July 30, 2008

Best Recipes

If you're looking for a good cookbook that has a little bit of everything, then you can't go wrong with The New Best Recipe cookbook by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Not only does this book have detailed explanations on the hows and whys of every single recipe, but it also contains product reviews for cooking gadgets, tools and ingredients.

I wish I'd purchased this book instead of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, since Bittman has some bizarre food preferences (I recall a pasta recipe where he clearly states his dislike of cheese on top of pasta) and he gives sparse prep instructions. The Best Recipe folks might have slightly more demanding recipes, but at least they give you really good reasons why you should do it their way! I may not be learning all the chemistry involved in making muffins, but at least I understand why I'm adding sour cream to them.

Speaking of muffins, these photos are of some blueberry raspberry muffins I made recently after berry-picking on Sauvie Island, here in Portland. I doubled the recipe so I had some muffin mini-loaves and a mini-bundt cake, which all turned out thick, dense and amazing!

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July 27, 2008

Girls, Zombies, Mikael Gorbachov

There is a Russian heavy metal band named ANJ that kept trying to befriend me on a social networking site just because I was a fan of Gogol Bordello. I finally broke down and accepted their friend invitation and watched their hit music video, which turned out to be quite entertaining.

The video depicts Mikhail saving busty Russian lasses from green goo-filled zombies, then bringing Levi's and cola to the newly-freed country. It's totally worth watching in HD.


GORBACHOV: THE MUSIC VIDEO - BIGGER AND RUSSIANER from Tom Stern on Vimeo.

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July 25, 2008

Atomic Glassworks


I've admired Atomic Glassworks' fused glass pendants before I was ever making jewelry of my own. Glass artist, Erin Crane, chooses eye-popping colors and applies each bold design by hand through a painstaking process. Last weekend, I was lucky enough to meet Erin in person at the Summer Arts and Crafts Market, where I picked up a shiny gray Sakura blossom pendant!

I'm in the process of overhauling my pendant-making process, and I've turned to Erin to help me learn about the wonderful world of glass fusing. With her help (and a lot of practice!) I hope to make some pretty new things!

Check out Atomic Glassworks' Etsy shop for immediately available designs, or her Myspace page to see more of her previous work. If live in Portland, you should come can see her glassware in person, since the colors and designs are luscious in person!

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July 23, 2008

Busy Signals

Today, I've just got news for you, plus a video that makes me laugh out loud no matter how many times I watch it.

I'll be at the Division/Clinton Street Fair this Saturday, so come on by to see some new products: Flight of the Conchords pint glasses, various moustache items, and new designs on soap pumps and oil bottles!!

New fused glass pendants are in the works (as soon as I learn how to cut glass and possibly buy a kiln)! This will mean all new glass colors, but some of the same designs. This is really really exciting!

Still haven't gotten your craft fair fix? I'll be at the PSU Farmer's Market on August 9th until 4pm with other awesome artisans from the PDX Etsy team, and again (the next day!) at Crafty Wonderland on the 10th.

Please enjoy this entertaining video of cats on a treadmill, since it sort of reminds me of my life right now (and it's completely hilarious). If you're having a rough day, watch it a couple times.
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GIRL TALK NEWS:
If you're in Portland Saturday night and you aren't burned out from working at a Street Fair all day, you MUST go see Girl Talk at the Roseland Theater. If it's anything like this, you won't be sorry.

Mr. Gillis has a new album out, which you can hear on his myspace page and purchase/download for whatever price you think is fair! Make sure to pay at least $5 to get the single-track party mix, or $10 for a physical cd. I'm listening to the tracks right now, and I know what I'll be doing for the rest of the day now! My life just got better. :)

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July 21, 2008

Veggie-Beef Stroganoff

I make this all the time, and it's really good! Even my meat-loving husband loves this recipe. It's much easier than it looks--just a little multi-tasking involved. I made it up for the most part, with a little bit of help from an old Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook I have. I think this may actually be a "tetrazzini", but it's good no matter what you call it! Note: if you'd like to make this with real meat, feel free to substitute away! Don't forget to drain your ground beef after cooking it, if that's what you choose.


1/2 oz dried flavorful mushrooms like porcini (use fresh if you can find them!!)
1/2 bag wide egg noodles
1 bag Morningstar Farms Griller Crumbles (or Boca equivalent)
1 shallot (or about 1/4 cup onion, or less), diced finely
1 small/medium clove garlic
3 Tbl. butter
about 1 cup frozen peas (whatever looks good when you're pouring it)
8 oz. sour cream

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt the water generously when it comes to a boil, just before adding noodles.

Resuscitate mushrooms by immersing in a bowl of very hot tap water for
about 5-10 minutes, or until soft (not soggy). Drain, rinse any grit
off them, and squeeze water out. Chop and set aside. (I dice these
finely so they aren't chewy and noticeable, but you can cut them
however you'd like.) You can save the water for stock, or pour add it to the boiling water.

Melt the butter in a pan on medium-low. Saute the shallot and garlic
until they are lightly browned. Put butter and shallot/garlic aside in
a bowl. Use the saute pan to heat up the frozen Crumbles on medium
heat with a lid, stirring occasionally. When the Crumbles are heated,
mix in the mushrooms and cook until browned.

Meanwhile, boil the noodles until they're thoroughly cooked but not
soggy--this takes longer than normal pasta. Throw the peas in when the
noodles are almost cooked, so they'll be hot--they don't really need
to cook long. Strain when finished.

Transfer the noodles and peas back to the large pot. Pour the butter,
shallot and garlic over the noodles, then mix in the Crumbles mixture.
Stir in the sour cream. (I tend to buy the 16 oz tub of sour cream,
and sometimes it seems to need a little more than half. Use enough so
that it's creamy and everything is coated thoroughly.) Garnish with
freshly ground pepper.

This is enough for 2 people to share with some leftovers, but I would
double this recipe for 4-6 people. You can always adjust the
ingredient quantities to your tastes, since I don't really measure
anything when I'm cooking this. It would be good with more mushrooms too, if you have them.

[No Meat Magnet courtesy of Sick on Sin]

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