Crafty: gobbler magnet

Rainy days and crafts go hand-in-hand...and blog posts! 

Journie and I ventured out in the "crappy" weather ( if you are two the rain happens to be the coolest) 

for art supplies and chicken tenders and returned home to make our thanksgiving turkey--sans stuffing. 

Ingredients:

construction paper 

glitter glue 

two hands 

markers 

feathers 

glue 

tape 

magnets 

googly eyes 

fuzzy wire

Directions: have at it!

The googly eyes were such a big hit  

 I think I'm going to have to always keep them handy!

Picasso- like, no?

Halloween-y

(m and m's for meee??)

happy tricky treating!

Compartir

Spending the whole day packing- enjoy this rainy day jam!

23. Peach and Blackberry UpsideDown Cobbler

I've come to appreciate this fall like weather quite a bit so to kick off the start of the season JJ and I made a trip to Cedarburg, WI. We did a little antiquing, smelled some pumpkin spiced candles, had hot apple cider and wore sweaters...too early you say? I think not, especially considering that fall happens to be one of the shortest seasons and one of the BEST!

 I also found some time to make a cobbler with fruit the summer brought that just so happened to be fall-colorfilled. I took this recipe from Guilty Kitchen- A hearty whole wheat crust infused with thyme, filled with peach wedges and whole blackberries-- definitely a favorite!

Peach and Blackberry Upside Down Cobbler

Yield: 10-12 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

For the Filling:
2 cups fresh blackberries
3 peaches, pitted and sliced into wedges
1/2 cup suagr
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

1. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, blackberries and sugar. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Drain the juices from the fruit through a colander into a small saucepan. Stir the lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla and salt into the juices.
3. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, turn to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until thickened.
4. Return juices to fruit and toss to combine. Set aside.

For the Biscuit Dough:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown butter, cold and cubed**
3/4 cup buttermilk

**How to make brown butter: In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium high. Allow to come to a boil, but do not stir. Swirl the butter around every minute or so. When the butter begins to foam up and there is a nutty smell and a brown tinge to the butter, remove from heat and cool in refrigerator.

1. In a large bowl, stir all dry ingredients to combine.
2. Cut in the cold brown butter with a pastry cutter until small crumbs form.
3.  Pour in the buttermilk and stir until a dough is formed. Do not over mix. Pat the dough into a WELL greased 9″ cast iron pan, making sure to push the dough up the sides about halfway (it will rise a bit).

4. Pour fruit over crust and top with crumble topping (recipe follows).

For the Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter and sugar together in a small bowl. Add flour, oats and vanilla and mix well.
2. Using your fingertips, break the mixture apart into the top of the cobbler.
3. Bake in a 375°F oven for 50-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature and serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

-recipe taken from Guilty Kitchen!!

 

Happy Fall!

fall(ing)

dylan cover

A friend of mine told me about this bluesy duo from Colorado- The Wood Brothers. I liked them right off the bat and then I extra liked them when I saw they covered one of my favorite Dylan songs!

Here is the same song covered again at a show I was fortunate enough to attend--Beautifully done. 

note: Kris is perfect for curling up on a chair with a brand new blanket sipping Jamo on the rocks and smoking cigarettes in a dimly lit room with Aveda candles going- right before bed.


post baby note: Kris is perfect for- background music when reading your toddler potty books before bed- also good for scratching backs and rocking while sipping on chocolate milk

Squash2Ways

I'm proud to be from WISCONSIN- that's right I like my beer, I love my cheese and I like the whole midwest attitude- laid back and friendly! This week Journie and I made a conscious effort to keep things local- we spent the "weekend" playing out doors soaking up sun, drinking Alterra (coffee for me/ chocolate milk for her) visiting local boutiques, eating at local restaurants, and we did a little produce shopping at the West Allis farmer's market. Although I was a bit bummed that my schedule this year wasn't going to allow me to participate in what used to be my Saturday morning ritual in Madsion- attending their over abundant farmers market- I was so happy to come across the one here- on a Tuesday at noon! With $30 cash I was able to make a super fresh dinner for six! WOOOHOO cheers to that!

SQUASH 2 WAYS- JUSTINE ORIGINALS.

Habanero/ Turkey Stuffed squash:

Ingredients

Squash- like the ones pictured above

Cheese- I used a mixture of cheese- pick your fav!

1lb of ground turkey

Habanero peppers

Onion

Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Cut the tops off the squash about 1/4 of the way down- keep the tops! you put them back on again. De-gut squash with making sure not to cut through it.

Saute turkey, 1/3 of a yellow onion and enough habaneros that will make you sweat but wont kill you in olive oil-- until turkey is thoroughly cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff squash with turkey and top with cheese.

Put the hats back on the squash and brush with olive oil. Bake for about an hour. EAT immediately!

Goat Cheese and Spicy Pesto Stuffed Babies aka Squash blossoms:

I know eating flowers sound gross but not when they are deep fried-- oohh no, then they are quite tasty... and did I mention they are stuffed with cheese? (Sorry my vegan friends-you can veganize this anyway you want!) 

Ingredients:

goat cheese

Pesto ingredients:

1/4 cup pine nuts 

olive oil 

milk 

1 jalapeno 

fresh basil ( 1/3 of a fresh bunch?) 

fresh parsley ( use less parsley than basil) 

2 garlic cloves 

1/2 a cup of grated parm cheese

salt

Frying ingredients: 

2 eggs 

1 cup flour

vegetable oil 

Combine all "pesto ingredients" in a blender- note add olive oil and milk to determine consistency and flavor of your pesto ( if you want it really creamy add half and half. less creamy? milk. paste? just the olive oil...)

Clean blossoms and cut off stems. Pull petals back and stuff with goat cheese and pesto using a small spoon/ fingers-whatever fits. Twist ends with fingers to seal in stuffing.

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan- oil should be about an inch deep.

Dip flowers into whisked egg mixture and then coat with flower.

Fry until golden  on both sides.

I served these on top a very basic garlic Orzo ( orzo is just a rice shaped pasta) I was also contemplating making a risotto with these blossoms- both would be delish!

ENJOY!

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T shirts purchased at the cutest boutique on Downer. Organic cotton, locally made and baby cute -you can find these T's at Olive. Also at Olive- Simple Shoes a Journie favorite!!

Boerner Botanical Gardens.

tree huggin'

Click on the link to check out the gardens then pack a lunch and take a trip!

Crayola

So I decided to hire my daughter to make me some artwork to hang on my walls. She has it pretty easy. The supplies are paid for, the space is allocated, the mess is taken care of, she gets paid in hugs and kisses, get's to sleep in mommy's bed and I even take her out to lunch-- no starving artists here!! 

I had to get some painting of my own done and there is no better way to entertain a baby for hours than handing them some messy paint that they can splatter everywhere (washable crayola paints). 

 

Journie likes to draw concepts like fast, slow, tired, loud and quiet-- along with trees, fishes, lines circles and sneezes? She's very creative.

22. MOJITAGRIA

Just a little something to keep you cool or cool you off.

My humid heat remedy- Home made MOJITAGRIAS!

ok So its a mojito and a sangria combined! 

1 bottle of white wine and the rest is to taste, so make it how you like it!

lime juice 

pom juice 

mint leaves

sugar to taste 

sliced oranges and lemons

let everything chill for over an hour. the longer the tastier.  

top off individual drinks with club soda and you've got yourself an awesome summer drink!

(drink responsibly, when on toddler duty....)

how dare you

I love this little project Thao has going with Mirah- some rad chicks singing some rad tunes that my baby likes to dance to. Plus she called me the best waitress ever- back in my waiting days. Yep dropping names. I was cool...once...

21. VIA Tuscan chix

HOT HOT week and probably still too hot to bring up steamy fettucini in a mushroom alfredo sauce...but I'm going to anyway (coming from the girl who spent our heat wave sans air conditioning with a sticky baby around her neck, tough like that!). Two weeks ago my girlfriend and I caught up on life over dinner at a little Milwaukee restaurant on Downer known as VIA. It was my first times there so naturally I ask what the waiter's favorite thing on the menu is- it's a habit- and 20 minutes later a very delicious pasta dish. Now I hate eating pasta out (as in out of my kitchen)  just because I usually can make the same thing at home rather quickly and cheaper, but I kind of liked this dish-- enough to try and recreate it...so here goes...

                                      

Coloring on the greyhound

chicken breast: enough to feed the fam 

Mushroom sauce:

1 lb of crimini mushrooms and/or white ones 

1 shallot 

1 can of beef stock

sun dried tomatos- you can get them already dried and packaged, so one bag

2 tablespoons of flower 

a dash here and there of fresh oregano and thyme 

salt

pepper

1 package of yummy fettuccini noodles 

 8oz of marscapone cheese

1 cup of parmesan cheese

a dash of fresh basil 

2 minced garlic cloves 

1 stick of butter

Start by putting a pot of water to boil. Cook chicken over medium heat in a pan with butter and cover with lid. Remove cooked chicken set aside and add in chopped mushrooms and shallots- saute. Add flower and beef stock slowly (you want a nice thicker mushroom sauce) add sun dried tomatoes and herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Drop in noodles (cook to packaging directions). In a sauce pan combine sauce ingredients and stir frequently. Cut chicken and mix in mushroom gravy sauce to coat. 

Combine fettucini with alfredo and top with chicken and mushroom sauce!

**I cook with a lot of "dashes" and "handfulls" and "sprinkles" so your own discretion is advised when using my recipes ** 

STICKY SWEAT...SWEET...

So fresh.

Driving to work I like to imagine myself doing the "Carlton" to this song. Even better --I like to imagine Carlton and I doing the "Carlton" together to this song...yeah it makes me happy...

Summerfestivities

So you have a baby or two babies or three...and if you are anything like me, the last time you went to Summerfest you were taking shots in the bathroom from a water bottle full of whiskey that was strapped to your ankle... 

 Summerfest just isn't the same when you get older unless you are a weirdo or a mom. I happen to be a mom that wanted to enjoy our sconnie holiday this year, and let me tell you- it's possible! 

1. Get there at noon, or 11am (an hour before it opens)

...you are guaranteed a better parking spot!

2. Take the little one to the playground area- the only people there that early are other moms

3. Catch an act on the little kid stage

4. Buy cheese curds, fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, lemonade and dippin' dots...ultimately thats what Summerfest comes down to anyway

5. Run through the splash pad 

6. Buy yourself a wine cooler for $6.50 and milk it until the end

7. Take a walk along the lake or by the "rocks" to check out all the mini stages before the pot heads get there

8. Join in on an afro drum circle 

9. Dance like a hippie with your two year old

10. Browse through the little markets and lie to the attendants that you will- totally be back for that little piece of 20 dollar beaded junk! 

11. Get your kids face painted...and yours?

12. Pretend you love pop country 

13. hula hoop

14. Collect free samples of things like shaving cream and  free music downloads.

15. Leave at 3:30 with your baby passed out from fun overload, before you buy the second round of cheese  curds and right before the crazies get there!!

PRETTY IN PINK: FUNfetti Cupcakes

Birthday's call for cake - best friend's golden birthdays call for funfetti homemade cupcakes. 

I've been very busy this week and hardly had time to plan big dinners, in fact I'm writing this with Journie crawling all over for me waiting for a baby bedtime book to download on my i-phone so we can get some quiet time up in here.... and shamefully eating ice cream before bed.... 

Journie is a funfetti homemade cupcake and then some. 

Cute polkadottie dress- target. Hair Clip- buttons n' scraps by mommy.

Tattooed baby.

CUPCAKES:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 F

Combine the following in bowl 1-1-1/4 cups  flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In bowl 2 beat the following
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter
1 large egg  and 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
Slowly add in the dry mixture into bowl number 2 while slowly adding in a 1/2 cup of milk- use mixer.

Drop 2 tbsp of rainbow sprinkle and mix in.

Bake  20 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes about 12 cupcakes.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
2 sticks butter
7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

 and 2-3 drops pink food dye.

Thank you I HEART CUPPYCAKES!!