Fall Tote Bag

It is rare that I A.) sew for fun and B.) end up making something I actually like and will use.  Last Sunday I spent a few hours (like 4-5 total, not a quick project) on this nice, big tote bag.  I bought the fabric a couple weeks ago just because I really liked the pattern.  Then, when I got the sewing itch, I bought a Simplicity pattern (see below) on sale for $1 to make a new bag for the fall.  I think the extra details of the bag (the pleats and the band) made it really special and worth all the work. I've been using it for a few days now and I love it!  It doesn't have any pockets, but I organized my stuff with a zippered makeup bag, wallet, and a couple totes for Luke's things. 

Green lining

Love this button I found!



Simplicity Pattern #2685, bag D



Salted Caramel Brownies

 Still warm from the oven I thought "ugh these are too sweet!" and then I guzzled a cold glass of milk.  Then, I stuck them in the fridge overnight and was all Busta Rhymes on them the next day. "Gimmee some mo!"  These are so good and fudgey and caramely. Dan and I have an argument.  If I could only choose chocolate or caramel for life I would choose caramel, hands down.  He scoffs and says "Chocolate!" So, these brownies are a good compromise for us.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies:

3 19/50 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons butter, melted  (use salted butter here!)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Topping:

1/4 cup butter (use salted butter here!) 

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk, divided

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt (I used kosher salt because it was chunkier than my fine sea salt)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare brownies, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking powder) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add butter mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. Scrape batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan (I only had a 9" round pan, bake for 5 minutes longer) lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare topping, melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cooled brownies. Let stand 20 minutes or until set.

4. Combine 2 tablespoons milk and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. Stir just until smooth; drizzle over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt; let stand until set. Cut into squares. (Or cut into pie slices if using round pan)

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light

SEPTEMBER 2011

Mangia! Homemade Tomato Sauce!

I have a new favorite grocery store in Columbus. It's called Double Oak Farm. It is like going to the farmer's market any day of the week that you want!  They have fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goodies, and pantry items from Indiana farmers and producers.  It's a tiny shop but they have a great selection.  I went in last week to find some "old" tomatoes to make sauce with.  They didn't have any on hand, so they got a TON that weekend just for me! (Well, not just for me...but I still felt special.)  They were only $0.50/lb for their #2 tomatoes (code word for not so pretty).  But they were not ugly at all! They looked a lot like #1 tomatoes if you ask me!   I bought a conservative 8 pounds.  I used a couple for another dinner, and the rest I used to make my first batch of marinara sauce this morning.  I couldn't find the exact recipe that I had in mind, so I found a reasonable one from Mario Batali and then tweaked it A LOT until it was mine (he used canned tomatoes, amateur...)  This is only my first round of sauce making, stay tuned for future saucy adventures...

Malorie's Homemade Tomato Sauce

Makes about 8 cups (about 4 pint-sized jars)

Ingredients:
7-8 pounds tomatoes (find yourself some cheap, ugly #2 tomatoes!) -peeled, seeded, squished, see prep work below
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, small chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, shredded finely
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more/less to your taste

Directions:

• Prep your tomatoes.  This is a bit messy.  I added a few pictures at the end showing this process.

1. With a sharp knife, score an "X" on the bottom of each tomato. 
2. Boil a big pot of water.
3. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
4. Carefully place tomatoes in boiling water for about 2 minutes (do this in two batches if your pot is too small)
5. When skins look like they are peeling off a bit or your "X's" are bursting, fish tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and place into ice water.
6.  When tomatoes are cool to touch, pour out ice water.
7. Get a large bowl and a fine mesh sieve/strainer.
8. For each tomato, peel and seed with a hooked finger into strainer over large bowl.  Put tomato flesh into the same bowl.  Cut off the stem "belly button" and discard.
9. With your hand, mush and push seeds and skins against the strainer over the bowl (to get the tomato juice).
10.  Discard skins and seeds.
11. With your hands, squish and crush the tomatoes in the bowl.  Fun fun! Now wash your hands. Tomatoes are prepped, hooray!

Now for the sauce...

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft.
• Add the tomatoes and juice, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours  (After about 1 hour, I used my immersion/hand blender to puree the sauce.  If you do this, be careful not to splash the hot sauce on yourself!)  If you don't have an immersion blender, let the sauce cool and then blend in blender.  If not, the sauce will just be chunky.
• Season with more salt to taste, or leave as is.
• I am not an expert canner, but I bought mason jars to look like I am. I washed them and filled them with the hot sauce leaving 3/4 inch from the top because I intend to freeze a couple jars. Let cool before putting in freezer (I think... again, I'm not an expert on canning.) 
• This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Serve with your favorite pasta and add fresh basil and parmesan, too! 

This is what the recipe looked like before I got my hands on it...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/basic-tomato-sauce-recipe12/index.html

You could probably bake these scones and bread outside...

Although it is hardly the season for having the oven cranked up, I have been baking a lot.  Here are two great recipes that I've made recently.  I didn't change them very much except I used more "machinery."  For the blueberry scones, I used my food processor instead of cutting in the butter by hand.  For the oatmeal wheat bread, I used my stand mixer instead of kneading by hand.  So, don't really bake these outside (unless it is 375 degrees out there...and I don't mean heat index).  Recipes are at the end of post.

Blueberry Scones
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Blueberry-Scones
Blueberry Scones Recipe
Oatmeal Wheat Bread
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Oatmeal-Wheat-Bread-232825

Chicken Shawarma

Have you ever eaten an amazing meal at a restaurant and wanted to rush home and try to recreate it?  This happens to me a lot, most recently during a visit to Saint Louis to see my friend, Michelle.  We went to this delicious Middle Eastern restaurant called Ranoush in "the Loop".  I had the Chicken Shawarma and Michelle had the Falafel.  I made the chicken for Dan a couple weekends ago and I hope to make the Falafel when we go visit Dan's brother Kyle and his family.  They have recently decided to follow a vegan diet, and Falafel is perfect for that! Stay tuned in the next couple weeks for the falafel.  Ok, back to the Shawarma... it is a pita filled with grilled chicken marinated with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and curry powder. Served with a tahini (sesame) paste or yogurt based sauce and sliced tomatoes.  I did a google search for a recipe and went with one featured on Rachel Ray's $40 a Day.  I normally run as fast as I can from a Rachel Ray recipe, I'm not sure why, maybe because I know there is probably a better recipe out there. But, this recipe is not hers, but actually from the restaurant featured in her show.  It turned out to be a great recipe.  The sauce in the recipe is a traditional tahini sauce, but at Ranoush they served the Shawarma with a yogurt-based sauce.  The tahini sauce is really great poured over the chicken.  It is made with tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, water, and salt.  It tastes like really thin hummus.  However, I think I preferred the yogurt sauce (made with essentially the same ingredients, just with yogurt and less tahini) and will try making it with the falafel.  Here is the recipe and pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Shawarma

Recipe courtesy Cafe Mediterranean

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 5 drops yellow food coloring, optional  (omitted)
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used tenders, no chopping involved)
• 4 pieces pita bread
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Shawarma Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

To make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, and oil. Add curry powder, salt, pepper, and food coloring and whisk to combine. Add chicken and coat with marinade. Marinate chicken overnight in the refrigerator. (I only marinated for 3-4 hours)

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes on each side or until fully cooked through. Serve chicken on pita and top with tomatoes and Shawarma Sauce.

Shawarma Sauce: (I cut this recipe in half for you, and reduced the water)
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup store-bought tahini
1/2-1 cup water (just add a little at a time until you reach a good consistency, it should be pretty thin)
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt

Add garlic to the bowl of a food processor and process until chopped. Add tahini and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly add cold water until frothy. Add lemon juice and mix until creamy. Season with salt, to taste.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/40-a-day/chicken-shawarma-recipe/index.html

Two simple dinners...

Both of these dinners are so easy and spring-y, I think you'll love both!  The first recipe is a fun take on a caesar salad.  It directs you to cook the shrimp and crouton skewers in the oven, but I think it would be even better on a grill!  The second recipe is pasta with peas, pancetta, and parmesan (that's a lotta p's!).  I made this twice so far using different types of pasta.  The second time I made it, we were under a tornado warning so I was frantically finishing it up so we wouldn't have to eat it in the bathroom! (Don't worry, it missed us and we only got a little thunder storm). 

#1: Bread and Shrimp Skewers with Romaine Salad
(from Everyday Food Magazine, March or April 2011...can't find it right now!)

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound large peeled and deveined frozen shrimp (about 24), thawed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 5 ounces crusty bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)
• 1 hard-cooked egg yolk, mashed (omitted)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 2 large hearts romaine lettuce, leaves separated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, half the garlic, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. In another medium bowl, toss bread with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Thread shrimp and bread onto eight 8-inch wooden or metal skewers. Transfer skewers to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until shrimp is opaque throughout and croutons are golden, 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine remaining garlic, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil, egg yolk, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined; stir in Parmesan. Add romaine and toss to coat. Sprinkle salad with more Parmesan and serve alongside skewers.



Photo taken from Cooking Light website

























#2: Bucatini with Green Peas & Pancetta
(from Cooking Light Magazine April 2011)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (or onion)
1 1/4 cups shelled green peas (about 1 1/2 pounds unshelled) (I used frozen, thawed peas)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine (omitted)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or a pinch dried)
1/2 pound uncooked bucatini pasta (I've used both ziti and rigatoni)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add pancetta; cook for 10 minutes or until browned and crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; set pancetta aside. Add shallots; cook for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add peas and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add wine and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid reduces to 2 tablespoons (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to package directions, omitting additional fat. Drain the pasta in a colander over a bowl, and reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to pea mixture; toss well. Stir in reserved cooking liquid. Place about 1 1/4 cups pasta mixture in each of 4 shallow bowls; top each serving evenly with grated cheese and pancetta.

Rori Trovato, Cooking Light
APRIL 2011

I love you, a bushel and a peck...

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here are some "drunken" dark chocolate truffles that I made for Dan.  And here is the recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-truffles-recipe/index.html

Of course, I tweaked it a bit.  Before mixing in the liqueur, I divided the chocolate into 3 equal portions and then added a tablespoon of different liqueurs to each one (brandy, triple sec/orange, amaretto).  I also melted the 8 oz. of chocolate in my small crock pot instead of using a heating pad and bowl (really, Alton?!).  These turned out pretty good, but I'm more of a milk chocolate fan.  However, these weren't for me anyways and Dan loved them!  Tonight's dinner: heart shaped homemade pizza with my big and little valentine's. :)

Mom Uniform: Outfit 4 of 30

If I was a cartoon character, this is the outfit I would be drawn in.  I wear it over and over...sometimes with boots...whoa wild.  So, it's early in the remix and I'm already wearing 'ol faithful.  I'm not sure what I'm going to be dressed in by the end!  P.S. My photo is from Luke's high chair point of view.  He's screaming...does he want to eat or something? I think he wants me to stop taking stupid pictures of myself in front of the oven and dish him some dinner!  Maybe he'll stop if I do the robot with oven mits on? Nope.

Remix 4/30: striped cardigan + seafoam v-neck + slim jeans + converse

All Dressed Up...and Finally Somewhere to Go! Remix 3 of 30

Yesss! We busted out of snow prison yesterday and got to go to Target and Hobby Lobby...yippee!  It was certainly an occasion to dress up for.

Outfit 3: Sweater dress + suede boots + tights + belt + red bag

11 uses for Apple Butter, 3 days of hibernation & 2nd Remix Outfit

Still hibernating around here...I am hoping hubby will take us out tomorrow to hobby lobby and dinner, hey-oh!  Yesterday I made crockpot apple butter that takes all day.  Man oh man it's worth the 12 hours.  Last night I had it over vanilla ice cream and this morning Luke and I had it on some toast.  I was brainstorming some other uses for this tasty stuff...with greek yogurt, spread on biscuits, pancakes or waffles, thumbprint cookies, inside wonton wrappers for little pie fritters, baked inside of cresent rolls, mixed with oatmeal, swirled in cake batter and baked into a apple cake...ooh I might need to have that apple butter topped ice cream again!  Recipe follows post. I'll take and post a picture tomorrow.  Here is my second outfit for the 30 for 30 remix challenge...

Outfit 2: Argyle Cardigan + pink v-neck + cargos + suede boots
Luke: dino pjs + elmo slippers :)

Crock Pot Apple Butter (Adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-apple-butter-93886)

Ingredients:

About 3 lbs apples (10 medium) (I used a mix of granny smith, gala, & braeburn) - peeled, cored, & diced small

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1. Mix all ingredients together in crock pot.  Cook on high for 1 hour.

2. Turn down to low and cook for 9-11 hours until thick and brown.  Half way through I stirred and mashed with potato masher...though I'm not sure it was neccessary.

3. Uncover and cook for one hour more.

4. Cool and store in fridge or freezer.



Day 1: Wardrobe Remix

Day 1: gray sweater + skinny jeans + brown ankle boots + belt

It was my second day of being snowed-in, so this outfit stayed inside (and truth be told slippers were the footwear of choice for most of the day!)  I kept things simple for playing with my little man, practicing on my new embroidery machine, digging a tunnel in the snow for Franklin to go out in the backyard, and making apple butter. Stay tuned for a recipe that will make your house smell amazing!!

30 for 30: Wardrobe REMIX!

I am by no means a "fashion blogger"...just wanted to make that clear!  But, I have been so enthralled by real fashion bloggers lately like... Kendi at kendieveryday.blogspot.com, Sydney at tandsdaybook.blogspot.com and my friend, Shea, at bonchicbongastronomique.blogspot.com.  Speaking of Kendi, every season she inspires hundreds of readers to join the "30 for 30 Wardrobe Remix".  You choose 30 articles of clothing & shoes and for 30 days you wear only those items to make 30 different outfits...and no shopping allowed during this remix!  Here's why I want to do this...

1. One pj day is fun, but 2 or more makes you feel frumpy and lazy!
2. I wear the same jeans, cardigan, tee combo pretty much every other day.
3. There are items in my closet that get completely ignored and it's time to give them attention.
4. Any restriction to shopping is a good thing for me!
5. I have plenty of accessories that need to be worn.
6. I have an obsession with makeover shows, so this is kind of like that.
7. Not practical to wear a dress to shop for groceries, but it's a bit old timey, and I like that!
8. Just for a fun challenge, my 7th grade self would be pleased that I haven't changed much. :)

So, here are my 30 wardrobe picks...

Galette aux Pommes, a Crocheted Scarf & Baby Clothes...I'm back!

I know, I know... it's been exactly one month since I've posted anything on this blog! But, I have a good reason: I've been making too many things!  Every precious second of Luke's nap time I've been working on a new small business called Elephant in the Room Baby Boutique.  I've been sewing and cutting and ironing and tying ribbons and tearing out stitches and sewing again...all to make and sell cute little baby things like onesies, t-shirts, hair bows, headbands, and burp cloths.  Here are my websites to check out: www.facebook.com/elephantbaby and www.etsy.com/shop/elephantbaby.  You don't need a facebook account to check out the facebook page.  If I know you, you can call me or just send me an email at elephantintheroombaby@gmail.com to custom order something.  Etsy helps me sell to people I don't know (and they take a percentage of the sale...boo.)  So, if you need a gift for a precious little one in your life, my sewing machine and I are all yours!

Next, I learned how to crochet during Thanksgiving.  Here's how to learn how to crochet:

1.) Get yarn and needles from Michaels or some other hobby store with your best friend sister Carli.
2.) Have your Grandma D. show you how to crochet at the kitchen table. Have a nice chitchat about gigalos and the olden days.
3.) Fly home with exactly 1 inch of a scarf done...
4.) One week later, forget everything that you learned over Thanksgiving.
5.) Go to Martha Stewarts website and search "how to crochet".
6.) Follow these steps: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/how-to-crochet
7.) Crochet a scarf that your husband says looks and feels like a placemat. boo.
8.) Pick out chunkier, softer teal yarn and a huge needle and start a new scarf that only takes a couple days.
9.) Wear your cozy scarf even though it is 65 degrees in January in Tulsa!

And finally, on to some cooking.  I have been putting cooking and baking at the absolute bottom of my priority list. No, scratch that, cleaning is at the very dusty, crumby bottom.  I took pictures of some things I cooked like Potstickers and Sweet & Sour Chicken, but they never turned into blog posts.  Yesterday I made a beautiful Galette aux Pommes (rustic apple tart) for a potluck luncheon that I went to today.  Not only was it gorgeous and golden and glistening it was the perfect buttery crust with tart thinly sliced apples and a layer of apricot glaze.  Sounds fancy schmancy but it was actually really easy.  So here's the recipe (one part Martha Stewart, one part my own):

Galette aux Pommes (Rustic Apple Tart)

For the Crust:

Pate Brisee (Pie Dough) (from http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pate-brisee-pie-dough, I halved the recipe)

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/8-1/4 cup ice water

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Form dough into a ball. Flatten  ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month. (Prepare your apples while dough chills)
4. (This part is my direction) On a large piece of parchment paper, sprinkle a little flour and place disc of dough on it.  Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and on your rollling pin.  Roll out dough in a circle or oblong shape to about 1/8 inch thick.  It does not have to be a perfect, nice circle because it is a "rustic" tart, which is codeword for lazy.  Place parchement and dough on large baking sheet.

For the Filling:

4-5 Granny Smith apples (or whatever apples you have)

1-2 tbs. granulated sugar

a pinch of nutmeg

a beaten egg or egg white

1-2 tbs. apricot preserves (for use after tart is baked)

1. Peel, core, and quarter apples.

2. Slice very thin using a sharp knife or a mandoline (I used my mandoline that I got for my birthday, love it!)

3. On your rolled out dough (see above) arrange apples in a spiral OR dump them all out in the middle and make it really lazy rustic! Leave a 2 inch border of dough all the way around.

4. Fold edges of dough over apples, pleating as you go.

5. With pastry brush, brush edges of dough with your beaten egg.

6. Sprinkle dough and apples with sugar. Sprinkle the apples with the nutmeg.

7. Place in 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden brown and apples are tender.

8. Let cool on rack.

9. Microwave apricot preserves in a small dish for about 20 seconds until melted.

10. Brush apples only with apricot preserves.

11. Drool.

12. Serve warm or at room temperature, alone or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.