Boozy Vanilla: DIY

I first had the notion of making vanilla extract at home from "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter." Do it. Order your vanilla beans from Amazon (seems to be by far the cheapest purveyor), slice 3 or 4 open along the length, and stick them into a small bottle of Bourbon (vodka if you are looking for a more pure taste). In the baking cabinet it goes to become in a few short weeks vanilla extract.

Bourbon gives vanilla a more tropical, distinct taste. 

P.S. All my photos are from iPhone these days - would a proper camera produce better results?

Organized Chaos: Art Supplies

My art supplies habit dates back to my own childhood and I've been hording pastels and gouache paints ever since. So it is no surprise that we order art supplies in bulk these days. But a bigger question is how to corral the goodies.

We've tried boxes on the shelves but tucked away the paints just never come out. Freely roaming art supplies around the house drive everyone here mad. Little jars for crayons are good in theory but if the crayons were out, they never made it back into the said jars. So now we are trying stackable boxes. So here are our must-have supplies, one box at a time.

Labels are really a road map for supplies to make their way back.

Paper - plain white and colorful construction paper, extra packs are stashed away. Tissue paper is helpful too.

Crayons are a given, loads and loads of crayons. This isn't the place to skimp. Crayola is the way to go, cheaper crayons just don't stand up and are too waxy. While natural and posh crayons appeal to my own sensibilities, Klatch kids like Crayolas very well. 

Crayons are bound to break and ratty broken up crayons are not fun to draw with, but fun to melt.

Oil Pastels. These are not a must strictly speaking but a nice addition, bright and vibrant.

Keeping crayons in jars failed us miserably so now crayons get their own box.

Markers. Self explanatory. Washable are best. The skinny pencil size ones remind me of the ones I had as a kid. The small pip squeaks are popular around here too.

Pencils. These do not get as much play around here these days, perhaps time to invest in a decent pencil sharpener.

Tools box is full of glue (liquid Elmer's and glue sticks), glue gun for supervised activities, extra scissors since they always seem to go missing. Masking tape in different colors has been a welcome addition. Sponges and droppers are waiting for the right project to come along.

Odds and ends - this is the fun box bursting with goodies. You can never risk running low on goodly eyes. The pad of paper dolls is possibly the best thing we ever bought. One never knows when pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, and poms will come in handy.  Feathers and glitter. We need to replenish our glitter glue supply.

Two other very worthwhile additions for non-messy fun. Floam, sticky little foam beads, though somehow the colors get mixed together right away, and Wikki Sticks, bendy waxy sticks.

Of course there are other supplies that do not get every day use and are squirreled away elsewhere. Since we are a gluten free household, Play Doh is out of bounds and early experiments with Moon Sand proved to be detrimental to the carpeted area. Our molding product of choice is Model Magic - clean and bright, at least until the colors get mixed. A tub of clay is popular around here. Turns out cardboard six-pack boxes are perfect for storing pint sized bottles of tempera paints on the very top shelf.

So to recap, must-have supplies to buy in bulk - I am a big fan of Discount School Supply and Michael's:

• Paper - stacks and stacks of paper, different colors, textures, and size
• Crayons - a good supply of fresh crayons
• Washable markers
• Color pencils
• Tempera and watercolors (acrylic is too risky for the younger set!)
• Lots of brushes in different sizes
• Extras of glue and scissors
• Googly eyes (yes, these make the must-have category)
• Popsicle sticks
• At least one of the following - poms, glitter, pipe cleaners, feathers
• Something to mold - play doh, model magic, clay

Nice additions:

• Colorful tissue paper
• Paper doll cut-outs
• Pony beads
• Floam and Wikki Sticks
• Felt fabric
• Foam shapes
• Ink pads and stamps
• Stickers
• Sun paper
• We'd like to try Magic Nuudles, seems like a worthy addition

Anything else to add to this list?

Learned Tot: SAT Prep for Kiddie Set

It all started with a word of the day on our daily commute. Simple words soon became more complex, inspired by view outside the car window: facade and obelisk, twilight and desolate. When it comes to vocabulary, one does not need a whole lot of special equipment, just remembering to make the time, five minutes at a time.

This is our kitchen wall. And meet Barnaby the Whale. A quart of chalkboard paint and some bistro-style chalk markers is all you need. It is also a solution for a white wall in need of a statement. At meal time, we point out the words and remember to work them into conversation.

For word ideas, just google "SAT Vocabulary List" - abhorrent anyone?

Endless Alphabet is the best app ever! And free. Silly monsters march, spell, and act out word definitions. New words are added all the time. Smallest tot loves "demolish" and who wouldn't like to see a monster scattering blocks all about?

Parent involvement - pretty much nonexistent after loading the app!

Yes, you could make your own flashcards. But these Big Word Flashcards are more awesome and they often come out at mealtimes. "Nincompoop" and "mollycoddle" have been very popular with our lot.

Parent involvement - for younger tots pretty high but in small time increments.

Last but not least, here are our a few of our favorite words to get you started:

1. Petulant - applies in many situations and super useful when little brothers annoy you
2. Shenanigans - see above
3. Multiply 
4. Nincompoop - no explanation needed
5. Befuddled
6. Hobnob
7. Mediocre - a polite substitute in many sticky situations
8. Extraordinary

Landscapes from Frozen (Urban) Tundra

This post is long overdue. These photos were taken a few weeks ago while visiting snowy tundra (Twin Cities, which indeed had snow while azaleas were in full bloom around here). The combination of industrial and sleek buildings, bridges, and desolation of snowy landscape took my breath away. So there you have it. Marvel.

This was taken through the window of Gutherie Theater - only the middle part is 'real' the rest is reflected.

Despite buildings and bridges, this feels desolate.

The bridges arches - and their reflection in glossy water - have a rhythm to them.

Clear cold air.

I will scout urban landscape paintings for a future post. Stay tuned.

DIY Projects from Klatch Home

I have been obsessed with Jennifer Reese's Make the Bread, Buy the Butter book. Author embarked on a series of DIY projects to evaluate the quality, pain-in-the-butt factor, and cost of outcomes. Home-made soy ice cream? Check. Our own vanilla extract? Yep, in the pantry. Tamales from scratch? Why, yes, and not a bad tamale. Here are a few other recent projects from our home.

This is Toothy. An itty-bitty pillow for tooth fairy's visit. A forgotten toy, a scrap of felt, and in 20 minutes we were ready for the visit from the dental deity.

Yes, make it! It made for a memorable occasion and was pretty darn simple if you know how to use a needle.

Made at home stocks are Mr. Klatch's department. Aromatics mixture gets sauteed (carrots/celery/onion). Then add veggie scraps for vegetarian stock or chicken bones for chicken stock. Simmer and in the freezer it goes.

This is a no brainer, do it!

Yes, you can make marshmallows at home. And yes, they are better than store bought. Is it worth it? Make them once and judge for yourself. Here is how to make marshmallows.

It is a sticky business so your call if it's worth it or not.

Donuts! Everyone should own a donut pan and you, gluten free folk, need to master the art of donut.

These are very very good. Make them and invite me over.

Broken up crayon scraps, melted into pretty shapes. I am not saying run out and invest in a mold, but if you have one laying around, it's super-easy and fun. Here is how to remake crayons.

So fun!

I always forget about granola but it is so good when made at home, fresh and toasty. Oats, coconut, raisins, this is well worth while.

Home-made granola is a definite yes.

What projects are you tackling?

Soup with a French Accent

I am not a disciplined cook and so soups are just the thing for someone who isn't so good with precision. And this soup, a hot version of Vichyssoise, has a lot going for it. It's fancy enough to serve to guests and easy enough to make any time. It is vegan (unless you sprinkle bacon on top!) and gluten-free, but will appeal to all palates and is a good choice for a get-together periled by the Venn diagram of dietary restrictions. This soup is also a good choice to make with the youngest members of your household, but more about that later.

Leeks, potatoes, and fennel, that is pretty much all that is required.

Ingredients are easy but there are a few tricks.

• 4-5 stalks of leeks - you want to trim the dark green parts and only use white and lightest green. If you've never cooked with leeks are are filthy and if you don't want a dose of grit in your soup so a good soak is a must. 
• 2-3 potatoes - a little goes a long way! Red potatoes are better, they are less starchy. We went rustic and did not peel the potatoes and by that I mean couldn't be bothered!
• 1 bulb of fennel - the whole thing goes in, fronds and all. 
• Vegetable stock (or chicken stock will do the job too)
• Nutmeg, sea salt, freshly ground pepper.

Leeks are vastly underrated!

The cooking part is easy, saute chopped up vegetables in a little bit of oil for a couple minutes, add stock and water if needed, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and let simmer for a bit (once veggies are soft, it is ready).

Blend the soup - I recommend immersion blender, easy and less mess. That's it.

The smallest Klatch member busied himself scrubbing potatoes and cutting them up. His knife skills are still emerging so the chunks are irregular shape. Never mind that, since the soup is  puréed, it does not matter if the chunks are, um, awkward.

This puppy knife from Kuhn Rikon is awesome, sharp enough for chopping but not sharp enough to cut little fingers. 

All photos by ModernKlatch.

Paskris: Mad as March Hare!

Until past Saturday I did not know what a Paskris was. But after seeing photos of the mad crazy tree, there was only one thing to be done. Paskris is a Swedish Easter tree made of branches and decked out in feathers and eggs. After a dreary winter colorful feathers are just the thing.

With a value pack of feathers and hot glue gun in hand, we set to work. Within an hour and a few burnt fingers later, we had ourselves a Paskris. And it is amazing! Especially against our sober palette of gray walls, natural wood, and brushed metal.

Get yourself a Paskris. Stat.