To Cushion the Blow

From sewing

As my darling friend Rebecca pointed out, I've been dilly dallying with patchwork. Not quite a blanket or quilt yet, but some cushion cases.

I will one day sew a quilt. Hopefully several, but for now, I started small and made some patchwork pillows. The one modelled by my nephew, Max, was made last year. Not great, so you may only see a corner. It was made from the colour scheme of my mom's birdie sling.

From sewing

I've since made a few more, but this was my favourite. I used a "log cabin" design, which is so easy to do! I followed a tutorial from the first issue of Uppercase magazine, but you can find tutorials anywhere.

From sewing

I plan to make several more. Whether they are worthy to be shared on my blog is another question...

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Max of many faces

From Maximus

I haven't done much sewing as of late. Little projects here and there. Some pillow cases. But I had a valid distraction: my cutest nephew, Maximus.

My sister and her family came to visit me on the weekend to help pass the dreary Toronto rain. We spent the weekend eating and relaxing and playing with Max until he gave us the face of utter melancholy. Usually a happy baby, there was moments when he was happiest exercising his lungs.

From Maximus

I wish my stories about Max were longer and more exciting, but until he can do more than eat, poop, and drool, a couple "oooo"s and "ahhhh"s of his cuteness will have to suffice.

From Maximus

I have recovered from his love spell and will soon tell all about some more sewing adventures (could it be?! Another birdie sling?) and some ambitious plans for my garden.

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Pretty in Pink

From Food

As mentioned in my last beet post, I've found a way to cook beets that is truly delicious.

My Polish friend, Magda, loves beets. How could someone love a vegetable that I'm so "iffy" about? I must know the secret. "Vinegar," she says. She goes off listing beet dish after beet dish that she loves, all with a common thread: "... with some balsamic vinegar" "... with a little red wine vinegar," ".. pour a little bit of pickle juice in it; not the dill pickle kind, the salt brine kind..." A little tart to compliment the beet. Genius.

She raved about a soup that her dad makes. I told her about my attempt at a beet soup that did not turn out so well. I eventually got to taste some of the soup and I could not believe how incredibly different it tasted! Delicious! I just had to replicate it. "My dad doesn't really use a recipe..." she admitted. Why was I not surprised?

Since I was used to being in this predicament (my mother only keeps recipes for baking) I was confident that I'd get along just fine. Just taste your food every so often and adjust for flavour.

I started with a recipe from Lucy Waverman's book "A Year in Lucy's Kitchen" and went from there. The biggest difference is that I did not puree the soup. This soup was essentially a beet broth, full of flavour and colour. If you feel bad about tossing the strained beets, you can use them in a salad, or as garnish. Beets still win the "prettiest vegetable" award.

From Food

1 1/2 lb beets (I used any and every colour)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sliced onions
6 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

Wash and peel the beets; slice as thin as possible.

Add olive oil to a large pot and heat to medium high; add onions and lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add sliced beets and chicken stock. Bring to at boil over high heat; reduce and let simmer 20 minutes or longer, until vegetables are tender. Add both vinegars. Salt and pepper to taste. Add more vinegar if desired.

Set a colander over a large bowl; pour soup into colander, straining all beets and onions. Serve warm.

From Food

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