origami CD cover

I saw how to make these CD covers from a post on the Craftster forum. Since I can't stand those plastic jewel cases, I was happy to learn how to make these little envelopes -- and they're fun to personalize.


Here are lots o' picts on how to make your own...

Start with a piece of 8.5 x 11 paper --
you could try other fun papers or wrapping papers too

Fold in each side, lengthwise, towards the center.
Then, fold up the bottom quarter to the paper's mid-point.

Unfold the bottom quarter and fold back its edges, creating triangles...

here's a close-up

Next, refold the bottom quarter up to the mid-point, and
tuck in the flaps behind those triangles. Now you have a pocket for the CD...

Finally, to help tuck the cover into the pocket, fold small triangles on the opposite end.

Voila! A perfectly-tucked little envelope for my new tunes.

comin' up roses

I'm really diggin' making my own stamps. Here's my stylized rosebud for Valentine's day. I highly recommend trying your hand at cutting your own designs - it's very addictive.

hum*mmm*mus

I don't put raw garlic in anything I eat, because I (and those around me) would regret it. But there is an exception to every rule and my exception is hummus (okay, and baba ganoush). The dip simply requires the heartiness of great garlic. But no need to overdo it --a little clove is plenty.

I can only assume this says "tahini" :)
(this wasn't hard to find -- check your grocery store)

hummus
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of ground nutmeg
a few Tbs olive oil
2Tbs tahini
a couple Tbs water
freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon, maybe more)
coarse salt

...............before...........................and after.............

Put all ingredients into a food processor. Press the button and voila -- you have hummus! Get the right consistency and flavour by adjusting the ingredients. Remember, the flavours will get more potent the longer it sits (that's a warning for anyone who's tempted to add another clove of garlic.) Enjoy with crackers, warm pita, fresh veggies...mmm.

reducing the stash for a good cause

I found out about the Interim House from this post on Phillyist. It's a drug and alcohol treatment center for women in Philadelphia that has a therapeutic knitting/crochet program. The program relies on donated yarn, needles, and notions -- I think this is the perfect excuse to go through my box o' yarn and give away the items someone else might love more.

Do you have any extra yarn? (what a silly question for any knitter!) Check out the details on Phyllist.

an owl is born

I made my own rubber stamps! None too soon either 'cause good stamps are spendy. I got lucky and found a small starter kit on sale for 9 bucks at Michaels -- a couple of speedball cutters and a block of that pink erasure-like stuff. Oh the fun and satisfaction...

I transfered an image onto the pink stuff
(technically called Speedy Stamp Block)

carefully cut around the owl, then gave him eyes, nose, and talons

Ta-da -- my very first stamp! He needs a branch...

I felt confident enough in my branch-drawing abilities that I didn't bother transferring an image

And voila -- my second-ever stamp!

I know what you're thinking... Nice hooters!

cheaters' cherry strudel

I've earned the right not to pit fresh cherries. I swear I once pitted seventeen million pounds for a batch of sour cherry pies, and I didn't have a pitter to help. All cherries were pitted by hand. Never again.

So, when I feel like having a sour cherry dessert of some kind, I reach for the pre-pitted canned variety. I know, some people will think that's gross, but I've earned the right to be lazy with cherries.

cherry strudel
makes 4-6

1 can of pitted sour cherry pie filling, ready to use, no pitting required!*
14 or so phyllo sheets (1 package), thawed if frozen
6-8 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

*Or, if you want to be a better person than me, you can make your own filling by pitting several cups of fresh or frozen cherries, then bringing them (and any juices) to boil in a saucepan with a little sugar and a little cornstarch. Simmer for a couple minutes, then cool completely.

Arrange 2 phyllo sheets in a layer and let dry (about 15 mins). Keeping other sheets stacked, fold and cut each lengthwise then stack halves. Cover with some plastic wrap and a dampened tea towel. Crumble the dried phyllo sheets into a bowl.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet; set aside. Lay out 2 phyllo sheets, keeping the others covered. Brush with some melted butter. Top with at least 4 more sheets, brushing each layer with butter. Sprinkle some of the crumbled phyllo over the bottom third of top sheet (leaving a border along bottom and sides). Scoop some cherry goodness on top of the crumbled pieces. Fold bottom edge up over the filling, fold in sides (that stops it from leaking out the sides, like mine did), and roll it up. Place seam-side down on the buttered cookie sheet. Brush top with a little more butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Cut a couple vents diagonally across the strudel. Continue making more strudels until all the cherries are gone.

Bake in the middle of the oven until crisp and golden brown (20-25 mins). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about half an hour. Serve with a scoop of vanilla or a sprinkling of icing sugar.

"new & improved" roasted fennel

I had enjoyed roasted fennel a la Jaimie Oliver -- prepared with white wine, garlic, and butter -- but I found myself wanting a little something more from my fennel. I suppose if you're into really strong garlic, another clove might do, but I wanted something subtle. Then, I discovered that Elise over at Simply Recipes just puts olive oil and balsamic vinegar on hers. Why didn't I think of that?!

roasted fennel
Serves 2

1 fennel bulb
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash fennel bulb and trim off stalks. Slice bulb into 8ths or so, throwing away the core. Toss pieces into baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and a dose of balsamic vinegar. Mix together so the fennel gets nicely coated.

To roast/steam the fennel, crumple up a piece of parchment paper, get it a little wet with water, and fit down into the top of the baking pan (a little trick from that naked chef).


Then, bake until they're soft and caramelizing at the edges (at least 30 mins, but depends on the size of your slices). These make a tasty side dish for an otherwise simple meal.

big sis & little bro bunnies

Not much knitting and crafting going on around here these days. I guess I needed a bit of a break after all the holiday gift deadlines. But I was happily spurred into action this week when my friend had her second baby, a little brother for Caroline. And I thought, what better for new babies than soft bunnies!

I used the same heartstrings pattern as I did for my happy-hip bunny (and the same green fluffy chenille too) to make these cuddly siblings...


I love this pattern because you just knit up any size square to make your bunny. I made a 6.5" and a 9.5" square.






Following the pattern is a lot of this -- marking two points on your square and sewing them together to form a triangle (in this case, a leg).


Here is little brother bunny (without his ears, tail, or clothing)







Now both are made and equipped with ears and tails...just waiting for some identifying accessories.








Ahh, the final touches -- big sister in pink and little brother in blue. I fight the pink and blue stereo-types, but sometimes the conventional is pretty cute.

raspberry & pecan muffins

When Glenda and I were roomies, we used to make a batch of muffins at least once a week. They're great study food and easy to grab for a quick lunch. Every once in a while, I get back in the habit of churning out batches of muffins. These babies are an ol' favourite.

raspberry & pecan muffins
makes a dozen

1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas salt
1/4 teas cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 C milk
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 C fresh raspberries (if using frozen berries, coat with a Tbs of flour)
1/2 C pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven 350. Grease muffin tin; set aside.










Combine dry ingredients in a big bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat egg, milk, and melted butter together. Make hollow in the center of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon until just blended. Gently fold in berries and pecans. Fill muffin tin and bake until tester comes out clean (20-25 mins).

pumpkin bread pudding

Granted, it isn't really the season of pumpkins, but I wanted a wintery warm dessert and pumpkin sounded good to me. Besides, my friend Mary* was coming over, and we students always require something bready and comforting and sweet.

*Mary makes gorgeous jewelry! (And if I can take the opportunity for a shout out on this here Interweb, thanks again for the earrings!)

This recipe was pretty simple, as far as incredibly yummy desserts go. It's another "dessert of the month" from Martha -- this time from Oct 2002. Soaking the raisins in bourbon (or good ol' JD whiskey) sounds decadent, but the flavour is really subtle in the final product -- almost disappointingly subtle. Bread pudding doesn't really require ramekins, but individual servings do ensure that everyone gets plenty of that crispy top. In any case, these are definitely showing up on the holiday table next year.

pumpkin bread pudding
makes 6 10-oz ramekins (or enough for an assortment of smaller ramekins and dishes...)

unsalted butter, for buttering ramekins
1 C raisins (sounded like a lot...I used a bit less)
1/3 C bourbon, or whiskey
1/3 C hot water
1 15-0z can of pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 C sugar
1 1/2 C milk
2 teas vanilla
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas ginger
1/4 teas allspice
pinch o' salt
1 loaf of brioche, or challah bread, cut into 3/4-in cubes (Best to leave the bread out for a day to dry so it will soak up the pudding better and help everything keep its shape)

Butter ramekins. Sprinkle each with some brown sugar and set aside on baking sheet. Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with bourbon (or whiskey) and hot water. Let soak until nice and plump (20 mins).
Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, spices, and salt. Toss in dry bread cubes and stir gently until evenly coated. Let stand a few minutes. Drain raisins and fold the spiked raisins into the mix. Divide among prepped ramekins. (Press down a bit to fit more in and make level with the top of the dish.)

Bake until custard is set in the center and the top is golden (about 40 mins). If the bread is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. When they're done, remove from oven and let cool a bit. Unmold onto serving plates and sift some confectioners sugar on top.