Author Archives: Julia

Day 15 – Rhubarb Pie

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Days 13 and 14 happened.

Day 13 was kind of half-assed, I will admit, though it was a proud day. The July/August issue of Jack and Jill (I’m the editor for that magazine, by the way) came out. Jen, the lovely art director, and I put a lot of time into each issue. We had the opportunity to be especially creative with this one (a new format for the front and back cover, a photo shoot with real kid models…), and so Day 13 felt like a lovely culmination of creativity.

Day 14 was a little too personal for me to post here just yet. I wrote down some memories of Oma for mom to read at the funeral on Saturday since I’m not there. Did you know plane tickets to Holland cost quite a bit if you want to buy them mere days before actually leaving?

Day 15 involved pie. Pie, glorious summer fruit flaky crust pie. Sweet, tart, and spice-laced rhubarb pie. I know, rhubarb kind of should go with strawberries, right? Now, I don’t have a lot of experience with rhubarb. It’s not a favorite fruit of mine. I baked it into coffee cake once last summer. Since it’s a kind of unpopular fruit (compared to berries and peaches for example) I wanted to showcase it all by itself. Plus, it’s supposedly got this ridiculously tart flavor, which I thought would be fun to try to compliment with spices.

I found a recipe for the filling in what I think may become my trusty Essential New York Times cookbook and adapted it just a bit. I made my lard and butter pie crust. I baked it in my favorite purple polka-dotted pie dish. I tucked my pie bird in the center. He let’s out steam.

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Day 12 – 36 Hour Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Long week. Glad it’s over, but it’s not really over. Glad I can support my mom. Not glad the last time I saw my grandmother was two years ago. Distance sucks. I’m not quite sure what else to say right now. I think I’m going to miss my Oma though.

Chocolate chip cookies – a classic comfort food.

Chocolate chip cookies, you gotta have more
You can bake them in the oven or buy them at the store
But whatever you do have them ready at the door
And I’ll love you til I die, boom, boom, boom

In our quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookies, I came across a recipe published in the New York Times in 2008. The gist of the article that accompanied it was that in order to get a truly flavorful chocolate chip cookie, you must let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 36 hours. The resting time allows the eggs, the hydrating ingredient in cookies, to really penetrate the dry ingredients. You must pay attention to the size, because, well, it matters. Large cookies allow for three textures – a crisp outer edge, a soft center, and a small space where the two meld together in a ring. Please also use salt. Salt enhances sweet like no other. Trust this. And use disc-shaped chips. Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chips are a larger, disc shape.

So, was the 36 hour wait worth it? My brother claims they are more flavorful. I ate five yesterday.

The recipe suggests baking for 18-20 minutes. I had never heard of cookies baking for that long, so I punched 10 minutes into my timer for the first batch. When it beeped, the cookies were very ready to come out. In fact I shortened the baking time to 8 minutes for the rest, rotating the sheets at 4 minutes.

Also, don’t be scared by cake flour. Mix 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of cornstartch and you have one cup of cake flour.

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Days 9, 10, & 11 – Photos and Lentil Burgers

Posted in 30 Days of Creativity, dinner, friends, horses, photos, riding, vegetarian by

I got a few days behind. I did something creative each day. Posting, not quite.

Day 9

Day 10

I’ve made these lentil burgers and posted the recipe before. Last time I made them I had the hardest time getting them to stick together to form actual patties. Since then I’ve read a few other lentil burger recipes. The trick? Blend or food process about half of the burger mixture to a puree. I’ve updated the recipe, so just click on the link above! Also, this time I used red pepper flakes instead of a jalapeno, one chopped up carrot, two mini sweet peppers, and homemade pesto (with basil from my garden!) instead of the sour cream sauce.

Day 11

We went to Bloomington for the day on Saturday to meet up with three of my friends from my days on the IU Equestrian Team. We’re kind of spread out through the midwest these days, but something about spending three or four years together working to make a tiny team into one who competed at Nationals, forms a …. bond … keeps you close. We spent the day drinking (I promise I did not drive back to Indy drunk that night! I would never.) and Meredith ordered this pretty drink with a popsicle in it.

I’m making lots of things in the kitchen today! Can’t wait to share them with you!

Day 8 – Homemade Lotion

Posted in 30 Days of Creativity, home projects by

I have successfully made my own lotion. Screw a pie shop, I’m going to start my own line of body products. But seriously, I feel really good about the scrub and this lotion. Really, really easy. Not time consuming at all. I have lots of ingredients left to make more batches, which will probably save me money. So good for my skin and body. So all-natural!

 

I think homemade body products are a lot like homemade cooking. People who don’t cook a lot think popping frozen vegetables or chicken in the microwave, heating up premade pasta or pizza, or eating out is so much easier than cooking a meal from scratch. And honestly, it sounds so much easier. I don’t blame those people at all. But turns out, with just a bit more effort and a little planning, you can make pretty tasty pasta or chicken or vegetables at home and on your own. You know exactly what’s in your meal that way, you get the satisfaction of having made it, and it’s probably cheaper in the longrun. (Noticed a money-saving trend right now? My pesky bank account isn’t looking so good.) Same thing with body products! I’ve never seen much point in making my own. It’d be hard, I’d have to buy weird ingredients, and it’s so convenient to buy a bottle of lotion at Target. NOT TRUE!

Moral of the paragraph? Give homemade a try! Start with the basics and once you’ve gotten the hang of how to make chicken or lotion or whatever, get creative.

Hello, summertime lotion! And thank you fancy Hipstimatic lens!

So here’s the lotion recipe. I loved watching the water, oil, and beeswax come together in the blender. The stuff starts out all watery and within minutes it’s blended up into a lotion consistency. How?! These are the times I wish I knew more about chemistry. Would this be chemistry? I’m clueless. If you worry about the oiliness of your lotion, I say take a deep breath. I was too, at first. My lotion looked quite oily when I first transfered it to the glass jar. I covered it up and let it reach room temperature overnight. This morning it looked much more…lotion-y? Either way, not bad. It soaks into the skin fairly well. But then I like lotion that I can still feel on my skin a few hours later. Makes me think it’s actually working. So no oily residue, but a smooth and moisturized feel left behind. If you’re worried about this, maybe dial down the olive oil a bit…? Also, I just discovered today that different essential oil scents have different medicinal properties and benefits. So do some research before you pick your scent!

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Day 7 – Peachy Coconut Cookies

Posted in 30 Days of Creativity, baked, cookies, summer by

Just looking at the name of these cookies makes me think SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER! I almost cried when I spotted peaches on the list of produce I could get in my grocery bin last week. Peaches mean summer is here! Another hint may be the 90+ degree weather we’re having.

Anyway, my first instinct was to make a blueberry-peach pie. But Michael is out of town this week and I didn’t want him to miss out on one of my favorite pies. Plus the blueberries may have jumped into a few breakfast smoothies. It’s like they wanted me to do something healthy with them, the buggers.

About a month ago I marked a peach sugar cookie recipe on A Beautiful Mess. The cookies photographed were decorated so gorgeously with pastel-colored coconut that I couldn’t resist. But alas, no peaches yet for me. Until day 7 of Creative Fun Month!

Conveniently enough, today is a co-worker’s birthday. So I settled into the kitchen last night with Joy the Baker’s latest podcast and a beer. And so a mouthful of summertime prettiness was created!

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Day 4 – Sugar Scrub

Happy Day 4 of Creativity Saturday!

Not only was today creative, but it was damn productive, too. I bought supplies for three projects, rode my bike, and went to my first heated yoga class.

Today’s creative endeavor was inspired by someone else’s Day 1 creativity. 30 Days of Creativity asks participants to pin their creations on Pinterest every day. Scrolling through pins of blankets, photos, food, and art, I’ve been really amazed. People are so talented. So, someone posted a sugar scrub (you know, to use in the shower) and I got inspired. If I make my own health and beauty products then I know no icky chemicals go in them! Cool!

This body scrub uses mostly basic ingredients found in every house. You may not have the vitamin E or the essential oil, but honestly for how expensive a nice and chemical-free body scrub is, buying those two items is probably worth it. I found both at a local health food store (Good Earth for those of you who live in Indy). It also is entirely wonderful and works magic on the skin! I made this batch, hopped into the shower, and scrubbed up. My skin is incredibly soft. In fact, if I wasn’t so obsessive about moisturizer, I probably could’ve skipped the post-shower lotion all together!

Some tips before you get started. Sugar – you can use any type. I used a mix of white and brown sugars. Epsom salts – buy a bag because they have lots of uses! Apparently they draw toxins out of the body, relaxes muscles, and reduces swelling. Olive oil – you can use whatever type of oil you want (almond, olive, coconut, etc.) I went with a mix of olive and coconut. Vitamin E – very good for your skin! Essential oil – I went with orange. I think peppermint would be ahmahzing though. And this tip is IMPORTANT! DO NOT USE A GLASS JAR TO STORE YOUR SCRUB, despite what you see in my photo. This glass jar did not make it much longer after it was photographed. Did you know that water, which there’s a lot of in a shower, makes glass slippery? Please just use a plastic container. Mine is now in an old yogurt container.

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Day 3 – Grilled Cheese and Nail Polish

Posted in 30 Days of Creativity, food, home projects by

We are on day 3 of 30 Days of Creativity.

What happened to day 2 you ask? Well. Day 2 I created the September/October 2011 issue of Jack and Jill. By that I mean I decided what was going in it and the order it would all go in. To me this part of my job has always been like organizing a paper and its argument. I love doing it. I also used my creative juices to edit the story, articles, and poem for the issue. No picture.

Back to day 3.

I created watermelons on my toes with nail polish in my living room. I also created dinner with homemade bread, cheese, basil, oregano, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. Yes, that’s mayonnaise. Don’t slather the outsides of your grilled cheese bread with butter. Use mayo instead. Yum. I did not keep my feet near my dinner for very long. My feet are incredibly gross. Well, really only the right one. It’s an embarrassment.

OK, now, finally, I have a garden update for you! I know, you’ve been just dying to know.

black cherry tomatoes

zebra tomato

prudins purple tomato

rosemary and basil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been watering. Think I need to get some fertilizer. I can wait to see if I’ll actually get some tomato growth!

Day 1 – Scotcheroos and Corn Cakes

Posted in 30 Days of Creativity, dinner, food by

Day one of 30 Days of Creativity was a delicious success. I got creative in the kitchen. Start easy and where you’re comfortable, right? On Sunday we went to a barbeque hosted by a former co-worker. We’d been camping Friday through Sunday morning near Bloomington, so I needed something easy to make. Lucky for us, I requested breakfast on the way home from our campsite at Bloomington Bagel Company. Michael spotted a Peanut Butter Crunch bar in the dessert case and declared it very good. Could we reproduce it? One taste and I said hell yes, this is gonna be easy! These are scotcheroos!

Have you heard of scotcheroos? They’re like Rice Krispie Treats but better because they involve peanut butter, butterscotch, and chocolate. I use the word addicting loosely here. I ate one at the barbeque and then two more on the way home.

Scotcheroos seemed to be the easy and obvious choice for Day 1 for multiple reasons: Michael requested I make them again, and soon; they take literally 15 minutes to make; no oven; did I mention delicious?

We also had corn cakes with avocado and tomato salsa for dinner.

I prepped half of this meal (the corn cake batter) while I ate breakfast at the counter this morning. All that was left to do tonight was cut up veggies for salsa and cook the cakes. The meal is flavorful and balanced, filling and yet not heavy. The sweet corn cakes go nicely with the bright salsa. I love combining tomatoes and avocados. Just something about the flavors mixing together. Next time will add some black beans to the salsa. And the bright colors in this meal were actually fun to photograph! Continue reading →

30 Days of Creativity

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I’m the kind of person who says she’s going to start projects and either never does or starts them halfway and then poops out. The fact that I got my tomatos and herbs planted is a miracle, one that I’m very glad happened.

Last summer I built a small corner shelf. It’s still not painted nor hung.

I’ve been home from Spain for two weeks and have not started on the photo project I had planned.

I planted my garden at the beginning of May and have yet to make any labels for the plants besides writing on pieces of purple Duck Tape and sticking them on the pots.

Just some examples. So when I read about an initiative called 30 Days of Creativity on Readymade’s website, I thought here’s my chance to knock out these projects and then some!

Here’s the lowdown on 30 Days of Creativity. I pledge to create something, stretch my creative brain muscle, for all of the 30 days during the month of June. Each day, I’ll post my creation on Twitter with the hash tag #30daysofcreativity and onto 30 Days of Creativity’s Pinterest if I want to. (I actually have not delved into the world of Pinterest yet. Do you use it? What does it actually do?) I’m also going to post a picture of what I’ve created each day right here on my blog. So get excited for daily posts!

Creating something can mean working each day on one large project for 3o days. It can mean doing a different small project each day. The creation can be something as simple as taking a photo from what I understand, or even be a food creation. I have a feeling something like half of my creations will be food-related, so I’m going to try and post the recipes along with the daily photo.

I’m pretty pumped about this month. Maybe it’ll kick my half-assing of projects, well, in the ass!

Song of the Week

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Here I am. Back from Spain. Refreshed. Tan. (OK sunburned.) Happy. No further rundown here. I’ll give you a brief trip summary with photos later this week.

As for now, I’ve been desperately trying to catch up on my Google Reader. Joseph Arthur caught my eye in my NPR First Listen feed. He’s a singer/songwriter from Ohio and his new album The Graduation Ceremony comes out May 24th.

I’m sitting here at work, catching up, reading through layouts as deadlines approach, getting high on carpet glue fumes that float through the office hallways today, and listening to this album. It’s enjoyable. Typical singer/songwriter pleasantness. Perfect for a too-cold-and-rainy-for-May day. Then the last song plays. One line leaps out at me.

Love never asks you to lie.

Hey, turns out that’s the name of the song! And that line is repeated again and again. I listened over and over again.

Love is not having to lie, not wanting to lie, not being too scared to say the exact thing on your mind, even if that thing is scary. You have no idea what a relief it is to be able to be open, to feel comfortable saying everything and anything. The best loves, whether they’re friends, family, or significant others, don’t ask you to lie. They allow you to be completely honest.

Oof. Deep for a Wednesday afternoon? The post-vacation days have been kind of rough. I’m glad we had vacation time when we did.

So anyway, here’s your song. Love Never Asks You To Lie, Joseph Arthur.