Babies and crafts

I've had several friends have (or are in the process of having) new babies recently. And with new babies, comes new crafts. My crafty friend Laura made this cake for her daughter's christening. That stuff on the top isn't lace my friends. It's something edible that looks like lace. Since I'm not good with small and intricate stuff that require careful precision, I'm totally impressed with this. I would never be able to pull this off.

Since my plate is full, I've also committed to allowing myself not to be overly crafty for everyone. Oh sure, I have ideas for each friend and new baby. But I make myself have an out so if I don't have time to be crafty and produce the present in a polite time frame, I order something online. And that's plenty okay.

But I did crank out this gift this past week for a co-worker who is the biggest out-of-the-closet New Kids on the Block fan I've ever met: It's a onesie and matching pink tutu for her future little girl...complete with a butt patch. Finding a retro logo to print out and adhere was the hardest part of the process. But seeing her reaction at the shower was priceless. She started doing the NKOTB dance moves.

the Kitchen game

I haven't had many successes in the kitchen lately. For the most part, I've been extremely uninspired. My cookbook reading has been random and unfocused. My online snooping for appetizing recipes has been aimless and fruitless. My planning and ideas have been lackluster. I like to be in the kitchen, but I haven't been inspired to be there lately..

I hate it when a recipe doesn't turn out like I think it should. I had some veggies that needed to be cooked, so I took a stab at a simple veggie lasagna with loads of cheese. Yuck. There's still half of it in the freezer. Then, I attempted a baked chicken dish that involved stuffing proscuitto, fresh basil, and mozzarella in split, marinated chicken breasts. Double Yuck. The sauce and cheese all melted together and I had one big blob of chicken surrounded by a white watery liquid. I made some chicken enchilada pasta that was mediocre.

So, I've resorted to my favorite part of kitchen life: baking. I love to bake pretty, yummy things. I like to use the rolling pin, cut, and ice cookies. I like to flip through cookie recipes and try something new. Most of the cookies I've made lately have been test-drive cookies....cookies you make once, but you aren't going to make again. I made Lemon Spice Cookies, which seemed to be a good, light summer cookie. They were neither lemony nor nutmegy, but they were pretty. I sent them to Dave's work and Jack enjoyed them:

I've made a chocolate cookie concoction that involved a cocoa dough, melted marshmellows, and chocolate frosting. It was good and looked impressive, but not fantastic enough to make again.

So, Jack and I have cooked from the garden. We've had success with gazpacho and pickles. We've got a salsa contest to prepare for. At least Jack is learning to cook in the kitchen and clean up afterward.













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