Spinach Pie

Really, I think it's more of a Calzone, but this is something my Mom made as I was growing up and she called it Spinach Pie...so it shall be named!

I start with my favorite Pizza dough recipe, but this time I add in 2tbs of Tuscan Original Bread Dipping spices. They make everything better.

Pizza dough
3 cups flour
2 and 1/4 teas. yeast (or one package)
2 tbs veggie oil
1 teas salt
1 teas sugar
1 cup warm water

After the dough rises I pile it high with fresh spinach, chunks of mozzarella (you want chunks, not shredded cheese. Trust me on this one.) sliced mushrooms, fresh garlic and a dash of salt. Then I pull one half of the pizza dough over the other half.
If it can fit, I think stuff even more spinach into the pocket that I've just created until it's packed full. Then I roll the edges over and cut a few slashes on top to let steam release.

This is one of the easiest, tastiest comfort foods for me, I love it so.

Birthday...cake!

I am so so very proud of this cake! It was my first time using fondant to cover cake and I had no idea what the heck to do with the corners (so I made a weird little fold) but I loved it so. And more importantly, my mom loved it.
And I took way too many photos of it, but that's okay because I want to remember my first attempt at fondant for ever and ever :)Also, I cut tons of fondant cutters, a cake decorating book, and a gift card that I used to get my own set of tips for my birthday...so I'm going to need to find more reasons to make cake! It's too much fun.

Good things are happening

in my kitchen right now! Tomorrow is my mama's birthday and I'm making her cake, lemon with homemade orange curd filling, buttercream frosting and fondant daisies. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see how it turns out!
This was my second time making a curd (although I made lemon curd last time) and I was pleased that it was SO much easier this time! I used this recipe from Marthastewart.com and I love it. Seriously, can Martha do anything wrong? (aside from the interrupting of guests on her show, that is). I just substituted oranges for the lemons in the recipe as I thought it would contrast better with the lemon cake.

And then, Monday is my birthday. Mid twenties now. I feel....old, even though I know in the grand scheme of things, I'm still really young. oh well.

I leave you with a picture of the last cake I made for my mom's birthday in 2008 (8-8-8), so I made it in the shape of an 8...but everyone wondered why I made my mom a boob cake. I have come so far!

Adventures in Fondant (pt.2)

These are fondant covered cupcakes I made awhile back. I'd posted a picture on my facebook page, so they never made it to my blog. Oops!




Not bad for my first time using fondant to cover something! I can't wait to try it on a cake next.

More baby hats!

I'm surrounded by babies and preggos right now, so I've been making a ton of baby hats. (this will be my last baby post for awhile though, even I'm getting sick of them!)
I love those baby hats that end in a long tail with a knot in the end, so I drafted a pattern (this means I drew a big triangle on paper), and made these two little cuties for my friend Becca. I'm really happy with how they turned out and I'll definitely be making more for the millions of babies that are coming in the next few months :)
Also, this is how I wrapped them:

sometimes wrapping the gift is just as fun as making it!

Happy 4th of July!

so this is the first holiday in a long time that I haven't baked anything themed for! It could be because it's 100 outside and the thought of turning on my oven makes me want to cry, or because I've got nowhere to go tonight. Somehow I picked up a stupid summer cold and can't go to a BBQ we were planning to go to because I don't want to get my itty bitty nephew sick.

So where ever you are, I hope YOU have a fabulous fourth with some fun themed goodies! As for me, I'm going to stay inside where it's 70 degrees and watch fashion videos on youtube :)

Simple earring holder

I made this cute little earring holder last night when I realized all
my dangly earrings were getting tangled in a drawer.
I took a framed picture, covered it in mesh tulle, hot gluing it
behind the frame. Then I glued a little ribbon on it and that's it!
The only downside is that the picture won't be easy change, but since
it only took a second to glue the tulle down I won't be too sad to
redo it. Also, I love this picture of dimples and I in San Francisco,
so I don't think I'll change it anytime soon. It adds a fun little bit
of personalization to my jewelry corner.

Nursery decor

another baby gift! I'm surrounded by babies right now, and I'm absolutely not complaining. Last Wednesday my beautiful nephew Nathan was born, and of course, I am in love once again. I adore my nieces and nephews.
Anyways, I made this N for his room (if you follow me on Twitter, you've seen it!) using scrapbook paper, mod podge and a wooden letter from JoAnn's Fabrics. I hadn't seen his room yet, I just asked my SIL what colors it was, and luckily my little N matches perfectly. It's the same shades and everything, I was thrilled.
So, here it is:


Love.

I also whipped up this card from stickers and die cuts that I had on hand. I love babies :)

Also, this is my 100th post! Thank you so much for reading my blog, you'll never know how much I appreciate having people (however imaginary you may be) to share my creativity with!

Testing testing, guess who figured out how to blog from her iPhone? ;)

Another baby hat with ears

I think I've perfected my baby hat with ears! This time I got the ears to curl in just perfectly. I love it.
It's currently in the mail to a pregnant friend far away, I hope she loves it too!

Lemon Bars

I love lemon bars! I used to use a recipe that called for a lot of eggs, but me (in my weirdness) could smell the eggs after it was cooked-so I had to scrap that recipe. No one likes egg bars.

After digging out my old Everyone's First Cookbook, I found this recipe for lemon bars that also called for oatmeal and sweetened condensed milk. Sounded like a winner to me! It was. These lemon bars were so yummy that dimples and I were digging them out of the pan to eat before they were even cool. They would've been perfect with some vanilla ice cream. Mmmm. And the best part? No eggs!

Lemon Bars

3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 (14 oz) can sweetend condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add flour, baking powder, salt and oatmeal and beat until mixture is crumbly. Spread half of the mixture into a 9X13 baking pan, pat down. In separate bowl mix milk and lemon juice and stir until thouroughly mixed. pour over crumbs in dish, then top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool at room temp, cut into squares and chill.

Source: Everyone's First Cookbook

Blog Neglect.

I know I've been neglecting my blog...and I blame my iPhone! I've had it for about a month now, and since I don't need a computer to check my social networking stuff, I'm really never on a computer anymore (especially since I'm off work until mid-July)
I do have some stuff saved up for you, though. Yummy stuff. Fun stuff. So don't give on me yet! And if I ever learn to blog from my phone, watch out now.

I do hope you all are having a wonderful SUMMER!

Camo Name

My 12 year niece (I bet you can't guess her name!) is re-decorating her room, and chose camouflage for a theme. I decided to make her name in camo for her to hang on her wall or doors.

I got the letters at JoAnn's (I also bought most of them at Michael's-but they were out of R's. For TWO weeks! Stocking Fail. I'll be taking the ones that I bought back)

I traced out the shape of the letters on camo wrapping paper that I already had, then modpodged the paper on.

I tied on a girly sheer into a bow and hot glued it on to use as a hanger and that was it! Besides for the weeks of hunting for letters, the whole project only took me about an hour, and I'm happy with how it turned out.

Super Brownies

Last Monday I had a craving for sweets. This is nothing new, but this time there was no ice cream or cookies to tide me over, so I pulled out Everyone's First Cook Book (that I don't think I've ever used!) and went to work.
Now, I'll admit that besides for my vegan brownies, I usually make brownies from a box. They're just so easy. But never more, friends. These are the best brownies I've ever had, and they weren't much harder than a box mix! The frosting is fudge-like in consistency and these were so rich I could only eat two before I felt like I was going to die. (usually I can clear half a pan before I get that feeling)

2/3 c. oil
2 c. Sugar
1/3 c. corn syrup
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 teas. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. flour
1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. baking powder
1 c. chopped pecans (I omitted)

Icing
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teas. milk
1 teas vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl, beat oil, sugar, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla. Add cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder and beat well. Stir in chopped nuts. Pour in greased/floured 9X13 pan. bake for 35 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

In a small saucepan over low heat melt butter, add in powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread over brownies.
Source: Everyone's First CookBook

Pink Floral Tee and beaded necklaces

I'm working on another floral shirt, this one is for my friend Becca.


I'm really loving the larger flowers on this, I made them a bit bigger than on my orange one. In return Becca made me these beautiful necklaces:This clasp is my favorite part! It's gorgeous.
These are beaded balls, very neat.

Aren't they amazing?! They've really inspired me to go to the bead store and spend my gift certificate from my birthday last August, and start beading, so I signed up for a class on June 16th. I love them, thanks Becca!