Dare to Eat Cookies!

 

This is probably my favorite challenge from Kim’s Dare to DIY Blog Party. I have been waiting to do this since I read “Eat Cookies”!

So, ladies and gentlemen, (do men really read this blog? If not, they probably should, right?! Especially THIS post.) Anywho…I give you Alton Brown’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Wait…You’ve never heard of Alton Brown? Seriously? The Mastermind behind Good Eats? You must be kidding me. Surely the Meckleys aren’t the only household that has Good Eats on 24/7 and DVRs every single episode?

Oh. Okay. Perhaps we are. You might have found humor in my exageration but I’m only slightly ashamed to tell you that is the God honest truth; Andy has Good Eats on every single day. I nearly broke his heart when I accidentally erased everything on our DVR, which included the Good Eats 10th Anniversary show. Oops. Luckily he has forgiven me. For the most part.

Regardless, let me tell you, as usual, Alton is on to something with this recipe! While watching this episode I realized the reason my chocolate chip cookies were often flat is probably because I used too much baking soda. Baking is not like cooking, you must be very precise in your measuring.

Andy & I made these babies a few weeks ago and he insistedwe go out and buy not onlly the proper ingredients, but a large scoop so we could make giant cookies. As it turns out,  we should’ve bought a Pampered Chef scoop because the $11 scoop from the Kitchens store was junk so I made Andy return it. The PC scoop is on my Christmas List if any of you wants to send us a gift.

But I digress…we made the giant cookies and they were everything I had hoped for and more!

Here’s what you need:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• #20 ice cream scooper (or Large Pampered Chef Scoop!)

I agree that buying the proper ingredients makes all the difference; these cookies are amazing! I’ve decided these are the difference-makers:

• REAL vanilla extract
• DARK brown sugar
• BREAD flour

Believe me, you will taste a difference! This is what you need to do:

• Melt butter. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. I think this is the first time I’ve ever sifted ingredients since my 7th grade home ec class, but I do it because Alton said to do it!
• Cream butter and sugars on medium speed.
• Add the eggs, milk and vanilla until well mixed.
• Slowly incorporate the flour mix until thoroughly combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Chill the dough (Another difference maker!!)
• Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe from the Food Network.

Mmmm….these are my absolute favorite! Andy’s too!

 

DIY Lollipop Cake

a.k.a. “Birthdays Suck” and “Birthdays are for Suckers” Cake.

MATERIALS:
Styrofoam Circles in various sizes
Spacers - more Styrofoam or I used sturdy cardboard tubes that I cut down to about 3″ tall (and by I mean Andy)
Suckers – I used a bag of each Dum Dums, Blow Pops & Tootsie Pops
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Ribbon
Scissors

 

First, hot glue ribbon around the edge of your circles:

Do that for all circles; as you can see I had an odd ball green piece that I decided not to fully cover. You can do it however you like. I was sort of lazy b/c I was short on time and used whatever materials I had on hand.

Once you’ve got your ribbon on the circles, do the same for the spacers and hot glue one spacer to the bottom tier in the middle.

Next, glue the next tier on top of the spacer:

Continue this until you’ve got all tiers glued together. Then, stick your suckers in. I decided it worked best to poke them all in, then go back and take them out, put a drop of hot glue on the bottom and put them back in their place. For the top layer I made a little sign and attached it with wooden skewers.

 

And if you have a twisted sense of humor, you find the ugliest photo of the person for whom you’re making the cake, and you put that on the back of the sign.

Background info: Since most of you are probably like, wth is that photo?! Let me explain…My friend Tara used some graphics program to distort a photo of her sticking out her tongue and then she e-mailed it to a bunch of her friends. I think it makes her look like a demonic fraggle so of course I save all these funny things people send to me and then I use them whenever it comes in handy. She loved the cake and loved that I used this nasty photo of her because she’s weird like that. Happy 30th Birthday TG!

FYI

I recently did some touch up painting to our cupcake stand because we’re loaning it to our friends for their upcoming wedding and we then are selling it to another bride afterwards. Wanted to let you all know I’ve added more info and photos on my old post if you want to make your own  giant cupcake stand!

Giant DIY Cupcake Stand

Here’s a great project for all you crafty brides with crafty husbands-to-be!! Design your own cupcake stand – I promise it will be a big hit!

 

 

 Don’t have the time or resources to make your own? Now you can order your very own custom made stand! (We also have other sizes available.) This tutorial has become so popular we are currently working on multiple versions for other sizes with much more detail and LOTS more photos, tips & tricks. If you would like to be contacted when these instructions are available, please e-mail me and let me know.

Tracey, a reader who used our tutorial, was nice enough to provide me with a metric version! You can obtain those instructions here. Thanks Tracy! And have a look at her beautiful stand…didn’t they do a fabulous job?!

 

Materials List

49″ x 97″ x 3/4″ MDF Board (1 sheet)

Cut to size:

32″ x 32″ (2 pieces)

24″ x 24″ (2 pieces)

17″ x 17″ (2 pieces)

12″ x 12″ (2 pieces)

4″ x 2′ PVC (2 pices)

4″ PVC Coupling (4 each)

1/2″ 6′ All Thread Rod (1 piece)

1/2″ Hex Nuts (2 each)

Paint

1/2″ Flat Washer (2 pieces)

6-8 Knobs (to put on the bottom for feet)

2 yards of 44″ or wider fabric

32″ x 40″ Foam Board (1 piece)

Cut to size:

23 1/8″ x 4 1/8″ (2 pieces)

16 1/8″ x 4 1/8″ (2 pieces)

11 1/8″ x 4 1/8″ (2 pieces)

*NOTE: You will need to cut 2 pieces of foam core slightly smaller than the dimensions above so they all fit snug. I re-measure and update when I get a chance.

 Have Lowes cut the MDF board, then cut a small circle in the center of each piece. Put the threaded rod through layers of the MDF board and PVC. (Notice that you don’t have to paint the top and bottom of everything, only parts that will show.

Countersink a hole in the top so the threaded rod does not stick out. You can add a nice piece of acrylic, or another board or something on top if you wish but it’s not necessary.

We routered the undersides of the layers so we could slip the panels in and out. You can skip the routering if you don’t intend to change the fabric panels.

Lay out the foam board and cut the fabric a couple inches larger. Wrap the fabric around the panels and adhere with a strong glue. Let dry, then slide into the routered grooves.

Add the knobs at the bottom for feet and you’re ready to go! Keep in mind this thing is somewhat heavy, and large:

You will definitely need a truck to transport it fully assembled. But, it’s easy enough to tear apart and reassemble if necessary.

Please send me photos if you make one and we’ll feature it on our site!!

DIY “Here Comes the Bride” Bridal Banner

I just finished an order for a “Here Comes the Bride” Banner  so I thought it was a perfect time to make a tutorial for those interested in making their own! Read more

How to Hem Pants – No Sew Method!

Need to hem your pants but don’t have the resources to sew them? No problem!

Standing at about 5′4″  I’m kind of a short girl. Okay, a bit less than that, I’m probably lucky to clear 5′4″ in shoes but it makes me feel better to round up. And unfortunately, I’m not proportionately short in that cute little “petite” way. In fact, someone once told me that it was like I was once tall but someone stepped on my head and squished the rest of my body down. Um, okay…does that make me “stout”? I don’t know, I don’t care, I just know that I can’t change it. So as you might imagine this makes clothes shopping difficult. Nothing ever fits quite right. If it fits in the waist the length isn’t right or vice versa. “Petite” is too short, “Regular” is okay, but usually just a tiny bit too long, and “Long” is never gonna happen.

That being said, I usually have pretty good luck with the Editor pants from Express; so when they go on sale I try to snag a pair or two. They fit pretty well in the waist but not all styles are the right length. I have lucked out and bought some that fit absolutely perfect, but the ones I got the other day were a bit too sloppy long, even in heels. For example:

But I’m a sucker for a sale and I have in the past taken them to my seamstress to have them hemmed. Since I leave for Hong Kong Wednesday I don’t have time to take them to be fixed. So, being the frugal, crafty gal I am I decided to try hemming them myself. The thing is, I can sew, but I have no idea how to hem them with an invisible seam. Maybe I need a Serger for that? Anyway, I’m going to show you how do hem your pants without sewing!

First, you’ll need some no-sew fusible fabric tape. You can find it at your favorite craft or fabric store. I think it’s only a couple dollars. Then you need a hot iron, a wet washcloth, and of course your pants.

Turn your pants inside out, flip the bottom up and press the edges making a suitable hemline. Unwind the fabric tape and cut a piece long enough for one side. Put it inside the cuff of the hemline.

Make sure no tape is poking out of the top, then place your wet towel over the area to be hemmed. Lay your iron on the wet towel and steam press for several seconds. I usually count to ten, then move, count to ten again and go over multiple times making sure to get it good and steamed but not so much that it dries and burns anything. It will depend on the fabric. Plus, I noticed since the pants are already hemmed there are multiple layers before the heat can get to the fabric tape. You’ll have to keep checking and adjust as necessary.

Once you think it’s had enough steaming, remove the iron, let it cool a bit and check. When it works properly it should have a nice solid seam like this:

Then do the other side the same way and obviously do the other pant leg. You may or may not be able to see where the fabric tape is. But, sometimes it doesn’t always take so well and you’ll have loose parts like this:

Some parts adhered very well while others didn’t take at all. I tried getting the pants wet, using a towel, not using a towel, but I couldn’t get it all to work. Not to worry…I simply grabbed my fabric glue and touched up the areas that didn’t take to the iron. Fabric glue is also available at craft or fabric stores but it’s a bit pricey in my opnion; I paid over $8.00 for this bottle. But, I will say it has come in handy on multiple projects so it’s worth it.

We’ll see how they hold up with wearing and washing, but I think it worked well enough. Remember before:

and

and here is after:

 

If you haven’t played around with fabric tape & glue I highly recommend it. Andy’s favorite pair of jeans are patched to the point they’re almost entirely a handkerchief held together with fabric glue, fabric tape, a bit of blue jeans!