tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89245270660835713902024-02-21T22:47:31.852-05:00Miss Emily D.Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-58959130970759954352012-01-31T21:33:00.001-05:002012-01-31T21:35:45.863-05:00Moving.<a href="http://hunkydoryokay.blogspot.com/">NEW blog here</a>.Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-929614368742962942010-06-11T23:20:00.002-04:002010-06-11T23:39:59.988-04:00Bullet points<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Still haven't had a chance to update the look of blog/photograph my quilting adventures...so just some simple updates for now.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-After visiting </span></span><a href="http://stanneorthodoxchurch.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">St. Anne Orthodox Church</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> since February and after some (very!) interesting meetings with </span></span><a href="http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Father Stephen</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Chase and I will formally be catechumens beginning this Sunday. We are so incredibly excited and feel such peace about this.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Chase graduated UT with a BA in History and a 3.8 grade point average! Gogo Chase! I love you!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Check out the new logo for the </span></span><a href="http://modknox.ning.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">! by yours truly, of course. You should see our business cards! They're gorgeous! Can't wait to hand them out to all the local shops during our Shop Hop!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That's about it for me! Working, sewing, quilting,, learning what it means to be orthodox and loving my hubby and puppies. yay!</span></span></div>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-78210855799286898092010-01-23T11:40:00.002-05:002010-01-23T11:46:44.965-05:00Overhaul?<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As it's Chase's last semester in school (YAY!), we took advantage of the opportunity that was quickly slipping away....the chance to buy an Adobe Design suite at like 80% off!! (student rates!) That means we've got Dreamweaver. and that means web design! And that means, this layout will be RIP pretty soon.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Until then, if anyone lives in Knoxville and is interested in Modern Quilting - visit this website and join the Modern Quilt Guild of Knoxville! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><a href="http://modknox.ning.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://modknox.ning.com/</span></span></a>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-90434516979371265072009-06-28T23:39:00.004-04:002009-06-29T00:19:09.820-04:00June Daring Bakers - Bakewell Tart!<a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GoQbk_OmJsZ-PNLCbVHtfYHEwquOPIdCd3lnAxNGJMEkZnrq1kns_LlgXI8sSJTtvmcBpovzx1qmTCKyNhmGl8DWqVE8ywIHsm5bQ7l46_z2uZ428RaanbaUGSHm8W3Xs-bytSj9bNQ/s1600-h/bakewell+slice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GoQbk_OmJsZ-PNLCbVHtfYHEwquOPIdCd3lnAxNGJMEkZnrq1kns_LlgXI8sSJTtvmcBpovzx1qmTCKyNhmGl8DWqVE8ywIHsm5bQ7l46_z2uZ428RaanbaUGSHm8W3Xs-bytSj9bNQ/s400/bakewell+slice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352591520766642754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm afraid as there are many changes happening in my life, this will be my last Daring Bakers Challenge until I get settled again. But here it is - without further ado - the Bakewell Tart!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's a sweet shortcrust pastry, filled with a jam (I used black currant), and then topped with frangipane (an almond cake. Yum! Oddly - this concoction reminded me strongly of a pop tart?</span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQm1LmM5LnKwj2HSC7i08yIFqSxp5NMFygejt5GvTHC2Nt18XB23de0rhCUI5GBkbiYGcpM4EDt8z7eoC9qUT-SCWZUhU2GTHCLi4UUdJScl-D6M6zz3QfrNwG2KafYR_IYl2Nv7JlLI/s1600-h/Bakewell+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQm1LmM5LnKwj2HSC7i08yIFqSxp5NMFygejt5GvTHC2Nt18XB23de0rhCUI5GBkbiYGcpM4EDt8z7eoC9qUT-SCWZUhU2GTHCLi4UUdJScl-D6M6zz3QfrNwG2KafYR_IYl2Nv7JlLI/s400/Bakewell+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352591517567215458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Aaaannd - the recipe:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bakewell Tart…er…pudding</span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Makes one 23cm (9” tart)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Resting time: 15 minutes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Baking time: 30 minutes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bench flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One handful blanched, flaked almonds</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Assembling the tart</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Preheat oven to 200C/400F.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sweet shortcrust pastry</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep time: 15-20 minutes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">225g (8oz) all purpose flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">30g (1oz) sugar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2.5ml (½ tsp) salt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2 (2) egg yolks</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Frangipane</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep time: 10-15 minutes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">125g (4.5oz) icing sugar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">3 (3) eggs</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">125g (4.5oz) ground almonds</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">30g (1oz) all purpose flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.</span></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; ">And as far as updates go on Chase and I - well, I intend to make that a separate post - so it doesn't get lost in the recipe!</span></b></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><br /></div>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-32921389951022181852009-04-28T13:00:00.010-04:002009-04-28T21:52:12.456-04:00Daring Bakers - April Challenge - Cheesecake!<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGMNj5W0rGdvS74L6s4m7FbpxYdv2OIPuIuCiWvFW8Gtj836WW12XC8SsaKDVtrpGzrmb6Ga-UNg4uY9mW6ilWVf9qD9wpdkcsIVNyHvKzPkhM01cs-_ShK97u8apLm4UP23TSptm_XQ/s1600-h/DB+kitchen_w200x180.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329806596194509026" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 200px; cursor: pointer; height: 180px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGMNj5W0rGdvS74L6s4m7FbpxYdv2OIPuIuCiWvFW8Gtj836WW12XC8SsaKDVtrpGzrmb6Ga-UNg4uY9mW6ilWVf9qD9wpdkcsIVNyHvKzPkhM01cs-_ShK97u8apLm4UP23TSptm_XQ/s400/DB+kitchen_w200x180.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This month has been absolutely unbelievably busy - thanks mostly to Chase's school and work schedule. Yeesh. So after last month's day long challenge of making lasagna absolutely from scratch, I was glad to see that this month's challenge seemed a little less demanding of my time. </span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from <a href="http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/">Jenny Bakes</a>. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.</strong><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3bBgrENIriofELOvF1ABe_97dXfx7qX_PTyZH2Dd8N-7cBpkWuySfq3fWs30zn_c4J485fEVflk6US0WKC0g8GAGGnRj2rKqdqNol6v0xaeo5Y2EUA7771buCfIpYfamyQ3izhXshbA/s1600-h/Slice+-+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329792415955909282" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 370px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3bBgrENIriofELOvF1ABe_97dXfx7qX_PTyZH2Dd8N-7cBpkWuySfq3fWs30zn_c4J485fEVflk6US0WKC0g8GAGGnRj2rKqdqNol6v0xaeo5Y2EUA7771buCfIpYfamyQ3izhXshbA/s400/Slice+-+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wooo! Cheesecake! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I can't say I ever crave cheesecake, but I do enjoy it when it's in front of me. I've had several different types of cheesecake:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">a.) </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >New York Style</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - very dense - and is a little difficult for me to eat because it's so rich</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">b.) </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >A Creamy type cheesecake</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (is there a name for this?) - this recipe is just that! Take the concept of "cheesecake". Imagine it's perfected form. Got it? That's this stuff. SO GOOD.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">c.) </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Jell-O Cheesecake</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - This stuff tastes good(ish) - and is a breeze to throw together - plus, no baking! - but in the end, is it really cheesecake?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To elaborate on this month's cheesecake challenge...the goal was to take a simple recipe and make it a "showstopper". I don't think I succeeded visually, but I'll attribute that to my brain being overrun by the pollen. (My car can attest to the loads and loads of pollen in the air. It once was silver, but now it's - Yellow!!) But the flavor (what little I could taste thanks to my POLLEN reaction (i.e. allergies)) was wonderful!!! My favorite dessert in the world is green tea ice cream with fresh blackberries. So for this challenge, I tried to translate that into a cheesecake.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's the recipe I started with:</span><br /><br /><br /><strong style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:</strong></span> <p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">crust:<br />2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs<br />1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted<br />2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar<br />1 tsp. vanilla extract</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">cheesecake:<br />3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature<br />1 cup / 210 g sugar<br />3 large eggs<br />1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream<br />1 tbsp. lemon juice<br />1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)<br />1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">DIRECTIONS:<br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:85%;">5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><p><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Alright!</span><br /><br /></p></span><p></p><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Recipe Edit # 1</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: The Crust</span><br /><br /><br /></span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj2hcAQar9M3GZAWFvFRTvsEb9aclAlW8WKjdyEqMfNWxVNxSqihy9kT1kGJd0Lj2tacThhxM_IhRfYDEhCp2QBHbsDnOMZ0Nz3PmiiTtKHF0DolqW4LXiP2Rrr2ux6LBJD9M0uhxNMY/s1600-h/Vanilla+Wafer+Crust.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329792416493538706" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 315px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj2hcAQar9M3GZAWFvFRTvsEb9aclAlW8WKjdyEqMfNWxVNxSqihy9kT1kGJd0Lj2tacThhxM_IhRfYDEhCp2QBHbsDnOMZ0Nz3PmiiTtKHF0DolqW4LXiP2Rrr2ux6LBJD9M0uhxNMY/s400/Vanilla+Wafer+Crust.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My goal was to make a fresh tasting Green Tea Cheesecake with blackberries. I needed a crust that didn't overwhelm those flavors. So rather than graham crackers, I crushed up some Vanilla Wafers. I figured they'd be just buttery and sweet enough - but still pretty plain so as to not detract from the green tea and blackberries.</span><br /><br /><br /></p><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Recipe Edit # 2</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: The Cheesecake</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh743AmAdHCze3edGsYAbg44LYmG35sW-zFKFxWIYW0XXbDLDV1955tpOog_cvAabCA9OSjrGESZf-8MMb4pdBVICZWHs_bARHAh7S1rEsDuDx3Yyk70LFe0OBK_cpBxjPQJveLJdAXeqA/s1600-h/Unbaked.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329792409628075922" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 332px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh743AmAdHCze3edGsYAbg44LYmG35sW-zFKFxWIYW0XXbDLDV1955tpOog_cvAabCA9OSjrGESZf-8MMb4pdBVICZWHs_bARHAh7S1rEsDuDx3Yyk70LFe0OBK_cpBxjPQJveLJdAXeqA/s400/Unbaked.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I kept this part of the recipe mostly the same, except I added 2 tbsp. of matcha green tea powder (dissolved in equal parts water) to the filling. It may have been too much (green tea should be subtle - too strong and it just starts to taste bitter), but I can't really tell because my taste buds aren't working properly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here it is all baked up:</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHc72usL80f6_gEh1snNp1vSHFtg-226Z0Y69sDDgUDab6qy0uML8mmi9v87-g02_k3BK4xGGcSEqfAAMN9wgWQc7iopHwHmDTnj6wq3sNVfnsACjsjvA_IV8BYuFdILAzFWHesRYViG0/s1600-h/Baked.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329791857573237874" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 339px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHc72usL80f6_gEh1snNp1vSHFtg-226Z0Y69sDDgUDab6qy0uML8mmi9v87-g02_k3BK4xGGcSEqfAAMN9wgWQc7iopHwHmDTnj6wq3sNVfnsACjsjvA_IV8BYuFdILAzFWHesRYViG0/s400/Baked.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A couple of air bubbles - but no cracks! (This is thanks to being baked in a water bath.) Cracks in the surface of a cheesecake are a very common but purely superficial blemish. </span><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Recipe Edit # 3</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: The topping!</span></span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRa_ixOWevBtwuymh9eTal4tjV06xAhhRMZlOkXdbW_cQdin4itjq4hNrzsWxCwiMEJZeWwz5csu4Vc4syg7RWYE7qwvW6iT3UWax211nZmeUhN5tQCCjFTAwTJUltkozyh0Hnk6hlok/s1600-h/Green+Tea+Blackberry+-+side+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329791861483593394" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 300px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRa_ixOWevBtwuymh9eTal4tjV06xAhhRMZlOkXdbW_cQdin4itjq4hNrzsWxCwiMEJZeWwz5csu4Vc4syg7RWYE7qwvW6iT3UWax211nZmeUhN5tQCCjFTAwTJUltkozyh0Hnk6hlok/s400/Green+Tea+Blackberry+-+side+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oooo! blackberries!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For the topping, I just took some frozen blackberries, mixed them with sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and some vanilla, and then cooked it all until it broke down.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I entertained the idea of piping whipped cream around the edge, but I suspected it might be overkill. Instead, I served the whipped cream on the side - that way it wasn't a mandatory part of the dessert.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDXLnMw8v4vB3BFXTt__NM4uuDXar8QUZvUHvB9BqVnbMPSQKXGJHwgzLKmrsY6L8XwzHw0xwVIw5neTo17PINNrh0eskzgsUem0tIz0xZ5U6BGIEButf12j4rKzzFHkP4-wovF8u51I/s1600-h/Slice+-+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329792408082878018" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 370px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDXLnMw8v4vB3BFXTt__NM4uuDXar8QUZvUHvB9BqVnbMPSQKXGJHwgzLKmrsY6L8XwzHw0xwVIw5neTo17PINNrh0eskzgsUem0tIz0xZ5U6BGIEButf12j4rKzzFHkP4-wovF8u51I/s400/Slice+-+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I'm glad I didn't pipe the whipped cream on the cheesecake, because It would have been tooooo much. And it didn't add anything. The cheesecake was absolutely wonderful by itself! The crust was perfect, and the cheesecake was so creamy and sweet - with a wonderful green tea flavor. And the blackberries complimented it so! It was wonderful!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thanks Jenny, for an awesome challenge, and for giving me a new "go-to" cheesecake recipe!</span><br /><br /></span></p>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-35684153077822404002009-04-26T18:37:00.008-04:002009-04-26T19:12:48.657-04:00Wheatfield with Cypresses - Part 1<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I visited a friends' house earlier this week. In his house, I saw a painting I painted quite a few years ago. It didn't look half bad! I'm afraid I haven't painted in the past couple of years. I think I just forgot I could?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyways. I was inspired and super excited to paint this weekend, and I'd love to share my progress with you!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I'm a little "rusty" with a skill, I stick with subject matter that is "safe". For me, my fallback is definitely Van Gogh. I absolutely love his strokes and his color. Most of all - I love his composition. There's just something about the way he sets up his paintings that almost makes me want to cry.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I decided to paint this painting:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F4zhNZ1eIrYOASHB-GtJLwik52wR94dFnXhBdwSlW7i5bsu0-rdXUxngsg5XVdO42fd9qcVSg2qjC3E90TKGKNx1-CyA7vvv45Mt47IL7Oc43DLCkuxpY_tvgLP3s7sZnIpS9lXuSf0/s1600-h/Wheatfield+with+Cypresses+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F4zhNZ1eIrYOASHB-GtJLwik52wR94dFnXhBdwSlW7i5bsu0-rdXUxngsg5XVdO42fd9qcVSg2qjC3E90TKGKNx1-CyA7vvv45Mt47IL7Oc43DLCkuxpY_tvgLP3s7sZnIpS9lXuSf0/s400/Wheatfield+with+Cypresses+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329134857798419714" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This painting is called "Wheatfield with Cypresses" - as you can see by the title of this post.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To begin to reproduce a painting like this, the first thing I do is to break up the painting (and my canvas) into sections.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To break up the image of the painting, I just folded the paper with the printed painting on it into 16 sections. I then took my canvas, and divided it up into 16 sections as well:</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddhEFHmxXxe7HQKdGg4WbNHcJQNwQOPYQaYj3xg5KriiqO1MfkNOdZRe69AP0oVC6VCYWPjt0rbEE7MklOZdnyzIJXpD2GUT_RyfL5nTDm-fQue3ZWb9V3U_ysFqq-oojMdC6Vkp5yTg/s1600-h/Canvas+with+Grid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddhEFHmxXxe7HQKdGg4WbNHcJQNwQOPYQaYj3xg5KriiqO1MfkNOdZRe69AP0oVC6VCYWPjt0rbEE7MklOZdnyzIJXpD2GUT_RyfL5nTDm-fQue3ZWb9V3U_ysFqq-oojMdC6Vkp5yTg/s400/Canvas+with+Grid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133626141274706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now I can sketch the design! It's a lot easier to resize (the print out I had of this painting is not quite 8.5" x 11", but the canvas is 18" x 24") an image and sketch it when you have it divided up into different sections.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's the finished sketch:</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXE3caAYonP08FkOH2u9-qyFDDaHRW1LXceMVYLt0byggT8Okk6eicATkOhly1EuSI6UDKeHzcDbrktzGAq3BZFtb5o6_6-myeqQFVEwVcMSUno4WrW_l4yEnPNB9E2_1t0Xz1P8SEy4o/s1600-h/Canvas+with+Sketch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXE3caAYonP08FkOH2u9-qyFDDaHRW1LXceMVYLt0byggT8Okk6eicATkOhly1EuSI6UDKeHzcDbrktzGAq3BZFtb5o6_6-myeqQFVEwVcMSUno4WrW_l4yEnPNB9E2_1t0Xz1P8SEy4o/s400/Canvas+with+Sketch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133632706642802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As you can see, the sketch looks quite a bit like the original painting - at least shape and spacing wise. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now we're ready to paint!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I must say, I can't really explain how I paint - except that I almost never wash my brush and I just pile the paint on the canvas. I really let the paint do most of the work. It's so darn pretty!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's the first section of color I painted - a teal/cerulean sky:</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35kGT7xqaA93TMSyy9KPLLpzUh6FqQO7eLpPj-JvkK3hzZAhLcIPRIGh3V_K6yMxyPPWwmYgK7gDRNC7EGE6rBxcsXTC-MHWitj6Pex3GPqydLwj-D-hGcNvjTPDek0QLriTy28ojCvs/s1600-h/Canvas+-+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35kGT7xqaA93TMSyy9KPLLpzUh6FqQO7eLpPj-JvkK3hzZAhLcIPRIGh3V_K6yMxyPPWwmYgK7gDRNC7EGE6rBxcsXTC-MHWitj6Pex3GPqydLwj-D-hGcNvjTPDek0QLriTy28ojCvs/s400/Canvas+-+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133356394315794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OOoooo!!! Color!!!! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And up close:</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjMV0c_4hfBvEp8zrT5A3fhr_h9xQgI-8k_6JwlvFgI7b9NujVcr6KDuhmJhoVgvmkZOlfqaR6snCEbJbgCdTS3wDLajRcABJxvlo07GhXJjUJn_OGHN1SnL1dEURj9EaZlWRKsE4JuQ/s1600-h/Canvas+-+1+-+Detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjMV0c_4hfBvEp8zrT5A3fhr_h9xQgI-8k_6JwlvFgI7b9NujVcr6KDuhmJhoVgvmkZOlfqaR6snCEbJbgCdTS3wDLajRcABJxvlo07GhXJjUJn_OGHN1SnL1dEURj9EaZlWRKsE4JuQ/s400/Canvas+-+1+-+Detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133361474163026" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">EEee!! I love that texture! The only down side is that it takes </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >forever</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> to dry.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Next I added some of the clouds:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGJd8CMVT1tOkp-wXAexh1xExT25ZioKeyqZy5SXhWwVRRv3Twe9dns18e5xgPHepWLqwfLkP3QHk-UiQ8b_64P7BoZjTXxtAIUSJonWrjVGa0z-eh6t58mi3mZV88bYsjRXceMCNgjY/s1600-h/Canvas+-+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGJd8CMVT1tOkp-wXAexh1xExT25ZioKeyqZy5SXhWwVRRv3Twe9dns18e5xgPHepWLqwfLkP3QHk-UiQ8b_64P7BoZjTXxtAIUSJonWrjVGa0z-eh6t58mi3mZV88bYsjRXceMCNgjY/s400/Canvas+-+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133365474321762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I love watching the canvas transform from a blank blah to a dizzying array of colors and shapes!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are the completed clouds:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeizM5OCQMgfR3obKJoMjIwhwbfVLmJxqDz2OidH7-0j3vz7MA9whtZqNOs2_0tA8LwiW-MPZ1WhbyE89okY0aPNgUrWpOcX_ZwGma3UgP-b0Zgc8bVG1HdKyhRVi9dDLHHOSPXkb8RvA/s1600-h/Canvas+-+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeizM5OCQMgfR3obKJoMjIwhwbfVLmJxqDz2OidH7-0j3vz7MA9whtZqNOs2_0tA8LwiW-MPZ1WhbyE89okY0aPNgUrWpOcX_ZwGma3UgP-b0Zgc8bVG1HdKyhRVi9dDLHHOSPXkb8RvA/s400/Canvas+-+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133367396689426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Look at that color! The movement! Now mine is nothing like the master Van Gogh....his has unmatchable movement and color - but mine is still kinda pretty to look at :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Close up!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6XeNATYCV21ipYWB91Qe-7xuDz8RsKEmowb9SvMwtn_48VLXb474y9cs0l8M1cUck1HGlWg79Ej52ToGZl4V2u7bgUQnOQcnyWO2-IFVUbVhHilsesdZx6svYEObwU9D69XmNk6yJSE/s1600-h/Canvas+-+3+-+Detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6XeNATYCV21ipYWB91Qe-7xuDz8RsKEmowb9SvMwtn_48VLXb474y9cs0l8M1cUck1HGlWg79Ej52ToGZl4V2u7bgUQnOQcnyWO2-IFVUbVhHilsesdZx6svYEObwU9D69XmNk6yJSE/s400/Canvas+-+3+-+Detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133374755654498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The only reason I paint is to see the beautiful colors!!! This is just so exciting!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now the mountains need to be painted:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcZn0tkQB5duQAbDlGWMKOkW3mnAFRbUOabOvXfWgbzNLJkalcAra_Hlz5cUsWrXvRgmx_NyjppCgvpT-W_PN9JrHoEEKrOJvamhDRiadEMIWMCtGVTTNNNnDz2CzERHpD_UlM7naEEw/s1600-h/Canvas+-+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcZn0tkQB5duQAbDlGWMKOkW3mnAFRbUOabOvXfWgbzNLJkalcAra_Hlz5cUsWrXvRgmx_NyjppCgvpT-W_PN9JrHoEEKrOJvamhDRiadEMIWMCtGVTTNNNnDz2CzERHpD_UlM7naEEw/s400/Canvas+-+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133622082555186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ah-hah.....everything is starting to come together. The blue mountains ground the sky - and give you a starting point. See those clouds above the horizon of the mountains? Before the mountains were painted, they just kind of disappeared and blended in with the sky. But now they definitely have a strong identity.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo5khdpeWdlVuNVqQHCwsN7u5SoTsqnbPsjI0w6Ca43QgSDzqsF6RR3PNi_5JPY2CY-JZYNWQvTSZvVsPBIk12dRA5XSa6Mhon2SZi_mVxBdbv7XDF3acMCf8oRzrKBpgDeUd5-oqDKA/s1600-h/Canvas+-+4+-+Detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo5khdpeWdlVuNVqQHCwsN7u5SoTsqnbPsjI0w6Ca43QgSDzqsF6RR3PNi_5JPY2CY-JZYNWQvTSZvVsPBIk12dRA5XSa6Mhon2SZi_mVxBdbv7XDF3acMCf8oRzrKBpgDeUd5-oqDKA/s400/Canvas+-+4+-+Detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329133627647342738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well - that's all I have completed so far.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'll update with my progress! Hopefully I'll have time to finish this during the week sometime.</span></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-86237349538641923752009-04-22T15:42:00.019-04:002009-04-22T16:23:27.721-04:00Seedlings for Earth Day!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In honor of Earth Day today, I'm going to show you my little seedlings!!</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm afraid only four varieties of the ten I planted have sprouted, but I think I found the culprit!</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></div></span><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here is how my seedies have been living:<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxgn5uyramro6LKjAgf_ufIqqqpuqqqRmOoWtwswFDVfy8nd8H28drYawQs_15_IevlrPvqPfYvBV2n4PIpkWSC_4DPBkYo2csngN8NONiaE44EmBnV-LxAY1QIklhos-wXCjLs8NLoU/s1600-h/Light+Illustration.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327604660839210514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 319px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxgn5uyramro6LKjAgf_ufIqqqpuqqqRmOoWtwswFDVfy8nd8H28drYawQs_15_IevlrPvqPfYvBV2n4PIpkWSC_4DPBkYo2csngN8NONiaE44EmBnV-LxAY1QIklhos-wXCjLs8NLoU/s400/Light+Illustration.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As you can see...the seeds to the right of the red line just aren't getting much light! I only ever see my seeds in the morning and at night - so I was sure they would get enough light at sometime during the day - because the position of the sun would change...but I guess they didn't. The only seeds that have sprouted are the ones on the left side of the rack.</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So - I moved the rack!</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnIw7SkyeWzXUxCCIBIO-u6ujP5bzH_lbEGuCpxOLpHX9HMUkrqLVz5yfifnvRFpiEiRx7HVQml42LlY8Kjdb99N9fWpI2RLCjbkfr7Q6ZhIwVmaBe1hnsRKlMIJkJt2IZ0N2KAzBzaE/s1600-h/Happy+Plants.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327605577526894386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 384px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnIw7SkyeWzXUxCCIBIO-u6ujP5bzH_lbEGuCpxOLpHX9HMUkrqLVz5yfifnvRFpiEiRx7HVQml42LlY8Kjdb99N9fWpI2RLCjbkfr7Q6ZhIwVmaBe1hnsRKlMIJkJt2IZ0N2KAzBzaE/s400/Happy+Plants.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Happy seedlings all around! I'll keep you informed of their progress.</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the meantime, here are the sprouts that I woke up to this morning...</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One little basil sprout (arrow added for emphasis):</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzLpKWHyz_x_IJNEc3KDt_5r_BefquCG7TkSzTD6jMri68Uu8OZwHxuhVCYfGYf4UnfPy9W6hO8CxDxnvKsGc1PxVBgpKf862l2xEVOua1ouwkRttlmNa-DAGcZP8j0N19WYDTL-NV-8/s1600-h/Basil+Seedling.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327606354921422466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzLpKWHyz_x_IJNEc3KDt_5r_BefquCG7TkSzTD6jMri68Uu8OZwHxuhVCYfGYf4UnfPy9W6hO8CxDxnvKsGc1PxVBgpKf862l2xEVOua1ouwkRttlmNa-DAGcZP8j0N19WYDTL-NV-8/s400/Basil+Seedling.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One Parsley Sprout reaching for the sun...(there are more getting ready to shoot up though!)</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mOEwvSjYkOexkPoCEhdNf8R_vWjajJ1N7GKRoQHEsGGIQRkL__sMeTUfW95879Juo5a3eOi1XS9vNR8lCuOWxiosNlNE-4UF8nO6RUeOUhyPg1w49pSIKGmOmRdlzC4p-l-3fy_JvyY/s1600-h/Parsley+Seedling.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327606653754106002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mOEwvSjYkOexkPoCEhdNf8R_vWjajJ1N7GKRoQHEsGGIQRkL__sMeTUfW95879Juo5a3eOi1XS9vNR8lCuOWxiosNlNE-4UF8nO6RUeOUhyPg1w49pSIKGmOmRdlzC4p-l-3fy_JvyY/s400/Parsley+Seedling.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Two Dill Sprouts (plus one unfolding in the center of the pot)</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIszfBVXvlQloGUJL3DlXAIJk6tZNnIIcVhSw5GgKh2Jkk2K_Br6inpKLZEgZMY34ho7PLajDtqq_sqpsJh1iE0IUxcRhSISCngsAQ7VMHoWkL-OevumSITTvxAzD4Q1sPhxzlfjruPJI/s1600-h/Dill+Seedlings.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327606992980219138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIszfBVXvlQloGUJL3DlXAIJk6tZNnIIcVhSw5GgKh2Jkk2K_Br6inpKLZEgZMY34ho7PLajDtqq_sqpsJh1iE0IUxcRhSISCngsAQ7VMHoWkL-OevumSITTvxAzD4Q1sPhxzlfjruPJI/s400/Dill+Seedlings.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And loads of little sage seedlings!!!</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qqLlPT8JdikhT0pAkMbsKf9wca7NlFtu-QJ8TnvCPU4930wOgKhqIrZsRfAMjSHygYzCwQuQBNojZTGqaLvIQgvgKcsCMW3r2LPU6IK3fhc4t2t7hrcXM-SJWznY-fgPvDoomMfqxPc/s1600-h/Sage+Seedlings.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327607273325950002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qqLlPT8JdikhT0pAkMbsKf9wca7NlFtu-QJ8TnvCPU4930wOgKhqIrZsRfAMjSHygYzCwQuQBNojZTGqaLvIQgvgKcsCMW3r2LPU6IK3fhc4t2t7hrcXM-SJWznY-fgPvDoomMfqxPc/s400/Sage+Seedlings.jpg" border="0" /></a><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And since we're on the subject of plants, I have to show you my little spider plant baby! I took him from a momma spider plant.</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's an illustration of a Spider Plant (from Google.com):</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRObPzqDs87_H9QMnMjgiMN8LfcfdUYlHXhrkWd_5zd0s05mfkQCXuBMXypJ1vWoScpuxB0nfASDh-7AAmnthowFVlojYy6osksB1MOY_yuiKq5OEqr0ZmTa42X0o-yfzz3UepelmUv9U/s1600-h/Spider+plant+Illustration.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327608676495993138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRObPzqDs87_H9QMnMjgiMN8LfcfdUYlHXhrkWd_5zd0s05mfkQCXuBMXypJ1vWoScpuxB0nfASDh-7AAmnthowFVlojYy6osksB1MOY_yuiKq5OEqr0ZmTa42X0o-yfzz3UepelmUv9U/s400/Spider+plant+Illustration.jpg" border="0" /></a><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As you can see...there's the parent spider plant in the pot. On the long offshoots are the offspring of the plant, which if you remove can then grow roots and become independent plants! Because of the way it reproduces, and it's ease of care, spider plants are super fun to give away.</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So here's my spider plant:</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XhMVlk4R4BnJs5-TDAmHIgo_l3hyphenhyphen51xvGrGRF18wOUOtvGiEyZ1e1kmHQdy23_2yLZFNCoq6k2aw4Lqy-CaZNYU6tcs_oUV2vjI2JK9Pu6vfzG6cKeXhYR6k6mxIDLa0hcwjSGt7Nmw/s1600-h/Spider+plant.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327609271538496434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 346px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XhMVlk4R4BnJs5-TDAmHIgo_l3hyphenhyphen51xvGrGRF18wOUOtvGiEyZ1e1kmHQdy23_2yLZFNCoq6k2aw4Lqy-CaZNYU6tcs_oUV2vjI2JK9Pu6vfzG6cKeXhYR6k6mxIDLa0hcwjSGt7Nmw/s400/Spider+plant.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Right now, he's in a little dish of water. He needs to grow some roots before I can plant him.</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Soon, his roots should show up on this little nub:</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ0ZR9eql-0ut4S2_41STTBV3le2dHApJN5zDxRkEXJ5Eekox7cxyzrrn-ymFOXmoJWC7-3rlIZEfSDzrgr0U4hiCciKhcfz-tcCSvLaNICof6SsoUHOtcVVow2jxa0K4p1KeJtg9QoU/s1600-h/Spider+Plant+-+Bottom.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327609607213091298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 313px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ0ZR9eql-0ut4S2_41STTBV3le2dHApJN5zDxRkEXJ5Eekox7cxyzrrn-ymFOXmoJWC7-3rlIZEfSDzrgr0U4hiCciKhcfz-tcCSvLaNICof6SsoUHOtcVVow2jxa0K4p1KeJtg9QoU/s400/Spider+Plant+-+Bottom.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I can't wait to plant him!</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also, here's Mr. Spider Plant's next door neighbor.... </span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINA1JriOMs2qtaHsc5r0sSo7dQYFFEG2JDWw2pZdFP1CqondTFh4BOr_iYebnGSi_cwYfUz09-fYY7d0M34fjtNsxuujYJ7YidkUUeYppMCx6NZtjhQS8XvPqT7h4RGXz9ZSoqvzvb7U/s1600-h/Shamrock+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327610478749188386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINA1JriOMs2qtaHsc5r0sSo7dQYFFEG2JDWw2pZdFP1CqondTFh4BOr_iYebnGSi_cwYfUz09-fYY7d0M34fjtNsxuujYJ7YidkUUeYppMCx6NZtjhQS8XvPqT7h4RGXz9ZSoqvzvb7U/s400/Shamrock+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A real Shamrock! They open during the day, when the sun is out, and they close up at night.</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br /><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When Chase and I worked at The Lost Savant, before it closed, we made friends with this awesome lady named Edna. She worked at the Fountain City Art and Crafts Center (next to Fountain City Park) and she made this plant holder herself! I think it's beautiful. When Chase and I moved into our first (and only) apartment, she showed up at the Savant with this little plant! </span><br /><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Unfortunately, it has "died" a total of two times - most recently, when we moved into our house. The leaves died and there was no hope. Or was there? </span><br /><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I watered it religiously and eventually, a little shamrock popped up out of the soil! It turns out that Shamrocks grow from a bulb. Lucky for me! </span></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-7841930691386924872009-04-18T21:50:00.006-04:002009-04-19T20:18:39.634-04:00Aldi Recession Dreams<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Earlier this week, my mom and I were headed to a quilting class together (so much fun!), and before the class we decided to check out the new low-cost (recession friendly) grocer, Aldi, on Schaad road, just off Clinton Highway in Powell. We didn't know much about it, except that you had to bring your own bags. We took in one big bag. We were both pretty confident that we wouldn't find much that we couldn't find somewhere else.<br /><br />Boy, were we wrong! It's not that they had unique items or anything, but it seemed like every item I saw, from the moment I walked in the door, was the cheapest I'd ever seen!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I was pretty skeptical. I mean, cheap isn't necessarily good. If the food is crap, it doesn't matter how cheap it is, I don't want to eat it. And practically everything at Aldi is an Aldi brand - which I am not familiar with at all. So the first trip with my mom, I bought a couple of items in which quality is very important to me:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Butter </span>- I always.always. buy Land o Lakes butter. I even did an experiment once where I used two different butters (WalMart vs. Land O Lakes) to make the exact same cake and buttercream recipes. Land o Lakes won hands down, in both categories. I think the WalMart butter had more water in it or something, because the texture was just all wrong. Anyways, so far with the Aldi butter, it's not exactly the same as Land O Lakes, but it's no where near the awful quality of WalMart generic butter. And at $1.49 a lb. rather than $3.79 for Land o Lakes, I think it's a fair trade.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Parmesan Chees</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">e</span> - I use Parmesan all the time - mostly because I really love Alfredo sauce, but I also have a soft spot for plain noodles with butter and cheese. yummm. So the flavor of Parmesan is very important to me. Kraft Parmesan has a very strong, distinct flavor, and is light on fillers and "anti clumping" type agents. Aldi's flavor was a little milder than Kraft's, and the texture was just a little more powdery, but overall, I think it's a good bet.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Bacon</span> - Okay, this needs a bit of an explanation. I really don't eat bacon all that much, but whenever I cook bacon, I'm sure to save the bacon fat for gravy and sauces. You'd be surprised at how the bacon fat renders off of various grades of bacon. Some bacon fat (better bacon) is white and solid, and others (cheaper) are browner and more soft. I definitely prefer the whiter, solid fat. I don't really know why. ? The Aldi bacon was definitely as high a quality as Oscar Meyer, in my opinion. The fat rendered practically identically. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So, after tasting these items, I was sold on Aldi's quality. I read some more about them and found that most people came to the same conclusion I did. All of their dairy products are extremely reasonably priced, and of very good quality. The dry grocery is also very good, but some may prefer their old familiar standbys from another grocer. The frozen foods are also good. I have heard mostly good things about the meat dept. and mostly bad things about their limited produce selection. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I heard especially good things about their chocolate bars. hehe. I grabbed a dark chocolate bar for 25 cents on the way out the door, but I've yet to taste it. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As you can surmise, Chase and I excitedly went shopping at Aldi's this afternoon for our weekly groceries. Listed below are some items on which I found Aldi's had exceptional pricing. These are not all the items we bought, and we had to make a second trip at Kroger for our produce, but it was incredibly worth it. We only spent $50.00 on groceries this week. UN-believable. I thought it was honestly unachievable to stick to our grocery budget AND eat three meals a day.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table style="width: 670px; height: 499px;font-family:trebuchet ms;" rules="none" border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="7" frame="void"><tbody><tr><td width="191" align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u>Aldi</u></b></span></td> <td width="61" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u>Price</u></b></span></td> <td width="182" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u>Kroger or Wal-Mart</u></b></span></td> <td width="61" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u>Price</u></b></span></td> <td width="78" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u>$ You Save</u></b></span></td> <td width="97" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u>% You Save</u></b></span></td> <td width="86" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Nacho Tortilla Chips</span></td> <td sdval="0.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.99</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Nacho Tortilla Chips</span></td> <td sdval="3" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.00</span></td> <td sdval="2.01" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.01</span></td> <td sdval="0.67" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">67.00%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Eggs – 1 Dozen – Large</span></td> <td sdval="0.49" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.49</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Eggs – 1 Dozen – Large</span></td> <td sdval="1.39" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.39</span></td> <td sdval="0.9" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.90</span></td> <td sdval="0.647482014388489" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">64.75%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Butter – 1 lb.</span></td> <td sdval="1.49" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.49</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Land o Lakes Butter – 1 lb.</span></td> <td sdval="3.79" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.79</span></td> <td sdval="2.3" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.30</span></td> <td sdval="0.606860158311346" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">60.69%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Corn Flakes</span></td> <td sdval="1.59" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.59</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Corn Flakes</span></td> <td sdval="3.59" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.59</span></td> <td sdval="2" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.00</span></td> <td sdval="0.557103064066852" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">55.71%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Crispy Oats Cereal (Cheerios)</span></td> <td sdval="1.59" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.59</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Cheerios</span></td> <td sdval="3.59" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.59</span></td> <td sdval="2" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.00</span></td> <td sdval="0.557103064066852" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">55.71%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Macaroni & Cheese</span></td> <td sdval="0.35" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.35</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Macaroni & Cheese</span></td> <td sdval="0.79" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.79</span></td> <td sdval="0.44" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.44</span></td> <td sdval="0.556962025316456" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">55.70%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pure Vanilla – 2 oz</span></td> <td sdval="1.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.99</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pure Vanilla – 2 oz</span></td> <td sdval="3.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.99</span></td> <td sdval="2" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.00</span></td> <td sdval="0.50125313283208" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">50.13%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">BBQ Potato Chips</span></td> <td sdval="1.29" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.29</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">BBQ Potato Chips</span></td> <td sdval="2.5" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.50</span></td> <td sdval="1.21" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.21</span></td> <td sdval="0.484" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">48.40%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Croutons</span></td> <td sdval="0.95" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.95</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Croutons</span></td> <td sdval="1.79" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.79</span></td> <td sdval="0.84" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.84</span></td> <td sdval="0.46927374301676" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">46.93%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Can of Peas</span></td> <td sdval="0.49" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.49</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Can of Peas</span></td> <td sdval="0.82" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.82</span></td> <td sdval="0.33" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.33</span></td> <td sdval="0.402439024390244" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">40.24%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">12 Grain Bread- 1Loaf</span></td> <td sdval="1.69" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.69</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">12 Grain Bread- 1Loaf</span></td> <td sdval="2.68" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.68</span></td> <td sdval="0.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.99</span></td> <td sdval="0.369402985074627" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">36.94%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Parmesan Cheese – 1 canister</span></td> <td sdval="2.39" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.39</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Kraft Parmesan Cheese</span></td> <td sdval="3.69" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.69</span></td> <td sdval="1.3" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.30</span></td> <td sdval="0.35230352303523" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">35.23%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">American Cheese – 16 slices</span></td> <td sdval="1.49" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.49</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">American Cheese – 16 slices</span></td> <td sdval="2.29" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.29</span></td> <td sdval="0.8" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.80</span></td> <td sdval="0.349344978165939" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">34.93%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pasta Entree</span></td> <td sdval="0.79" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.79</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pasta Roni</span></td> <td sdval="1.19" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.19</span></td> <td sdval="0.4" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.40</span></td> <td sdval="0.336134453781513" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">33.61%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Sugar – 5 lb</span></td> <td sdval="1.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.99</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Sugar – 5 lb.</span></td> <td sdval="2.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.99</span></td> <td sdval="1" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.00</span></td> <td sdval="0.334448160535117" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">33.44%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bacon</span></td> <td sdval="2.49" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.49</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bacon</span></td> <td sdval="3.49" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$3.49</span></td> <td sdval="1" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.00</span></td> <td sdval="0.286532951289398" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">28.65%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Milk – 2% - 1 Gallon</span></td> <td sdval="2.19" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.19</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Milk – 2% -1 Gallon – Generic</span></td> <td sdval="2.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$2.99</span></td> <td sdval="0.8" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.80</span></td> <td sdval="0.267558528428094" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">26.76%</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="19"><span style="font-size:85%;">Small Pizza</span></td> <td sdval="0.99" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.99</span></td> <td align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Totinos Pizza</span></td> <td sdval="1.19" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">$1.19</span></td> <td sdval="0.2" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">$0.20</span></td> <td sdval="0.168067226890756" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;">16.81%</span></td> <td align="left"><br /></td></tr><tr><td align="left" height="19"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13;"><br /></span></td><td sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="center"><br /></td><td colspan="2" valign="middle" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;font-size:13;"><br /></span></td><td sdval="20.52" sdnum="1033;0;[$-409]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$-409]#,##0.00" align="right"><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td sdval="0.43979272408832" sdnum="1033;0;0.00%" align="right"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TOTAL SAVED: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">$20.52</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Average % Saved: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">43.98%</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So most of our groceries were an average of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">44% less</span>!!! AMAZING!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here are some things you need to know before you go gung ho at Aldi's:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Bring your own bags. I heard they have them there, but they charge 10 cents a piece for them. I never even saw them at the checkout....</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Bring a quarter to rent a grocery cart. Don't worry - you'll get it back once you return your cart to it's home.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Have fun!!! And save money!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Edited to Add: The chocolate bar. was. amazing.! It tasted like a $3.00 gourmet chocolate bar...with those wonderful fruity notes. and for just 25 cents!! unbelievable!</span></span><br /></span></span></div>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-60185348318377897852009-04-08T15:56:00.009-04:002009-04-08T18:22:28.440-04:00busy busy busy!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've been so busy lately...working, helping Chase keep his cool when he has a 10 page paper due the next day...but I've managed to finished lots of fun projects!</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First - and I'm so excited about this I can't believe I didn't post about it immediately after I finished it:</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I finished my very first hand pieced (but not hand quilted - still workin' on that) quilt!</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><div><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiralWo0RnlDQBm8iJX0h4ryEsefPIATqCgdyR9OwmXNP5Vkq40HGFLhdkU3P3u6atcUzgINHVj_yByIixB_BmKR8yO-xkb6LAWDlHORBLS30SsBCCTbnoi_2drznXVqmcqGvJJo3crUBA/s1600-h/Picture+021.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322411545339386770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiralWo0RnlDQBm8iJX0h4ryEsefPIATqCgdyR9OwmXNP5Vkq40HGFLhdkU3P3u6atcUzgINHVj_yByIixB_BmKR8yO-xkb6LAWDlHORBLS30SsBCCTbnoi_2drznXVqmcqGvJJo3crUBA/s400/Picture+021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's for our niece - who will be born in the next couple of months!</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNHKNlqcEdemzDBFq_-ca-GXtsksUXtKGjIyU6XRDWDYRA-6ugRS64Dw9KtLj_4IEqGwfgbx9FpERZh8LNu7LYxJt1lr59rKXCXy0zXrRflWQLx71Y7wCcBLOgU3LKyEx428wq6ynGhQ/s1600-h/Picture+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322413925155565554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNHKNlqcEdemzDBFq_-ca-GXtsksUXtKGjIyU6XRDWDYRA-6ugRS64Dw9KtLj_4IEqGwfgbx9FpERZh8LNu7LYxJt1lr59rKXCXy0zXrRflWQLx71Y7wCcBLOgU3LKyEx428wq6ynGhQ/s400/Picture+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There's cute green fabric with little butterflies on it, brown polka dotted fabric, a nice pink fabric with one of my favorite patterns, and some ivory fabric with little white stars.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As I mentioned earlier, I hand pieced the whole quilt top together (that's all the squares). Then I took the quilt and all my supplies up to my mom's house - cause she's a much better quilter than me! She helped me make the quilt sandwich (quilt top, batting, and backing) and then I quilted it on her brand spankin' new machine! For my next project, I'm definitely going to hand quilt, but I just didn't have the time to spare for this project.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />I think it turned out so cute, and it was the perfect weight and felt so soft! I hope our niece loves it to pieces!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Also, for the baby shower, I was asked to make cupcakes!!! Woooo!!! I love making cupcakes. I just like looking at them! They're so cute and colorful and happy!</span><br /><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9hLGSdzx6jHb4lJwiwvF8qN8iTHLzfGnrmNhk_wqwHQ2C-JcEg7dSz3qH9QI0RDz8maejdBtcPzlO1fUIPJFRL9SRgUXB9_bmA0-ds2UoRcgjNKnnfp1iJh15ScQP3GrVjxYBMWMiew/s1600-h/Picture+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322444390922796130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9hLGSdzx6jHb4lJwiwvF8qN8iTHLzfGnrmNhk_wqwHQ2C-JcEg7dSz3qH9QI0RDz8maejdBtcPzlO1fUIPJFRL9SRgUXB9_bmA0-ds2UoRcgjNKnnfp1iJh15ScQP3GrVjxYBMWMiew/s400/Picture+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For these cupcakes, I used my favorite Red Velvet cake recipe from </span><a style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/search?q=red+velvet">alpineberry</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> who says she got the recipe from marthastewart.com, but I have never been able to find this exact recipe on marthastewart.com, so I always refer to her blog.</span><br style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyways, I very much wanted to have pink velvet cupcakes for the baby shower, but I'm afraid the final concoction didn't even come close to pink. The cupcakes were more a dull red. So I was a little disappointed that they turned out such an ugly color. But they still tasted great, despite being slightly dry from being a little overbaked.</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At least the frosting was to die for! I love this cream cheese frosting recipe. It's so light and fluffy and yummmmmyyyyy!!</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJwutIj6bQmsTPPxP9kYjxNqvRRw00Trt37QfLoZwUjdQyIZJ9LWYj7CqogI3yJYZt4DinMQjWRGcf2uEuArJ5GTLDkOJumenl133p2Utt2AvKmcOOppzHG5xC_V8LMJQvY5o2Ddl-VU/s1600-h/Picture+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322444817801828466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJwutIj6bQmsTPPxP9kYjxNqvRRw00Trt37QfLoZwUjdQyIZJ9LWYj7CqogI3yJYZt4DinMQjWRGcf2uEuArJ5GTLDkOJumenl133p2Utt2AvKmcOOppzHG5xC_V8LMJQvY5o2Ddl-VU/s400/Picture+019.jpg" border="0" /></a><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'll give you the recipe - but only if you ask nicely. Just shoot me an e-mail and it's all yours. Trust me. It's heaven.</span><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><br face="trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also, I started an herb garden!!! I planted all the herbs from seeds just yesterday, so nothing's peeking out of the soil just yet, but I'll keep you updated.</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh2j6qRz2nYNPOvYj_eAZuOMWkpjVNrWGdf2vcj9qiA7JAkFAW-qsLo3ZTX3rNcooRklAaiStqzSHyLsFaCkOG03TNTzJiTLRF7lEmRiipyeH6-Re4DfZ5d0hyphenhyphensyXOV7wDQoPkoPRDJ4/s1600-h/Picture+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322445471501861490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 319px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh2j6qRz2nYNPOvYj_eAZuOMWkpjVNrWGdf2vcj9qiA7JAkFAW-qsLo3ZTX3rNcooRklAaiStqzSHyLsFaCkOG03TNTzJiTLRF7lEmRiipyeH6-Re4DfZ5d0hyphenhyphensyXOV7wDQoPkoPRDJ4/s400/Picture+024.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Let's see....on the top shelf, from left to right, we've got Parsley, Basil and Rosemary, the three herbs I use most. And a sake set!? How'd that get there?</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And on the bottom shelf (from left to right) is Sage, Dill, Mint, Chamomile, Lavender, Chives, and Cilantro.</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I hope these seeds sprout!</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And since it's been so nice out (save for the temperature), I've been sitting outside with the puppies a lot.</span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwJ-WK9chBNyLOEcEy5GR2fOldF41NnSDDxRl_wB7-MirqEBM_1mDOhTqZlGLTkR_BMaiJrOY4m_bc-qMqcTqff0QkenlmVbdX14t4hazp43e764z-ErmXlgZfUsRD2kvmSe6Z_6qNbg/s1600-h/Picture+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322446163973333122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 286px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwJ-WK9chBNyLOEcEy5GR2fOldF41NnSDDxRl_wB7-MirqEBM_1mDOhTqZlGLTkR_BMaiJrOY4m_bc-qMqcTqff0QkenlmVbdX14t4hazp43e764z-ErmXlgZfUsRD2kvmSe6Z_6qNbg/s400/Picture+022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Not that it's all that exciting - but it's definitely pleasant. Gershwin is always on the lookout for other dogs and squirrels and rabbits and Busby is always watching Gershwin. Aren't they cute!? (Please forgive Gershwin's awful haircut. It's my own dreadful handiwork.) </span><br style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms"></span></div>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-21850832453721791722009-04-01T18:36:00.003-04:002009-04-01T19:30:33.475-04:00Meat and Three's anyone?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I first heard of the concept of a "Meat and Three" about 2 years ago.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I think that hubby and I were perusing the website:</span><br /><a href="http://www.roadfood.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">www.roadfood.com</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">looking for a good fried chicken joint and trying to plan our next road trip (Yes, we plan our road trips around food - and it's <em>SO</em> worth it.).</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">In our browsing, we must have happened upon the listing for a restaurant like </span><a href="http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=4639"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Arnold's Country Kitchen</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and read the first review, "Best Meat and Three...."</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">And then the realization! If I want macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, I go to a <strong><em>meat-and-three</em></strong>!! (named as such because one commonly orders a meat and three sides)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Wow. I'm gettin' hungry already.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">But since Chase and I first discovered Meat-and-Three's, we've been on a mission. A mission to find the most awesome southern food around. And we've found some amazing places!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I'd love to tell you about the local restaurants, but first, I have to tell you about the Pièce de résistance: Arnold's Country Kitchen. (see link above)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Hubby and I got Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Black eyed peas.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">oh. my. gosh.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Best fried chicken I've ever had! Best Mac and Cheese I've ever had. Best mashed potatoes I've ever had. Best everything!! Best sweet tea too.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Yes - they're in Nashville, but that's not really that far away from Knoxville. And it's so worth it. Please. Do yourself a favor. Put Arnold's Country Kitchen as a destination next time you're headed out West on I-40. You won't regret it!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Now for more local fare! (in order or preference)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.chandlersstore.com/page/page/5751245.htm"><em><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Chandler's Deli</span></strong></em></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Located off Magnolia Ave., right across the street from Pizza Palace (which was featured on Food Network), I can't say enough good things about this restaurant and it's staff. I think when I first ordered there, the owner served me. He was so kind and friendly! He inquired if it was my first visit, and where I was from. As we were leaving, he apologized to Chase and I for the dinner fare, stating, "We got a lot more sides out at lunchtime, and everything's fresh...be sure to stop by at lunchtime." How could he have possibly thought that the food we got was anything less than excellent!?! In lieu of napkins, a roll of paper towels on the table and to drink - amazing Sweet Tea and Kool-Aid in a huge iced tea dispenser - the experience was everything we'd hoped it would be and more! The food was second only to Arnold's.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Oh - and cost? Hubby and I each ate (I got fried chicken ($3.00 for a breast, $1.40 for a thigh or leg) mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes - and Hubby got something similar...but with different sides) for around $14.00. That's including drinks and tax! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><em><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#660000;">Big Fatty's</span></strong></em><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">These guys are located on Kingston Pike, close to Gourmet's Market and Carpe Librum in Bearden. They have all your standard meat and three fare, and seem to have a knack for takin' it up a notch. For example: a plain ol' grilled cheese not your thing? How about a grilled cheese with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bacon. Oh yeah! Now you're talking. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This food packs some serious flavor. Their spinach maria is amazing, and their cheesy potatoes sinful. The only downside to this cute little spot is their price. We can never get out of there without spending at least $25.00 for the two of us. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#660000;"><strong>Cracker Barrel</strong></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I hate to include a corporate entity on this list, but hey - they have their pluses. I'm sure I don't need to provide you with any sort of info on this place as you've probably eaten there countless times with your family on Sunday after church.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#660000;"><strong>S & S Cafeteria</strong></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This cafeteria is also located in Bearden-in the Kroger shopping center closest to campus. I don't have much to say about this place because my memory of it is pretty un-spectacular. I'm sure it's because the food was un-spectacular and bland to say the least. Don't waste your time, or your money - unless you just have no choice. Who knows - maybe I just caught 'em at a bad time. Either way, it's a gamble I'm not willing to take.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">And since we're talking about local food, I gotta give some shout-outs!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">King Tut's</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-Prepare yourself. This place is unlike any other. I can't even describe it. Oh - wait! I can give you this much - Best Greek Salad in Knoxville!!! (If you want to read more about this hole in the wall adventure offering exciting Mediterranean fare...click </span><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/king-tuts-grill-knoxville"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sitar-indian-cuisine-knoxville"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Sitar</span></a></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-Indian food! I love their paneer. I'm sure it's not the best Indian food, but I am sure it's the best that Knoxville has to offer.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Louis' Original Restaurant</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-This is a spaghetti joint. Don't go here and order something that's not spaghetti and expect it to be amazing. But <strong>do</strong> be excited about their amazing, one-of-a-kind meat sauce and their awesome onion rings!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/elidioss-pizza-knoxville"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Elidio's Pizza</span></a></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-Authentic New York Style Pizza! And the price sure is right! My favorite pizza. ever. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/chez-guevara-restaurant-knoxville"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Chez Guevara</span></a></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-I love fish tacos. I lovelovelove fish tacos. These are the best fish tacos I've ever had. Also? The best spinach queso ever. I hear their margaritas are unbeatable. If fish tacos aren't for you - don't despair! Take a bite of the Elvis Burrito: Chicken, black beans, (and some other stuff I can't remember) all covered in spinach queso. YUMMM.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Oh! And don't forget - make yourself heard and support local business - Review your favorite businesses on <a href="http://www.yelp.com/knoxville-tn"><strong>Yelp.com</strong></a>!</span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-57625408456481668972009-03-28T18:24:00.021-04:002009-03-28T19:25:07.248-04:00Daring Bakers - March 2009 - Lasagna!!<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0CX6OGVUTKInDgqDf5NqjUkxDgTC7e4W0D8sO9q_XYX2oxNBOrYCnCjPh7sG3Ds024LPyoQvookrwrirkHrOsjaHcj46jqLALbFaf9fJJg2OSqkIdYicO9oEx2PGfO2GxMQS3igEORM/s1600-h/group_w200x150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0CX6OGVUTKInDgqDf5NqjUkxDgTC7e4W0D8sO9q_XYX2oxNBOrYCnCjPh7sG3Ds024LPyoQvookrwrirkHrOsjaHcj46jqLALbFaf9fJJg2OSqkIdYicO9oEx2PGfO2GxMQS3igEORM/s320/group_w200x150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318382003828641714" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh my. I love pasta. Oh my dear--- I really do enjoy it. If I could eat one food for the rest of my life? Well...that's a big commitment....but I do...REALLY love pasta!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Imagine my surprise when they revealed this month's Daring Baker's challenge as a lasagna made with hand rolled Spinach Egg Noodles! I've never made pasta from scratch before, and I was so excited to try it for the first time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, without further ado</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > -</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></b><i style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><b>The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of <a href="http://www.beansandcaviar.blogspot.com/">Beans and Caviar</a>, Melinda of <a href="http://www.melbournelarder.blogspot.com/">Melbourne Larder</a> and Enza of <a href="http://www.iodagrande.blogspot.com/">Io Da Grande</a>. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from <a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/">The Splendid Table</a> by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rUTuV0ItAXSbLMGyaYQMj5_Rw0jkU-ZFvW0qjuD3E7TLRIi-j81k5Kltq6bXZSYKRI-dVIMHrTd6s81yNE9P5-Qi26xzcRvyJpfEtu3BCC0ngZUd1QpD6rl-u_vgNYMIAfxRSX15m_k/s1600-h/IMG_3678.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rUTuV0ItAXSbLMGyaYQMj5_Rw0jkU-ZFvW0qjuD3E7TLRIi-j81k5Kltq6bXZSYKRI-dVIMHrTd6s81yNE9P5-Qi26xzcRvyJpfEtu3BCC0ngZUd1QpD6rl-u_vgNYMIAfxRSX15m_k/s400/IMG_3678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318382447589699586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Recipe:</span><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)</b><br />(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">10 quarts (9 litres) salted water<br />1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)<b>#1</b><br />1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)<b>#2</b><br />1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)<b>#3</b><br />1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Method</b><br />Working Ahead:<br />The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Assembling the Ingredients:</b><br />Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Cooking the Pasta:</b><br />Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Assembling the Lasagne: </b><br />Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Baking and Serving the Lasagne:</b><br />Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This recipe says it takes "15 minutes to assemble" and "4o minutes cooking time". So the recipe only took an hour of my time, right? WRONG! Can you say SIX?! That's right...SIX hours! Oh, but it was so much fun!! And so worth it!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So if we look at this recipe, there are three components that I needed to prepare:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"># 1 - The Hand Rolled Spinach Pasta</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"># 2 - The Bechemel</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"># 3 - Country Style Ragu</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I started with the Ragu, as it would need the most time to cook.</span><br /><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>#3 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)</b></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)<br />2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped<br />1 medium onion, minced<br />1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced<br />1 small carrot, minced<br />4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round<br />4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)<br />8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)<br />1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma<br />2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine<br />1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)<br />2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk<br />3 canned plum tomatoes, drained (3 whole tomatoes from a can)<br />Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Working Ahead:<br />The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Browning the Ragu Base:<br />Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Woo boy!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As I read through the recipe, I realized that it wasn't calling for ground meat - it called for "veal shoulder, pork loin and boneless beef chuck"? Oh my! - I would have to grind my own meat! But lo, I did not have a meat grinder. However I DID have an awesome food processor (Thanks, Mom!) that I'd used several times for pureeing - but had no idea it would function as a meat grinder!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And it sure worked swell!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ozxTyeLHREzFo3uXKsnIjHsdc6SV2XLURh1a2PanpzMEDqqiQVuDgk48iDL1-xHICBkwgSe-upQAuI70gyVd2uhW26Uh93sRiwUQQgIiz9bFVg8tshBHifQQWKqMaGibVLbXZvxEUZY/s1600-h/IMG_3660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ozxTyeLHREzFo3uXKsnIjHsdc6SV2XLURh1a2PanpzMEDqqiQVuDgk48iDL1-xHICBkwgSe-upQAuI70gyVd2uhW26Uh93sRiwUQQgIiz9bFVg8tshBHifQQWKqMaGibVLbXZvxEUZY/s320/IMG_3660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318372622204164402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As you can see...the meat that came out of my food processor looked just like...well, ground meat! Yay! It actually worked!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Add that ground meat to the veggies and pancetta sauteing in the frying pan:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipT4kv6bAhqcesFP9MVhoDF8RBRpUuaniHmC30l1rWu49R9ekXzwSxt9j_bmWURad4w10LQwXVzJi45Mvn_3uIo5TDQPWQhAzQMl2b53BGSPHzT9cNj71LZ_r-BsaxqoSi8b7UHRCdEto/s1600-h/IMG_3661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipT4kv6bAhqcesFP9MVhoDF8RBRpUuaniHmC30l1rWu49R9ekXzwSxt9j_bmWURad4w10LQwXVzJi45Mvn_3uIo5TDQPWQhAzQMl2b53BGSPHzT9cNj71LZ_r-BsaxqoSi8b7UHRCdEto/s320/IMG_3661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318373303066582898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Brown for a while, (a long while - like 20-30 minutes), then move on through the recipe, adding chicken broth, red wine, milk and tomatoes (umm, I forgot to take photos for these...)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And eventually, you end up with a rich ragu - oh yum. I still remember how this smelled...</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLX0Z_wRe4Igj1ESK0-BGFp4D_ZUa3ow8xqQ4VXkCv_Bk79nNJ76ewsyTUaszUImhUvZfPby6kzTx8gsHsaz27dFZHTCQhqszC6uIH0xc1pO0jKi49LEPFeNutFjd3K7IPEw_OuS4gI4/s1600-h/IMG_3666.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLX0Z_wRe4Igj1ESK0-BGFp4D_ZUa3ow8xqQ4VXkCv_Bk79nNJ76ewsyTUaszUImhUvZfPby6kzTx8gsHsaz27dFZHTCQhqszC6uIH0xc1pO0jKi49LEPFeNutFjd3K7IPEw_OuS4gI4/s320/IMG_3666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318373834088171810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Pardon me while I wipe the drool off my face.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yeesh. Talk about good stuff!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyways. The Ragu had to simmer on the stove for about an hour and a half. So while it was working, I started the Spinach Egg Pasta.</span><br /><br /><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)</b></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Preparation: 45 minutes</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)<br />10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry<br />3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Working by Hand:</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Equipment</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.<br />Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Mixing the dough:</b><br />Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Kneading:</b><br />With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>Stretching and Thinning:</b><br />If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag. </span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have absolutely no photos of me rolling the pasta. You know why? Cause it's SUPER TIRING AND TAKES FOREVER OH MY GOSH. Yeah. I don't know how people do it!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Don't get me wrong - making the dough isn't too difficult - flour, eggs, and spinach...it doesn't get much more simple. But actually rolling out the dough?!! Oh my. I now understand the importance of a pasta roller (which I hope to invest in not too long from now). I am never hand rolling pasta again! I couldn't get the dough to work for me at all. The recipe states, "the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible". Wow. I would never classify my lasagna noodles as "thin" But what can I say? I really did do the best I could!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyways - the noodles still tasted amazing and looked absolutely stunning. There is more made from scratch pasta in my future! Just no more hand rolled pasta.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's the noodles after they've been boiled for a short period of time, put in a cooling water bath, and then dried slightly - they're ready to be layered!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeRbmbIFOHgXMNe4AZ76zuO_0glMw3MvSs5PqWxOeMEhXXTZHPr11rR1jtAgr6BZx90N9FxZ0SFXLnai94K-fE31k3JyJ-6JRleOFjhDb-hqVnZ8gdwYBAxToV-HWvVBXceCHQvbS2HM/s1600-h/IMG_3669.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeRbmbIFOHgXMNe4AZ76zuO_0glMw3MvSs5PqWxOeMEhXXTZHPr11rR1jtAgr6BZx90N9FxZ0SFXLnai94K-fE31k3JyJ-6JRleOFjhDb-hqVnZ8gdwYBAxToV-HWvVBXceCHQvbS2HM/s320/IMG_3669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318376485517791442" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Such a pretty green!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So I was almost ready to put together the lasagna! Just need the bechemel.</span><br /><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>#2 Bechamel</b></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Preparation Time: 15 minutes</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter<br />4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred<br />2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk<br />Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste<br />Freshly grated nutmeg to taste</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszPMAvC9X3-lrTwbbeBnnWpw2ebbiWwU5SJPfRdA6sou4jGInK6l92EOgAXUp9Ctnp663-ZbQmFgP-f_N0M1GxTqFiEdiC5hnZ7RcEwLpFEfy4_izgu9ne6l0i_GT5ZOUBGBzOzScJ5k/s1600-h/IMG_3667.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszPMAvC9X3-lrTwbbeBnnWpw2ebbiWwU5SJPfRdA6sou4jGInK6l92EOgAXUp9Ctnp663-ZbQmFgP-f_N0M1GxTqFiEdiC5hnZ7RcEwLpFEfy4_izgu9ne6l0i_GT5ZOUBGBzOzScJ5k/s320/IMG_3667.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318378059843958594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And that was together in a flash!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now we're ready to put the whole thing together!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oops - how could I forget!? Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqT3r6FbnXXhmCSBZubqcDPkg0SSHfAje_JH1x4oFgeVP0SUJpVzTOK3ZiJCePWHZw8FR4Bbop4KgsP9k32YI7iKQJ-sa44W5iyIYOghRaLD-jpZLzmk3x5rlHxzFSiGUL46ycVuzNOE/s1600-h/IMG_3668.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqT3r6FbnXXhmCSBZubqcDPkg0SSHfAje_JH1x4oFgeVP0SUJpVzTOK3ZiJCePWHZw8FR4Bbop4KgsP9k32YI7iKQJ-sa44W5iyIYOghRaLD-jpZLzmk3x5rlHxzFSiGUL46ycVuzNOE/s320/IMG_3668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318377921719669202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ohhhh....I could drink this stuff.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">mmm...</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">back to the lasagna!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So here we are all ready to go:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpVBfJFbuXqujCS8Zc0r5TXxZlQ6EOzkxxSs7s8RtEXENhwj6rH1P1lCXEDeMh_bZfLUrQSTrezu6wjESSVk96Lr_THiBJKVXxUMJA_kajiCi3gPbxk2rI5hC4VX7aLoNFjEowMywRJY/s1600-h/IMG_3664.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpVBfJFbuXqujCS8Zc0r5TXxZlQ6EOzkxxSs7s8RtEXENhwj6rH1P1lCXEDeMh_bZfLUrQSTrezu6wjESSVk96Lr_THiBJKVXxUMJA_kajiCi3gPbxk2rI5hC4VX7aLoNFjEowMywRJY/s320/IMG_3664.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318378647070705746" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ragu, Bechemel, Parmesan Reggiano, Spinach Noodles, and a casserole pan, already prepped with a little bit of Bechemel in the bottom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You just layer Noodle, Bechmel, Ragu, Bechemel, Parmesan - and then all over again! Top the finished lasagna with some Parmesan - and you get something almost wonderful! (Though still uncooked!)</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfrK8eRPcDEU2nPznP5DvOTd7w70uZ6DuEVqJ8oxMPZu9UKHHJLiuBqQ16Sk_JgmRTNyx4rfgYEil_OE_-1dVqTi9DFplkTu8DkklguKMTjIeu2fFTSXIhgzGafmH1zGlq6XqeY06Q04/s1600-h/IMG_3671.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfrK8eRPcDEU2nPznP5DvOTd7w70uZ6DuEVqJ8oxMPZu9UKHHJLiuBqQ16Sk_JgmRTNyx4rfgYEil_OE_-1dVqTi9DFplkTu8DkklguKMTjIeu2fFTSXIhgzGafmH1zGlq6XqeY06Q04/s320/IMG_3671.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318379299884250626" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Pop it in the oven for about 50 minutes, and then you get:</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RZvayRwqFsSlVEyHS3O4zcG3rTz6i5DgowvN9-hpCCDmQ9kIHR_iySgI2Iql2lQ48gsYIV7cb_7iSJq6-tAUwgweq3pAJnOueUauteHzLhQb7CPkUYLjx-9CZuvcrtQtLnGyBJWiSRw/s1600-h/IMG_3675.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RZvayRwqFsSlVEyHS3O4zcG3rTz6i5DgowvN9-hpCCDmQ9kIHR_iySgI2Iql2lQ48gsYIV7cb_7iSJq6-tAUwgweq3pAJnOueUauteHzLhQb7CPkUYLjx-9CZuvcrtQtLnGyBJWiSRw/s320/IMG_3675.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318379647015044002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">YUMMM.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">wow.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7oO5BFHbQ-yv6GTHroH_3swnnEr0ULp9PluGsOiPdKvvhjj7uwK6wsQvXhQk1Fq6bNVqUUbfSYTChUMOZZ1tYjKUXiVTYj9P1cUeQJvGJj79C_vmBkuiVd4H7zJ-sZff3uqfWiBPv4A/s1600-h/IMG_3678.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7oO5BFHbQ-yv6GTHroH_3swnnEr0ULp9PluGsOiPdKvvhjj7uwK6wsQvXhQk1Fq6bNVqUUbfSYTChUMOZZ1tYjKUXiVTYj9P1cUeQJvGJj79C_vmBkuiVd4H7zJ-sZff3uqfWiBPv4A/s320/IMG_3678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318379872808762754" border="0" /></a>(Yes this picture is posted twice. Cause it's that good.)<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dinner is served!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have to say, it was especially rewarding since I worked on it for so daggum long.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And it was a</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > wonderful</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> lasagna! Fresh pasta really does taste LOADS better than the store bought stuff.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Although I have to admit - I like the (American?) addition of a ricotta cheese filling as is in most lasagnas I've had. And my favorite lasagna recipe will still remain (quite honestly, probably will remain until the end of time..)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna: </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/">The Best Lasagna. Ever.</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thanks Daring Bakers, for an awesome challenge! Can't wait for the next one!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also, check out the Daring Bakers brand spankin' new website!</span><br /><br /></span><div face="trebuchet ms" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thedaringkitchen.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">www.thedaringkitchen.com</span></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwCBMrj-8FRfmDMJmo5a8iVl2w_4rHSXw7oJIQXeXdO_YAm_JVH7NxYhcqdrLzIz-WQAX9Eyli1xbzpDr-fv_BEXJ4zYA_PctwLlmbfOt93TlmNc8SPDvryicx3ghV0RoTpVu46vA3e4/s1600-h/group_w200x150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwCBMrj-8FRfmDMJmo5a8iVl2w_4rHSXw7oJIQXeXdO_YAm_JVH7NxYhcqdrLzIz-WQAX9Eyli1xbzpDr-fv_BEXJ4zYA_PctwLlmbfOt93TlmNc8SPDvryicx3ghV0RoTpVu46vA3e4/s320/group_w200x150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318381249886439058" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-19587399696378643962009-02-28T08:09:00.000-05:002009-02-28T08:09:00.900-05:00Daring Bakers - Feb. 2009<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPcGwB-iusbREybwoGNSNBu_aD93BuxbNgPcQDbMFw7gYJHwVp-GJS4oz_dHSXeLuJr6cK4uQTwnq5Szzc2fZ4bWdgp_ReiuBt3_EcB9PbUPm2Nt-7_sU4a94asuGL-kBDcqFaX3LbE4/s1600-h/silueta3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPcGwB-iusbREybwoGNSNBu_aD93BuxbNgPcQDbMFw7gYJHwVp-GJS4oz_dHSXeLuJr6cK4uQTwnq5Szzc2fZ4bWdgp_ReiuBt3_EcB9PbUPm2Nt-7_sU4a94asuGL-kBDcqFaX3LbE4/s200/silueta3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305981186856885442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Woo! My first Daring Bakers Challenge! I can't believe it! Unfortunately I was unable to participate in the January challenge but I'm so glad that this month has given me no problems and I've been able to complete the challenge!<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of <a href="http://www.wmpesblog.blogspot.com/">WMPE's blog </a>and Dharm of <a href="http://www.dad-baker.blogspot.com/">Dad ~ Baker & Chef</a>.<br />We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.</span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFuSIy4DMyON6CTdWeuTCQnlOk2J1YgS5XIDz8yRah0j229InqRExvItiVWZ0atg10N7l5hr9ukmyqdL0WgqvXP7qJ2Xye4DeLIG7p8pOgmLdEPtBFQQIrWAvjMehfztf5yn-pJEhaV4/s1600-h/DB+Feb+2009+-+5a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFuSIy4DMyON6CTdWeuTCQnlOk2J1YgS5XIDz8yRah0j229InqRExvItiVWZ0atg10N7l5hr9ukmyqdL0WgqvXP7qJ2Xye4DeLIG7p8pOgmLdEPtBFQQIrWAvjMehfztf5yn-pJEhaV4/s320/DB+Feb+2009+-+5a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305980691016364002" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For my </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Chocolate Valentino cake</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (a flourless chocolate cake that's traditionally shaped like a heart) I used some positively fabulous Callebeaut 72% cocoa Mexican chocolate (provided by the wonderful Miss Linda at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.citiescupcakes.com/">Cities Cupcake Boutique</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">!), with just a smidgen of the much more familiar milk chocolate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The recipe consisted only of three ingredients: Chocolate, Butter, and Eggs. The eggs were separated, and the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks then folded into the cake batter. The recipe warned against over-beating the egg white because it would result in a dry cake ...and I thought I took heed, but my judgment was slightly off - because my cake was definitely way too dry. The flavor was rich and complex. I just wish the texture would have been right (more moist and less crumbly). I'll just be sure not to over beat the egg whites next time.</span><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MZZEySCwP62qWSCCk-e9pUSKPH4nHiXMnz2aqIIiYPJqVRy0iuyTYPbiGQyuQy9Wi9nqMyf-ixdcdB6chXrlq0kNkX5M9o-z1hvLu83BsiTiMnPRO5T5HWQ9c0t1Y6O1x4QzXqUbF8Y/s1600-h/DB+Feb+2009+-+1b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MZZEySCwP62qWSCCk-e9pUSKPH4nHiXMnz2aqIIiYPJqVRy0iuyTYPbiGQyuQy9Wi9nqMyf-ixdcdB6chXrlq0kNkX5M9o-z1hvLu83BsiTiMnPRO5T5HWQ9c0t1Y6O1x4QzXqUbF8Y/s320/DB+Feb+2009+-+1b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305983594170304034" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >ice cream</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, I started with a traditional Philadelphia Vanilla Ice Cream recipe (Philadelphia style ice cream lacks eggs...which many ice cream recipes rely on). The original recipe looked something like this:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6 cups light cream</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 cup sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1.5 tsp vanilla</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I used half and half in lieu of the light cream. I also added some French Vanilla coffee creamer to the mix. In retrospect, I would have used a little less coffee creamer, as I felt the corn syrup flavor was ultimately detrimental to the "fresh" flavor of the ice cream (I don't really know what I'm talking about...I just know that I don't like the taste of corn syrup).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My final recipe looked like this:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 cups heavy cream</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 cups half and half</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 cups french vanilla coffee creamer</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3/4 c. sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 tsp vanilla</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I dissolved the sugar in about a cup of cream/half & half/creamer that had been heated up in the microwave. Then I dumped the whole thing in my fun Ice Cream maker that Chase got me for my birthday 2 years ago (Thanks Chase!!!). The result was a WONDERFUL smooth, creamy, light ice cream. Chase and I both agree it beats just about anything we've ever had (besides that corn syrup taste). Wow. You just gotta try it.</span><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVTwxORuxIWxnd_czoDqN-E72JsjW4vG1saoLrHN7YMfxlwhrSFdetPunRIuNGgkjtxTODXhEzyG6HyYLng3OrCAqUG-q7yVZk02heyeDq1TmBMVrGCA00MP5zdSJwvpWWFt3D_1ofCw/s1600-h/DB+Feb+2009+-+9a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVTwxORuxIWxnd_czoDqN-E72JsjW4vG1saoLrHN7YMfxlwhrSFdetPunRIuNGgkjtxTODXhEzyG6HyYLng3OrCAqUG-q7yVZk02heyeDq1TmBMVrGCA00MP5zdSJwvpWWFt3D_1ofCw/s320/DB+Feb+2009+-+9a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305984128212405522" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The final element of the challenge was to create a sauce to go over the cake/ice cream. I went with a </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >classic caramel sauce</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. The only other time I've made a caramel sauce was for a salted caramel frosting. I browned the sugar until it was very dark, which lent it an almost coffee-like bitter flavor. I was determined not to brown it to that extent this time, and as such, I think I undercooked the sugar. So the caramel sauce was a little bland. Oh well! I'll get it right one of these days!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Even though my "go" at this challenge was not without it's share of mistakes, the final product elicited such comments as, "This is the best thing I've ever had!" So give it a go! You won't be sorry!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The cake recipe:</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Chocolate Valentino<br />Preparation Time: 20 minutes</strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5 large eggs separated</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.</span></span> <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vanilla Ice Cream</span><br /><br />2 cups heavy cream<br />2 cups half & half<br />2 cups French Vanilla creamer<br />2 tsp vanilla<br />3/4 c. sugar<br /><br />Mix together cream, half & half, and creamer in a bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the mixture into a microwaveable bowl (I used a pyrex cup measure) and heat in the microwave 1-2 minutes (keep a watch on it and make sure it doesn't bubble over). Take it out and mix in sugar. Stir until dissolved. Stir this mixture back into the rest of the cream, half & half,and creamer and then stir in the vanilla. Freeze this in your ice cream make according to manufacturer instructions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Caramel Sauce</span><br /><br />3/4 cup sugar<br />2 tbsp. water<br />1tsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice<br />1/2 cup heavy cream<br />1 tbsp. butter<br /><br />Combine sugar, water and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat without stirring until deep amber in color. Once it reaches the correct color, take it off the heat and add the cream (it will bubble) and stir until smooth. Add in the butter.<br /><br />yum!<br /><br /><br />Thanks Dharm & Wendy for a great challenge this month!!</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UAAudDG93tGn9oeyGwBDqLJO9amLe0NxAmJpZF99TXVfDPdWwEUULdWB7ccCdtrgQNIF3eFjssujE7wkI-4l8nP-FDE554hOJBaUDnrsfVTm-IMKKfOqqKRfg5GRqggRoGjkRuQUNqs/s1600-h/pink_db.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UAAudDG93tGn9oeyGwBDqLJO9amLe0NxAmJpZF99TXVfDPdWwEUULdWB7ccCdtrgQNIF3eFjssujE7wkI-4l8nP-FDE554hOJBaUDnrsfVTm-IMKKfOqqKRfg5GRqggRoGjkRuQUNqs/s200/pink_db.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305981372299887330" border="0" /></a></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-64906561248103794632009-02-23T08:43:00.000-05:002009-02-23T09:06:54.240-05:00Busby Love!!!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, last weekend, I drove up to my mother's house to pick up my 8 week old bundle of fun! Her name is Busby, and she's a beautiful morkie (half yorkshire terrier, half maltese) and she's just getting into everything!<br /><br />She's absolutely adorable. She lives here now, with our other dog Gershwin (her daddy) and they just have a grand ol time!<br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnzOBc6LQVri-A-DaNdSwReDuJ9jfq-jZTkqB-3CF13CokrREA4mcGeSuMYLhjjW8RCewj5o5L6n_fo2A15dZjOsZ99npoLg_5MptfmyrPQpfUwL3Z6tIsSQSo_L0JavRtcKRUWuAG5U/s1600-h/busby+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnzOBc6LQVri-A-DaNdSwReDuJ9jfq-jZTkqB-3CF13CokrREA4mcGeSuMYLhjjW8RCewj5o5L6n_fo2A15dZjOsZ99npoLg_5MptfmyrPQpfUwL3Z6tIsSQSo_L0JavRtcKRUWuAG5U/s400/busby+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305991355925557234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">All at once now...."Awwwww!!!"<br />Look at her cute floppy ears!!! and her little nose!!!!! It's so small...her nose is about the size of a pencil eraser!<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdop2Qwo2JhaW6NoGsEIdOoU5U5yJGqhytSkLi7HSOT17Kjx07Oh7GlYpKnU7wygdkVZ9IAcBDtIZmrHTHos3SopwK5LMeyqtsHdmbodw0PBPFMlHUzxNY9oOL3Wjm9YqBhPo5SFZopEg/s1600-h/busby+nose.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdop2Qwo2JhaW6NoGsEIdOoU5U5yJGqhytSkLi7HSOT17Kjx07Oh7GlYpKnU7wygdkVZ9IAcBDtIZmrHTHos3SopwK5LMeyqtsHdmbodw0PBPFMlHUzxNY9oOL3Wjm9YqBhPo5SFZopEg/s320/busby+nose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305991765243333106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">hehe! I'm gonna love this girl forever! I love doggy noses!<br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUmga3LVLrT1wNLHbYIEidVKx759fQ_zRXTaHcjDwrVrCIQWbM4rhQh5Z8qwQAHIDWf55eV83xx8I3-lpMr4m-kwqhSqbvscbQJeewxjDVyAnpMgbkZr_mtwYRpUZPZcyAPV3ateXDVM/s1600-h/busby+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUmga3LVLrT1wNLHbYIEidVKx759fQ_zRXTaHcjDwrVrCIQWbM4rhQh5Z8qwQAHIDWf55eV83xx8I3-lpMr4m-kwqhSqbvscbQJeewxjDVyAnpMgbkZr_mtwYRpUZPZcyAPV3ateXDVM/s320/busby+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992014645452514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Aww!! She's got white under her chin, and on her belly....and.....<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0J1xPIXgvESo-p-ox68GIIMVdd-GgpHPIKyq10fSwU4LM9GGU7RYplz0dZEeFpqFOXCfJzwRyKNlwUV_QlZYlk0wZrZFQVwii8PLGQdV3yO0rr52uoj2YQZjomIvcYhoYtuNnkQWSCWk/s1600-h/busby+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0J1xPIXgvESo-p-ox68GIIMVdd-GgpHPIKyq10fSwU4LM9GGU7RYplz0dZEeFpqFOXCfJzwRyKNlwUV_QlZYlk0wZrZFQVwii8PLGQdV3yO0rr52uoj2YQZjomIvcYhoYtuNnkQWSCWk/s320/busby+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992262321019506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">White at the tips of her feet!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m6kCKrt0EVKj5ZMzc56pkwRpNE4DZHM14cJTIyBBsaXDFNc_06-n6e74vSUEGm-VN4phpQkes-yeg7gnXIwTB1k-xwgH3A7Cku83Myb-SX0-rtEjXj9XE_BBc4PbV1-kMr5lKqPjIak/s1600-h/busby+feet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 91px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m6kCKrt0EVKj5ZMzc56pkwRpNE4DZHM14cJTIyBBsaXDFNc_06-n6e74vSUEGm-VN4phpQkes-yeg7gnXIwTB1k-xwgH3A7Cku83Myb-SX0-rtEjXj9XE_BBc4PbV1-kMr5lKqPjIak/s320/busby+feet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992404346546018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">awwww. puppy feet!! She only weighs about 1 or 2 pounds right now...but she sure is strong!<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnI_PSjUx8uANHeO4n9cLoe21jXT0D9hmR_SaB-9tcLqIPhWz1tetj38MxD8Z1fVxUbniiipU-5Oqe3JaqKE0NDmLK0kA4UTUQaEI2RTkHROTrCb-1DDHsXgaDqeyRbs_VpNMrMTn1P0A/s1600-h/busby+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnI_PSjUx8uANHeO4n9cLoe21jXT0D9hmR_SaB-9tcLqIPhWz1tetj38MxD8Z1fVxUbniiipU-5Oqe3JaqKE0NDmLK0kA4UTUQaEI2RTkHROTrCb-1DDHsXgaDqeyRbs_VpNMrMTn1P0A/s320/busby+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992678506197314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ahh...the look of inquiry... "Can I chew that?" "How much longer do I have to sit here?" "What else can I go destroy?"<br /><br />More pictures when she grows up a bit :)<br /><br />In the meantime, check out her beautiful brothers!<br /><br /><a href="http://knoxville.kijiji.com/c-ViewAdLargeImage?AdId=106911764&img=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.classistatic.com%2Fcps%2Fl%2Fkj%2F09%2F2%2F13%2F822%2Fr4%2F0256fa9_18.jpeg&back=-2">Morkie Puppies!</a><br /><br />(there's also a light brown female - but her picture is not on that particular listing.)<br /><br />There's <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">nothing</span> in the world like puppies!!!<br /></span></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-22650218718868139422009-02-10T08:46:00.000-05:002009-02-10T09:11:22.099-05:00Spiritual Formation<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Oh geez. Where do I start? Well, I'm reading a book right now: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Omission-Reclaiming-Essential-Discipleship/dp/0060882433/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234273668&sr=8-1"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Great Omission</span></a> by Dallas Willard.<br /><br />I hope to give a more formal review on the book later on, but I just finished reading my chapter for today - and I wanted to share some of what I was reading. I don't know what to think about it yet, other than it's extreme importance in (my) Christian spirituality.<br /><br /><br />From Page 62:<br />"The gospel is not just "Your sins can be forgiven." The gospel of the entire New Testament is that you can have new life </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >now</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > in the Kingdom of God if you will trust in Jesus Christ. Trust the whole person of Christ in everything he touches - which is everything."<br /><br />"If you preach a gospel that has only to do with the forgiveness of sins - you will be as we are today: stuck in a position where you have faith over here and obedience and abundance over there, and no way to get from here to there." (Willard goes on to state that the bridge to get from here to there is discipleship, and the church does not do a good job of teaching us how to be disciples and walk with Christ. Too often, it's how to "save souls".)<br /><br />Page 66<br />"What transforms us is the will to obey Jesus Christ from a life that is one with his resurrected reality day by day, learning obedience through inward transformation."<br /><br />Colossians 3:5-17<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29507" class="sup" >5</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29508" class="sup" >6</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.<sup>[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%203:5-17&version=31;#fen-NIV-29508a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</sup> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29509" class="sup" >7</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29510" class="sup" >8</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29511" class="sup" >9</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29512" class="sup" >10</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" id="en-NIV-29513" class="sup" >11</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. </span><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <span id="en-NIV-29514" class="sup" style="font-size:85%;">12</span><span style="font-size:85%;">Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. </span><span id="en-NIV-29515" class="sup" style="font-size:85%;">13</span><span style="font-size:85%;">Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. </span><span id="en-NIV-29516" class="sup" style="font-size:85%;">14</span><span style="font-size:85%;">And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. </span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <span id="en-NIV-29517" class="sup" style="font-size:85%;">15</span><span style="font-size:85%;">Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. </span><span id="en-NIV-29518" class="sup" style="font-size:85%;">16</span><span style="font-size:85%;">Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. </span><span id="en-NIV-29519" class="sup" style="font-size:85%;">17</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.</span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Verse 17 illustrates the whole-life nature of our spiritual formation in Christ.<br /><br />My summary of this: (I think my passage choices are just a little disjointed and difficult to understand..I'm sure the only reason I understand it is because I just read it.)<br /><br />A. Christians are unaware that they are able to live </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >an abundant life in Christ...right now</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >. We are more often than not taught that our reward for trusting in Christ is given to us after we die (heaven).<br />B. Therefore, many Christians are unfulfilled in their spirituality, and the full implications of a Christian life (on ourselves, our friends, family and our community) are never realized.<br />C. The solution is to become an obedient disciple of Christ.<br /><br />Well, I'm still chewing all this over. Just wanted to share what I was thinking about! (Any thoughts anyone may have are more than welcome, and will be very helpful, I'm sure!)</span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-67168780305836947992009-01-14T23:55:00.000-05:002009-01-15T00:29:06.022-05:00Cutesy Cakes!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Adventures of Emily's Cupcake Ministry<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >I believe that one aspect of ministering to the people around you is to share your God-given talents with them. And one of my strongest talents is baking. Not that I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">incredibly</span> good at it - but I love spending my time baking, and I do know my way around a mixer! I'm oh so happy when I am able to share my baked goods with those around me!<br /><br />Tonight I had the privilege of baking cupcakes for an event hosted by <a href="http://therestorationhouse.net/site/aboutus/adayinthelife.html">The Re</a></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://therestorationhouse.net/site/aboutus/adayinthelife.html">storation House</a>. I baked up several different flavors of mini cupcakes! I've never done mini's before! I have to say, that I prefer mini cupcakes considerably more than regular cupcakes.<br /><br />I think that:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >A. Mini cupcakes have a better frosting to cake ratio. You get a little bit of frosting with every bite of cake. With regular size cupcakes, your first couple of bites are either all frosting or all cake (at least with my experience) because you can't get your mouth around the frosting AND the cake. yeesh!<br /><br />B. You can try more flavors! If you're looking to taste test, big cupcakes are just such a waste...a coupla bites, then it goes in the trash :( Cupcakes in the trash are never a happy thing. Since mini cupcakes are only a couple of bites anyways, there's no waste! yay!<br /><br />In conclusion...mini cupcakes are my new obsession! (at least baking them!)<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Here are some pictures of the flavors I baked tonight :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and Mini Chocolate Chips<br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQXgvcAvtkpystwgVjBuqhpLE1cdbN-FMHik8_TgD5PNp-9qb5pME_XGC34Y2Eo51C7o2UWm_lS3pamNVP_YHE2b9EpBRivlt-pZ6fz-LGsIeHulsjYiClqQg_YE08x3F0lhh1Wpqems/s1600-h/IMG_3613.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQXgvcAvtkpystwgVjBuqhpLE1cdbN-FMHik8_TgD5PNp-9qb5pME_XGC34Y2Eo51C7o2UWm_lS3pamNVP_YHE2b9EpBRivlt-pZ6fz-LGsIeHulsjYiClqQg_YE08x3F0lhh1Wpqems/s320/IMG_3613.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291382845048859282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br />The whole box! (I love packaging - weird, I know)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-ANI2BYpgXzCq_HAx99YA-hrYQaRUo946Sz7iUcQnxnc0DHvBkPBJHlGPV9lGzSEmsGPsaXhwW-A43AUdGxIe_fZLui8fg3b7j5mswyTvp937_ro56EDRvI0zLd3oVlt1dnBVNKRiu0/s1600-h/IMG_3614.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-ANI2BYpgXzCq_HAx99YA-hrYQaRUo946Sz7iUcQnxnc0DHvBkPBJHlGPV9lGzSEmsGPsaXhwW-A43AUdGxIe_fZLui8fg3b7j5mswyTvp937_ro56EDRvI0zLd3oVlt1dnBVNKRiu0/s320/IMG_3614.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291383176729695602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Strawberry Cake topped with Strawberry Jam and then Vanilla Buttercream and sprinkles</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > (the jam is hidden underneath the buttercream! It's like hidden treasure!!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vSbwchf7cySyshGh-X1Y3xH392LPylhooSFAt2IW7qqTzSEpdEK-eXJLt_CrZ3oGAAH2Dhw9RGKegFn7V80Irud7fowJaK5Ryoxm-aSWIeYV0xgOsGdpANnF3rmz7KdjLaog-0UKjR4/s1600-h/IMG_3616.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vSbwchf7cySyshGh-X1Y3xH392LPylhooSFAt2IW7qqTzSEpdEK-eXJLt_CrZ3oGAAH2Dhw9RGKegFn7V80Irud7fowJaK5Ryoxm-aSWIeYV0xgOsGdpANnF3rmz7KdjLaog-0UKjR4/s320/IMG_3616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291383764698612930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZOLkcPs0MnjYjVh5PLmarGLOth-oqN8jzTykuz_k4HIZV8kL8Vyi0VPVSneWPlxjDhlNdjwgT8cegn_cIOk_uWMq92uZLrKnmDXyCWB1DbJ7_sHz5qNWb3Rd0bs1xw9zgzwo3dyeNgc/s1600-h/IMG_3618.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZOLkcPs0MnjYjVh5PLmarGLOth-oqN8jzTykuz_k4HIZV8kL8Vyi0VPVSneWPlxjDhlNdjwgT8cegn_cIOk_uWMq92uZLrKnmDXyCWB1DbJ7_sHz5qNWb3Rd0bs1xw9zgzwo3dyeNgc/s320/IMG_3618.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291383953022173602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />And last, but definitely not least...<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >, one of my personal faves. I tried to frost them in the same style as <a href="http://www.kumquatcupcakery.com/meet.php">The Kumquat Cupcakery</a> in NYC - and I almost succeeded! I think they're pretty cute, even if I didn't capture the exact look I was going for...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2NLUzED5A8l5AtraZmquiwPHcUhFXDl2l-exCya3mFHg4FxYJWriYN4Edc9h4wAKZc9KD4Y8iuM2MQQJxny5MlhgYFRzgyLbl33PCkoTP266TzQ1wIUxIsykBoz5Mc27e7UsN3kzOZc/s1600-h/IMG_3620.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2NLUzED5A8l5AtraZmquiwPHcUhFXDl2l-exCya3mFHg4FxYJWriYN4Edc9h4wAKZc9KD4Y8iuM2MQQJxny5MlhgYFRzgyLbl33PCkoTP266TzQ1wIUxIsykBoz5Mc27e7UsN3kzOZc/s320/IMG_3620.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291384542010095314" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOAv6WW8_Hj9G78FvYd6smuNyqKc9Hbo2RkrqrggpqJzedSVj5N77m2ZuQeO5B3iI7y6Ga7KaDFdKQunYPYbCi-d9ySuJl__KSTTYBaDv1lpO1LFKCJgznluywdph2plnCiLmvWd1cdk/s1600-h/IMG_3621.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOAv6WW8_Hj9G78FvYd6smuNyqKc9Hbo2RkrqrggpqJzedSVj5N77m2ZuQeO5B3iI7y6Ga7KaDFdKQunYPYbCi-d9ySuJl__KSTTYBaDv1lpO1LFKCJgznluywdph2plnCiLmvWd1cdk/s320/IMG_3621.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291384709624940402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">yay for mini cupcakes! I hope they enjoy these cupcakes - I sure did love making them!</span></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-27520885463506831402009-01-07T11:53:00.000-05:002009-02-06T08:21:13.457-05:00Back from the Capitol<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Chase and I visited Washington DC this past week! It was our three year anniversary! Instead of buying each other presents, we prefer to embark on awesome road trips. We had intended to stay in DC for just one night, but with the generosity of our friends Alex and Emily, and some extra Christmas money, we were able to stay for three nights! I'll do a more detailed post about our trip later, as I don't have my digital camera with me right now - but suffice to say, I think this was one of our best trips to date.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So I was sitting here, reading through some of my favorite sites, and I found an amazing recipe for Paneer. I tried to make Paneer once before, but it never came together...I was using a good recipe, but I just didn't know the technique. Anyhow, I am thinking that is it very important for my future Paneer-making attempts that I remember this website. The question was how? Do I just have a document of websites I like (only accessible on one computer)....or do I create a list, accessible on the internet somewhere? </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I have obviously gone with the latter, and though I'm sure there are other solutions to my dilemma, I like the prospect of posting interesting sites/blog entries I read here - more for my personal recollection than for anything else. So without further ado:</span><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;color:#000099;"></span></strong></div><p align="left"><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;color:#000099;">- <a href="http://fromwhencethesweetbirdsang.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-make-paneer.html">http://fromw<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">hencethesweetbirdsang.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-make-paneer.htm</span>l</a></span></strong></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Now I've got the recipe AND the technique! Thanks to this blog entry by Sweet Bird, I now know how to successfully procure yummy yummy paneer! I'll try it again soon</span></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">More fun stuff:</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">- <a href="http://foodgawker.com/?s=daring+bakers">http://foodgawker.com/?s=daring+bakers</a></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Using my favorite food photo hub, foodgawker.com, you can search for "Daring Bakers" and find various blog entries for the December challenge, a French Yule Log! I'm now a part of Daring Bakers, so I'll be participating in their January Challenge! Keep an eye open for that entry.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">- <a href="http://www.hlchina.com/fiestaretail.htm">http://www.hlchina.com/fiestaretail.htm</a></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Chase got me Fiestaware for Christmas!!!! I can't believe it! I've always loved the bright colors and simple construction of Fiestaware. And now it's in my kitchen! I have navy, orange, yellow, and red place settings, and I hope to invest in more throughout my lifetime. yay for fun dinnerware!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">- </span><a href="http://www.mercotte.fr/2008/03/20/desperatly-seeking-macarons/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.mercotte.fr/2008/03/20/desperatly-seeking-macarons/</span></a></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I have a new obsession. Macarons. Not to be confused with <em>Macaroons</em>, the coconut cookies that I've never really had an affinity for. Macarons are french pastries that are oh so visually pleasing to look at and not so easy to make (so I've heard). The pastry is a kind of almond meringue and between two pastries, you will find various fillings like buttercream, jams, jellies, caramel...etc. You can dye them different colors and you can flavor them with fruit and extracts. The possibilities are endless! I really want to make THESE. <a href="http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/06/snickers-macarons.html">http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/06/snickers-macarons.html</a> yummmm snickers.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">oh. and you MUST. must must must. go see <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>.</span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-6375922992346112602008-12-02T22:52:00.001-05:002008-12-02T22:52:52.041-05:00Welcome Back! (to me?)<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I realize I've neglected to post for a while! And for that I apologize. But it was just too difficult to work 23+ hours at the Cupcakery, 35+ hours at the Outfitters, cook 3 meals a day (2 of those in the morning...breakfast and a pack lunch), and then actually have time to blog. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've cut down my hours significantly at the Cupcakery, and I am finally feeling like I can breathe again, though I do miss seeing the Cupcakery ladies everyday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Some updates about me!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- I've recently purchased some embroidery digitizing software! With this software (and my steadily progressing digitizing skillllz), I will be able to digitize any design/logo for embroidery. I only have a couple of clients right now, but in the next couple of years I hope to become entirely self sufficient in running a small digitizing business.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-Our puppy dog Gershwin is going to be a daddy (again)! He mated with a beautiful Maltese (he's a Yorkie) and their puppies are due just after Christmas! We're going to keep one of the girls, and her name will be Busby (after Busby Berkeley) and she'll be so soft and cuddly! And she will be best friends with Gershwin forever and ever. :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-Chase has almost finished this semester at UT. He has several finals this week, and several next - then it's time for a break! He has decided to major in history and minor in secondary education. That means he can teach! He'll be such a good teacher.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-Thanksgiving was fun, albeit very busy. We had four get-togethers to attend on Thanksgiving day! It was endlessly tiring. But it was good to see family. I made an espresso cake (delicious and wonderful!), blondies (after my second try, they turned out pretty darn good), and apple cobbler (there are a couple of things I will change about this recipe in the future.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-I am exercising! 6 days a week - 30 minutes a day. This is HUGE for me. I have n-e-v-e-r made exercise a habit. I'm sure it will make me considerably more healthy (that's my goal too!). I missed a couple of days there around Thanksgiving, but I've got my nose to the grindstone again. Hopefully I can make this a habit in 6 weeks (I'm currently ending Week 2, and beginning Week 3. Wish me luck!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-I've finally taken the leap and joined the Daring Bakers blogroll! I absolutely cannot wait! I'm not very good at photoblogging, well, at least not very experienced, but I hope to change that. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This past month the Daring Bakers made Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting. Check </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://foodgawker.com/">foodgawker.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and search for "Caramel Cake" and you can spot some of the amazing bakers that take part in the Daring Bakers challenges.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, it's bedtime for me now - but you'll hear from me soon!</span></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-35544669167449356622008-09-04T17:59:00.000-04:002008-09-04T21:09:09.020-04:00The Omnivore's Hundred from the "Very Good Taste" blog<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I found this list via a blog I frequent: </span><a href="http://howtoeatacupcake.net/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://howtoeatacupcake.net/</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (This wonderful blogger is also how I came to find out about the </span><a href="http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Daring Bakers</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">!)<br /><br /><br />SHE found it on this blog - which I've never read before...but will probably start reading now that I know about it... </span><a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (the entry with the Omnivore's Hundred is </span><a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.)<br /><br /><br />so without further ado...<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><em>The Omnivore's Hundred</em></span></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;" ></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ></span></em></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>[(Quoted from "Very Good Taste" blog) "Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either;</em></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><em> Wikipedia</em></span></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> has the answers."]</span></em></span></span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><em></em></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><em><br /></em></span></span></div></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > <div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;" ></span></em></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >My palette is more adventurous than it used to be...but it's still pretty "Americanized", unfortunately. At least this list will give me some things to work towards (or hide from!)<br /><br /><br /></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:Trebuchet MS;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:</span><br /><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(<strong>Bolded</strong> Items are foods I've had, <u>Underlined</u> items are links to Wikipedia!)</span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Venison</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Nettle tea</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huevos_rancheros"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Huevos rancheros</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_tartare"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Steak tartare</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. Crocodile</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. Black pudding</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>7. Cheese fondue</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8. Carp</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">9. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Borscht</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>10. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_ghanoush"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Baba ghanoush</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(My friend Crystal makes the BEST baba ghanoush.)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>11. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamari"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Calamari</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(My dad introduced me to Calamari when I was very small...)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">12. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Pho</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>13. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter_and_jelly_sandwich"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>PB&J sandwich</strong></span></a> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">(Of course!)</span> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>14. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloo_gobi"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Aloo gobi</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(Indian food is my favorite!)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">15. Hot dog from a street cart</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">16. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poisses_de_Bourgogne_%28cheese%29"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Epoisses</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">17. Black truffle</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>19. Steamed pork buns</strong> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);"><span style="font-size:85%;">(I had these while I was in Hong Kong - but I can't say I was very fond of them.</span>)</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">20. Pistachio ice cream</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">21. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Heirloom tomatoes</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>22. Fresh wild berries</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">23. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Foie gras</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>24. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_and_beans"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Rice and beans</strong></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">25. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brawn/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Brawn</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, or head cheese</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">27. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_de_leche"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dulce de leche</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>28. Oysters</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>29. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Baklava</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(I made (and ate) my first baklava in 9th grade! What a task!)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">30. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagna_cauda"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Bagna cauda</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">31. Wasabi peas</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">33. Salted </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">lassi</span></a></div><div style="font-weight: bold;" align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">34. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sauerkraut</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>35. Root beer float</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">36. Cognac with a fat cigar</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">37. Clotted </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">cream tea</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>39. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumbo"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Gumbo</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(Boy do I have a good gumbo recipe...if anyone wants it...just let me know!)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">40. Oxtail</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">41. Curried goat</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">42. Whole insects</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">43. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaal"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Phaal</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>44. Goat’s milk</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">46. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Fugu</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>47. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tikka_masala"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Chicken tikka masala</strong></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>48. Eel</strong> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(Eel is verrrrry good)</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">50. Sea urchin</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">51. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Prickly pear</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">52. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeboshi"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Umeboshi</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">53. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Abalone</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>54. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paneer"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Paneer</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(oh. my. gosh. Paneer is my absolute favorite!!!!!!!)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal </strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(I just had my first Big Mac this year...guess I'm a little behind the times...)</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">56. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaetzle"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Spaetzle</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">57. Dirty gin </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_%28cocktail%29"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">martini</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">58. Beer above 8% ABV</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">59. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Poutine</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">60. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Carob</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> chips</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>61. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27mores"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>S’mores</strong></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">62. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbreads"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sweetbreads</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">63. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geophagy"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Kaolin</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">64. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currywurst"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Currywurst</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">65. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Durian</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">66. Frogs’ legs</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake!</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">68. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Haggis</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>69. Fried </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>plantain</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(I had awesome fried plantain at Taste of Havana...but I don't know if they're still around...)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">70. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitterlings"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Chitterlings</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, or andouillette</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">71. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazpacho"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gazpacho</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">72. Caviar and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinis"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">blini</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">73. Louche </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">absinthe</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">74. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gjetost"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gjetost</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, or brunost</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">75. Roadkill</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">76. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baijiu"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Baijiu</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>77. Hostess Fruit Pie</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">78. Snail</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>79. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Lapsang souchong</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(Good gosh...this tea tastes <em>exactly</em> like a campfire - smoke and all...)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">80. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellini_%28cocktail%29"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Bellini</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">81. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_yum"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tom yum</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>82. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggs_Benedict"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Eggs Benedict</strong></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>83. </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocky"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Pocky</strong></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">84. Tasting menu at a three-</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michelin</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-star restaurant.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">85. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Kobe beef</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">86. Hare</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">87. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Goulash</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">88. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_flowers"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Flowers</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">89. Horse</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">90. Criollo chocolate</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>91. Spam</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">92. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_shell_crab"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Soft shell crab</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">93. Rose </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harissa"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">harissa</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>94. Catfish</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">95. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_%28sauce%29"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mole</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> poblano</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>96. Bagel and </strong></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>lox</strong></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">97. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster_Thermidor"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Lobster Thermidor</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">98. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Polenta</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">99. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Blue_Mountain_Coffee"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee</span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">100. Snake<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">wow - at only 29/100 (I think I counted right) - I've still got lots left to taste out there! </span></div></span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-58331490996353420972008-08-28T07:27:00.001-04:002008-08-28T07:36:46.548-04:00Say what?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So, every now and then, Chase says (or does) something that just blows my mind. Thought I'd share the wonder that is Chase Doane.</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Chase</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">: "I put gel in my hair. Do you like it?"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Me</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">: "It looks like you're from the eighties."</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Chase</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">: "Exactly."</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Me</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">: "What?"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Chase</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">: (shoots me a look reminiscent of the movie Zoolander) "I want to maximize the potential that is Chase Doane's hair."</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">yeah. </span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924527066083571390.post-45144046938707484412008-08-26T07:54:00.000-04:002008-08-26T13:56:02.176-04:00An Introduction<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Well, I've decided that it's time for me to stop taking from the blogging community and to start giving a little!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I don't have much of a purpose in starting this other than to share my experiences and the things I love. (and also to join the Daring Bakers Blogroll!!!) I'm going to post this more for me than for you...but here are some things that I hope to post about in the future!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">baking/cooking!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">film</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">my dog (Gershwin! he's really fluffy!)</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">religion/spirituality</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">music</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">mine and Chase's art endeavors (with him drawing and me painting we work better as a pair than we ever would alone)</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Now for a <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">real introduction</span>...a little about me!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I'm 24. I've been married to my husband Chase since December 2005 - so we're healthily and happily on our way to 3 years of marriage! And it sure is an adventure!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Right now, I work two jobs -</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">1.) In the mornings I bake cupcakes for the uber cute </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://www.citiescupcakes.com/">Cities Cupcake Boutique</a></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">. I absolutely adore the staff there! They are unbelievably nice, sincere, and heartfelt people. Get to know them!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">2.) The rest of the day I'm the embroidery manager/graphic designer for Educational Outfitters....a school uniform store. While sometimes the experience there is less than exciting, I get to embark on wonderful projects that involve publishing, digitizing, and photography! (thanks Brad & Steph!)</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I know- I know...crazy to work two jobs like that right? (at 50+ hours a week, I sometimes feel like I'm crazy too!) But hubby is in school! And for us to be comfortable while he's in school...this is just how it must be. This is his first semester at the University of Tennessee and I couldn't be more proud of him. He made a 4.0 his last two semesters at Pellissippi and I have high hopes for this coming semester.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I guess that's about it for me right now...more to come in later posts of course!</span>Miss Emily D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16323899008080035978noreply@blogger.com3