For all your cheese ball needs

It seems to be a universal expectation that Super Bowl parties must feature cheese (real, fake, or cream) in a shape (ball, log, blob) that is rolled in nuts and served with crackers.  This generally grosses me out, but the sheer volume of recipes out there leads me to believe that I am in a small minority.

On a total side note involving "gross" and cheese balls, check out this Halloween party appetizer from Seattle's own Megan Reardon of Not Martha.  Really clever.  Also, really gross.

A number of years ago my brother got tasked with bringing an appetizer to some holiday family function and showed up with a grocery bag and proceeded to make this deliciousness you see here.  We didn't really know he cooked, so it was exciting not just because it was SO GOOD (brie! caramelized onions and mushrooms! brie!) but because he made it right before our very eyes.

At Last

In college, when I lived in the dorms, I had one of those tiny TV sets with a VCR on the bottom and at the time, I thought I was so cool.  I could watch videos in my room! And all the free cable I wanted (thanks, UW dorms)!  And record hockey games that were on during class so I could watch later!  Which is a story for another time.

A Valentine from God to you

I went to the store today and searched the Valentine's Day section high and low for red hots.  And can you believe it, there were no red hots ANYWHERE.  What's up with that, I ask you?  During my perusal, though, I came across a whole end cap full of pre-made Valentine mailboxes and this was more sad than not finding the red hots.  Do kids not make their own these days?

PSA: Brussels Sprouts are Delicious

I love vegetables.  I mean, I really, really love them.  Even as I'm writing this, I am munching on a bowl of steamed broccoli.  I would even go so far as to say that I'm a vegophile.  And then I looked up "vegophile" and was asked if I meant "viggophile" (I like Viggo Mortenson, but not enough to throw a "-phile" on the end).  Then I viewed the Urban Dictionary definition.  For the record, I like to eat veggies and do not have any sort of unnatural attraction to them, thank you very much.

If there were a vegetable of the year, I propose that 2012 is the year of the Brussels Sprout.  And it's not just because I love them, but every food magazine I read and food site I visit is using sprouts.  Just in the last year have I discovered that I like love Brussels sprouts and I can't get enough.  Fortunately for me, the Mister is also a veggie lover and the boys think that "little cabbages" are, if nothing else, fun to pull apart.  But why, just this last year, have I discovered my love?  I blame the healthy green vegetables smear campaign.

You know what I'm talking about.  Setting perfectly good vegetables up as the yucky patsy in the name of getting your kids to eat other, more innocuous veggies.  As in, "Darling child, if you don't want to eat your carrots, I would be happy to give you some (yucky) spinach instead."  The sad thing is, I even catch myself throwing green veg under the bus on occasion.  The one I remember as a kid being the ultimate yuck was Brussels sprouts and to be honest, I think it's still that way with people, adults and kids alike. I'm just glad I gave them a try or I'd be missing out.  In addition to being sweet and crunchy, like most dark green veggies, Brussels sprouts are a good source of Vitamins A and C, iron, and protein.

A Place for Your Glasses

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Here's something I struggle with: I feel compelled to volunteer for everything that comes my way if I have the skill to do it, whether I actually want to or not.  Teaching Sunday School, preschool edition?  Been there.  Joining our HOA's Newsletter Committee? Done that.  Tiling a friend's kitchen?  Yep, there's another one.  Don't get me wrong, I chip in with a smile on my face (because no one wants a bad attitude volunteering to help) and I have gotten better at saying no when I really don't want to do something.

I get this from my mom.  I think she has now repainted the inside of their church in its entirety and once famously said that she would rather re-roof a person's house than take them a casserole.  I imagine she is hoping no one ever takes her up on it.

Coming Soon . . .

Here are a few things that you can look forward to see here in the next couple weeks.  I'm really excited about these different events and projects AND I want to give you a chance to get in on the action.

First, check out the Handmade Valentine Swap 2012 hosted by The Stationery Place.  You already know I love doing crafty exchanges and those who know me well know I love to get snail mail, so this is right up my alley, right?  The story here is that you make up to four cards and mail them to other people, then you get handmade cards in the mail from whoever got your name.  Fun, huh?  The Stationery Place is run by Lyndsey who is also a Seattle-area blogger, so I'm even more a fan.  Click the image above to go sign-up.

Chocolate Macarons with Ganache Filling

I see macacrons everywhere.  Top Chef Just Desserts, the David Lebovitz and Tartelette blogs, the cookbook section of my local Barnes and Noble.  Everywhere.  These are going to be the whoopie pies of last year and the cake pops of the year before, which means it's only a matter of time until Starbucks carries them.

Looking for a snack Penny Girl?

And they are just so darn cute with their diminutive size and perfect shape and palette of colors.  Also, macarons are packed with crispy, crunchy, chewy, creamy goodness.  Here's the thing: I have never had one.  Correction: I had never had one.  Because I have now and wow, let me tell you, get your hands on some of these babies, stat.  Better yet, make them yourself.

I know, I know, you're thinking macarons are hard to make, really time-consuming, finicky.  Well, I hate to say it, but you're right.  To a point.  Macarons are entirely doable for a home cook, you just need a plan and a good recipe to start.  A little research also won't hurt; I would recommend Helene Dujardin's Demystifying Macarons (she's the amazing food photographer behind Tartelette and Plate to Pixel) or Hisako Ogita's I (heart) Macarons.

Kringlers: A New Year Tradition

 When I was a kid, we did goals for the year instead of resolutions.  Just thinking about word choice, "goals" makes a lot more sense than "resolutions".  Aren't resolutions really just something we're shooting for and hoping to achieve, rather than something we've resolved to do?  I don't know anyone who actually resolves to do something and does it.  I mean, resolutions last a couple weeks at the most, then people quit in the face of failure.  A goal is something I find that I can stray from and come back to.

With this is mind, here are some goals of mine for this year:

• Be more consistent from day to day with my expectations of myself, my husband, and my kids.
• Communication is always something I can strive to do better.
• Be more encouraging to those around me.
• No more processed, white sugar or white flour foods.

 

But who cares about that, let's get to the heart of this post.  Cookies.  My mom used to make Kringlers every year at some point around the New Year and I have picked up the tradition in the last couple years.  Here's where I need your help: what are these cookies?  I think they are Scandinavian, but really have no idea.  Do you know what they are really called?  Whatever they are, Kringlers are very tasty and you should give them a try.

Here's what you will need and how to proceed (and if you want the recipe card, just click the image to download):

My question to you: what special food do you have to ring in the New Year?

Painted Drumsticks

Yes, you are seeing that right, that's a picture of my three-year-old with his new drum set.  We don't do Santa, so I can't even blame its arrival on that fat, jolly man.  No, it was my idea from the start.  And what kind of parents buy a real drum set for a three-year-old?  Well, either very stupid parents or very smart parents.

Camo, you see, lives and breathes music.  He daily performs concerts on a variety of PaperJams guitars and could educate you on the differences between Questlove's (the Roots) and Ricky Fitness' (the Aquabats) drum kits.  He's not just doing that cute little kid rock star thing, but he has a sense of rhythm and what I can only describe as "stage presence."  So you can see, we had to get the drum set.  Also, all the "experts" will tell you that drums help kids with coordination and all sorts of other developmental things.  So, you should get your toddler a drum set, too.

When we bought the drums, we also got a bunch of cheapo drumsticks and I had a great idea to dye them a la eighteen25's dyed clothespins.  BUT, the sticks are poly coated, so they are pretty much dye-proof.  Also, colored sticks on white drum heads seemed like a poor idea on second thought.  I decided instead to paint and was originally going to dip and hang dry, but the amount of paint left after a dip is about fifty coats worth.  Or something like that.

And then I had a genius idea; it was a Christmas miracle!  (I say that only because I waited until Christmas Eve to do this project . . . bad idea.)  I dipped about half the length that I wanted painted, then twisted the stick against a roller sleeve up to the point I wanted the paint.  This is super fast and a lot less work than washing a bunch of brushes.  Wait until the paint is dry to go back and add stripes or dots or other embellishments.  Before you start, do a quick once-over with sand paper so the paint adheres well and don't go more than half way down the stick.

The boys love their stylish sticks.  The drums are upstairs now and the noise is not an issue, so I might not have to dampen them after all like I was planning. So far I'm not at all regretting the choice and I think this puts me in the "very smart parents" camp.

My question to you: what crazy thing have you purchased or want to purchase for your kids?

Holiday Lights Bokeh

I am a huge fan of bokeh (the blurring of background objects of lights in photos) and with an abundance of holiday lights at this time of year, bokeh light sources are readily available.  Here are some examples with the boys, taken in front of our Christmas tree and at an outdoor light display.

  (Looks like Camo does the same pose everywhere, huh?)

Regular old round bokeh is great, but have you seen pictures with shaped bokeh?  So cool.  I Heart Faces has some great tutorials on taking bokeh photos, but also on how to make your own shaped bokeh filter.  And all it takes is basic supplies you already have laying around.  I have been meaning to do this for the whole of December and now that I've been threatened with the tree coming down, I finally got around to it.

I went about it a little differently because my paper punch didn't go far enough across the page to put the hole in the center of the circle I cut out.  I like this better because now I only have to store a little circle of paper instead of a bigger filter.