Buzzard Birthday Card

This buzzard has been in my clip art file for some time.  I'd never really used it because it would be so difficult to trim by hand.  Now that I have a Cameo and have learned to use the print and cut feature, it's perfect for a humorous birthday card.

 The words were printed using Creepy font.

Pan "Fried" Cod Filets

PAN “FRIED” COD FILETS

4 generous sized cod filets
¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
Sriracha Sauce
Lemon juice

Coat fish with a mixture of the bread crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, salt and pepper.
In a non-stick skillet, melt 2 tsp. butter. 
Dot the fish filets with Sriracha Sauce.
Cook until lightly browned, turning once.
Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.





**this is a recipe I came up with tonight to use up some fish I had on hand in the freezer**

Mason Jar Jeweled Card

This card was inspired by Pinterest.  I used a clip art image for the mason jar, printed the words and added some assorted gems and stars.

Faux Copper Cards

The metallic strip is a piece of duct tape applied onto a piece of cardstock, colored with a Promarker and embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.

After embossing the strip, I used a cloth to wipe off the excess ink from the Promarker.

I used some stamps and clip art images for the sentiments.

It's Soup Weather!

Sometimes it seems that Oklahoma summers last forever.  Just five days ago it was in the 90's with bright sunshine; today it's in the low 60's, cloudy, windy and rainy.  This is the kind of weather that makes you think of comfort foods, homemade soups, stews, beans and cornbread or chili.

We haven't had onion soup since last winter so that's what I made for our dinner tonight.  It's one of the simplest soups ever to make and some people believe that onions have great health benefits. 

I've been watching my food intake and onion soup fits right into the lower fat options I've been enjoying.  My recipe does include some butter, but you could reduce the amount or even try just sweating the onions rather than sauteing them.

Classic Onion Soup

2 medium onions
¼ cup butter
2 cans Campbell’s beef consommé
1 ½ soup cans water
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Provolone, Gruyer, or Mozzarella cheese
Croutons

Cut onions into quarters and slice thinly.  Sauté onion in melted butter until tender.

Add consommé, water, and seasonings.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Pour soup into broiler safe bowls, top with croutons and thin slices of cheese.  Broil until cheese is brown and bubbly.

This makes two generous servings.

Art Impressions Celeste Image Card

The twine was colored with the same Promarker used for the lady's slacks.  I resized the sentiment and used oval punches for those.

Western Themed Card

Clip art images, a sentiment printed on my computer and some barn wood printed paper fit together to make a quick, Western themed card.

Victorian Image Card

The vintage photo as well as the rose was found online.  I utilized the print and cut feature on my Cameo to cut out the roses.

I saw a tag online very similar to this and thought it would make a nice card layout. 

The lace under the rose is just a medallion cut from some yardage.  I printed the quote and inked the edges for some dimension and was very pleased how it turned out.

Deli Style Rye Bread

This recipe is from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.

Makes four 1 pound loaves. This recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds, plus more sprinkling on the top
1 cup rye flour
5 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel
Cornstarch wash ** recipe below

1. Mix the yeast, salt, and caraway seeds with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a liided (not airtitght) food container.

2.  Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.


3.  Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4.  The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

5.  On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Elongate the ball into an oval-shaped loaf.  Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.  **I don't have a peel, so I used a heavy weight cookie sheet.**

6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450° with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  **I used a cookie sheet**  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread. **I used a foil pan---because I can't find my broiler pan! and put it on the bottom shelf**

7.  Using a pastry brush, paint the top crust with cornstarch wash and then sprinkle with additional caraway seeds. Slash with deep parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.

8.  Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone.  Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustment in baking time.

9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Cornstarch Wash

Using a fork, blend 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with a small amount of water to form a paste.  Add 1/2 cup water and whisk with the fork.  Microwave or boil until mixture appears glassy, about 30 to 60 seconds on high.  It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks; discard if it has an off smell.

Butterflies and Clocks Card

I combined stamps from several different sets and used StazOn saddle brown and Memento tuxedo black ink on the card base.  The butterflies are clip art images. The card was inspired by a tag seen online.