Butternut Squash Soup

What you'll need:

• 1 butternut squash
• 3 medium sized onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 cups apple cider
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• nutmeg
• sage leaves
• large soup pot
• large bowl
• wooden spoon
• blender

Step 1: slice onion and garlic, and set aside.

Step 2: cut butternut squash in equal sized slices (here's how to cut a butternut squash - i didn't know how to at first)

Step 3: heat olive oil in a large soup pot.

Step 4: add onions and garlic, and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat until the onions are translucent.

Step 5: lower heat and add apple cider, water and butternut squash.

Step 6: cover pot and let cook for 30 minutes (when the squash is tender). stir occasionally.

Step 7: carefully pour the cooling soup into a large bowl.

Step 8: ladle soup into the blender - this took me about 3 cycles with my blender. puree and pour back into the large soup pot.

Step 9: once all the soup is blended and back in the pot, add a few bay leaves, turn the heat on low, and stir occasionally for an hour.

Step 10: add salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste and remove bay leaves.

Step 11: enjoy!

Sunday Morning Trip to the Flea Market

Caramel Popcorn!

So good... Caramel Popcorn

What You'll Need:

• About 4 cups of popcorn
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
  
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
  
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
  
• one large pot
  
• stirring spoon
  
• tin foil
  
• tray
  

Step 1: Preheat oven to 215

Step 2: In a large pot combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and baking soda. Heat for about 5 minutes - stirring constantly.

Step 3: Add vanilla and continue to stir for 5 more minutes.

Step 4: Turn off heat, wait a minute and then add popcorn, stirring until each piece is coated.

Step 5: Place the popcorn on a tin foil-covered tray and put in the oven for 2o minutes.

Step 6: Enjoy!

My Homemade Lip Balm is Popping

I love lip balm and use it all the time. Here is my own recipe. I'm still working to perfect it. This recipe makes about three lip balms.

What You'll Need:

• cosmetic grade beeswax (a bar is okay, but pellets are easiest)
  
• grape seed oil
  
• vitamin e oil
  
• something for stirring
  
• a small glass cup or jar
  
• a container for your balm
  
• lip balm or lipstick ( for coloring)

Step 1: Put 3 tsp beeswax into a small jar and heat within a pot of boiling water for about 4-5 minutes.

Step 2: Add 9 tsp grapeseed oil and mix for 3 minutes

Step 3: Add 1 tsp vitamin e oil and mix

Step 4: Add pieces of lipstick to the mixture. The more you add, the deeper the color

Step 5: Mix until all lipstick is dissolved

Step 6: Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes

Step 7: Mix the cooled mixture and then reheat for 3 minutes (or until liquid)

Step 8: Pour into container and

 let cool

Step 9: Wear it!

Easy Dyeing

Sometimes I get bored of the colors in my closet and just want to change things up, but I hate all the mess dyeing fabrics can make. I've been working on a easy and mess-free dyeing process. I tried this last night and it worked out pretty well. It produces deep, but not completely even coloring:

What you'll need:

• a tee shirt (100% cotton)
  
• 1 tbsp baking soda
  
• fabric dye (I used Rit Dye - it's about $3 at the grocery or art supply store)
  
• 2 tbsp salt
  
• plastic gloves
  
• microwave
  
• 3-4 cup glass jar
• oven mitts
• large glass bowl

Step 1:

Fill a glass jar 3/4 of the way full and add baking soda. Add your dry shirt to the jar. Shake it and then put it in the microwave for 3 minutes (if the lid is metal take it off or something bad will happen)

Step 2:

Using oven mitts, remove the jar from the microwave. Intermittently shake the jar for 10 minutes, ensuring that the shirt is fully saturated.

Step 3:

Pour the shirt and the baking soda/water solution into a large glass bowl. Move the shirt around, so that all of the shirt is wet.

Step 4:

Pour about 3 tablespoons of dye into the glass jar and add salt. You can use as much or as little as you want depending on how saturated you want the color. Pour two cups of water into the jar, put the lid on and shake until all the dye is dissolved. Add the wet shirt

 to the jar. Microwave the jar and shirt for three minutes. Intermittently shake the jar for 30 minutes.

Step 5: 

Let the jar sit overnight.

Step 6:

Wearing gloves, unscrew the lid of the jar carefully. Pour out the dye and run the jar underneath cold water for 2 minutes. Remove the shirt from the jar and repeatedly rinse and ring out.

Step 7:

Wash the shirt in cold water separately or by hand for its first 2-3 cycles of being in the wash.

Spring Really is Coming!

Yesterday, on my snow day, I took the train down to the Philadelphia Flower Show at the Convention Center. It was amazing. There we spectacular exhibitions, creative arrangements and plenty of just plain weird stuff to look at. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but the colors, textures and innovative materials got my crafting thoughts flowing!