Cranberry Pecan Scones

I made some cranberry pecan scones today based on this strawberry scone recipe from the Minneapolis Star Tribune. They turned out really delicious, with just a little hint of oranginess, because I soaked the dried cranberries in orange juice and a little juice got into the dough. Here's my altered version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 c. flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2/3 c. sugar (I ended up using 1/3 c. regular sugar and 1/3 c. brown sugar because we ran out of regular sugar.)
• 1 1/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 2 wggs
• 3/4 c. cold buttermilk (I used more like a full cup, because my dough was really dry with just the 3/4 c. called for.)
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 t. almond extract
• 1/2 c. to 3/4 c. chopped pecans
• 1 1/4 c. craisins (The ones we had on hand were "orange flavored," which is really weird. I soaked them in orange juice for a while to make sure they didn't turn into little rocks once they were baked. This will add a little liquid to your dough, so be careful if yours isn't kind of dry like mine was.)

Baking instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
• Cut in butter until there aren't any big chunks left and the dough is kind of grainy. It will still be really dry.
• In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and then whisk in buttermilk, vanilla extract and almond extract.
• Pour on top of lour mixture and fold in until the dough is just barely moistened. (After I did this, it was a little dry, so this is when I poured in a tiny bit more buttermilk.)
• Fold in the cranberries and pecans, making sure not to overwork the dough.
• Scoop batter onto baking sheets using a 1/2 c. measuring cup. Make sure to put them about 2" apart because they'll spread out some.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine baked for 20) until golden brown. A toothpick should come out clean.
• Cool on wire racks.

Kitschy Holiday Foods

On holidays, my family eats weird, kitschy mid-western foods that we'd probably be sort of embarassed to eat any other time of year. These are two of my very favorites.


Hot Fruit Salad
John thinks this one is hilarious because on Strangers With Candy Jerri Blank tries to lure people to her party with hot fruit, but it's classier than that, I promise. This one is only eaten at Thanksgiving, except that I really like it and usually force my mom to make it one other time during the year.

• 1 large can whole pears
• 1 large can chunk pineapple
• 1 large can whole peaches

Drain, dice into squares and place in a buttered casserole dish.

• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Mix and spoon over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove 30 minutes before serving.


Let's compare: Jerri's Hot Fruit (From Amy Sedaris' entertaining guide, I Like You)

Heat can of fruit on stove.
Chill.
Serve at room temperature.

See, mine is classier. It has curry. Plus it isn't served in a can, which I think helps.


Christmas Jello (Really only for Christmas; you can't get away with this one any other time of the year.)

• 4 packages raspberry jello
• 6 c. hot water
• 1 can applesauce
• 3 pkgs. frozen raspberries
• Plain cream cheese

Mix the jello (and water obvs.) with the applesauce and defrosted raspberries in a big bowl or maybe a jello mold if you're into that kind of thing. The raspberries should be sort of a big messy pureed mush. Let the jello mix set partially in the fridge, then press little (about 1/2" to 1" diameter) balls of cream cheese into it. Chill until completely set.

Flickr Favorites

I want a quilt just like this!!
from clumsy bird.


from nguyen le.


from dharmalemon.


from broken chicken.


When I'm a real person with a real house I want a big wallful of pretty vintage plates like this. Or of cups and saucers. There was one coffee shop I went to in Stockholm that had teacups and saucers attached to the wall scattered up a corner and onto the ceiling.
from lena corwin.

Craft Day

I finished Urchin by Ysolda Teague yesterday/today. It's knit from Sensations Licorice (the Joann Fabrics store brand), which is a surprisingly nice wool. I normally don't like variegated yarns, but the colors work really well and there's no pooling. I made the largest size and it still turned out a little smaller than I was hoping, but I really like it anyway. I added a vintage jeweled bow pin to the side. I'm also wearing my new felt bead earrings in this picture, which look like this:


The colors in this picture are terrible and washed out because there hasn't been much sunshine here lately, but you get the general idea anyway. I still have six more felt beads, so I think I'm going to make another pair of earrings. Maybe something a little more simple. I also have a bag of big, colorful wooden beads that I'm going to make a really chunky necklace out of.

In other crafty news, I finished the patchwork pillows, which look really fantastic, but I can't seem to get a picture of them that looks even halfway decent. I have three Ballbands done now and one more on the needles. I'm planning on making a nice little set of them--maybe six or so. It's been a craft jamboree around here lately!

Christmas, Crafts and Thrifting

I spent most of tonight knitting with a sleeping puppy on my lap! Plus there was turkey and cider and cookies and all sorts of other deliciousness. I made this pink and green ballband dishcloth and started a second one, which is going to have the colors reversed. I'm going to make a set of four or so to use up some of my big stash of cotton yarn.


The picture is taken with a 1960s-era vintage quilt I bought in Grinnell on a particularly good day of thrifting. I also got a full set of seven day-of-the-week embroidered tea towels, lots of knitting needles, a couple other vintage embroidered linens, and a snowflake print Pyrex in perfect condition.


I've been amassing tons of housewares lately, but I don't feel terribly guilty about it since I'll need it all, plus some, when I move into an apartment in the fall anyway. I'm working on some housey crafts too. I'm going to go find batting for the quilt I'm working on sometime in the next couple of days so that I can finally finish it and I'm planning on making some throw pillows for my couch. With that new (old) quilt and a few pillows, I'll be all set for movie watching and reading and knitting and other couch activities. I'm planning on a geometric patchwork design--not quilty looking, more abstract and modern looking, with this bird print fabric I picked up at Crafty Planet in Minneapolis last summer.


In the non-housewares-related projects area, I also made about a dozen felt beads last night. They're all dark magenta, burnt orange, citrusy yellow, and chartreuse. I'm going to go to the bead shop downtown this week and pick up a few ceramic or glass beads and make a necklace or maybe a pair or two of dangly earrings. I want some black and white polka dot beads, I think. Then I'll string them all together with bright embroidery floss.

Goodbye, Stockholm!

It was a nice semester, but I'm glad to be going home. I'm pretty sure I'll miss the baked goods though. Good thing America has things like cinnamon-roll-French-toast. Sweden may have great kanelbulle, but they've yet to figure out that it can be even more delicious dipped in egg and fried.

Things I'm looking forward to at home:

• John.
• crafts.
• big homey meals (so tired of cooking for one).
• my friends.
• crafts.
• dinery food/milkshakes.
• Law and Order and CSI.
• Christmas with the fam.
• CRAFTS.
  
• Victor (maybe).
• real classes.
• costume parties.
• Grinnell-dancing.
• Bob's.
• going to movies.
  
• oh, and crafts.

Things I'm not looking forward to:

• most Americans.
  

Killing Time on the You-Tubez...

Jens Lekman - Black Cab


Jens Lekman - You Are the Light
I love those cars going by full of tuba and trumpet players! And the chorus makes me want to twirl around in a circle until I fall down and a big crowd of puppies swarms around me and licks my face and wriggles around.


The B-52s - Dance This Mess Around
This is actually one of my favoritest favorite songs. I think I need to learn some of those dance moves. And some of those beehive making skills. The B-52s were basically the coolest band in the whole world from 1976-1980. It's an undeniable fact.

Flickr Pretties

I wish there really were teapot trees like this! It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland and lately I love anything that does that. Photo from fen snapz.


This is pretty much just how I've spent the last year or so trying to make myself look. With just that same hair cut and too much liquid eyeliner. Except I never quite managed to look so good. Now I want super-long super-straight mod hair instead. Although I still want to work on that liquid eyeliner. But maybe in neon blue now. Photo from Hedi Slimane Japanese Fanpage's Flickr.


For my next (oh so far away) birthday, I want a cake just like this. Except I would totally make it with pink frosting and sprinkles. Photo from People Folk.


Photo from Gling-Glo.


This reminds me of Sweden. Being here has made me want a little taxidermied something in my house someday. I was hoping I could buy one of those little ducklets from Very Important Clothes, but they only sell black and white striped sailor shirts and lovely winter coats. Photo from Raymond.

5 More Days in Stockholm...

I leave Stockholm on Saturday and get back to Grinnell Sunday night. I'm so so excited to go home, but I can think of a few Very Important things I'll miss about this city. I think they deserve documentation here.



Pictures of the early fall display at VIC in Gamla Stan. Love those bebe ducklets!

• Very Important Clothes, the weirdest and best(est) place in Stockholm.
• Great, if overpriced, vintage stores.
• That mysterious junk shop with the secret hidden attic full of perfect 1960s party dresses.
• How the whole University always smells like cinnamon from all the kanelbulle.
  
• Pancakes and pea soup Thursdays.
• Gorgeous fall trees, even though they're all bare and wintery now.
• Pepparkaka.
• Public transportation.
• The option of going pantsless without getting disapproving glares from people who think leggings aren't pants. Sure, they're not, but sometimes a pants-free day is just lovely anyway.
• Feeling so so Christmassy all the time. Sweden does that to you, even without snow.
• Dogs everywhere! Although I hate hate hate that you can't pet them. And only three or four pugs over the course of the semester. That's really just not enough.
• The taxidermied reindeer in the grocery store.
  

And now a picture of one of those lovely Swedish trees to round out the post:


And some birch leaf confetti:

Hello, Bebes!

it's been a long day. i think that this is just what i need. cuteness.

Helena Bonham Carter

so last night i watched the trailer for the new tim burton movie, sweeney todd, and thought to myself, "god, do i want to look like a slightly insane gothic victorian witch just like helena bonham carter." so i decided to google-stalk her, which led to this discovery: helena bonham carter will make you custom denim hotpants! apparently she runs a bespoke jeans business called pantaloonies. you send in an old pair of jeans along with a questionnaire that asks things like your favorite movies and colors and your pants are custom tailored ("hand sewn with enormous love," apparently) and sent back. she also donates some of the proceeds to charity.



while i'm not sure how i feel about frilly denim hotpants, i do know i love any outfit accessorized with an incredibly oversized hat and a piglet in a victorian baby carriage. or gigantic scissors and thread spools.

Dolly Parton and Amy Sedaris, Together at Last!

i never saw this coming. and then i was step-touching and finger-snapping all over the living room.

John Bell!

Startin' a blog!

Virginia Cheverria

collages by virginia cheverria on flickr.

Fashion Flickr Favorites

a few flickr favorites that look like what i want to dress like when i get home and have access to the rest of my wardrobe and real thrift stores again.

the 2008 fashion plan:

• trouser cut jeans.
• full skirts with colorful slips underneath.
• stripey oversize men's shirts.
• too-small bright colored cardigans with candy colored buttons.
• plain hanes sweatshirts fancied up with appliques and embroidery (but, you know, in a bad ass way, not a grandmotherly way).
• bright colored ballet slippers.
• thrifted dyeables painted with fabric paint.
• tons of huge, super-bright cowls.
  

on to the photos:



ohio knitting mills sweaters. photos by lena corwin.



mauve lacey slips from amanda bel.