No more hogging the sheets!
I could benefit from a set of these. I always get the short end of the sheets.
Couple can be a game or a monitoring system.
The ruler is printed so as to be readable from inside the bed.
The numbering rises outwards and from warm to cold colours.
Each person knows how much he or she can pull and how far apart the couple rests.
My goodness, don't these look yummy!
Prep Time: 1 hr
Start to Finish: 1 hr
Makes: 2 dozen cookies
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® Create ' n Bake™ refrigerated sugar cookies
1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
Colored sugar
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove half of cookie dough from wrapper; refrigerate remaining dough until needed. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the flour onto work surface; coat sides of half of dough with flour. With rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
2. With floured 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts. Gently brush excess flour from hearts; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
3. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. In 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.
VIA
I can't even remember where I originally saw this but I do have the original blog link. It sounds like fun.
Soup Swap
What is a Soup Swap, you say?
Well, a Soup Swap is quite simple:
You bring six 1 quart containers of frozen soup of one kind. You will then draw numbers and take turns picking out different soup. You will then leave with six 1 quart containers of different soup. Bring whatever soup you like to cook best.
The instructions for arriving with your soup are clear - but a tip for you. Most soup recipes don’t make quite enough soup. Double the recipe when prepping for soup swap.
I'd have to fudge the number drawing in order to get at my mothers wonderful Potato Soup before anyone else. Or just announce that the host gets first pickin's or something like that.
There can be door prizes and taste tests. There are also accessories like crackers and napkins.
I have never made soup in my life so I have no idea what kind of soup I would bring to the party. I'm sure I would be expected to bring something with venison in it. But I can guarantee that the way I prepare venison, they would never know the difference.
I think I would love to try some sort of seafood soup. As long as it wasn't fishy smelling, I would probably like it.
Mom.....I am craving your Potato Soup now.......I need soup, please.
Literary Clock
Super easy project, make a book into a clock. Perfect for a child's bedroom--use a storybook. Or the kitchen--use a cookbook. And a great gift for a kid. Or for anyone. There is a book for every hobby...
Excellent picture tutorial on how to make roses out of maple leaves. A perfect fall project!
DIY Maven has a fun tutorial on Curbly on how to make a potted light bulb lamp that's cute and doesn't need any water.
DIY site Instructables shows you how to make microwavable mitten warmers using little more than a few pieces of fabric, a handful of rice and some thread.
The key ingredient is the rice, which, when nuked, stays nice and warm for upwards of an hour. The tutorial shows how to make a variety of warmers, including some that require no sewing.
Microwavable Mitten Warmers
Christmas Card Star from WikiHow
What a great way to re-use your old Christmas cards from year to year instead of throwing them away.
Jaime over at Paper Forest has assembled an incredible list of holiday papercrafts.
Spiky Star http://swapatorium.blogspot.com/2005/12/spiky-star.html
Zero from the Nightmare Before Christmas (Purchase the CD from Trader Sam-the least you can do for all his other magnificent Free models.)
http://disneyexperience.com/models/zero_model.html
and Jack Skellington's Coffin Sleigh (same deal)
http://disneyexperience.com/models/sleigh_model.html
Moving Santa Model (Nominal fee for Download)
http://www.flying-pig.co.uk/pagesv/hohoho.html
Santa Popper (nominal Fee for download)
http://www.flying-pig.com/pagesv/santapopper.html
Cool 3-d snowflake
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake
Printable tree for those with NO space
http://www.hp.ca/portal/hho/holiday/tree_printout.php?jumpid=ng-nov06-projec
Keisuke Saka's Carolers
http://www.zuko.to/kobo/down-f/song.html
Keisuke Saka's Reindeer
http://www.zuko.to/kobo/down-f/deer.html
Paperpino's Flying Santa
http://paperpino.net/showroom/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=7
Pop-up Tree, Pointsettia (new), and Reindeer
http://www.robertsabuda.com/popmakesimple.asp
Holiday Costume for your Paper Bear and more to explore!
http://cp.c-ij.com/english/3D-papercraft/toy/t-christmas-costume_e.html
Holiday Gift Box
http://cp.c-ij.com/english/3D-papercraft/event/xmas-box-star_e.html Star Box
Cards from Epson Hong Kong
http://www.epson.com.hk/files/minisite/papercraft/card.htm
Snowflake cut-out cards
http://members.shaw.ca/woa/christmas.htm
Simple Tree Place Card
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel192449&contentGroup=KIDS&site=kids
Dreidel Favor Box
http://www.thecraftypc.com/dreidfavbox.html
Paper Snowflakes
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel181245&navLevel=2&site=kids
Paper Snowflake templates
http://www.papersnowflakes.com/templates.htm
Rob Ive's List of paper models (many aren't included here)
http://www.flying-pig.com/pages/christmasmodels.htm
And Flying Pig has assembled their own fantastic list:
| Festive Paper models to print out and make. A selection to paper animations from our site and from around the web for you to download print out and make. Let us know if you find any others we can add to the list. Ho ho ho! | ||
 | Santa Popper | |
 | Stellated Solids ...make fantastic Christmas decorations! More info. | |
 | Hako Santa From the Paper Pino web site The HPH Santa disassembles and fits completely into his head. Free to download here | |
 | Warming Up By Keisuke Saka. Delightful model with an athletic Rudolph limbering up for the big day! Free to download here | |
 | Christmas Kiss One of ours! Charming moving Christmas card. Pull the tab and the festive couple kiss under the mistletoe. Free to download here | |
 | Ho Ho Ho! Another one of ours! Turn the handle and the jolly Santa laughs heartily! Download here | |
 | Flying Santa Another model from Paper Pino - What fun! Download for free here | |
Pop Up Christmas Card from Canon I LOVE PAPERCRAFTS! Can you tell? | ||
3D Paper Snowflake
WikiHow has an awesome tutorial on making 3D snowflakes out of paper. They're super easy and so pretty! Kasey and I tried our hand at making one last night and it turned out so neat, if I do say so. Ours is huge compared to the one in the pictures from the Wiki site but we used regular 8.5" x 11" copy paper. Because of that paper, it's also kind of flimsy but this was just a test and we're going to make more using a stiffer paper. We're also going to make smaller ones and ones from colored paper.
Instructions from wikihow are here. Let me know how yours turns out.
Brownie Mix in a Jar
Who doesn't love brownies? Nobody, that's who. That's why a brownie mix in a jar makes a great gift: it looks cool, it's easy and inexpensive to make, and it turns into brownies! I like to keep a couple of these on hand for "emergency" situations, like when someone gives you an unexpected gift and you want to look like you already planned something in return.
Basically, you layer all the dry ingredients in a jar, then add a tag explaining what wet ingredients (like eggs and oil) to add and how to finish the recipe. There are countless variations; this one comes from Allrecipes.com and includes pecans, which have no business in a brownie but can be replaced with chocolate chips or even coconut. In addition to the ingredients themselves, you'll need quart jars and tags for the baking instructions. Buy everything in bulk and you'll have enough lovingly homemade gifts for everyone on your list.
One final note: this doesn't have to be a regular old brownie mix. Search Allrecipes.com for "in a jar" and you'll find loads of brownie varieties as well as cookie recipes. Yet another variation: Family Fun's Hot Chocolate Cones, which rely on cone-shaped bags instead of jars. Whatever mouth-watering mix you choose, don't forget your favorite editors during this special season.
The Winter Emergency Car-KitThink of a friend or loved one stranded in the ditch while the snow continues to pile up. Not a pretty picture, is it? A homemade emergency kit not only helps ensure their safety, it also says you care.
Start with a large coffee can. Decorate it as you see fit, starting with blank or holiday paper wrapped around the outside. Now, fill it with the following:
Everything but the rock salt should go inside an oversized Ziplock bag to keep it from getting mixed in with the salt. All told, the kit shouldn't cost more than $10-15, unless you add the Energi To Go (which costs around $20).
Holiday Peppermint BarkSpray a large cookie tray with non-stick spray and then line it with a piece of way paper. Take several large candy canes or a bag of peppermint candies and crush them into small pieces. (How much peppermint flavor you like should determine how many you chop up.)
On the stove, melt two bags of white chocolate chips at a low temperature. When melted, add most of the crushed peppermint and stir it in. Pour the mixture onto the cookie tray and spread over the tray until flat and even. Sprinkle the remaining peppermint pieces on top, pressing them in with a spatula.
Let it cool. Peel off wax paper and break into pieces. Enjoy!
| Cocoa in a jar Layer the ingredients for homemade cocoa in a jar, add a ribbon and a tag, and you have a simple but stylish gift. Our mixes will fill 1-quart jars (12 servings; see below for sources), but if your containers are different sizes, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant. On the back of the tag, write: "Mix contents in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water. Store remaining mix in airtight container." | ||
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| CLASSIC COCOA Layer 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa. Per serving: 142 cal., 20% (29 cal.) from fat; 3.7 g protein; 3.2 g fat (1.9 g sat.); 30 g carbo (2.6 g fiber); 1 mg chol. | MEXICAN COCOA Layer 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, and 3/4 cup chopped Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra). Add a few cinnamon sticks to top of jar. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa. Per serving: 158 cal., 14% (22 cal.) from fat; 3.4 g protein; 2.4 g fat (0.8 g sat.); 33 g carbo (2.1 g fiber); 1 mg chol. | |
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| PEPPERMINT STICK COCOA Layer 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa. Per serving: 172 cal., 17% (29 cal.) from fat; 3.7 g protein; 3.2 g fat (1.9 g sat.); 37 g carbo (2.6 g fiber); 1 mg chol. | MOCHA COCOA Layer 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup espresso powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or miniature chocolate chips. Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa. Per serving: 141 cal., 23% (32 cal.) from fat; 4.1 g protein; 3.5 g fat (1.9 g sat.); 28 g carbo (2.3 g fiber); 1 mg chol. | |
| Photos by David Prince | ||
| Sources: Vintage straight-sided Ball canning jar. Rounded 1-liter French canning jar from the Container Store (www.containerstore.com or 888/266-8246). Vintage metal-clip jar. Glass 1-quart cracker jar with aluminum screw-top lid from the Container Store. | ||
Another yummy gem from FoodMomiac! Supposedly this recipe is so simple that a 5 year old could make most of it.
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
LAST month I wrote about Jim Lahey, the owner of Sullivan Street Bakery on West 47th Street in Manhattan, and his clever way to produce a European-style boule at home. Mr. Lahey’s recipe calls for very little yeast, a wet dough, long rising times and baking in a closed, preheated pot. My results with Mr. Lahey’s method have been beyond satisfying.
Happily, so have those of most readers. In the last few weeks Jim Lahey’s recipe has been translated into German, baked in Togo, discussed on more than 200 blogs and written about in other newspapers. It has changed the lives (their words, not mine) of veteran and novice bakers. It has also generated enough questions to warrant further discussion here. The topics are more or less in the order of the quantity of inquiries.
WEIGHT VS. VOLUME The original recipe contained volume measures, but for those who prefer to use weight, here are the measurements: 430 grams of flour, 345 grams of water, 1 gram of yeast and 8 grams of salt. With experience, many people will stop measuring altogether and add just enough water to make the dough almost too wet to handle.
SALT Many people, me included, felt Mr. Lahey’s bread was not salty enough. Yes, you can use more salt and it won’t significantly affect the rising time. I’ve settled at just under a tablespoon.
YEAST Instant yeast, called for in the recipe, is also called rapid-rise yeast. But you can use whatever yeast you like. Active dry yeast can be used without proofing (soaking it to make sure it’s active).
TIMING About 18 hours is the preferred initial rising time. Some readers have cut this to as little as eight hours and reported little difference. I have not had much luck with shorter times, but I have gone nearly 24 hours without a problem. Room temperature will affect the rising time, and so will the temperature of the water you add (I start with tepid). Like many other people, I’m eager to see what effect warmer weather will have. But to those who have moved the rising dough around the room trying to find the 70-degree sweet spot: please stop. Any normal room temperature is fine. Just wait until you see bubbles and well-developed gluten — the long strands that cling to the sides of the bowl when you tilt it — before proceeding.
THE SECOND RISE Mr. Lahey originally suggested one to two hours, but two to three is more like it, in my experience. (Ambient temperatures in the summer will probably knock this time down some.) Some readers almost entirely skipped this rise, shaping the dough after the first rise and letting it rest while the pot and oven preheat; this is worth trying, of course.
OTHER FLOURS Up to 30 percent whole-grain flour works consistently and well, and 50 percent whole-wheat is also excellent. At least one reader used 100 percent whole-wheat and reported “great crust but somewhat inferior crumb,” which sounds promising. I’ve kept rye, which is delicious but notoriously impossible to get to rise, to about 20 percent. There is room to experiment.
FLAVORINGS The best time to add caraway seeds, chopped olives, onions, cheese, walnuts, raisins or whatever other traditional bread flavorings you like is after you’ve mixed the dough. But it’s not the only time; you can fold in ingredients before the second rising.
OTHER SHAPES Baguettes in fish steamers, rolls in muffin tins or classic loaves in loaf pans: if you can imagine it, and stay roughly within the pattern, it will work.
COVERING BETWEEN RISES A Silpat mat under the dough is a clever idea (not mine). Plastic wrap can be used as a top layer in place of a second towel.
THE POT The size matters, but not much. I have settled on a smaller pot than Mr. Lahey has, about three or four quarts. This produces a higher loaf, which many people prefer — again, me included. I’m using cast iron. Readers have reported success with just about every available material. Note that the lid handles on Le Creuset pots can only withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees. So avoid using them, or remove the handle first.
BAKING You can increase the initial temperature to 500 degrees for more rapid browning, but be careful; I scorched a loaf containing whole-wheat flour by doing this. Yes, you can reduce the length of time the pot is covered to 20 minutes from 30, and then increase the time the loaf bakes uncovered. Most people have had a good experience baking for an additional 30 minutes once the pot is uncovered.
As these answers demonstrate, almost everything about Mr. Lahey’s bread is flexible, within limits. As we experiment, we will have failures. (Like the time I stopped adding flour because the phone rang, and didn’t realize it until 18 hours later. Even this, however, was reparable). This method is going to have people experimenting, and largely succeeding, until something better comes along. It may be quite a while.
GroovyGreen has a nice little tutorial about growing your own loofa sponges! Check it out!
Fabulous Stationary Calling Cards
They want $55 for a set of personalized note/business cards!
Now, why couldn't a person just make them themselves and print them off? There's all kinds of neat fonts, graphics and logo makers out there. I think I'll try to make myself a set. They're too cute.
I've never had a Sangria. It's #72 on my 101/1,001 list of drinks that I want to try. FoodMomiac combines Sangrias and Bunco (#40 on the list too) for a fun girls night out. I've always wanted to try Bunco too but we can't seem to get enough people together to have an official Bunco party. But that doesn't mean I can't still try the Sangrias! *teehee*
Sangrias by FoodMomiac
Favorite Sangria
(from a 1983 issue of Gourmet, found via epicurious.com)
2 bottles chilled, dry red wine
1 cup cognac
1/2 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau
1/3 cup superfine sugar (often found at the liquor store)
1 orange, sliced thinly
1 lemon, sliced thinly
2 cups chilled seltzer
In a bowl, (you need a giant bowl - I often use a giant pitcher instead) combine the booze and the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add citrus slices and chill for an hour. Transfer to a punch bowl (if you roll like that - I usually just keep it in the pitcher - after two drinks everyone will be too drunk to care how fancy you are), stir in the seltzer and add a block of ice or some ice cubes.
I LOVE, not like, LOVE homemade tacos!
FoodMomiac has some tasty tips and a great recipe for homemade taco seasoning that I just have to try. I already have all the ingredients to make it. I'll let you know how it turns out. Tacos anyone?
Rules of the Taco by FoodMomiac
"........tacos are an awesome meal for a busy family. Kids generally love them, and they take virtually no time to prepare. However, please follow my three taco rules before preparing them. You'll thank me, I promise.
- Use good shells. Of the major supermarket brands, I like Ortega. However, if you can find an alternate brand that is made without partially hydrogenated oil, that would be preferable.
- Have great toppings on hand. Avocado, sour cream (tonight we used plain yogurt), black olives, shredded cheese, etc.
- Finally, never, ever, ever use taco seasoning in a packet. Make your own - it's easy, I swear."
Yes, that's really a gourd. Incredible, huh?
Dan Ladd has been moulding gourds for over 25 years.
The Process of molding these gourds is as follows. The small gourd fruit after dropping its flower is inserted through the mould opening. The gourd grows into the mold confines during the summer season. At frost time the stem is cut leaving the mould with the gourd inside. The mould is then opened and the gourd is set to dry. When dry the gourd may be treated in certain ways, the skin may be scraped away, partially scraped away or left intact. The gourd may be mineral oiled or waxed with bowling alley wax. The artifact has as definite a viability as any hard, cellulose, wood like material, and will endure as such with reasonable care.
This is more my speed.
Vegiforms
I sooo dig stuff like this!
Concrete Mushrooms
Concrete Birdbath
Made from a rhubarb leaf
Another variation of the rhubarb birdbath
Many other kinds of leaves used at this site. Beautiful!
Excellent Concrete Casting tutorial from GardenWeb.com
