Daddy's Day!

Yesterday we had a mini Daddy's Day celebration for my Daddy.  I made him lunch:  taco burgers!

Real beef, just for him, with guacamole, cheddar cheese, salsa, lettuce and a dollop of sour cream.  Mm.  (Well, for them at least.  My parents said it was good.  I have a black bean "burger" which was delicious.)  My dad was so happy it was real beef!

I also made him a beer cake.  Beer cake?  Yes indeed.  I haven't tasted it yet, but apparently it's pretty legit.  It's more like a spice cake, I believe, with the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel and honey.  It smelled delicious. Recipe HERE.

And for his gift he got a reconstructed t-shirt pillow!

He got this t-shirt the first time we went to Virginia Beach, when I was a baby, like 2, so like 20 years ago?  he loves this shirt to death, and wears it all the time, driving my mom crazy.  It's pretty raggedy.  She was going to throw it away a few months ago and I saved him and made him into a pillow!  Now he'll have his shirt forever.

Daddy and his t-shirt pillow!

Happy Daddy's Day to all the daddy's out there!  

P.S.  Did you read the Father's Day secrets on PostSecret?  Good god, I was bawling my eyes out. 

Donuts.

Today I received two donut pans in the mail.

That in itself is worthy of a post.  

Mmm, Alex O'Loughlin and donuts? Yummy yum.

P.S. Found my camera cord!  EDiM photos ASAP!

Stupid kitchen.

Ever have one of those days where everything's just off? That's been going on since Sunday in the culinary arts. I tried making vegan Chesapeake tempeh cakes and they didn't turn into cakes, they barely stayed together. I left the mixture in the fridge for a day or two, but I don't think that had anything to do with it. My dad believes it's because there was no meat. It was really spicy, too, and I just served it slightly browned over rice. Then Monday I tried to make Thai curry chicken, and used curry powder instead of paste and it combined with the coconut milk was just disgusting. It had no flavor, all I could taste was the sweet (and nasty) coconut milk. UG. Then yesterday I tried to make olive oil and rosemary rolls which turned out a big fat mess. The dough wouldn't accept any more flour, so there wasn't 3 1/4 cups, there was only about 2 1/2, which means when I added the oil and rosemary mixture it smelled good but was gooey and nasty. It didn't rise at all, and I think it's because I killed the yeast. I used the yeast thermometer which didn't really work but the yeast didn't bubble or anything when I added it to the water. I know it's not old because I just bought it. I was so upset I didn't make the meat turkey balls and haven't been in the kitchen today either, screwing up dinner. Tomorrow I'm going back in the kitchen, and hopefully won't have another disaster.

But it's ok, know why KNOW WHY? Because I found a knit Admiral Ackbar, that's why:

Picture post!

I have a lot of FOs to post that are all in Ravelry and Flickr but not here yet, but I really don't feel like posting them. Meh.  Just some photos of the past few weeks will have to suffice.

The brilliant Jeanette sent me some CDs (in pink paper, woo!) and this shopping bag from a place in Milwaukee called Pink Pastry Hippo! Best place in the universe! Look how cute he is. Awh. I need to find a way to scan him in so he can be my mascot. He's currently watching me sleep hanging on my wall over my bed.

I love the Dollar Store. Whoever invented this place was a bloody genius. ITEMS FOR A DOLLAR! And there's nothing like yarn! Yarn for a dollar! I got some Caron Rhapsody, which I think is new. 6 skeins in a green/turquoise color that the guy only charged me $1 for all six and two brown and one red for a hat for a friend. I also got some pens that look like rockets and seeds were 4 for $1! This year, along with everything else, we'll have [hopefully. Fingers crossed.] carrots and spinach with the veggies and herbs along with morning glories and cosmos. Hopefully this year my dad won't weed-whack my cosmos like he did last year. :( I was so sad. He thought they were weeds.

A few nights ago I made cod with tomato pesto for my family. It was delicious but not as great as the tomato pesto I made tonight! Tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, garlic and feta cheese, heated up in the pan so the cheese would melt, added to chicken (flavored only with salt and pepper to let the pesto sing!) and spinach pasta. Mouthgasm!

This is such a "mom" picture, but they rarely sleep together and it was so cute!

This is probably the best picture I've taken of Arwen evarh. Hahah. WHOZZAT OVA DERE?

I'm not sure exactly what these little red berries are, but they're great for pictures.

I love the silver of these things against the blue of the sky.

And roses, I love roses, especially yellow ones. It is my middle name, after all.

Favorite Things Friday: The Gastronomic Version (and a few extras)

This week I haven't had proper time to surf crafty websites, but I did find one thing, and it ties in perfectly with a post I had planned about cookies. Killing two birds with one stone, yes yes.

On Craftster, I spied these yummy delights:

They're far too cute to eat though. PIGGY BUNS! by yujai! How cute! I don't think I'm much of a fan of the dates and taro filling, but if I made piggy buns it'd be impossible for me to eat them. Cute little oinker buns! (Original post HERE.)

Your buns are adorable, my little oinker friend!

Last Monday, Bakerella posted about her Snickerdoodle Cookie and Cupcakes Duo. I'd never made snickerdoodles, and they looked divine, so I decided to whip them up. [Just the cookies, though.] I came out with more than 20, but there wasn't a crumb left after two days. They were delicious! Chewy, and just sweet enough with cinnamon and sugar. They reminded me of Christmas.

In the spirit of Bakerella, I documented the entire process through photographs. Enjoy.

I really love the texture of cinnamon.

Big thick gobs of yummy, gooey, buttery dough. This dough was BRIGHT yellow; it was gorgeous.

After being "released" into the cinnamon sugar, ready for the oven!

Sugar crystals! I love food.

Perfectly delicious, delicate snickerdoodles. *eats all*

~

And now for something completely different...

I love those ladies over at Mason Dixon Knitting. They crack me up. Since I was stuck in VA studying for finals instead of in NY for Rhinebeck, naturally I was thrilled with their post on it. Red wellies! George Washington re-enacters! But wait, what is that GORGEOUS hat that woman is wearing?

[picture courtesy Mason Dixon Knitting] 

 YES, THAT ONE!

Apologies to Mrs. Ann Shayne for covering your face with my Arrow of Excitement.

I left a comment demanding to know what this divine pattern was! No luck. Today, whilst going through my blogroll, I happen upon Knitting in Color's newest Colorwork Project on Itty Bitty Needles: the Selbu Modern Hat. Since she only has a little done, I followed the link over to the knit-a-long on Ravelry, just for shits and giggles (or maybe Divine Intervention) to check out the hat.

 

[photo courtesy zeitgeistyarns]

THIS HAT.

Look familiar?! Those weird flower arrow things? The arcades separating said weird flower arrow thing?

HOLY SWEET JEEBUS, IT'S THE HAT! The hat, the hat! How I love thee, Internets. I'm so thrilled I found it! Of course, this now means purchasing yarn, because I don't have anything WORTHY of such a piece of art, nor do I own anything smaller than worsted weight. This calls for light fingering/3 ply on US 0 and 2s. Say what? I thought 3s were hell during the Reverie! Beret. Alas, this will be a lesson in patience. Since we're on a yarn budget, over here, it'll go on the Christmas list. ;] Santa usually delivers.

Since it can't be FTF without a video, especially one of a cat using a door knocker, I give you Knock Knock Kitteh:

Applesauce, Krakens and Basement Cat

Wee! Anyone else think this new "New Post" box thing on Blogger is pretty cool? I know I'm probably the last one to find it...

New layout! [again!] I figure instead of yoiking other people's images, I can use my own, right? It's from my Scrubbie Buns, that scrubbie thing from Crochet Today! Awesome pattern, I highly recommend it. And I'm too in love with the Minima Stretch template, it's not going anywhere. Very nice and clean. And symmetrical. Symmetrical is good, too.

Crumble topping WIN! I had a craving for some more applesauce bread, and decided I can do a crumble topping. It worked, but next time I think I'll go for butter, sugar and cinnamon with no flour, because taking a big bite of flour isn't too great. My mom's been sick and my daddy doesn't notice things, so I've eaten just about the whole thing. Yum. Guilty? Not one bit, it's way too good.

Staar84 over on Craftster is participating in my WE BELIEVE: The Cryptozoology Swap, and was in my Favorite Book Swap. She felt bad I couldn't participate in the crypto one (School. I was so excited, and so bummed.) so she sent me a little thank you! And look at the awesomeness! She sent a little box decoupaged in nautical themed tissue paper, with The Kraken by Alfred Lord Tennyson and a kraken picture in the frame part! (The kraken/giant squid is my favorite crypto.) OH MAN. It's so gorgeous, I really wish you could see it in real life. And it's neat, and beautiful! I love it so much! Thank you so much Staar84! It really brightened my bummer day dealing my Early Renaissance Art paper. (ARGH THE KRAKEN, ARGH)

And now, for something completely different:

Heehee. I feel so honored when my own Basement Cat, Arwen "helps." She sits on fabric and bags. She's not as bad as Susie Lu who walks over everything, and thinks everything is a toy, including knitting needles and crochet hooks. She bats them around with her paws. I'm missing one of my hooks right now.

Upcoming: Kitty pictures, and some autumn pictures. (And of course, Favorite Things Friday, tomorrow!)

The Noms.

Today's post brought to you by the letter 'N' for noms.

First, a few nights ago, I made Parsley-Pesto Breadcrumb Spaghetti, courtesy Rachael Ray. (As long as she's not "yum-o"-ing or "delish"-ing everything, she's fine. I have one of her cookbooks, and it's seriously awesome.)

Pesto.

All plated and fancy.

It was ok. My parents loved it. I wasn't too crazy about it. It had too much of a... veggie/parsley taste. Maybe I don't like the parsley. I wish I had liked it; it looked good. (And I didn't use the pine nuts. Stupid nuts. Get out of my food.)

Today my mom and I made mini pies! Brought to you by LUXIRARE and a fab tutorial by Bakerella. We didn't make them into pops, because mini pies are fantastic as is, we don't need to lollipop-ify them to make them slammin. Going for the easiest way possible, we used pre-made pastry crust and canned apple filling. Even so, they were delicious. OMG. You have to seriously make these. We got about a dozen and a half, and I've eaten like 9 already. They are so. good. And incredibly easy. The hardest thing is making sure to press the sides down so they don't puff up and apple filling comes out in the oven. Easy peasy. They're so tiny and yummy, and could be perfect for a cute dessert, or with breakfast. I don't know what it is with me and liking mini things, but these were also the cutest pies I've ever seen. Now I have a craving.

*pauses to sneak downstairs and snag a few from the fridge*

On to pictures:

Pre oven. They look like little raviolis here. Tee hee.

After. So yummy!

A few things:
1. Make sure you use the egg wash. It only really makes a cosmetic difference, but I forgot to do one batch and they came out looking uncooked, versus the others that were brown and shiny.
2. Use parchment paper for no cleanup.
3. Even though LUXIRARE used cornstarch to thicken her filling, we didn't use any. Granted, ours wasn't homemade or anything fancy.
4. Make them! Now!

Tomorrow: Dr. Yarnlove or: How I Learned to Stop Using the Backs of Chairs and the Floor and Love the Yarn Swift.

Watermelon cookies.

Say what? No, they were pretty good actually. I don't think they exactly look too much like watermelons, but you get the idea. No watermelons were harmed in the making of these cookies. I used THIS recipe, then dyed half of the dough green and half pink. The colors came out pretty realistically, or at least what I was aiming for, seeing how I dyed the pink half purple first. Oops.

After dying, I refrigerated, then rolled out the green into a long narrow sheet. The consistency and color really reminded me of Play-Doh, but cookies taste better. (Yes, I have tasted Play-Doh. Ew.) Then I took the pink, molded it into a log, placed it into the middle and then wrapped the green around it. I refrigerated it again, cut it out and baked, along with mini chocolate chips for seeds.

Things I learned:

• Trying to dye cookie dough stirring by hand it is not smart and a real PITA.
• If you're doing log cookies, like, rolling them into a log before you cut them into little slices, roll the dough out onto wax paper, because even if you put flour on the counter first, it's still going to be a pain to try and get the dough off the counter.
• If the recipe says it'll make 60 servings, and there's only three people in your house, you should probably half the recipe. Especially if you're trying something new and the cookies don't come out looking good enough to give to the neighbors.

Even if they're really fluffy (I cut them too thick) it was fun, and at least they partly resemble watermelon slices, right?


And this yummy chicken I made last week. IT WAS SO GOOD. I put chicken breasts in a pan, sprinkled onion powder, coriander and thyme over the breasts and added fresh basil leaves, and cooked it for about 45 minutes at 400°. Delish! It was really yummy, and I got to use some of my basil leaves. If you make this chicken, let me know how you liked it!

And I've been working every day on my squares for the quilt-a-long. I'm going to have to double up, though, because I'm already a week behind and I'll be out of town for like 10 days. Or just keep going 10 days extra. Whichever.

Big dump.

Yeah, the title isn't the best but that's basically what this post will comprise of. It's going to be all over the place. School has gotten down to the last two weeks of the semester, which means the professors are loading on the work, spring is here which means hour long walks photographing flowers, and a rise in migraines with the changing of the seasons.

But enough chatter, let's get to the crafts!

For Easter (yes, I'm 21 and still get an Easter basket, shutup >:( ...) I got two new knitting books, Mason Dixon Knitting and Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey. I love both of them and really want to start knitting projects from them and spinning yarn but I have too many projects to get to now and not enough money to buy roving. Maybe we'll try spinning over the summer.

I also got this AWESOME shirt from Craftster. That's right, hardcore crochet at it's best.

~*~

And some finished objects! I'm halfway through getting 50 projects done and it's only April! I'm very proud, especially since Momma Mochaxlight said I wouldn't be able to get them done. D'oh.

#21 is the Stitchy Scrubbie by Maya Mackowiak Elson from the March issue of Crochet Today!



Yarn: Lily's Sugar 'N Creme in Gumdrop and Hot Green
Hook: I (5.5 mm)
Modifications: I didn't double strand the yarn. I have yet to test it to see how much of a difference that makes. For the back, I didn't use a smaller hook and just crocheted the round 'till it made 48 so both sides would be equal for slip stitching together.
Would I make this again? Yes, definitely. It was quick and easy and I'm sure those bobbles are better than getting grease off of Teflon then those iron-y scrubbie things that tears it up.

#22. Zombie Conejito from the Amigurumi Bunny Egg Cozy from the Lion Brand Website. Mr. mochaxlight is more into zombies than fluffy, fuzzy white things, so I figured it would suit him better.



Yarn: Random green worsted weight.
Hook: Trusty H hook
Modifications: I made him zombiefied! He was heavily influenced by this guy. The Mr. liked it; when he first took it out of his Easter basket he was kinda like wtf? but then he got it. I'm glad he likes it. I wanted to make one of ears look like a piece of it was bit off but couldn't figure it out. I completely forgot to add a fluffy green bloody tail. Next time. :]

#23. Albino Flower Person from the pattern by Nomishona for my mom. I picked the colors out beforehand, and after he was all crocheted up and his little pink eyes were added, he looked really albino. But he's cute and was well received. I especially like the larger flower the Homespun gave him.



Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Off White, LB Homespun in Baroque and the same green worsted weight the Zombie Conejito was made from.
Hook: H.

#24. Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken.



This is my own recipe, which is why I'm counting it. I kinda made it up as I went along. I melted down cheddar cheese with milk and added some spices, baked the chicken and did the broccoli. The first round didn't come out that well; I had planned to put the melted cheese sauce on top of the chicken and bake it all together but it kinda congealed, so I mixed the cheese sauce with some random shaped macaronis I found in the pantry, added the broccoli and put all that on top of the chicken. It was really good. I can't remember what spices I used, just whatever I have in my pantry. Though I know I used some paprika for some kick.

#25 is going to get it's own post because it's very special. :]

First knit hat and pound cake

I completed my first knit hat! I conquered DPNs! Take that.

Garter Stitch Hat with Square Raglan Crown by Zachary L. Loomis
Yarn: Patons Wool Merino in Wedgewood
Needles: US 8 16" circs and US 8 DPNs
Would I knit this again? Definitely. I'm planning one already with some leftover LB Jiffy.
Notes: I liked this pattern a lot. It was quick and easy and great for a beginner. I especially love the square top. I need to try a different cast on method, because the rim is a tad tight. It's still wearable though.
ETA: He liked it, though it was a tad too tight to fit over all his curls. And he likes hats with more of a slouch. I think I'll make him another using the same pattern, only use a looser cast on method and make it larger. Then it can slouch it all he wants.


Something inside me today said to make a pound cake, and I never ignore the voices, so I happily obliged. This craptacular picture is a Brown Sugar Pound Cake, the recipe from the back of the brown sugar box. I have yet to try it, but it looks delish. It has 2 sticks of butter in it though, so I'll have to watch it. I should try to find some healthier recipes, maybe vegan ones. I just hope they aren't tasteless.
Plus, this completes one of the things I want to accomplish this break: #5. Always have desserts ready. I made steaks tonight and meatballs are planned for tomorrow night. With spaghetti of course!
ETA: Yummy, but bland. It needed something else, like chocolate frosting or chocolate chips.

Cookie Website Database (for cookie swaps on Craftster)

PACKING POINTERS

• Bake and completely cook cookies just before packing and shipping so they’re as fresh as possible.
  
• Determine which cookies to mail based on their fragility. Many drop, refrigerator and sandwich cookies are fairly sturdy and travel well. Some cutouts and shaped varieties are a little more likely to break. Cookies requiring refrigeration are poor choices to ship because they’ll spoil. If you are shipping to a warm climate, frostings or chocolate chips might melt.
  
• Pack crisp and soft cookies in separate tins. If they’re packed together, the moisture from the soft cookies will seep into the crisp cookies, making them lose their crunch. Consider shipping soft cookies by express mail so they’ll be moist upon arrival. (A slice of bread will also help them stay soft and chewy.)
  
• To help retain the best flavor, don’t put strong-flavored cookies (like gingersnaps) and mild-flavored cookies (like sugar cookies) in the same tin. 

PACKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. To help the cookies stay fresh and intact, wrap them in bundles of two (for drop cookies, place their bottoms together) with plastic wrap.
   
2. Line a festive tin or box with crumpled wax paper to help cushion the cookies. Snugly pack the cookies to within 1 inch of the top.
   
3. Use crumpled wax paper or bubble wrap to fill any gaps between the cookies. (Crumpled newsprint and plastic shopping bags work nicely, too. )Add more waxed paper or bubble wrap over the last layer to cushion the cookies and prevent them from shifting during shipping. Close the tin or box. (Make sure your cat isn't in the box.)
   
4. Place a layer of crumpled paper, bubble wrap or foam shipping peanuts in the bottom of a cardboard box that is slightly larger than your cookie tin. Set the tin on top, then add more paper, bubble wrap, shipping peanuts or plastic bags. Seal the box tightly with tape, label the top and sides of the package “Fragile and Perishable” and adhere a mailing label. (I’ve never labeled, and as far as I know they’ve gotten there fine. I also usually use clean, empty plastic bags for shipping. They're light and prevent against breaks.)

LINKS

Recipezaar.com

Printable cookbooks.

Smitten Kitchen.
Our Kitchen Sink

Epicurious.

Baking Bites.

Bake or Break.

Coconut Lime Recipe Links.

I Dream of Dessert.

Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Laurae Becca's Kitchen.

Domestic Goddess.

The 50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet.

Bakerella

Christmas Cookies.com

Valentine's Day Gifty-Poos

This is what I made for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. He loved both of them, which made me really happy. (I was a tad nervous about the bear.) The bear is from my new Japanese amigurumi book Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Amigurumi by Tomoko Takamori. I left off his nose, used a larger hook and used googly eyes because I can't find safety eyes anywhere. And the heart pattern came from Mochimochi Land. Along with my rose and other stuff he gave me, he got me a $15 gift certificate for Michael's just for yarn. :) Burning Up the Stash what? I have an awesome boyfriend.

P.S. My cat is snoring. Wtf?