Martha Stewart's Meatless

I knew it was going to be good, and it is. That bitch knows how to COOK. There, I said it.

Every. Single. Page. has a recipe that I would gladly consume.

This was the first thing I made from it and it was a WINNER.

page 215 from Meatless:
1 bunch broccoli rabe, rinsed and trimmed
1 1/2 c. cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 Tbs. EVOO
coarse salt
1c. part-skim ricota cheese (we used FF from Trader Joe's and WAY less than 1c)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
crushed red pepper flakes

1. Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heating source. (Or cook super high, like at 425/450 until crispy).
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss broccoli rabe, chickpeas, and garlic with olive oil; seasons with salt.
3. Spread in a single layer and broil 2 minutes, then flip broccoli rabe and continue to broil until leaves are crisp and steams are tender, about 2 minutes more.
4. To serve, put a little lemon juice, some ricotta and the crushed red pepper flakes and ya, amazing.

Eggplant Wraps

Another quick dinner idea adapted from a veggie cookbook (I can't remember what it's called and it's not that great, so don't be sad I can't recall) but this was good:

Cut up an eggplant into medallions. Rub it with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. We cooked it at 450 for about 20 minutes.
Dry off some roasted red peppers - get all that oil off.
Then layer on a tortilla (like an Italian taco!) or whatever bread-like item you have at home:

ricotta cheese (1-2 Tbs) with some salt and pepper sprinkled on it
basil (I did about 4 leaves per wrap)
Then a good chunk of roasted red peppers
Then the medallions of eggplant

Voila! Dinner is ready. It was yummy and required minimal effort. Who could ask for more??

Snacky Snack for Fancy Fancies

Do you ever just want a snacky dinner? Like a lavish platter of things to nosh on? Why don't we ever entertain ourselves? I would totally put this spread out for company but I'd never thought of just having it on a quiet-177-episodes-of-whatever-and-catching-up-on-embroidery kind of night but then I did and it was awesome.

We had:
1. little bit of hummus with carrots, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower & watermelon radishes
2. fig jam
3. apricot cheese and light brie
4. pepperoncinis
5. medjool dates
6. pink lady apple
7. black olives
8. some bread. Duh.

Most of these things were in our fridge, leftovers or from a quick trip to Trader Joe's.

Put on some pajamas, get into your nest, and just nosh. Perfect for a lovely evening of not cooking!

What about craft ruts?

A coworker of mine was recently telling me that he was feeling depressed and he realized it was from not being able to paint. He is an amazing painter but since he and his wife moved earlier this year, he had to pack his paint up. Their new place isn't conducive and then work picked up and then he had to apply for his job and then it was MONTHS later and he hadn't painted at all. During grad school, someone told me "you've lost your spark" and it made me so very sad. So I took a week off at Thanksgiving and put glitter on everything I could. Squirrels gotta craft, ya heard??

When there are regular life lulls there are still opportunities to craft and a 30-day challenge is just the thing that might help you through the rut (or through having packed up supplies or a rough schedule). Even in the roughest parts of grad school I'd have a minute every day that I could craft.

30 Days of Lists is a good one, run by a friend of mine (Kam! of Campfire Chic) and her friend Amy (Lemons & Raspberry). They do it a couple times a year and it's fun. I signed up for one, it will probably take me like 4 months to complete, but if you weren't trying to get rid of a ton of crafts like me, it would take 30 days:
http://30daysoflists.com/

Kam just launched an app for writers too called Write365 for iphones. She is amazing.

I just started this one and I'm doing it with my gentleman. It's fun being able to talk through the creative process with someone else; a full email conversation about things that begin with "g" is thrilling. At the end of the challenge we're going to scrap it a la 30 Days.

How do you combat hurdles to your creativity??

Lampshade Mappin'

This was one of those stuff-I-have-lying-sround crafts. Two lampshades, a map I couldn't figure out where to hang, some Zots, a free night...you know the story. 

When the light is off, the shade looks white, which makes this a fun surprise. The map was $5 at a vintage shop in my old town and the shades we had because it took so long to find attach-at-the-top shades that I just bought them in white so I could make decisions about them later. 

I started by turning the shade so the hardware was on the floor. Then I unrolled the map inside it, marking the top of the shade so I could cut it. The longitudinal lines on the map made for great cutting guides! 

I didn't want to ruin the shade in case we get bored of the map or want a change so I just spaced Zots at 3-inch intervals at the top and bottom. It gapped a little so I folded it at intervals around the lamp. It is certainly not perfect up close - there are gaps and folds but overall the effect is pretty. 

Craftgawker

I hate Pinterest: there, I said it.

I always feel sort of lost and pressured - it makes me feel like Alice in Wonderland but not in a good way. In the nasty, scary forest kind of way. Things peeking at me in the dark, reminding me of my insecurities, flowers mocking me. I think it's a good idea, it just doesn't work for me.

I do however recommend Craftgawker. Think of it as a bite-size version of Pinterest. Ideas about everything from jewelry to how to display things in your home to papercraft ideas. It comes in mobile version too so instead of playing a round or two of Bejeweled Blitz, I sift through some inspirational craft ideas and save the ones I like.

Here's the logo:

There are often cute FREE printables too.

There are a few things posted every day so you don't feel like you're missing things and the ideas are varied - some for punks, some for moms, some for punk moms.

Try and it and see if you like it too!

Giada's Fancy Jarred Pee Drink

We have a lemon tree in the back yard and I'm never sure what to do with it. It bears a ton of small, nearly juice-less lemons so I have been wanting to find a recipe that would allow me to use the delicious zest and not require much by way of juice...in walks limoncello.

Giada De Laurentiis has a fantastic recipe that only requires a few ingredients and is easy to make. I am not blessed with a lot of patience but watching the jar turn yellow was a perk as we waiting the requisite days. AND I DO MEAN DAYS. I think the waiting is the most important part, so don't rush it!!

I did not follow her recipe exactly but close enough.

I did not:
- Trim the white part of the lemon peels. Our peels are so tiny, I would have cut myself and I doubt it added much to the drink to painstakingly peel the white away - there wasn't much anyhoo.
- Wait for the sugar syrup to cool completely - I kinda just dumped it in and kept on goin'.
- I split it into 2 jars because I didn't have a larger one.

All said and done, it is delicious and I can't wait to share with company!

For the full recipe, go here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/limoncello-recipe/index.html

Cotton Candy Bouquet

I'm happy to share yet another cheapie Valentine craft with you!

Daiso and the Target $1 section are my favorite craft supply vendors outside of thrift stores and they are seriously delivering this season.

Daiso sells these packs of paper flowers for $1.50 year-round and in an exciting array of colors. I chose these because, well, I've already confessed my love affair with valentines:

Straws were uncovered at Target for $1. I of course bought as many packs as I can find because I had no less than 4 ideas of what to do with them:

The flower frogs were already part of my stash and I highly recommend picking at least a couple up as they provide many craft opportunities.

Here are the steps:
1. Fluff paper flowers according to Daiso instructions. Don't feel like you have to treat them like baby chicks - they can take it!
2. Pull the twist tie on the flower taut and stick it into the top of the straw
3. Add to flower frog and voila! Romance!

Beeee Mine, Valentine

I am a sucker for a cheap craft and this one was less than a few bucks.

These little bags are $1.50 at Daiso:

These stickers, "Roller Rink" Thickers, were picked up for $1.49 at Tuesday Morning:

The little heart doilies were in my craft stash but can be picked up rather easily around this time of year at an number of stores (I know they're at Michael's). And the remaining ingredients were red and white paperclips.

Steps:
1. Fluff out your bags
2. Add your stickers to the hearts
3. Roll the tops of the bags down, I did about 1.5 inches
4. Paper clip the hearts to the bags
5. Arrange and let your family and friends fawn

I didn't use tape or staples because these beauties stay up on their own and I wanted to use them next year (and the next and the next).

Welcome to Craftyland!

Writers have to write so it only follows that squirrels gotta craft, am I right?

Since we moved to the Bay Area, I've been overwhelmed with the need to make. There is something in the air up here that makes you want to pull out your scissors and CRAFT.

It's my favorite time of the year, winter, when cocoa and long-johns happen but, having been a Southern California girl all my life, my love of winter was kind of a farce. Now I can walk to the bus stop with 2 pairs of pants on and four tops and still be cold. It honestly makes me so happy.

Winter also means the preparations for winter holidays which include, for my little family, personal celebrations as well. We were married in January and my birthday and my dad's birthday are also this month. February brings my favorite holiday of all, St. Valentine's Day, when everything is red and pink and white all over. Glitter is my favorite color and it is everywhere this time of year!

I'll be blogging about food and drink and crafts and merriment on this blog. Join me for ideas to add a little whimsy to your life and home!