DIY Witch Costume

October 29, 2013 by

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Last year my Amelia wanted a witch costume, but a cute one, not a scary one.
I put this one together real quick using some recycled clothing and few accessories.  It’s been great for a dress up outfit since as well, and very comfortable since it was made with stretch fabrics.
For the dress I found this stretch velour dress for $2 at a second hand store.
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I added a stripe around the waist with some hot pink crushed panne velour (at JoAnn Fabrics for under $5 a yard if I remember right).  And as I sewed the panne stripe on I inserted some strips of tulle in the bottom seam.
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For the cape I found this stretch velour jumper.  I cut it off just under the arm holes, cut a opening down the center front, then added a large ruffle of the hot pink panne at the top.  I made a casing and inserted some wide ribbon to tie it.
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I added some pink and black striped tights and a frilly hat to finish it.
This is the best I could do for a picture, as my Amelia doesn’t like to hold still for them for long. 🙂
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Filed Under: Crafts / Sewing, Halloween / Fall

Favorite Places: Candy Babel

October 22, 2013 by

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One of our new favorite discoveries is this sugary sweet gem of a store, Candy Babel.  It’s a dream come true for any kiddo (or kiddo at heart too!).
It’s an old school candy shop, complete with all the glass candy containers to make your heart flutter. 🙂
I love that the bulk candies are down lower where little ones can pick what they want.  Paper bags can be filled with lots of delicious nostalgic (and not to mention high quality and superb tasting) treats.  For little ones learning about money, this is a great shop as well, since they can pick any 10 bulk candies for $1.  (Make sure to plan on staying close to little ones to make sure they use the scoops and tongs too)
My girls love picking out their candy, and there are so many fun ones to pick from! Pink pigs, gummy whales, red scotty dogs, black and white cows, or maybe your little ones would like the Halloweeny gummy skulls 🙂

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And then there is this section that makes MY heart flutter…  The licorice section. 🙂  The best licorice selection I’ve ever found, and I can be a bit of licorice snob!  You have to try the dark chocolate lentils (think a skinny skittle shaped candy, with dark chocolate and licorice flavor) YUM!  Or the chalk licorice… or the licorice covered fennel seeds… who am I kidding? Just grab a bag a get a little of each like I do 😉

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And you see those egg shaped confections in the bottom left hand corner of this next picture? You definitely want to get some of those… (And a couple of those black licorice caramels while you’re at it too).

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And what cool candy shop is complete without an old school scale to weigh your treats on?

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Lucy’s pet was overjoyed with all the treats Lucy got to share with her.  🙂

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I think my girls enjoy seeing Amani, the owner as much as they do picking out candy! She is super sweet, just like her store.
I love how patient and attentive to the kids she is and every time we go makes sure to remind them to brush their teeth extra good before bed that night. 🙂

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So next time you’re out and about in Portland, make sure you stop in to Candy Babel, one of our favorite places!

Candy Babel is located at 1219 NE Alberta Street Portland, Oregon

Filed Under: Favorite Things & Places

Parmesan Sourdough Baguettes

October 15, 2013 by

 

This recipe calls for 2 of my most favorite things.
1. Sourdough starter.  I got mine from King Arthur Flour and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I know you can make your own, but it was worth it to me to pay under $8 for something I love and use constantly.
2. Baguette pan.  How did I EVER live without one?  A baguette pan can single handedly turn an ordinary bake into an extraordinary bake.  I make these baguettes all the time and I swear my hubby can smell them baking 5 miles away on his drive home from work.  Yes, you could make these on an ordinary baking sheet.  They might even be good.  But I bet they won’t be AS good. 🙂

Did I convince you to go buy those 2? Excellent.  Now we can both make these fabulous baguettes and when people swoon over them we can say with pride “I made them myself” 😉

These baguettes are soft, chewy, and oh so perfect.  The Parmesan makes that crust even more delicious.  And the sourdough is present, but definitely not over bearing.  Now go bake.

PARMESAN SOURDOUGH BAGUETTES

1 1/4 cups warm water
2 cups sourdough starter
5 to 6 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp instant yeast
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
Egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 T water)
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Combine the water, starter, and 3 cups of the flour in a large bowl.  Mix until smooth then add the salt, sugar, yeast, and gluten and mix until combined.
Add 2 more cups of flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Add up to 1 more cup if needed, but remember dough should feel a little sticky.  This makes for a lighter more tender loaf.

Knead the dough on a lightly greased counter for 5 minutes (or in your mixer if that’s what you’re using).  Let it rest for about 5 minutes, then knead again for 5 minutes.  Place in an oiled bowl and rest covered until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Gently deflate dough, then form into 3 baguettes (or 6 for skinnier baguettes).  Shape into 18 inch loaves (I just formed mine to the length of my baguette pan).  and place on a lightly greased baguette pan or baking sheet.
Let rise for 1 hour.

Brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Put on broil for a few additional minutes to give a darker, crisper crust.

Recipe slightly altered from King Arthur Flour

Filed Under: Bread, Yeast, Sourdough

Spooky Cupcakes

October 9, 2013 by

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To say we are a “girly” household is an understatement.  Luckily my hubby is secure in his masculinity or he might begin to have a facial twitch from all the pink around here.  My girls don’t like anything remotely scary so these are the closest to spooky cupcakes you’ll see me making 🙂  Make your favorite chocolate cupcakes and frosting to begin.

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The trees are made by simply piping or even spreading chocolate on wax paper.  I wish I had thought to take a picture at this point, but basically you are making a spiky T shape (the bottom line will be inserted into the cupcake for stability and the top of the T will be roots resting on top of the cupcake), with a tree on top of the T.  Separately Make 2 small triangles so that when you place the upside down T into the cupcake you can place a small triangle on the front and back to look like roots and also support the tree a little.  While the chocolate is wet sprinkle with orange sugar and some black pearls.  You could also use cake or cookie crumbs for dirt around the base.  I used some chocolate jimmies.

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For the towers cover a sugar cone with chocolate and place a whopper on the top.

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For ghosts, pipe white frosting, then insert chocolate coated sunflower seeds for the eyes.

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In the book they stacked smaller cupcakes on top of larger cupcakes so it ended up looking like a haunted house. I thought they would look good placed on and around a small tiered cake, but this is what happened in the end.  None of the kids seemed to care. 🙂

Adapted slightly from  “What’s New, Cupcake?” by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

Filed Under: Cake / Cake Pops, Halloween / Fall

DIY Soft Pretzels

October 1, 2013 by

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(Psst! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway here!)

Soft pretzels.  Need I say more? Making homemade pretzels are a sure fire way to claim the kitchen queen or king throne.  (At least in my house) 🙂  My kids and hubby can hardly wait a second when they come out of the oven before snagging one.  I usually make a triple batch so I can freeze some (They freeze really well, just microwave for 1 minute to enjoy)  but they rarely make it to the freezer.  I’ve tried quite a few recipes for soft pretzels, these are by far our favorite.  Soft, chewy, and the baking soda bath really gives them that great texture that a good pretzel has to have.
Pretzel salt can be a little hard to find, but totally worth it.  I order it through King Arthur Flour, but maybe you could bribe a pretzel store employee to sell you some if you can’t wait for it to ship 😉
We like them plain, or served with German mustard, with powdered seasoning (like for popcorn), or (my personal favorite) homemade caramel sauce with chopped almonds… yum! 🙂
What are you waiting for? Go claim your throne!

SOFT PRETZELS (Twists and Sticks)
For the dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
2 oz butter, melted

10 cups water
2/3 cups baking soda
egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 T water)
Pretzel salt

Combine all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer (you could mix this by hand as well of course).
Mix until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Place in an oiled bowl and cover for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 450 degrees and bring the water to a boil with the baking soda (A wider pot will come in handy here too).  While the water is heating form the pretzels.
Lightly oil (or spray with nonstick spray) your countertop.  Turn out the dough and divide into 8 pieces.  Make a U shape:
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Then cross the ends over twice:
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Fold the ends down over the bottom of the U:
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Place on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet.  Pick up here to reshape the twist:
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Place in boiling water (as many as you can fit without crowding) for 30 seconds:
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Quickly remove from water with a slotted spatula and place back on the baking sheet.
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Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel salt.  Bake 12-14 minutes or until dark golden brown.
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For pretzel sticks: Separate dough into 16 pieces, and form sticks.  Follow direction for twists, but check at 10-12 minutes.
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And for the flavored variety…

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If you like the flavored soft pretzels like you get in the mall, you’ll love these.  Just brush a pretzel with a little melted butter and sprinkle on some powdered popcorn seasoning. (Our favorite is the “Amish Country” brand, sour cream and onion flavor).

Recipe very slightly adapted from Alton Brown.  

 

Filed Under: Bread, Yeast

Using Springerle Molds (and a giveaway!)

September 27, 2013 by

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My hubby knows me too well.  It isn’t something sparkly, shiny, or even floral I want on a special occasion.  No, not even diamonds are my hearts desire.  If he wants to make me happy he knows all he has to do is pick out pretty much anything from House On The Hill.  It’s a little system we have. 🙂
I love the intricate designs, and I am always amazed at what I find on their website.
The fun thing about these molds is you can use them to make lots of different things, not just the traditional springerle cookies.  House on the Hill has a variety of recipes, which you can find on their recipe section here.  You also get a free recipe booklet when you spend over $35 on their site (I’ve managed to get.. a couple).  🙂

If you can’t wait to try making something with springerle molds, today is your lucky day.  Connie from House on the Hill sent me the “single acorn” mold to play with, and has another one for one of you!  Details at the bottom of this post to enter!

This mold is perfect for fall, and I decided to make spicy gingerbread instead of springerle with it to start.
Tip: Usually you brush your mold with flour or powdered sugar, but for darker cookies like gingerbread lightly spray with non stick spray so they won’t have a floury appearance. 

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I also used it to make a cupcake topper using marshmallow fondant, and I got to thinking it would work well for bars of cake or dessert as well.

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I used the baroque owl here, and LOVE how it looks.
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To make, just roll out your marshmallow fondant (fairly thick, almost 1/2″).
Then brush your mold with powdered sugar or lightly spray with nonstick spray.  Place the mold on the counter and a piece of fondant on top, then push into the mold.  Use a rolling pin to roll over it if needed.  Where the design is especially thick (like the acorn on the single acorn mold, or the body and head of the owl on the baroque owl) I added a piece of fondant to kind of fill in and support that deeper area.
Flip mold and fondant over and slowly separate.  Cut excess off using a cutter or pinking wheel.  I thought about adding some disco dust or coloring it, but I really loved the all white look on these.

I made some walnut cookies with the walnut mold my hubby bought for me last Christmas.  This is so pretty paired with the acorn mold as well I thought.
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Walnut Cookies

For the Cookies:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dried orange zest (or fresh zest of 1 orange)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups ground walnuts
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 T butter, softened
4 oz dark chocolate, melted
2 oz heavy cream

Make cookies: Whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and zest in a small bowl and set aside.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined.  Gradually beat in sugar.  Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Add the flour mixture slowly and mix well.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Separate the dough into 4 sections and take one section out of the fridge at a time (the dough will come out of the mold easier if very cold).  Brush walnut mold with confectioners sugar and press a ball of dough into mold.  Scrape excess off back if needed.  Use the point of a knife to help dough out of mold.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Make filling:  Mix all the filling ingredients together until well mixed.  Place a teaspoon of filling on the back of a cookie and add another, pressing together lightly.

Recipe adapted from House on the Hill

And for a non-food project you can use an air dry clay, such as Paperclay (House on the Hill sells it here) with the mold.  Stay away from Fimo, Sculpey, and such because they can take the finish off the mold.
After the clay was dry, I painted some with an antique gold paint (letting the paint be heavier in some areas, lighter in others, to highlight the details.)
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I also painted some dark red, then after drying I highlighted with the antique gold paint.  I glued them to loops of ribbon and they are my new favorite fall napkin rings!
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Giveaway Rules: To enter, just leave a comment on this post (with your email so I can contact you if you win).  One entry per person, U.S. Residents only.  You can enter now until October 5th.  Winner will be chosen at random and announced Monday October 7th on this post.
What would you make with this mold?

And the randomly chosen winner is…

Your 1 winners on “Using Springerle Molds (and a giveaway!)” are:

Andie M

Congrats Andie! I’ll be contacting you. 🙂

 

Filed Under: Cookies, Favorite Things & Places, Giveaways / Reviews

Smoked Pulled Pork

September 26, 2013 by

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I know it’s fall now, but we’re still trying to get in as much grilling and smoking as we can before it gets too cold. 🙂
I had some pork butt left over from making sausages and we decided to try smoking it.  It was so easy, and delicious!
The leftovers got put to good use, in some baked beans, and I can think of lots of other things this would be great in as well.
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SMOKED PULLED PORK
5 lbs boneless pork butt
Pineapple juice (or apple would work too)
BBQ Sauce, for serving

RUB:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 T Coleman’s mustard
2 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
2 T garlic powder
2 T onion powder
1 T chili powder

Inject pineapple juice into pork.  Every time you inject, only pull the needle out halfway, then push it in another direction and inject again.  So at each injection site you should actually inject 2 or 3 times.
Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl, and liberally rub on all sides of the pork.
Hot smoke for at least 3 to 4 hours.   Place in a pan and cover with a lid or foil and bake at 300 degrees for 3 more hours, or until pork falls apart easily.  The point is to cook it long enough to break down the connective tissue so it will just fall apart.

We served it tossed with some barbecue sauce on buns, topped with coleslaw.

VARIATION: I used the leftovers to make baked beans, I made my recipe, found here, except I replaced the bacon and ham with pork.

 

Filed Under: Freezer, Pork

Mashed Acorn Squash

September 24, 2013 by

I heart fall.  Pumpkins, squash, leaves, even the rain.  Here in the Pacific Northwest that is just part of life, and if you don’t like it… well, maybe you should move.  Because you’ll be miserable all the time. 🙂
Me and my girls actually enjoy the rain more than the sunshine so it works out well for us. 🙂
I love finding new ways to cook and serve squash.  It’s such an inexpensive food, and I love it, but a little variety always helps.  We really enjoyed this, and I am looking forward to trying other flavor variations, all though I’m sure this one will remain a favorite.  Brown sugar and squash just go so well together.
I served it with these fantastic brussel sprouts and they were perfect.
Happy rain season! Fall!

MASHED ACORN SQUASH
2 acorn squash
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T brown sugar, plus extra for serving if desired

Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
Spray or oil a 9 by 13 inch pyrex pan and place cut side down in pan.
Roast at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until easily pierced with a paring knife.  (If you are baking something else at a lower temperature, it will be fine, but will take longer).
Scrape out the flesh, then add sour cream and brown sugar.  Mash to desired consistency, sprinkle with additional brown sugar if desired.

Recipe slightly adapted from Everyday Food

Filed Under: Side Dishes

Cabbage Rolls

September 17, 2013 by

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You might think this is a typo and be searching for the tomato sauce in the ingredients… but you won’t find it.  These are a more traditional cabbage roll, and I have to say I really prefer them this way.  Tomato sauce tends to make the cabbage a little slimy in my opinion too.
Think of them like tasty meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves.
And of course bacon doesn’t hurt too. 😉

CABBAGE ROLLS
1 large or 2 smaller cabbage heads
1/4 cup cider vinegar
kosher salt
1/2 lb bacon
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

For Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 large white onion, chopped
2 eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground celery seed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt and cider vinegar.  Add the cabbage and boil for 15-25 minutes until leaves are tender.  After 5-8 minutes I use tongs to peel away outer leaves as soon as they will easily peel back with ripping so the inner leaves will soften better.  Remove from water as soon as tender.
Meanwhile, mix together all the filling ingredients.
Line a 9 by 13 inch pan with cabbage leaves and set aside.
Using one or two cabbage leaves (depending on size), place a scoop of filling (I usually do about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of filling per roll, but you can make them smaller or bigger) in the middle and fold bottom up, then sides, then roll the rest of the way to enclose.  Place on tray and repeat until done.
Cook bacon until crisp, reserving drippings.  Chop bacon and set aside.
In hot drippings, sear the cabbage rolls on both sides then place in lined pan.
When done searing them all, add chicken stock and stir to deglaze the pan.  (Basically, you just want to get up all the yummy bits in the bottom of the pan. 🙂 )
Pour sauce over cabbage rolls and sprinkle with reserved bacon.
Top with more cabbage leaves or foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of rolls.

Filed Under: Beef, German, Pork

Queso Dip

September 6, 2013 by


My hubby loves queso dip.  But he can’t do spicy versions.  So I was excited to come across a recipe in a Cook’s Country magazine to make him a homemade version.  Because let’s face it.  Is homemade anything ever NOT better anyways?!  (If you disagree I’m just going to ignore that you said that…)
The Monterey Jack and Colby work really well here and melt nicely, but you could substitute cheddar or a combination of other cheeses as well.

QUESO DIP
8 oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
4 oz Colby cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 T oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained*
1 T chopped canned green chilies*
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
2 T water
salt and pepper to taste

Place the cheeses and 1 T of the oil in a blender and set aside.
Heat the remaining 1 T oil in a pan over medium high heat and add the onions. Cook until softened and add garlic.  Cook until garlic is fragrant and add tomatoes and chilies.  Cook until heated through, then trasfer to a bowl.
Add evaporated milk and water to pot and bring to a boil.  Pour into blender and process till smooth.  Add to bowl with tomato mixture and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let sit for a few minutes to thicken.
Serve with tortilla chips.  (Reheat in the microwave it gets too cold too.)

*You can use a (10 oz) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies in place of the canned diced tomatoes and green chilies, I just never have them on hand.  You can also add some canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce for a spicier dip.

Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Country

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Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Mexican