My Weblog

End of Season Sale!

The fall collection was temporarily put on hold, however I am busily working on new styles for Christmas and the holidays.

(Click on the image to enlarge)

 

Firsts

Lots of firsts happening at the Frye house, they’ve kept me away from my work and blog. I’m not complaining, most of them were loads of fun!  I * think* I’m back in the groove now.

First time graduate of Safety City. What a great resource for our community.

  

First job since Mini Me was born. Left my full time job shortly after she was born to be home then later started m.frye designs. The planets aligned, I got my wish and I’m working part time for Amy Butler. Yes, Amy Butler. Couldn’t be happier! I am such a dork lucky girl. Thanks Amy and crew, you are a wonderful group.

First day of Kindergarten. Why was I the only mom crying?! She loves it. It’s full day and I’m still getting used to all the hours of quiet each day.

                

 

First dance classes and soccer for Mini Me. Dad is coaching, we’re all having fun with it. Dance is just getting underway though already she thinks she’s a prima ballerina. She’s always interested in trying new things and we entertain them as much as (financially) possible.

               

 

First time for pneumonia. We took a weekend road trip to Pittsburgh… I thought the only thing we’d bring home were goodies from Ikea and a case of Yuengling. Mini Me had other plans and came home with pneumonia. What a shock, it came out of nowhere.

               

 First time we’ve been through a hurricane. Well, sort of. Central Ohio received wind gusts from hurricane Ike last Sunday, happened after returning from Pittsburgh. I shouldn’t complain as it was nothing like what the coast experienced, but we had quite the clean up. And loss of electricity, very unexpected. It only took three days to get our power back but some neighbors and 20,000 others in our county remain without. It’s been five days now, I really feel for them. After Mini Me gets home from school we’ll knock on their doors and check on them.

We also took a trip to the ER with Mini Me. I guess that’s a first too, just not one I want to brag about. The doctors and urgent care clinics were closed due to the power outage. It’s never fun to see your baby sick and we didn’t know what else to do. She was so brave, got her IV and assorted tests like a champ.

 All is just dandy now, it completely amazes me how quickly she snaps back from being sick. Fortunately the schools were closed for four days so she got lots of rest. And she can keep her perfect attendance record intact!

I’m worn out from all of our firsts but always looking forward to more. We’re in the groove now that school and activities are underway.

Life is good.

Visiting Italy

Sunday dinner was a trip to Italy, one of my favorite travel destinations. I've been lucky to visit twice, once with my husband on our honeymoon. I can't hardly wait until we take Mini Me someday. For dinner I made a delicious variation on lasagna, chicken and mushroom filling with bechemel sauce, and my favorite focaccia bread.

I love baking bread. It's so much better than store bought. My recipe is from an old Frugal Gourmet cookbook (Jeff Smith), the best I've tried thus far.

Focaccia

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 c. warm water (not hot, very warm!)
• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. olive oil, plus extra
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• topping of your choice***

*** Use what you like! Coarse salt, finely chopped garlic, chopped fresh herbs, thinly sliced tomato, kalamata olives, freshly ground pepper, anything goes!

Start by proofing the yeast. In a large bowl add the warm water, yeast and sugar. Give it a stir and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. The yeast will start working, you'll have a foamy, bubbly layer on top. (I'm impatient so I use the rapid rise yeast variety, but either type will work just fine.)

Add the flour, 1/4 c. oil and salt. Stir until well combined. Knead the dough on your work surface for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Add a smidgen of oil to the bowl, use it to coat the sides, then add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place it in a warm spot and let rise. My rapid rise yeast version takes about an hour.

When it's doubled, punch the dough down and knead for 1-2 minutes. The original recipe calls for a 9x13 pan but I prefer a thicker bread so I use a 10x10" pan. Just go with what you've got on hand. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Begin to stretch the dough and place it in the pan. You'll need to work with it, pressing and stretching, until it fits. If the dough isn't cooperating give it a minute to rest. The gluten will relax and it will be easier to work with. Cover with a towel and let rise until double.

Now comes the fun part.Toppings! I used what I had on hand, coarse salt, garlic, fresh thyme and sage, half a yellow tomato and of course, more olive oil.

After the second rise drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil top. I know, lots of olive oil here but you just can't have this bread without it! Next, using your fingertips punch holes throughout the dough, making craters. 

Then I sprinkled coarse salt on the whole loaf. On just half I added the garlic, tomato and herbs. I punched down that half again, just a bit, to get the tomatoes to sink in.

Let the dough rest another 10 minutes, then bake at 370 degrees until lightly browned. The 9x13" pan will take roughly 20-25 minutes. Then just cut, serve and enjoy! If you make a thicker bread you can slice it in half and use it for sandwiches, very yummy! I served mine with, what else, more olive oil, flavored with a good balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and fresh herbs.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

 

I {heart} cooking

Mom used to tell me I missed my calling, that I was destined to be a chef. I love cooking. Love it. What I don't love are the long hours a professional chef must spend in the kitchen, away from family and home. Maybe some day. It's still on my list of things to do when I grow up.

For now I found a new cooking outlet, Cook It Blog It, started by Patty of the fantastic Mod Kid clothing line (big fan). When I make something yummy in my kitchen not only do I get to indulge but also share my recipe and finished product. Sounds like fun!

Tonight we had friends over for Sunday dinner. That was a staple when I was growing up. I would have invited my parents instead but darling Mini Me brought Miss. Pink Eye home from camp. I think that has them scared away for a few more days! (Can't say I blame them.)

Mom cooked every meal and I remember that Sunday dinners were usually a bit more special. Many times we ate in the dining room for a change of pace. During my teenage years there were times I wished I was somewhere else, but the Sunday dinner tradition is something I learned to truly appreciate.

And I don't know about yours, but my mom is the best cook! There's still nothing better than going to my parents house for dinner. I'm grateful her cooking and sewing skills rubbed off on me.

I'll post my recipe and pictures tomorrow. The dishes are done, the kitchen is clean, time to go put my feet up. Mom, I don't know how you do it!

It's a SALE!

 

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Catching Up

It occurred to me last night as I was drifting to sleep that Mini Me will start kindergarten in just over a month. Yikes. How did that happen? Where has the summer gone?

Busy times for the Frye family.

Lots of shows.

 

Mini Me demonstrates how we all feel after the show. She was tuckered out!

We enjoyed the July 4th festivities in Granville, Ohio, including a carnival and watching my husbands band.

Finally found time for a weekend getaway, this time to Punderson Lodge and State Park in north east Ohio.

We're missing our Hilton Head vacation this year, so Mini Me made the most of her time at Punderson Beach. Binoculars included.

Adventures were found.

But most of all, we've been enjoying the summer. Hope you and your family are too!

Gulp!

Whew, I'm just up for air. I've been preparing for a two day show in Granville this weekend. No time for anything but sewing!

If you're in the Granville, Ohio area stop by and visit the Street Scenes. I'm there Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

Hope to see you there!

Surfing the day away

It's a sluggish Saturday here at the Frye house. It's humid and hot as an oven outside and we can't run the A/C. Yes, I admit I am spoiled and think I cannot live without air conditioning (Dad, I blame this all on you!). The repairman was just here yesterday, something is wrong with the blower again. It's closing in on 5:00, it's not looking good for today. Maybe that's a blessing in disguise. Wonder what they charge for a weekend service call?

Since I'm not in the mood to work I figured I'd do some mindless surfing instead. I found a fun meme on another blog, I swiped the idea and did my own.

The Questions

1. What is your first name?  Molly
2. What is your favorite food?  Italian
3. What high school did you go to?  Westerville North
4. What is your favorite color? right now I'm hooked on avocado green
5. Who is your celebrity crush?  Jude Law
6. Favorite drink?  wine
7. Dream vacation?  back to Italy
8. Favorite dessert? flourless chocolate cake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? fulfilled
10. What do you love most in life? family
11. One Word to describe you. impatient
12. Your Flickr name.  m.frye designs...this spot is blank because I haven't uploaded any photos yet!

Photo credits. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Want to try this yourself? Open three windows--one with the list of questions, one open to Flickr, and one open to Mosaic Maker. Create a moasic with 4 columns, 3 rows. Answer the first question, put your answer in the search field on Flickr and pick an image to represent your answer from the first page. Copy and paste that url into the #1 spot on Mosaic Maker. Continue for all 12 questions then click create and follow the links to post to your blog.