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.