New Authors!

Hi there!
It's been months since my last post and that's not fun. So, my sister's and I decided to team up and blog together!  We all have our favorite crafts and ideas that we like to share with each other so we figured it was about time we share them with you.
I would like to introduce to you, my sisters:
Cathy, is the every so crafty paper girl.  She can make almost anything out of paper, invitations, cards, she even made my tags for my baby clothes! I know she has many other talents up her sleeve as well.
Christie, does a little bit of everything.  You have previously seen a cute little coin purse she put together, as well as some of the delicious dishes she made.
I can't wait for you to see what they have in store!


Cindy

A Dress for Penny!

Cherries! I was inspired by the warming weather and my Cousin's new born baby, Penny!
This is a very easy wear, it is made of cotton fabric and is loose fitting.  It should be quite comfortable once the Chicago heat hits us!
I loved this one so much I made others, check them out on Facebook.

Help from my sister

Getting off track a bit lately with my blog, not posting as frequently as I would like, is what I mean.  However, luckily in this case, it is because I've been busy with orders.  So, there are more projects to come.


In the meantime, my younger sister has been working on some projects of her own. I'll update this post when I figure out where her recipes are from :)

Fresh Pretzel Bites

Golden White Bread

Christie's Pasta Salad

She's also made this coin purse!  Because she didn't have a sewing machine at the time, she sewed the entire thing by hand.  O the patience one needs to have to do that...  

Turned out beautifully and the stitching is amazingly even!

Stay tuned I do have more projects coming, promise!

CHM Collection on Facebook!

As a result of my happiness and gratefulness from feedback I've gotten on my baby clothes,  I've decided to post some items I have for sale on Facebook!  Just another way for me to catalog my items.  

Please go on to Facebook and search CHM Collection and click on the "like" button.  If you ordered anything from me and enjoyed it please write a recommendation!


Post your baby wearing something in my line on the CHM Facebook page.  I'd be ecstatic to see them in it! 

  

Vietnamese Porridge

The weather here in Chicago has been so unpredictable.  This week has been gray and drizzle-y which really prevents me from wanting to go get groceries.  Just the thought of wet feet inside shoes makes me cringe. I thought I'd rather starve then go outside; that was a lie,  my belly and I decided we were hungry.

I decided to make a simple version of Vietnamese Porridge (Chao) since I had all the ingredients to make it.

A warm soothing meal for a gloomy Chicago day fills me with joy.

Vietnamese Porridge with fried tilapia, green onion, lime, and fish sauce.

Here is a recipe that serves 2.

 Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic smashed

1/4 cup of jasmine rice or long white grain rice

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of salt

5 3/4 cups of water or chicken broth (I recommend chicken broth)

Add oil, garlic and rice to a medium size pot. Toast garlic and rice, being careful not burn. Add water or broth to the rice. Bring to boil. Then, bring down to a low simmer and cover. Let cook for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. When finished, soup should have a creamy consistency and the water should have absorbed into the rice.

For garnish (you may include all, none or some):

Chicken or Fish

Green onion

Freshly squeezed lime

Fish sauce (to taste)

Cilantro and bean sprouts are also popular. Add a hint of Sriracha hot sauce if you like the heat!

Bugs in your hair!

These alligator hair clips were inspired by a friend who is going to a bug themed party this summer.

We talked about using ribbon to create other objects but I thought bugs were a perfect fit for this project.

Absolutely adorable in a little girls summer wind blown hair!

A hot glue gun was used to attach the series of ribbon loops together. A slower drying craft glue attached the pom pom head and the crazy eyes.  Then, to finish off the lady bug I used black fabric paint to create their signature dots.

The size of these little bugs (~ 2 inches in length) made it a little tricky to put together. However, I found that if you use tiny amounts of glue at a time and only attach one loop at a time, you have more wiggle room to move around each piece.

These were so fun to make I started putting together a cupcake design :).  I will post a picture as soon as I finish!

Vietnamese Ca Phe

:) Can't start our work day with out a cup of Joe.  So why not Nam style Ca Phe! 

Here, I used American branded coffee. It's O.K. to use, it however, seems to be not as strong flavored as the Vietnamese brands.  There are many reasons for this, from the land where it is grown, to its history, to its entire roasting and brewing process. You can read more about it by clicking here!

My Grandpa would use Cafe Du Monde' 

If you are planning on making Ca Phe, the two things you might not have on hand and will need for this recipe are:

- The coffee strainer (found in a Vietnamese market or Amazon).

-Sweetened condensed milk (any brand, usually in the baking aisle).

And if you wish ground Vietnamese Coffee like the one above or another popular brand Trung Nguyen.

Start with ~ 1 teaspoon of condensed (milk more or less depending on how sweet you like it) at the bottom of your glass.  Click on this link for instructions on how to use your coffee strainer.

Sit back and relax, smell the sweet aroma, and watch your coffee gracefully drip into your glass. 


On a hot day add ice!

Then simply stir and enjoy!

Ruffles!

 A few weeks ago, I made the apron on the left for my sister.  That was my first attempt at ruffles! I thought they would be difficult to do. Therefore, I didn't make anything with ruffles for quite some time.  It turns out it isn't very difficult to do in a sewing machine. She has been wearing it to do all the house work :) Which is fantastic because we are notorious for wearing our street clothes while cooking; it is simple to get a tomato stain on our trousers. 
I love to see my cousins over at my parents house for Sunday brunch!  Nikki (right photo), who seems to be the next great baker, requested an apron like my sisters.  Nikki was sure she wanted cupcakes on it, as well as pockets. It would be very "convenient" for her in the kitchen :)   To make sure she was absolutely happy with it I had her purchase a cupcake patterned fabric that she loved.  I took her ideas and came up with the design above.
Oh yes! Before she left that Sunday, she came up with a BRILLIANT idea to make a matching apron for her American Girl doll, Emily! So, I did :)
In the end, I am happy with the ruffle turn out, and soon there will be ruffles on more designs!

Piroshky Dough Recipe

After many trials mixing piroshky dough, I finally found an approximate recipe.  I say approximate because I always forget to write down the recipe, and I don't always measure conventionally.  That's another reason for this blog, so I can write recipes down.  Remembering back a to a few days ago, this is my piroshky dough recipe.  

Piroshky I made for my Dad's work week.

Here is how I did it approximately:
(ingredient list to follow instructions) 


In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of warm water and yeast until it dissolves.  
In a small sauce pan on low heat, add ~1cup milk, 1 stick of butter and a tablespoon of sugar until butter melts into the milk.  Temper one large egg into the mixture.  Then, remove mixture from heat.  Do not boil!


In a large bowl, add one cup of wheat flour (you can also use all-purpose white flour).
Add in half of the milk mixture and half of the yeast mixture, and mix together with your hands. Then, add another cup of flour, and the rest of the milk and yeast. Mix with your hands. Slowly add  in a third cup of flour. You may not use it all or add a little more than 3 cups of flour. Dough should form a tacky ball but should not stick to the bowl. 

I like to pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the ball before covering it with a warm damp cloth to let it rise (30-45 min). After it has doubled, punch the dough down, and kneed for about 3 minutes. It will feel like you've gotten the air out of the dough. Shape it back into a ball and let it rise again (30-45 min).  After it has risen for the second time, punch down and again kneed for 3 minutes.  It is now ready to use! Perfect for frying until golden or baked for 30 minutes.


I suppose I could use any bread recipe and a bread maker to make the dough; however, it just feels gratifying  to make something of your own from scratch and say, "It's my recipe".


Ingredient list:
1/4 cup warm water
1 package of yeast
1cup of milk
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 large egg
~3cups of wheat flour