This is a good day! Everyone should have the right to be in love...
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Anyone up for a cocktail?
One of my favorite places.....
Barkeeper in Silverlake is a store for the fan of the cocktail. It's been in Sunset junction for a bit now, but worth mentioning in case you don't know about it. The owner is super helpful and friendly. You can find the perfect vintage barware to accent your hip home! I recently purchased an absinthe spoon there (there is now legal absinthe sold in the U.S) and a great vintage aperitif glass set. They also have events like the one below that anyone in the know is welcome to attend!
Please join Bar Keeper for a celebration of the Death of Prohibition!
Friday December 7, 2007 @ 7 to 10:30 pm
Also, Please check out the December Edition of the Los Angeles Magazine. Bar Keeper was chosen as one of the 25 Best Shops in Los Angeles!
www.barkeepersilverlake.com
www.barkeepersilverlake.com
Monday, November 26, 2007
2007 Holiday Craftacular!
Okay, here goes. My first blog. HELLO WORLD!
I am hoping to use this blog to share fun things to do in Los Angeles, good times with my friends and family, fun crafty items and other general home ideas.
Feel free to check back often and send me any comments or ideas that you want to share.
Last weekend, the girls and I got together to create homemade treats to give out during the upcoming holiday season. This year we decided on Limoncello and soap.
Sissy (me)
Samantha (the Partner in Crime)
Susan (the Flirt) –
the south of Los Feliz Blvd. (my kitchen). Below is the recipe we found from Mario Batali. Callie and Samantha are HUGE Mario Batali fans!
4 cups vodka
Zest of 10 lemons, no pith at all, may substitute 15 limes, 6 grapefruits, 10 blood oranges, 12 mandarin oranges, or 8 regular oranges
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups water
Place vodka and zest in a sealable jar, like a mason jar and allow to sit in a cool place for 4 days. On the fifth day place the sugar and the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to cook 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Add sugar solution to the vodka solution and allow to stand overnight. Strain through a layer of cheesecloth in a conical sieve, pressing the solids firmly. Strain again through a second layer in the same manner. Chill and allow to stand 1 week. Serve very cold. Here is the link.
We had a lot of fun making the limoncello. We also had fun drinking our “trial” batch that we had made a few weeks ago while we did it.
We increased our batch by 4 times so we all had enough to give out. We decided to go with a medium priced vodka, as it seemed like a good idea to increase the flavor of a mid range vodka and save the high range vodka for those straight martinis!
The soap is a very simple gift to make. My first experience was a peppermint loaf idea in a 
Martha Stewart magazine a few years ago. You can still find the instructions on her website.
The Basic soap making instructions:
a Brick of soap from your local craft store. Follow instructions on the package for melting.
After melting, add scent and color.
Pour into desired mold or loaf pan.
Bricks of glycerin soap are available at any craft store. You can purchase diffe
rent scents at the craft store or essential oils. I buy my essential oils from NatureMart on Hillhurst and Finley (for those of you in Los Angeles). Peppermint is a great holiday scent. Rosemary and lemongrass together are a great wake me up. Honey and almond are a wonderful winter combo.
As far as coloring, there are many options I found at the local Michaels Craft Store. In the Martha Stewart recipe she used food coloring. Either works. You can adjust the scents and colors any number of ways for any occasion. We have since started to experiment with molds, other scents, additives and shapes.
We made loaf soaps in metal bread loaf pans as well as mold soaps. The regular size and mini loaf pans are great for to cutting in slices or handing out a half a loaf. You can find soap molds on the internet or in your local craft store. However, if you are looking for a super specific mold (for a baby shower, wedding, etc..) I would suggest starting with the internet.
You can see in the photo our regular and mini loaf pans poured as well as the molds we made.
We will reconvene this weekend to bottle, wrap and package up all of our gifts. Check back next week for more photos!
I am hoping to use this blog to share fun things to do in Los Angeles, good times with my friends and family, fun crafty items and other general home ideas.
Feel free to check back often and send me any comments or ideas that you want to share.
Last weekend, the girls and I got together to create homemade treats to give out during the upcoming holiday season. This year we decided on Limoncello and soap.
“THE GIRLS”
Sissy (me)
Samantha (the Partner in Crime)
Callie (the Brains)
Susan (the Flirt) –
Jeanie (the Rebel)
LIMONCELLO
Limoncello is a yummy Italian digestive usually from the south of Italy, but ours will be from
the south of Los Feliz Blvd. (my kitchen). Below is the recipe we found from Mario Batali. Callie and Samantha are HUGE Mario Batali fans!Zest of 10 lemons, no pith at all, may substitute 15 limes, 6 grapefruits, 10 blood oranges, 12 mandarin oranges, or 8 regular oranges
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups water
Place vodka and zest in a sealable jar, like a mason jar and allow to sit in a cool place for 4 days. On the fifth day place the sugar and the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to cook 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Add sugar solution to the vodka solution and allow to stand overnight. Strain through a layer of cheesecloth in a conical sieve, pressing the solids firmly. Strain again through a second layer in the same manner. Chill and allow to stand 1 week. Serve very cold. Here is the link.
We had a lot of fun making the limoncello. We also had fun drinking our “trial” batch that we had made a few weeks ago while we did it. We increased our batch by 4 times so we all had enough to give out. We decided to go with a medium priced vodka, as it seemed like a good idea to increase the flavor of a mid range vodka and save the high range vodka for those straight martinis!
SOAP
Martha Stewart magazine a few years ago. You can still find the instructions on her website.The Basic soap making instructions:
a Brick of soap from your local craft store. Follow instructions on the package for melting.
After melting, add scent and color.
Pour into desired mold or loaf pan.
Bricks of glycerin soap are available at any craft store. You can purchase diffe
rent scents at the craft store or essential oils. I buy my essential oils from NatureMart on Hillhurst and Finley (for those of you in Los Angeles). Peppermint is a great holiday scent. Rosemary and lemongrass together are a great wake me up. Honey and almond are a wonderful winter combo.As far as coloring, there are many options I found at the local Michaels Craft Store. In the Martha Stewart recipe she used food coloring. Either works. You can adjust the scents and colors any number of ways for any occasion. We have since started to experiment with molds, other scents, additives and shapes.
We made loaf soaps in metal bread loaf pans as well as mold soaps. The regular size and mini loaf pans are great for to cutting in slices or handing out a half a loaf. You can find soap molds on the internet or in your local craft store. However, if you are looking for a super specific mold (for a baby shower, wedding, etc..) I would suggest starting with the internet.
You can see in the photo our regular and mini loaf pans poured as well as the molds we made.We will reconvene this weekend to bottle, wrap and package up all of our gifts. Check back next week for more photos!
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