Urban Farming

Excuse my absence friends... sometimes you just have writer's block and are generally uninspired, right?

Moving on. As part of our church's "Just Food" ministry, an urban vegetable garden has been installed in our back yard. Some friends, TK, and I have spent several weeks installing and caring for this living beast. Over a weekend, we leveled the ground, built raised beds, filled in soil, and planted a wide variety of veggies. The past weeks have been filled with rain, sun, and plant care. It's been amazing to see the garden come to life in such a short span of time.

We've planted herbs, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, beans, kale, broccoli, and more.

It's been about a month since we started planting and look at all the growth! While I haven't enjoyed the rainy weather we've experienced over the last few weeks, our plants are drinking it right up. It's amazing to watch as the sun does it's wonder on the earth. I'm particularly intrigued by broccoli. When you're used to getting food in a plastic bag from the grocery store, there's something magical about cultivating it with your own two hands and watching it become something from nothing.

No Knead

I have a healthy fear of bread baking. Until the other day I was intimidated by those who speak of their exploits with and knowledge of yeast. I listened jealously to their tales of focaccias and sourdoughs and was envious of the fresh bakery smells that were sure to be wafting around in their kitchens. I love crusty bread, but it's not exactly cheap, and with only two peeps in the house, it inevitably goes stale and uneaten after a few days.

After embracing and accepting my fears with the art of making bread however, I saw this book and had second thoughts about my perceived inabilities. It's pages promise low-maintenance bread baking opportunities that seemed both manageable and cheap. Just the ticket for this carb lover.

Viola! I've been baking bread over the last two weeks and each loaf tastes like the real thing - cause it is! No kneading, hardly any waiting... it's so simple. The best part is that you can use as much or as little dough as you want so that there is no wasted bread after a meal. I think I need to invest in a large purchase of flour. Soon.

Ethiopia

This lovely lady hails from Ethiopia and was custom made for a coworker of mine whose friend is adopting a little girl from Africa. I hope that this princess dressed in her finest will be a dear friend to her for years to come!

Herbs, Glorious Herbs

Last summer when I grew some basil on my back porch, it astounded me. I loved being able to head out my back door and pick some fresh leaves whenever a recipe called for them. We made some killer pesto, a few memorable pasta dishes, and saved some cashola. One can buy herbs in the grocery store for around $2 to $4 for a bunch, or the same amount of hard earned dough can be spent on an entire plant. Not a tough call.

As Spring has finally graced us with its presence, I've opted to go beyond my love of basil and adopt some more herbs. My new babies include thyme, mint, chives, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, and basil.

Keep growing strong, my dears. I'm looking forward to a carefree summer of snatching you up whenever I wish. If anyone has some to-die-for summer recipes involving those mentioned above, I'm all ears, so speak up! I just want to cook, sew, and enjoy my deck all summer. Why oh why do I have a desk job?

Many Hands Make Light the Work

Over the past weekend my mom and dad had many of our extended family over to their house in upstate New York for a good old-fashioned garage raising. After tearing down the older and smaller garage, a roof had to be placed over the new garage walls. My family is at no loss for strapping young men with both brain and brawn, so the invitation was extended and the masses flocked.

While I like to think that all of us ladies were able-bodied, plenty of male garage workers were present so we provided a constant flow of food and snacks to keep the men going strong. Besides circular saws and nail guns, it truly was out of the 19th century, and I thoroughly enjoyed every old-school minute of it. I didn't really get any good pictures of us girls, since we were slaving away in the kitchen...and watching movies...and taking naps.

For me, there's something wonderful about men at work that makes me appreciate the strength it takes to build something that will last and the knowledge it takes to care for one's home. I'm confident in the varied skills and talents of mine and my female kin, but garage/roof building is not the contribution we make. In our different ways, all of us are building structures of support and shelter for each other, some material but many intangible. Whether it be through hard work, knowledge, love, or strife we continue to deepen and grow our bonds as family.

A Derby Alternative

I've said it before and I'll say it again...making meals or desserts from scratch is a worthwhile effort that pays off. If Mine that Bird was a good investment (he only cost $9500 and was a 50-1 long shot), so is using some elbow grease to whip together some homemade cupcakes...Mint Julep Cupcakes in honor of race day!

On mine and my friend Amy's part, a decent amount of expectation and hope went into Big Brown's quest for the Triple Crown last May/June, only to be let down big time at Belmont Stakes. We remain ever hopeful for an eventual three race victory.

Back to the subject at hand. Last year for the Kentucky Derby we made some Mint Juleps that...well...weren't great. As the Derby came around again this year though, a friend of mine sent me a link to a recipe for Mint Julep Cupcakes she thought we might like.

The ingredients contain the usual suspects of mint, whiskey and sugar... but they are all mixed in and disguised into a delicious cupcake form. Be still my heart. The icing is decedent, but I think it really makes them. Unless you are feeding an army of horse-racing fans dessert, you might consider halving the recipe (make the amount of icing that the recipe calls for though!), as it yields plenty of cupcakes. Here's the link...now onward ho to the Preakness Stakes!

Orange and Blue

A friend of mine is getting married this June, so I thought some homemade decorative pillows were in order. The happy couple is all about orange and blue, so picking fabric wasn't strenuous. I'm more and more a fan of orange with each passing day. I'm not an orange addict yet, but I'm inching closer to that slippery slope!

International Quilt Festival | Chicago

Over the weekend my good friend Caroline and her sweet little girl Beatrice and I spent a few lovely hours at the 2009 International Quilt Festival just outside the city. Whoa, baby. These people were not messing around.

A whole convention room packed full of die-hard quilters is truly a site to behold. I mean really... don't underestimate these ladies. They are serious about their craft and giddy with delight when it comes to all things fabric.

I'd heard of "art quilts" before, but I never imagined how much these would take my breath away. I was stunned beyond belief with some of them. Here are some of my faves...

Bon Appétit

There have been several times in the course of my life where it's dawned on me that certain meals or food items can be made from scratch. For some reason, my industrial and limited mind thinks there are things that only factories can make.

Mushroom soup for example. Before a friend sent me this recipe it never even occurred to me that one could make it at home with their own two hands.

Talk about decadent! I mean really, if you like mushrooms on any level, you're in for a treat. The recipe I used is below. My advice is to follow the ingredients and directions closely. Try not to be a hero with this one. I used a large lemon and mine could have used a little less lemon flavor, so stick with a medium sized one. Be careful not to let those pesky lemon seeds into your mushroom mix too. Biting down on a lemon seed in your soup is far from ideal. Don't substitute anything for the heavy cream either. DON'T I TELL YOU! I'd say a general rule of thumb is to stick with heavy cream when told to.

Enjoy mon ami...

Wolfgang Puck Mushroom Soup
- 4 servings

Ingredients
- 1 pound firm white mushrooms, with stems, cleaned
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Directions
1. Sprinkle the mushrooms with juice from one medium lemon. In a food processor, coarsely chop mushrooms.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and lightly saute the shallots. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and saute over moderate heat for 10 minutes, or until the liquid disappears. Add the salt, pepper, cream, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the cornstarch to the soup and continue to simmer 10 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Correct seasoning to taste.
4. Serve in warm bowls.

Cat or Alien?

My niece Madeline requested a stuffed kitten for her birthday - "an orange kitten with a purple face" to be exact. Nice color choice, if I do say so myself girlfriend.

I found this free Amy Butler pattern, but I'm wondering if it looks more like an alien/Pokémon cat of sorts. I don't want to scare the poor kid, but I want to follow through on my delivery of an orange stuffed cat. What do you think? Cat or Alien? Anyone know of a pattern that is a little more cat-like out there, but still cool?