yummy shortbread cookies

Yes, this is what I am enjoying at the moment. Along with a cup of homemade soy dark hot chocolate and a fire crackling in the fireplace (courtesy of my homemade java log, see previous post).

Made shortbread cookies for the first time ever today!! And they turned out pretty good, if I may say so myself. :) Shortbread cookies are a common joy in the home where I grew up, and they are my dad's favorite type of cookie.

Here's the recipe I used:

Maraner's Shortbreads

1 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp white sugar
1 small egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter with sugars; add egg and vanilla. Blend in flour. Fashion into balls; flatten with cookie stamp on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Super easy, huh? Got this recipe from my Grandma who also gave me some Maraner's stoneware cookie stamps, which are adorable! They kinda worked out for this batch, as you can see, but I think next time I will refrigerate the dough, then stamp it, and it will probably hold the mold a little better during baking.

Here are some more pictures of the little tasties:

And a picture of the cookie stamps... I bet a person with access to clay and a kiln could make their own!

And proof that I ate... a few. :)

Give them a shot... and let me know how it went! Mess was minimal and they didn't take a whole ton of effort. Enjoy!

diy fire-starter log

Alright, I know. It's been a while. I got busy with work... and had no time for creativity. :(

But... good news! I was able to test out a project I pinned on pinterest a while ago and never actually tried (mostly 'cause I was building up supplies).

Here's the "instructable" I pinned, and I have posted my results below.

 http://www.instructables.com/id/Java-Fire-Log-In-A-Used-Paper-Coffee-Cup/

As stated in the comments posted in the instructable, you need to be careful and keep checking the cup to make sure you do not get a wax fire in your microwave. I actually did not need to completely melt my wax, as I stirred it with a stick to mix with the coffee grounds, it melted eventually on it's own. I used old candle wax. Also, I used brown sugar instead of molasses and it appeared to work just fine. Oh, and I didn't press it down, I figured with the amount of wax I used it would hold together nicely. My coffee grounds were dried in the oven on a cookie sheet and placed into a gallon ziploc bag awaiting my creation of a java log. :)

Here's my "java log":

I decided to make mine a little smaller (my mix filled this 12 oz cup a little over halfway) because I want to use mine as a fire-starter for my fireplace, because I had a particularly difficult batch of firewood that did not want to start.

Here it is just lit:

And getting going...

The java log lasted for about 45 minutes or an hour, and lit the wood up very nicely. Didn't have to do a thing except take 5 seconds and light the paper cup. Will definitely be making more of these... so easy to start a fire. :) Obviously, do not cook over the wax... don't want your food tasting like waxy coffee. :)

In the comments on the original link, someone suggested filling up egg carton slots with the mix and cutting them apart to make little starters. I wonder if this would be better suited for a fireplace...?

From-Scratch Banana Bread

So, about a week and a half ago, I purchased some bananas at the local grocery store. I stuck them in the fridge and... forgot about them. Completely. Which is not normal, because I enjoy eating bananas and I have been on somewhat of a fruit craving for the past few weeks.

Anyway, my forgotten bananas turned a nice shade of brown. Opening the fridge and spotting them, I decided that now is the perfect chance for me to learn how to make banana bread completely from scratch. Besides, I haven't done a food experiment for a while now, and it's about time I do one.

I got out my trusty cookbook that my esteemed cook of a grandmother gave to me and went in search of a banana bread recipe that looked easy and didn't require me to run out and buy any odd ingredients.

I came across this recipe, complete with a note written by my grandma saying it was a good banana bread recipe. And everyone in my family knows that when my grandma says a recipe is good... that means it truly is GOOD (and in turn, if she says it's bad... don't even think about attempting it, you'll only be wasting your time).

Here are some pictures from my attempt:

All of the necessary ingredients all together. However, I ended up not using chocolate chips (even though I dearly love them in banana bread). I was intending to make 2 pans, one plain, for a friend, and one with chocolate chips, for me to share with another friend. It ended up being that 2 of my 5 bananas were moldy, so I had to throw them away. Had they not been so, I would have had enough mashed bananas to make 2 pans. So I settled for 1 pan of plain.

The first three ingredients in... no turning back now!

All ready to be poured into the pan....

Making a mess of my stove area. But it's good fun anyway. :)

In the oven. I had to switch it to the top rack halfway through though, because the bread got really tall and I was concerned about it touching the top rack and getting all burnt or something.

Timer's set.

End result. It looks pretty tasty! When it had about 10 minutes to go, I brushed some egg white and sprinkled sugar on top for a sweet crunchy shiny top. This isn't in the recipe. I didn't have any toothpicks, but I stuck a fork in to see if it was done. A chunk of the top came off when I pulled the fork out, and I munched on it to see how it was. Pretty good! Can't wait to have a big piece of it!!

Here's the recipe:

1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (I used vanilla soymilk, cause that's all I had)
3 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I omitted the nuts... mostly cause I'm not a huge fan and I didn't have any on hand)
You could add chocolate chips. I am going to next time. :)
1 cup mashed bananas

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Mix sugar, shortening and egg thoroughly. Stir in milk. Measure flour by dip-level-pour method or by sifting (I didn't know what that meant exactly so I just didn't pack it down, and dumped it in). Blend dry ingredients; stir in. Blend in nuts. (I added the mashed banana at this point). Bake 60-70 mins, or until toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Crack in top of loaf is characteristic. Cool thoroughly before slicing with a thin, sharp knife.

I will let you all know how it tastes!

DIY Lens Pouches

Hello friends!

I'm sure in my previous blog post, you all saw my new DIY camera bag! I'm sure you all have been wondering what the fancy cloth pouches were inside the bag.

They are my newly created fancy lens pouches! I made them to keep my lenses from getting scuffed up, dusty and keep them generally scratch-resistant while they are being stored or carried around.

As always, the material was purchased at the local thrift store. The nylon cord I purchased from a craft store. I burnt the ends with a lighter to keep them from fraying. Woohoo!

This guy really helped speed up the process and keep stitches even... cause my sewing is not stellar (thanks, Grandma!!).

Here are a few pictures from the endeavor:

For my 50mm f1.8 prime with lens hood attached:

And for my 100-300mm f3.5-5.6 USM discontinued lens:

The third one you see in the very first picture, the brown one with the tiny white dots is the one I made for my 28-200mm superzoom f3.5-5.6 USM lens that I was currently using to take the pictures.

I am currently thinking about making another one of these, a little larger, to hold my camera + an attached lens for times when it's not in use, as kind of a dust-and-scuff-protection. Hmm... which fabric to use? I'm kind of leaning toward the brown with the tiny white dots, the same pattern I used for the superzoom lens.

DIY Fashion Designer Camera Bag

Oh. My. Goodness.

I have been so excited to share this cool DIY project with you all!

So, for the longest time I have been desperately wanting a Kelly Moore camera bag. You know, those fancy fashion purse-y bags that don't look ugly and dull like the normal camera bag (you can see Kelly Moore camera bags HERE). The particular look I wanted was THIS ONE, but the downside was that it wasn't big enough to hold my gear. The one that was big enough was about $250, and didn't look as cool in my opinion.

Let's face it... I'm thrifty. I don't like spending unnecessary dollars. Purchasing a camera bag for the sake of looking pretty at $250 plus shipping when I already had a fully-functional, yet very dull and ugly bag just couldn't be justified.

I knew what I had to do: make one myself.

I set out on the search for a good DIY tutorial starting point. HERE is the best one I found.

Using this tutorial, I was finally able to make my beautiful bag! And I am more than satisfied. I have the look I wanted, and a size large enough to hold all of my gear. :) Here are some photos of the process and finished product:

My sewing skills are terrifying, but it didn't matter. I tried to put one side of velcro on the panels, hoping it would stick to the flannel, but the velcro didn't. So right now, my divider panels are free-floating. It seems to be working out fine that way, so I am probably going to keep them that way. My camera fits on top in the empty section. I'm hoping I can get some better pictures tomorrow while I'm out on a couple of photo shoots. :) The whole thing took me probably about 4 hours to do.

**update** Took some fancy photos using a friend of mine as a model. Yay!

10 Essentials for Every Kitchen

I come from a long line of kitchen gadget lovers. In fact, if you snoop around my grandma's kitchen, she has gadgets that don't even belong in a kitchen. However, if you ask her why it's there, she will give you a quick explanation of the handy way she uses it in the kitchen along with the highly (non)technical term she has dubbed for it.

Anyway, I have a few essential gadgets for my kitchen. Things I couldn't live without if I did not have them.

A good kitchen timer. It's good to have a timer that is accurate and loud. Yeah, sure, you can use your phone, but what happens when you leave it in the next room? Or it dies? That's why I like to have a separate timer. I love my little chicken.

A small whisk. Always comes in handy when you're mixing a small batch of something in a small bowl. Also, you don't have to get your big whisk dirty if you use the small one and you need the big one at the same time.

A small sift. Has multiple uses. You can strain things, drain things, and sift to your heart's desire.

A dough cutter. I love mine. I use it every time I need to make pie crust, and it works wonders. Everyone always asks why my pie crust is so great. Well, crisco and a dough cutter.

A grippy thing. No, I don't know the correct term, but I do know that it is beyond all handyness. I use it all the time when I'm trying to get a jar open and there aren't any men around.

A magnetic fridge clip. Holds recipes, important papers and shopping lists right in front where I will see them and remember them. I use mine all the time. In fact, I need to buy some more.

Ok, I have no idea what this is called. I got it as a gift from my grandma for Christmas and it has worked wonders on my dirty dishes. It scrapes off stuck on food like nobody's business. I don't own a dishwasher, so I burn calories by washing dishes. This helps. A lot.

A small sink dish. I use mine to dry out sponges and hold rings while I wash dishes.

A good solid pair of kitchen scissors. This awesome pair (Chicago Cutlery) come apart for easy cleanup. They've also got a couple of really cool gadgets built in.

A baked potato bag. This handy little kitchen gadget bakes fluffy, hot potatoes in your microwave in minutes. This is great for hot days when you don't want to heat the oven up, or for when you want a baked potato and don't want to wait an hour for the potato to bake. The cool part? It can cook up to 4 potatos in your microwave. Just clean them off, put them in the bag, and there you go!




Those are my essential kitchen gadgets, what are yours?