Pumpkin carving, walnut crushing, booze, and treadling at the Delightist = fun times

Happy Halloween and for whatever reason we're getting all old-timey up in here

Triclops kitty et al.

  Hi all, and I do hope you are enjoying the fall season.  I certainly am! I don't know if it's all this harvest-y energy or what, but a d.i.y., earthy, old time-y theme has emerged  big time in my sphere of earthly existence.
  Exhibit A) I have started making a hawthorne berry "tonic".

  I got the idea for this around a decade ago when I gave birth to Ruby in my living room.  (Huh, maybe I've been kind of old-timey all along)  Anyway, immediately after she came out I was woozy, to say the least.  One of my midwives ran out to the yard and picked some hawthorne berries off our tree for me to eat. (Don't eat the seeds though.)  She explained that they are a fantastic heart tonic.  And she also mentioned that people have made delicious and healthful cordials with them.  Somehow I remembered this little factoid in my haze and kept it tucked away this entire time.  Until now. Pictured above is phase one, infusing the berries (otherwise known as haws) in booze.  The big jar is brandy and the little one is vodka.  I'll keep you posted on how this all goes.  Okay, on to Exhibit B)cracking our own walnuts.

 So we went to our favorite pumpkin patch(http://www.krugersfarmmarket.com if you want to know) to get the pumpkins pictured above.  We got unreasonably excited when we saw that they had unshelled walnuts for sale.  Why you ask?  Well, last Spring, Ruby and I went to Geercrest Farm, an organic, biodynamic farm about a 45 minute drive south of Portland. Here's a link: http://www.geercrest.org/GeerCrest_Farm/Welcome.html
  For a small fee you can spend the day, help out with the chores, and have a delicious lunch made with stuff from the farm. We mostly loved it until a driving rain storm moved in and it was time to collect the eggs and feed the animals.  It was then that our citified ways came to the fore.

We are not farmers

 
   Clearly we are not farmers.  Oh well. But we did discover in the course of this day that we love cracking walnuts and meticulously picking out the meat if need be.  My neighbor Hans, came through yet again by lending us his adorbs squirrel nutcracker.  It works fine but truth be told, I prefer the hammer method. Nut cracking must be a dying art because we could not find a nut picker at any of the local kitchen stores we checked out, but a lobster or fondue fork will do in a pinch. So get yerself some unshelled nuts and be amazed at how satisfying this is.  Or not.
  Alright, on to Exhibit C) Great Grandma Rideout's Singer treadle sewing machine.  Well, kind of.  Here's what happened: two years ago, when my mom died, I had a few pieces of furniture shipped from Oklahoma to here.  My parents were divorced when I was 6 but somehow she ended up with this relic from my dad's side of the family.  I figured it had enough history to make it worth holding on to, plus it looked cool.  So I paid the big bucks to have it professionally packed and shipped and it has been residing in my basement since then.  Flash forward to now when I got a wild hair to sew on a machine and why not on this cool old machine?  My dad was coming out for a visit and I thought it would be a great project for us to try to get this baby up and running again.  So we dug the custom made box out of the depths for the unveiling.  Much cardboard, styrofoam, and some sort of industrial cling wrap later, she emerged.  Well, except for one little detail.  When we opened up the cabinet, the machine was gone!  WTF!?  Somewhere along the line the sewing machine part went away.  Well that was a wee bit of a disappointment.  I calmly started to peruse Craigslist and Ebay.  I also started feeling like I was going to have to learn A LOT more before I would buy a machine this way in order to avoid ending up with a big beautiful sewing machine shaped paper weight.  I didn't have much time at that moment so I decided this would be a project for another time.  Sad.

Note: an I-phone and a beer are critical to antique sewing machine repair

  However, the next night we were having a small party in honor of my dad being in town. At some point in the evening our friend Mike noticed the treadle cabinet in the living room.  As it turns out, he had made a few up-cycled pieces of furniture from antique treadle cabinets and still had two of the old machines he had removed from them in his attic.  So the next night we stopped by his house to see if there was a chance that one of his machines was the right make and model.  Oh my god people, he had the exact Singer we needed!  Can you believe it?  Talk about instant manifestation.  He also had a box of related pieces and parts and an old but unused treadle belt.  Thanks Mike!!!
  Granted, this machine had been sitting in a damp garage attic for a few years and who knows where else before that, but we had faith in this sturdy old technology.  That faith combined with copious amounts of 3 in 1 oil, my dad's ace tinkering skills, and Youtube tutorials, finally rebooted the old dame.  Also, thank you to those angels who post treadle repair instruction on Youtube.  By later the next day we had her humming along.  Then mysteriously jamming up.  Then running again.  Then jamming up.  Finally, she seemed to work out her kinks and now she purrs like a kitten.  Unbelievable.
  So if I can sum all this up, from pumpkin carving to booze to human powered machinery: old time-y = fun for the whole family.
    

  

I Love You Iceland!

I Love You, Iceland!

Hello Summer Vacation

  OMG, somehow, someway, get yourself to Iceland, even if only in your imagination. Immediately. Fellow Pacific North-westerners, did you know it's only a six hour and fifteen minute flight from Seattle? 
Many adventures we had on this surreal, lava and moss strewn wonderland. So much transpired (mountain climbing, glacier hiking, whitewater rafting, biking, iceberg lagoon etc.) it would be hard to fit it all into one post. So I won't even attempt it.
  Of course all the afore mentioned sporty, outdoorsy stuff was super fun, especially while surrounded by various vast, unique, and imposing landscapes. But it was the energy of the land, the people, and the lively and vibrant elemental energies that made this such an awesome place to visit. It was thoroughly refreshing on so many levels.
  Anyhow, here's how the whole she-bang got started:  Rob was invited to go walk Hadrian's Wall in England with a group of our friends from Portland.  Actually, the whole family was invited but walking 10 to 16 mile days for 8 days through a long grim history lesson on Roman occupation and other patriarchal shenanigans sounded like the antithesis of family fun.  I knew Rob had been wanting to do this for awhile and it would be fun (just not with a nine year old in tow) so I gave him my blessing.  "Have fun out there. We'll hold down the fort here in PDX!"   But noooo, the Hadrian's crew had planned on a jaunt to Edinburgh afterward and Rob really, really wanted us to meet up with them there. "Find something for you two to do in Europe while I'm walking", he said.  (Ok it's totally cool when your spouse insists on a European vacation.)

Totes Majestic

 Anyhow, a bit of pondering and a few internet searches later, I came up with the idea of heading to Iceland and meeting up with a tour company named Backroads that does family friendly  tours.  So  I decided to spend the big bucks and let someone else take care of the logistics for a change.  And I am so grateful I was able to do it this way.  It enabled me to relax and truly enjoy the experience rather than having to worry and plan for what needed to happen next.  That was for our amazing guides to do.  Thank you Dani, Katerina, Chema, and Scotty.  You made the magic happen! And you made it all look so easy.

Late evening hike near the East coast of Iceland

  We had a couple of beautiful sunny days with peak summer temps right around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, along with our share of windy, cold, and rainy conditions. In Portland, also a temperate climate,  we get more than our

 fair share of cold, blustery days and frankly, sometimes it can feel tedious and uncomfortable.  Somehow though, in Iceland it all felt really good to me.  Mystically good. Invigorating. Playful even.  And if we managed to get chilled to the bone, there was a good chance we would have access to a hot tub at the end of the day.  They are ubiquitous in Iceland, and of course, geo-thermally heated like everything else in this progressive, eco-minded country. 

Goats!

Thorsmork Valley.  Yep,  majestic.

  More details to come, but for now please enjoy a few pictures.  I hope some of the energy of this wondrous and enchanting island comes through.

Even more majesty

Inspiration....

                                                                            


I was so inspired by this quote, I made this graphic. Feelin' it! 

I started with a picture of Ruby that I took at the Blue Lagoon right outside Keflavik, Iceland.

For more info on Matt Kahn check out: http://www.truedivinenature.com

A Painterly Approach to Tomato Sauce and Cooking in General

Of heirloom tomatoes, saws, gratitude, neighborhood smoking party (not what you're probably thinking),and Jen's home made tomato sauce for the lazy and/or distracted

  So I was riding the vacation bump a couple of days after our return from Iceland and Scotland.  It was a beautiful late summer morning and I was seriously appreciating my neighborhood, the greenery, the food, and the quirky people about.  As if on cue, my neighbor, Hans, showed up with a bunch of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes from his garden and a Bjork CD.  I felt so friggin' grateful!  He has such a beautiful veggie garden.  He also makes really artful arrangements of old tools in his yard.  Like thus:

  All these layers of goodness inspired me; "I'm going to make sauce!"  But first a bike ride.  On the ride I ran into Duane and Betti and they gave me a zucchini from their garden and the idea to make a zucchini fritatta.   My veggie appreciation magnetized even more sauce ingredients later in the day when i stopped by my neighbor Brian's house to retrieve Ruby, who was hanging out with his triplets.  His wife Liz had gotten him a smoker for his birthday and he gave me some of his smoked tomatoes.  Oh sweet jeezus, this sauce is so ON.
  Brian is so jazzed about his smoker he's thinking of inviting neighbors over for regular smoking parties where we'll answer the question, "will it smoke?"  I'll have to admit I got swept up in the excitement and I hope to soon be smoking peaches, beets, and um, marshmallows.  I'll keep you posted.
  Anyhow, back to the sauce. I wanted to keep it simple and I just don't have the patience for recipes (I'm more of a painterly chef) so I just went with what I had; onion, garlic, tomatoes.  

   Step One: Caramelize your chopped onion.
       Great for the lazy and/or distracted chef because you want to stir minimally whilst caramelizing.  The sugars in the onion sink to the bottom and create that lovely caramel effect.  If you happen to have some peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini to add, do it when your onions are almost caramelized.

   Step Two:  Put in as much chopped garlic as you like.  I put in 4 cloves. You actually need to focus at this point in time as garlic can burn fast.  Keep it movin'.

   Step Three:  Throw in your chopped tomatoes, salt, and preferably fresh ground pepper.  Also if you happened to open up a beer that tasted like crap to you because it was way too sweet, throw the other half of the beer in there like I did.  Wine is good too. Herbs are good.  And let's not forget the smoked tomatoes if you're lucky enough to have some.

Tomatoes about to be cooked down

  Then you just let it cook down. There will be no blanching, peeling, straining or the like. This isn't that kind of sauce.  Ain't nobody got time for that. Plus I like the flavor that the skins and seeds impart.  
  Cooking it down can take awhile.  I have no idea how long, an hour?  It depends on how many tomatoes you started with. I was able to check my emails, listen to a podcast, keep an ear and eye on the small hoard of kids playing in my backyard, and kick out an easy zucchini frittata.

Zucchini frittata with awesome sauce

   So just cook it down until it's the consistency you like. You will not believe how much the flavor deepens and intensifies.  Especially if you use sweet home grown tomatoes.  And, oh my gawd, the smoked tomatoes took it to whole new level. I only needed about half the sauce so the rest will be going on a G.F. pizza tonight.  The only downfall is that it will ruin you for store bought sauce FOREVER.

Cat bow ties. Yep it's a thing.

Your cat most likely needs a bow tie
  I'm so in love with this idea!     I may be in in love with this idea but my cats are avowed nudists who eschew even the simplest of collars. I'm afraid bow ties for Mr. Tomkinz and Katerina might result in pee-soaked laundry and other undesirable acts of resistance.  Still, someone's cats could rock this look. I saw these at Last Thursday. (More on this later). Check 'em out at:http://businesscatual.com. Oh, and they're only 8 bucks AND made out of recycled materials. 

  They have really great postcards too.  And probably the largest selection of cat bow ties you'll find anywhere.

  Okay, so Last Thursday, how can I possibly explain you?  It's basically a monthly "arts"  (let's just use that term loosely) unjuried, free-for-all, street fair that happens just a block or so from my house in beautiful Portland, Oregon.  With around ten thousand of your closest friends wearing anything from t-shirts and shorts, to a jellyfish costume, to paint.  Um, just paint. It's very "organic" by which I mean to say it's VERY lightly organized. It can be an unbelievable cacophony of sound and smell.  And if you're not in the right frame of mind it can feel like unmitigated pathos and make you seriously question...well, everything.  But at some point in the evening, I promise you will see or experience some crazy-ass, imaginative, amazing thing or collision of things that will bring you BACK. Ready to mainline life again.  Thank you very much random freaky people.

  Besides,  there's usually organic cotton candy.

Organic cotton candy because I care!

Say "no" to boring purses with your sharpie and mad doodling skills

  So my beloved old canvas purse was dying and I needed a replacement and I was lucky enough to find this fab red bag.  A fine enough bag, but ultimately lacking in pizzaz. Something had to be done.
  Not to brag but I'm somewhat of a master doodler.  When I was still in school and almost everyone else was dutifully taking notes, I was busy honing my craft.  Maybe you were a diligent doodler as well?  Well here's a chance to show off.
  If you're feeling a little rusty or in need of inspiration, do check out my doodle board on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/zendances/doodle/.

  

Prosecco cocktails !

Two very refreshing Prosecco cocktails with sparkling cucumber water and either St.Germaine or ginger liqueur

  It's hard to believe that the fun-filled effervescence that is Prosecco could be improved upon.  But thanks to an enlightening night of research and development with my crack team of intrepid explorers, we may have stumbled upon a refreshing twist on said bubbles for those steamy summer nights.  (Thanks to my R & D team, Heintz, Julie, Duane, Betti, and of course, Rob.) By the way, the ginger liqueur is from a local distiller here in Portland, http://www.newdealdistillery.com   and it is fabulous.  Here are the recipes: