Cozy crafting

Inspired by a friend who recently made a gorgeous softshell jacket all by himself, I undertook a craft project recently to make a dress that's been in my head for months.

Here are some pics of the finished dress. The fabric is a fairly heavy sweatshirt material, and the pockets are lined with navy microfleece that I had lying around because I thought four layers of the sweatshirt fabric would be super bulky. I wasn't planning on pockets for this dress but the pattern I used for a base had pockets, and now I'm glad I dared because they pockets turned out really well and in the future I'll be less afraid to add such details. The bottom and sleeve hems are raw in the hope that they will curl up with wear the way old sweatshirts do. The neck edging is totally made up by me and looks a bit shoddy if you ask me. The final overall look is definitely homemade, but what more was I expecting, having not sewed from a pattern in 15 years? I'll probably wear it around a bit for casual days, but ultimately it's not the dress that I had imagined it could be. At the very least it's got me sewing again, and I learned a lot from doing it, so bring on future projects (and forgive my cheesy posing!)!

A tale of two films

This first one is circulating on f*&$book, so some of you may have seen it already. It's worth watching; it's beautiful.



The second film is a kind of response to the first. It's less beautiful, maybe, and more wonderful, definitely.



I like the second one more simply because the man in the second film is far less creepy and sinister than the man in the first film. There's something to be said for simply being who you are, warts and puke, n' all.

Ay Carumba Crunchy Cauli!

Long time no blog, so I'm falling back on my safe space: food blogging.

I invented a little dish last night that is destined to be a recurring character at our table. Ay Carumba Crunchy Cauli! This is inspired by the cauliflower at Nuba, for any Vancouverites reading. Here's a picture that is not mine but loosely resembles the creation:


1 head cauliflower, cleaned and broken into medium sized florets
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornmeal (for crunch)
1/2 tsp sugar

Crank your oven to 500F! My old oven aims for such high heat but doesn't quite get there so I think my cauli cooked at 450F or so, but aim high! Melt the butter somehow (I did it in the oven in the casserole dish I would use to cook the veggies), then put the cauli in a bowl and pour the butter over top. Stir to coat. In a small bowl mix all the seasoning, flour, and cornmeal together. Toss it with the buttered cauli until all is evenly coated. Pour veggies into a medium casserole dish so it can sit in one layer, then sprinkle with sugar before you pop it in the oven. Stir after 10 minutes, return to oven for another 10. Done!

A 20 minute cauliflower dish with mega crunch and tasty spicing! We ate this over mixed greens alongside a bowl of potato leek soup Rocco made last week. Wish I'd taken a picture! I want to serve the cauliflower as an appetizer at my next party, with toothpicks. We had it hot last night but I bet it would be delicious just warm and the cornmeal will help it stay crunchy even as the temp changes. I'm pretty certain the Nuba version uses almonds, and next time I'll experiment with sprinkling toasted almond slices over top after cooking, or maybe even subbing some of the flour with ground almonds. Mmmm delicious!

Skoki landscape shots

Skoki lodge, in situ.



View from Merlin Ridge showing the valley we hike through to the ridge.

More Skoki pictures

Mom and Rocco cooling their feet in the glacial creek after hiking up to Merlin Ridge. Painfully, but heavenly, cold!



Rocco emerging from a rock chimney you climb up and through during the hike out along Packer's Pass.



Me and mom standing on Packer's Pass, about to descend to Baker Lake, then Boulder Pass, then out on day three.

What a fantastic holiday!

photos from great hiking in Alberta, Sept 3-6

Mom and Dad hiking along the trail that leads from Lake Louise Ski Resort to Skoki backcountry lodge.



Mom and dad on a rock ledge after clambering up a bit of a chimney, on the way to Merlin Ridge on day two.



Yours truly up on Merlin Ridge. It was windy up there!

Oooo, I'se famous!

Check me out on the Vancouver Observer homepage!