They're coming. Soonish.

One more post about clothes - I like this shirt from Old Navy so well I went back and got a couple more colors. In the store this is called the Perfect Fit V-Neck. It's made of a soft lightweight cotton, it stretches and hugs in all the right ways, and when paired with a tank top it has a neckline that Susannah would approve of.

I was finally unpacking my offce things and looked up to discover this little accidental drama playing out on my shelf: The pear is from Loobylu and the Monster Tooth is from the Sew Dorky School of Dentistry. Stuart was commissioned by Cupcake Royale to make these awesome plush cupcakes, they are limited edition and that means super special.

I read this article about a locally (to Seattle) made pizza dough you can purchase at grocery stores ages ago, and I finally got around to picking some up last weekend. It was good. And look, it comes in whole wheat as well. The dough is frozen and takes 4 hours to thaw, after which you simply roll it out. The package comes with tips and cooking instructions. I made two smaller pizzas and the crust bubbled up nicely, it was chewy and crunchy in all the right spots. Even though making your own dough might be faster this creates fewer dishes to wash, so it's a toss up for me.

I stopped by REI today looking for something else entirely, but discovered a new entry for the Non-Animal Fiber But Still Soft and Warm sweater collection. This one is a zip up hoodie made up of an acryic and nylon mix with a little bit of spandex, I got it in brown. It passed the just dried off from the shower tender skin test, and I am looking forward to wearing it on strolls through the trees at the arboretum. REI had a good selection of synthetic fiber sweaters, including that spongy Muppet chenille which I like to feel of but cannot see myself wearing out of the house. While I was out I discovered some very cute patterned file folders on sale at Old Navy for 25 cents, there were also notebooks and gift boxes in the same line marked down to under 2 dollars.

I managed to burn the bejeezus out of my thumb yesterday. The oven was set to 500 degrees to make (delicious broccoli, sausage and ricotta*) calzones and a wardrobe malfunction of the pot holder occurred while I was moving the oven rack, causing me to touch my thumb to the very hot metal. Owwwuch. So, here is what I've learned about what to do when you are the unfortunate recipient of a second degree burn: run under cool water for at least five minutes, after that keep a cool, wet compress on it until the pain, oh the pain, subsides. In my case I soaked a washcloth in cold water, put it in a bowl and kept my thumb on it through a few hours of Tivo. If you burn yourself and there is no pain you need to seek medical help right away, but you'll probably be aware of that.

If this second degree burning thing happens to you, and I hope it does not, know that every time you remove the affected area from the cool water it will hurt like it's burning from the inside, but this feeling goes away. This was verified by a third-party anecdote involving gray ashes concealing red hot coals!! In my case the pain slowly went away and I was able to fall asleep without having my thumb submerged in ice water (not a good idea, I'm sure). When I woke up it was just a red and sort of blistery spot.

My thumb is wrapped up like a 3M mummy and I have doctors orders to avoid putting the digit to unnecessary use, which puts a dent in my Halloween baking plans. I've been putting a lot of "error" baking sessions in and I'm close to being able to reveal my plans, but since I'm being careful with my thumb I'm not sure I'll be able to finish them. But I did have a few no-bake variations so perhaps I can just make those fabulous?

Silver lining: I have discovered that really smart people who make those silicone oven mitts have started offering them in petite versions for shorter fingers like mine. See petite versions of: OXO fabric and silicone mitt and the iSi Orka silicone mitt.

Were the calzones worth it? Yes, nearly.


* from Baking Illustrated.

Mmm, pumpkin sage cream sauce, via Posie Gets Cozy.


A stacked ring to make a BLT, I kinda want this. at Cool Hunting.


Recommendations on where to get the best dessert in Seattle, I can second that recommendation for the El Diablo at Tango.


Good buffing pads for your feet, at Awesome!

left: Thorax Cake from They're Coming, right: Long Pig from I Make Project's Halloween Supper. Yikes.

I put up a post at Readymade all about extra disgusting food for Halloween. I think I'm a little overwhelmed by the food served inside of rib cages.