Summer at it's sweetest.

Ah, summertime. Gorgeous weather and a bounty of nature's delights. When life gives you lemons you're supposed to make lemonade, right? Well, what if it gives you a basket of perfectly ripe nectarines? or peaches? or stawberries? or some other delectable fruit?
  Jam? That's a lot of work. Cobbler? For me that's too much sugar on top of something that is already damn near perfect. Crumble? Less sweet, and you can almost convince yourself that it's almost healthy with the oats and nuts and fruit. But again that's a lot of sugar for something so naturally sweet. Plus who wants to turn on the oven in the heat of July?

  Enter the Rumble. Perfectly ripe, lightly sweetened fresh fruit forms it's own sauce, topped with rich, vanilla bean ice cream and a halo of fluffy whipped cream.. It's finished off with a crisp and buttery "Rumble" topping made from crunchy nuts and crispy Japanese bread crumbs. No oven needed. The perfect finish to any summertime meal.

Fresh Fruit Rumble
The Fruit Bit:
2 cups of ripe fruit such as nectarines, plums, berries, cherries,  even very ripe melon would work.
2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup sugar (vanilla sugar if you have it) depending on the tartness of the fruit you are working with and your own sweet tooth.
(When we made it we used nectarines and black velvet apricots and barely 2 tablespoons of sugar if we'd used raspberries or blackberries or tart cherries we probably would have gotten closer to the 1/2 cup side)

  Prepare the fruit by removing stems, pits, seeds etc, and cutting into bite size pieces then sprinkling with sugar to taste. Let sit for at least half an hour to as long as overnight in the fridge.

Spoon into four dessert bowls.

The Creamy Bit:
1 pint premium vanilla bean ice cream (We used this, which we know is ridiculous but in our defense it was on sale at the Fresh Market.)
1 cup lightly sweetened whipped cream (We used this, which is yes, Aldi brand)

Top each bowl of fruit with a half cup of ice cream and a generous dollop/squirt of whipped cream.

The Crunchy Bit or Let's Get Ready to Rumble!:
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons chopped nuts (We used walnuts but pecans, cashews, almonds even coconut would be spectacular depending on your fruit choice.)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Dash of salt

Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium low heat. Add the panko, the nuts and a dash of salt. Cook stirring constantly until bead crumbs begin to color. Stir in the teaspoon of sugar  and continue to cook until crumbs are beautifully golden and crisp. Pour into a glass or ceramic bowl to stop the cooking.

Sprinkle evenly between the four dessert bowls.

Serves four.

Note:
MHM said this was better than bread pudding which is probably the highest dessert compliment he can give.

Sew little..

Amber from Crazy Little Projects is have a Learn to Sew: Kids Edition. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get Wub started on the sewing machine. We started off practicing straight and zig zag stitches. Since Wub picked out a pretty large scrap to practice on we made it into a doll blanket.

I have to admit that the process is a we bit stressful. Wub is mildly flighty and I am not the most patient of teachers. But no sewn over fingers and I am just taking deep breaths and trying to be as patient as possible while stressing the importance of paying attention where the needle is, where the fabric is and where your fingers are. 

I want her to enjoy sewing, not equate it with Mommy being a meanie. 

Tomorrow we're going to try out the Covered Notebook project. I'm kind of excited because she is doing so well. Let's hope I can continue to Keep Calm and Keep Her Sewing On.

For Free! For Real!

I have to warn you that this may be addictive...

Ever wanted to turn your handwriting into a font that you can use on your computer?

Just go to MyScriptFont.com Print out a template. Fill it out, scan it and upload it. Instant font in your handwriting.

Bread Pudding Waffles

In what appears to be an ongoing series, here is yet another use for your waffle iron. I was inspired to make these after attempting (quite succesfully) Stuffing Waffles. (as seen on TV) My brain just made the leap from a common way to use up leftover bread (stuffing) to another way. (bread pudding)

I made  these for Father's Day because I just wasn't up to the task of a Full English Breakfast. I did wish that I had had some whipped cream to top them off but all in all they were pretty perfect. 

Bread Pudding Waffles

• 1 lb dry bread cut into cubes
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 3 eggs, 
• 2/3 cup sugar (vanilla if you got it)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• few grates of fresh nutmeg or a pinch of preground
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup raisins (or not)
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces (or not)
• Oil or pan spray for waffle maker.

  Preheat oven to 350.

Place your bread cubes on a baking sheet and lightly toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. (Even if your bread is stale don't skip this step. The more moisture you get of the bread the more yummy custardy stuff it can soak up.) Allow to cool.

 Meanwhile combine the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt im a large bowl and wisk to combine. Add the toasted bread and raisins and pecans if using. Allow to sit for 10 minutes then mix again. You are wanting the custard to soak in and no crunchy bits of bread left. If mixture seems too thick and dry you can add up to 3/4 cup of milk one 1/4 cup at a time. Let sit at least an hour (You can make it all the night before and stick it in the fridge. It will be ready to go in the morning.)

 Preheat you waffle iron according to manufaturer's diractions. Even if your waffle iron is "nonstick" give it a liberal shot of pan spray or oil. Spoon about 1 cup bread pudding onto waffle maker in a thick layer. Close waffle maker (flip if you've got that kind) and cook for 5-10 minutes. 

 Remove waffle from machine and keep warm in oven or serve immediately with whipped cream and:

Vanilla (Bourbon) Sauce

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cream
• Hefty pinch of salt

Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat ans stir in:

• 1 Tablespoon unslated butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• (1 Tablespoon Bourbon) 

and then maybe a dollop or spritz of whipped cream. 

Makes 4

Note: This recipe actually makes excellent regular bread pudding. Just bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 for 45 minutes.  

Happy Easter

Thank you Easter Bunny! Bock! Bock!

Pinspiration...

So I've never really done one of those Pinspiration things but this dress just killed me. I loved it so much I wanted needed to make one for Wub.

Now in my normal, not the normal way to do it, fashion my actual "Pinspiration" was not an actual pin but part of a linky party for both Sew In Tune and Basic Bodice Design. Call Ajaire had a fantastic tutorial on adding scallops to a bodice. The gorgeous Andre Courreges dress above was her inspiration to make a sweet scalloped dress for her sweet girl.

She had amazing directions on how to make the scallops. So lucky remnant at JoAnn's yielded a red and white polka dot that I used for the top. The bottom is white 90 inch muslin. I drafted the pattern using one of Wub's t-shirts and made the dress ultra short on purpose because I wanted that 70's little girl feel to it. The circle cut out in the back  was just for fun to see if I could make it work.

Then I drafted a pair of shorts and added the scallops to the bottom to tie it all together. I wanted the shorts to be shorter and tighter than they turned out. (More hot pants-y, less showing) I'm 90% sure I am making at least one maybe two more versions and I'll get the shorts micro the next time around.

Bottom line? Love it. Can't wait to make another one.

I think it's going around...

Chloe singing: Oompa feber! I bet you're jumpin' around. Oompa feber! I bet you're jumpin' around.

(To the tune of Boogie Fever)

And if you haven't seen Despicable Me. Go. Now.

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