A Falltime Recipe

Thankful for the changing of the seasons!  Here in TX, we don't have "seasons," per se, but we do have signs of the times.  The season of omnipresent pumpkins is winding to an end, and the season of omnipresent peppermint is upon us!

Here's a quick'n'easy little dessert which a coworker of my mom's provided at a breakfast meeting.  She was kind enough to share the recipe.  Thanks, Sue!  Looks like it's a variation on Paula Deen's recipe.  It's a recommended recipe that is "easy, yummy, and feeds a crowd"!  What more could you ask for as we enter the season of holiday hosting?  Besides, it gives me a chance to use my trifle dish - even better!

I adapted it again, and it's my own variation that I've posted below.  It makes a little smaller batch (there's only 2 of us, after all) and it's not quite as sweet as the original recipe.  If you want the Paula Dean version, it's linked above.

PUMPKIN GINGERBREAD TRIFLE

Ingredients:

• 9x9 pan of gingerbread, your favorite recipe
• 1 (1.5 oz) box of instant vanilla pudding mix 
• 3 c. milk (for pudding)
• 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom or cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 T. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (12 oz.) container of frozen whipped topping
• 1/2 cup crushed gingersnaps, optional

Directions:

1. Bake gingerbread; cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, prepare pudding and set aside to chill.
3. Stir the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and spices together.
4. Stir pumpkin mix into pudding.
5. Crumble gingerbread into bottom of a large, trifle type bowl.
6. Pour 1/2 of pudding mix over gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping.
7. Sprinkle with crushed gingersnaps, if desired.
8. Refrigerate overnight.

Notes:

• Sugar and spices (and everything nice) can be adjusted to your taste.  Using pumpkin pie filling instead (like in the original recipe) can yield a very sweet dessert, so sugar can be reduced if dessert is too sweet.  Likewise the spices can be increased or adjusted to your taste.  I ended up using the original 1/2 c. packed brown sugar, but used plain puree.  Also, I like using pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon.  But then, I like the mix of the Pumpkin Pie Spice blend :)
• The gingerbread recipe I used was the WeightWatchers Gingerbread Cake from the WW Comfort Classics cookbook, p.194.

Bon Appétit and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody! The weather has finally cooled off, it's Friday, and we've finished some larger projects at work, so I'm in a pretty festive mood right now.  Festive tidings to all! Or... BOO!  Or whatever one says on Halloween :) 

Right now, Zach is unfortunately working an evening duty, so I'm chattering away here and watching the trick-or-treaters come 'round. 

We've had some fun this year too - our first Jack-o-lantern!  Between one thing and another (mostly crazy work schedules) we've really only started celebrating Halloween since we got to Texas.  Was a harder holiday to make work in California (like I said, work schedules).  But since being in Texas, we've been able to have trick-or-treaters each year, and this year, a Jack-o-lantern too!  

 

To quote Calvin and Hobbes, "Ok, Jack, time for your lobotomy!"

   

And all done and lit!  Fun fun!!

 

And of course, with pumpkin carving, comes toasted pumpkin seeds.  My first time in years making them, so here's the recipes I found.  And my notes, so I don't forget next year :)

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• Pumpkins seeds
• Water
• Salt
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Scoop out the innards of your pumpkin.  It's easiest to do this if you cut the top off, to get access.  If you're making a Jack-o-lantern, as we were, you're doing this already, so just set the goopy pumpkin insides to the side until you are ready to shift from pumpkin-carving to pumpkin-toasting.  I suppose if you're multitasking, you could start the seed prep-work as you carve, but we were both focused on the carving.  Seeds had to come later.  :)
2. Wash the seeds.  You'll need to do this by hand, in order to separate the seeds from the stringy bits.  Use the colander; it will help.   And yes, your hands will be pretty messy.
3. Measure the pumpkin seeds in a cup measure before you place them in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pan for every 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds. Add more salt if you prefer your seeds on the saltier side.  According to Simply Recipes, boiling the seeds in salt water before you toast them lets the salt permeate the seeds, instead of just sitting on top of the shell (like it would if you simply tossed the seeds in oil and salt before toasting).  
4. Bring the salted water and pumpkin seeds to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and drain well.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. 
6. Spread some olive oil on the bottom of a roasting pan or thick baking sheet (I used a cookie sheet with a lip around the edge).  I say spread "some" because I just drizzled the oil, but Simply Recipes recommends about a teaspoon or so. 
7. Spread the seeds out over the sheet in a single layer.  
8. Toss them a bit to coat them with the oil on the pan. I used our silicone basting brush to spread the oil around and cover the seeds.  Worked well, and I didn't have to risk literally tossing my seeds across the kitchen (which is probably what would have happened!).
9. Place sheet on the top rack of your oven and bake until the seeds begin to brown.  This is the tricky part, because it could be anywhere from 5-20 minutes, depending on how big your seeds are.  Smaller  seeds may be done in 5 minutes or so, but large pumpkin seeds may take up to 20 minutes. SO!  Keep an eye on your pumpkin seeds!   I set my timer for 5 minutes at a time, and checked regularly. 
10. When lightly browned, remove the sheet from the oven and let the seeds cool. You don't have to let them cool ALL the way down before eating, but you do want them cool enough you don't burn your tongue.
11. Enjoy!

Notes, References, etc.

As I said above, I used the recipe on Simply Recipes, but there are lots of other variations on toasted pumpkin seeds, as it turns out.  Do you boil them, do you just toast them, do you use olive oil or melted butter, do you toast them on high for less time, or longer at a lower temp... lots of variations.  What I particularly liked were the flavor variations people mentioned!  Here's a sampling:

• 101 Cookbooks - Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: 3 Ways.  The variations there are Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds, Black Tea & Butter Pumpkin Seeds, and Curried Pumpkin Seeds.
• 101 Cookbooks also has a Thai-spiced pumpkin soup recipe, and Simply Recipes has several pumpkin recipes, too - if you're cooking pumpkin anyway...  ;)
• All Recipes is always a good stop.  A basic recipe, but lots of helpful comments. 
• Michael Chiarello's recipe on Food Network.com.  Again a basic recipe, but there are some good tips in the comment section (I think food websites are the only ones where I read the comments anymore!)
• Food Network Kitchens, also on Food Network.com, has a bunch of variations - Italian, barbeque, Indian... definitely a few I want to try next time!
• Food.com lists some good optional seasonings too.  Chili powder, garlic powder, cajun seasonings...

My last comment is a reminder to WATCH YOUR TOASTING!  Mine did end up a little burnt :(  Probably should have stopped at 10 minutes, instead of 12.  It's like popcorn.  Light and salty and delicious if done right, but go just a little too long when cooking, and you end up with that burnt aftertaste, like you're eating charcoal. 

So, definitely worth a repeat, and some yummy looking variations I want to try, but also learned a lesson on toasting them.  Just wait til next year!  :D

Oh So Pinteresting Wednesday: I have joined the ranks of the tutu-ed runners!

There was a Halloween-themed race in our area on Saturday last, with a separate costume contest for the Little Monsters, of course.  The bigger monsters were also encouraged to come in costume - so I did!  I've done other runs in costume, but hadn't done a tutu yet.  But they are getting really popular, so I thought, why not?

The tutu itself is incredibly simple and offers a lot of variation for costumes, theme runs, and similar silliness.  The craziest part?  People will charge $30 or more to make them, when they are SO simple to make yourself!!  So (being the cheap, crafty type that I am) I set about doing some research (Pinterest, of course) and buying some tulle :)

What you will need:

• Tulle - you'll need 2-8 yds of tulle.  Comes in tons of colors, as well as shiny and glittered varieties.  I used 2yds each of 3 colors (black, purple, shiny orange).

• It's an inexact science to figure out how much you need, but rule of thumb: More tulle = Fluffier tutu.
• You probably want the finer mesh tulle - less scratching as you're running.  But, personal preferences and all that.
• ALTERNATIVE: tulle ribbon.  These are found in the wedding/floral sections of the craft stores.  Probably need about 4 spools, judging from other instructions I found out on the Internet.  I just used tulle off the bolt - required more cutting, but cheaper and had the colors I wanted.

•  Ribbon - long enough to go around your waist and tie securely.

• ALTERNATIVE: elastic.  1/2 to 1 inch wide elastic works just fine.  Don't really want to go narrower than that - you are running in it after all, and want it to be at least a little sturdy. If you're using elastic, you'll also need needle and thread.

• Scissors 

What you do next:

1.          Cut your tulle into strips about 4 inches wide.  The strips are attached to the skirt band doubled over, so you'll want the strip lengths to be twice what you want the skirt length to be (i.e., if you want a tutu 9 inches long from the waist, cut 18 inch long strips). 

• If you are using tulle-on-a-spool, that's easy - it's already at the width you want, so you'll just cut it to the length you want.  Remember - 2x the length of the skirt.
• If you are using tulle from the bolt, fold the piece of fabric so that it is length you want, and then cut into strips.  

2.          I cut all my strips, and kept them grouped into piles by color.  I held one strip of each color in each bundle that I attached to the ribbon.  Other variations I saw made their skirts striped, so each bundle is one color only, alternating colors around the band.  All in your preference.

3.          To attach the bundles of tulle, you tie it on using your choice of knots.  Some instructions just tied on the tulle with an overhand knot, but most used the Lark's Head knot (even if they didn't know what it was called).  The Lark's Head is the 'up, over, and pull-through' knot, about as simple a knot as you can get.  Yay for learning this stuff in Girl Scouts!  I'm not going to explain it any more, because there are tons of clearer directions out there with videos and diagrams and all (including in one set of the instructions below), so I'm sure you can find one that is clear to you. 

4.          Since I was doing a no-sew version, I was attaching my tulle to a length of ribbon, long enough to go around my hips and tie.  I started attaching my tulle in the middle of the ribbon and worked out from there, adding bundles on each side.  The more tightly squeezed in your knots are, the more tulle your skirt will have, and the puffier it will be. 

5.         Keep adding tulle until you run out of space or of tulle.  I had ended up not cutting my strips evenly, so I had more orange and black than purple.  I added a few bundles of black and orange (and even just a few orange-only), but they blend right in.  There's so much color and movement in the skirt anyway, that a little unevenness like that won't show :)

6.         Ta-da!  You're done!  Go tie it on and have some fun :)

Other references I used (there are 1,000,001 different instructions for tutus out there; these are a few I looked at for research, in no particular order):

• Idiot Runner Girl 
• Sparkling Fashion 
• The Hair Bow Company
• Hyvaa Paivaa Textiles (don't worry, it's in English)
• My Happiness Redefined
• Cut Out and Keep
• Healthful MD - very good description of the Lark's Head knot too, if you're unfamiliar with it.

And then the race itself!  

The skirt was the final piece in my costume which also included striped knee-high Halloween socks and a hairband with a tiny witch's hat.  So cute, and only $1 at Target!

 

If anyone asks, I chose the ribbon with the apples because witches and poison apples and the whole deal.  But really, it was the first one I grabbed out of my stash that didn't clash completely :)

Thoughts?

• Fun, ridiculously silly, ridiculously easy - win win win!
• There are tons of ways to customize these suckers.  As I said above, you can make them striped or color-blocked, depending on how you arrange the colors.  You can add ribbon to add some contrasting color, or use strips of fabric or wide ribbon instead of the tulle to make a different kind of skirt altogether (swishy, rather than poofy).  And just playing with the colors of tulle, there are tons of options: I've seen ones with different holiday color schemes, ones for each of the Disney princesses, red ones with large white spots as part of a Minnie Mouse costume, blue ones with large stars as part of a Wonder Woman costume, lots of pink and purple ones for fairies, green ones for Tinkerbell... the list goes on and on.
• I don't know if I'd be able to run longer than a 5K in the costume I used on Saturday.  I was pretty pleased with my race time and I like the skirt, but the tulle can get bunched between your legs as you run.  I did have to walk a few moments during the last mile to rearrange my skirt.  In the future, I'd either need to make it shorter, so that it sticks out more than it drapes, or wear running tights - which it was definitely too warm for on Saturday... yay Texas :(
• All in all, though, a fun project and a fun race!

Oh So Pinteresting Wednesdays: Race Medal Displays - The Projects

So, after all this, allow me to show you what I turned out for myself.

I made one for myself, and have supplies for a second very (well, fundamentally) similar one.  It's a basic shelf with a few picture frames slots and a flat surface below where I can add hooks to hang medals.  I was really searching hard for something like this, because I wanted a chance to show off pictures (I've got some great ones of me or me and friends/family at races or other runs) and I wanted the shelf for my (2!) trophies.  This one I found in Ross, of all places. 

 

I sanded it down a little, primed and painted.  My craft room has a lot of that teal color, but I wanted to be able to hang this wherever, not just in that one room.  I removed the hooks it came with and used mug hooks instead, measuring out staggered rows to fit in as many hooks as I could.  In some of the instructions I've seen, the writer painted the cup hooks first, but I liked the brass with the dark paint, so one less step for me.  I did have to use the drill to get the holes started, but after that, I could just twist in the hooks by hand.

 

Altogether, my supplies looked like:

• Primer (in stash)
  
• Paint - Rubbed Bronze (in stash)
• Mug hooks (Home Depot)
  
• Picture shelf (Ross)
• Lots of sandpaper

So, after lots of sanding and painting and drying time, the hooks are on the shelves, the shelves are on the wall, and the medals are on the hooks.  Look nice, don't they?  And it costs way less than one of the purchased ones, leaving me extra proud of myself :)

 

You can see better in the second picture the actual size of it all, more of the wall to put it in context.  There's a little wall at the landing at the top of our stairs which is the perfect size for this.  Oh, and Zach's medals are up there as well as mine - he's got bragging rights too!

Oh So Pinteresting Wednesday: Race Medal Displays - The Research

This week, my Pinteresting project involves my race medals.  Race swag accumulates like no one's business.  Bibs, medals, assorted other paraphernalia... little mementos of these events.  And of course, you want to show off the important ones.  I've always simply pinned my medals into the wall, stacked neatly in a column down a thin section of wall (like at a doorway or something similar).  But I've been thinking more about a neater way to do it.  More transportable (we do move a good bit, after all) and fewer holes in the wall.  And yes, maybe a little easier to add new medals to, since I'm kinda particular about how neatly things are hanging.  

So, after a bit of research via Google, etsy, and Pinterest, I found some ideas for DIY medal and bib number hangers.

At airplanes and treadmills (now Janelle Runs), she put together a joint bib/medal display.  I really like the paint effect, but I'm not big on the chalkboard paint.  I'm just not big on chalkboard paint in general, though.  It's one of those things sooooo-very-common on Pinterest that I just don't do.  Like burlap and mason jars.  Still, she gives very clear directions, which I definitely like.

Pavement Runner has directions for basic bib and medal displays (separate pieces, not a combination one like above).  She stenciled her displays, instead of the reverse stenciling (is that the right term?) like at airplanes and treadmills.

The girls at Southern Color have directions for a simple display - one number and a medal or two.  Seems like it would feel cluttered with more, but for displaying goodies from one particular race, I think it'd be a nice option.

Jenny over at Love Eat Run gave her directions for a photo display medal hanger.  I really liked this one.  And, as I've mentioned before, mile 11 pictures seem to work well for me, plus I've got some post-race pictures I really like too.  Yes, I definitely have some photos to display as well as the medals.

Liz Runs has another DIY option I really like.  She took a basic coat-hanger-with-shelf and added a few more hooks to make a simple display.  I like the shelf option here - an easy place to put a few trophies or a certificate, or an additional picture or two.

Running with the Girls has a different option altogether, though no instructions.  A gift from one of her running buddies was a medal display which looks like it was based off of a decorative small curtain rod.  A little different from the other options I've found, which focus on pegs instead.  Too bad there aren't instructions, but it was a gift, after all.  Found a similar one on etsy at Inspirational Piece - still no instructions, but a little bit bigger picture.

Finally, if after all this, you're still not sure you want to make your own version, there are numerous places online to find neat displays.  

• Gone for a Run has some lovely metal ones (my favorites are the I Run This Town series)  A nice point to this style is the extender bars - definitely a plus.  Gone for a run also has clips for the ribbons, to pin back extra ribbon as they are hanging on a display - a little more subtle than paper clips or binder clips!  The custom display option is there, as well.
• Sport Hooks (Heavy Medalz) has a whole bunch of Rock & Roll Marathon Series displays.  Yes I do have a couple of R&R medals (3 VB, 1 AZ, 1 San Diego) but I have a lot of other race medals too.  And yes, it would bother me to be hanging other medals on a R&R display.  I'm like that though - it would also bother me to have half medals on a rack labeled for full marathons, and vice versa.  Still, they are neat looking displays.
• Allied Medal Displays has some more very pretty, sleek metal options.  I really like their 50 States-50 Marathon designs (or 50 Half Marathons, too).  And the "give a girl the right pair of shoes" one too.  They also do custom displays.  Of course, custom = more money.  The eternal trade-off.
• In View Designs is more of the shadow-box style display, instead of wall-mounted racks.  A little different, but still pretty nice.
• Made 4 Medals has another different style of display.  This one might be easy to recreate, too.  I like this one, too, as it's a bit neater looking than simply hanging the medals.  Maybe one day I'll sit down and try to figure out how to do it.
• There are tons of etsy options (a quick search just now for "marathon medal display" turned up over 200 results). They have ones from metal workers, wood carvers, crafty types... you name it. 
• Running on the Wall is an etsy shop I particularly want to point out - TONS of varieties of displays.  They've got lots of different size and color and quote combinations.  Other sports are available too (triathlon, swimming, hockey, wrestling, custom...).  I particularly like their "13.1: Only Half Crazy" one :)
• Running Hutch has another purchase-able option - a belt or tie rack.  The one she found also has a shelf on it, for pictures or trophies.
• Anchors Aweigh doesn't list instructions or sells them herself, but this is her Top 10 list of displays, and I liked a bunch of them, so I wanted to include the link.  My favorites are the funny ones ("I got suckered into another one" and "Whose idea was it to add the 0.2?")  
• Anchors Aweigh also had another Pinterest idea for race medals - making magnets from them!  I tracked down two sets of instructions - from Everybody Loves VD and from Deemed Legally Fit.  I don't know if I'd do this, though.  Several of my medals have really pretty ribbons, and a couple are reeeeeally heavy, so would need a bunch of magnets to keep them up.  And then, I write the date and time of the race on the back of the medal, too, so that I can remember and see my progress.  So, don't know if I'd ever make the medal magnets, but still a neat idea.

So now that I see where I want to go with this, let's get started!   (To be continued!!)

All the way through season 8!!

Netflix has all 8 seasons of Dexter streaming!!  Here's my own little chatter (and marketing plug to watch this show!).

Plot:  In case you haven't heard of or seen the show, here you go.  Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter analyst working at Miami Metro Homicide.  He's also a serial killer on the side.  Watch Dexter through 8 seasons as he eludes the police, the FBI, and other serial killers, while balancing dating, being a father, and hunting for his next victim. The series is inspired by the books by Jeff Lindsay, of which I've only been able to read the first so far.

The acting is great!  Michael C. Hall just makes the show.  Dexter's monologues and inner comments are  priceless.  How many characters can remind themselves "I will not kill my sister.  I will not kill my sister" and you know they really mean it??  Jennifer Carpenter's great as Deb, his sister.  And the supporting cast is very very solid.  Lots of likeable (and unlikeable) characters very well played.  And one of the fun things about the show is that in addition to the regular cast, they bring in a guest star or two for the season.  I still think my favorite was John Lithgow in Season 4.  It'd been so long since I'd seen him in a bad guy role, I'd almost forgotten how creepy he can be!

The timing and pacing of the show are beautiful.  It's a Showtime series, so only 12 episodes in a season compared to network TV.  Which means that it doesn't have lots of fluff built into season.  Some story arcs might have more padding than others, but overall, it's a nicely paced story.

And watching the characters develop is so much fun.  Dexter's an antihero, a serial killer who you still don't really want to see caught.  And he repeatedly refers to himself as a monster, something not really human.  So in each season, you see him working towards being more human - dating, finding a true friend, falling in love, becoming a parent.  Despite not feeling human, Dexter grows in some very human ways, and that makes for a highly enjoyable story.  His narration is relatable, as well as being entertaining.

On to the negatives...

After season 5, you can kinda see the production and/or writing crew changed.  The dialogue didn't change or characters didn't start acting out-of-character or anything like that.  It was more in the storylines and character development.  Like, the first 5 seasons really were driven more by character development - not that there weren't major plot lines, because there were.  But the character development was a more major push than it felt like it was in seasons 6-8.  In the later seasons, the character development seemed more reactive, more a back seat to the events surrounding Dexter et. al.  In all honesty, you could probably watch the first 5 seasons and stop there and not feel like you're missing out much.  Seasons 6-8 happen, and lots happens to the characters, but I dunno, it just felt like a shift after season 5.  Kinda hard to explain, but just watch it and you'll understand.

On that same thought, but without any spoilers... the series finale.  The general consensus is that the finale was pretty bad.  Some lists put it as one of the worst series finales ever.  I'd definitely agree.  Without giving away too much, it felt like the writers just didn't know what to do with the characters to end the show.  Everything feels forced and over the top.  That was a regular feeling of mine in season 8, honestly, but it's really overwhelming in the last episode or two.  Like every formulaic Big Event got squeezed in.  Really, a very very disappointing ending to an otherwise well-done and enjoyable show.

KINDA SORTA SPOILER - I'm not putting it lower on the page, since it's not REALLY a spoiler, but it does cover some later plot points, so maybe you might think it is.  At any rate, I never really liked Hannah (seasons 7-8).  I'd buy that she's 'not the same kind of killer as Dexter,' i.e. that she's not a psychopath, but I don't buy that she only 'did what she had to, in order to protect herself.'  Yes, she was possibly dragged along on the spree when she was a teenager, overwhelmed by the older personality, but she's got several deaths on her own hands, too.  One is an older woman, her mentor of sorts, who left Hannah a flower shop and inheritance in her will.  Oh, and then conveniently passes away.  If it wasn't for that one death, I'd buy that Hannah wasn't really a heartless killer, but that one death was driven by greed, not necessity.  And that keeps me from really warming to Hannah.  Just can't.

Finally, I have to laugh at ourselves, too.  Even after all this chatter about how addicted to the show we are and how excited we have been for each season, Zach and I had a serious conversation about it when season 6 was about to begin.  We actually make the conscious decision to wait until the end of the season until it's all over to watch.  The way we burned through seasons 1-5 (seriously, in about 2 weeks), I think waiting from week to week over a full season would drive us bonkers!  So, we decided to wait until the season's all over (and the case of season 8, the show's finale too!!), then watch it all in a weekend or so, like we did with the earlier seasons. :)  The fact all 8 seasons are now available online via Netflix was just icing on the cake.  We started over back at season 1 just before Christmas.  I hadn't seen all of season 1 (he'd started watching the show and I got sucked in about episode 5) so we started at the beginning, thinking we'd watch season 1 and then go to season 8.  Until about season 1, episode 4, when we looked at each other and said "Yeah, let's just go straight through!"  So, with a break for our travels over New Year's, we worked our way right through :)

Overall: 4.5 of 5.  There are moments in any season, obviously, which are a little stretched or over the top, but overall, it's one we have watched (and will again, probably) more than once.  Dry, dark humor, good character development, great acting, surprise twists.  Like I said above, goes downhill after season 5, but still definitely a win.

Recipe: Flapjacks

No, not pancakes.  Flapjacks.

These are a British snack bar made with oats.  Think 'really filling granola bar.'  They are highly addicting.  And impossible to find in the States.

Oh, and just a word of warning - they are NOT a health food.

My sister and I each had summers abroad in England, and flapjacks were available in the dining halls.  For both of us, any money left on the meal account for the day was used to buy flapjacks.  A flapjack and an apple made for a really easy, filling yet portable lunch.  Perfect for a student tourist! So, when Anne sent me a recipe she'd found for them, I HAD to add a few ingredients to my next grocery list to give them a try.

And yes, am counting this as a Pinteresting post, since I've now pinned recipes for two flapjack variations to my boards :) 

There are a lot of recipe variations out there, but overall, these are surprisingly simple!  Like Rice Krispie Treats, but using Golden Syrup instead of marshmallows, and oats instead of the cereal.  The first recipe I found was at Smitten by Britain, but I also found recipes from BBC Channel 4 and from Chubby Hubby for reference/comparison.  All Recipes has a good version too, but like I said, there are tons others out there with a quick search, so find one that you like.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
• 6 tbsp. Golden Syrup
• 2/3 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 4 cups oats (I like the old fashioned oats, not the quick-cooking)
• Pinch salt
• Whatever extras you want to add (I added wheat germ, chopped almonds, and chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.  You can use a 9" x 9" pan if you prefer; it just gives you thicker bars at the end.  Optional: line the pan with baking parchment.  This is really to help remove the bars later, since they are rather sticky.
3. Place the syrup, sugar, and butter into a large saucepan over low heat.  Stir until everything is well mixed and it's a relatively even consistency (i.e., all the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved).  Note: make sure all the Golden Syrup is added (it's like using honey - tends to stick to the spoon).  If you don't have enough syrup in the mix, the bars will come out very crumbly.
4. Put the oats into a large mixing bowl, adding the pinch of salt.  Pour in the syrup mixture and stir together.  You want everything as evenly coated as possible.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Be careful not to overcook, as they will end up dry and crunchy once they cool (you want them soft and gooey when cool).
7. Let the pan cool on a wire rack.  While still warm, cut into bars (I like rectangles, but I've also seen pictures of squares and triangles, if you have preferences).  They will set as they cool, so don't remove from the pan until completely cool.  They will crumble apart otherwise. 

Notes & Variations:

Store in an airtight container.

Corn syrup can be substituted for the Golden Syrup.  Golden Syrup just gives it a little bit of a distinctive flavor. Like I said, Golden Syrup has rather the consistency of honey, and if you're adding lots of extras to your batch, you might want to add a little more syrup to the butter-syrup mixture, just to keep things from crumbling apart.  It is found usually in the International Food section of the grocery store, or at a specialty store like World Market.

Like granola bars, you can add all sorts of stuff to these.  About - British Food lists a bunch of variations at the bottom of the page.  You can add nuts, dried fruit, dried coconut... whatever strikes your fancy.  I added 3 tbsp wheat germ, for sneaking in a little extra fiber.  And 1 cup chopped almonds, for a little flavor and crunch.

I remember the chocolate flapjacks particularly, so I poured a bag of semisweet chocolate chips on top, let them soften, and them spread them across the surface like frosting.  This is the closest I could come to the chocolate topping I remember :)  It was a little heavy-handed, honestly - in some places the chocolate was a little thick, even for my tastes.  Next time I make these (and I will!), I think I'll use just a cup or 3/4 cup of chocolate chips, instead of the whole 12-oz bag.  

Otherwise, though, great success!!

Crazy Colorful Fun!

I have now done a Color Run!

I've been wanting to do one of these for a couple years now, really since they first started getting popular.  With one thing and another, I just couldn't make one.  There are actually a bunch in the area, too.  Austin and Dallas both have them, if I don't mind driving.  Temple and Killeen both have them too, which was more surprising.  But between schedules and having people to run with, it just wasn't working out for me.  Normally having buddies on a race isn't a big deal for me, but with this one, it just seemed like a More-The-Merrier sort of thing.

So, we were planning on doing the one in Killeen this fall (November).  We still might, come to think of it!  But then we lucked out.  MWR on post puts on races regularly through the year, and the 4th of July race is one of their standards.  This year, they decided to make it a color run!  Couldn't pass that up!  So here we are, nice and clean white shirts, all ready to go. 

If you're going to do one of these, the pre-race picture is important - lets you see how very dusted you actually became!

The race itself was fun, but crowded.  It was by far one of the biggest turn-outs I've ever seen at an MWR event, let alone a race!  Everyone was taking advantage of it!!  There were so many people there, I wouldn't call it a race at all.  It was still a 5K (they just used the post's usual 5K course) but with all the people, and especially with so many kids and first time runners, it made quite a crowd to maneuver through, in spite of the wave start.  Even with the crowd, I'd say it's worth doing.  Especially if you can talk someone into trying a 5K for the first time.  All the colored powder and no timing definitely makes it a less intimidating introduction to running.  Anything to encourage people to be more active, right?

Despite what you might think looking at Zach's shirt above, the majority of the color doesn't come from the race itself (unless you make a special effort) but from the Color Party afterwards.  Zach got so very blue by being at the front of the first wave.  The volunteer color teams (those who throw the powder at the runners) were still VERY excited as he was running through.  The kids especially were having a blast trying to get the adults with the color.  Living in Texas, we don't actually get snow to speak of, so this is the closest we can come to a snowball fight and being able to legitimately throw stuff at one another.

 

As you can see below, the Color Party  leaves significantly more color on a person!  People got little bags of color as they finished (I think it comes in the race packets in an average Color Run).  And then at the party, the volunteers spray powder over the crowds (in the pictures above) and people toss their powder up (or at each other).  Everyone gets very colored!

Surprisingly (I suppose) for a crafty-type person, I did not try to set the color on my shirt.  Zach and I talked about it, but ultimately, I just washed it back to the basic white.  I took pictures, though!  You can probably see why I chose not to - the funny green stripe from Zach hugging me, and the sports bra-shaped void on the back are just kinda funny.  So, would rather have my basic black and white running shirt back.  Zach's shirt we didn't even try to salvage!  

 

The powder does wash out, eventually. My hat is back to black, and after a few washes, my shirt is white again too.  Maybe at the November race, I'll try and get a better "design" on my shirt and try and set it then.  We'll see!  :)

Fun with Scissors and Spray Paint!

When we first moved out here, Zach had some pretty long days, busy with all sorts of trainings and new duties and whatever.  Which meant I was left home alone to be crafty! That was 3 years ago now, so as kinda an anniversary post, here are some projects that I did soon after we moved here.  Yup, another 'finally writing it up' sort of project :)  I don't really have instructions for these, or step-by-step pictures, though, just a lot of chatter about what I did.  

First up, I finally got around to recovering my pin boards.  I've collected pins for years, as swaps at conferences, or as souvenirs from places I've traveled or events I've participated in.  I've got them from all over, and display them on fabric-covered cork boards.  I started with just one, but have expanded my original single board into a whole wall-full! 

The picture above (with the blue fabric) is from our place in CA.  After 3 and a half years in a VERY sunny area, even with blinds on the window, the fabric had faded a good bit, especially on the largest board.  So they were due for a rework.  Also, the colors in the room the boards hang in now did NOT match the pastel blue that worked so well before.  Definitely reasons to rework these.

So, first up, I undid the old blue fabric.  The fabric tucks under the frame around the cork, so just needed to be pulled away.  Once the frames were bare, I repainted them a nice satin-finish black.

I used white-on-white patterned fabric to cover the boards.  I have 3 sizes of boards, the small and medium size ones shown with my pins, and the large one with my necklaces shown further down the post here.  All the board frames were repainted with the same black paint, but each size has a different fabric on them.  Not really noticeable in a picture like this, but I like it in person.  I was hoping to find a black-on-white fabric, but the only ones I could find were cow splotches and large damask prints (too busy and too much black for what I want to display) or tiny polka dots (the right size, but if I didn't get the rows lined up just so, I'd have driven myself batty looking at it - yes I am that nit-picky).  So, white-on-white it was!

Yes, I realize that several of the boards have only a handful of pins on them, but they are also divided up by category, to a mild extent.  So, international pins are on one board, academic pins are on another, military pins are a third, Hard Rock Cafe guitars are another, and sports pins are a fifth.  The two bigger ones are the general pins from US travel (also knitting and Scouts, since those also included US places).  They're much more full now than when this picture was taken. We've been out and about!  :) So yes, there is a method to the madness!

The necklace organizer below was recovered at the same time and in the same way as the pin boards - new black paint and new white fabric.  I used it while we were in CA, but had never covered it, just left it as a giant cork board.  It was hanging in the closet after all.  Now that it's in the room instead of closet, I definitely wanted it to look nicer, so paint and fabric it was!  Even covered, though, mine's still pretty basic.  You can see all sorts of pretty ones on Pinterest, though.  Tons of variation!  The lace-covered ones for hanging earrings are really pretty, but as I don't have earrings... 

The accent L on my necklace board is just a little extra I added.  The letter is one of the 99 cent ones from the craft store (Hobby Lobby, I think), with 3 thumbtacks attached to the back.  This lets the letter act as one giant push-pin and I can position it wherever I wanted on the board.  Then the whole letter-pin was painted black to match the frame.  I just use clear push pins to hang my necklaces on the board.  So much neater than necklaces forming tangles in my jewelry box!

 

So, yeah, not too much in this post, just me being proud of my painting skills and (tiny) organizing efforts. And hey, 3 years in TX now - less than 3 to go!

Test Knit: Flying Angels Cowl

Getting into the test knits again, trying to keep on a project-a-month schedule.  Due dates are good for me! :)  This time it was another cowl, the Flying Angels Cowl by Karen Buhr.

The Yarn

Adriafil Yuppy Trends.  A sock yarn I picked up a few years ago on super-sale.  I figured if I didn't find a specific project for it easily, it would end up as squares in the mitered sock yarn blanket which I want to make one day.  As it is, this project didn't take quite a full skein, so the yarn will end up in the blanket too :)

 

In deciding which yarn to use for this project, I was torn between this one and a few other sock yarns in my stash.  This one was paler than the others, and though it's a striped yarn, the colors were pretty muted pastels, so it's not a pattern of stripes which would overwhelm the lace pattern itself.  Not colors I usually wear, but since it's for a cowl, it's easy to pull them off as an accent piece.  Overall, though, I like the colorway, very springtime-y.

The yarn was really pleasant to work with, not too splitty or anything, which is definitely appreciated on a lace piece.  And it's very soft for a wool/acrylic sock yarn.  The colors didn't bleed when it was washed and blocked, so that's a definite plus.  Biggest downside?  It's been discontinued.  Probably why I got it on super-sale.  :\

The Pattern

As linked above, this is the Flying Angels Cowl by Karen Buhr.  It's a nice, portable lace piece, good for those small sock yarn skeins too pretty to pass up.  This one used less than 200yds, so good for small skeins, like I said.  I liked the lace pattern, too.  For a lot of the pattern, there is something going on every row, (no "rest" row) but the pattern is one that quickly "makes a picture," so it's easy to follow.  I'd say it's a good choice for a strong beginner/early intermediate knitter.  They'd need to be comfortable knitting in the round (either circulars or DPN) and with following a lace pattern. On the upside, the lace is clear and easy to follow, as I said, but there are a few techniques which are more than just beginner lace.

A big thing I liked about this piece was the variety you can put into it.  It adapts well to different gauges, so if you wanted to do this in worsted or DK, it would still work well.  And it's a very simple adjustment to change the size - to make it wider, add another chart repeat or two (more "stacks" of angels) and to make it a bigger loop, cast on more multiples of 20.  An additional variation is included in the pattern, too.  She provides instructions for an alternate edging, something a little fancier, as well as optional bead placement.  All very easy, very pretty options to the cowl.

 

Raveled here.

Notes, Alterations, Etc.

None in my project!  Like I said, her pattern does have instructions for an alternate cast-on/bind-off (a picot edging) and for bead placement in the lace pattern.  They're very pretty options, if you're interested!  I personally really like the beading idea, but that wasn't the version I was testing.  Maybe next time :)

Last Colorado Trip Post: The Great Scarf Race

So, one last post from the CO trip.  Of course, visiting a knitting buddy, there would be knitting involved!  We had to run to JoAnn's for some other craft supplies, and in looking at the yarn aisle for a project of hers, we found some fun novelty yarn.  Sooo soft and squishy, and just 2 skeins for a scarf, so a little impulse buy :)  

Sarah was working on a big, chunky cowl for a coworker, and I wanted to start this one.  But the projects I'd brought used much smaller needles that what I'd need.  So I had to borrow a pair.  Thus, the challenge!  I hoped I'd finish my scarf before heading home.  And since Sarah's project was another big chunky knit (size 50 needles!) we had a little unofficial challenge going.

The Yarn:

Bernat Tizzy.  A novelty yarn, found in the baby yarn aisle.  Comes in a couple primary colorways.  I was very torn between the green and the purple (surprise, surprise), both being very pretty.  I ended up going with the green (obviously).

 

Overall, am torn on this yarn.  I love the finished fabric, nice and soft and squishy and warm.  The yarn itself is very snaggy though, catches on any little bit of dry skin on your hands.  It was about at my limit, especially since my hands are so dry anyways.  Still, I put up with it because I liked the squishiness and fun fabric.  Bottom line, if you're sensitive to snagging yarns like I am, best to handle it yourself and see what you think.

The Pattern:

A garter stitch scarf.  Not much to comment on about the pattern.  The yarn's busy enough that nothing else would really have worked.  I cast on 15 stitches, but decided that it was a little too wide, so frogged and restarted with 13 stitches instead.

 

Raveled here.

Notes, Alterations, Etc.: 

No alterations - it's a garter stitch scarf, after all. Not much to change!

Oh, and I sorta won the race?  I finished my scarf before Sarah finished hers (by just a little - it was close!) but I didn't finish in time to return the needles while I was still in CO and will have to mail them back, which was my other goal.  Sill, a fun finished project to start the new year!

Colorado Trip: Craft Time!

Of course there was tons of knitting over the week.  Goes without saying with Sarah and I!  But we also played with new projects!

One of Sarah's projects lurking on her to-do list (and mine too!) was to make bath bombs and bath melts.  She had found a Craftsy course ("Blissful Bath Bombs" by Alia Einstein-Diez) which covered melts, bombs, tarts, and other yummy good-for-your-skin bath stuff.  I've found similar things via Pinterest and had also been wanting to experiment.  So while the guys were watching bowl games on New Year's Day, Sarah and I played in the kitchen!

These are super duper easy to make - melt, mix, cool, refrigerate, done!  We actual made 3 batches over the course of the vacation, and used several different scents.  Because we can :)  The blue ones pictured below are peppermint scented.

Part of why we made so many batches, besides giving us a chance to try out a bunch of flavors (scents), was that we learned a little each time we did them.  Our first batch was pretty soft, was hard to remove from the mold (especially the more detailed shapes), and would actually start melting in your hand.  So a few of the things we learned:

• The more solid the melts, the easier they are to pop out from the mold.
• Using a liquid scent and a liquid colorant made them very soft.  There is dry colorant available too, but what we had was liquid.  Cut down a little of the oil to help things solidify a little better.
• Tapping helps the air bubble rise up.  It's like how workers set concrete, you know?  The vibrations help the air bubbles rise in the mixture, so that the brick (or melt, in our case) is more solid.  We had laid our silicone molds on a cookie sheet, so tapping on the sheet for a few moments after pouring helped vibrate our trays enough for the air bubbles to rise up.
• If the melts are still soft, just keep them stored in the fridge until ready to use.
• These also work well in the shower.  Just rub over the skin as you would a bar of soap!

Of course, pets rule the house, so someone had to come supervise.  Since what we were making wasn't really edible, Frank (a German Shepherd) wasn't too curious and was more interested in the football games with the guys.  Buddha (the pibble) took over kitchen management :)

 

Like I said, I'd seen variations on this on Pinterest, too. I like the instructions Sarah had, though, since they had so many variations all in the same workshop. 

If you're interested in what's out there for free though, here's what I've found:

• Porphyrogene has an organic Bath Truffle recipe, similar to the bath melts we made.  I'm curious how the honey helps; I've heard it's good for your skin.
• TLC has a Bath Bomb recipe, though theirs look much neater than ours do!
• Of course, a Martha Stewart version - Bath Fizzies
• Martha actually has another bath fizzy variation too.
• Also along the same lines, but not quite the same, a Detox Bath recipe.

Zach had his crafts going too.  He is branching out with his chain maille work, not just armor, and has made some absolutely beautiful pieces.  So, am taking the chance to brag on my guy again :)

This one was my Christmas gift.  That is a quarter next to the chain in the in-progress picture.  Very very tiny links!  This one was one he designed mostly himself, and I love it.  The flower is a kit (yes, he made the flower too) and then he made the chain and attached it all.  There were several measurement sessions with "Close your eyes!  Can't look til Christmas!" as he was determining where he wanted the chain to reach.  It's a silver clasp, a silver colored flower, and brass chain, if you want materials.

 

This second piece was the one he was working on while we were in CO.  It's the same weave as the other necklace - Byzantine weave - but it's called Graduated Byzantine because every couple repeats, you change the size ring you're working with.  So, the larger, heavier rings are centered in the front and decrease around to the clasp at the back.  This one's all in copper.  Aren't they both gorgeous?