squeeze

There's nothing like a tart lemon treat in the dead of winter.  Deana, the winner of my cookie giveaway, selected the Chewy Lemon Snowdrop cookies from the Sophistimom blog.  I was glad to have good reason to get back in the kitchen (albeit with a baby at my feet) and the cookies turned out great!

Here's a link to the recipe.  I tasted the cookies straight out of the oven and thought they needed an extra lemon punch, so I whipped up a simple lemon glaze using fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar.  I brushed the mixture over the cookies and let it dry before sprinkling them with a little more powdered sugar (rather than rolling them in it).

Once I'm done here I'm going to head over to Pinterest and start collecting some more recipes!

Also coming up are some colorful refurbished coasters using a cork-backed set from the Dollar Store - inspired by some lovely quilt designs on my "Inspired" board!

Hexagon Park on Moda Bake Shop

Crossed Quilt Block on The Long Thread

A Little Help From My Friends Quilt on Sew Take a Hike

Ruby Star Mod Mosaic Quilt on Oh, Fransson!

cookies, coming up!

The winner of a fresh batch of Chewy Lemon Snowdrop cookies is Deana!

Hopefully she won't mind if I taste test a few to make sure they're good enough to share.  I'll be hand delivering them tomorrow morning.  Yum!

Thanks to Jaime at Sophistimom for sharing the recipe and for allowing me to use her photo!

yum yum giveaway

Tell me you're not as obsessed with Pinterest as I am.  

I'd heard of the site from a few sources but finally joined when "following" certain people earned me extra entries in some online contests.  Pinterest allows you to "pin" basically anything to categorized electronic boards, whether its a recipe, home decor items you covet, hairstyle ideas, or planning notes for your upcoming wedding.  You browse the internet, or the boards of other users, and pin whatever strikes your fancy.

I'm finding the site to be a springboard for creativity.  The art and DIY projects found on the boards of the people I follow are concentrated awesomeness.  No need to spend hours picking through silly ideas that are outdated, impractical, or just plain unattractive.  Pinterest displays the best of the best at a glance.

The best part about the recipes I've been pinning to my Yum Yum Recipes board is that they're all accompanied by a gorgeous photograph - since all pins are represented by a photo on your boards.  I'm finding myself partial to the breakfast and brunch offerings across the web, but there are some awfully tasty looking cookie recipes too.

With the weather in Portland being very conducive to baking lately, I'm hosting a new giveaway in honor of my new found Pinterest addiction.  The winner will score a batch of their choice of delicious cookies, selected from the recipes below. 

To enter, just leave a comment below with which cookie you'd choose and why it looks the best.  Make sure you're a follower of SaraPDX (by clicking "Join This Site" on the right hand side of the page).  I'll ship within the United States (or hand deliver, of course).  The contest closes TONIGHT at midnight!

• White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

•  Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies 

 

Photo by Lauren at Lauren's Latest

• Chocolate Turtle Cookies 

• Chewy Lemon Snowdrop Cookies

Photo by Jaime at Sophistimom

and the winner is...

McKenzie!

Thanks to those who participated!  McKenzie, please email me your mailing address and your prize will be on its way.  

Stay tuned, because I'm thinking about offering up another prize (maybe something delicious?) over the holiday weekend.

green chile chicken enchiladas

Behold!  A recipe I can call my own.  (Which may or may not undergo additional tweaking in the future.)  

I like to roast my own green chiles under the oven broiler, but you can also purchase canned green chiles in the Mexican food aisle.  I used 2 Pasilla peppers in my last batch and the level of heat was great for us.  Bump it down to 1 for less spice, or add a roasted jalapeno for even more!

Check out my easy technique for warming the corn tortillas to achieve the perfect texture that isn't prone to tearing.  This recipe stacks the tortillas, but rolling them is also an option.

• 2 Anaheim or Pasilla chile peppers
• 1 lb. tomatillos
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 c. onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. cilantro
• 1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
• 2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend (approximately)
• 18 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil

Broil chile peppers on a baking sheet in the oven, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides.  Place chiles in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Remove husks from tomatillos and halve or quarter depending on their size.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until tender.  Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees after removing tomatillos.

Peel skin off of cooled chile peppers, de-seed, and roughly chop.

Combine chicken broth, mushroom soup, chile peppers, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro in blender.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer to a large frying pan and warm over medium-low heat.

Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish with vegetable oil.  Ladle some of the warmed sauce in and spread to cover the bottom of the dish.

Brush vegetable oil lightly on both sides of 6 corn tortillas.  Stack on a microwaveable plate and microwave for 10 minutes, until warm and pliable.  Carefully arrange the tortillas on top of the sauce so the bottom is again covered.  Spread more sauce on top of the tortillas.

Layer 1/2 of the shredded chicken on top, followed by 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Continue layering with sauce, 6 more warmed tortillas, sauce, the rest of the chicken, 1/3 of the cheese, sauce, the remaining tortillas, and then finish with one more layer of sauce and then the rest of the cheese.  Saucy layers are a good idea because they'll dry out a bit while baking, but this recipe will probably yield a bit more sauce than you need.

Bake covered in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Turn the oven to its broiler setting and cook until the cheese is nicely browned.  Yum.  The leftovers are even better.

a little luck & a little giveaway

Contests, sweepstakes, raffles, giveaways. . . I cannot get enough of them!  Here are some of my simple tips and tactics.  Keep reading for a chance to win your own little giveaway.

I've had a lot of "luck" with contests for as long as I can remember.  In elementary school I won a coloring contest (I used the school's colors, blue and gold, in the design) that earned me lunch with the principal, including a Nestle Crunch ice cream bar for dessert (strangely memorable).  I've also won $100 and an art tote bag in two different writing contests in the past couple years.

• Tip:  Skill contests draw far fewer entrants, increasing your odds, so look for those that match your talents.

• Tip:  Consider your audience when entering a skill contest and tailor your entry to appeal to their preferences.

Two years ago I attended the annual Christmas party at my apartment complex and was the grand prize winner - $500 off a month of rent!  The next year I won a free carpet cleaning and this year I won a $50 gift card to a fancy Portland steak house.

• Tip:  Enter local contests!  These are some of your best odds.  Check the websites for radio, newspaper, and local businesses for even more opportunities.

Just yesterday I won a new casserole dish, pasta fork, cheese grater, and a jar of steak seasoning from a small cooking blog!

The About.com Contests & Sweepstakes page is a great resource for contests across the internet.  These are often for the biggest prizes like cash, vacations, and vehicles, but there's also a page for instant win contests with more prizes and better odds.

I'll also search Google on occasion, looking for contest, sweepstake, blog giveaway, or some similar search terms, and then restricting the results to the last 1 hour, 24 hours, or 1 week.  I'll try searching for the word giveaway along with a specific item I want to win, too (like an iPad2 or a Silhouette Cameo).

Now, for a modest giveaway of my own.  

For your chance to win a Powell's Books mug and a copy of Coffee Time with Perk Up Puzzles, Brainteasers, and Trivia, comment below with your answer to the following question AND make sure you're a follower of SaraPDX.  U.S. residents only, please.  Entries will be accepted until midnight PST on Wednesday, January 11th.  Good luck!  

What's the best prize you've ever won in a contest?

bookish

Browsing through old entries reminded me of past projects, items that were created and given away, experiences that became fuzzy over time.  Having a rolling log of these events is conducive to creating more (because you know you have the focus and skill to do so), being more open to adventure (because the results, good or bad, will likely be an entertaining read), and becoming a vigilant recorder (because your readers are counting on you).

It looks like some bookmaking is in my near future, so I decided to compile in one spot photographs of all the books I've made (I don't think I'm missing any...).  I became interested in book arts several years ago when I somehow learned about the craft of non-adhesive bindings.  I've always loved books - particularly the tactile value of them - so I was thrilled to discover they were something I could build myself.  Here's the very first book that resulted, its cover adorned with a hand carved leaf stamp.

As I uncovered more tutorials, instructional books, and supply sources, I learned that a wealth of different book structures were possible.  I graduated to books that utilize pages which are sewn together and are either sewn to their covers or joined with glue.  I started collecting gorgeous tools and materials that now make me happy to just to look at!  Bone folders, awls, needles and thread, wax, book board, text paper, cover paper, PVA, adhesive brushes.  Ahhhhh.

Here are all the photos I could locate of subsequent books, in no particular order.  Which is your favorite?  Is bookbinding a skill that you'd like to learn?

Mexican embroidery inspired wedding guestbook

Nepal journal

Christmas ornament book

Spectrum art journal

Japanese stab binding

Italy Coptic journal

Birthday notebook

Hunter's Words of Wisdom journal

Genealogy Coptic journal

Advice for the Newlyweds Coptic book

Gavin's Words of Wisdom journal

Botanica longstitch journal

Frequent concept book

Metal Heart concept book

Rochester wedding guestbook

Celebrate birthday guestbook

cien

Well, would you look at that?  This happens to be my 100th post!  I've decided to return to blogging (some thanks to the encouragement of my husband) now that my daughter, Quinn, is 1 and I have regained some of my time to use as I wish  Have you noticed that maintaining a blog necessitates having enough free time to have ideas, follow through with them, and then write about it? 

This'll continue to be a hodgepodge mix of observation, art, food, and experience and hopefully a good motivator to keep me on track collecting new creative projects, recipes, contests, media, and more - to share with you.

A comfortable, organized environment with plenty of supplies is key if I want to get anything done, so I spent some time yesterday getting things in order and discovering items that had been tucked away and nearly forgotten.  A ton of art paper that I'd rolled up in heavy duty cardboard tubes (stored in the back of the closet) now live in a clear rolling paper tub under the bed.  I was pleased to find a variety of brand new sheets that will make great book covers.  (Though my tastes have apparently changed a bit.)

Our craft room (i.e. our walk in closet that still needs to function as a closet) is overrun with my supplies, but I managed to clear some more room and make everything more accessible.  Those tubs need some labels!

I also took some time to reorganize the small bookcase I use for all our art, craft, and design books.  An unfortunate Christmas day incident resulted in Christmas tree water pouring onto some of them, but I managed to salvage them all with fairly minimal water damage.

Here are some of my favorite titles (click to view on Powells.com):

Real Life Journals

500 Handmade Books

The Handy Book of Artistic Printing

1000 Fonts: An Illustrated Guide to Finding the Right Typeface

Simple Sewing

Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

Stencil 101

So what's in store this year?  Hopefully lots of book making and paper craft, refurbished furniture (?!), photography, typography, crock pot recipes as well as those that take me 4 hours to make, prizes, outings, craft nights, vacations, and everything in between.  

Thanks for sticking with me!