We went for the fledgling democracy, but stayed for the stuffed pigeon.

A couple of weeks ago we took the subway downtown in search of real Egyptian food. We went to a little place called  Felfela. It was a pretty cute place and the food was decent. I got meatballs and Koshari.  Koshari is an Egyptian dish of rice, lentils, garbanzo beans, and pasta. They pour a tomato and garlic sauce on it and top it with fried onions. It is common food in Egypt and you can find it just about anywhere.  It is nothing spectacular, but it is good stick to your ribs food. 

My food was alright, and the girls seemed happy with their choices.  My youngest loves the local preparation of lentil soup and my older daughter is always happy when she can have spaghetti with meat sauce. I wish that my husband could have said the same about his meal.  He had something more daring in mind.

Ever since we watched the Anthony Bourdain Egypt episode, he has been wanting to try stuffed pigeon, a local specialty. When his plate came to the table, he licked his lips in anticipation of what he expected to be a life changing meal.  His experience was nothing like the show, however. He dined on a tough, gamey bird stuffed with lord only knows what while the bird's friends and relatives watched from a nearby cage.

When my older daughter realized that my husband was dining on a "rat with wings" she was at first appalled and then she got the giggles.  She kept glancing at the cage nearby and laughing.  We were all cracking up by the end of the meal.  Even my husband laughed as he choked down bites of squab that seemed more of a burnt offering than a culinary one.

On our way out we stopped to watch the cook make falafel. Then the girls posed with this incredibly creepy statue of a man smoking shisha.   

With bellies full of rock dove and regret, we headed back to Ma'adi on the Metro.  We picked up the subway right next to a side of Tahir Square you don't see in the media... The side where they sell t-shirts emblazoned with images of Sponge Bob, Che Guevara, and the martyrs of the Egyptian Revolution without even a hint of irony.

Cheers,
Jenn


Here are the Anthony Bourdain Egypt videos in case anyone is interested.  There is a segment about the pigeon near the end of the first video.. and he talks about Kusharie at the end of the first video and beginning of the second.  Enjoy!

It has been a long time since I've written anything for this blog.  I have been busy writing crochet patterns, and trying to get some creative ventures launched before Christmas. So far I have only sold a couple of toys and I haven't sold any patterns yet, but I'll be patient, success doe not happen overnight.  So far I've published 3 patterns in my Ravely store.  Hopefully something will come of all the hard work.    

My basketry class for BOW went wonderfully. I met lots of really nice women and they have invited me back to teach again at the next BOW in March.  I also sold the above batch of toys, a crocheted frisbee and two of my baskets in the fund raising auction and made over $215 for the program.  I had a good time and I look forward to doing it again in the Spring.

Here is a link to the Becoming and Outdoors Woman page.  You can use it to find a BOW near you.

Over the past few weeks I've cooked a lovely Paella with mussels and shrimp,  I made some lovely chilaquiles with New Mexico style green sauce, and I made this stunning hat for your amusement.  I will post my recipe for the chilaquiles soon... and if you are interested in my crochet patterns and more about my basketry you should check out my other blog Worth a Knit.

Cheers,
Jenn

Weaving Baskets in the Woods...

Well I'm off for a wild weekend of weaving baskets in the woods.

I'm leaving tomorrow and heading off to my favorite retreat... Becoming an Outdoors Woman. This will be my first time at BOW as an instructor and I'm a little bit nervous but I must say that I'm excited as well.

I will be back on Sunday with stories and photos to share.

Cheers,
Jenn

Basketry, Little Creatures and a Trip to the Dentist.

Life has been hectic so I've been taking a break from my blog.

Here is what I've been up to.

I went to the dentist yesterday and it looks like I might be able to postpone the dental surgery for a while. I've been taking good care of myself and it has paid off. I'll have a follow up in 3 months and I'll know more then... but for now I feel good about it.

I have been preparing my basketry materials to teach a class for BOW. I'm very excited about this and I have been collecting, dying, and buying supplies for the two classes I'll be teaching over the weekend. I have been posting a tutorial on my other blog... Worth a Knit and there will be more stuff to come after my class is over.

I have also been crocheting up a storm for online and local sales. I just put a display at a local coffee shop and I have been talking to a popular local gift store about selling some of my handmade toys on consignment. The owner liked my work so hopefully when I have a enough ready I can bring some in for her. I also need to make a few to try out in my Etsy shop and really get that rolling again.



The toys that I'm making right now I also design... so I have been writing up the patterns, taking photographs and trying to create a professional looking pdfs so that I can sell my patterns online. I have had success with the free patterns I've put on Ravelry so I'm hoping that someone will like my work enough to purchase PDFs of the pattern for a couple of bucks.

I still continue to play hard, cook good food, and enjoy my family... I just haven't had the time to write as much about it.

Cheers,
Jenn

My heart goes out to all the Texans out there that have lost their homes (and in a few cases more) in these tragic wildfires. It has been a rough couple of weeks for many people in the Lone Star State.

Jenn

I love weaving baskets!

I love weaving baskets

Cheers,
Jenn

My Busy Summer

My writing has been much more sporadic lately. I just seems like I don't have enough hours in the day to keep up with all my projects. I haven't been cooking as much either... it is just too hot for that. We have been trying to keep dinner as simple as possible.

So what have I been up to? Well the typical summer fun... swimming, playing in the river, grilling on the patio, and in the mornings when it's cool enough we try to venture out for a walk or some geocaching... but we have also done a lot of arts and crafts and hanging out inside.

I have also been keeping myself busy with my various crafts. I'm teaching a basketry class tomorrow at the public library and I'll be teaching two more in September for TPWD. I've also been working on designing some new toys and games so that I can get my Etsy shop up and running again. Previously my husband and I just sold greeting card, but we decided to branch out. I'm going to be making small toys and games, and I plan on getting it all up and running again early next week. I'll be posting more about that later along with photos from my basketry class... but until then here are some examples of what I've been working on.

I haven't stayed out of the kitchen entirely. I did manage to whip up this last night with Italian sausage and tomatoes from the farmers market.



For anyone interested in basketry I will have a free tutorial available on my other blog... Worth a Knit... sometime next week.

What has been keeping you busy this summer? Leave a comment and tell me about it.

Cheers,
Jenn