Saturday, April 24, 2010

That's Amore!

Today was my first attempt at homemade pasta; I have been meaning to try this for a while now. It took a few hours but it was fun and tasty. 

 First, I gathered all the ingredients and setup the pasta machine.



Then, I made the pasta dough.  You have to slowly incorporate the flour into the pool of eggs in the center.  This is much harder than it sounds.  In spite of my constant kneading, the dough stayed pretty flaky.

You can see the flaky texture of the dough.  Also, it was very tough and hard to knead.  Once it is mixed it has to be wrapped in cling-wrap and let set at room temperature for 30 minutes.  It was much more cohesive after that and it had a more elastic quality.

Finally, the fun part! The dough has to be divided and rolled through the machine about 20-30 times (at different roller widths) to make long thin sheets.


The sheets are then passed through the noddle cutters and out comes fettuccine.

I found a great recipe on Epicurious.com (originally from Gourmet Magazine) for a pancetta and sun dried tomato cream sauce to showcase my homemade fettuccine.  At last, it was time to eat!  A little garlic bread...a little Pinot...yum...

My pasta making skills need some work but it was a good first try.  I feel so gourmet.  Maybe my skills will improve enough to impress my Italian in-laws. 

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Kids say the darndest things

I think the thing I love most about working with junior high age students is their insatiable curiosity.  It is impossible to prepare for the questions I am asked each day.  I have been collecting student quotes and questions since the beginning of the year.  Below are a few of my favorites. 

1. You know how sometimes men dress like women...do they want to be called 'he' or 'she'?

2. In your opinion, if President Bush had not been president, do you think we would have still been attacked on September 11th?

3. Have you heard of this band called 'KISS'?

4. Is there a rule that says you have to shave your armpits?

5. If are pregnant with twins how many placentas do you have?


Their fresh minds make me smile.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The beginning of possible greatness...

I make fun of Ethan for being a nerd...a lot.  But the truth is, I like it.  I even like some of the things I make fun of him for liking.  I don't really hate the giant Pac 10 football standing board we made.  I don't really mind the Harry Potter ornaments on my Christmas tree.  And I kind of think his giant collection of "action figures" (not to be confused with "toys") is cute.  Weddings usually get a bad rap for being all about the bride and I don't want that to be case.  So, I have created a wedding craft that will pay tribute to his true love (other than me of course)...Star Wars. I have not worked out all the engineering yet, but below is my first attempt at a lightsaber boutonniere (sorry for the poor image quality).


I could be making wedding history here. I just need to figure out how to keep it quirky but not too over-the-top.  This will definitely not be the last post on this project...

Monday, April 5, 2010

Very Frustrating Road Block

I have spent countless hours creating custom save-the-date cards and invitations only to find that no one will print them!  I should amend the previous statement; many people will print them, but no one will print them the way I want them to be printed.  I first tried they convenient Kinko's/ Staples route.  In spite of their special "matte finish," everything they print comes out of a laser printer and is too glossy.  I have tried a local stationary shop that claims to offer custom printing.  What they fail to mention is that their "custom printing" is a women with Microsoft Publisher and a non-commercial ink-jet printer.  Her sample book included one page flyers for baby showers with cliche, baby rattle borders (the border that is included in Microsoft Office) and invitations that are the kind you print on a single sheet of printer paper and then fold in half twice.  I hate to sound like a snob but I would not call her work "professional" and she charged more than Kinkos!  Lately, I have been exploring online printing services.  Since I am a tactile person, I need to be able see and touch what I am ordering.  I requested samples from a few different places but none of them have arrived yet and they were supposed to be here weeks ago.  I feel like I have to settle for low-quality printing or order cookie-cutter invitations from a wedding stationary company.  They need to be sent out this month and having them printed is just the first part of their overall construction. 

I really am trying to stay positive.  I just don't like being behind schedule...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Spring Break Productivity: Part 2

One of the big tasks on my spring break to-do list was to make cupcake toppers for the wedding.  I saw some wooden people toppers in an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and wanted to recreate them to be more specific to my wedding. I tried my hand at these a while back and the results were mixed.  I was pretty pleased with how the bride turned out, but her bouquet of flowers is not centered, one of her eyes is slightly lager than the other and it looks a little smudged (I used a Sharpie for the eyes and wood absorbed it more than I thought it would and the ink bled).  Groom #1 is a disaster. I completely messed up his eyes and the gray I used to detail his suit is WAY too light (I didn't test it to see how it would look when it dried).  He quickly became my technique tester (hence the 6 eyes).

Bride and Groom #1

Thankfully the wooden people came in packs of two.

First, I sketched the eyes, hair and clothes on the figures.  The pencil marks will show through the first layer of the bride's dress (the marks will disappear with two or three layers of paint).  However, because the black paint of the groom's suit will cover all pencil marks, I waited to sketch the suit details until after the first layer of paint was dry. 


Then, it was time for paint.  This was completely nerve-racking because one mistake can ruin the entire figure.  It is impossible to remove unwanted paint from the natural, unfinished wood.  Paint can be covered with more paint, but there is not erase!  Also, I was working on the figures simultaneously.  Once tiny smudge of black paint could have ruined the bride figure.  I was so paranoid, I washed my hands every time I switched figures. Trying to avoid mistakes from bride and groom #1, I was very careful to paint in layers based on depth and lightest elements to darkest.


After hours of laboring over 2, 2 1/2 inch figures...I am done!  In some ways, I like the original bride better but I can't get past the off-center bouquet and the asymmetrical eyes.  If I can find a way to fix the eyes, I might use the first bride (my new spot sanding method is currently in beta testing...on groom #1).  Either way, I love my cupcake toppers!  They are understated but quirky and cute.  And here is the final product...


I might have gotten a little carried away taking pictures and set up a miniature photo shoot for the new couple... I like playing with my new camera...