Fall Lull Pick-up

I will admit it. I've been a very bad sew-er lately. I haven't actually started a new project since beginning my upholstery project in 2014. I'm happy to say I've finished with the upholstery project though! Well, as finished as it's going to be, 2 out of 4 chairs is good enough, right? It's time for something new!

I'm not sure I've ever unearthed my fabric collection online before. It's not the most shameful thing... but it's pretty up there. Enough that I'm not allowed to go buy more. 

While I was going through all the lovely wools and cotton prints, I found a wool green gingham complete with pattern and buttons, oh my! (Past Andrea had ambitions and present Andrea is going to take advantage.)

Anyways. Since the green wool gingham is perfect for this soon to be holiday dress. Cherry button included. So I got scheming with my lovely Lady Lesley and we set up a sewing skype date to hopefully get both our projects rolling. 

Step one is always iron out that fabric flat.

Step two, painstakingly iron and trace out the pattern. (Or be super lazy like me and just cut out the largest size and save all the little pattern remnants in a plastic baggy...>>.)

Next, organize the pattern pieces to fit on the fabric. Pin the straight of grain and then realize that in order to make sure the gingham isn't crooked you have to individually cut out every piece, so unpin every piece, unfold the fabric and start again. 

Then go buy a rotary cutter and mat and shake a fist at Past Andrea for not doing this sooner. Cut out all the pieces! Making sure to mark all the little triangle bumpies with a contrasting thread. 

Now it's sewing time! Or wait! Interfacing is a thing that this lovely vogue pattern let's you make your very own pattern pieces for! How nice. 

Phew. Ok. All interfaced. Time to start sewing!

Or maybe I'll just take another, very short, breather...

Stay Tuned!!

-Andrea 

The Half-Assed Hobbyist

Always Pie.

Historically speaking, I do not make pumpkin pie from scratch-scratch. I much prefer buying a can of pureed pumpkin than making my own. This year however, I had a pumpkin sitting on the counter, saying to me 'Cook me! It won't be hard! You'll love it!'.

Never trust a talking squash. 

Pumpkin Pie (From scratch-scratch)

2 eggs
2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves

Pureed Pumpkin (Recipe below)
Pie crust (Recipe below)

  1. Prepare pureed pumpkin!! (Kill the talking squash!!)
  2. Pre-heat oven to 425'F. Using a rolling pin, roll out pie crust to fit an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Transfer pie crust to pie plate, shape or flute edges (if you want) and pierce pastry all over with a fork. Bake pie crust for 15 minutes till slightly golden. (You can brush with egg yolk as well to get a glossy pastry.)
  3. While pie crust is baking, whisk eggs thoroughly until light in colour. 
  4. Add pureed pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, sugar and spices. Mix pie filling together thoroughly.
  5. Remove pie crust from the oven and while still hot fill with pie filling. (Depending on the size of your pie shell you may have some batter left over.)
  6. Reduce oven heat to 375'F. Bake pie for 35-45 minutes, until filling is puffed around the edges and the centre is firm. 
  7. Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with whipping cream!

Puree Pumpkin: I've found there are two best ways to make pureed pumpkin. Either by baking the pumpkin, or boiling it. 

To bake, prepare the pumpkin by giving it a good scrub, cutting it in half (remove the stem first), and scooping out the seedy-gooey innards. Pre-heat the oven to 325'F. Place pumpkin halves face up on a foiled cookie sheet and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Scoop hot pumpkin out of the rind into a blender. Puree and chill.

To boil, prepare pumpkin by giving it a good scrub, cutting it in half (remove the stem first), and scooping out the seedy-gooey innards. Peel the pumpkin rind off the raw pumpkin flesh. Fill up a large dutch oven (or two) with cubed raw pumpkin. Add water to pot till 3/4 of the way full. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covered, for 45-50 minutes. Check that pieces are soft. Drain and puree and chill.

If the puree is still runny I recommend cooling the puree and straining it through a super fine mesh sieve. I tried boiling off the excess liquid and lets just say it was a minor disaster. 

Pie Crust: My favourite pie crust is my standard pie crust found here. It makes enough for three pies, top and bottoms, but it freezes well so portion out what you need and freeze the rest in discs. Or. You know. Buying a pre-made pie shells works just as well too. Haha.

I will be looking into my squash-communing issue. Don't worry. Until then though: Piiiiiiiie. <3

-Andrea

The Half-Assed Hobbyist

Raining on my Parade

So. I super don't like rain. 

I don't particularly know why but I usually blame the shear uncomfort of being damp mixed with the lack of sunshine. 

That being said, I've been working on changing my physically adverse reaction to cloudy days by looking for the beauty in the rain. 

It's not really worked... Still hate the rain. But there are some pretty good shots of my misery! Yay!

-Andrea

The Half-Assed Hobbyist

Pumpkin is a funny word

If there is any better excuse to eat pumpkin anything, it's Autumn. I love this time of year. It houses my favourite food holiday (Thanksgiving) and makes it socially acceptable to eat Anything that can remotely be considered 'pumpkin spice seasonal'. Specifically though, pie and cake. My love for a certain orange squash is so great that I will eat endure the weird looks at restaurants when asking for pumpkin desserts in May. 

Anyways. For thanksgiving I made a pumpkin swirl cheesecake! I thought I'd share it.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

2 cups finely crushed Gingersnap cookies (I bought premade; pulsed them in a food processor)
1/4 cup butter, melted

3 pkg (250g each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves

  1. Preheat oven to 350'F.
  2. Mix together cookie crumbs and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
  3. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 sugar and vanilla until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, just until blended. Remove 1 cup pf the plain batter and set aside. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into the remaining batter. 
  4. Now it's swirling time! Spoon half the pumpkin batter into the crust in the pan. Top with dollops of the plain batter. Dip the tip of a knife or icing spreader into the pumpkin batter and follow it through the dollops in a straight lined lattice. (See video.) Repeat, using remaining pumpkin and plain batter for a second layer.
  5. Bake 45 minutes or until centre is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Tada! Super easy, Super delicious. 

Now... being only the second time I've ever made a cheesecake at home, of course something had to go very wrong. My cheesecake split something awful. BUT! Always look for the little dancing stickman in every disaster. He will show you the way! (Or in this case, the way to place his cookie head.)

Cheers!

-Andrea

The Half-Assed Hobbyist

Fall Light Take 2

I've been going on little hikes before work, out in Rouge Park. 

The morning fall light is spectacular. I fell in love with the little ravine walk, with it's little stream and tall eclipsing trees. Fall light is my favourite light. White and crisp but still warm.

Anyways. Pictures do most of the talking. <3

-Andrea

The Half-Assed Hobbyist