French Baguettes

I have to admit that with all the talk about the protests and riots and barricades in Kiev, it's made me think a little bit about Les Miserables. So, yesterday I decided to watch it. In the first half of the movie there are several references to bread so, naturally, I started making a couple of baguettes while I watched! I found a fantastic recipe on allrecipes.com, but the instructions only tell you how to make it in bread machine. I don't have one of those, so I adapted the recipe for making it by hand!

Ingredients:
1 cup Warm Water
2½ - 3 cups Bread Flour
1 Tablespoon White Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1½ teaspoons Yeast

Directions:
1) Put warm water, yeast, and sugar in bowl and let it sit about 10 minutes.
2) Add 2½ flour and salt. Mix until thoroughly blended, adding more flour as (and if) needed. Kneed for about 10-15 minutes.
3) Place in greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise a half hour, or until doubled in size.
4) Punch down dough. Roll out into large rectangle (about 16" x 12") and cut in half.
5) Roll each half into a loaf. Make sure to get the air bubbles out as you do this. Place loaves on greased baking sheet at least 3 inches apart. If you want to, now is the time to add those fun, decorative gashes. Cover with plastic wrap* and let it rise about a half hour, or until doubled in size.
*Now is a good time to start pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees.
6) Remove plastic wrap. Spray loaves generously with water and place in oven on center rack. The water will help make the crust more thick and crusty, the way a baguette should be. I have no idea why this works, but it does. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

We ate one last night with garlic spread (easiest and tastiest recipe ever. I'll share it soon) and tonight we'll probably make some bruschetta since we need to use the bread before it gets stale :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I love the snow, but I really don't like being cold. Sigh. Take it from a girl who grew up in Michigan: it IS possible to stay warm in the winter, even if you're dressed up! The key is to layer, layer, LAYER.

I've found that there are a few things that, especially when combined, make it much easier to stay warm!

Sweater Tights: These will help keep your legs warm. I absolutely love mine. Sometimes I'll even wear them under pants if I need a little extra coziness (can you say snowy football games?) These are also great because you can get away with wearing socks underneath them, since they're not see-through. I've also heard that they have this magical new invention of fleece-lined leggings. Normal leggings would work well, too.
(Another tip, skirts sometimes stick to tights and stockings and definitely to leggings and this will make your skirt ride up and get bunchy when you walk. A slip will fix this.)

Gloves: Even the stretchy, knit kind will help immensely. If your hands and feet are warm, the rest of you will deal with the cold much more happily.

Boots: Dressy boots that can be water-proofed (they sell cans of water-proofing spray at lots of shoe stores) will keep your feet dry, which is hugely important. Wet feet means cold feet. Boots will also help keep your ankles warm!

Coat: Invest in a good coat that is warm as well as cute. I have a coat that I've used since high school that is thin and tailored, but is as warm as the puffy marshmallow coat I used to have with down-feather filling. I also have a couple other coats that are a bit more dressy, but not as warm or waterproof. I usually wear these with a sweater underneath if I need to be outside for a long time to keep the wind and cold out more effectively.

Hat: You lose a lot of body heat from your head. If you keep it covered, you'll be warmer! Your ears will thank you as well.

Scarf: They're cute, they keep your neck warm, if it's bitterly cold and windy you can pull it up over your face, or use it to cover the top of your head. Use it to add a little color or pattern that your coat might otherwise be covering in your outfit.

Here are some of my favorite winter outfits (just make sure you add a coat!)

Knee-length button up dress with sweater tights, scarf, and boots

Pleated maxi skirt, drape neck blouse, leggings (worn under the skirt for warmth,) and shiny black wedges

maxi skirt, t-shirt, chunky-knit sweater, wedges, and adorable vintage-style hat!

knee-length sweater dress, teeny belt, knee-length fuzzy socks, and zip up boots (tall enough to hide the socks)

DIY: 15 Minute Tablet Case

This year for Christmas, Santa got us an iPad mini and we bought ourselves a bluetooth keyboard to go with it. We also wanted to get a case to keep either of them from getting scratched, but they were all pretty expensive for a little envelope of fabric, and none of them fit the iPad once the keyboard was attached. So, I had the thought to just make one! My husband will be using our tablet to take notes in school this semester, so I wanted to make sure it was manly enough that he wouldn't mind carrying it around, but I also wanted to add a little cuteness to it so I chose a largish yellow button to offset the solid gray fleece. This project took me about fifteen minutes, and I'm a pretty slow sew-er.

Here's what you need:

• 1 Button
• Sewing Machine (or Sewing Needle. Or Both!)
• 1/4 yard of Fleece (you can use any another fabric you want, but fleece is pretty durable, very forgiving in the sewing process, and provides a little bit of cushion for your tablet. You may need more or less fabric for your case depending on the size of your tablet.)
• Thread

What to do:

1.  Cut a strip of fabric an inch or two wider than your tablet, and twice as long, plus a few extra inches for the flap (remember, you need it to reach at least half of the depth of your tablet, plus seam allowance on both sides.)

*If you are using a fabric that will fray, fold over and hem both of the short ends so that they have a nice, finished edge.*

2.  Fold fabric, right sides together, so that the tablet has a centimeter or so of space at the fold and the top.

3.  Pin fabric in place and sew the sides together.

4.  Turn the case right-side out. Trim the top flap to the shape you want. I decided to go for asymmetrical.

5.  Decide where you would like your button to go and stitch it to the envelope. I like to do this step by hand. Now cut a button hole in the top flap. (If you are using fray-able fabric, use a sewing machine to stitch around the button hole to reinforce it.)

Hooray, you did it! Your very own custom tablet case is complete.

Happy Crafting!