Third Times a Charm

So this is going to have to be quick because I just did 1 1/2 hours worth of extra work and now I want to go to bed (yeah I know, I'm 23 and its 9:20). A couple of exciting things happened today:
1) Got a haircut - Finally I can take my poor hair out of a ponytail!
2) Got the new work laptop - Currently writing on it. Useful for blogging, not useful for when I feel like I need to do extra work (note the first sentence!)

I don't know if any of my friends have noticed that not only do I write with lists all the time, but I also speak them. When I'm talking I'll say, "well a) blah blah blah and b) blah blah blah". I should really try to catch myself on that, because I'm sure most people don't care about these random points that I think I need to make! I think it is related to the fact that I don't normally think before I speak and as Nick (my fiancee for anyone who is just joining in) just pointed out, I organize my thoughts while I'm speaking them as opposed to ordering them in my head first. Ah well. It makes it interesting right?

I don't have a picture because my desktop computer is slowly breaking down and is a total pain to turn on and off - but check below for the new flickr account I opened. It has those flower pictures (with others) that I've posted for the last 2 days. Good night!

Grandma's Machine - The First Project

FINALLY! I have had a bunch of fabric, thread, sewing machine, and ideas...but not a lot of confidence. Before Christmas, I decided to stop being a big wuss - IT'S OK TO FAIL! Therefore, this beauty was born for a Christmas present for my mom. I got the tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew! and it was super easy and relatively cheap.

My mom said she has been using it every night on her poor stressed out neck. My dad had surgery at the beginning of January and he wasn't allowed to drive or really move all that much for a long time. For my active, home-fixing dad- this was torture! Hopefully he won't be using this therapy pad, because he had surgery to get rid of the pain in his neck! By the way, I asked my mom to guess where I bought it and she said Bed, Bath and Beyond. When I told her I made it, she was shocked! I guess that means I did a good job!

Another thought about the change in the blog- I was worried about my title. It was perfect for a pure food blog, but now that this is a mixture I was concerned that it would sound weird. Then I thought about the way I think and act. Which is in a frenzy. At all times. So I think this will fit just fine!

I have a couple of crafting ideas on my plate (as well as getting up those food posts I owe).
1) 3/4 done with a cool scarf- I'll have a picture at some point!
2) 1/2 done with a hat- My first hat! I started this weekend after Bethro took me to knitting stores in SF. I really loved Noe Knits. It was cozy and the people were really friendly and helpful. I'll definitely go back there again! We tried to go to Greenwich Yarn but they were closed on Sundays! Boo! I'll try there again too because it is the closest one out of the three we visited.
3) 0% done with a bag- Just in the idea stage. I was planning on using the Quilters Complete Guide to make a patchwork type bag but after seeing the bags made by Artsy-Crafty Babe, I'm thinking of buying one of those patterns and trying my hand at that.
4) 0% done with Las Vegas scrapbook (or any scrapbook for that matter) - My mom bought me some great supplies for Christmas- a paper cutter, picture rounder, and double-sided adhesive tape. I have a decent amount of paper but somehow the pictures are still on the computer - not ordered. That's the first step and hopefully I'll be able to get somewhere next weekend!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures that I've taken. I have a crazy Chinese parchment obsession!

The Change

For my few readers out there- I've made a big change in the blog!

1) Physical appearance - colors, template, banner, etc.
2) Content - Last weekend I had a blogger epiphany. I realized the reason I don't write on this blog everyday -- I don't only love food. Duh. I have lots of other interests and loves and I feel constricted to writing about food since that is what I set out to do. I read a lot of other talented women's blogs this weekend (sorry guys, you just can't represent!) and they inspired me to really use this as a jumping point. I've wanted to get reacquainted with my photography, start crafting (sewing, scrapbooking and knitting more) and I want to just write like myself, instead of feeling like I need to be someone I'm not.

So there it is. The beginning of the beginning, I guess...

Sick as a Dog

Well... starting Thursday evening, straight through to today, I've been in one position on my couch, going through 2 entire rolls of toilet paper (yeah I know, I should buy some tissues). My family uses the phrase- sick as a dog and I just realized that I have no idea where that would come from. So of course, I googled it! I got several doggie health websites but I managed to find an answer that I thought was interesting (whether it's right or not... that's a different story).

"The earliest known usage of "sick as a dog'' dates back to 1705. It has been suggested that the phrase originated from the fact that dogs, being domesticated, are the most common animal we've seen vomiting besides ourselves. Our intimate relationships with dogs have also allowed for many other "dog'' phrases like "every dog has his day'' and the straightforward "you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'' British English has sometimes employed similar phrases involving other animals - "sick as a horse'' and, yes, "sick as a cat'' - but "sick as a dog'' is the only choice in American English.

A surprising variant that has become popular in Britain in the past several decades is "sick as a parrot,'' which typically describes someone who is very disappointed or disgusted rather than physically sick. Parrots aren't especially known for being either sick or disappointed, and no one knows exactly how this phrase originated. (One theory traces it to a famous Monty Python sketch involving a dead parrot.) It was first recorded in 1979, and it has been popular in the years since, especially among British athletes describing their extreme disappointment over losing a match."

So I'm finally feeling good enough to sit up with a work loaner laptop in my lap. Unfortunately, all my pictures are still on my camera which would need to be plugged into my personal desktop, which requires me to sit up for more than 5 minutes at a time....just not going to happen today! I thought I would throw in a post about a) how sick I feel so you can feel sorry for me :) Is it working? b) what is to come in the next week or so...

1) Some left over posts from last year of various yummy meals
2) Dianna's request: what you need in your kitchen
3) Christmas
4) Some new meals that I've made this year

I hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to my 3-4 faithful readers! This is literally the beginning of the new year. I have a new attitude towards food and several new books to help me along! You'll definitely be seeing a lot more posts (with the same terrible photography) soon. I figured I should get up one on the first day of the New Year. So Happy New Year!

Cookies Galore! Funfetti Cookies

Stefanie's cookies brought back all those birthday parties where I wasn't worried about eating half the cake! Who knew that you could make cookies with Funfetti Cake Mix?!


Ingredients
1 (18.9-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 (15.6-oz.) can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs: stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cooki sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.
4. Bake at 375°F for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
5. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting.
6. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Cookies Galore! Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Catie made some delicious cookies that combine everything you would want in a holiday cookie: peanut butter, chocolate chips and oatmeal!

She got her recipe from Martha Stewart Living.

Ingredients

Makes about 6 dozen.

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups salted whole peanuts
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars, butter, and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture, and mix until just combined. Mix in peanuts and chocolate chips.
4. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Cookies Galore!

Yay for cookies and the holiday season! This is the first of hopefully 11 different recipes (combined into a smaller amount of posts for lazy readers). I will "highlight" (you'll see what that means) each cookie and give its recipe! I hope you enjoy and have fun with your holiday baking!

Official

This is an official blogger promise.

I will write at least one post every 48 hours.

Really! I promise this time! I can't guarantee that every post will be extraordinarily interesting but there will at least be one.

I'm about to write a series of posts- inspired by my favorite style maven- Miss Kate! The series was a request from another loyal reader about "How to Stock Your Kitchen". I immediately thought this was a great idea- but does she mean with utensils and gadgets? spices and long term staples? pots and pans? Well, why not answer all of the above! Therefore, you will soon be embarking on an adventure into my wild mind (and the world of internet research that I will perform to write this post) so I hope you find it useful!

In an additional note, my friends at work (which include my muses from the above paragraph) decided to do a holiday cookie exchange. I will be asking for the recipes from each of them and posting them on here for your enjoyment!

Awesome Salad Dressing with Pan-Roasted Garlic

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_75379,00.html

Delicious dressing- that's all I have to say!

10 gloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 hearts Romaine lettuce
Grated romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano In a small skillet, combine the garlic cloves and the oil. Over a low heat, caramelize the garlic until browned and soft, about 20 minutes.

Transfer garlic cloves to a blender or food processor. Add the vinegar and mustard. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the reserved garlic oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss to coat. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and serve immediately.