Happy Thanksgiving!

I am going to take a blog break for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!



Aunt Nancy's Famously Delicious Rolls:

1 pkg. active dry yeast

¼ c. warm water

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 C. milk, scalded

¼ C. Sugar

¼ C. shortening

1 tsp. salt

3 ½ C. Sifted all-purpose flour

1 egg

…………………………..

Soften yeast in warm water. Combine milk, sugar, shortening and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add 1 1/2C. of flour; Beat well. Beat in yeast and egg. Gradually add remaining flour to form soft dough, beating well. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover and let rise till double. Punch down and shape as desired, placing on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let raise till double. Bake in hot overn (400) for 12-15 minutes, or till golden brown. Makes 2-3 dz. rolls.

pumpkin week?

I have craft weeks and I have cooking weeks, depending on my mood. This week has definitely been a cooking/baking week with a seasonally appropriate theme - pumpkins. I love the fall and Halloween, and all the treats associated with them.

This afternoon I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies using a recipe I found on the Food Network website. The cookies are very soft ... just how I like them ... with a hint of pumpkin and all the yummy pumpkin pie spices. They aren't the prettiest cookies I have ever made, but they make up for it in taste.


Speaking of pretty, my mom made me the table runner in the picture. One side is Halloween themed, and the other side has a fall leaf print. Thanks, mom!


For dinner I made Jared's favorite, Cornish game hens. As a side, I made mashed sweet potatoes and using a pastry tip, piped them to look like pumpkins. My inspiration came from the usual source - Martha Stewart. If you follow that link, you'll find a photo of sweet potato pumpkins and regular mashed potato (or rather, Boo-tato) ghosts. The mashed sweet potato recipe I used was in this month's Everyday Food magazine and there is also an article online.


Isn't my little pumpkin patch cute?

More pumpkin treats to come this week ....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe - George Duran The Food Network 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes Martha Stewart - Everyday Food

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Set a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Place sweet potatoes in steamer basket and cover; steam until tender, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain, and return to saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring half-and-half, butter, and brown sugar to a simmer, stirring to combine; remove from heat. Add to drained sweet potatoes, and mash just until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Makes 3 cups.

Pumpkin Doughnuts with Spiced Brown Butter Glaze

A couple of weeks ago Jared and I went to the Doughnut Plant with our good friends Megan and Mitzi. It was there that I had THE BEST doughnuts I have ever tasted (sorry Krispy Kreme) - a cake doughnut with a pumpkin spice glaze and a tres leches doughnut. I can't stop thinking about how good they were.

Then, this afternoon I was watching the Food Network and Alton Brown was doing an episode on doughnuts. I just couldn't resist trying a batch myself. Since I am impatient, I went with a cake doughnut instead of yeast. I just searched for a pumpkin doughnut recipe online and found mine at the Presto (deep fryer) website.

Pumpkin Doughnuts with Spiced Brown Butter Glaze

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• Vegetable oil for frying

Sift 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices into mixing bowl. In separate bowl, stir together pumpkin, butter, and eggs. Add to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour and mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Turn out onto floured surface and let sit 15 minutes. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness with floured rolling pin, or pat out with floured hands. Cut out doughnuts and holes with floured cutter. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Brush off excess flour. Let sit 15 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat oil in Presto® electric deep fryer. (I don't have an electric deep fryer, so I heated oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot). Fry 1 to 2 doughnuts at a time until golden, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels.

Spiced Brown Butter Glaze

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 or 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted, and chopped

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. When melted, continue to heat butter over moderate heat until it begins to brown. Watch carefully. Remove from heat as soon as butter reaches a golden brown color. It will move quickly from golden to black (burnt) if not watched. Let cool.

In small bowl, sift together sugar and spices. Gradually mix in cooled butter, vanilla, and enough milk for desired consistency.

Dip warm doughnuts in glaze. Transfer to rack or tray until set. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over glazed doughnuts (I left out the walnuts).

They turned out pretty good! The only problem was, the friends we usually pawn off treats to weren't home, so not we have an entire batch for ourselves. Maybe I'll take them to church tomorrow. I just love pumpkin desserts, don't you? They taste like fall.

quick post: try this recipe!

Just wanted to pop in to say that if you love peanut butter cups, you should try this recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel. They are so easy, so fast and SO good! We gobbled them all up before I thought to photograph, but no worries - there are photos with the recipe.

Over Labor Day I did a dresser makeover for the nursery, so I'll be posting before and after shots this weekend. Yay! Back soon...

pumpkin gooey butter cake

Happy September!  While this month doesn't spell fall weather for Santa Barbara, I've got that autumn bug ... especially when it comes to food.   Bring on the pumpkin!

Gooey Butter Cake is a buttery, cream-cheesy cake that is traditionally baked in St. Louis, where I grew up.   You'll find it at any well-stocked picnic or pot luck event.  While on Pinterest the other day, I saw someone had made a pumpkin variety - be still my heart.  I had to try it out.   The recipe is the same as the traditional style, with a can of pumpkin and spices added.

Gooey Butter Cake (my friend Megan's recipe)

Crust:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 Egg
1 stick of butter, melted

Mix with fork, and press in bottom of 9x13 pan.

Top:
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 package cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
1 stick of butter, very soft or melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix and pour over base.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until set.  The center should still be slightly gooey.

Cool and serve topped with powdered sugar.  Delicious!  But not diet friendly.  :)

To make the pumpkin version, add one 15 ounce can of pureed pumpkin (plain pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie), 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp nutmeg.

strawberry cheesecake cupcakes

I am surprised I have not yet shared this cheesecake recipe - it is a family favorite. I got it from my mom, who got it from her sister, my crafty Aunt Nancy, who got it from .... who knows. I wouldn't be shocked if she came up with the recipe herself. Nancy has many talents and is a great cook (I posted her unbelievable dinner roll recipe here).

Crust:
1 3/4 C graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C sugar
1 stick of butter, melted

Combine and press into a spring-form pan (bottom and about an inch up the side).
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until it starts to brown.

Filling:
3 eight oz. packages of cream cheese - cream until soft in mixer
add 5 large eggs and beat until smooth
Add: 1 C sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and a dash of salt

Mix until well combined. The recipe says to beat at least 10 minutes, which I know breaks the cardinal rule of making cheesecakes (don't overbeat the batter). However, I'm not one to argue with family recipes - I beat it for 10-15 minutes or until my arm is about to fall off, whichever happens first.

Pour into the cooled crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the top browns and the center isn't jiggly. Check often after the 45 minute mark, but try to resist checking earlier. Cool for about 20 minutes.

Sour cream topping:
Mix 1 1/2 C sour cream, 1/3 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla
Pour on top of the cheesecake and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Chill at least 4 hours, but overnight is best. Top with your favorite fruit and devour.

I typically use a large springform pan (12 inches, I think??), but for the cheesecake pictured above, I used a small, 8" pan. This left a lot of extra crust and batter ... perfect to experiment with cheesecake cupcakes!

I followed all the same steps, and surprisingly did not have to reduce the baking time by much. I just kept watching until the top was browning.


Pretty darn cute, right? I think these would be fun to serve at a baby shower/bridal shower/[insert your excuse to party here].

Helen's Chocolate Pie

I almost finished that t-shirt tutorial this weekend, but then I got distracted by High School Musical 3. Did you know that I am 12 years old?

So while you wait, I'm offering the recipe to Helen's Chocolate Pie. It is exceptionally delicious, and I made it for Jared this weekend in celebration of his completing the CA Bar Exam. What a trooper.

Helen's Chocolate Pie

• 1 1/2 C. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C. cocoa powder
• 3 C. milk
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp. butter

Mix sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute and remove from heat.

Gradually stir half of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, then add egg mixture back into saucepan, stirring to combine. Boil 1 minute more. Remove from heat and still stirring, blend in butter.

Pour immediately into baked pie shell and cool in refrigerator. Top with fresh whipped cream to serve.

enjoy!

rainbow birthday party!

Rainbow parties are super fun!  It was totally overboard for a 1-year-old party, but we combined with Ruby's cousin, Violet, and the rainbow theme was so fun, and let's be honest ... I just got carried away.  :)

We had a blast with our rainbow treats and rainbow outfits and rainbow decorations.  It resulted in two very happy birthday girls.

 See the girl's rainbow dresses posted here, and directions to make a lickety-split birthday crown here.

I couldn't have pulled it off without my in-laws ... the sister-in-laws were enthusiastic decorators, and grandma and grandpa were the grill masters, whipping up a delicious BBQ dinner.  Thanks, guys!

The decorations were fairly simple.  We made a streamer canopy inside the shade tent, hung paper lanterns (remember them from my spring Relief Society activity?), and a watch-me-grow birthday banner.  I really liked the rainbow circle garland I saw at Sweet and Lovely Crafts, so I made a smaller version.  The dots were punched out of rainbow colored card stock using a 1-inch scalloped circle punch, and sewn together on the sewing machine.  Easy, peasy.

The bean bag toss was fun for the kids.  There was no formal game or prizes ... it was just out for fun.  I got the idea from born.in.japan, and just ran with it.

I also used some toys we already had as entertainment:  a tunnel to climb through, a kid's play parachute, and all the rainbow baby toys I could round up for a little baby zone in the shade.

There were jars of crayons on the table with cute rainbow coloring pages (courtesy of Style Me Gorgeous) for anyone interested in coloring.

I didn't do an over-the-top dessert table that are so popular these days, but there were plenty of goodies to go around.

My big splurge for the party was this rainbow popcorn, to go into those beautifully cut rainbow popcorn boxes.  I ordered it online from Sakida.  It was tasty, but if I had to do it again, I would have tried to make it myself.  Just be warned - the shipping is atrocious (which I did not know until I received my invoice - ouch).  It sure looked pretty though.

A much bigger hit with the crowd was the layered rainbow jello.   It was kind of beautiful, and delicious!  Get the recipe at Glorious Treats.  I have an aversion to Cool Whip, so I substituted vanilla yogurt and it was really yummy.  Two tablespoons of each layer is just enough to fill a clear 8-ounce plastic cup.

Of course, you can't have a rainbow birthday party without doing THE rainbow cake.

I wanted it to be the real deal, so I went directly to the source - Whisk Kid.  She may or may not have been the first person ever to make a rainbow cake, but she certainly started the internet sensation.  Whisk Kid's cake recipe was the perfect amount for a 6 layer cake.   I used my go-to Wilton Buttercream Icing recipe for the frosting.

The reaction from the party-goers when I cut into this cake made the effort of baking it so worth it.  It tasted great, too!  Ruby was supposed to have her own little cake, but I had a gluten-free baking fail.  So she ended up with gluten free cupcake from Santa Barbara's most delicious bakery, Jeanine's, and she devoured it with gusto.

I sent our little guests away with some gold coins (idea found at the blog, it is what it is) - as you know, there is always gold at the end of a rainbow (party).  Bulk gold coins found at Smart & Final.

As my nephew frequently reminded me, "Jill has gone rainbow crazy!"  It was such a fun day, and while I know Ruby won't remember it when she is older, she can look at pictures of this party and know her mama really loves her.

recycled baby food jars

Baby food jars are just too cute to throw in the recycling bin. I'm using some of mine for color-coordinated button storage, but I'd like to think of more uses.

It would be cute to fill the taller 6oz baby food jars with homemade lemon curd for holiday gifts. With a festive label and some ribbon, they would be a perfect little item to have on hand.

Oscar loves to play with the baby food jar lids. To make them a more interesting, I put some simple pictures inside. When he's older we can make it a matching game.


Would you like to play, too? Click here for the .pdf.Print two copies on cardstock or photo paper, cut out the circles, and press into the inside of (clean) baby food jar lids. It is a tight enough fit that no glue is required. For an older child, though, you could paint the lids a pretty color and glue the images to the inside for a longer lasting (and cuter) game.




p.s. last chance to enter the Bubby's Giveaway! Get your comment in by midnight tonight.

quiet book templates

good morning!

Below are some templates from my quiet book. Print them out as a full page image, and they'll be just the right size for a 12x12 inch quiet book.

To answer some frequently asked questions about the quiet book:

• The pages are made with plain white cotton fabric
• Each page has a very thin layer of batting in between (I use warm n' natural)
• I have not needed to wash my book so far, so I can't tell you how well it would hold up in the machine.  I would recommend spot cleaning, and if you expect frequent washings, use as much cotton fabric and as little craft felt as possible.

Sorry that templates for all pages are not included, and that I did not provide detailed instructions. I am hoping that you can figure out the construction by looking at my completed pages. If you are totally stumped, just email me and I will try to answer your questions.

For more great quiet book ideas, check out the following blogs:
How to Make a Quiet Book
Modest Maven
Naptime Journal
Crafty Chic

lemon meringue pie

Tonight I made a lemon meringue pie and for the first time ever, the meringue turned out right. wahoo! I used this recipe.

Lemon meringue pie always makes me think of my dad. Once when I was a kid, we went to a Tippin's and ate an entire lemon meringue pie in the parking lot, just the two of us. Then we had to go back inside and buy another one because my mom had sent us there to bring a pie home for the family. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. We brought the second pie home and didn't say a word to anyone - I thought it was just about the best secret in the world.

Happy fourth of July, everyone! I hope you have a chance to eat some good pie.

bridal shower gift

What's this, you say?  Something not baby-related?!!!  How refreshing.

I'm going to a bridal shower this week and wanted to add something handmade to the not-so-exciting cake pan from the bride's registry.

This simple hostess apron should do the trick. The shape has kind of a retro-vibe, but the print is bright and modern.  It is similar to the hostess aprons I have made in the past, except it isn't gathered, has a rounded bottom, and there is a very long sash at the waist that wraps around the back and ties up front.  It's kind of sassy.  I just made it up as I went along yesterday afternoon, so maybe I'll post a pattern for it someday.  But not today.  :)

I'm also including the recipe for my favorite chocolate cake (my sister's recipe) that uses said cake pan, and some blank recipe cards to match. I made these using my favorite photo-editing site, picnik.com. 

Here's the yummy cake recipe, if you're interested:

And some blank recipe cards, if you like them:

 Just right click to save the file and print as a 4x6 image.  You should be able to fit two per page.

homemade playdough

Hope you are all having a lovely week!  You can find me over at Skip to my Lou today.

Cindy is hosting a summer Craft Camp - every day in June, she'll have a new guest blogger with a fun project for kids.  The guest blogger line-up is kind of fabulous, so you'll want to keep checking back to see ideas from your favorite craft bloggers.

Today I'm sharing a great homemade playdough recipe and how-to.  I hope you'll stop by!

Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Tonight I hosted book club and my lemonade was pretty tasty. Here is the recipe:

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup pureed fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
6 cups water

strawberry freezer jam

The baby was demanding homemade strawberry jam, so instead of sewing this weekend I made a little army of freezer jam.  My poor little freezer is not equipped to hold twelve jars of jam in addition to our usual frozen goods, so a few of these pretties are going to find a new home.

Have you ever made jam?  I've only done the easy freezer jam, but one of these days I am going to get brave and make cooked jam.

You know what is really good?  Strawberry freezer jam and nutella, spread liberally on yummy bread.  It almost tastes like a chocolate covered strawberry sandwich!  It is becoming my favorite treat and within about 10 minutes of eating one, Ruby is doing backflips in the womb, so I think she likes it, too.  :)

purl bee rose clips and cupcakes

This weekend I tried out the Rose Barrette tutorial from The Purl Bee:

Talk about a quick and satisfying project!  I attached one to a clip as directed, and one to a ponytail holder, which I am far more likely to wear.  I'm always amazed at how pretty felt can be.

The majority of this weekend, though, was spent baking.  Then baking some more.  I made over 6 dozen cupcakes as a reminder for a church party this week.  Despite some hiccups in the kitchen, they turned out really yummy.  And when I say hiccup, I mean this:

Making buttercream frosting with a toddler is NOT a good idea.

I took notes from Kristin at the Blonde Designs Blog and tried the 1-2-3-4 Cake recipe from the back of the Swans Down Cake Flour box.  It was really good! (I loved the flavor from the almond extract.)  For the frosting, I used Wilton's Buttercream recipe, which never fails.

This photo is horribly fuzzy ... I forgot my camera and had to take one with my phone.

All in all, my weekend was tasty (though sticky), and my ponytail has never looked so good.  Hope you had a great weekend, too!