It's pumpkin time!

I thought I would let everyone know that I’m very excited about the annual pumpkin-carving contest at work this week. I haven’t carved a pumpkin in years! Probably since I was 13 or so. It’s been so long that now the pumpkin industry has cool carving saws, scrapers and pokers for the serious aficionados. I will be doing mine the old fashioned way - kitchen knives and spoons! I’ve been trying to catch up with some research on the best way to carve a pumpkin and how to preserve it. Here’s some tips; I hope they work:

Start with marking you outline with “puncture holes” to create your template. Always start your carving from the middle of the pumpkin; work slow and in small cuts. Always cut your corners first before making your lines.

To preserve your pumpkin there are 3 different techniques:

1.) Apply Vaseline to the cut areas to help keep it from drying out on the carving.

2.) Once your carving is done, spray your pumpkin with water and wrap in plastic wrap. Keep in refrigerator till ready to use. Try off with paper towels when ready to present to help prevent molding.

3.) For extra mold protection, add some bleach in with you water mixture before spraying on pumpkin.

As soon as I finish my carving- well, start my carving- I'll post some pics!

- Jess

Simply sweet… and last minute!

I love my friends, I really do… but they plan everything LAST MINUTE! I’m an overboard planner. I know exactly when and where I going to do things and how much it’s going to cost and what to bring. I even have the weekend planned by Wed! So when I found out ON LABOR DAY, that we were invited to a party, I panicked! Now what am I going to do! Every store in town is closed on Labor Day, and I can’t be “that friend” that shows up with no food, and then pigs out on everyone else’s ! Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? I quickly remembered a recipe that I’d almost made several times for a quick circumstance just like this. I grabbed my trusty Betty Crocker cook book and opened it to the most basic desert recipe I could remember- Butterscotch Brownies. I was back in business! This recipe has all the basic ingredients that I always have in my house. Let’s just say I kept my reputation as “the awesome dessert girl” and got rave reviews from everyone at the party. I recommend keeping this delicious “back-up brownie” recipe for every last minute invite!

Butterscotch Brownie

• ¼ cup butter or stick margarine
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbs. milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup chopped nuts if desired
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Heat over to 350. Grease bottom and sides of square pan 8 x 8 x 2. Melt butter in 1 ½ quart saucepan over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, milk and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread into pan. Bake about 25 min. or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in pan on wire rack.

You can also add any toppings to it such as chocolate chips, nuts or candy pieces. I used chocolate chips on top, and then baked them so it all got gooey!

- Jess

Just Because...

That's exactly why I started this blog!

I'm Jessica-designer, illustrator, cook and lover of handmade crafts and naturally worn elements! Here you'll find little peaks into my day-to-day life, thoughts, interests and dreams-just because I like to share them with you. I'm addicted to Chinese and Thai food, as well as anything chocolate! I love to knit, even though the only thing I can make is a scarf! I desperately want to learn to sew something cool-like an ultra-trendy shirt or dress. I'm in love with texture-rusty metal, wood, deteriorating vintage items, peeling paint! Anything that adds character and age to something. Graphic design is my passion. I can't help but stop in the middle of the store isle and stare at the huge sign on the wall. I'll even hold a design piece so close to my face it touches my nose-just so I can see all the detail of how it's made! My husband an I plan on learning a foreign language even though we can't decide between French and Italian! Great plans are in the works to travel to far places-China and Tahiti are coming up within the next 2 years. Oscar and Zoey are my two kitties that are wild and crazy-I hope they stay like that forever! I have the coolest husband that likes to shop with me, loves antiques and takes me flying to anywhere I'd like to go (Yeah, yeah... I'm spoiled).

That's enough about me for a bit. A "last-minute" dessert recipe coming up soon!

- Jess