July (The Epitome of Summer)

 

July is, without a doubt, my favorite month of the year for a few reasons.

1.       It is my birth month!

2.       It is smack dab in the middle of summer vacation (June, you are still settling into summer and, by August, you are rushing to get ready for back-to-school).

3.       Its warm days and cool nights have an innate laid-back spirit that cannot be replicated at other times of the year.

Beneath the sweltering sun, the need for perfection seems to melt away. By July, I have traded my meticulously kept notebooks for beach towels and bathing suits. Even the work that I do have to accomplish seems more leisurely when done during the lazy summer hours. I find myself feeling truly grateful for the time spent enjoying the weather with my friends and family while grilling outside, swimming in the pool, and spending time catching up. It is all too easy to fall into the relaxed state that July naturally creates.

               

To embrace the spirit of July, I decided to take on a craft project that both recycled and welcomed imperfections. This T-shirt bag is made from an old tie-dyed T-shirt (size small, but you can use any size) and I especially loved the warm colors that made the bag appear bright yet still relaxed. In the making of the actual bag, no sewing is required, simply cut off the sleeves and neck and slit and tie the ends. To decorate and utilize as much of the bag as possible, I cut strips from the sleeves and braided them. Then, I loosely hand-sewed the braids onto the bag. I left them a little uneven to continue the laid back feel of the bag (plus, I was too eager to get out into the summer sun to spend the time making the perfect edge). To add a bit of decoration, I sewed a few buttons beneath the braids. The bag itself can be made in less than ten minutes. It is perfect as a quick purse or a casual bag for running to the store or the gym. With the cute imperfections and completely homemade, recycled feel, it is the ideal July bag.

In an effort to waist as little as possible, I continued to use leftover fabric from the sleeves to make a quick braided wrap bracelet. I lined up the three pieces (on top of each other), sewed a button on to keep the pieces together, and stretched, braided and tied the pieces. When the strands are stretched, this bracelet wraps around my wrist three times.

A Sparkling Secret

I’ve been making jewelry, or at least stringing beads, my whole life. My earliest memory of “making jewelry” consisted of me sitting for hours on my grandparent’s living room carpet, stringing oversized wooden beads onto a shoe lace. I would make a strand, show my grandma, wait for her pleased reaction, and then take them off and start again. I just sat there, with the warm sun bathing me through the window, making countless patterns of cubes, spheres, reds and blues. As I got older, I would follow my sister through the craft store as she searched for yarn. When she was thoroughly ensconced in picking out the right colors for her next blanket, I would sneak to the jewelry section. I would marvel at the endless variety, mentally pairing beads and imagining necklaces, bracelets and earrings. With the beautiful beads and charms in front of me, I would stand there until my sister would come find me (eventually, she figured out where I would disappear). I began to use the internet to find new ideas, such as different ways to work metal or patterns for mixed media jewelry. I then sat on the floor of my room trying to replicate and modify my new found techniques. When summertime came, I would go with my mom to various craft fairs. We would spend hours strolling down streets lined with various stands. The colors and shapes of the artists’ passions were on display, carefully protected and separated by white, covered tents. I always noticed the jewelry first. I loved the beautiful twists of wire, the shimmer of glass beads, and the sparkle of gold and silver.  The intricacies of the artists’ works inspired me to fine-tune my skills and continue to create. Through the years, jewelry became a small passion of mine. I was known as the tall nerd who played sports and was in the band, but making jewelry was a way to quietly express my artistic side. It was my little, sparkling secret.

This is one of my favorite pairs of earrings. I love the combination of blues and greens with the silver, flower bead.

I brought this pair of earrings with me when I took my senior pictures. It's hard to see, but I am wearing them in this pic. (A little hint to my sparkling secret)

As I said before, much of my inspiration comes from the internet. I found the idea for these while browsing jewelry-making sites, and I decided I had to replicate it.

These earrings remind me of summer. I love the bright colors that make a whimsical look.

These are an example of a mixed media earring. I used beads, chain and buttons to make them.

Cookie Class (of 2012)

I attended my alma mater’s 2012 graduation recently because I wanted to see a few of my younger friends process. I expected the crowds, the excitement, the crazy, and the dressed up parents loading up their cameras and herding their families into the seats. What I didn’t expect was how OLD I felt. Ok, I realize that I’m not old, but it was weird to see all those kids in their caps and gowns, taking the seats that my class held just one year ago. All that wonderment about the expectations of college and leaving home has slowly faded into a more practical knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of college. I still enjoy the ability to hang out with friends and grab lunch with them at any time, or the countless free concerts and events, but the idea of college as the ultimate goal for the end of high school has changed into the idea of college as a small part in my path to education and success.

Regardless of my own feelings, I was very proud of the accomplishments of my class of 2012 friends. I swear, they grew so much, physically and mentally, while I was away. They won competitions, collected awards, aced tests and grew into themselves, slowly discovering who they are and who they are striving to be. As I listened to the valedictorian give her speech, standing at the same exact podium where I spoke just one year ago, I realized the hardships and adversity that my friends had gone through in just this one year and how well they handled it. Their maturity through tough weather and dark days has helped them blossom into respectable citizens and now, alumni.

The reason I’m getting all sappy and torturing any potential readers of this post is that I baked these cookies as a present for one of my graduating friends. I found the recipe for these Levain bakery copycat cookies a couple months ago at Love from the Oven (by the way, this is an awesome blog and you should definitely check it out!). I’ve made them a couple times since I found the recipe and brought them to various parties and gatherings. They are always well-received. I’ve seen people in the room take two or three at a time and come back for seconds. The only complaint I’ve ever received is that the cookie wasn’t actually a cookie (due to its soft gooey texture) and that it bothered the eater that he couldn’t figure out what it was. My friend probably has eaten at least a dozen of these cookies since I found the recipe and always seemed very pleased with them.

The real reason I decided to make these cookies for him was actually the discovery of a very unique ingredient. I found some turquoise chocolate candies at Wegmans in their amazing candy section and decided I had to give them to him. I don’t know if it’s because he has spent way too much time in a pool or just that he likes the hue, but aqua (or turquoise) is, by far, his favorite color. Instead of just giving him the candies, I decided to bake them into cookies with another special ingredient, peanut butter. He has always told me how much he likes the combination of chocolate and peanut butter (and really… who doesn’t?), so it was an easy and obvious substitution.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter or hald a cup of benecol
1/2 cup peanut putter (preferably creamy)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 & 1/2 tsp salt (I prefer sea salt)
2 tsp cornstartch
1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups M and M's or chocolate chips 
Optional – 1/2 block of semi-sweet or dark chocolate (not unsweetened baker’s chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. In a large bowl/mixer bowl, cream together cubed butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.
4. Add flour, salt, cornstartch, baking powder, baking soda & salt to butter, sugar and egg mixture until just combined. This should be a very thick mixture, and not sticky. If your dough is still sticky, try adding more flour, 1/8-1/4 cup at a time.
5. Add in chocolate chips and nuts. If you are using a block of chocolate, you will want to grate it and add it in as well.
6. Combine the dough and chocolate chips. My dough was so thick that I had to do this by hand, a bit like kneading bread.
7. Divide into portions to bake. I scaled back a bit from the giant Levain Bakery size cookie and instead of making 12 cookies with this recipe, I made about 18. I worked the dough into balls, and put them on the cookie sheet, leaving ample room between them. I did not flatten the dough out at all. I also did not use a silpat, parchment paper or grease the cookie sheets. I’m a baking rebel when it comes to putting my cookies on the cookie sheets.
8. Put into the oven to bake. For my 18 cookies, each sheet took approximately 10 minutes. Larger cookies will obviously take a few more minutes. Watch them closely and don’t over bake, or you will ruin the gooey wonderfulness inside. I pulled mine out as soon as I saw them start to lightly brown.
9. Let cool and remove from pan.

* A few hints about the addition of peanut butter. The dough is a little bit softer than the regular dough. It remians sticky even after more flour is added. Instead of dividing the dough, I portion it using a large tablespoon (and making roughly 3 dozen cookies) and placed them on cookie sheets in the freezer to allow them to set. Because my cookies were smaller, I baked them for about 12 minutes and they were still very soft and with a perfect, light crust.

Nostalgia

I'll begin this post with a little rewind. As a fifth grader in my school district, I had the privelage of participating in the Outdoor Education Program, a staple amongst the local elementary schools that taught kids about nature and let them burn off some of that pent up energy. My brother and sister had both participated in this program before me, and they both had memorable (and predominantly positive) experiences. I was looking forward to a week of sleeping in a cabin, hiking the trails, horse-back riding and (the oh so taboo) squaredancing with boys. I had heard a lot about the amazing activities at Camp, but, after experiencing them myself, they exceeded expectations. I came back from the week blissfully exhausted with a mind full of memorable moments. I owe a lot of my positive memories to my kind-hearted and spunky counselors, who joked with us, guided us, and even braided our hair for the dance. I promised myself that when I was old enough, I would be a counselor too.

Years past, and I found myself as a junior in high school, finally elligible to be a counselor. Unfortunately, concerts, sports and AP tests prevented me from participating in the program. As a senior, the same problems resurfaced and I, once again, missed my opportunity. I was bummed that many of my friends got to talk about how rewarding it was to be a counselor and how funny/sweet/crazy their campers were. They had the experience of a lifetime reliving their childhoods surrounded by nothing but nature.

Fast forward a year. I was sitting in my introductory Sociology class when a presenter in a straw hat came in and started handing out papers. The papers pertained to a Penn State program called Outdoor School where fifth graders come for a week to learn about interrelationships and the importance of nature. The man was asking us to consider being a counselor for the fifth graders, and of course, I was interested. That evening, I sent in my application and patiently waited for a response.

When I learned that I had gotten a position, I was very excited. We only had a few training sessions to meet the other counselors, but, even with the brief interactions, I knew I would be spending a week with a great group of fellow counselors. When the week came, my outdoor education, once again, exceeded expectations. The campers reminded me of what it felt like to be young and enamored with the world around me. Their innocence and excitement inspired a renewed sense of exploration in me. I spent the week enjoying nature and teaching and guiding children. The hours sped by as they were filled with songs, campfires, skits and great food. On the last evening (which, coincidentally, also had a dance), we were given homemade rice krispie treats. They were a sweet dessert to end a sweet week.

Being as nostalgic as I am, I decided to remake those rice krispies to remind me of the week and the kids (and maybe even bring back some of that youthful excitement). I found a recipe for toasted coconut rice krispies (hey, why not be a little decadent?) on Craving Chronicles and decided to try it.

Toasted Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

Cooking spray for greasing the pan
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used benecol)
10oz (1 bag) of regular-sized marshmallows, original or toasted coconut flavor (or both)
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon coconut extract
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (I substituted Puffed Rice Cereal as a lower calorie option)
1 cup toasted shredded coconut*
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions

* To toast coconut, spread shredded coconut in an even layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 300F, stirring every few minutes, for 10-15 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. Don’t walk away from the oven! The coconut will brown very quickly, so keep an eye on it. Set aside to cool.
(I didn't have sweetened coconut so I mixed unsweetened coconut with a little brown sugar for toasting)
Line a 9×13 inch pan or baking dish with foil, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side. Grease the foil very well with cooking spray.
In a large saucepan or pot, melt butter. Add marshmallows and heat over medium-low heat, stirring until melted. Stir in shredded coconut and coconut extract. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies and stir until thoroughly coated.
Spread Rice Krispie mixture into prepared pan. With the back of a buttered spatula or using a sheet of waxed paper, press mixture firmly into an even layer. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and press lightly to adhere to the top of the treats.
In a small, heatproof and microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and return to microwave, heating in 15 second intervals and stirring well between each heating, until chocolate is melted. Drizzle melted chocolate over the treats in the pan.
Cool at room temperature until chocolate hardens. Once cool, lift treats out by the edges of the foil. Cut into squares and enjoy feeling like a kid again.

The Krispies also exceeded expectations. The chocolate and coconut flavors added a perfect zing to the typical treat, but the puffed rice took out a little of the unnecessary sweetness. I did feel like a kid again peeling the gooey, sugary treats apart.

Summer Lovin' from the Oven

Fall and Spring enchant me with their cool weather and interesting foliage, but nothing compares to the wonders and freedoms of Summer. Sure, summer still has the to-do lists, the work (along with the required procrastination), and the stresses, but the overall presentation is a little different, a little more leisurely. Beneath the consistent warmth of the summer sun, everything seems just a little brighter. Waking up isn’t so painful when you know you have a warm cup of tea, the daily paper, and a lovely view of a cool, clean pool waiting for you downstairs. Work seems easier when it’s done in the comfort of your own room to the tune of your favorite music.

Another way that summer amazes me is how it has yet to lose its proclivity for spontaneity. Longer days and warmer weather lend themselves naturally to openness to adventure. Since I’ve been home, I’ve spent a week as a camp counselor for energetic 5^th graders, perused the works of local artisans, ate sushi on a picnic blanket overlooking my home town, and heard the cannon roar of a civil war reenactment. And, the summer hasn’t even officially started. Like a child on Christmas morning, I eagerly await the new possibilities that each summer day brings. When I wake up, I love being able to ask, “What will I do today?”

The other day, when I asked myself that question, I decided to start my day by baking a fresh loaf of bread using one of my pinterest recipes. My insatiable love for oatmeal, cinnamon and bread made the oatmeal bread recipe an obvious choice. What goes more perfectly with a breezy morning than the sweet smell of baking bread? The recipe didn't actually call for any cinnamon, but my addiction to the scent of cinnamon made the addition absolutely necessary. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon when heating the oats and the mild, and I brushed the top of the loaf with butter and cinnamon suagr before baking. Despite my obvious bias, I felt the cinnamon lent itself to the warm flavors of the wheat flour and oats (my mom agreed as well).

The recipe was definitely a winner! Though the bread took a while to rise (as most do), the loaf turned out hearty, airy and worth the wait.

The Recipe was found at CookiesCakesPiesOHMY, but I didn't add the sunflower seeds.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup milk
(1 tsp cinnamon)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast
1 Tbl sugar
1/2 cup white flour
1½ tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1½ cups wheat flour
1¼ cups white flour

For topping:
1 tbs butter/ benecol (melted)
cinnamon sugar

In saucepan combine oats and milk. Cook over medium heat until oats are soft about 5 minutes. (Stir in cinnamon) Remove from heat. Stir in sunflower seeds and oil; cool to lukewarm. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water with 1 Tbl sugar. Pour oatmeal mixture into yeast. Add the 1/2 cup white flour, salt, and sugar, blend. Mix in remaining wheat flour and white flour to make a stiff dough. Knead. Turn into greased bowl, let rise about 1 hour. Punch down and make into one loaf. Put in greased bread pan, let rise 45 minutes. (Brush with butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.)  Bake in 350° oven for 38-45 minutes.

Look at that cinnamon sugar.... MMMM!

Cupcake CRAZY

It's Birthday time... Let's get a little bit CRAZY!!! Cupcake crazy, that is. It was my friend Anna's birthday last week, and she invited me over to have homemade Indian food at her house with her. Her dad, though he is a typical caucasian male, made the best naan I have ever had in my life. Anna has promised to teach me how to make it. Of course, I just had to bring dessert as pay back for the delicious food and to appropriately celebrate a 19th birthday, but with Anna, I couldn't make just any old cupcakes.

You have to know a little bit about Anna to understand why I went to such measures to make the most colorful, crazy cupcakes possible. She is the most wild yet caring person I have ever met. When you meet Anna, the first thing you'll notice is her small stature. She stands just over 5 feet tall. The second thing you'll notice is her voice. Her normal speaking volume is about 10x that of an average person. When Anna is talking, you know it. I think she is one of the only people I know who can speak to an auditorium full of people in her normal voice without using a microphone. When you get to know Anna, you realize that she is a fun-loving individual. She is always willing to try something new, but, most importantly, she is always willing to be there for her friends. Though she is blatantly honest, her words are never hurtful, and she has a way of bringing people together with her natural warmth and friendliness. Her distinguishing feature, though, is her genuine passion. As a child who grew up with a pediatric oncologist father, she is all to familiar with the ravaging emotional and physical effects of childhood cancer. Throughout her life, she has spent much of her time supporting the weak, cancer-laden children who cannot support themselves. She participates in fundraisers and is active in THON, Penn State's student-run philanthropy that helps pay for pateint care for children with cancer. So, of course, someone as passionate and exciting as Anna deserves birthday cupcakes that are equally as colorful and memorable.

 I started with Magnolia Bakery Vanilla cupcake batter and plit it up into five bowls using a ladel. I then added neon food coloring drops to each bowl, resulting in these surprisingly edible batters.

Then, I spooned the batter, alternating colors into the cupcake holders until they were about 3/4 full.

And so, the wild, rainbow cupcake was born!

I used a typical buttercream for the frosting. Unfortunately, I ran out of confectioner's sugar and tried a combination of regular sugar and cornstarch. The texture tunred out a little gritty but overall. The rainbow look came from

The Family Kitchen.
The Magnolia Cupcakes recipe came from Food Network.

Balance and Time (Cornmeal Scones)

The process of baking is a very intricate and impressive science. Random ingredients, such as butter, sugar and flour, come together to produce succulent and satisfying creations.  With the addition of unexpected ingredients, like fruit or chocolate chips, the simple mixture becomes even better. Despite the amazing results, baking is truly an intricate process based on balance and timing. No one wants a crumbly cookie with too much flour or a sugar-coma inducing cake with too much sweetener. Ingredients must be measured so that their ratios contribute to a complete, balanced product. The process of baking also requires a general understanding of time. There have been multiple times when I have walked away from a batch of cookies only to be reminded of their existence by the smell of burning butter. When working with yeast, there is an element of patience added to the recipe when one has to wait for dough to rise. So, even though baking (at least a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe) seems fairly foolproof, it requires an innate understanding of balance, patience and time to create a truly delicious masterpiece.

While thinking (stay with me here), I decided baking is a lot like creating a recipe for life. In order to create an enjoyable life, one must accept and embrace balance, patience and time.  My greatest struggles result from my inability to grasp these simple concepts.  Balance… that’s a big one. I definitely have a type A personality that gives me a very “all or nothing” attitude. My perfectionist nature often blinds me from the simple, good things in life because I am constantly trying to be the best. As my father says, “Perfection is the enemy of good.” Trying to perfect one thing in my life distracts me from so many other things, and the result is a bland cookie made completely of flour. I need to adjust my recipe. A cup of focus, a tablespoon of fun, a pinch of persistence, and a generous sprinkling of hope combine to create happiness and self-acceptance.  Probably related to my perfectionism, I have trouble understanding patience and time as well. I always seem to be a rush to get my work done. An incomplete project will plague my mind until I sit down and finish it completely. This results in horrible impatience. I have trouble living in the moment because I am always concerned with what I need to do next. When I focus on the next, I tend to miss a lot of the now. So, while the bread is rising, I need to enjoy my time. Yes, there will always be work to be done, that next step, but it doesn’t mean that other worthwhile experiences should be completely forgotten.  My recipe needs a lot of tweaking, but as I slowly begin to grasp balance and timing, I will see the fruits of my labor produce a truly “delicious” life.

This recipe was found from  Nutmeg Notebook  .  It was one of those recipes that I noticed was quick, easy, required few ingredients, and was relatively healthy. The cornmeal gave the scones an unexpected hearty texture that really added to the overall flavor. As stated in the original recipe, I would recommend serving these warm. The texture of the cornmeal and the warm, doughy inside is a delectable combination.

Cornmeal Scones

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I used skim)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.
Step 1: Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and egg to cornmeal mixture; stir just until moist.
Step 2: Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with cooking spray. Pat dough into a 7-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. They can be chilled in the refrigerator at this point and baked later.
Bake at 375° for 22 minutes (check a few minutes early if using whole grain flour) or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.