Printable: 2012 Calendar

The new year will be here in a matter of hours! If you haven't had a chance to pick-up a 2012 calendar, we have a delightful (and free!) version for you to download and enjoy all year long.

Simply click here to download the PDF and cut each page in half for a final page size of 5.5" wide by 8.5" tall. The "x" on each page marks where you should punch a hole. Print, hang, and welcome 2012! Of course, if you'd like us to do the work for you, we have pre-printed calendars on sale here.

A Renegade Weekend

Wow, what a weekend! We had a great time at the Renegade Craft Fair at the San Francisco Concourse. Since it was our first experience as a vendor at a craft fair, we were not sure what to expect. But what we did know is that we would meet great people and learn a lot - and we did! Here are a couple shots of our booth. Thank you to all of you who stopped by and we hope to see you again at another event soon!

Holiday Breakfast

Breakfast is probably my favorite meal, and having guests for breakfast is so fun. But it can be a little tricky getting the timing of all the elements down, so I often resort to a strata or breakfast casserole. It’s also the perfect thing for overnight guests you may be having over the holidays.

Here’s a recipe I made up last Friday night using what I had in the house. It turned out delicious!

Bacon & Spinach Strata
8 slices of bread, cubed (I used leftover dinner rolls)
10 eggs

2 C milk

1 C grated cheddar

1/2 lb bacon

a bag of spinach, lightly sautéd

Fry and crumble the bacon. 

Grease a 9x13” pan (I used the bacon grease) 

Line the bottom with the cubed bread and top with the bacon, spinach and cheese 

Whisk the milk and eggs, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the bread mixture.

Chill overnight or at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole until puffed and center is set, about 50 minutes. Serve with a little fruit on the side. Enjoy!

Sweet Treat: Jam Strips

Cookies are one of my favorite things. Quick, easy, no-plate-necessary sweetness. I love to bake, especially breads and cookies. I decided to bring cookies to work the other day, so I looked through my recipes and came across an old favorite: jam strips. My friend Kirsten gave me the recipe and I hadn't made them in years. Kirsten is from Norway, and I think this recipe came to America with her.

Everybody at work--well, at least the ones who told me so-- loved them and asked for
the recipe. So Iʼll share it with you too!

Jam Strips

Cream together:

1 cube + 2 T butter
1/3 C sugar

Mix in 1 egg

Add:

2 t grated lemon peel

1 t baking powder
1 1/2 C flour

Mix well. Roll dough into two strips, the length of a cookie sheet. Press down lightly in
the middle with your fingers and spread with jam. (Kirsten says raspberry or apricot, but
Iʼve used anything Iʼve had on hand, and itʼs all delicious!)

Bake at 275–300 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. (Howʼs that for precise?)
When strips are cool, glaze and slice diagonally.


Glaze:
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 T water

--youʼll probably want to double this, unless you live alone.

Happy Halloween!

Rolling Pin

Sometimes there are things that are just so ridiculously adorable and affordable that you have to get them (with a gift card & 15% off coupon, of course).

Do I need a new rolling pin? I don't believe I've used the plain one that I have in my drawer since I got it as a wedding gift six years ago... so the answer is no. Yesterday I was at Anthropologie and saw this beauty and fell in love. I thought to myself that this is motivation to start baking consistently. I also told myself how grateful my husband will be that I got it because he'll benefit from those baked goods.

I looked at the price tag: $9.99. Before my discount.

Well okay, Anthropologie, if you insist.