Christmas Decor 101: Wreaths!

This will be the first of a series (I know! Super serious attempt at real blogging) of posts about Christmas decor. One or two of these will include teaser photos for Christmas craft projects that I'm doing this year!

Enough with the explanations! On with the decor!

Wreaths! Doors, windows, over the (imaginary) fireplace, where ever!

We got rather lucky when we moved into our current apartment; someone had plonked a nail into our door and left it there. It's a teensy bit too low, but it works for hanging stuff, even if a wreath sometimes covers the peephole. Most years, I haven't actually hung a wreath for Christmas, chiefly I think because I didn't have one or got around to making one. What I would usually do was take a branch off of the tree and hang a large bow with a few cheap ball ornaments on that. This would make our door smell really nice and seasonal for about a day and a bit before the pine smell wore off, and looked really pretty and natural.

I've been inspired for years by a variety of pretty wreaths that I see throughout the interwebs.

As soon as I have that beautiful rugged lodge, this is going over the fireplace with a bow. Found on Apartment Therapy.

Ooooo, leafy! And made of paper! As found on Apartment Therapy, again.

 This paper one on Craft Stylish looks wonderfully Mod.  I'd probably substitute in more greens, call me a traditionalist.

Eeee! I originally found this on a Canadian Living round-up of wreaths, and in theory it's from Pier 1 Imports... can't really find it on their website, but it definitely looks DIY-able.

 While beautiful, I have some Archivist issues with this one. I might make scans and copies of old photos, rather than gluing real ones to each other. Just sayin'. Found in the winter issue of Sweet Paul Magazine. Search 'wreaths.'

I've always loved Aunt Peaches creations, whatever the season. Clearly other people do too, since some jerk stole one of them right off her door this past fall. Jerk.
This year she's going for something that can be non-Christmasey and seasonal, so she's going Mushrooms! Love it!

And there's always this one I made for my bedroom door last year. It could easily be done again with Christmas wrapping paper for a more traditional look! I'm relatively certain the original directions were for a Christmas theme anyway.

This year, since I have some time on my hands, I decided to make my own! Here's a teaser of the inspiration, although I've something like this in mind for years now.

Here's the actual teaser photo, and I'm so happy to be getting rid of those boxes I've been saving for years!

See you soon with the results of the craft project and part two of Christmas decor 101!

An Etsy Vintage Christmas

It's December!! Finally. I'm also not in school anymore, so I can actually enjoy it! Huzzah!

Since what I'm actually doing tonight is going to a hockey game after work, here's a fantasy Etsy Christmas post, with a boatload of sparkles and a healthy dose of vintage. One or two of these things are things I plan on attempting some DIYs of throughout the holidays. I have a mild tinsel addiction, and this is the time of year to work those things out.

I'd decorate my new, 7 foot tree from Phat Dog Vintage.

Trimming it with even more garland, from One Strange Girl.

I'd add more colour with these little pretties. Oooooo, pretty. Stolen from Tarragon Vintage.

And these. Want. Several. Snapshot Vintage.

This will be on the walls. From My Vintage Fix.

 This would already be on my door, probably smelling like "country kitchen." Wild Ridge Design. 

I'd be doing some Christmas cooking with snowflakes. Found Here, on Etsy.

And I'd wear this while doing said cooking. Pug Mug.

Or this one, from the Vintage Trunk.

Or this sexy number from The Mushroom Patch.

 And I'd probably be drinking some ice wine out of this berry bush. New Hope Elizabeth.

Or some Eggnog out of these glasses of holiday themed amazingness. I mean, really. Vintage Wolfy.

Le sigh... 

It's officially winter and Christmas season now, so more holiday posts to come, whether you like it or not.

Also, since I'm a decor addict, there might be a series of decor related posts throughout the month. Just saying.

Adventures in Chinese cooking, attempt deux.

One of the few bonuses of having our parents attempting to move in the spring is the wealth of stuff that is now up for grabs. I've been slowly accumulating some favorite furniture and knick knacks out of the basement, and had the fortune to find my giant Chinese cookbook in the process. I've always appreciated cookbooks with CLEAR instructions and tips and tricks, both of which this book has. It also doubles as a coffee table book due to its beautiful pictures, and a coffee table if you put some legs under it. This thing weighs a ton.

The Food of China, photos by Jason Lowe, recipes by Deh-Ta Hsuing and Nina Simonds

I've been meaning to try and make congee for a long time now. For some reason I always thought it was a hard thing to make, although clearly I was delusional. It just takes a while. The Risotto of China. Or rice porridge. Risotto sounds nicer. This recipe is also only for 4 servings, unlike the mega bowls you get at Chinese restaurants. There's nothing wrong with the mega bowls, but it helps if you have six to seven people, versus the one that I'd be feeding. I halved this recipe, and it was a great dinner and leftover lunch the next day.


Plain Congee, with accompaniments
Serves 4

220 g (1 cup) of short-grain rice
2.25 litres (9 cups) chicken stock or water
light soy sauce, to taste
sesame oil, to taste

Toppings!
3 spring onions (Green onions? Are these not the same thing?) chopped
4 tablespoons chopped coriander (ignore)
30 g (1 oz) slicked pickled ginger (I used fresh)
4 tablespoons finely chopped preserved turnip (didn't have)
4 tablespoons roasted peanuts (didn't have these either)
2 one-thousand year old eggs, cut into slivers (really?)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (nope)
2 fried dough sticks, sliced diagonally (hate these things)
[I added 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Because I'm like that]

Put rice in a bowl and, using your fingers as a rake, rinse under cold running water to remove any dust. Drain rice in a colander. Place in a clay pot (if you're authentic), casserole or large saucepan and stir in water/chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until it has a porridge-like texture and the rice is breaking up.

Add a sprinkling of soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper (if you're fancy and have many kinds of pepper)  to season the congee. The congee can be served plain, or choose a selection from the toppings listed and serve in bowls alongside the congee for guests to help themselves.

As you can see form the pictures, I added shrimp. Normally, they taste great in congee. According to the seafood congee recipe underneath the regular one, you add the uncooked shrimp at the end, bring the congee back up to a boil, and cook them in the congee directly for about a minute. I discovered that this was mildly dangerous, since the congee bubbled and exploded frequently, and didn't really taste that exciting. I may stick with plain and toppings from now on. Otherwise however, this turned out great! I can see this being done frequently during the upcoming winter, especially now that I go to Bulkbarn regularly.


Also, December starts on Saturday. I've waited long enough to start holiday posts. You've been warned. Again.

Also, the chicken survived!

Adventures in Chinese cooking, attempt one.

I really like Chinese food. This is a fairly general statement, I'm ware, but generally speaking, I enjoy and will eat most to all Chinese dishes that are put in front of me. With the exception of tripe. That  was unpleasant.

I was perusing my usual run of blogs one day, and found this recipe for Egg Drop Soup on The Kitchn's blog. Egg Drop soup is one of those things that I've usually like (there have been some bad ones over the years), and have always wondered how to make it properly. Emma's instruction are nice and clear, and her tip for pouring the eggs properly into the soup is genius. Her recipe also includes a full list of the ingredients that can be used to make this soup, and I'm sure everyone has their own variations I've put mine at the end of her recipe. I was quite pleased with my combo.

Egg Drop Soup
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 for a light dinner

  Base Ingredients
4 cups (32 oz) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 to 4 large eggs
Salt or soy sauce

Flavoring Extras - Use one or all
1/2" fresh ginger, peeled and cut into rounds
1 stem lemongrass, bruised
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
2 star anise
6-8 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons miso

Soup Extras - Use one or all
1/2 block (7-8 oz) extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch baby bok choy, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Pour the stock into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Put the smaller flavoring extras you're using into a tea ball or spice bag. Add all your flavoring extras to the saucepan with the stock. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Scoop out all the flavoring extras with a slotted spoon. Taste and add salt or soy sauce as needed.

Add any soup extras to the stock and simmer for five minutes. Save some scallions for sprinkling on top of the soup at the end.

Scoop out 1/4 cup or so of the stock and whisk it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk this back into the stock and let it simmer for a minute or two until the broth no longer tastes starchy.

Whisk together the eggs in a small bowl with the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch. Make sure your soup is at a bare simmer. Holding a fork over the bowl (see photo), pour the eggs slowly through the tines. Whisk the broth gently with your other hand as you pour. Let the soup stand for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs.

Serve immediately, topped with thinly sliced scallions.

"This recipe will make four small cups of soup, but can be easily scaled up if you have more guests at your table. I generally use 1 to 2 cups of broth and one egg per person.
One last parting note: this is not a soup that keeps well. It's best poured straight from the saucepan into the serving bowls and then eaten as soon as it's cool enough to swallow."

The version that I did was this!
Flavoring Extras - Use one or all
ginger,
garlic,
2 point of star anise,
1/3 of a cinnamon stick ish,
1 tablespoon soy sauce,
2 tablespoons miso,

Soup Extras - Use one or all
2 dried shitaki mushrooms, thinly sliced (don't do this, not ideal),
small handful of leftover enoki mushrooms from a hotpot night last week,
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

The pringles are optional, and not recommended for the soup.

It's November?

So yeah, that whole blogging thing.

Ye olde month of October was a bit busy, on all fronts. I'm sorry.

Also, since it is now November, and Christmas season has started, so there will be a few Christmas stuff posts in the upcoming weeks. You've been warned.

The beginning of the month saw me at my first executive meeting for the Photographical Historic Society of Canada, because I am their new Image Curator for the Spring Photo Show! I am also acting as a content manager for an exhibition in the spring that will e using the various collections of various members. I'm attempting to change a few things about the Spring Image show, all of which will hopefully result in better attendance. We shall see.

The middle of October saw a busy 2 weeks! I have returned to the great world of paid employment (finally) and am back at an Art Gallery I worked at before and during my graduate degree. This coincided with the week that I GRADUATED with my Master's degree and went to my first, adult wedding. The vintage dress I had hoped to wear was not going to happen, but the back-up dress I ordered from Eshakti turned out to be amazing. I ended up wearing it to both events. And I wore heels. Both times. My feet really hated me by Sunday morning.

I have no pictures of the graduation ceremony, since I was mildly distracted by seeing all my classmates again for the first time in months. We spent most of the afternoon calling each other "Master," fussing over the gowns and hoods and hugging each other frequently. We survived getting a Master's. I almost cried when I saw my parents after the ceremony. Almost. Saved it for the wedding a few days later.

Two days later my best friend from highschool/undergrad got married. They had a lovely, short ceremony in the church that we grew up in in Mississauga, and a fun little reception several hours later in another town. If I sound slightly bitter about that, I am. I love them dearly, and am so proud of the two of them, but arranging transport and dealing with the 4 hour break in-between when you don't drive was a little annoying. I wanted my date (who was a friend of mine that I borrowed from his girlfriend for the day) to be able to drink since he'd never met these people, so that eliminated him driving too. Thankfully my Dad offered to ferry us around all afternoon. Thanks Dad!

The only picture I got during the wedding. Seriously. Was a little busy beaming with pride over Brendan and Kathryn. And then crying during their vows.

St. Stephen's on the Hill. Actually on a hill, cannot be seen form the road as our cab driver proved.

 

 

And then of course, Halloween. My costume was a bit last minute this year, surprise surprise. I had been rummaging through my closet and found my old chicken purse. I love that purse. and haven't used it very much. It was the key prop in a Halloween costume from almost four years ago when I dressed up as a farmer. Creative, I know. It was about 5 days before Halloween when I remembered that I needed a costume since we were going out and figured I'd just do the farmer again. My roommate was not impressed by this idea, and after some further searching on how to incorporate chicken into a costume, we came across the Robot Chicken mad scientist. Perfect. I just needed a lab coat, black work gloves and boots and a wig, and then make a costume for my chicken. 

Ze chicken, with some of the tools used to give him his costume. Those wings are pockets. Amazing.

The rest of the ingredients for this outfit. Most of which were found at the local dollarama.

I opened up a paper bag and painted it to recreate the Chicken's metal parts. I wanted this costume to be as reversible as possible so my chicken purse wouldn't be modified. 

 Scrunch up for added texture.

I added some black and gold with a really dry paint brush to give some more depth to the metal.

And scrunched again.

Then I cut up the pieces to vaguely resemble where the metal is on the real Robot Chicken chicken, and held them on with a few small whip stitches. I'm hoping (haven't done this yet) that I can just snip some of the threads and pull these all off later.

The 'eye' is a giant plastic rhinestone I'm probably going to salvage when I take his costume apart. 

All in all, I think it worked out well. Again, I have no pictures of the night itself. I think my roommate may still have a group portrait of the 4 of us that went out that night, I'll see if I can find it.

Here's hoping I can be a little more diligent with the blogging in the upcoming months.

 

Late night Indian fry up!

Holy lack of grocery shopping Batman!

Being hungry past when the grocery store is closed is probably a good thing, it forced me to use some of the stuff in the fridge. Tonight's challenge: half a block of paneer, 1 potato, peanut oil, some spices, a hint of lemon juice, a sliver of yellow onion, most of one green onion and a hard boiled egg.

Now, that ingredients list is alarmingly similar to a dish I've made before, specifically here. This is really just a variation of that. The lack of enthusiasm to fry my eggs also helped. I have some hard boiled eggs in the fridge for emergency sandwiches right now, so they worked beautifully.

Potato Paneer Egg thing,
Serves 1

1 medium sized potato, cubed into 1cm x 1cm pieces, ish,
1/2 block of paneer, leftover from the Saag Paneer recipe, cubed into 1cm x 1cm pieces, ish,
1 hard boiled egg, quartered a few times
1/4 tps of cinnamon, cumin, tumeric and coriander,
1 green onion, sliced
1 slice of white or yellow onion, chopped
3/4 tps ish of lemon juice,
Peanut oil for pan

Soak potatoes in cold water with some ice cubes for at least 15 minutes to remove excess starch. Rinse, and boil in salted water until soft throughout when poked with knife. Drain and set aside.

Heat frying pan and peanut oil at medium high heat. Add spice mixture of cinnamon, cumin, tumeric and coriander to oil, and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add yellow/white onions to pan and stir for one minute to mix with spices. Add potatoes and stir for a few minutes. They will break up, that's okay. As they start to brown a bit, add paneer and stir. Reduce heat to lo-medium and heat through.

Add green onions, lemon juice and egg, and heat through. Serve warm!

 Tastes far more appetizing than it looks, honest.