BitterSweet

As much as it pains me to do so, an medical emergency has come up and left me no choice but to take another leave of absence. I'm so sorry everyone, it might be weeks or months before I return. Believe me, if there were anything I could do to avoid this I would jump on it this instant, but the decision has been taken out of my hands.

Please, keep checking back here. I'll spend much of my time thinking up new crafts and things to post about when I return… In fact, I already have the final draft of a new pattern nearly completed already, waiting to go up as soon as possible! This blog and all who read it mean so much to me, I'll miss it more than perhaps my own home. I truly appreciate your understanding and patience.

Sometimes, life just takes one huge shit all over your one-of-a-kind heirloom throw rug… And now I need to go clean it up.

With my package of biscotti safely transported a couple hundred miles away, my hyperactive mind was so relieved, I completely put the notion of a "swap" behind me. And then, just the other day, the most wonderful surprise awaited me in the mailbox.

Amanda had informed me that ontop of being swamped as any active student is at this time of year, she was somehow having trouble with all of her baking ventures. That was just fine, I completely understand the struggle of balancing a busy schedule, so I hadn't expected anything for quite some time. You under-estimate yourself, hun!

On top of the amazing speed at which these goodies were rushed to my door, I was completely taken with the fantastic taste. No matter the occasion or destination, you just can't go wrong with muffins, or chocolate! And on top of all that, she even included the most adorable little recipe card I have ever seen. Honestly, all of the hard work was clearly put into that, it nearly moved me to tears. It isn't often that I receive things, and certainly never so thoughtful. Thank you so, so, so much!

Unassuming and simple in appearance from the outside, but just crack open the fluffy exterior of one of these diamonds and you'll discover a treasure trove of hidden chocolate! Ah, I felt so guilty to have indulged in these delights for breakfast, but oh so good.

I love muffins of all sorts, but I would have honestly never thought with chocolate chip crumb muffins! I don't know why, I just always think of spice and coffee cakes when I imagine crumb toppings. I really can't say it enough: These were such a treat, I really hope we can arrange more swaps in the not-too-distant future! Thank you!!

After my unsatisfactory first try at biscotti, I knew that I would doubtlessly return to the crumbly cookie yet again, although I hadn’t imagined it would have been quite so soon. Well, there’s no time like the present, right?

A comment on that very post written by Amanda of VeganCore spoke of an enticing combination of flavors that I simply couldn’t push out of my head. Hazelnuts, orange, and chocolate danced across my brainwaves, endlessly circulating and begging to be made into reality. But what opportunity would have I have to play around with it? I’ve been baking far too much lately; There are only so many types of irresistible vegan sweets that I can have around the house at one time… It could cause a very dangerous conflict of interest. So when Amanda jokingly complained about the great distance between her current location these tasty treats displayed on my blog, I jumped at the opportunity and proposed a mini swap of vegan goodies.

What could be more perfect? I fiddled for the entire sleepless night with my previously failed recipe and learned from my mistakes - Failure was not an option this time around!

Immediately looking infinitely more promising, I carefully shaped my biscotti-loaf into a much thinner rectangle, so that the cookies would be a manageable shape to begin with. It did still spread and grow, but the finished biscotti ended up being the perfect size to enjoy along side a midday cup of tea. Exactly what I had intended all along! Isn’t it nice when things work correctly?!

Half way through and still looking good - A nice clean cut, and back into the inferno! One did break on me, but I simply left that one out of the package and sampled it myself… You know… Quality control, purely research. How could I be certain they weren’t inedible after all? I was just looking out for the best interests of its true recipient.

But of course, these graceful fingers of crunchy cookie and nuts weren’t yet complete without a quick dip in a warm, cozy bath of molten chocolate.

It worried me to send chocolate items through the mail in June, but I dutifully wrapped each biscotti individually, sealed them inside a ziplock bag, encased them in a sheet of bubble wrap, and tucked them away into a leftover box originally from Amazon.com. I’m happy to report that the volatile chocolate made it through safe and sound, albeit a little bit soft.

While they don’t have an intense orange flavor like I was expecting, they do have a very pleasant hint of citrus in the background, just enough to catch you interest and keep you munching through scores of cookies, trying to pin down the exact source of their tang. I’ve seen the light, and now I know that not all biscotti are destined to fail in production! Oh, the endless possibilities that stretch out before me now…

Yes, at long last, you can stop thinking for yourself and simply follow the pattern I wrote out and used for my lovely tofu pin cushion! Happy day! Now that I’ve taken all of the brain work out of the process, you no longer have any excuse for your reluctance to make one and I expect to see lots of smiling blocks of tofu in the very near future… Knit lots tofu friends and take pictures for me!

Sides (Make 2):

Using size 7 (US) needles, CO 12
Starting with a knit row, continue in St st until you have worked 13 rows even.
BO

Front and Back:

CO 18
Beginning with a knit row, work 12 rows of st st.
Purl the following 2 rows.
Starting again with knit, work another 14 rows in st st.
Purl the following 2 rows.
Work 12 more rows in st st.
Purl the following 2 rows.
Knit 14 additional rows in st st.
Purl 2 more rows, and…
BO!

Bored to death yet? Sorry, but it’s just a cube! The real fun comes when you give it personality with a face. On front and back piece, choose one of the shorter sides (a section of 12 st st rows) and embroider the details. You could also wait to do this until you’ve finished stuffing and assembling, but I personally find that it’s easier to do it beforehand.

Assembly:

Now, lining up one side piece with the main body, right sides out, so that the shorter / longer sides match up, whip stitch all the way around. Repeat with the other side, but leave the very last piece unattached. There should still be an opening here where the front and back meet up.

To get my tofu to hold its shape better, I used blocks of foam, as opposed to just regular batting. You could probably use plain old stuffing if you can’t get your hands on any rigid materials, it will probably just be slightly lumpier. Who said tofu had perfectly straight edges anyways? So if using foam, measure the dimensions of your tofu (Sorry, I forgot to write it down) and cut your block to shape. I had to use two pieces glued together because it was a relatively flat piece, so don’t be afraid to do so yourself.

Insert the stuffing material into the opening in back and whip stitch closed the remaining two sides closed. Stick with lots of cute little pins, and take your new friend along to start your next project!

While I tend to focus my cooking efforts on sweets, I do certainly appreciate the salty spectrum of the snacking kingdom as well. In attempts to please both my own and my sister’s tastes, I chose fairly basic but widely agreeable materials to experiment with. Pitas, garlic, salt - What’s not to love?

Feeling relatively confident in the munchablility of my chips, I whipped up a fairly large batch Saturday afternoon and carefully packed them away into a large tuperware container. The very next morning, when I went riffling through the kitchen cabinets in search of a decent breakfast cereal, I discovered my container of chips… Nearly half empty! Was there a black hole in this used plastic chinese food receptical?!

Still befuddled, I looked over to the nearby counter to discover the following note: “Hannah - Your crackers are the best. EVER. Massive Success.” I was so thrilled to learn that I had somehow fed my picky sibbling, I’m not exaggerating in the least! And there were also numerous underlines to emphasize the “ever” part.

The technique is so brainless, I could make chips in my sleep. Or perhaps like my sister, just eat a whole gallon of them. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to buy commercial snack foods again knowing I have such a fool-prool recipe in my arsenal!

Garlic Pita Chips

Ingredients:

-6 Pitas
-3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
-6 - 8 Cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
-1 Teaspoon Thyme
-Generous Handful Salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Begin by slicing your pita pockets along the circumference, so that you have 2 slices of bread. Cut these circles into 8 even wedges across the center like a pizza. It’s not vital to have them all the exact same size, but it’s best to get them fairly close so that none burn when you cook them.

Toss the pita wedges into a large bowl with the oil, garlic, thyme, and salt and toss until your pitas are nicely coated. You could of course increase or reduce any of the seasonings, or change them up altogether. Rosemary is a common accompaniment to garlic, I’m just not a huge fan so I decided to try something different. Get crazy, play around with stuff and make it your own!

Spread all of the pieces onto one layer on a baking sheet. Toss them into the oven for 5 - 8 minutes, but don’t walk away until they’re completely done toasting and safely out of the heat. It takes only an extra minute to turn your lovely snacks into smoldering piles of ash. It took me 7 minutes to get them perfectly crisped, but everyone’s oven is different.

Allow your chips to cool, and store in an airtight container. Munch away! (I highly suggest dipping them in garlic hummus - So good! Just make sure you don’t go on a date afterwards, or have them eat some too! Garlic is the stuff of love anyways.)

When I was younger, I had adored penguins - On a whim, I once decided to help my sister 'become' a genuine penguin by coloring her entire body with crayola crayons… Only to discover the flaw in our plan when half way through the black sections, we discovered it was becoming impossible to erase. Through disappointment, I swore up and down that I would have one as a pet when I had my own place.

Of course, as a child I never understood that penguins only lived in the arctic because they actually need the cold climate to live… Honestly, why would such a silly thought occur to my simple, undeveloped mind? Anyway, I suppose such a crazy though would lead to a less than desirable conundrum…

Oh, the poor little baby! I found him melting away on my back porch, crying out for shelter from the sweltering heat of midday. How could I not take pity on the situation - So far from home and comfort, with only painful blisters to await him in the future? I offered an open door to the air conditioned kitchen, and no sooner than I undid the latch than he sprinted inside… Straight for the freezer, no less!

I was cheered to see him reviving a bit, lying on top of my frozen vegetables and spare sticks of margarine, but I quickly realized that unless I wanted to loose all the cold air in the fridge, I would need to evacuate my little vistor, fast. But what was I to do, let him perish outside in the sun? Stuggling to regain my composure and clear thinking, I saw the solution to all these problems sitting right next to the penguin himself!

Yes, the blue ice! So I helped him get situated in a nice spot in the shade, finding a place with the nicest breeze, and handed him an ice pack to lean against. Although it wasn't perfect, he thanked me profusely, as he was able to make it through what had seemed like a deadly summer day. Even after the crisis had passed, I kept an eye on him to make sure he would survive on his own, and I'm happy to report that all went well, and he has now found a permanent (Hopefully much cooler!) home to call his own.

(…And I have even gotten requests for another penguin already!)

This one's a bit obvious, since I'm not such a fan of white button mushrooms but instead much prefer to buy baby bellas, but I still thought it would be cute to photograph the various fungi together. A very simple crochet pattern from Knittorama that took me about 15 minutes, maximum.

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On an unrelated note, I've noticed that my tofu pin cushion has recieved a whole lot of attention! To appease the adoring tofu fans (ha) I will soon be posting a real pattern for you to make your own, so just sit tight!

Some might say I can be almost comically neurotic when it comes to timing, and unfortunately I can't entirely disagree. It wouldn't kill me to show up somewhere slightly late, but I would much prefer arriving 10 minutes early, just in case. That's why my dilemma of not having a watch was really screwing with my head, you understand. I'm generally on a very tight schedule, so if I don't know what time it is when I'm out of the house, I start to get a bit anxious, although usually for no good reason.

For the past couple of months, I've sort of been "in-between" watches, ever since my adorable Hello Kitty watch broke and I was unable to find a replacement. I had been borrowing one of my mom's old clunky things as a temporary time piece, but it seemed like there would never be a chance to find one I actually liked. And then there was the thought of getting out my crafty side and somehow making one…

And when the temporary watch slipped off my wrist and into a pot of parafin wax the other night… That cemented it: I could put it off no longer. What was blocking my good intentions from manifesting themselves in the first place? My reluctance to actually do something about an issue that was so important to me was bordering on appauling. The very next day I hauled my ass down to ACMoore's and bought myself a plain watch face and some beads, and the end result is what you see above.

It may be extremely simple and perhaps plain, but I'm honestly really happy with it. I see it as being elegant but still neutral, so I don't need to worry about it whether I can wear it to school versus a formal occasion.

I find it deeply satisfy to finally resolve this whole thing, and to have beaded the band myself, despite its simplicity. Screw that mass-produced crap that is never quite what you're looking for - Do it yourself, and do it right!