Monday, February 8, 2010

Valentine Paperweights

This is Em's first year of giving out Valentine's and he decided he wanted a "tree of hearts" and to make something for each of his classmates. For a mommy on a budget, the creativity hat is never far away, so to the kid craft books we went. Here is what he made.

We began with a typical salt dough recipe (1 cup of salt, 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of warm water) and rolled out various shaped and sized hearts. The rolling pins are available at Lakeshore.
The hearts then baked in the oven at 225 degrees for 3 hours. In past experiences I've found that a higher oven temp. will make the salt dough puff up, so it's low and slow that I think works best.
Next he painted all the backs and then went back to do all the fronts, adding a dusting of fine glitter while the paint was still wet. We let them dry for an hour before making a wrapping assembly line.
Some chocolate kisses and a homemade card complete the gift. I found the Valentine tree that Em wanted online. It is a beautiful (free to use) drawing by Australian artist Matthew Martin.
We used that for the front of his card and cardstock I had on hand to print them out.
A wee bit of tissue paper and some yarn to tie it all up and voila! Valentine goodies for school all ready to go! (Well, after repeating the process for all the kids and teachers of course!)




Happy Crafting!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

See's Candies in a Cookie


For as long as I can remember, I have always LOVED See's Candies... very specific ones. If someone ever bought me a box of soft centers or the regular mixed box, the butterscotch squares were the first to go... as in 2 seconds after the box was opened! Between butterscotch squares and the California Crunch candies (which are not in a standard box), I had my salty and sweet cravings covered.

A few days ago, I took my sons for a quick treat to See's for a lollipop and HAD to have a Butterscotch Square. The candy did not even make it out of the store... heck, it didn't make it into a bag! It went from under the counter, to the employees hand and scale for measuring and right into my mouth! Well, not the whole thing. I will spare the food play-by-play, but let's just say, my kids were quite amused with how slowly and quietly I stood there for about a minute just nibbling on that sweet concoction of brown sugar and milk chocolate.
We headed home. Me in confection heaven, the boys making a mess with their lollipops. Fresh with an idea of a cookie to mimic the Butterscotch Square, I headed into the kitchen after setting the boys to crafting. Here is the result. This is my interpretation of course. If you make it or talk about it, please please let me know what you think! I love getting comments and knowing what others think... good or bad!
And now, without further delay, the recipe!
CelticMommy's Butterscotch & Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

    1/2 tsp. salt

    1/2 tsp. baking soda

    1/4 tsp. baking powder

    2 cups and 2 tblsp. all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)

    1 3/4 sticks (14 tblsp.) cold unsalted butter (I use Land O'Lakes)

    1 3/4 cups tightly packed dark brown sugar (light is okay, but dark is better)

    1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

    1 tblsp. single strength vanilla (I use Penzy's)

    2 4oz. Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Bars (Semi-sweet is okay)


You will also need parchment paper, a stainless steel skillet, a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon, a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup or other steep sided microwaveable cup and a wire rack for cooling cookies and chocolate drippings.

Also, this is a bit of a process. While one batch is baking, another will be cooling and a third can be taking its' chocolate bath.

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
  3. Combine salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Cut the 3/4 stick of butter into 6 pieces and set aside.
  5. Heat remaining 1 stick of butter in stainless steel skillet on low heat. Stir butter until it is brown. DO NOT LEAVE BUTTER as it can burn quickly! It will brown in about 2 minutes depending on your stove. Pour butter in medium glass bowl. Add remaining butter, stir to melt.
  6. Add brown sugar to butter and combine.
  7. Add vanilla and eggs and combine. There should not be any clumps of brown sugar.
  8. Add half of flour mixture and stir until just mixed in. Add remaining flour and mix and scrape sides down until you have a pretty ball of dough.
  9. Take 1 teaspoon of dough at a time and roll into balls (see photo) and place on cookie sheet, each ball about 2 inches apart.
  10. Bake for exactly 9 minutes. Take out and let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
  11. Repeat until all dough is used, making about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.
  12. Melt 1 bar of Ghiradelli chocolate in microwave according to directions (double boiler is fine too). Use second bar as needed.
  13. Dunk cookie about 1/3 of the way, turn and dunk again, making kind of a Pac-Man looking shape with the chocolate.
  14. Transfer back to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Friday, February 5, 2010

New Recipe Tomorrow!

My tribute to See's Candies Butterscotch Squares coming tomorrow! I just have to get the boys to stop eating them long enough to take photos!!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Middle of the week mess

My favorite reading chair in mid-week mess. Most weeks, I try to put back all the accumulated books I've taken out, but sometimes they just pile higher and higher to near-toppling point. Other than a yarn diet (which I will eventually explain), my only other resolution this year is one that I made and kept last year. And the year before that. To use every book I own. All craft books, cookbooks, homeschool books, reading books, etc. I thought maybe I'd reference my piles and what I've looked at this week thus far.

On the bottom left are kid type books on indoor and outdoor activities. I'm especially digging the new "Let's Go Outside!" book by Jennifer Ward on the top of the pile. And Ed Emberley's "Fingerprint Drawing Book" is excellent for rainy day fun.

On the bottom right and on the right arm are crafty books I'm going through for upcoming gifts for expectant loved ones as well as my own munchkins. I finally found a fabric to make my boys some reusable sandwich and snack saks with. Betz White's book "Sewing Green" suggests PUL but I'm going to try somethin' else... we'll see how that goes. And, if there's enough time, a purple gingham elephant from the Claire Garland book "Toys to Sew".

The entire top of the side table holds the cooking and baking books I've looked at, referenced or used this week. The Involtini from "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" came out tasty! The Irish Stew is currently on the stove from "The Irish Heritage Cookbook" and is always a hit in this house full of carrot and potato lovers. ... uumm, what else? Oh! Casatiello bread from Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice", Cream Cheese Dough from Nancy Silverton's "Pastries from the La Brea Bakery", and hopefully tomorrow night, a Kougin-Amann from Gale Gand's "Butter Sugar Flour Eggs". Tonight I've had a hankering for Bialy's. so I'm reading up on those too. Yummy! Now I'm hungry!

Next week, more books and hopefully some food and craft photos as well.

What is on your bookshelf? What books never seem to stay put and wander around to your reading nooks and crannies?

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!

Just a photo, not much writing tonight... I somehow badly sprained my wrist, so no crafting for me and the boys today. A bit of baking... brown sugar cookies and brioche cinnamon rolls.


Blog ideas are piling up in my head and on bits of paper, taking over my inspiration board. It feels like the right time to come back.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Re-opening soon!

I have been very humbled by your wonderful private and public comments about my wee blog and have decided to keep CelticMommy open!
But, I need to re-vamp it and change it up a bit.
So, this Sunday, I'll begin again. :-)

Thank you all for your loving support!
Hettie

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Closing up shop

Hi everyone!

With my wee one (who is no longer wee-sized!) starting school next week, I'll be closing up CelticMommy. If you want any recipes or how-to documents, please copy or print them now as I'll be closing up this blog on Friday the 4th.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and commented and inspired and enjoyed!!
Hettie