Food and Drink – Page 9 – Karla's Cottage

A playdate tea party

fairies, family, Food and Drink, friends, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 9, 2016

Sugarwings has been wanting to host a play date, and asked me for help. We decided to turn it into a fancy tea party with crafting and a walk in the woods after.

She and Dewdrop worked on the food, making these grape caterpillars with googly eyes, after a mini lesson from me on how to do it. We used blackberries for the heads and simply pushed the googly eyes (meant for cupcakes) down into the berries after we had them on the sticks with the grapes.

And see how nicely the table is set? Sugarwings did it all on her own.

We made the the place cards together. I cut a strip of died coffee filter, rolled it up, pinched the bottom and added a staple to hold it in place. Then gave her two leaves cut from scrapbook paper. She wrote the names on them and stapled them onto the rose buds.

The guests seemed to appreciate the efforts. One girl kindly told me that the tea was "divine".

We used cookie cutters to make the french fries into flower, butterfly, and bird shapes, then cut the hot dogs to make octopi.

Of course, any food looks special when you use the best dishes.

And it all tastes better when eaten with friends.

The girls explored the Fairy Berry Trail, before heading across the creek for a walk in the woods.

The creek was low, it was a good day to cross.

For me, the cutest part of the day was watching them sit in the Fairy House and point out all the sprites they imagined flitting about. The girls had full descriptions and stories about the little winged creatures they saw.

It was adorable to watch them build tiny homes from twigs, leaves, and ribbons for their new imaginary friends to live in.

This part of the day was so much fun, we ran out of time to do any crafting.

Looks like we will have to invite them back for that part, huh?

A custom circus theme wedding cake topper

family, Food and Drink, Hand painted

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2016

My son's wedding was to be very low key and simple. But I knew that he and his bride both loved flourless chocolate cake made with cacao, so I made a heart shaped one, along with a couple other tasty treats for after the luncheon. My cakes aren't very pretty, the cacao cake was covered in ganache and looked yummy, but sloppy, so I thought I should do something to jazz it up.

So, I took some foil and wire to build armatures, and covered them in Sculpy to resemble the happy couple being all circussy.

After baking them, I painted them black and white.

A styrofoam ball was covered in modelling paste and stuck in a cupcake wrapper, then stuck with two dowels to make a support for the lira. I hung the pink, wire lira from a beaded (garnet and labradorite) wire strung between the dowels.

For Miss Tree's hair, I used some of the same supplies we created her wedding headpiece out of. And then I painted her clothes to match her performance costume.

Purple is a fave of hers, so I added some violet glitter "sprinkles" to the cupcake.

My son is wearing his bowler hat, suspenders, and an onyx necklace

This was a quickie project because I thought of it at the last minute before packing up to go to the campground. I had some polka dot cupcake papers, but wish I'd had black and white. For the wedding, I slipped it into a second, clean cupcake paper and plopped the piece onto the cake.

I think now, I'll add a black and white wrapper over this, and glue it to a decorated box for them to have as a keepsake.

Somehow, we did end up with cookies and did not die, but I sure learned a lesson

Food and Drink, Travel

By Karla Nathan / March 13, 2016

One of the reasons (of many) that I wanted to attend this luxury event in Coronado Island was to take a lesson in making macarons, taught by a French Chef.

Well….. there were some issues with that.

First of all, there was a slight gassy smell coming from the 90 year old oven in the morning when it was fired up. The oven was said to need two hours to warm up, but when it was turned on, it didn't seem right.

I hardly noticed it, even though others were complaining. The home's owner was called and he said not to worry.

So, we went on with our morning.

But it got worse. And worse, and worse.

Stupidly, I went along with ignoring it, just complaining about the smell a bit. I did open windows on a couple floors. This is a 13 bedroom house, so is huge,and the smell was prevalent throughout. Which should have set off alarms in my head. But apparently I am a dumb ass.

Well, eventually, we all decided that waiting for the owner to care enough to handle it wasn't a good idea. The gas company was called, Beth and I went outside for fresh air and to escape explosions. I don't know why everyone didn't evacuate, one person took a nap due to a headache from the gas. If we'd had a lick of sense, we'd have brought her outside, not let her nap!!!

Now, if you are ever anywhere with a gas leak, please be smarter than us. You should LEAVE THE BUILDING. Call the gas co. or fire department from another location. When the technician arrived, he said that a cell phone call could set off a static spark that could ignite the house.

The old oven had given up the ghost, and we were lucky to have not become ghosts ourselves, according the the gas company. The repairman said it was not a matter of "if" but "when" it would have blown up if we had gone on with making cookies.

Yes, I felt dumb as dumb can be for blissfully ignoring the situation and going about my business. I'd like to say I was dizzy from the gas and not making rational decisions, but I'll admit to being plain old careless and stupid and am lucky to be alive.

Well, we lived. The gorgeous house did not blow up. And I learned how to make macarons. Although, the chef insists that all the ingredients must be measured and I am more of an eye baller. She told me, "good luck with that".

Well, I am on a lucky streak, what with being alive and all, so maybe my cookies will be fine.

We couldn't use the oven, and honestly didn't even want to.

I figured the toaster oven should be fine, but the chef said NO, it wouldn't. I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Some of the cookies weren't as nice as they should have been, but we just piled on tons of extra filling and ate them that way.

They tasted magnificent.

There was one pan load from the toaster oven that looked good though. Very good, I'd say. The chef pointed out that they were a bit brown on top, but I didn't care. I think they are lovely. After all we'd been through that day, I WAS GOING TO HAVE MACARONS and I was going to enjoy them.

Here they are next to our other projects, a crown and a button necklace. I brought some extras to make the necklace and ended up making one long chain of buttons and another, shorter one with some of my rhinestone pieces added. My crown took on a blue bird of happiness theme, and has a lot of extra rhinestoney goodness pieces added to it too.

The kitchen might have been a time bomb, but man it was cool. See those wooden doors? Those are the original, ice box style refrigerators. Still in use. That is the fridge for the house.

This is the butler's pantry, I think.

This door might have been one of my favorite things in the house. Out of soooooo many beautiful things to chose as a fave.

Like this tattered velvet hand rail.

The dainty tile.

The garden trails.

Trees filled with fresh oranges.

Murals in the dining room.

And the chaise lounge in my bedroom suite.

What a lovely suite it was, two bedrooms and a full bath, with cozy beds each topped with a pillow with our names on it.

The house was a mix of comfy, homey furnishings from the family who'd lived there for decades, and antiques. The structure itself seemed to all be original, and the trim work was over the top, especially the dining room ceiling.

But the very, very best part? Interesting new friends to laugh with! And to not die with. I'm glad our headaches and upset stomachs from the gas faded away, not one of us exploded, and we even got to kind of finish one batch of macarons.

Our Christmas

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 26, 2015

I hope your holiday was full of joy. We had some fun experiences, and plenty of laughs. With lots of hugs.

We started out our two day, holiday extravaganza with a nice, long walk in the woods on Christmas Eve.

It has been mild weather, ideal for a light jacket and some time in the trees.

Albie took that literally, and showed off his climbing abilities. That boy loves to climb trees.

Dewdrop likes to be a damsel in distress waiting to be saved from her perch in the branches.

And her Pop Pop is always happy to step in and help her down.

Katie's girls are as adventurous as Albie and showed off their circus skills by straying off the path and up the branches at every turn of the trail.

Of course, when you hang out with trapeze artists and circus performers on a regular basis, things usually get interesting.

We also had a big, family yoga session before our dinner Christmas Day.

Which soon led to a human pyramid.

Or two.

Or three. (Although this one is only 2/3 human)

Notice that I am not in any of the piles? I was in charge of Santa Hats and photos. Somehow, I wasn't added to the stacks of people, I think my reputation for clumsiness is pretty well known.

Our Thursday was full of exciting deliveries, there were presents being left on the porch all day! One was a package of steaks which came with DRY ICE packed in it.

I was intrigued by the dry ice and used it to create a mini fog machine in this old, silver coffee pot, with the mist flowing from the spout and around the evergreen branches. (Adding rubbing alcohol to the block makes clouds of swirling fog rise from it)

We also tried making sushi on Christmas Eve.

Tried pretty hard.

Then my husband got us some take out.

It was a little like the Bumpas' hounds ruining Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story.

On Christmas morning, we had evidence of the Jolly Old Elf's visit, by the tracks of glitter left on the floor. And I have a feeling, I'll be seeing remnants of that holiday magic for the rest of the year.

The evening ended with Elf and Nightmare Before Christmas, after a big poker tournament where Ryan won 40 bucks from his cousins and was beaming with pride.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures of our celebration, and wishes for a happy holiday season to you too.

Tips for Creating a Twinkling Holiday Party Buffet

Food and Drink, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 18, 2015

Every year, I look forward to hosting the book club party. It's a good reason to make some goodies and do a little extra decorating. And while there is book talk, too, there is less emphasis on the books and more on the people, so we all get to get caught up on what is going on with each other.

If there was any way possible that I could make this work on a regular basis, I would keep lights under the table.

But with a houseful of doggies, kiddos, and well, a husband who probably wouldn't find it easy to pull up his chair to the table and enjoy his morning paper and coffee… well, I just don't see how it could happen.

But gosh, isn't it fun for a party?

All twinkly and sparkly?

For real life, our over sized, hairy, puppy would be chasing dorkies under the table, getting caught on the table cloth, and pulling it off as little dogs run across the room tangled in lights. And grand fairies would trip on extension cords.

Around here, I get away with a LOT of over the top decor at Christmas, so I guess I'll not complain about not having a glow under my dining room table full time.

Plus, to get the full effect, I need to move all the chairs away from the table, like I did for book club seating.

And on a normal basis, it is kind of nice to have chairs around the table.

I'm going to miss them when I take them down tho! Here, let's look just one more time…. ahh!

If you'd like to try it for a party, it is pretty simple. I hooked two sets of lights (one warm white, one cool, for a nice blend) to a power strip, and laid them about 10" back from the legs, all around the front and sides of the table. Closer and they look too obvious, further back and they don't show enough.

I used a sheer curtain across the front of the table, and a lace curtain on each end, anchored them in place with a small bit of duck tape, then threw another, heavier table cloth (actually a painter's canvas drop cloth) over the top of the table. My dining table is 110" long with all of the leaves in it, so I had to use a combo. If your table is smaller, it can be less complicated to do. But I do think something sheer works much better than a heavy cloth, but yet I like a more opaque cloth over the top.

I felt like the canvas calmed it down and was more cottagey than if I'd gone with something frilly. There was already a lot going on. Also, when I do a buffet spread, I like to have a care free table cover, because things do spill.

Run the power cord from the back, and make sure it isn't somewhere that it will be tripped over. I set an extra chair over mine. If that isn't an option, use duck tape or a rug to cover it. Of course, if possible, you can just push the table against the wall and not worry about that. That might be pretty for a side table in the living room, huh?

We had some tasty, but simple food. A small veggie tray (lined with kale I had growing outdoors)

Chocolate chip cookies baked in a silicone pan with square shapes, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. I though that dressed them up a bit. The hardest part was picking all those Crunch Berries out of the Captain Crunch to decorate the plate.

Ha!

My friend, Connie kept teasing me about the Crunch Berries. They are actually peppermint pretzel balls. A couple handfuls of those made chocolate chip cookies look a lot more special.

At Thanksgiving, I made up extra pumpkin cheesecake batter and froze it. Then, I put puff pastry in those same shaped silicone baking pans and made mini cheesecakes. I added an ornament to the tiered cake stand.

All of the dishes were glass, white, or cream. Adding a mirror, and compotes for texture and height make a pretty display for the fruit and cheese.

For more height, I sat a mini white tree on the table (its cord plugs into the power strip for the lights on the floor) I like to have a layering of heights for visual interest, so there is a green and white flower arrangement (mostly inexpensive mums and carnations with branches from outside) in front of the tree. The height from the tree, to the flowers, to the two compotes, stair steps down.

Around the back of the table are two white garlands with some battery powered lights over them. Setting that little tree and the two garlands across the back of the table took a matter of minutes, but it looks like I went to a lot of effort.

The serving pieces are gathered onto a metal tray at the other end of the table. I like to use this metal basket for ([plastic) silverware and napkins. But a vase, basket, flower pot, many other things could make an interesting way to set out the silverware.

The rest of the food that we had was easy, a dip, some crackers and pita chips, cupcakes and a baked brie. The brie is a family fave, I use a premade pie crust, lay the cheese on it, sprinkle with fresh rosemary, wrap the crust up over the cheese and bake.

None of the food that I served was particularly hard to do, or expensive. It looked fancy because I took some time to set it out in a creative way. Most of the dishes and serving pieces are from garage sales, and I buy flowers from the mark down buckets at the local grocery store.

Having all the overheads off and just a glow from the Christmas lights makes everything look special too. Ambient lighting makes a huge difference for any party.

But the very best, most important tip I can give you for a party? Remember that the party is about having a good time. Enjoy yourself, don't over do it. If something is too stressful, skip it, and do something else. Maybe make as many of the goodies ahead of time and freeze them til needed, or buy pre-made trays? The gathering should be as much fun for you as it is for your guests.

Cupcakes and Cacao Torte with spinning flames

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 12, 2015

Birthdays are considered a BIG DEAL at our house. Dewdrop spent hers with her mommy, but we threw her a party when she came back to Kansas and had plenty of celebrating with her here.

You can't have too many birthday parties, can you?

We had three birthdays to enjoy, and threw two parties for them. One out to dinner for Italian food, and the next night, a family dinner at home with a crock pot full of veggie soup.

And cupcakes decorated by grandfairies.

The other two celebrating their birthdays wanted a more grown up cake, so I made a flourless chocolate torte with cacao powder.

That cake was a better size to use for the light up, spinning, and singing candle than the cupcakes were.

But it didn't sing! Dang it! Last one I bought was a lot of fun, this one was a bit of a dud and also scared Dewdrop.

The flames were a little overwhelming, without the Happy Birthday song that is supposed to be a part of the act.

But not too scary. She was pretty happy once it was time to bite into her custom cupcake.

But at a $5.99 price tag for the big, flame throwing, spinning, wonderland of a candle that wouldn't play the song, I think I'll take it back to the store for a refund. Or exchange.

We are tickled pink to have our tiny, Arabella Cinderella back for the holidays. There have been lots of kisses and hugs, big smiles, then more hugs. Dewdrop was missed.

She has been keeping me company out in the studio where we have had a few parades with her as Frosty the Snowgirl. Yep, that girl is a lot of fun.

Here is how I made the torte:

stir 3/4 cup raw cacao powder (more nutritious and stronger than cocoa)
into one stick of melted butter
add 1 cup organic sugar and 4 egg yolks
In a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg whites, when foamy, add in 1/4 cup of sugar and the scraped seeds from one vanilla bean.
Beat the egg whites till almost into peaks, but not as long as you would for meringue, you don't need stiff peaks.
Fold the two mixtures together, gently

Pour into 8" pan and bake for about 45 minutes at 300 (I don't have a springform pan, I use Grandma Nathan's old cake pan, but I think a spring form is called for)

And here are a couple of banners that I've added to the Boutique.

Our first cocoa party of the season

family, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / December 5, 2015

While plotting our holiday decor, Sugarwings and I also daydreamed of our first cocoa party of the year. Traditionally, we wait til the tree is lit.

We really wanted a cup during Thanksgiving week, but we remembered our rally cry of "Respect the Turkey" and held off on our Christmas fun till after the bird was gone and that holiday was over.

This year, we had the added bonus of a great-grandmother guest. Which made the party even more special.

The important part of the party isn't the cocoa, although that stuff is durn tasty.

It is the ceremony. And making it all very special by using good dishes (whether they match or not) and good manners.

I found this glittered,snowflake chiffon to drape the grand fairies' chairs (Dewdrop will be back with us SOON), and we thought that added a nice touch to the festivities.

The lights are turned off, and we dine by the twinkling tree lights. Warmed milk is served in a teapot, and silver tongs are used to pluck marshmallows from a rose patterned bowl.

A crystal dish holds a few Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and a sundae cup is just right for our candy canes that we use to stir the cocoa with.

Sometimes we set a small table up in front of a Christmas special on TV, or by the girls' tiny, pink tree. We change out the goodies we serve, too.

But the JOY never changes. These are the moments that last forever.

A pinterest fail? Pancake art that isn’t all that arty

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / December 2, 2015

Have you seen the photos or videos of people doing pancake art? Sugarwings asked for a Rudolf pancake and I thought I'd tackle it.

I think my first mistake was cutting too large of a hole in the nozzle of the squeeze bottle I put the batter into.

You draw the outline with the batter, then fill it in after. My second mistake was that maybe either my pan was too hot or I was too slow because it all got too dark on me. This Santa looks more like Blackbeard.

With crazy zombie eyes.

Here is one with the heat turned down, but he looks more like a ghost than a snowman.

Notice that there are not any pics of Rudolf? He looked like Scooby Doo with boogers hanging out of his nose.

Well, it was fun to try. I'm going to buy another squeeze bottle and hopefully not cut the hole too big, and give it another try.

Maybe at Halloween. I've mastered the crazy, scary eye thing, which doesn't go as well with Christmas as it would the witchy season. Or maybe I'll be able to handle hearts at Valentine's day.

I plan on staying away from Rudolfs!

A Happy Thanksgiving

family, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / November 28, 2015

We had a happy day for Thanksgiving. A houseful of people, laughing and eating, sipping sparkling cider mimosas (which might explain the laughter), what more can you ask for?

I'm slightly hooked on making these pie crust leaves. It was so much fun, that I added them not only to the pies but to the veggie spirals. And made a turkey from pie crust too.

The spirals would be easier to make if I had a mandolin to slice the veggies. I ended up using a potato peeler and don't recommend that one little bit!

If the golden beets, rainbow carrots, and squash are sliced in an easier way, these are simple to make. But if you are fighting a potato peeler, forget it! To make them, slice up your colorful vegetables. Fill a pie pan with crust or puff pastry, either is tasty. Next, spread cream cheese or ricotta lightly across the bottom of the crust to create a glue to hold the spirals. Sprinkle that with your favorite seasonings. Then, start rolling up selections of pretty colored slices, stick them into your cheesey glue, and fill the pan with twirlies.

Sprinkle the top with more spices, and drizzle with vegetable broth.

Bake til golden brown.

Another nice thing about our holiday was all the help. Not only with washing up, but with the prep. With 22 people to feed, it was good to have others bake up their specialities to bring.

Tree made organic green bean casserole with fresh beans.

Mommo made squash casserole.

Sharon brought sweet potato casserole and a cheesy spinach casserole.

Brooke whipped up creamed corn crock pot casserole.

Thanksgiving is the day for never ending casseroles, isn't it? YUM!

Our Hippy Chick brought veggie stuffing and pies. Sharon also made cranberry sauce and appetizers, Cole baked German Chocolate Cake. I made a TWENTY FIVE POUND turkey, which was way too much, considering how many vegetarians we had with us that day.

My sister had a good idea, she said she likes to bake the bird the day before, debone it, and then rewarm it in the crock pot for the gathering. And wow, was she right! That saved so much time, and the turkey was as tender and juicy as it could ever be.

I also made veggie pies, mac and cheese with lobster and broccoli, and homemade rolls with chia seeds and flax, mushrooms stuffed with parmesan fresh kale and spinach, vegetarian gravy with dairy free mashed potatoes as well as turkey gravy with regular mashers.

This was all way, way too much food. Especially with the appetizers of baked rosemary brie, smoked salmon and cranberry bruschettas. Seriously, I'm still full.

But the very best part? Seeing Sugarwings and Pixie Pie together again. Those two were BFFs for the first few years of their lives, it was great to see them reunited and having happy cousin time together.

They created crowns, played dress up, and played the day away.

Before Pixie Pie had to head back north to South Dakota with her family, she came back over to help decorate Christmas trees. It was hard to say goodbye, and we were so glad to have had some time with her again.

We were also glad to have Mommo here from North Carolina. When a family is spread out as far as ours is, it's extra special when we get holidays with far away loved ones.

Romantic Gothic Ghosts at the cottage, a spooky studio tour

Food and Drink, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 18, 2015

Having my home all spookied up has been fun. Maybe that is why I'm so into all of the witches and haunted house projects?

The haunting decor was set out for my Romantic Gothic Ghosts gathering earlier in the month. I have such a hectic October this year, with three trips and other fun things, that I almost didn't do much decorating.

But I'm glad I did, it has been inspiring for me. I don't think I've ever gotten into so much Halloween themed creating as I have this year. It has been one witch, haunted house, and banner after another.

Well, at least, not since Beth and I did the online zine with how tos and printables titled Romantic Gothic Ghosts back in 2009 or so. That was such fun to do and I just recently reread it. It has some good tips and is pretty cool. And still for sale, here, if you'd like to check it out too.

Oh, I've always enjoyed making witchy things, this pink witch is from a few years ago. But I don't think I've had quite as many to sell in the past. It has been rewarding to see how well they sell and to see that others like the witchy goods too.

At the craft day, after our main project, the ladies stayed late and I got them making banners too. here is Tami's, in progress.

This is the main project for the day, an apothecary jar filled with ghosts and witches.

I'm afraid I don't have any kits for this, but I do still have some little witchy girl kits, if you'd like to make a free standing witch of your own.

The other kits available are the "Book of Mysteries" journals.

Some of my decor for the party was pretty simple. I have this large, spring time mural with blue birds that was too cheerful for this season. So, I printed some bat and witch images and taped them over the birds. Here it is halfway done.

And here it is all batty. I probably should've added some cobwebs to the pink tree…

This was Sugarwings favorite bit of decorating. She is a big, Wizard of Oz fan, so loved this idea.

The tablescape was set up for the party, but the little girls liked it too, so I've left it up for the month. But without my Great Grandma Nellie's hand made table cloth underneath.

I'm a big believer in using the special things I own, not leaving them stashed away in drawers to save for another day. But I'm not stupid and I know that if I left it out for everyday, it would soon be a ketchupy mess.

I'll leave you with more photos from the day and of my studio.

Ghost party 027