W.I.P Wednesday + a recipe

Ok, I'm telling you right now that knitting when your hands are cold is pretty much impossible. Also, most of the patterns I like that I've found want me to use double pointed needles, which I don't have. Well, I will have them shortly, because I ordered some awesome bamboo ones of all sizes last week, but they're coming from China, so I must wait. That's ok though, because I've been occupying my time with something else: drawing. (Am I the only one who, when they hear/think the word 'drawing', automatically thinks of the old SNL sketch with Mike Myers as Simon, who does 'drawerings' in his bathtub? Just me then? Ok.)


I don't really like to draw. Mostly because I always want what I'm drawing to look real. That's the photographer in me. Mind you, I do know how to draw (and paint) pretty well, as I was forced to take like 5 drawing and 2 (oil) painting classes (which I hated) in my undergrad. They did give me the skills to render subjects onto paper fairly true-to-life. But it takes me hours, for which I do not have the patience. At all. That's why my quickie drawings are... bad? No, lets call them 'whimsical'. That's more like it. Anyway, here, you can judge for yourself.

kitty

Hahaha... ok, seriously, my drawings crack me up. All of these took like 2 minutes (max). And, as you can see, I am currently obsessed with gray and pink markers. A couple weeks ago I happened across these little square pads of bristol board that totally took me back to undergrad and the days of design classes and sketch books (which, again, I hated) and fresh, blank pages just waiting for something totally rad to appear on them. At first, I got one for Michael, because he actually enjoys drawing and is pretty darned great at it. He's always telling me that I should draw, and I'm always telling him that I hate drawing. However, the draw of that fresh, perfectly square (I do love squares) bristol pad was too much for me to resist. Plus, they're smallish (like 6x6"), so they're not too intimidating. So I picked one up for myself, as well. This kitty is my first drawing in the pad.

bunnies on a log

Michael and I have been drawing together, then. A lot of times, he'll ask me what he should draw. In this particular instance, I said, "two bunnies sittin' on a log." Once he started, I thought to myself, "Hey, self, bunnies on a log sounds fun to draw." So I drew them too. You need to know that these are all drawn directly with marker. No regrets! No take-backs! Plenty of mishaps. Oh well. My bunnies are happy, as is my kitty.

spooners

When I was little, my parents had (maybe they still do) a double spoon holder on the stove that had a little faces in the depressions and underneath it said 'spooners'. I had no idea what that meant when I was little, but now I do. And I like it! Spooning is possibly the best form of cuddling ever. For the purposes of this drawing, the big spoon looks more masculine than the little spoon. However, in real life (at least mine), I am big spoon and Michael is usually little spoon. That's just how we roll.

I have other drawings, but they really suck, so I left them out. And naturally, all of Michael's drawings are waaaay better than mine, but whatever. I had some fun with some markers and now I have three super cute drawings.

Now, I believe that I promised a bac*n recipe.

Maple Smoked Tempeh Bac*n

1 package of tempeh

3 Tbsp Braggs or soy sauce

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar/water mixture *

1 Tbsp ketchup

3/4 tsp liquid smoke

2 Tbsp maple syrup

3 cloves garlic, crushed

canola oil or nonstick spray, for frying

*this is kind of...sketchy, and i apologize in advance for lack of better measuring. basically, take a 1/3 cup measuring cup and fill it 1/4 of the way with apple cider vinegar. then, fill to the top with water. hence, a mixture. if you like more of a vinegar taste, add more vinegar than that, and less water. it's up to you.

First up, cut your tempeh into flat rectangles. I cut mine into thirds widthwise, then cut each of those into thirds, then cut each of those in half, lengthwise (so they are superthin). Boil some water in a small saucepan, throw the tempeh in, lower temperature to a simmer and leave it for 10-15 minutes (I do 12 minutes, personally). Drain, and set aside (but not for long because...)

Meanwhile, get the marinade together. Just stir it all up in a tupperware with a lid or a shallow bowl. Once the tempeh is done, put it in the marinade and leave it for an hour. Shake or stir them around every 15-20 minutes (I usually read or watch tv while they are marinating). After you're done marinating, remove garlic cloves and toss.

Get a large cast iron or nonstick skillet hot and ready (I prefer cast iron, but the other will work, if you must). Heat up the oil or spray with the spray (if using cast iron, you really don't need to use any additional oil). Arrange the tempeh slices in the pan (now at about medium heat). They should all fit, but if not, do them in batches. Pour about half (or a quarter, if you're doing 2 batches) of the marinade over them. Swirl the pan around so that the marinade gets evenly distributed. Now just wait until they brown on the bottom. This may take a little time, but really, wait for it, because the lovely crust it gets is completely worth it. Once they are browned, turn them, add the rest of the marinade, swirl, and wait again until they are browned and lovely.

Eat!

The flavor of these is sort of sweet, pretty darned smokey, and completely delicious. Enjoy on a sammich or on the side of some pancakes or a tofu scramble.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make some dinner so that I will not be distracted during the upcoming 3 hour LOST extravaganza. Do Not Disturb!

eta: check out other peeps doing cool stuff at the W.I.P. Wednesday page!