Buy Nothing Day & Cookies

So the day after Thanksgiving is unofficially known as 'Buy Nothing Day', a growing little kick in the face to Black Friday. A good friend of mine has a family tradition of doing all their Christmas shopping on Black Friday. It's always amazed me. I made the mistake last year of going to the mall in Jersey City on the Friday after Thanksgiving to look for a lamp. Just a lamp. HUGE mistake.

So this year I was going to try to avoid all shopping and buying in general. There was some hoopla around the effort, many people saying that it wouldn't make a difference anyway because I'd just buy more the day before or after. That's kind of beside the point. I consider it more of an awareness-raiser throughout the day so I'd be thinking more about what I consider needs vs. wants.

Regardless, I failed. We were baking Christmas cookies all day (a little family tradition), and we sent Dad out to buy some baking supplies throughout the day. I also needed to take care of 2 gifts online, before I forgot. In that case I was thinking, "If I don't buy these today, I definitely will tomorrow, if I remember, so I'll just get them today." It was a good try though, and I was definitely more thoughtful of the kinds of things I purchase instead of revamping or borrowing.

Anyway, we baked about 16 kinds of cookies, thanks to Dad's run for more butter (we went through 6 lbs of butter).



Inquire within for recipes to:
mint brownies
pecan tassies
cherry cheesecakes
britzle bars
congo bars (chocolate and butterscotch)
lemon bars
almond bars
7 layer cookies
snickerdoodles
peanut butter blossoms

And just because she's so cute, here's your dose of Lucy:


Listening to: Nick Drake - Saturday Sun

THE table

I get a lot of comments about my dining room table. It's my baby. It's beautiful.

So I figured I'd post about it so you, yes you, can check it out for yourself.

The company that made it is called Sticks, and they make furniture and 'object art'. Anything from tables, to lazy susans, beds, mirrors, gameboards, lamps, dressers, bookcases, chairs, candlesticks... They sell through furniture stores, galleries and boutique distributors all over the US. You can order any of their stuff through these stores, though most stores don't keep a huge stock in-store. I ordered through American Pie on South Street in Philadelphia. It was a custom order based on some other pieces I had seen in the store. I asked for things to be added in like music symbols, an angel on the violin, etc... You can also personalize the written messages around the edge of the table, though they also have standard sayings or nothing at all. As for prices, it really varies. Consider that it will be more than traditional furniture because it is indeed art. You'll obviously pay more for custom than stock pieces.

The chairs are $20 Ikea chairs that come in red, blue and unpainted. We painted the green ones to bring out the brightness of the table.

The Sticks color palettes are amazing, and I love the pretty whimsical designs. Since getting this table, I have chosen my apartments based on how the table will fit and if I can paint the walls around it so that the table is the focus that pulls the room together. And it works. Every time.

Listening to: a conference call at work

Early Thanksgiving

What a weekend! I had 21 people in my 500sf. apartment on saturday night for an early thanksgiving with friends. I would have had more if i thought my floor could handle it, because it was such an amazing opportunity to celebrate with the people in my life!

First, some prep the night before. These are the pies right out of the oven, and the cranberries right before going into the oven. Recipes at the end.


Saturday involved finishing the stuffing, prepping the sourdough biscuits, and then the turkeys (two 10 pounders) and putting them in the oven. I kept the turkey really simple this year, some olive oil, salt & pepper, lots of sage and rosemary. Baked with foil for ~4hrs, another 1hr without foil, they were perfect.

Everyone brought wine or dishes of their own. We had garlic mashed potatoes (10lbs of potatoes! 12 heads of garlic!), broccoli casserole, green beans, pear & cranberry stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin soup, artichoke spinach dip, candied sweet potatoes, pumpkin biscuits... I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but it was all amazing. If only they had the technology for you to experience scents and flavors through computers...

Now here's what a tiny apartment looks like packed to the brim.



Thank you thank you to all that came and made my home a home! Now for the secret family recipes!

Pecan Pie
1 c pecans
3 eggs
1 stick butter
1/4 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c dark karo syrup
1 t vanilla
pinch salt
unbaked pie crust

Sprinkle pecans in pie crust to cover bottom. Melt butter. Mix butter with remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 for 1hr.

Note: this pie never lasts past a single meal. If it does, you'll finish it for breakfast.

Pumpkin Pie
30 oz canned pumpkin
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 t salt
1 can evaporated milk
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
4 eggs
1 c water
2 unbaked pie crusts

Mix. Split into 2 pie crusts. Bake at 425 for 20 mins, then 350 for another 25 or until centers are not jiggly.

Note: This is the best pumpkin pie recipe I've ever tasted. I've never used real pumpkin, and you'll never need to. It's perfect. Every time.

Baked Cranberries
6 c cranberries
2-3 apples, diced (or pear?)
1-2 c sugar
cinnamon
ginger
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c brandy or whiskey (optional)
mint (optional)

Combine all. Add sugar and spices to your taste. Add fresh chopped mint if you please. If you don't use a liquor, add extra water or juice (can use apple too). Cover with foil, bake at 375 for ~40 mins. Remove and stir well, mashing lightly with spoon. Serve warm or chilled, with more mint.

Stuffing (my most favorite dish in the world)
2-3 loaves bread (I used a farmer's whole wheat bread with rye and poppy seeds for extra flavor)
celery
onion
buttermilk
1 stick butter
2-3 eggs
salt & pepper
rosemary and sage

Break up bread into chunks and dry overnight. Chop 2-4 stalks of celery (based on your taste) and 1 onion, set aside. Melt butter, add celery and onion, chopped sage and rosemary. Pour over bread. Add 2 eggs, salt and pepper, a glug of buttermilk. Mix with hands. Add milk and/or egg as needed to get moist (but not mushy) throughout. Bake in turkey or in a separate dish (350 for 40 mins, covered or uncovered whether you like it more or less mushy).

Sourdough Biscuits
1 c sourdough starter
6 c flour
1 t salt
3 T sugar
1 t baking soda
1 T baking powder
2 c buttermilk
1 c shortening
1 pkg yeast (optional)

Well the flour in a bowl, add dry ingredients, add shortening and cut in with pastry cutter until even. Well mixture, add sourdough starter, buttermilk and yeast. Mix with wooden spoon, cover with wax paper and refrigerate a few hours. Flour the working surface, roll out dough to a thickness of ~1", cut with round cutter (or rim of glass) and place in a greased glass or ceramic dish. Bake at 400 for 20mins or lightly browned on top.

Note: Let me know if you're interested in sourdough. I'd be happy to give you some starter and teach you how to keep it and bake with it. These biscuits are glorious!

Listening to: Nutcracker Suite

sustainable living?

So this is a fun little game that determines how many earths it would take to support the global population if they all lived with your current lifestyle. It looks at housing, utilities, transportation, eating and shopping habits, etc...
Apparently, if everyone lived like me, we'd need 4.2 earths to support us. That's just a little shocking isn't it? Part of it is I drive a lot to work (which I'm trying to cut down on), and I fly. To be honest, I'd fly even more if I could, and I must say, I think the benefits of cross-cultural learning and communication far outweigh the costs of a little flight to, say, India, right?
Another thing was coffee consumption, where I'm at about 15 cups a week. However, they're assuming that you buy generic coffee that's flown from poor farmers in Timbuktu. I try to buy New England or Bucks County (PA) coffee, which I'm assuming is grown locally as well, but I'll have to check my labels on that.
Otherwise, I'm doing pretty well. My energy consumption, trash, and food habits put me in the right place... If only I could get rid of that car...

This all fits right into what I'm studying in class this semester. We've covered personal and municipal waste management, residential and community options for decreasing utility usage, pollutant reduction in general, and safe water. Every thing we learn about gets me thinking about how wonderful the house I grew up in was. The whole back of it was glass, so it was solar heated in the winter. We had a trash compactor, so an entire 4-person household put out pretty much 1 bag of trash each week. We also had an outdoor compost which contributed to our garden which provided nearly all our vegetables through summer and fall. I've thought about composting here, but can't yet figure out what to do with the compost once I get it going. There's a community garden down the street, but they haven't replied to my emails yet...

What's your score, and what changes have you considered to live a more sustainable life?

listening to: NPR News

apron success!

Fabric: 1 yd each of two fabrics
Pattern: reversible apron, from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing
Time: ~2 hrs including cutting pattern pieces, sewing, pressing, and finishing
Skill Level: Easy, there were no special stitches, nothing tricky about aligning pieces.
Extras: You can add pockets, applique, other fun stuff. I kept it basic since I love the prints so much.


I was going to crop the picture so you could see more of the apron, but look how nice the swatch portraits look on the wall! The one up on the top in the middle is even the same fabric!


Detail of the topstitching with a perfect teal thread I found buried. It was one that came in those sewing kits you get at the grocery store. All of them are such weird colors like teal, bright pink and yellow... You never know what will work.

Sewing has been so fulfilling lately! Quick projects like aprons, totebags and computer cases are so much easier and quicker than clothing, I've really gotten to practice some basic skills and get better with my machine. I might be ready to finally take on a patterned dress again. If you've been scared of sewing, I can recommend some of these basic and fun patterns I've done lately to get you started. It allows so much freedom in choosing fabrics and details that inspire you. I just love looking around my apartment and seeing lots of little things that I've made!

listening to: Veruca Salt - Twinstar

quiet night

I feel the beginnings of a nasty cold coming on and have decided to stay home from orchestra rehearsal to take care of myself, that and start working on this reversible apron that's been cut out for a month. It's the same fabric from the totebag I made last month.


I'm going to need it this weekend. I'm hosting ~20 people for an early Thanksgiving dinner. I'm only making the turkey, stuffing, and pies, and everyone else is bring drinks or a dish from their family's traditional dinner. It was one of those things that just kept growing and growing. I love hosting people for dinner, but from now on I'll have to keep it to smaller groups! My poor apartment can barely hold 20 people standing, this is going to be very interesting. More details on the menu and seating issue resolution as the week unfolds...

listening to: The Beatles - Long Long Long

Yoga + Dancing = Pain

I started going to yoga again, after a year or so of not using about half of my muscles apparently. There are muscles hurting that I didn't know existed. Particularly in my back. It's fascinating really. And it's not like you can stretch more before or after yoga. Before, I used to take a more restorative type of yoga, and these classes have been very fast-paced, strength-building. It's great, and I feel so much stronger already, but dear god, it hurts.

And today we went to Dance Dance Party Party again, and it was as fun as I remember. Imagine a dance studio, lights turned down, multi-colored disco ball glowing, a dance mix playing loudly, and 10-15 women of all ages, shakin' it like nobody's watching. I'm telling you, if you are a woman (sorry guys...) and you live near NY, Providence RI, Chicago, Austin, or LA -- GO! If the other cities are anything like NY's, it is the most energetic, judgement-free fun you will ever have! I'd really love to make it a weekly thing, so we'll see if I can work out the Sundays.

So with yoga and dancing kicking my butt this weekend, I am a sore lady. Wrapping up the night with some tea and tylenol.

listening to: Jai Uttal - Durga Pahimam

in love with google reader

Courtney's visit was successful on many levels, but primarily because she has now hooked me on google reader. In my trend report it tells me, "From your 33 subscriptions, in the last 2 weeks you read 515 items and starred 14 items." 515 Items! That I CARE about! Instead of just catching a glimpse of 3 worthless news items shoved in my face by some worthless news agency. I love the control, the ownership, i feel when reading a design blog entry, a new recipe, a relevant snippet of news... just brilliant!

Here are some of the best of the best:

• smitten kitchen's pumpkin black bean soup recipe


• craft's apron contest (i'm entering 1950's frilly apron i made a year or 2 ago)


• via feministing: feminism is...

In other news, the swatch portraits are done, sorry about the picture, but you get the idea!


listening to: Feist - One Evening