Quiches

I went a little nuts making quiches over the weekend. Since I had both vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests, I made a few variations to please everyone. I made both mini quiches and two big quiches. The mini quiches were fun to make. I didn't have a mini-cupcake tin, so I just lined the quiches with cupcake paper.

I served them hot out of the oven, as guests arrived. I didn't get to take a picture of them fresh out of the oven, but here they are towards the end of the night. I made chicken quiches on the left and mushroom, asparagus quiches on the right.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the big quiches too. They were so pretty fresh out of the oven! Here is the aftermath. The one in back was a bacon quiche and the one in front was a mushroom-asparagus quiche. All quiches had grilled onions, and some of them had sliced almonds.

I really got to experiment with them! Though, this whole experience made me realized that I probably should invest in a food processor at some point. I think it would cut my crust making time in half - though, I did really enjoy the process. I baked while listening to Tricot Machine, Belle & Sebastian, and Jens Lekman, which I highly recommend doing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night, I had a bit of party at my place. It was a very last minute decision, but I somehow pulled it off. It was actually the least stressful party-planning experience I've had so far, which is probably due to the fact that it was so last minute. I'm usually a planner, but it was nice to just be spontaneous this time. I made lots and lots and lots of quiche. It's kind of my specialty lately, so I went with it. More on the quiche tomorrow. Today, I will share pictures of my chocolate chip cookies. I'm actually more of a fan of the flat-buttery chocolate chip cookies, but I'm into the soft chewy too. I went for the soft chewy this time around.


I'm happy to say the cookies were gone at the end of the night. This was the best recipe I've used for chocolate chip cookies so far, but I think I'm still looking for the right one. Not ready to settle on this cookie just yet.

15 Minutes Too Late

I was hoping to get this post in before it turned into Saturday. So Close. This is what I have been doing with my scrap fabric.

My plan has been to finish this quilt by the time I finish graduate school.. though, graduate school hasn't given me much time to work on the quilt! I'm almost halfway done with school and less than a quarter done with the quilt. I've spent my spring break trying to catch up, but there hasn't been enough time. To give spring break the proper goodbye, I decided to throw a party tonight, so my day will be spent baking and preparing for the night ahead.

The Fresh Bias-Tape Maker

I've been doing lots of sewing this week. My first priority has been to finish making a case for my new Mac Air. The bulk of the case is finished and it has been time to concentrate on the finishing details. That's where bias tape comes in.

My bias tape maker has been sitting in it's package for months. I thought it was finally time to open it up and put it to use. I was surprised at how easy it really is! I kind of want to make all of my scrap fabric into bias tape now! Though, my scraps are also being used in another project. More on this other project tomorrow.

Pencil Soup

Since I've been going through a soup phase lately, I have lots of cans to show for it. There are plenty of uses for these cans and I plan to explore the options. For now, I'm going for the simple pencil holder.

First I sewed a little tube of fabric to cover the can. I left a little bit extra on the bottom and a good amount on top. I folded the fabric on top inside the can.

Using a brush, I glued the extra fabric on the bottom.

To even things out, I glued a round piece of felt on the bottom of the can.

A quick pencil holder, in less than 20 minutes!

Easter Baskets

At 1:15pm this afternoon, I turned in my last paper officially began my spring break! I actually stayed up until about 2am this morning working on my final paper, but I'm extremely awake and just happy that this quarter is behind me. Giddy, really. The next few days are sure to be filled with friends, family, not-so-long-hours at work, and plenty of crafting! The past few weeks have been crazy, but I somehow managed to finish making easter baskets for my two nieces and nephew.

In the coming week, I really want to finish making a case for my new Mac Air and possibly my pink ipod nano! Aside from that, I might work on finishing up a few projects, and hope to blog before school starts up again... in a week!

Abra Ca-Crock Pot

I finally got a crock pot! It's been on my to do list forever and when I saw this mini crock pot for $9 at Target.. I just had to go for it! My first dish included: one can of chicken noodle soup, some rice, vegetables, chicken, spices.. pretty much things I had laying around in my kitchen.

Not too shabby! This machine is a bit like magic.. you just pour a ton of stuff into a pot and out comes a hearty, tasty meal!

Speaking of magic, I'm really going to need some super powers to get my last paper of the quarter done.

Tan Abour (Yogurt Soup)

Mimi’s Tan Abour (Yogurt Soup)
Approx. 30 oz. Yogurt
1 cup Barley
5-6 cups water
1 bushel of Cilantro, chopped (to taste)
1 yellow onion, chopped
Salt (to taste)

1. Rinse Barley, until water runs clear
2. Mix Barley with the water in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil, letting the Barley to fully cook.
3. In the meantime, sauté the onion and chop the Cilantro
4. After the Barley has cooked, whip the yogurt (by spoon) and slowly pour into boiling water/barley mix, making sure the water is continuously boiling.
5. When the yogurt is mixed in, add the sautéd onion.
6. Let boil for a few minutes, then add the Cilantro.
7. Turn off heat. Add salt to taste.

Almost A Month Later

I guess I got a little busy there. I still have about one more week of school and two more papers left, but I found a moment (notice 12:30am) to post in my neglected blog, that I love and miss so much. In the past few week or so, I've welcomed a new roommate to live with me. I went to the Mac Store and fellin love. Yes, the Mac Air is my new roommate. I also got a new pink nano and an external disc drive! I went a little overboard, but I think after all of the papers I've had to write and all the long hours I had to work this quarter, I was in dire need of a present. On a crafty note: cases for my three new toys are in progress and will be posted soon.
Other than that, I've been on a soup kick lately. I re-fell in love with good old Tomato Soup.

This weekend, I'm going to make my grandmothers recipe for Yogurt Soup (also known as Tan Abour). This is step one in Operation: Get Grandma's Recipes / Make Mom Write the Family Recipes Down / Annette Needs to Cook More Family Recipes.