Jennuine

EVERY YEAR MY GIRLS AND I PREPARE A BATCH OF CARAMEL APPLES TO HAND OUT TO TEACHERS AND STAFF ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. WE'VE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH VARIOUS RECIPES, BUT THIS YEAR WE FINALLY FOUND A KEEPER, COMPLIMENTS OF OUR FRIENDS AT DIVINEDINNERPARTY.COM (CHECK THEM OUT). THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS RECIPE IS THAT THE CARAMEL CAN ALSO BE PUT IN TO A MASON JAR AND SAVED IN THE REFRIGERATOR TO REHEAT FOR SENSATIONAL ICE-CREAM TOPPING. AFTER REMOVING FROM HEAT, YOU CAN STIR IN SOME DARK RUM FOR A KNOCK-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF CARAMEL RUM SAUCE ~ YOU HAVEN'T HAD APPLE PIE 'TIL YOU'VE HAD APPLE PIE WITH CARAMEL RUM SAUCE! CARAMEL APPLES  WITH REAL HOMEMADE CARAMEL adapted from divinedinnerparty.com This caramel apple recipe makes enough caramel for about 8 to 10 medium sized apples. I  recommend Fuji apples for the perfect combo of tart and sweet and lovely color. Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter  2 cups dark brown sugar, packed  1 cup light corn syrup  1 14oz. ca

OUR FRIENDS AT BIT OF WHIMSY DOLLS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN, INTRODUCING THREE NEW ADORABLE PATTERNS JUST IN TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, "HOW AM I GOING TO KEEP MY KIDS BUSY THIS SUMMER?" FOR THE BEGINNING SEWER, CHECK OUT THE "MY FRIEND DOLLS". THEY ARE FIRST IN A SERIES OF EASY-TO-SEW PROJECTS FROM THEIR "SEWING WITH ABBY" LINE. ABOUT THIS LINE, BIT OF WHIMSY DOLLS SAYS, "THE GOAL ...IS TO INSPIRE CHILDREN AND PROVIDE AN EASY PATTERN WITH A QUICK REWARD FOR SHORT ATTENTION SPANS." THEY'VE ALSO CREATED A FULL START-TO-FINISH SERIES OF VIDEOS AVAILABLE AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE INSTRUCTIONS, SO EVEN IF YOU'RE A BEGINNING SEWER TOO, YOU AND YOUR CHILD CAN HAVE FUN LEARNING TOGETHER. The doll pattern, plus instructions come to only about $5, so why wait? You can find the "My Friend Dolls" and many other charming projects at http://www.bitofwhimsydolls.com/ . Be sure to check out their "PAY IT FORWARD" feature! We love i

TIRED OF OVER-PROCESSED, GENETICALLY ENGINEERED, CORPORATE-GREED MANIPULATED FOOD OPTIONS? LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT WAY, SOME SOUND RESEARCH, A WAY TO BE INFORMED? WANT SOMETHING BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN? THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE NOT ONLY GOOD-READS, BUT ARE LOADED WITH INSIGHT, RESEARCH, AND REVALATIONS ABOUT OUR NATION'S CURRENT WAY OF EATING THAT HAS LEAD TO AN EXPLOSION IN OBESITY AND OBESITY RELATED ILLNESSES. Here's the book that inspired this Post. We just finished reading The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler, MD. It was fascinating, illuminating, and positively life-changing. "Conditioned hypereating is a biological challenge, not a character flaw, says Kessler, former FDA commissioner under presidents Bush and Clinton). Here Kessler (A Question of Intent) describes how, since the 1980s, the food industry, in collusion with the advertising industry, and lifestyle changes have short- circuited the body's sel

LOOKING FOR SOME SENSATIONAL SWEETS FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY OR SPECIAL EVENT? IF YOU HAVE A DISCRIMINATING PALETTE AND AN EYE FOR COUTURE DESIGN, YOU'LL LOVE WHAT OUR FRIEND CONNIE IS DOING AT VELVET CUPCAKES. WE RECENTLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INDULGE IN SOME OF HER DIVINE CREATIONS. The Lemon Velvet cupcake was the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The cake itself was indeed "velvety". The vanilla cupcake was speckled with real vanilla bean and brought high praise from young and old alike. But euphoria really set in when we had our first blissful bite of the Mocha Java ~ the espresso flavor was intense and married perfectly with the moist and decadent chocolate cake. Hungry yet? To find out more about Connie and her inspired little creations, visit www.velvetcupcakes.org . Her packaging is lovely and the cupcakes travel very well too.

MAGICAL BOOKS FOR BEDTIME Here are some of our favorite stories to share with our little ones at bedtime, sure to set their imaginations in motion for a magical journey to dreamland. Good Night, Fairies , by Kathleen Hague~ “Children enamored with the notion of fairies will drink up Kathleen and Michael Hague's lush picture book like nectar. When a mother is asked by her child about how fairies spend their days and nights, she embarks on a dreamy account of these mysterious, magical creatures. For starters, fairies hang the stars in the sky each evening "so every child will have a night-light." They also teach birds to sing, paint the wings of butterflies, comb mermaids' hair, and sleep "on leafy beds in secret gardens." The wondering child falls asleep to these poetic musings, welcomed to dreamland by the fairies. Lyrical colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations, filled with elaborate detail, accompany this gentle bedtime story. Readers are challe

Greek “Meatball” Pitas Trying to find clever ways to get your kids to eat their veggies? These Spanakopita inspired turkey meatballs are devoured by kids and grown-ups alike. The meatballs are also great as a warm or cold appetizer ~ just add toothpicks and a bowl of our greek yogurt dip (TZATZIKI). They pack well in lunchboxes too! 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling 1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped 1 10oz. box frozen spinach, defrosted and well drained 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 pound feta cheese, finely crumbled 1 package ground turkey breast (approx. 1 – 1 1/3 pounds) 2 teaspoons salt 1 package pita or flat bread Tzatziki 1/3 cup seedless cucumber peeled, trimmed and chopped 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely chopped 1 1/2 to 2 cups Greek Yogurt 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tsp oregano Salt and pepper to taste Toppings Chopped lettuce Chopped tomatoes Chopped cucumber Kalamata olives Thinly sliced re

Blueberries are in season, so make a batch of these perfectly delicious muffins today... Ingredients: 4 TB (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 cups (10 ounces) AP flour 1 TB baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 large egg 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups (10 oz) sour cream 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed Crumb Cap Topping (See step 12 below) Powdered sugar for dusting Preheat oven to 350. Adjust rack to middle position. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Melt butter in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Whisk egg in a second medium bowl until well-combined and light in color (approx. 20 seconds). Add sugar and whisk until thick and color lightens to a pale yellow. Add melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add the sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine. Add the berries to the dry ingredients. Gently toss to coat berries. Add the wet mixture and fold with

Today, Rook No. 17 compadre Ahnalisa M. (a fantastic artist and all around cool chica) asked if we had any leads on sources for oilcloth with modern prints. Most of what's out there tends to be the same old checkers, fruit and other things often sported by the cast of Hee Haw. Well Ahna, here are some alternatives Check out Mendel's Far Out Fabrics ( http://www.mendels.com/ ). Of course they have the standards, but check out the print called "San Miguel", my Frida lovin' friend. Fabricworm on Etsy has some great Japanese imports http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5973558 , search under "oilcloth" R&R Mexico Supply on Etsy has some great Mexican imports: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7073924&section_id=6018357

Since J.K. Rowling released the first of her Harry Potter series in 1997, children's literature has been reinvigorated by a new breed of children's novel ~ sophisticated, complex, sometimes dark...sounds like we're describing a new kind of chocolate bar. But the point is that the dumbed-down stories with plot lines flimsier than a Hollywood marriage are no longer the only books on the shelf. Kids weren't the only ones lined up in front of stores at midnight awaiting the next adventure of Rowling's boy-wizard. And you needn't be the age where overalls still look cute to enjoy any of the following books on our list. In fact, if you make these books a part of your family reading over the summer (and we hope you do) you may just find it hard to stop from reading on even after your kids have fallen asleep. The Inven tion of Hugo Cabret , by Brian Selznick: This beautiful "novel in words and pictures" tells the story of young Hugo Cabret , an orphan l

DO YOU KEEP FINDING THE SAME OLD TIRED FABRICS EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK? CHECK OUT ROOK NO. 17'S PICKS FOR THE BEST FABRIC RESOURCES ONLINE: SUPERBUZZY ~ http://www.superbuzzy.com/index.php ~ adorable kawaii fabrics, notions & trims, tools and kits OILCLOTH ALLEY ~ http://www.oilclothalley.com/ ~ incredible selection of oilcloth fabric THE FABRIC FAIRY ~ http://www.thefabricfairy.com/index.php/retail/ ~European & Japanese fabrics, organic, sustainable and bamboo fabrics THE FABRIC HOUND ~ http://www.fabrichound.com/store/index.php ~ European & Japanese fabrics, twill tape, nifty iron-ons J CAROLINE CREATIVE ~ http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/ ~ great selection of fabrics, patterns, trims and ribbons REPRODEPOT FABRICS ~ http://reprodepot.com/ ~ amazing selection of vintage reproduction fabrics, plus Japanese imports and much more SWEETFLAVOR ETSY SHOP ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5111444 ~ Here's an etsy shop from California

HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN YOUR KIDS TO SEE A MOVIE THAT LOOKED SWEET AND INOFFENSIVE ONLY TO FIND THAT IT CONTAINED LANGUAGE, SITUATIONS, OR BEHAVOIR THAT YOU THEN HAD TO AWKWARDLY EXPLAIN ON THE DRIVE HOME? HAVE YOU EVER WISHED THAT THERE WAS A PLACE YOU COULD GO, BEFORE VENTURING OUT TO THE THEATRE, WHERE SOMEONE HAS DONE ALL PRE-SCREENING FOR YOU? THE RESOURCE EXISTS. IT IS EASY TO USE AND COSTS NOTHING. INTRODUCING: KIDS-IN-MIND Their Mission: "The purpose of kids-in-mind.com is to provide parents and other adults with objective and complete information about a film's content so that they can decide, based on their own value system, whether they should watch a movie with or without their kids.It's like a food labeling system which tells you what a food item contains. That's it. We make no judgments about what is good or bad or anything else. Indeed, we do not "condemn," "critique" or "criticize" movies. And we don't "p