Another Turkey

Okay this one isn't so great. But I made it in an hour. I didn't have much time to work on him. But he was a practice "bake" for the coming attraction. I had some inlaws heading away for the holiday and invited them over for "Thanksgiving" dinner. Actually we had homemade pizza and then a turkey for dessert. He was a yellow cake, simply covered in frosting and fondant.

Here's how I made him:

I took a cone shaped cake pan, cut the side flat and then frosted him. I'm planning to put some more time into making him better and embellishing the feathers for Thanksgiving but he was fun. I also had to use what I had on hand but I plan to have some orange and red fondant for the next go-around. I used bamboo shish kabob sticks covered in fondant to make the feathers.

Homemade Scarf with Homemade Buttons

I knitted this scarf and my husband took a seashell we'd found at the beach and turned it into a button for me. He drilled the center and inserted a metal "finding" to close one end. Here it is.

See how easy it is to use things you find laying around.

Shepherd's Pie

This is a super simple way to use up left over meat and mashed potatoes.

I had a left over Swiss Steak (which is a cheap piece of beef.) But having grown up poor, I couldn't let it go to waste. This is what I did. I chopped up the steak and thickened the left over sauce (which was tomato paste and tomato sauce) with flour. Then I made a pastry dough and laid the dough out in my well-oiled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, which was my great grandmother's (seriously) we value food and good quality cooking utensils in my family. Then I filled the first layer with mashed potatoes, the next level was Tillamook Cheddar Cheese (Tillamook is the best in the world-in my opinion), then I put in a layer of sauce and meat (which I had cubed into bite-size pieces) then I added a scoop of sour cream and another layer of cheese. I pushed broccoli crowns down into the mix. Then I put the dough on the top and sprinkled it with seasoned bread crumbs. then I put the lid on and baked the pie for about 45 minutes, on 375 degrees. My oven cooks fast so it may take longer in a different oven. Then for the last ten to fifteen minutes, I poured a couple of tablespoons of melted butter over the top and broiled the pie - with the lid off to brown the top. I like my food a little crispy/crunchy but you could cook it until it suits you and your taste.

INGREDIENTS FOR SHEPHERD'S PIE:

1 Cup of left over meat (in a sauce-whatever sauce you like, mine was tomato paste and tomato sauce, thickened with about 1/2 cup of flour)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups of broccoli
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 cups of mashed potatos

PASTRY DOUGH

1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cube of butter
1/2 cup water
1 large egg

Blend all the ingredients together until it forms into a ball then roll it out on a cutting board and shape to fit your Dutch Oven, baking pan, or dish.

I like the Dutch Oven because you can cover it and it forms into a pie naturally.

If you try it, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy Baking!

What a TURKEY

I love to bake. It's been something I've enjoyed since I was a little girl (that's one reason I run all the frigging time). I used to come up with some of the weirdest concoctions you ever saw, like black cookies - they were supposed to be purple - I loved the color even then - but somehow they came out black and they weren't even burnt. Luckily, I had hungry brothers hanging around the house and they ate even my major failures. And that was one Baking Fail! Todd said, "Who cares what it looks like? It tastes good." He might have been being kind or too hungry to know the truth.

So, when my kids were little I used them as my guinea pigs - just ask 'em they'll tell you. I tortured them with food that wasn't fairly fit for human consumption, like my no bake-crepes...yeah, go figure. Or my tortilla roll-ups. Not a pretty sight. When I said I was testing a new recipe they looked kind of like this little guy: SCARED!

But I think he came out cute.

Here's how I made him. First I baked the cupcakes.

What You'll Need:

Cupcakes
Candy Corn
Red gum drops
Frosting - brown would be best
fondant - brown
little eyes (you can buy them or make them out of fondant)

Then all you do is roll the fondant head into a ball plop in the eyes, cut up the candy corn for the beak and the gum drop for the snood (yet that's the red flap that hangs over the beak - the snood).

Then simply cut a circle of fondant to go over the top of the cupcake (glue it down with the brown frosting) and glue the head onto the cupcake using more brown frosting. Stab the candy corn into the butt - and WAH-LAH your miniature Thanksgiving Turkeys for that feasting day. (Tip: Glue the candy corn in by adding a dab of frosting to the point you stab into the butt).

Hope you all have a yumderful thanksgiving!

Homemade Candy for the Holidays

This is a simple fun way to make a handy little snack for the holidays.

Ingredients:

Candy Canes
Marshmallows
Chocolate
Sprinkles
Cinnamon

(You will need little baking cups and sticks) Use wax paper - for easy clean up.

Simply melt your chocolate, stab your little sticks into the marshmallows and dip them in the chocolate (you can also dip Candy Canes), then add your favorite sprinkles or edible glitter for an easy treat. Set the treats on wax paper to dry (refrigerate for quicker setting.)

Ready to serve.

This is a Super EZ treat that kids can make-they just need to be supervised with the hot chocolate.

PitchWars

I don't know about you but I love Cupcake Wars, Extreme Cake Challenge and even Halloween Wars. And, if you like those Wars and Challenges, you'll love Pitch Wars.

Just hop on over to Twitter and use hashtag #Pitchwars and join in Thursday.

This is for writers everywhere, a major opportunity is coming Thursday. It will include a chance to work with a mentor to help get your pitch perfect for agents.

I don't have all the details. Just check it out over on Twitter using hashtag: #PitchWars

And, Good LUCK to everyone who joins in and plays along. 

SCBWI-OR Holiday Sketch and Schmooze

November 17th, 10:30 a.m. -  1 p.m. - Vancouver

→Clark County Children's Writers and Illustrators

Friendship, support, information, inspiration…Whether you’ve never written or illustrated a story or have been published several times, you’ll find something to gain by attending the Clark County SCBWI Schmooze.
The aim of our schmooze is to be a forum for sharing and learning, a source of inspiration throughout the year. Come and bring a friend with you!
Our next schmooze is scheduled for Saturday, November 17th at 10:30 a.m. at the Cascade Park Library – 600 NE 136^th Ave. Vancouver, WA. 98664. We will meet in the Community Room. 

If you'd like more info, check it out here.