Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Wishing you, dear reader, a most Merry Christmas and a happy Holiday season! May we have even more wonderful and creative adventures (!) in the New Year.

Another easy gift to make: Spice envelopes

Here's another easy gift you can make yourself. I've brought these as house gifts, and also plan to give some for Christmas. They're really pretty and useful for other things too - when you give them filled with little packets of spice mixes, they're two gifts in one!

This is a lined cloth envelope, filled with small baggies of spices and spice mixes purchased at a spice shop, in my case at Oaktown Spice Shop in Oakland.

To make the envelope, you'll need:
- 1/3 yard of a fabric for the outside
- 1/3 yard of a different fabric that complements the first fabric for the lining.
- a sewing machine

Cut a piece of each fabric 6" wide and 16" long. If you wish, you can cut across the corners of the top of each piece. This will result in a rounded flap, like the one you see in the photo.

With right sides together, sew the two pieces together with a 1/2" seam, leaving 2 inches open at the bottom for turning. Turn the piece right side out, taking care to pull out the corners. Press on both sides. Stitch the opening closed by hand, hiding your stitches as much as possible.

Turn the bottom up 5-1/2" to make the bottom of the envelope. Stitch along both sides of the turned up portion. Press well.

Turn down the top portion to make the flap of the envelope, leaving a little extra room at the top to account for the bulk of your spice packets. Press well.

Fill with spice packets and give proudly! Here's another photo of the envelope above, giving a peek at the lining...

All the measurements given above can be altered, making your envelope longer, wider, bigger, or smaller depending on what you're putting in it.

Santa's coming! Easy gifts to make: Wine stoppers

Isn't it cool when you get a gift someone made with their own hands? I just love that kind of creativity, and I think it's so, well, personal when someone I love makes a special gift just for me. Turning it around, I've made at least some of the gifts I've given over the last few years. Most of them don't take much time, and on top of it the expense is so much less - all good. Here's a gorgeous and very easy stocking stuffer for the wine lovers on your list! (P.S. can also be used for olive oil and other kinds of bottles)

Wine Stoppers
You'll need:
1. A used wine cork (not plastic) that's not cracked or broken and that is narrow enough on one end to fit back into a wine bottle. Test it on a bottle!
2. A pretty drawer pull with screw. I got some good ones at Cost Plus for around $5. Look for a design that reminds you of the person you're making it for - exotic, dramatic, colorful, cheerful...
3. An electric drill with a drill bit slightly smaller than or the same size as the screw on the drawer pull.
4. A good polyurethane glue, like Gorilla Glue.

With your drill, make a hole in the end of your cork (the end that doesn't fit back into the bottle) that is almost as deep as the drawer pull screw is long.

Carefully put a little glue on the drawer pull screw plus a little into the hole in the cork. Be careful not to get it on your fingers, and don't put so much in the hole that it will ooze out when you insert the screw.

Insert the drawer pull screw into the cork, turning and turning it until the cork is right up against the knob of the pull.

Let dry for 24 hours. Here's a finished photo of a couple of the wine stoppers I made! Pretty cute, huh?

The Best Cosmo

My, my, my, what a busy time it is! Not only are Wayne and I whirling around buying, making, and wrapping presents for family and friends, but the holiday party scene is really heating up too. By now you know I'm a bartender for parties and events at the fabulous Claremont Resort and Spa in the Berkeley/Oakland hills, and they're really keeping me busy this year!

I always enjoy helping people have a good time! Of course, bartending for holiday parties in the hotel is a lot different from bartending poolside in the summer, which I've written about before. For one thing, the drinks people want are different. Not a single customer I've had during the holidays has asked for a Bloody Mary at 10:00 p.m., and who would think of a Pina Colada when it's cold outside and you're wearing velvet and lace?

So what's the most popular drink at my holiday party bars? I have to say it's the Cosmopolitan, otherwise known as the Cosmo. It's a pretty drink, and festive, and, yes, it's pink, but guys order it too. Here's how you can make one, or two or three, at home:

The Best Cosmo

Put a scoop of ice into a cocktail shaker*. Add 1 oz. vodka, 1 oz. sweet and sour, 1/2 oz. Cointreau, and 2 oz. cranberry juice.

Shake vigorously.

Strain into a martini glass, or if you wish into a champagne flute.

Garnish with a lime wedge on the rim.

*No cocktail shaker? No problem. Just serve this drink over ice in a pretty clear glass, short or tall. Stir well before sipping. It's just as delicious!

Sip and enjoy!

Smoke

The letters on the sheet of paper in my typewriter wavered, then merged together to form a conga line dancing gaily across the page. Nervously I fondled the flip-top of my flat rectangular box of Benson and Hedges cigarettes, willing the dancers to behave. Finally I gave up, and flipped the box open, glancing down at the perfect double row of a full box of white-filtered smokes.  

Bringing my gaze back to the typewriter, I absent-mindedly selected one of the cigarettes and pulled it out of the pack, tapping it lightly on the inside of my left wrist and placing it between my lips.  Instantly a flame appeared in front of me, and I cupped my right hand around it, leaning in for the light. The flame and the hand holding it belonged, of course, to Roger. I didn't quite smile as I looked up into the dark glasses he always wore. 

"How are you?" he asked as he flicked the gold lighter closed. 

"Fine," I said, "although I could have done with one less Russian."  

His laugh was low and insinuating as he walked back to his desk. After a moment I heard his purr as he connected to his next prospect on the phone. 

Back at the typewriter, my eyes finally cleared. The nicotine had settled me down. I resumed typing Joe's correspondence, which he spoke into a Dictaphone machine and I typed while playing it back.

Dear Mr. Blakely: In response to your letter of 27 September, blah…blah…blah. 

Don't get me wrong, I liked Joe. As secretary to the Sales Department at Honeywell, Inc, in their Minneapolis headquarters, I was the envy of most of the girls who were secretaries and file clerks and copy girls in other departments around me. The pay was good, well over $400 a month, and the seven salesmen I worked for were movers and shakers in the company. Joe was the boss, the Sales Manager, and he was decent – easy-going, calm, fatherly to a young girl in her first serious job. It's just that his correspondence was…well, so deadly boring. So predictable, I could have written it myself. And sometimes I did, changing a phrase here and there to make a letter read better. Joe never mentioned it, so I guess he didn't notice. He just signed the letters and I sent them out. 

Speaking of predictable, there was Roger, although you couldn't say he was boring. Roger was like a dog on a scent, with his expensive-looking slightly shiny suits (silk, some of the other girls said), his black hair slicked back from his forehead, and his ever-present dark glasses. Married, of course, he mumbled when he spoke so you had to lean in to hear. Probably he thought it was seductive. Well, it was. The thing about Roger was that he was both seductive and at the same time somehow repulsive – a combination I had a hard time resisting. I suspected he was sloshed most of the time, even in the morning. He was after me, that was for sure. He hung around my desk when he was in the office. He took me out to lunch, sometimes alone and sometimes with the other guys. I couldn't imagine why. Maybe his wife wasn't any fun. 

It had all started a month or so ago. 

"How about Charlie's for lunch?" Ken, one of the salesmen, said to Nels. 

"Sure, sounds good. Bert, Roger, how about you?" 

Bert looked up from his desk. "I have to finish this bid – it'll only be a few minutes." 

"Let's bring our new secretary out to Charlie's," Roger mumbled, standing up and putting his perfectly tailored jacket on over his immaculate white shirt. "I'll bet she's never been to Charlie's. Right, Dana?" He looked over at me with a grin. I shook my head no. Charlie's was a really expensive restaurant downtown where business people went for lunch. Of course I hadn't been there, I was only 19. The other men smiled knowingly, and nodded at Roger. 

"Sure, let's take Dana to Charlie's. Bert, put that thing down. It's lunchtime. It'll be there when you get back and Dana can't type it anyway. She's going to lunch with us." 

On the way out, Roger stopped at the door of Joe's office. "Joe, we're takin' Dana to Charlie's. D'you wanna come?" 

"No, I'll man the fort here. Have a good lunch." Of course, if Joe went he would have to pay for everybody. He was the boss. I knew that because I processed the expense reports. 

Off we went to Charlie's for steaks and fancy potatoes and Cherries Jubilee and, of course, Martinis and Manhattans and Tom Collinses, not one, but two or three.  

"Dana, what d'you want to drink? A Martini, p'rhaps?" Roger murmured. He was sitting next to me in the round leather booth they called a banquette. 

"I'll have a Black Russian, please," I replied. 

"But, of course," he smiled as he motioned to the waiter. "A double Chivas over, and a Black Russian, if you don't mind." 

"My pleasure, sir."  I was with the men, so no one questioned whether I was old enough to drink.  

Could I have picked a less alcoholic drink? Probably. But I wanted to show how worldly I was, like them. Black Russian was a serious drink, although sweet enough to be feminine. It was a James Bond sort of drink, and that's the way I felt - glamorous, worldly, mysterious, possibly dangerous, eating and drinking lunch with the men. I felt at one with the scene -  the rich aroma of seared filet mignon, the whisper of plates being set down with flair by tuxedoed waiters, a cigarette held casually but elegantly in my right hand, and the strong sweet taste of vodka and Kahlua punctuated by one perfect hazelnut.  

Soon I became a regular at office lunches, and these were my trademarks. I drank Black Russians and smoked Benson and Hedges cigarettes, flip-top box. 

"Are you busy this weekend?" Roger stood by my desk, a casual smile on his face. Of course his eyes were impossible to read behind the dark glasses. It was 2 p.m. on a Friday and he was on his way out of the office for the weekend. 

"Um, yes, I think so. I have some plans." 

"Oh, too bad. I was hoping we could meet for drinks, maybe stop by the house. You've never seen my house, right?" He paused and his dark glasses looked intently in my direction. I didn't say anything. "So, here's my phone number." He handed me a yellow While You Were Out message slip with a number written on it. "Call me if you find you have any time." 

I took the slip of paper, trying not to touch his fingers, and put it on my desk. The only coherent thought in my mind was the realization that he wasn't mumbling for a change. What did he mean "call me"? Did he mean "at home"? What about his wife?  

"Thanks. OK, maybe I will. I think I'll be busy though." I couldn't think of what else to say so I turned back to my typewriter. Roger picked up his leather briefcase and raised his hand in a mock salute as he went out the door. My mind was in a whirl, and I lit another cigarette to get my bearings. Soon my fingers were flying again over the typewriter keys. I refused to think about Roger. 

When I wasn't at work, my girlfriend Cathi and I liked to bar hop. We had fake IDs, like everyone we knew who wasn't yet 21, the legal drinking age in Minnesota. No one looked at them closely, unless of course you were so young you looked like a baby.

We loved the restaurants that had good bars and weren't too expensive, like Michaels. There might be a pianist playing "The Shadow of Your Smile," one of my favorites, a slow, sad, swinging song that fit my melancholy mood. 

At these bars we drank ice cream drinks and this night the pianist at Michaels was in rare form, already coloring the air with the sad songs I loved. 

"I'll have a brandy Alexander."

"Are you 21, sweetheart?"

"Sure. Want to see my ID?"

"No, that's OK. One brandy Alexander coming right up."

"What are you going to have, Cath?"

"I'll have one of those crème de menthe things….oh yeah, a grasshopper."

"Yes, ma'am. Are you girls local? I think I've seen you in here before."

"Yup, we're from right here. At least for now."

 

Soon we had frothy sweet drinks to go with our sweet selves. 

Cath and I both took out our packs, I my flat box of Benson and Hedges, and Cath her soft pack of Menthol Kools. The bartender raced over with a light. 

I hadn't mentioned anything about Roger's weekend invitation to Cath, and I didn't feel like bringing it up now. It was on my mind, though, seductive curiosity and revulsion side by side. I sat back with a sigh, blowing smoke rings high into the dimly lit air of the bar. Men. What was with them? Roger was obviously a guy on the make, a scalp collector. Maybe they all were. I had no respect for them. I could use them as easily as they could use me.  

Wasn't I supposed to be finding a husband? I couldn't imagine how it would work out. 

"Cath, I'm going to the ladies,"

"OK Dan. I'll be here." 

I passed the pay phone on my way into the ladies. On the way out I stopped in front of it and fumbled for a moment in my purse. My mother's voice came into my mind: "A lady never fumbles in her purse." I smiled to myself. Well, I'm no lady, Mom. I came up with a yellow slip of paper and a number. And a dime. 

A phone rang at the other end of the line, then it stopped.

"Yeah."

"Hello. Roger? Yes," I laughed softly. "It's me." 

In the lounge, the pianist started up again, the slow sad strains of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" filtering in through the door to where I stood with the phone in my hand.

 

It's pouring in Portland

What's new? It's raining in Oregon. We're vegging today, the day after Thanksgiving, choosing to hang out at home in front of a fire rather than braving the Black Friday mobs. Yikes, it's hard to imagine standing in lines in this rain. I'm not that much of a shopper anyway.

Dinner was fabulous yesterday - ham, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, cranberries, and Allie's apple pie for dessert.  Yum!  There was pie for breakfast this morning...my favorite with coffee.  Of course we'll be eating leftovers all day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, dear readers.  We have much to be thankful for!

Groovin' in a four-car garage

There we were, Wayne and I and our friend George, lounging on a leather sofa in a garage in Berkeley, groovin' to some pretty fantastic live blues along with maybe 50 other people. Outside, rain poured down. Inside, young guys popped cans of beer and older gals like me pulled bottles of wine out of cloth bags.

We were at Birdland Jazzista Social Club. A guy in Berkeley, a professor at City College, has opened up his four-car garage, outfitted it with a stage and a sound system, booked bands, and even fired up a grill and smoker in the front to feed his guests. He calls it Birdland (he makes birdhouses, which are all over the garage). It started out to be free, because that's the custom of the guy's homeland, the Phillippines. Then it got so big that people spilled out into the street, and of course the city of Berkeley got involved. I know, you're thinking, well Berkeley - everything goes in Berkeley. Apparently not partying in the street all night!

Anyway, the guy turned his weekly party into a social club and limited it to whomever could fit into his garage with the door closed, and into his little backyard behind the garage. It costs $10 to come in, and that pays for the bands. The BBQ (chicken legs, smoked ribs, sausages) is still free, as is the rum bar in the back of the garage. Otherwise its BYOB.

We left about midnight after hearing two great bands, and even boogying a bit in the aisles! Ernesto had just announced that the third band would come on shortly and would probably play till 3a.m. Yikes, just a little too much action for us, but what a deal!

We slid into the rainy night and back to reality.

Here's a link to Birdland's website, and the history of the Social Club (kind of long-winded). http://birdlandjazz.org/about/history/. It's been going on for two years, and will now end in a few weeks when Ernesto returns to the Phillippines. Maybe he'll be back!

Do you love beets?

Dear readers, do you love beets like I do? The two farmers' markets I go to are filled with beets right now - deep red beets, yellow beets, orange beets, striped beets. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Mmmmmmm!

Anyway ... it occurred to me that many people don't know how to cook beets and they have to get them out of cans and jars. I mean, those are OK, but they taste nothing like a freshly roasted beet. So I decided to share my TOTALLY EASY recipe for roasted beets with a yummy walnut vinaigrette.

Roasted Beets with Walnut Vinaigrette

• A bunch of medium-sized beets of any color, or a combination of colors
• 1/2 tablespoon sherry
• 1/2 tablespoon unflavored rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Italian parsley, chopped
• freshly ground pepper
• a few walnuts (if you want them)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the leaves off the beets, leaving an inch of leaf stalk, and save the leaves for another use. They are wonderful in soups or salads, or cooked with other greens, but they only last a day or two, so use them quickly.

Also cut the "tail" off the beetroot, leaving about an inch. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place them in a baking dish that's large enough to hold them in one layer. Add about an inch of water to the baking dish, and place it in the preheated oven.

Roast the beets for one hour, or until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool enough to handle. Then remove the aluminum foil and peel them with a paring knife. You can also get the peel off by rubbing the beets with a paper towel, but I usually get impatient with this and just get out the knife. Cut the beets into slices, quarters, or bite-sized pieces. WARNING: Beet juice stains, so wear an apron and be careful not to spatter the juice on your clothing!

Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette. Combine the vinegars and salt, mixing well, and add the oils. While the peeled and cut beets are still warm, dress them with the vinaigrette and the parsley. Try them, and if you'd like them to be a little more tart, add a bit more balsamic vinegar.

Season with freshly ground pepper, sprinkle a few walnut pieces over the whole thing, and enjoy!

Uses: These beets are yummy in a salad. They are a healthy side dish with most meat and vegetable dishes. They would also be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving dinner table, adding color and a delicious contrast to more, shall we say, rich traditional dishes. You know, the ones topped with marshmallows! :-)

Eating and drinking in Clearwater FL

So much has happened, it seems ages since I was in Clearwater, Florida, lazing around in the sun and soaking up fabulous music. It's really only been two weeks. Nevertheless, while the taste of all the good food Donna and I ate still lingers, I'd better tell you about it.

We decided to eat late lunch/early dinner out each day before going to the Clearwater Jazz Holiday, which started mid-afternoon most days. This way we would only eat two meals (breakfast and late lunch) and we wouldn't be starving enough to have to eat at the park. What a great decision! I think I actually lost a pound or two this time.

Of course we had to hit Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, right on Clearwater Beach, first. We always go to Frenchy's when I'm in Clearwater for grouper, a delicious fish that's not available in California. Here's a photo from our outdoor table on the patio at Frenchy's:

Sure enough, I ordered grouper, but this time I had Walnut Encrusted Grouper Salad instead of a grouper sandwich. Yum! It had arugula and cranberries and pears and spinach, and a great big filet of grilled grouper on top. Fabulous.

Pair that with a couple of Cuba Libres (Mt. Gay rum and Diet Coke with lime) and you've got a little slice of beach heaven.

The next day we dined at Rumba Island Bar and Grill, which was on the way to the park. Yum again! This time I had to deviate from fish, because they had Caribbean Pulled Pork and I just had to! Plus I had a side of Jamaican Greens and one of Island Cole Slaw - wow, my mouth was happy. Prices are really good here, too!

Another Cuba Libre went really well with all that island food. And you know me, I'm a red wine girl. Apparently not when I'm in Florida!

The third and last day of late lunches (boo-hoo), we hit the Bonefish Grill in nearby luxurious Belleair Bluffs. Back to the fish, as this is the home of fabulous Bang Bang Shrimp - crispy fried shrimp with a hot little mayo/chili sauce dip that was to die for. What a pleasure!

At the Bonefish Grill, Donna convinced me to try a favorite cocktail of hers, Winter White Cosmo. It was delicious, and I think it would be a good drink, whether celebratory or consolatory, for today, which is ELECTION DAY! Don't forget to vote today!!

Here's the recipe for Winter White Cosmo so you can at least celebrate fabulous YOU:

• Shake 1 1/2 oz Stoli Cranberi Vodka, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1 oz lime juice, and 2 oz white cranberry juice with ice in a shaker.
• Strain into a chilled martini glass.
• Garnish with a lime or with 2 fresh cranberries.

Enjoy!!

Babies and Owls

Ooh, my niece Kristin just had a baby boy, Lincoln James. He is so cute, I can hardly stand it. Needless to say, I had to create something special for the newest member of the family.

The theme of Lincoln's nursery is owls, so off I went to my favorite fabric store, Piedmont Fabric, to find owls in soft fabrics. Soon, a baby comforter with soft cotton owls on one side and soft green fleece on the other, and, yes, a companion stuffed Baby Owl, came together in my sewing room. Off they went in a box to the sweet new family in South Dakota. I just got a photo today in email and here it is: Lincoln with Blanket and Owl.

How adorable is that?! The "baby" owl is twice Lincoln's size. I hope it doesn't scare him!

Of course he's only two weeks old, and before you know it he'll have a job and be wearing a suit. Well, maybe not that fast. Welcome to the world, Lincoln James!

Warm days and awesome music!

Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2012 was awesome! As my girlfriend Donna said, the weather had "cooled down" to the 80s, and it was beautiful - not too hot, not too humid. Good thing, because all the music was in a park on the water and it was terrific! Here's the view at sunset from our seats in front of the stage:

 My favorite acts were: Jazz saxophonist and Tampa Bay Area native Mindi Abair & Friends, which included  Jeff Golub and David Pack from the 1970s-80s group Ambrosia. Wow, they were fabulous!
The Avett Brothers, not jazz at all, but a kind of alt-indie-rock group from North Carolina that had the whole place jumping. So much fun!
I also loved Esperanza Spalding and saxophonist Tia Fuller, both of whom perform more straight-ahead jazz and are beautiful talented young women. Whew!

(I missed Bonnie Raitt, darn it, because I arrived in Tampa too late. I think she would have been one of my favorites too - Donna said she was wonderful.)

Of course, very dear to my heart was the food! When I'm in Florida, I feel like I should eat fish, preferably fish I can't get on the West Coast. More to come soon on where we ate Grouper Salad and Bang Bang Shrimp. Yum!!

On the road again to Clearwater FL

Tomorrow I'm leavin' on a jet plane for Clearwater, Florida (right next to Tampa) to spend a few days with my friend Donna and listen to hot music at The Clearwater Jazz Holiday. Bonnie Raitt, Mindi Abair...wow, it's going to be fun - and HOT (Donna says FL has "cooled down" to the 80s).

The Tampa Bay area, which includes Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg, is such a beautiful place. I can't wait to share photos with you while I'm there. Stand by for more!

One more pillowcase!

Dear reader, please indulge me. I have one more pillowcase to show you.

This one is a little different from the others, in that I started out with a regular boring pink pillowcase that came with the pink sheets. It is a nice soft cotton pillowcase, and it is a pretty color of pink, but I really wanted to fluff it up a little, so I added a wide eyelet edge and now I'm in love with it.

It gives me so much more pleasure, and it was very easy to make:

• Just measure around the edge of your pillowcase and cut a piece of the eyelet edging the same length plus one inch for a seam. Sew the seam, which will be a 1/2 inch seam, and press it to one side.
• Then press under a 1/4 inch fold on the straight edge of the eyelet. Pin the straight edge of the eyelet to the hem seam of the pillowcase with the fold to the inside, matching the fold of the eyelet with the seam of the pillowcase. Machine sew very close to the fold.
• Pin and machine sew a second line of stitch where the original pillowcase ends, catching the edge of the pillowcase in the stitching.

Here's the finished product. Isn't it pretty?

Roasted tomatoes, plus dill pickles

Buried in luscious homegrown tomatoes? This time of year is a real challenge - you don't want to waste a single precious tomato, because once they're gone that's all you'll get till next year! But wow, so many tomatoes. How many sliced tomatoes, how many BLTs, can you really eat?

I found a great recipe for roasted tomatoes, which I can then freeze and use for fresh roasted tomato sauce in January when you can't find a decent fresh tomato anywhere! I did it today, and it was easy. Besides, the roasted tomatoes are so delicious, I've already eaten two right out of the pan. Mmmmmm.

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
• Prep a cookie sheet with sides by lining it with parchment paper.
• I used Roma tomatoes, because they have less water in them and are best for sauce. Use whatever you have. Core and wash your tomatoes, and cut them in half lengthwise. Put them cut side up on the parchment, one right next to the other. Fill that cookie sheet up! Then peel some garlic cloves and strew them right over the tomatoes. Take some fresh (if you have it) oregano and basil and strew those leaves over the tomatoes. Sprinkle on a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with a good drizzle of olive oil.
• Roast in your 275 degree oven for 5 hours. Yes, you saw that right...5 hours.
• Let cool, then put the tomatoes in a freezer bag, including any oil and herbs and garlic, and freeze. Keeps for 6 months.

When you want to make a sauce, thaw the tomatoes in your fridge. Saute an onion in olive oil, then add the thawed tomatoes and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Toss with pasta. Delicioso!

P.S. I tasted the dill pickles I put up two weeks ago today, and they are good. Tart! Dilly! Tasty! Yum!

Photos of Modica

My photos of our trip to Sicily in May 2012 have been posted here. I'll add Wayne's photos soon. We had such a lovely time there, and consider it a place we'd be happy to return to.

Here's where Modica is on the map of Sicily (lower center-right of the island):

The apartment we rented for our stay in Modica was so lovely, and it was very typical for the region. Modica is a city and area where people have lived in caves in the limestone cliffs since before recorded history. Indeed, people continued to live in caves nearby until they were forcibly moved to other housing in the 1950s. Our apartment was a cave, although a very fancy cave with running water and electricity. Nevertheless it was a cave, and a part of the timeless thread of history we felt in the entire area. It was a unique experience, and on top of that (or could it have been a part of some ancient energy?), we had some weird (coincidental, I'm sure) things happen in connection with our cave!

The last night we stayed there, Wayne and I planned to have pizza at a favorite local restaurant at the end of the "magic path" from our place into the center of town before sleeping for a few hours and then leaving for the airport in Catania at 3:00 a.m. Leaving our packed luggage inside the apartment, I locked the door with the key, and we walked one last time into town. When we got to the restaurant, Wayne decided he wanted to go back for his camera. I searched in my purse and the house key was nowhere to be found. We walked back along the path and didn't see it on the ground. Mindful of the time, I texted the apartment manager that we apparently had lost the key, and then met him at his office a few blocks away to get a replacement. Meanwhile Wayne searched the path again, assuming we had dropped the key. It was never found.

After we returned home to Oakland, one day we locked up our house and walked down to a shop at the bottom of the hill. When we returned home, our house key with security lock was nowhere to be found. I knew I had put it in my purse. After searching the sidewalk on our path down the hill and back, Wayne took my purse and turned it upside down for probably the 3rd time to empty it. Then he felt the purse.
"I feel the key in here," he said. Sure enough, the house key had slipped into the lining of the purse. And in there with it was the key to the cave in Modica.

The second experience involved several copies of New Yorker magazine that I had finished reading during our stay in Modica. I left them in the cave, thinking the next tenants might like some reading material. Two weeks after we returned home I got an email from a woman I knew only from email - a friend of a friend I had corresponded with once about a recipe for biscuits. "Imagine my surprise," she wrote, "when I found these New Yorker magazines in my apartment in Modica with your name on them." How we both managed to stay in the same obscure cave apartment in the same obscure town in Sicily, one right after the other, I don't know. I think it might have been a message from the universe.

Anyway, enjoy the photos, and I'll put more of Wayne's in as I can. It was a lovely trip and a lovely place.

Mike, Julie, and Modica

Yesterday our friends Mike and Julie texted that they were in San Francisco visiting Mike's daughter, and could they come over to Oakland to see us? Well, of course we were glad to see them! Mike and Julie own the apartment we rented in May in Modica, Sicily, and they just happened to be visiting there at the same time we were. They stayed in the upper apartment of the duplex cave (more about that later), we stayed in the lower apartment, and we hung out together for a week or so.

Initially I found the apartment on VRBO, and that led us to Mike and Julie and their website Magnificent Journey. We loved the apartment, we loved Modica, and we loved them!

So when they visited us yesterday (they live in Oregon), it reminded me that I have never posted our fabulous photos from Sicily. As a teaser, here's Wayne on the magic path between our cave and downtown Modica.

Soon, very soon, I'll put up the album of all my photos and maybe even add some of Wayne's. More to come !

Thrifting

My friends Mary and Marja love to shop in thrift and second-hand stores. They find the most amazing clothes and furniture and other treasures for a fraction of the price you'd pay in regular stores. Even so, I have to admit at first I was a little put off by the idea - not put off by the prices they paid, or the beautiful things they found, but you know, mucking through all that "junk"! Well, I am now a devotee.

This week we were all in Santa Cruz and of course we went thrifting. Here's the best item I found...it's the start of my Halloween costume! It was $18 and you're right, it's a Viking helmet - you knew I was half Norwegian, right? So I've decided to be Hel, the Norse goddess of the Underworld. The girl was half dead, half alive, half her face was skeletal, half was beautiful, etc, etc. She was often shown as half black, half white....sure leaves lots of room for innovative makeup!

That wasn't all I found! Here's a nearly-new Cuisinart panini press for $12. Since I'm crazy about grilled cheese sandwiches, it's perfect. Not to mention I can never resist kitchen gadgets.

And here are some fancy wooden supports for a cool new shelf in my bathroom. I know how much these cost new - I've looked all over for some interesting ones at selvage yards, at drapery stores, online, and they can run $150 to $200 or more. These were $10 for two. What a deal! They're in great shape and they're more gorgeous than any of the other more expensive ones I found! I'm going to paint them white with just a little distressing, and use them as supports for a similarly painted wooden shelf that I'll put colorful fluffy towels on. Too cute.

Not bad for a day of thrifting, huh? And I spent $40. Amazing.

Dill Pickles

I put up three jars of dill pickles today. My mom made the best dill pickles ever (I love dill pickles), and this is the first time I've ever made them. It was so easy and fun!

1. Sterilize your jars and tops in boiling water.
2. Wash and slice 8 small cucumbers, or cut them in spears, or leave them whole. I sliced them.
3. Bring a mixture of 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 3 cups water, and 1/4 cup kosher salt to a boil.
4. Stuff the sterilized jars with cucumber slices, fresh or dried dill, peeled garlic cloves, crushed red pepper flakes, and a few black peppercorns.
5. Spoon the hot vinegar mixture into the jars with a ladle until they are full to within 1/2 inch of the top.
6. Twist the jar tops on. Let cool.
7. Store in a dark place for two weeks before eating.

I learned how to do this from a wonderful book I got for my birthday from Allie - it's called The Homemade Pantry, and it has some pretty good-looking things in it (like homemade catsup and mustard and marshmallows). This speaks to me, I love to make this kind of stuff from scratch. I'm pretty proud of my pickles.

So after the two weeks are up, I'll let you know how the pickles taste. Hope they're yummy!

Loafing at Lake of the Woods, Oregon

Wayne and I just got back from Lake of the Woods, OR, where we went to celebrate the wedding of the beautiful Ashley Shult, now Mrs. Ashley Langdon (Andy). Ashley is the daughter of our friends Doug and Lee Shult who were my next-door neighbors when we all lived in San Mateo. I've known Ashley since she was two years old.

What a gorgeous spot for a wedding, and also a great spot to kick back and relax, which we did!

 

The wedding took place in a gazebo on the shores of the lake, just a little to the right of these red chairs. The groom and his groomsmen and all of us waited there, while the bride and her posse - her bridesmaids and her mother - arrived on an African Queen-style boat, with a wonderful air horn and a flag, tooting away festively across the water.

It was very cool. Ah love! Congratulations, Andy and Ashley!

The Best Bloody Mary

OK, so I've been bartending a lot this summer at a resort swimming pool. Guess what the most popular first-drink-of-the-day is...you got it! It's a Bloody Mary!

I will admit that other drinks take over in popularity as the day goes on and early evening approaches. But from opening time (usually Noon during the week and 11:00 a.m. on weekends) until about 2:00 p.m., the Bloody Mary reigns. Here's a photo of a Bloody at opening time - first one of the day on an sunny Friday morning.

 

And here's how to make The Best Bloody Mary:

Fill a tall glass (plastic at poolside) with ice.

• Add 2 oz. vodka of your choice. We use Hangar One, which is a locally made vodka.
• Fill with canned tomato juice (not Bloody Mary mix, you'll notice)
• Add a tablespoon Worchestershire sauce (or more)
• Add a few drops Tobasco Sauce (or more)
• Add a good sprinkling of ground pepper
• Add 1/4 teaspoon of prepared horseradish (or more). We use Beaver Extra Hot.

Stir very well to mix in the horseradish.

We garnish with olives and a lemon wedge. Celery sticks are traditional. Lime is also good, as are pickled green beans and peperoncini. You get the picture, be creative with the garnish, although savory works better than sweet.

Here's the view from my bar. Pretty cool, huh?

A thought for this day, September 11, 2012: When we fight hate with love, we win.

"The Sale": Revised

I've posted a revision of a piece I wrote a few years back called "The Sale". You can read it here.

The story is about my sister-in-law's garage sale in South Dakota, but really it's about going home. South Dakota isn't exactly home (Minnesota was my original home), but it's right next door. I left there a long, long time ago for adventure in California, and of course still have family and friends there, like my brother Jim and sister-in-law Marlys and their family. I'm pretty crazy about them. Some of my high school girlfriends and I still keep in touch - that's part of "home" too. We get together somewhere every other year and spend a long weekend laughing, talking, eating, and drinking wine. What a hoot!

Anyway, going home, wherever it is, is interesting. Maybe you know that.

BTW, "The Sale" is also published in an e-anthology (that's a collection of stories published as an e-book, just in case you need to know!) that my writing group, Townsend 11, published last year. It's a wonderful book called "No Definite Plans" - here it is on Amazon - check it out!

Giraffe Skirt

Here's the giraffe skirt!

Isn't it a fabulous fabric? I love the brick-y color. And, of course, the giraffes.

 

It's a simple Amy Butler pattern, and really easy to make. There's an "apron" in the pattern too, a piece I would call a peplum instead of an apron. I think I'll make that out of this fabric, and see how it looks with the skirt.

I envision wearing this skirt with a longish black scoopneck t-shirt and maybe black  tights. Here's the pattern. I've made two other skirts from this pattern, and my daughter-in-law Allie has made several too - she's the one who turned me on to it. Thank you, Allie!

 

 

 

Cooking up a storm

Cooking is another of my passions. How many passions is one allowed? Ten? Maybe twenty? I hope so. I am a woman of many interests ... ahem, passions.

You may not know I write a cooking column for the online newpaper Examiner.com. If you've ever scrambled for a new idea for dinner, or wondered what in the world to do with an excess of bell peppers that are going to go bad soon, you might want to take a look. I write about food I make for dinner. Usually I take a photo of the food as I cook it or as I put it on the table, and then I put the recipe up if it's a keeper.

Here are a couple of recent recipes, one for sauteed peppers with brussel sprouts and potatoes and another for Mabel's Calico Beans.  Well, Mabel's beans at least should resonate with readers from my old home place in Minnesota - it's exactly the kind of thing we used to hope would appear at the church suppers our moms dragged us to. Not to mention Mabel was a South Dakota girl, so kind of in the "neighborhood".

Tonight I made pizza for the first time in years. The crust was fabulous. The toppings could be improved. What are the best toppings for homemade pizza, my friends? When I get it down, I'll share.

BTW, I finished the giraffe skirt. I'll show you a photo tomorrow.

Animal fabric

Much Life has come between me and my blog, dear readers. But I am back! Of course, Life goes on thankfully, and in force. Some of Life is work and for the past few months I've been working as a bartender slingin' drinks at the pool bar of a nearby luxurious resort. What fun! What a lot of work! Now summer is waning, although the best weather of the year still remains here in northern California. I'll be working fewer hours but still (wo)manning the pool bar until at least mid-October. Perfect. It leaves me more time for all those other things I love.

Like pillowcases. Honestly, I have a passion for cute pillowcases. Here's another one I made...can you see the little monkeys on the blue part? Love them.

And then there's the Ant Skirt. It started out to be a pair of crop pants, but I seriously over-estimated my girth when it came to alterations to the pattern. Yes, it happens to all of us! When I got these pants put together, they were ginormous. Seriously. After a good laugh with my boyfriend Wayne over huge pants with ants, I cut off the legs and the crotch pieces, and sewed up the front and back. Voila! An adorable Ant Skirt. Here it is:

And here are the ants!

Isn't that about as cute as it gets? Now I'm working on a giraffe skirt, which I'll show you soon.

Sewing Pillowcases

One of my many passions is sewing. My mom taught me how to sew when I was 6 (for my dolls) and I've been doing it ever since. When I was in high school, I sewed most of my own clothes. It was normal for me to start a skirt in the morning (say, Saturday) and wear it on a date that night. To give my mom credit, she was cool enough to hem the almost-finished skirt for me while I showered and got gorgeous before the Guy-of-the-Day arrived.

Now I sew curtains and table napkins and things like that. I'm getting back into tailoring clothes for myself...slowly, slowly. Here's a blog I love about sewing, incidentally. http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/

So last week I was visiting my son and his family in Portland OR, and my daughter-in-law The Wonderful Allie took me to a fabric shop called Cool Cottons. Obviously they carry only cottons, and tons of them. What a great shop! On the wall, among the hand-sewn skirts and jackets and baby sleepers and little-kid backpacks was a pillowcase, done up in spaceships or something.

All of a sudden I had a brainstorm...I could make pillowcases from any fabric I wanted! Why I hadn't known this before, I can't think. I must have been brain dead. I am always looking (in stores) for cute pillowcases and never finding what I want. Anyway, I bought some cool fabric, trying to remember the colors of my duvet cover and bedroom walls and all that and here is the result below. So easy - it took about an hour from start to finish - and so cute, I think! Don't you think it's cute?

On to more new pillowcases!

Calistoga in Winter!

This photo of Calistoga is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Wayne and I just took a really fun little 3-day trip to Calistoga, in the Napa Valley. I went to gather information for an article for a travel website I write for called 52 Perfect Days; Wayne went to relax and kick back. We did all of that and I even had a mud bath. Whew! At first I had that sinking-in-the-mud quicksand feeling - a little panicky! Then I took a deep breath and settled down and enjoyed it.

A word to the wise: Don't get in the mud de-hydrated. I mean, don't over-drink the night before, or fail to drink plenty of water before and during your mud bath. It is plenty warm in there and for some reason, dehydration happens easily. The old heart starts pounding and it's unpleasant! So drink! Water!!

Here's the article: Calistoga in Winter: All the Perks Without the Crowds. Enjoy!