{Ditzy Tuesday} Warm!

I love the look of this warm and smooshy scarf. No scarf is too thick for me at the moment!

Source: Chunky Oatmeal Infinity Scarf on Pinterest.

In The Kitchen : Tofu Jerky

On the weekend, I had a sudden impulse to make tofu jerky! I've made meat jerky before; tofu is quite a bit cheaper! I chose Portuguese Chicken flavour for the marinade:

I cut the tofu up into slices. I know from my experience with drying meat and vegetables that they shrink by up to half, so I kept the slices quite large:

I poured a bit of the marinade into a plastic container, but it was so thick it wouldn't come out! So I added some vinegar to thin it out a bit:

I alternated layers of tofu and marinade, making sure the tofu was thoroughly covered:

It's best to be generous with the marinade, as it will settle and you don't want any of your tofu to be exposed. I went ahead and put the whole bottle in, to make sure there weren't any gaps around the edges:

I put the container in the fridge overnight. The next day, I fished the tofu pieces out, wiped them off and laid them on the dehydrator. Even though it's a bit messy, I think it's best to use your fingers, as you don't want the tofu to break up:

I lined the base of the dehydrator with foil to catch any drips (I learned this the hard way after making beef jerky!) I laid out the tofu slices with space in between so they air nicely:

I left them in the dehydrator for about 6 hours, turning them half-way through (that's why they have marks on them). It's important to dry them enough so that they're chewy, but not so long that they go completely dry and hard. This is how they looked at the end:

If it was meat, I would have thrown the marinade away. But as tofu is non-meat, it's safe to save and use for something else (we used it as a sauce for sausages and mash).
The tofu jerky came out quite well. Yum! I found it an interesting snack for when I need some protein - different to the nuts I normally eat, and definitely more convenient compared to tofu as it comes normally.

Your Inner (Or Outer) Geek!

Today is Geek Pride Day. So get your towels out and use the force! It's been ages since I did a mosaic, so I thought I'd do one dedicated to Geeky handmade products from Etsy, whether they be computer geek, sci-fi geek, science geek or un-categorisable geek:

Credits:

Column A	Column B
Circuitboard Tie by ScatterBrain Ties.	Fake Moustache and Glasses Kit by Funny Side of Life.
Booky Badges by BeanForest.	Wine Cushion by Yellow Bug Boutique.
Robot Riding Triceratops T-shirt by Happy Family.	Day of the Dead Ereader Cozy by Rockin Mama.
Geeky Glasses Necklace by Emowieh.	Spock Monkey Sewing Pattern by The Sock Drawer.

{Ditzy Tuesday} Shark Attack!

My obsession with warm, woolly things continues! Apparently now it's the coldest winter in 30 years, so that makes sense. How fun would these shark mittens be?!

{Ditzy Tuesday} Warm Those Tootsies

Is it Tuesday again already? Wow! Last night I stepped out of the bath and the shock of the cold nearly undid all the good the hot water had done. So I think I'd like to make one of these for my bathroom floor:

{Ditzy Tuesday} Friday Edition!

I know it's not Tuesday, but I just wanted to share with you this lovely necklace I just bought from Etsy. I also bought a half-matching teacup ring and I can't wait til they arrive!

{ Monthly Zakka } - Shiny Socks

Zakka : A Japanese term, literally "many things". An everyday object that, with its whimsy and charm, improves one's home, life or appearance. It makes you smile whenever you use it.
Monthly : Here, "monthly" means whenever I feel like it, or whenever I finish a project that I feel could be described as Zakka.

This month's zakka is a pair of socks I've made. I made them with variegated acrylic yarn in pink, blue and yellow that I was given a while back. At the cuffs I added in some fluffy eyelash yarn which happened to match. They're deliciously horrendous, but every time I wear them they make me smile to think that I made them myself. And they keep my feet warm, which is pretty important seeing as we're about to have the coldest winter here in possibly 10 years.

{Ditzy Tuesday} Cold Stuff

Faux fur is all the rage this winter, apparently. I prefer this knitted version and if I can't find a pattern for it, I might just have to try and make it up myself!

{Ditzy Tuesday} It's Getting Cold in Here

The weather's getting colder, I'm really starting to feel the need for warm accessories, and these arm warmers are adorable!