Helen Ethel Studio

Poached Eggs with Arugula and Portobellos

2012-01-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

Dan was out of town on business yesterday so I took the day off to devote an entire day to catching up of projects I've been working on and running some errands. I spent the day sewing Anna Maria Horner's Sidewalk Satchel- a pattern I've had for a few years now. I started the bag shortly before Christmas but had to pack it away until everything settled down after the holidays.

I'm looking forward to sharing the completed bag with you all. It's being sewn up in two gorgeous prints from Amy Butler's Lark collection that I got for an absolute steal from Drygoods Design (amazing service and communication, by the way. I can't wait to shop here again.) Anyways, I spent nearly the entire day sewing away, interrupting myself only to give Heidi belly rubs and take her on walks, when I realized that I had made a huge error in the construction. Rather that ripping all of my seams out and growing even more frustrated, I took the higher road and calmly put the bag away and will approach it again when my mind has cleared. Ah, so frustrating!

By the time the materials were all packed up I was starving but didn't have the patience to make too much for dinner. I opted for a delicious light meal of two poached eggs atop a bed of arugula and sliced portobello mushrooms.

The meal was so tasty and was as easy to prepare as it sounds. Simply poach two eggs in an almost simmering bath of water. I add about two teaspoons of white vinegar for two eggs. This addition will assist the egg whites in congealing and makes your life a whole lot easier. While the eggs were poaching I dressed a bed of arugula and sliced portobello mushrooms with a drizzle of fruity extra virgin olive oil that we purchased in Sonoma a few years ago and an aged balsamic vinegar from a local store in West Chester. I added a bit of sea salt and cracked pepper to taste and topped the dish with a shaved, nutty cheese (Creamy Toscano Cheese Soaked in Syrah, from Trader Joe's- delicious, by the way).

P.S.

For a great write up on poaching eggs, I suggest a visit to Smitten Kitchen.

A belated Happy New Year

2012-01-19T07:59:00.002-05:00

fHappy New Year, dear readers- new and old! I apologize for my disappearance after the holidays. The day after Christmas I got really, really sick and did nothing but lay in bed for nearly four days. Then Dan got sick. And then it was New Years. It's been a bit crazy ever since, but I'm catching up with my little shop and blog. It's about time and I've got lots to share.

I wanted to thank all who participated in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway! I had so much fun reading your comments and thank you for sharing your favorite holiday traditions with me. I think I might be incorporating some of them into our holiday festivities in the future! I love your comments so much, that I wanted to share them with you all. Maybe you'll adopt one or two as your own tradition.

But first, I should officially announce the winner. Heather, comment number 40, was selected via the Random Number Generator. Heather was notified immediately after the contest was finished, but I figured I should make it official here as well. (Heather, your necklace in the mail and should be on your doorstep any day now. Again, thank you for your patience!)

Favorite Holiday Traditions from Helen Ethel Studio readers:

My favorite tradition is our annual Christmas Breakfast! It is a nice time together and always filled with wonderful treats! - Jingle

I love attending the Festival of Lights in Lyon during the holiday season - Sarah

Every Christmas we all go to the midnight church service on Christmas Eve - it's so magical! - Gill

We make fudge - and give bags of it to everyone we know!! - Second Chance Tan

We have one that involves pouring over all the pictures we took during the year and picking the perfect one for our Christmas Card. The discussions are lively!! - Spontaneous Threads

No idea what my favorite holiday tradition is, but some include our elf Noel that visits us in December and surprises the kids with a new hiding spot or other fun things each day. I also love baking and making goodies to give with gifts. And a personal favorite has been making a move to mostly handmade items for presents. - Kelli @ Gohn Crazy

Lighting the advent candles every night, and making and decorating cookies! - Kristi

I love putting up the tree and the daily count down on the advent calendar! - Nancy

We love making gingerbread houses every year! - Deserae

My favorite holiday tradition is any type of Secret Santa giving. Drawing names at work, adopting a family, angel trees...I looooove them all. :) - Daydream Kate

That is so pretty and unique! After Christmas my mom and I get together and cut up all the cards we received and make new ones for next year! - Esther

Most of all, I love decorating the tree! It's such a great group project and seeing the ornaments you haven't seen in a year is like saying hello to old friends! - Jenna Z

I usually host all the celebrations at home, but my mother and my mother-in-law are the ones who do the cooking. I love having all my family around me. - Oso

My favorite tradition is cutting down our Christmas tree! - Amy

What a beautiful necklace! I enjoy listening to Christmas music while decorating the tree. - Sandy and Cosmo

One of my favorite holiday traditions is Black Friday shopping with my mom! - Ashley

Beautiful necklace - thanks for the chance to win. I love the cookie baking (and eating!) - Ellen

My favorite holiday tradition is opening stockings on Christmas eve. - Jen

I watch 'Love Actually' with my partner every Christmas Eve :) I still love it! - Jasmine1485

I love baking and decorating Christmas cookies! - MissMary

I make Rocky Road candy and give it to friends and neighbors - Jeanni D

After all the running around is done, my husband and I get to snuggle up on the couch and watch Love Actually - my favorite movie. It's a quiet, cozy tradition that I love. :) - Burrito

We have a tradition of giving a special ornament to each of the boys on Christmas Eve. - Lora W.

I like the end of the day when me and my Mum get home and relax in front of the telly with a bottle of champagne. - Shevvy

One of my favourite traditions is writing advent calendar postcards to friends and recieveing one in return - that way we catch up with each other before the Christmas turmoil starts. And on the plus side we al get several advent calendars to open a window each day. - Strandkorbtraum

My favorite traditions are making Christmas cookies and watching holiday specials on tv. - Enbartlett

So beautiful! I love your work! My favourite tradition is cutting down the christmas tree in the woods behind our house. - Susan

Wow that thing is beautiful! My family plays board games for the holidays. - Angie

One of my favorite holiday traditions is caroling with 'chosen family' at the (nursing) homes of elderly and sick family or friends of the group. We've been doing it since I was a girl more than 30 years ago. - Holly U.

My favorite tradition is christmas eve with family. eating, visiting and wearing the kids out so they will sleep. thanks for a great giveaway - CMEH

Advent calendars filled with chocolates to count down Christmas. Thanks! - Kimberly

We go out for dinner together every year in an other restaurant. - Baukje

Our family tradition is reading every afternoon, with tea or cocoa and biscuits...in German we say: gemütlich LOL

- Claudia

A group of family friends and my family get together and bake/decorate cookies. We've been doing it since I was two, so it's definitely a tradition that we all look forward to. - Kess

After dinner, my family and friends all go out and watch a movie. Then we head back to my mom's house and eat leftovers and watch the guys play poker!! - Sarah W.

I love doing an Advent calendar for my kids every year! - Heather

I love getting together with family and friends and celebrate Christ's birth! Making cookies, croquettes and olibolen. - Ash and Geoff

One of my favorite holiday traditions is to do my Christmas baking cinnamon pecans, chex mix and toffee. - Robbie

I love painting cookies with my mom and sisters while listening to Christmas music and recalling funny stories. - Shayla S.

I send out real Christmas cards, scads of them!! - Katina

We started a new tradition this year with our children. We hand made our own advent calendar which has been a wonderful success. I also made each child their own personalised felt bouble. Cant wait till next year to do it all again!! - Steph

I love baking cookies with the kids. - Ann S.

We always have a Christmas party. The whole family invites their friends (that includes my parents and siblings) so there's people of all ages having fun. :) - Alessa

I like going to the German-language service at the local Lutheran church with my father - it's the one thing just the two of us do together. - Dang and Blast!

At Christmas we always spend lots of time putting up our tree and decorating the home. - Knitgirl66

My favorite holiday tradition is our various advent/countdown calendars. - Amy B

My favorite holiday tradition is cooking up some homemade caramel corn! - Duff

My favorite holiday tradition is making a big batch of marinara with my mom for Christmas eve. - Kate

My favorite holiday tradition is eggnog on Christmas Eve with are family. Your necklace is beautiful and my provincial colors. - Jeane

As for my holiday tradition, they change some based on what directions my family is moving. But my mother made a special dish and I like to make it each year, to anchor me to some continuity. And I like to have my children over, share some food and play a game together. We all enjoy the shared fun. - Michelle

My family is just starting traditions this year, we're doing 3: advent calendar, Christmas Eve church service, and my newest fun thing, which may become my favorite (I'm not sure since I just got the fruit loops tonight after the kids went to bed): making fruit loop garland for the tree! - Caren

Enjoying the lights - Ballardquilter

Our tradition is to cut down a homely tree, drag it home and burden it with decorations that threaten to tip it over. We do it year after year, and I must say, I love those little Charlie Brown trees. - The Sewing Dork

I like to eat The 12 Grapes at midnight on New Years Eve. If you can eat and finish them by 12:01 you are supposed to have good luck for all of the new year. Yay! - Lemony Lucy

The first Monday of December my family goes caroling and take goodies to friends - Hwscutie

We have a Jesse Tree we put ornaments on every day during Advent. - Laura

My favorite tradition is going to see The Christmas Revels performance in Cambridge, MA -- I just so happen to be going tonight, and it will truly kick off Christmas for me! - The Hungry Crafter

On Christmas eve we make rum balls, go to church, then come home and watch "It's a Wonderful Life." I can't wait. Merry Christmas! - Anne

Glass + Resin Pendant Giveaway

2011-12-13T09:24:00.005-05:00

I am excited to announce that I am participating in the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day! What is Giveaway Day, you might ask? Well, first off- it's awesome. Second- it's a chance for you to win many, many amazing handcrafted items from some very talented crafters. Bloggers and shop owners are giving away fabric, handmade bags, items for the home, jewelry, and accessories - the list goes on and on! So be sure to visit from Sew, Mama, Sew now through December 16th for your chance to win!

I've chosen to give away one of my Glass + Resin Pendants in the Lichen color way. Each handmade pendant features a microcosm of tiny glass spheres encapsulated beneath multiple layers of glass-like resin and is set in an antique brass bezel. The Lichen color way features a monochromatic selection of green and gold glass spheres perfect for the holidays!

The pendant includes an 18" hand-oxidized brass chain and will arrive boxed and ready for gift giving!

To win this lovely necklace all you need to do is comment on this post and tell me what your favorite holiday tradition is. Do you bake an assortment of cookies for family and friends? Do you host a party? Is there a particular dish that you make each year? Tell me- I'd love to know! Be sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you, too!

There are two more ways to win, and they are in no way mandatory. I am simply offering these two additional entries as a thanks for my old and new followers. : )

a.) If you are a follower of my blog, please leave an additional comment and let me know!

b.) If you have fanned Helen Ethel Studio on Facebook, be sure to comment that you are a Facebook follower!

You will have until Friday December 16th to enter. Comments will close at 5pm PCT on December 16th and one winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) on December 17th. I will announce the winner no later than Sunday, December 18th and will note whom that is in this giveaway post. If there is no contact info, or if I do not hear back from the winner within a week of my original email, I will select another individual at random.

Finally, I will ship INTERNATIONALLY!

Thank you for stopping by and participating in this great event. Be sure to visit my my shop, Helen Ethel Studio, as there is still time for holiday shopping! From now until December 17th, I will be offering free shipping on all items. This is open to domestic and international shipping. Please enter the code FREESHIP2011 at check out. Thank you!

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Regarding a current cookie obsession

2011-12-06T21:10:00.001-05:00

Happy December everyone! Like many of you, I can hardly believe that we are already trucking our way through December and knee deep in the holidays. I will not lie- I'm rather excited this year, for many reasons. One of those reasons just happens to be due to all of my baking plans! Now that Dan and I have moved and are for the most part settled in to our new place, I finally have a space to dedicate to cooking and baking. Our last kitchen was a tiny 6'x4' (I'm being generous here) space with next to no counter space. It was a depressing site for any one with a desire to get serious in the kitchen. By the end of our 5 years in that apartment I rarely desired to bake as it would only end up in massive bouts of frustration as I strategically created counter space where counter space should not belong and wedged cookie sheets into our tiny little oven. But, one must do what must be done if one wants to enjoy homemade sweet confections.

Thankfully, this year will be different. We now have a kitchen that is nearly the size of our old apartment's living room and kitchen combined! AND I acquired a dining room table off of craigslist a few weeks ago (a vintage teak Danish Modern piece, I might add!) that will allow me to really spread out and get down and dirty as I bake my way through the month. I've been thinking a lot about cookies- sugar cookies in particular. The ones made of rolled buttery dough, formed by quirky holiday themed cookie cutters, and adorned in jewel-toned sanding sugars and sprinkles. The ones I never would have dared to even consider baking in our old apartment. THOSE. Sugar cookies and I have got big plans this holiday season and it all begins with a recipe for Cardamom Sugar Cookies I saw on Etsy a few days ago that I just can't get out of my mind. I picked up a handful of woodland and elf themed cookie cutters from Ikea last night that I can't wait to use with the recipe. I also hope to make these Salted Caramel Cups, package them up nicely with the delicious sugar cookies, and take them along to a holiday party later that night. I will then repeat the process over and over again until I can hardly take it any longer.

In honor of my recent cookie fixation, I've created an Etsy treasury dedicated purely to delicious and beautiful holiday confections. Warning: I highly advise having a cookie within arms reach while perusing the list!

What about you? Do you have any recipes you have been gravitating toward? What is on your holiday dessert menu? Do share!

'Sweets for the Holidays' by helenethelstudio

...mostly sugar cookies. I just can't seem to get them out of my mind!

Santa Cookies - Hol... thePieceDeResi... $30.00	Jam Rings Vanilla S... justcrumbs $10.50	Candy Cane Peppermi... PerfectlyGoodD... $14.00	Christmas Tree Snow... SugarMeDessert... $15.95
Christmas Cookies -... nadiascookies $42.00	Gingerbread Men Min... SugarMeDessert... $17.95	FAVORS Decorated Co... katieduran $32.50	Assorted Christmas ... KaysSimplyHome... $28.00
Christmas Cookies G... ButterBlossoms $20.00	FAVORS Decorated Co... katieduran $34.50	Snowy Pine Tree Sug... SugarLaneBakeS... $33.20	Coffee Pecan SablÃ©... Janjoupatisser... $7.99
Snowman in Hat Ging... SugarLaneBakeS... $28.00	Cookies Cranberry D... ButterBlossoms $13.50	ELF Cookies - GNOME... lorisplace $34.99	Candy Cane Cookie P... ButterBlossoms $13.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Glass + Resin Pendants have arrived in the shop

2011-11-29T15:13:00.004-05:00

Finally, I am getting my act together and loading all of these goodies into the shop! Today I listed a handful of brass Glass and Resin Pendants in the Helen Ethel Studio Etsy shop and I invite you all to take a peek. I have many brass pendants, but if silver is more your thing, you'll find silver Glass and Resin Pendants in the shop later in the week. These pendants have proved to be very popular at the festivals I've sold them at and I hope you will all agree! They look great with jeans and a relaxed top but look amazing against a simple black dress. Fantastic for the holidays, no?

Glass + Resin Pendant in Plume

Glass + Resin Pendant in Lichen

Glass + Resin Pendant in Automne

Glass + Resin Pendant in Carnivale

new work: focus on color

2011-11-04T09:42:00.003-04:00

"Color is joy. One does not think joy. One is carried by it." -Ernest Haas

LE MER COLOR SHIFT NECKLACE: faceted blue agate + solid, raw brass beads + vintage brass chain + $45*

REIMS PENDANT: mystic purple drusy + hand wrapped in oxidized brass wire + vintage brass curb chain + $36*

*Necklaces will be linked to the shop in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned!

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East Goshen Harvest Festival

2011-10-12T09:09:00.004-04:00

Hello to all! I wanted to drop a quick note to let you all know that I will be selling my jewelry and accessories at the East Goshen Harvest Festival in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I'm pretty excited about this one because it is the first time Helen Ethel Studio will be represented at a festival in the Philadelphia region.

{Source}

The annual Harvest Festival, formerly the Pumpkin Festival, will be held on October 22 (rain date October 23) from 10 am -4 pm at East Goshen Park. It will be family friendly with Hayrides, a Scarecrow Pageant, farm market goodies and prepared foods, music and pumpkins- lots and lots of pumpkins, I'd imagine. So, if you are free and want to enjoy the harvest season please stop by and say hello! I plan on having a mug of warm, mulled cider by my side, all day long.

For more information, please visit the event's Facebook page.

Thick, Chewy Granola Bars

2011-10-06T07:33:00.002-04:00

This past Labor Day weekend, a group of friends and I travelled from far and wide to convene on a little patch of land, next to the Juniata River in Central Pennsylvania. This was our third year participating and Dan and I consider it our last big exhale of the summer, where we can kick back, relax and just enjoy the warmth of the sun, laughs with friends, and nature. It was especially important for us to really embrace the idea of relaxation because we knew the weeks to follow would be a bit of a roller coaster for us. The month of September was a whirlwind of travel for a wedding, moving and all of the packing and unpacking that goes along with such things. And because of that, I did not post one. single. time. in September.

This camping event has typically been a pot-luck sort of deal and it works quite well. I signed up for salads and baked goods. I tacked the baked goods onto my list because we had finally received our replacement oven weeks earlier after being without one for nearly six months. Oh, how I've longed to bake! But because our apartment was in a shamble sort-of-moving-limbo state, I didn't want to get in over my head by spending hours baking cookies or a cake or any other time intensive confection. Instead, I opted for a practical, semi-healthy treat that would give all of us campers an easy snack on the run for our daily floats down the river. I made these thick, chewy granola bars that I found on Smitten Kitchen.

They were so simple and delicious that I made them again the following night! In the middle of packing for a camping trip and packing box upon box for an apartment move. That good and that easy! It basically comes down to gathering your necessities, which you most likely already have in your pantry: quick oats, cinnamon, honey, sugar and butter and then procuring your add-ins, such as raisins, currants, nuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips, flax seeds, coconut flakes, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. I made two different versions, each with similar ingredients but different amounts and pan sizes and both were delicious though very different in sweetness and texture.

Below, I've shared Smitten Kitchen's version of the granola bar recipe that she adapted from the original King Arthur Flour version.

Thick, Chewy Granola Bars

Smitten Kitchen's adaption of the King Arthur Flour bar

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats

1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more if you prefer a sweeter bar, less if you prefer a not-so-sweet bar)

1.3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, process till finely ground in a food processor or blender -or, in my case, a coffee bean grinder!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 or 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)

1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional- I used almond extract as I was out of vanilla extract)
6 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup

2 tablespoons of light corn syrup (see note above)

1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray. Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (Deb suggests using a piece of plastic wrap to help with this.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges. They may seem a little soft and under done, but will firm up once out of the oven.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack.

Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares or rectangles. Be sure they are cool before cutting into them or you might end up with loose, crumbly granola fit for a bowl of yogurt. I actually popped mine in the refrigerator once they cooled and then cut them the next day.

My add ins:

Bar No. 1- currants, wheat germ, peanut butter*, semi-sweet chocolate chips*, slivered almonds, shaved unsweetened coconut. (*For this first batch, I added 1/3 cup of peanut butter and a lot of chocolate chips. I weighed my measurements until I reached 10-15 ounces, as suggested. So, I was sort of throwing things together. This first batch- perhaps because of the combination of sweet currants, peanut butter and the chocolate chips- was very moist, and very sweet. For the next batch, I reduced the amount of peanut butter, chocolate chips and sugar and ended up with a less-moist and not-so-sweet bar that was equally delicious. I suggest playing around with the recipe, have fun and really make it your own!)

Bar No. 2- dried apricots, wheat germ, peanut butter, salted sunflower seeds*, almonds, semi-sweet chocolate chips, shaved unsweetened coconut. (*Because the sunflower seeds were salted, I omitted the salt originally called for in the recipe.) I baked these in a rectangular pan that had more surfae space than the 8"x8"x2" pan called for in the recipe and used with the first bars. As expected, the bars were more thin, and I got more out of them. They ended up having a drier, more crumbly texture. This may have resulted from the combination of less peanut butter and a larger pan size. Regardless, they were delicious and you should absolutely give them a try!

Spyglass Ridge Winery Celticfest: Booth Photos!

2011-08-28T21:49:00.035-04:00

Here is a peek at my booth set up from this year's Spyglass Ridge Winery Celticfest in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. This was my second festival appearance and I was very happy with the way things turned out. I was especially happy with my booth display. Below are a few of my favorite shots which give a nice overview of the set up. I'll be posting more about the details in the coming days, so stayed tuned!

Art Deco Inspired Wedding Jewelry

2011-08-04T21:24:00.005-04:00

First off, allow me to apologize for what seems to be the abandonment of my blog! I've been seriously slacking with my posting this summer. I vow to change this. Secondly, my apologizes for this photo heavy post. Hopefully it will be worth it.

The following set of jewelry was created for a June wedding that took place on a farm in rural Pennsylvania. The bride desired a romantic, vintage aesthetic but for the most part gave me full artistic reign (thanks Katie!). The color palette of sapphire and lime green was chosen by the bride to reflect her bridal party colors. I chose to work in brass to quietly emphasize the vintage aesthetic and designed the necklaces as multi-strand pieces to stand out against her bridesmaids' simple, sleeveless sapphire blue dresses.

After viewing a photo of the bride's gown, I looked to the work of Miriam Haskell and the Art Deco movement of the 1920's and 30's for inspiration. The original designs utilized vintage brass stampings and filigree in floral and bird motifs. Unfortunately, the pieces just weren't suited for the necklace designs so I had to abandon the idea and work with something else. I was fortunate to find the most amazing hammered brass rounds to replace the brass stampings. I don't think the design suffered in anyway with the change and, perhaps, echoes the Art Deco period more so than the original designs.

The faceted cobalt blue beads are actually vintage Czech glass pieces from the early 1920's- a truly wonderful find! They capture the sunlight in the loveliest of ways. They, along with olive jade rounds and faceted tribal brass beads, were carried through out each of the three designs. Vintage Czech glass micro-seed beads and brass flower stampings were featured in the other two designs.

The necklaces were finished with an adjustable, vintage brass chain.

Above is a photo of all of the completed necklaces. Below is an image of the matching earrings which were kept simple so as not to detract from the more decorative necklaces.

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An homage to my camera phone.

2011-07-14T18:09:00.001-04:00

Ree Drummond is focusing on photos taken with a mobile phone for this week's Pioneer Woman Photography Assignment. I was excited to read this yesterday as I have a bit of an obsession with my phone's camera and the many photography apps available on the market. In fact, I currently have 913 photos on my phone. Oh my! I think it's time to do some house cleaning!

Anyway, as I was sorting through my photos for an image to submit to today's pool, I thought it might be fun to highlight a few of my favorite iphone photos here. Some you may have already seen, but others you have not. I love all of them and especially adore the feeling of shooting a photo, running it through an app such as Instagram or ShakeItPhoto, and viewing the new image. This usually concludes with me getting all giddy-like and shoving the phone in front of Dan's face to show him how amazing the image turned out. Well, amazing in my opinion anyways. :)

A more recent shot, taken below the Spring Garden El stop in Philadelphia. It was captured while waiting for a very late bus (again). And though I have a great aversion to Philly's public transit system, and remember that I was very annoyed when I shot this, something about this photo (and I think it's that soft burst of light at center) calms me in the smallest of ways.

An absolute favorite, shot on a morning walk with Heidi.


Wild horses along the coast of Corolla, North Carolina. They appear as if to be a mirage.

Chaddsford Winery, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. It's as if I stepped through the rabbit hole and snapped this one. It reminds me a wonderful day with friends.

Metomkin Seafood Market, Mappsville, Virginia

This photo was a complete surprise. Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Another beach photo. Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. This reminds me that vacations go by too, too quickly.

Oh that Heidi, she's a cutie. :)

Mmm, beer on a cold winter's day. Vargas Bar, Philadelphia.

And perhaps my all time favorite shot. I took this on the day that we were finally able to bring Heidi home from the Humane Society after adopting her over a month before. She was worth the wait and all the tears and fear that she might not be ours as we waited and waited for the official okay. Here, she's sitting beside Dan, all settled in after the long ride home. I love this photo but the look in her eyes - a pensive look filled with confusion, sadness, fear and wonder - makes me sad. Looking at the photo of her playing in the grass (above), and her expression of absolute delight, reminds us of how far she's come.

Okay, maybe that was more than just "a few". If you've made it this far, all the way to the end, I thank you for looking. I hope you enjoyed them!

Oh, Friday

2011-07-08T09:46:00.000-04:00

It's Friday and it's been a veeeerry trying morning. All I can say is: Thank goodness it is Friday. Mornings like this require a quick peek at this photo to immediately restore the smile to my face and make me all fuzzy inside.

It was taken on Heidi's first Valentine's Day with us. She celebrated with a cookie from Doggie Style in Manayunk. Actually, she celebrated with two, but we reserved the second for later in the week. It's difficult to see in the dark photo, but she is literally licking her chops waiting for that cookie.

I hope your morning has gone smoother than mine, dear readers- and if not, I hope this photo helped in the smallest of ways by bringing a smile to your face as well.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Golden Rutilated Quartz Earrings

2011-06-12T21:32:00.002-04:00

Here are a few photos of the earrings I posted yesterday.

The earrings are composed of faceted, golden rutilated quartz and labradorite rondelles- two stones that I am obsessed with at the moment. They are suspended from hammered brass rings, a component that I've been incorporating into my most recent designs. The red brass really helps to pull out the golden veins within the quartz that make them so, so appealing. They turned out just lovely and I plan to make more in other stones and metals. This pair was made for a friend's birthday, but I think they would make wonderful bridal or bridesmaid accessories.

As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to wait until I edited the photos before I posted them to the blog. I used a free trial version of Aperture 3 that I downloaded this morning, and was quite happy with the results. I've been searching for a photo editing program for our new computer for quite sometime now, and I've been curious about Aperture. I'd love to purchase Photoshop, but can't quite afford that right now. So far, it seems that Aperture might do just what I need it to do. Have any of your had any experience with this program? If so, I'd love to hear you thoughts and/or suggestions!

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A Productive Saturday

2011-06-11T16:40:00.001-04:00

I'm delighted to write that after an incredibly hectic few months, filled with trips to Pittsburgh, Princeton and the Outer Banks, plus a bridal shower and a beautiful wedding, barbecues and weekend outings with friends, I finally found a day to do nothing but make jewelry and relax with Heidi. It feels wonderful!

My most recent muses are these stones and brass beads that I picked up at the bead store last night. I literally ran in for 15 minutes for a few headpins and I came out with the most beautiful strand of faceted (agate, I believe) stones. I just could not resist their beauty and bought them right on the spot.

I constructed these necklaces with the gorgeous stones that my sister gave me for Christmas. They are simple, yet lovely, and are strung on a vintage brass chain.

And here is a photo of another pair of earrings I've been meaning to share with you. Gold rutilated quartz briolettes are wrapped in gold-filled wire and suspended beneath a hammered brass ring and a cluster of labradorite stones. I have better photos to share with you, but they need edited first. For now, the good ol'iPhone photos will have to do.

No matter what you are doing this weekend, I hope you are all enjoying yourselves.

Spicy Coleslaw with Cumin-Lime Dressing

2011-06-06T06:26:00.004-04:00

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. Dan and I certainly had an eventful one spent with great friends. We hosted our second official barbecue of the season, an annual tradition that immediately follows the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship. Every year, we get together with a few of our friends, pack up our bikes and head to Lemon Hill where we spread ourselves out on the grass and eat sandwiches, cheese, and drink wine while basking in the sun and watching an always exciting cycling race. It's one of the best days of the year.

On Saturday we had some major prepping to do and procured an abundance of fruits and vegetables from the market in the morning. There were so many, in fact, that I had to empty my bags outside, on the patio table, to sort through everything.

On the menu: Bangkok BBQ Chicken, rustic Panzanella, spicy Coleslaw with Cumin-Lime Dressing, grilled corn, curried potatoes and Summer-Fruit Angel-food Cake with Mascarpone. Everything was delicious.

I thought I'd share the recipe for the coleslaw with you. The flavors were clean and zesty and not at all overly spicy. I'm looking forward to eating it the rest of the week!

Spicy Coleslaw with Cumin-Lime Dressing

adapted from Bon Appétit, June 2000

3 medium carrots, peeled, finely chopped into strips

6 cups shredded red cabbage (from 1 small head)
1 bell pepper of your choice, cut into matchstick-size strips (I used 1/2 of a red and 1/2 of a yellow)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup olive oil

Zest of one lime

Prepare carrots, cabbage, pepper, and red onion. Add to a large bowl with the chopped cilantro. Whisk lime juice, zest, cumin, garlic and hot pepper sauce in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.

Toss salad with dressing and season with salt and pepper; serve.

Ginger Sewalong

2011-05-30T13:54:00.000-04:00

I hereby announce my participation in the Ginger Sewalong.

Earlier this week, while skimming through a few of my favorite blogs, I saw that Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch is hosting a sewalong for the new Ginger Skirt by Colette Patterns. I was a fan of the Ginger skirt ever since I saw it, but it wasn't until I saw Sunni's blue floral version that I was completely sold.

A Fashionable Stich

I know it was the piping and buttons that did it for me. According to Sunni, the pattern booklet, which is geared toward beginners (whew!), includes helpful hints such as adding piping and pockets. I've been wanting to participate in a sewalong for quite sometime now, and this one seems to be the perfect fit for me. It's geared to the beginner sewist, such as myself, and seems quick enough to sew up, so I can finish it in a short amount of time, if needed.

I immediately hopped on over to the Colette Patterns site and purchased my own pattern. It arrived yesterday and I can't wait to get started. All I need to do now is figure out what fabric to use. Oh, the choices! If you are interested in participating in a sewalong, I suggest you look into Sunni's Ginger Sewalong. I'll keep you all posted as I make my way through the pattern!

Dreaming of days like this

2011-05-30T13:21:00.002-04:00

After just one week back, the humidity of the city has got me dreaming of cool mornings on the beach, watching Dan fish.

This little seagull made a go at his bait. He was unsuccessful. As was Dan. He didn't catch any fish that week but I know the quiet mornings on the empty beach started his days off on a good note. Mornings like this are good for the soul.

With my feet firmly planted in the sand, I was happy as a clam.

Dan's new love - Kite Flying

2011-05-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite images from our trip.

Early morning kite flying. Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

The Banker Horses of the Barrier Islands

2011-05-23T18:24:00.004-04:00

On our second day in the Outer Banks, a few of us took a day trip to the Currituck Outer Banks to see the wild horses that live along the northern beaches. Known as the Banker Horses, these wild mustangs have been well documented on the Outer Banks since the eighteenth century.

Many believe the arrival of the horses dates as far back as the sixteenth century, when they arrived with Spanish colonists. Though no one can be certain, it is thought that they were either abandoned on the barrier islands on exploratory expeditions, or that they may have even survived shipwrecks.

For centuries these stunning animals have endured hurricanes and Nor'easters, living amongst the dunes and homes that run along the shoreline.

They survive on the marsh grass, temporary pools of freshwater, and moisture from the vegetation they consume.

Large herds of these ferrel horses can be found on the Currituck and Shakleford Banks, Rachel Carson Estuarian Sanctuary and Ocracoke Islands.

I was in absolute awe when we happened upon these lovely animals standing at the shoreline. It was a great day, for sure. For more info and history, visit the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

The end of a wonderful, wonderful week

2011-05-22T22:42:00.003-04:00

I have so much catching up to do. Dan and I just returned from an amazing week in the Outer Banks, NC- celebrating the wedding of two of our dear friends and taking in the absolute joy of being around so many amazing people in such a gorgeous area of the United States.

I had planned on catching up on my blog posts. I still have lots of things to share with you from our Pittsburgh trip- such as my consignment store haul and our mini brewery hop. But instead, I did a lot of relaxing because I was fortunate enough to awake to the above landscape every morning.

I did hand deliver a completed wedding jewelry commission that I've been working on for the last few months. That felt very, very good. I'll share the photos and the story with you in a few weeks, after the wedding. I also made a pair of earrings that I really love. I'll share those with you as soon as we have a sunny day in Philadelphia so I can get some nice photos. We seemed to have missed out on a very rainy week.

I also shot 4 rolls of film with my Diana and Motormatic. I even dropped the film off this afternoon (instead of allowing it to catch dust for weeks, or months, as usual) so hopefully by this time tomorrow, I'll have a nice collection of photos to share with you all. I can't wait to show you the images of the wild horses we spotted in Corolla, NC, the delicious food we ate (there was a lot of that), and lazy days of the beach filled with sunbathing and kite flying. (Dan has a new addiction!)

I hope you all had a wonderful week as well. :)

Coca Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA

2011-05-10T06:30:00.002-04:00

Dan and I just returned from a long weekend in Pittsburgh, where we jaunted all over the city- visiting family; exploring breweries; eating delicious pirogies, kolski, and gumbo; visiting the Andy Warhol Museum; and we even squeezed in a little consignment store shopping. It was such a great trip that I wanted to share with you all some of the wonderful places that we visited.

First up is Coca Cafe, in the Lawrenceville section of the city. Dan spotted this little gem amongst the many other cafes in the neighborhood. We started with a simple latte. While drinking this latte, it occurred to me that I could not remember the last time I sat at a cafe and enjoyed a deliciously, frothy latte straight out of a mug rather than in a cardboard cup racing around the city. It was a sad realization and I've vowed to myself to make some room for more quite cafe time with a good book or good company. Also, that latte was delicious.

For lunch, we each ordered a sandwich. Dan got the Club Panini - Turkey, ham, turkey bacon, cheddar, Jarlsberg & tomato grilled on country white bread - with a side of black beans and rice. He said it was delicious and he gobbled it all up. Even the rice and beans. I snuck a bit of those and can attest that they too, were delicious. (Please excuse the excessive use of the word "delicious".)

After much deliberating between the Spinach & Artichoke Tart- Feta, parmesan and pine nuts baked in crispy phyllo served with mixed greens salad , the Grilled Chicken & Brie Sandwich- Fig jam and granny smith apples, served on grilled challah bread, or the Curry Chicken Salad, I settled upon the chicken salad.

Made with mango chutney, apples, golden raisins and pecans, I'd like to proclaim that Coca Cafe's Curried Chicken Salad is the best chicken salad I have ever experienced in my entire life. It was simply amazing. What did it for me was the mango chutney- little bits of sweet mango scattered through out the salad took it from really great curried chicken salad to damn-near sublime. It didn't hurt that the salad was mellow and creamy and served on a perfectly flaky, buttery, crispy croissant with a side salad of mixed greens and sweet grape tomatoes. *le sigh*

We stepped out of Coca Cafe with perfectly full tummies and a bit on cloud nine. Well- me anyways. :) I highly recommend it. Also, so many people recommended it to us later on through out the weekend. We were proud to announce that we had already visited!

So, if you ever find yourself in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh and in search of good food, try Coca Cafe. But be warned, from what I've read and witnessed, it gets pretty packed on the weekends. We lucked out and got a table immediately on a Friday afternoon.

Coca Cafe - 3811 Butler Street - Pittsburgh, PA- 412.621.3171

Walks with Heidi

2011-05-09T19:07:00.000-04:00

Here are a few shots of the park I love to take Heidi to, in the wee early morning hours of the day and after work, when all the other pups are out to play. Two Fridays ago, I found two four-leaf clovers here. Then, that following Monday, I found three more in the very same park. I think she's my lucky charm. :)

Featured on: Makingjewerlysupplies.com

2011-05-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find that Helen Ethel Studio is a featured blog on makingjewelrysupplies, a jewelry supply website that features more than 30,000+ blogs. I'm honored! Thank you so much, Sheila.

If you have a minute, swing on by to check out the other featured blogs.

And here is the homepage:

Jewelry Making Supplies

B.O.B. Robot Necklace

2011-04-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

This funny little guy's name is B.O.B. He starred in the cult film, The Black Hole (1979). Though I have never seen the movie, there was no denying that this little bot needed to be made into a necklace. I adorned the vintage charm with a double vintage brass chain, aqua candy jade, carnelian heishi, and a cobalt blue faceted crystal and packaged him up as a gift for a dear friend's birthday. I'm not quite sure why, but every time I see a cartoon robot, I usually think of her. So, here you have it: a B.O.B. (noble robot assistant to Dr. Hans Reinhardt of the USS Cygnus) Necklace. From what I've read, this character has a southern drawl. Excellent.

The stones are meant to hover below B.O.B. as if they were planets, stars, or his very own little galaxy.

B.O.B.'s close up.

Bunny Rabbit Necklaces

2011-04-18T20:00:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos of some Easter themed necklaces I made for Dan's three nieces. I had a hand full of adorable little vintage bunny rabbit charms in my stash so I decided to put them to good use. I adorned the wee bunnies with wasabi hued Czech glass flowers, fuchsia candy jade faceted rounds, and ivory seed pearls. I love them and secretly want one for myself... good thing I have one more bunny charm! :)

My apologies, the photos aren't the greatest.

I do love my little pillow boxes. They will work well for quick packaging at festivals and were quite economical, to boot. Plus and plus.

Oh look, I had a helper! Heidi, being the beagle that she, loves "wabbits" (as my dad would say). :)

Dear Sapling Letterpress...

2011-04-17T21:47:00.000-04:00

...thanks for making me laugh tonight.

I just discovered Sapling Press, a one woman run letterpress and print shop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm currently loving her Dear Blank cards. Working with Jared and Hans of dearblankpleaseblank, Lisa Krowinski is in the process of recreating their site in stationary form.

The following are on my wish list. I really think they'd be perfect framed and hung on my wall. Smiles and laughs guaranteed.

Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Soup

2011-04-07T06:34:00.002-04:00

I really wish mother nature would make up her mind already. Monday, we were graced with a gorgeous spring day in the mid-seventies, the following day- winds, rain and chill-you-to-the-bone temperatures swept through the city. Yesterday, the temperatures reached the mild mid-50's or so. Honestly, it's enough to drive one absolutely mad, especially when all they want to do is pack up the bulky sweaters and the down parka and break out all the spring frocks. And then we have dinner.

It wasn't quite salad and outdoor grilling weather, yet it didn't quite call for a warm, comforting stew either. Allow me to introduce you to Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Soup- a light, pureed broth of chickpeas, earthy roasted garlic and a splash of bright lemon to remind you that spring weather really is on the horizon.

We made it last night and it was the perfect choice. After sending Dan to the store for a few necessities I was missing (rosemary, broth and celery) I realized that I had somehow forgotten that our oven was broken (and has been for over a week now) and I was setting out to make a soup of chickpeas and roasted garlic. Determined to make this soup, yet not willing to knock on my neighbor's door to ask him if I could roast an entire head of garlic in his oven, I decided to "make it work" (as Tim Gunn would say). I ended up sautéing the garlic with the vegetables, but upped the carrots to two and a half (a generous one cup chopped) in an effort to balance out the massive amounts of garlic. I also added one quart of chicken broth and one quart of vegetable broth to add a bit more depth to the soup. It was quite delicious, even without the missing roasted garlic that surely would have added a sweet mellowness to the soup.

I served it with a shaving of Locatelli Pecorino cheese (in the amazing soup cups my mom got me for Christmas) along with crusty bread.

Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Soup

from The Ciminelli Solution: A 7-Day Plan for Radient Skin*

This hearty soup is thick and wonderfully rich. Chickpeas help the digestive system, which in turn helps clear up complexion problems. The garlic is sweet from the roasting and a good boost for your immune system. -Susan Ciminelli

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

2 cups of cooked chickpeas

1 large head of roasted garlic

2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary

2 quarts of chicken stock

Sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

1/2 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, roasted garlic, rosemary, and chicken stock. Cook for 20 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender in batches and puree until smooth (or use an immersion blender). Return the pureed soup to the pot and reheat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley and stir to combine.

*Note about the book: Highly recommended if you are searching for ways to take control over your skin from the inside out instead of turning to expensive creams and treatments. The book is chock full of delicious recipes, treatment suggestions, and exercise tips to help detoxify your system and really give you beautiful, glowing skin.

Freshwater Pearl and Turquoise Necklace and Earrings

2011-04-03T20:53:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to share this creation with you for quite sometime now but I had to wait until the recipient received it, as it was a birthday gift and I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Dan's mom commissioned this necklace and earring set as a gift for her daughter-in-law's 40th birthday. As she described her desired palette to me, it became evident that the colors of the sea were her true inspiration.

The result is a set that I am very, very happy with. It's quite different than anything I've done before, especially because it incorporates so many pearls. I am not one to wear pearls but I think this necklace has changed my mind. I hope to make more, in different color schemes and media- perhaps incorporating brass, gold vermeil, or wood.

This multi-strand necklace features a mélange of colorful pearls and semi-precious stones echoing the warmth of the sea. Freshwater pearls, Amazonite, Rutilated Quartz, and Turqouise are suspended from a pair of silver cones handmade by the Karen Hill Tribe of northern Thailand.

A faceted Coffee Quartz teardrop, hanging beneath a cluster of Freshwater Pearls and semi-precious stones, adorns the sterling silver, hand wrapped earrings.

Sublime Stitching's Meaty Treats Patterns, and a Rather Epic Apron for Dad

2011-03-17T00:40:00.002-04:00

My dad recently celebrated a birthday, way back in January. I had the wonderful idea to make him an apron, since he's always cooking for someone- whether in the kitchen for family, on the grill, or for his fellow Masons and all the other organizations he's involved with. The apron that I had in mind would feature steaks. I searched and searched for the right fabric but nothing really caught my eye. I wanted it to be quirky and fun, maybe a little retro. Finally, with nearly one week to go and no steak pattern fabric in sight I realized it was time to seek out other options. Enter the amazing Sublime Stitching patterns of Jenny Hart.

Though familiar with Jenny Hart and her embroidery company, I had never used one of her patterns, nor had I done any major embroidery since I was in the 5th or 6th grade when I embroidered a colorful daisy flower on the back pocket of my most favorite jeans. A quick Google search directed me to the company and her then newly released Meaty Treats pattern. I hit the jack pot. With designs for sausage links, and steaks, and hams, and hamburgers, and chicken wings I was equipped to make the most epic food-themed apron for my dad, ever. I would not stop with a single steak. Oh no, I had to add as many items on the apron as I could- complete with a sausage link pennant-like banner across the top from which various meat items would hang and a Sunday ham dinner flanked by two partially eaten chicken wings across the front pocket.

Being the ever so ambitious and adventurous one, I decided to enlarge most of the designs for aesthetics sake- after all, I wanted this apron to be epic. Did I mention I had one week to do this? And I also had to sew up the actual apron? No? Well, it's true. In my extreme state of eagerness I failed to take into account how much time the embroidery would demand of me. I realized this by link two of the sausage link swag. In the end, I worked on this thing non stop- even on the bus and subway on my commute to and from work. Things worked out fine in the end, though I did downsize some items (the little steaks and burgers at the bottom) and I had one less salami hanging beneath the sausage links.

As for the apron itself, I used a heavy, navy colored linen and cotton bias tape for structure. I loosely based my apron on this project from Needle Book but eventually ended up tracing the shape of Dan’s apron, adding 5/8" for the seam allowance. The linen was so, so nice to sew up but was perhaps not the best choice for an apron that might get a lot of usage.

Here's a photo of it on my dress form (looking rather girly, I might add) before it was finished. (Oh look- Heidi wanted to be in the picture, too.) :)

Have any of you used any of the Sublime Stitching patterns? If so, which one(s) and for what purpose? I also purchased the Ryan Berkley patterns and plan on working on them this spring. Can't wait!

Mental health day

2011-03-07T10:48:00.002-05:00

After a long weekend that culminated with me accidentally plunging my iPhone into a cup of chocolate milk, I've decided to take a mental health day to save my sanity from "a case of the Mondays". I plan on relaxing on the couch with coffee under a fluffy down blanket, walking Heidi around the neighborhood, and maybe making myself a pretty pair of earrings, just for the heck of it.

But for now, I'll share a collection of feathered ones that have me thinking spring.

From top to bottom: 5 Little Birds Told Me mobile, Boy With Bird print, Feather Necklace by Odette, Cement Birds for the Garden, Framed Holographic Owl print

Meyer Lemon, Asiago and Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad

2011-03-02T21:41:00.001-05:00

With the mild, spring like temperatures the east coast has been having as of late, Dan and I found ourselves itching for warm nights and barbecues. To settle our pangs for the Spring we decided to make a cold pasta salad earlier this week, paired with simple teriyaki chicken, grilled on Dan's beloved vintage Webber. (yes. Vintage. c. 1986. That boy is a sucker for a good grill.)

I have a feeling that this simple pasta salad is going to become a spring and summer barbecue staple in our little household. I think any sort of vegetable and pasta would work rather well, especially grilled asparagus and roasted red peppers. The key to it, and that which you must not skimp out on, is the quickly roasted tomatoes and the tangy Meyer lemon dressing. The slow roasted tomatoes do add a little bit more prep time than one would hope for, but if you do them in advance- say, the night or morning before- you are smooth sailing my friends. I decided to roast them that evening so I opted for a shortcut by slicing them into half inch slices, drizzling them with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Under a 400 degree oven, they should be roasted enough for your needs, in about 10 minutes. Because I was prepping all the other ingredients, I kept them in for at least a half an hour and they were tasty as can be.

Meyer Lemon, Asiago and Roasted Tomato Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta shells, cooked and cooled

6-8 vine ripened tomatoes, roasted and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 small head of broccoli, chopped

Olives, pitted and chopped (we used a mixture of Spanish olives)

Asiago cheese, cubed (or a favorite that you might prefer)

1/4 onion, chopped (thinly shaved slices of red pepper would be divine in this, but there was no red pepper to be found in my refrigerator, sadly.)

Meyer lemon dressing (below)

For the dressing:

(adapted from the original recipe found here)

The juice and zest of four small Meyer lemons (approximately 4 Tablespoons) - if you do not have Meyer lemons on hand, regular ol'lemons will certainly do!

4 Tablespoons of Olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons of plain Greek yogurt (the original calls for mayonnaise)

2 teaspoons of dijon mustard

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

About a 1/4 teaspoon of salt, or to taste (I did not add much salt because the olives were salty enough)

Combine chopped vegetables with the cooled pasta in a large mixing bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together, pour over salad mixture and toss until combined. Chill until ready to serve. Serve over a bed of arugula or greens ....or eat directly out of the bowl! num num num.

Labradorite and Gold Vermeil Necklace

2011-02-10T00:03:00.002-05:00

Hello readers. I haven't had a chance to work on new work for my etsy shop (hopefully to open in the near future *fingers crossed*) but I have been busy with a few custom orders which I am very fortunate for.

This necklace was commissioned for my boyfriend's sister for her birthday. I'm not sure why, but when I thought of what I wanted to do her for her, I could not get Labradorite out of my head.

I happened upon this Labradorite pendant while shopping for last minute supplies at a bead shop in the city. The specimen is amazing. As I was working with it I could not stop fixating upon the way it plays with the light with each movement. It was absolutely lovely.

I tried my very best to capture the flash, or labradorescense, of the stone. The base color is a silvery gray (seen better in the photo below), but when held up to the light, flashes of green, blue and purple emerge in stunning ways.

I had a bit of difficulty wire wrapping it as the stone is drilled from top to bottom rather than side to side, as I had hoped. With Dan's help, and a little gold bead "anchor" at the base of the stone, I was able to get a nice wrap at the top. The 14 k gold filled wire seems rather dull in the photos, but in real life, it is not- I assure you.

Three-Layer Peppermint Crunch Bark

2011-01-19T00:09:00.005-05:00

This past Monday I finally got around to making something I've been meaning to make for years. What is it, you might ask? Well, delicious peppermint bark, of course! When we took down our (sad, dried up) Christmas tree this past Sunday I was left with a handful of uneaten candy canes. What better way to put them to use than by making peppermint bark.

My true interest in this minty confection was piqued after reading Molly Wizenburg's write up on her blog, Orangette. I followed Molly's recipe, which is actually her sister's, who is famous and loved for the peppermint bark that she adapted from a recipe published in the December 1998 issue of Bon Appétit. Whew! I think a book of recipe family trees would be quite interesting, don't you?

The whole process was a cinch, and took a minimal amount of effort. The three different chocolate melting steps for the 3 layers did, however, remind me once again how much I need a double boiler. Why do I never remember these things when I am in a cooking store?

This minimal amount of effort on my part resulted in a delicious minty treat that I've been snacking on ever since. The texture of the bark is quite nice both cold, straight out of the refrigerator, and room temperature. The dark chocolate ganache-like filling is wonderful and has just the right amount of minty zip when paired with the candy cane crunch. I think it would serve as the perfect medium for mint chocolate truffles, perhaps dipped in white chocolate and left as is or rolled in crushed chocolate wafers. They'd be the Thin Mint counterpart to these Oreo Truffles I've also been meaning to make.

The recipe calls for 17 ounces of white chocolate but I only had 12 ounces. Rather than run to the store to get more, I made due with what I had and I don't think they suffered aside from the fact that my white chocolate layers are a bit thinner than called for. I also used candy canes rather than the mint candy rounds called for.

Three-Layer Peppermint Crunch Bark
adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1998 via Orangette

Ingredients
17 ounces of good quality white chocolate, finely chopped- Molly recommends making sure your chocolate is made with Cocoa Butter as not all are, sadly.
7 ounces of bitter sweet 60% dark chocolate, chopped
30 red and white striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces) - I used candy canes.
6 tablespoons of heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract- I may have added a tad bit more, accidentally.

Directions

Turn large baking sheet upside down and cover securely with foil. Mark a 12 x 9-inch rectangle on foil. (I used my sheet right side up and marked a rectangle slightly smaller than 12 x 9-inch because I was short on white chocolate.)

Stir white chocolate in a double boiler or metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in an even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water or in your double boiler if you, unlike me, have one. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover and immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.

Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles or you can break up the ark into pieces. (I carefully removed the foil before I started cutting.)

The bark can be made two weeks in advance. Chill in airtight container. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving, or serve cold, straight out of the refrigerator.

Oliver + S: Birthday Party Dress

2011-01-10T01:30:00.004-05:00

One lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon way back in September, I grew stark raving bored because I had nothing to work on. I had been admiring the Oliver + S patterns and decided to give one a whirl, even though I have no children of my own to sew for. I do, however, have a friend with a wee little girl who I knew would appreciate a handmade garment. So, off to the fabric shop we went where I picked up my pattern- the Birthday Party Dress by Oliver + S and my fabrics and notions. As soon as I got home I got straight to work, confident that I would have a dress completed by the end of the weekend. Silly me, I was a bit over ambitious as I did not finish the dress that weekend. Nor the next. Or the next after that. Life got in the way- that lazy weekend in September was a thing of the past- we adopted our little Heidi, Halloween arrived, and then Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas and New Year's. Each weekend busier than the next. I did not finish the dress until last week- approximately 3 months later. Life does that to you sometimes.

It was well worth the wait and the time spent because I am so proud of the finished piece. I don't mean to lead you in to believing that this dress took me 3 months to sew- I just spanned it out that long. It probably would have taken me a week to work on if I stuck with it every night. (I am a very slow and cautious sewist- often staring at the pattern and searching online for examples before I make the plunge into the next step.)

One of the reasons I chose an Oliver + S pattern was because all of my previous attempts in sewing garments (all for myself) have ended up as disasters. Perhaps disaster is a bit harsh, but I can say that I am not very proud of them. The fit has always been wrong and I think I psyche myself out and get overwhelmed. I thought working small scale would allow me to really focus on the garment construction and worry less about trying to fit the garment to my measurements. I made a good choice because Leisl's instructions were superb. It was an absolute pleasure to sew. The pattern is rated intermediate (which I most definitely am not) but I only encountered a few hang ups (when attaching the front facing and lining up the shoulder seams) but nothing I couldn't get past. I am grateful for the forums on the Oliver + S website. Each pattern has a dedicated section that is broken down into topics. When I had questions I just read through others' comments and within no time I had my question answered.

The pattern was so well written I was even confident enough to attempt French seams! The inside of the dress is as pretty as the outside! Above is a detail of the French seams and the back buttons and below is a detail of the hem facing (blind stitched by hand).

When starting a sewing project it always helps to have beautiful materials for inspiration. I am in love with my fabric choices. (Truthfully- Dan picked them out. He has great taste!) The body fabric is Laura Gunn's Poppy Bouquet in Gray and the accent is Kaffe Fassett's Shot Cotton in Terra Cotta. The fabric, thread and the pattern were purchased at Spool Sewing in Philadelphia and the buttons were purchased at their sister store, Loop.

This little wooden flower button perfectly compliments the vintage-like quality of the dress as well as the fabric.

If you haven't sewn up an Oliver + S pattern yet, I encourage you to do so. It was such a great experience for me and I am much more confident in sewing garments for myself now. I can't wait to get started on a frock for me!

Handmade for the Holidays: Pompeii Street Soap Co.

2010-12-16T00:12:00.006-05:00

For Handmade for the Holidays I will be spotlighting a handful of artists and crafters that have made some very amazing pieces that I've gifted over the past few years to my friends and family. Each one took the time to create the most perfect item I could have asked for. It is, in my little way, a thank you to those individuals. I hope that by reading my little Handmade for the Holidays list you too might be inclined to pay these little shops a visit and enjoy their fantastic work.

Next up is Pompeii Street Soap Co., a natural soap shop located in central Pennsylvania. Though I may have never purchased this wonderful soap as a gift to anyone other than myself, it is a Handmade for the Holidays feature because I get ridiculously giddy with the thought of opening a new bar of soap and everyone deserves to have that feeling. Really, these products are amazing.

Motivated by a love of aromatherapy, her own dry skin, and the desire to be her own boss, Jessica Gill started the company in her basement in 2001. All products are at least 98% natural (with most being 100% natural) and everything is made with a gourmet touch. All products are hand made, cut and packaged by caring human hands on the premises in her workshop and store in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania.

Jessica’s interest in soap was heightened after reading about the discovery of a perfectly preserved soap shop unearthed in the ruins of the ancient town of Pompeii, Italy, which, in 79 AD, was blanketed in ash after Mount Vesuvius’ devastating eruption. This small, ancient soap shop is thought to be the oldest existing, organized soap shop. Jessica chose the name Pompeii Street Soap Company as a reflection of her business’ ideals and goals to produce all natural soaps in an old fashioned way.*

Orange & Clove: 100% NATURAL. Pure Orange peel and clove oils combined with ground spices make this soap bar richly scented and uplifting. Lathers great and smells like a traditional Colonial Christmas ornament. Special Edition

All Pompeii Street soaps are made with a unique ratio of olive, coconut, palm, and castor oils. This ratio, Jessica explains, is what makes the bar have all the great qualities – long lasting, foamy lather, and most of all, a lower PH to alleviate itchy skin. She is correct on all points. What I love so much about this soap is the incredibly natural smell (if I could eat it, I probably would… seriously) and its lusciously, thick lather. I’ve found no other handmade soap like it (outside of Lush soaps -which are amazing, but Pompeii Street Soaps are just as fantastic) and I am completely hooked. I try to get to the shop whenever I am home but sadly, that never seems to happen, as we are usually running around. I’m almost out of my last bar (Bay Rum- aaamazing) and I’ll be home next week so I will definitely be stopping by. I really want to check out her new one- Orange Clove (le sigh), which sounds delicious.


Sweet Orange & Patchouli: 100% NATURAL - Opposites attract! We have created a happy medium for sweet and sunny orange and down-to-earth patchouli. They become best friends in this signature aroma. (MY FAVORITE!)

Bay Rum: 100% NATURAL. - During my latest family trip to Puerto Rico, I discovered the wonderful aroma of real bay rum leaves from a tree in my grandmother's yard. I brought a bunch home and later created my own blend using the dried leaves combined with bay oil, clove, citrusy bergamot and orange peel, and of course, allspice.

Mintfetti: 100% NATURAL...Yay! It's back. My mintfetti soap is the most complicated soap that I make. It's a three day process to get this holiday soap to perfection. Lather's great and smells like a candy cane! Special Edition

Wine Berry: This "2010 vintage" Wineberry soap was cured for 4 weeks on wooden planks in our Mifflinburg Soapery. The aroma is sweet and berry-like. Imagine a dessert wine with hints of raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry in a Merlot varietal. Absolutely delightful. Bold-bodied aroma with a bubbly finish. Special Edition

Not only do I admire Pompeii Street Soap Co. for their high quality natural products but also for their animal welfare efforts. Pompeii Street Soap Co. supports local animal welfare organizations, including P.A. Pets, LAPS Shelter, and Far Point Animal Rescue, carries a Dapper Dog line with 20% of sales donated to the American College of Veterinarian Internal Medicine Foundation to benefit the CHASE AWAY K9 CANCER CAMPAIGN, and Jessica also fosters kitties awaiting their forever homes. If you are looking for your very own loving feline companion and are local, take a look here for the kitties up for adoption.

Pompeii Street Soap Co. also makes incredibly moisturizing body butters, sugar scrubs, lip balms, gift packages featuring local potters, and a sudsy sampler which is as exciting as a delicious box of decadent, mixed chocolates. You can purchase items in the workshop or online and be sure to check out Pompeii Street Soap Co.'s Facebook page.

*For more on the company's roots visit the SBDC for the company's client success story.

**All images and descriptions are credited to Pompeii Street Soap Co.

Thanks for visiting. For more great artists and crafters and for an explanation as to what my little Handmade for the Holidays is, please go here.

Handmade for the Holidays: Make Your Dog Smile by Hattie Rex

2010-12-09T02:30:00.002-05:00

For Handmade for the Holidays I will be spotlighting a handful of artists and crafters that have made some very amazing pieces that I've gifted over the past few years to my friends and family. Each one took the time to create the most perfect item I could have asked for. It is, in my little way, a thank you to those individuals. I hope that by reading my little Handmade for the Holidays list you too might be inclined to pay these little shops a visit and enjoy their fantastic work.

First up is the Etsy shop Make Your Dog Smile by Hattie Rex. If you are a lover of animals I urge to take a look at this little shop. Make Your Dog Smile is the work of Tessa, who lives in rural Missouri with her husband, four dogs and a cat named Merle. Between working on her master's degree in Technical Communication and writing part-time for various media, Tessa somehow finds the time to hammer out really fun id tags for pets.

Shortly before we officially adopted Heidi, I began my search for a special id tag to adorn her collar. I searched through so many fun and interesting pet id tags on Etsy but I always seemed to come back to Tessa's little shop.

I loved basically every single tag, as they are all so well done and unique (it doesn't hurt that she takes fantastic photos). With Tessa's advice, I decided upon the best size, font and theme for Heidi's tag and she kindly created the custom listing.

Her name, accompanied by a wee little bird, decorates the front of the pendant. On the back of the id are our phone numbers, perfectly and permanently stamped for ever and ever. Heidi wouldn't really sit still long enough for me to get a good picture of her with it on but I was finally able to get a quick one as she gazed out the car window.

Whenever possible, Tessa uses recycled metals for her tags. Each is made to order in your choice of brass, natural copper, aluminum and sterling silver in sizes tiny through extra-large. She also offers multiple shapes: from simple squares to bird silhouettes to dog bones to (one of my personal favorites) moustaches. Aside from the choices of shapes and sizes, she also has a very nice assortment of fonts. Just a quick glance at her shop shows the array of possibilities available and, best of all, they can be slightly tweaked if so desired (like Heidi's!)

Not only did her awesome tags and business ethic land her a spot as Etsy's featured seller, they've been featured in the fall 2009 issue of City Dog Magazine, the December/January 2010 issue of Country Living Magazine, and HGTV's "15 Great Gift Ideas" which aired this past November. After you check out Make Your Dog Smile, hop on over to her other shop, Hattie Rex, for an equally awesome assortment of handmade wine charms, necklaces and ornaments.

Definitely swing on by if your lil' pooch, kitty, or other furry friend is in need of some collar adornments!

Thanks for visiting. For more great artists and crafters and for an explanation as to what my little Handmade for the Holidays is, please go here.

Handmade for the Holidays

2010-12-09T01:02:00.004-05:00

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly consuming us, I wanted to dedicate a few posts to buying handmade and showcase a few artists and crafters I've purchased from in the past.

Now that buying handmade is so much more accessible, thanks to online sites like Etsy and Artfire and independent brick and mortar stores, I've found myself shopping for handmade whenever I can. Grace Dobush, in the first chapter of her book Crafty Superstar: Make Crafts on the Side, Earn Extra Cash and Basically Have It All, discusses the reasons for the handmade revolution. She explains that it stems from an appreciation that people have with the makers. She quotes Lauren Bacon, co-author of The Boss of You- "Artistry is so incredibly valuable now because it keeps us in touch with human relationships." This idea of human connection is exactly why I try to shop handmade. It is such a great feeling when you know the story behind the object that you are purchasing. It is an even greater feeling when you can pass that story onto the recipient of said object. But perhaps the best feeling of all, for me anyhow, is knowing that I am supporting an independent artist/crafter/maker/designer in something that they are passionate about so they can continue doing what they love to do. It is, as Dobush reminds us, an alternative to sweatshops and the mass produced goods of the big box stores.

That being said, I would like to use my little, virtual, soap box to introduce you to a handful of artists and crafters that have made some very amazing pieces that I've gifted over the past few years to my friends and family. Each one took the time to create the most perfect item I could have asked for. It is, in my little way, a thank you to those individuals. I hope that by reading my little Handmade for the Holidays list you too might be inclined to pay these little shops a visit and enjoy their fantastic work.

Over the next week or so I will be posting about some of my favorite shops for handmade items. I'll post a link to each post at the bottom of this page so they'll all be neatly bundled together. I hope you'll all stay tuned!

The List

"These are a few of my favorite things...:"

Handmade for the Holidays: Make Your Dog Smile by Hattie Rex

Handmade for the Holidays: Pompeii Street Soap Co.

Martha Stewart's Apple Crumb Pie

2010-12-02T17:39:00.002-05:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Dan's family. Because of this, we spent the weekend before with my family for a little advance Thanksgiving feast. I wanted to make a dessert and opted for apple pie because it hadn't been claimed yet and honestly, what is Thanksgiving without apple pie? After scouring recipes for the perfect specimen, I decided upon this pie by Martha Stewart. How can one go wrong with Martha Stewart? Apparently, I found a way.

I wanted to like this. I really, really did. It was the slightly too large crust/crumb topping combination that called out to me. It reminded me of a galette, but with a fun, crumbly topping. Surely, the best of both worlds. Every single review, all 17 of them, raves about this amazing pie. For me, it fell short in a few ways and I think I am partly at fault.

First off, I froze my pie before baking because I had to make it early. I've done this before with apple pies and have never had a problem. The crust*, as well as the apples, seemed under done in the end. It was such a disappointment when, after I served it to everyone at the table, I took my first bite and realized that the crust was doughy and the apples were too crispy. Le sigh. My cousin, whether he was just appeasing me or he genuinely enjoyed it, raved about the pie and particularly loved the golden raisins included in the filling.

The second issue I had with it was the apples. They were just too tart. I'm not a fan of tart. Granny Smith apples, I should have remembered, are rather on the sour side of the apple sweet vs. tart spectrum. Even with all of the sugar in the filling, the tartness never seemed to mellow out. I yearned for a dollop of vanilla ice cream to balance out the flavors, and I am not an ice cream on the pie kinda gal. I blame my own non-tart-loving taste buds on this one.

Finally, the crumb lacked a certain oomph to it. I think it needed cinnamon.

With all of that said, I'm sharing the recipe with you anyways because I believe it has the potential to be the shining star on your holiday dining table spread. I won't make it for Christmas, but I will try and have a go at it another time. I will most definitely not freeze it beforehand, nor will I use Granny Smiths. Instead, I'll use a sweeter, more mellow apple such as a Golden Delicious and I will definitely spike that crumb topping with cinnamon. Oh, and I won't even think about attempting to core, peel, and slice 9 apples until I am armed with either an apple corer or my mom's trusty melon baller.

Sadly, I never got a photo of this pie (or any of the food I made these past two weeks) so I leave you with some photos of my parents' farm that I snapped while walking Heidi.

Martha Stewart's Apple Crumb Pie

recipe found here

Ingredients
Serves 8
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 recipe of Martha's favorite pie crust
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 pounds Granny Smith apples (8 to 10)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*A note about the crust recipe. Rather than Martha's recommended crust, I used this one by Deb of Smitten Kitchen. It is.... amazing. (when baked properly, eh hem.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Work with fingers until large clumps form; freeze.

On a lightly floured piece of wax paper or parchment paper, roll dough into a 14-inch circle. Carefully fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, gently lowering dough into bottom and sides of pie plate without stretching (you will have a 2-inch overhang all around). Refrigerate.

Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice apples 1/8 inch thick, transferring them to the bowl as you work. Add granulated sugar, raisins, cinnamon, remaining 1/4 cup flour, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine.

Transfer apple mixture to pie crust, pressing in firmly. Fold dough overhang over filling, pleating it as you work your way around pie; press dough firmly against filling.

Bake 45 minutes, then sprinkle apple filling with crumb topping. Continue to bake until golden and bubbling, 30 to 45 minutes more. Cool at least 6 hours before serving.

I don't mean to be a stranger

2010-12-02T05:05:00.001-05:00

I don't mean to be a stranger, I really don't. Honestly, there has been so much going on around here lately with the holidays, a full time job, and a new addition to the little family...

...it's hard to get all my posting in. But I'm not complaining one bit. No siree. In fact, I'm vowing to post much more often. To start off with, I have a handful of recipes I'd love to share with you- some flops, some glowing successes, but all worth sharing. Plus, I'm compiling a great little holiday gift guide and I've been working on some new pieces that I am very, very excited about. A sneak peak:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with loved ones, warmth, laughter and delicious food. Please stay tuned for more to come. Promise.

A bracelet of Snowflake Obsidian

2010-11-19T05:05:00.001-05:00

I've completed another custom order and I must admit, I really love custom orders! I whipped this bracelet up this week after a friend of mine requested that I make a bracelet for the "team mother" of her sons' football team.

I didn't have much time to work on it, as she needed it by Saturday, so polymer clay beads were out of the question. When discussing the style, my friend explained to me that it would be great if I could create the bracelet in the team colors- red and black. (The most excellent of ideas in celebration of a great season.)

With no red beads to be found in my stash, I journeyed to the bead store on Tuesday evening. The design of the bracelet is mostly inspired by the materials that I found, which made for a very enjoyable experience.

Snowflake obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass, is paired with clusters of carnelian rondelles hand wrapped in .925 sterling silver filled wire. Teardrops of black lace agate accent the toggle clasp closure.

The deep carnelian stone contrasts so well against the black of the obsidian and the flecks of "snowflake" crystals add the perfect amount of visual interest. I'm very pleased with the finished result and I hope its new owner will be, as well.

Finally, photos

2010-11-06T18:46:00.003-04:00

Today, I finally got around to taking photos of my work for my Etsy shop. I had hoped to take them outside, in natural lighting, but had to opt for my living room instead since the outdoor light wasn't ideal. This multi-strand necklace consists of seven of my polymer clay beads, shell beads, vintage brass chain and vintage brass beads.

I received some really great materials today for new pieces that I can't wait to get started on. Hopefully I'll have more work to show soon. :)

Howl-o-ween Scarf

2010-11-03T05:23:00.002-04:00

A festive scarf for our little beagle, Heidi. I had no desire to dress my little one up in an uncomfortable costume for her first Halloween with us, but I did think she needed something to show the spirit of the holiday.

This scarf/bandana was a snap to make, and best of all, I was able to utilize my stash. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out but I do wish I had made it to fit over her collar. She didn't seem to mind this new accessory, but I do think she wore it to humor me. (According to Dan, at one point when I wasn't looking she attempted to eat it.)

I'm thinking a turkey-themed scarf is in store in the coming weeks. However, it will be a fit over the collar scarf which should allow it to sit peacefully and comfortably at her back, without falling forward like this candy corn scarf. Also, this should prevent her from being tempted to eat it for lunch.... or dinner.... or breakfast :)

Something to agree upon

2010-11-03T05:01:00.002-04:00

Dan and I, as different as we may seem, agree on most things. We both love to travel and explore new restaurants. We enjoy waking up early for a day of flea marketing and antiquing. We love whizzing through the city on our bikes or taking a stroll down town, not knowing where we might end up. We both go ga ga over craft beer and adore exploring new wines.

But for all that we agree upon, there are two very important things that we will never see eye to eye on. The first being desserts. I find much joy in a simple, delicious dessert to end a meal. Dan, on the other hand, is not phased in anyway with my oohs and aahs as I fawn over the sweet confections. He'd much prefer a second entree. The second is soup. Don't get me wrong, we both love soup. However, Dan is rather particular over his. Where I'm usually game for any soup placed in front of me, Dan tends to steer clear any soup that has been puréed. I suppose he feels cheated in a way- having had to drink his meal rather than chew it. It is unfortunate for him that the majority of the soups I make are puréed.

I've been trying to take his preference into consideration when I plan a soup, but some times one (i.e. Dan) must take one for the team (i.e. me). When roasted butternut squash and curry and coconut milk are involved, I win. Luckily for me, Dan also loves curry and coconut milk and though he hates, hates, hates butternut squash (particularly roasted. This man needs an intervention!) he perked up when I mentioned my plan to make it.

Dear curry and coconut milk: I owe much gratitude to you two because we found a delicious, puréed soup (with butternut squash!!) that we both love, love, love. Dan kept raving about how much he liked it and would eat it again. And again. And again.

We've also come to agree that this little lady (right up there) is the absolute love of our life. Her name is Heidi, and she is the newest addition to our little family. We are head over heels in love with this darling and completely smitten.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

This recipe was inspired by similar soups found at Mango & Tomato and Skinny Taste. It wasn't until I had made this soup a second time (yes, a second time - in one week) that I realized that Gina's soup (of Skinny Taste) was inspired by Olga's soup of Mango & Tomato. Funny isn't it? They both sounded delicious so I decided to unite them. I added an apple, upped the curry amount, and added a squeeze of orange juice and zest to brighten all of the flavors.

I ran most of it through the blender, leaving a cup or two as is. This left little bits of apple in the soup that I really enjoyed.

Ingredients

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. toasted cumin

1 1/2 tsp. garam masala

4 tsp. curry (or adjust to taste)

1/2 med. onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced (I may or may not have added 4)

1 inch of ginger root, peeled and smashed (optional)

1 med-large sized butternut squash

3/4 - 1 medium apple, chopped

1 can (16 oz.) of coconut milk

Salt & pepper, to taste

A few dashes of red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

To begin, halve the butternut squash length wise, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, roast in a 400 degree oven until tender (about 1 hour). Meanwhile, infuse broth with ginger over a low heat.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic and apple pieces. Sautée until tender. Add cumin, curry, garam masala and heat until fragrant. Remove ginger pieces from broth and combine with spice mixture. (This could be done in the same pot, - cooking onion and spice mixture and then adding broth and ginger- but be sure to place your ginger in cheese cloth or a tea egg in order to identify it from the apple bits, as it will need to be removed before adding the squash).

Once squash is fully roasted, remove from oven and let cool a bit. Resist chowing down on the delicious squash as is, and scoop tender flesh away from skin and place in broth mixture. Add coconut milk and stir to combine. Purée. Add zest of 1/4 to 1/2 an orange and a few tablespoons of the juice. Adjust to taste, but remember that the flavors will meld and develop over time, so go lightly. Add red pepper flakes, if desired, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with delicious crusty bread. We paired this soup with a 2009 Gewürztraminer from Palmer Vineyards that we picked up on a recent wine tasting journey through the North Fork wine region of Long Island.

Jewelry for an autumn wedding

2010-10-05T09:10:00.003-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to create custom jewelry for a friend's bridal party to be worn in her autumn wedding. Aside from the bride wanting a pendant style, gold-toned necklace with matching earrings I was free to create what ever I wanted. I gathered up images of a broad range of styles and materials and showed them to the bride to gauge the aesthetic that she was going for. She ended up really loving the idea of using chocolate and ivory fresh water pearls to match her ladies' chocolate, ivory and mango colors.

I chose yellow citrine faceted briolettes to compliment the freshwater pearls. Each briolette and pearl is wire wrapped in a 14 k gold filled fine wire. The trio is accented with 24 k Bali gold vermeil and suspended form a 14 k gold filled chain.

I am so pleased with how the pieces turned out. The style is so different from anything that I've ever done, and I think that I would like to try other pieces using similar materials.

The earrings feature a citrine teardrop and a cluster of ivory freshwater pearls hanging beneath gold vermeil French earwires.

Lina

2010-10-04T19:25:00.000-04:00

September was another incredibly busy month. One of the highlights was cat sitting Ms. Lina for a week. Lina, our neighbor's cat, was the perfect guest as usual. We adore her and always welcome the chance to watch her whenever we can. She spent most of the week on Dan's lap but I was able to steal some quiet lap time for a little while on her last night with us.

Turkey Chili with White Beans

2010-08-29T20:50:00.004-04:00

Okay, I admit it- I am in a sad state of denial that we are still in the deep throws of summer. It's just that we've been having such crisp, pleasant weather I had nearly convinced myself that Autumn had arrived. I've been drinking hot tea all day long, wearing scarves and long sleeve shirts. We've even been sleeping with our bedroom door open to our patio. It's been wonderful. But of course I was kidding myself, for when I stepped outside this afternoon I was reminded about how wrong I was. Today it was a solid ninety-one degrees and the air was thick with humidity. A classic Philadelphia summer day. But it didn't matter because I had already decided to make this Turkey and White Bean Chili and no sweltering summer heat was going to stand in my way.

I am so happy I did because it turned out delicious. Dan and I adjusted the recipe slightly- we added a bit more cumin and chili powder, one jalapeño pepper, fresh sweet corn and approximately one third cup of maple syrup, which might sound odd, but it sweetened the chili ever so slightly while rounding out the flavors of chili, cocoa powder and cinnamon quite nicely. I will make it again, but there better be crunchy fallen leaves on the sidewalk and gourds sitting on my window sill.

We topped the chili with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese and sliced avocado and served it with homemade blue corn muffins.

Turkey Chili with White Beans
adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 minced jalapeño
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 pounds lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
Real honest to goodness Maple Syrup, to taste (I added it tablespoon by tablespoon until I reached my desired flavor)
1 cup of fresh sweet corn
3 cups chicken broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained

Preparation
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions (and jalapeño, if using); sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add corn, beans and maple syrup (to taste, if using) to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves.

Serve with red onion, cilanto and yogurt as Bon Appetit suggests or whatever you little heart desires. Dan and I served it with sour cream, cheddar cheese and avocado slices.

A new necklace

2010-08-25T07:30:00.002-04:00

Here is another necklace I recently finished. One of my favorites, it is a double stranded necklace composed of handcrafted polymer clay beads and vintage brass components. The brass spacer beads came from an amazing brass necklace made in the 1970's that I picked up at an antique market in July. I love them so much. They've incorporated quite well into my new work and I will be sad when they are all used up.

The polymer clay beads were featured in a previous post as they basked in the sun after a final dip in the glaze.

Again, I promise to take more professional photos rather than using my Hipstamatic app and my iPhone :) But I must admit, the Hipstamatic photos seem to have captured the warmth of the brass rather well.

More to come! Be well dear readers.

Resin and Polymer Clay Pendants

2010-08-24T08:55:00.003-04:00

Well, I am delighted to write that I survived my very first craft fair. I plan to post a nice recap for you, but I think I'll save that for Saturday morning when I am sitting on my couch all cozied up to a giant cup of coffee and a blanket.

Today, I thought I'd share a few photos of the pendants that I made. If you remember from this post, they were constructed using the Klimt cane. The cane slice was then set in an antique copper bezel and encapsulated under resin, which domes above the cane, magnifying and slightly distorting the design. I just love them and am happy to report that they were a huge success at the Celticfest this past Saturday. I wish I had made more, but they were, initially, an experiment. Since they were such a success, I have plans to make a slew in antique brass as well as copper and sterling silver. I can't wait to get started.

I also plan to begin photographing all of my pieces this weekend and posting them to my Etsy shop which I hope to have up and running by the end of next week.

I hope you are all well and I wish you a wonderful day. It's a crisp morning in Philadelphia that called for a pashmina scarf and a hot cup of tea. Ah, autumn is on the horizon. :)

New earrings, fresh off the work bench

2010-08-11T06:05:00.005-04:00

(And by "work bench" I mean to say "coffee table". :) Dear proper work space, we shall be together one day. I promise.)

Here is a little peak into what I've been working on these past few days. Lovely, dangly earrings.

A weekend in the country with my Motormatic

2010-08-09T02:09:00.002-04:00

I'd like to share a few photos I took with my Motormatic camera while enjoying a quite weekend in central Pennsylvania.

My mother's wild flower garden.

I adore this photo.

Mama goat sharing a quite moment with her baby, born just a few hours before.

Union Country Fair

Union County, Pennsylvania

Works in progress

2010-07-27T07:13:00.004-04:00

Here is a little sneak peak at what I've been working on as of late. A few sets of beads basking in the sun. These lassies have all been sanded using 400 and 800-grit sandpaper, glazed 3 times and are now ready to be strung. I'm just awaiting a few more essential findings.

Where i've been

2010-07-14T18:50:00.000-04:00

Oh my, it's been over one whole month since I've posted. Yikes! My only excuse is that I have been busy- very busy doing lots of things to post about.

First off, I got accepted to my very first craft fair! When I read the letter of acceptance, I was literally jumping up and down with giddiness. I don't think I had been that excited since I found out I was accepted into graduate school five years ago. But my excited spirit was quickly upstaged when reality sunk in- I had a lot of work ahead of me. I'm talking an insane amount of work.

For the past few months I've been hard at work making beads for my polymer clay jewelry, working out possible designs in my sketch book, creating a bracelet for a friend of mine to wear on her honeymoon, reading as much as I can about selling at craft fairs and cutting up fabric for the totes and bags I plan to sell.

Until this fair is over, at the end of August, our apartment is off limits to guests. Polymer clay, beading supplies, a sewing machine and a huge tub of fabric have taken up permanent residence in our tiny living room until then. My dad came to visit a month or so ago and I was ashamed at the cluttered living room but really, where to put it all?

Despite my anxiety in getting everything accomplished, I am really looking forward to this event. It is a Celtic Festival at Spyglass Ridge Winery, a winery nestled in Pennsylvania's picturesque Susquehanna River Valley- just a short distance from where I grew up. I attended the festival last year as a guest with my parents and family friends. We spent the day tasting great local wines and listening to very talented Celtic performers. I thought the venue, which also hosts many craft vendors, would be a good one to start with. Keep your fingers crossed in the hopes that I was right.

I also sneaked a little traveling in. Dan and I took a road trip to Lake Lure, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, to spend a long weekend with my parents who were vacationing there. After ten hours of driving, a six hour stop in a hotel to sleep for the night, and our first Waffle House ever, we arrived.

And we had a really lovely and relaxing time at a gorgeous lake where, among other movies, Dirty Dancing - one of my all time favorite movies - was filmed. Yes, I channeled my inner Francis "Baby" Houseman for this trip.

I'd like to share more photos from our holiday but I don't want to overload you with images- I'll save them for another post.

A few weeks later I took a much needed visit to Pittsburgh to see my younger sister.

She took me to my very first weekend long music festival. (Yes, I am a depraved near-30 year old woman) The weekend was hot- we donned huge sunglasses, sun dresses and floppy hats- but it was an incredible time where I met her wonderful friends and listened to some very talented musicians. I will have more photos to post of this weekend as well once I get my D.I.Y. 35mm rigged Diana photographs developed. *fingers crossed they turn out well* :)

Chicken Taco Casserole

2010-07-13T10:10:00.005-04:00

For sometime now, and I am sure it is due to the five heat waves we've been hit with, Dan and I have been craving tacos. I wasn't in the mood to deal with all of the prep work involved in making tacos (which, to be honest, is minuscule), so I set out to make a little chicken taco casserole, inspired by this recipe I found after doing a quick Google search. The photo looked very appetizing but it was the 6-ingredient list that sold me. So, I made a mental list of all that I needed and headed off the the grocery store. I intended to replace the jar of pasta sauce (which is probably tasty but seems sort of strange to me to be in a Mexican dish) with some sort of prepared enchilada sauce. Unfortunately, the can of enchilada sauce was nearly $5, so I grabbed a can of tomatillos and figured we'd work something out.

Chicken Taco Casserole

inspired by this Cheesy Chicken Taco Casserole

Ingredients

1.5 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Taco seasoning of choice

Salt and pepper

9 (5-inch) corn tortillas (or 6, if like mine, yours are larger)

1 cup chopped cilantro

Taco Sauce (recipe to follow)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (8 oz.)

2 tomatoes, sliced

Sauce

1 can of tomatillos, drained

1/2-1 cup of your favorite salsa

1/3 cup of sour cream (more of less to suit your taste)

zest and juice of one lime

1 tablespoon of chili powder (again, more or less to suit your taste)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper and 1/4 of taco seasoning package. Place in a skillet and add cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, turning once or twice, until opaque and firm, about 10 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, make sauce. In a blender, puree tomatillos, lime zest and juice, salsa, sour cream, and chili powder. Taste test and experiment with ingredients until you reach the flavors desired. Set aside.

Once chicken has finished cooking, remove (reserving approximately 1/2 cup of seasoned water), let cool and cut into small pieces or shred. You should have about 3 cups cut-up chicken. Pour chicken back into skillet with the water you reserved and add your remaining package of taco seasoning. Mix together.

Spread one-third of sauce over bottom of a 7-by-11-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 tortillas, slightly overlapping, on top. Sprinkle one-third of chicken and cilantro over tortillas. Top with a third of cheese. Make two more layers of sauce, tortillas, chicken, cilantro and cheese. Arrange tomato slices on final layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is lightly browned, 10 minutes more.

Reversible Bag

2010-06-09T18:17:00.010-04:00

Here are a few shots of my new reversible tote. The pattern is from the ever-adorable and talented Novita of verypurpleperson.

I used a grey, home decor weight sofa cushion cover found in the discount bin at Ikea and a cream and grey fabric from Jomar. I really love the result. It's adorable. I'm going to make some more, but I have plans to tweak the pattern to make it a little longer and a bit deeper.

I love this bag.

And here is a peak of the book I've been devouring most recently - The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin. So far it's been a really great and helpful read.

Be sure to read about the original bag and download the tutorial here.

Gustav and the Klimt Cane

2010-06-09T06:47:00.011-04:00

It's funny- the inspiration for the color scheme of the Klimt cane I posted about was the image below- a dessert dish from Anthropologie depicting colorful Koi frolicking amongst the seaweed. Now, I am being honest with myself by admitting that I did not nail the color likeness. At all.

Though many things were off, I think the greens were the main culprit. Not only did I not mix them to the appropriate shade, but they took over the entire palette. The result, I think, resembles more of the palette of a Klimt painting. (Ever. so. slightly. Klimt's palette is absolutely genius. My beads are more of a reference to his work.)

Gustav Klimt. Portrait of Emilie Flöge. 1902. Oil on canvas. Historical Museum of the City of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 - February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and prominent member of the Vienna Secessionist Movement and is this polymer clay cane's name's sake. The pattern of ovals, squares and rectangles echoes the decorative motifs the artist utilized in so much of his work.

Gustave Klimt. Hope II. 1907-1908. Oil and gold on canvas. Museum of Modern Arts, New York, NY

This observation, paired with my recent beautiful vintage raw brass findings acquisition, has given me the idea to do a series based on Klimt paintings and their palettes. I think it will be a suitable homage to one of my favorite artists.

Gustav Klimt. The Beethoven Frieze: The Longing. Right wall. 1902. The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

Klimt cane and a day of pendant experiments

2010-05-25T22:26:00.002-04:00

[First off, allow me to apologize for the mediocre photos. I have to take them in the daylight, using my actual camera instead of my phone's camera. The lighting here is pretty poor and the camera's flash was blowing out all of the colors so I used my phone's camera instead.]

This past Sunday I was finally able to devote some serious time to working on my polymer clay beads. I thought I'd share a sampling of what I came up with.

These lovelies were made using a Klimt, or retro, cane design. I'm very happy with the end result and I am very excited about the plans I have for them. However, they still have a lot of prep work ahead of them before they are ready to be strung and donned around the neck. The final steps of sanding and the varnishing can be rather tedious but I believe that the time put in pays off in the end.

The image above shows two of the six pendants I designed. This was an experiment that I had been thinking about for quite some time now. It again utilized the Klimt Cane- at left, before reduction and at fight, after the cane was further reduced and then quartered. Again, the clay will be sanded to a smooth, level surface and then encapsulated in a pool of resin that will be poured into the bezel settings, atop the baked polymer clay. I can't wait to get started on this.

I also ordered some lovely raw brass vintage findings today. They make me swoon. I can't wait until they are sitting at my doorstep. My (soon to be) pretties: a simple solid brass chain that I plan to use with the Klimt beads, raw brass head pins, and stunning vintage brass leaves on stem branch findings that I will use for wrapped filigree. So inspiring, they've already given me ideas for future polymer clay jewelery designs.

I'll be sure to photograph them (in better lighting) as soon as they arrive!

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

2010-05-23T06:54:00.021-04:00

If one were to drop by our place on either a Saturday or a Sunday morning, chances are we are most likely making, have made, or are planning to make these delicious sour cream pancakes.

Honestly, they are in full rotation and are perhaps the most popular dish we've ever made in a three month period. Did I mention that they are delicious? They are also a snap to make. And best of all, these pancakes don't leave me feeling as though a I have a pile of bricks hanging out in my tummy. Dan loves them so much I'm fairly certain he would eat them at least once a day if he could.

I originally stumbled upon this recipe while perusing Smitten Kitchen, who got the recipe in Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks. As Deb explains, they are Ree's husband's Grandma Edna Mae's sour cream pancakes. Honestly, it puts a smile on my face every time Dan suggests these and I get to respond, "You mean Edna Maaaaae's sour cream pancakes? You bet I want Edna Mae's pancakes." I really love the idea that we, in our tiny little kitchen in Philadelphia, are carrying on someone's grandmother's pancake legacy.

You can follow the recipe with confidence, but I prefer to add the zest of half to one whole lemon. One time I switched the vanilla extract for almond extract and they were divine. I've even skipped the extract all together (I ran out) and they were still fabulous. As Deb suggests, you can even replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt if you've of sour cream. This is a helpful suggestion because many a'time I've used yogurt in place of my missing sour cream and it worked just fine. The only thing missing is the tangy snap of the sour cream but that is forgivable because these puppies are just so light and tasty and I doubt that anything could do them wrong.

If you are a fan of the pancake or not so much (such as myself), try these. You will not regret it. I promise you. A clean plate every time that would make Grandma proud.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

(adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl via Smitten Kitchen)

7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream 2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1/2 - 1 whole lemon (depending on size of lemon)

Butter

Maple Syrup

Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat; I find the cast iron skillet works rather well.

Stir the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the sour cream and stir together very gently being careful not to over mix (texture will be slightly uneven). In a separate bowl whisk together eggs and vanilla. Being careful not to over mix, add egg mixture to sour cream mixture.

Melt butter in the skillet. Pour the batter into skillet 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface, then flip the pancakes. Cook for another 45 seconds and remove. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes approximately 9 - 12 (4-inch) pancakes.

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers

2010-05-19T18:21:00.000-04:00

Lemons, roasted + Olives + Capers = Perfection? Almost.

I spotted this recipe a few weeks ago as I was hurriedly trying to plan out our week's meals so we could hit the market semi-prepared. (This is a weekly occurrence with me. If I could only decide the night before to chose 3-4 recipes to make for the week, rather than 20 minutes before we decide to leave, I (and my wallet) would probably be much better off.) The dish immediately caught my eye because it seemed incredibly easy and the minimal ingredient list included Mediterranean ingredients of olives and lemons. Perfection. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to make it until last night.

The recipe was simple enough to make but seemed like it took a long time. Had I purchased pitted olives and if I had a working space larger than a cookie sheet, things might have moved along faster. Also, I was so engrossed in pitting my olives and catching up on last week's episode of Lost so that I would be prepared for this week's episode, I completely forgot to take photos. And by the time the dish was plated (at 9pm) I was ravenous with hunger.

(In the absence of not-so-fantastic food photography, I offer this photo that I shot a few years ago in Assisi, Italy. Olive trees peaking through the fog- appropriate, right? : ) )

I really liked the concept of this dish and the method of preparation- quickly searing the chicken to lock in the juices and develop a crispy outer shell, and then simmering it in a very simple sauce until it is reduced. This method allowed the chicken to remain moist and tender. I did not pound my chicken breasts out as many reviewers recommended because my pieces were already quite thin and they seemed to have cooked evenly. If you find that your pieces are on the thick side, I'd recommend following the recommendations of the reviewers.

Unfortunately I felt the flavor profile was slightly off, and Dan agreed. Multiple reviewers noted the olives impart a bitter edge to the sauce; and they were right- the dish was bitter. I used green Greek olives but next time around I might used a mixture of green and kalamata olives. Side dishes of simple mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt and sautéed fresh baby spinach with garlic really helped to take the bitter edge off the dish.

All in all I was happy with it and I will probably have another go at it, though with a few tweaks next time around- I will make the olive switch, lesson the butter by half, and I will use a white wine to deglaze the pan, replacing it with some of the stock. Another commenter found that adding a can of artichoke hearts will cut the bite of the olives nicely, so perhaps I will try that.

This recipe reminded me of a dish Melissa d'Arabian prepared on the Next Food Network Star. I made a mental note that I would try to make her versatile Rustic Lemon-Onion Chicken at some point and then I forgot all about it, until last night. Now, with it fresh in my mind I'll be sure to add the ingredients to this week's market list and give it a try.

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers

from Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

Roasted Lemons

12 thin lemon slices (from 2 lemons)

Olive Oil

Chicken

4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves

All purpose flour

5 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup of green Sicilian olives or other brine cured olives

2 tablespoons of drained capers

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock or low-salt chicken broth

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter cut into 4 pieces (I used unsalted)

3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
(omitted because I did not have any on hand)

Preparation:

For roasted lemons:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange lemon slices in single layer on prepared sheet. Brush lemon slices with olive oil; sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast until slightly dry and beginning to brown around edges, about 25 minutes. (Lemons can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to container. Cover; chill.)

For chicken:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess. Heat 5 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Stir in olives and capers. Add stock and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil until liquid is reduced to syrup consistency, turning chicken over after 3 minutes, about 5 minutes. Add butter, roasted lemon slices, and 2 tablespoons parsley; simmer until butter melts and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.