Pillow Talk

On Sunday, the Architect and I had a sewing date…we made pillows with the other pattern of Frida fabric she bought. So that she could make two good size pillows, she bought some complimentary blue fabric for the back, a few yards of red ric-rac and, abracadabra, twin pillows were born! Absolutely adorable!

We did something really cool with the back so we did not have to mess with a zipper…we overlapped the fabric so we could slip the pillow in and bring the lower fabric back (3/4 length) piece over top of the upper fabric back (1/2 length) piece…sew simple!

I'm a Little Teapot

As you may know, dear readers, I take pottery classes. There are two main methods of making a useful item out of pottery…throwing or building. Two semesters ago I blogged about the throwing class I was in....this is my greatest accomplishment...

Pretty pathetic, uh? I put those funny little feet on that sad little bowl for NO purpose other then to make it more interesting.

Nice try.

Foodie, however, is an excellent thrower and here are a few of her beautiful masterpieces…

Foodie's daughter's creations...also very good! Must be in the genes.

Being a scrappy sort, I am an infinitely better clay builder than thrower and my final project last semester was a teapot (gasp) and this – dear readers – is the result…

OMG…isn’t it tooooo cute! Not bad for my first teapot try. Her name is "Ms. Potts" - isn't that sweet...and original. And, best of all, it works...I am drinking a cup of tea steaped in it as I write.

I will make another teapot and take photos of the entire process....facinating and pretty easy once you know what to do!

Go Ask Alice...

Hey...check out this post that appeared on my "Daily Candy" update. It's like having your own personal "Alice" to help you plan parties! Remember Alice from the Brady Bunch...can't remember her boyfriend's name but I do remember he was a butcher...anyone?

Daily Candy

Dinner Party Blueprints from Apples & Onions
"You don’t need to break out Grandmum’s silver and light the candlelabra to host a nice dinner — but you may need to put away the ketchup packets.

Apples & Onions Dinner Party Blueprints, the new service from personal chefs Lydia Ellison Howerton and Sarah Lagrotteria, is your road map to party time.

The result of a deep affection for throwing small dinners of their own, years of catering large-scale events, and some serious culinary prowess (we’ve been dreaming of the breakfast panino on their blog), Blueprints are essentially easy-to-follow parties in a box.

You name the theme, budget, number of guests, and give a heads up on any dietary restrictions, and they’ll send back a tidy little file containing decor ideas, a detailed timeline, master grocery list, a custom menu, a signature cocktail or wine recommendations, and recipes, so you can pull the whole thing off. Available online at applesandonions.com, $100."


Image of Alice from Google Images

Truffles

It was my turn to cook last night and I made Sautéed Scallops with a Sage Truffle Drizzle. This sounds fancier than it is and was very, very easy to make. First, a word about truffle oil.

Truffle oil is not made from truffles – exactly – rather it is a superior, gourmet olive oil that has been infused with either white or black truffles. I paid $30 for an 8 oz bottle so, as most cooks recommend, I will use it only for special recipes. Truffles have an earthy and perhaps even sensual, seductive aroma that immediately permeate a room when sliced. Truffles are prized edible subterranean fungi that have been traditionally hunted by hogs. More recently, dogs have been trained to unearth the little gems because they can be taught not to eat the merchandise (apparently truffles are an aphrodisiac for hogs…don’t tell the dogs or we might have a situation!).

Enough about hogs.

Or dogs.


First, I panned fried the scallops in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When browned on both sides and cooked through, I removed them from the pan and kept them warm. I used frozen scallops from Trader Joe's.

Then, in the same pan as the scallops, I added 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter became frothy...

...I added about 15 sage leaves that I cut into strips. I sauteed them until they were just about crispy then I removed the mixture from the heat. I added 1 tablespoon of truffle oil and incorporated.

I also made risotto with butternut squash cubes, so....to plate this dish, I placed a heaping spoonful of risotto in a bowl, topped with five scallops, drizzled some sage truffle butter on top...and there you have it. Delicious, very fancy and easy smeasy.

We also had a salad with field greens, artichokes and garlic in the lovely traveling salad bowl and red velvet cupcakes...yummo!

Truffle photo from Google Images.

Let's Get Loopy

While flipping through channels the other night, I saw a spot about a yarn shop, loop, located at 1914 South Street in Philadelphia. Hmmmm, I said, I wonder if they have a website...to my delight, not only do they have a website, they have a blog too!

loopknits blog

So I visited said blog and its natural, pleasantly simple and functional presentation reminded me of my blog (with a lot more knitting going on!). It is now one of my links and I "Liked" them on Facebook. My favorite post is "James's Sweater Now"...because it's funny and James is a cutie patutie.

All I can say is I'm going, you're going, we're all going...(inside joke with my family) to visit loop and will take photos (if they let me) and post them. As an added bonus, there is a sewing store, spool, right next door! BTW....I did not forget to capitalize their names...lower case letters are part of their logo!

loop was named in Philadelphia's Magazine's Best of Philly 2010 - Best Way to Get Crafty!