Wednesday, August 29, 2007

SC139 -- Addicted to Magnolia

I admit it, I am totally and completely smitten with these gorgeous stamps from Magnolia. I want more. I am trying to save up some funds to get more. I am also in the middle of some transition in my life. My BIL is moving in with us for awhile and we are about 60 days away from closing on our new house. Not to mention, showing and attempting to sell the house we are in currently. It is absolutely nuts. I am going to have to step away from stamping for a bit in order to get everything packed up in time to move and to get brother in law settled in, but I promise to still blog as I have some cards that I have made that I have not shared with you yet, and some recipes too.

The spiders in the background were created using some awesome acrylic stamps from Papertrey Ink. This was my first time ordering from them, and I was both impressed and excited about the quality of their stamps, the crisp images they leave and the service I got from them. The image was colored using prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits (mine are called Sansodor). The background paper is by KI Memories. The ribbon is double stitched black that I got from Hobby Lobby.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Cream Caramels

Cream Caramels (http://www.carrieschocolates.com/Recipes/creamcaramels.htm)

2 c. sugar
2 c. cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter (only real butter)
1 3/4 c. corn syrup

Mix sugar, butter, syrup and 1 cup cream in fairly large saucepan. Bring to boil at medium heat and while still boiling, add slowly the remaining cup of cream, slowly enough that the boil isn't hindered. (This is called slacking back the batch.. I'm not sure exactly why it's so important to do this.. but it never worked if I tried to skip it, plus it almost overflowed the pot.)

Continue boiling until mixture forms a firm ball in cold water. (I'd cook until a soft ball, depending on the use my caramel would be put to... folks loved it softer) Remove from stove, add vanilla, and pour into pans to set. Cut and wrap in waxed paper (if cooked to firm) (Alternate method; pour over chopped pecans, then cut after cooling and coat with chocolate).

Cream Caramels and another Magnolia Card (SC137)

NOTE: Blogger was acting up and would not allow me to post pictures (so I am posting today - Thursday) -- I hope you enjoy it just the same . . .

This card was for SC137 on splitcoast. I loved the layout. The only real extra I did is add a circle with a sentiment. Image is by Magnolia. I got the ribbon from one of Jody's ribbon shares (texasjodylynn). Paper is KI Memories. I did a poor job of watercoloring this image in . . . maybe next time it will be more perfect.

In lieu of dinner since it will be something on the go for us tonight because we are leaving for the trip tomorrow and I still have not packed . . . caramels!

So I had never tried this recipe before, and never made caramels before, but DANG these are yum! They cooked up a little harder than I imagined (I think that is because I cooked them a tad long), but they are melt in your mouth delicious. I poured my mixture over a bed of pecans and toffee bits and it was AMAZING!!! DH was so addicted he could not stop eating them and gave himself a tummy ache. I think I am going to take the rest to family reunion -- we leave tomorrow. I will be MIA till Monday, but you have survived without me before *wink*

Cream Caramels (http://www.carrieschocolates.com/Recipes/creamcaramels.htm)

2 c. sugar
2 c. cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter (only real butter)
1 3/4 c. corn syrup

Mix sugar, butter, syrup and 1 cup cream in fairly large saucepan. Bring to boil at medium heat and while still boiling, add slowly the remaining cup of cream, slowly enough that the boil isn't hindered. (This is called slacking back the batch.. I'm not sure exactly why it's so important to do this.. but it never worked if I tried to skip it, plus it almost overflowed the pot.)

Continue boiling until mixture forms a firm ball in cold water. (I'd cook until a soft ball, depending on the use my caramel would be put to... folks loved it softer) Remove from stove, add vanilla, and pour into pans to set. Cut and wrap in waxed paper (if cooked to firm) (Alternate method; pour over chopped pecans, then cut after cooling and coat with chocolate).

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Magnolia - Something New and Fun

I recently discovered the most adorable stamp images ever. I am in love *swooning*. After much trial in ordering on their website, they have made things much easier and more friendly to an English speaking audience, so I invite you to check them out. They also have a great blog with ideas and kits and design team links (P.S. If they ever want a new member they can choose me! I love love love their stuff). Just wait, you won't be able to get enough either!!!

This is the first card I have ever made with their stuff. Sentiment is by Hero Arts. I used my watercolor wonder crayons to color the girl in. I colored a few more images today, so expect more Magnolia images and cards! You can find their site at:

http://www.dreamcottage.nu/english1/index.html?lmd=39279.464653

Or, you can find the link to their blog in my list of sites to check out! Hope you will fall in love too!

Monday, August 13, 2007

FS27 -- YAY Jen70

So Jen has done awesome stuff forever. I remember way back when I did VSN religiously she was always there too stamping some amazing things. Well, it was a piece of cake to find cards in her gallery to CASE. Here is what I came up with:



I made this as a gift set. I am going to make a small box and include envelopes and decorate it all pretty and give it as a gift! I am loving this Garden Whimsy set by Stampin' Up!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

We're Going to the ZOO, zoo, zoo . . .

So this morning I decided that rather than pick up after kids all day on a Saturday when it is most likely that people will come to look at the house (did I mention that our house is on the market -- that is why I am MIA) . . . I would go to the zoo. I looked at the costs and decided it would be a better plan for me to become a card carrying member of the zoo, so I paid my $70 and now the kids and I can go anytime for free for a year. I decided that it was better because with how hot it is in Phoenix, it will be nice to be able to just go to the zoo for a couple hours in the morning and not have to worry about paying $26 in admission for one time and wasting our money if we only went for an hour or two. This way, we can come and go as we please. We had a lot of fun. I got a bit of a sunburn while we were waiting for the train to depart, however, a little aloe gel will take care of that. The kids were totally sunblocked, so they were fine.

We got to see the rhinoceros up really close. It was rare but he was sitting in the corner right by the fence. J exclaimed "he's big" which made me smile. I took their picture and you can see a little bit of the rhino over the fence behind them. This was not the first shot I took because I was trying to get them both to look, so that is why J is climbing on the fence . . . he was ready to go see another animal.

We saw the gazelles really close up too. The kids thought they were really neat. I liked how their tails seemed to spin almost . . . they were a neat animal. E and J were both hanging on the bars on this one like they wanted to jump in the cage with them any minute. It even made one of the older ones on alert and watching us.




The otters were sleeping by the time we got to them. It was a hot one in Phoenix today. Not only have we had heat, but the humidity here right now is AWFUL! Anyway, I took one picture where the two otters were sleeping by the log, and then the otter woke up and looked at me and I could not resist snapping this second photo of him. Apparently I disturbed his slumber with my flash. Oh well, he will get over it. He was pretty cute!




Here is a picture of my cute kids on the train. Both of them are pink, but not from sunburn but from the heat. We drank a lot of water while we were on the train and they looked better after. We then went and played in their little splash play area and the kids got really cooled off. They had such a great day at the zoo. I am so glad that we went. I am also excited to go back again with them soon in the next few months. The weather will be better for it by the end of September. It was 97 degrees at 2 pm when we left the zoo and I am glad we went home then. My two little sweeties are taking a much deserved nap -- all that walking around the zoo tired them right out.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

What's For Dinner Wednesday - Lasagna Soup and CUPCAKES

I got this wonderful little cookbook from church, and it has so many fun recipes in it. The past couple days here in Phoenix it has been humid, overcast and rainy. I decided to make soup for dinner tonight!

Lasagna Soup

1 lb hamburger (I use ground turkey here)
1 chopped yellow onion
5 c. water
5 T parmesan cheese
1 can undrained corn
1 can undrained peeled tomatoes (I am using diced)
1 box lasagna hamburger helper
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS: Brown meat with chopped onion. Then in a pot, put water, parmesan cheese, corn, tomatoes and the sauce packed from the hamburger helper. Add meat and onion. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Then add the noodles and boil ten more minutes. Add a handful of cheese and spoonful of sour cream on top when serving.

I made cupcakes today because I got two books in the mail the other day. I ordered them online as I wanted to play some more. I got "Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella" (which is the book the recipes I am going to show you today came from, and "The Artful Cupcake by Marcianne Miller." They are both super fun books and I am excited to try all of the recipes. Here is what I made today:

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Topping

Cupcakes:
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl beat together brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat for one minute after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in apples. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted come out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

Caramel Topping:

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown sugar, butter and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the warm caramel topping over cupcakes.

AND for the other cupcake recipe I did today . . .

Pina Colada Cupcakes with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 c. pineapple juice
1 tbsp rum (I used rum extract)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. crushed pineapple (I used tidbits)
1/3 c. shredded coconut (I used sweetened flaked and it was fine)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl, beat together melted butter, pineapple juice, rum and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture 1/2 c. at a time until combined. Fold in the pineapple and coconut. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan.

Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
2 c. flaked coconut
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 c. confectioners sugar
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the coconut and cook stirring constantly until golden brown, about 8 minutes. In a bowl, cream the remaining butter and the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla slowly beating after each addition. Beat until smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut.

Would you believe me if I told you that my kitchen is actually clean, even after all that baking! I had a great afternoon baking with the kids. They enjoyed both kinds.

What's For Dinner Wednesday - Lasagna Soup and CUPCAKES

I got this wonderful little cookbook from church, and it has so many fun recipes in it. The past couple days here in Phoenix it has been humid, overcast and rainy. I decided to make soup for dinner tonight!

Lasagna Soup

1 lb hamburger (I use ground turkey here)
1 chopped yellow onion
5 c. water
5 T parmesan cheese
1 can undrained corn
1 can undrained peeled tomatoes (I am using diced)
1 box lasagna hamburger helper
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS: Brown meat with chopped onion. Then in a pot, put water, parmesan cheese, corn, tomatoes and the sauce packed from the hamburger helper. Add meat and onion. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Then add the noodles and boil ten more minutes. Add a handful of cheese and spoonful of sour cream on top when serving.

I made cupcakes today because I got two books in the mail the other day. I ordered them online as I wanted to play some more. I got "Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella" (which is the book the recipes I am going to show you today came from, and "The Artful Cupcake by Marcianne Miller." They are both super fun books and I am excited to try all of the recipes. Here is what I made today:

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Topping

Cupcakes:
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl beat together brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat for one minute after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in apples. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted come out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

Caramel Topping:

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown sugar, butter and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the warm caramel topping over cupcakes.

AND for the other cupcake recipe I did today . . .

Pina Colada Cupcakes with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 c. pineapple juice
1 tbsp rum (I used rum extract)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. crushed pineapple (I used tidbits)
1/3 c. shredded coconut (I used sweetened flaked and it was fine)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl, beat together melted butter, pineapple juice, rum and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture 1/2 c. at a time until combined. Fold in the pineapple and coconut. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan.

Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
2 c. flaked coconut
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 c. confectioners sugar
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the coconut and cook stirring constantly until golden brown, about 8 minutes. In a bowl, cream the remaining butter and the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla slowly beating after each addition. Beat until smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut.

Would you believe me if I told you that my kitchen is actually clean, even after all that baking! I had a great afternoon baking with the kids. They enjoyed both kinds.