healthy

What do you do when you have this?


Why, you make muffins!


Good morning!

froggy

The dare this week at Daring Cardmakers is to include a fish or a frog on your card, and I couldn't resist doing a frog. My favorite way to stamp a frog these days is with a potato.


I've already done a Hoppy Birthday and a Hoppy Holiday and a Hoppy Day frog theme, so I tried to think of another play on words and came up with:

cherub

My business partner is having a baby girl in a few days! She asked if I would make her announcements this time (this is her 5th), partly as she doesn't have lots of extra time (homeschooling) and partly for Stamp n' Stitch advertising purposes.


Her only stipulation was that they needed to be pink, otherwise, I could do what I liked. So I started by pawing through all the announcements I'd received from previous babies of friends and family, and thinking about what I wanted to feature. For some reason, a rocking horse stamp kept popping into my mind, so I stopped at the stamp store in Janesville to see what they had (and they had one, though I was torn by a cute duckie stamp there, too).


Then I decided to keep it relatively simple, so I scouted out some ribbon, hauled out the sewing machine and got to work. Here's the final result:



If you're interested in any kind of special order, don't hesitate to contact me! You also can be more specific than Jen, as I'm willing to put together samples from which you can choose.

regale

My church had a Valentine's party.


I wasn't able to go, as I woke up with a head cold (still feeling icky today...hopefully better soon!). Originally, my date was Sue, as her hubby was on a missions trip and mine was stuck in taxes. Each couple was to bring something, so I made tiramisù (Sue provided the dish and ingredients). Fortunately for the party, I made it on Friday when I was still well...



from Cook's IllustratedNov/Dec 2007

2½ c strong brewed coffee, room temp
1½ T instant espresso granules
9 T dark rum
6 egg yolks
2/3 c sugar
¼ t salt
1½ lbs mascarpone
3/4 c cold heavy cream
14 oz dried ladyfingers
3½ T cocoa
¼ c grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (opt.)

1. Stir coffee, granules and 5 T of rum in a wide bowl and set aside (you'll be dipping in this, so make sure it's wide).
2. Using the whisk attachment, beat yolks at low speed until combined. Add sugar and salt and beat at medium-high until pale yellow (about 2 mins.). Add the remaining rum and beat at medium for about 30 seconds. Add mascarpone and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain (about 30 to 45 seconds), scraping down once or twice. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add cream to the empty mixing bowl and beat at medium 1 to 1½ minutes. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of cream to mascarpone mixture and incorporate gently with a rubber spatula. Add the rest of the cream and mix until no white streaks remain.
4. Get a 9x13 dish and open the ladyfingers. Roll each cookie in the coffee, with each cookie sitting in the liquid about 2 seconds and then place in the dish. After one layer is in the dish, spread half the mascarpone mixture on top. Sprinkle (using a sieve if you'd like it even) 2 T of cocoa over the top. Repeat layering process.
5. Allow the tiramisù to meld for at least 6 hours in the refridgerator for best flavor. Before serving, sprinkle the grated chocolate on top.



My notes: I didn't deviate from this much, other than using a different kind of dish for the final product (which made for more layers). I really enjoy dark chocolate, so I went with the bittersweet for the final sprinkling. And the ladyfingers really shouldn't spend too much time in the coffee, as they'll turn mushy and thus the whole tiramisù will have the wrong texture.

Did you know mascarpone isn't cheese?

Book recommendation: Everything Bad Is Good for You by Steven Johnson
Recipe recommendation: Tiramisù
Game recommendation: Monster Evolution

Waldorf

Okay, so if you look at the last several entries on this blog, there's been minimal foodie posts. It's not for lack of cooking--it's more a lack of photos to go with the cooking! A couple didn't turn out due to lighting. One just looks bad (no matter what angle I used--some foods just don't photograph well). And one or two I didn't have time to snap a pic before it was consumed.

BUT, enough of my sob story.

I was thinking about favorite childhood foods lately, and realized I hadn't had Waldorf salad in a looong time. The chunks of apples, the raisins and the light dressing make this a classic, so I decided to revisit it, and jazz it up a little.

For starters, I pulled out my trusty Fannie Farmer and found the basic recipe there.


2 green apples
1 red apple
1 T lemon juice
1 c sliced celery
½ c coarsley chopped walnuts
½ c mayonnaise
1½ t honey (optional)

Core and quarter the apples and slice thin. Put in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to coat. Add the celery and walnuts. Cover and chill. Mix the mayonnaise and honey together until smooth, add to the apple mixture and toss.

Now, I didn't add the walnuts into the mix before adding the dressing because I chose to make chai walnuts (to sprinkle on top). I also added raisins, plumping them first in hot water (due to memories). And finally, I only used one green apple and two Cortlands (or were they Jonagolds?) to have some sweetness, but still keep a bit of tart. Oh, and I remember my mom cutting the apples into chunks, rather than sliced thin, and I'm not sure which way I like better. Perhaps I'll have to do a taste-off in the future.

I don't recommend Braeburns for this recipe--texture is wrong.

Book recommendation: Airman by Eoin Colfer
Recipe recommendation: Waldorf salad
New product recommendation: Oreo FudgeRings