BrightAppleGreen: August 2008

Summer Crafts

Pencil Box

Materials:

1 small cardboard box
extra small pieces of cardboard
1 sheet of scrapbook paper
Hot glue

The pencil box was made out of a cardboard (raisin) box. I simply wrapped it up like a present, leaving the top open of course. I pasted extra cardboard to the inside of the box to reinforce it. I also kept it kind of tall so that it wouldn't fall when it had pencils inside of it. The letters were bought in a box of metal letters from Michaels.

Recipe Box

Click to enlarge image.

Materials:

1 wooden box ($2.99 at Michael's)
1 pack of glass beads (for the border on the top)
1 pack of metal letters
2 sheets of pretty scrapbook paper
brown ribbon
1 sticker sheet of letters
3x5 cards

The orange swirls and brown ribbon were inspired by a pretty wedding invitation that I saw in the craft store.

Summer Colors Pasta and Blackberry Cream Cake

Melissa, her boyfriend Griffin, and I made a great dinner tonight. We just sort of made stuff up as we went along and it turned out great :). Melissa and I tried to go to the Market Hall in Rockridge, but we were disappointed that it's not a true farmer's market like I thought it would be! I was expecting a lot of produce, but it seems more like a pastry, cheese, wine, and high end packaged food store. So, off to Berkeley Bowl we went. It was my first time being there and I can see why people love it! Their produce selection, of course, is their claim to fame. But they had a nice selection of other items too, like yogurt! I got some honey Greek yogurt which I fully intend on finishing within the next few days. This was our menu:

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Summer Colors Pasta

Serves 4.

3 large handfuls of spinach leaves
1/4 pound of prosciutto
2 tablespoons of artichoke hearts from a jar
3/4 cup sliced baby yellow, green, and grape tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Penne pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
sprinkle of salt
sprinkle of dried basil

Cook pasta separately. Pan sear the prosciutto. Remove from pan. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Toss in the garlic. Cook tomatoes and spinach until the spinach is fully wilted. Add prosciutto and artichoke hearts. Stir. Add the creamy wine sauce. Let simmer on low heat. Toss pasta in with other ingredients in the pan. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Blackberry Cream Cake

Serves 6.

Okay, so this dessert wasn't quite a torte and wasn't quite a parfait, but I can't really explain what it is... sort of a combo between the two! Melissa showed me how to make whipped cream using a blender and it came out more like custard, but I think I liked it better that way.

1 small package of blackberries, washed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 teaspoons of sugar (basically, sweeten to taste)
Sponge cake

Blend the cream and sugar (sweeten to taste) on the "whip" setting until it is thickened to the consistency of either whipped cream or custard. Spread the whipped cream over a slice of sponge cake. Top with blackberries. Voile! Super easy, pretty, and yummy.

Fall Clothes

Oh, August... the first of many months that we can look forward to big sweaters and leather boots in stores! The new fall line is always fun to browse through after a long summer of bright tanks and shorts.

I've been looking at two of my favorite (yet, unaffordable for me) sites and have put my favorite stuff here with the links... just in case anyone out there is curious about any item.

And, even though I can't really buy this stuff without experiencing a load of buyer's remorse, it was still fun to put together outfits using clothes from the anthropologie website.

I'm glad yellow seems to remain a popular color and I hope the wide-leg trend catches on a bit more. It's still difficult for me to find tops and shoes that complement that pant shape. Drop-waists are also gorgeous and flattering, so hopefully that will be big.

FREE PEOPLE