I am not of the generation who learned to read on tablets, but my dad’s interest in technology meant I did grow up with an AT&T PC 9300, a computer older than I was. I literally learned to use it on his knee, starting with an ancient Paint-style program, and…
I have a Singer 1120 sewing machine that has a built-in light too weak for the kind of sewing I need done; goths, or at least people with gothic hearts, live in this house, and a 40-watt incandescent candelabra bulb just doesn’t show black stitches on black fabric. Initially, I…
QAYG is an alternative means of quilting that’s intended to address the problems that come with trying to use the traditional quilting process on a standard sewing machine. I’d first heard of QAYG a while back, but had dismissed it due to not having a lot of time to seriously…
This last summer I had a bit of a mania for looking for old-school cookbooks in secondhand shops. My rules were simple; I was not allowed to buy any books that: depend on name recognition to sell (i.e. no celebrity chefs or bloggers); were published to promote a product or…
I’ve been remiss at keeping track of the recipes I’ve been trying out over the last few months, and in my defence, well, this blog isn’t exactly widely read or generating income, so I’m sure all three readers will forgive me if this lies fallow for a bit. Also, I’ve…
This was an easy one to do. The birthday girl, who has problems with digesting wheat, specifically asked that I make the Hippie With a Minivan black bean cake for her, since the last time she had it some years ago it left quite an impression on her. There were…
The first time I learned of this recipe was a few years ago, when a friend with celiac disease shared it with me, gushing all the while about how easy it is to make. When I first tried making it, I made my usual mistake of failing to follow the…
I want to get better at making cakes, so I’ve volunteered to make them for any interested friends to get the practice in. Related, a recent visit to a secondhand bookstore led to my acquiring The Art of Fine Baking by Paula Peck (1961), which contains several classic Northern and…
It’s the gent’s birthday tomorrow, and in his honour, we’re planning a tea party. Among the items requested was clotted cream, which currently goes for $7 for a 200 mL bottle at the local grocery store. That won’t do at all. For starters, an entire litre of whipping cream costs…
I’ll spare you the lengthy foreword and just say that I decided that a new baby in the family needs something in her life that isn’t pink, and I wanted to finally get around to making a quilt, so a happy serendipity has occurred. Here’s what I’m up to, with…