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We are all about the manias here at Casa del Aguas. When we get interested in something be it painting, woodworking, modelbuilding or cooking we go all out.
For the last couple of months I've been obsessed with vegan cooking. I've been a vegetarian for a long time so I never worried too much about my cholesterol or anything like that. But I guess my love of cheese and pasta caught up with me because at my last checkup the doc told me I need to lower my numbers or I'd have to start taking meds. I'm rubbish at taking pills so I decided to try to clean up my diet big time. I have to go back in December for another blood test but so far I've lost 21 pounds by eating lots of veggies.
My new Staub grill pan works a treat on peppers and mushrooms. It's great for asparagus too.
I finally found a Crockpot that works, only twelve bucks at Target. One of the challenges of being a herbivore is that by the time I cooked everyone's carnivore food I was left with a microwaved potato. So now I set this up in the morning, so by suppertime I have something delicious too.
I've also started prepping a lot of food for the week on Sundays. This is a broccoli, bean and corn salad that will keep all week. So easy, just blanch the greens and add a can of beans and some frozen corn. Dress the salad in lime juice, balsamic and a bit of maple syrup. Nummers!
It helps to have sharp knives.
This morning I made these banana, berry, oat
breakfast bars. I'm not going to lie, they're no fudge brownie, but for a quick breakfast in the morning, they are perfect.
My favorite breakfast is an almond milk smoothie with spinach and ginger. I keep the freezer stocked with Ziplock bags of frozen bananas, berries and mangoes.
Crockpot veggie chili... warm and satisfying.
I also prep for the week by roasting a few taters. I recommend these small waxy ones.
The last couple of sourdough loaves that I baked came out like hockey pucks. I was saved from bread baking despair by an actual phone call from Australia from my mate, Celia, aka the Bread Whisperer. It was so good to hear her voice. She figured out that the humidity here in California was making the dough too moist. I increased the amount of flour and I was back in business! The loaf on the left is from before, the one on the right was after.
If you aren't following Celia's amazing blog,
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, then you should. It is the tastiest, loveliest place on the internet.
So that's what I've been up to... what's in your kitchen?
Best thoughts,
Marilyn.
--
"Happiness, not in another place but in this place...not for another hour but for this hour." ~ Walt Whitman.
Some time ago, maybe seventeen years or so, I took an art class where every week a different model would pose and we furiously painted portraits in oils. I then hid the paintings in the garage and promptly forgot about them.
The teacher painted in a photorealistic style and described my paintings as "decorative", which was pretty derogatory at the time. After a couple of months I realized that I didn't really like painting portraits that much and quit. But looking at these made me feel like perhaps I might like to paint people again.
It also made me realize that it is okay to experiment and fail, as long as you get back to it and keep trying.
Marilyn
This model worked at Medieval Times and had long hair. The words around the edges are from a poem by John Donne, "At The Earth's Imagined Corners" and talks about angels blowing their trumpets to raise souls from death.
“The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.”
~ Robert Henri
This last month was busy with birthdays and Mother's Day.
Victoria Sponge Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting for Mother's Day.
I had never made a ganache frosting before and it was surprisingly easy. I used very dark 80% chocolate and it bordered on bitter. Next time I'll be a bit more generous with the sugar. The fresh strawberries made it juicy and sweet.
I love broccoli and picked up a bunch of broccolini from the farmer's market. I used it in a stir fry with seitan, bell peppers and sesame seeds.
Also for Mother's Day I made a tropical fruit salad with apples, oranges, raspberries and strips of mango.
Breadmania continued...
I finished my "Twenty Hour Challenge" of bread baking. I learned a lot. I like the routine of it, and there is something to be about a process that billions of cooks have done for centuries. I'm not sure what my next kitchen challenge will be.
For my birthday my hub bought me a glorious Le Creuset sauce pan. For it's maiden voyage I made a Bearnaise sauce. Mostly I've been using it to flash boil veg. It's just the right size for peas, green beans or broccoli.
The rest of Mother's Day was pretty quiet so I made some pasta. I don't make pasta from scratch very often but I bought a bag of good semolina flour and thought I'd try it out.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheToymakerWhat's been happening in your kitchen?
Wishing you a creative week,
Marilyn
---
Don't be afraid to attempt something new.
Remember, it was amateurs who built the ark.
It was professionals who built the Titanic.
When we first bought our house two dozen years ago, I hated the kitchen. The whole house was a fixer upper from hell, with orange wall paper, green linoleum and iffy plumbing. Nothing worked, the fuses blew if you even thought about running more than one appliance at a time and it was cramped as a submarine.
Over the years, the hub has replaced ever bit of it, even the fuses, so I can run the microwave and the dishwasher at the same time.... and now I love our little kitchen.
We still have to walk sideways like crabs when we are all in there, and yell, "Hot behind you!"when we open the oven, but it works.
I'm still in the middle of breadbaking mania. After watching a TED talk on how to learn a skill in 20 hours,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY, I decided to bake 20 loaves of bread, trying to make each one a little bit better each time.
The goal is a crispy crunchy crust and a chewy airy crumb.
One loaf I made had a nice mix of seeds and grain.
Some loaves were prettier than others.
I baked #13 yesterday and it came out just fine. Each loaf is exciting in a small, humble way. I like finding out what happens if the recipe is tweaked a little. It's teaching me patience. The baked loaf has to sit for at least 20 minutes before you cut it or it will be gummy. Bread baking is teaching me planning, a loaf for Friday needs a starter feed on Monday, sponge making on Thursday and shaping and baking on Friday morning.
It's helped to have my mate, Celia, bread baker extraordinaire from
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, patting my hand and giving me good advice along the way.
I've been getting a lot of good use out of my Le Creuset red brassier, I made a cassoulet for the first time.
And
Chicken Spinach Rollups...
For Valentines, my man got me Orange Marmalade, Bergamot Jam, vanilla and a cool kitty cookie cutter.
The Farmer's Market had these beautiful red oranges, so I made a salad with feta and spiced pecans.
So, that's what's in my little kitchen. For my next 20 Hour challenge, I'm trying to get better at drawing hands. What skill would you like to learn?
Wishing you a creative week,
Marilyn.
--
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
~ Pablo Picasso
I've been trying to make a little something pretty every day, whether it's a doodle, a bead thing, a paper toy, a painting or a cake. Today was this page of stampy farm animals made with tiny foam stickers I bought at the Dollar Tree.
Here is a little pendant I made. I molded the bird and heart from baked clay then textured them with gold paint. I've put some of my "makings" up for sale in my etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheToymaker
I have peaches to make a pie but it's too hot to cook. Maybe tomorrow. What have you been making this summer? What new things would you like to learn how to do?
Best thoughts,
Marilyn.
“Whether or not you can never become great at something, you can always become better at it. Don’t ever forget that. And don’t say, “I’ll never be good.” You can become better, and one day you’ll wake up and you’ll find out how good you actually became." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
Many, many years ago I went on a trip to Egypt. It was a grand adventure, I rode a camel, saw the Valley of the Kings and toured the tomb of King Tutankhamen. I bought a beautiful alabaster bowl which sadly broke by the time I got to Greece and a little scarab made of faience that sat in a drawer, neglected.
Last night I made it into a necklace with some odd beads with a bracelet to match.
I haven't really thought much about that trip in years and it's all a jumble of fading memories, sounds and smells, eating watermelon, hot, dry winds, frentic taxi rides, the dusty mummy of a crocodile high on a shelf in a museum. I found this little sketchbook that had a few sketches.
Sometimes it's nice to remember things from a long time ago.
Marilyn.
--
"I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move."
Ulysses ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I've been going through old sketchbooks and filling the blank pages with new versions of my old drawings.
The flowers on the right were from a beautiful day I spent sketching textiles in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London a very long time ago. The new doodle is on the left.
Here are some more bits and pieces...
I found this funny bird toy idea that I think is supposed to have articulated parts, where when you pull on the tail the head and feet move... What was I thinking? Note to past self, make notes about the back of the design.
Pen and ink practice
Old sketch on the right, new ornament on the left...
I like the soft colors on this page. Rather dreamlike, don't you think?
I would love to go back to London just to fill sketchbooks with little lines.
If you could go on a drawing tour anywhere in the world where would tickle your fancy?
Marilyn.
--
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso
I had a superfun time yesterday at the Young Author Fair, sitting under an umbrella at the Tustin Library making toys and paper flowers with kids. The one thing I learned was that it is so important for parents to let their kids play with art.
We made flowers using two pieces of construction paper and tape, no scissors needed. So pretty, don't you think?
When the kids started to stress that "It wasn't right." I told them that flowers aren't made in a factory. They grow in a all sizes and kinds.
This brave young lady had written a book on bullying. There were lots of other young authors reading their work. It was a great day!
Thanks to Barnes and Noble, I got to hang out with lots of wonderful folks and finally got meet awesome writer and artist, Salina Yoon. We've been online friends for years and finally got to meet for reals. :-)
I also got a peek at her new picture book, "Found". It is a winner!
I also got to meet the adorable Sheri Fink and read her books. Her positive energy and enthusiasm is contagious.
I'm inspired!
Marilyn.
--
Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.
~ Nora Ephron
“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.” Henry David Thoreau
This is my fourth little painting. It's a redo of the one below. I wasn't happy with the original composition so I gave it another go.
Last Sunday I painted this. It was Easter Sunday Afternoon and all the parks were packed with picnickers. I finally found a spot to set up and got to work. I'm getting more comfortable with setting up my portable easel, also called a pochade, with all it's knobs and leavers.
I bought a palette knife and want to get better at mixing color. It's like I can see the shade I want in my head but I haven't figured out how to make it yet. Time to pull out one of my old color theory books.
Next stop, a beach painting, or perhaps the back bay. I have six little canvases left.
Happy Weekend! What's on your plate?
Marilyn.
--
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso
“Painting is a means of self-enlightenment.” ~ John Olsen
We are all about the manias here at Casa Del Aguas. It's good to try new things. Sometimes we get sucked in before we know it.
My plein air painting mania started a week ago when I went to Michael's with my mom. I picked up a box of oil paints. It was only five bucks. I wondered what it would be like to be one of those artists that goes out to beautiful places and paints nature. Outside. In the Big, Blue Room.
It's been a long time since I've worked with oils and painting outside seemed like a challenge. Somehow the box found its way into the cart, as well as a pack of cheap canvases. Ten canvases, that's a lot of little paintings.
My friend Bob had mentioned at our last studio group meeting that he had a portable easel that he didn't use anymore. (He prefers to draw with a board on his lap) He sold me this gorgeous beechwood easel for $35. It collapses into a compact suitcase. The brass knobs are very steampunk and I had to practice setting it up and taking it down for an hour before I was comfortable with it.
It was great fun outfitting the easel with paper towels, paints, some brushes and a pair of scissors. The inside is like a Japanese bento box, with nice, little compartments to keep everything tidy. I dug out my old brush wash container and filled it with turpentine. My palettes were all gunky so I used a paper plate instead.
After procrastinating for a whole morning, I finally got out the door. What if it didn't turn out? What if the painting was awful? What if the colors didn't go right? What if a million things? My adventure didn't start out well. The park where I'd planned to go was packed. Some big event was going on and every parking place was taken. I drove around for a half an hour before driving to another mesa.
Once I finally got set up the time flew by.
There are a few bits that need tweaking but all in all I'm not disappointed with it. I need to work on a lot of techniques, composition, foreground, middle and distance. Still, it was a delight to try something new and I can't wait to get out and try again.
Wishing you a happy Easter and a beautiful Spring,
Marilyn.
--
“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut
The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.
~ Robert Lewis Stevenson
Last night at midnight there was a full lunar eclipse so we sat outside and watched it change color....
The Crimson Moon...
There's an app for everything. The Wonderhub was able to find the names of constellations with his iPad. It even showed space satellites skittering by like waterbugs.
Around midnight, a possum took a stroll through the garden. Possums usually look like they are bothered by their bad teeth, all grumpy, on the edge of a hissy fit. This guy was kind of derpy, walking around jaunty like, as if the world was his snack bar on a fine evening. I imagine that he was humming this song to himself.
The world is filled with beautiful things, don't you think? Like The Tiny Overlord thinking about this paper bird I'm working on...
And
Cheddar Cheese Puffs...
What's beautiful in your world?
Do tell,
Marilyn.
--
The world abounds with many delights
Magical sights, fanciful flights
And those who dream on beautiful nights
Dream of beautiful things
T
he Catsby Ann Iverson
To find such glory in a dehydrated pea
on the tile between the stove and fridge.
To toss the needs of others aside
when you simply aren't in the mood for affection.
To find yourselves so irresistible.
And always in a small spot of sun,
you sprawl and spread out the pleasure of yourselves
never fretting, never wanting to go back
to erase your few decisions.
To find yourself so remarkable
all the day long."The Cats" by Ann Iverson from Come Now to the Window. © Laurel Poetry Collective, 2003.
My lovely friend Celia writes the most delicious blog on the planet... Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.
http://figjamandlimecordial.com/One of the things that she posts about is the delights in her bountiful Australian kitchen. She links to other blogs around the globe so I thought I'd share of few picts of what's cooking here at Casa Del Aguas.
A nice batch of bread dough turned into a baguette and some rolls.
We had some friends over for dinner last Saturday and started off with a cheese board made by the hub. The pale yellow cheese is one of my favorites, "Red Dragon", made mustard seeds it has a kick.
He made the cutting board from a piece of walnut. It's just the right size for passing around.
The hub made parmesan polenta hearts.
Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Julia Childs
I made a spicy tomato sauce to go with the polenta.
Oranges, dates and spicy sugared almonds on a romaine salad in an avocado oil/champagne dressing.
Almond sponge cake got a whipped cream and fresh strawberry filling with Nuetella.
The hub also made these steak rollups stuffed with carrots, spring onions and zucchini.
Last night I made Moosewood vegetarian chile, coconut cream corn, chicken strips, also lemon yogurt muffins. The muffin recipe came from
The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, another Moosewood cookbook that I hadn't looked at in a long time. It was like seeing an old friend.
What's in your kitchen? Do you have a favorite cookbook? Do dish!
Marilyn (aka Maz in Australian) :-)
--
"It’s fun to get together and have something good to eat at least once a day.
That’s what human life is all about - enjoying things." ~ Julia Childs
I tried a new cake recipe this morning, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Almond Pear cake.
I whizzed up the batter in the food processor instead of using the beater, which worked out just fine.
Happy Weekend,
Marilyn.
--
"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights." ~ Julia Child.
For some reason I was going to write this epic blog post this morning, telling you about everything that is going on in my life. I was going to tell you about my adventures taking care of my mom who has short term memory loss, my frustrations with drawing and trying to get things to look like the way I see them in my head, writing stories, getting rain after a year long drought, working on books for months and years and finally finishing some of them, but not all...
But I have a cold, and feel deflated, like an old inner tube.
So instead I tell you about how how every morning I sharpen a handful of pencils and place them on the left side of the desk and by midnight they are all dull and in a row on the right side of the desk waiting to be sharpened again.
--
“It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are still alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.” ~ George Eliot
Is there any better way to spend a Saturday than sitting at Rogers Gardens painting watercolors and hanging out with friends? I'd be hard pressed to think of a nicer one.
I got all my art supplies ready the night before. The bottles are liquid watercolor which makes for brilliant colors. Brushes? Check. Pencils? Check. All set to go.
The artists were asked to bring a finished painting to sell. This says "The morning pouring everywhere, it's golden glory in the air. ~ Longfellow"
My talented friend, Linda Ruddy, was there painting in oils. She brought hot tea and china cups, very elegant. We took over the gazebo for our paint station.
The gazebo was originally from Main Street, Disneyland. We were grateful for the shade.
My awesome mother-in-law, who's a master gardener stopped by and we grabbed some lunch. You know you're in California when you can get a tofu taco from a food truck.
Me demonstrating how mastic works, just paint on the mastic which a gum rubber then paint watercolor over it. when everything is dry you can rub the mastic off giving you a nifty batik look. This picture was taken by the talented photographer, Teresa Carlisle, who stopped by to say hi.
Rogers Gardens has lots of beautiful potted plants for sale.
Some flowers from a hanging basket.
Linda Ruddy's very fine oil painting. I love the soft colors in this. We talked a lot about the comforting power of art and loving what we love, be it dolls, toys or flowers.
Succulents.
I started out the day painting with timid colors, but as the day went on I tried pushing the saturation and trying new things. Whenever a kid would stop by to see what we were doing I offered to let them make their own painting. I was impressed by how fearless little artists are. Our conversations usually went something like this...
Me: "Are you an artist?"
Kid: "Yes, I am."
Me: "Would you like to paint a painting?"
Kid: "Yes, I would. It's what I'm bestest at. I'm really good at art."
Then the kid would take a brush and dive in. I was impressed with their creativity and self confidence. After that I tried to be braver and not worry so much about perfection.
A quick flower study.
There were dozens of artists painting all over the gardens. It was fun to walk around and see what everyone was drawing. So many different styles and mediums!
My friends, Karyn and Eden stopped by. Eden and I did mastic paintings.
At the end of the day, after eight hours of painting, I packed up my things and headed home, tired and happy.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by, Karyn and Eden, Mandl and John, Margaret and Ronn, Theresa and Larry. You made a lovely day into a completely perfect day.
I'm already looking forward to the next one.
Marilyn.
--
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~ Pablo Picasso
Hey, how's your day going? Good I hope.
Here's what my life looks like at the moment...
A basket of kittehs.
A drawing of leaves
The Curvy Closet Sewing Club is back up and running. I finally had some time yesterday to do some sewing. Here's Vogue V1197, a cowl neck tunic. It was pretty simple to put together. The pattern had long shirred raglan sleeves but they were too fiddly for me so I cut them off at the elbow. I also cut a kimono jacket out last night out of scrapes of fabric.
"Old Lonesome" out by the pond.
The fish seem happy enough.
Hugs and kisses to you!
Marilyn.
---
“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things
makes home happy and life lovely.”
~ Louisa May Alcott
Yesterday my friend Annie and I zoomed up to Downtown Los Angeles for an adventure. Our destination was the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
http://www.bobbakermarionettes.com/
The show had just ended and we where hit with that high pitched wave of screaming unique to five-year-olds who are excited and having a good time. Once they cleared out I got to see where they made the clothing for the marionettes.
The hallways of the old building were covered with awards, photos and sketches.
The theater's been there since the sixties. It was faded and lovely and a little bit creepy all at the same time.
I want to make one!
Afterwards we parked in downtown and stumbled upon an incredible French place called
Noces du Figaro. Here's my Croque Madame with pomme frites. The bread basket had the biggest, most generous bowl of jelly for the bread. We ate like Hobbits.
Adorable Annie!
It was like a fairyland. Annie bought us macarons. Mine was pistachio and delicious. Annie was adventurous and tried the lavender which tasted like bath salts to me.
If that wasn't enough splendor, afterwards we went to
"The Last Bookstore" a massive, wonderful place with new and used books. I don't have a picture of it because I was too busy looking at everything. I bought a book about Ripley, of
Ripley's Believe It or Not fame, for the hub, A Philip Pullman version of
Grimm's Fairy Tales for me and for five bucks,
Things to Make and Do, from 1912.
On the ride home, we ate our macarons and I got a chance to hear the latest cuts from Annie's new album. You can hear her beautiful voice here...
http://annierue.com/and here...
https://www.youtube.com/user/RUYGA001/videosI will miss my friend as she goes on tour. When she returns we already have plans to go see the marionettes. I'll be saving my pennies for the bookstore.
Marilyn.
---
Books hold most of the secrets of the world, most of the thoughts that men and women have had. And when you are reading a book, you and the author are alone together—just the two of you. ~ E.B. White
The boy is going to an Anime convention and he asked me to make him a red cape to go with his armor that he's been making. Being an obliging sort of mother that does that kind of thing, I hauled out my old sewing machine and snipped and stitched. In no time at all I had a red satin cape.
Pretty snazzy, don't you think? I'm half tempted to wear it to the grocery store tomorrow or down at the mall. I would stand with my hands on my hips and let folks admire my profile,
Wouldn't it be cool if everyone had capes to wear on days when you really needed super powers? Feeling bored? Wear a cape. Lethargic? Wear a cape. Need to take on the world? Cape.
Just a thought.
Keep using your superpowers for good,
Marilyn.
--
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” ~ Nora Ephron
It was a very generous Christmas this year, filled with delights. Here are a few lovelies that I received.
.
.
My old food processor was held together by super glue and sheer will. It leaked out both sides and puffed flour like something from Willy Wonka's factory. I'm besotted by my new one and love the little paddles in the front, simply on and pulse off. I've used it almost every day since it came out of the box.
.
.
I've been a vegetarian for over fifteen years and partly due to Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbooks. Her new book is full of simple, clean recipes. The spicy sesame green beans were extremely craveworthy.
The Heart of the Plate is a new fav.
.
I got two of these cheery red oven mitts. My old ones had holes in them.... ouch!
.
My awesome artist friend Annie Rugyt gave me a lovely bottle of Pearlescent moss colored ink. So when my bestie Julie sent me a gift card for Art Supply Warehouse I replenished my set with new bottles of silver, gold, copper, teal and blue. I also received a set of antique dip pen nibs from my friend, photographer Peter Bryenton. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends.
.
.
My hub bought me a new pair of Dahle Super Shears, the best scissors on the planet. They are a luxury. Keep the diamonds and furs, I'll take art supplies any day. And I bet you would too.
So, my friend, what delights you?
Best thoughts,
Marilyn.
---
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.
I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful,
and don’t forget to make some art —
write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can
And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
~ Neil Gaiman.
Cleaned my desk. Got a brand new pencil. Start your engines...
I have a million things that I want to do this year.
I want to paint big canvases, practice guitar and uke, cook more veg and go places...
I also want to write and draw a little every day.
How about you?
Marilyn.
--
“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” ~ Iris Murdoch
“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.”
~ Gustave Flaubert
Time to start the annual house purge...
Every year after Christmas it's nice to do a big "sort and tidy".
Out with the tree and decorations, in with the organization.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
When in doubt, throw it out... is my motto today.
My office is a disaster!
Wish me luck!
Marilyn
--
Making space so magic can happen.
At the last booksigning I did I showed kids how to make stamps out of craft foam. It was tons of fun and I was impressed how creative some of the kids were.
I also showed how to fold a piece of paper to make a little book so we could tell a story with our stamps....
Stories are awesome.
Marilyn.
--
“Live, and be happy, and make others so.” ~ Mary Shelley
In a fit of domestic mania that Martha Stewart and Snow White would envy, I made three batches of cookie dough this afternoon.
I blame this book. I got it when I was five and learned to bake my first cookies from it. The illustrations are really cute. It also shows boys cooking, and who doesn't love that?
Here we have Peanut Crispies, Fudge Crinkles (made from a fudge cake mix) and Sugar Cookies with chocolate chips. I did all the mixing in the food processor so it only took about an hour to make all three kinds.
I wanted to take some to my mom's house so I turned the empty cake mix box inside out, taped the corners and stamped the cover with stars. Instant container!
A sweet treat, don't you think. :-)
Here's a screenshot of the Fudge Crinkles recipe from the Betty Crocker webpage. Super easy. I didn't even mess with chilling the dough or rolling balls in powdered sugar. I just spooned the dough onto parchment paper and ten minutes later... yummers!
Now I have six batches of frozen cookie dough ready to bake. Bring it on, December!
Do you like to cook? Who taught you? How did you learn?
Warm thoughts,
Marilyn.
---
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne
Things have been busy here at the Curvy Closet Sewing Club.
I made a sun hat which came out a little floppy. Kinda sporty, don't you think? I bought some heavier facing and will be making another one. ~ Vogue 8405
It's been inelegantly hot here this last week so I made this arctic fleece coat this morning because it was a cooling thought. I am ready for rain and cold mornings now. The fleece is wonderfully soft, it's like wearing a cashmere baby blanket. I'll most likely use it for an upscale slanket. It's the perfect thing for curling up with a cup of tea. The pattern was super simple. ~ Vogue 8930
It does look a little like a rhinoceros hide though.
In those days the Rhinoceros's skin fitted him quite tight. There were no wrinkles in it anywhere. He looked exactly like a Noah's Ark Rhinoceros, but of course much bigger. All the same, he had no manners then, and he has no manners now, and he never will have any manners.
From How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin by Rudyard Kipling
So any chilly morning when I don't feel like having manners,
I shall wear my coat and feel most sentimental.
Marilyn.
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