Pulse – Spring pasta with peas, ricotta and lemon

May 14, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Except from our – magnificent – trip to São Miguel (dispatch to follow) during our Easter holidays, there has been a lot of work going on here right now in ‘real life’, while my digital life has shifted to Instagram mostly these days. This won’t be the beginning of a lenghty complaint, but an explanation: My recreational program these days mostly consists of some knitting in the evening and short walks in the sun in the afternoon – in case it […]

Categories: grains & legumes, In the kitchen, pasta, seasons, spread, sauce & spice, spring, vegetable, vegetarian • Tags: carb, easy, fresh, green, legumes, lemon, pasta, pea, pulse, quick, ricotta, simple, spring, zest

Sweet, fresh, clean – Homemade orange cleaner

April 23, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Looks yummy? – Yes, but in this case it isn’t for drinking what brews in this jar. But for cleaning! Inspired by Lina Jachmanns book “Einfach leben. Der Guide für einen minimalistischen Lebensstil” I gave this natural homemade cleaner a try. For some years now not only our food, but all parts of our household are getting more and more eco-friendly, natural, waste reduced. Already when I got into natural DIY cosmetics, I realized that we actually don’t really need many fancy […]

Categories: cosmetics, craft & DIY • Tags: bathroom, biological, citrus, cleaner, cleaning, DIY, easy, healthy, household, kitchen, minimal, orange, organic, scent, vinegar

Sunny yellow – Pickled turmeric eggs

April 9, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Right for the Easter holidays the sun is coming out, bringing the nature to sprout and blossom. The warming sun goes straight into our heart after the long winter cold. The landscape is covered in green, white and yellow. And what would the Easter holidays be without coloured eggs that have to be searched for in the fresh grass? These pickled eggs aren’t hard to find, the bright yellow colour guides the way! But the turmeric doesn’t give them only […]

Categories: breakfast, dairy-free, gluten-free, In the kitchen, pantry, snacks & small dishes, spread, sauce & spice, vegetarian • Tags: brine, colour, easter, eggs, flavour, gift, kurkuma, marinate, pantry, pickled, present, preserving, sour, spice, turmeric, vinegarn

Jassa – Summer tote

March 16, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Ok, summer still is some months ahead, but spring is on its unstoppable way, trees are getting greener from day to day, blue crocuses, white spring snowflakes and snowdrops are sprouting and are heralding the new season (although they still carry ‘snow’ in their name). So, kind of naturally I feel torn again to colours. No better time for IKEA to launch their limited collection JASSA, a collection inspired of asian materials and techniques: rattan and bamboo furniture, colourful batik print […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, bags & totes, supplies • Tags: anna graham, asia, bag, batik, collection, colour, ethno, exotic, fabric, gingham tote, graphic, Handmade Style, ikea, indonesian, jassa, noodlehead, pattern, print, sewing, summer, tote

Homemade pasta mania

March 5, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Last weekend I spend with my best friend Anna and her sweet little daughter at my parents home. Besides of course sharing time with my parents and revelling in memories we had a clear mission: Letting my mother’s new pasta maker run hot! For two days we tested all of her matrices that form different shapes of pasta: Campanelle, Trulli, Spaghetti, Tagliatelle, Fusilli, Mafaldine, … We made all of them and a whole lot! We experienced with wheat and spelt semolina, made pasta […]

Categories: German/Swabian, In the kitchen, pasta • Tags: campanelle, culture, egg, food, fusilli, häussler, Heimat, home, homemade, lentil flour, machine, mafaldine, making, memory, noodle, pasta, semolina, south germany, swabian, tagliatelle, trulli

All black – Oilskin Explorer Tote

March 1, 2017 by nadel&gabel

When I saw Annas new pattern, the Explorer Tote, she – again – got me. I immediately could imagine the large version as a great weekender bag. I was thinking about sewing myself a new travel bag for a while. I was kind of fed up by the one I sewed about two years ago (similar to this one) which I use for smaller trips. It now felt just too much: too many colours and patterns, too floral. The new […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, bags & totes, supplies • Tags: bag, black, explorer tote, handle, merchant and mills, noodlehead, oil cloth, oilskin, pattern, recessed, sewing, stable, strap, sturdy, tarpaulin, tote, travel, waxed canvas, weekender, zipper

Girls only – Discrete little pouch

February 19, 2017 by nadel&gabel

This weekend I attempted a long overdue task: Tidying up my sewing materials. Bias tape, rivets and eylets, zippers and cotton webbing, velcro and cords – it had all become quite a mess lately, in which I had slightly lost orientation. No wonder that I made surprising discoveries during the cleaning up 😀 After this first step it was time to go through my collection of fabric scraps. Pleasant surprises here as well. The scraps reminded of former sewing projects of […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, wallets & pouches • Tags: discreet, easy, fabric, female, girls only, KAM snap, pouch, scrap, sewing, snap, tampon, trimming, tutorial, women

Hold out – Orange chocolate rolls

February 5, 2017 by nadel&gabel

You have to be attentive, look close, listen carefully. But then you will recognize them: The first signs of spring. They’re easily overlooked, but have you recognized the longer evenings, the beautiful red sunrises in the morning, the singing of the birds that get more voluminous each day, the scattered little flowers on the green? Not long anymore… But oh, these grey-in-grey rainy and foggy days in this late winter. Winter is in his last throes, nearly unbearable. It’s the […]

Categories: bread, breakfast, cake, cookie & dessert, In the kitchen, vegan, vegetarian • Tags: buns, chocolate, dough, marmalade, orange, recipe, rolls, sweet, yeast

The flow – Trail tote

January 29, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Panta rhei. Life is a flow. Most times it’s a steady flow, we’re floating in familiar waters. Perhaps you would prefer some more movement, a slight change of directions, but somehow it doesn’t happen. Are you even moving forward, is there any progress although you’re working for it? You can’t see it. But suddenly it’s there: It starts with a small swirl, you can sense some kind of acceleration … and suddenly things happen! Is ist just luck? Some kind of […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, bags & totes, wallets & pouches • Tags: bag, blue, easy, fabric, free, gütermann, long island flower, multipurpose, noodlehead, pattern, piping, pouch, sewing, SnapPap, tote, trail tote