happy hat adventures

in honor of national hat day, my gal SoMany & I got together for some hat making fun. check it:

doesn't that food look yummy? we ate at a vegan chinese place where they grow their own produce...sooo good! i cannot remember the name though, drats!

we walk!

okay, not always but today was a big walking day. when stacey and i were trying to figure out what to do in order to visit, eat, and take care of errands, i thought why not do it all on foot? so that's what we did. the weather being as nifty as it has been, why not?

we walked from the tiny casa to a new italian deli in the hood. along the way we met mr. david, a children's musician who gifted me with a nifty cd that i still need to listen to. the deli was nice and not crowded unlike some of the other, more hip places in the hood so we got to sample the olive oil cake till we were almost stuffed silly. sooo good! sitting at a teeny tiny bistro table, we chowed down on olive oil cake, a fruity focaccia and frothy, foamy lattes. seriously yummy goodies. seriously yummy!

next up, we grabbed the granny cart all full of empty bags and walked, walked, walked through a neighborhood we never walked through before. up a hill, across a street, around a corner we walked, walked, walked until we reached the trader joe's. once inside we finagled our way around all the other carts and folks and bemoaned the moment of realization that the very full, very heavy bags would in fact NOT fit into the granny cart. trooping it up we ducked into the mayfair market for some water and ahem, another granny cart. we then granny walked ourselves past the highschool where parts of Grease were shot, along a pointy black gate with one rusted point, up a very, very steep incline, across a nifty old bridge and then down, down, down, a wee bit of a steep hill. we walked and we walked and we walked past the library, past Danzig's famous house, past a banana tree (or two) until we turned the corner and arrived back at the tiny casa. we then piled bag upon bag upon bag into the back of stacey's car, smooched goodbye and greeted the remainder of the day.

too too much to do!

the weather today is super, special delightful. i want to dilly around the tiny casa and make things. i want to throw open the doors and windows and pull out all that is pink and red and create something bee-yoo-tee-ful for Valentine's Day. i would except for the construction which is still rolling around here though today it is a bit half-assed. who knows what is going on but when there are loads of unknown worker-men traipsing about, a girl on her own doesn't feel like blasting Doris Day with all the windows and doors wide open. sigh. i vow to get something, anything, at least one thing made today. gotta create, right? i've already been to school and back and i even ran some errands but i think i will head out a wee bit more. people keep calling and i'm not in phonecall mode just yet and i feel less guilty when i'm out and about. so, here's to nice weather or crafting or time for you. stay tuned for some heart day loveliness!

the week in review: jan 5-11

It was a busy school week so there are ot a lot of pictures, at least, not the pretty-to-look-at kind. I was able to take advantage of being out in public so I took a break from my jeans and t-shirts wearing self. I read three books, talked...a lot, listened like crazy and jumped in the air. I even was accompanied by my class, they jumped! I'm still finishing up two papers for so my being way behind on returning phone calls and such will have to wait. If yer waiting to hear from me, don't forget that I adore and love you and will call when there is breathing room!

pretty in pink-puff pastry

Near the tiny casa but not in the same 'hood, there is an institution of baked goodness called Porto's. I am embarrassed to admit that I came to know Porto's quite late, just a few years now so I am making up for lost time. There is always a line, a long one but it moves quickly and before you know it, your order of potato balls, meat pies and cheese rolls is gripped tightly in your hands and torn open on the way to your car. They are not exactly vegetarian friendly by way of hot food but oh my goodness, the pastries are delightful. Their most popular is the cheese roll which is only sixty-five cents and I think I would take one of these over a cupcake any day. The problem is they are too good. Addicting is the word. Even mister a-go-go gets a gleam in his eyes when I arrive with a bag of cheese rolls from Porto's. One day, after demolishing two in one go, I realized I could make these. Easy-peasy even. And then I did.

All you need is puff pastry, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. I also add a bit of orange zest and juice, a dash of black pepper and a sprinkle fest of sparkling sugar.

Let the cream cheese soften so that it is easy to whip up with a mixer. Add powdered sugar to taste and if you like a squeeze of fresh citrus. I used blood orange.

You can use any kind of puff pastry. I live in Little Armenia which has plenty of small family owned markets. These little markets carry four inch squares of puff pastry that I adore. I can pull out one or two and make a single serving of something yummy. I love it! Set out your squares of puff pastry, cut your sheet if you need to.

Slather on the cream cheese mixture to your preference. Fold over squares to form triangles. You can of course fold it any way you like but do fold so that you can make a little tart of sorts.

Use a fork to crimp your edges closed and then cut into the fold with a pair of scissors.

Brush on a bit of melted butter or margarine and sprinkle with your topping. Pop it into a 350 oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, checking to make sure they don't brown too much. Wait until cool before you devour them all. The inside filling will be HOT! Enjoy with a cup of tea and pace yourself. You can't say I didn't warn you!

the january bed: here's to a new year!