5 Min. Bread, Lotion and an Apron Swap

Today I made some 5 Minute Artisan Bread.  It was really simple and very tasty!  Basically you make up a wet dough and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  When you take it out of the fridge it looks something like surface of the moon, full of nooks and crannies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You take out a hunk of dough and shape it into a ball.  This took me two minutes to get it shaped and on the pizza peel ready to rise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You let it rise, then put it into a hot oven on a pizza stone with some hot water in a tray underneath and bake.  What you get is a yummy, crusty loaf of bread like you would get at the fanciest of bakeries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, this loaf did not even make it until dinner time.  Guess I will have to wait until later in the day if I want a loaf for dinner.

 

I also made some homemade lotion today.  I noticed that my feet were looking a little dry and rough so I decided to whip up some of my favorite lotion for extra dry skin. 

The Recipe:

1 cup olive oil

2-3 ounces beeswax (depends on how thick you like it)

1 tsp. vitamin E

40 drops essential oil ( I use 20 drops peppermint, 10 drops lavender and 10 drops eucalyptus oil)

Melt beeswax over low heat, add olive oil and heat until completely melted.  Stir in vitamin E and essentail oils.  Pour into jar and cool.  The more beeswax you use the thicker the lotion will be.  I like my lotion on the thick side for slathering on my rough feet and then covering them with socks overnight.

 

I also finished up my apron for the sassy apron swap. It turned out pretty well.  We also had to make a pot holder and include a pie recipe. Here is my finished project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of my pie recipes are also freezer friendly, so you can make them ahead, and serve whenever you need them.  Gotta love freezer cooking!

Pecan Tarts

 

1/2 C. butter

3 oz. cream cheese

1 C. flour

 

1 egg

3/4 C. brown sugar, packed

1 T. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1 C. chopped pecans

 

Combine butter, cream cheese and flour.  Chill for a slightly easier to work with dough (opt.).  Make walnut sized balls and press into mini muffin pan, forming tart shells.  Mix egg, brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla and pecans.  Fill tart shells with pecan mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 min. or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned.

Notes: These freeze well, so  you can make ahead and pull out as needed.  Reheat in oven for warm tarts or serve at room temperature.

 

Ice Cream Shop Pie w/ variations

 

1 1/2 C. milk

4 oz. box instant pudding

3 C. cool whip

1 graham cracker crust

*Ice cream shop toppings

 

Combine milk and pudding mix in large bowl.  Beat with whisk until well blended.  Let stand 5 min. until slightly thick.  Fold in cool whip and ice cream shop toppings.  Spoon into crust.  Cover and freeze 6 hours.

To serve: remove from freeezer.  Let stand 10 min.  Store leftovers in freezer.

 

Toffee Bar Crunch:  use french vanilla pudding, Spread 1/3 C. butterscotch sauce in bottom of crust.  Add 1 C. chopped toffee bars to filling.  Drizzle with chocolate and butterscotch sauce.

 

Strawberry Banana Split:  Use french vanilla pudding.  Line crust w. sliced bananas.  Add 1 C. sliced strawberries to filling.  Drizzle w/ chocolate sauce.  Top w/ maraschino cherries and chopped nuts.

 

Rocky Road: Use chocolate pudding and chocolate crumb crust.  Fold in 1/2 C each of chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and chopped nuts.  Drizzle w/ chocolate sauce

Vintage Apron Giveaway

I have fallen in love with aprons of all sorts and there is not a better way to add to your collection than to get to win the apron of your choice for FREE!

Lisa,  – from Rick Rack Attack, and The Apron a Day Blog – will be giving the winner her choice of Vintage Apron from her shop. All you have to do to is to go over to her shop, and choose which of her many pretties is your favorite. Then leave a comment to enter the giveaway. You may also enter by posting about this giveaway on your own blog, and leaving a second comment with the link. Good Luck!!
Deadline to enter is Friday July 25th at 9pm PST. Winner will be drawn at random and announced on Monday, July 28th

Apron Tales

For a while now I have been admiring aprons and apron patterns that I have seen on other blogs and thinking about making myself one, but I could never decide which one I like the best.   I finally decided to jump in and make myself one, it’s not like I can’t have more than one!  This was the result:

 Like my cute model, I couldn’t take a picture of myself wearing it, Hannah is not home and my alter ego (dress form) has not arrived yet.

I think it turned out pretty good for not really having a pattern.  I love the retro fabrics and it is a really cheery apron, plus it has a handy towel tab on the side to hook in one of my handwoven towels (now I just need to get my loom repaired so I can make some to match!)

 

 

While I was in the sewing room I also decided to whip up a coffee cozy for our french press to help keep the coffee warmer a little longer in the mornings.  It turned out better than I hoped, seeing I was making it up as I went along.  These were some vintage inspired fat quarters I picked up on one of our travels. I even made it reversible so it can fit my mood! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my dress form which I finally saved up enough to order!  I have been trying to decide what I am going to call my alter ego when she arrives (’cause all good dress form have names!).  Currently I am thinking that she will be called Anne Shirely after Anne of Green Gables.  Hannah and I have been reading the book together and I am hoping that the dress form and I will be kindred spirits.  Plus, Anne and I would then share the same initals (A.S.).  What do you think??