Pillow Cookies Have you ever had any pillow cookies? I’ve only had them once, but I was immediately smitten. I found them in the bakery section of the Fresh Market sometime last year. They were some sort of sugar cookie wrapped around a brownie center. I immediately went on the hunt for a similar recipe but didn’t have much luck until just a few weeks ago when I was rummaging through some of my aunt’s recipes. And there it was. Not sugar cookies, but good enough. And… It’s easier than you think. First… bake up some brownies. Then you need some chocolate chip cookie dough (recipe below). Each cookie uses about 1/2 cup of dough. And yes, they are ginourmous! All you do is place the dough on parchment paper and make a pretty big indention in the center. Not convinced? Okay. here goes. Place 1/2 cup of cookie dough batter on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make indentions in the dough and place a 1 inch square brownie in the center of each. Bake and voila……… Giant pillow cookies. But I love how big the are.
The nutella Cheesecake This is definitely one of the most delicious dessert I have prepared in the last months. Its soft and creamy texture and its crispy base make this Nutella cheesecake one of my favorite dessert ever now! I’ve made it yesterday afternoon since I stayed home and I had plenty of free time. Originally the plan for my Sunday afternoon was different, I was suppose to join a friend of mine to a literary salon thing at Glamor Bar but I could barely move my body as the day before I had a super hardcore pole dance class. I had lots of fun trying to pull my self up the pole and spin in sexy positions but the consequences of all that work out have been devastating for my body. Anyways, going back to the Nutella Cheesecake, this is a recipe worth trying and since it’s a cold dish, it is perfect for the summer time. For the traditional cheesecake recipe check put my blog: www.expatcucina.com
Bless Her Heart: Blackberry Buckle... This week's basket from Farmhouse Delivery was so beautiful...full of colorful not quite summer bounty. I spotted a big basket of blackberries hidden under the rainbow chard. The four cups of blackberries included were exactly the amount needed to make a Blackberry Buckle for dessert. First Buckle of the Spring/Summer fruit season. Blackberry Buckle Fruit Topping: 4 Cups of Fresh Blackberries 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Batter: 6 tbsp butter 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup of milk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 tbsp coarse or turbinado sugar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
How to apply Henna (Mehndi) on your Hands! Henna is basically a dye that gives a cooling effect when applied on the skin and gives red color to it. It is mostly used on hair as a natural dye but is commonly used to decorate hands. When it dries completely, the skin or hair is washed with water to reveal the dyed color. In this instructable, I will show you how to apply Henna on hands and make different designs with it. What will you need: Henna(mehndi) cone (pencil cone is better) A printed copy of Henna design A transparent Glass sheet (you may use clear plastic sheet instead) Tissue paper Glitter cone (optional) A4 sheet or plain piece of paper Pencil Things to Remember Nowadays the henna cone contains some chemicals, so if you are allergic or your skin is sensitive, then check a little amount of henna on your palm before making the whole design. Also, if you have done waxing on an area where you are going to apply henna, do not do it just after waxing. Henna gives different color on different skins.
Lemon Squares Quilt Pattern The Lemon Squares Quilt Pattern is a squares-in-squares quilt that is made out of only 6 types of blocks. See the blog post about this finished quilt here. I chose to make this quilt look scrappy by using a wide variety of fabric from my stash. You could also use solids and have a classic, cleaner look. I used 5 sets of fabric colors for my quilt and that is reflected in the mockup: Light pink, dark pink, light orange, dark orange, and yellow. 1. ******************************************************************************** Update: I receive a lot of emails asking if so-and-so is enough fabric for this quilt. Lemons Squares Quilt Pattern Cutting Diagrams PLEASE NOTE: The cutting diagram contains fabric amounts to create THREE of each block, for a total of 18 blocks. 2. 3. 4. 5. Here is alternate view of the quilt, mocked up in cool tones. Pattern is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy the pattern and I’d love to see what you make! Fresh Posts You Might Like :
Back to School: The Perfect Slouchy Book Bag What should you use to carry your school stuff this year? Well, if you're all about form and structure, the venerable back pack is your friend. But if you want something comfortably soft and slouchy, then go with the book bag: the wild child of school totes. Ours uses no stabilizer, only a lining. The exterior fabric is a velvety corduroy from Valori Wells with the thinnest of wales. A big thanks to our friends at Fat Quarter Shop for providing the cool Valori Well's Nest Corduroy for this project. Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Jem Platinum 760) Repeat these same markings on what will be the wrong side of the lining. Exterior pockets Make a simple 2" hem along each 15½" side of the exterior pocket piece. Side seams and boxed bottom corners Making sure the pocket panel stays nice and flat from edge to edge, and the top pocket hems are even (as checked above), fold the bag body in half right sides together. Interior pocket Find the 8" x 8" interior pocket piece. Strap Tags:
The Convertible “Infinity” Dress: How it almost defeated me, and what you need to make one I made this thing. It’s pretty cool. It’s a convertible dress that’s basically a circle and two straps, so it’s really easy, inexpensive, and crazy versatile. It’s been around forever and everyone seems to love it (in fact, part of the reason I’m posting this is to answer some questions for people I’ve run into), and I can hardly believe how close I came to not making it at all. I first found the instructions at a blog called rostitchery, and then I came across a second set at Cut Out + Keep. So I bought some material, spread it out in the living room, cut out my pieces, and… …stopped. I didn’t understand the next step. Turn the skirt inside out? And what’s this about making them overlap each other? There’s, like, a band of fabric involved? What? I figured I was just being thick. So I folded up my circle and my straps and I put it all back in the bag it came in. And I went upstairs to watch TV. I was wearing my new dress after about half an hour. Select a stretchy knit with spandex in it.
Mini Cosmetics Bag | As promised, here is the result of my new fabrics – a mini cosmetic bag! Not only was I excited to actually make something out of my new fabrics, this project also gave me a chance to practice sewing with zippers (something I’ve never done before). I followed this tutorial, but made mine a bit smaller and more rectangular, rather than square shaped. It is always amazing to see how all the pieces (somehow) come together as you sew. Most importantly, I love the end product and think its completely adorable! That, and it was relaxing to be able to start my crazy, monster of a week with a little creativity. Related Posts MINI Variety, mini matchbox cards, Mini Instax Books, castle
How To Make An Easy Dress Two facts about me: I'm cheap. I love dresses. I wear dresses probably 6 days out of the week. It's not that I one day just decided to wear dresses to feel cute and girly. Far from it. Back in November when I really started Talk2thetrees I kinda just wore pajama pants and sweat pants. Dresses are so comfortable, I can sit around the house and feel comfortable and cute. The only problem.. they are expensive! Here is a tutorial on a High Waisted Dress: For under 6 bucks! First you will need a ribbed tank top. I got mine from Walmart for 2.50 You could also use a t-shirt 3 yards of matching fabric. Clearance section is my favorite. Cut the tank top almost in half. (I cut mine a little too short.. oops!) For the bottom part of your dress take the fabric and wrap it around your waist about 1 and a half times, and cut in a straight line. I never measure, I never use patterns... Next you fold your fabric in half. You have kind of a big blocky rectangle skirt. We are going to create a ruffle.