Because Baking is Creative: "Swag" Bars

I've done more than just bake this week, but you wouldn't know it by the radio silence on the blog lately. Sorry to all you loyal followers! I'm cooking up (in addition to sweet treats) some exciting changes at the Lilly Louise studio, so stay tuned to learn about what's going on over here.

Now back to business. Swag Bars. These are incredible! This is the kind of dessert that while you make it you just can't wait to taste it when it's finished. And then it haunts you while it's cooling, and after you've given it all away except for 3 little pieces you're saving in the fridge...calling your name. And, it's--once again--from Cooking Light so it's not terribly unhealthy. However, I must admit when it said "drizzle" melted dark chocolate, I chose to "slather."

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Swag Bars
About 36 servings (serving size: 1 bar)

Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup light-colored corn syrup
* 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) chopped lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts
* 3 1/2 cups (4 ounces) whole-grain flaked cereal (such as Total), finely crushed (I used Flax Plus)
* Cooking spray
* 1/3 cup (2 ounces) chopped dark chocolate

Preparation

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 4 minutes or just until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in peanuts and cereal. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

2. Place the dark chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring every 20 seconds. Drizzle chocolate evenly over peanut mixture. Score into 36 bars while warm.

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Because Baking is Creative: Dark Chocolate Biscotti

I think my first attempt at making biscotti was successful. I chose a recipe that includes whole wheat flour, flaxseed and dark chocolate so this isn't your everyday coffee-house biscotti. It's almost good for you! I decided to dip half of the baked biscotti in dark chocolate because A) it looks pretty and B) I thought it would take the healthy edge off of the taste. Both kinds were delicious.

Italian Lesson: biscotti is Italian for cookies (or biscuits as the English call them). That's cookies, plural. One cookie is called a biscotto. Like panino and panini, panini is plural and means sandwiches, something American restaurants can't seem to figure out.



Deep Dark Chocolate Biscotti
from Cooking Light

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen (serving size: 1 biscotto)

Ingredients
* 9.5 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 2 cups)
* 2 tablespoons flaxseed
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
* 2 large egg whites
* 1 large egg
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (such as Hershey's)
* 3/4 cup unsalted almonds

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, flaxseed, soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine sugars, egg whites, and egg in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed for 2 minutes. Add vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir until combined. Fold in chocolate and almonds. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch-long roll. Arrange rolls 3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat to a 1-inch thickness. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until firm.

3. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut rolls diagonally into 30 (1/2-inch) slices. Place, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 325°; bake 7 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 7 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool on wire rack.

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Casual Classy Texas Wedding

I recently finished this wedding invitation for a couple that live deep in the heart of Texas. They plan to marry at a church in central Texas and kick up their heels Texas-style afterward. While designing the invitation we wanted to communicate that this would be a classy, casual, friendly celebration; the rich, red graphic paired with the natural brown paper help to tell this story. This paper hints at the rustic feeling of Fisher Hall that is so very Texas. The RSVP is a double-sided post card.



A little note about this paper (I'm a little obsessed with it right now): Neenah Environment Desert Storm is 100% recycled including 30% post consumer waste. FSC Certified, processed chlorine free, and made with 100% green energy!

Best wishes to you, Mollie and Patrick!

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Favorite Things: Watercolor Palette

Yes. That is what you think it is.

When I was in high school my favorite art teacher taught me that I could store my watercolors in a styrofoam egg carton. My particular set of watercolors had 18 colors, so this was the perfect use for the would-be piece of trash. Now that I think about it, this egg carton-turned-watercolor-palette is 10 years old! It has certainly seen better days, but it works just fine. I use it every time I work on a watercolor project. Although I've added a modern plastic palette to the mix, this one gets the job done and travels well.

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When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Lemon Thyme Cornmeal Quickbread

This week's lemony creation comes, again, from the pages of Cooking Light, my lemon tree and herb garden. The lemon and thyme are a perfect pair in this semi sweet cornbread. I think this recipe would work well as muffins or baked in small ramekins. Deelish!





Lemon-Thyme Cornmeal Quickbread

For the best texture, be sure to choose regular or finely ground cornmeal. Avoid stone-ground cornmeal, as it is too coarse for this delicate bread. Yield 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

* 1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
* 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup egg substitute
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
* 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and divided
* Cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring mixture with a whisk.

3. Place egg substitute, sugar, and oil in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed 1 minute or until well blended. Add thyme, rind, and juice; beat at low speed until combined. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Chop 1 tablespoon nuts; stir into batter.

4. Pour batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon whole nuts. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven (do not turn oven off). Drizzle butter evenly over batter. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

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Inspiration: Flora and Structure at the Getty Villa

As I'm transferring all my data from my old computer to my new one and learning about all the useful upgrades that I've been missing out on in iPhoto, I came across these photos that I took on a visit to the Getty Villa in Malibu last summer. Perhaps it's my new screen that seems to make everything look rich and vibrant that's drawing me to these images, but I thought I'd share some visual inspiration with you.



A visit to the Getty Villa can put a creative mind in a frenzy because everything is visually stimulating geometrically and organically. In a walkway each window portal is covered with a pattern; three patterns repeat every third window. In a reflecting pool nearby, lily pads of various BRILLIANT colors and shapes overlap each other, forming an inconsistent pattern. Hopefully these photos will help tell this story.

Enjoy!

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Give: Critters for the Kiddos

I think handmade gifts are the best gifts to give (and receive)--as a recipient, it's evident how much time and thought was put into the creation of the gift, and as a giver you're thinking of your recipient as you create the gift, so it's inevitably a one-of-a-kind gift specifically for them.



I made these two critters as gifts recently. The frog princess is for my 3-year-old friend, Zoe. She's a princess, too, and it's only fitting that she have a frog princess for her wall.

The owl is for baby L. We won't know if baby L will be a boy or girl until the birthday in November!



Below are photos of the process. I start by sketching my composition in a sketch book and testing colors. Then I paint acrylic paint in various color onto thick watercolor paper. I like to preserve the irregularity of the brush strokes, so I make sure not to take too much care in applying the paint.



Next I divide my composition into shapes and cut those shapes out of the painted swatches. After I've cut every piece to make the entire composition, I carefully glue all the pieces together and then onto a background--sometimes a painted color, sometimes white. After allowing it to dry I frame the pieces in a Ribba frame (from Ikea). Would you believe that this is the hardest part?! I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to framing and if there is any speck of dust under the glass I'll start the framing all over again. Then it's complete!



Check out similar projects here.

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When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Lemon Olive Oil Rosemary Cake

I came across this recipe while perusing last month's Cooking Light. I'm always excited about a lemon recipe, and with this one I could use rosemary from our herb garden in addition to lemons from our tree. I never would have thought lemon, olive oil, rosemary and cake would make such a delightful concoction, but this was delicious! The combination of tastes was savory and sweet. And while it was baking, the house smelled so good!



Ingredients

* Cooking spray
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup fat-free milk
* 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* Fresh rosemary sprig (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons flour. Weigh or lightly spoon 13.5 ounces flour (about 3 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.

3. Place granulated sugar and next 7 ingredients (through eggs) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed 2 minutes or until smooth. Add to flour mixture; beat until blended.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Combine powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle sugar mixture over cake. Garnish with rosemary sprig, if desired.

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In the Studio

My computer is at the spa today (transferring its data to the new one), so this it what I'm doing today. Happy Tuesday!

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The Last of the Season

I picked these this weekend, just before Fall blew into Santa Barbara. From the looks of the garden, I think these may be the last for the season. We've been eating the little grape tomatoes like candy all summer. Any suggestions for good fall/winter vegetables to plant?

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Give: Gifts for the Wedding Party

In keeping with the theme of the week, today I'm sharing the gifts that I gave my best girlfriends who were part of our wedding.

At a breakfast for all the ladies involved in the wedding, I placed a small basket of goodies at each place setting. For each girl I made a card with a replica of the dress they would wear later that day at the wedding, a set of cards with watercolored hearts, and handmade freshwater pearl earrings and necklaces, or bracelets (can you spot them in the photo?).




The ladies also received a hand mirror and Badger Balm--healing lip balm that I swear by! Above each place setting, as part of the gift, was a white bud vase with a single gerber daisy. I can't thank my friends enough for being part of our celebration!



These handmade watercolored dress cards were published in a book! Since completing these cards, I've been commissioned to make these. If you'd like to purchase a set of cards similar to this, click here. Or, if you'd like to inquire about a custom order, send me a message here.

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