Fall's in the air

Happy Fall y'all!

October is just around the corner and so it's time to start decorating for fall like every year. 

This year I sewed a few pillowcases from very old linen bed cloth (I think they belonged to my great-grand mother) I had in stock, and put on some autumn ornaments I created with my silhouette.

Also I hung up the wreath I made last year

and like last year there's an ol' washtube with pumpkins at the frontdoor.

'til next time

               

       

Smokin' monkeys

Hi there,

today I want to show you a funny crocheting project. A good friend asked if he could have a special ape like this: 

Sorry, can't give any credits because I don't know the source

So I took action to create a similar one because there was not pattern given. Here's what I came up with.

Hope he'll like them. 

                   

Quick and easy knife block update

Hi,

today I have a practically knife block update. It's so stinkin' easy and quick to do. I can't hardly believe, why I haven't done this earlier.

You may remember the knife block refashion I formerly did. 

And now I had the idea to give this block an incredible update. Why shouldn't I use this block in more than one way? I would like to use this as a tablet holder, too.

All you need is a knife block (personalized or not), a scrap wood and 2 screws. I was lucky enough to have a 1x1 cm wood scrap which I cut at about 10 cm.

I drilled the screw holes, so they don't tear. Then I simply fastened the wood scrap with the 2 screws at the knife block. 

I still think about whether I should color the wood, or not. But for the moment it will stay natural. The whole thing takes about only 5 minutes and it's super convenient.

Hope you'll like the idea

                    

Back to Work Pie 2015 - Part 2 - Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

Hi Y'all!

Last week I told you about my back-to-work-pie-tradition. Last year I made a pumpkin-apple-pie. This year I brought Zuccini-Brownies and 

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread (I followed the recipe from lil' luna)

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1⅓ cups sugar
2 TB lemon juice
½ cup buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini

Glaze ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB milk

Instructions
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Then add oil and sugar until well blended. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together.
Fold in zucchini until it is mixed well.
Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined.
Pour batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
While still warm, make glaze and spoon over the bread. Let the glaze set up before cutting and serving.

see ya soon

                    

Back to Work Pie 2015 - Part 1 - Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Hi Folks,

today I started the 2nd week of work after the holiday. Last year I brought a pumpkin-apple-pie for my colleagues. So I decided to start a tradition of Back-to-Work-Cake. Because I had so many zucchini I wanted to do a cake with zucchini. Therefore I had a look or two (who's counting?) at Pinterest for some yummy cake recipes with zucchini. Here's the first I tried.

Zucchini Brownies (I followed the recipe from the yummylife)

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped raw zucchini 
1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil, or melted butter 
1/2 cup low fat yogurt* (regular or Greek) 
1­1/4 cups sugar 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder 
1­1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 

Frosting ingredients: 
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 
1/4 cup canned evaporated milk (may substitute almond milk, if desired) 
2 tablespoons butter (may substitute coconut or vegetable oil, if desired) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
1 cup powdered sugar 
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. In blender or food processor, puree zucchini, oil, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add pureed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until moist throughout. Pour into greased pan, spread evenly, and bake for 20­25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. (Overcooking will result in dry brownies.) Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Cool for 20­-25 minutes and frost while still warm. 

To make the frosting: 
Combine chocolate chips, evaporated milk, butter (or oil) and vanilla in microwaveproof bowl. Microwave on full power for 30­40 seconds. Remove and whisk until chocolate chips melt in and mixture is smooth (return to microwave for a few seconds if necessary). Add powdered sugar and continue whisking until smooth. Spread evenly over brownies while they are still slightly warm. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired. (Brownies may left without nuts, if preferred.)

My colleagues liked the brownies. (Maybe because I didn't tell them that there are zucchini in)

'til next time