Jewelry Making and Batoursh

I've been busy finishing some pieces of jewelry. I had them ready to go but I can't sand and polish any metal in my studio due to the dust especially now that the weather is cold and I can't open windows. We did have some gorgeous weather earlier this week, so here is my outdoor sanding station. Look at the MESS this makes!

Here's me all geared up. Even though I'm outside, I still need safety glasses, ear protection, and a face mask to keep the metal dust out of my lungs.

The outcome is fantastic, though! Here are a few new pieces. Check my Etsy store for all of the rest.

This week I made another eggplant recipe from the yummy eggplants my mom sent up to me. This is called "Batoursh" which is a middle eastern dish of ground meat with eggplants and yogurt. It looks simple, but WOW, so yummy! I don't have a photo of it because it just didn't photograph well. It's very tasty, though!

Batoursh (from Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food)

3 eggplants weighing about 1 1/2 pounds
4 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 lb. ground lamb or beef (I used venison)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts (I used pecans)
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
3 T tahina (sesame paste)
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Cook the eggplants whole in the oven at 350 until tender. Let them cool, and then peel, chop and mash them to a puree. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the oil and a little salt.

Beat the yogurt with the tahina and garlic. (If you don't have tanina, just use garlic, it'll still be good.)

Fry the onions in the remaining olive oil in a large skillet until soft. Add the ground meat, salt, and pepper and cook, crushing the meat and turning it over for a bout 8 minutes, until it changes color. Add the nuts and cook  5 minutes more.

To serve, spread a layer of the eggplant puree (warm or at room temperature) at the bottom of a serving dish. Pour the yogurt on top, and cover with the hot ground meat and nuts.

What a Morning

Today will be one of those perfect, fall days. If summer were like this, I'd like it. First off, look at these gorgeous eggs from an Amish farm.

I always take Tansy to the Longbranch to play Frisbee. It's about a block or two from our house and has a few big, open fields so she can run fast and far. Here she is looking like a Jetson.

This is the actual Longbranch building. People rent it for events like weddings.

Along our Frisbee route, we stop for a quick drink in the lake.

The following photo is the Longbranch fishing dock. This is our bay, our dock is tucked in along the right bank of this photo.

I walked out onto the Longbranch dock and took a photo of our dock. Here it is.

Tonight we tear down the screen house for the winter. We put up this screen house every spring between the house and the garage. When we bought the house there was a concrete pad already made for this kind of screen house.

And, finally, here is our view from the front of our house (we see this out of the living room window - and my studio!). The lake is just a quick jaunt down the hill.

Now, on to my bike ride! Oh, I have a story from yesterday's ride. It was a gorgeous day, just like today, so the ride up the Echo Trail was like magic. I was flying like the wind, I had music playing on my mp3 player, I was strong and fast and just as I was half way up the biggest hill of the ride (Passi Road hill for those of you who know it), I took a big gulp of air and a stupid old bug flew into my mouth and hit the back of my throat. Yuck. I finally hacked it out at the bottom of Passi.

Painting Class and The Porch

I took a painting class this weekend at the Miner's Dry building in Ely sponsored by the Ely Greenstone Art organization. The teacher was Spencer Hahne. You can see some of his paintings here (they are much more vibrant in real life!

Here's the photo I used as reference. Steve calls this my nemesis painting because I've attempted it every other year since I took the photo nine year ago. It's a farmer's market scene from the farmers market in the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Here is the painting after the first three hours on Friday night.

Next is the painting at Noon the next day (four hours of painting).

And the finished painting at 4:00 (three more hours).

Whew. Talk about detail! It was fun and now I'm in the mood for some more painting. Tomorrow, though is my day trip to Duluth. I'm taking that sewing seminar in the afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

Can you believe we lived with this ugly, rotten porch entrance?

Steve and Wade tore this one down and built a new one on Saturday while I was in the painting class.

We built it right up to the house to give us extra room and a place to put our boots under the eves. I can put pots of flowers on the steps in the summer, too! Next summer we'll stain it. We're battening down the hatches now for winter. This week the screen house comes down and soon we'll pull the dock.

Bread and Angel Food Cake

This week has been rainy and pretty chilly. I've had a fire in the wood stove nearly every day. What a great week to do a little baking!

My winter goal is to make GOOD artisan bread. Here's my first loaf from the "left in the refrigerator to ferment" method.

It looks good, but it was small and dense. It tasted just okay. I made a second loaf the next day and it was pretty similar in texture. I used some of the dough to make a pizza the other night and that was good. On to my next try with a new method. I bought some white bread flour and I'm going to start with Mark Bittman's method as described in the NY Times. Here is another article with pictures using the same method from Steamy Kitchen.

Oh yeah, I accidentally forgot and washed my baking stone with soap and water. You're never supposed to use soap on those because it soaks into the pores. Maybe that's why the bread tasted just okay with a little bit of metallic flavor...

A friend of mine signed up for a painting class this weekend and now can't go, so I'm going in her place! It's at the Miner's Dry building in Ely. Here's a close-up of the crappie painting I did last spring.

I was on the books to teach a class at the college next week but it was cancelled, so I'm going to Duluth on Monday for a sewing workshop! Lots of new, fun things. I'll take some photos and show you in my next post.

Steve brought home four dozen eggs last weekend on his travels through Amish country. Four dozen! So I took one dozen and made an angel food cake.

Here's the best recipe for angel food cake!

Angel Food Cake from Cooks Illustrated Magazine

12 large eggs
1 cup cake flour (I used all purpose and it was fine)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (I didn't use because to me the almond taste is too strong)

Separate the egg white from the yolks (save the yolks to make creme brulee!). Whisk together the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a small bowl. Set the other 3/4 cup sugar next to the mixer.

Blend the egg whites in your mixer until they are broken up. Add the cream of tartar and salt and mix on medium speed until they form soft, white peaks. Tablespoon by tablespoon begin adding the sugar until it is all mixed in (keeping the mixer on medium). Now you should have shiny peaks. Add the lemon juice and vanilla (and almond if you're using) and beat just until incorporated.

Add the flour/sugar mixture to the dough using a big spoon about 1/4 cup at a time and gently mix into the fluffy white eggs.

Spoon the mixture into a non-greased angel food cake pan, smooth out the top, and then tap the pan a few times on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes or until the top turns a lovely brown.

Commission, Jewelry, and Artisan Bread

I finished a commission of seven necktie purses. They turned out fantastic (as they should)! Here is a group photo of four of them.

I've also been working hard at getting more jewelry out on my Etsy shop. Today is supposed to be a nice day and I plan to take my sanding/polishing workstation outside so that I can work on some more pieces. Remember, it's hazardous to my health to do that polishing in my studio. I was hoarse for three days after the last round even though I was wearing a mask and had a fan blowing out the window. I'm going to see if I can find some sort of confined space (like a plexiglass box?) that my hands and tools can work in without that metal dust hitting the air. Meanwhile, I should have a month of decent outside weather (although it snowed already last week!).

Steve was down in Wisconsin this last weekend. On his drive home yesterday he met my mom and dad so that they could send up some things for me. Look at the giant produce! Really, it's GIANT! I put some plums in the photo to give you an idea of scale. The plums are from a tree just down the road.

Now that fall is here and the weather is cool, I'm starting my quest to bake bread. I want to be able to make a good loaf of crusty, flavorful bread. I checked a book out from the library called Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I mixed up the first batch and here it is in the fridge (next to the 7-year aged cheddar Mom found for me!).

You just leave the bucket of bread dough in the fridge for up to 14 days. When you feel like having some bread, you pull off a chunk, form it into a baguette, let it rest, and then bake it. I plan to make the first loaf today. I'll let you know what happens.

Oh, I've tried baking bread before and I get relatively okay bread. But it never tastes like the crusty loaves you find in artisan shops. I'm really good at pizza crusts, but loaves of bread have just never been right. There is no reason that I shouldn't be able to figure it out and master it in one winter. That's my goal. (Heads up, all of you neighbors. I'll need help eating all of this bread until I get it right.)

Mushroom Painting and Curried Apple Soup

I commissioned my friend, Velvet, to make me one of her mushroom paintings. I had a perfect spot for a tall, long painting. She makes these out of wallpaper samples and they are fantastic! They are rustic, modern, and whimsical. You can see her mushroom magnets at her Etsy shop. If you want a painting made, just send her a note from her Etsy shop and she'll make you one! You'll also find her at the Ely Farmer's market in the summer and the holiday craft fairs in town.

Here's how it looks next to the wood stove.

I'll probably paint those sticks on the right side white so that they tie in to the mushroom painting. Oh, you noticed the fire in the wood stove? It SNOWED! on September 14. Is that crazy, or what? I had a fire on both Wednesday and Thursday. Today I'm just wearing sweaters.

If you have a bunch of apples, or access to a bunch of apples, you must make this curried apple soup. It is so delicious! It's all you need for supper as long as you have some good bread to sop up the good flavors. It's sweet, spicy, complex, and it makes your house smell divine. The recipe is from Molly Katzen's cookbook The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

Curried Apple Soup

The Stock:

peels and cores from the apples

skins (cleaned) from the onions and garlic

2 cinnamon sticks

2 1/2 cups apple juice

2 1/2 cups water

Combine everything into a pot. Boil gently, partially covered, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand until cooler. Strain and discard solids.

The Soup:

3 Tbs. butter

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger root

2 medium cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

4 heaping cups peeled, chopped apples (any kind but delicious)

1 tsp salt

juice from 1 lemon

2 cups mixed plain yogurt and sour cream (any proportion or one or the other)

Mix together these spices into a little bowl:

3 tbs. flour

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat butter, ginger, garlic, and a dash of salt. Stir and cook over moderate heat a minute or so, then add onions. Saute another 5 minutes, then add 1 tsp salt and apples, stirring well. Add lemon juice, and sprinkle in the pre-combined flour and spices, stirring constantly. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let it rest about 10 minutes. Heat the stock.

Puree the stock and sauteed mixture together bit-by-bit in a food processor or blender (I used an immersion blender and it worked great). Make sure the result is very smooth. Transfer it to a kettle or heavy saucepan, and whisk in the yogurt/sour cream. At this point the soup shouldn't be cooked any further. Just heat it over low heat right before serving time. If you cook it further, the yogurt/sour cream will curdle. (The soup can be made a couple of hours ahead and heated just before it's served. It's also good cold.)

Big Fire, Lumberjacks, and Eggplant Casserole

There is a big fire burning about 15 miles southeast off our house in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The Pagami Creek Fire grew to over 11,000 acres over the weekend and today has been very windy and dry with gusts up to 30 mph. Here's what the fire cloud looked like from just off our dock looking south on Sunday.

Let's hope storms predicted for today actual hit.

We had friends visiting us for the weekend. The weather was crazy warm with highs in the low 80's. Saturday we went into town for the Harvest Moon Festival to shop the craft booths and catch the lumberjack show. They said you could rent a lumberjack for the night - we pondered it.

Our friends brought us up some bounty from the farmers' market. We have luscious eggplant and peppers. The perfect thing to make this time of year with that bounty is Eggplant Casserole. Most recipes tell you to salt the eggplant and let it drain and do a bunch of other prep work. I found that using fresh eggplant from a market doesn't need all of that. Please do so if you are so inclined, but I'd rather not.

Sharee's Eggplant Casserole


2 large eggplants (or a bunch of whatever eggplant you have)

2 large red onions chopped

3 garlic cloves minced
1T extra virgin olive oil
1 large red pepper chopped (or a bunch of whatever peppers you have)
3 large garden tomatoes
salt
pepper
a bunch of basil (or at least 10 leaves)
bread crumbs, preferably from good whole grain bread
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (or other cheese that you like)

Slice the eggplant into rounds about 3/4 inch thick. Put them on the grill and grill until soft (about 5 min per side). You could also broil them or put a little olive oil in a pan and soften them up on the stove.

Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic and 1 tsp salt in the olive oil until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the red pepper and tomatoes and simmer until everything is softened and the juice has evaporated some (the mixture should be thick). Add the basil then salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly oil a casserole dish and layer half the eggplant rounds on the bottom. Put a layer of tomato mixture on top, layer with eggplant and finish with the final layer of tomato mixture. Cover the pan and put in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Increase the heat to 375. Spread the bread crumbs and Parmesan on top. Bake additional 15 minutes or until the top is bubbly and beginning to brown.

This photo shows the layering part of the recipe.

More Purses and Amish Bounty

The summer market has come to a close and now I have time to get some more items out on my Etsy shop. I have some gorgeous new fabrics that I've been sewing. Look at these!

Tansy's foot is still sore. I'll bandage it up later and take her for her run. She is just nutty if she doesn't get to run full out for a little while every day.

Our weather is unseasonably warm with highs in the 70's all week. We have friends visiting from out of town this weekend and we're very exited for the weather. We'll go to the Harvest Moon Festival, do a little shopping in town, and head out for an afternoon of fishing and a picnic in the boundary waters. I'll take pictures to show you after the weekend.

Steve was in southern Wisconsin for a few days and brought me back some bounty from an Amish farm.

In my next post I'll give you a recipe for a lovely eggplant casserole that uses eggplant, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Perfect for the harvest season!

Luscious Fabric and Tandoori Chicken

I've been playing with some new fabric and it is to die for! I wish you could touch this, the front pocket part is made from a heavy, Italian silk blend fabric and the main purse feels like velvet. So luxurious! Tonight is the market - if it doesn't sell there, it'll be on Etsy tomorrow. Here's your chance to grab it before anyone else gets it!

Fall is here! I fired up the hot tub this weekend and have been going out the last two evenings. I hear the northern lights are supposed to be spectacular this year, so we should get a great view of those from the hot tub. We don't go in it if it's colder than -20F because you stick to things on your way back into the house.

Someone broke some glass over where we play Frisbee. Here's Tansy with her bandaged foot.

I've been playing with Indian recipes and made Tandoori  Chicken the other day. I also made a soup out of fresh peas and a stuffed potato and sweet potato patty. The only thing that was really good was the tandoori chicken so here's the recipe for that. Meanwhile, I'll continue to experiment.

Sharee's Tandoori Chicken

Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp red chili powder or paprika powder
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp table salt

For the marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt (if you don't have thick Greek yogurt, put the yogurt in cheese cloth and let it drain until thick)
2 T fresh ginger crushed
2 T fresh garlic crushed
1 tsp chili powder or paprika powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 T canola oil

In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, lemon juice, and salt and rub it onto the chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to marinate.

Make the marinade: Put the yogurt in a bowl, add the ginger, garlic, chili powder, salt lemon juice, garam masala and oil, and stir.

Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and toss so that all the pieces are well covered with it. Cover the bowl again and put in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 400. Put the chicken pieces onto a baking sheet in a single layer and cook for 35  minutes or until cooked through.

Serve hot with sliced, raw onion.

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That day of experimentation led to this in my sink and that wasn't even all of it!

Studio and More Beans

I've been busy creating new earrings due to the volume of sales. Not a bad situation, but I need to figure out a new place to run my polishing operation. It totally trashes my work space with debris - dust, fibers, polishing compound. I figure that I could set up a table outside and that will get me through a lot of months.

Here is a photo of my work space.

The right side is my jewelry-making station and the left is for sewing. You can see the fan in the window. The intention is to blow dust and polishing stuff out the window. It doesn't work that well. I wear a face mask, safety glasses, and ear protection when I'm running the tools. Good thing as the rest of my face was covered in soot from polishing dust and I had part of a polishing wheel break off yesterday and fly into my safety glasses.

Here is a close-up of the silversmith workstation.

Instead of buying a titanium pick to move solder around, I stuck a "T" pin through the eraser of a pencil. That worked great until I lit the whole pencil on fire! No big deal - I have lots of water around when I'm working as well as a fire extinguisher.

Here's where I pound metal:

See my ear protection right there? It's very noisy to hammer metal or to run the dremel tool.

We've been eating a lot of beans. Here's a quick and tasty way to prepare beans.

Quick Green Beans

A bunch of green beans
2 T butter
1 tsp minced ginger (or garlic)
Salt to taste

Get a pot of water boiling. Add 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water. Put the beans in the water and cook about 3 minutes then drain and run cold water over them to stop their cooking.

In a saute pan, melt butter and add the ginger (or garlic). Put the beans in the pan and toss with the butter and ginger. Yum! Eat those as a snack or as a side dish with supper.