Schmap

Just received an email from Schmap that they want to include my New Orleans Hot Sauce image from my flickr account in the next version of their New Orleans Schmap.
That is cool. Hopefully, it will make the final cut and be included.
Keep your fingers crossed!

Bacon Tiara

Oh my! I can just see this on top of someone's head back home. She would get ALL the guys! hehehe
For those of you who can see yourself wearing this, please see this tutorial.
Yes, there is a tutorial and it includes the recipe for MEAT GLUE!

Southeastern Basketry database

The database Mike & I have been involved with is now online and available for research and viewing. This is just so cool and I cannot explain my enthusiasm over this finally coming to fruition!
8 years of involvement. The number of technological avenues I have researched to deliver this photographic database online has made my head spin. I cannot say enough about MIT's SIMILE project, Exhibit. COOL! It is a topic of which you don't want to talk to me about because I get all talky and excited about it.
Please check out the baskets. You won't be disappointed.

Cane syrup is NOT a honey substitute

I have made Alton Brown's granola bars before and we ate them up. FiberBars have become a staple in the house, but I want to substitute something healthier and be able to alter the flavors as we get sick of them.
What a boo boo I made! I had some cane syrup from the farmers' market that needed to find a use. Granola bars are definitely not the use. Back to the mixer I go.
I also made the digestive biscuits. They are good out of the oven, but lack on the next day around. It is a small batch, so if I half it, we could enjoy them during a movie or game of Settlers.

granulated salt vs kosher salt

Yeah, made the big mistake tonight. I didn't compensate for the quantity difference between kosher and granulated salt. So, I ended up using twice the amount! Now, I am so thirsty!
Doctor says all is fine with baby and I. Belly hasn't grown too much, so another picture when there is real progress.

On Top of Homemade Pasta!

Whew, what a crafty weekend! Phoebe and I made felt barrettes, ribbon barrettes, a barrette holder for all the new barrettes, worry dolls, and, to top it all off, homemade pasta.
FINALLY! I have found a good, basic noodle recipe! I found it in my pasta machine's instruction booklet [Note: Dang! Those things have just shot up in price!].

Pasta Dough Recipe
6 Servings
Ingredients:
5 eggs
1 lb flour (I used about 4 cups)

Place a pound of flour on a working surface and make a hole in the center. Put 4 eggs into the hole. Gently begin mixing the flour with the eggs.
To soften the mixture, 1/2 oz of olive oil, a little water, or another egg may be added. (I dipped my hands in water and kneaded that into the dough. It really only needed the slightest bit more dampness).
Continue to knead the dough until it reaches a uniform texture and color. It should be soft and smooth. Form a ball with the dough, wrap it in a towel, and let it rest for a few minutes.
Cut the dough into small slices and pass each piece through the flat rollers of the Atlas Pasta Maker, with the regulating knob set at the widest position, number 1.
Fold the pressed sheet in two and pass it again through the rollers.
Repeat folding and rolling several times, lightly flouring the sheet each time it is passed, to keep it smooth.
Then reduce the thickness of the sheet by passing it through the rollers one thickness setting smaller each time, until you reach the desired thickness.

The trick was: I kneaded it all with my hands! Every batch I made in the KitchenAid was bland and weird. This doesn't mean I won't try to make these with it or my food processor, but the tactile sensation associated with the kneading and mixing was necessary to get the right dough. Added plus: the recipe is so basic it is a great base for flavored pasta.

Phoebe & I rolled these through to a setting of "3" and then through the fettuccine cutter. The result was similar to kluski noodles. Phoebe & Mike thought them a bit thick. For sauces, I agree. These will be perfect in Beef Stroganoff!

Phoebe took all the bit dough left overs with which we had cleaned the pasta machine and dyed them all sorts of colors. She has plans for red & green Christmas noodles; orange & black Halloween noodles; and orange, red, & yellow for Christgiving time.

Side note, yet still applicable: I found a whorking huge bag of salt at Costco. So ridiculous it was in hugeness that, of course, I wanted it. 25lbs for $3.25! I didn't get it, but now I will. I need to salt my boiling water since the noodles are so basic.
Now, to get fancy and add flavors to the noodles. What can I add?

Wicked good candy

Now, these aren't listed on the Hershey's website, but here is a site with some more info. I found mine at the local Target for $2. All of their Halloween M&Ms and Kisses are $2 a bag.
What the heck am I talking about?!? Ahhh, the most delectable little delight I have experienced in a while: Hershey's Candy Corn kisses. They are like that flavored fake chocolate people make for weddings and the like. Meltable. Delicious. Satisfying.
Now into my bigness and last trimester, nothing tastes good, yet I crave EVERYTHING! I am working very hard not to become a big pig and just eat candy goodness.
Mike likes candy corn and I got them for him. I am afraid there might not be many for him. I sure am glad he loves me and will forgive me for eating all of them.