For nice, crafty girls(and boys too)!

Ice, ice (Kachang) baby!

2006-09-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

It's a known fact that the original Los Angeles farmer's market offers an endless array of delectable treats. I was thrilled to find out recently that one of those treats can be found at Singapore's Banana Leaf.

My Dad lived in Singapore for many years, and as anyone who has ever been there or is from there will tell you, the food is incredible. Local and regional recipes are the stars at Singapore's Banana Leaf, and after seeing it featured on California's Gold with Huell Howser, I hot-footed it right down there to get one of my favorite desserts, Ice Kachang.

Ice Kachang will be a new twist on dessert for most american taste buds. It's comprised of shaved ice served over mung beans, chendol beans and agar agar jello. Rose syrup and condensed milk are poured on top and then its all garnished with jackfruit, lychees sweetened chick peas, and more!

It sounds a little strange, but on a hot day, it's the coolest thing around.

Singapore's Banana Leaf, 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA
(323) 933-4627

Roasted peaches

2006-09-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy recipe that makes a perfect compliment to any meal. Light, fresh, but feels totally decadent!

Roasted peaches
serves 4

2 ripe peaches
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
vanilla ice cream
caramel or butterscotch sundae topping

Preheat oven to 375. Slice peaches in half and remove pits. In a medium sized frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in sugar and place peaches cut side down.
Cook for 2-4 minutes, until flesh is nicely browned. Place peaches in a baking dish and cook for 6-10 minutes, until nice and soft.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle caramel on top.
Voila!

This stuff sucks...but not how you might think

2006-07-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

I mean that as a good thing! This amazing clay mask sucks the goop outta your pores better than a dirt devil.

It can be found at most health food stores, Whole Foods, or online.

If you can't afford facials, but need some serious deep pore cleansing action, at around $7 a tub, this is for you. Mix according to package directions with pure apple cider vinegar (this works alot better to create a good consitency than water, which you can also use. Beware: it can be pretty intense. The clay literally pulls everything out, creating a pulsing sensation as it dries and tightens (the intense part). If you can get through the first few minutes of it beginning to dry, it almost starts to feel good, especially if you visualize all the nasty grime it's sucking out.

Afterwards, you'll be blessed with incredibly smooth, clean skin that looks virtually pore-less.

I have oily skin, so I like to do it once a week. However, if you're on the dry side, you may only want to use it once a month. It also works great as an overnight spot treatment for stubborn pimples.

Easy Italian menu

2006-06-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

This is an easy, delicious menu that will impress, guests, lovers and family alike! Created using fresh, seasonal ingredients, these simple recipes are extremely flavorful.

1. Fresh tomato basil salad

1 tomato per person
1 bunch fresh basil
drizzle of olive oil
drizzle red wine or balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste (remember, fresh ground is best!)

Rinse and slice tomatoes. Arrange on plate in a pleasing fashion. Rinse basil and chop.
Sprinkle over tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Summer "Pasta e Piselli" (Pasta with peas.)

1 package farfalle pasta
1 medium package fresh or frozen peas
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 an onion (variety of your choice)
1 clove garlic
chopped chives for garnish
grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and peas according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Chop onions and garlic. Cook in a wok or large frying pan with a 1 teaspoon olive oil until they begin to become translucent. Pour in cream, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour in pasta and peas and toss until warm.
Serve garnished with chopped chives and parmesan cheese. (This would also be delicious with some chopped bacon added!)

3. Easy tiramisu
Serves 6

3 tablespoons instant espresso or coffee powder
1 bar (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 packages (3 ounces each) soft ladyfingers
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

In a medium bowl, mix espresso powder with 3 tablespoons boiling water until dissolved. Add 1 1/2 cups cold water; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with heavy cream and sugar until light and fluffy.

Spread a few tablespoons of cream-cheese mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Separate ladyfingers. One by one, dip ladyfingers in espresso, then arrange in bottom of dish. Spread with a third of cream-cheese mixture. Repeat twice, finishing with a layer of the cream-cheese mixture. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Dust with cocoa just before serving.

Think girl, think!

2006-06-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome new site dedicated to providing easy access to news about women from around the world. Love it!

Think Girl

Stewie gets a boo-boo

2006-06-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

These are my dogs, Kylie and Stewie. Stewie's leg looks like a drumstick because somehow one of his toenails got ripped off. Sad hilarity ensues as he tries to navigate with his new cast.

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

How to: buy and care for fresh flowers

2006-06-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

These are a few simple rules to go by when buying fresh flowers. Follow them for more beautiful, longer lasting blooms.

1. Make sure that the vendor has them in at least a few inches of water (I've been to stores where they aren't in any, a big no-no!), away from direct sunlight, and in a refridgerated area or cool place.

2. Look out for droopy, wilted looking heads, petals that fall off easily and/or are bruised, torn or brown (the exception to this last part is roses, which have a layer of "guard petals" that protect the flower and can be peeled off.

3. Once you get your blooms home, snip off stems at a diagonal and put them in water immediately. The stem can seal up and prevent the flower from drinking if exposed to air for as little as 10 seconds. If you've bought hydrangea, first submerge the heads in water for a few minutes as they like to drink from there as well. I've seen this trick revive even the saddest looking hydrangeas! Also, when dealing with woody stems like, lilacs, branches, etc you want to snip up into the stem or smash the ends with a heavy object to allow them to drink. Just the customary snip won't do for these guys.

4. Once your flowers are arranged make sure to add fresh water daily and always keep the vase full. If you can flush out the entire vase even better.

5. Keep your arrangement away from direct sunlight, heaters and drafty areas.

These steps will keep your flowers fresh and beautiful for up to a week and a half. Heartier or tropical blooms will last even up to 2 weeks!

Spaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh water

2006-05-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick, easy recipe for a refreshing treat that will impress anyone you serve it to, guaranteed! It's called "spa water", so named because it's usually the beverage on tap at most spas.

Spa Water:
1/2 a cucumber
1 lemon
1 handful mint leaves
1 pitcher with ice

1. Rinse cucumber, lemon and mint.
2. Peel cucumber and slice. Slice lemon and remove mint leaves from stems.

3. Place ingredients in pitcher with ice and fill with water. The water can be refilled throughout the day and will remain flavorful.

The best thing about this is that you can do lots of variations on it. Oranges, berries, limes, use your imagination!

Getting Crunky, cocky roosters and used books...

2006-05-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

As an LA native, I have a lot of favorite local spots. I thought it'd be fun to share these treasures once in a while with everyone and spread the good word.

One of the best places to get not only the tastiest, but most variety of Japanese restaurants in LA is on Sawtelle Boulevard, between Olympic and Santa Monica.
My family and I have been going for years to a place called Hurry Curry, which serves delicious Japanese style curry at great prices. About a block and a half down is Asahi Ramen, famous for it's ramen noodles. I'm not a ramen gal myself, but I love their gyoza and sara udon.

There are at least half a dozen other restaurants there, along with some wonderful Japanese import shops that sell beautiful and well priced tableware, silk kimonos, slippers and gifts. There is also a Japanese market and a wonderful little Japanese version of the 99 cent store called Tokyo 99 Plus that sells all sorts of fun things like Japanese candies (including the delicious and fabulously-named Crunky bar) stickers, bento boxes, toys and hello kitty paraphenalia, almost all at under $5! This is a fantastic place to put together last minute gifts.

This little stretch of Sawtelle also boasts some great clothing/shoe shopping. Black Market carries a well edited selection of indie designers for men and women (including Gentille Fille) and right next door is an awesome sneaker store (who's name escapes me at the moment) that carries vintage, old school and limited edition kicks. The world famous Giant Robot is just a little ways down, and also has an art gallery and restaurant across the street.

As you move up closer to Santa Monica Boulevard, you'll pass some beautiful plant nurseries, and sooner or later end up at Alias Books. Alias is a used and rare bookstore with a cozy atmosphere and a great selection. (Dan and I left today with about 10 books between us!) Keep your eyes peeled for the rooster and hen who live across the street at the auto body shop and are often gracious enough to pose for pics to amuse us city folk.

Wrap up- the week's projects come together

2006-05-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

This week we made eggshell vases and astro turf placemats.
Today, I'm going to show how to tie the two together and create a really fun, Mod/kitschy place setting. Obviously, you don't have to copy it exactly, or even use the same color scheme. My point here more is to plant the seed for a general idea and have fun with it. Best of all, similar looks can be created for practically nothing. Usually the cleaner and simpler the design of something, the more high end it looks, no matter how much it cost. Below I've combined plain white dinner plates from Ikea, an orange melamine cup and saucer that Dan's had forever, flowers cut from the front yard and Ikea silverware that we got for a song at the Salvation Army.

Astro turf madness (and placemats too!)

2006-05-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

This astro turf placemat project is easy-peasy, and ties in with the eggshell vase project from Tuesday May 9th.
I love this stuff because there are about a million things you can do with it. Plus, it's durable and easy to clean- you can sweep it or wash it with mild soap and water. I'm making astro turf placemats, but you could also do a table runner, doormat/floor mat, pet dish placemat, coasters, even cut the turf into simple shapes (circles, squares, hearts, etc.)and create an outdoor or indoor pathway. You name it...go nuts!

Here's what you'll need:
1.Astro turf in the color of your choice (I've been looking for pink to no avail, so if anyone knows where to find it, holla!)
2.Scissors
3.Ruler
4.Marking pen

Step 1:
Mark out the size and shape of what you're cutting on the backside of the astro turf using your ruler and marking pen.

Step 2:
Cut and enjoy.

Man, that was easy!

What I'm listening to lately...just in case you're interested

2006-05-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

The Loon by Tapes n' Tapes
My favorite song is "Omaha"

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out.

Eggshell Vases

2006-05-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

This first project is a fairly easy vase made out of an eggshell. This is an especially great way to use eggs that have gone bad! These sweet little vases are great as gifts, party favors, for setting a table or as part of your interior decor. This project will tie in with a few others this week that will show an easy and cheap way to create a cute table setting.

Here's what you'll need:
1. an egg
2. small, sharp scissors. (I like curved nail scissors.)
3. origami paper, wrapping paper or magazine cutouts.
4. white glue.
5. medium sized brush.
6. small rocks or pebbles.
7. flowers of your choice
8. varnish or shellac.
9. small plastic bottle cap (optional)

Step 1:
Use the tip of your scissors to tap a small hole into one side of the egg. Using this as a starting point, cut out a nice size hole to place your flowers in. Empty the contents and rinse out the eggshell.

Step 2:
Cut out the shapes you'll be gluing to the egg.

Step 3:
Using a medium brush dipped in a little watered down white glue, coat the surface of the egg. Apply your cut outs, and go over them with the brush and glue once again.

Step 4:
To finish the surface, spray on an even coating of varnish/shellac (DO THIS IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA!).

The finished egg should look something like this:

Step 5:
Once the egg is dry, place a few small rocks or pebbles in the bottom to weigh it down (otherwise it will tip).

Step 6:
Place the flowers of your choice inside and enjoy! Note: If you want your flowers to last longer than the length of a party or special event, place a small plastic bottle cap or thimble full of water inside to give the floral stems a place to drink from.

You can also use these as mini planters for hearty plants like succulents. Follow the same steps as above, but instead fill with dirt and a small plant.

Howdy folks!

2006-05-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to start this blog as a way to share fun ideas and projects that come my way, and to show people that it's really not as hard as it looks to be creative (or do creative things.) This is my first real blogging experience (other than a few random thoughts on myspace) so bear with me. Hopefully people will find the contents of these pages inspiring and informative. Stay tuned for our first project later today!
Caroline