Miss Make

Goodbye, Mr. Fox

2012-02-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning, I unexpectedly lost one of the dearest and sweetest parts of my life - my cat Fox.

This is a pretty long post with a lot of pictures, so the rest of it is after the jump...

He was perfectly fine when I went to bed on Friday. He was only six years old and hadn't been acting any differently than normal. But I was awakened by his struggling meows as he lay on my bedroom floor, and by the time I got up and turned on the light he was gone. It seemed like a heart attack. I was shell-shocked and there is no obvious explanation.

I grew up on a farm and have seen plenty of animals die, but I have never been more utterly devastated by the loss of an animal. Fox was so special. I know everybody thinks that about their pets, but with him it's totally true. He radiated pure, blissful joy in the most transparent way.

He was the most expressive cat I've ever owned. And I never once saw him show a sign of any kind of negative emotion. I would have trusted him not to bite or scratch even with the roughest toddler. While most cats hide from strangers, Fox was always right in the middle of the action when people came over. He ran to the door meowing every time I came home, even if he was in the middle of a nap.

He was my buddy, and whenever I was home he was always glued to my side.

I didn't even want Fox originally - I went to an animal shelter with the intention of picking out one fat fluffy kitten, but Fox put on such a show in his cage that my boyfriend at the time convinced me to take him too.

It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Fox and Hootie grew up together in the apartment I've lived in for the last six years. Their names were what I used for my original etsy shop, fox&hootie.

Fox always had something to say. You could talk to him forever and he would continue to meow back.

Whenever I talked on the phone he appeared under me, meowing incessantly. He assumed I was talking to him.

He tolerated almost anything. He would let me dress him up in ridiculous costumes...

...and never complained.

In fact, he usually ended up purring.

He let me take him in to work a few times and was totally fine with hanging out in an office for 12 hours.

He split his time between making the rounds to meet everyone and being totally blissed out in the chair next to mine.

He loved pillows and squishy blankets...

...as much as I do.

He liked sleeping with his head on the pillow. Cause duh, that's what humans do.

He always involved himself in whatever I was doing.

In fact, he was always so close to me that he would often end up photobombing my blog and etsy pictures.

Sometimes to get pictures done I would have to shut him in the bathroom for a few moments just to keep him away. Otherwise there would be an orange head or a white paw in all the pictures.

Silly Fox.

Now I wish I had let him photobomb all the pictures he wanted.

Because now I could never have enough pictures of that dear sweet kitty.

Even a blurry orange tail is something I want to see and hold on to.

Though it was cut very short, Fox had a happy and exciting life. He got to visit my parent's house in Ohio, and while he was there he hunted and caught a real live mouse. Just like a real kitty!

Hootie was not quite as enthused about the whole thing.

I know some people don't think that animals feel love, it's just an expression of interest because we feed them and keep them safe.

But I know that Fox loved me. I know it. And I loved him with all my heart.

The French poet and author Anatole France said, 'Until one has loved an animal, part of one's soul remains unawakened.' That part of my soul feels crushed.

This is one of the last pictures I took of Fox, not knowing that in less than twelve hours he would be gone forever. I wish I could kiss his little forehead one more time. Goodbye, Mr. Fox. You were the best kitty a girl could ask for, and I will love you forever.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Balsamic & Brown Sugar

2012-02-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

I love brussels sprouts.

I avoided them for a long time because of their terrible reputation. From movies, tv and general pop culture I associated them with those long parent-child torture sessions where they make you sit at the table for hours until you eat all your vegetables.

But then I tried them, and I loved them. They are quick and easy to saute. They taste great and have a nice little crunch. And they look like miniature Barbie-sized cabbages. What more can you ask for in a healthy vegetable?

So if we add a little brown sugar, a little balsamic vinegar, and a little bacon, things can only get better.

Gratuitous close up of brown sugar. Mmmmm.

I only recently realized you can buy bacon at the meat counter. I mean, single slice bacon purchase, where have you been all my life?? It's the perfect way to buy just a little bacon for a recipe and not be ~~blessed with~~ stuck with an entire package of bacon to use up. Maybe everyone already knew this. But I didn't.

This recipe makes a side serving for two people [the amount in the bowl is one serving]. So if you need more, just double and triple as needed. It would be a great side for a romantic V-day dinner! Also if you'd like it to be vegan/vegetarian, just omit the bacon and start right with sauteing the sprouts, it'll still be pretty good. I haven't tried it with veggie bacon, I have a feeling it just wouldn't be right. But try if you're braver than me.

So here's what I did [recipe follows at bottom]. First, cut off the bottom of each Barbie cabbage, then cut it in half lengthwise. The outermost little leaves will fall off. It's ok.

Then rinse thoroughly. I do this after cutting because we're getting rid of the outer layers anyway, so why spend time washing them?

Then dice the bacon and saute it in a skillet at medium high heat until just crisp. Pour out the bacon and grease onto a paper towel to drain.

Whoops, no picture. We all know what cooking bacon looks like, right?

Now heat olive oil in the skillet. Place all the sprouts with the cut sides down into the pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Saute at medium low heat for about three minutes, until bottoms start to caramelize and tops start turning a darker, vibrant green.

Pour vinegar over sprouts. I usually pour two turns of the pan. After the vinegar sizzles around for thirty seconds, flip all the sprouts over. Tongs are the best tool for this.

Take a second to admire the pretty colors. After another minute of cooking, add the bacon back in. Toss and cook for another 30 seconds.

Turn out into a bowl and serve.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Balsamic & Brown Sugar

makes 2 side servings

Ingredients:

1/2 lb brussels sprouts

2 slices bacon

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp brown sugar, not packed

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

1. Cut off the bottom of each sprout, then slice in half vertically. Rinse.

2. Dice bacon. Saute bacon in skillet over medium heat until just crisp. Reserve bacon. Pour off drippings.

3. Heat olive oil in skillet. Place sprouts in skillet, cut sides down. Sprinkle with sugar. Saute over medium low heat for about 3 minutes or until bottoms start to caramelize and tops start turning bright green.

4. Pour vinegar over sprouts and shake pan to distribute. Cook for 30 seconds. Turn all sprouts over and cook for another minute.

5. Add reserved bacon to sprouts. Toss and cook for 30 seconds. Salt to taste if necessary [I usually don't add salt, remember the bacon is already salty]. Serve.

Sew LA Class Photos

2012-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last night was the final session of my Square Knot Clutch class at Sew LA, and it could not have gone better!

Everybody was so happy with their clutch when they were finished, which made me even happier.

They were even brave / willing / gung-ho enough to add impromptu wrist straps. And they turned out so darn cute, I just might add it to the pattern.

If you missed this Square Knot Clutch class, don't fret, there's another one on two Saturdays in March that you can sign up for.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Sew LA!

Works in Progress

2012-02-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

As usual, I suddenly find myself in the midst of a million different projects. I sometimes wish I had the discipline to finish one project before starting another. But, I mean, yeah right.

One is this fun crocheted ripple blanket that I am making for a crochet-along with the wonderful and talented Cheryl Cambras. She crochets things like life sized unicorns. Right up my alley.

My color inspiration comes from this Modcloth dress, which I really really wanted, but mustered up enough self control not to buy:

So I thought, oh I'll just crochet a blanket version of that dress. Because that's what everyone does, right?

If only I had a dollar for every time I started a blanket. I would have a lot of dollars.

But I WILL finish this one. I WILL.

I've also been busy quilting my rainbowlicious fabric project. Both of these projects look very similar in these pictures, which was not intentional. Maybe I am just on a slightly-off-primary stripe kick?

A Class and an Interview

2012-01-31T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to be teaching my very first class at Silverlake's Sew LA tonight! It will be part 1 of my Square Knot Clutch pattern. Eeee!

Since I'm a new teacher there, they gave me a fun interview and posted it on their blog. You can read it here.

Don't worry, if you missed this one, there's another session in March that still has spots left. Check it out here.

Super Bowl Cupcakes Decorating Tutorial

2012-01-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not gonna lie. I was never very into sports.

This is probably due to three factors: 1] Neither of my parents are very into sports, 2] I was never very good at sports myself and 3] I grew up in a city with no major sports teams. The biggest thing in Toledo is our minor league baseball team, the Toledo Mud Hens.

I mean, their mascot is a little chicken that lives in the mud.

That being said, I have always liked sporting event parties. Consider three more factors: 1] They often involve lounging on couches or other squishy objects for hours on end, 2] It's ok to drink a lot and 3] Everyone is allowed to eat anything they want. It's like any dietary rule or shred of culinary sanity gets tossed out the window. The bigger the event, the more calorically suicidal the cuisine.

One dish at the Super Bowl party I went to last year was like someone had exploded together a burrito, a bag of bacon cheeseburgers and a block of velveeta cheese and somehow coerced the byproduct into a casserole dish. It was glorious, for at least the single bite I could choke down.

Anyway, this captive and willing food audience is a perfect excuse for me to make cupcakes and not have any left over. I made these Super Bowl cupcakes last year and they were a hit. They're relatively painless to make considering how cute they are.

You can just use a mix and canned frosting, or use your favorite cupcake recipe. The only non-grocery items you'll need are yellow Candy Melts and green sprinkles, which you can find at Joann's or Michaels or a specialty baking store.

Oh and p.s., I'm more into sports now. One season of being in a fantasy football league changed that. Don't knock it till you try it...

Super Bowl Cupcakes

Materials:

1 batch chocolate cupcakes

1 can white frosting or your favorite buttercream frosting recipe

green food coloring

green sprinkles

yellow Candy Melts

ziplock baggies

parchment paper or foil

First you'll make the goalposts. Melt about 1 cup of Candy Melts following the instructions on the package. Pour them into a ziplock bag and snip off one of the corners just about 1/8". Pipe the goalposts onto parchment or foil. Make the 'stems' extra long because you'll need to stick them down into the cupcake. Make more than you need, because some will break, or just be ugly.

Stick the goalposts in the fridge while you do the rest. Reserve 2 spoonfuls of white frosting in a ziplock back. Use food coloring to tint the rest green. [I used about 10 drops, maybe a few more.]

Frost the first cupcake...

...just like that. It doesn't have to look beautiful, it won't show.

Now put some of your green sprinkles in a small bowl.

Take the cupcake and gently press the frosting into the sprinkles, turning it a little to get all the edges.

Hey! An astroturf cupcake!

Now take the reserved white frosting in the ziplock and snip off a corner. Pipe some football field lines onto the grass. To do that, I did one big square 'u' shape and two lines crossing it. [Last year I also piped some colored frosting in the end zone that matched the teams' colors. This year the Patriots and the Giants have really similar colors, so that wasn't really going to work. But try it if you wanna.] You can microwave the ziplock bag for 3 seconds to make the frosting flow better.

Now take one of your goalposts and gently stick it down into the frosting right behind the end zone. [TIP: If you're taking these to a party, you might want to wait and do this last part once you get there. Bring the goalposts in a tupperware so they don't get crushed.]

All done! Superbowl cupcakes! Repeat for the rest, then drink, eat and cheer.

Quilt Update + Sewing Pattern Giveaway!

2012-01-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Remember that rainbowlicious stack of fabric I mentioned in my first post of 2012? If not, here's a visual:

I've been spending some time hacking it apart and sewing it back together [aka making a quilt, sounds silly when you say it that way]. It is coming together nicely.

BUT.

I'm not going to show you any pictures of it. Yet. Why?

Because the first person to guess what sort of quilt I'm making wins one of my PDF patterns! Winner's choice.

Leave your guess in the comments below.

I did have some 'help' while attempting to work.

Luckily I was able to divert Hootie with gentle suggestion to an alternate bed of soft squishy fabric.

The contest closes whenever I finish it and post final picture. Don't necessarily think quilt only...think outside of that! [Hint: consider the colors!]

[p.s. that 'Miss Make' banner in the second picture is one I use at craft fairs, I didn't just make it because I love staring at the name of my blog while I sew.]

Knitting with Kool-Aid

2012-01-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

I finally casted on [or is it cast on??] a new knitting project with my kool-aid dyed yarn. It's a hat pattern I've made a few times now with a nice squishy folded under ribbed edge.

So far the yarn is knitting well. There is some pooling in the colors, it seems mostly in the purple for some reason. If I were to do the same colors again I would put the purple on the end of the skein instead of in the middle, I feel like there's a little too much of it.

But it's neat to see how different it looks as each stitch is added!

Kool-Aid Dyed Yarn Tutorial

2012-01-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, nothing said summer like a tall, strong glass of Kool-Aid.

Grape was always my variety of choice. That intense fake grape flavor with a few ice cubes clinking around in the glass...oh man. Bring on the purple mustache.

But did you know, since Kool-Aid is actually colored with all synthetic dyes, you can use it to [very easily] dye yarn and other natural fibers? You don't even need to add anything to make the dye colorfast, it's acidic enough on its own. It actually dyes so well that it makes me feel strange that I used to drink the stuff. And bonus - it makes your yarn smell like it was marinated in liquid Starbust.

caffeine free, oh good

You could do all one color, but since it's so easy, it's really fun to play around with several different flavors and see what happens when they mix. To make the yarn in the picture all you need is some natural undyed 100% wool yarn [acrylic won't work], 5 different packets of Kool-Aid [make sure you get the unsweetened kind], a pyrex dish and a microwave.

The yarn I used was Knit Picks Bare 100% Peruvian Wool:

There are tutorials a'plenty on this subject all across the internet, but since I did a little batch of my own dyeing a few weeks ago, I thought I'd throw my two cents in. So here's what I did:

UPDATE: If you'd like to see what this yarn looks like knitted, here are some pictures.

Kool-Aid Dyed Yarn [variegated colors]

Materials:

100% wool yarn

1 packet each of unsweetened cherry, orange, grape, lemonade & black cherry Kool-Aid

Pyrex dish - 8" square or loaf size work well

tap water

microwave

collander

1. If your yarn is in a ball, rewrap it into a big open skein, like in the first picture of the post. You can do this by looping it around your arm or the back of a chair.
2. Fill the Pyrex dish with a few inches of water. Add the cherry Kool-Aid and mix until dissolved.

3. Put the dish in the microwave. Place one end of the skein of yarn into the Kool-Aid water, squishing it down a little. Let the rest of the skein hang out on the floor of the microwave.

4. Microwave for 5 minutes or so, stirring every minute to make sure the yarn isn't floating. You'll know the yarn is done when all the dye has been absorbed and the Kool-Aid water becomes clear.

5. Carefully remove the dish and yarn [it's hot!] and dump into a collander in the sink. Rinse the yarn with warm water a little bit until it's cool enough to touch.

6. Now mix up the next color in the dish [I used orange]. Put it back in the microwave. Submerge the next section of the yarn skein into the Kool-Aid, letting the red end and undyed end hang out over either edge. Microwave for another 5 minutes, stirring every minute.

[NOTE: At this point the yarn will act as a wick and suck some of the water out of the dish and into the bottom of your microwave. It's not that hard to clean up, since there is no sugar, but make sure you use junk towels to clean up because they'll probably get Kool-aid stained.]

7. Repeat for the two remaining colors [I did grape, then lemonade]. If you want at the very end, you can submerge the entire skein into a single color to change the overall look. I used 1/2 packet of black cherry over the whole thing to temper the colors and 'unite' them more.

8. Rinse the yarn until the water runs clear. Place it in a towel and gently push the towel to soak up some of the water. Hang the skein up to dry.

Young Hearts Photography

2012-01-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

Diamond rings on every hand. An unending supply of free cake. Several competing and out of sync thumping bass beats.

I describe not my most recent post-snooze-button hallucination, but the Santa Barbara Bridal Expo.

This past weekend I went up to SB to help a friend with her expo booth. She and her friend own their own wedding photography company, Young Hearts Photography. I was craftily responsible for the lettered garland, heart garlands and Mr. and Mrs. bunting.

Wouldn't that bunting be cute on the front of the bride and groom's table at the reception??

They also let me sit behind the table with them and hand out cards. Thanks guys!!

Some of their freebies were layers of salt water taffy...

...and cute little notepads made out of seed paper. When you plant the covers, wildflowers grow. I know, right??

If you're in the market for a wedding photographer, check out their website. Their pictures are beautiful and inspiring.

They provide at least 500 fully edited photos with their basic package [some photographers just hand over thousands of raw images and the bride ~~and groom~~ have to weed through them themselves].

They do engagement sessions too!

Santa Barbara is their home base but they're definitely up for traveling.

Just look at that barn. That's what I want someday. A wedding in a barn. With a live band and miniature desserts and flower ponies.

Brandied Crock Pot Applesauce

2012-01-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas presents I opened this year was a countertop apple peeler.

I mean, this thing is awesome. Poke a big juicy apple onto the metal forks, crank the handle, and in about thirty seconds a whole apple is peeled, cored and thinly spiral sliced.

The fact that it's purely mechanical and works without power makes it even cooler somehow.

It's just a bright little spot of culinary human ingenuity for a task that NO ONE likes to do.

The best part about it might be the apple peel ribbons left over when you're done. It makes me wish I still had horses. They would go nuts for them.

They also make me think of linguine. Apple linguine in a caramel sauce, anyone?

So needless to say, with this apple peeler and the lazy cook's best friend, a crock pot, this applesauce recipe took almost no effort. And it's delicious. And it makes your house smell amazing while it's simmering. Serve it alongside pork or latkes. Spoon it over oatmeal, pancakes, or ice cream. Shovel it into your mouth directly from the crock pot. Your choice.

Brandied Crock Pot Applesauce

Ingredients:

3 lbs apples [about 8 medium]

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp lemon juice

generous pinch ground gloves

generous pinch kosher salt

1/4 c water

1/4 c brandy

1. Peel and chop the apples into chunks.
2. Mix everything together in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours or until apples start to fall apart. Mash a little with a wooden spoon and enjoy.

Lettered Garland

2012-01-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

There's just something so nice about big block letters.

My friend has a beautiful wedding photography company called Young Hearts Photography, and she's an exhibitor at the Santa Barbara Bridal Expo this weekend. I made this garland for her booth. I used a Cricut machine at the Urban Craft Center to cut letters out of black cardstock. Then I just zigzag stitched them onto some cotton yarn, continuing along the yarn between the letters so that the thread wrapped around it.

Simple yet satisfying.

Why Hello, 2012

2012-01-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Whew. After a glorious but somewhat exhausting break, I'm back in action.

The last two weeks were spent driving from LA to Ohio for the holidays and then back again. My poor little car added over 5,000 miles to her odometer in a mere seven total days of travel time. It was most definitely a fun adventure, but I'm glad to be back in sunny, summery southern California.

This rainbowlicious stack of fabrics is for a new quilting project that's a'brewing in my head. It's way more Crayola than I usually go for, but I think I'm gonna like the final product. Here's hoping.

Happy 2012 everybody!

Healthy Honey Pumpkin Pie

2011-12-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I go running.

By running I mean that I make quite a deal of stretching, and clipping/tying/headbanding my hair back, and stretching again, and then begrudgingly huffing around my neighborhood for a little while. I'm still waiting to get addicted to exercise like I hear is allegedly possible.

But even after only a few ~~embarrassing~~ low-key workouts I already find myself wanting lots of vegetables and water. It's weird. I start trolling Pinterest for brussel sprout recipes.

So then what, I go and screw everything up by baking a pumpkin pie? But wait, listen! This pumpkin pie filling is almost completely made up of good stuff! No cream, cream cheese, whole milk. Barely any butter. Mostly pure pumpkin, yogurt and whipped egg whites.

As usual, greek yogurt, my favorite faux fat ever, makes an appearance. It lends a rich, fat-free creaminess with a ton of protein to boot. [I still don't understand how they do it.] Whipping the egg whites separately then folding them in makes the pie light, airy and fluffy. The tang of the yogurt is tempered by the sweetness of the honey. You could use agave syrup instead of the honey if you want, or even all the sugar, but I just didn't have any on hand. I'd eliminate the milk if you do all agave.

Now I'm not going to go crazy and say this tastes exactly like a no-holds-barred full fat pumpkin pie. [If you're looking for that, check out my Guinness Pumpkin Pie recipe.] But it's pretty darn close, and SO much of the bad stuff is gone. It would be even better for you if you didn't eat the crust, but I wouldn't dare blaspheme to that extent. Just letting you know it's an option. [We all have our limits.]

**NOTE:: My pie recipes are for a 9.5" pie dish, which is slightly bigger than average. If you're using an 8" or 9" pie plate, you'll have a little filling left over, which I would highly recommend pouring into a ramekin and baking along with the pie [it'll probably be done in half the time]. That way you can taste test your filling without cutting into the real deal. Plus why wouldn't you want a little pre-pie?

Healthy Honey Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 28oz can pumpkin

1 c nonfat plain greek yogurt

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c honey

2 tsp cinammon

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg yolk

1/2 c lowfat milk

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp kosher salt

pinch nutmeg [or up to 1/4 tsp if you like nutmeg, I don't really]

3 egg whites

1 unbaked pastry pie crust

1. In a large bowl beat pumpkin and yogurt until well combined. Add the rest of the filling ingredients EXCEPT the egg whites and beat until well combined.
2. Rinse your beaters. In a medium bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
3. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin mixture until well distributed.
4. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional hour to an hour and 10 minutes until filling is just set. [It definitely took longer than a regular pumpkin pie.]
5. Turn oven off and leave oven door cracked. After half an hour remove pie and cool completely.

Nutella White Russian

2011-12-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. There was a time in my life when I did not like Nutella.

To me, the chocolate and hazelnut spread that drives everyone into frenzied exuberance just tasted like frosting that someone ruined by adding nuts to it.

But then on a whim, I mixed it with peanut butter on my morning toast. And I saw the light. I will now admit to having eaten Nutella straight from the jar with a spoon. I am not ashamed.

This drink is like chocolate milk for grownups. There isn't any actual Nutella in it [I thought that would turn into a chunky sludgy mess] but all the flavors are there. The hazelnut Frangelico, chocolate sauce and half & half form a most deliciously creamy Nutella flavored libation.

I cut my half & half with milk because I wasn't into the idea of just sitting down and drinking a glass of half & half. But feel free to go with a higher half & half to milk ratio if that's your style. It would also be easy to make dairy free with soymilk or - I bet even yummier - almond milk!

Nutella White Russian

Ingredients:

1.5 shots Frangelico

.5 shot vodka

.5 shot chocolate syrup

1 shot half & half

ice

milk

hazelnut pirouette cookies [optional]

1. Mix the Frangelico, vodka, chocolate syrup and half & half in a tumbler. Add a few ice cubes and top off with milk. Stir thoroughly and garnish with a cookie.

Blue Moon Grand Cru

2011-12-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I got the most amazing email.

It was from Blue Moon. A very nice lady there had seen my Blue Moon Cupcakes post and really liked it. So they wanted to send me some special edition holiday beer. ["!!!!!!!!!" was my approximate reaction.]

A few weeks later I got a box with a beautiful bottle of Blue Moon Grand Cru and a short stemmed glass in a blue velvet bag. I didn't know what Grand Cru meant, so I looked it up. A grand cru is a small batch Belgian ale brewed for special occasions.

The beer itself was a vibrant hazy orange. It was citrusy, spicy and rich, in the same flavor family as the usual Blue Moon but with more punch. Mmm!

Thank you Blue Moon! :]

Ohio Quilt

2011-12-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I finished a quilt!

I first blogged about finishing this Ohio quilt top back in September [oh my]. I quilted it right after but ever since it's been sitting in a depressing little heap on the floor. I finally buckled down and finished the binding.

To make the Ohio pattern [the state I'm from!] I used the same Photoshop method I used to make the Rush quilt. You can find a full tutorial here. I like that the different fabrics mimic a bunch of different farm fields, which is what a lot of Ohio looks like from a plane.

Instead of surrounding the state with one solid color I opted for a patchwork of similar tones. A little extra work but I really like how it looks.

The back is a bright bubblegum pink. Why? Whelp, because that's what I had. Note that there is no picture.

I think I'm going to hang this in my room. Next up: California quilt!

Cotton Schoolgirl Skirts

2011-12-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Whew! It's been a busy week or so. I finally found the time to post a little about what I've been up to.

I just finished a batch of these gathered waist little girls' skirts. They are cute and flouncy and ever-so-slightly bell shaped. They've all been listed in my etsy shop - Christmas ones too!

I think I would really like one. As in, for me. Grownups can be cute and flouncy too, right??

Polka Dot Pie

2011-11-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

And continuing with the pie season theme...

This is more a pie crust idea post than a recipe feature, although there is a recipe at the end. I like to try to come up with new ways to vent the top of a double crusted pie besides the usual old slits. The top crust can be cut in any way you want as long as there is a place for the steam to escape.

So for my thanksgiving contribution this year, I made an apple cranberry pie and cut polka dots in the top crust. It looks really cute and all it took was a water bottle cap! I started by lightly scoring a 2" grid on my top crust with a ruler, because I'm a nut and I wanted to make sure the dots were all aligned.

Then I cut dots in alternating rows with the bottle cap and put the top crust on the pie as per usual.

So much more interesting than just the slits! If you want some more inspiration for your own pies, you can also check my plaid lattice top Bourbon Peach Pie with Cornmeal Crust:

or my Maple Blackberry pie, with a diagonal cut design:

Don't be afraid to get creative. Happy thanksgiving!

Apple Cranberry Pie

ingredients:

5 granny smith apples

1 cup cranberries, washed and rinsed

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp vanilla [I used vanilla bean paste]

generous splash[es] of brandy

2 tbsp salted butter

2 unbaked pie crusts

1. Peel and chop apples. Mix them in a bowl with the cranberries, sugars, flour, spices, brandy and vanilla.
2. Pour filling into unbaked bottom crust. Dot the top with the butter Top with second crust. Slit or cut to vent. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Put foil around edge of pie to prevent crust from burning.
3. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

Cranberry Meringue Pie

2011-11-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

It's my favorite time of year. It's pie season.

In case you haven't already noticed, I love pie. I just love it. And starting from now until the glorious end of December, I can make a pie every day without any justification. It's simply pie season.

So I thought I'd try a thanksgiving pie that departed slightly from the usual old apple or pumpkin [though don't be alarmed, I love both of those pies too. Guinness pumpkin pie anyone?]. I wanted something with a little more color and zing. Thanksgiving involves a lot of brown and white foods. Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Stuffing. Apple pie. Pumpkin pie. Brown, beige, tan. So then I though, how about cranberries? and meringue?! I've never heard of that before! How revolutionary!

After a few internet searches I was dismayed to see that I was far from the first to think of that idea. Most of the recipes I saw, however, involved making some sort of cooked curd filling, like a lemon meringue pie. I didn't want that. I wanted something a little simpler.

So this is basically a pared down cranberry salad recipe in a cinnamon crust, topped with fluffy meringue. Apart from simmering the cranberries for a few minutes there's no cooking for the filling. It's pretty easy. The color of the cranberries is so saturated and gorgeous, it almost looks fake, and when it's next to the snowy white meringue it's really pretty beautiful.

There are a lot of ways to take shortcuts with this. You could use a premade crust if you wanted. You could skip the meringue and just top the pie with a cloud of whipped cream [chill the pie overnight and add the whipped cream just before serving]. You could skip the topping all together. The next time I make this, I might try a pre-baked pastry pie crust. The filling easily soaked through the graham cracker crust and while it didn't affect the taste, it made it a little sloppy and soggy.

But no matter which way you choose to make it, this pie puts a full thanksgiving pie revolution well within your grasp. It's tart and sweet and not what anyone will expect.

Cranberry Meringue Pie

for the crust:

1 sleeve of crushed graham crackers

1/4 c sugar

6 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

for the filling:

1 12oz bag cranberries

1 orange, zested and sliced

1 c sugar

1 c water

1 20oz can crushed pineapple, drained

1 3oz package raspberry jello

(there is a seasonal cranberry jello that would work better, but my store didn't have it)

1-1.5 c boiling water

for the meringue:

4 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Make the crust:
1. Combine all crust ingredients. Mix well. Press into a 9" or 9.5" pie pan. Bake at 375 F for 7 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

Make the filling:
1. In a saucepan combine cranberries, orange zest, 1 c sugar, and 1 c water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and strain out the liquid, reserving it in a measuring cup. In a large bowl mix cranberries with orange slices and pineapple.
3. Add enough boiling water to reserved cranberry liquid to make 2 cups. Add the jello to the liquid and stir until dissolved.
4. Mix jello with cranberry, oranges and pineapple. Pour filling into cooled pie crust. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight until set.

Make the meringue:
1. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, beating on high. Beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy. Beat in vanilla.
3. Spread meringue over top of cooled pie. Be sure to spread it to the crust all the way around so that doesn't shrink while baking.
4. Bake at 400 F for 8-12 minutes until meringue is browned. Remove, cool and refrigerate before serving.
[Make sure this baby is chilled thoroughly before slicing! I made the mistake of slicing while it was still a little warm from the meringue bake, and the whole thing just kind of melted.]

Grow, Lil Onions

2011-11-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a picture of my window mini garden I posted about last week. A little over a week and my replanted green onion bulbs are on a big roll. Why have I not done this before?

Pretty soon they'll be ready for snipping. Sorry, little guys. You'll grow back.

Window Mini Garden

2011-11-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can replant the roots of store bought green onions and have your own indoor crop? I didn't either, until a few days ago. [Thanks Pinterest!]

After trimming off the bulbs of some green onions for the tortilla soup I made the other day, I put a dirt-filled coffee can in a sunny window and planted three of the bulbs with the tops exposed and the roots pointed down. It's only been two days and they're already going to town.

Apparently you can keep snipping the green parts off and they'll grow back four or five times. I can't wait for freshly snipped green onions...

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

2011-11-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally dipped here in La La Land. The nights are cold and damp and the daytime sun doesn't quite break through the chill. It's the perfect weather for fires, hot tea, blankets, and homemade soups.

I love making soup in the crock pot. Just dump in and turn on. The end. Plus there are always leftovers to enjoy the next day, and the day after that.

This vegetarian tortilla soup is rich and hearty and soul-warming. As a meatasaurus [technical term] I sometimes find that I miss the solidness of meat in vegetarian recipes, but this soup is not the case. It doesn't even need it. If you wanted to, you could throw a chicken breast or two in with everything at the beginning and cook on high instead of low, then shred it with a knife and fork before serving. But you really don't have to. Honest.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 bunch green onions

1 small bag frozen corn

1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 4oz can diced green chiles

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans vegetable broth

2 cups water

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp hot sauce, or to taste

[I used a chipotle hot sauce]

1 bay leaf

For garnish:

shredded cheese

tortilla chips

avocado

lime zest

1. Cut bulb ends off green onions. Chop into small pieces, stopping just when the leaves start. Reserve a handful of the greener part for garnish.
2. Saute the remaining chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Mix green onions with the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for about 6 hours.
4. Garnish soup with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla strips, a few slices of avocado, some of the reserved green onions, and a little bit of lime zest. Serve.

My Upcoming Classes

2011-11-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Just wanted to quickly let you know that I'm teaching some upcoming classes at the Urban Craft Center:

Intro to Sewing ages 8-12 (THIS Saturday, Nov 5, 11-2pm): This intro class is specifically geared towards kids. They'll learn sewing machine basics and make a simple pillow case.

Hand Sewn Binding Clinic (Sat. Nov. 19, 11-2pm): If you have a quilting project that you just can't seem to finish, bring it in and I will help you with the binding. This is also a great refresher class if you just want to brush up on your binding skills.

You can call the UCC or use the handy dandy online signup forms that I linked above. Hope to see you there!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everybody! Use this day as an excuse to eat lots of candy.

I just remembered that I had a chocolate bar in the cupboard while I typed that. Not kidding.

Going to get it now.

In honor of Halloween, I hope you enjoy these pictures of my cat Fox dressed up as a Jack-o-cat.

crazed Jack-o-cat

What, not every cat has his own Halloween costume?

dead with shame.

Bloody Bite Cupcakes

2011-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ewwww.

If that's what you just said...mission accomplished.

This is where I was going with those chocolate dentures the other day. While these might look kinda complicated, they're really not. It's just cake mix, store bought frosting, canned strawberry pie filling and plain old white chocolate chips for the teeth. I'm as fierce a lover of 'from scratch' as anyone, but let's be honest, we all have our limits. These cupcakes are not about slicing organic strawberries to make a homemade compote or scraping vanilla bean seeds into cake batter.

They are about an orphaned set of demonic dentures biting into a bloody cupcake.

The best part about them might be that they truly 'bleed' when bitten because they are filled with strawberry filling. [Note: Eating them is not quite as messy as the following picture implies. I definitely added some oozing strawberry for effect.]

The only special equipment these require are life sized teeth candy molds. I found some at my local independent baker's supply shop. I actually bought them about eight months ago, they were too weird not to buy. You'll also need food coloring. I find the Wilton gel colorings from Michael's are the best, they come in so many colors. But you could probably wing it with the standard grocery store four.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of making teeth, you could totally get a bag of cheap vampire teeth, the kind given out as favors, and use those instead. You might need to snip them in half if they're the hinged kind.

Either way kids and adults alike will LOVE these at your Halloween party!

Bloody Bite Cupcakes

Ingredients:

12 baked yellow cupcakes

1 can white frosting

1 21 oz can strawberry pie filling

1 bag white chocolate chips [white candy melts would probably work better, but I already had the chips]

Wilton gel colorings in Pink and Creamy Peach

false teeth candy molds

Directions:
First cut a circle into the top of a cupcake.

Then pry out the circle. It should come out pretty easily. Set it aside - it's going to be the 'lid'.

Dig out the inside of the cupcake with a spoon. Don't dig all the way to the bottom. Toss the cupcake innards. Or eat them. No one's watching.

Fill the cavity with some strawberries and strawberry goo, but not all the way.

Now cover it with the cupcake 'lid.' Repeat for all the cupcakes.

Put the frosting in a bowl and microwave it in 5 second intervals until it's slightly runny. [This will make a nice smooth and shiny surface on the top of the cupcake.] Add just the TINIEST bit of creamy peach food coloring. Like a single molecule. Stir until it's all combined.

Spoon some frosting on the top of each cupcake and work it around to cover the top.

To make the teeth - microwave the chocolate chips in a bowl in 20 second intervals until you can smush them around with a spoon. They won't melt past the consistency of clay. It's weird. But it will still work. Spoon some of the chocolate into your molds and tap the top with a spoon until it's down in all the crevices. Tap the full molds firmly on the counter to help them flatten out.

Put them in the fridge to set up for a few minutes. Then just pop 'em out.

On a sheet of wax paper, mix a little creamy peach and pink gel coloring. Add some strawberry goo to make a nice glossy pink paste. Use a finger to carefully smear the color on the 'gums' portion of the teeth. Don't forget the tops too. If using your finger grosses you out, you could probably use those disposable foam makeup wedges. I tried a paintbrush, it didn't work very well.

Dribble a little strawberry filling goo on the top of each cupcake, letting some drip down the side. Push a set of teeth down into the frosting. Repeat for all!

Chocolate Dentures

2011-10-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Just a little glimpse of something I'm up to this week...

White chocolate dentures anyone?

Halloween's right around the corner!!

Hidden Message Glow in the Dark Embroidery

2011-10-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, last week I had a guest post on the great site WhipUp. I'm excited and honored to be included in Kathreen's guest blogger series.

My post was a how-to for this simple but really cool embroidery project. It uses glow in the dark embroidery floss to hide a secret message in a seemingly random pattern of white stitches.

How awesome is glow in the dark embroidery floss?? Having a geek out.

The post includes all the directions plus a free PDF download of the embroidery pattern. Head on over there to check it out!

it GLOWS!

Heather Ross Giveaway Winner

2011-10-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

The comments are in, and thanks to a handy random number generator, we have a winner:

Congratulations to Lorrie for winning these little gems.

If you missed this giveaway, be sure to sign up for my email list so you don't miss future ones!

Sugared Chili Pumpkin Seeds

2011-10-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

After my recent burst of teeth-rotting, muffin-top-inducing Halloween recipes [though those sorts of things are my specialty], it was actually a relief to make something a little more low key that I didn't have to feel too bad about eating.

These pumpkin seeds are roasted in one of my favorite flavor rubs - brown sugar and chili powder. I love it because it has that perfect sweet / salty thing going on. The brown sugar is carmel-ly and robust, the chili powder is smoky [not spicy], and the salt rounds everything out in a perfectly mouth watering way.

It honestly tastes great on just about anything savory. I've used it when baking salmon and chicken, and this chicken-bacon appetizer from Paula Deen [though not for the meat-wary] is one of the best party / football day finger foods ever. People seriously devour those little nubbins like they're crack.

So as you carve your jack-o-lanterns this year, don't throw away that pumpkin goop until you get those seeds out to roast up and enjoy.

Sugared Chili Pumpkin Seeds

seeds from 1 medium pumpkin [about 1.5 cups]

1 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Rinse and dry the seeds thoroughly. Mix the sugar, chili and salt in a small bowl.
2. Pour the butter over the seeds and stir. Add the sugar mixture and stir to combine.
3. Spread in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Heather Ross Fabric Giveaway

2011-10-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Free fabric! Did you hear me? I said FREE FABRIC!

Miss Make is quickly approaching 100,000 views, and I have a guest post on the awesome site WhipUp coming up next week. Things in the land of Miss Make are pretty happy. So to celebrate I decided to give away eight Heather Ross fat quarters from my own stash to one lucky reader. Well, seven are fat quarters, and the eighth, the yellow frog prince, is actually a true quarter yard off the bolt.

Heather Ross is my favorite fabric designer. I love her illustration style and color choices, but most of all I love what she chooses to draw. It's always something whimsical that reminds me of being a kid, but it's never too cutesy.

These fabrics are all out of print designs that are getting harder and harder to find. I hope you're especially excited about the yellow dog print because I AM. I inexplicably found two fat quarters of it in a remnant bin at JoAnn's in Chino, CA last year. When I found them it had been at least a couple years since they were available. I have no idea how they got there, but as I was squatting on the dusty linoleum floor pawing through chunks of ugly polyesters and gaudy metallic plaid, I felt like a prospector finding gold when I pulled those two soft yellow fat quarters from the depths.

The peach tadpoles in jars is one of my favorite fabrics I have. It's so wonderful and soft. In fact, I have not been able to bring myself to cut into the several yards I bought and hoarded two years ago until now. Baby steps!

For a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post, and I will randomly select someone once the contest closes. Make sure that you have an email address in your profile somewhere so that I can reach you for shipping info should you win. The contest will run for a week and remain open until 11:59PM PST on Friday, October 14.

Be sure to become a follower or sign up for my email updates too [both over there in the righthand column] so you don't miss any future giveaways and contests!

Climbing on the Hallowagon

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

After bombarding the internet with a surge of intensely Halloween inspired posts, I decided it was time to cut myself off from orange and pumpkin by starting a new, completely non-holiday-themed sewing project.

It's a simple KwikSew dress pattern that has a kind of retro vibe. I wanted to make a practice version first since it's my first time making a dress [with a zipper! gulp!]. I thought about buying cheap muslin but then I realized I could just use an old sheet I still had from my college days. I [hopefully] don't have any XL twin mattresses in my near future. Never mind that it's the color of medical scrubs. It's just practice, right?

And of course since it was a floor project, I had a helper in no time, more than willing to flop limply and unceremoniously into the very center of what I was doing.

Oh, Gingher dressmaker shears, you are a thing of beauty.

Thanks for your help, Hootie!

Candy Corn Vodka Tonic

2011-10-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

Remember how I posted about my potentially disgusting idea a little while ago?

Well, it has been executed. I have made candy corn vodka. I mixed them together in a jar, let it sit for a week, then strained out all these little weird stringy pieces left behind.

The results are not earth shattering. My life has not been changed. But it did turn out better than I expected. [Though I did expect to instantly upchuck the moment I tried this stuff, so the bar was pretty low.]

Despite its intense, eye-melting neon orange color [thank you, cheap candy dye], the flavor of the candy corn is very subtle. It mostly tastes like plain old vodka, with a vague corn syrup and imitation butter finish.

I will honestly probably never make this again. BUT, I was very excited by the fact that when I made a vodka tonic with it, the layers of liquid and ice separated and looked JUST like the stripes on a candy corn. That might be the best part of this whole experiment.

So if you don't want the taste of candy corn but want a drink that looks like it, you could put food coloring in regular vodka. You could also swap out candy corn for orange skittles so that at least it tastes like something definitive [because let's be honest, this is not a high brow drink]. Or you could use a liquor that's already bright orange colored, though none are coming to mind for me at the moment. Anybody?

UPDATE: Veronica from PlantedLA suggested using orangecello as the liqueur instead of the vodka if you're not too into the taste of candy corn. I think that's a great idea. The orangecello would still create the candy corn striated look when you pour the tonic on top of it. Thanks Veronica! :]

Candy Corn Vodka Tonic

1 oz candy corn vodka [recipe follows]

splash orange juice

tonic water

ice

candy corn [for garnish]

1. Mix the vodka and orange juice. Pour it over ice.
2. Gently and slowly pour the tonic water on top. Do not stir.
3. Press a candy corn onto the brim of the glass and serve.

Candy Corn Vodka

2 c vodka

3/4 c candy corn

1. Mix both ingredients in a glass jar. Seal tightly and let rest in a cool dark cupboard for 5 days.
2. Give the jar a shake and strain through a paper towel. Store in the jar in the freezer.

Pumpkin Pie Pops

2011-09-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

I know there are already recipes out there for pumpkin pie pops. But I had some extra pie dough and an already-opened can of pumpkin in my fridge [who doesn't??] so I thought I'd give them a go.

I mixed up some pumpkin filling, cut out the shapes from the dough, and carved some little jack-o-lantern faces.

Then I assembled.

A half hour later...

They're almost like little pumpkin pie cookies. In fact, you could even make them that way if you wanted to. Just leave out the sticks.

But I like the sticks.

Easier eating.

And everything's better on a stick.

Pumpkin Pie Pops

[makes one dozen]

Ingredients:

1.5 c pumpkin puree

1/2 c sugar

3 tbsp melted butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1 package (2 crusts) pie pastry

12 sucker sticks or popsicle sticks
[sucker sticks are available at most craft or baking supply stores]

1. In a bowl, mix everything except the pie pastry. Mix well until incorporated.
2. With a pumpkin cookie cutter, cut 24 pumpkins from the 2 pie crusts, or whatever even number you can fit. Lay 12 of them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a little jack-o-lantern face on the other 12. [If you want, you can just cut slits like a regular pie.]
3. Put a dollop of pumpkin filling on the center of each pumpkin on the baking sheet. Put the end of a sucker stick in the center. Using your finger, brush milk or water around the rims of the pumpkins. Top each with a jack-o-lantern pumpkin, pressing the edges to seal.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes or until pumpkins are golden brown. Let cool slightly then remove from the parchment with a spatula. Store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper.

Candy Shop Quilt

2011-09-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

After spending a majority of my crafty time in the kitchen recently, and after having a few different recipes turn out not so great [charred pumpkin granola anyone? how about some sour kiwi froyo?], the kitchen and I have decided we need a break from one another. That's usually how our relationship works. So I sat down and finally finished this quilt I started a while ago.

The goal was to do something a little more pieced and traditional that what I usually do. I've always wanted to make a jar quilt, where each block is pieced to look like a mason jar filled with whatever your fabric print is.

But that piecing seemed just a little too intricate for me to deal with. So I thought I'd make each block look like a piece of candy in a wrapper, and the different prints of fabric are like different 'flavors.'

It kinda works, right? It's pretty simple, just two half square triangles on each side of a square.

The back is delicious retro fruit fabric from Alexander Henry, and the binding is a cute little horseshoe print.

All in all I like how this quilt turned out. And I think it was good for me to have to do a repetitive block over and over. Discipline!

*UPDATE: The Candy Shop quilt has been listed in my etsy store.*

Make Your Own Reese's Pumpkins

2011-09-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for hyped-up seasonal food.

Cadbury eggs? Yes please. Peppermint ice cream? So exciting. Pumpkin spice anything? Sign me up.

So when you take a Reese's peanut butter cup, a divine creation that I firmly believe was tossed down to feeble mankind from the golden clouds of Mt. Olympus, and you add the word seasonal, well then, you have yourself a little nugget of heaven.

I think the Reese's egg is my favorite seasonal Reese's, but a close second is the Reese's pumpkin. [Yes I KNOW it's all the same stuff, just in different shapes. But some are just better, ok?!?] So of course I thought I'd try making them.

It's really very easy. For any Ohioans/midwesterners/southerners out there, the recipe is the same for making buckeyes or peanut butter balls. So if you already have a favorite tried-and-true recipe, you can use that one.

First you mix up the simple three-ingredient peanut butter dough, roll it out to a generous 1/4" thickness, and cut out your pumpkin shapes with a cookie cutter. I found these great mini autumn cookie cutters at Sur la Table that were the perfect size.

Stick your pumpkins in the freezer for twenty minutes. Then melt your chocolate and give them a nice dunk.

I wish I was that pumpkin.

Lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet until they cool and set up. Put them in the fridge to speed up the process. And there you go! Homemade chocolate peanut butter pumpkins.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Pumpkins

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups unsifted powdered sugar

1 11.5 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp shortening

1. In a large bowl mix together peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar. You'll probably have to use your hands.
2. Roll dough out on a parchment lined surface to a generous 1/4" thickness. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out your pumpkins. Reroll scraps and cut again.
3. Place cut pumpkins in the freezer. Meanwhile in a double boiler melt chocolate and shortening until smooth and liquidy.
4. Using a fork, dunk each frozen pumpkin in the chocolate, shaking off the excess. Place pumpkins on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until set.

A Potentially Disgusting Idea

2011-09-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

When I thought of this recipe, I hesitated at first. It could go wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

But I had to try it. I just had to.

It won't be ready for another few days, but here's a clue. It involves these...

...and this.

Stay tuned for the results.

Cat + Hot Towels = Happy Cat

2011-09-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nothing like immersing yourself completely in a load of warm, fluffy, freshly dried towels.

Happy Friday!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup and Pumpkin Spice Irish Coffee

2011-09-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte exists. Let me tell you why.

Where I live, there is no real 'fall.' There aren't any trees that ignite overnight in a fiery spectrum of red and gold. There isn't a first frost or the smell of woodsmoke in the crisp air. There are no apple orchards. I resolutely don my plaids and my scarves, my tights and my boots, but by midday the temperature has climbed well into the seventies and I must sweatily admit defeat. There is almost nothing besides a date on a calendar to indicate when fall begins.

Except for the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

When it arrives - seemingly earlier and earlier every year [no complaint here] - it is officially autumn. Pumpkin! and Spices! How could it not be? Pumpkins mean Halloween is right around the corner, and then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

I've been ordering my PSLs iced lately, with just one pump of the syrup. Those lattes are pricey, so I started thinking about making my own syrup. I've made simple syrup plenty of times before, so why not just add the pumpkin and the spice?

It totally worked. The resulting syrup is not only great for coffee, but it would be great on ice cream, in hot chocolate, in cocktails, on top of pancakes, the list goes on. I put a little bourbon in mine [of course] because I love the flavor and the alcohol completely burns off, but feel free to leave it out if you aren't a big fan. This recipe makes just barely 8oz, so double and triple as needed.

I also included a recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Irish Coffee. So decadent and good and it warms you from the inside out. You can also take out the 'irish' if you want and just make a delicious and creamy non alcoholic drink.

Happy fall!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 c bourbon [optional]

1/2 c pumpkin puree

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Mix everything together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cool and store in a glass jar or bottle in the fridge.

Pumpkin Spice Irish Coffee

Ingredients:

1 cup hot coffee

2 tbsp pumpkin spice syrup

1 shot whiskey [I used bourbon, naturally]

1 tbsp half & half

whipped cream

1. Mix the first four ingredients in a large mug. Top with whipped cream.

Tutorial: Melted Crayon Art

2011-09-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted my crayon art tutorial on Instructables, a huge website with tons of how-tos for all kinds of projects. I'm excited to say that it made the front page! Woooo!

I wanted to post the pictures here too in case anyone lands on my blog. So here's my take two on a melted crayon art tutorial:

Melted Crayon Art

Materials:

a blank canvas

crayons, new or old (I needed about 60-70 for my 16" x 20" canvas)

a utility or exacto knife (optional, for peeling the crayons)

hot glue gun

heat tool or a hair dryer with a diffuser or low blower setting

First cover your work surface in newspaper.

Then decide what kind of color spectrum you are going to do. Remember you don't have to do just a rainbow. You could do only cool colors, only warm colors, a random assortment, big stripes, etc.

Take the wrappers off all the crayons you're going to use. A quick and easy way to do this is to slit each wrapper with a utility knife. It will then just peel right off.

Next lay out your crayons along the top edge of your canvas until you like how the sequence of colors looks.

Then hot glue each one down right next to one another with the tops flush to the top of the canvas.

Once all your crayons are glued down, prop your canvas up at a gentle angle. I used a glass of water. Make sure the bottom edge is over your newspaper.

Turn on your heat tool or hair dryer. If you're using a hair dryer, you'll need to put it on a low blower setting or use a diffuser, otherwise it will spatter the wax everywhere.

Focus the heat on the crayons. They will quickly turn sweaty, then start dripping down the canvas.

When you like the way it looks, let it cool a few minutes then hang it up!

A Finished Quilt Top

2011-09-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Despite having jammed my thumb on Saturday morning tossing a football [hooray for football season!], this weekend I learned how to make a straw fedora and finished this quilt top.

Why the great state of Ohio? Because that's where I'm from. To make the pattern I used the same photoshop method as the Rush quilt that I posted about a couple of months ago. Check out that post for a full tutorial!

I think a nice squiggly free motion quilting pattern is in store for this baby. What about the binding? I'm thinking the navy and white star fabric.

Oh hello, little equestrian accessories, you are one of my favorites.

And what about the fedora? It was millinery class at the Urban Craft Center taught by Corina Heywood. Maybe once I finish it [and if it looks remotely decent] I'll post some pics...

Blueberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

2011-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

I really didn't know whether to call this frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Yes, it contains my new favorite thing, greek yogurt, and no, there isn't cream or half and half in it. It's actually not even that bad for you. So frozen yogurt?

But this tastes nothing like frozen yogurt. This tastes like rich, creamy, velvety ice cream.

It's both. It's neither.

Fro-cream? Ice-yo? I just don't know.

If this recipe sounds familiar, I did post recently about an actual blueberry cheesecake. If you're thinking to yourself, oh my gawd, is she recycling recipes? Thing is, there was a bag of frozen blueberries I needed to finish off, I had a big thing of greek yogurt just sitting in the fridge, and it was hot as hades in LA when I made this on Tuesday. And it's not really the same thing at all.

So I present to you, blueberry cheesecake froyo.

Blueberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

1 6oz package blueberries [about 1.5 c]

1/8 c sugar

1.5 tsp lemon juice

3 oz cream cheese

1.5 c nonfat greek yogurt

1.5 c milk [I used 1%]

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp vodka

1. In a small ovenproof dish, mix blueberries, 1/4 c sugar, and lemon juice. Let sit a few minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and chill completely.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese lightly until whipped. Add yogurt and beat until well combined.
3. Add milk and sugar and beat, scraping down the bowl very thoroughly so there aren't any lumps.
4. Add vanilla, vodka and lemon zest. Beat until just combined.
5. Freeze milk mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. In the last minute of churning, add chilled blueberries. Pour into a container and freeze overnight.

Another Quilt

2011-09-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the three day weekend is over. Mine was filled with sunshine, relaxation, a barbeque, and some mild food poisoning. Ew!

So now it's back to the grind. This is my newest quilt I'm working on. Almost finished with the top. I think that goldenrod Heather Ross fabric with the miniature horseback riding accessories might be my favorite fabric ever, or at least in the top three.

And just a reminder...my modern quilting class is coming up this Sunday at the Urban Craft Center, so if you live in the LA area and are interested in learning how to quilt, I'd love to teach you!

Black Bean Sliders with Creamy Chipotle Sauce & Cornbread Buns

2011-09-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. Two recipes in a row. I just want to make sure everyone is BBQ ready for this weekend.

I've said before that I love things in miniature. Sliders are no exception. Baby burgers! These hearty little bites are full of a mouth-stuffing goodness that's actually pretty healthy. They're also vegetarian. They would be PERFECT with the spiked lavender lemonade I posted last week. And how about some Blue Moon cupcakes for dessert?

If you can't find Chipotle hot sauce, feel free to use your favorite kind. I just love the smokiness of chipotle.

Also just a warning: the corn muffin buns are pretty crumbly and make eating these a little messy. You might want to have a bag of dinner rolls on hand just in case. You can also just buy premade rolls or muffins and skip making them completely!

Black Bean Sliders with Creamy Chipotle Sauce and Cornbread Buns

makes 12

For the burgers:

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 small egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chipotle hot sauce

1 tbsp barbeque sauce

1 tsp chili powder

For the chipotle sauce:

1/4 c greek yogurt

2 tsp chipotle hot sauce

For the buns:

2 packages Jiffy corn muffin mix

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

OR 12 premade dinner rolls or corn muffins

For burger assembly:

2 small tomatoes (like Roma)

lettuce

toothpicks

1. Follow the package instructions on the Jiffy mix to make 12 corn muffins, or buy them premade. Let them cool and carefully slice them in half.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly mash black beans. Add onion, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp hot sauce, barbeque sauce and chili powder. Stir until well combined. Mixture will be sticky.
3. Heat a grill pan or skillet or line your grill with heavy duty foil. Brush with oil. Make patties by the heaping tablespoon and grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
4. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and 2 tsp hot sauce until well combined.
5. Assemble sliders: on bottom of corn muffins, stack burger patty, dollop of chipotle sauce, tomato, lettuce, and top of corn muffin. Use a toothpick to hold it all together if necessary.

Blue Moon Cupcakes

2011-08-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, the collision of two wonderful things.

This recipe really doesn't need very much explaining. They're cupcakes that look and taste like little Blue Moons. The cake has that faint citrus and wheat taste, and the frosting is light and airy and barely there, just like the foam on top of a beer.

These would be a great crowd pleaser to bring to a Labor Day barbeque. And if you don't want to make them from scratch, I'd be willing to bet that you could just add some Blue Moon and orange zest to a packaged yellow cake mix. Just get one that uses butter, not oil [otherwise it will be too liquidy] and add 1/2 - 3/4 cup beer and 1/2 tsp of orange zest.

I used a little food coloring in the cake batter because I really wanted that golden orange color of Blue Moon. You can definitely leave it out, your cupcakes will just be a lighter color.

NOTE: I know some of you might not be too into the idea of making icing out of egg whites. If that doesn't sound appealing, or if you're going to store your cupcakes for a little while before eating, you can just make a basic buttercream recipe [like this one] and add the orange zest and juice to it.

Blue Moon Cupcakes

3/4 c unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 c sugar

2 1/2 c flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2 drops red food coloring

10 drops yellow food coloring

1/2 tsp orange zest

1 c Blue Moon beer

1/4 c milk

Frothy White Frosting [recipe follows]

small orange slices, for garnish

Directions:
1. Line 24 cupcake trays with liners. [Use white liners if you can, they become translucent during baking and really sell the mini Blue Moon image]. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking power and salt.
2. In a large bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar a little bit at a time, beating well. Once it's all added beat for 2 more minutes.
3. Add eggs, beating after each.
4. Add vanilla, food coloring and orange zest and beat.
5. Mix beer and milk in a measuring cup. Alternatively add beer / milk mixture and flour mixture to butter mixture in the large bowl, beating after each. End on the flour mixture.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees F until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Once cool, frost each cupcake with a generous amount of frosting. Just before serving, garnish each with a small orange slice.

Frothy White Frosting

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange juice

1 c sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/3 c water

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, mix sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla and orange juice until soft peaks form. Slowly add hot sugar mixture, beating continuously. Beat for 7 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Tutorial: How to Make a Light Box

2011-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my mom used to let me play with her Barbie tracing set that she played with when SHE was a little girl.

For a visual: me, as a little girl, with my brother

The Barbie tracing set involved a purple and white box that lit up when you plugged it in. There were a ton of templates of old school Barbies and Kens with outfits and accessories, and you could use them all to trace your own scenes. [Now that I'm thinking about this thing, I hope it still exists somewhere. Mom?]

A little more recently, I was trying to figure out how to trace an embroidery pattern onto dark navy blue fabric, and I remembered the purple and white light box. Since a Barbie tracing set is not something I currently own, I thought I'd try to make a light box with a few standard things lying around the house.

It absolutely ended up working. I could see the embroidery pattern very clearly through the solid navy blue cotton fabric.

It even lit up a slide I had from an old photography class.

traffic cones are so poignant

How to Make a Light Box

Materials:

shoebox

aluminum foil

wax paper

bright flashlight [make sure the batteries are fresh]

glass from an 8x10 picture frame

small stack of paperbacks

First cut a large rectangle [about 5x7] in the lid of the box and a smaller square in one end. The square should be big enough to just fit the end of your flashlight. Then tear some sheets of foil, crinkle it up and open it back up. Press the wrinkly foil into the inside of the box.

Lay the wax paper over the open hole in the top of the box. Cover with the glass. Rest the end of the flashlight into the square hole in the end of the box. Use the stack of books to prop the other end of the flashlight up so that it points down into the foil.

Turn on the flashlight. Voila! Light box! Trace away.

Blog Redesign and Upcoming Giveaways

2011-08-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

If you visit Miss Make regularly, you might notice a few design changes here and there. I'm trying to spiff things up and get ready for some upcoming guest posts I'm doing on a few really great blogs [excitement!].

I'm also going to be doing a giveaway in the next week or so. Not telling yet what it's going to be, but here's a hint...[stay tuned for details]...

Spiked Lavender Lemonade

2011-08-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted a drink recipe.

Allow me to fix that.

This drink is the perfect concoction for a summer winding down. It's the fresh tart juiciness of just-squeezed lemonade and the soothing herbal goodness of lavender. The sourness of the lemon juice keeps the floral taste of the lavender well in check so that it doesn't taste like you're drinking perfume. [I once had lavender ice cream that tasted like frozen soap. This is NOT like that at all, it's very balanced.]

Make sure that you use food grade lavender from the grocery store, not dried lavender from a craft store meant for potpourri. Most major grocery store chains should carry it in the spice section. If you can't find it you can definitely try using fresh lavender, though you might not need as much and it might have a 'greener' flavor.

It's been nice, summer. See ya next year.

Spiked Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 oz ice cold vodka

1 oz lavender simple syrup [recipe follows]

1 oz cold water

juice of 1 lemon [about 1 oz]

Directions:
1. Mix everything together in a glass. Add ice cubes until glass is full. Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve.

Lavender Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp dried lavender buds

Directions:
1. Mix together sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to just simmering over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, put lavender in a coffee filter and tie closed with string.
3. Remove saucepan from heat. Add lavender sachet, making sure it is fully submerged. Steep for 15 minutes.
4. Remove lavender bag.

Tutorial: Reusable Shopping Bag from a T-Shirt

2011-08-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on. Starting this September 1st, my current home of Santa Monica is banning any and all plastic grocery bags. Anyone caught even THINKING about a plastic bag will be immediately sentenced to eight and a half years of sifting broken glass out of beach sand with their teeth, without parole.

I kid, only because my neighborhood grocery store is being quite serious. I went shopping there several weeks ago to find the parking lot plastered with no less than thirty plastic bag deadline signs. I have never seen that many signs there for anything. Ever.

I already have some reusable grocery bags in my arsenal, but since this ban is taking effect soon I thought I'd better make some more. So I converted one of my many old collegiate t-shirts.

It's really easy to turn an old t-shirt into a durable shopping bag. You can even make one of the sleeves into a drawstring pouch hidden inside to keep your foodie tote contained and organized when not in use.

I always seem to be schlepping something somewhere [curse of the crafter], so this bag is going right into my car for my next trip to the grocery store. I'm ready, SanMo.

Reusable Shopping Bag from a T-shirt

Materials:

old tshirt

3 yards of double fold bias tape

thin cotton or nylon cording (string works)

First turn the tshirt inside out and sew the bottom closed just above the finished seam of the t-shirt bottom.

Next, fold each corner so that the seam you just showed forms the center of two triangles. Mark off a 4" line and sew, backstitching at the beginning and end.

Turn the tshirt right side out. Using a chalk pencil, roughly mark out the shape of a tank top on the top of your tshirt. It works best to make as much of the "handle" portion as straight as possible. I used the bottom of the sleeves as reference for how far to cut down.

Cut along your lines, going through both sides of the shirt at once.

Technically at this point you could be finished [yay easy!], but if you add bias tape around the edges your bag won't deteriorate and stretch out as fast. So, get your bias tape. I used some vintage tape I scored at an antique mall in my Ohio hometown. It was only single fold, so I had to iron it in half first.

Starting at one of the t-shirt's inner shoulder seams, hold the bias tape around the raw edge of the t-shirt and topstitch it down through all the layers.

Keep going all the way around the edge. When you get back to the beginning, trim the tape so there's a little overlap...

...fold and finger press the raw edge under, and sew it down, backstitching at the end.

Repeat the bias tape treatment with the two other raw t-shirt edges.

And now again, technically you could be done. But don't you want an attached matching drawstring storage bag? Take one of the t-shirt sleeves you chopped off. Make sure it's right side out and mark a rectangle on it as shown below, leaving the finished sleeve side open. The size doesn't matter very much, I just made mind as big as I could without crossing the armhole seam.

Sew the rectangle and trim the excess.

Turn the sleeve so the seam you just sewed is on the inside. The machine-finished sleeve hem should now be on the outside. Using a yarn needle, thread your string or thin nylon cording through the threads of the seam, like a casing. I used twine, but its prickles made it a little hard to pull through. I'd recommend thin cotton or nylon cord.

Let the two tails hang out and there you have it! Drawstring pouch with one seam!

Now let's attach it to your shopping tote. Turn the tote inside out so you see the original bottom of the tshirt. Put the edge of it just inside the drawstring pouch.

Sew the tshirt edge to the drawstring pouch with a 2 inch seam, backstitching at the beginning and end. This seam must be in the seam allowance of the t-shirt seam and BELOW the drawstring on the pouch.

Now you can stuff the shopping bag into the pouch when it's not in use and - perfect! - it's neat, tidy and stored.

NOW you're done.

Death Star Cupcakes

2011-08-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish I had gotten a better picture of these. Regret.

This is just a quick show and tell picture post. These might have been my most well received surprise cupcakes ever.

The death stars are fondant in two different shades that I rolled together to make flat. Then I piped the detail on top.

That's no moon....

Homemade Granola Bars Take 2 - Mango Coconut Ginger

2011-08-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

So the granola bar experiment I did a few weeks ago had very good results. My little nutty creations were quite well received by the critics.

Ever since then I've wanted to try some different flavor combos. [Plus I now have this giant hulking bag of rolled oats in my cupboard that I need to use up.]

For attempt number two, I used almonds, coconut, dried mango and ginger, plus the usual rolled oats.

ready to be smushed

I realllly wanted to add cinnamon, but I'm realizing that cinnamon is kind of like a baking crutch for me. I put it in everything because I know it will make it automatically good, but then after awhile things start tasting the same. So this time, I said NO cinnamon. And it didn't need it. These things taste great.

smushing

If you have any kids going back to school, I think these granola bars look pretty perfect for stuffing into lunch boxes. They're also a great grab and go breakfast or work snack.

smushed ~~birdseed~~ granola

Warning: The bag of rolled oats is still going strong, so this might not be the last time I post about granola bars...

Mango Coconut Ginger Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1.5 c unsalted almonds [toasted or raw]

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 c dried mango [apricots would work if you can't find mango]

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 c honey

1/4 c brown sugar

3 T butter [salted]

1/4 tsp salt

1. Spread the oats on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring often.
2. Repeat with the coconut [and almonds if you bought raw ones], being careful that they don't burn.
3. In a food processor, give the nuts and coconut a few pulses to break them up into smaller pieces. Then pulse 3/4 c of the oats until they are finely ground.
4. Use a knife to slice the mango or apricot into small bite sized pieces.
5. Mix both oats, the almonds, fruit, coconut and ginger in a large bowl.
6. In a small saucepan, cook the honey, butter, brown sugar and salt over medium heat until it bubbles. Let it bubble for about a minute and remove from heat.
7. Spray an 8"x8" baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
8. Pour the honey mixture over dry mixture in bowl. Toss well until everything's coated.
9. Turn the mixture out into the pan. Put a plastic baggy over your hand and push the granola down into the pan until it's well packed.
10. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for a few hours then slice into bars. Wrap in wax paper or store in an airtight container.

Modern Quilting Class in September

2011-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hiya folks...just letting you know that I'll be teaching the Modern Quilting class again at the Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica on Sundays, September 11th & 18th, from 11am-3pm. Is that really only three and a half weeks away??

We'll be doing a really cool striped baby quilt [seen above!] with a pattern you can make over and over with very different results. Students will make a baby quilt from start to finish and leave with the skills to make a quilt of any size.

Here is a link to their class schedule with pricing and contact info. Call 'em and sign up if you're interested!

Melted Crayon Art

2011-08-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: ** I've posted a more in depth crayon art tutorial with more pictures. Check out that post too!**

I am a person who usually likes order and precision when I make things.

But I can get messy. And a little destructive.

This project is all about being imprecise and reveling in the beauty of patterns and colors that just happen on their own. It's also really easy and takes less than an hour. You just need some old crayons, a canvas or board, and a hair dryer. Maybe those crayons that are already kinda ruined from when they melted in the car?

I have to credit my cousin with the inspiration for these. When I saw her post some facebook pictures of these melted crayon art pieces she had made, I knew I had to try it myself. They just looked so beautiful and graphic.

Melted Crayon Art

Materials:

painting canvas or a board

crayons

hot glue gun

heat tool [a hair dryer works]

1. Remove the wrappers from the crayons. Arrange them in a row until you like the sequence of colors.

2. Hot glue them down in a line along the top edge of the canvas.

3. Use the heat tool to carefully melt the crayons so that the wax drips down the canvas. [If you're using a hair dryer, set it on the highest heat setting and the lowest blower setting]. Hold the heat tool far away from the crayons, as they will melt very fast and turn to an almost-water like liquid that will run very quickly off the canvas. You can manipulate the drips better if you melt them more slowly.

4. Let it cool and hang it up!

Secretly Reasonable Blueberry Cheesecake

2011-08-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

Cheesecakes are not often spotted in my kitchen. It's not that I don't like them, they just need a lot of perishable high fat ingredients that I don't often have on hand. They're also pretty murderous for your general cardiac health.

But this cheesecake is different. This cheesecake is, dare I say, healthy cheesecake [or at the very least healthy-ish].

It's light and creamy and luscious and fluffy and made mostly of nonfat greek yogurt.

Wait...NONfat?

I looked up a few basic cheesecake recipes online and all of them started with 5 packages of cream cheese. There are 72 grams of fat in each package of cream cheese. In EACH ONE! And that's only one ingredient. Yuck.

This recipe swaps out nearly all of the cream cheese for nonfat greek yogurt. Non fat greek yogurt is not only fat free and full of healthy stuff, it also has a whopping 23g of protein in one cup.

And let me tell you, honestly, I promise, this really tastes like cheesecake.

So why not replace all the cream cheese? Because sometimes a little bit of the bad stuff goes a long way, it really makes it taste like the real deal, and I think you should be able to have your [cheese]cake and eat it too [ugh! sorry I couldn't resist!]

There are even more things you could do to this recipe to make it better for you. You could cut the butter in the crust in half, use reduced fat cream cheese, halve the crust recipe, use a layer of granola for the crust or even make it crustless [the crust accounts for a third of the calories and nearly half the fat].

So enjoy this light and fluffy dessert that won't induce immediate cardiac arrest.

Nutrition facts per slice if you cut in into 12 slices:
Calories: 300 Fat: 13.5g Sugar: 31g Protein: 7g
Nutrition facts per slice, crustless:
Calories: 200 Fat: 6.5g Sugar: 22.5g Protein: 6g

Secretly Reasonable Blueberry Cheesecake

Crust:

1 sleeve graham crackers (9 crackers), finely crushed

6 tbsp melted butter

1/3 c sugar

Filling:

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

2 c nonfat greek yogurt

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp fresh grated lemon zest

2 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1. Mix the graham crackers, 1/3c sugar, and butter. Press into 9" tart pan and bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove and cool.
2. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add yogurt and beat until well combined.
3. Add sugar at beat until well incorporated. Add eggs and beat well.
4. Add vanilla, zest, flour and salt. Beat until nice and smooth.
5. Pour filling into cooled crust. [Depending on the height of your pan, you might not need nearly all of it.] Scatter blueberries evenly over the top. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Center will still be jiggly when done. Turn off the oven, open the door a few inches and cool for half an hour. Remove from oven and cool all the way.
6. Cut into 12 slices and serve.

Fluffernutter Cake Shots

2011-08-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

I came home from a camping trip in Idyllwild last night with a nearly full bag of jumbo sized marshmallows left over from making s'mores. Two adults can only do so much s'mores damage in two nights, and I know that I for one can't toss those ooey gooey desserts back like I used to.

oh hello, cute little idyllwild cabin and hammock

Then I remembered a recent conversation I had about fluffernutters. In case you've never had the joy of experiencing this divine creation, a fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. A simple but genius combination.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I have made fluffernutter paninis on my grill press. Deal with it.

cake shots ready for the oven

So...marshmallows that get all toasty and melty in the oven...surrounded by moist peanut butter banana cake...reader, meet the Fluffernutter Cake Shot. No, not a libation kind of shot, just a small dose of cakey fluffernutter goodness, best enjoyed with a miniature spoon. The oven toasts the marshmallow on top to a crisp golden brown and reduces the inside to a perfect melty consistency.

closeup of toasty-melty-marshmallow for your enjoyment

I took the liberty of adding bananas to this recipe, mostly because I had some ripe ones to use up, but also because it replaces some of the fat with a healthier alternative. [As if anyone eating something called a 'fluffernutter cake shot' is concerned with this, but hey, every bit helps, right?] If you're a fluffernutter purist, or if bananas aren't your thing, you can omit them and up the butter to a full stick.

So dig in and enjoy. And have a tall glass of cold milk on standby.

diggin in

Fluffernutter Cake Shots

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c smooth peanut butter

1.5 c flour

1/2 tsp baking power

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 medium bananas, mashed (about 1/2 c mashed)

8-10 large marshmallows

1. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add peanut butter and beat until combined. Add banana and beat until combined.
2. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and beat until just combined.
3. Place 8 to 10 ramekins in a baking dish. Spray them lightly with cooking spray. Fill each one halfway with batter. Don't overfill, they will puff up a lot when baking.
4. Press a marshmallow flat side up into the center of each.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Watch them towards the end, as baking times might vary slightly depending on the size of your ramekins. They are done with the cake tops are golden brown and firm and the tops of the marshmallows are golden. [Note: the marshmallow will prevent a small bit of the batter from fluffing up, so the middle will stay pretty ooey gooey even when they're done.]
6. Let cool, then dig in with a teaspoon!

Almost a Quilt Top

2011-08-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this new quilt top, and I was just about done and then I ran out of the tan solid for the final left edge. Literally I was about 1" short. Arrrrgh! Back to the store for more.

It's a little more pieced and uniform than I usually do, and it was my first experience with half square triangles. It was a little tedious for me but I turned on some music, stuck with it and I think it turned out pretty cute!

My goal was to have the red fabric squares look like candy [because I love things that look like food]. Do they? Sort of?

Homemade Granola Bars

2011-07-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

I've said it before [I think], and I'll say it again - homemade is always better. Even if the main ingredients in something are the same as what you buy in the store, it just always tastes better and makes you feel better. Maybe it's a lack of processing or preservatives or the control you have over what you put in but whatever it is, it's pretty much always true.

It's definitely the case with these granola bars. I'm a little excited that they turned out as well as they did [they smell like oatmeal cookies!], and my head is already busy with new flavor combo ideas. They're really easy to make and they taste so much better than store bought. Plus you can tweak them and make them totally to your liking. You can basically sub out all the dry ingredients for anything you want, as long as the total volume is the same, about 5 cups. So go crazy.

For buying your granola bar add-ins, I would definitely recommend finding a place that sells them in bulk. My grocery story has a natural foods section where you can buy nuts and other trail-mixy things by weight. That way you can by only as much as you need and not spend a bunch of money buying larger individual packages of things.

I feel like I need to go camping now...or at least on a long hike through the woods...

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1.5 c mixture of raw walnuts & almonds (or a combo of your favorite nuts)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 c dried cranberries or other dried fruit

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c honey

1/4 c brown sugar

3 T butter

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1. Spread the oats on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring often.
2. Repeat with the nuts and coconut, being careful that they don't burn.
3. In a food processor, give the nuts and coconut a few pulses to break them up into smaller pieces. Then pulse 1/2 c of the oats until they are finely ground.
4. Mix both oats, the nuts, cranberries and cinnamon in a large bowl.
5. In a small saucepan, cook the honey, butter, brown sugar and salt over medium heat until it bubbles. Let it bubble for about a minute and remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir well.
6. Spray an 8"x8" baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
7. Pour the honey mixture over dry mixture in bowl. Toss well until everything's coated.
8. Turn the mixture out into the pan. Put a plastic baggy over your hand and push the granola down into the pan until it's well packed.
9. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for a few hours then slice into bars. Wrap in wax paper or store in an airtight container.

Square Knot Clutch Pattern available as PDF

2011-07-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to do a quick post to let everyone know that my Square Knot Clutch pattern is now available in my etsy store as a PDF delivered via email! Previously I only had hard copy versions of this pattern [which are still hanging about in my etsy shop if you'd prefer that].

This is a really fun pattern that isn't as complicated as it looks. It's great for a beginner looking to try something more than a plain old drawstring bag or pillow. I taught this pattern as a class at the UCC, and some of the students had only taken Intro to Sewing, but everyone came away with a cute completed clutch.

And of course if you'd rather just get a clutch already made, I always have a selection of pre made clutches in my shop as well. Take a look!

Sunday Snaps

2011-07-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

A lack of closet space + two $3 wire baskets from Ikea + some twine = a pretty wall installation AND yarn storage.

Oh how I love arranging things in rainbow.

And yes, that's a saddle. It's for sale. Anybody?

Bourbon & Brown Sugar Peach Pie with Cornmeal Crust

2011-07-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for peach season ever since I thought about making this pie [which may or may not have been months ago]. And I've been pretty excited.

In fact, I think I would gladly stuff my face with any combination of the major ingredients in this pie. Peaches + bourbon? Cornbread + peaches? Bourbon + brown sugar? [um wow...stand by for a new drink recipe...]. The smells radiating from my oven while this was baking were nothing short of heavenly.

I'm definitely not a person who hesitates to use store bought crusts. Despite my dreams of being able to make a flawless pie crust from memory, it's honestly usually so much faster and dependable for me to use store bought. That being said, this crust is DELICIOUS and totally worth making from scratch if you're looking for something a little different.

I'm usually not that partial to plain pie crust, and when the filling's gone I leave whatever crust is left over, but I found myself chowing down on this leftover crust long after the peaches had been on the plate. It tastes exactly like the pastry version of cornbread.

To make this lattice top [which I hope makes you think plaid! because that's kinda what I was going for] I did a regular lattice top but just alternated 1" and 1/2" wide stripes. To cut them I used my clear ruler and a pastry cutter. Quilting is such a useful hobby! Don't worry, I washed the ruler before and after it was amongst my beloved fabric stash.

Bourbon & Brown Sugar Peach Pie with Cornmeal Crust

Ingredients:

5 cups peeled & thinly sliced peaches (about 6 or 7 medium)

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 c bourbon

1 tbsp butter

milk

sugar

1 batch cornmeal pie dough (recipe follows)

1. Mix up the pie dough and let it chill for an hour.
2. Peel and slice the peaches.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
4. In a large bowl, combine the flour mixture, peaches, lemon juice and bourbon. Mix until well coated.
5. Roll out half the pie dough on a floured surface into a 12" circle and put into a 9" pie pan. Fill the pie shell with the filling. Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute over peaches. Then roll out the second half of the dough and make the top of the pie as desired.
6. Brush the crust with milk and dust with sugar [coarsely ground turbinado sugar works best].
6. Wrap the outside of the crust in foil. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 min. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 25-30 min until crust is toasty brown and filling is bubbling. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Cornmeal Pie Dough

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

6 tbsp cold shortening, cut into small cubes

1/2 c - 3/4 c cold milk

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt until well combined.
2. Add butter and shortening. Make sure it's cold, cold, cold! Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter and shortening into flour mixture until everything resembles small pellets.
3. Add 1/2 c of the milk slowly, tossing with a fork, until mixture can be packed. Add more milk if necessary.
4. Separate into 2 disks. Make one slightly larger for the bottom crust. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Tutorial: Design Your Own Quilt with Photoshop [aka a Rush quilt!]

2011-07-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you combine Rush and...um...quilting?

I have wanted so badly to post about this earlier, but I couldn't because it was a surprise. It was a present for a Rush fan [by the way, for those of you that might be unaware, Rush is a band] that started off as a little spark of a how would I...? moment and turned into a project that I worked on almost rabidly for the better part of two weeks. And I might have let out a few gleeful giggles when it was all finished.

I mean, it's a Rush logo. On a quilt.

To piece the top, I used Photoshop to pixelate a jpeg of the logo, then traced around the pixels to map out the blocks. I assigned a finished length of 1.5" to each pixel, so two pixels would be 3", three would be 4.5", etc [my printer was running out of ink, whoops]:

I wasn't sure if this would work or not, but it totally did. It ended up having the photo mosaic effect of being unrecognizable close up, but when you step back a little bit or look at it through a camera lens, suddenly the image appears. And now I want to use this method over and over to make quilts out of pictures, logos, designs, everything.

The back features a block with another Rush detail. This was the first time I pieced something with curves and I just kind of winged it with a Microsoft Word printout as a template. After a little frustration and multiple seam rippings [mostly due to my ~~obsessive~~ determination to have the points of the stars accurately extend beyond the circle], I was a proud momma when it was finished.

All those puckers went away after quilting and washing. I love when that happens! I did free motion for the quilting and used a nice crisp black solid for the binding.

I stuck the star off center and about two thirds of the way down. I don't know, it just felt right.

Bin-basted quilt sandwich!

And a gratuitous cat/quilt picture.

So for those of you interested, here's a more in-depth tutorial of how I went about making this quilt top, and how you can use it to make your own. It's a little time consuming and tedious, but it's not hard and you don't have to be a graphics wiz or Photoshop genius to do it [I'm certainly not].

Tutorial: Design Your Own Quilt Top with Photoshop

First, choose your design [duh]. It could be something original or something you get online. I would recommend using images that are very graphic and only have 2-4 colors/tones in them, otherwise the design might become too muddled and unrecognizable. Think of something you might be able to screen print or stamp. Then find the highest resolution jpeg of the image you can [thanks google!].

Open it in Photoshop. Go to Filter --> Pixellate --> Mosiac. Set the cell size at the biggest number you can and still have your design be recognizable. Mine was 26, and it made my image 30 tiles high not including borders. If you don't have Photoshop, there is a pixellate function on Picnik that you can use for free.

Print out your image, scaling it to fill the page. Using the pixels as guides, trace around the design elements to create quilt blocks. The bigger the blocks you can make the easier the piecing will be. It will also help you further down the road to first divide the design up into 6-12 big blocks, then divide each of those into smaller units. I realized this about halfway through piecing.

Now it's time for a little math. Depending on how big you want your finished quilt, you need to assign a real-world value in inches to each pixel on your design. In other words, how big is a block that's 1 pixel by 1 pixel? I made each pixel-length on the design equal to a finished length of 1.5". My reasoning was that if the design is 30 pixels high and each one is 1.5" tall, the finished height of the design would be 45", plus any borders I add. That sounded about right for a throw-sized quilt. For the sake of your own sanity I wouldn't go any smaller than 1" per pixel. 1.5" was definitely small enough for me.

Once you know the dimensions of a 1x1 block you can start planning your cutting. It's not quite as daunting as it might seem. First figure out what the real-world cutting dimensions of 1, 2, 3 and 4 pixels are [don't forget to add .5" of seam allowance, which is .25" on each end!]:

1 pixel width = 1.5" + .5" seam allowance = 2"
2 pixel width = (2 x 1.5") + .5" seam allowance = 3.5"
3 pixel width = (3 x 1.5") + .5" seam allowance = 5"
4 pixel width = (4 x 1.5") + .5" seam allowance = 6.5"
and so on...

You might want to write these cutting dimensions down on a cheat sheet so you don't have to keep remembering: 1 pixel=2", 2 pixels=3.5", etc.

After you figure out which fabrics you are using where [I had a group of fabrics for each color area: tan/khaki solids, black prints & solids, and red prints & solids], start cutting strips across the folded fabric in the widths you just figured out. I started with strips that were 1, 2, 3, and 4 pixels wide.

Once you have the strips, you can start just lopping pieces off the ends in the increments you need them, again remembering to include the .5" of seam allowance. So say you look at your design and see you need a block that's 2x3 pixels. You can go find a strip that's 2 pixels (3.5") wide and cut a piece off one end that's 3 pixels (5") long. Cut more strips as you need them.

I started laying pieces out in the upper left corner of my design and worked down and to the right. I taped a vinyl tablecloth to the floor with the fuzzy side up so that the pieces stuck down as I laid them out. Once you get a good portion of the design laid out you can start sewing together. Start piecing the smallest pieces together first, always pressing and laying them back down in their spots so that you don't lose track of where you are. Keep building them into bigger and bigger pieces, until by the end you are connecting the 6-12 big blocks together.

I would recommend taking a picture of the pieces every so often in case something happens [thank you, Mr. Kitty, for having your 4am manic cat episode right in the middle of this project]. You'll have a quick and easy guide for putting them back where they go.

The most critical parts of achieving your design and getting all the lines to match up is to have consistent, very precise cutting and a consistent .25" seam allowance on every single seam. You might even want to measure your seam allowances every so often to make sure you're not drifting.

After you piece your design, decide if you want a border. I added more tan solids randomly pieced in a 4 pixel width all the way around. I kept the pieces the same size as the rest of the quilt to keep the design consistent and because I liked the patched-together look.

You might notice that there are three diagonal lines in the design, one in the "R" shadow, one in the "S," and one in the "H" shadow. I decided that putting in a little extra effort to piece a half square triangle for those three lines really went a long way in selling the design visually. For a second I considered doing it for the entire diagonal line of the "S," but then I thought that might be a little too much to handle, and there would be a good chance I'd end up crying in a fetal position in the corner.

Once you've sewn everything together and added borders, make the quilt sandwich with backing fabric and finish the quilt as you would any other.

Please feel free to comment with questions if you have any!

Frozen Watermelon Pops

2011-07-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

August is looming, a time of beach traffic, crowds, and intense heat waves. My army of box fans will come out of the garage and be dispatched to their respective strategic positions, sometimes even rotated from post to post as the day wanes to combat the arc of the sun.

Good thing I am now armed with this recipe.

My apartment doesn't have air conditioning, which is fine for eleven months out of the year. But every time August rolls around, I find myself once again standing with my face in the freezer, cursing my lack of AC as I look for something to ease my pain.

I don't know why I haven't thought of freezing watermelon before. There's so much, um, water in it. It basically becomes a natural block of flavored ice. Add some lime juice, sugared zest, a little vodka and throw that puppy on a stick, and you've got a pretty good way to beat the heat without shoveling Ben & Jerry's in your face all day.

I used a shot of vodka over four pops and I couldn't really taste it. I was using it to keep the watermelon from freezing solid but it still did, which is why I said 1-2 shots in the recipe. You could totally skip the vodka if you wanted to make it alcohol free. You could probably also use tequila if you wanted. You could also just freeze it as blocks and use it as non-diluting ice cubes for drinks. Or put it in a blender to make a slushy watermelon summertime drink. And I'll stop now...

Frozen Watermelon Pops

1 watermelon (or enough to cut 4 1-inch thick pops)

1 tbsp lime zest

1 tbsp sugar

1-2 shots vodka (optional)

juice of 1-2 limes (about 1/4 cup)

4 popsicle sticks

1. Mix the lime zest and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Slice the watermelon into 1-inch slices. Then cut four rectangles from the pink areas, each one about 2"x4".
3. Mix the lime juice and vodka together. Pour it over the watermelon pops and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to let the juice soak in.
4. Put a stick in the bottom of each pop. Sprinkle the sugared lime zest around the outside of each one - you might have to press it in to make it stay. Lay the pops on foil in a baking dish, cover the dish with foil and freeze overnight.

How to Make Candles

2011-07-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, how to make candles, more or less.

Sometimes you just need a craft day. You know, a slow couple of hours spent lulled into peaceful bliss by the comforting process of making something.

Today my friend Tiffany and I finally got our long-planned, several-times-rescheduled craft day. And we went to town.

We started with empty glass containers, candle wicks, frangrance oils, and a huge bag of wax I've been trying to finish off for about three years now [mission finally accomplished].

We melted wax down in 2 cup batches and added fragrance oils [about 1 tbsp frangrance per 2 cups wax].

After hot glueing our wicks down into our warmed-up containers, we poured the wax.

Thank goodness Tiffany labeled everything. Whew.

The wax slowly set and turned from buttery yellow to creamy white.

And then...we had candles.

Ahh, zen.

Guest Blogger at Radmegan: Maple Blackberry Pie

2011-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm the guest poster today on Radmegan, a beautiful craft and cooking blog run by the fun and witty Megan, a fellow UCC teacher. Jump on over there to check out my Maple Blackberry Pie recipe and why it makes me so happy. Nom nom nom!

The Neverending Blanket

2011-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Somewhere, in a deep, dark, infrequently visited corner of my least opened closet lies a graveyard of abandoned, unfinished craft projects. Spools of wire. Tangled embroidery floss. A dried out bottle of tacky glue.

Don't lie. We all have them.

I'm doing everything I can to keep from surrendering this project to that closet. When I started crocheting this blanket out of wool yarn, the temperature was low and my nesting instincts were in full swing. The yarn was so cozy, the colors so beautiful, the pattern so simple. Just double crochet, over and over and over.

Six months later, and what I have amounts to [at best] a chunky scarf.

Must press on.

Hopefully someday I will finish and I'll be able to prove it by posting some pictures.

Until then...

Getting Back Into Things + New Yarn!

2011-06-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, Miss Make has been pretty lonely the last couple of weeks. Ready for my excuse?

I was on a family cruise through the Baltic Sea. Not a bad one, huh? We sailed from Stockholm and stopped in Estonia, Russia, Finland and Germany before disembarking in Copenhagen. It was an amazing vacation and I consider myself so lucky to have been able to see that part of the world.

dad, mom, me, brother

If I had things together a little better like my fellow blogger Megan over at radmegan, I would have had a whole slew of posts lined up and scheduled before I left. But, alas, I did not. Sigh. [That reminds me...keep an eye out on her blog for a guest post by yours truly in a few weeks!]

Now I've stopped in my home state of Ohio for a few days to recharge my batteries before returning to LA. So of course I had to visit my favorite local yarn store, Yarn Cravin in historic downtown Perrysburg. I love this place. It's in a cute old craftsman style house, and every room is lined with shelves almost overflowing with skeins and skeins of luscious yarn.

On this visit I stocked up on some Lamb's Pride for the neverending afghan I've started crocheting [more on that later]. I also found the most amazingly soft and beautiful gray yarn called Flicker, made by Berroco. It's light and floaty baby alpaca with the finest silver threads running through it, giving it a subtle sparkle. I wish I could fully capture it in the picture. Now I just need to decide what to use it for...

New Project

2011-05-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

I just finished the first block of a new project. It sure feels good to get going on something!

The first of many more to be made...

Reminder - Quilting Class This Sunday

2011-05-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I'll be teaching the first session of my Modern Striped Baby Quilt class at the Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica from 11-3. If any of you readers out there are in the Los Angeles area, there are still a few spots available! You'll learn to make a baby quilt from start to finish with a super simple but versatile pattern. Just call the UCC to sign up!

Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes

2011-04-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Saturday morning quite like pancakes. The smell of a hot skillet, steam rising from a mug of coffee, the luxurious free time to make a big breakfast mess - yep, it's the weekend.

These pancakes are quick to whip up and so yummy. The warm brown sugar and cinnamon flavors go really well with the banana, and the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda makes them so fluffy. If you don't want to make pancakes from scratch, you could just add the brown sugar and cinnamon to standard pancake mix and cook them with the bananas the same way.

Let me just take a moment to fiercely rave about real maple syrup. If you haven't ever tried it, you're missing out! It's SO much better than the thick gooey stuff most people use, which is just corn syrup with artificial flavoring. It is more expensive, but it's absolutely worth it. I think the flavor is so much better. The next time you're in the grocery store, trust me, buy a bottle.

Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes

makes about 6 pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 cup flour

1 tbsp white sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

2 tbsp melted unsalted butter

2 medium bananas

real maple syrup

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix the milk and vinegar. Set it aside for 5 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together until combined.
3. Whisk the egg and melted butter into the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
4. Slice bananas into 1/2" slices.
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/2 cup batter into the skillet. It's a little thick, so be sure to spread it out when you pour it in. Immediately press 4-6 banana slices into the skillet batter. Cook the first side for about two minutes, then flip over and cook for about a minute. Transfer to a plate under a towel [to keep it warm] and repeat with the rest of the batter.
6. Top pancakes with maple syrup and enjoy!

Tutorial: How to Make Fabric Coasters

2011-04-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Way back when, I did a post about these cute fabric coasters I made as a Christmas present. It was such an easy and fast project and took almost no fabric [stash buster!] that I thought it was high time for a tutorial.

I originally used batting for the inner layer of softness, but this time I tried felt since I thought it would be a more familiar material for a broader range of sewers. I used eco-felt, a material made from recycled plastic bottles. Any kind of felt would work, or any kind of batting. I bet polar fleece would work too, but I haven't tried it yet.

So the next time you need a quick, instant gratification craft project, whip up a set of these little guys to toss onto your coffee table.

Tutorial: How to Make Fabric Coasters

Materials:

2 4.5" square pieces of fabric per coaster

1 4" square of felt or batting per coaster

coordinating thread

1. Cut two 4.5" squares from your coaster fabric and one 4" square from your felt or batting.

2. Lay one fabric square down, right side up. Lay second fabric square on top, right side down, lining up all the edge. Lay felt square on top of that, centered. **NOTE: The layers aren't lined up in this picture because I wanted you to be able to see their order. Look at the next picture for how the little fabric sandwich should look.**

3. Pin the whole stack together.

4. Starting about an inch from a corner, sew around the square with a 1/4" seam allowance, stopping before you get back to the beginning so there's a 2" gap. Backstitch at beginning and end. Feel free to catch the edge of the felt in the seam from time to time if it's close.

5. Clip the corners, being careful not to get too close to the seam.

6. Turn the whole thing inside out so that the felt is on the inside. The felt isn't technically attached to anything unless you caught the edge in the seam, so be a little careful when turning it. It really isn't that hard though, the texture of the felt makes it stick pretty easily to the fabric. You'll need to use a point turner, knitting needle, pencil or other blunt point to [carefully!] poke out the corners and make sure the felt corners are all the way stuffed down in there. Press the whole thing flat and turn under each raw edge in the open section 1/4".

7. Starting at a corner, topstitch all the way around the coaster 1/8" from the edge, backstitching at the beginning and end. If your sewing machine can offset its needle, move it all the way over to the right and it will be easier to get right along the edge.

8. If you want, you can add a decorative "X" over the coaster to make it look more finished. Just stitch a straight line diagonally from corner to corner, backstitching at beginning and end, then repeat for the other two corners.

9. Your first coaster is done! Repeat for as many coasters as you want to make, then arrange them proudly on your coffee table.

Homemade Makeup: Bella Faith Cosmetics

2011-04-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have loved makeup ever since I hit about age sixteen. [I was kind of a late bloomer. But I guess at least I bloomed.] I don't wear a ton but I have a giant powdery drawer of it that I really enjoy rummaging around in. Putting on makeup is kind of like drawing on your own face, which for me = fun.

Lucky for me, I've got a friend that owns a homemade organic makeup company called Bella Faith Cosmetics. When the fabulous and talented Tiffany isn't working as a costume designer on movies and tv shows, she's making her own makeup from really pure ingredients. All the colors are natural and the shimmer comes from actual mica powder [a mineral]. She gave me some goodies to test, and I have to say, they're such little pots of powdery deliciousness that go on so velvety smooth and natural. And the shimmer is really even and gorgeous. [In these pictures I'm wearing a combination of Wishful and Hazelnut Coffee shadow.]

There's something really appealing to me about putting on makeup that is made entirely of naturally occurring substances, especially since it's going on the sensitive skin right by my eyes.

Right now everything on her website is 15% off. So check it out and stock up on some fun, organic stuff to play around with!

Mod Hoots Baby Quilt No. 41 + I'm a Quilting Teacher!

2011-04-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Some exciting teaching news! I will be teaching a Modern Striped Baby Quilt class at The Urban Craft Center coming up in May. I can't wait to share my fierce love of sewing with a group of quilters-to-be. The UCC has all kinds of other great classes too so be sure to check out theirclass schedule.

This is a sample I stitched up to display in the store. The pattern is a really great and simple but versatile strip quilt pattern. It's not a color palette I usually go with, but I wanted to feature some of their current fabrics, and I have to say I like the results. My favorite fabric is the wayfarer fabric. I see a wayfarer tote bag in my future...

The sample is listed in my etsy store here if you're interested in purchasing!

Miss Make at the UCC

2011-03-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

My crafty home-away-from-home The Urban Craft Center has been kind enough to feature me and give a shoutout on their blog here! If you're not in the Los Angeles area and have never gotten to visit them in person, you should definitely check out their web store. Their fabric and yarn is mmm so good.

How to Use Fondant: St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

2011-03-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

Shamrocks. Green beer. Hangovers. Pot o' gold cupcakes!

A long time ago - we're talking months - I posted this recipe for homemade marshmallow fondant. It's messy but easy, and it's absolutely worth making at home if you want to decorate with fondant. You can control color and flavor so easily and avoid that starchy, uber-sugary taste you might get with store bought fondant.

I made these cupcakes for a St. Patrick's day themed birthday. Confusing, I know, but the celebrator's birthday is smack dab on St. Patrick's day, so it makes sense. I thought little cupcake pots of gold would be so cute. Below is a tutorial for how I made them. I hope it gives you some ideas on what to do with your own fondant creations!

St. Patricks's Day Pot O' Gold Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 batch chocolate cupcakes

chocolate frosting

1/2 batch marshmallow fondant

(save the rest in the fridge for another day)

yellow gel food coloring

brown gel food coloring

crisco

powdered sugar

semisweet chocolate chips

gold luster dust (optional)

copper luster dust (optional)

vodka (optional)

gold sugar sprinkles (optional)

clear sugar sprinkles (optional)

Tools:

rolling pin

baking sheet

wax paper

clean paintbrush (used for food only)

ziplock bags

set of nesting circle cutters

(available at cooking stores like Williams Sonoma & Sur la Table)

Directions:

Liberally crisco and powdered sugar a cutting board, countertop or table top. Use a toothpick to smear some yellow and brown food coloring into the fondant.

Knead it on the criscoed surface, putting crisco on your hands as necessary, until you are satisfied with the golden color of the fondant.

I used a lot of yellow and just a touch of brown.

Roll half the fondant out to about 1/8" thick. Using a small circle cutter, cut out about 15 coins for every cupcake you are decorating. Put them on a wax paper lined baking sheet.

Mix 1/2 tsp vodka with enough gold luster dust in a small dish until you have a runny "paint."

Paint the coins with the dust. Sprinkle them with the gold sugar and let dry. (You can skip the dust and sugar if you want, but your coins won't be sparkly.)

Put chocolate frosting in a plastic bag and cut off a corner. Pipe a spiral of frosting on the top of each cupcake. It doesn't have to be pretty. Mine certainly isn't.

Roll out the other half of the fondant to about 1/8" thick. Using the coin-sized cutter, lightly press it in the top of the fondant to texturize it as shown. Then use the cupcake-sized cutter to cut out circles of the texturized fondant. Place one on each cupcake. Mix up some copper "paint" with the vodka and luster dust and lightly paint each texturized circle to emphasize the lines (optional).

Arrange 10-15 coins on the top of each cupcake in a pile. Use a little water on the backs if you need to to stick them together. Sprinkle each cupcake with a little clear sugar so the whole thing is sparkly.

To make the handles, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth. Put it in a ziplock bag and snip off the corner. Pipe two "U" shapes onto wax paper for each cupcake. Place them in the freezer for a few minutes until set.

Stick the prongs of the "U" into the side of the cupcake where the frosting is, one on each side.

Arrange your little pots o' gold at the base of a rainbow. Enjoy!

Guinness Pumpkin Pie Featured on Endless Simmer

2011-03-10T17:14:00.001-08:00

Hello all! I was very excited to see an email in my inbox today from foodie blog Endless Simmer. They selected my Guinness Pumpkin Pie recipe to be featured in their 100 Ways to Cook with Guinness post. Hooray! It's featured along with a whole page of scrumptious looking Guinness-themed concoctions.

St. Patty's day is next week...why not whip up a little guinness pie?

Square Knot Clutch Class Photos

2011-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

I breathed a sigh of relief last night as my first ever class at the Urban Craft Center drew to a close. It went off without a hitch and everyone's clutch turned out so well! It's very interesting to see other people work their own creativity and design aesthetic into a pattern of your own creation. If you want to buy a pattern to make one of your own you can right here in my Etsy store. Look at all their cute clutches:

Miss Make + Jonathan Denmark = ...

2011-01-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

Remember that knitted microphone I made way back when?

I made it for my friend Jonathan Denmark's music video, and it's just been released online. I can't tell you how cool it is to see it all done. And I mean how often do you see a music video featuring knitting?? I love the detail of the "snip snip" scissor sounds.

Check out the video below and visit his website for more info and music!

Tutorial: Chalkboard Paint

2011-01-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

Chalkboard paint is really fun.

Really, really fun.

And easy. A post with a title such as this one could theoretically be reduced down to two steps: Pick an object. Paint it.

Chalkboard paint turns any surface into a writable chalkboard. It comes in regular paint and spray versions, so whatever you can paint with those two mediums can also become a chalkboard. Kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, walls, vases [or, you know, vintage porcelain horse bookends] become places for reminders, notes and doodles.

I scored these bookends for ten bucks at a local antique mall when I was back in Ohio. Though I usually cringe at the thought of forever and irreversibly covering up an original painted surface, these little guys had a lot of wear and tear, so I was able to get over my usual hangups and give them a facelift.

To do this project, all you need is a little sandpaper, a can of chalkboard spray paint [available at most hardware stores], and a paintable object to be chalk-ified.

Give your object a little roughing up with the sandpaper, just to help the paint stick. Wipe off the dust.

Lay down some newspaper on a flat outdoor surface and give your object a light coat of paint. Within an hour, cover with a second thin coat, and within another hour, a third coat.

[You'll notice I spray painted on my kitchen table. I do not recommend or condone this craziness, but I have no access to any outdoor area that I can get dirty. I put a box behind the bookends to catch the back spray, but even so my entire dining area was coated with a fine black dust when I was finished. Spray paint outside.]

After the objects dry for 24 hours, they are ready to go. To get the surface ready for writing, rub the whole thing with chalk and erase. Then doodle away!

Upcoming Square Knot Clutch Class at the UCC

2011-01-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

Well, 2011 is in full swing. I hope everyone is tackling the resolutions they want to tackle and conveniently forgetting about the ones that aren't as fun.

I'll be starting off the new year by teaching a class at the Urban Craft Center. I finally finished writing a pattern for my Square Knot Clutch, and I'll be leading a two session class on how to make one. This is my first class as a guest teacher at the UCC, and I'm so excited! It will be on Thursdays, January 20 and 27, from 7-9pm. Check it out if you live in the LA area - you can sign up in the store or over the phone. Only basic sewing experience required!

If you don't live in the LA area, I do have hard copies of the pattern available in my etsy store. I experimented with running manila envelopes through my home printer and I must say I'm highly pleased with the results. They're such cute little chubby envelopes stuffed with goodness.

Maybe Fox wants to learn how to sew?

Spiced Mulled Wine + Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

The first time I had mulled wine was after skiing to the bottom of a mountain in Austria. Holding that cup of spiced warmth in my freezing hands and letting the steam thaw my wind-frozen face is one of my perfect little memories. Maybe it was the picturesque setting in the Alps, or maybe it was my excitement that I was only fourteen and able to drink wine in a public establishment because I was in Europe, but I'll never forget it.

Mulled wine is a hot wine-based German beverage [they call it Glühwein, prounounced like GLUE-vine]. If the idea of heated wine sounds weird to you, don't let it turn you off. It is Christmasy and comforting and warms you to the tips of your toes. It's also really easy, great for a crowd and makes your house smell amazing.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends and filled with overindulgence, board games, and lots of laughter. Merry Christmas!

Mulled Wine

Ingredients:

peel of 1 orange

12 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

4 oz brandy

[optional - replaces some of the alcohol that evaporates as the wine heats]

1/4-1/3 cup sugar [to taste]

1.5 liter bottle of full bodied red wine

[cabernet or merlot works the best]

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan on the stove. Heat until just simmering, stirring occasionally.

2. Reduce heat to keep wine just under a simmer. Heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Ladle into mugs and serve.

Crocheted Peppermint Pillow

2010-12-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have to do a show and tell picture post about this christmasy crochet project I made in a class at the UCC taught by the talented Cheryl Cambras. I'm a sucker for any rendition of food in the wrong size - whether it be miniature or giant - so I was all over this huge peppermint.

With one of Cheryl's patterns, we crocheted a flat piece that cleverly swirled itself as we sewed it up into a circle. She has written all sorts of cute crochet patterns that you can check out her etsy shop. She also made an amazing front window display for the UCC with life-sized crochet figures that you can see on her blog.

Christmas is only five days away...I need to finish getting ready!

Tutorial: Make Your Own Cake Stencil

2010-12-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

A close friend of mine recently celebrated her birthday, and as per usual she requested [and I gladly agreed] that I make my flourless chocolate cake.

Flourless chocolate cake is pretty intense and in no need of frosting, so I usually just dust the top with powdered sugar. Since this cake was for a special occasion, no ordinary dusting would do. I decided to make a cake stencil.

You can buy premade cake stencils at specialty baking shops and people/places like Williams Sonoma and Martha Stewart. Unfortunately, I decided that I needed one the night before the party. Also, I'm pretty sure that Martha Stewart would never design an otter cake stencil. You see, my friend really loves otters, so I thought that an otter should grace her cake.

So here's what I did:

Make Your Own Cake Stencils

Materials:

heavyweight printer paper

exacto knife

black marker

old magazine

scissors

tape

the internet & a printer

Directions:

1. Find an image online and print it out. It can be a photo or text, whatever you want. Set the image size percentage in the print window to be the proper size for how large you want your design to be on the cake. [For a 9" cake, I had the photo take up nearly the whole page.]

2. Use a black marker to outline the prominent dark features of the photo. Remember that you will be cutting the dark areas out, so make sure that there aren't any light areas completely

surrounded by dark, because otherwise they will

separate from the stencil and you'll have multiple pieces.

3. Put the paper on top of the old magazine and use the craft knife to cut out the dark areas you've outlined.

4. Cut two small strips of paper. Fold down each end about an inch and tape the ends to opposite sides of the stencil without covering any of it up. These will be the handles you use to lift the stencil off the cake when it's covered in sugar.

5. If your cake is below the edges of the pan it's in, cut the stencil into a circle shape so it will fit down in the pan right against the surface of the cake. If it's a free standing cake, just lay it over in the place you want the design.

6. Put powdered sugar in a mesh collander or sifter. Gently shake the sugar over the stencil until the exposed parts of the cake are white.

7. CAREFULLY lift the stencil off the cake, being careful not to disturb any of the powdered sugar that has accumulated on it. Shake it off over the sink. Keep your stencil for future use!