Month: September 2009

note: When something is really good, E calls it scrummy yummy. We like to use it now too.

I’m on a great quest. The quest for greatest blondie recipe. (like a brownie, but pale and not full ‘o cocoa powder) that I can tweak final ingredients to make a lot of variations. I expect it’ll take me a few tries but that’s ok. I’m going to enjoy the process. I love to bake, and I love to try my own experiments and make stuff up. It’s fun – and my best creations have happened this way.

I made my first attempt last week and it didn’t come out very good. Well it was ok, but not great because it was too cake-y and not moist/fudgy enough. As I explained why I considered it a fail to my husband he shrugged and said he didn’t care – that it was great to him. I sighed, frustrated that he didn’t see that this, this bar cookie really was more cake than blondie and that it wasn’t a great bar cookie because it was just too cake-y.

Then the lightbulb went off.

What do you do with a cake? You FROST IT. Of course, the answer is so simple! I added a cheap “white frosting” from Pillsbury – just a very thin layer, and then sprinkled my cinnamon sugar (yes, that’s something I keep on hand and you should too!) on top of that. Result? Magical fall apple/chocolate/toffee/cinnamon cake!!! It’s all gone now, but it will be brought back, possibly with different add-ins.

Here’s the recipe:

{mix and set aside}
2 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
{then in sauce pan}
3/4 cup butter – heat until melted, try not to get too hot!
{mix in}
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
{carefully add}
2 large eggs – stir a lot and make sure the butter isn’t hot so you don’t fry them eggs!
4 tsp. vanilla
2tsp cinnamon
{then whisk into dry ingredients bowl until smooth}
{now gently fold in:}
1/2 granny smith apple diced fine (about 1/2 – 1/4″ cubes)
1 large Hershey Symphony (milk chocolate with almonds & toffee) bar chopped up
1 handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

pour into greased 8×8 pan and bake at 325 (metal/dark) or 350 (glass) until done. About 40 minutes. I didn’t do a toothpick test- I just watched for it to be firm & start to pull away from edges.

{when cool}
frost very lightly with “white” frosting – I think cream cheese might taste great too.
dust with cinnamon sugar to finish

All will be revealed in good time, and this seems like a good time to me for a little more info!

This is the kit I’ve been working with the last few weeks in the final week (#6) of my Kits class at Big Picture. Yearbook is a perfect name for the kit – it’s been a delight to play with and so full of fun stuff.

Tonight is the reveal and kits will go on sale. If you’re in class and want to play along with this kit – be sure to hop on over to Studio Calico and check it out before it gets all sold out! I’ll be going over there to the super fun reveal chatting tonight – maybe I’ll see you there…

M

I first heard of Core’dinations from Stacy Julian, when we were discussing the project now (cardstock) class she was giving me the green light on. I was excited and intrigued – after all the concept of cardstock with a lighter color core (so you can sand or tear away to reveal) sounded good to me. Like thick buttery frosting inside a cake of paper goodness if you know what I mean.

You’ve got to head over to www.coredinations.com to check out all their goodness. I have a wish list going right now, but first I’m working on using up the lovelies I have right here in-house. Would you like to see a layout I just made?

First of all – Mindy (from Core’dinations) taught me that you can put a piece of chipboard under the paper, sand, and this is what happens. The outline shows up that pale color. (swoon) SO love this technique! I also love that if I cover chipboard with it I get a painted/distressed edge very easily without ink or paint – I’ve got core color!  I also learned something new this morning…

I drew “bliss” on the back (backwards) and when I held it up to my desk light I could SEE IT. So I was able to make adjustments & get my title just right before cutting out. I thank the light core for that – and I’m very excited to use this again and again!! (note you can see that light color on the torn edge. Cool, no?) Not to be a tease here- but if you’re in my cardstock class at Big Picture then you know how I make hand-drawn titles like this. Students, know that I continue to do them & love them. CARDSTOCK ROCKS!

Just rubbing lightly on the punched hearts made them look like I’d smudged pale paint on them – I so love distressing.

Don’t even get me started on the whitewash & vintage collections. I use those as much as I can! I love how I could fold & crumple & tear this green strip and make it look all broken in & faded. love.

Finally I’ve got to share this. At the top of my “oh please, oh I so need this” is this:

I haven’t found it anywhere… and I need it. (sigh)

In the meantime I’ll be heading back to the bat cave to create more with cardstock and make a dusty mess of myself. It’s too fun not to!

Have you seen www.thegirlsloft.com? Margie & her daughters have a new kit club, and they are putting out some super cute & useful kits. I’ve been playing with their September kit today –

This box is for Elizabeth and is going to hold jelly bellies for her AFTER she does work in her preschool workbook. I covered the apple with paper, sanded edges, then used my VERY beloved Fiskars drill to make the holes through the box lid and apple itself. Then I pulled a ribbon through (loosely), squirted some liquid adhesive in the space between box and apple, and then pulled the ribbon nice and tight.  

I’m seriously loving my apple box and I don’t want to give it up. I might make more – and I think I’ll make more for Christmas too. Oooh- and Valentines. The great thing about this is that E can totally open the lid by grabbing the apple. Much easier.

Then I got it in my head I wanted to make a little wall hanging (it’s about 9 x 6)

I have serious decor commitment issues, so I’m loving the idea of wall hangings that are paper so if they only last 1 or 2 years I don’t have to feel bad.

The only thing not in the kit is the Claudine Hellmuth sticky back canvas sheet I stitched everything onto (before adhering to red cardstock).

I’m really excited about how my experiment turned out. It didn’t take long either and was F to the UN. Now I’m working on this layout. (note: the ‘joy’ stamp has nothing to do with anything. I  got it for $1 at Michaels today and I guess I plopped it down right there but didn’t notice it until just now while blogging)

I’ll be sharing a few more Girl’s Loft projects here on my blog – but I’ll be sharing a whole lot more in Kits class. I got to use their Debut kit for that (July), and oh how much fun I had.

Well – back to creating for tonight. Until next time –