Goodbye Bridal Shower Games - Hello Crafts

One of my least favorite things is bridal shower games. Word searches, dressing the bride-to-be in tissue paper, clothespin game for crossing your legs... I've played all of them--begrudgingly. So when tasked to plan a shower for a friend's daughter, the thought of more shower games made me want to back out of the event. 

Then an alternative came to mind -- why not do crafts instead? The future bride was an artistic type and most of the guests liked crafting. So out went shower games and in came the crafters.

To do crafts at a shower you need three things:

1. An instructor in the chosen craft

2. Supplies

3. A craft that can be completed in a short amount of time

We chose candle and soap making and cupcake decorating. Guests moved from station to station to create three different crafts.

Decorating the cupcakes was a great idea because it eliminated the need for a decorated cake and allowed everyone to participate in the process. We displayed cupcake creations on a stand. Baked cupcakes, frosting, fondant and decorations were provided. Then at the end of the event, everyone either ate or took home their creations.

Candle making was done by using beeswax sheets to roll candles. Participants chose their color and size and rolled custom candles of their own choosing. It was less messy than pouring candles, plus the microwave was busy melting soap for the third craft.

Soap making involved clear glycerin soap decorated with plastic letters (to spell words like "soap" or "wash") or a variety of plastic decoration in the bride's fall colors (leaves, pumpkins, etc.). Melted soap was poured into decorated molds and cooled while guests made other crafts and watched the gift opening.

The event was a hit with guests and the bride taking home handmade items as their party favors. Better yet was the absence of lame party games! 

Breakfast Roll-Ups - Great for Travel Kitchens and Camping

You are travelling and have a small kitchenette, camp stove or RV kitchen. This means limited cooking ingredients and equipment. So how can you make a great breakfast-to-go that doesn't involve a Pop Tart or cereal?

My solution was a breakfast roll-up. It was fast and delicious, plus I could make it in my min-kitchen. Here's the recipe:

2 slices of bread, crusts removed, rolled flat with a glass

1 Oscar Mayer P3 Protein Pack (I used smoked ham) Use only meat and cheese.

1 egg beaten

Butter or cooking spray

Cook scrambled egg in frying pan with cooking spray or butter. Press short edges of bread slices together to form rectangle and butter one side. Place egg, cheese and ham (from P3) on the unbuttered side of the bread and roll (jelly roll style). Place roll (seam side down) in heated skillet and brown bread rotating to brown all sides. Snack on nuts from P3 as you prepare your breakfast.

Enjoy!

Best Cooking Tip - Ever

I wish I had know this tip years ago. It solves a long-term cooking problem I've had that becomes even worse each Easter. The problem is how to peel an egg without tearing it to shreds? The answer? Stay tuned.

You see, I've tried numerous "tricks." Older eggs peel better than very fresh eggs, so I would buy eggs a couple of weeks in advance of when I would need them to ensure some "aging." But even this doesn't guarantee a smooth peel.

Salting the cooking water is another recommendation. But I never had any luck with that tip.

Running the eggs under water while you peel them brings moderate success if you can break the thin membrane under the shell and get water under it. Still, not a foolproof method.

So what is the answer? A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water.

Adding just a pinch of baking soda to the water as you cook the eggs makes the boiled eggs peel easily. I and others I know have tried this several times now and it works like a charm. No more ragged eggs. They peel smoothly and perfectly.

Oh, if I had only known sooner...

Don't Cry Over Broken Cookies

Do you dread taking cookies off the cookie sheet because you know you will fight to keep them from breaking? There is a simple solution to this problem -- Patience.

To make taking cookies off the cookie sheet trouble-free, just wait 2 minutes after removing them from the oven before taking them off the cookie sheet. This allows the cookies to "set" sufficiently to be removed in one piece. I set a timer for two minutes, so I don't forgt them. The two minute rule is good because if you leave the cookies on the sheet too long, they will stick and you will have trouble getting them off the baking sheet.

Other cookie tips:

1. Use an "air-bake" pan. You will have to increase the
cooking time about 2 minutes, but you will never have burned cookie bottoms trying to get the tops browned.

2. Use a cookie scoop for even, round cookies.

3. Crisper cookies - use butter for shortening. Softer cookies use Crisco or a mix of butter and shortening. Increase flour for softer cookies.

Better Bruschetta

I have been on a bruschetta kick for the last few months. After sampling some at a couple of restaurants, I've come up with a favorite recipe that combines my favorites.

Ricotta Mix:

3/4 c. Ricotta
2 large fresh basil leaves finely chopped
1/2 lemon zested
2 Tbs. heavy whipping cream

Whip all ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth.
A Microplane Zester makes easy work of the lemon.

Tomato Mix:

1/2 pkg. Cherub cherry tomatoes (finely diced)
3 large fresh basil leaves finely sliced
2 cloves garlic finely sliced
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes with basil, garlic and olive oil. It can be used immediately, but it is better to allow to marinate 30 or more minutes to get a fuller flavor. I use a garlic slicer to speed slicing the garlic.

Bread and Garnish
Sliced baguette brushed with olive oil
Thinly sliced Parmesan Cheese

Brush bread with olive oil and toast bread either in oven or toaster oven. Spread with ricotta mix and top with tomato mixture. Garnish with Parmesan Cheese Serve immediately.

Knitting - 100 Needles at a Time

We recently purchased a knitting machine. It is a used Bond knitting machine, which is an entry-level model. I like to crochet, and recently had a friend teach me the basics of knitting. I like how knitting looks, but am slow and really never mastered the art.

Then along came the knitting machine. The machine has 100 "needles.". Actually, they are individual "latch hooks" that pull the thread through in a pattern. You can easily knit a large project in an evening or two rather than spending several weeks or months on it. This is the perfect type of knitting for a type-A individual.

There is a bit of a learning curve getting started with a knitting machine. We watched YouTube videos to get the basics. Some machines come with training videos. It took a couple of evenings to get the hang of it.
Once you master the basics, there are many patterns available, and you can make anything from an afghan, to a sweater, hat, scarf, or placement -- anything you could make with a regular pair of knitting needles only much faster.

Although I only have one scarf under my belt, I have learned a couple of tips so far:

1. Buy a smooth, light to medium weight yarn. It is hard to work with thin or thick yarn. The light and mid-weight ones glide through the machine more easily.

2. It is easier to rip out a mistake than to try to fix it. The rows unravel easily leaving the loops still on the machine. If you drop one or two stitches (which will happen), then sure, go ahead and fix them by pulling the yarn through the loops that were missed. However, if you have more than a couple of stitches to fix, it is probably better to rip it out and start over since knitting a row or two does not take much time.

3. Weight is your friend. Their is a weight bar that you use to start the project, but should your project be a larger or longer one (like my scarf) you need to keep tension on the yarn loops so they stay properly on the machine. You can purchase knitting machine weights to attach to your projects, which is an important addition to your machine.

I still have a lot to learn about machine knitting. It is an exercise in patience until you get the hang of it. Having a more expensive machine would probably solve some of the issues, but these can run into the thousands of dollars. I will stick with my $90 eBay model and muddle along.

I'll keep you posted as I complete other projects and learn more about machine knitting. These are some photos of my machine and an example of a knitting machine weight.

Pecans - From Tree to Tummy

My friend's pecan trees worked overtime this year. She had so many pecans, that she shared them with me, as long as I picked them up. This was an easy task as she has a pecan roller. This little gadget works great. Rolling it on the ground takes little effort, and the pecans pop right into the cage. They remain there until you dump them out. It is a real back saver.

Once collected, we wash and crack them. This is very labor-intensive. I prefer to crack them by hand. My friend has a fancier table mounted hand cracker. I find I have more control with the hand cracker. The key to getting whole pecans or halves seems to be in removing the shell in the center of the nut first, thus preventing breaking the nut in half. This prevents having to pick little bits of nut meats out of the shells. It is easy to shell the pecans while watching TV, so I just keep some handy as I view my favorite shows.

While raw pecans are tasty, nothing compares to the roasted ones. to roast the pecans:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place nuts in a shallow pan. Spray with cooking spray and shake to coat the nuts.

Bake nuts for exactly 10 min. (longer and you may scorch them, shorter and they aren't fully roasted.)

Remove from oven and immediately salt (I use popcorn salt as it is finer and sticks better).  Enjoy!

 

Enjoy a Special Family Valentine's Day

Going to a restaurant on Valentine's Day is the last thing I want to do. Long lines, crowded tables and often rushed, poorly prepared food is not what I consider a celebration.

Celebrating at home with your family is much more fun. We've done it for years and my children look forward to our home party.

We start with special food. I generally create a favorite meal. Heart-shaped jello, valentine's cookies, decorated cupcakes, cake pops, etc. have made the celebration. I sometimes make meatloaf in a heart-shaped pan and cover it with ketchup.

Next is the party. Everyone makes a valentine "mailbox." Sometimes these have been from kits, other times they  have been empty cereal boxes or large envelopes. Each family member needs one (you can make one for less crafty or grumpy family members). Then during the day each family member places Valentines for each person and small gifts in their box. After dinner we open our cards. It becomes a nice time to show how much we love each other.

Another feature of our party is a Valentine hunt. Red construction paper hearts, pre-purchased foam or cardboard hearts or heart-shaped doilies work nicely. Also some Valentine candy sweetens the hunt. A few "prize" hearts contain special treats (like a free trip for ice cream, a gift card, staying up 1 hour past bedtime
--whatever is appropriate for the age children you have). Much like an Easter egg hunt, the children scour the house for well-hidden hearts. Sometimes they are too well-hidden and we find them months later.

We often fill a jar with M&Ms or other candies and have a guessing contest. The one who guesses closest to the actual number wins the jar of candy (although they generally share). We count after everyone has guessed, so the counting is part of the process.

Finish the evening with a romantic movie or a family board game. Then when the kids go to bed, Mom and Dad can enjoy a glass of wine and relax together.

Free Movies

Free Movie Previews - If You Don't Mind the Wait

I recently came across a way to view movies free before they come out in theaters. There are a number of companies that offer free screening passes to help build buzz about upcoming films. They also like to have full audiences when members of the press screen movies. So how do you get in on this free deal?

1. Register at free screening sites.

GoFoBo is the largest free moving screening site. Most of the screenings run through GoFoBo. You can sign up free on their Website so that you can information about upcoming screenings.

Other sites to find out about screenings and to enter contests for tickets include: Red Carpet Crash, Advance Screening, Moroch Productions, I Watch Mike and my personal favorite Get Screening. There are others, but these are some of the major ones.

2. Not all cities have all screenings. These movie screenings are done only in certain markets. Most major cities get all of them. Smaller locales get fewer ones. Don't be disappointed if you don't live near a major metropolitan area if there are limited showings.

3. Be prepared to arrive early. They overbook these showings to ensure a full house. If you want your choice of seats you will need to arrive about 3 hours before showtime. You may get in arriving an hour early (I have done that), but you will probably be separated from your guest or have to sit in the front row. I generally take a folding lawn chair (they allow this) and set up camp for a few hours. Since much of my work is on computer, it doesn't really matter where I do it. I bring a WIFI card, a laptop, but some popcorn and I am set for the afternoon. If I do this, I have my choice of seats. You can generally bring one guest. They usually arrive about an hour prior to the show. This is when they start seating. You can hold one place in line at our theaters without any problem.

4. No electronics. Take your phones and any electronic devices to your car prior to seating. No devices of any kind are allowed in so that the movie is not pirated. That means cell phones, e-readers, tablets, etc. have to be left in your car. Otherwise they confiscate them and you have to retrieve them at the end of the show.

5. Enjoy the crowd. I've met several people since April when I started attending these events. There are a group that always goes to every screening. Overall, they are a nice bunch of folks, so take some time to talk to your fellow movie lovers in line. They are an interesting bunch.

6. Remember it is a free movie. OK, so you have to wait, it may start late as they try to get everyone seated, there will be a person you don't know sitting right next to you, and some people are jerks. It is a FREE movie and you are getting to see it before the general public. Deal with it.

7. No previews. One thing I enjoy about the screenings are the movie starts immediately. So if you hate the ads, these screenings are perfect.

8. Tweet and repeat. After going to a screening, it is polite to post or Tweet about the movie. Your review is one of the first for the movie. You were invited to share the buzz. It's OK to pan a movie if it wasn't good, but regardless of whether you liked or did not like the movie--share your impressions.