Summer has officially begun, but I'm still stuck back in spring, not just mentally, but photographically, as well. I've taken a lot of pictures since I started going on long walks, and I like to share. Hopefully no one minds out-of-season photos.
Canada geese have a bad reputation, but they leave you alone if you leave them-- and especially their nests-- alone. Actually, that goes for most animals. Treat them with respect and they'll mind their own business. Also, if you're lucky enough to see a Canada goose up close, they're really lovely-- and they have cool feet.
It took some research to figure out these guys were cormorants, which was exciting-- until I found out they're invasive here. I think they were just passing through, though-- I haven't seen any since. I just hope that if they do stick around, they can integrate into the local area without causing too much harm. It's rarely a species' fault that they've ended up somewhere they don't belong.
Cherry blossoms are one of the nicest parts of spring
What are your favourite spring flowers? Have you ever had a run in with a Canada goose? Share in the comments...
There is one rule with Pad Thai: don't order it from anywhere but a Thai restaurant. And yet I keep doing it anyway,
Okay, maybe some non-Thai places do make good Pad Thai-- just none that I've found. I'm currently stuck in a Thai-restaurant desert. I should really find a recipe and try making it myself. But we have a Chinese place nearby that my SO likes. Unfortunately, aside from the excellent spring rolls, it has a severely limited selection of vegetarian options, which is a problem because spring rolls aren't exactly a meal. So the vegetarian Pad Thai called to me like a Siren.
And turned on me like a Siren too.
There was no tofu. No peanuts. No fresh bean sprouts. No cilantro. Instead I got standard Chinese stir-fried vegetables and really off-putting noodles that smelled strange. Yeah, I don't know what that restaurant is thinking-- their other food is great (from what little I've tried and what I've been told).
There was too much to waste (and it wasn't exactly cheap), so I decided to do what I could.
Improved Takeout Pad Thai
fresh or leftover takeout Pad Thai
extra firm tofu
oil for cooking
dry roasted peanuts, whole or chopped
peanut butter
hot pepper flakes/crushed red pepper
fresh bean sprouts
fresh cilantro
(The add-ins are all optional. The key is to figure out what your bad takeout is missing and replace it without going to too much effort. Amounts are all adjustable, based on how much Pad Thai you have.)
Pat tofu dry and cut it into cubes. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and fry tofu cubes over med-low heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown. If you want crispier tofu, coat in cornstarch before frying and use more oil.
If noodles are cold/leftover, put them in the pan with the tofu to reheat them (drain oil first). If the Pad Thai is still hot, place it in a large bowl so that ingredients can be mixed in.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the pan with the tofu and Pad Thai and stir until it softens and coats the noodles. As it's heating, stir in whole peanuts (if using) and hot pepper flakes to taste. Stir well to combine everything. Remove from heat and portion into serving dishes. If Pad Thai was set aside, add the mixture from the pan to it and stir well before dividing into serving dishes.
Top with fresh bean sprouts, chopped peanuts (if using), and fresh cilantro. Serve.
I got two more meals by doing this with my leftovers. The add-ins hit the spot, and though it wasn't exactly authentic, it was still really good. So good, I might even get the bad takeout again the next time I'm craving Pad Thai.
Do you have your own techniques for improving bad takeout? Share in the comments...
A few weeks back we had some great foggy mornings. I love fog, although it also freaks me out, thanks to a certain Stephen King story. My SO and I have also been spotting all kinds of wildlife, and we even managed to get a few pictures! Hope you enjoy...
The next couple of shots were taken by my SO. We've seen lots of evidence of beavers around (so many tree stumps!) but catching a glimpse of one of the artists is rare.
Blue Heron:
Frog friend that got turned around and ended up hitching a ride to the creek:
Red-winged blackbirds are my favourite birds. I was so excited to get these photos:
Have you seen any interesting sights lately? Share in the comments...
When I'm not trying to spot the local wildlife, you can find me writing. Check out my books!
No matter how you feel about dandelions (I'm a fan myself), there's no denying they're delicious. Most of you probably know about the leaves, which are excellent both raw and cooked. But you might not realize that the flowers are also edible (and delightful). I wrote about making dandelion flower syrup years ago, but looking over that post again, I realized it needs work. Hopefully this time I'll explain things better, because this is a recipe everyone should try (unless you're allergic to dandelions or plants in the aster family).
Dandelion Flower Syrup
fresh-picked dandelion flowers
water
granulated or superfine sugar
(Approximate amounts are given below. You can adjust recipe, as long as you keep a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water.)
Pick dandelion flowers, making sure not to get them from roadsides or areas that have been sprayed with pesticides. A medium bowl of flowers will yield about 2 cups (473 mL) syrup. If you want to pick more flowers, have some help for the next part-- it's labour intensive! Once picked, you might want to spread the flowers on paper or a towel (in the shade) for about 15 minutes to give any insects a chance to leave (although I've never encountered many on the flowers I've picked).
Next, you'll need to separate the petals from any leafy bits. Twisting the bulbous part of the stem at the base of the flowers helps detach the petals; after that, pick out any leaves. Leaves will make your syrup bitter, so make sure to remove all of them. Warning: your fingers and nails will get stained, but it should wash off (the nail staining might last a day or two).
A medium bowl of flowers yields a small bowl of petals, somewhat densely packed (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups or 250 to 300 mL). At this point, if you want, you can put the petals in the fridge for 1 to 3 days before proceeding with the syrup.
When you're ready to make the syrup, rinse the petals, then place half in a med-small pot (you don't want a pot that's too large, but you do want to leave room for the syrup to boil and expand). Cover the flowers in about 2 cups (473 mL) of water, and bring to a simmer, covered. Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Use a sieve to strain petals from the liquid, and return liquid to the pot. Press drained petals with the back of a spoon to squeeze out any remaining liquid, then discard them. Repeat process with the other half of the petals, putting them back in the reserved liquid.
Once the petals have all been removed from the liquid, add sugar. Boil uncovered on low heat until you get a syrupy consistency, 15 to 20 minutes after the sugar has dissolved. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
After the syrup has been removed from heat, allow to cool. If the syrup is too thin after it cools, you can boil it again (uncovered) for another 10 minutes, or until it thickens (you may also need to add a bit more sugar). Once you have the desired consistency, pour into sterilized jars or bottles. Keep refrigerated or in the freezer (freezing helps prevent crystallization).
Syrup tastes like honey. Use over fruit, pancakes, waffles, cereal, oatmeal, ice cream, desserts, in tea, and anywhere else you'd like.
Makes about 2 cups (473 mL)
Petals, leaves removed
Petals, covered in water in a pot
The liquid after boiling the petals. The cloudiness disappears once it's boiled with sugar.
The syrup beginning to boil. The foam around the edges was gone by the time my syrup was done, but if any remains, you can skim it off and discard it.
As syrup boils, it expands. Watch carefully so it doesn't boil over!
Finished syrup is a deep, clear colour. Tip: spraying nonstick cooking spray, or coating the inside of your measuring cup with oil helps sticky liquids like honey and syrup pour out easily.
When syrup is ready, the top will look "thick" like honey, instead of watery. It will thicken more as it cools.
Have you ever cooked with dandelions? Do you have any questions about making this syrup? Share in the comments...
If you want to read about a vampire that gets creative with herbs, check out my books!
Not long ago, I was struck by unexpected inspiration: I needed to make a cross stitch piece featuring house hippos.
If you're a Canadian of a certain age, house hippos are a cultural touchstone; if you're not, you might be a little confused. House hippos were born in 1999:
En francais:
Cute, right? The lesson may not have stuck, but house hippos sure did. Without a house hippo pattern available (at least, not one I could find), I came up with my vision. Then I went looking for patterns to put together.
I didn't really record the details (sorry). I got a hoop that I thought would be a good size, grabbed the aida cloth that seemed like the right one, picked thread colours that seemed appropriate, and found patterns that worked with what I had.
The hippo took longer than I expected. It's a pretty simple design, but there's a surprising amount of detail in it.
The lettering really scared me; I was so worried about it being off center. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
The red I used for "Caution!" caused me some consternation. I thought I already had the right shade on hand, but it turned out I didn't. It needed a special trip to the store to get the perfect shade of Canadian flag red (DMC 321), and it's not even showing up properly in the picture! This is what it really looks like (or as close as you can get on a screen):
And now for the real stress. The French writing.
The French lines involved longer words/phrases and several wide letters to try to fit in. Paranoid about running out of space, I narrowed the writing on "Attention!" I probably should've left it alone, but by the time I realized that, it was too late to change it.
My original plan was to put a maple leaf on either side of the hippo. Then I realized the French and English parts are equal-- it made no sense to have two large maple leaves and one small fleur de lys. As proud as I was of my freehand mini fleur de lys, it had to go.
For a second I thought about adding a tiny maple leaf to balance out the tiny fleur de lys, but I didn't want it getting too busy.
The final design! I'm happy with how it turned out, especially the fleur de lys, which not only ended up the right size, but is also a pretty good representation in both colour and style of Quebec's fleur de lys (my home province).
I also like to sign my needlepoints. It's always in a hidden spot, but I choose to believe some future needlework enthusiast will notice one of them and start an epic journey to find all the pieces of the mysterious "ASB."
This was actually my first time backing an embroidery hoop with felt. I used this video for the instructions. You can see in the picture above that my "fringe" of aida cloth looks messy and is also too wide. I ended up re-doing it, because it really shows through on the front.
I think that's better (at least there's less excess fabric). By the way, I know people pride themselves on the neatness of the backs of their embroidery pieces. That's great for them, but I can't be bothered. I do needlework to relax and for the love of creating-- I don't need the stress of making sure the back (that no one will see!) looks as good as the front.
I really enjoyed sewing the felt into place. I also enjoy sewing knit/crochet parts together too, which a lot of people seem to hate, so I think I just enjoy hand stitching. The felt isn't completely flat, because (despite my best efforts) it was a tiny bit too big. But it's not so bad that I needed to re-do it.
All done!
Now to get some mini hippos to leave around the house...
As a bonus, I had enough aida left to make a bookmark!
Anyone familiar with A Series of Unfortunate Events should recognize the quote :)
(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)
What projects are you working on lately? If you do needlepoint, do you care what the backs look like? Did you grow up with house hippos? Share in the comments...
I was going to post something craft related today, but looking through older photos, I found some I'd taken at a past Christian Dior exhibit. It's not exactly crafts, but these dresses are works of art.
Dior's "New Look" was all about femininity: full skirts and cinched waists (if I recall correctly, he tried to bring back corsets). I totally understand why women didn't want to go back to these kinds of restrictive styles after the general comfort and freedom of 1930s and 40s fashions, but a part of me also wishes I could've dressed like this (the part of me that forgets how much I prefer being comfortable).
I love these ribbon details. If my sewing skills get a little better, I'm tempted to add something like this to a skirt.
I also think gloves should make a comeback. In this post-covid world, it only makes sense.
The dress above looks like something from a fairytale, and the one below looks like something Marilyn Monroe might've worn...
I'm not usually one for beading on my clothes (maybe I should be?) but the beaded collar on this dress is just amazing. I don't think my photo does it justice.
Speaking of beads, these necklaces were also part of the exhibit...
The exhibit also highlighted some of Dior's perfume bottles, which he designed:
This dress was included at the start of the exhibit. I don't remember if it's a Dior, or if it was there to show some of his influences, but I love it, so I'm sharing.
What do you think of Dior's New Look? Which dress is your favourite? And who is your favourite designer of the past (I also love House of Worth and Callot Soeurs). Share in the comments...
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