Sunday, July 31, 2011

15-19/365

I'M NOT DEAD! Really. I had pneumonia for a month and narrowly avoided hospitalization. Then my DSL went down for three arduous weeks of AT&T customer service hell (just ask for tier II support right away, you'll be transferred back to the states). Here are some rings, I am very behind.

RAW 19/52
sterling silver and 15ct ruby handcut by me


That's right, I'm cutting stones now and I love it!



RAW 18/52

An experiment with stone chip inlay - ruby and chrysoprase, the ring is made from a vintage clip-on earring


RAW 17/52
sterling silver and Washington State carnelian handcut by me


RAW 16/52
sterling silver and aquamarine handcut by me


RAW 15/52 saltwater pearl and sterling silver

I made this back in May in honor of Miki Endo, the brave young woman who sacrificed her life and saved 7000 lives during the Tsunami in Japan.





Thursday, July 14, 2011

things I eat

roasted potato salad


On the first Monday of each month some members of
EtsyMetal write blog posts around a central theme. This month the questions are, "What do you eat? What won't you eat? Do you suggest any interesting pairings? What is your favorite studio snack? Optional: Include a favorite recipe."

For starters, I don't eat anything with a face, I've been a vegetarian for 20 years. I do eat eggs and dairy products, but not meat, poultry, or fish. I'm not fanatical about it - I don't mind picking pepperoni off of my pizza, or if my eggs are cooked on the same grill as a hamburger.

fresh fruit with homemade ricotta


I don't like to cook much, so I eat takeout more than I should. Some of my favorites are Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Ethiopian, and a local place that has the best BBQ tofu burrito ever. I do make my own yogurt, and have tried a few other soft cheeses at home. I love my carbs and cheese, they are my downfall. I never eat when I am in the studio.

As for unusual pairings - strawberries dipped in sour cream and then brown sugar are pretty damn heavenly. I like a nice cream cheese and green olive sandwich every once in a while. The last time I saw my mom she served me vanilla ice cream with some crazy-expensive aged balsamic vinegar poured over it, not bad.


spring rolls

I enjoy making vietnamese-style spring rolls. There is a local Asian grocery that carries fantastic fresh tofu, and I grow Thai basil in the summer. If you've never used the dried rice paper wrappers, they are pretty simple, you just soak them in a bowl of water for 10 seconds or so to soften them up. Starting with two wrappers overlapped really helped me in the beginning.

For fillings, I use any combination of tofu, mint, thai basil, cilantro, sprouts, seeded cukes, grated carrot, scallions, or cold rice noodles. Usually I keep it simple with 3 or 4 ingredients. I mostly use prepared dipping sauces, sesame garlic and peanut flavors are good, often they need to be thinned with water.


fried green tomato napoleans

I also eat a lot of fried green tomatoes in the summer. I slice them about 1/4" thin, coat with cornmeal and pan fry (or saute, I don't use a lot of oil). They're great served with a little remoulad sauce. When I want to get fancy I make Napoleans by layering fresh mozzarella and basil between the tomatoes and pouring vodka sauce (from a jar) over the top. Yum.

Now I'm really, really hungry.

Please visit my EtsyMetal friends to read about their culinary choices: