Five Things You Should Never Say To Me or Anyone Else...

So, its been a while since my last post. I went back to school and am currently spending my days under fluorescent lights doing a whole lot mundane tasks. ____ Me.

My inspiration has been a bit lacking due to six A.M. wakings and no coffee allowed in the classroom. I talk to mannequins and cut imaginary hair. It will get better, This I know. Starting what you want to do is always tough. Becoming a Mom was hard. Resigning to letting go of the single life was tough as well (maybe even a bit harder than the mom thing). Ultimately they are all worth it. Very, Very worth it.

I was day dreaming during the perm lecture today and came up with a list. A list of things I never want you to say to me...OR anyone else...

1. "That was Delicious! Is that a Rachel Ray Recipe?"

2. "You paint just like Donna Dewberry!"

3. "Do You Scrapbook?"

4. "I got this cute shirt at Wal-Mart"

5. "What does your Tattoo mean?" ohhhh that's the worst!

I will try to keep up the Circus better. Those recipes for the tea infused oils is coming. I am making lapsang suchong tofu this Sunday.

Vintage Martha...

             I was a weird kid. I admit it. I liked things that kids weren't really supposed to "get" at my age. I had a subscription to "Victorian" Magazine and loved it. I poured over the pictures and was borderline obsessive of those smelly folded perfume pages. I collected the ripped out advertisements and sniffed away. After my "Victorian" stage ended, I decided I wanted Martha Stewart's "Living" Magazine. I had just baked my first cake from scratch while my mom napped, and I wanted more culinary challenges. In particular, I loved the perforated square recipe cards. If you ever find her recipe for her "Easy Spanikopita", try it!

    

During these times, my mother owned her own quilting store and was quite the quilter. I spent a good deal of time going to her quilting clubs and trying to avoid the old ladies that smelled like cat food. I was surrounded by all types of fabrics, sewing tools, and quilting notions. I took a liking to these little tomato pin cushions she sold in the shop. They were bright red with a Crayola Green top. I used to love to push the flat sewing pins flush with the firm cotton surface. It is always funny the random things that I remember from those times.

So, You are most definitely asking how these two random paragraphs relate. Well...here it is. I have a close friend who loved to take baths in the antique tub in her old apartment. I could tell this by two things: She would often answer her phone while she was "tubbing" and a weird watery echo then ensued for the length of our conversation. Also, by the enormous collections of magazines watermarked and crinkled from their occasional splashes and dips into the bath laying in her palatial bathroom. The magazines were a mix of Vegetarian Times, Domino, and my favorite, Martha Stewart "Living".      

       The other day she called and said she had a project for us to work on for her day trip up to Portland. It was a feature on heirloom fabric tomato pin-cushions from a very old issue of Martha's "Living". I tried to hide my giddiness because no one is supposed to be that psyched about a pin cushion OR an old Martha issue. I was. 

      While I waited for her to arrive I put the monster, Oops I mean baby, in the swing praying for quiet and ran to my craft room. I outsmarted the wiley pile of Leon's old computer parts to grab my fabric stash and set up shop in the living room. As my friend unpacked her pile of textiles the contrast of our palette choices was obvious, but we did have a few of the same patterns.

        A fun day of obsessive crafting, wine drinking, rocking babes to sleep, and "coffee talk" followed. Take a look at the "fruit" of our labor.   Just let me know if anyone wants detailed instructions. 

These below were our first attempts. No comment.

Not your Gramma's Canape'

One fateful summer in Maine, a Democrat actually tried to run for Congress...Go figure. Of course I had the pleasure of being an indentured servant to one of his top "people". A few hours before a large fundraiser my job description of nanny changed...to caterer? I had the task of preparing several different types of appetizers to be passed. It was a fundraiser set against the backdrop of a private beach estate and many people in attendance would not be impressed with Tostito's and salsa for the cost of their invites. They talk about champagne taste on a beer budget. Well, I had to have gourmet hors d'ouvres on a cheese 'n' crackers time frame. 

My Employer gave me a recipe she insisted I "whip up". I glanced at the list of ingredients...the words "Hell No" came to mind. White bread and cream cheese? However, I didn't care enough to scour Epicurious.com for the perfect canape'. White bread wrapped canned asparagus with cream cheese spread would have to do. While reading the recipe in detail I became, as I often do, a bit defiant to this dish's lack of character. I opened the fridge looking for some small additions and got down to business. That is how one of my favorite dishes was born. Forty minutes later I pulled my Siracha and blue cheese asparagus bites out of the oven and plated them for the Soiree'. A few days later, I was writing the recipe down for my boss to email to the several guests who raved about my pinch hitter canape'.  Was that last sentence me being a bit too braggy? I guess you'll just have to deal and then make these.

Gather:

Softened cream cheese (a small tub)

Four tablespoons Blue Cheese (you can add this to taste)

A loaf of the whitest, grossest bread you can find

Siracha Hot sauce 

Half cup melted butter

Fresh Asparagus cut as pictured above

Mix the cream cheese with the blue cheese and add the Siracha to taste. Cut the corners off the bread and flatten with a rolling pin (or hands). Spread a generous amount of blue cheese mixture on the flattened piece of bread. Put two or three asparagus spears in the middle and roll up. Make the roll as compact as you can. Cut the "log" in three pieces as shown below. Place on buttered baking sheet and brush generously with the melted butter. Put in freezer for twenty minutes to firm up and bake at 375 until golden brown. 

This weekend I had a friend visiting for some wine, sewing ( I couldn't bring myself to say crafting), and baby Dahlia time. I woke up and had a mere thirty minutes to go to the grocery store before the man had to leave, so I made these. My friend doesn't even like blue cheese which I remembered on my way home from the supermarche'. She loved them, at least she said she did. Also, unfortunately the Democratic candidate didn't win... hope it wasn't the food.