Homemade OREOS for the big 3-0

My Sweets turned 30 this week. That's right, the big 3-0. I realize this may not seem like a big deal to many of you but for me it was huge. I'm a surprise person and like to go big or go home, but my hubbs doesn't enjoy being in the spotlight so he specifically asked that I not do anything big for him this year. Unfortunately I had to respect his wishes. I did however still want to show him that we loved him so Trav and I baked his favorite cookies, homemade ORES (recipe below) and surprised him with those at his office. He was lucky that we were in a huge hurry once the cookies were finished so I wasn't able to pick up balloons for him as I had planned.

We went to a local restaurant, Virg's for a very casual birthday dinner with our good friends Aaron and Shay and all the kiddos. With a menu varying from fish and chips to french toast and eggs to a chile verde burrito, everyone was happy.

We did some serious Christmas shopping this weekend and scored at the DI when my sweets found one of our new favorite games, Scrutineyes. It was in great condition and only cost $2. We had a blast playing it with friends last night, and finished off our weekend fun watching Eclipse.

I have been forced to take a break from my wingback chair since I ran out of batting and Joann was out the last time I went, but did start another project in the meantime refinishing these phenomenal Henredon nightstands I bought off of ksl. Stay tuned for pics on the projects...

Homemade OREO cookies

Cookies

2 boxes Devils Food Cake mix

1.5 cups shortening

4 eggs

Mix well, and roll into nickle sized balls. Press each ball down flat with the back of a spatula, and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool on a wire rack before filling with heaven.

Filling

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1/2 cup softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

Beat first three ingredients together, slowly add sugar. Beat well. Fill each cookie with spoonful of filling.

*** Warning- these cookies are HIGHLY addictive and oh-so-rich. Over-indulgence may occur. ***

Fabulous French Bread

The Nutcracker performance is over! It was a really great night. All of the hard work paid off for sure. I was so proud of my students and think/hope that the audience was entertained. I'll post pics/video once the videographer is finished.


Perhaps the best part of the hard work was when I finally went to sleep last night... had one of those deep sleeps where you don't remember falling asleep, don't remember dreaming, and wake up feeling like you just closed your eyes 2 minutes ago. It was amazing. I also enjoyed a 2 hour nap today... no interruptions. Yup. I feel like a new woman.


Our cute neighbors invited us over for dinner tonight, so I baked some of Aunt Janet's famous french bread to take with us. This recipe is super easy, even for learners, and fairly quick in the bread world. This recipe makes 4 very large loaves, so I often halve the recipe and bake 4 smaller loaves, or you can freeze the bread to pull out for later meals (french dip sandwiches, paninis, stuffing, etc).


Aunt Janet's French Bread


1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp salt
1 quart (4 cups) hot water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 1/2 cups flour (preferably bread flour, but I use all purpose and it's still great)
2 TBS yeast dissolved in 1 cup lukewarm water


Mix sugar, salt, oil, and hot water in mixer (ideally a bosch). Add half the flour. Add the yeast mixture and stir. (At this point I swap out the beaters for my bread hook.) Add remaining flour and mix. Knead the dough well with the bread hook attachment for 2 minutes. Place dough in large greased bowl and let rise until double in size.


Punch down and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a rectangle, and then roll into a long loaf and tuck the ends under.
Place 2 loaves on each cookie sheet and and let rise for another 1/2 hour. Make a few slits in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


Enjoy!

Nutcracker, Mice, and Damask

Yes you read the title correctly. Those three lovely things have kept this little Miss Penny Wenny extremely busy this past week, hence no posts. Believe me, there has been plenty to blog about but no time. This one will be short and sweet...

1) Nutcracker. The studio where I teach is putting on a production of The Nutcracker this weekend. We have been preparing for this for several months and I am going to be sooo excited when it is over. It has been a lot of work. I choreographed the Russian and Arabian dances, as well as 3 jazz/lyrical numbers for the "pre-show". I am not one of those on the spot choreographers who can come up with brilliant improv work. I take my sweet time for the "inspiration" to come. Needless to say, I was a bit stressed choreographing 5 numbers at once. We had our first dress rehearsal on Saturday, and suddenly all of that hard work paid off. My students did so great! I can't wait to see the full thing this Sat. If you live near SLC and would like to come, please email me for details.

2) MICE! Ugh. I get chills just writing the word, let alone having one climb out of my toaster. Yes, that's right. To make a long and very disgusting story short, we have had several furry little friends join us in our abode over the past few weeks, and I have been continually catching them with traps at night but still freaking out any time I saw them scurry across the floor. I lost it when I heard noise coming from my toaster and after slowly approaching it (hoping that what I thought would be there wouldn't really be there) two little beady eyes peeped out at me and we both freaked out. The mouse ran out across my counter tops and jumped onto the floor behind the fridge. I caught him with a trap that night. His friend who made the same cameo the next night however (in the toaster again) has not been caught.

I called our builder over tonight and we discovered a very large (a sq. foot maybe?) hole underneath our stairs in the garage exposing our basement. I am sure that's how the nasty critters have been coming in to our free Bed and Breakfast. I was less than thrilled with our builder for missing such a small little error (ahem...) but was impressed that the foreman stayed to fix the hole. He was really embarrassed. The only good thing I have taken away from this experience is that my kitchen got a DEEEEP clean today- we're talking stove out, fridge out, all pots and pans out, pantry emptied, etc. etc, clean. Spent 3 hours finding traces of the mouse droppings. It was so revolting but so gratifying knowing that I was getting rid of it all. Please keep your fingers crossed for us that the patched up hole will prevent any more friends from coming in and that toaster boy #2 is toast tonight...

3) Damask. My gorgeous French Wingback Chair is being transformed as we speak. I know it spoils the surprise to show pics in the process, but I just have to! I actually wanted to start crying when the first piece of fabric was stapled in place because it just looks so perfect. It is exactly what I had envisioned. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I can do it (post Nutcracker).

Mice, anyone?

Wish I had a girl...

I set these little beauties up at my dear friend Kathie's house tonight for their photo shoot (a very amateur photo shoot if you can't tell from my pictures...), and in walked her darling daughter who is one of my dance students. She sighed immediately and said "I love these! I wish they could stay in our room." If I hadn't spent so much $ on the materials for these babies I seriously would have left them right then and there for her.

But seriously, if only I had a girl. You had better believe they would become the theme to decorate her bedroom around.

Do you likey?

Foot of Bed Bench and Nightstand Transformation

I am SOOO excited to write this post because it means one really great thing... I am finished with one more project that has been ongoing for so long! Hallelujah! This particular project has actually been very fun and I love the end result. I only wish I had somewhere to put it in my own home :(

I fell in love with this cute little guy at the DI a while back but thought the price tag was a bit hefty ($15). Yes, I am cheap. I kept eye balling it each time I went back and after it had been there all alone for 2 weeks, I talked to the manager expressing my love for the piece but unwillingness to pay full price. He was thrilled to have someone willing to take it off his hands and dropped it down to $6. That's right, $6 for a solid wood bench with lots of character and charm (at least that's what I saw).

I knew it was fate the next week when I saw this adorable vintage-style night stand sitting all alone for $4. It was a match made in heaven for my bench!

Here is a quick recap of how this project went down:

1- I lightly sanded the pieces to remove the previous polyurethane and any blemishes.
2- I primed each piece with several light coats of Kilz original spray primer.
3- I painted each piece with several light coats of Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze spray paint in gloss.

4- I glazed each piece with Valspar antiquing glaze.

5- I sprayed each piece with several coats (with sanding in between) of MinWax Polyurethane spray in gloss.

At this point I was already in love but really wanted to upholster the bench to go at the foot of a bed (ideally in a little girl's room). After much debate (and your helpful votes) I chose a fabric that I loved, "Breeze Blue Sky" by P Kaufmann, sold through Joann (regularly $40/yard but got it on sale for $20... note: you have to purchase a minimum of 1 yard fabric when purchasing special order fabrics from Joann. I thought I only needed about 1/2 yard, but was very glad I was forced to buy a full yard. You will soon see why.)

I began the fun upholstery portion of the project:

1- I cut a piece of 1/2" wood (I might have had my sweets do this part) to the dimensions I wanted for this bench. Keep in mind that the foam, batting and fabric will add about 1/2" on each side. I also drilled holes with a 1/2" drill bit for the tufting I would do after the cushion was upholstered.
2- I cut a piece of 2" foam to the exact dimensions of the wood with a serrated knife.
3- I cut the batting and fabric to size adding 12" on each side (total 24" to the width and 24" to the length).
4- I layered the pieces on top of one another, beginning with the fabric face side down, batting, foam and lastly the wood.

5- Using my awesome pneumatic staple gun (birthday gift), I stapled the batting and fabric to the bottom side of the wood. I have found the most success if you begin your staple in the center of one side, pull fabric taut and staple in the center on the opposite side. Repeat the same process on the opposite sides of the wood, and continue process working your way out towards the corners pulling taut constantly as you go. Corners are still a challenge for me and I am certainly no master but here's what has worked best for me. I staple as close to the corner as possible, pulling tightly to ensure that all extra fabric is in the very corner. Once last staples are in place, I create a fold with the extra fabric and staple it down like this:

I followed instructions for tufting from one of my all time fave sites, All Things Thrifty, found HERE

Lastly, I secured the upholstered cushion in place with screws underneath the bench. Viola!

With the leftover fabric, I decided to decoupage the night stand. I found some great instructions here:

These are not great pictures but I was too excited to post this. I'm setting them up in my friend's daughters' bedroom for a mini photo shoot "on scene" and will post those soon.

If you are interested in purchasing this set, please email me: LittleMissPennyWenny@gmail.com

Are you ready to create some new furniture for your casa?

Halloween Weekend

What a fabulous weekend it was for us! Friday night we carved pumpkins with our friends up the street, watched The Ring (which they had never seen and still scares the crap out of me) and made delicious carameled apples.

Saturday morning, I was able to go with my dance students to watch the NYC Dance Alliance competition at the Salt Palace. I am always amazed at the talented dancers that Utah produces! My handsome sweets stayed home with Trav so I could run around erranding with my momma without the babe. What a good man. It's amazing what a day of not worrying about your child can do for you. We mommas need that every now and then and it's so easy to forget. Sat night, we went to the neighborhood Trunk Or Treat with our little crocodile... he sure looked cute!

Today we actually made it through all 3 hours of church (amazing for us with Trav) and have enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. I tried out a new chicken noodle soup recipe that was on the back of the frozen noodles I bought. We were actually thoroughly impressed! Here she is:

Reames Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

1 lb. cooked chicken (we used a rotisserie chicken from Costco)

12 cups chicken broth

1 pkg. Reames home style egg noodles (first time trying this brand, and thought they were just as good as the grandma noodles... these are frozen home style noodles so they taste sooo much better than regular dried egg noodles)

2 tsp dried parsley

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp black pepper

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups heavy cream or half and half

1 cube (8 Tbsp) butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sherry (optional)

Boil broth with bay leaves, add noodles and simmer for 20 minutes stirring often.

Add the herbs, pepper, onion, and veggies and simmer for approx 10 minutes or until veggies are cooked through.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet. Whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes.

Add cream to the soup, and return to a simmer. Add the flour mixture in slowly, and cook and stir until thickened (2 min).

Add chicken and sherry (if using). Stir to incorporate and heat through. Enjoy!

I did use the sherry and while it was delicious, I felt like I took away from the traditional chicken noodle soup flavor that I love. If you opt to add the sherry, I would suggest only using about 1/4 cup.

This recipe makes a TON of soup. It served our family, our neighbors who were sick and I froze 2 nights worth dinner in zip loc bags.

I also like to make my own chicken stock from the remains of the rotisserie chicken. You simply boil the remnants of the chicken (bones, skin, etc) with a bay leaf, peppercorns, and chunk of onion and let simmer for 15 min. Drain the broth and freeze for the next time you make soup!

How was your Halloween weekend?

Grandma Tecla's Timeless Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are always a tradition in my family around the holidays (usually Valentines, Halloween and Christmas). They taste fabulous, but I'm not going to lie they are a PAIN if you do the whole ordeal in one day. I made that mistake as a newlywed trying to be the cute domestic little wife to impress my sweets but by the end of the night I hated everything and everyone- my bosch, myself, the stupid cookies, even my sweets for trying to remind me that cookies aren't that big of a deal... Hopefully some of you can relate. I have since learned that frosted sugar cookies can be pleasant, if you split the process up into 3 days. This recipe has been passed down by my darling little grandma Tecla, and I hate to say it to all you contenders out there but I really think it is the best sugar cookie recipe out there. Yep. I said it. If you don't believe me, try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. :)

Cookie ingredients:

4 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup shortening (I like the Crisco sticks)

3/4 cup butter (not margarine)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp almond extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

dollop of sour cream (this is a recent addition from my sister Amanda, and it gives a perfect little puffiness to the cookies)

Day 1

Blend sugar, shortening and butter well (ideally in your Bosch... if you have a kitchen aid I will forgive you but will convince you in a later post why a Bosch is sooo worth the money even though it might not look as cute as the kitchen aid sitting on your counter). Add eggs, vanilla and almond flavorings and sour cream; beat well. Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough is stiff.

Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled. For a batch this size, I suggest wrapping 2 separate little blobs so that the dough doesn't warm up too much while you are rolling and cutting out your shapes the next day. As the dough warms up, it becomes very difficult to keep the cookies in their shapes while moving them to the cookie sheet.

Day 1 is finished! Your cookie dough can stay overnight (and really even several days) in your fridge if you aren't ready to bake the next day.

Day 2

Roll out dough onto floured surface and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. A darling little helper is suggested, but not mandatory :)

Bake cookies at 375 for approximately 10 minutes until they are slightly golden around the edges and nice and puffy. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, you can store them in a Tupperware container and either refrigerate them if you plan on frosting the next day, or freeze if you need more time till frosting day. Day 2 is finished!

Day 3

Butter Cream Frosting ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cube butter

1/4 cup half and half (or more as needed for consistency)

1 tsp vanilla

Cream cheese (optional)

Food coloring

Melt butter in microwave in medium sized mixing bowl. Add about 1/4 cup half and half. Add powdered sugar slowly while mixing. Add vanilla. Continue to add half and half as needed to obtain a thick and creamy consistency. (Occasionally I add a a few Tbsp cream cheese for a slightly richer flavor... it's up to you!)

Scoop frosting into separate bowls, add your desired coloring to each bowl and frost away! This is the fun part for the kiddos to help. We like to add little treats and shapes to our cookies. This year's Halloween cookies are NOT the most beautiful or creative due to lack of time, but they still tasted fabulous!

Enjoy!