quick pickles

I have made quick pickled cucumbers for years and have always done it the same way...I thinly slice some cucumbers (sometimes I also thinly slice a red onion) and sprinkle them with salt, sugar, and vinegar. Sometimes I add some fresh dill, sometimes mint. The cucumbers are softened and full of flavor within half an hour, and we eat the whole thing right away as a salad (photo below left).

Then, a month or so ago I was talking to my friend Rachel and she said she was making quick pickles with her son Caleb. We always compare recipes, and often share ideas for what to make for dinner, and this time was no different. It turns out, she was making a quick pickle recipe by Mark Bittman. I love his columns so I decided to look and see if I could find the pickle recipe online...curious to see what his favorite quick pickle is. 

I found the recipe here and discovered a whole new technique! To me, vinegar has always been a key ingredient, but Bittman does not use any vinegar at all in his recipe. Instead, he makes a salt water brine. I had to try them (photos above right and top) and I must agree that they are delicious. 

There are some differences between the two - I think that when I want a pickled cucumber salad as a side dish (for example, it goes really nicely with roasted salmon or grilled lamb) I will probably stick with my own method. But for a real pickle...a crunchier, really fresh tasting pickle, that can be kept in the refrigerator for about  a week, the Bittman pickles win. 

In the link you will also find another way to make quick pickles...one which does use vinegar, but like Bittman's version, are really pickles, as opposed to mine, which are more of a pickled cucumber salad. We made a jar or two of those as well...they were good, but not as crisp and fresh tasting as the ones without the vinegar.

To make my quick pickled cucumber salad use 2 cucumbers. I peel them, leaving strips of peel in tact, and remove the seeds. Slice thinly and place in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 4-5 tablespoons vinegar. You may choose the type: white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar all work well. Stir the cucumbers to combine. Add a heaping tablespoon of finely chopped fresh mint or dill and stir again. Set aside, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes before serving.

swiss chard pie

My aunt and uncle visited us from California this June and at one of the many dinners we all had together my uncle brought this swiss chard pie. He has been eating vegan for the last few years and this recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food has become one of his staples. He bakes this one at my parents house and brought it to us wrapped in newspaper, still warm. It was delicious! 

indigo dyeing

Once the kids finish camp we spend the rest of the summer at our house in Long Island. As soon as the first signs of summer appear I start dreaming of all the projects I hope to accomplish during that time, either with the kids or on my own. One activity that always seems fun for all of us is tie dyeing, but the end results are rarely anything I want to keep. Still, I started researching supplies, thinking there must be a way to direct the kids...maybe only using one color at a time for example. That thought led me to indigo dyeing. I love so many of the designs that skilled indigo artists are able to acheive, and knowing how much the kids have been enjoying origami, I thought the idea of concentrating on the folds that acheive the patterns would be fun for them. Sure enough, the boys were particularly into trying complicated folds and they made some incredible indigo patterns as a result. Rather than securing the folds with rubber bands we sandwiched them between pieces of wood or tiles. The parts covered with the wood or tile remained white, enhancing the geometry even further.

I bought an Indigo Dye Kit from Dharma Trading, which is a great source for supplies for projects like this one. They sell a large selection of garments that are ready to dye, as well as tote bags and quite a few varieties of fabric - you can find them all here. I chose a few pieces of clothing for each child, thinking they would have fun making something they could wear. I also bought a few yards of muslin, and a few yards of canvas. I find that often with this kind of activity the materials run out before the interest does -- the muslin was inexpensive and I knew it would occupy us for a while.

In addition, I bought some other supplies at the hardware store:

*A couple buckets with lids to prepare the dye in -- the dye keeps for days as long as it is not exposed to too much oxygen so the lids are important.

*An assortment of screws and nuts -- these are used if you want to make circular patterns -- look for screws that are a few inches long to make big bold concentric circles, like the ones on the tank top in the photo above.

*Lots of rubberbands...little ones and big ones since the effects are quite different. String is good too.

*Some wooden shims -- these worked well sandwiching the folded fabric, which creates white color blocks or grids. I also had some leftover tiles in the basement which we used the same way.

**You also need enough rubber gloves for everyone...I forgot to do this so we had to divide tasks accordingly!

Last but not least, you need to figure out where you will dry all of your dyed pieces. We borrowed a wooden drying rack from my parents, and strung up a makeshift clothes line on our play structure in the backyard.

The muslin turned out to be a great idea. I bought 5 yards and cut most of it into 15 inch squares, keeping a few larger pieces as well. That allowed everyone to experiment as much as they wanted to without using up all of our materials. Once we completed a bunch of squares, and could see how things worked out, we were more prepared to dye some clothes. 

Adam prepared the dye and the rest of us got to work preparing our fabric. We experimented endlessly, so our range of patters was pretty diverse. One of the fascinating things to watch was the dyeing itself. You dip the fabric or garment in water first - I think this helps the dye absorb more evenly. As I mentioned, I neglected to buy was enough rubber gloves for everyone...as a result the kids did the dips into water, and Adam dipped everything into the indigo...Oliver could not be deterred so thankfully I found one more pair of rubber gloves, which he used for a few dips, and then I used to remove all the rubberbands and string and hang everything on our rack and clothes line. When you pull the fabric from the dye bath it first appears bright green and only after it is exposed to the air does it turn blue. It was quite beautiful to watch!

In addition to all the effects you can get with string, rubberbands, and complicated folding, you can also get a beautiful striped effect (known as ombre) by dipping different sections for various amounts of time. I tried this on a canvas tote bag that I bought at Dharma Trading as well.  

Not only did the muslin serve as a relatively cheap way of extending the experience, but I also now have a new project to work on...I think a quilt, or some quilted pillow cases, will be a great thing to make from all the squares. Bea and I played with the squares making a big grid but I will have to give some thought to other options. I'm not sure I really want it to look like such a patchwork. I found the book SHIBORI very inspiring before starting this project...I will have to take another look for inspiration on how to bring it all together. It will be fun to experiment with the different options for combining all the patterns and shades of blue. 

Until then, we have some happy kids proudly wearing their work!

origami

On a recent bookstore visit I found a bunch of Origami books in the craft section, including Origami for Children. My son Oliver loves making paper constructions so I thought he might be interested...that was an understatement! He wanted to start by making a ninja star (no surprise there) so we sat down together to try it out. I assumed that I would do the first one, and then help him make more -- after at least 5 or 10 minutes struggling with the directions I was starting to wonder if the project was doomed. The entire time I was trying to decipher the instructions Oliver was begging to do it himself...I kept putting him off, explaining that it was very tricky! Well, wouldn't you know, when I gave up he quietly got to work and figured the whole thing out. He is a little origami master. After making a bag full of ninja stars he moved through several other ideas in the book, including the balloon, and an armada of ships including some of his own invention. Eventually we were able to make the star wand (shown above) by working together, but we have not been able to replicate it!

All in all I think the book is good for inspiration, but the how to's are quite confusing. Although my son was not deterred, he is extremely adept at making things, and is fine if the results do not exactly match the photo...as a matter of fact he prefers to make his own interpretations and is not exactly a perfectionist (see bottom photo)! I think the directions could be a lot clearer...the pieces get rotated and flipped without explanation which makes the steps more confusing than they should be. We have not had a chance to try all the ideas in the book but of the ones we did about 70% were successful. I will say, that I was able to make the little box on the cover of the book which is what drew me to the book in the first place...phew!

randall bachner: webs waves & horizons

Somehow I forgot to bring my camera when I went to my dear friend Randall's photography show, Webs Waves & Horizons, at Ion Studio last month. The show was beautiful and I really wanted to share it here. This week I finally managed to get back to see it again, camera in hand! Luckily the show is up through August 24th so if you are in NYC you still have time to see it.

One thing I need to say immediately, is that I learned how hard it is to take photos of photos!! My reflection, as well as the reflections of everything in the room, were obscuring Randall's work to the point that the images I took were useless...you can see all these terrible reflections in the photo shown below. The colors are also much more vibrant and gorgeous in person.

I decided the best way to overcome this obstacle was to get really close and take detail shots of his work (left). My hope is that you will get at least a hint of what he has done, and be inspired to go see the show in person!

Randall took this photo of the horizon at sunrise from the window of an airplane. The colors are so beautiful, and the quality of the image gives it the feeling of a watercolor. I overheard many people at the opening say this was their favorite piece.

The images in the show are all intense examinations of nature. In contrast to the large scale images Randall also did two series. One was of a single spiderweb, which he photographed over a period of time as it slowly was destroyed by the wind. 

Spiderwebs are such an amazing feat of nature that you cannot help but be drawn in. The detail of the web itself is fascinating but so are the images. Because this particular web was set against a perfectly clear blue sky it is quite surreal. The lines of the web appear to be made of tiny dots, almost as if it had been created by a computer dot matrix rather than a living spider. On my second visit a group of us speculated on what caused this...was it a fine dew that had settled on the web? Or were we seeing a level of detail in the photo that we cannot see in real life?

The second series is of ocean waves. They were hung in a corner which added to the feeling of being surrounded by the water. These images capture the details of a "black tide" -- they were taken during a storm in Cape Cod last year. Individually they are beautiful but together they really tell a story, and have a greater impact.

I think my favorite images in the show might be the ones of sand, shown with Randall at the top of this post. They were taken at the beach during a hurricane (maybe not the safest idea) and as you look at them you are unsure where the line is between the grains of sand and the grainy quality of the photograph. The large scale of the prints adds to the effect. As you look at them you wonder where you are, but you can also just appreciate them as abstract art.

The show will be at Ion Studio through August 24th. Ion Studio, 41 Wooster Street, NYC. Tuesday - Saturday 10am-6pm. For more information contact Natia Dune: natiadune@ionstudionyc.com 

To see more of Randall's work you can visit his website: http://randallbachner.com

p.s. To add to the absurdity of me trying to take photos of Randall's photos, here is a picture Randall took of me taking pictures of his pictures!

snowcones

My sister and I found a snowcone maker at Target last summer. All it does is crush ice, which you can do in a blender, but this gadget does it evenly so you don't get any big lumps in the mix. The silicone cones make it extra cute...we bought extras in solid colors since we usually have lots of guests.  

Rather than pouring super sugary syrups over the ice we just use fruit juice. The kids still think they are a big treat! The other thing you can do, if you plan ahead a little, is freeze juices into cubes so that the ice itself is already flavored. 

beets and beet greens

Roasted beets have been a longtime favorite summer dish but I am developing a love of beet greens as well. After trimming the roots from the stem I divide the stems into 2 parts: the stalks and the leaves. Cut the stalks into 2 or 3 inch long pieces and saute them in olive oil with a little chopped onion. Once they are soft, add coarsely chopped leaves. The leaves will shrink down as they wilt...pile as much as you can fit into the saute pan and turn the mixture with a pair of tongs, adding more uncooked leaves as you go. I like to add some raisins too. Soak the raisins in a mixture of a little hot water and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar while preparing the beets. Add this mixture to the stalks just before adding the leaves. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

If you have not roasted beets before, I wrap them in foil drizzled with a little olive oil and roast in a 450° oven. The time will vary a lot based on the size of the beets -- it will take about 30 minutes for tiny beets and about an hour for larger ones. Be sure to make separate foil packets divided by size if your beets are in a wide range of sizes. To test for doneness just insert a paring knife into one of the beets - if it slips in easily they are done. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then using a paper towel wipe the beets to remove the skins. When roasted the skin will slide right off. 

p.s. I keep a box of powder free latex gloves in the house and they come in handy if you do not want stained fingers at dinner time.

making beads

When the kids are invited to a birthday party these days I head straight for the art supply store to buy a gift. Inevitably I end up buying things for our house as well. I am always attracted to the bright colors of sculpey clay so when I bought a box for a gift, I got a box for our family to play with as well. 

The clay is quite firm when first unwrapped, but as it warms up in your hands it becomes very pliable. I wanted to avoid having the kids just mix all the colors together into a big mess so I suggested that we choose 4 or 5 colors and leave the rest wrapped for another day. The clay keeps well in little ziploc bags, and only hardens in the oven, so this was more a matter of keeping some clean colors than preventing drying.

Bea and I decided to make beads for our first project. We started by rolling little balls, and then added some stripes and dots. A toothpick worked well for making the holes in the beads. Then we tried rolling "snakes" so we could cut them into disks for an alternate bead shape. These were also fun to embellish -- by adding little stripes down the sides we got cool graphic beads. We also made polka dot beads by wrapping a flattened piece around a tube and then slicing it. Bea loved making and cutting this type and was very pleased when the slices revealed nice patterns.

We baked our beads and let them cool and then got to work making jewelry. I pulled out some of options for string -- since the beads have fairly sizable holes we used wax coated cotton, a pretty silver twine, and some hemp -- all of which had been originally bought for gift wrapping. We found the ends frayed a little which made stringing harder. To solve that problem we lit a little tea light candle and dipped the ends in the melted wax...that worked well. 

Bea and I approached the stringing differently: she opted to pile on the beads, often choosing the biggest most colorful ones. I opted to choose all one type of bead and space them out by tying each bead to the string at intervals of a few inches. I tried two different methods which you can see in the photo below. The purples and yellow beads were positioned on the blue waxed cotton by tying knots before and after each bead. The pink and yellow beads were tied into the silver string, resulting in a more whimsical look.

mango flowers

Last weekend we found ourselves at Coney Island, despite the almost unbearable heat. The one thing that made us feel instantly better was this perfectly ripe, carved mango flower on a stick. 

fresh eggs

We are lucky enough to have several friends and family members who raise chickens for the pleasure of fresh eggs. Whenever we visit, the kids race to the chicken coop first thing. They love chasing the chickens and collecting the eggs. 

There is something very exciting (even for us adults) about finding the freshly laid eggs, and the beautiful blue green shells of the Araucana chickens are particularly hard to resist.  Keeping a batch of hard boiled eggs in the fridge is a great way of having a healthy snack or quick breakfast or lunch at the ready, and they pack well in kids lunch boxes too.