Wednesday, January 21, 2009

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!

16 comments:

Michelle said...

Hee! These drawings make me happy!

Anonymous said...

I totally love those drawings!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jes said...

I love the drawerings! Bunnies on a log are pretty darn great, if you ask me. And that tempeh bacon recipe sounds yums too. I need to pick up some tempeh for the weekend!

Anonymous said...

Jessica I *love* your doodly-drawing-creations!!! I never, ever did any drawing - but I'm trying so hard to be disciplined and set aside some time to doodle (ok, I'm *trying* to set aside time). I love your spoons! They are so so so cute! And the bunnies... Those bristol pads sound really great - I know what you mean, the call of the blank paper...
Hey, do you want me to add you to the W.I.P. list? Just link to the W.I.P. List page & I'll add you!

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Bunnies on a log! That kitty looks seriously smug about something....heehee!
I can't decide which one I love the most?
Can we have more drawerings next time? Can we? Please?
(Ps~ remember Jessica ~'spooning leads to forking'!!)

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

hahaha I love the kitty, it's awesome. It's toenail varnish is cracking me up!

ZippyZu said...

Aww man you so made my morning! I don't know which drawing I like better- but they made me giggle, and who doesn't love bunnys- and spoons!

miss v said...

cute drawings - whimsical is definitely the right word. :)

have you made your own tempeh before? i really want to, but i don't have a starter... just curious....

Marni said...

The drawerings are cute. The bac*n sounds delish. I keep buying tempeh to try my hand at tempeh bac*n, but then I end up using it for something else. LOL Someday, I'll get there.

I'd ask how Lost was, but I don't want to know. We recorded it and haven't watched it yet.

Vegan_Noodle said...

I love your drawings! I think there is more creativity in drawing things that don't look exactly as they do in life. I so wish I knew how to draw!

And thanks for the bacun recipe, sounds tasty!

jessy said...

i think your drawerings (tee hee!) are awesome, Jessica! the kitty & the bunnies are my favorite! totally made me smile! my kitties stretch just like that - pointing out their little toes in just that way! i love it! and the bunnies are just adorable - they're faces are happybunnyfaces! w00t!

i think that's so cool that you and Michael draw together at times. i need to find something crafty & fun for dan and i to do together. he said "no way" to learning to knit, and he hates playing scrabble with me (i know, scrabble isn't very crafty! ahahahaha!) - although he's super sweet and will humor me sometimes by suffering, i mean, playing through a game or two.

thank you for the bacon recipe! wahoooooooooooooo! i love me some maple goodness! mmmmmmmm! and yes, knitting with cold finger is #1. pretty much impossible & #2. the suck. i hate when it's too cold to knit.

i know i said this before - but STAY WARM! :)

Anonymous said...

yay! I love the drawings, so funny!

Anonymous said...

Those spooners are the cutest ever! You could totally print up a bunch of greeting cards with that image and sell them- I know I would buy a couple!

Karla said...

you are not the only one! i always think of simon when i hear about someone drawring...
i love maple tempeh bacon!

Jen Treehugger said...

Those drawings rock socks!!
I love them!
xxxx

I soooo wish I could buy Tempeh here, that bacon recipe sounds FAB and I actually have all the other ingredients needed. I suppose I could try it with tofu couldn't I......?

I've just finished watching Season 4 of Lost, thanks to wonderful people out there putting it on web sites for people like me who have no TV to watch!
Can't wait to see Season 5.