busy busy busy day

It was a totally crazy day. We scouted for food with the Boy Scouts. Then was my younger son’s last soccer game followed by a party. My friend Katy made this incredible cake.

It was also delicious. The bottom part was chocolate and the ball was sculpted out of rice krispie treats. She is a genius!

I made less beautiful but still tasty vanilla butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache.

When we came home I decided it was high time that I actually tried out the book making idea.

I got The Essential Guide to Making Handmade Books from the library and then stumbled upon a copy of it at the second hand bookstore. I followed the book’s instructions for a Single Section Pamphlet. I was glad to get some practice sewing the binding but I’m not totally excited with how it turned out. I think if I want to make more of these, I should cut the coloring page in half lengthwise first. I think it will make a better proportioned booklet.

In the process of making this book, however, I discovered that I don’t know where my exacto knife is. I tried to use my husband’s larger craft knife but the blade was too dull. I need to get a sharper blade or find my exacto knife before I can try again. It is good to have goals.

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cupcakes

Tomorrow is my younger son’s last soccer game of the season so we are having a party right after the game. I volunteered to make cupcakes and this is the result.

They are the vanilla butter cakes with simple vanilla buttercream from One Bowl Baking. I bought this book on a whim because I picked it up in the bookstore and opened it to a recipe for pretzel cupcakes which I felt like I needed to make. I made them for my cousin’s birthday and they did not disappoint. I taste tested these, of course, and this recipe is holding up too. I hope the kids enjoy them!

NaBloPoMo Day 15: new crafts

I missed a day! I even had something to post about yesterday besides food: embroidery. I’m not actually doing any embroidery but I’m thinking about it. Kristi gave me Embroidered Effects for my birthday and I brought it to school yesterday to help me teach the kids in the sewing class how to embroider. I am going to guess that if you look at my blog posts for the past several Novembers you will find me saying that watching the kids embroider really makes me want to. As I told them: you don’t need fancy stitches to make something nice with embroidery. I should pick a project from that book and actually make it. I usually can’t figure out exactly what I’d do with something embroidered and that stops me from making it. I had the Sublime Stitching Stitchable Stationary kit and embroidered that last year, which I really liked doing. I could do more of that too. Every year, though, I talk about it and then the only embroidery I end up doing is on felt holiday decorations.

The other craft I’ve been thinking about is paracord bracelets. I was looking at a book about them in the bead store last week and then found a tutorial on how to make them and an Etsy shop that sells the supplies. So now I have paracord and buckles and I guess I better figure out how they all go together. I was hoping to get my kids interested in working on them. I got some glow in the dark buckles but they have turned out to be enormous so I’m not sure they’ll work. I got a few smaller green ones too. If it happens, I will post pictures.

I can’t resist mentioning a few food things:

• I made a chicken in the slow cooker again. This time I put it in breast down and left it a bit shorter. It was so good and it was magically ready when we got home from getting the kids and going to the library. I may never roast a chicken in the oven again. (I’m lying, I miss the crispy skin.)
• I then started another batch of chicken broth because the last one all got eaten in just a few days. Matzo ball soup will do that.
• I made chocolate cupcakes for my son’s end of season soccer party tomorrow. I meant to make them cookies ‘n creme cupcakes but I forgot to add the cookies. I put them in the frosting instead and used TJ’s peppermint Joe Joes. This might be the best idea ever.

Okay, I’m done talking about food. For now.

birthday food

Today was Niels' 5th birthday party. We had the party in the middle of the afternoon so I figured I didn't need to provide actual food, just cake. Niels opted for cupcakes, specifically: cookies 'n' cream cupcakes. I was glad to oblige. I took Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World out of the library recently and that is where I got the idea for cookies 'n' cream. Niels can have dairy now but I figured I'd follow their recipe anyway. Man, were they good!

7/7/07

My mom came down to watch the kids run around at the gym where the party was and she and some other friends came over for dinner afterwards. I made lamb kofta and tahini sauce to go on top and served them with grilled vegetables, lavosh bread and basmati rice. It was a pretty easy dinner over all and very tasty! It does help that Erik did the grilling, of course. I'm definitely saving that recipe and making those kofta again. Yum!

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