I’m just finishing up an interesting freelance project that consumed both the time and brainspace that I had dedicated to blogging. Thanks for waiting.
Walter Hamady’s Gabberjab #6 via the Center for Book Arts.
Archive for the ‘Maija’ Category
Back at it
Sunday, November 1st, 2009Late bloomers
Monday, August 3rd, 2009It’s been an unusually cool, rainy summer here in Chicago. My balcony garden got off to a pretty slow start. Things are kicking into high gear now that summer’s half over:
My baby clematis finally bloomed! One of my favorite plants. I hope it survives the balcony’s brutal winter microclimate.
This is the only time I’ve a sweet potato vine bloom.
The planter boxes on the shady side of the balcony always seem to do better. The south-facing side is brutally hot.
The offspring of one of last year’s trailing petunia somehow sprouted between our building and the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it was weeded a few days later. I’ve also seen dill and cilantro sprouting below the balcony. Sure beats the usual dandelions and fast food wrappers.Everyone loves ice cream
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
All via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. (The kid in the suit! And hat!)
“Pound and sift one dozen stale macaroons and three lady fingers, blanch, chop fine and pound to a paste twenty-five almonds (or three ounces of almond paste); scald one pint of milk (cream is better) in double boiler, add one cupful of sugar and stir until dissolved. Take from fire and add one pint of cream and set aside to cool, then add one tablespoon of orange flower water, two tablespoons of maraschino. Freeze the cream first, then take out dasher and stir in macaroons and nuts, pack until ready to serve.” Laura Thornton Knowles, Southern Recipes Tested by Myself, 1913
“Pop corn without butter or salt is more suitable to serve with ice cream than cake.”Evora Bucknum Perkins, The Laurel Health Cookery, 1911
“This cream was originated by a famous New Orleans conflsseur in honor of “Rex,” the King of the world- famed New Orleans Carnivals. It was first served at a Carnival luncheon in St. Charles avenue. The King’s colors are purple, green and gold…Make a Plain Ice Cream. Divide into three distinct and equal portions. Color one with Spinach Greenery, to obtain the green effect; flavor another with Essence of Vanilla, and color with orange juice or a bit of saffron, to obtain the golden yellow: and tint the third with a deep Crème de Violette, for the royal purple… Molds now come made in the shape of tiny flags, and the effect suggests at once Rex and his merry reign.” The Picayune Creole Cookbook, 1922
“I do not know of any good ice-cream recipe unless it is expensive. When I see the faces people make up while trying to swallow cheap ice-cream, I think to myself if I cannot have good ice-cream I will not have any.” — Arthur’s Home Magazine, July-December 1897
all via Google Book Search.
So, guess what I got for my birthday?
Angelic Organics Cheesemaking Workshop
Monday, June 1st, 2009Last Saturday, three city girls went to Caledonia, Illinois to learn about cheesemaking at the Angelic Organics Learning Center. Workshop attendees paired up to make one of several different kinds of cheese, including ricotta, chevre, queso blanco, feta and mozzarella. The class was fun and well-organized, and the cheese was surprisingly easy to make. But the best part was the goats.
Top to bottom: Angelic Organics Learning Center; feta preparation; ricotta three ways; this way to goats; mom and baby; cutest kid ever; needy adolescents.
Self-serving post #1
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Some recent wardrobe reassessments yielded some top-notch vintage finds, which I now have consigned with Lucitebox.com.
1950s circle skirt with sporting print. 28″ waist
1970s white pique preppy dress with embroidered dragons
Thee best 1970s Lanvin shirtdress, travel theme printMore coming soon! Holly always has an outstanding selection of vintage clothing and housewares for a variety of tastes and budgets, and you’ll enjoy shopping with her.
St. Louis, Part 3
Monday, May 4th, 2009I shouldn’t complain about St. Louis so much, especially when I go there maybe once a year anymore:
StL stuff – some new, some not:
A pocket of raging modernism in suburban Crestwood.
Snowflake/City Stock – part of the sprawling Cherokee St. arts compound.
If Apop Records had been around in 2004, maybe I wouldn’t have moved away.
I’m gone for a few years, then everyone gets together and fancies up Margan Fard.
Move to St. Louis and buy an entire city block for the cost of a 2-bedroom Chicago condo!
Vintage family snapshots
Monday, March 30th, 2009You see these boxes of hundreds of snapshots at antique malls and junk shops. While they’re often fascinating, I don’t like looking at them because the idea of someone selling or giving away family pictures makes me unspeakably sad. Then I happened across one at Uncommon Objects in Austin. We were rushing through on our way to dinner, so I wasn’t in shopping mode. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I said if I could find it again the next day, I’d get it.
There you have it. I also bought some Kenyan safari-print fabric and a few greeting cards.
San Antonio tourist attractions
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Not shown: Hordes of tourists.
Ghost signs, Austin
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
“In 1875, one Thomas Cusack, a youth in his teens, started a business with only a paint pot and brush and a remarkable personality as assets. The business consisted in painting advertising signs on the sides of buildings in a small way. Gradually, he took to building billboards of his own, and leasing suitable walls and other locations for outdoor advertisements.” — Time, 1924
“Cusack. Thomas, outdoor advertising; born Ireland, Oct. 5, 1858; son John and Dehlia (Mc- Mahon) Cusack; came to New York with parents when 3 years old; lost parents 2 years later; came to Chicago in 1863; attended pub. and private schools here and St. Xavier’s Coll.. New York; married Elinor Ross, 1891 (died 1894); married 2d, Mary E. Greene, at Yonkers, N.Y., July 10, 1895; children: Anna, Thomas, Charles, Francis and Evelyn. Learned sign painting trade and in Dec. 1875 started In the advertising sign business as Thomas Cusack & Co., Incorporated 1903, as Thos. Cusack Co., of which has since been pres.; co. has branches In all parts of U.S. Was mem. Chicago Board of Edn., 1891-8 (vice-pres. of board, 1896, 1897, 1898); on staff of Gov. Altgeld, with rank of col., 1893-7; mem. 56th Congress, 1899-1901, 4th 111. Dist. Has served as mem. of the State Central Dem. Com.; del. Dem. Nat. Convention. Denver, 1908. Mem. Art lust, of Chicago, Chicago Assn. of Commerce. Clubs: Chicago Athletic, Westward Ho Golf. Recreations: handball and golf. Residence: 639 S. Ashland Boul. Office: Cor. W. 15th and Throop Sts.” — The Book of Chicagoans, A.N. Marquis & Co., 1911 via Google Book Search.
Stanley’s Pie
Saturday, February 14th, 2009I have about a million hobbies. One of them is making pies. I started doing it about a year and a half ago, when I was overwhelmed by the notion that making a pie was something I should know how to do. At first it took me a whole day to make a pie; it also took me several tries to figure out how to finesse the crust. Now I can crank out consistently decent pies on a regular basis.
This is something I’ve decided to call a Stanley’s Pie. It’s a fruit pie whose filling is composed of whatever produce is on sale at Stanley’s Fruits & Vegetables. In this case it was Granny Smith apples (10 for $1) and raspberries ($.69/pak! I bought six!). I also tossed in a cup of organic wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s for some extra sweetness.