Posts Tagged ‘make it do’

Update:  I’ll be posting the Babushka Tutorial late Monday afternoon for those who are interested.  I’m off to Cub Scout Camp at the crack of dawn this morning… and will be putting up the tutorial when I get home.  Wish me luck!  I’ll count camp a success if we all have fun, and nobody gets a tick.

My mom always called this little style of kerchief a babushka…

I call it cute as a button.  I also call it a lifesaver for summer hair.

Running through the sprinkler, playing hopscotch in the breeze, rolling down the grassy hill…  all the activities of summer leave my girl’s hairdos much to be desired.

That’s OK.  Throw on a babushka, and you’re ready to go and looking darling.

This morning I tried my hand at a making a babushka, and this was the results.

I wanted it to be easy for the girls to put on by themselves, so there are no ties… but a covered elastic in the back.

This first version was trial and error.  I made a few mistakes, and learned a thing or two.

Monday I’ll be posting a tutorial… with all the proverbial wrinkles ironed out.

This babushka is so easy-peasy to make, you’ll want to make more than one.  I think I may even end up making a few for myself.

Why should the girls have all the fun?

The boys went out to shoot trap with their buddies last night.

Since it was just us girls hanging out at home, I made a special dessert that the three of us love.

Crepes are one of our favorite treats, and they are quick and easy, too.

Most days we love to eat crepes sprinkled with powdered sugar and squeezed with fresh lemon juice.  I love them that way, so sweet and tart.

But last night, we wanted something special.

I started by making the crepe batter earlier in the day.  Crepe batter is much better if allowed to “rest” in the refrigerator.  In a blender, add two eggs.

Add 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.  That stream of milk looks like a spiral, it looked so cool when the photo was large.

Pour in 1 cup of all purpose flour.

Then 3 tablespoons melted butter…

and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  You can also add 1 teaspoon of vanilla if you like… but I forgot yesterday.

Blend until smooth… for maybe 20 seconds. If needed, I blend for about 10 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula, then blend again.

Toss it in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to two days.

To cook the crepes, coat your pan with a little butter.  This stainless steel pan is my favorite crepe pan.  It’s just the right size and surprisingly the crepes don’t stick.  Plus it gives the crepes prettier color than my non-stick pan.

Heat the pan over medium to medium high heat.  Pour a the batter in the middle of the pan and swirl the pan so the batter spreads around into a nice even crepe.

Cook until golden brown and flip and cook till done.

Doesn’t that look good?  You could sprinkle it with powdered sugar, and squeeze on fresh lemon juice.  That is an amazing way to eat crepes.  You could also spread it with raspberry jam, roll it up and sprinkle on a little powdered sugar… that’s my mom’s favorite way.

But if you really want to treat yourself,

Take some Nutella….  ever since I backpacked through Europe for three months when I was 19, I have been in love with Nutella…

Spread some Nutella love on your crepe….

If you really want to indulge, spread it all over the crepe.  Since I’m watching my calories (huh-hum), I spread it right up the middle.

I’m so glad strawberries are in season.  They are just starting to come on in my garden.  But I didn’t have enough for our treat.  These are from the store.  Pile in as many strawberries as your crepe can hold.

Roll it up.

Sprinkle on some powdered sugar.

And top with a nice big dollop of freshly made whipped cream.

Lily can afford to eat as much Nutella and whipped cream as she wants.

“Are you kidding me?  This is amazing!”  “I want to eat Nutella on a spoon right out of the jar!”

“Thanks mom, you’re the best mom in the whole world.”

“I love you Lily.  Thanks for saving me some whipped cream on your cheek for later.”

Here’s my recipe for crepes:  My recipe is a small variation of Alton Brown’s winning recipe on Food Network.

Sweet Crepes

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

butter for coating the pan

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Heat pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Coat the pan with butter and pour batter in the middle.  Swirl the pan to spread the batter and make a nice round crepe. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

Fill with favorite filling and serve.

To make ahead and store: Lay crepes flat to cool, then they may be stacked and stored in plastic wrap for several days or in the freezer for up to two months.  Allow crepes to completely unthaw before peeling them apart.