Mindfulness and music
Washington DC is, quite literally, finding uses for red tape. I love this idea of reuse of old things that had a completely different life, once. So the same thing happened with a bagful of fringe or tassel. A while ago I got some orange fringe at Fabmo, which we were going to use for... Continue Reading →
My family is slightly addicted to the the chili tamarind candy that comes in various stores in various packages and from various places in the world (Mexico, Asia, mostly). They range from simply sweet to intolerably spicy, but the ingredients are simple: tamarind, sugar, and optional spices like chili powder, paprika, salt, etc. I thought... Continue Reading →
A neighbor was kind enough to share a TON of plums from a fallen branch in his yard. I have an entire crisper drawer full! However, these plums are extremely sour and not ready to eat, nor do they seem to ripen on the counter. So of course, I have to make plum pickle with... Continue Reading →
Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay When I was newly married, we would buy Kern's mango and guava nectars on a weekly basis, diluting the same cup of thick smoothie-like juice until our thirst was quenched. Eventually, we read the nutrition facts and found that they had large quantities of added sugar. Since then, we've... Continue Reading →
Toilet Tube Treasury by Jodi Levine is a little book of what you can do with all those toilet paper tubes you must either throw away on a weekly basis or save up for some unknown reason. Here are plenty of reasons: https://supermakeit.com/shop/toilet-tube-treasury Includes templates and ideas for animals, toys, games, wrapping, garlands, marble runs,... Continue Reading →
My daughter loves pot pie but it takes some extra planning. Enter shepherd's pie which is just as delicious but does not require the making of dough and a crust. I was not sure how my family would respond to this, but only one child rejected it, saying it was not flavorful enough (easily remedied... Continue Reading →
I love advents and countdowns, as you may have seen (here, here, here, and here). They are like little daily gifts and surprises. So a happy stitch's lovely valentine's day countdown was just the thing to bring some LOVE into this month for the world. It's a simple idea: put slips of paper in paper... Continue Reading →
Masala Lab by Krish Ashok (subtitled The Science of Indian Cooking) is a treasure trove of scientific and cooking information and inspiration. The book is lighthearted enough for a layperson to read, but includes scientific descriptions such as how a pressure cooker works, how to help onions brown faster (a great tip I've used already!... Continue Reading →
Image by Samir Biscevic from Pixabay Sometimes the easy way out is the way to go, pushing on the "Easy button," for a quick weeknight meal, for example. It's hard for me: the environmentalist in me rebels at buying packaging, the DIYer resists not making everything from scratch (or as much as possible), and the... Continue Reading →
Winter is a great time for beets (or as my Indian relatives call it: "beet root"). I bought a big bag of beets from a farm, cooked some, then some were blanched to freeze (boil 2 min and then immerse in cold water, then freeze in containers). What to do with the rest? Some were... Continue Reading →
Okachiko - Sit There 