heylucy

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Some random things I wanted to share, with nothing in common, other than the fact that I enjoyed them:

I think this song and video are just beautiful. Passenger was definitely my favorite album of 2011.

This is making me want to bind a book. It's been a long time. So many crafts, so little time.

When you find yourself with fifteen minutes to spare, go watch The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (inspired by The Wizard of Oz, Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton and a love of books. Trust me, it will make sense).

"When you knit something for someone, you're thinking about them. I think it just conveys love" 

We've had some beautiful days lately. Sunday afternoon I went to a winery in Escondido, in support of a friend about to start chemotherapy. The view was lovely.

build a better salad

I am a pretty good salad maker. I don't mean a little afterthought side salad as part of a meal, little more than a way to add a few extra vegetables to the table. I'm talking about a meal in itself, one that will keep you going for hours. Most days, I eat a late breakfast and then have a late lunch/early dinner. When I went into an office every day, I kept a stockpile of salad ingredients in the communal fridge and made a meal that was the envy of my co-workers. I've missed my salads, and while we've been craving warm and comforting meals lately, it's sunny and almost warm today, so I'm going to make a salad.

Saturday's haul from the farmer's market: lots of salad ingredients!

I thought I'd share my salad formula, because salad is good for everyone, and no one should have to suffer through another boring salad.

Obviously, get what is fresh and looks good. We're lucky to have decent tomatoes year-round here, but when I've lived elsewhere, I didn't buy them this time of year. They will only taste like cardboard and bring your salad down. But root vegetables and greens are fresh, delicious, and readily available right now, so build your salad around them and wait until summer for those tomatoes. 

I like to think of my salad ingredients in categories, and then assemble a salad by using one or more items from each category. First up, of course, is the greens category. 

Of course there all the usual lettuces: romaine, baby greens, red leaf, even iceberg is good for some kinds of salads; I also like arugula, and of coarse, baby spinach. Raw cabbage makes a nice crunchy backdrop. Kale is a sturdy green that I most often cook to eat, but it makes a hearty salad green when raw and paired with a warm bacon or sausage dressing. Sometimes I stick with one kind of green and just let it be the background for the other ingredients, or sometimes I'll mix and match several different greens. 

 After the greens, what most often determines the direction I take a salad is the protein. This is a meal, and it's protein (and fat) that keep me full. I've used every kind of protein you could imagine in a salad. Grilled or poached chicken or fish, leftover steak, eggs, various types of charcuterie, kofta kebabs or gyro meat, canned tuna. Whatever your preference, it will make an excellent salad ingredient.

Next up, I fill up my salad bowl with vegetables, raw and/or cooked. This is where salads really become seasonal. The farmer's market was full of root vegetables this past weekend, so I got radishes, beets, and small, sweet carrots. Roasted, the beets and carrots will add an earthy comfort. Raw carrots and radishes will add freshness and crunch. Vegetables really allow you to add texture and color, which I think is the secret to a good salad. 

 

 

I also like to finish off a salad with an extra flourish (or two). Maybe some nuts for crunch, and dried fruit for chewy sweetness, or salty olives and capers. These are especially nice in a salad with salmon or tuna. Sun-dried tomatoes are an excellent solution for a winter salad. A few crumbles of a strong cheese like feta or gorgonzola make a salad feel just a little more special. Fresh herbs are another way to add an unexpected flavor. 

As for dressing my salads, I stick to simple vinegarettes, and most of the time I'm super lazy and just drizzle everything with olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. If I'm feeling more ambitious, I'll shake the ingredients up in a jar, and add some herbs and spices and maybe a little dijon mustard.

I also often go with ethnic ingredients and let the cuisine of a country influence what I put in a salad. Here are a few examples of some favorite salad combinations, if you get stuck: 

Antipasto:

Arugula, artichoke hearts, prosciutto and/or salami, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzerella, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Mexican:

Romaine and/or iceberg lettuce, grilled chicken, cilantro, fresh corn, tomatoes, jicama, red or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced jalapeno, avocado. Top with salsa and a drizzle of crema or sour cream for dressing and sprinkle some cheddar or queso freca on top.

Turkish/Middle Eastern:

This is a chopped salad, dice everything roughly the same size: fresh tomatoes, cucumbers (I love the little Persian ones), bell peppers in assorted colors, a little onion, if you dare! Add some good olives, and toss with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with sumac and chopped, fresh parsley. I like this with any kind of kebab, particularly kofta kebabs (seasoned ground lamb and beef), and a dollop of thick, Greek style yogurt.

Nicoise:

Mixed greens, grilled salmon or canned tuna, blanched green beans and boiled or roasted new potatoes, nicoise or kalamata olives and a hard boiled egg, quartered. Sprinkle with capers and dress with a lemon vinegarette. And imagine you are in the south of France.

 

 

Sometimes, I even have salad for breakfast (roasted beet greens and an egg, over-easy).

What do you like to include in your salads? 

farmer's market

I went to the farmer's market in Little Italy this morning. It was a beautiful day. Sometimes it's really nice to live in California.

those darn(ed) socks

Okay sock knitters and enjoyers of hand knit socks (or just any socks, in general), I did the research for you, and it turns out that it's not too hard to darn your socks. 

There are several different techniques, and I tried out three different ones. There's the (1) Swiss darning (or duplicate stitch) method, the (2) running-stitch-weaving method, and then there's the (3) knitted patch. 

I found some pretty good videos from Knit Picks for the first and third methods (see below), and there are a lot of advocates for the woven method (but not many good videos). It's certainly the easiest, and for machine made socks, it's probably the way to go. 

The first sock had a fairly small hole, it appeared that it was mostly just the yarn between two columns of stitches that was broken, so I used Swiss darning to close it up. This basically means that you duplicate stitch over the area to be mended. It really works best for strengthening thin areas, not so much for closing up large holes, unless you want to build up a framework with heavy thread, which is later removed. I have to admit, I went a little cross-eyed trying to stitch everything in the right places because my socks were somewhat felted in that area. Still, the beginning of a greater disaster has been averted, and while it may not be pretty, it is definitely functional. I also didn't have matching yarn for this sock, but what I used blends well enough. Here's the part one video (you should be able to click part two when it's done):

For sock number two, I did have matching yarn. The hole was more like two holes, and pretty big. I used the regular old weaving method for this one. I am interested to see how strong it will be. It isn't super pretty, but it's better than a hole, and I'm glad I could match the yarn. It just blends right in. It's nice to see that Lorna's Laces really holds its color. This was about the best video I could find on the weaving method (I really wove my stitches, going over and under on opposite rows, this looks like just a bunch of random stitching to me):

The knitted patch is good for larger holes, and it wasn't too hard to do. As you can see in my picture above, the Malabrigo yarn has faded quite a lot from washing and wearing. It's so nice and soft, but I'm not sure I'll use if for socks again. I am a little concerned that the patch will feel like a huge lump when I wear them. I tried them on, and I can feel it, but it's not too bad. We'll see if it's bothersome after a whole day, though! I do like how nice and tidy it appears. Again, it's a two-part video, here's the first part: 

There are some advocates for just sewing a hole closed, but that seems like a bad idea, especially on the bottom of your foot where you would feel a big lump. So don't do that! Has anyone else darned socks before? What method did you use? I'm so happy to have my socks back! My feet will now be warm for the rest of the winter. 

printstagram

I have a lot of fun taking pictures with my iPhone, and I love sharing them on Instagram. I have a Moleskine notebook that I wanted to use as a small scrapbook for my trip, so I ordered some prints of my Instagram photos from printstagr.am. They just arrived yesterday, and they're so cute. 

 

 

Did you see what I did there? I Instagrammed my Instagram prints. hee hee! They are small, about the size of a business card, and the paper is very thick and stiff, with a nice matte finish. When I placed my order, they said it would take 4-6 weeks, but I think I got them in about three, so that's not too bad. I know they are trying to get them out faster and it looks like they are doing some upgrading as we speak. 

The mini prints were $12 for 48 (plus $6 shipping), so they're not a bad deal. They also have posters and tiny books and stickers. I'm quite happy with the quality, and will definitely order from them again! 

P.S. Sock darning report tomorrow. I've been gone all day! One sock is darned, two more to go.

sock tragedies

In case you were wondering what to watch while waiting for new episodes of Downton Abbey, I thought I would suggest two series on Netflix Watch Instantly. The Grand is set in a four-star hotel in Manchester, post WWI, and is full of intrigue, lust and general soap opera drama all dressed up in wonderful 20's style. Then there is The Forsyte Saga, which follows an extended family through several generations from the late 19th century and up to the war. It gets a little ridiculous toward the end of the series, but was still worth a watch. Are there any other good costume dramas that I'm missing? 

Now lets talk about socks. There is something wrong with my inner thermostat this winter. It first started when I went to a summer climate (Africa) in December and came home to a cold snap. Then we had a heatwave and it got up to the 70's even up here in the mountains. And now it's cold again. My feet have been freezing, and regular socks are useless. I need to wear my handknit socks every day. I was hurriedly trying to finish another pair when the first tragedy struck:

I ran out of yarn just a few rows from the end. I tried to find someone with a few yards of the same yarn to spare on Ravelry, but got no response. So I improvised as best as I could.

 

If I was ambitious, I would rip out the toe of the other sock and use the same yarn to make a matching pair. I don't see that happening any time soon, however. It's not like anyone will ever see it, and I'm happy to have another pair of cozy warm socks to wear. 

 

They are here on Ravelry, the pattern is Paraphanalia, and the yarn (which I still love, even if I ran out early) is Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the Bloomsbury colorway (plus a little Yarn Chef Bouillabaisse).

But that is not the end to my sock tragedies, oh no. No fewer than three socks currently have holes! I put too much work into these socks to just toss them, plus, I am very dependent on my wool socks right now. 

They're all on the balls of the foot, what does this mean? And two are Lorna's Laces yarn, while the other is Malabrigo sock, and they are of varying ages, so I can't say that it's the yarn. My plan for today is to learn how to darn socks, I will report back later. I even got a darning egg so I can do a proper job.

rainy day baking

It's rainy and grey and I am so happy to be at home in my warm kitchen. It's been a long time since I've baked or made any dessert-type food. I've made lots of enormous pots of soup and slow cooker pot roasts and hearty stews these last few, cold weeks. My food styling and photography skills are not yet to the point where I can make a bowl of brown glop look good, no matter how delicious it really was, so I thought it was time for something pretty.  

I have still been eating the same way I was last summer. There were a few holiday and travel setbacks, but there is such a difference in how I feel when I eat well and stay away from grains and too much sugar and processed food, so I avoid them as much as possible. I'll do a follow up post soon and talk about that a little more. So it's a truly special treat for me to make something like this, and while there is a little sugar involved, there's no flour at all!  

I was inspired by this tart from Roost, and some delicate, small Forelle pears I picked up at the market the other day. Have you visited Roost before? The whole site is inspiring, as well as beautifully written and photographed. What's even better, most recipes are gluten free. 

 

I made the crust exactly as written, although my almond meal from Trader Joe's. The unblanched almonds make for a dark and nutty crust that was very dense. I think blanched almond flour would probably be a little prettier and lighter, and I'd like to try to find some for the next time. Still, it was very flavorful and rich, and not too sweet, so I made a nice backdrop for the pears and cream.

 

The rest was an experiment. I poached the pears in apple cider, and added star anise, cardamom, vanilla, and fresh ginger. Since they were small, they only took twenty-five minutes or so until they were tender.

I used Vanilla Bean Paste in everything. Have you seen this? It might not be exactly the same as using a vanilla bean, but it's very close and much less expensive. You can see all the little bean flecks when you use it, unlike plain old vanilla extract. 

I decided to make a pastry cream/creme brulee/custard sort of hybrid for the creamy part. And that's where my experimenting got the best of me, so I hope I don't make any pastry chefs out there cringe at my naivity (and of course, if you can suggest a better way to accomplish this, please do!). It was really, really delicious, but a little too runny.  

Here's what I did: I added a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste and a few crushed cardamom pods to a pint of heavy cream and brought it to a boil. Then I turned off the heat and put a lid on the pan and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, I whisked three egg yolks with about 1/3 cup of sugar (raw, organic cane sugar), until it was nice and light. I added a little cream to the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper them, and then slowly added the rest of the cream and continued to whisk (I was fishing out the cardamom pods as I poured it in to save myself from having to strain them out). I returned all this to the pan and cooked it over another pan of simmering water, whisking the whole time, for about five minutes, until it was thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. I let it cool to room temperature, and it got a little thicker, so I poured it into the baked crust and put it in the fridge to chill for an hour or two. It did set up some more, but it's still a bit too thin.  

 

And it turns out I am not a champion pear-arranger either. Still, the pears were subtly spiced, and the cream filling was flavorful and well, creamy and addicting. It all worked together so well. Of course I can't show you what a slice looked like, because it was about on par with that bowl of brown slop I mentioned earlier.  

 

Africa, part three, Cape Town

I think I'm done editing all my photos, finally! I'm going to create a book with blurb this weekend and I can't wait to see them printed and all together. So now, on to Cape Town. 

We took a two-hour flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. We were there for five days, so I won't bore you with a day-by-day travelogue, just a few highlights. We did a lot of touristy things while we were there, but it struck me as also the kind of place you could go to just relax as well. It's a beautiful area, with gorgeous beaches, vineyards, wild life, and a lively city. We stayed south of the city in a B&B in Muizenberg. I loved the colorful beach huts at the nearby beach.

The skies, as always, were dramatic and beautiful. A little further south, just outside of Simon's Town, we stopped at Boulder Beach to see the penguins. 

This little guy was just strolling through the brush near the beach. Most of the penguins were dozing on the beach. 

The coastline reminded me so much of California, and the climate was similar too. It felt very much like home. 

Of course, we went to the Cape of Good Hope. 

Much of the Cape is a nature reserve. We searched in vain for the baboons, but saw these baby ostriches! They were tiny, maybe 12-18 inches tall, and just the cutest. 

The English and Dutch architecture was pretty, although most houses are hidden behind high walls. That was something I found a little sad throughout the country, there is a lot of fear of crime, so there are lots of walls with razor wire or electric fences on top. Still, I did get glimpses of some lovely homes and buildings.

Table Mountain looms over the city, and it's just a short gondola ride to the top.

The fog kept rolling in while we were up there, but we still caught glimpses of the beautiful views.

The whole set is here on Flickr. I recommend viewing them as a slideshow. We also went to Robben Island, but I think that deserves it's own post. 

this and that

I never even turned on my computer yesterday. I was so scattered, and I kept meaning to get to it and then I just never did. Do you have days like that? I did a lot of things, but in the end I didn't feel like I really accomplished much at all. I'm going to try and do better today, so first thing I'm doing is getting on my computer and writing this post, which will probably be random and scattered like my day was.

The acorns on the California oaks around here are long and skinny. I have an app called FingerFace and now I think I will put little faces on everything. 

I shared the above photo on Instagram the other day. I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I've limited my Twitter use to blog posts and Instagram these days, I feel like tweeting is like walking into a big party and just shouting out something witty and hoping someone hears (and then RTs it). I don't really love big parties. I think I will stick to Instagram for now, I like looking at everyone's pretty pictures and it's making me be more creative with photography. 

I didn't mention in my book post that I listened to the Song of Ice and Fire series audiobooks recently as well. I came across this Tumblr blog and this re-imagined cover for A Game of Thrones made me laugh really hard. 

Have you seen this? Works of art, re-made. Some are literal, like this beautiful painting and photograph: 

And some are more interpretive. I especially liked this one (the pillow case tacked to the wall is an especially nice touch): 

 

I've been making a lot of soup lately, albondigas, this hot & sour cabbage soup, sausage and kale soup. I tried this green soup, but it came out kind of thin and watery, with not a lot of flavor. I need to expand my soup repertoire, does anyone have a favorite recipe to share? Preferably without grains or beans. Lots of vegetables are welcome, and I am not afraid to make my own broth. When I'm ready for a break from soup I think I'll try this artichoke, kale & ricotta pie, it looks so good.

I told you I was all scattered! 

what I like in a book

First of all, thank you so much to all the Ravelry users for the warm response to my pattern! There are 40+ likes and lots of queuing as of this morning. I really didn't expect so much! Now that it's there, I'm feeling a little more confident, I think it looks quite nice. I have to give Mr. HeyLucy some credit for helping with the photography, too. 

And now, I think it's about time for a book report. I didn't read nearly as much in 2011 as I did in 2010, but I did read a few very good books. I've also gotten a couple advance reader's copies from publishers, so I wanted to be sure and let you know about those. There were two, in particular, that I recently read, and they got me thinking about just what makes a good book. The Night Swimmer was just released, and is the story of an American couple that win an Irish pub on the southern tip of Ireland. They have high hopes, but things don't quite work out as expected. Matt Bondurant is an eloquent, gifted writer, but there was a subtlety to his storytelling that I never really understood. I'm still not sure just why certain things happened as they did. I found it interesting to read a story told in a female voice, written by a male author (as I would if roles were reversed). He was convincing, and yet I never really cared all that much for Elly, and I didn't understand her attractions to swimming in the ocean and to her husband Fred. I need to feel like I know and understand the characters in a book to really like it. So my review, in this case, is a totally subjective two-and-a-half out of five stars. I think some readers will love it, in all its subtlety, but even the intriguing location of the story wasn't enough to win me over. 

And now, a brief intermission, so we can enjoy this entertaining video: 

Okay, next up on my ARC list, History of a Pleasure Seeker, which comes out February 7. It's just after the turn of the century in Amsterdam (+1, I particularly like this time period and location), and handsome, talented Piet is attempting to rise above his station and secures a job as tutor to a troubled boy in a very wealthy family (+1, I can get behind that, it's an interesting challenge). Told in vivid detail, the author successfully brings a glamorous world to life (+1 for descriptive writing). Ultimately, however, the negatives are glaring. Piet is quite devious and while he admires his employer, he takes advantage of his trust (-1, first and foremost, he is a selfish bastard). He does succeed in helping some of the other characters, but often inadvertently, while single-mindedly pursuing his own interests (-1 more for more unlikeability). There's also an awful lot of excruciatingly detailed sex, both hetero- and homosexual (-1 for unexpected erotica). I prefer a more subtle approach, and there was just more than I thought was necessary to move the plot forward. I don't want characters in a book to be perfect, but when they succeed time and time again, despite their flaws, I find that they grow tiresome. So the pluses and minuses end up cancelling each other out. I'll be generous, however, and give it three out of five stars. 

My very favorite book of 2011 was Ready Player One. I actually listened to the audio version of this one, read by Wil Wheaton, who was pitch perfect as the voice of Wade Watts, treasure seeker/hacker/80s pop culture expert. Set in a bleak and hopeless 2044, most of humanity spends it's time plugged in to the virtual OASIS, where they attend school, work, and socialize. The developer of this virtual world has died and his will stipulates that the person who can unlock the three hidden gates and solve the subsequent puzzles will inherit the entire thing. It's been years, and so far no one has made any progress until one day when Wade finds the first gate, and the competition heats up fast. As a child of the 80s, the nostagia factor was high for me. I really grew to care about the characters, and the action and suspense kept me listening. It was just so, so much fun.

Currently, I'm in the middle of Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks, and I'm loving it so much. She has a way of giving her characters a voice that really expresses who they are. I recently finished Year of Wonders, and had the same feeling. I enjoyed the whole book, until the ending, which felt rushed and was so unlikely, I found it hard to believe. Fingers-crossed that it doesn't happen again, it was so perfect up to that point. 

What was your favorite book of 2011? What do you like in a book.