Thoughtfully handmade items by Miss Bojambo

Confession: I stare at people, mostly women. I think people are so interesting and beautiful. Whereever I am, I catch myself staring. I also love sifting through old photographs while thrifting. I usually unearth some wildly humorous photos perfect for personal letters or cards, interesting compositions, or unforgettable faces that inspire untold stories and pictures.

It never occurred to me that my interest in people was odd. More so, that many people aren't entirely comfortable hanging a picture, drawn, painted, or photographed, of a stranger in their collection of artwork and prints. I've been told by someone, " Your work looks like they are actual people to me but I don't know them so it makes it weird to hang on my wall." Having heard many people comment similarly to this, I wonder, aren't all human subjects used for artwork "actual people"? Why are my actual people any different from the actual people that grace so many other portraits?

There are countless portraits of famous actors and actresses, iconic artists, historic figures, and mysterious lads and lasses captured by artists throughout history. For the most part, most of us do not personally know the subject or the artist, but they are certainly actual people. Yet we welcome the imagery into our homes, onto out walls, on cards, cups, and all things in between and it's not considered weird.

Must we know about the person in the portrait to like it? Do they have to be an icon? Does the person have to be someone we idealize? Could it be the mystery of not knowing the person in the portrait what intrigues us? Am I the only person who collects portraits of strangers where the subject and artist are unknown. Are the portraits I create different because I myself am an unknown artist (in comparison to the big wigs) with unknown subjects. It's a possibility, but I really have no idea.

It seems that for most people an iconic figure must in some way feel familiar, as though the subject were a friend or acquaintance, since we are so frequently exposed to them. I could see that making it much easier to welcome the imagery into your own intimate space. Would you prefer to hang a Marilyn or a Norma Jeane on your wall?

♥ Miss Bojambo

I am equipped with the following Lonely Planet guide books: Peru, Provence, and Tanzania because they are all places that I dream of visiting!

I began playing the flute in the 4th grade and went through a pan flute phase. When I think of Peru, I hear a pan flute playing music from the Andes. I never ended up with a pan flute, but would be more than delighted to hear live local music in Peru! I dream of exploring the Inca trail, soaking in the vibrant culture, and finding me some pan flute action!

I'll be honest, ever since my first French class in the 7th grade I have been madly in love with France and terrible at French. I imagine visiting Provence and eating exceptional food, drinking rich wines, and swimming in seas of lavender. I can't imagine a more romantic and moving place. I dream of indulging myself in the same vistas that inspired so many great artists, too many to name.

When I was a little girl I dreamed of living in Africa with the animals. I wanted to wake up one day and be a big, beautiful wild cat. I know that I am never going to magically transform into a wild cat, but going on safari in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania could pay tribute to my childhood desires and be my greatest adventure!

Where do you dream of traveling to?

♥ Miss Bojambo

Although I don't welcome spiders into my home (within my line of view), I really appreciate their work ethic and design aesthetic. Bravo you little dream weaver.

♥ Miss Bojambo

While in Portland, Oregon this past weekend, I stopped in a little shop by the name of relish. Although they primarily deal with interior design, the store has a wealth of home decor items and gifts within its colorful walls. That's where I found this gem of a terrarium by Space Design Botanicals.

♥ Miss Bojambo

Serves 8 to 12

1¾ cups all purpose flour
  2  cups sugar
 ¾  cup unsweetened cocoa
1½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
  1  teaspoon salt
  2  eggs
  1  cup milk
 ½  cup vegetable oil
  1  teaspoon vanilla
  1  cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by rubbing with butter, sprinkling with flour and tapping out extra. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon then set aside. In small bowl combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat well with hand mixer. Slowly add boiling water and mix. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and fold and stir until smooth. Pour batter into pans, dividing evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove cake from pans and cool on racks.

Topping/filling

  2  to 4 tablespoons strawberry jam
  1  pint strawberries, tops removed, thinly sliced
      reserve 3 strawberries, tops removed
 ½  cup sugar
 ½  cup blueberries

In a bowl combine thinly sliced strawberries with sugar. Cover; let stand in refrigerator for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place first layer of cake on cake stand. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of strawberry jam evenly over surface. Lay a thin layer of strawberries evenly over jam, place second layer of cake over strawberries. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of strawberry jam evenly over surface. Make a ring of strawberries along the outer edge of cake, fill in with blueberries. Place remaining 3 strawberries at the center of cake.

♥ Miss Bojambo

Like many Americans on the fourth of July, I committed myself to the time old tradition of barbecuing. That's right, my friends, no crafting on Independence Day! I brought my best effort to the kitchen and had a blast making, eating and photographing my BBQ dinner.

With BBQ season in front of us, I thought I would share some awesome and easy summer dishes. Check Back for my chocolate layer cake dessert. Enjoy!

Serves 8
Olivada, an Italian olive spread, add flavor and color to this side dish.

   1 garlic clove, peeled
   2 cups coarsely chopped pitted green olives
   3 tablespoons capers, drained
   1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
   1 teaspoon anchovy paste
   1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
 ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
 ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
   1 pound gemelli, fusilli, or rotelle pasta
   1 8-ounce paclage small (cherry-size) fresh mozzarella balls in water
   2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

With machine running, add garlic clove to processor through feed tube and process until finely chopped; turn off machine. Add 1 cup chopped olives, capers, red wine vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard, and crushed red pepper. Using 6 on/off turns, process to chop coarsely. With machine running gradually add ½ cup olive oil, forming coarse puree. Transfer to bowl; stir in remaining 1 cup olives. Season olivada to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Olivada can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
   Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Transfer drained pasta to a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil over pasta; toss to coat. Cool, stirring occasionally.
   Add olivada, halved tomatoes, mozzarella, and oregano to pasta; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 8
A kernel of truth: Don't grill corn in the husk. The high, dry heat of the grill caramelizes the sugars, imparting an amazing smoky flavor, but only when you expose the kernels directly to the fire.

   8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
   1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
   1 teaspoon ground cumin
   1 tablespoon honey
 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
 ½ teaspoon coarse kisher salt
 ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
 ¼ teaspoon onion powder
   8 ears of corn, husked

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add chile powder and cumin; stir 10 seconds. Transfer to a bowl; stir in honey and cool.
   Add oregano, coarse salt, granulated garlic, onion powder, and 6 tablespoons butter to butter mixture. Mix until smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature.
   Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill corn until charred in spots, turning often, about 13 minutes. Transfer corn to platter. Serve with honey-ancho butter.

Serves 4
30 minutes plus marinating

1¾ pounds boneless chicken thighs with skin on, cut into 32 pieces
 ½ cup dry white wine
  2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for grill - For a cool way to oil the grate, impale half onion on the end of a long fork, dip it in vegetable oil, and run it across the bars of grate.
   1 cup finely chopped peeled and seeded cucumber (from 1 medium)
 ⅓ cup finely chopped arugula
 ⅓ cup finely chopped pitted Gaeta or Kalamata olives
 ¾ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
 ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a large bowl, combine chicken, wine, garlic, and rosemary; stir to combine. Cover mixture and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
   Prepare a charcoal grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas).
   Thread chicken onto 8 skewers; season with salt and pepper. Grill skewers on lightly oiled grill rack, turning frequently, until chicken is evenly cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer skewers to a large serving plate.
   In a bowl, stir together cucumber, arugula, olives, thyme and red pepper flakes. Spoon mixture over skewers.

♥ Miss Bojambo

My waistline is growing and the root of the problem is my resolution to eat healthier. After being influenced by movies and books revealing the truth about where our food is really coming from, my bf and I found ourselves wanting to learn more about the food we were choosing to eat, in addition to actually changing how and what we eat.

Since we used to eat out or order in, it was a quite a change of pace to begin cooking daily from scratch. Our shopping experience at the grocery store completely changed... I can't even remember what we used to buy before our food reform. Was it food? Now we only buy fresh produce and grass fed meats from the right sources. We stick to the outer aisles of the grocery store - what do they keep in the middle anyway?

With our new found passion for eating healthier and cooking from home we've become quite the pair of chefs! We love to explore and treat ourselves to wonderfully rich flavors from all around the world - and boy do we ever treat ourselves. Why shouldn't we - we are cooking from scratch at home. That's supposed to be healthier, right? Right, but what we overlooked while eating healthier with out expanding tummies, is that we like the food we prepare better than what we used to eat when we ate out or ordered in. And to top it off we always make more than enough, so seconds became part of the routine.

We were baffled at our growing waistlines. We never considered that while we were making healthier choices with what we were eating, it was possible for us to be eating more and harming ourselves. Luckily we've seen the error in our ways - finally read the fine print! We have made a point to make less food, serve smaller portions, not go back for seconds ... most of the time, and run every other day. Yes, we started the Couch to 5K training! We set out to change the way we are living our lives and we did!

Many of you probably figured all of this out ages ago, but if you haven't already acquainted or reacquainted yourself with your kitchen, here are some of the sources that inspired us to change the way we eat and more importantly the way we live.

♥ Miss Bojambo

Dear Friends,

I have been cooped up at home and offline. I purchased the above book and have since been enraptured in spring cleaning and home projects. The book is an guide to curing/improving your home in eight weeks - step by step. My work load is intense and bordering on insane, but I just can't stop the projects I've been so inspired to complete! I am making so many improvements to my home, but I think It's time to look up and away from the book before I miss my stop - if you catch my drift. Many apologies for wandering off, but you know what it's like to start an amazingly addictive project - C'est magnifique!

Stay tuned for some before & after photos from my recent home projects!

♥ Miss Bojambo

I downloaded an application onto my iphone thinking it would enable me to take photographs that I could share via twitter throughout my bf's, mine, and our two cats journey from San Francisco, California to Seattle, Washington. I was wrong, but I do think I will share a bit of the journey now - I mean, I've got the photos!

We left San Francisco at around 7:30ish am, after stopping for a light bite and much welcomed coffee, we hit the open road. Roux and Simone were packed forward between the driver and passenger seats in their "to the vet" carrier with a puppy training pad - just in case. They were a little uncomfortable at first, but slept through most of the 14-15 hour drive, and eventually molded themselves into one giant ball of cat.

Driving through California took a while, but I was thoroughly entertained by Mount Shasta. It just kept getting bigger! The first photo is while we were approaching the mountain and the second photo was once we had passed the mountain. The third photo is of a group of horses. I love horses, but I was also bored and have way too many unidentifiable photos.

Once we made it to Oregon things started to get a little slow. There just wasn't much to hold my attention for hours at a time! We blazed through Portland and I managed to capture the "Entering Washington" sign. The home stretch was intense. There was a beautiful sunset, but the sky was black by the time we actually made it to Seattle. I didn't want to simply take squiggly light photos from the car, hence the no downtown Seattle photos at night. We made it home around 10:30pm with sore butts, sleepy kitties who perked up once they were rid of the cage, and a lot of unloading to do!

♥ Miss Bojambo

I just stumbled upon my cat , Roux, passed out in a pool of sun. It's a beautiful day here in Seattle.