Miles of Macaroons

Once again, we have woken up to another foot of snow.  And for me, a snow day calls for a late breakfast, baking, and bubbi.

Macaroons are lightly, fluffy, baked goodness, with a crisp outside and an all over sweet eat.  After making these, I could have ate one after another until there were none left.

Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 bags shredded coconut (14oz each)
• parchment paper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and put on your apron.

Whisk egg whites and salt until you have a nice frothy consistency (about 2 minutes).  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the coconut, one bag at a time.  Mixing in the coconut is heavy work, so be prepared to put some muscle into it.  Using a teaspoon and your fingers place small mounds about 1 inch in diameter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  The macaroons should not spread much but just to be safe, space your little mounds about an inch apart.  Bake for 10 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets.  Eat and give to friends, otherwise I will eat them all.

Inspiration: snow bomb.

Cheers...to Keanu Reeves's acting in the blockbuster hit "Speed".

Framed Fun

Also, a Tree of the Month update...

As mentioned earlier, packing away Christmas decorations is depressing and leaves the house looking bare.  I attempted to spruce things up with my tree branch, which turned out looking like a dead tree branch.  So, I wandered to the thrift store and bought a few random frames for an eclectic look.

Materials:

• Frames
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue
• Pictures of your favorite things

Simple...fill frames, hot glue ribbon to the back of the frame, hang on the wall, sit back and smile at your crafty wall like I did.

                                                      Before                                    After

                                               Dead Tree Branch                     Tree of Life

Cheers...to a weekend with no plans.

Eggplant Ciabatta

Ciabatta is the Italian word for "slipper".

Ciabatta has a lightly crispy outside, but not too crispy where it cuts you,

and has an inner dough of airy deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• A few slices of eggplant, depending on how meaty you would like your sandwich
• A mixture of Italian seasonings,olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (I had this pre-made as a salad dressing)
• 1/2 of a tomato, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion (this is a strange measurement but you really don't need a lot of onion)
• Basil
• Salt and pepper
• Ciabatta bread

For the eggplant:
Generously drizzle the olive oil mixture over eggplant slices, sprinkle with basil and let marinate for a half hour.  Grill lightly over medium heat, just enough to see tan lines on the eggplant.  Set aside.

Tomato Topping:
Toss tomatoes with garlic, onions and 1/2 a teaspoon of basil.  Set aside.

Cut a nice chunk of bread for your sandwich.  Slice in half and lightly brush with oil.  Place face down on grill over medium heat for a few minutes, just enough to warm up.  Make sandwich by place eggplant on open bread and top with tomatoes.  Sprinkle with a touch of basil.  Eat.

Inspiration...I wanted a sandwich.

Cheers...to muddin'.

Tree of the Month Club

Around this time, the ornaments are safely nestled in tissue paper boxes, the mistletoe is put away, and my little home looks so naked.  I wish I could have a Christmas tree all year round.  I wanted to make a little number like this but mine looks too bare and it needs some sprucing up.  For now, I made these cute little hearts out of pastel card stock paper and strung them from the branches.

Materials:
Card stock
stamps or markers
ribbon
tree branch
Optional: love.


Cheers...to wasabi peas.

Birthday Box

I finally gave my friend her birthday present so now I can post it!  I made this cute trinket box from a plain wooden jewelry box I bought at the craft store.  Add some decoupage, a pair of earrings, and ta-da!

Materials:

• Wooden jewelry box
• Paint
• Photos or cut out designs (I cut out some paisley prints from scrapbook paper)
• Mod Podge
• Water based satin varnish
• Optional: Gus Gus

Paint the box.  Let dry.  Attach your images with the Mod Podge.  Let dry.  Spray all over with an even layer of varnish.  Let dry.  Spray again.  Let dry.  Fill with trinkets and goodies.  Let dry.  Just kidding, its dry.

Inspiration: giving presents.

Cheers...to skiing!

Felt Flowers Forever

I am a little obsessed with felt flowers.  Today I made a bouquet.  This was a time consuming craft, good thing I had a snow day!

Materials:

• Felt
• Embroidery Thread (also used for friendship bracelets, which I think I will make next)
• Hot glue
• Embellishments (beads, jewels, glitter)
• Wire
• Optional: a comfy bean bag to sit in

Cut out a bunch of different flowers varying in 3 sizes (big, medium, and little).  Glue 3 together one on top of the other in any color or shape you like.  Go crazy!  Make some fun stitches, or glue little decorations all over!  For the stem, I used 2 pieces of 28 gauge wire twisted together.  Bend 1 inch of the end of the twisted wire and glue to the back of your flower.  Make a bunch of flowers and you have your bouquet!
Give to a friend who is down or keep to brighten up your day!

Inspiration: the girls over at HiP

Cheers...to 5 inches of snow!

Everyone needs a vision board. Everyone.

Tonight, I sat at my desk with every intention of doing work.

Instead, I burned out my eyes "surfing the net".

2 hours later...

 I figured I should at least do something that will motivate me in the future to actually do something.

So, I made my vision board, something I have been wanting to do for a while.  It is a constant reminder of who I want to be and things I want to accomplish.  Here is a sample of what I want in my life (a trip to someplace tropical, the Broad Street Run, more yoga, a yard, graduating, and ultimately my own classroom and a new car to put my sticker on).

Now go find your own visions.

Materials:

• Anything that describes who you are/want to be/want to do: magazines, pictures, words, quotes, decorations, etc.
• Scissors
• Glue
• Poster board
• Motivation to be motivated
• Optional: irrational desires, ex: my own cooking show.

Cut out what you want on your vision board.  Arrange them on your poster board and then glue accordingly.  Hang your thoughts somewhere you see everyday, over your desk, on the fridge, before you walk out the door, or your bedroom so it is the first thing you see when you wake up.

Inspiration: a need for inspiration.

Cheers...to running in 33 degree weather.  Thanks a lot El Nino.

Holy Stromboli!

I was in the mood for a stromboli....

...so I made one.

It looks like this:

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (Pillsbury=easy)
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh broccoli
• fresh crushed black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Marinara sauce (for dipping)
• Optional: limebacker

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Note: I originally put sun-dried tomatoes in this, but I wasn't a fan so I pulled them out before eating a piece, so if you noticed the red blobs in the photo, I apologize.

Begin by rolling and stretching your pizza dough into a rectangle on a baking sheet. Be sure not to stretch it too thin or it will tear and you will have a leaky stromboli (ew gross). Sprinkle half of the cheese down the center of your pizza dough. Start to layer the rest of the ingredients on top of the cheese: spinach leaves, tomatoes, broccoli. Finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese on top of the broccoli then adding the black pepper and oregano over everything. Fold one side of the dough over and then the other, overlapping. Pinch the ends close. Cover the stromboli with tin foil.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are golden. Transfer to top rack and turn broiler on for 2-3 minutes to brown the top. Ding! Stromboli Finito! Slice and serve with warm marinara sauce.

Inspiration: football playoffs and Puff.

Cheers...to a snow day?

CousCousYumYum

Rice is boring and couscous is much more fun to say.

Add shrimp and voila!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat couscous (Trader Joe's is great.)
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, basil, and garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Shrimps!
• Optional: Num Nums

Saute vegetables, shrimpies, olive oil, garlic, and basil in pan. Season with S&P. Meanwhile cook couscous according to package. Done!

Plop some couscous into a small bowl, top with veggies and a shrimp or two, or three. Enjoy!

Inspiration: the sample lady at Trader Joe's

Cheers...to Cara, its her birthday!

Play with this, not my headband

Why buy your cat a toy when you can make one out of felt?

Don't forget the catnip!

Materials:

• Felt
• Needle & Thread
• Craft glue
• Cotton Balls
• Catnip
• Feather
• Optional: More catnip

Cut out 2 pieces of felt into a bird (or mouse or any other animal shape your cat would like to attack). Sew the felt around the edges leaving about an 1.5inch opening. Alternate stuffing the toy with cotton balls and catnip to you cat's taste and your entertainment. Glue on a wing and attach a feather with a few stitches. Fetch your cat. Surprise...he's a maniac! Catnip!

Inspiration: The tiniest meow.

Cheers...to Friday.

C is for me!

This is another quickie, if you have the materials around. Otherwise, you would have to go to the craft store,

where I get lost in a time warp...then its not too quick. This makes a great gift tag or decoration for your kitchen.

Materials:

• 20 gauge wire
  
• beads
• needle nose/round tipped pliers
• wire cutters (don't try to use your scissors, you'll ruin them)
• Optional: a boyfriend to fix your broken dresser

Using wire cutters, NOT SCISSORS, cut the wire about 12 inches in length. Using pliers, pinch the very end of the wire and wrap it around the pliers' tip one time to make a small loop, similar to a charm bracelet, or a pendant you would put on a necklace. This is your "knot" and will prevent the beads from falling off. Strand your beads onto the wire leaving about 2 inches of wire empty after all of your beads are on. Make another "knot" at this end. You will notice your beads will have room to move around because of that extra space you left. This enables you to bend your wire and make turns and corners in your letters of shapes. Now, bend your wire to the letter or shape you would like. Trim the excess wire and re-"knot" the end. Stop knotting and show off your initial.

Inspiration..who else?

Cheers...to sticking up for yourself.

Tasty Tofu Sandwich

I was so excited to use my new grill pan to make a toasty sandwich. This was so delicious that I ate it too fast.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 2 artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/2 cup tofu, cubed
• 1/2 chick peas, ground or mashed
• Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
• Your favorite sandwich bread (I used an everything Italian baguette, it was delicious but too much bread, ciabatta would have been better.)
• Optional: Yoga session to work up appetite

Saute garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil over low-medium heat. Add spinach, artichoke hearts and tofu. Season with S&P. Let cook over low heat. Meanwhile brush bread with olive oil and warm on a grill pan. Spread chick peas on one half of bread. Pile tofu mix on top of chick peas and top with other sandwich half. Let warm for a little, without burning the bread, of course. Slip off the pan, onto a plate, then into your mouth!

Cheers...to getting back to yoga!

Quick and Easy Cinnastick Candle

This a great craft to make if you need a gift in a hot minute, like I did. You can vary the size of candle and cinnamon sticks. I used a votive holder and McCormick's cinnamon sticks, which are on the shorter side.

Materials Needed:

• 1 glass candle holder
• Cinnamon sticks, number depends on size of candle holder (votive=about 16)
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Optional: Mariah Carey Holiday Station

One by one, glue each cinnamon stick to the glass until it is covered. Tie a ribbon around and end with a bow. Drop in a candle and give! Or keep!

Inspiration: My mom's favorite magazine.

Cheers...to easy, homemade presents!

Champagne Brooch

Weaving through the after Christmas shoppers, returns and sales, I was on my mission to find something to wear on New Year's Eve. Then I remembered a felt brooch I saw online and decided to craft one to ring in the new year with. I even used a lonely earring who had lost it's partner among my jewelery box.

Materials Needed:

• Felt
  
• Thread and Needle
• Jewel, button, or any other embellishment
• Safety pin
• Hot Glue Gun or craft glue, if needed
• Optional: one cozy cat
  

Using a template I printed out 3 flowers, 3 different sizes (large, medium, and small) and cut out the felt accordingly.

Large and medium flower: Starting in the center stitch 3-5 stitches up each petal.

Small flower: Starting in the center, make one large stitch up each petal. Place embellishment in center using hot glue or craft glue.

To attach pieces, place flowers in size order on top of one

another, staggering petals. Stitch a small circle around your embellishment to secure all pieces together.

To show off: Fasten safety pin between your shirt and flower. You could even attach a spy camera if your boyfriend has one lying around.

Inspiration: A cute bunch from lilfishstudios

Cheers...to my mom for my box of craft supplies!

3...2...1... Zeppoles!

A zeppole is a little puff of fried dough, similar to funnel cake, delish, I know.

I added some ginger to a Giada recipe to make this a festive treat for the winter, and in this case, New Year's Eve.

Ingredients:

Orange Sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Zeppole

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• vegetable oil, for frying
• Optional: A pizza man and a glass of cabernet

NOTE: Make orange sugar first.

Orange Sugar:

Pulse ingredients in food processor until combined, set aside on a shallow dish.

Zeppole:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine butter, sugar, salt, and water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to medium-low heat and continuously stir for a bout 4 minutes or until the dough forms into a ball. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. After eggs, add 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon ginger and stir until smooth. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in frying pan, about 2 inches deep. Heat oil to 350 degrees or until a drop of dough sizzles when it hits the oil. Scoop and drop about a tablespoon of dough into the oil. Repeat this three more times so you have four little balls of dough floating in the oil. DO NOT crowd the puffs! Turn once or twice until they reach a golden-brown color and puff up. They're done!

Using tongs, softly pick up your little zeppoles and roll them in the orange sugar, set on a plate.

Repeat this process frying only 4 puffs at a time and then rolling them in the sugar.

After all your zeppoles are puffed, tan, and coated in a delicious orange sugar, arrange them on a tray or plate and then sprinkle with ginger.

You could add a variety of spices or flavors to create a variety of little puffs, I'm thinking apple next.

Inspiration: Giada and my new apron I got for Christmas.

Cheers...to a new year and new zeppole flavors!