She's crafty - and she's just my type

Whew! Half my Crazy Month is over. Renegade was FANTASTIC. There were so many fun things and cool people there, but I didn't get to see any of them. Not because I didn't want to, I just didn't have the time. I didn't even buy anything, which is a first! My booth was busy all day - both days, which was great, but it ruined my plans for doing things like...eating.

Luckily LilSprinkles was kind enough to come 'relieve' me all day long. She brought me food, and let me out to pee every 3 hours. I'm like a dog, apparently.
Someone said, "I thought your pins said 'FAT WHORE'!" Er...no.

The one downside was a large marching band that played around 4pm on Sunday. They were good...it was just super loud...in a penthouse...on the 13th floor. Yikes. It drove away a lot of customers, and when the band stopped, I made sales. Ha! Funny how that works. Is that why muzak is so important at malls?

Overall, it was really a wonderful show, and I hope it becomes a Los Angeles tradition. Thanks to all my friends and blog readers who stopped by, it really made my day. I'd love to do it again, now...next up Comic Con!

Don't stop til you get enough

One more push - this weekend is Renegade. Stop on by.

Tiny dancer

Stuck on the 110fwy with O.G. = 45 mins of discussions like this...

O.G.: "My friend Meech has only one pair of shoes."
Jenn: "Come on."
O.G.: "I'm serious. She wears a size three."
Jenn: "NO ADULT WEARS A SIZE THREE."
O.G.: "She does! And Yorie does too!"
Jenn: "You are a liar who lies."
O.G.: "All my friends wear size three shoes."
Jenn: "ALL YOUR FRIENDS WEAR SIZE THREE SHOES."
O.G.: "Yes."
Jenn: "Are you only friends with centaurs?"
O.G.: "I don't know what that means but YES."
Jenn: "You are ridiculous."
O.G.: "Since I wear a size 7 they call me Bigfoot..."
Jenn: "Shut... Up."

Grr. Have you ever wanted to strangle someone? While driving...?

Hello Pirate

This is what happens when I am at home and bored.

I've had these Hello Kitty cupcakes in mind for a while. She is the one thing I can draw with my eyes closed so it was simple transition to fondant.

People always ask me if it's hard to work with fondant. I don't think so. The sculpting part of it is pretty cathartic. Just go with the flow. It's fun to mix up colors and just start shaping things.

I made a bunch of kitty faces, with a couple of pirate kitties thrown in for good measure. You know how the trend was to bling everything out? I'm going to pirate-out everything. Whatever's not nailed down will be turned into a pirate.

I have a few friends who adore Hello Kitty as much as I do, so I knew they'd be appreciated. I put the faces on red velvet cupcakes and dyed the cream cheese frosting a light pink. It gave the kitty faces a nice sweet n' fluffy pillow to rest on.

Fondant Hello Kitty how-to, here.

Ice is back with a brand new invention

For this year's Fourth of July taste test, I decided to make up my very own entry into the competition - Vanilla Sea Salt Ice Cream. I had a bunch of vanilla sea salt leftover from the wedding cupcakes that I did recently, and for some reason the idea of ice cream popped in my head.

I looked on the internet and the only previous reference was to the Kingdom of Hearts video game. I don't even know what that is, which is odd considering I hear Disney is involved. (Someone revoke my Nerd Badge.) Anyway, turns out the maker of that game had tasted Sea Salt Ice Cream during a trip to Tokyo Disney Seas - oddly enough I remembered that I had tried the same thing when I was there ten years ago! How could you not, it sounds so intriguing...

So I tried my own recipe and it came out pretty good! I got some 'great!'s and one 'not good'. Everyone else was silent. Hm. I thought it was salty-sweet, in the best possible way.

Vanilla Sea Salt Ice Cream recipe

I got that boom boom pow

Fourth of July 2009 was...the same as last year. Same peeps. Same fireworks. I ate my weight in guacamole. Blah.

I love grilled bbq foods, however I was kind of repulsed by these hamburgers my Uncle grilled up from Costco. Why the heck are there holes in the middle? I felt like I was eating a donut burger and not the Paula Deen kind. It tasted good, it was just odd.Desserts were abundant, I made red velvet cupcakes that the kids decorated with sprinkles and my annual Watermelon Bombe. And this year, my Uncle's Annual Taste Test? Vanilla Ice Cream!

Of course it was the coldest Fourth of July ever. People were in parkas, ski hats, winter garb. I realize that we don't even live in snow country, but by the beach 50 degrees is cold, peeps! What I'm saying is, not ideal ice cream weather.

Which ice cream was the best? Let's just say that much like last year's ketchup debacle where I chose Hunt's as my favorite, I refuse to believe I'd betray my beloved Heinz and will buy that brand til I die. Er. Our family takes these tests a little too seriously.

Once again our family called foul on my Uncle's Taste Test. There's no freakin' way they were labeled correctly. I told him to show me the carton so I could eat of there directly to see if Dreyer's was really Dreyer's and Thrifty was really Thrifty. However the cartons were conveniently thrown away earlier in the day. Huh. A likely story. O.G.'s review? "Hm. They all taste like ice cream." Brilliant.

It was a good exhausting day, but too many annoying people and too much boom boom pow noise - is optimum irritation level for me. Maybe I just need to back away from the guac now and chill. Until next year...

Bombes away

It's the 4th, which means one thing...
The Watermelon Bombe.
It somehow seems more refreshing to wait and eat it on July 4th. Like last year's party, there will be a taste test of some sort. This time I hear it will be Vanilla Ice Cream. Hm..I think I have a good idea for my own entry for that one...

Been thuggin’ all my life, can’t say I don’t deserve to take a break.

July is here and it's already jam packed for me.

This month I have two big shows!! I'm very excited to be doing the first Renegade Craft Fair Los Angeles. It will be at the California Marketplace July 11 & 12. There are some amazing vendors/good friends and I fear I will be buying lots and lots of things...sigh. My poor wallet. Come down and support your local crafters and designers - there are so many talented people in this city, you'll be amazed at what you can find. I'll be at Booth 167.

Then, just two weeks later is the San Diego Comic Con, four days of nerdy bliss - I love it. I look forward to it every year. There is so much cool stuff, old friends, and lots of fun. Sadly, it's sold out but if you have tickets drop by - I'll be in the Small Press area aisle O...

Lastly, if you are getting married or knows someone who is - the new site Orange & Blossom just launched - it has some great items to personalize your own unique wedding. If you remember the cake tasting notepad I made a while back, it is now a featured item on that site! Celebrate their grand opening with $5 shipping (free with orders over $200) and $5 off any purchase over $50. Use promo code BEAUTIFUL. Now through July 15.

I'll have a few new things just for those shows, and hopefully some cookies to tide me over the long boring days alone at my booth. Stop by and show some indie love to all the great L.A. artists and designers.

Emily: "You like sugar, huh?"Buddy: "Is there sugar in syrup?"Emily: "Yes."Buddy: "Then yes!"

Well, the Kid went back to the allergist and he is STILL allergic to peanuts and chocolate. Looks like Reese's is his sworn enemy. Sad.

Which means whenever we are invited to potlucks, I always feel like I need to bake something that he can specifically eat. Yes I am the rude one who brings dessert without asking. Lord knows the go-to dessert for parties is always chocolate. I don't blame people, but when a 5 year old looks at you with those sad eyes, it's heartbreaking.

So for a recent party, I made a Maple Bundt Cake. The Kid could eat it, but surprisingly everyone else loved the thing too. It was gone in no time.

I'm not gonna lie. Chocolate and peanuts sounds fantastic right now.

Maple Bundt Cake recipe

Batman: It's the car, right? Chicks love the car.

I'm not one for staying home, so I'm always dragging the kids out to look for fun things to do. In this town, fun could be at any turn. I was driving around when the Baby yelled SUPERMAN! He is very into superheroes right now, so I didn't quite know what to expect.

Turns out some car/superhero enthusiasts were having an impromptu car show, just for themselves! We pulled over and the kids went nuts. There was a tricked out Superman car - gorgeous paint job - and a very realistic looking 1960's Batmobile. These things were in great condition.
The kids wanted pictures with the cars so I pulled out my camera, then the owner came over. He took my camera - I was thinking I wasn't allowed to take pictures, instead he insisted I go stand with the kids so he could take a bunch of pictures with ME in there too. Er. Ok. I don't know what I am going to do with these. Hang them on the wall and title them 'Family portrait in front of the Batmobile'?

Just as we were about to leave guess what drives up? Kitt from Knight Rider! I thought it was neat, but clearly showing a generational gap - the kids were like WHO CARES. I made the mistake of telling them that it was a talking car (er this one was just a replica) so they sat and waited for the damn thing to talk to them. No dice.It was pretty cool to run into these cars by chance. The only problem is now the Baby is INSISTENT that "Why do we have a van?? Why can't you drive a Batmobile Mommy!?!" Sorry kid, I don't think two car seats will fit in the Batmobile.

More classic superhero car pictures, here.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Cooking with Kids and the Farmer's Market

I am very excited to say that I was one of the 24 people chosen to participate in Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 . Foodbuzz selected 24 bloggers from around the world and had them write about their unique meals - all within a 24 hour period.

My proposal revolved around something I truly believe in: buying local produce at farmer's markets and making healthy meals for your kids. The Kid has been asking for cooking lessons, but since losing my job, expensive classes just aren't in the cards right now. So I thought, why can't I do it myself?

The Kid has always taken great interest in watching me put together meals. At just 5 years old he already knows his way around the kitchen. We started off by planning a menu and came up with recipes that incorporated a lot of fruits and vegetables, then headed off to the Farmer's Market.

My favorite Farmer's Markets are the Santa Monica and the Hollywood. They are two of the biggest markets in the city. At the Hollywood you might run into celebrities, at the SaMo you might run into famous chefs - everyone in this town loves fresh produce, folks. Both markets are large and carry a diverse number of produce vendors. We started off with our 'menu' and went up and down the stalls looking for what we needed.The Kid has been my littlest sous chef on many of my meals, so I got him started washing and separating what was needed. I also tried to choose things that were easy prep and incorporated different cooking techniques for him to learn. Something in the oven, something on the stove, something on the grill. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but he was very excited to give it a go. Here's a rundown of our menu, and what we bought for those recipes specifically from the Farmer's Market:
Creme Fruit
strawberries, apples, grapes

Broccoli Salad
broccoli, red onion

Avocado + Grapefruit Salad
avocado, oro blanco grapefruit, ruby red grapefruit

Potato/Sweet Potato Fries
potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemon, garlic

Lettuce Wraps
garlic, ginger, carrots, green onions, mushrooms, lemon

Grilled Shrimp with homemade Tzatziki sauce
cucumber, dill, lemon, garlic

Cherry Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cherries, lemon, ginger

O.G. who was front and center for this meal, and in her O.G. ways - complained that "Food today is so fresh. We always used to cook it until it was completely limp and colorless. I like it like that." Ok...well that ain't happening at this meal, sorry. For the recipes I put together for this particular meal, most of the fruits and veggies are ever so slightly cooked, or not cooked at all. All the nutrients and it makes for a much fresher tasting meal. Unless you like lifeless broccoli - then head over to O.G.'s house.

I know we are lucky to live a place where food is colorful and available year round, but cooking seasonally can be a lot of fun wherever you live. The kids play a major part in my meal planning, because I like to make sure they are always trying different foods, testing flavors and seeing what they truly like to eat.Cooking doesn't have to be a chore if you pick simple, fresh recipes. Fresh produce was a major part of this meal but what the Kid enjoyed most (so he said), was spending time working in the kitchen with me.

You can find all the recipes here:
Creme Fruit
Broccoli Salad
Avocado + Grapefruit Salad
Potato/Sweet Potato Fries
Lettuce Wraps
Grilled Shrimp with homemade Tzatziki Sauce
Cherry Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches

And see all the photos, here.