Lazy Ramen

Meg shared a pin on Pinterest with me the other day that she was really excited about.  A great, but simple ramen recipe that she ended up making the next night.  We were talking about how expensive fresh noodles are and how you can just get a package of Top Ramen for 59 cents, toss the spice packet, add your own mix of sauces, veggies, meat, whatever and -  voila.  Seriously, why didn't I think of that?  Loving her idea, but not liking some of the ingredients in the recipe she pinned, I decided to make a very dumbed-down version.

Simple meal for when you're not feeling so hot on a rainy day (otherwise August is way too hot for ramen):  Heat two cups of chicken broth on medium-high in a pot.  When it starts bubbling, add one package of cheap-o ramen noodles (toss the MSG-filled spice packet).  Break up the noodles (the broth may not cover them until you do), then add frozen corn and peas (small, so they cook quickly).  Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn off heat, but leave pot on stovetop.  Season with a teensy bit of soy sauce and Sriracha Garlic Chili Sauce (or plain ol' Sriracha).  Sometimes I'm not into the broth part so much and just put the soy and Sriracha on the drained noodles and veggies.

My oh my, how lazy I am.  

Optional:  fresh spinach, thinly sliced scallions, diced firm tofu, very thinly sliced fresh carrots and/or mushrooms, bite-size pieces of rotisserie chicken.

Stumbling Uncraftily Along

I've heard mention of Stumble Upon for quite a while now.  It's one of those things that I kept meaning to get around to, but then I'd get distracted by, you know - a puppy or something shiny, and forget.  I finally took the time to check it out when I saw how many site views I get thanks to Stumble Upon.  The majority of my new visitors come through that way, so of course I had to go see what people are on about.

I wish I'd joined earlier.  I really like this concept.  There are so many things to read online and doing searches only gets you so far.  It's nice to select your interests, click the Stumble button and get something fun to read or interact with.  Here are some of the great sites that came up:

The 36th Avenue:  This is a great site for DIY.  Check out the 25 Handmade Gifts Under $5 - the mason jar sewing kit is fantastic and I want to make those sugar cubes for all my friends. 

Sublime Stitching:  A site for embroidery, which I'm considering trying out once I've got crochet down enough to not immediately forget how to do it if I don't practice for a day.  The How To page makes me believe I can actually do this.  Even if I suck at it, I love these ladies  for being so dang positive about beginners.  They have great starter kits on this site and one of the contributors, Jenny Hart, has written a bunch of embroidery books.

Incredibox:  I posted about this on LostGirls, but it deserves a mention on Uncrafty, as well.  This is a fun, creative way to distract yourself, pass the time, or have your kids play around with melodies and beat-box rhythms.

Everyone's Mix Tape: A great way to experience new music or just a new mix.  My favorite is their Driving mix, great for your next road trip (or commute), but you can find a bunch of options (like Heartbreak, Late Night and Make Out) on the site.

The Cult of the Kitchen

Mary, on Julia:

Julia Child taught me how to cook.  Long before celebrity (and not so celebrity) chefs became popular on TV, there was Julia.  Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Vol. 1) was the first cookbook I ever bought for myself.  I spent a decade trying to master those techniques.  My original copy of that cookbook has disappeared into the void, and has now been replaced not once, but twice, but it still has pride of place among my cookbooks.  Today, all these many years later, I still rely on what I learned from her.

Jess, on Julia:

The very first cookbook my mother bought for me was Julia's Kitchen Wisdom.  A collection of "forty years of happy collaboration on cookery with colleagues and friends," this is the ultimate starter book for people who want to learn how to cook.  In fact, if I could only own two cookbooks (which would certainly help me with storage issues), this would be my first pick (the second would be Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, also given to me by my mom).  In the last few years, I was lucky enough to acquire my mom's copy of In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs - thanks to her move to Italy, which required her leaving more than half of her cookbooks behind in the states.

Our affection for Julia Child is about more than just her excellent teaching methods when it comes to cookery.  Julia was an inspiration.  She wasn't glamorous, she didn't yearn for approval from her audience, she was fearless about being real and oh how she was cool.  Her friend Ariane Daguin described her as the "pioneer who elevated good food to a higher priority in this country," and said, "I think that the cult of the kitchen started with Julia.  She made people want to cook, talk about food and challenge themselves in the kitchen."  

Julia Child was a food pioneer, a fearless woman, a welcoming and joyful person, a cultural icon and an inspiration.  Here is a true celebration of Julia, on what would have been her 100th birthday, from PBS:

If you haven't had enough, hop on over to LostGirls for another Julia post.

Why Doesn't My Single Crochet Look Like Yours?

I discovered just last night that I have not been doing standard single crochet.  What I've been doing isn't technically wrong - it is single crochet and I have completed four scarves already using it.  However, I've been doing single crochet through the front loop only.

You can still make anything you like going through the front or back loop of a stitch, but it changes the texture.  And here I kept wondering why my scarves were so stripey!

Stripey and wonky!

Not stripey...but still a bit wonky.

Uncrafty Hands on The Thinnest Skin

As those of you who read Uncrafty know, I learned to crochet in July.  I am really excited about being able to make things.  In fact, I crochet any time that I can - watching TV, waiting for something to bake in the oven, while on the phone, etc.  Because I have sensitive skin, some of the yarns I've used have irritated my hands and, as all crafters know, yarn and other media will suck the moisture right out of your skin.  [read more...]