The Three Graces shirts from HotPatterns aren't my "ideal dream perfect" shirts, but they are pretty awesome. I bought the pattern because I loved the cross-over variation, but, having made all three, I think I love them all.
I decided to watch the YouTube videos that Trudy has helpfully put up, having had some problems in the past with the instructions for other patterns. She made it look so easy! In honor of her British accent, I decided to see how many Doctor Who episodes (Season 5 with Matt Smith) it would take me to sew one shirt. I figured one, maybe one and a half, show and I'd be done. I was both right and wrong.
I got hung up on how the cross pieces went together. For about 2 hours. A few seams were sewn and ripped out. A few curse words were muttered.
I don't have a dress form, which makes piecing together a drapey garment kind of difficult. I came up with the brilliant idea of using a pillow as an impromptu dress form, so I could see, and pin, everything, better.
After I figured out how to put together the front pieces, the rest of the shirt defintely went together easily (two Doctor Whos.). And it's beautiful. So beautiful, I decided I had to make the other two shirts.
The cowl-neck version was easy peasy (One and a half Doctor Whos). The only thing I changed was to bring the sides in a bit, since it was a bit looser than I like. The twist neck was easier than the cross front, but harder than the cowl (two Doctor Whos). Most likely, my problem was that I was overthinking the construction, as I figured out how to do it after a glass of Scotch.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
An Inspired Use of Appliques
As any parent knows, potty training is a process of hits and misses (figurative and literal), trying to find ways to get the toddler to want to use the potty. For the Bean, chocolate is the perfect reward (fyi, despite their claims, M&Ms do melt in your hand). The big hurdle was getting her to want to wear underwear.
I bought some pink absorbant underwEar from Target, but she didn't like it as much as the regular underwear that had fun characters on it. Then I got a brilliant idea: fun, iron-on appliques, so I could personalize her underwear to give her something special. It worked like a charm -- she loves them.
The fabric-based appliques worked best. I couldn't get the paint/plasticey ones to work, and the beaded flowers came off after one wash. So if you want to try this, get a few types and experiment to see what works best for you. My friend S also suggested fabric paints.
It's made a huge difference in the process and I'm starting to see the light at the end of the diaper-free tunnel.
I bought some pink absorbant underwEar from Target, but she didn't like it as much as the regular underwear that had fun characters on it. Then I got a brilliant idea: fun, iron-on appliques, so I could personalize her underwear to give her something special. It worked like a charm -- she loves them.
The fabric-based appliques worked best. I couldn't get the paint/plasticey ones to work, and the beaded flowers came off after one wash. So if you want to try this, get a few types and experiment to see what works best for you. My friend S also suggested fabric paints.
It's made a huge difference in the process and I'm starting to see the light at the end of the diaper-free tunnel.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Cornstarch is Not Baking Powder
Cornstarch is not the same as double-acting baking powder. This is a very important distinction if you're making a sour-cream based sauce on the stovetop and want to thicken it a bit. If you grab the baking powder instead of the cornstarch, you'll end up whisking something that looks like it should be served by Richard Blais on Top Chef.
For those who are unfamiliar with baking chemistry, double-acting baking powder is a chemical leavener that makes baked goods rise in two ways: it first reacts with an acid (like, say, sour cream), then it reacts to heat (like from a stovetop burner).
I keep my baking good all in the same drawer and the baking powder and cornstarch were next to each other and are both in metal cans. I accidentally grabbed the baking powder instead of the cornstarch last night when making the sauce for my crockpot dinner last night. To save a bowl, I mixed the ersatz cornstarch in the sour cream container. I realized what happened when I looked over and saw what looked like a sour cream souffle rising majestically from the white plastic.
I quickly put everything into a bigger saucepan, added the real cornstarch and whisked for my life. The bubbles did eventually go down and I think it tasted okay. It's a dish I'll make again, taking care to grab the right can.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A Twist on the Marble Cheesecake
I'm in between projects right now, trying to clean up from the holidays, recover from the double-whammy of a cold and a sinus infection, and getting into a new preschool routine with the Bean. However, I realized I never blogged about the marble cheesecake I made with that Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut spread.
I started with Gale Gand's Marble Cheesecake recipe, and substituted 6 oz. of the spread for the chocolate. It was divine. (I do have to admit it cracked more on the top than I'd like, but I think that's just a high-altitude thing or not using a water bath.) All my friends moaned with delight when they ate it, so I'm guessing they liked it, too.
And on a sewing note, I've given up on trying to sew the perfect v-neck t-shirt. In all honesty, with my lifestyle and sartorial style (is that an oxymoron?), it's much easier to buy a shirt from Old Navy, then adjust the shoulder seams so it's not so low cut.
I got Built by Wendy's book on sewing with knits on massive sale and I'm eager to see what she has to say. Maybe I'll get that dream shirt after all...
I started with Gale Gand's Marble Cheesecake recipe, and substituted 6 oz. of the spread for the chocolate. It was divine. (I do have to admit it cracked more on the top than I'd like, but I think that's just a high-altitude thing or not using a water bath.) All my friends moaned with delight when they ate it, so I'm guessing they liked it, too.
And on a sewing note, I've given up on trying to sew the perfect v-neck t-shirt. In all honesty, with my lifestyle and sartorial style (is that an oxymoron?), it's much easier to buy a shirt from Old Navy, then adjust the shoulder seams so it's not so low cut.
I got Built by Wendy's book on sewing with knits on massive sale and I'm eager to see what she has to say. Maybe I'll get that dream shirt after all...
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Yule Log Cake
It's been a little hectic with the holidays and 2 kids, so I haven't posted anything lately. I'll try to be better this year. Along with losing all that weight and watching less TV.
Ahem.
As I mentioned before, my mom was also famous for her Buche de Noel, or Yule Log, cake at Christmastime. I have lots of great memories of helping her decorate it with all her fancy icing decorating tips, then getting to decorate our fingers with flowers, swirls and leaves before licking the icing off. How we ever got to sleep those nights, I'll never know. Maybe we had a good crash after all that sugar.
It's a delicious recipe. It's also a little difficult to make and is best spread out over a few days. The one good thing is that it freezes very easily, so you could make it a few weeks ahead of time, wrap it, put it in the freezer, then put in the fridge the day before you serve it to thaw a bit.
Buche de Noel
10-12 servings
One of the most charming of the traditional French holiday cakes is the buche de Noel, or Christmas log. When finished, the cake looks deceptively like a log.
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rum syrup (see below)
Mocha cram frosting (see below)
Decorative frosting
1. Line a 10 1/2 by 15 1/2-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper.
2. Preheat oven to hot (400 deg. F.)
3. Mix the flour, salt and half the sugar. Sift together three times.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Fold in the vanilla and egg yolks, which have been stiffly beaten. Fold in the flour-sugar mixture, about three tablespoons at a time.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan in parallel strips running lengthwise of the pan. Spread evenly and bake until firm in the center, or about fifteen minutes.
6. Turn the cake out onto waxed paper, or a towel that has been sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Remove the pan lining and cut off all the edges of the cake. Roll the cake as for jelly roll, without removing the paper or towel. Cool and chill briefly. (The paper or towel will be on the inside of the roll.)
7. Unroll, brush with half the rum syrup and spread with mocha cream frosting. Roll as a jelly roll, this time removing the paper or towel. Wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly, or until the frosting becomes firm.
8. Remove the waxed paper and cut off the ends of the cake diagonally for use as "branches."
9. Brush the outside of the cake and "branches" with the remainder of the rum syrup. Set "branches" aside. Frost cake with mocha cream, using a pastry bag and notched tube and running the strips lengthwise of the cake to give the appearance of bark.
10. Attach the "branches" to the "log" and press into the frosting. Frost with mocha cream.
11. Frost the ends of the "log" and "branches" with alternating rings of mocha cream and yellow decorative frosting, forcing both through pastry tubes. Chill the "log" until the mocha cream is firm.
12. Decorate the log as desired with flowers, "Noel", etc., using decorative frosting and forcing it through different tubes. Serve the cake promptly, storing it in a cool place until serving time so that the butter in the mocha frosting does not soften.
Rum Syrup for a Buche de Noel
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons rum
Boil the sugar and water together until syrupy, or about three minutes. Cool and add the rum.
Mocha Cream Frosting
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 egg yolks
1 cup soft butter
1 1/2 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon very strong coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons rum
1. Boil together the sugar and water to 240 deg. F. (Syrup forms a soft ball in cold water).
2. Beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Add the syrup gradually, while beating, and continue beating until the mixture is cool.
3. Add the butter, bit by bit, until it has all been beaten in. Beat in the chocolate, coffee and rum.
I usually make the cake and syrup the first day, the frosting the second day and assemble, then all the decorating the third day. If you don't have 2 mixers, you can beat the egg whites first, gently transfer them to another bowl, wipe out the mixing bowl, then beat the yolks.
This year, I was lazy, so I just used sugar flowers I bought at a baking supply store (places like Michael's have them, too).
Thanks, Mom, and Happy New Year.
Ahem.
As I mentioned before, my mom was also famous for her Buche de Noel, or Yule Log, cake at Christmastime. I have lots of great memories of helping her decorate it with all her fancy icing decorating tips, then getting to decorate our fingers with flowers, swirls and leaves before licking the icing off. How we ever got to sleep those nights, I'll never know. Maybe we had a good crash after all that sugar.
It's a delicious recipe. It's also a little difficult to make and is best spread out over a few days. The one good thing is that it freezes very easily, so you could make it a few weeks ahead of time, wrap it, put it in the freezer, then put in the fridge the day before you serve it to thaw a bit.
Buche de Noel
10-12 servings
One of the most charming of the traditional French holiday cakes is the buche de Noel, or Christmas log. When finished, the cake looks deceptively like a log.
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rum syrup (see below)
Mocha cram frosting (see below)
Decorative frosting
1. Line a 10 1/2 by 15 1/2-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper.
2. Preheat oven to hot (400 deg. F.)
3. Mix the flour, salt and half the sugar. Sift together three times.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Fold in the vanilla and egg yolks, which have been stiffly beaten. Fold in the flour-sugar mixture, about three tablespoons at a time.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan in parallel strips running lengthwise of the pan. Spread evenly and bake until firm in the center, or about fifteen minutes.
6. Turn the cake out onto waxed paper, or a towel that has been sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Remove the pan lining and cut off all the edges of the cake. Roll the cake as for jelly roll, without removing the paper or towel. Cool and chill briefly. (The paper or towel will be on the inside of the roll.)
7. Unroll, brush with half the rum syrup and spread with mocha cream frosting. Roll as a jelly roll, this time removing the paper or towel. Wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly, or until the frosting becomes firm.
8. Remove the waxed paper and cut off the ends of the cake diagonally for use as "branches."
9. Brush the outside of the cake and "branches" with the remainder of the rum syrup. Set "branches" aside. Frost cake with mocha cream, using a pastry bag and notched tube and running the strips lengthwise of the cake to give the appearance of bark.
10. Attach the "branches" to the "log" and press into the frosting. Frost with mocha cream.
11. Frost the ends of the "log" and "branches" with alternating rings of mocha cream and yellow decorative frosting, forcing both through pastry tubes. Chill the "log" until the mocha cream is firm.
12. Decorate the log as desired with flowers, "Noel", etc., using decorative frosting and forcing it through different tubes. Serve the cake promptly, storing it in a cool place until serving time so that the butter in the mocha frosting does not soften.
Rum Syrup for a Buche de Noel
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons rum
Boil the sugar and water together until syrupy, or about three minutes. Cool and add the rum.
Mocha Cream Frosting
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 egg yolks
1 cup soft butter
1 1/2 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon very strong coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons rum
1. Boil together the sugar and water to 240 deg. F. (Syrup forms a soft ball in cold water).
2. Beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Add the syrup gradually, while beating, and continue beating until the mixture is cool.
3. Add the butter, bit by bit, until it has all been beaten in. Beat in the chocolate, coffee and rum.
I usually make the cake and syrup the first day, the frosting the second day and assemble, then all the decorating the third day. If you don't have 2 mixers, you can beat the egg whites first, gently transfer them to another bowl, wipe out the mixing bowl, then beat the yolks.
This year, I was lazy, so I just used sugar flowers I bought at a baking supply store (places like Michael's have them, too).
Thanks, Mom, and Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Chocolate-Covered Candied Orange Peels
For me, the holidays are officially here when I watch A Muppet Christmas Carol (while decorating the tree) and when I make candied orange peels.
As I said earlier, my mom was famous for her orange peels. Her friends would hide them from their children, saving them all for themselves. They're not difficult to make, they're just time- (and space-) intensive. I usually make a double batch, using every single baking sheet I have for drying and dipping. I don't like grapefruit (unless it's mixed with vodka in a Grayhound), so I make mine with all oranges.
Chocolate Dipped Orange and Grapefruit Peel
1 large grapefruit, 3 large navel oranges
1 cup of honey
About 1 cup of sugar
16 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1. Remove peels. Cut it into 1/4" strips. Place in a 5-qt. Saucepan; cover with cold water; bring to a full boil; then drain. Repeat four times.
2. Transfer drained peel to a large skillet; add honey and 2/3 cup water. Cook slowly until all syrup is gone--about 60 min. Cook 15 min. longer, over low heat, being careful not to scorch the fruit.
3. Drain thoroughly; cool; then roll each strip in sugar. Spread out on cookie sheets in single layer; dry overnight. Next day, roll again in sugar.
4. In top of double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate. Holding with tongs, dip each strip in the chocolate; drain off excess. Place on waxed paper on tray. Cool. Store in refrigerator.
A note on dipping: I'm lazy, so I only dip the peels halfway and I think the contrast between the dark chocolate and the crystallized orange is pretty. Also, I dip my peels in bittersweet chocolate, mainly because I get it in large packages at Costco. You can use milk, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, whatever taste you like best.
This year, I made fudge and almond toffee to go in my goodie packages. Looking through my notes from pastry classes, I found something interesting:
For every 1,000 feet/300 meters above sea level, subtract 2 degrees F/1 degree C from every boiling point listed in the recipe.
I'd never really thought about altering candy recipes for high altitude before, but it does make sense considering baking recipes need to account for differences in evaporation. I have to say, the fudge was creamier than the previous times I'd made it. So, try it and see if it makes a difference in your candy recipes.
As I said earlier, my mom was famous for her orange peels. Her friends would hide them from their children, saving them all for themselves. They're not difficult to make, they're just time- (and space-) intensive. I usually make a double batch, using every single baking sheet I have for drying and dipping. I don't like grapefruit (unless it's mixed with vodka in a Grayhound), so I make mine with all oranges.
Chocolate Dipped Orange and Grapefruit Peel
1 large grapefruit, 3 large navel oranges
1 cup of honey
About 1 cup of sugar
16 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1. Remove peels. Cut it into 1/4" strips. Place in a 5-qt. Saucepan; cover with cold water; bring to a full boil; then drain. Repeat four times.
2. Transfer drained peel to a large skillet; add honey and 2/3 cup water. Cook slowly until all syrup is gone--about 60 min. Cook 15 min. longer, over low heat, being careful not to scorch the fruit.
3. Drain thoroughly; cool; then roll each strip in sugar. Spread out on cookie sheets in single layer; dry overnight. Next day, roll again in sugar.
4. In top of double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate. Holding with tongs, dip each strip in the chocolate; drain off excess. Place on waxed paper on tray. Cool. Store in refrigerator.
A note on dipping: I'm lazy, so I only dip the peels halfway and I think the contrast between the dark chocolate and the crystallized orange is pretty. Also, I dip my peels in bittersweet chocolate, mainly because I get it in large packages at Costco. You can use milk, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, whatever taste you like best.
This year, I made fudge and almond toffee to go in my goodie packages. Looking through my notes from pastry classes, I found something interesting:
For every 1,000 feet/300 meters above sea level, subtract 2 degrees F/1 degree C from every boiling point listed in the recipe.
I'd never really thought about altering candy recipes for high altitude before, but it does make sense considering baking recipes need to account for differences in evaporation. I have to say, the fudge was creamier than the previous times I'd made it. So, try it and see if it makes a difference in your candy recipes.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Jewelry Organizer
I don't have a huge amount of jewelry, but I do have a few pieces I wear all the time. My current jewelry location (a drawer) was getting too messy--all my necklaces were getting tangled and I couldn't find pendants or earrings that I wanted. Solution? A wall organizer to keep my necklaces neat and everything else easy to find.
I got a cool frame (on sale at Michael's), some corkboard and 4 pieces of scrapbooking paper. I took out the glass, glued the corkboard to the back of the frame, then cut the paper and glued that to the corkboard. I got some pretty, pearlized sewing pins to hang everything from and stood back to enjoy the effect!
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