Saturday, September 20, 2014

Pie Crust Perfection

I believe that being confident is the beginning of creativity. Once you have mastered the basics of a thing, you can spin-off with good results. I took one of the pie making classes at Craftsy. I did make a great apple pie that I did not photograph. And I made what you see here, cinnamon sausage and homemade hot pockets. Thanks to Evan Kleiman's great teaching, I can make fabulous, flakey, tender pie crusts. We are still having hot weather, but as soon as it turns cold, I will be diving into the soups class too. It's fun to learn new skills at Craftsy. All classes are on sale this week end too!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

As Thanksgiving Approaches

I think more about food in the Fall and Winter. As a family we gather with friends more around food at the Holidays. I just took a look over at Craftsy to see what was cooking. Oh my goodness! I did not realize how many amazing cooking classes they have going over there. I found several I am going to try to cram in before Christmas - before Thanksgiving if I can. I have copied the class descriptions for you here, and posted my affiliate links for your convienience.
I am going to have to do this one, Love Your Vegetables, first. Read the description and you will see why:
Transform nutritious vegetables into crave-worthy meals your family will love with essential techniques for cooking seasonal vegetables year-round. Cooking Light executive chef Anna Bullett will share her expert tips for cutting and roasting winter squash with ease, incorporating hearty greens such as kale into mouthwatering pastas and even caramelizing Brussels sprouts and pairing them with crispy pancetta for a dish that will please your pickiest eater. Enjoy more than 20 recipes included with this class, from a tomato ricotta tart to grilled eggplant sandwiches with creamy aioli. Plus, get a bonus lesson on refrigerator pickling and preserve your favorite vegetables at the peak of their season.
I will use this one a lot: Building Flavorful Soups. Transform everyday ingredients into an endless variety of soups to please every palate! Learn secrets for developing flavor from James Beard Award-winner Peter Berley, and discover recipes for more than twenty soups and broths --plus an array of creative garnishes! Quickly make small-batch broths instead of spending hours simmering, and learn to use chicken, ham and pork to create hearty, homey favorites. Roast vegetables for maximum flavor, then purée for creamy, silky-smooth soups. Delve into the flavors of the sea to make briny broths from roasted shrimp shells and clams, and explore exotic ingredients like kelp and wakame to build savory umami flavor. You’ll even learn how to create your favorite miso soup and four Japanese dashis!
My mom makes the most amazing pie crusts, but she lives 300 miles away. It's about time a grew up and made pies for my own family.
There is so much more. I will get started with these though, and let you know how it goes.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Win Free Patterns

Sew this Fall and Win!

2 winners will receive every one of my new PDF patterns for a year

Post photos of your items made from any of my patterns at the StudioCherie Flickr Group from September 8, 2014 to December 21st, 2014 for a chance to win. 2 lucky winners will receive every single PDF pattern I release over the coming 12 months - from January 2015 through the end of December 2015.
One winner will be chosen randomly from entries and one winner will be the person who submits the greatest number of projects made from my patterns.
It's time to sew those holiday gifts now, right? Submit here and be a winner!
Winners will be announced Monday, December 29th
Please share this with your friends who sew. I can hardly wait to see what you make!

Need inspiration?