Favortie cooking links

I am usually late on the train for hip, awesome, everyone-and-their-mother-reading-it blogs and cooking blogs are no exception.

But here are my favorite three, in no order:

smitten kitchen always shows up on those "best of the web" type lists and you can see why. Gorgeous photos that literally provoke your salivary glands to juice up and she follows the philosophy that you don't need to spend a lot of money on ingredients to cook well.

have cake, will travel is a vegan dessert blog. I am not vegan myself but love vegan desserts since I feel like they take a lot of creativity and I feel less guilty about eating them (ha!)

vegan dad has done a tremendous job of vegan-nizing childhood favorites and comfort food (think mac and cheese, hot wings, and chili dogs). Even as a vegetarian, good fake-meat recipes are hard to find on the web.

Are there any that I missing out on?

photo credit: flickr commons

Crocheted button fascinator

Photo: Linda Permann
So I think the universe heard my call last week when I post a short list of things I felted I needed. Because over the weekend, I found this pattern through ravelry for a similar-ish styled headband/fascinator. It also fulfills another need I have, figuring out something to do with my random yarn scraps and pretty buttons that I have accumulated. I think this looks like my Easter-weekend project, wish me luck!

Things I've decided I need

no, really, I think I need these

camera camera case from hine.etsy

I played clarinet all through school, so I have a soft spot for this card from FleurRendell.etsy

wee polar bear pendant, HeliS.etsy

felt floral fascinator, giantdwarf.etsy

Presenting...*insert drumroll*

gerri jo jewelry at the The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis!

Yes, my jewelry can now be found at one of the coolest locally own record and gift stores in the Twin Cites!! MPR said the Electric Fetus is "widely regarded as the pre-eminent indie record store in Minnesota."

Here is a quick (and terrible) photo I snapped in-store:


It's the first time a local place has carried my work so it's the first time I have ever gotten a chance to see my work merchandised!! Can you feel my excitement through your monitor? :)

Crochet + shoes

Cross a crochet fetish with a shoe fetish and you equal crocheted shoes in every color. Can it get any better? Pattern purchased from sylver.etsy

Pattern is relatively easy, you just need to make sure you won't be interrupted much since most of the pattern involves carefully counting your stitches. The pattern gives you the option of working with help or jute for the bottom sole. I am happy I choose to go with the latter option. My hands are torn up enough from the jute so I can't imagine what they would have looked like after the hemp.

I am thinking yellow or spring green next...

Homemade ginger ale

So the family has been struck by the evil stomach flu. And not the nice 24-hour-here-and-gone type. The full throttle, all out, sick for a week type. Yuck, yuck and more yuck.

So on the quest to find something to help ease the nausea, I came across this this wonderful homemade (and easy!) ginger ale recipe. I have always found ginger very soothing for my stomach but unfortunately most commercial ginger ales don't contain any real ginger. You may need to tweek the recipe a bit. It comes out a bit too sweet and too strong for my taste so I halved the amount of ginger and only used 2 tablespoons of the simple syrup in the final drink. I absolutely plan of making this again and again even after everyone finally feels 100%. It is really fresh tasting and so much better than anything you could find in a store. I think it would also be really delish spiked with a little vodka and some lemonade - perfect for a hot summer evening.

And if you are not interested in spending your whole afternoon grating ginger, look into getting a jar of minced ginger in a jar (I especially love the one from The Ginger People which I found at our local co-op for $2.50 for almost 7 oz.)

p.s. Photo above is from the Flickr group "The Commons", most easily described as pictures with no known copyright restrictions complied from the "...world's public photography archives."

If you are looking to spend an afternoon looking through amazing and inspiring photographs, this is the place to do it.

handmade battlestar galactica

Links that pay tribute to the show that has introduced "frak" into the vernacular.

"Well frak me" notepad, pigseyart.etsy (shown pictured above)

Knit yourself a cylon centurion hat, a free pattern from Lick the Light Switch.

Maybe you are the final cylon? Button from ursulaandolive.etsy

Stenciled BSG shirt at craftster

Also from craftster, crocheted Admiral Adama and President Roslin.

Personally my favorite cylon, Chief Tyrol. Art print by geekboypress.etsy

wip - first gouache test

So I broke out some paper and my new paints and played around with them, I think I am really liking it! It's hard to get used to - fast dry time and new layers pick up colors from old ones like water color but they are brighter and the colors lay down more like acrylic or oil paints. I want to try them on particle board, that used to be my favorite back in school and I think the gouache would work really well.

One sock down and one to go

How exciting! I crocheted myself a sock! Okay, admittedly worthless until I have a pair but sometimes you need to celebrate the small milestones too.

Yarn and pattern are from epicurus.etsy. Pattern is listed for advanced crocheters but I didn't think it was too hard. And I was in doubt as to how a crocheted sock would look but since the pattern uses lace weight yarn, it isn't bulky or uncomfortable.

My etsy splurge

Who am I kidding, this really isn't a splurge but I am so excited that I found this simple and gorgeous soap dish from urbaneden. I kept looking (foolishly) at Target or the like for a decent yet simple yet inexpensive soap dish.

*palm to forehead*

I should know better now to just check etsy.