Archive of ‘General’ category

Oh, The Places She’ll Go!

| Celebrate, General

Dr. Seuss Cake

My daughter is rapidly approaching 2.  Seriously 23 months and some change.  Didn’t we just perfect the ultimate swaddle, conquer the squeakless door close, and master the art of stacking milk in the freezer?  Our routines change so quickly with this bundle of energy, it is tough to comprehend that we are already building choo-choos with blocks, whisking pancake batter, and talking about friends at school (okay, maybe just repeating their names at home).  I realize this is not a new phenomenon and time flies for everyone… I just wish it were a little more selective to the Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5:00 time-frame!

  1. I have a daughter (this is still sinking in).
  2. She will seriously be 2 in a mere number of days.
  3. We celebrated, we celebrate, we will celebrate!
Door Sign

Oh, The Places You’ll Go Door Sign

I love to decorate cakes, plan parties, and am always up for a good celebration  no matter how big or small… we celebrate Pi day.   I have to admit, however, that I was totally overwhelmed at the prospect of planning my own daughter’s first birthday party!  How would I ever pick and finalize a theme?  How would I decorate her cake?  I checked all my usual sources for inspiration: Pinterest, Hostess with the Mostess, Pizzazzerie, etc., and despite all the amazing party plans, I wasn’t convinced.

I am a sucker for inspiration.  I am a sucker for independence.  I wasn’t ready to let go of little Sammie’s nursery theme, so we stuck with, “Oh the Places She’ll Go!”

Invitation: We found an adorable invitation  in the Meghily’s Printables Etsy Store.

Decorations: I played with my Silhouette SD and found great hot air balloon shapes by SnapDragon Snippets in the Silhouette Studio. I selected several different shades of Bazzil cardstock to use for all my decorations  and outlined the cutouts with a black marker to give it more Dr. Seuss sass.   I downloaded the Doctor Soos font, for free, from dafont.com.   I created  a banner for the fireplace, hot air balloon bunting for the entryway, a door sign (re-purposing an old frame), and fun photos from Samantha’s first year hanging from helium balloons.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Seuss Cake

 

 

 

Cake: I had some serious trouble coming up with an idea for this cake that I felt I could actually execute!  I decided to use gum paste, fondant, and edible markers to re-create scenes from “Oh the Places You’ll Go.”  I loved the effect of the edible markers on the dried gumpaste.  I did learn that you have to wait for the gumpaste to dry completely before using the edible markers, or the colors may bleed!

 

 

First Year Photo Collage

 

Photo Collage: We spent the year taking monthly black and white photos of Samantha on a plain desk calendar.  We happened to have some extra wall space and found matching extra frames… all the night before her party.  With the assistance of a little Urban Chestnut, we put together this photo collage in no time.. we (the beer) *may* have miscounted our photo-to-frame-ratio… which explains the somewhat random monogram in the fourth frame!  D’oh.
Up next… la la la la… la la la la… Elmo’s World!  Let the celebration continue!

Confession of a *wannabe* party planner…
I wish I could ditch the 8:30 – 5:00 job and execute party plans everyday!

Happy 1st Birthday Samantha!

Happy 1st Birthday Samantha!

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Annie’s Original Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

| General

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Annie’s Original Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can’t resist a good old original chocolate chip cookie.

I started baking when I was a kid. My sister and I spent many weekends broadcasting “Kids Cookery” from our kitchen, inspired by the latest section of “Hey Kids Let’s Cook” in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Pretty impressive for kids who didn’t have cable and never watched TV!

Turns out, I never really outgrew my adventures in baking or my experiments in the kitchen. This original chocolate chip cookie recipe was definitely worth all the botched batches to get it just right! I proudly won a blue ribbon at the Washington Town & Country Fair with these chocolate chip cookies back in 1995, and I continue to spread the cookie love whenever I get a chance!

The secret to these cookies is a greater ratio of brown to white sugar, extra vanilla, extra chocolate chips, dark chocolate, room temperature butter, and a specific mixing technique.

Confession of a *wannabe* baker… Every once in a while there may be a “Kids Cookery” encore that broadcasts from the Cavedine Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
3 cups of dark chocolate chips and/or chopped chocolate

PREP:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

MIX:
Add the room temperature butter to a large bowl and beat until light and creamy.

Add the brown and white sugar to the butter mixture and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture is airy and light.

Continue beating and mix in the salt and baking soda.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and gently add the flour. Mix on low speed until just combined; do not over mix!

Gently stir in 3 cups of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.

BAKE:
Scoop the cookie dough onto cookie sheets using a mini ice cream scoop.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy and share!

 

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Smart Cookies

| Create, General

 

Smart Cookies

smart cookies

It is graduation season and teacher appreciation week, and I am loving the “Smart Cookie” themes popping up all over Pinterest!

I was getting ready to file all these ideas away for future use (including my nephew’s kindergarten graduation), when I remembered that I get to celebrate and thank my daughter’s teachers this year! I am still getting used to the fact that I have a daughter… it has been 17 months, but it is still amazing to think there is another human… our daughter… living in this house!! It is truly unbelievable to experience how quickly time is flying by and how much we grow everyday.

Smart Cookie

our smart little cookie

The teachers at my daughter’s daycare have helped us parent-newbies learn so much about Samantha’s capabilities! This little kid is a rockstar because of the socialization and development she gets both at school and with her grandparents. I cannot say thank you enough to those that love and care for her while we are at work.

CREATE:

 

 

 

 

 

  1. I typed the “Thanks…. for making us such” sign using Rosewood and Duality fonts that I downloaded for free from dafont.com, and I printed the sign in brown ink on tan cardstock.
  2. Then I used my Silhouette to cut both the cookies and the glasses. I used two different shades of brown cardstock for the cookies and black cardstock for the glasses, to provide contrast. If you don’t have a Silhouette, you could easily create the same effect by cutting circles and using a hole punch for the chocolate chips!
  3. Once I had all my pieces cut, I assembled the Smart Cookies with foam tape to give the images depth.  I conveniently placed the glasses over large chocolate chips to give the cookies eyes.
  4. I taped the sign to the top of a white bakery box and filled it with homemade chocolate chip cookies!
  5. I also taped the box shut so I wouldn’t eat any cookies.
  6. And… then I tied the box with bakers twine to make it even more difficult to sneak in and steal a cookie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confession of a *wannabe* crafter… This is not an original idea… there are smart cookie inspirations all over Pinterest. Just because an idea isn’t original doesn’t mean it isn’t fantastic!  I can’t wait to use and re-use this idea in the years to come!

 

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Lentil Soup

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Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup

Happy New Year!  Do you all have any fabulous food traditions for the New Year?  I chose to stick with my Italian roots… or root… and opted for a steaming bowl of lentil soup on this freezing first day of the new year!

The inspiration for this lentil soup comes from la mamma Italiana and my year as an exchange student in Siracusa, Sicily.  The highlight of my year was definitely my amazing host family, but the incredible food was a close second.  I realize lentil soup may not be what traditionally comes to mind as you think of scrumptious Sicilian cuisine, but this is the perfect Mediterranean meal to warm up your winter!
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Cilantro Lime Slaw

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Cilantro Lime Slaw

Cilantro Lime Slaw

Slaws are often relegated to my sad side category; nothing terrible, yet nothing terribly exciting.  As a slaw skeptic, my common BBQ practice is to bypass the slaw in favor of more enticing sides.  Why waste coveted paper-plate space on a bowl of shredded cabbage  when faced with juicy slices of watermelon or bacon potato salads?!?  I recently, however, discovered this cilantro lime slaw and am reconsidering my classification of slaw as a sad side.

This cilantro lime slaw is not only a crunchy and refreshing condiment for pulled pork or fish tacos, it is an amazing side all on its own.  I recently served this slaw as the perfect accompaniment for green chili cheeseburgers and a warm Mexican street corn salad, and then piled the leftovers on grilled fish tacos the following night.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie…. Although this slaw has initiated my conversion, I still don’t love all slaws, but I will now at least give them a try!
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Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

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Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

It feels as though this fall continues to remain unseasonably warm in good old Saint Louis.  I realize this heat may have more to do with the bun in my oven than extreme global warming in the Midwest, but needless to say, I have been unseasonably slow in my transition to fabulous fall food!

Here’s to hoping that a few of my fall favorites will coax in the cooler temperatures!

These pumpkin apple streusel muffins are a definite family favorite.  Although the origin of the recipe is lost in a pre-internet handwritten recipe card, there are now pumpkin apple streusel muffin recipes all over the wonderful World Wide Web.

This recipe, adapted from allrecipes.com, stays true to the original roots of the muffin and definitely delivers fall in one giant bite… regardless of the temperature outside.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… Sometimes… you can’t eat just one!
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Kale Salad with Avocado, Apricots & Almonds

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Kale Salad with Avocado, Apricots & Almonds

Kale Salad with Avocado, Apricots & Almonds

I claim that I am not a picky eater, which I still hold as true, but I often fall victim to the work-lunch-funk.  I seem to instantly transform into the world’s choosiest (that doesn’t sound quite as harsh as picky) eater the minute it is time to decide on lunch for the upcoming week work week.  I don’t really like frozen meals or just-add-water soup, I don’t love sandwiches, and it is too hot for my standard winter soups and beans!  Needless to say, I am always on the lookout for fun and easy lunch ideas!  I saw this recipe on The Kitchn a few days ago and was intrigued.  Although this is not the summer-iest of this season’s salads, it is delicious, filling, and holds up well as a work lunch!
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Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

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Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

Each summer I wait patiently… or not so patiently… for those large containers of blueberries to miraculously appear at the grocery stores and farmer’s markets at fairly reasonable prices.  As I begrudgingly headed to the grocery store, officially marking the end of vacation, I walked through those automatic sliding doors to behold a glorious slight… Blueberries!  Lots and lots of blueberries!!  I filled the cart with blueberries (not exactly an exaggeration) and began planning the upcoming week(s) of blueberry goodness.  First stop… Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes!
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Fettuccine with Asparagus, Peas & Bacon

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Fettuccine with Asparagus, Peas & Bacon

Fettuccine with Asparagus, Peas & Bacon

I love pasta.  I realize this is nothing extraordinary as most people, at least those worth befriending, also love pasta.  It is one of those few dishes that is both delicious and totally justified in every season: spring, summer, fall, and winter.   It is also one of those dishes that is often far better made at home as opposed to ordered over-sauced and over-cooked in an everyday restaurant.

Although not the lightest of spring pasta dishes, this recipe is definitely worth it!  I did increase the vegetable-to-pasta ratio, from the original recipe, which may not exactly negate the heavy whipping cream or crispy bacon, but it at least helps make the dish look healthy!
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Gleek Attack: Grilled Cheese & Tots!

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Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese

Although not blessed with a “grilled cheesus,” we still consider this Glee dinner a success: the ultimate grilled cheese, tater tots, and an ice cold slushy!

This grilled cheese may not be a sign from above, but it sure tastes heaven sent!  Slather 2 slices of Companion Peasant Wheat Bread with soft butter or  margarine, arrange 2 slices of Cheddar cheese and 2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese Tetris style between the unbuttered sides of bread, and place in a skillet over medium heat.  Toast until the bread is crispy and the cheese is completely melted.   The Companion Peasant Wheat bread really does make this sandwich incredible.  If you live in the Saint Louis area – definitely give this a try!!

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… Everything on this plate is the same color, the tots are straight from the freezer section, the slushy is from the gas station, and there are no greens, but occasionally… totally worth it!

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