Baking Some Love

This time of year, when we look back at the triumphs and the tribulations of the past twelve months it is important to realize while our challenges have been great, they pale in comparison to others in our community.

We are so fortunate to live in this beautiful place, to have a roof over our heads, people who love us and food on the table.  Others are not.

Each year a Christmas feast is prepared for 3,000 people in Vancouver's Downtown East Side.  For the second year I am contributing to the home baking for this event by baking up some goodies to be handed out.  Here are my brownies (these folks love chocolate, I'm told!) that will be delivered this Saturday.

Remembering

Mum's Creations'

 

 Peace Fork speaks for itself.

Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada. I attended my local ceremony and as always got a little teary eyed looking at the older Veterans still marching.  I always think of my father who, while not having gone overseas,  served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II.

The ceremony was well attended, particularly by young families.  That was very heartening.  Also the words from the cenotaph asking us to remember not only the past, but that peace comes from within us.  We have the power to stop war and all its horrible affectations.

When my son was quite young I was driving him to a hockey game and he was holding his stick out the car window and using it as a toy gun.  "Bang, bang, bang!" 

"Can you please explain to me," I said. "How the son of someone like myself who is peace loving and non-violent in every way can turn his hockey stick into an imaginary weapon?" I quizzed him.

"It's a guy thing," he replied.

If women had true equality in this world it would be a much different place.  Peace.

A Big Job Complete

Running a business for yourself often presents challenges.  I normally enjoy new projects and the sense of accomplishment upon mastering a new skill.

This week I fulfilled a task that has been crashing around in my brain for a while.  Not only did I update the Mum's Creations' paper catalogue (yes, we still have one) but I also learned how to add hyperlinks to the on-line version to make it fully integrated with the website.

In plain English:  you can open a copy of the printed catalogue on your computer and if you see something interesting, click on the photo and presto! you're at the matching web page.

I was actually quite surprised at how easily I was able to figure out how to do this; but not surprised that it took hours to input all the hyperlinks, but now it is done!

Look for yourself here.  There are even two versions; one for Canadian shoppers and one for American.  The main difference is in the pages displaying maps and images for each country.

Time for a new project!

A Fork With an Attitude

The new Mum's Creations Funny Pick Forks are a hit!  We just came up with these a few months ago and already some stores are in their fifth re-order.

It is always gratifying to have a product that resonates with customers.

It was my plan to make these out of recycled utensils but having now cleared out all the nearby thrift shifts I have had to revert to the original Plan A and use newly purchased cutlery.  It turns out that I have to be a bit picky about the forks as there is a great difference in the "bendability" of forks and I have now settled on a particular style/manufacturer that works and keeps my knuckles from getting too scratched up!

I plan to continue to use recycled cutlery when I can find it and those will be marked as such.

The Harvest

The potato harvest has begun. Here is a scrumptious bowl of Yukon Gold potatoes from my patch. We put them in foil with some olive oil, onions, salt and pepper and roasted them on the BBQ. They were delicious and lasted two or three meals. And more to come!

Just Somethng I'm Working On

I've started browsing second hand stores.  I feel like I'm admitting a terrible secret because it seems to have become addictive.  It is a bit like going on a treasure hunt each time I head out.

The object(s) of my browsing have become many and varied.  I'm working on recycled/repurposed Cake Pedestals like the one above.  This is a glass plate epoxied to a candlestick.  It was just dumb luck that I found two pieces that match.  I've also made one that is dark blue.  I am busy on a clear version that is decoupaged.  I have a beautiful pink glass platter that is waiting for me to find a matching pedestal item.

I'm also working on using old ceramic dishes in new ways, but more on this later.

If nothing else, I will be able to blog about the merits/horrors of thrift shop shopping!  

Let's just say I'm having fun with this project for now.  Nothing is ready for the website yet, but stay tuned.

Potato News

The potato patch is doing very well!  In fact when I went to hoe around the plants last night I inadvertently uncovered a few potatoes -- which I swiftly cleaned, cooked and enjoyed.  They tasted sublime; virtually skinless and silky.

I can't believe that despite our cool, wet spring I already have some spuds.  Those plants are amazing!

Funny Forks

I mentioned these forks to my friend MJ today and she thought they were hilarious!  So why not a blog post on them?

These are some new forks I designed for my Mum's Creations' catalogue.  I'm calling them Funny Forks for pickles.  The styles so far are (left to right) Fork You Fork, Hang Loose Fork and Peace Fork.

Even better -- they are eco-friendly.  I'm using recycled old forks for the base.  I hope you like them.  Here's the link to the webpage.

Poor Puppy!

I am always on the lookout for interesting images to use in my (expanding) collection of historic reproductions.  I recently came across a couple of postcards published in 1909 by renowned postcard printer Raphael Tuck and Sons of London.

The company was known for commissioning artists to produce images which they then printed and sold as postcards.  Unfortunately, like many other postcard printers and manufacturers of their time, the history, records, original paintings and postcards of Raphael Tuck & Sons were destroyed during the bombing blitz of London during World War II.

I purchased these two from different sellers, but this puppy looks like the same character.  Likely it was drawn by the same artist.  The first was sold as a "humourous postcard" with the caption "Some Sport".  The second does not have an inscription.

Either of these images can be reproduced on our products, including Party Plates, Glass Cutting Boards, Bamboo Tea Chests, Trivets, Journals, Clocks, Wire Baskets and Towel Racks. 

My (Alaska) Sweethearts

They're up!  My potatoes have started to poke their leafy heads through the ground.  Both the Alaska Sweethearts and the French Fingerlings have won the prize for Most Enthusiastic Potato Variety.  I've been checking them regularly and was rewarded yesterday with sprout sightings.

The weather has been on the cool side here, but my onions and peas have also sprouted.  I won't plant my warmer season veggies (beans, cukes, tomatoes) until it feels quite a bit warmer, probably in middle to late May.

Other reports from the garden:  Red Currants have finished flowering and are LOADED with berries.  Last year my mother-in-law was visiting when they were ready to harvest and she cheerfully picked them for me.  Hmmm....wonder if she'll come back again this year......

The Raspberries, Black Currants, Strawberries, Blueberries and Plums are all flowering now.  Warmer weather will hopefully bring some bees and I will get good crops from these as well. 

My thornless blackberries, alas, succumbed to my over-enthusiastic pruning in the spring.  I forgot that they fruit on old wood and cut them right back to the ground.  Probably won't get anything from them this season.

I have one fruit-bearing plant that continues to confound me with non-blooming behaviour.  But that's a subject of another post.  Until then......

Dancing Angel

It's funny how and when ideas come to me.  I was browsing at the Habitat for Humanity's Re-Store in Burnaby last week and came across these delightful angels.  Originally they were tops for weathervanes, but I have used them to grace our wine/oil bottle stoppers.

These are available on our website (supply is limited, so if you like them, order now):  http://www.mumscreations.com/bsda.html.  These are quite heavy (13 Ounces each) and  8 inches tall including the stopper base.

Hope you like!

Playoff Season

I'll start with the moral to this story:  "It is best to read the comments section before making a recipe".

I've lately been following the website www.101cookbooks.com and have made a couple of fabulous recipes from there.  This is NOT one of them.

I gravitate to recipes using lots of whole grains and minimal added fat.  This one seemed like a natural.  However, as one of 101cookbooks.com commenter said, "You could knock a cow over with one of these rolls!"

My patties turned out like hockey pucks.  Sami Salo could use these things for slapshots from the blue line and they'd remain intact.

Now, I'm not outright diss-ing these things.  I think there's potential here.

Here is the recipe I used:

Big Sur Bakery Hide Bread Recipe

I have bolded the ingredients I used:

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra flour for dusting
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 cups oat bran
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup amaranth, quinoa, millet, or poppy seeds (or any combo of these)
2 tablespoons dulse flakes, or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer
2 1/2 cups buttermilk, half-and-half, milk, or water
unsalted butter, softened for serving

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if desired.
Place all the dry ingredients in an (extra-large) bowl, stir them together, and make a well in the center. Add the beer and the buttermilk. Mix with the handle of a wooden spoon until a thick, wet batter forms. Sprinkle a layer of flour over the top. Turn the batter onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a loose log about 2 inches in diameter. Cut it into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices and par them down with your hands to form patties. Place the patties on the baking sheet and bake them for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cook completely.
To serve, slice each patty in half, toast it well, and smear with butter (hs note: a sprinkling of salt works wonder here as well). And seriously, make sure to toast it. Hide bread is similar to an English muffin in that if you don't toast it, it'll taste raw.
Makes about fifteen 4-inch patties.


Here's my challenge to you:  Look over the recipe -- try it out -- and see if you can make something edible from it.

California 1889

The Arbuckles' Illustrated Atlas of the United States of America was published in 1889 and includes maps and representative scenes from each state. Beautiful Victorian imagery adorns each page.

The images were also published as "trading cards".  Customers were able to collect cards from the Arbuckle's Coffee they purchased until they, hopefully, had a complete set.

I just completed a serving tray for a customer in Oakland, California (Someone's in the Kitchen) showing the California page from this Atlas. I thought I would share it with you.

You can see all of these state images, plus many others on my website:
http://www.mumscreations.com/arbuckle.html

Potato Heaven

I know that vegetable gardening is becoming popular (even trendy) these days, but rest assured, I have been way ahead of the curve on this one. I think I have gardened all my life. My mother used to plant flowers wherever we lived. Even if we were in a basement suite or apartment, she found a patch of earth to plant.

It wasn't until I was in my teens that my family owned their own home with room enough for a vegetable garden. Any place I have lived since has included space for agriculture.

Coming from a (partly) eastern European background, the potato has long been the Official Family Vegetable. I was taught by my father to simply dig a hole, throw in a couple of potatoes, cover them up and wait. That is traditionally the way I have gardened potatoes ever since. Until this year.

For 2010 I ordered six varieties of seed potatoes from Eagle Creek Farms in Bowden, AB www.seedpotatoes.ca -- two early (Caribe and Warba), two mid-season (Alaska Sweetheart and Yukon Gold) and two late (Green Mountain and French Fingerling).

The instructions that came with the planting potatoes suggested they be planted in rows. Gasp!! I've never done that before. But, what the heck -- you're never too late to learn.
So, friends, this year my potatoes are planted in six neat rows in my garden, all labeled and ready for this darned spring weather to figure itself out.

I'll keep you posted!