Mr. T
I just finished a magnet with cross stitch and plastic canvas for my bro. He is a fan of the A-Team. I know what you are thinking…yes, he is a little freaky.
When we were children, we used to watch the series. Hannibal, Murdoch, Faceman, and B.A. Baracus. My bro’s favourite was the last one, played by an actor called mr.T…he was funny…he was very serious and brave, but he hated flying. Everytime the team had to fly they had to put him to sleep. His wrists and neck were covered with golden jewelry.
I saw him several time in american commercials, I think for a cable TV advertisement. Proof that people haven’t forgotten about him.
Geisha brooch
I’ve made a new brooch. It’s a geisha (I hope it looks like one). As you can see, it’s pretty minimalist. Surprisingly I haven’t worn it yet. I think it’s because I’d have to put my coat on, and I’m afraid the brooch would get ruined. I’ll save it for Spring…brooches add something extra to an otherwise dull outfit.
I love working with felt, it’s so easy to handle, and so warm…I’ll show you very soon some other pieces I’m making right now.
Madeleines
It’s time for a new recipe. I just made some madeleines with cardamom and orange glaze. It’s a French sweet. It needs a special mold with the shape of a shell, and it was hard to find it. I had been looking for French stores in Madrid…I found it by chance in downtown. The mold is made of silicone, and it’s very manageable. There comes the recipe….there are tons of them, but this one from Martha Stewart sounded very good…and it turned out delicious! The batter makes 24 madeleines.
1/4 cup unsalted butter1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 flour
1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp ground cardamom 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 tsp orange zest
Brush molds with butter. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir honey and vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes.
Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt in a small bowl.
Preheat oven to 163ºC. Stir together sugar and eggs. Gently fold in flour mixture. Add butter mixture, and fold until combines. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Spoon batter into pan, filing each mold halfway. Tap pa on work surface to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. Ulmold cookies and let cool completely.
Stir together sugar and orange zest until glaze is smooth, thick and opaque. Using a pastry brush, coat ridged side of each cookie with glaze. Let set 15 minutes.
Hat Pincushion
I made another pincushion! This time with crosstitch. The people I showed were having a hard time finding out what it was….do you? It’s a pink hat with a green bow and feathers…
I was trying to hide from my mom when I was sewing it, so everytime she asked me what I was doing I told her ‘none of your business’ (aren’t I nice?), but today I was very concentrated in my room, and she caught me by surprise! when I noticed she was in the room I screamed…and she had to leave!
Anyway, now she has another pincushion she can put on her bobbin lace cushion and everytime she takes a look at it…remember what a wonderful daughter she has. 
Owl pincushion
I just finished a red pincushion for my mom. When she does bobbin lace, she has to use a lot of pins, and they end up everywhere. It’s even dangerous to sit down close to her, because you can feel an unpleasant sting.
I’m satisfied with the result, although people don’t see the brown owl. They think it’s part of the tree…Does it make more sense a tree than an owl smiling? If I think about it….I don’t know.
I have my mom showing it to her friends, but she doesn’t really use it. Probably she thinks she’ll cover the desing, and ruin it if she puts too many pins.
Anyway, I had fun doing it…At a time when everytime more and more things are virtual…it feels good to use real materials and create something from them.
Black Sesame Ice Cream
I had never tried black sesame ice cream, but I knew I was going to like it, because I like rice cakes with black sesame filling. It was fun to make: when the mix was spinning on the ice cream machine, it looked like cement. My first try was a failure, because I forgot to toast the seeds, so the grinded seeds didn’t smell nutty, like they were supposed to…they smelled like green pepper!
By the way, the white stick in the photo is a white chocolate Mikado. I tried to find the strawberry one, but I couldn’t find it.
4 tbsp sesame seeds1 cup heavy cream (36-40% fat)
1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
Toast the seeds in a pan and using a coffee grinder, grind them for about 30 seconds, or until sesame seeds break down into a thick and glossy powder.
Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium-heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl until frothy and lemon colored, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream in a slow, steady stream into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture to the hot cream, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the black sesame paste, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. (this step is optional). Cool it, putting it on a bigger pot with cold water and ice.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze. Transfer to an plastic container and freeze until ready to serve.
Deco Spirits – Earth
I just finished stitching one of the Deco Spirits, by Mirabilia. It’s inspired by art deco architecture, and represents the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. This one is the Earth spirit. I like this project because it uses metallic threads in various colors, which makes it look richer.
This is not a plastic bag
I’m proud to announce that since I bought my canvas tote bag, I’ve stopped using plastic bags. I bring it with me everytime I do grocery shopping. I have to be very fast, though; if I spend more time than usual paying for the groceries, the cashier will hurry up and put my stuff in a plastic bag.
Here I don’t see people using reusable bags often. I think I saw a girl once, but she doesn’t count. She had hippie clothes on, and even had a slogan on her t-shirt.
Please, guys, try to do the same. Let’s try to conserve the environment!
An upside-down post
˙unɟ s,ʇı ˙ʎɹʇ oʇ ʇuɐʍ noʎ ǝsɐɔ uı ‘ʇxǝʇ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɥʇ ɹoɟ ʞuıן ǝɥʇ noʎ ǝʌɐǝן ןן,ı
˙ʇnd ʎɐʇs ˙sƃuıɥʇ ǝɹoɯ
ɥɔnɯ puɐ ‘pǝıɹʇ ǝʌ,ı sǝdıɔǝɹ puɐ sʇɟɐɹɔ ʍǝu :noʎ ʍoɥs oʇ sƃuıɥʇ ɟo sʇoן ʇoƃ ǝʌ,ı
˙ʞɔɐq ɯ,ı ʇnq ‘ƃoןq sıɥʇ ƃuıʇıɹʍ ɯoɹɟ uoıʇɐɔɐʌ ƃuoן ɐ ʞooʇ ı ˙spuǝıɹɟ ʎɯ oןןǝɥ
