thrifted levis sailor flares, thrifted lace tank, bag from urban outfitters, armor ring from ebay

earring frame diy

some old fixtures and knick knacks were being thrown out at work, and when i saw this old picture frame i remembered that i'd been meaning to make something to store my earrings on. after straightening the frame with some new nails and painting it white, i attached some mesh screening that i had lying around with finishing nails. and that's it! instant earring storage!

i still love you

high waist gabardine daisy shorts from i still love you NYC, thrifted denim vest and sweater, nevermore conjoined crow skull two finger ring and bear tooth engagement ring from bloodmilk by jl schnabel, buckled ankle wedges from aldo, and my own hand-wrapped quartz crystal necklace. photos by bgc.

how to make apple butter

the air is finally getting crisp and all i can think about is making everything that i can with apples, pumpkins, and squash. homemade apple butter was first on the list. to make apple butter, all you really need to do is slow cook (homemade or store bought) applesauce and add a little something to sweeten it up.

to make applesauce you will need:
10-12 sweet apples, like red delicious, pink lady, mcintosh, gala, or fuji
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg

peel and dice the apples into 1" squares and add apples and water into a large pot with a lid. cook until the apples are soft and easily mashed with a fork. add spices.

you can jar everything just like this for applesauce or you can pull out a slow cooker/crock pot and an immersion blender or sieve to make apple butter.

pour the applesauce into the crock pot set on medium and blend until it is smooth and add the following:
1/3 cup maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup - which is basically a jug of high fructose corn syrup and flavoring)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. vanilla

the apple butter needs to cook down to about 2/3-1/2 of its original volume, this took about 5-8 hours. you can either keep the temperature high and keep an eye on it, or keep it low and walk away.

after a few hours, the apple butter will be ready to can!

feathers and lace

 urban renewal dress, crete sandals by jeffrey campbell, lace bike shorts by i still love you NYC, leather feather earrings by topstitch/rabid fox jewelry. photos by bgc.

homemade refrigerator pickles

last week i had a huge haul of cucumbers from our garden, so i made pickles, chilled cucumber dill soup, and cucumber lemonade

there are several different ways to make pickles - through canning, fermenting, or through refrigeration. i wanted to use the biggest mason jars i have, but my largest pot isn't big enough to use in a canning process (you want about an inch of water above the jar lid when canning) so i tried out a new process - refrigerator pickling.

when using this method the pickles must be stored in the fridge at all times, so if you want to make several jars and store them at room temperature, you need to can the pickles the old-fashioned way (i.e. using a traditional canning process).

it's also really important to note that you can pickle most vegetables - don't feel limited to cucumbers. i've had the most amazing cherry tomato pickles from patrick's dad, and seen wonderful recipes for pickled zucchini and summer squash, peppers, beets, and cauliflower.

to make refrigerator pickles you will need:
several cucumbers - you want small green cucumbers, with a warty, bumpy surface. once they turn white and yellow and have a smooth surface, they have over-ripened and have too much water and too many adult seeds to make good pickles. make sure you remove the blossom end if using fresh cucumbers.

to make brine use the proportions 8:1 water to salt. so for one gallon (8 pints) water you add 1 pint salt. put whole cucumbers into a large container and fill with brine. make sure the cucumbers are completely covered and don't disturb them for at least 24 hours.

for pickle seasoning:
2 cups white 5% vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 cup sliced onions
4 whole garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup whole dried chili peppers
1 tsp. salt (kosher, if available)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. black pepper (whole or ground)

either place whole cucumbers in jar or slice into quarters and place into jar. add whole stalks of dill into the jar.

pour vinegar to a non-metal pan and bring to a boil. slowly add sugar and stir until dissolved. add onions, garlic, chili peppers, salt, pepper, mustard seed, and celery seed and bring to a boil. pour the vinegar mixture over the pickles in the jar and fill within 1/2" of top. cover with lid and seal by hand. allow jar to cool to room temperature and place in the fridge.

this recipe does not require canning and so must be kept in the fridge. wait 1-2 weeks for best flavor. pickles should keep for about 2 months in the fridge.

fresh vegetable frittata

this week we had an overabundance of veggies in the house - some friends of friends were on vacation and we took their csa harvest for the week, not to mention every time we visit patrick's parents his dad sends us home with tons of goodies from his garden.

you will need:
a cast iron or oven safe (no rubber handles) skillet or baking dish
4-5 eggs (for a medium sized frittata)
1/2 cup cheese
diced vegetables (i used potatoes, onions, tomatoes, green bell peppers, chili peppers, and garlic)
salt, pepper, spices

if using potatoes, you need to cook them first before adding the eggs and other veggies. if omitting potatoes, you can simply add all of the ingredients together at the same time.

preheat oven to 350º. put a little oil in the bottom of your skillet and cook the potatoes until they're soft enough to easily stick a fork in. transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add diced vegetables, spices, eggs, and cheese. pour back into the skillet and place into the oven for 20-30 minutes. slice and serve.

kaleidoscope eyes

 

ben webb, our dear friend and co-founder of BGC stayed at our house for a few nights last week. i came home one day to find ben and patrick in our star wars room with patrick's new lights, a magnifying lens, and a small kaleidoscope lens that they were experimenting with. although most of the pictures we took made me look like one of the goombas from the super mario brothers movie, there were a few that i really loved.

homemade blueberry jam with mint and quick no-rise bread

i had leftover mint from making mint cucumber lemonade and a small basket of blueberries so i decided to make jam to use up both ingredients. it was a great decision - the mint really adds a little zing to the blueberries, which aren't really tart on their own.

you will need:
blueberries
pectin
sugar
lemon juice (optional)
mint

several small spoons for testing (set in the freezer to chill)

the amount of sugar and pectin you use depends on both the amount of blueberries and the brand of the pectin. most pectin will have instructions detailing the correct amounts for both ingredients. in my case, i used about 2 cups of blueberries, 1 tbsp. ball© brand pectin, 1 or 2 cups of sugar, and about a cup of fresh mint, still on the stalks. follow these basic instructions here on how to make jam.

after i'd made the jam, i was pretty upset to find out that i didn't really have anything to eat it on! i thought about making bread, but i was too impatient to wait a few hours for it to rise so i surfed the internet and found a few recipes for no-rise bread. with a few tweaks, it turned out pretty great - the crust wasn't as hard as i'd like from a fresh loaf and there weren't as many air pockets but all in all it's a pretty great recipe if you're in a pinch and need a quick base for bread, pizza dough, or cinnamon buns. it takes about 30 minutes to bake and has no rise time.


you will need:
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder


preheat oven to 350º. add the yeast, sugar and water into a mixing bowl and stir well. let sit for five minutes when mixture should be foamy. add remaining ingredients and mix. bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust has started to brown.

nut and grain whole wheat pancakes with walnuts and mulberries

it's taken a few weeks of trips to amass the glass jars that i've moved all of my dry storage into. i really love glass jars for storage - they look really beautiful and they keep everything fresh and away from pests. it's also a good way for me to keep a rotating assortment of nuts and grains in the house. all of the different ingredients looked so great together in my kitchen, i thought they might be even better in one recipe. so i whipped up nut and grain whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, and topped them off with walnuts and some of my homemade mulberry jam and syrup.

for about 12 medium sized pancakes you will need:
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup walnuts, shelled
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup vegetable oil

*i never have buttermilk lying around the house, but it's very simple to make your own substitute for a recipe. just put the correct amount of milk into a measuring cup or bowl and add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar for each cup of milk. let the milk sit for five minutes, and then use as instructed by your recipe.

put the oatmeal into a food processor or blender and grind until it has the consistency of whole wheat flour (see image below). similarly grind down the 1/2 cup of walnuts to a similar fine grain. mix the oatmeal, ground walnuts, and remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. add buttermilk, oil, and egg and mix until smooth.

cook pancakes on an oiled skillet until browned. sprinkle with walnuts and serve with fruit or maple syrup (or both)!

grind oatmeal until it has the consistency of whole wheat flour

spicy southwestern quiche with (vegetarian) sausage and spinach

i made this quiche to bring over to patrick's parent's house for dinner. i've noticed both making this recipe and another recipe of mini-quiches with vegetarian sausage that even picky meat-lovers will come back for seconds!

i use field roast brand vegetarian sausage - it's made with wheat gluten so it has a fantastic consistency and it crumbles well to use as a substitute for chorizo or sausage. i've found that other brands aren't flavored as well and end up tasting fairly rubbery and bland, even when they're doused in spices. for this recipe i used the mexican chipotle, but i've tried and liked all of their veggie sausage.

for this recipe you need:
a 9" pie crust, either frozen or made from scratch
2 field roast mexican chipotle vegetarian sausages, crumbled
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. dried or fresh sliced chili pepper

preheat oven to 350º. fill the bottom of the pie crust with the crumbled sausage. in a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the cream and cheese. mix in the salt and pepper. heat a skillet with oil and sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and the 1 tbsp. chili peppers, then add to mixing bowl. rinse the spinach and sauté in a pan with a very small amount of oil, and add them to the mixing bowl as well.

once all of the ingredients are well mixed together, pour the egg mixture over the sausage crumbles and sprinkle the remaining chili pepper over the center. bake the quiche for 30-45 minutes until the center is firm.