Sara Parrilli

Without Erasers

2011-12-15T16:20:00.026-05:00

For the second year in a row I was asked to do the decorations for the Orion Magazine holiday party. (Yay!) I had a large stack of handmade paper lying around, waiting to be given a new life, so I decided I would use it as my primary artistic medium. With no real plan in mind, I began by cutting with scissors and was continually displeased with my results... Finally I got out an exacto knife and started drawing with it as I would my favorite bamboo pen. Below are the results!

I do most of my work by freehand. I remember as a child watching people older than me just pick up a pen and begin drawing a lifelike image... I wanted to have that ability. I drew like a maniac and my mom tells me we went through boxes of reams of paper. When I was in high school I remember making the decision not to use erasers. I realized if I relied too much on the use of them, I wasn't making as much of an effort to translate what I saw in the three-dimensional world into the two-dimensional one.

...Owl in a tree...

A grebe!

Bird in the top...

...of the tree...

...bear hibernating in the bottom!

Mr. Fox

Great Horned Owl

Detail of planetary mobile...

...in the circular library.

Owl on a jar lantern...

I've discovered I want to live my life without an eraser. We often wish we could go back in time and fix mistakes we've made, but no matter what cannot do so... However we can take what we've learned from these experiences and carry that knowledge with us into the future.

Back to the Drawing Board

2011-12-06T11:43:00.004-05:00

A little warm-up with more to come...
Click on the images to view in greater detail...

There is a bug trapped beneath my camera lens.
Depending on the shot, he sometimes likes to make
an inevitable appearance as a soft, gray blur...

Just Resting...

2011-08-25T08:56:00.004-04:00

At Sea,
On Shore...

Summer Rolls!

2011-07-19T16:49:00.004-04:00

This recipe just came to me a few days ago. I was reminiscing over the peanut-basil moo-shu rolls I used to get at Zen Palate when I lived on the Upper West Side of NYC, 8 or so years ago. I decided to recreate something new in the memory of their deliciousness. Quite tricky using the rice wrappers, but I got the hang of it. I layered a green sauce*, bean thread noodles, toasted peanuts**, and mung bean sprouts (in that order) and then rolled everything up!

*Fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, and green onions all from the garden, plus fresh ginger, ume plum paste, chickpea miso, ume plum vinegar, rice vinegar, and a bit of coconut oil. Mixed up in the food processor.

**Finally nailed roasted nuts. About a cup of peanuts (chopped by hand), 1 tbs of maple syrup, and 1 tsp sugar. Toasted in the frying pan over medium and then low-medium heat (once the pan was hot), stirring constantly until golden brown.

May Days

2011-05-29T10:26:00.011-04:00

Irises are just starting to bloom...The backyard has been filled with forget-me-nots!

Another birthday cake. This time for my friend Laura.
Taking down the Maypole.
Two of my fine gentlemen friends are in a band called The Easy Ridin' Papas. That's Adam Brown on the right and Will Conklin on the left. I saw them play earlier this month at the Dreamaway Lodge up in Becket and they had quite the crowd! If you like old-timey bluegrass tunes, check 'em out! They're sure to be busking the streets of Great Barrington throughout the summer.
I found this little guy outside in the drive, his life already past. I placed him on the window sill between the kitchen and the hallway, and somehow while I was gone he managed to hang himself over the edge by an invisible thread.
My potatoes are really coming up! Especially these purple ones.
Somebody's studio is finally in order. I love my local music posters!
I've somehow become obsessed with découpage. I recently experimented with it on my kitchen table. Though done a bit hastily, the table is now a new and improved. The majority of cut pieces of paper were actually taken from recycled wholesale catalogs selling découpaged trays and paperweights.

Pen in Hand

2011-04-26T17:45:00.004-04:00

I've taken up drawing again.
This is only the beginning of beginnings...

Portland: Moss in Epic Proportion

2011-04-10T14:02:00.020-04:00

It it is not full-on springtime in the Berkshires just yet though there is promise of 70˚ weather for tomorrow and I am ready for it. Last Wednesday I returned from a week in Portland, OR, and got an early dose of Spring, as well as an enjoyable overdose of green moss, blooming flowers, endless waterfalls, and again, more moss. I have never experienced so much electric green moss in my entire life. It grows everywhere (literally), on trees (every tree), in gutters (along with ferns), even on cars (seeing is believing). Despite the gray skies, I found myself surrounded by vivid colors on every street corner. I learned that Portland is also home to amazing coffee shops, baked goods, people on bikes, vintage stores, and (for the moment) two of my most lovely friends Katie and Jess, of Otter Down and Dame de Fleur blogs, respectively.

Not moss, but another lovely ground-covering plant.

Camellia trees stood outside almost everyone's home with an abundance
of blossoms. They looked like painted rose bushes out of Alice in Wonderland,
some white and pink varieties even resembling unfinished paint jobs.

Click on the photo for a better view. I love geometry in nature.

I could see all of the cherry blossoms
in bloom as my plane flew in above the city.

To grandmother's house we go!

A colorful street.

In case you didn't believe me, moss grows everywhere.

Probably the greatest number of
periwinkle flowers I've ever seen at one time.

We didn't eat here, but the building is quite lovely.

Red balloons made the day complete.

Just another walk in the park.

There were so many cherry blossoms in bloom
I could see them from above as my plane few in.
Everything you need is right here.
Up and away we go.
Typical view from the car on the way to the waterfalls.

Ferns and moss grow everywhere.

Mossy cloaks of Elvin kind.
I want to move into these mountains.
Can you see my castle?
The long and winding road.
This post would have been incomplete without an
example of what we had for dinner after such adventures.

Underpinnings

2011-02-17T15:54:00.002-05:00

I haven't had the time to keep up on my posts, so I'm going to let my friend Jess do the talking. For Valentine's Day I sent her a pair of my hand sewn candy-striper bloomers with black lace trim! Click on the photo to view more!

(Oh, and I now officially own enough pairs of handmade underwear to wear one for each day of the week.)

Two Turtle Doves

2010-12-26T17:22:00.006-05:00

It's the second day of Christmas, I'm listening to Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns , and I'm giving my true loves homemade cookies. So if you are lucky enough to be one of mine, you will be receiving a package in the mail or a visit in person (provided you've been good this year and that I have your address). Right this moment it's snowing heavily outside, thumbprint cookies filled with rose hip jam are baking in the oven, and The Swan is playing.

Twenty minutes later, and the thumbprints cookies are out of the oven! Believe it or not, I purposefully used up this nice jar of D'Arbo rose hip jam because I found another jar of my most favorite rose hip jam from Fior Di Frutta which is almost impossible to find and is only available this time of year. The creamy consistency of the Fior Di Frutta can't be beat!

From Christmas Day...

Lemon-orange pound cake I made for my
mother's birthday, which is also on the 25th.

A beeswax fisherman penguin
my father made for my mom one year.
Front to back:
My father's blueberry pie, my aunt's pumpkin
pie, my pound cake, and lastly my Lebküchen.
Lebküchen waiting to be eaten or sent to friends!
Hearts of course.
Kahlua caramels with cocoa powder and fleur de sel.
Some views of the dessert table...
My favorite shot of the evening...
Pumpkin pie, cake, coffee, local whisky,
whipped cream, and perfume tester strips*.
*Only in this family...

And lastly, Mr. (Red-Bellied) Woodpecker wanted to say hello again. I made him two years ago. Unfortunately his friend the Downy Woodpecker was stolen out of the Berkshire Museum that same year... He's still hoping that one day they might be reunited. Miracles do happen!

Christmas Catch-Up

2010-12-19T02:30:00.000-05:00

Over the years I've gotten better at following through with my ideas of things to make. (I have a lot of ideas, so sometimes I become overwhelmed and give up entirely until the next spurt of creativity takes over my entire being and drives me into overload...) For example, every year I wish that I had made Christmas cookies and given them out as gifts but somehow never get around to it but this year I have finally succeeded in doing so. I have a great book called Festive Baking, by Sarah Kelly Iaia, with recipes for traditional German cookies, cakes, pretzels, and the like. I decided to try my hand at making "Lebkuchen," traditional German gingerbread.

The Lebkuchen dough is made over the stove top in order to fully dissolve sugar, butter, and honey, the key ingredient being the honey which has been used in making Lebkuchen since the Middle Ages. Then the spices, flour, egg and other ingredients are added. Once the dough has been prepared it can be left out at room temperature for at least a few weeks and can be used as needed---quite convenient for when you're in a holiday pinch!

The results...

Now for the rest of my creative adventures, going backwards in time:
Red roses I made for the Orion Magazine holiday party...

Decorations I set up inside...

My little advent corner in my kitchen window...

Recent Cakes:
Commissioned birthday chocolate
flourless birthday cake with lavender ganache...

Caramel chocolate torte---looks better than it actually
tasted as something was off with the brand of sugar I used...
The Man Catcher Cake from NPR
producer Melissa Gray's All Cakes Considered...

I recently did some commissioned illustrations
for a friend's storybook. Here are just a few examples...

Owl in the Forest

2010-11-12T09:15:00.005-05:00

One more recent painting...

New Paintings

2010-11-02T15:59:00.004-04:00

I'm doing a commissioned story illustration project for a friend and as a result I've gotten back into painting. Here are some of my latest...

Sewing Update: Return of the Empire

2010-09-24T09:11:00.005-04:00

I made this high-waisted skirt last week and am not sure yet if I'll be selling it or keeping it for myself (always a tough decision). The midriff is made out of burgundy velvet (appears red in photo) with flower appliqué cut from an upholstery fabric remnant. The gathered skirt is made from the remainder cut of an Indian block print tapestry that I used to make my shower curtain.

Summer Sum Up

2010-09-19T14:26:00.007-04:00

Columbia County Fair

Perfect Double Rainbow

I made a dress for the opening debut of our band,
The Grand Track Railway, which performed at as part of
The Wiyos' variety show "Gamville" at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY.
The Grand Track Railway, Photo by Rachel Timan
The Grand Track Railway, Photo by Rachel Timan
The Grand Track Railway, Photo by Rachel Timan
The Wiyos, Photo by Rachel Timan
The Wiyos, Photo by Rachel Timan

Chocolate Pie & Paper Lanterns

2010-08-16T00:17:00.007-04:00

My latest dairy-free dessert experiment: cashew cream chocolate pie.

Made for my friend Hannah's surprise birthday picnic at Bash Bish River.

Some other Bash Bish pics, taken on a different day.

Lighting up the river for Hannah's birthday.

I have a recent obsession with making paper lanterns.

Lanterns, tea lights, and friends.

Heirloom tomatoes from the farm,
and pasta salad made by my roomie Vivian.

Laterns in the window, post river use.

Our back porch... my favorite place to be.

What's Become of Summer

2010-08-09T21:54:00.008-04:00

It's the small things that count.

The Book Barn in the middle of the woods.

Windows where I live.

Spring Things...

2010-05-31T11:03:00.004-04:00

On the Appalachian Trail

Salad for my friends...

Eggs from friends for breakfast...

Farm Girl Farm

Woodland Experimentation

Berkshires, Rockland, Brooklyn

2010-04-06T09:02:00.028-04:00

The Latest Photo Report:

My brother came to visit me in the
Berkshires, MA, despite the dismal weather.

Easter morning in Rockland County, NY.

Just another Monday in Brooklyn
while returning the visit to my brother.

First Gig

2010-04-06T08:45:00.006-04:00

On March 23rd, my still nameless band had a gig opening for the Underscore Orkestra at the Black Swan in Tivoli, NY. We performed about five songs, including two originals (more to come!). To read more about the show, see my friend Rachel's music blog, Ammuse's Weblog.

New Year's 2010!!

2010-01-08T14:23:00.006-05:00

For New Year's many people (including myself) attended a masquerade fund raiser for the new Hudson-based radio station WGXC. The event took place at The Basilica Industria, a performing arts space located at the end of town, just past the railway station. Many local business were present selling food and drink, and if you "forgot" your festive mask, they had some for sale by the door! There were countless musical performers on two different stages throughout the evening so if you got too cold your best option was to dance!

We did not forget our masks, but wore hats with veils instead!

An aerialist prepares to take flight.

Mother Fletcher is a local band that performed.

Champagne for the count-down!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T12:37:00.005-05:00

Oh, ignored blog...
Here are few Christmas tidbits...

Crepes for Christmas breakfast.

Mmmm.... savory vs. sweet......?

Nina

Embroidered tablecloth I made for my mom's birthday.

Embroidery Detail

Roasted red and yellow peppers with fresh mozarella!

Coconut Meringue Experiment

Kahlua Caramels
(Finally successful on the second try...)

Ornament my dad and I made many years ago.

Birthday Yule Log Cake I made for my mom.
Meringue mushrooms and marzipan vines and berries.

Whipped chocolate ganache frosting flavored with cardamom
and lavender. Before rolling the ganache with the sponge cake,
I brushed cake with orange-flavored simple syrup.

This was my first attempt at making a rolled cake!

Some Fall...

2009-10-24T16:16:00.009-04:00

Ocean Grove & Asbury Park, NJ

Picking rose hips for tea...

Bartlett Orchard, Richmond, MA

More than friends?

Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY

Morris Dancing missed birthdays cake!

Fall Baking

2009-09-15T16:33:00.005-04:00

Just some things I've been baking since the start of September. I can't wait to do something with pumpkin soon... Maybe pumpkin cornbread?

Carrot-Apple Spice Cake
Decorated with lemon frosting and whole star anise

Something like a potato-arugula basil cheese pie,
but without a crust. Came out quite nicely despite bad picture here...

Ha! I think I perfected cornbread. Recipe below...

I used pignoli nuts and cumin seeds on the
bottom which added a wonderful toasted flavor.

Extra Yummy Cornbread

Preheat oven to 400˚F
When oven is heated, place buttered medium cast-iron pan in to pre-heat

Dry Ingredients – Wisk together:
1-cup cornmeal
1-cup flour
1-tbs baking powder
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients – Beat together:
2 eggs
1-cup rice milk (soymilk, milk…)
¼-cup agave syrup (honey or maple syrup)
¼-cup oil
Large handful fresh arugula, chopped (or use basil, spinach, other flavorful greens…)
1 large clove of garlic, minced

Additional Ingredients:
Pignoli nuts
Cumin seeds

Wisk dry ingredients together, and then add beaten wet ingredients to dry mixture. Remove pan from oven and generously sprinkle pignoli nuts and cumin seeds along the bottom. Pour cornbread batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serve hot with butter ☺

August Cakes, 2009

2009-08-14T09:40:00.005-04:00

Some variations on a theme... Lately I've been fascinated by peeling citrus rinds into fine spirals and using them in different ways to decorate my cakes. Both cakes pictured are chocolate flourless, with some sort of goat cheese frosting, a substitute for the usual cream cheese.

Hannah's Birthday Cake
Flourless Chocolate-Lemon Cake with Monterey Chevre Orange Frosting
Decorated with Wild Flowering Purple Raspberries, Orange & Lime Rinds

Business After Hours Cake
For The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce BAH Meeting
Hosted by Hammertown
Flourless Chocolate-Orange Cake with Ricotta-Goat Cheese Lemon Frosting
Decorated with Orange Rind Roses & Lime Rind Leaves

Some Nature Pictures

2009-08-11T09:36:00.003-04:00

Why I love the Berkshires...

Where to Go?

I learned to can cherries this year.

Boston Events

2009-06-24T09:17:00.000-04:00

I went to go visit my friend Jessica in Boston this weekend and she made the most lovely rose and yogurt cake. The yogurt she used is homemade and sold at a little Greek market near where she lives.

We went to the Natural History Museum to their exhibit of glass flowers, made between 1886 and 1926 by the naturalists and glass artisans Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka. Yes, these flowers are all made entirely of glass!

A few other shots from the museum:

This last shot is not from the museum...

Candied Violets & Pansies

2009-05-04T09:55:00.026-04:00

A few days ago I went in search of violets since I knew I had a cake to bake for my friend Elena. One of the first cakes I remember as a child had white frosting and was decorated with candied violets and miniature carved wooden animals going around in a circle like a merry-go-round. When each child's slice was cut, they got a little wooden animal sitting on top! Since violets are in season, I decided I would candy as many as I could for future cakes.

Candied Violet Recipe Variations:

The simplest way to candy violets is to dip them into egg white, and then cover them with sugar. It's easier if you whip the egg whites a little, but then there's more of a clean-up. I just took the whole head of violet, and dunked it into the egg white while holding onto the base of the stem. Swirl the violet around until it's completely covered and swipe it out of the bowl to remove any excess. I used my pinky finger to reopen any petals that may have gotten closed. If you select violets that are in full bloom (as to partially closed), you can develop a technique of swiping so that the violet comes out completely open.

Have a bowl of sugar ready and use a spoon to pour the sugar over the entire violet flower. Snap off the stem and place to dry on a sheet of wax paper. Repeat with however many violets you have the patience for! It takes a good 24+ hours for them to dry before you can store them in an air-tight container in a cool dark place. If the flowers are still wet in a few places on the second day, you can sprinkle on more sugar before allowing them to continue drying. After storing, the colors will fade a little bit, but are nonetheless very pretty!

For Elena's cake I also made some candied pansies. I used paintbrush to paint on the eggwhite, working back to front before sprinkling them with tons of sugar. Medium-sized pansies that were just starting to wilt were the easiest to work with and produced the best results.

Working Hard

2009-04-22T09:42:00.004-04:00

I've been busy sewing... Here are some of the dresses I've been making either for myself or for selling on Esty! The one with the mini scissor print is complete.

I also have some old pieces from school that I never wear. I'll probably end up selling this knit halter top that I made about 6 years ago at school.

Esty!

2009-04-13T14:56:00.015-04:00

Finally! I now have my website set up on Etsy.com, a place where one can sell hand-made items, vintage pieces, or supplies for making things.

For the moment, I've only posted some hand-dyed bamboo fiber that's been taking up too much of my shelf space, but there are certainly more hand-stitched and home-spun goodies to come:

Please visit:

www.saraparrilli.etsy.com

Cloud Formations

2009-03-28T09:30:00.004-04:00

The clouds were very unusual on my Wednesday morning drive to work. I was unable to capture the most intriguing ones hanging over East Mountain as I was looking south from Route 23. When I arrived at work however, I was able to go to the other end of the parking lot to take a few shots and the result is this, four photographs patched together into one:

Click on the image to see it up close...

The photo does not really show how defined these clouds were. I still haven't had the chance to check my weather book to see what kind they might have been. Anyone know? Stratocumulus undulatus?

Chocolate-Orange Cake With Kumquats

2009-03-25T09:09:00.009-04:00

For a recent morris dancer birthday I made a very dense chocolate-orange cake, using coconut flour and cocoa powder instead of wheat (therefore making it wheat and gluten-free!), adding both orange juice and zest for extra flavor. The icing is the 7-minute orange icing from the Joy of Cooking, though mine is an older edition from either the 50s or 60s (?). I decorated the cake with kumquats that I had left over from another friend's birthday (see below post) when I made ginger-kumquat agave syrup (see recipe below, I might post the cake eventually too, if I can remember what I did!).

Ginger-Kumquat Agave Syrup (Cake to come!)

Peel a nice a chunk of ginger (my mom says 3 oz., but I don't measure such things) and chop into a few pieces.

Blend in a (high-powered!) blender (such as a Vitamix) with agave syrup (1 cup, or more...) and some halved and pitted kumquats until completely smooth. Don't strain the mixture, or you'll loose a lot of nutrients. Just keep on blending for awhile until it's smooth.

Bring to a low boil on the stove to kill off any microorganisms present.
Cool. Can be stored at room temperature at least without the kumquats, but I've been refrigerating it with.

To mix with seltzer, add 1 tsp+ to taste with a small amount of seltzer. Mix well, and then add more seltzer after mixing for best results.

Oscar the Parrot & Ginger-Kumquat Agave Syrup

2009-03-25T09:00:00.003-04:00

Recently my mom came up with a low-glycemic index recipe for ginger syrup using agave as a healthier substitute for sugar. It can be mixed with seltzer, club soda, or any other bubbly substance (as well as gin!) to create a ginger brew or ginger ale alternative. Agave syrup can be purchased in bulk, otherwise it can be more expensive per volume. I made my own version of the syrup as a present for my friend Bharati's birthday using kumquats.
(See recipe below in above blog...)

My mom has an African Gray parrot that was rescued from a tree in a friend's yard. Even though Oscar lives in the same house as both of my parent's, when I say he's "my mom's bird," that is because he views my mom as his mate and my father as a threat. Interestingly enough, he's OK with my brother, and views him more as "cool buddy" and will whistle at him when he comes in the room.

Because of the above listed recipe, my mom has a lot of ginger lying around the house. Oscar loves ginger, and when left alone for barely a minute, he will seek it out and...

...help himself!

He's also very fond of garlic, and will go after an entire head!

Cat food is not his favorite, but he
will have some crunchies once in a while...Stealing some nuts from my mom's display...Busy at working building a "nest."

Flowers By Alicia

2009-03-25T08:54:00.006-04:00

My Swiss-Spanish-Australian, multi-lingual, talented friend Alicia (and recently momma of two!) sent me these lovely felted flowers and necklaces from Australia a few months ago after I sent her her wedding dress in the mail. They were the most unexpected early springtime surprise!

Something For Spring...

2009-03-24T15:49:00.005-04:00

January, February...

2009-02-26T21:21:00.002-05:00

Whoops, not been here in awhile. I haven't been blogging since I severely cut two of my fingers had to take an ambulance to the hospital. Now that my fingers are nicely healed, I can get back into the swing of things... and start playing accordion again!

In January I went for a walk in the woods. Found this little fellow...

More frost pictures from my bedroom windows...

Bowling Night:
Oh no!
And then they went disco on us.

Tips For Baking, especially the below recipe!

2009-01-06T17:54:00.004-05:00

See blog on Carrot Cupcakes. These are some tips I learned from Alice Waters.

➢ Have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the butter and eggs.

➢ Sifting the flour does make a difference in a light and fluffy cake. I hate sifting, and reserve that almost exclusively for angel food cakes, but at least fluffing it a little more with either a fork or a whisk is something. Perhaps the food processor?

➢ Creaming the butter and the sugar. This is the one step I never knew the importance of. Cream the butter alone first, and then add the sugar and cream for at least 5-10 min for a light and fluffy cake.

➢ Separating the eggs. Do this before baking, allowing for them to come to room temperature. I notice when I added the yolks one at a time to my nicely creamed butter and sugar, they whipped in perfectly in a matter of seconds.

➢ Beating the egg white and folding them in at the end. I don’t know which steps made the difference exactly, but I have never had cupcakes rise so high into perfect little rounds above the level of the muffin tins without seeping over the edges at all.

➢ Don’t open the oven door right away, and do it as little as possible to keep the temperature up. The cake needs to rise and set first, and once this is done it is less likely to collapse when you decide you must open the oven door.

1-2-3-4 Carrot Cupcakes

2009-01-06T13:31:00.015-05:00

From the Sara Parrilli pantry, comes a dark and mysterious bottle.....Can you see it hiding behind the colored decorating sugars?What can it be?

Even the label is suspicious-looking
for something belonging in a pantry.
It's maple bark extract!
Use with caution, this stuff is potent, but it
makes for a delicious and unusually-flavored frosting.

1-2-3-4 Carrot Cake (Cupcakes)
With Maple Bark Cream Cheese Frosting

In my new Alice Water’s cookbook, The Art of Simple Food, she discusses the basics of what she calls a “1-2-3-4 Cake:” 1-cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. This way you need not look at a recipe in order to make a cake. I wanted to make carrot cupcakes because, in an effort to tighten my spending belt, I have 5 lb. bag of carrots in the fridge. Though I should have used a few more carrots, the results were delicious as I learned some new pointers from her book, along with some of my own realizations. So as not to post too much info along with the recipe itself, I've put that into a separate blog.

The Cake Recipe:
Per Alice Waters with my alterations. The end result was soft, moist, and a little dense from the carrots, though I think I could have used more carrots.

I made 24 cupcakes, using 3 muffin/cupcake tins, and my one ceramic dish that has heart-shaped cups, all lined with paper baking cups.

Preheat 350˚F.

Separate 4 eggs.

Measure 1-cup milk. I set it on the stove above the oven to help come to room temperature, as the house where I live is very cold in the winter.

Measure 3 ½ cups of flour in a bowl. I added the extra ½ cup to make up for the carrots, but in the end I could have use more carrots.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, add 4 teaspoons baking powder, whole nutmeg pounded in a mortar and pestle (or ground nutmeg), maybe a teaspoon each of cinnamon powder and ground ginger, 4-5 black peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon salt (unless using salted butter). I like to measure these ingredients separately, with some of the measured flour, and then return the flour mixture back to the bowl to fluff and incorporate.

In mixer beat ½ cup butter (I cut butter from 1 cup in half and then added ½ cup oil* AFTER creaming and along with the carrots).

Add 2 cups sugar (I always use less a little less than this). Cream until light and fluffy, 5-10 min. Then add egg yolk one at a time and 1 tsp. vanilla

While butter and sugar are creaming, shred 5-6 medium-large carrots, or more if you area feeling daring. Shave and mix in about a 1” chunk of fresh ginger into carrots. Add carrots gradually to creamed mixture, adding the oil* to moisten.

Add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour. Don’t over mix.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold first a third, and then the rest of them in.

Bake at least 25 min, until lightly browned and perfectly risen.

Maple Bark* Cream Cheese Frosting:
*If you happen to have this extract available, though it is not necessary to make a delicious icing.

First prepare a basic icing. You could use this alone as a glaze and omit the cream cheese.
I usually eyeball the amount of powdered sugar I am going to use. Maybe a cup or so depending on how much you want to spread on your cake or cupcakes. Gradually add orange juice and a little lemon juice in small amounts so it does not turn to liquid. Add about ½ lemon’s worth of lemon zest. (If you want to glaze the cupcakes, you can use just this mixture and drizzle it onto them when they come hot out of the oven. The heat will help the glaze melt in better.)

Then, if you have maple bark extract, add a TRACE amount. If you’ve never used it before, taste a little on your finger first so you get an idea of its flavor, as it is quite bitter and bizarre tasting on it’s own. It is a dark, bitter, burnt maple-vanilla-espresso grounds sort of flavor with an odd something else I can’t put my finger on… A couple drops to start!

To add the softened cream cheese, scrape most of the icing out of the mixer, and beat in the cream cheese with whatever’s left. Slowly add the icing back into the bowl. You can add more juice if you want a thinner frosting. I made my own decorating sugars in different colors with using icing colors.

The Holiday Party, Photos by Maureen Cotton

2008-12-31T09:11:00.000-05:00

More pictures from the Old World Holiday Party, courtesy of the talented Maureen Cotton (visit her website, blog, or film project site):

Just the top part of the invitation I made.

Mo's photos commence...

St. Nicholas and Santa Lucia
I see you have been very naughty this year...!
Note that Stefan is holding Maureen's manifestation box.
Got to love the wallpaper.
Singing! It was the second best part of the evening.
The tall men refuse to sit down and are
forced to read the music from way up high.
Stefan's dancing in the background is not to be forgotten...
Yes, they were really funny.
Very warm and fuzzy...

Traces of Christmas

2008-12-28T16:37:00.009-05:00

Though I haven't been up there yet to visit them, this year some of my handmade felt ornaments were featured on Jiminy Peak's tree up at the Berkshire Musuem's Festival of Trees, Pittsfield, MA. Sadly that meant my mom only had a couple to put up on her own tree this year, but they'll return home before next year. Within the next week I'm bound to go see them before the exhibit closes on Janary 4th, 2009.

The one thing I've realized with my animals is that if you've never seen them in person they appear much larger than actual size when photographed. Most of them are barely two to three inches in size! Some of the ones pictured here are new this year, including the fox, baby sea otter, and red bellied woodpecker, while the rest of this year's batch are up at the museum along with some oldies.

Mr. Fox

Baby Sea Otter

Red Bellied Woodpecker
Toucan
Mr. Bunny
Oscar, My Mom's African Grey Parrot
My mom made this circular one in the 1970s.

Some of my mom's more current work. She made a pretty tray out of ice, pine cuttings, and cranberries to hold the star-shaped ice she had been preparing over the last few weeks. She was very inspired by my friend Lena's blog and started researching more Scandinavian ideas.

Some ice stars in ginger beer! Mmm...

We also had a lovely hand-made beeswax candle from the Hawthorne Valley Yuletide Fair, that burns down into the shape of an angel.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T23:15:00.006-05:00

This Christmas eve was spent with my brother and my parents, eating delicious cheeses from Locke Stock & Barrel, a gourmet grocery store in Great Barrington. We were eventually joined by some members of the Witri family, a fun addition to the evening!

My mom made a Scandinavian-inspired centerpiece.
She's very inspired by my friend Lena's blog.

Mmm...

My mom claims her first batch of spekulaas came out better, but here's an example of her dragon cookies. We don't actually have any Christmas-themed spekulaas molds, so dragons, ships, and acorns it is!

Behold, the beauty of the apple star!
(...in not such a great pic ;)

Light After the Storm

2008-12-16T09:13:00.014-05:00

On Friday, December 12th I had a little old world holiday party at my home, with such delightful visitors as St. Nicholas and Santa Lucia. The week beforehand, everything was going as planned with the preparations, until I until I read my horoscope as I occasionally do for fun at www.astrologyzone.com. This time I was sincerely forewarned about a very angry full moon on this exact date. I always take such astrological advice with a grain of salt, and was decided that the party would be the perfect opportunity for everyone to happily avoid this potentially angry full moon in each of their lives. However the day before the party we were hit with major ice storm, and as I went to bed on Thursday night to the sounds of icy trees crashing over in the woods, I began to think this angry full moon had nothing to do with the actual happenings at the party, but that it was not going to happen at all! Despite the fact that this ice storm caused much havoc all along the Northeast, and many of my party attendees almost didn't find my home due to a barricade of fallen power lines, the party prevailed and was indeed a success...

View from of the backyard after the ice storm,
not nearly as bad hereas in the surrounding areas.

Even the night of the party, the clouds
looked threatening, but quite beautiful.
The potluck arrivals...

Santa Lucia and St. Nicholas had personal greetings for everyone!

Sometime around this point many people started
singing, and I played some accordion accompaniment.
Mmm, this girl looks familiar...
The leftovers of my rainbow veggie
torte made a yummy lunch the following day.

On Sunday, I went for a walk with Hannah (who mysteriously looks very much like Santa Lucia) up the Appalachian Trail to Ice Gulch on East Mountain. Though we hiked for a good 1.5 hours, we were forced to turn around before reaching the top as the trail became to too icy.

Some interesting ice formations...

There was much fallen debris.
Hannah in the entryway to Narnia...

The sunset that same evening was quite stunning.

Dutch Townhouses

2008-12-12T11:13:00.004-05:00

OK, so I was planning on doing Martha Stewart cake decorating idea she had in her magazine last year (yes, I read it sometimes). It was cake decorated by a circle of gingerbread Dutch townhouses. Oddly enough, I actually have a collection of over 20 of these through an unusual source. So instead of using her stencils, I made englarged xerox copies of my houses and traced them out. I ended up not having enough time to decorate them before the holiday party I hosted at my home last Friday, so they never made it around my key lime cheesecake.

Though not yet decorated, I still have most of the cookies, so stay posted for future cookie decorating shots!

The houses lined up along my parent's living room window.

These photos are from last year, so you can also see the beer I got my brother for Christmas from the Barrington Brewery.

As usual, I made a mess.

I also cut out some little cookies from the scraps.

Holiday Decorating Officially Begins

2008-11-28T13:39:00.017-05:00

My parents had an old pomegranate that was past its prime. Rather than let it go completely to waste, I decided to decorate it with cloves, just as you would an orange. The skin was a on the thick side, so I used a wooden skewer to poke the holes first. I've learned from doing the oranges that it's best to keep the cloves a little farther apart than your desired look. Then when the fruit continues to dry up, the cloves aren't so close together that the skin breaks apart.

The longer the fruit dries, the more the cloves will bleed a dark brown stain into the skin of the orange or pomegranate. If you decide to cover the fruit completely in cloves, it will turn all brown but if you want to have a decorative brown line, then do separate lines of cloves with greater spaces between them.

It's Happening...

2008-11-24T11:53:00.019-05:00

Winter is coming, and this is only the beginning. I wake up each morning to an ice castle. There's no heater in my room, but I still love the cold. I need only my hat and my hoodie, a pile of blankets, my old-fashioned metal hot water bottle, and a little warmth coming up through the vent in the floor where the wood stove is below.

I also took some photos of the stream in my backyard yesterday while taking a break from hauling and stacking wood closer to the house. Katie helped me out later, so many thanks to her!

Sweater Weather Report

2008-11-18T09:22:00.005-05:00

As usually happens when I decide to focus on cleaning and organizing my life, I come across some material that inspires me to go off an a tangent and make something else. I found this old sweater that I never wear and decided to doctor it up by added a collar, a front closure (instead of keeping it pullover), and a few embellishments made up from my old knitting samples.

Manifest Your Dreams

2008-11-18T09:02:00.003-05:00

This is the second installment of Maureen's manifestation boxes. Write your dreams onto a slip of paper as if they've already occurred and slide them into the keyhole of the box. I had the pleasure of helping her decorate the box this time around.

Visit Maureen's blog to see proof of her previous dreams come true. She's finally posted the trailer for her multi-media film project on the Little Brothers of St. Francis in Boston!

Maureen dreaming of the box,
or perhaps the poetry of John Haines.

Economic Cooking

2008-11-06T14:26:00.008-05:00

I've been trying to think of ways to save money but still cook yummy food, so my latest idea has been to make my own pre-prepared burritos or veggie wraps. Make 10 to 20 at a time with any variety of fillings, store in the freezer, and they're ready to go whenever you don't feel like cooking or are tempted to eat out. Also, none of your ingredients will be wasted from sitting in the fridge for too long before you have time to cook them. I find it more of a challenge during the winter to come home and cook up a meal in the cold and dark.

Mix #1
(I made two mixes this time. )
This one is roasted poblano peppers (roast in toaster oven), lightly boiled sweet potatoes, beans, mushroom, toasted pine nuts, almost a whole bunch of fresh cilantro, spices (chili powder, oregano, salt...). Then I added goat cheese as I rolled each burrito.

Mix #2
Lightly boiled potatoes, fresh zucchini, beans, spinach (wilted by the hot potatoes), paprika, black pepper, salt. I added slices of cheddar cheese to this one.

My store of toasted pine nuts, and some slices of cheddar waiting to be used...

I acquired these tortillas from a friend. They are on the smaller size, and therefore harder to work with but I made do. Can't turn down a freebie! I recommend big, soft, thin whole wheat ones.

Mix #1 topped with some goat cheese!

These ones are ready for the freezer or...

...to be made into enchiladas of sorts! Just add tomato sauce and some extra cheese of your choice.

Fresh out the 350˚F oven. Yummy!

The Final Results!

2008-11-05T09:30:00.007-05:00

A big shout out to the Egremont Inn who hosted a group of us watching the polls until the wee hours. Thanks for allowing us to stay up late in the comfy chairs, keeping the fire going, and supplying the champagne!

Halloween, Sambaland 2008

2008-11-01T18:04:00.012-04:00

Kim looks like a pretty fairy here, but really she was a Vampire Tooth Fairy!

Dishing out the goods.

Katie and Austen as Piggy!Oh, just showing the usual leg.

I was Bjork in her swan dress, and Hannah was a fallen angel, but most people thought our costumes were meant to go together.

Close-up of Kim's eye.

Some of the local ghosts.

Abraham Lincoln getting pulled away by the time machine, fallen angel in tow. (Time to go back to 1860 in time for the election, Abe!)

The Sambaland dance scene inspired by the Berkshire Bateria.

Cuties

The scary Sarah Palins and Plumber Joe!

Pumpkins and First Snow

2008-10-29T09:49:00.016-04:00

Hannah and I went pumpkin picking a few days ago at Howden Farms.The end result.

You can't tell, but it's actually snowing in these pictures...

The following morning.Handiwork from sitting in front of the fire while it was snowing outside!As you can see, I'm not done yet...Softness... This is why I love winter.My morning drive...

Drive-by shots of the mountains...

Final Fall

2008-10-25T09:06:00.006-04:00

I love this time of year. Last Tuesday was spent mostly in and around the woods that extend beyond the backyard of the house where I live. I tend to go exploring outdoors on my one week day off, and it's amazing how much the scenery has changed since the previous week. This is my first year living in this house, and now that the leaves are almost all down, the first time I can see so far into the woods beyond the stream at the back of the house. I am very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.

Looking into the screened-in porch that overlooks the stream.

The back of the house.

The stream.

I live near the Bamboo Forest...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
I am so fortunate to live near this beautiful tree.

Can you see the house?One of the windows in my room.

I Love Frosty Mornings

2008-10-20T09:30:00.000-04:00

Mass Audubon II

2008-10-12T09:34:00.007-04:00

My mom and I went apple picking at Bartlett Orchards up in Richmond and then hiking at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary up in Lenox, MA.

Galas are our favorite.

The range in apples colors is actually quite surprising!

My hands kept on shaking during our hike, so many of my photographs are a little blurry.

Where the Wild Things Are...

View from the top.

Amazing colors out there in the world.

Mass Audubon

2008-10-08T09:46:00.001-04:00

Tuesdays are my favorite day off. Though I love to spend time with friends on weekends, weekdays are much more suited to adventuring. With fewer people and tourists about, it is far more enjoyable to go out into the world and expand one's horizons. Yesterday I made it up to the Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, MA. They're currently running a membership special (includes two passes), so I signed up my mother and myself. Among other things, the membership allows you free access to all 45 Mass wildlife sanctuaries. The Pleasant Valley Santuary is I believe one of the largest state-wide, with 15 acres of woodland trails a long list of recent wildlife sightings.

In photographing these caterpillars, I'm trying to overcome my fear of them....

Fall Sunday

2008-10-06T09:40:00.001-04:00

I love the change of the seasons, especially Fall into Winter because the transformations out in in nature are so quickly apparent. Yesterday was spent mostly outdoors, from the Bershire Botanical Gardens' Octoberfest, to the Norman Rockwell Museum, to a final stop at Taft Farms before going on a little hike up Jug End Mountain with Katie and Stefan.

Ocean Grove

2008-09-28T23:37:00.019-04:00

Today I went to Ocean Grove, NJ, with my father. Even though the forecast predicted thunderstorms, neither of us will turn down a trip to the beach. My father used to go to Ocean Grove and Asbury Park as a child and therefore loves to reminisce. It was so foggy at times, that Asbury Park was hardly visible as a deserted ghost on the horizon. The surf was extremely turbulent so we did not venture out too far out into the waves. However, I had to get my head wet at least once by kneeling down into the water and was at one point completely knocked over dragged a few feet by the current.

Jellyfish

These "butterflies" were my favorite growing up.

Sand crab.
My father reading the paper.
Asbury Park is just a dream.

Where we first had breakfast and later ice cream.
There was a torrential storm on the way home.

Barred Owl and Blue Jay

2008-09-19T10:40:00.005-04:00

Two more animal ornament attempts. The owls are tricky and I think I will try to edit my pattern for this one even though he is still sweet.

Craft Night

2008-09-16T08:49:00.012-04:00

Recently my friend Katie and I decided it would be a great idea to hold craft night every other week or so. This way we could be inspired to make things in an ongoing way, learn from each other's ideas, and encourage the giving of hand-made gifts during the holiday season as an alternative to buying them. Below I've included some photos from our first gathering, including the official invitation Mr. Bunny* was so inclined to create:

*Mr. Bunny is one of many Christmas tree ornaments I make for my mom each year. See some of the previous ones posted on one of my older blogs.

Mr. Bunny, Oscar my mom's parrot, and Miss Mousey introduce the event!

Woodpecker is the next to join the group.
Katie diligently sewing.I'm flying! Let's see who's working over here...Jess pausing between knit stitches to read up on some crafting ideas.Katie is proud to present Bluebird!Hello.I am so fine. Please check out my profile view.New friends flying together.OK, we'll calm down and stay still for just one moment.Close-up of Jess's jar cozy.
The morning after. My first latté ever. I am buzzed like a hummingbird!

2008-09-03T20:54:00.003-04:00

I love the ocean and that is where I want to be. Always.

Last Night, This Morning

2008-08-30T09:07:00.003-04:00

Misty mountain morning today. I couldn't get myself out of bed early enough to take a good shot seeing as I had a long day yesterday beginning with driving a friend to the airport. Today should be my day off, but I am working up until Tuesday. Photos go roughly backwards in time.

My bedroom window.

The Lamp Post

Shamrock oxalis has a nice view.
Where I make things.William Morris Prints
June Bug is more interested in my
piles of clean clothes than being photographed.

Pretty in Pink, With An Opinion Too

2008-08-27T09:24:00.009-04:00

Last night I attended a goodbye party for our lovely Hammertown coworker Elizabeth Johnson. She's a women's confidence coach and an amazing individual with interests ranging from women's studies to animal rights to a love of vintage clothes. Follow the link to her website to read some of her own work. Her favorite color is pink, so I had excuse to try baking something resembling petit fours.

Hannah's Tanglewood Birthday Tart

2008-08-15T15:38:00.002-04:00

This tart accompanied us to a performance by Andrew Bird and Wilco at Tanglewood. I wanted to make something that could be easily sliced and divvied up without making too much of a mess. I made pastry crust for the first time (or at least the first time in a long time), having had to call my father up for some instruction.

Pastry:
2 ½ cups pastry flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter
Pinch salt
5 tbs water

Fruit Topping:
2 granny smith apples
2 peaches
Blueberries (fresh, picked a few days earlier from Blueberry Hill)
Blackberries (fresh, picked just down the road from my home)

Grease and large baking sheet
Pre-heat oven 375 F

Pastry:
Didn’t have pastry tool, so I had to make the crust with a fork. Eventually gave in and used hands to knead as lightly as possible… didn’t have a choice! Then used a water bottle to roll out and created layers for the dough. (I moved into a new home recently, so many of my belongings are in need of unpacking.)

Fruit:
Halved apples and peaches and sliced thinly, dividing each fruit into approximately the same number of slices. I was able to line up half each of one apple and one peach for each row of fruit, alternating from one to the other. Perhaps leaving on the skin of the peaches would have given a more dynamic change of color.

Sprinkled blueberries and blackberries in between the lines of apples and peaches and then sprinkled on sugar... didn't measure how much, just went for it.

Baked for about 30 min (rotated tray around about half-way through).
Let sit to cool and then topped powdered sugar for a frosty look.

Alicia's Wedding Dress, Part IV

2008-07-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Completion! My talented photographer friend Mo (visit her website and blog) took some better photos than these, but they haven't been uploaded yet. I am still stuck taking pictures with my computer.

Taconic Wayside Inn - Hillbilly, Rockabilly

2008-07-20T08:50:00.007-04:00

Saturday night in Copake Falls, NY:

First, picnic on the Bash Bish Falls river and then dancing to music played by Sauerkraut Seth, Chops and the Velvet Frog at the Taconic Wayside Inn. Who doesn't love Elvis, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash covers?

Candles on the river.

Lovely friends!

The Tall Couple

Dance Pardners

As requested by MaureenWas it raining or were we just dancing so much?
They Look Longingly

Cricket Stands Behind Us All.

Vanilla Orange Cake

2008-07-15T08:57:00.005-04:00

Birthday cake, this time for Danielle. I haven't had a taste of it, so I won't post the recipe until I get back the results. Just a simple orange-vanilla-yogurt cake with red and white currants from this year's crop. Cream cheese icing. Perhaps I put in too much butter? We shall see....

(When my father saw Alicia's dress, he said it looked like a cake.)

Click on photo to see old blog of cakes:

Alicia's Wedding Dress, Part III

2008-07-13T10:27:00.002-04:00

Appliqué and embroidery details...

Alicia's Wedding Dress, Part II

2008-07-13T09:09:00.005-04:00

All the smocking and shaping is now complete and I've been doing embroidery and appliqué.

Alicia's Wedding Dress

2008-07-07T18:33:00.005-04:00

My Swiss-Spanish friend Alicia recently asked if I would make her wedding dress. I couldn't turn her down even though we were short for time and I would have to ship it off by the end of July to her home in Australia. The fabric is super-fine organic cotton jersey with a slip to go underneath it so it's not see through. The cut is A-line but I'm slowly shaping the waistline it by doing some smocking with plant-dyed embroidery thread. Here's the progress thus far:

The pieces are cut.

The neckline and cap sleeves are hand-stitched.

The smocking begins.

The smocking continues.

Secret Strawberry Society, Plus Shortcake

2008-06-29T08:45:00.017-04:00

(Still no camera, so taking pictures with my computer when I can.)

Please scroll down for recipe!

Yesterday I went to Thompson Finch Farm in Ancram, NY, for the second time this strawberry season. One of the best things about living in the Berkshires is being able to enjoy the great of variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables all grown within the area. At the top of my most-enjoyable list are strawberries, peas (sugar snap and snow), and tomatoes (especially heirloom, but let's hold off on praising them until they're actually available). I get most of my vegetables from my favorite farm share at CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm Girl Farm, located in Egremont, MA. In our first share of the season we always get a few stalks of rhubarb, hence my first venturing into strawberry-picking.

I love sit out in the open fields and pick strawberries. The first time I picked at least 10 lbs. While I was there, the weather became slightly gray and breezy but lovely in mind, the cloud cover and light drizzle giving relief from the hot sun. The second time I picked over 13 lbs of strawberries, perhaps just because I could, not to mention the price and flavor can't be beat by store-bought varieties. The picking went much more quickly the second time around as the larger varieties are now in season, though I prefer the smaller ones.

Why so many strawberries? Well, asides from the facts that I love strawberries, I love to bake, and I love eating fruits and vegetables when they're available fresh from the vine, there's something magical and mystifying about walking on forever through fields of one kind of small thing. There's a whole little world down there beneath all the fringed-leaves resting on clusters of thin stems. It's a sad story when one comes upon a great King Strawberry, a single-bruise past his prime. In search of trivia I asked one of the girls working at the farm if there were any little-known facts about strawberries. She just replied, "You mean what kind of varieties there are?" Personally I think she was bluffing, staying true to the strict codes of the Secret Strawberry Society. So I moved on out into the rest of the world, wondering if I'd have another chance to return before this season's Strawberry Kingdom fades into the mist.

http://www.thompsonfinch.com
http://www.farmgirlfarm.com

***

Here's the recipe I came up with yesterday after picking strawberries and hopping over Bash Bish Falls on my way home to cool off:

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RECIPE:
I used two 9" pans, and poured a little extra batter into three heart-shaped ones to give away, but the batter could have easily fit into both.

CREAM:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar

ADD:
1 cup yogurt
5 cups pastry flour
3 tbs. baking powder
1 cup fresh orange juice
orange zest (a tablespoon?)

BAKE:
425˚F about 25 min., or until golden brown. Rotate pans if necessary.

WHIPPED CREAM (Make on day two, or right before assembling):
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla (or splash)

LAYERING:
I assembled the cake on the second day, layering left-over strawberry sauce from the below chocolate cake recipe with lots of fresh sliced strawberries mixed in and a little extra sugar.

Sara and Jessica prepare to eat cake with pistachio ice cream.

THINGS I LEARNED:
If you bake a white cake versus a chocolate cake, it's much more obvious if you don't center pans or rotate them in the oven, especially if you're using a poor old electric ovem. You can really tell if a flourless chocolate cake is not perfectly baked all the way round, but a white one will show inconsistent coloration and the texture is more or less wet or dry.

If you want to make chocolate curls by using a vegetable peeler and a bar of chocolate, it works best on a hot summer day. You don't even need to try and soften the chocolate by sticking it on top of the fridge or what ave you. Using a bar that has greater indentations gives a cool scalloped-edge look. I only had a bar of toffee chocolate, so although my curls broke up easily because of the small bits of toffee, it added a cool flecked-effect.

Easy Choclate White Currant Cake

2008-06-27T09:28:00.012-04:00

First of all, the photo is a lie. My camera decided to leave this world therefore forcing me to use an old photo of Melissa's b-day cake. Hers was actually the beginning of the flourless chocolate cake series, only the following recipe has some coconut flour in it.

I don't know if I've actually improved this recipe, or if chocolate cake is just completely fail-proof, but this recipe is based on the flourless chocolate cake I've been making and altering for the last year or two. Couldn't find my springform pan so used my 7.5"W x 3."D pan = rich chocolaty center! It's actually better if the cake doesn't cook all the way through to the middle, allowing for a mousse-like center. I've also made this cake in a wider, shallow pan which gives more of a "brownie-like" result.

You can do two different pans and make a layer cake, or pour some of the batter into mini heart pans of muffin tins for variation. Melissa's has a glaze on it.

THE RECIPE:

Grease cake pan(s), whichever ones you have around.
DO NOT FORGET TO LINE PARCHMENT PAPER IN BOTTOM OF PAN! Makes all the difference in getting the cake out, especially if you use a deeper pan. Coat the sides with cocoa powder instead of flour.

DRY BOWL:
About 1/2 cup cocoa powder (ran out of so used coconut flour, otherwise full cup!)
1 1/2 cups coconut flour (or whatever cocoa powder-flour ratio you want to use) (or no flour)
1 1/4 cups sugar
A few handfuls gooseberries (I was out of red currants) (or raspberries)

Pinch salt

MIXER:
4 duck eggs (or 6 and eliminate chicken eggs)
2 chicken eggs (or 8 and eliminate duck eggs)
Beat eggs lightly, then add
A splash of vanilla

DOUBLE BOILER:
1 cup (or less) Earth Balance spread
12 oz chocolate (easier to use the entire package!)
Melt until smooth.

COMBINE:
Add melted chocolate-butter mix to mixer, beat lightly until smooth.
Add dry mix gradually at medium speed until you have a thick, full batter. I usually give a few quick pulses at a higher speed.

BAKING:
About 40 min at 350˚F
You don't want to over do it. The cake will be better on the second day! Leave it alone if you can, and expect the knife to come out coated in chocolate. It is 12oz of melted chocolate after all.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
To go on top. Filled med. sauce pan w/ frozen stawberries (I had picked them two weeks earlier) plus a little water and a little arrowroot powder and maybe 1/4 cup sugar. Cooked until thick.

Oscar the Parrot

2008-06-17T22:45:00.002-04:00

Though he simply refuses to do personal interviews, I was finally able to convince Oscar to receive at least one phone call. Unfortunately he didn't have much to say to me the way he usually does.

Oscar filling in for the microwave. Notice how I do not press any buttons.

Florida Vacation II

2008-06-07T20:44:00.020-04:00

Day 5:

A long eventful day! Some morning shopping followed by a trip to the Brevard Zoo, mostly to see the aviary. Otherwise I have mixed feelings about animals in captivity. Rainbow lorikeets in the aviary flying and hopping around everywhere. Took a few videos. They were hysterical and made the trip worthwhile.

The rest of the day spent at the beach. The water was perfect. Came home to make dinner and go for another evening bike ride. The only day so far we didn't go to the pool at least once. Only one more full day left....

Day 6:

The beach.

And after dinner, one more final swim at the pool.

Florida Vacation

2008-06-06T20:56:00.043-04:00

Well, I am practically computerless (as my great uncle's computer is of the prehistoric age when it comes to speed) and I have no means to upload all my vacation photos, but here's a brief synopsis of what I've been up to in Florida with my mom:

Now with photo updates, 6/11/08

Day 1:
Easy flight, arrive in Orlando. Go to Whole Foods to retrieve potentially edible Florida food only to discover the store has been closed down. Seek mediocre alternative options, met with some success. Eventually make it down to my great aunt and uncle's house by early evening just in time for a swim at pool #3.

Day 2:
Find better health food store. Lacking kale an other decent produce but otherwise some good finds. Find second health food store that makes yummy smoothies with FRESH coconut! More swimming at pool #3.

Pontoon ride and bird watching tour on the Indian River near the Sebastian Inlet led by the Environmental Center. Lovely and informative ride around Pelican Island. More swimming, only this time at pool #1 which we have all to ourselves.

Day 3:
Drive down to Winter Park and surrounding area to visit my mom's old friends, including her high school biology teacher. We all go to the The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art to see the stained glass work of Louis Comfort Tiffany (son of "Tiffany's"). Facinating pieces, but I'm surprised to discover I almost prefer his work as a painter. Additional suprises include an Alfonse Mucha lithograph called La Plume and Maxfield Parrish's The Dinky Bird painting.

Day 4:
Get up early to go kyacking on the Indian River, again via the Environmental Center. Paddle about 5mi. in three hours with a trip around an island filled with hundreds of birds and their nests. The sounds coming from the island are unbelievable. Mom overcomes fear of kyacks and we both experience the wildlife viewing highlight of our lives by paddling within 15 feet of multiple white ibis nests, filled with baby birds.

Botanical Gardens. Lots of waterlilies, bamboo, spanish moss, palm trees, etc...

Bike ride. More swimming. Tomorrow hopefully brings my favorite.....: The Beach.

Spring Dress

2008-05-27T19:25:00.023-04:00

A few weeks ago I realized it had been ages since I had actually made something, so I rummaged through my drawers and baskets to find some fabric or other inspiring material. The end result was this dress, made from organic cotton/Ecospun fabric. I cut it directly on the dress form so that I utilized as much yardage as possible, therefore equaling minimal waste. Only the center back seam is machine-sewn and everything else is hand-stitched with plant-dyed embroidery thread. The little caps on the sleeves are cut directly out of the armhole, and though they lack hanger-appeal they look like little petals when the dress is worn.

Illustrations and Illuminated Manuscripts of the Empire

2008-05-18T01:20:00.011-04:00

"We are the night ocean filled

with glints of light. We are the space
between the fish and the moon,
while we sit here together."
~Rumi

Often.

Sometimes.
On occasion.

Sara Parrilli Tiramisu Original Recipe

2008-05-12T21:54:00.032-04:00

Sara’s Tiramisu
As first made for Peter's Birthday January 2008

Notes:
Much easier than most of the other versions I went through. I combined a recipe for zabaglione (custard) with cooked eggs and tiramisu with uncooked eggs. Now only the egg whites are raw. Chocolate wafers are a plus! One French pot of coffee is a little too much, but you can use leftovers for drinks!

Ingredients:
2 cups+ espresso
1 1/3 cup Kahlua
5 eggs (used jumbo, 6 if smaller)
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup vin santo (traditionally marsala wine)
500g mascarpone (2 pkgs.)
40 lady fingers (approx. 1.5 packages)
1 tsp vanilla
½ package chocolate wafer cookies
Cocoa powder

Directions:
Make coffee and mix with Kahlua. Chill until ready to use.

Heat water in double boiler, lower to simmer. Beat eggs until smooth and lighter in color. Slowly beat in sugar. Move eggs to double boiler and heat slowly, whisking constantly. Slowly add vin santo or wine until mixture thickens and doubles in volume for 10-15 min.

Remove egg mixture from heat. Beat in mascarpone and vanilla with electric beater until smooth (use medium whisk attachment). Mascarpone will help eggs to cool down. Set aside and beat egg whites separately (fine whisk attachment) until stiff peaks form. Fold into mascarpone mixture.

Soak ladyfingers in coffee-Kahlua mixture, about 10 sec until soaked through. Create first layer in bottom of bowl or dish. You can paint on more coffee-Kahlua so the cookies fully soaked, it will be better that way. Layer some of mascarpone mixture. Then alternate layers of chocolate wafers (brush on some Kahlua mixture), soaked ladyfingers, and mascarpone about 2-3 times depending on depth of the bowl or dish, ending with mascarpone.

WARNING!
Consumption of this dessert may result in the following:

Things I've Made, large - assorted (knitwear) II

2008-05-07T20:41:00.006-04:00

More knitwear. This one was knit on Japanese Shima Seiki industrial knitting machines. I designed the fabric, but I am most proud of my neck trim (which the photo barely does any justice). I was designing and simultaneously learning how to use the knitwear computer program, so I had envisioned the girls' heads to be much smaller. Due to the limiting time constraints, I wasn't able to alter the pattern.

Knit with wool I dyed and then spun into yarn on a drop spindle.
Recycled elk antler buttons.

Some fun shaping.