A BOY AND HIS BANANA CRESPELLA ON A SUNDAY MORNING

Of course...drizzled with nutella sauce. Only natural! This was heavenly :).

Here is the link to the Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce recipe folks.

I added the banana onto the pancake mix once I poured it onto the pan.

Enjoy!! 

NATURAL DYEING...1ST TRY

I love love love natural silk cords. They feel so soft and luxurious to wear. You can see my macramé silk cords bracelet on my previous post. However, the colors they come in are very limited. Thus, this girl decided to try her hand on dyeing silk cords. Not being too particular about dyeing with regular dye and all the chemicals in it, I decided to try natural dyeing. My first choice to try as my first dye mix was plum, but with it being winter, it was out of the question. However, I did find some nice looking beets that I thought would make a nice rich dark red...or at least that was what my resources said.

I used one beet for this experiment. As per instructed, I boiled the silk cords in salt water fix (1/2 cup salt to 8 cups water for fruit dye. Isn't beet considered fruit???) for an hour and rinsed. Then, I cut up the beet and put it in two quartz of water. The water turned medium violet-red right away as shown in the photograph. I thought it would certainly turn darker after boiling it for one hour like I supposed to. It did turn somewhat darker. Taking all the beet pieces out, I placed the silk cords back in the pot and boiled them for an hour. I left the cords soaking overnight hoping to reach even darker and richer color. But it didn't happen. I took the cords out of the pot, washed and hung them to dry. Well, I supposed the color did deepen a bit...just not as dark as I would like it to be.

The color did not turn out the way I had envisioned it to be, but it's still lovely. Instead of dark deep red, now I have soft rosy-gray silk cords. Perhaps next time I should use less water or more beets. Or perhaps I should use a vinegar fix that is used for anything else other than fruit. I cannot wait to use my lovely cords!! :)

MACRAME JEWELRY ALL GROWN UP.

I am so in love with this macramé silk bracelet. My first macramé jewelry was a choker, given to me by my husband's best friend. It was made out of beige hemp cord, and I love it. But now I'm older....much older that is (lol) and need my jewelry to be more sophisticated.

The first macramé jewelry I made out of silk was for a lovely lady in Australia who loved my leather lariat, but wanted something other than leather. Thus, I came to suggest making it out of weaved silk cord for her. It was a lovely piece although I didn't think anything about it then other than I was weaving it for Rosemary. This was about a year ago or more like one and a half...maybe two. Boy, where did time go!!! Anyway, Rosemary lost my contact info and just found me again last month. She sent me a sweet message of how many compliments she received whenever she wears it and how much she loves it...and how glad she was to find me again. Very kind of her :).

Her message reminded me of that particular lariat necklace and how lovely it was. Thus, it inspired me to make this particular double wrap bracelet I named Raka, meaning full moon, for the wonderfully marbled blue picasso beads and how the sterling silver beads and the silk cords shine all around them....echoing their mysterious beauty.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

This is a page from my old Moleskine notebook. I ran into it while looking for something else. Seeing it, I remember how I longed to do what is truly mine. Losing the corporate job I had at the time threw me into a whole other world altogether where I have all the time in the world to do my art. Thus came the question, what is it that I really want? What is it that is truly mine? Needless to say that I was scrambling, reaching for air...trying not to drown. It has been a long journey since then, but I came out of it as a better person. I have a better understanding of myself now...closer to my true self and what I am about. Although the journey will never be over, I am many many steps closer since then and glad of it. I feel tired and glad at the same time. Glad that the past is over and glad for the now and the future. Thanks Universe for what was and what is...and what will be. 2012 will be great!! Happy New Year all!!

SALILA [water]

I fell for these lovely natural aquamarine gemstones with its variety of colors, ranging from sea foam green to robins egg blue, once I laid my eyes on them. For awhile, I was not sure what to do with them, but they keep calling my name. So I would come and touch them everyday...just as I do with my other stones waiting to be turned into beautiful pieces of jewelry. A few days ago, I grab them, some pearls, chain and what not and set to work. I made Salila into a double layer bracelet and arranged them so so that the pearls and gemstones roll and chase each other as wave on the surface of water would.

Aquamarine is a 19th anniversary gemstone, and birthstone of the month of March.

Metaphysically, aquamarine is known as a stone of courage and fortitude that can bring great power. It is said to assist with quick intellectual response. It brings inner peace and self-love, gives shielding for the aura, and is said to bring angels for their guidance and protection. As such, it is an excellent crystal for meditation. Aquamarine is used metaphysically to dispel anger and fear. Aquamarine is also used psychically to do past life recall and work. It is also said to be a wonderful good luck stone. Aquamarine is reputed to assist with calming communication issues. It is said to be attuned to the sea and protect travelers on water and sailors. In crystal healing lore Aquamarine has been used for healing GERD, chronic fatigue, the endocrine system, eyes and eyesight, fluid retention, headaches, intestinal disorders, the nervous system, phobias, and teeth and gums. Aquamarine is associated with the throat chakra.

PEAR TART

Apparently making tart is easier than what I had imagined. Soft pear and tart with a hint of almond. I used muscadine jelly than the usual apricot. HEAVENLY!!

MARTABAK TELUR

New year, new habbit...new things to think about. Although I did not officially make this my new year's resolution, it is my intention to get to know cooking from my home town better...the food from the lustrous Indonesia. My first experiment is a dish called Martabak Telur which basically is wrapped ground meat, eggs and shallots, served with cucumber salad. You can make your own martabak skin or use ready made egg roll skins instead...just like I used on the picture.

Although martabak telur is usually eaten as an afternoon snack, it also makes a wonderful breakfast. I can eat it anytime of the day really :)
Ingredients
Skin
500 gr flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
oil
Filling
400 gr ground meat [traditionally we use ground beef, but I use turkey in mine]
6 cloves shallots, minced
4 stems green onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground caraway
10 eggs
Skin | Mix flour, salt and water until the mixture forms a ball. Soak in oil for about 2 hours. Roll dough on oiled surface to form a square.

Filling | Heat a couple of tablespoons oil on a pan, add shallots and sauté until soft and aromatic. Add ground meat, black pepper, salt, coriander and carraway. Cook until meat is done. Whisk 2 eggs, add green onions and ground meat mixture.
Martabak | Heat some oil in a pan on medium low heat and place the skin. Place the filling mixture into the skin, just enough to leave some room on the sides. Fold the sides to form a package. Flip once the bottom side turned brown.
Enjoy with cucumber salad and hot chili.
This recipe is courtesy of my cousin Daisy Legimin: daisycooking.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/martabak-telur/