemmers, fabrics...

I came across the birth announcement and thought I might finish it and frame it so that I can give to Bri on his next birthday, which will be in January. I think the sentimentality of the gesture will be wonderful, as my mother passed away when he was only 12. Even if it only sits in a box, it will be his.

And speaking of old finds...

I found this embroidered piece that my mom made for me when I was a baby. Yeah, that's a unicorn. A little corny I know, but it's actually quite beautiful, and far better than anything I could do at this stage in the game.

Just look at the detail that went into this! My mom was a true perfectionist and an amazing, crafty lady. She sewed, gardened, wove baskets, and was an amazing cook to boot! The best teacher I ever had, even though it was her job. She taught second grade for twenty years before she passed away. And a little part of me knows that I have chosen to go into teaching because she really inspired me. Okay, enough reminiscing.

Caprese Salad

2006-11-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

Caprese Salad

1/2 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced thinly
1-2 plum tomatoes, depending on size, sliced thinly
1/2 bunch fresh basil, chiffonade, save 3 or 4 leaves whole for garnish
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange sliced tomatoes and cheese on a plate. Either alternate or combine in pairs. Add shredded basil to each pair and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with basil leaves.

Beautiful Days in Autumn

2006-11-04T21:58:00.001-05:00

The weather was beautiful today, so I thought I might take a few quick shots in the front yard. In Connecticut we're fortunate enough to get those beautiful, bold colors in the fall foliage. But, I'm sure you've all seen a million pictures of the quintessential New England foliage. So, I thought I'd take a look at some less obvious candidates.

This is the Japanese Maple that sits right outside the family room windows. It's older than I am. My grandparents gave it to my mom and dad as a house warming present when the built the house in 1974. It started out as a little sapling, and now it's over 20 feet tall. The red leaves are amazing when the sun hits them.

This is just the standard female holly bush, with its bright red berries. I just liked the contrast between the red and green.

And this little gem is a Japanese Burberry that Keith and I planted over the summer. It has the most amazing red and purple leaves that develop from younger green leaves. And I didn't even expect the red berries to come out this year, but they just started popping up once the weather got colder. I love this little bush.

Ta-Dah! Finished Knits

2006-11-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

I'm really happy to finally post a picture of these lovely legwarmers I just finished knitting for my friend, Laura's birthday (even though they're a bit late)! She still lives in NYC, and for those of you who don't know, it gets mighty damn cold there in the winter. I used a pattern that I found on Glampyre Knits designed by the lovely Stefanie. I was a bit nervous as this was the first wearable project I've ever knitted and it was the first time I had ever followed a "pattern." Here are some photos of Stefanie's handiwork from her website.

Vive la Musique de Roche!

2006-11-01T01:23:00.000-05:00

Marie Antoinette The Soundtrack

Okay, okay, so I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've been listening to the Marie Antoinette soundtrack for the past three hours. It's fantastic. Sofia Coppola, who also directed The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, knows how to pick 'em. Songs, that is. The track list contains indie favorites such as The Strokes, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Gang of Four, Aphex Twin, New Order, and, of course, Air. What would a Sofia Coppola film be without Air?

Here's the full lineup:

Disc 1
1. "Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie & The Banshees
2. "Aphrodisiac" - Bow Wow Wow
3. "What Ever Happened" - The Strokes
4. "Pulling Our Weight" - The Radio Dept.
5. "Ceremony" - New Order
6. "Natural's Not In It" - Gang of Four
7. "I Want Candy (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow
8. "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" - Adam & The Ants
9. "Concerto in G" * - Antonio Vivaldi / Reitzell
10. "The Melody Of A Fallen Tree" - Windsor For The Derby
11. "I Don't Like It Like This" - The Radio Dept.
12. "Plainsong" - The Cure

Disc 2
1. "Intro Versailles"* - Reitzell / Beggs
2. "Jynweythek Ylow" - Aphex Twin
3. "Opus 17" - Dustin O'Halloran
4. "Il Secondo Giorno (Instrumental)" - Air
5. "Keen On Boys" - The Radio Dept.
6. "Opus 23" *- Dustin O'Halloran
7. "Les Baricades Misterieuses"* - Francois Couperin / Reitzell
8. "Fools Rush In (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow
9. "Avril 14th" - Aphex Twin
10. "K. 213" * - Domenico Scarlatti / Reitzell
11. "Tommib Help Buss" - Squarepusher
12. "Tristes Apprets.." - Jean Philippe Rameau / W. Christie
13. "Opus 36"*- Dustin O'Halloran
14. "All Cat's Are Grey" - The Cure

Marie Antoinette (movie website)

Witchy Witch

2006-10-29T14:06:00.002-05:00

This pumpkin did take a while to carve, but the result was well worth it. Although I'd love to take credit for the design, I actually based mine off a pattern I found at Martha Stewart Living. I traced the basic outline onto the pumpkin in pencil, and then simplified the details a bit.

Since we moved back home, all of my ceramics tools are still packed away in boxes, so I had to use some of my dad's tools-- an all, a few different types of screwdrivers and even some cool vintage safety glasses.

And here's the close up:

Me in my hot-ass safety glasses:

Busy Week

2006-10-23T02:21:00.001-04:00

All last week I worked on projects from my new T-shirt recycling book. I made a nifty pair of legwarmers and a skirt. Who knew I had it in me? In all honesty, these are the most recent clothes I've sewn on the machine since I made this hippie shirt in high school. The skirt, especially, came out awesome. Let's see...

I also finished knitting a pair of really soft mohair legwarmers for my friend, Laura. It was my first project that involved increases, so there are a few blotchy parts, but I'm hoping she won't notice. With all these legwarmers I felt like doing something a bit different, so I started a pair of armwarmers. Can you tell I'm anticipating a cold winter? They're coming along okay so far, and I even left some live stitches to put in a thumb gusset later on. I'm doing them in a really textured off-white wool that has little course pieces of straw-like fiber. I'm super psyched!

To round out the weekend, I watched "The Puffy Chair." Spectacular movie. Anyone who's ever been on a road trip (or been in love) should see it. It has an amazing soundtrack to boot.

Exciting News for Craft Revolutionaries!

2006-10-18T03:12:00.001-04:00

While reading one of my favorite blogs written by naughty secretary club founder Jennifer Perkins, I came across this really awesome news. These girls from Milwauke are making a documentary about... you guessed it...CRAFTS! Check out the details here. It's called Indie Craft Documentary.

New Content...Finally!

2006-10-16T05:52:00.000-04:00

I've added a few new sections to Non-Nameable Wood. God, it feels like the setup of a site is a never-ending project. It's all structure and settings and the content is slow going. This week I've managed to upload a bunch more recipes (with pictures to come) and there's a new writing section (my own personal drivel) as well as a "where to buy" guide called craft supplies. It's kind of a loose term. I've listed tons of websites for yarn and needle supplies as well as knitting accessories. (I won't use the word "notion" because I really hate that word-- it gives knitting a bad name.)

Here you'll also find some of my favorite Indie designers, many of whom are members of the Austin Craft Mafia. Those girls are truly an awesome bunch. They came to the Renegade Craft Fair held in Williamsburg Brooklyn this past summer. Their booths were quite awesome. I recently ordered this vintage gauze scarf from amet and sasha and I have only good things to say about jesse's craftsmanship and service. Really cute packaging to boot!

So check out some of these sites. They are some of my fav's.

All-Nighter

2006-10-13T09:34:00.000-04:00

Can't sleep. Can't sleep. It's 6:35 in the morning and I'm up again, after two hours of tossing and turning. Lots of tension and anxiety in my body. Yuck. My muscles are achey and my breaths are shallow with sleepiness. I've already cleaned the kitchen, made a breakfast of egg-white omellette and veggies. Plus, I greeted my dad and made him coffee for work. We hung out and fed Nora and chatted about school and other things. Now I'm sitting on the couch watching Good Will Hunting watching the sun come up. Hopefully my eyelids will fall heavy with sleep soon.

New Recipes

2006-10-13T05:34:00.001-04:00

It's taken me a little while, but I finally got some of my recipes posted in the cooking section. Most are adapted from various cookbook recipes over the years. Some are my own creations. Others are taken straight from cook books (as noted), but are favorites of mine.

Tee-Storm!

2006-10-04T04:19:00.001-04:00

I'm super amped about finally having my sewing machine set up. It's been nearly a month and half since Keith and I moved in with my dad and it seems that our things are finally finding homes. Of course, the Singer is set up on the dining room table for the time being...

Last week I bought these two awesome books on reconstructing vintage t-shirts and I'm dying to make a project!

Tease features designs by various members of the Austin Craft Mafia and offers up ideas ranging from recycled t-shirt woven rugs to sushi inspired eye masks. It's really fun and each project pattern is complete with a difficulty level and icons denoting supplies needed. You should definitely check it out.

Generation T is also really cool. To be honest, it was an afterthought: I had the first book in my basket on Amazon, and the second was offered as a reduced rate package. I figured, what the hey!? And I'm so glad I did. It's brilliant. There are endless pattern ideas for revamping old t-shirts and most patterns even come with a variation or two. I've already attacked numerous tees with my Fiskars. Of course, some of those attempts were made late at night, after a few drinks, so they haven't all turned out wonderfully.

I'll try to post a few pics of finished projects in my sewing section once I have some time.