Fat and Crafty.com

The two pack of Nutella beckoned to me from across the aisle. We’d already picked up a big jar of Adams peanut butter, and the Nutella was right there. I hinted to Patrick to twist my arm. He did gladly.

The idea was crepes. It’s always crepes first when i think of Nutella. Crepes, bananas and whipped cream. What more does a girl need. And they were delicious and delightful. But they left me craving for more.

I wanted crepes with flavor and savor. I wanted crepes that would rival my favorite crepes at J’amie les Crepes Creperie in Kingston. Tonight we got home from the Bits swim lessons and got to work.

First, poach chicken breasts, cool then chop

While those are poaching, make the crepe batter. Mine comes from the Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition. (Yeah I know thats the hated edition, but its my go to edition. I’ll explain that some time)

Then chop fresh garlic and mushrooms, Saute together in a mixture of canola oil, their own juice and a little water from the poached chicken.

Gather together fresh spinach, raw eggs, goat cheese, cheddar cheese the aforementioned chicken and mushrooms. Using your best cast iron pan, make a crepe, flip it over and while the second side cooks pour some raw egg on and let that kind of come together , softly cooked. Onto the egg toss whatever that person wants. Here is how it works in my house in alphabetical order.

Aron

• Egg
• Chicken
• Goat Cheese
• Fresh Spinach

Leah

• Mushrooms
• Chicken
• Egg
• Goat Cheese
• Fresh Spinach

Patrick

• Egg
• Chicken
• Mushrooms
• Garlic powder

Miss Bit

• Egg
• Chicken
• Cheddar Cheese
• Fresh Spinach

Now, I’m the cook. I always eat last. This worries the family sometimes, but really, it is my choice. So I get to do a little of what I want. My first crepe resembled Leahs. My final crepe, the one pictured above?

• Cooked spinach sauteed with mushrooms and goat cheese, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar at the end.

Crepes really are yum. And yes tonight there will be dessert.

We’re in a rental , and we are very much enjoying having a full size fridge. It’s got some small problems, some water leaking, some ice buildup.  It also runs pretty cold. The side affect to this? Things stay fresh longer then you think they would.  Sure vegetables that get dripped on go beyond the bend a liuttle sooner then they should, but other things  well, they are good well after they should be. Its lettuce thats still fresh and crisp over two weeks later.  It’s going through the back and finding a tupperware of chicken and rice and thinking when did we have that? 3 weeks ago? 4? eww!  Instead of opening up the container  and finding a new colony of intelligence that rivals the cat, it looks fresh and pristine like i had just packed it away. Dairy products are that way too. Cottage cheese, that seems good still a month later? Sour cream too. 

That said, we’ve put a new system into place. When groceries get unpacked I’ll place a colored sticker on all the dairy products, and a corresponding sticker on the day we did shopping. then we can rotate properly. Milk is never a problem, with a 6 year old and a 15 year old we go through it too quickly. And Eggs  we finish quickly because every time i go grocery shopping i make hardboiled eggs of what are left. I’m sure this is all just a side effect from the fridge running really really cold. Its kind of creepy though.

Chocolate rocks my world. I recently had the chance to sample to wares from two newcomers to the chocolate scene. i thought the experiences were interesting in a comparison contrast sort of way.

The first batch I got was from a new chocolate maker in the Portland area. In order to secure operating capital for her chocolate business she is running sample boxes. This allows her to get some money coming in as well to test production and work out the kinks.

Polidori Chocolates

Polidori Chocolates are small batch chocolates made out of someones (health department approved) kitchen. She’s tweaking the recipes, the candy size , production method and is finding her feet. She has unique flavors , delightful descriptions and chocolates with an exceptional mouthfeel and taste. Along with the sample I ordered, she included a sample of a marshmallow. This added bonus is common among e-tailers, but made me giddy with delight. i mean yum! Chocolate covered marshmallows.

Sweet Riot Chocolates

I don’t know how i got the Sweet Riot chocolate. I assume i signed up online. Occasionally I get samples from coffee retailers but not usually chocolate. And we’ve moved since we registered with coffee fest, so i’m thinking i asked for it.
These are tasty bits of cocoa nibs dipped in chocolate Thats really all i can say. i mean they are kosher, non dairy, no gmo and have art on the package. They call their customers rioters, and boast that they are working to change the world.

The differences between the two. Clearly I was more taken with the latter company over the former. Why? While both companies are small companies, one just taking babysteps, the other in its toddler stage , the personality and heart behind Polidori are much more visible to me.
One package I received was packed up nicely, big enough to hold the sample box and some anti crush material, a nice note placed inside, and an extra sample.

The other package came layered with Styrofoam an an ice pack for 5 small little sample bags, a photo of random people advertising the product, a photocopied letter and business cards with a discount code.

Yes the chocolate from Sweet riot was free and tasty. But the chocolate from Polidori was tasty and the personal touch will make me a repeat customer. Sweet Riot may want to change the world but going with the more local seller is a better way for me to make an impact on my world.

It’s not all just food here at Fat and Crafty. The change to my life of leisure, I’ve picked up my projects and am actually getting stuff done.

What are the projects?

Stamping

First we have thank you gifts for Miss Bit’s teachers. I actually have an ettiquite question here. I’m making a small thank you think for each of her main teachers, and then doing something for the day care folks. Is that enough? Do I need to worry about the art teacher or gym teacher or the secretaries in the office? Anyway thus far I’ve worked on cards, and  some bookmarks

Oh and Miss Bit wants to stamp. Badly.  I may have to pick out some stuff she can do.

Knitting.

Next is the Terra Bear. After casting on at least 4-5 times, I’ve finally made some progress. So much progress in fact that I am going to be working on legs and arms shortly. I need to get some 11 dpns before I do that.An example of what he’ll look like can be found here.
This was the one skein patten from last years LYS tour, I’m considering that once i finish I should cast on for one of this years project

Weaving

Cant afford a loom, weave on a box. As part of the research I’ve done for my rigid heddle loom, I’ve purchased an issue or two of Handwoven Magazine by
Interweave press. Well in the Jan/Feb Issue they had a great tapestry bag project. (A sample can be found here)

(This project also has me thinking of weaving up some place mats, and having Miss bit try some too. A good summer activity i think.

So far I have cut the tabs into the box

and I warped up the sides.

I’ll share more as i progress Next step is to buy a sacking needle and weave the bottom while i warp the other sides.