annaramma

Sharp and Pointy

Taking a queue from the Amateur Gourmet and inspired by my admiration for Tom Collichio, I have been working on improving my knife technique at home. Using books, articles, and even YouTube videos, I've started taking a recipe and focusing on the "right way" to chop, dice, slice, pare and prep the ingredients. 

In this case, I went with the cross-hatched cut for my mango (you can see a version of the written instructions here). It was quick, easy and produced lovely little cubes of mango for a fruit salad. They were delicious with my supremed oranges and juicy pineapple chunks. 

It may seem like useless foodie fussing, but it is really satisfying to learn the correct way to dissemble your food. Not only are the results more professional, they're faster. Though I'm always careful, I think the majority of these techniques (especially done with a sharp knife), are actually safer.  Hacking away with the wrong knife or the wrong method is a sure way to draw blood. 

Next stage is trying to get my onion dicing down cold.

101 Ways to Be a Good BBQ Guest

Here are my most-used cookbooks.  If I'm making something for a special occasion I'll go with The Best Recipe, old and reliable is Fannie Farmer, using up random produce is Moosewood's and I'm working my way through Mark Bittman.  I've been very happy with his recipes so far and I always enjoy his NYTimes articles, but his latest 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics is just brillant.  There are scores of great low-key recipes, including one for a grated beet salad.  That just might be what I bring to BBQ #2 on the 4th. 

Heeeeeeeere Kitty Kitty Kitty . . .

       

Though a little freaky, I have always loved these kitties. I used to play with them as a kid and I loved their bendy plastic whiskers.  I also would imagine that the soft pink of their ears was furry. Can you tell I'm an only child? 

Check out the cute little talio on the mama cat. So sweet!

Funny thing is, no one knows where they came from; they've just always been with the house.

Pounce!

Have you spent any time on Etsy lately?  I love perusing what's out there, but I usually stick to my the same old search terms and shops.  Doing a little more than the usual poking around, I came across Pounce.  Pounce shows you items from the most recently updated shops from first-time sellers.  Basically, it gives you the latest stuff from the most eager sellers. 

I like the idea of becoming someone's first sale.

Ooh! Ooh!

Just because you shop in thrift stores doesn't mean your things won't match.  Look at these cute little salad plates I bought yesterday.  They're cute enough on their own, but throw in the big matching platter that I bought years ago . . . it's too much!

I love these serendipitous thrifting experiences.  If I set out to find the matches plates on eBay, I never would've found them.  It was only when I stopped in, spur of the moment, that I found them waiting for me. 

I'm thinking they'd be perfect to use for a big tasty cheese plate.  Which reminds me, I need a good pine nut brittle recipe.  I've had it with a strong blue cheese and it was fabulous.  Maybe I can recreate it with another nut brittle recipe?

Frugal Friday: Fun for Free

I am a cheap bastard with a serious shopping addiction.  To avoid drowning in stuff or going broke, I have to remind myself of all the great free fun there is to be had. 

Luckily, dogs are excellent companions while enjoying fun for free.  They've really got it down to an art.  Give Nikita a spider or a lazy afternoon and a spot of sun; she's entertained for hours.  Just the other day, I took Nikita to the beach where we played in the tidepools. While poking around the anemones and seaweed, I found a whole group of snails having some kind of snail conference.  Their shells were beautiful and they were remarkably entertaining for slow little mollusks. 

Clearly these ones were discussing the state of the neighborhood, "Just look at all this mess!"

Foxie Doxie

It is so heart-warming to receive a gift that shows how well someone knows you.  My friends gave me this wonderful print that is just what I wanted, without me knowing it. 

Not only does it have an adorable dachshund (I love the weiners), but it has a punny German double-entendre: "Ms. Dachshund likes big Vienna sausages."  Well what self-respecting dog wouldn't?

Zing!

Though I feel bad saying it (it's been so deathly hot or rainy in other places), we've been having beautiful weather here: not too hot and not too foggy.  The other day was a perfect martini day.  I came home, kicked off my shoes and made myself a lemon drop.  The lemons were so ripe, I didn't need more than a little squirt of simple syrup.  The pineapple sage was a last minute inclusion, but it really worked.  It gave the drink a little extra zing!  Plus, the hot pink flowers look lovely with the translucent yellow of the drink. 

It was just what I needed after a long day in the salt mines.

Colorful Dreams

I love sleep and sleep loves me.  I have many things to be grateful for, but reliable sleep habits is high on the list.  I can sleep on planes, buses, boats, trains and even uncomfortable sofabeds.  I can even sleep on loud IKEA sheets. 

I love this color and pattern combination.  It even clashes beautifully with my bright-but-not-too-bright green walls. Yay!

Hippy Dippy

Hello, my name is Anne and I am the child of hippies.*

I wore tie-dyed onesies, my parents recycled even when it meant driving to Greybears, my dad had long hair and a fu-manchu, we composted and my mom made my dad's ties when he went to work for "the man." 

Even so, I had never heard of soap nuts.  Soap nuts, which are neither soap nor nuts, can be used in washing machines instead of conventional detergents.  People seem to be trying them, with a variety of results.  Maggie's Pureland sells sample sizes and I figured it was worth a shot (check out the heart-warming ingredients).

So far, so good.  Even in cold water my clothes came out unstained and clean-smelling.  I haven't tried anything icky or greasy, but I'm thinking boosting the water temperature could take care of that.  We'll see how they do with repeated washing in my hard water and with more stubborn dirt.

*Granted, they were responsible hippies with health insurance, a mortgage and (mostly) running cars.