French Toast Cake

This year, The Ol’ Man had to work all day on his birthday, which was a total drag. But, to make the drag less heavy, I tried my hand at a yummy recipe I found on Confections of a Food Bride. You see, the Ol’ Man just loves French toast. He also loves cake. Why not put the two together? My concoction varies slightly from the Food Bride’s in that I only used heavy cream. I didn’t substitute regular-ass milk into it. I also skipped the part about caramelizing the sugar as I do not have a kitchen blow torch, although I kind of wish I did. I just dusted it with powdered sugar and it tasted amazing. Lastly, I used store-bought thick white bread instead of homemade Challah bread. This simple recipe would be a great treat for visiting family this Thanksgiving.













Ingredients
1 loaf thick white bread (AKA French Toast Bread)
4 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
2 TBSP sugar, divided
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup powdered sugar

Directions
Do this part the night before for best results.

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and leave on a baking sheet to dry out for a few hours. Go watch a movie or something.

Place cubes in a large bowl.

Whisk egg yolks, half and half, 2 Tbsp sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon until well combined and pour over bread. Toss until all liquid is absorbed. Pour into the prepared pan and lightly press down on the bread to spread evenly.

Wake up about a half an hour before everyone else to bake.
Preheat oven to 325. Bake the French toast cake for 25-30 minutes, until browned. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the rim. Evenly sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Cut into 6-8 wedges and serve warm, with maple syrup.

Serves 6-8

Crochet Pumpkin

There is no better way to re-start the crafting fun here at Apocalypse Meow then with a bit of Halloween fun!
I found a cute pattern for a very simple pumpkin at Lion Brand’s website. I wanted to make some pumpkins of varying sizes though, so I created a crochet pattern for a slightly larger one. I think it turned out pretty good! Give it a try. It is really simple.

Cute Pumpkin

Body
Chain 2
Row 1: SC 10 in first chain. Place stitch marker
Row 2: Two SC in each SC around (20 SC total). Move stitch marker to last stitch in round (repeat after each round).
Row 3: Two SC in each SC around (40 SC total)
Row 4: *SC three, two SC in next SC*. Repeat from * to end of round. (50 SC total)
Row 5-16: SC around.
Row 17: *SC three, SC2Together.* Repeat from * to end of round (40 SC total)
Row 18: SC2Together around (20 SC total)
Row 19: SC2Together around (10 SC total. Stuff pumpkin with Polyfill or other cotton stuffing. Cram that stuff in there, as much as you can!
Row 20: SC2Together around (5 SC total)
Bind off, weave in ends.


Stem
Chain 2
Row 1: SC 5 in first chain. Place stitch marker
Row 2: SC in front of stitch around. Move stitch marker to last stitch in round (repeat after each round).
Row 3-5: SC around
Bind off, leave a long tail to sew stem to pumpkin. Sew stem to top of pumpkin, weave in ends

Please note: I’m writing this pattern off the top of my head, so please forgive any inaccuracies.

We aren't dead!

Dearest blog,

So sorry about abandoning you. Things have been crazy busy around these parts. I promise to try to keep the love alive and post again more frequently. Please don't be mad. Lory and I love you.

heart, kb

P.S.
I love this song and can't stop listening to it. Just thought I would share!

Jenny and Johnny - First Listen

Jenny and Johnny, aka Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice, are getting ready to release their first duet album together titled, " I'm Having Fun Now ". Yesterday NPR Music has begun to stream the album in it's entirety and I have been listening non-stop! The record sounds totally awesome. A perfect marriage of the two performers, awesome melodies, perfect harmonies, catchy pop tunes without the fake smiles and noxious auto-tuning. My only complaint about the record is that it is being released on the last day of August - the end of summer - when it has all the things anyone could ask for in a fun-loving-good-time-rock n'roll-summer-time album. I guess I better hope the rock n' roll groundhog climbs out of his hole only to be frightened by his shadow and grant us 6 more weeks of Summer thus 6 more weeks of Summer-time tunes.....or something like that....



Anyways,
Listen HERE
I can't stop listening to THIS song!

Alley Philosophies....

This is how I feel on Monday mornings.

This is Jeff O's photo btw.

Easy Camera Bag Pattern

I recently bought myself a new digital camera. My previous one was six plus years old, so I decided it was time for an upgrade, especially on the day that the Casio Exilim went on sale on Woot.com. My new toy was about half the size of its ancient predecessor, so I needed a new camera bag. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to store my small electronic devices in a sock until something better comes along.

Working without a pattern, I decided that I’d try out this fancy yarn I bought about a year ago. At about $10 per skein, Tango by Universal Brand Yarn makes a self-ruffling yarn that is a cinch to use, if you have a bit of patience. I was prompted by the sales clerk when I purchased the yarn that you are supposed to stick the knitting needle through the middle of the yarn and knit within the webbing (wow, it is a lot harder to describe what I am talking about than I realized!). The Lion Brand Yarn website has a fairly comprehensive how-to guide for knitting with self-ruffling yarn.

Anywho… here are my instructions, from memory, not a professional pattern by any means:

Ruffled Camera Bag (Fits Casio Exilim Camera)

Ingredients:
1 Skein Tango Self-Ruffling Yarn (22 yards/50 grams)
Matching, DK Weight, Non-ruffling Yarn for sewing the edges and the Strap (use one of your stash scraps)
Size 4 Knitting Needles
Size G Crochet Needle
Embroidery Needle
Sewing needle
Matching Color Sewing Thread
Complimentary Style/Colored Button

Pattern:

The Bag- Knit
Cast On 15 (wrap entire yarn ribbon around needle, do not implement ruffling affect)
Knit 18 rows in Garter Stitch using the ruffling method (No need for fancy knit stitches)
Cast Off
Sew in ends.
Fold in half, right sides touching, and sew the long edges together with a matching DK weight yarn. Sew in ends. Flip bag inside-out so that right sides are now on the outside and sewn edges are hidden.

The Strap- Crochet
Chain 12
Row 1: Insert hook into 3rd chain from hook . Single crochet across. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 2-12: *Insert hook into back of stitch and single crochet (This makes a “ribbing” pattern). Repeat from * until end of row. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 13/Button Hole: Single crochet 5. Chain 2 (more if your button is bigger). Skip next single crochet (skip 2 if your button is bigger). Single crochet across. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 15-16: *Insert hook into back of stitch and single crochet. Repeat from * until end of row. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 19: Cast off (wrap entire yarn ribbon around needle, do not implement ruffling affect)
Sew one side of the strap into the inside of the bag at the second row from the top.
Using sewing thread and sewing needle, sew button onto the bag, centered and approximately 3 rows from the top. Using yarn to attach the button is nearly impossible, sewing thread is better.

Sew Shoe Me Shop Update!!!

New items have been posted and many more to come! Check it out!