Last Friday Artwalk - July

I made these delicious thumb print cookies for the last Friday Artwalk in July. They're made with my homemade strawberry preserves:

I used this recipe from Cooks.com

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1/2 c. shortening - part butter 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg, separated 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 c. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 c. chopped nuts Jelly or tinted confectioners sugar icing Mix shortening, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla thoroughly. Blend together flour and salt. Stir in. Roll dough into balls, 1 teaspoon per ball. Beat egg white slightly with fork. Dip balls in egg white. Roll in nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set. Cool. I fill the thumbprint with pink and green (almond flavored and mint flavored) confectioners icing. However, you can use different flavored jellies if you like. These make a pretty Christmas cookie.

I didn't have nuts to roll them in, so the dough was probably a little wet and had trouble holding the jam. But they taste just like little strawberry shortcakes.

I used the Red Red Strawberry jam recipe from Joy of Cooking, very sweet. Recently I've started making jam with low-sugar pectin and will try that next time around.

And here's a beautiful pie my sweetie made for a potluck BBQ meeting of the Eugene Oregon Glass Guild. He's been really getting into presentation lately:

I won't be available for the August Last Friday Artwalk, so I'll just have to cool up something special for September.

Vacation - Camping!

Zac and I are going camping to Crater Lake nearby campgrounds. We'll be gone from July 11-19th, see you when I get back!

Teague

May Last Friday Artwalk!

I'm a little behind, but I wanted to post the recipe for the Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies I served. They're delicious:

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies -

• ¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ firmly packed cups dried sour cherries (9 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add dry mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. With a wooden spoon fold in chocolate pieces and cherries.
4. Form balls of dough, each about ¼ cup; place balls on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. DO NOT OVERBAKE!

---------------------------------
I got this recipe from a friend on a the lampworking message board, Lampwork Etc, it comes from the Martha Stewart cookbook.

These are FABULOUS! I think I spent $15 on Bittersweet chocolate and cherries alone, could have spent more.

I had a little trouble getting them to set, they're like molten blobs of chocolate with a cherry bonus. I started making them smaller, like tablespoon small and only baking one sheet at a time in the center of the oven. Worked well, they took about 15 minutes of baking time.

------

I threw some of the dough in the freezer. I took it out, let it set for an hour or so and then baked it. The cookies held their shape better and I wasn't compelled to over bake them.

--------

Teague

The Sampler: Part II

So last month I slaved over these beauties for the sampler. This week I got my sampler in the mail:


A fun assortment of goodies, including gocco print items, buttons, soap, a candle, a pin, small charm and my favorite:

I'm not sure why, but I just love this ninja cross stitch pattern. I don't even know how to do cross stitch and I have no intention of learning. At the top it says, "Chubby Ninja Fears No Diet."

Front Page!

I made it on the front page of etsy! My brief moment in the sun yielded me 460 views on this.
If my friends hadn't alerted me, I would have missed it. I grabbed a screen shot, went to edit and then to grab another...it was gone. Wow!

Cufflinks

I've been having a lot of fun making these lately:

They're silver-plated cuff links with glass cabs affixed to the front. They got a lot of attention during the Last Friday Artwalk . They're a wonderful way to bring a little color and fun to your wardrobe.



I originally designed a pair for Zac. I've been trying desperately to decorate him in some manner and ever since we stopped being 17, he felt comfortable telling me that he had no desire to wear any jewelry. Ever. So I stewed quietly, biding my time. I originally made him another pair, but when I stuck this pair in my etsy shop, he snagged them and I had to make two pairs.

Press

Check out several Eugene Etsyians, including me (The one in green) in this video:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1386356947/bclid1387524738/bctid1448202004