Thumbprint Cookies

One of the things I absolutely love are beautiful cookbooks.

This is my latest acquisition.

It's named after a lovely bakeshop in San Francisco creating traditional American cakes and confections. 

The shop is a pastel palace, as seen in this picture from the book.

One of the darling details of the cookbook are its scalloped edges!

I'm trying out these thumbprint cookies, buttery bites with a jam filling.

Of course I'm using the "No Cook Strawberry Jam" I proudly made.

Here is the dough made from flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, sugar, vanilla extract {I omitted the almond extract} and an egg.  

The cookies are formed with a teaspoon and are rolled into marble-sized balls. These are placed on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.

These are baked at a 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes.

Make a dimple at the center {traditionally with your thumb but if the dough is too hot, use the back of a teaspoon}. Add the jam and let these cool on a rack. 

A sweet treat that turns any day from blah to TADA!

Strawberry Jam and Scones

Well hello there! Yesterday, I tried my hand at making some strawberry jam. It was quite effortless with only three ingredients, no cooking and no jar sterilization involved. 

Here's what the jam looks like after I let it sit in the fridge. 

I'm pretty happy with the thickness and how strawberry pulp peeks through the gel.

It was luscious on the the tongue, but I found it a little too sweet for my taste {I wonder, for the next time I make it, if it's possible to decrease the amount of sugar without the consistency being affected}.  

With the heightened sweetness factor aside, it was full-on strawberry flavor!

Strawberry jam served on some homemade scones {made by my husband!}.  Of course we didn't forget the clotted cream and the cup of tea.

This brought us back to our trip to the Cotswolds last year...a TADA! memory in our book.

No Cook Strawberry Jam

I have always wanted to try making my own jams and jellies. Making my own food, pouring these in jars, and lining them up on a shelf to give away or store for the winter months sound very appealing to me.

Especially when there is an abundance of produce, like these strawberries, at the market. However, I'm quite intimidated by the traditional canning process. "What is the proper way to sterilize jars and lids?", "How do I know if I've reached the right consistency?" are just the beginning of my endless list of questions. So blah. I think I need to take a class. But for now, I'll settle for this quick jam-making process:

I found these freezer jars at the supermarket. Sure, they're not as romantic as mason jars but because they're made of plastic {BPA-free!}, sterilization will be eliminated from the process {I would suggest washing these thoroughly before use}. 

These jars and lids can also be used over and over again, not just for jam making but for storing snacks and beverages.  

The package gives the recipe for a no cook strawberry jam. The fuss-free process sealed the deal -- I bought these freezer jars immediately!

I also gathered the ingredients like Instant Pectin {make sure it's "Instant" because there are different kinds like "Classic", "Liquid" and "Low Sugar"}.

Sugar and strawberries {crushed} are the only other ingredients we need.

Mix sugar and Instant Pectin in a bowl. Add the strawberries and stir everything together for three minutes.

Ladle the jam into the clean jars up to the "fill line".

Cover with the lids. Allow to stand in room temperature until thickened {about 30 minutes}. Refrigerate or freeze for future use or serve right away.

Easy, homemade strawberry jam...TADA!

All About Strawberries

Happy new week, lovelies! Today, let's do a little throwback.

In a town just outside of London, same time last year, I had the great pleasure of visiting a place straight out of a storybook. 

It's called The BarnYard. We stumbled upon it while exploring the English countryside.

I can imagine it to be a magical place to have a party.

 Or to enjoy a fun family feast!

There's a farm store and garden center on the premises.
 

But the best part {at least for me}, is their PYO or "pick-your-own" fruit. How lucky were we to have caught the tail end of strawberry season!

The vast strawberry fields. 

Fair warning: a great deal of crouching and rummaging through the leaves is involved, almost like an Easter egg hunt.

But the hard work is all worth it with red, ripe berries like these! 

Pinch it at the stem and put it in your basket.

You can also eat as you go!

Here is our prize from an afternoon of picking {the amount we paid was based on the weight}. It was a lovely dessert with a side of clotted cream.

I love strawberries -- they are the taste of summer, they summon good memories, and hint of decadence, luxury and pampering. That's why our blah to TADA! crafts this week will take on a strawberry theme. See you tomorrow?

  

Beautiful Blindfold

When traveling by air, we've hit the jackpot if we get anything for free. On many airlines, money has to be forked over for checked luggage and even a meal! How blah. 

I proudly travel in coach and I used to get amenity kits with socks, a small dental kit, earplugs and an eye mask. But cost-cutting measures have eliminated this freebie.

My thoughts turn melancholy as I take out this eye mask from one of my old airline amenity kits. I think I want to dress it up to brighten up my mood.

Embroidery is my choice and this book by Aneela Hoey has everything to help me out, from tips to tricks...

...and free embroidery patterns! This bunting design spells P-A-R-T-Y, right? So I lightly sketched it onto my eye mask with white pencil.

Here it is, all filled in with embroidery floss in primary colors...TADA!

This will be perfect as a blindfold when it's time to hit the pinata during any celebration. That idea makes me happy already. 

Have a splendid weekend, friends!

Up, Up and Away

Happy Thursday! More embroidery today.

Here are the things we need to get us started.

I'm picking up the design from this lovely book.

The images are cute and playful. 

I chose this hot air balloon which I traced onto polka dot fabric. 

I then continued with colorful stitches.

In a side by side comparison, you'll see that I added my own spin to the final look. I got a little carried away {pun intended}!

A handmade gift for yourself or for a friend to dress up a work space. TADA! 

September 11

Today we commemorate that tragic day in 2001 when the World Trade Center was attacked. It's an event that has changed our lives in ways that we could never imagine. Perhaps we can pause to remember the innocent victims and brave heroes who lost their lives that day?

If you'd like to know, here's how I made this World Trade Center embroidery:  

Let's begin with the materials we need: fabric, a pair of scissors, an embroidery hoop, a needle and embroidery floss.

I made a basic sketch of the Towers using a photo for reference. A piece of carbon paper makes transferring the image to fabric much easier. 

Cut the carbon paper to your desired size. Sandwich it between the fabric and the paper with the design. Keep the layers in place with pins and, with a steady but forceful hand, trace the design with a pencil.

Look, the transfer was a success!

Secure the cloth onto an embroidery hoop and begin sewing. 

The Towers, now embroidered. TADA!

A simple craft so that we will always remember.