Twyla Davis

Baker's Bust - First challenge, first failure

I was very excited to discover the daring barkers via a search for an enticing recipe in November.  What a fun group!  I rushed ot join eager for the challenge and inspirations.  I extolled the group to everyone who happened upon me and eagerly awaited the December announcement.  Sourdough!   Awesome.  I love bread and what a perfect introduction.  I had a very busy December but this was a challenge that I was super eager to tackle.  The trick was I was scheduled to fly to Europe on December 6th returning just before Christmas.  No worries, that gave me five days to make the starter and and three weeks for it to wait for me to return home.  I opted for the standard wheat starter.   I figured I had a backup plan too because my dear friend is also a daring baker and was starting all three starters while I was away.  I followed directions and after five days had a not completely pleasant brew or unclear stability.   I stashed it in the fridge and headed to Budapest.  I ate many good bread in  Budapest but my favorite culinary adventure there was the kuros koclacky aka chimney cakes aka Transylvanian donuts roasted on an open spit.  This is my 2012 challenge to myself.  Upon my return, I pulled out my starter and gave it a nice feeding and ....nada.   It was dead and gone.  So to the trash it went.   Luckily I still had my backup plan.  Unfortunately, his three starters had gone to mold. With not enough days until challenge I am just out of luck for December.   I baked myself a nice foccacia with commercial yeast and have to so content myself for now.  I'm planning to try again but confess that after my reading and searching I'm thinking about ordering some starter for the long developed flavour and history.  What do you think?

May All Your Sweet Dreams Come True!

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Holiday Gingerbread House decorating. Sounds like fun, if I were in town that day I'd do it.

Weirdness at Walmart

I had a rather interesting experience with Walmart today (and yesterday).  In many ways this is less of a complaint than it is a plea to prove that there is order and logic in the universe.  Or, at least in my corner of it.   Walmart isn't my usual store, but a new one opened up in my travel area and I decided to check it out.  I was hoping they had some mints I wanted.  Turns out they did not, but I managed to acquire a nice bundle of assorted goods in my cart nonetheless.  Star among them an oversized mens shirt that I wanted to sleep in.  When checking out I verbally did a double check saying "i guess I have all the bags" (ironic since I didn't).  When I unpacked in the morning I discovered I was missing 3 itesm including the shirt I was so happy to have found.  I called the store around 10:30 a.m. and among the legnthy holds, transfers and disconnects finally got someone who said they did indeed have my package!  I confirmed where to come pick it up (customer service) and put it on my errand list.  I was rather delighted for I feared they had gone home with the next customer in line and I would be out-of-luck.


  I finally make it over to Walmart around 1:00 p.m.   Decide to do my grocery shopping before retrieving my missing essentials. (Really you don't carry the pioneer chicken gravy?)  After checking out, i head to customer service.  I speak with three people, a five second search ensues and they say they don't have it.  I assure them they do since the lady on the phone found it and knew I was coming.  This new woman said since the item was found yesterday the items would have been put back on the floor and the the man said I was free to go find the items and bring them back up the customer service.  Huh?  I'm confused by this.  To me this makes no sense.  Ignoring the fact that someone knew I was missing the goods and that I would be coming for them, I can't quite understand why you'd restock them?  The customer service folk on the phone even refered to this as lost and found.  If I dropped my wedding ring, would Walmart go put it in the jewelry case?   Would they toss it out in under 24 hours?   I think not!   How then, is this any different?  I just can't understand that. 

I went to find the shirt to no avail.  It wasn't there.  So either someone else wanted the only oversized shirt, someone MISstocked it, or it was still behind the counter.  I hoped for option 3 and returned to customer service.  They reiterated that they had nothing and were very nice about crediting me for the restocked items.  (Which probably about the same and the gas I used to return for them).

The whole experience has left me rather ambivalent.  I'm neither happy nor angry but I am confused.  I'd really like to know why they'd restock it that way.  (And what would Walmart do with my wedding ring?)

Turkey is a winner

Even though I spend Thanksgiving with friends in Austin, I still make a turkey after I get home.  It's a smaller, gentler, less hyped Turkey without the traditional fixin's but all the better for that.  This year, I decided to take a page from my brother's book and butterfly it.  This is a little tough and I ended up getting some help.   Next year I might get a special turnkey blade for my Dremmel but we'll see.   I loved roasting my Turkey this way.  I simply put on a rub, drizzled a bit of olive oil and popped it in the oven.  It took half the time and was the juiciest turkey I've even made.  This is definately the way I'll make turkey from now on.

Kroger's awesome cookies are pretty good.

What a great name, awesome cookies.  the marketing on the campaign is great.  It made the cookies sound awesome.  In fact, they are very good.  I don't know that I'd call them home-style but they are a high end cookie with a nice crunch. They remind me of Rich n Chips with just chocolate.  You'd never mistake this for a homemade cookie but you'd be very surprised that its a store brand.  They seem more like a pepridge farm cookie and PF makes a good commercial cookie.

 

I'm really glad BzzAgent supplied me with the cookies because I'd have never bought them on my own.  Having tried them, I'd buy them, and I'll look to see what other cookies Kroger is making under the awesome header.

 

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/krogerTACookies.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=2960275186&Campaign=3564413534&Uid=343247&token=627871c0cd45ee

Christmas cards

Okay, I had a few technology hiccups.  For some reason the posts created  on my ipad refused to upload and then in a fit of pique self destructed in the ether.  I'll have to re-gather my part numbers but I'll take a stab at it tonight.    Despite my froggy throat and sniffles I had a great time at the guild and enjoyed created with the fabulous women there.

 

Card One: Snowman card

Start with  5.5 x 8.5 " sheet of white cardstock.  Fold in half to form  4.25 x 5.5 card.

Unfold card and cut off 1" of right side (non creased side)

Adhere 3.25" x 5.5 " snowflake paper shiny side up to front of card.

Adhere 1.25" x 5.5" strip of reverse side (or coordinating paper) to inside right edge of card.

Decorate snowman die cut with paints, chalks and/or markers.  You may wish to outline snowman in black or brown to help define it a bit more.    Skate blade would be great with a Krylon silver metallic pen, or silver embossing powder.   Here I colored in skates with a C3 copic marker, black for skates, brown for stick arms and used Pebble's earth tones chalks for snowman's face, scarf and hat.

 

Card two

Start with  5.5 x 8.5 " sheet of white cardstock.  Fold in half to form  4.25 x 5.5 card.

Using Tim Holtz embossing folder, emboss 4 x 5.25" piece of red cardstock.

Die cut fun foam into snowflake shape.  Glue to scrap plastic of wood to create a foam stamp.  Use Versamark clear stamp pad stamp partial snowflake on kraft tag.

Die cut Ornament from red cardstock.  

Use Krylon gold metallic pen to color in top of ornament.

Cut 1/4" x 2" strip of black cardstock.  Use Krylon gold pen to draw rectangle in center of strip (thereby creating a buckle).  Adhere to ornament and trim excess.

Use black ink pad and swipe across card to creat contrast.  This does not have to be exact.  (alternate white chalk also looks great).

Assemble card by adhering embossed card to front of card.  and then adding tag and ornament.

 

Digital layout

Basic Grey Digital line is terrific when you want to do a quick layout.  I use a lot of photo books they're great for my projects.  I line them all up in photoshop and upload the completed page.  Gotta love it.

October's Prima Product Palette

This month we bring out a delightfully spooky selection of Prima products including our fabulous Trick or Treat bat vines!

via prima.typepad.com

I love the bats, don't you?

Goodbye September, hello glue

September was a complete melt down as far as the blog is concerned.  There was some good in the month, some bad, and a lot of angst.  Creativity was at an all time low (due to the angst), but October is looking better. 

I got up this morning and discovered I'd fun a package from Glue Arts, I'm looking forward to receiving it. I'm betting it arrives just in time for my birthday.

Passport to groceries

When traveling overseas, I love to visit grocery stores.  Yeah, it's weird.  But, I love looking at the different products, how they are packaged, what they serve and the quantities that its served in.  It points out SO many differences in culture and taste.

I recently watched an internet video of a couple English kids doing the same thing in America.  Their tour of Walmart is a hoot. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/26/brits-visit-walmart-find-_n_909671.html

I must say that I shouted "Yeah, SEE I'm not the only one."

 

This summer we drove through Indiana.  I learned a lot.  First, the Amish live in Indiana,.  I don't know where the Lancaster PA rumors started as we saw nary an Amish when there years ago, but there are plenty in Indiana.  We stopped in a grocery store (or 2) and it was just like being in another county!   They have these "bulk food" stores.  It's not like the bulk bins at whole foods or central market,  Rather, they buy everything in 1500 pound lots and redivde it up in clear containers for resale.   The candy, baking and grains aisles are amazing.  Plus they have a phenomanal popcorn section.