Veronica Julep

Leftovers and Eggs with My Tiny Cast-Iron: Spanakopita 

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“When opportunity knocks. Make lemonade.” -VJ

I was hungry and digging through the fridge this morning and found one lonely spanakopita. Not sure how we managed to save just one but, we did. Being as it was brunch time and I was home alone I decided to make me a special little tiny breakfast.

Read on

 

The first thing I did was got out my little cast iron pan and spatula.


Aren’t they cute? The tiny cast-iron was a holiday gift from DB (dreamboat, my fella) and the tiny spatula was a gift from his sweet Mom. They both know how much I love little things. ❤️

My first step was to heat the skillet on a small burner on medium. I added about half a tablespoon of rendered bacon fat and brought it up to temp.


I would’ve turned up the burner higher but, I wanted to make sure I didn’t over crisp the phillo dough while the inside of the spanakopita remelted to yummy goodness.


It took about two minutes a side and was very hard not to eat right away.

Then it was time for the egg. I added another half tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat and maybe waited a minute too long to add the egg. The fat browned a little more than I would’ve liked but, still cook beautifully.


Three minutes for the first side and two minutes the second. Next step was to liberally salt of course. I prefer pink salt to any other type. I think it’s a little sweeter and any extra iron in my diet (no matter how tiny) is always a good thing.*


Then paired it with good strong coffee with whole milk in one of my very favorite mugs.


I think it’s very important whenever you eat it should be considered a special occasion. So, when I eat I always use a cloth napkin. Since this was a casual morning breakfast I figured I’d go gingham/picnic style with a tiny fork. DB got me in the habit of tiny forks for breakfast. It just makes the occasion feel even fancier. To finish off brunch I topped it with sliced grape tomatoes.

Action Shot!

1 Spanokopita

1 Extra Large Egg

4 quarter sliced grape tomatoes

pink salt at your leisure

It was very delicious. Eggs and leftovers are always where it’s at. -VJ

10 Minute Quick Craft: Mason Jar Straw Lid 

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If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.   -Will Rogers

 

I’ve been admiring these adorable drinking vessels for quite some time now. The occasion came when I need to upgrade my water glass for work so, this seemed the obvious route to take. This project couldn’t be more simple and took me less than 10 minutes to complete.

Read on

 

All I needed was these few things. A mason jar complete with metal lid. A hole punch with a flower shaped puncher (the shape will be more obvious in later photos). A 5/16 inch rubber grommet and last but not least a metal straw.


The whole punch I had from an earlier crafting adventure. The grommet I got from my local hardware store in the plumbing section in the aisle where the little drawers pull out. The straw was also an easy find at my local highish end cooking store but, can easily be found online fairly inexpensively.

Once I gathered everything it was time to get down to business. It is important to make sure you know exactly where you want the straw hole to be before you start punching. Look before you punch. If the words being off center or upside down might get in your craw just take a second and put it where you want it. I did. Then, just line it up and squeeze.


The first hole will look like this (see below). There is a chance it needs a little wiggle to get it out and cut off of the other side depending on how sharp your punch is. This does take a lot of hand strength so patience is a must as it might take a couple squeezes.


The next step is to widen the hole. Simply move the punch just beneath the hole but still make sure it’s a little over the first hole and punch like so, again with patience.


I went for a third hole making-a-triangle shape because of the size of my puncher and the angles. It looked like this when I was done.


Not so pretty but, perfect. It’s just what is needed for a super tight grip on the straw which will reduce leaks. Other punchers might make different size holes. Adjust as needed.  Try it and see what works but make sure you remember you can only punch (cut) once. The next step is to insert the grommet. This will require ablittle flipping and wiggling as they’re not exactly the same size and shape. Make sure all of the metal is covered with the edge of the grommet with both lips.


Next step, insert straw. It’s not perfectly round so when you insert the straw it’s going it be super tight. The solution is to push it a bit around the sides to get just the right shape. I know that sounds strange but that’s the only way to get the super tight fit to avoid leakage.


Final step.

Enjoy your favorite beverage. Easy peasy. Quick crafts are the best. I was feel so accomplished when I complete them and they don’t take a whole afternoon.

New Season. New beginnings.

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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
 Anais Nin

 

This is my moment. The first day of summer. Sunlight coming in through the windows and I’m pacing back-and-forth in the kitchen dictating to my phone because it pains me to type because I do it so slowly.

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I created this blog some months ago. It was a cold winter’s day. I had decided to cook a big meal and figured I’m just going to take a lot of pictures and then I’m gonna put them on the Internet well, I took a lot of pictures. That wasn’t exactly the beginning though that wasn’t the moment this idea came from.

The moment was before then when I was sitting with my fella over a cocktail and some cheeseburgers discussing what to do next. We met and fell in love as every good story begins and he moved in. We had gotten to that moment where that part of our lives was figured out beautifully and I started to get anxious. I wanted to do something more, something different. He suggested I blog.

Fast forward. I then had the idea and the drive and the photos but, I just couldn’t get the focus to just sit and start then this morning happened.

I had made a grown-up phone call to my insurance company about my home. Everything was fine I just needed to check on some boring but important financial details. I figured it would be a quick call so I didn’t even sit down. She was on the other line so, I left a message. Boring ho-hum every day kind of stuff. I sat down in front of the computer figuring she’d get back to me shortly. I started digging around the Internet as you do then I realized I hadn’t even opened word press in attempt to do any bit of blogging in a couple of months. I figured I could just take a look at it because she’d call soon. She’d call really soon?

Well, she called and it took her just long enough to get back to me that I had keep me going in this process. Finish writing enough so I could post my first post which is what this will be.

I started this off with arguably my favorite Anais Nin quote. It is the moment I’ve had now. It is the end of this big molt I am at (molting can be challenging) and I am grateful. I’m here now. I’m excited to see what this brings with it. The photo is the last photo I took which brought the memory of her sentence. That made it so resonate deeply within. The photo is of the raspberries that grow wild in a section of my front yard. They’re starting, and today, so am I.

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