experimenting with more color

Ten minutes a day is all I have sometimes on my sewing machine.  Today I actually got a bit more today.  I am experimenting with more color.

It was bags again.

With pockets per Miss E and my Beloved (yes, I got told).

I thought I would like this side best.

But I think I like this side better.  I really think it just came together better.

I was thinking as I was stitching that I am very hard on clothes.  I used to double seam everything and for some reason I stopped.  Now I am getting holes in my seams much faster.  I think I am going to have to go back to double seaming all my clothes.  I will never show you the state my half slip is in.  It is along the lines of the shoemakers children have no shoes.

crackers for traveling

We were traveling again last weekend.  I have to admit that I get very tired of out food whether restaurant or the snacks that can picked up at a grocery store or a gas station.  This time I tried to plan a little bit.  I wished some crackers to go with cheese.  Tartelette posted a recipe for herb crackers recently.  I decided to use that as a starting place since I have not made gluten free crackers before.  I have to admit that I changed them a bit.  More like they were the idea and then I went a different way.

Crackers

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground ancho chili pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground chipolte pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground paprika

1 cup millet

1/4 cup teff

1/2 cup sourghum

9 tablespoons sweet rice flour.

Cream the spices into the butter.  Then mix the eggs into the butter and spice mixture.  Mix in the flours. Gather into a ball and let sit the refrigerator for about two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Between two pieces of parchment paper.  Put the cracker dough.  Flatten it out and then roll it until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.  Move this to a baking sheet or large pizza stone.  Take off the top layer of parchment paper.  Score in the shape of the crackers you want.

Bake for 17 minutes or until they are as golden as you wish.

 

There is just a hint of a bit to these.  They complemented a smoke cheddar very well.  

When I crave crackers, I would go for these.  I could see sprinkling them with a touch of salt.  Especially if you add a bit of cheese in the dough.  I may have to go there.  I obviously occasionally crave crackers.

bright colors

I am going outside my comfort zone.  I am buying fabrics with bright colors.  I find that I like muted tones and what are called homespun.  I also like naturals and jewel tones but not prints.  I am trying.  I decided to put some bags together.  My Beloved said they had to have pockets.

So, they are reversible.

With pockets.  The Tall Short person really likes it.  I like the side best that has the background color of black.  It is just me and I am laughing at myself.  There will be more of these in the days to go.  I have a tendency to have about ten minutes a day to sew currently.  I did get a chance to weave, crochet, and watch Miss Marple on PBS.  I wish there was more time for sewing but it was a good evening.

brownies with caramels on top

Here is the rest of the birthday present.  I took my favorite brownies and dropped the caramels I made on top.  My favorite brownie recipe I found in the NY Times:  New Classic Brownies  by Alice Medrich.  I have to admit that I tweaked them a bit because I found the original was much too sweet for me.

Brownies with Caramels on Top

3/4 cup cocoa (the best you can find)

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup caramels (unwrapped if purchased, chop up of if you like - next time I am going to use my Dad's caramel sauce recipe)

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.

Put the butter and cocoa in a medium to large saucepan.  Melt the butter and combine the cocoa in.  Remove from the heat.  Mix in the sugar and vanilla.  Mix in the salt and flour.  Mix in the eggs.

Pour the batter in the pan and drop the caramels on top.  Bake 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when stuck into them.

The bits I had when I transferred them into a carrying box where pretty yummy.  I hope Miss E liked them!

making the ingredients (caramels)

I had a friend whose birthday was today.  Her two favorite flavors are caramel and chocolate.  I decided to combine the two in a brownie.  My Dad makes caramels so I followed his recipe.  I think next time I would make his caramel sauce for ice cream to use instead but this was decadent.

Caramels

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup Karo syrup (you can use a 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup Karo syrup (light corn syrup))

2 teaspoons vanilla

a pinch of salt

In a heavy sauce pan, mix corn syrup, sugar, and 1/2 cup whipping cream.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and cook slowly to 234 degrees.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup whipping cream.  Return to heat and cook to 234 degrees.  Remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream.

Return to heat and cook to 246 degrees.  

Remove from heat and add the vanilla and salt.

Pour into a buttered pan or pan lined with parchment paper.

Cut into pieces once firm.  I am living someplace where it was a 100 degrees today, so I actually put the caramels in the freezer to cool.

I took a small container of caramels to work.  I was told that Thursdays was now homemade candy day.  It made me smile.