DIY: akongesque

alright. On the left is Akong London's Regalia Necklace, which is being sold at Anthropologie for $468. I liked it; I was charmed by the whimsy, the bright colours, the innovative use of ribbon, trim, and chain. But $468? Not on my grad student budget. So, for less than a tenth the cost (with materials left over), I made my own (on the right). I also used three layers of brass curb chain, hooked together with brass jump rings, two layers of rhinestone chain (though I swapped in pale amythest and orange, colours I liked better). I was looking at faceted resin/crystals like the pink ones in the original when I stumbled upon these vintage green glass beads and went for them instead. I also went for a much larger brass spacer bead, because I found these gorgeous old ghanan trade beads and decided I'd use them instead. I did find the same black gimp trim (I was sure that would be the stumbling block, but lo and behold, I found it).

I have to say, it was a LOT harder to put together than I'd thought. Layering rhinestones in over brass chains and trying to link them all together is a major pain in the butt. I understand now why it is almost $500; I have a lot of experience with basic wire work and this required patience and a lot of time and fiddling. But still, I love the results.

If you're thinking about making one yourself, let me know if you want some of my leftover black gimp trim. I can send you the 6" or so that you'll need ... because I really don't think I'll be making these for holiday gifts this year. Nope, this is me spoiling myself.

homemade yogurt

homemade goat's milk yogurt (unsweetened) with pomegranate molasses and walnuts: tangy!

A friend-of-a-friend runs this great food preservation blog called Food in Jars and with the release of a new book and my friend's facebook posts, it caught my eye. I've been really excited to try out some of her techniques, including a simple process for culturing your own yogurt! This batched turned out a bit runny, more like Swedish yogurt or kefir; I wonder if it's different using 1% or skim instead of whole-fat milk? Or if goat milk doesn't perform like cow's milk? I'm going to try again, and increase the temp slightly on the warming phase AND in the cooler for the 8 hours of culturing. Still, this was good! I was a little worried I'd make myself sick or something - much like the first time I tried jams I'd canned and put up, as a preteen - but all seems to be well! I think if I can get the formula down, I'll just make my own yogurt from here on out; it's a much cheaper way to get into goat and sheep yogurts, which are easier for me to eat, as they have much less lactose. Plus, you know, it's just plain cool to do.

harvest 2012: salmonberry jam

can you believe it's that time again already? I can't. I really can't. We had a warmer spring this year (a nice spate of several weeks of warm, actually - which doesn't sound like much for an entire spring, but for Seattle, it's quite good) and the plants got started earlier. Cass and I were up in the mountains with our in-laws on Sunday and we harvested for hours in the woods. I got 11 jars sealed and one jar open, in the fridge (so I can check the consistency - it does seem to be setting up well, a little soft, but okay) and play around with it. I feel like this would be absolutely beautiful glazing a pork roast or something. Or maybe worked into a jam cake? Midsommar is coming, after all, and the salmonberry is the closest U.S. relative to the Scandinavian cloudberry - maybe I'll make a salmonberry cake this year!

Anyway, looks like it's going to be an amazing summer! I just hope the thimbleberries are ripe *before* we go. We've found loads of good picking spots lately, and they are my favorite of all the berries. I would absolutely love to pack up some tiny jars of thimbleberry jam this year!

a perfect salad for late spring

I know, I know; in so many parts of this country, it is already warmer than it'll be here in August. Ah, well. While there are still pears at the store, this is a great salad to serve for dinner when we haven't quite made it to the "salad days" of summer yet. A bit of feta, some sharp radicchio, toasted walnuts and a bit of grain means that this salad has some body and heft! In fact, I think it's a winter salad, as all of the ingredients are ripe during the coldest months of the year; but it transitions nicely to late May, too - especially if it is a grey and slightly moody day where you are, too =)

How was your holiday weekend? I put a big shell out on our coffee table. That might seem like a strange thing to do over Memorial Day weekend, but it is a shell that my grandfather brought back from the South Pacific, where he was stationed during WWII. I remember asking, years ago when he was still alive, if I could have it. Strange request, perhaps, but I like that I remember my grandfather with a shell.

Other than that, not much happened here over the weekend. I was so tired the whole weekend - what's up with that? I took a few naps (against my own will), fell asleep on Cassidy, slept in late. Got a little garden work done, and we went for a very short walk, but that was about it. I'm actually looking forward to riding my bike to Czech table (a Czech language meetup) today, as I think I am overdue for some real physical activity for a change!

clothes for little people III: three little pigs

This one is already out and received by an expectant mother. I will confess, that when I saw this adorable Japanese linen with its print of the three little pigs, I was smitten. I snapped it up and made a dress, on the off-chance that my talented, graphic designer friend would, indeed, be having a girl. And she is! We are girls, girls, girls from here to the horizon - I don't know anyone having a boy right now. Which is weird. But then, I'm just happy that I only have to buy one set of patterns, and I can make all the different variations for all the little girls about to come into our lives. Congrats, K+J! I LOVED making this adorable thing for you and cannot wait to continue to shower your little one with special bespoke clothes!

like a medieval tapestry

been listening to a lot of music from michal praetorius (a late-medieval German composer) this week; the weather's turned stormy and cold here, and there's something about the recorder and the lute that really speaks to me on days like that.

So, the net result of a lot of medieval dance music + a lush garden (extra green from all that rain!) = I came home, lit a half dozen candles, and started creating.

I give you: peach tart with almond paste and dandelion jelly glaze. The dandelion jelly was a sweet gift from friends who came to our Swedish midsommar party last year; this is a perfect use! And in case you are wondering, the green and white bits are bartlett pear. =)

I have another little-person dress to show you, and at least one picture from my mother's birthday care package. It's been a busy time lately, with my own writing and grading/editing with my students. Sorry to have been absent - but more posts coming in the next few days as I resurface, once again, from the whirlwind that is academia.

foraging 2012: maple blossom beignets

that's right! The big leaf maples are in bloom (a month earlier than last year - further proof that this spring is definitely warmer and nicer than last year)! Monday night we visited a couple of pedestrian bridges over a ravine where the big leaf maples grow, so that we could harvest the flowers. The blossoms are at the top of the trees, some 50-80 feet above ground, so this was the only way I could think of to get at the blooms.

We gathered a small basket of them and I called our foodie friend to "come play!" in the kitchen with us. We threw together a pot of sorrel vichyssoise (a creamy potato-based soup, with lemony sorrel from our garden) so we'd have some real dinner, and got to work. Recipes for traditional native American fried squash blossoms abound, but we found that mix a bit too thin. We ended up making a lot more batter than we needed, as we figured out the proportions. If you'd like to try this, here's the mix:

whisk together 1 egg yolk with 1/4 tsp baking soda until smooth. Add 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1.5 c. flour and 1/3 c. sugar (or use a bit more maple syrup and a bit more flour).

Heat a few inches of oil in a deep saute pan. Dip maple blossoms into the batter. It's quite thick, so you need to use your hands to kind of pick up the batter and pull some of it over the top of the blossom (the goal is not to break the blossoms off the stems). Once you have it coated, ease it into hot oil, and use tongs to turn it every 30 seconds or so, until golden.

Set on paper towels to drain and sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar or drizzle with maple syrup.

enjoy!