Pretty, Pretty Pumpkin Time

I looooove pumpkins - they make good eats. For Thanksgiving, we have glorious pumpkin pies (plural) because one is not enough. My parents recently traveled to the States and they picked up this interesting confection:

Maine Root - a New England soda manufacturer
http://www.maineroot.com/

I haven't tried the Jones Cola seasonal experiments but I have luckily tried this. I have to admit, it isn't half bad. I did find it really, really sweet and if they'd cut back on that ol' sweetener, I'd try it again.

On another note, the Autumn Longo's magazine is terrific. They have an AMAZING recipe for Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake. In the magazine they layered it with Marscapone Icing (!) which I did not do. It is simply good enough without it. The plan was to bring this cake to work, however Mr. B and I stuffed our faces with it pretty quickly. Enjoy this wonderful link!

All Signals Are Down

Damn. Typically when you start a blog, you write frequently. Unfortunately, no sooner than I have begun this blog, I have loss my internet access at home. So until I have the time to research a supplier, this page will become a tad static. Unless I blog at work. I don't think I recommend that, yet that is what I am doing now!

Working and Reading

Life has been busy these days. For the next month and a half, I am working 7 days a week. I have found out one of my so-called "stable jobs" is ending in April, 2012 and I am working my butt off to save money for the impending change. I have also been working on a contract too. Together, I have little choice and I am consigned to be a "slave to the man." Oh, and to add icing to the cake, I am on a board for an art gallery.

I also commute (god, could this blog entry get any more depressing) and I have been reading quite a bit.

I finished reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. The book is quite popular at the moment because of the film and it was on the New York Times Bestsellers list. I often saw it in the bookstore but the cover never compelled me to pick it up. Birds on a wire. Blah. Had I known it was about black housemaids in the late fifties in the American South, not some dippy love story, I would have actually picked it up.

"The Help" is a wonderful book. Yes, it is light read. A pretty basic plot of black maids telling their housekeeping stories of the prejudice in their lives to a white author. The characters are terrific. The bad ones you hate, the good ones you applaud. It is a page turner with some funny parts too. What was my commuter book turned into my after dinner book, before bedtime book and lunch book. Highly recommend it.

Tomato Sauce: Part Two!

Of the baked tomato sauce that I created, I placed about half aside to make a roasted pepper sauce. Trick is, I don't have a bbq to roast my peppers. I have heard that you can roast them under a broiler or on the flame of your oven. I thought I would try this:

I placed a piece of foil on my coil burner and rested the pepper on top....

...slowly it began to cook and blister....

...and despite how sometimes the pepper would stick to the foil, the results we excellent!

I washed off the skin with water, chopped it into chunks, added it with my tomato sauce to my magic bullet and voila! a really, really awesome sauce. It is so yummy, if you made it in a large enough quantity you could serve it as an incredible soup. Yes, I licked the blades of the bender. No, you shouldn't do that.

Yum yum yum, roasted pepper sauce!!!

Tomato Time! Part One!

I have been fortunate to receive some tomatoes from my parents garden and have gathered some of these plump babies from the local farmers market. Here is a super easy recipe for tomato sauce which is great to freeze and enjoy in the cold winter months.

Quantities are not important here. You can make a large batch or small.

These are all the ingredients you need: tomatoes, garlic,
a good olive oil, basil and a little bit of salt and pepper.

First, peel your tomatoes by scoring their bottoms with a knife, making an x. Drop these into some boiling water for about 30 seconds, spoon out and the skins peel right off.

Next, cut the tomatoes into slices and lay in an oven proof glass pan. Julienne your basil, dice your garlic (however much you want, I used 3 large cloves) and cover the tomatoes with olive oil. Be generous with your oil, covering the bottom of the dish.

Cover your pan with foil, leaving two corners turned up so you let the moisture escape. Put into a 300 degree oven and let that sucker cook for a long time. About two hours, or more if you'd like. I would check it at hour two... the tomatoes may start to burn. Not all is lost at this point though. Those bits are super sweet and awesome in your pasta sauce.

Take your sauce and blender it (I use a magic bullet) or just leave be and you have your yummy sauce!

Frogging the Birds

Hmph. In a not-so-surprising turn of knitting, I was so close to the end of my sweater front (the pattern from the 50's that I have written about earlier in this blog).

Damn, the sweater was about 8 inches too long.

Gotta frog them birdies.

Next time I may add the beak colour of the birds...maybe...

On a related note, The Guardian has a mini-photo album of Kate Jenkin's work...she is quite famous overseas. Here are some pictures of her work....much more successful than mine!

They have a lot of canned hotdogs in the UK.
Heaven knows why.

The fishies are pretty.

Look at the detail in this one!!! She must have stitched
in the parliament after crocheting the bottle.

Makes me HaPpY!

This was sent to me by a friend. I LOVE the STUPID MUSIC....oh and the cake is pretty darn cool too.
From the site Cake Wrecks, which is a super blog that documents bad cake making.

If you don't have time to watch this video at work, then check out this little project using crayons:

One of the many things you can do with a heat gun.
Better than plastic-ing windows. See the project here.

Dye oh My!

Check out this dye job on How about Orange! I once took a class in cyanotype and this is basically the same dye: light sensitive, solid colour.

The product is called Inkodye. Hmm. Wonder if it is only available
in the States...can't imagine what duty would be on chemicals....

Reading....Walking the Dog by David Hughes

When I went to art school, I studied drawing. I still have a great soft spot for drawing.

I purchased this book in Brighton, England at a bookstore on the main road. It was a great store and I am sorry I can't remember the name because I would recommend it to you. As soon as I saw it, I recognized the great style of David Hughes and had to purchase it. "There is no damn way I can get this in Canada and it would be three times the price," I said to my friend.

(Later I would be overweight on my luggage for all the books I lugged back. Not including my cast iron penny bank either. Funny, I forgot you can order books online. Usually art books cost more, ignoring the fact I did pay in sterling. Christ I don't know why I bought it. Maybe cause I loved the drawings? It weighed a ton in my luggage.)

The story of "Walking the Dog" is very simple. Hughes is told to exercise, drink less, and eat less red meat. His family tells him to get a dog and they buy him one for his birthday, a wired hair fox terrier. He walks the dog, contemplates his mortality. Everyone he comes across says, "My _________ used to have a fox terrier but it died...." The poor dude is constantly reminded about death.

He begins to think of all the people he has known who have died. From his brother and father, to Marilyn Monroe and Elvis.

Can I mention the book is funny? Funny in a morbid way. And all his characters are so quintessentially British. Bad teeth, rosacea from drinking, tweed. And the poop bag! He captures the doggie poop walk perfectly. If you have a dog, you know this walk.

My Darling Dog Penny
(she hates this picture and this tiara)

I have a personal connection to this book. I started reading this book in Brighton and there is a moment where he visits Brighton in the book and draws the pier...

The Brighton Pier, roller-coasters and games galore.

And I missed my dog....

Dogs outside of my friend's flat...

And my Dad has been told to start exercising because of his own heart. Yes, this book speaks to me on so many levels. It's deep, man.

Check out the copyright page. This page alone is a reason to get this book. Oh and the portrait of his Mom when she is ironing.

If you want to read an actual review of this book, following this link. She says the book lacks a story however she also mentions she read the book drunk. As a book reviewer, should you mention you are reviewing a book in an alcohol haze? She says you can read this book in one sitting. I don't believe it. There is too much writing and detail. I have issues with the review as you can tell, but not with the book.

Crafty Birds

This little story is rather apropos as my close friend is setting up a jewelry making business at the moment...

On the weekend, I went to a family BBQ. A common site at any family gathering of my boyfriend's are his parents who often bring their bird, a red feathered macaw named Luna. They raise all sorts of birds, but it is Luna, naturally, who gets the most attention. They will bring her and her stand along, have her crawl all over them, rip off their buttons, tear their shirts. It's quite the site. (Sorry I forgot the camera.)

This is what Luna looks like a la Wikipedia.

I discovered Luna has a neat trick. She takes the centers out of Toonies! She grabs the toonie, moves it around with her weird black tongue, where she sort of twirls it, almost as though her tongue is reading braille or the writing on coin. Honestly, its all over in less than 2 minutes. You hear a click, and the center falls to the ground!

Luna's Mom takes the broken coins to the bank, but as she says, "I don't tell them a bird did it." Can you imagine? I am sure the Canadian Mint would LOVE Luna!

I'm going to take these coins and turn them into earrings! I think my friend should employ this bird... (her cat wouldn't like that though.) Do you remember when toonies came out and they said the centers 'may' pop out and all us crafters tried and tried and tried. Try Luna!

Bee Keeper's Quilt.

Some people are very, very involved in their projects. I like to knit. I'm not good at it. I try.

Check out this fun pattern and watch this video (I'm certain you won't get through it all, I didn't).

I'm happy some people are happy with their knitting.

Tiny Owl Knit's Bee Keeper's Quilt

Sometimes We Overdo It

....Mr. B whispers in my ear, "I don't like it - do I have to eat it?".....

Honestly, it is a good salad(!) Yet, I overdid it.

The 4 B Salad.

There are no measurements for this recipe. It is just a combination of 4 "B's": Beets, Blueberries, Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar. And trust me, it is a delicious salad. I quickly learned that too much Blue Cheese makes everything taste like Blue Cheese. The delicate flavour of the blueberries gets lost fast.

I am going to blame how much Blue Cheese they put into a package - I couldn't put in half of the cheese I had available, because what would I possibly do with my leftover cheese. It's their fault!

Damn I ruined the whole salad. And you know it isn't a success when you bring it to a gathering and you keep looking at peoples plates and see it untouched. #@%&!!!!!!!

....so I say to Mr. B: "It's okay, you don't have to finish it."

"I don't think I like blue cheese," says Mr. B.

I don't think many people like the salad, I think to myself.

Finally Vietnamese Coffee!

Ever since my first experience at a Vietnamese restaurant, I have wanted a vietnamese coffee filter. I can't tell you how many Chinese restaurant stores I have looked in trying to find this little guy. Where did I get it? My Mom and Dad found it in Tin Tin Alley in Vancouver's Chinatown. Tin Tin Market, actually. For only $4.99!

Today I tried it out.

The instructions.

One trick when you are making iced coffee is to use BIG ice cubes
otherwise they melt with the hot coffee dripping on them.
Duh.

Now for those who have never experienced the joy of a yummy Vietnamese Coffee, let me explain what it is and how you can make it without the filter. The white of the glass is Condensed Milk - the sweet stuff like Eaglebrand. You don't need much. Add some ice cubes and make some expresso. Stir and ZIP ZIP ZIPPY DO DAH YOU WILL BE WIRED LIKE I AM NOW! Woot! Woot!

Riding the Wave to HD

As of September 1 in Canada, televisions are going digital. Last year I bemoaned the change of the US stations to digital. First it was Fox...."that's okay," I thought. "I still can see all those shows on Global." But then PBS disappeared and I was quite upset. Not upset enough to buy cable, mind. If TVO is gone, or CBC, I am really screwed - damn, I better get to work.

With the clock a tickin',  I have found myself doing research and asking myself a million questions I have never even dreamt of before.  Do I want a new tv or should I just buy an adapter? Should I get a new antenna? Do I want a big one or small one, outdoors or in? How much do I want to spend. Blah, blah, blah.

The Zinwell Converter. $89.99 at The Source.
Read the user comments and you can buy them for $50 in the States.
Typical.

Unlike the States, there is not a lot of selection in regards to digital converters in Canada. Through my internet searches (i.e. the big guys: Future Shop, Best Buy, The Source, Walmart), there are only about 5 or 6 digital converters to choose from. And I am including those that are over $100 too! With one model there are some scary, scary reviews about it overheating. Eek! Let's just say there is very little choice. I have also decided not to buy from the States as I just don't want to pay hidden duty or shipping costs.

Out of all of the big guy retailers, The Source offers a special guide about the conversion from analog to digital, directing you to check out on this really cool website called tvfool to help your purchasing decision. (Makes me question why other retailers didn't do this, but it is their loss!)

Type in your home address and it tells you what channels you should be able to receive and basically the strength of antenna you should invest in depending on how many of these available channels you want. It is neat to try out, even if you do subscribe to cable.

The Terk Indoor HDTV Antenna. What I ordered...
what may work....what may not work.

In the end I settled on this fish bone thing cause it was on-sale, has great reviews and should work at my location. Despite it's design flaw - it is tippy- there is quite a strong demand for this contraption and it is on back order. Now I have to wait. Whatever.

Apparently I am not the only one thinking about those invisible signals. Over at lycfyi, Jenny is questioning the choices available south-of-the-border.

Catching Up

Time flies lately and I am busy catching up. Maybe watch this video and by the time you are finished, I will have posted something new LOL!

http://vimeo.com/groups/pomopensub/videos/26185505

My Hearse

About a month ago, my boyfriend Mr. B, offered to buy me a bike. I'd talked about getting a bike for a few years and something suddenly possessed him to make the offer (perhaps impending birthday?!?!?).

I neglected to tell Mr. B that I hadn't ridden a bike in over 15 years. I also didn't tell him until after I had gotten the bike. Ooooops. As a result, I ride on side streets, building my confidence.

When looking at bikes, my choice was based on my childhood bike: a cruiser. I don't know how to use a handbrake! The process was fairly easy because cruisers are so popular at the mo'. We looked on the internet and we both got really excited when we found it - yes, it was love at first site.

This is a Trek Classic Men's Cruiser. I call it "My Hearse" cause it looks like one -
I just need some purple flags.

We chose to go with the company Trek because of their price point. The classy black was timeless and retro. While I would have liked to have a woman's bike frame, the woman's bikes were covered with flowers or designs. Boo!

This lovely bike had the white wall tires I craved. I dreamed of white walled tires! White walls on old cars are so classy. Why we have boring ol' tires on our modern cars I don't understand. An interesting fact: I was told that white walls, at the time, were considered cheap and ugly. People would reverse the position of the tires on their cars so the white would be facing the inside to avoid sneers.

I love my bike. It is gorgeous and the details are fab. There is gold pin-striping on the body and it is mirrored with gold spokes on the wheels. And the old logo on the chain plate is sweeeeet.

Natch, I had to get gear for my hearse. I got an old fashioned bell. But for the helmet I was stuck between choosing a red helmet or the one below. I let a little girl in the store choose for me. Thinking back on it, it would have been silly to choose the red.

Paul Frank "Skurvy Skull" Helmet by Bell.
The only thing I don't like about this helmet is the straps are white! I imagine
they will get dirty. Black would have been so much better.

Now I want some bitchin' reflectors. I do have reflectors on the bike but they are so booooring. I need funky! Let you know how the search goes - definitely have to look online.

Hearts Continued....

Folded and ready....I added my money hearts to a ribbon with paper clips which hide under the folds.....

It looks like a garter! But then I had a problem....

The ribbon was longer than the card )-: ! ....but I played....

I put three of the hearts on the inside of the envelope and two on the outside...

And tied the bow to the front of the card....

Chose a bigger and prettier envelope and voila! wedding gift completed!

Money as a Wedding Gift

I am attending a wedding this weekend and it sounds like a no gifts affair, as the couple is based in NYC, but getting married in their home province of Alberta.

I was going to buy the lovely couple a gift certificate for Eataly, Mario Batali's Italian version of Whole Foods. They have awesome food and products despite the horrific layout and crowding of people! EEK! But they don't sell gift certificates online (WHY?!?!?!) Actually I don't think they sell gift certificates at all!

Boo - money is so boring. Now I am wondering do I give them Canadian money or American?  And how do you present it in an interesting way? Origami of course!

There are videos on You Tube on how to make a basic heart. I didn't include them here on this blog but they are very simple. In the video above, this heart has a flower in the centre and is a wee bit more difficult. I like this one. If I make this one out of a Canadian fifty, it can be pretty in red. Then I thought about getting some American dollar bills and making some basic hearts. Maybe put them all on a string? If only they could pop out of the card....I'll let you know what I decide on!

Make you smile Monday!

Makes me want to go to the track! LOL!

Cheap Fun Music Videos

Having a low budget and a bitchin' song, make.
....Jenny Lewis....

....The Decemberists.....

....Regina Spector.....

Inspiration: Space Invader

Perhaps it is a childhood thing, but I LOVE Space Invader and the graffiti artist who travels the world with his tiles. If you have never seen Space Invader's work in person, keep your eyes peeled!

I photographed this two years ago in Brick Lane, London.

This guy I spotted in New York City in the Spring.

Today on Poppytalk is a terrific Space Invader bookmark!!! Eek! I HAVE to make this!!!

 If you want to see more of the Space Invader in action, check out the film "Exit Through the Gift Shop" by Banksy.

Black and Red Ads

Why can't Canadian subways have fantastic ads? Nothing
better then a black and red ad...

Spotted this beauty today from the website blog http://mylittleday.fr/blog/ I also love the design of Toasted Head wines....why don't they sell posters? They are so fab...I like the one with the yellow background...the red reminds me too much of the Alaskan flag.

Summer Reading: The Tortured Woman Series

When it comes to reading, I tend to read in themes. Strange themes. For a while I read nothing but gay, male, humour writers....David Sedaris, David Rakoff, Augusten Burroughs. Then when the "Julie and Julia" movie came out, I read everything that had to do with the trials and tribulations of French Cooking. (I highly, highly recommend My Life in Paris by Julia Child. It's absolutely wonderful.)

Five out of Five: If you like cooking, Paris, this is a
wonderful summer read.

Now it is Summer 2011, and what is my theme? Books whose women are tortured by the boredom of everyday life. Isn't that awful?!?! But that is running theme!


The first in this wonderful series on my shelf is "The Member of the Wedding" by Carson McCullers. If you haven't read "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," then I recommend it. In this book, a pre-teen becomes obsessed by her brother's wedding and wanting to leave her small Southern town life. It is a small book, a quick read, well-written but not necessarily fulfilling. What kept me interested is how much small town, southern life has changed in America: no televisions, segregation, men off to war, woman's place in the home, etc etc. You can imagine how quiet life really was and why this character was yearning to leave.

Next in the "Tortured Woman Series" is "The Wife's Tale" by Lori Lansens. The cover on this book must be the American cover....I quite like the hardcover, Canadian more. This is a story about a woman who has eaten herself out of life. Literally. You wouldn't get that from this cover would you?!?! Her husband leaves her and in doing so, she becomes aware that, "Hey, I am a fat pig and I took him for granted." I hated the main character in this book. I am so angry at her selfish stupidity. I wanted to smack her upside the head. Want to read something far better? Read Lansen's "The Girls," about conjoined twins living in a small Manitoba town (the same one the fat pig is from.) "The Girls" is awesome. Excellent summer read. Read it.


Third in the "Tortured Woman" series is "A Complicated Kindness" by Miriam Toews. This novel got a lot of hype in Canada and won a bunch of awards and I think it is recognized so much because of Toews childhood of actually growing up in a Mennonite community like her main character. Can you tell I didn't like this one either? Apparently it was supposed to be funny. I just found it really sad. The main character doesn't agree with the Mennonite religion, the lifestyle and she rebels against it.

Personally, I couldn't identify with her, as I didn't rebel by drinking, smoking, doing drugs in my teen years and this is how she acts out. And everything she rebels against doesn't help her or anyone around her. I suppose it is a coming of age story, much like "The Member of the Wedding," but I didn't feel any compassion for her.


Throughout all these novels, I have also been dabbling in "Isabella Blow: A Life in Fashion." I loved Isabella Blow and her fantastic, outrageous hats by Phillip Tracey, and wild Alexander McQueen clothes. She was a tortured soul, suffering from incredible bouts of depression. I hate to say it: this book makes....me....not...like....Isabella. (oh that is so hard to say!)

I will point out that this biography is horribly written. It is very obvious that the writer is a socialite and probably enjoyed jet-setting, digging the dirt on Isabella. Many of her stories are little quips - little bits and bobs from people told ten times over from those in the know. The author repeatedly talks about Isabella's money hardships and Isabella was absolutely horrible with money. She is vulgar. She is vain. She is horrible to men and coworkers and her husband and especially to her family. The author tries to make us feel pity for when poor Isabella is left out of her father's will. Hell! Had she had unlimited access to her family's bank account she would have bankrupt them without any thought!

I haven't finished "...A Life in Fashion" yet. I just get overwhelmed by the money discussions in the book and hope that Isabella had more depth to her than worrying about her cash flow or spending money.

Mmmm Cream....

....welcome back into my life. I missed you. Then some fabulous people developed lactose-free cream!!!!!!

Hello there....are you free tonight?

To celebrate the beauty of this wonderful product, tonight I made a yummy fav: Tarragon Chicken.

Tarragon Chicken
4 chicken breasts
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 tsp of tarragon
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of cream
salt, pepper
pinch of paprika
a bit of lemon zest (if you like)

1. Add oil to the frying pan on medium heat. Add garlic and fry until light brown. Add chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.

2. Fry for 2 minutes and add tarragon one side of the chicken, turn over and add tarragon to other side.

3. When chicken is light brown, add cream and any remaining tarragon you may have. Sprinkle with paprika. Continue until cream is bubbling slightly and chicken is firm. Serve with roasted potatoes or on rice.

Pink Tiles Be Gone!

Why, oh why were pink tiles laid in my kitchen? When I think of kitchen colours, I do not think "PINK." I think green, or blue, or white....but not pink.

To start off with my current project, I must be honest. My apartment is not high-style and seriously needs some TLC which I am not about to give it, as it is, my landlords job. And should I complain since I have relatively inexpensive rent? Perhaps not. But the pink tiles are horrible and I know I can fix that!

Yes, I know there is paint to cover tiles but that would mean I would need to re-grout. The colour white would also clash with my beige walls, which maybe I will one day paint. Odds are however, I won't.

In this project, as with many others, I am using removable book vinyl. I love the stuff. I use it in all sorts of ways. This project also uses a product that simulates steel and is just shelf paper. Combine the two together and voila: a removable steel backsplash!!!

Materials:
Removable Book Vinyl (from Dollarama), at least 4 tubes
Simulated Steel Shelf Paper (at Canadian Tire, about $14 a tube); you will likely need at least 3 tubes
A Ruler and an Exacto Knife
Plenty of Patience if you are not crafty

1. Clean your tiles with soap and water. Clean your work surface. Any small bit of dust will adhere to the sticky side of your vinyl and will make a hideous bump. I used my countertop which has seen better days and I used my Exacto Knife on it too. I don't recommend this.

2. Adhere your book vinyl to your work surface. Be careful not to have bubbles in the vinyl. I suggest adhering the clear vinyl to end of the roll and slowly peel back the paper beneath, pressing down as you unroll.

3. Add silver vinyl overtop of clear vinyl. Why are we doing this? To make the silver removable for when you or I move out. We could avoid this step had the company that makes the silver vinyl removable but of course they haven't (just to make our lives difficult! GEEZ!) Again, work from one edge and slowly peel back the paper. You can only correct your air bubbles a few times before you will lift the silver off your vinyl.

You will get bumps: it is inevitable but don't worry too much
about them, we will fix those later...

4. At this stage you will have a heavy duty silver vinyl for your tiles. Cut and paste as you like. I use my hands to smooth the surface though you may find using a credit card as a squeegie helps. You may have little bumps from bits on your "clean" work surface (mine were bread crumbs). Remove those with your nail.

Measuring twice and cut once, remember! The odd ripple is inevitable.

Curses! A breadcrumb!

There are two styles you can try: A geometric style that I first tried and failed at. While the patterns look neat, it is difficult to cover the pink tiles because of the poor grouting and does tend to draw even more attention to the missing grout. The benefit of this technique is the great way it uses up your scraps.

Okay it really isn't all that bad. Repeatedly measuring your squares
does get trying.

The second (and method I wished I had used first), is covering up all the edges of the tiles with the vinyl creating a very slick appearance. By overlapping your seams, you are creating nearly-seamless look and covers up that awful grout!

Corners are handled much the same way as wallpapering....

Adhere vinyl to area and begin to cut away your corner with an Exacto Knife to
have a shaped edge.

Bubbles? Just like wall paper, use your Exacto Knife to poke a hole in the bubble and smooth to let the air out.

Don't immediately puncture your vinyl bubbles until you have tried placing
the vinyl on the wall. The bubbles may just be from air beneath the clear vinyl/work surface
and will disappear once you lift the material off your work surface.

Enjoy your fancy backsplash! I started this project over a year ago and the first vinyl I laid is still adhered and removes just as easily from the tiles as day one. The corners of the geometric squares are still stuck to the tile, though some (not many) have begun to dog-ear. Frankly, it is better than pink. The surface is great to wipe down messes...I may not even remove mine when I move out because it is just so darn great.

Blueberry Crumble not included...now I just have to fix the caulking....)-: