tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930886339407727502024-03-12T21:25:22.723-07:00Emily of all TradesEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-38420831021722480892011-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:002011-05-15T15:00:03.540-07:00A Tasty MealSo despite the lack of pictures, I have been eating some pretty tasty food lately. Like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrphtp5rcjtSxEpMfMllUIK-eN49uNxMClIr0S2ch2Z3Ru7ZxyIcs5ICHap2R2muVvNwDKUYU0-nknfVG3h6naY5KHyISO09WlUWshPlt3VEw6Tux_4WBS2B87p8SFc1JMRHcyEE3nibH/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrphtp5rcjtSxEpMfMllUIK-eN49uNxMClIr0S2ch2Z3Ru7ZxyIcs5ICHap2R2muVvNwDKUYU0-nknfVG3h6naY5KHyISO09WlUWshPlt3VEw6Tux_4WBS2B87p8SFc1JMRHcyEE3nibH/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tasty Chickpea Wrap</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This chickpea wrap comes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Super-Natural-Every-Day-Well-loved/dp/1580082777?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Supernatural Everyday</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1580082777" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, a cookbook that I recently purchased and am IN LOVE WITH! More on that later....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First, a recent dinner I made inspired by a whole host of blogs, that was super tasty!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First, I made us a tasty salad, inspired by a recent post on <a href="http://danatreat.com/2011/04/tips-for-a-good-greek-salad/">Dana Treat</a>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I took some ho-hum looking tomatoes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKNml22asOdApTStEnZsF1Blf52IzdUUti0T63wSi9PPyGHbB-yiJuJ1z26_7nVi5HW4T92Mp9AQhynXO7DjpdiQLD6IvTaVpna7MmaSeoA6YmPR1iw6pWSDPRSJp_pWc6AqpyOO9165i/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKNml22asOdApTStEnZsF1Blf52IzdUUti0T63wSi9PPyGHbB-yiJuJ1z26_7nVi5HW4T92Mp9AQhynXO7DjpdiQLD6IvTaVpna7MmaSeoA6YmPR1iw6pWSDPRSJp_pWc6AqpyOO9165i/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And roasted them so they looked like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then added them to a lovely greek salad:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68WIxLC9XM_-lqlqz5qIMdAB4WsorBFpEoCK1ZJCnF_kZi8RNugTjHbmNaogj5RwBNR8LoRUS1JumBLH5qGc1A0fYNEHBp5VRTD8XfECnqTLpfGAaqABGTkYNHBlh65X107aQHDNaIeq9/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68WIxLC9XM_-lqlqz5qIMdAB4WsorBFpEoCK1ZJCnF_kZi8RNugTjHbmNaogj5RwBNR8LoRUS1JumBLH5qGc1A0fYNEHBp5VRTD8XfECnqTLpfGAaqABGTkYNHBlh65X107aQHDNaIeq9/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then got all inspired by <a href="http://www.shutterbean.com/killer-garlic-bread/">Shutterbean's Killer Garlic Bread</a>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7dpGzVYdAvnTJIpuPbz7D9pbsWmnm4PtDhQVlBPyiqHDzYCJcM5EEXybRfwduSR_uo0sMEasqnvFlDu31skEqGZlBFUzKcy4lBSadUR2CA3gGY8f2AehauuIFy6Y4bnnzo2qObiQoiFp/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7dpGzVYdAvnTJIpuPbz7D9pbsWmnm4PtDhQVlBPyiqHDzYCJcM5EEXybRfwduSR_uo0sMEasqnvFlDu31skEqGZlBFUzKcy4lBSadUR2CA3gGY8f2AehauuIFy6Y4bnnzo2qObiQoiFp/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The little one liked it too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And we rounded out the meal with Spaghetti Bolognese from Lucinda Scala Quinn's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Hungry-Feeding-Men-Boys/dp/1579653561?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mad Hungry</a>, which I currently have checked out from the library:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaYvBJaYapxn4_TdbBdSiH_D5ErB24a6j1JT5_vGv4MDndGg-gYJdEycPOExJkW79Ts9Qc2PMdN39vHke3-Qh8hiArH8FgvqZ9DZm5NVaeBS0LKCV6pb5B8IDhnkWQImO4x_0_UyLthEY/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaYvBJaYapxn4_TdbBdSiH_D5ErB24a6j1JT5_vGv4MDndGg-gYJdEycPOExJkW79Ts9Qc2PMdN39vHke3-Qh8hiArH8FgvqZ9DZm5NVaeBS0LKCV6pb5B8IDhnkWQImO4x_0_UyLthEY/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Overall it was an awesome meal. Highly recommended. If you make any of these recipes, let me know what you think!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-35120699614503789122011-05-12T17:00:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:11:17.970-07:00Sewing ProjectsHi friends,<br />
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I'm glad you've stuck around. Despite the lack of blog posts in the last few months. I have been very busy. In particular, I've rekindled my relationship with my sewing machine. <br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><img alt="www.4-h.org.png" src="webkit-fake-url://FE341EEA-8885-4A5D-B8AA-5CA93B51752C/www.4-h.org.png" /></div><br />
I started sewing as a kid when I was in the 4H sewing club. Did you have 4H when you were growing up? For me, it was what all the kids on the farm were doing. I credit it with turning me into a feminist. I watched my mom do all the hard stuff the guys were doing (driving tractor, birthing cows, staining the deck, etc) but she also knew how to do all kinds of other stuff (sew curtains, make really tasty food, make you feel better when you were sick, etc). When I was little, 4H was just about sewing club, and cooking club. As we got older, we got to raise and show animals. <br />
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I was kind of a miserable failure in the 4H sewing club. I'm pretty sure I didn't finish my first project. I was always much more interested in cooking. It became my creative outlet at a pretty early age. Then 2 years ago I had a kid, and it seems that my ability to get creative in the 20 minutes between when I get home from work and when a full-blown tantrum starts (!) is really limited. So I started to sew.<br />
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Sewing has been a huge creative outlet for me. I can do it after Elliott is asleep. I get alone time, and a creative channel that has no time crunch. Here's a peek at what I've been up to, and where you can find more inspiration if you're interested:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiabIzWJ4y3iTCz4NT8Wq7w1hLg4qBYCDRdXQWHs9fEfHb0OeLcBKs_AlevEkUjAG6a9KCSOuFmr5iN3_IfGoOp-XL-dwBtl3uURx0o9LJUiMuoSeAxwlIrVifvw62oelMyLs7aFnlXHvO/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiabIzWJ4y3iTCz4NT8Wq7w1hLg4qBYCDRdXQWHs9fEfHb0OeLcBKs_AlevEkUjAG6a9KCSOuFmr5iN3_IfGoOp-XL-dwBtl3uURx0o9LJUiMuoSeAxwlIrVifvw62oelMyLs7aFnlXHvO/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Travel Car Mat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I became re-interested in sewing when I discovered some crafty blogs that I really liked. After a few projects from various blog posts, I decided to buy the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Learning-Sew-Project-Time/dp/1440211612?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Stitch by Stitch</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1440211612" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />" by Deborah Moebes. I can't say enough good things about this book. I've been working through it project by project, and I love it. I have learned A LOT. One of the early projects she has is a make your own place mat. I did that, and then decided to switch it up and make a travel car mat as a birthday present for Elliott's little BFF. The mat has pockets for matchbox cars, and I bought fabric so Z could drive his cars up and down all the roads. Rumor has it that he likes it. I figure it's good for restaurants and airplane rides. Or trips to the doctor's office.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWCm0E7qpZjPNY7IQBbOobKRUC88X_S3EhAX7hQIo6bPODCz9E5dgo_dw0vPohChthYND8exYi3eNvEJw6s5UgotBnkiTxbVpP0Zs1hQbfot8xTTCKU1Vo0U2pBFYyBkJChBbnap88ETl/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWCm0E7qpZjPNY7IQBbOobKRUC88X_S3EhAX7hQIo6bPODCz9E5dgo_dw0vPohChthYND8exYi3eNvEJw6s5UgotBnkiTxbVpP0Zs1hQbfot8xTTCKU1Vo0U2pBFYyBkJChBbnap88ETl/s320/IMG_0498.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elliott's Birthday present</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8j2nsMxdinMBZlnXR6rnasgKDToz9_z_LplXjPgWnUjwkekjH53pqeVENV1TpgeKyjHMVz3YtL3tWTC5mzrtrl9VajR3q8FWEg8dOBjvRBh3Ie3omxNv_dBbBvWV2J-3W12vw7bBk9UR/s1600/DSC03239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8j2nsMxdinMBZlnXR6rnasgKDToz9_z_LplXjPgWnUjwkekjH53pqeVENV1TpgeKyjHMVz3YtL3tWTC5mzrtrl9VajR3q8FWEg8dOBjvRBh3Ie3omxNv_dBbBvWV2J-3W12vw7bBk9UR/s320/DSC03239.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sCyPQ8_NQg6LvgfluIvAWkulL3PKDVYfvzwpXJ1BM2T1qTSPg_MlM8cqrR3mxUsOYFLFjb90p4vcn2UyTvhy_hz7nbcXNIfiUHuXqGlytJMB_93tPtZspD96keMr2qvlmbeSISk4qRha/s1600/DSC03213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sCyPQ8_NQg6LvgfluIvAWkulL3PKDVYfvzwpXJ1BM2T1qTSPg_MlM8cqrR3mxUsOYFLFjb90p4vcn2UyTvhy_hz7nbcXNIfiUHuXqGlytJMB_93tPtZspD96keMr2qvlmbeSISk4qRha/s320/DSC03213.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7qIzDGUCE2dSc__C04eFcWZozhaPYWmvbS_JPFlRVLG_sY3TK2h6IufNovBsx33lDv6Sj3ifQJ4yxGgTMglBIHElY2Oe49mljVnHKX1Dk0dpFGnyJ6er5W7J5iGI7wsc0kFuY2y9-3nt/s1600/DSC03221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7qIzDGUCE2dSc__C04eFcWZozhaPYWmvbS_JPFlRVLG_sY3TK2h6IufNovBsx33lDv6Sj3ifQJ4yxGgTMglBIHElY2Oe49mljVnHKX1Dk0dpFGnyJ6er5W7J5iGI7wsc0kFuY2y9-3nt/s320/DSC03221.JPG" width="320" /></a>I made Elliott this beanbag chair for his birthday! Seriously I am really proud. It turned out great, and he loves it. I think we play with it every day. I bought the pattern from <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/01/rollie-pollie-is-here.html">MADE</a> (another all time favorite blog). That pattern is great and worth every penny. Dana has tons of pictures, and again, I learned so much from making this! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRV32QVsepvyFsmR_2S3I9e2oyoHtmbL8TwUAu2nhFQ8LGf3NGYMPoEvOe_BQz_qt9X3BHY_sk8NWBbhDDlCiLqDHBsNlVbyfd8zEySRfp-mf7QsJh8SPOrATlyJlYOqZratsQgtiYNXSe/s1600/DSC03209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRV32QVsepvyFsmR_2S3I9e2oyoHtmbL8TwUAu2nhFQ8LGf3NGYMPoEvOe_BQz_qt9X3BHY_sk8NWBbhDDlCiLqDHBsNlVbyfd8zEySRfp-mf7QsJh8SPOrATlyJlYOqZratsQgtiYNXSe/s320/DSC03209.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, if you're curious, this fabric is called "Hello my Friend" and it's made by Push Pin for Kokka. (A Japanese import fabric). I bought it from <a href="http://www.superbuzzy.com/">SuperBuzzy</a>, but it's now out of stock. You may have luck on Etsy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YqKS10OU6ijwcUQRkFRx97EWP2Auu0xMZyjO5xugTZsBr7ysHkAn9bGvcFt5FkPUwFvvc5JSXDpXDqo_WPZpNOwWfLhY1LekGyFaqZwr_G7j75nd_iOVhfXz9nW4wa3ynnqVizJhWp_q/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YqKS10OU6ijwcUQRkFRx97EWP2Auu0xMZyjO5xugTZsBr7ysHkAn9bGvcFt5FkPUwFvvc5JSXDpXDqo_WPZpNOwWfLhY1LekGyFaqZwr_G7j75nd_iOVhfXz9nW4wa3ynnqVizJhWp_q/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Tyler!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next project was a sweet little monster bag for another one of Elliott's BFFs. This little bag holds a coloring book or two, and has color crayons for teeth. I found this inspiration during "Celebrate the Boy" month on two of my favorite blogs: <a href="http://www.made-by-rae.com/">Made by Rae</a> and <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/">MADE</a>. You can find a link to the tutorial for this bag <a href="http://www.hideousdreadfulstinky.com/2011/02/crayon-monster-art-tote-tutorial.html">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3DR-_770RuA6l1ZiYXrCSjlwPLfTla1VmCYLTw3yXymihYgSLnGvVyGFS-Uyipir5Zk6aGaIyVkEAzLqde4fbxIc1moeE-6ghYaDzuZlaOTY7SbnN0_noFDyh2phjlUcg8ccFCiaN3Ui/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3DR-_770RuA6l1ZiYXrCSjlwPLfTla1VmCYLTw3yXymihYgSLnGvVyGFS-Uyipir5Zk6aGaIyVkEAzLqde4fbxIc1moeE-6ghYaDzuZlaOTY7SbnN0_noFDyh2phjlUcg8ccFCiaN3Ui/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Chris!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's my most recent project. Also inspired by a blog post during Celebrate the Boy. I've personally never played Angry Birds, but I hear it's addictive. Our good friend Chris seemed to really like the game, so I whipped these little guys up for his birthday. You can find a tutorial for them <a href="http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2011/03/angry-birds-plushies-all-tutorials.html">here</a>. If you like Angry Birds, she has tutorials for all the characters. I just made two. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to throw these at Chris in order to give him his gift. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's what I've been up to. Happy Crafting!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-90732524630710608902011-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:002011-05-09T20:22:05.626-07:00Patio Herb GardenHello again friends! My apologies for a long absence. First I lost the charger for my camera. Which I stubbornly refused to replace for 2 months. Then I found a badillion and one things to do besides blogging. But I made this cute little herb pot, and took a few pictures, and thought you might like it. That's right, dear reader, I missed you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_ydHildNWxgBERr4LQ9OfY4xwidcwDZXCUdJYEaxAmxf1DXcPov5kiyeWmNTClWzNM8U6cehWZOnlqw4G_2sf-R4DfpAZd3pdGl0vk5gO0d2LU7D7uto1Eua1pDVGPtKVSViwjFZdySO/s1600/DSC_0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_ydHildNWxgBERr4LQ9OfY4xwidcwDZXCUdJYEaxAmxf1DXcPov5kiyeWmNTClWzNM8U6cehWZOnlqw4G_2sf-R4DfpAZd3pdGl0vk5gO0d2LU7D7uto1Eua1pDVGPtKVSViwjFZdySO/s320/DSC_0020.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Growing herbs on your deck can be easy and fun. I love being able to add fresh herbs to a recipe without paying $3 for a silly little box of herbs at the grocery store. In fact these herb starts (which often have even more herbs than those silly boxes), cost anywhere from $1.50 to $3! But they'll last all summer, and maybe into winter! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I heard about growing herbs in a strawberry pot a while ago. In fact, I first made an herb pot like this about 8 years ago. This year I decided to dump out all of my soil and start fresh. Some years I've been really lucky and had some of my herbs last all winter (during mild winters when I've kept my herb pot close to my house where I figure it's a bit warmer and more sheltered).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you'd like to make yourself an herb pot (or make one as a gift!--that would be truly lovely!), here's some basics:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Start with a basic strawberry pot. I bought mine 8 years ago for about 20 bucks. You may be able to find them for free on Craigslist, or ask around at the office or church. Often times people like the idea of growing strawberries, but give up after the first year. Just take that pot off their hands!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9ALL0qM_ziGNL8lyu_QFqDS6uffrZ6iEKn1ZMWuL1T03s-6SDAVVFlOsKzLtBBWGPy-AhmmPF5gmSdBNehP3ROjFMmvCxubvG5__6vM9row0cwlIYUCn0_b_3J43IzLhIWO3VnLHWNlu/s1600/DSC_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9ALL0qM_ziGNL8lyu_QFqDS6uffrZ6iEKn1ZMWuL1T03s-6SDAVVFlOsKzLtBBWGPy-AhmmPF5gmSdBNehP3ROjFMmvCxubvG5__6vM9row0cwlIYUCn0_b_3J43IzLhIWO3VnLHWNlu/s320/DSC_0004.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Empty Strawberry pot and some potting soil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then you'll need to buy some herb starts. For various reasons, in the course of a week I ended up at 2 local nurseries (<a href="http://www.flowerworldusa.com/">Flower World</a>, and <a href="http://www.molbaks.com/">Molbaks</a>) and then also spotted some starts at my <a href="http://www.yakimafruitmarket.com/">local fruit stand</a>. I love all 3 of these places, and I also recommend supporting your local plant sale. Often times they're fundraisers for local non-profits. And we know I love those. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lYFhb6tJG00tKv7F14TewvFbwaxDHEvWrYi_a6R2OJoWlNaa5Ph0h2e9Ruq-F2A8sXMEK83PEJMiw1RZqI86HKek7-LpxUFl_uLbvK8hONWiG4KH0kl8WFchWltLeUmhfxGq12rAZpm3/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lYFhb6tJG00tKv7F14TewvFbwaxDHEvWrYi_a6R2OJoWlNaa5Ph0h2e9Ruq-F2A8sXMEK83PEJMiw1RZqI86HKek7-LpxUFl_uLbvK8hONWiG4KH0kl8WFchWltLeUmhfxGq12rAZpm3/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you have your pot and your starts, you'll need soil. I dumped out the old dirt from my pot into a large empty pot (you could use a bucket) and mixed it with new potting soil, and some compost. I also added some water to make the soil moist. Once I'd mixed it up fairly well I added soil to the bottom of the strawberry pot to bring it up to the first level of openings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgax6qRbgZXFtLCFZKzzV9DgeVcknhs00x5kg-mRHT9YYHWhng4gkxBITK-f96x8wK2TyUHfeg_l1qsQE9_EK11_tPUaD_3cskotTtYIs0suGZXtYpFpkrSZNnT4mH77khGWFdHI_iAxOtJ/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgax6qRbgZXFtLCFZKzzV9DgeVcknhs00x5kg-mRHT9YYHWhng4gkxBITK-f96x8wK2TyUHfeg_l1qsQE9_EK11_tPUaD_3cskotTtYIs0suGZXtYpFpkrSZNnT4mH77khGWFdHI_iAxOtJ/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hello Thyme</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My herb starts were a lot bigger than the openings, so I gently pulled soil off from the root ball until the herb fit into the opening. I then added a little soil around the herb from the front and the back. I also added some slow-release fertilizer behind the root ball.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9RWfVLdumyp10q6Th9NIXFxlGSfYhi7W4heUOYt51IMsG1NrvKeNvlbcxaYL5_tWbzgcGGbhRdY9GrecnNFiQPQDmeTuqsHhunEiWJUt357ggHKORjEFXlzFS0HytwVcbuo6zh1vJvcO/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9RWfVLdumyp10q6Th9NIXFxlGSfYhi7W4heUOYt51IMsG1NrvKeNvlbcxaYL5_tWbzgcGGbhRdY9GrecnNFiQPQDmeTuqsHhunEiWJUt357ggHKORjEFXlzFS0HytwVcbuo6zh1vJvcO/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from the top as I'm adding fertilizer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep adding plants! Once you have the bottom layer all planted, add more soil until you reach the second layer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxb0WJBY-2K7Lbna_Jt90nAD9mdzOf-O7-TjX89Dj_1TblfoFCYbeKzqnZrO2yAWO_9ff5BJ6fytfWNF6h_viFmt4gasi0QUPTR3NT6CH8MUu9P0AeVyG9tII2XTZzoGN6F9vnxZvROBOF/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxb0WJBY-2K7Lbna_Jt90nAD9mdzOf-O7-TjX89Dj_1TblfoFCYbeKzqnZrO2yAWO_9ff5BJ6fytfWNF6h_viFmt4gasi0QUPTR3NT6CH8MUu9P0AeVyG9tII2XTZzoGN6F9vnxZvROBOF/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I planted Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Sage, Dill, and Rosemary. I'm going to plant (from seed) the entire top of the strawberry pot with Basil. That still left me 3 openings. In the past I've planted other herbs (mint, cilantro, lemon thyme, thai basil, etc). This year I was tempted by all the varieties of strawberries that my local fruit market was selling, so I decided to buy 3 and give my strawberry pot a layer of tradition. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhakHlPD9APmjxo0nLXjwTWyXhQpC7BmkCe4-WT5F0HDHMrA3-iz2ZBSLdh-FGT2XqSh_T160CLclucr-n_C0eZ3iWySkJicTrUBBC78xOYSu2uHnaxpGl_AlxhLC36_UFRoP8vne4WO3/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhakHlPD9APmjxo0nLXjwTWyXhQpC7BmkCe4-WT5F0HDHMrA3-iz2ZBSLdh-FGT2XqSh_T160CLclucr-n_C0eZ3iWySkJicTrUBBC78xOYSu2uHnaxpGl_AlxhLC36_UFRoP8vne4WO3/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There you go! Easy and fun herb garden. No need for a big garden space. Have fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-12661858306157099002011-02-11T14:51:00.000-08:002011-02-11T14:51:30.505-08:00Panda Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsJq7Xwp441v1zeZ9PrdtGGou5M6JBt0BtbMRq_qwMlGJMRljzNP0uQk8yG2Mfcfg2dlTiSvLorJnUJnYm6SpV3YflcM_NndU_kfnGCj5bMmXErcG40isy9V-j-xJXWfW9arViTJT8cTO/s1600/DSC03187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsJq7Xwp441v1zeZ9PrdtGGou5M6JBt0BtbMRq_qwMlGJMRljzNP0uQk8yG2Mfcfg2dlTiSvLorJnUJnYm6SpV3YflcM_NndU_kfnGCj5bMmXErcG40isy9V-j-xJXWfW9arViTJT8cTO/s320/DSC03187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Aren't these little panda's cute? <br />
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OK, time to admit a few things. First off, my camera's battery is dead. And I can't find the charger! One of those many moments when that nagging little voice rings in my ears "Isn't this the year you were going to get organized?" Oh well. Maybe next year....<br />
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So I took this picture with my old camera. And I only realized after I had all the pandas assembled that I should have taken pictures. I suppose I wasn't thinking they would turn out so cute! So sadly all you have is finished product pictures. Sorry! But they were relatively EASY. And fun! <br />
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I found the "recipe" and procedure in the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Cupcake-Irresistibly-Playful-Creations/dp/0618829253?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Hello, Cupcake!</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0618829253" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Cupcake-Irresistibly-Playful-Creations/dp/0618829253?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make" height="320" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0618829253&tag=emilyofa-20" width="285" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0618829253" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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I found this book used at <a href="http://www.thirdplacebooks.com/node">Third Place Books</a> and as soon as I saw the Pandas, I knew I would buy it and make them for my friend <a href="http://sundaypizza.blogspot.com/">Lisa's</a> birthday. Lisa loves all things Panda. Now I found this book last March, and her birthday is in February, so I've been having fun for months thinking about her birthday panda surprise.<br />
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For those of you who know me, I very rarely make anything from a mix. But <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Cupcake-Irresistibly-Playful-Creations/dp/0618829253?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Hello, Cupcake!</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0618829253" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is all about using store-bought ingredients to make really cute cupcakes without a lot of work. And although I originally planned to make cupcakes and frosting from scratch, in the end it saved me tons of time to buy store bought ingredients. <br />
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To make the Pandas, I baked up 8 regular size cupcakes and 8 mini-cupcakes using a vanilla cake mix. You could have made 16 pandas with that amount of cake mix, but it was also Superbowl Sunday, and my pants were already feeling tight. I made the Panda faces first. A mini-marshmallow helps make the snout, and then it's a simple matter of adding black food die to some vanilla frosting to create the eyes, nose and snout. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Cupcake-Irresistibly-Playful-Creations/dp/0618829253?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Hello, Cupcake!</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0618829253" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> gives really clear directions on how to use ziplock bags to pipe on all your frosting. It suggests using Oreo Os for ears, but I never did find those, so Chocolate Cheerios worked for me in a pinch. The Panda fur on the big cupcake is made up of Oreos that I pulsed up in my blender. Oreos also make up the arms and feet on the pandas. Everything is held together with frosting.<br />
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Now is perhaps a good time to admit some other things. These Pandas looked super cute (see above picture) when I put them in the car to take to Lisas. Upon arrival at her house, they pretty much all needed major surgery. I looked over at the passenger seat to find 8 headless Pandas. Fortunately, they were easily put back together. But note to the user--I suggest assembling these at the party location, or else having someone carry them in the car, as opposed to letting them bounce away on the pothole-filled drive to your friend's house.<br />
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If you like this sort of thing, this book has a lot of very creative ideas to make cute cupcakes with regular ingredients that you can find at most grocery stores. If you get really into it, there's also a sequel book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whats-New-Cupcake-Ingeniously-Occasion/dp/054724181X?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">"What's New, Cupcake?"</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=054724181X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> that I've heard is also cute. Both books are about $10 on Amazon (don't forget free 2-day shipping with you free membership in Amazon Mom!) or you could probably find them at your local library. Or support your local bookstore!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHY1_aLRke6rWOIcCjVxXeGHF4aVGdP63hWIF_i7ELPsk8CV83pCrrMjmDFK2qS9EqPrzMzIpayHM_meVi-elVDlwhUq62cPNyxG-WC_gPBdIn5OzqDWHVTfdf25UaViQ3wbHkVejcKyc5/s1600/DSC03186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHY1_aLRke6rWOIcCjVxXeGHF4aVGdP63hWIF_i7ELPsk8CV83pCrrMjmDFK2qS9EqPrzMzIpayHM_meVi-elVDlwhUq62cPNyxG-WC_gPBdIn5OzqDWHVTfdf25UaViQ3wbHkVejcKyc5/s320/DSC03186.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Lisa! Happy Creative Endeavors everyone!</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-59884829749991380542011-01-18T13:05:00.000-08:002011-01-18T13:05:13.724-08:00Garlic updateHello friends! So back in November, I decided I'd try my hand at planting some garlic. You can find that post <a href="http://here./">here.</a> I thought you might like an update. It appears that so far, all but one of my garlic cloves have sprouted! Hooray! This is what it looked like this morning:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLng3pkIQ3ryMod9xpkeeIkmi1Q37QLoTYYqwrStVDlYoxCLzLzLh6a3BpT0xqSqS483v8ea9JU2dLLRdhlnlEfI4HguqWdvCl6RExCngKrSmoR_LgptFeohF0Feu2tyPrtOA18tD08quu/s1600/DSC03182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLng3pkIQ3ryMod9xpkeeIkmi1Q37QLoTYYqwrStVDlYoxCLzLzLh6a3BpT0xqSqS483v8ea9JU2dLLRdhlnlEfI4HguqWdvCl6RExCngKrSmoR_LgptFeohF0Feu2tyPrtOA18tD08quu/s320/DSC03182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pretty exciting! Speaking of garlic, I made some really tasty Empanadas last weekend. As soon as I get a free chunk of time, I'll get that post up. I've been too distracted by fun trips to the <a href="http://www.seattleaquarium.org/netcommunity">Aquarium</a> and the <a href="http://www.imaginecm.org/">Children's museum</a>. Oh, and I participated in a flash mob. That was a blast. More on that later too. In the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying this rainy Tuesday! </div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-21089573023965386412011-01-07T12:32:00.000-08:002011-01-07T12:32:44.946-08:00Cleaning Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9n4ifgx0qOB_QOmriQ7HGsVFbgZxzfn5qFjGMQm_ZB5-TuwDuGxDakMwx9cDTwQr3znwJAwkaWSLuZRhJmd1rYaXqJDBqlrZhU5jcYkWvxIit7_ZZ7i5aAp-Vv5reh21Ii4K5cpvy6HC/s1600/House+Cleaning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9n4ifgx0qOB_QOmriQ7HGsVFbgZxzfn5qFjGMQm_ZB5-TuwDuGxDakMwx9cDTwQr3znwJAwkaWSLuZRhJmd1rYaXqJDBqlrZhU5jcYkWvxIit7_ZZ7i5aAp-Vv5reh21Ii4K5cpvy6HC/s320/House+Cleaning.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Let's be clear, I am the last person on earth who should be giving cleaning advice. I was the child who was constantly in trouble for leaving messes everywhere, not making her bed, not doing her dishes, etc. I am the adult who stacks things into (fairly) tidy piles, and tosses all kinds of random stuff that "looks interesting, and I'm sure I'll look at it later" into a drawer, a closet, or the garage. <br />
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So all that being said, I obviously joined the throngs of people making plans for 2011 to be the year "I finally get (a little bit) organized!" And I am going to keep myself honest by documenting a little bit of that here. <br />
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A few promises: If you have problems with cleaning and organization, I do not judge you. I thank you for likewise not judging me. Life is a journey. We can all try to improve. Also, since I do not come to cleaning or organization naturally, I also can't promise to share anything that you don't already know. I'll just share tips that I pick up along the way. And feel free to email me your tips, or post a comment below. I need help!<br />
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OK, so today I did something that I kind of love, but also feel a bit guilty about often times when I do it. I dropped Elliott off at daycare, and then came back home. That's right, I didn't go to work. I just came home. Today I didn't feel much guilt. I have gotten a ton done, and the little guy has only been in daycare a few hours. I'd probably feel more guilt if I came home and just read a book. Isn't that odd? Yes, I struggle.<br />
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At any rate. So today I discovered a couple of cleaning tips that surprised me by how well they worked, and I thought I'd share.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sCDqIHCzNJOPLCA_e8EyTdqmbMfPMeif5bWk7HpN742dISCFyvdBXz7Y55cAHUDlC5L-1Aqtoxk4Dee9Ou590MyXupv_ejsT1VR31ZStf1GyoNOTNWlG-rJGDu0gRWZUwkbKyRVOJa7s/s1600/ah-baking-soda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sCDqIHCzNJOPLCA_e8EyTdqmbMfPMeif5bWk7HpN742dISCFyvdBXz7Y55cAHUDlC5L-1Aqtoxk4Dee9Ou590MyXupv_ejsT1VR31ZStf1GyoNOTNWlG-rJGDu0gRWZUwkbKyRVOJa7s/s200/ah-baking-soda.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><u>TIP #1</u></span>: I used a baking soda and water paste to clean my class stove cook top. Have you done this before? It worked like a dream! Admittedly it took a lot (A LOT!) of elbow grease. But I've been cleaning that stove for the last 5 years with a glass cleaner, and the baking soda paste took off TONS of marks that I had thought were just scratches on the glass. If you'd like to try this, I used ratio of about 2 parts water to one part baking soda. I poured it on the stove just as my phone rang. So it ended up sitting on the stove for about 10 minutes before I started scrubbing. Not sure if that helped or not. It seemed like it really was the friction from the baking soda that loosened up all the gunk that I hadn't realized was gunk. And it didn't scratch my stove, it was cheap, and not chemically! Woot!<br />
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I should mention now, that I have thought about buying one of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Clean-Cleaner-Cleaning-4-Count/dp/B00074MC5A?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">these</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00074MC5A" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> to clean the stove. Has anyone tried it? If I ever do finally buy one I'll let you know. In the meantime, baking soda was cheap, and on-hand. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLb6F8QaNCHdHxFhffybVW__XYYwPwPH_pRYAfnipM5tKACI3RM0pIg3mUkxpyGOtHZA-j4EU_zFlKhEMYIh7AU2N4zG2MRE6khwnEc9s4i_Iu_9Xc_sKJBIa6PCJtZu8ui3ofxLkpj3R/s1600/01-06-CleanDishWKimber1_rect540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLb6F8QaNCHdHxFhffybVW__XYYwPwPH_pRYAfnipM5tKACI3RM0pIg3mUkxpyGOtHZA-j4EU_zFlKhEMYIh7AU2N4zG2MRE6khwnEc9s4i_Iu_9Xc_sKJBIa6PCJtZu8ui3ofxLkpj3R/s320/01-06-CleanDishWKimber1_rect540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">TIP #2</span>: I followed <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/how-to-clean-your-dishwasher-136169">these directions</a> to clean out my dishwasher. This might be one of those times where you look at this link and say, "Where have you been Emily?! Don't you do that regularly?" The sad truth is, this is the first time I've cleaned the inside of my dishwasher. I'm embarrassed to admit we've lived in this house over 5 years. Better to start now than a year from now though, right? Especially because I use that thing a ton. Practically daily since Elliott was born.<br />
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OK, those are my tips for today. Do you have tips to share? Leave a comment below. I can use all the help I can get! Happy Friday!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-56224616688046037632011-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:002011-01-05T20:47:54.574-08:00Mom's dinner rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVsQfo0gX8-wwzauC0PgbxMneQPFgRDyHIJxNPr-79GMaKRz8gDX8G_eMnkgskFZPuJmbotVHVQ7pK_i6qXO3ISoNGPGVS5Q9Qbs3xZf-uEAxdfXNx49AVBZwUOoD05OpCsgqYskvgGgU/s1600/DSC_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVsQfo0gX8-wwzauC0PgbxMneQPFgRDyHIJxNPr-79GMaKRz8gDX8G_eMnkgskFZPuJmbotVHVQ7pK_i6qXO3ISoNGPGVS5Q9Qbs3xZf-uEAxdfXNx49AVBZwUOoD05OpCsgqYskvgGgU/s320/DSC_0156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy New Year!! I've been away from this blog for a couple weeks, but am happy to report that my absence was the result of a wonderful trip to visit my mom. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As some of you know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer, and has been going through chemo for the past few months. For me, Mom's cancer diagnosis has challenged me in a number of ways. First off, cancer forces you to look at your beliefs about death. No small task. And talking about death doesn't generally come up in casual conversation. Frankly, I think most people are uncomfortable with it. We all want to die peacefully in our sleep. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At any rate, over the past few months I have come to realize how much I love my mom, how much my relationship with her means to me, and how much I hope to have a similar relationship with my own child (or possible children---dare I even write that?) someday. We haven't been able to see my mom much recently since our little cutie is exposed to a whole host of germs at daycare. But Gramma decided to take a risk for Christmas! So exciting!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcjchzWVgnE415RfEA1RDBUnAUo15GnX-seVyqWheDtJGkvBlKfxSgXyX2ou2Ck9IxaWkbbEQk-iK7cZmcn4c_yJT0hq3G3Khkm3avsh9ZLsg_CVw87W3IOiaCReCmM1aSq4P2DQyG3uT/s1600/DSC_0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcjchzWVgnE415RfEA1RDBUnAUo15GnX-seVyqWheDtJGkvBlKfxSgXyX2ou2Ck9IxaWkbbEQk-iK7cZmcn4c_yJT0hq3G3Khkm3avsh9ZLsg_CVw87W3IOiaCReCmM1aSq4P2DQyG3uT/s320/DSC_0202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have always enjoyed cooking with my mom. As Elliott is getting bigger, I've started pulling a chair into the kitchen so he can cook with me. I have memories of doing this with my mom when I was young. I also vividly remember the time she let me make playdough by myself and I melted her Tupperware bowl all over the stove. Oops. Fortunately I didn't burn the house down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year our cooking endeavors have been a bit more modest. My mom often makes whole wheat rolls and grinds her own flour, using wheat we harvest each summer at the family farm (now you know why I think she's secretly super-woman). This year, she tried a new recipe. And it was great! Mom doubled the original recipe, and we had rolls for days. There were 13 adults and 5 children at our Christmas dinner, but we were eating sandwiches for the rest of the weekend (yum!). Just a tip, in case you have leftovers, or decide to make a double recipe!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the basics:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Proof your yeast. Then add sugar, butter, an egg and mix it up. Add whole wheat flour too. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was attempting to entertain a cute toddler at this point. Yes, he is drinking water out of a shot glass. Apparently mama forgot the sippy cup. You'll be happy to know it's just water. And that his hair is always that messy when he wakes up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhircQ1cE6ouMEqvU-_4jQQ8T9jAR1qOa1VsU4huGI_STB-zZMJqye2ZTblhTPhqO4su6o8W2Z_bpxDmD-JczyRhg7uZZI7tB-FMw16HI4fzzoVY4y8H-1FdotIIM6Vq7AU7JldtO9kCJQy/s1600/DSC_0143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhircQ1cE6ouMEqvU-_4jQQ8T9jAR1qOa1VsU4huGI_STB-zZMJqye2ZTblhTPhqO4su6o8W2Z_bpxDmD-JczyRhg7uZZI7tB-FMw16HI4fzzoVY4y8H-1FdotIIM6Vq7AU7JldtO9kCJQy/s320/DSC_0143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, back to the bread. Then keep adding all purpose flour and mixing until you form a dough. Turn it out on a lightly floured surface and start kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Then let it rise until doubled. Punch the dough down and let it rise a second time. Now we rejoin pictures!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Punch down the dough. Divide into two part and roll out into a circle:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDEGVh7I0wGvlw1t88g1vSRSWHfrZE8AUwstP8ky-uP7BX20ed6dYe_FT5IPoISzCmiVqnqxcviT24wrMIJ0J4BGXqdto59iNENbDLv-dRIk09lB05_J8d-BH7sfXXZaL7CDPnmKIRumt/s1600/DSC_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDEGVh7I0wGvlw1t88g1vSRSWHfrZE8AUwstP8ky-uP7BX20ed6dYe_FT5IPoISzCmiVqnqxcviT24wrMIJ0J4BGXqdto59iNENbDLv-dRIk09lB05_J8d-BH7sfXXZaL7CDPnmKIRumt/s320/DSC_0115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cut the circle into 8 "slices":</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHXCcD0s01vwHZvvq5Nsd43Gx-p2cJs_mouWzsM3joKiU40fxZKtas57FMEKsPbX0V0VoQbzrNH14Tv1p2V-sT2LdUHiatd2sdN3Qt9q-4jr-Ew3ReovHTiH5F-_62lKrGticae6bl4zk/s1600/DSC_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHXCcD0s01vwHZvvq5Nsd43Gx-p2cJs_mouWzsM3joKiU40fxZKtas57FMEKsPbX0V0VoQbzrNH14Tv1p2V-sT2LdUHiatd2sdN3Qt9q-4jr-Ew3ReovHTiH5F-_62lKrGticae6bl4zk/s320/DSC_0124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then roll up into rolls:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Lhcmleh1e5oWP2l7TOoFdP8kikk2MZBJ7b8GrALWC9ByVOSDE9yCN7U6GLSKTwf_EB0nYsFIirJM56R4NSzBCcwyhzltq5YeCUG5WqJBpcaQI7yLsrjw71NfgVTI33DzVErLfJ4IDwtY/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Lhcmleh1e5oWP2l7TOoFdP8kikk2MZBJ7b8GrALWC9ByVOSDE9yCN7U6GLSKTwf_EB0nYsFIirJM56R4NSzBCcwyhzltq5YeCUG5WqJBpcaQI7yLsrjw71NfgVTI33DzVErLfJ4IDwtY/s200/DSC_0126.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uwCeBrWcfFdiQoDVSt2iS7MgouSWDjUSjiQFQkxwyPLC-Kup94ZUya6zSDZKRsOjr5Fr4RhHoldxkMJ22GkAAuPveNq0TtJXth2wHb6o21QtW49Nw6VxD1SWr5Z88HatuAvdmZIu7Rdh/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uwCeBrWcfFdiQoDVSt2iS7MgouSWDjUSjiQFQkxwyPLC-Kup94ZUya6zSDZKRsOjr5Fr4RhHoldxkMJ22GkAAuPveNq0TtJXth2wHb6o21QtW49Nw6VxD1SWr5Z88HatuAvdmZIu7Rdh/s200/DSC_0127.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><div style="text-align: left;">Place rolls on baking sheet and allow to rise until doubled. You can then repeat these steps with the other half of dough. (Or other 3 parts of dough if you doubled the recipe)</div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlRFzfFwprTDSq27eTgkoC1_h8IBZ-3QLe5C8OK9woHrdoO0sLTvmvTUdj09voJBoKWJ5RLVfLgHzDr87A45yukDt8XGgZXC81Uusu7U6O4GC6CwJ3KOpa9cjdWRYqiWvy9pozDrynEpE/s320/DSC_0137.JPG" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bake at 400 for 12-15 min and enjoy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUY7s2WoXPrIHAuYrgRZJEKXIuf2PPd_tsLGaZqSLsyhFghT00Oh6EXaxlJAEWmzblyo5koFrV2ebG6U6kjoGokbdVz4TmqPJANsH2JslpIXCqHKLpDepJYtZzHDBkPOiiSWX7PY9prgG/s1600/DSC_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUY7s2WoXPrIHAuYrgRZJEKXIuf2PPd_tsLGaZqSLsyhFghT00Oh6EXaxlJAEWmzblyo5koFrV2ebG6U6kjoGokbdVz4TmqPJANsH2JslpIXCqHKLpDepJYtZzHDBkPOiiSWX7PY9prgG/s320/DSC_0149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One more comment. I can remember when I was little, my mom talked about how glad she was that I had my grandma's hands. Apparently my grandma's hands "aged well" whereas my mom thought she had "old lady hands" at a young age. In looking at the above pictures, I have to say that I think Mom's hands are beautiful. I think they're the hands of someone who has worked hard her whole life, and is pretty darn good at just about everything she does. I love you Mom!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Mom's Dinner Rolls</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Adapted from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Light-Wheat-Rolls/Detail.aspx">All Recipes</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span></div><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #7a7a7a; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ingredients</h3><ul style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1/2 cup white sugar</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 teaspoon salt</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 egg, beaten</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Melted butter to brush on the tops of the rolls (Unless Mom did this at lightning speed while I was brushing my teeth, I believe we skipped this step---Mom's never one for extra calories!).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #7a7a7a; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</h3><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #7a7a7a; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Directions</h3><ol style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Mix sugar, salt, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour into yeast mixture. Stir in all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Punch down dough, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Punch down dough, and divide into two equal portions. Roll each into a circle, and cut circle into eight slices. Roll pieces up into spirals, and place on baking sheets. Brush tops with melted butter (optional). Let rise uncovered in a warm place 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and brush again with melted butter (optional).</span></li>
</ol></span></span></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-59082041767692924352010-12-21T19:43:00.000-08:002010-12-21T19:43:39.907-08:00Fudge on a cute plate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItc2rQLg5EWa4ym500VKF-447v7FxIqzOxO6YPddFumFSNweG5xqi_okAaOBlFZJdSqvAe6Wc15nXmkGdO20Y1vmhTjROYyDywa1C7MhJjtLfS7_WLqqT0gZJW7SyHrxhxv-RPYp6Lrrr/s1600/fudge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItc2rQLg5EWa4ym500VKF-447v7FxIqzOxO6YPddFumFSNweG5xqi_okAaOBlFZJdSqvAe6Wc15nXmkGdO20Y1vmhTjROYyDywa1C7MhJjtLfS7_WLqqT0gZJW7SyHrxhxv-RPYp6Lrrr/s320/fudge1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So while we're discussing homemade gifts, an obvious gift is food! This year I decided to make fudge for my staff and co-workers. I usually make my mom's fudge recipe (maybe you'll get to see that next year!), but this year I decided to try my friend <a href="http://sundaypizza.blogspot.com/2010/12/ooh-fudge.html">Lisa's fudge</a>. A few things influenced that decision. First off, I tried Lisa's fudge while we were making meatballs for the incredibly fun holiday party that her family hosted (which we sadly ended up missing because the little one was sick!). It is super good fudge. Second of all, her fudge recipe makes at least 3 times more fudge than my mom's recipe. Which is good when you want to give fudge to a truckload of people (As an aside, are you familiar with that expression? I believe I also occasionally say a "boatload." My co-worker, <a href="http://strudelandstreusel.wordpress.com/">Strudel</a>, thought it was quite funny! Maybe it's the farmer in me?).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJSJSR14HWSA63oMxxFN5eGU4KgmRr6_509gEz5ncXIz3vgt8cYD1IFLR45F-vXzxCkPgsb8uHwC1DrAq27FOvSbKgyPxSMuix9e8L1lkTvghZEoTYtdSc3l3ZDAuNpLSL-SR5yGr7-DT/s1600/fudge2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJSJSR14HWSA63oMxxFN5eGU4KgmRr6_509gEz5ncXIz3vgt8cYD1IFLR45F-vXzxCkPgsb8uHwC1DrAq27FOvSbKgyPxSMuix9e8L1lkTvghZEoTYtdSc3l3ZDAuNpLSL-SR5yGr7-DT/s320/fudge2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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OK, now for the backstory about this plate my tasty fudge is sitting on. Last Friday a friend of mine was going to be in my neighborhood for a work event that was scheduled to end at 4pm. That's right: 4pm on Friday afternoon before Christmas. The last day of school. I should mention this friend lives South of Seattle, while I live North of Seattle. It usually takes me about an hour to get to work, and her commute isn't the shortest either. We figured that there would be peace in the Middle East before she managed to get home that Friday. So instead we convinced our husbands to babysit while we had a mom's night out! Woo-hoo! <br />
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How does this relate to that cute fudge plate? Hold on to your hats. I'm getting there.<br />
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So my friend and I came up with a plan to meet at my house and then head out to one of the cute restaurants in my neighborhood for happy hour. Ultimately I decided we should try out this <a href="http://www.tandemwinebar.com/">cute little wine bar </a>that just opened up this fall, and is only a few blocks from me. Unfortunately, the day of mom's night out I woke up with some unfortunate sinus bug, which left me unable to taste much. Be that as it may, we were both still eager to take advantage of a night out without children. So we walked over to the wine bar and I casually asked if they had any tea. Fortunately for me, they apparently have a B&B above the wine bar, so our server ran upstairs, and grabbed me some tea.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55Un6tdV73yli3AGp2ucRWwTQgSCbSditDNGcAiHjQDCjeW5Z5IYl-mw-heZbe26p1KPIwl-62OCpwLUNJptfKmq8U9wfE-o56eTK0ZqI5rty4rLyAtWFm-rvhA422aYf2d0XQy_S4ipG/s1600/fudge3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55Un6tdV73yli3AGp2ucRWwTQgSCbSditDNGcAiHjQDCjeW5Z5IYl-mw-heZbe26p1KPIwl-62OCpwLUNJptfKmq8U9wfE-o56eTK0ZqI5rty4rLyAtWFm-rvhA422aYf2d0XQy_S4ipG/s320/fudge3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
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Still don't see how this relates to the fudge? We're really close, I promise.<br />
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So after my friend had a couple glasses of wine, and I had several mugs of tea, we decided to order some food. We had been sitting at the bar for a couple hours, and the place was now packed. Sitting at the bar was interesting: we overheard all the gossip of the staff, who didn't seem to be paying much attention to how close we were to their conversations. We also got to watch the cooking happening just a few feet from us. Everything was looking good (and apparently smelling good, although I was too stuffed up to smell much). I ordered their special, while my friend ordered a salad. Sadly when the food came, it was not great. I ate part of my meal, and decided to take the rest home for my husband.<br />
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I should mention that when we were planning for girls night out, my husband was very excited and declared that the boys would have Macoroni and Cheese with hotdogs! So you can understand why I thought even my bad leftovers might be a welcome treat for him.<br />
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When our server next swung by, I asked if I could have the rest of my meal boxed up. She returned with my food all wrapped up on this cute little plate. She explained that they don't use boxes, but send their customers home with a plate from the kitchen. If we were able, we could bring the plate back, or not. My friend and I shared a hearty laugh as we headed out of the bar, and off into the dark, chilly night, parading my leftovers through downtown as we walked back to my house. <br />
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So that, you see, is how I came upon this plate. Which I think is really cute. Overall I'm not sure that I can recommend the wine bar. Their prices seemed high, and as I mentioned the food wasn't great. But I do love that I can walk there from my house, and my friend and I had a wonderful time being footloose and kid-free.<br />
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</div>OK, so if you want the recipe for the fudge, head over to <a href="http://sundaypizza.blogspot.com/2010/12/ooh-fudge.html">Lisa's Blog</a>. While you're there, check out <a href="http://sundaypizza.blogspot.com/2010/12/sunday-pizza-12122010.html">this post</a>, with an awesome picture of our kids making pizzas. Aren't they adorable?! Happy Holiday's everyone!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-23045897912593580122010-12-18T12:47:00.000-08:002010-12-18T12:47:05.425-08:00homemade giftsSpoiler alert: If you're related to me, you may not want to read this post, as you may see something that I've made you for Christmas! :)<br />
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I really like homemade gifts. I love receiving homemade gifts. I mostly love making homemade gifts. I think it gets a little tricky when you put a lot of time into making a gift, and the receiver doesn't necessarily recognize or appreciate your efforts. And that can be a major bummer if you put a lot of thought, care, and time into making a gift. <br />
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I feel like Christmas time can be really complicated. There's come to be a cultural expectation that we will give and receive gifts. But in so many ways, gift giving has come to be all about consumerism. That's one of the reasons that I like to make gifts for people. Plus, generally speaking, my family and friends have enough "stuff." Working daily with folks who are homeless, I'm aware how much I value my relationships with friends and family members. Without their love and support, it's not that difficult to imagine myself in the place of many of the people that I work with.<br />
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So this year I decided to try to make gifts for almost everyone on my list. Again, because there's such cultural pressure to give gifts to so many people (all your relatives, your co-workers, your friends, your child's teacher, your hairstylist, the list goes on...), I tried to keep my gifts simple. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLN0vwriNbZNG4TJ4M8conucEzscPHc3r68HOfS2VmBcr_GSIXO2wGFYBDNz-La3_2AzfwZQEcDcBlEnnlUL2ztmqsxyJOPPbLhdCTFdi2Lrr3sPxkpCHy2nOnJok4VoM4_rzoqz7TPoC/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLN0vwriNbZNG4TJ4M8conucEzscPHc3r68HOfS2VmBcr_GSIXO2wGFYBDNz-La3_2AzfwZQEcDcBlEnnlUL2ztmqsxyJOPPbLhdCTFdi2Lrr3sPxkpCHy2nOnJok4VoM4_rzoqz7TPoC/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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This is an easy gift idea that works well for family, friends, or even folks at the office. I discovered this project idea over at MADE. Instead of me recreating her excellent tutorial, I'm going to send you to her directions <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-monogrammed-family-ornaments.html">here</a>, which are really top notch. Have I mentioned how much I like her blog? It's really a winner. <br />
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Here's a few of my additional suggestions: I bought 1/8th of a yard of felt in some pretty basic colors: red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. Felt was on sale at JoAnns for $2.99 a yard, so all that cost me about $1.75 total. I also bought 1/8th of a yard of a nicer felt in off-white. In the cheap felt they only had a really bright white, and I liked the slightly off-white color. That was $9.99 a yard (!), but I didn't buy much, and I used a coupon.<br />
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Speaking of which, did you know JoAnn's has coupons that you can load onto your phone? I used The JoAnn app (it's free!) to download my coupons, and it worked slick! No more forgetting your coupons! If you shop at JoAnns ever, I have to recommend it.<br />
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OK, back to the project. I also bought matching thread to sew on my letters. I used a sewing machine to sew them on (the only part of this project that really couldn't be done while watching tv---unless your sewing machine is near a tv). It would be easy enough to hand sew on the letters if you don't have a sewing machine. I also bought some thin crochet yarn (you could use what you have on hand--I don't crochet!) to sew the pieces of felt together. I had ribbon on hand. I also stuffed mine with some fake snow. You could easily use cotton balls, tissue, or whatever else you have around, or not stuff your ornaments. I liked the 3-D effect.<br />
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To make the circles, I traced a juice glass. To make the letters, I picked a font that I liked, set the size to 150, and printed out the letters for my relatives. I then cut them out with scissors, and traced them onto my felt. Ta-dah! Easy! (If you're a fancy scrapbooking type, I'm sure there's an easier way with your fancy-pants machine!)<br />
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I completed this project over the course of a few days while watching TV in the evenings after the kiddo had gone to bed. I found it very relaxing, and I think they turned out great. Let me know if you try it! Again, you can find the original tutorial <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-monogrammed-family-ornaments.html">here</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy6YoxMIxXH5SN1yKHqbnZncG-bLEh9DH9LreV5JfzN_kk9FhjZoiZgZqzCV_J-4O-nvRt_TtPm_snw5Nz2bSWHs1X2YcRiu4u3e3vL2sz85g7svajBfatDNDc7MnzCTq65zHAYIMk3zz/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy6YoxMIxXH5SN1yKHqbnZncG-bLEh9DH9LreV5JfzN_kk9FhjZoiZgZqzCV_J-4O-nvRt_TtPm_snw5Nz2bSWHs1X2YcRiu4u3e3vL2sz85g7svajBfatDNDc7MnzCTq65zHAYIMk3zz/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-11476036916629896512010-12-14T18:59:00.000-08:002010-12-14T18:59:17.309-08:00Pomegranate Vinaigrette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqb_-kukAJwsGfmbL_xEzJT8IVgH-rWWXnExuSy3soMpTKHB5F9k2By3bcR1m1BBR_pqVBLBbaT0EvhcC9xPhWMc457SeAKTNIPQz5BX6yP9AC72xdNQ-izmol5LBnUEuOshYYkG1l-1p/s1600/DSC_0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqb_-kukAJwsGfmbL_xEzJT8IVgH-rWWXnExuSy3soMpTKHB5F9k2By3bcR1m1BBR_pqVBLBbaT0EvhcC9xPhWMc457SeAKTNIPQz5BX6yP9AC72xdNQ-izmol5LBnUEuOshYYkG1l-1p/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>I'm quite fond of a good salad. It seems that lettuce is almost always in season, and you can top it with whatever fruit or vegetable is also in season. It's infinitely adaptable and open to improvisation. <br />
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</div><div>Now salad dressing is another beast all together. The bargain hunter in me loves that it's fairly easy to score free salad dressing using coupons. The health conscious part of me cries out every time I buy bottled dressing, "Beware! High fructose corn syrup!" "Eek! Preservatives!" "OMG! Artificial everything!" "Hydrogenated Oils, oh my!" </div><div><br />
</div><div>So I do like to make my own dressing. It's really quite fast, as long as you already have all the ingredients on hand. Simply measure them all into a mason jar, screw on a lid, and shake for about 10 seconds. Presto! Store in a fridge and use in the next week or two. Easy enough, and also pretty darn cheap (well, at least compared to paying full price for dressing).</div><div><br />
</div><div>This dressing was inspired by an America's Test Kitchen Recipe. Unfortunately, just about the only ingredient I had on hand was pomegranate juice. So I made a bunch of substitutions, and it turned out great. I've now made this twice in the last week (one bottle of pomegranate juice will make two batches if you don't guzzle the juice first!). The recipe makes enough dressing for 2-3 large salads. It's received rave reviews from everyone who has tried it. I think you'll like it. Another bonus is this recipe is extremely low in fat. The reduced juice gives this dressing a wallop of flavor while minimizing the need for fat (only 2 Tbs oil in the whole recipe!). </div><div><br />
</div><div>So let's make salad! </div><div><br />
</div><div>Bring a couple cups of pomegranate juice to a simmer, and let it reduce by at least half:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIX51Dq7QrMJpuT_tYRBmia9jqSMRONP4PhJPzGjGGxbqE9htDcNJAKm7fseFwmK9vvic2QLU7iY3nX9jI7o5xQZtZs2Eky4Kofvjs97wp-MKCZHo1WqS_-BbyDjIhSfp-GP26KG_WI8B/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIX51Dq7QrMJpuT_tYRBmia9jqSMRONP4PhJPzGjGGxbqE9htDcNJAKm7fseFwmK9vvic2QLU7iY3nX9jI7o5xQZtZs2Eky4Kofvjs97wp-MKCZHo1WqS_-BbyDjIhSfp-GP26KG_WI8B/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While the juice is reducing, add the rest of your ingredients to a mason jar:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz9_5Tdr67pJf8r2RKjPn0-5epWVJeQOwWe1IX7VUxEdY27xr1a8jEkekTommcaxhsOkXVBH5pqIUvf9tJECZUwsD5Bb_mmeyHOlrSkBjY4kV5lOM8kDgKR5pjYFq6TdMAjl-Dp3j8Ps6/s1600/DSC_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz9_5Tdr67pJf8r2RKjPn0-5epWVJeQOwWe1IX7VUxEdY27xr1a8jEkekTommcaxhsOkXVBH5pqIUvf9tJECZUwsD5Bb_mmeyHOlrSkBjY4kV5lOM8kDgKR5pjYFq6TdMAjl-Dp3j8Ps6/s320/DSC_0026.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let the reduced juice cool a bit, then add it to the mason jar and give it a shake:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YUSBHWaua9zZ1YrRgd4MzpXpUIvyPDhne56IF_V7TuOomjO8e5pKm8a9uZuX1ODLL4j3dEDxpdb_Sk3Fg8aI9EZTMQeSRAMejPjGTxbp4nSL6a2YTcZ25B-It32cpk1qVXLXAv_6kyo8/s1600/DSC_0057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YUSBHWaua9zZ1YrRgd4MzpXpUIvyPDhne56IF_V7TuOomjO8e5pKm8a9uZuX1ODLL4j3dEDxpdb_Sk3Fg8aI9EZTMQeSRAMejPjGTxbp4nSL6a2YTcZ25B-It32cpk1qVXLXAv_6kyo8/s320/DSC_0057.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Toss with your favorite green salad and enjoy! Tonight I served this with a combo of spinach and romaine, topped with candied pecans, apple slices, and small chunks of sharp cheddar cheese (<a href="http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/"><span id="goog_509707540"></span>Beechers<span id="goog_509707541"></span></a> was on sale---love, love, love that stuff!). I served mine up with some veggie enchiladas:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOQEvmmh9oEQnMR1l-48y63xGqm4gFe-YMCvPYMSEy2uu934NezY4qiUOJoeqSm8CEFF0nN-aSX3bkEQYo9TbWRUjDykQ2IQobUtOCe7GQdJe5DNTA5jFMSlbIiY53zJEDGljisAsri-j/s1600/DSC_0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOQEvmmh9oEQnMR1l-48y63xGqm4gFe-YMCvPYMSEy2uu934NezY4qiUOJoeqSm8CEFF0nN-aSX3bkEQYo9TbWRUjDykQ2IQobUtOCe7GQdJe5DNTA5jFMSlbIiY53zJEDGljisAsri-j/s320/DSC_0060.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My two boys were quite happy with this dinner (Yes, that is antibiotics in the background. Someone has an ear infection). Now make yourself happy, and make this dressing! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK77Ub4UCU-BYJSOwqePYG1XQAnXDwRLEm75uwBgLbt_WeF3lKwe20gNL7jh4hhOPCTlNuvX57KWCBmJdRdknit7o_sMDX8bhnD-QHdOjDvA425YO6AYzWvmmBl3857pvT7PQ7XRhWbQ2-/s1600/DSC_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK77Ub4UCU-BYJSOwqePYG1XQAnXDwRLEm75uwBgLbt_WeF3lKwe20gNL7jh4hhOPCTlNuvX57KWCBmJdRdknit7o_sMDX8bhnD-QHdOjDvA425YO6AYzWvmmBl3857pvT7PQ7XRhWbQ2-/s320/DSC_0054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Pomegranate Vinaigrette</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Inspired by America's Test Kitchen, but pretty much my recipe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 cups Pomegranate Juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 Tbs Maple Syrup (you could use honey)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 clove garlic, minced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">salt and pepper to taste</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Simmer juice in a small saucepan on the stove until reduced to about 2/3 of a cup. The original recipe said this would take 25-35 minutes. After 20 minutes I measured how much I had, and it was already down to about 1/2 a cup. Worked out fine. Don't stress it. After juice has reduced, remove from heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile, add remaining ingredients to a clean jar with a lid. Add cooled juice to ingredients, seal tightly with lid, and shake until combined. This will store in your fridge for at least a week or two. Note that the olive oil may solidify when cooled in the fridge. If you see yellow-ish chunks floating on the top of your refrigerated dressing, fear not! Just allow the dressing to come to room temperature (you can speed up the process by running warm water over the jar), give it a little shake, and you're ready to go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-25479955769610823562010-12-08T20:16:00.000-08:002010-12-08T20:16:59.768-08:00Butternut Squash Risotto, and bonus brussels!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE7H0PJjqAEh-tZSXCz19Cnd0dMfMl5yfC2Wrp9rjKgJtV613S2i2ND1l5nXYTTj4DMq_zqiVx-ac3YcfaiOaUbMPLhqVphxCtUti1_8V5YBaPLzPU2WRpEjTo4ZcteKwUtb01W3APzGu/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE7H0PJjqAEh-tZSXCz19Cnd0dMfMl5yfC2Wrp9rjKgJtV613S2i2ND1l5nXYTTj4DMq_zqiVx-ac3YcfaiOaUbMPLhqVphxCtUti1_8V5YBaPLzPU2WRpEjTo4ZcteKwUtb01W3APzGu/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>There's a part of me that loves fall. It feels like the pace slows down a bit. Instead of trying to cram every possible activity you can into our short sunny season, fall's rainy weather gives us permission to ease up our pace. When it's pouring outside, I don't feel guilty about curling up with a book in front of the fire. And I feel downright proud when I'm doing crafts while watching TV in the evening, whereas in the summer I want to be getting outside and doing something! Fall's darkness, its rain, its quiet, leave me feeling relaxed.<br />
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I really enjoy the meditative aspects of making risotto (stirring as an exercise in mindfulness can be really powerful!). I know some people are frightened off by risotto, but give it a try. It's really very inexpensive to make, and you can think of it both as an upper-body workout and a chance to practice your mindfulness. This week I made butternut squash risotto, which both of my boys devoured. I served it with balsamic glazed brussel sprouts, which only one of my boys devoured. But seriously, they're amazing, so if you like brussel sprouts, I highly recommend this method.<br />
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Let's get started!<br />
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First cut up your squash (I used half a large squash, or you could use a whole small one), and saute it in butter until it starts to brown and the edges soften<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then add your rice and stir for a minute or two. Then add wine. The rest of the bottle is reserved for the chef to sip while continuing to stir (heightening the meditative experience). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoe8-NaD9mAPFQlOl8mCAHPl2E_1CEmT_vJ8g4pMf1iOJHFoiY136LNQADTkmsXgDeYBJFZ58AjbFOO-Y-OdwmRccgcRO40mIYNvhbiwlM8JzAwh_nu_aAJy_QlU_AGB7QYZgSxWxK3N40/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoe8-NaD9mAPFQlOl8mCAHPl2E_1CEmT_vJ8g4pMf1iOJHFoiY136LNQADTkmsXgDeYBJFZ58AjbFOO-Y-OdwmRccgcRO40mIYNvhbiwlM8JzAwh_nu_aAJy_QlU_AGB7QYZgSxWxK3N40/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the wine is absorbed, continue to add hot broth in half cup doses, stirring until the liquid is absorbed after each addition. Knowing when "the liquid is absorbed" is an aspect of making risotto that used to strike fear in my heart. Maybe I wouldn't know! Maybe I would do it wrong! Here's my advice: the liquid is "absorbed" when you can run your spoon across the bottom of the pan and it leaves a clear path of exposed pan. That looks something like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqG8o8VJE0AZyZd5en94JHvE_SfyK6ayPSf4jEOfVI9LrzgqeIswn-JGRwq0HQd_J5xtRrQ_s7EWIKlngPIaQVPbUWHCGE2DmkU4VjwxdZJ4C49azIGT-pWx7dPGBqhn-OY1p4KqmYmKJ/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqG8o8VJE0AZyZd5en94JHvE_SfyK6ayPSf4jEOfVI9LrzgqeIswn-JGRwq0HQd_J5xtRrQ_s7EWIKlngPIaQVPbUWHCGE2DmkU4VjwxdZJ4C49azIGT-pWx7dPGBqhn-OY1p4KqmYmKJ/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It will take 30-45 minutes of adding broth and stirring to get all your broth absorbed and your rice fully cooked. Don't worry. You'll be drinking wine and meditating. Once the liquid is all absorbed and you've tasted the risotto to make sure the rice is fully cooked (I occasionally end up adding more broth/water because it's not done), you'll stir in rice and parmesan cheese. And that's it! Enjoy with brussel sprouts and a beer (if the chef used up all the wine while cooking):</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yN1j_G5uZSXHF27NkTWluQuMVNmDbYPGW62hlNvQMuT9FsYIi1iVjJaDjmAYbskCUSmD6uDLK_GkJlzTWutRO4pVkUpgsVk2PqUi8hPVTdUmSct0iU2psJQRWh0WRI9tilyp5S6K5f8R/s1600/DSC_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yN1j_G5uZSXHF27NkTWluQuMVNmDbYPGW62hlNvQMuT9FsYIi1iVjJaDjmAYbskCUSmD6uDLK_GkJlzTWutRO4pVkUpgsVk2PqUi8hPVTdUmSct0iU2psJQRWh0WRI9tilyp5S6K5f8R/s320/DSC_0040.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy! (and yes, that is a math shirt)</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Butternut Squash Risotto</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>More or less from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/favorite-butternut-squash-risotto?comments_page=1&showComments=true&#conversation-container">Martha Stewart</a> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 Tbs butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 1/2 inch chunks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">course salt and pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup Arborio Rice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup dry white wine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">About 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken if you're not vegetarian), heated (just keep it on an adjacent burner)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 Tbs chopped fresh sage (you could use a different herb, maybe Basil or thyme if you don't love sage).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Melt butter over medium heat in a big pot. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the edges soften and the squash is beginning to brown.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated (this will depend on how hot your pot is, it could take anywhere from 1-5 minutes I think).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reduce heat to medium (Martha recommends medium-low--I think that would be easier if you have a gas stove, which sadly, I do not). Add 1/2 cup hot broth to the mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding more. This will take 35-45 minutes. Taste your risotto when all the broth is gone to make sure rice is fully cooked. If not, you can add another 1/2 cup of hot tap water (or stock).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stir in parmesan, sage, and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bonus Brussels! (or Balsamic Glazed Brussels)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>I'm sure I must have read a recipe like this sometime, but this time I was just winging it.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brussel sprouts, cut in half (as many as you can fit, cut side down, in your pan)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">olive oil, to lightly coat the bottom of your pan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/3-1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">salt and pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 400. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, oven safe pan. Place the brussel sprouts, cut side down, in the pan. Leave them alone to develop a nice brown crust. This will help bring out their flavor. And if you're busy stirring risotto, you can just ignore them for about 8-10 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWUqqBLpxx5hphUj_lIel374suwu_HlTl2b4tL1t2B3DDB2QKh-4eRvdsd2SBXvzeXob859YCBL8YueYXMoQRCB73OV9b-kd1AtV-mqVVdNQ2caKxujc468LdwRzn5X9NllMHnTY3FzD-/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWUqqBLpxx5hphUj_lIel374suwu_HlTl2b4tL1t2B3DDB2QKh-4eRvdsd2SBXvzeXob859YCBL8YueYXMoQRCB73OV9b-kd1AtV-mqVVdNQ2caKxujc468LdwRzn5X9NllMHnTY3FzD-/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the bottoms are browned, pop them in your hot oven to finish cooking through. This will take 5-8 minutes depending on how big/thick your sprouts are. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Return to the top of your stove (remember the handle of your pan will be extremely hot when you take it out of the hot oven---BE CAREFUL!). Flip over your sprouts, so the cut side is up. Pour on balsamic vinegar. Shake the sprouts around in the pan. The vinegar will start to evaporate and reduce. If your pan has cooled off too much (for example if you got distracted after drinking too much wine), feel free to turn the heat back up on the burner to assist the vinegar. This should only take about a minute. And they're done! Season with salt and pepper. See if you can avoid eating the whole pan while waiting for the risotto to finish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kJOSkRNyAcfKDJGJ_f6COGYJwy_seyMSF3WH1AVy51zL3d5OYseWJulFJz71MNdSpbtdI2hDdLC19Jog2O5Lsqn6b2ORTjHiQojpEH9UL_UVvszihr2f6CAGJz__obUFvwIVs27HtpNx/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kJOSkRNyAcfKDJGJ_f6COGYJwy_seyMSF3WH1AVy51zL3d5OYseWJulFJz71MNdSpbtdI2hDdLC19Jog2O5Lsqn6b2ORTjHiQojpEH9UL_UVvszihr2f6CAGJz__obUFvwIVs27HtpNx/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-88930396574332436842010-12-07T21:07:00.000-08:002010-12-07T21:07:28.665-08:00cinna-yum!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CDrHaa3xG9f-EEwS7734zMjCCFbx9jaAInH9nNbCgb5tv0YE5ZMXEGKiD9MLGh54y2ZstNuBmaWFA1l6rUuFsGNLBcIuquk1fZcmvTBgSprK5tXdmTc2jXOAMnH_g32VrFY2AZzoDigu/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CDrHaa3xG9f-EEwS7734zMjCCFbx9jaAInH9nNbCgb5tv0YE5ZMXEGKiD9MLGh54y2ZstNuBmaWFA1l6rUuFsGNLBcIuquk1fZcmvTBgSprK5tXdmTc2jXOAMnH_g32VrFY2AZzoDigu/s320/DSC_0047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yummy Cinnamon Roll...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I find Cinnamon Rolls to be very comforting. Before I had a child, I tended to make them often. I would make a batch of my mom's honey-whole-wheat bread dough, roll it out, brush on melted butter, sprinkle on cinnamon, sugar, raisins and walnuts, roll it up, slice it, and bake it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yummy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nowadays, I am somewhat limited to what I can bake/cook/sew/etc during naptime. Which doesn't leave much time for working with yeast. But I tried an experiment with this Cinnamon Roll recipe, and it turned out great. I started the dough after Elliott went to bed and let it rise all night. I started the rolls early enough that I thought I would let the dough finish its first rise while the Hubs and I watched a movie, and then quickly get the rolls ready so they could do their second rise overnight while I was sleeping. Unfortunately when I checked the dough after our movie (which sadly was terrible, otherwise I'd tell you about it), it had not risen much (suggestions on this below). So I just let it finish doing its thing overnight and finished the project in the morning. It turned out great this way, but did make for a late breakfast. Fine for the adults, less fine for the toddler. Although in the end, he ate almost 2 rolls, which was twice what I managed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, did I mention these are Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls? Perfect for this time of year. I plan to make these (or another version) again, because it really is pretty easy to prepare the night before (especially if you do a better job proofing your yeast than I did), and then just pop in the oven when you wake up. Yum!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here we go:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First gather all your ingredients:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhih6LYEW9dQ4eIak8xpTO9ltngmH2LFauy5CijNrGg0XNy1CWYasDSwFBHuuDRzMQJ1beKGNOm-i4PI8uATE6mu6H60mFLbWzKfZUdA4Ayx58d-S3T1Zs9ocr7y2Zm574XlgFvadOVKFPj/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhih6LYEW9dQ4eIak8xpTO9ltngmH2LFauy5CijNrGg0XNy1CWYasDSwFBHuuDRzMQJ1beKGNOm-i4PI8uATE6mu6H60mFLbWzKfZUdA4Ayx58d-S3T1Zs9ocr7y2Zm574XlgFvadOVKFPj/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then proof your yeast in a bowl (note, the original recipe does not have you add any sugar. Next time, I would add a spoonful of your brown sugar to the yeast at this point):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIj2JF1VMj2fDiyVgs48S7D-L4TYorRdev74RQKZ7jnspncsD8GmzCRZRH9fvqMWwXjdS7mcQDUffX0fH1Ucfv5i-5-HuVY6hnS-bi7kdQSz05vqIM6OK7uIayJQ4fqtWcovs8F9zegyl/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIj2JF1VMj2fDiyVgs48S7D-L4TYorRdev74RQKZ7jnspncsD8GmzCRZRH9fvqMWwXjdS7mcQDUffX0fH1Ucfv5i-5-HuVY6hnS-bi7kdQSz05vqIM6OK7uIayJQ4fqtWcovs8F9zegyl/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Add your milk, eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and butter and beat that baby up!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-TjqeSz3oVvpiHmD3wN3FeDzDYtrs4hgCJYaUR4jfpPEK6Ypy-5UQwvZeTJxcgr447QLZF2gGShzpDiI7n1mnH1DP8vW5BTbsUILdeYPdTSh2O5bD5mgtI2Srr2NzhYDwCEJwNVTvJSs/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-TjqeSz3oVvpiHmD3wN3FeDzDYtrs4hgCJYaUR4jfpPEK6Ypy-5UQwvZeTJxcgr447QLZF2gGShzpDiI7n1mnH1DP8vW5BTbsUILdeYPdTSh2O5bD5mgtI2Srr2NzhYDwCEJwNVTvJSs/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then slowly add the flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusUwqdbW7hjAp3-iSUPv8bAdABZe3F9N8ozZF5UNN3mVRZPyYz3agEmZKze9ll62jLzn1LD7QJYElNUziXNpshK2zRPrpXvogPkMvYJI9G3YxcjHoAw2sYw_H1k6bvDkUtqve2U063HVu/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusUwqdbW7hjAp3-iSUPv8bAdABZe3F9N8ozZF5UNN3mVRZPyYz3agEmZKze9ll62jLzn1LD7QJYElNUziXNpshK2zRPrpXvogPkMvYJI9G3YxcjHoAw2sYw_H1k6bvDkUtqve2U063HVu/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the flour is incorporated, change to a dough hook, and "knead" on speed 2 for about 7-8 minutes (alternately you can knead by hand until you have a smooth elastic dough)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfqygzcJVxUZmkeM7yVMUUOI_tVoZlOV5QAuNf1JfydyISC_M7W7exYmFoS8D56AITIWgu6NdHqAzb3FzZB3DPlM9fOyeEcQOtuB9NsGlIB4jk6qbgrS9l2bU28l-_q3-7-e_VlzJgdfa/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfqygzcJVxUZmkeM7yVMUUOI_tVoZlOV5QAuNf1JfydyISC_M7W7exYmFoS8D56AITIWgu6NdHqAzb3FzZB3DPlM9fOyeEcQOtuB9NsGlIB4jk6qbgrS9l2bU28l-_q3-7-e_VlzJgdfa/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfqygzcJVxUZmkeM7yVMUUOI_tVoZlOV5QAuNf1JfydyISC_M7W7exYmFoS8D56AITIWgu6NdHqAzb3FzZB3DPlM9fOyeEcQOtuB9NsGlIB4jk6qbgrS9l2bU28l-_q3-7-e_VlzJgdfa/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray, add dough, and let rise until doubled (could be overnight in a cool house or your fridge)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhZIwR38gJJdbylE3egHPgQYYfcIxs-4p0FD5P8Y7jwMoBtFj2g1hyphenhyphenrWC3Lzt_VEQX134yCtNZuM2ffRP3hvuR0q48OhBGjWdm2NYUcqZigFptVQ8DKXUFQRhkBxejKLKSBYY3a9j_krR/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhZIwR38gJJdbylE3egHPgQYYfcIxs-4p0FD5P8Y7jwMoBtFj2g1hyphenhyphenrWC3Lzt_VEQX134yCtNZuM2ffRP3hvuR0q48OhBGjWdm2NYUcqZigFptVQ8DKXUFQRhkBxejKLKSBYY3a9j_krR/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then punch down your dough and roll it out into a big square or rectangle</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJTuV73WUhEhqpzI9DYgxgtSPyA9dEcGNM3Y0A1QZEH8311KugHZhoiQvntbgKkb-1np6n62Zbiq5KQXA894M-TxzKHO_8Fa5GYuGs3Csap0P-YOgSIe2w_t1jgRwcpR35unI7R91XsBH/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJTuV73WUhEhqpzI9DYgxgtSPyA9dEcGNM3Y0A1QZEH8311KugHZhoiQvntbgKkb-1np6n62Zbiq5KQXA894M-TxzKHO_8Fa5GYuGs3Csap0P-YOgSIe2w_t1jgRwcpR35unI7R91XsBH/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pour on melted butter (original recipe calls for a lot of butter, next time I'll use half the amount!), and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. You could add nuts or raisins here if you wish.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcR7x0Bqz7ZdF48yRRUng-hPAZb3ooCunovHnGWoBKjpu0D1CEr-ctQKDZOIQYuhaHODzTC6g_sxg6X9EhzZ2-WN9C0BLUZnHShn4cS2Rar_nFnanGHqtL9kETnJZYLkBUR2e6uMQEHijY/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcR7x0Bqz7ZdF48yRRUng-hPAZb3ooCunovHnGWoBKjpu0D1CEr-ctQKDZOIQYuhaHODzTC6g_sxg6X9EhzZ2-WN9C0BLUZnHShn4cS2Rar_nFnanGHqtL9kETnJZYLkBUR2e6uMQEHijY/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then roll up your dough into a long log</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICPRPZLpig379uhHHkyBz40s6Z7OcbUgZTJ2D6e8Wbqn4IMV35IXgdeYM8RZh8x7fw0zuDyXvTVmcrlSeqbZ21mTKW3B8m83qoRt_VpdjCSjY9VjeZ8XdSK128b1eQAND2eMO63p8sYyo/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICPRPZLpig379uhHHkyBz40s6Z7OcbUgZTJ2D6e8Wbqn4IMV35IXgdeYM8RZh8x7fw0zuDyXvTVmcrlSeqbZ21mTKW3B8m83qoRt_VpdjCSjY9VjeZ8XdSK128b1eQAND2eMO63p8sYyo/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I use a bread knife (any cerated knife will work, or you can use floss or thread) to cut my rolls and add them to a greased 9x13 inch pan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu_FIPY7ECJ7gNnPxAjlDwPpQ7zpxtdMc0Cbyn7CZnEdvdJXwwqjiMGvrEwSb4r6bxAnX3bbVyUq0rm0x3BCjJVhZnFKro0ko7xhTOhyah2XlUXwD6_d4Djrj7jPsw-VqeBfzGuaJ8l0O/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu_FIPY7ECJ7gNnPxAjlDwPpQ7zpxtdMc0Cbyn7CZnEdvdJXwwqjiMGvrEwSb4r6bxAnX3bbVyUq0rm0x3BCjJVhZnFKro0ko7xhTOhyah2XlUXwD6_d4Djrj7jPsw-VqeBfzGuaJ8l0O/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let those rise for a bit (this would be the ideal time to throw them in your fridge for a nice, slow overnight rise). After they're bigger, toss them in the oven, and make your frosting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8KwHDP6GmuMVHAO-pDSFHB4a1zagA36yEY3z6vbZJmIl6weFypt-O566WNdDkkxaDgysiD25r2vBvEkGvUQBFZxU60MtYof0bpgEVCPe0vENHYv1whgZnGpGT6_D7PwWKgR8g9oxfabh/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8KwHDP6GmuMVHAO-pDSFHB4a1zagA36yEY3z6vbZJmIl6weFypt-O566WNdDkkxaDgysiD25r2vBvEkGvUQBFZxU60MtYof0bpgEVCPe0vENHYv1whgZnGpGT6_D7PwWKgR8g9oxfabh/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Remove rolls from oven (try not to eat them now!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1AWJEwwIfzAFiezWBv0kX_03PiZYQPR5wuV75wOkCjO4C_0orcwE5vU9GzIeJkkKRoXV6taPlICLWoTu6vGP2SE4-e1MB2hQ1nvQN_hmMuDqFTvaQN_FAMIif0VlIVWEdP0B-TuI4Mjq/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1AWJEwwIfzAFiezWBv0kX_03PiZYQPR5wuV75wOkCjO4C_0orcwE5vU9GzIeJkkKRoXV6taPlICLWoTu6vGP2SE4-e1MB2hQ1nvQN_hmMuDqFTvaQN_FAMIif0VlIVWEdP0B-TuI4Mjq/s320/DSC_0037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Frost, or not, and enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6a6969; font-family: Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></div><h2 style="color: #7fa9bf; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing</h2><div class="recipemeta" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">from <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/09/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html">Good Life Eats</a></div></div><h3 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(205, 221, 230); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #7fa9bf; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ingredients:</h3><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Roll Dough:</em><br />
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)<br />
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast<br />
1/3 cup warm milk<br />
1 large egg, beaten<br />
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned<br />
1 tablespoon melted butter<br />
2 cups (approximately--I used more) All-Purpose Flour<br />
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (I've used regular whole wheat flour in the past. It's OK!)<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I left this out)</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Filling:</em><br />
1 stick butter (next time I'll use half a stick. I got butter everywhere!)<br />
2/3 cup white sugar<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
2 teaspoons cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg<br />
1/8 teaspoon cloves</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Cream Cheese Frosting: </em><br />
<em style="font-style: italic;">(I would also recommend making half a batch, unless you need frosting for something else)</em><br />
4 ounces cream cheese<br />
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice<br />
2-3 cups powdered sugar</div><h3 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(205, 221, 230); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #7fa9bf; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Directions:</h3><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften (Add a spoonful of sugar! See above). Let rest for 5 minutes before stirring. Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gradually add remaining flour (all purpose), a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Start with about 1 1/2 cups and increase if necessary. Use the dough hook on your Stand Mixer and knead at level 2 for 7-8 minutes. Alternately you can turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. You may need to add more flour (I added an additional cup).</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (This ended up taking overnight for me).</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl, set aside. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle (or whatever you can manage--don't sweat it!). Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices. I like to use a cerated knife, other people used string to great effect. Place slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice. I used my Stand mixer, but you could also use your blender, food processor, or electric mixer. Blend until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending in between, until well mixed and desired consistency is reached. (I used 2 cups powdered sugar)</div><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Frost warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting and serve immediately.</div><br />
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</div><span id="goog_42042671"></span><span id="goog_42042672"></span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-63770521227137856672010-12-05T20:42:00.000-08:002010-12-05T20:42:52.862-08:00I can sew, sew can you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLc0LBDcLLSYrTc_bQ2jQu85xDbU8OAoF_gmZWRbiZpagY5bqtLVRpv-UenIEzWgdOwQTn56PkPmkxGgYjx1jn4BKzrk-vpZU8ySxRjvg6OWdHcPZqqCXBcOKIC7Unv-2EuxubLJAojkO/s1600/DSC_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLc0LBDcLLSYrTc_bQ2jQu85xDbU8OAoF_gmZWRbiZpagY5bqtLVRpv-UenIEzWgdOwQTn56PkPmkxGgYjx1jn4BKzrk-vpZU8ySxRjvg6OWdHcPZqqCXBcOKIC7Unv-2EuxubLJAojkO/s320/DSC_0015.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Who is that dapper gent, and wherever did he get those pants? You'll never believe this, but I actually sewed them myself! Not only that, but I made up the pattern, and finished the whole project while someone was napping. This made for a really awesome day for me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So disclaimer: I don't have a lot of sewing experience. I attempted to make a pillowcase the other day that literally came apart at the seems (there's a little more to that story, but it's also true!). So I truly believe that most of you could do this yourself, as long as you have access to a sewing machine. Truth be told, I don't even own a sewing machine, but I do have my sister's on loan (Thanks Rach!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdGohxLjoaMmxwa0KLBhHUTbKw8n6WZf9Aq1x1eB9TbXy_npJ1-bq075QSXSniOaaqMI6j_LC1xN-4Tr2bd0xxnghh5eGGL5P4PTETPiL3bMS7Fv8Z29rBU0JV5fNTdlurUTZL73nQ4Db/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdGohxLjoaMmxwa0KLBhHUTbKw8n6WZf9Aq1x1eB9TbXy_npJ1-bq075QSXSniOaaqMI6j_LC1xN-4Tr2bd0xxnghh5eGGL5P4PTETPiL3bMS7Fv8Z29rBU0JV5fNTdlurUTZL73nQ4Db/s200/DSC_0002.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMS69Gyn7ZqltpwI1i3ACDn5QpFRVgnOtlfFnKM4iios8kDL9yctZv_zwTfZyzL9UJ4FNau4NjY79EQmq5xj4O1YKGVr4OUCadosicpn1EyrqCfKvTXNrd0QtuWVXQNKl648ZjUtdu1Foa/s1600/DSC_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMS69Gyn7ZqltpwI1i3ACDn5QpFRVgnOtlfFnKM4iios8kDL9yctZv_zwTfZyzL9UJ4FNau4NjY79EQmq5xj4O1YKGVr4OUCadosicpn1EyrqCfKvTXNrd0QtuWVXQNKl648ZjUtdu1Foa/s200/DSC_0007.jpg" width="133" /></a>Instead of trying to give you any kind of directions on how to make these pants, I'm going to point you to the <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-knee-pad-pants.html">tutorial over at MADE</a>. It is extremely well written and easy to follow. I used some grey fleece that I had leftover from another sewing <s>disaster </s>experiment. Hopefully if I keep practicing I will have fewer disasters. I learned a lot from making these, and I know the next pair I make will fit even better! Looking forward to it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-58406664395444934502010-12-03T14:00:00.000-08:002010-12-03T14:00:02.522-08:00Chana Masala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVYSaitFy6mxJf3T8qEzdrk3A9Aun2SZgDMHuLQm5nnPD2FpPfqOeCpjSonSWSUeAKE8671aC1bBCFCGaLd_aakbevkDmTqVl98AYublKQaAoH1Zx-RQuQphaex7yB2k_J1EIsYci5KBm/s1600/DSC_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVYSaitFy6mxJf3T8qEzdrk3A9Aun2SZgDMHuLQm5nnPD2FpPfqOeCpjSonSWSUeAKE8671aC1bBCFCGaLd_aakbevkDmTqVl98AYublKQaAoH1Zx-RQuQphaex7yB2k_J1EIsYci5KBm/s320/DSC_0060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When I was in college, I volunteered with a community ESL class. The class was geared toward the wives of visiting faculty or graduate students at the local university. Many of these women were incredibly isolated: they didn't speak the local language, their husbands were at school for extended hours, and they were at home, alone with their young children. The woman who started the class regularly went to the University to talk with new employees and students and to encourage them to invite their wives to our class. <br />
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For me, the class was a tremendous gift. I got to meet young women from around the world. I welcomed them to Seattle, and they in turn welcomed me into their homes as one of their few friends in a foreign country. After several months of volunteering, I discovered that an easy way for us to connect was to cook together. I started an ad-hoc cooking group in addition to our regular classes. Anyone from the class was welcome to attend. We met at each other's homes, and would teach the group how to cook what we believed was a 'typical' or 'traditional' dish from our home country. At times the class would have more than one woman from the same country. Then, often times, we would have a group of women who would teach us to make several traditional foods that accompanied particular cultural events, like Japanese Boys and Girls days. Those were special times.<br />
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I started volunteering my first year in school, and continued throughout my 4 years. As you can imagine, I was lucky enough to sample all kinds of delicious home-cooked food from around the world. It was fabulous. And it started me on a lifetime of loving all kinds of cuisine. <br />
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During and since that time, Indian food emerged as one of my favorites. It's simple, it's inexpensive to make at home, it's often super speedy, and it's deeply flavorful. If you're a vegetarian, there are TONS of options for you. If you decide you're interested in cooking more Indian food, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Indian-Cooking-Madhur-Jaffrey/dp/0880016647?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">this</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0880016647" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is the cookbook I used in college. Madhur Jaffrey now has many more cookbooks (including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Madhur-Jaffreys-Quick-Indian-Cooking/dp/0811859010?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">this</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0811859010" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> one, which I hear is great), and I find that her recipes are usually straightforward for the American home cook.<br />
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Today I bring you a recipe for Chana Masala, which is essentially a chickpea curry. <br />
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Let's get started:<br />
First we saute onions, garlic, ginger, and a hot pepper:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlRY06PhQOYgMbMnglYV7FmgwDuAFDd_DSWhGDlgFbGvEn6t7wv4dUgfvv-uHjWsjfVnxgIhFh2suEONT_5e2CyEoHQmvBkpsIPYfxKrFCeOXFK9QY7K5UT2ZXmMoEaXRejhYA583RZuQ/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlRY06PhQOYgMbMnglYV7FmgwDuAFDd_DSWhGDlgFbGvEn6t7wv4dUgfvv-uHjWsjfVnxgIhFh2suEONT_5e2CyEoHQmvBkpsIPYfxKrFCeOXFK9QY7K5UT2ZXmMoEaXRejhYA583RZuQ/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we get all our spices together. There are a lot, but don't worry, it's worth it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFPWm4SSZwo7mHheVqBBgtmWzZr5zJmPw2sv1H69RGJu0pfOdYYYJuqevKqgT6_I_f6eDKmEeuIQZ7ZTPbCy-tO9lAw3butwHe0NN7wfPv3ReGkRxCkoOAs1ZMs1hyphenhyphen9SHHz5g7YXEm9Ka/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFPWm4SSZwo7mHheVqBBgtmWzZr5zJmPw2sv1H69RGJu0pfOdYYYJuqevKqgT6_I_f6eDKmEeuIQZ7ZTPbCy-tO9lAw3butwHe0NN7wfPv3ReGkRxCkoOAs1ZMs1hyphenhyphen9SHHz5g7YXEm9Ka/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After our onions have started to brown, we add the spices and cook a couple minutes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggILwd04TyFhLtjbN32GKXLzcVQe_gvKK76ZfcnTSj1Aq7uiDsnu4Lx8HNYDLC94Pbr-h4gI4a4pfGpL9niWruXylvK3ohbXKlA2-v52rRMVA1c4UQJwr9JqE5uTyIIv42FQr_kBbLAC_/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggILwd04TyFhLtjbN32GKXLzcVQe_gvKK76ZfcnTSj1Aq7uiDsnu4Lx8HNYDLC94Pbr-h4gI4a4pfGpL9niWruXylvK3ohbXKlA2-v52rRMVA1c4UQJwr9JqE5uTyIIv42FQr_kBbLAC_/s320/DSC_0035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we add tomatoes, a little water, and 2 cans of chickpeas. I used canned tomatoes. It's a good thing:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkerWEq8cC11BDboSFvhYOe5c6po5KqPRQu0LlP6pHw023bRg9IG8o83yfynkDgPYa1Kf8uD7viUWUjQNnsvIF4KJCGv4MCncdIe3r_-OdpbXFxuV5d_rTe7KJqOJjfOayQrqcDk9EKmmp/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkerWEq8cC11BDboSFvhYOe5c6po5KqPRQu0LlP6pHw023bRg9IG8o83yfynkDgPYa1Kf8uD7viUWUjQNnsvIF4KJCGv4MCncdIe3r_-OdpbXFxuV5d_rTe7KJqOJjfOayQrqcDk9EKmmp/s200/DSC_0029.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDg8uZ-FCQvW32VOTVQ6bWLFb1Tr9-yWFcVblolHSD-SzXTEgHFMjWZ8MysLao2P9oEi3uBPFqWISk6IERA7t-pRgwvsVWtlbW1p6Hma07VFjU1ei-hSReLylCZtyON_hKz9v7xYlDKMh/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDg8uZ-FCQvW32VOTVQ6bWLFb1Tr9-yWFcVblolHSD-SzXTEgHFMjWZ8MysLao2P9oEi3uBPFqWISk6IERA7t-pRgwvsVWtlbW1p6Hma07VFjU1ei-hSReLylCZtyON_hKz9v7xYlDKMh/s200/DSC_0041.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Simmer for a bit, and then serve over rice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlr91qWVvJBmrs_vUpDcaBLxt8tkGUdjq5zfr_xWNZhf7EKEqcgsvpHCTXTgiuih6Moy5oIhQZKVYDESnrcrDgkBcGlr_Oq0AmXHJ0MSDNK4jZYG7_ZA-nod7FfiBYCVXGjz-HIYmKcby/s1600/DSC_0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlr91qWVvJBmrs_vUpDcaBLxt8tkGUdjq5zfr_xWNZhf7EKEqcgsvpHCTXTgiuih6Moy5oIhQZKVYDESnrcrDgkBcGlr_Oq0AmXHJ0MSDNK4jZYG7_ZA-nod7FfiBYCVXGjz-HIYmKcby/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Chana Masala</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Inspired by <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/">Smitten Kitchen</a> </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon vegetable oil</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 medium onion, minced</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (I just minced mine)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced (I used a jalepeno)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon ground coriander</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 teaspoons ground cumin</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon ground turmeric</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons paprika (I used smoked paprika--less traditional, but tasty!)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon garam masala</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juices</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2/3 cup water</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 lemon (juiced) </span></span></div><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.</span></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve with rice, and possibly raita. This curry also reheats extremely well. It's a dish I often make on the weekend to reheat for an easy weeknight meal. It also freezes well, and would make a lovely meal to bring to a sick friend, or someone who recently had a baby!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-21590829503012412582010-12-02T19:48:00.000-08:002010-12-02T19:48:19.663-08:00sweet little cookie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoX2aPG8EEcA9F7kA2s9dRSd69px7T3d1ZgZyUQt2EqKJbgwYsaJ3XtthpTmhQ5KFuGt9y7GR6xFs-NLYQ7bGvedfAERsKKsM5H8iLF77-jyE6o0_lYmOWpzJpk2p1ZL3Aufpx4bZLWI4/s1600/DSC_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoX2aPG8EEcA9F7kA2s9dRSd69px7T3d1ZgZyUQt2EqKJbgwYsaJ3XtthpTmhQ5KFuGt9y7GR6xFs-NLYQ7bGvedfAERsKKsM5H8iLF77-jyE6o0_lYmOWpzJpk2p1ZL3Aufpx4bZLWI4/s320/DSC_0065.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tonight we had a feast of a dinner, and finished it off with a pan of these babies. The recipe calls them Blondies. Some people are apparently very fond of their Blondies. I'm not sure what exactly makes them blond? Are they brownies minus the cocoa? I added enough chocolate to mine that they certainly had a fair amount of brown going on. I'll tell you what though, they were tasty. And easy. You get to MELT the butter. No forgetting to set the butter out, or worse yet trying to get room temperature butter in the microwave (guilty--often!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We managed to eat just a few (ok, so the above picture may tell another story), so the rest are going in the freezer. I love frozen bar cookies, and I hope it will help us with portion control. A girl can dream, right? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway here's the basic overview:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Melt your butter, add brown sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYguyungNtt1sfaUBOWxz0s-QsoKEpMfTfYD4h6NwJOj8qC7odfCz_xlIZVrHLwOA1_A6aWLk_W8PIMFR38c_BUez1DK9L-kPcxOnuP0o9WDApKeIO4rRR1eN-SXxZeP9byMBZBBaEWTPl/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYguyungNtt1sfaUBOWxz0s-QsoKEpMfTfYD4h6NwJOj8qC7odfCz_xlIZVrHLwOA1_A6aWLk_W8PIMFR38c_BUez1DK9L-kPcxOnuP0o9WDApKeIO4rRR1eN-SXxZeP9byMBZBBaEWTPl/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mix in eggs and vanilla. Then add flour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdh8qKflmlE80J1HOA1NmlEd-r7u_GzHqSrfy_hI1Oa9T4Ta1EFB0W8iDiPJWikT60t6zB0kd65FKvSI7RMbMoepzl6khUVPBFqxXk3tnsr3vhkIhgbjideioK7_Hr33yDgJi_jWhWll5y/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdh8qKflmlE80J1HOA1NmlEd-r7u_GzHqSrfy_hI1Oa9T4Ta1EFB0W8iDiPJWikT60t6zB0kd65FKvSI7RMbMoepzl6khUVPBFqxXk3tnsr3vhkIhgbjideioK7_Hr33yDgJi_jWhWll5y/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally mix in chocolate chips, nuts, and whatever else strikes your fancy-pants self!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IbCQrRGIhBVUKEKYpyHK4Dn4tOdApbYeRqU8wRK7vgc8AJtbHEvm-RN-JG_Vo2BgP0c10xMLuYzatygFzu_ftKWIq2hMVBx_4QOeT4mLm_XkjqW8bQ1Bg9xFn_lENgVuvH42sG_uSxow/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IbCQrRGIhBVUKEKYpyHK4Dn4tOdApbYeRqU8wRK7vgc8AJtbHEvm-RN-JG_Vo2BgP0c10xMLuYzatygFzu_ftKWIq2hMVBx_4QOeT4mLm_XkjqW8bQ1Bg9xFn_lENgVuvH42sG_uSxow/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pour it into a pan and bake it up. Simple simple simple. Possibly impossible to mess up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUiSt0HRYFj79qWlsYhzoIgfuuoQooRsY-MT7RDPzBSDtUvcOu5FqpxlU_aEINjYboJ647eIi69NNOz3fBZ2fMhj6oNRZgH8qH_M68InbKJvM5kHKfOL0pOc9JzDe4y0Wia5zsgNC2psr/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUiSt0HRYFj79qWlsYhzoIgfuuoQooRsY-MT7RDPzBSDtUvcOu5FqpxlU_aEINjYboJ647eIi69NNOz3fBZ2fMhj6oNRZgH8qH_M68InbKJvM5kHKfOL0pOc9JzDe4y0Wia5zsgNC2psr/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yummy yummy. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7-60VmYBk3ASTDE6C7nu202Xgd8qAkRETmgMlIDe5R3_NKuthyphenhyphenQkfxbMuIA8YwBdOXBYcPXPl5rGWOpLN7ergZReTTnPP93EGZH7bhde1wbv6w6j1pGZBGrz0_Q1vkT_dNantw7aCf3i/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7-60VmYBk3ASTDE6C7nu202Xgd8qAkRETmgMlIDe5R3_NKuthyphenhyphenQkfxbMuIA8YwBdOXBYcPXPl5rGWOpLN7ergZReTTnPP93EGZH7bhde1wbv6w6j1pGZBGrz0_Q1vkT_dNantw7aCf3i/s320/DSC_0068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Blondies</span></b><br />
adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Everything-Completely-Revised-Anniversary/dp/0764578650?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">How to Cook Everything</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Everything-Completely-Revised-Anniversary/dp/0764578650?ie=UTF8&tag=emilyofa-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(note: I doubled the original recipe in order to make a 9x13 inch pan, you can make a half batch in an 8x8)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=emilyofa-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0764578650" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2 sticks butter, melted<br />
2 cups brown sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla<br />
Pinch salt<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">1/2-ish cups <i>each</i> chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and white chocolate chips</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped.</span></span><br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Pour into pan. Bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes, or until set in the middle. I baked mine for about 32 minutes, and I ended up thinking they were a bit underdone. But as my guests reminded me, everyone loves doughy cookies! </span></span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">In his original recipe, Bittman gives lots of suggestions of other possible additions. I think these would be fantastic with dried cherries and dark chocolate chunks and maybe some flaked coconut. Espresso powder would also be lovely, as would some booze. Yum. Hard to go wrong, really! Now go whip yourself up a batch! They only take about 10 minutes to get into the oven as long as you're not trying to take pictures of your work! </span></span></div></b><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-83497720931868763662010-11-22T19:43:00.000-08:002010-11-22T19:43:07.107-08:00A favorite side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW61gL_ocWZqjvour419JBFiGpepSbwC1x28ylsW-bnurwfRnrZ85CGwjMx6MrWUPOW9vC3k-8mFLjO-Chm0z-ibuVeZiSOC9VJMgg2ZyAuFP9y8wHCXhj94e-tH4IBmmwqg-xrppVy_My/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW61gL_ocWZqjvour419JBFiGpepSbwC1x28ylsW-bnurwfRnrZ85CGwjMx6MrWUPOW9vC3k-8mFLjO-Chm0z-ibuVeZiSOC9VJMgg2ZyAuFP9y8wHCXhj94e-tH4IBmmwqg-xrppVy_My/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When I was in college I decided to become a vegetarian. Having grown up on a farm where we raised a lot of animals that we later ate, it was an interesting decision to make. I have nothing against the eating of animals. But I was studying International Studies, and I really couldn't see that my level of meat consumption was sustainable planet-wide. So I decided to go veggie for a while. Plus it seemed everyone I had a crush on was also a vegetarian. Let's be clear. That was probably a big motivator.<br />
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So, fast forward 15 years, and it seems that I have the darndest time eating enough fruits and veggies! Especially in the winter! So I love this side dish. It's fast, easy, and tastes good. I learned it from a friend. This was a few years ago, and our friends were new parents. In retrospect, good for them cooking up veggies! Not to mention inviting people over for dinner. Whew! Now I'm a new parent, trying to eat enough veggies, and I've made this side so many times it's become a standard at our house. I also appreciate that it can be budget friendly. I like to make this when I find snow pea and organic spinach on manager's special at QFC. Which seems like it randomly happens for me at least once a month. Who doesn't love a huge tub of organic spinach for a dollar? Tonight: Stir fried snow peas and spinach. Tomorrow night: spinach salad with pears, dried cranberries and blue cheese. Yum!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wZjzH6NSuLej-FJ1PE0ZTWMN1wsUaTj06zvlsLYG-8aaCAS-Gpw1SqXulnTD1OxhJCtH7RwbTgzIy9XT3fs3mm_YROnt3kH7c3PF1rkO_Mg7BWiUuA2fFdsejDwLcCh4AvHqcKa0vTet/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wZjzH6NSuLej-FJ1PE0ZTWMN1wsUaTj06zvlsLYG-8aaCAS-Gpw1SqXulnTD1OxhJCtH7RwbTgzIy9XT3fs3mm_YROnt3kH7c3PF1rkO_Mg7BWiUuA2fFdsejDwLcCh4AvHqcKa0vTet/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Stir Fried Snow Peas and Spinach</b><br />
1Tbs oil (whatever you like)<br />
1 handful snowpeas<br />
1 handful spinach<br />
1-2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1Tbs-ish soy sauce<br />
a few drops toasted sesame oil (opt)<br />
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Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir fry until they start to show a little color. Toss in garlic, stir fry 30 seconds. Throw in spinach. Stir fry until it is just starting to wilt. Add soy sauce. Stir everything around the pan until it looks awesome and done. Remove from heat and add sesame oil. Enjoy!<br />
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Oh, and have you heard it's snowing in the Seattle area? Here's the view from my kitchen while I was cooking up dinner:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zWSOYkXnBV4XdHxxVthc0pOmYKNndp4_lQ9xBhfkj6y-gCPkVKRCulbRz-FhM60TBgnWqCnXqv66a033lAlHFkSDDA_0pp1Otub93p8wS49lz0GPZ_NmsX4UbsJUI1yNQVFVFXNT6516/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zWSOYkXnBV4XdHxxVthc0pOmYKNndp4_lQ9xBhfkj6y-gCPkVKRCulbRz-FhM60TBgnWqCnXqv66a033lAlHFkSDDA_0pp1Otub93p8wS49lz0GPZ_NmsX4UbsJUI1yNQVFVFXNT6516/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sadly the snow didn't really start coming down until I was already at work, which just made the drive home a bit treacherous. But it's still coming down, so I have a feeling tomorrow may be a snow day. Fun!</div><br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-62418314801081381382010-11-21T18:58:00.000-08:002010-11-21T18:58:55.755-08:00Pocket Pies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKcWSBanbWgtLqUlaIaOkypSKDEDh9q539mnwb_feMR_OnIsZXqBZlDAto5hFap4kyTAE8WKh6z0MPw8THAprI5rsLrOG0UUFDLHkeVDG7pkHRgPBRryBToNV8uVaplJ_EzN0urBr-M9G/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKcWSBanbWgtLqUlaIaOkypSKDEDh9q539mnwb_feMR_OnIsZXqBZlDAto5hFap4kyTAE8WKh6z0MPw8THAprI5rsLrOG0UUFDLHkeVDG7pkHRgPBRryBToNV8uVaplJ_EzN0urBr-M9G/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Last night the temperature dropped dramatically, and we woke up wondering if it had snowed in the night. We had to wait until around 11, when the snow started coming down! Even though it's a little early, it inspired our family to break out the Christmas music, and figure out something to make for dinner that would be the ultimate comfort food. Enter Pocket Pies.<br />
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I first heard of this recipe from Tracy over at <a href="http://www.shutterbean.com/savory-chicken-pocket-pies/">Shutterbean</a>. It comes from a book she highly recommends "Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys" by Lucinda Quinn. <br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=emilyofa-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1579653561&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
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I'll admit that I'm a bit skeptical on the whole men eat differently than women idea. But I love this recipe. And this book seems to be all about comfort food. Perfect for a snowy sunday! At any rate, here's what I did:<br />
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First, mix up a WONDERFUL pastry crust in your food processor. Then leave it in the fridge to chill while you make your filling.<br />
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<span id="goog_1224905858"></span><span id="goog_1224905859"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOftgXgjiMm552887D9RpfIh410GNJB-PI25ROYrRkl7LIL3aOCCXooUFUrqFmo8A6tt5QMA5uCIg8gHzVBOo0VUHzGiFgOu4CsVJ4jSk4U6ANlHVVfJkMywPUCtQNfWILvkvb5yWJtig/s1600/DSC03126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOftgXgjiMm552887D9RpfIh410GNJB-PI25ROYrRkl7LIL3aOCCXooUFUrqFmo8A6tt5QMA5uCIg8gHzVBOo0VUHzGiFgOu4CsVJ4jSk4U6ANlHVVfJkMywPUCtQNfWILvkvb5yWJtig/s320/DSC03126.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next cut up your veggies and chicken:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXm3KKGMOjA2PmK2sKEl373vNftHOf6197Ms5vRkYgn_UEC4rg7nNipPMDhDTu-Cpx8T57kWmHxOxMgxLNheaM3JtZdwjOFqhz0XqqQvV0T_Ah0AXrxWhnLKRyFycrHoZnWS-Udi0Y4h8/s1600/DSC03115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXm3KKGMOjA2PmK2sKEl373vNftHOf6197Ms5vRkYgn_UEC4rg7nNipPMDhDTu-Cpx8T57kWmHxOxMgxLNheaM3JtZdwjOFqhz0XqqQvV0T_Ah0AXrxWhnLKRyFycrHoZnWS-Udi0Y4h8/s320/DSC03115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjB-eT3_ypXvLppW7a1E-L6meeoEiVWobPuGixvfkoKK7cTM-oYYCxdDmvkJZUmbRwL23RbI9SnNMz6viPIxrt-Zt5jQBRH0EJwuh4p53xo5SV0hzrbYEgkjYyoGubxgvkXN6Oi2QhFi7k/s1600/DSC03110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjB-eT3_ypXvLppW7a1E-L6meeoEiVWobPuGixvfkoKK7cTM-oYYCxdDmvkJZUmbRwL23RbI9SnNMz6viPIxrt-Zt5jQBRH0EJwuh4p53xo5SV0hzrbYEgkjYyoGubxgvkXN6Oi2QhFi7k/s320/DSC03110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then simmer the chicken in broth while you cook the veggies up into a tasty filling. I added thyme and oregano to my filling because that just sounded like the right thing to do. Add the chicken to the filling along with some cheese. Man, this is looking yummier by the second.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuySkeqxGs8VjPC9_7QrIatcdMY_zuMKQOgqEng8oIM6xhfmrJ6AWr73D4g5CT4OAYwfg01s7q8Mk4-iJwDNgPW9G6DS-hLLgHxjbPrfujZOMSsh8qMr6K91QNl589MZHHNd6TfRwMDGG/s1600/DSC03120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuySkeqxGs8VjPC9_7QrIatcdMY_zuMKQOgqEng8oIM6xhfmrJ6AWr73D4g5CT4OAYwfg01s7q8Mk4-iJwDNgPW9G6DS-hLLgHxjbPrfujZOMSsh8qMr6K91QNl589MZHHNd6TfRwMDGG/s320/DSC03120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have you decided to make this yet? You really should. Final step is to roll out the dough and add your filling. The dough is really dreamy to work with. I used a quaker oatmeal lid to cut out my circle. You could also trace a small plate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYBO1gjgzeRnHybpKsW6AoWi_7-wyxVGbgNsX0x4RALUMVt4ZSB2ZYYhSirTfenLaCElWCp9hZS1Pxv3BYhOugwGbv01oasc4prsCrOlQ2gL-JcYvNAN8RLk2NHc9eTsCtJMYlxNPo3vE/s1600/DSC03128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYBO1gjgzeRnHybpKsW6AoWi_7-wyxVGbgNsX0x4RALUMVt4ZSB2ZYYhSirTfenLaCElWCp9hZS1Pxv3BYhOugwGbv01oasc4prsCrOlQ2gL-JcYvNAN8RLk2NHc9eTsCtJMYlxNPo3vE/s320/DSC03128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After assembling the pies, I left all 15 of them (Yum!) on foil lined cookie sheets and stuck them in the freezer. Give 'em time to freeze up, and then you can bake up as many as you want to dinner and throw the rest in a freezer bag to pull out whenever you need an easy dinner. BRILLIANT.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBhpiIHutleP76I8G8UZWEcqhDjarGmAx8sKybHsZrRC-PZmVBV7tsDUir3cNu5BQaIygYA0LG3GKvqhOiAjtLG5hPEezAdbCnXWO9CMhCHEiZ25eQPCdSeq_0weEa8ysAeR6X0IoaIpL/s1600/DSC_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBhpiIHutleP76I8G8UZWEcqhDjarGmAx8sKybHsZrRC-PZmVBV7tsDUir3cNu5BQaIygYA0LG3GKvqhOiAjtLG5hPEezAdbCnXWO9CMhCHEiZ25eQPCdSeq_0weEa8ysAeR6X0IoaIpL/s320/DSC_0080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Final verdict? AWESOME. As you can see, one of mine leaked, but it was still incredibly tasty. I am planning on making a bunch of these and freezing them for easy weeknight meals. The dough is great, and the filling would be really easy to vary. I'm thinking a vegetarian version with sweet potatoes, blackbeans and goats cheese would be wonderful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwtFmBPTU17di6CBKETiPsHRZnoaV8BubtWIKQrDDYCS-pt_5P-wvrRukxwBKXnOnlPMc5-AWZuh10aLZm-aMsRbVKRyp0S8IY3EreD3VkHZ3tggSrdhFl7EoRo8xRFFO6kpJS-UGm1q-/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwtFmBPTU17di6CBKETiPsHRZnoaV8BubtWIKQrDDYCS-pt_5P-wvrRukxwBKXnOnlPMc5-AWZuh10aLZm-aMsRbVKRyp0S8IY3EreD3VkHZ3tggSrdhFl7EoRo8xRFFO6kpJS-UGm1q-/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the recipe:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></div><h2 style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Savory Chicken Pot Pie</span></b></h2><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1579653561?ie=UTF8&tag=shutterbean-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1579653561" style="color: #006699; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys</a></div><ul style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 heaping cup shredded chicken</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">2 tablespoons unsalted butter</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 cup chopped onion</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/3 cup chopped celery</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/3 cup chopped carrot (1 carrot)</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 cup frozen peas (my addition)</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 teaspoon coarse salt</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">2 tablespoons all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 1/2 cups chicken broth</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 teaspoon dried thyme (my addition)</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 teaspoon tried oregano (my addition)</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 recipe (2 disks) Cream Cheese Pastry (recipe below)</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 large egg, for egg wash (I saved time and didn't do this)</span></li>
</ul><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">To make the filling, in a medium hot skillet, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peas, and stir for a minute or two. Stir in the salt, thyme, oregano and flour and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken broth and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 heaping cup shredded chicken and the Parmesan cheese. Cool in the fridge. It will get thick by the time you use it as a filling.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />If you are making these today, Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter or line a baking sheet.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">To form the pocket pies, work with half of a disk of dough at a time, rolling it out on a floured surface to about 12 inches in diameter. Using an overturned bowl (about 5 inches across--or use the quaker oats lid, see above), cut out about 3 circles from each piece of dough. After cutting out all your circles, gather all dough scraps, reroll, and cut out a final time. Place 1/4 cup filling on one side of a dough circle. Wet the edges of the dough with water. Fold the dough over to form a half-circle. Pinch the edges of the dough together. Crimp the edges with a fork. Repeat the process until all the filling is used. The pocket pies can be frozen at this point.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Place the pocket pies on the prepared baking sheet and chill for a few minutes. Prick each pie on top twice with a fork. When ready to bake, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg wash over each pocket pie. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown (you may need to bake an additional 5 minutes if they've been frozen). Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. The pies can be cooled and frozen to reheat in the microwave.</span></div><h2 style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.8em; font-weight: bold; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Cream Cheese Pastry</h2><ul style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">4 ounces cream cheese, softened</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/4 cup heavy whipping cream</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.7; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 35px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1/2 teaspoon coarse salt</span></li>
</ul><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In a food processor or using an electric mixer or by hand, process the butter, cream cheese and heavy whipping cream.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Add the flour and salt; process just until combined and the dough holds together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and divide in 2 pieces. Flatten into disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. If the dough is chilled overnight, take it out 15 minutes before rolling out.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.7; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Rub flour all over a rolling pin. Working with one disk at a time, place the disk on a clean, well-floured surface. Roll gently from the center of the dough to the top and bottom edges. Rotate the disk, and roll to the top and bottom edges again. Reflour the work surface and rolling pin, turn the dough over and continue to roll the dough from the center out to the edges. Turn over and roll again, rotating the disk to ensure even rolling until the dough is about 12 inches in diameter, thin but not transparent.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, and here are the "man and boy" in my household enjoying the snow. Now if it would only snow enough that school gets canceled and we could all enjoy another day home together!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqJ-Pwi6-CpU0T8AD4g6A0eEsfsMlvN15kUFvcbaXpEp5Z_idnJZe455v4aPdqqab3mOo4xdP4WLrwtS2_kgyBbySefHGdRMpSq3I9-QlzXTLXa31d7Fw86PbY9k_7cJOBlRETftiG8HM/s1600/IMG_0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqJ-Pwi6-CpU0T8AD4g6A0eEsfsMlvN15kUFvcbaXpEp5Z_idnJZe455v4aPdqqab3mOo4xdP4WLrwtS2_kgyBbySefHGdRMpSq3I9-QlzXTLXa31d7Fw86PbY9k_7cJOBlRETftiG8HM/s320/IMG_0357.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-4933132792658791062010-11-20T21:05:00.000-08:002010-11-20T21:05:20.533-08:00Thomas deal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjTu8dru5PA25oGEOooLaW-Mpd3dHm3Go5sWdNXlXHKzStKmzQ1plg7EfjCWM8Yfy4Qu9euGF6KhIe7jnYBnRxkICl3z7IRVbVxKT0X8XmUPOG4fKSh0fzxR2Wn2wwB84cXYXPN8p5JKO/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjTu8dru5PA25oGEOooLaW-Mpd3dHm3Go5sWdNXlXHKzStKmzQ1plg7EfjCWM8Yfy4Qu9euGF6KhIe7jnYBnRxkICl3z7IRVbVxKT0X8XmUPOG4fKSh0fzxR2Wn2wwB84cXYXPN8p5JKO/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
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OK, so I'll admit that I am highly resistant to buying any Thomas the Train products. They're super expensive, and I kind of just want to stick to a generic version of trains. Or better yet, leave the trains to the children's museum (The <a href="http://www.imaginecm.org/">Imagine Children's Museum</a> has an AWESOME train display and is all around great!) But there are several great deals going on now, or coming up shortly that make Thomas quite a bit cheaper than the generic version. So I'll leave it up to you to decide if you want to join me in getting some cheap Thomas trains for your little one(s).<br />
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Here's the two deals I'm eyeing: <br />
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Target currently has a coupon for 50% off Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway Beginner Set. Print that <a href="http://coupons.target.com/mcp/pd.cfm?encp=bw3Edh8NsU3vzmfu%2BCqxk1gE5kAdfbx6dC45DH8m6FuvNQDwYVl3xOH31DkRj79yzb%2BSNmiA403U%0D%0Ak0Vud5AkAA%3D%3D&ref=sc_iw_r_9_1_1">here</a> (sort by toy catalogue on the left to find it faster). The set is $25, so it's $12.50 after the coupon. The set comes with a Talking Thomas, a caboose, a stop sign, and a variety of track pieces. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Toys R Us has Thomas Early Engineers sets on sale for $12.49 for their Black Friday sale. There is a $10 off coupon for this set in the November Parenting Early Years Magazine (on page 101). So you can get this set for $2.49! I checked this set out tonight at Target and it is compatible with the above set. Yeah! Here's the TRU ad:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrki7dLAHUaD1Y95N1OAU3r0odIDDfWNx1av2pqWNmpi2HNr78oUiJF2Su_SozqyyPhm_4W5z1rEk3vYB0eIpd003w4J6UpcMMowWuOXU93LY1ZPOhKva4rcJBhSXI88osPaohUjkGfJp/s1600/Thomas-Train-2.99-Black-Friday-Deal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrki7dLAHUaD1Y95N1OAU3r0odIDDfWNx1av2pqWNmpi2HNr78oUiJF2Su_SozqyyPhm_4W5z1rEk3vYB0eIpd003w4J6UpcMMowWuOXU93LY1ZPOhKva4rcJBhSXI88osPaohUjkGfJp/s1600/Thomas-Train-2.99-Black-Friday-Deal.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think once you actually have the ad in hand (unlike me who is just trolling the internet for Black Friday sales!), you should be able to price match at either Target or Walmart, if you were going to either of those locations. Although, based on the ad, TRU is apparently opening at 10pm on Thanksgiving day, so they may not let you price match based on time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let me know if you decide to go for either of these deals! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-53621451313366414732010-11-17T13:00:00.000-08:002010-11-17T13:00:01.370-08:00Dinner Tonight!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubn2bQBcBkDz8cIi_ZJNpwNHehEpIuoE9CCYgr0Ozy7UNT8h9NQSkp2uMjiCTcPoPjj8BUf0WtGrvAC9MazVp-ML0NcAkBncEgi_WqGAgkSm_gJKuVf7I_M3k_quq0jlksz5CgfNxhaMr/s1600/DSC03132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubn2bQBcBkDz8cIi_ZJNpwNHehEpIuoE9CCYgr0Ozy7UNT8h9NQSkp2uMjiCTcPoPjj8BUf0WtGrvAC9MazVp-ML0NcAkBncEgi_WqGAgkSm_gJKuVf7I_M3k_quq0jlksz5CgfNxhaMr/s320/DSC03132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
OK, so you may have noticed on my meal planning board that we eat at home most every night. And I cook about 90% of the time. So last night I made Balsamic-glazed Pork Chops with Polenta, and Blasted Broccoli. I found the recipe in the "budget cooking" section of <span id="goog_589570201"></span><a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000107427">Cooking Light</a>. Pete could not stop talking about this food! Apparently this is the tastiest meal I've made in quite some time. And it was really easy and inexpensive, so I thought I'd share it with you! Not to mention, I took a picture of the finished product on a bit of a whim, and it actually turned out decent. Enjoy!<span id="goog_589570202"></span><br />
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<b>Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops with Polenta and Blasted Broccoli</b><br />
adapated from Cooking Light. Broccoli inspired by <a href="http://www.blackbottleseattle.com/">Black Bottle</a><br />
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<div class="rcpdetail" id="ingredients" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"><h2 style="color: #2a2a2a; font: normal normal normal 18px/normal Georgia, serif; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ingredients</h2><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;"><li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2 cups whole milk (I used 2%)</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (I used "Better than Bouillon")</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3/4 cup uncooked polenta</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1/4 teaspoon kosher salt</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2 large garlic cloves, minced</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops, trimmed</li>
</ul></div><div class="rcpdetail" id="preparation" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"><h2 style="color: #2a2a2a; font: normal normal normal 18px/normal Georgia, serif; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Preparation</h2><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1. Bring 2 cups milk and broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add polenta. Cook for 20 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring frequently with a whisk; remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese. Keep warm.</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2. Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes).</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic; rub mixture over pork. Place pork in pan; cook for 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness, basting with vinegar. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with polenta. I used the leftover balsamic sauce to decorate our plates. </div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>Blasted Broccoli</b></span></b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">Preheat oven to 450. Cut broccoli into large-ish bite size pieces. Toss with olive oil and salt. If you have a little leftover rosemary from the Pork, that would probably be a nice addition. Roast in hot oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli starts to char. </span></span></div></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-87095835520241326152010-11-16T22:24:00.000-08:002010-11-16T22:44:07.946-08:00Meal Planner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aQBRzsmUatoKZv5JuX22-RTduYaBEvGQmJpdmXerrDMmbVWOvASMA8uTNP3QGD1VD1-MUhH60sOmYYJ0BEPekeBltvvag-5n4EAI-Tk5yIM4w2EnORPe8hlYTzh5EYnqTPXwe86BQuDD/s1600/DSC03161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aQBRzsmUatoKZv5JuX22-RTduYaBEvGQmJpdmXerrDMmbVWOvASMA8uTNP3QGD1VD1-MUhH60sOmYYJ0BEPekeBltvvag-5n4EAI-Tk5yIM4w2EnORPe8hlYTzh5EYnqTPXwe86BQuDD/s320/DSC03161.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll admit that I can be a bit of a food hoarder. I love to cruise the aisles of the grocery store, checking out this and that. I also love a good sale, and can stock up on lots of food, that then never quite makes it to the table. I'm trying to be better. So tonight I made a Meal Planning board that we'll hang in our kitchen. Every Sunday we'll plan out a week's worth of meals, and then shop for what we need, but also plan in advance for meals that we'll take directly from the freezer or use up other food we've stockpiled. Sounds easy, right? We'll see. But this board certainly was a fun and easy craft! My friend <a href="http://www.sundaypizza.blogspot.com/">Lisa</a> originally emailed me about this project over at <a href="http://www.makeandtakes.com/wipe-off-weekly-menu-board">Make and Takes</a>. This is my version. Let's get started!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First off Supplies:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQzKZ_gl3v20fdXGwaVVDIbK8NT7KBPhsAauY-7ZySHGNPzYej1DdUKeBPSome3nmBQKE-56tiIq7wrTkZlQMJJgK2iJ3OKfTGcBlsH2YWKPNAq4nUjn1hgr0UMtQoebC3Uogu0v57CF4/s1600/DSC03142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQzKZ_gl3v20fdXGwaVVDIbK8NT7KBPhsAauY-7ZySHGNPzYej1DdUKeBPSome3nmBQKE-56tiIq7wrTkZlQMJJgK2iJ3OKfTGcBlsH2YWKPNAq4nUjn1hgr0UMtQoebC3Uogu0v57CF4/s320/DSC03142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I bought a 10x10 inch frame at Michael's today. Frames are 40% off this week, and there's a coupon in this week's ad for an additional 20% off. This frame was on clearance, and with the additional savings, it cost me about 3 bucks. I also picked up some stickers for the lettering (I chose "mini black letters" by Sticko), and a sheet of scrapbook paper. I couldn't decide color what would look best in my kitchen, so I got two, just in case.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first thing I did was take the mat out of the frame and use it as the guide for cutting my scrapbook paper. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvGh3AP0Be2PjKhr2J1rq4eUa8T09Z6Fp2bMYxO04t5cgMRxMO-1aLm0pV7Vb-4myoPbYEL2AlWM7-RhYVuEEtmQz4o5BvL9yQhAJFU6VlaHk8dyiL80zSjf_MC7ADroWTLnDh0Nz4LJF/s1600/DSC03144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvGh3AP0Be2PjKhr2J1rq4eUa8T09Z6Fp2bMYxO04t5cgMRxMO-1aLm0pV7Vb-4myoPbYEL2AlWM7-RhYVuEEtmQz4o5BvL9yQhAJFU6VlaHk8dyiL80zSjf_MC7ADroWTLnDh0Nz4LJF/s320/DSC03144.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then cut out all the letters and laid them out on my paper to get a visual on things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5bMA_xY5tSe3fg78kVLl4PSvthPKgBL8LbWUmTx6D21Di5yPtUbPnLDjY-78HgbwANQF9hLjt8RG9UHdW8pADsE9alL5bi8ZNduXychnxgPX9YFnT1169Gki-srGbz8gRG3flToz5kOc/s1600/DSC03148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5bMA_xY5tSe3fg78kVLl4PSvthPKgBL8LbWUmTx6D21Di5yPtUbPnLDjY-78HgbwANQF9hLjt8RG9UHdW8pADsE9alL5bi8ZNduXychnxgPX9YFnT1169Gki-srGbz8gRG3flToz5kOc/s320/DSC03148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started at the bottom, and worked my way up peeling letters and sticking them onto the paper. If you chose a paper like mine, you can use its pattern as a guide. Unfortunately I didn't think about that until it was already a little wonky. Oh well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9wy54fUjhaK0rNpTeF-a2BVPfGU7C0kY7wbzX1ca6eVQYIoLY6sC2yK2iU_2X6TLMNCbVyZ3a7L7YnM7ao5iTJIm9_i06EXPH0BTpdsK1vkF5maR7kKOgp4VtR4kPzZKp7jKKFMiiJaA/s1600/DSC03155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9wy54fUjhaK0rNpTeF-a2BVPfGU7C0kY7wbzX1ca6eVQYIoLY6sC2yK2iU_2X6TLMNCbVyZ3a7L7YnM7ao5iTJIm9_i06EXPH0BTpdsK1vkF5maR7kKOgp4VtR4kPzZKp7jKKFMiiJaA/s320/DSC03155.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then stick your paper under the glass, reattach the back of the frame, and use a dry erase marker to plan your menu each week. End result: Meal Planning Board! If you change your decor, or move, you can easily paint the frame, switch out the background, etc. Easy, cute, and practical! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-37097690672297891902010-11-15T13:00:00.000-08:002010-11-15T13:00:01.501-08:00Planting Garlic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdw2xzDrxDWFcv6RhHWHm52DZ63RBo6ZTRM3_Ix8fx7CHw7CC9nQDqYThMloau798UtSMF__NSErpzWJ3J6zusdK0RI3mO96Ud4_xbIPkD_WXmCG2RXxUDV9RQxPntAL5D-L2UGuskMDps/s1600/DSC03091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdw2xzDrxDWFcv6RhHWHm52DZ63RBo6ZTRM3_Ix8fx7CHw7CC9nQDqYThMloau798UtSMF__NSErpzWJ3J6zusdK0RI3mO96Ud4_xbIPkD_WXmCG2RXxUDV9RQxPntAL5D-L2UGuskMDps/s320/DSC03091.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My mom is an amazing gardener. When I was little, I would often ask if I could have a part of her garden for "my garden." She was always open to that, but after planting carrots, potatoes, flowers, tomatoes and herbs, I would inevitably loose steam on the garden as I was distracted by other projects. As weeds began their takeover of my garden, my mom would eventually decide to tackle the weeds before they invaded her garden. Now that I'm a mom, I still want to garden, but I try to limit myself to things that are don't require too much work, and are tough to kill. Fortunately, I don't have a yard, so I'm also limited to what I can plant in pots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've often read that garlic is easy to grow in pots, but I've never tried it. I typically grow tomatoes and squash, along with peppers, which usually die. Last spring I planted potatoes in my pots for the first time. Sadly, as I struggled to keep up with working, parenting, and partnering full time, my potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and peppers took it on the chin. But now I'm only working part-time, so I decided to give gardening another try. And garlic seemed like a great option to start with, since you typically plant it in the fall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So today I headed out to my driveway, where I keep my pots, and discovered to my surprise, that my potatoes actually survived my lack of watering!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhod3EnUlV1C9BAF8eRpsZPgf3_qd7rKrHXlJoXVs5CRMV_Jf8iWE9xug7_Y0MMoU2hQcPPQz2ZvnI4TbtRY_hLB-SqBjivd1XVECqNkxawrqTiu2uhSK2a1GvWkC0gRdH_uL-7z8znp_GU/s1600/DSC03088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhod3EnUlV1C9BAF8eRpsZPgf3_qd7rKrHXlJoXVs5CRMV_Jf8iWE9xug7_Y0MMoU2hQcPPQz2ZvnI4TbtRY_hLB-SqBjivd1XVECqNkxawrqTiu2uhSK2a1GvWkC0gRdH_uL-7z8znp_GU/s320/DSC03088.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Red potatoes grown in my pot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I dug them up, and decided to reuse this "lucky" pot for my garlic! Yeah! If you'd like to try this experiment with me, it took me about 10 minutes, and cost about a dollar. So we won't loose much if it doesn't work. Here's what I did:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Growing Garlic</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After digging up the potatoes, I added more compost to the pot. I then used my trowel to mix it all up. I used Carpinito Farms organic compost, which is local here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lY_Oj-qDhGOl7dIEZDVe5g-ZMPBynWT4gqbmUiNfH7aH3Q8Q5kCsego5ZpLeIMsd0n7Wwq34m3EGUCTRqIrJ9BhgR4_HSCgZGtGAAtKK-dWKyOudEEyfgJlcQQWlftlIq4N45h6Zd8a7/s1600/DSC03094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lY_Oj-qDhGOl7dIEZDVe5g-ZMPBynWT4gqbmUiNfH7aH3Q8Q5kCsego5ZpLeIMsd0n7Wwq34m3EGUCTRqIrJ9BhgR4_HSCgZGtGAAtKK-dWKyOudEEyfgJlcQQWlftlIq4N45h6Zd8a7/s320/DSC03094.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then took a head of organic garlic (see notes below), broke off several cloves, and placed them on top of the potting soil, like so:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCnSvkYOzfDeJDVyPIJUOIdcEbEc8cPk1lzC7QJv7ToKlii9zfsLTX6Uc_oD7W4SBxXpxWPggDZO396o5jjgI-EjnocPJrTLMxjcf6VSmo1CVzWYxn8PHJ4LyduFH5dNehOgWGsg9N57P/s1600/DSC03099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCnSvkYOzfDeJDVyPIJUOIdcEbEc8cPk1lzC7QJv7ToKlii9zfsLTX6Uc_oD7W4SBxXpxWPggDZO396o5jjgI-EjnocPJrTLMxjcf6VSmo1CVzWYxn8PHJ4LyduFH5dNehOgWGsg9N57P/s320/DSC03099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Make sure you keep them top up. If you're like me, and your garlic often sprouts on the counter, you can visualize that little green shoot coming out of the top of the soil. You can often also see the roots growing out of the bottom of the full head of garlic. That's the part that should go down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After spacing them nicely, push the cloves down about 1-2 inches into the soil, and gently cover with soil. Water thoroughly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've read Garlic takes about 8-9 months to grow. So we should be able to harvest these guys next July or August. Right in time to pair with juicy tomatoes! But it should sprout fairly soon, so I'll keep you posted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple notes about choosing garlic to plant: Many sources recommend getting garlic at a gardening center. I went to my <a href="http://www.molbaks.com/">local gardening store</a> but they were out. The very helpful clerk informed me that she grows her own garlic without problems from garlic she gets at the grocery store. But she told me to watch out for 2 things: First, buy organic garlic. Traditional garlic may be sprayed with a growth inhibitor to prevent the garlic from sprouting on its way from farm to market. Not so good when you're trying to get it to sprout. Second, make sure that your garlic isn't labeled as a copyrighted variety. I'm not sure where this clerk shops, but she told me that her store labeled some varieties of garlic as copyrighted and she was concerned they might have a "terminal gene" so the garlic wouldn't sprout. I haven't seen this, but consider yourself duly warned! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, and about those potatoes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvj3p8hJYZ5pjgYCQftBkfwqf9iHhucL_6BrdAWQKK4FGI38tXfKCMLzZQcUVq9VnwBy188A_pnJXDMzry_Bux2OEG35Z7W2vVKEBo6SaJWlYDf3aW3lMd8S1HHCwsodgFOrYxGeNoBQY/s1600/DSC03104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvj3p8hJYZ5pjgYCQftBkfwqf9iHhucL_6BrdAWQKK4FGI38tXfKCMLzZQcUVq9VnwBy188A_pnJXDMzry_Bux2OEG35Z7W2vVKEBo6SaJWlYDf3aW3lMd8S1HHCwsodgFOrYxGeNoBQY/s320/DSC03104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll try to figure out something easy and tasty to showcase their home grown deliciousness. Stay Tuned!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-42555728996222303802010-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:002010-11-14T13:30:58.455-08:00Company Waffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tkCK7NQbnNIHJDvAIYvpHYBkXDOzt0iDIrDfYcwswxUTHZ-iJhGOABUc-mBMYxJuuTnn4g50zO_wph0TFIky_TETom4mh-J5R-3JdIzPnD00J0LqRkMfGaedyJcnJg9b50Q2v7iQ11Ma/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tkCK7NQbnNIHJDvAIYvpHYBkXDOzt0iDIrDfYcwswxUTHZ-iJhGOABUc-mBMYxJuuTnn4g50zO_wph0TFIky_TETom4mh-J5R-3JdIzPnD00J0LqRkMfGaedyJcnJg9b50Q2v7iQ11Ma/s320/IMG_0337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I've been trying to eat more seasonally lately. Dana, over at MADE, made these tasty looking <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/11/pumpkin-lemon-cream-waffles.html">pumpkin waffles</a> earlier this week, so I decided to whip up a batch for breakfast this morning. But then I discovered I was missing half the ingredients, so after a quick internet search, I settled on <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/pumpkin-waffles/">Deb's recipe</a> from Smitten Kitchen. We loved these! It's not the simplest recipe, so I recommend saving it for a weekend, or when you have company. Good news is, you should have all the ingredients already (see my substitution for buttermilk if you're like me and don't keep that one stalked), so it is economical. <br />
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<b>Pumpkin Waffles</b><br />
adapted from Smitten Kitchen<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">1/3 cup packed light brown sugar</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">2 teaspoons ground cinnamon</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">1 teaspoon ground ginger</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">1/4 teaspoon ground cloves</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">4 large eggs, separated</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">2 cups well-shaken buttermilk (I subbed 2Tbs vinegar added to 2 cups milk--mix and let sit 5 min)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;">First, sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, pumpkin and melted butter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnw-vVFjQladecXUwM4BfOWmX2XfuutBPyRLnFQR91uykSNZdaJGIn6aAf6v4prHoB8ALRVaps9ulMzuU-NQq5RLLq5kL_7nx_RpUSuZuSLjQ76PSalp5Gi0joOHK7kL_lvyopx0qVHTS/s1600/IMG_0325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnw-vVFjQladecXUwM4BfOWmX2XfuutBPyRLnFQR91uykSNZdaJGIn6aAf6v4prHoB8ALRVaps9ulMzuU-NQq5RLLq5kL_7nx_RpUSuZuSLjQ76PSalp5Gi0joOHK7kL_lvyopx0qVHTS/s320/IMG_0325.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whisk in dry ingredients until just combined.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UIL-RvKuBgbwIXwZaluQdfe_wkXtBmazsv0kbFxgJmMd4RkyikB3q5EJqujJ0u2Gw7y1JxFB4FtMwuu1w5N2OglhlUax2ieUVCtcTIvm9b-sGWWcEhcXR3laV56mepG2upBSXxii7VOy/s1600/IMG_0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UIL-RvKuBgbwIXwZaluQdfe_wkXtBmazsv0kbFxgJmMd4RkyikB3q5EJqujJ0u2Gw7y1JxFB4FtMwuu1w5N2OglhlUax2ieUVCtcTIvm9b-sGWWcEhcXR3laV56mepG2upBSXxii7VOy/s320/IMG_0328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next use another bowl, or your kitchen aid to whisk up the egg whites until soft peaks form and then gently fold it into your batter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFYMX16j_zAh306V0Q2yHuXGtDvoA5gjlrnYcDfC0D9HXAd_s83p3uN1madV6NiJE3aJF09u5InksUkOSgdODo5UblOIxI_CsLwoPCksU3p0ckWoIMBRpV72cHtWXN4p9wR7Yw9nP-xpU/s1600/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFYMX16j_zAh306V0Q2yHuXGtDvoA5gjlrnYcDfC0D9HXAd_s83p3uN1madV6NiJE3aJF09u5InksUkOSgdODo5UblOIxI_CsLwoPCksU3p0ckWoIMBRpV72cHtWXN4p9wR7Yw9nP-xpU/s320/IMG_0333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Don't overmix. The egg whites add air to your batter, and will make your waffles light and fluffy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then brush your waffle iron with some oil, pour in an appropriate amount of batter, and bake according to the directions for your particular waffle iron. This recipe made about 20 waffles (we have a small iron, but it should feed 6-8 hungry adults), so you may want to keep waffles warm in the oven until all your waffles are cooked. I recommend wrapping leftovers in plastic wrap, and popping them in the toaster oven or toaster for a quick weekday breakfast. Yum!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-82967386440312354072010-11-09T12:25:00.000-08:002010-11-09T12:25:32.591-08:00Cheap diaper deal!OK Moms, so one of my trades if finding coupons to save our family as much money as possible. I have used cloth diapers most of Elliott's life, but there are lots of times when disposables (or "sposies" as they're affectionately called in our house) are just darn convenient. And for a lot of families, that's all the time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/Top_Food_and_Drug_-_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/Top_Food_and_Drug_-_Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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So today, I bring you a great deal on Diapers. If you have access to a Haggen or Top Foods, this deal is good through today. Haggen/Top is having a promo where you buy any $25 worth of baby products (before coupons) you get a $10 instant discount.<br />
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Here's what a bought this morning:<br />
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3 packs Huggies Movers $7.99 each = $23.97<br />
1 pack Huggies Wipes $2.50 each = $2.50<br />
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subtotal: $26.47<br />
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Then use 3 $2.50 off coupons for Huggies movers available <a href="http://www.coupons.com/">here</a> (find it faster by sorting by "household")<br />
*note you'll need to use 2 computers to print off 3 coupons<br />
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Final price after coupons and instant savings: $8.97!! That's only $.2.99 a pack plus free wipes!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993088633940772750.post-80280788925168578602010-10-28T13:14:00.000-07:002010-10-28T13:14:28.645-07:00about the titleBy my count, I played 8 different instruments in band between 5th grade and college. In junior high I started taking saxophone lessons, and my teacher was mildly amused by my constant switching of instrument. He declared me a "Jack of all Trades and a Master of None."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-O9g9d1lb2G0Z_BB_8pRdAjGg_tyKgnBQOxlF3DHbY_JU__ZsQJd73gY-ix-hwhva5V2h-tDLnesbjMK8Y9lHtdvqtDWZDiqyvt__8GXZi-jKPcTmZfEV2FGiWaUjWsu71UnZnRsBbED/s1600/UW+Band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-O9g9d1lb2G0Z_BB_8pRdAjGg_tyKgnBQOxlF3DHbY_JU__ZsQJd73gY-ix-hwhva5V2h-tDLnesbjMK8Y9lHtdvqtDWZDiqyvt__8GXZi-jKPcTmZfEV2FGiWaUjWsu71UnZnRsBbED/s320/UW+Band.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's me on the left in Provo with the Husky Marching Band. Playing Trombone.</div><br />
I seem to be following this pattern in life. I have LOTS of interests! I enjoy hiking, cooking, scoring a great bargain, pretending to be crafty, and working with homeless folks. Plenty of stories there! <br />
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A current interest of mine is the Couch to 5K. After having a baby, I have put on some weight, and can't find time to exercise! But I recently downloaded the C25K iphone app, and am ready to run. Or pretend to run. Honestly I think I walk faster than I jog. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4J7qGoqBCnbXVcCDhrdBTgpSP_VvRTYaDAVABN06_NwiWXspml16vigsNarT0RolDO-BtUx7k1IkeMuCphtwQhW9Ro0xSBiCpFGDowqtM8f3GFPCHU1BRe3COI5r177XRQ-63NT6z4gt/s1600/IMG_0285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4J7qGoqBCnbXVcCDhrdBTgpSP_VvRTYaDAVABN06_NwiWXspml16vigsNarT0RolDO-BtUx7k1IkeMuCphtwQhW9Ro0xSBiCpFGDowqtM8f3GFPCHU1BRe3COI5r177XRQ-63NT6z4gt/s320/IMG_0285.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here's the trail on a rainy day after my jog. See that guy in the distance? Yup, the one other person on the trail! I'm in week 3. Care to join me? My sister has promised to set up a 5K in her neighborhood at New Years and her husband has promised a backyard BBQ and beer garden. My dad says he'll set up a water stand. If I get crafty, I might make us t-shirts. Come on, you know you want to join me. Let's hope it doesn't snow.<br />
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So welcome to my blog! I hope to post a little of this, and a little of that. We'll see how it evolves. But I'll keep you posted on my favorite bargains, my favorite recipes, inspiring craft ideas, and tips for car repair. I grew up on a farm, ya know! I hope you'll join me!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857976415941684750noreply@blogger.com2