Crafty Find: Hand Print Ornaments

While this isn't technically Olivia's first Christmas, it is the first one where she is active and able to partake in the Christmas cheer. In that spirit, I wanted to make a little memento for each of the grandparents, as well as for ourselves, that would help us remember when she was this precious age. Of course Pinterest had exactly what I was looking for - hand print ornaments. 

The recipe was easy enough to mix and roll out, and Olivia was game for making her little hand prints. I used a straw to poke the hole in the top, then used a knife to trace around the hand print. After baking in the oven for the 3 hours and then leaving over night to dry fully, I painted up Santa and Rudolph, two of each. Finish off with a little ribbon and you've got yourself a one-of-a-kind Christmas ornament. 

NOTE: I doubled the below recipe, which yielded me enough dough for four hand prints. 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup flour

1/2 salt

1/4 water (or as needed)

DIRECTIONS

Combine ingredients and form into a ball.
Divide into 2 equal balls and roll out on floured surface about 1/8 inch thick.

Place on cookie sheets and press the wee one's hand; trim excess dough from impression. 

With a toothpick or straw, make a hole in the top of the ornament for threading ribbon.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until hard, about 1-3 hours. Leave in oven over night to cool and harden completely.
Decorate with paint and varnish to preserve.

Fat Friday - Hogtown Smoke

Who doesn't love a good helping of meat served with a small order of beans, coleslaw and fries on the side? If you're that person, then just skip this post, because this one is for Meat Lovers! 

After starting out as a successful food truck downtown, Hogtown Smoke recently opened up a shop not far from us on Queen Street near Woodbine. Like many other local spots, it's a cozy little space serving up great food and beer. A while back we tasted the meat delights that AFT Bar had to offer, so, to be fair, we had to check out what their competition was doing.

We knew to head out early as they don't take reservations, and, as mentioned, seating is limited. Friday and Saturday line-ups are out the door, and you are likely to wait over an hour for a table, but at 4:30, no problem! Equally important, they do have high chairs and are family friendly, so bring the kids. We grabbed a table at the front and ordered their sampling platter of ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, accompanied by a trio side of beans, slaw, and fries. With a variety of bbq sauces ranging in heat, we certainly did not lack for flavour. The food was served up quick and hot, and it did not disappoint. Mmmm, meat. This was only the beginning of their menu, so likely another trip will be warranted. They also do take-out, so you could call ahead to bring it on home with you.

While there is no official online site for Hogtown just yet, check out the review in Blog TO to get an idea of their menu.

Book Nook: The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories

The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories
~ Simon Rich

BBB Rating: 4 out of 5

This little book was a surprisingly great read. The collection of short stories were witty and entertaining, and I often found myself chuckling aloud (I love when a book does that!). The author, young Simon Rich, is a talented writer with some very unique insights on dating and falling in love in New York, and the topics of the short stories are not ones I was used to reading. 

From Goodreads:

In "Center of the Universe," God struggles to balance the demands of his career with the needs of his long-term girlfriend. In "Magical Mr. Goat," a young girl's imaginary friend yearns to become "more than friends." In "Unprotected," an unused prophylactic recalls his years spent trapped inside a teen boy's wallet. The stories in Simon Rich's new book are bizarre, funny, and yet...relatable. Rich explores love's many complications-losing it, finding it, breaking it, and making it-and turns the ordinary into the absurd. With razor-sharp humor and illustrations, and just in time for Valentine's Day, Rich takes readers for an exhilarating, hilarious ride on the roller coaster of love.

I've since gone on to read one of his full-length novels, "What in God's Name", which I'll be telling you all about in my next Book Nook. 
 

READING UPDATE

 

I have to regrettably report that I was just 3 books shy of reaching my goal of reading 20 books in 2013. The time just got away from me. I'm going to aim to read 20 books again this year, and hopefully with some better time-management, I'll get there!

Recipe #41: Walnut Kale Pesto

The kale cooking adventures continue with this recipe for Walnut Kale Pesto. After having good success with the Kale & Chorizo Soup, I was excited to find this pasta dish using kale in a different way. 

I really enjoy pesto and have already learned that any greens will work just fine. I've experimented using arugula and love that it freezes well if you can't use it all up in one serving. For the kale, you have just the added step of blanching it first, but after that, it all goes into the food processor and your pesto is ready after a few spins of the blade. To save on prep time, simply cook the pasta in the same water you blanched the kale in. 

INGREDIENTS

    1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
    1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts, toasted
    1/2 cup (125 mL) grated parmesan cheese
    1 clove garlic, chopped
    1/2 cup (125 mL) olive oil
    2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
    1 pinch each salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

In large pot of boiling salted water, blanch kale for 1 minute; drain. Chill under ice water; drain well and pat dry.

In food processor, pulse together kale, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and garlic until coarsely ground. Pulse in oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until smooth.

Crafty Find: Felt Christmas Tree

When it came time to put up our Christmas tree at home, I was fairly certain that our curious little monkey would make a bee-line to the shiny and sparkly ornaments and take them down, one by one. (I wasn't wrong.) In an effort to prevent this, or at least distract her, I found this awesome craft to make your wee one a felt Christmas tree of her own to decorate. 

After a quick trip to King Textiles on Spadina I had a yard of green felt in hand, and for the ornaments, I was able to pick up felt squares at the dollar store. I used some cookie cutters I had at home for templates and cut them out. Attaching the tree to the wall turned out to be a bit more difficult, as using painters tape only held up the tree for a few minutes. I think the weight of the felt dragged it down from the tape. The furry felt just didn't keep a good bond. My new solution is to hot glue the felt to Bristol board, and then use the tape again to hold up the board.

When the ornaments were not on the tree, I kept them in an empty wipes box, and Olivia had almost as much fun pulling them out of there as she did sticking them to the tree. 

Of course she did eventually get bored of her felt tree and discovered our real/fake one, so that's why all the ornaments are on the top two thirds of the tree. I have a feeling wrapped Christmas presents will also have to remain hidden until Christmas morning; she's already figured out how to unwrap things.

Fat Friday - La Carnita

Courtesy of BlogTO.com

Toronto certainly does not lack for taco options, so choosing one really just depends on what side of the city you find yourself. Or, if you're like Matt and I, it depends on what's the latest one to open up. 

We first tasted La Carnita after waiting close to an hour in line at an event at Brickworks, probably close to two years ago. The tacos were definitely worth the wait, so when they finally opened up shop on College Street this summer, we were excited to head on over, with mother-in-law and babe-in-stroller in tow. 

It was a hot sticky day in August, but we were lucky to nab the only seat on the patio. We washed away the heat with a cold cider over ice while we awaited our meal. To start, we had the tortilla chips with guacamole, always a winner when you're out for Mexican, and a mango salad to share. Both were delicious and so refreshing.

Courtesy of BlogTO.com

We had hardly touched our starters by the time the tacos arrived - service was great that way. It's obvious they try to get as many people through to maximize profits, but the food doesn't suffer. Each item was fresh and hot and super tasty! We each ordered two tacos, and after our starters, it was more than enough, but still left room for dessert. There are just three desserts to choose from, and, while the Paletas were tasty, the clear winner was the Tres Leche Cake, served up with Ontario fruit.

Book Nook: Gone Girl

Gone Girl
~ Gillian Flynn

BBB Rating: 5 out of 5

I read this book earlier this year and right from the beginning it had me hooked. I'm a fan of suspense and thriller novels, and this one had such an interesting way of telling a story of a wife gone missing that I had to power through to see how it ended. It was one of the few books that I had to talk out with my husband, even though he hadn't (nor will he ever) read it. I just needed someone to say "You won't believe what just happened!" Don't worry, I won't anything away for you, but I definitely recommend this one if you are a thriller type of person.

Here's a quick summary for you from Goodreads: 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

The story is told from the perspective of both the husband and the wife, and just when you think you know exactly what happened, well, new information is presented and you feel like you're right back at the beginning. I loved every page of it! 

Recipe #40: Kale and Chorizo Soup

Although the summer is long gone and our farmer's market is just a wonderful memory, we are still able to enjoy local and fresh produce through our neighborhood Winter Basket program. One of the vendors from our market sets up shop every Sunday morning at a nearby restaurant parking lot and offers a good variety of vegetables, farm fresh eggs, and usually some wild boar or pork. While we do enjoy the selection, it can become rather repetitive each week. We end up with a lot of carrots, potatoes, and kale, and so planning my weekly menu can be a bit of challenge. Time to get creative!

Luckily that's what the internet is for. When I found myself with an awful lot of kale one week, it was my goal to make a couple of different dishes. By picking up a few extra ingredients, kale turned out to be quite versatile. The first recipe I tried was a Kale and Chorizo soup. 

This is a great recipe that cooks all day in the slow cooker and freezes well. Once cooled, it will also keep in the fridge for several days so you can pull it out for a quick weeknight meal. The chorizo adds a nice spice and meaty texture to the soup, and the kale is not overpowering once cooked. Plus, it made use of the potatoes we got in the basket, too! 

The original recipe called for dry-cured chorizo sausage, but I substituted an uncooked sausage instead and removed the casing to cook it before adding it to the slow cooker. This meant the meat was smaller and distributed throughout the soup, so if you prefer meatier chunks, go with the cured version. 

INGREDIENTS

    2 chorizo sausages, casing removed
    1 spanish onion, sliced
    4 cloves garlic, sliced
    1 lb (454 g) potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
    2 bay leaves
    1 tsp (5 mL) sweet paprika
    1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
    1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
    4 cups (1 L) water
    4 cups (1 L) sodium-reduced chicken broth
    1 bunch kale, trimmed and shredded

DIRECTIONS

In skillet over medium-high heat, brown chorizo. Transfer to slow cooker. Drain any fat from pan (do not wipe clean)

In same skillet, cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until softened and light golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add potatoes, bay leaves, paprika, salt and pepper to slow cooker; stir in water and broth. Cover and cook on low until potatoes are tender, 6 to 8 hours.

Discard bay leaves. If using cured chorizo, using a slotted spoon, remove as much chorizo as possible to bowl; set aside.

Add kale to slow cooker; cover and cook on high until tender, about 10 minutes. Using immersion blender, purée soup until almost smooth with a few chunks. Stir in reserved chorizo.

Crafty Find: Book Marks

Can you tell I have reading on my mind lately? And what better way to hold your place in your current book of choice than with a crafty book mark. I found a few fun ones that are also easy to make at home (or the office) with just a few simple supplies.

Firstly, how about using a zipper to hold your place? And the bonus - you don't have to worry about losing the book mark while you're reading? Click the image for the simple directions.

Next up, corner book marks seem to be quite popular. You can make them into very cute animals, or maybe a monster, or just keep it simple with some pretty patterned paper. Pinterest has tons of options for you, but here are a few of my favorites.

Or you could go simple and use a paper clip and a bit of ribbon, or some glue and a button.

There doesn't seem to be a lack of inspiration for book marks; clearly I'm not the only one out there who loves them! I'm thinking Christmas Gift for my Book Club Ladies....