crab feed

Posted on January 30, 2008 by mariko

crab feed.JPG

We went to an all-you-can-eat crab feed the other night at the Industrial Cafe in NW Portland. Not only did they have crab, but they also served oysters, a tangy tomato bisque, and salad. The salad was not just an ordinary salad but an iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing. Whoever invented the wedge is a total genius.
Note: I knit that sweater for Peter about a million years ago (circa 1991).

Posted in food | 6 Comments

Earl Grey Tea Cake

Posted on January 29, 2008 by mariko

earl grey tea cake.JPG

I love black tea, and I’m always in search of recipes for baked goods containing tea, cuz they’re tea-rrific. Ha ha, couldn’t resist. Sorry. Anyway, I recently received The Greyston Bakery Cookbook:
cookbook.jpg

The Greyston Bakery’s claim to fame is it is the provider of the brownies that go into Ben & Jerry’s ice creams. Now, since Chocolate Fudge Brownie is one of my favorite flavors, you know the next recipe I try is going to be the brownies. But anyway, back to the Earl Grey Tea Cake. It sounded lovely, and it was not difficult to make. It is not bad, but it didn’t blow my socks off, either, which is what I was hoping for. I prefer a slightly moister cake with a light crumb, and I would have liked a more substantial glaze and a stronger tea flavor. I used Stash tea bags, but I think if I make it again I am going to use a higher-quality loose tea instead of bags. Maybe that’ll help?
Now regarding the cookbook overall: there are quite a few interesting and appealing recipes in it (e.g., Grapefruit Yogurt Cake, Spiced Sugar Tartlets, Gingered Lemon Squares), and the photographs are luscious. My one bone to pick is each recipe doesn’t have an accompanying photograph. It seems this is the latest trend with cookbooks, and I don’t support it! I have a difficult time visualizing the final product if there isn’t, you know, a VISUAL representation of it right there. That said, it’s still a great cookbook, and I am very happy to have it!
Read on for the recipe …

Continue reading →

Posted in baking | 18 Comments

sp-egg-tacular

Posted on January 23, 2008 by mariko

Another egg cozy:

egg cozy pompom.JPG

Yeah, I realize this looks pretty much identical to the first one, but hey, it has a pompom!

Posted in knitting | 5 Comments

delicious enough brownies

Posted on January 21, 2008 by mariko

heart brownie with book.JPG

For Christmas I received this great cookbook: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. It is chock full of incredible desserts, each of which seems to require 4 sticks of butter!
heart brownie.JPG

The first recipe I tried was Heart of Darkness Brownies. These decadent suckers have chopped-up Snickers bars and chocolate chips in them, and they are supposed to have a caramel drizzle on top. With the toasted marshmallow topping, it’s basically a 3-step process to make these. There are 3 sticks of butter in these, but the recipe made a lot. Unfortunately, I realized after they were in the oven that I had forgotte to include the brown sugar. Doh! So, I didn’t make the caramel drizzle because I was afraid they were going to be ruined. They still tasted quite delicious, though, and the recipe is definitely a keeper! I can’t wait to try other recipes from this cookbook.
Read on for the recipe …

Continue reading →

Posted in baking | 5 Comments

free shoes

Posted on January 20, 2008 by mariko

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (actually, not really, but somehow it seems more momentous if I say that), I am hosting a shoe giveaway!

free shoes.JPG
Before you get too excited, here’s the deal: I got these Kenneth Cole Reaction shoes in size 6.5. I usually wear a 6 or 6.5. These were a little big, but I figured they would be fine. I wore them once and had to cram tissue into the toes, and really, they are just too big. I cannot return them since I did wear them that one day. So, if anyone out there likes these shoes, wears a 6.5 (6.5 leaning toward a 7 sometimes would probably be ideal), and lives in the U.S., leave a comment saying you want them, and I will send them to you! There is no obligation, but it’d be nice if you eventually sent me a photo of you wearing the shoes and looking happy and cute. First come, first served.

Posted in General | 14 Comments

button down

Posted on January 16, 2008 by mariko

singer button box.JPG
I often get a bee in my bonnet about something or other, and it can change on an hourly basis. The other day I got all crazy about vintage buttons and started digging around ebay in search of some. Well, all of you probably already know there are tons of vintage buttons on ebay, but I had never looked! I found this box of candy-hued buttons by Namm & Singer, and I don’t know why, but nobody else bid on them, so I won! I am the winner!
singer buttons.JPG
They came in a couple hours (okay, I am exaggerating, but really, it only took a couple days! Super fast delivery!). I love these buttons. They look like candy, and I want to gobble them up, but that wouldn’t be very good for my digestive system, would it. I know I am going to find a lot of use for these little gems.

Posted in other crafting | 8 Comments

tunic top thingy

Posted on January 13, 2008 by mariko

I took a long and largely unintentional break from sewing last year, but lately I’ve been sewing little bits here and there, and it feels great! One of the things I just made is a long tunic top. Now, I’ve been seeing lots of gals wearing these long tops, either over pants or tights, and while I thought it was pretty cute, I didn’t think I could get away with it or that I would enjoy all that fabric and extra bulk around my middle (you know, long top over pants=many layers).

tunic top.JPG
Then I saw Sally rocking a long tunic over tights, and she looked so darn cute that I thought, to heck with it, I’m going to go for it! This probably wasn’t the most rational approach, since Sally is one of those people who can make a white T-shirt and jeans look glamorous, but whatever, I made it (used one of my Japanese pattern books), and I rather like it. It’s the ultimate multipurpose shirt/dress: in the winter I can layer and go with a bohemian look, ha ha, and in the spring I can wear it as a little dress.

Posted in sewing | 20 Comments

cozy cosy

Posted on January 9, 2008 by mariko

egg cozy.JPG

So I have been on a hard-boiled egg kick for several months now, and just recently Peter embarked on a soft-boiled egg kick. We even had to go out and purchase some egg cups! He requested some egg cozies, and I figured, hey, even I might be able to manage an egg cozy. I’m planning to knit up a few more if I can deal with the tiny double-pointed needles. I followed this pattern and used some leftover sock yarn.

Posted in knitting | 14 Comments

candy

Posted on January 6, 2008 by mariko

70s candy.JPG

I actually sewed a garment, and I was going to blog about it, but none of the photos turned out. I am starting to realize that my photographer’s hands are too huge to handle my cute little orange Casio digital camera. He’s like that Mark Hamill character from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (which I sort of unwillingly watched the other day while on the treadmill. I’m afraid I’m not a big fan of Kevin Smith films, though I do find him hilarious as an actor). Anyway, I guess I will just have to wait until a) I wear the garment again, b) I find a photographer with smaller fingers, and c) it’s not so dark and rainy.
So instead, here’s a photo of the 1970s Decade Candy Box a friend sent me for Christmas. It’s from Hometown Favorites. They have decade boxes from a number of eras, and they make great gifts. I was thrilled with mine, and I have impressed many (okay, a couple) people by flashing them the contents.

Posted in candy/chocolate | 7 Comments

nope, not finished baking

Posted on January 2, 2008 by mariko

I made these cookies several weeks ago for a cookie exchange.

peppermint swirl cookies.JPG
They were actually quite tasty and really pretty. I got the recipe from the San Francisco Chronicle. I can no longer locate the recipe on the site, but if you want it just click below.
Also, I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of sewing a little bit. The sewing room is pretty cold, so it’s not particularly inviting during these dark and cold winter days, but what can you do. If I’m to attain my goal of being more productive in 2008, I will have to brave the cold temps and sew away.
oven mitt.JPG
The master plan was to make a bunch of these oven mitts and give them away at Christmas with jar cakes, but, well, I only managed to make one, and it’s still sitting in my house.
Recipe next …

Continue reading →

Posted in baking | 12 Comments