You will never win if you never begin.

I'm always running into design contests I want to enter. I frantically make note of the deadlines with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, more often than not, my expectations far exceed reality and I don't often enter these contests. But I thought I'd share with you some of the ones going on currently that I would love to participate in. Perhaps you will be more on your game than I.

Bloesem Kids

Design a new banner for this blog dedicated to crafts, art and interior design for kids.

Deadline: March 26.

Details here.

Strand Books

Create a design for the latest in the Strand Books
Artist Series of tote bags.

Deadline: March 31

Details here.

Art “Works Every Time” Design Competition

sponsored by Beautiful/Decay

Create a t-shirt design interpreting Colt 45’s logo
and catch phrase “Works Every Time.”

Deadline: April 15
Details here.

Sock It to Me

Design a fun, new knee-high sock.

Deadline: ongoing

Details here.

Welcome spring!

La Daube Provençale

I recently finished Kim Sunée's memoir, A Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home. I'm not going to give you a full book report — I never liked doing those. But the gist of the story is this: Born in South Korea, Sunée was adopted and raised in New Orleans. She leaves when she is barely out of her teens and eats, lives and loves in Europe for ten years before returning to the U.S. Her story of elaborate feasts and international travel is tempered with melancholy because she lacks a sense of home and belonging.

Recipes are scattered through the book. I thought I'd try this recipe for beef stewed in red wine since it is a different, brighter take on beef stew and our freezer is still stocked with larger cuts of beef from Old Pine Farm. The citrus and olive flavors are a welcome change and the meat just melted into extreme tenderness. It is best made a day ahead for all the flavors to meld. It was probably our last wintery stew since spring officially arrives this weekend!

La Daube Provençale/Braised Beef
Adapted from Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunée

1 pound beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cubed
2 medium onions, quartered, divided
1-2 carrots, cut lengthwise and into thirds
Bouquet garni (such as a few sprigs of parsley, thyme and/or rosemary)
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry red wine
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 slice thick-cut bacon, diced
2-3 Tb flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
2-inch piece of orange rind
1 tsp orange zest
Juice of one-half orange
3/4-1 cup beef stock
1 Tb black olive tapenade
Garnishes: black olives and fresh parsley

Combine beef and one of the onions and next 4 ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl. Let marinate 5 to 6 hours. (You can marinate overnight, but wine flavor will be much stronger.)

Remove meat with a slotted spoon and drain well. Reserve the marinade and vegetables/herbs separately.

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Heat bacon on medium high in an enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven until fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Spread flour in a shallow plate and season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge beef in flour, adding more flour as needed. Add beef to pot and let brown, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, garlic and a 2-inch strip of orange rind and stir. Add reserved wine marinade and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and let wine reduce, skimming fat, for about 15 minutes.

Add beef stock or water just to cover meat, stir and add reserved vegetables and bouquet garni. Stir once more, cover and bake for about 2-3 hours, until meat is tender. Check every once in a while and add more beef stock of water if it is being absorbed too quickly.

Remove any fat with a spoon. Remove orange rind, bay leaf and bouquet garni and discard. Add orange zest and juice and stir. Let cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Reheat on medium until warm. Stir tapenade into sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with large pasta shells or polenta and garnish with olives and parsley.

Come do arts and crafts with me

I was at a party recently with a friend who was wearing knee-high black leather boots with a sizeable heel. After a few drinks, someone made the suggestion that she was wearing "Come f*@%! me" boots. After a bit of stammering and gasping, she thrust her arm out pointing down at my colorful, chunky clown-like shoes (artfully shown above) and said, "Then what are those?"

Without missing a beat, he replied,"They're 'Come do arts and crafts with me' shoes."

Hey, what can I say? My shoes may not be sexy, but at least my message is consistent. Because that's my message for you today: Come do arts and crafts with me. Literally.

I'll be teaching a two-hour Intro to Knitting workshop on Friday, April 23 from 7-9 p.m. at the Blue House in Ann Arbor. We'll be making funky, modern accessories like a sassy knitted cuff or reusable sleeve for your coffee cup. I'll show you how to cast on, knit, check your gauge and cast off. We may not get quite as sassy as the cuff seen above by Dull Roar on Etsy, but I'll show you the skills to do just that. You might even pursuade me to teach you to purl if the group is game. Now doesn't that sound risqué?! The class is just $26 and includes yarn as well as a set of needles to take home. We've only got room for six students, so head on over to the Blue House website and sign up now.

And when you get to the Blue House, you'll know me by my shoes!

On the hunt for spring flowers: Snowdrops

I've been trying to draw crocuses for two years now. Spring arrives and I love them so much that I race out and draw, draw, draw. I don't know what it is, but it just never works out. Now I think it's getting to be psychological. Yikes. Anyway… I noticed a huge patch of them outside of a local yoga studio on my way to work the past two days. I decided to go out this morning and try once more. I barely got past the front yard though. I saw that our neighbor's front lawn looked like this:


A beautiful carpet of snowdrops! After looking over my shoulder like some kind of thief to see if anyone was going to chase me away, I plopped right down in their yard and made a few quick drawings. And then I realized how good they smelled. I had no idea they have this sweet delicate scent.

I'm headed back out this afternoon to try the crocuses one more time.

Steamy Wok Surprise

The boy and I have a huge vinyl chalkboard decal stuck to the side of our frig where we do our menu planning for the week ahead. This recipe debuted on the chalkboard as "steamy wok surprise." Awful, I know. But I had new bamboo steamer baskets that I wanted to use but hadn't found the right recipe yet. The recipe would be the surprise. I was thinking some kind of steamed fish and veggies, but kept lingering over the dumpling recipes. The dumplings won out.

Steamed Pork Dumplings
Adapted from epicurious.com
Makes 20.

1 1/2 Tb egg white
1 Tb minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp peanut or vegetable oil
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup diced water chestnuts or jicama
1/4 cup minced scallion
1/2 pound ground pork
20 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen

For the filling: Lightly whisk egg white in a large bowl, then whisk in ginger, garlic, peanut oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add water chestnuts or jicama, scallion, and pork and mix together with your hands until combined well.

Assemble dumplings: Separate wonton wrappers and restack in piles of 10. Cut through each stack with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter and discard trimmings. Arrange 6 rounds on a work surface (keep remaining rounds covered with plastic wrap) and mound a scant tablespoon filling in center of each. Lightly moisten edge of wrappers with a finger dipped in water. Working with one at a time and leaving dumpling on flat surface, gather edge of wrapper around side of filling, pleating wrapper to form a cup and pressing pleats against filling (leave dumpling open at top). Flatten filling flush with edge of wrapper with wet finger and transfer dumpling to a tray. Make more dumplings in same manner with remaining rounds and filling.

Steam dumplings: Line bamboo baskets with cheesecloth or leafy greens. (You could also generously oil the bottom of a colander-steamer insert) Bring a few inches of water to a boil in pot that the baskets will fit in easily. Arrange 10 dumplings, about 1/2 inch apart, in each tier and steam over moderate heat, covered, until dough is translucent and filling is just cooked through, about 6 minutes.

Serve immediately with soy dipping sauce.

Soy dipping sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water
3 Tb seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
handful of thinly sliced scallion

Stir together soy sauce, water, vinegar, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Just before serving, stir in scallion.

If you're making these for a party or large group, the original recipe makes 60. Do it up!

Blue House Ann Arbor

It's open! This week Ann Arbor welcomes an exciting new addition: Blue House Ann Arbor. It's a creative studio dedicated to the handmade — studio spaces, workshops, even a small retail shop. The lovely and talented Siobhan Lyle has great vision and has been working hard since last summer renovating and planning. And now, the Blue House is ready and open to the public. The space is so beautiful and warm.

There is a whole crew of enthusiastic local artists involved (including yours truly — wink, wink) and the enthusiasm has been contagious. We're all getting together March 20th to say howdy-do and break in the space with a crafty spring show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The lineup of vendors is fantastic. So if you're in the area — it's right on the corner of Main Street and Pauline — drop by, say hi, have a peek around and pick up some local art, dang it. Or check out the web site for the roster of workshops and details about the space.

Welcome, Blue House!!!

Buns for any night of the week

I'm usually more of the slow food, make it from scratch kind of cook, lingering in the kitchen and trying out ridiculously complex recipes. I try to take my time and enjoy it. My brother is rolling his eyes right now and scrolling down to count the number of ingredients in this recipe. But I'm not keen on the thirty-minute meal just for the sake of speed. I know, I know. None of us have enough time. So this is my answer to that: A forty-minute home-baked hamburger bun to dress up a weeknight burger. It really is easy enough and worth it to do any night of the week.

Weeknight hamburger rolls
Adapted from TasteofHome.com
Makes 8-10.

2 Tb active dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 Tb warm water (110° to 115°)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.


Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 8-10 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.


Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

The original recipe said for a dozen buns, but they were a bit small for the burgers. I'd go for a little bit bigger depending on the size of yours. You could also dress these up with an egg wash before baking and a sprinkle of sesame or poppy seeds. They are uber light and fluffy -- delicious!

Color Study No. 1: Green

I've seen quite a few posts around the interwebs lately with color studies and thought I'd jump on that band wagon. Wish I could remember where I saw the first one. Enjoy!

The Year of (a) Cake

At the beginning of the year I decided that I wanted 2010 to be the year of cake. Singular cake. Not cakes. Just one. I decided that this is the year that I will make at least one truly grown-up cake. I haven't made very many cakes in my time and I may not have ever made a truly grown-up cake. I'm not sure exactly what that even means. Maybe something with layers? Something that isn't made in a brownie pan? Not a cupcake or a coffee cake. I know what it's not. And I think I'll know what it is when I find that perfect recipe. So this is the year — 2010. This year I will make a fancy pants cake.

This is not that cake.

You might think with it's rich intense grown-up flavor that it is, but it's simply too ooey and gooey. It's what Nigella calls "a glotally thickening wodge of chocolate chip and cocoa…." How's that for a description?! It's not fancy pants and that's why I love it.

Chocolate Gingerbread

Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 c. + 2 Tb dark brown sugar

2 Tb sugar

3/4 c. light corn syrup

3/4 c. molasses

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

2 Tb warm water

2 eggs

1 c. milk

2 c. flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

For Frosting:

2 c. powdered sugar

2 Tb unsalted butter

1 Tb unsweetened cocoa

1/4 c. ginger ale

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a 10x13 baking pan with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the sugars, syrup, molasses, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Dissolve baking soda in water. Remove saucepan from the heat and whisk in eggs, milk and soda mixture. Beat in flour and cocoa with a wooden spoon. Fold in chocolate chips ad pour into lined pan pressing bake the paper a bit so the batter spreads into the corners. Bake about 45 minutes until risen and firm on top. The middle should still be a little damp under the set top, and will sink a little. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

For the frosting: Sift the powdered sugar. Melt the butter, cocoa and ginger ale in a heavy-based saucepan. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the powdered sugar. When the cake is cooled, remove it from the pan, fold back the paper and pour frosting over the cake — just enough to cover the top and ooze down the sides a bit. Let frosting set slightly, and cut into large slabs. (Be sure to remove it from the paper once frosted as it will stick like glue later.)

Spring ladies in skirts

Happy Monday, everyone. It's so lovely and springy out here, it makes me smile all over. I hope wherever you are, there is sun and a smile on your face. Here is a peak at two lovely ladies I am working on. The pastel color palette is new for me and I am having fun playing with it.

Blog It Forward

Welcome to Sloe Gin Fizz if this is you first visit! So glad to have you stop by, especially since today it's my turn to post about what inspires me as part of the blogger chain mashup — Blog It Forward — started by sfgirlbybay. Reading through the entries each day has filled me with inspiration. The chain leads to me by way of the lovely, English Alice of Simply the Nest. Feel free to wander backward and forward through the chain — you're in for some treats!

And now, here's a little drawing of what inspires me personally (click image to see it larger):

WORDS.

Lyrics, novels, poetry, essays, blog posts, tweets. All of it.

TRAVEL.
Actual adventures in distant lands and whispery daydreams of far away places.

CITIES.
MOUNTAINS.
WAVES.
WOODS.
WIND.

ROAD TRIPS.

GARDENS.
I'm still amazed each time a little seed in the dirt grows miraculously into a plant.

SPRING.
COLOR.
CHANGE.

NEW.
Tastes, places, routes, views, ideas, ways.

OLD.

REST.
Ultimately, all of these have the potential to inspire me,
but I know that if I am not a well-rested girl, inspiration will not come.
I am slowly learning to accept this and to not force it.
Eventually … it will come.

In the mean time…
COFFEE.

And now, onward down the chain to the talented crafty tastemaker, Smidge Box.

Hot Bread Kitchen Challah

I've been in a baking kind of mood lately. Lots of swirling shapes and rising dough. Today I have for you quite a different take on challah than what I was familiar with and what you might know. It is dense and rich and filled with spice. I read about Jessamyn Waldman in November's Food & Wine. She is the source of this Sephardic recipe and the founder of Hot Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit that bakes artisanal breads from around the world and creates opportunities for immigrant woman. The organization's tagline, "Preserving Tradition, Raising Expectations," is incredibly inspiring to me and the work that they do even more so. Read more here.

Follow their lead and bake up a loaf or two of this dense sesame, caraway and anise studded bread. It looks so pretty I could hardly bear to slice into it, but it tastes equally good.

Jessamyn's Sephardic Challah

Adapted from Food & Wine

Makes two nine-inch loaves.

3 Tb sesame seeds

1 1/2 Tb caraway seeds
1 1/2 Tb anise seeds
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
5 cups bread flour
2 1/2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tb honey
1 Tb kosher salt
Cornmeal for dusting

2 large egg yolks

In a skillet, toast the sesame, caraway and anise seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate and let cool. In a small bowl, combine the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the water and let stand until thoroughly moistened, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour with the olive oil, the honey and the remaining water and mix at low speed until a very soft dough forms. Add the kosher salt, yeast mixture and all but 1 tablespoon of the seeds and mix at medium-low speed until the dough is supple and smooth, 10 minutes. Using oiled hands, transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a draft-free spot until the dough is risen, 1 hour.

Lightly oil 2 small cookie sheets and dust them with cornmeal. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press to deflate. Cut the dough in half and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope and let rest for 5 minutes longer, then roll each rope into a 32-inch rope. Beginning at the center and working outwards, form each rope into a coil; tuck the ends under the coils.

Transfer each coil to a baking sheet and cover each loaf with a large, inverted bowl. Let stand for 1 hour, until the loaves have nearly doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the loaves and let stand uncovered for 30 minutes. Brush with the egg wash once more and sprinkle with the reserved 1 tablespoon of seeds. Bake the loaves side-by-side in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until they’re golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer the loaves to racks and let cool completely before slicing.

The loaves can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

On a Roll: Cinnamon Rolls

I had some fancy Ceylon cinnamon rattling around in the cupboard just begging to be baked into this recipe. According to Penzey's Spices — a great place to order hard to find spices — there are two main types of cinnamon. The first, Cassia cinnamon, is native to Southeast Asia and has the strong, spicy-sweet flavor that most Americans are familiar with. The second type of cinnamon, Ceylon, or "true" cinnamon, has a much different flavor — less sweet, with a more complex, citrus flavor. They recommend using Ceylon cinnamon for baked goods and it was perfect in these buttery, luscious cinnamon rolls. But feel free to use whatever cinnamon you have on hand — they're sure to be tasty!

Ceylon Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Whipped

1 c. warm milk (heated over medium heat for 4-5 minutes)

1/4 c. lukewarm water (110º F)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature and beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. sugar

5 c. bread flour


3 tsp instant active dry yeast (Often marked Rapid Rise)


FILLING:

1/2 c. butter, melted or softened

1 c. firmly-packed brown sugar

4 to 5 Tb ground cinnamon

3/4 to 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

FROSTING:
2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 c. butter, room temperature

1 c. powdered (confectioners) sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract



In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given — except Filling and Frosting ingredients. Using a dough hook, mix everything together until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface (You don’t want to add more flour if it is sticky), and knead until elastic — about 10 minutes. Place in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, butter a 9×13x2 inch baking pan; set aside. Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling in a separate bowl.

After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15×22.5-inch rectangle. (This is quite large — you might want to actually measure rather than eyeball it.) Spread the softened butter over the top of the dough with a rubber spatula. (If you use melted butter, use a pastry brush and be sure your surface is pretty level or it will pool unevenly.)

Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the butter. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the cinnamon filling. Starting with long edge, roll up dough jellyroll style; pinch seams to seal.

With a knife, lightly mark off fifteen sections approximately 1 1/2-inches wide. Using a serrated knife, saw very gently into pieces. Place the slices cut side up in prepared pan — you should have three rows of five. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.

To bake immediately: cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan).

To bake the next morning: Put them in the refrigerator covered. They will rise slowly overnight. Put them into the oven the next morning and follow below cooking instructions.

To freeze: Wrap in plastic wrap. Take them out the night before baking and leave out of the fridge. Allow them to thaw and rise before baking.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake approximately 20 to 25 or until they are a light golden brown. Spread the warm rolls with Butter Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter with a wooden spoon until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until creamy. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use and then bring to room temperature before spreading.


I whipped these together Saturday afternoon and left them in the fridge overnight. I had the frosting ready to go, too and then just popped them into the oven Sunday morning. The smell was heavenly and I got to sit back and enjoy my coffee while they baked — the perfect Sunday morning activity!

Stay tuned for more spiral baking adventures this week!

Hand Lettering

I've been playing around with some hand lettering for my business name. Here's a peak on round one. More to come… have a great weekend!

Beautiful Celeste Potter animation

I don't really watch a whole lot of videos online, but for whatever reason I was compelled to watch this yesterday. It is so captivating and haunting that I wanted to share it with you here. I love the loose style, wonderful shapes, textures and pacing. The song — "No Turning Back" by Sarah Blasko — is beautiful and strong and the animation is by the brilliant Celeste Potter. I found it on the talented illustrator and surface designer, Jess Gonacha's blog.

A box of sunshine

Oh my, citrusy goodness. We received a big old box of juicy ripeness — oranges and grapefruits plucked from their Florida orchard and shipped with love. From my mom. Yes, that's right. The same mom who prepped oranges for us like grapefruits almost every morning when we were kids — sliced in half with each individual section cut out ready to eat with that special little spoon with the serrated tip. I can hardly make myself put that much effort into eating a grapefruit, nevermind tiny orange sections. But she did. All the time. Thanks, Mom!

Za'tar and Aleppo

Doesn't that sound like the name of a fable or a fairy tale? They are actually an herb and a spice featured in two recipes I recently tried. Za'tar is a kind of thyme that grows wild in Lebanon, and in more recent years has been cultivated. It is also the name of a spice blend featuring that herb, as well as crushed red sumac, sesame seeds and salt. The one time I had it was at a place in Brooklyn where it is slathered thickly onto flatbread before baking. It was absolutely delicious and the memory of it remained strong in my mind. I got a bag of the spice blend as part of a gift box filled with herbs and spices at Christmas so decided I would try to recreate that bread. This dough is a pleasure to work with — loose yet not sticky. Lots of fun to knead.


Flat Bread Baked with Za'tar
Adapted from Saveur

Makes three 8" breads.

For the dough:
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more
for greasing sheet pan

For the topping:
1/4 cup za'tar blend
5 Tb. olive oil

1. For the dough: Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add milk, 1/2 cup of the oil, 2 Tb warm water, and yeast mixture and stir until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 10-15 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, dust with flour, then transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rest until dough has doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

2. For the topping: Mix za'tar and oil together in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a sheet pan with some olive oil and set aside. Turn dough out onto a clean surface, divide into thirds, and shape each piece of dough into a ball. Roll 1 dough ball out on a lightly floured surface into an 8" round and transfer to prepared sheet pan. Using your fingertips, make indentations all over the surface fo the dough, then brush with generous amount of topping. Bake flat bread until lightly browned and crisp around the edge, about 10 minutes. Repeat rolling out , indenting, topping, baking process with remaining dough balls and topping mixture, greasing baking sheet with more oil as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The gift of herbs and spices also included a bag of Aleppo pepper and I made Muhammara — a spicy roasted red pepper and walnut spread to go with it.

New prints in the shop

Shop update! I finally have a few new prints in the shop. Stop by and have a look, won't you?

Keen on sneakers

Sneaker in profile

Study in black, white and red