Handcrafted Christmas: Seashell Ornament

This ornament was a snap to make. I made it for my step-sister who grew up on an island in Florida. I think it looks pretty and is a nice reminder of a special place. This would also be a nice ornament to commemorate a beach vacation.

Supplies:
-glass ornament ($3.99/4, not on sale at JoAnns)
-two strands of souvenir seashell necklaces
-ribbon

Directions:

Take the lid off the ornament, insert the seashell strands. Replace lid, hang a ribbon on top.

Fall Leaves Kirigami

When I saw the beautiful fall leaves kirigami at Zakka Life I had to give it a try. There are four templates available for download and easy instructions to follow. Although I had never heard of kirigami before, it was very similar to making paper snowflake decorations.

For the project I used 12x12 scrapbooking paper that I cut down to the suggested size. I enjoyed the project, and had I found it earlier in the fall, I would have enjoyed making enough of them to decorate our windows or string a garland. Its a project I might return to next year. It definitely helps to have a sharp but small pair of paper scissors on hand for cutting the angles of the leaves.

How to Send Plant Cuttings by Mail

My mother has a very green thumb. Each year she takes cuttings from one of her wandering jew plants and plants them in the front garden. By the end of the summer, they have gone gangbusters.

Since my mom lives near Chicago, any plants left out after the first frost die off. My mom is always able to grow enough plants indoors to start over outside in the spring, but when possible we like to make cuttings to share with others.

My mother-in-law in New York had been on the hunt for this variety of plant for several months without success. So I decided to send her some cuttings in the mail to transplant.

First, I took the garden clippers and cut some clippings. I wanted to make them reasonably long (sometimes below the first set of leaves) but not too long to fit into a small USPS Priority Mail box.

Then I soaked some paper towels in water and wrapped a soaking wet paper towel around each stem. I then put each stem + paper towel combo in a small plastic baggie (not a ziplock, because I figured they'd need some oxygen).

I then packed them up and shipped them off to upstate New York! I made sure to give each of the ladies at the post office a clipping as well.

They arrived a few days later generally no worse for wear. My mother-in-law repotted and watered them and they have held up nicely.

A few caveats: some states, like California, may have rules against importing cuttings. Also, I sent this during fall when the weather wasn't too hot in any of the states it traveled through, and luckily none of the states had freezing temperatures, but take the weather into consideration before you put plants in the mail.

Photo credit: Final photo courtesy of Margo Downes.

Patch Display Idea--Hat Decoration

I love collecting decorative patches. They're one of my favorite items to buy as a souvenir when traveling because they are colorful, inexpensive, and don't take up much room in a suitcase. The hardest part for me is deciding how to display my patches.

One of the most common ways to display patches is by affixing them to items such as hats or backpacks. My stepfather had a very old patch with the name of his favorite hangout on it. It originally was on a black hat but the hat wore out a long time ago. When he visited me in the spring, he got a new black hat, and we transferred the patch using fabric glue.

Unfortunately, after about 6 months, the patch started falling off of the hat.

This time I took black embroidery thread and an embroidery needle and sewed the patch to the hat. While you can still see some of the embroidery thread, I think it blends pretty well, and it will be much more secure than it was before.

What is your favorite way to display patches?

Update and Introducing Allergic Gourmet

Its been very quiet here at the Devil's Workshop over the last year. I've had a number of life changes--including getting married, relocating across country, searching for work in a new location, and others. One of the major changes was being diagnosed with a number of food allergies. This information has been fantastic because I am no longer sick on a daily basis. It has been difficult, however, to transition from a vegetarian diet to one that is free of all dairy, gluten/wheat, soy, legumes, and most nuts. I've started recording my allergy-safe recipes in a new blog, The Allergic Gourmet, hopeful that they will be helpful to others in similar situations.

Meanwhile, I hope to get back to updating Devil's Workshop soon with a refocused emphasis on non-food related topics including crafting and gardening. I've got some fantastic posts in the works. I hope to see you at The Allergic Gourmet and look forward to our continued conversations here!

How To Warm Corn Tortillas

This summer I made it my quest to find a decent packaged corn tortilla. We tried a number of different brands with varying ingredients, and all of them were disappointing. No matter how fresh the package indicated they were, all of them had a rubbery texture, and many of them crumbled in half when folded for a taco.

Then, my husband suggested we try warming the tortillas. It was as if lighting had struck--I don't know why we hadn't thought of this before!

There are a number of ways you can warm corn tortillas--here are a few in the order of my preference:

1.) Heating in a cast iron skillet. I've had great success with this, and its simple and not very messy. I warm the skillet with a bit of olive oil, and heat each side of the tortilla for 30 seconds - 1 minute depending on how warm it feels and how crispy I want them. As each tortilla is heated, I place them in a stack on a plate, wrapped individually in paper towels to keep the heat in. The paper towels also absorb any excess oil. If you have a tortilla warmer (typically a round burnt-orange plastic container like those seen at restaurants), you can use that as well.

This method greatly improved the taste and texture of the tortillas and they did not fall apart when folded for tacos.

2.) Steaming. This is Chef Rick Bayless' preferred method, and seems like it would be better if you have to heat a large number of tortillas at a time (say, for more than 2 people). Bayless describes the method here.

3.) Toaster Oven. This method is nice if you're warming tortillas for just one person or if you like your tortillas extra crispy.

4.) Microwave. Some cooks like to wrap their tortillas in damp paper towels and then microwave. I have not tried this method but in a pinch I'm sure it would be better than a straight-from-the-fridge tortilla.

In conclusion, if you love corn tortillas but haven't had success with them at home, give warming them a try!

Photo credit: Gringologue

Delicious, Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Mango Salsa w/Avocado

This is a great weeknight recipe when you want something healthy, cheap, delicious and easy. If you're like me you have most of the ingredients on hand anyways.

Ingredients:
(serves 2-3, can be doubled to serve more)

Beans:

• 1 can black beans, drained (or can use prepared dry beans)
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 1 small red chile, diced
• 1-2 tsp cumin
• dash of cayenne pepper
• dash of paprika
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• fresh or dried cilantro, if desired
  

Salsa:

• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 mango, diced
• spritz of lime juice
• diced onion, if desired
  

Serve with:

• avocado wedges
• rice or tortillas

Directions: (If you are serving the beans with rice, start the rice first). While the rice is cooking: Mix drained beans with spices and diced peppers. Mash the beans to desired consistency with a potato masher. Heat in a skillet over medium heat. Serve over rice or with tortillas. Enjoy!

Black beans in the pan.