A friend of mine will be having her second child in the not-too-distant future.  For her first, I crocheted her a baby blanket in white and pastel yarn in my favorite blanket pattern. For her second, I thought I’d try a quilt.  I didn’t realize this until I started getting interested in quilting, but the companies that specialize in quilting cotton fabric sometimes make fabric panels…that is, a larger piece of fabric that has a picture or pattern on it, and is meant to be used in one piece, instead of being cut up and pieced back together like usual.

I mentioned kale salad in a previous post and since it’s a family favorite and family gets together around the holidays, I thought I’d present it here in time for Christmas.  I believe I mentioned in the previous post that kale smells like sweaty socks, and therefore palatability can be a challenge.  This raw kale salad gets around that issue with an amazing dressing that tenderizes the kale and renders it absolutely delicious.

I like a convenient, quick breakfast as much as the next person.  Factor in my sweet tooth, and I find that the Quaker oatmeal packets of instant oatmeal are fast, easy, and tasty when I’m in a hurry.  They are not, however, super healthy.

When I was in college, I often took the longer break between classes to drive a couple miles to a nearby mall, where there was a Waldenbooks store (anyone remember that book chain?) right across from a little sandwich deli.  I’d buy a book (not related to my school work) and then go have a sandwich and soda at the deli.

My nephew (the favorite one, who just went off to college) loves all things lemon.  As a child, he was known to just eat a whole lemon, skin and all.  So now that my mother and I are trading off turns sending him care packages (because apparently, he’s “starving” in college), I thought it might be nice to send him a lemony treat.

BBB.  Basic Banana Bread, of course.  What did you think I meant?

In May of 2017, the Wonder Woman movie came out to great acclaim.  Even boys liked it!  Well, some boys who were known for taste and discernment.  At any rate, I loved it.  I remember sitting in the theatre with a friend of mine; she and I were just rapt for the whole movie.  Fantastic!  Superhero mythology done right!  Along with the movie came this new iteration of the famous linked W’s which comprised both her logo and part of her costume.

I’m a big fan of the Smitten Kitchen blog. I have been following her almost as long as she has been posting. Fabulous recipes, easy to make, with some entertaining commentary along the way. She’s also written several cookbooks, one of which features in today’s blog post.

As with many of my projects, this one started with a YouTube video.  This one, to be precise. The YouTuber presents these little square pouches as “packing cubes.” They could be used for anything, obviously, but I was delighted with the idea of packing cubes.

I’m not sure why, but I always think of caramel corn as a holiday treat.  Maybe that’s because it was often something my mother would make around Christmas time. Or maybe because I vaguely remember her making “caramel corn balls” (a little bigger than a baseball) to hand out one Halloween.  But there’s no reason you can’t have caramel corn year around…

I know I said I was quitting the book nooks cold turkey.  What can I say?  I fell off the wagon.

I like dessert every day.  365 days a year.  And I mostly make my own desserts, rather than buying them.  I have a lot of good recipes.  But in the summer, when the house is already hot, I don’t really feel like turning on the oven to bake anything.  So it’s handy to have a “no-bake” cookie recipe to hand.  Chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal…what could be better?

I’d like to introduce a new member of the household.  World, meet Hester.  Hester, world. Hester and I have not yet formed what I’d like to describe as an “operational relationship.”  Translation:  I haven’t used her yet, being still caught up in YouTube and internet research.  But soon…

When I was a kid, after church on Sundays, my family would often eat out at Elmer’s.  I always had (and honestly, still do) one of two entrees.  I’d either have the German pancake [insert link to blog post] or I’d have Eggs Benedict.  The classic, with the layer of ham, poached eggs, and piles of beautiful Hollandaise sauce, all served over an English muffin.  Back in my youth, there was no nonsense about adding things like avocado or crab meat to Eggs Benedict…

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating…knitwear designer Martina Behm is a genius.  For today’s blog post, I’ve knit a little shawl (shawlette, if you will) of her design, one that I’ve knit many times before.  It’s called Lintilla, and you can get the pattern here.

"It was the Dawn of the Third Age of Mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal: to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call, home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal .. all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5."

As with many of my projects, this week’s offering started with a YouTube video.  I took inspiration from the video but decided to go about my own construction, which I will share with you now.  First of all…what are we making?  Well, I don’t really have a good name for it, I’ll just describe the situation it addresses.

I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been enjoying a new applicator that I found on Amazon for distributing hair oil over my scalp.  And then my mother pointed out that I hadn’t explained what sort of hair oil I meant.  So, for those who haven’t yet experienced the joys of hormonal hair loss, let me tell you that at some point in your life, you might want something to help you retain your hair.  The fact that it also makes it grow faster is a side benefit.

I don’t wear dresses (or any kind of fancy clothing, really) with any regularity at all.  My lifestyle doesn’t require it.  However, even in a casual lifestyle like mine, there are occasional events which call for a dress.  For example, my oldest nephew’s recent high school graduation ceremony.  I had no dress that fit.  I made do with a stretchy long tunic and pretended it was a dress, but it was makeshift at best.  I decided I’d quite like to try making a few articles of clothing that properly fit me and looked reasonably nice.  To that end, I decided to first try Sewing Inspiration’s Tie Dress.

Ah, summer…so much variety available in terms of fresh fruit and berries.  And my favorite way to eat a fruity dessert is in the form of a crisp.  For the uneducated, a crisp is a baked dish where the bottom layer is fruit or berries, sweetened as desired, and the topping is a combination of butter, brown sugar, and oats or nuts.