These are yum! Soft, a bit crumbly, and with so few ingredients, make sure to use your favorite brand. My nut butters were all Natural Organic Trader Joe's label. I put caramel chocolate bits and spoonfuls of lemon curd on them as soon as they came out of the oven. When hot they are VERY delicate; let them cool a bit or you'll be sweeping up peanut butter.

*Actually...I would not suggest using all or most Almond butter, it has a really different texture and oil content. A mix might work out, ok...

Cheers!

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.
Martin Luther

In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.
Carl Sagan

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
John Muir

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.
Rabindranath Tagore

The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.
e. e. cummings

Cake ingredients
1 1/2 stick butter (I use a home made salted butter, so usually omit the salt)
1 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (use your favorite flavor chips as the taste comes through)
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 T instant coffee or expresso powder
1 1/2 c sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 t vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter)
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour sifted

Ganache ingredients
1/2 c heavy or whipping cream
1/2 stick butter
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease (shortening or spray are fine) 2 round cake pans, 8-9 inches diameter. Line bottom with waxed paper and grease the paper. I use a heavy weight dark coated non stick pan.

Melt butter, chocolate chips, cocoa and coffee in a good sized saucepan (you'll mix the whole cake in the pan, pretty nice clean up!) over very low heat, stir to help it along, until everything is almost melted. Remove from heat, and continue stirring until everything is smooth. Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt until it is well combined; stir in eggs until incorporated. Stir in flour just until blended. Divide the batter between the pans.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean. I had about 22 minutes in the convection oven. Cool in the pan 15 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely. The cakes should pop out pretty easily after loosening the edges.

After cakes are completely cooled and ready for frosting:
Bring cream just to the barely boiling point in medium small saucepan. Remove from heat, then stir in chocolate chips and butter until melted. Let cool to thicken, stirring occasionally.

If it cools/hardens too much, it can be remelted or whipped with a mixer. I like to pour this over the cake rather than spread it. I let it cool until it's a thick pudding consistency ~ Pourable, but it won't run away on you. Coat the top of both cakes (I don't do the sides) and stack one cake on the other. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

These cakes don't rise much ~ about an inch tall for each layer ~ but the intense flavor makes up for lack of stature.
Instead use garnish for that impressive visual interest ~ with raspberries, almond slices, piped whipped cream or go over the top with chocolate mousse. Fruit coulis is always pretty if serving sliced.

I found out that she will be presenting ~ demo-ing some torch work at the Rhode Island Maker Faire. I'm heading down to check it out next week. Let me know if you'll be there!

In any case, I don't eat bear (or bare usually) but like a bear ~ I love to have fruit & nuts, yogurt or cereal ~ usually oatmeal ~ to eat. I do eat pretty much the same thing, just variations on the theme, I wonder if it counts?

The thing is I really really like chewy. French style yogurts make me shiver, and I even tried making yogurt at home, but they were soupy too, so finding the Greek yogurts at Trader Joes was pretty cool. The bad part is that the pint is 2x a regular store brand qt.

I found out that the only big difference is that the thicker Greek yogurts are strained. So I tried it ~ heck if I can try making it at home, I can try straining it.

It came out great! I love it. Directions after the break. Let me know if you try it

The colander method is pretty easy. Lay the fabric in the bottom of the colander, put all of the yogurt on top of the fabric. Then fold the edges of the fabric over the top of the yogurt. Weight it down with the plate & weight. Make sure to let it drip in the sink or over a tray.
This isn't my favorite method tho because my husband might mistake it for dirty dishes, I have to wash the colander and the holes in the colander are pretty far apart ~ good for pasta, but not so quick for strained yogurt.

The hobo bag method is still easy ~ you just need some way/where to hang the bag. Lay out the fabric in a bowl or tray (you'll need this to catch the water) put all of the yogurt on top of the fabric. Gather up the edges of fabric around the yogurt. Wrap & tie the twill tape at the gather point. Make a loop to use to hang the bag. Hang the bag over a bowl or tray.

Greek Yogurt only takes about 30 minutes. More or less time will vary the consistency. If you forget ~ as I do occasionally ~ you will approach a cream cheese texture (nice for a change of pace) spreadable Yogurt Cheese. The Yogurt cheese is a really nice base for a party cheese ball, but I usually eat it with fruit & nuts.

This starts as a sheet of 18 ga sterling silver. I cut a strip off with a saw to the required height, then I measure off the length for the size requested. There is an exact measurement that corresponds to each size, but a big ring like this takes a little art to make sure it is comfortable.
Then I solder it, hammer the shape out on a form and start the finishing ~ filing, sanding & polishing. Lastly, few hours in my tumbler to make sure the metal is hardened.

The finishing & polishing usually takes me the longest. I love it when the metal feel like silk.

There are things grandma & grandpa used to save before recycling ~ "just in case"
*coffee cans*
perfect storage for nails, screws, drill bits, handful of pencils, files, rubberbands or whatever. They can be used to bake bread in, cover in colorful papers & use for toys, tea light hurricanes, pencil cups...the list goes on forever. So I can't even really bear to recycle them usually.

*plastic food containers* from the grocery store
You'd think I'd lose more left overs thinking that there is a lot of sour cream in the fridge...but it only happens once in a while. The yogurt I really like comes in plastic pint containers ~ same size as sour cream.

Recycled planters
coffee cans with lids ~ these cans are 13 oz size. They have a lip on the inner top edge
same number of sour cream or large yogurt containers that fit inside the coffee can
paint & brush
for hanging: heavy gauge wire, chain, lighter wire; hook.

remove bottom from empty can and lightly sand surface for better paint adhesion.
paint the can ~ I used some paint leftover from a previous project.

put damp dirt in yogurt container then follow directions for your seeds/seedlings
slice a couple of holes in the bottom to avoid root rot

slide the coffee can over the yogurt container. replace the lid on the bottom.
paint can again with lid on to create a paint seal.

line them up in the sun & don't forget to water them

While I love my fire and smithing hobby business, like most of us, the day job ... well let's just say I needed a spark to keep me on track. I enrolled in a night class at a local college. The class is pretty interesting ~ it covers topics like conflict & negotiation. It's stuff people encounter everyday just getting along, often at work, so it has been the "juice," the spark I was hoping to get.

And, there is this one last big project left in the semester ~ A challenge to give back to the community. Business classes...Giving Back...!!!!? yup.
The professor has tasked the class with raising awareness and funds for a non-profit effort that provides clean fresh water to developing countries.

Can you help? I admit I was pretty skeptical, so I worked pretty hard to find the "ewww, gotcha" in the assignment & in the charity group.

But I will tell you I was impressed that the community retains ownership of the new facilities.
And the ownership is distributed among a committee including women and people from multiple tribes if that is an issue. Many of you know of my family affiliation with a church, but I really appreciate that the local organizations on the ground do not require religious affiliation for the people to have access to the fresh well water. Church is good; forcing people isn't.

Working in healthcare makes me much more aware of how easy it is to stop the spread of serious disease and infection. Wash your hands! So, I also like that people are taught proper washing hygiene; and basic sanitation about good fresh water & bad waste separation is addressed (Is this statement too delicate?)

Please give generously! every little bit helps, every bit counts and it all can be accounted for in each specific project!
The charity: water founder realized that using donations for overhead costs, often makes people feel that their contribution is less effective; That using donations to fund administration somehow lessens the 'goodness' of the donation. charity: water administration is funded by angel philanthropists, donations specified to go to the foundation, and by selected merchandise.
Technology let's you know where your donation goes! Using GoogleEarth, GPS and charity: water photographers ~ they document the wells, digging, the water systems, and villages where your dollars are used. You can see the efforts for your self from satellite & in photos.

The team effort has decided to try to sweeten the pot a little:
Give at least $20 to charity: water during our challenge & be entered in our drawing to win a prize. Prizes are listed here and below
To enter the donation must be received before noon on August 3rd 2009, and must be submitted from the team challenge page above or at charitywater.org/pages/rubystar

Thank you for your time reading this & consideration in any small way.
Please feel free to im/dm/convo/email me if you have questions!

What can you win?
Win a portable GPS!
charity: water is unique in tracking the location of the freshwater wells and water systems it supports in Google Earth with exact GPS coordinates! Go globetrotting & find your contribution, take a trip to find some new supplies or re-route around the traffic on the way to grandma's.

How could we omit a super cool water bottle? ~ In your daily trek in the wilds, you, yourself need to keep hydrated and it's more environmental than the single serving bottles!

Refreshing glycerin soaps to keep clean and sparkly ~ Clean water and education is also essential for sanitation. Simply washing ones hands hugely reduces disease and illness (everywhere, not just in 3rd world countries!) charity: water also funds efforts to build sanitary toilet facilities and teaches basic hygiene.

I did some shopping there this week. The market concept is lots of fun ~ the themes make it feel like boutique shops. The checkout is clean! In Love!

Real Simple had an awesome write up that profiled 10 shops & describes the work as high quality. Win!

Tonight I need to make a few hundred buttons! So a glass of wine & a movie on hulu & I'll be a 1-man assembly line.

Available in a variety of finishes: Shiny high gloss, brushed, hammered, distressed
Different metals: Copper, Brass and Sterling
It can be etched or imprinted to personalize for your fella

The size is perfect for holding good wad of bills, a subway ticket and an ID. Has a nice heft and feel in the hand or the pocket. Buy it here