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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Oatmeal Crispies

 I love cookies. Big surprise, right? I love most kinds of cookies, but I do prefer mine to be chewy, not crunchy. These oatmeal cookies have just the right mix of sugar and spice, with crisp outer edge and a perfectly chewy center. They're so comforting and homey, grab a few for breakfast (what? they've got oatmeal in them, silly-heads) and your day is sure to be a good one.

Oatmeal Crispies

1 c. shortening

1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and the sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, beat well. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Add gradually, mix until just combined. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until edges appear done but not brown (don't overbake). Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Yield: 5 dozen


Notes:

- Don't look for the edges to turn golden brown, they won't.
- They're actually better the second day, after they soften up a little
- For the love of everything good, don't add raisins. If you do, please don't tell me. (Raisins = Bad)

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Giveaway: Indie Craft Parade VIP Gala

From the ICP Blog:

You’ve heard so many great things about the Indie Craft Parade VIP Gala, and now you have a chance to win two tickets! This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

The VIP Gala is your best chance to get to know the artists and get first dibs on their work. With Indie Craft Parade being such a heavily attended event, the Gala allows you to avoid the crowds of Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention the other great perks for attending Friday night: free food and drinks from some of our favorite local establishments and a host of fabulous giveaways. Food will be provided by Ribault Street Catering, drinks from Community Tap, and a coffee bar by Coffee and Crema. This is also the night to win giveaways — baskets of handmade goods straight from our vendors’ booths. We’ll also have live music from The Bent Strings that night, so come and enjoy it.

The VIP Gala will be held on Friday, September 9 from 6 to 9 pm at the Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville, SC. This ticketed event kicks off the festival weekend, and helps support our artists and the mission of Indie Craft Parade. Check out the full details on our website!



So, how do you get these 2 free tickets? Head over to the ICP Blog, and leave a comment on the giveaway post.  The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, September 5.

Don’t want to take your chances? You can purchase VIP Gala tickets here and be guaranteed a place at the party!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Weekend Glimpse

We had a quiet little party weekend, it was Cory's 28th birthday on Sunday!

After a celebratory dinner out, we poked around Barnes & Noble for a while. I flipped through the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Crafts, which is now on my wishlist. Such a great book!

Cory treated me to a little shopping trip at Marshall's HomeGoods. I snagged this giant basket!

Here's the birthday boy, blowing out the candle. I know a few people have speculated about the wondrous dessert I was sure to make for his birthday, but as I've mentioned, Cory doesn't like sweets. Isn't that a tragedy? With the exception of the occasional Snickers bar, a handful of Reese's Pieces, or maybe a Rice Krispie treat, he won't eat anything sugary. Good thing I love him in spite of this fault! 

I got to round out the weekend with a little snuggle time with this baby cat. He's about 5 weeks old, and I can't stand the cuteness! He was rescued by some dear friends, who had better watch out because I just might steal him.

Not pictured:
- PF Changs, mmmm!
- bridal shower
- sick of being sick
- MONK, season one
- pizza
- terrible drive-thu service
- pink hair, retouched and better than ever!
- planning
- laundry, ignored

Friday, August 26, 2011

Wedding Photobook

I've professed my love for Blurb before, and they have stolen my heart again with their new professional paper options. I recently got to test them out with a large photobook of my wedding photos, and I love how it turned out.


 I did a 12 x 12 book with an ImageWrap cover, grey end sheets, 78 pages printed on Premium Matte Lustre paper... it turned out perfect, I'm so happy with it!

(More wedding photos can be seen here.)


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Color Crush: Peach

Another color I used to despised, now adored... peach. 
Such a lovely accent or sweet star of the show!



Source: bhldn.com via Erin on Pinterest













Monday, August 22, 2011

Maple Peach Galette

I made this Almond Pear Galette a few weeks ago, and it was astonishingly good. I'd never made a galette before, but they're so easy! Basically, a galette is a type of French pastry: a freeform rustic tart or flat crusty cake. I had some fresh peaches in the house, and knew I had to try a peach version.


I absolutely love the crust, it comes together so quickly and is easy to work with. The thin cream filling layer is flavored with maple extract and chopped pecans. The peaches look so pretty arranged in circles, and are seasoned with cinnamon and sugar. Topped off with some sweetened whipped cream, more pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup, this dessert is fit for royalty!


Maple Peach Galette

Pastry:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream:
1 large egg white
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons minced pecans
2 teaspoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring (I used Mapeline brand)

Filling:
4 firm, ripe peaches
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Garnish: (optional)
sweetened whipped cream
chopped pecans
real maple syrup

Directions:
Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a food processor 30 seconds to combine. Add butter. Pulse until butter pieces are the size of peas. Add buttermilk and vanilla; pulse until dough just comes together. Form dough into a disk, dusting lightly with flour. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Note: If you don't have a food processor, you can combine the ingredients in a large bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter, and use a fork to stir in the buttermilk and vanilla.

For the cream filling, whisk egg white and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until frothy, about 1 minute. Add pecans, butter and maple flavoring. Whisk together, refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch in a small bowl, set aside. Slice peaches into thin slices, no more than 1/4 inch thick. Toss together with the sugar mixture in a large bowl, making sure all slices are evenly coated.

Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly dust a sheet of wax paper with flour; place dough on top and lightly dust with flour.  Roll out the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.  Invert dough circle onto a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper. If desired, trim around edges of dough for a more even circle.  Spread maple cream filling over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange peach slices in concentric circles over cream. Fold edges of dough over peaches, crimping dough to enclose the edges. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until peaches are tender and crust has just turned barely golden. (Cover top with a sheet of foil if it begins to overbrown.) Remove; cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer (on parchment) to rack to cool completely.

When ready to serve, garnish galette slices with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, and drizzle with real maple syrup. Serves 8. Enjoy!

Adapted from here.

Note: You really need to use the maple flavoring in the cream filling, and not maple syrup. The maple flavoring is extremely concentrated, so it allows for a stronger flavor without all the liquid that maple syrup would have.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Weekend Glimpses

Some shots from the past couple weekends...

Trying to replicate some scrumptious Chicken Saltimbocca we had, almost perfect, just needs some finessing on the meat marinade. Also on the plate, roasted asparagus and new potatoes, and PW's burgundy mushrooms.

Flipping through my new copy of Decorate by Holly Becker (soooo good!) and showing off my momentary tattoo from Tattly.

Almond Pear Galette. Oh. my. goodness. Please make this, it's divine. 
I don't typically like almonds or pears, and I loved this.

Major milkglass score at a moving sale! I was tipped off to these beauties my my dad (I love that he remembered I collect milkglass!). 9 hobnail goblets, a set of 7 plates, a set of 2 plates, a large cream and sugar, a covered candy dish, another set of 2 plates, and a little square saucer... all for $40. Oh yeah.

Not pictured:
I have no clue. Seriously, I can't even remember what I did an hour ago. ICP has fried my brain.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Rifle Paper Co. Calendars

So remember when I used to post regularly? Those were the good ol' days. Now every minute of my waking hours are spent frantically crafting for ICP, working on ICP stuff, planning weddings, making party streamers, and eating cake. I have a million things I want to post about, but no time to do it. And a severe lack of motivation to edit all my recent photos. But I feel a little lonely not blogging, so I'm going to try to ease back into it, even if it's just something short and sweet.


These gorgeous new calendars by Rifle Paper Co. were just what I needed to get my blogging juju back. I mean, seriously, drool.  These are literally the calendars of my dreams, exactly what I have been waiting for my whole life. I'm definitely getting the botanical one, and maybe the poster style too. Maybe all three.