Not-So-Sweet Heat

I am grumpy again, and this time I can't do any therapeutic baking to make me feel better.

Why not, you ask?

Well...

I can't use the oven when it's really hot outside. I do (THANK GOODNESS) have air conditioning, but it's still rather warm in my house. And to use the oven would just make it warmer.

And there is NO WAY I would do anything to contribute to the rising temperature in this house! Look how warm it is outside:





Yeah, I'd be crazy to do anything right now but sit around the house. Naked. Ok, not naked. But as close to it as possible!! Hahaha! It's really hot, people!

Ok, enough whining. I am very thankful that I have central air and that I do not have to do anything outdoors. I saw a tow truck on the parkway today on my way home from work and I felt so bad for the driver. He already had a big ol' Chevy on his truck, and he was hitching up a motor home. Woof, that's rough. The parkway, with its asphalt and car motors, is SO stinkin' hot. And there was that poor guy, working so hard, so swiftly, to get his job done and get the broken down vehicle(s?) out of the line of traffic. I hope he gets to go swimming when he's off work tonight. :)

I also hope that wherever you are, dear readers, you are keeping cool and comfortable. :)

PS That thermometer is from my grandma's house. It's something I remember clearly from my childhood, so when I saw it I knew I had to have it. :)

Sweet Heat

Betty made another appearance in my kitchen recently.

This time, however, she was not here because I was feeling grumpy. I had my family over for a little BBQ, and I baked brownies for dessert.

Instead of my usual glass baking dish, I used this cool pan that my husband's mom gave us:



This is one of those pans that gives you only the edges of the brownies. You know, no 'middle' pieces. It's a really nice, heavy pan. The brownies baked up beautifully. :)



Ok, it's hard to tell from the picture. That really is a lousy pic. Trust me on this, the brownies were gorgeous.

For this batch, I decided to try something different. Many years ago, during my senior year of high school, I took a healthy cooking class (aptly titled, "Foods for the Health of It"). There isn't much that I recall from that class, but I do remember that we made brownies that had been 'lightened up' by replacing the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce.

So, out with oil and in with the applesauce!

And, since I was already feeling experimental, I decided to throw in a little something extra.



Mmmmmm, yum. I don't know how much of this I used. I just kept adding it until it seemed like there was enough.



The lightened up brownies turned out to be very tasty. They had a nice texture and were quite dense. The addition of the cocoa chile blend was good; there was a bit of sweet, yummy heat after each bite. I also added a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mix, which I am pretty sure made omitting the oil near-pointless, but oh well. I always add chocolate chips to my brownies.

And since I was dying for an excuse to use some cute papers and picks I bought recently, I cut the brownies into bite-sized squares and gussied 'em up a bit.



I threw some M&M's into the baking cups for good measure, but only the brown and yellow ones. I'm a matchy-matchy kind of girl :)

Speaking of the baking cups, aren't they just adorable?



I love the polka dots.

I also love the picks. Too cute!





Overall, I'd say the brownies were a success.

Rick Rack Project

I am pleased to announce that I did something with some of my recently acquired rick rack.



I've been straightening up my crafting space this week. It's a lot of work! I have a bunch of new stuff to find space for, which isn't the easiest task. I have so much stuff already! So I've been doing a bit of purging and rearranging. In the midst of it the other evening, I decided to take a little crafting break.

I am really not much of a crafter. I am a stitcher, and I have confidence in my stitching. But crafting...eh, not so much. It's pretty hit and miss. Whenever I set out with a plan, with a list of supplies I need to buy to make that perfect project, I fail fail fail! But I think this little project, this on-a-whim creation, is pretty cool. Not as cool as these awe-inspiring creations from doe-c-doe, but still pretty darn neat-o. :) And the best part is I didn't have to go out and buy a thing. Love that. ♥

And now I have to figure out what to do with all the bias tape I inherited! There's a whole lot of it.



I think I might try my hand at making a banner. This flickr group is dedicated to homemade banners, and it's teeming with pics of inspiring garlands.

Anyway, back to the bias tape...

There are many packages of solid colored trim, but my hands-down favorite is the red gingham:



There are twelve total. Grandma must've hit a sale.



These polka dotted ones are nice, too. The brown and orange have me thinking of autumn.


I find this one especially charming:



And you can't beat that price...nineteen cents...

Or can you?



I can't imagine a time when a three-cent markdown would have been considered a good price reduction. :)

And here's the least expensive package of trim in the bunch:



I don't know what shell braid is or what it's used for, but I love it anyway.

Amongst the bias tape and trims was some lace:



I love that it's similar to the lace featured in the ad on the back of this old catalog I found in Grandma's house.





I really love some of the dress patterns inside, especially these ones by designer Betsey Johnson:



And this one, too:





I am hoping to get more pictures of the things from Grandma's house (like the vintage linens) posted so I can share with you. But first I have to finish getting my craft room straightened up! So far, all I've done is clear off my desk a bit (how does it manage to get so cluttered..and so quickly?) and organize the closet.





I think it's a pretty good start, though. So good, in fact, that I have a hard time shutting the closet doors. All I want to do is sit and stare at the neatly organized containers and colorful bits of fabric and trim. :)

Bye-Bye, Beloved Blue Blossoms

I really had no idea...



...that the beautiful blooms....



...of my beloved blue morning glory...



...would only last...



...for one day!






But ya' know what? I am ok with that...for even the spent blossoms are lovely. :)

Rick Rack Rocks!

As you may recall, I recently acquired some cool stuff from my grandma's house.

Amongst the teapots and vintage linens was rick rack.



Oooh! Rick rack! Fun stuff, I say.





Only problem is, I am still very new to sewing and am still figuring out ways to successfully incorporate rick rack into my projects.

But who says rick rack is limited to sewing projects?





I think it looks adorable tied around these recipe cards, which will be part of a gift I am giving to some very special newlyweds this weekend. :)

Betty Chased the Blues Away, Part Two

Feeling low?

Bake some cheesecake bars. Guaranteed to make you smile. :)



They're easy to make.



And even easier to eat.







Especially when you eat them off of your great-grandparents' old Fire King dishes.



Yum. :)

Betty Chased the Blues Away

Yours truly was in a BAD mood today.

So, I did what I had to do: I baked.



I used a mix. I love mixes. They're quick, they're handy.



Mixes rock.



And since I knew one pan of brownies wasn't enough to cure what ailed me, I decided I HAD to try out something new.



It's in the oven right now. :)

(Oh, and no, I alone am not responsible for the large amount of brownies missing from that pan. I had help from my husband, who was very supportive of my 'bake the blues away' plan. :) :))

Squeaky Wheel

My squeaky wheel got greased. Behold...



...my morning glory bloomed!!!!



All that whining and complaining (I'd say to my husband every single day, "Whyyyyyy won't they just blooooooom?") can finally come to an end. Hooray!



I feel bad for this little bud, though. I don't think it's going to make it.



You remember that one, right? I whined talked about it earlier.

Oh well. I will enjoy the bloom that I've got...



...and hopefully there will be many more to follow. :)