Tara's Twilight Party

Yay!!  My Twilight inspired cookies was mentioned on Tara's Twilight Partyy!!

Ok, ok....So I technically sent her the link to my blog saying "look look!!  I made cookies!!"  So I guess I was begging her to feature me...but still it counts!

I was mentioned!  Yay!!  My first mention in another persons blog....joy....

New Moon Party

So last night Kim and my hubby and I sat down to watch New Moon.  I didn't get the chance to see it when it was in the theater so this was the movie premier to me.  I threw a small party for three using my Twilight inspired cookies.

Overall,  I really enjoyed the movie.  It followed the book pretty well and it wasn't nearly as cheesy as the first one.  The first one was almost gagable and laughable.  In fact Kim, who is a huge Twilight fan, even makes fun of it.  But New Moon was 100x better.  It captured the feel of the books so well.  And Kristen Stewert wasn't near as...how do you put this?.... jittery and blinky??  I mean c'mon...the first movie I thought she was going into convulsions half the time.  She was still a little blinky...but I think that's just her.  And Taylor Lautner....*sigh*....stepped up his game considerably...and do I have to mention all the shirtless scenes??  No, I don't think I do. 

Yeah I think it's pretty clear who's team I'm on.

I am probably a little too old to be that into a story about teenage vampires huh?  Don't answer that...

Twilight New Moon Cookies

Ok so New Moon comes out this Saturday.  Like at the stroke of midnight Saturday.  David is going to some local beer brewers thing in Dallas Friday night with a buddy of his and they are (wisely) getting a hotel room at the hotel that it is being held at and are opting not to drive.  I support this.  But since he will be gone my friend Kim is coming over Friday night.  We are going to watch Twilight and laugh our butts off at the lame acting and cheesy directing.  Then at midnight we are going to go get New Moon.  Either we will watch it that night (tho I doubt it.  I'm old and I have a baby, I need my beauty rest) or we will save it for the next night.  So Saturday night we are going to have a small "movie release party" for 3 (or 4 depending on if my sister shows up or not)  So I had to do SOMETHING festive for the occasion right??

Voila!  My Twilight inspired cookies.  I say inspired because they look kinda Twilight-esque but I wouldn't go as far to say that the look just like something off of a cover.

  the moon....with a blood spattered sky....

my adaptation of the flower on the cover

I hand painted the detail on the moon to make it look like it wasn't just some random white circle.  And the technique I used on the flower cookies is inspired by Sweet Ambs brush embroidery cookies.

It's a technique I could probably use some more practice with but I think it turned out pretty good for a first attempt.  

A Texas St. Patty's Day

So....I didn't wear green yesterday.  I didn't drink green beer.  I didn't go out to an Irish pub to celebrate.  I stayed home with my baby girl and hubs.  Which I think is better than dressing up like a leprechaun and pub crawling till I puke.  (Not that I'm judging).  We had ourselves a Texas St. Patty's Day.  I decided to make the greatest "green food" of all time!  (In Texas anyway...)

Indeed my friends....Indeed.  GUACAMOLE!!

Now my mom and I have an epic battle about guacamole (ok maybe epic is a little extreme).  She thinks hers is better than mine.  I disagree, naturally.  There have been talks of an GUAC-OFF.  She insists that it be a blind tasting tho.  She thinks some people (ahem-David) might be swayed to vote out of loyalty.  I mean yeah I guess that seems fair...to an outsider.  I think she's just scared she will lose....chicken...

Guacamole (This makes a lotta Guac)

8 Large Haas avocados
1 Roma tomato
1 Serrano pepper
1 shallot
2 limes
3 cloves garlic
1/3 c chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Ok here's a note about picking avocados:  They shouldn't be hard but they shouldn't be squishy.  They should just give a little under the pressure of your fingers.  If you can punch a hole in it then it's too ripe.  Put it down.  Another option is to look at the top of the fruit where the stem was attached.  If you can take that "nub" or whatever it is off the top easily and you see that beautiful green your probably good to go.  If it falls out and you see black or brown, walk away my friend.  It's too ripe.  If you have to really pick at it to get it loose than the avocado needs more time.  It isn't ready for guacin'.  
  
Ok...lets move on.

Cut your avocados in half and remove the pits.  *Trick: if you have a sharp knife, CAREFULLY tap the knife on the pit so it gets stuck in there.  Then twist.  The pit should pop right out.  Again if your avocados aren't ripe your going to have a hard time with this*  Then scoop put the avocado with a spoon into a large bowl

Excellent.  If you like a very smooth and consistent guacamole then by all means go ahead and start mashing with a fork or the back of a spoon.  I, however, enjoy some chunks of avocado in my guac so I wait till the end and leave it as is for now.
Now chop up your ingredients.  Except the garlic.  If you have a garlic press then mince it.  If you don't well then yeah...chop it up.  You obviously don't chop up the limes.  Don't do that.  That would be gross.

Chop up the shallot (and garlic if you don't have a press) to a fine texture.  There's nothing like a mouthful of onion on your chip (yuck).

Add it all to the bowl.  Squeeze the limes into the bowl.  Salt and Pepper like crazy.  Taste it to make sure you get it where you want it.  There is no exact science to seasoning with salt and pepper folks.  It's all a matter of preference.

Stir and mash your little heart out.

mmmmmm.....

HOLY GREEN GOODNESS BATMAN!  It's GUACAMOLE!!

Of course it's taste tested by the family

I think she likes it

honestly, that expression....

So there you go.  A kid tested guide to guac.  Feel free to alter.  If you like it limey then add more lime.  Kind of the same rules apply here that applied to the stirfry post.

Ok I know I said I didn't have any green beer.  But that doesn't mean I didnt do SOMETHING on the cheesy side of St. Patrick's Day.  Of course it wasn't my own doing...

Leave it to my husband.  Green wine...  Love the beads honey.

goof...

Hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick's Day

Sweet Ambs

So I was blogging (yes, I do think that my posts start with a similar opening sentence.  I'm beginning to see a trend...a troubling trend?  Should I be concerned?  Am I a blog addict?  That might be a good topic for a future post...)
Anyway I discovered a new cookie blog.  I am so AMAZED that I have to share it.

Its called Sweet Ambs.  Seriously she's an artist.  Browsing her blog is just looking at one masterpiece after another.

Honestly tho....I keep looking at her blog.  Page after page.  And I'm beginning to feel sick.  She's one of THOSE people.  You know.  One of those PERFECT people...Who lives on their vast expanses of private land with horses and stuff.  Who makes delicious and gorgeous creations without trying.  Who live in rooms with white furniture never fearing stains.  She also probably never has a bad hair day and has a lovely singing voice.

there's those hand painted cookies again...

Oh well...I'm a subscriber.  I've taken the bait.  I'm hooked

Hand Painted Cookies

I was reading my blogs on Reader (I'm beginning to feel like this sentence is at the beginning of all of my posts...) and found a new project

These are cookies!!  Hand painted cookies!!  I think they're awesome.  What an idea! 

I'm going to have to try these.  Don't be surprised if you see a future blog post titled Hand Painted Cookies Part 2.

Sources: Once Upon A Plate, Johnny Bakes

I Love baking (aka I loath dieting sometimes)

I like to bake mostly to relax..

 

A little creative outlet if you will...

 

It's fun...

 

But it makes dieting SO hard....

Picture of the week (Home is where the heart is)

I take quite a few snapshots (thanks to my new camera which I luv.  Thank you in-laws!)  And this is my favorite from last week

 

 she's sharing her cookie

I love the stupid maniacal look on my husbands face.  I love my little girls' expression with her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth.  It just reminds me of how goofy and sweet my little family of three is.  =]