0 Pop Tart

Okay, it has been a LONG time, I am aware of this and I do apologize. On to what we came here to see.. My latest project of course! Okay, so every one knows what these are.. >HERE< if you don't recognize that you live under a rock. Here is my version =]

They didn't turn out wonderful, I'm not going to lie. It was my oops though and  it would've been fine if I had paid more attention. Here's what I used

Homemade jam from my friend Monica's garden/kitchen, and some leftover pie crust that i made a while back and had in the freezer for just such an occasion.

 I rolled out the dough

Cut out a shape, any shape really I just like stars..

YAY!

spread out the jam nice and thin across the shape

then roll out and cut another shape..

Line them up nice and neat like

I used a fork to crimp the edges

And poke some holes

Bake at 400F 15mins should be good but check it, I kind of forgot about it for like an hour.. (okay really I have no idea how long it was , it could have been 20mins-1hr) 

It totally oozed out everywhere and got all hard and candied, even the jam inside the crust was completely candied

Oops. Oh well. I'll try again some other time, I hope you have better luck. If this had worked out I had planned on topping it with a thin frosting. 

Happy Baking!

Enjoy! =]

2 Simple Easy Frosting

The simple, easy, go-to frosting for absolutely anything. 

I literally use this frosting for everything from cookies to cakes/cupcakes you name it, if you can put frosting on it you can use this. It's ready in about 10 seconds and is amazing every time. Basically it is this:

Powdered sugar, vanilla, milk and butter. That's it. of course you can add other things to it if need be, but we will get to that. 

Just mix together a tablespoon or two of softened butter, a cup of powdered sugar, a splash of milk(1-2T as needed) and some vanilla(to taste). The vanilla is optional, you can use just milk butter and powdered sugar to make an overly sweet paste that can be used for anything. You can add butter flavor for a really amazing but somewhat different taste. Some almond flavor makes it amazing. Coconut flavor can be added for a little beach-y taste. Food coloring is ALWAYS an option and comes in any color you can imagine these days, I even found some neon colors not too long ago...

And again anything from cookies..

To cakes..

To cupcakes..

Literally anything can be made better with frosting. Because this frosting is so simple and easy and has so many possible variations I'll go ahead and add that you can vary the texture of it and make it as runny or firm as you need it to be..

Of course the temperature of whatever you're frosting also plays its own role, hot things will make for runny frosting and cold things will make for much less dripage. 

Happy Baking!

Enjoy! =]

0 Sugar Cookies

I made these yesterday, I had an unexpected day off and figured that meant it was time to bake something, it feels like its been forever. I know it has been a LOOONG time since I've blogged any new baked stuffs but that's because most of the things I've baked recently have been things that I've blogged before like tiny pie. But I made sugar cookies. Here they are:

I should have flipped this picture but i didn't. Sorry. Anyway here's what goes into them:

Okay so 2 things, 1) check out the awesome jar I got for flour =] and 2) I didn't source this recipe because its a basic sugar cookie recipe and there are hundreds out there that all look the same, this one is no different. 

1 C softened butter

2/3 C sugar

Cream together. (you can add a shake or two of salt here but I never do)

1 egg

Beat the egg in really well

Add 1 T vanilla

2 1/2 C flour (sifted.. but I don't do that either usually)

Yes, this is good cookie dough..

It will need some attention, go ahead and knead it a little

I like to put down foil to make clean up a little easier, you will need to throw down some flour and flour your rolling pin

I decided this was a huge ball and needed to be worked in two parts

So roll it on out, get a big flat shape about 1/4in thick

No Hank, no crumbs for you 

This is after a little while in the fridge, its easier to work with cold, its more solid that way

I went with starts because 4th of July is Monday but you can use whatever shape you want 

Into the oven they go =]

They go in for 8-10 mins at 350F mine took the full 10mins

you'll want to take them out as soon as the edges start showing a little color

Can you see it?

They're decent but they're much better with frosting (which I will blog later)

The family really liked these, I made them yesterday and honestly I don't think there's any left. The frosting is simple I'll blog it tomorrow maybe, don't hold me to it but I've got the pictures all taken and edited and ready to go I just need to actually do it. 

Happy Baking!

Enjoy! =]

0 apron!

I made an apron you guys! Literally within like five hours of getting my sewing machine. Here's how it turned out:

I realize there is a giant mess behind me.. for the record, none of that is mine. This isn't even my room I had to go out in search of a decent mirror to take this picture in since there was no one around to take it for me =(

This is my adorable little sewing machine, I bought it online at like 1:30am on an impulse buy a few days ago and it just got here (okay so its taken me a few days to actually blog this, I apologize). I only paid like $17 for it including shipping here is a >LINK< to where I got it. Heads up though I think the price changes on it daily so don't hate me- it was $14.99 when I bought it. 

How cute is this? So here's the story: this material was at one point a skirt, almost a pencil type cut to it, it belonged to my little sister -->

(this picture is us at Christmas last year- 2010. No, she doesn't have a cool website or anything for me to link you to, sorry)

Anyway it was hers like forever ago and we recently went through a TON of old junk (because we moved) and got rid of a TON of junk, anyway, this skirt was among the piles and piles of clothes that we have outgrown (be it size or taste) and I demanded that she keep it because I like the fabric. She insisted on throwing it out because she would never wear it so I told her it didn't have to be a skirt and that she should make an apron out of it (she likes to cook- like real food and whatnot- weird right?) and she caved. A couple hours later she tried putting it back in the throw out pile and I caught her, she said she didn't know how to make it an apron so I took it from her and told her I would do it for her. This was back in like December. 

So I got my sewing machine and found the skirt and started taking out all the seams. This would've been much easier with a seam ripper - I now see why they invented them. 

Eventually I had a pile of nice neat fabric to work with

I started by folding the front panel of the skirt in half(ish) so make the bottom of the apron

Yes, those are roller set clips, sorry, I do hair, that's what I have lying around.. in literally every corner of everywhere (that or bobby pins- it's ridiculous)

I'll admit I was a little afraid of this thing to begin with, I'm mildly accident prone and all I could see when I looked at this thing was that needle going through one of my fingers.  After sewing a couple seams I'm pretty confident that its a fairly safe machine and I shouldn't be all that worried about it. 

I had some tension issues to begin with but I got it all sorted out in the end

I cut out and hemmed a piece to make the top of the apron from one of the two back skirt panels and attached it to the bottom portion

*disclosure* I didn't measure any of this- sorry, I just kind of held it up to myself and eyed it, my sister is pretty close to the same size as me so I went with it

I rolled up an edge of the other back panel, sewed it and cut it off to make one of the ties then decided that I was left with an exposed edge and needed to change my tactics a little bit

So for the rest I cut a strip and folded the edges inward then sewed it together and I was much happier with these results, I attached them where they needed to go and voila!

Houston we have apron. 

I didn't add any pockets and I don't think I will, I thought about and debated it for a while when I was making it but decided that the purpose is to keep her clothes from getting stained while shes playing in the kitchen and she didn't need a pocket for that. 

Enjoy! =]