Simple Hooded Cardigan

Here is a little hoodie I made for a friend of mine's little boy. It was so quick and adorable!

I knit this little number with Lion Brand "Jiffy" yarn.

Hat and Booties

Nothing super fancy about these patterns... This is my favorite bootie pattern, though, I'm not thrilled about the color combo on these particular booties. I loved the switch to quicker projects, though! Now, it will be back to sweaters... Jenn

Prickle Nut Fudge Pie

Well... there was a good month where I had no camera and then a few weeks where I was simply not in the habit of photographing desserts.... but, I'm going to try to get back in the habit again. This is especially important because I've been knitting like crazy! Anyway, this was a tasty fudge pie that left nothing to be thrown away. Yum. Jenn

Rowan Parkas

Gosh, it is SO rewarding to see four months worth of work be worn by the boys! I was a little nervous about this yarn, since it's wool, but the boys don't seem to mind it, at all. They were pretty straight-forward to knit... and got really fun once I got to the pockets. The pockets definitely make these sweaters. I especially like the sleeve pockets.

In other news, my camera has disappeared (I took these photos a few weeks ago), so I haven't been able to photograph the last 4-5 pies I've made. Darn! Luckily, I've had witnesses and fellow-tasters to help verify that they have, in fact, been made. :) Jenn

Soft and Warm Baby Hoodie

I finally am finished with a few projects I've been working on so here is one of them. I knit this little sweater for my college roommate's little girl (due in Oct.). It was a pretty straightforward pattern and I love how soft this yarn is...especially after it is washed once. I found the pattern on the LionBrand Yarn website and used their Microspun yarn in cherry red. -Angie

Crimson Appleberry Pie

This would be great around the holidays, but was equally yummy last week! :) This is an apple, cranberry, raisin pie. Like many of the recent pies I've tried, this one was gone in no time!

Apricot Cherry Pie with Almond Crunch Topping

This was a yummy combination and, once again, it got better the longer I waited to slice into it. It was tasty warm, but I loved it cold... and it held it's shape so much better. The almond crunch topping was maybe the best crunch topping I've ever tasted. SO GOOD.

Walnut-Topped Blueberry Pie

...and the boys who ate it! I'm learning the importance of patience. I should have let this pie cool for a good two hours longer than I did. As a result, we wound up with a very tasty blueberry soup (with crust). It was still yummy, but lacked the traditional shape associated with a lovely slice of pie. Later on in the day, I went back for my well-deserved second "slice" and it was, in fact, a beautiful slice- nothing like the soup we had earlier. Hmm... patience, patience!

Mango Pie with Blackberries

I had to show a photo of these great layers! I made this pie for a get-together with D.R.'s family. When he saw the pie I had made, I got the "who's going to eat a MANGO pie?!" look... and I held my breath for the next two hours! Of course, when I heard his brother exclaim, "What is this? This pie is fantastic!!"... I knew it was a hit. I loved this combination of mangoes and blackberries, but the apricot cinnamon topping was what really made the pie. It seemed to make the mangoes a bit sweeter. Now, let's see if I can keep this pie-making up for awhile!!

Raspberry Streusel Pie

Okay, this photo does not do this pie justice. There were three very yummy layers: 1- Custard 2- Raspberry filling 3- Crumble topping... and of course, a very buttery crust. I'm going to be so sad when summer's over and I have to move away from all these great berry recipes!

Cream Cheese Flan with Fresh Berries

I would have gotten a better photo, but a few little fingers managed to sneak their way over the counter and grab a good piece of this yummy dessert. This was an interesting recipe. It was basically a very thin cheesecake with added egg whites. However, it had the appearance of a flan. Very pretty and very good with the fresh berries. Luckily, Sophida and Jillian were around to help us finish it!

Strawberry Pie in Raspberry Puree

This was aboslutely scrumptious. The raspberry puree was a bit time consuming, but it added a great flavor. I also liked the fact that the strawberries were cut into disks, rather than wedges. It made the pie quite lovely when sliced. Of course, after adding the whipped cream, it hid all the pretty little disks! And, OF COURSE, I was far-too consumed in gobbling up this pie to take a picture of an actual slice!

French Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream

I chose to make this a pie, rather than a tart, as it allowed me to have a deeper dessert and D.R. is ALL about custart desserts. This custard was outstanding. I also chose not to do a glaze over the berries, but rather, made the glaze into a thinner sauce that could be poured over individual pieces. I think this is D.R.'s new favorite from this particular cookbook.

Simple Apple Tart

I changed this recipe to make it entirely gluten free and dairy free. I have to admit, I prefer the dairy version of this crust!! I used lard instead of butter, but I truly missed that great buttery flavor... though, the texture of the crust was fine.

Key Lime Pie

This pie was a huge hit! Even my hubby and my dad (neither of whom enjoys key lime pie) each had to have a second piece. Not bad!!

No more gluten?!

It's true. I've entered the world of gluten-free baked goods. The boys have been gluten-free for almost two months, now... and, after sampling the horrific options available to us in stores, I decided it was only right that I dive into gluten-free baking. I haven't been quite diligent about photographing my GF masterpieces, but I did get a photo of my first endeavor. These were GF zucchini muffins and they were really quite delicious. With four of us in the house, they were gone in less than 24 hours... always a good sign! I've had a few bad trials with GF baking... but it's so exciting to try manipulating plain old baking recipes to make them work as GF recipes. I love the process. For that reason (and for my own sake), I'm going to be posting recipes I've adapted. Jenn There are two below:

GF Zuccini Muffins

360 g GF baking flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 T + 1/4 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cinnamon
3 t xantham powder
2 egg + 1 egg white
1/2 c soy milk
1/2 c canola oil
1 c sugar
2 c shredded zucchini
Raw sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 and place paper liners in muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and xantham powder.
3. In stand mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute. Beat in soy milk, oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini until well blended. Add flour mixture to batter a little at a time and stir to mix-- it should be a little lumpy. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Sprinkle muffins with raw sugar.
4. Bake 20 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown. Cool muffins on rack.

Yield: 18 muffins.


GF Chocolate-Banana Cake (This is so unbelievably moist and delicious! No one will believe it's gluten-free, dairy-free)

1 3/4 c GF flour
1 c granulated sugar
3/4 c cocoa powder
1 3/4 t baking powder
1 3/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 3/4 t xanthan gum
1 c soy milk
1 t. lemon juice
1 1/2 c mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c light corn syrup
1 T vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease two loaf pans.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soad, salt and xanthan gum.
3. In a large bowl, blend soy milk, lemon juice, bananas and brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in oil, corn syrup and vanilla.
4. Gradually fold in flour misture until just combined (small lumps are okay) and pour into prepared pans.
5. Bake 45 minutes-55 minutes, or until a wooded skewer comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. You might also glaze with a powdered sugar/milk glaze.

Yield 2 loaves

Stocking Stitch Sweaters

They took me four months to complete and another couple of months to photograph and post!! Lazy, lazy, lazy! No, things have been a bit more busy than usual these past few months... though, that's no excuse for not posting! I'm really happy with how these sweaters turned out. They were fun and easy to knit and put together... and they look like they'll be the perfect comfy play sweaters for the boys. They looked a little big, so I'm hoping they're able to wear them this year. Of course, I'll post photos of the sweaters in action, when that happens!

When I completed the sweaters (having followed the pattern EXACTLY, of course!!!), I realized the neck opening was way too small for my big-noggin'd little twosome... so I undid one shoulder seem and added a few button loops. I was really nervous about how that would look, but I'm pretty pleased with the adaptation.

After all this time... Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I didn't completely stop making pies... I just stopped photographing them!! Anyway, with a newly refurbished camera, I'm all set to begin posting again. A few of the pies we sampled without photographing: Lemon Chess Pie (for Jillian's baby shower), Banana Cream Pie (Father's Day... D.R.'s fave), Lemon Creme Tart (even D.R. ate this one!), and a Summer Raspberry Pie (to celebrate my sister's first evening back). The pie pictured above was made with rhubarb form Angie's mother's garden. Quite yummy.

Lily's Sweater...Finally!

Here is the sweater I started for Lily back when it was cold, months and months ago! Finally! Thankfully, it turned out bigger than I thought it would because the yarn I used was a little thicker (it called for cashmere...yeah, right!). I think she'll be able to wear it this Fall at least. This is a mock cable using Lion Brand Micro Spun yarn in Lilac. It's really soft!
*knitted by Angie

Here is my model:)

Peach Cherry Pie with Sweet Almond Crunch

This was one of the two pies I made for the famous Yum-Yum week-end. Of course, I never made it there, due to car problems, and the pies went un-enjoyed.... well, mostly. My parents and I sampled a bit of each. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the lovely linzer tart that accompanied this pie. So, so sad. Jenn

Cabbage, Apple and Onion Pie

I haven't really cooked or baked in several week... things have been a bit chaotic, as of late. Anyway, I'll play catch-up and, hopefully, before long, I'll be back in the kitchen again!! Jenn

FIN

Like the end of a great film... we can sit back and think about what we've just enjoyed... :) I FINALLY finished Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home!!! Sure, I skipped a few recipes... anything out of our price-range or involving shellfish got nixed from the list. We finished with the tasty pot-roast, and though, I've really only been posting completions from my pie cookbook (as pies are oh-so-much lovlier to look at than pot roast!), I just had to post my final recipe. Whew!!!

Chocolate Cream Pie in Graham Cracker Crust

Yes, I did ACTUALLY use a store-bought crust for this one!! Sometimes, you just have to use a short-cut... and I needed a dessert FAST. This was quite yummy... gone in one evening! Jenn

Chesapeake Crab Pie

Another savory pie... I really liked this one. Pie crusts are getting to be such a breeze... Jenn

Meringue-Topped Coconut Pie in Coconut Crust

This pie was coconut through and through... from the toasted coconut crust (quite yummy) to the coconut cream to the coconut sprinkled on top. Jillian and Sophida got to sample this one with me and it wasn't half-bad! Needless to say, I didn't have to throw any of this pie away... the whole thing was gone in less than 24 hours. Jenn

Shaker Citrus Pie in a Cookie Crust

Though, this pie was nice to look at, it is my least favorite pie, so far. It called for whole slices of candied lemon and orange in the filling and I just didn't find the texture very pleasing. Hmmm... here's hoping the next one will be a bit more enjoyable. Jenn

Deep-Dish Broccoli Leek & Cheddar Pie

Thankfully, I discovered the chapter on savory tarts and pies so we could take a bit of a break from dessert pies! It looks like it's the shortest chapter in the book, however.... looks like it will be a sweet year! Jenn

Cinnamon Crumbs and Plumbs Tart

Wouldn't Little Jack Horner be pleased? This tart was gobbled up amazingly quickly... Mostly plumbs, with a bit of crumble and a bit of custart underneath... so yummy. Jenn

Cappuccino Brownies

Yes, I'm actually posting a photo of a brownie. But, let me tell you, these were no ordinary brownies... dark chocolate glaze with a hint of espresso, cinnamon cream cheese and a rich chocolate base... these were maybe the best brownies I've ever had in my life... and I made them! Jenn

Pie Night

Apple Walnut Tart in Sweet Tart Pastry

Pineapple Pie Milky Way Freezer Box Pie

A few weeks ago, Sophida, Jillian and I had a pie-baking evening. As much fun as it was to bake the pies together, it was even more enjoyable to sample them all together! As you can see from the photos, we were a bit too anxious to cut into them... :) Jenn

Apricot Rum Pie

I was pretty hesitant to try this pie. Fresh apricots in winter? Rum in a pie? I am so glad that I gave it a shot! It was absolutely delicious... SO good warm.... and something a bit out of the ordinary. Jenn

Classic Apple Pie

What fun is going through a pie cookbook if you don't try the "classics," as well? This was a lovely and scrumptious apple pie. Nice and deep with a pretty top crust. I was skeptical about all the apples fitting into the pie plate, but it turned out well. I just kept adding to the large pile and the top crust help them all inside. Jenn