Chai Time (recipe!)

Oh hey, is anyone out there? This blog has been nothing but cricket chirps lately. Our trip to Europe was amazing and it's been taking some time to get back into 'regular life' since getting home. There will be more art content soon but first, tea time.

I have a machine to steam milk and I've been wanting to make my own chai concentrate for chai lattes for a while now (since I spend a small fortune on them at City Feed every week). I found this recipe on Pinterest (my leading source of recipes lately) and tweaked it only slightly. It's originally from this blog post.

Chai Concentrate Recipe
Time to Make: about 30 min

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick
9 tea bags of your favorite black tea

STEPS:
1) Place all powdered spices into a fill-it-yourself tea bag (like these).
2) Boil water, sugar and vanilla in a small pan.
3) Reduce heat and add spice 'tea bag' and cinnamon stick, simmer for 20 minutes.
4) Add tea bags and simmer for another five minutes.
5) Store in the fridge and use as you wish! 1/2 concentrate & 1/2 milk or milk-like-product of your choice. It's great hot or iced! Extra beautiful with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

It's super easy to make and this batch could make 6-8 good mugs of chai. Make me one while you're up, okay?




Edited January 2015...

For my most recent batch I used less sugar (maybe a 1/3 of a cup instead of 1/2) and added some honey (a couple tablespoons)! YUM!

A very important post - about snacks

No seriously - we have been doing some quality snacking over here.

On a whim I signed up for Graze and boy oh boy!



It's a little sent-by-mail variety pack of sweet and savory goodies in just the right portions so you get a good treat but you won't spoil your dinner. It's such a fun thing to get in the mail - if I still had a proper office job I would have it sent to me at work! GENIUS.



When you sign up you can specify what kinds of snackies you do and do not like so you don't end up with anything spicy (if you're me) or anything with chocolate (if you're crazy). You can also tell them to send you a box every one, two or four weeks!

Right now it's by invitation only but since we're such good friends you can share my special Graze invitation code! Enter HNCCR6PD to sign up and we'll be snacky buds for life. (I hope this works for you!) Oh! And you're first box is FREE.

I'm pretty partial to their lovely kraft packaging too.



Next let's talk about breakfast... Have you tried your oatmeal SAVORY yet? Plain oatmeal with a runny fried egg on top is my new favorite meal. Salt, pepper, maybe a little avocado. It's what dreams are made of.



I can't get enough. It may become a problem - if one can eat TOO MUCH oatmeal.

Lastly, dessert. Pinterest has been a great tool for bookmarking inspiration and links to things and in the past month I've cooked THREE things I've 'pinned'...one of which was this pudding made from TOFU. It's delicious. Honestly it is. Try it.

What have you been snacking on lately?

xo
Sarah

September September

Oh September2012. We are a busy one, aren't we?

I took last week off from the old day job to paint (and I acknowledge and appreciate how lucky I am to be able to do so, thank you office work for PTO). Here's how it went...

Tuesday we drove to NH (by way of Salem and the Peabody Essex Museum) to pick up plants from my dad and to have dinner with my mom and stepdad (and see their new in-progress home).



Wednesday - Friday were spent, as I've mentioned before, hunched over the dining room table painting.



Also, framing.



Saturday evening was the Dream Team show opening!
The Washington Street Art Center was the show-place for our happy little group exhibit. Megan Mary Creamer, Alex Feinstein, Lauren Leone and I have our work up through the end of the month.

Alex


Megan


Lauren


Me


This is the show I've been drawing all of the medicinal botanicals for. I picked three helpful plants and painted them full, painted/inked portraits of some details, displayed a specimen of the plant and, on tiny shelves (made by Megan!), had samples of the finished product. My dad preserved two of the plants for me and gave me samples of the finished medicines he makes from them (St. John's Wort oil and Boneset tincture). I harvested the Rose Hips myself and found some Rose Hip tea to show.



It was incredibly satisfying to hang the show and see my vision come together just as I had hoped. Usually what I have in mind for a body of work changes over time and the end result, although good, isn't exactly in-line with my original idea - BUT this time it looked in the real world just as I had seen it in my head. I am very happy with this little collection.
It was great planning and plotting with Lauren, Alex and Megan and I'm super honored they asked me to be a part of this show! (more photos here)

Sunday was an art-free day. Curtis and I did the Jimmy Fund Walk with Jen and Amy (and a few thousand other people). It's a long day of walking/strolling/trudging and it's so rewarding. We had perfect overcast breezy weather and we all made it through in good shape.

Monday I slept and watched tv with my feet up. The cats appreciated that and kept me good company. Tuesday, my last official day of vacation was punctuated with a delicious lunch out with Curtis at Trident on Newbury Street.



And that's the story of my Art-Cation. I have one more full weekend before Open Studios and should finish lots of new things before the big event. I've been planning a new display and my 2013 calendar is THIS CLOSE to being fully realized.
I'm so excited!

xo
Sarah

Making Things (as usual)

Spring is always such a busy season. It is every year but it still catches me off-guard.

Here's what I've been doing/making the past couple of weeks...

For Easter I made a couple loaves of Easter Bread - with hard-boiled eggs baked right in!


If you know me you know I love eggs and this eggy bread studded with actual eggs is like a dream come true. It's super easy and I used this recipe.

Last year, and again this year, I contributed some pieces to the Roger Williams Park Zoo's Party for the Planet event. One piece, the houses below, will be auctioned off to benefit the zoo. The other three will be on display during the event.






And all the while, making lots of tea...

Luckily I have a tiny tea assistant. (I've been using my Somerville-designed CUPPOW! for morning walking-to-work tea and it's amazing. GET ONE.)

Hello!
A couple of quick things...

I'm working on a new product for my upcoming fall/winter fairs.

It's a hometown-centric item that was a special request by a good friend/penpal on the other side of the country. Hopefully I will get some new screens made this week!

Twice last week I had some delicious things from the Clover food truck that parks itself down Comm Ave from my work.

Look at that beautiful breakfast! Iced tea and a giant eggy popover that kept me full all morning. I can't wait to go back. (That's Jen ordering HER popover and getting some coffee on-demand dripped for her while we waited.) Perfect morning meal.

Look at Hanni.

What a little sun god he is.

Friday night was amazing. Bon Iver at the House of Blues.

We are always in line as early as we can manage so we can rush in and get up close to quiet acts.
They played the first half of the new album straight and then broke into the older numbers - flume, blood bank, skinny love - and then back to the new stuff. It was all incredible. Wolves during the encore was full of audience participation and left us with hoarse voices. Justin Vernon's voice is a spectacle to be witnessed in person and he was supported by some amazing musicians (including a bass player wearing a Beverly Hills Cop II shirt and dripping with turquoise jewelry!?).
And I took this home...

Silk screened in Seattle! How they sell these for only $25 I will never know. Lucky us. (Please pardon my dirty toes.)

I have a lot to do in the coming month and need to get some lists started. My motivation/unmotivation is all over the place and I need to focus. Projects! So many projects!

xo, S

five good things.

1. Ice cream in a pretzel cone from JP Licks.


2. The YES banner from Secret Holiday in it's new permanent location (above my desk in the bedroom next to some IKEA curtains and a Tugboat Printshop print).


3. We're going to see Bon Iver tomorrow night.

I'm going to cry - possibly the entire time.

4. I have loose, relaxed, art-filled plans for the weekend.

5. Camping with very good friends in exactly two weeks from Friday!

What's up with you lately?
xo
Sarah

A beautiful brunch...

On Saturday, Curtis and I took our beloved friend Ryan Marie (of Maisonwares) out to a birthday brunch (one day late!) in the South End.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect.


And the company was perfect as well.

We started out at Aquataine on Tremont with French toast and waffles* and poached eggs...




Being perfectly full and all gussied up we strolled around the neighborhood a bit.
We stopped at the adorable and beautifully curated Gifted (where Ryan treated herself to earrings and a necklace from Lavishy) and the South End Buttery for tea.







It was a beautiful morning with two of my most favorite people. Eventually we parted ways and I headed home to print print print shirts and onesies for my upcoming fairs.

I hope you're doing well!
xo
Sarah

*I had the "Creme Fraiche & Lemon Scented Belgian Waffle" which I HIGHLY recommend. Light and delicate and so so good.

Time is flying.

How is it already Monday again!?

This weekend involved: an art opening, my first Indian food, photos, emails, free sandwiches, driving, all kinds of weather, doughnuts, haircuts and not enough sleeping.

Here are some photos...








I have to spend the rest of the week finishing a bunch of pillows.
The shop will be getting a little update with PRINTS that I have never offered online before. Exciting! That will happen sometime this week as well.


Donuts!
xo,
Sarah

Oh Eggs...

I love eggs.
(At any time, for any meal. Any way but pickled.)

I came across this recipe (and the site, Noble Pig, which looks delicious) via a picture on Tumblr.
And I just have to archive it here so I remember to make these for myself some day soon.

Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls via Noble Pig...



Mmmmm,
Sarah