Project Backlog

There were a bunch of projects I completed recently I didn't want to post as they were thank-you gifts for the people who helped out with our wedding. Now that we are mostly recovered...

I decided to make gift bags full of fun goodies, pretty bits of silliness, and where I had time a hand made item to express my sincere thanks for everything people did for us. It still amazes me how awesome our friends are and our day would not have been successful without everyone's help.



My former roommate likes froggies and has a kitchen painted a lovely fluorescent green (it is a much better color than this and much better than you are probably thinking). She was a huge help organizing and implementing successful cleanup after the wedding so my groom and I could retire to our hotel. I found this pattern and thought it appropriate for her gift bag.



This was my first attempt at hardanger. My maid of honor and dear friend did such an amazing job with the bachelorette party and keeping me sane in general. She recently purchased a home and her front room was decorated in these colors. I am not sure I like doing hardanger work but I really liked this pattern.



These were originally going to be a holiday gift for a friend until I found out (shortly after finishing them) that she doesn't like wool - not even the amazingly soft cloud like wool I used on my wedding socks. These are a thicker tougher wool designed to be worn with boots so I figured they would be right out. Happily the wonderful woman who made all of the tasty-tasty food for our wedding liked them and has been enjoying their thick cozy warmth.



This was a silk scarf form I had purchased and did some embroidery on as a gift for the woman who made our unbelievably flavorful cake.

White Wool Socks

Wedding Socks are completed!!!! I had thought it would be neat to knit some pretty lacy socks for the wedding but that attempt was full of fail. So, I just did what I know how to do - basic socks. The wool is lovely and soft and I am sorry I couldn't better showcase it with greater skill, but I am just not there yet. It is nice to know I will have something that I made and it was good to have a project for the wedding that I find calming

Dobra Tea House

I had stopped into Dobra Tea House in Madison once but was somewhat overwhelmed by the selection and underwhelmed by the comfort so I ended up not staying. However, a friend of mine and I had wanted to meet up for an afternoon of tea and chatting and she recommended this place so I gave it another try.

My problem with it originally was that I don't like rickety tables - they seem unwelcoming and the wicker ones provided looked like they would topple over if my clumsy self looked at them funny. So, we tried one of the little nooks filled with pillows and small lap table. This was much more cozy when I sort of snuggled up in the corner and I think is the way to go in the future.

The tea selection was still overwhelming (they give you a book for a menu) and it wasn't really organized or navigated well but my friend pointed me the right direction and I ordered the Masala which was a nice spicy blend and some pita bread covered in cinnamon, sugar, and butter (anything that involves those three elements has to be awesome right?).

Much better experience when I actually gave it a try but I think the key is having good company to spend it with.

We also managed to hit the "free" section of the library book sale and each found some really great young adult fiction (young adult fiction is awesome because it isn't afraid to explore things - it never seems limited by unused imagination). All in all the day was a win.

Reading...

I recently found a used copy of a Sharon Shinn novel I have been looking for only to discover it was the third in a series rather than an independent novel so I of course needed to buy the first two just to say caught up - obviously. I believe these are classified as some of her young adult novels but they were just as magical and captivating as always.

I am not sure what it is about her writing that draws me in so much. I was once reading a novel of hers that on the service wasn't really very good but I still couldn't put it down. I devour every page wanting to see where the story takes me and sad when it ends and I have nothing left to read.

In updating my Book list I discovered there are 3 or 4 new ones I haven't read yet - I feel so behind! Sadly, I need to wait until after the wedding or I will never get everything done.

Flowers

One of the things that was important to me for the wedding was the flowers - I knew I could never afford to cover the entire place in flowers but I had some specific requirements for the bouquet. I wanted my bouquet to incorporate flowers that remind me of people in my life - irises are my favorite flowers and they remind me of my dad, daffodils remind me of my mother (my dad brought them to her every spring), red carnations are my maid of honor's favorite flower, calla lily's for the groom's mother, and roses because a lot of people said those or couldn't pick a flower (I picked peach because those are my favorite). However, as with everything wedding related, the price of the bouquets was more than I expected. I discovered I could make what I wanted myself for less.

Pear Pudding: Budino di Pera

Pear Pudding: Budino di Pera

In an effort to use up eggs, I thought I would try something a little outside my comfort range. I am not generally a fan of custard but I was intrigued. They are a little fussy to make. The only alteration I made was to crush some oatmeal to coat the sides of the ramekins with rather than bread crumbs which was a texture thing for me - I am not a fan of the taste of soggy bread.

Veggie Quiche

I have a ridiculous amount of eggs that needed to be used up and since we are going to a grill out tonight (and I hate coming empty handed) I thought I would make a quiche.

I am not a big fan of quiche actually so I don't know much about them. I also didn't want to buy a lot of extra ingredients so I looked online at different recipes and ratios and came up with this.

Favorite crust recipe of your choice
1 large onion
2 cups diced peppers
1 cup assorted mushrooms
minced garlic
8 eggs
2 cups milk
2 Tbsps mustard (I only had yellow but dijon would probably be better)
1 + cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsps Parisian Herbe blend (dill, parsley, chive, and some other stuff)
seasoned salt
black pepper

1. Prepare, roll out, and spread your pie crust in the bottom of pie pan and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 or 375.

2. Saute onions, garlic, and green peppers in either olive oil or butter until soft. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Spread these in the pre-baked shell.

3. Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, and spices together until fluffy. Fold in cheese and pour over veggies. Bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and set.


I think this actually makes about 2 quiches. I have both leftover veggies and goo. I tried to turn the egg goo into some sort of pan fried thing but the milk ratio just made it boil and get sort of lumpy. That was not a good idea. I think I am going to add tomatoes to the veggies though and make a pasta sauce for work this week.

Anyway, it looks tastey. I haven't tried it yet. We will see how it goes over tonight.