Inspire. Create. Bake.: February 2010

Feb 28

Book club pick for March

SYNOPSIS
He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love.

Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

Synopsis from: Barnes & Noble

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 27

For the love of letters

Tuesday, I blogged about a letter I created for my niece, Alexis. I've made a few more since then for friends and family.

I enjoy making these so much, and had a great response from them, I'm extending the offer to you. If you would like a letter created for a boy or girl send me an email and we'll see what we can come up with — I'm reasonably priced. aloufrazee@gmail.com

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 26

Fix-it Friday

It's time for another installment of Fix-it Friday.

ORIGINAL

EDITED V1

V1: I used Camera Raw and PS - CS3. In Camera Raw, I increased the green tint and did a recovery to get rid of some of the hot spots. I used a bit of fill light to brighten her face. In Photoshop, I adjusted the white and black levels. In the channel mixer, I increased the blue channel and decreased the red channel. Using the paintbrush tool, I added in clouds so the background was a bit more interesting. I cropped and rotated the photo a bit. Lastly, I multiplied a light vignette of a darker blue-green around the edges.

EDITED V2
V2: I used Camera Raw and PS - CS3. In Camera Raw, I increased the green tint and did a recovery to get rid of some of the hot spots. I used a bit of fill light to brighten her face. In Photoshop, I added more contrast and decreased the brightness in the background. I increased the magenta in her face and body. I then pushed the contrast overall. Using the paintbrush tool, I added in clouds so the background was a bit more interesting and then I cropped and rotated the photo.

Check out other Fix-it Friday edited photos at iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 24

My evening...

Tomorrow, we're having some special guests over for an office lunch. We are serving our specialty, sloppy jajoes. If you don't know how to pronounce it, you might start here. It's our signature dish. I was asked to prepare the joe's this time. There have been several before me that have made the sloppy jajoes, and they were excellent. The bar has been set high, and the torch has been passed. Wish me luck as I prepare this feast! I received many recipes from friends. So I looked them all over and I'm using one for my base. Then I'll be adding special ingredients of my own. If your wondering, that is 20 lbs. of hamburger.

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 23

Brought to you by the letter A

I came across this post last month and was inspired by the letterform and the idea behind it. I decided to make my new niece Alexis one for her room. I went through my massive paper collection and found a sheet that would work well with the feeling I wanted to convey.
   I went to Michael's craft store and walked around every crafty, scrap booking aisle, at least four times, to find something that caught my eye. After much deliberation, I bought a few items and the letter A.
   For the next few weeks, I thought about what I was going to do and how I was going to lay it out. I tend to do that. I do believe a lot of creatives are procrastinators for the simple fact that we work better under pressure. It's in our blood. We process and think about it in our mind and when we don't have time left, we get on it. Another reason I procrastinate, my unorganized studio. Since we are working on finishing the basement, I don't have many options for keeping my stuff tidy. I like everything to be in its proper place so I know exactly where it is.
   But, I sucked it up and went in there. Then, I couldn't leave the room. I love the way creating something makes me feel. I can get lost on a project for hours — especially when it's not on the computer. There was a time when I didn't know what graphic design was, and I used my hands to craft. Painting, drawing, sculpture. I truly think it's who I am, and I will get back there one day. I am sure of it.
~Mod Podge, exacto knife, glue and painting~

Since this letter A, I've created several more, but I'll save those for another post.

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 22

Swedish meatballs

Another recipe from the Cuisine Lite magazine. Do you ever feel sometimes there are not words to describe a dish or the feeling behind it? I made this dish about two weeks ago. I don't know why I haven't posted it yet. It just sits there as a blog draft and I think, I'll do that one later. Well friends, the time has come, and I don't have much to say about it. Did I enjoy it? Yes, and Jake did as well. Was it easy to make? Yes, yes it was. The sauce is light and the meatballs are meaty. A great lunch option in my opinion.

Swedish Meatballs
INGREDIENTS
2 cups yolkless wide egg noodles
1 slice whole-wheat bread, torn
2 tbsp. skim milk
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tsp. canola oil
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tso. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS
Prepare noodles according to package directions.
Soak bread in 2 tbsp. milk.
Combine sirloin, turkey, egg yolk, onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl; stir in soaked bread. Form mixture into 16 meatballs.
Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, five minutes; remove meatballs and set aside.
Melt butter in the skillet and whisk in flour; cook one minute. Whisk in broth; reduce heat to medium. Whisk in 1/3 cup milk; add brown sugar and thyme.
Return meatballs to sauce; simmer, covered for five minutes. Stir lemon juice into sauce, serve over noodles. Garnish meatballs with parsley.

Makes 4 servings (16 meatballs)
Per serving with noodles and sauce:
388 calories

10 total fat (4g sat, 4g mono, 1g poly)

66mg chol

478mg sodium

40g carb (3g fiber, 9g total sugars)

35g protein

4mg iron

97mg calcium

Source: Cuisine Lite

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 21

Three times the fun

Saturday, I went to the Wilson triplets third birthday party. That morning, I helped Maranda decorate Mickey Mouse cupcakes. She baked them the previous night, and I made the eyes, mouth, and hair bows to go on the cupcakes. We got together yesterday morning and decorated them. We make a great team.

Mickey and Minnie accessories

My favorite one above.

The birthday party was at My Gym at 21st and Webb. What a great place for kids! I had so much fun watching and playing with them. My niece Morgan and nephew Cole were there too — with Jen and Grant of course. And I got to meet Dina's adorable kids for the first time. They are in some pics too. I felt like I knew Dina's kids already from her blog, but I got to see them in person! All of the kids were so happy to be there —a lot of smiling faces. One of the triplets, Izzy, didn't feel well, so she didn't have the best time. She was cuddled up on a family member's lap mostly. Poor thing. I hear she's doing much better today though. Their actual birthday is Monday, so she'll get some good birthday time in. If you want to see the full set of pics, visit my flicker page on the right.

The birthday girls — Izzy, Lily and Audrey

Audrey giving the cutest expression

Lily running around

Cole

Miss Morgan

Tucker

Sawyer

Audrey

Unsure about the ride

Cupcake time

Isn't she lovely?

Cole chillaxin'

Going over hide and seek rules

Cole man sliding

Great look from Lily to mommy

Audrey asking her older cousin if he's hugged the turtle yet

The group

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 19

Fix-it Friday

ORIGINAL

EDITED V1

V1: I used Camera Raw and PS - CS3. In Camera Raw, brought the yellow temperature up, added fill light and decreased the saturation a bit. In Photoshop, I increased the contrast and did an overlay of beige. I added a bit more yellow to the pic and decreased the saturation slightly. Finally I cropped and rotated the photo.

EDITED V2

V2: Using the same settings from V1 before the crop, I changed the image to greyscale, adjusted the levels and changed back to RGB. I went to Image>Adjustments>Variations and added yellow and red to the image. I desaturated a bit, added a vignette and cropped and rotated the photo. I wanted her on the left side of the shot. To do this I used the clone tool and added information to the right of the pic. (I ran out of photo on the right from rotating the photo.) This allowed me to place her further to the left.

Check out other Fix-it Friday edited photos at iheartfaces.blogspot.com

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 18

Black bean chili

Chili is one of my comfort foods. I think it's best served on a cold day, and Wichita has had its fair share of those this season. Plus there are leftovers for several days and that means a few free days without cooking. Even I like a break every now and then. Sometimes Jake will make boxed macaroni and cheese with albacore tuna. That's his specialty, and I love it. Another thing about chili — you can add or remove a couple items and it will have a different flavor. This version has some heat to it. If you aren't a fan, you can leave out the chipotle peppers. It brings a nice smokiness to the chili though.

Black Bean Chili
INGREDIENTS
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 quart beef stock
3 - 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 - 15 oz. can refried pinto beans
1 - 14.5 oz. can Rotel
1 - 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 tbsp. dried cilantro
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in large frying pan, add chopped onions and saute 4-5 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add garlic and ground beef until browned.
In a dutch oven or stockpot, add beef stock on medium heat. When warmed, add refried beans and stir with a whisk.
To stockpot mixture, add rinsed black beans, tomatoes, dried cilantro, chile powder, chipotle peppers and ground cumin. Add in beef mixture and stir well. Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Add in lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro and cook 15 minutes longer. Serve with chopped cilantro if desired.
Makes about seven servings.

Source: Adapted from KalynsKitchen

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 17

Pink hearts & red velvet sandwich cookies

Today is day three for me talking about these delicious cookies, and this is the last post about them (for now). There are two recipes listed. One is a quick version, the other is a little more time consuming. Both are delightful, so it's really just a preference of how much time you want to spend. First up, one of my favorite food blogs, Bakerella. If you're not familiar with her site, you are really missing out. She posted these last year for Valentines Day, so I thought I'd try them this year. The second post is from another favorite food blog of mine, Annie's Eats. She is one talented lady. She takes beautiful shots and she has a knack for finding and making some awesome recipes.

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COOKIES
1 box red velvet cake mix
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp.
2 large eggs
FOR THE FILLING
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
10 - 12 oz. powdered sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and butter; gradually adding in cake mix. Use a fork to stir or a wooden spoon because the consistency will be tough to mix. Use a spoon to scoop into small balls — about an inch in diameter — and place on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, rotating once during baking. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before moving to a cooling rack.
FOR THE FILLING
Combine cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add vanilla. Gradually add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
When cookies have completely cooled, match cookies up by size, two in a row. Pipe frosting onto one side of the cookie and place the other cookie on top, gently pressing down to bring filling to edges.
Makes about 24 sandwich cookies.

Source: Adapted from bakerella.com

Pink Velvet Whoopie Pies
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COOKIES
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened to room temp.
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp.
(or substitute 1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for five minutes.)
1/4 oz. red food coloring
FOR THE FILLING
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
10 - 12 oz. powdered sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE COOKIES
Preheat oven to 375˚ F. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, trace evenly spaced hearts onto pieces of parchment paper sized to fit two cookie sheets. Place the parchment on the cookie sheets so the side you have drawn on is facing down; set aside.
   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla. On low speed, beat in approx. 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated. Repeat until all buttermilk is added and end with the final 1/3 dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Blend in food coloring.
   Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain, round tip. Pipe batter onto parchment paper using the heart tracings as your guide. Bake 7-9 minutes or until tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 5 minutes, until they can be easily transferred to a cooling rack. Repeat with any remaining batter. Allow cookies to cool completely before proceeding.
FOR THE FILLING
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated, increase speed and beat until smooth.
   Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a plain, round tip. When cookies have completely cooled, match cookies up by size, two in a row. Pipe frosting onto one side of the cookie and place the other cookie on top, gently pressing down to bring filling to edges.

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 16

Chocolate gluten-free sandwich cookies

I made these for a couple of special friends that eat gluten-free. I am always willing to try new things, and I must say, I enjoyed the taste as much as regular chocolate cookies. I based the recipe off of a Bakerella post for some red velvet sandwich cookies (which will be tomorrow's post). I was unsure if the cake/cookie would rise or fall flat during baking because of no gluten. I made a few adjustments during the baking process and it was a complete success and rather easy. After creating this post, I realized the step by step pics for the red sandwich cookies, will be on my next post. So if you want some visuals, check back tomorrow!

Chocolate gluten-free sandwich cookies
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COOKIES
Bob's Red Mill chocolate cake mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
FOR THE FILLING

8 oz. Neufchatel cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp.

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

10 - 12 oz. powdered sugar, sifted

1 tbsp. cocoa powder, sifted

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and butter; gradually adding in cake mix. Use a fork to stir or a wooden spoon because the consistency will be tough to mix. Use a spoon to scoop into small balls — about an inch in diameter — and place on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly press cookie with a plastic lid. (I used a small sour cream lid). Since the cookie does not flatten/spread out during baking, you're helping it along. What you see in the picture is the desired thickness. Place back in oven and cook for another four minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before moving to a cooling rack.

FOR THE FILLING

Combine cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add in vanilla and cocoa powder. Gradually add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.

When cookies have completely cooled, match cookies up by size, two in a row. Pipe frosting onto one side of the cookie and place the other cookie on top, gently pressing down to bring filling to edges. See top pic for reference if needed. Enjoy!

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 15

sweets + new lens

This is the first shot taken with my new 100mm 2.8 Macro. Okay it's not a new lens, but the previous owner kept it in pristine shape, plus it's new to me. I'm really digging this lens. This shot was taken at night with my makeshift lighting. I have a few hot spots I couldn't remove, but I'm still happy with the result. I'll post the recipes for these this week (yes, plural). I made three versions, because I was feeling experimental. This batch was made for Angie's last day at work last week — I wanted to give her something sweet, you know, just like her. <3

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 14

Happy Valentines Day!

Read More 4 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Feb 13

Snow day

Since most of the snow melted yesterday, I think it's best to post the rest of my snow pics I took Monday. I'll admit, snow is a beautiful thing, but I'm ready for a different season. I feel like it's been snowing and cold for a very long time. I'm ready to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I'm ready to roll down the windows and feel the warm breeze against my face. And now we'll transition back to some snowy photos.

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Graphic designer, baker and a photo taker. Inspired by Jesus, photography, stellar design, all things creative, cooking, the arts and funny stuff. I prefer to visually tell stories through photographs; whether a trip I was on, a dessert I made or a recent vintage find. Art is all around me, and I capture it whenever I can.

Book club pick for March

For the love of letters

Fix-it Friday

My evening...

Brought to you by the letter A

Swedish meatballs

Three times the fun

Fix-it Friday

Black bean chili

Pink hearts & red velvet sandwich cookies

Chocolate gluten-free sandwich cookies

sweets + new lens

Happy Valentines Day!

Snow day

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inspire & create

those who bake

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