Makin' Stuff

Ah, Winter.  The season when I try to stay inside if at all possible. I don't mind winter.  It happens every year, right? I enjoy looking out the windows at the sleeping garden. My days are filled with laundry and kids' homework and playing Candyland.  But I also find myself looking for EXTRA things to do, after the house and kids are in control.  So I've been making things.  And for some reason, taking pictures of these things makes me feel like they were absolutely memorable.  Which they're not - but why not take a picture anyway?

Jonathan got to make his own Valentine box at home this year. We found a fun monster idea online. He asked me to make it. No way! So I took ten times longer teaching him how to make it himself.  All I did was cut the hole in the oatmeal container and give directions. Very patiently.  By the end we were all laughing (we had an audience) and very proud of "our" monster.  Jonathan's friends put their Valentines in through the monster's mouth and Jonathan promised me he wouldn't let the monster eat any of his friends.  It sounds like it was a hit at school.  

I am fascinated by the show "Cupcake Wars" on Food Network.  I've always loved cupcakes but not how long it takes to frost them.  On the show, each team has two hours to make 1,000 cupcakes. Wow. So I decided that I could make 48 in an hour and a half. Why not?  I wasn't sure I could pull off the new frosting technique.  But it was FUN!  They're not perfect but definitely an improvement from my slap-on-the-frosting method.  Jonathan's class was happy with them. Our kids loved them. And my mouth approved. Happy Valentine's Day!

Ah, Ciabatta Bread. A lot of love went into this bread! I made it the REAL way, over two days and a bazillion foldings and risings etc.  It smelled so amazing.  On one of the last steps, I couldn't figure out if it meant to put the folded side down on the pan, so I tried both ways.  I read that "Ciabatta" means "slipper" because it reminded some famous guy of a slipper.  So... Which of my three loaves do you think looks most like a slipper? 

I'd love to share the recipe here, but I had to flip all over my book to get different components of the recipe. If you're interested, you can look up The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Reinhart.  Lots of amazing bread tips and recipes inside. One of these days I'm going to make bagels. Did you know it takes three days to make bagels?

 

On Ciabatta day (as I lovingly recall it) we also got ambitious and made sausage meatballs for the first time. They were delicious. Beyond delicious. I can share the recipe for this one. But before you read the recipe, look at that pretty ciabatta bread on the plate, dipped in our Italian olive oil blend. Mmm. 

SAUSAGE MEATBALLS

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground sausage

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, milk, and onion.

Add raw sausage and mix well by hand.

Shape into 20 large meatballs, arranging on a shallow baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through (160 degrees).

Serve with your favorite sauce and spaghetti.

(From the Johnsonville website. Makes 6 servings.)

Okay now I'm hungry. I need a non-food story. 

I finally got around to making Nicole's paper dolls.  Here they are, before they dress up. (Okay, a little silly, but at least they're not bare.)  I should have taken a picture before I laminated them. Ignore the glare - it's not noticeable like that when she plays with them.

Our first three princess dresses! They have velcro on the back so they stick to the dolls while she plays with them. I sent Ben to get the velcro for me and he couldn't decide which kind I needed and he brought back a BETTER one than I was expecting. It doesn't make any noise when you take them apart! So Nicole has a new quiet activity for church. 

Here they are, from left to right:  Sally, Meeka, and Lala.  I made the mistake of laughing at her when she told me their names. She was offended. So I had to pretend they were lovely names.  Lovely indeed.

So that's what we've been doing at our house.  We're not changing the world in any big ways, but we're certainly enjoying our little corner of it.  I wonder what we'll decide to make next.