Satin Flowers

These things were all over pinterest and I was dying to try them.  Turns out they're super fun and easy and kind of addictive, especially if you're the kind of person who likes to play with candles in ways that would make your mom unhappy.

Using any weight polyester satin, cut a few circles of varying diameters.  You can use sheers too, but be aware that they melt faster than the other fabrics.  Hold the edges of your circles above a flame and they'll crinkle and curl.  That's it!

It took us a few tries to make them not scorchy and I still wound up with some black spots along the edges, but I'm a super impatient crafter and it didn't really bother me.  If you're worried, dark colors help, or you can just be more careful and hover higher above the flame.

When you're done, stack a few petals on top of each other and sew through the middle with a bead or button.  Here I used pearl beads from the fabric store.

I sewed hair clips on the back.  I've seen people do snaps instead so they can change them on hair clips or clothing.

This poppy-looking one has a fancy button in the middle.  To make these petal shapes, just cut slits (don't remove any fabric) around the edges of the circle, about halfway from the outer edge to the middle.  They're a little trickier to melt, but they'll form into cool petal shapes.  I didn't find a need to round the petals at all- they kind of did it on their own. 

 

This last one is my favorite.  I like how flipping the same fabric from right side to wrong side can yield 2 different textures- kind of adds interest. 

I wore one of these in my hair to go to the Barber of Seville with Nutty.  It looked pretty cute:

He took one of the reject ones and pinned it on his coat so we would match:

What

A

Goof!

Hamentashen

Nutty and I made vegan hamentashen!  We used a recipe that just happens to be from an Ann Arborite.  They turned out totally delish- not too sweet, with a nice wheaty flavor.  

Uncooked

We used fig, apricot, and blueberry preserves.  

Come back here with those preserves!

Also we forgot to take a picture of the finished ones till 2 days later, at which point we had become artistically lazy.

CHOMP

You should make them.

This could be you!

Baby Quilt

My mom and I made this baby quilt for my friends Jamie and Mithra and their baby girl who is due in about a month.  It's 100% cotton, machine-washable, etc.  Hopefully the busy colors will hide all sorts of spills and last through lots of adventures!

It was made from lots of bits both from my mom's stash and quilts passed.  We pieced it together when I was home for Christmas and then she quilted it like a pro.  The pattern is kind of a free-form Chinese Coins pattern.

We wanted to find a poppy design because Mithra loves poppies, so we kind of adapted a few quilting designs into these, and then sewed the purple strips in between with a vine with hearts.

Made with oodles of love!

Peach Upside Down Cake

This cake is made from farmers market fresh Michigan peaches, and is adapted from this recipe.  I made the mistake of leaving it out on the counter for 2 days in the summer and it got moldy!  Keep it in the fridge!  Also I used a spring-form pan and all the good stuff dripped out and charred on the bottom of the oven.  Don't do that.  Even so, the pre-mold cake was delicious!

Christmas Goodies

These are tasty and pack well.  They're fine without glaze too, and pack even better!

White Chocolate Cappuccino Raisin Bars
36 bars, 350 degrees


½ C. butter or margarine
1 C. (6 oz.) white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 C. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ C. raisins (dried cherries or cranberries also work!)

Heat together butter and choc.,‘til just melted.
Dissolve coffee in 1 Tbsp water.
Stir into melted mixture with sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
Combine dry ingredients; add to mixture. Stir in raisins.
Spread in greased 9”x 13” pan.
Bake 30 minutes or until set in middle. Cool.
Drizzle with glaze.


Glaze:


Stir ¼ tsp. coffee granules in 4 tsp. water to dissolve.
Add 1 Tbsp. melted butter.
Mix in ¾ C. powdered sugar.

These are pretty much everyone's favorites every year.

Toffee Squares, from Forum Feasts

easy yield 3 dozen 350 degrees
can be frozen bake 20 minutes


1 C. butter (to soften, nuke 5 min at med heat)
1 C. light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 C flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg yolk and vanilla.
Add flour and mix well.
Spread onto a 16” x 11” sheet with sides.
Bake at 350* for 15-20 min. Watch carefully.


½-1 C semi sweet choc chips (nuke 2-4 min to melt)
½-1 C chopped nuts


While crust is baking, melt chocolate chips. Gently spread chocolate on dough gently while it is still hot.
Sprinkle with nuts, and press them into the chocolate.
Cool slightly (10 minutes?) and cut into 2” squares.

This is store-bought marzipan rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate.  It was gross.

2 out of 3 ain't bad!

Icicle Ornaments

These are fun, nondenominational winter gifts that are quick and easy to make, especially with some prep!  They're also cute tied into present bows, or secretly hung all over the house.

Use medium-gauge wire and cut pieces about 3 inches longer than you want the finished icicle to be.  Curl the bottom into a little spiral using needle nose pliers.  This step can be done to all of them before you begin.  Let kids string beads and sequins on the wires, and then curl the top into a hook.  Note how the tops of the wires are curled in too (click the pictures to make them bigger!)- that prevents them from being pokey.  We used a big marker to make the top hooks even.

Decorate with wild abandon!

Spiced Almonds

  

Heat a nonstick frying pan to medium heat.  Add one package of nuts and then sugar.  You can use more or less depending on what you're using these for.  For snacking nuts, I'd use a little more than a cup, for salad toppers I'd use maybe a half cup.  Stir constantly, as once the sugar starts to melt they can burn quickly.  It's ok if they're still a little chunky.  Pour them onto ungreased foil to cool and don't try one right away, even though you'll want to really bad.  Hot oil + hot sugar = super burned tongue.  Be careful!

Depending on use, you can add in different spices- for snacking holiday nuts (the ones I bring to Thanksgiving) I usually add cinnamon and nutmeg.  For salad ones, I like to add a little pepper.  These are also yummy with some of the white sugar substituted for brown sugar, but I'd suggest making them a few times with white sugar first, as the brown makes it harder to see when the sugar starts to caramelize and you might want to get the hang of the recipe first.