Sweet Paul: Kids

My Happy Dish: Chubby Tate Chocolate Chip Cookies from Kathleen King of Tate's Bake Shop

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:09:42 GMT

From Kathleen: "I love the chubby tate cookie because I can freeze the dough balls on a sheet pan and bag them in a zip tight bag for those moments when friends stop by or dessert for a casual dinner. There is nothing like the smell of warm cookies to make your home feel welocming and for your friends to get very happy! The ease of prepartation, the ability to freeze the dough and the joy it brings to others is why this is one of my favorite cookie recipes."

You will need:

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

12 TBS salted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 TBS light corn syrup

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Position the oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl beat the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, and corn syrup with an electric mixer on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips. Using 2 tablespoons per cookie, drop the dough about three inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. The mounds of dough can be frozen on the baking sheets until hard, then transferred to a zip-lock plastic bag and frozen for up to one month. Bake without thawing. Bake, rotating the positions of the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned on the edges, about 18 minutes. (if using frozen cookies, bake about 20 minutes) Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, on cool baking sheets.

My Happy Dish: Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Orzo from Giulia of Audrey's

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:56:52 GMT

From Giulia: "This dish makes me happy because it's comfort in a bowl - orzo pasta prepared risotto style, with lot's of gooey cheese and bursts of tomatoes. It's easy to make, popular with the kids and can be adapted to fit the season."

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Orzo (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

You will need:

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup of minced red onion

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 cups of orzo pasta

4 cups of chicken stock, heated (you could also use veggie stock!)

salt and pepper

2 cups of diced fresh tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)

1/2 cup of diced fresh mozzarella

thinly sliced basil

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When hot, add the red onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the orzo and stir well to coat. Gradually add the hot chicken stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring until all of the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Do this until you used up all the stock, the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is just tender – about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes to the orzo and cook until just heated through, 1 -2 minutes. Add the mozzarella and cook for another 2 minutes or just until incorporated. To serve, spoon the orzo into bowls and garnish with basil.

My Happy Dish: Chocolate Mousse Pie from Cara Eisenpress of 'Big Girls, Small Kitchen'

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:09:37 GMT

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Serves 8-12
Adapted from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts

Ingredients
Butter for the pan
8 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used a block of Callebaut, chopped finely)
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1/4 cup boiling water
8 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch glass pie pan well. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. In a small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the hot water, then add to the chocolate. Microwave until just smooth in 30-second intervals – it shouldn’t take more than a minute to a minute and a half if you cut your chocolate small. Set aside to cool. You can also melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks on high speed for 5 minutes, until they’re lightened and thickened. Slowly stream in the sugar while beating, then continue to beat on high speed for 5 more minutes. The yolks will be very thick and a little sticky. Add the vanilla and chocolate and beat them in slowly, scraping down the bowl. Set aside and wash and dry the mixer’s beaters well. Put the egg whites in another mixing bowl and add the salt. With those clean, dry beaters, beat the whites until they hold soft peaks, but not until they are stiff or dry. In two or three small additions, fold about half of the egg whites into the egg yolk-chocolate mixture – no need to be very thorough. Then fold the chocolate into the remaining whites. Fold only until no egg whites show, using big but gentle movements so as not to deflate all those egg whites you just inflated with air. Handling as little as possible, remove 4 cups of the mousse to a bowl or storage container. Store in the fridge. Turn the rest of the batter into the pie plate – it won’t look like there’s that much, but don’t worry. Gently, level it out. Bake for 22 minutes, until puffed. Turn off the oven and leave the pie plate in for another 5 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely – the mousse will deflate, leaving a high rim, which will become the crust. When the baked mousse is completely cool, remove the reserved mousse from the fridge and gently mound it in the center of the shell. Spread it to the edges, leaving it slightly higher in the center. Smooth the top so it looks pretty to serve, but don’t deflate the air out of it. Refrigerate at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. The tart will set, making it easy to cut. Serve in wedges, with whipped cream scooped on each slice.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:39:09 GMT

You will need:

2 pounds fresh tomatoes or 1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 medium onion 1 glove garlic, minced

1 tbsp cane sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

salt, pepper

10 leaves fresh basil

olive oil

for the meatballs:

1⁄2 pound ground beef

1⁄2 pound ground pork

1 dry bun

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 small onion, minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

salt, pepper

lemon juice, to taste

olive oil

Heat oil in a medium pan. Add the onions and stir until it gets soft. Now add the garlic and once it begins to colour lightly and fills the kitchen with aromatic scent stir in the tomatos with their juices and tomato paste. Season the sauce with salt, freshly ground pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat and leave to simmer gently, uncovered, stirring often for 30 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Stir in the basil leaves and taste. For the meatballs: In the meanwhile soak the bun in water until its completely soft, squeeze dry and break into pieces. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and stir until golden. Now combine the ground meat, the bread, the eggs, onions and the parsley in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and some squirts of lemon. Roll the mixture into small balls and set aside on a plate. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Fry meatballs slowly until golden brown, but not cooked through completely. Let drain on paper towels and add into your hot tomato sauce. Cook pasta 15 minutes before serving until al dente and serve with tomato sauce and meatballs.

Cotton Candy Lemonade

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:04:10 GMT

Makes 4 glasses

You will need:

8 cups pre-made lemonade (This is a great basic recipe: Classic Lemonade)
Cotton candy, as many colors as you want

Fill your glasses with ice and lemonade. Take a small piece of cotton candy and place in each glass. Watch the cotton candy melt and change the color of your lemonade!

Lova's World: Castle Votive Lantern

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:27:35 GMT

You will need:

Printouts downloaded from this webpage

Tissue paper to use for the windows

Scissors

Xacto Knife

Paper glue

LED votive - I love these votives from Pottery Barn.

DOWNLOAD CASTLE PRINT-OUTS HERE:

Download and print out the files attached to this post. Print two copies of the page for each castle you will make. Use scissors or Xacto knife to cut out four castle sides. Using Xacto, cut out the little windows from the castle sides. Cut pieces of tissue paper a little bigger than each window and glue the tissue to the back side of each castle wall to create a cute little window. Glue the four sides of the castle together. Place your new lantern over your LED votive and enjoy!

House & Flowers Pillows

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:52:38 GMT

You will need:

pencil and paper to draw patterns

scissors

fabric scraps and old clothes to cut up

sewing machine or needle and thread

stuffing/batting

fabric glue

Get creative! Draw patterns onto paper for the house, cloud, flowers and leaves. Cut pieces out of your old clothes and fabric scraps. Sew pieces together and stuff with batting. I used an 18"x18" pillow insert for the base of my house. Glue details onto your soft-sculpture with fabric glue. Turn your couch into a village!

Lova's World: Collage Boxes

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:26:00 GMT

From Lova: "Paul V. at the magazine gave me the small tin box that he found when we were at the Brimfield Flea Market recently. It was so pretty and blue that I knew exactly what it needed. More blue! I got two other plain boxes and used cut outs from a book about birds and papers from Paper Source to make them into collage boxes.
Find some lovely boxes and tins. I like to use tiny one but you can use whatever size you like. Find some beautiful designs to cut from old books, paper, wrapping paper or find designs online. Arrange your cutouts onto your boxes in a way that you think looks beautiful. Glue your cutouts onto your boxes and tins. The boxes in the pictures are not painted with glue, like you do with decoupage, because I like the matte paper finish, but if you would like a more lasting finish you can use some glue or Mod Podge and paint over the finished boxes.

Easy Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:41:20 GMT

you will need:

Cardboard tubes from center of paper towels or toilet paper

Scissors

Duct tape

Freezer paper

Quart plastic containers (recycled deli containers work well)

Tempera paint in desired colors

Water

Mixing spoon

Plaster of Paris

Rubber spatula

Cooling rack

Cut paper towel tubes in half or use toilet paper tubes as is. Tape off one side of each tube with duct tape, being sure to completely seal the end. Cut freezer paper into 6-inch squares and line each tube with one piece. In a plastic container, mix plaster of paris as directed, in correct ratio, being sure to first mix 2 tablespoons of desired color of tempera paint with the water used to make the plaster. Mix slowly while adding Plaster to water/paint mixture, until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula to help, fill each prepared tube with the plaster mixture. Tap tube on work surface to release air bubbles. Plaster will set in about an hour, and can be removed from the tube after about two hours. To remove chalk, first peel away duct tape, then peel away the cardboard tube, and finally, peel away the piece of freezer paper. Once chalk is removed from tube, place on a cooling rack and let dry completely (1 to 3 days depending on humidity) before using.

Butterfly Watercolor Notecards

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:14:15 GMT

From Lova: "I always find inspiration in remaking things I did when I was little with better materials and more precision. These cards are an example of that. These butterfly cards can be used as birthday cards, invitations or as art for a wall."

You will need:

Watercolor paints

Paint brush

Heavy watercolor paper

Water

Butterfly images to use as inspiration

Cut out and fold cards out of water color paper. It is much easier to see where to paint if the cards are already folded before you start painting. Use watercolors to paint the shapes that make up the wings of the butterfly. Fold after you paint each shape so that the paint won’t have time to dry. Use more water for bigger more experimental shapes, and less water for small more precise shapes. Wait for the paint to dry completely and then they're ready to use!

ABC Cake Topper

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:19:45 GMT

You will need:

Motifs from an old children's book - or find images you like online

Short bamboo skewers or lollipop sticks

Paper glue

Scissors

Cut out your motifs Glue motifs to sticks Let dry Decorate your cake!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Party Invite & Cupcake Topper

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:47:05 GMT

Illustrations and project design by Lova Blavarg!

Download here:

The Perfect Party

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:03:10 GMT

It's friday, it's the weekend, let's PARTY! I'm feeling a party coming on guys.

Here are a few of my favorite ingredients for a PERFECT party!

You will need:

Great people - Invite people who you can mix and match around the table, you want everyone to have a good time.

Candles - Candle light is important, we all look better in a soft glow and the ambiance will be SO fab!

Playlist - Music is so important.. not to loud! You want to hear the conversation. Smooth bosa nova is my favorite

Menu - Customize it to the occasion. Make the food ahead, things you can heat up combines with cold canapes. You don't want to be sweaty and messy in the kitchen when your guests arrive.

Flowers - Keep it simple! I always try to use just one variety for a party.

Balloons - always and forever! You can never go wrong with balloons.

Drinks - Always make sure you have enough, and don't make them too strong. Also, be sure to have non-alcoholic options.

Ice - see above... ALWAYS have enough!

A great outfit - put together something chic and special for yourself... you're throwing a party, after all!

Mix all ingredients together. PARTY on!

Sweet Paul Holiday Countdown: Day 19 - Cookie Gift Boxes

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:11:02 GMT

You will need:

Vntage ornamet box

Cookies (Pepperidge Farms works in a pinch!)

Tissue paper

Cellophane

Find a clean vintage ornament box at a flea market or in grandma's attic. Fill the compartments with tissue and your favorite holiday treats! Cover the box and wrap in cellophane.

Lets have a party!

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:11:01 GMT

Image 1: I should have kids, what birthday parties daddy would make!
Image 2:Sugar cookies.They kinda look like jewels.
Image 3: Paper flowers made of cupcake liners.
Image 4: Lollipops.
Image 5: These little flags can be used as cake toppers or drink stirrers.