Citron
Pattern | Citron by Hilary Smith Callis
Yarn | Simple Scarves Silk-Wool Laceweight in Electric Blue
Needles | 4.5 mm circulars & 4 mm crochet hook

This was a simple knit – knit, purl with plenty of increases and decreases to get the ruffles. I made a crochet edging to finish off the shawl and instead of the recommended number of repeats (five), I made seven (or was it six?) repeats, resulting in long tedious nights of stockinette stitches and mindless knitting in front of the TV/laptop.

Blocking this was a challenge – I think I overblocked towards the bottom of the shawl which resulted in the last section of ruffles disappearing. I’ll have to keep in mind not to do the same the next time I put this in the wash.

Other than that, I’m loving the yarn and colour despite how “noisy” it seems. It’ll go perfectly well with solid tops or dresses – I can see it being showed off prettily on a simple black number. The silk in the yarn gives it an added shine and like my Jaali, I cannot stop molesting it. If I were to ever go back to dyeing, this would be one yarn base that I would hold onto simply because it’s amazing to knit with!

Now that I’ve cleared this, I’ll be gearing up for a cardigan KAL as well as the upcoming Ravelympics 2012! I don’t know what possessed me to sign up for a KAL (Knit-A-Long) and the Ravelympics but hey, I figured I might as well hang onto my knitting mojo while I still have it! Hehehe.

Avocado-Mango Skin Relief Butter
Contents | Avocado Butter and Oil (Persea gratissima), Mango Butter (Mangifera indica), Vitamin E (Tocopherol).

After nearly two weeks of testing ingredients, I can finally whip up a butter for Noah. I have been doing patch tests for avocado oil and mango butter on his arm and leg. (Avocado butter is essentially the same as the oil except the difference in fluidity and physical state.) The results have been promising so far so time to get cracking on the butter.

I chose avocado oil and butter because its high content in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids which are lacking in most people suffering from eczema. It is also high in sterolins which can help heal, soften and moisturise skin. The butter is extremely rich but easily absorbed, making it a good night cream – something which Noah really needs as he often wakes up with flakey, slightly dry skin.

Because this butter is very soft at room temperature, I needed a harder butter to stiffen the cream up and picked mango instead of the usual cocoa and shea butter. Noah appears to be allergic to nuts so shea is out and I didn’t dare chance cocoa since I have yet to test it out. I settled for mango instead after reading that it has been traditionally used for its skin softening, soothing, moisturizing and protective properties. It can also help restore flexibility and reduce degeneration of skin cells AND has UV protection properties!

No fragrances or anything fancy – so the butter pretty much smells like avocado. Quite vegetably and not at all unpleasant, if you ask me. I intend to start him on this tomorrow and hope that his skin will get better in time! *keeps fingers crossed*

Along the river Seine – it wasn’t a really great day. Rainy, cold…

At the National Museum of Natural History

All in all, a very nice day!

I have plenty! Recipes, soaps, pictures, trips, what-nots…

It’s just that I can’t seem to find the time to put things together. Every time I sit down and get ready to talk about the latest, someone somewhere needs me. And when things finally die down, I forget what I wanted to share.

It’s a sign.

I’m getting old.

I’m getting tired.

I’m in need of a vacation.

Bleck.

Because I haven’t been able to have any berries (due to Noah’s condition and subsequently, my diet restriction), my breakfast has been limited to just one thing – honey. Very boring. So I decided to “steal” a recipe from my mother-in-law’s husband – pear with vanilla jam! I have not made jam 100% on my own; usually it’s with the help of my in-laws and even then, they are the ones cooking it up while I assist. This time, I decided to brave the waters and do it on my own – yes, without Nil’s help. Took me about two hours to churn out a nice amount of jam – enough to last me till the end of this year, I think. HAHAHAHA.

(Update: I am into my second jar already – OMIGOD, it’s not going to last till end of this year! Gack. Must squeeze in some time in between wine kits reviews and soapmaking to make more jam!)

I bought some ripe but still quite hard green pears from Belgium – oops, it’s not the local variety (not really the season so none were available) – and some gelling sugar which is basically sugar with citric acid and pectin. You could still make jam without pectin (thickener) or citric acid (preservative) but it just means that you either have to use fruits with naturally occuring pectin like some berries OR get a more fluid jam.

After washing the pears well – important as I’m retaining the peel – I remove the center/seeds and quartered them before grating them into large stripes. For the vanilla pod, I ran the knife down the center and scraped out the grains before tossing everything into the pot. Usually we use a copper pot for making jam as the heat conducts more evenly but I don’t have a copper pot so my stainless steel pressure cooker will just have to do for now.

Then comes the tedious task of cooking it down. There is no way you can run away from the stove as this has to cook over medium heat and once the jam starts to boil, you have to stir and stir and stir. Unless of course you want your jam to scorch and burn. Once it reaches the appropriate thickness, it’s time to bottle. Be sure to wash all your jars and lids with hot water and soap BEFORE the jam boils. Canning is a fast step so I didn’t have time to take pictures. Juggling hot syrupy jam in glass jars requires both hands and a decent amount of concentration.

The result is what you see above. I can’t wait to dig into this tomorrow for breakfast!!!!!1

Simple teething pads
Pattern details | None
Batting | PSR Quilt Bamboo batting (0.9 m x 1.25 m)
Fabric | 100% cotton fabric from www.fabric.com

Of lately, Noah has taken to gumming the straps of the Ergo carrier whenever I babywear him and I can’t exactly dump the entire carrier into the machine to wash it even though it’s okay to do so (not frequently tho – as per manufacturer’s recommendation). I was not very keen on spending around €20 for teething pads and decided to make a simple pair with the leftover batting I had from the quilt I made from him. To match the green of my carrier (Ergo Performance), I picked a paisley patterned fabric I purchased while I was in Singapore.

While measuring it, I thought I had enough fabric to go around the strap in order for me to utilize the KAM snaps I have in my stash. However, after topstitching the layers together, I discovered that I had forgotten all about seam allowances, resulting in a pad that didn’t lay on top of each other. I will have to make do with hook-and-eye closures instead so until I get my hands on them (tomorrow, I think), it’ll be held together with basting pins.

I didn’t use a pattern, just decided to layer the batting on top of the fabric (right sides facing in), sew and turn it inside out before topstiching around to reinforce, beautify and close off the opening. It’s a quick project and you can whip up a pair of these in under 30 minutes or less, depending on how fast you sew and cut/prep your fabric.

Intrigued with vegan and gluten-free baking, I decided to give it a go. I read from many gluten-free baking sites that the use of a non-wheat or gluten-based flour gives gluten-free goods a different flavour and texture profile. Instead of wheat, gluten-free bakers use flours made from coconut, millet, rice, buckwheat, arrowroot, sorghum and others and because naturally reoccurring gluten is like a gum that holds the whole thing together and gives it structure, you have to add in a thickener when using gluten-free flours. Commercial flour mixes use xantham or guar gum but you can opt for starches like arrowroot powder, tapioca starch, corn starch or seeds like flaxseed or chia seed.

Because this is a relatively new thing for me – gluten-free baking – I didn’t want work from scratch and buy a ton of flours so I hunted around for some gluten-free flour mixes. The organic store in Dole has a very limited range so when my mother-in-law offered to take me to the organic store here in Lyon, I jumped at it. I found a bigger variety of gluten-free goodies that are also soy, dairy and egg free as well as an egg replacer powder – things I never found back in Dole. I also came across an interesting flour mix by Schär, a European company that specialises in producing gluten-free products. Called Mix Pâtisserie – Mix C, it is a flour mix developed for cakes and biscuits.

Because I’m on a no-dairy, no-soy and no-egg regime, I had to hunt high and low for a suitable butter placement as while margarines are made with vegetable oil, they also contain soy-based lecithin. I found a sunflower-based margarine which has no lecithin. The colour and flavour profile isn’t the same but surprisingly that didn’t affect the outcome of the shortbreads which turned out to be quite delicious. The unrefined brown sugar which my mother-in-law uses gave the shortbread a lovely light molasses flavour to it.

Do note that gluten-free doughs made with margarine behave differently. This turned out to be softer and less pliable due to the lack of gluten. Newbies to baking or people who always overmix will find that gluten-free baking can be very forgiving in that aspect. You don’t have to worry about gluten formation!!!! I’ll definitely make these again but will cut back on the sugar – this, I find, is a little on the sweet side even though it is perfect with black coffee or plain yogurt (for those who can take dairy or the soy alternative). In the meantime, I’m off to look at some rustic dining room tables!

NOTE: These have to cool in the pan as they are soft and crumbly when warm but will harden when cool. Good also if eaten chilled.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Shortbread

Ingredients

125 gms gluten free flour (my mix has maize starch, maize flour, locust bean gum)
70 gms margarine
60 gms unrefined brown sugar
Juice from half a lemon
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 180°C and prepare a baking tray by lining it with baking paper.
2. Cream the margarine and the sugar for 30 seconds to a minute before mixing in the flour and baking powder.
3. Add in the lemon juice and mix well until it forms a firm dough.
4. Place in the freezer for 15-30 mins. When ready, roll and slice using molds OR flatten with your fingers. Do work fast as the margarine will soften.
5. Place the cookies about 1.5 to 2 cm apart and bake for 10-15 mins or until golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan. Once cool, store in an airtight container and enjoy on its own or with coffee or crush and sprinkle them over yogurt or ricotta.

That was Eva last year singing Old McDonald to my father-in-law!

I reckon she loves music and is fascinated with nursery rhymes, singing and such. Sometimes I find her humming a tune while she’s busy on the potty. Perhaps I should dig out the xylophone again and see if she’s fascinated with it as she is with vocals. There was one point a few weeks back when I was tempted to get a piano or T-Rex Engineering Guitars to toy with. Hm. Maybe I can relook at this “want”.

I made a little something sweet to remind me of home today and it didn’t fail me. It could be a little on the richer side but that’s fine considering that I didn’t use any eggs or butter (diet restriction, remember?).

They sell already grated tapioca here which is frozen plus ones that are already peeled but here means Lyon and I don’t live in Lyon. Where I stay, they only sell whole and unpeeled tapioca/manioc/cassava. So I decided to get the whole unpeeled version and put in a little bit extra effort into this dish. The recipe is a keeper and pretty simple although I might tweak it a little bit more the next time I make this – especially with the amount of coconut milk used.

Still, it makes for a good dessert! I know a little girl who enjoyed it tremendously. Kekeke. For now, am back to my reviews on the side effects of syntheroid.

Y’know the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? Well, this is a fine example of just that.

Inspired by this post on using different oil infusions as a colorant, I decided to plunge into uncharted waters and whip up my own version. No no, nothing fancy like swirls. Just two layers with soap balls and bars as embeds. The colours I had in mind were just two – creamy yellow and a nice lavender. I thought alkanet and madder root infusions would do just the trick.

Apparently not.

What I got was an icky blue-green-grey layer that was neither blue or green and definitely not purple!

From one angle, it looks grey, another brown-grey and when I showed it to Nil, he just went “Uhhh…it looks interesting”. He then suggests that I save a few bars for my mother-in-law, an artist and remarked that it reminded him of paintings by Gustav Klimt. After doing some search, I would say that this batch of lemonade reminds me of more geometric abstract art.

Still, it’s flattering when he tells me that a botched batch is artistic!