Let's Talk About Valentines....

I Did Promise a Crafty Blog!

Well, I did say that some of these posts would also be about crafting, and today I make good on that promise and want to talk about making Valentines. Making a Valentine is a lot like baking someone a birthday cake or sending hand written correspondence. It's a great way to take a little extra time to show a lot of extra care. I think one of the largest and longest running misconceptions about Valentine's Day is that it is strictly a romantic holiday for some "normative" couple; conjuring thoughts of commercialism, societal stereotypes about relationships, and conversely, exclusion there from.

 I was raised in a home where Valentine's Day was a very special day to tell the important people in your life that you love them. To ensure that even if it's something you might say to them every day, you take a little extra time to really let them know on Valentine's Day. Your mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, pets, friends, or significant other--makes no difference.

Anyone who makes you feel loved, special, and appreciated in your daily life. It is this mentality that I try to perpetuate and express to my loved ones every year and I encourage you to do the same. Take back this day from corporations or Hollywood and spend it spreading love and happiness. My favorite way to do this is to hand make Valentines. It can be a bit time consuming so out of the many people in my life that I absolutely love and reach out to, I generally only make and send four or five valentines for my core support system!  

The making of them is only as complicated as you like it. Which is my way of saying, there's really no wrong way to make a valentine, so just start playing around with materials until you see something that you like! 

My kit usually includes paper doilies, ribbon, stickers, some fake flowers, origami paper, and some colorful markers or pens. Also as important are items like a good craft glue, and some double sided tape.

You can find a lot of these things at Target, or a Michaels, or Jo-Ann Fabrics. You can find some pretty great deals searching the "sale" and "clearance" areas as breaking the bank is 100% unnecessary to tell someone you care. 

One of the best parts about this process is, if it's something you decide to do every year, you really start to build a cache of supplies as you're unlikely to use an entire pack of doilies or spool of ribbon in one go. So buy a couple things every year and you'll start building up a kit, as it were, that you can return to every year to create with. 

Specialty items: I like to include just a couple special pieces every year and it's entirely up to you to choose whether or not you wish to do the same, but I think it helps me to create a theme or color palette. And, well, it's just kinda fun. If you live somewhere near a store that makes items, cards, papers, ribbons, that you love and want to incorporate, that's awesome. Personally, my favorite store is Southern California based 32° North. They're a small business that imports a lot of beautiful handmade items for lots of different holidays (with a specialization in Victoriana.) They are a really prompt and personal company and I have ordered from them probably half a dozen times now without a single complaint. They're pretty sweet. 

The Process: Doesn't have to get done in one sitting. I think you'll hate it if you just try to sit down and bang 'em all out. Luckily, for many of us, this year the weather is very cold, so, PERFECT for indoor crafting! Spend a little time in the evenings, put on some music/TV/movies and spread your craft items out and let them inspire you. 

OR have a get together! If you feel like you really want to do this, and you have a really crafty/artisitc friend that could help get you started, host a little valentine making shin-dig! Reclaim this holiday for friendship and celebrate as a group!

The Inspiration: Repeat this to yourself when you're stuck, "My lack of current creativity is not a reflection of my love." Frankly I think it's when we care the most that we get stuck because we want everything to be perfect for the people we care deeply about. So here is a list of my personal favorite music and DVD choices for feeling valenspired! 

Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney & Wings, Al Green, ABBA, The Association, George Harrison, John Lennon, Gloria Estefan--  to name a few

As far as TV or DVD, skip anything super romantic or absorbing, we're crafting here! I like things like old 80's TV shows ala Full House, Moonlighting, or Murder She Wrote. Something that feels like putting on a fluffy pair of slippers for your soul. And you haven't lived until you've watched the animated Alvin & The Chipmunks Valentine's Day specials from the 1980's. It's to be experienced!!!!!!!!

So feel the love! To quote the great Stevie Wonder:

"Did you know that true love asks for nothing? 

Her acceptance is the way we pay. 

Did you know that life has given love a guarantee, 

To last through forever, and another day? 

Just as time knew to move on since the beginning, 

And the seasons know exactly when to change, 

Just as kindness knows no shame, 

Know through all your joy and pain, 

That I'll be loving you always "

So put some love out into the universe this Valentine's Day! Pay it forward, and feel the amazingness of when it comes back to you! 

BKBTY

A Tale of Two Pies......Part 2! The Exciting Conclusion

Mincemeat Pie- without the meat....

Harkening back to my personal failing of not liking figgy pudding, and also sort of wanting to learn how to make just about every kind of pie I can, I decided it was high time I followed through and figured something out for minced meat. I don't know why for so many years I felt I needed to know how to make this one, but I have. I bought a wonderful Mennonite cook book years ago based mostly upon the fact that it contained a recipe for minced meat from scratch and I had only been able to find canned, and/or recipes that call for canned. :(

Since then however, with the advent of the artesianal, handmade, small batch, organic, local, heirloom, food movement, I have found it much easier to find many different recipes to compare! 

The down side to this is that 

1. A lot of those recipes go all the way back and contain suet and venison, so great for them, but not for me personally. 

2. Making minced meat and making minced meat pie are two different things. Making minced meat is like canning and recipes tend to have measurements in lbs. 1 lb of apples, 1lb of sugar. Again, totally awesome, but more than I could possibly ever need unless I went into a minced meat pie business. (Do it! squeals my mother...) 

3. The third problem is similar to my figgy pudding failing, in that I don't really like the flavor of molasses and rum. So what to do? Well, I got creative. And even if this recipe is NOT strictly minced meat, it's pretty awesomely awesome. My family loved it so much I made a very small one for Solstice and was asked to make a full size for the New Years. 

The last thing I have to say before letting you get to the recipe is that once again I will NOT be providing a pastry recipe. Please use your favorite, or find one that looks good. The one I use is not mine to share, and I would have to kill you if I told you :( Sorry.

But for the rest of it! :

(in parenthesis) indicates for small pie size
makes 9 -10” for full or 6-7” for small

Ingredients:

2 (1.5) apples chopped into small cubes

2 (1) pears chopped to small pieces

5 (3) chopped pitted prunes

1 (1/2) cup dried fruit. I used a Trader Joe’s mix of dried berries with raisons. Use what you like!

1/4 (1/8) cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 (1/8) cup maple syrup

1/4 (1/8) cup brandy

1/4 (1/8) cup fresh lemon juice

 1/4 (1/8) cup Irish whiskey

1 (1/2) teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 (large pinch) teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 (large pinch) teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 (large pinch) teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch (half pinch) of salt

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients into a bowl and allow to sit overnight in a glass container, stirring every few hours or so.

2. Roll out your dough. This pie is for two crusts, top and bottom. Place bottom dough in pie plate, pressing gently for a thorough fit.

3. Fill crust with pie filling using a slotted spoon. There may be a little extra depending on the size of the apples and pears. There will definitely be left over liquid, save it and spoon onto ice cream, or use a little dough and make tiny fold overs. But it's really too good to waste.

4. Roll out your top crust and join with bottom crust at edges, pinching to seal. Take a small knife and make a few ventilation holes.

My Dad's dog Huckle, incognito, desperately begging for pie!

5. Heat oven to 425F. Cover the outer edge of the pie with foil to prevent over browning. Bake for 40-45 (30-40) min.  Remove foil for last 15min of baking. You may also want a catch pan on the rack below in case of sticky boiling over juice.
Enjoy warm.


**For Dutch pie option, mix half (quarter) a package neufchatel cheese with 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) fine sugar and line the bottom of the pie crust before adding fruit mixture.

Enjoy!!!

BKBTY

A Tale of Two Pies....Part 1.

A Shepherd's Pie

This dish has to be one of the simplest to make and it is always a home run. Delicious veggies in their own gravy topped with mashed root veg is immediate comfort food, and damn affordable too. 

The exact contents of what I put in my pie changes as does the size depending on what I'm in the mood for, what's available, or who I'm cooking for. You can play around with spices and flavorings and make a whole host of Shepherd's Pies, each different, each delightful. A great way to warm up on a cold day! But let's talk about the basic format. Once you have the melody down you can improvise around it! First figure out how much you want/how many you are serving. I have made small amounts in an 8x8 pyrex (4 servings) and I have made large amounts in a 13x9 pyrex. (8 servings.) Whatever you choose you want enough veggies to fill the pan until only about an inch from the top ** WHEN COOKED** Yes that's correct, you are going to cook your veggies (or meat) BEFORE you place them in the casserole, so you want to make sure that you buy enough so that once they've cooked down you can still fill your pan. 

My favorite ingredients to use, include, but are not limited to:

 mushrooms (any kind, and often multiple), 

peas, 

leeks, 

carrots,

 parsnips,

 celery, 

beets, 

and baby spinach. 

You really can use whatever you like. Choose three or four vegetables & fungi that you like best and put them in. I don't use meat but it's another option especially if you have left overs. Shepard's pie is a GREAT way to re-invent left overs!

The topping can be made of a number of different pale-ish veggies, though I bet a sweet potato shepherd's pie with a corn, tomato, and black bean center would be amazing. I have found generally that adding just a widdle bit of potato ends up being necessary. It acts almost as a binder and keeps everything the right consistency. But you can cut that considerably by using mostly mashed cauliflower, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, or even jicama. 

Flavorings. Well again think about what kind of a feel you want for your pie. For a more traditional pie you could use some red wine, (marsala is popular,) Worcestershire sauce, butter, pepper and just a pinch of coriander. (taste for salt)

However this is entirely up to you. For instance the sweet potato one would be awesome with cilantro, jalapeno, some chopped red onion and just a squeeze of lime juice. So there you go. Dream on, your tummy is the only limit to your imagination. 

I also often temper an egg and add it to the filling before I place it in the dish. It acts as both a binder, and if you are not putting any meat in your pie, it's a great way to get just a little more protein. But, it's 100% optional.

The top of the pie is traditionally boiled, mashed- milk, butter, S&P added- with 1/2 tsp or so of nutmeg. But again get creative! Going back to our sweet potato you could use coconut oil, some apple cider, pepper and a little cayenne. Are you seeing where I'm going with this? There's not a lot of "wrong ways" to do this. 

Thickeners. To create your gravy, your lipid or alcohol will help. As will the egg if you use one. Generally you also need to use just a little bit of something else. My fav all time thickener is xanthan gum. Once you know how to use it well, you can do a lot with it. But you can also use flour, chia meal, corn starch, whatever you like best and agrees with your tummy.

Directions:

1. The first thing to do, once you decided on your pan is to cook any root vegetable ingredients. This can take a little longer than some of the other veggies so boil your topping root veggies in a nice large pot with water covering them. Remember the smaller pieces you cut, the less surface area, the faster they'll cook up. Not all veggies have the exact same cook time so be sure to check that when you start. You can certainly keep the skins on and do a "smashed" topping just be careful with anything that's been waxed like jicama or rutabaga and remove ALL the waxy bits before boiling! If you're using root veggies in your center ala carrots or parsnips, chop them and add them to a large deep sauté pan with a little water and start cooking them covered. *If you want to use beets I suggest pressure cooking separately or buying precooked.

2. The rest of the veggies. After the tougher veggies are a little better than halfway cooked, add your other veggies/fungi. You can also feel free at this time to add your flavorings: lipids, wines, spices, dried herbs. If you want to use fresh herbs or citrus, wait until the end. Your veggies should be cooking uncovered at this point and there should be a lot of juices being released and hopefully it's also cooking down quite a bit. Once you have a good amount of juice whisk in your thickener. Again all are different so follow the directions to use the right amount.

3. Once your veggies are nice and soft, and their juices have cooked down and thickened a bit with your flavorings, you can feel free to temper and add your egg if you want to. Or you can stir in any fresh herbs or citrus juices.

4. Lightly grease your pan with your choice of lipid and place your filling mix inside. Get your oven preheating to 425F.

5. Once your topping has finished boiling and those veggies are nice and soft, drain, and mash/smash/rice/food process and add topping flavorings. Dollop that mixture on top of the other veggies, spreading to cover the entire dish right to the corners of the pan. At this point I like to sprinkle a little fresh ground pepper and paprika over the top for that pop of color and yummy flavor. 

6. Then, and this is so easy, pop it in the over for ten minutes. That's it. You can even just broil it for the last couple minutes, essentially this dish is all cooked you're just browning and crisping that top up a bit. 

7. This is also great to make in advance. Cook up your two halves and store them separately. Assemble an hour or so before serving and place in the oven for 1 hour at 375. *About 40 min for a very small one. 

ENJOY!!!!!

BKBTY

Moon Lady

A Song of Moon and Sirene

I met Sirene through Town Sports International and a shared love of African Dance :) It wouldn't be until much later that I would learn her true passion was being an Aerialist. And an extremely talented one too. She approached me about the possibility of a collaboration and I jumped at the chance. The opportunity to let my creativity be as wild as I wanted was a dream! She told me this performance was about visiting the moon and that she wanted her makeup to reflect something dreamlike but deeply feminine. Her mind was drawn strongly to the design motif of the pearl and she wanted to have that reflected in her appearance. So after some e-mailing and a shared pinterest board I came up with a design that amazingly she loved right off. Here is what we made together. 

The Design

we did a cream grey and silver glitter lid.
The pearls are "flat back" for crafting.

I bought these lashes on a whim, being inspired by the
work of Man Ray. Turns out his work was one of Sirene's
inspirations for the look as well!

The finished look. We used latex based lash adhesive for the
pearls, and blue NYX eye crayon for the lips.

I filled in between the pearls with opalescent glitter to catch
the stage lights 

Sirene also had the fun idea to use strand pearls
in the hairstyle, so I wove them in Lizzy Bennet style

Some of the smaller pearls had to applied with
tweezers as they were too small to hold.

At her performance. The pearls stayed on, even upside down!

What a blast! Hope for more in the future!

BKBTY

Mice on a Log!...On a Blog!

The Yule Log or Bûche de Noël

I got really tired of peppermint ice cream, and despite having possibly the most British DNA ever, I cannot find it in me to care for figgy pudding. (I consider it a personal failing.) So I've been making some form of Yule Log for I think seven years now, and I've had lots of successes and a plethora of failures. I've tweaked it, and played around with it a lot and have at last come to a place where I can make it with a great deal less stress or pressure about how it's going to turn out. So you can all thank me if you ever want to try this, for being your test kitchen and failing miserably many times so that we can all now succeed. You'll need a jelly roll pan, some parchment paper, a hand mixer, mixing bowls, a double boiler (two if you're lucky!), a cake froster, and a deep breath! I would like to be able to take more credit for this chocolate fudgy decadence but sadly all I've really done is sought out the best recipes and put them all together. So for you, I give the recipes that comprise my log. With full credit to the original sources. The first step in making your log is the cake part. I really love Nigella Lawson's chocolate jelly roll recipe for this. It's SO moist, and that is the #1 hardest element to get right in a jelly roll cake. It's also gluten free just by virtue that there is no flour in the recipe. (see the original here)

Ingredients:

6 large eggs (separated)

¾ cup superfine sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large, clean bowl (copper if you've got it) use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites until thick and peaking, then, still mixing, sprinkle in ¼ cup of the superfine sugar and continue until the whites are holding their peaks but not dry.
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining superfine sugar until the mixture is moussy (this takes some elbow grease and a little tricep chutzpah), pale and thick. Add the vanilla extract, sieve the unsweetened cocoa over, then fold both in.
4. Lighten the yolk mixture with a couple of dollops of the egg whites, folding them in robustly. Then add the remaining whites in thirds, folding them in carefully to avoid losing the air.
5. Line a Swiss roll pan with parchment, leaving a generous overhang at the ends and sides, and folding the parchment into the corners to help the paper stay anchored.
6. Pour in the cake mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Let the cake cool a little before turning it out onto another piece of baking parchment. *If you dust this piece of parchment with a little confectioners' sugar it may help with preventing stickage, but don’t worry too much as any tears or dents will be covered by icing later. Cover loosely with a clean tea towel.

Once that has begun to cool it's time to start making your icings. I don't use Nigella's. I'm sure it's great, but I use two recipes from one of the GREATEST cook books of all times. The Book of Afternoon Tea by Leslie Mackley. It may be one of my life's secret ambitions to make everything in this book. It's amazing. It's lived in my parent's house since I can remember and it's as much fun to flip through and drool at, as it is to cook from. *Side note: this book was part of a series that included a book of TEX-MEX that is also to die for. A really great series. Still available on Amazon. For the inside I use a half recipe of the filling for the Choc-Almond Meringue.  (Pre halved for you. Double for full)

Ingredients:

3oz 65 - 73% dark chocolate

1.5 tbsp unsalted butter

1.5 tbsp strong coffee (tastes fine with decaf)

1.5 tbsp Kahlúa (original calls for Brandy but I really like coffee liquor)

generous 1/3 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Get your double boiler! Break chocolate into pan and add butter, coffee, and Kahlúa.

2. When all are melted, stir well and put aside to cool. I like best a chilly room or window sill. 

3. *Once the chocolate mixture is fully cooled whip your cream with a hand mixer.

4. Slowly fold whipped cream into fully cooled chocolate. Try not to eat all of....

*I find efficiency-wise, it makes WAY more sense to make the chocolate part of this, and while it's cooling make up the next chocolate icing, then go back to the first and see if it's ready for the whipped cream. Beats waiting around. If for some reason you can't remember which bowl is which--they will look similar--sniff them. Only one has alcohol & coffee.

Second chocolate icing. Yes if you are faint of heart, then you may well be out chocolated by this recipe. I can't help you there. You just need to build up your chocolate endurance. I do find it's really sweetness that can become cloying rather than chocolate per-say so feel free to work with a 70% or 75% and you'll have a much lower sugar content than if you work with a traditional 60%. Standing over all this melted chocolate may well make you want to watch Chocolate, I figure it can only help you maximize your chocolate intake so go for it. For the final icing that covers the log, I use a half of the ganache frosting from the "Double Chocolate Gateau" recipe in the same book. (Pre halved for you. Double for full.)

Ingredients: 

6oz 65-75% dark chocolate

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 tbsp whipping cream

Directions:

1. Got that double boiler ready again?!?!? Break and melt your chocolate in double boiler.

2. Stir in butter and cream. Cool, stirring occasionally until a thick spreading consistency.

Whew! Ok! Once all three elements are assembled it's time to bring that log to life! Remove one piece of parchment exposing one side of cake. With your plate or platter at the ready, using an icing knife or spatula to spread the fluffy whipped cream chocolate filling all over the top of the jelly roll cake.

Then slowly and firmly start to roll your cake keeping it tight enough to keep shape but loose enough so not all your frosting spills out! This is where you want to have that platter ready. Transfer your roll to it's serving plate. With a serrated knife-- I like a sharp bread knife-- cut whichever end you want to be the front on a diagonal so that you end up with a 4-5" piece. 

Wiggle your roll to one side of the platter and place end piece into the cake like a branch :)

When you are happy with the branch placement, cover the entire cake with the ganache. You can either pour it on if it's still a bit in a liquid form, or use a cake froster if it's cooled completely. Spread to cover entire cake including ends. 

Now get creative! This next bit is all your call. You've done the hard part, now enjoy decorating it. you can use a fork or the back of a spoon for different tree bark effects. You can make/buy merengue mushrooms or mushroom shaped truffles. I love to use almond paste or marzipan to make different types of fungi or berries. I also like to use crushed almonds with just a drop of green food coloring to create moss. Super fun and always popular- chocolate mice! Use fresh strawberries and dip them into your molten chocolate. Use almond slices for ears and raisons for a nose. Anything you want!!!

The very last step, is to take about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and sieve it finely over your log to create the look of a light dusting of snow. Do this only right before serving. Powdered sugar absorbs quickly into baked goods and you'll loose the effect if you do it too far in advance.  I like to serve with a hot cup of tea, but generally everyone else wants whipped cream ;) 

ENJOY!!!!

BKBTY

Recipe: Cheddar Bannocks

Cheese Oaten Biscuits

I adapted this recipe from one that comes on the Arrowhead Organic Oat Flower bag. I added a few more spices and a bit more fiber. These little babies are HIGHLY addictive. It's hard to eat just one....

Ingredients:

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (the original recipe calls quick cooking, but these will work well and pack in more fiber.)

1 cup Organic Oat Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Mustard Power

1 pinch Smoked Paprika

1/4 tsp Finely Ground Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 cup Shredded Organic Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Warm Water (+ a touch more if needed)

Directions: 

1. Stir together first six ingredients and preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Cut in butter and Worcestershire with a fork, then stir in cheese. 

3. Add water and knead. Dough should become stiff but able to remain in one ball. If it crumbles and is fully mixed add a touch more water.

4. Divide dough in half and roll each into a circle, 1/4" thick. 

5. Cut each circle into 4 wedges (or farls) and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 20 minutes.

ENJOY!

BKBTY

Nails!!!

Solstice Colors

I went back to my favorite haunt OCC for a fun winter color and chanced upon "blackboard." It's a dark dark evergreen, harkening back to the 1970/early 80's era of green blackboards. It's fun to try and remember them. Mostly I just remember the black blackboards and then the white boards, and then finally the smart boards, which in truth were probably some of the stupidest machines I've ever had to interface with. The number of times one had to recalibrate it. Re-dic. Anyhow, this lovely lacquer will set and STAY! (Hah take that math class! Score one for beauty products!) I decided to pair my pine find with "copper head." A clear base filled with rose gold glitter color that I might be somewhat obsessed with and try to use... a lot... Fairly basic application but a fun little chevron here and there. Beautimus!

BKBTY