A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

I managed to wrangle my ragtag circus into three rings today (work, home/family, and cyber stuff), and thus afforded myself the rare opportunity to visit some of my favorite blogs and to find some new ones.  A music link-up at 5 Minutes Just for Me inspired me to share a few of the songs and artists I've discovered lately that make me smile, bring me peace, or stir some joy in my oft weary soul.   What songs or artists have you made a connection with lately?

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MY FAVORITE FREE CLIPART & GRAPHICS SITES

(find this fabulous clipart page at 
http://www.aisling.net/freebies/clipart1-2.htm)

The Graphics Fairy

The Vintage Moth

Vintage Feed Sacks

Free Pretty Things for You

Free Vintage Images

Antique Clipart.com

Who is your favorite image source?

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FUDGY S'MORE CRINKLE COOKIE RECIPE ~ Thank you for being a friend...Golden Girls & Golden Grahams

My real-life friend and blogging confidante, Holly, recently commented to me about the undiminishing power of anything remoteley s'more-related captivating her attention.

This past weekend, we left behind our foggy, sleepy little home town for the vibrant, sky-scraper stacked, (yet still fog blanketed) City by the Bay ~ San Francisco ~ to attend a blog conference organized by the sisterhood of bloggers to which we belong ~ SITS.  It was fun getting to meet so many diverse, talented, and intelligent women, and I'm looking forward to implementing all the tips, tricks, and techniques that I picked up.  

photo compliments of SITS Bloggy Boot Camp

Most of all, it was nice just having a weekend away with a good friend.  This is the part where the "Golden Girls" theme song should start to play...

Thank you for being a friend,

(Really, it means the world to me)

Traveled down the road and back again.

(Alameda Point Antiques Fair, The Slow Food "Eat-In", Bloggy Boot Camp...even a few memorable trips to the local Dump!)

Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant.

(Who else "gets" my snark, and gets as excited as I do about a 3 page magazine feature about craft glues?)

And if you threw a party-,

(And yes, you've thrown quite a few...you keep saying that if you drink enough you'll end up dancing on a table, but that's yet to be seen)

Invited everyone you knew-,

(But, if it's on a Friday night, chances are it'll just be you, me, a few cocktails, a little bit of crafting, and an appearance by your mother-in-law)

You would see the biggest gift would be from me

(Emphasis on "Biggest", not "Most Expensive")

And the card attached would say, "Thank you for being a friend"

(And for putting up with my shenanigans...like when I hijacked your wi-fi)

So, Holly, this recipe (a collaborative creation from Mr. Rook and his assistant, Chef Chyler, during their weekend free from my warlording) is dedicated to you:

Fudgy Smore Crinkles

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BE A GOOD LITTLE GIRL AND DRINK YOUR MUSHROOMS ~ THE ADVENT OF HIBISCUS VANILLA REISHI ICED TEA

There are many reasons why people blog, but like many craft and culinary aficionados,  I do it because it gives me a creative outlet and an opportunity to do that which brings me the most joy:  sharing my ideas, projects, and recipes, and connecting with other creative people who in turn teach and inspire me.  

Every once in a while, however, an opportunity comes along to sample a new product (usually food items), create an original recipe, and share the findings with my readers.  I must admit, I enjoy this little "perk".


Last year I had fun creating a delicious holiday cocktail (recipe HERE), compliments of the POM Wonderful company. Recently, I was contacted by Marx Foods, a 5th generation family business (since 1895) that works with foragers, farmers, fishermen and artisans to supply home chefs with restaurant-quality gourmet foods such as exotic mushrooms, sausages and charcuterie, and sugars and salts from around the globe. Marx Foods offered me a complimentary sample of their Reishi Mushrooms if I would agree to develop an original recipe for a tea drink featuring the Reishi Mushroom.  I jumped at the challenge!

What are Reishi Mushrooms?  Also known as Lingzhi mushrooms in China, these mushrooms have a long history of medical applications and health benefits, dating back to the oldest Chinese medical texts.  According to Shen Nong's "Herbal Classic" and "Compendium of Materia Medica", the two monumental works in Chinese medicine, reishi is rated the best and most superior of all Chinese herbs. 

To find out more about the medical and health benefits attributed to Reishi mushrooms, check out the following links:

Reishi Mushroom Info 1

Reishi Mushroom Info 2

I enjoyed experimenting with this unusual ingredient and having the opportunity to exercise my culinary creativity to create a delicious and refreshing iced tea using the dried Reishi mushrooms provided by Marx Foods.  


Here's what I came up with:  

Hibiscus Reishi Iced Tea

Hibiscus Vanilla Reishi Iced Tea
Step-by-Step

 

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Don't be a Nub, try Spaghetti Tacos...

Several weeks ago I ran a feature about the Spaghetti Tacos I created for my girls, inspired by their favorite Nickelodeon television show, iCarly.  Well, the show had its season premier just before school started, and to celebrate the end of summer and to round up some of the kids' friends, we decided to put together a low-key iCarly premier party.  I'm not talking party favors, decorations and a disco ball, here ~ just a simple dinner and show.  IF THERE'S ONE LESSON I'VE LEARNED (THE HARD WAY) OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, IT'S THAT IT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE OVER-THE-TOP.

In this event, simplicity was the key to its success:  The kids arrived around 6:00 p.m., enjoyed building their own Spaghetti Tacos, then watched the premier at 7:00 p.m.  

Bobbie over at A VISION TO REMEMBER is running a 30 Day Food Challenge this month, and I'm honored to have had my Spaghetti Tacos included in her menu of fabulous recipes!  Stop by, check out my irreverent, but delicious recipe (it's like spaghetti and italian sausage wrapped in garlic bread ~ yummmm....) and see what other culinary magic she's cookin' up!

If you haven't voted yet in the DIY CLUB August Craft Contest, I'd be honored to get your vote.  It takes only seconds (I promise) and doesn't require any personal info or registration.  

My entry is the "Friendship Cup/Plate"

VOTE HERE

Thanks for your support!

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FREE GIFT TAG DOWNLOAD ~ MAGICAL CREATURES

Click HERE to download -- Gift Tags Magical Creatures

Add a magical touch to gifts with these Old World style tags graced by Unicorns, Phoenix, Mermaids and Griffons.  Enjoy!

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DIY FRIENDSHIP CUP ~ A CRAFT, A TRADITION, AND A DELICIOUS RECIPE

With our children heading back to school, this season brings with it the perfect opportunity to seize some "grown-up" time ~  to reconnect with good friends, to reflect, laugh and share, and to establish some new traditions.  Regularly sharing a cup of coffee or tea with a friend or friends can be a wonderful way to ease the hectic pace we often find ourselves caught up in during the school year.  For a simple hour each week, time slows down, and you can talk ~ really talk and be listened to.  You can listen, and really hear without the distractions of home, family, and work.  

The get-together needn't be formal or even strictly scheduled.  It's simply nice to know that there's some special time for just "YOU" each week, and that there's a door that's always open and a friend you can count on.

So, in this spirit, I've put together the "FRIENDSHIP CUP" DIY.  It features a new spin on the Lazertran waterslide decal paper that I've been so enamored with lately.  Using this versatile transfer paper, you can turn nearly any plain object into a customized, professional-looking treasure. Nowhere is this technique simpler or more satisfying than in the creation of custom dishes, cups, and other serving pieces.

Using images purchased from Olive Rue, I created these teacups for my two friends with whom I'll be sharing some special time this Friday.  While practical, the gift also serves another purpose.  The Olive Rue image on the mug reads, "SIT LONG, TALK MUCH" and the custom tag attached to the handle reads, "My door is always open, you'll always have my ear, and I'll gladly put the kettle on, whenever you are here". It's a token of friendship, as well as an invitation to make our teatime/coffeetalk/cocktailhour a regular happening.  To "sweeten" the deal, I'm filling the delicate porcelain mugs with some of my homemade BROWN BUTTER PECAN BISCOTTI.  You'll find the recipe below.

Here is a gift tag download similar to the one seen above, using an image I created in order to be able to share it with my readers.  If you would like to purchase the beautiful "Journal de Paris" image designed by Olive Rue, visit HERE.

Tea_Tags

Following is a tutorial on how to make your own "Friendship Cup".  You can use the technique to design your own unique "line" of custom ceramics, stoneware or porcelain pieces.

(I made some hors d'oeuvre plates too)

Supplies

--Lazertran  (NOT Lazertran Inkjet...more about that later...)

--A soft sponge, cloth, or small squeegee 

--A bowl of warm water

--Mugs, plates, bowls, etc on which to transfer your image

Step 1:  Select your image.  You can purchase one of the amazing readymade images from Olive Rue, or browse Karen's library of free graphics at The Graphics Fairy. You can scan images from your home or office.  Anything's game!

HERE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER IMAGES I FELL IN LOVE WITH AND PURCHASED FROM OLIVE RUE

Step 2:  Size your image in a PDF or word processing document to fit the piece you'll be applying it to.  Reverse the image(s) (mirror image) prior to printing.

Step 3:  Print.  VERY IMPORTANT ~ regular Lazertran can NOT be used in an inkjet printer.  It must be printed with a Laser printer or copier machine.  For many of us, who do not have a laser printer at home, this adds an extra step, but it is necessary if you desire the effect of a clear background for your image.      If you don' mind an antiqued finish to your image, you can use Inkjet Lazertran, and can try my tutorial using that medium HERE.  There's a definite learning curve when using these specialty papers, and I've found that not all copiers and laser printers will work with Lazertran.  For a full list of printers and copiers know to work with the product, visit HERE.

Step 4:  Once sheet is printed, place in the oven at lowest setting for two minutes to set the toner.  This will help you avoid small air bubbles later.

Step 5:  Cut out your image(s).

Step 6:  Soak image in a bowl of warm water for 30-60 seconds.  Image will begin to loosen from the paper backing.  

Step 7:  Apply image face down and slide off the paper backing.

Step 8:  Gently work out wrinkles and air bubbles.  You can lightly dab with a soft cloth or sponge, or use a small squeegee.

Step 9:  Place in your oven at the lowest setting for 1 hour.

Step 10:  Slowly increase the temperature over the next two hours until your reach between 350 and 400 degrees F.  You will know that the image has set when it becomes shiny like a glaze.

Step 11:  Turn off oven and allow piece(s) to cool.

Note:  Oven temperatures can vary, and there are sometimes differences in outcomes from various models of gas and electric ovens.  Similarly, some dishwashers, like mine (a Jenn-Air Ultimate Quiet) will not damage the finished pieces, while other models will.  Some experimentation with your oven and dishwasher should be expected as part of the fine-tuning process for your Lazertran project.  

I'm so please to share my new recipe for Brown Butter Pecan Biscotti with you.  I created it especially for this occasion!  This is one of those recipes that makes your house smell heavenly from the moment you start browning the butter and toasting the pecans.  The richness and nuttiness of both ingredients are the perfect complement to the dark chocolate dunk!  Enjoy!

Brown Butter Pecan Biscotti

Here's a version of the "Friendship Tags" made to tie on to bags of extra biscotti...

Biscotti Tags Bon Ton

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A TISKET A TASKET, A DIY TREAT BASKET

I recently had the pleasure of having some of my youngest daughter's friends over for tea.  It was a delightful little party, and was so easy to put together.  It gave me and my girls an opportunity to plan a party together, create a menu, and to pull out some of our vintage linens and china. It showed my girls, and reminded me, that you need not go to elaborate lengths, expense, and preparations to have a charming and memorable party.  All you need is a little creativity and a few good friends.  

With the first day of school looming ever closer, we had little time to prepare, cook, or shop, so it was wonderful to be able to pick up so many of the little treats on our menu from Trader Joes.  While there, we found the most lovely little assortment of salt-water taffies in soft pastels, which inspired the creation of the little treat baskets we put together, using supplies we already had at home, and based on the treat and nut cups that were popular at children's parties in the Victorian era.

To make your own festive treat baskets, here's what you'll need:

Tissue or Crepe Paper
Paper drinking cups
Scrapbook Paper or Wrapping Paper
Glue Stick
Hot Glue Gun
Scissors
Pipe Cleaners
Ribbon or ric rac trim
Embellishments: Scrap images, glitter, etc... 

You can download the vintage scrap images I used for my baskets HERE:

Step 1:  Dismantle one paper cup by cutting down one side, removing bottom, cutting off the rim, and flattening out.  This is your cup-sleeve template. 

Step 2:  Trace the template on to the reverse side of your decorative paper. Cut out cup-sleeve.

Step 3:  Apply glue, with your glue stick, to the back of the cup-sleeve, then wrap around a cup.

Step 4:  Apply hot glue to half of the inner top rim of the cup. Apply a crepe paper strip (approx. 2" x 12") to the glue, ruffling as you go.  Apply glue to the remaining half of the cup and finish the ruffled crepe paper border.

Step 5:  Create an outer ruffle by using the same technique as in Step 4, applying glue to the top, outer border.

This will give you a full double-ruffle

Step 6:  Hot glue end of pipe cleaner to one side, and then the other, to create a handle.  

Step 7:  Use hot glue to adhere a ribbon or ric rac border

Step 8:  Embellish with scrap images and do-dads

I like to add a touch of fine glitter to my scrap images

Our simple, yet elegant tea party menu included:

Madeleines
Meringues
Macarons
Mini Chocolate Biscotti
Fresh Strawberries
Sesame Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches, my daughter's favorite (recipe HERE)
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Peach & Vanilla Teas

We made some quick and yummy "Cheater Scones" with a package of Trader Joe's buttermilk biscuits.  My daughter pressed down each piece of biscuit dough on a lightly floured board, cut into a heart shape with a cookie-cutter, and placed on the baking sheet.  We were able to combine the scraps and roll them out and cut an additional dozen "scones".  Before baking, we brushed the tops with cream and sprinkled them with pink sanding sugar.  They were delicious, fun and easy.  

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