A new spark of creativity...

...at least for a little while! Really, it's the spark of energy (and maybe a spark of time?) that I need. The creativity is usually there. ;>

I finally put a scoring board to use that my mom gave me last month -- it's become one of my new favorite tools and makes card-making SO much easier. Here are two very simple cards I made during Charlotte's afternoon nap today. I was thinking "autumn" and "summer" with these two. Maybe I'll come up with a "winter" and "spring"!

Past project: Magazine File

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures for a project I made back in April (I've made several more of these since then). Since I now get several different magazines, I was looking for a cute solution to store them. I dressed up a plain, white cardboard magazine file (these can be purchased in sets of five at Ikea - very inexpensive!) with some paper of my choice. I glued the paper on with matte mod podge glue, then brushed another coat on top of the paper. To cover up the bottom and edges of the file, I used my hot glue gun to attach some ribbon. Very easy!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I truly thought I had posted this recipe way back this summer when I first tried it, but after looking through old posts it appears that I didn't -- so here goes! I based this off another recipe I found while searching online. The idea is to recreate those delicious cheddar bay biscuits from Red Lobster (which, IMHO, is probably the only thing I really like about said restaurant). After trying these, I have to say I might like them a teensy bit more than RL's. Which means I don't have to go buy a meal there just to get the free biscuits anymore! ;>

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

4 cups Bisquick (or comparable baking mix)

4-5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried parsley (3/4 tsp. if fresh, which is always best -- but not typically most practical)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (however, I think I just used non-stick spray). Combine bisquick, cheese and water in a mixing bowl. Mix until firm -- just make sure not to over-mix it! Use a large cookie scoop (or medium sized spoon) to scoop dough onto cookie sheet, a couple of inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Add the garlic salt and parsley to the melted butter and brush generously over the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.

Risotto with Spaghetti Squash and Mushrooms

My sister-in-law (who is an amazing cook) made this dish for Thanksgiving this year -- it's amazingly tasty and rich, as well as easy to make! I scaled the recipe down a little, and here is what I made for dinner the other night.

Risotto with Spaghetti Squash and Mushrooms

1 spaghetti squash (small-ish in size. cut in half, place face down on a cookie sheet, cover with foil and bake at 400 F for about an hour or until soft, then scoop out the flesh).

1 package mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups arborio rice (you can find this in most grocery stores -- Trader Joe's seems to have the best price)

1/2 cup half and half

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Olive oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg, butter

Saute spaghetti squash and mushrooms in a little butter and olive oil, seasoning with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.

In a separate pot, saute arborio rice in a little olive oil (stir rice around to coat) for 2 minutes. Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly until absorbed. Only add about 1/2 to 1 cup at a time! When broth is fully incorporated and the rice is cooked (al dente is best), add the sauteed veggies, half and half and cheese until combined and thoroughly heated.

Can be served either as a main dish or side dish. Yum!

Makes about 4-5 entree sized servings

A wedding

I took a few photos when attending a good friend's wedding in October. Here are a few recent edits!

Time to catch up!

I've been shamefully remiss with updating this blog! There have been a few time consuming things preventing me from this lately -- first, going on a 10-day vacation to the U.K. (where I picked up several yummy recipe ideas, soon-to-be tried), then most recently caring for my 11-month-old as she had surgery on her kidney.

I have, however, managed to cook up a storm even in the midst of busy times! My plan is to gradually update the blog with recipe/pictorial posts on the things I've made. My latest successes have been Zuppa Toscana (sausage, potato and kale soup), potato/onion/pepper quiche, killer cinnamon rolls, and coconut vanilla tea bread. Shrimp gumbo is next on the list (dinner tonight!), and I'm currently brainstorming to come up with a cinnamon butterscotch twist on muddy buddy chex mix.

Other ideas that I picked up in the U.K.:

- Salami and Bries panini on baguette (Wow. I mean WOW.)

- Shrimp, mango, cucumber and hot salsa salad

- Beef, potato, onion and bean pot pie

Will update again soon!

Kitchen Gadgets: The Sugar Shaker

I've had this gadget for a while and finally acted on the idea to fill it with confectioners sugar. Turns out it was a very good idea, if I say so myself. I just recently used it to garnish some cake brownies. After all, isn't more sugar the answer to everything?

Kitchen Gadgets: The Tea Strainer

I absolutely love this gadget. Tea with milk and honey makes me so happy. Oh, and I got it at Ikea for less than $2.00. That makes me happy, too.

Kitchen Gadgets: The (glass) Citrus Juicer

I think I actually favor this juicer over the metal one, purely because it's prettier. Well, I also think it does just as good of a job. I guess it depends on my cooking mood.

Kitchen Gadgets: The Citrus Juicer

I love cooking. I love my kitchen. I love gadgets. I love . . . kitchen gadgets. I don't think I need say any more.

*(my dear hubby's initials -- this was one of his "school tools" from his culinary days)

*

Corn Salsa (a la "Chipotle")

My absolute favorite salsa is the roasted chili corn salsa from Chipotle (along with the black charred tomato salsa -- or whatever it's called -- from Baja Fresh). I just can't get enough of the stuff, so I decided to try it at home. I never found what looked like a good copycat recipe online, but found out which peppers are used (jalapeno and poblano), and decided to take it from there. Here's my "recipe":

2 cans of corn niblets, drained and rinsed

Juice of 1 small lime

Cilantro (chopped finely -- add to taste)

1/4 of a red onion (diced finely)

1 jalapeno pepper (diced finely)

1/2 to 2/3 of a poblano pepper (diced finely)

Combine all ingredients and chill.

I think the formula I used was a little more citrus-y than Chipotle's, but that's the way I like it. I thought it turned out awesomely, but I implore you to WEAR GLOVES while chopping the peppers, and DO NOT keep any leftover onion in the refrigerator overnight. Unless, of course, you like everything else in the fridge to smell like red onion the next day. Yeah, I didn't think so...

Treasure boxes

Here are two treasure boxes I made recently. I think I'm too in love with them to list them on Etsy, at least for the time being!

In the Kitchen

Scavenger Hunt

I had a photo adventure in my living room the other day -- these are a few little things you can find around the house.

I used to think this tassel was really obnoxious (and it probably is), but it's really grown on me over time.  It hangs off of a key from what we think is an old liquor chest (but it now stores candles).  

You can tell there's a baby in the house!  The mobile from Charlotte's swing, which she is too wiggly for at this point.

My beloved writing desk, well stocked with envelopes and stationary of all colors and style, plus a few inkwells and quills.

A black birdcage atop of this fantastic book I got off of eBay -- I tore several pages out and they can be seen, framed, in several different rooms.

This little rascallion seems to follow me around everywhere, too. ;-)

Summer Sweetness

Melon Coolers

I just got my July 2009 copy of Southern Living in the mailbox the other day, and the cover featured the most tempting looking refreshments -- melon coolers, or agua fresca.  The recipe looked super easy and it didn't hurt that I had half a seedless watermelon waiting to be used in the fridge, so I took a stab at it (no pun intended) and successfully made it!  You process 4 cups of seedless watermelon with 1/4 cup of sugar, press the mixture through a mesh strainer into a pitcher (discarding the solid leftovers in the strainer), add two cups of water, and chill until you're ready to serve (over ice -- you must).  I actually used about a tablespoon less sugar than the recipe called for, and it was still plentifully sweet due to the fact that the watermelon I used was very ripe and juicy.  Southern Living also said you could make it with honeydew or cantaloupe, but really, doesn't watermelon sound the best?

Learning from (cooking) mistakes

I'm sure this is a no-brainer for most cooks, but I learned a very important fact about slow-cooking on Friday night. If you're making any kind of crock pot stew with pasta, do not add the uncooked pasta at the beginning with the other ingredients! Doing so will result in gelatinous broth and bland, floury, yucky noodle bits (sounds good, right?). You'll need to cook the pasta separately and add it in the last few minutes of cooking.

Here's a bonus cooking tip: When substituting Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce for the more-mild-and-less-salty stir fry sauce, DO NOT OVERUSE. I think I actually felt my body's water content being absorbed away by the sodium while eating. I had no idea it was as salty as soy sauce!

These were two less-than-stellar dinners in a row over this weekend, and they really humbled my cooking ego -- but I will say, being married to a culinary school graduate did the bulk of that job. ;-) I haven't decided what to make tonight, but lets hope I don't mistake the sugar for the salt.

On a sewing-related note: I'm pretty sure that my Viking needs repair work, or at least a good cleaning/tune up. I know that I'm threading everything correctly, but I think that something in the general area of the bobbin case is busted. Since I've tried investigating everything I can think of by myself, I'll work on getting this taken care of by a professional in the coming week.
Then I can make my apron and a baby quilt!

farm-togrophy

Sweet Tooth Sweet Hearts

I've always wanted to learn how to make fondant for a cake, so I decided to take a stab at it the other day.  Used a marshmallow fondant recipe (4 cups mini marshmallows + 2 tbsp. water melted, knead in 4 cups confectioners sugar) which was surprisingly easy -- albeit sticky!  It tasted good, but I think I prefer fondant-free cake.

Some of my past Etsy creations

Spencer Kate on Etsy

I have the sweetest husband who brings me the sweetest flowers.

Stitchin' time

It's been 2.5 years since I've sewn anything -- unbelievable!  For me, that's just crazy.  Since I'm not currently involved in any historic interpreting, I've decided I'm going to branch out a bit and make something for modern-day wear (a first for me).  Something easy, like a skirt.  So hopefully I'll make it to Jo-Ann's soon (since I think it's now the only local fabric store!  sad!) and get some nice colorful cotton.  I rarely find skirts that fit me well and have the length that I want, so I'll just have to see what I can come up with.  Updates soon, hopefully.

Redbuds in bloom

Spinach Orzo

• 1 (16 oz) box orzo pasta
  
• 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 bag fresh baby leaf spinach
• 2 tbsp. pesto
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (or more -- you really can't overuse pine nuts ;) )
• a little olive oil
• salt and pepper
• parmesan cheese

Cook and drain orzo according to directions.

Heat about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pan, then add mushrooms, spinach and 1/3 of the lemon juice.  Saute until tender, salt and pepper to taste, then drain.

Coat the orzo with a little olive oil, the rest of the lemon juice and the pesto.  Add spinach and mushrooms, pinenuts, and a little salt and pepper.  Top with parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 large servings.

Can be served hot, or chilled as a salad.