2012 Roundup

Hi friends! I have some news. News I'm sure you've been aware of for some time. This blog has been sleepy. Super sleepy. Like, coma sleepy. It's been more than eight months (say, what?!). Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it's been more than eight months since I posted a single post here. Eight months of work, class, studying, playing, eating, drinking, trips, birthdays, concerts, baking, baseball, friends, downpours, sunshine, and family time. I'm going to do my best to play catch up. So, buckle up folks, we don't want any whiplash around here.  Today, we'll start with crafts and foods.

Crafty Time:
Sadly, there haven't been many crafts lately... but these wrap bracelets were quick, easy, and fun! Instructions found at Honestly WTF.

Foodie Adventures: 

Granola, for my Dad's birthday (the secret to chunks is all in the egg whites!):

Recipe thrown together from several different ones found online, and mostly consisting of what I had in my kitchen.  Big hit! So big, in fact, it was hard not to eat it all straight from the pan.  Dad's lucky any made it to him! ;)

Stuffed Baguette: 

Recipe found at Baking Obsession. This was seriously delicious. 

Caprese Skewers:
Caprese on a stick, grab and go! I used those great mozzarella balls in seasoned olive oil from TJ's, added a great flavor without having to drizzle anything over the whole plate.

Hamantaschen:
Cookies for International Cookie Day at work. My country was Israel! Recipe found at A Cookie for Every Country.  Of course mine didn't turn out as pretty as the original photo, but they were yummy little treats nonetheless. There was a slight snafu when I realized I was out of flour (seriously?! this always happens to me!). SO these were made with part whole wheat flour. They were devoured at work, so must have worked out all right!

Bite Sized Baked Brie Bites:
Recipe found at Joy the Baker (whoops, didn't get a finished product shot! Click through to see the finished product from Joy the Baker).  Now run (RUN!) and make these. They are TO DIE for. And seriously easy.

Roommate Dinner Creations presents: Homemade California Avocado Pizza
Easy peasy to throw together, our best attempt to recreate California Pizza Kitchen's California Club

Stay tuned for more 2012 adventures soon!

-shauna

beer obsession continued.

Lately I've been a bit obsessed with beer. Beer brewing, brewery hopping, and now beer has crept into my cooking adventures. Last year before the holidays, I came across a recipe for Beer and Pretzel Soft Caramel Candies on one of my favorite baking blogs, Brown Eyed Baker. Mom tried them out, and they were awesome, but I never got around to doing it myself.

Fast forward to Father's Day this year. What do you get for a dad who has everything? Food, of course. And since he had taken a liking to The Drunken Monk, I thought this would be a great opportunity to test out my beer caramel-making skills.

For my first time attempting caramel, I'd say things went as smooth as possible (except for realizing I was out of sugar after beginning to melt the butter - oops!). At Mom's suggestion I added sea salt to the bottom of the caramels, and I decided to use a little more beer than was called for too.

These suckers are tooooo tempting to keep around the house. And if you do, believe me, they won't last for long. I took a sampling to work and people were busting down my hypothetical-cube-door for a taste!

Then came the true test.... I sent them off to Dad and.... Drumroooooll... Dad loved them! We've got a winner here folks! I hear he even hid the 3 lb box of candies from everyone in house. I guess on Father's Day, you don't have to share.

I was on a baking roll, so later that week I decided to make some mini-cupcakes for a potluck at work. I happened upon this post by joy the baker and couldn't resist. I decided to make them mini, and went for cream cheese frosting instead of meringue marshmallow frosting (let's not get too crazy here...). Let's take a look...

Aw look at those cute little babies! And man oh man, were these delicious!

-shauna

fashion up a cake stand.

So, I've been wanting a cake stand for awhile now. Not a plastic cake carrier, but a pretty stand, with a pedestal. Not that I make cakes often, but it would be nice to be able to present baked goods on something other than a plain dinner plate or tupperware container. So, I started looking around (meaning looking around online: Amazon, Willams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, Macy's, etc.) and realized that most decorative cake plates don't come with a cover (bummer) and are going to run about $40 (double bummer!).

I thought to myself "If I have to sacrifice a cover for the style I want, why can't I just fashion up a pretty little ditty on my own?" I headed down to my local Goodwill to check out some goods. I found a pretty flowered china plate and a nice little (albeit used and well loved, I'm sure) tea cup. The total came to a whopping $1.63 with tax.

All it took was a little Gorilla Glue, a fruit bowl for some weight, and viola! We have a cake stand!

Love it!

-shauna

oh my, peach pie!

Not too long ago, I tried my hand at my very first fruit pie. It was peach season, and what better way to use peaches than in a peach pie! I think it ended up being pretty delicious. My roommate thought so too!

One edge was a little crispier than many would like, but it's hard to keep those little hand made foil pie cover pieces in place!


All in all I was pleased with the final product! I guess pie making isn't so scary after all!