{ Makin' Learnin' Fun }

I remember making fun shapes with notebook paper long before I was makin' fun shapes in architecture school (and life). But the other weekend, the Loon and I visited J&M (in Chattanooga) before they moved to Houston, and somehow Hexaflexagons came up... yeah, I can't really remember how and know this seems weird. But this adorbs lady, Vihart, basically makes this the most enjoyable video about shapes and dimensions. If you enjoy this lil' shape's histroy lesson as much as me, let me also recommend how to make this shape edible, with the Flex Mex (burrito like Hexaflexagon). Too Fun!

{ Designer's Bookmark }

Best About Pages

Best About Pages: This is exactly as it sounds. Need Graphic Inspiration for your website's About page? Often these About pages are left unthought out and underwhelming, typically containing a small text 'about' the company / person / service, and maybe a picture or two of that said company / person / service. But luckily I found this gem, B. Which I think stands for Best? Regardless of the meaning of 'B', I'm in love with this categorized reference! {via}

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Art of the Menu

Art of the Menu is another categorized reference site, but as the name implies, it's for Menus. This site is particularly nice because you can search this gorgeous menus by location, cuisine, or date added to site. Another site that is worth bookmarking! {via}

{ Steampunk Party: Part 2 }

Happy Hungry Guests

Steampunk Party: Part 2, is really the menu... or the good stuff if you will... The Loon and I slaved over this menu for a good 2 evenings.. I know we're crazy, I mean the lil' one can't eat too much, but we wanted to make sure we had fun, adult worthy, yet kid friendly foods. I don't think I mentioned it previously, but we don't have too many friends with kids, and lil' bit isn't yet in daycare or school, so we really had to walk the fine line of kid friendly (for the 3 other kids in attendance) and adult fun, for the dozen other guests. Below is the run down on what we served.

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Double Vanilla + Double Chocolate Cupcakes
courtesy of wickedcolorgirl - you might know her from
the recent food posts / blog addition.
Below are the Caprese Kabobs

Steampunk Cupcake Detail

I did make all the little flags for the cupcakes and luckily I was turned on to Michael's (the craft store) cause they had TONS of cute steampunk-ish accessories. That's where we got the gears for the cupcakes and a few more sheets of cute papers and the cupcake wrappers.

The flags weren't too difficult to make, but my first try definitely didn't fare like I had hoped and I had to re-glue a lot of the fabric.

• I took a few scraps of left over fabric I had laying around from various craft projects, 
• I believe 3 different fabrics, about a 6 inches long and maybe 2 inches high
• I places two lines of jewlery making wire about 3/4" apart 
• brushed some modge podge glue (this is all happening on the 'back side' of the fabric) over the wires and fabric
• folded the fabric over (good side showing / up) and let set over night
• I then took some sharp scissors and cut out cute flags, and wrapped around toothpicks
• Viola! done! this made about 18 flags, some better looking than others. That's why we got the Michael's Gears, plus those were just cute too!

I'll be sure to get Wickedcolorgirl to post the cupcake recipes too!

There isn't a great photo of it, but we also had Caprese Kabobs. Mainly because I didn't want a sweets overload, and the lil' one LOVES a grape tomato. These were a great addition, and SO EASY to make!
All you need are:

• 1 pint of grape tomatoes
• 1 12oz package of fresh mozerella balls (the smalls ones) I think we just got whatever was best priced at Kroger
• A few sprigs of fresh basil (from the garden) - I tried to do 2 leaves of basil per skewer
• Alternate mozerella, basil, and tomatoes on bamboo skewer
• Once done, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and a little salt and pepper
• Serve!

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Green Apple + Brie Turnovers

These were also super easy, but I do have to be forward, and say they didn't look as good as I had hoped / the example one I found {via}. What you'll need:

• 1 box (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed - boy is that important!
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar, divided
• 1 tbsp of butter, also divided
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, divided
• 1 wheel of brie (the small one that comes in the cute wooden box at the store)
• 1 egg (for the wash)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a good-sized slice of brie and 3 or 4 this slices of apple the middle of each of the 4 squares. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and brown sugar and top with a pat of butter. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm. Now this is where mine went array, cause I made mine at about 2am the night before, so the next morning, they were a little soggy... but luckily a few minutes in the oven, like 15minutes before the party started, crisped them right back up!

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Salted Caramel + Chocolate Marshmellows

Now the Loon made these, and WHOA! I had no ever had homemade marshmellows, but let me tell you they were worth the headache! soooo much better than the stuff in a bag!

He went off this recipe {via}, but we didn't use the tea, and kept them fairly simple. Seeing as it was our first time.

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Nutella Meringues

These bad boys, make about 15 to 20 meringues (depends on how big you make them)

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• a pinch of cream of tartar - I know, what is a pinch? I think it's like an eigth of a tsp.But literally, I pinched it! 
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup Nutella

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Make sure you have one oven rack in the bottom third of your oven and one in the upper third of your oven.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Set up a double boiler (a pot with another pot on top or a heat-proof bowl on top) and put the Nutella in the top of the double boiler. Warm the Nutella through and then set aside while you make the meringue. (You could warm the Nutella in a microwave but I don’t own one so you’re on your own if you do use one.) Let the Nutella cool as you make the meringue.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. Beat on medium-high speed until they are completely foamy.
• Add the cream of tartar and the salt and continue whipping at medium-high speed until when you lift the whisk attachment, soft peaks form. This should take a few minutes.
• Once you have reached the soft peak stage, increase the speed to high and begin adding the sugar a few spoonfuls at a time (this should take a few minutes).
• Once all the sugar is in, the meringue should be very thick (almost stiff) and when you left the whisk firm peaks should remain.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and drop in all the Nutella. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the Nutella into the meringue three or four times. You’re aiming for a swirled effect so don’t overmix. This will also help avoid deflating the meringue.
• Using two spoons, drop the meringue onto the parchment-lined baking sheets in large dollops.
• Place in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, immediately lower the heat to 200 degrees F. and rotate the trays. Bake for an hour.
• After an hour, check the meringues. If they are completely dried out then turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for a few hours to cool with the oven. If the meringues still look a bit “wet”, then continue baking for another 20 minutes or so. Either way, once fully baked, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there for a few hours. - I didn't have this luxury, because the Loon needed the oven for the cake, so I had to risk it and luckily they checked out alright and were delicious!
• When you remove the meringues from the oven they should be completely dry and cool and will sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

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Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate + Mint, White Chocolate + Espresso
Moustaches

I really wanted something cute and chocolate-y after I saw these over at Oh Happy Day. These were super super super easy to make, once I realized you had to buy those little candy making discs, ya know...
We really wanted to make these from scratch but with time a factor, I got the discs and used the old double broiler and this CUTE candy mold from Micheal's, and froze them for about 20mins before I popped them out and started the next batch. I could never get the candy sticks to work, so I had to just improvise and leave 'em as candy without sticks, but the lil' one just LOVED them, and they worked so well with the theme!

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Bacon + Cheddar Quiches

Quiche is what I consider one of my 'bachelor' recipes. It's so easy, and delicious, and always get tons of compliments, and did I mention I can eat off of it for a while? Well these little Quiches were no exception!

You'll need:

• 2 packages of cream spinach (the microwavable kind)
• 2 packages (each have 15, so you'll get 30 mini quiches total) of mini quiche shells
• 1 16oz package of shredded sharp cheddar
• 3 large eggs
• 4-6 slices (I diced mine up before cooking) of bacon

and to make:

• preheat oven to 350
• microwave the cream spinach for half the time, more or less so it's defrosted and easy to work with, once it's done and room temp ( you don't wanna scramble those eggs if too hot!) add in the eggs, and cheese and bacon, and stir
• dish out into mini pie shells and bake for approx. 15mins, or until the tops are brown

That's it and you're done! it's pretty much the same for a regular quiche too, just bake for approx. 45mins instead.

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The Birthday Boy just loved the Peanut Butter Moustache!
more than his cake... but that was another fiasco! 

{ Healthy Chinese Food Endeavor }

A series by: Erin Gray
I could eat any form of Asian cuisine from sushi to Pad Thai any day of the week.  Unfortunately, my favorite Chinese delight, General Tso's is loaded with calories. I have found a healthier home made alternative that was greatly enjoyed at my house.

Baked General Tso's Chicken:
2 lb chicken breast tenderloins, chunked
2 eggs & 4 T milk (egg wash)
1 c flour
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
6 T ground ginger
2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
4 T soy sauce
4 T rice vinegar
2 T sesame oil
3 T chili paste
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp corn starch
3 tsp minced garlic

Preheat oven to 375.  Blend flour, pepper, cayenne, 3 T ground ginger, & salt. Coat chicken in egg wash then dredge in flour blend. Bake in a sprayed glass pan on for 30 minutes.  Use all ingredients except 1/4 c water  and sugar to mix sauce base. In a sauce pan boil sugar and water over medium heat stirring constantly until it develops a caramel color. Add remainder of sauce ingredients and simmer about 5 minutes. Take off heat and allow to thicken. Toss baked chicken in sauce and serve with steamed rice. **I also pre cooked some steamed broccoli and added to the mixture which was delicious.

{ Adventures in Baking: Sweet Potato Cupcakes }

A series by: Erin Gray
I typically make cupcakes for special occasions. Recently a good friend graduated high school and upon asking what kind she wanted she said "sweet potato". I thought she was joking, and am typically not a fan of anything but sweet potato fries, but due to the serious request I did some research and was very successful. This opportunity also gave me a chance to test run with icing tips for the first time before an upcoming birthday event.  Here is the recipe as I modified it from Better Homes and Gardens originally. Also, the frosting is a combination of my usual cream cheese recipe and one I found on yummly.com.:

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting.
Cake:
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. clove
1 c butter, softened
1/4 c milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 15 oz can sliced yams, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl blend sugar and butter until whipped. Add eggs one at a time followed by mashed yams, and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk all dry ingredients and add in flour mix and milk slowly mixing on medium until smooth.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full ( I use a heaping ice cream scoop of batter) and bake 20-30 minutes.

Icing:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
3 T butter, softened
1 1/2 T shortening
1 7 oz jar of marshmallow cream
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon sugar blend

Blend all ingredients until smooth. scoop into icing bag and pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes. Icing will disperse and settle more like a glaze. * I also topped with clear sprinkles for a more fun effect.

{ An Adventure of Experiments through Food }

A series by: Erin Gray

I would like to preface my first entry by saying that as of late I have started using my usual sources (foodnetwork.com, most frequently) to find new and exciting recipes. If not already made as such, I have adjusted each recipe to make it more health conscious in an effort to stay within the parameters of my diet I have been on for the past year. For those interested I'll veer off my path just to say thanks to a discovery in the world of apps I have stuck to a plan much like Weight Watcher's, only without the stress of having to be a physicist just to figure out if I'm allowed that glass of wine at dinner or not. Let's face it .. I was an art major, math is not my strong suit! That said, I want everyone to share these recipes and not think of them as guidelines but the building blocks to tweak and use your own creativity to make them yours as I have already done for myself. Enjoy!

Dinner week 1: Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna:

12 wheat tortillas

12 oz shredded cheese (i used kroger hispanic blend)

30.5 oz sweet corn (2 cans of green giant corn)

7 oz diced green chiles

30 oz canned black beans

29 oz canned diced tomatoes

1 T ketchup

garlic salt (to taste, you can also do minced garlic and 1 tsp sea salt)

1 can sliced black olives

1 med. yellow onion

1 lb thin sliced chicken breast

1 jalepeno diced

4 sprigs cilantro, chopped

brown the chicken with just salt and pepper to season. in a sauce pan i cooked the tomatoes, oninon, chilis, garlic salt, ketchup, cilantro and onion for about 10-15 min on medium heat. In a separate bowl mix black beans, olives, corn, and browned chicken. layer as follows : 4 tortillas, half of corn/bean mix, 1/3 of cheese, 4 tortillas last of corn/bean mix, 1/3 of cheese, tomato sauce, rest of cheese. bake on 400 for 30-40 min.. also spray pan with cooking spray so bottom tortillas do not stick.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts:

1 package frozen brussels sprouts, thawed. (or use fresh if you prefer)

2 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

**for this meal I added chili lime powder to the brussels sprouts, I thought for something Italian adding parmesan cheese might also be a great addition.

drizzle the olive oil over sprouts. season as desired. back at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

{ Eye Candy: Recipe Challenge }

Found this great challenge (unfortunately it was too late for me to enter) of finalist for the Redesign the Recipe Project. Back in Febuary, GOOD FOOD asked readers to submit a redesign of the typical recipe (think black + white and boring), now we are lucky enough to vote on a few of the good ones. My faves are below, it's like infographics meets top chef!

{ Pop Tarts, and not the Whore-ish Kind }

This was meant more for me, but I guess this whole blog is really a collection of all things I find cool.... sorry a rant... but don't you think these look delicious!!??!! These homemade pop tarts are what I'm gonna make for Christmas morning! or maybe sooner... and with a pumpkin filling .... I did get a sweet new food processor for the birthday... Thank you the Kitchen via Apartment Therapy, for always making me salivate! {via}

{ TV does Knoxville }

What does a Gigantic Burrito and a fancy new house have in common? Both are from tv shows that are comin' to Knoxville! It seems like Extreme Home Makeover is looking for a new family, and Man v. Food, a favorite of mine, is shoting an episode here. Seems like Adam (of M v F) went to Ye Olde Steak House, Sweet P's (so good! and was my neighbor), and Downtown Grill & Brewery just to name a few. I hope he goes to my fave, Tomato Head! No visit to Knoxville is complete without it! Can't wait for these episodes!

{ Wendy: Thanks Dave }

Found this via the consumerist, and let's just say it makes me want Wendys, and maybe to shake Dave Thomas's hand.