Spanglish Cooking

It's ever so annoying that I know some herbs in Spanish, some in English and usually can't translate them. With the help of the internet, I shall now immortalize this list:

Albahaca = Basil

Anis = Anise

Azafran = Saffron

Cilantro = Coriander

Clavo = Cloves

Comino = Cumin

Cucuma = Tumeric

Estragon = Tarragon

Eneldo = Dill

Laurel = Bay

Jengibre = Ginger

Nuez Moscada = Nutmeg

Oregano = Oregano (yay!)

Pimenton = Paprika

Romero = Rosemary

Salvia = Sage

Ajonjoli = Sesame

Alcaravea = Caraway

Apio = Celery

Tomillo = Thyme

Book Review: A collector’s guide to costume jewelry

(Repost: Originally June 28, 2009)

My summer stay has netted me the benefits of the local library… that’s where I found “A Collector’s Guide to Costume Jewelry, key styles and how to recognize them” by Tracy Tolkien and Henrietta Wilkinson.
Now, this is book is not meant as a price guide or collecting guide. It is a history of costume jewelry starting at the 18th century (including paste jewelry) all the way through to modern styles. It is wonderfully written, netting an enjoyable read that although includes historical data, is not history-heavy.
As the title suggests, key styles are discussed along with their principal traits and the historical background from which they appeared. There is a lot of page space dedicated to pictures, and the pieces depicted (as well as the photos of them) are gorgeous.
My copy is borrowed, but this is definitely a book to buy. Not only is it a pleasant read with pretty pictures, but a reference book for identifying costume jewelry pieces and placing the period that produced them.

How To Project: Paper Box on CutOut+Keep

Another project from the CutOut+Keep cache! This time I present a little paper box you can make yourself. This is great if you have a small present or token but don’t have an appropriate box, or want something prettier or more personalized. I used scrapbooking paper, because I love the patterns available, I can buy a lot of different patterns just one sheet at a time, and it’s sturdier than regular paper.

Paper Box

Savannah, GA

Sorullitos / Corn fritters

At my parent's house, these came from a box that came from the freezer. It turns out they're ridiculously easy to make, and pretty cheap. Although they're traditionally fried, you can also make them in the oven and save yourself the calories.

Sorullitos/Cornmeal fritters:
1.25 cups of cornmeal
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup shredded cheese <--- freebie, you can skip or do less, but don't add MORE

Measure out all your ingredients. Boil the water, adding the salt once it boils. Add the cornmeal and immediatly remove from heat. Stir the cornmeal in (it'll take some muscle, but make sure you get all the dry bits). Add the cheese and mix it in. Chill the dough for 30 minutes (so you don't lose all your fingers working it while it's hot). I use a small ice cream scoop (purchased at a specialty cookware store) to portion out the dough and make sure all my fritters are the same size, but you can eyeball it. Form each fritter with your hands: you can do cylinders or balls (balls take longer to cook but look nicer). After forming, you can cook them or freeze them. Cooking options include deep frying or oven baking. We prefer the oven (no oil): place your fritters on a cookie sheet and place into a preheated oven @350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes, turning upside-down at the 5 minute mark. Cooking time depends on whether the fritters were frozen to begin with, so keep a close eye on your first batch to figure out the exact cooking time. Enjoy!

Review: Mini Photo Studio from Harbor Freight

And…. now for my review of the Mini Photo Studio. I bought it at Harbor Freight for 29.99 + tax.

What the box says:
A complete desktop kit with fold up light box, 2 lights, mini tripod and two-pocket nylon carrying case for portability. Backdrop provides clean backgrounds and optimal lighting which can provide you with studio quality pictures. Convenient carrying case features a built in handle to easily transport the studio around.

The cost:
Initially, the $30 threw a DIY-er like myself… for $30 I could most certainly build a box myself. However, my current semi-nomadic existence and lack of any real workshop space prompted me to buy it. And, if nothing else, I was getting a semi-decent tripod.

The carrying case:
The ’studio’ comes packaged in a carrying case, like the box says. I was pleasantly surprised that everything fits inside, and it truly is easy to carry and move. On one side, there are three pockets for the two lights and the tripod. On another, a velcro’d flap opens up to reveal three white-covered solid sides and a loose piece of fabric, to be used as the backdrop and floor. This last piece is reversible, with white on one side and blue on the other. My instructions said the other side was gray… but… um… it’s definitely blue.

The box:
The box uses part of the case structure, and assembling it isn’t hard -as long as you checked the instructions first… (!) It worked fine for all the pictures I took but possible negative points: the loose piece of fabric can come with fold marks or get wrinkled. Also, where the loose piece of fabric meets the solid side the joint will not be stick straight.

The lights:
With this, I was disappointed. They have HUGE “Caution: Hot” stickers on the sides and I thought they would have been brighter. They are yellow-toned and pretty weak. The test pictures I took came out OK after a retouching in the computer and because my camera compensated on the white balance, but I was not blown away. One cool thing they DID have was the ability to store the three-pronged base within itself.

The tripod:
The tripod comes in two parts: the vertical one and the horizontal one. The horizontal base has two swiveling supports that can be adjusted in order to not interfere with the picture. The vertical part has a swivel pivot near the base, the ability to be extended and another swivel pivot at the top. I didn’t use it to take my pictures, since I like lots of different angles and putting it on and taking it off would take too much time. However, it’s definitely a GOOD tripod.

The bottom line:
While I would have liked for it to have brighter lights, I’m OK with taking it outside and putting it in the sunlight. My main thing was the elimination of shadows. Plus, I could always substitute my own lights, and I still have a nice, sturdy box. I will probably never shoot anything inside the box with the tripod, but there have been times when I found myself lacking one (and can definitely use it for filming how-to’s and walkthroughs).

Beading Component Basics on CutOut+Keep

A departure from the general CutOut+Keep format, I decided to post a 'project' dedicated to teaching/learning the basics of beading. In it, I provide pictures and explanations for most of the basic components like earwires, crimps, crimp covers, etc.

Beading Component Basics

Old San Juan

Barcelona Pictures

Banana Bread

Although I'm a fan of the easy/quick Jiffy mix version, Jiffy mix is not usually found in my kitchen. This is just as easy, although it requires a stocked kitchen (flour, sugar, baking soda).

Ingredients:

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar (I make it with 3/4 and it's plenty sweet)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except the baking soda, salt and flour in a large bowl. When combined, add remaining ingredients, and mix until just combined. Pour into a 4x8 loaf pan (disposable aluminum is my fave, but glass or tin also works). Bake for one hour.

Breaking watches

Repost

What I’ve been doing this week… I got my hands on some old watches with mechanical movements and took them apart to get at the gears. Watches are really interesting. For one, it’s really hard to get a screwdriver small enough for their tiny tiny TINY screws. I ended up buying a (bargain) $1 precision (and by that, they mean ’small’) screwdriver set and filing the tip down with my metalworking files. It worked pretty well until I realized that by filing the tip down I was basically making it sharper.

I realized that when I stabbed myself. Oops.

On a prettier and less bloody note, watches apparently have ‘jewel bearings’. They use synthetic stone (back in the day they used real ruby or sapphire) to make the bearings because it can be polished to a super-smooth finished and the material will not wear away. And apart from that, they just look cool.

Below, pictures of some of the watches and some of the innards once disassembled. For the actual jewelry made from said parts, you’ll have to wait! (Although I’ve already made some, I’m just keeping them secret).

How To Project: Foam Stamps on CutOut+Keep

Another one from the archives... this project is nice and simple. Materials are not complicated to obtain, and you can make your own custom stamps.

DIY Foam Stamps

Everyone wants to be unique

New item up on Etsy!!

I'm pretty psyched about this listing... it's a Create-Your-Own for my new jewelry line *ultra-SATURATE*. The components are designed and manufactured by me, and are laser-cut acrylic in VERY bright, VERY fun colors! Although I'll be listing individual necklaces already designed, I'm also a sucker for anything that involves me choosing or customizing something, so I thought I'd give others the chance!

Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/listing/50806168/create-your-own-ultra-saturate-necklace

Marble brownies from scratch/box

Mastering from-scratch brownies is one of those things that I have never been able to do. Therefore, anytime you eat delicious brownies I have provided, they came from a box. Sometimes I'll dress them up and make Marble Brownies: brownies from a box, cheesecake part from scratch.

Ingredients:

1 Box of your favorite brownie mix, plus whatever it calls for (eggs, oil, water)
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package instructions. In another bowl, cream the butter, sugar and cream cheese. Add the egg, flour and vanilla. Blend well. Pour the brownie mix into a pan (It will fit in an 8x8, but you might want a 13x9 for thinner brownies). Spoon the cheese mixture over it; drag a knife through the mixture if you want to create patterns. Bake according to the brownie package directions, but doubling the time. You can check for done-ness with a knife.

Opinions needed!

I've finally started to photograph my current jewelry inventory to put up on Etsy, and I'm running into trouble with my NEW line of acrylic, laser cut jewelry. I can't decide what background to use... what do you think? This gray pattern is what I use on my other (metal) jewelry, but I'm not sure it 'goes' with the new stuff. Also, since I have a bunch of colors in the new line (red, pink, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple, black, white........) if I go with a contrasting background, every picture would be different!

What do YOU think?!