This Week in the Studio

I must say that while process is really important to me, there can be such satisfaction in a final product. When all the edges are bound and top stitched I have to stop and admire them for a moment.

A Mid-Week Picnic

One of the benefits of not working a Monday through Friday nine to five schedule is that you can sneak away midweek for a picnic with a friend. It was actually a 30 hour getaway to a spot in Wisconsin that is half way between my apartment and my friend Emily's in Milwaukee. After we both drove a few hours to get there, we were eager to break out the picnic basket. waOn the menu: goat cheese, crackers, tomato jam, fruit salad, a roasted carrot and avocado salad, spiced walnuts, and chocolate souffle cupcakes.



Our picnic site was in a state park, near a lake. It was the company not the setting, that made the picnic perfect. We were mostly oblivious to the intense winds and clouds that kept us from the sun's warmth as we brought each other up to date on our lives. The picnic fueled a few hours of walking along the lake shore and through the forest as the sun came out and we took off jackets and sweatshirts.

A good friend, good food, and a lots of time to wander are just the right ingredients for my perfect picnic. I'm so glad I've had a chance to do some picnicking and adventuring already this spring. What would make your picnic perfect?

Sunday and Any Day

I didn't enjoy Sundays when I was in school. The day felt gray and empty, like there was nothing to look forward to. I suppose it took a few more years of weeks and weekends to get over that. Once I had spent more time living and realized that weekends that different from the rest of the week I began to appreciate Sunday. For a long time it afforded a day of rest, a day of freedom from obligatory work, a day for projects and adventures.

For the past year I have worked brunch most Sundays, which is why I once declared Monday to be the new Sunday. But my Sunday still has a lot of its Sunday-ness about it. Sometimes that means that when I get home from work, famished and tired from rushing food to tables, I scrounge up some left overs for dinner. Or we indulge and order a pizza. If I have something in mind, I'll actually cook dinner and maybe make dessert. The last evening of the weekend winds down in our living room where we sit absorbed in books or, just as often, find something we want to watch.

When I'm making dinner, I don't mind having some company. Usually that means NPR, but on Sundays Ray is home, too, and I try to coerce him to join me in the kitchen. Yesterday he read The Hunger Games while I stirred black beans, let sugar and fruit bubble on the stove and crumbled together butter, flour, oats and walnuts. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but I do try to appreciate these moments, Sunday and any day.

The dessert I made was a crisp with some frozen blueberries and peaches. As the peaches cooked, I was momentarily transported to summer by their unmistakeable aroma. The crisp is a simple dessert which made our meal a little more special. Just what my Sunday called for.



Frozen Fruit Crisp
You don't have to use frozen fruit, but if you have fruit in the freezer you can eat crisp any time of year. You don't really need a recipe to make it, but here is my rough outline. 

2- 3 cups frozen berries
1/3 cup sugar (or more depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1-2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup flour (I used whole spelt)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (or cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (about 4 tablespoons) cold butter

Put the fruit in a pot on the stove over low heat. Once it has thawed and gotten juicy, stir in the sugar and the cornstarch. Let it simmer until the fruit is hot and the juice has thickened slightly. Then remove the fruit from the heat and set aside.

Mix the oats, walnuts, flour, sugar, spices and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it into the flour with your fingers or a fork, working it into the dry ingredients so that it is blended, yet crumbly, like a pie or cookie dough. Pour the fruit and juice into the dish (or dishes) you plan to use. Spread the crumbly dough evenly over the fruit. Bake at 350' for 25 minutes or until the top is browned and crisp. Serve warm as is or topped with ice cream, whipped cream or whatever you like.

This Week in the Studio

Working on some new ideas. I really enjoy "drawing" with fabric and trying another way to use words. What have you been making this week?

Householders and Cake

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I've been trying to make the best use of all the food I canned, froze and stored last winter. I've found new inspiration recently from reading A Householder's Guide to the Universe by Harriet Fasenfest. I had been intrigued by the book for a while but it wasn't until I came across a copy at the library I decided to check it out. It is always interesting to read about people's approaches to living a more sustainable, homemade life and it pushes me to do more now and keep things in mind for the future. 

A Householder's Guide to the Universe inspired me both ideologically and practically. Harriet Fasenfest writes about the year in her Portland, Oregon backyard as she grows, gathers, and preserves nearly all the food her family eats. Her book reminded me that I'm not be the only one choosing to live a small, homemade life because that is the best way that I know how to make the world a better place. Of course everyone has their own idea of what would make the world better, but Harriet Fasenfest points out that householding is a way of moving away from our industrial economy and food system and toward our homes, neighborhoods and communities. She writes, "Householding attacks and reenvisions the systems that have betrayed us and replaces them with something that is reasoned and in scale with the world."

I often think about the small choices that add up to make a difference in the world. Mostly I think about how we voice our choices with the money we spend but reading this book reminded me that the way you spend your time also manifests the things you care about. I like knowing that making and preserving food myself might actually matter to the world. It may be small but I've long believed in being the change I want to see, rather than just fighting what I don't like. Along the lines of Radical Homemakers, by Shannon Hayes, Harriet Fasenfest suggests that we can choose to live rich and beautiful lives centered around the tangible needs of our household. She is honest and candid about the work it takes: the time, energy, motivation and muscles that are needed to grow and preserve the food that you will eat for the year.

In reading this book, I was also inspired by the ways that Harriet Fasenfest makes use of all the food she has stored. I hadn't thought of making cobblers from frozen fruit or using canned fruit for an upside down cake or buying beans and grains in greater bulk directly from farmers. I aim to center our eating around the food I've put up and was glad to get some new ideas for using preserves. Until yesterday I hadn't used any of the three jars of plum jam I made in September. I decided to use one jar for partially successful plum jam upside down cake. If I had remembered that the jam might leak out the bottom of my tart pan and used a different pan instead, it would have been a complete success. The cake was so good, though, that I still want to share the recipe.


Olive Oil Cake (Jam Optional)
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
This cake has an amazing texture which reminds me of the perfect, fluffy birthday cake. The olive oil flavor pairs nicely with jam, you could use almost any kind. If you are not using jam, you could stir in chopped rosemary and dark chocolate, as the original recipe called for. Fruit or citrus zest would also be wonderful.

1 cup whole spelt flour
1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup olive oil, plus a little for the pan
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs

Optional: 1 pint of jam (I used plum jam and sprinkled in some finely chopped crystallized ginger)

Preheat the oven to 350'. Brush a 9-inch round pan with olive oil. If using jam, make sure it is a pan that won't leak! Spread the jam on the bottom of the oiled pan.

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a two cup measuring cup, measure the olive oil and milk. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer or fork inserted comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes and then flip the cake out of the pan so that the jam side is up. Serve when cooled.

 

Back from our long weekend in Colorado. I loved seeing the mountains, long scenic drives, a slow hike through fields, forests and hills, enjoying a very un-fancy picnic, watching an elk from a few feet away, and spending the weekend with Ray. It is always amazing to see and experience new places and perspectives.

This Week in the Studio

This week has been, well, freakishly warm here. After a winter that never really came it seems like we skipped spring and found summer in March. I think it is still too early to plant seeds outside, but I've been working on more fabric gardens. The plants I've chosen here are companions, which means they are good to plant near each other and have been shown to help each other grow. I love simple words paired with a great image but I don't think I've been able to achieve that in my work yet. I want to keep trying, though.

I hope you are enjoying the whatever season you are experiencing where you live!

My Essentials for Travel

Tomorrow morning I am hopping on a plan to join Ray in Denver, Colorado where he has been working all week. We're spending a long weekend near the mountains. I frequently dream of traveling and really enjoy it when I actually go places. I've been lucky enough to travel somewhat regularly and I've learned a lot from visiting new places. As I pack up to go I am trying to keep in mind some of the things I've learned from previous travel experiences. Here are a few of my travel essentials.

1. I always bring a book to read but I also love just staring out the window, day dreaming, and taking in the scenery. I might bring my knitting so I can do something useful while I stare.

2. I always bring a book to write in. On long trips I try to write about my experiences every day, on short trips I bring it just in case I feel like writing.

3. I finally made a portable placemat for us to use. I'm sad to say that I haven't traveled with this before, but it is light, organized and I'm really excited that we'll have reusable utensils and napkins whenever we need them. I hate using disposable utensils and a cloth napkin can always come in handy. I know this will be perfect for us to use on bike or car trips but I'm bringing it for a test run this time. This placemat holds two sets of utensils and two napkins (I'll be adding some placemats for two to my shop next week)!

4. Camera. I'm not always good about taking pictures while traveling, it is challenging to find a balance between experiencing and capturing an experience. I love taking photos, though, so I want to get better at photographing while traveling.

5. Reusable mug. I love my Kleen Canteen mug because it works perfectly as a water bottle, too. I try to bring it wherever and whenever I am on the go so I don't have to waste paper or plastic when I'm thirsty (or need something warm to drink).

6. I love this little suitcase. It was my grandmother's overnight bag complete with locking closures and her initials near the handle. It fits everything I need for a weekend, it's easy to carry though the airport and fits in the overhead compartments of an airplane so much better than the rolling suitcases everyone tries to cram in.

One more thing I've learned to bring with me: snacks. I tend to overlook the need to eat and pretend that I'll be okay but then I get so hungry that I don't enjoy myself. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was in France and after visited Monet's gardens at Giverny I soon realized I was starving and couldn't stay as long as I would have liked. That was a long time ago, but I try to keep this in mind when I am away from home.

Where do you want to go on your next trip and what essentials will you bring?

This Week in the Studio

Designing an Apron from Anna Hewitt on Vimeo.


I just can't get enough of stop motion. I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way! I must say that I love that building a small business has given me the chance to try being creative in so many different ways, not just sewing. It is really fun to try and learn different media, and there is so much more to learn.

Happy Friday!

Late Winter Pantry (and freezer)

Last week we finally had a taste of winter, with snow, slush, flurries and chilly temperatures. As usual in early March, this week's weather feels completely different. Yesterday the sun was genuinely warm, the air smelled of spring and the sidewalks were flooded with puddles and patches of mud. Today is still warm, but rainy. I've never lived anywhere that the weather was consistent and could be counted on to behave as expected, but this late winter early spring can be especially full of surprises.

The days are getting longer, birds are chirping in the morning and it seems like spring is slowly arriving. It will still be months before anything green and edible comes out of the muddy ground here. Luckily we are still eating the food that stored up last summer and fall. The freezer is no longer stuffed full, but I am glad that we still have frozen fruit and some frozen vegetables left. I was a little nervous about freezing so much broccoli but I've discovered that this frozen broccoli tastes just as good roasted and fresh broccoli does.

Our pantry shelves are emptier, but we still have lots of jars of tomatoes, dilly beans and enough salsa that we don't have to worry about buying any for a while. I am sure that my investments of time, energy and food this summer have paid off throughout this winter and we have relied on these stores for delicious meals as much as possible.

(not a pretty picture, but there's lots of good stuff in here!)

Did you eat from food you stored this winter? Are you looking forward to preserving in the coming seasons?

This Week in the Studio

This week has given me some time to explore and experiment with photography. I've been thinking about and playing with what I like to call tablescapes. Our kitchen table often serves as a desk, a gathering place, a storage space, and a backdrop for many photos. The table is important for so many different purposes, it can be formal, casual, cluttered, spare. I've also been looking at lots of other tables and gatherings for inspiration.