let them eat tea bread

Posted on January 15, 2007 by mariko

matcha bread.JPG
Hope everyone had a good weekend. It has been super cold and windy here in Portland. This morning I went for a run, and my face kind of froze. When I got home Peter said, “Wow, you look like you’re 80! All the wrinkles on your face froze!” Anyway, let’s turn to baking, shall we? I saw this recipe for Matcha and Lemon Cake in Metropolitan Home, of all magazines. It seemed pretty tasty and not so difficult, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I would definitely make this again, but I need to make sure I throw away the cheap Chefmate bread pan I used, because it burns everything! The Chefmate loaf was charred, while the second loaf was, well, vigorously browned. Needless to say, watch those baking times!
Read on for the recipe …

Continue reading →

Posted in baking | 7 Comments

apple troika

Posted on January 12, 2007 by mariko

The apple fest continues! Action Hero Melissa was telling me about some apple corduroy she got at Fabric Depot. I saw a photo of it and decided I needed some, too. That same day I went to Amy‘s to help with mailorder (I was really there for the chocolate cake and coffee). When I was leaving, I spotted the very same apple corduroy in a different colorway placed casually on a chair. I exclaimed that I was going to get the same fabric the following day. Turns out Amy had made a really cute top with the corduroy. So anyway, I went to Fabric Depot and planned to get the green apple corduroy, but that Melissa had bought most of it, so I got the Amy colorway. Amy made the cute top, Melissa made a really cute jacket, and I made a dress.

apple dress1.JPG
I got the pattern in Japan, and behold, it fits (though it’s hard to tell what the dress really looks like from the photo). I will probably make the short-sleeve version of this dress for summer, since it’s really quite comfy (and maybe a bit frumpy, but that’s okay). Now, would you like to hear some of Peter’s comments?
– “Is that going to be your new style?”
– “I’m just trying to understand it.”
– “It looks like something a polygamist’s wife would wear.”
– “That’s not really your typical zipperneck Zira style.” (Peter thinks I only wear zippernecks, and he also thinks I dress like Zira from Planet of the Apes.)

Posted in sewing | 16 Comments

superbuzzy tease

Posted on January 11, 2007 by mariko

Kelly and I have been working hard getting the next superbuzzy shop update ready. It’s probably about a week away. We’re awaiting the arrival of a couple more boxes of goodies, and then we should be set. In the meantime, here’s a little teaser–

superbuzzy tease.JPG
Can you tell that I’m running out of space? This is supposed to be my living room. I have to clear the boxes out of here tomorrow, since we’re expecting the delivery of a new refrigerator this weekend. I know, fridge in the living room? It’s a long and uninteresting story!

Posted in zip | 2 Comments

just call me angel

Posted on January 9, 2007 by mariko

Haha, hope everyone out there is doing well. It’s supposed to snow tonight but probably not very much.

matcha latte2.JPG
Anyway, I did test out the Trader Joe’s matcha latte. I made it with water so I could really taste the essentials of the mix. It’s pretty thick stuff, and the matcha flavor is not particularly strong, but it’s not bad. Maybe if I mixed in some additional matcha powder? Anyway, it wasn’t disgusting, but it wasn’t delicious, either.
angel cake.JPG
And now I will talk about cake! The other day I made Angel Cake from the September 2003 issue of Food & Wine (wow, 2003. That’s old! I’ve been carrying around the recipe since then!). It has a marshmallow frosting, so it’s really pretty and shiny. When I was frosting it, Peter commented that the frosting looked just like 3M 5200 polyurethane (a classic boat polyurethane, apparently). So you see, his comments are not just limited to my wardrobe.
The cake part was actually quite delicious–not too sweet and a good, substantial cake. The frosting, on the other hand, was really, REALLY sweet. It was fun to make, and I ate the frosting, but everyone else kind of scraped it off (except for the 3-year-old. She liked it). So, I think this cake would probably be more of a crowd pleaser if made with chocolate frosting.
Read on for the recipe …

Continue reading →

Posted in baking | 10 Comments

the matcha revolution continues!

Posted on January 8, 2007 by mariko

And Trader Joe’s continues to dominate my universe!

matcha latte.JPG
I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t tell you how delicious it is. Maybe I’ll try it this afternoon. It’s all grey and rainy here, so getting all jacked up on matcha caffeine might be just the ticket!

Posted in food | 12 Comments

superbuzzin’ along

Posted on January 6, 2007 by mariko

We’re expecting to do a big honkin’ update to superbuzzy in the next week or two, and there should be some pretty neat Japanese fabric goodness! In the meantime, though, there have been some little additions to the site, including more cute patches and fun clips and magnets. We just put up some new buttons and purse handles, too, and they are so cute I had to tell you about them.

buttonsclear.jpg
I would like to eat these buttons. Don’t they look like candy? Super sweet.
buttonsdots.jpg
These, too, look like candy (it’s becoming painfully clear now why I like these buttons so much, isn’t it?). They remind me of those little dot candies that come on the paper strips. I used to buy those at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour all the time!
And the fun purse handles, which we have in a variety of colors:
handles.jpg
Yes, these look like those Brach’s candies from the grocery store that are sold by the pound (Pick-A-Mix)! You know what I mean, right, those nougaty things with colored chunks in them. They didn’t taste that great but I always wanted to eat them because they were so pretty. Now I am feeling a little obsessed about those nougats. I might have to make a trip to the store …

Posted in zip | 8 Comments

fuzz factor

Posted on January 4, 2007 by mariko

My new serger has inspired me to finally get to some of the high-tech fabrics I’ve been hoarding. Last year I got some fuzzy green fleece at my favorite high-tech fabric store: Rose City Textiles. If you shop at a particular outdoor clothing manufacturer, you might recognize this fabric. Anyway, it’s all furry on the outside and the fleece lining has a velour-like texture. Yummy.

fuzzy top.JPG
It’s soft and cozy and warm, but sewing with this stuff nearly sent me over the edge. When you cut it, the furry polyester nap goes flying around all over the place. It covered my sewing machines, my floors, my glasses, my clothes, EVERYTHING. Because of this, I was prompted to sew as quickly, and perhaps hastily, as possible. I pretty much made up the pattern by copying a top I already had and just going for it. The workmanship is not that great, but I didn’t care! I had to sew up those fuzzy seams! Now on to the next project …

Posted in sewing | 15 Comments

sweet or savory?

Posted on January 2, 2007 by mariko

You know that age-old conundrum? It usually hits you when you go out for breakfast–sweet or savory. Should you go for the pancakes or french toast, or should you get eggs or corned beef hash? It’s nice when you can combine the two. This Toffee Crunch comes pretty darn close.

P1011098.JPG

It’s like Chex Party Mix except it is candied. The recipe follows, but here’s the question–do you have any similar recipes or even just recipes for toffee crunch sorts of things that you can share and recommend? This Toffee Crunch is delicious, but there is some debate as to whether the savory element should be kicked up a notch.
Read on for the recipe …

Continue reading →

Posted in candy/chocolate | 10 Comments

the final skirt of 2006

Posted on December 31, 2006 by mariko

It’s hard to believe 2006 is over, but, well, maybe it’s not so hard to believe, since I just realized the other day that I have been thinking it’s 2007 for several months now. I’m hoping that is a good omen.
After the high-waisted, seam-bustin’ denim skirt fiasco from the other day, I felt the need to whip up another skirt right away. I had some lovely vintage wool-like fabric that my friend Mrs. McGlunk gave me, so I sewed a simple skirt from Machiko Kayaki’s Skirt a la Carte book.

vintage skirt.JPG
Man but my legs are huge. Anyway, the fabric has a lining attached to it already, which is great, but unfortunately it sticks to tights, so I think I finally need to get a slip. You can’t really see the pockets on the front, but there are a couple. Really.
And one piece of advice to any of you with colds. Don’t take non-drowsy nasal decongestants and Excedrin Sinus Headache and also drink a 12 oz Vietnamese coffee on the same day if you want to sleep. I was up from 12:30am to about 5am.
Happy New Year!!!

Posted in sewing | 20 Comments

feeling edgy

Posted on December 30, 2006 by mariko

Hey folks! I seem to have caught the cold that every other resident of Portland has had. Maybe I should find that comforting? Anyway, Action Hero Melissa gave me this great baking pan called the Baker’s Edge. You know how sometimes food baked in a rectangular baking dish is all crusty on the outer edges and soft and undercooked in the center? This pan is designed to bake things evenly! Check out the chocolate chip cookie dough:

bakersedge dough.JPG

Here’s the finished product, and yeah, I know, it looks almost exactly like the dough!
bakersedge cookies.JPG
I followed the recipe that came with the pan, but unfortunately I still ended up overbaking the cookies, and they were too hard and crunchy. I’m looking forward to baking some cinnamon rolls and lasagne in this pan (not at the same time, of course).
Hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful 2007!

Posted in baking | 7 Comments