LizzyHouse

my vegetable.

I'm in Idaho. I should probably start each post with an update of my locale.

I've had a Utah, Idaho adventure this Thanksgiving. First with my sisters, and then the Jimisons.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at our friend Kyoung's house!

I was assigned a vegetable and a dessert, and the first thing that I thought about when pondering my vegetable was the "Roasted Pumpkin, Arugula Pesto, Hazelnuts" dish that we ate at Tom Douglas's restaurant, Serious Pie in Seattle. Ever since we ate there, I have been thinking about that dish! So I decided to remake it.

Instead of Pumpkin, I used some locally grown hubbard squash, and every store in town was out of arugula, why? The infamous arugula hoarders of Rexburg strike again! So, Allen drove all the way to Idaho Falls, to get some. Also, nowhere can you find shelled hazelnuts... so we filled a paper bag full, and cracked them, peeled them, toasted them, and cut them in half. It was an all day affair. No one minded. 

Making pesto with arugula was very interesting and super good! There is still a little pesto leftover in the fridge, and the color hasn't changed! With a basil pesto, within a day it starts to change colors because the leaves are bruised... that was cool. Also, the peppery flavor is a nice compliment to the mild flavor of the squash, and the sweet hazelnuts.

here's the recipe!

Arugula pesto:

• 8oz washed arugula
• 2 cloves roughly chopped garlic
• 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons water

in a blender or food processor, add olive oil, garlic, parm. cheese, and hazelnuts. Chop, or pulse. Add Arugula, and blend, or continue to pulse until it's a paste! If the mixture is especially thick, in a slow stream add water until you reach your desired consistency. 

A note of experience. I highly recommend using a food processor for any kind of pesto. Using a blender can be a bit tedious, unless you have a crazy powerful blender, you're going to be reaching in there and stirring it, trying to get everything to hit the blade... I only say this, because I have a tedious blender.

Roast any kind of pumpkin or squash that you want. Just make sure you peel it. I cut mine in half moons for a nice presentation. Also, I used a little olive oil, paprika, and pepper. You salt it, when it comes out of the oven, because if you add salt in the beginning, it's going to pull out the moisture, and you will have a harder time getting them to really get brown, and roast. In addition, don't crowd the pan.

The presentation is simple. You just put the squash down on a platter, and spoon the pesto over it. You top it with more parmesan, and halved toasted hazelnuts. 

It's a dream, and a big hit. It's good served warm or cold. It can even be made vegan by replacing the cheese with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes. 

Tomorrow, I will share with you my Champion Chocolate Orange Cheesecake recipe.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Were there any stand out dishes at your meals?

And Now for something completely different.

I feel like I go through life collecting people, from different times and places. Squam was a major collection, but bigger than that was school. I got my degree from BYU-Idaho. Me, the girl who no one can keep track of, because she's in another city. I was in southeast Idaho for 4+ years, and while I was there I found so many amazing people to add to my collection of people I am grateful to know.

It's a good size list. I was effected by some professors, a few good roommates and classmates, and one or two really amazing church leaders. But near the top of the list is Gerald Griffin. I took a class from him the first semester I changed my major to art. It was a lecture class, so there were at least 100 people in the room, and still somehow I managed to be a loud enough smart-mouth, that by the end he knew my name. He eventually taught a class for me that he wasn't going to teach anymore, because I told him that I had been waiting to take it from him. I was harassed every day for that, but it was worth it. I guess I've always been searching for father figures in my life. Someone whose opinion I really respected and could knock me down to size every once in a while, all the time respecting and trying to appreciate me. I felt that for Jerry. It also doesn't hurt that I love his wife, and his son is one of my bffs.

Aside from being a good person, Jerry is an incredible artist. He is a great painter, and a widely skilled seriographer. While I was still in Idaho at the beginning of the year, he was working on a show, and he taught Ben and I how to screen print. We were able to help print the show. It was so cool, and those are skills I am so grateful to have! But the exhibit he was working on was really amazing, and for me inspirational.

The show is called Eternities View, and deals with "early Mormon, and 19th Century Symbols". Please take a look, you don't have to be Mormon to appreciate all of these images, and aside from being really cool pieces, they are beautifully printed. I am grateful to have been able to learn, and help, and I'm just glad to know him and his dear family.

 

pack, unpack, repack. repeat.

Last weekend I was packing for cool Seattle weather. Turtle neck shifts, knee high boots, leggings, and lugging around a coat. This week I am packing for a weekend in Savannah, Georgia! Light skirts, t-shirts "normal shoes" and my yellow jacket. It's a cross country jaunt! 

Seattle was wonderful. What a beautiful city! I stayed with my bff Jessica and I got to spend a little time with my little Ashlee, in the airport, on a bus, and in Ballard. We also spent a little time in these cool shops. I highly recommend you stop in and visit, just don't smell the moon rock candle in the Field House. You'll be sorry! But all the others are incredibly beautiful. The Field House is what I lovingly refer to as a treat store.

I was Ponyo for Halloween. Not fish form, or chicken form, but little girl form. We didn't get any pictures, but I will post one soon, as I refuse to take the dress off. It's my new favorite.

My friend gave me a scenic tour of the University of Washington campus, and it was stunning. They even have a Harry Potter reading room in the graduate library. Too cool for school... almost. Also, if you are in Seattle, you Must, with a capital M, go to Serious Pie. Simply amazing! My very favorite thing that we had was the "roasted pumpkin, arugula pesto, hazelnuts". It will not disappoint.

It was a great weekend. I was among friends, and cupcakes. Both of which I find it difficult to live without. 

This weekend I am off to Savannah, for a graduate school preview at SCAD, and I am excited to see my Rexburg Peeps, Ellen and Daniel.

So I'm mostly stopping in to say hello! and let you all know that I'm still here and doing alright. I'll be better at taking pictures and reporting. I promise.

Time to repack!

Market and me.

are you ready? Are you ready for my market review?

My report is this. I had a really postive and exciting meeting, I got to see my peeps, and I got to meet a few people that I was excited to finally meet, and I took one picture in the actual convention center. It was fun to not really have any obligations, because Castle Peeps is still on paper, so I didn't have any last minute sewing to do...

picture: me, Myrinda (fabrichound), and Kim (True-Up)

Here is what I did get a picture of. Elizabeth and Pam drove all the way from California, and were woeful because they hadn't seen an armadillo, so I (with some inspiration from my Mom) decided to make them an armadillo. A red velvet armadillo.

It was my first time working with fondant. It's weird! But I could see myself using it again.

It was very red, and a little startling.

I don't eat meat, but I do eat cake.

more to come soon!

Austin, TX

I just took a little trip to visit my very best closest friend, Jessica. I've been trying to find my footing, or rather my place here in Portland, and not so much Portland, but life... and sometimes you just need to spend time with someone who really really really knows the heart of you to remember what you are all about. It kind of helps to stabilize me. She means so much to me, and I always hope that I can give as much back to her, as she gives to me. The trip gave me some clarity, and i'm always after clarity.

Also, Jessica and I met up with the lovely Kim Kight (of TrueUp fame)!! We got to have lunch together with her precious little one, Otto. Who is two. Kim is one of those people that I felt like when we met last year we had been friends far longer than the actual time we had spent together. It was a lot of fun.

ALSO! got to spend some time with my sweet brother Luke, and his family, and my dad.

Sad news, no pics from the trip. It was a me trip. We spent so much money on food. At this point it's hard to tell if it is actually clarity that I was seeking, or Tex-Mex...

I did, however, manage to get a couple of pics in a wal-greens when we made a candy run...

you read correctly. Inspected by the department of Bubble Gum. Very official lot, they are.

I hope you are all having happy summers, and I sincerely hope that you find what you are seeking, whether it be clarity... or tex-mex... whatever... I hope you find it.

what are your summer goals? Are you meeting them? Do you make summer goals?!

a break

I just got back from a little trip to Utah! We are talking lil trip. We left Wednesday afternoon, and got back Thursday night! I was amazed at the good it did me. It was like therapy. For free! I traveled down with Carla and my dear friend Kyoung, and it was just perfect. I can't believe all the things we did, and how many people we saw in the short time we were there.

When we arrived we went to Anthropologie where I broke my own heart by passing up this necklace. Not that it was out of control, but I've been a real cheapskate lately with the looming move. We then journeyed to and through Ikea. I am always amazed at the energy and capacity it takes to get through that store. I hadn't eaten in a while (I always eat at the wrong times on trips) and at one point I walked off by myself and forgot who I was with, and where I was... it's like a vacuum.

then I met up with two of my favorite people in the universe, Court and Kurt. We went to dinner at good ol' CPK and then found some Gelati at this sweet little place called Maestro's Gelato in Provo on Center Street. I got hazelnut and pistachio like a regular dream come true. THEN we met up with the presh Cas Barney and went to Glen Roland's amazing antique store Cat's Cradle Antiques and art, just a few doors down from the gelati shop. He and Carla are old friends so he opened his shop for us at 9:30! HOLY COW! What beautiful stuff. I actually bought a great necklace and earrings. They are from the 40's or 50's, and they were a great deal! I also remembered my great skill to pick out the most expensive object in the room/ case/ box. A talent I was born with, and it never waivers. I don't even have to practice.

If you are in Provo, for whatever reason, please stop by Glen's shop. It's on center and next to a hotel and a yarn shop called Hildebrand... or something like that. Again, he has some amazing stuff and some really good deals, BUT, Glen alone is worth going to into the shop for. What a charming person. I am so glad to have met him. Just one of those people that you are grateful to know. So go already, and tell him I sent you.

When we left the shop we went to the Barton's. So good to see Jennifer! We talked and shared new quilts, but then she showed us a fun craft she had been working on with her daughters. She purchased a bunch of bouquets of silk flowers from a dollar store, and pulled them all apart, and then she just rearranges the petals to make flower pins, or hair things! We stayed up for an extra hour making flowers. It was too fun. And what a great idea! Super easy, inexpensive, and a great thing for a party for little peeps, or anyone really. We were having a great time... and we're not so young.

I took out the fuzzy center, mixed about 5 different white-ish flowers, restacked it, added a neat faceted button to the center and hot glued a little clippy on the back! It looked great!

woke up, got ready, and went to BYU for the exchange! It was so great to see Amy! I always miss her so much!!! But it was a cool thing to meet with so many other print makers, and exchange work. I feel really lucky to have been invited to participate. 

THEN! we went to lunch at a Korean place. Kyoung is Korean so she was really happy. I'd never had it before, but it was great. I love the little side dishes that they bring you, like the crunchy black beans and then the little egg wraps, but I really loved that the rice was purple.

then we said all our goodbyes to our Provo peeps. And on our way out, we stopped by Wayne Kimball's studio for a couple of minutes. What an incredible man he is. He is one of the very best Lithographers in the country/ world, and it is easy to see why. We got to look through a framed show, sitting on his floor. It was such a neat thing, and then he showed us some new projects he has been working on, and as we were leaving he gave each of us a print! How special! It was a really important experience to me.

Then we headed back to SLC and picked up my sweet Ashlee. She played a couple of songs for us, and she just amazes me. She only continues to get better and better! It's amazing!

Have you heard of this grocery store? It is the epitome of what I was talking about here. Liberty Heights Fresh is a perfect magical mini grocery store. If you go in, try the Castletrovena(?) olives. They are a really bright green, and they are really just dream olives. Also, speak to the owner, because he will be there. What a neat man he was, and he cares so much about what he is doing.

Then we went to an Asian market, and I bought green curry ingredients for the next 15 years of my life. Amazing, and amazing prices. Then we dropped off my little Asher, which is always hard. But we drove right back to Liberty Heights Fresh to get dinner for the road. And then just like that we were on our way again.

We were really fortunate that the roads were clear, and I was able to give everyone a break by driving us home. I keep wanting to say it was a weekend, but it was just a Wednesday/ Thursday. It was so important. And in meeting with so many wonderful people, I realized how important it is to have genuine people in our lives. The sincerity and the meetings of those days filled me up. What a blessing. I'm so grateful to have so many dear experiences and people in my life.

More like Italian Dream Cake

So, I'm a little obsessed with making cakes, but my friends are the recipients of the obsession...no one seems to be complaining. Carla's birthday was on Tuesday! So, as soon as I got back from Florida/Texas I got to work. I knew that I wanted to make an Italian Cream cake for two reasons: 1. It was she and Bob's wedding cake and 2. No one in Idaho makes Italian Cream cake... I guess it's kind of a Southern cake...

I made a couple of changes to the cake, but the most delicious addition was putting my favorite apricot preserves in between the layers. It's an English brand called TipTree. They don't use any corn syrup or anything. There are two ingredients: apricots, sugar. The way it should be. But the combination of the cake flavors, the pecans, the coconut, the buttermilk, and then the tangy sweetness of the apricot plus the tartness of the cream cheese frosting made for something really so nice.

Also, this cake calls for a combination of butter (some recipes call for margarine, I still used butter) and shortening, and I just want to say how grateful I am that brands like Spectrum exist, and make non hydrogenated products. They are heart healthy and not creepilly processed to the point that your body can't recognize or figure out what to do with it.

I bejeweled the side of the cake with chopped pecans, and then glued on whole ones every once and a while to create a pattern (I can't help myself).

If you are wondering about the nice and tall candles I use, they are by a brand called TAG, and I found them in a bakery in San Francisco, but for you and you alone I found some online, so you can adorn your next cake with them. They come in six different colors.

The cake was a big hit. We had a fun night too. Per usual one of my impromptu parties with a cake and a game of Art Auction. I don't ever seem to get bored! But I would like to say how grateful I am for Carla. She has been a wonderful mentor and one of my dearest friends over these past years. I don't know what I would have done without her, and her sweet family whilst here in Rexburg. She is the kind of person that improves the quality of your life just by knowing her. I would make her a cake any day. Happy Birthday.

Some sweet action projects with Lizzy Dish coming very very soon. Also, for you peeps who can't take surprises or waiting for that matter, a sneak peek VERY soon.

have a great weekend!

Run Away! Run Away!

I'm off for the week to visit Mallori...

 
I'll be back in February! To Florida I go!

I can't believe the month is nearly over! Holy 2009!

in and out... Quilt Market all parts.

so I just got home from Market, and I am SOO tired. Unfortunately I am having to alot my energy as I am in the last leg of finishing my BFA so, sorry peeps this is going to be brief.

Market always feels like a reunion. I like that about it. You get to see your blog friends, and fabric peeps in real life. It's a fun thing, and something I have really come to look forward to. Also, in light of being really tired, I didn't take too many pictures... here are the ones that I did take though.

always good to see Laura and Heather! Laura's fabric is being released in the Spring! So exciting!

I was super excited to meet Jay McCarroll who is designing for FreeSpirit, and so happy to see my dear peep Melissa of Yummy Goods. I'm working on moving to a place where we can be friends all year long. Who knows!?

I just love Elizabeth and Pam SO MUCH! 

darling Mark Lipinski.

dream Kim Kight, of True Up. I was really happy to finally meet her!

It was so nice meeting and chatting with Patty Young!

I loved meeting Jessica Jones of How About Orange. She is someone that I could also see trying to make a friend on a more regular basis. Unfortunately there are no pictures of us though, as all were taken way too late, and were... unfortunate.

I met so many great people. I wish I had gotten to spend more time with Patricia of A Little Hut, Jenean of PoshPattern, and Michelle of Cicada Daydreams to name a few. Also, too fun Myrinda, of Fabric Hound. So many fun people. Forgive me for leaving anyone out. I don't know what exactly I am running on at this point

This keeps on not being short...

One of my very favorite people that I met was easily Caroline Devoy (and Robin). Fabric 2.0 was super fun, and she had an incredible award winning booth. It's great to find like minded people in a giant convention center full of "like minded" people.

OH! Lizzy Dish is doing well. It should start popping up in stores near ye. OH and I recorded a podcast with Annie Smith of SimpleArts, and Quilters Stash the first podcast for quilters. I'll link to that when it goes up, if you are interested in hearing me talk about stuff... I sure missed Kirsten! Too much fun, everything. Ok i'm done. For real.

Ok one more thing. It was super fun to be there with my sister Ashlee, and my Mom. Lots of success for Cherry House Quilts!

OK! i'm going to try and graduate now. Wish me luck.