Saturday, December 31, 2011

2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR Pictures, Images and Photos

I hope that 2012 brings many blessings to all of you out there in cyberspace!


Some of my resolutions for the year ahead:


1.  Get the garage cleaned out and organized.

2.  Lose those 10 pounds.............again.

3.  Learn how to ice-skate backwards.

4.  Finally make this house a home.

5.  Do one thing each day that will make me a better person.

6.  Finally, I resolve to complete all of my resolutions this year.

Good luck with your resolutions! 




Friday, December 23, 2011

Gift Tags

I found this very cute cookie elf in the Silhouette Studio online store and decided it would be perfect to use as gift tags on my Christmas cookie plates this year:


She looks exactly like me!



 
Except I'm plumper.



And older.




 

Cookie Elf by Sarah Bailey:  cookie_the_elf_C00796_20508
You will need Silhouette Studio to get this print and cut file.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmas Cookie Parade: Watkins Vanilla Sugar Cookies


When I need an all-purpose, old-fashioned, roll-out sugar cookie for decorating, the recipe I turn to is this one from the J. R. Watkins Company, circa 1936.  I found it in the All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett (any lover of cookies NEEDS this book in their library).  Cookies made with this recipe hold their shape well when baked and are sturdy enough to hold all the toppings that 21 3rd graders can think to pile on them.  The bonus is that they also taste amazing when they are unadorned:  buttery, crisp, 
melt-in-your-mouth goodness.  


SugarBear's class getting ready to decorate their snowman cookies.


Watkins Vanilla Sugar Cookies

1.  In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour (sifted after measuring) and 1 teaspoon baking powder.  With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together
1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter with 1 cup (7 oz) sugar until well blended and fluffy, about
2 minutes.  Beat in 2 room-temperature egg yolks, then a generous pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.  Gradually beat or stir in the flour mixture to form a smooth dough.

2.  Divide the dough in half or thirds.  Place each portion between large sheets of wax paper and roll out 1/8-inch thick.  Check the underside of the dough and smooth out any wrinkles.  Stack the rolled dough (paper attached) on a baking sheet and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

3.  Take out one portion of dough at a time and gently peel away, then pat one sheet of wax paper back into place.  Flip the dough over, then peel off and discard the second sheet.  Cut out shapes with desired cutters and transfer to prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/4 inches apart.  Reroll and chill any scraps.  Sprinkle cookies with sugar or decorating sugar, if desired, or leave plain if you will ice them.

4.  Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 8 to 11 minutes, or until lightly colored on top and slightly darker at the edges, rotating the sheet half-way through baking.  Let cool on the baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for 1 month.


SugarBear's Creation


This little man belongs to Bee over at Bee's Hive of Drama.



Please decorate us!



I used to have trouble rolling my dough out evenly.  It would always be too thick in the middle and too thin at the edges.  I invested in a set of rubber rolling-pin guides and now my rolled out dough has the correct thickness all the way through.  I purchased mine from King Arthur Flour.



Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas Cookie Parade: Snickerdoodles


Are you looking for a large, soft, home-style, nicely spiced, comfort-food type of cookie?  Yes?  Then I think you should turn to the traditional Snickerdoodle.  These are perfect for the holidays because, not only do they taste like childhood, they make your house smell divine while they are baking.  They are also super easy to make...

...provided you measure your flour correctly:

Oops.  I weighed out 1 1/2 cups of flour instead of 2 1/2 cups. 
I wondered why they were so difficult to roll into balls...


The recipe I use comes from America's Test Kitchen.  It makes large cookies that are crispy at the edges and soft in the middle.  This would also be a good 1st cookie recipe for kids.  What kid doesn't like to roll stuff in cinnamon and sugar?

Snickerdoodles

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Combine 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (12 1/2 oz), 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (1 stick) with 1/2 cup vegetable shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add 2 large room-temp eggs, one at a time, mixing after each until well incorporated.  Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

3.  Combine 1 tablespoon cinnamon with 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.  Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls with moistened hands, toss in cinnamon sugar to coat, then place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake each sheet separately until edges are light golden brown and centers are soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating each sheet halfway through baking.  Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.







Saturday, December 10, 2011

Christmas Cookie Parade: Spiced Spritz with Browned Butter Glaze

I love to collect cookie magazines each year during the holidays.  One of my favorites is put out by the Land O Lakes butter company:


I love to flip through and find some new recipes to try out for gifting to my friends and family.  This year, I baked up a batch of Spiced Spritz with Brown Butter Glaze from the 2011 edition:


These tender, little cookies are pure heaven.  Gently spiced with pumpkin pie spice, and nutty and buttery from the brown butter glaze, it is difficult to eat just one.  Bake a batch for yourself and you'll see what I mean.  (You need a cookie press or pastry bag with a large tip for this recipe.)


Spiced Spritz with Browned Butter Glaze


1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place 1 cup softened butter in a large bowl and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and
1/2 teaspoon salt ; continue beating, scraping bowl occasionally, until well mixed.  Add 1 egg and
1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well mixed.  Reduce speed to low and add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour.  Beat until well mixed.

2.  Place dough into a cookie press fitted with desired template.  Press cookies, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until edges are set but not brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

3.  For the glaze, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Continue cooking, stirring constantly and watching closely, until butter just starts to turn golden (3 to 5 minutes).  Immediately remove from heat.  Cool slightly.

4. Combine browned butter with 3/4 powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) for desired glazing consistency.  Place the glaze in a sandwich bag, snip one corner, and drizzle glaze over cookies.





Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Christmas Cookie Parade: Chocolate Hearts

Here is another oldie-but-goodie from my previous blog; from 2009.  These are too good to not share the recipe again.  If a brownie and a meringue had a love child, these cookies would be it.  They are from
The All-American Cookie Book, by Nancy Baggett. If you love to bake cookies and do not own this book, go purchase a copy right this minute!  I promise you will love it.


Chocolate Hearts

3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped (I used Ghirardelli)
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons American-style unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)
1/3 cup egg whites (about 3 whites) at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
 
 
2. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate on 100-percent power for 1 minute. Stir well. Continue microwaving on 50-percent power, stirring at 30-second intervals. Stop microwaving before the chocolate completely melts and let the residual heat finish the job. Let cool to warm.
 
 
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the chocolate, about one-third of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder until well blended. Gradually add about one-third of the egg whites and beat until evenly incorporated. Add another one-third of the powdered sugar, then another one-third of the egg whites, and beat until smooth. Repeat the process, adding the remaining one-third of the powdered sugar, then the remaining one third of the egg whites and the vanilla. Increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes more, or until very smooth and well blended. Let the dough stand for 5 minutes to allow the egg whites to be more fully absorbed. At this point, if the dough seems dry and crumbly, beat in 1 to 2 teaspoons water until it holds together. if the dough seems sticky and wet, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons more powdered sugar to stiffen it just slightly. Beat the dough for 1 minute more or until very well blended.

4. Divide the dough in half. Place each portion between large sheets of wax paper. Roll out the portions a scant 1/4 inch thick; check the underside of the sough and smooth out any wrinkles that form. Working with one portion at a time, gently peel away, then pat one sheet of wax paper back into place. Flip the dough over, then peel off and discard the second sheet. Use a 2 to 2-1/4 inch heart-shaped cutter to cut out the cookies; if the cutter sticks, occasionally dip it into powdered sugar, tapping off the excess. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to the baking sheets, spacing about 1-1/4 inches apart. Reroll any dough scraps.

5. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 9 to 13 minutes, or until dry on the surface but soft in the centers when very lightly pressed. Slide the cookies, still attached to the parchment, onto a wire rack. Let stand until completely cooled. Carefully peel the cookies from the parchment.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Christmas Cookie Parade: Confetti Bars

This is a post from my old blog, circa 2008:


I wanted to do a cooking project with the kids so I pulled out a recipe for Confetti Bars that I have been wanting to try. The bars are basically Rice Krispie Treats with Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch added into the mix (make sure you have your insulin shot ready). The kids had fun measuring and stirring while I handled the stove.



Here is the original recipe (from marthastewart.com):

Confetti Bars:

9 Tbs unsalted butter
1 tea salt
12 cups (2 1/2 bags) miniature marshmallows
6 cups each of Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops and Cap' Crunch cereals
cooking spray

1. Spray a 9x9x2 inch pan with oil. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the salt and marshmallows; stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cereals until combined.

2. Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Press firmly and evenly into the pan and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

3. Cut into 3x3 bars. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

This is what we came up with:


You'll notice that I used a bigger pan. Based on comments at the website, most people mentioned that there was just too much mixture to fit in the 9x9 pan. The recipe uses 18 cups of cereal, for goodness sakes! I took their advice and used a 9x13 pan. If we make these again, I think I will use the smaller pan and halve the recipe. Even in a very large stockpot, that much cereal and marshmallow was difficult to stir. One last tip is to spray a large piece of foil with the cooking spray and place that on top as you press the mix into the pan to keep it from sticking to your hands.

The kids pose with their creation:


Diagnosis? Delicious!



Christmas Cookie Parade: Marvelous Chocolate Mint Cookies



Yesterday, I tried out the recipe for these chocolaty, minty, yummy little morsels.  They're really easy to make, and so worth the effort.  The mint flavor comes from the Andes Creme de Menthe candies that are melted on top of each cookie.  The recipe is from The America's Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies magazine (2010).  They first appeared in Cook's Country magazine (Dec/Jan '07) and were submitted by reader Karen Bland for their Christmas cookies recipe contest.  Now I know why they were one of the winners.

Melt one of these babies on top of each cookie for chocolaty, minty deliciousness.
                          

Marvelous Chocolate Mint Cookies

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Combine 1-1/4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.  Melt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter with 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Add 6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60%) to the butter mixture, cover pan with lid, and let stand off heat until chocolate melts, about 4 minutes.  Stir until smooth, transfer chocolate to bowl of electric mixer and let cool, about 10 minutes.

3.  With electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1 large egg into cooled chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined.  Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just combined.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

4.  Roll 2 teaspoons (5/8 oz) dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake, one sheet at a time, until cookies are just set, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking time.  Remove from oven and top each hot cookie with an unwrapped Andes chocolate mint
(you will need about 36 mints).  Place the sheet back in the oven for 3 to 5 seconds to help melt the chocolate mints.  Remove and use a knife to spread the softened mint over the top of the cookie.  Sprinkle with non-pareils if desired.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.


Monday, December 5, 2011

Babies, It's Cold Outside

Some good, long-time friends of mine have recently become
foster-parents to twin boys.  With the chilly winds that have been whipping around here lately, I figured they could use some toasty hats to keep them warm.  I knit up a couple of
Little Boy Blue beanies for them:


Many thanks to Tonya Wagner at The Shizknit for sharing her pattern.  It is nice and stretchy and should fit the boys for a while.  I cast on 72 stitches instead of 64 (the decreases work in multiples
of 8)  and added some jaunty little pom-poms on top.



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Creamy Root Vegetable Soup


This soup is like comfort in a bowl.  It's from the Oct/Nov 2011 issue of Cook's Country magazine.

Creamy Root Vegetable Soup

1.  Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add 2 peeled
and chopped carrots, 6 ounces peeled and chopped parsnips, 1 thinly sliced leek (white and light green parts only), 1 chopped celery rib, 1 peeled and smashed garlic clove, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until browned, 6-8 minutes.  Stir in 12 ounces russet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces) and cook, stirring constantly, until starch begins to release and vegetables begin to stick together, about 2 minutes.  Add 4 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 1 bay leaf and bring to a boil.

2.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.  Discard bay leaf.  Working in batches, process soup in a blender until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Return soup to clean pot and stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.  Serves 4 to 6.


Friday, November 18, 2011

Simple Drop Biscuits


These easy and yummy biscuits are from the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.  They are quick enough to whip up for a week-night dinner and tasty enough for your Thanksgiving table.


Simple Drop Biscuits

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven the 475 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk 2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda,
1 teaspoon sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl, stir together
1 cup chilled buttermilk* with 1 stick of butter (that has been melted and cooled) until the butter forms small clumps.  Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Using a greased 1/4 cup measure (or a #16 disher), scoop and drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart.  Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

4. Brush the baked biscuits with additional melted butter, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.


* I usually make these with powdered buttermilk, as it is always on hand.  Mix the buttermilk powder in with the dry ingredients in step 2.  Mix the melted butter with 1 cup chilled water until clumps form and stir that into the dry ingredients.



Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Halloween Recap

The last of the Halloween candy has been eaten/ dispersed/ disposed of.  I finally have a chance to sit down and post my pictures.  I know everyone is already well on their way to Thanksgiving, but "better late than never" is my motto, so here goes:

SugarBear was Jack Sparrow.  Excuse me, CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow.


We purchased the hat w/ attached wig at the Disney Store.  I made his clothes from this pattern:

McCall's M4952

I purchased some wool crepe and spirit glue from a Halloween store to make the beard.  The brown looked darker in the package, but I probably should have used black. SugarBear didn't complain, so I won't worry about it any longer.  I used face-paint for the mustache.





We had big plans of turning SweetPea into Sally from
The Nightmare Before Christmas:


But, we ended up getting a Halloween store costume the week before.  "Best laid plans..." I guess.  She also ended up being a pirate:


We did end up going to a Halloween party, and I went with an "Eyeball" theme to whip up some treats:

Peanut Butter Eyeballs

(Mix 1 cup creamy peanut butter with 1 stick softened, unsalted butter.  Beat in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar until well blended.  The mixture should be thick enough to roll into 1-inch balls.  Refrigerate the balls until they are firm enough to dip.  I used white candy coating to dip them.  Use the pre-colored frosting sold in tubes to make the veins and iris.  Brown M&Ms are the pupils.)

Cheesy Eyeballs

(Mix 8-ounces softened cream cheese with a 16-ounce package pre-shredded 4-cheese blend.  Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls.  Stir some chili powder into ketchup and use that to pipe on veins.  Guacamole and sliced ripe olives make the iris and pupil.)

The kids have already started planning their costumes for next year, so I better end this post and get started sewing.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Layette

Hubby's cousin is expecting a new bambina in December.  I made a layette set for her:

Fancy Cables and Lace Baby Blanket



Knitted Baby Booties


Everyday Cables Baby Hat
(my own design- pattern below)

Everyday Cables Baby Hat
Size:  Newborn
Supplies: 1 skein worsted weight yarn, size 7 DPNs, cable needle, place marker, tapestry needle
Gauge:  1 cable (widest point) and reverse-stockinette repeat = 1 3/8 inches, unstretched

pm:  place marker
CB6:  slip 3 stitches onto a cable needle purl-wise and hold in back of work, K3, K3 off of cable needle.
CB4:  slip 2 stitches onto a cable needle purl-wise and hold in back of work, K2, K2 off of cable needle.
K2tog:  knit two stitches together
P2tog:  purl 2 stitches together
SKP:  slip the next stitch knit-wise, K1, pass the slipped stitch over

Cast-on 72 stitches, 18 on each of four DPNs.  Mark the end of the round with a place marker.  K6, P3 around (each needle should have K6, P3, K6, P3).

On rounds 4, 12, 20, 28:  CB6, P3, K6, P3 around

On rounds 8, 16, 24, 32:  K6, P3, CB6, P3 around

Decrease Rows:
33:  K6, P2tog, P1 around;  64 sts
34:  SKP, K4, P2 around;  56 sts
35:  K3, K2tog, P2 around;  48 sts
36:  CB4, P2, K4, P2tog around;  40 sts
37:  K4, P1, SKP, K1, K2tog around;  32 sts
38:  SKP, K2tog, P1, K3 around;  24 sts
39:  SKP, P1, K1, K2tog around;  16 sts
40:  SKP, K2tog around;  8sts
Break yarn.  Thread tapestry needle and thread yarn through remaining stitches.  Pull tightly and bring yarn to inside of hat.  Weave in ends.








Monday, July 18, 2011

On Hiatus

I'm always telling the kiddos to do what they NEED to do first, then they can do what they WANT to do.  I've decided it's time that I follow my own advice.  I NEED to put my house in order and finish some projects so I've decided to put blogging on the back-burner for a while.  I hope to be back soon!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Pate a Choux (Bless You)

222-years ago, on July 14th, the French stormed the Bastille, igniting the French Revolution.  15-years ago, on July 14th, I vowed to honor and cherish the man whom I call hubby, til death do us part.  In honor of my sweet man, and in reference to the French and hubby's favorite bike race, le Tour de France, I decided to try out a special new dessert, Profiteroles.  They are basically cream puffs filled with ice-cream instead of pastry cream.  Since ice-cream is the one food that hubby could solely live off of, I knew he would enjoy these treats.  The french influence comes from the Pate a Choux (payt ah shoe) dough used to make the pastry puffs.  Topped with homemade chocolate sauce, they make a sumptuous ending to any meal.


Once again, America's Test Kitchen came to my rescue with a great recipe for these tasty tidbits.  This is from their Family Baking Book.

Profiteroles

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425-degrees.  Grease a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.  Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip.  Beat 2 large eggs and 1large egg white together in a small bowl.
2.  Bring 6 tablespoons water, 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (in 1/2-inch pieces), 2 tablespoons milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour until incorporated.  Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly using a smearing motion, until the mixture looks like shiny, wet sand, about 3 minutes (175-180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).

3.  Immediately transfer the hot mixture to a food processor.  With the machine running, pour the egg mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream and process until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to process until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms, about 30 seconds.

4.  Fill the pastry bag with the warm dough and pipe 1 1/2-inch mounds on the baking sheet (6 across, 3 down) spaced about 1-inch apart.  Use a wet finger to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the mounds.

5.  Bake the pastries for 15 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees and continue to bake until fairly firm and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

6.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cut a 3/4-inch slit into the side of each pastry with a small knife to release the steam.  Return the pastries to the oven, turn the oven off, and prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon.  Let the pastries dry until the center is just moist (but not wet) and the surface is crisp, about 45 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7.  While the pastries cool, use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to scoop mounds of ice cream onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Wrap with plastic and freeze until needed, up to 1 week.  (I used 31 Flavors Jamocha Almond Fudge and it was sooooo good.)

8.  When ready to serve, use a small knife to slice open the pastries about 3/8-inch from the bottom.  Arrange ice-cream scoops on the bottom halves of the pastries, and replace pastry tops over the ice-cream.  Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce (recipe below).  Unfilled pastries can be stored in a plastic bag for 1 day or frozen for 1 month.  Re-crisp them in a 300-degree oven for a few minutes.


Chocolate Sauce

1.  Bring 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut in 4 pieces), and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan.  Off the heat, stir in 8-ounces finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate, cover, and let sit until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.

2.  Uncover and whisk gently until smooth, trying not to incorporate too many air bubbles.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  The sauce can be refrigerated for 2 weeks and re-heated until smooth.


Hubby and I when we were young and naive.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Extra! Extra!

I enrolled Sweetpea in a 4-week arts camp through our school district in an attempt to keep her busy this summer.  One of the classes she signed up for is Musical Theater.  On Friday, the last day of camp, the class will be performing a number or two from the movie, Newsies.  Sweetpea informed me that she would be needing a newsboy cap, and I found a very quick and easy pattern here at Red Heart Yarn.  I think the cap came out kinda cute but here's the kicker:  Sweetpea doesn't want to wear it.  I guess that's the downside of making handmade things for others; they're not always as well-received as the maker would hope for.  At least she was willing to pose for a couple of pictures:


Here is the link to my Ravelry notes on this project.

Here is one of the songs that they will be performing:



Bee (from Hive of Drama fame)!  Can you spot a certain someone that you love in this clip?