...HER LAST STORE BOUGHT CUPCAKES.

This girl has a crazy-love for sweets of all kinds. I'm talking crazy-love. I want to call an oreo cupcake up and tell it how much I love it and wish I could spend more quality time with it and start a cupcake-human family, but oh, I've got this husband, job, pets, etc... CRAZY-LOVE.

Out of respect for the cupcakes and cookies that fill my dreams I have decided no more cooking of the non-cooking kind (aka from a box). If my desire for a butterscotch cookie covered in cheesecake icing so appears I will not drive to the grocery store and pick up a box of cookie mix. I will make it myself. This girl has held the belief for a long time that fresh food is the best food and it has shown itself in most of what I eat and prepare for my family. Pastries and desserts are the final frontier.



Chocolate cheesecake cupcakes aka the last store bought dessert this girl will ever make.

...PAIN PERDU WITH CARMELIZED APPLE RECIPE

4 ripe granny smith apples
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 large eggs, beaten
4 tbsp of milk
4 tbsp of sour cream
2 tbsp of vanilla extract
4 pieces of sourdough bread
Handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
Handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped

Quarter the apples. Heat 2 tbsp of sugar in a heavy-based ovenproof pan. When it begins to caramelize (gets all brown and yummy looking) place in apples, cut side down in the caramel. (If your caramel is kind of chunky at this point, that's completely normal.) Add another tbsp of sugar on top and let cook for a few minutes. As the sugar starts to disappear add 2 tbsp of butter and let it cook into the sauce. Add your basil and when the sauce starts to look thick, pull off the heat and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in a wide pan until it begins to foam. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, and remaining sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract and chopped mint into the egg mixture. Dip a single piece of bread into your egg mixture and place in your melting butter until golden brown on each side.

To serve, place the apples onto the bread and garnish with basil.

(Altered from Gordon Ramsey's Pain Perdu with Carmelized Peach Recipe)

...A WRAP DREAM.

I have dreamt of making a beautiful, simple, thick wrap to put all other lesser wraps to shame for as long as I can remember. I wanted to make something simple, but bold.

And by gosh, I think I've done it.



This wrap was crocheted in a single stitch- double stitch pattern per row using Vanna's Choice 100% acrylic Charcoal Grey (color 151) and Linen (color 99) both in Medium 4 (completely machine washable) with a H/8 5.00 MM needle with accented "holes". "Holes" (I am sure there is a proper word for it) are achieved by simply skipping stitches. For example, let's say you've used 10 double stitches in your row already and you would like to accent this area or have designed a pattern creating a "hole" here, you simple stop double stitching and chain stitch however long you would like your "hole" to be. With my own crocheting, I like to keep it simple and creating basic patterns and accents can infuse some fun into your work.

...A BABY BLANKET IN THE WINGS.

This is a multicolored pastel blanket I am currently in the process of crocheting for a friend's child. I absolutely fell in love with this yarn the second I saw it sitting the on the racks of JoAnne's Fabric Store (local).



The blanket consists of a basic alternating single stitch- double stitch pattern per row. My goal was to have this blankie signed, sealed, and cuddled with by the beginning of the month, but I ran out of yarn about 1/3 of the way through (per my habit of under-purchasing for the sake of thrift) and have yet to return to the fabric store. I hope to have it finished soon, which translates to before the kid can ask for it.

... THE EGGPLANT & FETA CHEESE PASTA RECIPE.

10 1/2 oz. penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 eggplant cut into small chunks
14 oz. chopped tomatoes
1 pinch sugar
16 basil leaves
7 oz. of feta cheese


Boil the pasta according to pack instructions.

Heat the oil in a pan, then gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 mins until softened.

Add the eggplant, cook for 3 mins more, then tip in the tomatoes and sugar.

Add a few drops of tabasco if desired.

Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 mins, then stir through the basil and feta cheese.

Toss with the drained pasta and serve.