I Feel Like A Bootlegger

I made some Habanero Vodka for my brother for his birthday. Really, who needs such a thing? And will he drink it? I'm not sure. I do know that when I saw the recipe in one of my canning books, I had the idea to make this label for it just for kicks. After making it, I tasted only a single drop, and let me tell you, it burns! I would not drink it if you paid me.

Kitchen Flair

The last two years I have ordered seeds from Baker Creek for my garden. Reading through their catalog for me is like running through a candy store (or a fabric store for that matter). I was even more thrilled to find that most of their seeds come in these awesome packets. To frame them, I bought cheap ($1.99/3) IKEA frames, painted them white, sanded them a bit to look worn, and voila! I have them hanging above the back splash in my kitchen, and plan on adding to it each year.

Tea Towel

There is nothing like a nice embroidered tea towel to help your bread rise. So, maybe it doesn't really help your bread rise but I'd like to think it does. ;) The lesson learned from this one is that you should NEVER buy the cheaper tea towels like the ones they sell at Walm@rt or T@rget. Get the nice Aunt Martha's ones the sell at Jo@anns. Its worth it in the end. The weave on these was so loose that it was hard to get nice even stitches.

You guessed it...another apron!

This bottom of this apron was made using a pattern from Mary Engelbreight's new sewing book. I modified the waistband, making it wider and longer. The bib part was my addition. The fabric was left from a dress I made Katie, and I am pleased to say I worked a little rick rack onto this baby! Also, the whole apron is lined...with one of Jeff's old shirts. It was a nice yellow dress shirt that met its demise when a pen exploded in his pocket. There was enough fabric to line both sections, with still some leftover. Its amazing how much fabric you can get from one shirt!

Homemade Marshmallows!

If you have never tried to make yourself some homemade marshmallows, you should! They are delicious and very easy to make. You can add just about any flavoring you want, and cut them into cubes or use a cookie cutter if you're feeling fancy. All you need is sugar, water, gelatin, corn syrup and flavoring. I know, not exactly the most healthy sounding ingredients, but they are good. Here is the recipe I use. Normally I am not a huge fan of eating plain marshmallows (Rachel, on the other hand....:) but these are hard to resist. This time I decorated them with melted chocolate, all the better! That is why I plan on putting them out for small group today so they will get eaten!