Adding Fringes to Scarves

If you have access to a sewing machine that sports a rolling foot, you are just minutes away from turning a piece of cloth into a scarf.  But to give the scarf a more finished look, consider adding fringes to the ends.

Fringes are easiest to make if you cut the fabric so that the warp (the vertical threads when the cloth was manufactured) stays long, and the short end of your rectangle follows the weft (the horizontal threads when the cloth was manufactured).  This will be the cut edge, if your fabric has come off a bolt.  If you have a piece that doesn't have a un-touched edge, pick at the last thread on each of two perpendicular sides.  The one that comes apart more easily is the weft, which is also known as the woof.

Cut a rectangle of your desired size.  For an adult scarf with enough room to tie or wrap, a good length is about 7 1/2 feet.  The width is up to your design preferences, but remember you are going to loose about an inch to the rolling foot seam.  If you are cutting your rectangle from a pristine piece, you may want to cut 1/4 inch or so from the un-touched edge, as the threads are tighter where they turn back on each other.

Hem the long sides of the rectangle, using the rolling foot, but leave the length of each end that you want to make into the fringe un-hemmed.  To make the fringe, you simply remove the weft threads.  The easiest way to do this is to use the back side of a seam ripper to pull up one thread at a time, and tug it gently out of the fabric with your fingers.  When you have removed threads up to the line of your rolled hem, you may choose to tie the exposed threads into a series of knotted tassels, or to leave them as an even layer.
 
Some fabrics just aren't condusive to making fringes (especially thin, slippery or satiny fabrics, or at the other end of the spectrum, fabrics like suede, boiled wool or felted materials that just don't want to come apart).  For those, it may be simpler just to finish off the edge, and sew on a fringe made of a different material.

Spring may be around the corner, but it isn't too late to make a decorative scarf for those chilly nights. 

Cooking From the Garden: Pickled Striped Beets

Striped beets aren't usually as sweet as regular beets, so they tend to get overlooked when we harvest things from our garden.  Jake continues to grow them because he thinks they are pretty, but the result tends to be what I refer to as "monster beets."  Sometimes, we will have left them in the ground so long a couple of them grow together into one beet. 

At that point, they are a little bit tough, and the flavor leaves something to be desired.  But it is easy to punch up that flavor by roasting the beets, then pickling them.  The stripes present in the raw beets fade over time, leaving a pale pink pickle this goes beautiful in a salad or as an accent to a meal.

 

We made these earlier in the summer.  I've been holding onto these pics until I opened a jar so I could show you the finished product at the same time.  You can use the following recipe with red beets, but the color will be much darker.

 

8 - 10 c. striped beets, cleaned and peeled

3 tbsp. fresh rosemary needles
2 tsp. olive oil

1 large red onion, frenched

1 c. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare a canning bath. 

Cut the beets into small chunks and place them on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle the rosemary over the beets and sprinkle with the olive oil.  Roast in the oven for 35 minutes, or until the beets are completely completely cooked through.

 

Remove any tough spots from the cooked beets.  Layer together with the onion in 1-quart jars.  In a small non-reactive pot, combine the vinegar, sea salt, sugar and water.  Bring the liquid just to a boil, then pour it over the beets in the jars.

In a small pot boil the rest of the ingredients and pour over the beets, leaving proper head space. Process for 30-35 minutes.

 

It Takes the Cake: Vintage Cake Presses

I love thrift stores.  You never know what you are going to find.  One of the stores I frequent often puts collections of similar items together in plastic bags.  I picked up a bag the other day, and I thought it had cookie cutters in it.  But I could see the word "Wilton" and the copyright date "1972" on the back of one, and since the bag was only $2, I bought it.

There were cookie cutters in there: four Barney ones, to be precise.  (As I don't have any toddlers in the house, those will be going up on Ebay, when I get a chance).

But the Wilton things weren't cookie cutters.  I wasn't sure what they were, but I had a guess, and when I put in the model number (408-91) on the back into Google, my guess was confirmed.  I had picked up an entire set of vintage cake presses. 

Cake presses are neat, and couldn't be simpler to use.  Once you have a base coat of frosting on your cake, you gently press the design onto the cake, creating an outline pattern, which you then trace over with thicker decorative frosting.  You can use one design in the center of a round cake, four of the same design in the corners of a larger rectangular cake, or a repeating / alternating pattern around the side of a tall cake.  Or use your imagination . . .

These can also be used to press a design into fondant, uncooked sugar cookies, royal icing, etc.

I was planning to visit an elderly friend, so I decided to make her a cake and use one of the presses to make a design surrounding her last initial. 

Making a Fascinator from a Vintage Brooch

I'm fascinated with fascinators.  They can be oversized or subtle, dramatic or elegant, worn as part of a hat or a viel, or fastned directly to your hair.

I'm also in love with vintage brooches (if you don't know that by now, you obviously haven't taken a look at my Etsy shop, where I sell the overflow of my collection).

So when I got invited to a formal, I decided to make a feather fascinator starring a vintage bird brooch.  I love the way the bird's wings arc back, so I wanted to make the feathers look like an extension of the wings.  I also tried to echo the oversize crimson rhinestones by adding a few red feathers to the shimmering green ones.

Whatever brooch you use, whether a bird or something geometric, making a feathery fascinator couldn't be easier.  You can make one too.

1 Beak-clip hair finding
floral or jewelry wire
12-14 (6") feathers (I used black / green sheen ones that were already bundled together in threes)
4 - 6  (2") feathers (I used dark red)
1 vintage brooch

Place the brooch on top of the clip and arrange the feathers so that they line up with the design elements of the brooch. Carefully slide the clip out from under, leaving the feathers in place on the table.

Wrap one end of the wire around the inside edge of the beak clip to secure it.  Pull out the leftmost feather (or feather bundle), and wrap it onto the top of the clip, bringing the wire back up through the center of the clip.  Repeat with the remaining feathers.  Then simply clasp the brooch onto the piece (for a more permanent result, you can glue the brooch in place if you don't mind damaging it).

It Takes The Cake: Two Peas in a Pod Cupcakes

A friend of mine just had a baby shower, and decided to have a dessert bar.  She's having twins, and the shower theme was, "Two Peas in a Pod."  I was asked to make a batch of cupcakes, and I had a vague recollection of seeing a cupcake design with a fondant pea on it.  I decided to make my own version of this, frosting half of the cupcakes with a mound of pink buttercream and adorning each with a single pea, then frosting the other half with a layer of white buttercream and stylized pea flowers. (No, they aren't botanically correct, but I was going for quick and cute.

The fondant peas were easy to make.  You just roll it out, then cut leaf shapes with a butter knife.  Hold the shape in your palm and place two candies (I used Sixlets, but green Skittles would work just as well.  Fold the leaf in half and press it gently together, leaving part of the edge open so you can see the front part of the candies.

Key Lime Pie

When you think of key limes, your mind probably automatically goes straight to pie.  But there are so many other uses for this versatile citrus.  Of course you can use it for other baked goods – think butter cookies, cheesecake, muffins, etc.  Grown in both Florida and Mexico, it is the most authentic lime to use for Mexican-inspired soups (you can give a nod to Florida by using it in fish preparations).  Key limes also make great additions to marinades and sauces.  As a bonus, they make for a super-tangy limeade.

But when I brought in the groceries, and the hubby noticed the bag of key limes that I had bought in a super-cheap sale, he said, “Ooooh.  Pie.”  So I’m posting my favorite key lime pie recipe.  I like to keep it simple, without meringue or what have you on top.  And it is just as easy to make two of them at a time.  In our house, the second one gets sliced and the slices set on a tray in the freezer.  Once they are frozen, I place individual slices in zipper bags so I don’t have to thaw the whole thing.

Key Lime Pie (makes 2 pies)

16 graham crackers (full sheets)
6 tbsp. sugar
 ½ c. melted butter
8 large or extra large egg yolks
2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 c. fresh key lime juice
2 tbsp. key lime zest

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, crush the graham crackers. 

Add the sugar and melted butter and mix until well combined.  Divide graham crumb mixture in half, and press each half into a pie plate.  Place pie plates in oven and bake until browned, about ten minutes.  Transfer to a rack and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.  Beat the egg yolks on high speed until they thicken and turn pale.  Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat to combine. 

Add the lime juice and zest.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat until well combined. 

Pour half of the mixture into each pie shell and bake for 12 minutes.  Allow to cool on a rack for at least half an hour, then chill completely in the refrigerator before serving.

Quiche Me, Quick

Quiche is one of those flexable "everything but the kitchen sink" dishes that you can make with whatever you have on hand.  Keep the proportion of eggs to milk/cream/half-n-half/ yogurt the same (roughly 4 eggs to 1 1/2 c. dairy), and you can add cheese, meat, veggies, etc. to your heart's content.  If you add too much, just divide the mixture in half and make two quiches.

We glazed a spiral sliced ham earlier this week, and made steamed broccoli florets, so this particular quiche is a perfect exmple of how to use leftovers.  When I teach my cooking classes, I  have a hard time convincing students that the stalk portion of broocoli is not only edible, but delicious, especially in cassaroles, pot pies and quiches, where the florets might be distracting to the overall texture of the dish.

I wanted this to be a relatively quick breakfast dish, so I cheated a little and used a packaged pie crust.  Can it get any easier? 

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/2 c. broccoli stalk, diced
prepared pie crust
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. ham, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a heavy skillet. 

Add onion and broccoli stalk.  Sautee these vegetables until the onion turns translucent and the broccoli softens.  Set aside to cool.  Roll out pie crust into a 9" pie plate, and prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. 


In a large bowl, scramble eggs.  Add milk, salt, pepper, cheese, ham and cooked vegetables. 

Combine well and pour this mixture into pie crust.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until firm.  Let cool for fifteen minutes before cutting.

Wild Rice and Turkey Soup

I am always looking for ways to turn leftover into gourmet.  When I cook a turkey, leftovers are a given, so I plan a couple of follow-up meals, including this creamy soup. If the base of this soup seems familiar, you are following the same basic steps as when you make cream of chicken (or in this case turkey) soup, with the addition of a few extra ingredients.  You could also make this soup with leftover chicken.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

2/3 c. uncooked wild rice

6 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, minced

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 c. turkey or chicken stock

2 c. chopped cooked turkey

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 c. half-and-half

Cook rice according to package directions.

.Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the  onion becomes translucent and the celery softens. Add the flour, and stir frequently until it becomes a light golden brown. Add the stock one ladel-ful at a time, whisking constantly.  Continue wisking for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.  Stir in the wild rice, turkey, salt, pepper, sage and thyme. Return to a simmer, and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, half-and-half and white wine.; bring the soup almost to a boil (but do not allow to actually come to a boil), and serve hot.

Pastys

My hubby and I first became acquainted with the concept of the pasty from reading Lilian Jackson Braun's Cat Who... books.  Pastys .(also sometimes spelled pasties, and occasionally known as Cornish Pastys) are empanada-shaped hand pies.  In the Cat Who . . . . world of Pickaxe, they are filled with steak or ground beef, onion and turnip. Turnip is not on either of our favorite veggies list, so I was relieved to learn that the original Cornish version often uses potato instead.  (Early versions used venison, but we're sticking with beef). 

Pastys

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium.onion, chopped

1 medium potato, peeled and minced

4 sprigs parsley, minced

2 tbsp. breadcrumbs

1 tsp.Worchestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/4. tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 c. beef stock

1 egg

4 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. sugar

1 1/3 c. butter

4 tsp. white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  I a large mixing bowl, combine beef, onion, potato, parsley, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, nutmeg and stock. 

In a separate large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar.  Cut in butter using two knives or a pastry blender until mixture is pea-sized and crumbly.  Add vinegar and 10 tablespoons water.  If necessary, add additional water, until you can roll the dough up into a neat ball.  Roll the dough out to 1/4" thick, and cut into a dozen 5" to 6" circles.  Place circles onto ungreased baking sheets.  Divide the meat mixture into a dozen equal pieces, and place one piece onto each pastry circle. 

Fold the circle in half around the meat to form a moon shape, moistening the edge with water if necessary.  Beat the egg in a small bowl, and use a pastry brush to brush egg wash across the pastys.   Bake for 40-50 minutes.

Burgers Around the World II

I hope you enjoyed the Burgers Around the World I post last week, and maybe even got to try one of the recipes (after all, Hatch chili season is fleeting).  This week Jake is bringing us "burgers" from the other two cultures I'll be covering in Cooking Around the World.  These are a little more unusual than the ones from New Mexico and the Philipenes -- there's not a speck of ground beef in sight.  Here's what he has to say:

While they do serve westernized hamburgers in Greece (and there are a number of "Greek" burgers out there, made with olive-studded buns or topped with tatziki or feta), the more traditional equivilant of the burger is the sandwich-style souvlaki. Once the meat hits the pita, the terms souvlaki and gyros are often used interchangably, but if you want to get technical about it, gyros are made from large cones of meat that spin (the word "gyro" after all means "to spin") as meat is shaved off of it, while souvlaki is made from chunks of meat that have been grilled kebab style (great for street vendors, and also more "doable" for the home cook).  In Greece, these are most often made from pork, though you can substitute lamb, beef or chicken as desired.

Sandwich Style Souvlaki

2 cups of Greek yogurt

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 English cucumber, peeled and seeds removed

1 1/2 lbs. pork roast or stew meat

3/4 c. olive oil

1 onion, minced (first reserving 2 or 3 thin slices for serving)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. fresh Greek oregano, minced

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

6 round pitas

1 medium tomato, sliced

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, oilve oil, lemon juice, and garlic.  Grate the cucumber into the bowl, stir well and referigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.

Cut pork into 1" cubes and place in gallon size zipper bag.  Add olive oil, onion, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Seal the bag, then squish the ingredients around inside the bag to combine the marinade and work it into the meat a little.  Place the bag in the referigerator and marinate for at least an hour (or overnight), squishing the bag again in the middle of the marinating time.

Meanwhile, soak 6 wooden skewers in warm water (for at least half an hour).  When the pork is done marinating, drain off the marinade and thread the pork cubes onto the skewers.  Grill the pork until it is cooked completely through, turning occasionally.  Remove the skewers and set aside.  Grill the pitas until browned.  Top each pita wit a couple of slices of tomato and a few rings of onion.  Unthread  a skewer worth of meat directly on top of each pita. Top with the cucumber yogurt mixture (tatziki sauce) to taste. 

  

 

In China, burgers are commonly conisdered street food.  Often, they resemble open-sided steamed buns (with the "bun" portion of the burger coming from the same type of dough, and , yes, having been steamed).  The bun is split (or else steamed folded over), and then some type of meat is placed in the center.  It can really be whatever you like, from a gingery ground chicken patty to chipped teryaki style beef.  For mine, I'm going to stick with the pork theme and do slices of teryaki pork.

Chinese Bun Burgers

1 1/2 lb. pork butt, sliced 1/2" thick (try to make 6  pieces) 

1 c. soy sauce

1 c. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced 

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing

1 tbsp. scallions, minced

Place pork slices in a gallon sized zipper bag.  Add soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger.  Seal bag (removing as much air as you can) and squish and shake the mixture until the sugar disolves completely.  Place the bag in the referigerator and let marinate for at least two hours, flipping and squishing the bag during the marinating process.  Once it has completed the marinating process, grill it until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, cut six 3" squares from parchament paper, and set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and yeast with 1 cup warm water.  Set aside for at least five minutes to allow the mixture to become foamy.  In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Add yeast mixture and combine thouroughly.  Add the vegetable oil, and knead until a smooth dough forms.  Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Divide into six equal portions.  Roll them into balls and let rest for five minutes.  On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a slightly elongated oval.  Useing a pastry brush, brush the top with oil.  Fold into a moon shape (oiled side in) and place each piece on one of the parchament squares.  Place each one (square side down) in a bamboo steamer placed over room-temperature water.  Allow the dough to rest in the steamer for ten minutes, then turn the burner on to medium high heat.  Start timing when the water boils, and steam for five minutes.  Allow it to rest for a minute or two before you open the steamer.

  

  

Flop each bun open, place in a piece of pork, and garnish with a few minced scallions.