thursday things - vintage kitcheny stuff

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photo :: property of beatrice in blue

on  my mind quite a bit these days are kitcheny things, specifically those of a vintage bent. as my things get broken, & for some reason things are breaking at top speed of late, i find myself scouring thrift shops for replacements. it would be much easier to buy new items, of course, but easy isn't always best. 

i could say that i buy used because i am making a conscious choice to live a more green life, one in tune with mother nature. i could say that, but i would be lying to you. the truth of the matter is that i am utterly head-over-heels in love with old stuff, & that's why i buy vintage. the green-living/mother nature part is a bonus; one for which i am thankful. it balances the fact that i am also in love with hair dye.

so back to thoughts of kitcheny things. last week i was on the hunt for mixing bowls. do you remember the fabulous sunbeam bowl from earlier this summer? well, i found another! this one is identical to the first, also in perfect condition, only smaller. i had been hoping to find large mixing bowls, but there weren't any to be found.

because i cannot go thrifting every single day (though to hear manlyman tell it, i do) i have been poking through etsy's vintage section. such gorgeous vintagey treasures! i thought i would share some with you.

* teensy molds - (pictured above) i actually have a stack of these! some in that shape, others with more rounded bottoms. she has them priced quite well, if you're in the market for a set.

* child's oven - i. want. this. as i haven't that much money to spend on frivolity any room at thebelfry for it, i shall leave the sweet oven for someone else.

* cake carrier - how sweet! i don't think i've ever seen one like this. i adore the wooden acorn knob on the lid.

* egg beater - a must-have in any kitchen. well, in mine, for sure. i have a gorgeous vintage beater that we use almost daily. i've yet to meet a person who doesn't love cranking the handle of an old fashioned egg beater. even elfling loves to beat eggs, though he needs to use both hands to crank the handle, & it takes forever ;)

* mixing bowl - gorgeous! i bet if i had one of these my baking would improve. that's how it works, in case you didn't know.

* refrigerator ware - i love, love, love these! ok, not so much the color, but the containers themselves are simply perfect. it is rare to find these in thrift shops (where i live), & even more rare to find a set. with lids! i store blocks of cream cheese in my lone dinky container. 

sigh. there is so much more to share with you, but elfling disagrees. i am off to snuggle. happy shopping!

~peace.

chocolate skulls, a tutorial

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in honor of my mother's first year as an ancestor, instead of sugar skulls, we opted to make chocolate ones. she loved dark chocolate. is there any other kind? i mean, really now.

we had planned on making the skulls, then decorating them after they'd cooled, but we chose the lazy way. hence the above (hobbit-named) bloody skull look. this is a child-friendly craft, by the way.

what you'll need: small skull molds (google lists many places from which to purchase molds), your favorite chocolate (we used bittersweet), & colored sugar. edited to say :: you'll see that i'd cut the mold into strips. it makes it easier to pop the sugar skulls onto the drying rack. you don't need to do this for chocolate.

* melt your chocolate in a double boiler, or microwave. to do the latter, nuke it for one minute on high, stir, then 20 seconds more, & stir. that should be long enough.

* place your molds on a cookie sheet that fits in your freezer. if you haven't one, cut a piece of cardboard to fit. sprinkle the colored sugar into each skull.

* carefully fill each skull with chocolate. we have tried many ways of getting the chocolate into molds, & a fork was voted the best by thehobbit. you can plop in the bulk, & the last bit drizzles nicely off the tines. easy peasy.

* once all the mold's skulls have been filled, carefully pick up the mold, & tap it on the counter. this should remove any air bubbles.

* pop the tray of skulls into the freezer for at least 15 minutes. the longer you can leave them in, the better. you need their centers to harden.

* sprinkle sugar on a little plate on which you've jauntily placed a bloody skull, & photograph it next to your fancy pumpkin. or just eat it. whichever.

if you do this project, please let me know. i want to see photos! enjoy.

~peace.

she has an electrifying personality, she has.

photo :: property of physics.umd.edu

it was pouring rain outside, & had been off & on for days. i was in the kitchen, making dinner when it happened. lightning lit the sky, & at the same time a thin, bright blue light came up from the stove top!

it would have been an amazing sight if not for the fact that it reached the metal spatula in my hand. painful prickings rose up from both hands, all the way to my shoulders! it was the most bizarre sensation, & didn't fade away for nearly an hour.

otherwise i was fine. ok, i was seriously a bit freaked out, but come on! i was touched by lightning!

i'd heard of it coming in through phones, computers, televisions. even one story of it coming in through the faucet of a woman washing dishes. i try to avoid those things during a thunderstorm, but it never occurred to me to be wary of the stove.

so learn from me people - do NOT cook in a storm.

~peace.