a request

When we went to the mountain at Thanksgiving, it rained the whole time.  It was chilly and my Beloved picked up a flannel shirt when we went and found waterproofs for Koda Bear.  It has become one of his favorite shirts.  I said we could go look for more shirts but he requested I make some instead.

He picked out the fabric and I did the cutting from his favorite pattern, a shirt of his I took apart and modified.  I was not very sure of the colors in the flannel but they work.  The flannel is really fuzzy and soft.

He picked out the wooden buttons on it and it is ready to go.  We have some cold weather moving through the area for the next couple of days so he may be able to wear it then.  But he is actually going to take it to the mountain with him for the month of May while he works.  At least at night he will need it up there that time of year.  Maybe even the day time.

a new deck!

I came home to a new deck on Monday!

After sleeping the weekend away, it was a fabulous surprise. 

I did not get anything done this weekend but appear to have kicked my cough.  There is a little bit left but I am not hacking anymore.  I kept falling asleep on Saturday which is what I needed to do.  I fell asleep early after work yesterday as well.  I almost fell asleep watching an old movie tonight. 

I had suggested this deck as a Valentine's gift from my Beloved.  And it got here!  Now, trucks and wheels . . .  Off to my favorite skate shop soon.  I would like the weather to not be as damp for a bit of ride.

woven tee

I have been looking for a t-shirt type pattern for awhile that would work really well with woven fabric.  My machines do not handle knits very well.  I just have a straight stitch.  Not even reverse.  I tried making my own and they were not quite right.  The Scout Tee got good reviews when I read about it online and I decided to give it a try.

I took a look at the pattern and I realized it is based on an A-line shape I have been enjoying a lot for the last year or so.  Of course, can I leave anything alone?  I tweaked the pattern a bit.  I changed the sleeves and put a back seam in it so I would save fabric.  Took a bit of fabric out of my stash and gave it a go.

I made this shirt as gifts for other people at Christmas but this is the first one for me.  I like it.  Mr. Bert said the fabric looked like Irish linen even though it is a cotton print.  It skates well too.  I may not make many, because I just do not have a need for many shirts, but this is going to be a go to pattern for when I want a simple tee type shirt from now on.  It is so much easier then going to the store and trying to find something that fits!

grown up rice krispie treats

I take my lunch to work most days.  I admit to it being fairly simple at this point in my life, a sandwich.  My go to is pb&j, homemade bread, homemade jam.  Or prosciutto and jarlsberg.  The Tall Short Person left roast beef in the refrigerator when she and Koda Bear went back to Oregon.  I will probably be eating that in my lunch next week.  With being sad.

What helps the sads?  Mugs of sweet tea.  Something sweet.  I will admit that most of the time my lunches look like something a kid would bring to work and one of my favorite sweets for that is a rice krispie treat.  Might help the sads a little bit.  At lunch, I have also been reading cookbooks and came across a recipe that was billed as a French rice krispie treat.

Now I am a rice krispie treat purist.  The only thing I ever change is I ususally use brown rice puffs.  No chocolate.  No peanut butter.  Just the basic recipe off the Kellogs box.  No nothing added.  The recipe I found had chocolate in it.  That had to go.  I added more vanilla.  Made them simple.

A little tiny grown up rice krispie treat.  It does help the sads.  It is lovely.  I will have to pack some in my lunch tomorrow.  If I get bread baked before work!

crispy topped brown sugar bars

Note:  This is based on Dorie Greenspan's recipe. 

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

2 cups brown rice puffs

1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon fine himalayan salt

3/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 8 x 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, letting some hang of the ends to easier pull out the bars.

To make the caramel puffs, in a skillet big enough to stir, put the 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water.  Put the heat on underneath it at a medium or medium high.  Stir the water and sugar together.  Bring to a boil.  When a bit of color starts to show and the sugar mixture thickens a bit, add the brown rice puffs.  Take the pan off the heat.  Stir the puffs until it appears all the caramel is absorbed.  A white sheen will start appearing.  Put the pan on the heat and stir for about another three minutes.  Each bit of cereal should be covered with the caramel and darker in color.  Pour out on parchment paper or a silpat.  To clean the pan, fill with water and bring to a boil.  Pour out.

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugars together.  Mix in the vanilla.  Mix in the salt and flour.  It will take some work but it will all come together.

Press into the 8x8 inch pan.  Cover with about half the cereal mixture.  Bake for 22 minutes or until golden.  Golden will be hard to see. 

My house was cold, so I just pulled the bar out of the pan and let it cool.  The suggestion is to put it in the refrigerator before cutting.  Pull out by the paper and cut into small squares.

Really quite lovely and all grown up.  Maybe it will be all I take to lunch.

smoked salmon hash

I have been receiving the Sunset Magazine for years.  It lets me pretend I am back in the Pacific Northwest when I am sitting in the heat of Houston.  I will admit that the recipes I have tried have always left something to be desired, usually in terms of flavor.  Or at least the recipes I have tried.  I was reading the latest issue and there was a recipe for smoked salmon hash.

I always think of hash as something that is a bit clean out the refrigerator and easy.  I started reading the recipe, knowing it came from a restaurant, and just decided it was much too work.   But I make picadillo which is a Mexican hash and decided I could improvise.  This is somewhere between the too.  Very delicious.  I served it with chips but rice would be good.  Tortillas.  Fried or poached eggs with runny middles.  We just kept it simple with the chips. 

smoked salmon hash

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, peeled and chopped

six small golden potatoes, diced

one sweet potato, peeled and diced

six brussell sprouts, sliced fine

1/2 cup cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon or to taste salt

1 teaspoon or to taste pepper

1 teaspoon or to taste cinnamon

1 small pinch ancho

1 small pinch chipolte

3 can smoked salmon (I used Brigham Fish Market smoke salmon, supposedly they will ship their canned fish if you call)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion.  Let get some color and start adding the potatoes.  I add the potatoes as I dice them so it is a little bit of a process, just a bit at a time.  Once the potatoes are in, add the brussell sprouts.  Add the sweet potato.  Add the raisons and cranberries.  Add the spices. Stir between each addition.

Cover and let cook ten minutes.  Stir.  Cover and let cook ten minutes more.  Test for doneness.  If done, serve, if not done, cover and let cook for ten more minutes.

I can see this with scrambled eggs in the morning.