Pretty Darn Great

Baked Artichoke Squares

Its Memorial Day weekend. There's a barbecue today, wasn't sure I'd be able to go until last minute but as I am I needed to bring something. Since appetizery things were the only things left available on the list I was excited to try out a Baked Artichoke Squares recipe I've had my eye on for a while.

Though it required some prep work (chopping an onion and a couple of jars of artichoke hearts, shredding a couple of cups of cheese) it was easy. Once I'd finished crying after the onion dicing I saute-ed it in the artichoke juices, along with some garlic.

(Above) Onions getting all fragrant and sauteed

After that it was just about mixing in the artichokes and cheese and a couple of other tasty things.

(Above) Artichokes and cheese ready to be mixed

Recipe called for a 9 x 9 pan and all I had was an 8 x 8 or a 9 x 13. I went for the 8 x 8 and upped the bake time until they were done. They were a little les firm than I would have liked but they were ridiculously delicious. Got multiple recipe requests, will be bringing these around again.

(Above) Cheesy oniony artichoky squares before the barbecue

(Above) And after!

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: Baked Artichoke Squares from Shutterbean (http://www.shutterbean.com/2012/baked-artichoke-squares/).

Modifications: Used a smaller pan. Save yourself the guesswork and use the correct size one.

Monograph Monday - Phantoms, Saints, and Lots of Salt Water

What's been making my metro commute bearable? This week its been the following:

The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux (ISBN: 1434102602) -- Am about 5% through this, and things are just starting to ramp up. Christine's had her star-making performance and there's a mysterious ghost skulking around the Paris Opera House. Don't know if it was in the original or just in the transcription I'm reading but there are AWESOME ALL CAPITAL STATEMENTS throughout, am enjoying the melodrama so far.

Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, by R. Andrew Chesnut (ISBN: 0199764662) -- am about 10% through this. Beloved of criminals and others with desperate causes, Santa Muerte is "the anti-Virgin of Guadelupe", a folk saint personifying death who heals, protects, and delivers. Still in the beginning of this book, am sorting through her billions of nicknames (La Flaquita, La Hermana Blanca, La Dama Poderosa, etc etc etc) and her history.

Lifeboat: A Novel, by Charlotte Rogan (ISBN: 0316185906) -- just finished this last week. Its 1914, a luxury liner sinks, and our narrator ends up on a lifeboat with 38 other people. While the story of physical survival and interpersonal conflict was interesting, the way that the author bit by bit reveals the character of the narrator and her motives was even more so.

Two-Glass Dishcloths

This is not the most exciting knitting project. Its one I've done several times before. But it is what happens when you have more square dishcloths than any household could use, the desire to have distinct sets for bathroom and kitchen use, and some spare time.   Voila patch-worked circle cloths for mopping up kitchen spills!

Love the pattern - could do it in my sleep, did do it during a no-dinner-but-two-glass-of-wine craft night and even though I KNOW I messed up the pattern was able to easily recover.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: A few balls of of Lily Sugar and Cream cotton yarn; Size 6 straight knitting needles

Patterns: Petal dishcloth from http://www.groupepp.com/dishbout/kpatterns/petal.html

Warnings: If you're a loose knitter definitely recommend working with the smaller needles, though know that the cloths will be a little smaller.

Fruit Salad Bonanza

Maybe its knowing I'll be in California for a too-brief weekend next month, maybe its the warmer weather, maybe its the sad fruit I see in the work cafeteria but for the last several weeks its been fruit salad all the time at the house.

(Above) The result of a lot of fruit chopping

I cut up a cantaloupe, some oranges and whatever else I have lying around, package it up in a jar, throw in some lime juice so things don't brown in an unappealing way, throw it in the fridge, then into my bag in the morning so I can have some for breakfast and then as an afternoon snack. Exciting? No. Better than hitting the snack machine on the ground floor? Absolutely.

Planting Season Started - Basil and Peppers

Started spring planting over the weekend - three pots of peppers and one of basil. This first week of planting is nerve racking with the will-they or won't-they grow anxiety but really can't wait to see what comes up and get those seedlings out in the fresh spring air.

(Above) Ready, Set, Grow!

Still-Very-Good-But-Maybe-A-Little-Less-Butter-Next-Time Turtle Bars

Go to my office holiday party with only one kind of baked good? Puhleeze. As a incurable over-baker I knew I needed to bring something else. And as a lover of turtle bars was curious to try these lovelies out.

The recipe was a super easy three layers - pressed crumb crust, caramel and chocolate. With the KitchenAid mixer still out from the Raspberry Bars I made earlier in the week I set to the easy work of making the crust and then pressing it into a parchment-papered pan.

(Above) Top to bottom - pecans, crust, parchment, pan

Once that was done sprinkled pecans and got to caramel making. Was a little nervous with the hot sugar but it all came off without burning me or the caramel. The recipe involved Lots of Butter which I hadn't seen before - smelled and looked carmel-ish but was thinner than the sugar and water versions I've made before.

(Above) The caramel, behaving itself

Once the caramel was finished, poured it over the crumbs and pecans and popped the pan in the oven for 20 minutes (enough time to manage the cleaning up and grab a second to rest). After its 20 took it out of the oven and poured chocolate chips over it. Let them hang out for five minutes or so to get melty, then spread them evenly across the top.

Didn't end up cutting the bars until the next morning before leaving for work. The chocolate was still pretty soft and I could see traces of butter from the caramel I think that had seeped up through the top. But a taste told me that they were still very delicious, and they were a popular part of the party's heavily laden dessert table.

(Above) Bars all packed up to go!

 

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: Turtle Bars from A Southern Fairytale (http://asouthernfairytale.com/2011/09/25/turtle-bars/).

Modifications: Used fantastic easy lovely parchment paper rather than buttering the pan.

Warnings: It's probably best to stick with the recipe (had people ask me for it so really they are good) but when I make this again I want to try the caramel with a quarter less butter and see if it makes a difference.

Raspberry Crumb Squares

Years ago I made Christmas cards. And then it moved to New Years cards for a couple of years. Now (and for the last several years) its been Valentines.

Which is all to way say I understand and empathize with the belated Holiday Hoopla that's happening at my office this week. I promised to bring some sweets to the gathering and started baking over the weekend. First up? Some Raspberry Crumb Squares.

These were easy peasy to make. Crumb crust patted into a parchment lined pan, raspberry jam spread across, and then another layer of crumb topping on top.

(Above) Crust and jam done, top crust to go

The recipe makes a fair number of pieces, and was totally delicious. I recommend it if you need some (well, lots) of bars to bring to a hootenanny. Will report back on their success.

(Above) Delicious and done and packed to go

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: Raspberry Crumb Squares from Big Girls Small Kitchen (http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2011/09/recipe-flash-raspberry-crumb-squares.html).

Modifications: An extra 5 minutes in the oven but that's because my oven runs a tad cold.

Warnings: The recipe says that the crumb mixture should be mixed until creamy - mine never really did get that way but it still worked wonderfully.

Still Loving Steel Cut Oats

I started making steel cut oats to bring in for breakfast a couple of years ago but after a close call with a container almost opening in my bag I avoided them for a while. Until this winter when I bought some pint-sized mason jars to put gifts in and had some extras left over. Finally, a container that I could guarantee wouldn't open and that I could still use in the microwave. Hurrah!

(Above) Jars filled up and ready to take to work this week

I've been using Alton Brown's recipe with a few modifications (no butter when toasting the oats, slightly longer cooking time). I usually toss in some of whatever fruit I have on hand and a little bit of brown sugar - adore it and love that its about one fifth the price of something similar though not as tasty at the cafeteria.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: Modified version of Alton Brown's Steel Cut Oats recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steel-cut-oatmeal-recipe/index.html).

Modifications: Dry toasting the oats and longer cooking time. Like an extra 10 minutes longer.

Warnings: If you're thinking of not rinsing out the jar after you've had the oatmeal and just taking it home dirty and throwing it into the dishwasher, reconsider. Don't know if its the milk in the recipe or what but they do not smell pleasant after being reopened. Seriously - rinse out the jar and take it home at least mostly clean.

Wreathed In Brights

This winter's been strange here in VA - freezing then unseasonably warm then gorgeous rainy then gorgeous sunny then some other craziness with wind mixed in. Basically anything but consistently cold and snowy as I always thought East Coast winters should be (and usually are). But one thing that's remained characteristically winter-bleak? The trees are all still dreary grey bare.

(Above) Balcony view of lots of bare grey brown branches

So even though its been a weatherly-weird one its been a loooooong winter and this woman needed some extra color in her life. Looking at a package of tissue paper and an unused wreath form, I knew just what to do.

(Above) What it takes to make a wreath - paper, scissors, a form, and lots of hot glue

I pulled out full sheets of five colors (red, orange, magenta, pale peach, and pale pink) and made three flowers from each sheet:

• first cut the sheet and half, then cut that half into equal quarters to make the larger flower (four pieces of tissue paper all together)
• then took the other half, cut it in half, and made quarters of each half to make the two smaller flowers (eight pieces of tissue paper all together)

Made the flowers using the usual method. They're quick to do, made one set of each color before I started gluing so I had a variety to work with. Then I started by gluing large flowers around the wreath and filling in with the smaller ones, trying to keep the colors as mixed as possible. I kept making flowers and gluing them on until the wreath was filled and/or I'd had enough (I'll never tell).

(Above) Done, and hanging up by the window thanks to the thermostat

Love it. Know that with the way that tissue paper fades and collects dust it won't last forever but for right now its bright flowers were exactly what the weather ordered.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: Colored tissue paper, scissors, foam wreath form, glue gun, yarn or string to tie off flowers

Pattern: I wrote up some instructions for making these flowers with cocktail napkins a while back that should be able to get you through it.

Warnings: Hot glue is, well, hot. Take close care to not burn your fingers while gluing.

Wine and Rum, Knitted Up

When I was home in CA over Thanksgiving, my sister Bug and I met up for lunch and shopping over in Rockridge. That part of Oakland is about halfway between where I was visiting and where she lives (okay closer to me but she's sweet like that to take the longer trip) and is jammed with the most adorable shops packed with things that seem absolutely necessary or at least far too cute to leave behind. Like the knitted booze-bottle-sock I saw.

(Above) So cute I took a picture so I would remember later to look up a pattern

I didn't take it home with me but once I got back I started looking for patterns so I could knit something similar for wine bottles. Found several that made little wine sweaters with arms but I adapted them to a) not have arms and b) work with two strands of yarn knitted together since I was looking for a marled look.

(Above) Success! With embroidery!

I made a few of them, playing with the numbers of stitches, the degrees of decreases, and the placement of the writing-stripe. The embroidery was easy, the only tough part being getting the yarn through the needle eye.

(Above) Vin, Vino, Wine - pick your language, it's all delicious

The best part? Once I got confident working with wine bottles it was easy to adapt to working with liquor ones. One of my best girls is more of a Rum-fan than Wine-fan so I knitted up one for a fifth of Captain Morgan's. Didn't take long to do and it was the favorite thing I made this Christmas.

(Above) Captain Morgan, at the ready!

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: Worsted-Weight acrylic yarn and Fingering-Weight sparkly yarn knotted together.

Patterns:  Check out Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) and look up patterns for wine socks

Warnings: Try it on the bottle as you go and adapt accordingly. Using stockinette stitch while knitting in the round looks pretty but doesn't seem to have much give so don't be afraid to add a couple of stitches at the beginning - better its a little big than too small.