P&PS

I feel a bit like Kate Hewlett every time I post something with 'sorry guys, I fell off the face of the internet for a bit'.  I do though remember that I have a blog, I've just been busy, out of town, internetless, and hot (90's in June is insane).  As it is I'm just popping in for a quick update. I've had a lot of interest in the design I made up for Ravelry's birthday design competition and wanted to let you all know that I have prints and other items available for purchase on CafePress.  There's also a smattering of photographic prints on there as well.  Both of these can be found here . I should be back with regular content soon.  I haven't been doing much crafting but I do have some food related stuff and photos to share with you guys.

Recently kale’s become quite a phenomenon, which is fine by me, even if finding kale chips in the snack food aisle still weirds me out.  It’s quite possibly my favorite green, not because it’s packing with all sorts of awesome stuff but because it tastes so good, particularly when it’s been dehydrated or toasted up.There are lots of kale chip recipes out there, but my favorite ones will always be the ones at Making Love in the Kitchen .  The idea behind making kale chips isn’t any different from making fries or any other sort of roasted goodness, which is a good thing because I’ve been bending the rules.  It’s a bit like playing a game of chicken, how much kale can I fit in one glass baking pan, at how high a temperature before the kale burns between checks (generally at 10 – 15 minute intervals).  The best results will always be at the original 300* with a thin layer of kale cooked until crispy.  If you’re up for eating mass amounts (or would like to have som...

I don’t know what surprises me more, the fact that I finished a project this month or the fact that I’m blogging about not one project but two.  I can say though, I am more than pleased that I finished these socks, they’re for an awesome friend of mine and I was a bit peeved they took me this long to sit down and finish.  I would’ve cut myself a bit of slack, but I still owe her socks from Christmas (I was a bit overzealous in planning last year as usual).    This is a pair of Traveling Lace Vine socks from Writing and Living ( rav link ) made from some acrylic I had laying around.  I used a standard toe up sock formula like this one from knitty and adjusted the stitch counts to account for the blukier yarn and larger needle size.  While the orange isn’t an exact match to her school colors, it’s still spectacularly orange which is the important thing.  I had originally planned on making a pair of Japanese Garden but I didn’t have my copy of the patt...

Late nights chatting with friends Job applications Ginger salad dressing Boxes Turnips Sunshine and rain Green grass and friend's’ birthdays The Killing (on AMC) Dorm rooms, dumpster diving, and metal bleachers Kitty cuddles Summer heat Carrot juice and carrot orange socks Blisters from new sandals RIP the little show that could Farmers Markets Inspiration

I tend to shy away from posting recipes because I’m not a food photographer. I make food to eat it.  It doesn’t tend to last long enough to photograph.  There’s also a part of me that thought it’d all been done before.  Looking for allergy friendly recipes, however, I realized that’s not true.  There’s not nearly enough allergy friendly recipes out there, particularly when taking multiple allergies into account.  As such, I’m willing to try and undertake the task of attempting not to stuff my face the second food comes out of the oven.  Good recipes deserve good photos. Baked Chicken Meatballs (adapted from this recipe at smitten kitchen) 1/3 uncooked brown  rice (or amount to make 1 cup cooked) 1/3 coconut (or other non-dairy milk) 1/3 water You may need to adjust the amount of liquid to suit the rice you’re using. Combine in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until rice is soft.  Stir occasion...

Despite the cats' incessant needs to cuddle, summer has arrived and is in full swing. I'm contemplating moving into my bath tub permanently (or installing a pool for my bed). Lying sprawled out on my floor listening to the neighbors mow their lawn yet again (can you believe they had to start in March?!) I'm attempting to kick this early summer off with a bit of optimism. As such I thought I'd put together an extended 'these things go together' list.      sources on the click-throughs :) Girls in Trucks is an awesome read, period.  With it’s summery southern setting and wonderful humor, it’s perfect for this time of year. I love any excuse to wear a dress and summer with it’s warm weather has a perfect excuse every day. Remembering to pick up a new pair of gardening gloves or hiking boots is never hard, finding a good alternative to chemical laden bug sprays is, which is why I love citronella candles. Green smoothies, I honestly can’t say enou...

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf My rating: 4 of 5 stars Summary: It happens one August morning. As dawn's light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing. Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to do the best she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay has cost more than her daughter's voice. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend and voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual demeanor. Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to thei...