Ok ladies, I have gone through, eliminated all double posts, and discounted posts after 11:59 pm last night. And I have a winner!!! Are you excited??!! I sure am!! Ok, here we go....from Random.org, here's what came up....
True Random Number ServiceRandom Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
96
Timestamp: 2010-01-31 20:27:42 UTC
Ok....now to go count! LOL! I'll be right back.....
Drum roll please....... THE WINNER IS........
Pam L!!!!
Pam L. said...
400 Followers! amazing. I am thrilled with my 66!LOL! I can't even imagine that many! Congrats.That tells me that you are already giving to your readers by posting your wonderful cards and projects. Thanks for sharing your talent and sweet personality with us!It's so generous of you to offer all of these wonderful crafting goodies!
Hugs,
Pam
January 11, 2010 4:34 PM
CONGRATS PAM!!!! Please email me your address so I can get all your goodies out to you. Also, please go over to The Cutting Cafe' and pick out which stamp set you would like to have, and then go to Peggy Loves Vintage and pick out your three sets of cut outs that you would like, and let me know!
A huge thank you to everyone that played along. Thank you so much for all your kind words and support! You are appreciated more than you will EVER know!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! Big hugs!
The Golden Globe Winners (we're talking fashion here)
Diane Kruger in Christian Lacroix (she can do no wrong)
Dew Barrymore in Atelier Versace (her colors palette's a winner)
January Jones in Lanvin (brilliant details on the collar, really)
Julia Roberts in vintage Yves Saint Laurent (I don't really think this a good choice for the Golden Globes, but I can't ignore vintage YSL)
Amy Adams in Carolina Herrea (how to look fabulous with a preggie tummy)
Marion Cotillard in Christan Dior ( I uber love this girl by the way...stayed tuned for a post dedicated to her)
Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent (way to go!)
Tom Ford in...Tom Ford, and Julianne Moore in Balenciaga (I dig the contrast of dress and jewels)
Chloe Sevigny in Valentino (I'm actually not sure about this one, it's more like reflex action cus I always love what she wears)And by the way, I'm a fan of those who carried their own umbrella.
Flavor-of-the-Month . . . Amaretto Madeleines
Welcome to Flavor-of-the-Month, boozy edition!
My favorite drink in the whole wide world is an Amaretto Sour. Even though I'm too lazy to make them very often, I try to keep a bottle of Amaretto in the house at all times, just in case. So, when contemplating Boozy Edition, it was calling to me.
Take a look at this Amaretto I found. Read the label...
"Made by infusion of...cookies!!!" Now, this is my kind of liqueur!
Madeleines are, to me, like a combination of cookie and cake...how can that be wrong? And did anyone else read the Madeleine books growing up? I loved those books and making these made me think of...
"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines,
lived twelve little girls in two straight lines..."
lived twelve little girls in two straight lines..."
Amaretto Madeleines with Amaretto-Vanilla Bean Glaze
(makes 22 madeleines)
10 TBSP unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2/3 c sugar
1/2 salt
3 eggs, room temp.
2 tsp Amaretto
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 c flour, sifted
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Simmer gently until the butter deepens slightly and there are small flecks of brown in the butter, about 5 minutes.
{Browning butter always makes me nervous!}
Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Beat the sugar, salt and eggs several minutes until they are light yellow and thickened. Stir in the Amaretto and vanilla bean paste.
Gently fold in the flour and butter in 3 additions each, alternating between the two. Refrigerate the batter for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375. Brush the madeleine pan with melted butter.
Fill the pans with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough per cookie. Bake 12 minutes until the edges are light brown.
Let cool in the pan 5 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
If making these in 2 batches, let the pan cool completely. Wipe out the cookie molds and re-coat with melted butter.
Amaretto-Vanilla Bean Glaze
1 & 1/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
3 TBSP whole milk (or whatever you have on hand, lower fat will make a thinner glaze)
2 TBSP Amaretto
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Whisk to combine all of the ingredients.
Place the madeleines on a cooling rack placed on a cookie sheet. (This will catch the glaze and make for easier clean-up.)
Spoon glaze over the cooled cookies.
Flavor-of-the-Month February will be CHOCOLATE!!! Oh, I can't wait!!!
♥Reminder: when linking up, please link to your blog post only...not your blog's main page. These links will be removed. If you're not sure how to do that, click here.♥
Want to check out our past FOTM's? Click here! It's a great way to find new blogs to love!
Link away! (Linky will close the evening of February 3rd to discourage spammers.)
Peggy Loves Vintage contest!
Have you been wanting to try some images from Peggy Loves Vintage?? Well, nows your chance to win some free images! Just visit Peggy's blog and get the free image of this beautiful vintage heart (make sure you click on the heart first before you save it so you get it at full size). Then make a project with it and post a link on Peggy's blog (or email her a pic) before February 12th, and you could win 2 sets of cutouts from Peggy's store!! Fun stuff!!!! So hurry on over there and get your free image, and I can't wait to see what you come up with!
I printed the image out twice, once on kraft paper for the dark background, and once on white Bazzill so I could have the brighter pink heart in the center. I cut out the brighter pink heart, stamped it, and then popped it up from the background image after using a little chalk ink around the edges. It's also for sale in my etsy shop. Link is on my side bar.
Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon!! Hugs!!
recipe:
image - Peggy Loves Vintage
paper - DP - Fancy Pants Letters of Love; kraft paper, Bazzill cardstock
tools: heart Nestabilities, Bow Easy
Misc: pink rhinestones, silk ribbon, charm, machine stitching, stickles, dimensional tape
I printed the image out twice, once on kraft paper for the dark background, and once on white Bazzill so I could have the brighter pink heart in the center. I cut out the brighter pink heart, stamped it, and then popped it up from the background image after using a little chalk ink around the edges. It's also for sale in my etsy shop. Link is on my side bar.
Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon!! Hugs!!
recipe:
image - Peggy Loves Vintage
paper - DP - Fancy Pants Letters of Love; kraft paper, Bazzill cardstock
tools: heart Nestabilities, Bow Easy
Misc: pink rhinestones, silk ribbon, charm, machine stitching, stickles, dimensional tape
It's Friday Night...
While I can't believe it is already over, this week has definitely been one of those I'm glad to see end. I am sitting here drinking a cup of coffee and taking a moment to breathe, but I really need to start packing; this weekend, I am heading to Kentucky to see my best friend from college and celebrate her little girl's 1st birthday.
Noe Dewitt
There is nothing quite like catching up with an old friend in person, and I can't wait for my feet to hit that snowy ground. I hope you also have something planned for this weekend that you're looking forward to doing, even if it is simply doing nothing at all.
How to ruin a Bottega Veneta dress...
...let Sandra Bullock wear it.No offense to her, it's just that this is the second time she ruins a dress I'm a fan of.
(see her wearing Lanvin).
Source: style.com
Wags 'n Whiskers - brown, blue, and white!
We made it to Friday! YAY! :) And that means it's time for a new Wags 'n Whiskers challenge. This weeks challenge is from the fabulous Inge, and it's to use the colors brown, blue, and white on your project. I love this color combo, and chose to use the stamp Bear Hug. I used several different shades of brown, including that beautiful taupe silk ribbon. It comes across a little pinkish in the photo. She's colored with Copic markers, and I honestly have to say that I love this stamp so much!! This card is for someone that is really having a tough time right now, and I'm truly hoping it will make her feel a little better.
The flowers were cut with my Cricut and Gypsy from the Paisley cart with some chalk ink around the edges. I just cut circles out for the centers and topped them off with a bow made from twine from PTI. That fabulous teddy bear charm hanging from the bow is from Lacey over at Stamp and Create! Isn't it adorable??!! The hearts were cut with Nestabilities and then popped up for a little dimension. DP is Webster's pages and cardstock is Bazzill. Please do yourself a huge favor and visit Wags 'n Whiskers. The Divas have really created some amazing eye candy for you this week (they do every week!). These ladies are seriously talented!!! And then we'd love it if you'd play along with us! If you use your Wags 'n Whiskers stamp, you'll be entered for a chance to win a WnW stamp of your choice! Thanks so much for visiting me today, and hope to see you back again soon!! Big hugs!!
The Game of Love
I just love hearing about couples getting engaged...don't you? Just the thought of a new marriage, a new family...and well, the wedding cake, makes me turn to mush.
My cousin Meg got engaged last month...yay! Now, I have 9 younger cousins...just on one side of the family. Hearing about their engagements is always exciting, but this one was especially thrilling because I've actually gotten a chance to get to know her *now* fiance....and he is such GREAT GUY!
{ok, first...how adorable are they?!?}
♥Meg is about 12 years younger than I am. She used to write to me in college...telling me about how she would get up before school to do "Mousercise" (Mickey Mouse jazzercise) and writing out songs she had composed....at age 7! (As I remember, there were a lot of "Ooo, baby's" in the lyrics!) I think she is the most stylish person I know!
♥Sean was the first person my son ever met who owned an iPhone. And he let him PLAY WITH IT...that promoted him to "cool" right there. He plays guitar and sings and...Sean is also a SCRABBLE Champion. And that's where the cookies come in.
{Seriously, now...don't you think the "blank" tile in Scrabble should be a heart ♥? I can picture it now....Scrabble, the Valentine Edition...a pink and red board with little heart tiles. *I* would buy one!}
The cookies:
My original thought (a year and a half ago when I met Sean and had a feeling this day was coming) was to make a cookie Scrabble board. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get it to look quite right, so I made Scrabble cookie tiles.
Using my bench scraper, I divided square cookies into fourths.
I jazzed up my usual cookie recipe with 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste in place of the 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Since they were smaller, I cut the baking time down by 2 minutes.
To decorate:
♥Outline each cookie with a #2 tip in ivory (AmeriColor Ivory).
♥Thin the royal icing with water, stirring in a teaspoon at a time until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for several minutes.
♥Stir gently with a rubber spatula to pop any air bubbles that have formed on the top and transfer to a squeeze bottle.
♥Fill in the cookies with the thinned icing. Use a toothpick to guide into the corners.
♥Let sit for at least 1 hour.
♥Using a #2 tip pipe the letters in black icing (AmeriColor Super Black).
{I tried to get as close the the Scrabble letters as possible.}
♥Switch to a #1 tip and add the point value for the letters in the corners.
♥With red icing and a #3 tip, pipe hearts on several of the cookies.
♥Let dry overnight and package.
{Wouldn't these be darling for Valentine's Day?}
Congratulations & best wishes Meg & Sean! Here's to a ♥sweet♥ life together! Cheers!
Related posts:
♥Yes, I said Yes! Engagement Cookies
♥For June Brides...
♥Valentine Cookies with va-va-va-vanilla
*updated...thank you all so much for your sweet comments, emails and tweets about my Nana, Marge. they meant so much to me!*
Chocolate Sorbet- Vegan and Dairy-Free
 |
| Rich chocolate sorbet- without dairy. Pass the spoon. |
Two trends are sneaking in to recipe searches this week. The first? Super bowl recipes. You know, guy-style chicken chili and Crock-Pot crowd pleasers. Party food for the Big Game. Guacamole and hummus. Nachos. The second trend is a search closer to my own heart and its tender sensibilities. You may have already guessed it. Because you, Wonderful Reader, are smart, savvy and, well. Let's just gush a minute with appreciation. You are downright fabulous (with impeccable taste and discernment, I might add).
The second big trend is a search for romantic recipes and Valentine's Day inspiration. You're not surprised, are you? (See, I knew you were brilliant).
I'd much rather conjure up chocolate recipes than beans and burgers. Sexy food is more interesting than AstroTurf and lines of scrimmage and backfields in motion. And what the Hail Mary is a down, anyway? First down, fourth down. All these downs and off sides. It makes my head spin.
Three Clovers Designs with High Hopes stamps!
Happy Friday Eve everyone!! YAY!! Isn't it so sad that I just live for the weekends? LOL! Well....that and vacations! (smile) It's time for a new challenge from Kerry over at Three Clovers Designs. The challenge is to use at least two images on your project, and words don't count!! I used these adorable new High Hopes stamps that I got from Lacey over at Stamp and Create! Have you heard that Dustin Pike is their newest artist? How exciting is that?! I fell in love with these aliens and had to have them. So I used the two different aliens, Chuck and Quentin, and the cute space post sign, and they're colored with Copic markers. The sentiment was printed off from my computer onto the sign. Chuck photographed really red, but he's actually orange in person. The grass was just drawn in with my Copic multi-liner.
The stars, scalloped frame, and photo corners were all cut out with the Cricut using my Gypsy that I got from Hallmark Scrapbook. That's it for today! Please be sure and pop over to Three Clovers Thursdays to see the rest of the fabulous projects from the DT. And then we'd love it if you'd play along with us! Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! Hugs!
I also entered this in High Hopes challenge this week for a project using three High Hopes Stamps! Wish me luck! Hugs!
recipe:
images: High Hopes from Stamp and Create
papers - DP unknown from scrap pile; cardstock is Bazzill
Tools: Cricut Expression with Storybook, Plantin Schoolbook, and Jasmine carts
misc: computer generated sentiment, dimensional tajpe
In Memory of Marge . . .
When my uncle's call came yesterday, it wasn't a surprise. My grandmother had been sick with Alzheimer's and lung cancer for a while now. Almost ten years after we lost my mom, Nana is joining her and my grandfather....wouldn't that be cool if they greeted her with a Goldie's Hamburger? ;)
My Nana's picture just might be in your dictionary under the word "character." She went to mass every morning and her favorite word was "sh@#." {That's the truth.} She was the craziest dancer at every wedding (though, my Uncle Mike & my sister are running neck & neck for that title now).
She was in the Women's Army Corps in WWII and she and my papa got engaged at Pat O'Briens in New Orleans. {No wonder I like those Hurricanes so much!}
{Here we are in 1979. Nana had that same hair-do for 40 years. I'm on the left. Knee socks & sandals were high fashion apparently.}
Now, to me, Marge wasn't known as a cook or a baker. I remember her with a crochet hook in her hand rather than in the kitchen. But every time we visited, there were always two cream pies in the fridge...always chocolate and either lemon or coconut. She was famous for her "macaroni & meat" (pasta, tomato sauce and ground beef....totally kid heaven) and made a mean whiskey sour.
So, I made a Chocolate Cream Pie in her honor.
Chocolate Cream Pie
{Recipe modified from Food & Wine magazine}
6 ounces, about 1 & 1/2 c. Oreos (just the wafer part), or chocolate wafer cookies
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°.
Using a food processor, finely grind the Oreo cookies (not the creamy centers...do with them what you will).
In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs with the sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Pour the mixture into a 9-inch glass pie dish and press evenly over the bottom and up the side of the dish to form a crust. Bake for 8 minutes, until the crust is fragrant.
Remove from the oven and, using the bottom of a drinking glass, immediately press the crumbs again to compact the crust. (brilliant idea from F&W!) Let cool completely.
make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with 1/4 cup of the sugar until bubbles form around the edge. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture.
Pour into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate until smooth. Strain the chocolate filling into the pie crust through a coarse sieve (this does not work with a fine sieve, I tried!) and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pie filling and refrigerate for 3 hours, until chilled.
Nana...we will miss you. The dance floor at the next family wedding won't be the same without you. And, I'll think of you the next time I say, "sh@#"...it shouldn't be long.
{Works for Me Wednesday and the "troubleshooting" post will be back next week.}
{This is Nana with my mom, 1945.}
My Nana's picture just might be in your dictionary under the word "character." She went to mass every morning and her favorite word was "sh@#." {That's the truth.} She was the craziest dancer at every wedding (though, my Uncle Mike & my sister are running neck & neck for that title now).
{This was always the picture I would stare at when I visited. I love this picture!}
She was in the Women's Army Corps in WWII and she and my papa got engaged at Pat O'Briens in New Orleans. {No wonder I like those Hurricanes so much!}
{Here we are in 1979. Nana had that same hair-do for 40 years. I'm on the left. Knee socks & sandals were high fashion apparently.}
Now, to me, Marge wasn't known as a cook or a baker. I remember her with a crochet hook in her hand rather than in the kitchen. But every time we visited, there were always two cream pies in the fridge...always chocolate and either lemon or coconut. She was famous for her "macaroni & meat" (pasta, tomato sauce and ground beef....totally kid heaven) and made a mean whiskey sour.
So, I made a Chocolate Cream Pie in her honor.
Chocolate Cream Pie
{Recipe modified from Food & Wine magazine}
6 ounces, about 1 & 1/2 c. Oreos (just the wafer part), or chocolate wafer cookies
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°.
Using a food processor, finely grind the Oreo cookies (not the creamy centers...do with them what you will).
In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs with the sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Pour the mixture into a 9-inch glass pie dish and press evenly over the bottom and up the side of the dish to form a crust. Bake for 8 minutes, until the crust is fragrant.
Remove from the oven and, using the bottom of a drinking glass, immediately press the crumbs again to compact the crust. (brilliant idea from F&W!) Let cool completely.
make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with 1/4 cup of the sugar until bubbles form around the edge. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture.
Pour into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate until smooth. Strain the chocolate filling into the pie crust through a coarse sieve (this does not work with a fine sieve, I tried!) and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pie filling and refrigerate for 3 hours, until chilled.
{Nana made this ♥ doily!}
Let the pie stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the vanilla until firm. Spread the whipped cream over the pie, cut into wedges and serve, garnished with chocolate shavings, if desired.Nana...we will miss you. The dance floor at the next family wedding won't be the same without you. And, I'll think of you the next time I say, "sh@#"...it shouldn't be long.
{Works for Me Wednesday and the "troubleshooting" post will be back next week.}
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