Berlin's Whimsy

Busy hands. Busy Mind.

My spinning wheel is enjoying some action. I am experimenting with spinning thick and thin yarn and plying with thread. When I haven't spent much time at my spinning wheel, I forget how peaceful it is. In just a few minutes, my hands move in rhythm to my pedaling and my mind settles.

Busy are my hands. Busy is my mind. My college work load is compounding as the fall quarter draws closer to a close. 30 page papers and comprehensive finals fill my mind.

In between, however, I sneak away to spin a little. Knit a little. Rest my mind and my soul.

Cloaks.

Halloween cloaks and elven dreams...

My kids enjoyed their Halloween costumes this year. They were elves and I made them both cloaks----they were whooshing and swirling all through Halloween.

I used this pattern, but I altered the hood to make it larger and more "elven." The pattern creates a floor-length cloak with a lined hood. I added seam binding to the edges and used moleskin fabric for the cloak.

This year marked the first time my kids handed out candy. We have always lived in a rural area without trick-or-treaters so standing at the door and handing out treats was a treat in and of itself. We managed to sneak out for our own round of trick-or-treating, making our way through the neighborhood.

I always tend to whine about making costumes before Halloween, but afterward, I feel a sense of satisfaction. These cloaks will be used for years to come----by little AND big kids!

Adzuki bean natural facial scrub.

Way back when, I bought a natural facial scrub from one of those fancy skincare stores.  It was touted as a "Japanese beauty secret." It consisted entirely of ground Adzuki beans. After moving far from that store, I ran out of the scrub and it slipped from my mind.

Until I bought a bag of Adzuki beans from the natural food store recently and set it next to my blender... Hmmmm, I thought....

I appreciate simple and natural skincare products---they are cost effective and healthy for both our bodies and our planet. This one happens to be the epitome of simplicity and frugality, and it's so easy to make at home!

Just grind up a cup of Adzuki beans in either your blender, coffee grinder, or food processor. Grind the beans until they resemble a very fine cornmeal---almost flour. After grinding, allow the mixture to settle for a moment before opening the lid, as it creates a fine powder.

The mixture is simple to use:  place a tsp of the ground Adzuki beans in the palm of your hand or a small bowl and mix in enough warm water to form a paste. If you have dry skin, add a little water soluble moisturizer to the mixture. Using more water and your fingers, very gently scrub your face and/or body with the paste. Rinse.

You can also use the paste as a mask. Mix it a bit thicker and spread over your face. Leave on for a bit and then rinse with plenty of water.

This article about Adzuki bean scrubs warns against using the paste too often, as it might irritate the skin. However, I have very sensitive skin and I use the paste two times a week with no problems. I suggest seeking out organic Adzuki beans for this scrub, as they are free from residues that might cause skin irritation. They are easily found in bulk at natural food stores, as well as online. (They're also yummy to eat, too)! Here's a tasty recipe...

Swiffer Cover Sewing Pattern

Swiffer Cover Sewing Pattern

Materials:

·        Basic sewing supplies (machine, thread, scissors, iron, etc)
·         2 pieces of terrycloth material (eg. towels), at least 12 x 14” each
·         2 large and colorful buttons, or velcro
·         Tracing paper

 How to:

On a piece of tracing paper, copy the dimensions of the cover using the measurements provided. Using your pattern, cut out two pieces of the fabric. 

Fire up your sewing machine and your iron.

Pin the fabric right sides together. Beginning on one long end of the cover, sew around the entire cover using a ½” seam, leaving a four-inch opening for turning. Due to the bulk and nature of the fabric, it will slide around a lot while sewing so be sure to reset the fabric into place here and there.

Using scissors, clip off the corners to eliminate bulk and clip diagonally into the inner (don’t clip the seams, however!).

Turn the cover right side out, using a chopstick to get into those difficult corners. 

Press the cover into shape with a hot iron. Press the seams under where the opening is.

Topstitch around the entire cover ¼” inside the edge, thus closing the opening where you turned the cover. Topstitch five horizontal lines along the bottom of the cover (this gives the cover shape).

I use buttons for attaching my cover but if you’re leery of buttonholing on terrycloth (and I wouldn’t blame you if you were!), you could use Velcro for attaching the cover. For the perfectionist, you could place a square of stabilizer beneath the buttonhole area for stabilization of the buttonholes----but hey, it is just a swiffer cover, after all…!

Now try your swiffer cover on. Pull it up snug. On the flaps, mark the placement of the buttons and buttonholes----again, you want the cover to be snug, especially if you will be using the cover wet. For example, I placed my buttons 1 ½” from the edges.

Hold your breath and sew two horizontal buttonholes corresponding to your marks and your button sizes. Sew on your buttons.

Put your swiffer cover on and ooh and ahh with delight for now you can swiff your floors in style!

**Note: This cover is reversible. To make it so, place buttons or velcro on both sides of the flaps.

Swiffer Cover and more.

 
I still do more than just cook and bake around here. Sometimes.

That Swifty Swiffer cover in the new Mason-Dixon knitting book looks fabulous but I recently found that I needed a cover fast (I can't stand those throw-away swiffer sheets) and sometimes knitting feels oh so slow...

I whipped up this Swiffer Cover in less than an hour. I used a bargain towel set for this one, but thrifted towels would work great, too! 

A little cutting, a little turning, a little button-holing and voila! A new Swiffer cover! If anyone is interested in the actual measurements and/or a pattern, let me know...

Also, I was immediately inspired by the homemade dish matt idea I saw around the blogs and from A Handmade Home. I used the remainder of the bargain towel set to make one. What a perfect way to show off a fun fabric for the kitchen!

Rich & Creamy Mushroom Soup (that happens to be Vegan)

This soup is thick and creamy and the taste is the epitome of umami. It's also vegan. Even if you're not a vegan, you'll love it. Trust me.

Rich & Creamy Mushroom Soup (that happens to be Vegan)

2  lbs sliced mushrooms; separated (I use two packages of the pre-cut cremini mushrooms from Trader Joes)

1/4 C. Earth Balance (or butter for non-vegans)

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1/2  C. cooking sherry

2/3 C. roasted cashews (again, from Trader Joes)

1/2 C. brown basmati rice

2 C. vegetable stock (or chicken stock for non-vegan)

 3 C. (or more) soy milk (or cream, for non-vegan)

1/3 C. chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 T. fresh thyme, stemmed and chopped fine

2. T. miso 

salt to taste

Method: In a large saute pan, melt the Earth Balance, or butter. Reserve 1 cup of the mushrooms for later and then add the rest to the saute pan along with the cashews, thyme, and basmati rice. Saute over medium heat until the mushrooms are slightly browned. Add the garlic and cooking sherry and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Continue to boil over medium heat, until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the vegetable stock and simmer until the basmati rice is cooked through; approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Near the end of the cooking, stir in the parsley and miso.

Cool the soup a bit and puree it in a blender. A food processor will work but a blender produces a smoother soup. The mixture will be a little thick at this point.

Meanwhile, saute the remaining mushrooms with a little Earth Balance and a sprinkling of salt until browned. Set aside for serving. 

Taste the pureed mixture for salt and seasonings. Add pureed mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk in enough soy milk to create a soup-y consistency. Gently warm---do not bring it to a boil. 

Serve the soup warm, topped with a few sauteed mushrooms.

What's for Lunch?

Though I haven't mentioned it for quite some time, I'm still packing lunches every day. In fact, I pack lunches for everyone here!

Over a year later, I still adore the Laptop Lunchbox system. My kids do, too. These lunchboxes make it easy to provide variety. More lunch photos are here. Also, the new book, Vegan Lunchbox Around the World, provides many great ideas for lunches----even if you aren't a vegan, you'll find some great ideas!

I am experimenting with coming up with little healthy snacks to pop into my kid's lunches. You might enjoy this simple but surprisingly yummy apple treat.

A forewarning, they aren't the most beautiful cookie in the world but they are quite good. I made mine in a dehydrator but I think a very low oven would work just fine, too.

Following the exact method requires grinding up raw apples. I do this in my handy-dandy (and very much loved) Vita-Mix . Alternatively, I think you could cook the apples slightly and grind them up in a food processor (maybe even microwaving the apples pieces would be sufficient)... 

Simply Yummy Apple Cookies

2 apples, cored

1 C. nuts (I used walnuts)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of mace

2 T. honey

Place all the ingredients in a blender (must be a high speed blender) or alternatively, cook the apples a little to soften them first and continue on. Grind the ingredients together until it produces a smooth paste. Spread a scant 2 T. of the mixture onto a prepared sheet and smooth the mixture into a cookie shape. Dehydrate in dehydrator or low oven for approximately 10 hours, or until the cookie holds its shape when removed from the sheet.

Makes approximately 12 small cookies.

Healthy Snacking: Fruity-Nutty Nibbles

A little sweet, a little nutty, a little exotic tasting... These easy, no-bake snacks are great for adding to lunches; or wrap one up and slip it into your child's backpack for an afternoon pick-me-up.  My kids love the taste of them and they are oh so good for you!

Fruity-Nutty Nibbles

1/2 C. Medjool dates. pitted (I find them at Trader Joes)

1/4 C. dried cranberries

2/3 C. walnuts

1/4 C. flaxseed meal (either purchase the meal, or grind whole seeds in a coffee grinder)

dash of salt

2 T. toasted sesame seeds

Method: In a food processor or high-speed blender, process the dates and the cranberries to form a paste. Remove the paste from the processor and add the remaining ingredients. Pulse until the nuts are chopped (do not form a paste). Add the nut mixture to the date mixture and mix (clean hands work best----be forewarned, it is a messy job)! When thoroughly mixed, form the mixture into 1 T. balls and dip one side in the sesame seeds. 

They can be stored at room temperature but keep best in the refrigerator.

**The dates I used were a bit on the dry and hard side, so I soaked them for a couple minutes in hot water to make them easier to blend.

Peachy follow-up

For all of you who wandered over here from Crafty Crow, welcome! Also, thank you for all the comments and emails about the Just Peachy Fruit Leather. I answered many of your questions in the comment section of that post but I thought I'd add them here:

** Yes, fruit leather can be made from many other fruits! I think the key is to cook down any fruit that is especially juicy. You want the puree to be the consistency of applesauce. I suppose really juicy fruit would work as is but it would take forever to dry!

** The amount of sugar in this recipe is for peaches. The sugar's role is for taste only and is not required for firming up, jelling, etc. You could make fruit leather without any sugar. When making fruit leather with other fruits, taste the fruit to determine the amount of sugar needed. 

** I suspect the fruit leather will keep for about a month in a dry cupboard (perhaps longer?). For longer storage, I would store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

**And lastly, my kids once went through a class taught by a naturalist who showed them how to make a Native American food staple called, Pemmican. Pemmican varies according to region, but it is basically a fruit leather studded with a form of protein (in this case, Elk meat), seeds, and nuts. We plan on experimenting a bit with this to make our own (more palatable) version. I found a couple recipes to try for homemade versions of Lara Bars and Cliff Bars. These would be a great thing to have on hand for the many field trips and outings my kids are participating in these days!

Earning their keep.

Our aspen leaves are turning, our garden is slowly withering, and our chickens are finally laying! Yes!

Well, at least two of the three. Since they took their own sweet time in arriving at this very important (to us) stage, we had thought we would help them along a bit by adding a couple golf balls to the as yet empty nests---as an example.

Perhaps they were reading our minds because the day we went out to place the golf balls in the nest, we found a small white egg already there. Two days later, we found another small egg----this time, dark brown. Our third hen has yet to lay (late bloomer, I guess).

And now the mornings are becoming more than a little brisk and we must 'winterize' the hen house. Heat lamps and some patchwork for the exposed portions of the house are in the works. Pampered hens, indeed. At least they're now earning their keep!

Just Peachy Fruit Leather

When we went apple picking recently, we also came home with a big box of juicy peaches. They were given priority this past week as they quickly became soft. Besides the Peach-Caramel Grunt from the cookbook, Rustic Fruit Desserts (fabtabulous!), I made peach sauce, peach sorbet, and peach smoothies. But one of my favorite projects was peach fruit leather.

I remember my Mom making fruit leather when I was a child. I remember sheets of it sitting out to dry in the summer sun. I also recall the anticipation----it couldn't dry soon enough for me! In fact, I remember becoming impatient and peeling off a bit of the still-soft fruit on the sly.

My memories recall making fruit leather as much more of a project than it is now. Though the process takes a long time, it doesn't require much of your attention, nor is it the hassle I remember from childhood (again, that impatience!). This time, I cooked the fruit over medium-low heat until it was soft, pureed it in the blender, cooled it, and spread it out with an offset spatula over prepared pans. Voila!

Because I was worried about flies and other unsavory and unappetizing critters getting into the fruit leather outside, I skipped the hassle and used my oven on its lowest setting.

Just Peachy Fruit Leather

10 large Peaches, washed, pitted, and cut in half (I don't peel them)

1/3 C. sugar

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the peaches and the sugar until the peaches are tender (about 45 minutes). Let it cool a bit.

Meanwhile, prepare your pans. On two sheet pans, roll out heavy-duty plastic wrap (my favorite by far is Stretch-tite). Spray with a little oil.

Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until very smooth. With an offset spatula, spread the mixture over the prepared wrap to a thickness of about 1/4" (not too thick, not too thin). Try to spread the peach mixture as evenly as possible to allow for even drying. 

Place the pans in an oven on the lowest setting (preferably below 175 degrees). Rotate the pans after a couple hours. My leather took about six hours to dry thoroughly.

The mixture is enough to make four sheet pans of leather. I stored the remainder of the mixture in the refrigerator while the first batch dried. It's also a scrumptious sauce!