Green Velvet lined Chanel inspired purse

Green Velvet lined Chanel inspired Purse

I made this the weekend after doing the Hermes Bag. They are both prototypes and my intent is to make them over again and implement the changes I feel they need to make them really functional and easy.  This bag needs more work with the strap and quilting and I would like to redo the interior as well, All in all its a very nice purse to carry, no too large and roomy enough. 

Two Ultra Crispy Thin Crust Pizza - Cooked on Heated Cast Iron Pans

Why order out for Pizza when you can make the most delicious thin crust crispy Pizza right at home for around $4.50. I use a super hot oven and preheat the pans first which is the secret to really awesome crust!

Dough
3/4 cup warm water
1 Lg Tbsp. Maple Syrup
Tbsp Yeast 1/4 cup wine or beer
1 tsp. salt

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional)

Combine water, maple syrup, wine, and yeast in large bowl. Wait a few minutes and then add flour and salt and mix throughly and if your mixer has a dough hook let it knead the dough for a few minutes. If not, knead the dough by hand. Place in bowl and let rest with a cover on it for at least 10-15 minutes and up to a couple of hours.

Meanwhile have your oven preheated to 420 degrees with the cast iron pans or pizza stones heating up in the oven while you prepare the crusts and toppings. The pans must be heated completely for best results. Cold pans equal soggy crust which is what you definately don't want for your pizza. I spent 20 years making it the wrong way and I could never really get my homemade pizza to be as good as take out until I learned to get pizza stones or cast irons pans and preheat them. I have Mario Batali pans and they are incredible!! A fantastic investment for your kitchen. In a pinch you can use cast iron frying pans.

Pat your dough out with your palm and fingers on a floured board or counter. I use very little oil but you can use a little oil on your hands and the dough if its too sticky to calm it down. One of my secrets is to roll the dough out with a rolling pin to get it ultra thin. When you have the dough rolled out to the right size. Quickly take out your 1st pan from the oven (being careful not to burn yourself)

Place your rolled out Pizza Dough quickly onto the very hot pan! Work Quickly. Put on your toppings of choice. On this particular pizza I am putting tomato sauce, mozzella cheese, sauted onions and mushrooms, and topped finally with grated parmesan. I have used all sorts of toppings from Lobster to Fresh Herb Pesto. Be Creative.

Sauce it, Layer of Mozzerella, Layer of Onions & Mushrooms, last Layer of Parmesan Cheese. Place it in the 420 oven and do the second pizza.

If you are doing 2 Pizzas and one of them has toppings and one is a plain cheese pizza, do the topping pizza first and the plain cheese pizza second because the plain cheese pizza cooks quicker than the topping pizza so then they will both be finished at the same time. After I placed the plain cheese pizza (above) in the oven, I turn the oven down to 400 degrees. Cook Pizza for 10-15 minutes - you may want to switch the pans midway through the cooking time. Put the top pizza on the bottom shelf in the oven and the bottom pizza on the top shelf so the top of one of the two pizzas doesn't get too over cooked or browned.

Carefully take both pizzas out of the oven and cut with a pizza wheel. Serve right away! Delicious!

Great for a Cold Winter's Day - Whole Wheat & Cornmeal Almond Sesame Crackers with Chicken Noodle Soup

I was inspired by the blog "A Hungrey Bear Can't Dance" and made these crackers with my own twist,

Whole Wheat and Cornmeal Almond Sesame Crackers

1 1/2 c. cornmeal

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

Lots of Black Pepper

1 Teasp. salt

1/2 cup chopped raw almonds

4 Teasp. white sesame seeds

1/3 c. oilive oil

1/2-3/4 c. cold water

Mix everything together except water until you get a nice meal. Then ad water by sprinkles until just before the dough starts to ball up. Pat palmfulls of dough on countertop and roll with rolling pin until desired size and thickness (about 1/8th inch). Pick up off counter with metal spatula and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or use a silpat mat.  Makes about 20 depending on size. Cook for about 20-30 min. in 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup - Great for a Cold Winter's Day

3 sliced carrots

1 sliced onion

5 stalks sliced celery

oilive oil

1 leftover cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup beer

1 quart chicken broth

2 c. water

3 large handfuls of egg noodles

chopped parsley

peas or other fresh green vegtable of choice

plenty of salt and pepper to taste - you can add fresh ginger or garlic for variation of taste

Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in  large pot. Do not cook to fast, medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the beer and salt ans pepper. Then add cubed chicken, stir. Add chicken broth, water and bring to slow boil. Add egg noodles and cook 5 min, then add green vegtable and chopped parsley and cook for 5 more minutes or until noodles are el dente. Salt and Pepper if needed. Serve immediately!

Windchill Cozy Dinner - Turkey Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce, Baked Potato, Asparagus, Warm Italian Bread with Beautiful Avocado Carrot Salad - Cost: $3.00 for 2 people

Avocado .25, Chopped Almond .20, Cranberry .10, Grated Carrot .05, Red Leafed Lettuce .25, and Chopped Parsley .05 Salad = .90 for 2 people

Asparagus .50, Ground Turkey 1.25, Potato .25, Bread .75, 1 egg .10, 1 onion .15, breadcrumbs .05 = $2.05 for 2 people

My husband shops on Fridays at Haymarket in Boston on his way home from work. It is an outdoor market and today was a cold day so there were plenty of deals. It is about 20 degrees with the windchill factor outside here and the ocean wind is howling a bit around the house. We managed to have a beautiful dinner for two for around $3.00 tonight. Our live tree we bought for $12 is decorated with our treasured vintage ornaments and we have candles in every window in the house. So we are snuggling up for the Christmas Season in high style!

Windchill Turkey Meatloaf Dinner
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 chopped onion
1 stalk chopped celery
salt and pepper
tomatoe sauce for topping
mix all ingredients except tomato sauce in a bowl and then pat into a loaf ship in a baking pan. Top with tomato sauce and bake for 1 hour with scrubbed, poked Idaho Potatoes at 350 degrees (preheat your oven first).
While Meatloaf is cooking have a beer or glass of wine while you chop and grate lettuce, avocado, almonds, carrots, and sprinkle with dried cranberries.
Ten Minutes before Meatloaf is ready cook asparagus by steaming in a basket steamer or similar.
Put Italian Bread in oven to heat up.
When Asparagus is done - plate up your turkey meatloaf, baked potato, steamed asparagus, and Italian Bread. You can serve the Meatloaf with additional tomato sauce or even catsup.

Hermes Inspired Purse

This a knock off Herme Bag I made in Nov 09 with shoulder straps. I used a vintage vogue pattern I bought on Ebay V7982 I was inspired by the Hermes.com website which had a papercut out of thier famous Kelly Bag, I saw a photo online of a John Paul Gaultier re-designed Kelly Bag with long shoulder straps and was inspired to try my hand at a similar design as I felt it would be extremely practical for me. It will hold my shawl/hat/gloves/,camera, files, wallet, notepad, makeup, comb, and phone easily! It is a dream to carry and very comfortable. I put feet on the bottom and reinforced the bag with a stiff plastic lining so it sits up straight when you place it on a table. I used a magnetic clasp and a buckle bought at buckleguy.com.  Since this is a prototype, I have more ideas on how to improve the design when I make it a second time around. The straps are reinforced with inner cording and the purse is lined in black satin.

Maroon Knit Long Sleeve Winter Yoga Tee/Tunic

This is a Maroon Knit Long Sleeve Winter Yoga Tee / Tunic made with the same Christine Jonson Travel One Pattern http://www.cjpatterns.com/ as the Green Tee below. It is made extra large and comfy and to wear with the Raspberry Beret and Scarf. I bought the material on ebay last year and made the Tunic in Oct 09 after I finished the Raspberry Beret and Scarf. Great for weekends and Yoga.

Photo of the set together

"Woods by the Sea" Long Sleeve Tee & Black Yoga/Travel Pant

This long sleeve t-shirt was made in Viscose Lycra so it is super light and dries superfast on the cloths line. It is perfect for travel and packs like a dream. I made it this summer from a Christine Jonson Pattern called Travel Trio One and this was the "Banded Neck Tee". I also bought the fabric for both the Tee and the Yoga Pant.from Christine Jonson on her website cjpatterns.com. The pant was a thicker and softer polyester type fabric but heavy and light all at the same time. Quick drying but durable for stretching and moving. I have made several of her patterns and they are easy, versatile, and intuitive to put together. The patterns are written for a serger but I just use a zigzag on an old Viking Sewing Machine and it works fine. The Travel Trio One Pattern also has a comfortable pant which is possible the most comfortable yoga type pant I have ever worn and with Christine's sizing system chart, you plug in your measurements, gauge the fabric stretch and voila you have the perfect fit. The pant also have a center leg seam which is very good looking. I have posted the picture of the outside of the pattern below. I have yet to make the jacket but it is on my list of to do's someday!

Garden Green Bamboo and Wool Socks

These Bamboo and Wool Socks were inspired by my early summer herb garden. The color of thyme, oregano, mint, and the earthiness of the soil combine to remind me of the comming of summer and the greening of the garden. They are 1/2 bamboo and 1/2 wool and it was the first time I have worked in bamboo which is a beautiful fiber and it is said that they have antifungus properties so are especially good for socks. I plan to wear these socks with my clogs this winter as I putter about the house and yard. I washed them and they do well in cold water only. Warm water may shrink them. They were knit on size 7 double pointed needles with Bamboo Zania purchsed on ebay. I used the Boot Socks Free Pattern from Lionsbrand.com . They have a nice feeling like a soft cotten and although the fingerling weight is a trial if you knit one strand alone, I opted for the double strand on larger needles and it was quite successful. I still have 7 skeins of this and I am thinking to knit a summer weight shawl or sweater with it next.