Easy Sausage Not-Pizza

Eating "Low Carb" has become more than just a trend these days.  The overabundance of starches and sugars in our American diet have plenty of us "going paleo" or sticking to some other sort of low carb diet.  I'm far from an exception to this.  With all of my health issues, getting rid of the junk from my menu is more than just vanity (although I won't deny that it's a factor).  Without counting a single calorie, I've lost about 9 pounds in the three weeks since getting rid of the sugary, starchy addiction.  While the weight is a nice plus, I'm really trying to rid myself of inflammation and allergies that go way beyond the realm of "normal".  I may just be starting to see the beginnings of a slight improvement, but my victory cry won't be sounded until I've gone at least a week since my last case of mild anaphylactic shock.  That's probably a long way off, but in the meantime, I'll share the recipes that are helping me along.

My household loves Italian.  Pizza, pasta... uh-oh, not so low starch friendly.  This recipe is one that my family has been eating with great pleasure. It's easier than real pizza, and tastes great.  I used cheap sausage this time, but have bought sausage straight from a farmer in the past.  You may also want to try taking your favorite ground meat and adding lots of garlic, onions, basil, oregano, cayenne, salt and fennel seed to make your own sausage. Here is everything we used:
24 oz bulk sausage
Italian seasoned tomato paste
Pesto
2 Sweet peppers, chopped
1/2 red onion, quartered and sliced
Olives, chopped
Italian Cheese
Chopped green onion to finish (I usually use fresh basil, but my plant died inexplicably)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and prep your sausage while you wait.  Just press it out flat onto a 9 x 13 inch nonstick baking sheet. (Don't use a completely flat one, or you'll drip grease in your oven.) Bake this for about 10 minutes, or until just barely cooked.  Remove it from the oven, and blot the top dry with a clean paper towel.  If you've used a sausage that is on the fatty side, you'll also need to drain the grease.  At this point, you also will want to make sure that your sausage "crust" is not stuck to the pan.
 
Now you can top it with your favorite veggie pizza toppings.  For normal pizza I usually thin my pesto and tomato paste combination, but for a sausage crust, I keep it nice and thick.  Just spread your sauces as though you're making a pizza, and sprinkle with cheese and other toppings.  If you like something other than what I used here, try it.

 Place your "pizza" back in the oven until the toppings look done.  If you want to, you can even use the broiler setting to get the cheese nice and bubbly. There really are no rules here.  After you've decided it's done, take it out of the oven and cut it like a pizza. Sprinkle on some sliced green onion or basil and enjoy your easy masterpiece.

Apocalypse

Knitters and crafters have all kinds of excuses.

All The Same

My Family to a "T", and every knitter I know.

Steampunk Bloomer Pants DIY

 

I hate trends.  Normally, if anything is "popular" my gut reaction is to run the other way and not look back. However, once in a while something shows up that just fits a person.  With my love for antiques, metal music and science fiction, steampunk just fits.  This trend (Oh, how I really do dislike the word.  Maybe that's a personal issue...) has gracefully made it's way into home decor, movies and just about everything else, with most people not even really noticing.  In the fashion world, however, most steampunk is only found in the smallest touches, the most outrageously expensive merchants or in the world of conventions for video games, comic books or role players. I, frankly, would rather include the things that I like in normal, everyday life.  Here is an easy project for doing just that.

I've been looking at projects for turning slacks into bloomer style bottoms for a while now, and I'll give you some advice that a lot of people seem to ignore.  Go find some cheap, second hand slacks that you don't mind cutting up, but whatever you do, don't get something that starts off looking bad on you.  If they don't fit nicely before you alter them, they'll still look bad after.  Look for something that looks tailored to fit on top, and you'll be doing well.

After you've gotten your slacks home, you need to cut off the bottoms.  You'll want to try them on again and mark the spot.  Since you want to tie them below the knee, you'll give an inch or two extra for flexing the knee, 2 or 3 inches for the ruffle at the bottom, and another inch or so for turning the fabric under to hem.  This should mean that you cut off the pants at about mid calf. Just decide for yourself exactly what you want.  After you have cut one leg, just lay out the slacks and fold them lengthwise, lining up the waistband, and cut the other leg to match.
 
 I used two different kinds of lace trim for this project.  The smaller stuff, as you can see, is for adding to the hem, and the one with the ribbon running through the center is for tying the leg tighter below the knee. You don't want modern looking, wimpy lace for this project.  Try to find something on the coarse side.  I also recommend replacing any buttons with something to match.  Here I used some vintage shell buttons. 
 
Pin the top lace so that it is a couple of inches below the bottom of your knee.  You will need this room for the ruffled look and for your knee to bend.  Once you have pinned the lace where you want it, (make sure you give extra length in the ribbon for tying) fold the slacks to check that you have everything even and symmetrical.  You may use a sewing machine to sew everything in place, but for this project, I just sewed it all by hand while watching TV.  I didn't want my stitches showing and ruining the effect.  Finally, replace buttons, and add extra (I put one smaller button on the bottom of every belt loop), and maybe add some lace trim sticking up out of any pockets.

 Even with all the hand sewing, this project only takes an afternoon, and adds a fun steampunk flare to your wardrobe.  

Pairing your ruffled slacks with simple tailored tops will keep it mainstream enough to wear in "normal" society.  The key here is to match the style without going over the top.  The first time I wore these, I started off with a ruffled, and corset laced jacket over the tank and vest, and it looked like I was off to some kind of convention (Not really my thing).  Changing to a gracefully tailored sweater took it back to the real world.

Go make something fun today, and add a little artistic flare to the boring world around you.

I

Ever Hear of Tatting?

If you're like most people, when you hear the word tatting, you conjure images of needles and ink on skin.  If you are hoping to find that on this site, you're out of luck (unless you want to send me a new kit along with "Huck Spalding's Tattooing A-Z", and I'll be happy to start...)  Some people are always looking for something new to try.  I suppose I'm one of those people always looking for something old to try, in a new way.  

Tatting, as you can see, is lace.  It was popular in the 1800's, and has been largely a lost art.  Thanks to the internet, it's having a comeback.  People like me love it because you can make something new, beautiful and unique with just a shuttle, some string and time.  Some people tat onto a needle, and  they think it's easier, but the traditional way to tat uses a shuttle (That's the pink thing in the picture above).  You can find tatting shuttles in just about any material on the planet from cheap plastic like mine, to gold, silver, bone or abalone like some of my grandmother's.  I prefer using a shuttle, not simply because of tradition (you know me better than that, right?), but because my grandmother taught me with a shuttle, and I would otherwise manage to impale myself on a needle when taking it places.

Yes that's a rainbow on the ball of string... silly girl.

I'll give you the basic rundown for tatting, just to let you decide if it's for you.  However if you're truly interested in learning, there are great you-tube videos out there.  

If you start with a hank of string, like this one, first roll it into a ball.  This will keep you from ending up with a big impossible tangle of knots.  You then wrap your shuttle with string from that ball until the shuttle is full.  

Tatting is a system of knots that are worked into loops and chains.   Let's start with a loop.  Put the ball of string on your left and hold the shuttle with your right hand between your thumb and pointer finger.  Thread coming from the shuttle should be coming from behind and wrapped around your fingers similarly to knitting.  Your left hand pinches the thread about a foot away, and wraps that thread around the hand until you are pinching it as a loop.

Tightening a knot:  The shuttle thread is straight, the left hand thread wraps.

To make a knot, raise your right fingers so that the thread is above the shuttle and send it under the top portion of the looped thread between your pinched fingers and the rest.  You will just let the thread move between your right pointer finger and the shuttle, and then pull the shuttle back, this time coming over the string, letting the thread slide between your thumb and the shuttle.  The second half of the knot is the reverse.  You let the right fingers holding the thread drop so that the shuttle is over the shuttle thread, and put the shuttle around the same part of the loop thread, this time going over then under.   So it's "thread up - under - over, thread down - over - under".    You then tighten the knot.  This is actually the point where the older directions really drop the ball.  You see, your shuttle thread has just wrapped around your loop, but you need to pull the shuttle thread straight, while loosening the loop,  so that the loop thread is wrapping around the shuttle thread instead.  Then just tighten the knot by tugging the left fingers back, while keeping the shuttle thread straight. I know that this all sounds very complicated, but really that is the toughest part of tatting to understand.  When I first read books with tatting instructions, I just made loop after loop that wouldn't tighten properly.  Years later I flew across the country to visit family, and my grandmother told me that all of the written instructions were just bad. "Aack, You have to learn tatting from a person, not a book" Well now you can learn from videos. Problem solved.  Even a child can learn this with enough patience (mine are learning it right now).

 From this point you simply make as many knots as you want.  If you want little loops sticking out (they're called picots), you just make the knot a small distance from your work and don't tighten it until the whole knot is in place.

 
When you have all of the knots that you want in your loop, just pull the shuttle thread to tighten it. That's it.( If it won't tighten, that's because you have the shuttle thread still wrapping the loop thread in some spot.) The first time you make this it'll feel like a whole lot of work for one itty-bitty ring, but as you practice, it gets really fast.

You may want to continue making more rings, or move on to a chain.  It really depends on your pattern, or on what you want make up.

For a "chain" you'll want to turn your work over so that the thread leading to the ball is on top, and hold it similarly to knitting.  Just add knots onto this string in the same way that you would for a ring.

One ring with picots and a short chain

One ring, then a chain, then another ring attaching at the picot.

 Here I've shown you two rings attached together at a picot.  The best way to explain this would be with a you-tube video, but for now you basically get to the point that you want to join the second ring, and use the little pointy part of the shuttle to pull the looping thread partway through the picot from the other ring that you want to attach to, and then send your shuttle through.  Pull both threads to tighten and you're connected.

Long story short, any combination of rings and chains (circles and lines) that you can imagine, you can create.  If you want some gorgeously amazing ideas, just search tatting on Pinterest. You'll find everything from fancy trim to entire outfits, masks, gloves, dragons... you name it.  I am really still pretty new at it myself, so my stuff doesn't even begin to describe what could be done.  Have fun!

One of my first pieces; A tatted necklace with beads, mother of pearl button, and handmade glass pendant

 

Dreadlock Tube Hat with Corset Lacing

I went through my knitting this afternoon and came across my most popular hat.  I would say that it is my most requested pattern, but people don't ask me for the pattern.  They ask me where I bought it.  This was actually one of the first hats that I designed, and it was made right after I fell in love with steampunk.  Today I share it with you.


Honestly, I can't remember exactly what yarn I used (except that it was cheap stuff), but it's really pretty simple.  I recommend that you measure your head and knit a gauge swatch to see if it will fit you.  Adjust your needle size, or the number of repeats of the pattern, to get it right.  If this is hard to read or follow, please, please click on comments and let me know. (Just because it's all obvious to me, doesn't mean that it makes sense to someone not inside of my head.) 

Again, if you can't read this, yell at me. I apologize in advance for not getting off my butt and learning to chart more professionally.

Slightly Steampunk Lighting Project

We all have those times when stress amps up to the point that we need a distraction.  For me, this past month has been one of those weeks.  So, last week I needed something different to do.  As timing would have it, my sweet husband had just bought this chandelier, from an "antique" dealer, for our anniversary.  Someone had spray painted it flat white for a shabby chic look.  We wanted steampunk...   My de-stressing project was provided.

My youngest little creative and I started off by painting it metallic black (along with a vintage style globe stand to match).  The surfaces had been prepped with steel wool.  I had also done a small repair to the metal on the globe stand, and had pealed off much of the annoying band of astrology stuff from the metal strip surrounding the globe (In the end, this ripped texture added a corroded look to the the finished piece that I love).

We actually just used cheap craft paint for both pieces, so the whole project only cost about 5 bucks. The paint colors we used were as follows: Sequin Black, gun metal grey and sterling silver; all of them metallic.

After painstakingly getting the black into all of the nooks and crannies, we followed with a quick brushing of the metallic gunmetal grey.  We were carefully not careful with this step, so that the black would show through in the low spots.  As you can see, the globe stand took extra coats of paint.  Finally I added some silver to the high spots in strategic places, and used it for the candle stick tubes as well.  I'm thinking that eventually we'll cover the plastic tubes with old fashioned style pipes, painted to match. (much more steampunk).

After all of the painting was finished, I spent about 5 hours or so rewiring and cleaning every single crystal.  The old ones looked awful, so it was well worth the blisters.  One day, when we buy our long term home, we plan on putting this chandelier in our multimedia studio.  Until then, we grin whenever we look at our little piece of obnoxious elegance in our living room.

Stress always passes, and I believe that all things work together for my good, so I'm thankful that I have lovely things to focus my mind on when life threatens to derail my brain.

Go find something good to do! 

Yarn Diet

Crown of Thorns Tam

I made this hat this spring, and it's the one that I'm wearing in my profile picture (for now).  So far, all of my dreads fit under it, but I'll probably need to go back to the drawing board for this coming winter.  This fair aisle type tam is made a little more roomy than a classic tam, so that it would fit over my big head with my big hair. It uses a worsted weight yarn, and I believe that I started with size 6 needles and moved up to size 8 after the knit 1 purl1 edge. I'd tell you exactly what yarn that I had used, but when I made it, I didn't realize that I'd ever be sharing the pattern.  Lesson learned, for now it'll have to be sufficient to say that the yarn is a mainstream cheaper brand that I picked up at a big name store, rather than a nice yarn shop....

In time I'm going to figure out the best way to reproduce my charts in a more professional way, but below is the chart I wrote out on graph paper.  The darker squares are what I actually did in this hat, but I've added green for the parts of the pattern that I would change if I ever do this design again.  I felt that the vines on the crown of thorns weren't as clear as I'd like them to be so the green in the chart beefs them up a little.  Work chart A from the bottom up, followed by B, and then A again. For the triangle shaped decreasing chart, begin at the top and work your way down.  You can use whatever method of decrease that you'd like, so long as you make those decreases at the edge of each repeat, in order to keep up with the stitch count.  As you can see, I did my knit one purl one beginning with alternating colors, and if you look closely you'll notice that I added one plain row between each chart. Whenever I knit in only one color, however, I still carried along the alternate color just to keep consistency in the thickness of the hat.  This pattern fits a head with a 23 inch crown measurement.  If your measurements are far off from this, either adjust your needle size or add/decrease stitches to fit (just remember to add or subtract them back to do the charts).

I hope this works for you, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to click on the word comments below and ask.  I really want to communicate clearly enough to be of help.
 

Crown of Thorns Tam Chart

How to wash Dreadlocks

The single most common question I get about dreadlocks is "So, do you wash it?"  I bite back the comment in my head about dreadlock wearers only rolling in the mud to get clean, and say "Of course I wash my hair."  The next question is what they really wanted to know, "How?"  The answer? - Very carefully.

Those of you who know me, are already aware that I'm one of those crazy sensitive people who are allergic to everything.  The first time I had dreads, it meant that the shampoos that people recommended to me made my scalp bleed, literally. The main culprit was the ever popular tea tree oil.  This seems to be the mainstay for people that want to be natural and keep their skin healthy.  The only problem with this is that it's really potent, and quite a few people, like me, are sensitive to it in any amount.  It wasn't until I discovered ginger, that I felt I could try dreadlocks again.

It had been recommended to me to boil down ginger root and add it to a bottle of natural shampoo, along with a few crushed aspirin. This is supposed to help people with scalp problems (most of us with sensitivities will have skin issues).  I totally recommend the crushed aspirin, but like so many other things, I'm allergic to it's ingredients.  For the ginger, however, I find that using fresh ginger each time you shampoo is far more effective.

Here is what I do - 
First I grate about one finger of ginger, and squeeze the juice out into a plastic measuring cup. You'll want less than a quarter cup of this liquid.

 Next, I run a bath... Before you give me the anagram for "Too Much Information", get your brain out of the gutter, and hear me out.  For best effect, you will want to begin by soaking your head.  This softens the skin and opens your pores.  A bath is better for this, because running water is tough on your knots.  The less movement of the water, the better.

After you've soaked your scalp for a couple minutes, put a small amount of your favorite natural shampoo (I recommend something with Lavender) in your hand.  Add about 4 drops of peppermint oil into the center of this, and mix it in with your finger.  Then pour a tiny bit of your fresh ginger juice into it as well, and mix in with your finger.  After our "medicine" is mixed in I add more shampoo to my hand and mix until I have a whole handful of herbalized shampoo.  I know it sounds like a lot of shampoo, but it's a little difficult to get the shampoo throughout your hair, when you have dreadlocks.  I apply this mixture to my entire scalp without a whole lot of concern for the length of my hair, unless it's extra dirty for some reason.  (As you rinse and squeeze your hair later, it will be cleansed quite well.)  Leave this on your head for a couple of minutes to do it's work.  The peppermint will soothe and cool, and the ginger is not only an anti - inflammatory, but it also is a great antioxidant, antimicrobial for sores, and stimulates circulation.  When you're ready, just let your head soak in the bath.  Gently massage the water through your scalp, and squeeze and release the length of your hair under the water.  This is rinse #1. Drain your bath.

Now rinse your hair again under running water, remembering to squeeze and release your hair under the water to get the water in and the shampoo out of your dreadlocks.  Don't rub and scrub your dreadlocks, because this is too rough on them.  Pay special attention to making sure your entire scalp is well rinsed.  Shampoo residues left on your skin will both irritate your scalp and invite infection.  That was rinse #2.  Now, remember that cup with ginger juice in the bottom of it?  Yeah, that.  I tip it a little and look at the bottom of the cup and see if there is starch on the bottom.  If there is, I'd rather not have a lot of it in my hair, so instead, I scoop it up with my finger and rub it into my skin (behind and in ears, along hairline, etc.  I know it sounds silly, but it helps.)  Now, I add water to the rest of the ginger juice until the cup is full. Slowly pour this onto your scalp, all over, leaving just a little bit behind in the bottom of the cup.  Let this sit on your head while you take care of the rest of your shower.  If it starts to burn rinse it right out.  This would mean that it was a little strong.  Use a little bit less next time.  After your done shaving, washing or plucking out your eyebrow hairs (whatever, really none of my business), rinse out your ginger. This is rinse #3.

This last part is optional, but take that cup with just a little bit of diluted ginger juice, and fill it back up with water.  Pour this over your scalp and hair.  This was rinse #4, and I find that it makes a real difference for me.  This tiny trace of ginger seems to help me as some sort of preventative measure against... whatever, until I wash my hair again.

When you're done, don't scrub your head with your towel.  Just squeeze your hair dry with it instead.  I also, always gently blow dry my hair as well.  It's really important to make sure that your hair gets dry before you put it up, or under a hat, or sleep on it.  If it doesn't get dry, it'll mildew.  Really mildew is not just gross, but will definitely give you skin issues, even if you don't already have them.  So, squeeze your hair in a dry spot on your towel, and then come back a few minutes later and do it again.  

That's it for washing your dreadlocks... It takes time, but we usually only wash our dreadlocks about once a week anyway, right?  If you have bangs, like me, just go ahead and wash them every day with your face, while the rest of your hair is pulled back.  If you have any questions, feel free to click on comments below, and ask.  I'll try to clarify any confusion.

Ever Been Mob Hugged?

Low Carb Gluten Free Granola

Yeah, gluten free and low carb doesn't sound like a good breakfast option, does it?  This granola, however, really satisfies that hearty, crunchy craving in the morning.  If I was worrying only about flavor, I'd leave out the pumpkin seed kernels. If I wanted it to be completely Paleo, I'd leave out the gluten free oats.  For me, this is a good compromise.

First, we make the temporarily gross looking mixture that you see here in this pot. It is:
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
3/4 Cup Agave
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Molasses
1/2 tsp Cinnamon 
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Powdered Ginger (optional, but ginger is super good for you)
1/4 tsp Salt

Put all of this on a low heat, and let it melt together. Meanwhile mix together in a large bowl:
1 8oz pkg. Raw Pumpkin Seed Kernels (optional, as I mentioned before)
1 12oz pkg. Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
1 16oz pkg. Sliced Almonds
2 Cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats (Leave this out or replace it if you want Paleo.)
1/2 Cup Chia Seeds (Optional, super healthy. Tastes good but you may not like texture)

Pour your melted mixture over your "Granola Stuff".  I just mix this by hand until it's all wet.  Spread between two of your largest pans, and bake at about 265 degrees.  You can put both pans in your oven at the same time, but try to stagger them, so that the heat will circulate evenly.  Stir after the first 30-40 minutes.

Stir about every 20 minutes or so until your granola is a beautiful golden color.  Let it cool completely and add any dried fruit that you might like.  This goes great with milk, and also is a good base for crumb cheesecake crusts (if I do say so myself).  Actually I recommend messing with this recipe until it suits you.  You may find that you like some nuts and seeds better, or you may want more agave for sweetness.  Do it your way.

 

Allergic to the Universe

Knit Lace Kerchief Project

I love that on the Oregon coast, I can wear my knit pieces any time of the year.  This is an idea for converting any triangular shawl pattern into a kerchief for your hair.  Using a shawl pattern that begins at the bottom point, simply follow the pattern until your piece is as wide across as the measurement from one ear, over the top of your head, to your other ear. Set this aside, still on your needles.  Begin making a 4 stitch i-cord with the same yarn on the same sized double pointed needles.  When your i-cord reaches 12-18 inches in length, you will begin picking up one stitch from your set aside shawl piece for each i-cord row (beginning at one end).  Knit as follows: knit 3 i-cord stitches, Knit 2 together (one i-cord stitch and one kerchief stitch).  Repeat until you've picked up all of the kerchief stitches, and then just continue the i-cord by itself until the two ends match in length.  Tie in your yarn ends and you're finished.

For this particular piece I used a Lotus Blossom Lace pattern. It was found in the book "Shawls and Scarves" from "The Best of Knitter's Magazine".  I'm sure you can find the charts for it, but really any triangular increasing pattern will work.  Get creative and use your favorite look.

Gluten Free Pizza Recipe

This is my most requested recipe - by far. There have been a lot of advances with recipes for gluten free pizza crust, but I still like mine the best (there are a few downright awful ones out there... think sunflower seeds.). If you are missing or allergic to any of the flours in this, don't hesitate to switch them out with something that has similar characteristics (If you need help with this, just ask me.).

Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice flour (white actually works even better, but is less healthy)
1 generous cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup corn starch
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
sprinkle of your favorite garlic & herb, and/or Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp yeast

Mix these dry ingredients together before adding wet ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup milk (may use alternatives)
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Mix in and then beat (I use a stand mixer) on high speed while you prepare your pans.  Yes, that's two full sized (16 inch, I think) pizza pans.  You may use nonstick spray or butter to prep your pans, but get them greased in some way.  By now your dough/batter should be smooth.  Simply divide it between your two pizza pans, and use a rubber scraper to begin spreading it out over the surface.  At this point I make the biggest divergence between other recipes that I've seen.  I've seen famous chefs on TV spray plastic wrap, cover their dough, roll it out, remove the plastic wrap, and then brush olive oil on the dough.  When I saw this I laughed aloud... Hold your hand over the partially spread dough, pour yourself a handful of olive oil, rub your palms together and gently slap out your dough.  That's it, no plastic wrap, no rolling pins and no awkwardly brushing oil on a dough that wants to stick to your brush.   At this point I place both pans into a barely warmed oven (turned off), and let it rise.

Let this rise for about 10 minutes or so and then remove them in order to preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Place one crust at a time in the oven to bake for about 12-16 minutes.  While the first one is in you can prepare your toppings. (Just as a note, I tend to dilute an Italian seasoned tomato paste and add fresh herbs for my sauce, and I always put mushrooms on right after the cheese, below the other toppings, so that they can absorb all of the other flavors.) This next photo is what my crust looks like when it is ready to be topped.

While you're topping your first pizza, you can bake the second crust.  The timing works out just about perfectly at my house. When the second crust comes out, it's time to slide your topped pizza directly onto the rack.  If you have discovered that your crust has stuck at all, just use a spatula to loosen it, and then gently support the pizza with your spatula as you tilt your pan over your pulled out oven rack and pull the pan away.  (This took me a little while to get really good at this, but if many of you complain about trouble with this step, I'll have to make a video or something.  Really I think you'll get it.)  Bake until your toppings are to your liking, and you're done... Well, bake your second pizza too, of course.  I cut my pizzas right away, and place the slices on a wire rack so that they don't sweat (This keeps the crust crisp instead of soggy).  My family would rather eat this than have purchased pizza any day.

A Long Time in Coming

To begin, I must tell you how I got my weird hair in the first place.  I've been married to my guy since the last millennium, and he never, ever used to give me any opinions on my style at all (no matter how much I asked). For years, however, he would joke that I should get dreadlocks, put sticks and stuff in my hair, and lead for a heavy metal band.  I never thought anything of it until one day it hit me that I was worrying to much about what other people thought (not something I realized I did at all), and not really caring about what he really thought.  Well I had married him, not all those other people, hadn't I.  I was suddenly convicted, and I mean really spiritually convicted, that my man was only joking about me getting dreadlocks, because he believed that I would never really do it. The next day, I started on my first dreadlocks.
I struggled a bit with my first batch of dreads, but now that I've learned a few things I'm loving my second time around with dreadlocks. This page will be all about helping you achieve beautiful dreadlocks with the least amount of fuss. I'll share pictures, tutorials and style ideas for locks.  Where I live, people stop me on the street to compliment, and ask me questions about my hair.  While that is fun, it matters more to me that my husband loves my crazy dreadlocks.
By the way, I still don't put sticks in my hair, but my man and I are working on a metal project that will be called Sorrows Ending... if we ever get it outside our studio doors.

I Used to Cry in the Grocery Store

Nuts and Berries for the rest of your life...

When I found out that I had to be strictly gluten free, fourteen years ago, I felt like I was destined to eat nothing but nuts and berries for the rest of my life.  The Allergen labeling hadn't started and this was long before being gluten free became a trend.  Going to restaurants was like playing russian roullette.  There were a few gluten free cookbooks... bad ones.  Did I mention that I've always been a picky eater?
Ok, so being gluten free is much easier now.  Scan the internet and find thousands of gluten free recipes that claim to be delicious. Well, some of them are good.  I can tell you that mine are.  I'll share my own gluten free pizza crust (I"ve never found one better), breads, cheesecake, and all sorts of advice about avoiding contamination at restaurants, potlucks and even your own kitchen. Maybe sometimes I'll even whine about my own food struggles, and we can help each other to be gluten free without resigning ourselves to eating just nuts and berries, or crying in the grocery store.