A Birthday and a Cookie

The Soul Sisters got together a few weeks ago for a birthday.  Marzipan turned another year older so we showered her with hand made gifts:

 Joy made this sweet little bag from a skirt!

Treat Girl knit this sweater pillow!

While there, we ate the BEST sugar cookies while there and have been trying to duplicate them ever since.  We analyzed the taste, texture, color, and shape over Chai and coffee and googled the heck out of it and FINALLY came up with this recipe! They were perfect! (Thanks, DelectablyMine!)

Thick and Chewy Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar 
• 2 sticks (225 g) butter, melted browned butter
• 3 egg yolks (large)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (127 g) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (20 g) nonfat dry milk powder (I found a can of buttermilk powder in the baking aisle)
• 1/4 cup (30-35 g) cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Using a scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Don't press down, and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until almost done, then pull them out and let them finish baking and set  on the baking sheet (5-10 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Frost with confectioner's sugar glaze or American Buttercream!

Soul Sister Birthday Lunch!

We took Marjorie out for some birthday sushi and shopping this week!

Mug cakes and sharpie coffee cups are all the rage over Pinterest right now, so it inspired my gift:

"There Might Be Cake In Here" Mug:

I taped off my lines and wrote the message in an oil-based fine tipped paint pen then placed in a cold oven, turned the heat up to 350 and baked for 20 minutes.

I filled bags with the ingredients for Snickerdoodle Mug Cake:

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
For layering/topping:
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Blend in milk, butter, and vanilla until batter is smooth. Into a microwave-safe mug with straight sides, scoop a big spoonful of batter, then sprinkle with a spoonful of cinnamon sugar. Alternate layers, ending with cinnamon sugar.
2. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until cake is done to your liking. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

Bag up the dry ingredients into 2 separate bags (flour mixture in one and cinnamon sugar in another) and tuck into your "This Might Be Cake" Mug and gift it to your nearest and dearest cake lover.

Soul Sisters' Birthday Party

The Soul Sisters gathered for all the spring birthdays last week and, as usual, it was chock full of hoots and giggles, good food, amazing gifts, and a fun craft.

We met for lunch at Marzipan's house (her new blog is eat. live. think) and dined on Greek salads topped with grilled chicken and tender homemade flat bread in her beautiful garden. 

She served us delicate raspberry pavlova on antique china plates for dessert:

The girls went all out for this year as we were gifted homemade limoncello with tiny crystal glasses (found at Goodwill!), leather luggage tags, a big tray of homemade chicken enchiladas, and a hand sewn yoga mat strap. 

After lunch, we worked on a craft that I will share on Friday - Coconut Oil Lip Balm!

Fall Centerpiece

We celebrated a Soul Sister birthday last month and one of the gifts presented (always handmade is the rule!) was this pumpkin centerpiece.  Isn't it amazing??  Great idea, Joy!

Thanksgiving is around the corner and I would love to have this crowning my dining table.

Do you want to make your own? Let's do this thing!

Pumpkin Centerpiece

What to buy:

Pumpkin
Potting soil
Plastic bag
Various small plants and decorations

What to do:

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the insides.  You can roast the seeds for a snack!

Line the inside of the pumpkin with a plastic bag and fill almost full with soil.

Plant your plants!  Easy peasy!

This pumpkin was planted with succulents and moss and adorned with mini gourds, Chinese lanterns, acorns, and greenery.

Some other ideas...

Herbs, lettuces, pansies, mums, or just about anything you will find at your local nursery or in your backyard!

When your pumpkin starts to rot, just transplant into a pot to enjoy during the long winter.

A "Full Tea" Birthday

The Soul Sisters field trip for this month was to celebrate Joy's birthday.  She loves a nice cup of tea and the Johnston House Tea Room was the perfect spot to celebrate.


We were served a traditional Full Tea with savories on the bottom, scones with clotted cream and preserves in the center and sweets on the top.

We were inspired by some of the tiny creations and talked about creating our own.

There were tiny phyllo cups (from your grocer's freezer) filled with spinach and feta and baked, tiny croissants cut in half and stuffed with chicken salad then dipped in slivered almonds, and small slices of red pepper quiche.  Any of these little snacks would be easy to recreate at home.

The sweets tray had slices of blueberry quick bread with an icing glaze, chocolate dipped strawberries, and tiny "butterfly cakes".  It looks like they baked tiny vanilla cakes then sliced off the tops.  Fill the cupcake bottom with whipped cream frosting, cut the top of the cupcake in half, then place in the frosting to resemble wings.  Easy peasy!

Did you know there is a directory so you can locate a tea house in your area?  Check out the directory at Tea Map to find a tea house in your area.  Or better yet, use the ideas above to create your OWN tea!

Soul Sisters Field Trip

 We had a fun birthday outing for The Treat Girl last month!  We explored our own city on a food tour of the Strip District in Pittsburgh.

You don't often think of acting like a tourist in your own town, but you can discover treasures in your own backyard!  Our tour guide from 'Burgh Bits and Bites Food Tours began the tour at St. Patrick's Church - a little church in the heart of the Strip District that none of us knew existed!

We were lost at first then came upon this beautiful courtyard oasis in the middle of the gritty city.

Next, we visited Parma Sausage - a small family owned business with fantastic sausages and cured meats.  We got advice about what to order and tasted a bit of their most popular meats.  I was collecting items for my anniversary picnic with The Big Guy, so he recommended some prosciutto, pepper butt, and coppa setta sliced thin.

You can see the city in the background as we poke into several of the Strip District's original storefronts during our tour.

Mancini's Bread is a Pittsburgh staple and we got to tour their smaller artisan bakery where breads are hand made (not just hand baked).  We tasted pepperoni roll hot from the oven!

We were invited in the small dining room behind Labad's Grocery to sample the best hummus I've ever had.  Smooth and creamy with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika...I picked up some of it and some pita for my picnic.

Next we popped into Penzey's Spices to view a treasure of a mural uncovered during their expansion a few years ago.  This 100+ year old mural was revealed during demolition of the space they expanded into and shows the old Pittsburgh in a huge mural.  This is where you would find the smoked paprika for your hummus!

Next was Pennsylvania Macaroni Factory - or "Penn Mac" by locals.  The lady behind the counter recommended some cheeses for my picnic - a hard and a soft mild cheese from Holland called Beemster Graskaas or "spring grass" since the cows are fed from the first spring grasses. It was mild and buttery and in short supply due to high demand.

Finally, we stopped at Enrico's Biscotti for something sweet.  This bakery was made famous by the movie "The Bread, My Sweet" starring Scott Baio.  I chose a cinnamon biscotti and should have ordered coffee!
   

We actually had another Treat Girl birthday party in this very place, in the back room of Enrico's.  They have a "Big Italian Throwdown".  Here we are during our own celebration in 2009.

So, have I inspired you to explore your own city?  Look for food tours in your own towns!

Soul Sisters Beach Birthday Smackdown!

195/365, originally uploaded by hopestudios1.

Well, the Soul Sisters were at it again and this time it was for a celebration - Smackdown style! (All parties with food and drink have been dubbed "Smackdowns" ever since we attended the Big Italian Smackdown in the city. We like how it sounds).

This time Joy was the lucky birthday girl and the shores of Lake Erie was the destination. So, five "Sistas", 13 kids, a jug of margaritas, lots of salads and cupcakes all made the journey for an afternoon of fun.

Our Beach Birthday Smackdown, originally uploaded by hopestudios1.

The usual rules applied to the gifts, (the gift must be hand made using $10 or less for supplies) and this is the booty:

A Hope Studios Memory Plaque
The coolest ankle/toe bracelet ring thingie you ever saw from Treat Girl
A mini Costco chocolate cake imitation from Marzipan (the birthday girl swoons over this cake)
A cute hand made clutch that matches a skirt she already has from Girl in the Sticks

We planted our own letterbox thanks to Joy's forethought (anyone letterboxing in the Erie area???), played at a cool playground then headed out.

So, happy birthday to our sister, you don't look a day older...

Soul Sista's Power - Activate!

The Sista's converged to throw a birthday bash for my 9th, 29th birthday this year complete with cupcakes, hand made gifts, and treat bags! We used the Christmas party rules of $10 maximum for supplies, with emphasis on using things you already have around the house, and gathered at The Treat Girl's house:

Treat bags from The Treat Girl complete with airplane bottles of booze, yeah!


Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly from Meg:


A What is it Wednesday jar filled with goodies, including Pam's Jam, earrings, and this skirt from Treat Girl:


The BEST coconut cupcakes ever from Marzipan


And a glass tile necklace made from my blog banner from Joy

It was a fantastic day, and I can't wait for the next celebration!

Oh, I need your help...our 5th sis doesn't have a blog yet and we are trying to convince her to start. The hardest part is coming up with a name, so I thought I'd poll my readers for help.

Here is a bit about our girl Meg: She is cool and edgy with a new swingy angled haircut, she is a jeans and boots girl, she spoke of the earrings, pick up truck, and shaved head her husband had when they met as a turn-on, she is considering getting a purple or blond streak put in her hair, she is an active hockey mom of two boys, she can whip up hot pepper jelly then turn around and handle power tools like a pro. What can we name the blog?