Teething Necklace

So Evangelyn is teething...and she loves jewelry...and she chews on everything she can as it is.  So! I was super impressed when I found an idea (on pinterest, of course!) for a teething necklace.  I totally loved this little project on Rebekah Gough's blog (link at bottom) and wanted to try my hand at this sewing project.  That's right, me sewing :)  I mean, I did a little sewing back in middle school so this should be no problem right?  It looked as if this would be about the easiest way for me to try my hand at sewing again... you know, beginner stuff.  Well, let me just say that if I got this much sewing done, so can you.  It might take 10 times as long as someone who knows what they are doing, but you can get it done!

Enough yabbering on about my lack of sewing skills...here's the how to!
The basic idea is to create a really really long tube of fabric to tie wood beads into so that your little sweet pea can chomp on em a bit.  What I did was buy 1 yard of a fabric with a fun print and then cut 2 5-inch strips as long as I could make them.  Then you sew the 2 strips together so you get one strip that is twice as long.  Next, you sew your fabric right sides together (aka print-sides facing in), trim the seams if needed, and flip your tube right-side out so you have a long open-ended tube of fabric.
Now you're ready to make your necklace!  First, I tied a knot in the center of my necklace, where my seam was from sewing the two strips together.  Next, I would drop a wooden bead into the tube and tie a knot right after it.  Just keep adding beads evenly on both sides of your center knot until you have your desired look, finishing with a knot.  After the last knot that you tied, cut the remaining length of your fabric into 3 equal strips so that you can braid them together.  Then you can just tie your ends together in the back to complete your new accessory!
This really is that simple - I promise.  If you are a tad better at sewing than I am or want to give this as a gift, you could even sew the ends of your braids and then add a cute closure to your necklace.  Maybe next time :)  For now, I'm going to call this project a success!

Just for giggles...here is the teething necklace on Evangelyn's ball popper :) 

Link to Rebekkah's original project design

Cocoa Roasted Almonds

So my mom brought me some cocoa roasted almonds when she shared some Christmas goodies with me this year (thanks mom!).  Needless to say, I devoured them and almost thought about hiding them from my company to hoard them for myself.  So when my little bowl of almonds was empty I started looking for some recipes to make them myself.  What I discovered was that a few people have been disgusted that something as simple as almonds covered in cocoa end up being made with so many extra ingredients that no one but scientists can pronounce!  I tried their recipes and thought I would experiment a little bit more... what I came up with is a delicious and super simple way for you to get that super addictive cocoa roasted almond at home with just a few ingredients, all of which you know and love.

2 T honey
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T water

1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 T flour
dash of cinnamon
1 heaping cup of almonds (raw or roasted)

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
2. Mix the honey, vanilla and water in a bowl or measuring cup.
3. Mix the cocoa, powdered sugar, flour and cinnamon in a resealable plastic bag.
4. Place your almonds into the wet ingredients and stir to coat completely.  You may want to put your almonds through the wet ingredients in batches to make it easier.  Use a slotted spoon (or your hands) to scoop out the almonds and drain excess liquid and put almonds in cocoa mixture.  Once your almonds are all in the bag of cocoa, shake them up until they are completely coated.
5. Use your hands, or another slotted spoon, to take the almonds out of the bag and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  You don't want a lot of extra cocoa powder on your baking sheet, but some is no big deal.  Bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes if using roasted almonds, bake for about 15-20 minutes if using raw almonds.  I would just pull out one almond and taste-check it to test for 'doneness' :)  Stir your almonds about halfway through baking.  Remove almonds and let cool. Enjoy!

This recipe will make a heaping cup of roasted almonds and is easy to double -- you don't need to double the wet ingredients, just the dry.  I discovered that the trick to these is that you need extra of the cocoa mixture so that the almonds are completely coated.  If  you don't have enough the whole batch gets sticky and turns out kinda goopey.  If this happens to you, I recommend tossing your almonds in a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to help them get a little cuter.

Sweet Tooth: Tiramisu Cake

What I've been baking!

So my mom just had her Birthday this week and came to stay over and play with Evangelyn while I worked a couple of days...so of course we had to celebrate and have some cake!  I love this tiramisu cake -- it is super easy to put together, stays fresh (and not mushy!) a little longer than the original, and can feed a whole party.  I only made 2 tiers for this cake but the original is a classic 3-tier.

Cake:
Your favorite white cake mix or white cake recipe - enough to make 3 9-inch cakes
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder (2 Starbucks Via packets also work great)
1/4 cup coffee
1 T coffee flavored liqueur

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T coffee flavored liqueur

Frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 T coffee flavored liqueur

Garnish:
Unsweetened cocoa powder (for dusting)
Semisweet chocolate shavings

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 3 cake pans

2. Prepare the cake mix/recipe per directions.  Pour 1/3rd of batter into 1 cake pan.  Stir instant coffee powder into remaining batter and then divide into remaining pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely on wire racks.  In a bowl/measuring cup, combine brewed coffee and 2 T coffee liqueur - set aside.

3. To prepare the filling: In a small bowl, use an electric mixer set on low to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and liqueur until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. To prepare frosting:  In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer set on medium-high to beat the cream, powdered sugar and liqueur until stiff peaks form.  Fold 1/2 cup of whipped frosting into the filling mixture. Prepare frosting shortly before assembling the cake and refrigerate.

5. To assemble the cake: Place 1 coffee flavored cake onto your serving dish.  Poke approximately 15 thin holes into the cake and then pour half of coffee-liqueur mixture over cake.  Spread half of the filling mixture on top of the cake.  Then add plain vanilla cake and spread the 2nd half of the filling on top of that.  Add the remaining coffee flavored cake, again poking holes and pouring the 2nd half of the coffee-liqueur mixture over the cake.  Finally frost your cake and garnish to suit your tastes -- Some lovely ideas include using cocoa powder in a small sieve for dusting, and adding chocolate curls or chocolate covered espresso beans.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes or more before serving.

Happy Birthday Mom!  Hope you loved the cake as much as I did!  Enjoy everyone!

I must thank bettina for submitting this recipe (well, almost this recipe) to allrecipes.com

Phenomemom

I'll admit it, I'm a bit jealous of the moms I run across on blogs.  You see, these blogging mommies are somehow sewing the most adorable Christmas dresses for their girls, turning old pieces of trashy furniture into masterpieces, dreaming up how to copy everyone's favorite store-bought snack and make it from scratch, and still manage to save the environment and give themselves a fabulous, trendy pedi.  Oh, did I mention they did all this for under $10? These mom-like creatures are mystifying to me...and I want to be one of them.  So welcome to the place where I chronicle either the most disappointing un-transformation of my life, OR wow you with all of the ideas that I copy from amazing moms I find through Pinterest.  :)  If I were you, I'd prepare to be dazzled.

Note: be dazzled is totally different from bedazzled...I'll try not to cross that line and bedazzle everything, especially you :)

Coming SOON!!!  Watch out for pics and a play-by-play from my current bathroom renovation!!!