hurrayic

Pretty Prickly?

Last Friday, I brought home some pretty cut flowers to spruce up the gray weeks days we've been having.  Unfortunately, we enjoyed them for only a little over a day.  Not because they wilted.  But rather, a patch of suspicious-looking bumps on my 12 year old's arms and torso made me wonder.  (Of all the children, he was the one touching all of them and playing with their petals while he should have been doing schoolwork!) After looking up the names of the flowers online, I discovered that one of the plants, Agapanthus, can cause an allergic reaction in some people.  So, I threw the blue flowers into the garbage bin and put the remainder temporarily into the garage.  Monday, I took the 12 year-old to the doctor's so they could either confirm or refute my suspicions. 

Well...it's not an allergic reaction but a virus. A virus that can cause bumps...like chicken pox or mumps or measles.  (It's none of those by the way, but just some mysterious virus of unknown origins.)

So although the agapanthus met an early demise, the other flowers can be rescued and brought back into the house before they really wilt.  Yeah!  A simple remedy.  If only the 12 year-old's remedy could be that simple too...the poor guy...he's itching and itching and itching... hopefully relief will visit him soon.

Have a safe weekend!

A Little Sewing: A Monster

One of the very first blogs I ever visited (after realizing what a blog was) belonged to Hillary of Wee Wonderfuls.  So naturally, when I saw her book, I was interested in trying out a wee wonderful of my own. 

There are so many lovely dolls and toys in the book.  I love her color combinations and the folkart feel.  I also like her odd little creatures. 

My youngest does too!  He thought the monster, Koji, was very cute.  I can understand why he was drawn to it: humor and mischief wrapped up in one funny little toy. 

 
I chose a kelly-green baby-wale corduroy (it looks minty in these pictures) for the body and used a thrifted sweater (multi-striped) for the spikes down Koji's back.  For his eyes, I used another thrifted sweater and added a simple French knot for the blue centers. 

Here's the ham with his monster!

 

A Little Sweetness in Spring

We had dinner with friends (both local and from across the globe) on Saturday, and I was asked to bring dessert.  I pondered what to take.  Saturday's weather provided perfect inspiration: sunny, bright blue sky, slightly breezy and a just-right temperature.  I thought a berry tart was in order.  The recipe is from San Francisco Encore (my very first cookbook given to me by an uncle).  Although the book's paper cover is long gone, its pages are decorated with various spots of grease and food stains, and not every recipe has been attempted, everything I have tried has been quite tasty.  There was only problem however:  it was so tasty I should have made a 2nd tart!

Glazed Berry Tart
adapted from San Francisco Encore

printable version

Pastry
2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
12 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 egg yolks

Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 - 2 1/2 cups berries (I used a combination of raspberries, blackberries and sliced strawberries)

Glaze
1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam, warmed in microwave so that it's more liquidy

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Mix flour & sugar.  Cut in butter so it resembles coarse crumbs.  Add in yolks and blend well.  Firmly press the dough on bottom and sides of an 11" tart pan with a removable bottom (springform pan would work too).  Bake until nicely browned, about 20 min (I baked about 30 min).  Let cool in pan.

Make the filling: Beat cream cheese and 2 Tbsp powdered sugar.  Stir in zest and lemon juice.  In another bowl (I used a kitchenaide) beat the whipping cream and other 2 Tbsp powdered sugar.  Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and blend well. Spread the filling into the cooled tart shell.  Top with berries. Brush on glaze.  Make sure to cover surface of the berries.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.