the clean plate club

i heart alice waters

2010-03-02T10:12:00.002-05:00

i have been trying to post for a week now. blogger is giving me trouble and i can't upload photos! boo!!! i'm looking to switch over to wordpress and re-vamp the blog a bit and my dedication to it, what i want to post about, etc.

if anyone is still out there now you know what is going on here the CPC!

in the meantime. . .

do you love Alice Waters? oh my. i have been reading The Art of Simple Food and just loving it. i love everything about her and what she stands for. i am gearing up for a spring and summer dedication to eating locally produced foods from veg to dairy to meat and eggs. can i do it? with the prices get me down? can i pay more for quality meats, raised humanely and locally even tho it's twice as expensive as the meat we've been eating (organic, but not local)? can i suck it up and pay $5 a dozen for the local eggs? this is what i ask myself. money is tight, but what's more important here? health. taste. supporting my community. mmmm....

i'm looking forward to a delicious season. come on in, spring!

needle felting project :: pumpkin mouse house!

2010-02-16T13:03:00.006-05:00

my kids are super-lucky on the grandparent front. one of their grammies is a Waldorf kindergarten teacher. she is always there for us to bounce ideas off of whether it comes to parenting or school choices or creative projects.

this fall she gave BB a little kit for creating a pumpkin mouse house. he was delighted, but a little unsure of how to begin such a project. so, we decided that a little at a time was the best approach. and i was a little wary of him wielding a felting needle!

she gave us some delicious orange felt pre-cut to the pumpkin shape. he started by needling on the stem and some vines and leaves.
she had cut a little door in it already and a tiny little opening that we decided must be for any "mouse mail" to come along.

next we started to sew it together. the purple strips become the sides of the house.

before doing the back panel, BB decided there was more decorating to do, so he made this flower. all on his own!

it took many days of sewing, but he sewed the entire thing up himself. only receiving my help if he got stuck or needed more thread. after it was done i made him a tiny pumpkin to go inside and he made this little white mouse with yellow eyes.

this gift was such a treat because it was a great way for us to work together on something. i loved the coming and going from it that we did. each time he sunk a little deeper into it. the rhythm of the needle sewing one stitch at a time. he can tend to be in a hurry a lot, so this was nice pace.

one day i was doing some embroidery. he was sewing. and little CM was coloring. it was quiet as we were all so busy. and he said,"isn't this so nice? we're all together, but working on our own things."

it was. we watched the snow fall, drank Inka and it was a perfect moment.

valentine hearts

2010-02-13T09:56:00.002-05:00

well, it's Valentine's Day weekend and we are at home. . . we were supposed to be on our way to Vermont to visit family, but alas the Car Gods were not on our side. both of our old, but sturdy cars are in the shop. so here we sit.

having no expectations of needing a good valentiney crafty activity, i had nothing planned. thank you to SouleMama for this idea! paper hearts. cut up paper bags. paint. brilliant. easy. on hand.

we even happen to have a plethora of stamps on hand. we might actually mail some valentines this year! imagine that.

happy love-filled weekend to you. . . if you are out there. . . if i have any readers left. . .

may you eat chocolate and receive many a hug!

comforted and binky-free!

2010-02-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

there have been some big shifts around here lately. the biggest of which, i think, would have to be that after 5+ years, my son has finally learned to sleep without his "binky." yes. 5 years old.

there have been many bouts of parental guilt over his ever even having one to begin with. and over the years we tried to break him free of it, but we never could/did. he was attached and quite emotional about the whole idea of not using it. to him, "binky" was a friend.

when his sister was born, we toiled over whether or not to give her one. we eventually did. and then began to wonder if she was headed down the same 5 year path. so, all in one swoop (just about) we said goodbye to their "friends."

for him it was very hard. very sad. emotional. but he got over it quickly. lots of snuggies from mom and dad. lots of back scratches, songs and stories and he's pretty over it. for her, it was less emotional, but she is still struggling with learning how to sleep without it.

we decided we needed to celebrate. so last weekend we took them out for ice cream. OUT. which is much different than eating ben and jerry's at home. we told them we were celebrating. we said very little. not wanting to re-hash it all, we told them we were celebrating that they had both learned to sleep without a binky. bb's teacher advised us to not praise a lot or dwell on how hard it was, but to acknowledge it and celebrate it. and we did. they were out of their heads to be out having ice cream!
when we got home we presented them each with a new down comforter. we got sunny, yellow covers for them on which i appliqued their initials. to make them snazzier and more special.

it seemed appropriate to give them something new to sleep with now that they no longer slept with the comfort of the binky. now they sleep in the coziest of cozy beds!

and my relationship with the binky comes to an end as well. a friend and a foe all at once! i thanked God for it at times and cursed it at others (o, how i hated the times they had stuffy, drippy noses, but still wanted to sleep with a binky!) and i have to say, though i have beat myself up about it, i do feel like they helped me be a better parent. and now... i'm happy to see them go!

Cookie Carnival :: the ride is over?

2010-02-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

wow. it's been 2 years since i started the Carnival. we've baked up some really delicious stuff, haven't we? carrot cake cookies and blueberry drop cookies stand out for me when i think back

it's been a really fun time riding with you all and baking up all the deliciousness we've baked up, but i have to step back from it.

there's some things going on on home front that make it too hard for me to commit to any longer. nothing too serious. just life.

i thank each of you who have participated for making this little food blog event really fun and successful.

i'm happy to say that Tami of Tami's Kitchen Table Talk would like to take the Carnival over and keeping it rolling. And i hope to participate now and again, as well.

Tami should have a post up soon, so keep checking back if you are looking for info.

cheers and happy baking!

snow day! er, sorta....

2010-02-10T13:31:00.002-05:00

well, we woke up today to not a one snow flake on the ground. and 2 voice mail messages saying schools were closed. it's now after 1pm and . . . not much has fallen.

but we are not ones to waste a perfectly good "snow" day. so, we began with homemade waffles!

seemed like the right thing to do.

i love it when we get a sunday in the middle of the week. hubby is a teacher, so we were all home today. in the kitchen. bacon on the griddle. coffee brewing. aprons on and mixing up the batter. the kids love it love it love it when we are all home together and making a meal. it's the best of family togetherness.

now, if the snow fall could speed up just a *little* bit and cover some of the grass patches that have come through our hill, we could all go sledding!

how are you keeping cozy today?

chowder & bread bowls

2010-02-09T12:40:00.005-05:00

after seeing Garden Mama's post about her wonderful bread (thanks, GM!), we had to try it out. friday is soup day around here and by far the favorite soup is actually chowder. i know i have blogged about it before -- clam chowder, fish chowder--chowder of any kind pleases the boys and the girls can go either way, so we do up the chowder a lot. if we've really got our act together soup day is also bread day. because there is nothing like homemade bread and soup on a winter day, you know?

we had already been planning clam chowder, but then after seeing that post, we decided that bread bowls were something we MUST try!

after going to the cabinet to see what we had on hand, i realized we were out of all-purpose flour, so even though Garden Mama's recipe called for it, we used white-whole wheat, which i would have done anyway--for at least half of the all-purpose.

i have to say, we loved this bread! there are still a few little loaves in the freezer for this friday (i finally figured out that if i freeze bread, i don't have to make it every week! yes, i do catch on eventually). sadly the photos suffer from bad lighting. and cheap, old camera...but what can you do?

he couldn't wait to try the bread bowl. he had no idea what i was talking about, so it was fun to put it all together. and the chowder rocked, so dinner was slurped right up!

my boy's got some crazy-good knife skills, too! after all his years chopping veggies and apples at his Waldorf school, he's really quite helpful. he calls me his sous chef. classic.

what about you? got any wonderful soup or bread recipes you want to share?

december rewind no. 7 {handmade holiday}

2010-02-02T13:46:00.003-05:00

well, i tried to get these december rewind posts done by the end of january! i swear. but i couldn't make it happen. so here is the last of them and one of my favorite projects.

as you may know, i've been working my way through amanda soule's books. and so, for the holidays i made bedtime bags from her book The Creative Family. i made 3. one for each of my kids and another for my niece.

i loved putting these together. they were really simple and i picked out some sweet fabrics for them. i chose books for each of them and daydreamed about not having to pick pj's up off of the floor anymore. now they have a place to go!

for each i made flannel jammy pants. snowmen! soft, but no super high-quality. i'll spring for better flannel next time, but this time, i was just impressed with myself that i made THREE pairs of pants. and they all fit! a miracle!

so, thank you amanda for another great project! i'm happy to report that the kids use them, love them and my niece said when she saw it and the pants, "i'm starting to think my aunt is magical!"

doesn't get better than that!

december rewind no. 6 {handmade holiday}

2010-01-26T11:30:00.004-05:00

january is coming to a close and so is the december rewind. i have one more project after this one to share, which is probably my favorite. i hope to get it posted before february comes.

this little project is one of have seen on other blogs....or at least something similar. i took what i had been seeing around and also tutorial in a favorite book that i often get from the library called Warm Fuzzies by the fab Betz White. perhaps some of you follow her blog. she's awesome. totally inspirational if you are into the crafty world.

this is a great fall project. mine started that way, by felting up the acorns. i collected the caps on a hike with friends in the fall (thanks eve and tim!) and then wet felted the nut to accompany it.

i wish i had process pictures, but i was lucky to remember to even take these. i used an actual oak leaf found outside my son's school. we have no oaks in our yard! i traced the leaf onto the felt and stitched right on the line. easy peasy. that stripey back is just some fabric from my stash that was ironed on with fusible webbing.

nice thing about this project is it's for the tree at the holidays or just about anywhere else you want to put them in the fall.

it's funny how things go...acorns have been a bit of a symbol around here this fall and winter. our kitten we named acorn. and then we embarked on many acorny projects. we had acorns on the brain, i guess!

december rewind no. 5 {handmade holiday}

2010-01-19T13:07:00.003-05:00

this little project was one of the easiest while also being really successful. which is such a bonus! there is just nothing better than putting time, thought and love into a gift and have it really work out how you hoped.

both my kids love these little bracelets. they were hidden way in their stockings. a sweet little surprise from the mama. i had to be sure to tell them that santa was not the one who left these as they have seen this wool around the house for days. bb spotted it right away.

all these bracelets consist of is felted balls which became beads. and other little, special beads from a fabulous bead store near by. for my girl, i wanted ice cream cones. but all i could find were cupcakes. totally acceptable! i'm happy to say it's now january 19th and she still wears this every day! hooray for that! she really likes it!

for my boy, i did blue felted beads (his favorite color) and added square silver beads with his initials.

the hardest part was tying the knot once i strung them on to the stretchy cord. that stuff is slippery! but, once i got it, it stayed. thankfully.

this would be a great project to do WITH your kids as well as for them. they can wet felt these little beads and choose their own accent beads and even string them with a blunt needle. a great rainy/snowy day project!

december rewind no. 4 {handmade holiday}

2010-01-16T07:03:00.002-05:00

i've decided that this year i'm going to make ornaments all year long. why not? they are little, fun and there are so many that the kids can do themselves or help with. this is one of many ways in which i want to try and prepare for the holiday more in advance. so i'm not a crazy crafter for 2 weeks before. making myself all stressed. we'll see how it goes. i always have big ideas about doing things differently right after the holiday. but you never know. this could be my year!

we did 2 really fun ornament projects this year. the first one was this fabulous glittery / snowy pine cone. it's easy-peasy and my 5-year-old did this mostly himself. first we collected pine cones from the yard. then we got some white craft paint and bowls of glitter and coarse salt. we painted the pine cone's "leaves" (what do you call those?) and then sprinkled on the "snow" (coarse salt) and glitter (2 kinds -- big chunky glitter and soft, tiny glitter). and the result is really pretty! i like the snowy ones best. they really do look snowed upon.
the second ornament was a basic dough, rolled and cut w/ cutters and then we added natural design elements--any kind of nut, seed or dried fruit we could find. i like working with natural "ingredients" when crafting and the kids do, too. they get a kick out of using "food" to craft with.

my son was so proud to tell people that the pine cones came from "our real, own backyard!"

december rewind no. 3 {handmade holiday}

2010-01-11T12:59:00.004-05:00

there were a few family projects going on this holiday season as well. wasn't just me working like a busy elf all through december.

we decided that it would be fun to make candle holders and dip some beeswax candles (thanks to a dear friend for the idea in the first place) to go in them. so, we went outside and found a good, recently fallen branch.

hubby and bb cut it up into stumps for us. then sanded them and drilled holes. "we used THREE drill bits, mommy!"

it was a really fun project. we kept them in basket in the play room and everyday we'd sit and sand a bit. put them down, come back to them. it was fun to have something to work on that all of us could do.

the candle dipping was funny. we've never done it before. they came out like little lumps sometimes referred to behind children's backs as "candle turds." but they were made with love. honest!

december rewind no. 2 {handmade holiday}

2010-01-07T11:12:00.003-05:00

it's no secret that i adore that amanda soule. her blog. her books. all are so inspiring to me. since i got her book Handmade Home, i've been slowly working my way through all the projects that i marked on my first read as "must do."

after tackling the treasure bags, the letter satchel, hot pads and sweater hats (with marginal success), i decided to whip up the table runner for a holiday gift for my mom. she's a lover of thanksgiving. she's grandmother and fall colors are definitely her hues. so, i decided to ask 3 of her grandkids (the ones old enough) to draw something that made them think of fall or thanksgiving. i didn't tell them what it was for, but to just send the pictures in the mail and the rest would be a surprise for grammy.

so, here it is! i have to say, i was really proud of how it came out. it's easy for the things i make to come out "wonky" as we like to say around here. crooked or slanty or otherwise not straight.

but this one came out nicely. partly because hubby helped me with the measuring and cutting of the fabric, which is surely the hardest, most un-fun part of sewing. thanks, hubby!

my son did this little one of the apple tree and the "dude" with his pumpkin. festive!

i chose linen for the bulk of the this project, which has such a nice feel. it feels "real" you know? the project calls for printing artwork out on to fabric sheets. they were a little less real feeling than the linen, which was a not-so-great contrast, but the whole scene is so dang cute, it doesn't really matter.

here's a snowy little scene done by my niece who is 7. if there were a mistake i made in this project it was that i didn't pin the artwork in place well enough. so, when i sewed the pieces on, they ended up a bit crooked.

each time i do one of these projects, i learn something new, get a little better at certain things. and most importantly, it's fun!

december rewind no. 1 {handmade holiday}

2010-01-05T20:28:00.004-05:00

i decided to dedicate myself to doing as many handmade gifts as i could for christmas this year. my list was long. too long. it became clear about 12 days before the holiday that i had a list about 2x as long as was realistic for me to accomplish.

but what can i say, i got excited! i have all this lovely wool roving. pretty fabrics and a sturdy little sewing machine and a lot of love for the people in my life. hence the project list.

needless to say, i was so busy trying to tackle the list, i decided to not even try to blog about

any of it. and so the december rewind is born.

the first project to share in the rewind is a felted cupcake that i made for my little baby girl. she loves candles. she loves cupcakes and tea parties. so, for her this cupcake with dainty little pink candles that she can take out, put in, take out. . . and i'm happy to report she LOVED it.

she'll sing happy birthday to anyone who'll listen. it's adorable. i could listen to her all day.

there is nothing better than making a gift for a child that she ends up adoring. it feels really good.

to go with it is a late-night inspiration. it wasn't even ON the big to-do list. but i had to make a set of napkins to go with the wooden tea set we got her. and then a little tablecloth, too.

a round (ish) purple one that is loaded with imperfections and shortcuts, but it was a last-minute have-to. and i admit, i get a thrill each time i see her pull everything out and set it up!

cookie Carnival :: January 2010!

2010-01-05T12:36:00.005-05:00

i cannot believe it's 2010.

my 20 year high school reunion just passed.

for xmas i got a copy of the 80s Scene-it game. and i rock at it.

i feel old!

whoooeeee.

okay, on to the january cookie, shall we!? i am excited about this one. it comes from the Nantucket Cookie Co. via the Food Network.

are you ready for DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPOTLE COOKIES? i am. bring it.

here is your recipe.

join me, won't you? get me your photo and post link by JANUARY 31st and i'll happily include you in the round-up.

cheers and happy new year!

holiday hiatus

2009-12-15T20:12:00.002-05:00

on hiatus.

while i sort out my bloggers ennui.

while i sew.

and felt.

and craft like crazy for the next 10 days.

and enjoy to the fullest the wonder of this holiday time with my children!

Cookie Carnival :: November Round-Up

2009-12-07T21:59:00.008-05:00

many thanks to jen at beantown baker for providing us with this month's recipe for PECAN PIE COOKIES!

these cookies were like little soft, warm, pillows of yum. i loved them! and thankfully, i planned to make them on the day i was to bring a meal to some friends who just recently had a baby. so, therefore, i didn't eat the whole pile of them myself. because i easily could have. they were easy to make and delicious. win-win!

just to remind everyone, i'm taking December off this year. i hope you all have a delicious holiday with your families! let's re-convene in 2010. can it really be 2010??? that seems to sci-fi.

anyway, on to your cookies! thanks to all of you who participated! and if i forgot anyone, please email me and let me know. i'm frazzled as usual.....

first up is julie of Someone's in The Kitchen. she had trouble with cookies breaking and sticking to the pan, but she agrees they taste fab! read her post here.

tami of Tami's Kitchen Table Talk had this to say, "They really do taste like little bites of pecan pie! My kids and I have found a new favorite cookie." yay for a new favorite cookie! read her post here.

michelle of Something New is Cooking played along this month. i agree with her assessment that these cookies require a cold glass'a milk! read her post here.

Candy Girl is back and had this to say, "These cookies were a big hit at work and here at home. The only downside? They are ADDICTIVE." and that, my friends, is why i gave mine away! read her post here.

tari of McDonald Family Update decided to slip these to her dad on Thanksgiving, rather than the traditional pie. read her post here.

karen of Karen's Cookies, Cakes and More decided to let her baking groups determine her holiday dessert choices this year. read her post here.

tessa of Cookin' Chemist had this to say, "if you are planning to take them anywhere, I would definately double the recipe! Enjoy!" read her post here.

carol of No Reason Needed had this to say, "By far the easiest, no nonsense cookie recipe I've tackled since participating in the Cookie Carnival." Read her post here.

anissa of Anissa's Kitchen wrapped her cookies in bows and has the cutest blog! read her post here.

christine at Whimsical Bakery had this to say, "a quick and easy cookie to make and taste just like pecan pie." read her post here.

nathalie of Snowbell Jewelry suggests substituting maple syrup for some of the sugar. i think she is on to something. read her post here.

sabiilaa at Sweetakery made some with walnuts rather than pecans and gave 2 thumbs up to that as well-- read her post here.

jackie at Food Wanderlust had this to say, "The cookies were almost like mini cakes -- very soft." read her post here.

blogger's ennui

2009-11-24T10:04:00.000-05:00

i'm totally struggling with the blogging lately. have you noticed? that's just the thing---i'm not sure if anyone IS noticing.

i feel like i'm struggling to find my voice as a blogger or for a strong identity or something. what IS my blog? how would a reader describe it easily to someone else?

WHY do i blog? i've asked myself this a number of times lately. i guess it began because i wanted to connect with other mothers. so i started a blog called Peeping Moms. then, i quit that when i was offered a job as a "food blogger." i joined up with a blog network called Content Quake. then, shortly after my daughter was born, i gave that up as well. i had to post everyday and do lots of linking within the post and i was too underslept to keep up.

then, along came this blog. stared out as a food blog--the clean plate club, everyone has heard that phrase. definitely family-focused, but still about food at it's heart. i started the Cookie Carnival for something fun to do in the blogosphere.

then, i realized that getting into crafting, sewing and taking pictures made me feel like my blog should be more. more about me and what i'm interested in. so, i added "Tales of Food and Family." it encompasses it all--the parenting, the interest in Waldorf education, the crafting, the sewing, the family life. it's all good, right?

but somehow it feels like it's still not working. or i would be posting more? sometimes i think i'm too worried about how it will be received or trying to hard to be make it be like other blogs or just not having anything interesting to say. or fearing that i don't.

so, now through all of it, i've somehow forgotten my initial desire---to connect with other moms. most of the moms i found when i was doing Peeping Moms have fallen away as readers/commenters on this blog. and i don't see much of the real "foodies" i once connected with either. so, who IS out there? anyone? or is it just the Cookie Carnivalers who come here now?

i feel like it comes down to lack of posting frequency and lack of focus. but i don't know how to fix it. any pointers? anyone? anyone? Bueller?

Acorn (animal and felt)

2009-11-22T21:53:00.003-05:00

i haven't been around in a while. here is what has been going on. . .

loving on our new kitty, Acorn. he is the cutest of the cute and i love watching my kids dote on him.

i love that Acorn is looking up at him. so sweet.

and of course there is lots and lots of playtime!

having a kitten around has changed things a lot in one way, but in another way, he feels so much like family, it's like he's always been here. he's got a lot of energy and often tears around the house playing with anything that moves. and causing trouble everywhere he goes! we often refer to him simply as "trouble," or "our other toddler." mischief-maker, he is.

but we wouldn't have him any other way.

in other news, there is lots of crafting preparation going on. i've started making felted acorns and that's a lot of fun! more on that later when i have some finished ones to share. we're getting the workshop ready for the holidays. i can hardly wait to create!

cookie monsters!

2009-11-09T10:13:00.003-05:00

as you know, we are fond of cookies around here. i'm also fond of keeping things as healthy as i can. (is it wrong that my son only had 2 pieces of halloween candy, even though he's got a bucket-full?)

recently, i found this recipe (below) for Lemony Sugar Cookie Monsters on the Whole Foods website. i love that it is fun and playful while using natural ingredients. i cut down the sugar a bit and used orange rather than lemon. my munchkins aren't big fans of lemony things.

we had the best time making little "orange pumpkin monster cookies!" and it was something both little sister and big brother could do together. which is always a bonus!

LEMONY SUGAR COOKIE MONSTERS

Ingredients

2½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 3/4 cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar (we used 1/2 cup) 2 eggs 1 tablespoon lemon juice (we used orange) 2 teaspoons lemon zest (we used orange) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 10 drops natural orange (or a combination of red and yellow) food coloring (optional) Dried fruit and nuts for decorating

Method

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside. In a second large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 30 seconds, then beat in 1 egg. Add lemon juice, zest and vanilla and beat again until smooth, about 30 seconds more. Add flour mixture and beat to combine. Add food coloring (if using) and beat again, or knead by hand, just until color is evenly distributed. Shape dough into two logs then wrap each snugly in parchment paper, twisting the ends in opposite directions like a piece of candy to tighten each roll and make it uniformly round and about 6 inches long. Chill for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk remaining egg and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl to make an egg wash; set aside. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut dough crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and transfer to prepared baking sheets, arranging cookies about 1 inch apart. Working with a few cookies at a time, brush tops with egg wash then decorate with dried fruit and nuts to make monster faces on each. Bake until light golden brown about the edges, 12 to 13 minutes. Set aside to let cookies cool completely then serve.

a big day

2009-11-02T19:21:00.003-05:00

there were two milestones in our house today.

bb lost his first tooth!!!!! and my little bear made her first pee in her potty. a real one. not just a coincidental-happened-to-be-near-the-potty-when-the-pee-started-to-hit-the-floor-one!

there was much high-fiving, hugging and being proud.

now......what should the tooth fairy bring? it would be great if she could bring the lovely goodies that are being given away on Garden Mama's blog. go check it out. her blog is wonderful, beautiful and uplifting. and the goodies she's giving away from her sponsor, Hip Mountain Mama are just sweet, sweet.

: )

off to sew up a tooth pouch....

Cookie Carnival :: October Round up and November Cookie

2009-11-02T10:41:00.005-05:00

another month down! and we did this one in style, ladies. i loved this biscotti from giada. it was classy, tasty and slightly addictive, i found.

sadly i have no pictures to share. i can't talk about it. digital camera debacle, let's just say.

thanks to everyone who participated in the challenge. it was a low turn-out, but we got some really pretty looking biscotti here....

**for the november challenge head down to the bottom of the post**

karen of short bread south had this to say, "Fun, festive, addictively crunchy and just right for the Holidays." read the rest of her post here.

gala of purple cookie used white chocolate and had this to say,"I loved the combination of both lemon and orange zest with white chocolate... " read her post here.

stormie of bite size baker had this to say, "This is a recipe I plan on baking again and again. It was absolutely wonderful." read her post here.

tessa of cookin' chemist had this to say, "biscotti is a new venture for me. In fact, every single recipe I've made along with the other bakers in the Cookie Carnival has been a new recipe." yay! that's the spirit! read her post here.

nathalie of Snowbell Jewelry played along even tho she has a major citrus/chocolate aversion--thanks for trying something new nathalie! read her post here.

juliana of horneAndo Algo made up a pretty batch of biscotti. read her post here.

sabiilaa participated this month, but her blog post wouldn't work for some reason, so sadly, i have no link for you.

christine at whimsical bakery played along this month-- read her post here.

after putting it to a vote, we have a winning cookie for November. i'm totally psyched because if this one hadn't won, i would have had to make it anyway :: PECAN PIE COOKIES! thanks to Jen from Beantown Baker for submitting that one! you can find the recipe on her blog.

last year i took January off from the Carnival and realized later that i should have taken December. everyone was so busy in December (including me) that we didn't have much of a Carnival, so i'll be taking December off this year. because of that, i'm extending the November challenge into December.

so, send me your photo and link by DECEMBER 5th @ 7PM EST to be included in the round-up!

now let's go make some pecan pie! cookies!

Cookie Carnival :: November Challenge--VOTE!

2009-11-01T21:21:00.003-05:00

it's time for the November Cookie Vote! low turnout for October, let's see if we can pick something that will make all our mouths water.

thanks everyone for your submissions. a lot of yumminess coming to my inbox! i've narrowed it down to 5.

here goes.

from Katie :: Espresso Chip and Pecan Cookies (the photo looks really good, but i can't

seem to get it out of the document she sent me! sorry!)

next from Christine at Whimsical Baker :: Cinnamon-Cardamom Crisps

the third choice comes from Jen at Beantown Baker :: Pecan Pie Cookies

the fourth choice comes from Jen at Delightful Delicacies :: Molasses Cookies

and finally from April of April's Home Cooking :: Ginger Snaps with Pumpkin Dip

let the voting begin! from now until November 4th (i know, short window, but we need time to bake, right?)

hey-ho, halloween time!

2009-10-30T12:57:00.002-04:00

we're getting ready. are you?

i love the celebrate holidays. and in particular, the seasons. halloween, however, is not a favorite. i could skip it all together and be just fine with it. i feel a little like i have to participate because everyone else is. can't really keep the kids from the candy and dressing up when the whole neighborhood is at it!

so, i'm trying to embrace it for the sake of the munchkins. . . and i do love the pumpkin carving! that's the best part. (and all the Milky Ways i can snag from my son's bag of loot when it's all said and done!)

Acorn :: a new friend

2009-10-27T12:05:00.002-04:00

we have a new friend in the house! his name is Acorn. sometimes Acorn Buddy or Acorn Kitty or Cornway Kitty. we are prone to nicknaming around here. he's a love. we're so happy to have him running around the house playing with anything that moves. . . and somethings that don't.

i could do without the 4am play sessions, but what can you do? look at that face!?

we made him a bed with some felt balls and his own little acorn toy. i'm happy to say that he likes it a lot. which is fun because you never know. kitties sometimes prefer recycling bins or laundry baskets. and he fits perfectly in there. for now.

*oh!* he makes fall more fun.