New year, New post!

Finally got to uploading some pictures from long and short ago. It's not a resolution but I'm gonna blog more this year!! here's tidbits from what i've missed :)

Here is the SnapDragon (though really only a dragon and not many people could even guess that! sillies)

We didn't get a full video of our performance but a snippet was taken by Angie and can be seen here....

Girls from Byakkoya

Still cooking tons in this new year of course and we just can't get enough of this pancake recipe!

Robie's flapjacks

I made some with eggs in the middle.....yummm..

They are the lightest and fluffiest ever! It really is key to just moisten the flour and to avoid over mixing. Lumps we've found go away while cooking. They almost float out of the pan.

I made a really good and overstuffed chicken pot pie with a yeasty apple pudding for desert. Both turned out tasty and we pretty much scraped the apple pan clean. David keeps bringing home cookbooks from work and I find myself flipping to the desert pages to see what I should make.

I hope to apprentice at a french patisserie in Wayne with a well known pastry chef. I went today and asked but will inquire further with a letter and maybe a pie to entice a position. I couldn't leave without getting a few things and bought some of the best deserts I've ever tasted. The macaroons were incredible.

And on the way back to town I stopped at the German butcher to pick up some goodies! :) It was a food full day.

Last time I got marzipan piggies but this time I found ..............................

Marzipan Potatoes!!!

And here's a pic of David's beanie I knitted for Xmas. It came out really well if I do say so myself.

I have to get ma to take a pic of her shawl and geez, I'm still not done with Amy's socks. I wrapped them half finished only to take them home again. Oh well, sometime soon I hope!

Cooking, Baking, Cooking, and oh yes, Baking

27 pounds of peaches!! That's how many we picked while on our Va trip. I didn't know what to do with them all at first or what I was going to make with them, but we figured it out. I've been cooking a ton lately and have even stopped eating at work so much.

I hadn't made crepes for a while so decided that would be our first peach dish. We caramelized them with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I had made the batter the day before since it's better to let it sit. Then I topped them with a blueberry, nutella, honey, and chocolate compote!! Yum!

I continued to use up the peaches by making a Peach Buckle and a Pie. Both were incredibly good especially with the leftover blueberry compote. (you can see the gift I got of measuring cups in the top picture. I've used them already about 5 times now and love having a 4 cup measuring option. David let the pastry chef at work try the buckle and she was quite impressed :)

We finished up the peaches by making Jam!! David wanted to learn how to can preserves so we used the final (well ripened) peaches to make two batches of jam. Of course you have to use some of the warm jam on ice cream to test it :)

I had picked up some NJ corn, tomatoes, along with those blueberries so we had a great meal of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil from our plants. The corn was so sweet and good. I used up the blueberries to make Sheldon's lunch pancakes. Who would have thought that one of the best blueberry pancake recipe's comes from a children's book?

Last Sunday I made Tamales and Tostones with Guacamole. My Tamales didn't turn out how I like so I remade them Tuesday. We had a tomato, avocado, and corn salad, with an asian slaw and some grilled Tuna. It was a much better meal than the original try!

We went to Reading Terminal Market Friday to pickup dinner. We got some trout, asparagus, and orriechette pasta. We cooked the meal in fifteen minutes which was a great improvement on our usual all night cooking projects and allowed us to actually watch spinal tap finally. I fried up bread crumbs in olive oil then tossed the pasta in with parmesan cheese. Always a fast good option.

Nothing much other than cooking going on right now. My 2nd sock is still wandering in and out of getting done. And I still haven't gotten the baking out of my system and feel like making a chocolate something or other........hmmm chocolate.

Wag the Dog

There was some tail wagging action yesterday!! Kasia's tail has been limp after her fall off the deck and I was worried it was forever broken. But it seems to be gaining it's movement back so maybe in a month it will be full windmill again!

Photobooth Photobook

some relief from a traumatic night.

And End.

Life summed up

I finally got to uploading some photos of what's been up lately.

Let's see......

I got a package in the mail (think I wrote that last time :) Here's my pressed flowers, farmers market goodies and books from Papa..



I have a picture of my finished sock!! It looks pretty good and is really soft. I added another row at the end since it seemed to just need a little more room. That made it a little boxy, but you can't even tell when it's worn. Halfway done with the next one too!



I had a great gift of flowers, truffles, and icecream this week. That added to (more importantly) the person who gave them being an incredible individual who I love to be around makes my heart dive into happiness. (that sentence shows how sappy I've been of late. silly girl :)



I have my new print picture. It's a take on tapeworm scolex's. maybe entitled scolex attack. It was in my head readily formulated and flowed easily. I like it best right now, but maybe I think that after each one I complete.



And I made a batch of cookies Thursday to return the giving full circle and keep me busy so I wouldn't sink into my futon to sleep at 7pm. I've had early mornings being in to work by 7am so have been exhausted, but getting used to it.



Things have been too busy to get quality pictures even so these blue hued toned ones will have to do. At least I got them up! Off to work.

Late night surprise!!

This weekend was a loooooong one.

I'm not used to going in at 7 and struggled with 4 days in a row of the sleepy eyed having to shake the puppy awake mornings. And on top of it the days were busy and didn't match the mood I was in. I've been having really lovely days off, which doesn't help me at work at all when I feel wistful and daydreamy!

I had a day with the girls (Floor and Erin) making mosaics at Erin's house and having brunch. The next day I had a gorgeous picnic complete with lounging, sun, nice breezes, and ants crashing. I made rhubarb and custard but the custard didn't enjoy the sun as much and went uneaten. poor thing. (it was the second batch since I curdled the first, I curse custard sometimes.... still haven't mastered that patience I was talking about)

Saturday I met Aunt Pam, Uncle John and Mom mom for dinner and enjoyed seeing them since I missed them last time. Though really upset I missed my little Cormack and hearing him call me Chesapeake.

Monday night gave me a huge surprise with a visitor at my door!! The lady downstairs knocked and told me someone was outside for me. (I really need to get my buzzer fixed) I thought....... um, who in the world would be at the door for me??

Cleek! He hitched a ride with a neighbor who was driving to Philly and visited me for a quick less than 24 hour visit. Papers being due and all. I'm sure my face was great when I saw who it was.

Unfortunately I was an exhausted kitten and had to sleep soon after our usual photobooth session, but he came by work for lunch and had good walkings around the art museum. Then he was off as quick as he came leaving my cleek heart a little fuller (there's one especially for him).


Colleen had a German visitor so I had dinner with them Tues night and then gave her a (very) quick tour around Philly before her flight departed Wednesday.

I finished one sock!! Pictures to come of that and also my newest print. I don't think I ever posted the beret I knitted for father, so here's a picture of that.

Time to Catch up.....

Just like getting rid of television 4 years ago, I don't realize how dependent on something I am until I can't turn to it whenever I have a free moment. So now that I don't have wifi access in the comfort of my own home my blogs and emails will suffer, but boy am I productive at home.
I felt like making a pie the other week. Mother was right and I couldn't find cherries in the store so I took up Erin's request of making a strawberry pie. Didn't hurt they were on sale too.


Everything was fine till I was a stupid head with little patience trying to pour out the pie weights when the whole shell toppled out and I had to start again. ergh.

I would complain about this lack of patience, but I think it's what helps me be so good at being laid back. Having to deal with these silly mistakes exercises my shrug off ability. That's how I'm taking it. (ha, but maybe I'll practice more patience)

A trip home happened with Brandy. The ride was gorgeous and it's always too short a trip.

Rakkassah was a really good time with some great performances, workshops, and our own troupe having it's go on the stage.



Sharon Kihara was amazing and hot with her little belly peacocks.

And here was the woman after her who we swore was going to have wardrobe malfunction Janet Jackson style. She asked for volunteers to come up and dance and I just couldn't resist and was lucky Nicole took up my camera to catch the moment.



Nicole and I stopped off at Gina's bakery to buy Ang a birthday cake with clown candles to try and set our hotel room on fire.

The Suhaila workshop we took kicked my ass but in a good way.

I have to say that I'm glad to be able to work on other projects other than coin bras and tassle belts! So hopefully soon I'll be able to post my first knitted pair of socks (finished not attempted:)