a warm cup of tea

i have spent most of the christmas holiday in bed, sick. but earlier in the week, before the cough, sore throat, and chills, i exchanged christmas gifts with friends. one of the gifts that has come in handy these last few days are teas i received from my friend karen: warm, soothing, tasty and just perfect when you're sick on these cold winter days.

winter reading program

cold chill in the air. snow on the ground.

this can only mean one thing... it is winter.

and that means the winter reading program is about to begin!

this year's theme is sled & skate to the library and this is the

logo i designed for our 2011 winter program.

welcome back caitlin!

our head of circulation came back from her three month

maternity leave today and to celebrate her return, i made her a banner

and hung it up at the circ desk for everyone to see! it is simple yet colorful banner

and is a perfect expression of my excitement to have her back at work.

cookie exchange

i participated in my very first cookie exchange this year. the exchanged took place at a work holiday party a coworker and i hosted last night. there were 10 participants and was very successful. i walked away from the party with a wide variety of cookies that will definately keep the sugar rush going for the next few weeks.

i made hazelnut-chocolate sandwich cookies and packaged them in white boxes. i wrapped the middle of the boxes with patterned paper. i finished it off with an ornament shaped gift tag and brown ribbon.

hazelnut-chocolate sandwich cookies

makes 48 cookies (2 inch round) or 24 sandwiches

ingredients

cookies

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

topping & filling

• powdered sugar (for dusting)
• 1/2 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread (nutella)

directions

1. in a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, & salt.
2. in a medium bowl, beat granulated sugar & better at medium speed until light and fluffy. beat in egg & vanilla.
3. gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture. beat at low speed until dough forms.
4. divide dough in half. wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
5. preheat over to 375 F.
6. roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 3/16-inch thickness.
7. cut dough into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. make sure to cut equal numbers of each shape (to make the top & bottom of sandwich).
8. place cookies 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. bake 6-7 minutes or until edges are lightly brown.
9. let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. place cookies on wire rack & cool completely.
10. sprinkle half the number of cookies (the tops of the sandwich) with powdered sugar. spread hazelnut-chocolate spread on the flat side of the remaining cookies (the bottoms of the sandwich).
11. place flat side of top cookie over hazelnut spread & enjoy!

guatemala

twenty photographs from my trip to guatemala will be on display

at work (morton grove public library) during the month of december.

here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip.

for a holiday party

holiday party co-hosted with melissa

lined envelope, invitation & rsvp card

thankful

morning

early morning glow

through my window when i wake

perfect and lovely

happy birthday brenda!

my friend brenda celebrates an important birthday today and over the last few weeks, i've been thinking of what kind of cake to make her. i finally settled on a mocha ice cream cake.

it was an eclectic list of possible cakes which included a chocolate fudge cake, a coconut cake, even a cake with raspberries, so why an ice cream cake? maybe it was all these childhood memories of having ice cream cake at my birthday celebrations -or- that ice cream cakes always makes me feel like a kid -or- that ice cream cake is great at any age (even the big 3-0!) -or- maybe its just the simple fact that ice cream cake is delicious!

i mean its cake & ice cream!

you cant go wrong with that!

(and yes, i said the word cake a total of 12 times in that little bit of text)

happy birthday brenda! wishing you nothing but the best on this day! and tomorrow... we shall eat cake! xoxo

mocha ice cream cake

ingredients

cake:

• 1 pack chocolate wafer cookies
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1.5 quarts coffee ice cream, softened
• 1 cup mini chocolate chip morsels

chocolate whipped topping:

• 2 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

topping:

• mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings

directions

1. in a food processor, mix chocolate wafers until finely ground. add melted butter & process until crumbs are moistened.
2. press crumb mixture onto bottom of 11 inch spring-form pan.
3. freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
4. place ice cream in a large bowl. add mini chocolate chips & stir until well blended.
5. transfer ice cream mixture to crust-lined pan.
6. smooth top & cover with plastic wrap. freeze overnight
7. combine whipping cream & vanilla in another large bowl. add powdered sugar & cocoa.
8. using electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form.
9. spread mixture over top of cake.
10. freeze until cream is set, at least one hour.
11. sprinkle mini chocolate chips or chocolate ribbon.
12. run knife through pan sides to loosen the cake. remove pan sides.
13. using small metal spatula or knife, smooth cake sides.
14. cut cake, serve & enjoy!

tres leches cake

there is a bakery down the block from my apartment. this bakery was my introduction to the wonderful tres leches (three milk) cake. tres leches cake is a spongy cake that is soaked in three different kinds of milks and is very popular in many parts of latin america. after looking at several recipes online - i have found one that i love and this quickly has become my favorite cake to make.

ingredients

cake:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup milk, 2%
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar

milk syrup:

• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extact

topping:

• whipped cream (home made or store bought)

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 F. butter 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. beat 3/4 cup sugar & the egg yolks until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. fold in the milk, vanilla, flour, & baking powder. set aside.
3. beat the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the cream of tartar after 20 seconds. gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar & continue beating until the whites are glossy & firm but not dry.
4. gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
5. pour batter into the buttered baking dish.
6. bake for about 30-45 minutes, until the cake feels firm & an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. let cake cool completely.
8. pierce the cake all over with a toothpick or skewer.
9. in a mixing bowl, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream & vanilla.
10. whisk until well blended.
11. pour syrup over the cake.
12. let sit in the refrigerator until all (or most) of the syrup has been absorbed.
13. top with whipped cream, serve, & enjoy!

national gaming day

i have the coolest job ever!

saturday, november 13, was national gaming day and i got to spend a few hours playing rock band, wii bowling, and a few board games AND get paid for it! i mean we were "supervising" the teens and other kids that came to participate in the program - but supervising has never been so much fun!

el salvador

yesterday i gave a presentation at work about my habitat for humanity build in el salvador this past august. although only a few people came to hear me talk, it felt very nice to relive my experience and share my stories of the beautiful country and its people with them.

here are a few of my favorite photographs from the trip.

poolside

team going back to work

anna victoria

bike & flowers

home

erika

marvin

bicycle

philippe

alex

holding hands: volunteer & mason

jacob

restaurant on stilts

boat ride

suchitoto catherdral

view of lake suchitlan

chicago

i love that i can call this city my home.

house warming

i helped my friend rocio move a few saturdays ago. tonight was the first time i've visited her since she started unpacking and i must say i am thoroughly impressed at her progress. i cannot say that i am surprised - i remember when i first moved into my apartment, about a year and a half ago, all i wanted to do was to unpack the boxes and make this new space a home. as a house warming present, i made her a paper mobile. it now hangs in her hallway.

you've got a beautiful space rocio and you've done wonderful things with it in the little time you've lived there. i cannot wait to see the rest of the transformation.

paper flowers

paper flowers live forever.

i had the hardest time, when i first moved to my apartment, keeping plants alive. after killing my second jade, i decided that paper plants and flowers were the way to go. i am now always looking for new and creative ways to make flowers out of paper. i will share this particular pattern/idea (photo above) with you in a future post.

this small vase of paper flowers is a birthday gift to my friend moe. i made it 18 days ago and i must say looks just as good today as it did on october 21.

butterflies

these butterflies' wings no longer flutter. i have put away the fan that animated them. these wings, half curled and frozen in motion, now wait for summer to come again.

what's not frozen are memories of beautiful sunny mornings, waking up to their flapping wings above my head. curled up nice and warm under the covers, watching the changing sky out my window. thoughts of the night before and the day ahead running through my mind. thankful for my past, hopeful for my future, appreciating all i have: people places things, a heart full of love and a mind full of thoughts of you.

these butterflies' wings no longer flutter but they continue to spark hopes and thoughts of beautiful days ahead.