Burlap/Jute garland

I created triangular flag garland out of burlap fabric and jute cord. There was two yards of burlap at about a buck and a half a yard at Joannes (after coupon). There were 3 spools of jute cord at $1.50/spool (after coupon). I also created a basic muslin storage bag to match. 

Pattern:

Note the squared top. I folded over the burlap to stitch a sleeve for the jute cord. 

Individual flag:

I threaded the jute cord through, arranged them evenly along the length of the cord. Then I stitched the ends of each flag pocket across the cord so that they won't move. 

Jute cord:

The whole set. There are 3 - 9 foot sections of flag garland, each with a loop knot on the end to hang them. There are 7 flags per section. 

Scifi poster excerpt in acrylic

There is a set of three. I cropped the middle third of each one and did that section in acrylic. 

Dune

The Day the Earth Stood still

Metropolis

Below are photos of each poster inspiration and each canvas. 

Dune poster:

Dune, acrylic on canvas:

Metropolis poster:

Metropolis, acrylic on canvas:

The Day the Earth Stood Still poster:

The Day the Earth Stood Still, acrylic on canvas:

All three, hung:

Sautéed Brussel Sprouts and Apples

Ingredients

- 12 to 18 sm Brussel Sprouts

- 1 lg tart Apple peeled, diced

- 1 shallot sliced in thin rings

- bacon ( I use 1/2 to 1 pkg precooked)

- Butter ( not margarine)

- Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pan, add all ingredients. Sauté until sprouts/apples are tender when poked with a fork, and a little browned. Serve warm. 

You can throw in about a half cup of apple cider too.. Makes it a little sweeter. If you do, add the bacon after its reduced down. 

Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe

The girls like the chicken gnocchi at Olive Garden with a few requests: more gnocchi, less veg. So I started trying out variations of my own for them.. Here's the latest..

Chicken gnocchi #47

-2 chicken breasts, slow cooked

-1 sm shallot

-1 pkg pancetta

- cpl small celery heart stalks finely chopped

-1 carrot shredded

-1 mushroom finely chopped

-2 pkg gnocchi 

-1 can cream of celery

-1 can cream of chicken

-2 c whole milk or cream

Cook gnocchi to instructions, drain, set aside

Shred chucked, set aside

Sautée pancetta, shallot, mushroom

Add in celery, carrot

Stir well and cook till carrots/celery are soft

Stir in chicken ( mine had about half a cup of residual broth 

Add in cream soups and milk

Sure and let simmer..

It thickens up a bit and what you get is this:

Healthy dog treat recipe

1.5 c oat flour

1 banana

1/2 c Peanut Butter

*I made oat flour out of whole oats in my blender. 

Mash the banana. Add peanut butter and mix well. Add oat flour and mix until well incorporated. 

Press dough out 1/2" to 1" thick depending on the size you want your treat. Cut out shares with cookie cutters. I use little flowers for bite size treats.

Bake at 350 till browned at edges. 

I store in the fridge, supposed to be good  for 1-2 weeks.. Mine don't last that long :)

Cheese Danish Recipe

Danish Dough

-1 c sour cream

-5 T butter (not margarine)

- 2 eggs, whisked (or eggbeaters)

-3 T yeast

-1/2 c warm water

-3T sugar

-4 c flour

Filling

- 2-8oz boxes cream cheese

- 2 eggs

- 3/4 c sugar

- cherry pie filling, other fruit, chocolate chips, etc. to add into or on top of cream cheese filling. 

Instructions

In a pot slowly warm up sour cream and butter, till fully incorporated. Should just be warm. Set aside to cool. When cool, gently whisk in eggs.

In a mixing bowl add water, yeast, sugar. Allow yeast a few minutes to start bubbling. Add in sour cream/butter/egg mixture. Blend. 

Add in 1/4 c sugar and 4 c flour. Mix well, until you have a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-3 hours. 

Mix filling ingredients till smooth. 

Divide dough into 18 to 24 balls. Press out into a shallow dish form ( flat like a pizza with up turned sides to hold the cheese). Set onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Fill up each well with cream cheese filling and or cherries, or other fruit. Note: ours are pretty full, because we like danishes to be creamy.. But you can use less, add toppings. Any extra makes a great cupcake filling.

Bake at 350 till golden brown around dough edges and a fork comes out of the cheese filling relatively clean. 

Glaze with a drizzle if desired. 

1 c powdered sugar

1T sour cream ( add more if needed)

Stir till you get a glaze consistency, adding s little extra sour cream

If it's too thick. 

You can halve this, but we've got a good sized crew and friends and neighbors who benefit when we get in the baking mood so bigger batches are our thing. 

20th anniversary dinner ideas

Weeping Birch?

Trying to ID this guy and I'm pretty positive he's a weeping birch. The problem is he's got some heavy damage- what I'm thinking is bug and fungal damage, possibly a woodpecker? I do NOT want to give up till I have to, he's super pretty even all boogered up, and despite the fact that some idiot topped him. :/

Base trunk and why I think some fungal damage- it's do bad it doesn't much look like a birch, right?

You can sorta see the birch-ness here.. Point towards that ID I think... But that's a helluva lot of bug/bird damage.

The cut the top right off him.. He's coming back though.. See why I want to keep him? It looks healthy.. Or not dying. 

Larger close up of branches

Tighter close up

Cones/seeds

Hobbitses love their meals.

It's just a place to bank hobbit recipe places I like. Because second breakfast. Yum :)

There was a feast for Tolkien, he gave speeches, etc. I'd really like to find the whole menu for that dinner, and the recipes attached. 

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/09/249827551/elevenses-and-then-some-how-to-prepare-a-feast-fit-for-a-hobbit

Awesome list of recipes. 

http://lotrscrapbook.bookloaf.net/other/recipes.html

Discussion of hobbity recipes

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2008/20080211/green-a.shtml

Bombur's cookbook ( Warner brothers site)

http://apps.warnerbros.com/thehobbit/recipes/us/

This one has links to recipes including but not limited to Lembas and seed cake.

http://www.tor.com/2013/12/04/hobbit-recipes-food/

A few recipes:

https://kitchenoverlord.com/2014/12/18/how-to-eat-like-a-hobbit-in-7-steps-second-breakfast/

I'll add more as I'm able. Feel free to respond with your favorite sites/recipes :)

Recipe: Chicken Salad Veggie Sandwich

Chicken Salad

-1 c shredded chicken

-1/2 c mayo

-3 T pickle relish

-3 ribs celery hearts ( very small, leaves incl)

-1 t marjoram

-1/4 t garlic powder

-1/2 t onion powder

-Salt

-Pepper

Mix it up. That's all there is to it. 

Toppers

-Sliced tomatoes

-Avocado

-Lettuce

-Cucumber

-baby spinach

-Toasted bread 

Avocado: I tend to mush it up and spread it on the toasted bread but slices work too

Lettuce: any kind. I keep an arrogant den do I've got agourmet blend of baby greens year round for my whims :) I usually swipe out of it daily. But it also makes a great lettuce wrap. 

Cucumbers: sliced, or peel/seed/dice and add in the salad. 

Bread: optional really. One slice for open face, two for a sammich, do a wrap with greens or a tortilla. It's alllllll good. No, really, it is- I've tried it ;)

There you have it. 

Prunus americana: American plum

I've been trying to identify the plum trees out front since they decided to have a mast fruiting year last year. Apparently in 30 years they ( there are 2) have never fruited, so said the neighbor. In I come, hack the crud out of it ( limbed out the dead, low hangers, etc- a really goo lower clean up) plant some grafted  tri-plums and BAM!! So. I think I've narrowed this 25-30 foot monster plum to this beauty.. 

Prunus Americana.

Here is part of my tree.. End of flowering.

Little dude, just coming on again this year. Going to be a big year again I think. 

This however is last year:

They are the right size, shape, color.. And they have the white blush on them.

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/pruame/all.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_americana

The problem I see is that we are a bit far west according to a lot of sources, BUT Burke out here says it's ours too, so there you go. I call it. Will post more pics as it blooms/fruits this year. 

http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?SciName=Prunus%20americana

Prunus americana ID video

https://youtu.be/ENCP0AR9Dd4

Lemon bread / orange bread recipe

2 1/4 c flour

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 c sugar 

2 t Lemon or orange zest

Mix well. 

3/4 c butter, cubed

Add in butter, let the mixer/food processor do the work till it's well incorporated. 

3 eggs

3/4 c milk ( add a little more for Lactaid)

Blend eggs and milk, then pour into flour mixture. 

Bake at 350 till toothpick comes out clean. Glaze when mostly cooled.

Glaze:

5 T juice ( lemon, orange)

5 T Sugar

Heat on stove till sugar dissolved, let cool, glaze bread. 

Try subbing cinnamon or baker's blend for zest, and powdered sugar sour cream

Glaze for citrus glaze. 

Add 1 T poppyseed to lemon bread.

Add 1/2 c blueberries to lemon bread.

Add 1/4 c dried cranberries (rehydrated in hot water) to orange bread. 

Coffee