Pumpkin Smoothies

I found the original recipe here at familyfun.com.  I "kicked it up a notch" with the addition of pumpkin-pie flavoring syrup.

Pumpkin Smoothies:

Mix 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 3/4 cup whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon brown sugar,            2 tablespoons pumpkin-pie flavored syrup, and 4 to 6 ice cubes in a blender.  Pour into 2 glasses.  Top with a dollop of whipped topping if you so desire.

Jedi Robe

Sugarbear wanted a dark brown Jedi robe to go with his Anakin Skywalker Halloween costume.  I modified this pattern (Simplicity 5512 view E) to make it.  I made the sleeves less "pointy" and rounded off the hood in the back.  Now I'm wishing I had a serger so the seams would look nicer...oh well, a girl can dream...

Here's my little Jedi:

A note about this pattern:  You need to know how to sew princess seams in order to attach the sleeves.  I realized as I was making this that I do not like to sew princess seams but I am definitely more skilled at them as a result of this project.  I wonder who sews Jedi robes in that galaxy far, far away.  Probably a droid.

Christmas in September

The new Better Homes and Gardens special Christmas magazines are out.  Did I mention how giddy that makes me? 

Hmmm.  What should I make first?



That's Corny

My market has been stocked with lots of yummy, sweet corn lately.  Here's a tip for making boiled corn extra delicious:  Add a tablespoon of sugar to the boiling water before dumping in your corn.  For other veggies, I would usually salt the water, but salt makes corn tough.  The sugar water enhances the natural sweetness of the corn.  I wait 'til the corn is hot and buttered before salting to taste.

More Hats

I was in a hat making mood this past summer.  They seem to be the perfect, portable project for summertime travels.  I made another Shells Sunhat for a friend's daughter:

Ravelry link here.

I made the sock monkey hats from Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker for my sister's friend.  She is a collector of sock monkeys and is also a new grandmother of boy/girl twins!

Ravelry link here.

Sweetpea has been taking ice-skating lessons with some friends this summer.  One of the girls had a July birthday, so I whipped up a little hat for her to wear in the cold rink:

This was just a basic beanie of my own design.  It was my first time making a pom-pom.  I think it came out rather cute.  The birthday girl loved it:

 

Ravelry link here.

New Books

Yesterday, I was able to spend a nice, relaxing day with two of my sisters traipsing around the little college town of Claremont, CA.  We were worried that it might be very hot there, but fortunately there was a lovely breeze blowing through the town that day.  Although many of the stores are closed on Mondays, one of my favorites, Barbara Cheatley's, was open for business.  In addition to all of the unique gift and home-decor items carried there, they have a wonderful selection of cookbooks.  I couldn't leave without taking a couple of them home with me.  These are the ones I chose:

This has all of the recipes arranged by color.  Beautiful photography and 200+ recipes.  I think that I want to try the Berry and Buttermilk Cake first, since it's berry season.  I may also have to go purchase that ice-cream maker I've been wanting for a while- lots of delicious recipes in this book that I could use it for.

This book has recipes for cookies, cakes, doughnuts,  pies, tarts, custards, ice-cream and candies.  I will definitely have to try out the Chocolate Babka, as hubby is a huge Seinfeld fan.  Firstly, though, I think I would like to bake up the Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling.

Lastly, I purchased this book just for fun:   

I'll let you know how this one works out.

BBQ Party Mix

Here's a new recipe I tried for the 4th of July.  Beware!  It is addictive.  It has all the crunchy goodness of a traditional Chex Mix, coupled with a mild hint of BBQ tastiness.  Another winner from Cook's Country magazine (Dec/Jan '08).

 

BBQ Party Mix

1.  Heat oven to 250 degrees.  Combine 5 cups Corn Chex cereal, 2 cups corn chips, 1 cup melba toast pieces*, 1 cup pretzel sticks, and 1 (6 oz) can smokehouse almonds in a large bowl.  Whisk 6 tablespoons butter (that has been melted) with 1/4 cup barbeque sauce in a small bowl and drizzle over cereal mixture.  Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.  Toss everything together until well combined.

2.  Spread the mixture on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cool to room temperature and serve.  Store airtight for 1 week.

*The original recipe called for melba toast rounds.  I had to go to 3 markets to find them, and ended up breaking them up into smaller pieces anyway.  Any plain melba toast should work.