I bought the bootie paw pattern on Etsy from Desert Diamond. This lady does fine work! I decided to make a hat to match and add a little pink bow on the sides of the paws to give it a girl wolf- like feel! I think she looks just gorgeous in this outfit! The pattern is pretty straight forward and I think that your little one would look wonderful in this as well. Below is a little sneak peek photo in her giraffe outfit. Of course, it is still a little big for her so when she can fully wear it, I will post more photos. She is soooo adorable that I cannot resist putting up pictures. So enjoy them!
I am so pleased to finally have my grand baby posing in her wolf paws and hat! She is such a cutey and with this ensemble, she makes the outfit look rather cute! I bought the bootie paw pattern on Etsy from Desert Diamond. This lady does fine work! I decided to make a hat to match and add a little pink bow on the sides of the paws to give it a girl wolf- like feel! I think she looks just gorgeous in this outfit! The pattern is pretty straight forward and I think that your little one would look wonderful in this as well. Below is a little sneak peek photo in her giraffe outfit. Of course, it is still a little big for her so when she can fully wear it, I will post more photos. She is soooo adorable that I cannot resist putting up pictures. So enjoy them! Sneak peek of the crocheted giraffe!
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It's hard to believe how the days are just flying by. We had a wonderful thanksgiving this year with the new addition of my grand baby - Eila! Having family together was and is a blessing in itself! Amongst the great fellowship with one another, there was great food! Every year I have done the traditional pies and cheesecake, but this year, I did something totally different and it was a big hit around the dinner table! A few weeks ago, my husband and I were watching television and flipping through channels when we stumbled upon this wonderful dessert - Magic Chocolate Flan. It looked soooo delicious that I had to get the recipe. One look at that cake and my husband said "I don't want any other dessert but that for Thanksgiving!" So, I searched for the recipe and now I have it to share with all of you. It was taken from Cooks Country recipe and it is divine! I tweaked it a bit but mostly it is straight forward from the original recipe. It is traditionally made in a fluted 12 cup bundt cake pan but mine was only an 8 cup so I just did it in my regular bundt pan. The fluted pan gives it a prettier presentation. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did! Just had to add one more photo!! Recipe: CAKE: 1/2 cup caramel sauce (homemade or store bought - I used Trader Joes) 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp flour 1/3 cup cocoa ( I used Vahlrona as it is soooo rich) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 salt 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped 6 tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla FLAN: 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (eagle brand is good to use) 21/2 cups whole milk 6 ounces cream cheese 6 large eggs plus 4 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla DIRECTIONS
Photos of our thanksgivingA special giveaway is being offered through the thanksimadethem.blogspot.com website for all those who love to sew or know someone who loves to sew. It will make a beautiful gift! Bianca (owner and proprietor of thanks i made them sew can you), is so talented and truly a great seamstress! Did I mention that she's my cousin - Ahem!! :-) I am not big on sewing as I am crocheting, but this pattern is so adorable that it is hard to resist not to enter! I have a beautiful little girl who would look adorable in this! So please, check out her website and enter to win. For more details, please visit her website and etsy shop. You won't be disappointed!
Trying to keep up with this blog has proven to be a bit of a challenge! I needed to take a little bit of time now to post. I could not resist posting this very adorable photo of Phoenix wearing his little doggy hat and diaper set I crocheted for him. Thanks to his mom, Amber, for taking the photo for me. I just love it!!
You can get this pattern anywhere on the internet as it is very easy to make even for beginners! I made adaptations to the hat as I prefer certain stitches over the other. One book that is good to get and I have used often is "Hats & Diaper Covers" by Leisure Arts. By the way, to all the mothers that I have crocheted hats, diaper covers, and blankets for - I am still waiting on photos!! :-) Happy Crocheting! I wanted to post this recipe for some time now but was waiting for the right time to make it again as it is soooo rich. This dessert is NOT waistline friendly! A little piece goes a long way but after having one slice, you want another and another. I am not a custard or pudding person, but this is one of the very few custard desserts that I can actually tolerate. I do have a big issue with texture, but this one is nice and creamy and somewhat firm. Hopefully you can try it out and enjoy it as much as I do! Flan:
1 1/2 cups organic sugar 1/4 cup water 3 cups whole milk 1 cup condense milk (this is also available in organic) 1/2 vanilla bean split 8 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour 1 cup sugar into center of saucepan, pour water around sugar. Do not stir. Make a cross to bring water and sugar together. Bring to a boil (about 5 to 10 minutes) until amber color. Remove from heat and pour in a 7x3 inch souffle dish or an 8 inch round cake pan. Swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Set this aside to cool. In saucepan, bring milk, condense milk and vanilla bean to a simmer boil over medium heat. Turn off heat and set aside to infuse. In large bowl, whisk eggs and 1'2 cup sugar. Temper egg mixture by whisking in hot milk mixture slowly. Strain to make smooth and pour into dish/pan. Place dish/pan in hot water bath (this means to get another pan that is oven safe and slightly bigger than your dish and fill half way with hot water. Your pan will cook in this pan in the oven). Place in oven for 45 to 50 minutes until set. There will be a slight jiggle but it will be done. Take out of oven and let cool and then refrigerate at least 4 to 24 hours. When ready to eat, place a big plate over the dish/pan and invert. The caramel will be at the top and surround the custard. Cut and enjoy!! There's nothing like a tasty blueberry muffin hot out of the oven! When blueberries are in season, this is one of the most satisfying breakfast treats for me. Blueberries bursting and oozing out "lusciouness" (is that a word?? I don't think so! It sounds good anyway. lol) into the muffin is just scrumptious!! I got this recipe many years ago but (like always), I tweak it to make it my own. I hope you like it! Sometimes, I use white wheat instead of the unbleached white and it is just as yummy as the regular white. Try it both ways and you decide for yourself which one you prefer. Blueberry Muffins (Makes about 1 1/2 dozen)
1 1/2 cups flour (unbleached white, white wheat or whole wheat pastry) 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1/3 cup oil ( I use palm oil) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 egg 1/3 cup buttermilk (approximate) 1 cup fresh blueberries (coat with flour) Crumb topping: 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp cold butter) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare crumb topping first by mixing all of the ingredients together until it resembles crumbs. Set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In small bowl lightly beat egg. Place oil in measuring cup, add egg and enough milk to make 1 cup. Mix gently with flour mixture and fold in coated blueberries. Fill about 3/4 in muffin cups and add crumb topping. Bake for 20 to 25 mins. Let cool on wire rack and enjoy!! As for me, I can't wait, and eat it right when it comes out of the oven! :-) I made this recipe some time ago but am now just posting. My stepson and his wife are now on the paleo diet. This brought forth a challenge to me in baking as I am soooo accustomed to my flours and sugars. But, I must say, this turned out really nice. I have been on various websites looking for paleo recipes and there are tons of them out there!! I decided to tweak my very own coconut custard to make it paleo and it turned out very yummy in my opinion! Hope you enjoy it! Coconut Custard TartCrust:
3 1/3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 3 egg whites 1 tsp vanilla 3/4 cup powdered xylitol (grind in blender) 1/4 cup powdered coconut sugar (grind in blender) a little coconut oil for greasing pan Custard: 2 cans coconut milk 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup coconut sugar 1/2 cup xylitol 1/4 tsp salt 5 egg yolks 4 tbsp. arrowroot 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 tsp coconut rum (you can just use the vanilla and make it 2 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp.) Fruit slices of your choice To make the custard: Combine the milk, coconut sugar and coconut in saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk together in bowl the yolks, xylitol, arrowroot and salt. Slowly whisk the warm milk mixture into egg mixture (tempering the eggs) and return to the pot and cook over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Scrape mixture into a bowl and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold (about 2 hours). Prepare the crust. To make the crust: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the coconut and sugars together. Beat egg whites until frothy and add vanilla. Mix this with the sugars and place in a tart pan with a removable bottom (if you like). Press lightly down and up the sides of the pan and bake for about 10 minutes when the bottom and sides of the pan are brown in color (a light to medium brown color). Let cool on rack and release the crust from the tart pan. Scrape cold filling into crust. Decorate with fruit of your choice and serve. Refrigerate and enjoy! I have been on a frenzy trying to crochet baby blankets for my upcoming grandbaby! Oh, that word makes me sounds soooo old when I am soooo young!! LOL But, I wanted to get it all done in time for a surprise baby shower I was having for my daughter in law. I think that they turned out great!! Two of them were fleece blankets with crocheted edgings. I had one of the fleece blankets embroidered. The third blanket, I crocheted myself using a pattern from Lion Brand called the Tree of Life. It is BEAUTIFUL!!!! The detailing on the blanket is exquisite and creative. You have trees on the top and bottom and a field of flowers in the center. This particular blanket Roxanne wanted me to crochet for her, but I told her that it was too difficult to do. I threw her right off! She opted for another one which was NOT as beautiful as this one but when she saw that I made the one she especially wanted....she was THRILLED!!! I was soooo happy that she loved it! Let me know what you think!!
It certainly has been a long time since my last post but I wanted to share some of the things that I have been working on. I made some hats to sell in the Bahamas and they loved them. Most of the yarn used were scrap yarn from various other projects. They all turned out well. Here are some of the items I made. Hope you enjoy them! Animal Winter HatsYou can view more animal hats here.Spring hatsIt has been a very long time since my last post. I will NOT make anymore excuses for it. I have been very, very bad in posting lately. Well, I just love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven and then to spread some _homemade jam or butter over it is even better! I remember when my mom baked bread on Saturdays. She would start off in the morning and it would not be done until very late at night. She had so many different tasks throughout the day that she just did a little at a time until it was ready to be placed in the oven. Now, she did quite a bit of bread because we were a big family and we LOVED bread! Sometimes it will be 1 a.m. in the morning before all the bread was done and it was at that time that we place the kettle on for tea and ate hot bread with butter and jam. IT WAS DEVINE!!! My dad always asked for the "heel" of the bread which is the end of the bread as this was his favorite cut! So, from time to time I would bake fresh homemade bread for my family. Now that it is getting chilly outside, hot bread is even more appealing. Hope you like my recipe for Coconut bread and White Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bran Bread. Coconut Bread Recipe: Refrigerate 6 tbsp coconut oil (needs to be hard) 5 -7 cups unbleached flour 1-1 1/2 cups coconut (unsweetened) 1 cup sugar (I like my bread on the sweet side but you can decrease the amount of sugar if you prefer it to be less sweet) 1 tsp salt 2 packages active dry yeast 2 cups warm water Mix yeast, salt, 2 cups flour, coconut oil, sugar and coconut in bowl. Add warm water (2 cups) and stir. Add flour 1 cup at a time until it forms a nice dough. Knead, rest for about 35 mins and then start forming into loaves and/or rolls. This recipe makes about 1 dozen rolls and 2 loaves combined. Place loaves/rolls into greased pans (I just coconut oil to grease my pan). Let rise a 2nd time until doubled in size. While the bread is resting for the 2nd time, preheat oven to 300 degrees and then bake the bread from 35 to 40 mins or until nice and golden on both top and bottom.Take out of oven and place on baking rack to cool. Or, cut and eat while hot like I do it. But, be warned...burning can occur either on the hands or in my case...the roof of my mouth! :) I love it anyway! This bread is slightly sweet, soft and delicious!! Enjoy!! White Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bran Bread Recipe:Recipe:
6-8 cups white whole wheat flour (NOT whole wheat) 2 packages yeast 1 cup sugar plus 2 tsp extra for yeast 1/2 cup organic nonfat dry milk 2 tsp cinnamon 3/4 cup raisins (or more if you like) 3 tbsp rum/brandy 1 tsp salt 6 tbsp organic spectrum shortening 3 cups water 1/4 cup bran First, place raisins in bowl and cover with 3 tbsp rum. Let sit to absorb all the wonderful rum flavor. Next, dissolve 2 tsp sugar in yeast with 1/4 cup water. Place 3 cups flour in large bowl with sugar, salt , shortening, cinnamon, bran and raisins (drained but rum liquid reserved). Add dry milk and mix. Whisk in 3 cups water and reserved rum liquid until fully combined. Add flour a cup at a time until it forms a nice dough. Knead and let rest for about 35 mins. Begin to form dough into loaves/rolls. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. At this point if you want a filling for the loaves, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon and 3 tbsp soft butter and spread on dough before rolling into a loaf. Make sure seal your edges! Let rest for a 2nd time until doubled in size and bake for about 35 to 40 mins or until brown on top and bottom of bread. Take out of oven and place on baking rack to cool. Or, cut and eat while hot like I do it. But, be warned...burning can occur either on the hands or in my case...the roof of my mouth! :) I love it anyway! It's incredible how soft this bread is as I am using white wheat instead of whole wheat flour. It has a much milder taste and texture while keeping all the qualities of whole wheat such as the bran, germ and endosperm. I hope you like it. Enjoy!! |
AuthorThe best way to describe me is a person who loves to make others happy. Whether I bake something sweet to eat to satisfy the soul, or crochet something to wear to warm the body, I aim to please those around me! This gives me joy and a sense of fulfillment that I have done my part in making others happy! Archives
December 2013
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