Fiber Artist
I have made progress, just not as quickly as I had expected. I finished the beading on Precious Metals: Osmium. I am now auditioning fabrics for the binding. Finding a bluish-gray bead or fabric is a problem. I think the blend of beads creates that bluish-gray effect, but it is more difficult with fabric. Perhaps […]
I’ve made several trips to Sauvie Island and shared some of what I found here. On Sunday I made a visit with two friends who know the island well and where the best places for picking wild blackberries are. The berry patches were huge and heavy with plump, ripe fruit. I haven’t picked wild blackberries […]
I barely squeaked in a batch of marmalade last year so I’m determined to get with it this year and stock some favorites. The citrus that is available now is just too wonderful to ignore, both fresh and for creating marmalade. This week I turned lemons and pink grapefruit into one of my favorites. The fun […]
Fresh cranberries arrive in the markets before Thanksgiving, just in time to create those wonderful relishes we all love for our celebration dinner table. I usually purchase a few extra bags just before Christmas because they begin to fade from market shelves in January. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to make some marmalade, Cranberry-Pomegranate […]
This is the last squash from our weekly box of vegetables. I loved the big bold stem on this small pumpkin. Click on image for a larger view. I did, in fact, use it in a pumpkin-chicken curry dish. Yum!
A bit of excitement here — yesterday we received the first box of vegetables from Shooting Star CSA. Deliveries will continue each Tuesday through the end of November. I couldn’t wait to dive in! I made Radish-Top Soup with Lemon and Yogurt from Deborah Madison’s new book, Vegetable Literacy. Yum! You can see more about […]
I’m in Santa Fe for a SAQA conference and had a morning open. My friend Carol Larson suggested a class on mole at Santa Fe School of Cooking and I said, “Count me in!” David joined us and we had a great time. Chef Tracy Ritter took us through an historic background on chocolate, a […]
Spring officially arrives on the 21st of the month but my Buddha Hand tree doesn’t keep a calendar. It is loaded with blossoms and nearly every cluster has a fruit well on its way. See the small one developing just NE of the open blossom? This fruit is already about 5 inches long. A few […]
Our Early Girl tomato plants have been very productive this year. We’ve enjoyed the fruit steadily all summer and, even though it’s November, the fruit continues to ripen in our mild weather. Time to try another of Rachel Saunders’ recipes from The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook! I love marmalade so what could be better than […]
The final touches were completed this morning. I was successful in getting a variety of designs and design sizes in this small quilt so I’m pleased with the outcome. This series is quite fun! I have #5 ready to quilt and #6 is mentally being pulled together. And here’s the back Who knows when this […]
I’m visiting my sister this week and we each have lots of fun projects in mind. One of the things that Christy has had in mind for a while is working out a way to hide cubby shelves under some cabinets in her kitchen. They are little catch-all spots that are handy but not attractive. […]
We had several friends at our home for dinner Easter Sunday. It was a great opportunity to work on my skills at making a tart because my friend Peter was there and what he doesn’t know about cooking isn’t worth mentioning. I had sweet pastry dough in the freezer (I brought it home from his […]
I am having my own Julie & Julia experience with Rachel Saunders’ Blue Chair Cookbook. Professional cooks refer to her as the Czar of Jam. I purchased her book last year as a Christmas gift for a friend. I realized upon opening it that I had to have my own copy. Rachel is a local girl […]
