We're going to a friend's today for a pool party. Yes, I'm aware that it's 55 degrees out. Luckily, the friend also has a hot tub. We're hoping this will be a recurring event, and when talking with the mom in charge, I suggested that (since we're all trying to be healthier lately) we make a point of bringing healthy foods and the recipes.
When I suggested this, I was thinking of things like Cold Sesame Noodles. Middle East Panzanella. Corn and Black Bean Salad. All delicious things on a hot summer day. Um. Did I mention the bipolar Michigan weather? I decided to make cookies instead.
Specifically, Gina's Skinny Taste Snickerdoodles. And yes, I did modify the recipe. I don't have cream of tartar (subbed baking powder for it & the baking soda) or agave syrup (subbed honey). Also, I think I let them cook a little too long. Once they're cool, they're pretty crunchy, and I strongly prefer a chewy cookie.
They're very tasty, though, and the kids really like them. This is one that goes into the "make again" file.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
More Sewing
Some good, some bad.
First, the good. I have a bunch of shirts that are 2X from last fall that are now too big & rather sloppy. I decided to see if taking in the side seams would help any.
Example #1:
I turned it inside out, and drew a new line, then cut and pinked the edge. I just eyeballed it to see how it would go.
Example #2:
Pretty much the same thing, but with a knit/t-shirt instead of woven/button down style.
So far, I was pretty pleased. I had taken two shirts that I never wear and turned them into items that I could wear to work or church. My wardrobe is pretty limited, and my budget is very limited, so I was happy to get extra use out of these things.
Next, I wanted to re-purpose a particular skirt. It's a long, somewhat A-line, very light & floaty fabric, kind of an ethnic print. Very nice for summer, and would go well with that orange top above. I carefully pulled out the waistband, and took out the side seams, then took it in along the sides and reattached the now reduced waistband. I had considered just using the fabric itself to make a totally different skirt, but decided to keeping the original style was the most expedient thing. I was hoping to be able to wear it to work tonight.
I'm not wearing it to work tonight. The hem is a mess--very uneven--and the waistband is still too big. I Skyped my mom to get advice, and she said that the issue is that I still don't know how to properly fit things. I agree with that, but the real issue is that I wanted to get a skirt done today. I've put it aside and will try something with it when she's here in July. This is a better alternative than chucking the whole thing in the garbage, which was the direction I was heading.
I do still have plans for other fabric, though. There's the new stuff I bought at JoAnn's, and I have an actual Liberty Print from Nassau. I think I'm going to make a circle skirt for myself out of that one. I also have some blue that looks vaguely like denim. Short/skirts are what I really need right now, because I only have three pairs of shorts, and two of them are a bit too big.
In the meantime, I need to go find something to wear to work tonight.
First, the good. I have a bunch of shirts that are 2X from last fall that are now too big & rather sloppy. I decided to see if taking in the side seams would help any.
Example #1:
I turned it inside out, and drew a new line, then cut and pinked the edge. I just eyeballed it to see how it would go.
Example #2:
Pretty much the same thing, but with a knit/t-shirt instead of woven/button down style.
So far, I was pretty pleased. I had taken two shirts that I never wear and turned them into items that I could wear to work or church. My wardrobe is pretty limited, and my budget is very limited, so I was happy to get extra use out of these things.
Next, I wanted to re-purpose a particular skirt. It's a long, somewhat A-line, very light & floaty fabric, kind of an ethnic print. Very nice for summer, and would go well with that orange top above. I carefully pulled out the waistband, and took out the side seams, then took it in along the sides and reattached the now reduced waistband. I had considered just using the fabric itself to make a totally different skirt, but decided to keeping the original style was the most expedient thing. I was hoping to be able to wear it to work tonight.
I'm not wearing it to work tonight. The hem is a mess--very uneven--and the waistband is still too big. I Skyped my mom to get advice, and she said that the issue is that I still don't know how to properly fit things. I agree with that, but the real issue is that I wanted to get a skirt done today. I've put it aside and will try something with it when she's here in July. This is a better alternative than chucking the whole thing in the garbage, which was the direction I was heading.
I do still have plans for other fabric, though. There's the new stuff I bought at JoAnn's, and I have an actual Liberty Print from Nassau. I think I'm going to make a circle skirt for myself out of that one. I also have some blue that looks vaguely like denim. Short/skirts are what I really need right now, because I only have three pairs of shorts, and two of them are a bit too big.
In the meantime, I need to go find something to wear to work tonight.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Sewing Day
(Note: I don't know why my pictures are all on their sides--I edited them so you don't have to turn your head, but blogger is ignoring that. Sorry!)
I really wanted be able to take all day yesterday for sewing, but distributing the mulch out front took all day Tuesday, and distributing the peat out back took all day Wednesday (also, the kids had Field Biology at U of M Dearborn). So no sewing until today.
First, I started with some cool fabric that Sarah's been in love with forever. I don't even remember where I got it. It reminds me a little of the Russian nesting doll design. It was very easy--a seam up the back, being sure to line up the border part of the print. Then I put in an elastic waist, and she was done. I didn't even need to hem it, because the print ran all the way to the selvedge edge, so I used it. She's very happy with it.
Then I started on Lauren's skirt with some fabric she found in the basement this morning. I don't know where I got that from, either (this is a continuing theme, apparently). I was talking with a friend the other day about circle skirts, so I decided to give one of those a try.
I've never actually made a circle skirt myself, but I understood the general principle, and my stepmom made a few for me when I was in college and I loved them. I looked up a couple youtube videos, and started cutting. After I cut the circle and shook it out to show Lauren, then refolded it , I noticed that there was some overlap, so it wasn't truly a perfect circle. I didn't want to start trimming and trimming, though, because I was afraid that before I knew it, I'd have a micro mini circle skirt, and that's really not what I was going for!
I cut out the waist circle, had her try it on, and then shaved a tiny bit more off because it was a skosh tight going on. I really wanted to avoid making it too big, though. I used bias tape to bind the waistband, then added elastic inside it. I used more bias tape to bind the edge. I thought about turning it under, but I kind of like the border look to it, and it went much fast that way. I had a bad moment where I was sure I wasn't going to have enough. Seriously, it had never occurred to me that a brand new package (3 yards!) of bias tape might not be enough to run around the hem of this little skirt! Luckily, I had just enough left over from the waistband to finish.
After she tried it on, I realized that it really is quite uneven. It isn't noticeable if she's got the longer part in the back, but if it's off to the side, she looks a little cockeyed. If (oh, who am I kidding? WHEN) I made a skirt like this for myself, I'm going to be very careful to make sure my circle is absolutely perfect. But Lauren likes it, and it's a nice play skirt--very twirly!
I really wanted be able to take all day yesterday for sewing, but distributing the mulch out front took all day Tuesday, and distributing the peat out back took all day Wednesday (also, the kids had Field Biology at U of M Dearborn). So no sewing until today.
First, I started with some cool fabric that Sarah's been in love with forever. I don't even remember where I got it. It reminds me a little of the Russian nesting doll design. It was very easy--a seam up the back, being sure to line up the border part of the print. Then I put in an elastic waist, and she was done. I didn't even need to hem it, because the print ran all the way to the selvedge edge, so I used it. She's very happy with it.
Then I started on Lauren's skirt with some fabric she found in the basement this morning. I don't know where I got that from, either (this is a continuing theme, apparently). I was talking with a friend the other day about circle skirts, so I decided to give one of those a try.I've never actually made a circle skirt myself, but I understood the general principle, and my stepmom made a few for me when I was in college and I loved them. I looked up a couple youtube videos, and started cutting. After I cut the circle and shook it out to show Lauren, then refolded it , I noticed that there was some overlap, so it wasn't truly a perfect circle. I didn't want to start trimming and trimming, though, because I was afraid that before I knew it, I'd have a micro mini circle skirt, and that's really not what I was going for!
I cut out the waist circle, had her try it on, and then shaved a tiny bit more off because it was a skosh tight going on. I really wanted to avoid making it too big, though. I used bias tape to bind the waistband, then added elastic inside it. I used more bias tape to bind the edge. I thought about turning it under, but I kind of like the border look to it, and it went much fast that way. I had a bad moment where I was sure I wasn't going to have enough. Seriously, it had never occurred to me that a brand new package (3 yards!) of bias tape might not be enough to run around the hem of this little skirt! Luckily, I had just enough left over from the waistband to finish.
After she tried it on, I realized that it really is quite uneven. It isn't noticeable if she's got the longer part in the back, but if it's off to the side, she looks a little cockeyed. If (oh, who am I kidding? WHEN) I made a skirt like this for myself, I'm going to be very careful to make sure my circle is absolutely perfect. But Lauren likes it, and it's a nice play skirt--very twirly!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Oy
I am so tired. I woke up at three, and couldn't get back to sleep. I was on the computer for a while, then watched a little TV, then dozed on the couch until 7. I'm really dragging today. Also, my knees are very stiff, I'm sure due to all the salt & junk I ate at the party last night.
I still have a busy day planned--I need to get a (slow) walk in, and there is a lot of yard work and laundry to do, and of course school work. I'm also working tonight.
The plan for dinner is to grill up a bunch of stuff that we can then eat throughout the course of the week. I have some small steaks for us to eat tonight, but I also got brats and will make some hamburger patties. I might also marinate a couple chicken breasts, and slice some zucchini to put on as well.
Time to wake up!
I still have a busy day planned--I need to get a (slow) walk in, and there is a lot of yard work and laundry to do, and of course school work. I'm also working tonight.
The plan for dinner is to grill up a bunch of stuff that we can then eat throughout the course of the week. I have some small steaks for us to eat tonight, but I also got brats and will make some hamburger patties. I might also marinate a couple chicken breasts, and slice some zucchini to put on as well.
Time to wake up!
Recipe Review: Martha Stewart's Tiramisu Cupcakes
Last night was Sarah's Girl Scout end of year party. She volunteered for me to make tiramisu (with cupcakes as a backup plan). Uh. OK. I love tiramisu, but I've never made it. I found a few recipes that looked reasonable, but realized I'd have to hit Meijer to get the mascarpone cheese. I avoid Meijer whenever I can, and only go when I needs several things I can't generally get at my regular stores (kosher salt, bulgur wheat, whole wheat flour, etc.). Since I was going, I decided to get other stuff as well. Grrr--I hate paying higher prices for things I know I can get cheaper at other stores.
To top it off, they didn't have mascarpone cheese. I was irked, but decided to hit Westborn Market on my way home, because they have a whole ROOM for cheese, and I was pretty sure they'd have it, as well as ladyfinger cookies. As I pulled in the Westborn parking lot and saw no cars, I realized that they were closed. D'oh!
I decided that cream cheese would have to suffice (which I already had at home), and that I could run down to Randazzo's produce market for the ladyfingers--I've seen them there a million times, but never gotten any. I dropped the groceries I already had at home, then got back in the car.
Dun dun DUN! Randazzo's had also closed! I growled the whole way home, and googled "Tiramisu cupcakes." Of course, good old Martha Stewart had a recipe. It called for a few things I didn't have, like vanilla beans & of course mascarpone, but I had decent substitutions. It looked a little complicated, but whatever, right? The next morning, I copied it and holy cow! Are you kidding? That's one complicated recipe! I thought to myself, "these had better be some STELLAR cupcakes for all this work."
I made them, and took them to the party, and they were good. Sadly, they were not stellar. I didn't use enough of the coffee syrup for fear of them being soggy, so most of them were a little lacking in oomph. Again, not bad, but not worth the work. Know what would have been stellar? Yeah. Tiramisu. If I ever have a need to make it again, I'll plan a little farther ahead and just make the real thing, which seems worlds easier.
To top it off, they didn't have mascarpone cheese. I was irked, but decided to hit Westborn Market on my way home, because they have a whole ROOM for cheese, and I was pretty sure they'd have it, as well as ladyfinger cookies. As I pulled in the Westborn parking lot and saw no cars, I realized that they were closed. D'oh!
I decided that cream cheese would have to suffice (which I already had at home), and that I could run down to Randazzo's produce market for the ladyfingers--I've seen them there a million times, but never gotten any. I dropped the groceries I already had at home, then got back in the car.
Dun dun DUN! Randazzo's had also closed! I growled the whole way home, and googled "Tiramisu cupcakes." Of course, good old Martha Stewart had a recipe. It called for a few things I didn't have, like vanilla beans & of course mascarpone, but I had decent substitutions. It looked a little complicated, but whatever, right? The next morning, I copied it and holy cow! Are you kidding? That's one complicated recipe! I thought to myself, "these had better be some STELLAR cupcakes for all this work."
I made them, and took them to the party, and they were good. Sadly, they were not stellar. I didn't use enough of the coffee syrup for fear of them being soggy, so most of them were a little lacking in oomph. Again, not bad, but not worth the work. Know what would have been stellar? Yeah. Tiramisu. If I ever have a need to make it again, I'll plan a little farther ahead and just make the real thing, which seems worlds easier.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Hello Again
So I have some catching up to do, eh?
The CropWalk went great. The weather was just right, and aside from one monster hill, actually not too difficult. Yes, I was tired and my feet were sore when I was done, but I made it through. As I rounded the final corner, I looked at my phone to see how long it had taken me: 130 minutes. Really? I was expecting a little faster than that. Then I realized that when we started, we were at the back to the pack, and it was hard to move ahead. That's fine if you're just strolling along, but I think that next year, I'm going to make a point of being closer to the front so I can maintain my natural stride the whole time.
As for my weight, I've gotten back in the groove. I made a goal to get at least half an hour of exercise every day this month, and I haven't missed a day yet. The first week, it was mostly on the Wii, but I realized that I really manage my stress better when I walk outside, so I've started doing that in the mornings again, and I'm glad. I did something to my ankle today, though--it's kind of sore, and I don't know why.
As of this morning, I'm officially down to 206.1. I don't plan on even trying for "onederland" before Memorial Day, but by the time my mom & stepdad bring the kids back at the end of June, I should be there.
Up tomorrow: another recipe review.
The CropWalk went great. The weather was just right, and aside from one monster hill, actually not too difficult. Yes, I was tired and my feet were sore when I was done, but I made it through. As I rounded the final corner, I looked at my phone to see how long it had taken me: 130 minutes. Really? I was expecting a little faster than that. Then I realized that when we started, we were at the back to the pack, and it was hard to move ahead. That's fine if you're just strolling along, but I think that next year, I'm going to make a point of being closer to the front so I can maintain my natural stride the whole time.
As for my weight, I've gotten back in the groove. I made a goal to get at least half an hour of exercise every day this month, and I haven't missed a day yet. The first week, it was mostly on the Wii, but I realized that I really manage my stress better when I walk outside, so I've started doing that in the mornings again, and I'm glad. I did something to my ankle today, though--it's kind of sore, and I don't know why.
As of this morning, I'm officially down to 206.1. I don't plan on even trying for "onederland" before Memorial Day, but by the time my mom & stepdad bring the kids back at the end of June, I should be there.
Up tomorrow: another recipe review.
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