Potluck Crafters

"C" is for Cookie...and Car

2009-04-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today was all about Cookies! I made some sugar cookies for Easter. I thought I made so many more than I really did; my broken back sure feels like it too. Hunching over and decorating cookies is not a good idea. I tend to ignore comfort when it comes to making things. I guess I get caught up in the moment and don't think about how my body will feel in a few hours. Here's a little sampling of the goodies...

On a sadder note, I said good bye to my Volvo yesterday and traded it in for a new car. I really loved the Volvo for some reason and I teared up a little as I walked away from it for the last time. This is the only car I ever saw on the road and felt like I really wanted one of my own. It was my dream car and unfortunately in its old age, repairs were going to cost more than it was worth. I know you have a lot more than 135,000 miles in you but I had to make an economical decision that had nothing to do with my heart. So good bye and thank you for keeping us safe and for hauling all those garage sale goodies and maybe you had something to do with me not getting a ticket for accidentally passing a school bus with the stop sign out that day.

XXOO
Sandra

In Your Face, Diamond Stitch!

2009-04-05T11:20:00.001-07:00

I have been trying to figure out how to do the Diamond Stitch on and off for a couple years now. I couldn't find any tutorials on line and I have no one to ask for help. I would revisit the pattern every so often with a fresh perspective but it just wouldn't come together. I searched for comparable patterns, like cables and cross stitches, but they just didn't compare to the Diamond Stitch. I finally conquered it and it feels great. A person can sit alone, count stitches, read and re-read directions for only so long before they become a little weird. I passed that point a long time ago. Here's a picture of my pride and joy.

I'm making a baby blanket for a friend; the pattern alternates panels of the Diamond Stitch and a Basket Weave Stitch. I'll post pictures when I'm done. I will be on Spring Break all next week so I can Diamond Stitch the days away!
Sandra

My greatest acheivement of all time

2009-03-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot to blog about these. I made them for St. Patrick's Day in Hoboken on March 7th. They're jell-o shots, but with a little Irish spirit. Sorry for the blurry photo, I took it with my iphone while I was cutting them up, in a rush and running late as usual.

Simply prepare the jell-o according to the package directions, except replace half the cold water with cold vodka. Pour one layer, let it chill, and then prepare and pour the next layer. Be sure to let the 2nd and 3rd layers come to room temp before pouring them onto the previous layer, so the new layer doesn't re-melt the old layer.

For the white center, it's just unflavored gelatin prepared with 1 large can of sweetened condensed milk in place of some of the water. Don't be grossed out by milk in jell-o. You can't taste it at all, I promise. Honestly, I couldn't find a good recipe so I just winged it, and it came out perfectly.

Lazy Daisy

2009-02-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

Nothing brightens up a desk like a big bouquet of Gerber daisies from Trader Joe's

Yesterday was a rainy day, and I had a paper to write, so I bought these to perk up my workspace.

Also, if you haven't yet tried it, Poladroid allows you to polaroid-ify any photo on your computer. You can watch it develop on your desk top! Coolest thing everrr.

In a galaxy far, far away...

2009-01-31T05:40:00.000-08:00

My friend Michelle posed a new challenge to me last week, she requested Star Wars cupcakes at her birthday party this weekend. My brain went blank. The last time Star Wars has crossed my mind was 1997 when I went to see the re-releases on the big screen. So I scoured Google Image for ideas, and the Star Wars themed cupcakes that came back were either entirely uninspired, or professionally done with fondant and airbrushing.

So I sat down and put my mind to it, and came up with three designs that I'm really excited to bring with me to the party tonight.

Dueling Light Sabers
I piped these little light sabers onto wax paper with melted tinted white chocolate. Once they set up, I just frosted the cupcakes and stuck the light sabers into the chocolate. Easy peasy.

Princess Leias
I can't believe no one thought of this already. These cupcakes are simply frosted to look like a face, and then decorated with oreos to get the signature Princess Leia hair thingys. What the heck are those, earmuffs? Cinnamon buns?

I piped with melted chocolate on the sides of the oreos to get the hair swirl effect.

Death Stars
These are just frosted and piped to look like Death Stars. I was going to do something totally convoluted with munchkins dunked in gray chocolate, but they came out so unappetizing, I tossed them. And of course, May the Force be with you.

I'm sure they'll be a hit.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Knots and Nuts

2009-01-18T08:20:00.000-08:00

I finished my sampler last night! I'm so happy with the way it came out. I'm going to frame it today. I got the pattern from this great website, in case you want to try it yourself! Nordic Craft

I especially love my french knots, which I've never been able to do very well until I mastered them for this project.

I'm enjoying my last days of vacation before my semester starts up once again. I made these nuts for my mom to take to a cocktail party with her. The recipe came from Smitten Kitchen and they're fantastic. Every recipe from that website comes out great!

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts
Adapted from Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country, printed in New York Magazine

1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper (I left this out)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut or pecan halves or whole peeled hazelnuts (I used a mix)
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

Hello 2009

2009-01-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

To tell the truth, I wasn't very excited for this year to begin. 2008 was so exciting! I had surgery, quit my job, moved, started school, and made a bunch of new friends. In 2010, I'll be finishing my degree and (hopefully!) starting a new career. 2009 is like this weird, in between year that I must trudge through to get to the other side.

So naturally I set my standard 8 million resolutions, which I do every year, and then forget about them until December when I look back on my list and realize how much I didn't accomplish. "Wow," I thought, "That's really depressing". So I scrapped my list and wrote a new one, and when I looked at it, I realized that every resolution I made could be lumped into one category, and that became my single resolution for 2009.

This year, I resolve to make my life as beautiful as possible. This includes my usual "be more tidy" and "exercise!!!" resolutions, but it also includes crossing things off my craft list, throwing my energy into a larger, more planned out garden this summer, spending as much time as possible with my friends and family while also taking time for myself, and working through all my bookmarked recipes. It means that I am going to try to notice and appreciate the little details every day, take walks, be outside. I want to never feel as if a day was wasted. I want to limit my crankiness and try to bring happiness to other people's lives as well. And, the best thing about this resolution is that if I fail to accomplish one of the items on my list, I will still have accomplished many others, making 2009 a success.

I got my year kicked off with a new sewing machine (thanks mom!) and the completion of this project. It's a lap quilt that I started working on in August, using a vintage tablecloth as the top rather than patchwork. Getting this pile of batting, fabric, and threads up off my floor and morphed into something functional (and snuggly) made me happy, neatened up my space, and adds something a little bit more special to evenings curled up on the couch with a book. (The picture up top is a sneak preview of my next project, an embroidery sampler, which I plan to frame and hang above my desk for inspiration all year.)

I hope your 2009 is as great as mine is going to be! Happy New Year!

xoxo
Rachel

Holiday Cheer

2009-01-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

This holiday season was full of family fun. We celebrated Christmas and New Years in Bayonne. Here are some pics of the good times!
The festivities started in Westfield...

Mom helps me string the lights and plug in our favorite angel with the lights under her dress.

Rachel and Mom unpack the keepsake ornaments...one for each year!

Mom continues the tradition of Auntie Alice's Kruschikis.

And Rachel made her first ever Buche de Noel.

Things got a little crazy in Bayonne...

Me and Charlie cook up a storm.

The original Potluck Crafters by the tree.

Nothing brings a family together like good food!

And New Years Eve was a blast...dinner, drinks, fun and games with loved ones and Dick Clark!

Just a few minutes to go!

Rockin in the New Year!

Ringing in the New Year with pots, pans and sparklers!
I hope you all have a very blessed New Year and keep on crafting, making things with love and celebrating something every day!

Things to Celebrate

2008-11-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

1. Charlie and I celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary in the Poconos.

2. I have a husband who takes me antiquing and likes it.

3. I finally updated the wreath on the front door.
Goodbye sunflowers, hello glittery birds.
l

Crochet Projects Galore

2008-11-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

My friend since childhood is having a baby boy, she's due in early December. We grew up together and when I think about our friendship, it seems like we were just playing board games, making prank calls and fighting with our moms about the clothes and makeup we wanted to wear. Now she's going to be a mom...

I bought a book about crochet edging on fleece and I gave it a try for her shower gift. I made a blanket, hat and mitten set. It came out cute and the technique was easy once I got the hang of punching holes in the fabric.

The fleece is so soft and snugly; I hope they get a lot of use out of the set.

I'm also working on something special for Potluck Designs. It's a copy of a blanket my mom's Aunt Alice made years ago. I love cross stitching the pictures onto the crochet blocks. I'm having fun copying Aunt Alice's design and adding my own touches.

Finally, soon to be for sale on etsy is a festive winter garland! It's so cheerful and perfect for this time of year. Mini hats, mittens and stars are strung from a snowy white crocheted strand. I just have to get the photos in order and it's ready to go.

Now that Rachel's in Grad School, we haven't spent much time together cooking and crafting. Hopefully we'll find the time to keep up with our blog, she spends most of her time reading. I, on the other hand, have no excuse!
Kisses
Sandra

Nothing Says I love You Like a Meatloaf

2008-10-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

A heart shaped meatloaf that is...

And it was delicious!

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-09-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

We had a party today for Mom's birthday, it was great to have everyone together! I made ribs and flan for the first time, they both came out really good...what a relief.

Rachel made her famous cake that takes hours of preparation and it was worth every minute...so moist and melty.

Ryan had fun roaming around the house, he doesn't come here too often so there's a lot to see and do in a short amount of time.

Stephanie came to PaRtY and she is great at talking to Grandma so we love having her company.

Grandma had some laughs with her great grandson

My favorite part was the decorations...I love a festive house!
And life is good!
Love Sandra

Reminiscing about Brimfield

2008-09-10T14:01:00.001-07:00

I finally sorted through all the buttons I bought in July at the massive antique show in Brimfield MA! They are separated by color, grouped by style and strung on wire for easy access.

I realized we never blogged about our trip to Brimfield so here's a little recap of our time. Mom, Rachel and I were stricken with exhaustion from lack of sleep and extensive heat and sun exposure which led to uncontrollable laughter and tons of hilarious situations.

Like when our mom, wearing her new Bakelite Scotti Dog pin, found a linguine noodle in the bottom of her bowl of broccoli...

I laughed so hard I cried...

We had so much fun digging through piles of vintage table cloths, scavaging for deals on Pyrex and Stangl, and admiring all the beautiful things we could never afford.

I can't wait to go again next year!

Jamin' Out

2008-09-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up and ate a peach from a basket we got from the farmer's market on Saturday. It was so delicious that my knees actually gave out a little underneath me. I finished breakfast and put on a huge pot of water to boil because I knew right then, these were the jam peaches I'd been waiting for.

Oh but this guy was in the bag. His nose was so cute, he got spared from the jam pot. He's for breakfast tomorrow instead.

My jam came out pretty delicious, it tastes just like those fruit nectars you can buy in cans at the grocery store. The only problem is that it didn't set well. It's thick enough, but you'll need a spoon instead of a knife to get it onto your toast. I'm not sure what my problem is, but this is the 3rd jam I've made that hasn't set up for me. I followed a recipe, and used pectin to help it along, but no luck. I need to read a little more about it to figure out where I'm going wrong.

Only 6 lovely peaches and I got these three jars, plus one that's only half filled so I didn't can it... just stuck it right into the fridge for right-away-eating!

Hot Ride

2008-09-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

So my car is at the dealership for some repairs and I got this awesome red Mustang convertible as my loaner car! My car wasn't ready to pick up yet so I get to cruise all over town in my hot ride this weekend too! Don't get me wrong, I think my Volvo station wagon is hot too but this is FUN!! Too bad its supposed to rain all day tomorrow :(

This is what happens when I ask Charlie to take my picture out the window...DOI!!!

School Days

2008-09-05T11:12:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by coriander82

This is not a photo of me. This is how I feel already, after the first week of grad school. Man is there a lot of reading to do!!!

I'm taking a break at the library right now to get my nose out of the books for a moment and give my brain a rest. I'm taking four classes and they warned us that each class would demand about 8-10 hours of outside work per week. I thought they were kidding. They weren't!

Anyway, it's fun so far and I'm making new friends. I spent Labor Day at my friend's lake house again, and attempted to make this Zebra Cake that's been floating around all over the internet. Mine came out ok, but it was a little disappointing. I read on another site that the actual cake recipe wasn't that tasty, but I went ahead and used it anyway. This was true, there wasn't much flavor. I would make this again and use a different vanilla / chocolate cake recipe. My batter was also pretty thin. I assumed it was ok in order to get the rings to work correctly, but after a while they sort of melted together, and in the final product, the lines were so thin they had almost disappeared. On top of that, after 42 minutes in the oven, my cake was still a liquid mess. I left it in for an additional 15 minutes until a cake tester came out clean.

This recipe has huge potential. Not only does it have amazing serve-appeal (everyone says, "OOOH stripes!") but it'll also be super delicious if you make it with your favorite vanilla/chocolate cake recipes. I demand a do-over!

*edit: photos aren't on my laptop... oops! I'll post them when I get home.*

Back from Baltimore

2008-08-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hi! Our Baltimore trip was full of fun, here are some highlight photos...

Me and Laur at lunch

Lauren and Allan at Camden Yards

Allan and Charl at the Aquarium

This is probably the tank with striped bass and blue fish. They are probably talking about fishing.

The weather was really beautiful and it was fun to be around tons of Yankee fans all over the city! The Yankees won Friday night and the game was full of exciting plays. Charlie and Allan shared hours of laughs discussing Family Guy episodes and me and Lauren enjoyed the peaceful hours that they had each other to talk to. We are really glad they guys get along so well and that we have one big happy family!

When we got home, we celebrated our parents' anniversary. Ryan was there for the weekend and we got to spend some time talking and playing with him. He's really into trucks, planes, big messes, etc. While out with Babcia, he saw a big dump truck and a huge pile of dirt. He was saying "dump truck" but without the "p" in dump and with an "f" instead of "tr" in truck. =0

Bye!
Sandra

Long Time No Blog

2008-08-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

It has been SO long since I posted a blog. I collected a bunch of photos over the past couple months and never made it to the computer.

I've been working at camp every day but I took a few days off to go down the shore with Charlie. We had SO much fun doing everything beachy under the sun!

Riding the roller coaster up

And down

And down some more

Charlie and Mom eat fudge and play a mean hand of Rat-A-Tat-Cat

I sink the 100 point holes in Ski Ball

Mom and Uncle Johnny ride the coaster

Yesterday my sisters and I got together at our parents' house. Lauren brought Ryan and we walked down town for lunch.

Walking to town under a blue sky

Subs at Hershey's

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!

Then our mom called later to say she was heading home from the beach and she watched Ryan while we went to Rita's for a refreshing treat and to Target to see if there was anything good to buy. I got a coffee pot to keep in my class room so I can brew fresh coffee all day :)
The depressing part is that I just left it in my car since I'll be back to school in a few weeks :(

I've been crocheting a lot and posted a new blanket on www.potluckdesigns.etsy.com.

Tulip Frills

I also made a blanket as an engagement gift for a "friend of a friend of a friend" and the engagement party turned out to be a surprise wedding...the girl who asked me to make the blanket wound up being a bride's maid!

The summer just flew by and we have one last hurrah planned...Me, Charlie, Lauren and Allan are heading to Baltimore to see an Orioles/Yankees game on Friday. We'll also do some sight seeing and I promise to blog about our trip.

I also promise to have PLC with Rachel this Fall and to cook, craft and blog like we set out to do! But for now its all about camp and the kids are sucking up all my energy!

That's me at the sink

We're painting a mural too!

Kisses
Sandra

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

2008-08-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

When you invite yourself to crash on someone else's sofa for the night, it's always polite to show up with cookies. That, plus the request of my couch hostess (please bring cookies, no nuts!) is what prompted me to bake these on a 90 degree day in August.

A basic chocolate dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar... how can you go wrong? The recipe, which I found at Cookie Madness, says to place the cookies 2-inches apart. I found that they didn't spread or flatten out much, so after the first batch I pressed them down lightly with the bottom of a measuring cup. If you're like me and your patience runs out after two trays go into the oven, feel free to cram more than 12 onto a sheet. Like I said, they don't spread much and I easily fit 16 onto one tray.

These are good, but basic. My major issue with snickerdoodles is their tendency to become rock solid after cooling off a bit. But fresh off the tray, they were chewy and soft, with a little spice and a nice crunch from the sugar. I hope they earn me my keep on the sofa for the night!

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

(Adapted from Yankee Magazine, I found it at Cookie Madness)

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add flour mixture and stir, do not beat, until mixed.

Combine the 2 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. Shape dough into 1″ balls; roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 6-9 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheets immediately. (I baked mine for 8).

Makes about 36 cookies

We're still here!

2008-08-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

This summer got away from us pretty quickly. Sandra has been working at a Summer camp as an art teacher, and I've just been... working. Sandra finishes up camp this week, and I finally left my job on Friday so hopefully we'll both have a little more time for cooking soon!

In the mean time, check out Sandra's Etsy shop... she's listed a new project for sale.

And I want to say thanks to Clumbsy Cookie for pulling my name out of a hat! I won a pretty cake lifter, so I guess that means I'm going to be baking a cake pretty soon.

(ps - those cupcakes are Peanut Butter with Chocolate Drizzle, and I baked them on December 8th, 2006. I dug one out of the archives to post... what good is a blog without a photo???)

4th of July Weekend!

2008-07-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, this was a really fun weekend. I am so full of barbecued food and treats that I can hardly move. The star of my weekend was really this pie though.

I wanted to make a blueberry pie, and did a little hunting on the internet for a recipe. I love reading other people's blogs because they talk about the recipes they make and tell you what went wrong. So based on those opinions, I figured out that Cook's Illustrated had a really good recipe that wouldn't have a runny filling, thanks to the inclusion of a shredded Granny Smith apple in the mixture. When the pie bakes, the pectin in the apple cooks out and helps the filling thicken up. Half the blueberries are also mashed and cooked down on the stovetop before filling the pie, and that also helps remove some of the moisture from the filling. It really worked! The filling was fantastic and even after the leftovers sat in the fridge overnight, not a single berry oozed out into the pie plate.

The crust recipe was also from Cook's Illustrated, and it called for 1/4 cup of ice cold vodka. The theory is that while it cooks, the vodka evaporates leaving flaky layers. The crust was really good too, although sticky and a little hard to work with. I'd use it again and just chill chill chill between rolling it out and then trying to move it to the pie plate.

I also made these Dixie Bars. I'm not sure what the name means, but they taste almost like home made Twix. The bottom layer is a shortbread, then a layer of caramel with nuts, and then finished with chocolate. Cut these bars really bite sized!! A little tiny taste goes a very long way.

Dixie Bars
I found the recipe here

Base
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk (300 mL)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup pecan pieces

Topping
4 squares semisweet chocolate
1 tbsp butter
24 pecan halves (optional)

Base:
Heat oven to 350 F.

Combine flour and sugar; cut in butter to form soft dough. Press evenly into an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden.

Filling:
Combine milk, sugar, butter and corn syrup in heavy saucepan, cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and boil for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly or until mixture thickens slightly and turns a caramel colour. Remove from heat; stir in pecan pieces. Spread evenly over base. Chill.

Topping:
Partially melt chocolate with butter over low heat. Remove from heat and continue stirring until completely melted. Spread over caramel layer. Garnish with pecan halves.

Family Visit and Potluck Designs

2008-07-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I've been loving my summer vacation so far and even though camp started it still feels like I'm on vacation. Charlie's parents are on vacation too, all over Europe! They stopped off in Bayonne for a day before leaving and Charlie's brother came over to see them too.

Mami cooked us dinner and I helped.

We had party chicken, mashed potatoes, salad with strawberries and bleu cheese, and dinner rolls. For dessert, we had vanilla and caramel ice cream with strawberries and fresh made whipped cream! It was really good and we all had a fun time together.

I also learned about Panko breadcrumbs. They made the baked chicken so crispy and crunchy, like it was fried!

I've been busy making business cards and hang tags for my blankets.

It was a pain because the templates didn't line up right with the sheets of paper! I saw that the pack of business cards I bought got terrible reviews online because of the bad template so I had to improvise. Charlie helped me create a template of my own and it actually worked with a little tweaking. For the hang tags, I bought clear stickers to print on and white tags on a string. We folded the sticker in half wrapping the hang tag so it's double sided. The hang tags were even more of a pain because the printer kept feeding the sheets through differently so it was hit or miss. I definitely do NOT recommend Avery double sided business cards or clear labels!

The ribbon I ordered came the other day so all I need now are the gift boxes. I ordered some from ULINE, brown craft boxes that were the perfect size. The only problem was they smelled like vomit. They stunk up my craft room! So I returned them and I'm nervous to buy boxes online again.

Heres a picture of the latest blanket I made. It was a custom order for a friend. It's all jazzed up with my ribbon and hang tag. The hang tag has my logo on the front and care instructions and my etsy address on the back.

I'm working on a new blanket too, its white with rows of little purple flowers. I love to crochet!!

I haven't seen Rachel since last weekend. I don't even think I've talked to her all week!!! We haven't done PLC in so long. I know she is working on some kind of quilted lap top carry case. I hope she posts a blog about that! I want to see how its coming along.
Kisses
Sandra

Aaahhhhh, Summer...

2008-06-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially on Summer Vacation! My last day of school was Thursday; it was clean up day. Time to take down all the decorations and artwork I displayed throughout the year.

Here are some pictures of my classroom...

Before

During

After

And here's a before and after of me and my first year teaching...

First Day of School September 2007

Last Day of School, June 2008

I spent the first day of summer gardening, crocheting, relaxing and ordering some stuff for my business, Potluck Designs. I have a new blanket up for sale on Etsy, it was inspired by daydreams of the bright, sunny days ahead! Check it out at potluckdesigns.etsy.com!

Kitty and Jerry were enjoying each other's company in the kitchen so I took some pictures of them snuggling. Kitty has one blue and and one green eye so they glow different colors in photographs. Jerry likes to snuggle her head by Kitty's butt so I was lucky to snap the shot of them side by side, it's a rare gem!

Thats all for now!
Happy Summer and Kisses,
Sandra

90210!

2008-06-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sandra and I are back from birthday celebrations, and now we're all set up on the couch with pajamas and two bottles of wine (!!!) and the DVDs of 90210 that she got for her birthday. We're going to watch a marathon! Jealous?

xoxo
Rachel and Sandra

Special Breakfast Treat

2008-06-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

When I woke at 9am to the sound of clanging and clunking in the kitchen my first thought before my eyes opened was Jerry's in the pantry.

Jerry is our 3 legged bunny who lives in the kitchen.

She likes to get into things like an open cabinet, under things like the refrigerator or behind things like the stove...so we have to bunny proof the kitchen for her safety. Sometimes, Charlie leaves the pantry door open (I probably do too but I don't think so) and I worry that she will get electrocuted chewing on wires under the fridge. Today I could tell by the clanging and clunking she might be in the cabinet with our baking pans and dishes. I was relieved that no electrocution would be happening today.

When I opened my eyes and saw the shades were pulled shut on the windows I remembered a conversation Charlie and I had earlier in the week about Saturday morning. It seemed like we made the plans ages ago even though it was probably 2 or 3 days ago. Charlie wanted to sleep late and make breakfast. The pulled shades and the dark room reminded me of our plans and I stayed in bed for a while listening to the action in the kitchen. The clunking turned into clinking of measuring spoons and cups and whisking.

I finally got out of bed and found Charlie whipping up a batter for waffles. I helped clean up the kitchen a little and made some coffee. Charlie said he woke up around 7am...so much for sleeping late! I could stay in bed for hours and doze and drift in and out of dreams; Charlie wakes right up and starts his day. I hope our kids inherit my sleeping abilities.

Charlie cut the recipe in half since it made 12 waffles, and ours came out larger since we have a Belgian waffle maker. So we got 3 waffles from his concoction and they were delicious with black berries mixed in. As I was taking my first bite, he let me know there was an entire stick of butter in the batter.

The recipe said the butter makes the waffles really delicious so...

I ate a third of a stick of butter this morning.

And Charlie ate two thirds.

I'm going to crochet now and then we are going to my parents house for the rest of the day. Lauren's there with Ryan, we're bringing Grandma and Allan and Dad will be there later after they get home from work. Rachel and Mom are there, of course, and they are going to a church garage sale now! I hate missing out on steals, deals and finds. Oh well!!

We are going out for dinner to the Skylark Diner in Edison. Its so fun and yummy!

BYE!!!
Sandra

Still Celebrating

2008-06-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hi! My Birthday was yesterday but I'm still celebrating! Maybe that explains the insane look in my eye in these photos!?!?!?

Last night we went to Magic Fountain for ice cream and I opened a present from my parents that came in the mail. Its a jigsaw puzzle of all kinds of candy!

I got a fun package from Mami and Papi in Florida today, it was full of Polish Pottery.

I also got the first 3 seasons of 90210 on DVD from Charlie because I love that show. Its on Soap Net weekdays from 5-7 pm but now I can watch it from the beginning and get obsessed with it all over again.Theres still a present on the way from Charlie, I'll have it tomorrow! I'll still be celebrating tomorrow with my whole family...this is the best birthday ever. I love getting presents...can you tell??!?!?!?

Work has been crazy between Teen Arts at Bergen Community College and the Art Show at my school. I set up my room and even had a guest book for everyone to sign. I am impressed that no one tore down or scribbled on any of the artwork. Here are some pics of the rooms all set up.

I guess cinder block walls are cinder block walls no matter what you do! It looks a lot better in person! Well, thats enough about me...until tomorrow when I celebrate my birthday some more!

Kisses

Sandra

Happy Birthday Sandra!

2008-06-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today is Sandra's birthday! Happy birthday!

Why don't you all pop over to her new Etsy store and buy a little something to make her day?

Delta Bars

2008-05-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever heard of Delta Bars? I'm on my way to a barbecue this evening, and spent a long time this morning pouring through my bookmarked recipes to find something to bring with me. We were getting slammed by thunderstorms, no shopping for me, so I had to work with the ingredients I had on hand. I ended up choosing Delta Bars from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book. Our copy is so old and worn, with the cover falling off. Anyway, these bars jumped out at me because 1) They're totally weird, and 2) There's no photo of what they look like.
The concept is a basic sugar cookie crust, with a brown sugar meringue (mixed with some chopped nuts) spread over the top and then baked. The description says "Nutty brown sugar meringue bakes into cooky base to make chewy butterscotch bar. Popular with young and old." I wonder how they'll turn out!!

Here's the recipe.

Delta Bars
From Betty Crocker's Cooky Book
Makes 24 bars

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granualted sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375f. Mix shortening, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla well. Measure flour by dipping method. Stir together dry ingredients through salt. Blend into shortening mixture and mix thorougly. Spread in greased baking pan, 13"x9.5"x2". Beat egg white until foamy. Gradually beat in brown sugar. Continue beating until mixture is stiff and glossy. Fold in nuts. Spread meringue over dough in pan. Bake about 25 minutes. Cut while warm in 2" sqaures.

Edit to add: These bars are, um, totally underwhelming. You can not cut through meringue, warm or otherwise. It is dry and crunchy. The top layer of these bars crumbled and broke into a zillion pieces when I tried to slice through. Also, note to the world: Shortening does not make a delicious cookie base. Because it has no taste.

Lake Lounging

2008-05-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

So I missed Sandra's Memorial Day bbq, but for good reason! I was here instead. Who could blame me?

Hope you all had a great long weekend!

Baseball and Fun-B-Q

2008-05-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hello & Happy Memorial Day! What better way to spend the weekend than going to a ball game and having a fun-b-q!!

Me and Charlie saw a Yankee game on Sunday; it was really exciting since they made a come from behind win. My favorite part was when the whole stadium did the wave!

We took lots of pictures, Charlie got this great one of Mariano closing out the game.

And heres a shot of me outside the new stadium they are building across the street.

Today, we had a fun-b-q at the house. My mom, sister, nephew, grandma and best friend came over. We didn't do much in the way of cooking anything fancy so it was a fun relaxing day. Just burgers, hot dogs, macaroni and potato salad, corn on the cob and grilled veggies.

Charlie manned the grill by the blooming rose bushes

and whipped up some icy strawberry lemonade...mom really liked it!

Ryan likes to play soccer (and basketball and baseball) and he's not even 2 years old yet!

We all had so much fun!
(Ryan, Lauren my older sister, Mom, Charlie, me and Grandma)

Rachel was away with her friends for the weekend. I hope she had fun! Maybe I'll talk to her tomorrow, we have lots of catching up to do. We might go visit my friend Stephanie in her new place next Sunday. I hope Rachel doesn't have plans yet!
Kisses
Sandra

Good things start out small

2008-05-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

We haven't gone missing, I swear! Sandra and I have been pretty busy. I was away last weekend, and this past weekend was Mother's Day, so we've been out of the Sunday Dinner loop. Next week doesn't look good either.

However, I was able to run to the garden center on Saturday and pick up some plants in anticipation of gardening this weekend. They didn't have a few things that I wanted, so I'll have to go somewhere else, but I picked up some herbs and gave them a new home.

Basil (front), Lavender (left), and Thyme (right)

Lavender

Sweet Basil

A Beautiful Saturday

2008-04-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I was sitting around the house, waiting for it to start raining, like the weather predicted. After an hour or so, I realized that the forecast was probably wrong as usual, and I went outside and started digging up the weeds in the area I plan to garden. It took me like, 4 hours just to clear out a little space. Whew that's hard work!
Most of our backyard is blanketed with little wild flowers. There are thousands of violets, and these little white blooms that smell like honey. I stopped digging for a while and picked a few for a bouquet. It brightens up the kitchen in the Stangl pitcher I bought at the antique show last week in New Hope.
(Psst... do you recognize these flowers in the new header I made for our page?)

xoxo Rachel

Taco Night

2008-04-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

It was a dreary day and we were feeling a bit lazy. Rachel had the idea to make tacos for dinner since they require very little cooking. We spent most of the day crafting and watching tv and we took a break to make dinner and eat. We created a really yummy slaw for our tacos with red cabbage, carrots and corn. It would be great as a side dish for a bbq or as a topping on fish or chicken. We put it together on the fly so once we perfect the recipe we will post it here for you to try. We had tacos with a choice of broiled tilapia or browned turkey meat and a whole bunch of add ons like shredded lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, salsa and cheese.

Taco Fixins

We only drank a couple Smirnoff Ices which was pretty mild compared to last week's gallon of sangria. At least we will wake up hang-over free and ready for the week ahead.

As far as crafting goes, Rachel made 14 yo-yo's and I worked on a baby blanket I'm making for a friend to give as a shower gift. Rachel has been making most of the yo-yo's so far but I'm sure I'll get busy with them soon. It's so quick and easy as long as you pay attention to what you are doing. I like crafts like yo-yo's because you can instantly see your progress. Sometimes when I crochet I feel like hours go by and I have so little to show for my time.

We won't have PLC next week because Rachel will be out of town. I hope you don't miss us too much, we'll be sure to write about any adventures that may happen in the meantime!
Kisses
Sandra and Rachel

Broadway Day!

2008-04-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

This week, both Sandra and our mother were on their spring breaks from school. They came into New York City on Thursday and stood in line at the TKTS booth to see what show they could get into that night. They picked Gypsie, and met me at 5 when I left work. We went for dinner near Times Square at a restaurant called Havanna Central, and then went to the show. It was really great! Sandra took a bunch of photos to share.

Sandra and our mom went to Macy's

Love their vintage escalators!

Meeting Rachel after work (can you spot me?)

At Havanna Central

Rachel had paella, it came in its own cute kettle!

Cheers! Sangria and mojitos

Waiting in line outside the show

Sandra and me in our seats... we got in trouble for taking photos!

See you tomorrow!

xoxo Rachel and Sandra

4.22.08 - Earth Day

2008-04-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

If there was one single thing I could pin down as the worst part of working in an office, I'd say that it's not being able to get outside on days like today. I'm willing to bet that 99% of the working population would agree with me. Today on my lunch break I walked over to Bryant Park to try to catch some fresh air, and it was packed with people enjoying the sun. I sat for a while and made a few yo-yos.

xo Rachel

4.20.08 - Sangria night and Yo-Yo's

2008-04-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday!
Today we decided to make a big pitcher of sangria, and the rest of our dinner stemmed from there; we had quesadillas and refried beans to eat.

Here's our menu for the day:

Fruity Sangria (from Summer Cocktails Cookbook)
Refried Beans
Spinach, Mushroom, Goat Cheese, and Pear quesadillas
Chorizo, Pepper, Onion, and Cheddar quesadillas
Strawberry Galette

Fruit for the sangria

Rachel takes a sip!

Reflecting on our fun day

Sangria Sisters

Making dough for the galette

Getting ready to make yo-yos

Our first yo-yo's ever... they're so easy!

We wish we had more time to write about our day, but Rachel has to drive home now. Our yo-yo quilt is our new work-in-progress so we'll be posting about it a lot in the next few weeks. We'll have more surprises for you in the next few days, so check back soon.

xoxo
Sandra and Rachel

4.19.08 - New Hope Field Trip

2008-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, we had a really great weekend here at Potluck Crafters. By chance on Friday I read about an antique show in New Hope, PA which is a really cute little town just over the New Jersey border into Pensylvania. Sandra and I got an early start with our mom and we headed out there to see the show. I picked up two mismatched (but adorable) small Stangl pitchers. Then we spent the rest of the day walking around New Hope, we had lunch and ice cream and did a little shopping. Then you cross over the Delaware river on a bridge into Lambertville, NJ, which is another equally charming town to stroll around. The weather was gorgeous and there were so many happy people out enjoying the day. We got home around 6 pm and Sandra left, but our mom and I went out for a round of Bingo at a near by church... top prize is $1,000! I didn't win this time (or ever... I have no luck at bingo) but it's always fun anyway.

Sandra sniffs soy candles

At the Buck's County Play House

Geese enjoy the nice weather too!

Look! My initials on a pretty painted house

Stopped for an ice cream treat (Hi mom!)

On the way home, we stopped at a craft store for yarn. Sandra is working on a new baby blanket.

Losing bingo boards as far as the eye can see

Little bit-o-craft 4.18.08

2008-04-18T08:02:00.001-07:00

I just was sitting here at work and realized that I'm surrounded by a super easy craft to share with you. Because practically living in a dim little cubicle is kind of sad, I whipped up these thumb tacks to brighten up my space. All I did was hot glue some extra buttons onto thumb tacks, and used them to hang up work stuff on my upholstered bulletin board walls. It's appropriate, too, since I work for a coat company and have buttons on my mind for half the day.

The picture is a little dark, I took it with my phone and it's not exactly well lit in here. See you all on Sunday! We're planing more cooking and fun.
xo Rachel

First Potluck Crafters Dinner 4.13.08

2008-04-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! Welcome to Potluck Crafters! We're two sisters, Sandra and Rachel.

We spent the day setting up our new blog. How do you like it? We also planned our menu for tonight, grocery shopped, and started cooking.

Sandra and I live in different towns, but we can always look forward to being together on Sundays. We've been having Sunday Family Dinners for more than one year now, and they're so much fun! We get together on Sundays and spend the day cooking, eating, chatting, drinking wine, laughing and catching up with each other. After a while, the rest of our family wanted to join in on the fun, so occasionally they'll join us and you'll meet them here too.

We also really like to craft things, and always dreamed about starting a business some day. We thought it would be a good idea to combine our passions for crafting and cooking, and change Sunday Family Dinners into Pot Luck Crafters. Sandra loves to crochet and spends a lot of time learning new stitches. She's started her own line of baby blankets and accessories and is going to open an Etsy shop soon. We'll link to it here. I like to screen print and make things out of felt. Whatever I make needs to be functional and decorative. It's the best feeling when a person compliments something I have, and I can say, "Thank you! I made this".

Ok so, here's what's on the menu for tonight.
Roasted Salmon with Lemon Pine Nut Relish and Baby Spinach
Creamy Carrot Rice
Strawberry Banana Sherbet
And wine of course!

If you have any favorite recipes or wines, let us know! We're always looking for something new to try. Alright, that's it for now! We have to start on dinner.

Kisses, Sandra and Rachel

Sandra looks up our recipes

Salmon ready for the oven

Rachel makes relish

Sandra finishes the chicken

Here's our dinner! Salmon with relish, creamy carrot rice, and sauteed spinach.

Charlie doesn't like fish, so he gets chicken and loves it

yum!

Strawberry-Banana Sherbet