Plotting and Scheming

Good friends, I've been a slacky blogger. A busy, project-laden slacky blogger. Apologies.

But.

I've been off the radar working on some bigger projects that can't easily be captured here at Done! By Drew. Drop me an e-mail for a taste.

In the meantime, I'm continuing to photograph all my Done! projects and will return to full posts soon (read: I'm not sure when, but I intend to come back).

Thank you! by Drew

Ham Pinwheels

eed a quick, easy appetizer? This one is a crowd-pleaser and took about 20 minutes to whip up. Next time, I might try adding some slices of roasted red peppers or blanched asparagus.

2 blocks light cream cheese (room temperature)
1 packet ranch dressing mix
5 large spinach tortillas
1/4 lb deli ham, sliced

Combine cream cheese and dressing mix. Spread on tortillas and top with ham slices, roll. Seam side down, slice into 1" rounds.

Tomato and Scallion Frittata

ou might be getting tired of hearing me talk about how much I love tomatoes, so I thank you for bearing with me. But come on, good friends - oven roasted sugary, caramelized bursty goodness? HOW can this be beat?

This is variation #2 of the frittata recipe from earlier this week. It is truly delightful, and I do hope you'll give it a go.



You'll note that the top is light and the bottom is dark - I attribute this mostly to my gorgeous new cast iron skillet. It does cook a little hotter than my lighter weight stainless steel pan. That said, let's think for a second about what browning means - its the sugars and proteins breaking down and caramelizing where they make contact with the pan. In this case, scallions have been hanging out in the pan, releasing all those yummy sugars, which then cook into a gorgeously developed flavor. Yum!



1 T Olive Oil
1 bunch scallions, sliced (1 C)
2 C cherry or grape tomatoes
Course salt and ground black pepper
8 large eggs, lightly beated
1 C shredded cheddar cheese

1) Preheat oven to 425 F. In a 10-inch oven-proof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add scallions, season with salt and pepper and cook until scallion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes to warm through.

2) Add eggs and cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are soft, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes. Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Finished Jasmine Kimono

inally, I finished the Jasmine Kimono. It was a Christmas gift for my niece, and according to my sister it fit perfectly. I did a poor job of getting photos of Em wearing it with the cute long-sleeved T-shirt I bought to go under it. But, if any of you remembered the beginning phases, here's how it turned out:

Potato and Leek Frittata

iven my love for baked goods, trying new recipes, frugality, and sustaining myself through cooking, I was indescribably excited to find a frittata recipe that reinvented itself twice over.



The first version, however, was a dud. I like baked egg dishes, but this lacked flavor. Boo. The next two iterations are much tastier. However. The hotly trending pattern in all this, of course, is that I loved the side dish FAR more than the entree. I combined a bag salad with red grapefruit segments. The dressing is a combination of 1 T mustard (horseradish, to be specific), 1 T honey (clover), a few cranks of black pepper and 1/2 t salt, Result? Dreamy salad days.

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine

The frittata will appear to be mostly liquid on top when you transfer it to the oven. but as long as the edges are set, the edges will finish cooking evenly.


1 T Olive Oil
1 leek (white and light-green parts only) halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and thinly sliced (1 C)
2 C cooked, cubed, peeled potatoes
Course salt and ground black pepper
8 large eggs, lightly beated
1/2 C part-skim ricotta

1) Preheat oven to 425 F. In a 10-inch oven-proof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add leek and potato, season with salt and pepper and cook until leek is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2) Add eggs and ricotta, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are soft, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes. Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

New Year, New Calendar

ot much of a "Done!" project, but I want to show you what I bought for my office. Each year it gets harder for me to find wall calendars for home and office that are space-appropriate and will work in their respective designs. This year, I decided to thumb my nose at big calendar publishers and opt not to buy a 2011 High School Musical calendar, but instead, to support a small-business owner and artist. The Etsy shop is Many Mugs, which you can find here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/manymugs?ref=pr_shop

The calendar I bought:



And how it looks in my office:



I love it because it is all photos of found objects. I like the perpetual function, which allows me to use the same 42 tiles each month over and over. The color palate is the same as just about everything else in my office, but specifically it complements the large painting over my desk. In all, I'm quite pleased with my choice.

Fabric-Covered Canisters

atmeal canisters become the perfect storage containers to repurpose for storing anything you can imagine - in my case, knitting needles I'm not using, or even yarn, scissors, patterns and supplies for current knitting projects. No doubt you'll find plenty of uses for this terribly useful project.



1) Measure your canister, adding two inches to the top and four inches to the side.



2) Cover your table in newspaper (ideally, one that features an interview with Will Arnett). Press a 1" hem on the top and bottom edges.



3) Open pressed seams and lightly coat with spray adhesive to secure.



4)Continue to spray entire area of fabric, starting at one end, and adhere to canister. Work in small sections to keep process manageable.



5) It helps to line up the bottom of the canister first, since it will be exposed.



6) Fold the remaining side hem under, press, and spray. Since this will also be exposed, its worth lining up neatly.