mayday

thursday

grandma's house

strawberry apple torte

slightly adapted from two-tarts

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tbs (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• juice and zest from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter and flour 8-in cake pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

3. In another bowl, cream the butter and 3/4 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest. Add in the dry flour mixture and mix until a smooth, thick batter is formed. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan.

4. Toss the fruit with lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Place the fruit on top of the batter in a single layer. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar and bake in the oven until lightly browned around the edges and just set in the middle 30-35 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes.

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italian cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until creamy. In another bowl combine the flour and baking powder and then stir it into the creamed mixture. Split the dough into walnut sized servings and roll them into ropes. Then you can shape them however you'd like. I prefer to make a sort of 8 shape with them.

For the frosting I creamed together 2 tablespoons of butter (at room temperature) and 2 cups of confectioners' sugar. Then I slowly added 1/4 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of cream until a spreadable consistency was formed. If you like your frosting thicker, just add less cream. Frost cooled cookies and enjoy!

homeland

big sur

growing

in the mountains

how to make an origami kusudama ball

To make a big one like the one I made here, you will need to make 30 of these units. If you want a smaller one like the one shown at the end of this video, you will need to make 12 units. I recommend using origami paper or any sort of thin paper. I used tracing paper to make the one I have hanging in my room.

earl grey shortbread cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves or 5-7 tea bags

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Directions

In a medium bowl mix the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and butter. Mix just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.