SubtleShine
because everyone has their own subtle shine
Betty Crocker, Ever the hostess.
Before there was Martha, there was Betty, Crocker that is. Ever the fictitious hostess Betty Crocker was created in 1921 and has been inspiring since inception.
Being a Betty fan for quite sometime, below highlight my favorites by her.
Betty Crocker books from the 1950s and 1960s were written as cooking and hostessing guides utilizing General Mills products. Being of another time, some of the advice seems outdated, for instance, for a more flavorful coffee, try adding “the tiniest sprinkling of monosodium glutamate” and on Guys Night “men like the idea that they are foraging for themselves” from a fully-cooked and prepared spread by the wife- who has made herself scare! However, many of the recipes still relate to today’s cooking sensibilities.
One book in particular, Betty Crocker’s Cooking Calendar published in 1962 reads like a cookbook and monthly journal combined.
This book focuses on in-season produce and gives recipes featuring them.
How modern!
Betty’s Good and Easy Cookbook first published in 1954 breaks dining into four meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Fourth Meal (snacks, late-night, desserts, the like). With so much of our mind devoted to economy and food, the section on “Packing the Lunch-Box” is a great help- as well as a laugh, telling the reader that a man’s “four-star lunch-box is easy to clean” and that a lunch box prepared “for the young lady [should] be attractive so carrying it doesn’t seem a burden.”
Giving a mix-and-match chart for tasty lunches focusing on nutrition, sensible packing, all while utilizing reusable containers such as glass-lidded jars and foil, make Betty once again modern.
Betty’s Guide to Easy Entertaining, How to Have Guests- And Enjoy Them written in 1959 is a primer on entertaining, featuring recipes and hospitality hints for both host and guest.
The book takes the homemaker through the invitation stage through different party settings- brunch, buffet, barbecue, and many others.
Betty may have changed through the years,
but much of her knowledge and taste have remained unchanged- and relevant.
Being split never tasted so good! (Me vs. Greens)
Inspired by my love of Greens Restaurant, but not wanting to leave the house, I reached for my Greens cookbook. In the mood for something warm, filling and fairly easy I found their recipe for Yellow Split Pea Soup with Spiced Yogurt.
First, the split peas needed to soak a few hours. Easy enough.
Then the vegetables are cleaned, cut-up and allowed to saute in oil olive for about 4 minutes.
Draining the peas I added them to the vegetables along with home-made stock and let the whole pot cook slightly covered for about an hour.
(Yes, this is home-made chicken stock, yes, Greens is a vegetarian restaurant, but I wanted to use what I had on hand…).
While the soup cooks away, the Spiced Yogurt can be made. Using Saint Benoit yogurt as the base, a mixture of Indian spices are ground and whisked together to make.
Once the soup is well cooked, and the peas have fallen apart, using an immersion blender, puree the soup to desired consistency.
Scoop into bowls and top with the spiced yogurt.
I got a little creative with the presentation.
I served the soup with home-made cornbread.
The verdict? Delicious. Flavorful, warm, filling and easy! Yum.
Bath Balls! (Me vs. Lush with a little help from Martha)
Bath time. Easing into a hot bath fizzy from a bath ball, and letting your cares soak away is bliss. Once common, baths have been replaced by our world of quick showers and scrubs. So, in a world where a bath is now a luxury, why not make it the best one you can?
This is where making your own ball balls comes in! I adore their fizzy whirl around the tub while it fills, but I would rather make them without dyes, harsh perfumes, and detergents.
“Ingredients:”
1/2 C citric acid
1/2 C baking soda
1/2 C powered milk (an exfoliater due to it’s lactic acid)
1 cup corn starch
Essential oils (I made a 1/2 batch of grapefruit and another of lavender)
Small spritzer bottle filled with water
Mold for bath balls (IE, cute tin, silicone ice cube tray)
Make:
Sift together dry ingredients to ensure the mixture is lump-free.
In small batches (roughly a cupful) lightly spritz and stir until the mixture is able to be packed down enough to place in mold.
Add drops of essential oil. Approximately 6 drops per cupful of mix.
Stir again.
Scoop into mold, each mold took about 1/3 C when packed down, which is enough for one bath
Let dry for about 2 hours, pop-out and you’re done!
Except that mine did not pop-out as planned, instead the balls became a lovely scoopable fizzy bath treat!
But it did fizz! Ah, now isn’t it time for a bath?
It’s in the cards! (Me vs. Hallmark)
Always in need of a greeting card, but loath to give a generic one, I decided to make a knit-inspired one for a friends baby shower.
Taking roughly 10 minutes to make, this cute, hand-made card adds a beautiful touch to any gift or sentiment.
Cast on stitches to desired width and knit in garter stitch to desired length.
Carefully slide toothpicks on and needles off the live stitches.
Glue knit swatch and toothpicks onto a blank card (I used my trusty hot glue gun). Let cool completely.
Voila! You now have a beautiful hand-made card. Experiment with colors and shapes for more card-making options.
I made cheese!
Cheese. To me, there really is nothing better in the world. Hard, soft, creamy, dinner, snack, it’s what “makes” a dish.
Having received Ricki Carroll’s Home Cheese Making book as a gift, I couldn’t wait to try my hand at home-made cheese.
I decided on a fresh cheese to start, requiring only a few simple ingredients, milk lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt. From a trip to Rainbow Grocery I bought raw milk and meyer lemons.
It is against the law in America to sell raw-milk (unpasteurized) cheese that has not aged for a minimum of 60 days. However, raw milk does produce a richer, more flavorful cheese. And ultra-high pasteurized cheese will not produce a cheese at all.
Below is the delicious process.
Just look at how the curds separate away from the whey!
The verdict? Delicious! A little lemony, fresh, and made fairly quickly and simple. I can’t wait to try more cheese-making recipes!
Knittery
Knitting. It’s both a practical and pleasurable hobby. Having recently taken it up I was fortunate enough to receive from my YiaYia (grandmother) my Megali YiaYia’s (great-grandmother) knitting and crochet kits. My Megali YiaYia came to America via Ellis Island from Archanes, Crete, and it was there that she learned the art of knitting and crochet. Possessing an undeniable gift, she could at look something, and instantly understand the pattern of it, and create it at home.
Here are some of the treasures that I found:
By far my favorite and most amusing find, this was a give-a-way from a Virginia Slims ad of yesteryear that she saved and used.
Opening it up reveals a gift of hand-sewing needles.
Of course her needlecraft kit contained more expected items, such as:
A full kit of knitting needles. Every size, long and short ones. I.AM.SO.THRILLED!
Embroidery hoops, she could needlepoint a scene without need of a pattern.
Vintage pattern books. Including this one, with the pattern for a scarf she made in the ’70s that I now wear.
This is a great fun, find. I cannot wait to start pom-pom-ing things! It’s a pom-pom maker!
This is a scarf that I’m knitting, it’s worked in panels of lace.
The good ladies at Greenwich Yarns helped me out with this when I got in a bind. They are so helpful- you can even hang out there knit all day if you so wish.
And lastly, this is a simple pattern written in my Megali YiaYia’s hand in her native language:
Happy knitting!
Graham Crackers, Me vs. store-bought
Graham crackers. Those snappy delightful cookie-crackers we all know and love. Except for the lengthy list of ingredients and additives. Using real graham flour, these are surprisingly easy to make. This is a recipe I’ve had tucked away for years.
Graham flour is named for Revered Graham, a figure on the scene in the mid-19th century. It’s created by separating the grain into white flour, and then mixing it back with the bran and germ that has been coarsely ground.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 C Graham Flour (I purchased mine from Rainbow Grocery, but it can be purchased online here).
1 C brown sugar (I used dark and packed it in!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon best salt you have
1 stick unsalted butter, softened and cubed
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup clover (or other mild) honey
2 tablespoons vanilla extract (the real stuff!)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Sugar for sprinkling on top
Make:
In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon together. Pulse this to mix.
Bit by bit add in the cubed butter. Add the honey, milk and vanilla to this mixture and continue to pulse until all is incorporated.
The mixture should be crumbly and start to come together into dough-like balls.
Turn mix out and place on floured plastic wrap, cover and chill for a minimum of two hours (I let mine chill over-night).
Pre-heat oven to 325 F.
Take out graham cracker mix and place about half onto floured surface and roll out with floured baking pin. Roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut to look like graham crackers- I used a toothpick and knife to poke hole and make the vertical perforation. Experiment with different cracker shapes too! Place on ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle tops with sugar.
Chill this for 5 minutes in the freezer/ 10 minutes in the refrigerator to re-set.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cracker begin to turn a dark golden brown.
The verdict? Delicious! Snappy and cookie-cracker like, what a flash biscuit!
Clutch Me
Looking for a last-minute gift? Something stylish with a hint of whimsy perhaps? Then this is it! It’s a hand-knit clutch that’s lined and finished with a vintage button.
“Ingredients:”
1 skein yarn (I used Lamb’s Pride in 85% wool, 15% mohair in shade MI62 Mulberry).
Size U.S. 11 needles.
Lining fabric (I used a 100% cotton twill in a shirting weight).
Button.
Sewing thread in color to match knitting/needle.
Make:
Knit rectangle in desired pattern and length. (For this clutch, there were 30 stitches cast on, and ended roughly at 2 feet long, using entire skein). Drop stitches near to where you want your button placed.
Sew button to right-side of piece at desired location, taking care to match with dropped stitches.
Cut lining fabric to same size as knit piece. Pressing ends in, pin along to inside of bag.
Using a blanket stitch, hand sew lining to knitting all around.
Cut button-hole in lining ensuring not cut knitting and that all button holes/button match up.
Stitch around button-hole to finish.
Using a darning or tapestry needle, stitch up sides together.
Voila! You now have a cute clutch! Spending multiple paychecks on handbags is very out.
Bangin’ Bib Necklace (Me vs. Martha)
Accessorizing is always fun, but sometimes you want something new, without breaking the bank. Just in time for all those festive occasions, I bring you the bib necklace! It’s stylish, fun, and fast to make!
I made this one with instructional help from Martha Stewart. This necklace is great to tailor to your needs by changing the size, rhinestone color, and fabric.
You will need:
Assorted glass gems/rhinestones
Scissors
Ultrasuede or felt, or leather (for backing)
Fabric glue
Ribbon in desired color
Make:
Cut out fabric from pattern.
Place rhinestones in desired pattern, working from the center out.
Glue the rhinestones in place. You can also stitch them down with invisible thread for added security.
Let dry. Attach ribbon at back cut to desired length (this determines the length your necklace. Mine is made to sit at the collar bone with a nice bow in the back).
Attach second piece of fabric at back for a finished look. Let dry.
Following the outline of the rhinestones, cut out to desired shape.
Voila! You will be the best accessorized and crafty person at the party!
Make your own cookie cutter!
With so many occasions to bake for, sometimes you want to add a special, more personal touch to them. That’s where making your own cookie cutters comes in!
“Ingredients”
Aluminum or copper tape (plumbers tape). The thinnest you can find, the better. This will aid in the “molding” process.
Pliers
Picture of what you want the cookie cutter to be
Heavy cardboard or wood (to trace+cut out for cookie cutter mold)
Make
Take the picture you want the cutter to be and trace on to cardboard/wood. Cut out.
Measure with a string or measuring tape, cut out needed length from aluminum tape.
Wash the tape in warm soapy water.
Take the aluminum tape and mold around the cut out.
Secure ends by wrapping the tape around a few times. San down any rough spots/edges.
Wash off again.
You’re cutters are ready for the cookies!
