So Sweet

Okay, so I've been on a baking spree/binge, whatever, for a while now. The most recent recipe? Chocolate Chip-filled Melting Moments (recipe found ici)



And the best part is, they literally melt in your mouth. Ugh, I could eat ALL of them. But instead, I'm bringing them to the Spring Art Show today, but exclusively for the selected few (including myself!) who are part of the fashion show. All of the designers and their respective models have to arrive about 3 1/2 hours before the show actually begins in order to prep. What better way to prep than make all of the models fat! Ha, okay bad joke; I kid, I kid...

Anyways, I'm pretty excited about that. I have 2 pieces in the fashion show, and a photograph in the actual gallery art show. I will post pictures ASAP! I'm pretty happy with both of my dress, but I just hope that one of the dresses won't cause a "wardrobe malfunction" (it's low-cut...think belly-button [just kidding, a little]).

And in other news, I want this book so bad.


Okay, I have to go buy Birkenstocks now for my poor, painful feetsies.

Tea and Cookies

Today was one of those perfect days, filled with simple pleasures...and lots of baked goods. I woke up at eight, which I once would have believed to be a violation of the laws of weekend sleeping, but as of late, I have been thoroughly enjoying. But there was a reason for my early-bird-ness: I had to make some cookies for a friend's birthday, and also for another friend, as an apology for a rude mistake of mine :[. I browsed by favorite food blogs and chose this recipe (thank you!)



They were quite easy and really, really tasty. However, I made mine a tad too large, which, although doing so didn't affect the taste, sort of left me wishing that I had made them smaller and more button-like.



So, because I made the cookies a little on the large side, I ended up with much less than I had expected to produce. And this proved to be a slight problem, seeing as I had to have some for both of my friends. Thus, I had to make a sacrifice: no cookies for anyone else in my family. Haha, my dad was sad, but I think he will survive.

Then came the tea party, which was ideal. Here's what I mean:





Yeah, pretty nice. I guess when I have my "End of School/Pre-College Tea Party" I will have a tough act to follow.

Now I'm off to make my mom her Mother's Day gift. Yay for embroidered pouches!
Ta!

Quinoa!

So, I guess I've been cooking a little more than crafting as of late, but hey, whatever I have time for...



I made this today (thanks to 101 cookbooks, again!): a blackberry and walnut and cinnamon and delciousness quinoa recipe! And, I got to try out the new, but actually used, ceramic bowls that I got at a garage sale on Sunday! I've been looking for nice bowls and cups and stuff for my dorm, and when I saw these I had to get them. And then the Quinoa recipe came along, and obviously it was a perfect combination.



In regards to the actual end results of the quinoa, the blackberries weren't so fab, but on the whole, it was such a perfect breakfast/brunch/lunch meal. And yeah, quinoa...it really has a knack for filling you up. I guess its all the protein or whatever, but the point is, I ate way too much and now I understand how "less is more" DEFINITELY applies to this recipe.

In other news, I'm making my second dress for my fashion design class and it's coming along swell. Part of the dress is using this gorgeous fabric I got in India, so I can't wait to see it finished! Pictures to come...

Lemon and Yogurt Scones!

I love tea.

And everything associated with it: brewing it, serving it, making it look all pretty, etc. So, seeing as the school year is winding down, I have planned a cute little tea party for some friends and myself at my house. Scones, I figured, were a must. So this weekend was a test round for the scones, and I must say they did quite nicely! I think I'm going to put more lemon zest in them, because you couldn't quite taste it enough, and I'm also going to make them a tad smaller, because despite how much I love monster-sized scones, I plan on making a lot of other finger food to go with it, and I don't want people to fill up too quickly!

If you are interested in the recipe, it can be found here (and thank you to the writer of the aforementioned blog!)

In other news, it's really warming up, which is nice because that means more dinners outside. I can't wait until summer...popcicles, sno-cones, running barefoot, the smell of hot sidewalks wet from sprinklers. So nice and nostalgic. The only thing that freaks me out is the idea of being COMPLETELY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. It's a little surreal, and a lot scary. college...College...COLLEGE!

Embroidered Tea Bags!

Lately, I have been sewing little reusable tea bags and embroidering on them. I got the pattern from Craft Leftovers. The cool thing is, they actually work, and after several uses, they get this great tea-stained (obviously!) look. I think I want to sell them, and I will probably try my hand at this whole Etsy thing. Anyways, I love making them and brewing all my favorite teas. Mmm, just thinking about that Mauritus tea blend, yum.

In other news, next weekend I'm going to Disneyland! Yesssss! Life is so awesome.

Poppyseed Pancakes

So last weekend, thanks to 101 cookbooks, I made some delicious poppyseed pancakes. They have sunflower seeds too, so they are extra tasty! And they have this yummy orange/lemon compote stuff on it. Being pretty "new" to cooking (to say the least), I found these really easy and fun to make.

But I have been doing things other than cooking, namely bicycling! And as of right now, watching the Office. So pretty much, everything is great. Bicycling after school, working on setting up my darkroom, watching new Office episodes, all that.

Anyways, until next time....

Cats' Tongues!

By far the prettiest Cat Tongue I made...

Last night I made these petit fours called "Cats' Tongues." And I'm not gonna lie...it was way beyond me. I'm not much of a baker, or food maker in general, and these were pretty difficult for me. The first batch I made was way over cooked so I couldn't get them off the pan (sigh), and of course, the second batch was way under-done and floppy. Fortunately, the last batch was just right.
Timing is everything with these things; you have to get them out of the oven right as they begin to brown, so that they are flexible, but not brittle. Then you have to wrap them around wooden spoon handles! And let them dry in their perfect little helixes for 10 minutes.

Tasty, yes, but I wouldn't say that they were worth the effort!!