Through the years…

Through the years…, originally uploaded by cathoholic3.

Courtesy Yearbook Yourself–plus a relatively recent photo for comparison. What’s really amazing to me is how much I look like some of my family on my mom’s side–I’ve always been told I look so much more like my dad! It was hard to get my face the right size–looking at some of the photos, I can tell i should have gone a little smaller. What can I say–I’ve always had a big head.

Also, clearly I’m obsessed with the flickr mosaic maker.

Baby Gifts for Sebastian

Baby Gifts for Sebastian, originally uploaded by cathoholic3.

Friends of ours had their second baby at the end of July and Michael and I were finally able to get out and visit the new baby/happy family this past weekend. I’d seen these embellished onesies all over the web and decided to try my hand at appliqué. It was very, very easy. Two of the photos are a little blurry (I was in a hurry to get there and not worried about photo quality), but I was really impressed by how well they turned out. To round out the gift, I included a Wee Bunny from the free pattern on Wee Wonderfuls (I love all of the Wee Wonderful stuff). Also made something for big brother, but that will be a later post.

Yum: Cheesy Bread Pudding

Creative Leftovers!

Recently I made a batch of cheese muffins following the basic recipe from my beloved Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. The cheese version was kind of a last minute decision and if I were to make them again, I’d leave out the 3 tablespoons of sugar called for in the master recipe. The muffins were still tasty, I just wanted something more distinctly savory. Between the two of us, we ate 7 of the 12 muffins (in the course of a few days) and then we were done. Neither of us could face another cheese muffin. What to do?

I’m proud to say that the left over muffins did not land in the trash or end up tossed to our feathered friends. I made this cheesy bread pudding instead! I followed the recipe here and made many modifications. It was a really nice weekend breakfast that felt special and not like I reheating old food. I do have to say that the little bit of sugar in the muffins was really obvious in the bread pudding, which I didn’t really care for. This didn’t stop Michael from polishing off a couple of servings! If Michael ate meat or if I were willing to cook it for myself at home, I think some smoky maple bacon would be great alongside.

Somewhat Healthier Pumpkin Bread

I love fruit and nut breads like Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Bread and Banana Bread but they can be killer as far as calories and fat are concerned. I’m not ascetic enough to go all the way fat-free or whole wheat, but I thought this recipe re-do was a nice compromise between taste, texture, and nutrition. The original recipe is from my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, which I love. It’s a great resource for basic recipes and has the kind of Mom’s Kitchen Classics that aren’t often found in other cookbooks (or at least not in an original form). The recipe that follows is my adaptation–the main differences being that I took out a whole CUP of sugar, 1/3 cup oil (could probably have taken away 1/2 cup), 1 egg and substituted some wheat bran for the all-purpose flour. I meant to add some wheat germ, too, but I forgot.

Pumpkin Raisin Nut Bread

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup wheat bran

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2/3 cup water

2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15 oz can)

3/4-1 cup raisins

3/4 -1 cup walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 2 loaf pans (9×5) and set aside. In an extra-large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well. Add pumpkin on low speed until well-incorporated.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, wheat bran, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Alternately add flour mixture and the water to pumpkin/sugar mixture. Beat on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Pour or spoon batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes clean. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely before wrapping. Best stored overnight before slicing.*

*This is a pipe dream for us, but I thought I’d share the recommended serving suggestion.

The made over recipe is still not a low-fat snack, but it is fairly healthy. I changed the serving size from 16 slices per loaf to 12 slices (to me, 16 slices is just not realistic) and still saved about 50 calories and 3 grams of fat over the original recipe. Each slice provide about 2 grams of fiber and 64% of recommended vitamin A for the day. There is also the good fat from the walnuts. I think that I will work to make this a little healthier still by further reducing the oil and sugar.  We’ll see! If you make the bread, I hope you enjoy!

Little Red Pillow

Little Red Pillow, originally uploaded by cathoholic3.

Some of last weekend’s crafty endeavor. I made the pillow form maybe a year or so ago and stuffed it using left over scraps of fleece (I made everyone throws for Christmas). The form is the wonky part–I know that the whole thing looks kind of crooked, but the cover is actually pretty even. I was impressed with my ability to actually sew 1/4″ seams when I pressed the top. I was less thrilled when I saw how lumpy the end result is, but oh well. It’s really firm, too. I probably overstuffed it. Live and learn!