Six Years Later

Six years ago, I made my first (and only) attempt at baking a cheesecake, and it was an utter disaster. The middle cracked, and then sunk in, and then the whole thing caved on itself. After that miserable experience, I had decided never to make cheesecake ever again...until now. Six years later, I finally decided to try making a cheesecake again, for a friend's birthday this week. I braced myself for the worst...but it turned out surprisingly well. No sinking or cracking or caving. It set just right, and had a rich, creamy texture. Good thing there are birthdays to redeem old disasters.

That is one thing I want to be intentional about this year--to celebrate the little (and big) things that come my way (like friends' birthdays, holidays, weddings, etc.). There's plenty of work and responsibilities and deadlines to go around day-to-day; might as well cease all the opportunities to celebrate that come up!

New Beginnings...

It's an exciting time. A new year, a new president, a new attempt to nurture a winter plant! After I killed off my cyclamen plant in two months, I thought I'd wait until spring to try my hand at growing anything at all...but then I saw this hyacinth bulb and couldn't resist trying again. They are so beautiful when they bloom! So we shall see. But for now, the potential is there. And that is one thing I love about the morning--such hope in a new day ahead, new opportunities, new trials, new mercies.

One Down, One To Go...

Just finished one sock. I'm calling them my "Winter Solstice" socks--some warm, happy socks for the cold, chilly winter. But now that I have one down, I suddenly feel a lack of motivation to knit the second one! It's like finishing a project, and then having to do the exact same thing all over again. How do people do it--motivate themselves to knit the second sock?

Kimchi in the Making

It takes a lot of prep work, and the smell can definitely overwhelm a small apartment (complex), but making kimchi is a rather meditative process. I actually made two batches this weekend. On Saturday, I made the first batch with some friends. It was definitely a very social activity...we were all cutting and chopping and crushing and mixing and stuffing and laughing and smelling a whole lot together. But the next day, I made the second batch by myself. It was quiet in the house. And I cut and chopped and crushed and mixed and stuffed by myself. Surprisingly, the spicy red peppers sauce actually had a rather calming and theraputic affect, a little like baking banana bread on a cold night. Perhaps it's because it was so formulaic; measuring and chopping very specific amounts according to the recipe. Or because I knew that women have been making kimchi for generations in Korea, and there is something very wonderful about stepping into such a culturally distinct art. Or perhaps it was simply the pleasure of seeing something transformed right before my eyes...from a nice, wholesome batch of napa cabbage to a fiery, red, hot, flaming side dish with a kick.

It'll take a few days for the kimchi to ferment...so I'll have to wait and see how it actually tastes.

Domesticity

This book was the intial inspiration for this blog. I've always been interested in artsy-crafty stuff growing up, but never had time to really explore it. During college and law school, my schedule was too crammed with lectures, papers, conferences, clinics and exams to have any time left over to sit back, relax and knit a nice pair of socks, sew an apron or bake something hot and sweet.

And then I moved to Chicago, where life was relatively calm, slow and quiet. There weren't social events every-other-night, and work was manageable within a 9-6 time frame. And with that, odd things began to happen. I started knitting scarves and hats and blankets. I learned to make earrings and necklaces and bracelets. I started cooking and baking and stitching and painting. And before I knew it, I had collected all these little "hobbies" that seemed kinda random and didn't really fit together...

Until I saw this book in the bookstore. It combines all the things I've been exploring the last couple years into one, cohesive category: domesticity. Here's a clip from the book: "There is a world of difference between domesticity and domestication. This book is about domesticity and the pleasures and joys of the gentle domestic arts of knitting, crochet, baking, stitching, quilting, gardening and homemaking. It is emphatically not about the repetitive, endless rounds of cleaning, washing, ironing, shopping and house maintenance that come with domestication. Domesticity...focuses instead on creativity within the domestic space."

I was happy to see that all my random projects may actually be part of one, creative process (and I am not completely ADD!). So I started this blog to record all the little domestic things I enjoy doing, and to remind myself to give space for creativity now that I'm back to a faster-paced life in Boston.

Granola Granola

Once you've tried this homemade stuff, there's no going back to the store-bought kind. It's just fresher, more flavorful and healthier. Though I can't claim credit for the recipe. My friend from Chicago, Ramona, first introduced this to me...and I've pretty much been making it like a madwoman ever since.

Ramona's Granola Recipe

Ingredients:
6 cups of oatmeal
3 cups coconut (unsweetened) (I like the big flakes, but shredded is okay too)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds (unsalted)

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup slivered almonds

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oil

1 cup water

1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries or dried fruit of your choice)

1/2 cup flaxseed

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients: oatmeal, coconut, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, slivered almonds and cinnamon in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients: honey, oil, water. Then mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spread evenly into two 9x13 baking pans. Bake at 250 degrees for approximately 2 hours, until oats are golden brown and dry. Stir occassionally. Once done, let cool off. Then mix in raisins and flaxseed.

And that's it. It's great as a snack on its own, or with vanilla yogurt, or with some milk for breakfast. Enjoy!

Color

I don't know what happened to me in the last year or so, but my preferences for color have totally changed. I was always a cool, calm light-blue kind of gal. All my life I have gravitated towards pale and pastel shades of blue (as reflected in my wardrobe and household items prior to last year). And then something happened in 2008. I all of a sudden started liking bold, deep warm colors--like a rich dark red or a loud bright orange. I think it had been building up over the years, but it came out fully (and to my own surprise) when I was choosing colors for my wedding...all of a sudden, I wanted rich, full, bright colors (and yes, my bridesmaids graciously indulged my obsession with orange!).

Don't get me wrong, I still like the cool shades of blues and greens...but I tend to gravitate towards the reds and oranges these days. And even in the blue-green range, I like them dark and bright, more than light and pastel. A rich, dark violet is also emerging as a color preference for me. I wonder if it's normal to have color preferences change so drastically. And I wonder if I'll stay in this phase, or revert back, or completely change again...

Friday Night Sewing Party

Last night, a friend of mine hosted a "sewing party." A group of 6-8 ladies got together, had dinner, chatted over some tea, and then started our sewing projects (or in some cases, just kept chatting!). We had three sewing machines set up, a more experienced sewer to lead us, and the projects began!

The above reversible chef's apron was my project for the night. It's a beginner's project, and took about 2 hours to make. I got to explore my sewing machine with some guided help, and discovered the lovely stitch featured in the middle photo above. It was also great, because the materials for the whole apron costs under $8. But the best part was sewing it with a group of women around for technical and moral support, and everyone was learning together! Such a wonderful way to start the weekend!

A Little Treat To Myself...

I just finished a three-day immigration law training, and I am maxed out by all the legal rules, regulations, exemptions, and many odd scenarios. So, after the last session today, I decided to stop by the bead shop to see if I could find some materials to make a pair of earrings for under $10. I was partially inspired by the earrings one of the presenters was wearing earlier this week. Big and wide, but still somewhat classic looking. I also wanted a touch of warm tone...after hearing about detention hearings, deportation proceedings, and VAWA petitions all week, I was ready for some warm fuzzies.

It didn't take long to find the pieces I wanted at the bead shop..and even faster to put them together. So, the result above is my spontaneous treat to myself today!

Too pretty to keep in a box...

By the end of last August, we'd collected upwards of 75-100 wedding cards, and some of them were gorgeous. Really, they were art works in and of themselves. It felt like such a waste to just store them in a box, never to be looked at again. Plus, we had plenty of wall space in our then-new apartment to decorate. Hence, the wedding cards collage. It's a nice way to warm up the room with something personal, practical and pretty!

Morning Glory Muffins

This is by far the healthiest muffin recipe I've yet to try. It doesn't even use butter! (The apple butter is made purely from apples, though there is a small dose to vegetable oil involved). Wheat germ, carrots, apples and wheat flour give these muffins a nice healthy kick. And the great thing is that they taste fabulous. I would go easy on the sugar (1/2 cup is sufficient for my tastes), as the raisins and apple butter add sweetness on their own. Recipe here.

I made these muffins with Tracey (together with a spread of other things). There are few things more fun than cooking with a good friend.

The Red Scarf Project

I usually like having a "low-key" knitting project going, something I can mindlessly do without having to concentrate fully on the pattern. It's perfect for lazy evenings, watching a movie or chatting on the phone with a friend. Usually, this means a scarf. The current one I'm working on uses a Layette Ringlet pattern. I am trying to use up some left-over red yarn that's been laying in my basket for more than a year now. So, it was wonderful when I recently learned about the Red Scarf Project, sponsored by the Orphan Foundation of America. They collect hand-knitted red scarves, and give them to orphaned youth for Valentines Day. They have a pretty early deadline though (in December, so I already missed it this year). Hopefully my Layette Ringlet scarf will be part of the Valentines 2010 collection.

Cooking in the Family

One thing I like about food is how it brings people together; gives people space to connect over culture and time. This Christmas, my dad taught Jason to make Chinese scallion pancakes, a tradition that has run in my family for generations (but only for the males, for some reason). There's nothing like a toasty hot, cripsy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside slice of this tasty bread. And with something as simple as that, my husband enters our family tradition in a little less than an hour.

Kou Family Scallion Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:
3 cups water

5 cups flour

Scallions (1 Bunch), chopped

Sesame Oil

Salt

Mix water and flour. Kneed and split dough into roughly fist-size pieces. Roll out each piece of dough until flat and about 1/4 inches thick. Sprinkle with salt and sesame oil; spread around until evenly covers dough. Sprinkle on chopped scallions. Roll up dough into a long cylinder, and then coil the cylinder around into a round ball shape (see pics above). Then, roll out until 1/4 inches thick and fry in pan. Flip once when bottom side is golden brown. Both sides should be golden brown when ready. Cut into pieces and serve hot.