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Sandwiches made in minutes out of interfacing

 Right.

Now I am liberated to add a sort of cooking sub-department to this blog I have my latest to share.

Every year when we drive down here we go to this really wonderful Thai restaurant in Freeport that has these amazing fresh rolls - made out of rice paper wrappers and salad stuff inside with a few shrimp.

These are A1 units but that's a long way to go to get them, say on a Tuesday night in Halifax.

So I made it my mission to replicate what they serve and I think the head chef and I have come up with a very reasonable facsimile.

These are excellent summer sandwich substitutes and a total snap to make. If your salad gear is already chopped (the short cut sous chef is thinking right now of her food processor at home, or those little bags of shredded salad stuff you can buy at the store) the actual assembly is less time than it takes to cut the crusts off a sandwich and into diagonal slices.

They keep for a few days in the fridge too if you have some left over and are for some reason quite filling, which is unusual for something that is actually good for you.

I can see knocking a few of these back standing at the fridge door with my purse still over my arm and my coat on for example just to tide me over when I come in from work.

O.K.

This is what you end up with (my apologies to all South East Asian readers who will fall on the floor in hysterics over what we have done with this concept - note these are not hors d'oeuvre size, more like standing in front of the fridge door with your purse on your arm size.) And our version does not have rice noodles or other common and proper ingredients in them because cooking those noodles takes time ...

These units are ideally eaten dunked in a sauce. What you like is up to you. Some places serve a peanut sauce but the mecca in Freeport uses a thin chilli fish sauce - my own rendition will be at the bottom of this post.

What you will need:

Rice paper disks. These are sitting around on the shelves at Asian stores or maybe in larger supermarkets than our local Winn Dixie. 

This is what they look like:

When you take these little numbers out of the package they are sort of delicate looking and look just like non-woven interfacing so be encouraged by that.

Don't be fooled. These are sturdier than they look and all you do is dunk them in water for 5 seconds fill and roll.

They won't fall apart or rip and once rolled up they sort of gum up together (doesn't that description just make your mouth water?) and never unwrap. 

So no unrolling like a tortilla wrap, or shattering like phyllo.

This is easy.

If it wasn't I wouldn't be writing about it.

Once you have dipped the circles in water you plunk them down and put in whatever your little heart desires, or whatever you have in the fridge you want to get rid of inside and see what you can do to roll them up. Ours have been made of  shredded lettuce, carrot, cucumber, green onion, a few shrimp and some cilantro.

When you are done this is what they look like on the plate:

Practically zero calories and gluten-free if that is important to you.

The dipping sauce I made has this in it. No measurements because I didn't measure, just taste it:

• some water
• a bit of brown sugar
• some rice vinegar
• some garlic powder
• a slug of fish sauce (this is really the key - and the reason there is some water in this - fish sauce tastes really authentic but will knock your socks off undiluted, mainly because it sort of smells like old socks)
• some asian type chilli sauce from the back of the fridge

Now this is the best part. A video of the head chef making these up. The sound is awful as I was the videographer. We will do better next time.

Enjoy:

O.K. I am back

Well that didn't last long did it?

I needed to refresh my mental screen but it turns out that there isn't really as much on the screen as I thought, so I am back, with a few new things to say.

First of all I missed you.

I have lots of opinions and profound observations circulating around in my head and to tell you the truth the local audience is not as interested in some topics as they could be.

Things like what a stupendous new TNT dress pattern means to me for example. (More on that later I am working on version three).

You know those thoughts you have by yourself and you think, gee I should tell someone about this.

Well you are the folks I tell.

I also had to figure out what I was actually doing with this blog and I decided that the time has come for me to branch out of strictly sewing stuff to include other random activities.

Like anyone who writes a sewing blog there are definite moments when you think, "I should be blogging but I haven't made anything decent this week", and then you think "well I am falling behind in blog sewing production, way behind everyone else so I had better make something this weekend so I can have something to write about."

I mean how stupid is that as a reason to sew, and certainly not what you want me to be doing either. 

There are tons more organized, creative and productive sewing bloggers out there, making amazing things continually, but I have to tell you I realize that I have just one body and it goes to the same places- home, my daughter's to babysit, the store for groceries, work, sewing guild meetings and other social activities, and a few times a year to NYC to see my son and once a year down here in Florida.

I can rotate my current wardrobe pretty effectively through this cycle and only need so much. 

In fact what I really need is to sew things that are interesting to me or catch my eye and that's it. 

I sew without a plan, sometimes like a crazy person and some times not.

That's it and it doesn't always produce a wowser to blog about every weekend.

I also do other stuff and would like to blog more regularly about all of that without thinking my sewing readers are bored.

So I figure if I announce what this blog is going to be about, going forward as they say at work, it would be this:

• Sewing. Obviously, that's core business and the title of this blog.
• Cooking. I am a quick and easy aficionado, and any time I find a short cut way to get something on a plate I want to share that.
• Family. Look this is the centre of my life and I think a lot about relationships in families and how they change. If it isn't diplomatic to tell them, well I will tell you. Deal?
• Babies. We have two more due around Christmas and I am all involved in that.
• Women. The lives of women, I find that pretty fascinating.
• Random additional opinions, probably uncensored.

So that's where things stand right now.

I hope, if you are a sewing reading only blogger this is not a disappointment to hear I am adding some branches here. And I hope too that none of you have your hopes up too high.

This blog will continue to provide the same poor level of design and production with the same level of amateur photography (although we are working on that getting the whole head in the shot part) you have come to expect.

It appears we are back in business.

Gone fishing: a blogging pause

I have been thinking a lot these days. As I walk on the beach with Mr. Rascal, stir my mango jam, learn to knit top down sweaters.

I have been thinking if I had one thing I would say if anyone ever decides to ask me advice, is this.

Make the most of what the moment you are in is offering you.

That pretty much says all I have to say about life.

Strut those suits when you are working, sit with those toddlers and listen when you are not, enjoy your hobbies and people outside the family when yours leaves home.

Do. Not. Multi-task.

Multi-tasking is code for not making the most of where you are now.

Unplug.

Social media, if you don't watch it, can be a way of connecting with people you don't know very well, rather than with the people you do. Sorry Twitter.

I needed to think about this.

I have been busy my whole life and work wise there seem to be more and more people who want me to do things these days.

Last summer I had major surgery and, since I can work/teach online, you know how much time I took off?

Three hours. And that is counting from when I woke up after 5 1/2 hours of surgery.

Didn't want to let anyone down.

Well that was pretty stupid wasn't it?

One of the lessons of the workplace is that it closes over after you have left in about 5 minutes as if you had never been there.

Last summer I came down here with a mobile sewing room and attempted a Chanel jacket because I would have the time. It was on my list.

Enough said about that, and I am hoping they are appreciating it down there on the rack at Value Village.

I love my blog. I love your comments and I get to know my regular commentators and I just wish I could have you all over to my house.

But I have been noticing lately that some of my favourite bloggers have retired or simply stopped posting. One has told me the well just dried up, and reading between the lines, the blog had become just one more thing on her to do list.

I don't want to get to that place, ever. 

So I have decided to take myself off the grid for the duration of my time here, which is until the beginning of June.

I am going to draft some posts when I feel like it and do a lot of clean up of this site and figure out where it is going. I have some ideas.

I am sewing a very little and thinking about sewing a lot. I want to write about that.

What I am doing is really, really enjoying myself here doing exactly what I can't do at home.

I am walking the beach a lot with Mr. R and trying to get him to understand the concept of turning around. He seems stuck on wanting to walk miles in one direction without any consideration that we have to walk the equal distance back.

I am playing 18 holes of golf with my husband everyday in absolutely beautiful surroundings.

I am canning my brains out, but only things that are hard to get in any quality at home. Mango jam, as noted, mango, lime and cilantro salsa, Papaya and mango chutney.

I am also taking Craftsy classes and using the time to upgrade my knitting. I can do this outside and have the quiet to do it.

So I will be back, but you needed to know the timetable. 

We are closed for renovations, hang in there with me.

My pillowcase dress

As you probably know I spend a fair amount of time with my granddaughters.

The thing is the more time you spend with little kids the more their world makes more sense than maybe the one you had yourself wrapped up in. It's one of the fringe benefits.

Along the way I began to be quite taken with some toddler clothes and decided they might look good on me.

I am serious about this.

Next thing you know it's going to be stick-on tattoos on the arms and rainbow striped tights.

In the meantime I decided that here in Florida I needed a really not-sticking-to-my-body-dress and decided a pillowcase dress would be great. 

Feeling self-indulgent I even used a pattern, which was unnecessary, but don't tell anyone.

Here I am in a fast iPad shot in the yard here.

The fabric came from Chic Fabrics in NYC and was $4.95 a yard. It is purple with green fish on it:

The nice man at Chic really couldn't believe his luck when he realized someone was going to take this off his hands:

"This fabric here?"

"Yes that's what I want"

"It is purple"

"Yes I noticed that"

"With fishes on it"

"I like fish"

"You want this material?"

"Yes"

"The purple material with green fishes on it?"

"Yes that's right"

"This fabric?"

"Can you cut it?"

Anyway I eventually got this cut and bagged and now recently I have sewed it into a bag with a drawstring neck and think this dress is just great.

It has reminded me of something I want to do.

Make more pillowcase dresses.

Some of the members of our sewing guild have been involved  in sewing little dresses for school girls in Africa and I think I need to take some time over the summer to go through my fabric and turn it into something useful. The pattern and US address of where to send them in the link, but Canadians can send any dresses they make here.

It seems to me that when you give it ought to be of some of yourself and for me that would be a sewer.

Our sewing guild does some interesting things. 

One of the women has also been involved in collecting fabric and making up patterns and kits for sanitary napkins (I am old enough to make references like that) for girls in Kenya who - get this - because of lack of supplies have to miss school when they have their period. 

One more reason eh? 

If you are interested in that project the link is here.

At any rate as I sit here being lucky it seems to me that it is time the smart old girls did what they could to help the young girls get smart. 

And there is more than one way to bust a stash. 

Machines of integrity (in the mood for drama tonight)

You may or may not remember, that would depend on how long you have hung in with me on this blog, that last spring my husband and I put together a vintage Bernina Sport from parts on eBay. We got a good body and power cord from one seller and collected an extension table, feet, and bobbins from others.

I think the whole project cost us about $450.

We cleaned, downloaded manuals, and oiled and greased it.

Of course in my too-busy life at home I didn't have much of a chance to get to know this machine after all that trouble so I brought it down here to do just that.

Currently I am working on a very successful sheath dress from a new pattern (more on that later) and having a wonderful time with this machine.

This experience happens to coincide with some email traffic about new machines from several dealers.

Now listen. 

I have enormous respect for the hard work it takes to be a sewing machine dealer these days. They are caught between far too many large companies who pressure them non-stop to sell machines like it was 1960 and every woman is spending happy afternoons set up over the beige broadloom and sewing away making everyone's clothes, and the present.

Modern women should be so lucky.

Anyway the thing about sewing on this old Bernina is how great it feels. 

I don't care what you tell me about your new $12,000 top of the line but it has to feel right under my hands.

This machine does. The stitch is perfect and I can feel all those metal parts working away without a snag.

It feels like a well-oiled machine. Because that's exactly what it is. It cruises over those lumps and layers without an hesitation. I hold my breath when I am about to sew over a definite juncture, and I can let my breath out.

This is the way it is supposed to feel.

Now I have a couple of very good machines at home, including a former top of the line that does embroidery. It didn't get to go on vacation.

The sewing machine industry is in a dilemma. 

An economic crisis. 

With so many fewer hall closets these days hiding a necessary sewing machine somewhere under the tails of coats and the boots, the only way the companies can survive with so many fewer units sold is to amp up the price of the machines they do sell. And also there has to be a new and better model every few years. So suddenly we have machines with computers in them that can digitize, maximize, minimize, flip, reverse, mirror and advise on screen.

Machines that cost more than a second hand car and are about the size of the bathtub in a cheap hotel.

There are two problems with this approach:

1. The buttonholes are still often suspect.
2. You don't need any of this to actually sew clothes.

This whole new machine culture is starting to offer machines that, I hate to be really rude here, but they look like a bunch of guys designed them.

You know exactly what I mean.

You know when that male in your life, any age will do here, shows you something complicated, mechanical or electronic, but most of all new, and therefore apparently improved, and you are real patient and then you say "well when would you exactly use that?" and they look at you like you just told them there was no Santa Claus. Or Easter Bunny. Or no snow day and school is cancelled.

Well that is the mind I see behind so many of these new machines.

Here's an idea.

If I were to buy a new machine this is what I would want to hear:

This machine is the most carefully manufactured machine we have ever made. The stitch is impeccable, the buttonholes are the most beautiful anywhere. No one else has a machine of this quality. No where near.

Let me know if you hear anything like that.

On a less serious note I have three unique pieces of intelligence to share with you tonight:

1. If you leave the back door open in the evening in Florida, well, when you wake up there might be an extremely large toad in the middle of the living room floor. Extremely.

2. If you are making a dress and you are in a sewing frenzy and try it on and decide you need to move the darts down half and inch and you do that. Well when that dress is all sewn up and this time you try it on with a bra on, or at least a good one, well you are going to have to cross out those new markings you put on the pattern, because those darts need to be moved up half an inch.

3. And if you make tailor tacks, I do, and get fed up with ripping the paper over the markings, just make a puncture hole in the pattern where you are going to want to make that tailor tack. A golf tee works great if your pattern is lying on beige broadloom.

This is the life.

Fabric and pattern big news

First of all the fabric:

On the way here we had a necessary detour at Fabricmartfabrics in Sinking Springs Pennsylvania. It's a small store front on an older partially residential street that disguises a large and highly organized inventory in the warehouse rooms in back and upstairs.

In the main store part there were racks and tables of ends at super prices. Some $1 a yard silks, and I kid you not.

To avoid losing my mind I decided to focus on knits and what you see here are 24 yards of mostly rayon/lycra with a few yards of cotton/lycra thrown in. Nice quality and this whole pile cost me $100 which, as I explained to my husband, is another example of how sewing saves me money.

I definitely will be putting Fabricmart on the permanent itinerary along with that great Thai place with the vegetable spring rolls, the world's best, in Freeport Maine of all non-Thaiwanese places. A must stop.

Now onto exciting pattern news. In my travels I had some time to think and it occurred to me that sewing really was my core business, despite all the other things I do with my time, some of it for a salary.

My mind is going with the sewing all the time.

So to cut a long drive, and a think, short as soon as I was in a place with a table where I could write I emailed off Stylearc and said you know those Linda pants are great but a slimmer leg version would be nice.

And they emailed right back and said, well that's exactly what we are releasing this very minute, and now well we are going to call it Barb.

This completely thrills me, you have no idea. This means more to me that any of those prizes I won in university, by far, and more to me than all the elections I helped to win (sorry about that senior members of government).

I mean this is a pattern.

With my name on it.

A pants pattern.

I couldn't be happier if I had negotiated world peace. Sorry about that.

I can hardly wait to sew it:

Isn't life exciting?