Pyrex Delphite Casserole with Lid!

With all the vintage Pyrex I have accumulated, would it surprise you to hear that I just recently bought my first piece off eBay this month?

You might remember that I scored the bottom dish part of the prized Delphite Casserole dish at Value Village over two years ago for a mere five bucks. I used it in my garden to help me grow garlic and for a whole bunch of other things, like as a popcorn dish.

I've been waiting patiently for an opportunity to buy the lid and finally found one well priced on eBay. I was very nervous about it arriving in one piece, but as you can see, the seller packed the box full of peanuts and used plenty of bubble wrap.

I was pretty thrilled to see that beautiful blue colour peeking through the plastic.

Look at how that gorgeous lid fits on my piece! I scored the lid for $10 and the shipping was reasonably priced as well. I have seen this set sell for around $100 on the same auction site.

I'm so glad to have reunited these pieces, and so relieved about my first eBay Pyrex Purchase success!

SixBalloons Baby Announcement!

Hi Everyone, it has been a little quiet here at the blog the last couple weeks because we have some wonderful news... It's a Boy!

Mr. SixBalloons and I are the proud new parents of a little boy and we are over the moon. This may also explain my little blogging absence in the summer when I was dealing with the first part of the pregnancy. =)

I haven't been out thrifting lately, but I am still using my vintage goodies. Storing milk containers in the fridge is made a bit more tidy with my little Pyrex Delphite refrigerator dish.

I am a bit weird about posting personal photos on this site, so I probably won't be sharing any pics of our little bundle of joy. Hope that's alright, and that you'll all be patient with me while I work on getting into our new routine... I still have plenty of goodies to blog about and I'll try to be back soon!

Linking up to HLA's Flea Market Finds!

DIY Mesclun Salad

I harvested my first "crops" of the season and made myself a salad! This is my first year growing mescluns so I am pretty excited.

The cute little leaves are so tender, and it does taste better than the greens prewashed and boxed at the supermarket. It is shown above in a cereal bowl with my Pyrex Delphite side dish as a plate charger!

I have been growing them in a shady spot in my front yard in a planter, surrouding some little Carrot seedlings. This is what it looked like a week before harvest:

I'm really encouraged by this bit of growth, because we have had an unusual Spring in Vancouver. It has been too cold to put tomatoes and peppers out, but we had a couple days of heat last week that caused my lettuces and mustards to bolt. Can't win 'em all I guess.

My favourite way to eat salads is with some good olive oil, red wine vinegar or balsamic, plus salt and pepper. Is anyone out there having success in their veggie gardens yet?

Dansk Kobenstyle Pot and more Pyrex Delphite!!

I had a ridiculous morning of thrifting at the annual St. George's Mayfair. I talked about it last year in a previous post, but it's basically an event put on by a posh private boys school in a quiet, wealthy Vancouver neighbourhood.

The school grounds are laid out with tents on the outside, and makeshift marketplaces in the school classrooms. I arrived early this year and stood in line in the pouring rain for about 20 minutes, paid my $2 admission, and rushed in.

I was scouring the housewares section and saw a young fellow talking to the volunteer sales lady about a Dansk Kobenstyle chocolate brown enamelled piece! I almost yelped, as it looked like I had just missed out. Overhearing the conversation, I was almost getting sick to my stomach - the guy was saying he wanted to use it as a compost container in his kitchen, as it would be easy to carry outside to dump into his compost bin. Ugh.

Luckily for me, his wife or girlfriend whizzed by and quickly dismissed his idea. Ouch for him, Yay for me. As I was still hovering, he shrugged and said, she's the boss! I quickly said, "if you're not taking that, I'm interested!"  I purchased this piece for 50¢.  FIFTY CENTS! No wonder he was thinking it could only be a garbage bin!

I had been pining after a Dansk Kobenstyle piece for quiet some time. The Danish design by Jens Quistgaard is from the 1960s and is sought after by Mid Century Modern lovers. The lid is intended to act as a trivet, although I'm not sure I would want to risk scratches to the enamel. Even the handles on these pieces are simplistic and beautiful. Dansk Kobenstyle pans and pots have thinner walls than Le Creuset, and these old pieces are therefore usually seen with chips to the enamel. This particular piece unfortunately has some interior damage, but I still think it was a great score for 50¢.

I was also able to pick up yet another Pyrex Delphite piece. I can't believe this little Fridgie was waiting for me. You see, after I purchased my Kobenstyle, I left the Marketplace for housewares, and headed to the Treasure Trove area. Treasure Trove is the hand picked goodies section for expensive items like antique teacups and saucers. I walked in thinking that I would just look around, since it is typically very overpriced. For example, I saw my Pyrex Dandelion divided dish for $30. I understand the original two-candle warmer and lid were included and it was a complete set, but Mr. SixBalloons bought me mine for a tenth of the price!

When I was in the Treasure Trove last year, I saw the same Pyrex Delphite piece, and at $5, I had to leave it behind. It was not in perfect condition, with two scratches on the rim. If you can believe it, they had the same piece there this morning, marked at $2. I guess nobody else bought it last year! In reality they should have placed it in Marketplace at that price, but I happily paid the cost and went on my merry way.

I had a great morning thrifting away at Mayfair. I avoided most of the crowds by going early and skipping the books, toys, and clothing area, which traditionally have large lineups and nutty crowds. The only wistful thing I can recall about today is that I left behind a lamp that may have been a Lotte Bostlund, another Mid Century Modern darling. It was $5, came with a hideously mismatching lamp shade, and it was one of the first things I saw when I entered Marketplace. After I picked up my Quistgaard piece, I made my way back and it was gone. Well, that's part of the thrill of thrifting, isn't it? If you snooze, you lose, but I still feel great about my little thrift haul.

Linking up to ATG's Thrift Share Monday!

Pyrex Delphite Blue Plates

Hello Readers! I am a little late with my regular Monday post as I had a very busy weekend, enjoying the sun, doing some vegetable gardening, going to a plant sale, watching playoff hockey, and of course a little thrifting.

I am feeling quite lucky with Pyrex finds lately at the thrift stores. These beautiful Pyrex Delphite side plates were sitting amongst a stack on the shelf, but the telltale pie crust trim around the edges caught my attention.

I paid more than I wanted to at $3 per plate, as I was expecting to be able to use a 25% coupon. When I got to the till, I discovered that the discount would only apply to my next purchase. Grumble. I caved and purchased them anyway, because I love my Delphite Casserole and it gets so much practical usage in my kitchen and garden!

I even used them this weekend to hold my onion sets. We prepared a big plot in the garden that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It'll be the perfect new home for my hydrangeas, and root and leafy veggies like carrots, onions, and lettuce!

Linking up to ATG's Thrift Share Monday!

Tomato Seedlings and Garlic Growing Update

Spring has Sprung! The days are getting longer and we are coming out of the dark and gloomy... I'm really excited about getting back into the garden! Here's a shot of my tomato seedlings at 13 days.

I am growing a number of heirloom varieties from seed and am hoping they turn out well. Last year I started seeds in late April and the tomatoes ripened too late in the season. I am re-using old containers from salad greens to sprout the seeds - this will be their home for about a month until they grow "true" leaves and are ready to be transplanted to their own pots.

Remember last October when I planted some Red Russian garlic with my Pyrex Delphite's help?

After five months in the soil, protected with leaf mulch, here's how they look now. In July they will be ready to be pulled up and dried for use. Did you know this hardneck garlic variety can keep for 3-6 months if properly stored??



If you would like to know more about how these humble plants started, make sure to check out my Growing Garlic tutorial from October!

Hand-Crank Popcorn Maker

All you thrifters out there know that one of the most often-found kitchen items are popcorn makers. Usually they are the 80s air popcorn makers, some with their original boxes touting the health benefits of air poppers.


I came upon this great "Theater II High Temperature Popcorn Popper" at the hospice thrift store. It is essentially an aluminum bowl with a removable lid that has pouring flaps on either side, and a contraption attached to a hand crank which moves the kernels around the bottom of the pan. It claims to be able to reach the same temperature as commercial poppers, hence the name. This item retails for about $50 new, so I'm happy with the three dollars I paid for mine. I also found product called a "Whirley-Pop" here which looks almost identical and seems to function the same.


I have experimented with this product a few times now, and can confirm that this makes GREAT popcorn! The key is in the kernels being constantly moved around to avoid burning while allowing the fluffier popped kernels to rise to the surface. I have tried using regular pans and woks to prepare popcorn in the past, but usually end up with more unpopped kernels. Further, the lid on this product has steam vents, which allow the popcorn to stay dry and crispy.

I have always avoided microwave popcorn because that "butter-flavoured topping" scares me. As a teenager, I worked the popcorn booth at the local baseball stadium one summer. I'll never forget how our Supervisors asked us to avoid calling it butter, cause it's just some kind of processed oil! It always pained me when a customer asked for extra butter... because that's not what they were getting!


I like the fact that I can control what I'm adding to my kernels when I make my own popcorn at home. This little contraption makes it so neat and easy to make a successful batch. It's quite possible that my piece isn't vintage, but it's comforting to know that they haven't had to change the design after all these years.

Growing Garlic with My Pyrex Delphite

During a summer roadtrip to the Okanagan area, I purchased some locally grown Russian Red garlic. It had large cloves, a great taste, and a beautiful purple hue to its papery skins. I have seen fresh garlic at Farmer's Markets sell for between $2 to $2.50 per bulb, which is a bit tough to swallow for a thrifty buyer like me. The solution: Grow your own garlic!


I enlisted the help of my trusty Pyrex Delphite casserole bowl. The first task is to break apart the bulbs and select the large cloves. Large cloves will turn into large bulbs and have a higher success rate. Most gardeners recommend simply using the smaller cloves in your kitchen instead of the garden.


Of the four Russian Red bulbs that I had, I got about 20 cloves to plant.


Prepare your soil by loosening the dirt, and plant the cloves with the pointed ends up. They should be about 5" apart, and about 2" deep. Garlic is a heavy feeder and needs nutrient-rich soil that is well draining. Throw in some compost if you have it on hand.


I understand that during a cold snap, the garlic cloves turn into bulbs. These little guys stay in the ground till summer. The tops of the plants can be cut in the spring and used in various recipes, as these garlic "scapes" can be used for anything from pesto to stir-fry's. Later in the summer, when the stalks brown, they are ready to be pulled up and dried for use! Make sure to get these in the ground soon, for a garlic-y bounty in July!