Sewing and Cooking (Plus Recipe)

Let me preface this post by saying that I have no sewing machine. This makes my soul hurt and my sewing table looks so wrong. Luckily it isn't gone for good, just getting some routine maintenance done, which could take up to four weeks. Ahhhh!

Right before I dropped off my machine, I whipped up this skirt. I didn't follow a pattern or tutorial, just copied something I like from my closet and went to work!

To tide me over, I have been working on some hand stitching. Here you can see the completion of one embroidery project and the start of another.

Bunny is in perle, everything else is regular DMC floss. The bunny is also on its way to a new home!

Also cooking! There has been plenty of cooking as of late including a wonderful collection of things on the menu for tonight. Cheeseburger macaroni (think Hamburger Helper, but not from a box) which was super tasty, some parmesan baked green beans, and cheesy broccoli "bites." There was absolutely no way to roll the broccoli into bite sized pieces, so I decided to call them something bigger. At first I went with hills, then mounds, and finally it came to me... Broccoli batholiths! All three were so tasty and the flavor combos were perfect together. Broccoli Batholiths & Cheeseburger Macaroni & Parmesan Green Bean Fries

FYI: A batholith is a giant [almost] mountain sized rock. We have one here in Texas, Enchanted Rock, that my family has climbed almost every year since the 30s. Fun fact! You can't say batholith without sounding like someone with a lisp saying "basilisk."

Next we have Guinness Stew with homemade bread bowls. Bread bowls were the first bread I ever made and they are so simple. After years of practice, here is my recipe.

Homemade Bread Bowls

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1.25 cups warm water (110F degrees)
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil (plus a teensy bit more for greasing bowl when dough is rising)
• 3.5-4 cups flour
• parchment paper to cover baking sheet
• corn meal, for sprinkling on parchment paper

1. Dissolve and mix yeast and sugar in warm water. Let it sit, untouched, for 10 minutes.
2. Mix in salt, garlic powder, oil, and 2 cups of flour. 
3. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until it is just starting to not stick to everything like crazy. You might not need to add it all. 
4. Knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Oil your mixing bowl and put the dough ball back in. Flip it around so it is oily. 
6. Let the dough rise for about 40 minutes in a warm area. 
7. Divide into 4 loaves and place on a parchment paper covered, corn meal sprinkled baking sheet.
8. Let the little loaves rise for 35 minutes.
9. Bake at 400F degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.