Halloween DIY idea!

I saw this at a holiday craft fair. I'm not sure how it's made, but I bet it's not that hard. You could use milk jugs, white garbage bags (?), tulle, strings of lights, maybe a long stick for the arm and head support. I don't know, just spit balling. But I love it. 

A typical day in the Library

Bridal shower cake!

My sister-in-law made this for my wedding shower yesterday. Such a cute cake! Purple and blue are my wedding colors, and it was a kitchen themed wedding. I love her use of kitchen utensils!

Sticky Buns Recipe

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law. It's my favorite breakfast dish EVER. But you can't have it very often because it's so rich. It's very cheap, though, I usually only have to buy cook and serve vanilla pudding and frozen Rhodes dinner rolls and pecans. If you buy the big size box of the pudding and make sure to only use half your pecan bits you'll definitely have enough to make the dish a second time. So all in all, about $10 for two breakfast dishes.

I forgot to take a picture when I made it last weekend, but I'll take a picture next time (I have enough left for a second dish, after all). The picture at the bottom is from Google. It's actually a pretty close match.

Sticky Buns

NOTE: You have to prepare them in the pan the night before and leave them in a completely cool oven all night to rise. You can prep them as late as you want (I did it at 1 am last weekend and they were great by 10 am).

Serves: 6 (or more if you all eat less, but I never want to)
Prep time: 5 minutes (and overnight!)
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 
1 bag frozen Rhode's Dinner Rolls
Nuts (pecans)- chopped (this is optional! My other sister-in-law is allergic to nuts so when I'm with her we omit the pecans)
Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding (small box for one dish, big box if you want two dishes- and it's NOT instant pudding)
1 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon
1 stick of butter melted

What you'll need:
Bundt pan
Pam spray
Paper towel
Oven needs to be completely cool

Prepare this the night before!! Just before you go to bed.

Night before:
-Spray bundt pan.
-Toss half your nuts on the bottom of the pan (as many as you want, really)
-Put a small layer of Rhode's dinner rolls around the bottom of the pan. Seriously, one layer will do it. Throw a few into the gaps on top of that layer if you want. Just don't go overboard. Two full layers is too much.
-Sprinkle the Cook & Serve Vanilla pudding over the top of the rolls. If using a big box, sprinkle about half. (eyeball it or measure it out, it's up to you)
-Sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar over the top of that
-Sprinkle as much cinnamon as you want over the top (I use a lot, yum)
-Melt a stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl, then pour that over the top of everything. Try to spread it evenly, but don't worry about it too much. It'll turn out great.
-Cover with a damp paper towel and place in the COOL oven overnight. This lets the dinner rolls rise.

In the morning:
-Take the paper towel off.
-Check your sticky buns. Most likely you put too many rolls in and they've expanded way over the top of the bundt pan. No big deal! Just peel off and toss the ones that are on the very top until it's below the top of the pan again.
-When you're ready to make breakfast, just turn on the oven (with the pan IN IT) to 350 and set your timer for 30 minutes.
-Make sure you check the rolls when they're done. They may be a little doughy, so just make sure they aren't too doughy for your taste. You might need to let them go a little longer.
-When you've decided they're done, get a big plate (one that's bigger around than the top of the bundt pan). -Put the plate upside down on top of the bundt pan, so that you can carefully flip the sticky buns out of the pan onto the plate. There will be a lot of sticky sauce that comes out with it, so be careful not to let the bundt pan slip over the edge of the plate (I did that this weekend, not a terrible clean up but you loose some of that delicious sauce!)
-To serve, people can either pull apart the rolls or you can cut it up into slices. Use a spatula

America's Test Kitchen Pizza

Pepperoni Pan Pizza

From Season 8: Pizza Party

America's Test Kitchen

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Pan pizza (often called deep-dish pizza) is named for the pan in which the dough is risen and cooked. This type of pizza is known for an irresistible, buttery crust that’s crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle. We set out to develop a pizza that was better than take-out, where the crust shares equal billing with the toppings and each is full of flavor—not grease.

To make our dough, we used a few tricks we learned from baking. Classic pizza dough contains flour, yeast, water, and olive oil—but never milk. However, we knew that many tender yeast breads are made with milk and we decided to give it a try. The crust was tender, with just the right chew. Whole milk works fine, but the dough made with skim milk rose better and baked up especially soft and light. We used all-purpose flour because it yielded softer baked goods than recipes using bread flour. Sugar is another usual choice for pizza dough, but tasters thought it improved flavor and we knew that it would give the yeast a nice jump-start.

To deliver our pizzas to the table in record time, we used a warm, turned-off oven to help the dough rise faster. After just thirty minutes, we had dough that was ready to shape. We quickly learned that overworked dough tears or snaps back like a rubber band, which led us to develop a hybrid method. We used a rolling pin for the first part of the process and then stretched the dough over the tops of our knuckles—gently. Our final step was to microwave the pepperoni between sheets of paper towels before layering them on the pizza. It keeps the grease off of the pizza and gives us crisp, brightly colored, and relatively grease-free pepperoni worthy of our perfect pan crust. 

Makes two 9-inch pizzas, serving 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

Dough

·         1/2cup olive oil

·         3/4cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees

·         2teaspoons sugar

·         2 1/3cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for counter

·         1package instant yeast

·         1/2teaspoon table salt

Topping

·         1(3.5-ounce) package sliced pepperoni

·         1 1/3cups tomato sauce(see related recipe, "Basic Pizza Sauce")

·         3cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

·         1. To make the dough: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil.

·         2. Mix milk, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

·         3. To shape and top the dough: Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

·         4. While dough rises, put half of pepperoni in single layer on microwave-safe plate lined with 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard towels and set pepperoni aside; repeat with new paper towels and remaining pepperoni.

·         5. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.

·         PIZZA DOUGH WITHOUT A MIXER: In step 2, mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then pour the milk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough becomes shaggy and difficult to stir. Turn out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead, incorporating any shaggy scraps. Knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and proceed as directed.

TECHNIQUE

·         HOW TO MAKE PAN PIZZA

1. Roll the dough outward from the center in all directions to form a 7-inch circle.

·         

2. With the dough draped over your knuckles, gently stretch it, using the weight of the dough to make a 9 1/2-inch circle that is slightly thinner at the center.

·         

3. Place the dough in the oiled cake pan and gently push it to the edge, taking care not to let too much oil spill over the top.

TECHNIQUE

·         THE AMAZING SHRINKING PEPPERONI

Microwaving pepperoni eliminates the possibility that it will turn your pizza into a grease trap. You can see how much fat is rendered in only 30 seconds by comparing the size of the slices before and after microwaving.

·         BEFORE

AFTER

·         

Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

From the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Third Edition

Makes: About 20 large cookies
Prep Time: 5 min (More like 15 for me, but I put stuff away as I go)
Total time: 45 min (maybe more, depends on how fast you make the dough!)

Have parchment paper
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled. [I usually start by melting the butter in a bowl and then putting it in my freezer until I have everything else ready. It's cool enough by then (about 3-4 minutes)]
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12-ounce bag) [Can be substituted with anything you want, white chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, peanut butter chips]

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. It's important to mix the ingredients together to thoroughly incorporate them.

2. Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed (I use 4 on the kitchenaide) until combined, 1 to 2 minutes (I go for 60 seconds). Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips until incorporated.

4. Working with 1/4 cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay on two parchment lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 17 to 20 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking. (I set the timer for 9 minutes, then when it goes off I switch and rotate both pans, then set for another 9 minutes.)

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

If you save the extra dough for later, cook it at 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. (I do 11 minutes, then switch and rotate, then another 11. They turned out great.)

Another helpful hint: If you're making the second round of cookies right away, don't put the dough on hot pans. Cool them off by running them under cold water BEFORE putting any new dough on them.

Test Kitchen Tip: A Chewy Cookie:
The quest began simply enough: We wanted the ultimate home-baked chocolate chip cookie. It had to be thick (1/2 inch high), jumbo (4 inches in diameter), and bursting with chocolate. It also had to have a mouthwatering texture that was crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. One key element in achieving this cookie, after lots of testing (no one in the kitchen complained), was the use of melted butter. It acts very differently from softened butter in a cookie dough (they are not mere substitutes for one another). The melted butter is what accounts for the inside of the cookie being more chewy. But to keep a chewy cookie from being tough, you need to add a little extra fat, which we did in the form of two egg yolks. The yolk is what helps the chewy cookie stay tender. And finally, removing the cookies from the oven before they look completely baked and letting them finish baking on the hot baking sheets for 10 minutes is a must because it helps the cookies set without overbaking and ruining that marvelous chewiness.

Townhouse

 View out of kitchen window

 Master bathroom

 Master bedroom, closet to the left, bathroom to the right

 Master bedroom walk-in closet!

 Laundry room (right off kitchen)

Front door. I wish I could plant my own plants in that dirt patch, but I'll do the next best thing, I'll make a planter box!

View of entire downstairs from in the kitchen

Coat closet by stairs

Loooove the kitchen and wood floors

Upstairs full bath

Master bedroom

Small deck upstairs

Half bath and laundry room downstairs

Pantry/ Storage closet

Baby boy shower cake

This is my version of this popular baby boy shower cake. I decided to make it because it was repinned quite a few times. I got a race car rubber ducky because my nephew's nursery theme is hot wheels. I sprayed the bubbles with pearlescent airbrush color so they look shiny. This is the first fondant bow I've made, and it turned out pretty good too. I let the ribbons dry over wooden spoon handles overnight to get their shape. The cake inside is a white cake with the 5 layers colored different blue tones, so it's an inverse ombre (gradient) cake.

Flowers for my wedding

Centerpieces for our wedding!

This is the idea for our centerpieces. Blue water pearls in vases with submersible LED lights and real flowers. The ones in the picture are silk, but its just to get an idea of the blue and purple color combination.

Henry's garage baby nursery

Craftsman tool box dresser, it's on rolling wheels and everything.

Border made special for my brother's hot wheels car collection.

Superbowl cupcakes!

I made these for the Super Bowl! Just frosting colored brown and piped on in a zig zag, then white frosting piped on as laces. Super easy!