My to-do list!

Mr. Pie Plate and I have now been gone from our house for over twenty days. Living in a van is an adventure, but we will both be happy to be home in a few weeks! I have an ever growing list of things I want to accomplish when I get home, including figuring how to make a ruffle hem for an apron. I also learned how to knit in the round from two lovely women at the coffee shop we have been frequenting, and I think some folks will be receiving awesome hats for Christmas! And il hoping my tomato plants are doing well because I want to can! Thoughts of home have been lovely!

Greetings from Colorado!

Mr. Pie Plate and I are in Fort Collins, CO right now. We are both starting graduate work at Colorado State University. We are living in a van, and cooking on a camp stove. Needless to say, I haven't been doing any canning, baking or sewing... But here are some pictures! There is one of our campsite, one of the pretty flowers on our picnic table, and one of me "driving" a tractor, just for fun! I hope you all had a safe and very happy fourth!

A fun wedding shower gift!

1. Take a gift card (that you bought because everything else that was on the registry was only available online) and put it in a cute shower card!  Set that aside.

2. Make an adorable bag out of fabric (I'll post a tutorial soon!) I am very proud of this hem! 

 3. Knit 3 dish cloths and  tie with a ribbon. 

4. Place dish cloths and card in the bag and tie it up!

5. You have an adorable shower gift!  

A Grand Day

Yesterday my friend Jac and had a lovely day! We shopped for fabric at TWO fabric stores ( a 10 for me), we went for a wine tasting, and went to Nunu's Bistro in Colchester, CT. I had the best pasta of my life: Pasta Alla Ruby! It was made with cheese, beats and light cream. It's also my next creation! So delicious!

Over and out!

Rosin

Since I've been radio silent for about a month, I wanted to give you an update about what's keeping me so busy!  Besides May being concert season (I finished my last concert tonight) and many people I know having children or getting married, preparing for grad school and/or working on our van (more information soon!), Mr. Pie Plate and I have been on a Rosin endeavor:

A good deal of people have not grown up in a house where stringed instruments are the norm.  My husband and I are not among those people!  I started playing the violin when I was three and my husband took up the cello in third grade.  I no longer consider myself a violinist, but I will always be a string player at heart! 

This brings us to rosin.  Rosin is the sticky stuff that goes on the bow hairs to create friction between the string and the bow, resulting in sound!  Hooray for sound!  But, rosin usually is boring and looks like this:

While it works, not that exciting to look at.  Here is where Mr. Pie Plate and I come into play!  Around the beginning of this year my husband started to think that we could make our own, really awesome rosin.  I was doubtful as I usually am, and was unsure of the outcome.  It turns out, I should have listened right away because the outcome is awesome!

Here is one example of Rockin' Rosin:

It's creative, fun and it will encourage students to practice!  And don't you worry, we have less scary shapes too!  Check out our website!  AND, even though the shapes are so pretty, they are not edible! 

Over and out!
-Katie

Lilacs and a Spring Wreath

I love spring!  The weather warms up, the flowers come out, and everything is reborn!  My asparagus and herbs look lovely, the lettuce in the garden is growing like crazy, and my lilac tree smells wonderful!  I just brought lilacs into the house and there is nothing like having your favorite flower around.  It just makes me happy! 

Yes, that is a cello mirror in the background!  What else would be in the home of two music teachers?

I also made a really fun Springy wreath!  I had leftover felt lying around and so I made a bunch of felt flowers.  I also had recently cut a letter "J" out of cardboard that had no purpose in life and I was ready to throw it out.  I decided to give it one last chance and I wrapped it in yarn and then attached a flower.  When I brought it all together, it ended up being pretty cute.  I wish I had made the J a little smaller, but it's sweet and it brightens up our front door! 

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Mr. Pie Plate loves my Blueberry Breakfast Cake because it is delicious.  He has nicknamed it "Crack Bread."  I love it because it's really quick to throw together, almost healthy and the day after it is baked, it tastes like a doughnut!  Does life get any better than that?  I usually serve it with a frittata that is loaded with veggies and a fruit salad, making it the perfect brunch sweet!  The recipe is loosely adapted from a "Cinnamon Banana Wake-up Cake" from the cookbook "Keeping Good Company," one of my favorite cookbooks. 

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of butter, softened
3 Tablespoons of applesauce
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 and 1/4 cups blueberries (I use frozen berries)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Topping:
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon mixed together

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Blend butter and applesauce together.  Then add sugar, eggs and water until it isl well-blended.  Add in all dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Then add in the blueberries and stir until combined.  Pour into a greased Bundt pan or a Demarle Silicone mold like this Sunflower Mold.  I received this from my aunt Lisa and it is my most used "pan" and the cake is so pretty when it comes out of the mold!  Bake for 40-50 minutes depending on your oven.  Mine takes around 50 minutes.  Make sure you let the cake cool in the pan.  Enjoy delicious Blueberry Breakfast Cake!