recipe review - the first!

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photo :: property of chow vegan

for more years than i care to admit, i have been collecting recipes. collecting, but not attempting. oh sure, there were a handful of attempts over those many years, but not enough to warrant keeping the gigantic dust-magnet of a folder in my kitchen.

this week i decided to change my wicked ways, & begin attempting new recipes, at least once a week. i also decided that it would be fun to share those attempts with you. if i use a recipe as-is, or tweak it little, i shall link to the original, & list my tweaks. if i alter it significantly however, i shall link, & share my version. perhaps i shall also remember to photograph my attempts, so i do not have to use their photos.

i kicked things off by making bbq pulled jackfruit. as you can see from the recipe, it was just a matter of tossing a few things into the crockpot, & walking away. 

kat-tweaks:

i did not saute anything before tossing in the crockpot.

i put the crockpot on 'high', & left it cooking for a few hours.

i left it in the fridge until the next night, then reheated it with a bit more sauce.

we ate it on hot panini, with mayo, tabasco, & lettuce. (sans tabasco for elfling.)

notes:

i had to make sure there was a protein side dish, which elfling did not end up eating. i think i need to find a way to add protein in a way that won't mess with the flavor, or the texture.

results:

it was a hit with the entire belfry clan; i shall definitely make this one again.

~peace.

photographic proof of partiness

the day began with every other thing going wrong. when i finally gave in, & stopped trying to make everything look just as i had imagined, things righted themselves. most never did turn out as i'd planned, but elfling & his guests had great fun. lesson learned. mostly. ;)

on to the photos! whilst i still have not mastered baking, it turns out i can make a mean frosting. i adapted this recipe, at the suggestion of my dearest friend (& master baker) spryte. she said to cut the sugar by half. i did, & heartily recommend you do as well. it was perfectly sweet that way. i piped it onto vanilla cupcakes (above) & spice cupcakes (below). after piping i just dipped them gently into sprinkles.

these spice cakes were gluten-free. originally i'd skimped on the frosting, not knowing if i would have enough for all 24 (there was more than enough. manlyman & i ate the remaining. with spoons.). in the end i was glad i had, because it made it easier to see which were the gluten-free. i did put them on their own tray, with a gf sign (flag on skewer), but forgot to take a photo of that to show you.

here are some shots of the food. i tried to stick with things you'd eat at parties when i was a kid. fruit, chips, & so on.

funny how the food matched the party's color scheme.

i have to admit that i am ooged by kids hands in my food, so kept the popcorn safe for adults by setting out decoy popcorn.

the decoys worked well, with a bonus! once emptied, the kids filled their bags with other snacks through the rest of the day. i shall definitely do this at future parties.

 

there wasn't enough time to make chex mix; a staple of every party when i was little; but i managed to toss pretzels & whales into a bucket. mock mix, if you will. a little mug from our picnic kit made the perfect scoop.

i loved the drink station. it was set up on a sturdy old bench, with a cooler to the side. oh! i found retro sodas at the grocery store! pepsi & 7-up made with the original recipes -  no corn syrup! i made a few pitchers of iced tea & had waters chilling, but when i saw those? well, how could i resist? they fit the theme. i digress.

the little wagon  kept the cups from getting blown over, & the pen from rolling off the bench. that red utensil caddy usually houses blank mushrooms & people turnings. you would have been horrified at the amount of dust it had accumulated. apparently the house elves don't clean my studio as well as they ought. digressing again - back to the cups. look at the stickers i made for each:

 

not to self - the item you want to feature should be in focus, not the background. we always put out a pen, with cups & bottles, for guests to write their names. to make things more fun, i created these stickers. i altered (in picasa) a hello my name is sticker to read hands off my drink. i like how they turned out.

here we have the photo booth corner. had i taken pictures of it before the kids set about mugging, the backdrop would not  appear as if i'd been drinking when i hung it. sigh.

a closer shot of the sign. do you recognize the bunting? those were from thehobbit's party last year. only a few guests asked why the newspaper was written in japanese :)

i had meant to have more props, (an empty frame, harry potter glasses, etc) but waited too long to gather things from about thebelfry. as it was, guests had arrived before i'd put these few items out. the mustaches were great fun to make, & a huge hit. i had them stuck in the holes of a parmesan jar. the jar kept them safe, & the dried lentils, which filled them, kept the jar safe.

that's the top hat thehobbit used to wear, pretty much daily. i miss his fancy ways. i found the straw hat at a thrift shop a few months ago. elfling loves to wear it around the house. both made for wonderful props, i must say.

my favorite of the mustachios. perhaps i should have inked the edges.

thehobbit took this photo of  his friend h. doesn't he look like a carnival rock star? oh. i forgot to ask the kids to frame the shots so only the sign & backdrop were in the shot. ah well.

my gorgeous manlyman. swoon.

even swoonier? the birthday boy himself.

i hoped you enjoyed the photos. thanks for the visit!
~peace.

sweet is the shade ...

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in the summer we are lucky to have mild weather. all around us the city bakes, yet it remains most of the time quite comfortable at ye olde belfry. it has to do with how far we are from the ocean, the valley that leads from the beach, to thebelfry, & the hill upon which it sits. that is about as much of an explanation i can offer. i am fine with not understanding completely, because i need not understand to be ever so happy that i am not sweltering. those new to kitb: i am a miserable wretch when it's hotter than 70f do not do so well in hot weather.

on monday we hosted a small birthday-party-masquerading-as-the-fourth-of-july bbq. manlyman, 2 friends, & 2 minis had either just had, or were this week having, birthdays. i am sure they would have all been happy in the sun, but elfling & i needed shade. no longer having a structure, we hastily rigged our own sanctuary. what you see in these photos is the result.

i had initially decided not to take photos to share with you, because of the hasty nature with which it was created. martha stewart would cringe. so i let the day pass. & yesterday as well. today though? today i decided to take photos. & yes, it is still up there. please don't tell me this surprises you. we both know what a lazy thing i am.

we have the type of garage that is set apart, & back, from the house. our neighbor does as well. strung between the garages are five clotheslines, hung not long after we moved in. i am embarrassed to say that i have not hung as much laundry as i should have. over these lines we laid 5 large cloths (tablecloth, bedding, fabric) from my collection. the outer edges were secured with clothespins, & the inner with safety pins. not the prettiest way, but we were short of on time.

it worked better than i'd imagined! the area was shady, & oh so comfortable. i wish i could leave it up always, but the elements would destroy the beautiful fabrics. perhaps manlyman will finally agree to buy a few roles of that mesh cloth, meant for this purpose. a gel can dream ;)

how do you create shade? i'd love to hear.

~peace.

gardening with found objects - the sequel

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elfling needed a bit of fresh air & vitamin d, (he has a pestilence) so whilst he was staring zombie-like at a line of ants, i snapped a few more photos of treasures to share with you.

that ladder is another curbside treasure found by thehobbit. it is from an old bunk-bed! i cannot tell you how peeved he was that i wouldn't let him use this in his bedroom. for what? i asked. dunno. was his reply. i am all for using objects in creative ways, but dunno is a bit on the vague side even for me. the ladder is only a few feet tall, so i have it propped behind a potted tomato. this variety is patio. a compact plant that thrives in containers. the fruit is round, about the size of a roma, & delicious. i've grown it a few years, & highly recommend it.

this is the beginning of elfling's play area. the found object is the base. i think it is an old metal shower bench. my friend pom found it, & knew i'd like it. the top is a new galvanized bucket that manlyman's mom gave to me a few months ago. i had planned on using the bucket for parties, but elfling had other plans. i love how they fit perfectly together. i won't attach them. leaving them separate means that elfling can take the bucket down, & drag it around the yard.

i love this little picnic table. i found it many years ago, in the ivy next to a whole foods parking lot. the whole thing is freakywobbly, so thehobbit & his friends have never sat at it. in the past it was covered in pots of flowers & herbs. currently we use it in the bbq area - that's our teeny camping grill atop it.

the stool isn't used in a creative way; we sit on it. i have no idea what it's doing in the bbq area, & didn't even think to put it away before taking the photo. i'm wild like that. in which wild means lazy.

thanks for visiting my garden - see you soon!

~peace.

on planning to celebrate

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can you believe i've begun planning elfling's first birthday party? where did the time go? it seems just yesterday i was sharing photos of my immense belly, truly it does. sigh.

one year. my bébé is nearing one year old. if i think too much on this, i shall curl into a ball & cry. instead i'll focus on the party itself, & not the reason.


we opted to throw a small fete, to keep me from having a nervous break-down things simple. as much as i would love to invite everyone who brought meals & prezzies, sent us cards, & lent their support; it simply cannot be managed.


taking advantage of the season, we'll be celebrating with a backyard barbecue. no checkered cloths & tiki torches for me, it will definitely be katificated: vintage cloths, faery lights, bunting, fanciful decorations, & hints of whimsy.


it will also be documented! i'll be taking part in a month-long, natural kids celebration event (more on that later). visit here, throughout july, for photos, ideas, tutorials, recipes, & of course, a give-away. how can i resist?


let the wild rumpus begin!

~peace, kat.

oddly no,

i am not carrying twins. it does look it, but there's just the one in there. what's worse is that i look even larger in person. impossible you say? i would have thought as much; once upon a time; but 'tis true.

we had planned on decorating my gigantic belly this weekend, but that plan had to be set aside. it would seem that some person; who may, or may not have been me; did not put any sunscreen on her bikini-clad self yesterday, & is now sporting quite the sunburn. manlyman said my belly now looks like "bob the tomato" from "veggie tales". sexy, no?

that's all the time i have for today's chat. we have dear friends coming over to bbq later, & i've got to get my veggies prepped. i hope your weekend is a lovely one, & please!!!! if your belly hasn't seen the sun in a decade or more - wear sunscreen.

~peace.