Gotta Little Space

Daring Bakers December '09

2009-12-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

Due to a rash of problems with the recipes provided, I decided to drastically reduce the recipe and make just a teeny tiny house so as not to waste any ingredients should my attempt go kaput. Also because I wanted to make this:

*insert fabulous, in focus with great lighting picture here*

Um, yeah. So out of the numerous pictures I took of this insane Martha Stewart Gingercake House, zero turned out well enough to post. Zero. Nada. Zip. Seriously. I'm pretty disappointed, because this cake was not only time consuming and painstaking, it wasn't the cheapest dessert, either!

To make things even better, because the recipe is from 2004, it's not on Martha's website. Meaning, no picture. At all. I've tried. If you try, and find one, I'm going to beat my head repeatedly against my desk. But do let me know if you find one. The recipe is for a Gingercake House with Chocolate Buttercream and includes fondant snowmen, 80 one-inch gingerbread 'shingles', 8 lengths of scalloped and decorative 'trim', a mini doghouse, 3 gingerbread windows and 2 gingerbread doors. Yes, a lot of tiny work.

Just typing all of that out I'm tempted to post the awful pictures I did take. Just to prove I did it. Oy. Okaaaayyyy...here it is. Don't laugh.

Here's the house I made for the challenge, and you can find the recipe here:

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Hoping you spend the day with friends, family, good food and lots of love...see you in a few days!

Hot Chocolate On A Stick

2009-12-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

Need a quick, last minute gift idea? Try these:

Yep, hot chocolate on a stick! Super easy to throw together and unlike some batches of homemade hot chocolate mix, this one actually tastes good - trust me, I am the hot chocolate connoiseur.

The sure fire way to ensure a mug of great tasting hot chocolate is to follow the preparation instructions (which you should include with your gift). Heat one cup (as in a true liquid measure cup, not just oh here's a mug that's a cup) of milk or if you want to live dangerously, heavy cream or whole milk. Stir hot chocolate stick into hot liquid till melted.

Hot Chocolate On A Stick
Giverslog

8 oz. chocolate (bittersweet, semisweet, milk, and white chocolate all work)
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

Chop chocolate into evenly sized pieces for easier melting. Place in a double boiler or heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering (not boiling, and don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl or pot).

If you aren't going to be re dipping the chocolate once it's cooled and want them to come out and stay looking pretty, keep your chocolate below 90F while heating.

Once melted, add the cocoa powder, sugar and salt and continue to stir till combined. The chocolate will get quite thick.

Spoon chocolate into a piping or storage bag and snip off a corner. Pipe the chocolate into your mold, rapping on the counter to be sure all of the chocolate settles into the mold. Position a stir stick into the chocolate (it should stay without a problem) and let cool completely.

If you'd like, re dip the chocolate sticks in plain melted chocolate, add sprinkles, drizzle caramel or whatever you'd like!

GIVEAWAY! 100 Postcards From UPrinting

2009-12-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

UPrinting thought they'd throw one last giveaway in before the end of the year, so here's your chance to pick up 100 free postcards!

I'm thinking use them as greeting cards with a Christmassy picture of your family on the front...or maybe as thank you cards for parties you attended or special gifts received...how about a last minute New Year's party favor? The possibilities really are pretty open.

The only catch is that you have to pay for shipping. It will only be a couple of dollars, and as the festive mood has finally (finally) hit me, I want to cover that for the winner - I will Paypal the shipping costs to you! So...it's a totally free giveaway!!

As usual, to enter, all you have to do is tell me what you'd do with yours if you won!

This contest is only going to be open until Thursday December 31st so hit up the comments right now! If you want to Tweet about any of my giveaways for an extra entry, @littlespace your Tweet, then post a link to it as a second comment. You can copy and paste the following if you'd like:

I'm trying to win a free @uprinting product from @littlespace! http://tinyurl.com/ycsek5q

This contest is open to all readers!

To sum up:

1. Contest is open to everybody!
2. Contest will run until midnight, Thursday December 31st; winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced Monday January 4th.
3. As per the FTC ruling on Blogger Reviews and Sponsored Postings, I disclose that I will be receiving a 100 postcards from UPrinting.com for hosting this giveaway.

Good luck!

The Cake Slice December '09 - White Chocolate Layer Cake

2009-12-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

I am a total idiot.

Can you believe that I didn't take a picture of the Cake Slice challenge this month??? It was a white chocolate cake, you see - and I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate. So I decided to make it for the in laws Christmas fondue this past Sunday. My mother in law is a huge white chocolate fan because she gave up eating regular chocolate and caffeine quite some time ago, so I knew she'd love it.

Well, Sunday was pretty busy - I was baking up a storm for homemade gifts plus this cake, of course. We were even late to the fondue - I still feel badly about that. In any case, by the time dessert came around, my mind was elsewhere...so no picture.

I can tell you about it though!

It's a white chocolate layer cake - three layers, to be exact. Melted white chocolate is added to the batter (which, while baking, smells like a simple vanilla cake with just a hint of white chocolate - absolutely lovely, to be honest). More melted white chocolate is added to the cream cheese frosting. I felt the frosting was a bit too plain, a sprinkle of lemon zest might brighten it up.

The cake is massive, being three layers. It will easily serve a large group and you only need a thin slice due to the height.

Everyone that tried a slice enjoyed it but it wasn't showstopping.

Check out the rest of the Cake Slice bakers to see what they thought!

PS - shout out to Frilly Hills for including my Crock Pot Potato Chowder in this week's edition of the Make It From Scratch carnival!

Psst

2009-12-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

...I posted about these over at Suitable For Consumption yesterday:

Gingerbread Bears

2009-12-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

Last day of Cookie Week! Did you try any of the recipes? What cookies are you making for Christmas this year??

Everyone makes Gingerbreadmen. Gingerbread Men? Spider Man? What?

Alright. Does anyone else find Gingerbread men sort of creepy?

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

I mean seriously - who makes a movie about a scary gingerbread man?!? And this is coming from someone who has seen pretty much every single horror/thriller/etc movie (and mostly on VHS no less) on the video store shelves (I am not exaggerating).

So I thought I'd make a more family friendly gingerbread character. Not only because of the creep factor, but also because I couldn't for the life of me find a gingerbread man cookie cutter in all the land - no joke.

Enter Gingerbear! He's soft, he's spicy, he's perfect for decorating and for giving! What are you waiting for! Bake him up! You can, of course, use whatever type of cookie cutter you have on hand. Gingerbread stars are beautiful, and I'm not that much against gingerbread men of course, use what you have!! This is Dorie Greenspan's fabulous gingerbread recipe: it's traditional in taste, and the texture of the baked cookie is variable depending on how you like your gingerbread (bake less for a softer, chewier cookie and the suggested time for a firmer cookie).

Spice Roll Out Cookies
Bon Appétit
Makes 60 small or 20 large cookies

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, nutmeg, mustard, and cloves into a large bowl. Beat the butter in a second large bowl at medium speed until smooth.

Add brown sugar to butter and beat 1 minute. Add the molasses and beat until fluffy. Add egg and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. At low speed, beat in vanilla. Add the flour spice mixture and beat till just blended.

Form dough into ball and divide in half. Form halves into balls and flatten into disks. Wrap separately in plastic and chill until firm; 4 hours to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Work with just 1 disk at a time, leaving the other chilled, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8 inch thickness for small, 2 inch cookies and 1/4 inch thickness for 3 to 4 inch cookies.

Using whatever cookie cutter you prefer, cut out cookies and transfer to parchment lined sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. If the dough becomes too soft to work with, place in freezer on waxed paper lined sheets for 5 to 10 minutes. Use scraps to re roll and cut more cookies until all scraps are used.

Bake until cookies are firm on top and slightly darking around edges, about 8 minutes for smaller cookies and 12 minutes for larger cookies. Cool completely on rack.

Decorate with royal icing, then sprinkles or other decorations, if desired. Let stand till icing is set.

Homemade Caramels

2009-12-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

I actually had Peppermint Patties planned for today's post, but the light disappeared before I had a chance to photograph them so you're stuck with caramels for today's Week Of Cookies post.

Wait. Week of...Cookies. Oh dear. There's been a terrible mistake.

Although these are silky soft, absolutely delicious, and completely addictive...cookies they are not. Would you forgive me, just this once? I promise you a failproof homemade caramel recipe in return...

Candy making, as I learned, is definitely a love it/hate it affair. You see the first picture of this post? That basket is stuffed full of caramels. And there are more, I just couldn't fit another single caramel on the pile without the whole mess falling to pieces. Do you see what they're wrapped in? Yes, I hand wrapped every.single.caramel. Candy making is time consuming. It is a labor of love. It is a passion that you either have, or you do not have.

I'm not sure how I feel about candy making quite yet. I appreciate the end result, but is the process worth the time and effort? These caramels most certainly are.

There are just a few simple rules to follow for this failproof caramel recipe:

1. use a candy thermometer,
2. have all of your ingredients and equipment at the ready, and
3. ensure your sugar stays in the middle of the sauce pan so as to avoid crystallization of the entire batch, which as AmberLee said, will make you want to cry.

On to the recipe.

Failproof Homemade Caramels
Givers Log
Makes about 60 (I cut my caramels approximately half the size of AmberLee's, so I got 120+)

2 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup butter, unsalted
1 tsp. vanilla

Line a standard size baking sheet with parchment paper. Allow parchment to rise up the sides rather than just lining the bottom of the sheet.

Cut butter into small cubes and melt over low heat in a medium size sauce pan.

Add and mix sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk. Remember to pour sugar in center of pan, and if any sugar crystals stick to the side of your pan, brush them down with a damp pastry brush.

Cook and stir on medium high heat until boiling, then clip your candy thermometer to the side of pan. Do not allow the thermometer to touch the bottom of the pan.

Reduce heat to medium or a temperature which allows for a steady, moderate boil. Stir often.

When the thermometer reaches 244F (this will take approximately 30 minutes), remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the caramel into your prepared baking sheet - use caution! This is a very hot mixture.

Allow to cool overnight then use a pizza cutter to slice into desired slices. Another idea (but one that I have not tried) is using mini cookie or hor doeuvres cutters to create shaped caramels. Wrap each caramel in wax paper and twist the ends to close.

I found that cutting worked best for me after the caramels sat overnight, then spent some time in the freezer. I also froze the cut caramels prior to wrapping as once at room temperature, they are quite soft.

Best Sugar Cookies Ever

2009-12-16T22:35:00.000-08:00

Today's cookie is the quintessential sugar cookie. I think it's one of the trickiest cookies to bake simply because either they are dry and crumbly, or they're a perfect crumb with hardly a flavor to speak of, or better yet, so covered with decorative icing that the cookie goes undetected. (don't get me wrong, I can't wait to have Baby Bear help out with the holiday baking and decorating - but I'm hoping it's not going to be a free for all icing fest)

This particular sugar cookie recipe turned out to be a huge winner - it was the first time I've tried this cookie recipe and I've made it twice already (yes, 160+ cookies). The cookies are tender and almost chewy (but not quite - does that make sense?). The vanilla comes through just enough to give the cookie great flavor but is not overpowering and they are delicious even without frosting - in fact, we haven't had them with frosting yet!

Whenever I'm in need of a tried and true recipe in a hurry, I turn to Recipezaar. Reason? Members rate recipes honestly and with comments as per their rating as well as any changes or substitutions made. Here's a quick pictorial of how I find recipes using Recipezaar:

First, type what sort of recipe you are looking for in the search bar at the top right hand side of the page.

Sometimes you'll get a page of results, and sometimes, like on this occasion, you'll get a collection (meaning that there are enough similar recipe types such as Rolled Cookies or what have you to group them together). I went ahead and clicked on the collection.

Here's the feature I love the most: the Rating button. You can filter your results so that the recipes appear from top rated to lowest/not rated. Fantastic!

Ah ha! The top rated recipe (by 174 people - that's just the number of people that actually came back to rate it!) is Granny's Sugar Cookies with an unbelievable 4 3/4 star positive rating!

Once you've clicked on the recipe of your choosing, you are presented with not only the recipe but nutritional info (as accurately as possible), a few comments, and the option to print. Easy! Here's just a clip of some of the comments for this particular recipe:

See? Recipezaar is fantastic. Give it a whirl!

On to the recipe:

Granny's Sugar Cookies
Recipezaar
Makes approximately 84 cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (do not substitute!)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream sugar and butter till fluffy; add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture till completely blended. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters dipped in flour to prevent sticking. Transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until just faintly golden around edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on wire racks. Decorate with frosting if desired.

How To Set A Table

2009-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

*oh my my my, I'm dallying from Cookie Week - forgive me forgive me! I promise you'll be glad I'm posting this How To tutorial though...and I'd be willing to bet you'll remember at least one tip from it while setting your holiday table! And anyway, keep your socks on, a Cookie Week post is coming up later today!*

Christmas is fast approaching and with that comes holiday meals and with those comes setting a table. I'll be honest with you, when I was a kid I read a book on party etiquette by Emily Post. You may laugh now. Ok stop. No really - I realize I was a total geek. But please. Some decorum, if you will.

Now.

Here's how to properly set a table:

Start with the dinner plate. Set it in the middle of the place setting, directly in front of the chair. Place the bread plate above and to the left of the dinner plate with the butter knife resting on the bread plate. Fold the napkin and lay it to the left of the dinner plate with the folded edge facing away from the plate.

A handy bit of info I've brought out numerous times deals with which side of the plate to lay your utensils. Fork has 4 letters and so does left, therefore the forks go on the left side of the plate. Knife has 5 letters as does right, therefore the knife and spoon go to the right of the dinner plate. The knife's blade is always pointed towards the plate and the forks should rest atop the already laid napkin.

Always ensure your utensils are laid down in the order that they'll be used from the outside in.

The wineglass and water goblet are positioned above and to the right of the dinner plate. The wineglass will be the closest glass to the plate, and the water glass above and just slightly to the left of it.

Lastly, dessert utensils. While it is completely acceptable to lay the table with the dessert utensils already placed, proper placement is important. They'll be situated above the dinner plate with the spoon on top and pointing towards the left, and the fork below the spoon with the tines pointing towards the right.

Shortbread Cookies

2009-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas isn't Christmas without shortbread cookies. Shortbread is in like, the Top 5 of Christmas cookies, right beside Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread, Nanaimo Bars, and more.

Shortbread is a funny thing. You either like it, or you don't. There really isn't a middle ground with shortbread. You might say it's too dry and crumbly, or like myself and my brother, go crazy over it. Especially if it's dipped in chocolate, perhaps. Me? I like it plain jane.

In my opinion, shortbread cookies need to be two things. One - small. Shortbread is best in small doses so that you can appreciate the buttery-ness without being overwhelmed by it's richness. Two - it has to be firm enough so that it doesn't crumble until! until it hits your tongue where it's almost as though it takes a big sigh and then - then it crumbles into several delicate chunks.

Yum.

The shortbread recipe I used last year still stands as a fabulous recipe to use, but this year I decided to give this recipe shared by 17 & Baking, a try. She piped her cookies using a star tip and I thought they were ever so pretty.

Melt In Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from All Recipes
Makes 5 dozen 1.5″ piped cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment.

Whip butter on high speed in an electric mixer for 10 minutes, until white and very fluffy. In the meantime, sift together the sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat them in on low speed for one minute, then on high speed for 3-4 minutes until well combined.

Transfer to a piping bag fit with a large star tip. Pipe cookies two inches apart into 1.5 inch “stars” and bake 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Cookies might be crumbly, so let them cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.

Candy Cane Cookies

2009-12-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Spur of the moment blog event:

The Week of Cookies!

Yes that's right. Every day this week I'm posting one of the cookie recipes I'm baking for Christmas - for your sole pleasure! Try to contain your excitement!!

Today's cookie? A retro cookie straight outta the aluminum tree and color wheel (ooooh I want so bad), Andy Warhol, go go boot and Elvis era - the Sixties, of course! Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, published 1963, showcased this funky cookie with it's twisted strands and when I first saw it via Cakespy, I knew it was going on the must-bake list this year.

The only changes made to the recipe was going the all butter route as suggested by Cakespy (the original recipe calls for a shortening and butter blend) as well as skipping the almond extract in favor of using all vanilla.

Candy Cane Cookies
Adapted From Betty Crocker's Cooky Book
Makes 4 dozen

1 cup butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
red food coloring

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla. Blend thoroughly.

Spoon and measure flour, stir in salt. Add to butter mixture and combine.

Divide dough into two parts; blend red food coloring into one half until desired shade.

Taking small bits of dough from each color, roll each into 4 inch strips on a lightly floured surface. Place strips alongside one another, press gently together and twist. Very important - shape cookies one at a time or dough will become too dry to twist.

Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet and curve the top of cookie down to form the handle of the candy cane. Bake approximately 9 minutes or until bottoms are just lightly browned. While still warm, remove to cooling rack and if so desired, sprinkle with sugar. Allow to cool completely.

Crock Pot Potato Chowder

2009-12-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

It's cold. Settles right into your bones cold. Think thick chowder, with bacon and caramelized onions and potatoes: stick to your ribs cold weather comfort food. And - it's made in the crock pot which means less work for you.

I mentioned this dish the other day, and how because it was a new as of yet untested recipe I was concerned that there was the possibility of it being gluey and unappetizing. Was I ever wrong...

Seriously? Make this soon. You won't regret it and you'll be scraping the bottom of the pot looking for more after your third bowlful. It's thick and creamy, rich with flavor and will really warm you up on the winter days ahead.

If you don't have bacon on hand, try sausage! You can also substitute any cream soup for the cream of chicken - the flavor will change slightly but the texture will remain. Use what you have! For added heat, try stirring in a bit of chili powder or Spanish paprika. I also think this would make an unbelievable mashed potato dish: just reduce the amount of chicken broth and use an extra potato or two.

Crock Pot Potato Chowder
Adapted from Recipezaar
Serves 4

1 onion, chopped
1/4 pound bacon, diced
8 ounces chicken broth
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
4 cups diced potatoes
4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté bacon and onions till golden brown. Combine chicken broth, soup, potatoes and caramelized bacon and onions in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until potatoes are fork tender. Pureé till mostly smooth with immersion blender and add cubed cream cheese; stir to melt and combine. Top with salt and pepper if desired, serve hot.

Make It From Scratch Carnival

2009-12-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

So after a bit of a panic attack last night (I checked the carnival email inbox and there were zero - count 'em ZERO! emails) our host Stephanie emailed me the info I needed to get the carnival up. Thank you Stephanie!! Due to the lack of emails making it to the inbox, I won't be able to send out your thank you messages so please please please remember to link back to this carnival on your site as well as if you are so inclined, bookmark on any social networking site you fancy (StumbleUpon, Reddit, Twitter, etc). Thank you!!

Due to the technical issues though, I haven't been able to visit each of the submissions like I normally do - yet. I will be heading to each of your sites before tomorrow so look for my comment!

Wenchypoo presents Free Heat on the Street posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Make it from Scratch presents Stocking Stuffers for those who are on-the-go... posted at Make It From Scratch.

Wendy Piersall presents Anise Cookie Recipes posted at Craft Jr., saying, "I think I gained 10 pounds collecting these recipes together!"

Sarah presents Egg Salad posted at Glory In The Clutter.

Kristia presents Pasta with Fall Squash and Leeks posted at Family Balance Sheet.

Rachel R. presents Yogurt posted at The Titus 2 Homemaker.

The Backyard Grower presents Broccoli Sweet Sauce posted at Bobbie Whitehead.

Kaitlyn Cole presents 100 Awesome Ramen Recipes for Starving College Students | Online Colleges posted at Online Colleges.net.

vh presents Sons posted at Funny about Money, saying, "A rave for my wonderful son also gives you one of his easy but amazing recipes."

Liss presents Festive Friday - Choc Mint Candy Cane Cupcakes posted at Frills in the Hills, saying, "Better make double the recipe. They go VERY quickly."

Gramma Greenjeans presents Better Gardens than Home » Adventures with Sourdough-Rye Bread posted at Better Gardens than Home, saying, "After being such a slacker last week (and not having anything done to submit), I've been MIFSing a lot this week. This one is probably the most "normal", because more people bake bread than make homemade sausage!"

Christine presents How to make a Room & Linen Spray posted at Money Funk | Personal Finance & Frugal Living, saying, "Here is another great frugal gift or idea to use all year round – Room & Linen spray. Making linen spray is so simple to do and much less expensive than going to a department store to buy it. You know exactly what is being sprayed onto your linens or in your room and have comfort in knowing that only pure natural products are being used. The toughest part of making these is deciding what scents to use."

Lizzie presents A Dusty Frame » Blog Archive » Knitting Patterns Organization posted at A Dusty Frame, saying, "An older post, but one I use quite often. I made a knitting notebook to organize all my knitting patterns."

Cyndi presents Fabulous tote bag by Julie Riley posted at Mixed Media Artist, saying, "One of my readers shared this brilliant idea for making and using your own custom-printed fabric, and you can do it too!"

Elisha Webster Emerson presents D.I.Y. Baby posted at My Inconvenient Body, saying, "A collection of advise, tutorial and link regarding crafts, babies, and the holidays."

Case Ernsting presents The Closet Artist: How To Create an Art & Craft Room In An Armoire Wardrobe (pt.1) | Home and Decor posted at Home and Decor, saying, "Many a hobby has been halted by lack of space. How many times do you wish you could be a little more organized with all your arts and crafts materials? Have you tried an armoire?"

Alexandra presents Make a Low Primitive Television Console for around $10.00 posted at Happy Hearts At Home.

Lucky presents Holiday Cranberry-Apple Coffee Ring posted at Making My Own Luck, saying, "Thanks!"

Cindy presents Christmas Plarn Stocking Pattern posted at My Recycled Bags.com, saying, "Crochet a Christmas Stocking using recycled plastic bags or plarn. The free pattern and tutorial is available at my blog. Merry Christmas!"

Mrs. Accountability presents My Grandma’s Crocheted Easy Square Slippers posted at Out of Debt Again, saying, "These easy crocheted slippers are made from a pattern my Grandma used when I was growing up. Very simple! Once you know the pattern you won't need to follow it again!"

And that's it for this round of the Make It From Scratch! (click to submit!) Carnival - be sure to check with 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven next Tuesday!

I'm Back!!

2009-12-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Sorry about the long absence, but I wanted to give myself the week to get mostly unpacked and somewhat settled in. If you follow me on Twitter you've seen me updating semi regularly there! But I'm back, in any case.

What a week it's been though! Goodness. We've got the main areas of the house mostly arranged: bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen but the basement is a war zone of boxes, items to be stored and random things that we shrugged our shoulders at. The living and dining rooms are bare plywood right now (the carpet was most definitely not salvageable). Hopefully we'll have flooring down in the next few weeks. Although the house still doesn't feel 100% like home, we're getting there. I do have pictures to share with you but they need some editing so bear with me on that.

Stephanie over at Make It From Scratch asked me if I wanted her to handle this week's carnival due to our move, but I thought hosting the carnival (tomorrow, by the way!) would be a great way to jump right back into teh internetz.

Have I told you about the work at home job I was hired for? I know I twittered about it...oh for pity's sake how long does frazzled moving brain stick around for?? Either way, I applied for and was hired on as a market research agent with a fairly prominent company in North America. Training starts tomorrow and finishes Wednesday, and I believe I will have my first shift this weekend. The money isn't going to make us rich but it's going to give us breathing room, and the ability to help with a few renovations and/or buy things we need for the house (like um...a garbage can? A rake for the leaf covered back yard?). I completed the on-my-own training modules this past Saturday night and I think I'm really going to enjoy doing this.

You must think we haven't been eating lately. The last food related post was that Burnt Sugar Cake for the Cake Slice monthly challenge...on November 23rd. Yikes. My fantastic aunt and uncle gifted us their old dining room table which I've been eagerly looking forward to using right in front of the huge patio door in the dining room; the light is perfect there!

Originally I had planned to share a cookie recipe in this post but a Sweet Rina order took precedence so hopefully at some point this week I'll be able to share something edible with you. We're trying a new recipe - potato chowder in the crockpot on one of the nights I'll be busy training so perhaps I can share that with you, barring any wallpaper glue resemblances the dish may have...

I'm having a bit of a panic attack right now...was all settled in and ready to get the Make It From Scratch carnival post written up and ready to go when I checked the email account that the submissions are sent to and...there was nothing there. I scanned the list of folders that each week's carnival submissions are moved to, and nothing there either. That's when I got a little nervous...and double checked the login and account information to make sure I was in the proper account. Yep...now what. Shot off a frantic email to Stephanie so hopefully she'll be able to help this get resolved so I can get the carnival up ASAP tomorrow morning!

Whew!

Thanks for hanging around and waiting patiently for my return (um...is there anyone still there?). I'll be back to regular posting now!

Goodbye

2009-12-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

Goodbye, old apartment.

Many memories made there: a relationship reunited, a baby created, a family shaped and grown together. A blog's beginning, a passion discovered, a business begun. Life and living for several years.

Through tears I never thought I'd shed I realize that yes, we are doing the right thing. Despite a reluctance to change, this change is for the better no matter the fear or the stark realization of the responsibility and commitment that now lies on our shoulders.

We know that with time our new home will feel just as familiar as the old apartment. A good scrubbing, a loaf of bread baking and our everyday things around us will make this turning point easier.

The house feels as though it is welcoming us with open arms; it's been lifeless since the last of it's family left some time ago and seems to know of our plans to breathe new life into it.

So we're throwing back our shoulders, looking straight ahead not back and despite some sadness, smiles are appearing on our faces.

Welcome home.

Bear with me for a few days - having beds to sleep on and pans to cook out of is going to be first priority...

Daring Bakers November '09

2009-11-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

It is with much regret that I'm not participating in the Daring Bakers challenge this month - and it's cannoli!!!

With the purchase of our house and the subsequent packing/cleaning/freaking out/stressing etc, I just don't have the time. Not to mention I've already packed up 90% of my kitchen - that throws a pretty big wrench into things.

I do however suggest that you head over to the DB blogroll and check out how everyone else did!!

How To Iron A Button Front Shirt

2009-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Panasonic recently sent me their new 360 iron to test:

This iron is a Cadillac! It's sleek, it's sexy and it's high tech. I was impressed when I pulled it out of the box.

The thing is, I don't enjoy ironing. I don't enjoy it so very much that I never do it. Just ask Papa Bear. I'd rather rewash a shirt (yes, rewash - bad environmentalist!) than iron out the wrinkles.

I'm going to be fairly judgmental of this iron because of my ironing dislike. Here's hoping it makes ironing one of the worst things in the world a little bit easier.

Here's How To Iron A Button Front Shirt:

Start with a completely damp shirt. Mist it with water using a spray bottle, roll it up and keep it in a bag for about 15 minutes.

If you are right handed, position the wide end of your ironing board to your left; if you are a southpaw, position the wide end on your right.

1. Start with the underside of the collar. Iron it, gently tugging and stretching the fabric to prevent that annoying puckering. Turn the shirt over and repeat process on the reverse. Fold collar along the seam and lightly press.

2. Slip a towel under the buttons on the cuff to cushion them. Iron the inside of the cuffs as well as the lower inside portion of the sleeves, right above the cuffs. Finish by ironing the outside of the cuffs.

3. Drape the upper quarter of the shirt over the widest end of the board, with the collar pointing towards the narrow end. Iron half of the shirt, reposition, and iron the other half.

4. Lay out 1 sleeve on the board. Iron from shoulder to cuff. Turn the sleeve over and iron the other side. Repeat with other sleeve.

5. Drape the yoke of the shirt (the part that rests over the shoulders and upper back) over the wide end of the board with the collar facing the wide end and iron the back of the shirt.

6. Drape the left side of the front of the shirt over the board with the collar pointing towards the wide end; iron. Repeat with the right front side, ironing around instead of over the buttons. Let the shirt hang in a well ventilated area so that it can fully dry, before hanging in your closet.

And now you know. Hopefully my little tutorial made at least one of your iron-ables a little more tolerable.

The iron?

How about I tell you a little more about it, first.

From the pictures above, I'm sure you noticed it's interesting shape. It's one of the first elliptical shaped oversized surface iron that's pointed at both ends - making cuffs, collars and buttons no problem. No more getting caught up in corners or pockets!

There are 74 steam holes on the 360 - this is an exclusive feature to the Panasonic 360 Quick Iron. This means that you can steam much larger areas than with your old iron - timesaver! You can also use it as a vertical steamer - just give a quick blast of the steam button and you'll wonder why anyone would buy a Tobi. Not only that, but it's like a mini computer up in there! You can set a precise temperature for the heat that comes off the iron so all fabrics are able to be ironed, including silk.

You might have also noticed that the iron plate (the soleplate) is quite large - give it a try on tablecloths or curtains!

From a consumer's point of view, the only complaint I have is the weight - it's heavy. Really heavy. Even my Mom said that she'd rather use her cheaper iron because it's literally three times lighter. The Panasonic 360 weighs in at just over three pounds; my Mom's iron is less than a pound.

All in all, I did enjoy giving this iron a test run. While it hasn't made me love ironing, I do have to admit that it made it more tolerable and yes, a little easier. Ginger tells me that it's price is fairly reasonable; I thought it was a bit pricey - but who am I to comment on the price when the iron I own was a wedding gift! I've never needed to price out irons - maybe you, Dear Reader, can comment.

Is the MSRP for the Panasonic 360 Quick Iron ($79.99 for the top of the line model and $69.99 for the regular model) overpriced or priced just right?

That's What She Said

2009-11-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

I always have such a difficult time titling posts where I'm just rambling about the little things going on in my life.

Anyway.

So I got a job! And it's a good one this time! I'll be working from home, as one of those people you love to hate that call you at dinnertime and ask you to take a survey. It's minimum 15 hours per week, but I can choose to work more if I'd like - and I get paid by the hour, not by how many surveys I can complete. The pay is decent, and after my probationary period goes up $.75. It's a good job with benefits, vacation pay and from what I've seen so far, good people. The company is the third largest in North America and if I told you the name, you'd most likely recognize it. I'm excited and eager to start training - while this contribution to the monthly household income isn't going to be huge, it's definitely going to help - I need to talk to Papa Bear about it first but I'd like to try and save at least one months mortgage payment as soon as possible, using my earnings. After that...I'll attempt to resist this store.

We're in the final week of packing and I'm slowly going crazy.

My Sweet Rina business cards that I received for hosting this giveaway arrived - I love them! Just so you know, UPrinting didn't ask me to say this nor am I receiving any sort of remuneration. But I have to tell you - if you are in the market for business cards (or have any other printing need), get ahold of these guys! Their customer service is impeccable and their product is fantastic.

Papa Bear has introduced me to Old Dutch Peppercorn Ranch ripple chips...and I'm loving them.

The stove in our new home is gas. This both excites me and worries me: even heat, yes! But can I use all of my current pots/pans/etc on it? Your input? Will my Pyrex teapot be safe on a gas flame as long as I use the heat spreader? How about Teflon...or should I just stick to cast iron? Eeep!

I bought a tin of Tim Horton's hot chocolate mix and I'm loving that even more than the chips (b*tch!).

The latest movie Zip sent us? Cry Baby. With Johnny Depp. And Ricki Lake annnnd Traci Lords. I dropped Traci Lords' name to pique Papa Bear's interest, of course. I'm looking forward to watching it. It's a musical that takes place in 1954, and Johnny Depp plays a gang leader who can 'shed a single tear' which, of course, makes the girls go crazy. I'll try to remember to let you know how it was, when we watch it.

Twitter makes me very happy. I love the short conversations and the challenge of editing a Tweet to fit within the 140 character parameters.

I've been thinking about submitting a secret to PostSecret. I don't know if I am creative enough to come up with a postcard that will get posted, but I think just the act of creating the postcard and writing what I want to write will be therapy enough. Have you ever submitted to PostSecret??

Okay enough procrastinating. Time to do some more packing...Happy Tuesday!

The Cake Slice November '09 - Burnt Sugar Cake

2009-11-23T00:40:00.000-08:00

This month's Cake Slice challenge was the Burnt Sugar Cake from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott.

I apologize for the posting drought last week. There were several 2 and 3am bedtimes with a surprise party for my parents 50th birthdays plus a craft fair the next day - so posting was pushed to the back burner (sorry for the pun).

This cake was made to take along to the birthday party as one of the desserts. I also made a Black Forest Cake and a trifle - the Black Forest cake was the main cake, the one with the candles, the one that was to be the showstopper. It was, appearance wise. I preferred the Burnt Sugar cake though.

Other Cake Slice bakers mentioned the sweetness of the frosting and how they felt the cake was dry. I had neither complaint. The cake was dense and moist and having turned a lovely golden color with the addition of burnt sugar syrup added to the batter. The frosting was sweet, yes, but I didn't find it overly so. I loved the burnt sugar flavor.

I baked the cake on Thursday and frosted it on Friday and even the leftovers yesterday tasted great.

This recipe goes to the 'keep' pile.

Check out the rest of the Cake Slice bakers!

Rambling & Christmas

2009-11-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

Finally used that spa gift certificate from my mother in law last night (that she gave me way back on Mother's Day). A facial was in order! I feel a hundred percent better and re energized for our move and all that comes with it. I knew that if I didn't use it this month, it might be another six months before we could afford to have me use it.

After my facial, the esthetician applied a bit of Jane Iredale pressed powder (a mineral makeup). I fell instantly in love! I couldn't even tell that I had makeup on, and the way it made my face look blew me away. I wrote an epic saga on Krystal's blog post about how much makeup she spends in a year, detailing how I've always just picked up the cheap Cover Girl pressed powder - but I'm seriously considering forking over the $59 for the makeup and $44 for the applicator. Papa Bear couldn't believe how much younger it made me look, and how fresh. Yes, the facial had a lot to do with it, but that makeup. Wow. So - what's your opinion on Jane Iredale? Worth the expense? And hey Jane - I'd love to do a review post of the pressed powder, why doncha go on and send me a compact to try?

I've got two questions for you and you aren't allowed to laugh at them, deal? Okay. First, is it more frugal to turn down the hot water in the shower or bath as opposed to simply turning up the cold, when adjusting water temperature? My instinct says yes. What do you think? Does it even really matter?

Second question: when trying to save on heating bills, should all of the windows in the house be closed tightly or can the bedroom window be open just a crack for fresh air?

Don't laugh, you promised. But I'd love to hear your thoughts. Comment!

I finally (finally) listed my thrift store items on etsy (although they've been on craigslist for a little while now). You can check them out by clicking HERE - forgive the pictures, they're awful. I took them, uploaded them to Flickr to compress them and then etsy compressed them again so they are horrifyingly blurry.

So that work at home telephone job I twittered about? Scored an interview. It was advertised as just 15 hours a week but it turns out that I could sign up for extra shifts if I wanted to, so that's a plus. Haven't had the interview yet, but I just sent them my response a couple of hours ago and they are located in Ontario, so I'm not expecting to hear anything till tomorrow. It will be a scheduled telephone interview and I'm pretty sure I'll get the job - professional telephone work is second nature to me, despite my discomfort of talking on the phone socially.

I'll be able to work out of the spare bedroom in our new house, the company provides great benefits and the hours suit our family lifestyle. It won't be a massive paycheck but it will definitely give us some breathing room!

Some of my Facebook friends asked if I didn't think I was busy enough (with Bear and Sweet Rina already) - yes, I'm pretty busy. But you gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet, and this extra income will really help out our household budget.

So, Christmas. Only 37 sleeps until the big day! What are your feelings on this? Fear? Excitement? Both?

My paternal grandparents always give us cash for Christmas, and then we are supposed to tell them what we purchased at our Christmas get together. We're stuck as to what to use it for: new ink cartridges for our printer (which I can write off at tax time for Sweet Rina), improvements for the house (numerous including a bag of insulation, storm window material, paint, updated furnace ducting, putting towards a new electrical panel...) or using it on the three of us in the way of a new piece of clothing or shoes. What do you think?? Help! Update: we've spent half of it on a sweater, bag and slippers for me, and a t shirt for Bear. Papa Bear will be using the rest for a piece of clothing for himself, we think...

Speaking of Christmas...my brother emailed us all recently letting us know that he and my sister in law would not be participating in gift giving this year. They live off my sister in law's income while my brother attends university and are about as able to afford Christmas as we are. Not only that, but that they were both tired of the stress and materialism that comes with gift giving. I wanted to stand up and applaud when I read the email.

Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas and I do enjoy gift shopping/making. But it's true that Christmas has become so materialistic and greedy and consumeristic (is that even a word?). So, after talking with my Mom, I wrote a mass email in reply letting my brother and siblings know that we were in agreement and would also not be participating in the gift giving extravaganza; at least on my family's side - haven't broached the subject with the in laws yet... My Mom talked to my Oma (maternal grandmother - Oma is Dutch for grandma, essentially) and let her know the situation, as well as other members of our family and it was generally agreed upon that gift giving would not be happening this year (typically we do a gift exchange and there is a set amount to spend). I suggested bringing food for the Food Bank or if a person felt a strong need to spend money, make a donation to a favorite or well deserved charity instead.

So that's a huge relief for us, at least partly anyway. I'm still planning on making a few edible gifts for friends and family but it will be pretty random.

Regardless of whether or not we mention this idea to Papa Bear's side of the family, I'm pretty sure we're going to stick to the homemade gifts anyway. A basket for the brother, his wife and kids (plus cash for the kids; we do that every year) and a basket for Mom and Father in law. All homemade, mostly edible but a few non edible items as well.

I'll probably put together a small basket for my parents, too.

How are you handling Christmas gift giving this year?

PS - shout out to Frugal Changes for including my POM cake post in this edition of the MIFs carnival!

Giveaway Winners & Me Whining About It Being Monday

2009-11-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

What a weekend it's been so far! Do you know, that when one needs boxes for moving, no boxes can be found? And when one does not need boxes for moving, liquor stores and the like are plentiful with them? Do you also know how frustrating this is??

How on earth am I supposed to pack up our apartment when I can't find any boxes to pack our apartment into?!? Gah!!

Ok I can't really complain that loudly - I did pick up a few totally awesome produce boxes from the grocery store on Friday. Banana and apple boxes rock! They're sturdy, a good size, and have handles! I'm going to be grocery store stalking as much as possible now. Forget flimsy small liquor store boxes!

I can hear FB tsk tsk tsking already - if we didn't have so much stuff, right? We actually don't have a lot of 'stuff' - but the things we do have need to be packed. Bedding, clothing, Bear's toys, the kitchen/bathroom/office area...thank goodness for having done a de cluttering during spring cleaning.

Alls I gots to say about packing up your entire home is goodness gracious what a mess. The apartment looks, well, it looks like there are boxes stacked anywhere boxes could be stacked. I even skipped Thursday cleaning day because what's the point? I'm going to do a spot cleaning today and probably run the vacuum over any exposed areas of carpet.

One good thing about Mondays: Papa Bear has the day off. Mondays are usually pretty cram packed with appointments, errands and more because A: Papa Bear is home and B: so is the car. Today, however, Papa Bear is working with his Dad as well as meeting with the mortgage broker so the Bear and I are on our own. We'll keep busy.

Oy vey can you believe how fast this month is zooming by?? Only two weeks before we lock up the apartment for good. Oh dear. Getting weepy already. I've already warned Papa Bear that once all of our things are out and we're leaving for the last time, I might break down. I'm getting teary just writing about it! Going to have to keep a few tissues handy, and I'm going to make sure we take a few pictures so Baby Bear can see where he spent the first two years of his life.

I'm not trying to be a downer, really, I'm not! How about some good news, then? Giveaway winners!

The winner of the 18x24 poster print is comment #4, Michele P!

The winner of the 50 custom thank you cards is comment #3, Small Footprints!

The winner of the 16x20 canvas print is comment #11, Dolphin Girl!

I've emailed you all as well as forwarded your info to UPrinting; they should be in contact soon with details on how to get your goods!

How's your Monday so far?

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice Cake

2009-11-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

Well over a month ago I received an email from a POM Wonderful rep, asking me if I'd like to try some of their POM pomegranate juice - um, yes please! The only stipulation? Use it in cooking or baking. Hmmm...

When I did a bit of internet research, I realized that everyone uses it in savory dishes (reduce, use as glaze or sauce) or as a beverage (mix with something, drink). While those uses are fabulous, I wanted to try something sweet. As if I don't make enough sweet things these days...

May I tell you a bit about POM Wonderful first?

They are the only company that grows, harvests, processes and ships their own pomegranates - and their products have over $32 million dollars worth of research under their belts. Talk about knowing what you're selling.

Because they're based in California, minimizing water usage is high on their list of priorities, and they've got the latest in drip irrigation technology to prove their dedication to this. POM Wonderful is also determined to use every last bit of every last pomegranate; whatever is leftover after processing is used as cattle feed (happy cattle!).

In order to avoid extra transportation, the bottles that hold POM juice are produced right next door to their filling plant - brilliant!!

That's not all: their corporate office based in Los Angeles is LEEDs Silver certified. Impressive.

So why choose POM Wonderful over the several other pomegranate juice options out there? How about simply reading labels. POM Wonderful encourages you to check out the labels of the other brands, and compare them to their own label. You may not know this but by law, an ingredient list is required to list ingredient content in highest to lowest order. So you'd expect pomegranate juice to read, well, pomegranate juice. All I'm going to say is - read a few labels, then compare them to the back of POM Wonderful's bottle. You might be surprised. I was.

Do I really need to alert you to the health benefits of drinking pomegranate juice? It's not a new 'thing', is it? You are probably already aware of it's antioxidant superpowers and it's free radical neutralizing skillz. And hey, it tastes pretty good, and it's fairly versatile!

You can reduce pomegranate juice and sugar to create a sticky, tangy sauce for duck or chicken; it makes a fantastic glaze and the arils of a whole pomegranate are wonderful in salads. We won't even begin to discuss the loveliness that is a pomegranate martini - I only discovered those last New Year's Eve and now I'm hooked!

So on to my recipe.

I knew I wanted to make a pomegranate flavored cake, with some sort of thin icing or glaze, or maybe a pomegranate frosting. I also knew I wanted to use a bundt pan, because I never get to use my bundt pan, and I've been drooling over the Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts - 30 Days of Bundts series for the past, oh, 26 days...so a bundt cake it would be.

A plain ol' vanilla cake would work well, I thought - omit the vanilla and sub in a fairly large amount of POM juice. I would make it one of those old fashioned poke cakes where you stab your cake repeatedly (hi-yah! hi-yah!) and then brush it with some sort of POM reduction while still warm from the oven...then once it totally cooled, slather it, nice and thick like, with a silky pinkish pomegranatey frosting. Mmmmm...that's right.

So, after I mixed up the dough for a client's paska order, and set it aside to rise, I made my cake. And ohhh yes, it was good.

Pomegranate Poke Cake
Makes 1 bundt or an 8 inch layer cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart

For cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for pans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
2 tablespoons POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
1 cup full fat plain yogurt
smidge pink food coloring gel

For reduction:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, divided

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour bundt pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and sugar till pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time. Beat in pomegranate juice. Alternating dry and wet, beat in flour and buttermilk; begin and end with flour mixture. Add smidge of pink food coloring. Mix till just combined.

Pour batter into bundt pan. Bake till cake pulls away from edges; 30 to 35 minutes.

In the meanwhile, prepare pomegranate reduction: simmer 20 minutes till reduced, thickened and quite aromatic. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup pomegranate juice and set aside.

Cool cake 10 minutes in pan then invert onto cooling rack. Using another wire rack, flip cake over so decorative top is up. While cake is still warm, use a wooden skewer or toothpick to poke holes in the cake. Brush with pomegranate reduction. Allow cake to cool completely, then frost.

Pomegranate Whipped Frosting
Makes 5 cups
Inspired by Martha Stewart

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon POM Wonderful pomegranate juice

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, combine and cook all ingredients, stirring constantly, till sugar has dissolved (rub a bit of the mixture between fingers: if smooth, sugar has dissolved. If grainy, keep cooking). Transfer to a large bowl and beat on medium high until glossy, stiff peaks form - but do not overbeat, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add pomegranate juice and beat until just combined. Use immediately.

I wish I had picked up a whole pomegranate so I could have sprinkled a few arils over top of my cake - how pretty would that have been??

This bundt cake turned out well; the cake was moist and just mildly flavored of pomegranate, the frosting was a lovely color and tasted fantastic with the cake and the appearance overall was so pretty! A very girly cake...but Papa Bear didn't complain, and he rarely eats dessert!

I found that it tasted the best after it spent an hour or so in the refrigerator - the frosting firmed up and the flavors developed even more.

Thanks POM Wonderful for letting me experiment with your juice - I still have some left and am already thinking about my next plan of attack!!

WINNER! 100 Brochures From UPrinting

2009-11-11T22:15:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Kris! You've won 100 brochures from Uprinting - I'm emailing you now, and UPrinting will be in contact with information on how to redeem your prize!

Remembrance Day

2009-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Lest we forget.