Oh the Cuteness!

When I started to crochet as an adult (I learned when I was 10 and quickly forgot until college), I learned how to make amigurumi first. The little cupcake on the bottom left was the 2nd creation I ever crocheted, and I still have him and love him to this day. The pattern was one of the first posts I ever made on this blog , nearly a decade ago, but it has since disappeared from the net.  Looking back, I realize now that I didn't do some of the techniques right, but it still came out so nice that I made more and sold them on my etsy shop in the early years, and even figured out how to make a giant one for fun. I hope some of you will try this pattern if you've never tried amigurumi before, because it got me hooked (Ba-dum-bum-tsch!), and I hope it will work the same for you!  You can leave it plain in earth tones for a muffin, or a red bottom looks like red velvet cake. My favorite thing to do was add seed beads for sprinkle "freckles" and little expressive ey...

These are, quite possibly, the best oatmeal cookies ever. I've been making them since college and they're the greatest because, for one, the recipe makes like 3 dozen cookies. Two, they're the perfect texture - crispy on the edges and chewy through the middle. And three, they're friggin' delicious! Make them, trust me. Oatmeal Macaroons Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees 1 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup chocolate chips (you can switch this out for any combination of chopped nuts, dried fruits, or other kinds of chips, and feel free to combine mix-ins up to 1 cup's worth) *For a vegan version, be sure to use vegan chocolate chips, and replace the eggs with 1/4 cup shortening and 1/4 cup applesauce. 1. With a rubber spatula, beat together the shorteni...

Okay, I know I've been trying to eat healthier lately and help Dennis with his diet, but I had a friend over for tea recently and I just had to bake something. It would have been rude not to, right? And afterwards I took the remaining 1/2 of this bad boy to work to share and they loved it. This, my friends, is my old stand-by: Whiskey-Almond Pound Cake. Oh yes. It's an adaptation from a recipe found in The New Good Cake Book , which was first published in 1982 and I have a newer edition. If you need a good, solid, no-frills book of basic classics like red velvet and honey cake, this is the one to get. Sometimes this cake is made with bourbon and ground walnuts, and I've even made it with orange liqueur as well, but we've had a bottle of Jack Daniel's sitting on our counter since the housewarming party. (I told Dennis no one would drink it, to which he replied, "Then I will at least."... One year later, it's still there.) I'm not a fan of Jack ...

Okay, I know this is just a gratuitous kitty post, but can you blame me? Look at how effing adorable these two are: At times, I kind of hate living with cats, what with the puke, the claws, the hair. But this is not one of those times. I kind of want to re-create these pictures with me and Dennis doing the same poses, which could be kind of hilarious. Buddy (the white cat) is Precious' (the back cat's) son. They usually keep away from eachother or little squabbles break out. But they snuggled on the couch together with me literally all day, and magically did not bolt when I picked up the camera as most cats will do when you try to capture the cuteness. Mission accomplished. Please feel free to leave gratuitous squees and d'aawwws in the comments. You're welcome.