January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 by princesshotflash

Crafty

I’ve always felt the word “crafty” was a slight on me. It was like I wasn’t good enough to be an artist. But in my old age, I’ve given it a second chance and not feeling so bad to be crafty. It allows me to make things for people. And I realize that what I craft, makes me happy and makes others happy, too. That’s what is great about being crafty.

Once in an interview, the person asked to describe myself and I said I love to make. I didn’t know how much that describes me.

I currently my craftiness has been focused on charitable projects with my knitting group and friends. Here are some of my projects that I’ve worked on.

First delivery of chemo hats (for men and women) and knockers (knitted prosthetics for breast cancer survivors) for the oncology unit at Tripler Hospital. I got 5 hats from Cathy in my knitting group. (she’s a fast knitter). I’m at 3 hats and a set of knockers (knitted prosthetics for breast cancer survivors) with 1 more to come. This is an on-going project. I’ll keep collected items till we move on to the next project or Tripler tells us to stop.

2 hats I just finished!

The P_ssy hats project for the Women’s March on 01/19/19 was my crazy friend, Allyn’s idea and got me involved with. She has already made 50+ hats. I’m on 4.

My p_ssy hats are made with a combination donated yarn and yarn from my new favorite store–Savers.

Hats and cowls made by my knitting group for the Seamen’s Church Photo courtsey of Karen Schmoll

The hats and cowls above are for the Christmas at Sea project from the Seamen’s Church. Knitted by the Westside Knitting Group from Aloha Knitters. I made the brown and blue hats in the middle. Yarn also from Savers.

I’m been working on gifts for friends and family. Mostly hats that I’ve got my dad to model for pictures for me.

On as side note: My dad is 90 years old and on most days, he’s going strong. And on exceptional days, he’s creating drawings and sculptures from recycled items to decorate the house. He’s also being serenading us with old Hawaiian songs he learned in school.

More craftiness to come. Making a hermit crab, octopus and pray mantis amigurumi for some science-y girls that I know.

January 4, 2019 by princesshotflash

A Little Late

beach, charitable, food
baking, C25k, charitable knitting, fitbit, Happy New Year, knitting, mochi, pies, swimming
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Happy New Year!

Goodluck mochi for the house

I’ve been a little busy with holiday stuff and just catching up with some last minute things before the end of the year. The last 2 years have been a whirlwind of stuff that I never thought would happen to me. I hope 2019 brings a little bit of calm for me. These are a few things that I’m trying to make that happen.

Baking

It hasn’t stopped, no matter how hot it is. Winter brings a little help but I’m still sweating. Pies are topped the list this year. It’s because my mom’s love of pies.

Apple pie in the oven

Apple pie done

Lemon meringue pre-meringue

Pre-bake

Lemon meringue done

ready for the oven

with walnut crumb

pre-bake crust holiday gifts

small pies lilikoi and calamansi filling

big pie calamansi filling

Apples and mixed berries

apple and mixed berry pie 2

lilikoi coconut pie with whipped cream

Knitting

The majority is charitable knitting, a few holiday gifts for people, a cute cat and my hipster dad modelling my hats

Swimming

I started swimming. I joined the Y and took a swimming class to make this happen. Every Sunday at 9. To my surprise, I do enjoy it. I think it’s being in the water that I enjoy the most. I’m not the best swimmer but I tell myself at least I’m trying. I hope for one day that I could do laps as gracefully as many of the other swimmers I watch.

love swimming in the ocean

For the coming year

Got me a Fitbit to help remind me to keep moving. Added walking and may try out the C25K app to see if I like running and give me a goal. Thinking of vacation and where I want to go. San Diego in the lineup for May if all things go well. I’d like to go to Japan but not sure when or where.

Hope this is productive and fun year for all. I sure can use one of those.

December 1, 2018December 1, 2018 by princesshotflash

A Backyard Interlude

garden, Mom and Dad
anthurium, beets, calamansi, greeneggplant, greenhouse, kale, MacGyver, oil cans, papaya, popularmechanics, rotisserie
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Just a little interlude between my baking and jamming for the holidays.

My parent’s backyard is a combination of dad’s workshop (what is left of it), mom’s flowers, fruits, and veggie garden. It’s a mish-mosh of mom crazy plant collection combined with dad’s McGyver skills of the gardening ware of plant hangers, cement tiles handmade by dad, and many kinds of pots, handmade, recycled and store-bought.

Dad’s workshop and old projects

Dad’s MacGyver Rotisserie for his hulihuli chickens

love these oil cans

Popular Mechanic project

old metal chests fill with what left of dad’s workshop

Greenhouse

potting bench

homemade trellis

plants in the greenhouse

multi-tier plantings

anthurium plants

love the transition from light green to light pink

Citrus

Morning harvest of Calamansi

Calamansi tree

fruit on the tree

Kumquat

papaya with flowers

green eggplant

beet seedling

waiting for the lettuce

kale plant from my Uncle Herman garden

November 20, 2018November 20, 2018 by princesshotflash

Stages of Recipe Testing

Got a poppy on my way out of the store, buying my ingredients for recipe testing. Boy scouts and Vets collecting for charity.

I decided to recipe test Milk Bar’s Compost Cookies. I want to see how it compared to mom’s garbage cookies. Both recipes have a lot of ingredients. I used the recipe Anderson Cooper’s favorite cookies: compost cookies from www.tablefortwoblog.com.

My attempt at Crack pie

I’ve made the Crack pie recipe from Christina Tosi before and I love the addition of milk powder and the compost cookies have it in it, too. That’s one point in favor of compost cookies. Maybe I can take all the things I like in the compost and garbage cookies and make a new cookie.

I put the frozen butter out for before my walk and 5.7 miles later the butter perfectly soften for my cookies. Getting all the ingredients out was quite a task. Still getting used to Mom’s kitchen and where things are at. We are still trying to reorganize it to make sense to both of us but haven’t finished. Mom measuring out all the mix-in to make that quick. There were few miscommunications with mom–she dumped the rising agents into the mix-ins but I don’t think it hurt the cookie.

Christine Tosi likes to make special ingredients for her recipe. They are special mix-ins like the graham cracker crust. But. . . you always end up making more than you need. So you either need to make more or toss it out. Is this an evil scheme for you to keep making her recipes. haha

Stages of recipe testing: baking

place chilled cookie balls on the sheets
place in oven for 18 minutes?
8 minutes in the oven, cookies have melted into the correct shape. That’s good? Maybe?
Oh NO! The top sheet, back row browning faster than other cookies.
Calm down, turn the sheet around.
Oh, Noooooo! Burning, burning, burning.
Hotplate! Hotplate! Hotplate!

Did I mention that Mom’s oven runs a little hot probably about +25º!

I think this is a properly baked one. Little black flecks are the coffee grounds

Finished product. I didn’t like the cookie right out of the oven. I thought it was too sweet. But the next day, it was really good. Even the koge (Japanese for burnt) ones were good. Mom’s only complaint was the cookie was too big. Next time I’ll use the smaller scoop and lower the oven temperature a bit.