a little grumpy bear

 I started crocheting this little panda bear rattle a few weeks back, but when I started photographing him, I realized he's almost too smug and saucy looking to give to a baby. He might frighten a baby with his grumpy visage. But, then again, maybe that's okay since babies are often grumpy their own tiny selves.

 I used a tiny bell stuffed inside the filling to give the rattle a very soft sound. I know babies like interesting noises but parents prefer quieter toys. In the future, I might make the handle ring a little bit smaller. Sometimes I forget just how teeny-tiny, itty-bitty a baby's hands are. 

Wow! that's a grumpy little face! kinda cute though =)

adventurous living for a holiday weekend

For the first time in several years I had Memorial Monday off with Matthew and although I did spend most of the day cleaning, we did take the time to try out a few new treats.

This is caramelized rock sugar from the Japanese market, Nijiya, where we do a lot of our shopping. I've wanted to buy it for a while now(maybe a year?) and on Sunday we decided to make the splurge. It really is delicious and makes for a much richer cup of tea, although the packaging says it's for coffee. To be completely honest, I think it's perfect fine crunched up as a snack, since it has such a wonderful, caramel flavor all on it's own. There are few things I wouldn't use this large crystal sugar on, with it's fancy pantsness and pretty crystalline look.

Buying fancy sugar isn't the only adventurous step we took this weekend; this afternoon, in a fit of courage we went to a new and unusual(for us) grocery store, Fresh and Easy. I know, I know, this may not seem like a big step for most people, but Matthew and I tend to stick to the tried and true, the places that are familiar and where we know for certain that the cashiers won't just take a bite out of us.

We were, of course, rewarded for our daring and bravery with a delicious jar of vanilla curd. This stuff is pretty much divine. It tastes like really, really yummy vanilla ice cream but just not cold and painful to the tiny toofs. I think I'm going to like it, if I can figure out some other ways to eat it, other than simply dipping a spoon into the jar and then licking off said spoon. Yum!

Crocheted toys

In all honesty, crocheting toys kind of makes me feel like an old lady. I have this slight fear that soon I'll be crocheting toilet paper roll covers and giant ruffly doll dresses. But these toys are so modern and cute that I just can't help myself! 

This baby narwhal might be a little shy, but once he gets to know you, he loves to play.

This little jelly fish likes to float around with a happy smile.

This little black and white puppy is, in fact, a pirate puppy. I made him a little eye patch and Matthew made him a hat. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the hat; it was really very cute.

 

Pirate dog negotiations usually occur over a red polka dot box, rather than a table. The life of a pirate is one of innovation.

I shan't steal your gold, just your heart.

 

a fancy fish experiment

A few months back, I started making pickles because I wanted to make a recipe that called for lightly pickled veggies and, because I didn't know where to buy them, I simply made my own. My fancy fish experiment started from the same place of need; I needed Gravlaks for a Frittata topped with gravlaks recipe from my new Donna Hay Cookbook and I wasn't really sure where to buy them, so, once again, I took a clue from the Scandinavians and made my own. Fortunately, I have a newly purchased Scandinavian cookbook in my possession which happens to contain a really yummy recipe for Spicy Gravlaks with Aquavit.

On Tuesday, I started the salmon on its little journey of transformation. The curing process was really easy, and because I had all of the ingredients on hand, including my homemade Mockquavit, it came together in a cinch.

Several pinches of anise, caraway and juniper berries crushed together with a frighteningly large quantity of salt and a spoonful of sugar turned the salmon into a highly spiced and delicious treat. Well, don't forget the turning it every twelve hours or so and anxiously hoping it turns out. I think I must have mentioned to Matthew several times a day that I was worried I would end up making us terribly sick, but he kept assuring me that it would be fine. And, of course, he was absolutely right! The gravlaks are as delicious as they are beautiful. It might be more of a special occasion recipe due to the lengthy curing process, but I'm very happy to have succeeded so splendidly at making a very new and unusual, to me, recipe.

A San Diego Spring

A few weeks ago, my mother sent me a beautiful mini essay on the beauty of spring in Oregon. It made me miss being back home for the arrival of spring, but it also caused me to look around my own little neighborhood to discover that San Diego has it's own "arrival of spring." It might not be as dramatic a change from winter to spring here in this city with it's pleasant-all-year-round reputation but it's enough to mollify my wish for the usual fresh and vibrant signs of spring.

 A beautiful jumble of daffodils and violas. They are so charming!

 

Beautiful red flowers in a little circle flower bed. 

 

Tiny Peaches

Yesterday, while grocery shopping, it was all I could do to keep from squeeing my little self silly in the middle of the grocery store (oh wait....I did squee myself silly; public scrutiny has no hold over me) over the itty bittiest peaches I've ever seen. I carefully plucked up as many as I thought I could reasonably fit into a quart sized jar and brought them home to turn into home canned peaches. I considered halving them before canning them, but couldn't resist the totally adorable fact that they are small enough to be comfortably canned whole.



I was actually a little bit disappointed because once I had canned them I realized that they simply looked like boring old apricots instead of super, duper, teeny, tiny adorable peaches. Oh well, I know they are peaches and that makes them cute enough for me.



I only made one quart sized jar of peaches because I know that's all I'll be able to eat on my own. Matthew has no interest in canned peaches and I wasn't about to actually seal these properly in a water bath. If I do that, I'll never end up eating them. This way I absolutely must eat them up within the next couple of weeks! That's a good thing for an obsessive little food saver like me =)

Recipe for Tiny Canned Peaches:

Some really teeny, tiny peaches
pot of boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 mason jar

blanch peaches in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Remove to cold water bath and when cool enough to handle, peel peaches. Clean out blanching pot and add the 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar together, bring to a boil and add the peeled peaches. Cook till peaches are heated through. Remove peaches to clean mason jar and pour over syrup. Seal jar if desired. I left mine unsealed!

My little gangster chicky

I started out this little easter egg project with the loveliest of intentions. I wanted to make a darling little eggy baby, but my little chicky in an eggshell turned into the toughest, meanest looking little creature. He looks kinda scrappy, with mean eyes and a hard mouth. I'm afraid he might take off with our TV and Laptops in the night =)