New Laura Bennett Episode on iVillage

Click for Case Clothed, Episode 2 - "The Troublesome Tote" (doesn't the phone look just like the Barbie Princess phone from the 60's? Double bonus points for me as a 7-year old kid keeping it intact and as a 40-something who kept it along with other Barbie outfits...purchased by an indulgent aunt, who I really think wanted the stuff for herself) There's even a special cameo appearance of Frank the turtle.

All You Need is Love

And a charm pack package of 32 5" x 5" squares of Deb Strain designs for Moda Fabrics. They are all different - reds, pinks - natch, but also lime green and chocolate brown. Yummy! I found these for $10 at Quilter's Emporium

AlterNation

AlterNation - Transform. Embellish. Customize by Shannon Okey and Alexandra Underhill 2007 ISBN: 978-1-58180-978-7, Library Call No. 646.204 Paperback, 143 pages, $19.99 list price.

First of all, cute title! Secondly, I like the price point under $20 - so many new books, even paperbacks, are clocking in at a $25+ nowadays. This is a fun book, with 25 ideas beyond the usual expected DIY embellishments. While obviously geared towards Generation Y and X'rs, there are some neat tricks grabbing my attention. Working more with grommets for starters. I've got tons of packages in different sizes and colors bought on clearance and their projects made me look at my pending plans with a "hmmm - I could use these on those." One project in particular caught my eye - the Tentacle jacket on page 55. Despite best attempts to keep my sweaters from stretching out of shape, this technique could help bring them back to wearable. I think this would be a great book to inspire a new generation of creative people. While not all strictly sewing (there's painting and embellishing, too), it's a good jump-off point for them to get going. And with the economy and environment at the forefront of our attention - the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra is very applicable to this book. Save money, have fun.

Yippee Yi Yo - PiYo!

No, not "PiYo PiYo" --

Which is what I found when I Google'd "Pi Yo". It's a combo class of Pilates and Yoga, emphasizing core (abdominal) workouts. Yikes, what have I gotten myself into now? Quack.

The story of Chocolate Cream Delight

Today was a 2-fer in the kitchen with the October/November issue of Light and Tasty! Part II was the Chocolate Cream Delight on page 19. (Click for the recipe)

OK, for starters -- trying to find the ingredients. Once upon a time, I remember seeing chocolate cookie crumbs in the baking section. No more - at least the three grocery stores I went to! Ditto for trying to find plain chocolate cookies in the cookie aisle. So I planned to make my Hershey Chocolate Crumb Crust, check the recipe and I'm out of graham cracker crumbs. No problem, I'll use the chocolate graham crackers in the pantry, how brilliant am I? But T and L bought the store brand ones on one of their adventures and yikes, 1 gram of trans fat per two crackers?! No way, so I took off for the third grocery store and bought the Honey Graham Chocolate Sticks (low fat and no trans). Cuisinart'ed a cup, melted 2 tablespoons of butter and skipped adding the extra sugar. But wait, there's still more obstacles -- I couldn't find the 1.3 ounce size sugar-free cook and serve chocolate pudding the recipe called for. In fact, I only found it in the 5 ounce, 6 cup size at the second grocery store, but by that point I had already bought the regular Jello pudding 5 oz/6 cup at grocery store #1 since they didn't have the sugar-free version. And I also took a leap of kitchen faith thinking if the pan is 8" square, the 6 cup portion size should be OK. But then on that box, it called for 3 cups of milk. The recipe said 3 1/2 cups. At this point, I thought this dessert is already off the track and I'm sticking with what the box says. More oddities? Yes! The cream cheese. Recipe called for 3 ounces, I have an 8 ounce box. No problem, get out my little scale, weigh and give myself an extra dab for all this trouble so far! Layer this all in the pan, sprinkle a few extra bits of the graham crackers and let it and me chill. I declined to smear Cool Whip (er, "reduced fat whipped topping") on the top. (Suffice to say, I grew up when Cool Whip was first introduced. That stuff got glopped and plopped onto everything from pudding to pies to cakes to jello parfaits. And what was really an affront to nature and all which is called dessert, when someone tinted it with food coloring for cake "frosting"! Shudder! )

Ultimately, what a pain in the butt to shop for and make. It tasted pretty good and we all liked the chocolate cream cheese layer. My grade: C-/Make every once in awhile, maybe. Once a healing and sufficient amount of time has passed.

Pumpkin Corn Soup

Did you stock up on the after the holidays 25 cent sale cans of Libby's Pumpkin, too? Here's a different, savory use for canned pumpkin. From the October/November 2007 issue of Light and Tasty, page 50. My changes/substitutions are in italics. I thought it was a nice twist on a vegetable soup. Grade: B+/I'll make it again (no one else in my family will touch this, so I hope it freezes well!)

PUMPKIN CORN SOUP

1 large onion, chopped...1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped...2 tablespoons olive oil...1 11 ounce can Green Giant Niblets corn...2 minced garlic cloves...1 teaspoon Penzeys Chili Powder...1 teaspoon Penzeys Chili Con Carne...32 ounces vegetable broth, made with 1 tablepoon of Penzeys Vegetable Soup Base + 32 ounces water...1 15 ounce can pumpkin...dash cayenne pepper...1/2 teaspoon salt...(omitted: 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped, 2 tablespoons lime juice) (substituted for 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cups fresh or frozen/thawed corn, 2 14.5 ounce cans vegetable broth, 2 teaspoons chili powder)

In medium/large pot, saute onion and red pepper in oil until almost tender. Add the corn, garlic and chili powder, saute 2 minutes longer. Stir in broth, pumpkin, salt and cayenne until blended. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 7 servings.

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Update April 23, 2009 -- I've made it it serveral times since, and instead of a can of corn, in this version I used 2 cups of Costco's frozen organic mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, peas and carrots). A very tasty substitute combination!

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

Cascada, "Miracle" 3:38
Everytime We Touch

Go Red - February 1

While you are planning this week's wardrobe, don't forget to wear something red on Friday, February 1 and support the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women/Love Your Heart campaign!

Update 1-28-08: Macy's, a proud national sponsor of Go Red For Women, will help celebrate the AHA's Go Red campaign's fifth anniversary. On Friday, February 1, Macy's will offer an all-day savings pass for customers wearing red. For those who forget their red, Macy's is offering an all-day savings pass to those who make a $2 donation in the store to the American Heart Association. All contributions received will benefit the Go Red For Women movement. Learn more about Macy's support of Go Red.

(Thanks, Juanita!)

I'll take (eat) one of each

I can't decide which one I like better. But because they are so chocolaty-yummy, 1 square of each should set you right with the world again. It doesn't matter which one you eat first! My chocolate enablers, T and L, found these at Walgreens. They are about $3-$4 per bag of about 12 pieces...and usually on sale for $3. I'm on the lookout at Costco for them.

Hershey's Whole Bean: 40% less sugar, 7g of fiber! And they consider a serving 4 pieces!? So just divide these numbers by four when a little chocolate fix will do ya. Calories 200, total fat 13g, saturated fat 8g, cholesterol 10mg, sodium 45mg, total carb 20g, sugars 13g, protein 4g. Vitamin A 2%, Calcium 25%, Iron 4%.

Hershey's Natural Flavanol Antioxidant Milk Chocolate: More flavanol antioxidants than the leading dark chocolate. I don't know what a flavanol is, but it sure tastes good! Here's the details for these, again for a 4 piece serving. Calories 190, total fat 12g, saturated fat 7g, cholesterol 10mg, sodium 30mg, total carb 23g, dietary fiber 1g, sugars 21g, protein 3g. Calcium 8%, Iron 6%

Make a(nother) run for the fabric

OK, now TWO episodes of having to make a mad dash across dirt/grass and now dirty warehouse floors? I think future contestants will pack running shoes to wear for outside Parsons field trips.

I was split 50/50 on the judges' decision. . . Victorya definitely short-cutted her way to the auf.

But I loved Sweet P's dress - I think it would have been a very marketable garment for Levi and should have won.

I also liked Chris' dress and the trim detail. I've seen raw edges in stores before...what was the big deal? It wasn't an unfinished hem.

Rami copied Jeffrey Sebelia's zipper trim idea, and that didn't ring a bell with Michael/Heidi/Nina? I didn't like the placement/outline on the center front of the skirt.

Jillilan's behavior is getting tiresome, literally. And two coats back-to-back?

I didn't like Christian's -- too scrawny. It's further proof designers design for themselves.

Ricky's was good, you must agree the rivet/button-fly closure was a creative closure. But the win? Most likely a bone toss to keep him around another episode to be auf'd later in case of a stumble by a designer already predestined for Bryant Park.

Honey Peanut Butter Muffins

An oldie, but (updated) goodie! This is from the September 1981 issue of Self magazine. I thought I lost the recipe years ago. In vain I wrote to Self, checked the Internet, nothing. I found "almost" recipes, but none that called for whole wheat and chunky peanut butter, the only stand-out ingredients I could remember. The article by Abby Avin Belson was titled "Breakfast Success" focusing on powering up muffins with whole grains, milk and extra protein. And just by chance yesterday when I was sorting through old cookbooks, there it was - a Xeroxed page.

This was the original recipe -- 2 cups whole wheat flour...1 tablespoon baking flour...1 cup 2% milk...3/4 cup chunky peanut butter...2 large eggs lightly beaten...2 tablespoons honey...1 tablespoon molasses. I remembered how heavy these were, but that could have been attributed to a very young-20 something/living on my own kitchen experience.

So this morning I tried to lighten it up a little using skim milk instead of 2% and 1 whole egg and 1 egg white. And I loved how they turned out. Definitely lighter tasting and looked more like muffins instead of lumps. I also reduced the heat from 400 to 375 and baked for 12 minutes instead of 15-20 minutes. I also had enough batter to make 12 instead of 9, thereby reducing that original 271 calorie per muffin number further. Out of the oven warm with a little touch of butter, delish! When cooled, try a little grape jelly for a new style PBJ. They also freeze well.

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I also used Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter - it had the lowest sodium of the other national and store brands. If you can find an organic crunchy, even better for you.

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

The Rolling Stones, "She Was Hot" 4:41
Undercover

I (Heart) Geek Squad!

My house is now wireless Wi-Fi'd, thanks to Geek Squad and a satellite! Each step along the way with Geek Squad was professional, courteous, timely, reasonably priced and top-notch! I called their 800 number yesterday morning, and they could have even sent someone out that day. But I went with this morning at a time of 9:15. 9:15? Sure enough, the Geek VW Bug showed up at 9:10! (Unlike others who have tried to find our house, get lost and call saying "I'm next to a railroad track, a bayou and a Citgo station!" Um-you are two towns away in a different county, the "bayou" is a ditch, and you are going to fix my dryer?!). But I digress. My Geek Guy installed the router and fixed our printer connection, drivers, whatever, too! I am super happy pleased with the result and Geek Squad.

New Vogue Sandra Betzina patterns!

1033 - Shirt... 1036 - Jacket...1034 - Jeans...

Hmmm....sure wish I could see Sandra's versions! Most likely way cooler than Vogue's photos and drawings.

For Any Soldier

Take a look at this site to get ideas and names to send goodies (and apparently, necessities) to our soldiers. . .

Hershey Chocolate 100 Calorie bars - York and Reese's edition

Found at Target and Randalls for $2.99-$3.50 a box. To be honest, I had not high hopes for these guys. Previous incarnations of junk food favorites were not so great. But surprise! The Hershey Company is looking out for us. First, there are two skinny Twix-sized sticks in a package, about 3 1/2" by 1/2". Looking at the box, I thought it would be one bar. Second, these taste yummy! I like the crunch and the chocolate of course. Both tastes are amped up - you'll really taste the peanut butter and the peppermint tingle. Third, one package should do ya. It's an appetite killer, I have no desire even as I'm typing this to rip open another package. Fourth, you get seven packs per box. No stinginess here.

Ready for the math? It's not really that bad, and no trans fats!
York: 6g total fat, 4g saturated, 10mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate, 9g sugars, <1g fiber
Reese's: 6g total fat, 2.5g saturated, 50mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate, 8g sugars, 2g protein, 0g fiber.

Is this a health bar? No, it tastes too good. But if you need to spend 100 calories to keep you from diving into something worse and doing further damage to your healthy living plan, they are calories well spent.

P.S. Have you noticed York's new tagline? York-Be Sensational!

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

Tom Petty, "The Apartment Song" 2:32
Full Moon Fever

Time to get crockin'

I joined a crockpot challenge group. (I know, you are thinking is this girl tag-hungry or what?!) But if I can do my part to keep the crockpots out of landfills, I'm game. Go to this link for more details.

Burda 7991 - Young Fashion Teen Pants

If you loved sewing for your baby girl, oh say to about age 10 if you were lucky and then despaired when she decided she didn't want clothes by mom anymore...take heart, you and your machine will be called to duty again. Burda 7991 has the style of RTW and the fit for normal-sized teens. And economical, too - View B takes 2 1/4 yards or less for either width. We found this fabric marked down to $2 in the Jo-Ann's markdown shelves. L wanted to add some color and chose a lavendar (Coats "Laurel") zipper, purple button and red lip buttons for pocket embellishment, forgoing the snaps this go-round. Everything sewed and matched together smoothly, the back yoke, the pockets, the pleats, even the leg flap pockets stay in place. The waistband hits just above the hipbone. Just right for teens. (Probably not a good look if you are a mom-ager unless you snapped right back into place after giving birth or star in Real Wives of Orange County or something like that.) And loads of fun topstitching opportunities.

Great fit + great style details = a great pair of pants! L is looking forward to the longer view in khaki for volunteering this summer, probably a denim version is on the horizon, too.

How to Fly Guide

Just in case you didn't know it, the zipper packaging has a fly front sewing template when opened. If you have a hard time eyeballing the curve while sewing or chalking, this will give you the RTW look of fly zippers. (Along with Sandra Betzina's guide to fly front zippers from her Power Sewing book and video.)