I'm feeling more holiday spirit this year than I have, well, ever.
I enjoyed searching out gifts, i enjoyed purchasing gifts, i enjoyed wrapping gifts! (much thanks to etsy for making this part most enjoyable! - although now I am hopelessly addicted to constantly checking the site to see what new things I can find.)
I wrote Christmas cards.
I'm excited to have a Christmas eve dinner planned with James including homemade apple stuffing, roasted veggies of some sort, and (hopefully) a field roast - which I keep hearing is the perfect thing for Christmas dinner.
I have a "tree" of sorts.
I even bought a Christmas ornament!
Are you feeling more holiday spirit this year than usual?
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
sixteenth
I ran across this fantastic looking recipe over at bakingbites.com shortly after realizing I was in need of some way to use up some cream cheese. It was just sitting there in my fridge begging to be used, and there were no bagels in sight!
Cream Cheese-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream Cheese Filling
6-oz cream cheese, room temperature
2-oz white chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
(Make the cookie dough:)
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until light. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed or by hand, blend in the flour mixture, stirring only until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Divide dough into two equal parts. Place each on a sheet of wax or parchment paper and shape into a log. Wrap in paper and chill logs for 1-2 hours, until firm.
(Make the cream cheese filling:)
1. Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix at medium-high speed until smooth. Set aside.
(Assemble the cookies:)
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray baking sheet with canola oil.
2. Remove dough logs from the fridge. (I suggest working with one at a time! If it's your first batch, I would even cut the logs in half so as to be able to work at your own speed - the dough is so much easier to shape and seal when cool.) Using a sharp knife, divide each log into eight even slices (total of 16 big slices of cookie dough).
3. Working with one piece of cookie dough at a time, flatten the dough into a 3-4-inch wide oval-ish shape between your palms. Place about 1 tbsp cream cheese filling in the center of the dough, then pinch the sides of the dough together to seal (they'll look like tiny calzones!) Work carefully so all the filling is sealed inside. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 16 big cookies.
About halfway through the process, I came to realize I didn't have enough cream cheese to make the suggested amount of filling! Peanut butter to the rescue!
Fluffy Peanut Butter Filling
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons milk, or as needed
3/4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer.
2. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk bit by bit until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is light, fluffy, and a light tan color. (The best frosting is made by just tasting as you go)
Cream Cheese-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream Cheese Filling
6-oz cream cheese, room temperature
2-oz white chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
(Make the cookie dough:)
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until light. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed or by hand, blend in the flour mixture, stirring only until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Divide dough into two equal parts. Place each on a sheet of wax or parchment paper and shape into a log. Wrap in paper and chill logs for 1-2 hours, until firm.
(Make the cream cheese filling:)
1. Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix at medium-high speed until smooth. Set aside.
(Assemble the cookies:)
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray baking sheet with canola oil.
2. Remove dough logs from the fridge. (I suggest working with one at a time! If it's your first batch, I would even cut the logs in half so as to be able to work at your own speed - the dough is so much easier to shape and seal when cool.) Using a sharp knife, divide each log into eight even slices (total of 16 big slices of cookie dough).
3. Working with one piece of cookie dough at a time, flatten the dough into a 3-4-inch wide oval-ish shape between your palms. Place about 1 tbsp cream cheese filling in the center of the dough, then pinch the sides of the dough together to seal (they'll look like tiny calzones!) Work carefully so all the filling is sealed inside. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 16 big cookies.
About halfway through the process, I came to realize I didn't have enough cream cheese to make the suggested amount of filling! Peanut butter to the rescue!
Fluffy Peanut Butter Filling
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons milk, or as needed
3/4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer.
2. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk bit by bit until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is light, fluffy, and a light tan color. (The best frosting is made by just tasting as you go)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
fifteenth
bloomington handmade market has now come and gone. there was a pretty nice turnout & a nice selection of products/artists - overall pretty successful for a first time craft show/fair. i didn't do as well as i had hoped, but still good!
here are a couple of shots of our "booth":
it was crazy sunny in there the first half of the day - probably the first day in a few months that i got my fill of vitamin d!
my poor scarves didn't sell as well as i had thought they would. but i've come to somewhat of a conclusion based on comments & whispers that i've heard - everyone believes a hand knit scarf is something that they can make themselves. james suggested that my knitting is "too good" and doesn't look hand knit (awww, isn't he sweet) so people are not so inclined to purchase such an item.
regardless, since most of my knitting patterns are based upon my own designs, i think having a pattern (or small pattern book?!?) available for sale may be the way to go. maybe even a kit...
james had tons of success with his monster balls:
aside from the fair itself, my car was trying to overheat the whole way down there - but we made it. we unfortunately drank some terrible coffee but then made up for it with some super delicious coffee (from stefanos cafe! we met some super nice people. some lovely friends drove down to meet us and eat fried pickles & greek food. and on the way home we stopped to get a thin mint blizzard!
next up, holiday hoopla - indieana handicraft exchange mini on friday, december 4th @ the chatham center. i'll basically be selling monster balls for james, a few scarves, and perhaps some of my own holiday items (handmade stockings? knit ornaments?). should be fun fun fun - terrible sleep pattern time in full effect!
here are a couple of shots of our "booth":
it was crazy sunny in there the first half of the day - probably the first day in a few months that i got my fill of vitamin d!
my poor scarves didn't sell as well as i had thought they would. but i've come to somewhat of a conclusion based on comments & whispers that i've heard - everyone believes a hand knit scarf is something that they can make themselves. james suggested that my knitting is "too good" and doesn't look hand knit (awww, isn't he sweet) so people are not so inclined to purchase such an item.
regardless, since most of my knitting patterns are based upon my own designs, i think having a pattern (or small pattern book?!?) available for sale may be the way to go. maybe even a kit...
james had tons of success with his monster balls:
aside from the fair itself, my car was trying to overheat the whole way down there - but we made it. we unfortunately drank some terrible coffee but then made up for it with some super delicious coffee (from stefanos cafe! we met some super nice people. some lovely friends drove down to meet us and eat fried pickles & greek food. and on the way home we stopped to get a thin mint blizzard!
next up, holiday hoopla - indieana handicraft exchange mini on friday, december 4th @ the chatham center. i'll basically be selling monster balls for james, a few scarves, and perhaps some of my own holiday items (handmade stockings? knit ornaments?). should be fun fun fun - terrible sleep pattern time in full effect!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
fourteenth
so what do you do to avoid finishing projects and getting things ready before craft fairs? (or, whatever responsibilities you may have pending)
apparently - i decided the thing to do is bake!
but first, i put james to work cutting out my tags/cards. (multi-tasking at it's finest?)
then i baked corn bread, blondies, and these yummy fruit jam strips!
Glazed Fruit Jam Strips
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1+1/2 cups Original Bisquick mix
**jam of your choice for filling (i opted for strawberry, organic apricot, & a delicious homemade grape given to me by a local farmer)
Glaze (optional)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In medium bowl, mix brown sugar, coconut oil, butter, vanilla and egg yolk until blended. Stir in Bisquick mix until well blended.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into an 8x1-inch (approximately) strip. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. With handle of wooden spoon or chopstick, make a slight indentation lengthwise in each strip. Fill each indentation with about 1 1/2 tablespoons fruit spread.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool slightly on cookie sheet.
5. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over tops. Cut diagonally into 1-inch strips.
These little guys are reminiscent of fig newtons, but with a crunchier crust - almost like a short bread. The coconut oil lends just a tiny bit of coconut flavor. At least now we are going to have snacks for the Bloomington Handmade Market!
There's always tomorrow to finish everything up...right?
apparently - i decided the thing to do is bake!
but first, i put james to work cutting out my tags/cards. (multi-tasking at it's finest?)
then i baked corn bread, blondies, and these yummy fruit jam strips!
Glazed Fruit Jam Strips
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1+1/2 cups Original Bisquick mix
**jam of your choice for filling (i opted for strawberry, organic apricot, & a delicious homemade grape given to me by a local farmer)
Glaze (optional)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In medium bowl, mix brown sugar, coconut oil, butter, vanilla and egg yolk until blended. Stir in Bisquick mix until well blended.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into an 8x1-inch (approximately) strip. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. With handle of wooden spoon or chopstick, make a slight indentation lengthwise in each strip. Fill each indentation with about 1 1/2 tablespoons fruit spread.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool slightly on cookie sheet.
5. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over tops. Cut diagonally into 1-inch strips.
These little guys are reminiscent of fig newtons, but with a crunchier crust - almost like a short bread. The coconut oil lends just a tiny bit of coconut flavor. At least now we are going to have snacks for the Bloomington Handmade Market!
There's always tomorrow to finish everything up...right?
Sunday, November 15, 2009
thirteenth
here's a preview of items i'll have at the bloomington handmade market this upcoming weekend, November 21!
i'm not sure where exactly/how exactly this will be set up, but come find james (blahmamus.wordpress.com/) and i and we'll be sure to hook you up with some pretty awesome stuff. he's working on some pretty neat ornaments that you're probably going to need for this years christmas tree.
"The Bloomington Handmade Market is a contemporary art and craft fair that showcases modern handmade goods from 40 local and regional artists. The event will be held on Saturday, November 21 from 10am-4pm at the John Waldron Arts Center, located at 4th and College in downtown Bloomington, IN.
This will be a one-stop shop for all of your holiday gifts! Find everything from metalsmith jewelry, hand-bound journals, knitted hats and scarves, herbal bath products, silk screened shirts and ties, plush animals, hand-drawn coffee mugs, fine art for your walls, and so much more!
Admission is FREE and open to the public."
i'm not sure where exactly/how exactly this will be set up, but come find james (blahmamus.wordpress.com/) and i and we'll be sure to hook you up with some pretty awesome stuff. he's working on some pretty neat ornaments that you're probably going to need for this years christmas tree.
"The Bloomington Handmade Market is a contemporary art and craft fair that showcases modern handmade goods from 40 local and regional artists. The event will be held on Saturday, November 21 from 10am-4pm at the John Waldron Arts Center, located at 4th and College in downtown Bloomington, IN.
This will be a one-stop shop for all of your holiday gifts! Find everything from metalsmith jewelry, hand-bound journals, knitted hats and scarves, herbal bath products, silk screened shirts and ties, plush animals, hand-drawn coffee mugs, fine art for your walls, and so much more!
Admission is FREE and open to the public."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
twelfth
1. i'll be doing this!:
bloomingtonhandmademarket.blogspot.com
i'll be sharing space with my co-conspirator / lovely boyfriend. come buy creepy stuff from him and jewelry bits or hand knit items from me! we'll love you forever.
2. i'm getting flooded with requests for knit items from friends. weird! well, i guess not really. it always happens at this time of year. hats, gloves, baby caps, scarves, head bands. all of these requests come AFTER being accepted for the handmade market. ima be a busssy girl.
3. i have a for real interview this sunday!! for now, it's part time, entry level - which is not really what i'm looking for - but it is "very realistic that a full time position with a substantial pay rate increase" will be available soon! i'm so beyond stoked. even if i get a part time position and cut back the store to part time - life would be easier. less time at the store = less time for stressors to present themselves.
the best part - this company deals with natural + organic face + body care products - which fits right on in with what i already do an know. i should be 10 steps ahead of any other beginning associate.
4. holy crap it's october 7th! the holidays are so soon, and i haven't even given it a thought yet.
5. can someone PLEASE give me more free time?
bloomingtonhandmademarket.blogspot.com
i'll be sharing space with my co-conspirator / lovely boyfriend. come buy creepy stuff from him and jewelry bits or hand knit items from me! we'll love you forever.
2. i'm getting flooded with requests for knit items from friends. weird! well, i guess not really. it always happens at this time of year. hats, gloves, baby caps, scarves, head bands. all of these requests come AFTER being accepted for the handmade market. ima be a busssy girl.
3. i have a for real interview this sunday!! for now, it's part time, entry level - which is not really what i'm looking for - but it is "very realistic that a full time position with a substantial pay rate increase" will be available soon! i'm so beyond stoked. even if i get a part time position and cut back the store to part time - life would be easier. less time at the store = less time for stressors to present themselves.
the best part - this company deals with natural + organic face + body care products - which fits right on in with what i already do an know. i should be 10 steps ahead of any other beginning associate.
4. holy crap it's october 7th! the holidays are so soon, and i haven't even given it a thought yet.
5. can someone PLEASE give me more free time?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
eleventh
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1. franny's surgery - ouch!
2. submitted an application for bloomington handmade market
3. etsy favorites: version 1.
4. art vs art: next friday. please go vote: http://vote.artvsart.com/city/indianapolis/3913761503 - james (canvas #75)could use the cash to create more quality pieces for you!
5. i want to make a calendar of cute for holiday gifts. time to read up on book binding and the likes.
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