DULCE DE LECHE KEY LIME PIE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST - RECIPE

I have never been to the Florida Keys, but I have heard tell that residents are very particular about their namesake pie. I have seen Bloodline, and know how the protagonists treated their troublesome brother. I can only imagine what Key peeps might do to a Canadian girl messing with their beloved Key Lime Pie. So- this dessert is not officially a key lime pie, OK!? 

I swapped-out regular sweetened condensed milk for the Eagle Brand Dulce de Leche. It doesn't taste like true Dulce de Leche- more like a slightly fake butter-caramel flavour but at least behaves like condensed milk for this purpose. It really toned down the lime, which might be attractive to some, and the caramel and lime flavours were super nice together. I sprinkled some finely shaved lime zest and Skor bits on top before baking, and made it in an Oreo crust rather than the standard graham cracker. Super tasty results all around! 

SEE? I'm already looking over my shoulder.

EASY DIY COLOURFUL SUMMER SCRAP FELT WREATH

What was meant to be a project to use up scraps of felt turned into two Michael's trips and a lot of cutting in front of Mad Men. I used a wire wreath frame (went for the biggie) and made one inch wide, 5ish inches long pieces of felt, cut a triangle out of each end and then tied them all on to the frame. Needed something bright and cheerful for the door. Really happy with the results of this easy project.

1 HOUR FELT DAFFODIL WREATH

This is my first majorish craft undertaking in a while. Ahhh. The itch feels scratched, for now. Based on this project from The Wishing Elephant, but with a couple personal tweaks.

I used:

A wire wreath frame

3 shades of green felt

Yellow Felt

Fabric Scissors

Pinking shears

Hot glue gun

HEARTS A-PLENTY

To become a bib necklace, a facinator, a wall hanging...?

Roasted Marshmallow Krispie Squares

Rice Krispie squares are, along with Greek salad, Watermelon, and corn on the cob, one of those foods that I could keep eating as long as it was put in front of me. I would waste you in an eating competition of any of them. Roasted marshmallows come in a close second, though there is certainly a finite amount anyone can or should eat. Don't marshmallows kind of feel like they expand in your stomach after you eat them?

Well don't let that last gross image dissuade you from trying my little experiment from yesterday. Turns out that Rice Krispie squares plus a marshmallow crust that goes under the broiler for a scant minute is a real winner. Just make your squares as you normally would (I really hope you don't make them with the fruity marshmallows, shudder) and then quite simply cover the big slab of treats with little (or maybe big?) marshmallows and pop under the broiler in your oven. I kept them in until a little smoke came off the marshmallows. The middle ones then have that smoky burn-y campfire flavour and then the outside ones are less overdone for those who don't love the burnt ones (there's always someone around the campfire who likes the burnt ones). 

MY BEGINNER CERAMICS PROJECTS

Back in the fall when I was beginning my third trimester of pregnancy, and having just bought a house that was about to be renovated, I wasn't sure that taking a pottery class (or ceramics, the less utilitarian term) was a very good idea. Maybe my precious evenings should be spent organizing all our stuff, cleaning or generally fretting about the baby about to be born. Or, what the hell kind of pendant lamp could offset the ugliness of the metal railing leading upstairs that we can't afford to change just yet. Luckily, my hubs suggested I go through with it- and thank holy crap he did. Was I any good at it? Meh. Not really. I mean, the good thing is that it's hard to make a clay bowl with a hole in it, so it will be functional no matter what. Was my stuff pretty? For a beginner, it was ok. But it's a fussy medium for someone who likes more pristine results but without a lot of fuss. The best thing about a class like this is that you focus on the work. Just like my beloved cross stitch, everything else fell away for a couple hours. It's so hard for a lot of people to focus on just one thing these days, especially me, and something tactile like this that involves a little planning, a little trial and error, is God-sent.

We started doing slab work, which is clay cut from a big block with a wire, and then made into vases, bowls, boxes... I kept eyeing the wheels behind me, wanting to jump on and make round things, as I prefer them to square angles. So the instructor let us try after about 6 or 7 classes, and I lasted about 20 minutes. I then realized that if this was to be my last class before baby, I would be better off focusing on simpler slab stuff, and maybe even a little sculpture for fun, and then some other time try the wheel again. The pottery class episode of Community was a little misleading in its portrayal of the ease of use of ceramic wheels. Oh, those little blueberries!

I ended-up getting really into texturing my clay with this one old 70's afghan, which gave a very modern big floral pattern to the objects. Some of my work suffered because I dipped the pieces into the glaze too long and lost some of the detail. Oh- but glaze does kind of make everything look a lot more professional. So here are my favourite pieces. My bookshelf mushrooms, square/round bowl, "bathtub" catch-all thinger (shown at two angles) and a little box that I earmarked for our Frida, in which I keep her barettes.

SO LONG 2011 (AND 2 PROJECTS IN THE CAN)

Not much posting went on in 2011.... it was a pretty busy year, here. Finally finished the cross stitched stocking... just in time for our daughter Frida to arrive on December 15th! So much can change in one measly year...