Vibrant Vegan Food in Portland
this Garlic Herb Vegan Cheese Spread recipe is a plant based version of the popular classic French Gournay cheese – Boursin and Alouette style!
Who grew up with foil wrapped discs of Boursin and tubs of Alouette in their fridge?
Around the holidays, “the fancy cheeses” appeared. Eight year old me considered them fancy.
Every time …
this Vegan Jambalaya is a spicy plant based inspiration of the classic Louisiana rice dish. ready for Mardi Gras – gluten and soy free.
There was a time I did not like spicy foods.
I know, right?
Actually, I think I just never gave them a chance, and certainly never cooked anything spicy or with any amount of heat. My …
Hot Chocolate Peppermint Shots – festive and fun for all of your holiday parties – fill with hot chocolate, spiked or not, or any other holiday beverage that pairs with mint!
My last beverage of the year is deliciously non alcoholic – a hot chocolate made with dark chocolate. Seeing as I bring it to you in a Candy Cane Shot Glass, I did include a variation on the recipe that does include that chocolate vodka… or rum. or peppermint schnapps.
Whatever floats your cocktail boat.
As much as I would like to …
Hosting or attending a party? Liquor Bottles on Ice is a fun and quick addition to any last minute prep you might be doing – super fun and festive.
This is one of my favorite over the top, super fun …
Dill Pickle Dip – a unique and flavorful dip that is always the surprise hit of the party! Tart and salty, it tastes just as you imagine it will!
What does it mean when we crave salt?
My craving was so big it drove me not only to buy a bag of Ruffles, I also conjured up this pickle perfection.
Since we were going to be out of the country from Thanksgiving to yesterday, and gone for most holiday festivities, we had a couple little happenings before we left.
I made this pickle dip for one of them, and after the initial strange looks from just about everyone, it was a big hit.
So simple, and just how I imagined the flavor would be. I made a …
Ginger Cranberry Sauce – replace the can with this quick and easy recipe! using fresh cranberries and fruit, and zesty flavors of lemon and ginger, this will become the new favorite at the holiday table!
Little Kristina always wanted to help “cook” at the holidays – my tasks included setting the table, preparing the classic Holiday Jello Salad, and plating cranberry sauce.
Even back then, I played up the irony of the canned sauce, leaving it in can form and serving it in the prettiest plate I could find – most often in an elaborate crystal serving dish. I would carefully carry it to the table as the can shape slid and wiggled around the plate.
Although I have wanted to make my own cranberry sauce, this year was the first time I actually did. I already cannot wait to make it again! First, it is so easy. Second, this stuff is amazing.
I picked up a box of fresh cranberries at the farmers market, along with some …
A couple years back I participated in Heather’s ornament exchange, as part of Handmade Christmas 2010.
I am SO glad I did. It was SO much fun, and completely pulled me out of my comfort zone of No Sewing.
I do not sew.
Well, I guess I do now. 😉
I must have known I’d love this, because I signed up for the maximum of five. I make five ornaments, I get five in return. Then I told Heather (because I love her and because she organized this) that I would make one for her too. So, six.
What will I make, what will I make? What have I gotten myself into?
So, I’d give anyone who reads regularly or knows me, a HALF a guess as to what I would make.
Okay, onto the tutorial.
Gather your tools: Embroidery thread, sharp scissors, a needle, a chopstick.
Gather your material: Felt and stuffing.
Gather your inspiration: Dachshunds Basil, Jake and Elwood.
Basil !
Jake !
Elwood !
um, Elwood giving me the side eye.
Elwood!
ah… the inspiration is my favorite. 😀
Draw your shape, in this case, a dachshund. make a stencil. Ink an outline onto felt.
Cut out your template. You will use as a guide to cut out all doxies.
You need two pieces of felt for each dachshund.
Fold over a piece of felt, pin down template doxie, cut.
Cut two ears.
Now you are ready to start sewing! I used the blanket stitch:
Bring the threaded needle from the back of the fabric through to the front at the desired distance from the edge – this determines the width of the stitch. I start from the inside the pieces of felt, so the knot doesn’t show.
To sew the first stitch, put the needle into the fabric from the front, the same distance from the edge as the thread came through in Step 1 and to the left. The distance between the two should remain consistent. When pulling needle / thread through, I stick my finger out to catch the loop before I pull all the way through.
Pass the needle through the loop and pull tight.
To sew the second stitch, put the needle through the back, at the same distance as the first, pull needle through to front, catching loop with finger and pass needle through loop. Pull tight. Repeat!
Then do the same stitching on each ear!
I actually stitched the ears first, then when I got to the top of each doxie head, I’d stitch the ears on as I went along… an ear for each side, flappable.
For these dachshund shapes, I began at the left of the belly, by the back leg, and sewed away from the belly all around the dachshund.
I take out the needle, but leave the thread in. After you stuff, you can keep sewing!
Ready to stuff!
Use very small amounts of stuffing at one time…
This is where the chopstick comes in.
Poke the stuffing into the leg, the tail if possible (the tail sticks up on its own), the head, front leg.
You need to hold the belly together to finish sewing…
Then sew a nose.
After the nose, stick the needle inside the head, poking out where you want the eye.
Sew an eye, poke through to the other side, sew another eye.
Well, Hello.
Hello Everyone!!
Next, pick another color of felt and cut a scarf.
Wrap around doxie, sew down in the middle, add a button. I used a silver charm on each one.
Using 1/8th inch satin ribbon, sew a hanger loop in the middle of the doxie back.
Completed Dachshund!
I made two for each recipient of the ornament exchange. I estimated they took about 2 1/4 hours each, and as I got into a groove, it was under 2 hours per pup.
I also made a few for a couple friends with dachshunds.
This one is custom:
I wish I had the time to make them for all the doxies I know!
