Last week, The mother of the children I nanny for suggested I make Pretzel Turtles with the oldest child. Being unfamiliar, I asked how to make them. I was immediately intrigued... something sweet, salty, chocolatey and nutty all at the same time for all of 10 minutes of hands on time? "Awesome" I thought. I was right. We made exactly this recipe using Rolo candy. It tastes like something that came from a gourmet chocolate shop, is easy enough for a 3 year old to help, and takes no time whatsoever. It's perfect.
This would actually be an excellent "home made gift"-- make a bunch of these, put them in pretty boxes and tie it up with a bow. Everyone will think you spent tons of money at a boutique or spent hours in the kitchen getting the exact right balance of flavor, when, in fact, it will have taken you more time to wrap them than it did to make those oh so perfect bites of decadence. Trust me.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
frustrations and realizations
Hillary Had some thoughts she wanted to share with you.
Yesterday I went to a craft show and did not make my entry fee back. This is not the first time, nor, I suspect, will it be the last. I got home and said out loud to my husband "I'm going to the next one, but if that doesn't go well, I am done with beading." This is also not the first time those words have been uttered. But every time I say it, i mean it a little more.
I went to a craft show with items that everyone seems to like at prices that I've been told a million times are probably too low and smiled and talked and made connections with many people all while under the weather from a cold and had nothing to show for it. Why on earth wouldn't I stop?
I was truly going to until, to get over the anger and perceived rejection, I pulled out the bead board and the pliers and the wire. Beading truly has a calming and reaffirming effect on me. It has also been an especially good friend the last two days as I get over this cold. Since I feel tired and sniffly all the time, I physically don't feel like doing anything, but I mentally and emotionally want something to do. I could read a book, I could draw, I could play a video game, but the first place I went (and often go) is to that bead board.
So, clearly, stopping isn't what I need to do. Something needs to change because working a 10 hour day where you literally don't get paid is no ones idea of fun, but beading is not the thing that needs to change. I love what I do and I create beautiful things. I want to share them with people, preferably for money, but, well... we'll just have to see how this transition comes about. A transition is needed, but I'm not sure what I'm transitioning to yet. I'll let you know when I know. :)
Yesterday I went to a craft show and did not make my entry fee back. This is not the first time, nor, I suspect, will it be the last. I got home and said out loud to my husband "I'm going to the next one, but if that doesn't go well, I am done with beading." This is also not the first time those words have been uttered. But every time I say it, i mean it a little more.
I went to a craft show with items that everyone seems to like at prices that I've been told a million times are probably too low and smiled and talked and made connections with many people all while under the weather from a cold and had nothing to show for it. Why on earth wouldn't I stop?
I was truly going to until, to get over the anger and perceived rejection, I pulled out the bead board and the pliers and the wire. Beading truly has a calming and reaffirming effect on me. It has also been an especially good friend the last two days as I get over this cold. Since I feel tired and sniffly all the time, I physically don't feel like doing anything, but I mentally and emotionally want something to do. I could read a book, I could draw, I could play a video game, but the first place I went (and often go) is to that bead board.
So, clearly, stopping isn't what I need to do. Something needs to change because working a 10 hour day where you literally don't get paid is no ones idea of fun, but beading is not the thing that needs to change. I love what I do and I create beautiful things. I want to share them with people, preferably for money, but, well... we'll just have to see how this transition comes about. A transition is needed, but I'm not sure what I'm transitioning to yet. I'll let you know when I know. :)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Interview with Cocoa L.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi there! My name is Cocoa, I'm from Huntsville, AL, and I'm a
17-year-old photographer. I read a lot of books, doodle, and sometimes
do theatre, but mostly I just take pictures of stuff.
How did you first get interested in art and photography?
To
tell the truth, I honestly just fell into photography. However, I've
been doing "artsy" stuff all my life as I'm very right-brained. When I
was very little I drew a lot, and I also have a bunch of community
theatre experience (which I still do in high school), and that's great
because it helps me entertain the young kids and keep them focused. As
for photography, though, I started off playing around with my mom's
point-and-shoot and taking photos of my backyard and pets and whatnot. I
remember I used to take her old Kodak around the Target shopping center
and take photos of everything just for the heck of it, but eventually I
realized that I wanted to learn more about photography and get more
serious about it. I think things just kind of went from there.
Most people would consider you very young to be so skilled and
talented, is there something you did or something that happened that you
think helped this process?
Practice, practice, and more practice! I carry my camera just about
everywhere and try to take photos, whether it be for clients or just for
me, at least once a week. I also spend a lot of time reading
photography books, magazines, and online things. For the most part I'm
self-taught.
How did you decide to start a business?
There was never really a conscious decision, to
be completely honest. People started asking me to photos and so I
eventually I made a website, got business cards, and before I knew it I
was getting tons of job offers. It's kind of funny how that stuff works-
I never really meant to become this involved, but I love it more than
anything and I want portrait photography to be my career.
What would you say to other artists who are trying to get a start?
Again, the most important thing is to practice lots! Also make sure to
listen to constructive criticism, but don't let rude people discourage
you. I was told on a forum when I was just starting out that my work was
garbage, which upset me a lot, but I eventually learned not to let that
kind of negativity get to me. If you love it, keep doing it. It's as
simple as that.
What is your favorite thing in the entire world?
I have lots of favorite things- my camera,
my hedgehog Finnegan, wintertime, good books, stormy days... I could go
on and on. I think it's safe to say that I really enjoy life in general.
Do you have a favorite photograph (your's or someone else's)? What is it and why?
For some reason I always get this question, but I can never really
think up a decent answer. I tend to favor the recent stuff when it comes
to my own photography. Normally I'm particularly fond of whatever's on
the front page of my website, and that changes a lot. As for other
people's work, well, I don't know! I look at so much photography that I
really don't have an all-time favorite image. Tough question!
Last but not least, where can we find you and your art?
My website is http://photosbycocoa.com/,
and if you live in the Huntsville area, you should definitely check it
out! I shoot everything- children, families, seniors, engagements,
weddings, you name it. I also have a blog, which you can find at http://photosbycocoa.wordpress.com/.
I should also mention that I'm working on getting a studio at Lowe Mill
alongside the fabulous Kayla Byrge of Fig Tree Jewelry (http://www.etsy.com/shop/figtreejewelry), which should be exciting. Lastly, if you want to become a fan, I have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photosbycocoa. Voila!
Monday, November 28, 2011
(Belated) Creation Sunday - The best Mac and Cheese Ever!
Yesterday, Hillary was recovering from a week long vvacation so she didn't get a post up. Today Hillary wanted to share with you her favorite mac&cheese recipe that she says has been a staple at every holiday meal for several years now.
The best mac&cheese I have ever made, and hands down my favorite mac&cheese to eat is made on the stove top. Seriously. When alton brown made it on his show, he said "you will never eat the stuff from the blue box again once you have this." And he was right. Me and my husband swear by this recipe.
Of course, me being me, I make a few modifications, but these are simply a matter of personal preference and don't change anything major about the recipe:
I use 8 oz macaroni, a normal sized block of SHARP cheddar (orange or white both work fine), one egg, about 1/2 a can of evaporated milk, 2-4 tbl of butter (not margarine) and for spices/flavorings I only use salt, pepper and red pepper (cayenne or chili powder will do in a pinch).
If I want to make it healthier, I will use 2% evaporated milk, 1/2 a block of lowfat sharp cheddar cheese (I like Cabot's) and 1/2 a block of regular sharp cheddar of the same color. It does change the taste a little, but not so much that it tastes like skim milk and plastic (if my husband will still eat it, it has to be good... he hates anything that tastes "lowfat" or "reduced calorie".
I have tried the original version with whole wheat pasta and it tasted good as well, but I haven't tried the lowfat with whole wheat. Maybe I'll have to try that soon and let you know.
Thanks for visiting! Tune in next week for another awesome "Creation Sunday", and look for the inevitable "after christmas" awesomeness because Hillary says she is creating some amazing things but can't talk about them until after the gifts have been given.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Child's Play 2011. Buy Hand Made Jewelry and help out Children's Hospitals at the same time!
Like every year, we will be donating 20% of all sales from our etsy shop to http://childsplaycharity.org,
a charity that helps out children's hospitals throughout the world.
They have already raised over half a million dollars in the last month
and hope we can help give them some more. I started keeping track on
thanksgiving and will turn the final donation in on Dec 30th. All sales
count including sale items, custom items, and in person sales (if you
know me in real life). These guys rock; help them out!
Why do they rock? Because it's a couple of passionate gamers, who write a webcomic, who got tired of the negative light that the media painted gamers in and decided to start a charity for Children's hospitals. So far this year they have raised over $700,000 and it all goes to help kids in hospitals.
Hillary continues to be avid gamer and humanitarian. She loves that there is a way that her jewelry businesses can help out and she really loves that there is a charity that promotes a positive image of an amazing group of people that she is proud to belong to.
Why do they rock? Because it's a couple of passionate gamers, who write a webcomic, who got tired of the negative light that the media painted gamers in and decided to start a charity for Children's hospitals. So far this year they have raised over $700,000 and it all goes to help kids in hospitals.
Hillary continues to be avid gamer and humanitarian. She loves that there is a way that her jewelry businesses can help out and she really loves that there is a charity that promotes a positive image of an amazing group of people that she is proud to belong to.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Creation Sunday
Today Hillary Wanted to share with you some thoughts on planning a quick "gourmet style" dinner.
A large part of my childhood was spent on the couch with a thermometer in my mouth when I should have been at many parties, holiday celebrations and other awesome things. So, I am no stranger to the idea of changing plans. As an adult, my immunities are better but my husband and I both have migraines, so the same attitude that got me through a fourth of July spent on the couch sipping peppermint milkshakes instead of eating grilled food and hanging out with my friends, has gotten me through many special days as an adult that got "altered" due to someone having a migraine or being ill. While the accepting attitude is helpful, The thing that gets me through valentines days with someone having stomach aches or anniversaries with someone having a migraine, is being able to come up with a way to make it special even though we end up staying home. One of the ways I do that is to come up with a nice meal. It's actually really simple, I take something I know my husband likes and try to make an awesome but easy version of it.
To do this for yourself you have to know a few things:
- what does my loved one like?
- how would I make such a thing?
- How can I make it awesome?
-What can I do to make the awesomeness simple?
The first two are easy.
The third one just involves figuring out what would "kick it up a notch." If they really like grilled cheese, what about using artisan bread and aged, smoked cheddar? If they like chicken, what about using a marinade and then serving it on top of herb pasta?
The fourth one involves figuring out if there are any shortcuts you can use. Keep in mind we are trying to get to the optimum combination of "awesome" and "convenient". Some of the shortcuts I like to use are buying pre-made herb butter, using the refrigerated pasta (much better than the dried stuff without the hassle of homemade), using mixes or doughs, when applicable and using pre-cooked chicken when appropriate.
Today I'm going to share with you a meal plan/menu I recently came up with on about two hours notice when we were supposed to go out to a celebratory dinner but my husband got a migraine instead. When he has headaches, he usually just wants soup and sandwiches. I was at work when I was conjuring up the idea for this meal and didn't get off until late, so convenience and speed were a big factor in "planning" this one. We had Turkey and Provolone Sandwiches on pretzel bread, chicken noodle soup, sparkling grape juice to drink and Mookie Sundaes for dessert (I'll explain later).
The sandwiches were the easiest and best part. I used Black Forest Deli Turkey from my local grocery store deli, provolone from the same, and Sister Schubert's Pretzel rolls. Make the rolls, slice 'em open, put meat and cheese inside, put back in oven until cheese melts. it's super simple and Hubby and I agree this may be the best sandwich we have ever had.
The soup used enough short cuts to be ready quickly, but not so many as to taste bland or processed. I brought one container of storehouse chicken stock to a boil, added some fancy egg noodles, added a few dried herbs and some salt & pepper, and added a pouch of pre-cooked chicken (in the same aisle as the canned chicken) and then let it all cook until the flavors had had a chance to meld together (probably 10 minutes or so... the noodles I used were done in 3).
The Mookie Sundae ended up being the ultimate combination of decadence and convenience. First, I should explain what a Mookie Sundae is. There used to be a very tasty local Italian restaurant that had the ooiest gooiest cookie dessert ever, called a mookie sundae. They would bring you a medium sized ceramic dish filled with a warm chocolate cookie that had been cooked in said dish. On top of said awesome, warm gooey cookie, was vanilla Ice cream and fudge. Sadly, the restaurant went out of business, so the lack of mookie sundaes is an oft heard lament in my household since we frequently drive by their empty building. But I digress. On to the instructions:
I got a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough and put about half of it in the bottom of a (more or less) 6 inch corning glass oven safe flat bottomed bowl. Then I cooked according to package instructions. I actually could have put less dough because the middle was a little undercooked and it filled up almost the entire height of the bowl when it rose. I let that cool until it was still soft and warm but no longer cookie lava and scooped half into a wine glass for each of us. Then I added gelato on top (this evening's choice was vanilla with caramel swirls and chocolate cookie bits), then hot fudge then whipped cream. It was a total surprise to hubby, really pretty in the wine glasses, awesomely tasty and really easy to make since I used cookie dough instead of making something from scratch.
We hope you enjoyed this week's "Creation Sunday" and hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
A large part of my childhood was spent on the couch with a thermometer in my mouth when I should have been at many parties, holiday celebrations and other awesome things. So, I am no stranger to the idea of changing plans. As an adult, my immunities are better but my husband and I both have migraines, so the same attitude that got me through a fourth of July spent on the couch sipping peppermint milkshakes instead of eating grilled food and hanging out with my friends, has gotten me through many special days as an adult that got "altered" due to someone having a migraine or being ill. While the accepting attitude is helpful, The thing that gets me through valentines days with someone having stomach aches or anniversaries with someone having a migraine, is being able to come up with a way to make it special even though we end up staying home. One of the ways I do that is to come up with a nice meal. It's actually really simple, I take something I know my husband likes and try to make an awesome but easy version of it.
To do this for yourself you have to know a few things:
- what does my loved one like?
- how would I make such a thing?
- How can I make it awesome?
-What can I do to make the awesomeness simple?
The first two are easy.
The third one just involves figuring out what would "kick it up a notch." If they really like grilled cheese, what about using artisan bread and aged, smoked cheddar? If they like chicken, what about using a marinade and then serving it on top of herb pasta?
The fourth one involves figuring out if there are any shortcuts you can use. Keep in mind we are trying to get to the optimum combination of "awesome" and "convenient". Some of the shortcuts I like to use are buying pre-made herb butter, using the refrigerated pasta (much better than the dried stuff without the hassle of homemade), using mixes or doughs, when applicable and using pre-cooked chicken when appropriate.
Today I'm going to share with you a meal plan/menu I recently came up with on about two hours notice when we were supposed to go out to a celebratory dinner but my husband got a migraine instead. When he has headaches, he usually just wants soup and sandwiches. I was at work when I was conjuring up the idea for this meal and didn't get off until late, so convenience and speed were a big factor in "planning" this one. We had Turkey and Provolone Sandwiches on pretzel bread, chicken noodle soup, sparkling grape juice to drink and Mookie Sundaes for dessert (I'll explain later).
The sandwiches were the easiest and best part. I used Black Forest Deli Turkey from my local grocery store deli, provolone from the same, and Sister Schubert's Pretzel rolls. Make the rolls, slice 'em open, put meat and cheese inside, put back in oven until cheese melts. it's super simple and Hubby and I agree this may be the best sandwich we have ever had.
The soup used enough short cuts to be ready quickly, but not so many as to taste bland or processed. I brought one container of storehouse chicken stock to a boil, added some fancy egg noodles, added a few dried herbs and some salt & pepper, and added a pouch of pre-cooked chicken (in the same aisle as the canned chicken) and then let it all cook until the flavors had had a chance to meld together (probably 10 minutes or so... the noodles I used were done in 3).
The Mookie Sundae ended up being the ultimate combination of decadence and convenience. First, I should explain what a Mookie Sundae is. There used to be a very tasty local Italian restaurant that had the ooiest gooiest cookie dessert ever, called a mookie sundae. They would bring you a medium sized ceramic dish filled with a warm chocolate cookie that had been cooked in said dish. On top of said awesome, warm gooey cookie, was vanilla Ice cream and fudge. Sadly, the restaurant went out of business, so the lack of mookie sundaes is an oft heard lament in my household since we frequently drive by their empty building. But I digress. On to the instructions:
I got a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough and put about half of it in the bottom of a (more or less) 6 inch corning glass oven safe flat bottomed bowl. Then I cooked according to package instructions. I actually could have put less dough because the middle was a little undercooked and it filled up almost the entire height of the bowl when it rose. I let that cool until it was still soft and warm but no longer cookie lava and scooped half into a wine glass for each of us. Then I added gelato on top (this evening's choice was vanilla with caramel swirls and chocolate cookie bits), then hot fudge then whipped cream. It was a total surprise to hubby, really pretty in the wine glasses, awesomely tasty and really easy to make since I used cookie dough instead of making something from scratch.
We hope you enjoyed this week's "Creation Sunday" and hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
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