While I don't have any pictures to post at this moment, I have been doing a ton of crafting at home. My two latest projects have involved pattern making, albeit REALLY SIMPLE pattern making, and fusing plastic bags. You know, the kinds of bags you get at the grocery store. I switched over to fabric sacks, but somehow, we keep accumulating the plastic bags still..
I've been experimenting with the plastic bag fusing for the last several days. I've seen some pretty cool thinks on craftster and etsy. Amanda Lewis has a youtube video she created that I wish I had watched before I started experimenting.. See the embeded video below.
Last night, I was able to get the right consistancy of the plastic and am sure to make something fabulous this weekend. I will post pictures of my steps shortly!
Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, cut into strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips Garam Marsala spice (Can substitute Cayenne Pepper for a spicy kick) A bag of frozen, pre-cooked shrimp (You can also use fresh de-shelled, de-veined shrimp) Quick Grits Water Shredded cheddar cheese Olive oil Salt & pepper
Directions: Heat olive oil in a large pan and saute onions and bell peppers until heated through, but still crisp.
While the veggies are saute-ing, start your grits. For 4, boil 2 c water (I add some salt and olive oil like when cooking pasta). Remove from heat and add 1/2 c Quick Grits. Cover and let sit for a few minutes.
Back to the veggies. Add about 2 teaspoons of Garam Marsala (or Cayenne pepper to taste) along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Throw in pre-cooked frozen shrimp. Stir to mix up spices. Cover pan until shrimp are warmed through. For 4 servings, add about 1/2 a bag of frozen pre-cooked shrimp. Be careful not to forget them and over cook the shrimp!
And now, to finish off the grits. Add about 1 c Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese to the grits and stir into the grits until fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon grits in a bowl and top with Shrimp and peppers.
Now, we're ready to eat!
You can also spoon the grits into a ramekin and bake in the oven for a few minutes to firm up the grits. This is how they serve grits at the Ivey House, one of my favorite restaurants in the Gainesville area. They opened a new location in Alachua not far from home, so we eat there often. Their shrimp and grits are goooooood. They BBQ the shrimp in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, which would also be a nice quick way to prepare this meal.
My best friend of 25 years got married this weekend to a very wonderful man. As the Matron of Honor (ugh - that just sounds old...), I threw her a Bridal Luncheon. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my mother, the quintessential party planner. There's not a party this woman can pull off less than perfect!
Since it was a garden-themed wedding, we did a garden-themed luncheon. For starters, my mom made some baked brie and an warm onion dip she does frequently. Then, we made a spinach salad topped with Amish blue cheese crumbles, some blueberries and raspberries, and some walnuts. For the main course, I made a rosemary pork tenderloin which we served with green beans and a butternut squash soup.
The highlight of the lunch was dessert (when is dessert not the highlight??). I made some spectacular lavender ice cream that was complimented by a lavender pound cake my mom had made. I've included the recipe below.
Cheers Daniel and Chrissy!!
Lavender Ice Cream
2/3 c Half n Half 3 oz dried lavender flowers (I found mine in the Spice section of the grocery store) 2/3 c Sugar 4 Egg yolks 2/3 c Heavy whipping cream, cold Dried Lavender flowers for garnish (optional)
In a saucepan, slowly heat half n half to approximately 200 F.
Remove from heat and add lavender. Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
Strain milk through cheesecloth while warm.
Return half n half and stir in sugar until dissolved.
In a separate bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks.
Add a small amount of heated half n half/sugar mixture to egg yolks, whisking constantly.
Add egg yolk mixture to warm half n half mixture and stir constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat again and stir in heavy whipping cream.
Chill in refrigerator until thoroughly cooled (2 hours - overnight).
Process in any ice cream machine. Freeze if necessary.
Earlier this week, I took a Flash CS3 class at New Horizons here in Gainesville. I was somewhat apprehensive as to how it would go. Images of my undergrad programming classes with 200+ students and lots of information crammed into "intro" courses had me in a cold sweat. The first time I took 'Intro to C' was a disaster and I got a D. (Thank God for FSU's policy about retaking classes.. I eeked out a C+ average.)
The experience was actually extremely pleasant. The class was very small - 4 students - and the instructor of the course - Vonne - was AWESOME. For a day and a half, I was able to learn more than I had from any book I had ever tried to learn from before. I was always able to get thru the first chapter or two of a flash book, and then got lost. Even Flash for Dummies! I thought I was just super stupid (SUPA STUPID! Remember that day w/ Illi, Earlene??). All it took was some dedicated time and a great teacher. (The class was actually a two day class, but on the first day, I got violently ill and spent half of the day at home hugging my toilet.)
Well, today, I will be posting a new COE flash banner. All of you who have been eagerly awaiting the new banner since the beginning of the semester should be pleased. I know there are probably a few things that could use some more finesse, but I'm pretty proud of myself, and you should be too.
My next goal is to take the COE's existing flash template and make it a little easier to navigate for a n00b (that's tech slang for a newbie, you non-techy kids). Next time, I will be able to get the new banner done in a flash.
